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This image was available to Don Gentner, who died in 2005 |
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The image of Johannes in this image is nearly indentical to his image in an alternate photo |
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The image of Mary Magdalena (Nenno) Degenfelder in this photo does not match her
image in an alternate photo |
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The woman in this photo is illuminated from the right; the man from the left. Thus, this scene could not have occured |
The evidence that this image was composite was presented to Andy Kraushaar, photo curator of the
Wiscinsin Historical Society, who replied as follows:
I believe you are right that this is a composite image but I have seen quite a few of these that are vintage
.....so put together in the 1880s. They were often printed very faintly on albumen paper and then retouched
with various materials. It is likely there were two images that were put together as a keepsake piece.
They are often called crayon portraits. |
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If the image of the woman in this photo is indeed Mary Magdalena (Nenno) Degenfelder, another photo reveals
she did not look like this in 1880, yet the woman below is wearing a dress created 1875-1876, according to
Leslie Belais, clothing curator at the Wiscinsin Historical Society. Thus, this photo must
be a triple composite, with the face of Mary Magdalena (Nenno) Degenfelder copied from a later photo and
inserted onto the top of a woman wearing this 1880s dress. |
Joe Degenfelder (in March 2013) writes as follows:
Karen Mehigan, whose grandfather George Degenfelder is my great uncle,
and fourth son of Magdalena Nenno and John Degenfelder. Karen sent me the hard copy of the
photo [below] in November 2012, and I had it scanned professionally in February. The back side
has in handwriting "John & Magdalena Degenfelder 7/6/1880." |
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Knowing that this image is composite, the man's dating from a known 1886,
and the woman's (by her appearance) dating well after that, therefore the date "7/6/1880" cannot possibly
be correct, and in fact, no single date of origin can apply to this image. |
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The motive for creating this composite photo is unknown, and the original source of the woman's image is unknown.
One possibility is that this composite was created in 1906, shortly after the death of Mary Magdalena (Nenno) Degenfelder |
