24 thoughts on “Tennis in the Alley”

1. Great pictures! Maybe he was doing a photo-shoot? The spectator under the telephone pole is dressed much more casually.

   Kathy M.

   1. I thought the guy under the telephone pole also had a tennis racket but it might be part of the car. Maybe he was demonstrating for someone. Or maybe he knew I would need a family photo for Sepia Saturday #132 in 2012 and he did it just for me!

2. That does look like unusual tennis attire.

3. Hi Kristin,
   Great pics. I think the other guy is definitely holding a tennis racket. They look like they’re actually playing a game the way they’re spaced out. But your uncle really should get a good pair of Addidas shoes! Playing in those good shoes in the alley would have ruined his shine.
   Nancy

   1. Did they even have addidas shoes in the 1940s? ;-D

4. I think your uncle was on his way somewhere else and stopped to show the other guy how it’s done. He seems to have a good backhand.

   1. Sounds reasonable.

5. Yes it looks as if he just couldn’t resist a quick demonstration before he put his jacket back on and went on his way to wherever he was going!

6. Your uncle’s heels are not practical unless it is a demonstration of how to play. Smart man.

   1. I agree with everybody who says it’s a demo.

7. I think he showed a few kids how to play! That’s what adults used to do with cricket or any other ball game. Lovely old photo.

8. Just a guess but it seems set up to me? Maybe he was modelling the suit and emphasising how comfortable it was? Look at the angle of the photos. One is taken from high up and the other from low so they don’t seem like just snapshots to me.

   1. My father and his brothers were serious about taking photos, using different angles, light, shadows, etc. Could have been just another day of photos in the Cleage household.

9. Roger Federer would approve of his sartorial elegance.

10. Much more elegant than shorts and T-shirts. Love the shadows in the photos.

11. Wonderful snapshots. If I had a new tennis racket to show off, I’d take it outside to test the swing, maybe hit a ball off the garage wall.

12. Great photos! I like Titania’s idea of him showing some kids how to play. That seems like a plausible explanation.

    1. Maybe but there are no kids in sight.

13. What a handsome man, he seems to be ready for something far more important and dashing then just tennis!

14. You have such a fun and interesting assortment of family photos to fit every Sepia Saturday theme. Wonder if this pic was taken on a Sunday after church?

15. You have the most amazing natural, unposed pictures in your family album, I have too many where everyone is saying “cheese.”

16. Kristin, I am always so impressed with your photographs. You have so many, such a variety of subjects, and they are so good!

17. yes, folks, I was blessed with a family that took so many photos, were good at it, had subjects who didn’t always pose and saved the photos! Hope I can do as well for future family members.

18. Definitely unusual tennis attire – maybe just letting off a little steam at the end of the day or just showing someone else how it was done!

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