Last summer I was going thru old family pictures with my mom when we came across this one. It was tiny but the image was so dynamic and told such a story that I knew I had to make a print.
The photo is of my grandmother and taken by my grandfather when they were "courting". My grandmother, Maisie, passed away when I was in elementary school so I didn't know her very long or very well. What I do remember is that she worked for the phone company, she was a proper Baptist lady and always wore a house dress. She taught me to plant morning glories and pansies on the north side of the house, how to thread a needle in a lady-like manner, how to embroider and how to make a perfect pie crust. As her only granddaughter she tried very hard to teach me how to be a proper lady as well. Even though I still hear her voice when I thread a needle in my un-lady-like way (instead of delicately wetting my fingers and then rolling the thread end, I stick the thread in my mouth to wet it so it goes thru the eye of the needle easier), the whole "proper" thing didn't quite stick.
This picture brought back those memories and yet made me wonder what she was like when she was young. Here she is, alone, in a boat, with a man. Was she being shy? Coy? After all, later on in their wedding picture she is wearing a sea glass aqua silk flapper dress with rhinestones on it! Who was this person? I'll never know but I chose to portray her shy and proper - even if I did take away her shoes and stockings and give her a big red hat!
