Sepia Saturday 260 : 3 January 2015

On many occasions, Sepia Saturday has sung the praises of the Flickr Commons initiative, where major museums and libraries agree to having their collection of old digital images made available to the general public. There are now almost 100 institutions taking part in the initiative and collectively they have made their vast historical resources available to lovers of old photographs on a copyright free basis. I thought that a good way to celebrate the initiative was to start a trawl through the 97 collections that currently make up The Commons on Flickr, using a random image from each collection as our weekly theme image. 

We start the trawl with an image from the collection of the HURON COUNTY MUSEUM AND HISTORIC GOAL which is entitled Turquallah Hut, 1897. The photograph was taken by Reuben R Sallows in the vicinity of Goderich, Ontario, Canada. (More information about the image and the collection HERE). For us Sepia themes, the image might bring to mind bikes, tents, music, flags or hats - or indeed anything else that comes to mind. Simply post your post on or around Saturday 3 January 2015 and link to the list below. 

But before you do that, see what was caught in the sepia net as the trawl of Flickr Commons continued.

261 : Unflattering portraits, hair, more hair, lockets, medical illustrations

262 : The law, trials, photographs with writing on them

263 : Old adverts, horses, carts, strange products

That's all for the future. For the first week of the year all you have to do is to get on your bike, play your guitar, sit on the ground, hang out your flag, put on a silly hat ... and generally look pleased with the world.

Sepia Saturday 259 : Christmas and New Year 2014

So here we are, at the end of the fifth year of Sepia Saturday, still going strong, still going sepia. Tradition dictates that we slow things down a little over the festive season with a single call covering both Christmas and New Year. And tradition dictates that it is a festive prompt. So here it is - families, festivities, trees, candles and wine. The image comes from the Flickr stream of the Archives of the Royal Family of Denmark. All you have to do is to post an old image linked to this seasonal theme (or not if you are a Sepia Scrooge) sometime over the festive season and link it to the list below. And don't forget to keep coming back to check out the updated links to the Christmas Linky List.

Before you start tucking into the mince pies and Christmas pudding, here is a bit of a preview of what awaits you in 2015 (a little longer than normal so that you have plenty to occupy you during the post Christmas hiatus!)

260 : Bikes, tents, music, hats, flags - a theme-packed image to start the new year

261 : Unflattering portraits, hair, more hair, lockets, medical illustrations

262 : The law, trials, photographs with writing on them

263 : Old adverts, horses, carts, strange products

Plenty to think about there. But before you head off into 2015, let us see out 2014 in proper sepia style. So here it is, your call for Sepia Saturday 259. So here it is, Merry Christmas.

Sepia Saturday 258 : 13 December 2014

Our Sepia Saturday challenge this weekend is a little different. What we are asking you to do is to forget the foreground and look into the background. Take, for example, this pedestrian snap of my Uncle Harry, Auntie Annie and Unknown Man. The centre of attention is the three figures walking down some seaside promenade, but the interest in such a shot is probably limited to those fascinated by the everyday history of my family (a small and select group of people). But if your move your focus to the background there is a wealth of interest. Note the sailor in uniform, suggesting that this might have been a wartime shot. But there are still cast-iron railings on top of the wall and later in the war all such things were taken down and melted to make gun barrels or some such thing. Look at the hats, look at the sensible shoes : there is enough to keep you busy for a whole Sepia Weekend. So Sepia Saturday 258 - post your posts on or around Saturday 13 December - gives you the opportunity to look into whatever background you care to investigate. And if you don't want to do that, you can also take up any of the potential themes in the image above. Or you can cast themes aside and simply post any old picture and any new thoughts.

The Christmas break is coming up and, by tradition, we just have one Sepia Saturday call over the festive season. Here are details of that call and also the first couple of 2015.

259 : Our traditional Christmas and New Year double-issue gives you families, meals, and - of course - Christmas.

260 : Bikes, tents, music, hats, flags - a theme-packed image to start the new year

261 : Unflattering portraits, hair, more hair, lockets, medical illustrations

So there we are - there is plenty to keep your mind active over the Christmas period. But for now, just keep your eyes to the front and look to the back, and sign up for Sepia Saturday 258 on the Linky List below.

Sepia Saturday 257 : 6 December 2014

There is something for everybody in Sepia Saturday 257 (post your posts on or around Saturday 6th December 2014).  There is a father and son, there is a dog, there are some wooden steps, and there is even a little cowboy with a lasso. The 1916 picture comes from the Flickr stream of the Provincial Archives of Alberta. If you can match some aspect of the theme image do so. If not, don't worry, just post any old photo and tell us a little about it.

Before you head off to lasso yourself a sepia post, take a look at what is coming up for the remainder of 2014.

258 : Scenes cropped from the background of other photographs, 

sailors, and people walking away.

259 : Our traditional Christmas and New Year double-issue gives you families, meals, and - of course - Christmas.

There you go : just take a step towards a perfect Sepia Saturday post and link it to the list below.