Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.01.2008, Síða 6

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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?