ID this 1950s California poster?
April 30, 2015 5:26 PM Subscribe
The headline is "Better Not Start Anything", and it's shown in this photo from this book, California Surfing and Climbing in the Fifties.
My guess is it's a post-WW2 fire safety poster based on the headline and the illustration style, but I'm coming up blank in my searches. Help?
My guess is it's a post-WW2 fire safety poster based on the headline and the illustration style, but I'm coming up blank in my searches. Help?
Wait, you're actually talking about the poster Harding is holding...hmm.
posted by LionIndex at 6:39 PM on April 30, 2015
posted by LionIndex at 6:39 PM on April 30, 2015
Tineye returns no results if I crop the image down to just the poster; the photo I linked is the only other occurence of the photo you linked.
posted by LionIndex at 6:56 PM on April 30, 2015
posted by LionIndex at 6:56 PM on April 30, 2015
Best answer: You might be able to narrow down the time frame a little. The woman in the middle is Corky Corthell. She worked at Yosemite as the climbing sign out ranger from 1951-56 (source? I hang out on the Supertopo forums too much, probably from there).
Furthermore, I'm going to guess that the photo was taken in 54 or 55 because it's a Bob Swift pic and Bob Swift did some great articles and pic takin' then about their climbs, and the clothing/hair fits his pics from that time.
I'm also gonna take a wild stab that it isn't a poster. With the fold in the middle, the crinkling, the edging & size, and the way he's holding it that it's the back page of a newspaper or newspaper like thing. Notice the way it's crinkling under his fingers like there's some thickness to it.
So, it could be an ad in a newspaper like the Mariposa Gazette or if Yosemite National Park printed a paper back then to hand out to visitors it could be that. It might be possible to look into that.
Another avenue of investigation is that you could contact Ken Yager, President of the Yosemite Climbing Association. He's curated a TON of those photos and is responsible for a lot of the high quality scans you see online from those days. He might have an idea either directly or know who to ask since he's either responsible for the Bob Swift collection or knows who is.
posted by barchan at 7:02 PM on April 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Furthermore, I'm going to guess that the photo was taken in 54 or 55 because it's a Bob Swift pic and Bob Swift did some great articles and pic takin' then about their climbs, and the clothing/hair fits his pics from that time.
I'm also gonna take a wild stab that it isn't a poster. With the fold in the middle, the crinkling, the edging & size, and the way he's holding it that it's the back page of a newspaper or newspaper like thing. Notice the way it's crinkling under his fingers like there's some thickness to it.
So, it could be an ad in a newspaper like the Mariposa Gazette or if Yosemite National Park printed a paper back then to hand out to visitors it could be that. It might be possible to look into that.
Another avenue of investigation is that you could contact Ken Yager, President of the Yosemite Climbing Association. He's curated a TON of those photos and is responsible for a lot of the high quality scans you see online from those days. He might have an idea either directly or know who to ask since he's either responsible for the Bob Swift collection or knows who is.
posted by barchan at 7:02 PM on April 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
You might be able to ask the photographer directly as well. (He was climbing with Warren Harding in those days.) I forgot Bob Swift was or still is on the Supertopo forums or I would have linked to it earlier. He goes by the name Swifter (I can't link to his profile directly); you'll have to create a login. You could find him on this page, for example, which is also where I read about Corky Corthell (I was looking for that actual source). Ken Yager is also on those forums - he goes by Chicken Skinner.
posted by barchan at 7:18 PM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by barchan at 7:18 PM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You may be right about the fire poster idea. The photo by the look of it was most likely taken at the climbers camp, a place to become so famous as camp 4 that public sentiment prevented the park service from shutting it down.
From http://campingatyosemite.com/camp_4_campground.htm we get:
Camp 4 Yosemite Shuttle Stop 7 is situated near the Yosemite Lodge Yosemite Shuttle Stop 8 and is the closest campground to El Capitan. Camp 4 is renowned for being the rock climbers camp and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its nationally significant role in the development of rock climbing as a sport.
My guesstimation is Warren Harding on the left, Royal Robbins on the right and Tom Frost next to the unknown lovely lady. But definitely taken in camp 4. The photo shows two things the camp is well known for; famous climbers and parties.
posted by Jim_Jam at 7:35 PM on April 30, 2015
From http://campingatyosemite.com/camp_4_campground.htm we get:
Camp 4 Yosemite Shuttle Stop 7 is situated near the Yosemite Lodge Yosemite Shuttle Stop 8 and is the closest campground to El Capitan. Camp 4 is renowned for being the rock climbers camp and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its nationally significant role in the development of rock climbing as a sport.
My guesstimation is Warren Harding on the left, Royal Robbins on the right and Tom Frost next to the unknown lovely lady. But definitely taken in camp 4. The photo shows two things the camp is well known for; famous climbers and parties.
posted by Jim_Jam at 7:35 PM on April 30, 2015
Left to right: Warren Harding, Bob Swift, Mary Ann "Corky" Corthell and Frank Tarver
posted by LionIndex at 7:56 PM on April 30, 2015
posted by LionIndex at 7:56 PM on April 30, 2015
I cropped the poster then did a google image search. No hits or anything close.
posted by Homer42 at 7:54 AM on May 1, 2015
posted by Homer42 at 7:54 AM on May 1, 2015
Response by poster: Good info, everyone!
barchan, I'll reach out to Ken Yager and Bob Swift, or maybe someone else at the YCA recalls that item. Camp 4 is a likely setting for the photo.
also you guys just opened a whole rabbit hole of climbing minutiae
posted by a halcyon day at 11:14 AM on May 1, 2015
barchan, I'll reach out to Ken Yager and Bob Swift, or maybe someone else at the YCA recalls that item. Camp 4 is a likely setting for the photo.
also you guys just opened a whole rabbit hole of climbing minutiae
posted by a halcyon day at 11:14 AM on May 1, 2015
If you enjoy climbing minutiae, you might enjoy the film Valley Uprising that just came out (if you haven't already seen it). It's really well done. Link to the trailer.
posted by barchan at 11:36 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by barchan at 11:36 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by the Real Dan at 5:33 PM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]