People and Their Places

A farm photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. When I first noticed this real photo postcard in a dealer's booth at an antique mall in York County, Pennsylvania, it was obvious that the photo wasn't in very good shape (and it did require a bit of touch-up to make it presentable for posting here), but I found the farm scene to be quite interesting. The sturdy stone house, windmill, large barn, and well-maintained outbuildings, along with the two dozen Holstein cows grazing in the pasture, make it evident that a prosperous farmer and his family lived here. The forebay--the overhang that extends from the front of the barn--and the corresponding banked entrance to the second level on the other side (it's not visible in the photo) identify this as a type of bank barn known as a Pennsylvania barn due to its popularity in the state during the nineteenth century. Taking a closer look at the scene, I realized that a man--the farmer, perhaps?--and two boys and a girl--his children?--were also out standing in their field (the man is standing in front of the cows just right of center, the two boys are on the left, and the white dress of the girl is visible near the building on the right). Later, when I viewed the photo under magnification, I discovered that the little white and brown dots located between the cows are actually chickens. As I debated whether to purchase the photo--its condition wasn't the best, and the price was a little more than I wanted to pay--I looked for any information on the postcard that might help identify the farm's location or maybe even the family. Unfortunately, there was nothing written on the back nor was the postcard sent through the mail, so there wasn't any postmark. But then I saw the dealer's tag, which said "Cowson Farm." That clinched it! With some research and a little luck, I might be able to determine where the Cowsons lived (probably somewhere in Pennsylvania and maybe even in York County). If I could identify the farm, then perhaps I could even take a photo of its current condition to compare with this earlier one. I took the real photo postcard to the main counter at the antique mall in order to pay for it. Since the cashier was removing the dealer's tag from the postcard, I wanted to be certain that I had noted the name of the farm correctly, and I asked to see the tag before she put it away. The cashier took a glance at the tag and then told me, "Well, the only thing it says is 'Cows on Farm.'" Doggonit! Even though I misread the tag and won't be tracking down any information on the Cowson family, I still have a decent photo of cows--and they're on a farm! 8-)

Somewhere along the road in New York state. The girl doesn't seem too pleased at having her picture taken. Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "Short's Studios, Kingston and Rondout, N.Y." The license plate on the car is "46818 NY."

Compare with Boys with Their Bunnies and Moms .

"Apr. 16 '11. Here is a Easter chicken. Easter greetings to Bertha from Clifford."

Handwritten on the other side of this real photo postcard: "Fannie Kline." The unique elements in this photo--the tilted orientation, massive stone house, little chicken/big horse juxtaposition, shadow people at the bottom, and unenthusiastic look of the woman posing with the plow--all combine to make for an odd yet amusing scene.

A uniformed bandsman posing with his saxophones.

A snapshot of "Johnny Gaso" (or "Gasso"), who was the "host of Wonderland," which was located in the Gas Exhibits Building at the New York World's Fair. The Johnny Gaso character was played by actors of short stature. For another photo, see the NYPL Digital Gallery's Gas Industries - Johnny Gasso, "Uncle Don" and man image. As Andrew F. Wood explains in his book New York's 1939-1940 World's Fair (Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia, 2004), p. 104, visitors to the Gas Exhibits Building in 1940 saw a "Gas Wonderland" that included "mystery gardens, disappearing dwarfs, flaming cactus plants, and Tiny Town with talking houses."

A front porch photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A group of 36 men and women assembled on and in front of the porch of a fraternity house. I found this photo at an antique mall in Pennsylvania, and judging by the "AKD" banner, the "State" pillow, and the "S[tate] 1910" pillow, this is probably the same men's social fraternity that William Raimond Baird described in Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities , 7th ed. (New York: College Fraternity Publishing, 1912), p. 572: "Alpha Kappa Delta--Organized May 4, 1909, at Pennsylvania State College [now Pennsylvania State University]. The membership is about 50. The badge is an oblong shield displaying the letters forming the society's name in the center in vertical order. The colors are orange and blue. It rents a house." Perhaps that's the house that the fraternity was renting. The AKD banner on the porch, interestingly enough, includes a skull and crossbones in its upper left-hand corner. And who are the young and middle-aged women in the photo? Girlfriends and chaperones? Students and profs? Today, Alpha Kappa Delta is the name of a sociology honor society founded in 1920. It would be interesting to know, however, what happened to this fraternity in the decade after this photo was taken.

A roller skates photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. For another interesting roller skates photo, see We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy Skating New Year . This young sidewalk roller skater is wearing "Hi-Yo-Silver" overalls with pocket decorations featuring a clown face on one side and the Lone Ranger astride his horse Silver on the other side (mouse over the image above to see an enlarged view of the boy ). The decorations on the boy's clothing reflect the popularity of The Lone Ranger television show, which aired from 1949 to 1957. The Lone Ranger , of course, yelled, "Hi-yo Silver! Away!," as he and his horse galloped from the scene after defeating the bad guys.

Mouse over the image above to see my notes about the "Hi-Yo-Silver" overalls that this friendly roller skater is wearing. See the full version of this photo for more information:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of up a tree (person, creature, thing) . This photo, which was labeled as an "unknown cigar factory" when I bought it at an antique mall, shows sixteen men posing in front of a house. Seven of them are standing, two are seated on the wooden sidewalk that runs along the street, five are leaning against a fence, and two are perched up in a tree. Five of the men are wearing striped work aprons. Similar photos at the same stand at the antique mall were identified as cigar factories in Akron , Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, so it's possible that this photo was also taken in Akron. See a cropped version of the photo for a better view of the men in the tree and on the ground.

Sixteen men pose in front of a house that served as a cigar factory. Note the two fellows who are perched precariously in the tree. For more information, see the full version of this photo.

An undated red-border Kodachrome slide (probably late 1950s or early 1960s).

Handwritten on the back of this photo: "Skip, 3 years, 1957." See also Skip Just Had to Sample His Birthday Cake .

Handwritten on the back of this photo: "He just has to sample." See also Skip and His Birthday Cake .

A birthday cakes photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. For another fun birthday cake photo, see Happy Birthday to--Hey, Are You Taking My Picture? After enlarging this snapshot, I was able to determine the birthday boy's name--Kadin--from the decoration on the cake, and one of the cards revealed that he was celebrating his second birthday as he posed with his gifts. Kadin's 1950s-era toys include the kaleidoscope he's holding, a metal spintop next to his left foot, some sort of metal cylindrical push toy to the right of the top, an inflatable Goofy Ball, and a drum (mouse over the image to see my notes). The room's decor features boldy decorated cushions leaning against the wall behind Kadin and a square-base table lamp positioned on the end table on the right-hand side.

Handwritten note on the back of the photo: "Summer 1938. My first straw hat, [which] Barley bought for me to go to ball games."

A proud of their blooming plant photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. In 1910, sixty-year-old Sarah Hetyke posed for this photo next to the blooming mock orange tree in her yard and then wrote a poignant message to her three-year-old nephew on the back of it (see below). Handwritten on the back of this real photo postcard: Lewis Stifler Aug. 9, 1910 Dear Lewis, I am 60 and you are 3. You keep this to look at when I am dead and gone, and remember me. And I hope you will grow up to be a good and useful man. Lovingly, Your Aunt Sarah Hetyke Taken in the yard beside the mock orange tree when [it was] in full bloom.