The German American Collection, The Album 13

The last of the formal portraits, this time a group effort. Remember to click on German-American in the labels section to bring up the lot.

The German American Collection, The Album 12

We've all shared the experience. Someone pulls out the guitar, and starts playing. More often than not, they're not very good, but no one is impolite enough to tell him to stop. I'm always amazed that men once wore suits, and women wore dresses to go hiking.

The German American Collection, The Album11

Posing with books was once quite common. When and why did that change?

These Boots are Made For Walkin'....

.....and that's just what they'll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you. At least that's how I think it goes. When I was about ten years old or so, I had some very strange fantasies about Nancy Sinatra. Hey, I was ten, I had no idea what I was doing.

The German American Collection, The Album 10

Costume party time. I have no idea who the man is supposed to be. It looks like a full length rain slicker. Then again, it might be some sort of wizard's cloak. And the group photo is numbered, but the key is missing.

The German American Collection, The Album 9

Every time I see a photograph of a German child from between the wars, I can't help but wonder what happened to them. And by that, I don't just wonder about whether they survived, or not. If this picture was taken in the early twenties, then this little boy would have been the right age for Hitler Youth and then the army. He would have also been the right age to have made choices, rather than being a blind follower, unaware of any reality beyond National Socialism. Was he enthusiastic? Was he a doubter? Did he resist? Of course, this album was purchased from a dealer in the United States. With any luck, he spent most of his childhood in New York, voted for Franklin Roosevelt, helped liberate Europe, and spent the post war years in a suburb, living a nice middle class life.

The German American Collection, The Album 8

In part 5 there was a dated beer keg, August 5, 1923, and in part 6 there was an older version of the couple pictured in this post. So, what time span can be found in this album? Note the mustache in the first picture. A style that would become popular, in Germany, in the 1930s, but would loose it's appeal in the mid 40s.