“Pretty little Ruth”

Along the bottom of this carte-de-visite is a handwritten inscription: Oh!  A very shy young Quakeress am I And they call me Pretty little Ruth When I first published this post, I speculated that these lines might have come from a play, and that the young woman in the photograph might have been wearing a... Continue Reading →

Man with blanket in Cleveland by Thomas T. Sweeny

The man in this carte-de-visite portrait isn't identified.  Why does he have a blanket wrapped around him?  He seems to be pointing at it:   The photographer, Thomas T. Sweeny (1831-1891), worked in Cleveland, Ohio, throughout his life.  Although he was active for about three decades, information about him is scarce online.  Census records indicate... Continue Reading →

“After the Regatta”

I had hoped to share a sporting image here on the blog while the Summer Olympics were going on in Tokyo, but the two weeks went by so fast that I didn't manage it.  Since today is the day after the Olympics, it seems appropriate to share a stereoview titled After the Regatta.  Published by... Continue Reading →

Man with royal charter

This cabinet card photograph is the first image I've shared from Australia.  It was printed at the Anson Brothers studio in Hobart, Tasmania, which was in operation from 1878 to 1891.  Founded by brothers Joshua, Henry Joseph and Richard Edwin Anson, the studio became known for views of Tasmanian scenery, which received medals at the... Continue Reading →

Dolores and friends in Manila

When I started this blog four years ago, I decided to post only photos taken before 1940.  It was an arbitrary line to draw, but I wanted to draw one somewhere, and a century seemed like a good place to do it (1839-1939).  For one thing, sitters in photos taken after 1940 are more likely... Continue Reading →

MIT students at Camp Cunningham (1917)

This publicity photograph was taken at a summer camp in East Machias, Maine, called Camp Cunningham.  The camp was organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to provide military-style training to students after their sophomore year.  The decision to organize the camp was made after the United States entered World War I in April... Continue Reading →

Hospital workers in Moscow (1925)

The back of this photograph is signed in ink.  Part of the name looks like Arivash, but I can't read the rest.  There's also an inscription in pencil which is legible.   The inscription: Москва 1925 год.  Горькое время студенческое в материальном отношении и счастливое в моральном положении.  Это не для всех, а только для... Continue Reading →

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑

%d bloggers like this: