This is one of my all-time favorite photos of my great-grandmother. Grandma Duval was a professional photographer. Grandpa Duval did all of the developing. He was pretty great behind the camera too. I don’t know if he took this photo or if Grandma used a tripod. She specialized in hand-painting portraits with oil paints. I love that she handpainted this photo of herself.
This portrait is a beautiful, large, framed print that hangs in my office. It is about 10 1/2 inches by 13 inches. I have been the proud steward of this photo for about eighteen years now. I had stopped by my Grandma’s house, Estelle’s only daughter, and saw this beauty propped up against a wall in the hallway. I was in awe. My Grandma asked if I wanted it. I was stunned and asked if she was sure. She said it was on its way to the trash can so I might as well take it. I’m so glad I stopped by that day! Can you imagine if this treasure had ended up in a landfill?!
Happy Thursday, I hope you will scan and share a favorite photo today!! xoxo
What a great photo. Thank goodness you rescued it before it went out in the trash!
Thank you!! Right?! I regularly feel gratitude that I stopped by that day. (I lived 2 hours away at the time.)
So glad you saved it!
Thank you, Ellen, me too!! ❤️
What a shame if it had been thrown out! Why would your grandmother do that?? Glad you stopped her!
Right?! Ummm…well, she threw a lot of treasures away over the years. Journals, photos, albums. Everything I managed to rescue feels like a real treasure!
And yet wasn’t she your genealogy mentor? How strange!
Hahahaha, yes very!!! My Grandma was an awesome and complicated lady.
So glad you saved this photograph from the trash can. Serendipity!
Me too!! Thank you, Cathy. ❤️
My in-laws threw out ALL the pictures belonging to their parents. Crazy!!
That IS Crazy!!