Miss Berenice Wheeler was an actress in the 1890s. It was her lovely, whimsical outfit that first caught my eye. This style of exaggerated sleeve was referred to as leg-o-mutton, or gigot in France, and it was all the rage at the time. However, Berenice’s dress brought a much earlier fashion to mind. As you … More Time Can Never Fade Thy Image
Click on image to enlarge“Ammie & Margie Webster, Paris Texas, Sept 17th 1901” The Webster sisters grew up in Paris, Texas. Ammie was the eldest, born in January 1878. Margie came along in November 1881. Based on how the inscription is written on the reverse I assume Ammie is on the left, although I feel … More Webster Sisters
A dear friend gave me this identified photo. It’s on very thin paper and is fragile and torn. It was meant to be affixed to a heavier cabinet photo board. By the looks of the residue on the reverse it might have been at one time. The image is dated 1899 and the sitter’s names … More A Garbage Can or a Museum
How I wish I knew the identities of the young women featured in this RPPC (real picture postcard.) I love the half posed half candid nature of the photo. According to a penciled notation on the back, this moment in time was captured on July 4 in Alzada. “Mona – 10 Here’s the picture of … More Sweet Swedes
The children featured in this sweet RPPC (real photo postcard) were easy to identify once I located the recipients of the letter, Orland H. Blake and his wife, Gertrude, of Yarmouth, Maine. The sender was Orland’s sister Mrs. Grace Allen. The little nieces were Emily Louise, Clara Mildred, Ruth, Isabelle, and baby Ernestine. Sadly, Ernestine … More Little Nieces
These vintage snapshots were found together. Winslow Deruke on the left and Stella and John Kotecki on the right. Without the last name given, it wasn’t easy to identify our sitter. But I found Leo Winslow Derucke in the 1915 Jersey City directory residing at 143 Hopkins Ave. Winslow was 24 years old at the … More The Kotecki Cliffhanger
These lovely portraits of Pearl Leora Waterson were found with family photos that once belonged to Pearl’s sister, Fern (Waterson) Hardenburg. The image above is my favorite. I feel as if Pearl is looking right through me. Pearl was born in Olivet, Michigan on Feb. 7, 1889, and was the oldest of three children born … More Pearl Leora Waterson
It seems that Vera Norris and Bertha Whitney were no strangers to hard work. As teenagers in the early 1900s, both girls worked as servants. I suspect the person who wrote on the reverse of this RPPC (real photo postcard) would have positioned the names directly behind the sitter that each represented, which means Vera … More She Worked Hard for Her Money
I found this handmade postcard while in Wisconsin. The recipient, Miss Rose Blondin, was thirteen years old in 1909 when she received this creative letter from her cousin, Josephine Peck. “Jan. 26, ’09. Dear Rose. We have another cat, the biggest I ever saw weighs about 20 lbs. is gray & white his name is … More It’s Awful But It’s True
I purchased a mystery lot of photos from The Frozen Picture Show on Etsy. It’s a great shop that specializes in vernacular photos and antique ephemera. If that’s your kind of thing, you should definitely check them out. Written on the reverse of this image is “Winthrop Anderson in Hawley, Pauline Simpson Anderson, Hattie Simpson … More Not Changed, But Glorified
the rescued photo 