Thursday, March 31, 2011

The other woman


The first thing I do when I get a locket home is take it apart. Especially if it has photographs in it. It feels a bit like snooping, but oh well. After all, people hide all kinds of neat things in lockets. Bits of ribbon, strands of hair, tiny drawings, extra photos of other women . . . wait, what?! That's what I found in this Victorian pocket watch style locket when I opened it the other day - a hidden photograph of a striking lady and a lock of golden hair.  It obviously hadn't been opened for a long, long time. So what's the story with these three?

18 comments:

archives vintage said...

scandal! ....or perhaps it was his daughter? nah, that's boring ;)

linwood avenue said...

well, where else was he going to hide it :) that's awesome, thanks for sharing.

hhi said...

AMAZING!! I LOVE IT

She Can't Decide said...

This is fascinating! My mom dabbles in vintage jewelry as well, I will have to ask her if she has any similar stories! This one is priceless...

BaronessVonVintage said...

WOW...this is absolutely fascinating! The one photo almost looks like it was cut from a carte de visite of a famous actress...but maybe it was a secret lover!

Anonymous said...

This just makes me sad for Ethel there. Maybe one was Ethel in her younger days and one when she was older?

Hosanna said...

Wow..... very cool find. :)

Emily said...

Oh my. I feel a bit sad for the sensible looking lady in the front photo. All those years, her thinking it was just the two of them in the locket...

The Thriftaholic (Leilani) said...

I collect lockets but never thought to look BEHIND any of the pictures-- I'm going to have to pry through all of mine now to see if there are any hidden treasures.

This has an amazing story to tell, I too am wondering if the woman was a famous actress/celebrity or his lover. Hrm.

Wild Tea Party said...

I'm thinking it's probably his daughter, but a secret lover seems so much more fascinating! And what a beauty!

But fancy getting hair and another pic in there. I struggle to get hair and a pic into my lockets (uh, yes, when I buy old lockets I get snips of hair from my friends to carry around. Creepy/quirky/sweet? I'm not sure. I go with sweet when people ask).

Bess Georgette said...

What a wonderful story indeed!
Do you think it could be a younger photograph of her? The romantic in me likes to think so... :)

HazelxJoy said...

how intriguing! i'd love to know the story behind this piece....

Karen/Small Earth Vintage said...

Oh my! Count me as another who'd love to know the story behind this--although the mystery is what's so alluring.

Aimée - Vint Condition said...

How intriguing!

rebekah said...

hello...
i think the hidden one is from a postcard or something similar.
maybe it was sold with that one in it for an example like frames nowdays.
i mean in the 80s?
:)

Jean Jean Vintage said...

Thank you everyone for your fantastic comments - I have SO enjoyed them these last couple of days! Here is my story: I think the man and woman are brother and sister (do you see the resemblance?) and I think the locket belonged to their mother. The woman inside might be an older relative (ca. 1900s?) and the hair - well, I'm stumped there.

Unknown said...

Another fantastic find! I always look forward to your beautiful blog posts... You are so sweet and insightful, and your photos are captivating, as much as the jewelry you find!

lauren said...

oh my, well no wonder, look at those two women...that little vixen is hard to resist!

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