We found a relic in my parents’ basement this summer: a box labeled “Moravec Slides” that had been there, probably untouched, for 45 years. I thought it might be completely filled with old photographs, but unfortunately — or fortunately, depending on your perspective – much of the space was taken up by a slide projector, slide carriers, and various slide-related paraphernalia. There were some actual slides, however, as well as some 8 mm movie film.

Some of the slides were developed from medium format film and were thus beyond my ability to scan at home, so I sent them off to be digitized professionally. The galleries linked here contain the results.

The first, I’ve labeled Moravec 1960-1961. It’s important to note that I really have no idea when these pictures were actually taken and what the circumstances behind them were (leaving aside the two shots of a Christmas tree, which seemed pretty obvious, though the year is a mystery). With that in mind, the dates on the images are just a guess on my part. Judging from changes in my mom’s hairstyle, it seems pretty clear that they were spread over the space of at least a year or two, but beyond that I can’t say how they relate to one another in time. There are a few shots of Mom at home, including some in which she was apparently getting ready for a high school dance, as well as some shots of the family on vacation somewhere, most likely at a resort on a lake somewhere in Wisconsin or Illinois. It was especially nice to find some pictures of my grandfather, who appears in very few photos in the family albums I’ve seen over the years.

The other batch was labeled Halloween 1961, and, sure enough, it contains a collection of photos from a costume party my grandparents attended 53 years ago. I’m not sure where the party was held — though I’m pretty sure it wasn’t at their house — but it’s an interesting time capsule of life in the early 1960s. The costumes are definitely a product of their time, and a few of them absolutely would not pass muster today.

Galleries: Moravec 1960-1961, Moravec Halloween 1961