Advertisement
Advertisement

Child 1 Unknown

Updated Mar 10, 2025
Loading...one moment please loading spinner
Child 1 Unknown
A photo of an unknown child. John Rapier Photographer, No. 18 Front Street, Meridian, MS

This photo was obtained by Historic Clarke County in MS whening purchusing the Gavin-Huff house in Quitman MS. The photo album contains pitcures mostly from Alabama/Mississippi. Any information in identifying the baby in this picture is appreciated.
Date & Place: at R S Gavin Album in Meridian, Mississippi USA
Comments
Leave a comment
The simple act of leaving a comment shows you care.
Photo of Beatrice Elaine Albright Beatrice Elaine Albright
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Interesting, in that era with her hair that short she may have been through a serious illness, maybe within the previous 6 months? Not sure how long it would take for hair to grow to that length but they used to cut hair off with high fevers.
Photo of Lisa Barnes Lisa Barnes
via Facebook
08/17/2015
hair might be pulled back in pony tail? just a thought
Photo of Beatrice Elaine Albright Beatrice Elaine Albright
via Facebook
08/17/2015
If you look at the hair above the ears, that looks like a short cut. I have hair about that length and you can tell the cut lines. Vitamin deficiencies also cause hair loss, the four Russian grand duchesses during their captivity (1916) lost their hair.
Photo of Nancy R. Scott Nancy R. Scott
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Hair grows about one inch/month
Photo of Beatrice Elaine Albright Beatrice Elaine Albright
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Thank you. So, if it had to be cut maybe 2 months? 3 at the outside maybe.
I believe human hair naturally grows at the rate of approximately one-fourth of an inch per-month.
Photo of Carol Wheeler Carol Wheeler
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Fabulous......👍
Photo of Ruth Wiginton Ruth Wiginton
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Off topic:
Quitman, Mississippi?
Doing my husband's family tree, his 2nd Gr Grandpa's name was Quitman C Wiginton, and they lived in Mississippi before migrating to Texas. I've always wondered the origin of the Quitman name. Now me thinks I must look up the origins of Quitman, Mississippi!
Photo of James Obrien James Obrien
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Head lice ???
Photo of Renata Machado Renata Machado
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Except for the hair (mine is frizzy and curly) I think she looks like me when I was a child.
Photo of Jan Elzig Ward Jan Elzig Ward
via Facebook
08/17/2015
transgender from bygone era?
Photo of Leila Paulson Howe Leila Paulson Howe
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Transgender and trasvestite ideas didn't exist back then.
Photo of Dolly Collins Cohoon Dolly Collins Cohoon
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Oh i bet it did but they kept it in the closet.......Mental illness , my opinion. I could tell she was a she tho
Photo of Donna Coyne Donna Coyne
via Facebook
08/17/2015
[citation needed]
Photo of Donna Coyne Donna Coyne
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Photo of Laura Charles Laura Charles
via Facebook
08/17/2015
yes they actually did, people just didn't freak out like they do now, and it is not mental illness any more than the color of your eyes
Photo of Brenda Thompson Davis Brenda Thompson Davis
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Back then they did consider it mental illness,.
Photo of Kate DiLiberto Kate DiLiberto
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Back then, boys and girls were dressed alike until a certain age. Little boys wore frilly dresses and had long hair until about five years old.
Photo of Barbara Parker Barbara Parker
via Facebook
08/17/2015
The name written on the bottom left is Ina P Rapier.
Photo of Barbara Parker Barbara Parker
via Facebook
08/17/2015
One reason people didn't freak out is sex was a private act, it wasn't on the big screen or in TV shows, it wasn't happening in public and it wasn't broadcast by the news media. People weren't proclaiming loudly I'm heterosexual or I'm gay.
Photo of Linda Virtue Linda Virtue
via Facebook
08/18/2015
The name is above "photographer".
Photo of Cami Stringham Cami Stringham
via Facebook
08/17/2015
She's lovely!
Photo of Meri Walker Meri Walker
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Her ears are pierced....her hair could be pulled back tightly with bangs
Photo of Terri Allen Terri Allen
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Cute photo.
Photo of Norma Cardoza Norma Cardoza
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Love it. .love the out fit. .
Photo of Lynne Benware Lynne Benware
via Facebook
08/17/2015
yes---boys back then wore skirts--it isn't because he's gay or transgender.
Photo of Lynne Benware Lynne Benware
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Ruth-- i hope you find what you're looking for.
Photo of Teresa Regenold Teresa Regenold
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Boy or girl?
Photo of Ruth Wiginton Ruth Wiginton
via Facebook
08/17/2015
The shoes make me think Girl.
Photo of Kate DiLiberto Kate DiLiberto
via Facebook
08/17/2015
The earrings make me think girl.
Photo of Cheryl R Bannister Daniels Cheryl R Bannister Daniels
via Facebook
08/17/2015
exuse me i notice the person sit swing and i figure out why cutting her hair and she is girl how i find out please looking at her earring jewerly
Photo of Beverly Myers Beverly Myers
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Looking closely at this I believe this is a boy and not a girl........
Photo of Kate DiLiberto Kate DiLiberto
via Facebook
08/17/2015
I was wondering about that, too. Boys did wear dresses until a certain age back then. But, I don't think that their ears would have been pierced, and, it looks like the child in the photo is wearing earrings.
Look at her legs people that is a little girl and Jesus I think people weren't as whacked as our time. And In the Victorian era the dresses u elude to were for toddlers because it was easier to change the kiddos diapers.
Photo of Linda Virtue Linda Virtue
via Facebook
08/18/2015
Not a boy with pierced ears.
Photo of Marielin Chonkolay Marielin Chonkolay
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Says Gavin family photos.
Photo of Helen Davidson Helen Davidson
via Facebook
08/17/2015
They used to put boys in dresses also
Photo of Keari Page Keari Page
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Boys only wore dresses until they were 2 or 3 years of age. They did not wear them this late in age. This person is wearing earrings and their jacket is very feminine looking with a lacy border. This is either a girl that had to have her hair cut off due to an illness or lice or her parents were poor and sold her hair for money or maybe the mother had so many sons she wanted to dress one of them up just once to see what it would be like to have a girl. Believe it or not people do that.
Photo of Kate DiLiberto Kate DiLiberto
via Facebook
08/17/2015
I have always heard that boys wore dresses until about five or six -- sometimes a bit later. But, considering the earrings, I do think that this is a girl.
Photo of Ruth Wiginton Ruth Wiginton
via Facebook
08/17/2015
The cut of the boot heel looks feminine to me too. Mens and boys boots were more squared off heels
Photo of Sapphiire Skyy Sapphiire Skyy
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Hope She a good life
Photo of Carol Jarentowski Larson Carol Jarentowski Larson
via Facebook
08/17/2015
How utterly swad that there is no one left to cherish this photo and the little girl in it.
Photo of Jimmie Shumate Pruitte Jimmie Shumate Pruitte
via Facebook
08/17/2015
I know her bangs are short but her hair could be pulled to the back.Is there a hint of a bow in the back behind her hand. Boys didn't wear earrings then. Also it looks like she has on a necklace. Girl shoes.I would just take it at face value. A pretty young girl.
Photo of Brenda Thompson Davis Brenda Thompson Davis
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Keari...you said it all! Perfect!
Photo of Teresa Regenold Teresa Regenold
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Wow you guys have good eyes I can't see any earrings. And the shoes look like boots.
Photo of Sandi Reese Brook Sandi Reese Brook
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Lovely!
Photo of Kelley Knupp Kelley Knupp
via Facebook
08/17/2015
I agree ...very pretty face too. Fancy dress. Someone loved her :)
Photo of Wanda Phelps Wanda Phelps
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Photos like these seem to carry whole life stories of mystery with them, I always wonder who is looking out those eyes and what has been their life experience
Photo of Patricia Devine Patricia Devine
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Pretty girl
Photo of Elizbeth N. Georgia Elizbeth N. Georgia
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Ruth Wiginton, there is also a Quitman, Georgia. Quitman is an old name from Georgia. Many from Georgia migrated to Alabama and Texas.
Photo of Claire Tuohy-Morgan Claire Tuohy-Morgan
via Facebook
08/17/2015
My great-grandmother's hair was cut short when she had typhoid fever, so I agree with that thought. It really is the most likely reason
Photo of Barbara Shaw Byrd Barbara Shaw Byrd
via Facebook
08/17/2015
I really like this picture!
Photo of Mia Caffray Mia Caffray
via Facebook
08/17/2015
What year might the picture have been taken?
Photo of Nichole Parker Nichole Parker
via Facebook
08/17/2015
I'm confused... Why does her hair mean anything? It's just hair.
Photo of Beatrice Elaine Albright Beatrice Elaine Albright
via Facebook
08/20/2015
Because little girls did not have short hair unless they had been very ill (high fever) or suffered from a vitamin deficiency. So, yes, hair can tell us a lot about the era/time.
Photo of Nichole Parker Nichole Parker
via Facebook
08/17/2015
I don't see how so many people are mentioning transgender etc because of a hair cut.
Photo of Theresa Maguire Theresa Maguire
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Love her boots
Photo of Ronny R. Alders Ronny R. Alders
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Beautiful picture! The way she is dressed you can see she belonged to a rich middle class family.
Photo of Deborah Mobberly Deborah Mobberly
via Facebook
08/17/2015
We may never know who she is but she is beautiful and a part of history.
Photo of Lynda Woods Lynda Woods
via Facebook
08/17/2015
This is how girls dressed and fix hair.
Photo of Suzanne Jimenez Strege Suzanne Jimenez Strege
via Facebook
08/18/2015
Interesting
Photo of Matiku Titilayo Matiku Titilayo
via Facebook
08/18/2015
Pretty...
Photo of Regine Innocenti Regine Innocenti
via Facebook
08/18/2015
Magnifique ♡ ♥
Photo of Harriet Lauben McNeely Harriet Lauben McNeely
via Facebook
08/18/2015
This is such a wonderful picture, taken so long ago with such photographic talent!
Photo of John Lawton John Lawton
via Facebook
08/18/2015
On the bottom of the photo it says Meridian Miss. I bet she grew up to be a beautiful woman.
Photo of Sarah Jane Hall Sarah Jane Hall
via Facebook
08/18/2015
Cute kid
Photo of Nancy Weaver Nancy Weaver
via Facebook
08/18/2015
Great photo!
Photo of Claudia Garcia Claudia Garcia
via Facebook
08/18/2015
Extremely sad pictures get lost or discarded. The lineage is broken there. It seems like the people in these pics never had a background.
Photo of Charlene Feiner Charlene Feiner
via Facebook
08/19/2015
So sweet
Photo of Elsa Cumming Elsa Cumming
via Facebook
08/20/2015
She is very still for being on a swing. Do you see her left hand(right to us). It looks limp. Though the other hand looks like it is grasped around the rope. I have found several photos in my family photo box(most unidentified) that were of deceased children.
Like · 3 mins
Photo of Beatrice Elaine Albright Beatrice Elaine Albright
via Facebook
08/20/2015
I had thought of that, the swing is easy, it is probably a prop in a photographer's place, but I thought her eyes looked too "there" to be deceased. Too aware, not empty, hard to explain.
Photo of Elsa Cumming Elsa Cumming
via Facebook
08/20/2015
exactly. Plus her feet look limp. The hand that is up on the rope could be wired or tied there, hence her head resting against the hand.
Photo of Kate DiLiberto Kate DiLiberto
via Facebook
08/30/2015
I think you might be right!
Photo of Kate DiLiberto Kate DiLiberto
via Facebook
08/30/2015
I have heard of photographers "drawing" the pupils of the eyes on the deceased to make them appear aware.
The photo appears like it was taken in the 1880s.
This is the second photo of a child that I've run across in the past twenty-four hours on Ancient Faces that viewers have commented they thought was of a post-mortem child. Really, people; do you genuinely believe that a parent or photographer's studio would morally permit such a thing as posing deceased children - and pretending that they were still alive - for photographic purposes? Regarding viewer Elsa Cumming's comment (above) that the child is "very still", there is a perfectly sensible reason for this, and not because she is deceased. In the early days of photography the exposure time was sometimes several seconds. Therefore, photographic subjects were required to remain perfectly still in order to guarantee a clear, focused image. If the subject were to move his / her image would appear as a moving blur. Also, if this child were deceased it would be awfully difficult to maintain her position on such a precarious location as a swing without her toppling off. I give a hearty thanks to the extreme majority of you who, like me saw this little girl as how she appears; alert, adorable, and very much "alive."
My ex husband was born and raised in Quitman MS,, I went there only ones in all the year we were married and it's very small, maybe he knows something about where the photo came from.
Photo of Faith Eshofan Faith Eshofan
via Facebook
11/02/2020
hi
Both of this child’s hands appear to be severely chapped, particularly her right hand. Maybe she was recovering from some form of illness, or a burn injury.
Photo of Barb K. Dols Barb K. Dols
via Facebook
08/17/2015
if you look close, she has an earring on?
Photo of MarySherron Bee Dutton MarySherron Bee Dutton
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Don't intend this to be mean but sometimes they would cut their hair off if they had gotten lice.
Photo of Nikki Anderson Rowenhorst Nikki Anderson Rowenhorst
via Facebook
08/17/2015
You aren't being mean, but it is a proven fact that little boys had to wear dresses in those days, they were black! I screwed up on this one, it is a girl! Ppl were not allowed to smile either if a photographer was taking their pictures!
Photo of Dolly Collins Cohoon Dolly Collins Cohoon
via Facebook
08/17/2015
Usually just until around 2 years of age tho.... The they wore short pants
Photo of Donna Coyne Donna Coyne
via Facebook
08/17/2015
I suppose that if I had to make and sew all my kids' clothing from scratch, I'd make them wear everything until it fell apart.
Photo of Keari Page Keari Page
via Facebook
08/17/2015
It's not that they "weren't allowed to smile" it's that pictures took so long to take back in those days that they didn't want to hold a smile for that long. Also boys only wore dresses up until about 2 or 3 years of age and every picture I've ever seen they were always white.
Ooohhh, really!!!
Share this photo:
Advertisement

Topic related photos

Lost & Found
Lost & Found
Help reunite mystery or 'orphan' photos that have lost their families.
Photos with the names and dates lost in history. AncientFaces has been reuniting mystery and orphan photos with their families since we began in 2000. This 'Lost & Found' collection is of photos foun...
Portraits
Portraits
Portrait photographs and paintings of our loved ones and ancestors.
Before photos we had paintings of family members - most usually these were reserved for the well off. The era of modern photography began with the daguerreotype, in 1839. Since the advent of photogr...
Mississippi
Mississippi
Browse the history of Mississippi through vintage photographs.
254 photos
Gavin
Last name
4.74k+ people32 photos
Advertisement

Followers

Debora Reese
Brannan, Baker, Bednarek, Campbell, Cox, Fikes, Lapp, Little, Meadows, Moore, Mosley, Parker, Reese, Rogers,
Sandra Edwards
About me:I haven't shared any details about myself.
Richard Ziers
About me:I haven't shared any details about myself.
Shannon Eberhardt
born: shannon renee mckiddy on 07/30/1979 in cincinnati, ohio to ernest & cindy mckiddy
one sister: kathleen savannah mckiddy but goes by lala
June Dominguez
About me:I haven't shared any details about myself.

Show more

Advertisement
Back to Top