July 21, 2013

The life and work of Foncie Pulice: Vancouver's best-known street photographer

Long before the world got wind of Scott Schuman (better known to millions of fashionistas as The Sartorialist), many who lived in British Columbia, especially in and around Vancouver, were familiar with their own local street photography celebrity, Foncie Pulice.

Unlike most of the street photographers - be they household names or otherwise - of today, Mr. Pulice wasn't in it for the fame or fortune, he wasn't trying to land his snaps in the pages of cutting edge fashion magazines, score a book deal, or trend across the blogosphere.

Born to Italian immigrant parents early in the century, it was during the thick of the Great Depression, while working as a house painter, that young Foncie (just twenty years old at the time) decided he might have better luck earning a living as a street photographer (an art and profession that had had come to vogue in many cities across the globe in recent decades).

Foncie was able to land himself a job at a local camera shop (that was rather charmingly named Kandid Kamera, located on West Hastings), where he was put to work taking street snaps of interested passerbys on the corner of Hastings and Main Street.




{Foncie Pulice pictured with his sister Ermie, circa the mid-1930s.}

 
Business didn't exactly boom in that area however, and after a while Foncie moved further down Hastings (which, to those who are familiar with Vancouver, B.C., was a very different street in those days than what it developed into as the decades rolled on) to a spot right near the lovely part of town that is of Granville.
 
Though a stint in the service during WW2 temporarily saw Foncie leave his beloved Vancouver, after the war he quickly bought a photography studio on Granville and launched his own street photography operation, which he dubbed Foncie's Fotos. Coupled with his wife, Anne (who looked after developing and printing her husband's snaps), Foncie worked long hours and absolutely adored his job.

Once an interested party (or parties) had enjoyed having Foncie capture their image on the street, they later returned to his Granville studio to collect their photographs. Over the years Foncie - whose pictures were sharp, lovely, and often did a very good job of capturing a person the way they wanted to be seen - developed many return customers who were always eager to have him snap their photo, either on the street or in his studio.




{A snapshot of Foncie and his young son, Anthony, taken - more than a little fittingly - on one of Vancouver's streets in 1953.} 


Over the course of an impressive career that spanned from 1934 to 1979, Foncie Pulice shot thousands upon thousands (if not millions) of photographers of people on the streets of Vancouver. His work was not biased, jaded or staged, merely - like all the best street photographers - a candid, accurate representation of exactly how a person looked for one split moment in time.

As the 1970s came to a close and the art of street photography was, at the time, declining in popularity, Foncie and Anne retired to the sunny Okanagan, settling in the city of Kelowna, B.C. (which, coincidentally, is a mere stone's throw away from where I live). Though I never got a chance to meet Foncie (who passed away at the age of 88 in 2003), his wife or children, I like to imagine that he and I would have hit it off swimmingly.



{A portrait - I wonder if it was a self made one - of Foncie during the 1970s shortly before his retirement.} 


We would share in common a deeply rooted love not only taking pictures, but also of the exciting craft street snaps, and by extension of the preservation of British Columbia's history through the medium of photography.

Thankfully, today, The Knowledge Network (a B.C. public broadcast station) has embarked on a project to gather and continue to preserve Foncie's work, and by extension, Vancouver's history through an online website, called Foncie's Corner. This site is devoted solely to his fantastic work, so that past customers and new fans of Foncie Pulice's photography alike can continue to enjoy seeing his terrific snapshots for many more years to come (you can learn more about the project and how you can contribute here).

Over the years you've heard me discuss in numerous posts (such as this one) the fact that I have an extremely deeply rooted passion for vintage Canadian photographs and history. Should they happen to feature my home province of British Columbia, I adore them all the more and am always eager as can be to share a snippet B.C.'s fascinating past with all of you here.

In that spirit, I hope that you’ll all enjoy the following selection of Mr. Foncie Pulice's engaging, split second time capsules of Vancouver history, captured through his humble, yet masterful, entirely lovely street photographs.



{Really, could her whole gorgeous look be any more perfect? Image of Marjorie Stuart Ashdown, who was born in East Vancouver in 1920, taken in 1936.} 



{A lovely young woman, then 20 years, who was in town from Innisfail, Alberta to visit her cousins in 1937.}

{Style and swagger abound from this nicely dressed chap (identified as Henry James Stewart and a bachelor at the time it was taken) while he was on Granville Street in 1937.}



{A woman and her daughter (Patricia) as they pass the Royal Bank of Montreal sometime during the late 1930s. The person who contributed this picture to the collection added that Patricia made all her own clothes, including the wonderful white coat she's sporting here.} 



{One of the things about street photography that I always really enjoy is picking out the interesting details in the background, such as the sign in this 1930s shot of a little girl and (I'm guessing) her father or grandfather, which says "Diamonds, English China, Souvenirs" - certainly your mixed bag of offerings there.} 



{Two cheerful, stylishly dressed 1930s woman - don't you just adore their hats?} 



{Four ladies (identified as Phyllis, Mary, Catherine and Rose) pause to have their photo snapped during a day of shopping.} 



{It's completely lovely fashions across the board on all three of these young women, whose picture was captured in 1939.} 



{More charming fashions, these time captured three years later in 1942, being sported by sisters Colleen and Yvonne Leveque. This photo was taken shortly before Colleen enlisted in the RCAF.} 



{Though the photo itself has seen better days, the image that continues to shine out from it still clearly shows a handsome young couple from 1946.} 



{Two mothers and their sweet little kids snapped in Stanley Park, during the spring or summer of 1947.} 



{A cheerful chap and two smartly attired ladies with lovely hairstyles, circa 1943.} 



{A beautiful close up shot of a smiling young 1940s woman identified as Dodo Mosses.} 



{Quite a few of the photos included in this collection include a little bit of background information about them. In the case of this particular image of a beautifully attired young woman, we're told that her coat was purchased for her by her husband who worked overtime before he shipped out overseas with the RCAF in 1944 so that she would stay extra warm while he was gone. What a heartwarmingly sweet memory.} 



{Between his well coiffed 'do and her stylish trousers, there's much to delight in about this fun shot from 1948.} 



{A woman identified as Dorothy Black walking on Granville Street in 1948. Love her crisp plaid blazer.} 



{A pair of smiling best friends, Hilary and Diane, shopping downtown in 1949. Both ladies were students at King Edward High School on 12th and Oak at the time, and both would later go on to become teachers.} 



{The elegantly attired members of a ladies bridge club. Fantastic hats and handbags one and all!} 



{Foncie didn't just shoot his wonderful street snaps during the daytime. Here we see a young 1950s couple named Don and Anne Kyle on the street in front of the Sky Diner at night.} 



{Two teenage gals having a blast at the PNE in 1953. The accompanying info for this shot comes from one of the ladies pictured here and says that pair earned pocket money by picking blueberries at a local farm. This point struck a touching note with me, because some of my own relatives ran blueberry farms during the mid-twentieth century in the Lower Mainland, too, of which my own mom worked on one of them to earn her own spending money as a teen, too.} 



{As anyone who has spent even a little bit of time in Vancouver will tell you, rain is a very common occurrence there, often necessitating the bringing of an umbrella wherever you go, as was the case for these two gals back in 1954.} 



{There's great fashions and happy faces aplenty in this charming shot of a 1950s couple walking hand-in-hand.} 


{Three beautifully dressed young women, two of whom were in town visiting from the Kootanies, on their way to the movies in 1954.}



{Love the fashionable wiggle dresses these two young ladies are sporting while photographed one day in 1958 while out on their lunch break from work.} 



{Smiles and style abound in this wonderful nighttime shot from 1958, which shows a young woman (who reminds me a little of Ava Gardner) and her date headed to a dance. The couple would later go on to marry and settle in the nearby city of Delta, British Columbia.} 

{All image used throughout this post are via Foncie's Corner.}


♥  ♥  ♥


These images speak of a time long gone, yet they seem squarely familiar and are so very easy to relate to. I've never had a street photographer stop and ask to take my snap, but I like to imagine that Foncie might have done just that, if he was still with us and out taking snaps today. After all, in these Canadian parts, a modern gal sporting the fashions of his youth wouldn't have been something that likely walked past Foncie's lens every day.

I hope that you enjoyed seeing a small snippet of Foncie's vast collection of photographs, hundreds more of which can be viewed online day or night, anytime you might be in the mood to enjoy a longer look at work of Vancouver's best known, and most loved, street photographer.

54 comments:

  1. Absolutely stunning pictures—thank you for sharing...!!!

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  2. Gorgeous photos! I scrolled through the list looking for a familiar face (I live in the Lower Mainland, too!) but no such luck. Thanks for sharing these!

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    1. Thank you very much, I'm really happy to know you enjoyed these snaps. I did the same thing, too, as much of my family (including myself until I was almost nine years old) used to live in the Lower Mainland (of my close relatives, only my maternal grandma remains there), but likewise didn't spot any familiar faces (I went through the entire gallery of Foncie's work to check - no dice unfortunately).

      Big hugs from the Okanagan,
      ♥ Jessica

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  3. I LOVE the clothes, the shoes, the way they wore flowers!!! P.S. Instagram name is little messy missy
    xoxoxxo

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    1. So do I - real world vintage photos like these have always been one of my absolute biggest sources of style inspiration.

      Yay! I'm already following you - as soon as I saw your username, I recognized it/you. So cool that we've connected on the blogging front as well now.

      Tons of hugs & happy Sunday wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  4. What a marvelous post. So many talented artists are overlooked: I'm glad you shone a spotlight on this one. And the pictures, in addition to being charming, are a valuable record of social/fashion trends. I love Dodo's hair!

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  5. Fantastic post I saw a spotlight on Foncie on fashion television a few weeks back and thought I should look up the pictures thanks for reminding me! It is such a lovely collection of photographs, real photos of real people are the best source of vintage inspiration.

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    1. Thank you very much, honey! So cool! I would love to catch that show, I'll have to keep my eyes peeled to Fashion Television to see if they rerun it. I discovered Foncie's work via Pinterest a few months ago and have been completely smitten with it ever since.

      I agree with you completely - vintage photos of real world people have always my biggest source of yesteryear inspiration, too.

      ♥ Jessica

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  6. I just love how dressed up everyone is just going about their daily lives. Street photographs of any downtown these days would look so different: flip-flops and jeans and a ratty T-shirt. These are just gorgeous!

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  7. Wonderful photos! I love how they capture a moment in history. The hair and clothes were just stunning!
    Thank you for sharing!
    ~xoxo, CoriLynn

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  8. I absolutely loved looking through these pictures, Jessica!

    We had a photographer in downtown Calgary who did the same type of street shots as Foncie. I don't know his name but I have some pictures of my father in his navy uniform and one of my mother (I think with her sister, although I'll have to check) and if I remember right, there's even one of my mom and me when I was very small!

    Wow, talk about a trip down memory lane! How come I can remember all that stuff but I can't remember all the really important things I'm supposed to get done today? :P

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  9. I really enjoyed this post! My husband is a photographer and I can't wait to share this with him. Thank you for the introduction to Mr. Pulice!

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  10. What a style in 30s and 40s! I spent time to observe details in the photos... if I only think people nowadays stroll wearing a gym suit! ( and I add...what a pity! ) lovely post, dear Jessica...

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  11. What absolutely gorgeous photos! I love street photography and these shots are great. Im a big fan of Bill Cunningham the NYC street photographer who zips around NYC on his bike. Ive spotted him a few times and am always excited when I do he is such an interesting and stylish character. Street photography is definitely an underappreciated art

    Kate-Retro Rover

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  12. Dear Jessica, This is my favourite collection of photo ever! They are just so intimate and the people do look like they really loved to either pose for him, or that he has captured a small part of their essence in the photos. I have so many comments to make on them all. I especially love the ones that were of a groups of girls, were they buying fabric to stitch up a winter wardrobe or planning a glory box?!? These are all questions I feel I could answer with time and a bit of investigation. The hats and shoes are amazing!!!! I love his work. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. xx Shauna

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  13. I loved looking through these glorious photos, thank you so much or bringing this photographer to my attention. It is lovely to learn about his life aswell as a bit about the lives of his subjects. What a great fashion resource too. I am always on the lookout for old photographs, particularly from the 1940s and 1950s. I really like the one of Marjorie Ashdown (what a stunner for a 16 year old), Phyllis, Mary, Catherine and Rose, and the two sisters before enlisting. I would like to know the connection between the two ladies and the dapper chap. The story of the husband buying his wife that super coat and the lovely photo to go with it is brilliant.

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    1. It's my absolute pleasure, dear Kate. I fell in love with Foncie's work the moment I spotted one of his photos on Pinterest a few months back and have been completely, joyfully hooked ever since. The fact that he worked in Vancouver, right here in my own province, just makes me adore him all the more.

      I wondered the same thing about the fellow with the two gals on his arm. It doesn't seem like either lady is touching him in an overly romantic way, so it's possible that they were relatives (sister, cousins, etc to him), though one of the two could very well have been his wife/girlfriend as well (and perhaps the other was one of either his or her sisters). The woman on the left looks a bit older than the other two though, so you know, it might be possible that she was actually the chap's mother and the other lady was a sister, gf, wife, etc. Whatever the case was, they certainly made for an attractive, cheerful trio.

      Thank you very much for your terrific comment, honey,
      ♥ Jessica

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  14. Those pictures were wonderful to look at! Especially looking through the changing fashion trends through time. That white coat though, is gorgeous. I will have to make myself one of those! Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Oh what a great post! I love seeing scenes from everyday life. Isn't it amazing how well dressed these ladies and gentlemen were out and about on the street? Today, you'd see sweat pants and flip flops:) You did a fantastic job of showing these great images. Thank you for the enlightening post:))

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    1. Thank you so much, dearest Joanna, I'm really happy to know that you enjoyed this look at Foncie's fantastic work. I was thinking of you so much while posting the late 30s/early 40s era snaps. I could picture you sporting, and looking so beautifully elegant, in everything the ladies in the photos from that era are wearing (the two 1940s women wearing skirt suits in the park especially made me think of our many wonderful chats about, and shared passion for, vintage suits).

      ♥ Jessica

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  16. Gorgeous photographs! I'm quite taken with the photographs of the lady in the fur coat, she's so lost in her own thoughts.
    xo

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  17. I really enjoyed seeing all these "random citizen" photographs. So wonderful! Funny how one of the signs in the background has the same font as Coca-cola! :)

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  18. Wow, I love these so much! Such perfect glimpses into every day life. I love how they are not posed (like the photos we see today), but are just taken as people walked on by. I wish there were more images like this, thanks so much for sharing :)

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  19. Love looking at vintage photo's, they are something else. https://www.facebook.com/SassySewingBees

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  20. I knew about The Sartorialist (who, with any sence of fashion, doesn't know him?!)However, I had absolutely no idea about the existence of an amazing man: Foncie Pulice. The pictures he took told perfectly the story of fashion and lifestyle in the time we all love (and enjoy ever so much).
    Thank you for making such and informative post, dear!

    Marija

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  21. Such interesting photos! Thank you for making this post. xx

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  22. Wow, Jessica! Thanks so much for featuring the works of Mr. Foncie. Have been going through the photos and thoroughly enjoy seeing how dressed up everyone was. Such a contrast from the usual street fashion of today. Much classier, you can see how people took a lot more pride in their appearance. It's great there are visual records of this, so the concept of dressing well won't be totally lost!

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  23. oh darling jessica these are the most fabulous street style photographs i´ve ever seen in my life. i adore each one of it. what a pleasure to look at them and adore the style of people from past decades! thank you so much for sharing!
    love and kiss,mary
    http://www.maryloucinnamon.com/

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  24. What an interesting and wonderful post! I had not been familiar with this photographer's work and the un-posed, natural shots are just fabulous. Love the trousers! You might enjoy seeing these street shots of New York: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/nearly-lost-1950s-street-photos-of-new-york As usual, I love your image choices--always terrific and widely representative! Thanks!

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  25. I'm going to be visiting my family back in Vancouver (it's been 5 years since I was last there). It's such a beautiful and vibrant city although yes, it does rain lots, umbrellas are a necessary fashion accessory. The photographs are so lovely to look at. Love how stylish people were just going about everyday business. The picture of the girls at the PNE reminds me of all the summers I spent there as a kid. Sadly, it no longer exists. Thanks for sharing the photos.

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  26. I thoroughly enjoyed this post Jessica. Thank you for introducing us to a great photographer and letting me get lost in his lovely photos.
    -Jamie
    ChatterBlossom

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  27. Oh wow, there is some AMAZING fashion inspiration here!! Thank you so much for sharing these shots, Jessica. You know these kinds of photos are invaluable to me :)

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    1. My absolute pleasure, dear Rochelle! I'm delighted to know you enjoyed this post so much. I share your passion for vintage real world photos with all my heart, and have long viewed them as my best (and most favourite) source of fashion inspiration. I just find it so much easier to relate to yesteryear "everyday" folks such as myself then to famous celebs of the day (not, of course, that I don't love seeing them, too, but again, the relatability factor is such a big part of what endears these kinds of priceless photos to my soul).

      ♥ Jessica

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  28. What a post! I love all of these! So many stylish women, even when it appears that it was rather cold! I feel like when the temperatures drop, so do peoples' standards for fashion! As if they weren't pretty low already... :/

    Thanks for sharing!
    xoxo
    -Janey

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  29. Love the dapperness of Henry James Stewart and the lovely ensemble on the lady in the last photo!

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  30. I have to tell you how much I enjoyed this post. I think I like looking at photos of 'ordinary' folk even more than those of a beautiful model or filmstar. You can see how the fashions were worn by ordinary people, but I also love those glimpses of personality you only get in unposed photographs. Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together Jessica. I would never have known of this photographer's work otherwise!

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    1. Thank you very much, dear Philippa, it was a true pleasure to write this post. I feel precisely the same way as you. While I certainly love and have looked at a great many vintage images of celebrities (and fashion models) over the years, I feel much more of a personal connection and ability to relate to people in real world photos such as these. It's almost as though I could see myself amongst the crowds that walked past Foncie back in the day. :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  31. I never tire of looking at street photographs. :) With all the little details, it's hard to decide if I enjoy the subject more or the things going on around them! (For some reason I'd love to know in the photo of Dorothy Black where the woman behind her is going.)

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    1. Nor do I - there is so much to adore and garner inspiration from in them. I also sometimes find myself drawn in by a background detail wishing I could know so much more about it when I look at old photographs (now you've got me curious as to where that lady behind Dorothy was going, too).

      Thank you very much for your lovely comment, dear Inky,
      ♥ Jessica

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  32. Oh, what delightful photographs. I love that they're so natural, so everyday—what a treat. Thank you for sharing these, I've ogled them for far too long!

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    1. Thank you very much, dear Jen, I'm so happy to know that you enjoyed this post. Believe me, I ogled them for an age and a half, too. In putting together this post, I went through every photograph that had been uploaded (until that point) on the site and almost felt as though I really was walking the yesteryear streets of Vancouver amidst the very folks Foncie was photographing after a while. I feel such a connection to his wonderful work and love that others have adored seeing it as much as I did.

      ♥ Jessica

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  33. what a wonderful collection of old vintage photographs, loved looking at them, Foncie was an artist in photography...maybe you should have some photographs take in black and white as well. You look like a model when you are dressed up in all your beautiful vintage clothes... hope you are well and enjoying your summer :)

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  34. You write the most fantastic blog posts but this by far is my favorite! I lovvvveeeee old photos like this and especially of everyday regular people just doing their thing. This post was very interesting (love the Canadian history lesson) and once again the pics were so wonderful to look at. Excellent post, thank you for sharing.

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    1. My dear, thank you deeply. I always consider it a compliment of the highest degree when someone tells me that a new post is their favourite of mine, and love that you love this look at Foncie's timelessly awesome work. You just made my day and then some!

      ♥ Jessica

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  35. That is pretty neat! I love looking at all these wonderful candid photos of passersby. It makes you wonder who they were, what their lives were like, etc... Really gets the wheels turning. :)

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  36. People use to dress up so nicely - it's like we have stopped making an effort!
    I love the fact that his pictures and his work captured soo may eras .

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  37. !!! Oh dear god, so awesome! I can't even pick a favorite, I just keep ogling them all. I've never heard of this guy, thank you so much for sharing (I can't wait to dive into the website you got these from! So much time is about to be spent on there....uh oh.)

    <3 <3
    Sara

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  38. WOW!! These photos are totally amazing! Just when you thought Scott Schuman was so revolutionary! haha!

    Lisa.

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  39. Love these! I love looking at photos of actual, every day people. It gives us a glimpse of the past and an inkling of how we might have lived back then.

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  40. Wow, those pictures are definitely amazing :3 I think it's nice to be able to glimpse back into the past like that ^^

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  41. Thanks for sharing these photos. I am checking out the Foncies corner website now and they have some great background music to go along with the photos too! (i am a fan of old big band jazz)

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    1. My pleasure! I am absolutely enamored with Foncie's work and the important role it plays in the history of my province (B.C.). Chances are, this isn't the last you'll here of Mr. Pulice's work on my blog! :)

      Many thanks for your comment, my fellow big band jazz fan,
      ♥ Jessica

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  42. I was so thrilled to find three original, 1940s Foncie's Photos amongst a big group of old photos I bought from a street vendor here in Vancouver. I've never seen any reproductions of them and they're not marked with any names. Some day, I'll feature them on my blog but first I'm hoping to track down some information about the women in them by using some of the other photos in the collection I bought. Foncie's photos are such a fashion treasury, aren't they?

    http://www.sublimemercies.com/

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    1. Hi Charlotte, thank you very much for your terrific comment. I loved hearing about your own Foncie find. No others have been forthcoming for me since I penned this post, but I remain optimistic and like yourself would truly like to somehow find out more about the people in these snaps, if possible. I truly wish you all the luck in the world with your search - please don't hesitate to let me know if you think there's any way I might be able to assist you there.

      Please feel free to come back here and share the link to your own Foncie photo related post here, when you pen one, my dear. I'd love to read it!

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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