Jane Coram's pics

[Natalie Severn]

For Jane,
A picture of my beautiful mum - before she got ill.She hasn"t long been married to my dad in this photo which is my favourite.
Norma

[Jane Coram]

Hi Natalie,

She looks like a filmstar, and so elegant and sophisticated. She really is lovely.

It's wonderful having photographs of family members. I have a lot of my nan when she was a little girl at the turn of the century with her five brothers - and of my great grandmother and great grandfather. I really treasure them.

Much love

Janie

xxx

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Jane -maybe we should put some more up-on a different thread? I have photos of my nan too-bless her.
But I thought the picture you put up was very natural,really beautiful.[I would love to see pictures of your nan when she was a little girl].
Nx

[Carol]

Hi Norma/Natalie (not certain what to call you) and Janie,
Here I am letting you both know what I think at the moment about Mary Kelly and her little 'home'. I think you are both probably right that she didn't look upon it as her home and no doubt didn't care at all what it looked like. From what you have said about her character I think that she thought she had sunk to the bottom and was seriously thinking she had chosen the wrong path in life but that at the time of her death didn't know what to do about it. Depression probably led to her drowning her sorrows in drink and making her life even more miserable. I think the fact that she was allowing homeless prostitutes (one at a time!) to lay on the floor of her room does show that she felt a great pity for them and knew that she wasn't far off from being homeless herself.
What has struck me, if we are to believe Hutchinson, is that she met him in the street and asked him if he could lend her sixpence (which he couldn't). What did she need the sixpence for in the middle of the night? Had her landlord, McCarthy, given her the ultimatum that night of either paying something 'up front' for the rent arrears or else expect a little 'visit' from him for sexual reasons? (Of course, one could argue that as a prostitute a 'little visit' from him wouldn't exactly be a problem, but I should think even prostitutes can be allowed to have some pride). Or had McCarthy's wife given her a different ultimatum of paying sixpence or being thrown out of the room directly?
I have really appreciated your answers to my questions Norma and I have printed out (and read) the Mary Austin story. It's difficult to comprehend the complete lack of common humanity in this world of ours, both then and now.
The photographs you have both posted are lovely. Are you two related? I think the beautiful young girl in Janie's photograph and your mother, Norma, look very similar: their face shapes and general look of their features.
Love
Carol

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Carol,Many thanks for your thoughtful reply and kind words about my mum---yes,now you mention it there is some likeness isn"t there to face shape etc....
I will reply more properly tomorrow but I agree with much of what you say,
Best Wishes,
Norma

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Carol ,
I think we will need to move to another thread such as one dealing more directly with John McCarthy or Mary Kelly now if we want to discuss things other than Jane"s pics...my fault for going off thread like that-my apologies to Jane,
Best Wishes
Norma

[Carol]

Hi Carol ,
I think we will need to move to another thread such as one dealing more directly with John McCarthy or Mary Kelly now if we want to discuss things other than Jane"s pics...my fault for going off thread like that-my apologies to Jane,
Best Wishes
Norma

Hi Norma,
Thanks for your last posts.
I'd like to apologise to Jane as well. Sorry!
I very much want to hear your views on my last post. I've learnt a lot more about Mary Kelly now thanks to you and Jane, and as you both have had an interest in Jack the Ripper and his victims for much longer than me I have a lot to learn and probably some misconceptions that need to be rightened!
Perhaps you could post on a Mary Kelly thread.
Looking forward VERY MUCH to your post.
Love
Carol

[Archaic]

Ideas For the New Thread About Mary

Hi Carol, Norma, Janie, and all.

I agree with Carol.
I've very much enjoyed the information about Mary that Norma and Janie have posted on this thread. It contains much more detailed and "personal" information about the realities of Mary's daily life and of the lives of women in that era who were trying to get by under dreadful conditions than we usually see on the message boards.

I guess one could say it's information with a feminine slant, somewhat similar to our 'Apron Redux' thread.

I think a new thread devoted to the details of Mary's daily life would be terrific, and I'd like to suggest that the information that has already been posted here be copied & pasted into the new thread.

Perhaps the new thread can also be designated an argument-free zone, where our discussion will not be derailed by the personal theories that persistently invade other threads, such as those that deny Mary was involved in prostitution, or attempt to link her to the Fenians, or squabble endlessly about George Hutchinson. Those topics can have their own threads if any member so wishes.

Please let the new thread be just about Mary, and devoted to sharing the little details that help illuminate the realities of her daily life.

Thanks and best regards,
Archaic

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Archaic,
Oh I whole heartedly agree with you and yes,provided Jane is ok about it perhaps we should move these last couple of pages to a new thread along the lines you suggest.So why not create this new thread where you think it may best fit Archaic?
I will be looking out for it in the next few days and more than happy to contribute,
Best Wishes
Norma

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Carol,
Again thankyou for your kind words and yes I will be more than glad to join you in your quest over how we may interpret Mary"s behaviour as alleged by George Hutchinson on the night of her murder but will do so once the new thread gets going,if that is ok,
All the Best,
Norma

[Archaic]

Hi Nats.

Gee whiz, how did the ball get tossed back to my court? You must be a tennis pro, or at least very good at Ping-Pong.

Well, I guess we can either put the new thread under 'Victims> Mary Kelly' or under 'General Victims' if we think we'll be discussing material pertinent to the other victims.

Does anybody want to make a suggestion as to where the thread should go or what it should be called?

Meanwhile, I'll email Janie... and see if I can toss the ball over to her!

Cheers,
Archaic

[Carol]

Hi Carol,
Again thankyou for your kind words and yes I will be more than glad to join you in your quest over how we may interpret Mary"s behaviour as alleged by George Hutchinson on the night of her murder but will do so once the new thread gets going,if that is ok,
All the Best,
Norma

Hello Norma, Jane and Archaic,
I'm with you all the way, girls. Well said, Archaic and Norma. I've got this 'feeling' about the Mary Kelly story that something important has been missed. Probably the Irish in me 'romancing' again (one of my Irish grandmother's favourite words!).
It's no good looking at me to start the thread, Archaic. You know I wouldn't know where to start!
Love to you all,
Carol xxx (one each)

[Celesta]

For Jane,
A picture of my beautiful mum - before she got ill.She hasn"t long been married to my dad in this photo which is my favourite.
Norma

Nats, She really was beautiful, and exemplifies what I like to think of as a more elegant age.

Your dad looks a bit like Bing Crosby.

[Natalie Severn]

Many Thanks Celesta. Today is the anniversary of her death in 1997 .I will take some flowers,
Norma

[Celesta]

Many Thanks Celesta. Today is the anniversary of her death in 1997 .I will take some flowers,
Norma

I'm sorry I missed this post, Nats. I know how you feel, the anniversary of one of my parents was recently, too. xx