This photo has now been identified as Dorothea "Doris" Georges Förtmeier, as it was written in German, but there has also been (in the past) speculation that it is of Marie Mente Foertmeyer, one of Doris's daughters-in-law. Personally, I cannot tell because of the age differences between the two photos, but cousin Stephanie has provided good evidence that the photo is indeed of Dorothea "Doris" Förtmeier.

Compare faces below...
Children of Dietrich Friedrich Wilhem Förtmeyer and Ilse Dorothea "Doris" Georges are as
follows; five of the eleven staying in Germany, while six immigrated to the United States:

Dorothee Luise Förtmeier, B: 02 Jun 1826 in Essern, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Stayed in Germany – Mother of George H. who immigrated to Cincinnati
(See travel document)
---
Louise Mathilde Förtmeier, B: 10 Mar 1828 in Essern, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, 
D: Jun 1854 in Bohnhorst, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Stayed in Germany
---
Georg Eduard Förtmeier, B: 21 Jul 1830 in Essern, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Immigrated to U.S. in 1846 D: 10 Jun 1851 in Cincinnati, Ohio
READ ABOUT THE SAD STORY OF GEORG
---
Wilhelm Adolph (Adolphus William) Foertmeyer, B: 08 Jul 1832 in Bonhorst, Hanover,
Germany, D: 07 Jul 1893 in Cincinnati, Ohio, M: Elizabeth Kirchoff, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery
---
William Charles (Carl Wilhelm Förtmeyer) Foertmeyer, B: 19 Jun 1834 in Hannover, Germany
D: 19 Jun 1907 in Cincinnati, Ohio, M: Catherine Emily "Amelia" Bultman, 30 Aug 1858 
in Cincinnati, Hamilton Co. OH.
Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery
---
Emma Louise Bertha Förtmeyer, B: 03 Apr 1837 in Bohnhorst, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany 
D: 07 Aug 1894 in Cincinnati, Ohio, M: Steffan Wagner, 01 Nov 1860 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery
---
Friedericke Bertha Förtmeyer, B: 24 Mar 1839 in Bohnhorst, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, 
Germany, D: 26 Jun 1904 in 3110 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH, M: Herman Frank Reum, 
19 Dec 1860 in Louisville, Jefferson Co. KY.
Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery
---
Charles Henry (Carl Heinrich Förtmeyer) Foertmeyer M.D., B: 01 Mar 1841 in Bohnhorst, 
Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, D: 30 Aug 1912 in Cincinnati, Hamilton, OH, M: Rosa 
Rentz, 03 Feb 1868 in Hamilton Co, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery
---
Anne Caroline Sophie Förtmeyer, B: 05 Mar 1843 in Bohnhorst, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, 
Germany, D: 14 Aug 1843 in Bohnhorst, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Stayed in Germany
---
Louise Friedericke Förtmeyer, B: 29 Oct 1844 in Bohnhorst, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, 
Germany, D: 16 Feb 1847 in Bohnhorst, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Stayed in Germany
---
Louis C. Foertmeyer, B: 28 Jul 1849 in Bohnhorst, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany 
D: 12 Jul 1914 in Cincinnati, Ohio, M: Marie Mente, Abt. 1870 in probably Cincinnati
Hamilton Co., OH.
Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery and is Great Grandfather to Charles H. III, Gayle Marie, 
Thomas Heston, and John Louis Foertmeyer
---
The above records come from the Lavelsloh Parish church records in 
Diepenau/Bohnhorst, Germany.

RECORDS FROM LAVELSLOH PARISH CHURCH BOOK



MORE CHURCH RECORDS FROM LAVELSLOH PARFISH





Information provided by Stephanie Foertmeyer:

It's quite likely that the portrait of the seated woman is Dorothea Foertmeyer. It is most certainly not a photo of Maria Mente. I studied fine art photography for several years and had the privilege of learning about the history of photography from a man who was also a collector who could show us examples of various types of photographs. First, the portrait of the seated woman is from the mid-19th century probably made by wet collodion process She is a middle aged woman, probably in her late forties-early fifties: the hair style, lace day cap, and style of the dress also confirm this. Regarding her facial features: she has very pale and/or fine eyebrows. Dorothea died in 1864, not very long after this photo was taken. The confirmed photo (a candid photo taken outdoors with a camera type of much later vintage) of Maria Mente as a considerably older woman with very dark eyebrows.

The comparison photo of Maria Mente (right) was taken about the same time as the one shown here (below):


1923

which you have dated circa 1923. Maria Mente would have been a youngster at the time the other photo was taken. The photos are most certainly of two different women.



Doris Georges Förtmeier



Marie Mente Foertmeyer



Dorothee Foertmeyer's travel document
Denotes her arrival in New Orleans in 1851

THIS IS IN ERROR... We had thought this to be true, but it turns out that this was actually Doris's first born child, Dorothea Luise Förtmeier, who settled in Louisville, Kentucky.
Today (20 Mar 2018) I received a message from my friend from the Förthof, Manfred Raker. It contained some very interesting information from the 1841 edition of the Mittheilungen des Gewerbevereins für das Königreich Hannover, or translated, the Announcements of the trade association for the Kingdom of Hannover. Here is the mmessage:

"Today the archives in Uchte finally replied. I asked there for documents about the school in Bohnhorst and Dietrich Förtmeier. They obviously have no records. But the head of the archive forwarded my request to a lady from Bohnhorst, who wrote a chronicle about Bohnhorst. Maybe she'll get back to me.

By chance I found an entry in the yearbook 1840/1841 of a trade association for the Kingdom of Hanover.

'Afterwards Mrs. Dorothea Förtmeier from Bohnhorst received a subsidy of 1 Thaler and 16 cent in 1840 as premium for the promotion of the house linen weaving.'

Here is a link to the book         Read more about Dorothea

I assume that after moving to the new school building in Bohnhorst, Mrs. Förtmeier set up a loom there and produced linen. Maybe she earned the money for the later crossing to the USA."