Naked and scandalized

The party was about to hit its peak when the lights went to dim and, lo and behold, from out of the blue, the birthday celebrant was shown in his – what else but – birthday suit! Thus friends old and older got a good look at the naked Nestor Mata, celebrating his 90th but appearing onscreen bald and bare as a baby should, from top to toe and from elbows and shoulders to buns. What a scandal! But none more scandalized than the venerable, immortal Mr. Mata, who grabbed the mic to ask his conspiring children and grandchildren, “Who ransacked my library and dragged out those pictures?” A picture taken 90 years ago is not only a piece of family history, it’s also a testament to the durability of black-and-white photographs, for black-and-white was all they had in those days, and a good thing, too. Color prints fade after [...]