Two children, a boy and a girl, sit looking up at a Christmas Tree. They are most likely Dorothy and Harold Clapshaw, the daughter and son of the photographer, William Alonso Clapshaw. They would have been around 6-9 years old in 1914. The setting is the Clapshaw Home, which was probably in the Hillside neighborhood northwest of Forest Grove, although they may have been living in another location when this photograph was taken.
The children are dressed in nice clothing, with the boy wearing a tie and the girl wearing a large bow on her head. The tree is trimmed with ornaments and a garland made of popcorn; crepe paper decorations hang from the ceiling in the foreground. Envelopes and small presents also hang from the tree, while several larger presents are on the floor beneath it. The edge of a stove appears on the right. The same oilcloth rug on the floor also appears in many of the studio-style portraits that Clapshaw created.
Black and white image of a woman in a dress seated beside an aluminum Christmas tree set up on a table. Her hair is long and curled on the ends, held back from her face by a barrette. She counts forks into a box on her lap. A number of opened packages surround the base of the table, including a container of tennis balls and a meat grinder in a box. Aluminum Christmas trees were the height of seasonal fashion in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Black and white image of an advertisement for the Golden Jubilee of the Hillsboro Happy Days celebration on July 3, 4, and 5. While there is no certain date for the founding of the 'Happy Days' celebration, large and well-attended Fourth of July celebrations have been a part of Hillsboro's history since the towns early years. Most likely, the 'Happy Days' name was given to the celebration in the 1890s, setting this image, with its patriotic symbols, in the 1940s.
Black and white image of a decorated Christmas tree set in a corner of a room. There are a number of gifts around the bottom of the tree, including a tea set, a hat, candlesticks, and a number of books. There is also a paint-by-numbers kit, some new suspenders, and a new pair of shoes. Image donated by Ed Elwess.
Black and white image of a group of people gathered around a barbecue pit. Two of the men in the crowd wear military uniforms, most likely Navy, when added to the style of dress and the flag in the background, it is likely that this photo was taken at some time during or directly after the Spanish-American War.
Sepia-toned image of a Christmas tree with tinsel, various ornaments, and dolls at the base. The basic ornaments are very similar to ones that can be found today, though perhaps not the feathered fan hanging upside down on the image-left side of the tree. Note the flocked wallpaper with its vegetation design, and the elaborate rug on the floor; the rug's designs indicate that it is most likely a Turkomen rug, from Central Asia, rather than an 'Oriental' rug from China.
A group of nine children on the stage of a church. The oldest girl is seated in the middle of the group at the back and wears a crown and holds a bouquet. She is wearing a white dress and has bobbed hair. The other children are arranged around her, some seated and some standing; all appear to be under the age of seven. The three boys are in the front row; one wears a sailor suit and the other two have on light-colored shirts and short pants. All have short hair, parted to the side and slicked down. One girl wears a dress with a dark bodice and a peter pan collar; the other girls wear short, full white dresses with empire waistlines and have large white ribbons in their hair. The background behind them is a wallpaper of flowers, and flowers in pots are spaced along the stage in front of the children, and decorate its front edge. A single bouquet in a pot sits on the floor at the front of the stage. The corner of one stained glass window is just visible in the upper left of the image. The floor is wooden and two small runner carpets appear in the front of the stage. There appear to be stairs leading off to the left of the stage.
