This week’s Sepia Saturday featured a prompt image of a young Queen Elizabeth II and her sister. I didn’t quite have anything like it, but I do have a photo of a pair of sisters! This is another photo from the great Red Velvet Victorian Photo Album I’ve posted about before. I’m pretty sure the two girls are Kathleen Mary Rowe and Olga Maria Rowe. It’s actually kind of funny – I had run a bunch of photos through Picasa in an attempt to do some facial recognition and see what turned up. This one matched to Kate Battin, but it was much too young of a photo to be her. Kate married a man named George Thomas Rowe and had two daughters, so I figured this must be them! The photo does match up with photos of the girls when they were older too. Also, Kate was the only sister who stayed in England, so all of those circumstances combine to make me pretty sure these are my girls!
The photo itself is pretty neat from the maroon colored board the photo is mounted on to the gold lettering naming the studio, H. Hayman & Son of Launceston. The girls’ mother grew up in Lawhitton which is pretty close. As far as a date goes, Kathleen was born in 1905 and Olga in 1903, so if they’re about 10 years old, the photo was probably taken in 1915 give or take a year or two. The girls are wearing identical dresses and even have similar short haircuts, something I find a little odd for 1915. Still, it’s a great photo of the two of them, and one I’m glad my great great grandmother, Jessie (Battin) Powis saved!
A very special photograph, for sure!
The short hair is really unusual – I bet they loved it. Great photo.
A sweet pair. Their hair style seems quite short for the time period.
The girls have lovely faces and photograph beautifully.