Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The Girl in the Straw Hat.....



She called my name from a box in a flea market. This tiny tintype image of a girl. A girl that is not happy to be there, at that moment, sitting very, very still, wearing the hat. The hat her mother bought for her with egg money.


Was it the blushed cheeks? The tilted hat? The pin curls? The too large for her body folded hands? Or the possible outlines of a Hitchcock chair? I am not sure what exactly enticed me to bring her home for a $1.


Maybe it was the soulful eyes?


What is her story?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very cool tintype. What kind of hat is that? I like it. Her expression is interesting too. I wonder if she's got a brace on, to keep her head still, maybe that's why she looks so uncomfortable. Great subtle tinting as well, thanks for posting it.

Joanne said...

Poor sweetie! It was probably sunny out, and the last thing she wanted to do was sit still for a photo.

I call these pics "adopted ancestors," and have a few of them in our house.

Marilyn said...

Jenni, she's great - many of these photos wear the same faces, but this one wanted you to find her. She looks like a tomboy - maybe she just wanted to get out and climb a tree?

Why S? said...

She seems to be carrying a tremendous burden, too heavy for her years.

Bungalow in the Hollow said...

I can't imagine that much has changed . . . I can remember my mother getting all stressed out with some yelling trying to round up 3 boys and a girl to head to Olan Mills in our brand new outfits. We definitely didn't want to be there at that point! A little sulking was always in order after that ordeal, lol.

Jen said...

KK- Thanks for visiting... and that's an informative site you have.

BITH- I know......we had those "ordeals" too. Then once we had school pictures, we never visited Olan Mills again.

Why-S? I too, see the burden in her face.

Marilyn - She does look like a tom boy. And at that age, I would have wanted to climb a tree instead of getting all dressed up, threatened if I goy dirty, and sitting still.

Joanne- Adopted Ancestors...I like that.

Sandy said...

It seems that all the photos of people from that era look like that. No one smiled. Kind of makes you ache inside to look at them.

Jean Martha said...

I have an old photo of 2 older gentlemen...in housedresses. I found it at a rummage sale. Love it!

Heather said...

oh, she is so sweet! I wonder what she was thinking about?