1940s women’s dresses and fashion | Laurel Cottage Genealogy

Eleven black and white photos, circa 1940s.

Price for the set: $40.00 Sizes vary, see each photo.

Here’s a group of eleven vintage black and white photos taken in Alamos and La Aduana, Sonora, Mexico, circa 1940s. They were found in an antique store in Salinas, California. A sticker appears on the back of two of the photos showing, “J. V. Ryan, 3425 Champion St., Oakland 2, Cal.” He may have been the photographer.

There are multiple possibilities for J. V. Ryan in Oakland, too bad we don’t know the actual given name. Nothing shows up for the name at that particular address in census records or city directories. The person that does come up, at 3425 Champion St., is Charles A. Weck. His census records show him at this address since approximately 1935, occupation mining engineer. This makes sense, as I think these photos have a mining connection, as you’ll see in one of them. The best assumption is that they may have been taken by either Ryan (a possible miner?) or Weck; we imagine an employer sent one or both down to the Alamos area in some type of mining connection.

Sunshine in Alamos…..

Size: 3 and 1/2 x 3 and 1/2″

Three girls and a bell…..

Size: 3 and 1/4 x 3 and 1/4″

A hammock on the porch…..

Size: About 3 and 3/8 x 2 and 1/2″

An old street…..

Size: 3 and 1/4 x 3 and 1/4″

El Camino Real…..

Size: 7 x 5″

La Aduana, shrine in background. The “fountain has never been dry in 200 years…..”

This fountain was not found in quick online searches. It’s unknown whether it’s still there and still running. The tower with two bells in the background is believed to belong to the Temple of Our Lady of Balvanera in La Aduana, based on photo matches online.

Size: 3 and 1/2 x 3 and 1/2″