Specs 2

 

More from the family with bad eyesight.  Unlike the other photos in this collection, these photos look as if they were taken at a house rather than an apartment building.  Click on The Specs Collection in labels to bring up the other posts.  One more to come. 

A California Home In Midwinter

Because I don't have a conventional job, and because I'm one of the many  leeches accepting socialist handouts in the guise of social security I was able to hit the road for three weeks at the end of summer.  While in Hurricane, Utah, I found this unused, near mint postcard of a California home, amongst the flowers, in midwinter.  (Yes, I know, all I did was type out the caption on the card.  No imagination.)  The truth is, the only reason I bought it was because I was amazed that I found such a thing in a small town in Utah.   The really weird thing is that the antique store had a stack of these.  Published by "M. Kashower Co., Los Angels, Cal."  M. Kashower was in business from 1914 to 1934, so this card is at least 85 years old.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Flower Postcards

Again, the top image in the column, a photo postcard, and the rest, illustrations.  The top "printed in Switzerland."  The other two made in France.  The second and third card have the same inscription that can be found on most of the cards from the previous post, "Bought in Cannes, France-June 26, 1948."  The bottom card has a bit more information, "In Switzerland these flowers grow on the very top peaks of the mts. & they're so few & far between.  That's why they cost so much at florist shops."  And before I forget, "ETOILE DES GLACIERS-EDELWEISS." 

And if it still needs a reminder, click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels. 

A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody

Old song, old postcard, and proof that a pretty girl can be used to sell anything.  In this case, Cypress Gardens and postcards.

The caption on the back, "Giant blue Hydrangeas with cover girl, Martha Gray, make this a lovely scene along one of the paths that wind through the tropical Cypress Gardens."  Helpful hint, never include cover girl in an internet search.  Unless, of course, you want to buy lots and lots of makeup.

Ladies Who Sneer

I admit it.  Identifying a sneering face can be a bit subjective.  Anyway, I grew up in a small, fairly religious town, and as a life long atheist, I was sneered at a lot.  To me, these look like sneering church ladies. Oh, and I double checked, nothing written on the back of this print. 

Mildred Takes A Trip 1

I've had very mixed feelings about posting Mildred's photo album.  This one's a bit different for me.  I didn't buy it for the photos, I bought it for the album itself.  It's very small, let's say  little bigger than a postcard, and the pictures are a very odd sort, some interesting, and some not so much.  Too, while most photo album are easy to disassemble, making it easier to scan the images, that isn't the case with this one.  I was afraid to untie the leather ribbon, and I was also afraid to open the album and lay it out flat on the scanner.  In the end, I took the risk, bent it open and scanned.  Finally, there's only one photo per page, so there won't be any full page scans to show position.

I suspect that Mildred was the photographer and isn't seen in any of the photos, but I like to think that that is wrong, and that Mildred is the young lady in the center of the first snapshot.  Another guess, Mildred and her family have taken a trip to see a son and brother who was in the United States Navy.  That tower in the background is clearly from a battleship.  It's the second photo that I really like.  Two people are well hidden behind the flowers while maybe Mildred is off to the side, clearly visible.

More to come, click on Mildred's album in labels to see the rest.  At least, once I get them posted.

Meet Me At the Fair

Remember World's Fairs?  When I was a kid I desperately wanted to go to a World's Fair.  Seattle was the one I wanted to visit the most.  I really wanted to go up into the Space Needle and ride the monorail.  Eventually I would do both, though the awe factor was lessened by age.

World's Fairs were basically trade shows writ large.  Big companies  like General Motors and IBM had their own pavilions, while countries would showcase everything from the arts, national customs, and of course, business opportunities.

Written on the back, "Again the "Unisphere."  Notice the beds of flowers.  The landscaping was beautiful.  In the distance on the right is the New York State Pavilion and tower which we went up into and from which the next picture was taken.  New York Worlds Fair May 1965."

The New York World's Fair ran from 1964 through 1965.  The Unisphere is still there.

The Waterbury Paper Box Co. Wedding Album 30

It's time to start the final push on the Waterbury photo album.  There are five more pages to go, and I won't take any more breaks until they're all posted.  Not every photo in the album is a wedding photo, but it seems right that this final sequence starts with a bride.

Click on Waterbury Box Co. Album in labels to see the lot.

The Waterbury Paper Box Co. Wedding Album 28

There are still a few wedding themed photos in the album, and this could be one of them.  Newly weds starting their life together?  Maybe, or perhaps it's an anniversary photo.  Then again, a couple who just wanted a nice picture, together.

Click on Waterbury Box Co. Album in labels to see more.

The Waterbury Paper Box Co. Wedding Album 19

I wonder how much a dress like this cost in the 1920s, and how much a similar dress would cost today.  My curiosity has more to do with changes in society than fashion.  Was this dress sewn by immigrant women working in a sweatshop?  Would that happen today?  I think both are likely, and adjusted for inflation, their wages probably  haven't gone up.  In fact they may have gone down.

This one's a contact print from an 8x10 negative.  Click on Waterbury Box Co. Album in labels to see more.  There's still a lot of photos to go, but we'll have to wait awhile to see them.  It's time to move onto other things for a month or so.

The Waterbury Paper Box Co. Wedding Album 15

Well it really is time to connect with past collections.  My mother was English, so I don't know whether this is some sort of Brit thing or not, but she would have looked at this photo and thought departure outfit.  Departing for what?  The honeymoon, which required a nice travelling suit for the lady.  

 I grew up in poverty, and my mother often put food on the table making and altering clothes.  I didn't realize it then, but I was picking up a lot about ladies fashions.  I mean, I know what a peplum is.  How many 60 year old guys from a coal mining town in Pennsylvania can say that?  Of course, I have no idea why women wear them, which is a whole other issue.

Click on Waterbury Box Co.  Album in the labels section at the bottom of the post to see more.

The Painted Lady

Every so often, I run into one of these.  Most colorists try and make a black & white photograph into a color photograph.  And then, there are those who try and make a photo look like a painting.

Written on the back, "My mother my children grandmother."  And yes, that's how it's written.

The Waterbury Paper Box Co. Wedding Album 6

Looks like it's the whole wedding party on this one.  The bride and groom are pretty obvious, and then there are the bridesmaids and groomsmen.  The location doesn't look like a studio, so I'm guessing either the church, reception hall, or the bride's home.

It's time to leave this album for awhile.  I'll pick things up in another month or so.  Click on Waterbury Box Co. Album in labels to see the lot.

3 Girls

There has to be some meaning to this pose.  The dresses and hair bows don't look like everyday wear to my not particularly well informed eye.  Maybe it's the prize petunias they're trying to highlight, or some weird, town celebration.

The Epworth League Album 24, The Exotic East

Now, when we think of China we think of an economic competitor. When these pictures were taken, China was thought of as the exotic east; jade idols, dragon ladies and opium dens. Who thinks of a little girl and kittens? As valid an image as any.