Grandparents Day is September 7th this year. It’s a great time to celebrate the powerful bond between grandparents and their grandchildren. Growing up, one of my grandmothers lived in the town where I lived. We were able to see her weekly. For a few years, I even went to her house after school in the afternoons. My other grandmother lived about 400 miles away until I was 11 years old, and then moved to about 1500 miles away when she and my grandfather retired to Florida. While I didn’t see her as often, we still had a strong bond, just a different relationship than with the one who loved close by. I loved them both equally, just in different ways.
Two years ago Portland, Oregon, photographer Linnea Osterberg lost her beloved Grandmother Ivy. Linnea describes Ivy as an exceptional person who played an integral role in her life from infancy through adulthood.
To honor her grandma’s memory, Linnea spent the last year documenting the love between grandmothers and their grandchildren through a project titled “Grandma.” She photographed some of the most loved women in Portland. Through it all, Linnea discovered a sense of her own personal healing.
Linnea’s black and white film photography is shot in natural light and developed in a traditional dark room. To date, Linnea has photographed more than 50 sets of grandmothers and grandchildren, and will continue to add to the project, which is currently on display throughout Portland. The art will also be displayed at Smith College (Linnea’s alma mater) this fall.
I’d love to hear about the special grandmas and grandpas in your lives. How will you celebrate Grandparents Day? Feel free to comment below and share special memories you have.
You can view the Grandma portrait gallery on Linnea’s site.
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Oh this is wonderful! What a great idea!
I love this idea and those pictures are awesome!
These photos are just so beautiful. What a wonderful keepsake to celebrate Grandmothers.
What a wonderful idea! Such beautiful images. I just lost my Granny a month ago after a long battle with cancer and Alzheimer’s. I miss her and wish I had more pictures to remember her by. Thanks for sharing!
Grandparents Day is big for us! What great photos.
Loving the sweet and timeless photos capturing the relationships between grandmother and those precious grandkids!
What a great way to reserve the memories and creative too! We don’t have any plans for Grandparents day..it will be a hard one since my Mother just recently passed away.