Mabel Elizabeth “Lizzie May” (Denny) Thompson (1875-1968) was the daughter of Orion Orville Denny (1853-1916), and Elva Flowers (Coulter) Denny Richmond (1858-1919). Mrs. Thompson was an active participant in Seattle society; she was a founding member of the Seattle Historical Society (now MOHAI), and a member of the Daughters of the Pioneers, the Mayflower Society, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Thompson and her husband, Howard Goodell Thompson (1862-1926), were also avid world travelers. They had one child, Mary Elizabeth (Thompson) Ostrander (1912-1977).
In addition to her other pursuits and hobbies, Lizzie May Thompson was a prize-winning photographer and member of the Photographic Society of America. Mrs. Thompson did not describe where and when, or of whom, the photograph pictured here was taken, although it was likely after 1894 when she married Howard Thompson. The Indigenous woman in this image is carrying a basket on her back that is filled with a bundle of short wood sticks that she has likely gathered to use as firewood.
Handwritten beneath image: Mabel E. Thompson Handwritten on verso: Indian woman with fagats. Photographed by Mrs. Howard G. Thompson
Caption information source: "Pioneer Portrait: Mrs. Howard G. Thompson," The Seattle Sunday Times, December 21, 1941, p. 47; and "Mrs. Mable E. Thompson, 93," The Seattle Times, July 6, 1968, p. 28.
Physical Description: 1 photographic print mounted on cardboard: b&w ; 9.25 x 9.5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
