Make sense? Doesn't have to. I haven't had my morning coffee yet and I'm just rambling. On to the photos:
This (I believe) is my uncle, William Shaffer, born 1920. It's a wonder the poor boy doesn't slide off that chair, but then he's so strait-jacketed in that outfit I doubt he can move. In my original post, I questioned the true age and identity of the photo. There is another William Shaffer in the family tree, my great grandfather, born 1861. Simply armed with that information alone, and being somewhat ignorant of infant clothing styles of the various periods, I wondered which William this really was.
And then I ran across this photo:
If I'm not mistaken, these young ladies are my grandmother's two little sisters -- Mary, born 1907, and Ida, born 1911 -- which would make this photo circa 1912. What caught my eye about it was that chair ... and the I-Wanna-Be-A-Bearskin-Rug covering on it ... and the sheet hanging behind the children, with the stripes in exactly the same place.
Logic dictates that it's more conceivable the same background/setting would be used within eight years of each other as opposed to fifty years of each other, which means the first photo is more likely my uncle than my great grandfather.
That's part of the appeal of genealogical research for me ... it's a lot like solving a mystery.
To see what the rest of the Sepia Saturdayers have discovered, hop on over to the Sepia Saturday blog by clicking right ==> HERE!
Posts
Aha! Now I get that 'Hercule Poirrot' comment! Super-sleuthing indeed.
ReplyDeleteNow all you need is a chair, a bearskin and stripey sheet and you can take pictures that'll fox future generations!
Clare - It's too bad said bearskin, chair and sheet weren't considered family heirlooms and handed down the line. I could have really played havoc with them then! Thanks for visiting!
ReplyDeleteGreat detective work - and very interesting photos. I wonder if kids ever got fleas from those bearskins? :)
ReplyDeleteIt turned out to be elementary for a Sherlock Holmes like you. I wonder whether a man would have picked up on the drapes.
ReplyDeleteThat baby sure looks like it's about to slide off!! Talk about health and safety, eh? LOL
ReplyDeleteHurry up and take that photograph! Then give me something to eat!
ReplyDeleteI do believe you solved it...using the background is very helpful...funny how they used that chair each time...and the exact spot with the drapes and all....maybe it was there picture taking corner! great stuff with our without the morning coffee!
ReplyDeleteSomething doesn't add up for me. The drapes are just too similar to be taken 8 years apart -- unless they are part of a painted background and not real drapes. If those are real drapes, I feel like those pictures were taken on the same day.
ReplyDeleteKaren & Postcardy: Hubby suggested that perhaps the setting isn't in the subject's home but in a photographer's studio. If you notice the way the drape/sheet meets the floor, it almost looks as if it's wrapped around a solid backdrop or fastened to the floor to stretch it tight. I'll have to contact the family member who has the photos and see if there's a photographer's mark or something on the photos. I'll let you know what I find out.
ReplyDeleteit speaks volume on how creative the photographer was... and how often he changed the set-up in his studio. i wonder if this bear rug is still around...somewhere!!!
ReplyDelete:)~
HUGZ
Ticklebear ~ I know, right? It almost looks like it's just a corner in someone's house.
ReplyDeletemaybe it was!!!
ReplyDeletethat would explain a lot...
:D~
HUGZ
I'm so glad I read the text and saw all was well because at first I thought the baby was perhaps a postmortem shot which was rather "popular" long ago. Actually I imagine it's still done, but now by family members instead of calling in a photographer.
ReplyDeleteIt does look like it's the same day. was there another baby in the family closer in age to the two little girls? the circle on the rug is the same and everything...
ReplyDeleteYes it's like solving mysteries : and solving them not just with the help of statistical forms such as census reports, but with the interpretation of old images just like you have done.
ReplyDeleteWith Kristin, I wonder if these photos were both taken the same day. It seems unlikely to me that a photographer would keep the same backdrop for 8 years running (but, maybe he did). Plus, if you look closely, the backdrop/curtain is exactly the same in both - all the creases and folds, etc. Also, another possible wrench. Do you know for sure that's your mom and her sister? Often little boys were dressed in dresses, too. It's possible it's your mom and a brother or male cousin. Great detective work noticing the background. I didn't until you pointed it out.
ReplyDelete