Alfonso Ponzi was a barber from an Italian sheep-herding clan who moved to Montreal and became a bit of a high-living bon vivant. He also spent time in Pittsburgh where he posed for that fabulous pic on the left here. He wanted a family portrait so he brought a shot from his Pittsburgh photo shoot to a special photo lab on St. Lawrence Main Street (International Photo Studio Registered 202 St. Lawrence) where the photo geniuses added him in, with the results as seen above.
Up until the early 90s at least such stores still thrived on the Main, you'd see photos advertised in the windows - before showed a woman with a sailor and after, poof he was gone. Alfonso become a bit of a drunk but he is still remembered lovingly and stylishly in his grandson Peter Ponzi's photo collection, many of which can be seen on his facebook page.
Alfonso and Peter and the rest of their crew are unrelated to the Montreal banker Charles Ponzi, who pioneered the pyramid scheme that still bears his name.
Reminds me of previous post.
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