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Vintage Summer Snapshots

i’m really trying to psyche myself up for summer. if you follow my ramblings on twitter (or, of course, if you know me personally) you’ll know that i am not the hugest fan of this particular season. it’s the heat, you see. i think i might literally be allergic to heat. i can’t sit in the sun without going a lovely shade of blotchy red. i can’t even sit in a hot room without getting intensely uncomfortable. and the thing about living in south africa is that our summers are HOT. hot hot hot.

other than all that i really enjoy summer, of course. who doesn’t like long beautiful days, outdoor barbeques, walking on the beach, drinking ice cold beers in the sun, eating ice cream really quickly before it melts…

so in an effort to get the summer psyching going i did that guest post on hila’s blog as a jumping off point, then i started making a mood board dedicated to summer on pinterest (laugh at me if you will, but addiction is a serious matter) and now i am sharing some vintage summer snapshots – in colour. what better way to capture the season?

- courtesy of superbomba

- courtesy of bill greene

- courtesy of what makes the pie shops tick?

- courtesy of the snapatorium

- courtesy of phillip capper

- courtesy of etienne du plessis

- courtesy of superbomba

- courtesy of what makes the pie shops tick?

- courtesy of willy wilson

- courtesy of aroid

- courtesy of midwestern femme

- courtesy of lynne’s lens

- courtesy of anna allen

to all of you entering autumn soon – i really do envy you.

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Bathing caps with faces

why not!

speaking of bathing, it’s pretty scary that summer is around the corner. i have noticed the northern bloggers freaking out over their impending autumn and winter months – i would happily trade places with you! we have hardly had any rain, and it hasn’t been cold enough for my liking. it’s mid august and i am already wearing short sleeves and sandals. sigh.

all images from the life magazine archives photographed by ralph crane

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Woolwich Dockyard Portraits

got totally sucked in by this amazing set of photos taken by George Plemper in London in the late 70′s & early 80′s

For a period of 5 years between 1978 to 1982 photography was a way to prove to myself that I was still alive. Unable to unable to make sense of the “real world” and “real people” who told me that I was too sensitive, too quiet, too thoughtful, too strange, I found that my world changed when I picked up the camera. Through the viewfinder a new and better world opened up and, best of all, it acted as a shield. I did not have to get too close when I held the camera. In 1979-82 I used to visit the Clockhouse Community Centre in Woolwich Dockyard, London SE18 and these are a few of the sights I saw.

all photographs by George Plemper

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Ife family, Watford

This is a series of family photos taken by a Mr.E.A. Ife, mostly in the 1920s. They lived in Cassio Road, Watford, and Mr. Ife ran the ‘Post Office Savings Club Photographic Society’ from there.

a simply amazing set of photos from the collection of Mike / Abaraphobia

all photographs are from the collection of Mike / Abaraphobia

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Found, but not lost.

this past week has been pretty weird – my car was broken into, some of my favourite things were stolen and i’ve been wrestling with an irritating head cold that has overstayed its welcome. but, you know, it’s just a shitty time that will be quickly forgotten and supplanted in my memory by better days and great weeks to come – there’s no point in moping about and feeling sorry for yourself, right?

so i turned to the internet for some cheering up (this usually always works) and after a whole lot of browsing my eyes began to glaze over and i was just about to give up when i discovered the found photo collection of anyjazz65 - made up of over 4000 vintage photos which he has helpfully sorted over at his blog the lost gallery.

all photographs from the collection of anyjazz65

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The Seventies

The 1970s is a set of photographs by spysgrandson. click on the pics to be taken to the original photo.

friends, May 1972, El Paso desert. Annette the cussing poet and Bob the voice of the opera–taken with Polariod Land Camera

long haired leaping gnomes, sand dune, 1971, east of El Paso. Paul, the Zen wine salesman, Annette, the cussing poet, and Bob the voice of the opera–and of course there are stories behind each of these titles

trust, on the Mekong, Vietnam, 1970

1971, a smile for a lonely soldier. while I was in Vietnam, my buddy (who was in ‘nam with me) had a sis who sent me letters and pictures to cheer me up–did a good job–mail call was a big deal, especially when it came with a picture of a sweet Cailfornia girl

“you won’t get him to go any faster by talking to him…” just before being drafted, my bud from Vietnam, hanging with unknown cow rider–this was taken early 1971 in the pasture behind his Yorba Linda suburban home–it is no doubt all California suburbia now

The “Hair Days”. Camping in the Davis Mountains, spysgrandson at 23 in August, 1975

tres amigos en El Paso, hippie wedding day, 1975

sprouts and pines. my friend, Dan, hair in ponytail, eating a sprout sandwich in the Sierra Nevada in 1976–the sandwich was on whole wheat–I knew that was important to some of you

the conversation, courtesy of the old Canon F-1. with friends, August, 1976–this beach is at Bodega Bay, the site where Hitchcock’s “The Birds” was filmed a dozen years before–love the clarity of this image taken with the Canon F-1 back in the days before digital.

On top. Organ Mountains, southern New Mexico, 1974, spysgrandson with friends

mysticos in the Sierra Nevada 2, 1976. I found my slides and had them converted into a CD–this pic was previously posted after being scanned from very small original–the 3 men in this photo are the “Tres Amigos” in a photo in my hippie set–this is a year later than the Tres Amigos photo–I had cut my hair to be “establishment”—if that term in that context is strange to you, you will be around long after I am gone–peace

French beauty in the Land of Oblivion. I don’t remember her name (it was 37 years ago)… I only know my friend had a thing for her and she climbed well–she made it to the top of one of the peaks in the Organ Mountains in New Mexico (and she looked much better in real life than in 2D)

desert dwellers, happy hippies hiking. in the Organ Mountains in New Mexico–1970s

all photographs by spysgrandson

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Familia

hila has been sharing some great old family photos lately, so i couldn’t resist dipping into my own collection. some background info: i have three older brothers. i’ll refer to them as brothers no. 1, 2 & 3 – because it’s easier that way.

mom as a tyke:

dad as a teen:

mom & dad on their wedding day:

dad & brother no.1:

dad, brothers no. 1 & 2 and gussie the bouvier:

brother no.2 & gussie

brother no.1 feeding brother no.3:

mom & brother no.3:

brother no.3 feeding gussie his first birthday cake

parents looking suave:

dad & brother no. 3 on holiday:

me as a baby with creepy doll:

train cake & ship in a bottle – basically the best birthday ever for brother no.3:

protesting against white tights:

brother no.3 and i  - note the budgie on his head:

at school, eating cake and drinking fanta.

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Celebrity Archives

always enjoy finding pics of celebrities in the LIFE archives. how great are the baldwins!

edit: i had “woody allen” in here – but he’s actually a look-a-like. totally fooled. thanks for pointing this out Abby!

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More Moxette

there have been many great additions to Moxette’s vintage photos since the last time i shared her wonderful collection

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Kiki Dee

i admittedly don’t know anything about kiki dee apart from the fact that she makes up the other half in elton john’s fabulous don’t go breaking my heart. yep, fabulous. i’m unsure how to explain why this was happening in the first place… but today i was going down a weird rabbit hole of elton john image search results in google (some of which are horrifying by the way) and happened upon these press photos of miss dee looking like a fox.

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