This cabinet card of a stylish young woman in Champaign, IL is quite a mystery. She is unidentified and I cannot find anything on the photographer, "Holland." He seems to not exist anywhere. There are a number of Hollands in Champaign around the time frame I believe this was taken but they all worked in the furnace industry.
I believe this photograph to have been taken in the late 1880's, probably 1887 or a little later. Our subject is wearing a dress with a fitted bodice and most definitely a bustle although it is a little difficult to see. She appears to be wearing the tight curls so fashionable in the 1880's and possibly short hair or at least pulled back in a bun, both also popular. The type of hat she is wearing is hard to see and describe, but it has a large sprig of flowers on the top. She is also wearing a lacy neck scarf and pearl earbobs. Too bad we will probably never know who she was.
What do you make of the tree and wheat? That seems like an odd combination of items from nature. Were outdoor scenes the new trend?
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