Carstairs Blended Whiskey
My Old Family Photos Series
A shot between friends: My dad (left) and his friend Thomas
In this image (which I believe was taken by my mom), my dad (left) and his friend/coworker Thomas share a bit of Carstairs Blended Whiskey. I believe they were toasting the birth of my older sister Anne.
Thomas and my dad were close. So close, my parents gave me the middle name ‘Thomas’ in his honor.
I don’t recall ever meeting Thomas, which suggests he passed away at a relatively young age. Between the Carstairs whiskey in his hand and the pack of Chesterfields in his shirt pocket, that tracks.
My Old Family Photos Series
Obviously, I didn’t take this photograph (I know you knew that). It is one I scanned from dozens of old, big, black and white negatives I retrieved from my mother’s house in Lowell, MA when my siblings and I did some cosmetic work on the house during covid. That cosmetic work, along with the scanning of old negatives probably kept me sane during that crazy time. But I digress.
After scanning the negatives and restoring the digital files, I published several of them on Facebook, and I put together a books for the family. I’ve also been meaning to share them on this blog as well. So I’m finally getting to my Old Family Photos blog series.
Why,you ask?
A couple of reasons.
They mean a lot to me personally.
The images I’ll be presenting in this series are of people, places and events that helped shape me — Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, cousins enjoying everydays, holidays, and family vacations.
They are Accidental Art.
Sure, most of the images are merely snapshots captured with consumer grade cameras like the classic Kodak Brownie, but that doesn’t mean they ain’t art. In chronicling their lives, the photographers (usually my mom or dad) created a series of compelling environmental portraits - Images I feel are worth sharing.
Personal connection aside, when I look at these images, I feel like I am looking at frames of an old black and white movie, and I find that refreshing.