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.
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.
Happy Easter from 1946.
Unfortunately the shots were a bit overexposed so I did what I could with them. The older child was my Uncle Bob and the younger boy is my Dad. The two street shots were taken on Hamilton Ave. in Chicago and appear to have been taken from this spot which is along the side of their apartment building. Both buildings in the photo are still there but that cool looking old street lamp is long gone. Also, the street is now one way (opposite direction from the parked car). The last shot was taken on the back porch of their apartment. Whichever camera they were using must have had a self timer which allowed them to snap that family photo of them in their Easter best.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Another one of my Uncle Bob (on the far right) with two other kids. My Dad thinks that the other boy is Frank Spata. He was a friend of my Uncle and his mom was friends with my Grandma, and he has no idea who the girl was. Most likely a friend from their class at Queen of Angels. Anyway, once again we have some pretty spanky outfits.
My Uncle Bob had some great slippers when he was a kid.
This is Boniface (Ben) Zabowski and unlike most of the photos this one is dated, June 12, 1927. That so happens to have been my Grandma’s 21st birthday. Ben was two years older, and while I can’t say for certain that he was dressed up for my Grandma’s birthday, I can tell you that the photo was taken in Detroit on Mitchell Street in front of the family home. The lady in the photo was his girlfriend Mary Siedl (Cousin Irene somehow managed to identify her).
When I think back to when I was 23 I’m not even sure I owned a sport coat, nonetheless a 3 piece suit. Oh how the times have changed.
Another shot of my Grandparents; this one was taken on the back porch of their apartment on Hamilton Avenue in Chicago. I have vague memories of this place but from what I do remember it looked like this. Anyway, the older kid is my Uncle Bob and the baby is my Dad. He was born in January of 1942, so while there is no date on this shot it’s a pretty fair guess that this was taken in the summer of ‘42. The only question that remains is, who shot the picture?
This picture was also on the same roll as the previous photographs that I posted, and fortunately my Grandma jotted down the information for this one as well. Once again we have Melva on the left along with her other best friend Sophie, and it was taken “Winter 1924.” Unfortunately, the exposure isn’t that great on these early photos, but as I’ve mentioned, she wasn’t using the most accurate of cameras. The shutter exposure was however long you held the release for, and the focus, well there wasn’t one. So these early snap shots have an obvious learning curve to climb. Besides that though there is enough detail to make the image worth keeping. The cool topcoat on Sophie alone make this a keeper.
One interesting detail is the paper that was used. It is not a thick sheet which makes sense since these were probably about the cheapest prints one could get. But, I really like the texture of this old paper. It’s hard to explain, but it just has this very rough feel about it that really does make it feel even older than it is. Then again, this picture is 88 years old, which really is getting up there. Anyway, the paper just has this very satisfying feeling in your hand. I wish I could make all of the pictures I print today have this wonderful feeling to them.
This is Rita Ann Zabowski, which was the youngest of my Grandma’s sisters. She married Al Nadolski, and as you can see in this photo he served in the Navy during World War II, which may be why he wasn’t around when this shot was taken. I don’t know this for certain, but everything about this photo just has that classic WWII era look about it. Even though it was technically a horrible time (Great Depression followed by a World War), there is just something very pleasant looking about photographs from this era.
Taken in 1941 in front of the family home on Maxwell Street in Detroit. This picture is dated 1941, and guessing from the clothes it is either Spring or early Fall. In the photo we have Helen standing and Bea wearing what what appears to be a stylized hat. Both of them were very fashionable, and it shows in this shot.
Photos from 1941 always intrigue me. It’s the classic quiet before the storm. They had just come out of the horrible Great Depression and were about to enter a new turmoil by the end of the year. I wonder what their thoughts were at this time.
Another shot of one of the sisters on the front steps of their Father’s (my Great Grandfather) home in Detroit. This time it is of Helen. The original print is pretty badly beaten up, which makes it a bit harder to date. But looking at Helen’s age, and the paper style, I would say this was shot in the early 1940s.
Auntie Helen was known for being very into whatever was the current fashion. In this case, I would imagine the coat she has on as being pretty fancy. If you click to enlarge you will see that it has quite the pattern. I really wish I had a color copy of this shot because I would love to have a better look at it.
