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:
Papa's brother
Uncle Whig (J, A )
&
Aunt Millie
Churchman
Children
George
John (Father of George Franklin)
Will
Laura (Daughter Ann Mac Smith
Tom
Photographer:
Kelser
Newport, Arkansas
On the Reverse;
Dorothy Faye Taylor
and Mother
Dorothy Faye at
2 1/2 Months old
On the reverse:
Elziabeth Campbell
"Elizabeth" probably
On the reverse:
To Aunt Nellie
from your Niece Nellie
On the reverse:
My Grand Daughter
Sheila Moore
On the reverse:
Jim Burrows
Photographer: Oscar Haines,
Colmbus, Kans.
On the reverse
Carrie Burrows
Photographer: I. M. Johnson
Columbus, Kansas
On the reverse:
Emma Burrows
dead now
Photographer: Oscar Haines
Columbus, Kanss
On the reverse:
To Julius Gerluzen(?)
October 23 1885
a. 76. shiedor (?)
photographer
J. M. Elliott
95 S High St
Columbus O
Reverse:
Pete Tennis
On the reverse:
Mrs J. H. Fitzgibbon
Photographer:
J. H. Fitzgibbon
116 South Fourth Street
St. Louis Mo.
On the reverse:
R. S. A. Barnett
Farmington
Tex
R. W. Yates
Sherman, Tex
1K&M
1015 7 13
Photographer
Caradine
North Side Square
Sherman, Tex.
This is the reverse of a cabinet card that has been stored against another cabinet card for a long time and moved maybe only once. The image transfers from the front of one card to the back of the next one in the stack.
On the reverse:
NL Bruce
Photographer
Freeman
220 Main Street
Dennison, Texas
On the reverse:
Mary Howser (?)
2nd cousin to Mama
Neice of John and Jabes
Haning
on the reverse:
Mattie Crabtree
Whitney
Tex.
To Mr. T. R. Atkins
Wetumka
I T
Papa's sister
(Note: I T stands for Indian Territory)
On the reverse:
Lillian Shearer
Age 18 years
(probably cut down from a cabinet card size)
On the reverse;
Miss Desiree Blackmaon
And her kittens
On the reverse
Don't you think he is cute
On the reverse:
Vera Amaus
Lilly Carlile
Flora Amaus
On Reverse:
Hello Eta, I arrived
home alright but
there is nothing doing
the big meeting is done
over with. this is one
of my pictures thought
I would send it as I haven't
any other postal. Mrs
Davidson Roff and Dena are here
Sure could like to go to Whiten
wright again! "Pull it again"
From Edna
On the reverse:
Mable and
Gargie and
Ella Caldwell
From Sallie
to Rosa
Jordan
Lane Oak Y Tex Ardmore Oklahoma
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.
BACK TO
THE MAIN INDEX PAGE
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BACK PAGE INDEX
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Cabinet Card Gallery
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?"
