Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Wood Family

May I introduce you to the Wood family?





This photo had been in my aunt's family photo album for decades. I loved this old photo and was totally captivated by it.  I now have this photo along with many others that had belonged to my aunt.  Now I can't remember who in the family made this wooden family. I know my grandmother had told me numerous times and it escapes me now.  The next time I talk to my dad's cousin, I will ask her if she can identify the creator.

In a way, this photo is unsettling. I like the way Mrs. Wood has her leg crossed. It is evident that a lot of time was spent on creating and dressing them. I wonder where is the family today?  I hope they had their termite vaccinations.

6 comments:

Shelly said...

What talent went into creating them- I wonder if they are still preserved somewhere today?

Anonymous said...

How interesting Cindy. An old blacksmith who lives on my road recently carved an old man, old woman, child and dog out of some fallen trees in his yard. We watched them be created and added to his yard and I found it sort of creepy. Kind of like a twilight zone episode where the old woman creates a golum to do her bidding. I told Mike these wooden folk probably come to life and are the old couple's caregivers..........spooky thought; though you know I don't really believe that could happen. I chalk things like that up to my writer's imagination. :)
Anonymously Carol B.

Shady Del Knight said...

By chance is the man's name Ed? (LOL) This reminds me of two more creepy Halloween decorations from my childhood, Cindy. As you recall there was a stuffed and mounted owl in the attic that was brought out and put on display for the trick-or-treaters. Along with it there was an antique toy of some sort, a dancing wooden puppet man that was operated manually. It seemed very old even then in the early 50s. The other item was a coconut carved into a pirate's face. He had a knife in his teeth, large earrings and a bandanna on his head. Thanks again for the marvelous comments you leave on my blog. Your visits are the high point of my day because you really know your stuff and know how to make a friend feel good. Have a safe and happy week ahead, dear friend Cindy!

Clint said...

Creepy. You're good at comin' up with things like tricked-out mannequins and such that give me the willies.

Anonymous said...

The Wood family may fall into the category of "Folk Art" and be worth a lot of money. If you can locate Mr. & Mrs. Wood, I suggest you take them to the Antiques Roadshow to see what they're worth. I hope to see you on TV soon :-)

Take care and have a nice day :-)

Thanks for your recent comment on My Blog

Cindy Ellison said...

Shelly ~ Yes, I admire the talent and creativity that went into the creation of this little family...including Fido. I do wonder what might have happened to them and I will post an update if I learn anything about their history.

Carol B. ~ You had an interesting tale of the blacksmith carving figures out of the tree limbs that had fallen in his yard. As Ron mentioned below, it would fall into the "folk art" category. It might not be art to everyone :-)

Wonder if you could sneak a photo to share with us? I would love to see this display. Thank you, Carol! ♥

Shady ~ Shady, are you psychic? Yes, the dad's name is Elwood (snicker), the little boy is Sherwood, the mama is Knock Wood, the little girl Rosewood and the dog....DOGWOOD! I know, I am pathetic! It's pretty sad when one laughs at herself. You sure did have an interesting childhood with the stuffed owl, the dancing wooden puppet man and now tales of a pirate carved into a coconut with a knife in his mouth! No wonder wax figures give you nightmares and daymares! Seriously, I would love to have seen the puppet man, I love puppets. I also just bet that would bring a good price on eBay. You are welcome concerning my commmenting on your blog. I know that blogs just don't magically appear and one like yours requires so much work with the photos, YouTubes, commentary and all the research! I am repeating myself but you have some good friends on there. Thank you, Shady, I enjoyed hearing about the puppet man and the pirate.

Ron aka TheOldGeezer ~ Thank you for bringing it to our attention that the family indeed would fall into the "folk art" category. I did try once to get on Antique Road show, I started trying to call for tickets the minute they started accepting calls. Could never get through. I can hear it now at the Roadshow...yes, this wooden family, in their original attire might bring at auction, a conservative guess (drum roll) $100. This is where the antique owner displays a fake and happy response ... smiling and saying "really, how great! Not!