Colored Orphan Asylum, New York. Girls on playground circa 1860s. (public domain)

Various sources cite the above as a photograph taken on Good Friday. This is one of my favorite photographs of the orphanage. The girls all look neat and presentable while holding hula hoops. The smaller girls sit on the steps in the background where two women stand. Trees are bare, indicating it’s winter or maybe the end of winter. The girls don’t wear hats or mittens, so it must have been bearable to be outside.

Holidays were always a special time at the orphanage. Donors dropped off goodies, and a huge meal was prepared for the orphans. I doubt the children would have received Easter baskets and trinkets on Easter Sunday, but there would have been a service in Hope Chapel, reflecting on the importance of the day. I imagine the children had a piece of candy or a slice of gingerbread cake and spent the remainder of the day honoring the sabbath.

On this Good Friday, I think of their nameless faces and hope life was good to them.