Wordless Wednesday: The Richardson Bros.

Richardson Bros. of Iowa ~ Not Quite Black & White



Are These the Richardson Boys of Story Co., Iowa?
I found this photo postcard with my mother-in-law's photos of her Richardson family [her dad's family].  With the telltale signs of the age of this postcard indicating it was created between 1904 and 1918, I'm fairly certain that these are the Richardson brothers.  [AZO paper as indicated around the stamp area with 4 triangles pointing up in the corners are the telltale signs.]  In the 1910 census my mother-in-law's [Linda Jo's] father ~ Oliver Richardson ~ is just 5 months old on the day the census was taken, 23 May 1910 in Palestine, Story Co., Iowa.  His siblings are as follows:

• Thomas R., 12 yrs old
• Richard M., 10 yrs old
• Martin J., 6 yrs old
• Elmer J. 2 yrs old

These ages seem to be a little younger [but not by much] than the ages of the boys in the photo postcard.


The Great Gatsby
I also looked up their hats, and found that the eldest in the photo, who I think is Thomas, is wearing a newsboy cap [also known as a Gatsby].  Their father, John R. Richardson, came to America from Norway in 1867.  Their mother, Belle T. Weeks, was born in Iowa, but her parents were born in Norway.  I featured them in another Wordless Wednesday post [one that was truly wordless].  I mention this because in Norway, this cap would've been called a "sixpence." [...just a little trivia]  It's worn in this picture kind of "pouffed" up and you can see the points in the crown, indicating this was an 8-panel newsboy hat.  The 3 middle boys in the photo, who I think are Richard, Martin, and Elmer, are wearing what looks like to me low-crown bowler hats.  Both types of hats were worn in the early 20th century. 


The Barn Rocks
I absolutely adore this photo postcard, but I also wish someone had identified these boys for me.  Although, I'm fairly certain they are the Richardson brothers.  Of course, their father, John R. Richardson, had brothers of his own who immigrated with him to Story Co., Iowa and had children of their own.  So, anything's possible.  I love the buggy, the barn, the horse, and those boys.  Whoever they are, they look like a handful, and that, I do know, is "black and white."

Note: This is a submission for the Festival of Postcards Carnival hosted by Evelyn Yvonne Theriault on her blog,   A Canadian Family.  The theme is anything to do with the word "white."