This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt depicting four
chiffon-clad women striking a pose (although I’m not convinced they were really women) called
to mind some photos of girls being silly.
July 1925 - it was the summer following my grandaunt
Velma’s freshman year in college. She
invited two new friends from Harrisonburg Teachers College to spend a week or
so with her in her home in Shenandoah, Virginia. Olive Williams and Dot Lloyd both lived in
Martinsburg, West Virginia, so they might have traveled by train the 90 miles for
their summer holiday. Velma’s neighbor and good friend Virginia Cole attended HTC too, so she was part of the fun that day when the girls decided to
take pictures doing silly things.
 |
| Dot Lloyd, Virginia Cole, Velma Davis, Olive Williams from album of Velma Davis Woodring dated July 1925 |
Whether the girls were blowing party horns or chugging a
drink, they definitely orchestrated this silly pose. They probably thought they were being hilarious.
 |
| Virginia, Dot, Velma, Olive |
Posing with toes pointed in must have been the 1920’s
version of “wacky.” But what that hand
gesture meant, I have no clue. The gestures seem to form a progression.
In August, it was Olive’s and Dot’s turn to play hostess
to Velma and Virginia. Olive wrote to Velma’s mother (my
great-grandmother) asking permission for Velma to extend her stay.
Martinsburg, W. Va
August 19, 1925
My Dear Mrs. Davis:
Velma and Virginia are getting along fine. We are having a fine time. Mother certainly is glad that they came home
with me and we sure do hate to give them up.
I want to tell you I certainly did have a lovely time
while visiting
Velma. She
certainly did show Dot and I both a good time.
The girls have been staying with Dots some too and Velma
has been too [sic] see her cousin and also down to see Rhine’s.
Daddy and Mother wants [sic] to take the girls to
Gettsburg [sic] next week and so I am writting [sic] and asking you if Velma
might stay another week. Daddy has
already planned
the trip for them.
That isn’t any longer than I stayed with Velma. So please let her stay. Mother and daddy both wants her and Virginia
to stay so we can take them on that trip.
Closing, hoping to hear from you in a favorably [sic] reply
to my question.
With Love,
Olive
Now who could say “no” to that? I wonder what kind of wacky photos they took at Olive's house.
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
What fun they had. I am wondering if the friendships lasted a lifetie or whether they slowly slipped away as marriage, children, different interests and distancec came between them. A lovely story.
ReplyDeleteI know they hung together through each other's weddings, but how much longer I don't really know. I "met" Olive's granddaughter through Ancestry.com. She sent me a photo of Olive's wedding gift from Velma. While the granddaughter had never heard of Velma, her mother remembered that Velma was Olive's good friend, so it seems they must have been lifelong friends.
DeleteWhat fun photos! And I loved the title! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joan!
DeleteThose girls seemed to live for fun alone!
ReplyDeleteI think they did. My mother said her aunt Velma was always a lot of fun.
DeleteWhat fun those girls must have had posing for ?..wonder who took the photos...another friend or perhaps Olive's Mother or Dad who so wanted the girls to stay longer. So neat to have the letter. What a different world today...she would have had her 'favorable' answer through a much faster mail or more than likely a much smarter phone. Great post for the Saturday theme.
ReplyDeleteSue at CollectInTexas Gal
I'm guessing Velma's sister Violetta took the pictures.
DeleteAs for that letter, Velma's mother scribbled a response on the back of Olive's letter and sent it back. Talk about cheap -- couldn't even write on her own paper! HA
I love the nontraditional photos. The girls sure look like they were having fun. The second photo made me think of the kids' song "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."
ReplyDeleteNow I'm singing that darn song. Thanks ~
DeleteGreat photos! I too wonder the same things as other commenters.
ReplyDeleteI wonder too.
DeleteMy husband's mother liked to call herself "wacky" but in her case she meant unfettered by rules and regs and a bit fast with the fellows. The hand gestures do look progressive - like a riff on "see no evil, hear no evil.....". They sure knew how to have a good time.
ReplyDeleteI think the hand gestures make them look like they grabbed a bug and ate it.
DeleteVelma and friends are definitely a perfect match for the wild and wacky element of this weekend's theme.
ReplyDeleteI love Olive's expression in that second photo. Fantastic eyes!
ReplyDeleteYes, Olive's eyes are dark and mysterious, and so distinctive that I can always spot her in a photo.
DeleteWhatever the girls are pretending to do, they all look very happy being in each other's company.I'd also like to know if they kept in touch in later life, as did a number of my mother's teachers' college friends.
ReplyDeleteI commented on that in response to boundforoz.
DeleteMy mom kept in contact with her high school friends much more than her college friends, but she was an active alumna and so saw her roommates at reunions.
Funny photos!
ReplyDeleteIndeed!
DeleteWhat a wonderful match for the theme - four girls doing something silly!
ReplyDeleteThanks -- it worked out well for me.
DeleteThanks as usual for a most interesting story based on photos, and this time on a letter as well. I remember posing pretty sillily with some gal friends, and thank heavens, nobody knows where that photo now is (I'll never tell)
ReplyDeleteI have some silly poses too, and it occurred to me too late to carry this story into "MY" story as well. Just as well ....
DeleteThose girls are having so much fun. It's so great that you have those wonderful photos giving you glimpses into your grand-aunt's personality as a young woman. Good pick for this week's theme.
ReplyDeleteThanks to all these photos, I feel like I know Velma better now than I did when she was alive.
DeleteThe wonderful thing about this is that you have the photo and almost a contemporary written commentary as well. This is family history at its best.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alan -- I have you to thank!
DeleteI can't say anything more than above. It is great to have such fun family photos.
ReplyDeleteI know -- I'm grateful that family members entrusted me with all these photo albums.
DeleteIsn’t it great that they all got along so well? I have a feeling we’d all have like to know Velma as the stories and pictures you share with us from her life are so entertaining.
ReplyDeleteMy great-grandparents probably enjoyed all the laughter that a bunch of college girls could generate during summer break.
DeleteSuch a fun set of photos showing thier friendship, and the letter to prove how much they wanted to remain as a group that summer!
ReplyDeleteUnlike her grandmother, my mother always discouraged too much togetherness, but this group seemed inseparable that summer.
Delete