mtaggartPhotos without names trouble me. Their faces seem to haunt me, to call to me, asking me to give them a name and tell their stories. My hope is that by sharing this un-named photo that someone will recognize the children, help me identify them and hopefully I can then find and tell their story.
I have absolutely no idea who these children are but their picture was in my Grandma Ganus’ little suitcase. Two little children all dressed up to have their picture taken. By their features, I am guessing that at least the oldest one is a boy and they were living in the era when boys wore dresses up to a certain age. What do you think? Are they boys or girls?
Whoever they are, I would love to be able to save their name with their picture and better yet, learn a little about their story.
My first reaction was that they are both boys, but I'm not sure about the younger child. I definitely think that the older (standing) child is a boy. I have photos of great uncles in dresses as children as late as 1914.
It's interesting to see how styles have changed over the years. We toured an old home awhile back and they told us that up to a certain point in time, pink was a men's color and blue was a women's!
I think the older child is definitely a boy. The younger one looks so much like the brother that it's hard to be sure but the collar seems more like one for a girl. I would look first for family that had 2 children born late 1890s-1910ish. It's possible these are neighbor kids and not family, but I'd think positive and look at family.
I agree, the oldest certainly appears to be a boy, the younger could be either, as you noted, boys wore dresses back then, I've seen some pretty frilly ones on them too. I lean towards it being another boy based on the features, but I'm probably insulting some little girl. Is there any information about where it was taken or by what studio?
I think I signed out too soon, so you might have two replys. Yes I can understand your interest in this photo. I would agree with Wendy that you should look at family. Are there any clues on the back, or a way to date when this photo was taken. Perhaps the background might have a clue. I would google some topics about old photos to see where that leads. I'm not a photo sleuth, but there have to be some out there. I believe there are even sites where you can submit old photos (or a digitized copy). Yes I can understand you wanting a name for these children to being searching their history. Right now there is no history just mystery, but isn't that how we begin our search many times? More times than not we are doing Family Mystery Work. Good luck. Please post if you find out anything about these children.
Yes I agree with Wendy. I would look for family as well. Is there any way to date the photograph, or any indication where the picture was taken? The background might even give a clue. Oh yes I can see why you would want a name for these children. I am not a photo sleuth, but there must be clues somewhere. Maybe a google entry on old photos (or something similar)might send you somewhere to begin discovering the mystery behind this photo. Good Luck!
I agree and initially I really thought the younger one was too, but then there is the collar. Part of the problem is that in that time period my Ganus family and Grandma Ganus's Mickelsen family were all living in a small rural farming community where a HUGE number of the residents are related—-so knowing they are family doesn't narrow the field much. I really hoped to snag a distant cousin who maybe knows.
I agree too Grant. There doesn't seem to be anything further on that photo–no date, no photographer, nothing. Hopefully I will eventually figure it out or someone will come forward and claim them!
I agree Grant–we start out with nothing and piece by piece we hopefully figure it out. I will keep you posted on any new discoveries
Your comments made me smile Ellie because I too worry about saying too much only to find out that they aren't what they appear. I was disappointed that there is nothing written and no studio or date of any kind (that I can see.)
My understanding is that you can tell the boys from the girls "back then" by where they part their hair! Maybe you can Google it… I don't remember which way is which off the top of my head. Or, maybe it is that one sex parted down the middle. Best wishes!
Dana this sent me on the most interesting journey of reading! I had no idea that the part was such an issue. I was all excited to look at these kids again, but then realized I am not sure they have enough hair to tell. But super interesting read—thanks for the comment. This website had some interesting information: http://houseofmirthphotos.blogspot.com/2011/05/wow-boy-in-dress-by-pat-street.html