I'm wanting to challenge myself by writing a historical fic short story inspired by this picture for a casual, fun contest a group of my writer friends are having. (There were 3 images to choose from as a prompt and I chose this one.) The problem is I'm having trouble deciding when to set my story because I'm getting mixed messages from the picture. The young woman seems to be holding a camera from around 1900? But when I did some research it seems her outfit doesn't match any images I can find of 1900's fashion for adults or children. Honestly, the outfit makes me think more of the times when Little House on the Prairie was set: Sometime between 1870 and 1894...The problem with that is, I'm getting the impression that the cameras during that time were the type you'd have to set on a tri-pod as opposed to being able to carry one around the way she is, and I want the camera to be part of the story. And, again, when researching the fashions from that time it seems like they didn't dress the way she's dressed?
When I asked some friends who have dabbled in historical fic when it looked like her outfit was from, one of them said it looks like a weird take on the way Puritans dressed back in the 1600's, only, the apron doesn't look right, she seems to be wearing a man's hat, and back in the 1600's, cameras like that weren't a thing.
This is all making me feel confused. My story can vary from the pic to a certain extent. No one will complain if my description of her clothes doesn't match exactly as we're pretty much free to do what we want so long as the story is set in the real world. Still...I'd like to use it to give me *some* direction since I haven't done historical fic before and I just need something to grab onto instead of the constant flip-flopping I'm doing now. Is my friend right that the clothes are not from 1900 like the camera is or do any of you have a different opinion?(Did the person who took this photo just dig through a pile of mis-matched old-timey clothes, stick the camera in the girl's hand and say "There, that looks historical enough. To heck with accuracy!" )
If it helps to know, my idea as it stands right now revolves around her using the camera, so that has to stay. Setting: A small town somewhere in the mid-west U.S. Knowing WHEN the story happens will help me decide exactly where because I can start researching what significant things were happening out there back then, and then I can start figuring out what the town would look like. Knowing WHEN will also help me decide things like her father's occupation which will come into play in the story.
Please help me make a decision on when this story is set before I flip flop so much I make myself tired. XD