The woman in pink: How a century-old ship led to the discovery of a long-lost photo

The lady in the pink dress smiled quietly for three years, hidden beneath the backing of a black and white print in Paul Sarty's home. 

Sarty had no idea she was there until about a week ago, when he took the print down and lost his grip on it. 

"It slid out of my hands and when it hit the floor, it sort of all burst apart and lo and behold, I looked at it, and I saw this lady's picture," he said. "I went, 'Well, well, well, this is a find.'" 

Sarty had no idea who the woman in the photo was, but from her hairstyle and clothing he thought the photo might have been taken in the 60s or 70s. 

"She's quite young, and a very attractive young lady, and she has a wedding ring. And the way she's posed, with her hand, it might even be her wedding picture. I don't know," he said. 

Something about the lighting and the woman's smile made him want to return the photo to her. 

"She just has such a trusting face," he said. "It would be wonderful to see her eyes light up and for her to say, 'That's me!'" 

Connection to the S.S. Kyle 

Sarty originally bought the framed print containing the woman's picture at a yard sale in Aylesford. It is a black and white image of the Newfoundland and Labrador ship the S.S. Kyle.

"Black and white prints take my eye, every time," he said. "I love them, I love the look of them."

Sarty says he has since learned more about the ship nicknamed "the bulldog of the North," which travelled between Newfoundland and Labrador. The ship ran aground in a storm in the town of Harbour Grace, where it can still be viewed. 

The S.S. Kyle celebrated its 100th birthday in 2013. 

Turning to Facebook 

Sarty showed the woman's photograph to his daughter-in-law Kristen Prouse, who suggested they use Facebook to find out her identity. 

"I think it was just a beautiful portrait that is just captivating anyway, on its own," she said. "And then people are looking for happy things right now. There's a lot of negativity on social media and it's hard to get away from sometimes. So I think people really grasped the importance of some of these stories." 

Prouse's post was shared hundreds of times in just under two days. It took 47 and a half hours before she received a message from a relative of the woman in pink. 

"She does have family still in the province and it was a niece, I believe, that had contacted me and then her sister as well." 

Prouse said she has been in contact with the woman by email. She was born and raised in Nova Scotia but now lives out of the province.

"From what I've heard from her already, her grandchildren are having a lot of fun with it and can't believe that someone she didn't know found her this way." 

Prouse said she's looking forward to learning more about the woman, and plans to return the photograph to her by mail, along with some souvenirs of Nova Scotia.