CLICK to enlarge this and you will see by the clock on the porch that it is 1:35 pm. Here is Violet, Frank Shaw's friend, we assume, walking towards Frank and his Hasselblad from her home with a small ribbon decorated gift in her right hand. It will be exactly 30 years ago at the instant I gently push the "insert-publish" buttons for this little story sending it onto the blog. It is countdown now with a minute to go! My this is exciting - for me!
We follow Shaw’s Christmas afternoon snap of Violet with three more scenes he photographed in December 1979. None of them are descernibly cheery.
Shaw names the photographer on the right, "Mike." He does not name those posing for a "metro photoshoot." The date is Dec. 12, 1979.Frank Shaw looks over the fleet of fresh Japanese autos and south through Smith Cove to the city skyline on Dec. 22, 1979.Something has drawn Shaw to the "Fort Lawton covered motor pool" on Dec. 28, 1979.
One more Frank Shaw contribution, and this from 1976.
From the balcony at the Food Circus/Centerhouse, Frank Shaw looks over an oversized winter model train layout to the old Century 21 "Bubbleator" dressed as a snowman. Shaw recorded this two days after Christmas, 1976, when Seattle Center was resting. Two two-and-a-quarter negatives, side-by-side, and both recorded by Frank Shaw on Dec. 4, 1976. This is some perhaps short-lived Pioneer Square promotion of a "Father Christmas." If readers look at the comment by Jana to this insertion they will find a link to photos of her's from 1978. Included among them is a record of the "Father Christmas" booth at Pioneer Square in 1978, althought not, as far as I could determine, of the Father himself. Apparently this "Father Christmas" did not endure as a proliferation - after Santa - of gift-giving men with long hair. His ringlets look both attached and Scandi. And perhaps he is not giving gifts but taking ornaments from the children, which he then attaches to the P-Square tree.
Greetings Jana
I enjoyed exploring your several files of pictues. One of them for 1978 show a Pioneer Square booth for Father Christmas. What a curious idea. I have among the Frank Shaw photos the same P.Square Father Christmas handing out gives to children. I’ll add it now to the above, although I think it may be from an earlier year. We will soon know. Did you take those ’78 photos, and if so have you kept up with this street photography through the years?
Fun to see Father Christmas that went with that booth photo – thanks for uploading!
Yes, I took the photos – I went to a high school in Bellevue and my photography class went on a field trip to photograph Seattle in December 1978. No, I haven’t done much more street photography but I sure enjoy your then-and-now photos.
I wonder Jana if your classmates on that field trip have also kept their recordings from that day. How many of them do you remember, or could you find? There’s a “project” for you, not that you need one.
I have some December 1978 Seattle photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/treeclimber4/DowntownSeattle1978#
I LOOOOVE the Bubbleator photo!!
Greetings Jana
I enjoyed exploring your several files of pictues. One of them for 1978 show a Pioneer Square booth for Father Christmas. What a curious idea. I have among the Frank Shaw photos the same P.Square Father Christmas handing out gives to children. I’ll add it now to the above, although I think it may be from an earlier year. We will soon know. Did you take those ’78 photos, and if so have you kept up with this street photography through the years?
Fun to see Father Christmas that went with that booth photo – thanks for uploading!
Yes, I took the photos – I went to a high school in Bellevue and my photography class went on a field trip to photograph Seattle in December 1978. No, I haven’t done much more street photography but I sure enjoy your then-and-now photos.
I wonder Jana if your classmates on that field trip have also kept their recordings from that day. How many of them do you remember, or could you find? There’s a “project” for you, not that you need one.