Who Were They?

Lost and forgotten photos from the past

There is something special about people in formal wear, or dressed nicely for a special occasion. This Sepia Saturday has us looking at men in ties, but I knew this grouping of photos from my family collection would be quite nice to feature.

Nunn Family 1950s

Nunn Family 1950s

This is the H. A. Nunn family, sometime in the 1950s. My dad thinks they were dressed up for a wedding. I have shown you my grandfather Horace, my grandmother Hennie, Dad of course, and even Uncle Pete. One of these days I will share some of the great photos of Aunt Ginny that I have. Ginny and my mother were friends at college when Ginny introduced her to Bert, my dad. History shows it was love at first sight and they have been together ever since. Horace and Hennie were married in the 1920s and were together until his death in 1968. Ginny and her husband Bill have been married a year longer than my folks, and Peter and Ruth have been married a couple years less than them. I guess we have good marriages in our family!

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Bert, about 20 years old

If this is the suit I am thinking of, my Dad had the coat when he and my mother married. A year or two later they were going to a party and she had to convert the jacket to single breasted because he enjoyed her cooking so much. :-)

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Bert & Ginny

I love the long, formal dress Ginny is wearing. It is really a lost art, the wearing of a long dress. Girls don’t know how to move in skirts that go below their knees, let alone to the floor. Even prom dresses are getting shorter and shorter, with long dresses being the exception, not the rule.

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Ginny, late teens or early 20s

I’m not sure why I don’t have a shot like this of Pete. Maybe one of his kids took it before me, heh.

I will send you off with a song….

For more great posts and the ties that bind, click over to Sepia Saturday. You will be happy you did!

Neck and neck and neck

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Unidentified happy baby

This early 20th century image of a happy child is uplifting. It makes you want to smile along with the child. I believe this is a boy. The photo itself is scratched up a bit, but the jacket really took a beating. The corners are worn down and something spilled, leaving an oily stain on the upper right corner. Through it all, baby smiles.  The child is also not wearing anything, so falls into the “undressed” category I have noticed in 1920s/30s photos.

The photographer was Michael’s at 657 Broadway, Lorain, Ohio.

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Mother & Daughter?

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Three generations of happy females

These two photos are from my friend P. Bingham, who knows they are some relation, but exactly who is unknown. The first photo, of the duo, is mounted on a black card, but no photographer information was imprinted on the back or front. Black cards were not quite as popular as pink and buff.

The second photo is far more interesting because of the changes from the first to the second, plus the addition of the child. While the first photo looks “fine,” nothing exciting, the second has attitude from the child, the mother looks like she wishes it was over and the grandmother looks as though she is determined for this to be a nice photo whether they like it or not!

Just noting the differences – of course, there is the girl with her smirk. It’s as though she is commenting on having to sit on the floor, horrors! Mother has put on her bonnet, and the chair has been rearranged so she can prop up her arm. Grandmother has also put on her bonnet and also her spectacles. I found that strange. Why have them on in one photo and off in the other?

The deckled edge of the second photo puts this photography session into the 1890s. Again no photographer was identified, making me wonder if these were proofs.

For more photos of trios, click over to Sepia Saturday. You will be happy you did!

Three’s company…

Sit still

Sit still

Even though this is an outdoor photograph, looking a lot like a snapshot, it was mounted on bristol board and bears a photographer’s mark. The embossed mark indicates Hornick was the photographer, from Johnstown, PA. Johnstown, PA was the site of a terrible flood in 1889 that claimed the lives of over 2000 residents in the valley. What today would be recognized as corporate greed, failure to take accountability, and a general disinterest in “the little people” contributed to the failure of the South Fork Dam, which created Lake Connemaugh for the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club – which counted among its members the wealthy, businessmen and captains of industry. Click over to Map of Time, where there is a great summary of the terrible day. For a gripping and more extensive narrative, look into The Johnstown Flood, by David McCullough.

photo-66photo-68 photo-67Three photos found together in a packet, along with some other random photos. I believe they show a progression, with the baby being the first, then she is shown with her brother, and then the two siblings again. They are happy, round faced children who make me smile.

The baby photograph shows no photographer information.

The first photo of the siblings was done by Colville in 1917, no location.

The third photo was done by Peterson, in Tacoma, WA, no date.