At the risk of overdoing it on the old, anonymous photos -- because I just posted some about a week ago -- let me show you a few more. These are the pictures I bought at the junk shop in Greenwich about a month ago, when I walked a section of the Thames Path. I've been meaning to post them ever since but never did, and I had a pretty boring day yesterday so there's not much else to write.
As I mentioned in that linked post above, I bet I looked through about 500 pictures in that shop but I only bought a handful. The one above was taken, I believe, in Crete (based on a note on the envelope it was in). I'd guess it's from the late '80s or early '90s.
This one says "Lynton" on the back. Lynton is a town on the north coast of Devon, in Exmoor National Park. I wonder where her shoes are?
This must be somewhere in Germany but I have no idea of the precise location* or date. I like how sharp it is -- how clear the reflections are in that car, for example. It's a nice photo.
*Edit: I did a Google image search and it's apparently in Waldkirch. There's a very similar photo on this page about Waldkirch's history, and another photo of the same hotel here.
A photo from a union strike sometime before 1993, when NALGO -- the National and Local Government Officer's Association -- combined with some other trade unions under a new name. The flier, from the Greenwich chapter of NALGO, says the event was March 24th but doesn't give a year, and says something about the NHS. A little slice of union history!
Some writing on the back of this photo identifies it as being taken near Oslo, Norway in the summer of 1965. It's very clean and Scandinavian.
This photo of a runner has some mysterious information written on the back:
If I'm reading it correctly, it was taken in April, year unknown, in Motspur Park, which is in South London. There's a Fulham Football Club training ground there. I'm thinking the guy was running a 3000-meter race, and maybe 9 minutes, 38 seconds was his time? (At first I thought 9-38 was a date, but from the trees it's clear the photo wasn't taken in September.)
Back to Devon again -- this time on the south coast. Stamped on the back: "Beach Photo, The Promenade, Teignmouth." It looks like it wasn't very warm.
And finally, one more shot from somewhere in the Mediterranean. I love the way the guys are dressed alike, and the repetitive pattern of squares and cubes. This is a good example of what I look for when I buy old photos -- images that are well-composed and historically or photographically interesting. They're one in a million!
19 comments:
The runner was probably running in trials not trails?
For me the standout picture was the one at the bottom. Apart from the two men with their plastic bags, there seems to be no other evidence of human presence. Everyone else appears to have left. Perhaps it's one of those abandoned Greek villages in Turkey or Cyprus. Anyway, it was the standout one and it may be the lookout one too!
When I hovered the Google Search over the hotel photo it came up with the hotel and a long newspaper article. It was all in German so I couldn't read a word of it but there is certainly information there if you want to find it. I like the photos, especially the two men.
I truly enjoy these rediscovered photos. That last one is a great piece of art.
GZ: Oh yeah, good thinking!
YP: I'm glad you selected a standout! My standouts are both that one and the one at the top.
Rachel: Thanks for the prompt! I ran the image through Google search and came up with Waldkirch as the location. I've amended the post! I don't know why I didn't think to do that before.
Mitchell: Isn't it great? I hope whoever took it appreciated it as much as I do!
I always enjoy your postcards and your sleuthing. In the last photo, do you think the two guys are...you know, a bit... well, like each other a lot, very close friends?
Waldkirch is in the same part of Germany that Meike (the Librarian blogger) lives in. Small world.
Google Image search has been a game changer for me, especially as I sift through old genealogy related photos.
I love the warmly dressed woman at the coast, wearing white shoes anyway, because it's summer!
Nice photos. When I look at old photos I'm often interested in the clothes people are wearing.
Love,
Janie
As always- so many questions. The one with the couple crossing the creek intrigues me. Yes- where are her shoes but why is the William Frawley impersonator wearing long pants and regular shoes when he's in a creek?
i'm very impressed that you were able to decipher that writing on the back of the photo. I looked at it and had no idea where to begin. I think the first and the last are my two favorites. In the first one I think I'm seeing the ocean way out in the background. The last one is just so architecturally wonderful. Like they are exploring and abandoned city.
another nice selection. I like the one of the woman being helped across the creek by her (I assume) husband and the last one. something about those rock and concrete walls.
My favorite is the woman wading across the brook. The composition of it "feels" just right to me, down to the half of a man helping her! That last one is really nice, too.
I bet the William Frawley impersonator (so true) is carrying the shoes in his other hand. It seems like something chivalrous that a guy of that era would do. My favorite photo is the last one of the "twins." :)
Andrew: I think it's very likely, based on the other photos I saw.
Rachel: I don't follow Meike, but I hope someone sends her this post. She might like that picture.
Ed: I bet! It IS incredibly handy. I've used it in other circumstances like this so, as I said, I'm not sure why I didn't automatically do it in this case.
Boud: Ha! Gotta give a nod to the season, even in a long coat!
Janie: Oh yeah, the clothes are often the best part.
Ms Moon: "William Frawley impersonator" made me laugh SO HARD. He really DOES look like William Frawley!
Sharon: I agree with your favorites. They're mine too! And yes, that is the ocean in the first shot.
Ellen: That last one really is a good picture. Yes, lots of interesting textures!
Kelly: It's clear the photographer was focused on her, and not on the guy helping!
Margaret: I think you're right -- William Frawley probably has the shoes. But did he put his own on first before helping her? That's a little strange. Those guys remind me of the twins in "The Shining"!
You have an amazing eye for photos that tell rich stories, and are beautiful in their own way. Thank you for sharing these with us. I love the one in Crete in particular. So evocative, and almost painterly, the way photos used to be.
I aways love your vintage photos and what you see in them so keep 'em coming.
37P: That Crete photo DOES look like a painting, doesn't it? That's a great way to describe it.
Jeanie: OK, you asked for it! :)
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