Question: The map in the photo is a portion of the 1802 map drawn by Simeon Dewitt. Take a good look at it. What does it show about the town of Lysander’s past?
Last week’s answer: Dress is one tool that is often used in dating old photos. However, the 18th-century dress of the women featured in this photo belies its actual date. The lace curtains on the windows, the bamboo chair at the piano and the attire of the woman at the far left all point to the 1890s. In addition, if readers had the opportunity to examine the original photo, you would have found more clues. The very size of the photo, the paper it is printed upon and the shape and color of the stiff cardboard it is mounted upon are all attributes of photos from the 1890s.
The photographer was documenting a social event held at 70 Oswego St., the home of Walter and Mabel Van Allen McMullin. The McMullins were in the Oswego Street home from the late 1880s until 1902.
The ladies had gathered to celebrate George Washington’s birthday. Hostess Mabel McMullin is seated in the center. Her guests included (left to right): Mrs. Frank (Frances) Baldwin, Mrs. Jacob Kenyon, hostess Mabel, Mrs. James (Isabella) Ward, Mrs. James Frazee and Mrs. James Dow at the piano.
Human beings have a built-in need for a social life. Gatherings to “work for a good cause” from fund raising church suppers to rolling bandages for soldiers, were a welcome outlet for ladies in the days before the telephone, movies, and restaurant hopping. Most public sports had not as yet welcomed female participants. “At-home” events were a staple of late Victorian and Edwardian social life. Status and economics dictated the trappings of such events, but they were an integral part of life in every arena from high society to blue collar families.
The occasion shown in this photo appears to be an elaborate costume party. The 18th-century attire would still be stored in trunks and attics, readily available. Costume parties were a popular turn of the century social event. Participants, men and women, frequently posed for professional photographers. Many of these photos identify the subject, but fail to mention the occasion.
The handwritten notes on the back of this “birthday party” photo are precious indeed.
Betsy Barbour wrote in to identify this photo—Mabel McMullin was her great-grandmother.
Contact Editor Sarah Hall at [email protected] or leave a message at 434-8889 ext. 310 with your guess by 5 p.m. Friday (please leave the information in the message; we are not generally able to return calls regarding History Mystery responses). If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo before the deadline, your name and guess will appear in next week’s Messenger, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
