Happy New Year!
Looks like this guy is 60 years late!
posted by Ookpik at 9:40 AM
Saturday, December 31, 2005
About Me
- Name: Ookpik
- Location: Michigan, United States
I began my interest in vernacular photography by a chance acquisition of over 10,000 negatives dating from the late 1920's through the early 1970's. Luckily, I knew what I had was something more than "someone's old pictures." This cache of old images became the impetus for me to create two Photoblogs: Ookpik’s Negativity and Mystery Ships Of The Great Lakes. Ookpik’s Negativity contains photos that I would like to know more about while Mystery Ships Of The Great Lakes features photos of ships that I am trying to identify.
My Other Blogs
Previous Posts
- Merry Christmas!
- Winter Magic
- Groovy Christmas
- I'll Be Home For Christmas.........
- Snowman
- On The Rocks
- Snow
- Happy Thanksgiving!
- Where Is This?
- Veterans Day
4 Comments:
60 years late as the current Baby New Year, or 60 year late as a baby? Looks like my dad. :-D
Identifying the elements in the photo:
The tree is made of aluminum. They're quite the collector's item and in 2004 they made a comeback. Some came with lights to put near the base, a few even had rotating gels, to make it look really awesome. Seems redundant to put shiny paper tinsel on an aluminum tree but such is life.
The ornaments were made by Shiny-Brite, made in America!, and were a division of Owens Corning. They were the only glass manufacturer during the war allowed to make Christmas ornaments. The box the ornaments you see came in had a picture of Santa Claus shaking hands with Uncle Sam. (This has been reproduced in the repros Christopher Radko has sold for the last few years, though the new ones were made in China... go figure.)
I was thinking 60 years late as Baby New Year but your way works too!
Regarding your comments about the picture:
I don't think that is an aluminum Christmas tree. The tree lacks the symmetry of an aluminum tree as well as the fact that aluminum trees weren't generally available in the retail market until 1959. If that IS an aluminum tree than it is one of the very first!
The ornaments are indeed Shiny-Brite! I am lucky in the fact that I have my parent's as well as my grandparent's Christmas ornaments. They are Shiny-Brite and look just like the ones on the tree in the picture. I'm sure some of them have hung on "Ookpik" family Christmas trees for over 50 years!
Thanks for the information about the Santa Claus shaking hands with Uncle Sam Shiny-Brite box! I was unaware that such an item existed. Luckily, there are several boxes of them on E-bay right now. Since I now know what the box looks like – let the search begin! :)
Example (works as of 9pm PST 1/5/06):
Green Shiny Brite box
Also available in red.
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