It's always fun to go through another box of slides from Betty Schnabel's estate. Her father, Donald G. Schnabel, traveled a lot and took thousands of slides; sometimes Betty traveled with him. In this case it was to England in 1949.
These are all black and white slides. I'll admit to not knowing there ever was such a thing. Their quality is not particularly good, but they do give the feeling of stepping back in time, only four years after the war.
The theme for Sepia Saturday this week is hotels. Below I give you a hotel. This is the Welcombe Inn located near Stratford-upon-Avon. This shot certainly doesn't make the place look particularly interesting, but click on this link and you'll be impressed.
Click on images to see them larger.
Betty and Donald visited Shakespeare's home while in Stratford-upon-Avon. Two chatty ladies with a pram would have never imagined they'd one day be shown to people around the world.
And here we have some folks considering a tour of Shakespeare's home. Looks like one of them wants to first lean in and see if it's worth it.
Betty and Donald also visited Kenilworth Castle. The second shot is labeled "Stables Kenilworth Castle 1949." Personally I think I could live quite nicely in the stables.
The strange thing about all of Donald's slides is that his wife, Louise, never seems to be in any of them. She died in 1972. Occasionally there are shots of his son, Donald Jr, who died this past year. Betty traveled with her father on several trips. Now, since I only have slides from Betty's estate I have no way of knowing what photographs her brother had or what became of them. He lived in Florida, Betty in California. The family images are doomed to never be together.
So I'll leave you with Betty in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1949. I can't decide if that's a feather in a hat or some strands of hair blown straight up. It doesn't help to see the photo larger. You can decide for yourself. Betty does not appear to be enjoying herself.
To see more photos taken by Betty's father click on his or her name in the links below.
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I think those slides are fabulous - and monochrome seems to suit the period far better than those post-war colour shots which always look either washed out or hopelessly over-coloured like some technicolour film showing off.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...well I was going to say it was a feather...but after zooming in I think it is hair :)
ReplyDeleteI imagine the Welcombe Inn has been upgraded somewhat since it became a Menzies Hotel, presumably after Betty's visit, but the building does look impressive when you see it front on. Great to have that set of Donald's slides. I think it must have been a windy day, as Betty doesn't look like a woman who would have worn a feather.
ReplyDeleteAgfa Scala, no longer manufactured. It never caught on in the U.S. because it used a proprietary processing done only at the Agfa factory in Germany. Fomapan makes a B&W reversal film available in the U.S. They also make a home processing kit that runs about $50.
ReplyDeleteMy guess would be the wayward piece is a part of her carefully curled bangs the wind caught & blew out of place & is probably why she looks so annoyed. As to Betty not being in many of the photos, my Dad was famous for taking beautiful pictures of scenery without any people in them. My Mom finally convinced him he should try to include family members in some way once in a while, and so he did which made the pictures twice as interesting. But he always positioned us down in a low corner somewhere. There's a shot of my head & shoulders at the very bottom of a lovely photo of Lake Tahoe. We've always laughed at that one - but hey, I was in the picture if only in part!
ReplyDeleteYes, many of my holiday photos have none with either myself or travelling companions in them. I regret that now, though I still tend to not take people shots.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of black and white slides. I especially like the one with the pram.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are keeping track of all the places that the Schnabel collection takes us to. Like Alan says, the black and white seem more appropriate for this year. Now that we've come to know her, the photo of Betty with guidebook and cigarette is a real classic. And as for the barn, My wife is English and her parents lived in a converted estate building near London that was formerly an old stables and paddock. They really know how to preserve old stuff in Britain.
ReplyDeleteCharming baby buggy, and lovely buildings. Very intersting story. I'd enjoy a Shakespeare tour as well!
ReplyDeleteThese photos remind me of summer in Ashland, the small town of Ashland, near where I live. The Shakespeare festival does draw the tourist for about 6-8 months a year. I wonder if in 50 or 60 years, there will be a post of folks strolling through Ashland. A nice thought.
ReplyDeleteI've also never seen/heard of B&W slides...and these are crisp and bright and just right for the time. In my family my Mother balked so much at being in a photo, she started sticking her tongue out any time a camera was pointed at her...thus only a few group shots including her exist for many years.
ReplyDeleteNice to see Betty again!! Paris, Middle East, East Coast, West Coast... they really got around!
ReplyDeleteI think that is a strand of Betty’s careful coffered hair. I was born a year before Donald and Betty came to England but only got to visit Stratford a few years ago. I love black-and-white slides we might even have some in the loft, I really must get up there and have a look around.
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