Old photos

The only thing better than old photos are old photos that have something written on them that gives you some insight into the people in the picture.

I've been working on a project that's going to involve cutting up some of the cabinet cards I've picked up at flea markets and yard sales over the years, so I'm trying to make sure I have copies of them in the computer so they won't be lost forever.

But I could never cut up the two shown here. "Aunt Clare" is written in pencil below the woman on the left. At the top of the photo it says "Good old days. Them days are gone, but not forgotten." I like to think Aunt Clare wrote that herself when she was an old woman, looking back on how lovely and happy she was in her youth. I think she probably had a happy life.

The woman on the right? I'm not so sure. We do know she was a hard worker. Here's what it says on the back of the photo: "Maid to the children Minnie Zwetch. 45 years in the family. Tetzlaff family." Think about that for a moment: not a nanny, not a babysitter, but a MAID to the children ...

Sometimes I buy cabinet cards more for the artwork on the backs than on the fronts. Here are the backs of those two cards.