The German American Collection, Althea Hope Risebake

Written on the back of the school photo in a childish hand, "Althea Hope Risebake" Stamped, "SCHOOL PROJECTS PHOTO CO. 309 MAIN ST. ORANGE, N.J. Tel. OR. 5-5286 Res. OR. 5-5622."

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The problem I'm having with the German American collection (Click on German American in the labels section to get more information and more images.) is that it's so broken up it's almost impossible to build a real narrative of this family. What I do know is that a German family immigrated to the United States and made a life in New York and New Jersey. These two pieces both have education as a theme, but they don't come from the same time or place. Was the District Number 13 souvenir tag from the Andes, New York School District given to the child of a German immigrant, and a parent of Althea Hope Risebake, or was it given to someone born and raised in the U.S. who would eventually marry into that immigrant family? Was Althea born in Germany, struggling to learn English along with her math and geography, while her American born class mates made fun of her accent? Of course, when this picture was taken, an accent may have been common in this school. While it's frustrating not to know, it also allows for a freedom of speculation that makes collecting old photos endlessly fascinating. .

Three Bears Number 500

Here's my dilemma. I love to hit the road. When I have the money, I don't have the time. When I have the time, I don't have the money. Back in the old days when I was still working at the photo lab, I had to squeeze everything into a three week vacation. Every three of four years, I would go to the Olympic peninsula in Washington state to go backpacking. I'd leave Los Angeles right after work, drive as far north as I could and sleep along side the interstate. At Portland, after a stop at Powell's Books (Book lovers should go to their website.), I'd drive out to Astoria on the Pacific coast and then drive to Olympic National Park. I've been there at least a dozen times, and every trip it either rained or snowed. I loved it. And then a ferry trip to Victoria, across the sound, a stop at Seattle. Minor league baseball on the way home. What else could I ask for?

On the back of the picture of the lady with the ocean in the background, "At Mora on Pacific Ocean, Sept 6, 1927." The sea stacks, "Rocks & Breakers at Mora, Sept. 1927." and the lady with the two bears, a bit of humor, "Three Bears near Forks, Wash. Sept. 1927." In 1927 it was still Mt. Olympus National Monument, created by Theodore Roosevelt in 1909. His relative, President Franklin Roosevelt, in 1938, signed legislation making it Olympic National Park.

This is my 500th post. Believe me, I had no idea it would go on this long.

Brownies, and Not the Kind You Eat

When I was in grade school, I was expelled from the Cub Scouts for being an atheist. After a meeting with the scout master and a local minister, it was determined that I was a bad influence on my fellow ten year olds and should be separated from the pack before I contaminated them with my heretical ways. I wonder if all these young girls turned out to be the type of citizen that scouting hopes to create, or...Do we have a future member of the Weather Underground in this photo? It's dated "2/20/57" so they're the right age to have grown up to be student radicals. Future members of a commune? Drug or alcohol problems? Lesbian? In 1957 scouting would have been looking to make good, future moms and housewives, so maybe CEO, or member of Congress? Who knows?

Camp Grant

"Social "Mixer"-Service Club, Camp Grant, Ill. Dancing at the Camp Grant Service Club is enjoyed by every soldier. All types of entertainment are to be had here; include books, concerts, amateur shows, radio broadcasts, and impromptu gatherings. The Service Club houses one of the most modern cafeterias in the middle west, and offers a haven for the army man who wants "something to do" or merely wants to sit down and write a letter to the folks back home." Addressed to "Mr. Thomas Schiller, 1201 Meridian, Granite City, Ill." The message, "Dear Tom, Boy is it dead around. I sure miss home and that Good old Beer. Otherwise camp is swell. I think I am going to like the army. your Pal Ralph." Postmarked "2 ROCKFORD, ILL AUG 28 12:30 PM 1943." During World War 2, military personnel had hand franking privileges that allowed them to use the mails for free. The post office put a cancellation, an ad for war bonds, that partly obscures the soldiers name, and it's a shame because I can make out a last name with over twenty letters. This is what I can make out, "Pvt. Ralph Pasyustd (and then rest is obscured.) Co. E Bx T160 SU. U.S. Army, Camp Grant, Ill." Poor Ralph, he's bored, misses home and his favorite beer. But still, he thinks he's going to like the army. Well, it's not like he had much of a choice. In World War 2, once in the military, you were in for the duration.
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About Camp Grant. It was built on land outside Rockford, Illinois in 1917, and was decommissioned in 1921. It was used by the Illinois National Guard from 1924-35, and housed CCC workers from 1934-35. It was reopened in 1940 when the peace time draft came in, and closed after the war in 1945. Today, the site of Camp Grant is now the Chicago Rockford International Airport. From Sept. 23 to Oct. 1, 1918, over 1,000 soldiers died in the great flu pandemic that swept the world. For more info on Camp Grant, go to http://www.campgrant.org/

The Pre-Steroid Era

I bet he was working on his tan. I was a comic book addict as a kid, and in the back of all the Spider Man, Fantastic Four and X-Men comics there were these ads for Charles Atlas. Atlas claimed that he was a skinny, bullied kid who took up weight lifting and the bullies left him alone after he muscled up, and for just pennies a month he could teach us all his secrets. Too, he got all the girls. Just like Arnold, and look where that got him.

Making the Unnatural Look Natural

Isn't that what photography is about? Black & white, static poses, selective focus, glossy surfaces. Making something unnatural represent the real world in a way that people see as real life. No one has skin tones like the lady in this photo, but a good colorist can make his subject seem, not just beautiful but warm and inviting. Written on the back, "mail with bell."

James Joyce Did Not Invent the Stream of Consciousness

So why am I posting this faded, poorly exposed, barely recognizable postcard? Some times it's the message on the back that counts. "Dear Minnie thank you so much for your nice card i was surprise to hear that Jamie was married I hope she wil be very happy married give my love to the children and donel I do hop you are all well a very happy Easter aunt Jane is much the sam as usual Minnie her eldest doghter is home for a holliday I hope she will come here to spend easter with my your loving aunt G Brown 13 willowood Park" Not a single bit of punctuation, and I think because it was written so fast, irregular spelling and capitalization. James Joyce would be envious.