I collect photographs dating from the 1840s to the 1940s. I am drawn to these images as irreplaceable and almost magical glimpses into our collective history, time capsules of past moments preserved only on fragile glass and paper. These are not for sale. I’ve digitally imaged them here to increase the chance of their survival and to share them with others who may enjoy them as well. I’m not an expert, but I’ve identified people, places, and ages of the images to the best of my ability based on occasional notes on the backs, paper and printing, and on the contents of the images.

- Robert Beauford

 

1930 to 1940 Photographs

1930 (tentative date) Mother and child with baby carriage photograph.

1930 (tentative date) Mother and child with baby carriage photograph.

"Made Oct - 18 - 1931 Scene our home Dublin Tex" is written on the back. This type of photo, which I dub 'Here are my house, my car, and my people' becomes a popular theme as soon as small, portable cameras become widespread, a little after 1900, an

"Made Oct - 18 - 1931 Scene our home Dublin Tex" is written on the back. This type of photo, which I dub 'Here are my house, my car, and my people' becomes a popular theme as soon as small, portable cameras become widespread, a little after 1900, and remains popular up to the 1940s. I love these efforts by people to capture their life in a shot in the broadest sense of who and where they are in the landscape. It's very much like the classic portrait, but showing the 'face' of the family instead of the individual. Part of what drove this trend towards shooting the family in the front yard was how people thought about photography in general, as a vehicle for portraiture, but part of it also arose from poor interior lighting making inside photography in ordinary homes more difficult, and thus scarce, until the mid century.

1933 Photograph of Ralph and Allan Moore, taken 3 years into the Great Depression, and just a few months before the drought that precipitated the Dust Bowl. The porch and swing on a rustic cabin or farmhouse in the back, the bare ground, their neatly

1933 Photograph of Ralph and Allan Moore, taken 3 years into the Great Depression, and just a few months before the drought that precipitated the Dust Bowl. The porch and swing on a rustic cabin or farmhouse in the back, the bare ground, their neatly combed hair, and the sturdy home-made clothes create a wonderful context for their infectious smiles, saying 'Life and Joy Go On.' The older boy's pants are rolled up. They are either a hand-me-down or someone has left room to grow.

Little girl with a black eye, 1939. Every time I see the determined and completely unapologetic look on this kid's face, I think that the very unusual up-angle of the shot is not an accident of history, and imagine her saying 'Yah, but you should se

Little girl with a black eye, 1939. Every time I see the determined and completely unapologetic look on this kid's face, I think that the very unusual up-angle of the shot is not an accident of history, and imagine her saying 'Yah, but you should see the other guy.'

Photograph of woman working in what appears to be a bank office at Midland National Bank in Midland, Texas. The calendar on the wall behind her gives the date Saturday, October 14, 1939. A map of Texas on the wall to the right reveals the partial h

Photograph of woman working in what appears to be a bank office at Midland National Bank in Midland, Texas. The calendar on the wall behind her gives the date Saturday, October 14, 1939. A map of Texas on the wall to the right reveals the partial heading "[...]s & Myrick [...] all its branches," and a sheet of paper below it seems to say "Midland Texas." Above the calendar is a plaque that appears to say "Midland National B[...] Midland, Tex[...]." The back of the photo has a note, "To Bing(?): Wow ain't this keen? Ola(?) Oct. 1939"