Lucy Albertine Helene Traulsen

Subject: Lucy Albertine Helene Traulsen
Age: 15
Date: Spring 1906
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Occasion: 8th Grade Graduation
Photographer: W. L. Stein, 452 Mitchell St., Milwaukee.

I posted this photograph on Facebook during Mother's Day week, sans the border. This view gives you the actual photograph. As Waswo has pointed out in previous posts, during this time, the mounting on heavy cardboard allowed you to stand the photograph without a frame.

If memory serves me correctly, Lucy, my grandmother, went no further in her education. She was fortunate as a young woman during this era to receive any formal education. My Chicago female relatives were not as fortunate as many did not even make it to the eighth grade and were required to leave school in order to work. From eighth grade, Lucy went to work in the family bakery. In future posts, I will provide more detail into the life of a female bakery worker.

Getting back to the photograph, in my opinion photography during this era was truly an art form. From your first glace you can just feel the preparation the subject and photographer went through to capture this special moment. Lucy was so beautiful, you can feel her youth radiate. Think how happy this moment was. She completed school and graduated. She received this beautiful new dress, and perhaps even the locket in the photograph was a graduation gift. I love the high white socks and the white shoes with the white bow. Lucy must have felt all grown up, diploma in her hand and ready to meet the world. I am so happy that my great grandparents had the means to capture this special day, and that it persevered for 104 years! I feel very fortunate to have this very special photograph of a person who I not only loved, but was so special in my own life.

My Cousin Waswo commented on this photograph on Facebook, "Wow Wicho...this photo is just a stunner. Not just because it is Grandma Lucy. It is just an exquisite portrait, a beautiful photograph. You are lucky to have it. Would be interesting for you to start a blog about your collection. Post one photograph each week and write a little family history. Seems like you might enjoy it, and it'd certainly be great to read."

And so the humble beginnings of this blog.