Sepia Saturday #257 - Children Sitting on Steps - Century Old Photo Op

It's Sunday, but here is my Sepia Saturday entry for the theme based on the father, son and dog on the front porch steps.  I'm late getting this in, but this week at work some kind person shared their germs and I've been down and out with a terrible cold.  I just crawled out of my bed to publish this post so I'll keep it short and sweet.

This first photograph is a copy of the original and was poorly developed so I tried to darken it up a little to make it easier to view.  It shows three little boys and one girl sitting on the front porch steps of a Victorian style house.  None of these children are identified.  I am estimating this was taken in the 1890's.  I wish I could narrow down the time frame, but I am not good at dating children's clothing.

This second photograph again shows four unidentified children, and I am guessing two girls and two boys sitting on the front porch steps.  They are all dressed in white, but the two on the right have on black shoes and the two on the left have on white.  Note, the little girl second from the left is holding her dolly.  I believe this to have been taken between 1910- 1920.

Well, that's all for me.  To see more fabulous photographs step on over to Sepia Saturday!

Sepia Saturday #256 - Fun Festivals and Fabulous Feathers

Possible themes for this week's Sepia Saturday include festivals, floats, feathers and fair maidens. Hmmm.  Well, after much consideration I think I can do the festivals and feathers.  I have lots of fair maidens but will save those for another day.

This first photo is a photo postcard of the downtown square of my hometown Mount Vernon, Illinois dated between 1904 and 1910.  I have no idea what the celebration was about and had quite a discussion on a Facebook group I belong to with fellow Mt. Vernon history buffs and no one came up with a definitive answer.  The women in white appear to belong to some organization, possibly like the Salvation Army and note the child in the middle carrying the American flag.  

One thing I love about this photo is that Mt. Vernon's main streets all used to be paved in brick, but with modernization those have sadly been paved over.  (Click on photos to enlarge).

Mt. Vernon, IL Square 1904 - 1910

This second photo postcard is Trenton, New Jersey from the same time period and depicts the 1909 Inter-State Fair.  Trenton is the birthplace of my husband's father and of many of his ancestors which is what drew me to it.

Trenton, NJ Inter-State Fair 1909

Well, that covers the festivals.....now for the feathers.  Two of my favorite birds are flamingos and peacocks and I just happen to have old Florida postcards of both.  The first one is of the famous flamingos of the Hialeah Park and Racing Casino.  This is a linen postcard ca. 1930's.  The flamingos were introduced into the park in 1934 from Cuba to inhabit the infield lake and have since become an iconic Florida image.  This particular postcard shows a breeding flock of flamingos with nests and five eggs.  

I myself have taken hundreds of photographs of them at Flamingo Gardens in Davie, FL including this one and never tire of looking at them.  Such beautiful birds!

And finally the majestic Peacock!  Another linen postcard from the 1930's or 40's from the Parrot Jungle in Miami, Florida.

I also photographed this beautiful peacock at Flamingo Gardens.  I chased the poor things all over the park in fact, trying to get one to open his tail feather to no avail.  I learned later that only the males open their plumes and only twice a year during mating rituals.  Just my luck!

Well, that's my entry for this week.  I urge every one to fly over to Sepia Saturday and check out all the wonderful photo's and stories.  You won't be disappointed!

Sepia Saturday - Turn of the Century Woman in Silhouette (Edwardian Era)

This past week I made my reentry into publishing blog entries after nearly a year and a half away.  It felt like meeting up with an old friend, one you haven’t seen in a long time, but fall right back into where you left off.  Today I return to another old friend, Sepia Saturday, who I have also greatly missed, and the wonderful people who post each week.

This week the subject is based around making silhouettes.  I had the perfect photos in mind, but of course, cannot find them.  A year ago my computer crashed (part of the reason I've been away so long) and when my son was helping purchase and set up my new equipment he insisted on putting all my carefully cataloged photos on an external hard drive while saying, “Mother, who keeps 40,000 photos on her C drive?”  Well, me of course.  The photos are now jumbled in a giant mess and I have neither the energy nor the expertise to efficiently organize them.

I finally decided on this photo of a very interesting "turn of the century" young woman in silhouette pose.  She is wearing a high-necked white blouse quite typical for the time and I love the poofy, flowery bow in her hair.  What really drew me to purchase this photograph was her spectacles – they help make her face so interesting.

The photographer was Elmer M. Enlow born in Lee Township, Athens County, Ohio on September 17, 1867 according to Jeffrey Weidman in his book, Artists in Ohio, 1787 - 1900:  A Biographical Dictionary.  According to Weidman, Enlow bought his studio from John C. Brannan in 1898 and was still active as of 1905.

I urge all my readers to click this link, Sepia Saturday, for more great photos and fascinating stories.

Sepia Saturday # 180 - World War I Era Nurses

My posts have been rather sporadic lately mainly due to the health of my husband who has needed all my extra attention because of severe back pain.  He has been unable to work for over six weeks and has been advised he needs back surgery.  Unfortunately for him, nursing is not one of my better qualities, but I have tried to do my best to attend to him. To top it off this past week my company instituted corporate cuts and I find myself unemployed and could use a little TLC.  When I saw the prompt for this week's Sepia Saturday the nurse in the photograph reminded me of a photograph that I have that fits the bill so I drug it out of my collection today for your review.  

This photo shows what I believe to be six World War I era nurses.  They are identified on the back as: (1) Mrs. Hugh Gilbert, (2) Mrs. I. Haines Dickinson, (3) Mrs. Geo. W. Heusel Jr. (4) unknown, (5) Miss Helen Heusel and (6) Mrs. A. S. Harkness.  The last woman I believe is possibly related to a woman I mentioned in an earlier post, Mary Fairlamb Harkness of Pennsylvania.  The location is unknown, but my guess that these nurses served stateside.

Click here to visit Sepia Saturday for more great photos!

Sepia Saturday #177 - Children on Fences, Columns, Rocks & Other Photographer's Props

I have a lot of wonderful old children's photographs and for some reason rarely post child photos so when I saw the theme prompt for this week's Sepia Saturday I decided to share some of my favorites.  Here are just a few:

This first photo (CDV) is a very young, unidentified Trenton, NJ girl taken between 1864 and 1866 as evidenced by the revenue stamp on the back.  Such a little sweetheart and look at her darling dress.  The photographer was Aller & Brown of Trenton.  This little miss is posing on the photographer's fake balustrade railing.

This next photo (cabinet card) features five young Michigan siblings and their dog posed next to a faux fence and pile of hay.  The photographer was Dave Bradbeer of Charlevoix, Michigan.  This photograph was most likely taken in the late 1880's.

 

Next up is a cabinet card featuring an 1890's boy wearing Little Lord Fauntleroy attire holding the obligatory whip.  This was a very popular costume for boys to wear for their photographs in the 1890's.  This particular young boy was posed by photographer Strunk of Reading, PA seated on a large "rock."

 

This young girl from Trenton, NJ is quite a picture in plaid posed next to a "stone column" and behind an "iron gate."  I've posted  this cabinet card before, but I think she deserves another mention - just love her entire outfit.  The photographer was J. E. North of 31 Centre St.  This photo is also from the 1880's.

 

This young lad leaning on the "stone column" is quite dapper in matching jacket and knickers with  hat and cane and take a look at those plaid leggings!  What a good looking young man.  No photographer is listed, but the boy is identified on the back as Howard Prue Price, I believe.  My guess is this cabinet card is from the late 1870's.

 

And finally we have this sweet young girl leaning on the photographer's "stone fence".  Such a sweetie in her simple dress and lace collar and notice the necklace with long chain around her neck.  The photographer was H. S. Stephens of Rushville, Indiana.  This photo was probably taken in the late 1880's.

If you have enjoyed these photos I hope you will hop, skip or jump over to Sepia Saturday to see even more wonderful photos.

Sepia Saturday #173 - Odd Animal Photos - Fish & Fangs

The theme for this week's Sepia Saturday is based on a photograph of a boy holding two birds/ducks/geese, not sure what they are, but a quite odd photograph it is.  I have a couple of photos in my collection I have been holding on to that I thought would fit this theme perfectly.  Therefore I humbly submit to you my odd animal photos.

The first photograph is a small snapshot taken of a portly man holding a rather large fish.  On the back he is identified as "Uncle Bert", 37 (1937) Ft Drum, at Corpus Christi.

This next photo is actually a real photo postcard and I have to be honest with you about this one.  I bought this in an antique store and why I did, I do not know because I have a terrible phobia about snakes; I cannot look at them, cannot even bear to think about them, I will probably have a nightmare tonight from just posting this photo, but it is too perfect for this theme not to post.  The man is identified on the back as D. J. Winters, but I have not been able to find out any information about a snake wranger with this name.  I believe this was a rattle snake but, since I have no knowledge of snakes and want none, I am not sure.  According to the AZO mark on the back it was produced between 1904 and 1918.

For more odds and ends, please visit Sepia Saturday.

Sepia Saturday #172 - Mystery Wedding March

When I saw the archive photo for this week's Sepia Saturday prompt titled, "Palmer's Mystery Hike No. 2," I knew immediately what I was going to use.  I should probably save it for one of my "Wedding Wednesday" posts, but it just seems to fit this theme.  My photo is actually a real photo postcard of a wedding party from probably the 1940's walking down a cobblestone street.  I purchased this postcard from a gentleman in Germany and as it has a very European feel I suspect that may have also been the location.  Unfortunately, it was pasted into an album and then torn out so there are no identifying marks left on the back.

What a happy day this must have been for the couple,  I have to wonder where they were walking from (the church?), where they were walking to (a pub?), what was their story, who were they, were they happy the rest of their lives?

Take a hike on over to Sepia Saturday to see more great photos!

Sepia Saturday # 171 - Castles of Scotland, Let Me Bore You With My Vacation Photos

In September of 2009 my husband and I took a two week vacation spending three days in London and eleven in Scotland.  It was only our second trip out of the United States and the first to Europe.  Everyone told us we had to take a guided tour while in Scotland, that there was no way we could do it on our own.  I, however, had my heart set on us just being alone, exploring the sights together, and this is exactly what we did.  After London, we rented a car in Edinburgh and set off for the Highlands.  We had some fun, crazy adventures, getting lost a number of times. Learning to navigate the single track roads in particular caused quite a few moments of skipped heart beats.

While there I took over 3,000 photographs, I mean I just couldn't help myself because around every turn was something so breathtaking I would scream at my husband to pull over.  These photographs included a number of castles, there were just so many castles! This week's Sepia Saturday theme centers around castles so, yeah, I finally get to share some of my amateurish photographs.

Castle Stalker, Loch Laich, mid-way between Oban & Glen Coe

Castle Dunvegan, Isle of Skye

Castle Dunvegan, rear view, Isle of Skye

The Famous Castle Eilean Donan. Loch Duich, Western Highlands of Scotland

Edinburgh Castle, back/side view

Edinburgh Castle, view from cemetery in back

Cannon overlooking Edinburgh from Castle

Bam!!  Now fire yourself over to Sepia Saturday for more great photos and stories!

Sepia Saturday #169 - Snapshots of Our Lives

The more I delve into this crazy hobby of mine, collecting old photos, I have come to realize more and more that despite all of our differences we all have so many of the same basic interests; home, family, love, travel, fun, humor, grief and despair to name a few. Since  man has been able to transfer these emotions and memories to some sort of medium, he (or she) has done so in many possible ways.  I myself, have dabbled in a few; scrapbooking  quilting,  collage, and while I have no drawing or painting talent I have for many years been the family photographer and historian.  This week's Sepia Saturday theme centers around this very subject and so I chose a few snapshots from a large box of photos that I purchased some time ago. They appear to have been from the same family from Michigan and Oklahoma and the owner may have been Beulah Miller who appears at different ages in many of the photos. I decided to get a little creative this week and created a collage using some of her family photos. 

Click on collage to enlarge

Although a little hard to see, a couple of the men in these photos are holding camera bags; take a look at the man standing to the left of the airplane and the man on the rocks at the bottom middle. Photography has been an important part of the human experience since the mid 1800's and is now an important part of the day to day life of each of us with the simple use of a cell phone.

For more great images and stories go to Sepia Saturday.

Sepia Saturday #167 - 1890's Couple on Their Floating Home

Unkown 1890s couple on boat

I know absolutely nothing about this photograph of an 1890's couple on a boat, but I thought it would be perfect for this week's Sepia Saturday theme.  I'm not sure what you would call this type of boat, I'm guessing some type of flat-boat, but I'm totally clueless when it comes to boats.  It looks like this couple spent time on their boat on a river somewhere, perhaps as a home away from home or they may have even lived on the boat.  You can see a wooded area to the left and in the far distance what looks like mountains.  I've cropped the photo here, below you can see the actual  4" x 4" photograph in the white cardboard mounting that was popular in the 1890's. 

Sail away with more stories at Sepia Saturday!

Sepia Saturday #166 - The Markey Bronze Bushing Company - Delta, Ohio

The Sepia Saturday theme photo this week features a woman factory worker making paper boxes, a great photo showing the industrious spirit of those hard workers of the past.  Just this past week I had the great fortune of scoring a great buy on eBay of 175 photos for a steal.  A large box arrived just a few days ago and what a treasure trove it has turned out to be!  I'm still sorting through all these wonderful, old photographs, and shockingly the subjects are actually identified on a large number of them.  There was one photo though that I knew I had to use this week for my Sepia Saturday entry.

It features a group of thirty-six individuals (if I counted correctly) in front of a concrete block building with the name "The Markey Bronze B" showing.  The photographer was Elton Studio, Delta, O.  Note the two well dressed gentlemen flanking both sides, obviously executives, and the woman who I am guessing was a secretary for the company.   Unfortunately, there is no identification of any of these subjects.  I am not sure of a time frame for this photo but I am guessing in the 1930's.  See the full photo below which has Art Deco frame.

Markey Bronze Bushing Co, Delta, Ohio ca 1930's

My research tells me this was The Markey Bronze Bushing Company of Delta, Ohio.   Obviously they made bushings, which while not very exciting, were a necessary commodity.  I could not find much information on this company such as when it was started or if it even still existing although I do not think it is.  I found quite a number of obituaries on Google of men who worked at Markey Bronze, many before WWII.  Delta, Ohio is a village in Fulton County with a population of about 3,103 people according to Wikipedia.  It is near Toledo and Bowling Green.

I found a great genealogy site for Fulton County with lots of great photos and an active historical society.  I think I will contact them to see if there is an interest in this photograph.  Perhaps someone will be able to identify of these people.

Wait, there's more!  Please check out Sepia Saturday for more great stories and photos this week!