Very often, notations on the reverse of these found photographs are obscure or too brief or illegible. Most often there is nothing at all.
But now and then there is a message from the past that sparkles.
Back in March of 2009 LOST GALLERY had a full page of photographs and their very interesting reverse sides. There have been many new additions to the collection since then.
Here is a new group of those photographs with mysterious, funny and sometimes puzzling reverse sides; tiny bits of history, reaching out to us over the decades, sometimes a century.
On the reverse:
from your old side kick
Pvt Floyd Johnson
Co. I. 5th Inft
A. P. O 927. A. F. in G.
Compliments and best regards from
my fraulina. She tells me to tell you
hello. Cant trust you with her address.
boy she is all that a fraulina can be
aint that what you say.
(addressed to:
to my friend
Joseph .C. Pratt
Studley Kansas
USA
On the reverse:
Sam
&
eniretle (?)
or maybe
Sam V Wiretle
On reverse:
Hello Kid
When This you see
Remember me.
Ans. soon.
(to) Miss Tona Tinken
White Tex.
On the reverse:
Hello boy, Did you
get home all right?
Clyde
Pink Greenwood
Terlton
Okla.
(back design in use 1910 - 1920)
At the left of this picture
as you hold it. You will
notice a lot of trees. Well
My husband and myself
and little boy go over there in
the hot days sometimes on
a sunday and take pictures.
Cannot translate this one.
On reverse:
this is Inspiration
Needles Camp -
where I spent
Last week end.
On reverse:
Mosques in the Kings Palace
grounds in Bangkock, Kiam
Dec 23, 1946
Taken by Clair
On the reverse:
1917 - 71st birthday of Elsie Jane C. Scott (in black)
Backrow - Minnie Lappin, Frank Herron, Walter Scott,
Herbert Scott, Fred Scott, Will Scott, Carl Scott,
Emerson Houze
Front row - Jessit Herron, Martha Houze, Daisy Lappin
Nettie Scott, Carrie Scott, Daisy Scott, Lottie Houze
The Scott Family
On the reverse:
Dear Miss Brown
Allow me to extend
you my sincere congratulations
Also may you have a Merry Christmas
Happy New Year beautiful Easter it
Sincerely
SJB(?)
There are two copies of this photograph. Each has slightly differet information on the reverse.
Card one:
Back row - Bob Stine, Guy,
John, Ray, Donald Spencer
And Jay.
Next row - Stanley Stine
Jennie, Pearl, Fern (Ray's
wife) Mother & Kitty.
In Front Virginia Stine
and Paul (Ray's boy)
Card Two
Dec25th 1930
From Left, Robert Stine next Jennie, Gary,
John Ferguson, Pearl Ray, Fern his wife
Minnie Bargar
Three little ones, Stanley Stine
Virginia, those two are pearls children.
and Ray's little boy Paul Gorden
Love and good wishes from Aunt Minnie
for a happy & Prosperous
coming year
How these people are all connected and how the family tree looks is covered in detail on the blog page;
Family Group - Finding the Connections
On the reverse:
Wallace Gridley
& sons Born
Age
19 Clarence Hartwell 1870
17 Charles Albert 1972
18 Arthur Wilbur
On reverse:
Our picnic
last week
1 Margaret Shepperd
2 Miss Wendell, the
school nurse. Her
home is in Chicago.
3. Miss W's Brother
4. Miss Holt the English
teacher in the high
school - from Grand Rapids
5. Mildred Thompson
Cant get enough? There's more!
Click Here:
TURN IT OVER! THERE'S SOMETHING ON THE BACK
Then click "OLDER POSTS" at the bottom of each page.
There are now more than 8,000 photographs in the Lost Gallery.
The most popular photographs 
An album of the most requested photographs in the Lost Gallery.
Area 51 and a Half 
You are probably not authorized to see these.
Don't take my picture! Oh! You DID didn't you! 
This is a collection of photographs that disappear on the way home from the photo processing shop.
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All images are the property of Lost Gallery and the author. Permission must be granted for their use. All rights reserved.
THE KIDS 
It is always a mystery how a photograph of any of these precious children could end up lost or abandoned.
Here are a few.
You will probably say "Ooh..." at least once.
Dee and the Business School 
The beautiful Dee. A curious story, What do you see?
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
"What are they doing?"
Postcards are always improved with a message, no matter how short or inane. The best ones have a numbered list of names too. I'm always happy to pay extra for that kind. The unreadable message is in Czech, I think. It has more accented letters than German.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike Brubaker. Yes, I always look for any message and you are right sometimes it makes the decision to take it or leave it. Czech sounds good to me. Now if I could only read the handwriting...
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