Finding time to spend with loved ones can be difficult, but it is very important. The Brown sisters, Heather, Mimi, Bebe, and Laurie took a photo of themselves in 1975. They then decided to recreate this photo every year for over 3 decades. Their journey is depicted in the slides below.
1. 1975, The First Photo
This is the photo that started their project. In it, you can see the Brown sisters from left to right: Heather, Mimi, Bebe, and Laurie and the photographer, Bebe’s husband. They are all between the ages of 15 and 25 and you can see them slowly age as the years go by.
2. 1976, Seeing Double
In this photo, each of the four sisters are wearing a beautiful dress. But, Bebe and Laurie are wearing matching dresses that show the sisters’ similarities, but also slight differences in appearance. Each photo shows the sisters in the same order which makes it easy to tell who is who.
3. 1977, No Signs of Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV premiered this year and was all the craze. The photo doesn’t indicate any Star Wars memorabilia or themes, so it is interesting to think whether they were fans of the movie. A few buns in their hair would’ve been a dead give away, but instead we are left guessing for ourselves!
4. 1978, Informal Photo
Unlike many of the other photos that feature the sisters wearing formal attire, this image shows them in more much relaxed clothing. It is interesting to wonder if they all coordinated this. And if they did, why they decided to make this photo a bit more laid back than the rest.
5. 1979, Getting Ready for the 80s
This photo features the sisters back in more formal clothing. Their since of style is fascinating because it could fit right in with what most people are wearing in the 2020s. Clothing trends tend to go in cycles so history must be repeating itself, or the sisters were just trendsetters!
6. 1980, Happy Company
This photo is the first time the sisters posed in a different way. Bebe has her arms wrapped around Laurie as the other two sisters, Heather and Mimi, stand next to them smiling. The sisters may have been at some sort of happy gathering like a graduation or family reunion during this photo.
7. 1981, Back to Business
This photo shows the sisters sitting down in a row looking a bit more serious. They are wearing formal clothing that could be worn in the work place so it is interesting to think about what kind of work they might have been doing at this time in their lives.
8. 1982, Mountain Women
The sisters are wearing winter clothing and their hair is being blown around. There is no indication about where the photo was taken but it looks like they may have gone camping or hiking somewhere together.
This is a unique looking picture because the sisters look like they could be from a Nordic or Viking tribe.
9. 1983, The Carefree Sisters
In this picture, the sisters have a slightly hippie look. One of them is wearing a handmade necklace with beads that looks like something we would now associate with being “hipster”.
They all look very happy and lighthearted in this picture though, and it is great to see how much in common these sisters kept throughout the years.
10. 1984, The Photographer Appears!
The person taking the pictures, Nicholas Nixon, Bebe’s husband, can be seen in the image as a shadow on the sisters. This might have been his way of adding himself into the image and becoming part of the journey that the sisters had shared for a decade at this point.
11. 1985, Over a Decade of Photos
The sisters have now been recreating this image for over a decade. Each of the sisters has obviously aged, but none of them has really out-aged the others. The sisters do look more mature and serious in this photo than the first though and their defining features are starting to stand out more.
12. 1986, A Selfie??
This image features the sisters much closer to the camera than the prior ones. “Selfies” were not exactly popular in 1986 but it is funny to think about the possibility that this picture actually was a selfie (and not just the photographer being closer to give a more zoomed in look).
13. 1987, Bebe and Mimi Take Center Stage
This photo has a slightly different style to it. Bebe and Mimi are standing closer to the camera and Heather and Laurie on a bit behind them. It’s not clear why they thought to change this photo a bit but it adds an interesting change but keeps the same theme of the photos.
14. 1988, Heather and Laurie Take the Foreground
Similar to the previous photo, two of the sisters are positioned closer to the camera. But, this time it is Heather and Laurie who are standing closer to the camera than Mimi and Bebe. They probably decided to create the inverse of the previous photo as the two compliment each other.
15. 1989, Why Is Heather Hiding?
This picture depicts only half of Heather’s face and almost none of her body as she is hiding behind her sisters. Could she be pregnant and not want it to be obvious in the photo? Or, maybe she was just feeling shy or playful that day and wanted to make a funny photo.
16. 1990, A Cold Evening
This photo again shows the sisters in heavy winter jackets. Their hair isn’t blowing in their face this time though and the photo looks a bit more professional. It’s likely they took this photo somewhere closer to home as the sisters look a bit more prepared and ready to take the photo.
17. 1991, The Sisters Are Starting to Show Signs of Aging
Although the sisters have always looked similar, they are starting to look even more similar as they age. Their facial features all look alike and you would easily be able to tell they were sister if you hadn’t told you. The sisters have kept their beauty throughout the years and this photo shows that well.
18. 1992, Is Mimi Pregnant?
We speculated about Heather being pregnant in a prior photo because she was hiding behind Mimi. But now, Heather has her hand on Mimi’s belly and is looking down at it.
Could Mimi be pregnant in this photo? We are still speculating here, but this photo gives a bit more reason to believe that guess.
19. 1993, Under the Stars
Although the pictures are all in black in white, it’s been obvious that every picture before this one was taken during the day.
I wonder why they decided to change and take this picture when it was dark? This picture adds a nice artistic change, so we’re glad they decided to take this photo at night for whatever reason.
20. 1994, Another Selfie?
This photo also looks like it could be a selfie as the sisters are much closer. It’s likely that after 20 years now they are starting to run out of ideas for recreating the same pose and are deciding to remake ones they have already done for some “throwback” photos.
21. 1995, Sisterly Love
The sisters are all hugging each other in this photo, and they are very close to together. It is incredible to see how close they have stayed throughout the years and appear to love each other dearly. These sisters look like they would take care of each other for as long as they physically could.
22. 1996, Nixon Returns
Nixon, the photographer, decided to portray himself in the photo again in the form of his shadow. He has been taking the photos all of these years and probably wanted to show some sign of his dedication as well.
Although the sisters’ journey is the one we’re interested in, we wouldn’t have this project without Nixon.
23. 1997, Mourning Princess Diana?
Princess Diana died in 1997 and this photo shows the sisters wearing all black. Her death shock the world so it isn’t crazy to think that the sisters wore black to mourn her death. Or, the simply decided they would look good in black and that sure was not a wrong assumption.
24. 1998, All Eyes on Bebe
This image shows Bebe slightly in front of her other sisters. The other sisters are closely around her and look happy to show her off.
Bebe looks like she has aged a bit more than her sisters at this point. This photo is nice because it looks like the sisters will care for each other as they become elderly.
25. 1999, Congo Line
The sisters are on the beach for this photo and are standing in a line hugging each other. They aren’t exactly in the formation of a Congo line but it would be fitting since they are on a beach. The sisters seem to love the beach as many of their photos feature them there.
26. 2000, The Turn of the Millennium
The sisters look very businesslike in this photo. It is an interesting metaphor for women taking more roles in the workplace as they had been fighting for decades and many saw the year 2000 as a big step forward.
These sisters give off a very powerful persona in this picture and would fit right into the workforce today.
27. 2001, Staying Strong
The year 2001 was probably the worst year in American history. The attacks on 9/11 shock the country to its core and most of the country was terrified. However, many of the country’s leaders told the people to “stay strong” and the sisters appear to have done that well, as this photo shows.
28. 2002, Trendy Polo’s
It’s fun to notice the slight change in clothing styles throughout the years in these photos. Polo shirts become very popular around this time and would you believe it, three of the sisters are wearing Polo golf shirts! They certainly know how to stay in touch with the newest styles.
29. 2003, A Blast from the Past
Heather is proudly displaying a flip-phone on her waist that would have been very popular in 2003. That phone probably felt very modern and futuristic when she first bought it, but it’s crazy to compare it to the average cellphone these days.
Heck, the new smartphones are far more powerful than the computers NASA used to put a man on the moon!
30. 2004, Why Is Laurie Looking Off to the Side?
This photo shows the sisters in a line again. But this time, Laurie isn’t looking at the camera, but off to the side. Was this on purpose? Was she looking to the future? Or, was the photo accidentally taken when she wasn’t looking and they just thought it was funny to keep?
31. 2005, Laurie Still Isn’t Looking at the Camera
Just like the prior photo, Laurie is looking off to the side. She probably decided to look off to the side again because it would be funny to recreate that look again for whatever reasoning the previous picture featured her in this pose. Or, Nixon accidentally took the picture without her looking two years in a row.
32. 2006, Bright Sunny Day
The sisters are looking into the sun on this photo and have to squint their eyes. This amount of light makes for a very clear photo that truly shows the signs of aging in the sisters. It certainly feels like a journey seeing the sisters grow up together throughout the years.
33. 2007, Where is Mimi?
Mimi is standing behind her sisters, but her face is still visible. 2007 is the year the first iPhone was released so maybe she was trying to sneak a few text messages in? Or she was trying out a real selfie?? TTYL (Talk to you later for all you folks who are too young to remember that).
34. 2008, The Unbreakable Bond
The sisters look more serious in this photo, but their love is very evident as well. Sticking together and recreating the same photo for this many years takes true dedication. I’m sure they never thought they would continue the streak for this long, but I bet they’re glad it did.
35. 2009, Happy Bliss
The sisters look very relaxed and peaceful this time around. It is great to see how happy they are in each other’s company.
A good loving family can do wonders and having someone as close as these sisters is truly something we can all admire. Sticking with your family through ups and downs is something to strive towards.
36. 2010, Heather and Mimi Look Off into the Distance
This photo was taken at the turn off the decade and Heather and Mimi decided to look off into the distance. It looks like they’re looking for what is to come, as many people were excited to see what the new decade would bring. Technology was really ramping up in 2010 and the possibilities seemed endless.
37. 2011, Interlocked Arms
This photo shows the sisters wither their arms wrapped around each other. This is a perfect metaphor for their incredible bond they have held throughout the years.
They probably had ups and downs but never broke apart. These sisters look like they could get through anything together (and it appears they did sticking together for all these years).
38. 2012, The World Didn’t End
Everyone heard the rumors of the world ending in 2012, which thankfully didn’t happen. The sisters decided to go ahead and take another photo this year as they usually did. You can see how relieved they look that the world kept on for another year, with just a slight bit of sarcasm there.
39. 2013, The Last Photo of the Streak
This photo is their 39th annual photo in a row. They didn’t take photos in the next 4 years, but they did decide to resume in 2017. It’s possible a health issue plagued one or more of the sisters, and they did not want to be seen in that state.
40. 2017, The End of the Project
This is the last photo the sisters decided to take for this project. Sadly, one of the sisters reportedly passed away and the others did not feel it was right to continue without her.
Comparing this photo to the original photo shows how far they have come together, and we are grateful we got to follow along on their journey.