Other People’s Photo Albums

You young people may not know this, but once upon a time, before digital photography, people used to collect photo albums. They would take up a great deal of space, and were usually only taken out for viewing when some friend or relative needed to be tortured.

Gazing at Great Aunt Mabel’s trip to Atlantic City in 1948 might be interesting for a few minutes, but not for an hour and a half. “Oh yes! That’s the seagull that attacked your poor Uncle Herman while he was trying to tie his shoe!” “And there’s our neighbor’s cat, Smokey. I wonder how that got in there?” Of course, Great Aunt Mabel finds this album fascinating, because it allows her to relive her experiences. To her, this is priceless. What price would you put on that seagull picture, though, if you’re honest?

And that got me thinking. What will become of all these photo albums once the older generations pass away? Will all those happy memories be left in someone’s attic to molder? Or will they simply be relegated to the landfill, covered up with rotting food and spare tires? I’d love to believe that they will be kept and cherished for generations, but somehow I doubt it. Just like the photos, memories will fade over time. Eventually people will not know who those people are, and what they are doing, and how important they are, and these bound representations of the best of someone’s life will evaporate into oblivion, or at most become a frustrating reminder that there are things about your family that you no longer know, and questions you should have asked while you could.

Maybe photo albums have life spans just like humans do.

[Image credit: postcardcollector.org]

Author: The View from a Drawbridge

I have been a bridgetender since 2001, and gives me plenty of time to think and observe the world. View all posts by The View from a Drawbridge