Sometime around 1915, a small family shared their photograph by postcard.

The picture was taken on the porch of a home, but (probably) was developed and printed by a studio.

This transition, from photographic portraits taken in studios to photographs taken in the community, was made possible by the enormous growth in the ownership of cameras.

(Kodak introduced the first Brownie camera in 1900).

Unfortunately, the developer of the pictures seldom applied a studio mark if the picture was not taken by the firm.

So, we cannot know the location of this photograph.

The son, Harry, is front and center in the family group.

He is seated, a bit awkwardly, atop a stone urn.

The parents, Hal and Emma, are close by – on either side.

Hal sports a bow tie; Emma is wearing a skirt with an unusual layered waist.

(I am woefully ignorant of the history of clothing and of fashion – although New York City has two impressive establishments devoted to this subject).

A faint smile seems visible on the face of Emma, although (like most early photos) the subjects are holding a stiff pose.

This is a carry-over from the time of the first photographs when photographers required a very long period of motionlessness in order to develop a picture without blurry movement.)

The reverse of the postcard bears an inscription to the original recipient:

“Love to you and yours, from Harry, Hal & Emma”.

One hopes that the young family enjoyed health and prosperity in the 20th century.