How to Dress for a Photographer

This is a guest post thanks to Jenna Theissen. She shared this piece from the May 27th, 1865 edition of All the Year Round, Weekly Gazette & Comet out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Thank you to Jenna for sharing this interesting piece of information.

A lady or gentleman, having made up her or his mind to be photographed, naturally considers, in the first place, how to be dressed so as to show off to the best advantage. This is by no means such an important matter as many might imagine. Le me offer a few words of advice touching dress. Orange color, for certain optical reasons, if photographically dark. Blue is white; other shades or tones of color are proportionally dark or lighter as they contain more or less of these colors. the progressive scale of photographic color commences with the lightest. The order starts thus: White, light-blue, violet, pink, mauve, dark-blue, lemon, blue green, leather-bound, drab, cerise, magenta, yellow-green, dark-brown, purple, red, amber, maroon, orange, dead-black.

Complexion has to be much considered in connection with dress. Blondes can wear much lighter colors than brunettes; the latter always present better pictures in dark dresses, but neither look well in positive white. Violent contrast of colors should be especially guarded against. In photography brunettes possess a great advantage over the fairer sisters. The lovely goelden tresses lose all their transparent brilliancy, and are represented black; whilst the bonnie blue theme of rapture to the poet, is misery to the photographer; for is put entirely out. The simplest and most effective way of removing the yellow color from the hair is to powder it nearly white, is is thus brought to about the same photographic tint as in nature. The same rule, of course, applies to the complexions. A freckle quite invisible at a distance is, on account of it’s yellow color, rendered most painfully off tint when photographed. The puff box must be called inot the assistance of art. Here let me intrude one word of general advice. Blue, as we have seen is the most readily affected by light, and yellow the beast! It, therefore, you would keep your complexion clear and free from the tan freckles whilst taking your delightful rambles as the seaside, discard by all means the blue veil, and substitute a dark green or yellow one in its stead. Blue tulle oiler, no more obstruction to the actinic rays of the sun then white. Half a yard of yellow net though perhaps not so becoming, will be more efficacious and sonsderably chaper then a quart of kalydor.

This additional piece comes from the reverse side of a card from Flynn’s Gallery in Salem, N.Y.

“Some simple facts concerning Color will be useful to many, especially ladies, when deciding how to dress for a Photographic picture. Dark brown, dark green, maroon and plaind black goods, without gloss, will take a rich black color. Silks of the same will take considerably lighter, because they are glossy. Snuff-brown, dark blue, drab, scarlet, cherry, dark orange, crimson and slate, will take a very rich look. Violet, blue, purple, pink and magenta, will take very light and should be used dressing for photographs. The prevailing style of Plaids will take well. The hair should never be very wet or glossy.”