Let’s fasten our seat belts, and get ready for a ride in the photojottings time machine! Oh, and bring your jacket, it’s late October and a bit chilly!
For the journey today, we’ll head back about a hundred years and visit a quiet, leafy neighborhood in West Roxbury, Mass. Henry A Stanley photographed the scene somewhere around 1910-1920. Detail in this century old (undated) 5×7″ glass plate negative is stunning, (click image for larger size, shown here at 7000 pixels wide). Check out the gas street lights, especially the close one in the upper extreme left side; the unique street sign to the right, and what looks like an early automobile way down the road. The white blotches on the right are from the paper sleeve that stuck to the emulsion side over the years; I may try to remove it at some point, but I don’t have the skill and nerve to try it right now.
The address for the house on the right is 218 Park St at Anawan ave, (built 1869). The American Elm trees are long gone; along with the quaintness it seems, but most of the houses appear to be still standing, and with maybe a hint of charm amidst the minor to moderate facade changes.
I purchased this 5×7″ glass plate negative from eBay a couple of years ago.
Below are screen shots from Google Earth, 2013.
Google earth shots from 2013