Tin Types #3

Since very few of the tin types I have are labeled in any way, it's nice to have one that provides an exact location. Island Park was an amusement park located in Auburn, New York on Owasco Lake, one of upstate New York's Finger Lakes. The park is now known as Emerson Park.  The dazed pilot looks like a cross between Dustin Hoffman and Cary Grant.

With few exceptions, the old photographs I have are from upstate New York and  neighboring areas of Pennsylvania. And although we don't know where this child's photo was taken, there is a notation on the back that says: PTM age 6 after Typhoid

These other photos are nameless, but lovely in a mysterious way.

Here's a photo taken by W.M. Hillard of Scranton, Pennsylvania, but we don't know who the man is. Most of the other tintypes were probably also presented in paper folders like this one or in cardboard frames. They likely disintegrated over time or became soiled and were discarded.

Automobiles and Airplanes

These are from a folder of negatives that belonged to Grace Shapley. Writing on the outside of the folder says: Negatives of Airplane trip, Aunt Bess and myself at 51 Lathrop Apt. and 13 John Street, Oquaga Lake, N.Y. , college negatives, etc. The folder also included some labelled photographs, taken in Syracuse and Binghamton, New York, as well as in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I have been able to identify some of the people in the photos, but not all of them.

Grace Shapley

 

Grace Shapley

Hawaii - Hilda has no ticket!

It was 53 years ago today, and the fun continued even after they left Hawaii. Meryle picked up  this card on her United Airlines flight and wasted no time in writing it even as she drank champagne on the plane.

Happy "Trees" to you!!

En Route 5/8/57

"Ginny" -

Here we are! Hilda has no ticket!! We're on champagne up here at 2300 feet and dragging one foot. Will attempt to get Hilda to LA with luggage on arrival at Frisco. We're sincerely grateful for all. "Thanks" is so inadequate! Our love to you + a big heartfelt Aloha to both "Tex" and a great gal. Love, Meryle

Convair 240

Convair was formed by a merger between Consolidated Aircraft Corporation and Vultee Aircraft. In 1946, they designed the Convair 240, the first twin-engine, pressurized airplane. It had a range of 830 miles, a built-in stairway, and was considered a luxury liner.  American Airlines, PanAm, Western Airlines,  KLM, and other airlines bought these. Initially, the price was $316,000. Although the plane could hold 44 passengers, the seating was normally arranged for 32. This is not the approach that airlines take today, in case you haven't noticed.

Many old airplanes are sent to desert boneyards. Some planes actually fly again and some end up in museums, while others are used for spare parts.  But a lot of them just sit out there and decay. There has been a trend in the last decade to convert shipping containers into housing; an airplane like this seems much more elegant and full of possibilities. I just can't decide if the cockpit should be the living room or the dining room.

Eastern Airlines Silverliner

What a view!

Eastern Airlines existed from 1926-1991. In the 1930s flying ace, Captain Eddie Rickenbacher took over as CEO of Eastern Airlines. One of the first things he did was replace the existing fleet with  Douglas DC-2s (and Lockheed 10A Electras.) At the time, the DC-2 was able to reduce the flying time between New York and Miami to 8 hours, making it very popular. Note: current flying time is just over 3 hours.

The plane on the top card is almost surely a DC-2. I'm not certain about the the card that shows the interior, because I thought DC-2s were 14-seaters. Could it be a DC-3?