Ephemera: '40s Faves & '50s Nifties

How about this nice '40s snapshot of the less-famous Monroe? Here's what they sounded like around this time:

And as long as we're countrified -- how about that console steel with the volume pedal in the above, '50s shot? I love the edging on the bass and the DeArmond pickup on the Gibson archtop, too.

This above group are the "Saginaw Valley Boys." 1950s, judging by that crisp National lap steel.

Next-up we have a gal playing what appears to be a rare, mahogany-top, Martin-aping, Favilla guitar from the '40s -- and probably in the '40s or early '50s.

I can't place the above group -- though I'm guessing East Germany in the '50s. Check out that mandriola.

We return to countrified for this last shot of a family in 1954 (per the back of the photo). The guy on the left has some shirt, huh? Looks like a Harmony archtop banging-away with that big old piano accordion and harmonica...