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

Price:  $2.00

Old family photograph from around the 1910s or 1920s, of two boys, most likely brothers, posing for the camera. The photo looks to have been taken in their (or somebody’s) backyard. Up against the wood house you can see a trellis with some type of climbing plant (behind the older boy). You can see lace on the window curtain. The backyard is dirt, and this brings up the question, just out of curiosity:  When did people start planting grass in their backyards? It seems that many photos from this era show similar type of yards….I went browsing (briefly) online, and while I didn’t come across the answer to this specific question, I did find an interesting article (The history of the American backyard) regarding the topic in general. The author explained that the backyard of old was not the type of place that we think of today. It was primarily for work, not play; it was to help support the upkeep of the family. Often there was a vegetable garden, many families kept chickens and other farm animals. Anyway, this photo was found in an antique store in Salinas, California, but whether it is local to that area, there is no way to know. There is no identifying information on the back, but it’s a lovely photo.

Source:  “The history of the American backyard” by Sharon Ferraro. http://www.mlive.com/homeandgarden/index.ssf/2010/09/the_history_of_the_american_ba.html