The Long Haul

Merritt Ierley of Teaneck, New Jersey, writes: “One summer day in 1892, in Yonkers, New York, Chester Webb posed for the camera in a wagon that his cousins Fred Webb and Walter MacNab were pretending to pull. Snap. In 1908, when Walter was twenty-six, his cousins came by, and somebody thought of re-creating the photograph. So a wagon was found and Chester dutifully hopped in. Snap. Twenty-seven years later, a dour Chester again did his duty, but by 1952 he seemed to be enjoying the tradition. Six years after that the cousins—now in their seventies—posed once more. Snap … for the last time. The pictures came to light after the death of Walter’s daughter—my mother, Margaret Ierley. They offer a look at life changing and yet not changing—and at the little boy that is in every man.”

We continue to ask our readers to send unusual and previously unpublished old photographs to Carla Davidson at American Heritage Inc., Forbes Building, 60 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10011. Please send a copy of any irreplaceable material, include return postage, and do not mail glass negatives. American Heritage will pay $50.00 for each one that is run.

1987_4_130

1987_4_130a

1987_4_131

1987_4_131a

1987_4_131b