Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: steps

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of steps, stairs, staircases . This is a real photo postcard of young women standing on the steps leading up to the entrance of a building. They're wearing uniforms with scarves or neckerchiefs, and the banner they're holding simply says, "Flash." In the corners of the banner are what seem to be drawings of stylized top hats. Peeking out from below the banner are two pairs of what might be athletic shoes. Although someone over on Flickr amusingly suggested that this might be an early example of a flash mob , I suspect that these young women belonged to a club or sports team at a high school or college. But I'm not sure what "Flash" meant to them or why the top hats -- if that's what they are -- appear on the banner.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of beginnings and endings (houses being built or torn down, stores opening or closing, an old year ending or a new one starting, etc.). Date and initials at lower right: "4.9.51. F.S." Printed on the back of this photo: "Photogr. F. Schumann, Pirna ." A snapshot of a young German girl who's holding a Schultüte , or school cone, which she received as a gift on her first day of school as a way to commemorate the beginning of her formal education. For a similar photo taken a few years later, see Girl with Schultüte, 1955 . For more photos, see my Schultüten (School Cones) album.

"Seasons Greetings, 1950." Handwritten signature on the other side of this photographic greeting card: "The Weidman's." For the Weidman family Christmas card from 1949, this young girl posed with Santa outside on the porch instead of inside on the stairs. See Season's Greetings, 1949—From Our House to Your House .

A Halloween postcard addressed to Master Samuel Hauenstein , Lincoln, Pa., and postmarked on Oct. 31, 1912. There's nothing written on the back other than the address. Printed on the other side: "Raphael Tuck & Sons' 'Hallowe'en' Series of Post Cards No. 174."

A real photo postcard.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of outdoors at night . Handwritten note on the back of this snapshot: "3 oclock in the morning." Five women and three men pose for a photo at three o'clock in the morning. A handmade "welcome" sign on the door includes a drawing of two skull and crossbones.

A dysfunctional family (or oddball family) photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. For another possibly dysfunctional family, see First Time I Ever Saw Grandma and Grandpa, Palisades Park, 1920 . Searching for a dysfunctional/oddball family photo that I hadn't previously posted on Ipernity wasn't the easy task that I thought it would be. I do hope, however, that this photo of unsmiling family members--ironically posed beneath a "Smiles" sign--suggests enough dysfunctionality or oddballness to qualify.

"6 Steps to Modern Pool Sanitation." Brochure published by the Mathieson Alkali Works, New York, N.Y., with instructions for using its Sanitation HTH product for proper chlorination of swimming pools.

"Broad View Farm, Stearns Bros., props. Pure milk from our accredited herd. Telephone: 68-M. Rochester, N.H. Make sure your milk is a grade higher. Order it from Broad View Farm. January 1927. A splendid New Year's resolution--'I will return my empty milk bottles daily.'"

Or at least it looked like a runaway bride to me at first glance. After seeing what was written on the back of the photo, however, it appears that "Verla" (on the right) and an accomplice (on the stairs) are running out of the church in order to play a prank on the bride and groom by "decorating" their car ("Gil's car") in some amusing, inconvenient, or embarassing way. I still remember how some friends "decorated" the getaway car at my cousin's wedding by spraying shaving cream all over it. Handwritten description on the back of the photo: "Front view of church & shows how windy it was. Verla in foreground.They're on their way to decorate Gil's car." Dealer's handwritten caption on the back of the photo: "Holy #&@! Run!!"