Photographic Remains

There is something sad about abandoned family pictures, those boxes and albums of photographs forever freezing moments in personal history. They have become clutter to be tossed out by descendents who have no clue who is in the pictures or why that moment was important.

Home organization shows advise homeowners to throw out family photos using the rationale that they “always have the memories in their minds.”

Do they understand that memories can fade? What about the next generation who don’t have these memories in their minds?

I personally came upon this dumping of family history when attending a local auction. I tried to return some photos that I found in a sewing bench I had just bought, but the auctioneer’s clerks advised me that the family wasn’t interested. The 40s Army uniforms, the 50s Christmas trees, the 60s prom pictures – no one wanted them.

And now I have become the recipient of two boxes (at least) of my family’s photographic memories and have begun to pick out ones that I am sure other family members would like to have, writing on the back any information that I can remember. Some sit on a corner of my desk just waiting for me to stick them in an envelope and mail them.

For some reason I haven’t been able to send them out.

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"A family's photograph album is generally about the extended family - and, often, is all that remains of it." - Susan Sontag