Again we see the dramatic shift in clothing styles when the Victorian era ended. This is Bessie Hammell. It certainly appears to be a studio portrait, but it was printed on postcard stock. I’m guessing it was taken about 1910.
In 1910 Bessie turned 22. She was still living with her parents and according the census data was employed as a “collar girl” in a “steam laundry.” I assume a steam laundry was the rough equivalent of a modern dry cleaners, and I’m guessing a collar girl was someone who starched and ironed collars on shirts.
I wonder whether Sarah Hammell didn’t make Bessie’s outfit also.
If Aunt Bessie came to see us and we weren’t home, she would rearrange the furniture, like putting the dining room chairs on top of the table, or upside down. It was her way of telling us she had been there, without leaving a note. Of course we didn’t lock the house when we left, not in those days.