Fascinating

Errol Morris, of the documentary fame, spotlights a Civil War detective tale in five parts. The articles are 5A Union soldier who died with only a photo of his three children to identify him.

For those of us used to seeing stories illustrated with photographs, the Philadelphia Inquirer article is fascinating. The absent ambrotype is described: “The children, two boys and a girl, are, apparently, nine, seven, and five years of age, the boys being respectively the oldest and youngest of the three. The youngest boy is sitting in a high chair, and on each side of him are his brother and sister. The eldest boy’s jacket is made from the same material as his sister’s dress.”

The description asks us to think about the details, to imagine them, to pick from among many other details the relevant ones, the ones that can be used to unravel the mystery. The use of “the same material” implies a mother’s hand, or at the very least, a bolt of cloth that was purchased and then used to make clothing for both children. It is evidence — a clue. We are looking for the unseen wife — “. . . we shall find her without a name” — the woman who made the garments out of whole cloth.