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New York. March 16, 1918. "Florence A. Young and Chas. P. Rigo." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
Charles P. Rigo was my grandfather. His father was president of the New York Floral Society so his presence at this show makes sense. I do not know who Flo is, but I am sure going to try to find out.
These may be our folks from the 1920 Federal Census:
Trenton, NJ, Young, Florence A., head of household, female, white, 42, single, born New Jersey, occupation: custodian at State barracks.
Nutley, NJ, Rigo, Charles P., born 1915 in New Jersey, son of Paul H. and Ethel W. Rigo, white, male (only child); Paul H. is a florist with his own shop; the grandparents of Charles were from Germany.
No matches from the New York census. This photo must be of a brief encounter. Flo cuts the grass and Charlie's dad sells flowers.
The more I look at the photo of Flo and her outfit, the more I think she must have been "Florence A. Young, The Lady Gardener". Her costume certainly gives the impression of a person doing outdoor work -- you don't need puttees while dusting the crockery. Was she the Charlie Dimmock of her time?
[The leggings are because it's freezing cold outside. At 8 a.m. that day in New York it was 23 degrees, up from a low of 14. - Dave]
(He's my brother.) There are pictures of our dad with very similar girly hair when he was just a little squirt. Our mom frequently makes fun of his mom for having his hair that long.
Another shot of Florence on that riding mower. This was at the Sixth International Flower Show at Grand Central Palace on Lexington Avenue.
Flo is wearing puttees for some reason, so she probably is also wearing trousers of some sort beneath her dress. Puttees are leg wrappings made of long strips of cloth, adopted by several armies during the WWI. The Brits were hugely big on puttees, while the US went for leggings, though puttees were also known in the US Army. Bob and Ray were known to work puttees into their radio routines.
She presents a very sturdy appearance...a woman in charge of something: Chas P. Rigo?
Until the 20s, young boys frequently wore their hair this long, until it was time for first grade. I'm trying to figure out what they are sitting on, at first glance it might be a (by 1918) antique car, but the interior background and the assortment of levers makes me think this was some kind of internal trolley in a large store or factory, or perhaps underground like the tunnels in Chicago.
Anyone have any idea what the heck they are riding on? Maybe a old school zamboni?
I think the little hippy is way too young to drive and Flo sure has some funky leg warmers.
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