Friday, October 15, 2010

some recent finds...

i've been overwhelmed with life in general the last few months, not to mention all of the exhibition activity... but of course, the obsessive collector gene does not exactly have a shut-off switch... here are a few of my favorite finds of the past month or so...

violin
a cabinet photograph of an east indian violin player. the seller thought she might not actually know how to play the violin based on her hand and finger positions... personally, i like the relationship between the fabric of her clothing and the couch and faux background - not to mention the piece of jewelry on her cheek, and the fear and/or longing in her face... taken in india, circa 1890

stripes
a 1920's snapshot of two convicts playing their butts off in stripes in a rural florida prison. all i can say is i'm stunned i managed to snag it...

saws
RPPC circa 1915 featuring musical saws. even though they are clearly posing, the fact that they are "in the act" makes this one stellar. i've seen images of saw players, but never actually playing or even pretending to, and the fact that it is a real photo postcard makes it even better.

victrolaboat
nice snapshot of a victrola on the back of a boat, probably 1920 or a little earlier, hopefully there is a record or two hiding somewhere in this mess.

harpguitar
stellar 8" x 10" promotional photo for a hawaiian guitar player and a guy with a harp guitar - and quite a strange one at that, circa 1912 or so. i love when old prints like this get all silvery and clouded...

indian
possibly an american indian posing with his instrument collection, also possibly i have absolutely no idea what is going on here, but it was taken in a studio in philly, and is gosh darned wonderful.

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5 Comments:

Blogger ArtSparker said...

All I could see with the first photo was an overwhelming weight of parental expectation, projecting on to her anxious facial expression. Surely the two guys with the stringed instruments are brothers?

9:34 AM  
Blogger KM said...

love all of these.

5:57 PM  
Blogger ahoi! said...

Fantastic collection. Thanks for posting.

8:58 PM  
Anonymous Square America said...

They're all great but that convict photo- Holy Cow!!

10:35 PM  
Blogger Pamela Farrell said...

Wow! What a great collection of postcards. Amazing images...so much history (and mystery).

7:02 PM  

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