Who Were They?

Lost and forgotten photos from the past

Chubby cheeks

Mrs Marvel

1 comment

March 21, 2011

Here we have a very young baby with incredibly pinchable cheeks. This may be a boy but at such a young age there usually is not a lot of hair, so this may in fact be a girl. The child sits on a shaggy fur piece on an ornate wicker chair. At first I thought the fur might have tickled and caused the baby to reach up to his ear, but actually I think the mother might be holding his hand. There appears to be something reaching into the palm of his hand up there, although it’s well hidden, but it explains why the fur would be placed vertically next to him. Look at the hem of the skirt, you can see his toes peeping out too. Scrumptious!

I do wonder if this child is a sibling to our last post from Iowa. The photographer was Keables in Pella, IA, and there are quite a few Keables in Pella, including the Civil War hero and early doctor to the town, Dr. B. F. Keables, although there’s no record he was ever a photographer.

Ooh, I just love your dress!

Mrs Marvel

2 comments

March 20, 2011

I wasn’t joking when I suggested we are looking at serious cuteness. The dress this boy is wearing is incredible.  It has a pleated velvet skirt, velvet vest type bodice with a lace front and a large satin sash tied in a bow at the waist, then a velvet jacket on top of it all. Notice that the dress not only has a velvet collar, but a tiny white collar on top of that, which mimics the use of a detachable collar to protect the garment from the oils and dirt our skin can leave behind. He has black stockings and black shoes. I don’t know what type of needle work is on the skirt and jacket, but if it is hand done it is exquisite work. If I had a boy this would be the type of recreation I would have wanted him to wear at historical events, beyond a doubt.

The photographer was Walter in Manchester, IA. I am guessing the 1890s for this photo.

Oh!

Mrs Marvel

18 comments

March 18, 2011

We are getting into the realm of serious cuteness here. Directly to the right of our international mom is this photo of two blond haired boys. The boy in the chair is swathed in lace, making the inexperienced think he is a girl, but the side part in the hair belies that temptation. He is also holding something unidentifiable in his hand, reminding me of when my daughter was very young how we would give her something to hold and it would distract her long enough for something to be done – like take a quick photo. The boy on the left looks like he left the coat of his Lord Fauntleroy suit elsewhere. The both look as though they might have just said “oh!”

This photo is number 46 in the Dobb Long Book. Directly above it is that cute photo of the little girl with her hair formed into a bow. The photographer in this case was Buck in Paola, KS.

This is a proud Sepia Saturday post. Click through to view beautiful sepia images from around the world.

International lovely’s mother?

Mrs Marvel

6 comments

March 18, 2011

Making an assumption that this woman and our previous International Lovely are mother and daughter is like assuming two people know each other because they went to the same college, but I can’t help but make the potential connection. These two photographs are one above the other on the left side of an open page of the Dobb Long Book, and the photo made in Cheltenham was on a previous page.

I particularly like the first photo. It looks pensive and thoughtful without too much pretense of tipping into the morose.

The photographer is W. H. Midwinter  Co. at 48 Park Street in Bristol, England.

International lovely

Mrs Marvel

5 comments

March 17, 2011

I am not certain how this photograph fits into the Dobb Long Book as the photographer – Norman May & Co Ltd was located in Cheltenham, England. This young woman is as lovely as yesterday’s image. She has a look of purity with a touch of humor around her mouth. I could imagine her breaking into a smile very easily. I found one other reference to this photographer that is dated circa 1902 and I’d agree with that time frame for this photo as well.

This is the best I can do for St. Patrick’s Day – have a good one!

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