I collect discarded treasures; in my bedroom there’s a box filled with hundreds of old photographs I’ve culled from thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales. When I look at them, I wonder about the people in them. Who are they? What are their stories? What happened to them? Why did someone throw their pictures away? To pay respect to these black-and-white castoffs, I have made some adjustments, creating new worlds for the spectral characters to occupy, and giving these forgotten memories a chance at a new life!
All of these photos had writing on the back when I got them; I’ve included that text under the images.
54 Comments
These are so cool and unique! I would love to see all of the original, old photos.
These are gorgeous and so creative! Love the whole set!
All of these are so perfect I can’t even….
They are all so beautiful and haunted, as if they’re straight from the imagination of a child.
WOW!
These are so gorgeous!
I particularly love the group (class?) photo.
llloooovvveeee these!
Wow, I wonder how she did these! It looks almost like a transparency from an overhead projector.
So cool! I love getting old photos from antique stores, and my mom always ridicules me for it!
These photos are so haunting. I just want to know all about these people.
One of my favourite photo sets <3
My favorite Rookie photoset ever!!
I love old photographs, and I love the way the drawings don’t look like jokes over the original photos even though they’re funny. This is a haunting set, and I’d like to try something like it.
What did you use to draw on the photos?
these are incredibly beautiful! so interesting. :)
hey fellow Torontonian! this is rad <3
I’m also curious about the people in the photographs. But I really love what you did to them :) it’s so creative and makes me look at the images in a different light
I’m reminded of the book “The Blind Assassin” when Laura hand-tints photographs to make the colors of peoples’ faces the colors of their souls.
Number Four is lovley!
Great additions.
Ahh Kendra I love you so much. These are gorgeous!!! Sooo good!!! Ahh!!!
I was wondering I maybe you guys would consider an article about collaging. I love collaging and find it comes naturally, but I know for sure that others don’t feel the same. I think an article on collaging tips would be really helpful!
https://www.rookiemag.com/2012/03/collaging-for-beginners/
☺
Man is H. Hollin Chapman ever a sweetface (with an excellent taste in sweaters)
These were absolutely beautiful! New goal in life: collect a bunch of old photos that aren’t mine.
intergalactic-dragons.blogspot.com
: )
I love this SO much. beautiful
I love vintage, this post is very creative and interesting!
mintirgin.blogspot.ru
reminds me the “Siamese Dream” lyricsbook.
had the same thought :)
wow i love old photos
Soo thoughtful and beautiful and expressive!! LURVE THEM SOOO MUCH!!!
thecoolcustomer.wordpress.com
xxx
Omg, these are so great. I think I’ll start a collection of old photos like this, it’s so amazing!
LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEE THIS <3
The St George’s Cross picture! Wowee. What country did you get that picture in?
I used to live just round the corner. I think whatever was at number 254 has been abolished to make way for the motorway. :(
I assumed it must have been a school, because I found this other photo in my searches:
But then I found this, even more interesting, a photographer must have been based there!
Wow that’s crazy and very cool!! I picked up that particular photo from this women selling odds and ends on a street corner in Toronto.
Love this so so so much.
I love the Glasgow one, I lived there for a year and a half and have very happy memories
This is so strange and beautiful, I love it.
awww, I love the whole set so much
Brilliant idea I might do something similar but with postcards or similar?
theses are beautiful photos but i don’t think you need to draw on them to give them a new chance of life. That is for the observer to do, they are already magical objects
OMG, I have always loved our old family pictures and stuff, they are incredibly cute. And this is so perfect! such a great idea! (:
PS: I don’t want to be to advertise-ish here, really not, but I have made a zine about Rookie this weekend. It would be so amazing if you could check it out! Thank you so much.
This is an amazing idea, it really adds emotion to the images and it’s a wonderfully clever twist.
I adore old photos, it sounds a little weird, but it always end up making these incredibly intricate stories up about the people in the images. But then again, maybe it’s not weird, I am amongst Rookie Readers afterall…
-Heather
I love the whole idea of this so much, all of these are beautiful!
A new thrift shop just opened up on the Hip Strip….I can’t wait to look for some old photographs!!!!
These are so, so great! In my grandparents attic they have a lot of old photos like these. They photos have a certain elegance, maybe because people didn’t take so many pictures with phones and everything wasn’t digital. I love how you added the fun touch.
I have always been fascinated by these type of pictures as well :)
So neat. And looks like a fun way to make art not like a labour.
xx Domenic
This is such a cute idea!
no. 3 reminds me of The Cottingley Fairies Case! are you by any chance inspired by them? it was among my favorite urban legends :D
This is awesome and the boy in 7 is soooooooo cute. I guess I have a crush on somebody who might be dead. Beautiful. Like him. Okay I will stop. But this was amazing and perfect and yea.
My Grandfather was Maurice Pearlmann of M. Pearlmann & Co – Glasgow. So he must have seen the presentation in photo number 4 in real life. How’s that for “crazy and cool” Kendra?
Ah!!!! Now that is very crazy and cool!!!! What are the chances of a lost photograph being found?
If you have a photo of him, I’d love to see it :)
These are so cool!
I love these :)
It’s very creative and lovely.. the people in those photos must be happy !
Just wondering what media you used ?
Okay I love everything about this and I am now inspired to start a vintage photograph collection ♥♥♥
PS I love Hollin Chapman’s sweaters. It also delights me that they look almost identical. :D