Parque de María Luisa, Seville. Autochromes of 1929.

Picture it: Seville, Spain 1929. Host to the Ibero-American Exposition of that year. The paint looks fresh on those pillars. The building pictured now houses the Museum of Arts and Traditions. I gave that autochrome to my friend George, who leaves his corazón in Sevilla.

Autochromes: soft, gorgeous reality.

I'm delighted to have finally found a way to reasonably photograph some of my autochromes. These are certainly the jewels of the collection and over the next two weeks, I'll be posting several. The following three have a few things on common, they are a larger format for autochromes, roughly 5" x 7" which make them particularly difficult to see properly without adequate lighting. This is essentially the first time I've experienced their beautiful details all at once, without having to inspect them through the loupe one square inch at a time. The other commonalities are gloriously obvious. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, please be sure to view on black.

Autochromes taken inside or around greenhouses really do it for me. It's the combination of flowers en masse and glass panes that is particularly attractive. The second scene is wonderful for it's almost gloomy early-spring mood, and the addition of the house in view gives it delicious gravitas. But for me, the award for most beautiful element goes to the luscious dirt in the bottom left corner of the third autochrome. You can smell it, you can feel it - cool, aromatic and fertile! Simply simply sublime.

Vacation, in stereo.

Hey everyone! Your humble servant has been away gallivanting in New York City, Montreal, Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec City and the whole of PEI! I did find some great additions to the archive, not slides and no colour objects, but a nice album (which you'll see soon) and some good stereo objects including a rare tintype stereo portrait of two dapper young gentlemen. Here are some of my finds:

I suspect the Londonderry Hotel was in Great Village, Nova Scotia. See this entry from the Elizabeth Bishop Centenary blog. Nice puppy, must have been a very special dog. I always find a few good stereo cards while on holiday - they're great things to bring home being so compact and sturdy. These new ones well represent some of my favourite subject matter for stereo cards: expositions/awesome rides, winter scenes, interiors, British stuff, groups of handsome fellows, and weird stuff. Please continue!

Oh Pickwick. Get some help.

Good haul, great holiday! And! I finally have been able to make acceptable images of some of my autochromes. More to come soon!

Action shot!

View larger on black

I like to swim. It gives me several minutes of narrow-mindedness: breathing, form, counting. It's a good counter-balance to all the eating and drinking I do. I haven't done enough swimming this month.

Caught sleeping.

View larger on black

Ah it's wonderful and awful at the same time! We hate the idea of it happening to us, but love it when it happens to others - the dreaded passed-out pissed shot. In a few moments she's getting Groucho eyebrows and a big curly Sharpie moustache.

January '74, unkonwn process.