Help please dating Victorian ploughmen

[LilyS]

Hello,

I'm hoping some of you may be able to pinpoint the date of these south Oxfordshire, England ploughmen in the attached photo. The original photo is framed in a pub in the village where my other half's 3rd great-grandfather (1823 - 1880) was a prize winning ploughman on more than one occasion. We'd love it if the photo proved to be early enough (before 1880) to be possibly depicting my partner's direct ancestor. Feedback greatly appreciated.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

Hi,

That is a wonderful photograph. It appears to be later than the 1880s. The men are outdoor workers, of course, so would not be wearing the latest fashions and some would be wearing older clothes. So I am looking in particular at the soft caps, the facial hair and then the shirts. The caps and facial hair (or lack of) look more 1890s to 1900. The shirts may be the better clue. I tried to get a good look but the photo is a bit blurry in close up. However the shirt fronts look like a full button up style or coat style, (buttoning from waist to neck) which would date them post 1880s. In the 1880s the shirts would have been pulled on over the heads, with buttons only at the top placket area.

I am sure someone else may come along with more assistance.

 

[LilyS]

Thank you, Rue-de-la-Paix. This photo could then show his only son (my man's 2nd great-grandfather) who is listed as an agricultural labourer in the 1881 census