Grannie Makes Her Grand Entrance

What's a family photograph album without at least one snap of someone all dressed up?

As we progress through this mystery photograph album I found in a local antique store, cataloguing the summertime adventures of an as-yet unidentified family in 1936, it's time to start meeting the rest of the family of Harry and Alice—whoever they were.

After being introduced to two delightful young girls, Ruby and Iris—likely the daughters of the couple sending the album as a Christmas gift—we now get to meet someone labeled only as "Grannie." And yes, take that literally: this woman is called only Grannie, and the word is deliberately put in quotation marks.

 "Grannie" starting for church, July 1936

Does that mean this is, indeed, the grandmother of Ruby and Iris? Or perhaps of the album's unnamed recipient? Or is this an inside joke between sender and recipient, an editorial comment upon what the subject had chosen to wear for that particular photograph?

While the photograph doesn't exactly advance our understanding of who this album belonged to, nor help us identify which family is being featured in the album's pages, it does help to take a look around. Call this one a shot to develop the scenery. To create the ambience for their story.

Note, particularly, the architecture featured directly behind our unnamed subject. This is not your average, everyday Levittown subdivision front door. (Nor is it even a front door.)

Remember this doorway. We will see it again this week. It gives us a tiny indication that such clues as we've already found—names like Ballinora and Grange Cottage—may be pointing us in the right direction.