I laugh every time I look at this photograph. From the top down is my mom, Audrey Meinzen Doyle, born in June, 1915; her sister Geraldine, or Jeree, as she chose to call herself, born in November, 1918; and "Baby Girl" who is still living and is the third of four sisters. (The fourth wasn't born yet when this photo was taken.My imaginings of the day this was taken:
It's a sunny summer day with a bright blue sky and a generous breeze. The girls' family has traveled to spend time with aunts, uncles, and grandparents at a picnic or to visit relatives at one of their homes. The girls played with cousins, ate a delicious lunch, played some more, and now it's just about time to leave. Wait! We want photos, someone says. Audrey, at 6 or 7 years of age, is fine with that. She rests her hands gently on Jeree's shoulders. Jeree, 3 or 4 years old, is feeling a little tired and a little out of sorts, but she puts up with standing there - except they put Baby Girl in front of her and ask her to help her stand still for the photo. Baby Girl is tired and just wants to be falling asleep in mama's arms. Cantankerous Jeree knows exactly how to hold her still - no matter that Baby Girl begins to squirm and cry at being pinioned against Jeree's tummy. Click goes the shutter and that moment is forever recorded for future generations to see.
Oh, to learn the real story behind this photo. Baby Girl was too little to remember and the other two are gone.
I love the stair step pose and I appreciate that no one decided to scrap this photo because "Baby Girl" was crying.
I've posted other photos of these three sisters at Audrey and Her Sisters and Three Sisters.
This is a Sepia Saturday post. Participate or enjoy others' vintage photographs and descriptions.
Your description sounds accurate. It is an amusing photo.
ReplyDeleteI love your imaginings!
ReplyDeleteSo many times, I think how fantastic it would be to just have a day to go back and be a part of things that I discover in photographs. You seem to have got this story down; I bet it went almost exactly the way you painted it.
ReplyDeletekat
The lovely photo makes me laugh too!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
It is a grand little picture. The sunshine comes through across the years and is especially welcome this January morning. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI would probably cry too if someone pinned my head like that! Nice sister photo.
ReplyDeletePlease!! Don't cover my face! Love this group! Your story is wonderful and that buggy/auto in the back ground...i really great looking...quite the ride!
ReplyDeleteDetermination rules!
ReplyDeleteLove this photo and your story. I am like Kat I sometimes I wish I could go back and be present at the time the photos were taken. If you are like myself, there is no one left to me me what actually happened. Great post.
ReplyDeleteQMM
And let's not forget the fun car in the background that perhaps they all rode in. Top down, wind in their hair. A joyous day indeed.
ReplyDeleteYour tale fits the photo! And who is there to dispute, sadly no one can clarify either...it did make me smile, the littlest one is protesting, "let's go!"
ReplyDeleteI, too, enjoy weaving a story around a photograph. Yours fits perfectly, I think. You can see something of each girl's personality in that picture.
ReplyDeleteIn my family, I had a great-aunt, the youngest of seven, who was called Baby Girl, too. Although her real name was May, she was destined to be Baby until the end of her days.
Nana Jo, this daughter was never called "Baby Girl" but I've been using that name to protect her identity, since she's still living. It is fun to image stories for the photographs and it helps that I know a little about the personalities of the sisters.
ReplyDeleteKat, so much of what I want to do when I'm working on family history is jump back in time into the lives of my ancestors, even if just for a day or an afternoon. I hadn't thought about how wonderful to be able to jump into the time of a photograph. Maybe someone will invent time travel.
ReplyDeleteKaren S. and Tattered and Lost - I saw the car in the background but didn't think I could see it well enough to comment about it. It looks like it would have been a fun ride, though. I doubt it belonged to the parents of these girls but it might have.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great photo! And I love the story line...I bet it was like that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun commentary! The daughters are quite adorable and baby girl was definitely a blondie!
ReplyDeleteYou capture the moment perfectly. And you are right to remind us that back in those days you really did have to keep still for the camera.
ReplyDeletei share your enthusiasm about this photograph as it is deliriously funny!!!
ReplyDeletegreat one!!
:)~
HUGZ