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| From Vintage Goodness |
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| From Vintage Goodness |
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| From Vintage Goodness |
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| From Vintage Goodness |
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| From Vintage Goodness |
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| From Vintage Goodness |
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| From Vintage Goodness |
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Christmas gift ideas from the 60s
More ads from December 1966 and 1967 - hot Christmas gift ideas
(the pattern I grew up with is on the left - Frostfire)
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Vintage Christmas Cards
From the extensive collection of my Grandmother-in-Law Maren's keepsakes, I have dozens of vintage Christmas cards from the 1920s and 1930s. They are beautiful! Some have messages written in Danish on the back. If you can read Danish and can help me translate some of the messages, I would be very appreciative! I scanned a few of the card backs and they are in my album found here.
Below are just a few Danish Christmas cards.
Glædelig jul!!!
according to Google Translate: "Now it's Christmas, oh, thank goodness! I am so glad, therefore, that God his son gave to the world; today he came to earth"
*Updated - more here
and even more here.
Below are just a few Danish Christmas cards.
Glædelig jul!!!
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
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| From Vintage Danish Cards |
*Updated - more here
and even more here.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Photography and Christmas
Lots of opportunities for photography during the winter holidays. But what about lighting? I remember the big bowl shaped flash reflector especially from my Dad's dad's camera: bleary-eyed, early-morning gift opening and those flashes were bright like lightning. A new flash bulb was required for every shot - and they were pretty hot to the touch so it wasn't like you could swap them speedily. But maybe Grandpa thought they were pretty spiffy because it sure beat using explosive powder to produce artificial lighting - check out this brief history of photographic flash photography.
But then came the flash cube - you could shoot four consecutive photos! Photography was getting easier and easier.
"When a man decides to shoot visiting relatives he can't afford to miss." (December 1966 ad)
Kodak had a significant role in amateur photography - according to Kodak's timeline, the Instamatic line was introduced in 1963 and quickly became a huge success. A December 1966 ad makes helpful gift suggestions for those who already have one
My dad was pretty excited to give my mom her own Kodak Instamatic camera in the early 70's
He had been in to photography since he was a teenager - he worked after school at a camera store in Bremerton. He was thrilled to get photography equipment for his darkroom at Christmas (I think this is a dryer)
Dad gave me darkroom equipment for Christmas when I also showed interest in the hobby in high school. I won a small TV in a photography contest about the same time but it wasn't with my "real" camera (I had an Argus C3 and a Minolta 101) it was with my mom's Instamatic above - I put my sunglasses over the lens and shot a sailboat photo into the sun.
And then for several years, my parents were the Santa photographers at Factoria Square Mall.
You can't see very clearly but he used a Mamiya for the portrait photos - families had to return to the mall to pick up their prints or have their packages mailed to them. He also used a high quality Polaroid so families could take one with them.
My parents occasionally still do photography professionally. We both have Nikons now - his is far fancier than mine! While I enjoy photography year round - it holds particularly fond memories for me at Christmas.
But then came the flash cube - you could shoot four consecutive photos! Photography was getting easier and easier.
"When a man decides to shoot visiting relatives he can't afford to miss." (December 1966 ad)
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| From Vintage Goodness |
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| From Vintage Goodness |
My dad was pretty excited to give my mom her own Kodak Instamatic camera in the early 70's
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| From Visiting Vintage |
He had been in to photography since he was a teenager - he worked after school at a camera store in Bremerton. He was thrilled to get photography equipment for his darkroom at Christmas (I think this is a dryer)
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| From Visiting Vintage |
Dad gave me darkroom equipment for Christmas when I also showed interest in the hobby in high school. I won a small TV in a photography contest about the same time but it wasn't with my "real" camera (I had an Argus C3 and a Minolta 101) it was with my mom's Instamatic above - I put my sunglasses over the lens and shot a sailboat photo into the sun.
And then for several years, my parents were the Santa photographers at Factoria Square Mall.
You can't see very clearly but he used a Mamiya for the portrait photos - families had to return to the mall to pick up their prints or have their packages mailed to them. He also used a high quality Polaroid so families could take one with them.
My parents occasionally still do photography professionally. We both have Nikons now - his is far fancier than mine! While I enjoy photography year round - it holds particularly fond memories for me at Christmas.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Groovy Christmas
A month after our 1969 Thanksgiving photo, we returned to my grandparent's home to celebrate Christmas.
Psychedelicious
You may wish to shade your eyes
Psychedelicious
You may wish to shade your eyes
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| From Visiting Vintage |
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thanksgiving & the Mayflower (Park Hotel)
I recently mentioned my grandfather, Howard Johnson when I posted about a paint-by-number clown he painted for me.
Howard was born 1912 in British Columbia. He began his hospitality career at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC as a boy (pageboy standing on the left)
Somewhere in the family collection of photographs is a picture of an even younger Howard in a velvet suit carrying in the boar's head for a Christmas feast at the grand hotel.
Grandpa worked at other hotels in British Columbia before immigrating to Washington in 1951 with my grandmother and my pre-teen mother. I thought he moved to The States to take a job at the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle - which seems charmingly quaint to me - the Mayflower is what brought my mom's family to America! However in a conversation over at Vintage Seattle about the Carousel Room, the Mayflower Park Hotel historian mentions my grandfather was General Manager there from 1955-1959. Perhaps he worked another position at the Mayflower before being promoted to General Manager and I can still think the Mayflower brought my family to America. . . .
Mayflower Park Hotel postcard before my grandfather's era
Forward another decade after working at the Mayflower and through several other hotels (he went on to work at the Edgewater Inn - he was employed there when the Beatles fished from the window!) and here we are celebrating (quite seriously) Thanksgiving in 1969 with my grandpa and grandma. Another of his paint-by-numbers is hanging on the wall.
That was my grandfather's last Thanksgiving. He passed away July 1970 at age 58.
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of memories of him but two of them include hotels - I remember sharing a bowl of ice cream just me and him at the Edgewater and I remember watching a Seafair parade from a window of the Mayflower (he no longer worked there) . At this Thanksgiving time, among a plethora of my many, MANY blessings, I am grateful that Howard Johnson created a life for his family which in turn contributed hugely to my very fortunate existence.
Very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Howard was born 1912 in British Columbia. He began his hospitality career at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC as a boy (pageboy standing on the left)
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| From Johnson Family |
Grandpa worked at other hotels in British Columbia before immigrating to Washington in 1951 with my grandmother and my pre-teen mother. I thought he moved to The States to take a job at the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle - which seems charmingly quaint to me - the Mayflower is what brought my mom's family to America! However in a conversation over at Vintage Seattle about the Carousel Room, the Mayflower Park Hotel historian mentions my grandfather was General Manager there from 1955-1959. Perhaps he worked another position at the Mayflower before being promoted to General Manager and I can still think the Mayflower brought my family to America. . . .
Mayflower Park Hotel postcard before my grandfather's era
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| From Visiting Vintage |
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| From Visiting Vintage |
Forward another decade after working at the Mayflower and through several other hotels (he went on to work at the Edgewater Inn - he was employed there when the Beatles fished from the window!) and here we are celebrating (quite seriously) Thanksgiving in 1969 with my grandpa and grandma. Another of his paint-by-numbers is hanging on the wall.
 |
| From Visiting Vintage |
That was my grandfather's last Thanksgiving. He passed away July 1970 at age 58.
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of memories of him but two of them include hotels - I remember sharing a bowl of ice cream just me and him at the Edgewater and I remember watching a Seafair parade from a window of the Mayflower (he no longer worked there) . At this Thanksgiving time, among a plethora of my many, MANY blessings, I am grateful that Howard Johnson created a life for his family which in turn contributed hugely to my very fortunate existence.
Very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Retro Toys
This weekend my fourteen year old daughter got nostalgic. She came across her "retro toys" (her words). How can something manufactured during the 21st century be considered "retro"?! She found a tutorial to fix a circa 2000 Pokemon game for Nintendo Gameboy Color - this seems even more ancient to her since she inherited the Gameboy a few years ago from her cousin who is now in college. And she bought new batteries for her Tamagotchi Connections that she collected in third grade. I guess your childhood toys from elementary school seem quaint when you're in ninth grade.
Today I came across some vintage comic books that were nostalgic to me. Here's one -
Little Lulu No. 214 September 1973
The ads inside made me smile at the memory of reading them with childhood eyes
In the same stack I found I had saved a comic book that someday my 23 year old may feel nostalgic about - Sonic the Hedgehog No. 1 October 1995
I guess "retro" is in the eye of the beholder. Nostalgia is a nice place to visit if the memories add a smile to your day.
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| From Visiting Vintage |
Today I came across some vintage comic books that were nostalgic to me. Here's one -
Little Lulu No. 214 September 1973
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| From Visiting Vintage |
The ads inside made me smile at the memory of reading them with childhood eyes
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| From Visiting Vintage |
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| From Visiting Vintage |
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| From Visiting Vintage |
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| From Visiting Vintage |
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| From Visiting Vintage |
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| From Visiting Vintage |
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| From Visiting Vintage |
In the same stack I found I had saved a comic book that someday my 23 year old may feel nostalgic about - Sonic the Hedgehog No. 1 October 1995
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| From Visiting Vintage |
I guess "retro" is in the eye of the beholder. Nostalgia is a nice place to visit if the memories add a smile to your day.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Historical Research
Last Saturday I went to the 2011 Basics of Historical Research Workshop that I learned about through a post on Facebook. They had me at "Historical Research Workshop" and then to learn it was very local to me and FREE, I could hardly wait! There were genealogists, local history teachers and librarians all gathered in a lecture hall at Bellevue College for a little over three hours with three presentations about history research.
And then we got to tour the Puget Sound Regional Archives Branch of the Washington State Archives.
Yep, I was giddy. I interrupted the tour to ask permission to photograph because I was so thrilled to be there. Thankfully he even allowed flash photography.
Most people don't go back in to the climate controlled collections - you call/e-mail/fax/write and request materials that they will locate and let you view in their public area.
Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect when I registered for the workshop but the event had my name written all over it. I loved it.
As a supplement to the workshop we were e-mailed a very extensive list of research links
First Steps:
• Washington State Archives
• Washington State Library
• Office of the Secretary of State
• Washington History Day
• Washington History Day Topic Guide
• National History Day
Finding Primary Sources:
Government Archives:
• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
• King County Archives
• Seattle Municipal Archives
• Seattle Public Schools Archives (link not working for me but found SPS Archives and Records Management)
Institutional Archives:
• University of Washington Archives
• Providence Archives, Seattle
Special Collections:
• Washington State Historical Society
• Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture
• UW Libraries: Special Collections
• WSU Libraries Manuscripts, Archives & Special Collections
• Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
• Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)
• Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center
• Yakima Valley Museum
• Library of Congress
Corporate Archives:
• Society of American Archivists Directory of Corporate Archives in the U.S. and Canada
Newspapers:
• Washington State Library Newspaper Collection
• University of Washington Libraries Microform & Newspaper Collections
• Seattle Public Library
• Tacoma Public Library
• Washington State University Libraries Northwest History Database
Finding Secondary Sources:
Catalogs:
• Washington State Library
• Seattle Public Library
• University of Washington Libraries
• WorldCat
Additional Online Research Resources:
• Search engine:
Google
Yahoo!
Bing
• Web search engine (Google, Yahoo, Bing) maps, images, videos
• Google Scholar
• Wikipedia
• HistoryLink
Reading, Decoding, and Using Sources:
• Reading, Writing, and Researching for History
• University of Idaho Libraries: Repositories of Primary Sources: Online Guide to Archival Collections
• Northwest Digital Archives: Finding Aids
• Washington State Historical Records Survey: Online Guide to Archival Collections
• Active Reading Strategies, The McGraw Center at Princeton University
• Active Reading, Academic Skills Center at Dartmouth College
• Active Reading, iStudy for Success at Penn State University
Office of the Secretary of State Additional Resources:
• Washington State Constitution
• Washington Territorial Timeline
• History of Elections and Voting
• Legislative Oral Histories
• Historical Maps
• Cities, Counties and Corporations
• Legacy Project Oral and Written Histories
Michael S. Saunder
Washington State Archives
Western Regional Archivist
425-564-3950
Thank you to Michael S. Saunders for permission to post this list! Except that I'm a little bit mad at you because you are responsible for me getting distracted by all these resources and me being unable to manage my time and complete my "to do" list. :-)
And then we got to tour the Puget Sound Regional Archives Branch of the Washington State Archives.
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| From Bellevue |
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| From Bellevue |
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| From Bellevue |
Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect when I registered for the workshop but the event had my name written all over it. I loved it.
As a supplement to the workshop we were e-mailed a very extensive list of research links
First Steps:
• Washington State Archives
• Washington State Library
• Office of the Secretary of State
• Washington History Day
• Washington History Day Topic Guide
• National History Day
Finding Primary Sources:
Government Archives:
• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
• King County Archives
• Seattle Municipal Archives
• Seattle Public Schools Archives (link not working for me but found SPS Archives and Records Management)
Institutional Archives:
• University of Washington Archives
• Providence Archives, Seattle
Special Collections:
• Washington State Historical Society
• Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture
• UW Libraries: Special Collections
• WSU Libraries Manuscripts, Archives & Special Collections
• Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
• Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)
• Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center
• Yakima Valley Museum
• Library of Congress
Corporate Archives:
• Society of American Archivists Directory of Corporate Archives in the U.S. and Canada
Newspapers:
• Washington State Library Newspaper Collection
• University of Washington Libraries Microform & Newspaper Collections
• Seattle Public Library
• Tacoma Public Library
• Washington State University Libraries Northwest History Database
Finding Secondary Sources:
Catalogs:
• Washington State Library
• Seattle Public Library
• University of Washington Libraries
• WorldCat
Additional Online Research Resources:
• Search engine:
Yahoo!
Bing
• Web search engine (Google, Yahoo, Bing) maps, images, videos
• Google Scholar
• Wikipedia
• HistoryLink
Reading, Decoding, and Using Sources:
• Reading, Writing, and Researching for History
• University of Idaho Libraries: Repositories of Primary Sources: Online Guide to Archival Collections
• Northwest Digital Archives: Finding Aids
• Washington State Historical Records Survey: Online Guide to Archival Collections
• Active Reading Strategies, The McGraw Center at Princeton University
• Active Reading, Academic Skills Center at Dartmouth College
• Active Reading, iStudy for Success at Penn State University
Office of the Secretary of State Additional Resources:
• Washington State Constitution
• Washington Territorial Timeline
• History of Elections and Voting
• Legislative Oral Histories
• Historical Maps
• Cities, Counties and Corporations
• Legacy Project Oral and Written Histories
Michael S. Saunder
Washington State Archives
Western Regional Archivist
425-564-3950
Thank you to Michael S. Saunders for permission to post this list! Except that I'm a little bit mad at you because you are responsible for me getting distracted by all these resources and me being unable to manage my time and complete my "to do" list. :-)