When Photography Really Was: Plate #2

Many years ago I worked in a small neighborhood professional darkroom. We did all sorts of custom jobs for individuals and commercial clients. One of our specialties was handling old photographs.

One day a young girl came in with Grandma in tow. The desk person, Harriet, asked how she could help. The girl said, "Show her, Grandma." Whereupon Grandma handed over a small box of family glass plate negatives in various sizes. Harriet ran back to the darkroom to find me. The girl asked, "Can you do anything with these?" Absolutely.

These are straight contact prints from nine of those plates, made with Grandma's permission, that I was allowed to keep for myself. I thought it might be fun for everyone to see these. If you can fill in any additional details regarding locations, aircraft, cars, or anything else, please do. Especially possible original dates or time frames.

These contact prints date from around 1985. The photographs themselves seem to date from possibly the early 1900s. I know nothing more about their provenance other than that Grandma was a very nice lady.
This is a 3-1/2 x 6 inch plate.

Here we have a reminder that there was a time when making a photograph was considered an event worthy of planning and preparation.

One did not take out and set up a camera lightly. And all other activities stopped in order to accomplish the picture. Vehicles had to be arranged. Clothes had to be the Sunday best, clean and changed into. And apparently the dogs had to be corralled - albeit not very effectively, it seems. No blindly waving around a smartphone while holding the button down here. This was serious business.

Curiously, the license plates read in perfect sequence. Left-to-right they are "1-185-066", "1-185-065" and "1-185-067." And the vehicles all appear to be the same make. Or at least they have the same style hood ornament? A business fleet perhaps?

I believe those may be Eucalyptus trees. And none of the four dogs even looked at the camera or photographer.
 

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