This postcard photo was taken at an unknown location on a specific date, May 9, 1925.

A thoughtful person recorded the names of “Alma + Zennie”.

The two women appear cheerful and comfortable together.

With no other information about the friends, I did a little research about the name, Zennie”.

I assumed it might be a shortened form of another name, but did not find confirmation of that thought.

“Zennie”, as a girl’s name, was bestowed most often in the 1890’s with rapid disappearance after that time.

It remains in use among Danish, Greek, and Australian communities.

The name, “Alma”, has a much longer history.

Meaning “kind, benevolent, or nourishing”, this word (derived from classical Latin) was applied to a variety of ancient female goddesses and, later, to the Virgin Mary.

It became a common name in English countries in the mid-19th century.

The term, “Alma Mater”, is the most common usage of this word today.

Although more popular than Zennie, the name, Alma, also reached peak use at the end of the 19th century.

This photograph, slightly out of focus, was printed on a postcard with a border that I find distracting and ugly.

The image in the post is an enlargement of the center of the photo. 

We hope that these women with distinctive names remained cheerful friends for many years to come.