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What is it about old photographs that makes them so appealing? Of course it’s not too hard to figure out why we treasure photographs of people near and dear to us. Through the lens we see something about them that perhaps we hadn’t seen before. And something stirs in us.
For example, my dear friend Rick Lepage posted this photo of a beloved friend who had recently passed. He commented that he’ll never know why in 1965 she stood on her front stoop, can of Budweiser in the corner, hosing down… something, it doesn’t matter what.
Rick writes beautifully, but one thing he wrote stays with me: “You don’t have to know the story, but you do have to know there was a story. Some stories are silent, while others are long, funny pieces that demand explanation. And while a stack of photos won’t replace a life, it does complement it, enrich it, and preserve it.”
That holds true for photographs of people we don’t know. I’ve had a photograph from the time I taught at a community college in California. It’s been in my possession for about 20 years, and it was taken long before then.
What I love about this picture is the delight on these young women’s faces as they prepare for Funamania. Scrawled on the back of the photo are words I can’t quite read, but one clearly says “JC Queen.” I can just imagine them getting dressed on the big nights and waiting for their beaus to escort them. They probably wear corsages. Does the queen wear a tiara of some sort? I don’t know, but I like wondering about it. And while I don’t know where these ladies are today, I know that for one brief moment they were full of joy and ripe with promise. (By the way, this photo is silhouetted with non-repro blue, a nod to Gene Gable’s photo-retouching story this week.)
These thoughts crossed my mind this morning as I came across some vintage photographs posted on the Web of turn-of-the-century Ireland and pre-Soviet Russia. While I’ve been to both of these places, I’ve never been there. I like getting lost in these photos, both geographically and emotionally. Where is that man going as he crosses the rustic bridge? What food are these girls serving on these plates and to whom are they offering it?
I’m sure nostalgia plays a role in why I love vintage photographs. but it’s more than that. Do you like vintage photographs? If so, why so? What is it about them that draws you in?
Please add you comments by clicking on the link at the top of the story.
Note: Thanks to Mental Floss and Flavorwire for posting the pictures of Ireland and Russia respectively.)
This article was last modified on July 20, 2021
This article was first published on March 21, 2012
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