Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Sun Bonnets at the Waterfront


A wallet-sized photograph, marked on the back simply with the penciled-in number, “15,” seems to include some of the same people we saw in the group pictures at the Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, resort.
 

The man with the straw hat seems a constant in this collection. The woman who looks like a young Agnes Tully Stevens seems to be part of this grouping, too. And we also saw the slender lady to the left in those group portraits. I am not sure, but the person to the far right may be the wife in the couple we discussed before, too. Or at least the same one as in the swimsuit pictures.

Regardless of who they are, they’ve insured that they are properly dressed to be out in the summertime sun—at least, proper in the early 1900s version of "proper." No sunscreen for that decade, though. The wide brims of their hats and the long coverings of their outfits served the same purpose.

8 comments:

  1. They may even be on a boat. The structure in the foreground reminds me of a deck house.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was wondering that, myself, Iggy, but I don't know boats like you do. I had thought maybe that was why two of them were holding on to that wire--and why the one woman was securing her hat/hair more firmly!

      Delete
  2. I love this old photo! We would melt if we had to cover ourselves with that much clothing in full sun. I do wear hats and sunscreen. They properly didn't have as much Skin Cancer back then because they did cover their body's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With outfits like that in the summertime, they certainly were thoroughly covered! I thought about you when I wrote this one--with all that you've blogged about wearing hats and sunscreen :)

      Delete
  3. I love those hat! Would you say it was around 1910-15? Wonderful picture!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Karen. I am guessing your are right about the date range. Since I found these photos all together with the ones labeled "Wrightsville" and 1911, I'm assuming that they were all from the same trip, although this one has significantly different scenery. However, I know there is not only the beach area, but a river, so perhaps this is a view of that area.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Far Side, when it comes to photographs, you are always my inspiration...you make me want to venture into antique shops around here and see what I can find, too. You are a true friend of the "orphan photograph."

      Delete