Forgotten Faces and Places

Not Forgotten - Binghamtom, NY Broome County Courthouse

2008-11-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

It looks to be 191?, due to the horrifying array of hats on the ladies. Many of the subjects have ribbons of some sort. It would be great to know why. The building is the Broome County Courthouse at the intersection of Court & Chenango Streets in downtown Binghamton, NY.

The people seem amazingly phlegmatic about sitting for this image. There may be a few Binghamton notables among them, which would also be interesting to find out.

On the back of the photo there is a stamp, H.E.Saylor, Photographer, Endicott, NY. It was a big help in finding this location. The Google Map location is here and a Picasa Album of shots around the area is here and another blog of Upstate New York called York Staters has a post with the photo that clinched my effort to locate this pillared stairway & get one step closer to knowing what this picture is all about.

The photo is about 6.25x8" on a thick cardboard mount of 10x12".

Fantastic Fire @ Belle Meade Sweets 1916

2008-11-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

Trenton Evening Times January 05, 1916

Fire did $100,000 damage to plant of Belle Meade Sweets. See?
The front page of the Trenton Evening Times the next day had a photo of the burned out building that looked like something out of post war Europe Tragic! All that chocolate, GONE!

It sucked to live in this apartment!

Not exactly a perfect picture, but what a picture! I can practically feel the heat!

I bought this a good thirty years back in the South Street area of Philly and pull it out of the box once every five years just to look at it again. Amazing...

A Crew of Men

2008-11-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

What these men did back in the 1800s is anyone's guess. Perhaps a clue can be found in the strange girl just off to the right. What is she holding, a plate of cheese? Are these dairymen?

There are several fobs visible, which indicates pocket watches, a symbol of middle class income. And as crappy as the outfits look generally, they are jackets & vests, even on the very serious kid on the right. It's a mystery, as usual, with these old photos.

The photo is roughly 7.5" x 5" on a 9" x 7.5" light card. There are no deliberate marks (like a title would have been nice) and the photo is really just as yellow as it looks here.It's just a fascinating window on a world without jet lag, megapixels or germ theory and many years before a proper personal deodorant!

The Happiest Wedding Party EVER!!!

2008-11-03T14:40:00.001-08:00

I hope they had a good marriage, because the wedding looks like a funeral!

Did you ever see such a bunch of miserable people? Honestly!

Maybe it's the awful dresses! The second from the left looks like it still has fold marks in the fabric. And this being the Age of Crappy Hats can't help either. They all look like prototypes for the attack fleet of Ming The Merciless!

Black hats, white dresses! Who was the wedding planner on this fiasco!?

The pretty bride has the only smile in the house.
The groom & best man look like they both ate worms! Amazing!

Seriously, WHAT A PICTURE!

Size 9.5"x7.5"

Flaxen Haired Early Thirties Striking Gaze

2008-11-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

A little signature in the corner is the only attribution on this portrait,
George Freeland, which is a bit of a misnomer because the George Freeland of photographic history was a Brit who died in 1898. So, not this guy!�

The card is 6.25x8.5".

1925 Father & Daughter - Philadelphia

2008-11-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

Some time during 1925, this father & daughter went down to the Photo-Crafters studio and had their portrait taken.

Photo-Crafters was apparently taking portraits of the Philadelphia affluent & influential from the turn of the 20th century at least through the twenties. There are numerous references to Photo-Crafters of Philadelphia and photos of the very swells to which I refer!

Dimensions are 8" across by 11" tall. No rips or folds, just yellowing.