We’ve all been there: perhaps it’s been during an intense cleaning session of grandma’s attic, or after a box or two fall from an already overstuffed closet shelf. There it is, a shoebox full of old photos. We pause from whatever task we’re doing and open the box to explore the contents within. Who are these people? What are they wearing? Why are so many out of focus? Well, congratulations, dear reader, because you’ve just been hit with a trove of vernacular photos, and they’re all the rage in the collecting world right now.

Ok, so what makes a “vernacular” photo? Read the rest at A New Look at Old Books, a new biblio blog we’re writing for and hosted by Book & Paper Fairs.

Image courtesy of Stacy Waldman