Interesting Old Photo

WorldKey

WorldKey

Member
Original Poster
Not sure if anyone has seen this of if it has been posted in the past.....1939 picture of a General Store. Remind anyone of anything? Must have been used by the Imagineers as a reference since it bares such a striking resemblance.....even a couple of the poses....
AAGenStore.jpg

http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/the-american-adventure/gallery/31mar2010-show-sets/10380.htm
 
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MaryJaneP

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
Whether this photo was used or not, absent an attribution by the imagineers, appears to me to be tenuous at best. It is probably incapable of calculation how many "General Stores" were in ramshackle buildings that were essentially similar to the photo and the attraction. Wow, you mean people collected on the porch? How unique! I personally do not see the resemblance.
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
MaryJaneP said:
Whether this photo was used or not, absent an attribution by the imagineers, appears to me to be tenuous at best. It is probably incapable of calculation how many "General Stores" were in ramshackle buildings that were essentially similar to the photo and the attraction. Wow, you mean people collected on the porch? How unique! I personally do not see the resemblance.
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I had always assumed the connection was clear. Dorothea Lange's Depression photography is iconic, to the extent that it serves to define the most resonating images of the period.
It's a rare American History textbook that doesn't include at least one of her photographs in the section about the Depression.

dorothea-lange-migrant-mother-photo.jpg
 
MaryJaneP

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
Certainly possible, I just fail to see the direct link. Yes, depression-era photography by Lange is iconic. It certainly captures an tragic era in our history without question. The thread seems to be whether a picture of a general store, with multiple tree-trunk pillars on an overpopulated porch, elevated off the ground apparently by stones, several steps high from the surrounding dirt, and having a chesterfield ad as the predominant sign on the store, was used as the image to evoke the Disney display. The Disney result has none of the aforementioned attributes. Is chesterfield, as a brand of cigarette, even still in existence? Again, I do not see a direct link between the photo and the Disney display.
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
MaryJaneP said:
Certainly possible, I just fail to see the direct link. Yes, depression-era photography by Lange is iconic. It certainly captures an tragic era in our history without question. The thread seems to be whether a picture of a general store, with multiple tree-trunk pillars on an overpopulated porch, elevated off the ground apparently by stones, several steps high from the surrounding dirt, and having a chesterfield ad as the predominant sign on the store, was used as the image to evoke the Disney display. The Disney result has none of the aforementioned attributes. Is chesterfield, as a brand of cigarette, even still in existence? Again, I do not see a direct link between the photo and the Disney display.
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I'm having a bit of a problem understanding what you are trying to convey. No chesterfields do not currently exist, but what difference does that make? The show in American Adventure is history, why wouldn't it be depicted by in a sense drawing inspiration from a photo of an actual place during the actual time. What point am I missing? Why is it important if it came from someone incredibly active imagination or from a famous picture of the time. The looks of that building and the general atmosphere is just to close to not be connected. They weren't like McDonalds with the same building plan no matter where you went. To have more then one store, even in this country that looked so much like that one is about a million to one. People built their own places back then, no blueprints.
 
MaryJaneP

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
The point is the inspiration I see is the era, not the photo. However, you are right, it is not important. Your odds share as much factual basis as mine do. You see it as too similar to not be connected, I do not. In this great country, we are both able to believe whatever we want to believe. Enjoy the photo and the show.
 
Gabe1

Gabe1

Ivory Tower Squabble EST 2011. WINDMILL SURVIVOR
I have not seen the photo before and I am surprised I have not tripped across it before.

I believe that old photo has to be the starting point. So cool. Makes the attraction even more amazing than it is already was. I'll never look at that portion the same way again. Thanks for posting.
 
WorldKey

WorldKey

Member
Original Poster
MaryJaneP said:
Certainly possible, I just fail to see the direct link. Yes, depression-era photography by Lange is iconic. It certainly captures an tragic era in our history without question. The thread seems to be whether a picture of a general store, with multiple tree-trunk pillars on an overpopulated porch, elevated off the ground apparently by stones, several steps high from the surrounding dirt, and having a chesterfield ad as the predominant sign on the store, was used as the image to evoke the Disney display. The Disney result has none of the aforementioned attributes. Is chesterfield, as a brand of cigarette, even still in existence? Again, I do not see a direct link between the photo and the Disney display.
Click to expand...

MaryJaneP said:
The point is the inspiration I see is the era, not the photo. However, you are right, it is not important. Your odds share as much factual basis as mine do. You see it as too similar to not be connected, I do not. In this great country, we are both able to believe whatever we want to believe. Enjoy the photo and the show.
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Wow - kind of Debbie Downer......there is a lot of resemblance between the AA set and this picture - please look at the positioning of some of the set pieces and 'people'. Again - the word is 'resemblance'....I didn't start this thread because it was just a picture of a General Store......I don't even know why I'm explaining.....most people see what I see....it's too bad some 'professional' always needs to spoil it for everyone.....

http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/the-american-adventure/gallery/31mar2010-show-sets/10380.htm
 
KCheatle

KCheatle

Well-Known Member
WorldKey said:
Not sure if anyone has seen this of if it has been posted in the past.....1939 picture of a General Store. Remind anyone of anything? Must have been used by the Imagineers as a reference since it bares such a striking resemblance.....even a couple of the poses....
View attachment 38279
http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/the-american-adventure/gallery/31mar2010-show-sets/10380.htm
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I got your point OP. When I first saw this pic, I thought immediately of the AA show. If that set wasn't inspired by this pic, then that is quite a coincidence!
 

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