What kind of info can get by their pose?

I would appreciate some help in identifying who these
people were. My initial search led me to believe that
these pictures were taken in 1951-2, of high school students
who graduated in Nebraska, USA. If you have some
clue as to these portraits, judging by their pose,
hairstyle, or clothing and such, please let me know.

Thank you in advance for your help.

=== CLUE PICTURES ===

STUDENTS (Ladies/Gentlemen):

http://paladin-company.tripod.com/gallery/school203.jpg
http://paladin-company.tripod.com/gallery/school205.jpg
http://paladin-company.tripod.com/gallery/school206.jpg
http://paladin-company.tripod.com/gallery/school212.jpg
http://paladin-company.tripod.com/gallery/school214.jpg

BOX container:
http://paladin-company.tripod.com/gallery/school201.jpg

More photos in this gallery:
http://paladin-company.tripod.com

wrote:
I would appreciate some help in identifying who these
people were. My initial search led me to believe that
these pictures were taken in 1951-2, of high school students
who graduated in Nebraska, USA. If you have some
clue as to these portraits, judging by their pose,
hairstyle, or clothing and such, please let me know.

Your time frame seems right to me. Could be late 40s to late 50s.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

dadiOH wrote:

wrote:

I would appreciate some help in identifying who these
people were. My initial search led me to believe that
these pictures were taken in 1951-2, of high school students
who graduated in Nebraska, USA. If you have some
clue as to these portraits, judging by their pose,
hairstyle, or clothing and such, please let me know.


Your time frame seems right to me. Could be late 40s to late 50s.


Probably no later than mid 50s. The box may give more clue. It's kind of
hard to tell from your image, but it looks like someone wrote "26 girls,
23 Boys" and possibly "47"

If you're anywhere near Holdrege NE try the local public library for old
telephone books. You can get some idea when that company started
advertising in the Yellow Pages, and when they last advertised (if
they're no longer in business - they're not advertising on the internet).

It's a small town today ... Population 5,636 in 2000 and estimated 5,481
in 2004 (2.8% loss) ... only has one high school.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Holdrege-Nebraska.html

You also might find some old high school yearbooks from the period in
that library.

The local public library is:

South Central Regional Library
604 East Avenue, Holdrege, NE 68949
(308) 995-6556

Thank you very much for that precise information. Glad you saw the
pencil markings on the box
regarding how many # girls/boys etc. There's even several name stamps
on the cover of the
box marked as "Eugene Johnson." However, I sincerely believe these
photos belong to a girl
for the reason that the all well-wishing inscriptions on the photos
were addressed to "Phil" or
"Phillis" and such.

Further, I also found a duplicate of a photo (girl) which led me to
wonder if graduating Nebraskians in
those days handed out photos among their classmates for notes and
signatures. Nowadays,
we have yearbook, but was this their custom?

But I'm really glad you found out about the "one high school." That
really narrow things
down. Again I appreciate your post very much.

mpaladin wrote:
Further, I also found a duplicate of a photo (girl) which led me to
wonder if graduating Nebraskians in
those days handed out photos among their classmates for notes and
signatures. Nowadays,
we have yearbook, but was this their custom?

Not always but frequently. Especially to close friends.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

mpaladin wrote:

Thank you very much for that precise information. Glad you saw the
pencil markings on the box
regarding how many # girls/boys etc. There's even several name stamps
on the cover of the
box marked as "Eugene Johnson." However, I sincerely believe these
photos belong to a girl
for the reason that the all well-wishing inscriptions on the photos
were addressed to "Phil" or
"Phillis" and such.

Further, I also found a duplicate of a photo (girl) which led me to
wonder if graduating Nebraskians in
those days handed out photos among their classmates for notes and
signatures. Nowadays,
we have yearbook, but was this their custom?

But I'm really glad you found out about the "one high school." That
really narrow things
down. Again I appreciate your post very much.


I'm about 15 years younger than I think these folks are. Just based on
dress, hairstyles, ... I figure these are high school seniors some time
between the end of WWII and 1955; could be as late as 1960, but I didn't
see a single duck tail amongst the boys & there should be at least one
James Dean wannabe if it's after 1955 ...

When I was in public school (1955 - 1967), you got a school photograph
every year. Somewhere in a shoe box in my mom's attic are dozens of
school photographs, 12 each for myself and my siblings.

The photographer came around to every school in the city and took
everyone's picture. Sometimes only a single shot, other times maybe 2 -
3 (face on & 45 deg left or right). I think it was a long-roll 70 mm
film camera.

http://www.valdatta.com/camerz.htm

Two light setup, main at 45 deg & fill behind the camera, both with
umbrellas and a roll of seamless paper for the backdrop.

It was like new cars rolling down the assembly line. Your class was
scheduled a certain day and a certain period. If you weren't there that
day, you didn't get your picture taken. Later, they had makeup days for
everyone who was absent the day their class was processed through.

A couple weeks later an envelope of "proofs" came back along with an
order form. Proofs were just a print that had not been fixed, wouldn't
fade if kept in the envelope, but you couldn't display it because it
would fade.

From the proofs you selected the print you wanted and a package of
prints, usually 1-8x10, 2-5x7s and a bunch of "wallet size", pretty much
what could be printed on some multiple of whole 8x10 papers. Package
prices ranged from $3 - $10 and

We didn't have yearbooks until I reached high school, but it was the
same photographer and the yearbook photo came from the same session.

When I reached high school, the freshmen and sophomores were
photographed by "homeroom" for the yearbook. All of you lined up on the
steps in rows. If you were absent that day you weren't in the yearbook,
although there was a makeup day when you could get your individual
portrait done so mama & daddy could buy a package.

Juniors and seniors had individual photographs in the book.

High school yearbooks were common in North Carolina at least as early as
the 1930s. A few years back I found an old yearbook senior year (1940)
yearbook from my Dad's high school at a flea market. I bought it for my
aunt because his family couldn't afford to buy the yearbooks back when
he graduated, coming off the depression then.

Anyway, this is a kind of long winded way of saying I think the custom
was to have both a yearbook and photos for the kids to exchange with
friends and classmates.

So I think it's likely there's a yearbook. And if you're lucky, those
photos are from their senior year, and you could match the photographs
you have in your box with the photographs in the yearbook.

In response to "no_name":

Thank you for putting things in context. And good for you regarding the
yearbook. It's such a treasure for the family members--I've found two
1971, 1972 yearbooks and still trying to locate its original owner :}
One of my family member even had to use my high school year book
just to prove his age; since he looks quite old and no one would
believe his true
age and such.

http://paladin-company.tripod.com/gallery/yearbook.jpg

Regarding my set of pictures, do you think students in Nebraska mixed
their
pictures together? I mean, co-ed was not popular then I'm assuming, and
to find
a box that contains both gender sets is a bit unusual... My guess is
that
one of the graduating boys married his sweetheart and that his wife
(from the
same class), decide to put them together. Ofcourse all this is second
guessing, but this discovery process is quite interesting for me
anyways.

http://paladin-company.tripod.com/ga...rtraits-01.jpg

Again, thanks for injecting some historical and fun facts on these
portraits.
I look forward to matching these photo portraits when I get back to
states.

mpaladin wrote:

In response to "no_name":

Thank you for putting things in context. And good for you regarding the
yearbook. It's such a treasure for the family members--I've found two
1971, 1972 yearbooks and still trying to locate its original owner :}
One of my family member even had to use my high school year book
just to prove his age; since he looks quite old and no one would
believe his true
age and such.

http://paladin-company.tripod.com/gallery/yearbook.jpg

Regarding my set of pictures, do you think students in Nebraska mixed
their
pictures together? I mean, co-ed was not popular then I'm assuming, and
to find
a box that contains both gender sets is a bit unusual... My guess is
that
one of the graduating boys married his sweetheart and that his wife
(from the
same class), decide to put them together. Ofcourse all this is second
guessing, but this discovery process is quite interesting for me
anyways.


Co-ed would have been the norm. A small town school district wouldn't
have separate high schools for boys and girls.

A large city district (NYC, Chicago or Detroit) might have boys high
schools, girls high schools, vocational high schools and co-ed high
schools. But again the co-ed high school would be the norm.

I suspect this was collected by one of the girls from the class. She's
got pictures from all of the other girls, and pictures from some of the
boys.

What does it say on the top of the box. I can make out "Bul" and "The
Gift of". Could it be a Bulova Watch box? If so, it could be the box a
graduation gift came in & became the storage box for classmate's photos.



http://paladin-company.tripod.com/ga...rtraits-01.jpg

Again, thanks for injecting some historical and fun facts on these
portraits.
I look forward to matching these photo portraits when I get back to
states.

mpaladin wrote:
Yes, I think you're right about the watch box! I almost forgot that
there was
a time when people get watches for special occasion.... What do people
nowadays get for graduating? Money? A car? A ring? Hmm... I'm not sure.
I hate keeping up with the Jones, but someday I may have to know.


A laptop?

To another topic, recently I found a picture which reminds me of
self-image
when posing in front of the camera. Obviously this lady knows what kind
of
pose she needs in order to look "proper."

http://paladin-friends.tripod.com/ga...00/lady-01.jpg

I think her smile (lower right picture) is similar to Mona Lisa's
smile; can't
tell if she's just on the verge of laughing or if she's just dead
serious...
I'm eager to find out what period of time she's from. Oh, did she have
to be
rich in order to get this type of photo portrait? Historically
speaking, when
people have their portrait paintings done, it usually mark them as rich
people.


Clothing appears to be late 19th century.

Finally, in comparison to pictures taken from other countries, lets
say,
such as the ones from Tibet, early American Indians, or some primitive
culture,
I always get the feeling that those people didn't know how to behave in
front of
the camera--they have this strange "blank" stare. What is this strange
phenomenon?

Essentially it's very slow "film". Glass plates have ASA (ISO) of
something like 1.

Exposures of 30 minutes or more were not uncommon. Think of having to
hold perfectly still for that long while the photographer took your picture.

http://paladin-company.tripod.com/gallery/school203.jpg

Despite looking like a direct URL to a jpeg, attempting
to get that file invokes a heap of Javascript. Which, on
my machine, fails.

Why do people use crap services like Tripod? There are
lots of places where you can get a few tens of megs of
ad-free server space for a few pounds a year.

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