The Army Hospital Album 26

Yes, it is San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.  Dated "APR 56"  I love the second picture with the out of focus restaurant sign.

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The Army Hospital Album 25

There's an American Gothic crossed with John Steinbeck quality to the first two photos.  And it looks like central valley orchards.

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The Army Hospital Album 24

It's back to the army hospital collection for awhile.  We've got a huge rain storm coming in to Los Angeles, and when it rains in L.A. my phone service dies.  Sometimes I can hold a DSL connection, sometimes not.  In a nut shell, I'm trying to get some of these up before I'm offline.

These ones are all dated "MAR 56" and the guys are still on leave.  Click on army hospital collection in labels to bring up the lot.

Is This Argentina?

Why yes, it is Argentina....at least I think it is.

I buy most of my photos from flea markets and  antique stores.  From time to time, however, I dip my toe in the EBay sea.  In this case, the EBay Sea of Japan.  What I found intriguing about these two studio photos was the studio mark, Buenos Aires and Tokyo.  At first, I found it an odd combination of cities.  I kept thinking of all the German war criminals who ended up in Argentina and wondered if there was a similar post World War 2 migration of Japanese prison camp commandants.  But then, I did a bit of research and found that there was a wave of Japanese immigrants to Argentina in the first decade of the twentieth century.  Today, there is an estimated 32,00 people of Japanese descent living in Buenos Aires.  It's estimated that 66% of third generation, and 78% of fourth generation Japanese-Argentinians also have European ancestry, so a well assimilated community.

Anyway, I'm fairly certain that these photos were taken in the Buenos Aires branch of the Kasay  Photo Studios.  The way I see it, if these were taken in Tokyo, there wouldn't be any Spanish in the logo.  But these photos ended up in Japan, so wouldn't that indicate Japan rather than Argentina?  I think this young lady ended up in South America with a very small chance of ever seeing her family again, and these pictures were sent home to let her mother know, "I'm safe."

Is This Korea? No, It's Not.

One of the things about living in Los Angeles, is that you see and hear a lot of languages other than English.  I was at a flea market this afternoon and ran across these two photos.  I bought them from the same dealer, so I'm guessing  they're related.  I'm also fairly certain that the script in the background is Korean.  I'm sure, if I'm wrong, someone will correct me.

I stand corrected!  What a strange saying.  It's not Korea, it's Japan.  Oh well, that's what I get for making an assumption and not taking the time to do the research to confirm that assumption.

Where's the Snow?

I don't know when this picture was taken, but I do know where.  It's The Mt. Waterman Ski area in the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County, California.  Yes Virginia, there is skiing in L.A. At least, when there's enough snow.

  It's going to a be lean, dry year in California, and for those out there who don't care, a brief reminder.  Half of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States are grown in California's San Joaquin Valley, dependent on Sierra snow pack for water.  Food shortages in America.  Thank you human caused climate change, that as we know, doesn't really exist.  I understand the doubt, but I've never got the right wing conspiracy theories.

Forlorn

Abandoned, miserable, without hope?  Someone wanted to take her picture, so probably not.  Still, I think she looks forlorn.

Small Towns in the Desert

Where is this town?  The picture is clearly pre-World War 1.  The cars look like 1910 or so.  The dirt road is sandy and it sure has a desert feel.  But why would these well dressed people and their lap dog be out in the desert?  When this picture was taken, Palm Springs wasn't a resort destination, and no one was headed north to Las Vegas, at the time,  little more than a few buildings and a railroad watering stop.  Perhaps they were off on an adventure.  Suites, stylish dress, and one little dog may not spell adventure in our day, but back then a 100 mile road trip was something.  And there was no reason not to dress well.

Girls With Ties

No, I haven't fallen off the edge of the world, or worse yet, run out of pictures.  I haven't posted for a week because I've been feeling lazy.  I'm guessing the twenties.

Shirley Temple Died Today

I don't have any pictures of Shirley Temple in my collection, so this one will have to do.  I haven't seen all of Shirley Temple's movies, but of those I have seen, what struck me was how they reflected the fears so many people during the great depression.  As adults worried about losing jobs, homes and their very lives, young Shirley worried about losing her home or her parents.  Somehow or another, Shirley's character always managed to survive, no matter how much she lost along the way.  If Shirley Temple could get by and even thrive, why not everyone else.  And if you want to see another side of Shirley Temple, John Ford's Fort Apache with Shirley as the daughter of martinet Colonel Owen Thursday who leads his command to disaster.  It was her last movie.  She retired at the age of twenty.

Three Flappers

Ain't we got fun.  Once again, the flapper, the phenomenon of the 1920s.  Young women liberated from the social restrictions of the pre-World War 1 era.  I bought this one in Los Angeles.  I like the idea that they were young Hollywood starlets.  More likely shop girls, so a lot less liberated than they thought.

Somewhere In Asia, The Travelers Collection

I'm going out on a limb and say that these could not have been taken in mainland China.  When these were taken it was the Red China of Mao and Americans weren't all that welcome.  So, let's guess Taiwan.

No, I'm not going to finish up the travelers collection today.  I'm just so backlogged on some of the lots, and I'm just getting this set to a more manageable level.  Click on travelers collection in labels and be patient for a month or so, when I'll finish things up.

On The Beach, The Travelers Collection

We all the love the beach, including guys with bow ties.

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Visiting Grandpa, The Travelers Collection

I think that bobbed hair is from the twenties.  Just think, she probably lived to see a man walk on the moon.  Grandpa could remember a world before airplanes.

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The Great Outdoors, The Travelers Collection

Our travelers loved camping and the great outdoors.  That I get. The bottom two photos are dated "10/15/41."

Hey, I warned people that some of the photos in this collection were very, very dull.  Click on travelers collection in labels to bring up some more interesting images.

Golf, The Travelers Collection

Our travelers liked to golf.  I don't know why.

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College Days, Mystery Locations, The Travelers Collection

Too many collections, too little time.

Why do people travel?  Some just for pleasure.  Some move about for a more concrete reason.  Maybe the owners of these photos were in the military, maybe they were diplomats, or in some service organization.  Or maybe they were academics.  Anyone who has gone to college will recognize the quad, that great open space, dead center on campus.  I don't know which institution, but that top photo is the classic university quad.  The last photo is labeled "A university in Genoa."  And the other two have an institutional look that could be a college.  At least that's my guess, and I'm standing by it.  And if I'm wrong on my suppositions, well, that's what the comments section is for.

To recap, awhile back I bought a bunch of photos from a dealer, all from the same source, and there were a lot of travel photos in the envelope.  Click on travelers collection in labels to see them all.  Some are fairly interesting, some not.  Blame my obsession with posting everything for the dull ones.

Zweierbob

No, I'm not going to translate the text from this German tobacco card.  My one term of college German, forty years ago, and Google translate isn't enough to  figure out what all this says.  Any German speakers out there, have at it, and if you're willing to post a translation in the comments section, I for one will be grateful.

We've all heard of the Nazi Olympics of 1936.  Berlin, Jessie Owens, and all that.  But, there were two Nazi games.  1936 was the third and last time  the same country hosted both the summer and winter games. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a resort town in Bavaria, hosted the skiers, skaters and bob-sledders.

G-P (No, I'm not going to spell it out every time.) is also the place where Avery Brundage, the only American IOC President, died.  That's an interesting coincidence, because Brundage was partly responsible for an American presence at Berlin and G-P.   The IOC had awarded the games to Germany in 1931, the year before the Nazis came to power.  After Hitler became Chancellor, and well before the games were set to begin, Jews had been expelled from all German sports clubs,and the anti-Jewish Nuremberg Laws had been passed.  Kristallnacht was two years in the future.

As a response to the growing anti-Semitism in Germany, a movement to withdraw from the German games began within the American Olympic Committee.  Avery Brundage, at the time a member of the committee and head of The Amateur Athletic Union, became the major opponent of a boycott.  At one point he referred to what was going on in Germany as a minor religious dispute.  In the end, Brundage won the day.

Brundage was also instrumental in Jessie Owens fourth gold medal in the 4x100 relay at Berlin.  Owens wasn't scheduled to be in the race, but Brundage ordered the removal of two Jewish runners from the event.  To Owens' credit, he tried to refuse his placement in the race, but wasn't given a choice.  Ralph Metcalfe, the other replacement, also tried to decline a spot in the relay.  When Jessie Owens left a post Olympic tour of Europe to return home, Avery Brundage stripped him of his amateur status.  Nice guy.

So, how did Brundage end his days in G-P?  At the age of 85, he married a 36 year old German princess, and became a German resident.

I'd say we learned from all this, but current IOC President Thomas Bach is  trying to put on a happy face about Russian human rights violations, including anti-gay laws.  Let the games begin!

Ojai, 43

I'm always amazed that people pull together and act selflessly when things go wrong.  I'm amazed because things go wrong when people act selfishly and don't pull together.  I've never understood why so few people see the connection.

Written on the back, "Ojai, Calif. Dec. 43.  Miss Shirley Dunn (Kenner's friend), Miss Sally Magill (The Colonel's daughter)"

Ruby and the Bicycle

I bought this one because I liked the bicycle.  Written in the margin, "Ruby and family."  But which  person is Ruby?  Or is Ruby the photographer?  And is that another bicycle, mostly cropped out, on the right?  So many questions, so few clues.

The Army Hospital Album 23

The top photo is labeled "Pat Fansing."  At least I think that's what it reads.  The second picture might be out of focus, but it does have a certain stark quality I like.  All dated "MAR 56."  I'll be leaving this album for the next three or four weeks, and then more, more, more.

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The Army Hospital Album 22

I'm sure I've seen the valley in the top picture, though I can't remember where and when.  It looks like someone is out of the army hospital, at least for a few days.  And it looks like a family visit. These are all dated "MAR 56."

Click on army hospital collection in labels to bring up the lot.