Why My Childhood Family Portrait Matters More Now Than Ever
New Orleans, 1983. Our family. Our story.
Today, this portrait is 42 years old and it holds more meaning today than it ever did.
A 42-Year-Old Family Portrait With New Meaning
As a child, I didn’t understand the significance of this portrait—but as an adult, a parent, an aunt, and now a photographer, I can finally see how deeply this single piece of artwork shaped my sense of family, belonging, and legacy.
Seeing a Childhood Portrait Through Adult Eyes
Back then, it was just “our family picture on the wall,” and I probably didn’t think about it twice. But now, with a grown child of my own and a nephew and niece I’ve had the privilege of watching grow and evolve, I understand the weight of what my mother did for us.
How Time Changes the Way We See Family Artwork
Life experience has a way of sharpening your vision. Now I can appreciate the intention, the planning, and the love behind this artwork—things my young mind had no capacity to understand back then.
This portrait didn’t change. I did.
And it’s incredible to look at something that has survived four decades—moves, life changes, technology shifts—and realize it’s still here, steady and unchanged, waiting for me to finally understand its value.
What This 1983 New Orleans Family Portrait Reveals About My Mother’s Love
The details in this portrait say everything:
My sister and I in matching dresses.
Our hair neatly parted and pulled into pigtails.
My brother in a crisp shirt and tie.
My mom dressed in a full suit, looking confident and composed.
The Effort Behind Our Coordinated Outfits and Poses
This wasn’t an accidental snapshot. This was effort. Coordinated effort. Love-in-action effort.
And even though I don’t remember getting dressed for the portrait, I do remember the bus ride to what was likely an Olan Mills in downtown New Orleans—the buzzing street, the storefronts, the adventure of it all. That’s a core memory that stuck with me.
My mom didn’t have to say much. She showed us who we were through the things she did.
This portrait is proof of her presence, her intention, and her belief that we were worth being celebrated.
How This Portrait Became a Family Legacy Across 42 Years
When I see this portrait now, I see more than faces. I see a story. Our story.
A story my mother preserved without fully realizing she was creating a legacy piece her children—and her grandchildren—would cherish decades later.
The Beauty of Aging Artwork: Scratches, Patina, and Time
This artwork has outlived fashions, trends, and technology.
Forty-two years later, the frame shows its age in the most beautiful ways. Scratches, worn corners, and patina only time can create. These details tell their own story, a testament to just how long this artwork has been part of our family.
It’s still here, on her wall, telling the same story… it’s just that I finally understand it now.
And as an Atlanta and Douglas County family photographer, I now recognize the very same effort I guide families through today: the planning, the coordinating, the wrangling of little personalities, the choosing of outfits, the transportation, the patience, the vision.
It fills me with gratitude.
Gratitude for my mom.
Gratitude for this memory.
Gratitude for the seeds this portrait planted in me long before I ever picked up a camera.
Why Printed Family Artwork Matters for Future Generations
This portrait is more than a picture, it’s a reminder that our children may not immediately understand the effort we put into preserving their memories. But one day, with time and life behind them, they’ll see it. And they’ll feel it. And they’ll be grateful for it.
A quiet look at the wooden frame that has held my family’s portrait for 42 years.
The Quiet Power Artwork Has on Our Children
The artwork we create today becomes the legacy they inherit tomorrow.
As I hold this portrait in my hands today [42 years after it was created]. I think about how powerful it is for a child to grow up with artwork that tells their story. I didn’t know it then, but this piece shaped me quietly, year after year.
✍ Take a Moment to Pause and Reflect
What do I want my son or daughter—40 years from today—to feel when they look at the artwork I create for them now?
Create Legacy Artwork for Your Own Family
If you want to create this kind of legacy for your family, artwork that your children and grandchildren will one day look at with the same gratitude and understanding, I would love to help you design something meaningful, intentional, and timeless.
Let’s start with a simple conversation about the people you love most. Book Your Consultation →