To this quote from Eudora Welty, we could add "and a few words make it last forever"
I have been blogging about my husband's family's habit of (very luckily for me!) writing little notes and commentary on the back of their copious photo collection (Thank you Joe, Sarah and family!). The examples below illustrate just how much trouble they took to preserve that moment in time for the future.
"Sunday morning.
Nan beating a batter
Bet bursting her sides
Ken has had his 2nd port and pushed his hat back"
This delightful summation of a Sunday morning could almost be a poem! Although the photo is of poor quality, the words add so much to our understanding of that archetypal British Sunday morning - and with some affectionate humour! Sadly I don't know who they are - but the three children (Known as "The Triplets" from previous photos) are Ken, Jay and Betty. The older lady (who also crops up a lot in our photos!) is surely making a Yorkshire pud. The children are really enjoying their day, although I HOPE the fact that Ken has had two ports is a joke! The younger woman also features in lots of my photos - she might be one of Sarah's sisters. Did she maybe write on the photo? I need to do some comparisons of handwriting at a later date! A truly lovely snnapshot of a family Sunday a long ago...
"Elsie washing at our back door.
Notice what is on the gas stove, it was not the tea-pot!"
Elsie now features in the next few photos. She was Sarah's niece - daughter of her sister Dorris.
This is a bit of a mystery! WHAT is so amusing about the item that "is not a tea-pot!"? Definitely something seemingly amusing that anyone looking at the photo will need to think about. Elsie is clutching a wooden duck, which appears with Elsie a lot! However, the next photo shows her with a Teddy - and there is even an explanation of when and where it was bought!
"Elsie in her pajamas.
Note teddy, Sal {Sarah, my husband's gran and Elsie's aunt}
bought this for her in Southport 3 years ago"
The duck has been forsaken for Teddy and a tennis racquet!
"Taken on the sands at Blackpool
Whit week
Elsie has Dorris's dimples"
At first a simple explanation of time and place, but then a lovely little affectionate comment that could only come from a family member. Lovely!
"Mrs Sharpe's sister's house.
The monkey tree grows a branch higher each year
Elsie ran off when taken!"
I don't know if it is Elsie in the photo and she ran off after it was taken or if she ran off when it was being taken! I do think this is Elsie as have seen her in other photos around this age. Quite a mundane fact about the monkey tree - but clearly the person who took it thought it was worth sharing!
My next post will feature some photos that, according to the writing on the back, had been less than successful although to my eye, 100 years later - they look perfect!
But to finish, just a few more lovely snaps of Elsie, today's Star of the Show!
"Elsie opening the front gate"
"Waterloo"
This is a lovely family photo, taken at the beach, Waterloo, Sefton, Liverpool. Elsie is the baby seen with her mum Dorris (far right) and Aunt Grace. I love this! It has Sarah's three sisters and her father in law. The older lady crops up all the time!
"Elsie having dollies (sic) photograph taken"
"Elsie on the side of the tennis court"
I have a sad postscript to the story., Elsie died at a young age, of cancer. She was aged 24
Elsie with her mum and dad c1928
ELSIE BIRCHALL 1927-1951
Now reunited.
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