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Mabel and Edith Bratt's Cabinet Card: a connection with Tolkien?

5 Oct, 2017
2017-10-5 1:25:24 PM UTC

I found this auction on Ebay:

"Cabinet Card Females under tree ID'd Mabel & Edith Bratt J.R.R. TOLKIEN."

The seller writes;

"All my research points Edith Bratt to be J.R.R Tolkiens's wife. I found other Edith Bratt's but they were either born later, earlier, or had Bratt name by marriage. This photo fits the time period of when J.R.R's wife would be young. I'm not sure if Mabel in the photo is J.R.R's mother or if she too is a Bratt or another family member. Please do your research prior to purchase. This one I'm not 100% sure bout."

In this picture you don't see either Mabel Suffield or Edith Bratt (I am sure you agree on that). I think it is not Tolkien-related as I've found a Mabel A Bratt (Mass. etc.) or Mary Edith Bratt (Gregory) (Stour etc.)... We simply cannot rule out the option that there were other people named Mabel, or Edith, and I have not found any other related Mabel and Edith Bratt amongst Tolkien's relatives, friends and acquaintances matching the picture. Not 100% sure, perhaps, but I would at least say I'm 99.99% positive those people have nothing to do with Tolkien. And you? What are your thoughts about this?

eBay item 182807817001

2174_59d632653a8a4.jpg 1600X1132 px

2174_59d6326ea22aa.jpg 1600X1146 px
5 Oct, 2017 (edited)
2017-10-5 2:18:44 PM UTC
Sorry, but don't think this item has anything to do with J.R.R. Tolkien or his family, possibly individuals named Mabel Bratt and Edith Bratt, who are related to each other.

I also think that it is technically possible that Edith and Mabel met, but not documented.

But in reality, it did not happen, why would they have met, and Mabel's surname was not Bratt?
5 Oct, 2017
2017-10-5 6:54:29 PM UTC
''Bratt'' looks to me as written with a different pen.
5 Oct, 2017
2017-10-5 7:21:53 PM UTC
I don't really understand how this would be a particularly interesting item, even if there was a Tolkien connection.
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