Since my last blog post was about family photos, I am going to continue with my usual format of telling a story about one or more of my ancestors, and share a few photos with you that I feel are fun or a bit different.
In the past I have often bemoaned my lack of an identified photo of Virginia Augusta Hale Scribner, however I do have a generous collection of photos that belonged to Virginia and her husband, Captain David Alba Scribner. All of the photos in today’s blog are from the collection of photos belonging to them, some coming from a family photo album that belonged to David. As a ship’s captain in the second half of the 1800’s, David traveled widely and photography was becoming popular.
This photo of a dog, clearly a family pet, was taken in Brunswick, Maine. It was included in Captain Scribner’s photo album and doesn’t have any information written on it, front or back. I can only assume that it was a much loved Scribner family pet. The photo appears to have been taken in a professional photo studio and was probably done when several members of the family went to the studio for photos. In today’s time, we would think that the dog was just out with the family and a photo of the dog might have been an afterthought. Yet in earlier days, I doubt that the dog would have accompanied the family to a studio unless the dog photo was intended. Conclusion, I believe that this dog was a very much loved member of Capt David A Scribner’s family!
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David A Scribner is the dapper looking gentleman leaning on the table. This photo was taken in Hamburg probably in the early 1870’s. Captain Scribner, on the right and wearing a top hat, appears to be a young man. Hamburg was a significant European port, and I suspect that the two other gentlemen in the photo were friends and fellow ships’ captains visiting the city on a day in port.
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Above we see Capt David A Scribner with unidentified people at The Great Buddha of Kamakura located at the Buddhist temple of Kotoku-in, in the city of Kamakura, Japan. I’ve gotta admit, that I had to search the internet to find the location for this photo. The Great Buddha is a huge statue first completed in wood in the 13th century, and later rebuilt in bronze during the 14th century.
I believe that this photo was possibly taken in the 1880’s. And while Capt David is easy to spot in the center position, the others could either be friends, family or crew members. Virginia “could” even be one of the women in the photo, though beginning in 1880, Virginia stayed in Brooklyn with the children in school so it is doubtful.
Needless to say, no one would be allowed to climb on this beautiful national treasure in today’s time!
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Ella, Mary & Harry Scribner in front of a Scribner family Topsham, Maine home at 5 Frost Lane, circa 1890. The original of this photo belongs to a Scribner relative, who sent me the copy because it is a group of my grandfather, Henry (Harry) Scribner and his two sisters, Ella and Mary. The young Scribner family spent much time in Topsham, Maine when not at sea with Capt David and during summers when they later lived in Brooklyn, New York. It’s possible that Capt David purchased the carriage on the same voyage to Japan when he also visited The Great Buddha of Kamakura.
The carriage being pulled by the
miniature donkey is charming, and can now be found in the collection of the
Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine.
https://maritimeme.pastperfectonline.com/bysearchterm?keyword=jinriksha
The carriage, a black lacquered wood jinrikisha rickshaw, was purchased by Captain Scribner in Japan, and brought back to Topsham for the family to enjoy.
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Ella Virginia Scribner. I don’t have the original of this photo, just a copy from one of my aunts; however she wrote that she believed it to be Ella Virginia Scribner. And I have always been confused about whether this was actually Ella Scribner because the clothing seemed older than would be right for Ella’s period of time – though she does look much like Ella in other photos that I have. Thus in 2012, I asked Maureen Taylor, a photo dating expert, for help on dating this photo.
According to Maureen Taylor, this photo is very interesting because she believes that the subject, Ella, is in a costume – possibly for a play or school program. She feels that the photo dates to around 1900, which would have been when Ella was about 15 years old. However, Ms Taylor notes that Ella is dressed in clothing typical of the 1820's, and she believes that young Ella’s hair is powdered to look like that of an older woman.
Ella Virginia Scribner (1885-1935) became a school teacher, and never married. Ella lived with her parents and sister in their brownstone home in Brooklyn for all of her adult life.
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Key individuals:
Capt
David Alba Scribner (1840 – 1911)
Virginia Augusta Hale Scribner
(1848 – 1940)
Wallace Flint Scribner (1877 –
1882)
Henry (Harry) Dickinson Scribner
(1880 – 1943)
Mary Islethera Scribner (1882 –
1959)
Ella Virginia Scribner (1885 –
1935)
