Old Pictures

Three mystery photos for you. No fair looking, and, if you already know the answers, please wait just a bit before commenting so others can guess first.

This is a spread from an old 19th century photo album called Reminiscences of a Visit to Shaftesbury, dated 1892. Anything look familiar?

Any idea who this mystery woman might be? Clue: she wasn't actually in show biz.

Finally, know who this guy is? Life points for creative answers.  :-)

Answers to come!

Mike

Original contents copyright 2024 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

JTK: "Gotta have a 'Whole Lotta Love' '4' one of the pics in the first spread. See what I did there? —JTK"

KeithB: "I am pretty sure I know who the author is since I was looking her up (Is it OK to say it's a her?) because we watched the 2013 biopic the other day. Why do we need to wait to post the name? You can just hold it in moderation for a bit. Anyway, it is Helen Lyndon Goff, and the picture is on her Wikipedia page."

David Comdico: "Maybe in one of those homes there is a stairway to heaven."

AlexV: "Regarding the old photo album, any pictures of stairways or black dogs?"

hugh crawford: "I had read about the first one a while ago. One question: Do kids today read the name of that band and think it’s some sort of an L.E.D. light up sign on a blimp?

"The second will probably pop in to my head any moment now.

"I had the weirdest experience one time in elevator at the RCA building. Stepped onto the elevator, and it was Willard Scott, except that I didn’t recognize him. I mean, who watches television in the morning anyway? But he was super 'on' and did the whole celebrity-expects-you-to-recognize-them thing which I of course interpret as they recognize me. So I’m having this crazy conversation trying to figure out who this manic very large person who seems to know me is. I don’t think he was dressed like that, but the affect was pretty much the same."

Søren Engelbrecht: "In the photo album spread, the bottom-right picture shows one of the founding members of Led Zeppelin. Amazing that some of them are still active musicians today  :-) ."

David Raboin: "A spoonful of sugar helps buy the stairway to McDonald's and tells you tomorrow's weather."

Comments

[Patrick Perez]

I think the clown is Willard Scott.

Patrick

[Patrick Perez]

The bottom-right (as presented, bottom-left physically) photo in the album is the picture used for a Led Zepplin album. I read recently that the figure had finally been identified.

Patrick

[robert e]

1. Heck, yeah! Recognizable to most people who were teens in the 70s, I imagine.

2. My first thought was that Wonder Woman might have been real, but now I'm stumped.

3. No clue who's under the paint, but the logo is clear. I don't suppose it's one of the three original principals?

[Malcolm Myers]

The bottom right photo of the man with the sticks on is back is the picture on the front of the Led Zeppelin IV album cover.

[JOHN B GILLOOLY]

Zeppelin cover!

[Richard Sloves]

It is definitely not Bozo the Clown nor Clarabell, so I'm going with "Willard Scott".

[Mark B]

The guy carrying a bundle of sticks in the lower right of Reminiscences of a Visit to Shaftesbury appears on the album cover of Led Zeppelin IV. I bought the vinyl when it was released circa long ago. A great album, with Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, and Misty Mountain Hop among the tracks.

[Jim]

The original Ronald McDonald aka Willard Scott.

[Sean]

1: The Thatcher(?) is on the cover of Led Zepplin lV
2: Agatha Christie
3: Proof that Hamburglar was framed

[Rod S.]

Yes! The man with the bundle of sticks is familiar.

[Ken]

The first one, bottom right, looks to be the picture on the cover of Led Zeppelin IV. The others, no idea.

[DB]

#1. Led Zeppelin 4.

[Moose]

Cover of Led Zeppelin "Sticks" album (LZ IV). EZ for someone my age. \;~)>

Had to look P L Travers up.

Ronnie MacDonald.

[Kye Wood]

The last photo.

Either "Captain Dystopia" or... hey Mike - there are some things that once seen cannot be unseen.

Could you put extra creepy stuff like that photo behind a link with a warning? Only half kidding. Oi. The 60's.

[Debana]

The guy is Willard Scott as the original Ronald McDonald. I grew up in the Washington DC area and he was a local legend if you were a kid. Went to a birthday party at a McDonalds in the mid 1960's and he showed up. Milestone in my life.

[brian]

he is a stand in for just over half the members of congress

[Dominick Mistretta]

The top image was used by Led Zepplin for their 4th album cover known as Led Zepplin IV. Bottom picture while a guess could be from the original Jack in the Box fast food mascot.

[Dillan]

The photo of the guy with the bundle of sticks is on the cover of one of my favourite albums, the unnamed fourth album from Led Zeppelin. The clown is the original Ronald McDonald, I believe. I am not sure about the lady. My stab at it: "Lily" from "Pictures of Lily" from the Who.

[Tex Andrews]

Well, the last one is an early (original?) Ronald McDonald. In # 1, the guy with the faggot of sticks looks familiar---wasn't that used on an album cover from the '60's? Jethro Tull? Uriah Heep?(I didn't like either band...) And # 2 reminds me of an early Cecil Beaton,but it's probably too early for that. Then I wondered if it was a young Pamela Colman Smith....or maybe an older Alice Liddell---or one of her sisters?

[KeithB]

To answer the other two images - I am surprised that I think I know all three.
I believe that the image of the man with the sticks was used for an album cover for a Led Zeppelin or some other British super group.

Is the Ronald McDonald Dick Van Dyke?

[Randall]

The man with sticks in the first picture appears on the album cover of Led Zeppelin IV, and the third picture is of Willard Scott. The second picture? Haven't a clue.

[Tom Frost]

First one the guy with the sticks was on the album cover for Led Zeppelin 4 (still have the album!). Last one is Donald Trump's most successful gig.

[T. Edwards]

Unrelated but https://www.stampinformation.com/2024/stamps/ansel-adams

On one hand, great he's being recognized and perhaps somebody who's never heard of him will get a letter with one of those stamps andlook at his work.

On the other hand, badly printed, postage stamp sized Ansel Adams .....shudder.

[T. Edwards]

The gentleman in the photograph from the book is certainly carrying more than four sticks and I hope he doesn't have to climb any stairways. Maybe he's going to California?

[adamct]

I know the first one, but no idea on the others...I don't do well with identifying individuals...

[MarkB]

Easy first one: Led Zeppelin album cover photo (print found in a hock-shop I believe).
Second: I dunno - Virginia Woolf?
Third: Ronald McDonald in his early years, but no idea who is in the costume. One of the McDonald brothers? The guy who played Bozo?

[jp41]

The photo of the man bent over with a bundle of branches on his back looks like the one featured on the album cover of Led Zeppelin IV.

[James Meeks]

I’m just seeing this on Wednesday afternoon so I’m late to the party. First is the guy with sticks was on a Led Zeppelin album
cover, second I’m clueless but where her legs are is mysterious, third is Willard Scott as Ronald McDonald.

[David Lee]

The old man with the sticks will try to stop the levee from breaking, I guess.