John Papasian, his wife Bertha and their five children

This photograph shows John Papasian, his wife Bertha and their five children: Jules, Eugene, Edgar, Elsie and Victoria. All of them are dressed in formal outfits. The men are wearing western-style suits made of a dark or black fabric, white, high-necked shirts and either ties or bow ties. The two young girls standing in front of their parents are wearing similar, long-sleeved, dark-coloured dresses with delicate narrow vertical pleats and a broad band of the same fabric encircling the waist and tied in front with a big bow. However, the dress of Victoria, the girl on the left, has a high neckline with a simple undecorated fabric extending to the shoulders and with a point down the front, whereas the dress of her little sister is adorned by a white lace collar dipping to a point down the chest and over each shoulder. Their hairstyle is also different, with the little girl’s hair decorated with a bow. Bertha is wearing a high-necked blouse with a dark ribbon tied in front, and a long-sleeved jacket made of a dark-coloured thick fabric with intricate patterns. She is wearing eye-glasses and has her hair caught up. The father is also wearing eye-glasses and has a beard and moustache. All members of the family look very serious. The photograph probably dates to c. 1905.