This was as close as I could come to the prompt image for this week’s Sepia Saturday. A man helps a woman steady herself next to a waterfall! It doesn’t look like they were crossing the falls, maybe just standing near it for the photo, but it’s still a great image. We don’t know who this is for sure, but I have to assume it’s someone related via my husband’s paternal grandmother Hilje “Hilda” (Dijkema) Jaarsma. I have a hunch, based on another photo that’s labelled, that the woman may be one of her aunts (either Ellechien VanEerden or Gertrudia Dijkema Visser). It’s really hard to tell, and of course none of hte photos are labelled. No clues on the man though. I don’t think Ellechien was married, so it points to this more likely being Gertrudia, but then again I could be completely wrong on all accounts! It was likely taken in Holland, sometime around 1935. A quick search, and it looks a lot like the Sonsbeek Waterfall in Arnhem!
This appears to be the same man and woman as above. If you look closely, you can see the man is holding a walking stick behind his back, possibly the same one he had in the photo at the top. Again, I can’t verify anything about the photo, but hey, it’s a crossing, even if assisted by a bridge. I thought the bridge may have been unique enough to turn up in a google search, but I’d searched for it for a while and came up empty. Then, after stumbling across the image for the photo above, I found it’s a bridge in the same park (Park Sonsbeek) in Arnhem! So, now I’ve got the where, but still no who! Maybe if one of Wessel Visser’s relatives happens to stumble across this blog, they be able to confirm or disprove my theory. Wouldn’t that be great! So, yet another Sepia Saturday that brings me a new snippet of information through careful examination of old, unlabeled photos.
A good match for the prompt – even if you don’t know the whole story. But don’t lose hope. I’ve been contacted by several people this past year who have stumbled upon my blog and have contacted me with either questions or more information about a photo.
That’s awesome! I’ll admit that it’s part of the reason why I joined on with Sepia Saturday. I now have a weekly reason to go through these old photos and try to put names, places, and dates with some of the unknowns. This past week, when I was going through to find images for the prompt, I stumbled across another one that I hadn’t researched yet and it led me to a new cousin I didn’t know existed before!
The two photos with identical edging were probably taken at the same time, so your guess at the two couples being one & the same is most likely correct. Why is it that whoever is taking the picture always wants you to “stand a little closer” or “sit on that little thin railing” for a better shot. They ARE interesting pictures, but Gertrudia (or whoever) looks a wee bit uncomfortable in that first photo.
Yes, I would imagine they were taken on the same visit to the park. The first one does look like it was snapped unsuspectingly which, IMHO, makes for a better photo!
I bet the man and woman got splashed, at least a little.
A little bit off successful research helps even if you don’t know (yet) for sure who they are.
I love a mystery and your detective work is first class. The photos are a perfect match to the theme photo.
I’m glad you gave the second photo of the waterfall. The first photo gives you an impression of hilly or rugged country (well that is what I thought) but then the second photo,showing the surrounds of the waterfall, shows that it really is in gentle countryside. Great photos.
She seems to have removed her hat for the second photo too. That bridge is certainly unusual.
That waterfall shot has great atmosphere , vey dark and probably damp too. It’s probably a lot easier to reach the falls now than it was back then.
At first glance I thought the woman was Eleanor Roosevelt, but on looking closer, I see it was not. I imagine those rocks were wet and slipery.
I think the idea is that he is steading her in that first shot, but let’s be more accurate to say they are steading each other. Who knows what might have happened on this slippery rocks had he not had that cane. Now…who took the picture?
Very good point – we don’t know who took the picture, but I’d take a guess to say it was probably husband’s paternal grandmother since they were in her scrapbook. Sadly, she’s not around to tell us who’s who, so we’re left with a bit of a mystery.
Clever sleuthing to identify the where and the potential people as well.