Summer Is Coming

  

And with summer comes swimsuit season.   Is it just me?  Are they on a golf course? 

Standing Up in a Rowboat

 

Not the safest and sanest way to propel a rowboat.  It looks like they are about to capsize. 

A Vacation In Hamburg 8

 

There's not much to say about this collection that hasn't already been said.  This collection is true found photography.  I found them all on the street.  Some are dated 1989, so I'm assuming that they are all from that year.  To see other photos, click on Hamburg Vacation Collection in labels.  There are many more to come, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to posting them. 

The Hospital Ship

 

I can't be certain, but my best guess is that this is a military hospital ship.  But is the man on the right a doctor or a patient?  

Two Women and the Shadow Stalker

  

My guess is from the 1920s to the early 30s.  The photographer's shadow intrudes. 

S.S. Drottningholm

 

The S.S. Drottningholm was built in 1904 by Alexander Stephen and Sons in Scotland.   Her first owner was the Allan Line and was named the Virginian.  During World War 1, she was chartered by the British as a troop transport.  Sold to the Canadian Pacific Line in 1917 and then sold to the Swedish American Line in 1920, renamed the Drottningholm, and operated by the line until 1951, then sold to the Home Lines, an Italian company that renamed the ship Brazil.  The ship's final owner was the Hamburg American Line, which renamed the ship the Homeland.  She was scrapped in Italy in 1955.

It's partially obscured, but I'm fairly certain that this postcard is postmarked, "NEW YORK N.Y. SEP 10 5 P.M. 1947."  The message, "The time is getting closer but just to say "Hello" Feeling fine and all looks interesting-Don't forget to write.  Love Ingrid."  The card was mailed to "Mrs. Imogene Abzug, 1342 Sunland Ave. Jamestown, N.Y." 

And the captions, BREKVORT CARTE POSTALE, S.S. DROTTNINGHOLM, SVENSKA AMERIKA LINIEN, SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN.   Printed in Sweden, 45.1 55,000 11.6.47, 645." 

Lost Feet

 

Written on the back, "28th Dec 1947, Doris June, Emily, Vida, Dicy.  Our feet got lost somewhere in the camera.  Ha."  What kind of name is Dicy?  It has to be short for something.  There's also a processing lab stamp, "JAN 1948  STUDER  S. A.  TEX."  I assume that S.A. stands for San Antonio. 

Camp Blanding

 

There's no name or date on this portrait, but because of the sepia style, I'm guessing it's from the World War 2 era.  Anytime I see a war era, any war, photo of a soldier, I always wonder if they came back.  And not just alive.  Did they come back physically and emotionally whole?  

It doesn't really read on the scan, but there's an embossed credit on the lower right corner.  "Portraits by White, CAMP BLANDING, FLORIDA."  Stamped on the back, "FROM WHITES PHOTO STUDIO MAIN P.X. CAMP BLANDING, FLA."  

There's a fair amount about the history of Camp Blanding online. I'm not going into a great deal of detail, but an overview.  Camp Blanding opened in 1939 as the main training center for the Florida National Guard.  During World War 2, Camp Blanding was used for the training of nine different infantry divisions, as well as one parachute division.  It was also a POW camp for captured German soldiers.  For a while, there were so many soldiers stationed at Camp Blanding that it was the fourth-largest city in the state, with over 10,000 buildings and 125 miles of paved roads.  I wasn't able to find anything about White's Photo Studio.  My best guess is that he was a professional studio photographer in nearby Starke, Florida.  

Billie and Ruth

 

Written on the back, "Billie & Ruth Heard."  

Little Girls, Mostly

 

It looks like this one was cut down from a larger print.  And it's still out of focus.  With those haircuts, I'm guessing the 1920s.  With the exception of the kid in the lower left, who is looking down, all appear to be little girls.  Notice that he's wearing an Indian headdress with a single feather.  

Nyad

 

I'm in the Screen Actors Guild, and I get these things every awards season.  I was going through some drawers, and I found some cards from different nominated movies.  I was going to throw them away, but I figured, what the hell, they've got photos on them and there might be a few people out there who'd find them interesting.  Nyad was released in 2023, so the QR codes on the back of the card are long dead. And, by the way, Nyad is a pretty good movie. 

Leona & Bob

 

Written on the back, "Leona & Bob and the Magil family.  San Mateo 1952."   Fascinating.  The Magil family appear to be Latino.  

Cowboy Burt

  

This is a make-good for my last post.  That one was probably shot in 2024, written on the back of this one, "Burt about 1913."  Before I became fascinated by photos from all eras, my collecting was mostly images that were at least 100 years old.  This photo started as a real photo postcard that was cut down to a smaller size. 

Summertime Santa

  

Another example of true found photography.  I walked over the hill to Hollywood yesterday, and there this was, just lying on the street.  It's a little weird to post a photo that is probably less than six months old, but then I tell myself that the 100-year-old snapshots that get posted were once less than six months old. 

The Trips Album 7

 

I'm going crazy with this one.  For some reason, Blogger isn't working the way it has in the past.  Oh well, it is what it is.  The top two photos in the column are dated "JAN 74."  Click on The Trips Collection in labels to see what has been posted. 

The Trips Album 6

 

It's been a while. This is a really big collection of a traveling family's many vacations. Every time I post something I've got to take the album apart and then put it back together again. Needless to say, it's going to take some time.  So, we're still in Mexico, and it's almost impossible to see it from the scan, but the middle photo is dated "JAN 74."  As usual, I'm putting up the whole page to see positioning, and then a separate scan of each individual photo.  The top image is a postcard labeled "Uxmal, the middle snapshot "Nunnery" and the bottom. "Rounded Pyramid."  Click on the trips collection in labels to what's been posted. 

Ooops

  

I'm a lifelong atheist who, as a child, was forced to go to church.  Things like Sunday School and church-sponsored children's parties were held in the basement.  I lived for those times when someone dropped something, tripped, or made a mess of things, and I wasn't the only one who felt that way.  Even the believers needed a break from the boredom of Sunday mornings when we all wanted to go out and play instead.  Dated 1961. 

A Vacation In Hamburg 7

 

More German street scenes, and another of those weird German living room shots.  The living room photo has a date written on the back, "9 July 1989."  Click on Hamburg Vacation Collection in labels to see more. 

The Little Sisters

  

Written on the back, "The four little Sisters taken at Elinor & Bills.  Thanksgiving Day Nov 24, 1950."  

Friends on the Couch

 

 It's getting harder and harder to come up with a good title for these posts.  My guess is that this photo is from the 1950s. 

Dale Ellis

 

I don't collect sports cards, but it was laying on the street, it had a photo on it, so I said, "What the hell, why not?" Dale Ellis was born on August 6, 1960.  He had a pretty good career. Not a Hall of Fame career, but quite respectable.  He played 19 years and averaged 15.7 points per game. 

Grady & May

  

Written on the back, "Grady & May with children & Don."  No date, but my guess is somewhere in the 50s. 

Welcome to the 70's

 

I was alive in the 1970s and have less than fond memories of bad mustaches, mullets, and disco.  Written on the back of the photo, "Jennifer Idom, Jack Cohn, Aug. 1975, Wedding 8-9-75." There's also a photographer's stamp, "MAC'S STUFDIO 123 W. Lamar, Jasper, Tex.  75951."  Anyway, I couldn't find anything about the happy couple, but I did dig up some information on Mac's Studio. It opened in January 1947, and it's still in business.  The current owner isn't named Mac, so I'm guessing she's either a descendant or bought the studio and kept the name. 

Three Girls and a Guy

 

Dated "1954."  Is the guy having fun, or is he being tortured into submission?  My guess he's having fun. 

A Vacation in Hamburg 6

 

Once again, tourists in Hamburg, Germany.  These are true-found photographs.  I was walking down the street and there they were, blowing down the sidewalk.  Very few of these photos have anything written on the back, but a couple are dated 1989, so I'm assuming that they were all taken around the same time.  Some of the buildings in these photos are painted with a medieval feel, and this is just a guess, but Hamburg was heavily bombed during World War 2, so an attempt to give Hamburg a feel that it had before the war. Click on Hamburg Vacation Collection in labels to see the rest. 

Musso & Frank

  

 Musso & Frank is old Hollywood. It was opened in 1919 by French immigrant Firmin "Frank" Toulet. I guess Frank was easier for Americans than Firmin. In 1923, Toulet partnered with Joseph Musso, and Musso & Frank Grill was born. Over the years, ownership has changed and even expanded into a neighboring space, but it's still at the same address. Right from the beginning, it attracted the film community.  Movie stars, studio executives, and talent agents would drop by the restaurant for a steak and martini, hash out deals, and gossip about who was sleeping with whom.  Still in business, it still has a menu that leans towards steak, and alcohol.  It also has a dress code.  Suits and ties for gentlemen and dresses for ladies are no longer required, now it's business casual.  I suspect I'd be turned away if I showed up in my usual blue jeans and tee shirt. 

The caption on the back of the card, "Musso & Frank Grill.  FINEST CUISINE.  6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Calif 11 A.M. to 11 P.M.  HO 7-5123 or HO 7-7788."  And the publisher, "PUB. BY "CUMMINGS" (213) 344-6560"