Alan Mays' photos

It was a little cloudy outside, but I think I saw it!

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of tricycles . An undated snapshot of three kids riding their tricycles on a bright sunny day.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of awkward family photos (vintage photos of odd, embarrassing, or amusing scenes from your own family's history or someone else's) . Five young women are posing for a picture, and three of them have placed their heads through the openings in the railing of a porch. The woman in the middle has a painful expression on her face, as if she hit her head on the railing. This photo is mounted on white textured cardboard, but there's no indication of a date or a studio name.

A photo for the theme of what on earth is going on? in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This photo shows nine or more people who are riding in a open vehicle that's popping a wheelie (see a cropped version for a better view of the contraption). Painted on a wall in the background are the words "Missouri [Mu]le." What in the world is happening here? After some searching, I learned that the Missouri Mule, "known for its strength, hardiness, intelligence and even temper," is the state animal of Missouri . In addition, I found an Ultimate Rollercoaster article about Harry G. Traver , a roller coaster designer and founder of the Traver Engineering Company, who created the "Missouri Mule," an amusement park ride also known as "Bumping Autos." Could this be a picture of the Missouri Mule ride?

Are these people riding in a Missouri Mule? For more information, see the original version of this photo.

Katharine Hostetter Kauffman, later known as Katharine “Katie” Kauffman Herr (1886-1986), was the teacher who organized the spelling bee advertised on this handbill. For a similar item from a later event, see Spelling Bee, Terre Hill, Pa., April 3, 1925 . Come One! Come All! To a Grand "Spelling Bee" To Be Held at the Fair View School Near Mechanicsville along Manheim Trolley Road Saturday Eve., March 24, '06 Classes are as follows: Class I. Open to Pupils of 11 years and under. Class II. Open to all Public School Children. Class III. Arithmetical Contest, open to all. Class IV. General Information, open to all. 16 Valuable Prizes to be Distributed The Program will consist of Music, Phonograph and School Recitations and Dialogues General Admission - 10 Cts. Proceeds to be used for the School Library. Doors Open at 7 o'clock. Exercises begin at 7:30 o'clock. Katharine H. Kauffman, Teacher. Should the weather prove too unfavorable the Bee will be held the first fair evening following Monday. L. B. Herr Print, 51-53 N. Queen St., Lancaster, Pa.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of the singer . Handwritten note on the other side of this photo: "1953. Imitating Eddie Cantor at Eagle Club in Wiesbaden, Germany." An unidentified man, who bears a resemblance to actor Eddie Cantor , stands and sings in front of a microphone. The musicians accompanying him are playing a piano, guitar, and clarinet. At the time this photo was taken, the Eagle Club was located in the Kurhaus -- spa house -- in Wiesbaden, Germany.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of something or someone blocking the view . Handwritten note on the other side of this snapshot: "World's Fair, Oct. 1940." In this October 1940 snapshot taken at the New York World's Fair a man's big hat and the heads of other spectators are blocking the view of the action down below. But what's going on? A closer look reveals that there are some cars down there, plus painted on the wall are the words, "The Name's Goodrich." After some searching, I learned that Jimmie Lynch's Death Dodgers, an automobile thrill show, appeared at the Goodrich building at the World's Fair. For another photo from the show, see Automobiles - Death Dodgers - Car jumping over truck in the New York Public Library Digital Collections.

The two cars in the middle of this photo were part of Jimmie Lynch's Death Dodgers, an automobile thrill show that was held at the Goodrich building at the New York World's Fair in 1940. The words painted on the wall -- "The Name's Goodrich" -- were part of a longer advertisement that read, "Remember Which -- The Name's Goodrich." For more information, see the full version of this photo.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of an accident waiting to happen . In this photo, four members of a family are posing in front of a fenced-in area for the chickens. It's a little disconcerting to see that the gun that the boy is holding over his shoulder is pointed directly at the man -- his father? -- standing behind him. The faded quality of the upper portion of the photo makes it difficult to see the faces of the man and two women, giving them an almost ghostly appearance. This is an image from a real photo postcard with no address, message, or stamp on the other side. The Azo stamp box (with two corner triangles pointing up and two pointing down) printed on the verso indicates that the photo may date to as early as 1910 to 1930.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of the only one smiling in a group . The two sisters on this real photo postcard have serious expressions on their faces, but the baby of the family looks happy and is smiling. The photo postcard is unused, and there's no message or stamp box on the other side.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of a written caption or comment (added to the front or back of a photo, the funnier or snarkier the better) . Handwritten caption: "Some Trouble!" License plate: "2352. Mass." (the year on the plate is illegible). Looks like the photographer had some trouble with an unintended triple exposure. The photo was cut from an album and trimmed unevenly like this when I purchased it.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of children at play . Three kids pause their puzzle playing to pose for a picture.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of photos in photos -- photos that intentionally or inadvertently capture one or more photos displayed in frames, on walls, or elsewhere . Did the little girl in pigtails that we can see in the photo on the wall grow up to be the young woman sitting on the couch? And why isn't her prom date paying attention while dad's taking their picture? For similar photos, see Prom Night and Prom Couple, May 17, 1969 .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of steps, stairs, staircases . This is a real photo postcard of young women standing on the steps leading up to the entrance of a building. They're wearing uniforms with scarves or neckerchiefs, and the banner they're holding simply says, "Flash." In the corners of the banner are what seem to be drawings of stylized top hats. Peeking out from below the banner are two pairs of what might be athletic shoes. Although someone over on Flickr amusingly suggested that this might be an early example of a flash mob , I suspect that these young women belonged to a club or sports team at a high school or college. But I'm not sure what "Flash" meant to them or why the top hats -- if that's what they are -- appear on the banner.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of nightclothes (pajamas, nightgowns, robes, etc.) . This is an early twentieth-century photo of a man wearing pajamas. He's sitting on the edge of a bed that's covered by a quilt. A chair and luggage are situated next to the bed. A large headboard and patterned wallpaper are visible behind the man. This is an unused real photo postcard with no address, message, or postmark. On the back of the card is an Azo stamp box design (with four corner triangles pointing up) that suggests a time frame that may range from 1904 to 1918. Printed on the other side: "Kellogg Studios, Cuba, Fillmore, Rushford. P. H. Kellogg, Cuba, N.Y."

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of hand colored . Handwritten caption on the other side of this photo: "Emily and George Sexsmith, Echo Park (McArthur Park), Los Angeles (about 1930)." This is a hand-colored photo of Emily (Dippel) Sexsmith (1911-2006) and George Sexsmith (1908-1991) in a canoe, circa 1930. The handwritten caption on the other side of the photo notes the setting as "Echo Park" with "McArthur Park" in parentheses, but it's likely that it's really Westlake Park, which in 1942 was renamed MacArthur Park (not "McArthur," as misspelled in the caption). The park was also the subject of Jimmy Webb's popular song, "MacArthur Park," recorded in 1968 by Richard Harris.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of at work . A real photo postcard showing three fellows standing around the type cases in the composing room of a print shop. The upper cases typically contained capital letters, and the lower cases contained small letters, leading to the terminology we still use today to refer to letter case .