Children dressed for a pageant
By: usermattw
Tags: antiques, Downieville, photography, vintage photography
Click here to view it larger.
My mother recently passed along a set of photos and postcards that had come into her possession. All the ones that were labeled were from Downieville, a tiny Gold Rush-era town in the mountains of California that I had visited once a couple years ago. This picture isn’t labeled, and I haven’t yet found the building shown in it, but it’s probably a good bet that the location is at least in the area, if not Downieville itself. (There was a second, smaller picture of the same children from a different angle, but this one was better.) This picture is about 4.75 x 3 inches, and as always, it amazes me how much detail is lost in pictures printed so small. We thought the girls in white might have been dressed for something like a First Communion, but upon enlarging the photo, I see they are dressed as nurses. There are also children dressed as doughboys, Indians, and what appears to be a Revolutionary Era figure. I’m guessing they’re dressed for some sort of school or community pageant, though I don’t know for sure. Actually, there’s very little I know for sure. But there are enough intriguing details to keep me guessing. And I’m glad I bothered to enlarge it.
Pics of Then 
I don’t think I’ve ever seen windows like those before. They’re enormous.
Yes, aren’t they? I thought it would help me locate the building, but so far no luck. I’m not even sure what it is. I’m guessing it’s a church or school, but I could be wrong, and if it isn’t there anymore, then that complicates figuring it out.
Sometimes old churches were converted to town halls or other municipal buildings. But as you say, it may be long gone.
Good point about the conversion of old buildings from one use to another. I’ve seen that a lot, too. But so much changes. I have another picture from this set of some girls standing on a bridge, except that the bridge itself doesn’t look like either of the two bridges currently in Downieville. So was the bridge replaced in the last century, or was the picture taken somewhere else? And how much research do I really want to do? LOL
I think the building is the court house. Granted, your picture and the one on the link are decades apart. Thankfully, the angles are the same for all. There is another picture of the court house in the collection. Along with pictures of other surrounding towns.
https://digital.ucdavis.edu/item/ark:/13030/tf2v19n7bf
Good find! I think that must be it. Thanks for that.
Was the bridge replaced — probably
Was the photo taken somewhere else — probably
Good luck with that, LOL
Haha! Well, as you can see from the other comment, the building has been identified already. Hopefully the bridge won’t be too hard, either. But we’ll see.
FWIW, the shape and length of the uncostumed boys’ baggy knickers indicate this was taken in the 1910s, and would fit into the late teens (i.e., WWI period). The style seems just slightly too baggy for the 1920s, but I’m not sure, so I tried to check, and I didn’t find a complete answer, but I did find a page from a 1918 Sears catalogue with a “play suit” for boys in a “military” style that matches these Doughboys pretty well. They also sold “Indian” suits for boys and girls, that are similar to what the kids here are wearing.
Also, if this courthouse replaced the original, it sure is a comedown! https://noehill.com/sierra/poi_sierra_county.asp
Thanks for your expert eye, as always, in helping to date these. I would have guessed in that time frame, especially given that the nurses and doughboys and general patriotism would have likely been on display during WWI. As for the courthouse, yes, I’ve been there! Do you remember my project a couple years ago when I traveled around to all the county seats in California? That project is what took me to Downieville.
Without enlarging the picture and seeing the young girls in white headdresses before what looked like it could be a church, I naively assumed it was a First Communion picture. I am glad your readers set me straight.
Well, they do look like little girls dressed for First Communion when you hold the picture in your hand. And it does look like they’re standing in front of a church. So it was a good guess. But that’s why it’s always fun to enlarge them and inspect the details.