Alan Mays' photos

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of seeing double (a photo with two people or things that look the same) . An amazing double exposure of a man pouring a drink as his doppelgänger holds the glass. I don't have any information about the photographer or the method used to achieve such an effect in pre-Photoshop times.

One of two Vintage Photos Theme Park photos for the theme of a pair of pictures (two photos related in some way) . These two girls posed for a souvenir photo at Pen Mar Park in Maryland. They sat on a rustic wooden bench in front of a painted backdrop depicting the three-level High Point observation tower situated on an overlook a couple of miles away from park. Pen Mar Park was an amusement park and resort area located in the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland and Pennsylvania. The park was a popular summertime destination in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This is a divided-back real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box (two corner triangles pointing up and two pointing down) printed on the other side, which indicates that the photo may date between 1910 and 1930. The back is otherwise blank with no message, name, address, stamp, or postmark. For a similar souvenir photo, see Boy Scouts with High Rock Backdrop, Pen Mar, Maryland .

Two of two Vintage Photos Theme Park photos for the theme of a pair of pictures (two photos related in some way) . Two Boy Scouts stand next to a rustic wooden bench in front of a painted backdrop of the three-level High Point observation tower located near Pen Mar Park in Maryland. This is a divided-back real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box design (squares in all four corners) printed on the other side, which indicates that the photo may date between 1924 and 1949. The back is blank with no message, name, address, stamp, or postmark. For a similar souvenir photo, see Two Girls with High Rock Backdrop, Pen Mar, Maryland . For additional photos and postcards from the park, see my Pen Mar album.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of shoes . Inscription: "Yours for Laughter, Benny the Tramp." I uncovered three mentions of Benny the Tramp in newspapers in 1937. The Mount Joy Bulletin (Mount Joy, Pa.), Sept. 22, 1937, p. 7, for instance, ran an advertisement for a Rheems Fire Company entertainment with local music groups, including "Happy Johnny & Vonnie and their group, featuring Benny the Tramp in the Funniest Man." I'm not sure what the "Funniest Man" was or what kind of performance Benny the Tramp provided. His attire, with a unique hat, round glasses, suspenders, striped stocks, and clown shoes, suggests a comedy act. Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "Photo by Shadle's Studio, York, Pa." The Agfa Ansco stamp box (with "Place Stamp Here" in the middle and two stars at the bottom of the box) on the other side of this card indicates a date in the 1930s or 1940s.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of nurses or nuns . Handwritten note in black ink on the other side of this photo: "This is Merritt on the end sitting down. He is pretty but he's better looking than Leo was." Later note in blue ink on the verso: "Babe Closner's husband." Nine nurses and five soldiers pose for a group photo on a sunny day. I like all the different expressions on their faces, some beaming with wide smiles and others with squinty eyes as they endure the bright sunlight. I'm not sure where or when the photo was taken. Perhaps the uniforms that the nurses and soldiers are wearing would provide some clues. See also the full version of the photo.

Nurses and soldiers pose for a photo on a sunny day. For more information, see the cropped version of the photo.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of just for fun (inspired by one of Rick’s albums ) . Well, maybe it's not a full-fledged dog and pony show , but someone took an amusing picture of these two in what looks to be a farm setting. This is a real photo postcard with no address, message, postmark, or other identifying details. On the back of the card is an Azo stamp box design (with squares in all four corners) that suggests a time frame that may range from 1924 to 1949.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of dressed up (for Halloween, to go out, on a special occasion, etc.) . Handwritten note on the other side of this Polaroid: "Mike & Pat, Halloween 1971." This is a color photo of two kids dressed up as Fluffy the Bunny and a Space Explorer in Halloween costumes by the Ben Cooper company. The small orange cylinder that the Space Explorer is holding in his right hand contains a battery and a switch that turns a light in the helmet mask on and off. See also close-ups of Fluffy the Bunny and the Space Explorer .

Fluffy the Bunny is a Ben Cooper Halloween costume. Earlier versions of the Fluffy costume had plain sleeves and legs instead of the checkered pattern seen here. See also the Space Explorer and the full photo from 1971.

I'm not sure why the Ben Cooper company named this costume a Space Explorer instead of an Astronaut, especially since " NASA " is emblazoned on it. With the Apollo 14 and 15 moon landings taking place in 1971, I'm sure that the costume was a popular one for Halloween that year. The small orange cylinder that the Space Explorer is holding in his right hand contains a battery and a switch that turns a light in the helmet mask on and off. I can't tell if the light was activated when this photo was taken. See also Fluffy the Bunny and the full photo from 1971.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of damaged or broken down (buildings, vehicles, machines, and whatnot) . Caption: "Hailstorm, June 6, 1917, Waynesboro, Penn." Sign at the front entrance of the building: "Office of Emerson-Brantingham Co., Geiser Works ." A hailstorm with baseball-sized hailstones hit the town of Waynesboro, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on June 6, 1917. The storm caused widespread damage with flooded streets and thousands of broken windows. Almost all of the windows in this office building sustained damage. For additional photos, see the Hail Storm of June 6, 1917 , section of the Luty Collection: Waynesboro Area Postcard Collection .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of stripes . Drumhead: “City Band of York, Pa." Credit line: "Photo by M. J. Murnane, York, Pa., 1915." Printed on the back: "M. J. Murnane, No. 227 W. Market St., York, Pa. At the Bridge." This is a divided-back real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box design (four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side. The time frame of 1907 to 1918 is commonly associated with this type of design, and that matches the 1915 date of the photo. The name of " Elwood Slaugenhaupt " -- he was born in 1917 and died in 2000, according to Find A Grave -- is written on the other side. Slaugenhaupt would have been too young to have been one of the musicians pictured in the photo.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of beds and bedrooms . This is a snapshot of a man lying in a hospital bed. Suspended over the front of the bed is a triangular-shaped "trapeze bar" that the man can use to reposition and lift himself, if he's capable of doing that with what looks like a cast on his right leg. Judging by the nearby door, the floor lamp, and the cuckoo clock and artwork on the walls, this poor fellow is resting at home in his living room rather than in a hospital room. The handwritten note on the other side of this snapshot is dated January 14, 1954, and says, "The broomstick that is between his legs is so he can be handled easier and turned."

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of rumpled or wrinkled . Two men, dressed in dirty and rumpled overalls, stand in the doorway of an unidentified workplace. See also the full version of this photo. This is a divided-back real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box design (four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side. The time frame of 1907 to 1918 is usually associated with this type of stamp box.

Two dirty and disheveled workmen stand in a doorway. See also a cropped version of this real photo postcard.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of what a great grin! An arresting photo of two grinning guys posing for a novelty photo. "Fred Gregory (left)" is written on the other side. This is an divided-back real photo postcard with a type of Azo stamp box on the other side (two corner triangles pointing up and two pointing down) that suggests a date that may be as early as 1910 to 1930. See also the full version of this photo postcard.

Two men posing as policemen and suspect. See also a cropped version of the photo.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of looking at pictures (photos of people looking at photos) . Written on the back: "Joracy & Sally Looking at Pictures, May 30, 1969." Printed on the back: "Kodacolor Print Made by Kodak, June 69R." Two women are seated in figure-8 chairs at their dining room table as they look at photos. They've pushed back their dinner dishes and part of the table covering to make space for the photos. Behind them is a display cabinet filled with dolls, including two dressed in Amish garb in the upper right-hand section.