Antique Photographic Portrait of Belfast Gentry

Description

This is an original antique Victorian photographic portrait of a member of the Belfast gentry, in her elaborate and expensive clothing. She has the traditional thoughtful and rather fixed pose and enigmatic stare (due to the photographic exposure time required). This is a piece of Belfast social history (long before the Titanic) and she is staring back at us not only from a different time, but a different world. This is only one of three antique Belfast gentry portraits that were in my mother’s private collection.