Highlights Archives
Informal Photos Reveal Wisconsin's Past
Informal snapshots, the kind typically found in family photo albums, aren't usually considered historically or artistically significant, tending to be important only to the photographer and his or her family. The Brandel and Jones family photos transcend that notion, however, depicting the Randolph, Wisconsin, family in their natural, everyday lives and capturing not only family history but Wisconsin history. These family photos, most taken between 1919 and 1936, are the subject of this month's featured gallery from Wisconsin Historical Images, the Society's online image database.
About the Collection
Mary Brandel Hopkins donated 238 snapshot negatives of her family and friends to the Society in 1977. Many of the photos are of Mary, her parents, Edward Walter Brandel (known as E.W.) and Mary Jane (Jones) Brandel, her twin uncles Dr. Arthur W. Jones and John O. Jones, and the omnipresent dog, Max.
The Brandel and Jones Families
The Brandel and Jones families exemplify the dream of many late-19th-century immigrants — those who did well enough that their children (and grandchildren) could attend college and become professionals. Mary's grandfather on her father's side, John Christian Brandel, came from Germany to Wisconsin in 1852 and became a minister, overseeing seven different congregations in his life. Mary's grandfather on her mother's side came from Wales and became a doctor.
Mary was born in 1907 in Randolph. Her father, E.W., worked in banking, first as a cashier and then as president of Randolph State Bank and of Friesland State Bank. Mary was an only child and attended the University of Wisconsin, where she graduated with a degree in journalism in 1927 and a master's in 1928. Fresh out of college, Mary became society editor for The Capital Times. She married Minneapolis chemist James D. Hopkins in 1938, with whom she had two children.
Mary left the newspaper briefly to raise her family but returned to Madison in 1941 to resume her career as women's editor for The Capital Times, a position she held for the next 35 years. Her husband James was founder and president of the Hopkins Agricultural Chemical Company, first in Randolph and later in Madison.
The 67 photos featured here show the family posing at home, on Fox Lake or at the golf course, posing with their dog, in groups, and in front of the Christmas tree. They feature strange but beguiling shots of plastic rabbits, women in undergarments, and other spontaneous moments. The full collection of photos is available for viewing at the Society's headquarters in Madison, as is a genealogical research file on the Brandel and Jones families.
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:: Posted January 29, 2009
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