I like the trees and the lack of overhead wires today, but the clothes and transportation were a lot more stylish-looking back then.

My maternal grandmother's family had deep roots in the Northampton area, mostly around Williamsburg and Haydenville (the family farm is now a golf course just off Route 9). Great-grandma was a girl of just about 10 at the time, and both her parents had large extended families. So I think it highly likely I've got kin photobombing this shot somewhere along the street.

The town of Northampton just elected one of its local attorneys and a former member of the city council to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The election was close even though the state was reliably Republican back then. But the young man had made a favorable impression on his neighbors as a hard worker with a reputation for honesty and diligence. And unlike most of his fellow politicians he was said to be a man who was as parsimonious with the public's money as he was with his words. People were already calling Mr. Coolidge "silent Cal."