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July 1915. Washington, D.C. "Klassy Kamp group." One of the many summer camps dotting the banks of the Potomac a century ago. Other views here and here. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
A favorite story from my mother is when she was a teenager in the late 1920s. A steady visitor to her house was one Billy Bowen, along with his mandolin and two or three of his male friends.
They would sit in the front parlor with my mother, Kate, and my piano playing Aunt Rose, Aunt Helen, Aunt Marge and Grandmother Wilhelmina and talk for a while, then Billy would start to strum the mandolin and play some songs from the Gay '90s ("Who Put the Overalls in Mrs Murphy's Chowder?") to amuse my grandmother.
Who would leave as he segued into the popular tunes of the day. Now he was a very accomplished musician who could play and sing as he tried to steal kisses from Mom. Sometimes she would let him get his wish and other times she would coquettishly hold him off. My aunts, especially piano player Rose, were busy doing the same with his friends as they would sing until they kissed and continue singing afterwards. There was always someone singing and a musical instrument playing to convince Grandmother everything was on the up and up.
I always wondered if in whatever social media was popular then if the Streb Girls of Aisquith Street were known as Easy Girls.
After enlarging this picture, everyone in it seems to be under hypnosis or perhaps in the twilight zone, similar to a group of robots or programmed people from science fiction or even reminiscent of the group pictures hanging on the hotel walls in "The Shining". Maybe there is something in the water or they have been brainwashed, but doesn't it look just a little unnerving?
[Obviously they're trying to tell you something. WHAT IS THE MESSAGE? - Dave]
That has to be Bonnie and Clyde upper left. That lady up top with the headscarf is trying to hypnotize me.
A female ankle. Covered with a sock. Still, hot for the times.
There'll be a wild time tonight.
If they join in with the wind-up phonograph, those five variations of guitars and mandolins could make a lovely sound for what may be a July 4th celebration with the young lady preparing to light the fuse of the huge dummy firecracker -- let's hope it's a dummy!
Other camps included Big Six camp, Raccar camp and Camp Ease. More information here:
"I thought I told you people NOT to let Irma play with the matches!"
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