In the Salon

Šiauliai, Lithuania, about 1905 to 1910. My Dad's cousin, Henry, sent this photo to my Dad's twin sister, Jonė. Henry did not identify each person in the image, but he did point out the people that matter to us. The boy sitting on the left, and looking off toward the ceiling, is my paternal Grandfather, Vytautas. My Dad looked a lot like him as a child. Standing behind Vytautas is the physician Charles and his wife—Vytautas's paternal aunt—Stanislava. Next to Stanislava is Henry's mother, Bronislava. The little girl standing in the front is Vytautas's sister, Victoria.

Henry added, at the end of his description, "With photos like this one, it's impossible to state a date precisely." Henry wrote "perhaps 1910" on this photo, but based on Vytautas's size, I think it might be closer to 1905.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Henry, a Little Later

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1944. This is my Dad's older cousin, Henry, at about the time the second Soviet occupation of Lithuania began. Here's Henry about nine years earlier, at age twenty-six.

Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to us.

The Dining Room

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, January 1958. My Dad's older cousin Henry, Henry's wife Suzanne, and Henry and Suzanne's daughter, Kaunas Nina, host a New-Year's celebration.

Thanks to Kaunas Nina's daughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Henry, Later

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1970. This is my Dad's older cousin, Henry.

Thanks to Henry's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Arrival

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Spring 1958. Kaunas Nina holds her baby—my Kaunas Cousin—as her husband looks down at the infant. Standing behind Kaunas Nina is my Dad's older cousin, Henry. Henry's wife, Suzanne, sits on the right. The fellow seated between Henry and Suzanne is Suzanne's cousin.

Henry, at Age Twenty-Six

Kaunas, Lithuania, November 9, 1935. This my Dad's older cousin, Henry. Henry and his younger brother, Vytas, did not flee Lithuania on the eve of the second Soviet occupation in 1944. My Dad corresponded with both men throughout his life.

Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Cold Feet

Near Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1936. My Dad's older cousin, Henry, and Henry's wife, Suzanne, take their daughter, Kaunas Nina, sledding.

Thanks to Kaunas Nina's daughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Family Resemblance

 

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. This is my Dad's cousin, Henry. Henry was the maternal Grandfather of my Kaunas Cousin.

Match

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1958. My Dad's cousin, Henry, and Henry's wife, Suzanne, reflect in their living room around the time of the birth of their Granddaughter, Kaunas Cousin.

I covet the lovely Lithuanian weaving used for the slipcover.

A Different Perspective

Mr. Irene and I talked with friends the other day about the blog. The subject of our conversation was the blog's likely evolution. At some point, the really old photos all will have been scanned and posted, and I will be left primarily with photos from the 1970s and onward. Those types of images might appeal to some readers—I was, for example, charmed when a commenter referred to a snapshot from 1972 as a "vintage photo."

I probably won't stumble across many more surprises like the "Grandma's Photos" box.

I do, however, have relatives and friends who lived in different places, and they have been uniformly generous and gracious about sharing family photos. Last week, for example, Mr. Irene's Los Angeles Cousin sent us an album filled with snapshots that Mr. Irene and I had not seen before.

I also have been in touch again with my "Kaunas Cousin." She is the Granddaughter of my Dad's older, paternal cousin, Henry. Kaunas Cousin and I are exactly the same age. She and I were penpals for many years, and I still have her letters, filed chronologically, in a shoebox.

Although we had our generation in common, Kaunas Cousin grew up in a Lithuania occupied by the Soviet Union. Her photos sharply portray life in a different world.

So today, I introduce Kaunas Cousin, and I thank her for sharing her angles of the family history with the blog.

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1966 or 1967. Kaunas Cousin sits on the steps with her Grandfather, Henry.

Prom Season

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1926. My Dad's older cousin Henry—standing on the right—celebrates the end of the school year.

Thanks to Henry's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Midday Break

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1936. My Dad's older cousin Henry photographs a contemplative friend.

Thanks to Henry's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Lazy Summer

Near Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1936. My Dad's older cousin, Henry, relaxes with his family.

Thanks to Henry's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Don't hold back that laugh.

Relatives from the Soviet Union sometimes sent photographs in which the subjects seemed naturally preoccupied or serious. This photo breaks from that somber tradition. I like this snapshot because there's a sense that the people want to look composed, but they just can't contain their happiness.

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. Kaunas Nina, sitting, holds dog Ači. Her father, my Dad's cousin Henry, craddles Kasia the cat. Standing are Henry's wife, Suzanne, and Kaunas Cousin.

Thanks to Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to me.

Pre-War Audi?

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1960. My Kaunas Cousin relaxes on the hood of a vintage car with her Grandfather, my Dad's cousin, Henry.

After 1949, the East German Audi plant began remanufacturing pre-war models. I can't tell whether Henry owned this vehicle before the war or whether he acquired it, new, in the 1950s.

Radio Waves

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1962. My Dad's cousin, Henry, and Henry's wife, Suzanne, tune the radio. This photo makes me melancholy. I wonder to what broadcast they had tuned.

Investiture

Kaišiadorys, Lithuania, about 1926. In 1926, the Pope appointed Juozapas Kukta as the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Kaišiadorys. My Dad's older cousin, Henry, and his wife, Suzanne, lived in that vicinity. They—or their Parents—must have been friends of the Bishop because this snapshot landed in their small family album.

 

Thanks to Henry and Suzanne's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 30)

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1932. A friend of my Dad's older cousin, Henry, sits for a formal portrait.

Thanks to Henry's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Wall Calendar

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1938. This is my Dad's older cousin, Henry. I wonder if this photo was taken at his workplace.

Thanks to Henry's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Henry and "Musytė"

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. My Dad's cousin, Henry, cradles the beloved Dachshund, "Musytė."

Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to us.