Specifically, summer of 1905 or thereabouts (the pictorial history was published in 1906, reprinted in 1991 by the local historical society, and the photography was taken for the edition, so we're talking the previous summer, I figure).
Here's a shot as close to that as I can make it. Notice the back porch where today's sunroom should be (which matches the historical plans I've found so far) and the fact that the carriage house had already been built (which contradicts the tax records). I had been assuming 1909 for the carriage house, but it looks as though they'd already built it by 1905.
The porch and trim were brown! I don't care for that myself; I prefer the white they show today. There's no railing on the front stairs, and no wall around the yard, and their gardener was clearly better than mine.
But what really amazes is that the house is basically identical, but today's massive sycamores had not yet been planted. Wow.
I'm going out on a limb (so to speak) and guess that those sycamores (or London planes-- the leaves look a little small for sycamore) are about fifty years old, replacing what were most probably elms in the older picture.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you're almost certainly right about their age, a depressing realization. The maple to the west of the three sycamores is probably about the same age.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't known the distinction between American sycamores and London plane trees, and you might be right - but I think they're American sycamores, because London planes are hybrids and we've got some volunteers in the yard.
These sycamores aren't too healthy; all three look as though they've had arguments with vehicular traffic in the past.