This is a photo of Grandma Addie McClain with her older McClain granddaughters, the daughters of her son Bernard.
Everyone looks like they are dressed up for a special occasion. One possibility (and this is only speculation on my part) is that they were celebrating Grandma Addie’s 60th birthday. The actual date of that birthday was September 14, 1946. But even giving this photo the year 1946 is just an educated guess, so I could be wildly wrong.
If this was a celebration of Grandma’s 60th, it could have been on the actual day, since it was a Saturday. But that is just more speculation.
It seems likely that the special occasion was Easter. Not sure why that didn’t occur to me right off. Also in view of the correction to the date (from 1946 to 1949), the photo takes on a different “tone” with the realization that Grandma Addie was a relatively recent widow (two years).
I don’t recognize the location of this photo. Possibly it was in Portland (yet more speculation).
If nothing else, this photo proves that cuteness was not the exclusive domain of Grandma Addie’s Wright grandchildren. ;–)
Well, this picture invites comment from me, right?! Actually,
I don’t remember ever seeing it before!
Grandma is warmly dressed – (I can testify that growing older makes one feel the cold more!). But our dresses (made by Mother Esther, of course!) and hair garlands speak more of springtime, like Easter or Mother’s Day. I think I would place the date more like 1949, when I was 9, Joyce was 7 , Janet was 2. I really don’t recognize the location – not at our house, but most likely in Portland. Thank you for bringing this to light!
Thank you very much, Judy. I didn’t realize there was that much of an age difference between Joyce and Janet (though it should have been obvious from the photo that it was more than two years), so that for sure threw off my estimate of the date for the photograph. Seems like Easter makes a lot of sense for the occasion, given the “spring-y” nature of your dresses, as you point out.
Also as you point out, a date for the photo after 1947 changes the context in a big way, since Grandma would have been a widow then.
PS Grandma would have been a widow for a couple of years in 1949, so she may not have been inclined to smile, but also she may have had the sun in her eyes.
Definitely cute! Could it be Easter?
Post updated with corrections. (Highlighted text added.) Thanks again, Judy!
I’m sorry to be so late with this – but Jan tells me that she and Grandma Addie were sometimes roommates at our house and even shared secrets! That is a happy thought!
:–)
Thank you, Judy.