Smokin' - Sepia Saturday 175

The theme for this week's Sepia Saturday post is smoking and anything else associated with the prompt image on the blog e.g. black cats, vending machines and so on.

I am kind of excited about this theme because it gives me a chance to highlight an interesting series of photos found in my maternal grandfather's collection i.e. those belonging to Thomas McLouglin (1898 - 1982).     

Seated Smoker

 I don't know who is who in any of these photos or whether any of them are my grandfather.  It's hard to tell.  I suspect that they are friends, brothers or cousins.  I have a memory of my mother saying that her cousin was a photographer and there does seem to be a lot of posing going on and experimenting with light and contrast so, maybe her cousin's father owned the photography business first and then passed it on to his son.  

Spivs

Here are some more photos of the likely lads.  They look rather sharp don't you think?  I think that could be my grandfather in the background. 

Last but not least, this next photo appears in the album three times: twice as postcards and I think that this is the original.

 

Silhouette of smoker

 Once again, nothing on the back identifies the smoker (to my mind anyway)...but there is a lot of writing in pencil.  I suspect it is a list of horses' names (my grandfather did like to be on the ponies)

What do you think?

Back of silhouette photo

Anyway it all rather puts me in mind of this scene from Little Caesar from 1930 starring Edward G. Robinson.

Little Caesar 1930

It would be remiss of me not to note the time honoured tradition (now rather politically incorrect) of "Smoko" in Australia.

Here is a photo from the other side of the family.  Taken in the 1950s it is I suspect in Springwood where some friends have gathered to play cards.  My paternal grandparents are seated at the front: Edwin Arthur Conner on the right and his wife Ethel perched on the arm of the chair next to him.  My father is behind her and I expect he drafted the sign.  My father was fantastic at parties always decorating and hanging up signs with rules for games and so on.

The Crums, The Neils and The Conners

 "Smoko" is possibly a very Australian phrase and if you want to know more about it I suggest you read John O'Grady's Aussie Etiket which will set you straight.  Leura Books is having a half price sale on fiction this weekend.  Or you could go to the UQ Alumni Book Fair.

And now black cats.  I've had a few in my life: Sooty, Yum Yum and Rambo.

I had hoped to post a photo but it seems to be taking an inordinately long time to load photos today so I've given up.

I shall leave you instead with a cartoon (for want of a better word) of one of my favourite black cats - Norman Lindsay's Fuzz Buzz.  Norman Lindsay, an artist,  used to live at Springwood too.  Fuzz Buzz was a studio cat.  If you want to read more about him, I urge you to get a copy of the wonderful volume Norman Lindsay Artful Cats introduced by Meg Stewart.  It's just beautiful.

 

Norman Lindsay's Fuzz Buzz

For more black cat and smoking stories go to Sepia Saturday.