September 5, 2009

Saturday Snapshots {September 5, 2009}



"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see." ~ Winston Churchill



{Everything about this photo is fantastic! Their smiling faces, the young man’s tulip hued eyeglasses, the lady’s delightful ethnic patterned skirt, the kids’ varying expressions, the two cars peaking out of the background – all wonderfully representative of the 50s.}



{A woman strikes a somewhat reflective pose atop an unidentified hill. Undated, I’m not entirely sure when this photo was taken. Her hair is very casual and doesn’t instantly speak of a certain period, but the simple, lovely dress makes me think this shot is from the 40s or early 50s.}



{Amidst a bustling crowd a young girl named Ginny turns to the camera and beams a smile, in this shot from 1946, before she heads off to summer camp.}



{Four ladies in fairly casual garb (isn’t it neat that two of them are sporting slacks?) pose around the front of a car in this photo from the 1940s, which was taken in Phoenix, Arizona.}



{A stylishly dressed young woman looks so elegant as she sits atop a stone wall in a blue skirt suit and matching hat, in this photo from the 1940s.}



{All but the very youngest member of this chipper looking group of gals shows off her braided hair in this adorable photo (which I’m guessing to be from the late 30s or early 40s).}



{A small group of employees sit on a bench with protest signs, in this photo from Lakewood, Ohio circa 1952. In the course of my vintage photo searches I’ve encountered numerous images of people on strike before, but rarely do they seem so relaxed about their protests as these folks appear to be.}



{It rained the whole time this fellow was on holiday in the UK, according to his son who posted this photo hailing from 1951. As unpleasant as a damp trip can be, I can’t help but wish I could go on holiday with such a stunning car pulling a wonderful vintage trailer (caravan).}



{This undated shot – which I’m pegging to be from the early 60s based on the woman’s clothing and the style of the vacuum cleaner – depicts a lady who seems to be taking a moment to gather all the strength she can muster before continuing on with the housework. Who, I ask, as they embarked on some dreary chore, has not felt like this at one time or another?}



{A huge smile spread across my face the moment I saw this 1950s shot, how could it not? These darling children are so adorable in their “adult job” costumes, calling to mind the bounty of things my siblings and I used to spend time pretending to be when we were kids.}


{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}


Last week I added a quote to the Saturday Snapshots post, tacked onto the bottom of the entry, but thinking things over, I feel it makes more sense to have the quote appear at the beginning (what do you think, quote before or after the photos?).

One could, in Criminal Minds fashion, post a quote at both the start and finish of a piece, but for the moment I prefer to go the single quote root. I don't want to boggle down the Saturday Snapshots entries with a lot of text before or after the images. The emphasis here is on the splendor of these everyday - yet in no way prosaic - photos themselves.

17 comments:

  1. All this photos are so wonderful, they are like going back in time. I just love the old photographs that are candid and not all posed! I just love the woman in the blue suit and the girl going off to camp (the people standing around her are sporting some really cool fashion).
    Lovely post, as always :)

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  2. Love that blue 40's suit. I wonder what it was like inside that camper? What amenities did it have?

    And I prefer the quote in the beginning.
    Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

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  3. These are amazing! I love my family's photos and currently I'm working on scanning them all into my computer :)

    Thanks for following! I love your blog!

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  4. These are wonderful. They're so inspiring. Thanks for posting them!

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  5. Mmm I think the beginning.

    I just love this set, the first is so indicative of the era. The lady in blue on the wall is so very stylish and I just ADORE the car pulling the cute caravan.

    Lovely weekend to you,
    xoxo

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  6. That poor woman needs a Dyson. And thanks so much for the award! <3

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  7. Such lovely photographs, especially the first family picture - their smiles are so radiant!

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  8. I love these pictures. The depict such a happy and simple time with no stress and not too much technology,( dont' get me wrong, love technology, just gets in the way sometime). I love the quote and your reference to Criminal Minds.. are you a fan!! Oh, Jessica me too!! Love that crime show. Have a great Holiday weekend.. and I'll be writing very soon.

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  9. I love these pictures. Old pictures really do tell a story.

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  10. Those last three shots are my favorite, I want that trailer, am so in love with that housewife shot and totally played like this when I was a kid! lol

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  11. These are examples of what I enjoy about your posts!!! I love the photos and especially with your captions!!! Isn't fun to imagine what is going on within and behind each scene?

    Blessings & Aloha!

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  12. Have just discovered your lovely blog and am so enamoured I have decided to make you my blog of the week. Great pictures thankyou :)

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  13. Super cute snapshots! Makes me long for a simpler time . . .

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  14. @ Lizzy, they are so fascinatingly wonderful, I fully agree, honey. I agree, often looking at the people in the backgrounds of vintage photos is as fun as staring at the main subject. So neat that we've both observed this point before :)

    @ Sher, I absolutely adore it, too! She looks like a page from a magazine or fashion catalog of the time. So refined and elegant.

    True, I'm really not sure what came part and parcel with a trailer or a trailer park back in those days. I should ask my grandparents, they've been lifelong trailer getaway fans.

    Thank you for your input about the quote, I like it more at the beginning more, too.

    @ Yelena, what a wonderful project! You're so lucky! I don't have a single vintage family photo, but hope to somehow compose an album of some one day.

    You're very welcome, your blog is truly a resplendent joy and place of immense beauty, the pleasure is all mine.

    @ Kelley Anne, you're so sweet, thank you, my dear! (You're welcome, thank you for liking them!)

    @ Dustjacket Attic, thank you, sweet dear, the beginning feels best to me, too. That woman is so striking. I went through the stream that photo hails from and saw that she wore the same suit on other occasions, always looking just as stylish as she did in the shot above.

    @ Jennifer Lee, awwwww, you really does - or perhaps a Roomba :)

    @ Pink Flower, they really are! I wonder what was going on that day? A picnic, family bbq, just a run-of-the-mill summer afternoon?

    @ Tracey, thank you very much, my friend, for sharing your thoughts on these photos. I am indeed a big fan of the show Criminal Minds - and am always eager to see who they quote in each episode.

    @ Sherin, they truly do tell some amazing stories, I agree!

    @ Maggi, I just adore that trailer, too! The just don't make those like they used to!

    @ Girl With The Golden Touch, thank you very much!

    @ Personalized Sketches and Sentiments, thank you deeply, sweet dear, for your sweet words and blessings.

    @ Nettle & Brier, thank you deeply, my dear! I'm very honoured to be named your blog of the week - huge thanks!!!

    @ Amanda, me too, honey, me too!

    Thank you each ever so much for your fantastic comments, I truly appreciate all of them, and always adore hearing from you.


    Best wishes for a beautiful week ahead, sweet dear!
    ♥ Jessica

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  15. There's something very special about all the pictures you found, it's like they tell us what people actually thought the moment the pictures were taken, not only what they looked like.

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  16. @ A red lipstick, what a beautifully insightful observation. Thank you deeply for the lovely comment, honey.

    Hugs & happy wishes for a wonderful Wednesday,
    ♥ Jessica

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