Sepia Saturday

Sepia Saturday

Friday, February 6, 2015

Working at Something......


Group work is shown that is yet to be done.  It is a bad photo but a valuable one to me.  The wagons are drawn to a stop as they are taking a break.  I never met my grandfather Leroy Martin Brown but he is the one standing in the back.  It is farm work and I am figuring the time period in the early 1920's.  My grandfather died in 1937 of TB in an institution in Clarinda, Iowa.  I have never manipulated this photo with photoshop and I guess it is waiting for me to make it happen.


This blurry photo is one of three guys working on their tan.  I suppose that it is warm and they didn't wear shirts down on the farm.  The coolest place to be was in the shade of the tree in the summer.  So young boys would go barefoot and shirtless.  I am thinking this is a photo of my three brothers but I am not certain.  I think my oldest brother Ron is on the left and my brother Rex is on the right.  My  brother Dwight is the one sitting on the upside down bucket.  Dwight was born in 1947 and he would have probably been two or older here.  So the year is 1949 or 1950.


This is an older group of high school students who are working at having a mediocre attitude.  I am assuming this was a shot  taken for a yearbook photo.  I can't imagine what it is all about but with the piano in the photo  it could be a choir group.  The photo would have been taken on stage at Woodward, Iowa Schools in 1947.  Why do you thing the teacher is sitting with a sewing machine in front of him?  Maybe it is a group for a school play.


My final photo is of two children working at making a good photo for their parent.  The one has all her dolls to show and the boy dressed in his cowboy hat.  He also has a small stringed instrument and just look at those Roy Rogers chaps.  I am suspecting that these two are cousins of mine from the Lorimor, Iowa area.  It did take work to get them all fixed up just for this one picture. If they are who I think they are, they would be in their late 70's or early 80's in age today.  I am going to say it is Lee Wheeler, Junior and his sister Leila Wheeler.   The one still lives in the same area on the farm and the other lives in Torinton, Wyoming.

 Just in case that I didn't follow the working group of people theme making pottery very well, I included a shot of some of the pottery that I have made. The tallest one was made in the 1970's which makes it an old item in a new photo.

Sepia Saturday posts come from many parts of the world . If you would like to see the other posts of my friends just click here to go there. You can check out the main theme photo that was used to send us all on our creative venture.

11 comments:

Postcardy said...

You have an interesting group of photos. Your pots look a lot better than the ones I managed to make when I took ceramics.

Barbara Rogers said...

Great photos...my favorite is the high school group with their serious demeanor, but some posed rather hilariously. Good to see someone else that makes/made some pottery.

Joan said...

Fun post of people working at something. My favo0rite is the first photo of your Leroy Brown. I have several photos that are in similar condition, but I think I may treasure them more --- just because the photos survived to get into my collection.

Sharon said...

A wonderful selection of photos. I also wonder about the group as it seem strange to see a sewing machine with a piano, sofa and kitchen cupboard all together!

La Nightingail said...

All the photos are interesting in their own ways, & nice pottery bowls! But that photo of the high school kids is intriguing - not only for the sewing machine, sofa, & piano or the obviously idly posed picture, but also the gal on the piano bench is wearing peddle-pushers and high-top tennis shoes. (and speaking of shoes, notice the loafers with socks, & the saddle oxfords on the girls at left!) I think your idea of this being a picture to represent a school play may be right on the money!

Alan Burnett said...

So often it is those old, tattered and torn and smudged photographs that are the most precious to us.. Wonderful pots, LD - as creative and artistic as I would expect from you.

Little Nell said...

I’m in awe of your lovely pots but the photos are so interesting too. I love that Leila has ensured that all her dolls are in the photo (being serenaded by a cowboy!).

Boobook said...

Your grandfather's name, Leroy Martin Brown, is delightful. The name Leroy is not used in Australia but I hear it in sitcoms and read it in novels. And the photo is lovely - there's a lot going on there.

Linda said...

Larry, I love this series of photos and I really appreciate you sharing this journey back in time.

North County Film Club said...

I love your pots, Larry. I'd like to see more.
Barbara

North County Film Club said...

I just went to your "Artspot" blog and saw more of your wonderful pots.
Barbara