Who Were They?

I have seen this style of mounting in the past, and I have a love/hate relationship with it lol. On the one hand, I like that it is unique and artistic. It allows the owner to have an interesting diamond shaped frame if they choose to hang it on the wall. On the other hand, if placed in a photo album, it will perpetually be off kilter because photo albums of the era were made with uniform shaped openings for cabinet cards. I don’t think this orientation was tremendously popular as I have only 2 out of the hundreds of photos in my collection (but it could also be that I have avoided them when seen in the wild…)

This lovely lady was Gertrude Posz. She was married on November 4, 1897 and this was likely her wedding photo. For anyone keeping track at home, we just would have celebrated her 122nd wedding anniversary last week. Her dress is very typical of the late 1890s with the wide sleeves. Making a guess she was 20 years old at the time of her wedding, that would put her birth around 1877. The studio itself can help us in our searching, as well. I found a record of the Goldsmith Studio, 1012 Olive Street in St. Louis, MO. The studio operated under various proprietors from about 1882 to 1919.

I found a record for Gertrude “Gertie” Reinhardt Posz born in 1873 in Germany, who emigrated to the US around 1880. She was married to Harry H Posz (b 1871), a machinist, and they had one child, also named Harry Posz (b 1898 d 1915). Between 1904-1910, her spouse Harry passed away. According to the census, Gertie worked in a bakery. She was certainly lovely. The loss of both her husband and son in a few short years must have been difficult for her. Although I found where she is interred, the record does not list a date of death for her. She was cremated and laid to rest at the Hillcrest Abbey Crematorium and Mausoleum in St. Louis, MO. This location is somewhat notable in that it was the first crematorium built west of the Mississippi, in the 1880s.

Son Harry Chauncy Posz was also interred at the Hillcrest Abbey, after being struck in the head by a baseball. He suffered a severe hemorrhage and died on February 20th, 1915. He was remembered in the services of the U. S. Presbyterian Church.