Circa 1900. "Betsy Ross house, Philadelphia. Birthplace of Old Glory." Happy Flag Day from Shorpy! Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size.

Well, it's vacation time, and what better destination than the beach in 1960? My brother snapped me and his Cal Poly college chum Bob (who you may recall from Christmas Special) along the Russian River at Guernewood Park, California in July of that year, just one month before my 14th birthday. I believe my exceptionally stylish swim trunks are 1940s vintage hand-me-downs from my father. Hair by beach towel. 35mm Kodacolor negative. View full size.

Washington, D.C. The Stoneleigh Garage at 1707 L Street in 1921, shortly before construction of the gas station next door. National Photo Co. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Geo. C. Rice Auto Co., front." These deals won't last long, folks. Come in TO-DAY! National Photo glass negative. View full size.

August 1864. "Petersburg, Virginia. Group of Company D, U.S. Engineer Battalion." Wet-plate glass negative, photographer unknown. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1924. "Harris & Ewing. Exterior, new studio." The new offices of "America's studio beautiful" opened in November 1924 at the same F Street address as the previous building (whose ground-floor tenant, Lucio's jewelry store, was the scene of a robbery/arson/suicide-by-cyanide shortly before the building was remodeled). The basement storage vault was said to have held a million glass negatives, the bulk of which were donated to the Library of Congress in 1955. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.

Connoisseur, bon vivant, raconteur, collector of first editions, advertising executive, typography historian, WWII Army Air Corps Photo Recon NCO, and my mother's twin brother, Uncle Albert hoists a Christmas toast in the living room of his San Francisco home in December 1960. You can tell it's Christmas by the holly in the table vase and the star ornament sticking up from the areca on the right; that's his Christmas tree. I took this with my Brownie Starmite. Full size.