Sepia Saturday 255: 22 November 2014

Alan from Sepia Saturday says:

The title of this old photograph - which comes from the Flickr Commons stream of the National Archives of Estonia - is "Eveline Maydell making a silhouette, with her models. Indianapolis 1931" Eveline Adelheid von Maydell (1890 - 1962) was a German-born silhouette artist who lived in the USA from 1922 onwards. She was described as being ambidextrous : a Milwaukee newspaper article from 1942 said "she sketches and designs with her left hand and with her right snips with minute scissors the silhouettes..." Sepians also need to be ambidextrous - composing words with their left hand whilst assessing old images with their right - and we invite you to contribute all these skills to your contributions for Sepia Saturday 255. 

In May last year I figure I used up just about all my silhouette photos.  But I don't think I've shown you this one.

It's a bit blurred, I know.  But I like the idea behind it.  I think it is an artificial light source that is actually in the fireplace too rather than a real fire. At the McLoughlin family reunion last weekend Mary Ann took the photo around the relatives and it was thought that this might be Vince McLOUGHLIN in the photo and probably one of his brothers.  Older brother Jack ran a professional photo studio in Drummoyne.

I think the photographic studio was called Alva Studios.  It was located at 222 Victoria Road Drummoyne.  Jack's wife Christine, according to cousin Marilyn, was an excellent colourist.  Jack's son Kerry worked for the studio too I understand taking candid photography I think in the street.

I found some advertisements placed by Alva Studios or featuring Alva Studios in the wonderful Trove.

Here are some examples - the Studios were looking for a colourist for quite a while as five ads from January 1948 through to June 1949 demonstrated viz:

courtesy of the National Library of Australia - The Sydney Morning Herald , Saturday 17 January 1948, page 24

Of course one wishes that one still had the silhouette one had as a slip of a girl but tis not to be.  What better way to demonstrate a silhouette than in your bathing suit?  Would I have been so bold as to be photographed for free in a studio though?  I think not.  But Alva Studios was willing to help if you wanted to enter.

courtesy of the National Library of Australia, The Australian Womens Weekly 26 October 1935 page 18

Not many silhouettes when it comes to a studio portrait of your darling baby though in these ads for an Appealing Child contest in the Australian Women's Weekly 4 July 1956 on page 29.  Alva Studios was eager to help you win again.

Or this:

courtesy of the National Library of Australia, Australian Women's Weekly, 5 September 1956, page 57

For more appealing silhouettes go here.