SOLEMN WOMEN

 


My 3xs paternal Great Grandmother, Mary Gould Chase

My paternal great great Grandmother, Lucy Chase Taylor, Daughter of Mary Gould Chase and wife of my great great Grandfather, Frederick William Taylor, M.D.  Sadly, she died when their daughter, my great Grandmother, Ella, was only 2 years old, so Ella was raised by her Aunt Susan and Uncle Goodlow Taylor, brother to Frederick.

My paternal great great Aunt, Susan Taylor by virtue of marriage to my great great Uncle Goodlow Taylor, brother of Frederick William Taylor, M.D.

My paternal great Grandmother Ella Chase Taylor Smedley, daughter of Lucy Chase and Frederick Taylor, and wife of my great Grandfather, John Kinsey Smedley.

My paternal Grand Aunt Elizabeth Bradley Hayworth, sister to my Grandfather, Frank Herbert Bradley

My Grand Aunt Helen Bradley, sister to my Grandfather Frank Bradley

My Grand Aunt Mary Ann Bradley, sister to my Grandfather Frank Bradley

My paternal Grandmother, Harriet (Hattie) Bell Smedley Bradley.  She’s not smiling, but neither does she look grim or solemn.  Just one of those “Don’t smile” portraits of the times – actually taken with her new husband, Frank Herbert Bradley on their honeymoon, but I left him out of the picture as this post features women only. J

My maternal Grandmother, Bertha Louise Parton Whitney.  While the others may have had such solemn expressions due to the time their portraits were taken being told not to smile, Grandma’s serious expression could very well have been conveying the worry of a single mother trying to raise two children on her own in 1920s-‘30s San Francisco.  Her full given name was Bertha Louise, but she chose to be called Louise which is why I called her my Grandma Louise.

My Mom, Lillian Adelle Whitney Bradley, daughter of Bertha Louise & Ira (Jim) Edwin Whitney.  She doesn’t look solemn, more like she’s slightly concerned about something she sees over her shoulder, but I love this picture of her – taken some time in the mid 1930s before she was married to my Dad, Herbert Kinsey Bradley.

And lastly we have me – 18 years old, freshly out of high school, having to look for a job in the fall of 1958.

:->

La Nightingail

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

On a happier, sort of crazy note, this photo was taken while I was posing for a photo to use with the announcement of my engagement in the newspaper.  I thought it would be a kick to use this one, but both families nixed that idea, so I had to settle for a more dignified one.  Shucks.

At least I could smile. J

Comments

  1. B. RogersJanuary 1, 2026 at 7:16 AM

    What a great group of serious (almost all of them) women and ancestors! I wonder if you have family albums with these photos in them. I just found a whole bunch of loose photos, which I need to scan, including some from a wedding in 2001. I'm storing them in a zip-lock bag for now. May the beautiful women in your photos continue to be admired, with or without a smile.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KristinJanuary 2, 2026 at 11:03 AM

    Such an historic and beautiful parade of your female ancestors through the years!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Molly's CanopyJanuary 4, 2026 at 8:16 AM

    An amazing set of portraits. Fascinated by the way the women went from hair to hats and back again down through the years. I would have voted for your wedding announcement choice — such a fun photo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mike BrubakerJanuary 6, 2026 at 9:00 AM

    Perfection! I have a theory that early photographers discovered that people had difficulty holding a smile for the longer exposures needed to make a photo, not to mention keeping their head and body stile. Any movement around the mouth would spoil a picture so there was no joking when posing for a camera. The expression "Say cheese!" must have been a photographer's invention to break that old habit when film technology improved. Another theory is that people stayed closed mouth because they were embarrassed for their bad teeth. That was the reason my grandmother always concealed her teeth whenever she saw a camera. She compromised by making a subtle Mona Lisa style smile.

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