Tuesday Treasures - August 8, 2023

For several weeks I saw an old frame at Goodwill with two old postcards on top of an old photo.  On top of the photo so much you could only see dress shoes and edges that made me think "wedding photo."  Intriguing, but I resisted.  I thought $3.29 was a bit much for what it looked to be.  

Until the other day.  I thought, what the heck, with my senior discount it will be under $3, and maybe the old postcards are just laying on top of the photo and nothing is glued down.  The postcards were of special interest as they show Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge.  I am very familiar with both, as I grew up in that area, my father worked in S.F. and we often visited there.  Besides, I like both old postcards (as you may have seen last week where I bought two) and old photos!

The postcards were only taped down with small pieces of tape that easily came loose without damage to the postcards or the photo.  

Fisherman's Wharf wasn't like this in my day.  There were still some fishing boats, but mostly tourists came for the restaurants, sea lions on the docks, and because no one visits San Francisco without going to Fisherman's Wharf.  It's just one of the "have to sees."  If you go, make sure to have a take-away clam chowder in a French bread bowl! 

The Golden Gate Bridge isn't gold, it's red.  The steel used in construction had protective primer the architects thought looked good against the bridge's surroundings and could be seen in the fog. The paint color developed is now called International Orange.  So, it's not called the Golden Gate Bridge because it's gold.  It's also not called the Golden Gate Bridge because of the history of California and the Gold Rush.  No, it's called the Golden Gate Bridge for the simple reason it spans the Golden Gate Straight, which connects S.F. Bay with the Pacific Ocean, separating San Francisco and Marin County. 

The postcards date to the time postcard stamps were 1¢, which could be no later than 1932.  They are linen. 

And the photo was a wedding photo!  It's an interesting one.

It's a gelatin silver print. I believe this photo would now be in the public domain (created and published before 1923) or the copyright has expired, so I am sharing it.   It is affixed to the original decorative cardboard (I discarded the frame, which was not original). 9" x 12" 

It does have damage only seen at certain angles.  This is called "silvering," or "silver mirroring."  It's a natural process due to aging, made worse by acidity and humidity.  The silver ions migrate to the surface of the silver emulsion, and the metallic reflects, or gives iridescent effects.  It's rather pretty, but once it's started it can't be stopped.  Photo restorers differ as to whether photos with silvering should even be repaired, as it opens the photo up to other types of damage.

A fingerprint was left on the surface of the photo.

I had a mat and frame just the right size, although I did have to go to St. Vincent de Paul (cheapest frames) to get another piece of glass, since I broke the one I was planning on using.  

I already got my $2.96 worth just in the fun of research!