This is the latest in fashion when you live on the farm on the prairie. It is probably the 1940's or later. Wearing a hat is required just because everyone must wear a hat. It probably was cold outside as they had their coats on and two out of three have them closed to keep warm. The young man has a different style of hat than what one would wear on the farm. It almost reminds me of a beret. The bib overalls were a common sight and I am really surprised that the dad isn't wearing them. Farmers rarely wore belted pants when I was growing up. My dad wore belted pants only when there was a wedding, funeral, or a big family reunion.
Back porches on farmhouses were also essential as a buffer zone. It was needed as a place to remove the boots or shoes. Also it was the first barrier to stop insects from coming into the house. Flys would be the number one intruder. To the right of the group is the outside door that goes to the basement. It is a fancier style on this house as a lot of them had outside stairs dug into the ground that went down to the basement and not a door at the top of the stair going into the basement.
Both of the photos I am sharing today are unknown relatives. The little girl could be the same in both pictures because the hat and the stockings seem to be the same. The bottom photo is a springtime shot as the lambs are young and the grass looks like it is high enough for the lambs to enjoy. My mom always complained about the stockings that she wore that were like these in the picture. She said they were impossible to actually keep them up and yet they were expected to do so. Gravity can be a bad thing when it comes to stockings.
As in both photos it seems to be the smart thing to do to have your subjects stand outside in the sunlight. It does cause problems though with the pesky shadows and also the squinting of the eyes. Photography was an unstudied skill so all those photos that turned out darker than necessary because there wasn't enough light merited everyone to seek the sun.
Sepia Saturday is happening on many blogs today. Please check out all the others who are participating in the event by clicking here.
9 comments:
There first few decades of amateur photography were indeed a rather hit and miss affair, not just because of the relative inexperience of the photographer, but also the lack of versatility in camera technology, at least at the cheap end of the range. Point and shoot in those days really meant point and hope for the best.
Great photos, Larry. And they give me an idea for a future theme : the shadow of the photographer.
Yes I think it is the same girl.
I am lucky as my grandmother used the box brownie and her photos are terrific (I think she must have destroyed the bad ones!)
I would have trouble with these photos as I try to crop shadows out. Two fine pictures, Larry of a time gone by.
Hats have a practical use as sunshades on farms, but the ones in the picture seem to be more of a fashion statement. Maybe those were their Sunday best.
I do like your description of porches as a buffer zone. Alan's idea is a good one for a future SS post, and you'll be ahead of the game!
I hope you discover the identity of these people. The girl looks like she might be in both pictures
This is very interesting to me. My Dad's family were/are farmers in Arkansas, and though that is not on the prairie, some of the photos that I have are similar to yours. What is also very fascinating, that my grandparent's home in Oregon looked very similar with the back porch and though there was not basement, in the garage was a dark storage room where Grandma kept all of her home canned food. Looking at your picture makes me think that they took some of the features from the farm and put it into an Oregon neighborhood.
Thanks so much for stopping by to vist, Larry.
Kathy M.
My wife insists that I draw flies. Sigh.
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