I love this photo so much! Wouldn’t it be perfect to hang in the kitchen?! That looks an awful lot like pancake batter going into the pan, but I wonder what is in the shaker that young Frank is holding? I don’t sprinkle anything on pancakes aside from the occasional blueberries. If not pancakes, what else might Grandma Duval be making?
Estelle is my great-grandmother, the one who eventually became a professional photographer. The little boy is her son Frank. This photo was taken in Bellingham, Washington on 4 November 1940. The photographer was most likely my great-grandfather, Frank Duval. Yep, another Frank. There are four of them in a row, plus a few others in different cousin families.
This photo comes from the collection of my Grandma, Deane Alice Duval, Estelle’s daughter. Here is the back of the photo, the handwriting is Estelle’s:
Happy Thursday, I hope you will scan and share a favorite old family photo today! xoxo
Maybe he was going to sprinkle cinnamon? Wonderful photograph!!
Thank you, Amy! Hmmm… cinnamon on pancakes, that would probably be quite tasty!
Such an unusual picture. Almost seems posed for a cookbook ad.
Right?! This was during the time period when my great-grandpa was perfecting his photography skills. He took a write-away course on photography and then taught my great-grandma and his sister who both started photography businesses. I think he was intending to be the photographer but then they both had more talent for it so he sort of passed the torch. I have some really cool shots from this time period where he wrote all of the camera settings on the back of the prints. He was so brilliant and intentional. Love it!! 🙂
Fabulous!
❤️
What a wonderful photo!
Thank you, Jana!! Did you start a new blog? I see a different web address on your comment.
I thought of cinnamon sugar. The “batter” looks more like hot milk. Doesn’t it look like she‘s holding the handle with a potholder. And stirring with her right? Maybe pudding?
Good eye Cathy!! I think you are right. I hadn’t noticed the potholder. I was so curious about the jar in Uncle Frank’s hand, the plate of something (sausages, maybe?) above the stove on the left, the thing hanging on the wall above the middle bowl (what is that?!), and the back of great-grandma’s hair that I totally missed that pot holder!! Pudding is a good guess. Or maybe a roux of some sort to make gravy from sausage drippings…? Now I’m even more curious! Haha. 😉
Amberly, gravy from sausage drippings sounds good. Maybe there is pepper in the shaker. This reminds me of the first and only time I had homemade biscuits and gravy for breakfast – special day and special memories.
I agree, pepper seems very logical. When I zoom in, it also looks very much like pepper.
Oh! I am glad this lovely photo reminded you of special memories. ❤️
Really gorgeous photograph Amberly! Such a lovely candid shot.
Thank you, Alex! I love it. I have so many impressively beautiful photos from this part of my family. I feel very spoiled.