I believe tomorrow is going to be a “mental health day” as we used to say in my days as a Monday-Friday commuter in the Bay Area—so I’ll wish everyone Happy Bloomsday in advance. See you on Wednesday with more Moon June Spoon, & in the meantime, hope you enjoy these photos!
Growing Old
I’d Still Like It – Bantam Roadster ‘38
My Austin-Looks Bad
More of the Sad News [I believe the boy in the car is one of the Bragg children; Dick Bragg was my father’s best friend—see next photo]
Al & Dick – mouth of the Saxtons River [that’s Dick Bragg in the front of the canoe; the Saxtons River runs into the Connecticut River just south of Bellows Falls, VT]
[covered bridge—no caption, but my guess is this is a bridge on the Saxtons River, possibly near North Westminster, VT]
More great photos. You are so lucky to have these!
ReplyDeleteNext time you're in Pittsburgh, don't miss the Frick Car & Carriage Museum. (You would have loved this exhibit.
ReplyDeleteMy godmother told me that the museum was not well-attended because of the Frick family's involvement in union busting back in the 1930s. Sometimes it's good to have a long memory.
I can smell the upholstery. Also, I like the house, its verandah for sitting and rocking (or swinging - is that a swing or a rocking chair I see peeking out?). Lots of nostalgia for me in these photos.
ReplyDeleteGreat old car photos! And I love covered bridges, too.
ReplyDeleteHi T & K & Sandra & Willow:
ReplyDeleteSorry to be so late in responding-- have had a very hectic day. Tomorrow should be better! & I'll get to all your posts when I can!
T: Thanks as always!
K: Sounds interesting. The "long memory" was a big concept with Utah Phillips-- he & Rosalie Sorrels released an album of labor songs by that name.
Sandra: Yes, there's plenty of aura. Don't have any info about that house-- perhaps it was somewhere the Bragg family lived.
Willow: So glad you enjoyed it.
i bet eddie bauer or l.l. bean would like to have that canoe pic. they'd blow it up and put it in one of those god-forsaken places called a mall...point is: VCP!!! (Very Cool Pic) =)
ReplyDeleteHi Jen:
ReplyDeleteThanks! Isn't the paper he had it printed on cool, with that elaborate border? There are quite a few "outdoorsman" shots coming up in future installments!
These photos are certainly fascinating. They could run for quite a while yet!
ReplyDeleteMore great photos ,John,your Dad has certainly preserved large swathes of history. That Bantam Roadster is ROYAL, I'd love one!
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about black and white photos that seems to evoke a stillness, a sense of really capturing a moment in time that color photography does not always seem to catch? I wonder if we look at black and white photos more closely.
ReplyDeleteI love Al and Dick on the river. Your dad was quite the prolific photographer. I always love these posts.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day off!
Hi Dave, TFE, Jacqueline & Reya:
ReplyDeleteDave: That's a good one! Thanks.
TFE: Thanks-- that is a sweet looking car.
Jacqueline: I know what you mean about black & white. There may be some way that the "stylization" of black & white actually enhances the viewing experience-- this is certainly true of good b&w cinematographers, too-- like Joseph Walker.
Reya: Thanks-- that is a cool photo for sure. Looks like my quiet day off has turned busy; will be taking a trip to Ontario, OR here later today. Yikes!
I don't mean to ruin art with science, but...black & white photography has greater depth of field than color, so it has a greater ability to draw one in. I much prefer it myself.
ReplyDeleteIt's also possible that we unconsciously associate old b&w photos with the work of the documentary photographers of the Depression. Walker Evans, Marion Post Walcott, Russell Lee, et. al. were masters of their profession who evoked great empathy and a marvelous sense of place. To me, their work remains unequalled.
Hi K.: I don't think that ruins everything-- it's an interesting fact & in some ways it doesn't exclude more "poetic" explanations.
ReplyDeleteHow about Robert Frank, one of my all time favorites?
Thanks!
Hi John,
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God bless.