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December 12, 2009

Saturday Snapshots {December 12, 2009}


“Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away.” ~ Robert Fulghum




{Two fun loving young women (identified as “mom” and her best friend “Betty”) share a small wooden boat in this delightfully charming summertime shot from the 1940s. Don’t you just adore those white overall shorts and both of their lovely hairdos?}



{A darling group of tykes sets up their own roadblock of sorts in this wonderfully cute photo from taken in 1946. Can’t you just hear the little one whose on foot saying to a passerby, “Alright, Bub, hand over the penny candy and no one gets hurt!”.}



{Identified as “Adelaide Balles”, this pretty young woman perched atop a crescent moon shaped prop in a portrait studio, is the absolute picture of casually dressed 1930s (or early 40s) cuteness.}



{I adore vintage wedding photos of all types, but what drew me to this one in particular was that we got to see the precious little flower girl, in her generously sized cloche hat, included with the wedding party in this endearing shot from the 1930s.}



{Exquisite hand tinting work helped to capture the immense beauty of this young women (“Louise”), who posed – and flashed a gorgeous megawatt smile – for a studio portrait during the 1940s. For more equally sublime photos (including other hand tinted ones) of Louise from around the same era, be sure to check out the stream this image belongs to.}



{It is the fluid sense of movement – snow splaying out towards the camera – in this terrific action shot captured during a snowball fight, that instantly made me fall for this photo. Though undated, going off of the style of the couple’s coats, I’d peg this image to be from the 1910s-30s.}



{This patrician woman is grace and elegance personified as she smiles sweetly for the camera. Framed photographs of her grandchildren, visible on the piano behind her, help to convey what a happy and proud matriarch this gorgeously dressed lady was.}



{Four youngsters are bundled up in autumn coats as they happily play outdoors in this slice-of-life snapshot taken in Hawthorne, New Jersey during the 1950s.}



{In unison on three, everyone...one, two, three, “Gold punch buggy!” :D Though undated, this vibrantly sharp photo of a young woman crouching with a pair of tennis racquets in front of a Volkswagen Beetle, looks to me to be from the late 50s or very early 60s.}



{A large billboard sign in the right hand side of this charming New York city street scene from 1939 encourages the population to “Save For Your World of Tomorrow”, wise financial advice that rings as true today as it did seventy years ago.}

{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.}


Immersed in the wondrousness, chaoticness, splendour and magic of the holiday season, it is natural to think thoughts pertaining to peace. The quote above spoke to me however because it drives home an important message: peace is not obtained through positive wishes alone, it will only come to be through the collectiveness of our actions as an entire population.

I believe that peace, like so many truly important lessons, begins at home. In the words and deeds that one teaches their children and by the same token through the tolerance that they show others, be they relatives or complete strangers on the other side of the world. Simplistic and pollyanna as it may sound, peace, I have long believed, is possible, if only we show love instead of hate, understanding and amicability instead of antipathy.

Now and forever, I will wish for peace, but at the same time I will try to do whatever measures, however small, in my own life to help make this world a more serene and joyful place to call home. For as these, and all other, photos of yesteryear intrinsically convey, our time on this earth is but a mere flash in the history of the universe. Yet every generation who has ever lived had within them the ability to create peace. Perhaps the one we're fortunate enough to be a part of will be the first to succeed at this monumental task.

23 comments:

  1. A beautifully conveyed message, Jessica. To see the change, we have to BE the change.

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  2. These are wonderful shots! I love the one of the Matriarch. :D

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  3. wonderful photos as always...I especially love the snowball shot and the Adelaide Balles picture. have a lovely weekend Jessica!!

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  4. What lovely photos you've chosen once again :) I really like hand tinted photos and this is a such a cool one that you've found. I'm definitely going to look at others in the series of photos. The snowball fight picture is neat too. It's always fun to see what pictures you find.
    Hope that you're having a wonderful weekend dear!

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  5. Oh Jessica, I absolutely adore the children on tricycles and the woman seated at the piano. Both are heart wrenching, at least to me.
    Merry Christmas.

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  6. So true - if we all do our own small things, the world will be a much nicer place :-)
    Love the wedding pic!

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  7. Beautiful post my dear! Peace is an ever chased for state of mind and Robert Fulghum could not have expressed it better. If only we could attain it as a whole population - but peace must come from within. If we do not truly feel it on the inside, it is difficult to transmit to others.
    A perfect way to begin my day, thank you!
    Peace to you and yours.
    xoxoxo

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  8. I adore the picture of the couple in the snow fight. They look so fun and wrapped up in enjoyment, so much that the camera just seems so part of the scene rather then stopping the action and mid pose. Its a delightful find!

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  9. What wonderful photos, how do you find them all! I love the one of the 2 women in the boat, the overalls are so cute.

    The quote is great too; i always try to treat people with kindness and respect and treat them how i would like to be treated. Like you say, it the simple things that work. xx

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  10. Your sunday snapshots are always so inspirational. I love the quote as well this week. Its very appropriate to my life right now, and probably to many others, for that matter:) Its nice to keep in mind that we can create and project peace, not just wait for it to arrive upon us.

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  11. I just wanted to say hello this Sunday afternoon. I hope you've had a great weekend. Take care. Enjoy the week ahead. Cheers!

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  12. I love your Saturday Snapshots posts! My stepmother recently scanned in many similar photos of my grandmother, and I just love the hand tinting in headshots from the 40s!

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  13. What a wonderful and inspiring quote, dear Jessica! Thank you for all the lovely pics (the flower girl was too cute!) and the wisdom at the end. A perfect way to begin my week!

    iamemmamusic.blogspot.com

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  14. Hi Jess..that snow blast photo is totally cool..love it..as for Peace..wow..my wishes are with you..thanks for the loveleeness! :)

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  15. Darling girl...I agree with every word you said about peace! You express my feelings so well...much more eloquently than I ever could. It's so easy to feel powerless but peace does begin in our homes...in our 'small' worlds...and yes those photos remind us of how fleeting this life is...so precious...thank you...

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  16. I adore thhe wedding picture! Awesome!!
    Oh, what beautiful words of Robert Fulghum!

    Have a nice week, sweet!
    XX with love,
    Maju!

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  17. I completely agree and I love the way you've stated it. Peace needs to be an action, not simply a thought. Thanks for that reminder :)
    Hope you have a wonderful week!

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  18. I just love the snowball fight! What a beautiful image. Thanks for sharing these with us.
    -Andi x

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  19. Good morning, my wonderful friends, giant heartfelt thanks to one and all for each of your wonderful comments, I appreciate your thoughts on these charming, endearing vintage photos so very much!

    Wishing everyone the most magical and joy filled holiday season!
    ♥ Jessica

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  20. I just love the one of the snowball fight and the one after it! You always choose the best shots!

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  21. Beautiful sentiment in your post today. I agree completely. All of the photos you chose to show us here are fabulous snapshots of life. I love the little kids on their tricycles, which reminds me of the vintage show "Little Rascals." The 1930's wedding scene is precious also.
    Maureen

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  22. Hi Yelena and Maureen, thank you both very much for your beautiful comments. I truly hope that you're both having excellent holiday seasons!

    Oodles of hugs,
    ♥ Jessica

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