An evening with the Frankenstein's

Of course the biggest draw of this image is the caption. Was it mocking their frigid stares as the cash went off, or simply a last name. Either way its a pretty neat title. As for the photo itself, It's a pretty average snap. It is a bit unusual in that it is so clear. Most amateur photos had a little bit of shake to them, especially indoors. It's probably down to the flash used. Also of note is the girl on the left. She was probably a bobby soxer, a term for some teenage girls in the forties. They were characterized by wearing saddle shoes, chunky sweaters, and of course bobby socks. They would spend their time at soda shops and listening to Frank Sinatra, as well as other teenage heartthrobs.

Lying on the ground

Some great sundresses out on the lawn of an unknown park. Probably a picnic for just the girls. Not a very noteworthy photo at a glance, but after a few minuets of looking at it I couldn't help but have my eyes drawn to the woman in the centre. She's the only one that is looking directly into the lens. Not much else to say about this one.

I'll never grow up

This photo has one of the best shadows i have ever seen. I love how both the photographer and the woman's shadow seem to tower over them. It feels just like peter pan. For them, it was probably just a side effect, they were more interested in the dress.

Picnic in the park

I love the composition in this one. It makes you feel as if you were right there.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.