Sepia Saturday, or rather, Sepia Sunday for me, featured a prompt photo of a group of people watching a movie filming. While we have a LOT of old super 8 reels we had digitized, I felt these two belonged here together, since they’re people taking photos of themselves and there’s a camera in the photo like the prompt photo. On the left is my grandpa, Leon Kitko, with an old Polaroid camera, taking a selfie in a mirror. On the right is his second wife, Romayne Greenaway, also set up in the same room with the same camera, but the focus is just a touch off. Both photos are labelled on the back with a date of 26 May 1969, written in Romayne’s hand. Leon is sporting quite the smirk with his hat tipped back and to the side while Romayne appears as if she’s trying to concentrate on getting everything just right before hitting the shutter release. I love that we have both of these photos and that they’re still just a little different from each other. I also get a kick out of the fact that they’re basically selfies, but from long before the first teenager took a selfie with a mobile phone.
Yeah, that’s fun to see – selfies before “selfies” had a name.
It is such fun to see them taking selfies back years ago with a vintage Polaroid. It is a shame his wife’s picture is a wee bit blurred, but it still a treasure for you to have. It is family history at its best.
Grandpa selfies. Very unique and unusual photos.
Fantastic! Yes that is amazing to have two “selfies” before the term was invented!
Aren’t they great photos!Your grandpa looks so cool.
Certainly unusual to have a matching pair of photographs like these.
So why not take a photo of each other the regular way? My dad’s camera collection included some of those large Polaroid cameras. They are very clunky and heavy to use. The b&w prints seem in good shape after all these years.
Good question! I guess it was more fun to set up a mirror and take a self-portrait than take a photo of eachother in the normal way, maybe just for the novelty of it. I’m consistently amazed at how well these photos have fared for being in a musty old truck tossed together casually in no album or anything!