In a cupboard at my mum's place, there is this box with old photos. There are also some photo albums, but those are not so interesting. I was there when most of those photos were taken. But the pictures in that box - well, that is another story. Most of those photos are black and white. Some are kind of yellowish, they curled and won't stay flat even after a month under some very heavy books.
After having a look at them maybe twice in three or four years, I decided they were far too interesting to be left where they were. So I asked my mum if I could borrow them.
First I scanned them all. The good ones and those of poor quality.
And believe me, there are
PLENTY:
After having a look at them maybe twice in three or four years, I decided they were far too interesting to be left where they were. So I asked my mum if I could borrow them.
First I scanned them all. The good ones and those of poor quality.
And believe me, there are
PLENTY:
You can only see about half of them here.
Some of them are of me, in many others there are my brother and my sister and our cousins. In many cases we are not one hundred per cent sure who's on it, especially when it's about my sister and me. There are many wedding photographs of my parents, aunts and uncles and also people I don't know or recognize.Some have something written at the back. There are photos of open casket and funerals.
Many photos of babies.
In these images from life many decades ago you can see generations sharing their lives, grannies and my great aunt looking after us. I can see our house being built and our home town very different from what can be found there now, but still familiar to me as I can remember some of those ancient buildings that were pulled down years ago.
What surprised (I guess) my kids most is to see some old people when they were young. I mean, we knew they were young once, but didn't really imagine it. Seeing my dad (my kids hardly remember him anyway) posing with his sunglasses even surprised me - I'm not sure I have ever seen that photo. And my mum in some photos looks like a character from a very old but classy movie.
The next thing I'm going to do is take some of the pictures and arrange them into an album. This will be a part of the birthday present to my mum next week. She will be having this big party at her 70th birthday and around 60 people will be there.
I just hope everything will go according to her wishes so that her birthday party is a success.
Some of them are of me, in many others there are my brother and my sister and our cousins. In many cases we are not one hundred per cent sure who's on it, especially when it's about my sister and me. There are many wedding photographs of my parents, aunts and uncles and also people I don't know or recognize.Some have something written at the back. There are photos of open casket and funerals.
Many photos of babies.
In these images from life many decades ago you can see generations sharing their lives, grannies and my great aunt looking after us. I can see our house being built and our home town very different from what can be found there now, but still familiar to me as I can remember some of those ancient buildings that were pulled down years ago.
What surprised (I guess) my kids most is to see some old people when they were young. I mean, we knew they were young once, but didn't really imagine it. Seeing my dad (my kids hardly remember him anyway) posing with his sunglasses even surprised me - I'm not sure I have ever seen that photo. And my mum in some photos looks like a character from a very old but classy movie.
The next thing I'm going to do is take some of the pictures and arrange them into an album. This will be a part of the birthday present to my mum next week. She will be having this big party at her 70th birthday and around 60 people will be there.
I just hope everything will go according to her wishes so that her birthday party is a success.
A wonderful present - maybe you can ask the relatives for stories these photos evoke - audio-record them? Best wishes for your mother on this milestone birthday!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your Mom Minka! That's quite the milestone to honor, and doing it with this photo album idea is wonderful! I like Mary Ellen's idea of the audio recording of memories to go with the pics, that would make any mom proud :)
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day. That collage is incredible!
ReplyDeleteThank you! You too! (You know Picassa makes a collge in a few seconds, right? Can't take credit for that).
ReplyDeleteAren't old photos wonderful? Unfortunately, my in-laws had some that were so old, no one knows who the pictures are of. It's so important to write the info down.
ReplyDeleteHope your mom will have a most wonderful birthday!! I think she'll love the present you have in mind for her.
These are great! It always amazes me how much looking at old photos spark so many emotions and feelings. I love old photos; but find them to be bittersweet, since most have passed on. Your gift to your mom will be priceless, and one she will love and enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI love old photos, too. And it surprises me, how much you can see afte scanning them amd seeing them in a larger size on the screen! Some are qite small but hen I would that you can't gain much by enlsrging them, but you can.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are so lucky to get a hold of these pix before all memory of their details is completely forgotten. I can't stress enough the importance of preserving this history. My kids sometimes complain about how many pictures I take...until they see themselves in them. Then they think it's not so bad.
ReplyDeleteExcellent idea for your Mum's birthday gift. Pictures are ALWAYS the perfect gift.
Thanks! Yes, Mum loved it! And I did get some of them wrong, thinking there was somebody else in them, not the people that actually were.
ReplyDeleteI've had the same thing with the slides I inherited from my dad at Christmas time. I've scanned them in and named them with the people in them and there are so many with "some guy" as the title.
ReplyDeleteI love that you did this for your mum. What a great present. I'd personally love to receive something like that. Good for you. And happy birthday mum!
ReplyDeleteThanks! She really liked it!
ReplyDelete