Found in the New York Public Library, Mid-Manhattan Branch, Book Sale Room

I found this in the Book Sale Room of the NYPL on Friday:



Aside from the cool geometrical damage to the photo, I love how the young girl has her eyes scrunched shut:


As a father of two girls, this photo is familiar, yet alien. Obviously, the girl is a stranger. But the inevitable questions arise: Who is she? Where is she now? What was her doll's name? What model of Polaroid camera was the photographer using?

Well, maybe not the last one.

Remember when the Polaroid was cutting-edge technology? Today, our photographs can be snapped and previewed in the blink of an eye. Pop that camera in the docking station and print out a photo, lickety-split.

Something about this just makes me feel nostalgic.