One of my loves is making and keeping journals. Because this pasttime tends to over-lap into the area of scrapbooking, I sometimes look at scrapbooking magazines and books. I’m amazed at what people are now chosing to document from their children’s lives. No action is too mundane not be photographed and written up. I truly believe that there are children in this country who cannot sneeze without Mom or Dad grapping the camera and snapping away!
In contrast are the children of the past. Having one’s photograph taken was often a rare occurance. I was recently thrilled with a special gift. My Uncle Jesse, my father’s only remaining brother, found a photo taken of my dad when he was about 10 years old, in about 1936. This is only the second photograph that I know of showing my father as a child. It was taken by the family of the other boy in the picture, the brother of Jesse’s wife.
My father, Jack, is the one holding the gun!
This is my favorite photo of my mother as a youngster. It was taken when she was 14 or 15, in about 1945. Joyce, a true bobby-soxer! Don’t you just love her tomboy look?
The Vintage Traveler 
Great pics. One thing I absolutely love to do is look through old family photos. I find them so interesting and endearing. I wonder what it will be like when people in 3000 look back at pics of us. Something to think about. Thanks for sharing.
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You have inspired me, Lizzie, to take a look through my old family photos. Had a wry smile at your comments about the minutiae of children’s lives now being documented – I agree with you on that one!
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I love this! Every time I see a vintage photo of a woman wearing pants it makes me annoyed with myself for not having a decent pair in my own closet.
Going through my family’s old photos last week I found my dad’s baby book. This was from 1942 and it had documentation in it for Every. Little. Thing. But it was also funny, because after the first several pages, you could tell my grandmother had had enough–the last pages were blank!
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Thanks! I need to scan a lot more, but it just takes so much time.
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I think you’ve hit the nail on the head ref. 0ver-documenting children’s lives – the problem of our times.
Love the picture of your mother. My mother was a slightly older contemporary and used to speak about bobby-soxers: often, it seemed, synonymous with fans of the young Frank Sinatra. Bobby-soxers. Wasn’t that what female teenagers were called before they were called… female teenagers?
Very happy to have discovered your blog. Keep it up!
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Adorable! I am amazed nowadays how many photos kids get taken of themselves, compared to back in the day. I always feel bad for ancient relatives that will be remembered by one photo – and horrors if it came out bad! An entire lineage of family would remember you as the scowling aunt. Now my nieces and nephew could practically create a flip book of their life so far!
Like this Google Chrome ad: “Dear Sophie” – my how times have changed!
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