Friday, July 23, 2010

Sepia Saturday: Do You Shorpy?


Maybe this is cheating a bit, but I've had a really busy past couple of weeks with travel and other projects, so I'm recommending a "third party" sepia site.

Fans of historic photographs might enjoy Shorpy. Many of these come from national archives, and each one is sort of like a mini-novel/movie. Shorpy, to me, is the granddaddy of all sepia sites, and there is always something fascinating there. Be sure to hit the "click for full size" button, especially on the street scenes. The level of detail is jaw dropping on most of these since, I am assuming, most are from glass plates and the clarity and human detail really takes you into the places, making you feel like you are walking down a Brooklyn street circa 1893 or walking through the front door of a former slave cabin.

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14 Comments:

At 2:49 PM, Blogger Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Great "Shorpie" pictures. I like the street scenes, how times have changed with the traffic. We had a little kitchen cabin like this on our grazing property. It was connected with an open balcony with the big house. Unfortunately it was a bit dilapidated and my husband does not like wooden houses, he has seen to many wooden houses burn. so we build a new home, the old one was a dream, the new one just a house.

 
At 3:07 PM, Blogger Ladrón de Basura (a.k.a. Junk Thief) said...

Titania - I'd love to have that kind of a "shack" in my back yard.

 
At 9:44 PM, Blogger Christine H. said...

You're right; that's a fabulous site.

 
At 11:36 PM, Blogger Martin said...

Definitely one to check out. Thanks.

 
At 12:49 AM, Blogger Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

I love these photos, there is so much to them. The top house seems lonely neglected and forelorn. It has some roofing missing.And the person in the picture seems almost like a ghost.
With the lower photo its hard to imagine a busy street such as this with no cars. The buildings are built with character. Amazing !!

 
At 6:35 AM, Blogger tony said...

Shorpy looks a great site.
In Return, can I suggest also vintage Photos .It's a wonderful archive of old photos (dont be put off by "adult" warning.Its quite safe!)

 
At 7:19 AM, Blogger Meri said...

I don't think it's cheating -- I think it's sharing with friends.

 
At 8:29 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing a new website, had never heard of Shorpy before...

 
At 12:41 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes thanks for sharing a new site. Seen many a site like the first one in the hills of Ky. as a home health nurse. I am gonna look at "Shorpie" for sure.
QMM

 
At 1:09 PM, Blogger Nancy said...

Thanks for telling us about this site. I can hardly wait to explore it! It looks like we can find lots of photos to help us see the time periods of our ancestors. Great photos you posted. I love the little cabin but it so looks in want of some love and care. I suppose those living there were just managing to take care of the living family members, let alone a house.

 
At 3:38 PM, Blogger North County Film Club said...

Went to the Shorpy site and read about him. Great site. Interesting story and photos of him. Thanks for the info.
Barbara

 
At 6:07 PM, Blogger Eric S. said...

Wow, I will definitely check out Shorpy. Fantastic pictures.

 
At 8:19 PM, Blogger L. D. said...

I will be checking that site out soon. Thanks for giving me a heads up about it.

 
At 1:00 AM, Blogger Alan Burnett said...

No such thing as cheating in Sepia Saturday and a big thank you for a link to that Shorpie site. I had not come across it, a great find.

 

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