When was the first drive-in church? A silent video on You tube attempts to claim it was in 1950. Watch the preacher make the rounds of parked autos with a collection plate. The idea here certainly tied into the motion picture drive-in fad. Seeing the preacher go from car to car reminds me of another 1950s scene, the Roller skating hamburger servers. Car hops. Truthfully, anyone would rather watch nubiles on skates than a church service, and I'll have fries with that. That is, unless Jesus showed up in the lot, and I find no record of that happening. The real photo postcards here could be dated by automobile model, and even by the card stock used (AZO, generally popular around 1910) I find no indication of location, but this enterprising evangelist had the idea decades before this video. Pair of Real Photo Postcard RPPC images. c. 1910 - 1920 Collection Jim Linderman
Snapshot circa 1930 of a folk art carved totem pole. Reverse indicates the photo was developed at Kodak Finishing on Broadway in Oklahoma City. Ed Galloway's famous Totem Park was some 100 miles from Oklahoma City in Foyil. It is said he began his totem pole around 1937. Could this have been another Oklahoma carver? Or an earlier photograph of what became his environment? Like this picture, Galloway used fish and "goo-goo" eyeballs as well. Folk Art snapshot collection Jim Linderman (Link to In Situ: American Folk Art in Place)
Vintage Folk Art Carving of an Unusually Shaped Man. Pressing the wall? Doing a pushup? Folk Art wood Carving Original Paint circa 1950? Collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb
L. E. Ashbrook of Lexington Kentucky was a folk art carver in the whittling tradition, but he took it to the extreme. Mr. Ashbrook created a fantastic film of his figures and machines at work! This is one of the finest documents of an artist at work...and play! A large group of his carvings are currently listed on ebay for sale. Most of his work was created in the 1930s or so, the film was digitized in 2009. WATCH on Youtube HERE. Extraordinary!
Antique Cast Iron Eagle 19th Century. Likely from Chicago area. I can not find another example of the form here. 33 pounds with a 22 inch wingspan. Books by Jim Linderman available HERE
One of the most culturally rich areas of the country is the low coastal
area of South Carolina, where descendants of slaves still retain a bit
of their roots and skills. One tradition surviving is the sweetgrass
baskets still being made by African-American craftpersons who sell their
wares along the roads (and increasingly in Charleston shops and
boutiques.) It is unusual to
find an early sweetgrass basket these days, as collectors prize old
examples to contrast with their newer pieces. Note the wear and patina of the lid, the base and the inside of the basket. This piece could date to the 1930's or earlier. When found, the basket was filled with spools of thread, so it was used as a sewing basket. Collection Jim Linderman
Young Donald Trump and Jefferson Beauregard Sessions the Third of Alabama Wall Off the rest of the World Original Snapshot collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb
#4 in the Love During Wartime series is a hand drawn envelope cachet from a woman to her husband in the air force. 1954 2" x 2" ink on paper Collection Jim Linderman
This baby is ready for the wind tunnel! Plus, it has "black and white cookie" wheels to keep it on the road. All designed like a miniature production model of clay. Still, this is a big 'un. Couple feet long! Also the only "modern" whirligig I've ever had. I date it to around the introduction of Dodge Chargers, though the profile is a bit chunky by comparison. Fearful passenger too! 20th Century Whirligig. Wood, Metal, Plastic Collection Jim Linderman
I guess we could also call this "Ness moves his Mess." Real photo postcard shows E. W. Ness moving 34 kinds of farm animals through town on a sled. Why? MY guess is that the locals had created a nativity scene downtown, and Ness agreed to provide the critters. Human Nativity Scenes used to be fairly common.
Yes, there were REAL black "minstrel" shows, and here is snapshot proof. These performers didn't need to blacken their faces. How were they received? I am sure they put on a regal show. "Twelve Talented Negro Singers and Dancers"
For a time, Texas piano player and vocalist Curtis Jones toured with the group. Jones recorded some one hundred sides for the Bluebird, Okeh and Vocalion labels. Curtis had a long career and was eventually associated with Jazz Gillum and Alex Moore. His most popular number was "Lonesome Bedroom Blues" which hit...but I prefer his Highway 51 Blues and Reefer Hound Blues. As for the other members of the act, we seem to be out of luck. I am sure there are a few local reviews in regional papers... but I find none.Until others get in touch, I guess we file this certainly magnificent group under "information needed." Original snapshot circa 1925 - 1935 Collection Jim Linderman
