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.  

Veda & Cambell

 

There was a time when many people carried family pictures around in their wallets.  The type of photo labs that I used to work in was more about large industrial accounts, but all of them did a certain amount of over-the-counter personal work.  Anyway, we had this very old, beat-up wallet-size easel that we used so little, that sometimes it would get shoved away in some corner, and when we had to make a wallet-sized print like this shot of Veda and Campbell, we'd have to go searching for the thing.  

Movie Star Glamour

 

I started this blog not to share all of my old snapshots with the public.  In fact, I've always thought my obsession with other people's photos a bit odd.  I started it  because it was easier to look at things if I didn't have to go through the old shoe boxes.  In any case, I think I've put this one up before but I can't be certain.  The collection has become too big for me to just sit down and scroll back to see everything.  Now, I've started to buy archival boxes and sleeves to separate the scanned and posted from the non, well whatever.  Collecting is an addiction I don't wish on anyone.  It is, however, better than a heroin addiction.  She may be a movie star and this may be a wallet sized photo given to the public for publicity.  Then again, imitating glamour photos is good business for a street corner photo studio.  

Swedish Portraits 7

 

The last of the Swedish portrait series.  Click on Swedish CDVs to see the rest.  I saved this one for the end because it was the only one with anything written on it.  It can be hard to read, but "Grandma & Grandpa Erikson."  Grandpa is wearing a medal, but from which war?  Or is the medal military?  It could have been for years of service as a postman.  I guess we'll never know. 

Swedish Portraits 6

 

Another carte de visite from Sweden.  I can't imagine that all these photos aren't from the same family.  Click on Swedish CDVs to see more.  Only one more from this collection is left, so after a few more posts I'll return and finish things up. 

Swedish Portraits 3

 

I can't imagine that all of these photos from Swedish Photographer Arvid Kjerling aren't related in some way.  Some are clearly from the same family, others could be friends.  Click on Swedish CDVs in labels to bring up others.  Eventually, there willl be seven of them. 

Mason City, Again

 

Of the four cabinet cards I purchased, this is the one that might not show a member of the Rayburn family.  So, a bit about photographer on T. H. Eulass, a very small bit.  Eulass was, apparently, an itinerant photographer.  He was known to work out of Joplin, Missouri, as well as Indiana, and Ohio.  And of course, Mason City, Illinois.  

Music To My Ears 9

Dressed up for a night out or for a night on stage?  As a former professional printer I'm insulted that the printer couldn't be bothered to clean the negative.  I'll be taking a break before putting more up from this collection. Click on Music To My Ears in labels to see more. 

Music To My Ears 3

A studio portrait but from her Mary Reagan or Ann Parker period?  Stamped on the back, "Photo by ATLANTIC STUDIOS 1901 ON THE BOARDWALK ATLANTIC CITY, N.J."  Very likely she was performing at an Atlantic City nightclub.  Atlantic City, the lungs of Philadelphia. Click on Music To My Ears in labels to see more.