Category: Blog series

bookmark_borderEarly Dallas photography blog series

Posted on by PAO Productions
Corner of Elm Street and Hawkins in Dallas, Texas, courtesy of DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University
Corner of Elm Street and Hawkins in Dallas, Texas, courtesy DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

Collecting vintage and antique photos is a pastime of mine, and I have an interest in local (mostly Dallas) history. Combining these two interests together into an exploration of early Dallas photography and photography studios thus came naturally to me. This series will cover the history of Dallas-based photography through the beginning of the 20th century, telling the story through both historically-minded blog posts and authentic historical images.

bookmark_borderVintage cabinet card portraits and CDVs

Posted on by PAO Productions
Here are selections from my personal collection of antique cabinet cards and cartes de visite (CDVs), many of which were assembled for my earlier Early photography studios in Dallas - a walking tour project and post. This collection of mostly local examples can be seen as a companion piece to that earlier post. All subjects pictured are unidentified unless otherwise noted. Continue reading "Vintage cabinet card portraits and CDVs"

bookmark_borderGhosts of DFW music history: Direct Hit Records

Posted on by PAO Productions
This is part of a continuing series of posts exploring locations of former DFW musical landmarks and the histories behind them.
Direct Hit Records logo
Direct Hit Records logo

It’s 1994, and you’re in the mood for some local flavor. The DFW music scene has come into its own, and Deep Ellum is a hoppin’ place on the weekends. Local music has been taking off on the radio, and the composers and performers of said music are gaining real traction with the teen- and twentysomethings sets. Some bands are even getting signed to national labels and their music is beginning to be stocked in the big name, big box outlets. But on this particular day you’re looking for something a bit less mainstream and a bit more underground in ethos. You pile your things into the car and head out in the direction of the historic Exposition Park strip. It’s in one of those areas where people are supposedly afraid to go thanks to a reputation for being crime-ridden, but this particular carve-out is said to be safe. You pass by Forbidden Books and The Bar of Soap, negotiating the never-ending road construction, and arrive at a small retail store on Parry Avenue, sandwiched inside a row of businesses just across the street from the entrance to the fairgrounds.

Continue reading "Ghosts of DFW music history: Direct Hit Records"

bookmark_borderVintage scenes from life

Posted on by PAO Productions
Vintage photos, like modern-day ones, are vignettes of the daily life of their time. Here is a selection of twenty-three such examples from my collection.

1920s dry goods store

I found this one a bit intriguing despite not really having a place for it in any future projects. Perhaps this is because I've always had a bit of a fancy for small neighborhood markets laid out in a late 19th/early 20th century style. It's what attracts me to Rudolph's Market & Sausage Factory in Deep Ellum, a fixture in the neighborhood since 1895, despite my being meat-free since 1999. There's no indication in the photo of this store's location.
1920s dry goods store
1920s dry goods store

Bathing beauties

Bathing suits have changed a lot in the last century. I'm guessing this photo dates to the 1920s or 30s.
Two shapely women in bathing suits
Two shapely women in bathing suits
Continue reading "Vintage scenes from life"

bookmark_borderThe oldest photos in my collection

Posted on by PAO Productions
I like to collect vintage photos, particularly vintage photos of my hometown of Dallas and photos of places I've visited. Most of these date from the era of affordable personal photography and include mostly slides, real photo postcards, and everyday prints with the occasional vintage film negative thrown in. But a handful of items in my collection date to a period even earlier than that. These are not photo reproductions or reprints, period postcards, or facsimiles, but are actual period specimens that hail from the nineteenth or extreme early twentieth centuries. Here are examples of some of these.

Note that I already penned a blog post spotlighting early Dallas cabinet cards, so I'm not including anything from that category of photos here. Some of these have seen prior publication in this blog in previous entries.

Daguerreotype of young lady, 1/6 plate, circa 1840s

This portrait of a young lady is said to date to sometime during the 1840s, making it the oldest photo in my collection as of this writing. The ringlets in the woman's hair are a particular draw for me stylistically, and, unlike most photos from this period, you can see a bit of a smile playing upon her lips. Daguerreotypes consist of sheets of silver-plated copper, very highly polished and chemically treated to be light-sensitive. The image consists of the same silver as the surface upon which it sits, meaning that the appearance of the photo alternates between a positive and negative image depending on how the available light hits it. Daguerreotypes are very fragile objects and are usually presented behind glass-plated frames, which are stored inside latched, decorative cases. Mine came without a case, but I immediately placed it into one upon receipt.

Unfortunately, I have no information on the location, the photographer, or the identity of the woman in the photo. What I can say is that having one daguerreotype makes me want to have another. This was purchased from an online seller in mid-January 2025.

Daguerreotype of young lady, circa 1840s
Daguerreotype of young woman, circa 1840s
Continue reading "The oldest photos in my collection"