Victorian photographs of elegant and poised ladies are enchanting. The clothes and hairstyles of the Victorian ladies who sat for these priceless photographs are no exception. Only the best would do for the photographer’s chair, because even a wealthy woman may only have a few photos taken in her lifetime. Which style is your favorite? Please let us know in the comments!

Fritz Luckhardt, photographer of Austria’s imperial court in Vienna, took this elegant photograph of a seated woman holding a fan. Isn’t it incredible to be able to look into the eyes of someone who lived more than a century ago?

Photography was introduced to the United States in 1839, and this lovely portrait was created in Tallahassee in 1895 on glass, a technique developed some 40 years earlier. Hair is rarely let down in these old photographs!

This lovely lady is getting ready to attend a fancy dress ball hosted by a Canadian Lord. Costumed individuals and groups were frequently photographed months after the event.