I love this photo. Not just because it’s unusually happy with a rare smile for the era, but it exudes charm, warmth and of course she’s a Blantyre woman.
This photo has been coloured by Scotland Colourised and is from the ‘David Ritchie’ collection of Blantyre photos, meaning remarkably it was photographed sometime between 1890 and 1910. Yes, between 110 and 130 years old, the young woman’s name is now unknown, but clearly she was willing to pose for this photo. She may have been a relation or friend of the Ritchie family and I’d love to know her name.
Carrying a beautiful flower basket, it looks like the back garden of a house. I think this is most likely between 1900-1910. It summarises nicely an Edwardian young woman’s style and is far removed from the frills and blackness of the Victorian era. I can’t help but also feel the innocence and unknowing about what war horrors were about to come during the mid 1910’s.
It’s a lovely photo, even by todays standard of photography.