The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I've noticed this lovely old photograph a few times in past weeks, and I'm surprised it hasn't been sold. It's very possibly the only existing copy, and it seems like a rather nice example, in a large format, of the genre "bringing the tunes outdoors". Not mine, nor will it be, but as someone who's collected 19th century photos for half a century, I kinda wish it was. Hope this helps it find a good home.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Origin ... 2741742139

no one looks happy though !

"no one looks happy though" !
You wouldn't look happy either, if you had to sit motionless for several minutes while the picture developed...

I tweaked the photo a bit and if anyone wants to download it, it will print out nicely for framing or mounting on a piece of cardboard like the original...

Curt A wrote:"no one looks happy though" !
You wouldn't look happy either, if you had to sit motionless for several minutes while the picture developed...

I tweaked the photo a bit and if anyone wants to download it, it will print out nicely for framing or mounting on a piece of cardboard like the original...

No they are unhappy , this is the 20th century way past very long exposure times

^^^^ What soundgen said.

This would have required at most a second or two to expose. Even the slower, more archaic wet-plate collodion process of the 1860s can "strike" an outdoor, full sunlight exposure in a second or so. Indoor exposures were longer, but by the end of the 19th century the standard emulsion was dry-plate silver gelatin which was much faster than collodion. Not quite the tiny fraction of a second of later Tri-X film, but still quick enough to easily record a smile.

I've read many articles about why most early images show people with such joyless expressions. The general consensus -- which I personally believe -- is that photography was a big deal, and was taken seriously. The average person would not want to appear as if they were taking such a special event lightly. As it is, hoisting a glass (beer?) was already getting pretty frivolous.

It's a great image, with an extraordinarily large group of people and an unusually large format (nearly 8x10).

OK, so it wasn't the camera...

Maybe the photo was taken in 1919 and they could imagine what was coming... that would make them unhappy...

Eh, they're not unhappy, they're p!ssed. Moments before the picture was snapped, the kid in front of the phonograph had been a-tusslin' with the dog, and they knocked over the handsome pyramid of cylinders that had been piled up for the photo. All were broken to bits except one: "Saved By Grace". Who wouldn't be annoyed?

Anyway, it appears to have been sold. Anyone we know? If so, it'd be a great kindness if you were to post a better scan on the forum. To whoever got it, it's a great picture -- congrats!

"...it'd be a great kindness if you were to post a better scan on the forum."

The scan I posted is about as good as it gets... click twice in the middle of the picture and you will see what I mean. It is a large pic with good detail and can be printed full size.

But there are several smiles in the photo. Here's mine:

-Fran

Naw, I meant if anyone here was the buyer (since it was sold overnight) and was feeling generous, they might make a better scan from the original when they get it. The eBay image isn't terrible, but it's not actually a scan of the picture but a photo of the picture, taken at an angle that foreshortens everything depicted. An actual, flat scan of the picture would no doubt provide a more faithful copy of image. No reason to expect anyone to post it, just askin' because I really like the pic.