Men in Vintage Photos

(I'm still catching up on the Vintage Photos Theme Park postings I missed while Ipernity was offline.) A photo of shoes for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This is an early twentieth-century comic photo postcard, issued as part of Bamforth's "Life Model Series." The " Babes in the Wood " caption is an ironic reference to the expression meaning a "person who is innocent, naive, inexperienced, or helpless, especially with respect to an unfamiliar situation or environment." Here, however, we have two not-so-innocent "babes" in wooden stocks who are being punished for some unknown crime. Judging by the debris on the ground around the stocks, it appears that passersby have been throwing garbage at the miscreants.

A waiting photo (sort of) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park with three men posing and waiting for the photographer to snap the picture. It's also a men on machines photo for the VPTP monthly free-for-all topic (submit as many vintage photos on any topic as you'd like). The photo shows a couple of guys posing on top of a steam engine while a fellow down below—with his sleeves rolled up and a shovel in his hands—does the dirty work. It looks the steam engine is in working order—there's a belt around the flywheel on the other side—but the boiler obviously isn't hot enough to prevent the guys from positioning themselves above it. For another photo of men on a machine, see Steamrolling over the Waves .

A men on machines photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park monthly free-for-all topic (submit as many vintage photos on any topic as you'd like). This is a snapshot of three sailors goofing around on top of an old steamroller. A handwritten note on the other side of the photo identifies the "ship" and its crew: "Good old ship 'Rollupnutherone.' Hanson, pilot. Robinson, observer. Umholtz, helmsman." For another photo of men on a machine, see Standing on a Steamer .

Caption: "Beat us if you can." Printed on the back of this unused real photo postcard: "Slater's Interurban Post Card Studio, 430 Superior St., Toledo, Ohio." Judging by the design of the stamp box on the other side (it has the initials "PMC" and diamond shapes in each of its four corners), it's possible that the date of the photo may be as early as 1907 (see Playle's How to Identify and Date Real Photo Vintage Postcards ). For similar photos, see Two Jolly Good Fellows , Aunt Lora and Uncle Will Are Coming Home, March 10, 1908 , and Men in Bowler Hats .

A hands photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of hands/feet (a photo in which the hands or feet are prominent) . This merry scene of mayhem shows twelve young men and a boy staging a fake fight. They're all carefully posed, some with their fists raised and others holding sticks, a rock, and a knife in their hands. Their facial expressions range from convincingly menacing to unenthusiasticly smirking. The Cyko stamp box on the back of this real photo postcard suggests a date of either 1904-1920s (according to Playle's ) or 1906-1915 (according to Metropostcard.com ). See also a cropped version of the photo .

A cropped version of the fake fight. Notice how the guy on the right, who's looking at the photographer out of the corner of his eye, is wielding a spindly stick that won't protect him from the fist aimed at his face. The kid in front is barely holding on to a big chunk of wood as he makes an unconvincing fist with his other hand. The other fellows, though, seem more authentically threatening. For more information, see the original photo .

A signs photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Sign: "Candies, Ice Cream, and [Soda?]." Five guys pose for a picture in this unused real photo postcard (the Azo stamp box--with four corner triangles pointing up--on the other side of the card suggests a date that may be as early as 1904 to 1918).

A scepter photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of canes, batons, spears, etc. This regal real photo postcard bears a dealer's notation on the other side that says, "St. Augustine, 1920s." The design of the Azo stamp box (with four corner squares) on the verso suggests a possible date ranging from the early 1920s through the 1940s. I haven't been able to determine where this king and queen may have been holding court. There are some people sitting on the porch of the building in the background, so perhaps this is a tourist site in St. Augustine, Florida, or elsewhere.

A photo of dolls for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten note on the other side of this small snapshot (circa 1950, possibly from Columbia County, Pa.): "Charlie Coates (left). Ed Sharretts (right). Madge dressed Charlie & I dressed Ed. Ed got [a] prize for being the cutest." Not to be confused with Guys and Dolls .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of sign(s) of spring . This is an early twentieth-century real photo postcard with a handwritten caption on the other side that says, "Papa Drilling." As Wikipedia explains, " Drilling or seeding are the terms used for the mechanized sowing of an agricultural crop." The man in the photo is using a horse-drawn seed drill for spring planting. I bought this photo together with some others that came from Milton , Pennsylvania, so it's likely that this picture was taken somewhere in the same area.

Written on the back of this snapshot: "Easter Sunday, Apr. 18-54."

A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park monthly topic of something funny . A couple of funny Easter bunnies -- actually dressed up for Halloween -- pose in front of a fireplace as they hold their carrots. Printed on the back: "This is a Kodacolor print made by Kodak. November 1961 R." The November photo developing date was the first clue that these are Halloween costumes (but I'm counting them as Easter bunnies, too!). There's also a scarecrow standing on top of a pumpkin (on the right in front of the fireplace) that's obviously an autumn decoration, and it looks like there may be pumpkin and ghost figurines on the mantel. See also Quizzical Kids in Easter Costumes and more photos in my Funny Bunnies album.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of working in an office . A snapshot of a man sitting at a desk in an office. The photo is dated December 24, 1947, on the other side, and the clock on the windowsill behind him shows that it's ten minutes before 1:00 p.m. The larger of the two advertising calendars on the wall came from J. R. Kauffman of Shartlesville, Pennsylvania, who sold "A Full Line of Equipment for Every Farmer," including Allis-Chalmers tractors. The man appears to be holding paperwork or perhaps a book. Could it be an invoice or some sort of business report? Nope, as a second photo reveals, the man is opening Christmas presents, and that's evidently a gift box that he's holding in this photo.

A snapshot of a man in an office. The photo is dated December 24, 1947, and the man has evidently just unwrapped a Christmas present and is examining a necktie that he received as a gift. Another photo of the same man shows him holding a gift box.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of food . The remnants of a meal were still on the table when the photographer snapped this picture. The calendar on the wall displays the month of July 1914, and it must have been a hot summer day judging by the sweat glistening on some of the faces. The dealer's notation on the back of this real photo postcard identifies the locale as Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of odd backdrops or backgrounds . A souvenir real photo postcard from " Happy Hollow " (McLeod's Amusement Park), which was located in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Some of the signs and labels visible in the photo are: "Gambling room down stares. No drinks served." "Wild cat mine for sail chepe." "Don't ask for no darn fool dude drinks." "Old Crow, 2 bits a drink." "Wite mule, 2 bits per drink, good stuff." "Ky. booze XXX." "Pabst Blue Ribbon on drought." "Shiref's offis." "Tanglefoot strate, 2 bits." "Pabst Blue Ribbon, the beer of quality." "On a slow train through Arkansas."

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of tattered & torn (or otherwise damaged) . "For[idian] Ho[tel]. Floridian fishing dock, Miami Beach. Caught on yacht Skip Jack, Capt. E. P. Le May." A tattered, torn, creased, and taped photo of two fishermen posing with a sailfish on the dock of the Floridian Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of in a row . Eight guys lined up on a hill to pose for this picture, a real photo postcard dating to the early twentieth century. They doffed their hats and sat in the grass even though they were all dressed in suits and ties. Check out a cropped version of the photo for a closer look at the fellows.