My Aunt Tiny sent a B&W photograph to Lynn. At 95 years young, Tiny stumbled on the photo and thought that Lynn would get a kick out of it.
I have seen the photo many times before & I believe it is part of a marvelous 3D montage that Alan made and graces the wall of their “teddy bear & family museum room”.
The picture is of Mom & Dad sitting in their brand new 1952 MG TD… top down… in front of Buckingham Palace. There is a Grenadier of Guards and three casual strollers in the background. Mom is wearing a light coloured suit, black hair worn shorter than I remember it & a hat (boy do I love women wearing hats). Dad is wearing a dark coloured suit coat or perhaps a blazer, and from the angle of the shot you can clearly see his ever present silk foulard pocket square peeking out from his breast pocket. They both sport easy smiles… not one of those huge smiles that’s mid-flight to a laugh, no just simple smiles of warmth or of a sunny day. They were both 40 when the shot was taken… back on Orange St. in New Haven I would have been 2.
Alan has lovingly returned the MG to, as we say, mint condition. He has changed the colour from its original Fire Engine Red to British Racing Green. Nostalgia aside, I prefer the Green.
As I say, I have seen the photo numerous times… I do love it. But what makes this photo more special is the inscription written to Tiny on the back in Mom’s distinctive cursive style…
“London 1952
She rides like a top.
She has 4 shifts.
You’ll love her —
Love, Sid + Eve”
Not an inspirational message… no poetry. But I am drawn to Mom’s handwriting… it’s like an unexpected visit… handwriting is very much like a voice… it conveys more than words, it conveys emotion at different level. It is a unique expression. It’s a shame. We have become PC & Email dominated. I do a fair amount of writing, virtually all of it on a PC… and while I do my best to project my feelings thru my words, there is still a small piece missing… my handwriting… the uniqueness of the hand that put the words down on paper is missing.
The photo I love… but this morning I have turned the photo to the reverse side so I can see Mom’s hand.