Flawed Memories

A flaw in this real photo postcard makes it look like a lightning bolt--or some other strange light from above?!--has singled out this little girl, who for some inexplicable reason seems to be sitting by herself on a chair in the middle of a field.

Or at least that's what I thought it looked like!

Here we see a happy group of tourists innocently posing for an amusing souvenir photo. While fifteen men, women, and children look on from their seats on the wagon, two women and a man hoist the apparatus at the front and foolishly pretend to pull the vehicle. Little did they know that their frivolous action would cause a ghostly tendril of energy--apparently invisible to the naked eye--to sweep in and engulf the unwitting souls there on the wagon, leaving them oblivious to their fate. Or maybe it's just a light leak. (A light leaks photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Take a look at A Light from Above and Lost in the Mists of Time for more leaks.)

A real photo postcard of four little children standing on the beach. The blotchy image gives the scene a ghostly appearance.

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.

A mother and son-—along with a tree and wrapped presents-—seem to be materializing out of the ether in this Christmas double exposure. For other haunted holiday happenings, see The Ghosts of Christmas Past and The Ghosts of Easter Past (below).

A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park for the topics of spirit photography / ghostly images / haunted houses (post up to 3 images on any combination of these themes) . Representatives from the spirit world have seemingly materialized just in time to sing "Happy Birthday" in what is actually just a double exposure. See my Ghosts and Hauntings album for more spooky photos.

A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park for the topics of spirit photography / ghostly images / haunted houses (post up to 3 images on any combination of these themes) . Ghostly images of semitransparent kids and a grinning bunny make for a haunting scene in this undated snapshot.

Found photo—no date or location.

The upper portion of this photo has been torn off, and a handwritten note on the back of the photo explains why: "The top of this picture was no good, but these legs are mine."

Handwritten note on the back of this photo: "Andy's Pants. 7/20/35."

A farm photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. When I first noticed this real photo postcard in a dealer's booth at an antique mall in York County, Pennsylvania, it was obvious that the photo wasn't in very good shape (and it did require a bit of touch-up to make it presentable for posting here), but I found the farm scene to be quite interesting. The sturdy stone house, windmill, large barn, and well-maintained outbuildings, along with the two dozen Holstein cows grazing in the pasture, make it evident that a prosperous farmer and his family lived here. The forebay--the overhang that extends from the front of the barn--and the corresponding banked entrance to the second level on the other side (it's not visible in the photo) identify this as a type of bank barn known as a Pennsylvania barn due to its popularity in the state during the nineteenth century. Taking a closer look at the scene, I realized that a man--the farmer, perhaps?--and two boys and a girl--his children?--were also out standing in their field (the man is standing in front of the cows just right of center, the two boys are on the left, and the white dress of the girl is visible near the building on the right). Later, when I viewed the photo under magnification, I discovered that the little white and brown dots located between the cows are actually chickens. As I debated whether to purchase the photo--its condition wasn't the best, and the price was a little more than I wanted to pay--I looked for any information on the postcard that might help identify the farm's location or maybe even the family. Unfortunately, there was nothing written on the back nor was the postcard sent through the mail, so there wasn't any postmark. But then I saw the dealer's tag, which said "Cowson Farm." That clinched it! With some research and a little luck, I might be able to determine where the Cowsons lived (probably somewhere in Pennsylvania and maybe even in York County). If I could identify the farm, then perhaps I could even take a photo of its current condition to compare with this earlier one. I took the real photo postcard to the main counter at the antique mall in order to pay for it. Since the cashier was removing the dealer's tag from the postcard, I wanted to be certain that I had noted the name of the farm correctly, and I asked to see the tag before she put it away. The cashier took a glance at the tag and then told me, "Well, the only thing it says is 'Cows on Farm.'" Doggonit! Even though I misread the tag and won't be tracking down any information on the Cowson family, I still have a decent photo of cows--and they're on a farm! 8-)

A bicyclist, who appears to be wearing some kind of uniform, poses in front of the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid in the background. There was no date or any other identifying information on the back of the photo, unfortunately.

It must have been windy in the studio to produce such a blurry image of the flags! Although the words "roller bearing" appear on the side of the wagon, I haven't been able to identify what brand it might be.

Hey, buddy, quit shaking that bottle and get your hand off of that gal's waist! And wipe that grin off your face, too! Your shenanigans have startled that poor lady, and now her lovely visage is blurred. Nice going, pal! Sloppy Joe's is a classy bar. Try and take some pointers from these other folks on how to act when your picture's being taken!

Signs: "Blossom Hill Peaches." A vintage photo showing a man at a roadside fruit stand selling peaches from Blossom Hill Fruit Farm. The farm was located a few miles north of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the area around it had so many orchards at one time that it was known as Fruitville. Today there are housing developments where peaches and apples once grew, but some of the road names--Blossom Hill Drive and the Fruitville Pike--reflect the earlier uses of the land.