I was just about finished posting some completely random thoughts about how back in the day (when the picture was taken...1880, Monroe Mi. Washington and Front St.) people use to take formal portraits for everything...births, deaths and marriages. And the pictures were beautiful to look at, well made and placed in exquisite family albums of velvet.
I was till my computer died and all my work vanished in the blink of an eye.
It sorta made the point I was trying to make. How this generations images are all clicked on a cheap digital camera or cell phone while standing in a bathroom trying to look coy. How when we will be old and gray; listening to 'the best of Donna Summer' being piped thru the sound system at the nursing home; we will be wondering why there are no good pictures from when we were kids.
And then my computer blinked out and it was all gone...
People use to take formal portraits for everything...last time I had my picture taken I was at the DMV. We are missing something here.
Are our memories at the hands of our computers? (cuz I am in big trouble!)
Do we really want to be remembered by our facebok entries?
And what of the future generations? Will they have 'antique' pictures of mom and dad flashing on some portable digital screen...(probably)
I recommend the book
'Wisconsin Death Trip' by Michael Lesy (and, full disclosure here, had to look that up on Wicopedia) It is a pictorial book of a year in the life of a small town in Wisconsin...chocked full of formal portraits and weird little news clips of what life was like 'back in the day' It is weird, wonderful, creepy and thought provoking.
And, take some time from your busy life and look at the family pictures from back in the day, share them with family, add a few stories for memories sake, keep that part of the past alive!
Such a good point. I collect antique cabinet cards and CDVs and I feel jealous sometimes that those people are remembered in such a beautiful way. And they've lasted over 100 years!
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