Alamo Studio

circa 1918 – circa 1925

Studio Location San Antonio, Texas, United States The studio imprint printed below the image reads: “Alamo Studio — San Antonio, Tex.” The photograph depicts two young girls, approximately 5–8 years old, posed shoulder-to-shoulder before a dark studio backdrop. Left child Short bobbed haircut with straight bangs Wearing a light-colored dress with a sash or waistband Rounded neckline typical of children’s clothing of the early 1920s Right child Similar bob haircut with bangs Wearing round wire-frame spectacles Light dress with gathered sleeves Small heart-shaped pendant necklace The children appear relaxed and slightly leaning toward one another, suggesting a sibling relationship or close familial bond. Several stylistic details strongly suggest a post–World War I date. Dating indicators • Bobbed haircuts (popularized for girls in the early 1920s) • Simple loose-fitting children’s dresses • Minimal ornamentation typical of post-war clothing • Round wire spectacles, common in early 20th century children’s eyewear • Soft-focus studio portrait style These details suggest a date around 1920–1924.

This photograph reflects evolving attitudes toward childhood portraiture in the early twentieth century. While Victorian portraits often emphasized formality and restraint, photographs of children in the 1910s and 1920s increasingly captured more relaxed expressions and natural postures. The bobbed hair worn by both girls reflects a broader cultural shift in the early 1920s toward modernity and practicality in children’s grooming. The hairstyle became widely fashionable following World War I and was associated with the changing roles and lifestyles of women and girls during the period. Studio portraits like this were commonly commissioned by families to document childhood milestones and were often distributed to relatives as keepsakes.

Very Good

Mar 3, 2026

Light silvering and tonal aging typical of gelatin prints Minor wear to mount edges Slight mount discoloration Print surface appears stable

Description

This studio portrait depicts two young girls photographed at Alamo Studio in San Antonio, Texas, likely between 1918 and 1925. The children stand closely together before a dark background, their heads inclined slightly toward one another in a pose suggesting familiarity and affection. Both girls wear bobbed hairstyles with straight bangs, a fashion that became popular for children in the years following World War I. Their simple light-colored dresses reflect the practical and less ornamented clothing styles that characterized children’s fashion in the early 1920s. One of the girls wears round wire spectacles and a small heart-shaped pendant necklace. The photograph was produced using the gelatin silver bromide process, the dominant photographic printing method used by commercial portrait studios in the early twentieth century. Mounted on a decorative card bearing the studio imprint “Alamo Studio, San Antonio, Tex.,” the image represents a typical example of early twentieth-century American studio portraiture. Such portraits served as important family mementos, capturing the appearance and personalities of children during a period when photography had become increasingly accessible to middle-class families.