This obviously is a World War II era photograph of my grandmother’s brother and his wife. The clothes and the apparent age of the image make that clear. But there are some things about this photograph that are not quite so clear.
I’m not certain if they were married yet when this photograph was taken. I’m thinking they weren’t because of how the names are written on the back of the photograph–Aunt Alice is listed with her maiden name of “Alice Cherrill” while my uncle is only listed as “Ed.” It would seem more likely if they had been married when the photograph was taken they would have been styled “Ed and Alice” or something similar.
“Calif motel” is a very specific location. I’m assuming it was near where my uncle was stationed at the time this photograph was taken. The vegetation in the photograph makes it clear it was not taken in their home state of Illinois.
There are two apparent sets of handwriting on this photograph. The bulk of the writing appears to have been written by my grandmother–based on the writing. The “Dot” (my grandma’s name) in the upper right hand corner is likely someone else writing her name to indicate that the photograph is hers. That’s a good reminder that names on photos can also be written to indicate who owns the photograph, not just who is pictured in it.
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