Sometime around 1890, a young man had a photographic portrait taken at the studio of Hoke & Rudy in York, PA.
The historic city of York, in south-central Pennsylvania, was the seat of the Continental Congress after the British occupied Philadelphia in 1777-1778.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York,_Pennsylvania
From other postcard stories, we know that this growing city boasted several photography studios at the turn of the 20th century:
“Flora Hays Grimm”, “Daddy”, and “Cora Bashore McGuigan” (Simon & Murnane), “Jacob & Minnie Mundis Gipe”, “Summer Hats in York”, and “The Girls’ Outing” (Penn Park Studio).
The studio of Hoke & Rudy was located in the “Jordan ‘s Building” at Centre Square.
This article discusses the bygone department stores of York’s Centre Square.
The young man stands with his arm resting on a large and ornate piece of furniture.
He is wearing a suit, and sports a bow tie.
A heavy watch chain is seen on his vest,
On the reverse, a dealer in vintage memorabilia noted that the young man wears a wedding band on his little finger.
This is not the usual position of a wedding ring – and I considered that the placement of the band might indicate an engagement.
An engagement was often the occasion for a portrait to be made.
(I have not yet found an authoritative discussion of the placement of wedding bands – and cannot rule out the possibility that this is not a wedding band.)
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The background of the photograph is muted, which enhances the lines of our hero, but the photograph also shows reflected light and blurring on his head.
He has such a winsome and innocent expression that I digitally replaced the missing hair to repair the damage
An unedited scan appears below.
One hopes that the young man had a successful marriage and enjoyed success and happiness in the new century.
