I posted recently that my husband is becoming interested in his own family history. We are working together with a genealogist to knock down some bricks in the brick wall–and they are flying out at an amazing rate. In order to document the process and share what we are learning I’ve started another blog for hubby’s family. It’s called Entering the Pale. If you have any interest in following another part of our family, please head over there and follow. I don’t expect the posts to be regular, but I will post periodically. Also, you might want to follow if you have interest in history in general or history of the Pale of Settlement (Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, etc.) or Jewish history.
Today I’m sharing another mystery photo from the family. I do not know who this is, when it was taken, or anything other than that it is from Kalamazoo. The photographer, Ford and Humphrey, is not on the list of Kalamazoo photographers compiled by Bushwacking Genealogy–unless this is Frank Ford. He was in business from approximately 1887-1900, although not listed in the city directory in 1899.
I looked up Humphrey in the city directories that are online. There are quite a few people with that surname in Kalamazoo at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, but nobody is listed as a photographer.
Notice that it says this studio makes “bromide portraits” their specialty. I googled this phrase, but found that silver bromide and potassium bromide have both been used for photography. It looks as if this could narrow the time for the photo down to 1880-1900, so not much help there.
Was the photography studio on the ground floor of the post office? Is that what that means? What is OPP.?
Have you ever seen a hairstyle like this? Was it a thing, a fashion? Her hair looks very straight and smooth up front.
And what about the jewelry at the neck? How would you describe it? Is it a crescent moon with a pearl and a chain?
About all I can figure out is that I’m looking at a natural blonde.
The Family Kalamazoo 
I think OPP means opposite—so across from the post office, probably on the other side of the street?
The jewelry almost looks like a watch fob—maybe to hold the collar closed? Got me! The hair style reminds me of an episode from Friends where there’s a flashback of Chandler with a similar style and they called it Flock of Seagulls!
Flock of Seagulls! Thanks for making me laugh this morning! It does look like a watch fob, but do you remember the kinds of pins that used to have a chain and another little pin at the end of the chain? But something it just had a point and a little clip that fastened underneath the clothes (like a pierced earring). Do you know what I’m talking about?
OPP meaning opposite! You’re brilliant! Of course, it does. Wow. But how many post offices were in Kalamazoo? So funny how there is no actual address. I could have sworn there was more than one post office.
Maybe not back then? Do you have directories from that time that would list post offices?
I do think I remember those pins, though I don’t think I ever had one or saw my mother wear one. I love how you notice all these details in the photos. I am always too absorbed by the faces to notice the clothes!
I’ve been taught by the best–blog readers :). I used to always just see the face and now I am looking over the details, but still missing some! I feel as though I’ve seen those pins somewhere in the past, but can’t remember exactly where. I do remember the little pins that were like earrings. Do you remember those? They just poked through the fabric and you put the little clip on the backside. I will check the directories. There are many online, although not every year.
Yes, I do remember those. I was once a Girl Scout (can you imagine?), and we had little stars that we had to put on our uniforms. I often poked myself with the pin. 🙂
That’s right–the Girl Scouts! I was a Brownie and for a short time a Junior Girl Scout. I loved all the little details of the Brownie uniform. Now I will be seeing little Amy (in my mind) poking herself with the scouting pin!
LOL! I was in Girl Scouts til 8th grade and loved getting badges. But then it wasn’t cool, so I quit in 9th grade!
I understand! It was fun to work for badges because it was very clear what you had to do to earn them, the “work” was generally fun, and you got rewarded in a reasonable amount of time.
And I’ve always been a bit driven….
Haha, I’ve noticed!
In the 1926 directory there are 9+ post offices!
Like Amy, I think opp is opposite. Was there a central post office? If it’s enough of a reference for people to know the address, I would guess it had to be the main post office. I can’t help with the hairstyle or clothing (though I love Amy’s Friends / Flock of Seagulls reference), but the typography looks a bit Art Nouveau. I’m figuring that by the time the movement had distinctive typography which could be used by businesses, it would be around the very end of the 19th century.
Su, I didn’t get a notification of your comment. By adding a new blog I think I confused WordPress! Wow, that makes sense about the main post office, rather than a “branch.” Yes, I am sure it was downtown though I think the building I knew as a kid was probably built in the 30s.
The Friends allusion was pretty funny! And good call on the Art Nouveau lettering! How do you know that? You sound like an expert!
Word Press seems to love confounding us!!!
I studied art history once upon a time, and loved the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. I did a quick search on Art Nouveau typeography, but didn’t find anything useful sadly.
Can you search Council / City archives to find out where the main Post Office would have been in your time period?
Good luck 🙂
It sure does. Maybe I knew that you studied art history. I think I did. I don’t know much about Art Nouveau, but LOVE Art Deco. I know there are similarities between the two.
There might be a way to find out about the main post office–and that is the public library. I wish the archives at the university were accessible online!!!! Thanks, Su!
The public library sounds like a good place to try. I did a quick search for historic post offices and found a reference on Google Books in Kohrman, David: ‘Images of America Kalamazoo Michigan’. Here’s the URL — hopefully it works for you. https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=MiNQK1X3V74C&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=historic+post+office+locations+kalamazoo+mi&source=bl&ots=MrKNkp9v-n&sig=ihDJT_ytnyOWXaaRVg8R767rKZU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjDkabLxKbXAhXGGZQKHcWuDakQ6AEIeTAK#v=onepage&q=historic%20post%20office%20locations%20kalamazoo%20mi&f=false
What a cool book!!! I love you, Su!!
Aw thanks Luanne 🙂 🙂
Actually this is one of the things I so love about blogging family history. We really care about each other’s research, and we’re all so naturally curious, that it seems perfectly natural to do a little investigation for each other. I can’t count the number of times fellow bloggers have helped me that way. 🙂
I’ve never seen a hair style quite like the one in the photo. It makes me think that if the woman was alive today that she’d have a bold hairstyle – maybe purple hair
Haha, I love this. You might be right about her! She certainly doesn’t seem fazed by it! I had started to wonder if there had been some accident or problem with her hair, forcing this style, but maybe you are right!
It look as if she might have her hair in what today would be a French Roll in the back. I wonder how she kept it looking that way before the invention of hair spray?
I have also seen those pins. If I can dig through the clutter around here I may actually be able to put my hands on it. (Pack-rattery runs in my family the way red hair and buck teeth do in other, more sedate, clans.) My mum had it in her jewelry box – which means it probably belonged to my grandmother, who was born in 1898. It was a crescent moon, with a little star at the end of the chain. The lady in the portrait seems to have a little triangle instead of a star. A club emblem? A lodge or sorority? Hmmm.
Another blog! You are one busy lady!
Right?! What am I doing to myself?! hehehe