Question about an old photo

Dixie

This is a photo taken by a photographer who traveled around with a Shetland Pond, fairly big camera (maybe 5x7 sheet film) and cowboy and cowgirl outfits. He would take photos of the kids in costume on the pony. He would then return later in the week with print which he hope to sell to the parents. No money exchanged hands unless the parents decided they wanted the photo. I am interested in finding out more about these old time photographers who were only around for maybe 10 or 15 years after WWII. I was hoping that someone knew something about these old time niche photographers. I would appreciate any information that anyone can provide on their origin, history, etc. I am interested in finding out of they worked entirely on their own or if they were company photographers, etc.

Me, circa 1947.



Here is some of the info I have been able to find which is very little.

https://www.pinterest.com/buffaloranch/old-photos-of-kids-on-ponies/

sarasphotos

My parents have two sets of pictures of us from the 50's that I'm sure were taken by a similar type of photographer. He covered the couch with a white sheet and took them in the living room. Southern California in about '53 & '57. I'll ask my siblings if they remember anything (the first was before I was born and in the 2nd I was too young to remember).

reyvee61

Just about everyone I know including myself have one of these pics.

Dixie

Thanks for the responses. Most people my age or 10-15 years younger tend to have at least one of these photos. In my research I have determine that for 1-15, maybe 10-20 years this was done all over the country. No Internet in those days so the primary forms of advertising was newspapers and radio and a little television the latter half of this phenomenon. Of course, after the end of the way and a lot of kids being born (the baby boomer generation), this turns out to have been marketing coup for the guys and gals doing it. Just think what a draw that little Shetland pony was everywhere it went. I personally don't think that they had to do much advertising. The Shetland Pony was the draw. These guys primarily used 5x7 sheet film and cameras. That means that they didn't need to travel with much in the way of developing lab. The prints would be contact prints directly from the 5x7 negative which could have been done right in a hotel/motel room. I don't think they ever offered enlargements or "package" deals with so many of each size, etc.

I just figured that it took a substantial amount of travel and the photographers were pretty nomadic as opposed to working just one area. I bet they were very interesting people to get to know. One thing that I've heard is that they were nicknamed "The Kidnappers." Not because they actually kidnapped the kids, but because of the attention the Shetland Pony caused and I can imagine many a kid wandering off to get their photos taken. The photographer would take the photo without permission of the parents in many cases then ask the child where he/she lived and then he would show up with the print in hand to try and sell it to the parent a day or so later - and in many cases the parent(s) didn't even know the photo had been taken.

At any rate, I would just like to find out a lot more about the phenomenon, how it got started (who wrote the business plan or developed the concept), who the people were doing this work, if each photographer was a lone wolf or was there an Olan G. Mills lurking somewhere in the background, etc., etc.
Other than finding loads of the photographs, I have NOT been able to find any significant amount of information on the Shetland Pony Photographers. I would even be interested in finding out what happened to all the ponies. There must have been tens of thousands of them. Where were they kept at night. For all I know the photographer got a double room and put the pony in the second bed - just kidding of course, but where did they keep the ponies at night - maybe in a live stock trailer?

Again, I would be very appreciative if anyone can help point me in the right direction with links, etc. ...and if luck would have it, I would love to find a couple of the photographers and interview them for my personal enlightenment, but who knows - maybe there is a book in this somewhere. I did do a book search on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble without any luck.

reyvee61

There's not a lot of info on this online either though quite a few queries.

Dixie

reyvee61 wrote: »

There's not a lot of info on this online either though quite a few queries.

Yes, I know. I been searching for days before I started hitting the book outlets. I won't give up yet. Hopefully, there is someone with one of these photographers in their family who hasn't passed away who would let me interview them. I am definitely not out to cast anything bad their way. I am just interested In the subject matter and would like to know more about what, how, when and where from a first hand source.

Cavalier

Just thought I'd add a couple from my family - #1 my cousin circa 1948 or 49 and my sister, circa 1950 or 51. Somewhere in my arsenal of family photos, there is one of me as well. These are both on the West Coast (San Francisco Bay Area) post WWII - not sure if there were any around prior to that.

Cousin Tommy around 1948 or 9



Sister Jeanne, around 1950 or 51

Dixie

Cavalier wrote: »

Just thought I'd add a couple from my family - #1 my cousin circa 1948 or 49 and my sister, circa 1950 or 51. Somewhere in my arsenal of family photos, there is one of me as well. These are both on the West Coast (San Francisco Bay Area) post WWII - not sure if there were any around prior to that.

Great. Thanks for the location info. thumb

divamum

I found quite a few blogs, pages, and articles by searching "pony photographer" (without the "Shetland" - it doesn't actually look like a Shetland to me, which is why I tried that!). Don't know if that's all stuff you've already seen, but worth a try..... interesting stuff!

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