Connie Harris portrait

Agnes Constance Westerholm Harris

1912-1959 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connie Harris was our neighbor in Dobbs Ferry, and

the mother of my friend June.  After she died at the 

early age of 47 Janice painted this portrait of her 

for her husband, Charlie, working from a photo.

Old Photographs from Onondaga County, NY

 I recently received a box of old photos, even some tintypes, of ancestors, mostly related to the Wands and Sherwood families of Onondaga County, New York.  Also, there are pictures of family friends.  I have tried to post as many as possible on the Find a Grave website, but am not always able to find matches.  Here I am posting those in the friends category and hope they might be discovered by others.

Ella Yates Holmes - "A Collamer Girl"

 

Ruth Darling Johnson Tiemann - born in MI lived in Hastings on Hudson, NY during the 1950's also had a summer home in Lake Luzerne, NY, shown below.  Her husband was artist Roland Tiemann with whom she wrote children's books.

 

 

Edward Jarvis (Reverend?)

Mrs E. Jarvis

Mr. Frank Murray

 

Mrs. Frank Murray

 

Mrs. E.M. Lyon

George Gay

 

Emma Padbury

 

Gertrude Ross Hahn Furbeck

 

 

Nettie Furbeck 

 

 

 a tintype of Dolly Alice Day Newell 1851-1937

 

a tintype of Celinda Day Kittell 1847-1927

Jennie Curtiss

 

Seward Rose (Ross?)

Nellie Stewart Blessing

4 Ladies (Sisters?)

Margaret Blodget

Unknown woman - photo taken in Binghamton, NY

Vintage Postcards 1908-1914

 

Back before telephones were common, my family communicated by postcard.  Much as we would send a text today, postcards were used to send a short note letting the family know that one had arrived safely or was planning to come for a visit the following weekend.  

My grandmother, Lavinia Wands, was living with her parents Olive and Harrison Wands in East Syracuse, NY.  Her older sister Katherine Wands Pierce lived in Tully, NY with her husband Than and her daughters, Olive, Frances and Lois.

The postcards flew fast and furiously.  Many displayed images of local scenes and buildings in Syracuse and surrounding area.  The collection below was placed in an album by one of my highly organized ancestors.  Below is just a sampling:

 

 

Peoplescape - New Orleans Style

 

Marilyn Pegler was probably Janice's biggest fan.  She had a whole collection of Peoplescapes, and when Mother's Day approached her husband commissioned one especially for her.  They loved the French Quarter, and even had an architect design their home with a Big Easy esthetic.  Their home featured white wrought iron railings like the ones in the painting.  

Zoom in to see the details.  

I am sure my mother had a story in mind to make this more than just a pretty picture.  Her daughter says that the woman in the painting bore no resemblance to Marilyn.

Ruth Williams Tate

 Ruth Cutler Williams Tate was the wife of Arthur Child Tate, brother of my stepfather, Norman Tate.  This painting image was shared by her son, Chris.

Ruth was born in Kearny, NJ on November 7, 1915, and passed away on September 8, 1976. 

My mother painted her portrait, judging from which she was quite beautiful.  I suspect that this portrait may have been painted from a photograph, after Ruth's passing.

More Paper Dolls!

I had forgotten that my brother, Philip, also has some of my mother's paper dolls.  He graciously offered to photograph them for the blog.

 

This appears to be a well-outfitted man about the Syracuse campus.

The red and white striped pinafore at the upper left corner is a Candy Striper uniform.  These hospital volunteers in red and white striped uniforms began in Orange, New Jersey in 1944 and became a tradition all across the country. 

And finally, Lena MacLean who seemed to be a fan of plaid and argyle.
 

Paper Dolls - Just for Fun

 My mother loved and made paper dolls since she was small.  As her artistic ability improved so did the dolls.  Her sense of humor is evident in them, and she could have been a fashion designer if these outfits are any indication.

 

I framed two of her best efforts.  First, a cute 1940s girl with a puppy dog, hats, shoes and cowboy boots.

     

 This one has a sophisticated 1950s vibe.

She liked showing the dolls in lifelike poses...

from the side or smoking a cigarette.

These fellows had no outfits for some reason.

And this plus size girl is the only one with a name...Orpha.

And another early one.

She did large scale "paper dolls" in oil of me and my siblings, as always, just for fun.