Back Page - Tourism and Photography

Have you ever been here?

Have you ever noticed that tourists take pictures of the same spot, over and over?

Here for instance are three photographs of Balancing Rock near Colorado Springs, Colorado. They are from three different estate sales and unrelated in any other way except they are black and white photographs. They are taken from almost identical camera angles.

It's probably because the spot is an easy one to access, to get the family in the picture and the light is right for the time of day.

There are photographs of this rock from many angles, but this one is repeated often.

This is called Balancing Rock. It's a popular tourist shot with or without the guy holding it up.

This one at the left looks similar, but it is probably shot from the opposite direction.

Another popular tourist snap is the sign at state borders. Texas is seen often.

Umbrella Rock in Tennessee is another popular tourist destination. There are many photographs from the early days of photography, cabinet cards and real photo post cards taken by a professional photographer at the site. The photographs show the formation almost always from the same angle.

There are even post cards from that era showing the scene. The rock is fenced off now as being too dangerous.

Here are two different tourist snapshots of the same place.

Palace Ruins

but I don't know where.

This looks like the "Aztec Ruins" in western New Mexico but that is just a guess.

It is a misnomer of course. The Native American settlement is not connected with the Aztec tribe of Mexico at all.

Watch this space. There's more to come.

Go back to THE MAIN INDEX PAGE

There are now more than 4,000 photographs in the Lost Gallery.
Or try out the NEW BACK PAGE INDEX

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.

And don't miss
Cabinet Card Gallery
One Man's Treasure
Penny Tales
Square America
Tattered and Lost
Vernacular Photography
The best
FOUND PHOTOGRAPH
sites on the web.
And for postcards try
THE DAILY POSTCARD.

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?"

Back Page - Out Sitting on a Rock

It's the scenery!
So often in old snapshots you see people enjoying a vacation. And often the pictures include someone out sitting on a rock. (Okay, or standing ...)

If you think about it too much, it's really kind of silly.

Well, okay. She's not really sitting, is she?

Well, okay they're standing. I see it.

There's a soft drink machine on that butte. Would you go get me a soda?

Okay, here are a couple famous ones. This is the popular tourist spot on Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. It has been named "Umbrella Rock". There are LOTS of pictures of this rock around with lots of people sitting on it.
They really noticeable thing is that nearly all of them are from exactly the same spot. Of course that may be the ONLY spot the photographer can get all of the rock and people into the frame.
Here are a few more. Go look.
Flickr - anyjazz65 Includes CURRENT pictures!
Flickr - bamagirl17
Flickr - joelgillispie
Flickr - ennailuj
Post Card
rootsweb.ancestry.com
theohiohaughs.blogspot
tngenweb.org
antiquephotographics.com
vintageviews.org
educators.about.com

Here are two commercial post cards found recently featuring
the same formation of rocks but with no people sitting on them.

Can't get enough? See these other pages about sitting on a rock:
Back Page - Out Sitting On A Rock (This One) (Includes an extended look at Umbrella Rock in Tennessee)
Back Page - Out Sitting On A Rock - Page Two
Back Page -
Out Sitting On A Rock - Page Three

Go back to THE MAIN INDEX PAGE

There are now more than 4,000 photographs in the Lost Gallery.
Or try out the NEW BACK PAGE INDEX

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.

And don't miss
Cabinet Card Gallery
One Man's Treasure
Penny Tales
Square America
Tattered and Lost
Vernacular Photography
The best
FOUND PHOTOGRAPH
sites on the web.
And for postcards try
THE DAILY POSTCARD.

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?"