Antique Impressions: Easter Bonnets
Henrietta Buckler 1900's
In your Easter bonnet
with all the frills upon it,
You’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade
Gladys Unger ca 1910-15
Antique Impressions of Easter Bonnets bring together so many strands and memories parading before my minds eye. Ladies in in corsets , elegant dresses, and beautiful hats, remind of a woman that I really hardly knew, yet have a close connection to, Mary Trylinski, my maternal grandmother, my Baba. She arrived in Canada, less than a year old, with her parents. Her maiden name was Hyrorchuk ( I hope I am spelling that one correctly – see how time twists the memory.) Her birth certificate had identified her as a citizen of the Austria.
My mother spoke of how as a little girl she would help tighten up Baba’s corset. Her favourite dance was The Merry Widow’s Waltz . The Ladies in these photographs were from New York, and had a higher “social status” than my Baba in St. Boniface Manitoba, but they were part of the same North American culture – Late Edwardian period that defined Ladies & Gentlemen, their clothing, music, and expectations.
Mother said that her father, Stanley Trylinski, was a dapper man who wore a “cheese-cutter”; that’s what she called those straw hats that Buster Keaton is iconically associated with. When you look up the name of the hat/cap it does not match the this type. My mother would use both cheese cutter and pork pie to describe/identify the style of hat.
Buster Keaton in a cheese cutter
In your easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade.
I’ll be all in clover and when they look you over,
I’ll be the proudest fellow in the Easter parade.
On the avenue, fifth avenue, the photographers will snap us,
And you’ll find that you’re in the rotogravure.
Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet,
And of the girl I’m taking to the Easter parade.
Elizabeth Kolb ca1910-15
The song Easter Parade was written by Irving Berlin and was published in 1933. The song was introduced by Marilyn Miller and Clifton Webb in the Broadway musical revue As Thousands Cheer (1933), in which musical numbers were strung together on the thematic thread of newspaper headlines. The lyrics describe the singer’s involvement in an American cultural event called the Easter parade. From the 1880s through the 1950s, New York’s Easter parade was one of the main cultural expressions of Easter in the United States. It was one of the fundamental ways that Easter was identified and celebrated.[5] The seeds of the parade were sown in New York’s highly ornamented churches—Gothic buildings such as Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church. In the mid-19th century, these and other churches began decorating their sanctuarieswith Easter flowers. The new practice was resisted by traditionalists, but was generally well-received. As the practice expanded, the floral displays grew ever more elaborate, and soon became defining examples of style, taste, abundance, and novelty. Those who attended the churches incorporated these values into their dress.
Elegant Hats
In 1873, a newspaper report about Easter at Christ Church said “More than half the congregation were ladies, who displayed all the gorgeous and marvellous articles of dress,… and the appearance of the body of the church thus vied in effect and magnificence with the pleasant and tasteful array of flowers which decorated the chancel.”
Hats on the Blvd ca 1910-15
By the 1880s, the Easter parade had become a vast spectacle of fashion and religious observance, famous in New York and around the country. It was an after-church cultural event for the well-to-do—decked out in new and fashionable clothing, they would stroll from their own church to others to see the impressive flowers (and to be seen by their fellow strollers). People from the poorer and middle classes would observe the parade to learn the latest trends in fashion.
Hats & Harem Pants on the Blvd 1910-15
By 1890, the annual procession held an important place on New York’s calendar of festivities and had taken on its enduring designation as “the Easter parade.”
Nelle B. Stull ca 1910-15
As the parade and the holiday together became more important, dry goods merchants and milliners publicized them in the promotion of their wares. Advertisements of the day linked an endless array of merchandise to Easter and the Easter parade. In 1875, Easter had been invisible on the commercial scene. By 1900, it was as important in retailing as the Christmas season .
In 1948, the song, Easter Parade was performed by Judy Garland and Fred Astaire in the musical film of the same title. The plot of the movie was constructed around the song and the movie had a compressed shooting time to ensure that it opened in theatres for Easter. The movie is set in 1912 and revolves around a Broadway stars search for a new partner.
One last photograph to close off this post, Mary & Stanley Trylinski on their wedding day. Can you see them waltzing ? I can.
NOTE: Rotogravure (Roto or Gravure for short) is a type of intaglio printing process; once a staple of newspaper photo features, the rotogravure process is still used for commercial printing of magazines, postcards, and corrugated (cardboard) product packaging. Click the link to learn more details.
The Ladies in their finery came by way of The Library of Congress’ photostream. There are no known copyright restrictions on the original images. I have modified and enhanced them for this post. While they all come from the same general period, only the street shots are specific Easter Parade photos. How I came upon the idea for using this resource is a tale for another post. May all your Easter Bonnets be beautiful.
The Spanish River Inn -Again!
So, as predicted, on Thurday of this week, we returned again to The Spanish River Inn. This time it was an afternoon visit. Tasha’s respite worker had arrived and Liz & I were on a “real date“. We did bring down some of her artwork for display at the Inn, but with the pleasant weather and another delightful meal, it was a very relaxing experience.
As you can see, I did get some exterior shots of the establishment and what you would see looking across the street. Martine and Brent will quickly admit that there is still work to do on refurbishing the exterior and making further modifications to the interior. (See: From mini-putt to Ottawa and back ) The next phase will begin in the Spring ( based on today’s weather, it would appear that Spring is desperately trying to grow up into Summer fast ).
Once we had taken in the Lynx Table and some other pieces ( See: Art of the Drum ), we checked out the Special of the day.
We both went with the Special, the Ham Apple Sandwich. Wow, what a sandwich. Honestly we were not sure what to expect. You do not automatically think of Black Forest Ham, slices of apple, and black pepper-garlic aioli . I had only the vaguest recollection of what aioli was. What it was was heavenly. Even my son, who can be fussy, would have loved this.
The lady in charge that afternoon was “Smiling Sue” Beckerton. My wife requested the French Onion soup – she really enjoyed the soup at the last visit – and Sue graciously and efficiently made the necessary modifications to the order. I went with the side order of fries and I can understand why Tasha had gobbled them up on our previous visit. These were “Real fries with skins” with a wonderful seasoning.
Dining Room Spanish River Inn
Our leisurely meal allowed me the opportunity to take a few photos of the pub/bar area, where the piano and guitar were waiting for the musically inclined.
On The Rocks at The Spanish River Inn
We topped the lunch off with dessert. My wife had the Raspberry Strudel, while I tried the White Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake. If you must run into a mousse up here on a Northern Ontario highway, this is the only kind that will leave a smile on your face. The cake was light and it is an excellent chocolate fix for an afternoon.The Deep Dish Pecan is still my favourite, but I can not live that dangerously twice in one week; well I can, but I really shouldn’t, even on March Break.
Pitcher Perfect
There is one particular building I must comment on. It has puzzled & intrigued me for years. I have been wanting to photograph it for sometime now, but the opportunity had never arose before. It is in bad shape and abuts the railway. As mentioned in the earlier post, part of Spanish’s development was tied to the railway and the Inn occupies the same site as the original hotel.
Brent explained to me that the “ugliest building in town” was once a train station. After the original one burnt down in the 50′s the “contemporary block building ” was constructed on the same spot where the first building had been. The town is in process of making arangements with the rail-line to do something with the building. They will have to see if it is in any way salvageable, or if they will demolish it and build something in its place. In either case, being in such close proximity to the tracks means permission is required to do any work. This also means that these images may be some of the last before changes begin.
In closing, it was a great afternoon of food, local sight-seeing & photography. As a bonus, we just got news that one of Elizabeth’s pieces has been sold. Oh, as to my vehicle, it had no trouble handling the impact of the mousse – my belt was only mildly irked.
Reminder: Clicking images will in many cases show larger more detailed image.
Update: Martine sent me this photo of the station.
Antique Impressions: Sumac
Sumac is a common, well-known and easily recognized feature of the rural North American landscape. These small trees with thick twigs and an almost tropical appearance are familiar to most country dwellers. Their shape and large cone-like, dark red berry clusters are distinctive and their bright red autumn foliage is hard to forget. Yet few people know that these little trees have provided a delicious and refreshing summer drink throughout much of the world for thousands of years. Sumac :The wild lemonade berry (Link)
All of the true (edible) sumacs have dark reddish or purple fruit borne in erect, tight clusters. (On some of the western species, the clusters are pretty small and may not be as tight as on the eastern species, but they are still distinctly red.) The surface of the fruit is fuzzy or grainy.
Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in Africa and North America. The word sumac traces its etymology from Old French sumac (13th century), from Medieval Latin sumach, from Arabic summāq (سماق), from Syriac summāq (ܣܘܡܩ) – meaning “red.” The First Nation people also used the leaves and drupes of the Smooth and Staghorn Sumacs combined with tobacco in traditional smoking mixtures. Sumac stems also have a soft pith in the centre that is useful in traditional First Nation pipe-making and the plant was also used in traditional healing & to make dyes.
Sumac was used as a treatment for half a dozen different ailments in medieval medicine, primarily in Islamic countries (where sumac was more readily available than in Europe). An 11th-century shipwreck off the coast of Rhodes, excavated by archaeologists in the 1970s, contained commercial quantities of sumac drupes. These could have been intended for use as medicine, or as a culinary spice, or as a dye.
What If Wednesday1: Renaissance Photo
I have had a fascination with what if history ever since I read a DC Crisis team-up of the JLA & JSA. What if history took a different turn ? What if the Viking settlement in Newfoundland had not failed ? What if the Alaska had become part of Canada ? What if the Romans had discovered photography ?
( The original version of this seems to have disappeared on the web. I have a complete version that I used with my media students – Photography History 1 (PDF-SlideShow) – also see my other media resources. )
So what if there was photography during the Renaissance ? I wonder what it would look like ? Something like this perhaps ?
Some Merry Gentlemen just in time for Twelfth Night or perhaps there would be portraits of wealthy merchants for us in high school history textbooks.
So many twists and turns in time. So many choices to consider. For more food for thought check out : Uchronia: The Alternate History List is a bibliography of over 3100 novels, stories, essays and other printed material involving the “what ifs” of history , SWINDON PHOTO ALBUM & Toad News , Dr. Roundbottom Scientist & Philosopher . More on the Renaissance check my Renaissance Resource Page.
Photo Note: The merry gentlemen image was created using a scan of a pin box, while the merchant portraits were bases on a photo of an art book cover. Enjoy the day !
Daguerre In Toyland
Women multi-task, Men multi-mess-about. While I was doing my muti-mess-about ( sound vaguely Australian, but is global phenomena), hit on what will be a new photo-sequence that I call Daguerre in Toyland. While I was messing about with textures and ideas for some photos thing got all mixed together. One idea and technique kept bumping into another. I had taken a couple of shots that I was hoping to use for a second Existential Friday post. The subject matter came about as I was preparing some Christmas Material. Among some of the shots were a couple I thought could work be used to create an Antique/Victorian texture – which might work with the Christmas themes.
As this came together and I tried to come up with a texture realized I had a potential frame layer for a Daguerreotype . When I put this together with the Christmas themes I was toying around with ( bad pun for the amazing photo-arty spilledinkguy at Refrigerator Magnate and J. A. Robinson of The Daily Graff ), I had the beginning of a photo sequence.
Note: For more on Daguerre see: Daguerre (1787–1851) and the Invention of Photography , A Brief Guide to Becquerel Daguerreotype my Media Studies resource page CAMERAS & PHOTOGRAPHY ,
For more on people who are creating daguerreotypes and other alternative processes see: AlternativePhotography-Gallery
Also check my two previous posts see: Flower-gram 1 and Captured Light
Espanola Ontario
A few weeks ago, on the way to Sudbury, we took a short drive into the community of Espanola. A paper mill town and an access point to Manitoulin Island, Espanola and the Spanish River have an interesting history.
The name “Espanola” has been attributed to a story which dates back to the mid 18th century. The story goes that a First Nations Ojibwa tribe of the area sent a raiding party a long distance to the south and brought back with them a white woman who spoke Spanish. The woman married a local Anishinabe (First Nations) of a family living near the mouth of the river and taught her children to speak Spanish. Later, when the French Voyageurs and Coureur des bois came upon the settlement and heard fragments of Spanish spoken by the local natives, they remarked “Espagnole”, which had been later anglicized to “Espanola”, and the river was named the Spanish River.
Flowers for Else
Ur-Oma Else ~ Anticipation & Memories
This was not an easy post to prepare. My mother-in-law, Else (nee Arnold) Braune, passed away in her 90th year, Friday, August 12, 2011. A hard fought battle with Alzheimer’s finally ended, leaving behind the breaking hearts of her two daughters and bitter tears of grief & frustration staining loving memories. Alzheimer’s doesn’t just condemn an individual, it devastates a family. With this post, I will try to begin the process of healing and recovering some of the memory of Else Braune as she truly was to her family and friends.
She was born in Germany and was part of that generation that came of age in the Great Depression and was carried off by the tide of history into WWII. Working first as a nanny, she trained as a nurse and eventually was employed in a hospital in Berlin. When she was prompted with some old photos, after the onset of the memory loss, she talked to her daughter, my wife Elizabeth, about some of those events for the first time. Among her other duties, she remembered going out to clear bomb & bomb fragments from the front of the hospital.
Else was married to Herbert Braune. A marriage that lasted 63 years, till Herbert’s passing in 2008, it was typical of many couples of that generation, their love, commitment, and marriage endured the test of time. Their daughters, Elenore & Elizabeth, gave them four grandchildren ( Maria, Robert, Alexander, & Natasha) & four great grandchildren (Lucas, Robert, Jana-Lena, & Tobias), who enriched Else & Herb’s lives, as they did theirs .
If I was to sum up my memory of Mom Braune, I guess it would have to include the following words: hugs, smiles, bright colours – flowers & clothes – kaffee und kuchen, gardening & dancing. Meeting Else for the first time was to be greeted with a huge smile and an even huger hug. In all likelihood, if it was the afternoon, it would include coffee & cake.
Mom loved bright colours in her garden and her clothing, pinks, yellows, reds & purples. For that reason this post is full of bright flowers (from Elizabeth’s garden) for Else. Mom seemed to always be dressed in style and colour. Much of the clothing was sewn by her. She and Herb were furriers- her seamstress skills were put to good use at home and at their business, Braune’s Furs in London On.: her girls were never without beautiful outfits . In spite of her style and elegance, Mom never lost her farm girl simplicity of manner. She loved to party and dress up, but she never looked down on others and she would welcome everyone to the party that was her life.
Now is the time for wine, song, and dance. You will have to provide your own wine, but I can provide you with a few songs and a dance to go with my memories and photographs of Mom Braune. Like my parents, Herb and Else loved to dance; they were all part of the last great generation of dancers, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers were their patron saints. One dance that Mom Braune enjoyed at our wedding was one that Herb would not do, the Chicken Dance. For those who want to learn it here it is, for those trying to forget, my apologies.
Else & Herb ~ Dancing in Their Hearts
The first song on the list is Lily Marlene . There were a few times when, in her confusion, Else would call out in German for her young man – “where is my young man ? ”. Though Herb was safe and alive, in her mind memories & anxiety for her young man on the Russian front and being a young woman in Berlin at the time of the invasion & occupation had come to haunt her. At other times this song would take her to a better place in her heart.
The second song is When the Saints go Marching In ( by Louis Armstrong, one Dad’s favourites ). Elizabeth would get Mom going by singing this song. When Mom would not know where to go or how to get going, this song could get a lively and determined step & a smile.
Now is time to draw this post to a close, as Else & Herb Braune dance away to the sound of Louis & the Band. We are all missing you in our own ways: I hope to share laughter and some kaffee und kuchen in The Garden with you again.
Else Braune ~ July 24, 1921- August 12, 2011
Apologies and Acknowledgements :
To my frequent visitors and those who have taken the time to leave comments, I apologize for not responding in the last few posts. Events and emotions over took me. Below you will find a link to Else’s obituary ( this is primarily for distant friends & family who may be reading this post).
BRAUNE, Else (nee Arnold) – Elliot Lake Standard – Ontario, CA
There is someone very close to our family who needs to be mentioned. Gunther Barth was Herb’s friend since childhood. It was he who got Herb & Else to move to Canada. He and his late wife, Evelyn, were dear friends of the Braunes through many years. Liz & I know “Uncle” Gunther has felt a loss equal to ours and that is why I chose to include photographs of both him and Evelyn in this post.
Below are also links to two blogs that helped me organize my ideas and get a handle on my responses to Else’s passing. You may also find them of interest and value . In any case, I thank both Life in the Bogs * and Jason Muses for posting their thoughts, feelings and photographs on their own experiences. They were of great help to me in this process. Thanks to all.
Links: http://bogsofohio.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/268-goodbye-jane/
http://jasonbrooks.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/ghosts-i-never-knew/
Fathers of Confederation
Canada’s Father’s of Confederation would find today’s Canada a very different place from the one they envisioned. The basic foundation, political, social, and economic, are still there, but Canada and the world have changed in 144 years. Here are a couple of moments and individuals in Canadian history that these gentlemen would not have anticipated.
Kim Campbell the first woman to become a Canadian Prime Minister.
Happy Canada Day to one and all !
Antique Impression of Nature5
Just beyond the school parking lot is another world. This is Northern Ontario where the end of the sidewalk can be the beginning a Nature walk as opposed to endless concrete and urban sprawl. The first photo is a golden window into a sacred place or just a quiet moment before the lunch bell rings.
Step back in time and see the world through a plastic time machine viewer. It looks like the 1960′s. Which way is up ?
Over the rocks and trees you need to have clear sight lines and keep the lines of communication open. Was life simpler back then ? Or were they just giving simpler answers to the same complex questions we ask today at the edge of the school parking lot ?
Elliot Lake Miners Memorial
A photographic interpretation of part of the memorial .
The Miners Monument was officially opened on April 28, 2007 to honour the community’s mining legacy. Created by Laura Brown Breetvelt, a former Elliot Lake resident, this monument was built to honour the hard-working miners who risked their lives each day and the community and families that supported them. (Official page & Quotation Source)
It was a day of mist, fog, rain and ice pellets. The weather created both mood and photographic challenges. This view from the memorial park over looks Horne Lake .
Look at the Birdie
The expressions ” look at the birdie and watch the birdie” originate with early photography when the need to stay still while being photographed was a real challenge, especially for children. A device to hold the attention of the youngster was created and marketed, a small mechanical brass bird.
More information and related images at Scott’s Photographica Collection
Here are three birdie photos. The first two are of a birdie that is as unreal as the old brass creature. The images were modified to suggest the photographic process of an earlier less digital technological age.
The third image is of the mourning dove enjoying the seeds scattered by the birds using the hanging feeders.
Findlay Bros. Co.
It is interesting where photography and the internet can lead you. For sometime I had been thinking about photographing a number of items around the house that I thought might make interesting compositions. I have also been working on creating some backgrounds and old style photo edges. The photo edges took sometime. I did some research on different methods using Paint Shop Pro X and Photoshop. After a few tries of different methods I got something I was satisfied with – for now. I am still working on a Polaroid style photo edge.
One of the photograph subject-items of interest was a small metal door on the side of the house. It was intended for cleaning the original wood fire chimney. The house was constructed in 1957 for the original owners. Our present heating method is natural gas. The little metal door sits in place with nothing to do, except weather and age.
Embossed on the door is the company name, Findlay Bros, Co. Ltd., Carlton Place, Ontario. After doing a little bit of an internet search I found out a bit of historical information. The Findlay Foundry operated in Carleton Place from the 1860s to 1974, making cast iron cookware and wood-stoves. Some of the designs created by this company are still being made by another company. Carleton Place (population 10,000) is a town in the eastern portion of Eastern Ontario, Canada, in Lanark County, about 46 kilometres (29 mi) west of downtown Ottawa on the Central Ontario (Highway 7) route of the Trans-Canada Highway. It is located at the crossroads of Highway 15 and Highway 7, midway between the town of Perth and the Canadian capital, Ottawa. (Source: Carleton Place, Ontario ). For more in-depth historical information checkout the Carlton Place Local History Blog.
So my little photography project lead me to discovering a bit of Ontario history and that a part of the house’s structure contains that history. I told my wife about my discovery and that original Findlay wood-stoves and other products are collectibles. She wasn’t entirely impressed, 1957 is a little too close to both our birth-dates.
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The Towers of Elliot Lake
Elliot Lake Water Tower
Taken from the Fire Tower Lookout May 23, 2010.
Elliot Lake Fire Tower
This is a reconstruction of the fire tower. To the left is a smaller (two story) viewing station. There is also a restored Ranger’s cabin originally erected in the mid 1950′s.
A three-room building
Just a kitchen,
a living room,
and a bedroom.
The tower watchman,
His wife
- Alone -
Above the trees,
- A Contented Couple -
The North Channel of Lake Huron and Manitoulin Island
Sit on the edge of the Horizon.
Nearby lakes are kissed
By the Sky’s Reflection.
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