Alan Mays' photos

"Grand Fireman's Dress Ball, American Fire Company, No. 5, at Fulton Hall, on Friday evening, March 8th, 1872. John Snyder, president, Rob't McDonnell, sec., Sam'l H. Price, treas. Tickets one dollar, to be prepaid."

Stamped on the back of this photo: "Aug 18 1949." Posted to the Vintage Photos Theme Park group as an "unintended people's shadows" photo (and there's a dog, too!).

Handwritten on the other side of this real photo postcard: "Fannie Kline." The unique elements in this photo--the tilted orientation, massive stone house, little chicken/big horse juxtaposition, shadow people at the bottom, and unenthusiastic look of the woman posing with the plow--all combine to make for an odd yet amusing scene.

A QSL postcard that was used to acknowledge radio contact between Citizens Band (CB) radio operators.

"Good for a ride, Pittsburgh Traction Co., Pittsburgh & East Liberty."

Or at least it looked like a runaway bride to me at first glance. After seeing what was written on the back of the photo, however, it appears that "Verla" (on the right) and an accomplice (on the stairs) are running out of the church in order to play a prank on the bride and groom by "decorating" their car ("Gil's car") in some amusing, inconvenient, or embarassing way. I still remember how some friends "decorated" the getaway car at my cousin's wedding by spraying shaving cream all over it. Handwritten description on the back of the photo: "Front view of church & shows how windy it was. Verla in foreground.They're on their way to decorate Gil's car." Dealer's handwritten caption on the back of the photo: "Holy #&@! Run!!"

Posted as an "interiors" photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park group. The bartender with a stogie in his right hand, the well-worn surface of the bar, and the spindly looking bar stools initially attracted my attention to this photo, which the dealer's label described as a Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania, bar interior. What made me decide to purchase it, however, was the wide array of items visible on the shelves and walls behind the bar. Old photos can be windows to the past, and it's fun to look through them to see what they reveal. In this bar scene, I first noticed the advertising calendars (there are at least four of them), particularly the one featuring U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which is situated just above the bartender's head. After enlarging the image, I discovered that the calendar displays the month of August 1934. A sign partially visible in the upper left-hand section of the photo humorously explains the bar's credit policy--"Credit makes enemies, let's be friends"--and on the shelves below the sign are open boxes of cigars. Some of the cigar brand names include John Hay Junior, Henrietta, Rose-O-Cuba, and Gilbert's Deuces. To the right of the credit sign is an ad for Daeufer's Peerless Beer that depicts a smiling woman, who's holding a glass of beer and saying, "What you like I like." Another copy of this same Daeufer's Beer ad, which additionally claims that the beverage is "Allentown's Favorite," shows up on the far end of the bar near the window, where there's also a display rack with packages of Tas-T-Nut snacks. A different Daeufer's Beer ad appears on the wall to the right of the clock above the far end of the bar. And on the other side of the clock are two framed certificates, one of which includes the year (1934) printed in large numerals. Below the certificates is an ad for Camel cigarettes. Back over at the cash register (behind the bartender) is a second ad for Camels, and hanging on the mirror above the cash register is yet another ad for Daeufer's Beer, along with a sign that suggests, "Try our delicious sandwiches." To cap off a night of smoking, drinking, and sandwich eating, patrons of this establishment could indulge in some of the candy displayed in open boxes in the far corner behind the bar, just above what appear to be two beer taps. Milky Way, Mr. Goodbar, and Zero candy bars as well as boxes of Cracker Jacks and packages of Beech-Nut Gum were available. For a closer look at the area behind the bar, see the cropped version of this photo (thumbnail image below).

For additional information, see the full version of this photo (thumbnail image below).

A Century of Progress, International Exposition, Chicago. Good for one admission to Fort Dearborn. Price 25¢ tax free. 1833-1933. L. R. Lohr, general manager. Rufus C. Dawes, president. A-216172.

"Pocket Chess and Checkers. Always handy and a boon when traveling. Made in Hong Kong."

"Seeing Washington. No. 2. Starting point, Home Life Bldg., Cor. 15th & G. Sts., N.W., opposite U.S. Treasury."

"Cheryl Lee and the Carter Brothers. Stage, radio, television, recordings." Manufacturer name on the pedal steel guitar: "Sho-Bud, Nashville, Tennessee." A glossy promotional photo, with the year "1968" handwritten on the back along with autographs by Cheryl Lee and Roy Dudley. Dudley was the drummer, while Gary, left, and Jimmy, right, were the namesake brothers. Cheryl, despite her separate billing as "Cheryl Lee," was Gary and Jimmy's sister. These cool kids performed at fairs and carnivals in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere in the 1960s and 1970s. They recorded 45s with songs such as "Is That My Baby," "This Man Has Taken All He's Gonna Take," "Muddy Mississippi," and "Left Over Feelings."

An undated photograph of Weller's Dairy in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Photographer: "Harbaugh, Johnstown, Pa." See also cropped versions showing close-ups of the Weller's Dairy employees and the dairy's five milk trucks and drivers (thumbnail images below).