The extended Papasian family

The photograph shows 11 persons, members of the extended Papasian family, standing in front of the door and the open window of a neoclassical house. The three men in the background are all wearing western-style suits, white shirts and a tie. The young women standing in front of them are wearing bright, light coloured dresses with ankle-length, wide flaring skirts and elaborate blouses with collars and elbow-length sleeves. Two of them are also wearing dark-coloured cravats extending over the chest. Although the way both men and women pose indicates that there are three couples on the right side, with two more young women standing on the left, the “couple” to the right of the photo are John Papasian and his daughter, Victoria, with the wife and mother Bertha sitting in front of them. What is of much interest in this photograph is the difference in colour palette between the women standing at the back and those sitting in the front. The three older ladies sitting in the front are all wearing dark-coloured dresses of different style, with longer, floor-length skirts, as it was appropriate for their age. The two of them seem to be wearing black elegant dresses with long sleeves, while the dress of the younger woman on the right side is lighter in colour and has a partly white elaborate top and elbow-length sleeves.