J. B. MacNair, 11 West Nile St., 1872 - 1886

The reverse design above suggests a card dating to the earliest 1870s. The diagonal lettering on the back of the second and third cards below suggests that they come from the mid 1870s, and indeed one example of the second back design is known dated 1875.

It is a measure of how little male fashions have changed that the casual gentleman in the second card below would pass today unremarked at an evening concert even though 130 years have passed since he sat patiently in the studio listening to the clatter of horses hooves in the street outside.

The type of design on the card below is also known to occur in the 1870s, but it is not clear whether it is earlier or later than the ones above. It shares some of the same text as those above and below.

The two images above contributed by Donald Lickley.

The three very similar designs below presumably come from the late 1870s or early 1880s judging by the use of large diagonal lettering for the name. No dates are known for MacNair at Rose cottage.The vignetted profile of the pensive lady on the third is quite advanced for these dates. This card has been supplied by Marion & Co., Paris (small lettering at bottom left of reverse side)