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Helen Douglas and her brother Willard are the subjects in the first of eight glass plates donated to Shorpy by the great-grandson of Edward Douglas (1857-1936), a U.S. Geological Survey employee who snapped these photos of his kids around 1895 at their home in the Washington suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland. Let's all thank Steve King for his generous and fascinating gift! View full size.
Yes, I suppose that he's trying to help her up, but it's remotely possible that she's trying to pull him down. See, she put her right foot on the horizontal branch for leverage, but her sole slipped, hanging up her ankle.
A tortuous hypothesis, I admit, brought on by too early an exposure to Hegel, and hereby withdrawn. It will suffice to echo others' thanks to Steve for donating and Dave for posting this charming vignette.
to Mr. King for this look back into the past. I found this photo most especially interesting as my grandmother, in 1895, would have been perhaps only a year or two younger than this little girl. I wonder if she and her brother ever climbed a tree together?
Where have you been?
They say to me
But don't they know that I am free
Every time I climb a tree?
David McCord
Thanks for sharing your family photos!
A lot of kids today don't get to experience the fine art of tree climbing.
The thrills of victory and the agonies of defeat.
(life lessons)
It is kind of you to share these rare images with the world of Shorpy. We do appreciate it. As a side note, can you imagine the dismay when a lace broke on the boy's shoes?
This is going to be a great series.
Steve King. A big thank you from this Shorpyite.
You have not just given us photographs, you have given us a glimpse of history as it happened.
Much appreciated.
What a rare and wonderful image of 19th century children at play (instead of posing stiffly) - and in those elaborate outfits, too! I guess nothing stops a kid who wants to climb a tree.
Isn't that tree one of those Indian trail markers they taught us about in grade school?
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