More presents

Another great shot of some young girl unwrapping her gift. I've noticed that most photos at christmas revolve around materialistic items. Presents, Decorations, Dinner, Trees. Maybe thats because it is so hard to capture the sir it of the holiday season on film. Or, perhaps those material things are so intwined with the emotions we feel this time of year that its hard to tell them apart.

Christmas unboxing

A typical shot of christmas morning, with everyone unwrapping presents, finding out what Santa brought them. One boy got a Walkie Talkie. I wonder where its partner is. On the left it gives the date as JAN 70 ,but thats a little off. It's sad that this photo is no longer with the family, but at least they have the memories. 

This is my entry for Sepia Saturday.

Ananas

The french word for Pineapples, which I found immensely funny in elementary school. These people seem to be peeling (?) a lot of them. A luau, perhaps? Behind the chain link fence there appear to be even more in the ground, so this is probably Hawaii or somewhere apse as tropic. When I first saw this photo, I didn't even notice what the man was doing, I could only look at that woman's glasses. Almost as big as Edna Modes from The Incredibles. They go with her dress. How go-go.

Oh Canada

I just love these small Kodachrome prints. these ones were taken in september 1960. On the sing it says "Canadian royal mounted police". Based on the trees, this was probably taken in Ontario or British Colombia. I still haven't figured out exactly where.

Nouveau

Vernacular photos usually stop being collectible in the 70s. This was around the time that borderless photos came into fashion, which took away a lot from the photo. It became a picture, more than an object. These are from the late 90s, and were found in a frame at a thrift store. I wonder why someone thought that these rather unremarkable photos deserved a place on there wall. who knows.

Up, up and away

Some photos that you find you can figure out instantly. This one is one of them. The only question is why they took the photo. Was it for insurance, or just for proof. Who knows. I love vintage cars, but I can never get  truck names right. I believe this is a late 50's chevy or GMC, but any info would be nice. Thanks!

The same but different

Sometimes when you are at a flea market or buy a group lot on eBay, it's easy to spot photos that come from the same family. It could be the handwriting on the back, the development sticker, or maybe a familiar face. But sometimes, they seem completely different. In this one, I almost didn't see that they were taken in the same room. Both had different people in them, and were shot at angles that were slightly different that I had no clue they were related. What tipped me off was the fruit painting in the top right corner. If not for that, these two would never have been together.

Trim and a haircut

Some people who collect photos only focus on the image. The image is the most important thing, but we shouldn't forget that a found photo is a 3 diminutional object. Some have borders, some have smudges or ripped corners. Some, like this one, have been trimmed, perhaps to fit in an album, or just for aesthetics. This one really helps with what would be a rather pedestrian photo.

Theater

This photo was snapped in 1974, which is the tail end of being "Collection worthy".  Some people cut it off at world war II, and some stop at the 21st century. But in the early 70s, cameras became even more popular and photos stopped having a certain "feel". It's very hard to describe, but they felt less special, with no border to speak off and better colour reproduction. Since the 110 negatives were smaller, the photos often turned out worse than brownie from 30 years ago. This photo seems to have bucked the trend, and still feels unique. Maybe its the black and white, or maybe its the pose, but it still feels like a true found photo to me.

Vignette

This shot was obviously taken by a professional. It was put on some very nice postcard stock and looks to have stood the test of time well. Unfortunately, there is no information on the back, so it could have been reprinted. All we have is this woman's face, fading away.

C.S. Lewis

A lovely group of kids, sometime near christmas, showing of their sweaters. On the back
Sue 17-Senior                                                  
Doug 16-Jr                                                            
Annie 13-8th                                                      
 Janet 10-5th                                                        
Christmas 1961-Betzalds
They could almost be the Pevensies.  Janet has a strong resemblance to Lucy, and Sue could easily pass for Susan. Perhaps behind that wooden wall, Narnia lies.

Polaroid

Polaroids have always had their charm, whether it be a classic sx-70 with the iconic borders, or the colour pack film with its over saturated pictures. But another great kind is the black and white shots. This one is from the 60s or 70s at some unnamed play park. That jungle gym is probably still their. Happy kids, smiling faces.

Death

Some photos don't need words on the back to tell a story. This one looks to be at a funeral or hospital. The whittled flowers make it all the more sad. It's one of the smallest photos in my collection.

Ain't she sweet

Even though this is a minuscule photo, less than an inch, it has amazing clarity. On the back, written in fountain pen is:

Ain't she sweet. Incidentally, the spots on my face belong to the veil, not my face                                                            July 1939.

I love this caption. I wonder why she had that veil. Perhaps she was at a funeral, but I feel this was a happier occasion. The background gives us nothing else to go on, but it seems to be chosen carefully. The photographer looks to be somewhat skilled. Or, it as just a fluke. Who knows.

A villa on the water.

Sometimes, black and white can make water look spectacular. Maybe it was taken in a low lying boat, or it could be on a shore bank. Either way, They got a good perspective. I'm no architect, but the buildings don't look north american. It could just be a style. Wherever it is, It looks like a wonderful place to relax.
This is part of an eBay lot of 300 photos. To see others from that collection, click the "300" tag.

Tiny

One of the defining features of found photos is the size of them. There are very few large no  professional photos. most vernacular ones are no bigger than 6" by 4". Anything more than that is an enlargement. Amateur photography wasn't meant to be large and filled with detail. It was just supposed to document a person or place or event. In the same way as he telephone was only clear enough to hear another voice the consumer photograph was meant to show just enough to get a rough idea of what happened. This one is on the smaller end, measuring less than an inch. However, this one looks to be cut from another, larger photograph. How big it was originally is a mystery.

Summer fling

Before the rivers and ponds all freeze over for winter, lets have a little feeling of summer. lying on a beach, listening to the tide roll in and out. This looks more like a lake, judging by the tree life. It could be anywhere. No help from the back. Wherever it was, we can assume they had fun.

One big family

Before the holidays are totally over, I thought I'd treat you to Three found photos. They were all taken at the same time and place, perhaps a family reunion or a wedding. The first two are all the kids with a grandmother. The last one has some more adults with some questionable hairstyles. Judging them as well as the clothes puts these photos right in the middle of the sixties. All of those kids are the baby boomers. Who knows what they accomplished.

Meaning

Last week we talked about Photos with no meaning. This one is different. On the surface, It looks like it could be Just an accidental photo, but with the instantness of polaroid, it probably wouldn't have survived. Looking at the composition, This could be an artistic photograph. Look at the composition, the leading lines, the repetition. This was clearly planned. Except it wasn't. On the back, it says:
                                      2 1/2 in. at one end       1 1/2in at the other end.                                                          It wasn't a keen eyed photographer at all, just a construction worker who needed to take measurements. Of course, there are still mysteries, such as where and what this is and what those figures mean. But those are questions for another time.

Two of hearts

These two photos came in a large grab bag on ebay (you can see others by using the 300 tag). Sometimes when you have more photos you get more clues, like where they are, what they are doing and even who they are. Other times, it just raises more questions. Is that woman the babies Mother, or a relative, or someone else? Is the photographer the dad, or an uncle? Where are they? There are no clues on the back, only some prices on the back from an antique store. I guess sometimes things have to stay a mystery.

Third wheel

I feel that in this photo you can tell who the odd one out was. Sure, it could be that the viewfinders back then were hard to use, but that takes some of the story away. Maybe girl number 2 stayed bitter all these years, or it could be totally reversed. Another theory would be that the other friend is behind the camera, but thats not very interesting. What is interesting are their shoes.

Scott

This is from a lot a purchased on eBay with the theme of cameras in the shot. It should be no secret that I adore vintage cameras and have over 300 in my collection. This one has a Kodak Instamatic in it. It appears to be an early model without the signature flashcubes, but instead, a flashbulb. Seeing cameras in photos like these also makes you realize that the photo didn't just appear, it was created by someone else. Who were they? Why did they take it? So many questions. Back to the shot: I love how the person at the centre of the photo (On the back it says he's Scott) poses. He looks confident, ready for anything , but also laid back. Nothing else on the back, so we have no idea who the guy holding the camera is. Or, he could be Scott. The is the mystery of found photos that is so fascinating.

School

Even though it's the middle of summer, School is still in the back of peoples mind. These guys look like their having fun. This photo dosent look like it was done professionally, so this could be a smaller rural school. Up at the top you can see some of the art that the students have done of a castle or barn. This was the class of 55-56 so these kids are now about 65 years old. I wonder who they became.

Tinted

One big collection of vintage photos are tinted. Tinting gives the photo colour, and is mainly used in studio portraits.It was most popular from the 20s to the 40s, and diminished in popularity when colour film became readily available.  Hand tinting is an art and can range from very good, to, something less than stellar. The girl in the portrait above looks like she just recently graduated from high school or University.

Cut

Sometimes you will get photos that have been cut up. Usually it's to fit in albums, but ou always have to wonder if the owner of the photo did it for another reason. Maybe the person on the end of the photo was an old friend, or ex-spouse. What bitter memories could this photo hold? Other than that, there isn't much else to this one.

Off for a good old hike

Now that school is over and summer is officially here, its time to enjoy the sun and take a walk. I have no idea where these were taken. It sure must have been fun though. another thing that's hard to figure out is the date. I'm guessing the early 50s based on the wardrobe of the lady in the first picture, but the people on the top look older than that.

Hark! A portrait!

Most of the other photos on this blog have been snapshots. This is A professional shot, most likely taken in a studio. Some collectors don't count these professional shots as "real" vernacular photographs. You could make a point that Snapshots are more "raw", and show off everything and includes all the mistakes of double exposures and the like. But thats only thinking about them as photos, but all these vernacular shots are not merely pictures, they are 3d physical items that you can touch and hold. All that aside, Regardless, this is a great shot. You can see directly into her eyes. Her clothes are also very interesting. You could imagine someone wearing that exact outfit today and be considered trendy.

It's the best I can do

This photo may look like an ordinary snap, but the back has a different story.
Magaut 1 1/2 yrs                                                                  
 Lana   2 1/2 "                                                      
  Me 21 -                                                                
+don't call me a liar                                                                    
This isn't very good but right now its the best I can do
Theres an aura of sadness around this photo, you can see it in the way she poses. The kids look as if they dont have a care in the world. They have no idea what they will face. And for the most part, neither do we.

Just a quick snap

I'm not really in the mood for writing a huge paragraph about a photo right now, so i'll just show one I picked up recently. It's a nice colour photo that has aged quite well, or at leased better than some of the stuff from the 40s and 50s (more to come on that). In the corner there appears to be one of those tacky painting that people put up to look sophisticated. Or, it could be a Vanguard in hiding. I wonder if this was taken as a special occasion, or if the photographer just decided it would be fun to get a few photos. Also, look at that hair.

P.S. Click the "300" tag to see all photos from this collection that I bought on ebay.

At the hop

I just love the composition of this photo. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the blonde girl in the middle. She seems to be staring directly at you, almost beckoning you to come and join. She doesn't look very happy, as if she wants to just disappear. It also helps that almost everyone else is turned away to look at her. She is the star in the picture. Im just not sure she wants to be.

Fun in the darkroom

These photos look like they were taken by a semi-professional, or at leased some one who had a darkroom. They were both printed on postcard stock, which has a very nice feel, but has been out of style for quite some style.I think it suits these quite well. This is most likely the photographers house, or their friends. When looking at all these photos, its interesting to see all the similarities in the photos. The same houses, same cars, same vacations, same fashion. Its comforting to know that their are other people in the world just like you.

Developmental

At first I thought these two photos were from the thirties, but based on the hair and clothes, it looks more like the fifties. This looks like it was developed at home, because there are no marks on the back and that there is too much contrast.. There is too much white and black and not enough mid tones. This looks like a happy family. I wonder what happened to them. Thats a common thought when it comes to these photos. Why people would throw away these old memories.

Time for a spot of colour

We haven't had any colour for a few weeks, so lets change that. The bottom of this one was cut when I got it, presumably so it could fit in an album. I love this womans expression. She look slightly taken aback yet intrigued. On the back it says Chrieley + his great grand mother.

Just a boat

This image is oddly calming, yet creepy. It feels like it belongs in Miss Perigrins Home for Peculiar Children, a book I cannot recommend enough. It just has a mysterious vibe to it. I can't tell for sure but I think this is from the 30s based on the paper. This is a response to The new found photography's post.

Smile for grandma; grandmas already smiling

It looks as if the dark room cropping didn't go so well, but it was still a nice thought. Im going to guess Thats its the boy developing this in his basement or garage, but I could be wrong. From the paper, Id guess this was mid 40s to early 50s, but thats just a hunch. This is from an eBay lot I bought So if its from there I'll put 300 In the links.

An Accordion for Christmas

Im sure he was just Thrilled to get this. His parents are probably behind the camera saying
"Come on, smile, We have to show aunt Gerty that you like the gift."Of course, he could be a young Weird Al, just not showing his true emotions. On the back in pink ball point pen it says "December 31, 1951". Strange that it was written on both sides in different pen.

Baby on a chair

A very creative title, I know, but the picture itself is a little better. There are lots of "leading lines" in this photo, which works really well in portrait. However, thats not the reason I bought it. That would be the back, which reads; "A view we see very often." I just love that. Aside from that, there isn't much else to this photo. It was probably taken some time in the 30s or 40s, but I have no idea of the exact date.

Hawaiian Shirts

Who knows if this couple was actually in Hawaii, but you never know. At a glance you could mistake them for twins, with their matching clothes and hair. They're probably still around somewhere, maybe even still together. Stranger things have happened. Whatever the case, I hope they were happy, at leased for that moment.

Just a puppy? or something more?

From a glance, there doesn't seem to be much to the photo. just a slightly blurry, slightly out of focus dog. By most standards, just another photo that would be tossed back in the bin. But if you look closer, there is something a little odd about it. In the corner, there is what appears to be a wheelchair. Who knows who it is, it could be a 90 year old or a nine year old. They look as if they're at a pier, so they could be off on a fancy yacht or gust injuring the view. Thats the beauty of found photos, how everyone can make up a story to go along with us and we are all equally correct.

On a raft in lake

This is one of those photos that becomes so much better when you read the caption. They're certainly in the lake. This was originally written in pink pen, but is not visible in the scan. This look to be taken in the late 20s or 30s, just based on the swimwear. You have to wonder what happened to this family though the great depression. Did they survive? Or did they go bankrupt? We'll probably never know for sure.