Photos, videos and docs of Alan Mays, with the keywords: "chairs"

Goofy Guys Backwards and Frontwards (Fronts)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 03:53:04 +0000

Three funny fellows pose facing the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows with their backs to the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard, which incudes both pictures.

Goofy Guys Backwards and Frontwards (Backs)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 03:53:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Three funny fellows pose with their backs to the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows facing the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard, which incudes both pictures.

Goofy Guys Backwards and Frontwards

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 03:53:08 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Rückenfigur or "back to camera" - any photo in which one or more of the subjects have their backs fully or partially facing the camera.

On this real photo postcard, which combines two separate photographs, three funny fellows pose twice, first with their backs to the camera and then a second time as they face the camera. The three are sitting on a board or plank that extends between two chairs. In the first photo, all of them have bowler hats on their heads, and the guy in the middle has what looks like a picture frame hanging over his shoulder and down over his back. A stool and a wooden box with a handle are visible on the floor in front of them. The wall behind the men is partially covered by a painted backdrop, so presumably they're having their picture taken in a photo studio, though no studio name appears on the front or back of the card.

In the second photo, the guys seem even goofier as they face forward with funny expressions. The man on the left has a mischievous look on his face, and he's holding a small kettle with the handle of a spoon or some other utensil sticking out of the top. The guy in the middle has opened his mouth as if he's laughing or yelling. The bowler on his head is jauntily tilted to the side, and his right hand is blurred -- was he pumping his fist or gesturing toward the basket that he's holding in his lap? And what's in the basket? The third man is grinning, probably because instead of a hat he's wearing something on his head that looks like a lampshade with ruffles. He has his arms wrapped around himself as if he's cold, and he's holding a pitcher under one arm.

The undivided back (for an address only) on the other side of this real photo postcard indicates that it dates before 1907 (when both an address and a message were allowed on the verso), and the Cyko stamp box design (in use as early as 1904) printed on the back also fits this time frame.

Taking It Easy in the Backyard, Johnson Air Station, Japan, 1962

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 01:29:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of kiddie pools (or a regular swimming pool if no kiddie pool).

Handwritten note on the other side of the photo: "Taking it easy in our back yard at Johnson Air Station, Japan, July 1962."

A woman sits in a foldable aluminum webbed chaise lounge chair while her sons play in their kiddie pool. A bamboo fence surrounds the yard, and a Japanese wagasa umbrella provides some protection from the sun. On the right-hand side, the blurred face of a neighbor peers over the fence.

Thanksgiving Feast with Phonograph, Lamp, and Wallpaper (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 06:59:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Note the cylinder phonograph on the sideboard, the kerosene lamp on the right, and the wallpaper in the background, See also the full version of this photograph and a photo of a similar cylinder phonograph.

Thanksgiving Feast with Phonograph, Lamp, and Wallpaper

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 06:59:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the monthly topic of family gatherings for Thanksgiving or other occasions.

A family pauses for a photo before they dig in to their Thanksgiving dinner. Despite the turkey, pies, and other dishes on the table, my eye was drawn to the kerosene lamp hanging from the ceiling, the elaborate design of the wallpaper in the background, and the cylinder phonograph hidden in the shadows on the sideboard. See a cropped version of the photo for a better view of these items. For another photo with a similar phonograph, see Young Man Posing with an Edison Cylinder Phonograph.

This is a real photo postcard with a divided back (introduced in 1907) but no stamp box, address, or message.

Snacking in the Sixties

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 03:52:07 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of lines/stripes.

Five boys are sitting at a patio table in the back yard as they drink Food Fair root beer and orange soda and snack on Wheat Thins, twin pops, and Fruit Flavored Slices. Three of the boys are wearing striped shirts, and the two oldest boys look similar enough to be brothers or maybe even twins.

The Kodak Paper stamp box on the other side of this real photo postcard was first used around 1950. The design of the Wheat Thins box on the table suggests a date sometime in the sixties based on the Nabisco Wheat Thins - 1960s image posted on Flickr by Brandon (Waffle Whiffler).

Update: After another Alan commented on Flickr that he was getting a sixties vibe from this photo, I did some additional checking and found a clearer example of the side of the box (see Nabisco Wheat Thins - 1960s). I revised the title and description to reflect that these kids were probably snacking in the sixties rather than the seventies.

Watching from the Window

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 03:57:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of something interesting or surprising in the background.
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At first glance, this is a typical photo of a woman sitting on a chair. In the background, however, is a girl watching from the window, which seems a little spooky.

This is a real photo postcard with a divided back. "R. B. Hunter, LisbellAw" is stamped in ink on the other side, but the card is otherwise unused. Could "LisbellAw" refer to the village of Lisbellaw in Northern Ireland?

The Girl Was Smiling But Her Doll Was Not

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 23:45:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of toys or gifts.

A Christmas photo of a girl, who is smiling and seems happy, and her doll, who is rigid and tense -- and seems a little scary!

Before you cautiously back up and quietly exit the house, take note of the metallic Christmas tree, the granny square afghan on the chair, and the girl's striped shirt and Santa pin.

For another potentially scary situation, see The Doll Waited Patiently for Them to Come Home.

Flower Paintings with Lamp and Stereo

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 03:48:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of lamps, chandeliers, candlesticks, and other types of lighting.

This is a color slide, circa 1959, that shows two flower paintings hanging on a wall. Below them is a Motorola "Stereophonic High Fidelity" console. Based on the online documentation for a similar model, the top of the stereo lifts up on the right for access to a record player inside. The six knobs on the left are labeled Function, Compensator, Loudness, Treble, Bass, and Balance. On top of the left side of the stereo are a decorative porcelain table lamp and a framed photo.

This is another slide from the collection of the Pipe-Smoking Man's family. I only recently realized that two other photos from the collection show different parts of this same room. A photo taken to the left of this one also captures part of the stereo console (see Flowering Plants and Groovy Curtains). The door, wall thermostat, and chair in this photo are visible in a photo taken to the right of this one (see Still Life with Television). The flower paintings may be the work of "Ethel", a relative of the Pipe-Smoking Man (see Ethel's Oil Painting, 1967).

Still Life with Television

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 00:35:22 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

An slide, circa 1959, from Pipe-Smoking Man's family.

Spinning a Tale of Dogs in Glasses (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 19:04:25 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

For more information, see the original photo:

Spinning a Tale of Dogs in Glasses

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 19:04:27 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Mister Peabody, the cartoon dog in the Rocky and Bullwinkle TV show, wore eyeglasses, and Addison MacHenry, the fictional dog in Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children book series, had goggles and a pipe, but I'm not sure why the dogs in this real photo postcard are wearing glasses and a top hat, smoking pipes, and pulling a cart (mouse over the image above for a closer look).

And then there's the girl with the spinning wheel. What are these kids up to?

Boy in Halloween Costume with Scarecrow and Jack-O'-Lantern

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 16:48:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of tricks and treats for Halloween.

A young boy dressed in a clown or hobo Halloween costume holds the hand of a scarecrow as he poses for a picture. On the table behind him is a grinning jack-o'-lantern wearing a pointed hat.

The same scarecrow decoration coincidently shows up in another photo. See Funny Easter Bunnies at Halloween, 1961. The 1961 date on that photo suggests that this one dates to the late 1950s or early 1960s.

Hot Meal, July 1914

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 03:47:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of food.

The remnants of a meal were still on the table when the photographer snapped this picture. The calendar on the wall displays the month of July 1914, and it must have been a hot summer day judging by the sweat glistening on some of the faces. The dealer's notation on the back of this real photo postcard identifies the locale as Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Sargent Student Studying, ca. 1930s (Books)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 04:55:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

An enlargement of the bookshelf on the college student's desk revealed the following titles: Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology, 9th ed., College Zoology, by Heg[ner], and Organic Chemistry.

I was able to identify the first book as the ninth edition of Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology, by Diana Clifford Kimber, Carolyn Elizabeth Gray, and Caroline E Stackpole, which was published by Macmillan in 1934.

The second book, College Zoology, was authored by Robert W. Hegner and was also published by Macmillan, with a third edition in 1932 and a fourth in 1936.

Although I didn't attempt to track down details about Organic Chemistry, the presence of the other two books confirms that this photo dates to 1934 or later.

See also the original photo and a cropped version.

Sargent Student Studying, ca. 1930s (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 04:55:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A college student sitting at her desk. Notice the small "Sargent" pennant on the wall (upper right-hand corner of the photo), which suggests she was a student at Sargent College (now Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College).

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard and an enlargement showing the books visible at the side of the desk.

Sargent Student Studying, ca. 1930s

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 04:55:08 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of college memories (your own or someone else's).

This is a real photo postcard of a female student sitting at a desk and pretending to read a book as she poses for a photo. On the back of the card is an Azo stamp box design (with squares in the corners) that indicates a time frame ranging from 1924 to 1949.

A small "Sargent" pennant on the wall above the desk (see a cropped version of the photo for a better view of the pennant) suggests that the woman was a student at Sargent College, which is known today as the Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College.

An enlargement of the bookshelf on the desk revealed the following titles: Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology, 9th ed., College Zoology, by Heg[ner], and Organic Chemistry.

I was able to identify the first book as the ninth edition of Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology, by Diana Clifford Kimber, Carolyn Elizabeth Gray, and Caroline E Stackpole, which was published by Macmillan in 1934.

The second book, College Zoology, was authored by Robert W. Hegner and was also published by Macmillan, with a third edition in 1932 and a fourth in 1936.

Although I didn't attempt to track down details about Organic Chemistry, the presence of the other two books confirms that this photo dates to 1934 or later.

Halloween Get-Together with Owl Centerpiece and Witch Hat, October 1971 (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 17:33:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Take a look at the Halloween decorations in the photo. There's a honeycomb tissue owl in the middle of the table, black cats on the cups and plates, and a witch on the hat that the woman is wearing.

For more information, see the full version of this photo.

Halloween Get-Together with Owl Centerpiece and Witch Hat, October 1971

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 17:33:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the monthly theme of free-for-all (submit as many vintage photos on any topic as you'd like each week in addition to—or instead of—a photo for the weekly topic). This also fits the previous theme of Halloween (costumes, masks, jack-o'-lanterns, decorations, ghosts, gravestones, or anything else spooky or scary).

A snapshot of a Halloween gathering in October 1971. In the middle of the table are two lighted candles and a honeycomb tissue owl centerpiece. One woman is holding a candy apple, and the woman to her right is wearing a party hat decorated with the silhouette of a witch. Images of black cats are visible on the cups and plates.

See a cropped version of the photo for a better view of the table decorations and witch hat.

For a second photo of the same scene taken from a different angle, see Halloween Get-Together with Owl and Black Cat Decorations, October 1971.