Mystery in my closet continues....

Park Slope Plane Crash of 1960
Last month I found a bunch of amazing old photos in my closet, amongst them was is this test strip of images of the Park Slope Plane Crash of 1960!! Yup, two planes crashed down right on 7th Avenue in Park Slope. I am still researching all these photos. This one is the only one that is post-1950 and taken by a photographer named R. Nelson, the rest are all by R. Raffius. I am still trying to decide what to do them all and haven't found much information other than that R. Raffius worked for Keystone Images a company that took photos of exotic locals all over the world. Japanese Geishas? Japanese ships? Surfers on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii! Note the absence of hotels!

Anyway this is still but a mere taste of the photos that are all so well developed and interesting, I've got hundreds of images. If anyone out there knows of any collectors of this type of thing, send them my way, summer has not been kind financially to F.I.B although everything else is aces!!!

To see more images click here!
To read about just how this all came about, click here!

My closet is looking amazing by the way, still working at it though!

Mystery in My Closet.

Well one of the benefits of "clearing the clutter" of my closet has already appeared. I found a shopping bag full of old black and white photographs that a friend gave me years ago. Just WHY I have NO recollection of the images is bizarre. They are beautifully shot and well developed. The photographer must of been a war correspondent stationed in the South Pacific. There are photos of Hawaii, Japan, California, some Europe and New York City. I have over 200 of them. From what I can figure out the photographer's name is R.Raffius and was from New York. The only info I can find out thus far about him is that the The Calilfornia Museum of Photography has some of his work. I am showing you just a smattering. Also in the bag are beautiful vintage postcards from all over the world. Everything is in excellent condition. What an interesting life this guy had. If anyone out there knows anything about this photographer I would love to hear about it.OH Popeye!
Coney Island?
This looks like it is probrably Coney Island in either the late 1920's or early 1930's judging by the bathing suit styles and the straw boaters on some of the men. Would you think that anyone would go to a beach this crowded today?Is this a Volkswagon?"Don't forget your fez and keep your nose clean!"
This one was sent from Honolulu in 1934. There are a lot of photos of Hawaiian "natives" and surfers also. (And also Japanese geishas walking the streets of Tokyo!) Anyway the postcards are great, this is like a big puzzle. From what I have figured out so far, the addressee on the postcard, Edward Mels, was also a photographer as there is a smattering of his work in this bag too. He seemed to be taking photos up in Alaska.
Could this be the man, R. Raffius himself?