1911 Dean in cap. RPPC. Private Collection.
I posted this one on tumblr a while ago but I decided to get it, so here it is for this blog. Dean is posing with a leg up for this snapshot. He sent this picture on October 11, 1911 from Northfield Minnesota. His note is below. I especially like the past part. Is Old Fred a dog?
Boy in chiaroscuro. RPPC. Private Collection.
An artistic portrait of a teen with a half smile. He’s holding a large book, looking up and off to the side as if daydreaming. The background reminds me of a church or school hall.
RPPC: The back is divided with no stamp box.
RPPC. Private Collection.
He has his collar upturned and it looks like an all-in-one dress shirt + collar. This gent was an early adopter.
And there’s something of a defiant sneer behind this half smile. I’m willing to bet his father of the more conservative, detachable starched collar camp didn’t like that his son wore those shirts.
I can hear the father say “Get this travesty of a shirt off and get a proper collar! What is this world coming to? You look undone!”, to which this young gent replied something like “You and your stuffy old ways! I’ll wear what I want!”
Think I’m exaggerating? :) For us today this may seem like a ridiculous issue, but there was an uproar over the adoption of collared shirts into the mainstream. They were thought to make a man not look like a proper gentleman. Oh, the decaying of society! The British were especially against this trend coming from America. Surprised much? Well, they lost this battle.
Photographer: Elsner Studio. Loup City. Nebraska
RPPC: AZO 1904-1918
Two with ferns. RPPC. Private Collection.
I remember seeing footage of families waving fern at departing WWI soldiers. Fern is a strong symbol of protection and the love and care of family and community. These two look close and each have fern in their hand. The gent on the left reminds me of Liam Neeson.
RPPC: AZO 1904-1918
Giving the pup a drink by the wagon. RPPC. Private Collection.
These three are hanging out by an untethered wagon, perhaps a father and his two sons. The bottles they’re holding look ‘dusty fresh’ from the cave; maybe this was the homemade kind of fizzy drink. The puppy on top of the metal milk jug survived and most likely went on the hunt for a fresh bowl of water right after. Ha!
Bowlers And High Collars 