Today I have two slides (plus details) with vintage views of vintage people!
Let's start out with this first one, featuring a gaggle of kids decked out in various costumes. The slide is hand labeled, "Parade of Children of Beaconsfield, 6-1957". There is a Beaconsfield, Iowa (population: 15), but that doesn't seem to match up to this photo at all. The only other place in the U.S. that seems to make sense is a neighborhood in Brookline, Massachusetts (which is a part of Boston).
I was a bit baffled by the combination of the American Flag and the costumes, but Flag Day is on June 14th; I am unaware of children dressing up for Flag Day, but hey, it could happen.
Aw, just look at those li'l ragamuffins. Is that one of the Olson twins to the right?
This next one is unlabeled and undated, which is frustrating. I had hoped that the license plate on the automobile would at least give us a State, but it is not clear. Anyway, it is still a neat portrait of the congregation of St. John's Lutheran Church; there are a lot of "St. John's" churches, in places like Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and so on. The name of the State (on the car's plate) appears to be two words, so one of the Carolinas seems as likely as any.
Zooming in, we get a better look at these folks, mostly in their Sunday best (ignore those little boys).
I hope you have enjoyed these vintage people!
The little guy in the clown mask is Michael Myers. Such a sweet little brother to his teenage sister.
ReplyDeleteYou've heard of "Christmas in July"? Perhaps this was a "Halloween in June" celebration.
ReplyDeleteIt's in Detroit in the Morningside neighbourhood. Look up 5282 Beaconsfield St, Detroit, MI. Point your street view to the North East, and you'll see the houses. The street looks quite abandoned, sadly.
ReplyDeleteD Ticket, WOW.....that's depressing to see the comparison! I saw a documentary about Detroit and what has been happening to the city in recent years since the car dealers have pulled out. Very sad.
ReplyDelete@ D Ticket-
ReplyDeleteOh - my, my - you ain't kidding. How tragic. But you never know what the future holds. Could be a complete turnaround.
On a happier note... In the first image, on the far left, we see a dark green, 1952 Pontiac. And parked across the street is a reddish-brown, 1952 Ford, Custom. (And - Oh, those outfits-!!) Gotta love their Moms'-!
In the third image is a lovely, two-tone green, 1946 Chevrolet. Love all the 'gents' sporting their best hats-! The young "gentleman", front-and-center, is wearing a dark gray suit which buttons right-over-left. Hmmmm. Could it be his sister's-?? Cross-dressing at such a young age-??
Thanks, Major, for this wonderful look-back. And those colors-! Magnificent-!
D Ticket, That is sad. I've seen stuff like that in my lifetime though. My grandparents purchased two burial plots in a cemetery that was in a reasonably nice area of Oakland back when they bought it in the early 1960's. Then in the late 1990's I went to visit my grandmother's grave in Oakland and was quite shocked at the condition of the surrounding area. Many of the residential homes had windows boarded up or bars on them and nobody was outside in the unkempt yards and streets. Near my grandmother's grave site were several tombstones covered in graffiti. It was an unnerving experience and I never returned. Things do indeed change.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing the kids in the first picture were dressed up for a school pageant. We used to have them in early June. Looks like a rodeo theme, with cowboys, cowgirls, and a rodeo clown. Not sure how the bride and flower girl fit in, though.
ReplyDeleteIn the second picture, the two boys with contrasting lapels on their sport coats know they're the coolest cats in town.
K. Martinez, Michael Myers wore a white Captain Kirk mask, which is even creepier!
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, I suppose that is as good a theory as any.
D Ticket, I don’t know how you do it. You just seem to have a knack; I looked for Beaconsfield locations for a while, but never found the street in Detroit. It makes sense, since I seem to have a group of slides from the Detroit area.
TokyoMagic, it’s so sad, those little houses and yards COULD still be so nice. Such a shame that the economy in that area is so devastated.
Nanook, let us cross our fingers for a turn around. I figured you would enjoy those old cars!!
K. Martinez, I had a similar experience, only I went back to a house that I lived in when I was a little kid. Back then it was a place full of kids and middle-class families, and I have nothing but good memories. Going back about a year ago, it looked so run-down and unsafe. I wished I hadn’t seen it.
Melissa, you and your idyllic childhood! ;-) We never had school pageants, as far as I can recall. Maybe on Halloween you could wear your drugstore Casper costume or whatever. As for cool, I think the little kid with the sweater to the right is the winner!