Wordless Wednesday - I love this photo

This photo speaks to me. 

There is a story here.

Love,

M

Images of children

I find images of children fascinating. Unlike stiff posed adults, children just seem to go with the flow. Even poised photos like these taken over 100 years ago or so show the children's zest for life.

There is nothing like giving a baby a gun and a flag to bring on a smile.

Maybe it's just the gun.

Nope, guns must not be what brings on the smiles.

I think we can safely say it wasn't the hat.

Have a wonderful day today.

Love,

M

P.S. These photos are part of a large collection of old photos from our digital library.

Old photographs and the questions they provoke

As most of you know I'm a bit of an old photograph nut. I collect them. I paint from them. My stock in trade is to put them up online and digitally preserve them. I torture my family with them.  I torture all of you with them. Seriously! There should be a 12 step program for my problem.

The following is one that I found entertaining and thought provoking. Old photos tell of a time gone by. If looked at closely they speak to social history in a way that history textbooks cannot. They are more personal than facts and figures. They can convey information about a moment in time. I find them infinitely fascinating.

This photograph was supposedly taken at Galveston Beach. JR and I were there this past weekend. It did not look like this but I was dressed just like the woman in front...Not! I was really dressed more like the guy but let's not go there. Let's take a good look at the background. If you look very closely you will see a sailing ship on the left and a steamship on the right. It is hard to tell but I sort of suspect that this photo was taken in a studio and not at the beach. Why do I think this? Check out the sand. It seems awfully smooth to me. The clothing doesn't seem to be windblown though I've never been on this beach without a little wind. It is not like the shutter speeds back then were fast enough to stop the motion. Also, check out where the sand and water meet. I looks a little like a drape. The composition seems just a bit contrived. I, of course, could be totally wrong about this.

If it is a draped studio photo it leads me to ask questions like:

• Why go to a studio to take a picture of a beach just over an hour away?

• Did they also have other photographs taken on the same day with different backgrounds and clothes?

• What prompted them to have this particular photo taken?

 If they were really at the beach, and they very well could have been, the questions change:

• Did the women actually go in the water? 
• Did they take off their stockings first?
• Was that considered forward?
• Were their camps/tents set up to get out of the sun like there is today?
• Where did that big piece of driftwood come from?
• Was there a special occasion to go to the beach that day?
• Where are the seaweed and other stuff that tends to wash up?
• Was the sailboat in the background used for pleasure or trade?
• How did they get to the beach? Did they drive one of those new automobiles? Did they take the Interurban train?
• Was this before or after the great 1900 hurricane?

 

These aren't even half the questions I have about this one photograph. It is little wonder I get distracted when looking at a box full old photographs.

I do know a bit about this photograph. The gentleman was a famous judge in Houston that was instrumental in starting/expanding the Ship Channel. The opening of the Ship Channel changed the face of Houston. His wife (seated next to him) was a leading suffragette in Texas. She was also an inventor. She invented and patented a street sweeper and garbage cans. She tried to get elected to the school board but of course that wasn't going to happen. Their daughters were debutantes and married well. Which I'm fairly sure was expected of them. 

And, I have, once again, proven that I'm an old photograph/history freak but these are the things that I think about.

What are ya'll thinking about today?

Love,
M

Wallpaper

I have a love/hate relationship with wallpaper.
I love the way it looks in pattern books and small swatches but
hate the way it looks on a wall.
More than anything I hate taking the stuff off the wall.

Years ago we moved into a 70s nightmare.

There was wallpaper on every wall of the house.

One bedroom had patriotic themed wallpaper, complete with eagles with arrows clutched in it's talons.

The bathroom in that bedroom had striped wallpaper, olive green, red, white and blue. It sort of matched the bedroom walls but not quite.

The shared bath had wallpaper with huge yellow and orange daisy type flowers with twining leaves on an avocado background. This must have been to compliment the bright yellow sink, toilet and tub. And, let's not forget the burnt orange background with yellow flower wall-to-wall carpet. I couldn't go in there. No really! I couldn't go period.

The living room had the least offensive wallpaper. It was a muted gold strip. Liveable.

The kitchen was something else all together. Picture if you will; avocado appliances and sink, lime green counters and back splash, maple country kitchen cabinets with hammered black iron hardware, tan wall-to-wall carpets (indoor/outdoor, mind you) and bright yellow flowered wallpaper (which came down immediately!). Yes, it was a site to behold.

These wallpapers have nothing to do with the ones found in our old house. These are from a German wallpaper pattern book from years gone by. They just sort of reminded me why I have developed this love/hate relationship. Plus, they are funky. And, graphic. And, I like me some funky and graphic. Don't you?

Love,
M

I feel a story coming on

I feel like telling a story but have quite a few bubbling up to the top of my head. Right now I'm just not sure what story to tell. So I'll let you decide.

Pick a photo from the following 3 and I'll write a story about it sometime next week.

#1. Dog with pipe. Really? Who doesn't like to dress up their dog?

#2. Men in swimsuits. I have no idea why I picked this photo and no idea what story I can make out of it.

#3. A group of people dressed up in crazy costumes.This one has some potential. Potential for what I'm not sure.

I want to point out that I didn't pick photos that were easy. I consider easy one where I can tackle a social context. Comedy is so much harder than drama for me. Must be the academic writing mode I'm always in. That's why I'm leaving the choice up to you. Pick your favorite of these three photos and I'll write some sort of a story about it.

Oh and if anyone knows how to fix my site feed problem please let me know. I couldn't figure it out this morning but than again it is 5:47am. I haven't fully finished my cup of consciousness (aka coffee) yet.

Happy weekend everyone,
M

A woman's right

They had traveled all the way from St. Paul the day before. Boarding the train in Minot, North Dakota, they were excited, scared and defiant; excited to be a part of something big, something important, something historic. Scared of the unprotected unknown that was Washington DC. They were leaving a place that was small, sheltering and known to a place that was large, exposed and foreign. Some were defying fathers, brothers, and husbands. And that too, was exciting and scary. But like a corset bound too tight they were bursting to be free.

They had come to the Nation’s capital for a cause. They were answering the call. The call sent out by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony many years before and Lucy Burns and Alice Paul now.

WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE!

THE RIGHT TO VOTE!

The importance of women’s suffrage was clear to them. As young women, barely out of school, they hugged this cause to their breast. Espoused the sayings, sang the songs, and rallied with others to make their feelings known to a world ruled my men.

WHY YOU MUST MARCH!

They stood flyers in hand, waiting their turn to join the ranks of thousands of women who would be parading down Pennsylvania Avenue. It was March 3rd. The day before Woodrow Wilson arrived in town for his presidential inauguration, this president who would later remark that he hadn’t given the cause “any thought”.

Little did these idealist young women know but this day and their participation would turn out to be the turning point in the suffrage movement. Little did they or the suffrage movement leaders know that the peaceful and lawful parade and demonstration that the suffrage leaders had planned would become ugly. They didn’t know that amidst the estimated half million onlookers there were abusive and angry men lining the street. It would never have occurred to them that these men would start yelling obscenities, hurling lit cigar butts, slapping them, mobbing and sometimes beating them, while the police force did very little or nothing to stop the attackers. Two hundred marchers would be hurt, while complacent onlookers would stall or even detain medical personal trying to come to the aid of the injured demonstrators. Unbeknownst to them some of their 5000 strong would be arrested.

Had the young women known all this would they still have joined the parade that day?

Of course! Their cause was just.

VOTE FOR WOMEN!



Note: the happenings at this event created a public outcry that resulted in the firing of the Washington DC chief of police and fueled the movement. And while it took another seven years for women to receive the right to vote the movement gained supporters after these events. To read more about the march and the women’s suffrage movement to go the Library of Congress website. 

So there is my story. 

Is it the real story of this photograph? No. 

Is it compelling? I like to think so. 

Does it explain an event or teach a lesson? I hope so.

Love,

M

Storytelling

I've been getting into digital storytelling lately. Quite possibly because I each a grad course in something like it but most likely it is because I just enjoy stories.

I'm of the opinion that our social morays, belief systems, and a lot of other social notions come down to us through many generations of storytelling. I mean, what is the bible if not stories? Stories told to explain a world that wasn't understandable. Stories told to teach a lesson. Stories told to enforce behaviors. All just stories that made their way into print form.

Stories are sometimes real life experiences and sometimes not.

Stories can take on a life of their own and sometimes not.

Stories can be creative and sometimes not.

Stories can be funny and sometimes not.

Stories can have a grain of truth, teach a lesson and entertain.

My personal favorite type of storytelling is to take a photo that you may or may not know anything about than tell a story about what is happening in the photo. Giving the story to the photo. Every photo deserves its own story. Even the bad ones.

I'm not talking about historically accurate storytelling. That is something different. That is what I teach. That is taking an historical event and adding images to better tell the story; to more graphically tell the story; to put the story in a medium that is more engaging to a modern audience.

A few weeks ago, (or it may be over a month ago, my life has sort of spun out of control these last 6 weeks or so) Gretchen posted a photo of a group of women but didn't say anything about the photo. She asked that we make up a story about what was happening in the photo. I took this as a challenge and made up an elaborate tale about the women in the photo. It was fun. At least for me it was, the rest of you may have thought it was as painful of a read as this is turning out to be. Anyway, I thought I'd pass along the torch a bit. Post a photo and ask if you all will write a little something about it in the comments or if you are in a storytelling mood; a post about it.

I know very little about this image. I only know the album that it came from. I do have a story going around in my head about it though that is dying to get out.

What do you see in this photograph?

Be creative.

I plan to be.

Love,
M

The Bon Vivant's Companion - Haiku

The Hilton Archives on campus has the most fantastic collection of cookbooks. We've been digitizing those that aren't already online somewhere and falls under Public Domain. We are also scanning those that are rare and in very fragile condition.

We found this charming little book tucked away. It is packed full of drink recipes. What I really like is the illustrations. Here are just a sampling.

How does one go from
Principal Bartender to
Professor Jerry?

 Pensive...or angry.

The Charming Miss Dickie looks

I am not sure which

He sits at the bar

John Peterson of Kirk's

Celebrated bald head

A roue and his tricks

Professor Thomas will hit

punch bowl with big dent

Young Billy Tracy

lifts his full wine glass up high

to the Bank Exchange

A fancy saloon

a pointy mustachio 

Dennis Sullivan

Scoundrels with liquor

Innocent maiden on bed

this does not bode well

Orgy, wine and song

Prof. Thomas is such a prude

to not allow it.

Sensational Dance

Kiralfy Trio triumph

goofy feathered hats

I hope you enjoyed this little look at alcohol consumption in the late 1800s to early 1900s. 

I'll be in Philadelphia for the next 3 days but I'll try to visit. 

Love,

M

These were not exactly what I was looking for....but funny all the same.

I can't really tell if this was an error in judgment on my part or a happy accident. You tell me.

I put a twenty-something intern in charge of writing titles and descriptions for some images that we were going to put up online at the end of this month. I give him the same instructions and training that I give everyone that will be writing "metadata" for us. These instructions usually include the words: "describe and title the item as you see it and be creative. Just not too creative because we don't want to offend anyone that might be still alive or make the university look bad."
No one to date has had a problem with these instructions.

Well, until now.

Title: Half and Half

Description: A shot of a gentleman with half his upper face missing

Now, I don't know about you but I think that if my upper face was missing I wouldn't be posing for pictures.

 Title: It's a Cruel World

Description: A shot of a sad looking little girl.

Probably not what the photographer was going for but a great shot anyway

Title: Lights...Just Lights!

Description: Two men working on some lighting instruments for (TV station call letters)

Not sound, not camera, not film.....Just Lights.

 Title: Man In Charge

Description: A shot of two gentlemen in which one is commanding the other.

Considering the smile on the face of the man sitting I'd say the that the man standing isn't very commanding.

Title: One of a Kind

Description: A lady in her later years giving some sort of speech

First off; later years?

Second off; later years?

Title: Spring Ouarterback

Description: Man in a stupid shirt

WTF?

Title: That's So 1950s
Descritption: (none)
Uh yeah, it was the 1950s when this photo was taken. It might have even been the 1960s. 




And the two that win the award for creativity are.......

Title: Stick in in your pipe and smoke it!!!
Description: A young gentleman smoking his pipe as he listens to an ongoing presentation
Hilarious!

 Title: Creepy....
Descritpion: A strange woman making a silly face
Phyllis Diller did make silly faces but was she creepy?

 We obviously didn't leave these title and descriptions as they were but it was very tempting. What do you think? Was my intern being creative or a smartass? 

Love,

M

Just about everything about this scares me.

This week's Spin Cycle is Halloween and believe it or not I think I'm on time.
What are the odds?
Not very good I can tell you.
Since, SK gives us a fair bit of latitude on this sort of thing I think I'll use all of it. Yeah, sort of like the bag full of candy I'd collect then promptly chow down on Halloweens in the past.

On Friday I posted this photograph:

It scares the crap out of me.

There is a ton of stuff on this page that scares me but lets start with it's reason for being. This photograph came from a 1910s booklet promoting the great city of Houston, Texas. Yes, folks the reason you should come to Houston is because we let toddlers smoke pipes

and promote ethnic stereotypes by showing Mexican women carrying flowers on their heads. 

I'm a little concerned that the baby on the top left with the flower in her hand was stoned. Look at those eyes and tell me I'm wrong. I've seen eyes like that (true, in the mirror but it was the mid-70s; we all had eyes like that) and they were stoned. This was the early 1900s. I think they were still putting cocaine in Coca Cola.

And, the baby on the top right. Is she supposed to be posing as a bathing beauty? Because she does seem to have the moves down. This was the Victorian era. Didn't they reserve those poses for "fast" women?

She is adorable though.

Last but not least, let's address the elephant in this room. The scariest part of this photograph....the nun! 
(please say this in that dramatic way made famous by Monty Python in "the Bishop" sketch)

 Am I wrong or does she not look like a man dressed up like a nun? I had heard that nuns were scary but holy cow! She/he'd make me pee my pants if she/he came at me with a ruler. And, is she/he casting her/his eyes up to God or something else? Was this a social/religious statement by the photographers? It boggles the mind that they thought this was a good image for Houston.

Truly, I'm scared. Somebody hold me!

Love,
M


PS: It's Monday. Let's all try to make it meatless. It's good for you and it's good for the planet. And we all like you and the planet. Really? What's not to like?

Pictures of Children

 Trouble tempting imps.

 Hugable happy honeys

 

 Talented Treasures

 

High jink playing scalawags

 lil Tomfoolery

 

Wonderful wandering whelp

 Tremendous pranksters

  

Fat Buddha baby 

 

Lots of lovelies all at once

 

 I love pictures of children.

Have a great weekend.

Love,

M