Friday, August 23, 2013

Sepia Saturday: Before It Was Unlawful

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.




This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt features a threesome.   As if I can’t get enough of blogging about the Deep Creek locks and the Dismal Swamp Canal, I can’t resist posting one more picture from my great aunt Helen Killeen Parker’s photo album.  It’s a threesome, all right, three of Helen’s friends who were on the boat ride that I wrote about previously

They are pictured here waiting to board the canal boat.


Friends of Helen Killeen Parker at Deep Creek Locks


Even though those knickers are quite eye-catching and that plaid skirt positively jaw-dropping, my attention goes to the ground.  Litter.  Shame.  Shame.  Triple Shame. 

It would be another 30 years before the Keep America Beautiful campaign challenged us to “beautify America” by reminding us that “Every litter bit hurts.”



Please visit Sepia Saturday to see what threesomes others have to offer.  



© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

45 comments:

  1. It looks like they have taken there hats off while waiting as I think I can see hats sitting on the table.... All that litter I hope it's not there's !
    Jackie
    Scrapbangwallop

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  2. I also saw the hats...but didn't see the litter at first. Although some people visiting Niagara Falls still drop their litter wherever they please...so sad.

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  3. Unfortunately, many people still haven't learned that lesson. I am waiting for winter, to get in amongst the weeds and rushes across the road to get out someone's garbage of cans and crap.

    I do love the photo, Wendy. Maybe they picked up all their trash before they went home.

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    1. It never occurred to me that they might have done the good deed and picked up their trash. You must be nicer than I am.

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  4. That is quite a trio, even aside from the litter.

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  5. Here we go with this language business -- knickers in THIS country are NOT what they are in England, right? And tsk, tsk on that littering!

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  6. I still have to look twice every time I see my maiden name in your posts. The boat must have been late - they look a tad unhappy or maybe it's the sun in their eyes. I guess people just accepted litter as part of life in those days.

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    1. Ever since you told me that, I think about YOU whenever MY Helen makes the post.

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  7. The knickers are probably what we would call knickerbockers here in Australia so it's close.
    Yet another photo with the photographer's shadow evident :)

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    1. Yes, the photographer must have been one of the girl's date. Since my great aunt is not in the photo, I'm wondering why she had this picture at all. They didn't have Facebook back then for easy sharing!

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  8. I looked down and saw the litter but the photographers shadow littered the photo too!
    Oh, those clothes, what an era!

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  9. I think the photographer should have moved the litter out of the photo. Maybe there wasn't a trash can nearby. I still see people intentionally throwing things on the ground even when there is a trashcan.

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  10. There is something to be said for 'Lookie here I'm taking a snapshot' instead of setting up for a photo shoot. That snapshot reveals soooo much more. You've done a great job of picking up the trash...pun intended...and linking it to the 'Keep America Beautiful' campaigns history. I did not know that! Good job!

    Sue CollectInTexasGal~Today's Post~
    Older Sister Syndrome~Sepia SAT Sibling 3Some

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    1. I guess that's the difference between a staged shoot and spontaneous. We get a number of stories.

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  11. My eye was drawn to the plaid skirt and not the litter I have to say, but like Kat, I like to think they gathered it up and took it home.

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    1. Oh, all you nice people! But honestly, that skirt - wow!

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  12. I'm afraid I was looking for the English knickers so did't see the litter either. Judging by the amount of litter in the UK a ;ot of it seems to be invisible here too.
    If I had held the camera I would have picked the trash up.

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    1. Ha -- sorry about that. I guess you'll have to keep looking!

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  13. I was drawn in by their facial expressions. Quite intriguing to me --- stuff that stories are made of.

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    1. The girl on the left seems ready to just go home.

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  14. Wendy, you've highlighted a term that still needs a British/American dictionary. My wife is English and I keep a copy handy for just these occasions. Mainly because after years in the USA she will sometimes forget the appropriate phrase of her majesty's English language. And once in a while I need to translate for myself what she meant. But not knickers. Those are always either in a twist or in the washer.

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    1. I had a little British boy in a class one time who complained about his "vest" being too hot. Of course, all I saw was a little polo shirt, so I was confused for awhile.

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  15. I think you should give them the benefit of the doubt - they were going to pick it all up before they boarded the boat.

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    1. Where did all these Pollyannas come from all of a sudden? Now I look like a cynical clod. ;-)

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  16. Yes very true what a shame. But the handsome man in the middle, appears so much like Dapper Dan, quite smashing indeed!

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    1. I had to go back and check out Dapper Dan. I never paid attention to him to before.

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  17. Give a hoot, don't pollute!

    This is a great picture, Wendy.

    Hugs,

    Kathy M.

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  18. I don't think anyone has mentioned the interesting shadow. It looks as though there's a big boy behind the camera. Very broad.

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  19. An interesting reflective post Wendy. Even though the three are together the lady in the plaid skirt takes one's eye because she's not visually linking to the others, not to mention the vibrancy of the skirt.

    As to the litter, we could be forgiving and say it's not theirs but....or perhaps they picked it up before they left. A shame the photographer didn't notice it before the image was taken.

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    1. At least by ignoring the litter, the photographer has forced us to see how far we've come in our attitudes about littering (even if our behavior hasn't changed all that much).

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  20. Wendy,

    I noticed the litter on the ground too. See how well trained we've become? And I did notice those cute hats on the table to their right as well. Hmm. What is the girl on the left looking at? She's not looking at the camera like the others. Great photo!

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    1. I wondered too what she was looking at. Maybe pondering the mess they made??

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  21. Replies
    1. Oh wow, yeah -- 2 years. Thanks for the reminder.

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  22. Dropping by to wish you a happy 2nd blog anniversary, Wendy!

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  23. It is interesting how the photographer didn't notice the litter distracting the viewers eye. It is like they were so used to it being part of the environment. I'm glad we wouldn't tolerate it now. A nice trio all the same.

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  24. Well, if the photographer didn't notice the shadow he was casting, it is hardly a wonder he ignored the litter next to it... Perhaps he knew that one day, there would be a thing called photoshop that could handle all of that as if by magic...
    :D~
    HUGZ

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