TATTERED AND LOST PHOTOGRAPHS: 7/1/14

7/31/14

MADRID in February 1956

Another view in Madrid. And it is…?

Click on image to see it larger.

UPDATE: I knew someone would come through with information and this time it's Intense Guy and Mike. Thank you guys!

The Monumento a los Caídos por España (English: Monument to the Fallen for Spain), popularly known as the 'Obelisco' ("Obelisk") or the 'Monumento a los Héroes del Dos de Mayo' ("Monument to the Heroes of the Second of May"), is a monument in Madrid, Spain located in the Plaza de la Lealtad, between the Madrid Stock Exchange Building and the Ritz Hotel, next to the Paseo del Prado.

The monument is built on the place where General Joachim Murat ordered the execution of numerous Spaniards after the Dos de Mayo Uprising of 1808. After various attempts to create a memorial as an homage to the participants of the uprising, the inauguration of the monument took place on May 2, 1840, the anniversary of the event. On November 22, 1985, King Juan Carlos I re-inaugurated the monument as a memorial to all those who gave their life for Spain, including those that died in conflicts other than the Peninsular War. Since then, a flame fuelled by gas has been constantly burning on the front of the monument. This parallels other war memorials around the world of national symbolic importance, frequently known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. (Source: Wikipedia)

I've never been to Madrid. I've never been to Spain. Sadly I probably never will. I can dream.

We'll now go on a trip to Madrid with Betty Schnabel through slides taken in February 1956 by either Betty or her father, Donald.

If you recognize anything drop me a comment so I can add an update.

And now onto the Tattered and Lost European Tour.

Click on image to see it larger.

UPDATE: I knew someone would come through and tell me where and what this is. Thank you Mike of TempoSenzaTempo.

This is the Cibeles Palace.

The most prominent of the buildings at the Plaza de Cibeles is the Cibeles Palace (formerly named Palace of Communication). The cathedral-like landmark was built in 1909 by Antonio Palacios as the headquarters of the postal service. This impressive building was home to the Postal and Telegraphic Museum until 2007 when the landmark building became the Madrid City Hall (Ayuntamiento de Madrid). (Source: Wikipedia)

Seriously, who builds a post office like this? What type of mail were they processing? Spanish gold from a sunken treasure? That is one grand post office! Boggles the mind.

More of Madrid tomorrow.

7/28/14

How many children did this woman have? SEVENTEEN!

And I guess it begins again…how many children did this woman have? In fact, how many generations of people walking the earth today are related to the seventeen children in this family? Think of the stories to be told.

And of course, there's another person responsible for these seventeen…the father.

I think you'll now see where his genetics were stronger in some of the children and how all the DNA got mixed together to create these fascinating people.

And for those who thought this might never end, I give you the family.

Click on image to see it larger.

How many other children died? Was it a happy family? What were their secrets? Their joys? Their sorrows? And since Mike has kindly dealt with some food possibilities…what was dinner like at their table? A moment caught in time that none of them could have ever imagined would someday be viewed all over the world by strangers who would one day be fascinated by them.

7/27/14

How many children did this woman have? SIXTEEN...

7/26/14

How many children did this woman have? FIFTEEN...

How many children did this woman have? FOURTEEN...

7/25/14

How many children did this woman have? THIRTEEN...

7/24/14

How many children did this woman have? TWELVE...

7/23/14

How many children did this woman have? ELEVEN...

7/22/14

How many children did this woman have? TEN...

7/21/14

How many children did this woman have? NINE...

7/19/14

How many children did this woman have? EIGHT...

7/18/14

The BOHEMIANS AMONG US

Taking a one day break from the woman who had so many children that I didn't know what to do…honestly, she needs a rest.

Instead today I focus on the theme for Sepia Saturday.

It was easy for me to come up with photos of dancers, but not of cross-dressing dancers. I have quite a few cross-dressers in vintage snapshots, but none of them dancers. But women from the early part of the 20th century as so called free spirits dressed as bohemians and gypsies…eventually every collector will find them.

These shots come from the Louise Bigelow Schnabel photo album. I have no idea who any of these ladies are, nor do I know why pretending to be a bohemian gypsy was so popular, but it was. Take a look at this Pinterest page to get an idea of the driving force behind what some women were doing. And an "explanation" was found at Wikipedia under Bohemian Style:

The "Dorelia" look Among female Bohemians in the early 20th century, the "gypsy look" was a recurring theme, popularised by, among others, Dorothy "Dorelia" McNeill (1881–1969), muse, lover and second wife of the painter Augustus John (1878–1961), whose full skirts and bright colours gave rise to the so-called "Dorelia look". Katherine Everett, née Olive, a former student of the Slade School of Art in London, has described McNeil's "tight fitting, hand-sewn, canary coloured bodice above a dark gathered flowing skirt, and her hair very black and gleaming, emphasiz[ing] the long silver earrings which were her only adornment".

And to see an old post I did for Sepia Saturday which also featured women playing gypsy click here.

As to cross-dressing dancers, I don't think there's a more enjoyable troupe than Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

And frankly, I just can't get enough of these guys.

7/17/14

How many children did this woman have? SEVEN...

7/16/14

How many children did this woman have? SIX...

7/15/14

How many children did this woman have? FIVE...

7/14/14

How many children did this woman have? FOUR...

7/13/14

How many children did this woman have? THREE...

7/12/14

How many children did this woman have? TWO...

How many children did this woman have? ONE...

7/11/14

HOW MANY CHILDREN did this woman have?

A family with many parts to be revealed slowly.

How many years of her life was she pregnant? Take a guess and then sit back and watch.

7/9/14

The PEOPLE GATHERED to see A BOAT

It's a boat. A nice looking boat. But what boat? Where was this boat? What is the story of this boat? I have not found anything about it online. No other photos looking like it. Hopefully someone has an idea of where we can search next.

Click on image to see it larger.

And the photo in its reconstructed completeness. A day in the park with the band and a boat.

Click on image to see it larger.

This is actually a very worn negative and no matter how much I enlarge it I can't bring in the boat details any clearer. It is what it is and we just have to enjoy it and wonder.