Friday, March 30, 2012

The Life of a German Housemaid

One of the things that's so wonderful about postcards as documents of social history is that people of every economic and social status sent them - from royalty and world rulers to farmers, laborers, and housemaids. Children just learning to write sent cards to each other and to relatives. Old people sent them too. If you were somehow able to pull all of these cards together, you would have an amazing collection of first-hand accounts of world and local events, epidemics, and trends in fashion and technology,  all from varied individual perspectives. Along with this, you would also get a sense of their values, daily routines, interests, and education.

If you have a collection of cards to or from one person, that's where it can get very interesting as you try to piece together the events that shaped their lives. I bought a collection of about 100 cards sent to a young German woman named Trinchen von Oesen over a span of years from 1909 to 1926.  I wondered at her ever-changing addresses, inevitably in care of someone else. I speculated that she had been a domestic servant of some kind. With the help of genealogical information, I was able to confirm that this was indeed the case. Her social status did not prevent her from sending and receiving lots of beautiful cards, including real-photo cards of herself and family members, as well as co-workers.


Based on the other photos I have, I believe that Trinchen (pronounced Treen-shen) is the one in the middle. She was born in 1892, so she would have been about 23 in this picture.  It's hard to see, but there's a sign above the door that says 'Wilkommen.' The three young women, with their well-worn shoes, likely worked at a guesthouse in the vicinity of Bremen.

This is a somewhat earlier picture. I think Trinchen may be the third from the right. The card was sent in 1911, so she would have been about 19 at the time.


The second card was sent from her sister Lina, although the handwriting, as on many of these cards, is very difficult to decipher. Trinchen also received many cards from her twin brothers Karl and Hermann from home and as they went off to fight in World War I. I know that Karl returned, but I suspect that Hermann did not.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order. Once I learn to read this Suetterlin handwriting (any day now), I will have a translation for this.


The second card from her sister is a discussion of keys, in particular keys for Trinchen's chest of drawers and for a safe of some kind. She is requesting that Trinchen bring all the keys she has when she visits.

If you want to observe more people at work (as you relax this weekend), head over to Sepia Saturday.

24 comments:

  1. Charming! I love those photos -- and that beautiful cursive writing. It amazes me how you can figure out so many things using the postcard clues. Great post.

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  2. That must be wonderful to have a whole collection belonging to one woman. Your first paragraph is so true; I can't think of an equivalent method these days. That handwriting is very difficult to read so good luck with that.

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  3. What a perfect statement of the richness of postcards as documents of economic and social history. You make some extremely valid points about the way postcards - and the messages on the back of them - represent the voice of Everyman.

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  4. Wie adrett die jungen Frauen aussahen, wie aus dem Ei gepellt. Ja, ja, suberkeit ist höchstes Gebot.

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  5. It is fun reading postcards that tell about people's daily life.

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  6. I love these full body shots that give you the entire fashion style of the era. The aprons are charming. And once again your research rounds out the picture.

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  7. That is a lot of cards to have from one person. I bet it will be even more interesting when you can read more of the cards.

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  8. That's so interesting! I'm intrigued by what the cards say...

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  9. I Like The Concept of a Personal Postcard Timeline .We Should Have Kept Them All Unsent (less friends, but saving a fortune in stamps!)

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  10. I'm quite relieved to be able to visit. I kept getting a message to say your blog had been deleted!

    It's fascinating to read a series of postcards like these. I have a similar series but thankfully written in English.

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  11. I didn't know that unique way of writing had a name! I googled it and found some interesting sites to teach one how to read it. Good luck in that endeavor:) Lucky and special indeed to have that many cards from one woman -- what a find!

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  12. How wonderful to have an entire set of postcards that belonged to one person. It makes the story even more interesting when you add the genealogy details. Love those crisp white dresses they are wearing in the first picture and wonder how difficult it was to keep them clean, especially if they did housework.

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  13. Fascinating postcards. It reminded me that my mother had been in service. Now I regret never finding out all about it.

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  14. I wish I could write like that...... maybe I should go back to the ink bottle and the fountain pen.

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  15. That must be a wonderful set of postcards to have. I love it when you can trace a person using genealogical records - so satisfying!

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  16. I don't know what was going on - I had read your blog earlier in the day but got interrupted and didn't get to leave a comment. Later on I kept getting a message that your blog had been deleted. Anyway, I think it's so interesting how you have come to "know" Trinchen through these postcards.

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  17. Lovely pictures - it must have cost her a fair amount to have the photos taken :-)

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  18. Amazing that you should have a collection spanning 17 years in the life of a stranger. Do you ever feel like you are prying into her life? And do you feel you know enough about her that she might willingly share these with you, were she alive?... It's like reading a book and falling in love with some of the characters, isn't it? Should we expect more about Trinchen?
    :)~
    HUGZ

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  19. How wonderful to have a grouping like that in your collection. And isn't there something wonderfully democratic that these young women, not those they worked for, are being remembered.

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  20. This reminded me of Downton Abbey. Have you been watching it?
    Barbara

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  21. Hi Christine, this is all so fascinating. I have some that I don't know who the people are, and am wondering which websites that you find the most useful in your searching? I know that Ancestery.com is good, but are there others that you use?

    Thank you for your suggestion about sharing copies of our photos with historical societies. I'll look into it, but have heard that they often want the keep the rights to the photos. Maybe not all of them are like that though.

    Kathy M.

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  22. TBear, are you calling me a stalker? :)
    I often wonder if long-gone people would like to share this information. I have to think they would, and that they would be touched to have people interested in them a hundred years later.

    Kathy,
    I don't have any particular websites I use other than ancestry.com, rootsweb, and the NY Times archives. otherwise, it's really whatever I can find.

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  23. P.S. Barabara, i did watch the first season of Downton Abbey, haven't seen the second one yet though.

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  24. Since she's been dead awhile now, stalking is hardly the word. Voyeurism comes to mind though...
    "Touched"? I don't think most common folks think of what they are leaving behind for possibly future generations to find or fall into oblivion. Otherwise, they might be more careful, in destroying what they mean to keep as private, and better preserving what's to be left behind.
    I'm just saying...
    :)~
    HUGZ

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