FLOYD standing on the front porch

It says "Floyd" on the back of the photo. I know, I know...that just doesn't make sense, but I have a female relative on my mother's side that was related to my grandmother named Floyd. I do not recall what her full name was. But she was Cousin Floyd. Of course in this case it's always possible she's not Floyd, the person who wrote the names just wasn't very good at flipping the photo over and putting the name in the approximate place on the back to correspond with the person on the front. But let's make it easy. She's Floyd. She will now always remain Floyd.

Of course...there's always the possibility that she is a he named Floyd. I seriously doubt it. This is the reason you must be very very careful when writing names on the back of your photos. Get it right or someone down the line might be really embarrassed.

Anyway, I think Floyd looks very stylish. Interesting chain around her neck. I sort of expect to see glasses hanging from them. And I see she has a handkerchief clutched in her right hand. Hot day? Getting over a cold?

I can tell you there is only one person in this group shot who is really putting forth a smile. Floyd is not that person.

Tomorrow...Fred.

Part 1 of SITTING ON THE FRONT PORCH

Once again I'm going to deconstruct a photo so we can focus on the individuals. Together it's just a group shot. Nothing really special about it. Separately we're looking at individual lives separate from the whole.

I don't know if you enjoy these or not, but for me it's too easy to simply look at the whole and not notice the details. You know how much I love details.

There is some writing on the back of the card which seems to correspond to specific people. So when I can I will give the names. Unfortunately some of the names have been cut off. The photo is mounted on board and at some point trimmed down to the outer edge of the photo.

For today we unfortunately have no name. He is one of the people whose name has been cropped, though it does appear as if it began with "Mr". This leads me to believe he is not family, merely a friend. I'm thinking a fairly pious man from his body language. Or perhaps hellfire and brimstone. I could go either way.

And you should be able to click on him and go to the larger image. This photo is being kept at Picasa. I've never figured out why sometimes it allows photos to be clicked on and other times nothing happens. Thus the reason I usually use Flickr. Picasa is too often a problem.

Excuse me ma'am, UMMMMM...

...there's something sticking out of your head.

Click on image to see it larger.

When I bought this I thought this woman had spun her hair into a tight weird tinsy tiny bun on the back of her head. Oh my. Why didn't anybody tell her? Then I scanned it and blew it up and saw it was a comb. Fancy comb. I think I preferred it when I thought it was hair. Either way...not working for me. I keep thinking, "How many channels could she pick up with that thing?" Or was this an eating utensil she kept handy? Spoon at one end, fork at the other.

Well just bless her heart. I hope she had a good life. And did she will the comb to someone? Was it her signature piece?

MY DAUGHTER PEARL and myself

"My daughter Pearl and myself taken Dec. 1924."

Things are playing out rather strangely today all because of a post I did last night at my other site, Tattered and Lost Ephemera. And now I thought I'd post this innocent photo and suddenly it seems odd to me because of the looming shadow in the lower right corner. Okay...let me explain.

Last night I posted an ad from a 1919 Chicago high school yearbook at my other site. It's an odd ad, to say the least, especially considering the time period. It shows two boys, one cross-dressing in a girls dress and shoes. It was the reason I bought the book years ago on eBay. I've always wondered about the ad. What possessed the company to run this? How was it received by the community? So I began doing a little googling for information and before I knew it I realized there was something even stranger in the book. I discovered the high school graduation picture of Richard Loeb of Leopold and Lobe fame. Not at all where I expected my day to go. Suddenly I'm reading about the horrendous murder this fellow committed in 1924 and feeling a little dark. So I come here to post this sweet photo of a father and daughter and notice the date 1924 and the shadow. Yup, I'm deep into it now. And no, this father and daughter have nothing to do with any of it. They're just innocent bystanders, or in this case skatestanders, of the darkness.

If you enjoyed the photos I posted days ago of the high school class from Virden, Illinois you might enjoy where I'm going this week at my other blog. I'll be focusing on this yearbook. Posting images of Loeb and then just regular yearbook stuff. It's actually a fascinating yearbook having been published just following the end of World War I.

This really confirms that you just never really know where ephemera will lead.

Saying good-bye to THE VIRDEN CLASS OF 1929

The last day of the Virden Community High School class of 1929. I seriously doubt that any of the people shown the past few days are still alive. If they are, they're around 98 years old. So it's always possible. I hope they had good lives.

Click on any image to see it larger.

I don't know why looking at faces of long ago high school students is fascinating. It goes beyond just seeing the fashions of the period. I guess it's the wondering about their lives. They were just about to head out on their own. Did they screw up their lives as badly as so many of us do? Were they happy at the end of their lives? Were their lives cut short? They reflect back all the joy and fears we all go through. I guess it's because we see ourselves in them.

More from the VIRDEN CLASS OF 1929

One of the things I'm also loving are the names. I especially love yesterdays De Wayne Radford. Or how about today's Linden Lorton?

And need I say it...click on any image to see it larger.

VIRDEN COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL 1929

Last year I did two posts about Virden, Illinois. Recently I've heard from a few residents of the town who enjoyed seeing the old photos. You can see the old posts at Small Town USA and Virden Redux.

This evening I was sorting through some of the folders in my vernacular photography collection and came across a class picture from Virden High School in 1929. Over the next few days I'll post pieces of the whole so that the faces are large enough for people to see without having to click through to a larger size. I thought just maybe somebody would see one of their relatives. If nothing else, it's fun looking at the hairstyles and fashions from 1929.

I will eventually post the complete photo. As far as I know this is the last photo I have that has any connection to Virden.

As usual, you can click on any of the images below to see them larger at Flickr.

And the last lady said "HMMMMMM..."

Here it is. The final piece of the Family Reunion puzzle. I send this knowing how dangerous family reunions can be. How fragile families are when mental illness intrudes. Let's hope this family was storybook happy, but let's admit it...probably not.

This little lady with the "Hmmmmmmm..." look on her face is what holds it all together for me. She's got her own story going on. Is she thinking, "Hmmmmm...do I put carrots or parsnips with the rabbit?" Or is she thinking, "Do I tell my husband I'm leaving him for the shoe salesman before or after the pie?" She's the only one not in the moment. And she's probably the glue that held the family together. We'll never know. She's a vernacular photography mystery. You'll bring whatever story you want to her.

And now finally, the entire photo. See, I told you...nothing to see here. Keep moving. Just a group of people standing in front of a house. I will dig out one of them sitting on steps and post at a later time. Right now I'm feeling my own angst over a friends family. A family that I imagined would have ended up happy, but instead is in painful turmoil. Mental illness has far reaching tendrils. Yes, the pain is lessened the farther distance you are from the center of it, but it still shadows all who come into contact with it.