Looks like she (whomever she is) is trimming this flowering vine. Makes for a good picture to post on this Spring day.
Looks like she (whomever she is) is trimming this flowering vine. Makes for a good picture to post on this Spring day.
This little print (roughly 2” x 2¾”) looks like my Great Aunt Wanda Kownacki. All I know about her is that she was my Grandpa Pete’s sister, and that she was a nurse. I don’t believe I ever met her. I don’t even know when she died. I have a birth year of 1914 for her, which means this was most likely in the early 1930s. As for this photo I’m going to guess it was taken in Detroit while she was attending nursing school. It just has that feel to it.
This print is smaller than normal. So, I’m not even sure my Grandma shot it. All I can say for some certainty is that it was taken in the late 1920s or early 30s and it sure doesn’t look like Detroit.
When I pulled this picture out to scan it I realized that I had recently posted another shot taken the same day. That one left a bunch of unanswered questions, and this one really doesn’t help matters. All I know for sure is that my Great Grandfather is on the left, and my Great Grandmother is on the far right. I’m still thinking this was taken on the day of a funeral, which would explain all of the dark dresses. I also had questions (in the other post) about the design of the house. Looking at the surroundings it very well could be a farm house. Wherever it was it had some outstanding leaded glass in that front window.
I know that is Rita Ann but not sure who the baby is in this shot. She very well could be the same baby that was in this recent post. I’m guessing so by the hair. As for Annie, she is in the same outfit as the photo of her and Al from World War II. So that pretty well dates the image.
I pointed out before that the house across the street is still there but pretty much everything else in this image is long gone. This includes my ancestors home. If you look at this satellite view (with the marker at the location of the family house) you can see the level of decay all around. It gives one a good idea of the problems Detroit has. I’m not Detroit bashing, it’s more along the lines of wonderment in how we as a society could let this happen.
While flipping through the photos the other day I realized that this was a sister shot to one that I recently posted. In it I had guesses it was Richard Borowski. Well, when I pulled this one out I noticed that in small print on the back in pencil was the word Donald, who so happens to be Richard’s older brother. So it looks like I was right. Now I just need to figure out whose wedding they were all gussied up for.
Edward Zabowski and the “killer cat,” as he was known, siting on the back porch of the family home on Mitchell St. in Detroit.
This looks like my Aunt Marion, but none of us can be sure. It could very well be a daughter of one of my Grandma’s sisters. As for the location I can tell you that this was the upper porch of the Zabowski home on Maxwell Street in Detroit. That home is long gone but the two places across the street survive, though not in the greatest of shape as you can see here in Street View. (The fire hydrant helped confirm that this is the right place.) There are a couple of other photos I found that give a better view of those two houses. This shot of Al Nadolski taken during The War is a good example. This photo is also a good reminder to put some notes on the back of your own photos. 30 Seconds with a pencil could be greatly appreciated by future generations.
The gentleman on the far right is my Great Grandfather Antoni Zabowski. The other couple is a big mystery to me and my family. They don’t look familiar at all, though they probably were to my Grandma.Otherwise why would she have kept, and most likely shot this photo.
They all appear to be pretty dressed up on this day. As a matter of fact, the lady seems to be wearing a black dress. Maybe there was a funeral. Unfortunately I have zero background so everything is a guess. Most likely this was shot in Detroit. If not Detroit proper then at least a well populated area. I’m guessing this by the number of lines on that telephone poll along with the electric lines across the bottom. Hence, probably not a rural location.
One other note is that house. Typically a house of this nature would have columns holding up that porch. Along with that the front picture window would usually be pushed out with smaller sash windows angled back on either side. In a way this home is a mix of two styles. One being late 19th century homes that have the front window flush in the wall, and the other being early 20th century when the front door was pulled well back from the front steps and into the home with no vestibule. This makes me wish I had a shot from the street that showed me the entire place.
My Dad has a vague memory of that train, but he can’t tell for sure if this was him or his older brother Bob. The photo was taken on the back porch of their Hamilton Ave. apartment in Chicago, and being the modern dad the first thing I noticed is that open access to the stairs. You just know that today there would have been a collapsible gate across those steps, especially since they were three flights up.
Oh how the times have changed.
Stanley & Stella Borowski appear throughout my Grandmother’s photos. I believe the earliest shots I have of Stella are from when she was in her late teens, and by their mid to late 20s Stanley was with her. They remained best friends with my Grandma throughout their lives. Some time I should try and put a chronological collection together of the photos I have of them both. It could make for an interesting piece, especially when you think about how you would be able to see them age right there all on one page.
This shot looks like it was taken in the early 1950s, and guessing from all of the other pictures of Stanley, I bet he has a hat in that right hand.
Two shots of my Grandma circa 1929. That would be a guess gauging from her age and the fashion of her dress. While I don’t have any notes to go from on these two photos they do offer some nice glimpses into Detroit from oh so long ago. The one image shows an Orthodox church (that I can’t identify so let me know if you can) and the other shows was a typical street looked like. As for the baby… Well I’m guessing here but I think that this kid is the same as in the previous post, which may very well be Richard Borowski. This was the boy holding the rings at the wedding two posts back.
I don’t know who any of these folks were, but I can tell you that one lady with the fur was hitting high fashion for the 1920s. I really like photos that show a glimpse into what the world looked like beyond the posed subjects. In this case you can see some men walking in the background of one shot, along with other details on the homes and the cars. (For example: That little light next to the windshield on the car the baby is sitting on.) I don’t know what street this was but being it was Detroit there is a good chance that many of those residences are long gone.
The other interesting thought is that this was just six months away from The Great Depression. These folks had no clue as to the hard times that were headed their way.
NOTE: After showing my Aunt these photos over our Christmas visit she believes that the lady in the fur was my Grandmother (her mother). While her face is mostly obscured in these shots you can see her eyes and nose clearly. On second look that does look like it could be her. Also, that looks like her hair style under that hat.
As for the other lady and the baby, my Aunt believes this was Stella Borowski, who can be seen in many of my Grandma’s photos. Now my Aunt can’t remember which of her children came first but she thinks this might be Richard Borowski. (The same boy in the previous post.)
Now the remaining question is where did she get that big fur?
While my Grandma didn’t jot down the particulars about whose wedding this was she did note that this was Richard Borowski in 1935. That would most likely be the son of Stanley & Stella, who have both appeared quite often in her photos (and were two of her best friends). As a matter of fact, maybe Richard is the baby in what is by far one of my most favorite of photos from this collection.
June, 1943 - Brothers Walter, John, and Casimir Zabowski taken in front of the huge Michigan Central Station in Detroit, which is now familiar to many from the countless photos of it in its state of decay. I don’t know what was going on this day, but I can guess. My Grandma was living in Chicago so maybe she came in to see 2 of her brothers that were on leave from The War. And being this was taken in front of the rail road station, one can suppose that they were headed back. It does make you think about things that’s for sure.
