Swapatorium

Initiation

Verso reads: This was the last part of our initiation. We were all in our shorts & they turned the fire hose on us. Note the haircuts. Boy that is a piece of art.

Thinking of You

Real photo postcard found among a group of estate sale photos, circa 1910s.

The Back Row

I found these four school photos in an album from an estate sale. They were taken in Independence, Kansas. The African American children were placed in the back row on all four shots. I love the final photo where the foursome pose in a most charming manner. They might have been stuck in the back, but they took center stage on that one.

Dress Me Up

These three items came from a Victorian album that was falling apart.  Most of the cdvs, tintypes, and cabinet cards were from Parkersburg, W. VA which included some civil war items.  How these three relate to the rest will remain a mystery.  I just found them interesting on their own.  The cabinet card strikes me as curious because it looks like a man to me.  I just think the hair is awfully short, the pearl choker could be hiding an adam's apple, and the chest seems flat.  The arm on the left has what appears to be stretch marks or a birth mark.  I thought at first it was a photographic error, but the marks are perfectly contained around the arm.  Perhaps a male actor or is she just a large woman?  The verso, in pencil, reads, 1886 - Miss Grace.   What do you think?  Man or woman?

A Photo

If interested, take a look at the start of my new album of vintage photos, Gimme an A.  I have been collecting people wearing letters on their clothing for several years.  I would love to one day spell out SNAPATORIUM, although my ultimate goal is to get the whole alphabet which I imagine will be difficult.   I also collect numbers which I will post in the near future.

Nice Girls

We hope you don't believe it.
Jo and Pat

The Grocer

Photo and business cards found in a photo album purchased at an estate sale.

Discarded Memories #3

CONTENTS OF GREEN BOX:

1 calling card
1 cdv of a lady
1 handkerchief with fringe
1 broken celluloid fan
1 gold compact
1 glass bead necklace
1 chocker with engraved silver initials
1 cuff bracelet

The Redhead

 

I have a collection of hand colored photos.  Some of them have details written on the back like color of hair, eyes,clothing, etc.

This photo (found in this lot) was in an envelope and included was this card which not only has a description of the colors, but an actual lock of the lady's hair for an exact match. I have some hand colored photos of my grandparents and even though the different poses were shot the same day (wearing the same clothing), the colors are different in each one. I guess the colorist was not as detail oriented as this one.

Hop to It

Souvenir photo, circa 1940s.

  Bus ticket, 1945.

  Souvenir photo, circa 1960s.

Scooby Snacks

Clean - Dirty

Aluminum soap container, circa 1930s.

  Snapshot, circa 1930s.

It's a Miracle

Check out the start of my new album, FAITH.

King of the Wild Frontier

Davy Crockett wallet for Disney, 1955.
   

Strange Days Indeed

The winner of Caption Contest #2 is JERRY. Please email me with your address so I can ship off your photo. Thanks to everyone who entered!

In other news, John bought me a new camera which I am hoping will get me out of the house and shooting again.  I opened a new Flickr account to add the extra photos which will include house shots, thrift store interiors, collections, and just general junk.  I invite you all over to take a peek. 

It Was This Big

Polaroid Land photo, 1972.

    Vintage Wicker Fish Purse
Estate sale find, $1.
    Souvenir photo, circa 1930s-40s.

    Oil Painting by Beckendorf

  Trick photo, circa 1920s-30s.

Crime & Punishment

Mugshot, 1924.
Purchased from a retired policeman's collection. 


  Fingerprint ink with box, date unknown. Purchased at a flea market table for $1.


 

Punishment Book, Auburn Prison, New York, 1840s-1880s.

Purchased from a rare books dealer.  This is a fascinating and chilling account of the punishments that were given to prisoners in the 19th century at Auburn Prison.  It was not cheap, but considering its historical significance, it was well worth the price we paid.  It's quite large and fragile and not easy to scan.  If I can figure out a way to get a good shot of the whole page, I'll post more in the future.

Caption Contest #2

Best caption/story wins this photo. Leave your entry in the comments. Deadline is next Wednesday, June 4, 2008.

U.S.S. Michigan

Carved wooden frame with photo of soldier.  I'm not sure of the connection between the USS Michigan and Shanghai.  Any military buffs have a clue?

Belly Dancer

Preserved for Posterity

The Wedding Gown of Mrs. Van Lloyd... Preserved for Posterity by Heirloom Process.





Your Heirloomed gown prior to sealing, July 1954.

Interior booklet reads: You may rest secure in the knowledge that your wedding gown will be perfectly preserved until the sealed container is opened; whether it be twenty-five, fifty or one hundred years from the time it was Heirloomed. It will be as fresh and dainty as the day you were a bride...

Light-Handed

Verso reads: This is Frances Hinds, Peck she would make you a dandy girl, only she is kind of little for your size. Real photo postcard, circa 1910s.

Education

I thought this was a church scene until I got it home and enlarged the text on the blackboard which reads, ROGERS ADULT SCHOOL, J. W. Wesley, Teacher.  Possibly Galveston, Texas.  Found over the weekend at an antique shop, paid $1.

The Clash

Color photo, circa 1970s.

Abstract

Real photo postcard, circa 1910s.

Siamese Twins

This photo is from one of my albums. It's a fascinating look at the Essex Sanatorium, Middleton, Mass., from 1931-36. This particular image was part of an event called the Horrible Parade which appears to be some sort of costume party held each year. Some of the costumes are extraordinary. There are also photos of doctors, nurses, patients, etc. I plan to scan the whole album for Swapatorium in the near future.

Cut from the Same Cloth

This is my favorite hidden mother photo that I own. It's so surreal. I found it at an antique shop for $2.

A Boy and His Polaroid

Check out a set of Polaroid photos shot by Bill, a boy in the 1970s. They were all in an old sticky back album. Lots of shots of his pet hamster, Kurious. There are a few photos of him too. One of his parents probably shot those or a sibling. The handwriting is neat on the first shots, so I think his mother must have started the album. Later, you can tell the captions were written by a kid.

Colorful Additions

Take a look at the start of my new album, Color My World.

Tijuana 1947

Drawing and photos from a sailor's photo album.

Indian Burial Pit

I have not had time to look up this site. I just found this real photo postcard in one of the photo lots we purchased last week. Who are these people and why are they excavating Indian bones? The adults might be archeologists, but the kid?  I need to Google when I get the chance.

Board Stiff

Mud Wrestlers

Here are the lovely ladies of mud wrestling. Based on the hairdos, I'd say it was the 1970s or early 80s.

They all look mild, except for The Cat Woman. She scares the bejesus out of me! I think she smothers her opponents with her chest.

Shotgun Wedding

I found this photo about a month ago at a flea market. It's a fun addition to my head prop collection. An added bonus is the awesome stamp on the back.

Portrait

Some snapshots are just perfect in my eyes. This is one of them. It came from this lot.

The Artist

The photograph studios of today seem so boring compared to some of the images I have from long ago which were so creative with their shots. If I was able to be photographed in a similiar studio setting, I would do mine as a collagist, perhaps with a giant pair of scissors like the big McClean's palette, and scraps of paper all over the floor. I might even be wearing a paper dress. What would your occupational photo look like?

A Message From Elisabeth

We hope you tell in America that in Bavarian is too right people, which hopes that America brings to us the rule peace.

Photo found among large lot of photos purchased on Sunday that belonged to a soldier who fought in WW2 and was discharged when he was shot by enemy fire. There is a transcript of a radio show and some newspaper clippings that tell about his experience in the war.  I'll try to post that soon.

Daddy's Got a Squeezebox

I bought this photo for my medical collection. I can't tell if he has a body cast, but he is definitely in some sort of wheel chair/bed. I also can't tell what the tray on his lap is holding. It appears to be pamphlets. I wonder if he was part of an act?

Hanky Panky

"Yours truly" taken out in our drive way under the pepper-tree.

Aug. 1943 -

I had been entertaining my "Button Club" with a Handkerchief Exhibit (indoors). One of the ladies insisted on taking my picture with some of the hankies. I had a time holding them -

Sort It Out

I sat at our dining table today going through piles of photographs. There are a bunch of albums and loose photos that are stored in the dining room built-in cabinets and bookcases. This is where I kept them before converting our guest bedroom into a photo room. Rather than schlep them down a flight of stairs, I utilized the dining table for my task. Sorting is a long process because I record where I bought the items in my notebook, as well as the price and any background notes. I then tag the photos with a number/letter that corresponds with the entry. Just as I got half way through, John returns from the preview of an estate sale. What did he find? You got it, more photos.

Getting a New Ride

Sorry that I have neglected to post much recently, but John and I have been hunting for a new car for me.  So what did I finally end up buying? A 2008 Prius. It's the exact color shown in the link. I love everything about it, especially the gas milage.

Faves Update

A few additions in the Faves album.

Photo Finish

Photomontage, circa 1950s.

24 but Looks 30

Friendship

I found this large format negative in a box of photos from an estate sale. My scanner does not scan large images, so I had to do a little Photoshop hocus pocus to get it to work. 

Me, Me, Me

My favorite is of her tiny cut out head in the bottom right corner.  Loose page from a photo album, circa 1920s.

Heart and Sole

Verso reads: My father at machine & his helper on the right in his shoe shop on Clark St. & Balmoral St., Chicago, Ill.

Win with Willkie

Humiliation

Ormond & Leon, Rotan, Texas 1911.

Coke Habit