Images from SF conventions of the past
August 1, 2012 8:31 PM   Subscribe

SF conventions, and snapshots of SF conventions, go back a long time. Here's Midwestcon 2, put on by the Cincinnati Fantasy group in June 1951; shots include a haunting image of Henry Burwell, publisher of Atlanta zine Science Fiction Digest, and an already-old E.E. "Doc" Smith. From Retronaut, an unnamed 1980 con in LA. From the Mills photo archive, con costumes from the late 60s through the 80s. Forrest Ackerman, editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, in "futuristic costume" at the first WorldCon in 1939. This last from the endless compendium that is the MidAmerican Fan Photo Archive.
posted by escabeche (19 comments total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
This makes me happy, in the same way that I feel warm and fuzzy when Frederik Pohl talks about the early days of fandom.

Still, trying really hard to refrain from a "your father's Readercon" joke.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:33 PM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]


Fans are Slans!
posted by Artw at 8:37 PM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]


Given the recent conversations here about women and costumes at conventions, I was interested to see the Mills photo archive link.
posted by Forktine at 8:38 PM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]


futuristic costume

Jodhpurs1 are2 in3 for this fall.
posted by Mizu at 8:49 PM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]


Ackie is totally rocking the republic serial future-person look there.
posted by Artw at 8:50 PM on August 1, 2012


Some years ago a co-worker told me that I'd make a good Mr. Spock.

I just raised an eyebrow....
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 9:05 PM on August 1, 2012 [3 favorites]


Like I say, next con, Sexy Grant Morrison. I just need to fit the trousers.
posted by Artw at 9:50 PM on August 1, 2012


Nice collection of links. There is so much fannish history accessible on the web... yay!
posted by jiawen at 9:59 PM on August 1, 2012


Still, trying really hard to refrain from a "your father's Readercon" joke.
No Readercon joke I can make would not get deleted by the Mods.

But it's hard not to come to the conclusion that there's a reason harassment culture might have sprung up in less enlightened times. Especially the one of Poul Anderson's daughter. Which has five times as many hits as the others, and probably not for her parentage.

Those links are probably NSFW.

Also, proto-furies.

I do so love links like this. It's a window into a world I was too young to experience, that I have no interest in experiencing now.
posted by Mezentian at 12:42 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


That poor guy, stuck back in 1939.
posted by DU at 4:32 AM on August 2, 2012


Did you look at the 1939 pics? They were full of awesome.
And Ray Bradbury.
Same thing, really.
posted by Mezentian at 4:48 AM on August 2, 2012


From the "con costumes from the late 60s through the 80s" link:

ANYONE KNOW THE YEAR?


I have a paralyzing suspicion this could be 1987 or later.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:06 AM on August 2, 2012


I'm sure it can't be, but this really kinda looks like Gene Roddenberry dressed as Han Solo. Almost.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:02 AM on August 2, 2012


Thanks for this; I only got to one Worldcon ('68), but I love fannish history. (I'm afraid I went fafia decades ago.)
posted by languagehat at 8:03 AM on August 2, 2012


Also, proto-furies.

Those appear to be scalies.

The furies being Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, the proto-fury would be Nyx.
 
posted by Herodios at 8:20 AM on August 2, 2012


...but I love fannish history.

To an extent, with reservations, me, too. This post is way cool.
posted by y2karl at 1:19 PM on August 2, 2012


Those appear to be scalies.

The green one looks a lot like a blinged-out sleestak. So I can only conclude that the reddish one is a sleestakamorphized animal from their homeworld.
posted by Zed at 1:33 PM on August 2, 2012


From reading the first sentence-and-a-half, I was hoping we had pictures of a vintage Midwest-themed convention in San Francisco. Those would be amusing costumes.
posted by akgerber at 11:05 PM on August 2, 2012


Gene Roddenberry dressed as Han Solo.

Clearly, Section 31 gave Roddenberry some surgical alteration so, like Valen before him, he could travel back in time and unite the warring houses of Wars and Trek.
posted by Mezentian at 12:08 AM on August 3, 2012


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