Is this memento mori photgraphy?

Question

On 17 Nov 2020 Alison Gothard wrote on Gothard-348.jpg:

I don't have an exact date on this photo, but Edwin died from hitting his head after a fall down the stairs in March 1899. Given Ann's black dress, is this poccibly a memento mori? He looks very much alive, but now I wonder if it's possible.

Answer 1

It may well be a wedding photo. Both look like they are in their Sunday best. And both are conspicuously displaying wedding rings. You can try to estimate the date from the photographer's logo on the card surround.

Comments

The photographer is W Gothard of Leeds, Dewsbury, Halifax and Barnsley. Undoubtedly a relative.

A potted history of the Gothard photography business  says the Barnsley studio was opened in 1893 which narrows the date range somewhat.

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At the time, there were at least two seemingly unrelated Gothard families in the area. It actually created quite the nightmare to tease the two families apart, because they had children of similar names at similar times! I have yet to find a common ancestor of the two families. To my knowledge, they were not actually related to the photographer.

Thank you for the link to the Gothard photography business! I will have a read! I'm guessing it would be the Dewsbury location, as it was closest to their home.

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I doubt this is a wedding photo, as they were married in 1867 at ages 19 and 20. They both look older than this, and at the time of his death in 1899 he was 52 and she was 51.

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Interestingly, Warner's brother is named Frederick, and Warner had a grandson named Arthur Frederick Gothard, born 1876. I'm guessing the younger Arthur Frederick may be the mysterious Fred Gothard who witnessed the marriage of Harry Howarth and Annie Elizabeth Gothard in 1903. (His name was on the marriage certificate.) I wasn't sure the two families were related as I have yet to find a common ancestor, but it is certainly possible and worthy of further research! It is also possible that the two families were simply friends who happened to share a surname.

Answer 2

I doubt it. You need to consider that at the time, taking a photograph was a complicated process needing a professional photographer. Even the box Brownie had yet to be invented ...

Black was fairly standard at the time as well.

Comments

Yes, which is why I noted the photographer's details. Postcard photography was extremely popular at this time, and the photo is mounted on a stiff cardboard backing with the studio details embossed on the bottom edge.

Answer 3

Black was common for weddings as it was a practical colour. Used for Sunday best and special occasions as well.

Comments

Not only practical, dyeing was more often than not expensive, especially if you wanted something out of the ordinary. Black tended to be simplest and the least expensive option.