Mystery Photos #131-136: The Duluth Polka Dots?

This contact print of photo negatives comes from Ben Marsen, who many years ago acquired a collection of negatives of scenes from around Duluth. (See Mystery Photo #125 for more info on that.)

Marsen doubts he still has the negatives, so we have to squint a bit and work from the contact strip. Who are these musicians?

Marsen writes that the images were from “a roll of ‘Duluth trip’ photos,” date unknown. “Looking closely, I think their stands in the photo say ‘the Polkadots.’ Maybe you’ve seen the mural on the wall behind the banjo guy? I think Agfa made that film line until ’43.”

Below are best attempts to zoom in on the individual images.

3 Comments

  1. T. Heinonen T. Heinonen on March 11, 2021 at 9:33 pm

    There was a family polka band called the Duluth Polka Dots that appeared on the Chimielewski Fun Time show in the 1980s. The leader of the band was Joe Czerniak. More info below.

    International Polka Association Hall of Fame: Joe Czerniak

  2. Ben Marsen on March 11, 2021 at 11:41 pm

    Wow, I think he’s right. That’s gotta be the same guy.

  3. Paul Lundgren Paul Lundgren on March 12, 2021 at 7:11 am

    The smile is certainly the same.

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