Women in Vintage Photos

A snow photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park . If the woman has just fallen down in the snow, why is she smiling? What happened to her coat? And why is the girl in the background smiling and just standing there on her skis? An amusingly contrived photo that makes me wonder why it was taken.

A hold it photo (people holding something) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park . Caption: "By durn, Samenthy, this beats the old pump all holler. Push jest a leetle harder and she'll be here." Sign on wall: "Hotel Astorf-Waldoria. Ring once for bell boy, twice [for] ice water, three [times for] hot water." Name on trunk: "Silas Green, Wayback, O." Printed along the sides: "The 'Perfec' Stereograph. (Trade mark.) Patented April 14, 1903. Other patents pending. H. C. White Co., Publishers. General offices and works, North Bennington, Vt., U.S.A. Copyright 1903 by H. C. White Co. 5587 (2)." This comic stereoscopic card (see the full card below) shows two country bumpkins who are visting the city and staying at the highfalutin Hotel Astorf-Waldoria (a thinly veiled reference, of course, to the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City). Unfamiliar with big-city ways and new-fangled technology, Samantha (or "Samenthy," as her husband Silas pronounces it) is pushing the call button (normally used to summon hotel staff) while Silas holds a water pitcher below the mouthpiece of the wall-mounted telephone. In their naivety, Samantha and Silas have misunderstood the sign ("Ring twice for ice water") and have mistaken the phone for a pump that will provide water once the button is pushed. In 1903, at a time when indoor plumbing and telephones were less common in rural areas, viewers of this stereographic photo could laugh at the silly antics of this foolish backwoods couple from Wayback, Ohio. Looking at the image a hundred years later, we can catch a glimpse of the different styles of clothing, wallpaper, carpet, and furniture that were popular back then, and we can also consider how the modern technology that we take for granted today--faucets with running water and mobile phones--has made the humor here obsolete.

A comic stereoscopic card. For additional information, see Silas and Samantha at the Astorf-Waldoria, 1903 .

Probably one of those blue-collar workers.

In addition to the musical instruments--a bass, guitar, mandola (I think), another guitar, accordion, and jug --that the members of this country-western band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, are holding, there are also three more--a banjo, musical saw , and fiddle--on the floor in front of the group.

Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "Flett, 1517 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J." This seaside souvenir studio photo was originally very light, and I wasn't entirely successful in sprucing it up. But I hope it's dark enough to make out the characteristics--amazing hats, deer-in-the-headlights facial expressions, and comical foreground illustration (signed by "Flett")--that I found so amusing.

A laughter photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park . This jolly bunch seemed to be having a good laugh as they posed for a souvenir photo in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Mouse over the image to see a close-up of the men and women .

See also the full version of this real photo postcard:

A real photo postcard, date and location unknown.

The handwritten message (see below) on the verso of this real photo postcard takes up the entire space on the back, and there is no address or stamp. -------- Marian, 15th March 1914 Dear Brother, A few lines to let you know that we arrived home again after a splendid holiday. This photo is my son and daughter (Frances and Ned) taken at the foot of Leura falls, Blue Mountains, 60 odd miles west of Sydney. It is not a very good photo as it was a very rough place and we had to climb down steps for about 2000 feet below the surface. The climate there is like our old home in Ireland--they have snow falls very often--but it seems too cold for me to live there. It seemed nothing to see people with overcoats on morning and evenings. I now conclude by sending best respects from all to yourself, wife, and family. From your loving sister, Nora Write soon.

A Kodachrome slide dated January 1961.

Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "J. A. Walk Studios, Philadelphia, Pa., Atlantic City, N.J. Opp. Million Dollar Pier entrance." For a similar souvenir photo, see The Jolly Crew of Atlantic City Life Boat No. 5 .

"18. Miniature Railway, House of David Park." Part of an amusement park that was opened in 1908 by the House of David religious commune, this miniature railway ceased operations when the park closed in 1972. Fortunately, however, the railroad was recently restored, and it reopened for rides in 2011. For a history of the railway, see Dave Schoeffler's article, " The House of David Railroad ," in Discover Live Steam: The On-Line Magazine of Rideable Model Railroading . See also another view of the Miniature Railway, House of David Park, Benton Harbor, Michigan .

This red-border Kodachrome slide (undated, but probably from the late 1950s) shows an underwater performer at Weeki Wachee Springs. She's holding food to attract fish in one hand, while she hangs on to the air hose that she uses for breathing in the other hand. As Wikipedia explains, " Weeki Wachee Springs is a natural tourist attraction located in Weeki Wachee, Florida, where underwater performances by 'mermaids,' women wearing fish tails as well as other fancy outfits, can be viewed in an aquarium-like setting in the spring of the Weeki Wachee River."

A painted backdrops photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Two women hold on to a bucket in a fruitless yet humorous attempt to fill it with the water flowing over a painted version of Niagara Falls.

A photo of ruffles or frills for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A couple in colonial costumes with the customary ruffles and frills. I'm not sure when or where this photo was taken, but perhaps they're dressed up to celebrate George Washington's Birthday . Or maybe they're accompanying Master Nettleton (below) to his dance recital.

A tintype photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Another painted version of Niagara Falls (see also Holding a Bucket Under Niagara Falls ) appears in the background of this souvenir tintype photo, which originally came in a paper mount that would have covered up the uneven edges and clipped corners. The woman is holding a doll that appears to be dressed in a baseball uniform, and what looks like a purse is tucked under one of the doll's arms. Although it's difficult to see at the very edge of the photo, the man seems to be holding a stuffed animal of some sort. Notice that--like all tintypes--the image is reversed, so that the "L" on the doll's uniform is backwards. The falls on the painted backdrop are also reversed--the Horseshoe Falls at left should actually be on the right-hand side of the photo, while the American Falls at right should appear on the left-hand side. Mouse over the top of the tintype to see a mirror image of the photo that shows the "L" and the falls in their proper order.