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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: seemex on Monday 26 October 15 20:16 GMT (UK)
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The written word looks like a name. Maybe "Bubruska" ?? The photo is of a woman seated with the date 10/4/1938. I scanned to .jpg
Any help appreciated. Photo could have been from the orient.
Thanks,
Brian
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Unusual pose - looks like she holding something in her closed left hand and a handkerchief in her right. Clutch purse on her lap?
She looks young - maybe a "coming out" photo?
Do you know who she is? Why do you think it may have been taken in the Orient?
I can't make much sense of the word I'm afraid. I keep thinking of "Babushka" - the Russian word for grandmother, though I'm not sure that is what the word says, as some of the letters don't tally. This would only make sense if the word was written years later when the sitter was a grandmother. Do you have Russian ancestry?
Is the date written in the same hand as the mystery word?
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Babushka would be Russian for grandmother, although it's written in English. She doesn't seem to fit the part though ::)
It may be another word, I cannot make it out completely.
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My family were British but a couple of generations were born in Hong Kong and Kowloon, then later moved to Shanghai. There are Russians in the family by marriage...one name is Malysheff and the other Levitzky. The date looks like it was done later. Here's the full back side. I had trouble getting the file size down to the limit...sorry. Maybe as you say....it was someone's grandmother? Also, the chair style doesn't look super old....and seems to have a rope or sisal woven seat.
Another possibility might be something Malayan...I found a word "Bubucara" a dessert, but could be a name I guess. My GF spent time in KL, but no idea who the person is
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Hello everyone. :D
Not sure what the name says yet but i think the article on her lap is a book maybe a hymn book or similar, it seems to have a white cover on it.
She does seem dressed for hot weather in her summer dress and looks very pretty.
There seems to be a tartan or plaid covering behind and under the chair which to me seems rather cut down or its my eyes. And ornate walls behind her or screens? ???
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The mystery deepens.
Yes, that could be a prayer book on her lap. Does the handkerchief hold any significance related to a religious kind of ceremony? :-\
Of course the girl may not be a family member - perhaps she was the daughter of a friend or relative who proudly distributed photos of a special occasion to those who knew her? :-\
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To me it looks like babushca.
There were lots of Russians in Shangai after 1917, including some from an earlier settlement in China,
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The more I look now....I'm seeing "Bubushka" or "Bubushca" and the connotation of grandmother could make sense I suppose. Thanks to everyone....now I'll see if I can ID her. I found the photo in with other family pictures and when I saw it, her left looked almost artificial. I didn't initially see the small written name, just the date. Scanning made it clearer.
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Working back from the year 1938, presuming that is when the photo was taken rather than some kind of photographers identification mark, if we can estimate her age, it may give you something to go on if you are chasing up relatives.
She has a big bow in her hair, which is an indication that she is young. I am not sure if the short hair is relevant in the late 30s, but I think in some eras young girls wore their hair long and when they reached a certain age it was ok for them to cut it short. She could be anything from 16 to early 20s, but I think the bow means that she is in the younger range, so a birth around 1922 perhaps? :-\
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I don't think that is a handkerchief in her right hand.
Folds are too big - a girl's handkerchief would be light and dainty, for a photo especially.
Plus the filmy 'article' down over her knee (see the line of its boundary) is probably the other end of what is possibly a scarf. If the book is a prayerbook as it looks like, then maybe this was a photo after some religious 'ceremony' when she wore the scarf as a head-covering ???
Dawn M
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Forgot to add: Confirmation, perhaps?
Also, I can only get Babushka out of that word.
Dawn M
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I don't think that is a handkerchief in her right hand.
Folds are too big - a girl's handkerchief would be light and dainty, for a photo especially.
Plus the filmy 'article' down over her knee (see the line of its boundary) is probably the other end of what is possibly a scarf. If the book is a prayerbook as it looks like, then maybe this was a photo after some religious 'ceremony' when she wore the scarf as a head-covering ???
Dawn M
Ah yes, I see that now Dawn - it is a scarf. I thought the seam across her knee was part of her dress. ::)
I did wonder if it may be a 'confirmation' photo too. :)
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If it is a headscarf then this is another pointer to Russian influence, Russian orthodox church would require the covering of the hair in church.
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Not just Russian Orthodox. When I was confirmed in Anglican church we had a short veil. I wonder if this several copies of the photo might have been printed and the proud mother of the girl may have written that this one was to go to Babushka. The writing looks older to me than someone writing on it much later.
Babushka is not necessarily just grandmother but usually used as a mark of respect to an older but related family member or family friend. In my experience it is usually followed by the christian name. My mother was a Babushka to her grandchildren and she was called Babushka XXXXX (christian name) her sister, the children's great aunt, was called Babushka and her christian name. An older cousin was also called Babushka plus her christian name.
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She also seems to be showing off the plain bangle on her left arm.
Something like a confirmation ceremony? She's certainly dressed for a very special occasion.
Babushka (maybe with a spelling variation) seems quite likely to me.
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Thanks again to all for your input. Like the rest of you, I'm fairly comfortable that the word is Babushka or at least that's what was meant. The writing is indeed different between the name and the date further down so could have been done at differnt times, but the style of the furnishings, and clothing seems to me to indicate, the year 1938 was not that far out for when the photo was taken. "Babushka" being used as a general term of respect, I wasn't aware of but certainly could be. As I mentioned some of my family was born in Asia and a few married Russian women, so there's definitely a possibly of some Russian connection.
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I don't know if this will help or not, but when I brightened up the image I was surprised to find that the chair has been placed in a peculiar setting. Take a look at the bottom left corner - the chair legs appears to be inside a series of strings/threads attached to some kind of loom.
I thought that those on this board with great historical knowledge might be able to make sense of that, and it would hopefully give you a lead.
Cheers,
Kevin
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Nice photo. I also think she is no older than 16
Not sure its a loom , you can see it in the top pic also. I am going to say , it looks like an older style couch/lounge/settee that has had the cushions taken off and the chair placed inside the webbing. Why, I don't know, its what I see.
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(бабушка – babushka – literally means "grandmother" or "old woman" in Russian. Wikipedia.
Or in English possible literal translation is - Grandmother ........ as a young lady.