The photographer's shadow???

Stranger things.......

it kind of looks like the corn leaves, but then it doesn't. Weird but cool!!

I think the light areas on the skirt are leaves from the surrounding plants. I also think that perhaps she is not wearing a blouse and skirt (or slacks). I think that it is a one-piece long dress, and that the "design" is that the bodice fabric comes to a point. It just looks off-center because of moving around to get into position for the photo.

It looks to me like she has on a black skirt with corn leaves showing. Her pointed bottom top looks fine to me but I am on my phone and can't enlarge a great deal.

I think Lindsey is right and it's a dress and the corn leaves.

My cousins will be happy to know so many agree with them. You may very well be right. :-)

We eliminated the shadow theory because a shadow wouldn't have been so precise. It would have extended beyond her skirt.

Here's a closer look, for what it's worth:

I should add my grandmother was a wonderful seamstress who made most of her own clothes and sewed for her daughters as well.

I don’t think that is part of the dress. I can see some leaves between your grandmother and the girl but there are two arms as well. The one in the front is the girls and the one behind it has the black going over it. It looks to me like someone has tried to black out something specific with ink or spilled ink on it by accident because you can even see were the edge of the leaves are under it too

I see only one arm, but I do see this, which I assumed was some kind of bow attached to the daughter's dress.

My grandmother's arm was behind her daughter's back, as she has her hand on the girl's shoulder. Nothing is evident on the surface of the print.

I think it's an apron/coverup she had on while picking corn and pulled it down for the picture but didn't get it fully off before it was snapped.

I was thinking it was a black skirt too but the black looks like ink dripping near the bottom into the ground. Perhaps the India ink dripped and could not be removed?

On the left side of the "skirt" it seems to be the outline of a leg. Perhaps she was wearing a short romper type of outfit and someone tried to create a cover-up? The object under the young girls arm looks like a clutch purse.

I agree with Olychick, looks like her apron slipped down to me.

Thanks, everyone, for the interesting--and possible--explanations! I guess the really important part is that they all look so happy.

Whatever it is I do like the picture. Corn leaf ruffles!

Sue

To me it looks like a patch on the skirt to match the blouse, and some corn leaves. The young girl appears to have a clutch purse under her arm as someone else mentioned.

Where was the photo taken? I found this (on Etsy):

It looks like the black swathe is wrapped around grandpapa, too. Would the lovely people be on the theatrical side of your fascinating family, by chance? ;-)

Olychick, that's interesting! The photo was taken in NJ. My grandfather owned a German deli, so I suppose it's conceivable they wore black aprons. But I would have thought they'd worn white.

To me it almost looks like a small clutch purse under the young girls arm.

Rhizo, I'm afraid not. :-)

This grandmother was wonderfully creative--gardening, baking, you name it, in addition to being a spectacular seamstress. One of her daughters (my mother) was an artist, and several of Grandma's other descendants are artists. But the singers, pianists, and stage performers were all on my father's side.

Hey, maybe both Grandma and Grandpa wore black aprons.

I see that now, you’re right Alisande. It’s interesting, the apron makes sense though.

Walking through the corn will cut you up so it could well be a protective type covering or apron worn from the waist down for protection from the sharp leaves.

The girl has a small purse under her arm.

I think those black splashes are shadows, and grandmother is wearing a full length dress. The corn plants and the girl are casting shadows on granny. The girl is standing in the open with nothing between her and the major light source, but the corn plants and the girl are casting shadows on the two adults. Look at the bottom half of the man and you'll see the same effect. They are standing outside in sunlight and there is high contrast between the light and dark areas. This is a difficult shot for retaining detail in all areas of the photo. Details in the shadows were lost. Most likely, the photo was printed in a commercial lab without any special adjustments. per frame. The lab equipment, if it had any automation at all, read the average light passing through the negative and exposed the print accordingly. In many cases, only the first clear frame on a roll of negatives was read and the entire roll processed accordingly. Sometimes, this lead to the first image on a roll printing ok and the rest off the mark.

If you have access to the negative, examine it with magnification and you may see more detail than shown in the print.

No, I don't have the negative. My dad didn't take the picture. The family eventually be came his in-laws, but he didn't even know them then.

I wouldn't think the daughter was far enough away from her mother to avoid a shadow, but you could be right. The print I worked with is quite small. I cleaned up the image in Photoshop.

I think both Grandma and Grandpa are wearing harvesting aprons. Grandma has borrowed the 'costume' for the photo -- and is laughing about the idea of harvesting while wearing her Sunday best. What is Grandpa holding in his right arm?

Did Grandpa own a farm or know someone who did? DH's father loved playing around on his 'gentleman's farm' in the 1930's. It was a thing some businessmen did -- "Man of the Soil" and all that.

I don't know enough about corn to guess the time of year. The leaves look droopy, but I see tassels.

I still think it's a shadow. I think JemDandy is right. The shadow is coming from the direction of the girl instead of the photographer.

I made a negative of it in Irfanview, if it helps any. I also looked at the edge detection, I've never seen such clear, thick edges in a pic before, but it didn't help me determine what the black on her dress is.

Ghostlyvision, you are well named! LOL

I'm a volunteer gravestone photographer, and I sometimes make negative images when I'm trying to decipher writing on a stone. Didn't think to try it with this photo. Thanks for making the effort!

I still think the black is painted on because of the bottom edge of the black appearing to be drips of ink. The foliage is not correct....kind of interrupted.

It does look drippy, but I can tell you it wasn't painted on the print. And I can't imagine anyone painting it on the negative--and so neatly! :-)