Patty's Demeanor

Patty's photograph shows just how serious she was. She called it a "likeness". That chiseled and determined jawline, the wide, unflinching eyes that stare into the camera without a hint of a smile, the prominent nose. Her face is framed by one of the caps she sewed from time to time; her slender hands that worked at so many tasks hold her needles and something she is knitting. She wears a dress of dark brocade, with a long, pointed collar and a round, hand-crocheted one. 


Even though photographs took a long time to take making people sit  very still, Patty's stern character is still permanently etched. Her photograph shows one view only, yet her writings leave a trail of information, beckoning the reader to explore all kinds of inexhaustible byways and hidden paths.