Twice Told Tuesday - The Etiquette of Smoking

Twice Told Tuesday features a photography related article reprinted
from old photography books, magazines, and newspapers.

Tobacco is a dirty weed. I like it.
It satisfies no normal need. I like it.
It makes you thin, it makes you lean,
It takes the hair right off your bean.
It's the worst darn stuff I've ever seen.
I like it.
~ Graham Lee Hemminger, Penn State Froth, Tobacco ~

In honor of the largest cigarette tax hike in history, we look at the etiquette of smoking. A pack of cigarettes cost $0.15/pack for premium brands in 1920, $1.59 in today's money. Tomorrow a pack of cigarettes in Washington will cost approximately $6.00. The etiquette of smoking has been replaced by the laws of smoking in 2009.

SMOKING

Smoking—that is to say, the smoking of men—hardly comes under the rules of etiquette, most men will declare. It is second nature, so incessant and inevitable a companion to man that few would bear an argument on the subject of its hygienic properties, or its propriety.

But aside from health and propriety, it must be admitted that there are times and places when and where men should not smoke. The modification of old- fashioned rules in this regard has made the lines faint, it is true, and there is no book on etiquette that does not reprehend as "unbecoming a gentleman" smoking in drawing-rooms, boudoirs, dining-rooms, restaurants, where now men not only are allowed, and invited, to smoke, but where highly respectable women have been known to join them.

Gentlemen in this country do smoke, when at home, in the drawing-room and dining-room j there is no doubt about that; that is, when the women of the family do not object.

Most women have a decided objection to bedroom smoking; and it is not a wise practice, on any account, to use up the freshness of bedroom air. But putting aside old-fashioned prejudices, and out- of-date "notions" as many sensible dislikes of women are called—a man should never smoke anywhere, without first assuring himself that it is not disagreeable to the ladies in the room, and in the house.

A gentleman paying an afternoon visit should not smoke unless others begin; and even then it should be some one in authority, and not a younger brother, for instance, or a "cheeky" caller who leads him on. He should never smoke before the ladies have left the dining-room, except in unusual instances; he should not smoke when any one—with a real voice—is singing, for tobacco smoke is death to vocal success and causes great discomfort to singers, whose throats, being highly trained, are proverbially sensitive.

Smoking in the streets is allowed, and cannot be checked, since rules do not reach the masses, unless enforced by police regulations. An American gentleman does not smoke when he is walking with a lady, or where he is likely to meet a lady. No one but a sensitive woman knows how unpleasant it is in a crowded thoroughfare to walk exactly behind a man whose cigar is not of a high order; and men are sometimes cognizant of this fact, but rarely.

No man on earth should smoke— anywhere on earth—who can not do so without spitting. This is an infallible cast-iron rule; it, being interpreted, means that no one should ever spit. If moments occur when there is necessity for ejecting anything from the mouth the process should be performed, as washing the hands is performed, in private.

The spitting habit is the curse of the American people. The spittoon—in a bar-room—is abomination enough; the decorated as an affected and misguided custom once named the thing in a house, is anathema maranatha. No words are harsh enough with which to condemn it. A man who can not live without spitting should take to the woods, and reside there alone, forever. And then he is not good enough for the beasts that roam there.

The smoking of women, it comes hard to be forced to admit into a regular treatise on customs; but reluctantly as we may admit it, women, and women in America—in certain sets—do smoke. As a question of taste, it admits of no discussion. It is a sad mistake, from beginning to end. As a question of fact, it unfortunately also admits of none.

At first—a few years ago—smoking among women was treated as a sort of lark or joke among girls who "didn't mean anything." Statistics of an informal collecting then showed that the habit was settling, and on the increase.

In certain cities it is now regarded as the regular thing; and almost everywhere the sense of shock has been replaced by one of toleration. The etiquette of smoking among women has not reached the stage when it permits the habit to be publicly indulged.

Women are obliged to smoke in corners, when they are at clubs or races. How long this state of things will continue it is impossible to say. At the present rate of progress, women and young girls will be smoking in the streets with men. It is a horror and a crying shame; for the debasing character of the custom will inevitably destroy the delicacy of women.

As for men's smoking, laxity in regard to that is a necessary result of the smoking of women. Men may not at present smoke in railway cars of the mixed variety, in the theaters, or in church. They smoke in many restaurants now, and will be allowed to do so in more.

Newsboys - Excessive Smoking

Excessive smoking comes under the head of hygiene, and has no place in a social treatise.

Article Sources:

Book:

Woman of fashion. Etiquette for Americans. Chicago: H.S. Stone & Company, 1898.

Photographs:

National Photograph Company. "[Man, with cigarette holder in mouth, playing cards]" Photograph. c1930. From Library of Congress: National Photo Company Collection. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c06964 (accessed March 19, 2009).

Guerin, Fritz W., photographer. "[Young woman lying on sofa and holding burning cigarette.]" Photograph. c1902. From Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b21600. (accessed March 19, 2009).

And The Guest Author Is . . .

DONNA MCCLURE
A Shades Reader

"Photos—the shards of all our families past—have been a fascinating
tool to unearth new layers and stories."

I love my job! O.K. you say, I created it I'd better like it. Even so, I love my job! Sometimes, even my email. Such was the case recently, when I opened a very interesting email from Donna McClure.

Donna said she was a faithful Shades reader and as I was a photophile (great word), she thought I might enjoy the photograph she had attached.

Included with the lovely photograph were some of its and the photographer's history. It caught my attention and I thought it would certainly catch yours. I asked Donna to share this intriguing photograph and its story with you and she very generously accepted. Get to know Donna in her own words:

"I love piecing things together. My early reading habits probably reinforced that. Nearly every biography in our school library had my fingerprints on it. Many nights I read under the covers by the light of a flashlight—until I got caught and told to go to sleep. Reading other’s stories showed me the possibilities and trials in life and how history unfolds. A second favorite category was archeology. I was fascinated by how unearthed shards of objects and information magically showed us ancient worlds and lives.

An archeological dig of my own life would show a childhood layer as the eldest daughter of six siblings growing up in Upstate New York. I was fortunate to be surrounded by many circles of family—aunts, uncles, grandparents, great aunts, great uncles, first and second cousins. I so wish now I had followed them with my pad and pencil to collect more of their stories! Next revealed is a growth layer as I went off to college to earn a degree in French and Spanish. Followed by a marriage and motherhood layer where I raised two magnificent children. During those at home years, I became an accomplished quilter—there I go again piecing things together.

About five years ago all those skills and experiences brought me to exploring more deeply my own family history. It has been such a grand puzzle to piece together. Photos—the shards of all our families past—have been a fascinating tool to unearth new layers and stories."

Join Shades, Friday, April 3, when we welcome Donna McClure as she presents her story on Shades. See you then!

Welcome To Weekend With Shades - March 29

APPEALING SUBJECTS
BY CRAIG MANSON
A Monthly - Weekend With Shades - Column









We've discussed previously the Scopes Monkey Trial. Likewise, The issue of "spirit photography" has been dealt with previously at Shades of the Departed in some detail. But spirit photography had its own "monkey trial" some 56 years before Darrow and Bryan squared off in Dayton, Tennessee. In many ways, cultural and political, a pretrial hearing in Manhattan in 1869 presaged the battle between secularism and deism in the 1920's.

The "practice" of spirit photography became popular with the rise of Spiritualism as a belief system in the 1860s. The"discoverer " of spirit photography was one William H. Mumler of Boston and New York. In 1869, Mumler was arrested and charged with fraud, arising out of his spirit photography. This is the story of the unusual legal proceedings in Mumler's case.

Welcome To Weekend With Shades - Saturday

THE HUMOR OF IT
BY DONNA POINTKOUSKI
A Monthly - Weekend With Shades

When I was a child, I assumed that photography was an art form beyond the reach of mere mortals. It just had to be the most complicated thing in the whole world. But I didn’t think that way because of the “magical” nature of taking photos and seeing a two-dimensional image of yourself and your surroundings. No, I believed photography was a difficult endeavor because in most of our family photos we were missing our heads or other body parts.

Here is a typical photo session at the Pointkouski household, Christmas, 1968:

Friday From The Collectors - March 27

[Select Image For Larger View]

IS SHE DEAD?

Jack Mord, of The Thanatos Archive, has a simple question for Shades readers. Is the little girl lying on the floor in the center of the photograph above, dead? Simple question; difficult answer. Select the image for a larger view.

Jack wrote Shades saying, "I would love it if you would consider doing another series on this photo! The feedback from the 'I Think She's Dead Series' was awesome to read, and your readers seem very knowledgeable."

There is no right or wrong answer readers. Jack is looking for as many opinions as Shades readers are willing to share.

There are two schools of thought with regard to analyzing this photograph. We are looking for those who are not knowledgeable in post-mortem photography, but look at the photograph and form an opinion based on how the photograph makes them feel. The photographer and the family obviously wanted to convey something. What do you think it was?

The second school of thought comes from those who have seen many post-mortem photographs and have formed an opinion based on that experience. What is that opinion?

The photograph itself measures 8.5" x 6.25" and is on a 12" x 10" mount with no photographer's imprint. The only clues reside within the photograph.

We'd like to hear from each and every one of you. Both Jack and I have an opinion. We want yours.

Place your opinion in a comment below. When you have finished, follow the link included in my comment to read whether or not I think she's dead.

So upon peril of my becoming "The Queen Of The Eternal Night;" please tell us, Is She Dead?

You can find My Opinion and more comments here.

Meet The Humor of It

Sometimes things are so serious on Shades that the need for a dose of levity very quickly became apparent. I knew who I wanted to write a humor column for Shades. Donna Pointkouski of What's Past Is Prologue. She's the one geneablogger that can make me laugh through blog posts, comments, and her crazy entertaining emails.

But would she do it? I wrote, I begged, I pleaded, and then I started arm twisting. She got so tired of hearing from me she caved. Shades is honored to have the benefit of her wit, wisdom, knowledge and unmatched skills as a writer for Saturday's Weekend With Shades.

Donna is an old hand with a camera, having gotten her first camera at the age of 11. She hasn't stopped taking photographs since. Although the format and the subject of her photography have changed over the years, she continually seeks to see the humor of it all. And so will you.

Read all about her take on this new column and welcome her to Shades!
And please note, she's a women wearing glasses.

"What's so funny about photography?"

That was my question when footnoteMaven asked me to write a monthly humor column for Shades of the Departed.

But I realized that humor is merely a different way of looking at things. The art of photography, the role of a photographer, and the act of having your photo taken can be quite a serious endeavor.

But, if you look at the process through a different lens, it can be downright hysterical. Join me once a month on Weekend with Shades as I explore The Humor of It - Through a Different Lens.

Join Shades Saturday, March 28, for the first
The Humor of It

"Through A Different Lens"

And The Guest Author Is . . .

The Thanatos Archive
Photograph Courtesy of
Not the subject of Friday's article -
this child is known to be dead!

This Friday From The Collectors will be something new and challenging for Shades readers! The Guest Author will be a photograph and that photograph is going to ask for your opinion.

You will remember the "I Think She's Dead" series of articles here on Shades. Well, the owner of that photograph has another one that he wants you to contemplate, form an opinion, and add your opinion to the comments in Friday From The Collectors, "Is She Dead?" (The photograph will be displayed in the Friday Article.)

The photograph is sent to us courtesy of The Thanatos Archive in Seattle, Washington. The Archive houses an extensive collection of vintage postmortem and mourning photos, many of which date back to the mid-1800s.

They house more than 700 vintage postmortem images and three additional galleries: Death Masks, Vintage Medical Images, and Mourning/Memorial Images. New scans are added to the archive on a regular basis as they are acquired and donated.

I have weighed in with my opinion. You will be able to read it after you post your comment.

So be here Friday, March 27, to give us your opinion in "Is She Dead?"

Sent In Pursuit of Booth

Craig Manson's Weekend With Shades column, Appealing Subjects, will appear Sunday, March 29. It's going to be a very interesting look at a Spirit Photographer. Today we look at Addison Venelle Teeple, sent in pursuit of Booth.

"In Memoriam" - Sent In Pursuit of Booth

Death finds us: young or old, seasoned or green, ready or not (and we seldom are). For some it's lost its sting, for most it never does. We deny, rage, bargain, lament, accept, deny, rage . . . while adding our own nuances.

~ David L. Jacobs ~

In the Victorian Era, even death and funerals followed strict conventions. As soon as a death occurred the fact was made known to the world by closing all the blinds, or drawing the long linen shades at the front of the house. This announced to the outside world that a death had occurred.

The doorbell was muffled; and a servant was stationed in the front hall to open the door, give and receive messages, admit callers and cards and otherwise aid in preserving order and silence for the family. If the servant was a maid she would wear a black gown with a white collar and cuffs, white apron, and white cap with black ribbons. If a male servant, he would wear an all black livery.

If a death occurred in a sparsely settled area of the country it would be necessary to send a mounted messenger from house to house with black-bordered written or engraved funeral notices. This was soon supplanted by the newspaper column which became the acceptable medium to announce a bereavement to the world.

Often "In Memorium" cards were prepared to be handed to those who attended the funeral service and also mailed to family and friends who were unable to make the often long and arduous journey for the burial. These memorial cards took many forms. They generally announced the funeral, gave the date of birth and death of the deceased, and included a poem, hymn, or bible verse. With the advent of affordable photography, photographs were often added to the memorial card.

The "In Memoriam" shown here is more unique than those discussed above and the subject of the memorial, First Lieutenant Addison Venelle Teeple, is equally unique. This black bordered "In Memoriam" pamphlet was prepared by the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), Minnesota Commandery. MOLLUS was founded as a veterans' organization for Union officers of the American Civil War. It later opened its membership to descendants of Union officers, and is still active today. Lieutenant Teeple was one of the organization's original Companions.

"In Memorium" Pamphlet
Thick Black Border Denotes Age of Deceased
Thin border for young person.

The information contained in this pamphlet is an excellent source for a family historian. Specifics of Teeple's military history are contained in the memorial as well as clues for finding other pertinent information.

The memorial reads in part:

An honored member of Minnesota Commandery, Military Order of the Loyal Legion, departed this life September 3, 1892, in the forty-ninth year of his age.

Companion Teeple in an eventful and honorable war record illustrated the zeal and patriotism which so conspicuously distinguished the young men of his epoch. He enlisted as a private in the Eighth Regiment of Illinois Cavalry Volunteers, September 7, 1861, and was discharged as a corporal, December 31, 1863, for re-enlistment as a veteran, January 1, 1864. He was promoted to sergeant, April 1, 1864, and to second lieutenant, November 29, 1864. He was appointed first lieutenant, July 8,, 1865, and discharged with his regiment, July 17, 1865, by reason of the close of the war.

Mr. Teeple served in Stoneman's cavalry brigade of the Army of the Potomac during the peninsular campaign of 1862. He fought in the battles of Williamsburg, Mechanicsville, Hanover Court House, the Seven Days' Fight and Haxal's Landing, besides numerous skirmishes. He was wounded and captured at Boonsboro, Md., Sept. 15, 1862, and exchanged in March, 1863. He fought under Hooker at Chancellorville and under Meade at Gettysburg.

In April, 1865, he was a member of the detachment sent in pursuit of Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln. He was serving on the staff of General Bartlett, division commander, when mustered out.

Inside of Pamphlet

John Wilkes Booth
By the photographer
Alexander Gardner
See The Shades Article
"In Case Of Emergency - Break Glass"

Teeple had been a participant in one of the darkest chapters in our Nation's history. He was one of the men sent in pursuit of John Wilkes Booth. An event in his life so significant, it was part of the honor and memorial paid to him at his death.

This particular "In Memorium" is invaluable to the family history research of Addison Venelle Teeple and a very collectible item in its own right. It is the fortunate family historian who finds this type of memorial in their family documents.


Provenance:

On the top of the first page, someone (probably a member of Teeple's family) wrote "Please forward to Hattie." This would be Harriet E Potter (nee Gleason), a cousin of Teeple's and a relative of the husband of the woman from whom I purchased the memorial. How could any family part with this?

Teeple Family History:

Addison Venelle Teeple's parents were Pellum Cartwright Teeple and Mary Amelia Gleason. Pellum and Mary were married in Rockfort, Illinois, 28 March 1841. Addison was born in Oxford, Ontario, May 25, 1843. He and his family moved to Illinois after the war and on 17 October 1867 he married Catherine M. Walkup in Chicago, Illinois. In 1872 he moved to Minnesota; was admitted to the bar; was attorney of Stevens county, 1872-4; settled in St. Paul, 1874; complied a handbook of the statutes of 1866; and edited the Building Association News, 1878-80.

Teeple had five brothers; Charles Gleason, Levant, Jared, Lester, and Frank; and four sisters Elmina, Elvira, Ruth L., and Lydia Mary.

Diaries belonging to Carrie Walkup are held in the Northwestern University Archives. The archives also contain letters and poems to Walkup from Teeple and her letters and poems to him.

Definitions:

Victorian Era (United Kingdom) - the period of Queen Victoria's reign from June 1837 to January 1901.

In Memorium - In memory of; as a memorial to. Used especially in epitaphs. [From Latin in memoriam, to the memory (of) : in, in, into + memoriam, accusative of memoria, memory.]

The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States - "On April 15, 1865, as word of President Abraham Lincoln’s death spread throughout the country, three Union Army officer friends met in Philadelphia to discuss the tragic news. Rumors from Washington of a conspiracy to destroy the Federal government by assassination of its leaders prompted the three officers to call other officers and ex-officers together to form an organization that could help thwart future threats to the national government. A mass meeting of Philadelphia veterans was held on April 20, 1865 to pledge renewed allegiance to the Union and to plan for participation in the funeral arrangements for the President. The Philadelphia officers, who served as an honor guard for President Lincoln’s funeral cortegé, met again after the funeral was over to establish a permanent organization of officers and ex-officers patterned after the Society of the Cincinnati established after the Revolutionary War. The name they chose, The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, first appeared in a notice calling for a meeting on May 31, 1865 at Independence Hall. By 1899, the Loyal Legion has more than 8,000 Civil War officer members, known as Original Companions, on its roster. At its zenith, the Loyal Legion counted practically every prominent officer among its ranks. Among them were Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman; Lieutenant Generals Philip H. Sheridan, Nelson A. Miles and John M. Schofield; Major Generals George Armstrong Custer, Winfield Scott Hancock, George B. McClellan, Rutherford B. Hayes, David McMurtrie Gregg and Grenville M. Dodge; Real Admirals Bancroft Gherardi, and George W. Melville. In addition to Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes, Original Companions Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley served as President of the United States. Legion membership also included many other prominent persons of the time, such as Oliver Wendell Holmes and Stephen Vincent Benét."

Sources:

Books:

Holt, Emily. Encyclopedia of Etiquette. New York: Syndicate Publishing Company, 1901.

Upham, William, comp. Minnesota Biographies 1655-1912. St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical
Society, 1912. Volume XIV, in Google Books, http://google.com/books. Accessed February 14, 2009.

Document:

Castle, Henry A. In Memorium, Addison Venelle Teeple. Minnesota: Loyal Legion of United States, 1892.

A derivation of this article originally published in the OnlineJournal of The Association of Graveyard Rabbits.

Welcome To Weekend With Shades - Saturday

SAVING FACE
BY REBECCA FENNING
A Monthly - Weekend With Shades - Column

I hate the word "archiving." I really do. Why? Well, because I may be the only archivist to feel this way, but I think it's misleading. I feel as if the "archiving" of things like email have made archive-related verbs into buzzwords that get a lot of use, distorting our understanding of what archives curated by librarians and archivists actually are and how they are created.

So this is why in my inaugural column for Weekend with Shades, I'd like to explain what it is I actually do as an archivist and librarian, because this can be unfamiliar to even the most highly educated, library-frequenting of us. Indeed, most people I know who aren't information professionals themselves (that is to say, librarians or archivists or records managers) have no idea what I do -- and that includes my boyfriend, my mom, my sister, my best friends and pretty much everyone else I know. I hope that my quick walk-through of basic archival activities will give you a better sense of how archivists and archives work and a better notion of the questions I can help you to answer.

Friday From The Collectors - March 20

M. Diane Rogers
CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'

OMAHA TRAIN ROBBERS UNDER ARREST, May 1909

Omaha, May 29 – Fred Tortensen and W. D. Woods were last night identified by Engineer Mickeljohn and Fireman Prawl as the men who crawled over the tender of their engine Saturday night and forced them to stop the Union Pacific Overland Limited....
Photographs of Prisoners
Search of Tortensen’s room on Fifteenth street today furnished some valuable information. A photograph of the three men under arrest, and another man and woman, taken at a Denver photograph gallery, furnished the first authentic information of where the men came from. The photograph was taken on a postcard and showed the group of five persons sitting behind a false automobile front, Woods being in the position of the chauffer. The headlights of the car showed the number 2313 and the picture was made at 1513 Curtis street, Denver, Colorado...

The Chillicothe Constitution, Chillicothe, Missouri, USA. p. 1. 29 May 1909

As I soon found out, this train robbery story had a Canadian twist. One of the captured robbers, Frank Grigware, escaped from Leavenworth Prison, by train, and ended up living in Canada undetected for 24 years, but in 1934 he was charged with poaching and his fingerprints were matched to his old crime. [1] (This all sounds so modern, doesn’t it?)

It was the mention of the postcard showing a “false automobile front” that had caught my attention first as I had just recently posted the image of a novelty ‘automobile’ postcard on-line from my own family collections. Novelty photographs meant as souvenirs of holidays and special events were popular from the turn of the 19th century in both North America and Britain.

From the beginning of commercial photography, photographers used painted studio backdrops, including beach scenes, often with smaller props, even sometimes costumes, to better illustrate their sitters’ vacation memories (or dreams).

a. Two women & girl, beach backdrop with lighthouse. Ferrotype (tintype), origin unknown.
Purchased in British Columbia, Canada.
Personal collection, M. Diane Rogers. All Rights Reserved.

For some photographers, it was soon perhaps an easy step out onto the beach or boardwalk to take more natural looking photographs for clients or other commercial or artistic work.

b. Atlantic City Beach, c.1905; photographer: William M. Vander Weyde.
From negative, gelatin on glass.
George Eastman House Collection: 1974:0056:0723: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3333253691
No known copyright restrictions, The Commons on Flickr.

At the same time though, with the introduction of Kodak’s easy to use Brownie camera, taking one’s own photographs became increasingly popular, although, of course, not everyone could afford this, despite what the advertisements often said.

With advances in popular cameras and film processing, it must also have been easier for some to enter the photography business – as street, seaside and carnival photographers, for instance. No longer did a ‘real’ photographer always need a studio, or at least an elaborate one, and no longer were all photographers ‘artists’. (Lots of modern parallels here too, with digital cameras and software.)

It does seem to be about this same time that the ‘comic foreground’ or ‘head in hole’ photographs appeared. Here is one great example from Atlantic City, c. 1900, showing Charles Heffernan of Washington, DC, USA.

c .Atlantic City Novelty Postcard c 1900, showing Charles Heffernan, b 1864, lived Washington, DC, USA. All Rights Reserved. Photograph shown with the permission of Mike Fitzpatrick
(aka Piedmont Fossil)
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/piedmont_fossil/322618963

These photographic ‘foregrounds’ are known by many names. Recently Michael Quinion of World Wide Words, [2] noted quite a few awkward but descriptive phrases: ‘end-of-the-pier painted boards into which you stick your head to get photographed’, ‘head through the hole’, ‘things you stick your head in’, faces in holes, face cut-outs, ‘head through the hole photo booths’, photo cutout boards, comic foreground, carnival cutouts, lookie-loo, mug boards, faceless cutouts - and even had a new suggestion from a reader – ‘Headleys’ for the surname of the person who first asked Michael about this topic!

Vivian Marr of Chambers Dictionaries gave Michael the French name –
“ ‘passe-têtes’, essentially places to put one’s head through” which is the one I’ve adopted now. Very clear, I think and quite Canadian sounding, but I’ve seen other terms on-line now too – arcade photograph and ‘people posing in wood cut out bodies’.

There is some question about who ‘invented’ these ‘head in the hole’ photographic props, but it seems accepted that Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (1844-1934) popularized them, if he didn’t think them up all by himself. [3] (He’s the fellow who painted those ‘dogs playing poker’.) I’d be interested to hear of any contemporary references to his prop work or to his company.

Coolidge apparently sold his painted ‘Comic Foregrounds’ by mail order – with names like "Man Riding a Donkey" or "Fat Man in a Bathing Suit".

Sometimes photo foregrounds were a bit racy too, as in Arcade Photo - G.I. Cleaning posted by AtypicalArt on Flickr. [4] Later, I believe, when more people were vacationing by car, comic foregrounds were adapted for many roadside attractions so visitors could take their own funny family snapshots, however passe-têtes are still seen at fairs and events. Wasn’t there a Welsh passe-têtes scene in photographs of last month’s London ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ genealogy show?

And I remember seeing a Canadian ‘Mountie’ one somewhere quite recently – of course, depicting bodies in red serge suits. For the Mountie one, you’d want the right hat to make yourself look correct. At traveling fairs, I’m sure a few costume props were handy.

My great uncle in this family photograph really looks to me as if he is wearing someone else’s moustache! I wonder if this wasn’t taken at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto where he lived. The wobbly writing of ‘Seeing Toronto’ on the passe-têtes here makes me wonder too if this prop was quickly re-lettered after the previous show when maybe it had been ‘Seeing Ottawa’. This was a postcard – but has been cut smaller. I think you can see that in this image. Was there someone else in the picture? This is a passe-têtes prop – I can see both his neck and the rim of the neck cutout on the board.

d. Postcard, cut, but believed unused (pasted in album, one corner loose).
Seeing Toronto, believed to show John William Rogers,
taken c. 1910. Personal Collection, M. Diane Rogers. All Rights Reserved.

Some comic postcards were more labour intensive. footnoteMaven found an excellent advertisement for comic caricature postcards produced with real photo heads by A. J. Park’s Electric Studio, Seattle, Washington, USA. Not quite the latest mode of transport shown though.

[ e. Early Advertising of the West, 1867 - 1918, Special Collections, University of Washington, A. J. Park’s Electric Studio, Seattle, Washington, USA, 1908.]

And footnoteMaven also has an historical article about making commercial comic postcards your own by pasting on ‘real photo’ heads – ‘penny’ or postage stamp sized photographs of yourself or your friends – photographic novelty items in themselves.

[f. Popular Mechanics, Photos of Friends Added to Comic Post Cards, February 1917. Article, mentions Jacksonville, Florida, USA.]

I’ll keep looking for historical automobile related novelty photographs and postcards. I’ve seen a number on-line; I’ve even been shown one from my own home city, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Coney Island History project, for instance, shows five real photo ‘head in hole’ postcards. One very similar to the Seattle Park’s Electric Studio card shows a couple headed “Off for Coney” [5] Before World War I, when cars were ‘new’, novelties related to automobiles must have been popular. I see these automobile related novelty montages and the passe-têtes as closely related – all use real photographs, caricature, and/or painting and drawing to set the scene. Quite a few show ‘women drivers’ too which is of interest to me.

Some novelty automobile photograph setups were much more elaborate though. Remember the 1909 bank robbers photographed “sitting behind a false automobile front?" By persistent Googling, I did find two examples on-line of novelty postcards with an automobile background and foreground taken by a company called ‘United Photo Stores Co’ using the Denver address mentioned in the newspaper article. (I have found other Denver addresses for United Photo and hope to do more research on this soon.)

None of the articles that I have seen so far about the 1909 train robbery show the photograph. That’s not surprising, still it’s disappointing. Might that evidence copy still exist? (Maybe in an FBI file?) If so, we could compare and contrast it to the two I found on-line. They can’t be identical as the newspaper mentions the number ‘2313’ in the photo. I don’t see that in either of these, and these two photos are a little different from each other but each is identified with the same address as on the robber’s postcard, and the example from Cripple Creek is dated and postmarked June 1909 from Denver, Colorado.

Denver Studio Shot Lady~Model Car~Half-Way House 1913 PC – Refried Jean’s Postcards & Paper Products. Note – this company is no longer in business and the owners no longer have this postcard. The website remains up for now though. Accessed on-line 18 March, 2009: http://refriedjeans.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=814

Stumpff Family Photo, Cripple Creek District Museum, Cripple Creek, Colorado, USA. Accession number 1: 2000123. Accessed on-line 18 March, 2009: http://www.cripple-creek.org/cgi-bin/photograph.cgi?id=2000123

Looking at these photographs has brought home to me some of the difficulties in finding and examining similar photographs or postcards. I’m a person who likes to compare things, but although there are clearly similar examples on-line and in various catalogues, there are no standard descriptions or tags and no one person ‘collecting’ posted images together. And, it would be nice to be able to look at all those relating to ‘Toronto’ or ‘Seattle’ too. I would suspect that many people with old photographs at home have at least one passe-têtes or ‘head in hole’ photograph or postcard.

So, I’ve set up a Flickr group called: Vintage - Antique Photographs - passe-têtes, head in hole’. [6] I’ll work on getting some of these examples together. And, I’ll post any images of my own at DeadFred.com too, my very favourite photo website.

Do you have one of these photographs or postcards at home? Have you seen a historical advertisement or noticed a related image on the web or in a museum or archival collection? Please be in touch!




NOTES

[1] The Union Pacific Overland Limited train robbery, 1909, was covered at the time in a number of newspapers. For later developments concerning Frank Grigware (known in Canada as James Fahey), see, for example, The Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, Back page, 23 April, 1934 and The Post Standard, Syracuse, New York, USA, p. 12, 29 May 1949. Accessed through NewspaperARCHIVE.com

See Frank Grigware’s real photo ‘mug shots’, not comic ones, and images of his fingerprints, along with his 1909 personal details and family connections at “A Byte Out of FBI History: Catching International Crooks in the 1930s...by their fingertips”, Federal Bureau of Investigation, USA: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/march04/fingerprint033104.htm

Joe Jackson wrote a novel about this case, Leavenworth Train: A Fugitive's Search for Justice in the Vanishing West (New York: Carroll & Graf, 2001) I’m searching for a copy.

[2] 'Seeing Toronto' - A Carnival Cutout Photograph - Toronto, Ontario, Canada, CanadaGenealogy, or, Jane’s Your Aunt: http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/02/seeing-toronto-carnival-cutout.html

[3] Cassius Marcellus Coolidge biography: www.dogsplayingpoker.org/bio/coolidge/bio1.html

[4] Arcade Photo- G.I. Cleaning posted by AtypicalArt on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/atypicalart/3241816585

[5] ‘Head in Hole’ postcards, Coney Island History Project, New York, USA: http://www.coneyislandhistory.org/collection/index.php?keywords=head+in+hole&phys_type_id=&admin_source_id=&collection_id=&date=

[6] Post your related photographs or images to the group ‘Vintage – Antique Photographs - passe-têtes, head in hole’ at www.flickr.com

Two Flickr photograph groups which include some vintage ‘passe-têtes’ and other related photographs: Vintage Photographic Amusements (Trick Photography) Group and the Souvenir Photos (Vintage) Group.

To find others, use all the terms given above to search Flickr, Google Images, e-Bay, etc. and try ‘photograph/postcard vintage/antique’ with ‘comic/cartoon/collage/montage’.

Article
Copyright © 2009

Meet Saving Face

If I could have one expert, for an entire day, to answer all my questions; it would be an archivist. And if I could pick one archivist, my first choice, my only choice would be Rebecca Fenning of A Sense of Face.

Well, Shades readers, my wish is coming true. Rebecca Fenning has very kindly accepted my invitation to join Weekend With Shades. The author of A Sense of Face will author the new Saturday column, Saving Face, "Archives for the Rest of Us." We are all going to benefit from her wealth of knowledge. I'm so excited!

So let me introduce you to Saving Face and Rebecca Fenning.
Read all about her take on this new column and welcome her to Shades!

As both an archivist and a family historian, I have been witness many times to the gap in understanding that exists between genealogists and librarians/archivists over exactly what it is that the other group does.

This can run the gamut from archivist's negative stereotypes of genealogists as little old ladies in glasses who don't know what they're doing, to family historian's simple confusion when faced with an archival finding aid.

I also know there are a lot of archivist secrets family historians always want to know about things like preservation, storage and the art of folder labeling. For a long time, I've wanted to lend a voice to the conversation and some clarity to the confusion -- a chance that our dear footnoteMaven has now given me as a member of the Weekend with Shades team!

Start getting your archival questions ready, because I'm looking forward to answering them!

Bring your questions to Shades Saturday, March 21, for the first
Saving Face

"Archives for the Rest of Us"

Twice Told Tuesday - Irish Photographer Of The Civil War

Twice Told Tuesday features a photography related article reprinted from
my collection of old photography books, magazines, and newspapers.

Sure and he was Irish. Mathew B. Brady, the Irish Photographer Of The Civil War, tells it again for Twice Told Tuesday on St. Patrick's Day.

Mathew B. Brady

Recently 3,500 original photographs of the Civil War were discovered, after remaining hidden for half a century. They are extraordinarily lifelike and bring vividly before the eye the passion and pathos of that bloody time. They were the work of an Irishman Mathew B. Brady, a famous photographer in New York, an artist, a camera genius, having headquarters at the time on Broadway, where he charged as much as one hundred dollars for a single photograph. He knew more about the art than any other man in the United States, having studied in France, where photography was born.

Brady was above all things an artist, and when the first gun of the war was fired he became eager to try out his genius on the field of battle. Thinking (like everybody else) that the struggle would last about three months, he gave up his big business and went to the front—armed not with a gun, but with the instrument that was to hand down to posterity the most accurate story of the war in existence; for the eye of the camera sees all things and cannot tell aught but the truth.

He obtained the protection of the Secret Service under Allan Pinkerton, dispatched photographers right and left after the armies (one of them Alexander Gardner, whom Brady had brought over from Scotland and made a camera artist like himself), then for four years he and his followers, with typical Irish pluck, braved death in a dozen forms; and handed down to this generation the superb record of the worst conflict the world has ever seen.

Brady and the photographers he led were everywhere—at Gettysburg—New Orleans—Vicksburg—Petersburg—in Andersonville—on board the ships-of-war—on the battle-line—in the prisons—in the hospitals—in camp.

At the end of the war Brady offered his unique series of photographs to the Federal Government, and that government, overwhelmed by debt, faced by ruin, paid $27,840 for that collection, impossible to duplicate, and secured at enormous expense and risk. Even today the 3,500 pictures would cost much more than that to take; but fifty years ago, when very heavy cameras had to be used and a dark room moved about from camp to camp, the expense was much greater. Brady had sunk in the adventure every cent of his own, and had borrowed heavily. At the end of the war he was bankrupt. As if to pile on misfortune, the Government did not pay him his little money until eight years after the war was over. Brady never recovered. He broke down—wandered about, wretchedly poor and unhappy—and died in the almsward of a hospital in New York.

That was the fate of a man who created a work which General Garfield and General Benj. F. Butler said was worth $150,000 to the Government as a secret record of its warfare!
But fortunately for posterity Brady had made an extra set of the plates for himself. After his bankruptcy these were knocked from pillar to post—first in one man's hands, then in another's, Brady himself lost track of them—twenty-five years they lay in a tumbledown garret in New York. Occasionally one or two would be reproduced by a crude wood-cut process. It is amazing that they were not destroyed.

Sources:

Handy, Levin C. [Photographer Mathew B. Brady, three-quarter length portrait, facing front]. Photograph. 1939. From Library of Congress, American Memory, Civil War glass negative collection. Link (March 2009).

Murray, Thomas Hamilton. Journal of the American Irish Historical Society. New York: The Society. 1911.

And The Guest Author Is . . .

M. Diane Rogers
CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'

This Friday From The Collectors, Shades welcomes Diane Rogers of CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt' to show us something very curious she found in her family photographs. Diane has long been interested in photographs; she describes her interest and herself this way.

My interest in photographs is two-fold. My Na, my maternal grandmother, and my mum used to talk to me about their family – likely that’s where my interest in genealogy and family history began. When I was about twelve, Na and I spent time one summer going through her black trunk of old photographs of family and friends. As she talked, identifying people and places, I labeled the photos for her. She then gave me a few old photographs which I kept at home in my room along with pictures of my dad when he was younger and of my mother when she was in the Canadian Army.

I’ve always loved Canadian history and I collect photographs, postcards, and other ephemera. I am especially interested in women's history – this is a lifelong interest and I know I inherited that from my mother. When I got serious about researching ancestors, I started by looking at the women and soon realized that, although many times there’s not much about them in ‘official’ sources, most everyone I knew had family photographs showing women. Many times it was women who had saved the family photograph collections and sometimes it was thought women had even taken the ‘snaps’ or commissioned the family portraits. That’s when I started researching photographs and talking to people about them. I volunteer for the British Columbia Genealogical Society and the Women’s History Network of British Columbia. I’m the Editor of the BCGS journal, The British Columbia Genealogist; we include as many photographs as possible. And I teach about genealogy and family history - ‘Researching Female Ancestors’ and ‘Analyzing Family Photographs’ are most popular sessions and lots of fun!

Join us Friday, March 20, for something really unique. I enjoy Diane's work and I always learn something new. So will you!

In Honor Of St. Patrick's Day

Shades honors St. Patrick's Day and joins the parade with, what else, two old photographs from Cork and Belfast.

The first photograph was produced by Monsieur A. Sauvy of the Paris Photographic Studio, 64a Patrick Street, Cork. It appears to be a wedding photograph of John and Dizzie Moore.

Monsieur Sauvy bills himself as an art photographer and an artist in color. Well, you be the judge.

~ John and Dizzie Moore ~
Sauvy - The Paris Studio
64a Patrick Street
Cork
Cabinet Card

Poor Dizzie doesn't look quite right. Perhaps she, or the photographer, felt the white or light colored gown made her look fat. Dizzie's arms and waist have definitely seen the retoucher's brush and have been reduced rather amateurishly. A close examination of the photograph shows that both John and Dizzie have had their eyebrows touched up. I wouldn't call this art much less artistic, but then perhaps the word "Paris" alone brought customers to the studio.

Often the reverse of a photograph is as interesting as the image itself.

The advertisement for the Paris Photographic Studio is contained on the reverse of the card as is the identification. The advertisement is very tastefully done, unlike the photograph itself.

I have not investigated the photograph. A cursory search found the following advertisement in the British Medical Journal of 1879.

PARIS PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO, 64A, Patrick Street, Cork. - Monsieur A. SAUVY has been able to produce charming Photographic Groups of the Members of the British Medical Association during their Visit to CORK, and offer them at the merely nominal price of 2s. 6d. each.

Well, you know what they say; "If you can't be good, be enterprising."

~ Young Girl ~
Abernethy
29 High St.
Belfast
Carte-de-Visite

Photographer's Imprint

William Abernethy started his first photographic studio in Belfast in 1885. William claimed to have photographed four generations of the Royal Family. His son, Harold, photographed the Prince of Wales, later to become the Duke of Windsor.

At one point in his career, William had seven studios through out the province; he and his assistants were known to average three hundred client photographs per day.

In 1900, William Abernathy was honored with a Royal Warrant in Belfast, as photographer to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria. He photographed her during the Royal visit to Dublin in April 1900.

Queen Victoria either presumed preparing for, or recovering from, her grand Dublin review in 1900

Queen Victoria was never particularly enthusiastic about her kingdoms of the “Celtic fringe.” During her sixty-four year reign, she spent seven years in Scotland, seven weeks in Ireland, and seven nights in Wales.

It must have been exceedingly difficult to obtain a Royal Warrant in Ireland or Wales. Mr. Abernethy was very fortunate.

Sources:

Ulster Ancestree

Reconciling the Celt: British National Identity, Empire, and the 1911 Investiture of the Prince of Wales
John S. Ellis, The Journal of British Studies, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Oct., 1998), p. 391; online JSTOR http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9371
(199810)37%3A4%3C391%3ARTCBNI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-U
accessed 15 March 2008.

Photographs:

Dizzie and John Moore. Cabinet Card. Sauvy. ca. 1889-90. Cork. Privately held by the footnoteMaven, Preston, Washington. 2009.

Young Girl. Carte-de-Visite. Abernethy. Unknown. Belfast. Privately held by the footnoteMaven, Preston, Washington. 2009.

The Carnivals In Town

11th EDITION

Smile For The Camera ~ A Carnival of Images

Sisters, sisters. There were never such devoted sisters. Brothers, brothers. There were never such stalwart brothers. This album will make you smile, laugh out loud, and sometimes shed a tear. It is a true representation of the dynamics we've all experienced between brothers and sisters. You really have outdone yourselves. So sit back and enjoy, open the cover and browse the 11th Edition of Smile For The Camera's album of brothers and sisters! You're going to love this one!

Russ Worthington of A Worthington Weblog introduces us to a lovely old photo of two brothers, Henry and Josiah, posted at Blog Carnival - Smile for the Camera. Russ is also searching for a story of the difficulties they encountered as children. It's out there, somewhere. Here's hoping you find it.

Say hello to Robin Inge of the blog, Where I Come From. I've visited Robin's blog often. It's beautiful, always greets you with wonderful music, and is filled with stories. For her first trip to the Carnival, Robin has shared a photo of the Evans Twins: Like Two Peas In A Pod, and the story of their life as it was written for their 90th birthday celebration. A great photo, a great read!

Lorine McGinnis Schulze of Olive Tree Genealogy gives us two entries for this Carnival. Lorine has some wonderful photographs, doesn't she? The first is Little Beauty and her brother, one of the 3,000 Cartes de Visite in her collection. This photograph is an interesting look at the relationship of older brother, younger sister. Lorine says, "I love this 1858 CDV of these young siblings - it's beautiful and tragic at the same time." Now compare that relationship with I'll Stand By You a contemporary version of the first photograph. BFF? Things haven't changed that much!

Becky Wiseman has the most amazing family photographs and she is always willing to share them with Smile. This photograph from the clothes, to the pose, and the expressions on their faces is a Brothers & Sisters not to be missed at Wiseman Siblings posted at kinexxions. And Becky, it is so good to have you back blogging!

Jessica Oswalt is the Jessica Fletcher of the geneablogging world. Only here it's "Mystery, She Wrote" as opposed to Murder. It started with an album from her Aunt and has created one mystery post after another. Take a look at the photograph Jessica has called, Are They Related? Another Mystery Photo ... posted at Jessica's Genejournal. I loved the little girl wearing glasses!

Pam Taylor presents Brothers and Sisters...Smile for the Camera, 11th edition posted at Taylorstales-Genealogy. Pam teaches all family historians a lesson with this post. When it comes to family photographs; look once, look twice, look with new eyes. You never know what clues you will discover that can aid in dating and identification.

Terri's Brothers & Sisters - I Smile For The Camera - 11th Edition posted at The Ties That Bind is composed of two sets of brothers. Terri tells us, " I love photographs that appear to tell a story. My first photograph depicts my father as a little boy with his brother and sister reading a book. My father is on the left hand side - he is rubbing his eyes, I think maybe the story is making him a little sleepy. The second photograph is of my brothers who appear to be comforting one another - I wonder if they had just been scolded for something? Or did they just need a little love?"

Evelyn Yvonne Theriault remembers her sister and 1960s Lasalle, Quebec, in Smile For The Camera 11th Edition - Brothers & Sisters posted at A Canadian Family. Now those are some really happy sisters; must have been the great day they had buying a gift for Mom. Sister to sister we will always be, a couple of nuts off the family tree! I loved this one!

Sheri Fenley traces the inseparable lives of The Brothers Skillman from Altoona, Wilson County, Kansas posted at The Educated Genealogist. The Brothers Skillman - they did everything together. I love the tricycle photograph. It looks as if the brothers are traveling through the jungle on board their three wheelers. It must have been adventure after adventure for these two.

Patti Browning of Consanguinity, connecting the dots, has an old photograph of two brothers Freddie & Frank (1923). The hair, the sailor suit, a ball, a newspaper and the shiniest shoes create one fascinating photograph. Are they Angel or Devil? You be the judge.

Andrea Christman gives us a look at her childhood and her brothers in Alphabet Soup...Oh Brother! posted at Family Tales. I love my brothers, my brothers love me. Not perfect Andrea says, but probably as close as you can get. And Andrea, you haven't changed a bit.

Donna Pointkouski shows us family history repeating itself in the next generation in Brother and Sister: A Family Tradition! at What's Past is Prologue. Written as only our Donner can, she gives us a glimpse into life as the little sister, an age gap that made an only child out of both brother and sister. You must visit just to see how adorable the photographs are, but be sure to read the sentiments of two brothers unsure about sharing life with a baby sister. A beautiful post!

The genealogically obsessed Laura Smith of Root Seek has some great material to work with when it comes to photographs. Take a look at her submission, Brothers & Sisters-11th Edition-Smile For the Camera. Laura says she's easily amused, but who wouldn't be with two tough guys from Washington who started life in skirts. A great submission for your first Smile For The Camera, Laura. Can't wait to see what's next.

Wendy you made me cry when I read Childhood Enemies - Adult BFF?s posted at All My Branches Genealogy. Three generations of “battling siblings” all turned into relationships of Best Friends Forever. What a wonderful family legacy that is! And what a wonderful legacy you've left by writing the story.

Midge Frazel has the gift of a lifetime in the photograph of The Brothers Broadfoot, posted at Granite in My Blood. Midge says, "Standing proudly for the camera, these three brothers look prosperous and healthy. This might be the last time, they were all together in one place." Yes, you never know when you Smile for the Camera.

Judith Richards Shubert said, "Hi Maven, I see my little sister has a pair of your favorite glasses on" in Brothers & Sisters in Lingleville Blog: Genealogy Traces! Yes, Peggy has on a pair of my favorite cat's eye glasses. Judy also introduces us to Billy, Bobby, and Leta Shubert on her Tennessee Memories blog. In sickness and in health they were Brothers & Sister in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ruth Stephens added Lewis Carroll's poem Brother and Sister to her post Smile for the Camera at Bluebonnet Country Genealogy. "Sister, sister, go to bed! Go and rest your weary head.” Thus the prudent brother said. Three photographs from three different points in time. Pay close attention to the names in Ruth's family, truly unique.

Two Iles siblings have a mischievous look as they smile for the camera. Janet Iles presents Two brothers posted at Janet the researcher who look like the stars of the "Little Rascals." What were they up to? What happened after the photograph was taken?

"My Bubba and Me" at Mississippi Memories pictures a bright white outfit on both Janice Tracy and her little brother "Bubba." She writes, "I am certain that our grandmother enjoyed snapping a picture of us when we were "all cleaned up." I can still hear her say to me "o oui" when I got "all dressed up," meaning " O yes - you look so pretty." That you did, Janice! That you did!

From just three they became eight, brothers and sisters captured for the camera. Look closely, don't you see the faces of the children in the photographs of the adults? Jennifer Trahan proudly displays her family sibling history in Smile for the Camera - Siblings posted at Jennifer's Genealogy Blog. The children are always there, no matter how mature they become.

Julie Cahill Tarr has Orphan Photo #9 as her ticket to the Carnival, posted at Who Will Tell Their Story? This precious photograph is of three little darlings. Julie thinks they look mischievous and I agree. It's the classic, "Not me, I didn't do it!"

When I long for Spring I visit Nikki-ann at Notes of Life. Things are blooming in Wales and Nikki-ann always gives me hope that winter is almost over with her beautiful photographs of flowers. (Sorry, it snowed here today.) Her ticket to this Carnival is the Brothers & Sisters of my Nan & Granddad. Those boys look as if they are just about to break out of the photograph and run for it. Nikki-ann thinks she sees a bit of how she interacts with her father in the history of the sisters. Visit Notes of Life for the family story and stop to smell the flowers.

EBradt presents my bother and I in Brothers and Sisters - Our Birthday Party. 1960, yes, I remember it well. Check out the hats, the birthday hats, did you ever make them? I did! Stop by Ancestral Notes for the birthday party.

Linda Hughes Hiser presents Smile for the Camera, 11 Edition--Frederick Family Children posted at Flipside. The oldest family photograph I own and what a sober bunch of kids! They had to be, Linda. In 1886 that photograph cost a small fortune and you didn't want to ruin it.

Thomas MacEntee presents Destination: Austin Family: The Sisters Eight posted at Destination: Austin Family. My mother grew up one of twelve children raised in the middle of the Depression. I present a photo of her with her seven other sisters and her mother taken in 1950 - the only such photo that I have in my possession.

Cherie presents 11th Edition - Smile For The Camera: Brothers & Sisters posted at Still Digging for Roots. My dad, his siblings, and their dad, a lovely informal photograph of a family day out. Cherie says the brothers and sisters "have stayed close and still tease each other the way I imagine they must have done when they were children!"

Alana Farrell presents The Marshall Clan posted at A Twig In My Tree. "My mother had six siblings and they were all very close, especially the 3 youngest (they did everything together – especially getting into trouble)." But getting into trouble would be the least of their worries. From Scotland to Canada, a difficult road for Alana's mother. This is a wonderful story punctuated by some priceless photographs. You should see this one!

Sue Edminster's Brother and Sister smile for the camera and at the pony at the Echo Hill Ancestors Weblog. This is a charming photograph taken by a traveling photographer who was accompanied by a pony. What parent could resist?

Amy Coffin presents Brother, Sister and Black Velvet: Smile for the Camera 11 posted at We Tree. My grandmother, her brother and a bucket full of whiskey, or as we call it in my family: Saturday. Kidding, of course, but I'd sure like to know what was so funny at the moment this picture was taken.

Cindy shows us The Keener Brothers posted at Everything's Relative - Researching Your Family History. Yes, they're brothers. No doubt about it. And so cute you just want to pinch their cheeks.

Welcome another Washingtonian geneablogger, Delia Furrer. We get a glimpse of her treasure, a family photo album, in 11th Edition of Smile For The Camera - Brothers & Sisters posted at Delia's Genealogy Blog. Delia tells us she gained a great deal of insight into her family from scanning and analyzing the photographs in that album. We're all about the photographs here on Shades. And Delia, we must talk. We have a great deal in common (Washington and Montana).

Leah Kleylein does a brilliant job of writing about this charming photograph of a big brother comforting his little sister in Brother and Sister - Smile for the Camera 11 posted at Random Notes. "But wait!!! Take a closer look at the photo, yes, he is a sweet big brother, so caring, so loving. Take a look towards the bottom of the picture, towards . . . their feet." Go on now, you know you're dying to see the photo.

You know I'm a sucker for a great blog name and Paula Hinkel has come up with one, "It Just Never Came Up." I love it! How often have we heard that phrase in our family history research? Her ticket to the Carnival is Brother & Sister, in which Paula says you can witness her first ever recorded eye roll. Great photo, great sense of humor.

Debbie McCoy presents Blanton Brothers posted at Blanton Family Roots and Branches. My grandfather, Wilbur Blanton, and his brother, Horace, circa 1910. Another one of my favorite pictures. Debbie, is it the ties that bind?

Greta Koehl introduces us to a great photograph, Brothers and Sisters: Louis Boone, Elizabeth Anne “Doll,” and Ambert Hatler Brinlee posted at Greta's Genealogy Bog. "I love the family closeness and family resemblance that can be seen in this picture, as well as the fact that one of the persons featured, Doll Brinlee, was in my last Smile for the Camera submission (albeit about 40 years younger and wearing an enormous hat)."

Amanda and The wild tricycle ride. Amanda on the tricycle, a little red wagon attached, little sister in wagon. Round and round the basement. Dump sister, sister gets back in. Vicious sibling cycle posted at A Tale of Two Ancestors.

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings tells us, "I wish we had a photograph of all of my father's siblings together, but we don't. As a consolation prize, here are his five siblings with their families (including three families with siblings) in 1947, Brothers, Sisters, Cousins, Kids. They are a fun bunch! Nana Seaver was proud of them."

Geniaus' ticket to the Carnival is the five Duncan girls from Cobar, NSW with their brother Bill Chatfield posted in Brothers and Sisters. I particularly love the girls dressed in their Junior Red Cross uniforms. Even the littlest one. A great photograph!

M. Diane Rogers has the most endearing photograph of Brothers and Sisters - Smile for the Camera posted at CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'. "Now if only their mummy had written down the exact date this photograph was taken - in Burnaby, BC, Canada, c 1976." I love the comment that was left that 70s photos are the NEW VINTAGE. I think you may be on to something.

John Newmark's three photographs illustrated the gap in ages of Smile for the Camera:Brothers and Sisters posted at TransylvanianDutch. A war story, a diary, and a sad ending for the brothers. For the three sisters, fate took the lives of their parents and five other siblings, leaving them with each other. A must see and read for this carnival.

Paula Hawk, who says she is incapable of making decisions and narrowing things down, follows her families' siblings from 1890 to 1965 in eight photographs. They are such fascinating photographs I can see why Paula can't make up her mind. But then we get the benefit of her selections in Brothers & Sisters Smile For The Camera at Corel Cousins.

Jasia presents Three Stoic Children posted at Creative Gene. A beautiful studio background and three very solemn young children. "When did we started smiling for the camera?" Jasia asks. In early photographs the subject of the portrait had to sit for long periods of time to secure an exposure. It was much easier to hold a straight face than to hold a smile. Often the head would have to be held in a vise so that it didn't move causing a blur. That changed with the so called instantaneous pictures that took a fraction of a seconds exposure. Conventions still required a solemn visage into the early 1900s. Your mother and her siblings just may have been tired of the whole process.

“Everything She Learned, She Learned From the Movies,” says Donna of her mother in her post Smile for the Camera - Brothers and Sisters at DonnaB's Weblog. The picture Donna selected shows her mother’s Hollywood style of relating to people, even her own brother. Yes, the photo is very Bette Davis. Now Donna, from one woman known to wear a crown to another, I think there's a little Hollywood in you!

Apple's three photographs of Daniel and Tamerson posted at Apple's Tree show the closeness exhibited by these siblings through the years. Apple also has a wonderful description of the relationship written by Tamerson to a member of the family. This is a do not miss post!

A family gathering just before World War II is Holly Spencer's ticket to Smile For The Camera, 11th Edition~~brothers & sisters posted at Raeburn Family Odyssey. Holly says, "My dad and his siblings were definitely a one for all and all for one clan." And it shows!

Kay Bauman exhibits several very unique photographs of Brothers & Sisters at Kay B's Place. Kay calls the photographs artistic and I would agree; I've seen very few like them. Kay also has a family goldmine in the form of a book entitled Dunaway - Allder - Pyle Family written by one of the daughters, Dr. Jane E. Dunaway. Dr. Dunaway says the book is an attempt to introduce her nieces and nephews to the older generation and “give a compilation of social, cultural, education and medical history.” The book is amazing!

Big Sister and Little Brothers ~ Through the Years is posted by Diana Ritchie at Random Relatives. While little brothers eventual tower over their "big" sister, she is still the boss! This entry for Smile for the Camera shows Diana's Mom and her little brothers through the years.

Other things may change us, but we start and end with family says the beautiful collage that Vickie Everhart has created for her ticket to Smile for the Camera :: Brothers & Sisters posted at .: BeNotForgot :: begotten & ne'er forgotten :. And another one of those creative blog names, very creative, as is the entire blog. The brother and sister in this story had a difficult life all too familiar for the times. Vicki is a master storyteller who conveys their life both in writing and visually.

Kathy Brady-Blake presents Mom and Her Siblings posted at Kathy's Genealogy Blog. I've posted several photos of my mom and her siblings. They always seemed to have good times together. This group certainly knows how to Smile For The Camera!

Craig Manson presents Brother & Sister, direct descendants of George Micheau (1813-1907); David and Edna Penny, taken too soon! A wonderful photograph of two "look me directly in the eye" siblings. While visiting Geneablogie take the time to read Craig's excellent two part series, The Rest of Paul Harvey's Story - Part I and Conclusion.

Worthwhile Wednesday - Brothers and Sisters from Kathryn Lake Hogan of Looking4Ancestors is another example of taking out those old photographs and giving them a new look. Kathryn discovered the significance of the photograph of these brothers and sisters when she took it out to scan for the carnival. You never know, when you Smile For The Camera.

Lisa of 100 Years In America, shares some very touching photographs of Beloved baby sister: A tribute to Ethel, 1920-1943. She tells of the special sisterly bond that grew throughout the years and how it ended far too soon. Lisa is a gifted writer who brings the story of the sisters in these photographs to life. There is a very special memorial contained in this post that you shouldn't miss.

I'm not sure how it happened, but two people who had a ticket to the 10th Edition of the carnival failed to gain admittance, so they've been invited to join this carnival.

Stephen J. Danko's Just Look at What We're Wearing! posted at Steve's Genealogy Blog fits in perfectly with this carnival as the photograph is of siblings who were dressed to the nines.

Rebecca Fenning's ella, ca 1900 is posted at A Sense of Face. Rebecca has some of the most interesting photographs around. They can make any carnival the better for being there, so Shades is so sorry they were left behind. Ella was the epitome of fashion, from the hat to the hair, from the dress to the jewelry, from the gloves to the bag. Ella was always tastefully turned out.

foonoteMaven closes the album cover on this edition of Smile For The Camera with Uphill Both Ways posted at footnoteMaven. Brothers, life long friends. As always my family is here to Smile For The Camera.

Now The Call For Submissions!

12th EDITION

Smile For The Camera
10 April 2009

The word prompt for the 12th Edition of Smile For The Camera is A Noble Life. Show us a photograph of an ancestor, relative, or friend that is the embodiment of A Noble Life. A life that is worthy of those who came before and those who follow after. A Life filled with small but courageous acts; filled with love and honor. A simple life, an ordinary life, A Noble Life. Bring them to the carnival and share with us how you've honored them. Admission is free with every photograph!

Your submission may include as many or as few words as you feel are necessary to describe your treasured photograph. Those words may be in the form of an expressive comment, a quote, a journal entry, a poem (your own or a favorite), a scrapbook page, or a heartfelt article. The choice is yours!

Deadline for submission is midnight (PT)
10 April 2009
Posted - 15 April 2009

HOW TO SUBMIT:

There are two options:

1. Send an email to the host, footnoteMaven. Include the title and permalink URL of the post you are submitting, your name, and the name of your blog. Put 'Smile For The Camera' clearly in the title of your email!

2. Use the handy submission form provided by Blog Carnival, or select the Bumper Sticker in the upper right hand corner.

See you at the Carnival!