inspiration from 1939

Lois and Henry, 1939

Last Friday I attended the memorial service for my husband's late grandfather, Henry, who was 104. The room was decorated with the most amazing set of memorabilia, 104 years of history—pictures, high school and college yearbooks, the last known commemorative smoking pipe given to him by Yale University when he graduated, his skull and bones photo (he was the oldest living member), pictures of him with his college basketball team (and on). It was like an incredible museum. 


Just considering what this man experienced in his lifetime is mind-boggling! Numerous world-altering wars, the stock market crash as he graduated from college, the invention of television and computers, 18 different presidents (Teddy Roosevelt was president when he was born!)….not to mention having experienced so many vibrant social-cultural movements from flappers to hippies to a culture obsessed with reality television and Lady Gaga. I simply can't imagine what it feels like to live through all of that (and I can't imagine how confused he was when my husband and I showed him our wedding photos on an ipad:)! 


What I can say is I am beyond excited to now have a copy of the photo (above) of Henry and his wife, Lois, on their honeymoon. I've been in love with this photo ever since I first saw it at my father-in-law's house. The pair are so stylish, so happy, so full of life….and every time I look at it it fills me with hope and inspiration in a way that I believe I'd feel even if I didn't know who the people were. This picture simply reminds me of why I am so obsessed with photography—a portrait is an incredibly powerful piece of art.