Today’s photo is completely unidentified except that it was in a pile of family photos. Most likely, it was taken in Kalamazoo, but without knowing anyone in the photo, I can’t even be sure of that. I hope someone can identify one or more of these young ladies in their fancy outfits a la Pollyanna.
The three girls in the center have the giant hair bows. The girl on our left wears a very frilly hat. And the girl on our right: is she wearing a big snood to hold her hair?
I saw a cute meme about hair bows the other days.
Welcome to Women’s History Month (as of March 1)! Kin Types is a good addition to Women’s History Month.
“Kin Types exhumes the women who have died long ago to give life to them, if only for a few moments. Through genealogical and historical research, Luanne Castle has re-discovered the women who came before her. Using an imaginative lens, she allows them to tell their stories through lyric poems, prose poems, and flash nonfiction.”
Kin Types makes a good gift for Women’s History Month!
The Family Kalamazoo 
I’ve enjoyed Luanne Castle’s “Kin Types.” Makes me want to try something similar with my motherline.
I hope you do try something similar! We have all this material right at our “fingertips” that tend not to think of using in creative ways. Even art projects could be made using family history. Imagine the gorgeous collages that could be made!
Great picture, great book! The meme was great too 🙂
Haha, I love that meme. So funny. Thanks, Sharon!
Great photo, and I hope you saw I plugged Kin Types on my last post, too – I think it’s a great book for Women’s History!!
Just went over and saw it (lots of people in town recently have put me a bit behind ahem). Thank you! What an important month for all women and for society. I would really like to see others use more of their family history in their writing, as I’m sure you would, too!
Yes, I really would – you are the real Renaissance Woman, Luanne.
Hah, maybe I am like my dad. He always said Jack of all trades. Maybe I’m Jill of all trades ;).
Ha – Jill of all trades, I love it!
At least I don’t tumble after–I go headfirst all by myself!
Dear Luanne, I think the ‘girl on the left’ is the mother of the girls, the one in the hat. The girl on the far right does appear to be wearing a snood, but she may be too young for such hair accessories, since those were generally for women. Could be tight curls. Looks like a gazebo behind them, and looks to be turn of the century 1912 era for the bows. Good luck!
Interesting about the one in the hat. Your comment made me change the setting on the photo so that it could be opened up larger without a problem. I am torn about her age. I see where her face could look older than the others, but she also has a much thinner face, which could give that illusion in a photo. The short skirt and frills suggest a girl to me, as does the thin almost boyish figure. I wonder what others think about this! I completely agree about the time period!
When do you think this photo was taken? What a classic!
I think it’s the 1910s. What do you think?
You’re asking the wrong person!! 🙂
Three readers have said they think the one on the left is older, probably a mom, but I really don’t agree at all! More of a disparity of thinking on this than is usual!
We all see what we want to see…
Lovely photo Luanne.
I tend to agree that the woman in the hat is older than the others. Her face is more defined, without the softness of the others — though that could be a consequence of the shadows cast by her hat.
I’d also put the date of the photo as a bit later — 1917 onwards, but possibly early-mid 1920s, mainly because of the higher hemlines. Pre-war, dresses were ankle-length and quite constraining. I guess it depends a bit on the girl’s ages, whether they were dressed as “children” or adults.
Ugh! I still think she’s not older as her body isn’t developed, her stance is childish and awkward, and she’s wearing a very short dress. And frilly (childish). But then again she sort of looks like a boy to me! Good point about 1917, although I have photos I know are from 1910-1912 and the girls are wearing very short dresses, just below the knee. I feel that these girls are junior high age and none of them is truly developed yet. Are other people seeing curves where I do not? hahahah
Hopefully someone will see the photo who can shed some light on its provenance.
I just looked at some Sears’ pages from 1910-15 and the girls dresses ARE shorter than the clothes my (Scottish) ancestors from that time were wearing. On that basis — given the length of ALL the dresses, I revisit my earlier view and think you are probably right. They were likely to all be of a similar age to be wearing shorter dresses.
LOVE your research, Su! It does seem shocking, but girls (until they were women) wore short dresses so early on. I guess it made it easier to do all the chores, not just kitchen ones ;).
That’s probably depressingly true 🙂
Yup.
I agree that the woman on the left is a Mom, maybe not of all the girls, since they all seem about the same age. Quite the bows! I also think 1920s, maybe even 1930s.
It so funny because I have never disagreed so much with readers haha. The look of the actual photo (in person) is that is much earlier than the ones from the 30s and 40s. I am sure it is before 1930. And those bows and style of dresses are consistent with my other photos of 1910-1920 for girls. These girls are maybe “junior high age,” IMHO. The one on the left I agree seems to have facial lines but I think they are shadows on her thin face as her body looks undeveloped and her stance is young and the dress is too short (only because I do not believe this is 20s). Once girls hit puberty at least some of them are going to have more visible breasts.
What a great photo!
I think so, too!
Great photo. Good luck with the identification!
Thank you so much!!! There have been photos before that I was sure would never be identified and they were, so . . . .
Dunno whose who, but this must be shared with our JoJo Bow tween.
i have family photos too without names…sigh…hope you find some answers.
Oh, I really hope so! And i hope you do, too! Have you found identifications through your blog before?
yes, I did find one…and I connected with cousins in the process. And after I did some sleuthing, I found the identities of another photo. A few months later, another cousin confirmed the identities, for she had the same photo.
Aren’t blogs the most amazing vehicle to connect with others?!
It has been so much fun! I ave found two lost cousins that I have not seen in years! We plan on meeting in October. I also discovered two distant cousins in Canada, we correspond on a regular basis, and they want we to come visit too. Since I have discovered my French-Canadian roots, eventually I want to travel to Quebec. What an amazing journey this hobby has become!