Academe (where a weathered historian shares)
It is tempting but too indulgent to jump around while exploring old photos. One photo is compelling — it captures a long-lost animal friend — and another reminds one of a story. I am, however, working toward organizing these photos according to some kind of logic. And starting with my grandparents makes the most sense.
My grandparents were Paul Kluz and Bertha Kluz, née Bialková, born in the old country in Mosty u Jablunkova in 1884 and 1890 respectively. They came to the new country just before the First World War, so the old country was still the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today the village is barely in the Czech Republic; it’s the last train stop before Slovakia.
They were married in 1907 and, as I’ve pointed out before, had their first child in Mosty. They continued to have children. They had three who lived to adulthood in the eastern United States and then they came to Wisconsin and settled the homestead that we refer to simply and affectionally as “the farm.” They continued to have children.
This photo, my informant-uncle tells me, is of Bernard and Edward, as babies, sitting on their parents’ laps. I’m guessing that is the original homestead, before they started adding to it. I’m guessing that this photo is from 1922 because Edward was born in September and the weather looks too warm and he looks too big in this photo for it to have been taken in 1921.
The photo is still in a frame because it is sealed in that frame and I don’t want to remove it hastily. The photo looks like it’s been through it — in fact, it has to be a replica of the original because that tear is only recorded in this photo; it is not through this photo physically. Also, this photo is large and colorized.
When I think of a time period with a handy label, such as the “Roaring Twenties,” I remember a photo like this. Flappers, economic recovery, mobsters making money from Prohibition, etc., were not the whole picture, perhaps not even part of the picture, for many “ordinary” people in the 1920s. Farmers, at least these farmers, were busy taking care of their children.
With Critters, It’s Personal
Being able to enjoy a quiet moment at a nature preserve that exists within walking distance of one’s home is a freedom and privilege I wish for everyone.