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Finds and Interests
Some of you may know that I collect vintage photographs and negatives. I built a website called History in Photographs to showcase and share the collection. These are more than just simple snapshots; they give us a glimpse into history and leave us with questions.
I’ve selected a few of the most intriguing, and I’m excited to share what some experts have told us about the hidden narratives and stories behind each photo.
For these photos, we worked with Meghan Boehmer, a historical interpreter, reenactor, and writer who has traveled thousands of miles to learn about historical locations, records, and figures. She has agreed to share her expertise in period clothing with me, hoping to enhance our understanding of the subjects in the photos. Take a look at what she was able to tell us about this photo.
It is often difficult to date images when their subjects are in costume. From the content, this
photograph could have easily been taken today. The hairstyles are messy, and we can tell the subjects are young boys, as there’s no facial hair to give away the era. However, papier-mâché masks are reminiscent of Halloween masks in the 1920s.
What can be identified is the production these boys put on. While there are fables that include a lion and a donkey, there are less obvious hints that reveal they are the Mechanicals from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The left-most figure is Snout the Tinker, who plays the Wall in their ramshackle production of Pyramus and Thisbe. You can see the hole in the wall as a patch on the front of his apron. Beside him is Snug the Joiner, who wears the lion’s mask. Behind him is Starveling
the tailor, who played Moonshine, signified by the lantern in front of him. Also behind him is the bellows-mender, Flute, signified by his leather apron as would be worn in a blacksmith’s shop.
Flute plays Thisbe as he is the only man without a beard, but in this play, his hair is the longest of all the players, and he also seems to have the longest costume out of everyone, which covers his knees. In front of him is Bottom, who is transformed into a donkey by Puck in the course of the play. Finally, Quince the Carpenter, the playwright who plays the narrator in the production, who wears a linen carpenter’s apron. Because these characters are the comic relief in Shakespeare’s play, oftentimes whoever produced one of his works, will often allude to popular culture as an Easter egg inside the performance. Here, Quince is the only character wearing a wig. This wig is oddly reminiscent of Moe’s distinctive haircut in The Three Stooges, a comedy troupe popular in the 1920s and 1930s. This likely dates the image to after 1930, as their first film came out in 1930, and the joke would have been recognizable to a broader audience.