Rocks and Stones in Vintage Photos

A photo of rocks and stones for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A real photo postcard showing a group of women, men, and children posed on top of a big ol' rock. See also a cropped version of this photo for a close-up of this rock group .

Cropped version of a real photo postcard showing a group on top of a big ol' rock. Notice how some of the women are posing with men's hats perched jauntily on their heads. See also the full version of this photo.

A tattered & torn (or otherwise damaged) photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten caption: "Remember that day." Handwritten note on the back: "Isn't this sweet. Give me one in the place of this." An undated and well-worn photo taken at Jefferson Rock , which overlooks the town of Harpers Ferry , West Virginia. According to Wikipedia, "The name of this landmark derives from Thomas Jefferson, who stood there on October 25, 1783. He found the view from the rock impressive and wrote in Notes on the State of Virginia that 'this scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic.'" Note that the silhouette of someone's head and shoulders is visible in the background between two of the pillars that hold the top slab of the rock in place. Here's a 2009 view of the rock taken from a similar vantage point:

A real photo postcard (no. 2181, according to the photographer's notation) showing a family posing for a souvenir picture at Devil's Den , which is an outcropping of massive granite boulders located on the Gettysburg Battlefield in Adams County, Pennsylvania. For other photos, see my album of Souvenir Photos from the Gettysburg Battlefield .

Three out of four men display their patterned footwear in this socks (striped, Argyll, tights, fishnets, men's/women's garters) photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. For some other pertinent previously posted pictures, see my slides of Yellow Socks Guy (also known as Pipe-Smoking Man ). This is a real photo postcard showing four men posing for a souvenir picture at Devil's Den , which is an outcropping of massive granite boulders located on the Gettysburg Battlefield , a U.S. Civil War site in Adams County, Pennsylvania. The man who's barely visible at bottom left is probably peering down to take a look at a small pool of water produced by a spring underneath the boulder. For additional photos, see my album of Souvenir Photos from the Gettysburg Battlefield .

A souvenir photo ("no. 3729," as noted by the photographer) showing four men at Devil's Den , an outcropping of massive granite boulders located on the Gettysburg Battlefield in Adams County, Pennsylvania. The man who's partially visible at far left is probably looking at a small pool of water produced by a spring underneath the boulder (the sign on the rock above him--although unreadable in this photo--likely provides information about the spring). For more photos, see my album of Souvenir Photos from the Gettysburg Battlefield .

A curious souvenir photo taken at Devil's Den , a rock formation located on the Gettysburg Battlefield in Adams County, Pennsylvania. A man, hat in hand, stands in the middle in front of one of the enormous granite boulders, while another man stands on top of the boulder at right. A small group of people are visible on the other side of the rock at lower right. In front of the rock is a tripod with a cloth cover, presumably hiding a camera. Could the group be assembling for a photo by a commercial photographer (who would be using the camera on the tripod) while the man in front poses for a picture taken with someone else's camera? It's possible that the man on top of the boulder is simply another tourist who happened to wander into the photo (the boulders are accessible via the hill behind them, and visitors can still walk on top of the rocks today). For similar photos, see my album of Souvenir Photos from the Gettysburg Battlefield .

A souvenir photo taken during a 1959 school field trip to Devil's Den , a rock formation located on the Gettysburg Battlefield in Adams County, Pennsylvania. For other photos, see my album of Souvenir Photos from the Gettysburg Battlefield .

A photo of donkey rides for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Printed on the back of this souvenir real photo postcard: "Paul Goerke & Son, Manitou, Colo. Duplicates 10 cents each. Order by number on the picture." Handwritten note on the back: "Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Englar, Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Snader at Garden of the Gods , Colorado, 1914." See also a close-up of the women and men .

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

See also a cropped version of this real photo postcard:

A cropped version of a souvenir real photo postcard. See below for the full version :

What appears to be a photo of tourists bravely enduring the tumultuous waves of the whirlpool rapids in the gorge below Niagara Falls is actually a composite photo concocted in a photographer's studio. For an illustration showing how the photographer achieved this effect, see "How to Visit Niagara Falls Without Leaving Home," part of the American Museum of Photography's Montages, Multiples, and Mischief page. The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge (formerly known as the Lower Steel Arch Bridge) is visible in the background of the photo, and a second bridge, the Niagara Cantilever Bridge , is partially visible behind it.

A cyanotypes photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "You can use this to keep the mice and rats away. Yes, I will keep the dog in and put out the key. A.S." Addressed to: Miss Maud W. Parker, North Lubec, Maine. Postmarked: South Lubec, ME, Oct. 18, 1906, and North Lubec, ME, Oct. 18, 1906. The joke about a photographic portrait being so bad or ugly that it scares away rodents, insects, and burglars was evidently a common one in the early twentieth century. Another version, for instance, appeared in a 1911 letter sent to American musician and composer William D. Dawson: "My Dear Mr. Armstrong: I duly received, welcome, and possessed myself of your portrait and am glad to have it. At the same time I am ashamed to recall that I have so long neglected to acknowledge it or to send the reciprocal photo to you. I have autographed one this evening and it will be shipped by freight tomorrow. It is warranted to scare away rats and burglars" (see W. T. Norton, William Dawson Armstrong, American Composer , New York: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1916, p 87). For another 1906 real photo postcard with a "scare away the rats" joke, see Guaranteed to Rid Any Cellar of Rats, Roaches, or Other Creatures (below).

The handwritten message (see below) on the verso of this real photo postcard takes up the entire space on the back, and there is no address or stamp. -------- Marian, 15th March 1914 Dear Brother, A few lines to let you know that we arrived home again after a splendid holiday. This photo is my son and daughter (Frances and Ned) taken at the foot of Leura falls, Blue Mountains, 60 odd miles west of Sydney. It is not a very good photo as it was a very rough place and we had to climb down steps for about 2000 feet below the surface. The climate there is like our old home in Ireland--they have snow falls very often--but it seems too cold for me to live there. It seemed nothing to see people with overcoats on morning and evenings. I now conclude by sending best respects from all to yourself, wife, and family. From your loving sister, Nora Write soon.

Getting ahead among the roots and rocks. The dealer from whom I purchased this photo speculated that it may have been taken at Devil's Den or some other rocky area on the Gettysburg Battlefield in Adams County, Pennsylvania, but I have not been able to confirm this.

Double-exposure trickery makes it appear that the same man is both pushing and riding the wheelbarrow in this real photo postcard. For similar trick photos, see A Man Pushing Himself on a Wheelbarrow and A Woman Pulling Herself on a Wagon .