Ancestry Magazine

The term “Easter egg” in computer software refers to a small program hidden within a larger software package. The Easter egg does not interfere with the software and often goes unnoticed by even experienced users. It’s usually meant as a secret message by the creator of the software and can give even the most serious user a good laugh. Microsoft Excel 2000 is famous for its Easter egg of an auto racing game (you’ll find instructions for accessing it at http://j-walk.com/ss/excel/odd/odd01.htm).

Photographs can have their own Easter eggs in the form of hidden messages, jokes, and other surprises that might not be noticed by a casual observer. Finding an Easter egg in a photo can unexpectedly change that photo’s meaning for you—like it will do in this photo. Can you spot the hidden joke?

One of the first things to do when you analyze an old photo is study the writing that appears in it and research any proper names or unusual references you find. This picture immediately presents several possibilities, but the best is the name that appears in the lower-right corner—W. G. Voliva.

A search on Google tells you that Wilbur Glenn Voliva was the head of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, based in Zion, Illinois. Voliva succeeded John Dowie, who founded Zion in 1901 on Lake Michigan as a home for the church. Dowie instituted the “Zion City Lease,” which forbade gambling, theaters, and circuses, as well as the manufacture and sale of alcohol and tobacco. In addition, the lease banned pork, dancing, swearing, spitting, politicians, doctors, oysters, and tan-colored shoes. Whistling on Sunday was punishable by jail time.

Dowie especially opposed alcohol, having signed the temperance pledge at age six, and into the late 20th century, Zion City remained dry. Dowie and his successor, Voliva, also maintained that the world was flat, offering a prize of $5,000 to anyone who could convince them otherwise. Although both Dowie and Voliva were world travelers, the prize was never awarded.

The sign in the picture was one of many erected in Zion during the 1920s and 1930s, offering a stern warning to residents and visitors about the strict moral code that was to be maintained in the town. The young woman in front of the sign could be a church member showing her support for the town laws.

But wait. Have you found the Easter egg? Have you spotted the joke? Take a closer look at the young woman. She is holding cigarettes in each hand. Now you know the real reason she is smiling. Wouldn’t it be even better if she turned out to be the Reverend Voliva’s daughter?