Henry had a stereoscopic camera in Mexico in 1941. Ancient, he said. This is a stereo photo. Let each eye see one image and relax til you see a third image in the middle. If you are viewing on a phone hold it away from you, or turn the screen sideways. if you are on a desktop and it is too big, there is a smaller one at the bottom of the screen.
Esperanza and Henry walk into a voice recording studio in Mexico City, Feb 13, 1942
The quality is not very good, but you can hear the timber of her voice, pick out a few words. There are two sides, Esperanza is heard on one side, and Henry on the other. The total audio each side is only a minute, much of what Esperanza says is inaudible. Nearly every word of Henry is inaudible. They sent the record home to Henry's mother in Indiana.
What does it all say? Since they lived close to each other, they could have seen each other every day if work schedules had permitted, so a lot of the letters from 41-42 are low points. This must have been a high point.
my partial transcription is just my best guess at times
I am using the barely adequate HTML5 audio control. Play is at the left. Volume at the right.
no no no...
24 hours a day ...
I should like for him to accompany me in mountain climbing...
stay at home...
sleeping all day long like a child...
he always...
it concerns me...
its how...
sometimes he says...
do you love much more than sport...
then he loves me...
and he thinks earnestly...
how to make a better life with me...
so we can't see how to...
how...
could go...
I think its...
he refuses to...
told me I have a noble face...
and I am a dope for saving (?) so much money but that's that...
but I like his blue eyes...
his oval face...
the way he smiles...
and in the way he tells me...
that he's as smart as me...
because he doesn't...
show me who's the boss...
boys...
they never come...
they are just babies...
...
(man - that's all)