Every week The Psychogenealogist shares a "Pic of the Week." The intent is to encourage thought and imagination about the spaces where psychology, genealogy, and history converge.

Here is a lovely European cabinet card I picked up at a local antique store. It shows two women. I am guessing that the mother is sitting with her daughter standing. It seems possible, though less likely, that they are sisters. What do you think?

The image itself is about 4 and 3/4 inches wide and 7 and 3/8 tall. It is matted on a board that is approximately 8 and 1/4 by 11 and 3/4 inches. Here is the image cropped without the frame.

Here is the photographer’s stamp on the bottom.

It reads: Becske A Veszprém.

There are a few markings on the back, but at least some appear to be related to different venders or resellers this photo has passed through in different antique stores.

I can’t really make heads or tails of the notes. Can you?

Preliminary research suggests that the photographer MAY be Aladar Becske (1849-1923). He was from Hungary and lived and worked in Veszprém for part of his career. Veszprém is a city about 75 miles south west of Budapest, Hungary’s capital city.

I am guessing the photo was taken between 1910 and 1920, though that could be off. I really wish I knew more about these women and the photographer who took this photo!

Questions:

• Who are these women and what are their stories?

• Who is the photographer and what is his story?

• What book is the seated woman holding and what page does she have it marked at with her finger?

• Do the notes on the back of the photo mean anything to you?

• What do you think, feel, and wonder about as you look at this photo?

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