The Here, There, and Everywhere Collection-The Maid, The Cat, and the Dog

Well, the best thing to do is click on The Here, There, and Everywhere Collection in labels to get an explanation, and see more from the lot.  But in a nutshell, the person who sold me this collection said it was all from an estate, but then again, take that with a grain of salt.

So, the first two photos reveal the why of the title.  There she is, the maid, in one image she's holding the cat, and in the other, the dog.  I guess, the real question is this; Are these the photographic memories of the maid, and her career, working for different families, or did mi'lord and mi'lady just need someone to show off their pets?  My next post will be the other side of this album page, and may provide a clue.

The Woman In the Window

I love photographs taken through windows.  Don't know why, just do.  I think she's in a maid's uniform.

The German American Collection, The Album 4

Trying to duplicate the experience of going through a photo album, on line, really isn't possible, but since this page would have been sideways when opened, that's the way it's posted. This collection is a lot bigger than this album. To see it all, click on German-American in the labels section.

Maids

My mother was in service. She was one of ten children. When she was eleven, her parents died. The five eldest siblings each took in one of the five youngest. The brother who took my mother was a butler at an English country estate. On her twelfth birthday she became an under house maid. For those who are watching Downton Abbey, she was Daisy. In her late teens, she became Gwen, a very junior house maid on a very large staff. When the war began, she left service to work in an aircraft factory. She was a machinist, working on the Minerva engine used in Spitfires and Hurricanes. She married my father, moved to the United States, worked as a super market checker, seamstress, and eventually returned to service as a housekeeper. Of course, she was also maid, baby sitter, cook, and house cleaner, but she preferred the title held by Mrs. Hughes. She had to return to service because, in 1960, her marriage ended, she needed a job, and that was what she could get. There would be other jobs after that. Some better, some worse. This photograph is dated, "APR 4, 32" and was probably taken in the United States.