Little Rascals: 1923

I too would say that this is one of my favourites! So much happening in this picture. Not like most of the other pictures. So much laughing and activity and expression! These kids are obviously having fun. I'm sure it was a challenge for the photographer to take a picture of such a large group of children and pets - I can just imagine the directions coming from the photographer!

A collection of owners of the best dog in the world! Almost one each of every child there is and visual evidence that kids really are great. You can't help but sympathise though with the poor little guy on the end who has to suffer his mum cutting his hair! The best pic on Shorpy for me.

I count 3 smooth and 1 wirehaired fox terriers. That was the dog breed du jour in the 1920s. My mom had a smooth fox terrier named Chummy.

The kid in the middle smiling so broadly and wearing a baseball cap looks just like my husband as a boy. Except my husband was born in 1948.

Three boys are wearing ties, and have their hair neatly combed. Perhaps this was an occasion, for they seem a little too well dressed for a typical day in the park with friends and dogs.

Back then, guess what, no tv, no computers, no iphones, no fat kids. all they had was kick the can, hide and seek, king of the mountain etc.

Looking at the photo brought to mind this old jingle:

Hot dogs, Armour hot dogs
What kind of kids eat Armour Hot Dogs?
Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks
Tough kids, sissy kids, even kids with chicken pox
love hot dogs, Armour Dot Dogs
The dogs kids love to bite!

Incidentally, I was in Montrose Park a couple of months ago. Still a playground. Still full of kids and dogs.

The little dog out front on the right side of the pic looks just like the dog my brother and I shared in the 40's. Ours was a toy stuffed one though and if you look at this one on the full view size it looks like a toy too.

Pretty diverse crowd for the time. Different ages, clothing and hair styles. One kid with glasses. One non white fellow, perhaps American Indian?

And such diverse expressions as well!

Little girl in front to the left of boy with glasses is about to squeeze the life out of her poor dog. Great photo. Love the mixture of expressions coming through.

And Ron Howard, as Opie, is trying to get his German Shepherd mix to look at the camera!

There are two faces that really stand out to me. The first is the little girl shaking her fist and the second is the boy next to her, wearing the baseball cap. He looks bored of he entire thing.

The two boys in the middle and the little girl raising her fist are great. Our Gang has nothing on all these dog lovers.

Such a great photo!

There is so much drama evident in this picture, some look joyously happy, others tense, worried, scared, ornery.

Why is that girl shaking her fist? Why does the boy next to her look irritated, what joke are the two boys in the middle sharing?

All these mysteries we'll never know the answer to.