1979 To 1997

Here's another non-sequitur for my loyal readers. Almost 30 years ago a man named Jamie Livingston started taking Polaroid pictures, one per day, and saving them. My friend Svenja, who knew Jamie Livingston well, is in quite a few of these pictures.

Sometimes incidental, sometimes carefully composed, these images capture intimate moments in time. Looking through them is voyeuristic, sometimes kitschy, and often resonant for anyone who lived through the period 1979 to 1997.

Ultimately these pictures are haunting.



Jamie's Polaroids have been on the web for awhile, but a couple of days ago they were also "discovered" by an online writer for "mental_floss" magazine, who wrote a short piece about his discovery (with sample photos) a couple of days ago. An excerpt:

"Yesterday I came across a slightly mysterious website — a collection of Polaroids, one per day, from March 31, 1979 through October 25, 1997. There’s no author listed, no contact info, and no other indication as to where these came from. So, naturally, I started looking through the photos. I was stunned by what I found...."

Jamie Livingston died of cancer on October 25, 1997; it was his 41st birthday.