My father enjoyed photography. He took lots of photos and we have hundreds upon hundreds of slides that are a result of his efforts. These were a gift for us at the time of our mother's funeral as we spent hours going through old slides and finding photos of our Mom from over the decades. To have found these and shared these was a balm to our grief.
One of the frequent occurrences of my childhood was the evening slide show. We would set up the screen, slide viewer, and slide projector, gather in the living room, dim the lights and watch the slide show. Included in this photographic potpourri were images of the great outdoors and photos of the family. As a kid, I found the many photos of trees, flowers, snow, water, mountains, and rocks to be rather boring.
What caught my attention were the photos of my family, the folks I knew and, truth be told, what really held my focus were the photos of me!
I thought back to the Snyder Family Slide show last evening when I went to the Carnegie Museum to see the "Teenie Harris Photography Exhibit." First, I highly recommend it. Second, leave yourself hours to take it all in. Third, on Thursdays from 3:30 pm - 8:00 pm the Carnegie Museum is FREE.
At the expansive Teenie Harris exhibit, my favorite display area was the large room that, with jazz music playing in the background, projected photo after photo of childhood birthday parties, neighborhood gatherings, famous athletes and entertainers, and images of the city of Pittsburgh throughout the years. I was mesmerized. Yes, it was very cool to see photos of a young Martin Luther King, Jr. at a church in the Hill District, or roberto Clemente in a parade and Louie Armstrong at a diner. Yet, just as fascinating were the photos of families at a birthday party, having a picnic, posing for a family portrait at a wedding.
The point is we are all so similar and a photo has a way to connect us to one another as it also journeys us to our past in the tracks of our memories.
What photos adorn the walls and surfaces of your home and office? What photo do you wish you had a copy? What photos are most dear to you and why?
The photo at the top of this post is a classic to the Snyder clan. We call it the "Snyder Family Portrait."
What great memories you share. Reminds me of my youth when my own dad would haul out the movie camera and those bright lights. It was a big day when the Kodak box would arrive in the mail. We knew as soon as it got dark, he'd be setting up equipment in our living room to transform it into our family theatre. Great words. Great memories. Thanks for what you write!
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