Interiors

Take a look at the Halloween decorations in the photo. There's a honeycomb tissue owl in the middle of the table, black cats on the cups and plates, and a witch on the hat that the woman is wearing. For more information, see the full version of this photo.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of haunted by Halloween (Trick or treat, give us something good to see! Halloween photos of any kind, including costumes, masks, jack-o'-lanterns, decorations, skeletons, ghosts, haunted houses, monsters, or anything spooky or scary. No limit—post as many Halloween photos as you'd like!) . A snapshot of a young girl posing with a jack-o'-lantern. For similar photos, see A Big Jack-O'-Lantern and a Little Kid and I Love My Jack-O'-Lantern!

A photo of books for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A real photo postcard of the lighted tables and two-level book stacks in a library, location unknown, unfortunately. Notice the bridge on the far wall that connects the upper level of stacks on the left with those on the right. For another view of a library interior, see Krauth Memorial Library, Mount Airy, Pennsylvania .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of college memories (your own or someone else's) . This is a real photo postcard of a female student sitting at a desk and pretending to read a book as she poses for a photo. On the back of the card is an Azo stamp box design (with squares in the corners) that indicates a time frame ranging from 1924 to 1949. A small "Sargent" pennant on the wall above the desk (see a cropped version of the photo for a better view of the pennant) suggests that the woman was a student at Sargent College, which is known today as the Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College . An enlargement of the bookshelf on the desk revealed the following titles: Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology , 9th ed., College Zoology , by Heg[ner], and Organic Chemistry . I was able to identify the first book as the ninth edition of Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology , by Diana Clifford Kimber, Carolyn Elizabeth Gray, and Caroline E Stackpole, which was published by Macmillan in 1934. The second book, College Zoology , was authored by Robert W. Hegner and was also published by Macmillan, with a third edition in 1932 and a fourth in 1936. Although I didn't attempt to track down details about Organic Chemistry , the presence of the other two books confirms that this photo dates to 1934 or later.

A college student sitting at her desk. Notice the small "Sargent" pennant on the wall (upper right-hand corner of the photo), which suggests she was a student at Sargent College (now Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College ). For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard and an enlargement showing the books visible at the side of the desk.

An enlargement of the bookshelf on the college student's desk revealed the following titles: Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology , 9th ed., College Zoology , by Heg[ner], and Organic Chemistry . I was able to identify the first book as the ninth edition of Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology , by Diana Clifford Kimber, Carolyn Elizabeth Gray, and Caroline E Stackpole, which was published by Macmillan in 1934. The second book, College Zoology , was authored by Robert W. Hegner and was also published by Macmillan, with a third edition in 1932 and a fourth in 1936. Although I didn't attempt to track down details about Organic Chemistry , the presence of the other two books confirms that this photo dates to 1934 or later. See also the original photo and a cropped version .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of cowboys and/or cowgirls . In this photo dated "Jan. 70," a young boy is wearing a cowboy hat and holster as he rides "Marvel the Mustang," a Marx toy advertised as "The Real Galloping Horse" (see Marvel the Galloping Mustang on the Virtual Marx Museum for more information). Notice the TV set with rabbit-ears antenna on the left, the decorated Christmas tree behind the boy, and the boxes stacked on the chair on the right. The boxes include one for a Tonka toy car carrier and another for a "Reflection 3 Pc. Chip 'n' Dip Set." For a cowgirl with her toy horse, see Riding Toward the Sun: Dale Evans and Buttermilk .

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 television sets in the living room . Handwritten note on the other side of this photo: "George Vogt & Housekeeper, 1960." Printed on back: "This is a Kodakcolor Print made by Kodak, January 1960 - RC." The woman on the sofa is holding a glass in her hand, and there's a second glass on the tray that's on the coffee table. A small basket on the tray probably contained snacks of some sort. Wallpaper with a distinctive design surrounds the television in the corner. For some more TVs, see my album of Televisions .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of stores (interiors or exteriors) . In this snapshot taken in the interior of a grocery store, a man is holding a pack of Old Gold cigarettes in one hand and a whole box of the cigarette packs in his other hand. Perhaps he's posing as if he's going to refill the cigarette racks that are positioned above each of the six cash registers that are visible in the photo. Hanging from the ceiling above the man are fifteen "January Jubilee Sale" signs. After enlarging the photo and spending some time studying the signs, I was finally able to determine that the logo on them says, "Mohican Markets," which identifies the store as one of the more than 50 groceries established by Mohican Stores, Inc., in the first half of the twentieth century. The January 18, 1952, issue of the Troy Record (Troy, New York), p. 23, featured an advertisement for a "Mohican Jubilee Sale," which included "Home Style Layer Cakes. . . . Specially presented for our January Jubilee Sale!" A year later, the same paper ran a second Mohican "January Jubilee" ad (January 6, 1953, p. 10). Two years after that, the Bridgeport Telegram (Bridgeport, Connecticut), January 7, 1955, p. 11, ran an ad for a "January Jubilee" sale at a different Mohican Market. Although I couldn't determine the location of the Mohican Market in this picture, it seems likely that it was taken sometime in the 1950s, when the same sales event was taking place at other stores. See also Stores in Vintage Photos and Postcards .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of an arch . This is a real photo postcard that served as an invitation for a Sunday School Rally Service held at the First Reformed Church in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Among the various interesting details in the photo, note the pipe organ on the left and the arched alcove in the middle. A Rally Service or Rally Day is a special celebration held by some Protestant churches in September or October to promote family attendance at church services and encourage children's participation in Sunday school. Although the date—October 7—is incomplete, I was still able to use the other information on the postcard to determine the year that the Rally Service took place. Robert James Pilgrim, whose name is listed on the card, served as minister at the First Reformed Church from 1906 to 1911, according to The History of the Pittsburgh Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States (1920), by David B. Lady, p. 246. During those years, the only time that October 7 fell on a Sunday was in 1906, so Pilgrim must have held the Rally Service that year. For a similar photo of a church interior, see Where Shall I Spend Eternity? Sunday School Rally Service, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2 p.m. You are cordially invited and urged to be present. Robert J. Pilgrim, minister. Chas. T. Corman, superintendent. First Reformed Church, Carlisle, Pa.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of tricks and treats for Halloween . A young boy dressed in a clown or hobo Halloween costume holds the hand of a scarecrow as he poses for a picture. On the table behind him is a grinning jack-o'-lantern wearing a pointed hat. The same scarecrow decoration coincidently shows up in another photo. See Funny Easter Bunnies at Halloween, 1961 . The 1961 date on that photo suggests that this one dates to the late 1950s or early 1960s.

Twenty-four adults and one child posed for this real photo postcard, which was used as a New Year greeting. Handwritten message (at right): "Wishing you all a Happy New Year. Lovingly, Emma." Addressed on the other side to Mrs. John Kreisel, 17 Cherokee St., S. Bethlehem, Pa., and postmarked in Allentown, Pa., on Jan. 3, 1908. Compare this photo with New Year Gathering, Chicago, Illinois, 1912 .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of a favorite vintage portrait, formal or informal . This is a combination of two slides ( Pipe-Smoking Television Man and Birds at Home ) showing the opposite sides of a room in the 1950s home of a man I've called -- for lack of his real name -- "Pipe-Smoking Man" or "Yellow Socks Guy." These images were among the ones in several slide trays I bought at an antique mall a few years ago. They're some of my favorites for their bright and colorful depictions of mid-century people and furnishings. For more examples, see Pipe-Smoking Man in Front of the Fireplace and my album of Pipe-Smoking Man and His Family .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of tables . This is a larger picture mounted on cardboard. It shows the interior of an unidentified restaurant with tables, distinctive chairs, and a menu on each tabletop. Unfortunately, there's no indication of the restaurant's location or the date when the photo was taken. My attempts to decipher some of the clues in the photo -- the menus on the tables and a glimpse of street signs through the doorway -- haven't yielded any additional details about the restaurant's name or location.