Standalone photos

Standalone photos are those pictures you see in newspapers without articles and with only a caption attached. Nowadays, they're often referred to as "wild art."

These unattached photographs aren't new to newspapering. When the Southeast Missourian established its own engraving department in 1935, it meant that we could print our own photographs. Where before we were dependent upon syndicates to supply images, we could now take a picture one day and have it appear on the pages of the Missourian the next. And that's exactly what we did: Each day, one standalone photo taken by G.D. Fronabarger was published.

Unfortunately, the newspaper treated most of these as filler and didn't save the negatives. Aside from pulling copies off of our microfilm, there is no way to reproduce them. While most images tend to darken on microfilm, I do run across some occasionally that are remarkably clear. I thought I would share some of this early-day wild art with you. They're in no particular order or significance. I just liked them.

Love young Rudy's hat.

The photo below was published Feb. 22, 1938.

A year and a half before the start of World War II, the young men below were headed to cavalry school.

Boy Scout pack leader Tony Smee should like these next two.

This last photo I particularly like, because it shows my uncle, Mark Seyer, and his family.