Alva frying the fish

Click here to view it larger.

I went to a holiday party yesterday, where my friend Jenn delighted me with some gifts that included several vintage photos. I love this simple slice-of-life image, measuring 2.5 x 4.25 inches. Written on the back (click the scan below to enlarge) is:

“Sep 1915 this is alva frying the fish he sed ma thare is to mutch [said ma there is too much] smoke here for you let me fry them so he did and did it fine these they sent to us but i thought you would like them best”

So I guess somebody took a picture of Alva cooking some fish after he took over cooking duties from his mother, and decided to give this copy to the mother, who in turn decided to pass it on to somebody she felt might appreciate it more. Is that how others understand it? It’s interesting that he took over the cooking, claiming there was too much smoke, when there’s no smoke in the picture. Also, when I enlarged it, it was fun to realize that even with this very casual outfit, there’s what appears to be a nice watch chain attached to the front.