Dating photos involves a combination of observation, experience, and inference. But once in a while, there's a telltale clue that pinpoints the date, as in this Depot Town photo. Can you date it?Sure, there are some obvious clues. You can see that the old Christos Bar is occupying the present-day Sidetrack spot. A bit further down, you can see Turner's Restaurant. If you knew that Christos' was open from years A to C and Turner's was open from years B to D, you'd know that the photo was from years B to C.
But that's still a bit fuzzy. You could also exhaustively research the car models displayed...but people keep cars for a good many years. That wouldn't narrow it down to much more than a decade or so.
But we can do much better.
There is ONE standout clue in this photo that sharpens our focus down to just a few months in one particular year and one year only.
What is it? Where is it? And in what year was this photo, definitively, taken? Can you spot the clue? (Click photo for larger image). For a hint, mouseover the photo to see the name of the jpg in the bottom left corner of your browser).
LB: Welcome back.
ReplyDelete1954.
Brian F.
Jiminy Crickets, B.F., you are precisely correct!
ReplyDeleteBut how, pray tell, did you arrive at this pinpoint deduction?
Campaign materials. Ever the give-away.
ReplyDeleteYessir, in the bottom left corner (where the candy store used to be, before being demolished by a train) you can see some fresh-looking campaign signs. You are precisely correct. Dusty D in fact did NOT notice this herself while scrutinizing this photo...her husband pointed it out. So much for historical sleuthing. But it's a good lesson to keep in mind for future photo-looking.
ReplyDelete