On a torn photograph destined for the trash bin, I
found an inked-in mark that hardly even resembled the arrow it was intended
to be. Most likely, in her later years, Leona Bean Grant was trying to leave
explanations of the highlights of her life, using old
photographs as prompts to scrawl notes on the reverse in her open, shaky hand.
Perhaps it was her failing eyesight that shaped the
handwriting. The arrow added to the picture barely even looked like an arrow. Some of the ink
had smeared on the face of the photo. And the photo itself seemed so
non-descript.
This time, though, I was looking at it with fresh eyes. I
had just yesterday posted a group snapshot of an event, in which I had paid
close attention to the faces. The event seemed like a party, with everyone
having a grand time. So grand, in fact, that I was having trouble determining
the identity of the faces. One woman, though, had stood out, having been
featured in another photo I posted alongside this one—according to the legend
on the reverse, named either Hazel or Nibs. Let’s say she’s Hazel.
Though the picture I’m looking at today, with its smeared
ink and shaky arrow, seems so poorly framed as to nearly leave out the subjects
of the photo—almost cut out of the bottom of the picture entirely—this time, I
spot something that is now familiar: Hazel’s face.
Yes, this crazy picture, looking more like the misfiring of
the camera than a thoughtfully-composed photograph, belongs with the one from
yesterday’s post.
Which is a good thing to know, for on the reverse, it
contains an explanation:
Rented for $15.00 per mo. Our group of friends had a party here once a mo. Was used by other members.
Since I have been able to tell, thanks to city directories
posted online at Ancestry.com, that Leona lived in San
Francisco during the 1920s, it is very possible that this party
rental was situated in the hills in San
Francisco, itself. While it might not be evident in
this scanned copy of the photo, in the original, I can see some of the contour
of the land and the types of greenery one would expect to see toward the west
side of the city.
While the photography was abysmal, and the legend scant and barely
legible, once paired with the other, better-composed, snapshot, provides a
fuller explanation. Whether Leona was a party girl in her San Francisco years, or just a
socially-inclined young urban professional, she certainly ran with a large
group of friends.
What a different sense this leaves of a personality that I
recall only as an eccentric old lady.
A great piece of detective work - it just goes to show we should be very careful about what we throw away as junk. The smallest thing can have a clue in this fascinating hobby of ours.
ReplyDeleteYou are right--I've certainly learned that lesson. I think the more we know about a subject, the more valuable that "junk" becomes in our research pursuits.
DeleteA MONTHLY party!?! Way to go, Leona and Hazel! Do you know the building? Is it still there? "Members" suggests a club of some sort - like Moose or Elk, maybe?
ReplyDeleteAnd that picture IS funny - and Hazel has let up in her merry-making. It looks almost as if it was intended to be a picture of the landscape of the city from the hills, but the party people got in the way.
Sorry -- that was supposed to be "NOT let up." Just when I thought I had proofread ....
DeleteI was wondering about that, Wendy...Hazel certainly seems to be having a grand time in each of those pictures, as you said.
DeleteYeah...monthly! I cannot begin to tell you the "culture shock" I'm undergoing, trying to reconcile my image of the old, crotchety Leona with the vivacious younger woman she must have been. If only her grand-niece and -nephew could have known!
She was a party gal..what a view..I bet they had a blast. You are finding lots of clues:)
ReplyDeleteAs poorly framed as it was in the photograph, yes, it seems to be a lovely view. I know some locations in San Francisco that look like that...although, of course, I'm comparing 2013 views with those of a blurry photograph from the 1920s, most likely.
DeleteYou're quite the detective -- great work!
ReplyDeleteThanks, M.J. I'm rather pleased with it, myself! Makes me shudder, though, to think of what all was included in the "junk" I've already thrown out.
DeleteGreat detective work Jacqi! Isn't it interesting (if not enlightening) when we see photographs of our ancestors when they were young?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jana. And yes, that's true. I've learned through so many times that it's important to see the whole person, not just the sliver of time in their old age when I knew these ancestors.
Delete