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

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.

Dapper Double Dude

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 04:56:02 +0000

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A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of double or triple exposure.

A well-dressed fellow poses -- twice! -- at a bench in the back yard for this double-exposure photo.

This is a real photo postcard with a divided back and a type of Azo stamp box (with four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side that suggests a possible date that may be as early as 1907 to 1918.

Get Right with God at the Anderson Campaign Tabernacle, Coatesville, Pa., 1914

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 00:22:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of church, chapel, or any other religious building.

Caption: "Get Right with God." Painted on the side of the building: "Anderson Campaign Ta[bernacle]."

This is a real photo postcard with a photomontage consisting of five giant heads peering over the top of a large wooden building. "Get Right with God" is the admonition at the top, and the sign on the building identifies it as the "Anderson Campaign Tabernacle."

I also have a second copy of this card that has the name of a photographer -- "D. W. Faulk, 7 Second Ave., Coatesville, Pa." -- embossed on it.

A different version of this real photo postcard that I spotted online is captioned, "Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out," with the location given as "Coatesville, Pa." On the back of all three of the photo postcards is a Noko stamp box design (with "NOKO" on all four sides) that indicates a time frame ranging from 1907 to 1929.

After some searching, I discovered that "Anderson" refers to George Wood Anderson, a minister who ran some of his first large-scale revival meetings in a tabernacle building in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, in 1914. As reported in the Christian Advocate, December 3, 1914, p. 36:

"The Rev. George Wood Anderson, pastor of Elm Park Church, Scranton, Pa., has been conducting for six weeks an evangelistic campaign at Coatesville, Pa., an industrial town of 11,000 people. The service has been carried on in a tabernacle specially constructed. The local paper tabulates results, showing total attendance 140,700, with 2,208 conversions.... Beginning next spring, Dr Anderson will leave the regular pastorate, to devote his life to evangelism, in obedience to an impulse which he has long felt."

A later photo of the "George Wood Anderson Evangelistic Party" appeared in the Christian Workers Magazine, May 1916, p. 712, and allowed me to identify some of the giant heads on this photo card. That's George Wood Anderson himself on the left, his wife Nellie Anderson next to him, and Miss Agnes Smith, director of women's work, in the middle. The man on the right is Carl Leonard, business manager, but I haven't been able to determine who the man next to him is.

George Wood Anderson went on to build tabernacles in other states to continue his revival campaigns. A recent Facebook posting by the Logan County History Center, for instance, describes his evangelistic services and provides photos of tabernacles in Bellefontaine and Belle Center, Ohio.

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?

Peculiar Peek-a-Boo, July 3, 1908

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 20:04:41 +0000

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What appears to be an odd game of hide-and-seek in a spooky forest is captioned "Peek-a-Boo, July 3, 1908," on the front of this real photo postcard. The image's irregular edges add to the strangeness of the scene.

The imprint on the back—"W. W. Deatrick, Kutztown, Pa."—identifies this as a photo by William Wilberforce Deatrick (1853-1925), who was a longtime faculty member at what is now Kutztown University.

Additional examples of Deatrick's photos are available for viewing in the Kutztown University Postcard Collection. See also "W. W. Deatrick Left His Mark at Kutztown," an article by George M. Meiser that appeared in the Reading Eagle, April 6, 1983.

The Girl Was Smiling But Her Doll Was Not

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

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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.

Archers on the Woodpile

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 04:24:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of odd, unusual, or quirky.

Trick photos with double exposures usually involve typical scenes with props like wheelbarrows (see A Man Simultaneously Pushing and Riding a Wheelbarrow) or playing cards (Aunt Maggie's Trick Shot). The setting for this one, however, is rather unusual.

A huge pile of firewood dominates the scene. On the left, two boys stand at the bottom of the woodpile. Partially visible behind them is a farm wagon and beyond the wagon are some trees. Both boys are looking toward the photographer. One of them is pointing toward the top of the pile and wielding a piece of wood as if he intends to use it as a weapon. The other boy is about to start climbing up the pile.

On the right, standing at the top of the woodpile are the same two boys. They're both drawing bows as if they're about to shoot arrows, but neither of them has an arrow.

So, it appears that the storyline is that the boys are about to climb the woodpile to stop themselves from shooting arrows as they stand on top of the pile. Or at least that's all I can make of it.

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?

Guys with Their Dolls

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 04:55:02 +0000

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A photo of dolls for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

Handwritten note on the other side of this small snapshot (circa 1950, possibly from Columbia County, Pa.): "Charlie Coates (left). Ed Sharretts (right). Madge dressed Charlie & I dressed Ed. Ed got [a] prize for being the cutest."

Not to be confused with Guys and Dolls.

Blasting Stumps on the Isted Farm

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 01:11:02 +0000

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"'Blasting stumps' on the Isted Farm. Whipple Photo."

A dramatic real photo postcard showing the detonation of dynamite or some other explosive in an apparent attempt to clear tree stumps from a field.

Evidently, though, the blast didn't look impressive enough, so the photographer drew on the negative to add large pieces of fake debris flying high into the air. It also appears that the photographer crossed out an earlier caption and wrote the words "blasting stumps" over it.

I haven't been able to determine the location of "Isted Farm" or the identity of the "Whipple Photo" photographer.

Those Dreamy Eyes

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 03:52:02 +0000

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This is a postcard that's addressed on the other side to Miss Nellie Groves, Greenland, West Virginia. It was postmarked in Maysville, West Virginia, but the date is missing.

Handwritten message: "Hello Nellie, How are you by this time. I am going to school today, when are you coming over. This is from your beau. Henry."

For a similar postcard, see Here Is Looking at You.

Who Was That Masked Man?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 03:52:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Halloween (costumes, masks, jack-o'-lanterns, decorations, ghosts, gravestones, or anything else spooky or scary; no limit—post as many Halloween photos as you'd like).

A photo of a man (or possibly a woman) wearing a grotesque mask, overalls, suit jacket, gloves, neckerchief, and straw hat. He's carrying a cane in one hand and a package wrapped in newspapers in the other.

Could this be a Halloween costume? If so, is he dressed as a farmer? Or do the cane and package suggest a stick-type bindle characteristic of a hobo?

This is an unused real photo postcard with an AGFA-ANSCO stamp box on the other side, which indicates that it may date to the 1930s or 1940s.

A couple of other details point to a specific locale. First, under magnification, the heading on part of the bundled up newspapers says, "New Era," so it's possible that it was the Lancaster New Era, a paper published in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Secondly, a pouch of "Good Bite" chewing tobacco with a fish logo is sticking out of the breast pocket on the man's suit jacket. The Good Bite brand of chewing tobacco originated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

For some other disconcerting masks, see Costume Creepiness.

A Signal from Mars? (Lassoing a Toy Horse)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:20:06 +0000

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The rope of a lasso surrounds a tiny toy horse.

For more information, see another detail from the same photo along with the original version.

A Signal from Mars? (Woman with Sheet Music)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:20:08 +0000

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A woman poses for a photo and pretends to sing as she holds the sheet music for A Signal from Mars: March and Two Step.

For more information, see another detail from the same photo along with the original version.

A Signal from Mars?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:20:10 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of over the shoulder (something or somebody).

Everyone in this puzzling photo is holding something. The man on the left is holding a cane over his shoulder, and the second man has a rope wrapped around his left hand. Both men are watching the woman in the middle, who's holding sheet music and singing. The woman on the right, who's seated in a chair, is holding a lute and is playing it to accompany the woman who's singing. The woman standing beside the singer and both of the men are all holding rolled-up papers of some sort.

A closer look at the photo reveals some curious details. First, the sheet music that the woman is holding is entitled A Signal from Mars: March and Two Step, which was published in 1901 (hear a piano version on YouTube). Since the piece is an instrumental "march and two step" without any lyrics, why is the woman pretending to use it as she's singing?

Secondly, the rope that the second man is holding extends down to the floor where it's coiled around a small horse pull toy. Why did the man lasso a tiny toy horse?

I don't have any answers for the questions that this photo poses. Although the painted backdrop and patterned floor covering suggest that this picture was taken in a photo studio, I wonder if this might be a scene from a theatrical production. There was a popular comedic play with a similar title—A Message from Mars—that toured the United States between 1903 and 1905. As far as I can determine, however, A Message from Mars was not a musical, and there was no connection to the sheet music for A Signal from Mars.

Doubly Cute, 1949

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 03:16:02 +0000

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A blurry but charming photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

A double exposure featuring a cute kid with a big smile sitting in the foreground along with a ghostly mom and the kid's blurry doppelgänger lurking in the background. The photo is dated 1949 in the lower right-hand corner.

For more charming blurriness, see Misty Shores of Memory and Fuzzy Dog.

Wedding Guest Mystery (Detail)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 02:19:06 +0000

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After closely inspecting this photo (see the full and cropped versions) for quite some time, I was surprised to finally realize that there's someone--or part of someone, to be precise--missing from it.

Take another glance at the bride's mother, who was caught with her eyes closed. A man's shoulders are visible directly behind her. The man's head, however, has been imperfectly altered so that it partially blends in with the folds of the curtain behind him.

Who was this mysterious wedding guest, and who wanted him out of the picture? We'll never know, but I find it amazing how well hidden--to my eyes, at least--he turned out to be. It's remarkable that this simple method of concealment was so successful in hiding this man's presence in the photo.