Heritage Series: The Sum Of One’s Parts

I have long since been captured by my genealogy. It is this chaotic mix of a big, close southern family with that of new immigrants. I grew up on stories of various memories told from different eras, locations, and perspectives. This is how I discovered the sum of my parts; my grandpa’s long legs, my granny’s love of crafts and hand-work, how my eyes squint when I smile just like on my mother’s face, or how I have my father’s hands. I wanted to know where all these parts came from and what might have influenced my interests, but it was also cautionary. I explored the past in an attempt to avoid their same mistakes and regrets.

The portrait I have selected to replicate is of my paternal grandmother, Loretta. Loretta was born at the turn of the century to immigrant parents. At a time in society when young women were expected to marry as soon as they finished secondary school, Loretta attended a “ladies business school” and became a bookkeeper. She worked through her 20s, saving her money to travel the country and even back to Ireland. Not until her 30s did she marry and try to start a family. I’ve always been told that I’m built like her- pear shaped- and that I have her hair. I feel at times that I am her echo.

The original image was taken in San Francisco between 1929-1930 and she is approximately 29-30 years old. The jewelry and clothing she wears is no longer in existence so I decided to reproduce the earrings, necklace, and watch based on information and proportions that I could see and making an educated guess on what I could not. By making the jewelry myself, I could not only control the design, materials, and proportions to gain accuracy, but it forced me to investigate my connection to and perhaps my fascination with this woman. 

 
While I have selected this particular portrait for a specific reason, generally I wish to convey the idea that I am more than the sum of my parts. I may have their eyes, their laugh, their stubbornness. I am made from them and yet I am not them. I am not her.

Andrea: image by Chrissy Reed; Athens, GA; December 2009

Loretta: image by unknown studio photographer; San Francisco, CA; circa 1929-30