Vintage Color Photos

Because it just doesn't look right sitting there on top of it. -------- Thanks to Angelica's sharp eye (see her comment below), I've confirmed that the image on the television shows the first moonwalk in July 1969. For more info, see Live Coverage of the Moonwalk! (below).

Or at least it was live back on July 20 and 21, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first astronauts to walk on the moon. The TV screen on the left (above) is an enlargement from a photo ( Don't Give Your Television the Boot --see below) that initially attracted my attention because of the distinctive boot-shaped vase that was on top of it. I couldn't determine what was on the screen, however, and didn't give it a second thought. Thankfully, though, when I posted the original photo, Angelica Paez noticed the date printed on the photo (August 1969, reflecting when the photo was developed) and suggested that those might be astronauts walking across the screen. After searching on YouTube, I located a video, CBS News Coverage of Apollo 11 - Moon Walk 06 , which shows the scene on the right (above) at 6 minutes and 57 seconds. Although the image on the left is faint, the white areas where sunlight is striking the lunar lander, flag, and astronaut seem to match up nicely with the corresponding parts of the image on the right. I'd like to thank Angelica for spotting this!

A television photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. For another interesting television photo, see Don't Give Your Televison the Boot . A Kodachrome slide dated August 1962. If you look closely, you can see the reflections of the photographer and his camera on the TV screen (mouse over the photo above for an enlarged view of the reflected image ). The photographer appears to be kneeling or sitting in front of the television in order to take a photo of what may have been his brand new TV set. The bright flash from the camera stands out at the top of the reflected image, the photographer's illuminated fingers are visible at both sides of the camera, and his disembodied pant legs (from the knees down) eerily appear by themselves at the bottom of the TV screen.

Detail from Reflections on a RCA Victor Super Color Television, 1962 , showing the TV screen with its reflected image of the photographer and his camera. The photographer appears to be kneeling or sitting in front of the television in order to take a photo of what may have been his brand new TV set. The bright flash from the camera stands out at the top of the reflected image, the photographer's illuminated fingers are visible at both sides of the camera, and his disembodied pant legs (from the knees down) eerily appear by themselves at the bottom of the TV screen.

A 1970s photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Two couples pose for a photo before boarding their tour bus sometime in 1971 (although the processing date printed on the photo is "Jan. 1972," the bus trip probably took place sometime during the previous year). Some of the background details (mouse over the image above for a close-up view of the motel sign and maple leaf flags ) identify the setting as the parking lot of a Flying Dutchman Motel located somewhere in Canada. The sign also reveals that the travelers may have been able to "Enjoy a cold one in our Anchor R[oo]m Lounge" during their stay at the motel. Although not as groovy or patriotic as the seventies hippie or U.S. Bicentennial photos I had hoped to find when I looked through my collection for this week's theme, this image nonetheless provides a peek back at some of the clothing, vehicles, and signage of the time.

Although this detail from Departing by Bus from the Flying Dutchman Motel, 1971 makes it obvious that the photo is somewhat out of focus, it's interesting to note the Flying Dutchman Motel sign ("Enjoy a cold one in our Anchor R[oo]m Lounge") and the Canadian maple leaf flags.

The woman here is pretending to shiver in the cold as she stands next to the North Pole and igloo at Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire, during the summer of 1969. This is one of a number of vacation photos I purchased recently (in 2013). For another example from this set, see Home of 1000 Animals, Lake Placid, N.Y., 1969 . For another Christmas theme park with its own North Pole, see Santa's Workshop, North Pole, New York .

"Home of 1000 Animals" was a tourist attraction that was part of the Sterling Alaska Fur and Game Farms, with locations in Lake Placid (as seen here) and Ausable Chasm, New York. According to the sign, there was "No Place on Earth Like This," and many tourists--like the ones here in the car pulling into the parking space--were undoubtedly trapped into stopping. Among the thousand animals inside were St. Nick's Animals , a Santa-themed section where visitors could feed goats, deer, and other animals. This is one of a number of vacation photos I purchased recently (in 2013). For another example from this set, see Shivering at the North Pole, Santa's Village, Jefferson, N.H., 1969 .

This woman posed with Amish husband-and-wife figures at Dutch Wonderland , an amusement park located in the "Amish Country" tourist area in eastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. For additional vintage photos of this amusement park, see the View-Master World blog, which features a Dutch Wonderland (A634) set of View-Master images (scroll down to "Scene 09, Dutch Farm House" to see this same Amish couple from a different angle). See also Visit Dutch Wonderland, Lancaster, Pa.

Mouse over the image above or select the thumbnail image below to see a close-up of the woman and the sign above the doorway.

Select the thumbnail image below to see the full photo.

An at the wedding (but not the bride or groom) photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Printed on the back of this photo: "Kodacolor Print, Sept. 68" (at least I think it's 1968--the date is a little smudged).

A 1970s photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. In the original scan of this photo, the Pennsylvania license plate on the back of the truck looks like it has a "74" or "75" sticker in one corner, so I'm reasonably sure that it dates to the 1970s.

A couple dressed for a prom or dance in the 1960s. The same sofa and wall decorations appear in a photo of a Boy Scout who's probably the brother of one or the other.

An example of color photos or slides for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A Boy Scout gives a three-finger salute while wearing his uniform as he poses for a photo in a living room with distinctive furniture and decor dating to the 1960s. The same sofa and wall decorations appear in a pre-prom photo , and the same boy appears with his sister in a Christmas photo .

Young girls carrying flags during a parade for the Fourth of July or some other patriotic occasion. Date and place unknown.