Friday, May 9, 2014

Sepia Saturday: One Wicker Chair

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.




This week’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt depicts children at play in the garden.  Their wicker furniture is out on the grass, not protected by a brick patio or wooden deck as is the custom today.  Wicker was truly “lawn furniture.”  Judging by the photos handed down to me, my great grandmother Mary Theresa Sheehan Killeen Walsh had one piece of lawn furniture:  a wicker chair.  Count ’em.  One. 

The chair provided a good spot for picture-taking. 

Helen is holding her nephew John Holland,
my great-grandmother's first grandchild.
I'm not sure who the other girls are,
but Helen captioned this "The Gang" - 1918
Helen captioned this
"Nora the Cook," but was she
really a cook?  It looks like
Helen's oldest sister Aunt Lil.
Maybe it's a joke??
Helen captioned this "Brothers"
but I don't know who they are.





Helen 1918
Helen Killeen and
John Holland 1918

It also came in handy as a ladder.

Helen Killeen captioned this
"High Notions"
about 1920

To see who else is playing in the garden, please visit Sepia Saturday.




© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

42 comments:

  1. What always surprises me about our old sepia posts is that I look at pictures of other families from many different lands and I see the same faces and the same settings (wicker furniture and all). We all have so much more that unites us than could ever possibly divide us.

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    1. Ever the philosopher! But I've often had a similar thought as I visit others -- that their family could be my family.

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  2. How great that the family gathered around the same chair, and it seems to almost always have been in the same position!

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    1. Good eye -- the chair does seem to be in the same spot with the same background.

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  3. That wicker chair saw a lot of use! What a clever theme . . . thanks to Mary Theresa Sheehan Killeen Walsh, her one wicker chair, and her penchant for having photographs taken in or around it! :))

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    1. The chair looks rather sizable -- could hold quite a few folks for a photo.

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  4. The Family Photo Chair.....looks like a Family Tradition. Also, a chair of multiple uses as a ladder and prop for the cook! Great pictures...perfectly applied to the Saturday prompt.
    Sue at CollectInTexas Gal

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  5. Helen and her gang. She sounds like a fun person. An interesting group of photos.

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    1. Apparently Helen was quite the social one in the family.

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  6. I wonder what happened to the chair.

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    1. I would guess it was sold or passed on to someone after my great-grandmother died. I know that the Helen's oldest sister and her brother sold the house rather quickly.

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  7. I wonder what became of that chair? I guess it was beaten up and tossed out. Wouldn't it be great to have?

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    1. It would be a fun chair to own. But I imagine by the time Mary Theresa died, the chair would have been viewed as old fashioned and therefore a piece of junk to throw away. Just my guess.

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  8. The brother in the chair looks huge! I always enjoy your stories about Helen Killeen.

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  9. Your wicker chair is like our Knott's Berry Farm photos. While we don't always take pictures of other places, it seems to be our photo spot. Great photos of the wonderful chair and of course, the people too.

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    1. I guess one day people will look at my photos and wonder what we found so great about the fireplace.

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  10. You're right about outdoor furniture actually being kept under cover these days. I wonder where your chair sat when it wasn't being used for photos.

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    1. There was a porch -- maybe the chair was there. Or maybe in a garage??

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  11. Helen sounds like she was a lot of fun!!
    The only wicker furniture I have in my family album can be seen in studio shots with my grandma.
    Pretty safe, I daresay...

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    1. As "an old lady" Helen was bubbly, welcoming, funny, social -- so I imagine she was a lot of fun in her younger years too.

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  12. Marvellous - whenever anyone sat in that chair, they must have felt a photo opportunity coming on!

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  13. I am guessing that the chair might have been moved to a good spot in the lawn especially for picture taking.

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    1. It must have had good lighting over there because I see the same tree and building in each one.

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  14. What a history in that chair!. A great "take" on this week's theme/

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  15. I like Helen's captions. I'm with Tickle as the only wicker in my family seems to be in studio shots.

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    1. My studio pictures have some wicker chairs too, mostly rather fancy.

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  16. The same chair in each photograph! What a hoot!

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    1. It must have been THE THING to do because another aunt did the same thing with her photos. I'd prefer names to captions though.

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  18. How great that Helen thought to caption her photos. Very entertaining, even if later no-one knows for sure who they are looking at. That chair would be a cherished family heirloom.

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    1. Exactly -- I'd appreciate some hints, Aunt Helen!

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  19. New chair, comfortable chair? Favorite chair, for sure! I think it's fun and funny that the chair features in so many photographs.

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    1. I would guess "comfortable" -- or maybe even "only." I hadn't noticed how often the chair was in Helen's photos until I went looking for something to meet this week's challenge.

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  20. They were good strong chairs weren't they - not like the plastic outdoor chairs these days! Couldn't put 4 people on one chair now could you!?

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  21. A wicker chair makes a great prop (in both senses in the last picture!).

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