Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Wistful Wednesday: 1960

This is a photo from 1960.   I was there when it was taken, because I am in the photo..ha!   This is a good example of a photo that you can date within a few months. I was not sure when this photo was taken..but here is the journey I followed with this photo.

Scan0020 copy

I look somewhere between 8 and 10 years old..my baby brother would be 5 to 7 ( he is three years younger than me.)  The little guy in front is the clue.  How old do you think he is?

Well let’s see..we live in Minnesota..it is obviously a summer photo.  1959 or 1960 or 1961 are the only choices on this one.

My cousin Kevin was born in August of 1958, his Father died(in September of 1959)when he was just a year old.    After his Fathers death, Kevin spent a fair amount of time at our house..my baby brother and I loved him just like a little brother.

At first glance you may think that this is my Mother and me and my two brothers..not so..my other baby brother is in this photo but you cannot see him.  My Mother is pregnant in this photo..and we did not know back then if we were getting a brother or a sister.  My baby brother and I wanted a another brother..probably because we loved Kevin so much. My other baby brother was born in October of 1960.

Therefore the little boy in front (Kevin) is two, I am eight ( almost nine and headed into fourth grade and puberty) and my baby brother would have been six and on his way to first grade ..he has some fancy high top tennis shoes..I remember how excited he was to get them.

Would you look at that scarf I am wearing..and that fashionista belt..it was one of those wide elastic belts all the rage back then..it was all about the belt closure..all pretty with pearls or gold thingy's that interlocked for the closure.  I had three of these belts..one was black one was white and one was pink.

This photo was taken at our farm on the west side of the house, you can see the big picture window, the bathroom window ( we got a real bathroom INSIDE the house the year before)  and the sewing room window..my room was on this side of the house too,  we are standing just to the west of that window.

You can see what a process it is to date photos, it is much easier if someone marks them with names and the date.   This one was easy because I remember that time in my life when the photo was taken.  Fifty years sure went fast, luckily I can still recall a few of the details to date some of these old photos:)

9 comments:

Rita said...

We're almost the same age. I was born in 1951, so all these pictures have a familiarity to them. Yes! Why, oh why, didn't we write on the backs of the photos--hehe! :)

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

First of all, thanks for the happy birthday wish.

Great photo....I'm tryin' to go through my and write names and dates on the back of them for my kids who have all their in cyberspace.

I had a friend the other day usin' a 35mm camera and her grandchildren wanted to 'see' the pic she just took. Our grandchildren may not have the real picture concept. Ahhhhh, technology! Heeehehehehe!

God bless ya and have a super great day!!!

DJan said...

I have a bunch of old family photos and nobody even knows who some of the people ARE, much less the date. You're right about dating photos on the back, but these days digital ones are already dated. I wonder if in fifty years anybody will be able to see them or whether they will all be lost in the ether (or the clouds).

Gail said...

Great photo and the story that goes with it. Many people did not mark photos. Mom, in her later years, went through all ours and labeled them so we could remember too.

This is a wonderful thing you are doing.

An inside bathroom, I remember the joy of getting one too! We didn't have heat in there but the hot water took care of that. The simple joys are the best.

Carey said...

Yep, I'd bet on June/July 1960.

L. D. said...

I have to use that process a lot and an older cousin of mine comes in and throws it for a loop with one more piece of info that made me all wrong, close, but all wrong. You did get it figured out though, good job.

Anonymous said...

This photo is just adorable!

Pamela said...

Fashionista belt! Aha! Seems those are becoming popular again.

Can see the burgeoning belly on mama.

I have very few photos from my childhood.

gayle said...

Love the picture! I have old pictures that I wish I knew more about too. Plus I am bad about writing on the back of my old ones and my new ones!