April Showers Bring May Flowers
This beautiful Italian frame features micro-mosaics in blues, whites, and deep reds. The outer corners are adorned with decorative circles lined with gilt, while bundles of forget-me-not flowers surround the photograph. For such a fragile frame, the mosaic designs are in remarkable condition considering their age, with only a few loses.
While the frame itself is a work of art, it is the image it contains which is the focal piece. The photograph is a carte-de-visite from Gay’s Gallery of Fall River, trimmed to fit within its delicate frame. The image is of a young girl, wearing a white lace garment with a neck ruffle.
Who is the sweet child in the photograph?
It’s Mary Durfee Brayton (1877-1889), daughter of Hezekiah Anthony Brayton and Caroline Elizabeth (Slade) Brayton. Mary was the fifth child – and third girl- out of ten Brayton children. As a family who enjoyed spending time with one another, Mary was surely close with her brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, she would spend less that 12 years with her loved ones, as Mary died from scarlet fever in 1889.
It is fitting that the frame, house to Mary’s photograph has forget-me-not flowers, as they are a symbol of love, respect, and remembrance. They also begin to bloom in May, the same month which Mary was born.
A poignant remembrance for a sweet little girl.
April Showers Bring May Flowers, but what do May Flowers Bring? Pilgrims, of course!