Saturday Snapshots {October 17, 2009}

“I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging the future but by the past.” ~ Patrick Henry

{Four family members pose in front of their car en route home from a fishing trip in this great slice of life shot from 1949. Is it just my perception, or does the man holding up the wee little fish bear a vague resemblance to Bill Murray?}



{A mother and daughter, each dressed in lovely outfits, gaze slightly to the side but still at the lens, in contrast to the two workmen perched atop a truckload of pumpkins in the background. This pleasant – and fantastically autumnal shot – hails from 1953 and was taken in Burton, Ohio at an event with the delightful name of the “Apple Butter Festival”.}



{Aside from a first name (Dorothy) no information whatsoever if given about the identity of this woman or as to where – or when – this strikingly pretty portrait was shot. I like to imagine that Dorothy had this photo taken to send to her beloved who was overseas fighting the good fight, while she in turn was doing her indispensable part on the home front.}



{Though it was taken fifty five years ago, there is a distinctly razor sharp clarity to this Vegas nightlife photo. The vibrant neon signs and figure of a gold miner panning atop the roof of the Lucky Strike Club look vivid enough to have been snapped this week.}



{I feel as though there's eally wonderful about this candid shot, the two women actively engaged in a lively conversation, the young child giving off an expression that almost seems to say, “Do they ever stop gabbing?”. Perhaps what I love most about this image though, is the large, beautiful Frigidaire refrigerator standing off to the right almost like a third participant in the spirited chat.}



{A handsome young GI and an equally pretty gal stroll down the sidewalk, their arms tucked around one another’s backs in this undated shot that I would peg to be from the 40s. At first glance I wondered if perhaps she was wearing white because they’d just tied the knot, however upon closer inspection, I feel her outfit looks a bit like a nurse’s uniform. What do you think, had she just gotten off work or is she headed off into married life?}



{Four women sharply dressed women gather for a photo in this lovely shot, taken in San Jose (California), from 1954. From left to right they’re identified as being Patricia, “Mom”, Gladys, and Mildred – don’t you just adore their curly updos and sensible yet still wonderfully pretty outfits?}



{There is something deeply engaging – and perhaps far more artistic than the photographer had knowingly intended – about this beautiful Washington, D.C. street shot. A lone young woman hurries down the sidewalk with a dog in tow, the bare branches of the tree almost seeming to beckon out to her as she rushes past the quaint, autumn toned buildings.}


{Time, which has a propensity for doing such things, has faded this photo snapped during a family outing to the golf course, but we can still make out the unflinching expression on the mother’s face and sense of anxious boredom which may have been setting in with the two youngsters. While you can almost hear the mom thinking to herself, “I swear, if Bob drags me and the kids to one more golf game with the boss, so help me, he’ll have to press his own socks from now on!”, one can’t help but be smitten with her adorable bow bedecked, strapless summer top – which, I’m quite sure, beat the pants off of whatever ensemble Bob was wearing that day ;D}



{A sizable gang of people (predominately young women) pose for a group shot in this 1930s Italian image, about which little background information is provided. I wonder if perhaps they were students and teachers on a trip, as the bus to the far left of the photo might indicate.}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}


I have always believed that we live not only through memories, but by them. A negative or painful memory can become a ghost, a taskmaster, an inner demon of sorts; it can also work to ensure we do all that we can to make certain history never repeats itself. A positive one can build confidence, help overshadow the bad, and bring us peace in moments of strife. Both are vital though to the tapestry of our lives, both teach and inspire, lead us into the abyss of tomorrow and shine a light for what lies ahead.