Pedicab

Back when I was in junior high, I had a rather jingoistic teacher who assured us that American superiority was demonstrated by the fact that no American would ever make a  living by pulling a rickshaw or operating a pedicab.  He knew, he was a Korean war vet, and oh the things he had seen.  I wonder what he would think of Americans working for sub minimum wage driving for Uber.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Gloria Lee In Venice

Unlike in the previous post, this card was mailed.  The Message, "July 10, 1948.  Dear Mom & Dad,  Venice is simply heavenly.  There's no other place like it in the world!  It's exactly  like all the pictures you've seen painted-gondolas on the canals-all the beautiful, colorful surroundings and the people so well dressed here & go about with a prosperous air.  Took a trip over to the beach resort LIDO yesterday afternoon and this afternoon and laid in the sand & was just plain lazy-ahhh! It was wonderful-made me feel so darn healthy! and just eager to start out on another 60 mile hike-YEAH!!!  Some day I intend to return to this abode as it's just everything you could want in a city-Love, Gloria Lee."  Needless to say, Gloria Lee had very, very small hand writing.

The card was mailed to "Mr. & Mrs. Frank H. Bigewet, 5118 Vernon Ave., St. Louis 13, Mo. U.S.A." Now, I thought that I was misreading the last name, so I did a quick Google search for Frank Bigewet and was surprised to find his 1940 census information.  Frank was 37 years old in 1940.  Not too old to miss war service, but old enough that he wouldn't have been subject to the draft.  His daughter Gloria Lee was all of 10, born in 1930.  So, depending on which month she was born,  Gloria Lee was either 18 or 19 years old when she sent this card.   Too young to have a boyfriend or husband in the military, at least during World War 2.

As usual, click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels, etc., etc.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Moses

Written on the back, "This is supposed to be the finest work of sculptur ever conceived by man.  It's a statue of Moses holding the Ten Commandments and was done by Michael Angelo.  It now sits inside St. Peter's church and is part of a memorial to a Pope who died centuries ago."  The card was never mailed.

Our traveler visited a number of places,  I have no idea as to her route, and feel no obligation to group locations,  As usual, click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels to see more.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Know Your Passport

This is, by far and away, the largest number of images I've put up in a single post and not a photograph to be seen.  As I noted in the first part from this collection, I had a number of non photographic pieces that I intended to put up here, rather than on my Fair Use blog.  I thought about breaking up this pamphlet over a number of posts, but this is a photo blog, and I figured that I should limit the number of photoless bits.  Also, should anyone decide to actually read the whole booklet, and I recommend that people do,  bring up the first image in the column in a bigger window, and it's possible to navigate through the whole thing by clicking on the small thumbnails at the bottom of the screen.

Who knew that, in 1948, the State Department would ask American travelers to behave themselves.  That a traveler would be asked not to set up any colonies, and that if your great grandfather had immigrated to the U.S. from Switzerland, and had failed to renounce his citizenship in the proper manner, Switzerland  would consider you a Swiss citizen and you might get drafted.

So, click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels.....well, by know the drill should be well known.  I promise, I'll post some photos in the next post.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Missouri

It's time to start another collection.  As a rule if I buy an envelope full of material related by theme, and if it's a mixture of photographs, postcards, and non photo ephemera, I'll post anything that started life in a camera here, and the non photos on my Fair Use blog.  This collection is related not just by theme, but it all originates from the same source, so it will all end up on The New Found Photography.  I've got postcards, some photographic, some pure illustration; I've got guide books, a passport pamphlet, a letter, and even a sketch.  So, why is the record of a European trip starting off in Missouri?  Well, our traveler had to start form somewhere.

Lake Tanycomo, short for Lake Tanny County, Missouri, is actually a reservoir on the White River in the Ozark Mountains.  It's near Branson, the country music and kitsch capitol of south central Missouri.  St. Louis, of course, needs no explanation.

Because there is a lot of material in this collection, it will get posted with more than a few interruptions, so, when things progress, The Post War European Trip Collection in labels will be helpful.

Mariette Hartley and Arlene Dayton?

One would think, since I live in Los Angeles and work in the movies (albeit at a very low level), I'd have lots of Hollywood photos.  Not really.  The fact is they don't interest me all that much. I only have these two pictures because they were in one of those occasionally purchased envelopes of images that almost always have stuff I wouldn't have bought by themselves.

So, the woman on the left is Mariette Hartley, an actress that those of us of a certain age would recognize right away.  She did a lot of episodic television, the occasional movie, and most prominently, along with James Garner, was a long time pitch woman for Polaroid cameras. 

Look at the bottom of the two pictures and stage lights can be seen.  Clearly from a sound stage, probably from one of her many television appearances.  Going by the hair styles and clothing, I took a quick look at her IMDB page, searching for a possible match from about the late seventies through the eighties, but couldn't find an actual show.  As far as Arlene Dayton, her name is written on the back of the top print, but no one by that name  has an IMDB listing. 

Born in 1940, Hartley is still active.  She's had a recurring role in the Fox series 9-1-1. 

Women and Bicycles

What can I say.  Anyone who gets around by bicycle is my kind of person. 

Seal Hunt, Arctic Alaska

It's a bit grizzly, but it's also a great record of a disappearing way of life.  Nice photo, but everyone should take the time to check out Nanook of the North,  a silent documentary directed by Robert Flaherty.

So, back to the postcard, literally, on the back, "ART.2-ARCTIC ALASKA  Eskimo returning from a successful seal hunt on the Polar ice. PHOTO BY WILLIAM W. BACON."  Published by "ALASKA SCENIC POST CARDS J&H SALES, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA."  I couldn't find anything about the publisher, but I was able to dig up a bit of information on the photographer.

William W. Bacon III, donated his photographic archives to the University of Alaska, Anchorage.  The collection covers his complete photographic and film work from 1945-2004.  According to the brief bio on the University's website, he was born in 1926.  Since he was described as both a photographer and a documentary film maker, I also checked on IMDB where he was listed as having been born in 1927.  Neither site listed a date of death, so presumably, he's still alive and kicking.  Well, perhaops not kicking, but at least, in a well deserved retirement.

This card was never used.