A pretty well dressed young woman poses for her portrait at the Anderson studio in San Francisco, California. She is wearing a beautiful dress with a large bow and a feathered hat sits atop her head. She is also wearing what appears to be diamond earrings and a collar pin. I would guess, and it’s only a guess, that the woman in this photograph is an actress. The woman’s beauty, attire, and poise leads me to hypothesize her theatrical background. Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery will recognize her and be able to provide the rest of us with her identity. The photographer of this image is Hugh S. Anderson. He was born in Scotland sometime between 1820 and 1828. Anderson was a California photographer who operated studios in Eureka (1858-1865), Hydesville (1859-1860), San Francisco (1866-c1895), and Petaluma (1875). The Valencia Street studio that produced this photograph operated between 1879 and 1884. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
I cannot recognize the lady, but this is anyway a beautiful portrait.
The style is great, although I would worry about the summer seasons. 🙂
The shape of the eyelid makes me think she might be oriental. Posing profile usually doesn’t help.
I know who the subject of this photograph is and would really appreciate hearing where you acquired this photo! I am writing a book about this woman! Dr. Mary Chapman (mary.chapman@ubc.ca)
Unfortunately, I do not have a record of where I purchased this image. I would love to know more about her. Is she an actress?
She loved theatre–Bernhardt, etc.–and her family participated in amateur theatricals for sure. But I don’t think she ever acted professionally. Her sister worked for Louis Thors photographer in the late 1890s as a retoucher/finisher and perhaps model so there may have been a connection with female artists/performers. I’m wondering if Hugh Anderson is a friend of the family’s because the name shows up elsewhere in the family archives. Still digging….Feel free to write me offline if you would like to chat further.