Wandering The World On A Pony
A Pony In The Picture: Vintage Portraits of Children and Ponies is a collection of antique and vintage photographs of children posing proudly with ponies and horses, often taken by itinerant photographers who traveled the countryside, suburbs, and cities. Each image captures a moment in time when it seems that all it took for a child to be happy was the patient presence of a shaggy Shetland pony and a borrowed cowboy hat.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQstxsy_n_SRHWxDEN7fvR0-WEMu9-VhmLIEcBfdCDFOmrhoz2MfSalM_xpaKkwc0t7ljBxGYFnfQjj-UN-F2MK7hIlUWsRb4Riae_io83VP0s_BsmT4iPrT_WvkjcnPGTtc6Djc7hVIo/s400/Victoria.jpg)
There are 120 photographic portraits in the book covering nearly eight decades. The oldest 1880, the most modern 1990. Most were taken in the United States, however there are a number of examples from Canada, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, Argentina, and Burma.
Many of the photographs suffer the same fate as our family photographs and collections, they are a mystery. Nothing on the photograph indicates when, where, or why they were taken.
There is shear joy in almost every photograph; a day in a pony cart, a moment as a cowboy or cowgirl, a cherished pet or a photographer's prop. Where there is information about the portrait or the photographer it is included.
I will share one photograph from the book. One that is from my home state of Washington.
The Field cousins
Leavenworth, Washington
1915
From left to right:
Harriet, age 4; Jean, age 4; Jack, age 2;
Ruth, age 9; Helen, age 7 and Frances, age 6.
Harriet, Ruth, Helen, and Frances were sisters;
their cousins Jean and Jack were brother and sister.
Leavenworth, Washington
1915
From left to right:
Harriet, age 4; Jean, age 4; Jack, age 2;
Ruth, age 9; Helen, age 7 and Frances, age 6.
Harriet, Ruth, Helen, and Frances were sisters;
their cousins Jean and Jack were brother and sister.
Yes, I loved this book, its design, layout, photographs and information. And perhaps because Maven had her moment on a horse as well:
Shades gives it:
Shades gives it:
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A four out of four camera rating - Recommended Buy.
Photographs:
Book Cover and Author Photographs Courtesy Ten Speed Press.
Selected photograph copyright Victoria Randall, without permission, under fair use.
Maven On Horse. Photograph. 1952. Privately held by the footnoteMaven, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Preston, Washington. 2008.
2 Comments:
Thanks for the review --- you've just given me an idea for one of my "hard to buy for" persons on a Christmas list. THANKS.
Terry
Absolutely beautiful book. Thanks for giving us a review.
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