Sepia Saturday #257 - Children Sitting on Steps - Century Old Photo Op

It's Sunday, but here is my Sepia Saturday entry for the theme based on the father, son and dog on the front porch steps.  I'm late getting this in, but this week at work some kind person shared their germs and I've been down and out with a terrible cold.  I just crawled out of my bed to publish this post so I'll keep it short and sweet.

This first photograph is a copy of the original and was poorly developed so I tried to darken it up a little to make it easier to view.  It shows three little boys and one girl sitting on the front porch steps of a Victorian style house.  None of these children are identified.  I am estimating this was taken in the 1890's.  I wish I could narrow down the time frame, but I am not good at dating children's clothing.

This second photograph again shows four unidentified children, and I am guessing two girls and two boys sitting on the front porch steps.  They are all dressed in white, but the two on the right have on black shoes and the two on the left have on white.  Note, the little girl second from the left is holding her dolly.  I believe this to have been taken between 1910- 1920.

Well, that's all for me.  To see more fabulous photographs step on over to Sepia Saturday!

Military Monday - WW1 Soldier and Cosmopolitan Friend

I came across this quirky and fun photo of a World War 1 soldier and a friend sitting on a bench.  It's a fun photo; the soldier has a slight smirk on his face and his companion appears to be reading an issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  There is no clue to identification or date on the back and I had hoped to date it by finding the date of the magazine issue, but could not find this issue doing an Internet search.

Something about the soldier's face was familiar and then I remembered a post I did from a couple of years ago:  Military Monday - Unknown WW1 Soldier.  The photos in that post were dated 1917 on the back and this is quite obviously the same person.  These photos are all small snapshots measuring 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches and are in a large envelope I have marked "Michigan Family" and which I purchased some time ago off eBay.  I searched through all the photographs again hoping for a clue to this soldiers identity but alas with no luck.  It is my belief that this was spring 1917 before this young man shipped off to war; I can only hope he returned from war and lived a long and happy life.

Wedding Wednesday - Serene Bride - 1910's?

I know very little about this photograph; the bride is unidentified and there is no photographer's mark. It almost appears that there was a sticker of some sort at the bottom at some time, but hard to tell if that was original.  The photograph is mounted on a 6" x 9" card with embossed edges.  The woman and the pose are unusual and it almost reminds me of an actress posing for a theatrical photograph. It is purely a guess on my part, but the photo has a 1910's feel to it.  I welcome any input or suggestions to the contrary.

Wedding Wednesday -Elegant 1910's St. Louis Couple

This elegant young couple was photographed in St. Louis. MO by photographer Schneidt most likely after 1910.  The bride was truly beautiful in her white, high necked wedding gown.  I love the small tiers on the skirt of her gown and the lacy layers at the bottom of the train.  Her headdress is not overbearing, it has a light frothy feel on top of her Gibson Girl hairstyle.  She is holding a small bouquet of flowers and has a gloved hand on her new husband's arm.  The groom is dressed in a simple black suit with a high collared shirt and matching bow tie.  He is holding a pair of white gloves in his left hand and you can see his wedding band.

The photographer was George Gustav Schneidt, born 14 Nov 1887 in Missouri.  I found Schneidt in the 1908 St. Louis City Directory living at 3301 S. Jefferson Avenue and working as a clerk.   Note the address on the photo says "3300 S. Jefferson Avenue."  In the 1910 census he was living in a boarding house and listed his occupation as "salesman."  He was found once again in the City Directories of 1914, 1916 and 1917 working as a photographer at  3114A S. Grand Ave. He was living was again at the S. Jefferson Ave. address in the 1920 census with his mother Barbara, a widow, and sister Norma.  Evidently this was probably the family home.  In the 1930 census at age 41 he was living there with his wife of eleven years, Frieda, no children and no mother or sister listed.  I found a death record for Schneidt in Missouri for Feb of 1965.

This photograph was likely taken either between 1910 and 1914 before his move to Grande Ave or between 1917 and 1920 when he returned to Jefferson Avenue.  I tend to lean towards the earlier time frame.  

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - 1910 Woman with Big Hat & Husband

1912-1913 Couple

This young attractive couple appear to be somewhat well-off by the appearance of the their clothing.  I'm not sure if this is a wedding photo, most likely as they are both prominently showing their wedding rings. The woman appears to be wearing what I believe was called a walking or traveling suit so perhaps they were about to leave for their honeymoon. Her hat is quite impressive with the round base and large feather plumes.  Her suit is lovely, with wide trim and large buttons and she has on a colorful blouse with frothy lace at the neck.  Her groom is quite spiffy in his suit and holding a bowler hat.

This photo measures approximately 5 x 7 inches and is inside a brown cardboard folder, but I have cropped it to make it easier to see. Unfortunately, neither the couple, the photographer or the location are identified.  I estimate this was taken about 1912 - 1913.

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 - 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 - Women with Hats - Big Hats in Clay Center, Kansas

This real photo postcard shows four, very stylish ladies from Clay Center, Kansas wearing extremely large hats and is dated on the back April 4, 1912.  Evidently it was cold in Kansas that April as each of these women is dressed for cold weather, perhaps an outing or for travel.  Besides their hats, they are wearing floor-length overcoats, carrying purses and gloves.  It is a wonderful photo of early 1900's fashions and appears to have been taken in a studio.

On the back someone has very nicely identified three of the women as Ellin Wickstion, Ida Ericson and Abbie Swenson.  Unfortunately, they did not note which name went with which woman.  To make matters worse the penner has placed an ink star on the front and noted on the back, "I starred beneath Mom."  We can assume one of those names belongs to "Mom," but that is still no help.  These names all appear to be of Swedish origin and I found the last woman, Abbie Swenson, in the 1910 Clay County, KS census on Ancestry.com.  She was born in 1889 in Kansas which would make her about 23 years old in this photograph, perhaps the one in the back left.

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Two Stylish Canadian Women

Today's Women With Hats gives us two for the money with  two quite stylish Canadian ladies and their gentleman friend (or relative) identified on the back as "Hansens neighbors in Canada."  The ladies and gentleman appear to be posing outside against foliage and next to water. This real photo postcard was published by the Council Crest Co. of Portland, Oregan between 1904 and 1920.  We know this because the CYKO Company, the paper manufacturer, used that particular stamp box during those years. Due to the type of hats and very stylish walking suits I am guessing this was taken sometime between 1905 and the very early 1910's.  I welcome any input to the contrary.  Thanks for looking.

Military Monday - WWI Sailor? and Wife ca 1918

This real photo postcard shows what I believe is a WWI sailor and and wife posing for the camera.  This appears to be the type of uniform sailors wore during WWI.  The couple is mostly unidentified except for their first names which are found on the back where it says, "To Grandmother, From Ruth and Harvey." 

WWI began in July of 1914 and lasted until November 1918.  This particular type of postcard was produced by AZO and as evidenced by the photo stamp box on the back was produced between 1918 and 1930.  It is possible that it was taken in 1918, possibly at the end of the war.  Unfortunately, since it was not postmarked and mailed, I cannot be certain.

Sepia Saturday #132 - Love, Set, Match - Two Little German Boys

This week's Sepia Saturday theme centers around tennis, in fact the photograph on their blog site is from 1971 taken in Fort Lauderdale, FL of Dinah Shore and Burt Bacharach most likely at a celebrity tournament.  This is most interesting to me because I was a teenager growing up in Fort Lauderdale at that very time.  I spent many hours hanging out with my friends at Holiday Park where the famous Chris Evert practiced tennis on a daily basis with her father before she became a world class champion.  I myself could never hit a tennis ball worth a darn - I spent more time chasing the ball all over the court than actually hitting it!  Holiday Park is a large, very popular park with tennis courts, ball diamonds, basketball courts, playgrounds, a theater, etc.  My father coached Little League baseball for my brothers' teams and our family spent many nights at that park.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of this time, but it brought back a lot of fond memories. 

However, I do have this CDV photograph of two very cute Hamburg, Germany boys in "matching" suits that I thought I would share.    It comes with an interesting story about the photographer.  In this photo the boys are holding toy tennis rackets and standing next to a toy rocking horse. They are wearing the most adorable outfits; I'm not sure how to describe them, they almost resemble sailor suits.  The photographer is Waarenhaus Hermann Tietz (department store).  On the back of the card it says, "Waarenhaus" which means "a site where mass products are sold" or "department store". According to Wikipedia, Herman Tietz was a German merchant of Jewish origin who was born on 29 Apr 1837 in Birnbaum an der Warthe  near Posen (today Miedzychód, Poland) and died in Berlin 3 May 1907.

He was the first to create the idea of a department store in Germany and founded the chain store which would become known as "Hertie".  His first store was opened in 1882 in Gera (Thuringia, Germany) by his nephew Oskar Tietz.  After successful stores were established in smaller towns like Bamberg, Erfurt, Rostock, Stralsund and Wismar, Tietz opened his department store in Berlin.  In 1900 he opened a store in Leipziger StraBe, in 1904 Alexanderplatz, Hamburg in 1912.  By 1927 the Tietz chain had ten stores and 13,000 employees.

In the Third Reich, all businesses of the Tietz family were "Aryanized" (seized and given to new owners) and the family members emigrated.  In 1933, Georg Karg, the new owner, changed the company's name to the less Jewish-sounding "Hertie Department Stores" as an abbreviation of Hermann Tietz.

I'm not entirely sure how to date this Cartes de Visite.  The card is slightly larger than most CDVs and is quite thick which would usually lead one to think it dated between 1880 and 1890.  CDV's were rarely seen after 1890.  Since it has been reported that Tietz did not open his Hamburg store until 1912 I am at a loss to explain or give a good date for this photo.  Perhaps one of my readers can offer some insight.

Sources:   

1.  Wikipedia

2.  Shoah Resource Center, 

http://www1.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%205622.pdf

Please drop by Sepia Saturday to check out the other "love"ly entries for this week's tennis theme.

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Funny Hat in Milwaukee

This unidentified woman from Milwaukee is wearing a hat like I have never seen before.  It appears to be made of fabric with artificial leaves and jewelry added for decoration.  I am not exactly sure how to date this photo but I do know it was most likely taken between 1893 and 1920.  I suspect the date to be around 1900 - 1905.  She has quite a sassy smile as well.

The photo was taken at The Wollensak Studio, 500 National Ave., Milwaukee.  The photographer was William Wollensak born Jun 1857 New York, parents born in Germany.  According to Milwaukee city directories he moved to the 500 National Avenue address after the 1891-1892 edition.  I found William in the 1900 and 1910 census working as a photographer but in the 1920 census he was listed as retired.  These facts are how I determined the 1893 - 1920 time span in first paragraph.  

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Who is She?

This unidentified, well-dressed woman was photographed by Fred Hartsook of California probably between 1915 and the early 1920's. Hartsook, a well-known California photographer of silent era actors was born in 26 Oct 1896 in Marion Indiana.  According to Wikipedia he was born into a family of successful photographers and as a young man moved to Salt Lake City and began his own photography business.  In 1901 he married Florence Newcomb, a photographer as well.  They traveled around Utah taking photos with a team of mules pulling a homemade darkroom.  If you look closely in the lower right hand corned you can see the Hartsook embossment which matches the Hartsook name in the copyright image below.

Eventually they settled in California where he opened studios in a number of cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco.  His clients included Mary Pickford, Charles Lindbergh, Lillian Gish and President Woodrow Wilson.  I've looked at hundreds of Google images and have half convinced myself that this could be Mary Pickford.  

In 1919 Hartsook remarried Bess Hesby and they honeymooned in the redwood forest of Humboldt County, CA.  They eventually purchased their honeymoon cabin and 37 surrounding acres turning the cabin into the Hartsook Inn where many Hollywood celebrities stayed including Mary Pickford and Bing Crosby.  A forest fire burned down the inn in 1927 and in 1928 the photographic business went into receivership and was sold at auction.  Fred died on 30 Sep 1930 at age 53 of a heart attack.  His wife would live for another 46 years.

Easter Wishes!

These Easter wishes were sent on this embossed postcard from a mother to her daughter on April 14,1911:

The back of the card reads, "Dear Daughter, We are all well, hope you are the same.  I suppose you will be home Easter this is all.  Good by From Mom".  It was addressed to Bess Kamiff in Van Wert, Ohio.

Sepia Saturday #117 - Scouts - Saluting Grandpa Howard Wilson

Howard M. Wilson ca 1920

In this month celebrating the 100th anniversary of  Girl Scouts what better time for Sepia Saturday to have a weekly theme about "scouts."  In my childhood in Mt. Vernon, IL, I spent a number of years first as a Brownie then as a Girl Scout, but I realized that, sadly, I have no pictures of those wonderful years I spent with my friends in all those great activities that taught us young women many important life lessons.  I don't even have the badges I earned,  I don't know what ever happened to them.  

I do, however,  have this blurry photograph of my paternal grandfather, Howard Mathis Wilson in some type of scout uniform. Grandpa was born  12 Apr 1909 in Bonnie, Jefferson County, IL so I'm guessing this picture would have been taken about 1919-1920.  I don't have any information about Grandpa's scouting experience, but he looks quite serious and is using the proper three finger salute.

Incidentally, my youngest son spent a few years in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and enjoyed all the experiences the Scouts offered, but he went on to other activities.  His oldest son who is seven is enjoying his first year of Cub Scouts and my youngest grandson, age four, tags along on many of the activities.  I have saved all of my son's badges in hopes that my grandsons might want them someday.

For more scouting stories and adventures check out this week's Sepia Saturday.

Sepia Saturday #112 - I Never Met a Book I Didn't Like!

I have always loved books from when I was a very young girl reading my treasured fairy tale books; I even used to pore over a set of Childcraft Encyclopedias!  But what I remember most vividly was in the second grade when my mother brought home to me one day "The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore" by Laura Lee Hope (pseudonym started by Edward Stratemayer).   I was hooked for life.  The Bobbsey Twins were  Nan and Bert, age twelve and Freddie and Flossie aged six who had all sorts of wonderful adventures.  From there I moved on to the "Five Little Peppers" by Margaret Sidney and then Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene (also a pseudonym by the Stratemayer Syndicate).    From there my obsession just grew and grew throughout my life.  I have probably read (and owned) thousands of books in my lifetime.  Today I own both a Nook and a Kindle as well as read books on my iPad and iPhone!  I still love the real thing as well buying my favorite authors in hardcover and picking up old books in antique and consignment stores.  

A couple of years ago I made this scrapbook page for a scrapbooking site (now closed) challenge that shows how books have taken over my life. 

And this all leads very neatly into this week's topic of "Books" at Sepia Saturday.   Books were often used as props by photographers in vintage photos and since I also have a love for these old orphan photographs I thought I would share a few of these as well.

This photograph I posted previously, but thought it deserved a repeat.  This is an unknown Chicago woman circa 1882- 1888 posing with three books.  She is wearing a beautiful ruffled coat, gloves and hat with feathers. The photographer of this cabinet card photo was Copelin of 75 Madison Street, Chicago.

This lovely little lady with her long curls and lacy dress with ribbons is posing with some type of large tome on a velvet draped table.  This is a cabinet card taken by McCormick and Heald of 22 Winter St. Boston.  According to the New York Public Library System who has a large listing of American photographers, McCormick and Heald were active between the 1870's and 1880's. The beveled edges with gold gilt on this card would date this around 1880.

This last photo I believe dates around 1915 - 1920.  There is no identification of the subject or photographer.  The young girl, probably around age twelve or so, is wearing a lovely, simple white dress with white tights and white shoes.  She is holding an open book in her hand.  She also has on several pieces of  jewelery, a ring, bracelet, and what appears to be a pearl necklace, which I would think would be uncommon for a girl her age so most likely came from a family of some status. 

I hope you have enjoyed my trip down memory lane and will flip the page over to Sepia Saturday for more interesting takes on "Books."

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats! Out for a Stroll

This week's Women with Hats shows a photo postcard of a woman in a tailored walking suit.  The coat is hip length, notched at the lapel and has three buttons.  There seems to be a button or other decoration at the waist of the coat.  The skirt also has buttons that appear to match the jacket.  The blouse is beautiful, somewhat sheer with a necktie and standing collar.  She is wearing white kid gloves and carrying a small, beaded purse with a chain handle.  She is also wearing eyeglasses.  Her hair seems to be pulled up into a bun on the top of her head as was popular for the era.  I believe this photo to be dated between 1909 and 1914 although I am unsure about the hat.  She is not identified and there is no photographer named as well.

Travel Tuesday - Family Outing by Horse & Buggy

They say times were much simpler one hundred years ago.    I guess in many ways they were - I'm sure there were not many traffic jams commuting.  Of course, there were muddy roads with jagged holes, broken wagon wheels, bad weather, and numerous other road hazards with no cell phones to call "Road Rangers." However, in today's picture, this family looks quite ready for whatever outing they are about to embark on, perhaps  a picnic or a visit to another family member's home.  I notice one woman with a fan to keep cool and the young boy in the rear with an umbrella to keep the sun off his head.  This picture postcard appears to have been taken around 1910 and in France according to the back.

Sepia Saturday #108 - Hats, Hats & More Hats!

I write a post each Sunday called Women with Hats and I recently came across another blog called Sepia Saturday in which you post old pictures with a different theme each Saturday.  This is my first Saturday answering their blog call and this week the topic is hats!  Here is my entry:

This first picture is a tintype of a woman in a flowery, feathery hat.  She's wearing a fitted dress with a bustle and I believe this to have been taken in the 1880's.  I welcome any help narrowing down more definite dates.

This next picture is a very small one measuring just 7/8" by 1 1/4" and it is glued to a beige background with a border.  Her hat appears to be made out of satin and I've never seen anything quite like it.  I'm taking a stab in the dark here that this is from 1900 - 1910.

This woman in my last picture is wearing a hat with feathers and some other type of decoration in the middle.  Again, I am guessing at the date, maybe 1910 - 1920.

None of the women or the photographers in these pictures were identified. Thanks for looking and I look forward to more Sepia Saturdays!