Thomas B Russell on the left in the picture would have been about five years old when this early photograph was taken with his younger brother, Charles Taze Russell. The picture is found in the January 1, 1912 WT, which states that CTR was three years old at the time. The picture was cropped to only show CTR in the reprint volumes.
Burial register for the Allegheny cemetery showing entry for Thomas. He died of whooping cough on August 11, 1855 at the age of 5 years and 3 months.
3 comments:
It is evident from this photo that Thomas was sick.
I agree that Thomas looks unwell. It could well be a reason for the photograph being taken c. 1855. In my wife’s family tree we have two photographs (one from the 1850s and one from the 1920s) showing family groups where the man is obviously unwell, and other records show it to be only weeks (if that) before his untimely death. One suspects that the family had the pictures taken because of the circumstances – it was a way of keeping people “alive” in their memory. And, in a sense, it works. Thomas’ photograph brings him alive – albeit briefly – over 150 years later.
Perhaps one should bear in mind that the photography process in those early days occupied several seconds and subjects were told to sit absolutely still. As a result, most photos of the era feature stern, rigid people.
This may explain the boys' facial expressions - though illness may also be a factor, of course.
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