First Communion from Buenos Aires, Argentina
By: usermattw
Tags: Buenos Aires, First Communion, photography, vintage photography
Click here to view it larger.
What it is:
Real photo post card measuring approx. 3.25 x 4.75 inches. (It is unused, but the back is covered with glue from having been mounted to something.)
What I know about it:
The photographer’s information embossed at the bottom (and possibly trimmed) reads Kitzler / Callao 369. The paper manufacturer’s markings on the back (Vitava) indicate a date range of 1925-1934.
Comments:
One of my eBay purchases years ago was a set of four First Communion photos that the seller said were all from Argentina. They seem to have nothing in common beyond the subject matter and the country of origin. I posted one of them here. And today I’ll post another. All four show the boys wearing these distinctive ribbons on their arms, which I don’t believe I’ve ever seen in a First Communion photo from the U.S. The ribbons puzzle me, but that’s okay. Part of the reason I’m drawn to First Communion photos (as I am to graduation photos, wedding photos, etc.) is that I’m intrigued by the depiction of ritual. By the way, although Callao is a major port city in Peru, I believe here it is a reference to the street in Buenos Aires.
Pics of Then 
Handsome young man on the right. He probably grew into a real heartbreaker. Keep posting “rituals” – I like them.
The one on the right grew up to break hearts, and the one on the left grew up to break fingers.