Henry Ulke, German American, 1821 - 1910 Search this
Subject of:
Mary Jane Hale Welles, American, 1817 - 1886 Search this
Elizabeth Keckly, American, 1818 - 1907 Search this
Medium:
albumen and silver on photographic paper on cardboard
Dimensions:
H x W (Image): 5 1/2 × 3 7/8 in. (14 × 9.9 cm)
H x W (Sheet): 6 7/16 × 4 3/16 in. (16.4 × 10.6 cm)
Type:
cabinet photographs
albumen prints
portraits
Place used:
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1866
Caption:
This portrait depicts Mary Jane Hale Welles, wife of Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, in a funeral dress. The dress is said to have been sewn and designed by Elizabeth Keckley for the funeral of her son Hubert Gideon Welles in 1862, and again worn by Welles at the funeral of President Lincoln in 1865.
Description:
A cabinet card portrait of Mary Jane Hale Welles wearing a funeral dress designed by Elizabeth Keckly (sometimes spelled Keckley). The albumen print is on a Henry Ulke card mount with a narrow black border. This full length portrait shows Mary Jane Hale Welles standing in a three quarters turn away from the camera. Wearing a dark colored full-length dress with a train and a dark colored lace shawl, she gazes directly at the viewer. Her right hand rests on a small side table next to her with two books stacked on it. The print is on a card mount with text on the reverse that reads "Henry Ulke, / 278 Pennsylvania Avenue. / Washington, D.C. / 1866."
