Vintage Photos Theme Park Contributions

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of funny face . A wide-eyed kid with a gleeful grin poses for a photo with his schoolmates in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. In contrast, another one of his schoolmates -- Smirking Schoolkid -- didn't seem happy about having his photo taken. For the full photo of forty-eight children and a teacher, see Schoolchildren Posing Outside a School, Lebanon, Pa.

A smirking kid with crossed arms doesn't seem too enthusiastic about posing for a picture. One of his schoolmates -- Grinning Schoolkid -- had a different reaction. For the full photo of forty-eight children and a teacher, see Schoolchildren Posing Outside a School, Lebanon, Pa.

Forty-eight schoolchildren and a teacher pose for a photo outside a school. The photographer's name and location -- "Wolfe, Lebanon, Pa." -- is embossed on the border of the photo, but there's nothing else that identifies the school. Grinning Schoolkid is third from left in the first row and Smirking Schoolkid is second from right, also in the first row. See also close-up views of the left-hand side and the right-hand side of the photo.

See also a close-up view of the right-hand side of the photo. For the full photo, see Schoolchildren Posing Outside a School, Lebanon, Pa.

See also a close-up view of the left-hand side of the photo. For the full photo, see Schoolchildren Posing Outside a School, Lebanon, Pa.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of wallpaper . "Room mate" is handwritten along the right-hand side of this photo of two young men. They're pretending to study as they sit at their desks, which are covered with twenty or more books. One is writing with a pencil, and the other is reading a book. Someone has added dots to the eyes of the student on the left. Behind the two roommates, we can see wallpaper, a calendar (the year isn't visible, but the month is December), a mirror (with a reflection of another calendar on a different wall), photos displayed on a shelf and on the wall, an alarm clock among the photos on the shelf, curtains, and an overhead light. This is an unmailed real photo postcard with a type of Azo stamp box (four corner triangles with two pointing up and two pointing down) on the other side that suggests a date that may be as early as 1917 to 1930. "Mother" is written on the verso, but otherwise there's no message, address, postmark, or other clues to the location or date. Comparing the December dates with the days of the week on the wall calendar (December 3, for instance, falls on a Sunday) suggests that the year could be 1916 or 1922.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of shape up! - people exercising . "Water Sports, Camp Red Wing, Silver Lake, Pa., 1922." A real photo postcard captures a scene of swimmers preparing to enter the water at Silver Lake as part of the activities in 1922 at Camp Red Wing, a summer camp that was located near Brackney, Pennsylvania.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of making mischief -- the photographer or the subject being mischievous . Message (punctuation added): "Hello, how are you getting along? You can easy see mischief on this. J.C.A." In this photo, the mischief that is easy to see is the result of one woman holding a clump of snow as if she's going to push it into another woman's face. The second woman is grabbing the first woman's arm to prevent her from moving the snow any closer. This is a real photo postcard with an undivided back. It's addressed on the other side to Mrs. T. A. Camer, Jamison City, Pa., R.F.D. The stamp bears a cancellation but there's no postmark with a visible date or location. A penciled notation -- probably added by a postcard dealer -- indicates a date of 3/28/06, though I'm not sure where that came from.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of music lover . This is a divided-back real photo postcard of wedding participants and guests with the bride and groom seated in the center. Music evidently played an important part in the wedding celebration. A gramophone is displayed prominently at front left, and two musicians -- a man in uniform with a mandolin and another man with a guitar -- are lying on the ground in front of the group. Other interesting details include a fellow holding up a bottle and a mug (upper left) and a barefooted man with a dog on his lap (lower right). There's no date or location, and the only clue to the photo's origin is an ink-stamped credit to "Foto - N. Aboltin" on other side.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Valentine's Day - hearts, cupids, arrows, love, or what have you? This real photo postcard features a snow sculpture of Cupid standing next to a heart with an arrow through it. A building is in the background, and two cars are parked along the street in front of the building. Two women are walking near one of the trees on the left. The card is addressed on the other side to Edith Towey, 1744 Summerfield St., Brooklyn 27, N.Y., and it was postmarked in Poultney, Vermont, on February 13, 1948. The location of the snow sculpture is listed on the verso as "Green Mountain Junior College, Poultney, VT," and a handwritten "Valentine's Greetings" appears above the name of a studio, "H. B. Rood Photo, Poultney, VT." According to a brief biography by the Poultney Historical Society, Harry B. Rood (1871-1960) lived in Poultney his entire life. He began working in his father's photography studio in the 1890s and continued as a photographer after his father's death. At the time Rood took this photo, Green Mountain Junior College was a two-year college for women and then became a four-year college for both men and women in 1974, when its name changed to Green Mountain College. Ames Hall , the campus building that appears in the photo, is still standing, but the college itself closed in 2019 after experiencing financial difficulties.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of a real humdinger - a photo apparently intended to show off the appearance of a person or thing . Handwritten message on the back of this real photo postcard: "Dec. 25 '08. Merry Christmas, Josie." The card is addressed to "Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor, Salem, Ohio," but there's no postmark. Josie spruced up her appearance, donned her flowery hat, and wheeled her bicycle to a photo studio, where she posed in front of an elaborately painted backdrop for a picture worthy of sending out as a Christmas greeting.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of hands in pockets . A man stands on a porch as he smokes a cigar. He's dressed in a suit, and he has his right hand in his pocket. His left hand is holding the cigar, and there's a wedding band on his ring finger. A sled, propped up against the porch railing, is partially visible on the left, and there are piles of snow on the ground beyond the porch. It must be a sunny winter day judging by the bright washed-out appearance of the house next door. This is an unused real photo postcard with a divided back. There's no message, address, or postmark on the verso. A Solio stamp box (with diamonds in the corners and "Place Stamp Here" in the middle) is printed on the other side, which indicates that the card may date to sometime between 1907 and the 1920s.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Rückenfigur or "back to camera" - any photo in which one or more of the subjects have their backs fully or partially facing the camera . On this real photo postcard, which combines two separate photographs, three funny fellows pose twice, first with their backs to the camera and then a second time as they face the camera. The three are sitting on a board or plank that extends between two chairs. In the first photo , all of them have bowler hats on their heads, and the guy in the middle has what looks like a picture frame hanging over his shoulder and down over his back. A stool and a wooden box with a handle are visible on the floor in front of them. The wall behind the men is partially covered by a painted backdrop, so presumably they're having their picture taken in a photo studio, though no studio name appears on the front or back of the card. In the second photo , the guys seem even goofier as they face forward with funny expressions. The man on the left has a mischievous look on his face, and he's holding a small kettle with the handle of a spoon or some other utensil sticking out of the top. The guy in the middle has opened his mouth as if he's laughing or yelling. The bowler on his head is jauntily tilted to the side, and his right hand is blurred -- was he pumping his fist or gesturing toward the basket that he's holding in his lap? And what's in the basket? The third man is grinning, probably because instead of a hat he's wearing something on his head that looks like a lampshade with ruffles. He has his arms wrapped around himself as if he's cold, and he's holding a pitcher under one arm. The undivided back (for an address only) on the other side of this real photo postcard indicates that it dates before 1907 (when both an address and a message were allowed on the verso), and the Cyko stamp box design (in use as early as 1904) printed on the back also fits this time frame.

Three funny fellows pose with their backs to the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows facing the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard , which incudes both pictures.

Three funny fellows pose facing the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows with their backs to the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard , which incudes both pictures.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of telephones . This is a real photo postcard used as an advertisement by the Keely Stove Company of Columbia, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The card dates to 1920, and it shows a woman with a candlestick telephone . She's getting married and wants a Keely Columbian Stove just like her mother has, so she's telephoning Herr & Co. in Lancaster, Pa., to order one. In other versions of the ad that I spotted online, the same woman is phoning J. A. Best & Co. in Allentown, Pa., and Bennett & Billington in Canajoharie, N.Y. I have another copy of this postcard that was addressed to Miss Fannie Groff, Kirkwood, Lanc. Co., Pa., R.R.#1, and mailed in New Providence, Pa., on Nov. 3, 1920. The handwritten message on that copy doesn't refer to the advertisement itself but the writer does mention "phoning" and "call[ing] . . . on the phone": "Tue. eve. [Nov. 2]. Dear Fannie, I received your letter this morning. I guess you think I am a great one for not phoning to you, but I was so busy today. And Jacob came up to vote [Warren G. Harding won the U.S. presidential election held that day], and because it rained he is staying up so I was not at Margie's to stay all night. Fannie, I won't be down this week, but I will come next Fri. eve. as far as I know now, if it suits you. We are invited to a kitchen shower on Sat. eve. Write to let me know if it will suit. And I will write later or call you up on the phone. R.E.M." History of this Genuine Photo The mother of this young lady has a Columbian Stove manufactured by The Keely Stove Co., Columbia, Pa. She is about to get married and telephones to Herr & Co., 7 E. King St., Lancaster, Pa., for she wants one just like Mother's. 515. Schaefer Ross Co., Inc., Rochester, N.Y.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of proud papa -- man holding an infant or small child . The man at lower right is holding a string that he pulled to release the shutter on a camera to take this photo. This "string selfie" captured a portrait of himself and thirteen other members of his family, including a man and a woman at the front who are holding a small kid on their laps. This is a real photo postcard with a divided back and a type of Azo stamp box (with four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side that suggests a possible date that may be as early as 1907 to 1918. There's no address, postmark, or message on the verso.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of winter weather wear -- coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and other cold weather clothing . A handwritten message on the other side of this real photo postcard says, "This is called Umbrella Rock and on a clear day one can see 7 states from it. Tenn., Ga., Ala., N.C., S.C., Va., and I forget the other." A boy and a man (possibly the boy's father or grandfather) are standing awkwardly as they pose for a souvenir photo on Umbrella Rock, which is located on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Both of them are wearing coats, and the man is wearing gloves. Cool weather may have caused the fog or haze that's obscuring the view of the valley behind them. This real photo postcard has a divided back and a type of NOKO stamp box on the other side that suggests a possible date between 1907 and 1929. There's no address, stamp, or postmark on the verso. See also a cropped version of this photo postcard for a close-up of the boy and man. For additional examples of souvenir photos from Umbrella Rock, see People Perched Atop Umbrella Rock on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga Tennessee .