Martha Mary O'Brien Marion
This is one of my favorite photos of Mom, as timeworn and splotchy as it is (90 years will do that to you). To me, only one word applies here: waif. She looks like a child actress playing an urchin (well, okay, make that two words) who has wandered away from the film set, and has been talked into posing for yet another picture by an annoying fan. We're so used to saying "cheese" for the camera (and urging our kids to do likewise) that seeing a shot where no manufactured smile is present, makes it stand out. What was going on here? Why so serious? I would guess this was taken somewhere around 1916 in Detroit, making Mom an adorable, angelic five-years-old. Anyway, that's my best guess....Incidentally, damage to the photo gives her appearance its orphan-like quality. In reality, everything she was wearing was probably bleached, washed, starched, and pressed (by a servant, of course). The O'Briens were always a sartorially-conscientious lot, something noticeable in virtually every photo that we have of those early years, even the ones taken when they were at leisure in their summer whites out at Pine Lake and elsewhere. WOM
This is another special portrait of Mom -- obviously staged (check out the backdrop), with all of the elements precisely in place: the ribbon running through her cascading ringlets; the fine, frilly dress; the legs demurely crossed at the ankles showing off shiny black shoes; and her extreme concentration on the oversized picture book all make for a tender, touching scene. And take a close look at the woodwork on the Victorian loveseat she's so strategically seated upon. I want that piece of furniture for our foyer, so if you happen to know where it is, let me know. It's hard to be certain, but young Martha looks to be 6 or 7 here, making the year 1917 or 1918. WOM
When Anne Franco passed this on to us, she commented that it seems to have been taken on the occasion of Mom's First Communion, and by the looks of it, her First Communion it is. However, I've always thought that children received their FC in first grade, at age 7 or thereabouts, and going by the date on the photo, she would have been 9 here. Sooo...there IS a question here of why so late? The date could be wrong, of course. Or, maybe back then, that's when they did it...or, perhaps, her mother's tragic death, followed so soon thereafter by little Rosemary's, caused some things to be put on the back burner.... Pure speculation, of course. In any case, it IS a precious shot of a glowing little girl. WOM
Sisters Martha and Margaret O'Brien flank an unidentified friend in this shot, taken circa 1919-1920, right around the time of the shot just above this one. It has been observed that young Michelle Marion bears a clear resemblance to her Grandmother -- at least in this photo. Note the ribbons in the hair of all three girls and their footwear: It appears that they were into Doc Martens well before Docs ever hit the market. And returning to the topic of hair, one has to marvel, once again, at the long, striking mane of Martha. Ironically, it would turn prematurely grey (raising five children will do that), and that's the only way we ever saw it -- except in these photos. WOM
A serene young lady with a Mona Lisa smile, Martha was 15 or so when she was captured in this photograph wearing what appears to be a school uniform. Either that or it was dress-up day, and she was posing as a nun minus the headgear (sorry, Mom). Amira says that she sees a little of her grandmother in both Julie and Michelle. On the other hand, Julie, Linda, and I say Amira bears a strong resemblance to her Grandmother, at least in this shot. And there are other archival photos that show how much Martha resembled her own Mother, Nell. And then again, there is the photo above in which you'd swear you were looking at Maggie! In other words, the O'Brien stock is strong and active to this day. Incidentally, this picture was taken about the time that the O'Brien and the Kettenhofen cousins were transformed into step-brothers and step-sisters by the the marriage of M.E. and Lyla. THAT had to be strange for all involved. WOM
When I originally posted this shot, I thought that it might have been taken when Mom was 20ish, still a Wayne State student, making her way through downtown Detroit, maybe on her way to Greenfield's Cafeteria for lunch or over to Sanders for a hot fudge sundae. However, Julie believes that she was a bit older here, say mid-twenties, and no longer a student but rather a young working woman (in the best possible sense). Since MMM studied Social Work, perhaps, she's out on a case, ever-so-stylishly wrapped up against the weather which, by the looks of the two women in the background (who are in far better focus than Mom unfortunately), was a bit on the nippy side. I would love to be able to determine what that building in the background is. The train station? Anybody? WOM
Count your Blessings
MMM, circa 1943
One of Martha Mary Marion's pet phrases was "Count your blessings." She would pull that line out as a response to the carping or lamenting of one of us when things weren't going our way. It was her way of saying that it wasn't as bad as it seemed and that we should stop and appreciate all the good things in our lives instead of dwelling on the bad. Right she was, but that's easier said than done, caught up as most people get in their own misery, frustration, and negativity. Hey, whaddaya want? We were kids! WOM
"Do you guys remember Mom, sitting in her chair awaiting Dad's arrival, dressed to a T, sipping a martini and smoking a cigarette? (and not very well I might add, the smoking that is.") RJM
"...lipstick, high heels, pearls, nails painted red...chanel no.5..." JJ
"...not to mention Tammy, that yipping, nipping little she-devil of toy fox terrier that we would torment at every opportunity but most memorably by snapping a finger right in the center of the open newspaper while Mom was reading it. Tammy HATED that, and Mom wasn't too happy about it either, but we were cruel, cretinous, hormonally-crazed teenagers from hell, and couldn't control our sadistic urges...." WOM
March 18, 2005, marked the 94th anniversary of Martha's birth in Laurium, Michigan (above photo taken at Kelly cottage, Lake Horicon, Gaylord, MI, 1968).
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