Phorgotton Old Fotos

Being from Filadelfia, I'm supposed to use the "ph" combination where the rest of the English speaking world uses the "f" letter. It seems to me that I ought to use the "f" letter where the rest of the world uses the "ph" combination.

Anywhoooooo...

Hidden away in a small cardboard box that was given to me recently by my step-aunt after she found it in my grandfather's cellar (the place where the ghost lives on a lumpy dirt floor) were more pictures. I estimate I now have about 300 "phorgotten old fotos" to sort through - some crumbling away as I lift them from the equally crumbly cardboard box.

As an aside, my step-aunt is now the proud owner of the oldest log house in Quakertown, PA. Let's hope the ghost(s) are good to her and her husband.

It seems fitting that as this is the month of June, the wed-ding-est month of the year, that we should look at some wedding pictures. I'm sure Far Side of Fifty thinks so... :)

So here is one - this is a large photograph. It measures about 8 1/2 by 9 3/4. One of the most interesting (to me) parts is the reversed lettering on the edge of print. I have no idea who the happy couple are - and I'm not positive - but I think my grandparents are standing on the far left behind the girl with the big white bow.

According to my parents, my grandfather's hair turned white a long time ago, perhaps in the 1930's - and no one recalls ever seeing him with dark hair. Maybe Far Side's expert foto-dating expertise can help us out - if these are my grandparents - I would guess they are about 20 and the year about 1930. If the foto date's is much earlier than that - than it couldn't be them.



Stuck to the back of the above photo, is a somewhat more modern foto. When I saw this, my eyes 'phelt' like they popped out! What they heck?!?


At first I wondered if there were any "little people" in my family, and if so, this would be a startling revelation indeed!

But looking more closely at the foto, the little people, seem to be, little as in youngsters as opposed to ...well, very short adults.

I scratched my head and pondered... and yes, Google is my friend... for I found that there used to be a fad where people had youngsters dress up for 'fake' weddings - called Tom Thumb Weddings. The inspiration for this silliness was this:

The Tom Thumb Wedding was inspired by the famous couple Charles Stratton and Lavinia Warren. They appeared at P. T. Barnum's, Barnum's American Museum in New York in the 1800's. Charles Stratton known as General Tom Thumb was deeply in love with Lavinia Warren. It was said they fell in love at first sight. On February 10, 1863 the couple married in New York's Grace Church. It was a Lavish affair.

...Everyone wanted to attend the ceremony. The only way you could get in to see the couple exchange their vows was to have an invite.

Shortly after, "The Greatest Little Wedding," people everywhere were putting on their own Miniature Weddings as plays. The Walter H. Baker & Co. of Boston put out a play 35 years later called, 'The Tom Thumb Wedding." It was published in 1898. Many churches and schools put on theses plays for the fun of it and also as fundraisers.

Source of Quote

When I mentioned "Tom Thumb Wedding," my mom gasped and recalled the setting for this foto. These children were members of my grandmother's church - as their Sunday School teacher, my grandmother was asked to stage a Tom Thumb Wedding as a fundraiser. My mom didn't remember how well that worked out or even when this took place (except "way back") - nor do either of us know any of these little ones in the foto that "suffered" through this bit of "tom-phoolery."

I hope you all have a nice weekend! My youngest nefew (The 300 Game Bowler) graduates from High School this weekend.