tea time no. 87: Why Prints?

I share images electronically every day, and while I am not the best about printing stuff for my own family, my favorite possessions remain photographs. I recently lost a personal hard drive. It was old and I have most of it, but all of the backing up in the world doesn’t give you the same sense of completion as a print {not of every image, but the favorites}.

One of my sisters is working on a genealogy project, so I scanned these in to send to her of the great great grandparents, but I love thinking about family photographs and how the purpose of taking them has changed in so many ways and yet stayed the same in others. I’m thankful that someone ordered these prints so that I can have them generations later. I love to study the clothes and expressions, the peek into their lives. I have to wonder what they would think about me in my pjs, working on an imac while my daughter twirls around to a song about phones that are with you all of the time.

Would they be surprised that I vote, own property, argue with men, go to court or cuss like the sailor that I am? Looking at these ladies, {are those gloves leather, Minnie?} I have a feeling they did their share of kicking doors down that paved the way for me. If so, I thank you ladies. Wonder what my great great grandchildren {lord willing} think about images of us?

Louis & Minnie Sch. – photograph by Jos. Sprauer.

When I see this one of Minnie as an elderly person, I can’t help but wish I could have photographed her face closely, like portraits I have seen of Georgia O’Keefe.

This lady below is her daughter. {And then my grandmother is her daughter, and so it goes.}

Corella & John M.