A Moment in Time

An American Family in 1904

A Moment of Time is a collection of monochrome paintings of my family during different years. Year 1904 is the first of five works to be finished over the year or so.

40.64 x 50.8 cm
Oil on canvas

At 1/100 of a second, the photo of which this painting was created from, captured a moment within the entire history of the universe. Hard to comprehend how such a finite speck of life captured in such an unknown space we live in.

The family in the painting are my great grandfather and mother, grandmother, aunts, and uncle.


What were they thinking that day? What was the day like?

Great Granddad (August) was born from German immigrants. Great Grandmom (Caroline) was a daughter of Polish immigrants.

They met and married in the US.

August Miller learned carpentry and built the home they lived in for years. No running water, no bathroom yet.

Both decided to open a business (Millers Meat Market). The four acre farm cost $25 per acre. Great granddad specialized in selling ham meats. Travelled to and from Philadelphia to buy meats. He built an ice house to keep meats fresh.

Key 1904 Prices

  • Bread (loaf) – $0.06

  • Milk (gallon) – $0.09

  • Eggs (dozen) – $0.37

  • Gasoline (gallon) – $0.12
    Steak (per pound) – $0.18
    But, the quality of meats were suspect at that time.

  • Prime rib roast (per pound) – $0.16

  • Train ride (short regional trip) – a few dollars; long-distance fares were higher

  • 1904 represented a year of political consolidation under President Theodore Roosevelt, significant infrastructural and international projects like the Panama Canal, cultural growth highlighted by the St. Louis World's Fair and the Olympics, and societal changes driven by immigration, urbanization, and industrial innovation. These developments collectively shaped foundational aspects of modern American society.

Some notes of that period to give you an idea of what life was during that year. But, the time spent on earth building a family end. Generations like me continue until the end. Universe life goes on until?

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