Sep 21, 2008

Square America: People Being People


Old Man and the Sea

I was originally collecting BW photos, and there was a bit of a nostalgia factor to it, among other things. I have recently came across these square color photos that were apparently very popular in the sixties and early seventies.

Kodak Moment

They retained their color relatively well. The edge of the photos are more peach colored than white, but color photographs are notorious about their archival issues.

The Bride Was Silent

Sometimes I pick them just for sheer kookiness.

Old Man, Big Hat

Like, why is the old guy wearing a giant paper top hat? With greeting cards glued to it? And what is the religious connection? It's a mystery.

Grandma, Papers, Bombs

Other times I'm drawn in by the elements that firmly anchor them in a period. Here grandma is reading the paper, the headlines of which remind of the Vietnam war era. The one about the NASA strike doesn't mean much to me, but there is another one about LBJ, and can read fragment of the third: "...Carrier Planes Bomb Haiphong Depot."

Girl with Submarine

From there it is a short jump to the girl in red on the submarine.

2 comments:

Petrea Burchard said...

I have photos like these of my childhood and teen years. Well, not quite like these...

The faded colors, the headlines, the fashions. "Square America." Very well put.

Vanda said...

You should post some. I'd love to see them!