A Closer Look (Part 68)

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1931. This is Ignas, the older brother of Mr. Irene's Dad.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 57)

Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1931. This is Mr. Irene's paternal Grandfather.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 56)

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1931. This is Mr. Irene's Dad.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 55)

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1931. The is Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother Veronica.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 20)

Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, May 1931. This is my Great-Grandmother, Nina K. She was fifty-seven years old when she sat for this photo. Here's the original post.

Nina K., Later

Soviet Union, about 1931. Here's another later portrait of Nina K. Nina K. was the mother of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana.

Related by Marriage: Everyone is home, on the farm.

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1931. Mr. Irene's Dad is the little boy in the front row, on the right. Next to him sits his younger brother Stacey, in the white jacket, and older brother Ignas is on the far left. Mr. Irene's paternal Grandparents, Veronica and Jonas, are directly behind the boys. Other aunts and relatives appear in the background.

Here, again, we see a servant lurking in the background.

UPDATE: Mr. Irene's Dad added some more information about this photo. The elderly woman hunched behind Ignas is the Aunt of Jonas, the paternal Grandfather. So. The members of the family are all seated.

Standing behind the family, left to right, is the Farm Manager, the boys' Nanny, and the Cook. It wasn't unusual for a family of this era to sit for a portrait with the household help. In this case, the "help" ranked pretty high—Manager, Nanny, and Cook. These persons were essentially members of the family. Notice also that the person who likely doesn't rank is in the background.

My Mom cringes when she remembers that the woman, "Magduka,"who served in her Parents' household as a cook / maid slept on a cot in the kitchen and never was included in family meals. Ironically, it was Magduka who taught my mother to knit. My maternal Grandmother, Jadzė, did not know how to knit.

A New View

A few months ago, I thought we had no more photos to post of my Great-Grandmother, Nina K.. My discovery of a new resource—the photos stored in the "Grandma's family in Russia" envelope—revealed one snapshot that no one had seen earlier.

This is Nina K. with a Grandson, Sasha. The photo does not identify which sister of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, was Sasha's mother. Based on the handwriting, though, it appears Sasha was the son of Elena. 

We did not know that Elena (or Natasha) had children. Sasha has the melancholy eyes that are common on that side of the family. He looks a lot like Tatjana's brothers.

Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, May 1931. Elena, the sister of my paternal Grandmother Tatjana, wrote, "My mother [Nina K.] and my son Sasha. May 1931. A keepsake for my beloved Tanjusha."

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Thanks again to my dear friend, D, for translating Elena's words from Russian to English.

A Little Guy

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1931. Here's my Dad, as a young boy. He was a small, slight child.

Happy Veterans' Day

Thank you.

 Kaunas, Lithuania, 1931. My paternal Grandfather, Vytautas.

A Close-Knit Family

Kaunas, Lithuania, around 1931. My Mom sits between her parents, Jake and Jadzė. Mom has one of those Eastern European bows in her hair; the bow is hard to see because it is blending into the wallpaper. Jake is wearing the uniform of the Lithuanian Army. His belt is a gold and olive green woven sash clasped with a brass buckle. Mr. Irene wore that belt when he and I folk danced. Mr. Irene also wears Jake's wedding band (and I wear his maternal Grandmother's ring).