Dutch Twins at the Tulip Festival Wooden Shoes in Michigan 1943




Two crisp 8 x 10 original photographs from the Holland, Michigan Tulip Festival, a show which persists to this day.  They both show the Baker Twins.  They are joined by friends for the second.  The Tulip Time Festival has been going on since 1929, and as these photos are from 1943, they weren't going to let Hitler's occupation of the real Holland stop the show. 

In 1928, The Holland city council bought 100,000 tulip bulbs from Holland and stuck them in the ground.  They come up every year, and so do buses of tulip fans.  

Holland, MI is super-conservative and super-religious. The "What would Jesus Do" wristbands originated there.  The city recently adopted a backwards anti-discrimination policy which specifically omitted the rights of LGBT citizens as well, but that will go away when they finally learn it's bad for business.  There are some level-headed progressives working to correct the situation, and 25 years from now I suspect the Tulip Festival will be more crowded then ever. I mean please.

"The Baker Twins" photographs, 1943 by anonymous.  Collection Jim Linderman 

You might also be interested in the coffee table book THE BIRTH OF ROCK AND ROLL
 

4 comments:

  1. Fascinating photos! Could it be possible that car is newer than 1943?? I can't determine the make.

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  2. I just "googled" photos of 1946 Desoto and I think it's a match! Check it out and reply to mnutts@aol.com, and tell me what you think!

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  3. Oops, Correction! 1942 Desoto.....

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  4. The Desoto is a 1946 to 1948 model. The 1942 model had hideaway headlights. No cars were produced 1943 to 1945. So this photo is immediate post-War era.

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