In our organizing and cleaning we came across a photo album from Dear’s father with photos from Illinois from early days of Rex (Dear’s father) and Verna’s (Dear’s mother) courtship before Rex was called up for service in World War II. Rex and Verna’s granddaughters have a certain photogenic quality with one of them cashing in on modeling opportunities. I found it telling that Verna has some model poses that I think carried down to her granddaughters. Not so much on my side of the family! We have a lot of Russian Baptist modesty that goes deep…
This is my personal favorite!
This is Dear’s father’s mom and dad and a sister.
Dear’s dad after a hunting trip. Another gene handed down to our son’s…hunting. Is that a gene?
More of the modeling genes?…
May is escaping fast. How will you be spending the last couple days of May?
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Love the pictures, Ellen!!! It’s amazing what traits are passed down from generation to generation. I am finding it all fascinating now that I am seeing Gwen’s own personality come in stronger and stronger.
Yes, I think those granddaughters must have inherited modelling genes from these two, lol. Cute photos! And I do believe that there is such a thing as hunting genes…..we have one son who is so different from the rest of us office-worker types in the family, he loves all the things that his grandfather and great uncles loved, including hunting. How will I be spending the last couple of days of May? Doing exactly what you are doing – organizing and cleaning.
My daughter was the one that showed me the value of have some spunky posing when photographing people. Shots of people standing lined up with arms dangling limply by sides are not nearly as interesting as any kind of animated pose. I have found it pretty common to see photos in the 1920-1930s to include staged scenes of one guy with a bandana over the face and a pistol aimed at another guy with his hands up…usually brothers. Now days it is girls doing the Charlie’s Angels hands with fingers pointing like pistols pose.
Such cool pics!!! Isn’t it a blessing to find such wonderful treasures as this??!!? It’s like stepping back in time! And you’re right….photos can be telling re: certain traits in the current generations! I wonder what these people would think today of the fast, shiny, tricked out cars on the market, the current clothing fashions, the home styling trends, PETA (’cause of the rabbits! :-)), the Internet??!?!?!???! Just think…they never saw any of that stuff! I wonder if they’d be shocked or in curious awe of the things we take for granted. Just think: back in the early 1940s there was no such thing as a cell phone, long distance calls on a landline cost a small fortune, the newspaper was still the best and fastest form (other than word of mouth) of mass communication, there was no television let alone hundreds of channels from which to choose, and for all anybody knew the moon WAS made of cheese!!! My, how times have changed!!!!!! Thanks for sharing these!!!
It’s fun to look at the old family photos. I always find it interesting to see the family traits handed down. That and to realize with a shock that all those folks were young once. Time is marching on!
Great old photographs, and yes, those people are really good looking. I like the styles in the 40s too, so chic!
Those pictures are fabulous Ellen! Love the styles and smiles…. Happy organizing and cleaning!