Grandmas Mending by Al Bourassa
Taken in the Souris Valley area, near Radville, Saskatchewan, Canada by my maternal grandfather.
This is a very old photo of my Grandmother in the background, and my great-grandmother in the foreground, spending the evening mending, knitting and doing chores, probably in the 1920’s. Lovingly restored by yours truly.
The photo on the upper wall is of a dedicated relative who was an influential French-Canadian politician and activist, Henri Bourassa.
HENRI BOURASSA, politician, journalist, founder of Le Devoir newspaper, editor-in-chief, publisher, and author; b. 1 Sept. 1868 in Montreal, d. 31 Aug. 1952 in Montreal.
He was opposed, among other things, to the plebiscite of 27 April 1942, which was designed to release the King government from its promise not to impose conscription.
Bourassa was a proud supporter of the spirit and letter of the Canadian constitution, a Canadian nationalist devoted to Canada..
Comments
great shot, well capture
Thank you so much for this great first comment.
– Al Bourassa
Love it !! :)
Thanks Kelly. It has always been one of my favoite old shots.
– Al Bourassa
Very special photo, Al. Beautifully restored.
Many thanks Steven. I love working on these old photos that have so much history.
– Al Bourassa
wow, grandpa was quite the gifted shutterbug. fantastic framing using the angles of the house intuitively. the peek into the next room with the motion blur is really something special.
I am glad you appreciate this great shot by my grandfather. I suspect it was completely candid as he did have some basic cameras in addition to his studio cameras. I wish I could show you some of the amazing artistry he created…
– Al Bourassa
Too cool. Nice to have. Wish our family still had some old photos to look back on. How very special and wonderful read.
Thanks Kathy. I am indeed very fortunate to have many of these old photos.
– Al Bourassa
Great work!!
Many thanks Vitta for your kind words.
– Al Bourassa
Your cohosts,
Cee and Chris
lovely catch,,,,
Thank you Sean. I am amazed at the quality of these old photos, good paper I guess, but they still require a lot of restoration.
– Al Bourassa
I did wonder whether the composition was deliberate or serendipitous. Either way it is a very special photograph.
I appreciate your kind words Paula. Because both women are acting so naturally I am thinking it was candid. I never did get to meet either of them unfortunately, I only have these old photos and my mother’s memories. My grandma passed away in 1939 (after having 17 children).
– Al Bourassa
Simply marvellous old shot, Al. Absolutely wonderful old photo! Some of my old B&Ws in the archives have started to deteriorate and it may be too late to save them. But what a treasure of memories!
It certainly is a challenge to restore these, many with long scratches, bends, tears, or even pieces missing. Most of the time the clone tool has to work overtime to perform the magic.
– Al Bourassa