There’s nothing like seeing a photograph of your ancestors! Even black and white, stiffly-posed portraits yield rich hints of inheritance. There’s your brother’s wiry hair, your father’s broad shoulders, mom’s delicate nose – all familiar in grainy sepia.
My aunt sent me a photo of my great-great-grandparents, Fredrick and Magdalena Eckhardt. She got it from a cousin. I pulled it from my files again today with the intent of writing about the information that can be found here: in expressions, in clothing, in accessories.
Check out Magdalena’s dress. She, of Pennsylvania Mennonite upbringing, daughter of an original pioneer settler who had made that 700 kilometre trek from Buck’s County to Niagara. Like Amish and other Anabaptist groups, the Mennonites promoted a simple, agricultural and community-based lifestyle. In about 1895, some Mennonite groups started enforcing a dress code of plain attire, emphasizing simplicity and for women, a type of cape dress, with a piece of square or V-shaped fabric covering the bodice and a veil-like head covering plus a bonnet.
And here’s Magdalena, sporting “leg of mutton” sleeves, the height of 1890s fashion. She certainly seems to be defying the “plain folk” dress code of her church! Does this tell us something about her, or about her relationship with her faith or her church during “The Gay 90s”?
As I pondered these questions, something tugged at my memory, sending me back to check the records. Found a bit of a problem: Magdalena died on June 3, 1869.
So now what? Is this really a photo of Fredrick and Magdalena? Is my fashion knowledge faulty? What else can I check to verify that the photo is in fact my great-great-grandparents?
Never mind trying to tease out personalities and attitudes from this picture. I’m back to basics: looking for more data.