Category Archives: Types of Photographs

May 28, 2015

‘Drink this, it’ll put hair on your chest, son.’

By C.E. Ryan
Father and son in top hats. Tintype. Private Collection.

Father and son in top hats with a stiff drink. Private Collection.

Teaching the boy the grown-up ways! This father is posing with his little man with the adult sized top hat on his head, and he’s acting like he’s going to share a stiff drink with him. He found it humorous to pose with his son this way, and I do too! His son is holding on to the hat and looking at the bottle with keen interest!

After the picture I see the dad giving a sip to his eager boy and laughing at his reaction, and the little one saying “Eww…how can you drink this, dad?!”.

This tintype is quite endearing, and -bonus!- it has top hats. The father has that cheeky Harrison Ford smile too, doesn’t he?

It’s easy to imagine the son holding on to this photograph throughout his life, and with a fond memory of that day.

Creative Commons License
Digital restoration work titled “Drink This, It’ll Put Hair On Your Chest Son” by Caroline C. Ryan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Boys, Groups, Humorous, Tintypes

May 27, 2015

James Everett “Jimmie” Caldwell’s Jazz Jesters

By C.E. Ryan
Jimmy Caldwell's Jazz Jesters

from left to right: Chuck Cheney, Virge Leach, Don Murray, Jimmie Caldwell and Jimmie Fallis

A gorgeous vintage 7″ by 10″ photograph of the Jazz Jesters, a Northern University jazz band founded by Jimmie Caldwell and based in the Chicago of the early 20s. I can’t help but imagine the wild soirees these five slick musicians played for, and how much illegal alcohol they saw flowing.

Click for larger detail

Click for larger detail

This photograph is attached to a grey album backing with a note stating the organist (Jimmie Caldwell) played at a venue (I can’t decypher) in Omaha.

A big thank you to Mavis Purdy of The Vintage Photo Booth group on Facebook and Christian Perales of the Jazz Age group on Facebook too.

Sources:

For in-depth info on this group please visit Jimmie Caldwell’s Jazz Jesters by Albert Haim

James Everett Caldwell’s Find A Grave

Photographer: J.D.Taloff. Evanston ILL.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Groups, Others

May 27, 2015

These ‘Dock Rats’ won’t rat

By C.E. Ryan
RPPC. Private Collection. Click for larger image.

‘Dock Rats’ 1910s RPPC. Private Collection. Click for larger image.

Three best street lookin’ pals hanging out by the docks, one smoking a cigarette. Oh, those idle hands must be up to no good!

RPPC: AZO 1907-1914

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Bad Boys, RPPCs, Teens

May 26, 2015

‘You try and come down Sat. night…come down…come down…please’

By C.E. Ryan
1920s postcard. Private Collection.

1920s ‘I Want You To Love Me’ postcard. Private Collection.

A sweet American postcard with an even sweeter, insistent missive written on the back.

The poor boy had it bad for ‘Mary Nelson’. The message was clear by his choice of postcard, and even clearer by the one-track message on the back. He lost his head and kept on repeating himself, wanting very much to see the object of his infatuation on Saturday or Sunday night.

Try to come down...try to come down...

Try to come down…try to come down…

I hope Miss Mary Nelson responded favorably! She probably shook her head at the spelling mistakes. :)

2 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Couples, Postcards

May 26, 2015

Positively No Admittance

By C.E. Ryan
Snapshot. Private Collection.

‘Positively No Admittance’ snapshot. Private Collection.

A funny 1920s-1930s candid of a young man showing a chicken who’s the boss! The sign was glued on.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Humorous, Others