Oriole gets married!
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What it is:
Photo (4 x 6 inches) mounted into a cardboard frame/folder (partly cropped from this scan), plus a snapshot (3.5 x 3.5 inches).
What I know about it:
Written on the back of the cardboard frame is Oriole Rasmussen. Written on the back of the snapshot is Oct. 7, 1958. Oriole Rasmussen and new husband Bob Brownmiller
Comments:
One bunch of photos I bought online turned out to include a couple generations of the Rasmussen family, one example of which I’ve already posted here. Knowing nothing about the family as I was going through my then-new acquisition, I was delighted to see the name Rasmussen recur, implying I was looking at relatives. I started seeing one or two with a young woman named Oriole. She seemed pleasant enough, but with her imperfect teeth, her gawky smile, and her (heaven help her) glasses (!), she seemed destined to be the spinster aunt, particularly compared to her strikingly handsome sister and three brothers. My heart immediately went out to her, convincing myself that she would turn out to be a beloved teacher or librarian, and a revered member of her family and community. So imagine my pleasant surprise, indeed my joy, to find the snapshot indicating she got married! I then had to stop and remind myself that, as I was looking at my antique photos, I had fallen into the trap of antique thinking, assuming no better fate awaited her based on her looks, not to mention treating her as if marriage was the highest validation of her worth. Shame on me. Fortunately, our man Bob saw in her what I didn’t. Look at Bob’s smile! That man knows he scored! Incidentally, I found a tiny bit of biographical information about them online which indicated, among other things, that October 7, 1958, was indeed their wedding day, and that Oriole got married at age 39.
Pics of Then 
You are hysterical Matt. In addition to everything you pointed out about Oriole, there is the fact that she ate like a bird.
Ha! 🙂
It looks as though they both “scored”. Good for them!
Yes they did!
Great story and you’re getting pretty good at doing “extra” research on the subject…I hope I’m not fired already. 😉
No, you are most definitely not fired, and neither is anybody! I very much appreciate your input. I just have to remind myself not to get lazy and assume somebody else will do my research. 🙂
I love that you called yourself out on the assumptions about her looks and your assumptions about marriage. Don’t forget the part about how people often look pleased on their wedding days, but the subsequent years sometimes look quite different. I hope for deal Oriole’s sake that the marriage was a good thing in her life.
Yes, anybody can smile for a camera, regardless of what she is really feeling. But in the absence of any other evidence, I’m going to be optimistic here.
Really love this Matt.
Thank you, Michael!