Several weeks ago Favorite Photo was a prompt for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Here’s one of my favorite photos. I’m actually showing two photos, and you’ll see why below.
A little background
Theodosia Marie “Dosia” THOMAS MARTIN (1893-1954) was my first cousin, twice removed. Her father, James Renatus “Renn” THOMAS (1865-1949) was the only brother of my great-grandfather, Jeremiah Daniel “Dan” THOMAS (1858-1946).
Dosia and her sister, Hallie, lived with my great grandparents (Dan and his wife, Maggie) for a time. I’ve written about that here.
Dosia married Arthur Talley MARTIN (1882-1962) sometime before 1912 as they listed as married in the city directory of Columbia, South Carolina in 1912.
Enough background. Time for the photos!
The first photo is a typical professional photo of the time. Both people are standing or sitting straight, and they are not smiling. Looking at Dosia’s dress and hair style, I think this was sometime around 1920.
The second photo was taken during the same photo shoot, but it’s a candid shot of the couple. They are relaxed and smiling which is rare for photos of this time period. I wouldn’t be surprised if photographers took photos like this regularly, but I think most people chose the formal photo for prints to be made from.
What makes the second photo one of my favorites is the realness of it. It’s Arthur and Dosia as they would have been known to friends and family. There’s a lot of warmth in that photo that isn’t seen in the formal one. I smile every time I look at it. I hope it makes you smile, too.
What photos of yours are your favorites? Do you have any surprise candids of family taken in this formal era, too? Please comment.
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Love these pictures! I’m amused, though, by the way it appears Dosia is floating in the formal portrait. Her shoes and feet aren’t visible. ☺️
LOL I didn’t notice that about Dosia. I will go back and look. Thanks for pointing that out!
Thanks for sharing, Nancy! I too prefer and enjoyed seeing the candid photo of Arthur and Dosia. It confirms how uplifting genuine smiles can be, even if from the past.
You are so right about genuine smiles, Colleen. 🙂
Thank you for sharing Nancy! It’s true that we often don’t see pictures like the second one. I love the expressions in the second picture. They look like they were a precious couple. Also, I absolutely love the name “Theodosia”!
Thanks for commenting. They never had children, but Dosia’s sister, Hallie, had children and grandchildren. Hallie’s granddaughter commented that Arthur and Dosia were kind and loving people, and she said a lot of other complimentary things about them.