The first roll or three of film from 1959 somehow ended up with a reddish haze over it/them. All the photos have the same tint, and I've done my best to process that out of them, but some of the dominating color remains. Despite their defects, these first two photos are some of my favorites of the year, and in some ways, they are like bookends.
First is my mother, just as she was becoming a mother for the first time. I think this was on Day #2 or #3 of being a mom, still in the hospital (because it was the late 50s); she used the self-timer to take a self-portrait. Even already, she seemed so sure of herself.
First is my mother, just as she was becoming a mother for the first time. I think this was on Day #2 or #3 of being a mom, still in the hospital (because it was the late 50s); she used the self-timer to take a self-portrait. Even already, she seemed so sure of herself.
... and then is my sister. The first of us five kids. And in this shot, at just 3 weeks old, she seems to mirror my mother. Both in bed, but clearly not tired, both looking directly at the camera with their blue eyes.
And finally, about 3 months after my sister's grand entrance into the world, a gorgeous shot, set at Amon Carter Field, which eventually became the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport. The subjects are, from right, my mother, my sister, my mother's brother, who was in the process of being deployed to Hawaii, and their cousin and his wife.
4 comments:
I love the "bookends". It's like baby and mom are looking at each other.
The bottom pick cracks me up with the slave-to-fashion on the left and the 3-months-into-motherhood on the right. :-) Actually, you can make up a lot of stories with that photo. What a gallery of personalities!
Yes! It's a beautiful picture of all of the subjects. Starting from the left, she's oh so clenched up (would you be surprised to discover that they eventually divorced?), but then I love the furrowed brow and fidgeting fingers of the cousin, the way my uncle has his cap cocked, my sister's little booties, and my mothers rather dazed expression. And that dress -- the one my mother is wearing -- I was digging around in my closet just last week and found that exact dress tucked away. I brought it home over the summer after my sister and I cleaned out some closets when I was back home for the family gathering.
Cousin and wife don't look matched as a couple, so a divorce does not surprise me. I sometimes have fun doing that with group photos - trying to figure out the true dynamics of the relationships based on that one frozen moment.
I like the dress! I imagine the color would look great on Emmie. Have either of you tried to wear it?
We both put it on when we were going through everything this summer. It's a small dress -- my mother was very fit all through her life -- but we can both wear it. I haven't put it on since, though. I did smell it, hoping for a bit of an olfactory memory, but alas, my mother's scent does not cling to the dress. It just smells like my closet. ;)
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