All About Pocket Knives

That is a wonderfully interesting and memorable photo.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 4:39 pm That is a wonderfully interesting and memorable photo.

Thank you, it is very special to me.

This is a photo from my collection of old family pictures showing my Grandma and Grandpa on their farm east of Sioux Falls, SD in 1916. There has been some discussion by family members about this one, with not everyone in agreement. If you look closely, you can see Grandpa holding a hat and there is another hat on the ground. I have always thought that the explanation for this is that Grandma had jokingly put the 2nd hat on the horses head, and cameras being what they were back in the day, by the time the shutter clicked the horse had thrown his head and shook the hat off. Back at this time, people did not generally own cameras and they were too large to tote around. So professional photographers traveled out in the country with their camera gear. They would stop at farm houses and offer to take photos for a fee.

OC, your explanation of the second hat sounds highly likely. Looking at photos like this I always am in wonder at the courage and sheer endurance these true pioneers had. Our country was truly built on the shoulders of sturdy stock.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Tue May 23, 2023 5:48 pm This is a photo from my collection of old family pictures showing my Grandma and Grandpa on their farm east of Sioux Falls, SD in 1916. There has been some discussion by family members about this one, with not everyone in agreement. If you look closely, you can see Grandpa holding a hat and there is another hat on the ground. I have always thought that the explanation for this is that Grandma had jokingly put the 2nd hat on the horses head, and cameras being what they were back in the day, by the time the shutter clicked the horse had thrown his head and shook the hat off. Back at this time, people did not generally own cameras and they were too large to tote around. So professional photographers traveled out in the country with their camera gear. They would stop at farm houses and offer to take photos for a fee.

IMG_5199-2.JPG

Really cool old picture.

There is another important part of those old family photos, that being the cameras. I have most of our old family photos, and one thing that is curious about many of them is that they measure 2 and 1/4" X 3 and 1/4". I kind of puzzled about this until I came across my dads old camera that he used to take this size photo. It is a Kodak Junior 620. These were introduced in 1937, and as we have pictures from this camera that are marked Christmas 1937, my dad must have bought this one right when they came out. The price tag in the box is marked $14.00, which was a lot of money in 1937. Pictures below are of that camera. The pictures from that camera are the size they are because they were not enlarged, the #620 roll film is 2 and 1/4" wide and the film is advanced 3 and 1/4" to take the next picture. All controls are manual, so to ready the camera for taking a picture it needs to be unfolded, the f stop, shutter speed, and focusing distance set and then by looking down into a waist level view finder the subject can be located. Exposures are suggested by an instruction sheet that came with the film roll. In bright sunlight they took a good picture, but as the fastest f stop is f/6.3, indoor or low light pictures were problematic. I noticed in the family photo collection that there were many indoor photos taken in groups of 3, that is one was under exposed, one over exposed, and one was the correct exposure. And in fact that is how it was done when you were not sure of the correct settings for the light available. That way you would have the best chance of getting at least one good photo.

Nice post, OLDE CUTLER, and a great old camera.

Some pictures of my mother and dad.

My mother with a cat that my dad's brother shot.
He is holding a Winchester Model 70 probably in 30-06.

My dad in his early years working at a gas station.
He was born in 1914.

This is a photo of my Grandmother and her twin brother, which I believe to be their high school graduation picture taken in 1905.
Grandma is sporting a Pompadour.

My father was the last of the horse cavalry in WWII. For all you Texans the pictures were taken at Ft. Bliss.

chickenman62 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 03, 2025 3:22 pm My father was the last of the horse cavalry in WWII. For all you Texans the pictures were taken at Ft. Bliss.

Great history and photos.

Okay, don't laugh too hard. My older brother Bill, in brown on right, and me. Christmas 1963, I believe, maybe '62. These are Kodachrome slides taken by my father.

Thanks for looking,

Chris J.

PringleTree wrote: ↑Wed Dec 24, 2025 2:47 am Okay, don't laugh too hard. My older brother Bill, in brown on right, and me. Christmas 1963, I believe, maybe '62. These are Kodachrome slides taken by my father.

Thanks for looking,

Chris J.

Old pictures like this always bring back memories of a time long past. The photo with you and your brother could have been me and my younger brother in very similar outfits. Thanks for showing that one.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Wed Dec 24, 2025 12:59 pm

PringleTree wrote: ↑Wed Dec 24, 2025 2:47 am Okay, don't laugh too hard. My older brother Bill, in brown on right, and me. Christmas 1963, I believe, maybe '62. These are Kodachrome slides taken by my father.

Thanks for looking,

Chris J.

Old pictures like this always bring back memories of a time long past. The photo with you and your brother could have been me and my younger brother in very similar outfits. Thanks for showing that one.

You're welcome, OC. Thanks for looking.

Chris J.

PringleTree wrote: ↑Wed Dec 24, 2025 2:47 am Okay, don't laugh too hard. My older brother Bill, in brown on right, and me. Christmas 1963, I believe, maybe '62. These are Kodachrome slides taken by my father.

Thanks for looking,

Chris J.

Great Christmas pictures of days gone by!
I haven't forgotten the pictures, still coming to you one day.
Treefarmer

treefarmer wrote: ↑Thu Dec 25, 2025 12:30 am

PringleTree wrote: ↑Wed Dec 24, 2025 2:47 am Okay, don't laugh too hard. My older brother Bill, in brown on right, and me. Christmas 1963, I believe, maybe '62. These are Kodachrome slides taken by my father.

Thanks for looking,

Chris J.

Great Christmas pictures of days gone by!
I haven't forgotten the pictures, still coming to you one day.
Treefarmer

Thanks TF! No worries on the pics.

Chris J.