The iconic photograph we recall from the movie Paper Moon was a common trope in the early 20th century. The crescent moon, sometimes with a face, was an available photo setting at many photography studios, carnivals, and fairs on which to have your picture made.
An interesting fact about most examples of paper moon photographs is that we can see stars in the center of the moon’s crescent… something which in reality is blocked by the darkly shadowed sphere of the moon. It was clearly something not understood in the pre-space travel era of early 20th century America and still frequently overlooked today.
See a collection of these vintage portraits at Visual News. Link -via the Presurfer
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It's funny how dated the men's looks are, but the women's hair and attire could pretty much fit in now: a little [black] dress, plain pumps, and classic jewelry.
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Wait. The writer is worried about being able to see stars through the part of the moon in shadow, but not that people are sitting on the sunny side like a chair?
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"But it wouldn't be make-believe if you believe in me."
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I like these, I would love to have a photo like this. It amuses me that they mention the inaccuracy of stars within the crescent of the moon, but nothing about the giant cartoonish face. Sometimes the fantasy gets lost.
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