Can anyone identify the woman in this 1930s photo?

[Warbaby]

Oh thanks, Josephine - that made me blow coffee out of my nose.

Neener, neener indeed. Bwahahahaha!

I'll go clean up my keyboard now.

 

[Cobden]

oh yes, well spotted

it was the date format right?

Yep, they're aren't 31 months in a year!

Another thing strikes me; was it normal behaiviour to send friends signed 'photo's of oneself during the period?
I'm not particularly au fait with womens fashions of the period, especially that as worn by older women, but the Chinese style suit is quite intriguing - indeed, from what I can see, the chair seems to be rather Oriental too. A random, perhaps more confusing thought, butmaybe we're looking at a treaty port resident, perhaps the wife of a senior American representative?

 

[JazzBaby]

Josephine - :eusa_clap lol Great job!

This thread is driving me crazy by the way. I keep thinking I recognise her from something but I just can't pinpoint it... or maybe it's just because she reminds me of Gertrude Stein :eusa_doh:

 

[ShooShooBaby]

Yep, they're aren't 31 months in a year!

Another thing strikes me; was it normal behaiviour to send friends signed 'photo's of oneself during the period?
I'm not particularly au fait with womens fashions of the period, especially that as worn by older women, but the Chinese style suit is quite intriguing - indeed, from what I can see, the chair seems to be rather Oriental too. A random, perhaps more confusing thought, butmaybe we're looking at a treaty port resident, perhaps the wife of a senior American representative?

i have many photos from that time period that have been signed... most of mine are class pictures with things like, "Your friend, Jim" and then the date.

 

[Bill Taylor]

I guess I have to jump into this "fray". I think the first name is D. although the period is removed from the initial. That is in keeping with social usage of the time. My mother always signed notes with just an initial and my wife says her mother did also. (in the 30s). The last name appears to be something like Manosh, or Mawosh. Clearly the last letter of the last name appears to be an "h" and ends there with a squiggle (no such word, I know), above (to make a "fancy" signature). I think the next word(s) is 9 yrs. (9 years). What I first thought was a q now looks more like a y. The chair appears to be a teens or 20s or 30s overstuffed chair with a wood rail at the top of the back, probably a photo studio prop. She is leaning against the arm. The jacket looks more 20s than 30s, although styles do cross over. Perhaps it was a favorite older piece of clothing. Or, instead of a 9, perhaps that is an unreadable letter and is part of the name of a town. Often in that time period, the town name was used with a signature, but no state, and of course, there was no such thing as a zip code then. I just can't quite put together a real last name to the letters combination I see. It also seems to me it is a formal note to an aquaintance and not a close friend. The hang overs from Victorian times used the word love differently than we do today., even between men. Guess the baseball caps are what changed that. And yeah, that was meant as a unkind zinger.

Bill

 

[dhermann1]

Nahhh . . . That ain't it.

This lady didn't even know who she was either. She ends her signature with " I gues". She couldn't spell, either.
(This thing is making me NUTS!!!)

 

[dhermann1]

I'm looking at the third letter of the last name and wondering if it's an N, and not an R (look at the other N's). The last letter of that sequence (let's not even decide it's a whole or partial name) looks like a very emphatic T. That letter often had that kind of uptick stroke in those days. Then there's a swooping cross of the T. The real puzzle is that 9. It must be an I, but I can't find any Google matches on IQUES. For a while I was fooling around with Manistoque. It's a town in Michigan. But it was a dead end. The thing to do is find the census list for Portland for 1930 and 1940. A dull, but potentially effective approach.

 

[Cobden]

Yes, I've googled some ideas and only come up with Manistique, Michigan. Which leads to the other possibility: It is a place name, and she's just signed an initial; i.e.

To Clara with Friendship and Love
D.

Manistique
5/31/37

In which case, you're only option is to go to Manistique and see if anyone recognises her!

 

[Murph351]

Do you think she is dead?
Anybody here good at channeling??

 

[warbird]

Do you think she is dead?

Hmm, I dunno. [huh]

Let's say for the sake of argument she prematurely aged considerably and despite her looks she was only 40 in 1937. That would today make her 111 or so. And I think 40 is far too young for the woman in that pic. So, unless she is in the Guinness Book of Record, I'd imagine the odds would be in our favor to assume she's dead.

 

[Vintage Betty]

Hmm, I dunno. [huh]

Let's say for the sake of argument she prematurely aged considerably and despite her looks she was only 40 in 1937. That would today make her 111 or so. And I think 40 is far too young for the woman in that pic. So, unless she is in the Guinness Book of Record, I'd imagine the odds would be in our favor to assume she's dead.

I think warbird is actually channeling the mystery lady but is trying to throw us off his game.

 

[Miss 1929]

Come on VB!

You said ages ago that you might know who she is... so? I look up to you as the ultimate font of knowledge...

My thoughts - Dona (sorry, can't remember how to make an enya in this program) is not for nobility. It is a word somewhat like "Madame" in that you use it respectfully for any older, usually married, woman, in Spanish. Like me, for you whippersnappers out there.

I agree it looks more like an initial D than any abbreviation. Besides, if it's Spanish, they hardly ever bother to abbreviate that, just Sr. y Sra. Spanish speaking people never met a syllable they didn't like...

The Chinese jacket is a style that was Manchu, and worm in the Imperial Court for, oh, several centuries - but became popular for westerners in the 20s, and 30s. No clue there, besides, we already know the date of the picture, right?

She does have a tragic face - but it could be indigestion.

 

[Vintage Betty]

You said ages ago that you might know who she is... so? I look up to you as the ultimate font of knowledge...

<snip>

She does have a tragic face - but it could be indigestion.

Hey don't shoot the messenger! I am waiting on others. I'll get around to inquiring when I have time. :whistling

But your final comment had me spit out my tea all over my keyboard!lol

 

[Miss 1929]

Two tea spits

in one thread!
This is a hot one.

 

[Idledame]

I haven't heard back from the Smithsonian. Hard to believe, but they must have better things to do.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Yes, I've googled some ideas and only come up with Manistique, Michigan. Which leads to the other possibility: It is a place name, and she's just signed an initial; i.e.

To Clara with Friendship and Love
D.

Manistique
5/31/37

In which case, you're only option is to go to Manistique and see if anyone recognises her!

i like this idea...

 

[Nick D]

i like this idea...

Yes, it would mean going home for a visit

(Home is about an hour's drive from Manistique)

 

[Harley Quinn]

I'm looking at the third letter of the last name and wondering if it's an N, and not an R (look at the other N's). The last letter of that sequence (let's not even decide it's a whole or partial name) looks like a very emphatic T. That letter often had that kind of uptick stroke in those days. Then there's a swooping cross of the T. The real puzzle is that 9. It must be an I, but I can't find any Google matches on IQUES. For a while I was fooling around with Manistoque. It's a town in Michigan. But it was a dead end. The thing to do is find the census list for Portland for 1930 and 1940. A dull, but potentially effective approach.

I'm reading it

From D . Man??htlque 5/31/37

could it be a house name?

 

[Murph351]

I think it might be a photo of FDR in drag.

 

[Vintage Betty]

I think it might be a photo of FDR in drag.

If serious, are there other photos of FDR in drag to compare it to? I did a search, but came up with nothing.

I gotta get on the ball and try to contact my resarchers. If they don't respond, I'll simply post my research so far and pass the baton to someone else. [huh]