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.