Looking Glass on the Dresser: Finding Florence Fisher Farr

Abstract

Tucked into my dresser mirror is a black and white photograph. A young woman wearing a sleeveless sheath stands in a rowboat, leaning on the oars and holding out fresh-caught fish. Dark curls escape from the scarf tied around her head. She has a dazzling smile. In the mirror I see my chin and jaw line are identical to hers. Otherwise I find little resemblance. It is a snapshot of my father's mother, my Grandmother Flo, circa 1924, at Red Bay on Lake Huron. The photograph teases; each time I look, I want to know about possible resonances, tracings to follow from her life to mine.