Sunday, June 28, 2009

Astro-Rotogravure

In the latter quarter of the 19th century, the method of image photo transfer onto carbon tissue covered with light-sensitive gelatin was discovered and was the beginning of rotogravure. In the 1930s–1960s, newspapers published relatively few photographs and instead many newspapers published separate rotogravure sections in their Sunday editions. These sections were devoted to photographs and identifying captions, not news stories. Irving Berlin's song Easter Parade specifically refers to these sections in the lines "the photographers will snap us, And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure." In 1932 a George Gallup "Survey of Reader Interest in Various Sections of Sunday Newspapers to Determine the Relative Value of Rotogravure as an Advertising Medium" found that these special rotogravures were the most widely read sections of the paper and that advertisements there were three times more likely to be seen by readers than in any other section. (Wikipedia)

If it worked for the Sunday newspapers, I'll try it here!

Images are borrowed from my husband's vast collection of old "found photographs" featured at his Lost Gallery blog. I've added my own astrological captions.


CAPRICORN AT MIDHEAVEN






MERCURY RETROGRADE




JUPITER IN SAGITTARIUS ("Pray as you enter")




FIRST HOUSE



SATURN RISING




MOON IN GEMINI



A BIT OF THE OLD SCORPIO EYE GOING ON HERE, BUT I CAN'T BETTER MY HUSBAND'S CAPTION:
Fred with Larry, his dearly beloved pet.In 1948, during a bold experiment, Fred and Larry exchanged places. To this day, no one knows which is which. Larry is not married.


7 comments:

anyjazz said...

Some fine photographs there. Photographs do add another dimension to our lives.

In a “Found” photo, we do not know the folks in the image, what they are doing and why. We do not know the intended story, the real reason for the photograph. So we allow the photograph to speak on its own. Sometimes the story it tells is quite entertaining.

Twilight said...

Anyjazz ~~~ You're the master in this department. I'm in awe of your dedication to saving and preserving thousands of photographs nobody else seems to want, and looking into them to find a story. You are truly, truly a son of Neptune (ruler of photography). ;-)

Wisewebwoman said...

I too love those old pics, T, Himself has done a remarkable job in saving what others might deem useless.
Each one tells a powerful story, I must visit his gallery next.
XO
WWW

anthonynorth said...

Some great photos there. And well saved.

Twilight said...

WWW & AN ~~ thanks both, from both of us!

Anonymous said...

This is so cool! The pictures are awesome and your captions are great!

Twilight said...

Anonymous ~~~ Thank you, glad you like d them - and I do appreciate your saying so. :-)