Mary Farrar Jones of Barre MA and Claremont NH
Mary Farrar Jones gazes out at you from the photograph. It was taken at the Stephen Piper Photography Studio in Manchester, New Hampshire, between 1866 and 1879, when she died. (The Piper photography studio opened in 1866 and continued until 1887). She wears a well made post-Civil War dress, with a cameo at her throat. Her hat seems to be that style worn starting in 1858 and later.
She would have been between 77 and 90 years of age, depending on the exact date of the photograph. Her face is greatly wrinkled, and her expression placid. Her dress may have been black, as it seems dark, but it could also have been brown or a dark blue or green. Her husband, Ezra Jones died in 1841. Normally black mourning clothes would be worn for a full two years following the death of a spouse, however it could also be worn longer. Her dress, if black, would have been typical of a mourning dress worn at that time. Her waist was small, indicative of her wearing a corset.
