The Turn-of-the-20th Century snapshots of
the Blake & Clark Families
The photographer of this series of photographs captures the same chaos of settling kids for a photograph as in the photographs during Decoration Day. In the end, it appears a final organized photograph never happens. It is this inclusion of the very familiar experience behind formal portraits makes this whole album collection special.
"1909"
#1 - L-R: Frances (Blake) Milbank, Harriette (Blake) Longacre, the Longacre twins Alfred & Frederick (3 years old), and Andrew Longacre (5 years old)
#2 - Back row, L-R: Harriette (Blake) Longacre, Frances (Blake) Longacre, likely Amy Blake, James Longacre (abt 9 mos).
Front row, L-R: the Longacre twins Alfred & Frederick, and Andrew Longacre.
#3 - L-R: Harriette, unknown dog, Alfred or Frederick, Frances, Frederick or Alfred, James, Andrew, Amy
#4 - Back row, L-R: Harriette, Frances, James, Amy
Front row, L-R: Longacre twins Alfred & Frederick, Andrew
The people in these two photographs are difficult to identify, but if they are of the Blake family, they are Helen (Avery) Blake - Frederick H. Blake's wife - and her kids because of the children's genders and ages.
#5 - Avery Blake (if 1909, she'd be about 10 mos old) and Helen Avery Blake
#6 - My guess is this photograph is from 1911 with Helen - even with glasses - and her children Frederick, Jr (6-9 mos) and Avery (abt 3). If it is Avery, it must be after July since Avery has longer hair in the "Whole Dam Family" photographs.