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Family group, copied for Henry G. Birks in 1920

from Musée McCord Stewart Museum

• 1 older comment, and then…
• Lú_ said:

  Would this have been part of the Birks family, of the jewellery stores?

• Musée McCord Stewart Museum said:

  Probably. The person who had the copy made in 1920 was Henry Gifford Birks, son of William Massey Birks and Miriam Childs Gifford. William was the son of Henry Birks, the originator of the jewelery store, so these people are quite likely to be Birks family members. From the ages of the four people in the photograph, I would suspect it's a 4-generations portrait. The original image looks as if it was taken in the 1890s, and Henry Gifford Birks may have been the second son born after William married Miriam in 1891. If he's the baby, the older woman might be his paternal great grandmother Anne Massey, or his maternal great grandmother. Presumably one of the younger women is his mother, Miriam Childs Gifford, and the other his paternal grandmother Harriet Phillips Walker (died 1925) or perhaps his maternal grandmother. The oldest woman is wearing widow's weeds, so I presume she has lost her husband within the last 2 years. However, the baby might be his brother Gerald Alfred Birks, who may have been the first-born of the siblings. Since Henry had it copied, I would suspect he himself is the baby. Henry Gifford Birks had another generational photograph copied, II-234113.0, containing different women, a different baby, and a man who resembles one of Henry Birks' three sons, see II-111126. Speculation is a wonderful thing. Nora

• Lú_ said:

  It is indeed - thank you for putting so much time into this!

• anjoudiscus said:

  Magnifique !

• Cláudia Helena said:

  Perfect!