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Saturday, March 14, 2015

First Selfie?


It might not be the very first, but certainly an early one!
Frank Sinatra, age 23, in his Hoboken bathroom mirror, 1938.

This, and a group of other never-before seen photos, 
are being shown as "The Sinatra Experience"
at the Morrison Hotel Gallery, NYC, this month.

It would be fun to see, wouldn't it?
I wonder what color those wall tiles were.


53 comments:

  1. Do you think that' same tin of talcum powder in the corner on the right? Whatever happened to talc?

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    1. Yes, talc! It's gone! The last powder to be around was Shower To Shower. Do you remember that? I wonder if they discovered it wasn't good for us...maybe breathing in that fine powder or something.

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    2. I read once that once you inhale talcum powder it stays in your system (or lungs or something). Your body doesn't have a way to get rid of it. I guess that makes a lot of us walking baby powder canisters...
      :0)

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    3. I thought it was something like that! I didn't grow up with it, so didn't use it on my kids or myself. But I know some people use it every day...starting in their baby's diaper.

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    4. If you google Shower to Shower, it's obvious it was linked to cancer...ovarian cancer, specifically. Wow. Better to just shower, period. ha.

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  2. very cool pic. That tile is black with some Easter egg color. Yellow or pink, maybe or would that have been more late 40's-early 50's? Have a great weekend Betsy. Taria

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    1. I've added the date...1938....so maybe it was just white and black?

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  3. You know, sometimes I hate my iPad. It just writes what it wants. I edited my post twice to say "do you think that's a tin of ...... " but it went its own sweet way anyhow. So. Under my own steam, and checking carefully for stupid predictive text: whatever did happen to talcum powder? Remember when we couldn't dry ourselves properly without it?

    I bet the tikes are either white or that weird turquoise that used to be so popular in the 1950s. (still battling with recalcitrant iPad).

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    1. My iPad does the exact same thing and if I happen to catch it before hitting Publish, it doesn't let me edit one word...I have to backspace over the whole darn comment. And of course, it only happens when I've written a novel of a comment! Very frustrating!

      The picture was taken in 1938 so it was before the lovely turquoise or pink! ha.

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  4. Now that is downright interesting!! Was he ever young. Haven't bathroom mirrors changed over the years. HaHa

    I have a picture of my sister and myself that was hand tented in pastel colors.

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    1. He looks like he's 13 instead of 23! hahaha...

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  5. OK third time lucky Betsy, I bet those tiles are either white or turquoise. V popular bathroom colour in the 50s turquoise.

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    1. What was popular in the 1930's? I'll have to do a google search!

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    2. Sudden thought. Why is he wearing a hat in the bathroom?

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    3. Hmm...Probably taking one last look before walking out the door. I do that...

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  6. My father saw Frank perform at a dance at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville in the early 1940's before he hit it big. I remember his saying Frank was very unimpressive (skinny, acne-faced) at least in my dad's opinion. Lynne in NC

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    1. Oh, isn't that interesting! Look how far he came!

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  7. Is that a cell phone he's holding?
    He looks like he's about 12 instead of 23.

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    1. haha...bet it's one of those cool little Brownies. He does look like a child, doesn't he?

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    2. He really does look like a little kid.

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  8. Yes, 'young' blue eyes himself, looking younger than 23 . . . . . looks like 'he did it his way' ~ maybe tiles were grey . . .
    He was a great singer wasn't he ~ his main equal was Dean Martin in my book . . . . both singers would make you purr like a kitten . . . . :)

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    1. I'll bet they did....but that was way before my time. ha.

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    2. Well I guess I shall have to sing instead . . . . rofl

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    3. Oh no! Don't sing Ed, the wallpaper will peel off. . . ha

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    4. At least you have blue eyes...

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    5. Ed, back in your painting days, is that how you removed the wall paper?

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    6. My voice was so 'appealing' . . . . ha

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    7. Why yes . . . golden tonsils . . . . . (believe that, believe anything!) . . . lol

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    8. You sing with your tonsils? Now I really MUST hear you sing!

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    9. OK . . . coming over ~ I see the backing 'crooners' are on your header already . . . rofl

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  9. I never did like Sinatra, there was something about him that didn't seem right. Mind you, he probably didn't like me either!

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    1. Was he way before your time, too?

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    2. No, he was too much in it. I am incredibly old you know.

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    3. Some of us younger chaps liked him . . . . lol

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  10. What a cool photo. I'm enjoying the comments too. I remember shower to shower!

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    1. Don't think of the commercial or that song will get stuck in your head! ha.

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  11. Never would have guessed that was him
    Taking a selfie on a whim
    Maybe he created it
    Black and white selfie fit

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    1. I have a selfie of my great uncle from way before that.
      But Blue Eyes did a great one in his black and white flat.
      They've been around much longer than we think
      and Kim Kardashian didn't invent a thing! haha.

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  12. Love this post.....lots of great comments. I agree, Frank looks very much younger than 23. I bet Nicole Curtis would know what color the tile was. LOL! Do you have her phone number? I'm guilty of putting baby powder on my kids bums. Lord, I hope I haven't ruined their lungs!

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    1. Nicole would know for sure! I'm thinking it was just white and black...wish I had her number. ha.

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  13. I love this!! And yes it would be very fun to see!! <3 Where did you find this photo Betsy, and may I share on Facebook? Before selfies existed, there was Frank Sinatra taking a selfie lol

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    1. I saw the story on the news last week. But I found the photo on the internet..just google Frank Sinatra selfie and you'll find it. Sure..put it on facebook....it's in the public now for all to see!

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  14. Cool photo - he looks like a boy. I lived in an older apartment at one point and it had an odd array of tile colours. The bathroom had three, in fact. Black, pink and turquoise - but predominantly pink. It was like living inside a bottle of Pepto Bismol.

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    1. The 50's were all about pink, weren't they? My parents had a pink phone by their bed with the curly cord. ha. Remember those?

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  15. What a cool photo! Oooh, I don't know what color they were, but I'm sure I would have loved them! ha! blessings ~ tanna

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  16. Cool!
    I'll bet the tiles were either green or pink.....
    Enjoy your evening...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. You might be right! Funny how those would not be our first choices now! ha.

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  17. I bet they were (plastic) coral, no pink for Sinatra! Ha! He looks sooooo young in this picture! And his ears are sticking out....I don't remember that.

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