Color slides were once the state of the art in family photography — vibrant, immersive, ubiquitous. So ubiquitous, in fact, that millions, maybe billions of them survive. This week it’s a conversation with midcentury pop culture expert Charles Phoenix: What can we learn from the vast shadow world of orphaned slides about the way we used to live in our homes?

Music:

• “Leaves In The Pool,” by Podington Bear


• “Diamond Bossa Nova,” by Francesco de Masi


• “Clog Dance,” by Dick Walter


• “Spills,” by Blue Dot Sessions


• “Kingbeat 9,” by Podington Bear

Thanks to Charles Phoenix, whose “Disneyland’ Tour of Downtown Los Angeles returns on November 27. Tickets are also on sale for his Retro Holiday Slide Show in Brea, CA December 17 and 18.

Read Richard Baguley’s essay on Kodachrome color slide film at Medium. There’s also this lovely video by Deborah Acosta at The New York Times.