Candid camera
These obscure photos were always unlabeled in the family album, but I'm certain they were taken by Larry Fitzpatrick before he and my mother were married. (Compare with the photo he took at Bastogne in this post - that print is the same size and image quality as these pics.)
Anyway, as I've said before, it's rare to find a photo of Mother that hasn't been staged. She's usually posing for the camera and dressed in the height of fashion, but as you can see, these images are casual as can be.
Obviously, it's impossible to know the precise context of these photos, but I can make some educated guesses. I suspect they were taken at Mother's apartment in West Los Angeles (which will be the subject of my next post), and most likely in 1943-'44, when she and Larry were affianced. If so, that would make her either 26 or 27 years old. She's serving beverages, one of which is juice (what she's drinking), and the other looks like a big, masculine coffee mug. Mother always had juice for breakfast, so these were probably taken in the morning. In the third photo, Mom's about to get into her car on the passenger side, with the back seat filled with "stuff," which suggests to me that she and Larry are about to head out on a car trip. (Perhaps to Butte, Montana, to meet Larry's folks?) I'll never know for sure, of course, but that's my best guess at what is going on here.
I'm so struck by Mom's youth here... and her beauty. She has a definite mystique, too. I can totally see why Larry fell head-over-heels for her...
Anyway, as I've said before, it's rare to find a photo of Mother that hasn't been staged. She's usually posing for the camera and dressed in the height of fashion, but as you can see, these images are casual as can be.
Obviously, it's impossible to know the precise context of these photos, but I can make some educated guesses. I suspect they were taken at Mother's apartment in West Los Angeles (which will be the subject of my next post), and most likely in 1943-'44, when she and Larry were affianced. If so, that would make her either 26 or 27 years old. She's serving beverages, one of which is juice (what she's drinking), and the other looks like a big, masculine coffee mug. Mother always had juice for breakfast, so these were probably taken in the morning. In the third photo, Mom's about to get into her car on the passenger side, with the back seat filled with "stuff," which suggests to me that she and Larry are about to head out on a car trip. (Perhaps to Butte, Montana, to meet Larry's folks?) I'll never know for sure, of course, but that's my best guess at what is going on here.
I'm so struck by Mom's youth here... and her beauty. She has a definite mystique, too. I can totally see why Larry fell head-over-heels for her...