Origin of the Species

 I feel a bit like a time traveller at the moment, having spent any spare time in the last several days immersed in the past, searching for solutions to long held secrets.

It started with the Shropshire building I mentioned.  It seems the older I get, the more curious I become.  Either that, or I now have the balls to ask questions!  I'm no longer content to ponder the whys and wheres of something that piques my interest - I need to know.  The owner of said building has now made contact and hopefully, time permitting, I will be able to share its story (or elements of it) very soon.

Shortly after, my Mom finally unearthed some old French postcards (blank) she had discovered buried in a drawer when she was sorting through my grandmother's belongings after her death in 2013. 

The postcards name the artist as Lambert and originated in Paris.  All carry the instruction: "Work a light in front of figure" in French and English.  The illustrations appear to be paper cut figures adhered to the cards.  

Mom mentioned them to me in passing at the time, as a couple were a little risque, but we both promptly forgot about them with so many other important issues to resolve.

We are both mystified as to the age and original owner of these postcards.  My grandad served on the Arctic Convoys in the second World War, but was not the sort to seek out such cards, let alone buy them.  That leaves my great grandfather.  Again, it doesn't seem to fit.  I know he served in India and I've found his draft records from New York City.  Did he make it to Paris?  I don't know.  Were they even purchased in France or were they gifted to someone in the family?  We'll never know, but I love them.

Within 24 hours of first laying eyes on them, here they are, framed and on display.

A little research suggests that they are hand cut and the artist was working from circa 1900 - certainly into the 1920s. 

I also revisited a few old photos from the family album that had seen better days and used what Photoshop skills I have to restore them.  Sadly many were blurry to begin with, so the best I could do was remove the blemishes, brighten and sharpen them a touch.

Here's my great grandparents, unceremoniously identified by blue biro....

...and now

This is my late Dad jumping on a horse called Premier....

...and now.  He's still barely identifiable, but I know it's him and at least the photo appears intact.  

Finally, here's my Uncle Terry at a Gymkhana event, looking no older than 11 in this photo, clutching what would be one of many trophies and a rosette in his teeth.  It's sad that this part of the family history is confined to a handful of photos.  When my grandmother died, there were numerous trophies and rosettes and many were simply thrown away.  In their heyday, the brothers were a force to be reckoned with in equestrian circles, so much so they were on the radar of a young British showjumper, Paddy McMahon, who went on to be European Champion.

I think that this photo appeared in the local newspaper at the time.  Terry, who would always be of fairly short stature, was christened "Jack the Giant Killer" by the local press.

Here's the photo after my efforts.  Not perfect, but better.

Inspired by these activities and at the encouragement of blogger Vix Vintage Vixen: Family (vintagevixon.blogspot.com), I decided to join Ancestry.  I'm so glad I did.  I have disappeared down so many rabbit holes.  It's unlikely I will share much on here, as I can see it's going to take many hours to decipher and absorb my ancestors' stories.  That said, I'll just throw a couple of names out into the ether:  Charles Darwin and Wedgewood.  Ever heard of them?  I find this highly amusing, given that I always thought my Mom's Wedgewood to be boring and old fashioned and we have a Tortoise in the family (Fred, still living at the parental home). As an aside, we always used to wind up our late friend, Ed, by mispronouncing words.  One example was "evoluted" which we would use in many a conversation, much to his disdain.  He could never not correct us, but to this day, I'm not sure if he thought we were serious.

Finally, with a nod to the future, I've received the news that one of my photographs has been shortlisted for The Hive's Reborn Exhibition in Shrewsbury later in the summer.  Fingers crossed.

How have you been whiling away the hours on these rainy May weekends?