Searching for the most beautiful girl in the world

Once upon a time I couldn't pass a basket of photos in an antique or thrift store without at least sifting through for something to catch my eye. And over time I amassed a modest but carefully curated collection of vintage photos of strangers. Why would I do such a thing?

For me there's a bittersweet pleasure in saving bits and pieces of the past, whether my own, my family's, or that of some unknown human who left the bits behind. Everything that comes to us from that untouchable country has done so in its own unique way, and is a reflection of the spirit of those who handled or created it.

The objects I've gathered are inexpensive and common, but each carries meaning for me. In each there is a reason my hand paused over that face, that inscribed book, that hand-worked lace. And when I keep and treasure the pieces I feel close to someone I'll never know, and there's such beauty in that for me.

And then there's Ana. The most beautiful girl in the world - to me at least.

A century ago the light that reflected off of her body entered a lens and struck film. She wore a necklace and a bangle and clutched a small white handkerchief in her hand.

Someone close to her had the photograph printed as an AZO brand "Real Photo" Post Card, and wrote on the back:

As best I can tell, it reads: "Ana Fathrup, a Kodac [sic] picture taken since we came over here."

So Ana was an immigrant - to America, it would seem, since the postcard ended up in Oregon and was never sent through the mail.

To my eye her clothes and hair dated to between 1910 and 1918 or so. After checking into the AZO brand postcard I found that this particular type was made between 1907 and 1914, which narrows it down further.

Wanting to know more, I tried searching for her. There wasn't much to go on. I tried every variation of Fathrup, Fothrup, Lathrup, Lothrup, Gothrup and Gathrup that I could think of (any other suggestions, anyone?). There was no sign of her in a graveyard in Oregon or anywhere else, no record from Ellis Island, no census entry, no social security death record. Some of that isn't surprising - if she married after the picture was taken she'd be nearly impossible to track down.

So she remains largely a mystery. Ana can no longer be living, but it gives me comfort to know that even now she's gone, someone is thinking of her.