Alan Mays' photos

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of grabbing some z’s (sleeping somewhere other than a bed or cot) . A 1970s sleeper on a sofa. The same woman appears in another photo wearing a dress with bell sleeves instead of the patchwork pants (is that what they're called?) we see here. The same wallpaper pattern is visible in both photos.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of perched precariously (on a chair, ladder, roof, tower, cliff, etc.) . Lettering on the side of the truck: "The Lititz Truck S[ervice]. Levi H. Y[erger]. Both Phones. No. 8." Seven men and two kids pose with a truck overloaded with furniture and other household items. One fellow is perched atop the perilous pile, while another is standing precariously on the top step of a ladder at the back of the truck. A Cyko stamp box ("Cyko - Place Postage Stamp Here") is printed on the back of this divided-back real photo postcard, which indicates that it may date to sometime between 1907 and the 1920s.

An elaborate business card printed by David Bachman Landis of Pluck Art Printery (later known as Landis Art Print). The wavy, wiry vertical lines that Landis used to separate the "Special Attention" section on the left from the main "E. Oettel" portion of the card come from a set of "Capital Ornaments" dated 1891 that was available from the Barnhart Brothers & Spindler (BB&S) type foundry. Landis also used these separators in a number of other printed pieces. See, for instance, the following examples: -- Charles S. Frantz, Graduate Ophthalmic Optician, Watchmaker, and Jeweler, Lancaster, Pa. -- A. H. Herr, Mill Creek Dairy, Lancaster, Pa. -- J. M. Trout, Fire Sand Quarries, Landisville, Pennsylvania, ca. 1890s BB&S also sold a set of "Brownies" characters that included the tiny owl in the upper left-hand corner. Typefaces: Duerer ("Fancy Bakery and Confectionery"), Pynson ("All kinds of Cakes, Pies, Creams, Water Ices, and"), Hansard ("Home Made Bread"), Dante ("No. 506 Manor Street, Lancaster, Pa."). The unidentified typeface used here for "E. Oettel" appears to be the same as the one selected for "J. M. Trout" on the J. M. Trout, Fire Sand Quarries card. E. Oettel, Philadelphia Reliable Fancy Bakery and Confectionery. All kinds of Cakes, Pies, Creams, Water Ices, and Home Made Bread. No. 506 Manor Street, Lancaster, Pa. Special attention given to wedding and party orders. Stands at Eastern, Central, and Southern Markets.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of one sitting, one standing . A man and a woman -- single at the time but later married -- pose in swimsuits for a souvenir photo at a studio in Atlantic City, New Jersey, sometime in the early twentieth century. The painted backdrop shows waves breaking on a beach. The woman is sitting awkwardly on a small table, with one foot underneath her and her other foot resting on the bottom shelf of the table. The man is standing next to her and also has one foot on the shelf. They're leaning in toward one other, and they each have one hand on the table top and the other hand on a hip. Handwritten note on the other side: "Daddy & Mother when Single." Printed on the verso: "Albert Studio, Ark Ave., and Beach, Atlantic City, N.J." The Cyko stamp box ("Cyko - Place Postage Stamp Here") on the back of this divided-back real photo postcard indicates that it may date to sometime between 1907 and the 1920s.

An ice cream ticket used by Frank W. Fraley, who ran a general store in Catoctin Furnace , Maryland. For similar tickets, see Ice Cream, Clifford Sutton, 5¢ and Ice Cream, 5 Cents . Typefaces: Engravers Roman ("Ice Cream Ticket"), Copperplate Gothic ("August 19, 1916," "F. W. Fraley"). Thanks to Florian Hardwig for identifying the typefaces. 10c Ice Cream Ticket August 19, 1916 F. W. Fraley

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of the dancer . The handwritten note on the other side of this real photo postcard says, "I'm a shimmy dancer from my hips on down." But the woman's clothes -- a grass skirt , matching anklets, and a lei -- make her look more like a hula dancer. This photo postcard has a divided back but there's no address, postmark, or stamp box on the verso.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of things they won't let us do any more . Jungle gyms like the one in this snapshot are no longer considered safe for children. John Tierney, writing in the New York Times in 2011, explained, "The old tall jungle gyms and slides disappeared from most American playgrounds across the country in recent decades because of parental concerns, federal guidelines, new safety standards set by manufacturers and — the most frequently cited factor — fear of lawsuits" ("Can a Playground Be Too Safe?," July 18, 2011, p. D1). One company even includes metal jungle gyms in its list of banned playground equipment and warns that they're "designed like prison bars that children get to climb. These hard metal bars can be dangerous in the case of a misstep or a fall, and younger children can become trapped inside the cage if they accidentally fall in but lack the motor skills to climb back out." With that in mind, I'll completely understand if you decide not to take a look at a cropped version of this photo.

A snapshot of a girl on a jungle gym. For more information about this type of playground equipment, which is now considered too dangerous for children to use, see the full version of this photo.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of newspapers, magazines, or any other printed materials . Seven girls are all peering intently at a magazine, as if it's so interesting that they just can't put it down. The girls are nicely dressed with elaborate hairstyles, and they're obviously posing in a studio in front of a painted backdrop. So what magazine has captured the girls' attention? Why, it's an issue of Studio Light: A Magazine of Information for the Profession , published by the Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y. It's doubtful that these young ladies were that interested in a magazine intended for professional photographers, so it seems likely that it was merely a prop for use in the photo. This is a real photo postcard with a divided back and a type of Azo stamp box (with four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side that suggests a possible date that may be as early as 1907 to 1918. The year printed on the cover of the magazine is partially visible; it looks like it may be 1919. See also a cropped version of this photo with an enlargement of the magazine issue.

A detail showing the magazine issue that the girls were using as a prop while their picture was taken. For more info, see the full version of the real photo postcard. Front cover: Studio Light [Incorporating] The Aristo Eagle The Artura Bulletin May [1919?] A Magazine of Information [for the Profession] Published by the Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y. Back cover: The whole story of print perfection told in a word is: Aristo

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of smiling faces of yesteryear - photos of smiling people . A Silver Springs souvenir folder with a photo positioned so that it looks like we're peering into the front of the boat to see the smiling passengers inside. Silver Springs is a Florida tourist attraction -- and now a state park -- known for its artesian springs and glass-bottom boat rides. For an earlier example, see another Glass Bottom Boat Ride photo and folder.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of adults at play . Printed on the other side of this real photo postcard: "Souvenir of Saltair Beach, Season of 1918, Dave Levene, Manager." Handwritten note on the verso: "Saltair, July 7, 1918. Eleanor & June." On July 7, 1918, this group of about thirty-five adults and three or four kids stopped playing in the water long enough to pose for a picture at Saltair Beach , a resort located in Utah along the shore of the Great Salt Lake.

A small Victorian-era trade card for George W Kissinger (1855-1935), a merchant in Reading, Pennsylvania. Geo. W. Kissinger, Flour, Feed & Potatoes, No. 929 Penn St., Reading, Pa. Bufford

This is a bright orange nineteenth-century business card for George Roch (1852-1913). A number of directories list him as a music teacher or musician, usually with an address in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, rather than Lebanon. John H. Long (1850-1925) was a carpenter and organ manufacturer in Lebanon. Prof. Geo. Roch, Music Teacher and Tuner of Organs and Pianos, at J. H. Long's Organ Factory, Lebanon, Pa. 174 Instruments tuned between February 1, 1885, and September 7, 1885.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of an accident happened (the results) . A 1973 photo showing the aftermath of a fender bender involving a light blue VW Bug. A police officer, partially visible at the right, is already on the scene. Pedestrians on the sidewalk and a telephone booth are visible down the block.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of railroad tracks . A photographer captured two women walking side by side along abandoned railroad tracks. This is an unused real photo postcard without any message, address, stamp, or postmark. The type of Azo stamp box (with four corner triangles pointing up) printed on the other side suggests a possible date that may be as early as 1904 to 1918. See also a cropped version of the photo.

Notice the hill that's visible in the distance beyond the women who are walking along the railroad tracks. At the top of the hill are wooden utility poles for telephone, telegraph, and/or electrical lines. See also the full version of this real photo postcard.

I chose televisions for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of pick your own theme about things—objects, artifacts, or items . A young boy, who's wearing a robe over pajamas, is playing a toy guitar as he sits on an ottoman. There's a television set on the table behind him, and the walls are covered with the type of knotty pine paneling that was popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The boy's pajamas and all the Christmas decorations -- a poinsettia on the fireplace, ornaments in a glass bowl on top of the TV, and some more ornaments on the table that's partially visible on the right -- make me wonder if the boy has just received the guitar as a present on Christmas morning.