They all were either friends or acquaintances of Emma Beauvais Thomas. We may never know which. Here are their images and many others from:
The Emma Beauvais Thomas Grumley Collection – Part Five.
Regular followers of this space will already know that many of my most recent posts have featured vintage images that were once collected by the young Emma Thomas, daughter of William Lyman and Kate Sutton Thomas. They may recall that a large number of these images were of mostly unidentified persons. Not all of them but most.
I sorted some of these images by type and others by what photographer’s studio in which they had been made. These are a wonderful sampling of some of the folks that once populated our town and neighborhoods…and they’re wearing their best clothes! I think you will enjoy seeing these as much as I did.
A Merry Xmas from Ruth to Kittie. Kittie was Emma’s sister who, after a visit to Rolla, died from typhoid fever at age 20 in 1896. I don’t know who Ruth was.The back of the prior image. Emma would name her first child, a daughter, after her lost sister, Kittie.No identification for this gentleman.This photograph and the one prior are of a type know as cabinet cards.I find the studio advertisements on the backs of these very attractive. You are probably noticing the ghost images of photos that had once been stored next to them.Three gentlemen riding the newly invented bicycles know as safeties. There are three gentlemen who appear in a lot of these photos. Are they all of the same three gentlemen though? I don’t know.The only thing this image has in common with the next two is a black felt looking mount.And another one.And the last one.There are three photographs that each feature a bridge. They appear to have been made at the same time but it is a different bridge in each photo?
See what I mean. Three images, three bridges, all different. And what is that guy doing down in the creek with a suit on? Teenagers. Must have been the day after the prom.Assuming these are the same folks, here they are on another bridge or perhaps it is the middle one of the last three?Same image as the one prior. They appear to be having a good time. Everyone of them is wearing a hat.This is an excellent photograph. There is a lot going on but look out? The alcohol has showed up. Things are about to get wild. Scary to me is that pushcart. I believe there is some serious labor involved with that.This has to have been a crap game. Who are these other guys and what happened to the girls? Must have been a different day.
Time evaporates when I start putting one of these posts together. I didn’t get to Alice Hines or Nelle Trigg or H.D. Rogers but I will next post. There is still much, much more to come all made accessible by the generosity of Chrissie Hayes McConnell. Much thanks.
I feel a little more cheerful now that springtime is just around the corner.
Be safe. Wear your masks.
Doug Houser February 20, 2022 or as you know 02/20/2022
6 COMMENTS
Middle bridge picture: is that where John Travolta got his dance moves for his role in “Saturday Night Fever”?!?!
First bridge picture reminds me of a bridge in Brentwood’s Memorial Park, near the roller rink and playground (looking north from the creek). But I don’t believe the park existed back when the photo was taken.
Hey Toni, that’s a good catch. That definitely is a pre-Travolta pose. I don’t want to think too much about that disco era or I’ll get one of those idiotic songs stuck in my head again.
As for the bridge, I didn’t know there was one in Brentwood’s park. The park might not be old but the bridge could be. Odds are against it but you never know. Thanks for your comments. Good to hear from you.
I appreciate seeing these great photos Doug. Thank you so much. I find it very interesting that in many of the photos from long ago, everyone seems to be all dressed up, even when outdoors. My Dad really enjoyed bowling and was on many teams. In all of the pictures of him bowling, he always had on nice slacks, shirt and tie.
Nancy, You are very welcome. I agree. We definitely get a good look at their best duds in these old images. Thanks for weighing in. Good to hear from you.
Hey Gary, I suppose it is possible for the bridges to have been in Forest Park but there is no information to indicate that they were. The backs of those images are blank. I think that the River Des Peres as a location for them is a good guess. It runs very close to our eastern border. Emma’s mom and pop, owned the Ellendale subdivision which runs right up to it. Perhaps there are other images in the collection at SHSMO that are of the same bridges. That would be cool if one of the researchers there recognized the locations. Thanks for your observations.
Hi Doug, your dedication to Maplewood history is remarkable. The bridge the folks are sitting on is definitely the middle bridge as evidenced by the double 4x4s, the 4×4 attachment on the outside of the girders, their spacing and finish at the 4×4 bottoms. I wonder if the views may have been late 1800’s Forest Park. The River Des Peres meandered throughout the park in those days before being buried underground in huge concrete pipes for the 1904 Worlds Fair. The heavy stone buttresses for such a narrow stream suggest the streams were not rural and there may have been several bridges in the park then, this plus 3 photos suggest the bridges were in proximity of each other. Also, how many folks wear their good clothing to go on a rural jaunt? Do the pictures show any St. Louis markings? The park was distant from the main city and heavily forested.
Middle bridge picture: is that where John Travolta got his dance moves for his role in “Saturday Night Fever”?!?!
First bridge picture reminds me of a bridge in Brentwood’s Memorial Park, near the roller rink and playground (looking north from the creek). But I don’t believe the park existed back when the photo was taken.
Hey Toni, that’s a good catch. That definitely is a pre-Travolta pose. I don’t want to think too much about that disco era or I’ll get one of those idiotic songs stuck in my head again.
As for the bridge, I didn’t know there was one in Brentwood’s park. The park might not be old but the bridge could be. Odds are against it but you never know. Thanks for your comments. Good to hear from you.
I appreciate seeing these great photos Doug. Thank you so much. I find it very interesting that in many of the photos from long ago, everyone seems to be all dressed up, even when outdoors. My Dad really enjoyed bowling and was on many teams. In all of the pictures of him bowling, he always had on nice slacks, shirt and tie.
Nancy, You are very welcome. I agree. We definitely get a good look at their best duds in these old images. Thanks for weighing in. Good to hear from you.
Hey Gary, I suppose it is possible for the bridges to have been in Forest Park but there is no information to indicate that they were. The backs of those images are blank. I think that the River Des Peres as a location for them is a good guess. It runs very close to our eastern border. Emma’s mom and pop, owned the Ellendale subdivision which runs right up to it. Perhaps there are other images in the collection at SHSMO that are of the same bridges. That would be cool if one of the researchers there recognized the locations. Thanks for your observations.
Hi Doug, your dedication to Maplewood history is remarkable. The bridge the folks are sitting on is definitely the middle bridge as evidenced by the double 4x4s, the 4×4 attachment on the outside of the girders, their spacing and finish at the 4×4 bottoms. I wonder if the views may have been late 1800’s Forest Park. The River Des Peres meandered throughout the park in those days before being buried underground in huge concrete pipes for the 1904 Worlds Fair. The heavy stone buttresses for such a narrow stream suggest the streams were not rural and there may have been several bridges in the park then, this plus 3 photos suggest the bridges were in proximity of each other. Also, how many folks wear their good clothing to go on a rural jaunt? Do the pictures show any St. Louis markings? The park was distant from the main city and heavily forested.