Lesson #1: Turn the picture over; maybe someone wrote on the back.
Lesson #2: Just because you call her "Mama," doesn't mean anyone 100 years from now will know you wrote it on the back of the photo. Use her name. Her other name.
Lesson #3: Handwriting is tricky.
The back of this photo says, "Mama 15 and Lula aged 2 years."
I know that the photo was handed down from someone whose mother Annie Amelia Kinney was born in 1876 and had a little sister born in 1889. In the second half of 1891, after both girls had celebrated their birthdays, Annie was 15 and Lula was 2.
Now it's February 2016 and I have had some time to look into things a bit.
So, I feel strongly this is Annie Amelia Kinney (Guy and Helen's mother) as a teen with her youngest sister Lula Alma Kinney. In 1891 Anne Amelia would have been 15 and Lula would have been 2. They lived in Eglon, Preston County, West Virginia.
For the ages on the back of the picture to match Annie and Lula Kinney, this picture would have been taken in the latter half of 1891. The older sister's sleeves offer some help.
One line from "Dressed for the Photographer," by Joan Severa (Kent Stare University Press 1995) in the summary for the 1890's decade supports my suspicion:
"Sleeves for this decade were especially expressive; they began with the extremely tight, short-wristed styles of the first year or two. . . ." (p. 474)
1891 was a big year for the Kinney family. In June 1891 Thomas and Salome had a baby -- Albert. In August their 11 year old son John died. In September Saloma died.
Might be enough to make Thomas want photos taken of his surviving family. I wonder if there are other photos taken that day of the children. One more occasion to mourn the loss of the 1890 census.
Here's a link to the family entry on Find A Grave:
http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Kinney...&
