19th Century Prosperity

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This picture of a prosperous couple, middle or upper middle class, was taken sometime from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. Perhaps a professional person, broker or business owner. Typically a couple like this would have had live-in servants, at least a cook, maid and housekeeper. In their younger days, a governess for any children. Probably horses and at least one carriage. If this image was taken in the twentieth century, possibly a car. Their house would have been large and have well maintained gardens. His suits would have been hand tailored, and she would employ a dress maker. He would most likely have been a member of a club which would bar women. Because marriages were for life, and divorce was a scandal, the man may have kept a mistress, and his wife, with no other options in life, would have accepted it as normal.

First Grade

Dates written on the back of pictures can be wrong. Often those dates are when the print was made rather than when the negative was exposed. I think we can be pretty certain of the 1936 date written on the small slate, though. North Versailles Township is about 12 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, PA in Allegheny County. And for those not from western, Pennsylvania, we pronounce it Ver-sales.

Old Soldiers Home

Published by Underwood, & Underwood one of the largest publishers of stereoview cards in the United States. (Click on stereoview in the labels section for more information on the history of the stereoview.) The caption reads, "Old Soldiers at Dinner-dinning room capacity 2,000-Soldier's Home, Dayton, Ohio. Copyright 1902 by Underwood & Underwood." A quick glance at the image and it's clear that many of the men in this photo were veterans of the Civil War. After the war, the first fraternal organization to deal with veteran's rights, The Grand Army of the Republic was formed. It was through their efforts that many of the veteran's homes in the United States were built. The GAR was dissolved in 1956 when Albert Woolson, the last veteran of the Civil War died. 1956 was the year after the year I was born.

R. Becker The Tailor

R. Becker the tailor, Dr. Ward the dentist and an American Telephone & Telegraph Co. sign hanging on the door frame. Also known as Bell Telephone, we know this picture can't be older than 1877, the year Bell Tel. went into business.

The Barstow Album Page

I found this album page in Barstow, a small town in the high Mojave Desert of California. The mystery is how it came to be in Barstow. There are no trees or babbling brooks in the desert. (See my hiking and cycling blog, www.selfpropelled-wjy.blogspot.com for snapshots of the Mojave.) Barstow was on the old National Trails Highway, latter designated Route 66#, the most important road from the mid-west to Santa Monica, the Pacific Ocean and Southern California. From it's days as a dirt road, through the roaring twenties, the dust bowl era of the great depression, to the boom years of World War 2, and the post war era, the majority of those making the move to Los Angeles went through Barstow. This page could have been from an album once owned by a migrant from Arkansas or Missouri who took a job at the Santa Fe Railroad yards in Barstow. Or maybe someone from the high desert had to get out of the heat for awhile and they vacationed where there were green trees and cool shade.

No Stone Wall

I just couldn't do it. As regular visiters to The New Found Photography know, I don't like to edit collections that I buy. On Jan. 7 I put up a collection titled, "Stone Wall." There was one photo in the collection not in front of a stone wall, so I thought I would just ignore it and stuff it in the loose photo box. But I couldn't do it, so this faded picture of a man holding his child gets it's own post.

Three By John W. Wilson

While I have a preference for old snapshots, it's nice to pick up some professionally done photos for the collection from time to time. Stamped on the back of each, "AUG 10 1949 PHOTO BY JOHN W. WILSON L.A. Times Staff Photographer" Fashion, society, or something from the movie community? If anyone out there recognizes either of these people, please leave a comment.