By Charlie at Pasty Central (Chopper) on Sunday, March 11, 2007 - 07:58 am:
If you have followed this weekly feature over the years, you've probably noticed I'm fascinated with people of the past, especially those photos which capture their expressions:
The link to this Gallery photo was accompanied by a note from its contributor:I've uploaded a picture of a blacksmith shop in Ishpeming back in the early 1900's. The men pictured (L-R) are Richard Johns, Charles Cornish, Mr. Thomas, and Norman Paull (my grandfather). There is a calendar for October on the wall and it appears that the last number in the year is a 7. I've looked at October calendars on the internet and the only one that matched the one on the wall, in terms of dates and days of the week, was 1917. So, my guess is that this picture was taken sometime in October, 1917...
I've been doing a lot of genealogy work lately so when the upload feature returns, I'll have some more oldies to share.
Bruce Watters
Thanks, Bruce, for a fine glimpse of the past. You can almost hear the words which followed this pose: "OK boys, back to work". By the body language, my guess is that Mr. Thomas is the man in charge.
I'd especially be interested in hearing from any regular Ishpeming visitors who may have been to this spot, or related to one of the rugged subjects, just like Bruce. Grampa Paull had a Frank Sinatra quality to his expression. (Or should we say, years later Frank Sinatra bore a resemblance to Norman Paull.) Come to think of it, I bet each of those faces remind you of someone familiar.
Did you "spring ahead" with your clocks this morning? I can just picture one of today's featured blacksmiths trying to set a digital watch. (Now if I can just remember how it's done...)
Have a good week :0)
