I hadn't spent much time with the album when it arrived at my house because I was deep in revisions to my book at that time. I do remember noticing that few, if any, of the photos in it were labeled, some were in rough shape, and most of the people didn't look familiar to me.
But today, I took my time, and my patience was rewarded. My favorite find — the attention-grabbing hottie photo of G. Oliver and his friend, shown below — was tucked behind another photo and is in excellent shape.
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A young G. Oliver Riggs, on the left, with an unnamed friend |
Why had it been tucked behind another photo? Who's the friend? The photo is small – not much bigger than a postage stamp – and undated. Could it be from his student years at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music? Another mystery for me to ponder.
I also took the time to look more closely at three of the oldest-looking photos in the book, printed on metal instead of paper. What do you suppose – yes, G. Oliver turns up again in two of them, with his younger sister, Daisy. The third appears to be their father, Jasper. It's likely they were taken in Nebraska, where the family lived for several years when G. Oliver was a schoolboy.
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G. Oliver and his sister Daisy |
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Daisy and G. Oliver (who went by Oliver as a boy) |
The last photo I'm including here is of Islea. It's the first one that appears in the photo book. On the back of the photo, which was taken at a studio in Galesburg, Illinois, she wrote: "Myself at 14 years of age." The photo isn't in great shape, but I'd recognize her sweet young face anywhere.
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Gotta love the back of this portrait! So fancy. |
I eventually had to put the album aside so I could get more work done. But I'll go back to it soon and see if I can make any sense out the remaining photos. Minnesota goes under a stay-at-home order beginning at midnight tomorrow, so I should have plenty of time to go on a hunt for more treasures.
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