THOMAS F. BERTONNEAU writes:

Sometimes at The Thinking Houswife you address the topic of female elegance. I attach a photo-portrait of my paternal grandmother Nellie Pamela Gayaut (1883 – 1966) taken around 1906 at the time of her marriage to my grandfather, Gaston Bertonneau.  Nellie was a Creole, born and raised in the French Quarter, French-speaking, and a daughter of les gens de couleur libres, the mulatto artistocracy of old New Orleans. She could be a French girl, costumed to be painted by Degas or Toulouse-Lautrec. I regret deeply that she died when I was barely twelve and that I did not have the opportunity to know her better, for example, to speak to her in French.

Mr. Bertonneau adds:

Here from the 1920 or 21 is another photograph of my grandmother, this time in Los Angeles, where she had moved with her husband in 1914, only to lose him four years later in the Great Flu Epidemic.  She is surrouned by her children, left to right, Gaston Jr., Roland, Helene, and (my father) Daniel.

—- Comments —

Jane S. writes:

What a lady. Her appearance is so fresh, dainty and refined. She is poised so gracefully in front of the camera. At the same time, her face shows character, strength, intelligence and wit.

If you compared this photo to someone who sets the standard for beauty today, like Rihanna or Beyonce, it is plain what a monstrosity we have made of femininity.

Laura writes:

Notice how she is not looking at the camera or overwhelming us with a toothy smile. She is devoid of the narcissism that typifies the contemporary woman. She is quietly conscious of her own dignity.

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