Mothers and Their Daughters

The Sepia Saturday photo prompt features two Spanish ladies with their heads together, wearing mantillas and waving fans. They look like they may be mother and daughter.

I don't have any Spanish ladies in my family, but I do have a photo of a mother-daughter with their heads together. They are wearing cloche hats, probably from the late 1920s. The woman on the left is my great-grandmother Frances (Bye) Jackson, of whom I have written much about in previous posts. The woman on the right is her eldest daughter Signa, of whom I have written almost nothing. That is about to change.

Frances and her daughter Signa, c1927

Signa Aileen Jackson was born 23 June 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was the eldest child of Harry Jackson and Frances Bye. Frances loved the camera and, as a result, I have many photos of her and her family. Signa seems to have been a favorite subject.

Frances and Signa, c1912-1913

One of my very favorites was this postcard of Signa sitting on a half moon holding her dolly. On the back of the postcard was written "Signa two-half years old taken in Boston."

     

Signa, who started going by the name of Jackie at some point, was an aspiring actress. I haven't been able to find any mention of her in the old Chicago newspapers, where she lived from about 1928 to about 1939, so I don't know what kind of acting jobs she was able to get. I do know that in the 1930 Census, she was a switch board operator at Illinois Bell Telephone. There are several glamorous head shots of her that seem to imply she was in show business. Signa wrote on the one below: "To my Buddy Boy From your Big Sister. Signa" Her Buddy Boy was their youngest, and only, brother Lee Jackson, who has been the featured in a few posts on my blog.

One of Signa's professional head shots.

 This photo, probably taken in the early 1930s, shows Signa with platinum blonde hair. This look was very popular in the 1930s in imitation of Jean Harlow. The photo below is the only one we have of Signa with the bleached blonde hair so I assume she didn't keep it for long. Which is a good thing because they used real bleach back then and it killed Ms. Harlow!

Signa and Frances, c1932

 Signa married Warren Pittenger in Chicago on 18 April 1931. They were divorced on 1 April 1939 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. That same day, Signa and Paul Bedillion applied for a marriage license. They were married on 4 April 1939.

Frances took a trip to Pennsylvania to visit her daughter sometime in the late 1940s. Here is a shot of the two of them on their way to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, perhaps to do some sightseeing but more probably to do some shopping.

Signa and Frances, c1945

This final mother-daughter photo was most likely taken during that same visit to Signa's home in Pennsylvania. It shows that Signa inherited her mother's playful nature.

Signa and Frances, c1945

Signa never had children, which is a shame because I think she would have been a really fun mother. I hope to write more about her when I've done more detailed research. She has fascinated my for years.

If you're curious about what others had to say about fans, faces, national costumes, hidden meanings, or two women with their heads together, visit the Sepia Saturday blog and click on the Mister Linky's links.

Thanks for dropping by.