Letting go, storing photos and a little me

The hardest part of de-cluttering is letting go memories.  Japanese tidying expert Marie Kondo recommends leaving old photos until last, as they are the hardest to part with. She says that many people have a box of old photos that they  are going to sort out 'one day', and that 'one day' often never arrives.

Vintage Zebras

Vogue cover, 1926

Zebras have always been one of my favourite animals -  they're like small horses, but with really amazing fashion sense. 

Stewie the pony clipped zebra style

Because of their resemblance to horses there has always been great interest in taming and training zebras as riding and harness animals. 

A zebra-driven taxi cab leaving Brixton and heading for Stockwell in 1915

Given their nature Zebra's seem to be a odd choice for a pulling animal. The few photos available of Zebra hitches all seem to be from around the same time period. It is as if it was one of those things that "seemed like a good idea at the time," and after everyone had tried their hand at it the practice was abandoned.

In 1866 Zebra's were introduced to Central Park Zoo in New York City.

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There are three species of zebras: the plains zebra, the Grévy's zebra and the mountain zebra.  In 1899 a pair of rare Cape Mountain Zebras were photographed at the London Zoo. The female (feeding) had been bred in Amsterdam, which was an achievement as these animals were often very aggressive with one another. Indeed, the male in this photograph died in 1909 as a result of injuries inflicted by another female.

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Here is someone riding a zebra at the Wingfield zoo, c. 1900

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Zebras grazing happily at Rhodes Farm, Cape Town, c.1905.

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Zebras at the zoo in Philadelphia, c. 1906.

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A Band Of Zebras at the Chicago Zoo, around 1909.

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I'm not sure if this is the same zoo in Chicago - Lincoln Park Zoo.

Zebras at Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago c. 1911 source

They look to have had a better enclosure than the zebra(s) at the Milwaukee-Washington Park zoo.

Milwaukee-Washington Park zoo c. 1911 source

Could this be the same Zebra?

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This photograph taken outside the London Zoological Society offices in 1914 shows one of the zoo's earliest forays into marketing.Four zebras pull a cart advertising a brand of tea. Paying passengers were able to sit alongside the driver.

Four Zebras and advertising cart, 1914. source

Like mules, donkey/horse crosses, these animals would seem better suited to pulling carts than purebred zebras. “Zebroid, zedonk, zorse, zebra mule, zonkey, and zebrule” -  these are the names of the offspring of any cross between a zebra, usually the stallion, and any other equine; however, the offspring of a donkey sire and zebra dam is called a “zebra hinny” or “donkra”, but are rare.

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Two zebroids (zebra/ass hybrids) drawing a cart in 1915, source

Grevy's zebra of East Africa is immune to tsetse fly and colonists once viewed it as a substitute for the mule. The zebra's stripes are thought to change the polarization of the light around them, making them less attractive to biting insects.

A zebra pair harnessed between mules in Kenya, 1929 source.

Famous African explorer, Osa Johnson, on her trained zebra, circa 1930  source

Viola Townsend Winmill, imported her zebra, Nderu, in June 1930 from Kenya and trained it to pull a cart. I love the matching outfits!

Mrs. Winmill even added a sunroom on the back of a tenant house known as Whiffletree Manor at her 350-acre farm, Clovelly. The “Zebra Room” paid homage to Nderu’s distinctive black and white stripes with lamps and rugs. 

The Zebra Room at Whiffletree Manor

I would like the room better with plain coloured furniture.  Or maybe these art deco chairs.

art deco chairs

I am off to Melbourne next month, so I might get to see the zebras at the zoo again.

Zebras at the Melbourne Zoo

Zoo's have there place for breeding endangered animals I think. Hunting for skins and habitat destruction have endangered both Grévy's zebra and the mountain zebra, and one supspecies, the Quagga, is already extinct. Plain zebras, or Burchell’s zebras, are the most abundant of the three zebra species, but even their habitat of the savannahs of Eastern Africa are under threat. You can help the world wildlife fund protect zebras by adopting one here.

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Maybe it's just that my name rhymes with zebra that I like them. I could write a poem.

Debra
Saw a zebra
at the zoo

Maybe not.

coloured zebra via

And by the way, according to wikipedia, the zebra's background colour is black and the white stripes and bellies are additions.  And despite being black and white, it is thought that zebras actually see in colour.  Who knew?!

Deb xx

Twelve Vintage Christmas Trees & ours

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year –  lazy sun filled days, reading by the pool, walks on the beach, watching movies in air-conditioned comfort during the heat of the day  and cooking and crafts with the kids. And of course decorating the tree.  This year our Christmas decorations have disappeared – hopefully they are somewhere in a box awaiting rescue when we finally move one day.  So this year our tree is simple (and cheap, I spent about $10) – red, blue and gold balls and wooden decorations from the thrift shop, icicle lights that usually go on the front deck, and a bit of silver tinsel.  Our  special touch this year is the star, made by seven year old Olivia, seen here with her siblings this morning, still in their PJs before opening their presents. They really love having their photos taken, especially before they have brushed their hair!.

  

In Australia, and especially where I am in north Queensland, real Christmas trees are rare – if they can be found they are either scraggly radiata pine trees of native pines in pots.  So most people here have artificial trees.  They are easy, have the nice traditional shape and can be used year after year.  We don’t have to worry about what to do with our Christmas trees come January 13.

Artificial trees have been around for at least fifty years, and when you look at this selection of  vintage Christmas pictures from the 1960s back to 1900 you will see some pop up now and again.

Merry Christmas, and thank you for visiting, whether you are a regular or have just popped in!

As usual there are more photos on tumblr.

Girl with large walking doll, 1960s source

I always wanted one of these dolls.  When I went with my grandmother to get one for my 5th birthday in the mid 70s however, I changed my mind and got the smallest doll I could find. Hmmm

Sarah Hall and her daughter Barbara at home in Miami Shores, Christmas 1954 source

The above photo is so stylish, with an artificial white tree, but I love this next photo - how cute are they?

A cowboy Christmas, 1953 source

Christmas tree decorating 1950 

Christmas tree by the TV 1950 source

Decorating the tree . 1939 source

A 1930s tree with train at the base, source

The Dickey family in the 1920s source

If you look carefully around the net you can find photos of this family from around 1900 to 1930.  I might do that next year, although there is one of them below in 1913.

Christmas 1920s style source

The Dickey Family in 1913 source

Happy German children with their Christmas tree c. 1905 source

Frontier Christmas c. 1900 source

Deb xxx