CENTERBURG — A man stands in front of the shop window of a store in Centerburg.
The hand-written postcard caption tells us that the scene is Hartford Avenue, a north-south crossroad of Centerburg’s Main Street, which makes sense, for the surrounding structures are residential, not commercial.
The year is not stated, nor does it say whether this is North Hartford Avenue or South.
I like photographs that tell a story, but this one is missing enough particulars to make it puzzling.
There is a vehicle of some sort in the background, parked along the unpaved street. But I can’t make out what sort of conveyance it is. An early automobile? A truck? Possibly even a buggy awaiting its horse?
If it is a buggy or an early car, that suggests a date of the early 1900s for this photo, well over a century ago.
On the other hand, the man standing in front of the shop, looking directly at the camera and smiling is wearing short sleeves, apparently without a tie, which would not have been a common appearance for a shop keeper in those more formal days.
But is the man really posing, or was he just a passer-by who was curious about the photographer?
His appearance might suggest a post-World War I date. Or perhaps he was wearing long-sleeved shirt sleeves that had been rolled up.
Behind him, a little ways down the sidewalk, a woman is walking, carrying a purse. One senses that if she saw the photographer, she may have turned around and stalked away rather than get herself caught up in a picture.
Whatever the case, she is wearing an ankle-length skirt, which again suggests an earlier date.
It’s hard to say for sure, but barring any further information, I’d venture a guess that this postcard photo was taken somewhere between 1905 and 1915.
Anyone else have any insights?
