Featured Gem 11
Real Photo Postcard

‘Lily & her friends’

Date: Unspecified
People: ‘Lily’ far left. Others only identified as ‘friends’!
Studio: Unidentified
Postcard Back: Written in pencil ‘Lily & her friends’

Notes: I recently acquired this fabulous photo postcard from a seller in Canada but I have no idea if that is where the photo originates. The numbers at the bottom left read: 7893. I am not sure if these represent the image number? I have other cards where the number has obviously marked the date of the photo. Any ideas?

Aren’t the costumes fabulous? You’ve probably gathered that clown/ pierrot/harlequin costumes is another favourite of mine! The seaside backdrop is nice and subtle and doesn’t detract from the subjects. The backdrop makes me think it could perhaps be a photo taken at an amusement park or pier. I am gathering quite a collection of ‘amusement’ or ‘arcade’ photos and am enjoying doing a little research into their history. It seemed to be quite a popular thing to do for fun!

My Nanna turns 88 today! Happy Birthday Nan! She, Eloise and I are the redheads of the family — a special little bond that ties us together!

I’m just back from a ten day break in my old stomping ground, the Blue Mountains. Eloise and I flew up and spent some time with my folks and dropped in on Nan. We had a wonderful holiday lounging around, antiquing, folk-festivaling, park playing, coffee drinking, duck feeding and shopping. Eloise discovered Mum’s pianola and serenaded us with bizarre medleys at every moment she could. Now she is asking for her own ‘pinano’. Hmmm.

We attended the Blue Mountains folk:blues:roots festival (musical highlights being Luka Bloom on the Saturday night and one of my Dad’s all time favourites, Ralph McTell on Sunday arvo). Unfortunately the weather was terrible so it did take the shine off festival activities a bit. However this did mean more time was spent trying to keep dry by wandering up and down Katoomba Street sipping coffee, eating cake and checking out antique and junk shops (oh the tragedy!). I didn’t end up buying too much — some beautifully painted pet rocks for Eloise (a wombat and a cat) and a couple of awesome vintage children’s books (1912 & 1924) with wonderful illustrations (see below) and dozens of stunning silhouettes.

The week before we left was frantic. My priorities sure have changed since having Eloise…..never would I have imagined I’d be stalking ticketek online for the latest Wiggles tickets (man, how fast do those babies sell!??)…and indulging in a morning of ‘Playschool’ at the local theatre. Playschool ‘live’ was brilliant by the way. I swear when Benita Collings burst through the ‘door’ I am embarrassed to admit I felt a wee bit emotional! Benita first appeared on Playschool in 1969 and filmed 401 episodes! I feel very lucky that we got to see her at work! Now if her co presenter had been John Hamblin I’d have been a tad fanatical — no offense to the excellent George (he was more my sister’s era) but John is John. (Oh and Eloise enjoyed the show too. Ha ha!)

In other news I moved back into my studio/office/study over the weekend after spending 12months in a playpen in the corner of the living room so that I could ‘watch’ Eloise while I worked at the computer (yes you read that right…it was ME in the playpen). I am so incredibly happy to be back in my own space and I think it’s just the change of scenery I need. My sewing machine also has it’s own table. Yippeeee!!

It’s nice to be back.

2007 already! We had a relaxing break at my folks place in the Blue Mountains. It was the most wonderful Christmas and relaxed New Year. The 1000km road trip up the Hume in a day was actually lots of fun. Eloise travels really well — animal spotting, crazy loud singing, laughs and a little bit of sleep thrown in. Dan Zanes was definitely the soundtrack to this holiday. Eloise has taken a particular shine to ‘Malti’ (demanding she wear her sunnies to sing it), ‘Sidewalks of New York’, and ‘Pay Me My Money Down’…sounds funny hearing such a little one singing these but she sings them with great passion and conviction! Christmas morning was lovely with a two year old, such pure joy and such appreciation for every single present opened. Many nights were spent cruising the local Christmas lights. Lots of ooooing and ahhhing.

Santa was kind to me this year. I now have a truckload of new books (which I will post more on later) and… I now have a sewing machine!!! It’s been a while since I put my foot to pedal…so watch out world! Lets see if I have the patience…I was never the world’s most patient sewer!

This year has already been a lot of fun on the thrifting front. Here’s a little taste of my favourite finds so far (click image for larger view)— five sherry/port(?) glasses featuring a silhouette of a lady blowing a dandelion; an old sweet tin; three circular Bakelite frames. I’ve also been lucky with a lot of fantastic clothes for Eloise including this Lilly Pulitzer shift dress covered in bright pink unicorns (for all of $3 mind you!).

On holiday I discovered an antique shop with a leaning toward ephemera and collectibles. You can bet that will become a regular haunt on future visits North! I picked up a swag of old family snapshots that will be great inspiration for some themed collages. The ‘Plum Pudding’ shot was very timely. On the back it says “The Plumpud in all it’s Glory. It did not stay like this for long”. Mmmm plum pudding. I always get a little twinge of sadness when I see so many family photos tossed away…someone’s memories, special moments, key life events…

Before I forget, a big thank you to all who took part in the Christmas postcard swap organised by Nikki-Shell. These are always such fun. I have been a little bit slack with my thanks as most of the cards came while I was on holiday and I am still trying to catch up! More soon…

Featured Gem 10
Real Photo Postcard

‘Friends on the Moon’

Date: Unspecified
People: Unidentified
Studio: Unidentified
Postcard Back: Blank
(has been trimmed )

Notes: I once read that if you have three or more of anything you have a ‘collection’. So it’s official, I now have a collection of vintage paper moon images (well okay I have three!). Rummaging through a box of old photos in an antique store, I came across this gem.

It’s a shame there are no details on the back! I wonder if they’re friends or sisters. Where they at an event or a fun fair? Their dresses and shoes are fabulous!

This style of image was often shot in portable photographic studios at carnivals and fairs, so they’re often not the best quality — sometimes out of focus and so on. I think that this adds to their charm. The one of the two ladies in hats (below left) says on the back: “Whitney Bros ‘Electric Postcard Studio’ Souvenir, Bendigo Easter Fair, 1913. Australia”. The faces are a little out of focus and there are scuff marks from swinging feet below the moon…but it’s a special piece of history.

NB: I have had some feedback regarding the copyright attribution of the vintage photographs on my website. All of the digital files are copyrighted to me and have been taken from original images in my collection. Please feel free to get in touch if you’d like to inquire about image licensing or obtaining larger image files. The watermarks were put in place because of some previous issues with image theft. I am temporarily trialling the copyright information below the large clickable image file only, so that the images can be enjoyed watermark free. Please don’t spoil it for everyone else by reproducing the image elsewhere.

Featured Gem 9
Real Photo Postcard

‘Clowning Around’

Date: Unspecified
People: Unidentified
Studio: Unidentified
Postcard Back: Blank

Notes: Clown/Pierrot and carnival costumes are another favourite theme of mine, so I was excited to find this wonderful ‘gem’ whilst scouring a toy fair with my sister. I know very little about the image as there are absolutely no identifying markings! It appears to have been kept safely in an album for many years (yellowing in the bottom left). It is in lovely condition!

I do love the detail of this costume and the pose is perfect.
Just check out that wig!!