Wistful Wednesday: Generations

This is a photograph that was taken 58 years ago, in the spring of 1952.  From left to right, me and my Mom, my Grandpa, and my Great Grandma Hatwig or Hattie.. A four generation photo.

This is the oldest photo that my Mother has, it may have been taken in Germany.  The children are the twin sisters Hatwig and Elsie photographed with their Mother who would be my Great Great Grandmother. From my work with old photos, this is a remarkable image from 1880, 1881 or 1882.  Part photograph and part drawing.  The twins were born in 1878 and they came to the United States to Missouri when they were four years old in 1882.  This photo may have been taken in Germany before they left for the United States.  Can you imagine another Grandma in Germany having only this photo to remember her grandchildren by?  How sad she must have been to see them get on a ship.  Times were different then, I guess that if your children had no hopes of owning their own land you would want them to move and go wherever they could make the lives of your Grandchildren better.

I fixed this photo for my Mother, it had many dark spots that distracted from it's beauty.   I know nothing of this Great Great Grandma..not even her first name.  We did not know that this photograph existed until a few years ago, my Mothers sister had it, it was among the things that was cleared out from my Grandparents home after they died.   She kindly shared it before she died.  I suppose that one of her children have this photo now..I wonder do they know who it is..will they appreciate it..or will it end up in a box in an antique shop someplace? Thank goodness I was able to copy this photo before my Mother returned it to her sister:)