Three Guys Lurking In Garfield Park

I'm abandoning my usual practice of cropping out borders, even decorative ones, because someone was unable to write small enough to keep the labeling out of the image.  Thoughtless!  Well, what do you expect from these three lurkers, who are, very likely, up to no good.  Personally, I suspect they're mashers.

Garfield Park, in the East Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, first opened as Central Park in 1874.  Then it was 40 acres, today it's grown to 184.  It's original design was by landscape architect, William LeBaron Jenney.  In 1881, the name of the park was changed in honor of the recently assassinated president, James A. Garfield.  Garfield Park is also the home of Garfield Park Conservatory.  (No, not a music school, but one of the largest municipal greenhouses in the United States)  In 1905, parks superintendent Jens Jensen, had demolished three small conservatories in the parks system.  With the collaboration of several architects and engineers, he designed the 4.5 acre replacement.  It was built in Garfield Park, with construction lasting from 1906 to 1907.  It's design was meant to mimic the shape of a prairie haystack.  Jensen also designed the building with separate rooms, each meant to invoke a particular landscape.  Some of the oldest plants at the conservatory are a collection of 300 year old giant ferns.  Hmm, isn't that where our three lurkers are lurking?

Time to delve into the world of archaic language.  Today, mashing is known as inappropriate touching if the judge is feeling generous, sexual assault if he(or she) isn't.  Basically, men, mostly young men, would position themselves in some semi hidden place, like a secluded walkway in the Garfield Park Conservatory, where young women would likely pass, and as those women passed, they would reach out and, well, cop a feel.  And yes, mashing was a crime.  Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso, was arrested for mashing in San Francisco a few days before the 1906 earthquake.  I have no idea whether he ever stood trial or not.

A quick confession on the Caruso story.  About two decades ago I read a book on the quake, so I'm going on memory on this one.  I'm just too tired to go online and research details.  To use a favorite term of former Pres, George W., I might be misremembering, so don't quote me without looking it up.

A California Car

Alright, here's the story.  I buy photographs for the collection from a number of sources.  Just recently, I've been making regular visits to a favorite antique mall.  One of the dealers that I think of as the photo guy, even though he sells a lot of non photographic stuff, has been replenishing a tray of snapshots every week or so.  I keep finding square format photos, printed on the same weight paper, from about the same period, with similar landscapes, which looks to be in the San Gabriel Valley, around Pasadena, California.  That doesn't mean they're all from the same family, but I'd say it's pretty probable.  This latest one looks a bit like Harold Lloyd.  For those not familiar with silent movies....don't be lazy, look him up.  All photos that seem related have a special tag in the labels section.  SGV family.

Angry Man

I was doing what collectors of old photographs do.  I was thumbing through a tray of old snapshots in an antique store, when this very small picture caught my eye.  At first, I thought this man was pointing a gun at the camera, but when I pulled out the loupe and took a closer look, I realized his hand was empty.  So why did I think this man was armed?  I think it's because he looks so angry.  For all I know, he was a gentle, easy going guy, but there is something about the way he stares at the lens, his face partly obscured in shadow.  I would think twice before crossing this man.

Walking the Dog On the Beach

You can't walk dogs on the beach anymore, at least not in southern California, and that's where this photo was purchased.  The L.A. area dog population has grown along with the human one.  People may want to walk their dogs by the ocean, but beach goers don't want to step on the waste.  Take a quick look at the background.  Their is a gap in the pier.  There must have been a storm.

Aloha, Bon Voyage, And All That Stuff

It's always problematic trying to read personalities form photographs.  This one presents a rather interesting contrast.  Twins, one crying, with her arms crossed in a classic defensive posture, even for a small child, and the other, all confidence, staring into the camera.  Did little miss confidence push the crier around.  Did she dominate, leading her sibling into all sorts of scrapes.  Or maybe, the crying sister is mad because her parents wouldn't let her stand on the ship's rail.  Maybe the crying child is the dominate one, all angry because she wasn't allowed to go and do something fun,but dangerous.

Note that the sisters are wearing leis.  That doesn't mean they are headed to Hawaii, though.  They could be on a day trip to Catalina or even Nantucket.  From the late forties through early fifties would be my guess.

Playing In California

This one has  a wealth of detail.  The car, the new homes, the photographer's shadow, the the two kids sitting in the wagon.  I'm not sure what prized possession the boy is holding, but the little girl has her doll and it's bed on the ground.  Of course, it also looks like she's about to stomp on her toys.  And finally, the mountains in the background.  The San Gabriels.  I know that notch in the ridge line, so depending on the angle, somewhere in the western end of the San Gabriel Valley, with Pasadena a strong possibility.  Anyway, as noted before, I'm about 95% certain that the photos from the last few posts are all from the same family, so I've gone back and added a new tag in the labels section.  Click on SGV family and they'll all come up.  With luck, I'll find some more photos from this collection  next time I go back to the antique mall, and if I do, I'll reserve the SGV family tag  for them.

Walking To School In California

I doubt there were any school buses when this photo was taken.  Just think, if your parents lived too far from the local school house, no education for you!  This one probably goes with the last post.  Navigate back one for details.