I’m not sure about you but I enjoy a good snow storm. Not only is it pretty when you look out of the window, it gives us some downtime to organize, read or do whatever our heart desires. This past snowstorm I found myself organizing the photos on my laptop. As someone who takes many pictures over the course of a week, I had a lot of pictures and they all needed to be renamed, deleted or put into folders before I forgot where they were or where they belonged.
Whilst I was in the middle of organizing, I got to thinking about the photographs that are currently in the Summersworth Historical Museum on Main Street. We have pictures of older Somersworth homes, Somersworth buildings that are no longer around or look the same and then we have many Somersworth family pictures. Sadly many of those family members are now deceased and some no longer within living memory.
For me, the saddest pictures are those that we have no names to attach to them. The wedding pictures from long ago on a day that would have held so many memories, the graduation pictures that celebrate many years learning, and the family pictures with no references. Occasionally, you will find a place where a relative has written on the back of the picture frame and included the names of the individuals or at least those they knew. Other times there is nothing to indicate the date, people or place and I always feel sad when that is the case.
There was a time when having a photograph taken was a big deal. In the late 1800s and early 1900s there were a myriad of photographic studios in Somersworth. One of the most famous of these was the Etters studio that was located adjacent to the B&M station on Main Street but others like Gardener were also popular. The studios would generally imprint their name either on the finished photo or the cardboard frame and was an early form of advertising. The studios would offer the latest innovation in photographic materials and like most things in the Vistorian era the process was fast improving.
One of the earliest types of photos produced for the mass populace were the tintypes. Although these photographers were actually on iron backgrounds they earned the name as tine shears were required to separate them. The average price of a tintype was between 10 and 25 cents and the images are about the same size as a playing card.
Also popular would be the carte-de-visite. They were about 2 ½” x 4″ in size. They would also help the country pay for the Civil War in that between 1864 and 1866, a federal tax stamp would be attached to each card. Photos costing up to 25 cents were taxed at 2 cents while those costing between 25 and 50 cents were taxed at the rate of 3 cents.
Another popular type of photograph was the Cabinet Card. These were larger cards measuring in at 6 1/2″ X 4 1/2″. They would become popular in 1866 and would gradually push the CDV into relative obscurity. The museum holds example after example of these early forms of photographs and sadly most of them have no names attached to them. So many family memories lost to the annuls of time and yet so perfectly preserved in their Sunday best for all to see.
While we might never be able to trace the names on the photographs and I would hate to see this happen to your family pictures. So the next snow storm or free weekend, why not take the time to ask the seniors in your family to help you organize and label the people in your family pictures? You never know what you might learn about your relatives in the process after all.
Vacations are for making memories
If you are looking for something to do outside with the kids, the Somersworth Lions Club on West High Street is open for skating. It is worth checking on their Facebook page to make sure there are no issues before you head out and when they are officially open. It’s a great way to get some exercise in though while we can. If you’re like me and you can’t skate, you can always grab some great photos. While the Lions Club offers this service at no cost, please consider leaving a donation if you do go skate. You can find all you need to know here: https://www.facebook.com/SomersworthLions.
If outside is not your thing but the kids need to burn off some energy, Hilltop Fun Center is open this vacation week and offers some great rates on laser tag. They are open each day in February from 11 a.m., onwards and are offering some great rates this vacation week. All you need to know can be found here: https://hilltopfuncenter.com/
That’s all I have this week, so until next week stay safe, keep wearing those masks and please be kind to one another.
This column fort appeared in Fosters Daily Democrat on February 23rd 2021.