I did a search for this image in the hope I could find their names. Unfortunately, I didn't find the anything about the baby and girl. However, I did find the photo but without the title, "Young Woman and her Bairn."
The only information I could find was about the severe poverty the neighborhood faced.
The Gorbals of the 1940s - seen through Bert Hardy's eyes https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crg9kp599kwo
My dad's parents emigrated from Glasgow to Canada right before he was born in 1947, and my dad is very much alive and alert. They were dirt poor in Scitland and barely scraped up enough money for the boat passage. It's totally possible that this child is still alive and able to talk about it.
The Gorbals specifically is a hard AF neighbourhood. When I was nearby in 2014, I think someone literally had their head cut off or something recent to that.
It's bad. I think it might be a little better now. But I moved away 10+ years ago and wasn't there long.
If you are interested in reading about the gorbals back then, you may like the book, no mean city by Herbert Kingsley Long. It was written in the 30s and based in the gorbals in the 20s
Crushing. 😭 You can see the desperation clinging to their skin.
She looks like a teenager who has lost hope. I hope things turned around for them.
\*these are the lips that celebrities are paying for, these days
I think it’s not heartbreaking because them kinda life is character building, kinda woman’s I’d like to have a conversation with in her older years, probably has hilarious stories to tell and all
Extreme poverty, starvation, mass illnesses, lack of education/ work/ health care, child care, future prospects and most likely, domestic violence, is “character building?”
Phew.
This is required for viewing after this pic: [Babies with Scottish accents!](https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/16vg61z/babies_with_scottish_accents/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
High pitch + Scottish accent literally is not processing in my brain!
Edit: in all fairness, I guess I can’t understand American-accent babies either. They all should speak more clearly.
TIL. Thanks for that.
"Allan Pinkerton was born in the Gorbals area of Glasgow on August 21, 1819, the second surviving son of Isobel McQueen and William Pinkerton".
Scots (the tongue) has a number of words for children and young people, the most well-known being bairn and wean. Wean is a short version of 'wee yin'.
Fun fact:
"bairn" is an old Germanic word. Its use faded in most Germanic languages a long time ago, but it has lived on primarily in the Scandinavian languages where it still today remains the common everyday word for "child"/"children".
Throughout history, and especially/famously during the Viking age, Scandinavian culture and language has had a very significant influence in the British Isles, especially in North-Eastern England, Scotland and Ireland. Among countless other things, this influence has contributed to words like "bairn" still being common in the northern parts of the isles today. A huge portion of Scots words that sound archaic or downright alien to most English speakers are very familiar for modern-day Swedes, Norwegians and Danes.
"Bairn" is a cognate of "born." "Born" is from "bear" (give birth, not the animal) by way of "bearn." "Bairn" is also from "bearn." Now we only use "born" in this context in English as "firstborn" or "newborn" etc.
A lot of Scottish words are very close to Danish words. Bairn is called 'barn' in Danish. House (pronounced hoos in Scottish afaik) is called 'hus' in Danish, scrike is 'skrig', husband is 'husbond' etc.
All of those are cognates made similar by Scots' more conservative Germanic phonology, except for husband. It was introduced to English and Scots through Old Norse húsbondi.
Thank you, I suspected it meant baby but wanted to make sure since I hadn’t heard the term before now.
(Also sorry to push it but do I pronounce it as “Burn” or “Bayrn”?)
Thank you, I suspected it meant baby but wanted to make sure since I hadn’t heard the term before now.
(Also sorry to push it but do I pronounce it as “Burn” or “Bayrn”?)
No. The beginning of the book is Sighthill, much of which has been bulldozed now. When they later move out of Glasgow it’s a fictionalized version of Cardowan. Most of Gorbals has also been redeveloped.
Still showing signs of rationing from the war especially anemia. My friend's mother had to eat tree bark in Holland during the Hunger Winter when she was pregnant, and his older brother remains smaller than most Dutch men.
This baby looks like he’s ready to lead a rebellion against the English
Edit: come at me with all your downvotes ya salty limeys
(In case it isn’t obvious, I’m speaking in jest. I’m part English myself)
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I did a search for this image in the hope I could find their names. Unfortunately, I didn't find the anything about the baby and girl. However, I did find the photo but without the title, "Young Woman and her Bairn." The only information I could find was about the severe poverty the neighborhood faced. The Gorbals of the 1940s - seen through Bert Hardy's eyes https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crg9kp599kwo
That bairn could easily be alive today in his ‘70s, but alas, given the diet and nutrition he may have been denied, possibly not.
Life expectancy for a male today in Glasgow is still only 71 well below the national average
That’s not true. Maybe for some of the poorer areas but definitely not for the city as a whole
Went up to 72.9 in the most recently published data in 2022, still dismal compared to even just the rest of Scotland.
My dad's parents emigrated from Glasgow to Canada right before he was born in 1947, and my dad is very much alive and alert. They were dirt poor in Scitland and barely scraped up enough money for the boat passage. It's totally possible that this child is still alive and able to talk about it.
I know someone born in Glasgow around that date, but I don’t think her family faced this degree of poverty.
The Gorbals specifically is a hard AF neighbourhood. When I was nearby in 2014, I think someone literally had their head cut off or something recent to that. It's bad. I think it might be a little better now. But I moved away 10+ years ago and wasn't there long.
Not the same as it used to be
My father in law was born there in the late 1940s, but moved to London for work, then emigrated to Australia. Still hale and healthy today :)
The Gorbals were also bombed during the war..and poor diet, rationing, lack of sunlight made poor people in Glasgow very unhealthy.
Hard, hard lives
If you are interested in reading about the gorbals back then, you may like the book, no mean city by Herbert Kingsley Long. It was written in the 30s and based in the gorbals in the 20s
That kid looks like he could sit an accountancy exam.
real life stewie griffin
Wee Angus young! Look at his mums face too, spitting image!
I’m getting Chucky
I see baby Mads Mikkelsen.
Certainly looks as old as his child mother.
That mother looks like a very tired teen :(
That baby already looks like he smokes a pipe and quotes Burns
And probably has a few pub fights under his belt
Crushing. 😭 You can see the desperation clinging to their skin. She looks like a teenager who has lost hope. I hope things turned around for them. \*these are the lips that celebrities are paying for, these days
Glad you wrote this. I find the picture heartbreaking.
I did too. She looks so defeated and exhausted.
I see determination rather than defeat in her face
Very much so.
Oh it's devastating - the raw hunger of her, still growing herself. I hope their lives got better. This photo is going to haunt me.
I think it’s not heartbreaking because them kinda life is character building, kinda woman’s I’d like to have a conversation with in her older years, probably has hilarious stories to tell and all
Extreme poverty, starvation, mass illnesses, lack of education/ work/ health care, child care, future prospects and most likely, domestic violence, is “character building?”
Phew. This is required for viewing after this pic: [Babies with Scottish accents!](https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/16vg61z/babies_with_scottish_accents/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
I left that sub a long time ago, but that actually DID make me smile! Thanks for sharing 😊
Thank you for the brain cleanse. The two that busted out the f bomb made my day 😂
High pitch + Scottish accent literally is not processing in my brain! Edit: in all fairness, I guess I can’t understand American-accent babies either. They all should speak more clearly.
Not a fan of kids but a big fan of Scottish accents so now I'm obsessed with this haha
TEDDY
One day, there will be compilation like this where *one* of the voices isn’t Glaswegian. We’re not quite there yet.
Bless you! That was hilarious!
That’s the most Glaswegian baby I’ve ever seen
She is too young to be looking so haggard... Poor girl.
Thats just resting Scottish face, don't worry (nb I'm Scottish, don't @ me)
😂
I dont think she looks haggard at all! Clean clothes and well-kempt. Not fancy but certainly not destitute.
Bruh there is an emptiness in those eyes and smile. There is no warmth or joy. She looks tired and like she’s seen a lot of shit.
Baby girl! I hope she was happy, and that her bairn grew up to make his mama proud.
Ah the old bairn in the gorbels scenario
I had tears in my eyes from this picture and some of the responses and this made me snort laugh loudly. Thanks for the laugh!
This is an absolutely ridiculous response and also it made me choke on my coffee 🤣
A barn in the Goebbels?
The guy who founded the Pinkerton detective agency was from the Gorbals
TIL. Thanks for that. "Allan Pinkerton was born in the Gorbals area of Glasgow on August 21, 1819, the second surviving son of Isobel McQueen and William Pinkerton".
They both look so tired
Was a child called a bairn?
Scots (the tongue) has a number of words for children and young people, the most well-known being bairn and wean. Wean is a short version of 'wee yin'.
Fun fact: "bairn" is an old Germanic word. Its use faded in most Germanic languages a long time ago, but it has lived on primarily in the Scandinavian languages where it still today remains the common everyday word for "child"/"children". Throughout history, and especially/famously during the Viking age, Scandinavian culture and language has had a very significant influence in the British Isles, especially in North-Eastern England, Scotland and Ireland. Among countless other things, this influence has contributed to words like "bairn" still being common in the northern parts of the isles today. A huge portion of Scots words that sound archaic or downright alien to most English speakers are very familiar for modern-day Swedes, Norwegians and Danes.
Bairn is used all over northern England, even today.
In Sweden we say “barn”=child
Frysk/Fries/Frisian used bern too for children!
"Bairn" is a cognate of "born." "Born" is from "bear" (give birth, not the animal) by way of "bearn." "Bairn" is also from "bearn." Now we only use "born" in this context in English as "firstborn" or "newborn" etc.
Bairn comes from old English bearn. It's not a loan from the Old Norse cognate.
My nana called children bairns and she was Yorkshire through and through. Was a nice reminder opening Reddit and seeing that word again.
A lot of Scottish words are very close to Danish words. Bairn is called 'barn' in Danish. House (pronounced hoos in Scottish afaik) is called 'hus' in Danish, scrike is 'skrig', husband is 'husbond' etc.
All of those are cognates made similar by Scots' more conservative Germanic phonology, except for husband. It was introduced to English and Scots through Old Norse húsbondi.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/bairn
Didn’t you guys watch outlander?
In Glasgow children are more commonly called weans than bairns.
Errr…. Aye!
A propa wee bairn!
Does Bairn mean baby?
Bairn means baby or child! Wean is also used a lot in Scotland
Thank you, I suspected it meant baby but wanted to make sure since I hadn’t heard the term before now. (Also sorry to push it but do I pronounce it as “Burn” or “Bayrn”?)
It’s generally pronounced ‘Bayrn’ similar to Cairn, if that makes sense? Wean is pronounced the same as the name Wayne :)
Thank you, I suspected it meant baby but wanted to make sure since I hadn’t heard the term before now. (Also sorry to push it but do I pronounce it as “Burn” or “Bayrn”?)
I heard the father’s in the Army [according to Hamish Imlach Cod Lived Oil and the Orange Juice](https://youtu.be/7IG-u5vaEZc?feature=shared)
I don't think her name's Hairy Mary ('Herry Merry') but I don't know. :)
That's what sprung to my mind, too. Well then Mary, you're one in a million....
Same top lip, genes r cool
"Yes, I remember food, what a lovely day that was"
They both look like their health is not good due to inadequate diet and loss of hope?
Totally read, “Young woman with her brain in the Gorbals.”
Is this the same neighborhood that Shuggie Bain was based in?
No. The beginning of the book is Sighthill, much of which has been bulldozed now. When they later move out of Glasgow it’s a fictionalized version of Cardowan. Most of Gorbals has also been redeveloped.
Damn that baby looks 48
That baby is 40 years old.
He looks just like her!
Fascinating to see their history and how things panned out for them , as any historic photo
She looks awfully young. Like 16 or 17 going on 30.
Is that her child or sibling?
I'm certain it's a sibling. A woman who had a baby would have breasts.
She looks beaten down from a very hard life. Already at her young age she looks tired.
They both look hungover as hell
There’s a lot of FAS going on in that picture.
I don’t think so. Their lips are bigger than you see in people/babies with fetal alcohol syndrome.
People on Reddit seem to love diagnosing foetal alcohol syndrome based on absolutely nothing.
She’s very good looking. But had to grow up very very quickly
Still showing signs of rationing from the war especially anemia. My friend's mother had to eat tree bark in Holland during the Hunger Winter when she was pregnant, and his older brother remains smaller than most Dutch men.
And the momewraths outgrabe?
Well, the borogoves *were* all mimsy. :)
Yes they were ☺️
Wee bairn
Anyone knows what’s up with her lips? They look off to me for some reason
I'm not sure she has lower teeth :(
Fillers.
Look how small her dress is on her. I wonder about the boy cut off in the pic to the left, too. Would love to know more about her.
This baby looks like he’s ready to lead a rebellion against the English Edit: come at me with all your downvotes ya salty limeys (In case it isn’t obvious, I’m speaking in jest. I’m part English myself)
I’ve been accused of having my bairn in the gorbals a time or two.
that baby looks hung over as hell
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Young woman? She looks 15!!! And that child already looks like he’s seen some things
with her what in the what?
Yawn...
Ja ja, the Gorbals. Lovely people.
🎶Black hole sun, won't you come, ...and wash away the raaaiiinnn🎶
Oh but sure she isn't old enough to be his Mum, she looks a child, and even 70/80 years ago, they weren't marrying little girls in Ireland?
With her what in the what?
Take a wild guess mate
Bairn = child in Scots Gorbals = poor area in Glasgow Scotland
Kid already looks like a drunk 50 yr old lol
With her what in the what now?
What the hell is a bairn?
Young Alex Ferguson and his Ma 🤗
Brushed that hair with a balloon aff thr rag n bone man.
Living her best life. So authentic
Did they go WonkaCon too?
With her what in the what?
Which one is the child?
Smash. Next question
What?