The Trio

 

Another true found photograph.  I had to walk to the store this morning, and there it was, in the middle of the sidewalk.  It looks like it's been stepped on a few times.  I'm beginning to think that my fascination with other people's snapshots is entering crazy town.  Oh well, at least I'm not doing any harm to others. 

Desperately Finding Susan

 

Does anyone out there get the movie reference, or is it too old?  Anyway, I've written about this before.  If the title of this blog were 100% honest, it would be Recently Purchased Photography.  Almost every picture I post was bought somewhere. Flea markets, antique stores, thrift shops and on-line.  This photo is that rare exception, a true found photograph.  I was walking around L.A., there was a box full of books on the sidewalk.  "Free Books" written on the side of the box.  I started thumbing through some of the books, and I found this Fuji Instax wide photo of Susan who is fresh off of something. 

Playboys

 

I know nothing about this photo.  For all I know, it's a picture of three people at a church conference.  Still, it, at least to me, has a 1970s cocaine fueled party feel to it.  The sort of past people hide from their children.  Why, when I was your age, I stayed home and read the Bible.  I didn't drink or use drugs. 

A Vacation In Hamburg 9

 

Time for a little bit of color from some true found photography.  I'm not going to bother with typing out all sorts of info on part 9.  Click on Hamburg Vacation Collection in labels for the back story and to see more images from this lot.  

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. 

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. 

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 3

 

A brief return to a collection of true found photographs, literally found on the street.  Anyway, it looks like the interior of a Hamburg restaurant.  None of these photos have anything written on them, but a photo from an earlier post was dated 1989, so I'm sure these are from that year as well.  Click on Hamburg Vacation Collection in labels to see everything that's been posted.  Lots more to come, but there will be a bit of a wait. 

The Trips Album 4

  

Back to the trips album that I actually found in the garbage.  A few years ago, my computer died, and while the scanner wasn't affected, I lost the software and it was too old, so the manufacturer wasn't supporting it anymore, so there went the color correction setting.  Too bad, I'd love to see these photos closer to what they looked like when they came from the photo lab.  Anyway, a collection of family vacation photos from multiple locations and multiple years.  These are all from Mexico, and it looks like they drove from Los Angeles.  Well probably, since that's where I found the album.  Click on The Trips Collection in labels to see everything that's been posted.  

A Vacation in Hamburg 2

 

A quick turnaround for part 2, but after this one., there will be a bit of a break before I post more from this collection.  The top photo looks like it's probably a private home, perhaps a German relative's house of the vacationers.  Written on the back, and the only photo with any notation, "6 JULY 1989."  I know that a large portion of Hamburg was destroyed during World War 2, which makes me wonder if the modern buildings of Hamburg were painted to give a medieval feel to a rebuilt city. Click on the Hamburg Vacation Collection in labels to see the rest of the lot.  At least once I get around to putting them all up on the site. 

A Vacation in Hamburg 1

 

I've mentioned this before.  If I were being completely honest, this blog would be called the recently purchased photography since almost all of the photos I post are bought in antique stores, thrift stores, flea markets, and online.  Every once in a while, I actually find photos, and these are some of them.  This afternoon I took a walk to Hollywood and found envelopes of color negatives and fifty-plus prints, just lying on the street.  In total, there were six envelopes, and each one contained a processed roll of Kodak Gold color film, all 36 exposures.  Not every frame had an image, but the prints I found don't add up, so I didn't get every photo from these images printed in Hamburg, Germany.  It's possible that some Germans moved to L.A., but I think it's more likely that they are vacation pictures. Too, a couple of the photos I found have a date written on the back, "July 1989."  Anyway, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to post these images, most likely five per post, but that's not a final, set-in-stone decision.  Click on the Hamburg Vacation Collection to see future posts.  And what's really weird, about a mile further down the street I found some transparencies, but since the scanner I own doesn't scan slides or negatives, they may never get posted.  It's nice to know that Germans use the same type of urinals we do in the U.S. 

Juanita Waters the Lawn

 

On one hand I hate the color restoration setting on the scanner.  It's different from the image I have in hand.  On the other hand I love the color restoration setting because it allows me to see what the photographer saw when he opened up the envelope of newly printed images.  Written on the back, "Sept. 1972, Juanita." 

Slumber Party

 

I do love the color restoration feature.  Dated "NOV 69"  so it's either early Christmas with all those candy stripes or a slumber party with the sleeping bag and all those feet. 

Church People

More from the throw in box!  The color restoration setting really worked well on this one. 

Two People Sitting On The Couch

Every so often I'll buy an envelope full of photographs.  I've noticed that, more often then not, there's a breakdown where I really like about a third of the pictures, I kind of like about a third, and the last third are sort of throw ins.   It's not so much that the images are completely without interest.  If nothing else, they show how people dressed and carried themselves, but few collectors would ever buy them individually.  Anyway, from time to time I'll post some of the throw ins.  I'll probably do five or six and then return to things a bit more interesting.  I can't decide if the color restoration setting on the scanner made things better or worse.

Swollen Legs

There used to be this guy who lived in my neighborhood.  He had swollen legs, far worse than this lady's.  He wore shorts, and wandered up and down the street, pushing his walker before him.  I always figured he was trying to keep the circulation in his legs going, trying to avoid an amputation, and trying to save his life.  Then one day, he disappeared.   I've always wondered what happened to that guy. I wonder what happened to this lady?

Throw-In, In Color

Dated "SEP 69"  Back in the good old days when I still had a full time job, I'd think about leaving L.A. for some small town in the Pacific northwest.  I thought it would be nice to have a backyard.  The big problem was that on my L.A. salary buying a house in rural America wouldn't have been a problem.  But what I could make outside of Los Angeles was so small I'd have the limited space of the city but none of the advantages of urban life.

Sixties Youth

Ah, the 1960's, and all things considered, a rather subdued fashion choice for the era.  Dated "APR 67." 

For what it's worth, I used the color correction setting on the scanner.

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. 

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.