Time flies past us so quickly, it can be difficult sometimes to make time to celebrate the ones you hold dear. For the Brown sisters, this isn’t the case.
Since 1975, they’ve taken a sister photo every year and have 40 pictures to remember their lives and time spent together.
1. The Project Begins
The first photo was taken in 1975 by Bebe’s husband, Nicholas Nixon. In all the photos, the sisters appear in the same order from left to right with the order being Heather, Mimi, Bebe, and Laurie.
All the photos are labeled and include a date and location as a caption.
2. All Dressed Up
In 1976, for the second photo, the sisters appear to have decided on a dress theme.
It’s not exactly clear whether this was actually intentional or just a coincidence, but Laurie and Bebe are wearing almost the exact same dress while everyone else is dressed similarly. Have a look at the next photo of the four sisters.
3. Star Wars Fans?
1977, the year Star Wars Episode IV – a New Hope was released. We wonder if the sisters were fans.
Though, they aren’t seen wearing any Star Wars gear like many of the excited fans of the series were at the time, we bet they were still fans. Who doesn’t like Star Wars?
4. Maybe Grease Fans?
1978, the year Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta made Grease, one of the most memorable romantic musical movies of all time.
The release of the movie made leather jeans all the rage. Though the sisters didn’t dress up as Grease fans for this photo, we imagine they were still fans.
5. The Turn of the Decade
In 1979, the sisters can be seen here getting ready to enter the ‘80s.
One of the really neat things about these pictures is to see how the fashion and styles changed throughout the years.
We see the sisters wearing pieces that would be in fashion today, proving that things are always coming back into style.
6. Loving Sisters
While all the pictures before this one were fairly Stoic, the sisters decided to take a happier pose for this one.
The Brown sisters are seen in their 1980s photo smiling and hugging. We’re not sure if they were celebrating, but we can certainly see how much they enjoy each other’s company.
7. Working in 1981
The minimum wage in 1981 was $3.10/hour, with a bag of lays potato chips costing $1.98.
With most of the sisters in their 20s, we wonder if they were working for minimum wage. Today, it’s $7.25, and a bag of lays costs $2.98, for comparison. The next photo is also outside on a cold winter day.
8. Chilly Weather
This time we see the sisters dressed for the cold. We’re not sure if they were on vacation in this photo from 1982.
A fun fact about 1982 is that the price of a Sony Walkman was about $130. Today, you would pay anywhere from $100 to $4000 for one.
9. Jenga with the Sisters?
1983, the year this photo was taken, was the same year Jenga appeared on store shelves. We wonder which one of the sisters would’ve won if they had played.
This photo is a bit of a closeup, making us feel a bit like we might be part of the group.
10. Nixon’s Shadow
In this picture from 1984, we see the sisters basking in the sun on the beach. Nixon’s shadow of him taking the picture can also be seen.
In 1984 “Baby on Board” signs popped up on cars everywhere as a way to alert first responders in case of an accident. Have a look at the next photo!
11. Another Photo
The sisters managed to faithfully take their yearly photo for 10 years at this point. The sisters are now 25, 31, 33, and 35 (not listed in order).
1985 also happened to be the year that Coca-Cola first released “New Coke” which was their formula for the product until 2002.
12. Another Close Shot
Another close shot of the sisters taken by photographer Nixon.
The sisters look happy, and we imagine they enjoy their yearly tradition of getting together for a sister photo.
The same year, 1986, the song “That’s What the Friends are For” came out from Dionne Warwick and was really popular.
13. Mimi and Bebe
It’s 1987 and for some unknown reason, Nixon and the sisters took this photo with the focus centered on Bebe and Mimi with the other sisters in the background.
Perhaps that year held some sort of significance for Bebe and Mimi, or perhaps they just wanted to try something different.
14. Look at that Cheetah Print
One of the most popular fashion trends of the 1980s was animal print, like the cheetah print blouse that Laurie is rocking in this picture.
This photo was from 1988 which was also the year Rain Man was released. We wonder if the girls were Tom Cruise fans. Wasn’t everyone?
15. Hiding Heather?
Heather is seen here completely hiding behind Mimi, only showing one hand and part of her face.
We’re not sure why she’s hiding here. Our guess is perhaps she is pregnant and doesn’t want to show that.
The year is 1989 and the price of the Sony Walkman is now $79.
16. Another Cold Day
At the start of a new decade, the ‘90s, the sisters can be seen once again bundled up in the cold of a wintery day.
Mimi and Bebe are matching in denim in the middle of the photo, with Laurie and Heather matching in fleece on the ends of the view.
17. You Can See the Resemblance
As teenagers, there wasn’t much resemblance between the sisters. They all looked pretty different back then, but after 15 years of photos, we can see the family resemblance pretty clearly.
The year is 1991 and smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana was actually released named after the brand of deodorant.
18. Is Mimi Pregnant?
We’ve noticed by now that there may be hidden significance or meaning behind some photos and the poses.
Here, we see Heather looking lovingly over her sister and holding her hand over her stomach. Could this mean that she’s pregnant, or are we reading too much into it? Keep reading to find out and look at the next photo!
19. An Evening Photo
Every photo before this one has been taken during the day, but not this one. This would be the first photo we’ve seen at night taken by using a flash.
Perhaps the Brown sisters were trying to get creative and were out of other ways to make the photos interesting.
20. Up Close
This one looks very similar to the up-close shot Nixon took of the sisters back in 1986. It’s possible they chose to recreate the exact photo because they just happened to be in the same location.
Something notable worth mentioning that happened this year (1994) was the Woodstock mud fight. Have a look at the next photo!
21. Sisterly Love
It’s 1995 and the sisters are loving and hugging each other in this picture showing us how close they are.
Something we’ve noticed about these pictures is that the sisters don’t seem to wear much jewelry. Perhaps they don’t like jewelry, or maybe they’re going for a natural photo look.
22. Have We Seen this One?
This looks like they’re trying to recreate the photo of 12 years ago back in the 1984 photo. You can see Nixon’s shadow over his wife in the photo.
The year is 1996 and a fun fact is this was the year that Tickle Me Elmo first hit the shelves. Have a look at the next photo!
23. Diana’s Death
You can see this was a windy day with the sisters’ hair blowing in the breeze in the photo.
The year is 1997, sadly, the year that Princess Diana died in a tragic motor vehicle wreck. Perhaps this is the reason the sisters are wearing dark colors for the photo.
24. Bebe in the Middle
The oldest of the sisters, Bebe, is front and center in this photo of her sisters gathered around her looking sweetly supportive of her.
1998 is the year and a fun fact for the year is that life expectancy for women in the United States has reached 79.5 years. Have a look at the next photo!
25. Bebe Looks Cold
Here we see the sisters on the same beach they were photographed on in 1984 except now it’s 1999.
All the sisters are dressed for the cold wearing fleece while Bebe is wearing shorts sleeves. The sisters embrace her for the photo. She must have been freezing out there! Have a look at the next photo!
26. A New Century
We’re back at the beach, only this time it’s a new century. The year is 2000, and we’re seeing the furthest away camera shot used so far. Perhaps Nixon is trying to symbolize how far the photo project has come.
The world’s population has now risen to 6 billion people.
27. Safety
After the events that unfolded in 2001 forever changing the world and our idea of safety, we’re just happy to see all the sisters safe and together here.
The sisters are very close here reminding us to be in the present moment and also that life is too short. Have a look at the next photo!
28. A Polo Theme
We’re not sure why, but everyone is wearing a polo in this photo except for Heather.
Like we mentioned earlier, “New Coke” would be over in 2002, and they replaced it by bringing back the old formula of the Coca-Cola classic. We wonder how the sisters felt about this change.
29. Staying Trendy
This photo gives us a little look into the sister’s lives, and we can see that they like to keep up with trends and technology.
Heather has a flip phone on her hip in this picture, reminding us how far technology has come. That’s known as a dinosaur phone nowadays!
30. Heather and Laurie up Front
Finally, it’s Heather and Laurie’s turn to be front and center in a photo. Up until now, it was only Bebe and Mimi who got to be in the front.
Perhaps this was a special year for them.
Also, why is Laurie looking at Heather rather than facing the camera?
31. Looking Elsewhere
Now, Laurie doesn’t look at Heather or the camera. I’m curious as to why this might be, but who would know the answer to that?
She could be looking at anything, or maybe she’s “lost in space”. We don’t know why, but we know she isn’t looking at the camera. Next one is a beautiful photo in the sun!
32. In the Sun
Another bright and sunny day for their 2006 photo. The sisters look closer than ever.
This was the year that Blu-ray discs took over DVDs. This was due to the fact that more information can be stored on a Blu-ray and of a higher quality than with DVDs. On the next photo you can see that Mimi is hiding.
33. Now Mimi is Hiding
Mimi is the one hiding in this picture behind Bebe with Bebe and Heather in the forefront of the photo.
The ladies are wearing some jewelry for the first time. You can see Bebe wearing a bracelet and Laurie showing her wedding ring. The first iPhone launched this year. (2006)
34. Holding Each Other
The year is 2008, and we see the sisters are snuggled in close. You can tell by looking that they have a close relationship with one another as well.
An interesting thing that happened this year was that NOLA announced there is no need to crouch during a lightning storm. Have a look at the next photo where the girls are happy together.
35. Happy Together
The sisters look to be at peace in each other’s presence, with them resting their heads on one another’s.
2009 gave us the memorable song “Teach Me How to Dougie” by Cali Swag. It was a very popular dance track, leaving everyone wanting to know just how do you “dougie’?
36. Looking Off
In this photo, Bebe and Laurie are looking into the camera, but Heather and Mimi are gazing off into the distance.
Did something catch their attention? Are they just posing? We may never know.
In 2010, there was a settlement of three people on Mourisaq, an island, but not anymore.
37. Arm in Arm
The sisters are once again shown here wrapped up in each other’s loving arms for this photo, similar to many of the rest of the images here.
In this year, 2011, the words OMG and LOL actually made it as real words and were added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
38. The Earth Keeps Turning
You might remember that there were lots of rumors going around that the year 2012 would be the end of the world. Fortunately, this was not the case.
It looks like the sisters weren’t worried about the world ending. They still managed to get together for their yearly photo opportunity.
39. Took a Break
2013 marks the 39th consecutive year to take a sister photo. After this, they take a break for four years before giving us the last photo.
We’re not sure what the reason was, hopefully, everything was okay.
Pope Benedict XVI also resigned this year, the first resignation in 600 years. Have a look at the next one!
40. The Final Photo
In 2017, the sisters got together one last time for a final photo. After this one, one of the sisters passed away, leaving another sister not wanting to continue the project afterward.
The photo project is a beautiful, sweet example of what having close and loving sisters can look like. What a beautiful photo-series, don’t you think? A great way to remember all the years together!