Crimson Album, a Golden Treasure
Underneath a stack of stuff in one of the bedrooms my sisters and I sorted through, a red album appeared. It was really not very crimson, but more magenta in hue. To whom did it belong? What was inside?
Behold! A scrapbook album my grandmother Fannie Martin Longenecker created probably when she was a teenager:
Grandma Fannie Longenecker Album of postcards, 10 x 13 inches
The Secret: Inside the Album
I knew Grandma was fancy before she became plain, but I never knew she had an artistic bent, autographing her album in decorative script and drawing a picture of her self, the ultimate Victorian selfie! The squarishness off her adult long-hand is evident here, especially in the capital letters.
The Sass
Victorian postcard artists kept a lid on romance, never straying too far into the sexy or salacious. In the scene below, the boastful driver with two armfuls of maidenhood seems to be oblivious to a recent car crash. His own? What’s the story here?
The reverse side of this card gave no clue to the sender. Probably Grandma thought the card was clever and kept it.
The Sensible, another page from the album
In Mother Longenecker’s household, each day held a prescribed task, just as in the postcards above. On Monday, Mom filled her wringer washer with soft well-water and Ivory soap flakes and hung her clean clothes on a line with clothespins. Tuesday was reserved for ironing with a hinged board that pulled down from a built-in wall space in our kitchen.
Mother sewed, but not necessarily on a Wednesday, and she baked but not always on Thursday. For certain, she cleaned on Friday, which extended into Saturday when I was old enough to help out and eventually take over the task.
The motto on the wall reads “Bear and For Bear,” appropriate for the anthropomorphic animals pictured here. As the story goes, my Uncle Clyde Metzler, a pastor who officiated at many weddings at Hernley Mennonite Church, told the starry-eyed couple “There are two bears in your marriage: Bear and forbear. Remember that!” Of course, such would be true for relationships of all kinds.
The Ugly Truth
You may think because we handle elegant artifacts, my sisters and I are sitting primly at a table with white gloves fingering each memento carefully.
Wrong!
We have been working from attic to cellar, sometimes in the cold as here one day in March. The “Mennonite” mummies are my sister Jean and I exiting the cellar with trash.
Let’s chat! Your comments always brighten my day . . .
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I think it is so lovely when we discover gems like this it gives us such an insight into that person which we may not have known. What a lovely find 🙂
It’s good to hear from Thailand first thing in the morning. Yes, Carol. Insight, it was. I had no idea my grandmother had such an artistic flair. Such things make digging worth the effort.
What an amazing find, Marian! I have a scrapbook that my mother put together for me when I graduated from high school. Now I’m wondering who will discover it when I’m gone.
Your mother bequeathed you a lovely artifact. Yes, it’s interesting to speculate who next will treasure it as a family heirloom. I thank you, Jill.
Good morning, Marian. Happy Wednesday! You have found such treasures, Marian! I wonder what else was in that scrapbook? Your grandmother had artistic talent–she captures a lot in that little sketch.
I laughed at the photo of you and your sisters. I guess the masks were for dust? Good idea!
I’ve re-subscribed to your blog.
The scrapbook was a repository for postcards only. Except for the drawing and autograph, I found about two dozen pages of cards. The masks were for dust, dirt and spider 🕷 webs which we’ll find more of in the attic I’m sure. Thanks for your early-bird comment and for refreshing our connection here, Merril.
Your blog appears faithfully in my box each Wed., Marian. From now on, I’ll imagine you darning socks as you see the comments pour in. 🙂
Glad to hear our connection is secure. At the moment I’m on a flight to PA again, waiting for the door to close. No darning socks for me today. We forge ahead with more sorting and salvaging. 😊
Thank you, Marian!
Thank for reading and taking the time to comment, Jack.
Ah! Your grandmother’s drawing does indeed remind me of my mom’s “drawing faces” hobby I wrote about recently. And the bear and forebear is a good quote, no matter how old.
The photo of you and the trash give me pause: what will my poor daughters have to go through one day, unless I get more vigilant about what I keep, what I throw.
I do remember your post showcasing your mom’s drawings not so very long ago. We both feel proud of these artistic snippets of our heritage. About the trash: When we moved last year, Cliff and I estimate we threw out or recycling about 1/3 of our stuff each. Now because of the clearing out of two additional houses (Mother’s and my aunt’s), I am ruthless with stuff. Nothing stays unless it gives joy. Most of it doesn’t, especially mail. Magazines are passed on or put into the recycling bin.
Years ago, one generation followed the other within the same house, so things accumulated. What they had was valued more highly too. According to those who manage estate sales, the Millennials and Gen-Xers don’t care much for antiques, which seems sad to me.
That was a true little treasure Marian. Not just for the insight into your grandmother but also as a record of what the times were like from the postcards.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
Yes, Sir David, as we sift through stuff to find these treasures, it’s easy to notice how my grandmother’s fashions and correspondence chimed with the times. Huge hugs back to you too!
While I was entering material, my long message was erased so I will just say I enjoyed your grandmother’s post card scrapbook and ask what your connection is to
Brooke Warner? She Writes is publishing my latest novel in September.
I miss seeing and talking with you since I am retired (or retread) these days.
BTW, my new website will be up shortly.
I hate when that happens: long messages disappearing into the ether. My email saves a draft as I type, so my words don’t do a disappearing act. Not so on blogs. Thank you for persisting anyway.
Good for you: Another novel being published. I took a memoir writing course with Linda Joy Myers and Brooke a few years ago. She Writes Press has a great reputation. I look forward to your new website – and the novel in due time. Thanks for reading and commenting today, Ruth!
How wonderful to find this scrapbook and the treasures inside. Love the bears at their daily tasks. Nice to learn something new about your grandmother. This was no doubt a daunting task but rewarding all the same!
Without scrapbooks, photos, and correspondence I’d miss the detail in my ancestor’s lives. So, yes, it is wonderful.
You mentioned that this was a daunting but rewarding task. It’s still going on – in the present tense – so there’s more to come! 🙂
I like the play on words: “bear” and “forbear” as well as “I have too much on my shoulders…” People used to be more discrete than they are now!
Wordsmiths like you would notice puns and double entendres. Thanks for mentioning it, Elfrieda.
Yes, the Victorians valued discretion which evokes more mystery and intrigue than blatant sexuality, don’t you think? I still haven’t solved the mystery of the car crash and the cuddly threesome which appear on the same postcard. Maybe someone else will comment with clues.
Marian — I love Grandma Fannie’s ultimate Victorian selfie! My mother would say, “She’s a woman of sneus and vinegar!” (that’s a huge compliment).
And the mennonite mummies are a crackup!
I’ll take that compliment from your mother on Grandma’s behalf.
About the Mennonite mummies: We are still at it, but without the sweats and headgear. Thanks, for this – and for the Twitter share as well, Laurie.
Your grandmother Fannie lives on through these treasured artifacts, Marian. You must feel like an archaeologist, digging for remnants of a past life. How wonderful to get to know her and the times in which she lived through this arduous sentimental journey. Thanks, as always, for sharing your family treasures.
I’m not sure we are archaeologists, but we sure are part of a huge excavation project. But you certainly have hit the nail on the head about this Journey: It is arduous and it is emotionally charged. Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing with a sweet tweet, Kathy.
How fun it must be to go through the artifacts and put pieces of the puzzle together about things you didn’t know about them. Loved the cellar attire. 🙂
Putting together puzzle pieces is a great 👍 metaphor for what we have been doing since January. Our attic attire will resemble what you saw here minus the headgear. I’m hoping we look less like mummies tomorrow. 😊
I love that postcard, Marian. I think the driver is trying to comfort the traumatised ladies after car crash ordeal, but I like the words even more “I have so much on my shoulders I have no time to write more”, hence the postcard: very witty.
It must be quite a task emptying and cleaning the house. Sending lots of positive energy your way.
Thanks for mentioning the witty postcard. I think you are spot on “reading between the lines” about the driver and traumatized ladies, Fatima. Even more I appreciate your sending positive energy. I can feel the surge – thanks!
Lovely as ever and I love knowing the truth behind all this loveliness … mennonite mummies! Wow!
Today we are tackling the attic where the squirrels have wreaked havoc. We are calling in reinforcements now!
Thank you for reading between the lines and offering a comment here. I’ll read it as emotional support, Joan.
Thanks Marian…….I enjoy reading your blog……I don’t always comment since my life is full with “my own family” and their lives. Two grandchildren are in CO with YWAM. Several are in college…….some are playing softball locally and one just got married on March 24, 2017. He and his new wife are coming for supper…need to get food prepared 🙂
Bertha, I am thrilled that you squeeze reading this blog into your all-ready busy life. Obviously you are enjoying sports and the fellowship of family meals with two generations. Congratulations on the marriage of your son and wife. I’m sure they will enjoy the good food around your table. Again, thanks for stopping by with a comment today.
What a lucky find . It’s a really good excuse to make a cuppa and really absorb this memorabilia left by Grandmother Frannie , I can almost see the joy on her face if she could only see you .
I kept a scrap book in the 70s , it’s in the loft😜😏😛as we speak . I was a fan of The Bay City Rollers ( do you remember them ?) I have snippets about them and bits and bobs . I might just have a little look and a smile …I suggest you do too .
Cherryx
I haven’t thought about my Grandma’s pleasure in our reaction. Thanks for giving me such a pleasant thought. You have lots of treasures in your loft: Because you sent me photos, I can picture them in the nooks and crannies of your special place. I will check into the Bay City Rollers when I have the time – thanks for cheering me on and adding your own special highlights. You are a dear, Cherry.
Love the crimson album and that sassy postcard!
You are the mistress of colour. I would expect that you would notice that first thing. Thanks for showing your gift of observation here often, Lad Fi.
Just curious, but how much do you suppose a post card cost then? And how much to mail?
I can’t tell about the cost of postcards, but the postage stamps ran from 1 cent and up, increasing by the decade. None of Grandma’s postcards seemed to have more than 3-cent postage. A previous blog post shows the reverse side of some cards with postage displayed: https://marianbeaman.com/2017/04/12/easter-2017-nod-kind-civil/
Thanks for asking, Athanasia.
I think, vaguely, that postcards were .05 cents when I was younger. I remember looking at them in the spinning rack at the drug store. They would be local and state relevant…the Capitol building, the state map, the wish you were here type with generic fishing and farm views. I always wondered who would be excited to get a picture of cows? They were all so ordinary, nothing exotic or fancy. Though now I know that it is the content of what is written on the card and the effort taken to write upon and mail that card is that is important. “I’m thinking or you and you are important to me” is the read-between-the-lines unwritten statement of the card.
Welcome, Athanasia. The fact that you analyzed the scene on the card shows you were discerning as a young person. I never get postcards anymore except from my son when he and his family go on vacation. Now that I think of it, I’m lucky enough because it communicates thoughtfulness and caring as you say. Thank you!
Kudos to you and your sisters for taking the time and effort to find gems such as this album. To care about your family’s history, and that the lives of your ancestors matter. Fascinating and wonderful.
Tons of time and effort exactly; you got it. We three musketeers are plowing through mounds of stuff as you can imagine, finding original poetry and super-duper photos sandwiched in piles of junk. You see why it’s so hard to just throw everything out nilly willy. We are saying yes to outside help as we speak.
Thanks for noticing, Pam.
Oh my. Underneath the beauty and the charm is the mess. Isn’t that the way life is? But you’re finding invaluable hidden treasures about your grandma. Her artistic nature and the ways she was fancy. After the cobwebs are cleared, this gift will remain.
I love what the minister said. Some relative of Vic’s, maybe his mom, gave us a trivet when we were married that said, “KIssin’ don’t last. Cookin’ do.” I was so offended. Later, when I came across the trivet packed away somewhere, I could laugh.
You got it: cobwebs, mildew, and junk. Treasures among the junk: crystal pitcher, cute wagon toy and Priscilla magazines from the early 1900s and antique Mason jars. Oh, and an ancient bottle of Oberdorfer-Weiss malt liquor.
The fact that you could laugh about the message on the trivet proves that you and Vic moved from the lust of early romance to deep, abiding married love. That’s my take on it . . .