Friday, January 29, 2010

Ridgewood Lodge #1455 Wedding


The hair styles look like the forties to me. Maybe a war bride; one of the many couples who rushed through weddings when death in combat was a real possibility. My guess is that the bride is throwing the bouquet, even though it can't be seen in this photo. The scanning of these old photos require a minuscule cropping on the edges of the image. I've lost just enough that the top of the bulletin board in the background was lost. In the original it reads, "Ridgewood Lodge, No. 1455." A quick Google search came up with Elks Lodge 1455, Ridgewood, New Jersey.

A Young Girl In Costume







Very likely just plain old commercially done photographs for this child's parents. On the other hand, they're just theatrical enough that they could be a 19th century child actress.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Cops




They look like cops to me.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Miami and Other Places














































































One of the things about the great depression and World War 2 was that it forced people to travel. Not great photos, but this small estate collection shows people in Miami, the only photo with any sort of labeling is the couple sitting in front of the building and palm trees, "PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHEN BLAKE 3688 S. W. 23RD STREET MIAMI, FLORIDA TELEPHONE." There are some images that seem to be from the desert ands coupled with the mountain shots, maybe California or Nevada.

Souvenir Photos From Syracuse







I have a number of these old souvenir photo folders in my collection. They speak of a time when people got dressed up, went dancing and to listen to music in nightclubs. Most of these folders are from specific clubs, and by clicking on night clubs in the label section at the bottom of this post, others can be accessed. These two are more generic, with just a city, probably sold through a number of clubs and restaurants in Syracuse, New York. Both folders have the name Mary Barnello written on the inside front cover. The group photo is labeled, "Bob O'Donnell, Bob Close, Dick Cole, Bones Martin, and one name that is no longer readable." Probably from the World war 2 era.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

In the Arctic

















This is one of my favorite small collections of photographs. Written on the back of the photo of the man in the kayak, "2185-1927-L.D.L." Native Ak-ah-Malak at Pond Inlet. Baffin Island." On the back of the image of the boat being towed by the dog team with the land in the background, "6685-1931-J.S.S. J.S. Soper and family-Assistant Moosa and family-leaving for zoological trip en route down Westbourne Bay to outer coast-June 6th, 1931. Lake Harbour, Baffin Island." The closer shot of a boat on a sled with the dog team to the side, "6028-1931-R.S.F. It's comforting to travel with a boat on the sled when the ice is beginning to disintegrate. Coronation Gulf, 30th May, 1930." Of the two images of the kayaks, the one where the boats are spaced out, "6966-1934-D.L.M. Finish kyak race. Port Burnell, July 1934." Where the kayaks are all in a row, "6965-1934-D.L.M. Start kyak race. Port Burnell. July, 1934." I'm guessing that these photos are from some sort of Canadian government survey. Maybe from a university. The misspelling of kayak is as written on the back of the photos.