By Rhonda Akey
The ability to date a donated artifact is not always as easy as it may appear. Often the donor knows little about the artifact, other than possibly the fact it belonged to a family member and that they had it a “long time”. This also holds true of family photographs that date from the late 19th and early 20th century. If we’re lucky, the person or place may be identified by the donor or noted by someone on the back of the photo but oftentimes, we can only surmise when the photograph was actually taken.
Recently, while documenting a collection of photographs, I noticed that a portion of a newspaper had been used to back a photograph that had been framed. A naturally curious person, I wondered if this cut portion from a newspaper might help me “date” the photograph. After all, newspapers are by nature, disposable, and are not usually held onto for very long in the average household. On the other hand, there are obvious flaws in this thinking. Perhaps the photograph was framed years after it was taken. Or maybe this family happened to have a very old paper hanging about that they scrounged up to use for this frame. Nevertheless, it still provided a timeframe of which we wouldn’t normally have had the newspaper not been encapsulated in the frame along with the picture.
Images of the photo being dated and both sides of the newspaper used to back the photograph.
Of course, the easiest way to date the paper is to look at the date printed along the header. However, the portion that had been cut to use within the frame did not have the printed date and well, that wouldn’t have made for a very interesting story. Next I scanned through the stories looking for a date that would state when the paper was printed. As luck would have it, the only date in the entire piece, either side, was noted in an obituary notice that stated Sir John A. MacDonald’s son, John MacDonald, died in Lancaster, Ontario on July 25th, 1887. Well, that was interesting…and a start. But the wording left me wanting more solid proof that, in fact, the paper was printed just after this date.
Image of the obituary notice for John McDonald.
Next I scoured the newspaper for stories that may have been picked up from another area. I could then look online to see if I could find out when those stories happened from another archival source, such as another newspaper. My first attempt was a story about a group of politicians from one of the states being arrested for not providing proper upkeep on some low income rental property owned by the town. The politicians paraded in handcuffs through the town to the jailhouse. Though it would have been interesting to learn what happened, politics made sure that this story was quietly swept under the rug. I could find no information about this event from any other sources.
Undeterred, I tried another story entitled “A True Nobleman: Lord Drummond’s Heroism and Fidelity”. A quick internet search turned up exactly what I was hoping for and more. A similar story had been published in the New York Times entitled “Lord Drummond’s Story; It Ended Yesterday in Trinity Churchyard. He Preferred Poverty and Life with the Women he Loved to Title and Station”. The online archival file, which included the entire story printed in the N.Y. Times, was dated August 7, 1887. Not only was I successful in confirming the date of the newspaper, I then had the privilege to read about the scandalous life of Lord Drummond.
Image of the "A True Nobleman" article.
Though I highly suggest reading the story for yourself, I will attempt to give you a quick version of the highlights to tempt your curiosity. Lord Drummond was born in Scotland to an English Noble family. After his parents died while he was still in infancy, he went to live with his grandmother. His grandmother was ill for most of his life, and as was typical of the time, Drummond was raised by the hired help. As a young man, Drummond fell in love with his grandmother’s nurse, a lady which was six or seven years his senior. When Drummond was 14 years old, his grandmother died. The young nurse convinced Drummond that in order for them to stay together, they must run away together. They bought passage to America, using false names, and ended up in New York. Drummond was able to find employment and eventually the two married and had a daughter together. However, hard times meant they lived a very impoverished life but they were happy to be together. He approached his family, back in England, asking for their help. His family said they would be happy to help, but under the condition that he leave this unacceptable woman and return home. Drummond refused and chose to remain with his love. Eventually, Drummond became ill and could not work. He again approached his family begging for their help. Again they stipulated that they would help under the previously stated conditions. Drummond refused to leave, choosing poverty with his love over his rightful title and station. He died of consumption on August 6th, 1887, leaving behind his beloved wife and daughter.
If you wish to read the full story, you may find it at the following link:
I hope you find this story as fascinating as I have. You just never know where you will end up when you choose to follow a road less travelled. But I’m glad I did.
