Figure 1.-- This portrait was taken in 1885. Notice the very plain background. It suggess a rather basic studio, perhaps taken on Guemes Island. The girls are dressed quite fashionably, the boys more plainly. All are well dressed. One boy in the 1885 portrait wears a rather old fashioned button-on outfit, that looks more suit for the 1870s. Note the pola-dot collar and floppy bow. Notice the varied hosiery. We see what looked to be heavy home knitted stockings, striped stockings and black stockings.

We note two portraits of the Mangan family children. Their parents were Tim and Flora Mangan. Three of the family's six children were born in Missouri. The others were born after the family moved to Guemes Island. This is a small island in the southeastern part of the San Juan Islands chain in Puget Sound. We have found two portraits of the children, one in 1885 and the other 10 years later in 1895. The date of the photographs seem certain as the birtdates of the chikdren are known. We have some details on the children. The girls are dressed quite fashionably, the boys more plainly. All are well dressed. One boy in the 1885 portrait wears a rather old fashioned button-on outfit, that looks more suit for the 1870s. All three boys, by then youths, wear standard suits by 1895. the youngest girl wears a huge lace collar in 1895. We do not see that very commonly as lace/ruffled collars had become popular for boys.

Guemes Island

Three of the family's six children were born in Missouri. The others were born after the family moved to Guemes Island. This is a small island in the southeastern part of the San Juan Islands chain in Puget Sound. This would have been a very isolated place to grow up.

Parents

Their parents were Tim and Flora Mangan. They were apparently from Missouri. We are not sure just when they moved to Guemes Island. The American movement to the Oregon Territory began in the 1840s. The Oregon Trail began in Independence, Missouri. They seemed to have arrived in the 1870s.

The Children

We note two portraits of the six Mangan family children. We have some details on the children. Cephas (1873-1908) was a teetotler, but loved to play pranks like acting drunk and putting lindberger cheese on the stove during a party. He and a friend also tried to get geese drunk so he could shoot them. His grandfather Woodcock sent Cephas and Wallace and Cephas to Coupeville as the schooling on Guemes was limited. He drowned in a diving accident in the YMCA pool in Seattle (1908). Wallace (187?- ) grew up to captain ferry boats on Puget Sound. He was the Commodore of the Black Ball Fleet. Jeremiah (18??- ) also became a ship master. He began as a deckhand on a sternwheeler (1892). Asenath (1878- ) was the first non-native born on Guemes. She married Walter Camp and they had a daughter, named Gertrude. I am not sure she was one of the sisters. Sena (18??) was said to be very very pretty. She was the big sister for her two little sisters. Mabel (18??) was born a year later than Sena. She didn't like school, especially after she was sent to school in Seattle. Addie (18??) saw her big sister and bossy. As an adult she would say “Sena always was too big for her britches!”

Portraits

We have found two portraits of the children, one in 1885 and the other 10 years later in 1895. The date of the photographs seem certain as the birtdates of the children are known.

The 1885 portrait

This portrait was taken in 1885. Notice the very plain background. It suggess a rather basic studio, perhaps taken on Guemes Island. The girls are dressed quite fashionably, the boys more plainly. All are well dressed. One boy in the 1885 portrait wears a rather old fashioned button-on outfit, that looks more suit for the 1870s. Notice the varied hosiery. We see what looked to nbe heavy home knitted stockings, striped stockings and black stockings.

The 1895 portrait

Here we see the children outside their home on Guemes Island. We suspect it was taken by an itinerae photographer. Most 19th century photographs wewe studio portraits. You begin to see some outdoors photographs in the 1890s, but it was not until the introduction of the Kodak Brownie (1900). Here all three boys, by then youths, wear standard suits by 1895. There are no age destinctions. Notice how the boys button their jackets--only at the top. One of the boys wears a jacket that does not match the vest and trousers. That was not very common. The youngest girl wears a huge lace collar in 1895. We do not see that very commonly as lace/ruffled collars had become popular for boys.

Created: 8:32 PM 11/23/2009
Last updated: 8:33 PM 11/23/2009