Grandpa's Lunch Pail and My Booties

When Sue nabbed my grandfather's lunch pail for another of her photo themes, I told her to call me down [to the basement and our primitive, makeshift studio] when she was done with her shenanigans artistry, so that I could take a few photos.

My mother had hung onto this ordinary for almost fifty years after her father's passing, keeping various papers and treasures safe inside. It came to me almost twenty years past, and I have kept in intact for the most part.

Temporarily, for her shoot, Sue put an actual lunch inside.

I added textures, mostly in the background, to give it a vintage feel.

My guess is that the lunchbox dates to the 1920s and perhaps earlier. I have written previously that grandfather worked as a bricklayer on buildings in New York in the twenties, perhaps even the Empire State Building, but I don't know that for a certainty. I mean  that I know the New York part but not the other although my mother thought it possible.

One of the treasures that Mom kept inside was my baby booties. When would I have worn them? When I was 1 or 2 years old? Let's say they're 73 years old. Then, as now but for different reasons, I probably didn't do a lot of walking.

Also inside was a tie pin (left, in the Birks box), another treasure that belonged to my grandfather. There are also two hat pins. They may have been mom's or perhaps her mother's.

I must say that Sue's new found hobby is giving me plenty of material too. Winter has always been problematic for keeping my photography fresh. While I have many older photos that I can post, particularly on Flickr, I always prefer to work with current photos, even if their subject matter is of the distant past.