My Grandmother's Parents

This is my fraternal grandmother's (Mary Catherine Russell) family.  They look rather well off, don't they.  Nicely dressed, although I'm guessing getting your photo taken in those days was quite an occasion, so they would naturally have worn their best.
I'm interested in the pins on the front of both the mother and Mary's neckline.  That must have been the style at the time in Missouri?  And that hair piece in her mother's hair.  Wish I had a better look at that. Notice that she has a ring on her middle finger of her right hand. What was that about? Did they wear their wedding bands on the middle finger?  I notice he doesn't even have one.  And, oh, mamma, those ears!
Do you think they were actually sitting outside by those trees, or was that a backdrop?
His last name is Russell (which I'm finding is English -- specifically came from the Normandy area) and her last name was Caldwell (which is Scottish.) Other than that, I have no information.  I think I'm going to have to look into Ancestry.com or something since I seem to have more questions then answers.

John William Russell

Born: 1854, Died 1935

Missouri(?)

Mary Catherine Russell (my grandmother)

Born July 14, 1889

Died July 6, 1957

Missouri

Medora Brakenridge Caldwell

Born  August 4, 1860

Died 1929 (?)

George Russell

No information on him