Saturday 14 January 2017

Tell me a story - Ye Olde Mystery Album

Hello

Hope you are having a lovely weekend and not snowed in, flooded or having any nasty weather...  hopefully you are somewhere nice and cozy and maybe having some arty fun.
Our snow has gone today and fortunately the flooding predicted for the next town along the coast to us didn't come to much.

Today I am linking my digital page to  AJJ 'Tell me a story'  this months fun theme chosen by Erika from BioArtGal 

Thanks for the great comments on my previous AJJ page 'The Caretaker' - I haven't had time during the week to continue that story yet... so for now, here's a quick digital page...about another story.
The four lovely Egyptian elements credit & thanks to Valerie (thanks valerie x)

 
My late father gave me a photo album about 15 years ago but didn't know exactly who on his side of the family had started the album. The first photo with a date is 1902 and I am guessing that the photos here are sometime between 1902 and maybe 1914 but probably the earlier date.
The last photos in the album, towards the back, definitely are 1914-1918 as my paternal grandfather born 1896 is in some when he was in the R.A.M.C.
The photos are of soldiers, sailors, lots of boats, Pyramids, the King in Malta in 1903, a boxing match and all sorts, including a few photos possibly from the Boxer revolution that are so horrendous I could never show them.

I have managed to solve a few mysteries - one photo of a soldier had a name and address on, and I was able to trace the daughter of the soldier. It turned out that she had never seen this photo before - she told me about her father and his brothers who were all soldiers during WW1 but the connection to my family and why he was in the this album is a mystery still.

If only each photo in this mysterious album could tell its tale... I wonder what stories it would tell.

Thank you for stopping by.
I will try and catch up with your posts
that I've missed last week asap.
Gill x

16 comments:

  1. Fantatstic artwork, the page you have created adds to the mystery and compliments the old photos beautifully. I think the stories behind the photos would be fascinating just like your post and page, thanks for sharing your story, how intriguing! Wishing you a happy weekend! J :-)

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  2. What a fantastic page for AJJ!! I DO love a good mystery.

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  3. A wonderful story to your beautiful collage Gill!
    Great!
    Thank you for joining Art Journal Journey!
    Happy weekend to you!
    oxo Susi

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  4. Great story and so good to have the photographs and the graphics from Valerie to set them off on you page. Wonderful that you were able to contact the relative with a photo they had never seen

    Hope you weather is still ok

    Love Chrissie xx

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  5. Wonderful page, thanks for using my Egyptian pieces. I often wonder about the people in old photos, who they were and what they did etc. It would be good to be able to time travel. Glad you were able to trace one of the people, good work! Egypt is always one of my fave themes. Have a nice weekend, hugs, Valerie

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  6. This is a super story Gill. The photo album must have many more stories to tell, if you research the photos.
    Its a fantastic theme and great Egyptian images.
    Yvonne xx.

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  7. This is fantastic Gill. I love how you used the old photos and added those Egyptian clip art. It makes a great story. I know what you mean about wishing old photos could talk. While its nice knowing who each person it, the photo doesn't always tell the whole story, or you don't know the story. I have some old photos I wish would tell me more. Happy rest of your weekend and glad you joined us again at AJJ. Hugs-Erika

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    1. Thanks Erika.... don't give up hope on finding out about your photos. I had one family mystery that I knew about around 1974/5 and never found out the answer until 2014 thanks to searching through online records and newspapers. xx

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  8. hi gill,your page are amazing,love the story off it,and all little details.
    have a great sunday.

    hugs jenny

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  9. This is cool, that you have a photo-album dated so far back! With pyramides and the king of Malta in 1903! Fantastic!
    Wonderful that you found the daughter of one of the solders and contact her!
    I also have a photoalbum from my grandmother - but many persons are unknown for me, although I lived with her since beginning of my life. She was born 1902.
    Ich wünsche dir einen schönen Sonntag!

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    1. Vielen Dank Rike - Ich wünsche Ihnen auch einen schönen Sonntag x
      ( I hope I got that correct :) )

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  10. Oh my that is so fascinating Gill, I absolutely adore old photos,very bitter sweet aren't they in a way
    Hugs
    Donna xx

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  11. I love old family photos, how sad that it might not be possible to identify the people in this album.

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  12. I am SO far behind visiting Gill. I deeply apologize. This is a remarkable AJJ entry. I am as intrigued as you. This is something I would love to learn more about. So glad you shared it with us.

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  13. What a treasure trove that album must be.
    You are so right about not knowing the rest of the story of which there must be lots to tell.
    Your collage is super Gill.
    Thank you for visiting my Magpie's Nest and for your lovely comment.
    oxo

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  14. Thats great, Gill! More than that!!
    At the first view I thought wonderful collage but how can she use this personal photoes from other people? :) But than I read your text...
    The story is so interesting and you managed to do put all this things together in a very special way. I love the photo book with the cat on top. It is grounding (??) the picture and this is the best place you could have found for it.
    Great that you found the daughter of the soldier and that you tried to do that!
    Are you still in contact?
    Beo xx

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