Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.01.2008, Page 6

Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.01.2008, Page 6
Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca 6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • 15 January 2008 A Case of Mistaken Identity The notion that all photos in an album must be of family members is not necessarily accurate, and trying to identify photos on this basis can result in mistaken assump- tions. One of the most memo- rable cases of this stands out not because of the discovery of the true identity, but because of the reaction to it. Word was received at Hofsós one day that a family group from the US was on the way. All were descendants of the same emi- grant couple, and one of them, as it turned out, was a very keen family historian who had corre- sponded with me. Starting with very little information, she had unravelled the entire story of her ancestors’ emigration from Ice- land and settlement in Minneso- ta, which she had recorded in an exceptionally well-researched booklet. The one thing missing when the book was created was an early family portrait, but a rela- tive had subsequently discov- ered some old photos passed down in the family, and this had brought new hope that a family photo might exist. Determined to make it so, the family histo- rian had concluded that a photo of a couple with two small chil- dren, taken in Minnesota must be the long sought-after family portrait. Copies of the photo had been distributed to all. To my surprise, when I was shown this newly-discovered family treasure, I recognized it as a photo of Rev. N. S. Thor- láksson, at one time of Minneo- ta, MN, together with his wife and children. In my enthusiasm to share this identification, how- ever, I underestimated the im- portance this photograph had taken on for the researcher who had finally found “the family portrait.” Not only was she dis- appointed, but very reluctant to believe this information. In ret- rospect, I have often wondered if it would not have been better to have said nothing. A Case of Conflicting Identities? It is not uncommon for confusion to exist around photographs that are more than a century old. A classic case of con- flicting identities involves a picture of an elegant young woman photo- graphed in Calgary about 1889. Two unrelated families both claim her as their grandmother. It was during a visit to Markerville, AB, in Oc- tober 2006 that I first saw this striking photograph, which was identified there as Sigríður Mag- núsdóttir (from Efri-Hreppur in Skorradalur), who had worked in Calgary prior to her marriage to Kristján Jóhannsson. It even seemed to me that the owner of the photo bore a striking re- semblance to the woman in the photo. Now, this same photograph has turned up in Winnipeg, where it is identified as Svava Jónsdóttir Strong, the wife of Jón Kjernested at Winnipeg Beach. Svava, whose parents settled at Markerville, was also in Calgary around 1890. Three copies of this photo are in the possession of Svava’s grand- daughter in Winnipeg. Photo Vintages as Clues Being able to date a photo- graph with relative accuracy can be useful in proving or disprov- ing an uncertain or contested identification, but dating photos by analyzing fashions, etc. is far from an exact science. Fortu- nately, in the case of Icelandic photographers working in Can- ada and the US, fairly extensive timelines and sample photos have been posted on the Internet (www.sagapublications.com), and it is therefore possible to pinpoint with some accuracy the date of photographs from stu- dios such as Baldwin & Blondal of Winnipeg, A. Solvason of Cavalier, ND, or S. Magnus of Minneota, MN. In the case of photographer Jón Blöndal, many of his pre- 1891 photos are marked “Best & Co.” After buying the Best & Co. studio at 1 McWilliam Street W. in 1891, however, Jón used the name Baldwin & Blondal. From 1891 to 1894 the studio address was 207 - 6th Ave. N., but late in 1894 this changed to 207 Pacific Ave. The Baldwin & Blöndal studio then became the Bell Studio in 1901. With this information, it is possible to di- vide Jón Blöndal’s photographs into pre-1891, 1891 – 1894, and 1894 – 1900. Determining location is another matter. Jón Blöndal travelled extensively, so many photographs with his Winnipeg address were actually taken on location in the various Icelandic settlements. One of the first successful identifications based on photo vintage involved a Best & Co. photograph (pre-1891) of a woman — possibly a widow — with two little girls. From other photographs with identi- cal backgrounds and props, it was evident that this photo had been taken at Icelandic River in 1889 or 1890. The process of elimination suggested that this might be Jóhanna An- toníusardóttir, a young widow who had emigrated from Ásun- narstaðir in Breiðdalur in 1888 with two daughters, eight-year- old Ingveldur and six-year-old Margrét. Jóhanna remarried at Icelandic River on 1 January 1891. A daughter from the sec- ond marriage, 90-year-old Sarah Vallis of Winnipeg, was able to confirm this deduction, adding that the straw hats her sisters were holding in the photo had been bought during the stopover in England. While relying solely on es- timated photo dates and ages is not reliable, this technique can certainly suggest possibilities to be either confirmed or ruled out, especially if precise information on the ages and birth order of children is available. An interesting case in point is a photo of two small chil- dren, theoretically four-year-old Ágúst Blöndal (later Dr. Blöndal of Winnipeg) and his little sister Margrét. The photo vintage indi- cates it was taken in the 1894 by Jón Blöndal, and documentation shows that Jón Blöndal arrived at Mountain, ND (home of the children’s parents at that time) with his photographic equip- ment on 12 July 12 1894. The little boy seems to be about four to five years old, which would coincide with little Ágúst Blöndal’s age in the sum- mer of 1894 (born at Edinburg on 8 July 1889), and the baby sister would be Margrét, who died at about a year old on 31 August 1894 — a month and a half after this photo was taken. Though the original owner of this photo was not related to the Blöndals, the same batch of pic- tures included portraits of these children’s parents, indicating a family friendship. The jury is still out on this one, but even at this late date chances are that confirmation will eventually turn up. For more information, visit www.sagapublications.com/. Widow Jóhanna Antoníusar- dóttir at Icelandic River, 1890, with her daughters (holding the hats bought in Scotland). Playing photo detective – Part 2 PHOTOS COURTESY OF NELSON GERRARD An Icelandic girl in Calgary, 1889 — Sigríður Magnúsdóttir or Svava Jónsdóttir Strong? Mystery children in North Dakota — Mar- grét and Ágúst Blöndal?

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