Friday, June 09, 2006

SHODDY, SECOND-RATE, POST-SURGERY ARTICLE #2

By the time you read this I will have had my eye cut up and I'll be on my sofa sporting a towel-size bandage on my face. I probably won't be in a mood to post anything much so here's the solution, a dip into Uncle Eddie's extensive photo archive. I call these...


MY ''INDIANA JONES'' PICTURES

The man in the first picture (above) is an executioner at the court the court of an Indian maharaja, circa 1910. All of these pictures were taken in the i910s and 20s.

Above, 3 Sikh police officers from the Punjab. Below a Cambodian monarch.



Above a somewhat European-looking Algerian woman. Possibly her mother was a European captured and enslaved by Barbery pirates. Below: I don't know. I've never seen buildings like this before.



Above: a Bhuddist temple in India. Below: a chieftain in Gambia



Above: a sultan of the island of Celebes, surrounded by his bodyguard. Below: a narrow rattan bridge spans a chasm across a Formosan jungle.



Above: an island chief in the Solomons. Below:?

Above: war canoe, Solomon Islands

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

These pictures make me think of Tintin!

A lot of people in Algeria look "european".

Hope you get well soon.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Those are fascinating!

I like old colorized photography, and the techniques they used back in the late 1800's - early 1900's. The craftsmanship of the hand-inking is striking, and I like how it gives the pictures an almost idealized portrait of the subjects. You can even see the subtly-drawn lines (almost an outline on some) on the figures and retouching of the faces and clothing to accentuate their features. Almost gives the pictures an eerie unreal quality, at least to me. I find them fascinating.

Thanks Uncle Eddie, and speedy recovery!

-RM-

Ryan Khatam said...

WOW!! these are some really crazy pictures. it looks like that jungle bridge pic was referenced for 'Temple of Doom' (steve's favorite movie)

kp said...

A swift recovery to you!

Those photographs are awesome. I'm with the anonymous fellow who commented on the inking techniques. It's like a form of impressionism done on a celluloid canvas. There are inking kits today but the work done from them- that I have seen anyway- doesn't have the same impact that these do. The buildings are breathtaking but that bridge---I find it to be the most spectacular of them all.

I also think the "rant chair" thing a few posts back is a fun idea, so here is my 'movie" rant if you'd like to give it a look.

My other blog

Great blog,by the way. These topics are quite intersting and insightful. I think I'll be checking this place out more!

Jennifer said...

You get well, Uncle Eddie, and rest your eye. :)

Anonymous said...

Back to work, you malingerer!

Hey, wanna compare eyeball war stories? Mine still smoke occasionally...

Auntie Gruesome

Anonymous said...

help! I can't find the Gambian Chieftan's Nipples!

Des

Anonymous said...

Eddie,

Once your sight fully recovers, you must read (if you haven't already) "Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper" by Mark Cotta Vaz. Before making the original "King Kong" Cooper and his pal Ernest Shoedsack explored the most unreachable corners of the world, living with tribes not unlike those pictured in your very collection. This book was published last fall and makes for quite a diverting read.

Tom Minton

JohnK said...

Hi Eddie,

I think you meant Bob McKimson, not Tom.

You should put up some clips from these movies so people can see how great they are!