things we found while cleaning, part 2
Family Resemblance
image description: a black and white photo from the 1930s. My grammy Ila is a young girl with light skin and short blonde hair. She is wearing a knee-length white dress. She is standing with her younger brother Wayne, a light-skinned, blonde boy wearing denim overalls. A small kitten stands near his feet. They are standing in front of a small wooden farm building. They have an uncanny facial similarity, the way that siblings often do.
Why do I use so much vintage stuff in my art work?
I can’t be certain about the answer, but I have a few solid leads. The strongest leads are that my grandmothers were an archivist (on the paternal side) and a hoarder (on the maternal side).
The only difference between a hoarder and an archivist, really, is intention and organization. My maternal grandmother probably had an undiagnosed learning disability. That’s the difference.
My paternal grandmother, the one I call Grammy, kept detailed photo albums that date back to the 1930s and 40s. She continued this habit until the early 2000s when her camera broke. When she moved into the nursing home, and shortly before she passed away, our family got all of the treasures together — albums, boxes, envelopes — and pored over them together. The pictures were dated, labeled, captioned. The vast majority are in pristine condition. It’s an absolute gift and privilege to have this kind of connection to our past.
When my mom and I were cleaning the closet, we found a box my Grammy put together for us when she and grandpa moved from the farm to the apartment in town, back in 2005.
Here for your edification is the next installment of Things We Found While Cleaning:
my grandpa’s confirmation photo (1931)
photos of the 25th anniversary celebrations of both sets of paternal great-grandparents (1940s)
a photo my paternal grandparents’ 25th anniversary
a wedding photo of my great-grandparents (1918)
letters my sister and I sent to my grandparents when we were at camp (late 1990s)
my dad’s high school (1972) and university (1977) commencement programs
the programs from every play my grandparents attended to support me and my sister (1992-1999)
image description: a photo from 1967. Elle’s grandparents (very snappy dressers) are flanked on either side by the great-grandparents. They stand behind a table where there is a tiered cake, celebrating the grandparents’ silver (25th) anniversary.
image description: a vintage black-and-white photo from the 1930s. A young man (Elle’s grandpa Wally) is wearing a three-piece suit and standing next to an ornate wooden chair. he has a white flower pinned to his lapel. This is his confirmation photo.
