The Sepia Saturday prompt this week shows four young men sitting in deck chairs on a "passage to the Congo", in 1939.
It seemed impossible to me at first to connect that with what I had in mind - which was some kind of tribute to my mum, who would have turned 90 years old this week, if she had still been living. (She died in 2009.)
Probably not much chance of finding a deck chair in her childhood photo album... Or?? (...Have a guess...)
When I took out the album, it fell open at the middle - and, what do you know! There she was, 3+ years old, having a chat with some kind of stuffed toy in a deck chair...
From the next summer, 1934, there is beach photo of her with her parents. No chairs... But it is a summer holiday photo.
A bit further on I find another deck chair, in a photo from someone's birthday party in the summer of 1940. Here my mum (at age 10) must be the older girl to the left in the background - and I suppose one of the younger ones may be her sister, my aunt.
20 comments:
this is so cool, to find to pics from the past with the chair. I count 10 kids in that last shot. looks like a fun vacation. your mom was a cutie pie. in 1940 mother was 14, so a little older than your mom, and she died in 1990
I think deck-chairs were very common when I was young. Everyone seemed to have them.
The fact that the men were dressed in suits or sports jackets complete with ties says a lot about the times.
I can remember deck chairs being put out in my grandparents garden in the 1960s in Canberra, Australia - definitely they make me think of summer.
Great photos! I loved those canvas deck chairs as a child. My maternal grandparents had a few of them, for when family visited -- and they kept using them until the canvas finally tore. The birthday party photo is just delightful!
Wonderful little moments of time recaptured here!
I love all the bows in the girls' hair in the last photo.
There is such a lot in these photos that remind me of those from around the same time in my grandparents' albums. The type of deck chair, the bows in the little girls' hair, the clothes... Lovely! And your grandparents on the beach, so natural and fresh-faced!
Sometimes challenges like Sepia Saturday can be really helpful when one finds oneself without inspiration :)
Graham, we had chairs of that kind back in my childhood, too. I remember them with mixed feelings as rather tricky and dangerous objects... (And judging by the first picture, maybe my mum felt the same way, once upon a time!)
Not all that many years ago, they reintroduced chairs like these in our town park in the summer. I think many of them got stolen though, so the experiment not all that successful.
Yes, my parents and grandparents had chairs like these too, back in my childhood. Often caused minor injuries (and a lot of swearing) when trying to set them up or fold them back again, I seem to recall!
Yes, there's no doubt what was the fashion in little girls' hairdos just then! :)
Meike, looking at old photos from before one's own time is often quite a challenge - learning to recognize who is who etc.
Ginny, yes, I like how these photos seem to be "spur of the moment" rather than "staged"
Great photo collection...thanks for sharing those deck chairs!
My pleasure :)
Sometimes you just have to wonder how things work out just when and how you need them to! A good take on the prompt and fun pictures to make it work - especially with a tribute to your mom. My mom passed away two weeks shy of her 99th birthday in 2017, but I still 'talk' to her all the time - my dad too. You never really lose them. :)
LaN, I sometimes find looking at childhood photos of my parents an odd experience - like a kind of role reversal... ;)
Well done! One reason I like the old style summer sling chairs is the wood frame which is sturdier than aluminum or steel. Likewise the canvas is better than the plastic webbing.
Terrific photos. So glad you found them to share with us.
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