This post is part of a series. If you are visiting my blog for the first time, you may want to go here to read previous posts.
Vintage photographs of individuals from the early 1900's usually show stiff, posed figures. Rarely smiling, the people who appear in these photographs are usually in a studio posing for the picture. Often, it's the only one, or one of few pictures, that will ever be taken of them.
What drew me to this collection of images from the early 1900's was the fact that they are so out of character for the time period. Unprofessional, and uncharacteristically relaxed, these images show a family in their natural state, with expression, and in settings that were part of their every day experiences.
A teenage boy appears in many of the images. His personality comes out and in this image below, it seems he has quite a sense of humor. Here he is with a friend, appearing to have his friend's head in a bowl. Although the location is a mystery, the next image may give a clue.
Picture courtesy of Paul Holbrook. Used with permission.
Picture courtesy of Paul Holbrook. Used with permission.
This picture is part of the glass plate negative collection. The contraption in the picture stumped me at first, but a Facebook user identified it as a veterinarian table for horses. Used often in veterinary medicine or for farriers, this type of table was used to safely secure horses. These other examples of similar tables were found on the internet:
Since the table might have been used in veterinary medicine, I am guessing the 'bowl' around the boy's head in the first picture might be a dog collar. Used to keep a canine from biting at its wounds, that would explain how the boy's head got into it. The son in this family has a few tricks up his sleeve!
To close out this post, here is another image from the same collection. I imagine a walk was made around the neighborhood, to a nearby veterinarian and then to a shop of some kind, where the photographer found this kind-looking man holding what appears to be a pie. As more images were posted, I continued to uncover details about the mystery family and their life.
Paul Holbrook, who owns the glass negatives and published them online, pointed out that you can see the awning and the number '424' behind the man in the picture. It's the number on the building and part of an address! Something else to add to our list of clues!
The details inside the shop are wonderful. What looks to be a pressed tin ceiling and a gallery of images are high up on the wall to the left.
Picture courtesy of Paul Holbrook. Used with permission.
What do you think? Is he holding a pie? or something else? What kind of business is this? A bakery? An apothecary? A grocery store?
To read more of the continuing story and to discover more about the glass plate negatives, go here for the next post in this series.