Sunday Strays - Victoria BC Canada- a 'Movie Snaps' street photograph

Here's another stray photograph from my collection. Sad to say, but no names at all.  The Movie Snaps stamp is on the back though with the address and phone #. And a #   7717

On the back is written in pencil - "To Mother hope you like it"

Certainly looks like 1940s/early 50s clothing to me. Someone doesn't look too happy there. A nice early fall - or more likely - an earlyish spring day in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada?

According to David Mattison's Camera Workers, the British Columbia photographers database, Movie Snaps was in business at 707 Yates St., Victoria from 1949 to 1951. 

The City of Victoria Archives doesn't seem to have any 'Movie Snaps' photographs listed, but there are online photos of Yates Street theatres. 

Sunday Strays - Unidentified girls at the beach - old fashion swimsuits...

 A lovely summer? photograph - no information at all with it. 

The location looks faintly familar to me. Please let me know if you have a guess! 

Sunday Strays - A handsome fellow.

 Another photograph from my own Stray Photograph collection. This time it's a 'tintype' or more properly, a ferrotype. 

These were popular from the late 1850s, in some places right up until the mid 20th century. I've shown at least one before, taken in England at the seaside. Ferrotypes were quick to process, could be offered quite cheaply and made nice souvenirs. 

I wonder what prompted this photograph, who this young man was and what was the occasion? He is dressed in his best. It is inevitable that we guess - perhaps it was for his mother as he was going far away to work, or for his sweetheart. 

And I wonder who the photographer was. A careful person, I think. This one is nicely done. And coloured too.

We see its rough cut edges but when this photo was new it was likely in a paper or board frame or card so those were hidden. And the paper protector may have had the photographer's name, or even the sitter's. Long lost. 

This is is 2 1/2 inches by 4 inches - most ferrotypes are small. And this is a unique image; no negative. And reversed which might be of importance if you are one who, for example, compares ears in photographs! 

I have been asked before what the backs look like, so you can see here - just shiny black, with a bit of what likely was glue on edges. If you do have some of these, be careful not to get fingerprints on the front or back. Sometimes you will see those from past handling. 

If you are wondering about those odd metal photos in your own family collections, Colin Harding wrote a helpful blog article on recognizing ferrotypes for The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, UK. This includes a lovely video that shows a photographer creating a ferrotype. I think you will find it very interesting! 

"How To Spot A Ferrotype, Also Known As A Tintype (1855–1940S)" with video by Mark Osterman from George Eastman House. https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-ferrotype-tintype/

Meet Elsie and her twins - Sunday Strays

Elsie and her twins are not strays at all, of course, but this postcard is in my Strays collection, meaning (as far as I know) that Elsie and I are not related. 

This is a fun photograph which, if you read the postcard back, and look up more about Elsie, tells us something about images of women in the 1950s, but also how women could get ahead, given the best circumstances and a lot of endurance. Indeed, in some of her featured ads for Borden, she spoke her mind. In the 1940s, for instance, she asked "Why should only husbands have a night out?"

I tried to find out if Elsie has ever been on a visit to Canada, but haven't found any border records yet. She's certainly well known here and we'd welcome her, just not right now, of course. 

From the postcard back below. 

Elsie and her Twins in Person 1957

Elsie is in her canopied bed, the twins in their double size playpen.  For the little ones there's a twin size bassinet for nighttime and a two seater rocking horse for daytime. 

For Elsie, there's a library complete with antique victrola. Favorite albums - "Moo-in Over Miami", "Cow Cow Boogie" and "Jersey Bounce".  Favorite books - "The Farmer With Cold Hands", "Calves or Career",  "How to Live on 5,000 Quarts A Year". 

Elsie's quite proud of her cowsmetics table made from her grandmother's milking stanchion. Favorite necessities - "Meadow Mud Pack", "Tail Wave Set", "Eau de New Mown Hay". 

Elsie's unique Barn Boudoir, housed within a 35 foot trailer, closes into a comfortably compact unit for traveling. 

Apparently Elsie, along with several of her FAN group, began working for Borden in the 1930s. Not until the 1939 World’s Fair in New York did she appear 'live'.  She was a hit and has appeared at all kinds of events and other World Fairs. During World War II she sold $10 million dollars worth of war bonds; she's been in at least one movie, and even earned university degrees. And she and Borden published at least one cookbook. I'm on the lookout for a copy. 

Follow Elsie on Facebook.

Personal history: 

Born “You’ll Do Lobelia,” Brookfield, Massachusetts, USA.

Name change to "Elsie", circa 1939. 

Employed by Borden since 1936, an icon in advertising, and still working today for the Borden Dairy Company even during the pandemic. 

Married Elmer the Bull. (Yes, he also worked for Borden, but in the glue division.)

Children:  

Beulah and Beauregard (private records, born 1940s)

Lobelia and Larabee, twins - according to public records, born 1957. 

The twin's name Lobelia is obviously a nod to Elsie's birth name; Larabee's name derivation seems obscure. However, it might point to some family connection. Amos L. Larabee, with Josiah M. Jocelyn, both of Little Valley, New York, USA, filed a U. S. patent application (162,667) for a method of "manufacturing sweet cheese from sour milk" 16 January 1875. Specifications and Drawings of Patents Issued from the U.S. Patent Office, 1875, Specifications of Patents, April 27, 1875, page 1017. Accessible as a free ebook, Google Books. 

Read more about Elsie 

On the Borden Dairy Company's Meet Elsie page.

At The Life and Times of Elsie the Cow, written by Laurie Kay Olson on May 25, 2016 for Petslady.com.

Sunday Strays - DIXON, Sintaluta, Saskatchewan; BURDON, Corvallis, Oregon, 1910 - Day 11 - 21 Day Family Connections Experiment

Today is Day 11 of my 21 Day Family Connections Experiment.

These Sunday Strays are from my postcard collection - and not (as far as I know) related to my families. 

Names & places:  DIXON, Sintaluta, Saskatchewan, Canada; BURDON, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.

Two handsome fellows, one is the sender, I think. There is faint writing beside the photo, but I think it may have been transferred from another card or document, perhaps while stored in someone's album.  I was interested to see the cut edge of another photograph on this postcard; perhaps there is another very similar postcard in another collection? 

Sent to Miss Mary Dixon, Sintaluta, Saskatchewan, Canada. Postmarked Mar 6, 1910, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.

The message reads: Dear Mary  

I am getting along all right. Hoping you are all well. Write soon to

J J [?] c/o Mr Tom Burdon Corvallis Oregon RFD Rout 4

Mary Dixon may have been the daughter of William and Minnie Dixon. If so, it appears she was born in 1893 in Canada and later married Otto Carl Jansen.

I see a Thomas G Burdon (born in Canada, 1890) listed in the 1910 US census as living in Oregon with his mother, Susana, and a sister, Minnie.

If you know these people, please contact me.

While this postcard is not associated with my own families, it is in  my 'Stray collections'.  And every collector needs to have a plan and a conversation with their heirs about the disposition of these, if necessary.

So far, my plan is to have the Strays donated to the Vancouver Postcard Club. By scanning them and putting the details I have on the web, I hope to share them with appropriate families long before we need to worry about this. But this may spark a family discussion! 

For more about the 21 Day Family Connections Experiment, see my first Experiment article here.

Sunday Strays - JOHNSON, Shellbrook Saskatchewan / ERICKSON, Wilton, North Dakota

More strays from my postcard collection - this time one sent from Wilton, North Dakota, USA to Shellbrook, Saskatchewan in Canada, I think in 1910. ( The postmark isn't clear.) 

I did pick up this postcard in British Columbia, so it is possible that there is or was a family connection here. Might be another clue. Many from the prairies did 'retire' out here, of course. The weather is so much better! 

I can see there were several Johnsons around Shellbrook, Saskatchewan. And Ericksons around Wilton, North Dakota. Not making any guesses this time.

My (no doubt poor) translation of this message is that's it's greetings / love to all of you - from the ten of us.  A joke!  I'm hoping someone else can translate this better. Let me know what you think, please.

For the rest of the spring and summer, I'm planning on posting 'Strays'  on Sundays and 'Family Treasures' on Thursdays. Watch for them.

SUNDAY STRAYS & SURNAMES – Desson, Mackenzie, Miller, Walker of Goldstream and New Westminster, BC, 1909

 This sweet photo of Myrtl (or Myrte?) Desson, dated 1909, is from a postcard in my Stray Photograph collection and was mailed in Nanaimo, BC, 1909? (date mostly illegible). As always with hand writing, the spelling of names may vary.

To Mrs. D. MacKenzie, New Westminster, B.C. c/o Mrs. D.H. Miller, (811) Royal Avenue.

My Dear Grandma, Will answer your welcome letter soon and tell you all the news. The wee Babe is doing splendidly, gained almost a pound this last week. Love to Lena and yourself and a X to Hugh. Yours as ever, Daisy

 Another postcard in my collection with a faded photograph of Baby Walker, Goldstream B.C. was sent Sept. 22nd/09 from Albert to his “dear little cousin” and was addressed to:  H.H. Miller, Esq., 811 Royal Ave. New Westminster, B.C.

From directories, I see that D H Miller of 811 Royal Avenue in New Westminster was David H Miller who married Isabella Mackenzie in New Westminster in 1897.

I think the 'grandma', Mrs D MacKenzie, must be Mrs Duncan (Isabella Duncan?) MacKenzie.

Sunday Strays and Surnames - Berdillon in France

A Stray Document from France - 1940s?

A Student Identification Card (booklet style) for Jacqueline Berdillon in Paris.

This was a Vancouver, BC find, so there may be a Canadian connection to her or perhaps to her family.

 As of right now, I have no more information about her. But please do contact me if you recognize her name or know her family.

Inside of her card with photograph.

Front and back covers of the booklet.