| When you think of looking through someone's old | | | | As the album progressed there were some more |
| photo album do you think of how boring it will be | | | | images of New Jersey from the ship as it |
| to have to look at someone else's kids, or the trip | | | | steamed towards India, and other images of the |
| to Disney World they took in the 1970's? That's | | | | deck of the ship, but that's not the interesting |
| what I thought before I had the chance to look | | | | part of this story, I'll get to that shortly. |
| through an old photo album of someone's trip to | | | | Those people visited many areas in and around |
| India way back in 1938! First, I want to let you | | | | India but when they got to Bombay with old two |
| know a little bit about myself and how I became | | | | wheeled carts being pulled by the native |
| interested in collecting vintage photography. | | | | population, a snake charmer, a Swami, the hotel |
| One day I found an old photograph at a local flea | | | | where they were staying, and all kinds of other |
| market from around 1900 of a train wreck. It | | | | people and places, things started to really get |
| was so cool seeing all the men wearing bolo hats | | | | interesting. As I turned the pages I could see that |
| and looking on at the pile of twisted metal that I | | | | the album layout was well thought out and was |
| just had to have it. Little did I know that that one | | | | telling a story. |
| image would get me started on a collection of | | | | As I carefully turned the pages, I turned to a |
| photographs that has since blossomed to include; | | | | page with one of the women all decked out in a |
| Photo Albums, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, | | | | Pith helmet, Safari pants and shirt, and holding a |
| Tintypes, Negatives, 35mm Slides, Stereoviews, | | | | big gun. I stopped in my tracks and had to take a |
| and a whole host of photographic mediums. | | | | second look. She was standing over a rather large |
| Back to the photo album of the trip to India. I | | | | dead tiger, and with one foot resting on it in |
| was not so hot on photo albums back when I | | | | triumphant victory! There were native Indians and |
| first started collecting photos but my whole | | | | elephants moving around in the background and |
| perception changed when I opened that photo | | | | the whole image had an air of excitement. Now I |
| album. The very first image was of 2 men and 2 | | | | don't condone the killing of animals just for the |
| women at an opulent 1930s bar with the bar | | | | pleasure of doing it, but that image conjured |
| tender standing on. The men and women were all | | | | images of Teddy Roosevelt charging off on some |
| decked out in 1930s attire, the women in | | | | great Safari of his own, and represented the |
| gorgeous gowns and the men in tuxedos. They | | | | values of another far off time. |
| were all turned towards and toasting the camera | | | | I was hooked. I asked the dealer how much he |
| with martinis in hand, and the caption read "The | | | | wanted for the album and after some good |
| night before our trip to India 1938". The image | | | | natured haggling we came to a price and I bought |
| reminded me of The Shining when Jack Nicholson | | | | it. I have since found other very interesting photo |
| was in the barroom full of ghosts how cool is | | | | albums filled with images of people and far off |
| that? | | | | places, but that album will always be one of my |
| I discovered page after page of interesting | | | | favorites. If you want to start a collection of |
| photos, and I discovered that the album was | | | | photo album stories for yourself, a good place to |
| telling a great story. The second page started the | | | | start looking would be at your local flea markets. I |
| trip with a cool image from the deck of the | | | | have found that they are the best place to find |
| steamship. The photographer was looking down at | | | | fresh to the market images and albums. |
| a dock full of people wishing a happy Bo voyage. | | | | Happy hunting! |