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"NO CAPTION." It's 1932, somewhere in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., and these boys are en route to points unknown via shank's mare. Happy trails! Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
I would think that this would be two boys who were going out on their own, looking for work, and also reducing the number of kids their parents had to provide for. There were many who did that, during the depression. My mom grew up on a farm and said that, during that time, men would come and ask for something to eat, and if there was any work they could do, too. A very tough period of time, but I think the challenges helped create those young Americans who were facing a hell of a fight, a decade down the road.
Not like that anymore. You'd have to drive 50+ miles to get anything so rural or bucolic-looking these days. Shame. Raised in the Mt Vernon/Ft Hunt area, we still had some of the last dairy farms (for Alexandria Dairy) in the neighborhood up until the mid 60's.
The way the chap on our right is wearing his belt, buckle decidedly off-center, was a five minute fad in the mid-50s, along with turning up the back of the shirt collar, wearing the trousers extra low (though not as much as today's hip-hoppers), and mimicking Elvis' sneer -- at least it was where I did a few years of high school.
I knew an old mechanic who always wore his belts that way so they would not scratch the cars he was leaning over. I have also seen a guitar player do the same thing to keep from scratching his guitar.
Good composition and light motion imprinted, i like it!!!. Not so common coming from H&E collection
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