More Bees in Edinburgh

I haven't posted anything on the Bee family of Edinburgh for quite awhile, because there was nothing additional to post. In May we visited Edinburgh and looked at the interesting building where they lived. Then, as I was going through another box of old photographs from my father-in-law, I spied some more Bee family cards and photos.

Until then I had only seen postcards; now there are photos to go with them. Unfortunately, there's no way to know for certain who is who. If you have read the previous Bee posts, you'll know that there were at least three sisters, Chrissie, Nettie and Edith, almost always referred to as wee Edith. They lived with their mother. There may have been other siblings or a father, but they aren't mentioned.  This appears to be a family photo. I would guess that the smallest one is wee Edith and the woman on the right was the mother.  But are these all her daughters or have they included a couple of friends or cousins in the photograph?

 

The bigger question is how these photos came to be grouped with the many hundreds of cards and photos that are almost exclusively from upstate New York. I can only think that one of these Bee girls moved to the United States at some point after World War I.  The date on the back of this photo card is 17/2/19.

This photo may be of one of the sisters.  It is stamped by the Thomson Brothers  of West Maitland Street in Edinburgh. The writing on the back says: To Nettie 30 August 1920.

This card is from the same studio, with handwriting on the back that says, With my Best love Mary 22/10/20.

 And then there's the postcard photograph of the young man in military attire. The photograph was taken by Drummond Shiels of Lauriston Place in Edinburgh, with writing on the back that appears to say:
64410 M. Bee 6DB RO.

 Here we have these two gentlemen wearing Masonic aprons and sashes.

Both cards are from photographer J. Spence of Musslburgh, and both have the same date 17/5/20.

This young man, who bears a family resemblance to the previous two, wears a Mason's tie pin and was photographed in August 1920.

Headless, Armless, Footless, and Nameless

This week's theme for Sepia Saturday had to do with missing heads among other things.
This poor boy probably had a nice face at one time, but at some point head and body became separated.

Here's a portrait of a woman who doesn't appear to have any arms, although I suspect she has them tucked behind her. It would be hard to reach the perfume bottle around her neck without them.

This cardboard soldier is permanently disabled because of his missing feet.

And the photograph of this cream puff child has everything but a name. She was photographed by Geo. H. Wood of Towanda, Pennsylvania, but no one took the time to write her name on the back.

Despite the missing parts, I can't discard these items and my efforts to make them whole have not been very successful.

For more missing parts, visit this week's Sepia Saturday.

Bon Ami

What better place to be than sitting on the porch on a Bon Ami soap box. Bon Ami still makes the same scouring powder, which works just as well as it always did. Unfortunately, if you buy a case of it you will no longer receive a free crate chair, just a cardboard box.

Here's the back of the card.

Czech It Out

Here is a real-photo card of a woman wearing a traditional Czech costume. The picture dates from sometime between 1930 and 1950.

These next two appear to be from Uherské Hradiště, a center of Moravian Slovakia located in the Czech Republic near the border with Slovakia.

Both of these photos have interesting studio props. There are tassels on the furniture in the first one, but also on the chair in the second photo. The clock plant stand is also an unusual addition. The second photo appears to be a wedding portrait. Both photos have pushpin holes indicating that they were pinned up somewhere to be viewed as treasured memories.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order. The last two cards have writing on the back. Alas, I don't speak Czech or Slovak, but I think the first one says Sister Marika and Franta's wife and the second one says something about my wife and I. If you can read this, feel free to correct.

Two Girls

These are obviously the same girls photographed over a span of years. The only indication as to who they might be is some scrawled writing on the back of one of the pictures. It looks like it might be: Jenecal Belarag, but that may be a note that has nothing to do with the identity of the girls.

In the second photo they have reversed places, but the pose is otherwise very similar.

In the third photo they have switched places again and have both grown their hair long.

The stamp boxes on the backs of the cards provide a fairly broad range of the date, with the first and the third card printed between 1910 and 1930. Cards like the second one were also printed through the 1920s.

Here are the backs in the same order.

Missing Ingredient

The 'Young Men Wanted' sign in the background is probably a coincidence, but these ladies might indeed enjoy the company of some young men for  a fun night on the town.

This lady's a little more direct.

 Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

The theme for Sepia Saturday this week is 'going out.' To participate or to just have a look, click on the picture below.

My Son Karl

I don't speak Norwegian, but I think I was able to get the basic meaning of the text, based on similarities with other languages -  and a lot of guessing. But then again, I could be wrong. If you speak Norwegian, please feel free to make any corrections.

At first I thought this was a mass produced postcard, but it looks as if it is actually a real-photo card of a family member. Here's the back of the card, sent from Fredrikshald (now Halden), Norway. I have to give the post office special credit for recognizing Kallifonia, and for finding the new address of the recipient.

The message on the back of the card seems to be wishing Johan a happy Christmas, though by the time he receives the card the holiday has already passed.  It looks as if the card was sent on the 7th of December, 1911 and didn't arrive at its destination until a month later.

The message wishes Johan a happy Christmas and appears to be from his sister, Alma Hansen, who says "Here you see my son Karl."

There Are Clues

There are clues here. I know there are clues that would help identify the location, the time frame, and a number of other details. The problem is that you have to be able to recognize the clues.

Here's what I come up with. The man on the left is Native American; I say that because he appears to be wearing moccasins rather than shoes.  The photograph was taken sometime before 1907, because the back of the card is undivided, meaning that there is only space for an address (no message) on the back. The stamp box design indicates that this real-photo card was probably developed on Eastman Kodak paper circa 1904.

Based on the dress of the man on the right, I would say we are in the western part of the United States, but how far west? I really couldn't say. There are more unanswered questions. What is that box on the wall? Who are these people? What is the pole that the Native American man has across his lap? Although the (presumably) Native American man seems humble and unassuming, the other man's attention is focused entirely on him. Was he someone important? I like to think that he was the Kalispel Chief, Masselow, based on some physical similarities, but who knows. Here's a picture of Chief Masselow from the First People's website. I'm sorry that I can't solve the puzzle of this card, even though I enjoy the mystery. Still, I can't help but think that in the right hands, these questions would find answers. Feel free to add any suggestions or insight you may have.

Here's another lead. Notice that the Native American man has a little bit of facial hair. Contrary to popular belief, Native American, particularly those in the Pacific Northwest, did grow facial hair. The facial hair may help to narrow down the tribe of this individual, because it was certainly not typical of all Native Americans. I think it probably narrows it down to the Pacific  Northwest Indians. This Edward Curtis photo from the Library of Congress shows a Native American (Old Bob from the Karok tribe) with similar facial hair.

Source: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c18587

Here are a couple of close-ups of the men. The resolution of the original is not great, so this is as good as it gets.

The theme for Sepia Saturday this week is scouts. My post has nothing to do with scouts, except for  'scouting for clues'. If you want to see some real scouts, march on over to Sepia Saturday.

Roseburg, Oregon - The Althaus Family

Herman and Eva Althaus moved their family across country from Illinois to settle in Roseburg, Oregon in about 1909. Herman had a plumbing shop.
Here's a photo labeled Louise Althaus, Roseburg Oregon. Every time I look at this picture and the cinched in waist, I feel like I need to take a deep breath.

The next card was sent to Mrs. Herman Althaus (Eva) in 1912. It's one of the most heavily textured cards I've ever encountered, although it's hard to tell on a digital scan.

The last card was also sent to Mrs. Eva Althaus from her niece in Illinois.

Here's the back of the last card, with a message expressing sadness that the family had moved to Oregon. Bertha talks about Herman and Minnie, Eva's son and daughter-in-law:

Belleville, Ills. December 29/09

Dear Aunt I received the pretty card, thank you very much for it. I am looking for a letter right along. I got one of Herman and Minnie's pictures for which I was very very glad, but also felt so sad when I seen them to think that we might never get to see each other any more. I thought sure  I would get a family picture from you before this time. Write soon from Bertha

Here's the back of the second card. These messages make you realize how much more difficult it was to make a cross-country trip in the early 20th century. This one reads:

Dear Sister

I wish you many happy returns of the day and am only sorry that we cannot be together + celebrate

Your Sister Louise S. _____

10-7-12

Last of all, the back of the first card.

Cats and Dogs

Here is a photo of my mother (on the left) with her Scottish terrier Bluebell and her best friend Audrey. They even have matching pants! The year is about 1939 and they're in California. Although she was young at the time, she vividly remembers hearing the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor two years later.

Several years later and my mother looks very different, but Bluebell looks about the same.

My father didn't have a dog, but here he is at about the same time (1940) at the Berlin Zoo posing with his sister and two lion cubs. Soon, my parents' countries would be at war with each other.

In 1943, allied bombing destroyed the Berlin Zoo, resulting in the death of  many of the animals.
My father emigrated to the United States after the war.

Walk a dog down Memory Lane at Sepia Saturday. Click on the box below to begin your journey.