Help with photo

[Vintagiality]

Can someone help identify the decade of this photograph based on the wedding gown style and haircut of the woman?

Thank you
Victotia

 

[Sky Ranch Vintage]

Looks 1950's to me with the short hair coiffed close to the head.

 

[Linn]

I agree with Amber except that the woman in the portrait has very curly hair and might not have had much choice! The gown reminds me of Jackie Kennedy's 1953 wedding gown.

Her wedding portrait was also done by Bradford Bachrach, but it is not in color:

I'm not sure there were too many wedding portraits done in color before the early '60's - which is throwing me off, but I think the hairstyle and gown look early '50's.

Linn

 

[Erica Arnold]

She is very lovely. Are you sure it is a wedding portrait though?
There is some more information about the firm of photographers here that you mind find interesting
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/14/obituaries/bradford-bachrach-81-head-of-portrait-studios.html

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Good point Erica: she's not wearing a veil or holding a bouquet, so perhaps it could be a debutante photo?

 

[Vintagiality]

Thank you all for your help. I thought the photo was from the 60s but the style didn't seem quite right. I researched Bachrach quite a bit and know he started experimenting with color in the 1950s. He also apparently started doing wedding photos right at that time. I suppose it could be a different kind of formal event but debutante balls are a Southern thing and I don't believe were done here in New England but I may be wrong.

 

[Metro Retro Vintage]

Could it be for a sweet 16 birthday?

 

[Vintagiality]

I did find a large collection of Bachrach photography at the Harvard Art Museum and saw a few brides with no veil or flowers like this one http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/159937 so it may have been his style. Thank you all for the help.

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

There are also photos of debutantes as well, so this one is difficult to say for sure.
Some lovely photos on this site.

 

[m_powell]

Hi there, that looks like a debutante photo. No veil and gloves like that are a clue. Deb balls were very big in NY with a certain level of society in the 50s and early- mid 60s. Even if this woman went to a notable private school in New England, a New York debut wouldn't have been unusual. Her hair reminds me of the oldest girl on Father Knows Best? That ran from 54 to 63. The New York Junior League Ball was a big one. They started to decline in participation by 67 or so.
I'm writing a book about a debutante and wedding gown designer and her clients were usually photographed by Bradford Bachrach. But, I've also never seen a color Bachrach photo (even the very wealthy brides and debs I've seen have had B+W Bachrach portraits during this time period, so it may have been one of the experiments you mentioned for the photographer.

If you have some time on your hands, the Harvard Art Museum appears to have a few hundred photos from Bachrach studios in their collection. There are deb and bridal portraits in here http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/ar...age=0&page=2&sort=field_title_sort&order=desc