Share a Treasured Photograph
Everyone has a favorite photo. In my mother’s family, I think we all share the same one. It hung in my grandparents’ house for almost 40 years, until it was passed down to my Aunt Jane, where it held a prominent place in her home. It is a photo of my grandfather, taken in the 1950s, at City Park in Parkersburg, West Virginia. It is a beautiful scene of my grandfather feeding ducks in the lily pond with a large, sprawling cherry tree above, and Mt. Olivet Cemetery in the background.
This photograph is meaningful to me for many reasons, with the obvious reason being that is a photo of my grandfather. I never knew my grandfather, but this photo gives me a window into his world. To me, this photo shows his kindness, gentleness, and appreciation for nature, which are the main attributes others speak of when describing him. Parkersburg City Park is another element of this photo that I love. Parkersburg, West Virginia is the small town where my mother and her family were born and raised. I have fond memories of going to the park with my cousins as kids when we would visit Parkersburg, and riding my bike to the park with my Aunt Jane as I got older. Naturally, the park holds a special place in my heart. Possibly the most poignant aspect of this photo is the fact that my grandfather and grandmother are buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, almost exactly in the spot on the hill behind where my grandfather is standing. Being a photographer and lover of old photos, I’ve always been enthralled with the depth, lighting, and perfect composition of this photograph. But even with all of these factors, the biggest reason this photograph tugs on my heartstrings is that it reminds me of my Aunt Jane.
After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Aunt Jane passed away last October.
Jane was an aunt, and person, unlike any other. She was smart, funny, and feisty, with a kind and generous spirit that would not quit. She loved children, and they loved her, and at family gatherings you could always find her at the kids’ table. Forever young at heart, Aunt Jane seemed to identify best with us nieces and nephews. She had a close relationship with each of us, and spoiled us over the years with her time and attention. I know I speak for all of us when I say she was one of a kind, and we were very very lucky to have an aunt like her.
The photograph of my grandfather was passed down to Aunt Jane after my grandmother passed away, and it hung in Aunt Jane’s living room, above the secretary desk that had also belonged to my grandparents. Each time I would visit Jane, I would walk through her front door, and immediately be drawn to the photo. I would walk over to it and tell her how much I loved it. I would gush about how wonderful it was, and how perfect it looked hanging there above the desk. I would tell her that I would like to borrow it sometime and make a copy for myself, that I would like to hang it in my own home someday.
My uncle settled Jane’s estate in May, and our family cleaned out her house together. Of course, we were all concerned about who would get the photo of my grandfather. I reluctantly asked my mother, aunts, and uncles if I could take the photograph home, so I could make a copy for each of the siblings. By some miracle, they agreed. I’m convinced that the only reason they let me touch it is that I work at Mastercolor Labs, and they were worn out from cleaning out the house. Whatever the reason, I’m thankful they did. I assured them that Mastercolor would take the utmost care of the photo, scan it on their professional equipment, and produce the highest quality photo reproductions money can buy. They agreed, and I took the photo back to North Carolina with great care.
In June, as my mother and I were talking about our upcoming family reunion July 15, we thought it would be nice to surprise everyone with their own copy of the photo. I took the photo to Mastercolor Labs, and the team worked their magic to reproduce 19 copies of it. Melanie advised me to scan it through the glass, since I was concerned about damaging the original. Kitty scanned the photograph for me in the frame, through the glass, at a high resolution. She also gave me the digital file, so I will have it forever. Mike printed test samples so I could make sure the copy matched the original, per my mother’s request. Travis, Kitty, & Mike helped me choose which sample looked best. Denise convinced me that I needed to mount it. Mike mounted each copy for me on flush standard weight board. I drove up to West Virginia with a smile on my face, thrilled that my mother and I were able to pull this off and give an unforgettable gift to each family member.
Now that you have the complete story, you can see how this photograph is special to me for so many different reasons. It has layers and layers of memories and meaning attached to it. And I’ve only described here what it means to myself alone. I imagine that between my mother, my siblings, 3 aunts, 3 uncles, their spouses, 9 cousins, and 5 second cousins, this photo is special for reasons that I don’t even know about or could begin to explain. So you can imagine everyone’s surprise and delight when my mother and I presented each household with their own reproduction of the photo, mounted and ready to frame, at our family reunion in July. We had a wonderful time at our reunion camping in the mountains of West Virginia, and I’ve had several family members tell me that receiving this photo was the icing on the cake. It was a moment that I am grateful we were all able to share together. I can’t thank Mastercolor Labs enough for making this possible for my family and me.
