A couple who stumbled upon a real-life treasure chest of decades-old vintage clothing belonging to a late aunt say it was ‘like bringing a part of’ her back.
Angela Boyd Burch and her husband Edward were clearing out the attic of a family property in Georgia in the United States, when they noticed boxes stored in the corner.
They contained 70-year-old dresses, blouses, and shorts which mostly belonged to Edward’s late aunt, Margaret Burch Harton, who died in a car accident in 1986.
When Angela started opening all of the boxes, she felt like she was ‘stepping back in time.’
She adds: ‘I knew I had stumbled on to something special. It’s a real treasure chest.
‘I was completely in awe and so excited. I knew I was holding history in my hands.’
After giving the musty clothes a good clean, Angela asked their daughter, 16-year-old Isabelle, to try them on, having a feeling that she would love the timeless pieces.
The 52-year-old retired teacher said: ‘When she put on the yellow and orange dress, I could see her eyes light up – she kept the dress.
‘After seeing her dad’s reaction to her in one of the vintage lace dresses I managed to restore, I knew seeing her in these items was special to him.
‘It was like bringing a part of his aunt back for him.’
61-year-old technician Edward described seeing Isabelle in the vintage clothes as ‘truly a living heritage’.
When looking at his daughter, he got ‘a glimpse of what my mother would have looked like when she was young.’
‘I know that all three women – my mother, my aunt, and my sister – would be happy to see her modelling all of these clothes,’ he added.
Angela snapped a few pictures of Isabelle in the clothing, sharing them to a vintage finds group on Facebook where she bought in more than 20,000 likes.
But it didn’t stop there: High school student Isabelle decided to keep wearing the dresses.
She says: ‘It’s so special to me that I get the opportunity to feel like my great aunt Margaret is living through me in a way.
‘Although I never got to meet her, by seeing her clothing I am able to better understand her life and legacy.
‘Just by seeing and wearing the articles of clothing from the 40s and 50s, I feel like I’ve been transported into that time which is very special to me.’
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