The Trips Album 9

 

The other side of the previous post.  The top photo is a postcard.  As usual, when posting an album page, I show the whole page to show position, then the other photos individually.   Click on The Trips Collection in labels to see the rest of the album. and fair warning, it will be a while before everything gets put up. 

The Trips Album 8

 

It's been a long time since I've posted anything from this photo album.  The fact is, it's a real pain in the behind to disassemble the pages, scan, and then replace the page in the album.  Call it laziness if you want.  Anyway, this album is another example of true found photography.  I was walking down the street, there were a bunch of garbage bags on the sidewalk, and this album was sticking out the top of one of the bags, and since it wasn't covered in some sort of nasty crap I wouldn't want to touch, it came home with me.    

Chitzen Itza was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Mayans.  It's located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.  Chitzen Itza is translated as at the mouth of the well of Itza.  The Itza were an ethnic-lineage group that once was politically dominate in the Yucatan. 

Click on The Trips Collection in labels to see what else is up.  Fair warning, it will be while before the entire album gets posted.  

Somewhere in Europe

 

Good Germans between the wars?  I have no idea where this photo was taken, but it's printed on Gevaert Ridax paper, manufactured in Belgium from 1905 to 1959.   

Tourists

 

Probably from the late 19th century, or possibly the very early 20th century.   It looks like someplace with a tropical feel.  The Caribbean, Hawaii, the Philippines.  

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. 

Pike's Peak or Bust

   

Written on the print, "SUMMIT, PIKES PEAK STREAMLINE COG TRAIN" Yes, it's still running and if I ever get back to Colorado, I'll take the ride to the summit.  That little "7" in the lower right corner makes me think that this photo was part of a commercially produced set made for the tourist trade.  

Is This the Niagara River?

I don't really know.  I have family in Canada, and when I was a child I often found myself being shipped off to Toronto, and the route we took went through Niagara Falls, both the Canadian and U.S. side of the river.  We would usually spend some time along the Niagara River, and there were plenty of concrete slab overlooks, at river's edge, with nothing but a flimsy, steel pipe guard rail keeping little kids from falling into the river.  Anyway, there's just something familiar about this photo.  If I'm right this picture is from the upper river above the falls.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Finally, Some Snapshots

Is it Bill, criticized for his drinking and swearing in the letter home?  I haven't a clue as to how many people went on this European trip.  Gloria Lee, and Bill are the only two that have been named.  Too, I'd love to know if it was a chaperoned trip.  I tend to think it was.

So, the second and third photos in the column have something written on the back.  "The cathedral at Orleans (if you look closer you'll see yourself!)"  On the far right side of the print, standing next to the bus is a woman, who I'm guessing is Gloria Lee.  The next print down, "Arc du Carrousel and Tuileries Gardens Paris."  Pay attention, the lady on the far right might be seen in the next post.

And of course, click on The Post War European Trip Collection to see more.  Or, wait until the next post, and all will be available for viewing.

The Post war European Trip Collection-Florence 3

Only a few more posts to go and this collection will be done.  This one is the last without at least some photograph based image.  Captions top to bottom, "Ponte Vecchio (The old bridge)," "The Pitti Palace and view of the cathedral," "Piazzale Michelangelo," "General view (Panorama)."  Just think, only a few more posts, and it will be possible to click on The Post War European Collection in labels and see everything I've got on Gloria Lee and her cycling trip of Europe.   

The Post War European Trip Collection-Florence 2

The English captions, top to bottom.  "Cathedral's view," "Ponte Vechio (The old bridge)," "A view of the Arno with the bridge of S. Trinita."  "Grazie Bridge."  Once again, click on The Post War European Collection in labels to see more. 

The Post War European Trip Collection-A Letter Home

As I noted in an earlier chapter of the Gloria Lee Bigewet story,  the only exception to the photos only rule of this blog is when I have ephemera that is directly related to a single source with photos.

So, in a letter written by Gloria Lee to her parents, dated "July 17, '48" she writes about her cycling trip around Europe, her dreams of being in fashion advertising and complained about the bad influence Europe was having on Bill who has taken to drinking and cussing in a very continental way.  Hey, don't be lazy, click on each page, bring up the letter in a bigger window and read it for yourself.  And speaking of clicking on things, The Post War European Collection in labels says it all.

The Post War European Trip Collection-London Calling 4

It must have been a hard place to live, London 1948.  Buildings that still hadn't been repaired or replaced, food rationing.  Also fascinating I'd think.  Click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels to see more. 

The Post War European Trip Collection-London Calling 3

The sights of London.  At least in the late 1940's.  Click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels to see more.  Or hey, wait for the next post which will finish up the guide book.