1939 NEWSSTAND PIC TIME MACHINE JOURNEY INTO THE PAST 17 17

[Mark 1]

 

this pic was shown before and the kids are taking the bus to summer camp in pittsburgh 1951.

little kid is holding lone ranger 38 & looney tunes 118. someone commented on his cabana oufit.

 

Is the name painted up at the top 'Harmony Short Bus'?

 

 

No, it says Harmony Short Line

 

[Annihilus]

 

this pic was shown before and the kids are taking the bus to summer camp in pittsburgh 1951.

little kid is holding lone ranger 38 & looney tunes 118. someone commented on his cabana oufit.

 

Is the name painted up at the top 'Harmony Short Bus'?

 

 

No, it says Harmony Short Line

 

 

I was going to ask if you were psychic until I saw it written at the bottom

[Mark 1]

!!!

[jpepx78]

part 1

 

because comics have universal appeal, it is interesting to see comic collecting in other countries. are there any collectors of french golden/atom age books here?

in honor of comic-con and bastille day (july 14), let's look at the popularity of comics (bandes dessinées) in post world war 2 france.

i found a large collection of photos taken by walt girdner, an american psychologist, photographer & university professor who returned to paris after world war 2.

among the hundreds of photos taken of life in post world war 2 paris, amazingly he was able to document a thriving comic book marketplace packed with parisian kids in 1949.

it was a simpler time where comic collecting was mainly a kid's activity and there wasn't any investment potential. are they true collectors?

here are 25 of the many photos he took. you can see his other photos and his other wonderful pictures of paris & europe in the 1940s & 1950s here.

i hope you enjoy the pics!

 

the comic book marketplace was part of a larger flea market and kids took any open space to trade their comics.

it's not as crowded as comic-con but still pretty busy.

 

in this aerial shot, notice the policemen near the kids at the bottom of the photo.

 

some kids must of had a lot of comics to use a cart. check out the frenzy at the comic cart!

 

this kid just picked a spot on the ground to show his stuff.

 

[rodan57]

Great photos.

[jpepx78]

part 2

 

there were many deals being made and there seems to be no money involved and transactions were done on a book for book basis.

what was the hot comic in paris 1949??

 

looks like they got some good books!

 

kids are wheeling & dealing.

 

brik yak comic

 

big bill le casseur, the king of the cowboys comic

 

one of the books is a tarzan.

i don't think there are any mint comics for high grade collectors.

 

[adamstrange]

What a great photo set!

 

Anyone disappointed that clothing styles have changed?

[jpepx78]

part 3

 

my stack of books for your stack?

 

some older boys have a nice bag for their comics.

 

check out young mr sophisticated with the cigarette.

 

an elderly man likes comics too.

 

a few adults were interested in comics too. there's tarzan, sogor le corsaire (a western comic), le fantome (phantom) & a tintin comic (next to le rire).

is the old guy grabbing another tintin comic at the lower left?

 

although the comic market is dominated by boys, here is one girl trading comics.

 

this kid is engrossed in donald duck in the terror of the river! (thumbs u

 

some thoughts:

kids can be so clever in organizing and getting what they want.

kids of all ages were able to do transactions without any adult supervision and it looked like almost every kid was doing a transaction. amazing!

almost all of the kids in the market are boys.

did any of these kids continue to collect comics as adults?

anyone know if the comic marketplace is still taking place now?

what is the market for french golden/atom age books now?

 

[adamstrange]

Best image of the bunch!

 

[Senormac]

Best image of the bunch!

 

 

Yea, that one is clear as can be (thumbs u

[Scrooge]

Re:

 

 

That's issue # 53 -

 

 

Now, what's puzzling is that # 53 is dated March 1951 which cast doubt about the date you put on the photos. Doesn't change the awesome of them all :thumbsup:

[MrBedrock]

I was also wondering about the date. The berets appear to be '50s models.

[Scrooge]

By the way, the kid at right is holding an issue of Alain La Foudre but I couldn't find the issue number so here's a generic issue. Notice the format is horizontal -

 

[Scrooge]

I was also wondering about the date. The berets appear to be '50s models.

 

 

Btw, further evidence is that Brik-Yak is the combination of Brik and Yak and the first issue of the combined publication came out in April 1950.

 

 

The issue in the pic is issue # 22, dated then sometime in mid-1950.

 

[adamstrange]

Best image of the bunch!

 

 

Yea, that one is clear as can be (thumbs u

 

Is that you, Scrooge?

[Scrooge]

Here's an issue of Sogor, Le Corsaire. This was a fairly short run series, only 19 issues in 1949 - 1950.

 

[nearmint]

I was also wondering about the date. The berets appear to be '50s models.

 

My buddy knows his berets. (thumbs u

[MrBedrock]

I was also wondering about the date. The berets appear to be '50s models.

 

My buddy knows his berets. (thumbs u

It's a side hobby of mine

[ciorac]

I was also wondering about the date. The berets appear to be '50s models.

 

My buddy knows his berets. (thumbs u

It's a side hobby of mine

 

Your hobby has so many sides it is beginning to resemble a dodecahedron

[MrBedrock]

I was also wondering about the date. The berets appear to be '50s models.

 

My buddy knows his berets. (thumbs u

It's a side hobby of mine

 

Your hobby has so many sides it is beginning to resemble a dodecahedron

And your side hobby must be internet word searches. Awesome (thumbs u