HistoricalArtifacts

I'm not quite sure yet what direction this one is going to take, so bear with me.

I copied a huge pile of family photos for my wife's aunt this year (a birthday surprise). These photos were recently discovered in an attic, so no one really knows where they came from or who took them. Ultimately, the collection grew to about 300 pictures. That might not sound like a lot, but these were all very old pictures, and it was actually quite time-consuming to scan each one in to the computer. In addition, I had a set of negatives which did not match the prints, so I had to have them printed as well (the majority were 120 film, big old negatives).

Judging by the clothes and cars, these pictures ranged in date from the 1920s to about 1970. Now I thought that most of these pictures would be boring, since they would be the traditional family photos which are completely uninteresting even to the families in them. However, as I looked these pictures over in my cataloging and processing, I came to realize that they had many unique qualities which would interest just about anyone (maybe in the name of art)? Thus, I decided to share the choicest images with you here.

My hunch is that one person took a majority of the pictures, and that person knew about photographic composition. There's inventive use of camera angles, lighting, and subject matter that surprises and delights the eye. So, perhaps the best way to think of the images that follow is as a retrospective of an anonymous photographer's work. I don't know who you are, but thanks for the images.

Other images, while not particularly artistically interesting, have certain intriguing historical features which I will point out. I would also like to note that I do not claim credit for any of the pictures in this path.

To start it off, look this one over for a minute. I apologize for the large size of the image, but the detail is important:

Seems pretty simple at first, right. But wait a second... Why is the dog free to roam where it wants while the babies are trapped in some sort of holding pen? Those sure look like twins. Who are they? Think about how completely unacceptable it is in our modern culture to leave your kids out in the dirt like that.

What at first seemed like a casual snapshot now seems to hold some other meaning. Was the photographer making some sort of joke or comment on society? The delicious thing about these pictures is that we will never know. It gives you a certain freedom to simply let your mind wander through the possibilities.

Of course more photos will follow, but that's it for now as the hour grows late. I just wanted to get this path started to give you something to think about.