Contest

I am a Son of the South, I am a Son of Texas,
But my real father I never knew
I was a healer but am remembered as a fighter
My mind was trained in science, but my hand was guided by faith
My beautiful wife was a true and noble woman
She is remembered by her family,
but revealed to the world by the daughter of the midnight cowboy.
My little daughter was sweet
And my son rode by my side
I was with Green as he fell on that terrible day,
And my own blood flowed out onto the Yellow Bayou
The order to dismount, I never obeyed
I stood by my men,
and though dead, they still wear their boots.

Sharecropper's Daughter

This picture was taken in 1939, and shows the Daughter of a Sharecropper. The family had been sharecropping in Oklahoma, but could not make it work. They then went to Hollister, California and picked peas. The pea crop was lost to an early freeze, leaving them without work. The girl said, "Back in Oklahoma, we are sinking. You work your head off for a crop and then see it burn up. You live in debts that you can never get out of. This isn't a good life, but I say that it's a better life than it was."

Model T

This picture was taken in 1936, and it shows a loaded up Model T Ford. If I were to guess, I would guess that it is about a 1926 Model T, meaning it would have been 10 years old at the time the picture was taken. I love these old Model T's. They were cheap (could be bought for $250), reliable, and just about any repairs could be easily made by the owners. Cars nowadays are too expensive, and have too much stuff on them I don't want. They always put something like a "Sports Package" on the car which turns out to be a plastic decorative spoiler that they then add $2,200 to the price of the car. Also, all the gadgets not only drive up the price of the car, in a few years when they start breaking, you start getting all types of repair bills. I wish someone would offer a simple, safe, efficient, reliable and affordable car.

Oh yes, I do have things all set to go for Saturday's contest. The posting is all done all I have to do is press publish and it will go up. I can hardly restrain myself till Saturday. I am in danger of suffering from premature publication.

Prospectors

This picture was taken in 1889, and it shows three men panning for gold. The picture was taken near Rockerville in the Dakota Territory. There are people who still pan for gold. I had a friend when I lived in New Mexico, and every weekend he would head up to the mountains with his equipment, and he would find gold nuggets. He was really obsessed with it, but I think when you counted the cost of the gas, equipment, and other expenses, he never came out ahead. Something he really loved to do, and always gave him the dream of hitting it big.

Making Lace

This picture was taken in 1911, and it shows a poor mother and daughter making lace inside their tenement apartment. The picture was taken in New York City. One wonders whether the current economic downturn will lead to such cottage industries again. Now, things imported from China are so cheap, most things could not be made is such a way (certainly a person could not make lace and sell lace). I think eBay has for many become a cottage industry. How about you all . . . do any of you have a little cottage industry going to try and supplement income, or just to have fun?

Police Woman

This picture was taken in 1918, and shows a police woman. The woman appears to be directing traffic, but she does have a gun in a holster on her belt. I am wondering if this had been a traditional job for a woman or if perhaps World War I created a shortage of men, and led to women taking on new roles.

indiginous person

Wow, I got in a lot of hot water a few weeks ago using the word "Eskimo", so I will try and be more careful this time around. I am going to see if I can make it through this posting without offending anyone. Ok here goes . . . Pictured above is an Indigenous Homo Sapien. Said Indigenous Homo Sapien appears to be standing by a deceased Ursus Maritimus, sometimes referred to as a Polar Bear. The ursus maritimus appears to have expired early as the result of trauma caused by artificially sharpened artifacts thrusted into heart, lung and haunches.

Please note that blog management does not wish to imply that pictured Indigenous Homo Sapien is responsible for the death of the said Ursus Maritimus. One should not draw conclusions of who was responsible for the expiration of the Ursus Maritimus. Blog management further wishes to state that by posting this picture that they do not condone artificially causing the early expiration of Ursus Maritimus by sharpened indigenous artifacts. For that matter, blog management does not condone the early expiration of any vertebrate creature by means of sharpened indiginous artifacts. As stated earlier, management does not imply Indigenous individual was responsible for early expiration of Ursus Maritimus. Blog management feels the most likely scenario is that some how, some way, a white man is responsible for pictured massacre of the Ursus Maritimus. Likely an evil white man killed the Ursus Maritimus, and then tricked the Indigenous Individual into standing at the crime scene for said picture. Said evil white man probably laughed returned home, beat his children, kicked his dog, and attended a neo nazi or other right wing supremacist meeting.

Mystery Person

I have grown tired of people coming in and getting the Mystery Person in about two minutes. I am not going to mention any names, but I think you all know who you are. So, today, I have made it much harder. This is not impossible, but it will be probably the toughest one I have given you. The person you are to identify is the man at the Microphone. You see, I have more fun when the contest goes on longer, and, after all, this blog is all about me having fun. So, today you are going to have to work for it. Now . . . . Wait for it . . . . Waaaaaait for it . . . . . Wait for it . . . . . OK, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Police Woman

Today we continue our retrospective study of Women Packing Heat. This picture is from the 1920's and shows a police woman with a Billy Club and packing a pistol.

I appreciate all the commentary that has been coming in lately on the picture posts. I notice a lot more of them coming in during the work day. You all are not out there looking at the Old Picture blog when you are supposed to be working are you? OK, I won't tell if you don't.

Skeet Shooting

This picture was taken in 1914, and shows a woman with a shotgun. She appears to be a skeet or trap shooter. I have tried skeet shooting before, but was never very good at it.

I hope you all will tune in for the Mystery Person contest this Saturday, as I have a really good one planned. I am tired of certain people who will remain nameless solving the puzzle in the first few minutes. This week, it will be much harder. It is still possible, but it will be one I doubt anyone will get in the first hour.

Small Pleasures

With all the negativity about the economy, I wanted to try and post a cheerful picture today. Actually, it is harder than you think to find cheerful pictures. Lots of pictures of people partying hard in the 1920's but we all know where that led. Not a lot of cheerful pictures from the 1930's can be found. Of course, the 1940's brought World War II. If we go back to the 1910's we had the flu pandemic, and World War I. There are lots of pictures from the 1860's, but that decade certainly had its unpleasantness. So, in the end, I landed on this picture. It shows an older couple taking a nap together in a park after a picnic. Maybe this picture really captures what it is all about . . . in a world of turmoil and upheaval, seeking out moments to enjoy the small pleasures of life.

Jewish Man

This is a picture of an old Jewish Man. The photograph was taken in 1919 near Jerusalem. The photograph was taken in Black and White, and was hand tinted by the photographer shortly after the picture was taken. Looking at the picture, you really wish there was some way to know this man's story.

Migrant Mother

This is a picture of Florence Owens, the Migrant Mother of the Great Depression. This is not the most famous picture of her, but it was one of five pictures taken by Dorothea Lange of her that day. With these pictures, Florence became the icon on the great depression. This series of photographs, perhaps better than anything else, captured the abject poverty and hopelessness of the Great Depression.

Potato Pickers

This picture was taken in 1935 in California. It shows a family from Oklahoma working as Potato pickers in California. The Oklahoma Dustbowl forced the family to drive across the country in search of work. The picture shows them living in a roadside tent.

Mystery Person, BONUS EDITION

You asked for it, and you got it. The Mystery Person Bonus Edition. You all got Mary too quickly, so we will give you another chance with this one. I have to go walk to dogs, so will be away from the computer for 30 minutes. Hope you have solved this one by the time I get back.

Mystery Person

It is Saturday, and I am back on the job, bringing you this week's Mystery Person. That is right, I post the picture, you have to figure out who it is.

Porters

This picture was taken in about 1910, and it shows a group of porters carrying trunks. The picture was taken in Bolivia.

Igloo

This picture was taken in 1926, and shows an Eskimo family building an Igloo. I wonder if there are any Eskimo families that still live in Igloos? I can remember in the 1970's there were a few documentaries showing people still living in this way, but I don't know if there are any examples of it continuing today. I think it would be neat if there were.

Reindeer

This picture was taken in 1900, and it shows a family traveling by a Reindeer Sled. The photograph was taken in Alaska. I wonder if there are any examples of this native lifestyle still present in Alaska.

Prohibition

This picture was taken in Washington DC in 1926, and is shows a woman with a garter flask. The garter flask was used to hide whiskey during prohibition. Prohibition was in effect in the US from 1920 to 1933.

Beauties

This picture was taken in 1920, and shows a group of Bathing Beauties. Interesting how much bathing suits have changed over the last 90 years.

Mystery Person

OK, today is mystery person day. You have go guess who the person pictured above is. Have fun!

Bootleg Still

This picture shows a Bootleg Still near San Francisco. There is an agent dismantling the operation. The picture was taken in 1922. I normally think of bootlegging as being something done in the south, and not so much near San Francisco.

Eating Pie

This picture was taken in 1939, and shows a young boy eating pie. The boy is the son of Migrant farm workers. The picture was taken outside Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.

Unemployed Man

This picture was taken in 1938 in Omaha, Nebraska. It shows an unemployed man leaning against a post. I see a real look of both hopelessness and desperation in the man's face.

Bowery Restaraunt

This picture was taken in the Bowery, and shows a restaurant advertising a 5 cent meal, which includes pie and coffee. It is amazing how little a nickel will buy today. I can remember when I was a boy you could get a coke for a nickel, and could get a candy bar for a nickel.

Advance on Bapaume

This picture was taken during World War I, and shows troops advanging on Bapaume. What a frightening site a battle tank must have been.