Blackie at the Airport

I've been scrolling through pictures of biplanes, and have found a lot of images that are close, but none that I thought were close enough to write, without doubt, that this plane is whatever. Written on the back, "Blackie at airport."

Town and Country Palm Springs

I was interested in these two images because they were of Palm Springs from a time when it was still the getaway for the Hollywood crowd. The Town and Country Restaurant, part of the Town and Country Center that also housed The Desert Sun newspaper was designed by architects A. Quincy Jones and Paul R. Williams, one of the few prominent African American designers of the mid twentieth century. The Town and Country was designed in 1947, and built in 1948. Today, the Friends of the Town and Country Center http://www.friendsoftcc.com/ are trying to save the building from being bull dozed.

Ma Morgan's Sister

This one has to be from the twenties, or maybe the late teens. Cut out from a larger print and labeled "Ma Morgan's Sister."

Two Friends

No dates, no names, no printers mark, no location. From the fifties, I would think. As a former professional printer, I would have to say these prints could use a little less contrast.

Bonus Photos From Royaltone

When I Googled Royaltone Photo Service bonus photo, I brought up a self portrait by Andy Warhol, shot with a Kodak Instamatic. Makes sense, the original Instamatic, manufactured from 1963 to 1970, used a 126 film cartridge. The 126 format produced a square image, just like these. Of course, the original Instamatic sold in the millions, and 126 cartridges were made for years afterward, and may in fact, still be available. Take a close look at these photos. The woman in the black suit, on the green chaise lounge is sitting next to a chaise with a yellow towel, just like the one that the lady in the skimpy two piece is using. The same chaise used by the lady in black can be seen in the corner of the image of the lady in the yellow suit. All these photos were probably shot on the same day on the same roof, probably in the New York City area. It would be nice if these three pictures had been dated, but the styles, and the Instamatic connection, I'd say mid sixties to mid seventies.

The Munson Coronet Band

Before radio; before television, many small towns had bands that played in the local town square. These two images are albumen prints. Albumen prints were made by suspending photographic silver in egg whites, which were then used to coat the printing paper. Very likely these two photographs are contact prints made from glass negatives.

Tight Skirt

A nice pair of studio portraits of a woman wearing a tight skirt. Very likely from the forties or early fifties.