Too busy to stop knitting for a photograph

@JudyEv (342179)
Rockingham, Australia
May 1, 2018 9:55am CST
I was looking for a photo tonight and came across this one of, I think, a great aunt or possibly a great great aunt. Isn’t it gorgeous? I’m sure the photo would have been posed but it looks like she is knitting. The bonnet is pretty groovy too. And are you old enough to remember these old cane chairs? I have quite a few old black and white photos and feel privileged to have them. Heaven knows what will happen to them eventually. Maybe I’ll give them to the museum in my, and her, home town.
30 people like this
33 responses
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
1 May 18
She didn't want to waste any time. At one time, people were always busy doing something. They used to say that idle hands were the tools of the devil.
8 people like this
@Fleura (30541)
• United Kingdom
2 May 18
@JudyEv @1hopefulman 'The Devil makes work for idle hands'.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
I've heard that saying too. My mother was always knitting or darning in the evenings.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
@Fleura It was commonly heard in our household.
2 people like this
@Icydoll (36717)
• India
1 May 18
Your aunt is looking very gorgeous.. I also have some old black and white photos.
5 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
It's nice to have records of these times isn't it?
2 people like this
@Icydoll (36717)
• India
2 May 18
@JudyEv yeah it is
1 person likes this
@allknowing (137822)
• India
2 May 18
Knitting in those good old days was a part of every sophisticated lady (lol) She looks sophisticated alright (lol) Cane furniture is still alive and kicking.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
It's popular here for outdoor settings as long as it's under a roof and doesn't get wet.
2 people like this
@hostessman (11871)
• Tucson, Arizona
1 May 18
we have some old pictures to and i am not sure who they are
3 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
Some of ours have names written on the back but if they are too far removed, then even a name isn't much help.
1 person likes this
@WorDazza (15830)
• Manchester, England
1 May 18
I'm sure people still have those things in their conservatories in the UK. Cane chairs I mean. Although there may also be the occasional great aunt!!
3 people like this
@WorDazza (15830)
• Manchester, England
2 May 18
@JudyEv I'm prepared to bet stationary great aunts collect spiders and webs too!!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
@WorDazza Good point. I guess they did!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
I'm glad you clarified your statement! Cane chairs collect spiders and webs pretty quickly. They were very much the fashion once upon a time.
3 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
1 May 18
She must have seen a thing or two in her lifetime.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
I'm not sure how old she is there but she looks a good age.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112983)
• El Paso, Texas
1 May 18
Wow, that's an awesome photo. Were you able to tell what year it was taken in?
2 people like this
@rebelann (112983)
• El Paso, Texas
2 May 18
Wow, if it was taken that long ago then the old woman had to have sat really still for several minutes in order for it to be this clear @JudyEv I saw a show once on how photography got started and back then a person would sit or stand very still for several minutes while the photographer tried to make heads or tails out of an upside down image.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112983)
• El Paso, Texas
2 May 18
I read that the "negatives" were actually made of glass @JudyEv
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
I'm presuming the 1890s but I'm not positive.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (51407)
• Canada
1 May 18
It does look like she is knitting. I remember my aunt and uncle had a sun room on the end of their cottage, overlooking the lake, and it was filled with an assortment of old cane furniture. They even had the cane chest that my grandparents brought with them when they immigrated to Canada. Memories.....
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
Cane seemed to be very popular in that era. I guess it might have been cheaper than solid timber furniture and of course it was lighter.
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111938)
• United States
1 May 18
nice rare photo t here Judy
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
Thanks Alfredo. I love the bonnet.
1 person likes this
@rakski (126062)
• Philippines
1 May 18
Nice photo you got there. Most of them, aunts, great aunts or people who lives before especially the women knew how to knit. Do you also know how to knit @JudyEv?
1 person likes this
@rakski (126062)
• Philippines
2 May 18
@JudyEv I like crochet but I have not done anything big. I like cross stitching and I sew some quilted pillow cases before.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
I can knit and crochet but am pretty useless at sewing. I used to crochet for a shop and prefer it to knitting.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
@rakski I'd like to do cross-stitch but I think I'd get impatient with how slow it was. Crocheting is nice and fast.
@DeborahDiane (40321)
• Laguna Woods, California
1 May 18
@JudyEv - What a delightful woman. She looks like someone I would have enjoyed knowing. I love this photo. She looks like a very busy woman!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
She looks .... benevolent I guess. She obviously didn't have time to stop what she was doing. We all know how long these photographers can take to get set up.
1 person likes this
• Laguna Woods, California
3 May 18
@JudyEv - Ha ha! Yes, she was probably bored with the whole process! People at that time did not worry so much about how they would look in a photo. They weren't taking "selfies" and then using photo shop all the time! LOL
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 May 18
@DeborahDiane I know there is no way it can be just a spontaneous snap but that's more what it looks like.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247184)
• United States
1 May 18
Your aunt looks quite majestic in her hat and chair. The knitting is a great touch!
2 people like this
@DianneN (247184)
• United States
2 May 18
@JudyEv That's true, but that's what makes this photo so unusual and cool!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
@DianneN Maybe she was very down-to-earth and said 'you can take my picture but I'm not stopping knitting. I have to get this finished.'
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
It seems a bit out of character for the day. Mostly photo subjects were sitting up prim and proper.
2 people like this
• United States
1 May 18
Many people are collecting these old photos. I work in an antique shop and we sell LOTS of these old photos. So at least they aren't destroyed. Same thing with the chair. "Back in the day" people couldn't afford to buy knit sweaters and other knit clothing , so Grandma an even Ma would sit at night after a long work day and knit. Kudos to whomever thought to set this picture up, saving a bit of history for th "but it off the rack" generation. It does look like she's knitting something, possibly a scarf. Socks take four needles and sleeves are knit in pairs. Look really close at the right side and you can see something in her lap. The "bonnet" was worn by ladies back then to help keep their buns (they would gather their long hair up and twist it into a bun at the top of their head) in check. Only "loose" women of that era would have "short" hair. The lady in the picture's hair probably reached down past her waist, hence the bonnet.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
Thanks for the information. I hadn't thought about selling the photos. My grandmother had a bun as did my mother. Mum would knit at night or darn socks and always had something in her hands.
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 May 18
@BearArtistLady I would guess she is in her 80s and that the photo was taken in the 1880s/1890s. I agree with all your comments. I have old crochet books with patterns for 'jabots' which were worn to decorate the neckline of a dress and which might be what she's wearing here although it doesn't look quite the same.
• United States
3 May 18
@JudyEv It is so much fun to see a picture like the one you posred! It's even more fun dating the picture by the clothing style and the accessories. Looking at the close up I did of her on my tablet she definitely in her 80's and still doing a LOT of work where ever she is by the condition of her hands. It's truly a fantastic picture, I hope you'll post more.
1 person likes this
@mlgen1037 (29886)
• Manila, Philippines
1 May 18
Your great aunt looks adorable with her knitting. She still made time to look at the camera.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
She would have got into trouble if she didn't. They couldn't take dozens of photos like we can today.
2 people like this
@mlgen1037 (29886)
• Manila, Philippines
2 May 18
@JudyEv Yep that is right. We can have as many as we want today and have it edited anytime. Back then, when they take pictures, they really have to look at it or else the photographer will get mad?
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
@mlgen1037 You had to sit very still for some seconds I think. And people weren't encouraged to smile so everyone looks very stern in the old photos.
2 people like this
@buenavida (9984)
• Sweden
1 May 18
It is interesting to see old photos.. I have photos in my grandma`s album.. they are from the beginning of 1900..or around that time.. The women used to knit socks when they were walking long ways that time..
1 person likes this
@buenavida (9984)
• Sweden
2 May 18
@JudyEv Crafts, like knitting , is a good therapy, even in our days, and that time it was necessary to get some clothes etc..
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@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
My mother always knitted or darned socks at night in front of the fire.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
@buenavida It was a necessity back then.Nowadays it is often used as therapy.
1 person likes this
@sjvg1976 (41290)
• Delhi, India
2 May 18
She is looking very graceful. Yes these old memories are to be treasured. I don't have such collection of old photographs.
1 person likes this
@caopaopao (12395)
• China
5 May 18
@JudyEv I agree with you on that.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
I think she looks like a real matriarch.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
2 May 18
I love looking at old photos, I wish I had more of my own relatives. The one in your photo looks quite a character.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
3 May 18
@JudyEv It would indeed.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 May 18
It would be nice to sit down and have a chat with her.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (30541)
• United Kingdom
1 May 18
She looks a real character. Perhaps her knitting was so much a part of her persona that the photographer thought it would be a great picture. I have a lot f old family photos too, but mostly the subjects are not doing much other than holding a child, although there are a few photos of family picnics!
1 person likes this
@Fleura (30541)
• United Kingdom
2 May 18
@JudyEv What a lovely photo! What have you done with your old photos? Mine are all in a big box but I'm thinking of putting some on display.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
The rest of my old photos are very 'posed' too. Here is my Mum and her two brothers. Isn't it a beauty?
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
7 May 18
What a precious photo, she's definitely wearing a good example, of her lovely, intricate needle work:)
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 May 18
She looks a kindly old soul doesn't she?
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
8 May 18
@JudyEv Yes, and I'm envious of her contented and peaceful demeanor.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
1 May 18
How precious. It's nice you have the photos
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@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
I have quite a lot of really old photos. One day someone will have to decide what to do with them.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 18
@FayeHazel Thanks
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@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
2 May 18
@JudyEv I think they're lovely
1 person likes this