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The Smart Set?

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of strange or unusual.

Despite the caption on the photo, this group doesn't look like a sophisticated and fashionable "Smart Set."

Who are these people? Are two of them guys dressed as women (at left and in the middle)? Why is the one woman (second from left) wearing a white dress with a black hat, black shoes, and what looks like black bloomers sticking out below the dress? What kind of costume, which includes a skirt, vest, and sash, is the other woman (second from right) wearing? And, strangest of all, what or who is the person on the right — with a waist-level sign that says, "Ariel," and a puzzling hat that covers the whole head except for the nose and some dark glasses — supposed to be?

This is an unused divided-back real photo postcard with trilingual text — "Post Card - Carte Postale - Postkarte" — printed on the other side that suggests a European origin. The back is otherwise blank, and there’s no message, address, or postmark to provide additional clues about when the photo was taken or where it came from.

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2 comments

Deborah Lundbech said:

What a great find, Alan! So mysterious and comical!
2 months ago

RicksPics said:

I love this. Historical photograph of the first Met Gala in NYC, 1904?
My guess is that they are dressed for a costume party as characters from popular literature. Wicked step mother and her daughters from "Cinderella," perhaps. Ariel has what look like bunny ears. Is there a librarian in the house that might assist in assessing my theory? Great submission to the VPTP.
6 weeks ago