Hampton

c. 1873

These are unusual photographs on glass from the early 1870s. Capt. John Ridgely (1851-1938) was then a young man dressed in a suit, tie, and academic robes. John had completed his education at Trinity College, Cambridge University in England before returning to Hampton after his father Charles Ridgely’s (1830-1872) death while abroad in 1872. The photographs may have been taken around the time of John’s engagement to Helen West Stewart (1854-1929) of Baltimore in 1873. Although Helen had been born and raised in Baltimore, she actually met her future husband while traveling in Europe in 1871. The couple had eight children together.

Glass. H 6, W 5 cm
Hampton National Historic Site, HAMP 22317, 22318