Lillie Mulligan


​Recently, a stunning turn of the century portrait captured by the premium Cincinnati studio Young & Carl crossed my desk. On the back, a faint pencil inscription reads:

​"Miss Lillie Mulligan — Age 13 — 1902"


​A bit of genealogical digging brought her story right back into the light.

​In the photograph young Lillian Catherine "Lillie" Mulligan stands leaning against a high backed wooden studio chair. 

​She is dressed in her finest outfit. Her white dress has lace and delicate ruffles. She's also wearing dark stockings and lace up boots. But the true centerpiece of her outfit is her wide brimmed summer hat. 

​Who was the girl beneath the grand hat?

​Lillie was born in Ohio in 1886 to Thomas J. and Catherine Agnes Mulligan. Though census records and family notes fluctuate slightly on her exact age in 1902, we know she grew up as the youngest daughter in a lively household. Surrounded by older brothers Matthew, John, Harry, and Leonard she also shared her childhood with a younger brother, Clarence.

​While her family spent significant time in Ironton and later Lima, Ohio, their years in Cincinnati gave us this photographic treasure. 

​As the pages of the 20th century turned, Lillie grew up, fell in love, and married, becoming Lillian Catherine Alcorn.

​Her life, like so many of her era, was bittersweet. She passed away in 1925 at the young age of 39. 

​Lillie’s time on earth was relatively short, but through the survival of this single photo, her youth and her name are remembered. She's not just an anonymous face in an antique shop, she is Miss Lillie Mulligan of Ohio, forever thirteen, beautifully dressed, and looking out at the world with bright horizons ahead.



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