Today, December 8, 2015, is “Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day”. Who has not thought about living in a different time, either past or future? I think, this is why I love old photos so much. I get a glimpse of time forgotten. Times not recorded in history books. Just everyday life being experienced by everyday people.
So if you had a chance to time travel, where would you go?
Until next time….peace
I have been working on some old slides that I recently bought. When I picked up the boxes, they read: “my European trip”. I am really interested in these photos. I am hoping to find out more information as I continue to turn them into images. But I thought I would share a few to see if anyone can recognize the sites or provide other information.
Another set of the slides focused on a tennis match. Now from the names on the back of the billboard sign I am able to read some of the names. I cannot tell which court, they were playing on. But from the names, I was able to figure out the slides were probably from the late 50’s or early 60’s.
I will share more as soon I finish turning them into prints.
Until next time….peace
For the last two days, I have been lost in old negatives.
So, today, I will play catch up on my days of thanks. I am thankful for my love of history and vintage photography. When I receive a box of new negatives, I tend to get lost in the faces and places which is why I am behind on my Days of Thanks challenge. I love the old photos; the small glimpses into the past. I wish I had more knowledge of places. If I knew local geographically places better, I could possibly identify some of the photos.
I thought, I would share a couple of my recent finds. I cannot wait until I get through the entire box.
Have a great night.
Until next time…peace
Michigan has been displaying typical winter weather this week which means I have stayed indoors more than usual. Even though I keep myself pretty busy with my writings, I have had extra time on my hands. So, I turn to my stacks of negatives and slides to change them into digital prints.
These are six of my favorite vintage photos of the week. Since there is another snow storm in the forecast for the weekend, I am certain I will have more favorites soon.
The main image (featured image) shows three children playing on a bike. I love everything about this photo. I am assuming they are all girls just spending time outdoors together. The girls seem to be enjoying themselves. The laundry hanging in the background is definitely a sign of the times (even though I hang my blankets out on the clothes line in the summer months too).
The photo of the children on the swing brings back memories. My siblings are younger than me. They use to sit on my lap while I would swing. Of course, that was before swings came with child seats and safety harnesses. But despite everything that could have went wrong by swinging two on a seat, we still had a good time.
This is one of the older photos that I have redone. The negative was most likely from the late 60’s or early 70’s which corresponds with the way with the young men are dressed. They just seem to be “hanging out” in a park.
I am bad with uniforms, but to me she looks like a military nurse. I like her smile. Perhaps, she was on leave or maybe she just received her credentials to be a nurse. I know the possibilities are endless.
This photo looks like a family gathering of sorts. I love how the boy in the front has a big and somewhat fake smile. While the other boy in the background is giving “bunny ears” to the boy who has no idea.
Two young girls on a wooden swing. I love everything about this photo. I am considering having a swing like this built for my photo sessions. I really like the idea especially with the fence in the background.
Sorting through old black and white negatives is time consuming. But when come across certain images, the whole process is extremely rewarding. I thought I would share a few of the military photos that I have been making into digital prints. The negatives are old and wore; the prints are as best as I can do with what I have to work with.
I honestly cannot tell you if they are going to see or coming in this photo. There are more negatives from this estate sale. I am hoping to come across more photos of the ship and the scene.
I absolutely love this photo. I have no way of known what is actually being said between the couple. But I would like to think, he just asked her to marry him.
These two women are in a lot of the photos. I am not 100% sure, but I think they are nurses. They look like they were with a group who were on a leave. The two woman appear in various photos that also have landscape photos in the negatives.
These three gentleman look like they were working on a plane. Or perhaps, they are just talking.
If there is anyone who can see any details in these photos, that may help in the research. I would love input. I am curious as usual.
For the last couple of weeks, I have been working on this particular set of photos that I purchased from an estate sale last summer. The photo work is time consuming because the images are being taking off from old slides which means I have to scan each one. Then, apply any corrections or repairs to the digital image.
I have not been able to identify any particular landmark or state (or even which country) these photos were original snapped. So far, the photos have shown a warm climate with palm trees and beaches. Many of these photos also had a woman in a black coat. The lady always had her back turned or the photo was completely blurred. So, I could not really see who was in these photos….until today. Thankfully, the lady in the black coat and traveling companion had their photo snapped by a sign.
The sign gave me more information than any of all the previous photos so far. The ladies had their picture taking at the Castillo de San Marcos which is a U.S. National Monument on the shore of Matanzas Bay in St. Augustine, Florida. The sign reads:
U.S. Department of the Interior-National Park Service
Castillo de San Marcos
National Monument
The Spanish fort, begun in 1672, stood firm against English attacks and helped Spain to hold Florida for many years. During the American Revolution it was a British stronghold.
Later it become a U.S. Military prison.
Open daily 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. – Admission 25¢
Children Under 12 Free
The fort definitely has a long standing history; I love the fact that admission was a quarter. I have been to fort here in Michigan; the cost is definitely more than a quarter. I am not saying the forts or monuments are not worth the costs, I am just pointing out the difference in pricing.
If I were to make assumptions about this photo, I would guess the photo was taking in the late 1960’s to early 70’s. I base this opinion on the fact that I took the photo from a slide. The women were most likely traveling with their husbands or as part of tour group. I am hoping as I make my way through the rest of these slides, I can find more details. The sets I am currently working on have more of the fort (I am assuming) plus other tourist type photos. Who knows perhaps someday, someone will recognize one these ladies and be able to tell me their story.
Rebecca's Vintage and Wildlife Photography 