Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: perplexing

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of odd, unusual, or quirky . Trick photos with double exposures usually involve typical scenes with props like wheelbarrows (see A Man Simultaneously Pushing and Riding a Wheelbarrow ) or playing cards ( Aunt Maggie's Trick Shot ). The setting for this one, however, is rather unusual. A huge pile of firewood dominates the scene. On the left, two boys stand at the bottom of the woodpile. Partially visible behind them is a farm wagon and beyond the wagon are some trees. Both boys are looking toward the photographer. One of them is pointing toward the top of the pile and wielding a piece of wood as if he intends to use it as a weapon. The other boy is about to start climbing up the pile. On the right, standing at the top of the woodpile are the same two boys. They're both drawing bows as if they're about to shoot arrows, but neither of them has an arrow. So, it appears that the storyline is that the boys are about to climb the woodpile to stop themselves from shooting arrows as they stand on top of the pile. Or at least that's all I can make of it.

A double-exposure trick photo of a woman pushing herself on a wheelbarrow. The double exposure did produce an amusing photo, but the photographer had to add white outlining at the bottom to make the wheelbarrow stand out from the dark streak that runs vertically through the center of the photo. This is a real photo postcard postmarked in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on October 1, 1908, and addressed to Miss Flossie Minch , Waldo, Wisconsin. The sender of the postcard, who's the woman pushing and riding the wheelbarrow, was a schoolteacher. She identified herself only by her initials—N.B.—on the other side of the card. (It's possible, I suppose, that a schoolteacher might use N.B. as the abbreviation for the Latin phrase nota bene , but my guess is that these are the initials of her name.) The message that N.B. wrote on the front of the card (to the left of the photo) has been erased, but enough of it remains that I was able to decipher it. Her written caption for the photo was: "On my way to school in my own private automobile. Ha. Ha." Here's my transcription of N.B.'s message on the other side of the card: Hello Floss, How are you spending these cold days? I enjoy teaching ever so much. Have 21 pupils. Regards to Miss Thomas, Miss Patterson, Miss Stratton. N.B. Sheb., Wis., c/o Mr. J. Kuemmet , R.#4. Love to all the girls. For some other double-exposure trick photos with wheelbarrows and wagons, see: -- A Man Simultaneously Pushing and Riding a Wheelbarrow -- A Man Pushing Himself on a Wheelbarrow -- A Woman Pulling Herself on a Wagon -- Girls Pulling Themselves on a Wagon

"E. S. Ilgenfritz, Developing & Printing, 34 N. Albemarle St., York, Pa." This is the photographer's stamp on the back of a curious photo of four men . One of the men is sitting in the driver's seat of an automobile, and the other three are standing next to the auto with pies in their hands. See Simply Simon with Some Piemen Going to a Fair? Edward Samuel Ilgenfritz (1897-1937) was only 40 years old when he passed away. His obituary doesn't mention photography, and his stamp only specifies photo "developing & printing," but I'm guessing that he was also a photographer.

Four men, three pies, a single hat, and one automobile. I wonder what Simon and his piemen were doing that day. For more information, see the full version of this photo.

Is this simply some guy named Simon meeting up with his piemen on their way to a fair (to make a tedious comparison to the nursery rhyme )? Otherwise, I'm not sure why these three gents are awkwardly holding pies and standing next to the guy in the automobile. Looks like one of the fellows has removed his hat and stashed it on the car's running board during the photo shoot. This is a larger photo mounted on cardboard, so presumably it recorded some especially memorable or amusing occasion. Take a look at a cropped version of the photo for a better view of the pies. The photographer's stamp on the back of the photo says, "E. S. Ilgenfritz, Developing & Printing, 34 N. Albemarle St., York, Pa."

An enlarged view of the board, game pieces, and dice cups in a trick photo of two young men playing against themselves in a game of Parcheesi. The photo is well composed with only a translucent part of the Parcheesi board underneath the hand on the right and a slightly darker streak running vertically through the middle of the photo to give away the double exposure. I'm not certain what might have caused the dark shape on the side of the building directly above the board. For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard. .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of playing cards and board games . Two young men pretend to play Parcheesi against themselves as they pose (two times!) for this double exposure photograph. Take a look at a cropped version of the photo showing a close-up view of the Parcheesi board on the top of the table. This is an unused real photo postcard with the words "Post Card" and "The address to be written on this side" printed on its undivided back, which suggests that it may date to sometime during the first decade of the twentieth century.

I'm trying to imagine what happened at the photo studio that day. Photographer: Well, ladies, I've just received a couple of interesting new props that we can use in your portrait today. There's one here and another one over there. Do you prefer the former or the latter? Ladies: Oh, we'll take the ladder , of course! Otherwise, there are no identifying details that might help to explain the origin of this unique photo.

A close-up of a faceless family foursome on a nineteenth-century CDV. See also the full photo .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of flawed memories (photos that are damaged, faded, or have other imperfections, especially ones in which the flaws somehow enhance the image; this includes photos with defective processing, light leakage, and double exposures) . A spooky CDV with an unidentified faceless family. Perhaps their faces were somewhat washed out in the original photo, but they may also have been intentionally rubbed out afterwards. Take a gander at a cropped version of the CDV for a closer look at the family's faint facial features. For another faceless photo, see Who's the Dummy Now?

A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park that has us seeing double (a photo with 2 things/people that are the same or that look the same) . A real photo postcard that uses a double exposure to show two girls who are inexplicably pulling the same wagon that they're riding in. This trick photo is so well done that I haven't been able to detect the dividing line between the two exposures. Compare this photo with these others in which the trick is more obvious:

A sleeping photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Why is a sleeping baby perched in the crook of this tree? Who or what is holding the baby up so that it doesn't fall down? Unfortunately, there's no message or other information on the back of this real photo postcard to provide answers to these questions.

"A Cat in a Knot in a Tree." Hmm, wasn't that the title of one of Dr. Seuss's early books?

Posted for "Smoking" theme week in the Vintage Photos Theme Park group. The man in the middle of the photo is smoking, and I just hope he doesn't burst into flames! 8-) Actually, I suspect that this photo shows a group of teachers or chemists (notice the bottles of what may be chemicals on the shelves at the back of the room, and is that a periodic table chart hanging on the wall at right?) hamming it up for the camera in a school or workplace.