Vernacular Photographs by Horses Think
“Collecting vernacular photographs is an extremely cheap hobby as most photographs usually cost about $1. But the habit does requires some serious patience as one must sift through enormous and disorganized piles of images to find the good ones. While I have been a collector of many paintings, drawings and objects over the years, it was only recently that I discovered the absolute joy and wonder of collecting these little poetic gems.
Part of me is beginning to feel that I am practicing my picture taking and editing ability by looking through hundreds if not thousands of photographs. In a way I feel that collecting photographs has become another aspect of my photographic practice and in many ways these pictures I collect have become completely mine as they reflect my taste and picture making sensibility.
There is also quite a bit of luck involved, just like making pictures.”
From Horses Think, 2009 - Highlights
9:50 am • 16 January 2010
Northwest Trek. October 1978.
9:56 pm • 19 December 2009
“Kraus’s. Spokane, WA. 938 E. Indiana. 3/12/41 to 4/21/41.
1:13 pm • 19 December 2009
Blake Andrews finds some photos.
“Before last weekend I had never bought found photographs. The whole concept seemed a little odd to me, and I am a photographer. For nonphotographers it must seem totally bizarre. What demented mind would find pleasure looking through a stranger’s private photographs?”
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3:14 pm • 9 December 2009
The Frank H. Buck on the rocks in San Francisco Bay.
In 1914 Union Iron Works of San Francisco built the Frank H. Buck alongside her sister ship, the Lyman Stewart. Upon completion, these two tankers were purchased by separate oil companies: the Buck was owned by the Associated Oil Company and the Stewart Lyman was operated by Union Oil Company.
On October 7, 1922 the S.S. Stewart collided with a freighter, the S.S. Walter, in thick fog and wrecked at Land’s End in San Francisco Bay.
Two years later on May 3, 1924, the S.S. Frank Buck ran aground at Point Pinos in Monterey Bay. Fortunately the tanker was empty when it grounded and was able to be re-floated on May 17, 1924.
Another 15 years passed with the Buck running for Associated Oil until on March 6, 1937 she collided with the President Coolidge (some accounts say S.S. Hoover), coincidentally next to her sister ship at Land’s End in the San Francisco Bay.
What’s sort of remarkable is that after 23 years apart these two ships came to rest together, again side by side. From what I have read, the drama of the coincidence was irresistible to the local papers at the time and I can see why. There is something almost romantic about the story, as if these two ships just had to find each other again.
11:11 am • 9 December 2009
Bob - The Dalles. No date.
10:20 pm • 17 November 2009
“On the way to Arctic Valley.” 1956.
1:45 pm • 14 November 2009
Coit Tower, San Francsico, California. No date.
10:29 am • 10 November 2009
