Seventy five year old photographs Roll #15 ... 'They Shoot Horses Don't They?'

[JohnL]

Following on from roll #14 posted in this thread.

<snip>
Definitely in Austria I would say ... before or after her world cruise? Who knows!

Most likely before she left for her trip. IMO she looks younger in these shots.

 

[nikon_sam]

It would appear that all involved here, including the horse, are very calm and comfortable...
These are great shots...maybe taken by someone familiar with shooting these types of pictures...what I mean is that someone who is around horses and horse people will know what to look for and what to shoot to please the horse owner...
I've been shooting horse stuff for our daughter for the last ten years and I have shot just about all these angles...
Oh, I try to keep my shadow out of the shot...although in this shot it allows us to see that a female did these...and what a fine job she did...

It's also neat to see that all of the horse tack being used are things that our daughter would and does still use today...some things just don't need to change...

 

[Richard G]

Agree with John L, she does look younger, and Nikon Sam about the horse familiarity. And what man not selling the horse, which the joy in these photos rules out, would frame so many without Bettina's head? Did she have a sister? Likely to be earlier in the '30s and at home or the stables of a good friend and the photographer that friend, her mother or her sister. Hard to see anyone else doing it in quite this way.

 

[Richard G]

Or the photographer is selling this horse to Bettina......

 

[Keith]

I have a suspicion that the photos she's actually in here were taken by her brother Otto who she was very close to apparently. The next (and last 🙁) roll has a youngish male in it who uses the camera as much as she does and he's very profficient ... the photos of her are excellent. It looks like it's been shot mainly at the family home in Vienna!

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Don't know why but at first instance looking at these pictures my thoughts went to Italy...

Further the car must be from about 1933 when this Mercedes was around:

and this Cadillac:

 

[charjohncarter]

I like number 2, not composed well, but I'm certainly am not one to hold her ot it. Still a great shot. Cheers to Keith.

 

[Keith]

Don't know why but at first instance looking at these pictures my thoughts went to Italy...

Further the car must be from about 1933 when this Mercedes was around:

and this Cadillac:

That's actually very possible, I hadn't considered that ... according to the book she spent a lot of time in Italy and could speak the language fluently.

Another one of the damaged negatives gives a better look at the guy who's been lurking in the background ... possibly the owner of the horse ... or just the driver of the car?

I love these mystery rolls! 😀

 

[Richard G]

Yes, Keith, a brother could cut off his sister's head. But there is still the shadow in the long dress.

 

[bigeye]

Ron looks to be correct: sedan appears to be a Benz 500 Nurburg Sedan (W08), they were built until 1933-34 with this style.

MB 500. There is a good video on the on YouTube: search "benz w08" (I can't insert YouTube from the iPad.)

Could be the first ride on her "new" horse?


.

 

[Richard G]

What is the view through the Leica finder of that vintage? The framing looks like someone ignoring the framelines in an M and assuming the whole viewfinder image will be the shot. The second picture is beautifully balanced internally, but no justification for leaving out the horse's head.

 

[dcsang]

You know, in reviewing all of these rolls (so far) it's been interesting in noting how the images were taken.

We, now, tend to wring our hands and, perhaps, get overly concerned with framing, focus, edge-to-edge sharpness etc. etc. etc.

I wonder just how many of these photos (and, personally, I think there were quite a lot of them) were considered "wonderful mistakes". Taking a chance, not knowing "rules" or completely ignoring any "rules" learned, can and did produce wonderful images.

Chance, I believe, plays a huge part in any wonderful photograph.

Thanks again for these Keith.

Dave

 

[Keith]

What is the view through the Leica finder of that vintage? The framing looks like someone ignoring the framelines in an M and assuming the whole viewfinder image will be the shot. The second picture is beautifully balanced internally, but no justification for leaving out the horse's head.

I think the fact that the head was omitted indicates the actual purpose of these photos. Bettina was indeed in the market for this horse and wanted definitive studies of the form of the animal so she could go away and examine the photos closely before making a decision. The animal's dimensions and muscle structure would have been very important to her so the head didn't really need to be in the photo. Most of the pics taken have the same theme IMO ... they show purely what she wanted to see when she went away to make her judgement.

The rest of her life in Australia was based around her extensive knowledge of dressage horses. She was heavily involved in training up and coming riders in this country and she did a lot of judging at events where she was notorious for being very hard on competitors she felt didn't measure up to her exacting standards. She was quite unpopular in some circles because of this attitude apparently ... even with her own daughter Phyllis who critcises her mother quite severely in the book regarding this behaviour.

 

[Richard G]

That sounds spot on.

 

[Keith]

Roll #16 (the end) now posted in this thread.

 

[JohnL]

I'm sort of wondering if a professional photographer was hired for the day to get the shots of this horse?

Doubtful. A pro in those days would have been unlikely to use 35mm or to surrender the negs.

What a great series! Many thanks!

 

[JohnL]

What is the view through the Leica finder of that vintage? The framing looks like someone ignoring the framelines in an M and assuming the whole viewfinder image will be the shot. The second picture is beautifully balanced internally, but no justification for leaving out the horse's head.

If the car is 1933 or 34, the photos are 1933 or later. The early Leicas (model I at least) did not have framelines. The M series did not emerge until the 50s.