Friday 7 September 2012

A Person Needs a Hobby: Sepia Saturday


Followers of the Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel series will be interested to know that edits are about to begin in earnest on The Fregoli Delusion. I have to say, though, that getting this latest book done has been like walking from Ireland to Canada across the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, one step at a time.



My God, Newfoundland should be somewhere up ahead, shouldn't it?

But wait. A person needs a hobby, and now it's time to confess to one of mine. With thanks to Kat Mortensen and Alan Burnett, creators of Sepia Saturday ("Using old images as prompts for new reflections"), I'd like to sign on to their blog hop and invite everyone to check them out at http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.ca/.

I collect old photographs. I'm an amateur genealogist and have gathered a few family photos, but my collection is predominantly made up of strangers. Expressed in terms of the famous Ws, I don't know Who, Where, When or even, sometimes Why. Their photos have been removed from family albums and sold individually in many cases. Scattered to the four winds. So I'm gathering them up and bringing them together, these migrant faces, and wondering what stories they might tell me.

Without further ado, I give you my first offering on Sepia Saturday:

This tintype came to me in a job lot of twenty-six that I picked up for five dollars because they were all "hurtin' and in need of tender lovin' care." If you click on it for a closer look, you'll see that the image has chipped away quite a bit around the edges and the metal has rusted. (Quick tutorial for those more interested in crime fiction than antique photography: tintypes were made by placing a collodion emulsion on a piece of enameled or painted iron metal. They were, as Debra Clifford aptly puts it, the real workhorse of popular photography in the last half of the nineteenth century.)

When I look closely at the wear and rust on this tintype, however, I see that it actually enhances the beauty of the photo for me. It reminds me that although time does its work on us, something in the human spirit endures. These two young women, perhaps close friends, no doubt cherished the bond between them that lasted, hopefully, throughout their long lives. They're gone now, to wherever it is that we all go when time finishes with us, but this symbol of their friendship has tumbled down the years into my hands to appreciate as a true work of art. I'm glad to be able to share with you.

Or to put it another way, I'm glad to be able to reintroduce these two fine young ladies to the world, through a medium they couldn't possible have imagined in their wildest dreams.


33 comments:

  1. Michael, it is wonderful how gently you introduced these charming two ladies from yesteryear. I really did not know what a tintype was and how it was used. I do not mind an old photograph to be a little shabby around the edges, I would say it adds to its charm.

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    1. Thank you, Titania. I'm glad you stopped by. I agree, a little wear and tear can add charm.

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  2. Hi Michael, welcome to the crowd of Sepia Saturday Supporters.
    Magnificent picture. If I look at the eyes of the ladies (I always do), they might even be sisters. Hope you can keep this tintype in shape.

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    1. Thanks for the welcome, Peter. I'm very glad I came across this meme and look forward to future posts!

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  3. Although they wear very different dresses they seem to be in agreement with which type of hat to wear.

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Rob. Yes, their hats do look complementary - in keeping with the theme of this week's Sepia Saturday, which I discovered belatedly!

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  4. Michael, welcome to Sepia Saturday. Your tintype fell into good hands, I'd say. I don't buy orphan photos, but I always look at them when I'm in antique or thrift stores. My personal collection is of family passed down through the ages, and even some of them are like "orphans." Once in awhile I can actually use my detective skills to identify the face of a relative or friend of the family. As a fan of crime novels, I look forward to exploring your blog.

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    1. Thank you very much for looking in, Wendy. It's always more satisfying when you can put a name to the face, for sure, but in keeping with your post, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet!"

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  5. Hi Michael, thanks for joining us on S.S.! Tintypes seem to give us the clearest/sharpest images of all, don't they? After all of these years, the women still look great.

    I do know what you mean about feeling sorry for old things and needing to scoop them up and take them home. I did that with an old yellow quilt a couple of years ago; it cost me $45 that I wasn't planning on spending, but I couldn't bear to leave it at the thrift shop.

    Thanks so much for stopping by to see me, and for being my newest follower. I really enjoy your blog and can't wait to check out your books soon. I am your newest follower now.

    Hope you have a great weekend.

    Kathy M.

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    1. Thank you so much, Kathy, for joining me here at The Overnight Bestseller and for the welcome to Sepia Saturday. I had such a great time on the hop and look forward to visiting your blog again!

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  6. I was wondered what Tintypes were because they were mentioned on another entry today, thanks for explaining. I wonder if it was raining on the day of your photo, or the umbrella was a prop, glad that you adopted to show to the world.

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  7. Thanks for your comment, Joy. I never thought about rain, but you're probably right that it was a prop. They seemed to use all kinds of props, sometimes I think just to help them stand still!

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  8. Hi, Michael -- just wanted to tell you that I "feel your pain." I'm slogging through my second novel, and also feel mired. Maybe Sepia Saturdays will lift us both over the top!

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  9. I think those make for the best kinds of treasures and it also makes the writer locked away in my head feel the urge to tell a story.....! Just lovely!

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Karen. I'm glad you were able to stop by.

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    1. Thanks very much. Glad to be part of a very fun blog hop.

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  11. Welcome to Sepia Saturday Michael; I'm sure you'll enjoy it. We have a Facebook page too where extra fun can be had:) That's a very attractive picture you have posted and when you point out that the subjects are no longer with us it does bring it home with a jolt doesn't it? Rather naively I tend to not think about that!

    By the way, I'm not sure whether you know that you have 'word verification' switched on. People often aren't aware until someone tells them! Most of us have got rid of it with it no ill effects. it does make commenting on posts rather difficult.

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    1. Thanks very much for your comments. I'll check out the Facebook page. Also, thanks for the tip on word verification. Now off!

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  12. I always think about how the people in our photos are often long gone and wonder what they were thinking about and what happened to them. The women in your photo look like they have a story to tell that we will never know.

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Kristin. It's sad, but there's a beauty here that's not lost. It not only catches our eye but engages our imagination!

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  13. Lovely picture you've shared with us and I think the damage to the photo actually adds character and interest. Welcome to Sepia Saturday and I look forward to your future posts.

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    1. Thanks very much. I'm very pleased to have discovered this blog hop, and I look forward to future Sepia Saturdays.

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  14. I'm guessing mother and daughter.

    Yes, the worn area is fascinating. Times artistry.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. An interesting suggestion; I didn't notice an age difference between them but you may be right!

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  15. Hi Michael,
    I'd like to welcome you to Sepia Saturday also. I just sent you an email because I couldn't comment from my Ipad. But now I'm at work with my Imac which never lets me down.

    I love your orphan photo. The damage to the photo kind of mirrors the faux damage of the backdrop. Fascinating.
    Age of two different types.
    Nancy

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    1. Received your e-mail, and thanks for your welcome to Sepia Saturday. You're quite right, the damage does complement, in an odd way, the backdrop itself.

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  16. Very nice to meet you Michael and I add my welcome to the Sepia Saturday club as well. Vintage photographs may be a common interest, but good stories are our passion too. I think of all the different kinds of photos, tintypes are the most mysterious. They have so few clues as to the when, where, and who, and though the inky tone gives the subjects a dark flavor, there can be amazing clarity too. So it's no wonder a crime novelist would collect them!

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    1. Hi Mike, thanks for stopping by. How true that these photos seem to be trying very hard to tell their own stories. Very compelling.

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  17. I've been passing over old photos of 'unknowns' at the local flea market but you have made me think I should look more closely.
    Be careful Sepia Saturday can become an obsession rather than a hobby!

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    1. I think that's very solid advice, Bob. But you know what? It's too late for me!!

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  18. I believe these are siblings.
    Compare the eyes, literally, "copy/paste".
    Welcome to SS!!
    :)~
    HUGZ

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