The Ice Cube

I dropped a big old ice cube
Watched it begin to slide.
I said, "Hold on there Mr. Ice Cube,
there's no place that you can hide."

He said, "No prisons held me yet, sir!"
and he said it so cold and snide.....
that I scooped up that big old ice cube
And in the sink he died.

Now, if there's any lesson
to be gleaned from this account,
I really can't think of one-
Though I've applied a huge amount

of reasoning and cunning,
I used all the guiles at my disposal.
But in the final running
I found no merit in my proposal.

So, it's simply a tale I'll tell late at night,
whilst sitting alone on the shelf.
Don't  criticize me, sir, I've earned the right!
To be talking this way to myself.....

Pictures in the Rain

Some painters use oil on canvas,
And then they rise to fame.
But I can't paint to save my ass,
So, I take pictures in the rain.....

"Humans of New York - Stories" by Brandon Stanton (2015)

Here’s a book about New Yorkers told through photographs. Each photo is accompanied by a story about the subject. These snapshots of life go beyond the visual. Beyond every picture telling a story; or even that each photo is worth a thousand words; there is a truth which only words can communicate.

Sometimes the words serve to bolster the story; but at other times they are seemingly at odds with what you see. That’s what makes this book so compelling; each page is a new adventure into the life of someone.

Look around you on the subway; we know these people. Actually, we are these people.

Post World War Two In Photos

German Wehrmacht General Anton Dostler just prior to his execution by a firing squad in Aversa, Italy, on December 1, 1945. The General was sentenced to death by the United States Military Commission in Rome after having ordered the shooting of 15 unarmed American prisoners of war on March 26, 1944.

Two Allied prisoners pack their meager belongings, after being freed near Yokohama, Japan, on September 11, 1945, by men of the U.S. Navy.

This is the interior of the courtroom at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials in 1946. This photo was taken during the Trial of the Major War Criminals. Hermann Goering, leader of the Luftwaffe, is seated at center right, wearing a gray jacket, and dark glasses. Next to him sits Rudolf Hess, Deputy Fuhrer of Germany. Goering committed suicide the night before his execution. Hess was sentenced to life imprisonment, which he served at Spandau Prison, Berlin, where he died in 1987.

This photo was taken in Hyde Park, London in September of 1945. Among the aircraft were some of the new jet and rocket propelled planes. This is a side view of the Heinkel He-162 "Volksjaeger", which was powered by a turbo-jet mounted above the fuselage.

This is the view on deck of the ship General W.P. Richardson, in New York, teeming with veterans of the European war returning home on June 7, 1945. 

This is a portion of Levittown, New York in 1948 shortly after the mass-produced suburb was completed on Long Island in New York. These type of tract homes would become the symbol of the American Dream in Post War America.

And this is what Europe looked like after the war. It was a far cry from Levittown. This photo shows General Charles de Gaulle shaking hands with children in July of 1945. The town of Lorient was the location of a German U-boat base during World War II. Between January 14 and February 17, 1943, almost 90% of the city was reduced to rubble by Allied bombing.

For the full collection of photos and more information about each of the photos, please go to;

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/10/world-war-ii-after-the-war/100180/ 

Old Photos - Every Picture Tells a Story

Some photos don’t need captions. They speak for themselves. Here are several old photos which came my way via my wife, Sue, who got them in an e-mail from a friend. I have captioned them minimally, so as not to ruin the stark beauty, and mystery, displayed in these photos. This one above is Miss Philadelphia of 1924.

Belva Annan, the murderess whose story became the basis for the musical “Chicago.”

Maude Allen, dancer, seductress and German spy in World War One.

Charlie Chaplin with Helen Keller.

Civil War veterans at Gettysburg in 1913.

Sacajawea. She was kidnapped and was also was the guide for Lewis and Clark in 1805. Traveling with her husband Toussaint Charbonneau, she carried her son, Jean Baptiste, on her back.

 Amelia Earhart, getting ready to go down, rather than up.

Queen Elizabeth meeting Marilyn Monroe. They were both 30 years old at the time.

Geraldine Doyle, the original “Rosie the Riveter.”

Filming the MGM lion.

Reflections at the Vance Hotel

This photo is an optical illusion. I took it the other day while Sue and I were driving through Statesville. We were coming down Route 115, headed south, when we stopped to look at the old Vance Hotel. It has been recently purchased by the City of Statesville, after sitting empty for several years, but I’m not sure what the plans are for its use. I have previously posted about this hotel, about 2 years ago, when they were selling various artifacts from the rooms. Sue and I purchased a vase which had graced the mantel in the Presidential Suite where Ronald Reagan had stayed during his visit in the 1980’s.

The picture was taken from outside, looking in, and the red building you see in the background is actually behind me. It’s the old Statesville City Hall, which now houses the Zoning and Planning Department for the city. I spent many a day in that gothic looking structure, pulling permits for different jobs in Iredell County. I have always loved the way it looked and thought that this was a perfect opportunity to get it in the same photo as the bird. I was surprised that it came out so well.

Here is a picture of that same building, taken simply by turning around, albeit from a slightly different angle.

"In the Garden" - Pixels and Impressionist Art

Just because the picture didn't come out right doesn't mean it's wrong. Claude Monet's "Artist Garden at Giverny" comes to mind when I look at this photo. Now, I'm no Monet, and I certainly can't do this with a brush - but for an accident it's not that bad...


Here is a link to good ol' Wikipedia's article on Monet. There is a gallery at the bottom which highlights almost all of his work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Monet

"Candy Cigarette" by Sally Man

I was looking for an image to attach to yesterday's post when I ran across this website of black and white photography. I am a big fan of the genre. It is stark and real when it needs be, yet can also soften some things. It is versatile in a way that color photography cannot be. Here is the link to some more of Sally Mann's work, as well as the photography of others;

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/06/09/beautiful-black-and-white-photography/

The photo above is a still life, with what I see as social overtones. When I look at it, I am struck by symbolism. I see a young girl, wielding a candy cigarette, and I am confronted by thoughts of what her present life must be like, as well as what her future may hold.

The false glamour of the candy cigarette sends, to me, the message that this is a young girl at risk. She has already, at a tender age, been sold a false picture of what "glamour" really is. She will probably struggle with that impression for the rest of her life as she looks for her true self.

Of special interest in this photo, is that it is really three photos in one. The little girl on the right, with her back to the camera and hands at her hips, face hidden, almost expresses her disdain and contempt for the photographer/viewer. The boy in the left foreground, on stilts, is above it all, pursuing his own goal.

Still, another interpretation would be that the girl with the cigarette is guarding the "secret" world in which she lives. She is posed as the "protector", while the younger girl watches the boy on the stilts, unconcerned with the viewer because the older girl is watching out for her.

The picture was taken in 1989 by American photographer Sally Mann, and appears in her book, "Immediate Family." There appears to have been some sort of controversy surrounding the work, apparently due to some partially nude photos of young children in rural settings, unposed. Some of those photos may appear in the link.

A remarkable photo by Ms. Mann, it really grabbed me and made me want to see more of her work. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can view more of her works at;

http://www.slideshare.net/blindlibrarian/sally-man

Some may find a few of the images a bit too revealing for their liking. Just a warning. I, myself, find nothing offensive in the way these photos are presented. I will be looking at more of Ms. Mann's work. Her use of light and texture, as well as subject, make her a very interesting, and somewhat unusual, photographer. And those are usually the ones who take the best pictures.

Two Views - Same Sky

Perceptions are a funny lot. You look, you see, and then analyze what you have taken in. The same things can be curious at their best, and deceiving at other times. Today is one of those "blue sky" days, with not a cloud to be seen. Looking through my camera from inside the rear screened porch offers one view. Depending on the angle from which I snapped the photo determined the pattern the screen made against the sky. I took several shots, some were too symmetrical, while others were confusing, with the original intent of showing the sky through a "gauze" obscured by the op-art patterns exposed by the camera.

This is the same shot from outside the screen. Clear and uncluttered without anything to use as a frame of reference. It could be anything. Or it could be nothing at all. Life, and relationships, are alot like these photos. Nothing is ever as confusing, or obscurred, as it may seem when we first examine it through a veil of mystery. On the other hand, when unencumbered by a trick of the light, or sleight of hand, the obvious can also present great mysteries, when all the time the plain truth is right before our very eyes.

"Boyhood Photos of J.H. Lartigue- The Family Album of a Gilded Age"

This is a most unusual and rare book. I found it in circulation at The Mooresville Library yesterday. I have been looking at it ever since I picked it up. Sue and I sat in the car turning the pages and laughing with the Lartigue family and their antics.

It is bound and arranged exactly as a family album would be, the photos are seperate from the pages and pasted in. The captions are descriptions of the who, what, when, where and why of each photo.

Jaques Lartigue first began to take these photos in 1901 with a camera given to him by his Dad. He was seven years old. By April 1904, only 4 months after the Wright Brothers had launched their first plane at Kitty Hawk, N.C., Jacques was in Berck and photographing the first sucessful French aero flight. He was barely 10 years old.

The times in which these photos were taken, in France, were times of invention for the whole world. Marconi and the Wright Brothers, the automobile, balloning, these were all the rage and the Lartigue family was trying it all. And photographing themselves as they crashed go-carts, motorbikes, gliders and even contrived various watercraft.

The "Belle Epouque" was a gifted time in the history of France and the Lartigue family managed to chronicle that golden period in this wonderful collection. These photos of the family engaged in tennis, swimming, bicycling, and just having fun together are priceless peeks into the past. The weekend promenades were the rage and gentleman were expected to tip their hats to aquantinces no matter how many times they passed during the days walk.

Some of the photos are historical in nature. They include early car races, sports, fashion and even swimming. But the best photos are the ones of the family engaged in so many different and bizarre activities.

The book was published in Switzerland in 1966 and is a collectible today. I looked it up on Amazon and it goes for up to $475 in used condition. There are not too many copies of this unique and beautifully crafted book available. Clearly this needs to be placed in Special Collections.

This is what I love best about our Public Libraries - that you can walk in empty handed and walk out with a treasure like this is a truly wonderful thing. That we can so easily look back on the more innocent times experienced by the family Lartigue is an absolute treasure. My special thanks to Mooresville Public Library for the loan of this most unusual book.

"The Oxford Project" by Peter Feldstein and Stephen G. Bloom

In April 1984 Peter Feldstein wrote a letter to the residents of Oxford, Iowa. He asked them to participate in a photographic study of the town and its’ people. All 693 of them. And they all agreed!

Setting up in a storefront on Augusta Avenue he taped a sign in the window that said simply “Free Pictures.” He would file these photos away for 21 years and then re-photograph the residents and record the changes in the town. The results were very surprising.

In an era during which we went through the Reagan years and George Bush and then 8 years of Bill Clinton, through the first term of George W. Bush , this town has not changed all that much. The population of 693 is now 705. The racial make up of the town is largely the same as well. There were 265 houses there in 1984. In 2005 there were 286. Births and deaths seem to have been almost equal in number.

The photographs are just part of the real story here. Exclusively in black and white, the photos are stark images of the people who live and work in Oxford. The authors have arranged the photos in family groups with an accompanying narrative on each group. And the people are not at all shy when it comes to assessing themselves and their town. There seems to be no lack of candor in their responses.

The Hoyt family is a good example. Jim, Sr. is a World War Two veteran. He is one of the soldiers who liberated Buchenwald. In 1984 he poses dressed in a dark leather jacket and his VFW cap. He wears a tie. His last job was as a letter carrier.

His son Jim, Jr. is a Vietnam Veteran. He posed in a light colored jacket and slacks, also wearing a VFW cap. Like his Dad, he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He works as a porter for J.C. Penny. In the 2005 photos they are clearly older, but both still look surprisingly strong.

Doris Hoyt is photographed in 1984 wearing a dress with a floral trimmed hem, a string of pearls around her neck. She looks amused. In the 2005 photo she wears slacks with a casual pullover. She still looks amused. She recounts the trials of both her husband and her son Jim, Jr. as well as the other members of the family. When you look at her you see an indomitable spirit. She is clearly the spine of the Hoyt family.

Some of the people photographed were children in 1984. In them you see the physical changes more clearly than in the elderly. But the interviews and quotes are what really give you an insight into these people.

This is an unusual and thought provoking book. Ranging from the simple and patriotic to the wild and adventurous, this book captures more than just the town of Oxford. Though on the surface the statistics show very little change in demographics, the accompanying narratives tell us so much more about the changes in attitude that have taken place all over America, even in small towns like Oxford.

"Photo:Box" Edited by Roberto Koch

If I could afford this book, I would own it. This is the ultimate "coffee table" book, comprised of 250 of the world's greatest photographs by the world's greatest Photographers.

From Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, to the European photographers such as Nino Migliori and Edouard Boubat, the entire field of photographic art is covered in these pages. And the packaging! The book is printed on high quality stock and bound in book fashion with an interesting twist- the front cover folds over and closes the book magnetically, ensuring that the pages remain untainted and crisp.

The book is organized in such a way that you are exposed to the things you would normally not look at. I'm more apt to dwell on Dorothea Langes' "Migrant Mother-California 1936" or any of the other contemporary photos than let's say something ultra modern. By dividing the photos into categories the editor forces the reader to look at all the photos. And it's funny- something that you think would not be of interest to you suddenly becomes art.

Each oppossing page contains the story behind the picture and at the bottom a brief biography of the photographer. This adds depth to the photo, in that it allows you to stand in the photographers shoes for a second and "feel" the moment. For instance, when I look at Eddie Adams photo "General Loan Executing a Viet Cong" I grimace with the South Vietnamese soldier standing on the Generals left. I never had that reaction to this photo before. I never noticed him before.

The Categories listed are Reportage, War, Potraits, Nudes, Women, Travel, Cities, Art, Fashion, Still Life, Sports, and Nature. The photos span 3 continents over the last 150 years or so. The earliest photo is of Paris in 1838. The latest is 2008 and I don't understand it. This is an amazing collection and not to be missed.