The Serpentine

Command Car with Activity

2011-12-17T18:28:00.005-05:00

Snapshot.
In the background, a Dodge Command Car with convertible top. Circa 1945? The vehicle has unit markings. Maybe someone will know what and where.
Man in the foreground has some kind of weird headgear. I thought he might be a beekeeper, but that doesn't make sense for a soldier, does it?

Sailor

2011-12-17T18:27:00.002-05:00

Found snapshot of a sailor in front of the Salvation Army

Carte de Visite

2011-12-17T18:13:00.003-05:00

Carte de Visite,
taken by C. BECKER,
PHOTOGRAPHER
322 Warren St.
Hudson, NY

1860s era photograph

Carte de Visite

2011-12-17T18:07:00.003-05:00

Carte de Visite,
taken by K.W. BENICZKY, PHOTOGRAPHER
No. 2 New Chambers St.
"COR. CHATHAM ST."
N.Y.

1860s era photo

Carte de Visite

2011-12-17T18:00:00.004-05:00

Carte de Visite,
taken at
BIFFAR'S Photographic Gallery,
43 Fourth Street,
"Bet. South 7th and South 8th Sts.",
Williamsburgh, NY.

from the 1860s

Note painted backdrop!

Diving Crew

2008-10-28T11:36:00.004-04:00

A salvage crew, perhaps. One man is posing with the dry suit headgear on. He looks like some kind of space alien. Click on the picture for an enlargement.

Two Men on a Buckboard

2008-10-19T14:40:00.007-04:00

Wow. This one is interesting. It's a tintype or ferrotype, so it goes back to the late 19th century--say, about 1880. In the background, an L&N RR (Louisville and Nashville Railroad) boxcar. •Here• is a link to the Wikipedia site about that railroad. The letters on the boxcar are reversed because of the •particularities• of the tintype process. Click on the words in bold type above to see more info. Click on the image for enlargement.

Girl on the Fire Escape

2008-10-18T23:43:00.003-04:00

Another mystery pic. Cute little girl, probably taken in the 1950's or early 60's. Heaven knows where the shot was taken, but it definitely looks like a big city in the background. Strong grunge factor here.

Unknown Baseball Guys

2008-10-17T23:32:00.008-04:00

I've had this old photo around for a long time. Don't know who these guys are, or where they are...but the "W" on their jerseys ought to tip somebody off. Then there's the guy with "TC" on his jersey. This makes one think of the Minnesota Twins, but I think the photo is too old for the Twins. How about the Washington Senators, or the Nationals? Click on the photo for an enlargement.

Buggy

2008-09-12T23:14:00.002-04:00

Leisure activities. Perhaps things have changed a bit since whenever this was taken. I'm guessing the 1930's.

Mr. Dog

2008-09-12T23:06:00.002-04:00

Yeah, it's a dog. The photo is kind of old. Maybe early 20th century?

Mr. Shadd?

2008-09-12T22:55:00.004-04:00

Hi.

Sluggish posting frequency alert.

This is an old photograph of Mr. John Dennis Shadd or maybe it's "Shedd". Hard to tell--the writing on the back is fudged. Click on the pic to see it larger.

Chalk Cliffs

2008-07-03T20:32:00.006-04:00

Chalk Cliffs. That's what it says on the back. Possibly the Dover cliffs along the English Channel.

Memento Mori

2008-07-03T20:25:00.003-04:00

Antique stereo card. I believe the image is a work of florist's art for a wake or funeral.

Vintage Relatives

2007-12-25T17:55:00.001-05:00

A very OLD photo of some relatives of mine. The person on the left next to the horse, wearing a cowboy hat, is my grandmother.
(click on the picture to see an enlargement)

Battleships

2007-01-26T21:31:00.004-05:00

There's actually only one battleship here...it's the Battleship Indiana, part of the "Great White Fleet", the U.S. fleet of the late 19th century, if I'm not mistaken. This is a stereo image of the ship, each view slightly different from the other. It is meant to be viewed in a Stereoscope (click on the image for a larger view).

Blues Cruise

2007-01-26T21:15:00.000-05:00

This is an antique photograph, a kind called
"cyan-otype". It's a find, no? But, of course, I have no idea where this scene might be...

The Suburb Kid

2006-09-30T21:31:00.001-04:00

This is another found photo-some kind of polaroid-type process.This kid is apparently REALLY ticked off...and is about to strap on his holster for a showdown.

Old Folks

2006-09-26T22:39:00.001-04:00

An unknown elderly couple. Probably taken around 1910 or earlier. Some of the items in the room are much older, and I'm not just talking about the two people glaring at us like that. Note the mid-19th century chair, next to the fireplace. The fireplace surround is decorated with early 19th century details.

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

2006-06-23T20:48:00.004-04:00

Here's a photo of the 19th century French painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Best known for his landscapes, he is seen as a precursor to impressionism. This photo was taken in 1875, the year of Corot's death. The photo is a Woodburytype, the result of a photomechanical process. This technique was only used for a few years between 1870 and 1900.

Mexican Water Works

2006-06-16T15:24:00.003-04:00

Here's a "real photo postcard", made around 1904-1918. It shows the way in which some residents of Laredo, Texas received their water back then. At one time, there were several towns near the border with Mexico that failed to provide adequate services (such as municipal water) to areas where Mexican-Americans lived.

An Old Cowhand

2006-06-08T21:32:00.001-04:00

When I was a kid, I used to know a lot of old guys like that looked kind of like this guy. Used up, worn out old cowboys. Some of them told great stories about the old days, when the ranges were still open. But things changed, as tends to happen. The old guys had to shift around for work, sometimes failing at it.

Speakeasy

2006-06-04T20:54:00.004-04:00

It's probably safe to assume that this photograph was taken during the prohibition era. The clothing is a clue. Those unmarked jugs of hooch are strong evidence. Perhaps the scene is a "speakeasy" in the basement of a Chicago brownstone, and these folks are part of the booming rum trade under someone like Al Capone, in violation of the Volstead Act. Click on the image for an enlargement.

Found Photograph

2006-06-04T16:49:00.001-04:00

I have a box-full of photos like this one that I have found over the years...in the trash, at flea markets, etc. It should be easy to make up a good story about this.

Carte de Visite

2006-05-26T23:33:00.004-04:00

This is a type of photograph popular in the late nineteenth century called a Carte de Visite. The photograph was taken in a professional photographer's studio. The photo was then pasted on a thin sheet of cardboard about the size of a business card. These were used as an alternative to the then-popular use of visiting cards, or calling cards. This one was made some time between 1860 and 1870.

Mud Brick House

2006-05-06T23:44:00.005-04:00

A nice panoramic image of an old brick house and a big family. I think that the bricks are made of mud or sod. Some would call this an "adobe" house. The photograph is probably from the late nineteenth century. Click on the image for an enlargement.

Lightfall

2006-04-28T20:03:00.001-04:00

I took this shot while we were boating with the Floyds in Connecticut. It was a stunner of a day. Thanks to Beverly and Steve.
(click image to see enlargement)

2006-04-24T16:43:00.001-04:00

A view of a "Trading Post" in Bemidji, Minnesota. The tall Native American is one of a breed.
(click image to see enlargement)

Night-Blooming CEREUS

2006-04-23T15:34:00.000-04:00

A Night-Blooming Cereus, which lived with us for some years. It was abandoned to strangers when it became inconvenient...

Boston Alley

2006-04-22T23:30:00.005-04:00

I took this picture during a winter snow storm some time in the 1970's. The scene is downtown Boston. The building in the background, seen partially at the end of the alley, is Old City Hall, built in 1865. You can just see the statue of Ben Franklin. It's at the corner of School Street and City Hall Avenue. I don't know if the view from this vantage is even possible now...

Click on the image for a larger view.

Wallkill River

2006-04-21T22:44:00.002-04:00

A view of the Wallkill River near Tillson, NY. Taken with a digital camera.The overpass at left is the New York Throughway, Interstate 87. At right, obviously, is an old covered bridge.

click on the image to see it larger

Chinese Food

2006-04-20T10:40:00.007-04:00

A restaurant on Broadway in Kingston, NY. Taken with a digital camera.

click on the image for enlargement

ARMADA

2006-04-19T11:24:00.002-04:00

Resemblances are everything.

Marfa

2006-04-18T21:21:00.002-04:00

A building in the west Texas town of Marfa. Taken with a digital camera. Marfa is the site of the Chinati Foundation, among many other things.