The heavy cardboard frame with folding cover is in mint condition. The frame is glued down solidly over the photographic print; we cannot take a squint at the back. There are no labels.
Indications that she is a First Holy Communicant include the white gown, hose, and shoes; white veil; Missal and Rosary. Absence of a candle, such as we have seen in FHC portraits of EJZ and JFZ and MPZ, is not a contraindication in my mind, as candle and veil are an unwise combination, so it is best to let the boys tote those big candles.
Suggestions that this might instead be a Confirmation portrait include her mature appearance: typical age at FHC is 8 years, while typical age at Confirmation is 13 to 14 years. Additionally, her shoes have enough of a heel for a teenager, too much for an 8-year-old. And look at that gold wristwatch over her elbow-length gloves! Again, it seems unlikely for an 8-year-old.
I've never heard of veils for Confirmation. Has anyone else?
Is she my Matynka grandmother, Clara Haremska? Our CHM was born in 1903 or 1909, depending on to which document we give our trust. Eight years of age would then be 1911 or 1917. Fourteen years of age would then be 1917 or 1923. Those all seem plausible to me from the look of the portrait details. Also, CHM and all the Haremska women have high brows like this mystery girl.
Clara Haremska married Adam Matynka in 1925. My Mom, our CAMZ, labeled the back of this 16" by 20" photographic print with the names and the date. Thanks, Mom!
The print is curled and tattered with age, but remains impressive.
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| Adam Matynka and Clara Haremska Matynka, 1925 |
So, again, the woman above and below is CHM, my Grandma Matynka. Is she our Mystery Queen Girl? What do you think?
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| Clara Haremska Matynka, 1925 |
Now let us consider the Mostkowska -Zdrojewska options. Here is the wedding photo of our JPZ and Julia Mostkowska. The date approximately 1920; Dad, our EJZ, was born in 1923.
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| John Peter Zdrojewski and Julia Mostkowska Zdrojewska, circa 1920 |
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| Julia Mostkowska Zdrojewska, circa 1920 |
Mayhap Mystery Queen Girl is my paternal grandmother, Julia Mostkowska Zdrojewska. What do you think? Her face seems more square, though. And here, alas, we have another covered forehead.
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| Julia Mostkowska Zdrojewska |
Is Mystery Queen Girl my paternal aunt Melania Zdrojewska? Melania was born in 1933 and died about 8 years later according to the story from Dad/EJZ. I suppose the portrait could be from 1941, but it seems less likely. If Melania actually lived to age 13 and this was her Confirmation photo, then the year would be 1946. Again, just from the look of things 1946 seems too recent a date for the photo portrait. Finally, we know that Melania died in the 1930s while Dad/EJZ was a high school student at Orchard Lake. So, scratch the Melania/Confirmation possibility with confidence. Melania/FHC remains a possibility, if we allow Dad/EJZ to have misremembered, and that Melania died in 1941 when he was a college student at Orchard Lake, not a high-school student.
I hope somebody actually recognizes this photo. If so, please let me know! If not, then I invite the spirits of my ancestors to visit me and set me straight on this. Let's talk, OK?
5 comments:
Her eyes are very light colored, aren't they? That's a difference I noticed between her and Julia, although I'm reading that it's possible for eyes to change at least from blue to green in adulthood. I also think her eyes are set a bit farther apart than CHM's.
Hi Emma,
Concur on both eye color points.
Set of eyes is complicated by the fact that CHM's face is tilted in the older, wedding photo. Also that darn headdress covers her forehead in same photo.
I'm leaning toward CHM right now, on the basis of that brow.
I find it hard to see Mystery Girl as either of the brides.
Starting with Mystery Girl, I note that her face would be heart-shaped if she had a widow’s peak. As you implied, the broad brow is distinctive, with widely spaced, large eyes. Her mouth is wide and well-proportioned. (My, what a beauty!) And her demeanor is serene and supremely self-possessed. (I find it hard to believe she is only eight, though her figure suggests that she can’t be much older than very early teens.)
So: Clara. Her mouth is a cupid’s bow. That feature looks quite different from Mystery Girl to me. And her face still has the roundness of childhood. (She must have been a young bride. She can’t be as young as Mystery Girl, but she looks less mature.) Without seeing her brow, it’s hard to be sure of the overall shape of her face, but her eyes don’t seem to be as widely spaced.
Julia is much closer, maybe a family resemblance. Beautiful big eyes, similar mouth. I agree that her jaw appears somewhat squarer, though the 3/4 view is hard to compare. Julia’s second photo is more full face, and again her jaw looks squarer than Mystery Girl's; and though her eyes are well-spaced her face does not seem to have tapered to it’s broadest at the eyes. The lower part of her face is more rectangular, not heart-shaped. What a shame we can’t see her brow in either photo. Is her nose slightly less delicate? If so, could that be an age difference? Julia does have a similar calm, self-possessed presence.
Barbara, thanks for the analysis. Concerning this part:
"So: Clara. Her mouth is a cupid’s bow. That feature looks quite different from Mystery Girl to me. And her face still has the roundness of childhood. (She must have been a young bride. She can’t be as young as Mystery Girl, but she looks less mature.) Without seeing her brow, it’s hard to be sure of the overall shape of her face, but her eyes don’t seem to be as widely spaced."
Shape of the mouth and eye spacing are definite features we can throw into the probability hopper, so to speak.
Roundness of face makes sense; CHM was an early bloomer and a young bride. Related to that is the story of somebody getting fresh with her at a social event, and Adam punching the guy. Adam spent a night in Buffalo jail for that - but he got the girl. Smoked cigars, too. No serape or cowboy hat, though; guess he did not need those.
Julia's more square jaw does present difficulty, as that is an unchanging physical feature. But as you point out, "big eyes, similar mouth."
Apologies for not putting up a photo with higher resolution. If anybody has another print of this photo, including a large one, I'd appreciate a high-resolution scan of it. Large one is okay because when shrunk to fit the blog, no resolution will be lost.
Thanks, B !
I'll chime in too, I suppose, to agree that she is neither.
Her face looks longer than Clara's, and I'd be surprised at that much of an eye-color change at that age, within what is likely just a few years.
And there is no way that those are Julia's jawline and nose.
:)
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