by Latino, Mexico
An intimate and visually striking photographic album documenting the life of a Mexican woman and her extended family based in Mexico City from the 1930s to the early 1950s. Oblong quarto album (approx. 11 x 14 inches). Original green cloth boards bound with metal screws. Contains over 100 original black-and-white photographs, ranging in size from small snapshot prints to larger studio portraits, mounted on black paper leaves. Many images include handwritten captions, dates, or inscriptions, some in Spanish. Photographs remain well-preserved with minimal fading; album covers show moderate wear, with some scuffing and fraying at edges. The collection spans multiple decades, capturing family milestones, social gatherings, and urban and rural life in Mexico. The images provide a rare and personal visual record of a middle-class Mexican family during this period, reflecting changing fashions, gender roles, and social customs.
A strong emphasis is placed on women, with numerous portraits and candid shots of the album’s compiler at different ages, including childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. One particularly striking early page is dedicated to her—photographs arranged in a biographical sequence, from childhood images to graduation portraits. The educational aspirations of women in the family are evident, with multiple images of young women in academic dress, marking their accomplishments. Another significant theme in the album is military and police service. Several men appear in uniform, including a formal portrait of a police officer with a badge, along with additional images of young men in dress uniforms. These suggest family members were involved in law enforcement or military service.
The album also documents leisure and social life in Mexico during the 1930s and 1940s. A series of photographs from 1939 and 1941 depict the family enjoying days at the beach and swimming pools. Notably, some images have been hand-colored, with red lipstick and swimsuits painted onto the women, an artistic and playful touch common in vernacular photography of the period. These poolside images show stylish women in one-piece swimsuits, standing in confident poses. Another set of images from 1941 captures a family outing in a grassy park, with handwritten captions marking the date. Mexico City's urban life is also well represented, with multiple photographs capturing city streets bustling with pedestrians, elegant plazas, and paseos dominated by Spanish colonial architecture. One striking 1940 image features a stylishly dressed young woman walking down a busy sidewalk, passing shopfronts advertising various goods and services, including a prominent “Esperanza Café” sign. Another photograph from 1939 features two young women striding confidently down the street, their movement captured mid-step, with bustling city life in the background. Rural life and traditional customs are also evident. A 1933 photograph shows a young girl sitting atop a horse, flanked by family members, in what appears to be a rural setting. A separate image from the same period captures a woman in traditional dress seated in a natural setting near a flowing stream, a moment of quiet reflection. A undated photo shows the woman and an older man stood outside an hotel with archetypal Art Deco styling titled the "De Soto Arms", which has been identified as being in Mexico City during that time.
There are several wedding-related photographs, including a large cutout image of a bride in a full-length satin gown, suggesting an important marriage within the family. A 1951 photograph captures three well-dressed men standing in front of a church entrance adorned with floral arrangements, likely from a wedding ceremony. One particularly evocative photograph from 1939 shows a group of family members posing with a donkey beside an automobile, outside a building bearing a sign reading "Maria C. Bernal, Partera y Enfermera," indicating the presence of a midwife and nurse’s practice—perhaps a family-run business. Another photograph taken in front of a grand neoclassical-style building with manicured gardens captures a group of young men and women posing formally in 1939, possibly a school or university setting. An outstanding and deeply personal visual record of Mexican life across decades, this album captures the intersections of family, education, social life, and tradition. A valuable artifact of vernacular photography, it offers rich documentary evidence of mid-century Mexican identity, gender roles, and daily life. (Inventory #: 21373)
A strong emphasis is placed on women, with numerous portraits and candid shots of the album’s compiler at different ages, including childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. One particularly striking early page is dedicated to her—photographs arranged in a biographical sequence, from childhood images to graduation portraits. The educational aspirations of women in the family are evident, with multiple images of young women in academic dress, marking their accomplishments. Another significant theme in the album is military and police service. Several men appear in uniform, including a formal portrait of a police officer with a badge, along with additional images of young men in dress uniforms. These suggest family members were involved in law enforcement or military service.
The album also documents leisure and social life in Mexico during the 1930s and 1940s. A series of photographs from 1939 and 1941 depict the family enjoying days at the beach and swimming pools. Notably, some images have been hand-colored, with red lipstick and swimsuits painted onto the women, an artistic and playful touch common in vernacular photography of the period. These poolside images show stylish women in one-piece swimsuits, standing in confident poses. Another set of images from 1941 captures a family outing in a grassy park, with handwritten captions marking the date. Mexico City's urban life is also well represented, with multiple photographs capturing city streets bustling with pedestrians, elegant plazas, and paseos dominated by Spanish colonial architecture. One striking 1940 image features a stylishly dressed young woman walking down a busy sidewalk, passing shopfronts advertising various goods and services, including a prominent “Esperanza Café” sign. Another photograph from 1939 features two young women striding confidently down the street, their movement captured mid-step, with bustling city life in the background. Rural life and traditional customs are also evident. A 1933 photograph shows a young girl sitting atop a horse, flanked by family members, in what appears to be a rural setting. A separate image from the same period captures a woman in traditional dress seated in a natural setting near a flowing stream, a moment of quiet reflection. A undated photo shows the woman and an older man stood outside an hotel with archetypal Art Deco styling titled the "De Soto Arms", which has been identified as being in Mexico City during that time.
There are several wedding-related photographs, including a large cutout image of a bride in a full-length satin gown, suggesting an important marriage within the family. A 1951 photograph captures three well-dressed men standing in front of a church entrance adorned with floral arrangements, likely from a wedding ceremony. One particularly evocative photograph from 1939 shows a group of family members posing with a donkey beside an automobile, outside a building bearing a sign reading "Maria C. Bernal, Partera y Enfermera," indicating the presence of a midwife and nurse’s practice—perhaps a family-run business. Another photograph taken in front of a grand neoclassical-style building with manicured gardens captures a group of young men and women posing formally in 1939, possibly a school or university setting. An outstanding and deeply personal visual record of Mexican life across decades, this album captures the intersections of family, education, social life, and tradition. A valuable artifact of vernacular photography, it offers rich documentary evidence of mid-century Mexican identity, gender roles, and daily life. (Inventory #: 21373)
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