Press Photographers at Play

Leslie Jones was a Boston photojournalist, working for the Boston Herald for 39 years in the early to mid-twentieth century. He (and his friends) also really, wonderfully, liked taking silly pictures. 

Photos from 1920s-1950s, with more specific dates when noted. 

More of Jones' (serious) work here. 

Boston Public Library

Jones and a young fellow photographer in just a normal handshake, 1936. Source

Boston Public Library

Jones getting action with a mannequin, 1935. Source

Boston Public Library

Jones and pal posing for the camera. Source

(Terrible) Cigarette Card Puns

Another jaunt into the cigarette card collections of the New York Public Library. We've seen animal-illustrated phrases and flapper butterflies; today we've got some wonderfully awful visual puns. They don't come with a date, but appear to be about 1890-1910 by the clothing, and British. These are selected from a set of 50. With language change a couple have lost their double meanings, such as"decorated flat"--flat, of course, still means apartment many places, but the term 'flat' to refer to a dull person has gone out (many thanks to the reader who noted that meaning!) Others are very British (googling "5 years with the colors" in its American spelling, gets you only the record of that card!), Most of them,  however,  will still get groans a century on. 

New York Public Library

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New York Public Library

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New York Public Library

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A 1920s Party of the 1950s

1920s parties seem to be especially popular lately, which, of course, as a wannabee flapper I couldn't be happier about. The look and popular culture of the era hold a strong appeal-- distant enough to romanticize but close enough to relate to. The idea of Prohibition is easily turned into pretend naughty fun. And who doesn't love sparkly dresses, stripey jackets, boater hats, and pearls? 

In fact, the 1920s party potential was already being seen by the 1950s. In these photos from 1954, partygoers have gone all out in their costumes (which, considering the decade only ended 24 years ago, are more than likely actually from it). Drinks are being sipped from teacups (though eventually many of the people give up and turn to cans of beer), a bathtub is used as a decoration/liquor holder, the ladies roll down their stockings and the men wear spats. I find it especially interesting to see considering that most of the people there were probably born in the 1920s, or slightly earlier.... it's the equivalent of a 1980s or even 90s party today!

Wallace Kirkland, LIFE © Time Inc.

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Wallace Kirkland, LIFE © Time Inc.

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Wallace Kirkland, LIFE © Time Inc.

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Cat Eats Corn

Another look at the fluffy side of LIFE magazine. This is one of my favourite examples of "fluff"-- photographs of a cat that apparently likes to eat corn on the cob. I'm sure that only one of these pictures was actually published, possibly on the last page which for a while was reserved for a light-hearted picture (I haven't yet found it, but still looking), but of course, an actual real-life photojournalist was dispatched to do this so as per the course he shot a range of pictures to get the best one/one that would best fit the page. So the LIFE archives, as well as containing some of the defining photographs of our era, includes a whole bunch of photos of a cat eating corn. 

1951, by Allan Grant. 

Allan Grant, LIFE © Time Inc.

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Allan Grant, LIFE © Time Inc.

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Allan Grant, LIFE © Time Inc.

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Cigarette Card Animals

From the mid 19th century to about the 1940s, cigarette cards were a common feature of cigarette packets. They would be published in series (usually 25 or 50), encouraging smokers to buy more from the same brand. Now, I don't condone smoking in any way-- but a lot of them are really great! The good old New York Public Library (this blog's star collection of the month, apparently!) has tens of thousands, a huge number of which are digitized. I am definitely going to be featuring these on a regular basis from now on! Today, a cute, silly series featuring animals and well-known phrases (from nursery rhymes to cliches to ad slogans). They are photomechanical reproductions of probably heavily retouched photos-- no date is provided but as one includes the phrase "back up your troubles in your old kit bag," from a song written in 1915, they must date from after that. My guess is 1915-1930.

New York Public Library

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New York Public Library

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New York Public Library

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The Secret Lives of Pennies

I have to admit, I love the "filler" stories from LIFE magazine. There's dramatic, insightful, though-provoking photo-essays... and there's tests on cooperation in cats, pet lemurs, and Parisians drinking Coca-Cola. Most of these kinds of stories would only have a few pictures in the published magazine, somewhere in the middle to back, surronded by ads-- but thanks to the online LIFE archives, we can enjoy the silliness/banality to its fullest! 

This picture story is apparently concerned with pennies, and what you can do with them.

Photographs from 1953, taken by Nina Leen. 

Nina Leen, LIFE © Time Inc.

A store receiving their week's worth of pennies, with police escort. Source

Nina Leen, LIFE © Time Inc.

Tea bags you can buy for one cent each. Source

Nina Leen, LIFE © Time Inc.

Boxes of matches 2 for a penny. Source

Under the Sea

A nice silly post today. People doing stuff underwater!

From the State Library and Archives of Florida and the archives of LIFE. 

An underwater tableau, Rainbow Springs, Florida, 1953. Source

Underwater bicycling, 1947. Source

Part of an underwater beauty contest, apparently. 1959. Source

Drunken Ski Party

I'm sure quite a few folks out there are having some regrets this morning, maybe trying to forget some parts of last night, untagging those embaressing photos on FB.... yeah, the people in the past were just the same. This isn't New Year's, but I think most of the people at this ski party in 1942 are pretttyy smashed... smashed enough to totally forget they had a Life photographer around while they made idiots of themselves....

It starts out pretty normally, with a ski conga line... Source

Some ski tug-of-war, sure, why not. Source

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Then a snowball fight... Source

Then they started drinking. Source

I have no idea why everyone thought it was a swell idea to don nightshirts for the hill, but they so did. Source

Nightshirt skiing! Yeahh! Source

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Aaand someone decided it would be a good idea to try the obstacle course. Source

Which worked about as well as you'd expect. Source

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Oh yes, they are so sober. Source

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Then jumping. Source

Then ski-leapfrogging. Source

Which some were better at than others. Source

But lots of fun. Source

Nothing absurd about being photographed lying on the snow in skis and a nightshirt. Source

This is fairly cute and reasonably sane... Source

But don't worry, the sanity didn't last. Source

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Skiing down stairs takes a toll on some. Source

And some more drinking. Source

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The party continues... Source

I would love to know what came before this. Source

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I think even the photographer may have had a few by this point... Source

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Someone's untagging this on FB in the morning. Source