I said I was going to post some of my mom’s old photos but I was having a difficult time deciding what to start with. It doesn’t help that I haven’t yet come across a couple of them that I remember and wanted to share. But then I found this one:

I don’t remember seeing this before. Mom had acquired a large number of photos from relatives just in the last 10 years. I find it quite intriguing. I don’t know who the woman is. One of my great aunts perhaps, or a distant cousin? She’s bending over a cook stove – an early gas range perhaps, or maybe even a wood stove. My eye is drawn to the interesting architectural details of the house and the piece of furniture next to the column. Then I look back to the woman and the right side of the picture. There’s a light bulb that almost appears to be suspended in space. I know from having seen these before that it’s hanging from a cloth insulated electric wire. To the right of the stove is a sink and to the right of that – is it a door, or a cabinet or hutch? A cabinet I think.

This dim photo is an interesting piece of everyday history. Even with as little detail as there is, I can almost imagine being there.