THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL PHOTO ARCHIVE • FRAMED PRINTS • STOCK IMAGES

Dad set up this shot at my 7th birthday party in the fall of 1957, with all of my attending friends in the shot. There were hot dogs, hamburgers and birthday cake, but no "loot bags." View full size.

"Grandpa" Hayford and crew constructing what is now called the "Hayford Flume" in 1892 near Secret Town in Placer County, California. Hayford was 90 years old when this photograph was taken. This image is from our collections at the Placer County Museums. View full size.

Rev. Penn Arthur, Bedford, Virginia. View full size.

James Vincent Campbell and family (Maynard, James, and Mollie). Photo taken in Russell County, Virginia, circa 1924. Can anyone identify the car? View full size.

Photo of William Bertron Campbell, circa 1919. Photo taken in Russell County, Virginia. Can anyone identify the car? View full size.

My dad, Joe Iwansky and his buddy Ed Moose (holding the coffee cup) in Newark, New Jersey in 1951 at the Toddle House Quick Serve Restaurant. Dad worked part time waiting to get his dream job at DuPont. View full size.

Long time Shorpy fan, first time post. Came across the oldest photo of my grandmother and her first child that i've seen yet. Location unknown but probably in Pennsylvania somewhere. I'm curious if anybody can tell me what type of vehicle they are standing next to. Grandmother born in the roaring '20s, aunt born in the '40s. My guess is the vehicle is from the 40s. View full size.

Judging from the expressions on the faces of the crowd whatever he and his human assistant were doing must have been very entertaining. The bridge in the background is the Le Pont du Carrousel. Scanned from the original glass 6x4cm French negative. View full size.

When my wife was a young lass her parents took her on a trip to Bimini and this photo was taken as she climbed up to the top deck. She bought a new purse just for the trip. I believe the year was 1964 or 65, but I could be mistaken. View full size.

This is a photo of the 10km swim river-race through Paris on the Seine. It was held from 1905 to 1940. “La Traversée de Paris” – the Paris open swim which in the early 1900s drew crowds to watch international swimmers in what was considered by spectators to be the front-crawl equivalent of cycling’s Tour de France. The building in the background is the Louvre and the bridge is the Le Pont du Carrousel which was demolished in 1930. Scanned from the original French 6x4cm glass negative. View full size.

This photograph is from our collections at the Placer County Museums. It depicts hydraulic mining near Gold Run, California sometime before the 1884 Sawyer Decision effectively ended the practice. View full size.

A photo that belonged to my grandfather, who worked in D.C. and was friends with the chauffeur, who I believe gave him the photo. Written on the back: White House 10/21/61, Abbie Rowe (famous White House photographer). View full size.

Washington D.C. circa 1947. A photo that belonged to my grandfather, who worked in D.C. I'm not sure if he took it. View full size.

Here is a Kodachrome slide from Easter 1966, yet another backyard photo session that went awry after a few clicks. My dad never tired of taking shots and my mother never tired of directing the reluctant ensemble. At least we knew we would be rewarded with chocolate after this session. View full size.

My father, Peter Maronn, with his new Graflex camera in 1950 at a park in Bristol, Connecticut shortly after graduating from the Los Angeles School of Fine Arts in Santa Monica. Some years later, he was chief photographer for the Bristol Press newspaper and also did many local weddings with the assistance of his wife. This Kodachrome slide was probably shot by his father. View full size.