I originally posted this snowman saga in 2009, but it fits in nicely with the Sepia Saturday theme this week.
I can't even begin to tell you how lucky I was to find this sequence. The three vintage snapshots were in two different boxes at my favorite antique store. I would have been happy to find just one. To actually have the perseverance to find all three took some lower back pain as I stood there sorting for a couple hours. I'm nothing if not dedicated. I featured these images in my first book, Tattered and Lost: Vernacular Photography.
And here is part two of the Christmas mystery photo that I almost forgot to post.
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An American Dream is the latest book in my series of vernacular photography books. The American dream of owning a home through vintage vernacular photographs. The focus is on the people who lived within the homes as well as the varied architecture from the late 1800s to the 1960s.
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Sad sequence of photos, but a great find! I suppose you never know how long a snowman will last, but the fun is in the making.
ReplyDeleteI especially like in the second shot when the snowman begins to realize what is coming. I wish I had photos of the snowmen I made as a kid.
DeleteLoved this post...watching the snowman fade away!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I remember how excited I was when I found the series.
DeleteMe again...wanted you to know that I just ordered An American Dream from Amazon! Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it. I had a lot of fun collecting the photos and putting it all together. I do the books to share my collection. I make virtually nothing on them because I keep the cost down so they're affordable. So thank you for the purchase. I hope you have fun looking through it.
DeleteThat is truly dedication, but what a story your three photos tell! Thanks for your hard work (and I hope your back feels better).
ReplyDeleteBad back and sore feet seem to be part of collecting. Standing in one spot for hours, shifting from foot to foot, an occasional side bend to get the kinks out. I wish antique stores would provide a nice chair next to the suitcases/boxes of photos.
DeleteGreat sequence of photos, I love that it is even snowing or sleeting in the first one.
ReplyDeleteIt is great that someone took the time to take these shots. I'd forgotten to post what was written on the back of one of them:
DeleteJan. 2, 1948
Snow man Kenny, Jackie & I built around new year.
A perfect metaphor for our time. The photographer had a creative imagination (and patience too) to plan this sequence.
ReplyDeleteAnd your mystery Christmas photo begins to date itself with the popcorn garland. No one does that anymore.
I'm so thankful I found all three. It would have been a shame to have them separated and not tell the story.
DeleteThe Christmas shot is old and interesting. Strange and interesting. Actually quite strange.
What a fascinating record on the sad life of a snowman
ReplyDeleteThey are sort of sad, aren't they? Unless you get a good freeze they're gone pretty soon.
DeleteOK, I'm hooked for the mystery Christmas shot. Do remember the life of snowmen/women past...as they passed into history feeding the mud that would eventually be called lawn and need mowing all summer...so the cycle of snowmen/women goes.
ReplyDeleteI had not thought of it that way, but yes, that is their life cycle. A new lawn in the spring.
DeleteLoved the snowman trio - poor fellow. But as "Frosty" says, "(He'll) be back again some day!" The mystery picture is certainly that. Very odd. My husband remembers as a boy seeing a popcorn and cranberry garland and wanting one for their Christmas tree. His mom told him to have at it - giving him the materials to make it. He still remembers how difficult it was stringing the blasted things together and vowing "Never again!" They are pretty, though. :)
ReplyDeleteYou see the strands on retro trees now, but you get up close and find out they're plastic. I can imagine the frustration of trying to string popcorn. Argghhhh!
DeleteFascinating series of photos. Somehow the collection is much more than the parts.
ReplyDeleteExactly right. The impact is in watching the "life" cycle of the snowman. I always imagine him saying "Oh no!" in the second shot like in the old Mister Bill videos.
DeleteOh dear, poor little snowman. I’m amazed that someone had the forethought to make this a series ; an early form of time lapse photography.
ReplyDeletePossibly a person longing to be a photojournalist.
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