7/31/10

MOTHER AND SON


A few weeks ago I posted a photo from the Big Bag of Negs that I called Brothers in Arms. Well, from the same bag of negs I have now found this, Son and Mother. The same young man with his mother.

Click on image to see it larger.

These photos were bought at an estate sale. While others were busily scurrying around buying the acquired stuff of the deceased's life, I was buying the precious moments of their life. An old photo album, falling apart full of hundreds of photos and the Big Bag of Negs.

I have photos of this woman when she was very young with her sisters in Canada. Then photos of her living near Ukiah, California during the Depression. I have no idea whose home I was in at the sale. I stupidly never asked. That's always one of the dumbest things I do. I don't ask for names. It's always a mad dash to find the photos before someone else does. And I have to admit, I'm not comfortable asking personal questions about the deceased while I paw through their belongings. I just hope to give their memories a caring home.

This is my addition to today's Sepia Saturday.

21 comments:

  1. It's nice that you gave these photos a new home.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just love that you "save" those precious memories from an unknown end. Wouldn't it be amazing if someone recognized them as a relative.

    I wonder if he had just returned home from the war, or was just leaving? What thoughts do you think are going through their minds?

    ReplyDelete
  3. They look so loving. I'm glad they now have this Sepia Saturday audience to see their affection for each other.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can tell you the family lived a pretty simple life. There were 3 brothers. The family album is full of shots of them growing up. This particular young man was in band while in high school. His life stops in photographs with this one. Unfortunately I cannot scan most of what's in the album without doing more damage to it. It's already burst from its spine. Someday someone will probably tear it up and sell the photos piecemeal, but for now they're all safely together.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are giving these people a new lease of life. Who knows what the fate of these photographs would have been if you hadn't rescued them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. "give their memories a caring home." I like that.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very moving photo, especially since it is the last one of him in the book.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have often wondered where family photos went when there was no family left or none that cared. Bless you for caring-

    http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=29273583&postID=3452695282812741651

    ReplyDelete
  9. how nice of you to treasure their memories and share them here. Such love there between the two of them, I think. I had to leave a shoebox full of black and whites for the estate sale at my aunt's in PA last year, when it was too overwhelming, becuase I knew nothing about the photos and have more than enough mysteries. I hope whoever took them enjoys them as you do with your acquisitions.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi and thank you for your visit and comment. It is sad that no relatives had an interest and claimed the photos. Luckily you came along and took them home. The photo is lovely. It shows what family relationships are about, loving and caring. I think the photos are in good hands as you can appreciate their value, while other went for an old toaster!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a heartwarming picture. I appreciate that you honored these people by giving their photos a second life.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Isn't it a shame when people in pictures cannot be identified by anyone? When we went through my husband's mothers pictures, we saved all that we knew except for some of the newer ones with no one in them we could identify. However, all the vintage ones were saved. And even some of those were given to other members of the family. My mother-in-law had saved a wedding invitation to the wedding of the parents of a girl I went to high school with and I sent that to her in her Christmas card. My Aunt Nelle sent me some pictures and my birth announcement one time. I was so grateful to get those. Carol

    ReplyDelete
  13. they may live in anonymity, but they live still, rather than being tossed just like garbage.
    thanx 4 sharing!!
    :)~
    HUGZ

    ReplyDelete
  14. It is sad that I rarely have names to go along with the faces. I'm usually okay with it. It's when I have a collection of one family that it pulls at my emotions.

    One thing I can say is NEVER throw away photos, even if you don't know the people. Donate them. I found out my aunt threw away a stack of photos because she didn't know the people. I told her that didn't matter, they still had value, and I'm not talking money. Someone somewhere would have enjoyed looking at the faces and places.

    My best friend sent me a large box full of photos of one woman's life for about 20 years, including her second marriage. The woman looks so happy in her wedding pictures, but the story is not happy. She ended up with Alzheimer's and the husband deserted her. I won't show any of the photos as long as they might be alive. It's a box safely tucked away.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is such a touching photograph - with a son in the military, possibly going off to war. I wonder if there are photographs of him at an older age in the Big Bag.... I think it's wonderful that you scan and share these images. It's too bad you don't have a family name, though. I wonder if you could do a search of the property through the county auditor's office to find out who owned the home.... Thanks for sharing these photos.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Unfortunately I don't remember exactly where the house was. It's funny that I can remember the inside of the place, but only vague idea where it existed. And no, there are no other photos of the young man older. There are a few of him as a child.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sad..he probably didn't come back..they look very happy, and his Mother must have treasured this photo at sometime.
    Sometimes you are better off not knowing the names..the names drive me nuts somedays:)

    ReplyDelete
  18. While all the sisters and cousins were going through my mom's dishes to take home, my nephew sat and looked at photo albums. Finally he removed on photo out of one of the books, placed it in his pocket, and said "I'm good." I brought home a family German Bible once from an auction as it was most valuable to that family, and there was no more family.

    ReplyDelete
  19. My dad for years had photos of his aunt's wedding, just laying around. My sis and I put all these old photos into an album, and when my dad's cousin was visiting, she looked through the album of family pix. Lo and behold, she had never seen a photo of her parent's wedding. How my dad ended up with the only photos is unknown. Photos do need a good home and it doesn't really matter who has them as long as that person cares.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Understand completely. Because my family was overseas when my father's mother died my uncle got almost all of the family photos. My father has very very few and not a one of my grandparent's wedding. But I will bite my tongue and say nothing.

    ReplyDelete
  21. L. D. I completely respect your nephew. He figured it out.

    ReplyDelete