Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Wouldn't You Like to be a Pepper Too?

I found this photo at an estate sale last weekend and it immediately reminded me of the cover to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

I would love to know the history behind this photo, unfortunately, there is no writing anywhere.  Every person here had a story that lead them to this point in their life.  From the wizard in the very back whose hands hover over the heads of the two gentleman in front him (watch out guys, remember what that meant for Paul!), to the Charlie Chaplin wannabe second from the left (there were so many Chaplin impersonators by the late 19-teens, he took legal action against them), to the military officer sitting in the front (maybe that's Sgt. Pepper himself), to the lone woman among the misfits (it was pointed out by astute reader Franko, this is most likely a man in drag), something lead them to this juncture.  An acrobat in the middle, a man sporting a Pickelhaube and a devil-may-care grin, the 4- (or possibly 5-) piece band, a monocled man in top hat, a chaffeur.  Who were these people?  Sadly, we'll never know.  I would wager they were some sort of traveling troupe, certainly European.  Was the gentleman on the far left their manager?  Again, questions we'll never have answers to.  But let's remember them now and stare into these faces lost to time.









8 comments:

  1. So I was looking over the picture and the wizard was the first thing I see. What an interesting photo!

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    1. Yes, Bob. One wonders what mystic powers he wielded.

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  2. is he a wizard, or some sort of clown/jester? this photo is amazing... i think you're right: perhaps they were a theatrical troupe, all dressed as different characters. and i'll say it... i think that's a MAN, baby. it wasn't unusual for men to play the female roles in stage shows back then, particularly if it was a comedy. if only we could see what's written on the newspaper the one guy is holding up...

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    1. >i think that's a MAN, baby.
      That crossed my mind. It's very possible.

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    2. i say that because of the relative height (which seems tall for a woman back then), and the hands look too masculine. hard to see if there's an adam's apple or not.

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    3. Yeah, the more I look at the close up, the more I tend to agree. Those are some bushy eyebrows.

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  3. sorry, accidentally posted the same thing twice. i was going to say how much i love the seated military guy. talk about presence!

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    1. Yes, he certainly carries an air of authority and dignity. I thought I posted a close up of him. I'll remedy that as soon as I can.

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