Help W/ Possible ID, :) Opinions? Cabinet Card

Hello everyone!

Hope all of those from the EC are dug out by now! Thank the lord the snow storm was not as bad as predicted!

Anywho, I purchased a photograph today in a lot. And wanted to get your opinions. Most of the other photos were meh... but this one seemed unique and that's why I got the group.

The woman is wearing an interesting cap, as well as gloves.
She is outside near a tree. (picking?)

On the back it is signed "Helen Hamilton"

When looking up this name I found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_H._Gardener

I can't find many photos of her online so I'm not 100% sure, but they do look similar.

Any opinions?

Thanks in advance!

 

I don't see a great resemblance between the young woman and the older one at the link, but hard to tell. Eyes and mouths differ. I'd wonder about the name differences issue. "Helen Hamilton Gardner" was all made-up as a pen name except for "Helen." HHG was Alice Chenoweth before she adopted the HHG name, so the way I read it, she never used the name Helen Hamilton that's on the card. bwdik?

 

That would be cool, but.... Since her pen name always included Gardner, it seems unlikely to me that she would have signed as Helen Hamilton.

 

In your picture, the woman is holding a small fruit out from behind the leaves for the photographer to capture in the image - an immature peach? an almost mature apricot? Hard to say because I wasn't able to see any others clearly. And the leaves of those trees are so similar that the view we have of them isn't any help.

She's dressed for being in the orchard, though. Those close-fitting long gloves remind me of "rose gloves" that extend up the arm to protect the wearer from thorns. Perhaps someone who knows clothing better could say when that skirt/jacket/collar on the blouse would have been common. Same with the cap.

 

In the background, we see a rock wall which I normally associate with New England, though there may also be parts of the Midwest where they were also used. Not sure of that.

 

I thought she was doing something active. I was kinda confused with the branch in her hand as well as the clothing (Gloves and hat)

 

Thank you all so much for the replies!

 

I just had a thought rolleyes, I bet that clothing is equestrian related. Not that it helps ID her at all, but if someone else could confirm that it could be a good KW to add.

 

Please note that while she looks like she is picking fruit, there is no basket anywhere close by to put it in.

 

I didn't say she was picking fruit. But the way she's holding it out from the leaves, certainly makes it look like the fruit is the point of the picture.

 

It does look like there is fruit on the tree for sure. I think you are right with the guessing of type. Any idea of what the switching stick is for?

 

Keeping the harvesters on their toes?

 

Not really. I can't tell if it's a dead branch she picked up off the ground or one from which she has stripped the leaves.

 

Haha it looks like the stick was stripped.

 

Maybe the stick was for grafting. Looks an appropriate shape. Maybe she's showing of the results of previous grafts.

 

That's a good point. Depending on the type of graft, you might get several grafts from that long a stick.

 

I had another thought.... this outdoor, well off the road location - who took the picture? what kind of camera set up? When would that be available?

I'm itching to search for Helen... but I need some idea of when this was taken. Dating her clothing would help too.

 

My guess was 1880's-1890's. But I could be off.

 

I must be blind. I don't see any fruit. I even pulled the magnifying glass out and took a closer look - I don't see fruit.

I think it is just a pose. Hand resting on the branch, with a leaf positioned just about the fingers to make it look like she is holding something.

Also note in her right hand, she has her skirt gathered and slightly pulled up.