My Aunty Lou

 

I'm going back in time, once again, to visit my great great aunt, Lou Goodale Bigelow.  I knew "Aunty Lou," and would visit her in her home that adjourned my great grandmother Ada's home in the orange groves of El Cajon, Ca, just outside of San Diego.

Lou was a singular woman, especially for her time, and I love reading about her life of artistry and dedication to her craft.  She was a bit of an eccentric (as many artists are) and I knew this instinctually when I was a child.  Her small studio was set in the sunny and arid countryside. She kept heavy drapes closed during the day to keep out the heat, so her space was a cool oasis in the summertime.  Her studio was across a breezeway from her sister, who lived there with my great grandfather Oscar.

I knew some of our family history because my g-grandmother would pull out boxes of photographs made by Lou and others, and tell me the stories behind the images.  I now have these images, kept stored in an old leather suitcase from the 1940s.  Not only images on paper, but 4x5 inch negatives which are in great shape considering their age.

Lou made this portrait of Wallace Simpson, at the time the wife of a naval officer.  Mrs. Simpson came to Lou's photo studio on Orange Avenue in Coronado, CA and sat.  There's a good description of the session in the article linked above.  When the King of England announced he would abdicate in order to marry his love, Lou's photo was used in newspapers around the world.  It was one of the few contemporary portraits of the woman.  I grew up hearing this story many times, as it was Aunty Lou's most famous photograph.

I get a little thrill at the notion that I have a celebrity in my ancestry.  As a photographer, Lou was in the thick of high society through her association with the Hotel Del Coronado.  Snow birds from old money families, the movie industry and titans of power would often spend vacations there, and while there had their portraits made at her studio.  She also made many family portraits in the outdoor patio at the back.  

Here is my grandmother, Nadine, posing with Lou's dog Lady on the back patio.  Despite all the set designs Lou made for indoor work, the back patio with the giant pepper tree was a favorite of many.

I love remembering Aunty Lou.  I remember that she drove race cars, wore slacks, dove into work that women rarely did.  She had a confidence that came from her father in particular.  He taught her about photography and launched her career.  They were a bohemian bunch except for my great grandmother who was a very proper lady.  My grandmother would tell us some of her peculararities: never say you're full after a meal.  Always say you've had a sufficiency.   The terms of arms and legs were to be called "limbs."  When I knew her, she was a very old lady who always took care with her dress and appearance.  Quite a contrast to her artsy sister who dressed like a man and drove fast cars.

I come from them all.  I love that.