Oh No

 JUST A QUICK NOTE FOR THE FEW FOLLOWERS OF THE NEW FOUND PHOTOGRAPHY, and anyone else who stumbles across this site.  No. I haven't lost interest in old photos, and I haven't abandoned this blog.  A few days after my last post, the scanner died, money is short right now, and I haven't been able to replace it.  When I get a new scanner, The New Found Photography will, once again, be up and running. 

Random Japanese Snapshots 4

 

Well, I haven't put up anything for a while, so it just seemed easy to put up another image from this collection.  So, to recap, I bought an envelope of photos from an eBay seller in Japan.  I don't know whether they are all from the same family, or just random photos with no relationship to each other at all.  I'm guessing random since I haven't really seen any repeat people.  Too, I'm putting up multiple images per post if there is nothing written on the back, but one only if there is a notation, which because I don't speak or read Japanese, I can't translate.  If anyone can, please help me out with a translation in the comments.   To see everything that's up, with more to come, click on random Japanese Snapshots Collection in labels and bring up what's been posted. 

Playing at Being Grownup.

 

Truthfully, after a while, it gets hard to think up yet another title.  It looks like this photo was taken in the country, maybe on a farm. 

The Bandstand

 

There's just a bit of a car to the right of the image.   It looks like it's from the twenties.  

More Later

 

I've been putting up a lot of stuff from some of the collections I have, so I decided to go to the oldest unfinished collection I have.  It goes back to 2013, so I'm still working on it 10 years later.  As a rule, I don't bother with the backs of postcards.  I find it easier to just transcribe the written message and spare people from trying to figure out bad to mediocre handwriting.  But in this case, no matter how large I blew up the back of the card, or how much I manipulated the contrast, I just couldn't make out what was written. There's one line that I think says "my girlfriend left yesterday," but other than that, I haven't a clue.  And I thought my handwriting was bad. Anyway, click on "flirtation" in labels to go back to the good old days of 2013.  And I call it that because the guy who sold me the envelope of these postcards said it was his flirtation card collection. Too, if a postcard looks like it was based on a photo it ends up here.  If it looks like it's pure illustration, it ends up on my Fair Use blog. If I'm not sure, it's just a best guess as to which blog. 

Los Angeles Indiana 14

 

It's time to finish up this collection., at least that is if I don't find another page from this album.  Have I mentioned how much I hate it when antique dealers cut up a photo album and sell pages individually?  Well, it needs to be said.  I know it's more profitable for a seller to cut up an album, but history, even anonymous family histories means something.  So, girls camping and because at least one picture on this page was processed in Lamar, Colorado, I'm assuming that these pictures were taken somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.  To see the whole collection, click on The Los Angles Indiana Collection in labels. 

Los Angeles Indiana 13

 

So, there I was, watching one of those PBS fundraisers when the host referred to The Beatles as the penultimate rock band.  Of course, as we all know, penultimate actually means the next to the last, and this is the penultimate post for the Los Angeles Indiana collection.  That is unless I find another loose album page from the same seller, which I'm beginning to accept isn't going to happen.  Anyway, we've got another diversion to Lamar, Colorado, or at least the lab stamp on the back of the third picture in the column says, "Kodak Finishing, J.H. WARD Lamar, Colo."  I promise the next thing I post will be the final three photos from this collection. No more interruptions and to see everything in order, click on The Los Angeles Indiana Collection in labels. 

The Trips Album 1

 

If I were being completely honest, this blog would be called The Recently Purchased Photography since almost every image I've posted was bought at a thrift store, antique store, flea market, or online.  Every once in a while, however, I actually find photos and this new collection is truly found photography.  

Anyway, I was walking to the pharmacy to get a flu shot and the latest COVID update, when I passed by a stack of garbage, on the curb, waiting for pickup by the trash collectors, when I caught sight of a rather large photo album just sticking out of a large, black garbage bag.  After making sure it wasn't covered by rotting food or some other nasty thing I wouldn't want in my home, I grabbed it, stuffed it into my pack, and hurried off to get needles stuck in my arm. 

So, when I write that this album is large, it's not just the sheer number of photos, but also, its dimensions.  I couldn't get a scan of the album cover, so I had to take a photo with my cell phone camera.  It was when I tried to scan the first page that I had to decide just how anal I was going to be about getting every inch of information posted.  To make a long story short, after experimenting with posting the entire album page to show placement by doing it in sections, and then seeing just how unevenly lit a phone pic was, well let's just say that the date, 1971, got cropped a bit and I'm just going to have to live with it.  

I don't know how long it's going to take to post this entire album.  More than likely I'll go back to using one post to show the whole album page for placement and then do the individual photos in a separate post.  Something to look forward to, there will be a couple of posts with no photos at all.  The owner has some written pages that are kind of interesting.  So, click on The Trips Collection in labels to see everything, though it could be a while until the whole album is up for viewing. 

Random Japanese Snapshots 3

 

I recently purchased an envelope full of snapshots from an eBay seller in Japan.  They may be random, or they may all be from the same family.  I just don't know.  Anyway, I'm still figuring out how I'm going to post them and in what order.  The only thing I'm sure of is that those photos with writing on the back will be placed in a single posting.  I don't speak Japanese, and I can't really use Google Translate, so if someone out there speaks and reads Japanese, a translation would be welcome.  Just knowing that I've got it right side up would also be helpful.  Click on Random Japanese snapshots collection in labels to see what's been published.  More to come. 

Let's Play Polo

 

Someone cut this photo in half, and I wonder why.   Anyway, I picked it up here in Los Angeles, as part of an envelope of old snapshots.   I've read about how polo became a sort of fad among the movie star community in the twenties and thirties.  Go to Will Rogers State Park and you can visit the humble cowboy's private polo pitch.  Not exactly part of his down-home image. 

The Tent Dinner Party

 

This is another photo that I picked up from an eBay seller in Japan, but no, it's not part of the Random Japanese Snapshot Collection.  Anyway, I'm thinking that this photo is from post-war Japan.  It looks like there are a handful of non-Asian faces in the crowd, not to mention the Rainer Beer bottles on the tables.  There's a book out there called Embracing Defeat which is about how Japan and the Japanese accepted that they had lost the war, rejected militarism, and got on with their lives as best they could, which was the foundation of the post-war Japanese economic miracle.  When I saw this photo, I suspected that it's an illustration of that concept. 

Los Angeles Indiana 12

 

If nothing else, I'm coming to the end of The Los Angeles Indiana Collection (Click on in labels to see more.)  A very quick recap, though the explanation for the collection's name can be found in other posts. I bought a couple of loose album pages from an eBay seller in Indiana, and the first page I put up had some photos with decorative borders from L.A. in sunny California.  I live in Los Angeles, and it's actually been kind of overcast the last couple of days.  Anyway, I already know how I'm going to finish up, so when I get around to it, only two more posts to end things. 

All Dressed Up to Stand Next to the Pond

 

Was it Sunday and off to church, or was this the way she usually dressed? 

It's Only Fido

 

A bit of comic relief.  I have no idea how color is added to these old, photo-based postcards.  The photographic elements can be clearly seen, but the added color doesn't seem to be in the right place.  Perhaps some sort of offset printing process. 

So, this card was mailed and there is a message written on the back. "Rec. your card.  Glad to hear you are well.  Take care of yourself.  Love, Betty" It was mailed to "Mr. C. C. Barker, Box 80, Station 6, Toledo, Ohio."  And the postmarks, one from the sending post office, and one from the receiving. "CORRY, PA  5 PM, MAY 6, 1924" "TOLEDO, OHIO STA. 6., 430 PM, MAY 17, 1924."  

Corry is in Erie County, and not all that far from Toledo.  I guess the mails were slower back then. 

House Building

 

It doesn't look like much of a photo, but if you think about it, it's kind of fascinating.  The clothes look like post-World War 2, a time when returning veterans were taking out GI loans and building homes of their own, and it looks like a house under construction on an undeveloped lot. 

Where Oh Where

 

I know it's not much of a picture, but it looked really familiar.  I'm convinced I've either been inside this building, or I've seen a better picture or postcard of it somewhere.  The woman to the right of the fountain looks somewhat 1930s.  Stamped on the back, "KODATONE"  Kodatone was a self-toning paper made by Kodak, though this picture doesn't look all that toned to me. 

Random Japanese Snapshots 2

 

 Time to return to the Random Japanese Snapshot Collection.  As I mentioned in part 1, I purchased an envelope of small snapshots from an eBay seller in Japan.  I really have no idea how random they actually are. For all I know they all came from the same family, or maybe they have no relationship to each other.  So far, there aren't that many to see, but click on Random Japanese Snapshots Collection in labels to see what's what. I'm just guessing, but I'm thinking pre-World War 2. 

George Ekblaw and the Bananas

  

When possible, I like to do a little research on the images I post, and this one has a fair amount of info that I was able to run down.  To start with, the card's original photo is credited to "A. HIRSCHWITZ, NEW ORLEANS. LA."  I wasn't able to find any biographical details on the man's life, but I was able to find quite a few postcards credited to him, all published by 'THE CURT TEICH @ CO. CHICAGO."  Whether he was a freelancer who specialized in postcards or an employee of Curt Teich, well, I wasn't able to find any info on that.

There was a message written on the back, "I am seeing the sights at first hand.  Lordy here-azaleas, camelias, oleander in bloom.  I may see you-I will stop off at Mother E's on my way back. KJ has left for Florida to day.  Sunday we made a side trip to Biloxi.  Regards to all. AE."  

The card is addressed to "Dr & Mrs George Ekblaw, 511 W. Main Str, Urbana, Ill."  The postmark, "NEW ORLEANS LA, FEB 6, 11 AM., 1939"  

So, this is where it gets interesting.  I found a memorial page for the life of George Elbert Ekblaw, of Urbana, IL, published by the University of Illinois.  I'm only going to hit the highlights, so for those interested in more detail, it's easy to find online.  George Ekblaw was born in 1895 and died in 1972.  He was a veteran of World War 1, and after returning from Europe, he taught school for a few years, and eventually got degrees in engineering and geology from the University of Illinois.  After getting his degrees, he joined the Illinois State Geological Survey's Engineering and Geology Section.  It looks like it was his job to work on dams, roads, and tunnels.  I assume it was his specific task to survey the underlying geology for state projects.  He also found time to map the glacial moraines of Illinois and write at least one book on the geology of Illinois. He married Emma Josephine Nyberg and fathered at least one son, Andrew Ekblaw II, also a graduate of the University of Illinois, and also an engineer, though he moved to New York State and worked for G.E.  Andrew was born in 1933 and died in 2016.  If Andrew was the person who sent this card, he was all of six years old, so despite the initials, I'm thinking it was another Ekblaw. 

And the caption, "New Orleans, is the world's greatest banana port, more than 700 ships arrive each year loaded with 25,000 to 50,000 bunches of bananas.  Each individual bunch of bananas is carried from the hold of the ship to the door of the refrigerator car on mechanical conveyors."  Also, "NEW ORLEANS-AMERICA'S MOST INTERESTING CITY."  I'm not sure about that one.  I've been to New Orleans, as well as some other very interesting American cities. 

Los Angeles Indiana 11

 

Let's start with a bit of info on the whole collection.  Click on The Los Angeles Indiana Collection in labels to see everything posted so far, and there's still more to come.

Anyway, sometimes album pages can be quite informative.  The person who put the album together writes captions, or when it's possible to remove a photo that's held in place with photo corners, there's something written on the back of the print.  That's not really true of this collection.  There's a printer's logo on the back of the top print, but it's so faded that it can't be read.  On the back of the middle print, there is a lab stamp, "Kodak Printing, J.H. Ward, Lamar, Colo."  I don't know whether this family was well traveled or if it's the album itself that's made it to so many places. 

The Great Smokey Mountains National Park

  

I've got a fair number of postcards in my collection that started out as photographs, and this is one of them.  It's also one of the few that I can actually date.  The original photo was taken at the dedication of The Great Smokey Mountains National Park on September 2, 1940, though the only credit for the original that I've been able to find is the one on the lower border on the front, "PHOTO BY TENN. STATE DEPT. OF CONSERVATION."  Anyway, creating national parks in the West was fairly easy compared to parks in the East.  In the West, land was already owned by the government, in the East, land had to be acquired from private landowners.  In the Smokies, on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, land had to be purchased from both small farmers and large timber companies.  

The caption on the back of the card, "The following inscription appears on the plaque of this memorial: "For the permanent enjoyment of the people, this park was given one half by the peoples and states of North Carolina and Tennessee and the United States of America, and one half in memory of the Laura Spellman Rockefeller Memorial, founded by her husband, John D. Rockefeller."  The card was 'PUBLISHED BY ASHVILLE POST CARD CO., ASHVILLE, N.C." 

Once again, I don't know why, but a bit of the right side of horizontal images gets slightly cropped.  Click on the image and bring it up in a larger window to see it, side to side. 

Random Japanese Snapshots 1

 

Despite money being tight right now, I recently purchased an envelope of random Japanese snapshots.  Well, I don't know that for sure.  For all I know they all come from the same family which makes them far less random.  Anyway, I have a couple with some writing on the back.  They'll be published with a scan of the back that, with any luck, someone can translate for me, or at the very least tell me if they're upside down.  Some will be posted in lots of three, but I'm starting with a one-off of this group shot in the snow.  I'm thinking class photo considering the institutional-type building in the background.  Eventually, when I get around to putting more up, click on Random Japanese Snapshots Collection in labels to bring everything up. 

Deco Dress

 

 I think it's an art deco design, though I'm not 100% sure.  Still, it's a great-looking dress.  And don't forget to use the other door. 

Ice Work

 

It's been so hot out just lately, that I thought I'd put something up that's a reminder of winter and cold weather.  Anyway, I'm thinking that these two are on a glacier rather than a snow-covered mountain.  There's something written on the back of the print that I think is "Hilie n o Larff."  with a line over the "O."  I think they are names, but just in case I ran it through Google Translate which came up as Icelandic detected but offered no actual translation. 

Los Angeles Indiana 10

 

I haven't been buying too many photos, just lately.   To be honest, it's not a lack of interest so much as a shortage of money.  Anyway, I've got to cut back a bit, and collecting old photos has taken a back seat for a while.  So, it's back to the Los Angeles Indiana Collection, and you can click on that in labels to bring up the collection to date, including an explanation for the title.  A couple of photo booth shots. 

A Japanese Class Photo

 

I don't do it often because shipping has a tendency to be expensive, but from time to time, I go on eBay and purchase photos from overseas.  So, is this a Japanese class photo or the staff of the local building supply store?  I'm betting it's a class photo with the older-looking men as faculty, and the younger-looking guys, the students. Anyway, I don't speak or read Japanese, so the caption that's on the back may tell the real story, and for anyone who can translate, do me a favor and leave one in comments. 

Over Look

 

Who are the two people overlooking the well-dressed trio?   The woman on the left is gazing off into the distance.  What was so interesting that she didn't look into the camera? 

The Mission Inn

   

Written on the back, "Mission Inn-Riverside, Calif."  Frank Miller opened The Mission Inn in 1876.  It started out as an adobe boarding house that became a full-service hotel in 1900.  In 1903, a series of expansions were begun that finished in 1931.  Frank Miller died in 1935, after which his family ran the inn until the mid-fifties.  It changed hands a number of times and was facing a possible demolition when Duane and Kelly Roberts bought the property in the late 1980s and began a restoration that was finished in 1992.  The Mission Inn and Spa is still in business, and despite being in downtown Riverside, not exactly a tourist destination is doing quite well.  And, by the way, it isn't a cheap stay. 

Los Angeles Indiana 9

   

Well, I've been away from The New Found Photography for a while.  I was out of town, and finances are a bit tight so I haven't really been increasing the size of the photo collection, and what can I say, out of sight, out of mind. 

So, if nothing else, a return to the The Los Angles Indiana Collection, and by clicking on that, the whole lot can be brought up for viewing.  Anyway, I called it that because on the first page I purchased from this album, there were prints with a Los Angeles-themed decorative border, and I purchased them from an eBay seller in Indiana.  I had made the decision not to remove photos from album pages until it was time to scan individual photos.  Perhaps I shouldn't have waited since two of these photos have information on the back, and one includes a new location.  So, on the back of the top photo in the column, "Me & Aunt Lou."  And on the back of the middle photo, a processor's stamp, "Kodak Finishing J.H. Ward, Lamar, Colo." 

Playing Cards and Couch Potatoes

  

 I find lots of photos like these.  Three people, minus the photographer which would make two couples.  In these two photos, the men are the same, but the women are different.  It looks like the ladies were passing the camera, between them.