# People in 1905 really did laugh—a timeless photo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183 "2010-07-10T03:06:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/21 "2010-07-10T16:01:57Z")
I started a thread once called “What photos does everybody have in their family albums?”- things like “baby destroying a birthday cake” and “70s glamour shot with profile and face”, etc… One response that made me laugh because it’s so true was ‘people in suits and ties and nice dresses standing outside looking like they’re on a picnic but nobody’s smiling’ (or words to that effect). It’s nice to see they did sometimes enjoy themselves. I wonder if the Y with the S over it that looks like dollar marks was a logo for the swimwear or a school logo. The creepiest thing by far though is the young guy on the left with the crossed arms and curly hair. He seems to be looking at the little girl… and getting wood. ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/22 "2010-07-10T17:05:58Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I wonder if the Y with the S over it that looks like dollar marks was a logo for the swimwear or a school logo. I think it’s SM, and I’d bet cash that it’s his initials. There was this thing in the 1890s’-1900’s for girlfriends/wives/sisters/moms to embroider their guys’ initials on _every damn thing_ he owned: underwear, nightshirt, nightcap, tobacco pouch, sofa cushion, slippers, washcloth… a bathing suit would be a prime target. I see four guys with initials on their chests in this picture. Two SM’s; maybe one got a hand-me-down? Or the family went for theme naming… ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/23 "2010-07-10T17:30:30Z")
never mind ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/24 "2010-07-10T17:32:15Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > The creepiest thing by far though is the young guy on the left with the crossed arms and curly hair. He seems to be looking at the little girl… and getting wood. Oops. I thought you meant the guy on the far left- he is the creepiest, especially if you stare at him. EEK! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/25 "2010-07-10T17:47:20Z")
> [@JR\_Brown](#): > > I think it’s SM, and I’d bet cash that it’s his initials. There was this thing in the 1890s’-1900’s for girlfriends/wives/sisters/moms to embroider their guys’ initials on _every damn thing_ he owned: underwear, nightshirt, nightcap, tobacco pouch, sofa cushion, slippers, washcloth… a bathing suit would be a prime target. I see four guys with initials on their chests in this picture. Two SM’s; maybe one got a hand-me-down? Or the family went for theme naming… Say, that one girl must be going with Vernon Davis. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/26 "2010-07-10T18:57:54Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I love the guy who looks like Teddy Roosevelt as Uncle Fester on the far right. That’s beachwear I could pull off. (I wonder what colors it came in?) Any color you want it, as long as it’s black. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/27 "2010-07-10T19:05:19Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I wonder if the Y with the S over it that looks like dollar marks was a logo for the swimwear or a school logo. I’m guessing it’s a swim or boating club logo, but I’m probably wrong. The boy between the guy and the woman he’s making smile appears to be their son, and I’d guess he’s about 17. I love the two mustachioed guys near the left. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/28 "2010-07-10T19:06:21Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I can’t tell if Ma over on the right standing in front of Fester Roosevelt is missing teeth, just has big gaps or if it’s the lighting. The lady in with the shower cap on her head? She looks just like my great aunt Sybilla. I wonder if anyone in this picture was on their honeymoon? Atlantic City used to be the place to go. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/29 "2010-07-10T20:35:35Z")
I love this photo. I think the out-of-focus kid in the front is Scott Farkus. The picture is black-and-white so you can’t see his yellow eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/30 "2010-07-11T00:40:55Z")
> [@MissSwitac](#): > > The guy smiling in the center between funny guy and head holding girl is really cute. I’d go for him if I was there. Snap - that’s who caught my eye too! I tend to do that with old photos - see who could be considered good looking by today’s standards, and who would look completely 1905 even if they were alive today. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/31 "2010-07-11T00:53:57Z")
The kneeling woman near the center has apparently claimed a chunk of the boardwalk as a souvenir. Oh, and as for the SM logo on two shirts, I’m guessing it’s a school logo. “St. Mark’s,” maybe? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/32 "2010-07-11T01:59:15Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > The kneeling woman near the center has apparently claimed a chunk of the boardwalk as a souvenir. I was sort of wondering if maybe that was a stick for stickball with Roosevelt (the fella on the far right). See how he’s holding a ball? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/33 "2010-07-11T02:44:34Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I was sort of wondering if maybe that was a stick for stickball with Roosevelt (the fella on the far right). See how he’s holding a ball? Wow, that’s gonna be an uneven match. I bet Fester Roosevelt can bring the fucking heat. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/34 "2010-07-11T02:47:20Z")
> [@](#): > > I love this photo. I think the out-of-focus kid in the front is Scott Farkus. The picture is black-and-white so you can’t see his yellow eyes. It’s Scutt Farkus, not Scott. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/35 "2010-07-11T02:53:05Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Is that Willem DaFoe’s grandfather behind the kid in the polka-dot hat? Darn you, I had the exact same thought. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/36 "2010-07-11T03:01:31Z")
I love how the guy in the stripey suit is gazing down at his wife and child. Now there’s a man in love. . . ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/37 "2010-07-11T04:04:22Z")
Thanks, **minor7flat5** , for linking the site. nosing around it, I found [this young woman from 1926.](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8054?size=_original) I have no problem comprehending that our same range of the color spectrum was visible to the human eye even before the advent of color photography, but I can’t wrap my head around people wearing wool swimming suits, or wool anything, for that matter, in the summer heat. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/38 "2010-07-11T04:08:41Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Thanks, **minor7flat5** , for linking the site. nosing around it, I found [this young woman from 1926.](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8054?size=_original) Hubba hubba! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/39 "2010-07-11T04:24:55Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I love how the guy in the stripey suit is gazing down at his wife and child. Now there’s a man in love. . . Except that’s his _sister-in-law_ and his _niece!_ :eek: I do like how everyone is imposing their own interpretations on the picture. It’s like a photographic Rorschach test. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/40 "2010-07-11T04:47:30Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Thanks, **minor7flat5** , for linking the site. nosing around it, I found [this young woman from 1926.](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8054?size=_original) We have a couple of DVDs of vintage pornography, short films from the early decades of the 20th century. One that’s a hoot is from France, a lady giving a BJ to some guy out in the countryside beside an old car, 1920s I think, and they keep looking furtively around to make sure they’re not happened upon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183.md?page=3)