Faces of the Past: Margaret and Louise Kinney

Photo Friday
Linwood Dyer Photo Collection, Part 081
Album 2025.02.36.
By Don Taylor

As part of my ongoing work with family photographs, I’ve reviewed and enhanced several portraits of the Kinney family. These images open small windows into the past, capturing not only the faces of Margaret, Ernest, and Louise but also the fashions, traditions, and moments that shaped their lives. From tender family portraits of 1914 to Louise’s whimsical costume in 1934 and her poised Navy WAVES portrait in 1944, the photographs trace the passage of time within one family and remind us how history is preserved through the images we cherish.

---

Margaret – November 1914

One of the earliest portraits in the Kinney collection is of young Margaret, taken in November 1914 by Portland photographer Roger Paul Jordan. The image captures her seated in a window, with soft light filtering through the lace curtains, and a planter beside her. Her short bob and innocent smile reflect the simple charm of a childhood moment that has been carefully preserved for more than a century.

---

Ernest and Baby Louise – November 1914

Another photograph from the same month shows Ernest Kinney cradling his infant daughter, Louise. Ernest, dressed formally in a dark three-piece suit, gazes with quiet pride at the baby in his arms. Louise, in a long white christening-style gown, looks curiously outward. This tender portrait speaks to the bond between father and child and remains one of the most intimate family photographs of the period.

---

Louise in Costume – 1934

A very different portrait of Louise shows her in 1934, dressed in a whimsical costume: a long, white gown covered in stars, accompanied by a tall, pointed hat and a staff in hand. Likely taken at a school or community performance, the photo captures her smiling broadly—far from the seriousness of her military portrait a decade later. These two images, side by side, highlight the many roles one life can encompass, from playful girlhood to solemn service.

---

Louise in Service – 1944

Fast forward three decades: Louise appears again, this time in her United States Navy WAVES uniform during World War II. Taken in 1944, also by Roger Paul Jordan, this portrait shows her in crisp Navy attire, complete with the fouled anchor insignia on her lapels. Her calm and direct expression conveys the sense of responsibility and patriotism that many women who served during the war carried.

---

Reflections

Together, these photographs of Margaret and Louise Kinney illustrate the passage of time within a family—capturing childhood, parenthood, service, and celebration. They remind us that family history is not only traced in documents and records but also revealed through the faces, clothing, and settings preserved in treasured photographs. All have been uploaded to the Linwood Dyer Collection via Scarborough Historical Society – 2025 tree on Ancestry.com.