I found a pile of old photo negatives in the garbage this afternoon, here is one from the time of steam engines and steel wheels. The negative is on a piece of acetate that is now peeling. I inverted from negative to positive, and will get a friend to develop the negative for me soon.
What a find! How large were the negs?
Comment by J Landry — March 23, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
This one is about 4 x 6, pretty big. most of the others were 2 x 3 and more pedestrian, shots of houses from the 1950′s around San Francisco. There are a few portraits from turn of 19th century that were big as well.
I havent tried with this one, but I was able to peel the firm acetate away from the tissue paper thin negative without tearing it, so I think I will be able to get this one printed without those lines in it.
Send me your address and I’ll mail you a few to play with.
Comment by jon — March 23, 2007 @ 2:58 pm
Without knowing for sure, I’m going to guess this is a borax mining operation. A steam tractor pulling loads from the desert back to the processing plant. Anyone have a better guess? Once I get it developed it might be easy to figure out.
Comment by jon — March 23, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
I dunno, Jon, it kind of looks like the Thunder Mountain ride at Disney World.
Now, what’s your excuse for rummaging through the garbage?
Comment by Lyle_s — March 23, 2007 @ 6:11 pm
I’d go with the 1880 Borax or Silver mining ops in Nevada. I believe my grandpappy shoveled coal into the furnace when he was a pup. He used to sit me on his knee and tell me tales about killing Indians and shipping borax cakes north to the Mormons. He claimed he had an affair with a chink laundry woman near Reno. But you know how old people tend to exaggerate.
Comment by Oggy — March 27, 2007 @ 5:30 pm