Bad Weather, Everywhere. King of the Hill.

 

I've run out of snow photos.  Written on the back, "Jan. 1948."  

Lost Feet

 

Written on the back, "28th Dec 1947, Doris June, Emily, Vida, Dicy.  Our feet got lost somewhere in the camera.  Ha."  What kind of name is Dicy?  It has to be short for something.  There's also a processing lab stamp, "JAN 1948  STUDER  S. A.  TEX."  I assume that S.A. stands for San Antonio. 

B.A.B.B.

Written on the back, "Don, B.A., B.B., Willard at 7333 Lindell, Easter, 1948-MDS."  I have to wonder, were any of these four a doctor?  If it were still 1948, I would have wondered if Don and Willard were doctors and if B.A., and B.B were nurses. 

The Post War European Trip Collection-Back In the U.S.A.

I started this collection with two postcards from Missouri and I'm ending with  three people sitting in a car with Missouri license plates from 1948.  I can't know if those cards were purchased before this trip or if the photo was taken after but I did think they made nice bookends for Gloria Lee's European trip.   In my last post I noted that one of the photos might have a link for this finale of the collection.  A way off to the side, barely visible, stood a young lady who was probably Gloria Lee.  From that distant semi-profile, is it possible to figure out which of the two young ladies seen here is Gloria Lee Bigewet?  If nothing else there is a chance for some speculation.  My guess, the woman on the right in this picture.

And while we're dealing with guess work, how about the pronunciation of her last name.  I'm guessing it has a French origin and it might begin like bijou and end like Chevrolet.  Bishaway, phonetically?

Click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels to finally see the whole thing. 

The Post War European Trip Collection-Finally, Some Snapshots

Is it Bill, criticized for his drinking and swearing in the letter home?  I haven't a clue as to how many people went on this European trip.  Gloria Lee, and Bill are the only two that have been named.  Too, I'd love to know if it was a chaperoned trip.  I tend to think it was.

So, the second and third photos in the column have something written on the back.  "The cathedral at Orleans (if you look closer you'll see yourself!)"  On the far right side of the print, standing next to the bus is a woman, who I'm guessing is Gloria Lee.  The next print down, "Arc du Carrousel and Tuileries Gardens Paris."  Pay attention, the lady on the far right might be seen in the next post.

And of course, click on The Post War European Trip Collection to see more.  Or, wait until the next post, and all will be available for viewing.

The Post War European Trip Collection-A Letter Home

As I noted in an earlier chapter of the Gloria Lee Bigewet story,  the only exception to the photos only rule of this blog is when I have ephemera that is directly related to a single source with photos.

So, in a letter written by Gloria Lee to her parents, dated "July 17, '48" she writes about her cycling trip around Europe, her dreams of being in fashion advertising and complained about the bad influence Europe was having on Bill who has taken to drinking and cussing in a very continental way.  Hey, don't be lazy, click on each page, bring up the letter in a bigger window and read it for yourself.  And speaking of clicking on things, The Post War European Collection in labels says it all.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 8

The last of Gloria Lee's souvenir photos, but not the last of this collection.  Click on The Post War European Trip Collection for more.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 7

Top and bottom, still in Paris.  The rest seem to be some sort of country estate.  Some sort of royal palace?  Click on The Post war European Trip Collection in labels for more good stuff.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 6

More from Paris and some unknown locations.  Click on The Post War European Trip Collection, etc., etc., etc.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 5

Gloria Lee's continued travels.  The first three photos keep us in Paris, image number four, perhaps, and the number five isn't.  My first thought was somewhere on the Riviera, but then I remembered that she and her tour group spent a lot of time in Switzerland, a country with a fair number of really large lakes. 

Click on The Post war European in Collection in labels, well you guys have figured that one out by now.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 4

Gloria Lee got around.  I'm fairly certain the top photo is from Paris, but clearly some of these are from other locations. 

Click on The Post War European Collection to see more.

The Postwar European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 3

I think all of these commercially produced photos are from Paris.  It's interesting to note that the cars seen in the bottom photo look like there all from the twenties or teens.  Since Gloria Lee bought these pictures in 1948 it's clear that these have been on sale for decades. 

Click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels for more.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 2

I've got four collections that I've started that I've yet to fully post, so I think it's about time to go back to The Post War European Trip Collection.-And, of course click on that in labels to see more images, and read about Gloria Lee Bigewet, a teenage tourist from St. Louis, Missouri, and her group's trip to Europe after World War 2.  That's were you'll find, among other things, Souvenir Snapshots part 1.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Lausanne 4

I was going to wait until tomorrow to finish up this travel brochure, but I decided to just get it over and done with.  To sum up, Lausanne is in the French speaking part of Switzerland, it's on Lake Geneva, and it's home to the International Olympic Committee.  Here's a fun fact.  The Swiss have hosted the Winter Olympics twice, the last time in 1948 and they've never hosted the summer games.  I guess they're smart enough to pass on the bankrupting thrill of sport.  Too, Lausanne is another word that Blogger doesn't recognize. 

Yes, yes, click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels.  If you don't I'll come back and haunt you after my death.