Saturday, February 23, 2008

STEREOVIEW - St. Louis 1903

This stereoview comes from the Louisiana Purchase exposition that took place in St. Louis in 1903.
There are many aspects of this stereoview that intrigue me:

- The buildings, like those in many other expos, are probably not still standing.

- These twin images are over 105 years old.

- The gondolier is wearing a rather tall hat - at least by gondolier standards.

- I am, of course, drawn to examine the details of the boat.
But what really surprises me about this stereoview, is the couple.
Sure, they don't look like they're doing anything wrong by today's standards, but back then you just didn't take pictures like this one.
Heck! by 1903 standards, this photo was rated R. Back then they needed to "get a room"...but of course it wasn't polite to say such a thing back then.

And of course, I wonder about the gondola: how did it get there? where did it go after that expo, and what finally became of it?
We may never know.
I could ask similar questions about the couple, but I'm sure their children and grandchildren know. By the photo, I think it's safe to assume that they had children. Good gravy, just look at them!

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