Phil Making a Face

Among Lillie Newman Barnes' miscellaneous photos was this one:


(Click on image to enlarge)
Image courtesy of Diane Barnes.

The only ID is a cryptic note on the back: "Phil was making a face at Marci when she took this snapshot." But since Lillie's sister, Bliss — known to the family as well as to census-takers and county registrars as "Dollie" — married Philip Roper, Jr., we can guess at this Phil's identity. If that's Dollie's husband, that may be Dollie herself standing so close to him.

But I can't even guess at who this Marci was, taking the snapshot.

I tried to find a picture of Phil Roper for comparison. The only one I could find was this, from the Roper genealogy file at the Hobart museum:


(Click on image to enlarge)
Image courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Under this photo are handwritten notes:

Top Row  Robert & Phil
Bottom   Luther & Ernest

Those are indeed Phil's brothers' names. Taken at Showman's Gallery, the photo probably dates to sometime between 1893 and the turn of the century; Phil was born in 1884 — that seems consistent, since the kid at the top right looks about 14 years old.

But I can't say I see any resemblance! — and I'm not sure there would be much, between a serious adolescent boy, and a face-making man of perhaps 40 or 45.