Grannies in the Garden

It seems to me that we live in a culture that's terrified of aging and death.  Fact is, the only way we can avoid getting old is to die young, and  we all end up dying.  So, two grannies, dated "July 4, 1957," from back in a less self obsessed age.

More Depression on the Beach

The flip side of yesterday's post, dated "August 1930."  It looks like the beach trip required a boat ride.

Depression on the Beach

I've made this point before, and with this album page, I'm able to make it again.  While the Great Depression was devastating to the lives of many, others survived, and even thrived during the era.  It looks like these two kids were never hungry or homeless.  My father, born in 1919, was both.

For those who can't make out the writing: Above the kid with the toy airplane, "July 1930."  Below the beach photo, "August 1930  3yrs 10 mos."

Little Brown Jug

Dated "6-22-24."  I'm going to be kind and write that the man is playing the jug rather than drinking from the jug.  After all, prohibition was from 1920 to 1933 and I'm sure he wasn't setting a bad example for the children.  Now that guy in the car who looks to be swigging from a can is a whole other story.

At the Mexican Joint

Written on the back, "Feb 1, 58 Coffee & Beer break Mexican joint in desert."

Well, I bought this picture in California, so I'm guessing the Palm Springs area or along Route 66.  Of course it could be a lot of other places, but that's my guess.

Russland 4

I've saved my favorite for last.  Literally, the second photo in the column is my favorite.  That second photo is dated "16 VI 18," a date well within the revolution.  When the pictures in this series  were taken, it was still possible to get out.  It was also possible to get shot for being in the wrong party, or the wrong class.  Since these photos  made it to the United States, I'm guessing that most, if not all of the people in these pictures headed west and avoided the worst of the Stalinist terror.  Take a close look at the top picture.  The man on the right is holding a pair of binoculars.  Was he watching birds, or was he watching for Bolsheviks?

There is a movie, directed by Joseph Von Sternberg, that's supposedly based on a real person.  In The Last Command, Emil Jannigs played a Russian general who works as a movie extra in Hollywood.  I've never seen it, but as a silent movie fan, I hope to.

Anyway, click on Russland in labels to see the rest.

Russland 3

A few more faded prints.  The top one looks like people gathering food.  That makes sense.  With a date of "19 X 19" that puts things at a time when there was a lot of hunger in Russia.  It's impossible to tell, but I'm thinking apples and people from the land owning class at their country dacha.  The military uniform in the second picture makes one wonder.  I haven't seen any indication of these people's political leaning.  No pictures of the Tsar, Kerensky, or Lenin in the background of any of these images.  I would, however, be surprised if the people in this collection turned out to be leftists of any kind.

Click on Russland, etc.