Men in Vintage Photos

A weddings photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This is a Kodachrome slide processed by Kodak in Jan 1959, so I'm guessing that the wedding actually took place in 1958 Notice how no one seems particularly excited as the bride and groom pose for photos while cutting their cake. Perhaps they would have been more impressed had they turned around and taken a look at the elaborate design of that wallpaper. P.S. I didn't realize how many wedding-related pics I had already used for various themes in the VPTP until I started searching for this week's photo. Check out two of my six previous matrimonial postings:

A flying photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "The Colonial Studio, 137 Sixth St., Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.A."

A photo of three women, three men, or three children for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "On a toot in Chicago, Ill., Jan. 18/08. E. R. Negur. R. S. Hambliton. P. C. Pell." A real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Miss Ethel Barber, Oberlin, Ohio, 99 S. Prof. St. Postmarked at Chicago, Ill., Jan. 20, 1908, and at Oberlin, Ohio, on the same date. Handwritten message: "Sun., 1/18/08. The auto on the other side is busted now, or I would take you riding. I left Roy take it & he broke it. The streets are crowded with extra news boys all about war with Japan. Heard Burr McIntosh lecture tonight, and he claims war will come soon. Heard [Gum Savlans?] this a.m."

A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park topic of distinctive houses . This is an unmailed real photo postcard with an AZO stamp box (four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side, which suggests a date as early as 1904 to 1918. The photo shows a one-story house with a square hip (or pyramid) roof and a central chimney, along with gingerbread trim on the small porches at the front and on the left. A young girl, a collie dog, and a man with suspenders and a straw hat are standing in front of the house. A close-up view reveals that there's a second dog lying in the grass on the right-hand side of the building.

A photo of a girl, a dog, and a man standing in front of a house, location and date unknown. Note that there's a second dog lying in the grass on the right-hand side of the building. For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

A cars and trucks photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This is a real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Mr. Sam Ekey, Warren, Pa., R.D. #4, and postmarked in Warren, Pa., on March 31, 1913. Handwritten message: "Warren, Pa., 3/30, 1913. Dear Brother, Wm. Kopf would like to have his posts Saturday. If you need the money take it, 12½¢ each. Frank needs about 10 7 fts. Maybe we can give Henderson his and give Frank Henderson's from last year [meaning, as far as I can understand, that "Henderson" is going to get the fence posts originally intended for "Frank," and Frank is going to receive his ten seven-foot fence posts from among the ones that they prepared for Henderson last year]. Everything OK. Norman has the mumps. He is at home on the farm. E.E." It's likely that "E.E." was Emil Ekey (1886-1976), who was writing to older brother, Sam Ekey (1881-1965). "Frank" may have been Frank A. Ekey (1868-1959), another brother. A quick search didn't yield any information regarding the other individuals--William Kopf, Henderson, and Norman--that Emil mentions. The flooded street was the result of the Great Flood of 1913 , which "occurred between March 23 and March 26, after major rivers in the central and eastern United States flooded from runoff and several days of heavy rain." I assume that the photo shows a street in Warren , which is located in northeastern Pennsylvania at the confluence of the Allegheny River and Conewango Creek. The license plate on the car in the photo is no. "23801, Penna., 1913," and the man in the driver's seat is looking back at the photographer. Beyond the automobile there are three people--one of them only visible through the vehicle's windshield--wading through the floodwaters. To the left of the threesome is a mailbox stranded by the water, and to its left are two individuals standing in the doorway of a building. A mailman wearing waders and holding a mailbag is standing in the water on the right-hand side of the photo. Perhaps he was headed over to the mailbox to collect the mail. Emil didn't mention the flood in the note he wrote to his brother. I wonder if either of them knew any of the people in the photo. It would also be interesting to know who the photographer was.

I chose musicians in order to pick a theme about people (or any other topic) for the first week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. The handwritten message on the front of this real photo postcard (see the left-hand side) is: "Vara Light, 928 Maple St., Lebanon, Pa. Answer soon." There's no stamp or postmark on the other side, but Vara Light addressed the postcard to " Miss Sarah Zimmerman , Linglestown, Pa.," and also wrote a message: "This is a picture taken at Mt. Aetna last summer. The one standing is my uncle, a minister. Also the one with the violin [meaning that the violinist is also one of her uncles?]. The lady with the guitar is my aunt. Am working now in Lebanon. Tell Miles to answer my card." This postcard back has an AZO stamp box (four corner triangles pointing up), which suggests a date as early as 1904 to 1918. Vara Katherine Light married William Hoehle Keller on September 1, 1910, and at that time her address was 330 N. 9th Street, Lebanon, Pa. It seems likely, then, that the card dates to sometime prior to their wedding. I haven't been able to identify which of Vara's aunts and uncles might be the musicians in the photo, but they may have been siblings of her father, Harry Henry Light , who was a prominent businessman in Lebanon, Pa. I previously posted a Small-Town Parade with Cornet Band and Church Float photo for the theme of people playing musical instruments in 2014 and another photo showing Pop Morehead's Family for the theme of musicians and musical instruments this past April. For other photos and ephemera, see my Music and Musicians album.

A rather blurry and discolored cyanotype real photo postcard.

I chose Fourth of July celebrations in order to pick a theme about events, happenings, or celebrations (or any other topic) for the fourth week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Caption on this real photo postcard: "Liberty, Me." Addressed on the other side to Mrs. William Wellington, Terryville, Conn., and postmarked Liberty, Me., Aug. 26, 1908. Handwritten message: "This is a 4th of July view as you will see. Many thanks for your card. Caroline B. Brown." As the message indicates, this is a photo of what appears to be the tail end of a Fourth of July parade that took place in Liberty , Maine, in 1908. On the left-hand side (see a close-up view ), some men are standing in front of a store that's displaying a "stoves" sign, while a number of participants in the parade--some wearing costumes and carrying umbrellas--pass in front of them. On the other side (see a close-up of the right side ), there are some women on a porch looking up the street to catch a last glimpse of the parade. A couple of flags are hanging from the top of the porch, and horses and wagons are visible at hitching posts next door.

Participants in a Fourth of July parade--some with costumes and umbrellas--march past a store with a "stoves" sign. For more information about this parade, which took place in Liberty, Maine, in 1908, see the full real photo postcard .

A group of women look up the street to catch a last glimpse of a Fourth of July parade that took place in Liberty, Maine, in 1908. A couple of flags are hanging from the top of the porch where the women are standing, and horses and wagons are visible at hitching posts next door. For more information, see the full real photo postcard .

I chose photographic tricks and amusements for the free-for-all (post as many photos on as many different themes as you'd like) during the fifth week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. On the left-hand side of this photo, we see a woman taking a bite out of an apple offered to her by a man—shades of Adam and Eve! On the right, we see the same couple, and they've noticed the other version of themselves—the woman is pointing in their direction and the man is looking over at them. According to the typed label attached to the back, this is a photo of "Mr. & Mrs. Emerson Clover, Central Park, Whittier, California, March 31, 1921." I haven't uncovered any information regarding how Emerson J. Clover (1854-1926) and his wife, Alice K. Clover (1864-1947) created this trick photo, but the double exposure is well done. Central Park in Whittier, California, still exists. Part of a circular fountain or other structure in the park is visible beyond the tree. See also the full version of the photo, which is mounted on cardboard.

The full photo as mounted on a cardboard backing. For more information, see the cropped version .

A barrel-of-fun photo for the theme of photographic tricks and amusements during the free-for-all week of Wild Card Month in the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

A photo for the theme of photographic tricks and amusements during the free-for-all week of Wild Card Month in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten date at top right: "Aug. 5, 1923."

An airship photo for the theme of photographic tricks and amusements during the free-for-all week of Wild Card Month in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. See also the full version of this real photo postcard.

See also the cropped version of this real photo postcard.

A paper moon photo for the theme of photographic tricks and amusements during the free-for-all week of Wild Card Month in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. See also the full version of this real photo postcard.