Here are some of the old snapshots I picked up at Covent Garden market on Monday. Some of you mentioned that you didn't know Covent Garden had an antiques market -- it's only on Mondays, in the Jubilee Market section. There's lots of knickknacks, china, glassware, stamps and coins, books, old jewelry, stuff like that -- and invariably someone will have a box of old photos.
I liked the strong light and graphic patterns in the photo above. It was only after I scanned it that I realized there's a kid climbing the trellis! (Most of these photos are very small in real life, as a lot of old snapshots used to be, so it's not easy to see details.)
A very 1930s-looking tennis game. Remember Monty Python's skit "Salad Days"?
Again, this picture is tiny in real life -- no bigger than a postage stamp. Thank goodness we can wear more comfortable clothes nowadays. That collar seems awfully stiff.
(Late edit: Is this the same guy as on the left in the tennis photo above?)
This is the only one of these photos to have a note on the back: "Eileen with Francis, Lucy and Martin Cassar, Villa Shangrila, Ta' Xbiex, Malta. April 1965."
More kids, on a distinctive duck-shaped bench. Speaking of which, the kid in the back looks like he's goosing that girl. I can't tell what the older girl is holding in her hand. I tried reverse image-searching this photo to see if the duck bench turned up a location, but no luck.
And finally, a typical '60s-looking beach scene. Someone's little brother is creeping into the frame from the left. Are we still in Malta, or back in England? Or somewhere else? Who knows.
I have a few more, and as usual, they'll all go on Flickr.
That's a great set of photos, with lots of stories to imagine! The last one is my favourite, but I also love the smile of the elderly lady (she's probably my age) in the first picture, and the stylish look of the three tennis players (more 20s than 30s, is my guess).
ReplyDeleteHave you ever had anyone contact you because they found themselves or a family member on one of the pictures you published?
No one's ever contacted me. Usually there's not enough information on the photo for anyone to be identifiable. Today, we have one photo with a first and last name, which is unusual. We'll see if I hear from him!
DeleteThere's something wonderfully mysterious and nostalgic about old snapshots. Each one a tiny, timeless puzzle that hints at forgotten stories and invites us to imagine the lives behind the images
ReplyDeleteYes, they are all like their own little short story.
DeleteFine looking trellis in the first photo. That "salad days" clip is bit gory, all that blood geysering all over.
ReplyDeleteThat's what makes it so funny! It's so unexpected.
DeleteThese are fascinating photos; I love looking back at the past.
ReplyDeleteMe too! And I love making the past accessible to others by putting these images online.
DeleteSimple pleasures, back in those old black & white days.
ReplyDeleteI imagine life was complicated then too, but the black-and-white does make it seem simpler.
DeleteFrom the first photo, photobombing has been around for a long time.
ReplyDeleteHa! So true!
DeleteMore interesting finds Steve. Have you heard of the "Mister Men" books? You would have no trouble winning the part of Mr Nosy!
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm a reporter for a reason!
DeleteI so love these photos. The first is my favorite. The last doesn’t look like any beach in England, of the ones I’ve seen.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it looks too sandy, doesn't it? It could be anywhere.
DeleteOld photographs are fascinating. I wonder how the Cassar family lived.
ReplyDeleteMalta in the '60s must have been interesting.
DeleteThese photos are treasures. I love them! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! I'm glad everyone enjoys them as much as I do.
DeleteThese are always some of my favorite posts Steve. I guess I'm just a sucker for old photographs.
ReplyDeleteKeep the faith that someone may find them someday. I've had people stumble onto old posts 20 years old and leave comments.
It's certainly possible! I'd love to hear from anyone who appears in them.
DeleteThese could be a book. Lives Lost and Found. Love them all.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure how copyright works in these situations!
DeleteThe woman in the first one seems happy while the man seems as stiff as his collar.
ReplyDeleteHe's definitely very posed. Maybe it was a longer exposure, in which case he probably couldn't move.
DeleteThe grandmother in the first picture has such a beautiful smile.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't she? She seems so happy. She must be laughing about the kid behind her.
DeleteGreat photos. I love the trellis in the first photo. Someone did a fine job designing and building it. The granny in the photo looks very proud and happy with grandson looking on.
ReplyDeleteThe tennis players in their whites are looking very fine. Tennis club anyone?
The beach photo has captured a new young love.
I imagine their lives.
I also suspect the two in the last photo might be a couple, but who knows? They could just as easily be siblings. I agree the trellis (or gazebo or whatever it is) is well-designed!
DeleteOld photographs are intriguing. We have a suitcase full from an old house. Professional photographs of people dressed in elaborate clothing. Even a Victorian death photo with a terrified looking girl next to an obviously dead infant. Literally scores of these. If you were here, you would be doing marvelous things. Me? *ignores suitcase*
ReplyDeleteHa! Well, we can't save ALL old images, but some seem more worthwhile than others. Maybe one day you'll go through the suitcase and pull out the ones that really impress you and do something with them!
DeleteAs others have noted- the older lady in the first photo is just radiant, despite being covered head to toe in what looks like not very breathable fabrics. The little boy behind her is wearing a T-shirt so it can't be that chilly.
ReplyDeleteI can see a resemblance between the tennis player and the man in the collar but are they from the same era, do you think? I don't know.
I think that may be a goose bench, not a duck. Again- I could be wrong. Could the little boy behind the little girl be trying to help her stay perched? Whatever, it is a darling photograph.
This is a good collection, Steve. I do like them very much.
Radiant is a good word for her, and yes, her clothing looks overly warm! The tennis picture looks newer than the portrait, so I'm thinking it's the same guy when young (portrait) and then slightly older (tennis).
DeleteThe boy probably is trying to help her stay perched, or perhaps pushing her forward so he can sit down too.
I love this collection! At first I thought the girl on the duck was giving us the finger & I thought YES! Tell us all off!
ReplyDeleteHa! You love that rebellious attitude. :)
DeleteI didn't see the kid on the trellis until you mentioned it. And, that guy in the tennis shot and the portrait do look very much alike. That collar on his shirt looks like it would be painful and leave a rash on the neck.
ReplyDeleteA fun set of photos!
It's funny how the kid is so easy to miss. Once I saw him he seemed so obvious!
DeleteThese are great, Steve. So fun to study them closely.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me wonder about so many old photos, lost to the ages, that were probably just as good if not better.
DeleteThe man with the stiff collar looks like Steve Carrell ...
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the older girl on the bench might have a water pistol in her hand!
Maybe it is a water pistol! Good call!
DeleteThe kid isn't climbing the trellis but standing on a bench behind it. The portrait could be the same as the man in the tennis shot. My first impression is no but individual details of the man's face seem to correspond except the man's lower face in the tennis photo does not look as round. Maybe that's why I think not. And that little girl does not look happy about being goosed and the boy has a sort of mischievous look on his face.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right, there is a bench there. In fact it looks like more of a gazebo than a trellis, enclosing a seating area. That boy does look like he's up to something! LOL
DeleteI think that it is the same man...look at the ears....
ReplyDeleteI think so too.
DeleteI say! Bloody splendid array! Tennis anyone? The postage stamp sized man in the collar looks as though his head was placed on it. Comfy!! You have a great deal of patience to comb through all of those photos !
ReplyDeleteI do it pretty quickly. I can tell in a fraction of a second whether a picture interests me or not.
DeleteThe shoes in the first picture are either from the thirties or a revival in the 60s. Likewise the tennis dress and the knee length beads. I had an outfit like that when thirties styles came around again in the early sixties. My mom was very amused -- she'd worn those styles when they first came out!
ReplyDeleteI agree -- they look like '30s clothes to me. I would say '20s, but the guy on the right looks too modern.
DeleteThe lady in the first photo really does look happy to be there.
ReplyDeleteShe is laughing up a storm, isn't she?!
DeleteAt first I thought the little girl had a water gun, but I've decided it's a toy duck. Maybe.
ReplyDeleteHa! You all can see much more than I can. I just see a blurry blob!
DeleteThe first photo looks like my mrs trellis
ReplyDeleteI thought of Mrs. Trellis when I headlined this post -- the headline probably put her in your subconscious mind so you associated the first picture with her?
DeleteHello. Thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteIts privillege to leave a comment up here, my amazing blogger friend.
I love how each photo hints at untold stories: the stiff collars, the casual beach scene, the mischievous kid on the duck bench.
Interesting pictures, for me, usually suggest a story or prompt questions about what's going on and how the people in the image may be connected.
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