Old photos have special noble energy. I love looking through my family albums, trying to grasp the spirit of the century and guess what was on the minds of my ancestors.

This very photo is one of the most valuable gems of my collection. It has been preserved for over 115 years in our family.

Photo is dated approximately 1905-1906.

The youngest girl ( first from the left, bottom row) is my great great grandmother Liudmyla. She was a well educated and fiercely strong woman. Liudmyla was a graduate of the Boarding School for Young Ladies. This fact was unusual since at the dawn of the 19th century education was rather luxury and not every woman had access to it. Her life was full of events, people and struggle.

I am truly proud of my ancestors.

I am raising my kids to know and respect their origin, their family tree and, most of all, wonderful people who had enough courage to fight for what they believed mattered.

P.S. For those who love old photography as much as I do, here are a few more samples of high quality pictures that still look good enough, taking into consideration the amount of years ago they were taken.

My great great grandfather Oleksandr

My great great grandmother Liudmyla, my great great grandfather Oleksandr and their children Galyna and Ivan.

My great grandmother Galyna with her little brother Ivan

My great grandmother Galyna ( 1 year old) with her grandmother.

( I love the idea of the photographer to use a teddy bear for the photo).