All of these images come from a large collection of photos I purchased last week. All relate to one woman and her family. Some are friends in cars, others are ancestors. I only know the names of a few of them thanks to captions written on the cardboard holder of a few slides.
As to what the cars are, I'll leave that to those who need a challenge. I only recognize one.
In the U. S. we were known for our large cars. My folks had an Oldsmobile that was so big I felt it needed an anchor. It steered like a ship on mild seas. Parallel parking it, even with the power steering, was a nightmare. I felt like I needed a tug to get me into some spots.
This is Fred in Oakland, California in 1955.
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This is Eddie in Oakland, California in 1955.
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This is Dave in Glendale, California in 1955
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This is Betty and Joe. I love how her "accessory" is color coordinated with the car.
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In 1975 my father sponsored a fellow from the UK to come and work for him. He was very excited to be in the U. S. and wanted a big ol' American car. So in the evenings we'd go used car shopping. He found an old white Ford convertible that he loved. To him it was new and exotic. To me it was a beached whale, but I loaned him the money to make the purchase. When he drove it back to my folk's house they both had to bite their tongues. He'd bought a piece of junk, but he loved it. That car never did run right, but he never admitted to my dad it was a lemon. In the meantime I had to wait a few years before I even got the first loan payment.
All of the cars above were on the roads during my lifetime. The next two...not so much.
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And my favorite with the woman who reminds me of a Japanese bride in her full kimono.
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I could go on for pages with more images of cars. Cars play a very big part in vernacular photography. A purchase of a car is always a big event and we often have to take photos of them. There could be an entire category of collecting just purchasing photos of cars with people in them. But I'll save that for another time.
And so this is my contribution this week to Sepia Saturday.
Posts
I suppose that Eddie in Oakland and Dave in Glendale are just manoeuvring their behemoths into or out of their driveways, but I like to think that they too are attempting to parallel park. The colours in those slides are magnificent - they all seem to have a green-blue tinge to them so common in Kodachrome, which I presume they are. I wonder what size the slides are, as the height/width ratio suggests not 35mm? Perhaps 120-size film, 2¼" x 3¼"? Or perhaps even 828-format, which was used by the Kodak Bantam camera and had a picture size of 28 x 40mm?
ReplyDeleteYes, they are Kodachrome. They appear to be the basic same size as 35mm except that the corners are a bit more rounded.
DeleteLooking forward to seeing more of those photos you purchased.
ReplyDeleteMake sure to come back. Today, the day after this post, I posted two photos of Eddie in glorious 1955 Kodachrome color.
DeleteI was impressed by the colors too. Very vintage. Movies that depict the 1950s never quite achieve the same palette. But I was more impressed by those two photos with a dog in the car. Changes a $5 snapshot to a $50 photograph.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Another category!
DeleteI also love seeing the fashions in these photos.
ReplyDeleteThese photos spoke to me, beings as I was raised on high-octane guzzling behemoths that couldn't pass a corner gas station without a fill up. My first car was a black Oldsmobile, not the 88, but a knockdown of sorts. Hot, the unknowing first of the muscle cars -- I don't think it was intended to be so, just an overpowered little sweetheart. BTW loved the dog reigning supreme in the back!
ReplyDeleteMy first car was also an Oldsmobile muscle car with a V8. Always had to watch my speed on the freeways. I loved that car.
DeleteBut doesn't every woman accessorise with the car colour?
ReplyDeleteI love that swing coat she is wearing. Very swish. I do like those big old cars. I realise they are completely environmentally unfriendly but I still love them.
ReplyDeleteMe too. I'm just glad I'm old enough to have been around to ride in them when I was a kid. They were so comfy. I especially liked to crawl up onto the back ledge to ride.
DeleteThose cars were so big we could like down in the back window, on that little shelf -- remember? I love the dogs...the second one looks like he's driving the car at first glance! (Either a dog or a very odd-looking person.)
ReplyDeleteYes, I loved that back ledge.
DeleteGreat bunch of car photos!
ReplyDeleteCars from this era are my favorite because each brand was unique! My momma had a Buick Hardtop, white top and mint green bottom. It was gorgeous! Just curious as to why you bought these pictures- did you like the content of these?
ReplyDeleteThe honest truth is I had no idea what was in the trays. I bought them basically sight unseen. The day before they'd been $1 a tray and I'd walked away figuring I'd bought enough when I found two old albums. Then all night I kvetched that I hadn't bought them. Next day I went back and they were 50 cents a tray. At that price, even if there was only one good shot a tray, they were a bargain. Only time will tell what I actually bought. It's a photo adventure.
DeleteIt might be Americans who were famous for big cars, but that love affair with cars was universal. The kind of love affair that made you pick up your camera and start taking photos of any new car. It was a passing phase, I suspect. I am expecting delivery of a new car in a couple of weeks and I doubt whether I will be inspired to take a photo of it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed looking at the old car pictures and the fashions too (love the "swish" coat. I must look in the retro vintage patterns and see if I can find a pattern to sew one, nowadays, anything goes...
ReplyDeleteYou took me back to my USA trip where a group of us hired a big old Chevy (I think) and drove out to the Badlands of South Dakota - we had at least 7 of us in the car - hard to believe but I don't remember being squashed.
ReplyDeleteThe cars of the 50s still look good to me.
ReplyDeleteRe Little Nell's comment - in our establishment she owns the car so it's bound to match her wardrobe!
ReplyDeleteThe size of those old cars never ceases to amaze me. Oldsmobile is a great name.
Fred's wheels are a 1955 Buick Special, I think. The taillights match that year, but the '53, '54, '56 are different.
ReplyDeleteDave and Joe are looking suspicious now too. (Betty's just a moll) Their cars are next.
A fine series!!
ReplyDeleteFunny in the last one, how the woman stayed in front of the house, while the dog and kid monopolized the front seat...
:D~
HUGZ
I wonder if in 50 years time, we will think that our cars today are very stylish? I do wonder what cars will look like in another 50 years?
ReplyDeleteI think in 50 years time people will be wondering why so many drove boring silver gray cars.
DeleteDave in Glendale has a 1953 Cadillac Model 62.
ReplyDeleteA classy set of wheels, but I bet there's a shovel and a bag of cement in the trunk.
As best as I can tell, Betty and Joe ride in a 1955 Dodge Royal. I don't know where you could get white walls like that today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming up with the car makes. I didn't have a clue except for the Caddie.
DeleteYou are very welcome, as I love a good photo puzzle too. Eddie and his gang are such a great series, I hope we see more of them.
DeleteIt's a real mix of characters to come. I don't believe we'll ever see Eddie again.
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