Mystery Photo: Miss Norton

Paul Lundgren Jun 03, 2024 3 Comments

No fewer than five pennants hang on the wall in the photo on this undated postcard. Three are illegible, but one clearly indicates someone is a fan of Duluth. Another pennant represents the Withee Farmers Market of either 1912 or 1913. Withee is a village in Wisconsin, about 140 southeast of Duluth.

The back of the card indicates the young woman in the photo is “Miss Norton,” which probably means her last name is Norton, but could mean she won a Norwegian pageant of some kind. An array of other small clues are scattered around the room for those willing to unravel the mysteries of this image.

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3 Comments

Matthew James

about 7 months ago 

I uploaded a zoomed-in section of the Withee banner to ChatGPT and together we seem to agree on a reasonable interpretation: FARMER’S FESTIVAL SEPT 20 1913. 

The only photos I could find online were from the 1910 and 1912 Withee Farmer’s Festivals, so 1913 might not have been as memorable of an event, but I’m sure Miss Norton had fun, otherwise she wouldn’t have hung up the banner.
  
At some point, the Farmer’s Festival seems to have been replaced by Withee Days, which are taking place this year the weekend after next. So if anyone really wants an answer to this mystery, I would suggest they head down to Withee June 14-16 and talk to some of the old timers.
 

Kodiak

about 6 months ago 

College dorm rooms' decorations weren't vastly different back in my day.  Sure, the furniture gave way to mass production and the proportions shrank but flags, banners continued.  Oh and we didn't pass the time knitting.  Maybe we should have!

Kodiak

about 6 months ago 

Or is that needlepoint?

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