Ephemera: Bigger Bands

The above 5-piece is most definitely an early-adopter "Hawaiian" unit. I like the mix of Hawaiian guitar, tailpieced flattop guitar, mid-teens Gibson archtop, and teens-era Vega 5-string banjo. The violin is the saving grace of classiness. It's almost like she's standing apart from these ragamuffins and their twing-twang plucking! 1910s.

The photo above has "Nonogaki Kofu" stamped in it. Kofu is a city near Mount Fuji that's in the vicinity of Tokyo, so I'm assuming that this was shot at a studio there. I'm guessing that this is from around 1920-1925.

Harp and dance? This was taken in California -- probably in the 1930s.

This murder of tenor banjos from New Jersey must've been captured in the '60s.

1920s! Or, at earliest, the teens-era. The uke is Hawaiian-made.

Considering the blocky headstock shape, this banjo-picking lady's photo probably dates from the 1880s or (at latest) early 1890s.

Here's a guy in white taking a break with his 1910s  Gibson A mandolin. The trashed white clothes suggests a house-painter, maybe...?

While not doing "his thing" on a classical or gut-strung guitar, this guy clearly thinks he's gone mariachi. 1930s.

The guitar looks like it might be a Schmidt from the late '30s, maybe? I'm not sure if the outfit is naval or just vaguely-nautical. 1940s? Someone enlighten me.