Man in Sailor Shirt & A Fellow in Drag? Tintype

Hello,

Was wondering if I could get your opinions on this piece!

The "woman" or person in a dress, looks to be a man. And the fellow next to him has some sort of sailor type shirt on.

Any help would be appreciated!
Warm Regards,
Scantic

 

Their eyes are very similar - could be siblings, although his ears and hers are no where near the same.

 

It's that chin and them hands that throw me off on "her".

 

"although his ears and hers are no where near the same. " Lucky her!!!

I think it is a female even with the big-boned bare hand. She has two slight curves (left and right) across her chest area about two or three buttons up from her belt and a slight feminine-type "pooch" to her upper abdomen area starting just under her belt.

 

Any idea if his shirt is a specific type?

 

I think you are correct to think sailor garb. Any maybe it's just the power of suggestion, but I find the pipe-style railing behind them to be nautical, as well. Almost as if the photog set up in a place on the boat for the crew to get pictures with loved ones.?

Interesting that they are both wearing those flat caps with a shiny "button."

 

Tried finding info on 19th C. "sailor uniforms" and got lots of images, but mostly more recent and all of them the kind of dressed up look we see more often in portraits. I'm wondering if this guy is a regular merchant seaman of the lower grades where what you wore was more suited to heavy work.

I also wonder if they're British instead of US. It would be good to get Davey's eyes on this.

 

The fellow with the big ears does look British! lol Hope that doesn't sound wrong! haha

I bought it specifically for the fellow with the shirt, looked to me like he did something nautical at the very least. The shirt seemed to be in that realm.

 

I think they are siblings,maybe she had to cut her hair off for medical reasons,as they were apt to do then. She might just be a mannish looking lass,bless her heart !

 

The "rope" or cord at the neck is what clued me in to nautical.

 

Yea, I was thinking that and the hat. It seemed sorta shipmate fisherman type dealyo.

 

I'm on the fence. It could be a manly looking woman, or it could be a fellow in a dress. It's a perplexing one.

 

Some women are very handsome.....but the bulge at the breast line and the tight belt at the waist .....this is a woman.
Guys ain't built that way !!

 

I think the bulge may be just the shirt being pushed up by the tight belt. Or her ladies are low danglers. :/

 

"Or her ladies are low danglers."

Oh, so . . . you are not familiar with the long-time "measure" for "placement" from a beauty standpoint.

The n...les are to be placed halfway between the distance from the shoulder to the elbow in a woman (but "older" females, especially mothers, are not usually held to that standard).

If an "older" woman does meet that "placement" standard then watch out 'cause she may be looking for a young(er) male who is at or over the top of the Adonis-Scale.

 

Who came up with this standard, yourturn?

 

It's been around a long time, Bakersgma, and has to do with "classical" beauty as portrayed in paintings etc.

I can't find on-line references to it right now. I am dismissing the articles dealing with "plastic surgery" because the "standard measurement" has been around much longer than the wholesale plastic surgery frenzy.

 

Can you post a close-up of the woman?

 

Fraternal org IMO, perhaps some initiation. Notice smoking jacket on left with unknown insignia on person's right cuff. Caps part of frat uniform. Shirt with rope around collar impractical aboard ship with fast-moving lines present; any sailor knows "never stand in a bight" and by inference, keep one's neck out of bights, uniform neckerchiefs excepted.