Sepia Saturday 145 : 29 September 2012

You may recall that last week on Sepia Saturday 144 we were concentrating on heads or rather the absence of them. This week we are concentrating on feet - or rather the absence of them. This photograph from the Dutch National Archives - and made available via Flickr Commons - is entitled Boys With Football Boots and shows a group of young lads proudly carrying their football boots. For those in search of a theme, you can take your pick from shoes, boots, feet, football or a large glass of milk and a cow (someone out there will understand this reference). If you want, you can kick any thought of a theme off the field of play and go with whatever old photograph you like. It's Sepia Saturday and there is no off-side rule. Just post your post on or around Saturday 29th September 2012 and then provide a link to the list below.

As usual I am giving you a sneak preview to the next two Sepia Saturday archive images.

Sepia Saturday old-timers will recognise that a picture of a boat setting sail normally means that our regular curator is about to depart on one of his extended holidays. Next week will be my last Sepia Saturday for a few weeks as I prepare to sail away from the cold British winter to the Sunny Caribbean. However, I am delighted to announce that Sepia Saturday co-founder Kat Mortensen has agreed to look after things during my absence. As SS147 will be her first week in charge, she has chosen the archive prompt for that week, and the other weeks she will be looking after things. I will still be here next week, so there is no need to say goodbye just yet. As they say, the game isn't over until the final whistle blows.

Sepia Saturday 144 : 22 September 2012

My archive prompt this week is a little different, notable not for what is there, but for what isn't. In this case, a head. The photograph comes from the Library of Congress collection on Flickr Commons and shows a 12 year old boy working as a theatre usher in Birmingham Alabama. But it is the man on the right of the photograph I want to focus on, and in particular, his missing head. Now we all have old photographs like this in our collection : missing heads, missing feet, missing arms - perfect examples of the photographer as a decapitator. You might, of course, have boxes full of perfect old photos - not a missing limb in sight - in which case feel free to follow whichever prompt you like (convicts, boys, striped pyjamas) or no prompt at all. Just post your old image along with your new thoughts on or around Saturday 22 September and link it to the list below.

Here is a quick preview of the next two Sepia Saturday prompts for those who like to plan ahead.

But let us not get ahead of ourselves, for the moment let us concentrate on the missing head. Post your posts and don't forget to head off to look at all the other contributors to Sepia Saturday 144.

Sepia Saturday 143 : 15 September 2012

I need to be careful! It appears that I have been causing chaos by picking out all sorts of random themes in my archive pictures (see Peters' excellent post last week). Well, the last thing I want to do is to confuse people. And therefore all I will say about my archive picture this week is that you might possibly want to follow, plates, beans, tomato soup, eggs, coffee, biscuits, baking powder, salt, pepper, breakfast cereals, tinned fish, spam, or jars of jam as your theme this week. In fact you can take your pick from the shelves of the grocery section, of Bell and Macaulay's Store, Drouin, Victoria, Australia. The picture comes from the digital collection of the National Archives of Australia, made available via the excellent Flickr Commons initiative. Whatever you buy, check it out by posting your post on or around Saturday 15 September 2012 and linking it to the list below. 

For those who like to shop in advance, here is a look at the next two Sepia Saturday archive pictures.

Well, I hope I haven't confused you too much. Now, what on earth was it that I needed - ah yes, a large box of those chocolate biscuits please.

Sepia Saturday 142 : 8 September 2012

I know we have had hats before, but who says it is hats again? It might be pictures of three people, people dressed in their Sunday best, or trees growing out of heads. This 1901 picture comes from the Flickr Commons collection of the National Library of Ireland and shows Mr Thomas Murphy and his sisters of County Tipperary. It would appear that Mr Murphy was a brewery (so there is another potential theme for you) and it is likely that one of the sisters was Amy Isabel who was killed when the RMS Leinster was torpedoed in 1918 (at least another couple of dozen potential themes for you). Whatever theme you choose to highlight for Sepia Saturday 142, just post your post on or around Saturday the 8th September 2012 and link it to the list below.

Here is the usual preview of the next two Sepia Saturday archive pictures in order to get your creative juices brewing.

Whatever theme you go with or whatever theme you ignore, just hang your hat at the sign of Sepia Saturday 142 and you are right at home.

Sepia Saturday 141 : 1 September 2012

Good gracious, it's September already. Time flies doesn't it? You may have noticed that time did indeed fly after I had published the advanced notice of this week's archive photo : it flew from an alarm clock on a table to a wood lined cabin wall. This has little do do with the Special Theory of Relativity and more to do with the fact that I had forgotten I had used that alarm clock image before. So the archive image may have changed but the potential theme has stayed the same : "time and time again" so to speak. My eventual image for SS141 is a 1935 photograph by Berenice Abbott entitled "Country Store Interior, Ewen Avenue, Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx", and it is brought to us via the New York Public Library stream on Flickr Commons. You don't have to follow my thematic interpretation of the image, indeed you don't have to follow a theme at all : just post your old images and your new reflections on or around Saturday 1 September 2012, add a link to the list below, and take the time to visit as many other SS contributors as possible.

You may have noticed that I have updated the side-bar list of regular contributors. This update was based on those contributing last week and I am aware that I may have missed some regulars out, either because they did not join in last week or because I am increasingly incapable of reading my own scribbled notes. If you would like to appear in the list, just let me know and - in no time - you blog-link will appear. And now is the time for me to give you advanced warning of the next two Sepia Saturday thematic images (if you don't want to know, just close your eyes now).

Right, there we go. There remains just enough time for me to ask you to join us all in having a good time at Sepia Saturday 141 on the 1st of September.

Sepia Saturday 140 : 25 August 2012

I must confess that I always have a bit of a job remembering my wedding anniversary, so this year I hit upon a clever way of doing it. Yes, the Good Lady Wife and I will have been married 39 years on Saturday, and  a picture of a rather smart newly married couple provides us with our theme image. After all the speculation last week, I must point out that it isn't me in the photograph and when Isobel and I married on the 25th August 1973 there was not a top hat in sight. If you are a themer you are sure to have an old wedding photograph in your collection, if you are an indirect themer you will have some stone steps or striped trousers. If you are a non-themer, don't worry just post your post on or around Saturday 25th August, add a link to the list below, and join in the celebrations.

As usual I am providing a look ahead at the next two theme images for Sepia Saturday 141 and 142. Now the eagle eyed among you might think that the theme image for 141 had changed from last week (and you might think that this was due to someone pointing out that I had used that old clock image before). However, you would be wrong. Mistake, me make a mistake! - not a chance. Its the same image - just a different clock, that's all.

So next week it would appear that the theme is all about time - and having been married for 39 years I know all about time. But forget that for now, get out the confetti and put on your best hat - you are all invited to the wedding reception.

Sepia Saturday 139 : 18 August 2012

A complete change for our Sepia Saturday prompt this week as we leave the Olympics and all things sporting behind us and turn to .... bones! My selected image comes from the collection of war posters from the National Archives of the UK which has been digitised and made available via Wikimedia.UK Why on earth would they need old bones, you may ask; and another poster provides an answer by listing the various uses salvaged bones can be put to : explosives; lubricating oil; fire resistant paint; animal feed; fertiliser; camouflage materials; glue etc. So if you are a themer this week, as well as an old man and a dog you could go for explosives; lubricating oil; fire resistant paint .... etc. Whatever you go with just post your post on or around Saturday 18th August and add a link to the list below.

As usual here is a quick preview of the next two Sepia Saturday archive images :

Now there's something to get you thinking. But for now just shake your bones and get posting for Sepia Saturday 139.