Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Object Identification Number |
1996.089.001 |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Donor |
Littlejohn, Dennis F. |
Description |
Black and white snapshot of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hans Lauridsen. This appears to be a parlor or sitting room. The furniture in the room consists of a rocking chair, a side table on which is a vase and other trinkets, a round table on which is a vase with flowers, a floor lamp, and a bench with pillows. On the floor are two rugs. There are photographs and paintings hanging on the walls. The upper three-fourths of the wall is a wallpaper border depicting a stream in a wooded area. A curtained window is visible on the far right, and a light fixture is hanging overhead. On the back is written "Home of Mr & Mrs / Hans Lauridsen / & family". |
Print Size |
2 3/4 x 4 3/8 |
Creation Date |
ca. 1930 |
Associated People |
Lauridsen, Hans LittleJohn, Kathryn Knudsen |
Search Terms |
Lauridsen, Hans LittleJohn, Kathryn Knudsen home house sitting room parlor living room rocking chair bench lamp |
Date Received by Museum |
05/25/1996 |
Provenance |
According to the back, this photograph is of Mr. and Mrs. Hans Lauridsen's house. Kathryn Littlejohn worked as a cleaning lady there in the 1930s. Kathryn Knudsen Littlejohn was born on June 22, 1908 in Als, Denmark to Jorgen and Marie Knudsen. She and her family left Denmark for a new life in America on December 17, 1913. They left because WWI was a threat to the family. Two large trunks held the family's belongings. Kathryn remembers a lot of Polish people on the ship and the cooking smells of onion and garlic. Her mother was sick most of the trip. She and her father had to go get food to bring back to their cabin for the rest of the family. She also remembers water splashing at the porthole window of their cabin. They arrived in New York harbor on December 24, and spent Christmas on ship unable to land until after the holiday. After immigration at Ellis Island, the family traveled to near Jacksonville, IA, where they lived with an aunt and uncle for some time. Later they lived in the Redline, Dedham, and Prairie Rose areas before returning to Jacksonville. Kathryn lived and worked in the area until 1936 when she moved to Des Moines. She worked for several families doing cooking and housekeeping until 1955. She then went to work as a file clerk for the Iowa State Department of Revenue. Seventeen years later she retired, but continued part-time helping with state income tax for several years. Kathryn is a member of the Iowa Lutheran Hospital Auxiliary in Des Moines, where she was a volunteer worker for over ten years. She was married to Donald E. Littlejohn in 1941. They had two children, a daughter named Phyllis who was born in June 1942, and a son named Dennis who was born in February 1944. Donald died in August 1951. Kathryn has three grandchildren. She is on the museum's Wall of Honor. |
Images |
141\1996089001.TIF |
Accession number |
1996.089 |