A couple of photos of the Lloyd Wright family from around Christmas 1942. Both were taken inside the Wright residence at 406 N Geary.
I imagine “Noel Noel” across the top indicates that this photo was intended to be sent with (or as) a Christmas card in 1942. Dad (Lloyd Wright) is playing the piano and the children seem to be singing. Maybe they were singing, “Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel,” I don’t know.
Dad learned to play the piano from his mother, who taught him (and at least some of his siblings) on a pump organ in the sod house on the Alberta prairie. He was no piano virtuoso, but considering that was the extent of his piano training, he could find his way through a song pretty well.
Stools make great train tunnels, don’t they? This is Art with his train, in essentially the same spot where the “Noel” photo above was taken, but maybe a few months later.
This is the only picture of the young Wrights that I ever remember seeing! I am enjoying this trip through the past very much!
Is the house on Geary Street still there?
Glad you’re enjoying it. Yes, the Geary Street house is still standing. I drove by it just last Saturday. It is changed somewhat. The arched entryway that shows up in so many of these photos has been closed up. (Not sure where the main entrance to the house is now.) A small-ish addition was built on the west side (away from Geary Street). And the basement garage (which probably wouldn’t have been large enough to accommodate modern cars anyway) is closed up and (it looks like) turned into a room. But Dad’s signature curved course of shakes at the peak of the gable end of the house is still there.
Ah! Those stools which we each had, and painted our names upon. Did any survive?
I have one!
Ah, yes! Those were the days! Life was simple.