Lottie's Photos: Terry's First Birthday, 1943

Terry and Mom - both looking stylish

This photo stands out for me because it shows my mother looking rather glamorous. It’s not how I saw her but I think it may be how she saw herself – at least when she was that age. This photo was taken on Terry’s first birthday and he is looking quite smart in his sailor suit. Mom would have been 23 and everything she’s wearing says style – the flowing dress – no doubt one she made for herself and possibly designed, the shoes, the nylons, the necklace, her makeup and the hairstyle all look fabulous. Of course, her slender figure helps a lot too. I have that necklace now and remember her wearing it. It has 8 stones on the face that I suppose are small diamonds and inside there is a photo of her and my father. I don’t know for sure but it looks like it may have been a gift from dad.

The look she is giving Terry says a lot too – “we’ll young man, what do you think about being one year old?”

In her diary mom wrote that they went to see Bert and Marge, then both sets of grandparents. She recorded each of the gifts Terry received which included two bonds – one for $5 from Gramma and Grandpa Thornally and a $25 bond from her and Dad. I guess that was something families did during the war years. Somehow, there was still time that day for my father to plant vegetable seeds in his garden and to put a coat of varnish on Terry’s toy chest.