Tuesday, October 19, 2010

From Ye Olde Photo Album

Last week I posted pictures of Nikki Dee wearing dresses that her mother had worn. Cuppa is posting more information about their history today. She asked me to scan some old family photos for her post, and having made the effort to do the legwork, I'm also going to make use of those pictures today. But I'll try not to duplicate too much.



In the mid-seventies, I tried briefly tried my hand at developing my own film and photos. I didn't keep at it very long because I didn't have a proper darkroom and found it impossible to keep the chemicals at their proper temperature in our cold basement. However, above and below are two my efforts. I had a good model. In both pictures I experimented with dodging as I was projecting the negative onto the photo paper in an effort to eliminate the busy wallpaper background. Nikki Dee was in that dress last week, and those pictures are on Cuppa's blog this morning.



I think the next one was done at Sears; if not, it was taken as part of a church booklet. She must have been a bit younger than Nikki Dee is because the dress fit her better.



A family portrait from the very early eighties when AC still had hair.. This time Althegal is in the same white dress. Note: I still wear a goatee but I wore a fullish beard most of the time for over thirty years. Although I never thought to go full-beard again, I have lately been playing with the idea of growing it in. My hair isn't very gray, but beards turn sooner, and I am wondering what mine is like now.

In case you don't go to Cuppa's blog I will say that the white dress was smocked by my mother and the orange one by Cuppa's mother. I don't suppose they were even thinking about great grandchildren back then; I know that I certainly wasn't thinking of grandchildren, and I certainly wouldn't have thought of getting out those dresses if Cuppa hadn't.

11 comments:

Pearl said...

that smocks together history and present rather nicely. it's a nice richness to have that continuity.

Mara said...

You can just see how your granddaughter is going to look in a few years: absolutely beautiful and very much like her mother! If you hadn't said the photos were made in the seventies/eighties, I could easily have believed they were of Nikki Dee!

MARY G said...

I have photos of me in what I think is the identical white smocked dress pattern. Alas the dress did not descend to my daughers - my cousin got it. But Ihave smocked dresses and tops that my mother made for my kids and photos of the grandkid in them. Priceless!
I think I like your present hair arrangement better than the former one, if Cuppa will allow me an opinion.

Anvilcloud said...

Okay, the template shall stay up until Halloween.

Also, Cuppa allows everyone an opinion -- just as long as they acknowledge that hers is better.

Donna said...

Looks like Nikki is in Every shot!! Incredible likeness!!!
hughugs

Unknown said...

This is indeed a beautiful post. I agree I would have thought that was Nikkie if not told otherwise. You did some good work. Love the photo with all the hair.LOL
QMM

Diana said...

The resemblances are amazing AC. I can sew but never tried smocking, it looks difficult. It was great seeing the old photos, I've been thinking of doing that again too.
BTW, Very cool header!!
Love Di ♥

Lorna said...

First, fiendish is quite startling. So is AC with hair and Cuppa with brown hair....not startling in a bad way; more like, oh, so that's so what I should have expected!

Smocked dresses make my heart contract---they were present in all the really happy times in my early life except when my mother made cowboy/girl outfits for the Calgary Stampede

Bernie said...

Oh my does smudge ever look like her mother.....both beautiful. So nice to see and cuppa from back then, neither have changed that much except for the hair do's......so enjoyed this post. ......:-)Hugs

Sue said...

Yes, family resemblances are funny things. But to me, Nicki Dee looks the image of her aunt, and not so much like her mother! Lovely photos, all of them.

Anvilcloud said...

Someone else just mentioned that resemblance last night.