Female

Artistic photograph of Antonia Caruana (later Rahbeh, 1908-2000). She is wearing a light-coloured dress that exposes her shoulder and back. The dress is fastened to a strap, which is made of a series of small artificial flowers. Her hair is styled in a short haircut. Her make-up is clearly visible and impressive: dark lipstick, heavy eyeshadow and black-painted thin eyebrows. The beauty mark above her upper lip could be natural, however it was also fashionable to paint in on.

The photograph was taken in 1913 and shows Yeranig & Elvira Carletti, mother and daughter. Yeranig is wearing a blouse with elbow-length sleeves and a floor-length skirt. Elvira Carletti is wearing a long western-style, light-coloured dress with medium-length sleeves. Encircling her waist is a dark belt and from her neck is hanging a necklace. Both outfits are elegant and accentuate the ladies’ figures. They are wearing similar dark-coloured shoes and stockings. Their coiffure is also similar, with their hair caught up.

Photograph of Elvira Carletti (1896-1990). After her marriage with Alexander Shellish (1881-1979), she was known as Elvira Shellish. The photograph was taken in the garden, in front of the arched portico of a house, c. 1911. Elvira is wearing a sleeved, floor-length white dress with a high neck and a wide collar on the chest. The skirt flares away naturally from her tight waist, around which is a light-coloured belt. She has her hair gathered on both sides and caught up. Both the outfit and the coiffure of the young lady reflect the early 20th century fashion.

Photograph of Minnie Eramian, the daughter of Margarita Eramian (née Carletti). She was born in 1903 and in 1929 she married Peter Prince (1894-1972). This photograph must have been taken on the same day and time with the previous photograph, also at the same place. In this photograph, however, it is Minnie who is sitting in the armchair with her elbow resting on the small round table. She is all alone, wearing the same white, transparent summer dress with its fine embroidery at the edges of the elbow-length sleeves and all around the hem of the dress in symmetrical continuous arches, also the same white shoes, tied with laces. She is also wearing the same jewellery and has her black hair tied at the back with a bow. Apart from the beautiful lacework, which is seen on the back of the armchair, there is also an embroidered cushion, both handicrafts typical of an urban household. The handsome young Minnie is looking at the spectator smiling.

Photograph taken in a garden with rich vegetation. It shows Minnie (Hermine, Herminia) Eramian (1903-2000), and her mother Margarita Eramian (née Carletti) (1868-1954). Minnie is sitting on a cushion and is wearing a calf-length dress made of a white, light material. It has a V-shaped opening with a collar, elbow-length sleeves with embroidered edges and around the waist a belt of the same fabric, tied with a bow at the back. The hem of the dress is also decorated with embroidery. She is further wearing thin bracelets on both her wrists, as well as a watch on her left wrist and a brooch (?) on the left side of her chest. High-heeled shoes with laces complete this fine, light outfit. She is also holding a bag. The middle-aged mother is wearing a western-style, long white dress made of a light material and with loose sleeves that reach her elbows. Encircling her waist, or rather a bit higher, is a dark-coloured belt. Margarita has curly hair, which is caught up. She is sitting in an armchair with her left arm resting on a round table, on which is standing a little dog. On the back of the armchair is spread a piece of fine white lace.

Margarita Eramian (née Carletti, 1868-1954) has been photographed seated in an armchair with a small dog on her lap. She is wearing a dark-coloured blouse with long narrow sleeves puffed on the upper part, and a high collar closed in front with a brooch. The bust is rich in folds narrowing down to a close-fitting waist. The fabric of the skirt is much lighter in colour than the blouse. Margarita is also wearing a small silver bracelet on her wrist and small pearl earrings. Her curly hair appears to be caught up at the back.

Margarita Eramian (née Carletti, 1868-1954) is sitting in front of a round table and seems to be reading a book, which she is holding open on the table. She is wearing a long-sleeved, high-necked blouse made from a bright material similar to lace with intricate flower patterns. Over the blouse she is wearing a box-collared dress with a tight bust and tucked waist. She is also wearing a small ring, earrings and a bracelet, while her hair is caught up with a butterfly clip. With her right hand on her cheek, the young lady seems to be concentrated on her reading.

Margarita Eramian (née Carletti, 1868-1954) is wearing an elegant evening dress made of a dark and bright fabric with intricate floral patterns. Additional ruffles are decorating the short sleeves and the V-shaped opening on the chest, where there are attached two marguerites. The lower part of the dress, though hidden behind the back of an armchair, seems to have a full skirt flaring away naturally from the wearer’s tiny waist. The tight waist accentuates the elegant figure of the young lady. Her left arm, which is resting on the back of the armchair, is partly covered by a black shawl. Margarita’s dark hair is caught up and the outfit is completed by a bracelet and a ring in the middle finger of her right hand, in which she is holding flowers similar to those that decorate her décolleté. She seems to be absorbed by watching these flowers.

The photograph shows Margarita Eramian (née Carletti, 1868-1954) leaning on the back of a luxurious armchair, the same piece of furniture with that was shown in the previous photograph. However, in this photograph Margarita is older and dressed appropriately, according to her age. She is wearing a floor-length, western-style elaborate dark-coloured dress with long narrow sleeves and a high neckline. The pleated drapery of the front part of the skirt is gathered at the back, where the dress becomes more voluminous. Apparently, Margarita is wearing a bustle, a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or to support the drapery at the back of women’s dresses, according to the fashion in the mid- to late- 19th century. The underskirt of the dress is showing a much more structured fabric that is contrasting with the upper layer and also correlates with the same decorative fabric that is placed on a vertical strip down the front of her dress. The outfit is completed with pearl bracelets on both her wrists, earrings and a small hat (?) on top of her caught-up dark hair.

This photograph shows Margarita Carletti (1868-1954). She is dressed in an Oriental style inspired costume. The voluminous, bell-shaped skirt is made of a stiff, light-coloured fabric with floral patterns, and extends down to the floor. The upper part is made from a different fabric, it is more elaborate and has loose long sleeves, under which protruding are the sleeves of a white shirt. Encircling her waist is a narrow, white belt. The young, beautiful lady is also wearing an intricate headdress made of flowers on the top and ribbons falling over her shoulders. She is further accessorised with a bracelet, rings and earrings. The scenery around her is also impressive: Margarita is stepping with her left foot on a cushion lying on the floor and her elbow is resting on the back of an armchair, over which is hanging a heavy curtain with floral designs. She is looking at the spectator with a romantic, melancholic glance.