sweasel.com

I like the front/profile pics in one shot using the mirror. Simple and effective, assuming adequate light. Film, or rather plates I guess, were probably relatively expensive in the late 19th C.

Stuff like that appeals to me: simple and thoughtful and effective.

Stoatie and Uncle B. – I do hope the weather is agreeable and you have good stories to tell from the weekend fêtes.

Has anyone any idea why they are displaying their hands in that way?

The Mustelids are puzzled….

Attention mustelids.

In the linked article is this statement–> “In many pictures criminals are forced to hold up their hands because some had fingers or thumbs missing – and these features were used by the police to identify them.”

And here I was all set to panic…

I thought the hands were a gang sign or sumpin.

Um… read, AliceH? Bajas carnt read!

(shuffles off looking very embarrassed)

Anyone notice the beautiful handwriting on the arrest reports? Like the census records on Ellis Island, the old-timers had great cursive skill.

Of course, common core in the US is all sbout dropping cursive handwriting altogether — irrelevant in the era of iPhones and voice input.

At the historical society where I work, I had to retrieve some papers from the archive for a scholar to study. They’re the personal accounts of someone from the 17th Century who left behind loads and loads of written material. The handwriting is gorgeous and highly legible.

I said something to the historian about it and she said, “oh, yes. That’s when he is slowing down and writing important things. When he’s in a hurry, his handwriting is as sloppy as anyone’s.”

Easy for someone with the skill of good handwriting to be sloppy. The reverse… not.

Also – good handwriting requires consistent practice. I used to have quite decent penmanship. Now, not so much. 🙁

The top centre one looks like Leo Messi and considering that he’s in a bit of hot water for telling porkies on his tax return… Could be a relative?

Well, if the blog went down over the weekend, I missed it!

I want to know what will happen to signatures as a generation grows to adulthood without ever learning cursive. Will people be printing their name to “sign” a check, document, or contract? What’s next, “make your ‘mark’ here (i.e. X)” for people who can’t write at all due to being brought up only typing and texting?

No, it’s actually migrating right now, as we speak. Any comments you make (or posts I make) may or may not make it across. Just saying.

I know I just feel smarter when I write rather than print. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/memory-medic/201303/why-writing-hand-could-make-you-smarter

OK, Pysch Today isn’t real medical advice, but still. Obama has awful handwriting too…

Is it me or does number 5 look like Amelia Earhart.

It says something about the times then, when missing or disfigured digits were so commonplace it was the default setting for a mugshot.