The Unknown Toddler: 1910

This one just maxed out the Cute-O-Meter. What a darling child with such a wonderful expression.

It appears that she is eating something. My guess is it's the last inch of a stick of hard candy. Her mother has likely made her take of the mitten in order to avoid a sticky situation.

and muff. Hanging around her neck is a muff (for putting your hands into to keep them warm), not a purse.

As for the coat style, my mother and brother are wearing a similar style (minus the fur collar) in a photo circa 1910. Their coats had wide cloth collars.

I had a bunny fur muff as a child in the late 1930s.

Just haunting. She's missing one mitten and I have never seen a coat like that. This is one I would like to see in color. The doll and her hair, hat and bow are fascinating in detail.

What a dear little girl. I hope she had a happy life.

The aging and imperfections lend a painterly tone, as if loose brushwork were at play.

[In a way, it is. Emulsion was applied to the earlier glass negatives with a brush. When they deteriorate, you can see the strokes. - Dave]