Vintage Photos of Groups

After posing for their official photo (see below), the members of the Bachelor's Club enjoy some freshly cut slices of watermelon. The two dogs in the previous photo have left, but a cat is now standing guard at right.

The dealer from whom I bought this real photo postcard identified it as a North Dakota scene, and I'm guessing that it shows a threshing crew. I'm not sure what kind of steam engine they're using to power the threshing machine (which is presumably connected to the other end of the belt that extends beyond the left-hand side of the photo).

See also the cropped version of this real photo postcard.

It's Party Time (Happy Birthday VPTP) . I propose a taffy pulling party to celebrate the third anniversary of the Vintage Photos Theme Park! These folks will show us how it's done! For more on taffy pulls and similar get-togethers, see Candy Stew, Candy Pull, and Other Pull Parties , a posting on culinary historian Patricia Bixler Reber's Researching Food History - Cooking and Dining blog. See also the full version of this real photo postcard.

Five gents pose with their dog and automobile in this real photo postcard. It looks like they were out for a jaunt in a wooded area, and their destination may have been the house that's barely visible at left in the photo.

A real photo postcard. Written on the basketball: "Seniors, '19."

A souvenir real photo postcard showing a group of riders on the inclined plane railway located on Mount Manitou in Colorado. The camera was tilted at an angle when this photo was taken, which made the slope seem steeper than it really was. To get an idea of the actual steepness of the slope, see the rotated version (below). -------- Printed on the back: "Mt. Manitou Park, Manitou, Colo. A thousand acre park on top of Mt. Manitou, 9,500 feet above sea level. Ten thousand square miles of scenery within the range of vision. Ten miles of trails through the parks and leading to points of interest. A trip up Mt. Manitou Scenic Incline--the longest, highest, and greatest railway of its kind in the world. A rise of one-half mile elevation in a ride of one and one-quarter miles."

A souvenir real photo postcard showing a group of riders on the inclined plane railway located on Mount Manitou in Colorado. This rotated version of the postcard gives an idea of the actual steepness of the slope. Since the camera was tilted at an angle when the photo was taken, the original photo (see below) made the slope seem steeper than it really was.

An aircraft photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. An early aircraft photo by Harpel, Lebanon, Pa. Four aviators, who are standing directly in front of the propeller and engine of their biplane, are surrounded by men and children. Other people are visible in the background. The biplane may be Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny," which is well known as the subject of the Inverted Jenny postage stamp error. See also a detail from this photograph showing a close-up of the aviators standing in front of the airplane (below).

An early photo of what may be a Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" biplane. Four aviators are standing directly in front of the propeller and engine of the plane. For more information, see the full version of this photograph (below).

"Ox Roast, Labor Day, 1910, Ind. Fire Co." This rather dark real photo postcard shows a festive scene at a Labor Day celebration held in 1910 by "Ind. Fire Co." (Independent or Independence Fire Company, location unknown but probably somewhere in Pennsylvania). The "ox roast" likely referred to roast beef that was sliced and served in sandwiches.

Handwritten on the back of the photo: "Lizzie from Paul Neiman. A Rosy Crowd."

This real photo postcard seems similar to one of Arthur Mole 's "living photographs"--World War I-era photos "in which tens of thousands of soldiers, reservists, and other members of the military were arranged to form massive compositions." Note the biplane flying overhead and the automobile at the left. The handwritten caption at bottom appears to end with "Steve Winters, 1918," but I haven't been able to make out the first two words.

A haunted house photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. There's no question that the house in this undated real photo postcard was haunted. We can see that an ectoplasmic substance was flowing down from the roof of the house and drifting toward the men and women below. I don't want to think about what happened to the unsuspecting group when the ectoplasm reached them. In addition, the radiating beams of energy visible in the lower right-hand corner could only have emanated from a ghostly orb just out of camera range. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the orb drifted right through the front door of the haunted house, startling the photographer and causing the photo to be off-kilter. Of course, some investigators are likely to dismiss this clear-cut evidence of haunting as a light leak or some other imperfection in the photo, but I think that the malevolent nature of these paranormal manifestations is obvious. I'm sad to report that I don't have any further information regarding the fate of the photographer or the individuals in the photograph.

Be sure to take a look at the cropped version of this photo to see the charming expressions of the bride, groom, and other cute members of the bridal party. From the Dente Studio, Newport, Pa.

I sense that the bride and groom may have had some second thoughts as they posed for this photo. See also the full version of this photo. From the Dente Studio, Newport, Pa.

A strike a pose photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Clowning around in a cornfield!