Prom Queen and Graduate

Three photos of Miss Candy Fickes, very likely from Cloverdale, California. The photo of Candy in her prom gown is labeled, "Candy Fikes, first formal." The two graduation pictures not only have Candys' name written on the back but a photographers stamp, "PHOTO BY C. FRANK TILESTON, Jr. CLOVERDALE, CALIFORNIA." I tried running Candy Fikes on Google and didn't come up with anything. C. Frank Tileston, however, came up with a death notice and dates, March 25, 1918 to December 7, 2002. If these photos were taken in the sixties, that means Tileston would have been in his forties or fifties when taken. I also found a notation of a Chester Tileston, a student at Cloverdale High from 1961-65.

Wendy Summers, Stripper by Gene Laverne

Technically this is not a photograph, but a halftone. A halftone is an image made by a series of dots, varying in either size or distance from each other to create the illusion of an image. I used to make halftone negatives at the photo lab where I worked, all the time. They were used primarily for newspaper advertisements. Gene Laverne was a photographer from Buffalo, New York who specialized in glamour, and theatrical photography, was well known for his portraits of strippers. This image is captioned, "WENDY SUMMERS, BALTIMORE" I did a web search for Wendy Summers, and couldn't find anything about this lady.

The Lighthouse

This is one of the strangest images I have in my collection, not because of the image itself, but because it's a transparency made on a very thin film. I think, but I'm far from sure, that this is a contact made from a negative.

Modesto

An estate collection bought from a dealer in Modesto, California. Usually when I buy one of these small collections it's one or two of the photos that I'm really interested in. The images that really grabbed me are of the old photo booth strip, clearly the oldest of the lot, the woman on the ships gang plank, and the picture of the young lady getting her pants mended while across the lap of the seamstress. Only some of these photographs are labeled in any way. The school children, some standing, some sitting, "Roosevelt Jr. High Librarians." Because of the age, I'm guessing that the Roosevelt referenced is Theodore, not Franklin. One of the sailors has either "Dale," most likely or the rather impersonal, "Date" written on the front of the photo. The woman and the baby in the small wheel barrow, "Betty, Mother" The small boat, most likely taken in San Fransisco Bay, has "Waperry" stamped on the border, part of which can be seen in the scan. The young lady on the gang plank, "October 3-'31 Faye Maple." The small child sitting on the mule, "Larry & Grandpa Scott." And the three children, the little boy in the middle flanked by the two small girls, "Aug. 15-1932, Elaine, Raymond Maple, Betty."

Affectionate Women at the Lake

Again, probably from the twenties. Note the hat and purse in the lower right corner of the image.

Class Photos

I would have scanned in every photo separately if it had been possible to get the small head shots out of the mounts. Look closely at the class picture. Why do some of the students have an "X" on their faces?

Boring Babies

By and large, I don't collect photographs of babies. The fact is, from generation to generation, things don't change all that much with baby portraits. I can't remember where I got these photos, so I've had them fro a long time. Both came in folders. The one where I've shown the folder has stamped on the inside margin, "Gilbert's, PITTSBURG" No, it's not a misspelling, Pittsburgh was spelled without the "H" for awhile. The photo with the kid in winter clothes has printed on the inside cover, "THE NORTHLAND STUDIOS, CHICAGO, DETROIT, CLEVELAND, PITTSBURGH, CINCINNATI, TOLEDO, INDIANAPOLIS"

Over the Shoulder

What a great picture. From the twenties, I would think.

American Suburbia 1959

Stamped on the back, "THIS IS A KODACOLOR PRINT Made by KODAK APRIL 1959-RF." I don't have anywhere enough color photos on this blog, but this one is one of the best. There is even a very good chance that this lady is still alive, and if she sees her photo, I hope she leaves a comment.

AEF Band

With the French poster on the wall, and the Carte Postale mark on the back of this photo postcard, It's a very good bet that this is a picture of an AEF military band from World War 1. AEF stands for American Expeditionary Force.

From Germany

A very small collection of five photographs from Germany. The photo of the two older people is labeled, "Augusta & Gustav Meyer, Germany 1943." Stamped, "C. Weiss, Bremen, Bruckenstr. 16, Fernrui 53283." Look closely at the woman's face and compare it with the woman in the family portrait with the uniformed soldier and child. Same shape and nose. There is no writting on the back of the print, but it is a photo post card, made for the personal use of the subjects, and the studio is identified, "Photo-Studio, Inh. Jul V. Kwanka, Hamburg, Reeperbahn 122/24 Ecke Talsstr." The picture of the house has, written on the back, "Home of Emma Schonewald, Wedel Germany." Labeled in English, but the lab stamp is in German, "Photo-Grote A1625 Wedel Muhlenstr." The other prints have some writing, but it's in German, either faded or smeared, and I can't really make it out. These photos run from World War 1 to World War 2. Where the people in these photos proud of Germany, the Kaiser and Hitler?

Horse and Buggy

In a folder marked, "Fasnacht Studio, 409 MARKET ST. HARRISBURG, PA."

Kitty Davis Night Club of the Air

Sometimes it's possible to dig up quite a bit of info on these old souvenir photo folders, and if I had been willing to pay to browse Google's large collection of old newspapers, I could write pages of info on Kitty Davis. Without bankrupting myself, this is what I've been able to put together. Kitty Davis and her husband, Daniel ran a nightclub in Chicago which was closed down by the police in the early 1940's. It was advertised as having waitresses who were refined college students. It seems they were neither refined or students and the activities of the wait staff had something to do with the closure. The most logical explanation would be a soliciting beef. Kitty and Daniel relocated to Miami Beach and ran a very popular club during the war years. Despite what the folder cover implies, the club was not in a plane, but did have an aviation theme with lots of propellers on the walls. I know that Davis continued to operate her club into the late forties, but free info dies out for me about then. Printed on the back cover, "For Extra Copies Write to PUBLICITY DEPT. OF ABBEY-STARR 1108 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach Fla. Ask for No. 3707." Written on the inside cover is the date, 5-6-44" Sadly, the sailors and their lady friend aren't identified.

A Woman in a Swimsuit

Looks like a two piece, so I'm guessing no earlier than the early fifties.

The Police

I bought this picture from a dealer in Oakland, California, so if the image isn't of the Oakland, PD, it's probably from the bay area. The woman are smiling and not cuffed, so they aren't the criminals.

Edgewater Beach Hotel, Chicago

The Edgewater Hotel opened in 1916. It was designed by the firm of Marshall and Fox, and was owned by John Tobin Connery and James Patrick Connery. The Edgewater had a private beach on Lake Michigan with its own seaplane service. Cut off from the beach when Lakeshore Drive was extended from Foster Ave. to Bryn Mawr Ave. it quickly lost business and closed in 1967. It was torn down soon after. The Edgewater and the Marine Dining Room was a major venue for the big bands of the thirties and forties. The Edgewater had its own radio station, WEBH. Popular with movie stars, it was also the hotel used by Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower on Presidential visits to Chicago. Stamped on the back cover, "NO. 2136." Written on the inside cover, "With love, Bernice." This is the only souvenir folder I have in the collection that is large enough for an 8x10 print.

Astrid Paulson

A nice old studio portrait. Embossed on the lower right corner, "MORRISON CHICAGO PHOTO" Written on the back, "Astrid Paulson."