Wedding Wednesday - Turn of the Century (Edwardian) Double Wedding in Westfield, WI

Looking at this photo of these two young Westfield, WI women you may think you are seeing double.  They appear to be sisters, possibly twins and are wearing identical dresses, veils and even hairstyles for their double wedding.  They are also wearing white gloves with their gowns and I believe I can see their rings through the gloves.  I find it interesting that only the bride on the right is wearing a locket around her neck.  I wonder if she is possibly the older of the two and this was an heirloom that was passed down to her?  Their grooms even look like and could possibly be related and are wearing identical suits as well.  Due to the style of dress and the type of cabinet card I believe this to have been taken between 1900 - 1910.  There is no identification on the back of the card.  I wish I knew who they were and what their story was.

The photographer was Fenner & Son of Westfield, Wis.  This was John Fenner and his son Jacob who were active in the area between 1895 - 1925.  John Fenner was born in Germany in 1834 to Jacob Fenner and Anna Martha Grebruse and he died on 3 Jul 1923. 

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Stylish 1909 (Edwardian) Woman - Bernice Clark

This young woman, identified as Bernice Clark on the back, sat for this photo on May 1, 1909.   She is wearing a stylish suit and hat and has a serene expression on her face.  The white flowers give the hat and the scene just a touch of needed whimsy.  She appears to be in her early twenties.  She signed the back of the card and addressed it to her Uncle Fay.  This is an unusual sized cabinet card (4" x 9") that unfortunately does not have a photographer's name or mark so makes it difficult to narrow down her identity further.

Wedding Wednesday - Beautiful 1900's (Edwardian) Minneapolis Bride and Groom

Another Edwardian Era photograph of a very lovely and serene bride who was married in Minneapolis, MN in the 1900's to her equally handsome groom. The maid of honor and best man aren't too shabby either!  Due to the location and the photographer I suspect the people involved were probably of Swedish descent.  The bride and maid of honor's style of dress seems to date this in the latter of the 1900's probably between 1905 - 1910.  You can see a small brooch or cameo at the throat of the bride on the high neckline of her dress.  If you look closely, you can also see her wedding ring on her left hand.  The people in the photograph are sadly not identified - such a shame.

The photographers were Petri & Svenson located at 129 Washington Avenue South.  They were the team of Samuel H. Petri and Ernest T. Svenson who were active Minneapolis photographers from 1894 - 1915.

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Two Young Edwardian Era Women in Big Hats

This picture postcard showcases two attractive young women from 1905 - 1910 in very large hats.  They are both dressed very sharply in fitted dresses with inset  bodices and high necklines.  The girl on the left is wearing eyeglasses and a locket that is pinned, not worn on a chain.  Alas, once again they are sadly unidentified.

Mystery Monday - Twin Sisters Alice and Mary Kerr 1903 - 1907 (Edwardian)

Some time ago I purchased these two photographs of sisters Alice and Mary Kerr from an eBay seller who noted that they were twins.  If I remember correctly she stated she got them from an estate sale and that she knew the family or the family story.  I usually print out all my eBay purchases so I can refer back to them if needed, but for some reason I cannot find this one.  These photos have seen extreme wear over the years, especially Alice's.  My initial purpose of this post was to try and prove that they were twins, and after spending way more time than I should researching someone else's ancestors I did indeed find the proof I needed!

The sisters do look very much alike and their facial feathers, nose, mouths, eyebrows, seem identical. Their clothing and hairstyles are very much typical of the 1901 - 1907 period.  I will explain how I narrowed down the time frame to 1903 - 1907 later in the post when I discuss the photographer.

The back of Alice's photo is written in ink "Aunt Alice Kerr, never married."

Alice Kerr ca 1903-07

The back of Mary's photo is written in ink, "Mary Kerr who married Amos Reid - my Great Great Grandmother."

Mary Kerr Reid 1903 - 07

I've cropped these down some but the photographer was C. Myland of Philadelphia, PA which helped me to find  the sisters and their family in Ancestry.com.  There is actually more than one Kerr family in  Philadelphia in the correct time frame with daughters named Alice and Mary, but their ages ares separated by six to seven years. The family I believed to be theirs was in the 1900 Philadelphia Ward 33 census with father Thomas Kerr aged 46, mother Mary Ann aged 43, brothers Andrew 23 and Chas 22.  The twin sisters Alice and Mary were 16 born about October 1883.  That would make them about twenty to twenty-three in these photographs.

My mystery to solve was this the correct family and were these sisters indeed twins? Mary Kerr married Amos Reid on 21 August 1907 and they had three children.  They remained in Pennsylvania through the 1940 census where my information ran out. There was only one person researching Mary Kerr on Ancestry.com and they did not have much information, but suddenly a death certificate popped up for Mary and all the pieces fell into place.  I then was able to find each census year of 1910 - 1940 for Alice and her mother who lived together after the father died sometime before 1910.  I also found Alice's death certificate.  The twins were born on 31 October 1883 in Philadelphia and died a year and half apart; Mary on 17 Feb 1944 and Alice on 9 Aug 1945.  Mary was a housewife throughout her lifetime and Alice worked as a weaver in the cloth-mill to support herself and her mother.  What different lives these two twins lived!

Alice Kerr 1883 - 1945

Mary Kerr Reid 1883 - 1944

I believe these photographs were most likely taken before Mary's marriage to Amos in 1907.  The photographer was C. Myland of 2125 N. Front Street, Philadelphia.  This was Christian Myland who emmigrated to the U.S. from Denmark in 1890 and petitioned for citizenship in 1903.  He was born in Denmark 8 Jan 1861 and upon his arrival in the Philadelphia in 1890 began his photography business which he ran until his death on 2 Nov 1925. He was listed in numerous years of the Philadelphis City Directory and this is how I narrowed down the years of these photographs.  In 1901 and 1902 he was located at 2733 N. 4th, moving to the 2125 N. Front Street address in 1903 which was also his home until his death according to his death certificate.

Myland was married to Mathilda Boston also from Denmark and they had four children all born in the U.S.; an infant son who died in 1891, Clara born 1892, Ejner Christian born 1895 and Harry born 1897.

Sepia Saturday #256 - Fun Festivals and Fabulous Feathers

Possible themes for this week's Sepia Saturday include festivals, floats, feathers and fair maidens. Hmmm.  Well, after much consideration I think I can do the festivals and feathers.  I have lots of fair maidens but will save those for another day.

This first photo is a photo postcard of the downtown square of my hometown Mount Vernon, Illinois dated between 1904 and 1910.  I have no idea what the celebration was about and had quite a discussion on a Facebook group I belong to with fellow Mt. Vernon history buffs and no one came up with a definitive answer.  The women in white appear to belong to some organization, possibly like the Salvation Army and note the child in the middle carrying the American flag.  

One thing I love about this photo is that Mt. Vernon's main streets all used to be paved in brick, but with modernization those have sadly been paved over.  (Click on photos to enlarge).

Mt. Vernon, IL Square 1904 - 1910

This second photo postcard is Trenton, New Jersey from the same time period and depicts the 1909 Inter-State Fair.  Trenton is the birthplace of my husband's father and of many of his ancestors which is what drew me to it.

Trenton, NJ Inter-State Fair 1909

Well, that covers the festivals.....now for the feathers.  Two of my favorite birds are flamingos and peacocks and I just happen to have old Florida postcards of both.  The first one is of the famous flamingos of the Hialeah Park and Racing Casino.  This is a linen postcard ca. 1930's.  The flamingos were introduced into the park in 1934 from Cuba to inhabit the infield lake and have since become an iconic Florida image.  This particular postcard shows a breeding flock of flamingos with nests and five eggs.  

I myself have taken hundreds of photographs of them at Flamingo Gardens in Davie, FL including this one and never tire of looking at them.  Such beautiful birds!

And finally the majestic Peacock!  Another linen postcard from the 1930's or 40's from the Parrot Jungle in Miami, Florida.

I also photographed this beautiful peacock at Flamingo Gardens.  I chased the poor things all over the park in fact, trying to get one to open his tail feather to no avail.  I learned later that only the males open their plumes and only twice a year during mating rituals.  Just my luck!

Well, that's my entry for this week.  I urge every one to fly over to Sepia Saturday and check out all the wonderful photo's and stories.  You won't be disappointed!

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Stylish Nebraska Woman

I have very little information about this week’s Woman with Hats subject.  This unidentified woman from Lynch, Nebraska was most likely photographed in the late 1890’s or very possibly early 1900’s.  Her hat is quite a treat to behold and note the pin at the base of the front just above her hairline.  Her high-necked dress has a lacy insert and the sleeves are just a bit poufy which leads me to believe this is late 1890’s.

This photograph was quite intriguing as the photographer was a woman which was not the norm.  I am quite frustrated as I cannot make out her name.  I have tried numerous Internet and Ancestry.com searches in hopes of finding her but to no avail. It appears to be Mabel C. Co____ or Mabel G. Go____.  I’m hoping someone can provide me with some insight to her identity. Regardless of her identity the subject creates quite a lovely picture.

Sepia Saturday - Turn of the Century Woman in Silhouette (Edwardian Era)

This past week I made my reentry into publishing blog entries after nearly a year and a half away.  It felt like meeting up with an old friend, one you haven’t seen in a long time, but fall right back into where you left off.  Today I return to another old friend, Sepia Saturday, who I have also greatly missed, and the wonderful people who post each week.

This week the subject is based around making silhouettes.  I had the perfect photos in mind, but of course, cannot find them.  A year ago my computer crashed (part of the reason I've been away so long) and when my son was helping purchase and set up my new equipment he insisted on putting all my carefully cataloged photos on an external hard drive while saying, “Mother, who keeps 40,000 photos on her C drive?”  Well, me of course.  The photos are now jumbled in a giant mess and I have neither the energy nor the expertise to efficiently organize them.

I finally decided on this photo of a very interesting "turn of the century" young woman in silhouette pose.  She is wearing a high-necked white blouse quite typical for the time and I love the poofy, flowery bow in her hair.  What really drew me to purchase this photograph was her spectacles – they help make her face so interesting.

The photographer was Elmer M. Enlow born in Lee Township, Athens County, Ohio on September 17, 1867 according to Jeffrey Weidman in his book, Artists in Ohio, 1787 - 1900:  A Biographical Dictionary.  According to Weidman, Enlow bought his studio from John C. Brannan in 1898 and was still active as of 1905.

I urge all my readers to click this link, Sepia Saturday, for more great photos and fascinating stories.

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Edwardian Era Michigan Woman with Felt Hat

I have been shamefully absent from my blog for a very long time for multiple reasons.  These include a new job, spousal health problems and just plain burnout, but it has been calling to me lately so today I return with this young woman from the turn of the century.

Anna Budd

I am estimating this photograph, which was taken in Portland, Michigan, to have been taken circa 1900. The young woman is identified on the back as Anna Budd.  She looks quite serious in her dark starched dress with white neckscarf.  She is wearing some type of pin on the scarf and her hat is tam style with a small pom on the top.  Underneath her hairstyle appears to be the fashionable for the time Gibson Girl style.  I found a few Anna Budds on Ancestry.com, but was not able to conclusively identify her.

The photographer was F. B. Rhodes of Portland, Michigan, most likely Frank Bartlett Rhodes who was born about 1865 in Michigan and died 10 November 1921 in Gaylord, MI.  He had several studios in the state including one in Portland in this time frame.

Portland, MI City Directory 1903

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Lovely 1900's Woman with Hat & Fur Muff

An unknown turn-of-the-century woman, she is wearing a coat, probably made of wool, leather gloves  and a fur boa with matching fur hand muff.  And what can I say about her fabulous hat except that it is just that, fabulous!

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - 1900's Woman with Fur Boa & Large Hat

Unknown woman w/Large Hat

This unidentified turn of the century woman is wearing a walking suit, fur boa, large hat and is holding gloves in her hand on her lap.  The young woman probably posed for this photo sometime in the late 1890's or early 1900's.  This photo was cut down for some reason, most likely to place in a photo album and it appears there may have been a photographer's mark on the lower right hand corner, but it was cut off.

Fashionable Friday - Turn of the Century New York City Woman with Purse

This lovely young woman with the Gibson Girl hair was posed by the photographer standing next to a chair holding a purse.  The hand on the chair held a couple of roses and on the seat of the chair are more roses and what appears to be some type of rolled up document.  She is wore a dark dress with a white lace collar, large buttons down the bodice, a tightly cinched waist and the loose sleeves billow down to tight cuffs at the wrist. She was indeed a vision of loveliness and femininity.  The photographer was Speiss (William) who had a studio at 54 Second Ave. Cor 3rd St. New York between 1895 and 1900 according to langdonroad.com. 

Sepia Saturday #165 - Those Pesky Unidentified Family Portraits of Yesteryear

The Sepia Saturday theme for this week centers around group portraits of unknown families.  While I do not have any unidentified portraits in my own family tree, I do however, have a number of what I call "other people's ancestors" who are unidentified.  So I submit for your viewing pleasure (or not) these family portraits from the past and we are all left to wonder who they were and what their stories might have been.

Unknown Late 1890s Family in Front of Home (Unk Photographer)

Ca 1900 young (unk)couple with new baby, photographer H. Silberman, appears to
say Boston Road ? 169th St. NY - no luck finding any info on Silberman

Late 1890s or early 1900s immigrant family of unk origin

photographer Leuf, 242 N. 8th St. Philadelphia

Ca 1894, at first glance I thought this was a mother & 3 children, but
at 2nd look believe it is 4 siblings.  Photographer was
Morrison  (Robert Prescott), Kabig Block, Bowling Green, O.

Unknown young couple ca 1900 - 1910 with 2 children,
photographer was Fowler, 299 N. Eighth St. Philadelphia, USA

To see more UFOs (unidentified family objects) head on over to Sepia Saturday!

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Early 1900's Motoring Couple?

I just love this photograph of an unidentified early 1900's  couple from Johnstown, PA!  The woman's attire makes me think that they just drove their sporty new motorcar to the photography studio.  I can just picture them both driving along wearing those goggles you always see in old pictures and movies.  She and her husband look quite proud in this photo.

With the advent of motorcars women's fashion had to change and in the early days of motoring, for practical purposes, women began to wear huge linen dust coats over their dresses, tied down their hats with scarves and hid their faces behind goggles.  Of course, owning a motorcar was the latest thing and the fashionable woman was constantly looking for a way to project this by making her motoring outfit a calling costume of great fashion.  The woman in this photograph appears to be quite concerned with her appearance, note that she has made her hat quite lovely with the white flowers and frothy veil material.   One interesting detail I notice is that her husband's pant legs are rolled up the bottom in a rather haphazard fashion.

The photographer was Leander George Hornick born in Pennsylvania (6 March 1877 - 8 Sep 1952) a son of John and Margaret Hornick.  He was a veteran of the Spanish-American War serving in 1898.  In the 1900 census at age 23 he listed his occupation as photographer.  According to Johnstown city directory records he had a studio on Main Street from 1903 to at least 1920.

Sources:
 History of Costume
Victoriana Magazine

Fashionable Friday - Elegant Edwardian Couple, 1910's

There is something about the faces of this attractive Edwardian couple that really pulls you in as they gaze off into the distance.  The photographer posed them with the husband sitting on a wicker chair and his wife seated on the arm.   Both are wearing wedding rings, his is more prominently exposed.  The woman is wearing a Gibson Girl hairstyle and her dress is exquisite.   Her dress has a high neckline, and long sleeves with large buttons down the sides of the sleeves and on the bodice.  The bodice also has an inset of what appears to be a light-colored satin and outlined with an unusual trim that continues down to her very trim waist.

This photo itself measures about 4" x 5 1/2" and is set in a cream-colored photo card which was cut down,  most likely to fit into an album.  There is a photographer's name engraved at the bottom, but I cannot make out the name.  I believe it is "De------ Studio, but that is little help as there is no city listed.  The photo has a number of black spots, but they do not diminish the elegance of the subjects.  I am not certain, but believe the photo to be dated about 1910 - 1912.

Wedding Wednesday - Turn of the Century Wedding - Large Group Shot

This photograph features nineteen members an early 1900's ethnic wedding party.  The photo has ten females consisting of the bride in the middle and what I believe to be her maid of honor, possibly a sister to the far right.  On the left of the photo is a young girl that was possibly a flower girl.  There are ten males in the photo, the groom in the middle next to the bride and at the bride's right, most likely the best man or perhaps even the bride's father.  I would guess that the woman sitting between the groom and the maid of honor with the white blouse and dark skirt could be the bride's mother.  Most of the women are wearing the Gibson Girl hairstyle and the fashions that were prevalent at the time.  The bride looks extremely young to me as does the groom.  The bride's bodice is very lacy and lovely, the sleeves of her gown, although difficult to see, seem to be tighter at the elbow and have a large pouf at the wrist.  Her veil appears quite simple with just a few flowers at the top of the headdress and I believe she is wearing gloves so cannot tell if she is wearing a ring.  Her groom however is wearing a ring on his right hand.

It is a very interesting photo and there is is no identification of the subjects or the photographer.  However, on the back are two words written in some foreign language, perhaps someone can translate - see below:

Wedding Wednesday - Young 1900's Couple from St. Louis

This young couple had their wedding photo taken by photographer J. Haas whose studio was located at 7117 A. So. Broadway, St. Louis.  He was Jacob Haas who operated a studio at 7115 1/2 Broadway for a number of years until probably about 1906 - 1907 when he moved to the 7117 A. So Broadway location.  I wanted to date this photograph earlier, probably about 1900, but will call it 1907.

The brides's white dress is simple, yet seems to fit her stature.  She has a beautiful headdress of roses and lace but her corsage almost seems too large for her bodice.  The groom is elegant in his simple dark suit and is also wearing a large corsage because I wouldn't call it a boutonniere.  He is also wearing white gloves.

Wedding Wednesday - 1905 - 1910 Couple from Milwaukee, WI

This first photograph features an unidentified  newly wedded couple in Milwaukee dated probably between 1905 - 1910.  In this photo the bride is standing next to the groom who is seated in a chair.  She is quite lovely in her white satin gown.  There are so many interesting details to this dress, the high neck, the sleeves which are poufy on the upper arms and fitted at the lower, and the trimmed tiers on the skirt.  Her headdress and white rose bouquet are quite simple and beautiful as well.  Her groom is very dashing in his dark suit and he sports a matching boutonniere.  I can see a ring on his right hand, but not on his left.  She has a small brooch at her neck.

What was interesting to me when I purchased this photograph was that it came with a second photo - one of the bride and her maid-of-honor which could possibly be her sister judging by their facial features.  In this photo the bride is seated and the other woman is standing.  The bride's pose gives us a better glimpse of her dress especially the lovely ruching detail of her sleeves and bodice.  In this photo you can see that she too is wearing a ring on her right hand. The second woman's dress is also white with many ruffles.  Her neckline is lower and she is wearing a pearl necklace.  She also appears to be wearing white gloves and is holding a large bouquet of white roses which may be the bride's.   I find the facial expressions on all the subjects quite interesting.  I know it was quite common for photographers to shoot their subjects sans smiles or with little expression, but these people almost seem bored.  I find the pictures striking however, especially with the starkness of the white dresses against the dark backgrounds.

The photographers were Gumerman & Gardner located at 412 National Ave. in Milwaukee. Gumerman was Johan Georg Gumerman born 10 Sep 1882 in Oberwarmensteinach, Bayern, Germany.  He changed his name to George at some point after emigrating to the U.S. and on 16 May 1905 in Milwaukee he married Amanda Mary Jubeck (1885 - 1979).  He operated a photography studio with George Gardner as early as 1905, but they moved to the 412 National Ave. address probably about 1906.  Gumerman died in Milwaukee, WI on 15 Oct 1962.  I no luck finding any  information on George Gardner as there are too many listings in that name on Ancestry.com for Milwaukee.

Sentimental Sunday - Two 1900's Women in Stylish Hats

This dark graphite colored photograph features two stylish women wearing dark suits, white blouses and each wearing a hat of an entirely different style.  The woman on the left is wearing a hat which is adorned with fabric bows.  The one on the right sports a hat  that is wider and lower in style and has feather plumes and some kind of decoration which I cannot decipher on the left.  It also has what appears to be a scarf hanging in the rear.  This photo which measures 4 3/8" x 3 1/4" was most likely taken in the early 1900's when this type of card became popular.  The subjects and the photographer are all unidentified.

Wedding Wednesday - Early 1900's Fairmont, Minnesota Couple

I am quite drawn to this week's Wedding Wednesday photograph for a number of reasons. It features a very newly married young Minnesota couple and what appears to be their maid of honor and best man.  This photograph measures 8" x 10" and was taken by Peterson Studio in Fairmont, Minn.  The photographer was most likely Paul Peterson who I found in the 1900 Fairmont, Martin County, MN census.  Paul aged 34, birthplace Germany, immigrated to the US in 1881, parents birthplace Denmark.  In 1900 he was single, living in a boarding house and listed his occupation as photographer.

The couple is not smiling in this photo yet I don't think they look unhappy.  The bride's white dress is beautiful and typical for the early 1900's with its high neck.  I especially like the small rows of pleats from the hem all the way up to almost the neckline and the unusual ruffles at the elbows on the sleeves.  All in all the dress, while intricate, displays a simplicity that is lovely.  The bride has an unusual look about the eyes and I suspect that she normally wore glasses and left them off for the photo.  The bridesmaid looks like she could very well be the sister of the bride and you will note she is wearing her glasses.  The bridesmaid's dress is simpler and a little shorter, but what  makes me smile is that her shoes are black with a big bow.  The men are both wearing dark suits but the groom sports a white boutonniere to match his bride's headdress and large bouquet of flowers. 

It's such an interesting picture, I really wish I knew what they were thinking as they stare off in the distance.