James William Macdonald. Photo in the possession of my grandmother, his daughter, who identified the photo for me.
This picture is of my great-grandfather, James William Macdonald. It's a lovely portrait, isn't it? I know he was a kind man, and that shows through the picture, don't you think? Well, I was browsing through the family pictures today and noticed some details that I missed (or forgot I missed - that happens to me a lot). One is the photographer information, embossed into the bottom of the image: Geo. R Waldren, New Glasgow, N.S.
A close inspection shows I have another photograph taken by Waldren's studio.
Elizabeth Jane (McLeod) Macdonald
It's hard to see the imprint with the mottled background, but it's there. Elizabeth is James' mother. I have to put some effort into dating this image; Elizabeth was born in 1865 and I think she looks quite young in this photo...in her fifties, maybe? If she is fifty, the year is 1915 and I'm just not sure about the fashions she's wearing (all my books are pre-1900!). Library!
Anyway, George R. Waldren operated out of New Glasgow for about forty-years; from the turn of the century until his death in 1940. Many of his photographs can be seen online; Dalhouse University now owns his 45,000 glass plates and negatives that Waldren left behind and they are cataloging and digitizing them. Since Waldren had set up shop by purchasing an exsisting photography studio, some of the images date back to the 1870s. It makes for an interesting browse. Most are portraits and many are dated. Certainly these people would have been my ancestor's neighbors and I can't help but wonder if one of the Macdonald boys are in one of group shots of sports teams. I paid close attention the hockey players (because of this image I have), but no luck.