May and Harry Aird Enjoy a Post-Christmas Breakfast: A Photo Delight
Mary “May” Seller Shields Aird: 1893-1988 (Paternal
Grandmother)
Henry “Harry” Aird: 1886-1966 (Paternal Grandfather)
I was glancing through some photos from John Aird’s
childhood and ran across a photo of his parents that had the most charming
details: perfect for this 52 Ancestors prompt.
The photo is labelled “May & Harry 12-26-40”. Since May
and Harry were both Scottish immigrants, I’m sure they referred to the day
after Christmas as “Boxing Day” per UK custom. The photo shows May and Harry in
their kitchen eating breakfast. There are so many wonderful details that add
color to what we know about their lives in 1940.
First, the view through the kitchen window is dark—they were
up before the sun had completely risen. Sunrise in Detroit, Michigan in
December would occur at about 7:10 a.m., so it appears May and Harry were early
risers. Their little breakfast table has a small lamp on it, and the lamp is
lit to provide light.
They are quite formally dressed. May is wearing pumps and a
nice dark dress with floral embroidery down the sleeves, and Harry is wearing a
suit and tie. Perhaps they were preparing to go to church or to someone’s house
for post-holiday festivities.
I love all the house details I can see in the photo. The
window is framed by striped curtains. The kitchen floor is covered with
linoleum in a charming pattern of angular lines and squares. I wish I knew what
colors were featured. May and Harry are sitting at a lovely small, round table
with straight chrome legs ending in curved feet. The tabletop was probably
either wood or formica, which was a fairly standard surface then. May had
covered the table with a tablecloth that perfectly fits the tabletop with no
overlap; it has an embroidered edge, a detail best seen in the section in front
of Harry. The chairs had curved chrome bases that were so popular in that era.
The table has a half-filled glass coffee pot sitting atop a
trivet near Harry. May is holding up her coffee cup and is smiling at Harry. A
lovely silver cream and sugar set rests in front of her. A bowl of oranges is
tucked behind the sugar bowl. Oranges were popular fruit during the Christmas
season—they were some of he only fresh fruits that could be had in winter,
shipped from Florida or California when all the Midwest fruits were out of
season.
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| Close-up of the breakfast table |
And then there is my favorite detail: the box of Shredded
Wheat behind the bowl of oranges, and Harry’s bowl piled high with a shredded
wheat biscuit. The bowl looks ready to overflow if milk was poured over the
cereal—the wheat cereal looks like a pile of Easter grass. The box is also
interesting: above the words “Shredded Wheat” are the words “National
Biscuit”—the company name that was eventually shortened to Nabisco (National
Biscuit Company).
That Shredded Wheat breakfast brings back wonderful memories
of my own grandfather, who also loved Shredded Wheat. As a child, I found the
cereal too bland. I preferred the sugared cereals like Corn Pops and Frosted
Flakes. My granddad never piled his Shredded Wheat quite as high as Harry did,
however.
I wonder if May and Harry’s only son, John Aird, took the
photo. Here is a photo taken during that same holiday season of young John, who
was twenty-one years old. Soon he would be drafted and sent to war.
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| John Aird December 1940 |
This photo was such a treasure! I loved all the details, but
my favorite detail was the Shredded Wheat cereal. A true breakfast of
champions—champion ancestors!
Sources:
Family photo.
