Vintage Photo Gallery Walk

I mentioned recently that I would dedicate an entire post to some of the photographs I purchased at the Allentown Paper Show, simply because I love the images so much, and I think you will enjoy them, too.

I know that in super-old photos, people look stiff and stodgy because they had to stand still for so long for the picture to "take."  But I always thought people looked pretty stiff and posed in the 40s and 50s simply because they wouldn't want to "waste" film on frivolity (unlike today's digital age, when we can take a hundred throw-away shots to get that one perfect "keeper").

Well, I can throw out any misconceptions about THAT!

 (The dealer actually laughed and lost track of his calculations when he saw this one while flipping through my selections!)

I could dream up a whole love triangle storyline for the three people in this photo, couldn't you?

I look at this photo, and think, "This could have been taken of someone last week!"  Certain faces just strike me as MODERN, and make me realize that we're all just PEOPLE, no matter what era we are born into.

Here's another one for my "people holding sticks" grouping, and another modern-looking face:

This woman's work looks pretty humble, but boy she looks pleasant and friendly:

Check out this beauty; I would love to have her hair!

This one is labeled "Senior Trip, 1912."  I don't care if it's high school or college, I can guarantee that kids on their senior trips today look NOTHING like this dapper group!

I find myself paying more attention to the styles of the clothing in the photos I select:

You can tell that this woman is dressed for a special occasion:

I've now see SO many photos from the 1930s of families arrayed in front of their cars:

This photo continues to amaze me:  The woman in the foreground is eating a WAFFLE!  Clearly not something I expect to see captured in a vintage photograph.

These guys are ready for some fun:

And so are these gals:

How about THAT?!

 

I enjoyed some family pics from earlier eras:

And some sweet pictures of young love:

And I leave you with some final photos and snapshots from my collection:

Let's not forget to get some of our pictures developed along the way, so tomorrow's treasure-hunters will have something to find for their collections!