“Girl In White Eyelet Dress”
Dave had an Ontario Town Crier’s Competition in Amherstburg to
coincide with a special anniversary at Fort Malden. The Black
Museum was also celebrating and the park was full of people in
various period outfits. I asked this young girl’s father if I could
photograph his children with a view to doing a painting of either
or all. Every time the children saw me they stood at attention and
looked their perfect best but that was not what I was after. The
day was long and the sun was hot. As the event wound down we all
became weary. Then I spotted the girl in the white eyelet dress.
She was tired and bored and her feet were sore from walking around
bare foot. She settled down on a chair and I took several shots as
the sun reflected off of her wayward, kinky, curly hair. What a
sweet heart.
It is moments like this we remember . . .the imperfections of being
a child rather than the stiff posed model.
I loved painting the frothy feminine eyelet lace and the young
girl’s puckered brow and pursed lips. A glimpse of another era . .
. an idyllic time . . . a carefree childhood of simple pleasures.
What every child deserves.
TA! TA! For now.
Jenny