Category Archives: Old Photos

antique and vintage photos and snapshots

Bon Voyage

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Bon Voyage p1

Photo, circa early 1900s. Size:  About 3 and 1/8 x 2 and 1/8″

Price:  $10.00

Sepia-toned old photograph from approximately the early 1900s, showing a group photo of six persons who appear to be about ready to board a steamer. There is an older couple in the center, a younger couple on the right, a young gentleman second from the left who looks to be in uniform (perhaps he is a crew member) and a young gentleman on the far left in knickers. In the photo we also see a couple of umbrellas, some different style ties for the men (one is a small bow tie), two different style hats for the ladies, a broad brimmed hat for the younger woman and a more compact style for the older woman. All in the group are smiling. What is the guy on the left holding? And what is the older woman holding? (An apple?) And it looks like the pavement the people are standing on is of brick or stone.

We can see part of the lettering for the name of the boat. It looks like L-E-R? And we can see two smoke stacks, and notice the portholes. There’s a couple in the background who appear to be about to board the ship, and this is why my guess is that this is a photo taken before the voyage. Maybe the guy on the left was the driver for the two couples, and to his left a member of the crew.

If anyone can provide any details about this photo, please let me know.

Vintage Alaska Tourist Photos

Gallery

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This gallery contains 6 photos.

Price for the set:  $15.00  Size for each photo:  3 and 1/2 x 2 and 1/2″ Here is a wonderful collection of vintage black and white photos, (in very good condition except for the top two which have some major … Continue reading →

Little Girl Posing On Steps

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Little Girl Posing On Steps

Old photo, circa 1900 – 1914.

Price:  $5.00         Size including cardboard frame:  6 and 3/4 x 4 and 1/4″

Another unidentified photo, mounted on cardboard, this time with no mark for the photography studio, showing a cute little girl, about three or four years old, in a light-colored, high-necked dress, wearing a bow, a necklace, and with her hair styled in side ringlets. She wears dark tights and high button shoes, and is standing on the bottom step of a two-step cement stair, next to a low cement block wall, with the leaves of a palm tree and some type of wooden structure showing behind her. It looks like this may have been taken in front of someone’s house or maybe an office building or restaurant, perhaps in Florida or California. I love her direct gaze for the camera.

This photo’s date is estimated to be from about 1900 – 1914. According to numerous websites, the high button shoe style lasted until around WWI when leather was rationed, along with many other items. There is nothing written on the back except for someone’s arithmetic, and the photo and frame are not in the greatest of shape with the corner wear, the uneven sides and a couple of major creases. Ah but the rustic look is in!

Gene Balch in Fresno, California

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Gene Balch 1Gene Balch 2

Oval studio portrait of a handsome gentleman in a dark suit jacket with a white or light-colored patterned vest, white tie and wingtip style collar. He is identified on the back as Gene Balch. This is very likely Albert Eugene Balch, who according to the U. S. City Directories, Voter Registrations and U. S. Federal Census records, had a long career in the school system in Fresno, as principal of Emerson, Washington Junior High, Longfellow Junior High, and was also Assistant or Deputy Commissioner for the Superintendent of Schools (at least approx. 1914 – 1917.) Born in Kansas, about 1874, he appears to be the same person as on the 1880 Federal Census taken in Chase County, KS with parents Albert and Almira Balch, and other household members Elliot, Carrie, Mary and Homer. Fresno city directories show many entries starting in 1906, and voter reg as early as 1894. (The 1900 Fresno directory shows an Albert and an A. E. Balch, living in Oleander with occupations for both given as farmer. This may be Albert Eugene and his dad.) The 1910 census in Fresno shows wife Mary (married about 1898); the 1930 shows Albert E. Balch with wife Mary, and their daughter Nellie. A 1935 city directory shows Albert is married to second wife Cydney (various spellings). By the 1940 census, Albert, Cidney and Nellie are living in Santa Cruz, California; no occupation for Albert E., so he is likely retired by then.

As for the photography studio, the signature shows “Maxwell & Mudge, Fresno, Cal.”  This studio opened in about 1898 when John Franklin Maxwell took in A. C. Mudge as partner. More detailed information on the photographers will be put up under a separate post.

Price:  $25.00  Size including cardboard matting: About 8 and 3/4 x 5 and 3/4″  Circa early 1900s.

Sources:  Year: 1880; Census Place:  , Chase, Kansas; Roll: 375; Family History Film: 1254375; Page: 284D; Enumeration District: 149. Year: 1910; Census Place: Township 3, Fresno, California; Roll: T624_76; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0030; FHL microfilm: 1374089. Year: 1930; Census Place: Fresno, Fresno, California; Roll: 116; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 0027; Image: 836.0; FHL microfilm: 2339851. Year: 1940; Census Place: Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California; Roll: T627_342; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 44-7. (Ancestry.com)

California State Library, California History Section; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4 – 2A; CSL Roll Number: 14; FHL Roll Number: 976462.  For Fresno, California. 1894 – 1896. (Ancestry.com)

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989  for Fresno, California. 1904 – 1938.

Vandor, Paul E. History of Fresno County, California with Biographical Sketches. Los Angeles: Historical Record Company, 1919. p. 2574. Web. Accessed 20 Jun 2014.

Auburn Ski Club 1930

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Auburn Ski Club p1Auburn Ski Club p2

Three pals pose next to their car, which is one of a long line of cars that are lined up at the side of the road. (I feel redundant here but oh, well.) The writing on the back says  “Auburn Ski Club 1930.”  It looks like this might have been taken on the way back home, after the fellas got some good skiing in. You’ll notice the snow in the background, but that the guys don’t have their winter jackets on. Auburn is Auburn, California, located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains…. In keeping with the tradition of identifying vehicle types on this website, the car in the foreground will be researched (more) to try to figure it out. (What would you think the rope attached to the steering wheel was for?)

The Auburn Ski Club still exists today. The Western SkiSport Museum was founded in 1969 by the ski club, and there are all kinds of fascinating facts and photos and exhibits to be found there. The second website listed below is The Donner Summit Historical Society: tons of cool (no pun intended) stuff in there, too.

The condition of this 1930 photo is not the greatest: There are some indentations in the photo, and if you enlarge it you will see that it’s a little out of focus. But it’s still a great photo of three friends and a great piece of Western skiing history.

Price:  $17.00  Size:  About 2 and 3/4 x 4 and 1/2″

Sources and related reading:  http://auburnskiclub.com/ski-museum/

http://www.donnersummithistoricalsociety.org/PDFs/newsletters/news12/December12.pdf

Mystery Building

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Mystery Church

Old photo of a building that appears to be a church, or perhaps was once a church. If you look closely at the arched windows on the top, you will notice that each window has panes of a different opacity or maybe color to make a cross shape. (One of the windows is open slightly.) There is a plaque that identifies the building but, maddeningly, it is unreadable, although, you can come up with many different possibilities. Up by the part that sticks up like a chimney (but is it?) you’ll see an opening that looks like it once held a bell. Also, you’ll notice that there is a man walking in front of the building:  he wears a dark suit, white shirt and a hat. The brick-paved section of the street shows trolley or streetcar tracks , and the dark spots on the street give an indication that horses might still be in use for transportation. I was puzzled by the thing on the pole at the corner, until my husband informed me that, of course, it’s a mailbox:  The dark part is the box; you can see the two brackets that are holding the box to the pole. The side of the box blends in with the building but there’s a little bit of a shadow under the top of the box, so when you’re looking at it as a mailbox, it makes sense. There were different styles of lamppost mailboxes by different designers; it’s possible that this one might be one of the Doremus boxes or maybe an Owens. According to an online article by Allison Marsh of the National Postal Museum, the four-footed mailbox was first “suggested” in 1894, and took off from there. So, this seems to be a pretty old photo, maybe from the Eastern part of the U. S., estimating late 1800s to just after the turn of the century. Looking at the plaque again – perhaps it’s in another language: German, for instance. Would there have been plaques on buildings in the U. S. in other languages around the turn of the century? That’s another line of research to pursue. Another intriguing detail are the corner guards for the lawn segments. We don’t see these much today, at least not on the West Coast, but I remember seeing them a lot while growing up in Michigan, but of course the style was different. These in this photo look like they might be made from wood.

Antique photo, circa late 1890s – early 1900s. Size:  3 and 3/4 x 4 and 5/8″

Price:  $15.00

Sources and related reading:  Marsh, Allison, “Postal Collection Mailboxes.” National Postal Museum, 20 March 2006. Web. Accessed 10 June 2014. [http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&tid=2032051]

http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&tid=2032051

http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/dating/mail_service/doremus_mailbox.php

http://postalmuseumblog.si.edu/postal-service/page/3/

A Rowboat

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A Rowboat p1

Just an old snapshot of a wooden rowboat in the water. The cans in the boat were probably for bait. I love the sturdy look of the boat, and the way the light reflects off the water. Funny that the photo was taken at such an angle to have the horizon that crooked but also part of the overall charm. I just love this photo. It reminds me of summers up at the lake in Michigan. There was always a rowboat.

White border snapshot. Size:  About 2 and 5/8 x 4 and 1/4″  Circa 1910s – 1940s

Price:  $3.00

Trip To Canada Photo Album

Gallery

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This gallery contains 12 photos.

     “Snaps” Scottie dog cover        Canadian side, Niagara Falls     Tourism for the Dionne Quints     Rustic cabin heaven     The Cosgroves in the Nipissing area?     The cows were the getter-uppers     Love the dog      Hydro-electric plant     Fishermen     Richard     Beauty in … Continue reading →

Front Porch Scene

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Front Porch Scene

Old photo on cardboard matting. Circa 1890s.

Price:  $5.00

Size:  About 3 and 1/2″ x 3 and 1/2.”  Size including frame:  About 5 x 5.”

Old photo of woman and young girl, possibly her daughter, on (their own, one assumes) front porch. Found in Salinas, California, and possibly local. Nothing on the back. It could even have come from the same family as the next post, as they were found in the same bin.

Trying to Smile

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Old photo, circa 1910s – 1920s, white border.

Price:  $3.00

Old photo from about the 1910s or ‘1920s found in an antique store in California, of adorable child in a pull-type wicker stroller or cart, holding his or her stuffed horsie. It looks like this was taken in a city park, or perhaps on the front lawn of the child’s house. It had been removed from an old photo album. The caption on the left says “Trying to smile -” Part of the back has the old black photo album paper still glued to the photo. There were some marks in red showing, and I scraped off more of the black paper, only to find that this was just a number, looks like 3155. Was hoping for a name, date or location. Drat! Still, this is a beauty.