1947 – A portrait of Eugenie Gehring, née Burry, (62) and Paul Franz Ferdinand Gehring (69) in
Germany. Scan © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
For me, the period before Christmas always stirs a somewhat gloomy mood. The days are really short, and darkness takes over early in the days. But I use this time to review events that happened over the year – and also to reflect my history, and the history of my family.
This image from the archive shows my great-grandparents from my mother’s side, Eugenie and Paul Gehring.
Eugenie had her roots in Alsace, France. Born during the time of the German occupation, she was German and could move freely in the country. Which she did after she met Paul in Schlettstadt (Sélestat today) and married him in January 1904. Paul was probably in the area as part of the military service for the Oldenburg state.
Soon the moved to Oldenburg in Lower Saxonia, where their first daughter, Edith Eugenie, was born (in October 1905). Paul applied for a job as ranger in Ostholstein, the area between Lübeck and Kiel in Northern Germany, and the small family moved to the small town of Schönwalde am Bungsberg. Here, they had another daughter, Irmgard Marie, and they lead a peaceful life, surviving both world wars.
Paul got sick in the late 1920s and had to leave his job and the house associated with his job as head ranger. At that time, both kids had founded their own families, and Eugenie and Paul moved to Kiel until the end of WW2 where they could be close to the families.
After the war was over, they headed back to Ostholstein, the area where they had had found peace and happiness before. They lived in Lensahn for many years before finally settling in a retirement home near Kiel.
This image is dated 1947 and shows them at the ages of 62 (Eugenie) and 69 (Paul). A handwritten note on the back suggests that it was a Christmas gift to their kids. The photographer is not mentioned, but it is fair to assume that they went to a photo studio in Oldenburg in Holstein, or Eutin.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 1947 |
| Location | Ostholstein, Germany |
| Image Source | 15 x 11 cm print |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6857 x 5143 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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