Wednesday, 20 March 2013

A most generous gift

To be blessed with dear and close friends is a wonderful thing, and when one of the dearest and closest arrives bearing a treasure, well, I was delighted and very grateful. This 19th century family photo album, leather bound and gilt edged, is full of unidentified photographs, now destined to remain a mystery for all time. Such albums constantly appear in estate sales, second hand or thrift shops and many go straight to the tip. A sad state of affairs but in this case my friend knew his album would find a good home with me, at least for my lifetime. Thank you MJM.





















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Wonderful photographs, taken with such promise, now tinged with sadness because their subjects are lost in time. Safe with me for now...

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Location:Wamberal NSW
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20 comments:

  1. What a treasure!
    I am glad is in good hands now, in your hands.
    xox

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  2. Anna, Lovely to have you visit! Yes, I think the album is a treasure and deserves a little mending so it may live on for years to come. xox

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  3. This is gorgeous! How fabulous that you received it as a gift. This book has been fondly put together and much love has gone into it by the look of the pages you have shared with us.

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    1. Lesley, I'm saddened that so many of these albums just go to landfill when it is, as you say, obvious that they have been lovingly assembled. I guess there is a lesson here that photos need attribution - names, places, dates...

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  4. Sue Brown is doing some lovely work with old photos
    http://suebrownprintmaker.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/lost-relatives.html

    And I keep meaning to do something with the p'copied photos of my father as a baby with his parents.

    If the district of origin is known historical societies can sometimes help.

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    1. Di, thank you for the link to Sue Brown; I do like what she is doing.
      I have so many family photos and I did get my mother to identify many of the people but there are still hundreds of photos that remain a mystery.

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  5. oh wow! what a wonderful find! ---- I too am saddened to think about such treasures as this ending up in landfill..... I love the floral illustrations!

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    1. Ronnie, yes, the floral illustrations are lovely. I need to do some research on the actual album to understand the production. I do know there were many made and years ago I thought I would try making one because it is an interesting binding, but never got around to it. The modern ones I've seen are not nearly as interesting.

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  6. What an incredible gift. I suspect that even if the photos had attribution some families would still junk them. Which is a crying shame. I would love to have an album of my own family from by-gone years but, if there was ever one, it has gone to god.

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    1. EC, Yes, I feel very fortunate to be trusted with this old album. I wish someone had written names on the photos but as I have neglected to do this with my own photos, I'm hardly in a position to be critical...

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  7. Don't you love it when someone special in your life knows you so well! So well that when they come across 'that most perfect thing' they recognize that you will cherish it forever!
    I love the book, love the printing in it, love the sentiment of the gift, and love the idea that it is yours!

    Enjoy!

    xxoo

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    1. Judy, I know I am blessed to have so many 'old' friends, some I've known all my life, many for 50+ years, others less but all dearly loved and appreciated. They know me well, as, I must say, do you!

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  8. What a wonderful gift, so beautifully done, such a shame such treasures are lost to the family. So glad you have it.

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    1. Penny, A truly wonderful gift! Even the covers are beautiful, and I do love seeing the clothes and poses of bygone times.

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  9. Makes me wonder if there is someone (other than you) who gives these old albums a home. There should be libraries for them!
    Such a lovely thing to have anyway.

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    1. Mig, my house already looks a bit like a home for old treasures! Not everyone appreciates them but while I'm in charge of my life I'll protect what I can. I do feel a bit sorry for my kids though, as the time will come when they have to 'deal' with my collections.

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  10. C - it is important that we have keepers such as yourself. B

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  11. B, keepers and makers! Both important but I'd really like to be a maker, producing beautiful objects as you do.

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  12. Carol, wow! what a treasure!
    Do you mind sharing some close ups of the insides of the front & back covers, the back of the spine and how each leaf is attached? just being a stickybeaked bookbinder!

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    1. Sure, Mo, I'll take more photos. It will make me more involved, too.

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