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- The Last Bickford's
- Re: And literally just around the corner
- Straight from Central Casting
- And literally just around the corner
- How did Vachon do it?
- Clean on the outside
- You write Bickfords, I write Bickford's
- Clean Outside In
- Don't interrupt the photographer
- Immortalized for Posterior
- Still standing on Fayette Street
- Takin' Care of Business
- Balt Noir
- Joke
- I Wish
- Texas Landscapes
- Unfun
- Not just one
- Dress Code
- Status
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- A couple of Stormy Kromers
- ¿Por qué dos locos?
- Oklahoma
- Dos Locos
- Double Header
- Wagon Top!
- It really is that flat
- Time Travel
- Now I know
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Search results -- 30 results per page
- Femme Fatale: 1914
- ... but probably too young in 1914.
A.R.L. Alice Roosevelt Longworth?
Could it be ... Dorothy Parker?
Grace Anna ...
Jessie Wilson Sayre? The more attractive of the president's daughters (and the one without a Wikipedia page). She would have ... Posted by Dave - 08/19/2012 - 5:14pm -
![A tip of the Shorpy hat to the first person who can put a name to this well-known face from 1914. (And now for the caption: "August 5, 1914. New York. Evelyn Thaw arriving from Southampton on White Star liner Olympic." The former teen beauty Evelyn Nesbit, shown here at age 29, achieved notoriety in 1906 when her lover Stanford White, the noted architect, was killed by her husband, Harry Thaw.) Glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
EvelynCould it be Evelyn Nesbitt?
Less is MoreInteresting, I've seen dozens of photos of Evelyn Nesbit, and I could never see what she had that drove men wild until this candid shot. Her beauty is so unassuming and charming here.
Just look at the expression of the fellow in the middle. You can see that he's enchanted by her, and he's probably the most hard-bitten photojournalist in NYC.
The It girlIs that Clara Bow?
[Clara Bow was 9 years old in 1914. Next! - Dave]
My guessIt sure looks like Amelia Earhart to me.
AmeliaLooks a little like Amelia Earhart, but probably too young in 1914.
A.R.L.Alice Roosevelt Longworth?
Could it be ...Dorothy Parker?
Grace Anna Goodhue CoolidgeThe Lady in question looks a little bit like Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge. However She could also be Alice Roosevelt Longworth.
I was going to vote for Amelia Earhart.But someone beat me to it. Amelia would have been 17, so it's possible.... Given her background (per Wikipedia), a photograph of her in 1914 would be a bit surprising.
Looks Like a Movie StarCould be a young Mary Pickford.
Margaret WilsonShe took over in 1914 as first lady when her mother died. She looks frumpier in other pics on the internet. But maybe?
One ThingIs for sure : It ain't Marlo Thomas.
Mary PickfordAt first I was thinking Theda Bara, but it was hard to find an old photo of her without tons and tons of makeup. So I guess both; call her Theda Pickford.
Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt would be about the right age, no?
AaarghStop guessing Mary Pickford...it looks nothing like Mary Pickford...
Signed, Grumpy silent film fan
Mary Pickford??Mary Pickford??
ElEleanor Roosevelt
Evelyn Nesbit ThawAww, someone beat me to it.
Other RooseveltShe looks too pretty to be her, but could it be Eleanor Roosevelt?
Irene CastleNot sure, but that's my best guess.
Blanche SweetIs that silent movie star Blanche Sweet?
Team CocoIs it Coco Chanel?
Frances PerkinsShe was somewhat famous then.
CluelessI would have said Amelia too, but not very confidently. Even though I am without a clue I have enjoyed your challenges lately.
M C SMargaret Chase Smith
Lucky LadyMaybe Anne Lindburgh? Before she was married? Huh?
Irene CastleCould it be?
Notorious BeautyEvelyn Nesbit Thaw?
Teen AviatrixAmelia was born in 1897 so this is her as a teenager.
Lillian GishShe would have been 21 in this picture.
Rose FitzgeraldSoon to be Kennedy? It doesn't look a lot like her, but they got married in 1914.
Promise Her AnythingCoco Chanel?
ESVMI was hoping it might be Edna St. Vincent Millay but, alas.
My guessWallis Simpson, the future Duchess of Windsor.
Looks likeEvelyn Nesbit
Eleanor RooseveltThere is some resemblance to early pictures of Eleanor Roosevelt. However Mrs. Roosevelt had a child in 1914 (Franklin D. Jr.), so it isn't too likely.
Jessie Wilson Sayre?The more attractive of the president's daughters (and the one without a Wikipedia page). She would have turned 27 in 1914.
Could this be......Miss Julia Sanderson, the actress and singer?
And the answer is ...August 5, 1914. New York. Evelyn Thaw arriving from Southampton on White Star liner Olympic.
The former teen beauty Evelyn Nesbit, shown above at age 29, achieved notoriety in 1906 when her lover Stanford White, the noted architect, was killed by her husband, Harry Thaw. Below: Evelyn at age 16 in 1901.
Second from leftLooks just like my ex. Strange.
Candid CameraI agree. Her stunning natural beauty is far more apparent here than in her studio portraits. Sure, she's beautiful in those, but they're posed and superficial. This is real, impromptu, and with little makeup. It shows her natural beauty. It also shows what 13 years will do for a 16 year old girl. The 29 year old woman is far, far more beautiful.
Sadness or Sophistication?Her expression here is virtually unreadable. Do I see sadness and resignation, knowing that her husband murdered her lover, and knowing her ultimate fate? Or instead is her expression one of a knowing sophisticate, just arrived from the most sophisticated part of the world? She's quite lovely if already fading. Lines are lightly etched about her eyes and her mouth is a bemused horizontal. Deadly beautiful.
Wait For MeI'm away from my computer for a mere 12 hours and you sneak one past me. Had I have have been aware of the post I could have really have given it some serious thought, but would have never come up with Evelyn Nesbit. Eleanor Roosevelt, who I always admired, never looked as good as the woman in this picture.
That's why......I love Shorpy! I had never heard of this case before, have just read up on it, amazing story. Thankyou Dave, very educational!
Fading, Edwardian styleBy 1914, Mrs. Thaw was no longer considered beautiful. In a where-is-she-now story prompted by her husband's escape from a mental asylum, Mildred Van Allen wrote in March 1914 that Evelyn's eyes were wonderful but her cheeks were more flat than contoured, and she now had the figure of a 15-year-old. ("Only the man who delights in the unusual" would consider her a beauty.) But Evelyn loved that it allowed her to pass unrecognized, even on Broadway.
Fading beautyPaula Uruburu wrote AMERICAN EVE, the biography of Evelyn Nesbit Thaw. She states that by 1914 Nesbit had a cocaine habit, which would account for the bags under her eyes. Uruburu also states that Nesbit's 'boyish figure' was apparent even when she was younger (though it doesn't seem to be apparent in the Kasebier photo from 1900).
RagtimeWhen I read "Ragtime" I recognized that the fiction incorporated factual history but I had no knowledge of this case. The Thaw character seemed like an eccentric sadist (the real Thaw was all that and more) who used a razor strop, not a dog whip, on his wife.
Our system of equal justice under the law causes me to contemplate the peculiar coincidence that the rich often seem to get away with murder but in Mr. Thaw's case the finding of insanity seemed to hit the mark. The mistake belonged to those who declared him cured or recovered:
As for the picture, the woman looks stylish and gracious and, though society would deny it, in their eyes she was guilty of being exposed as an adulteress by her husband's recklessness.
(My guess would have been Alice Roosevelt Longworth.)
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/who_011610.thumbnail.jpg "Femme Fatale: 1914")
- Mrs. New Tunes In: 1924
- ... renamed 'Mrs. Old' "
Quiet! Y'all hush now, the president is coming on !!
My New Joe Biden TV! "Why, it's President Roosevelt ... who hasn't been elected yet ... commenting on the Stock ... Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 6:32pm -
![January 14, 1924. "Mrs. Harry S. New," wife of the Postmaster General. This might be good fodder for a caption contest. Which commences right now with yours truly as the judge. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
hrm...I suppose:
"Tune in, Tokyo"
is too obvious, too crass, or both...
[Our first entry! It has fully met my expectations. - Dave]
Mrs New's Caption Her (Post)master's Voice
So that's why they called her "Fingers""It wasn't until Harry New bought one of them new fangled radios that he discovered his wife, Myrtle, had been a safe cracker before they met."
Mrs. N"I can't wait for TV."
Snoop Dogg"I just know that Snoop Dogg concert is here somewhere."
3G"First thing tomorrow, this iPhone goes back to the store!"
Strange, Strange MusicRuth told me to be sure to tune in at 8 p.m.
"Never gonna give you up..." '
Mrs. NewThe Postmaster's wife always dials with two hands
(Yeah, yeah, I know, McKenzieK's is *much* better...)
Mrs. New......uses all her powers of concentration to control the third dial telepathically...
The inaugural Winter Olympics"Shush, Harry -- I'm trying to hear Sonja Henie skate!"
Settings"This thing is going to stop flashing '12:00' if it takes me all night!"
Another one."NOBODY twirls my knobs but ME!"
Stuck on You"OK, who's the wise guy that put super glue on the radio dials!"
Harry's Other Wife"Harry, the man on this thing says that radio will disrupt domestic life, that women will spend all day listening to it and ignore what their husbands are doing, and ... Harry? Harry?"
New Radio"Mrs. New is befuddled by her new radio, as evidenced by her placing the set's headphones in her lap."
Ms. New"Asked for an iTouch... and Harry gave me this damned Zune."
That's Heavy"Hello, listeners. Tired of old fashioned radios that weigh so much you need 4 tables just to support them?"
Yeah, I got nothing. jnc took the best one already.
RCA Victor trademark developmentBefore the famous RCA Victor "Nipper - His Master's Voice" trademark became successful, RCA's first trademark attempt with "Mrs. New - Her Husband the Postmaster General's voice" failed with the marketing focus groups and was consigned to the dustbin of history.
http://www.designboom.com/history/nipper.html
Lawsy.I hear ... ALIENS !!!!!
Caption"What's the frequency, Kenneth?"
Captain Caption Says:"Old Mrs. New: Turned On & Tuned In"
That's what she said"Get your own darn dinner, can't you see I'm busy?!"
High Infidelity"We're broadcasting live from the Better 'Ole Nightclub downtown and we've never seen a crowd like this. Everyone who's anyone is here ... why, I've even spotted the Postmaster General dancing the Black Bottom with his beautiful young wife ... or is that his daughter?"
AnticipationMrs. New is such a fan of Jack Benny that she makes sure to tune in to his show eight years before it goes on the air.
Can't Get No SatisfactionMrs. New listening intently waiting for the chance to win the Rolling Stones concert tickets.
She says “I was only 5 years old when the Rolling Stones first appeared on the scene but I always liked their music. Even though he’s older than me I still think Keith looks hot.”
Crank It"Although unsure why she'd ever want 'that extra push over the cliff,' Mrs. New was delighted to know that the dials on her new pride and joy went up to eleven."
The Shorpy Photograph HourMrs. New listens to her favorite program, "The Shorpy Photograph Hour." While she enjoys the detailed descriptions of the photos, she particularly enjoys the comments from the audience.
[Fascinating. Who's the sponsor? - Dave]
DANCE, MOUSE!I SAID DANCE, MOUSE! DANCE!
YOU'LL KEEP DANCING IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YA!
No drinkypoo for the Mrs.Damn that sneaky mailman! He's locked up the liquor cabinet!
OrgasmatronMrs. New placed the sound receivers in the correct location and gave her newfangled Orgasmatron a workout.
"It's turned up all the way, Harry dear, and I don't feel a thing."
"Yes, dear, I knew that already," Mr. New said with resigned sigh.
Ripped OffWait a minute--this Etch-a-Sketch doesn't work at all! That's 32 cents I'll never see again.
Regarding the caption contest....What does the winner win?
[Silly me, how could I have forgotten. The winner receives a 50 percent ownership stake in the Republic of Iceland! - Dave]
What do you take me for?Iceland just declared bankruptcy yesterday. Nice try Dave.
[How about a quarter-interest in Ford or General Motors, then? Your choice. I'd have to count out my spare-change jar first, but I'm pretty sure I can cover it. - Dave]
"New" woman"China Clipper calling Alameda, China Clipper calling Alameda"
Honey, can you help me?I'm having trouble opening the safe.
*Pfff*I swear, this pie will never bake if I can't get the gas...to...headphones? Wow. I am so stoned.
Quickly now"Mrs. New rapidly rotates the knobs to 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42! Whew! That was close!"
Sssh.No one knew Alice Gore invented the radio. It was a big secret.
That's 34 left, then 24That's 34 left, then 24 right--no, that was not the tumbler--26 right.
"I hear dead people.""I hear dead people."
Knobs'Mr. New began to get ideas.'
Caption"Mrs. New first learns that she's been officially renamed 'Mrs. Old' "
Quiet!Y'all hush now, the president is coming on !!
My New Joe Biden TV! "Why, it's President Roosevelt ... who hasn't been elected yet ... commenting on the Stock Market Crash ... which happened four years before he was elected! Gosh, I just love my new Joe Biden™ television!"
Almost ThereHalf turn to the right, quarter turn to the left and I'll have all the gold of Fort Knox!
Darn.I could have sworn KDKA was here a minute ago.
WoTW"Earthlings, it is useless to resist. Put down your primitive weapons, no human power can stop us -- AAH-CHOO! -- feeling weak ... so tired ... "(Sound of spaceship crashing, then static.)
War of the WorldsMartians have landed in Grover's Mill, New Jersey!
Oh there it is... 'Sister Kate'...."... I think I've figured out what 'shimmy' REALLY refers to!"
W.O.L.D.DJ: Go ahead caller; you’re on the W.O.L.D. All Oldies Request Line.
Caller: Yes, my name is Harry New and I would like to request a tune and dedicate it to my wife.
DJ: No problem, what can I play for you Harry?
Caller: It was played at our wedding.
DJ: Ah, that’s sweet Harry. What was it?
Caller: I believe it was cave man hitting rock with stick.
Hello Senator"And now a word from the junior Senator from Arizona, the Honorable Mr. John McCain!"
Mrs. Harry"Even though my new name is New through marriage, I prefer the use of my given name first, then New."
Suspense"Who knows what evil lurks -- "
And now let's go to our man in the street..."–lly Ballou here, reporting live from Union Station where General Pershing, Senator John McCain, President Roosevelt and Scranton Pennsylvania paperboy Joey Biden have just arrived!"
The truth..."Radio waves, my foot...I KNOW there's a tiny orchestra in there!"
A word from our sponsor...Einbinder, the finest in flypaper.
Ooh!"How strange. Listening to President Coolidge is giving me a tingle down my leg! Or is it just a short in these infernal ear things that Harry insists are the cat's pajamas?"
A new record?I believe this is a new record for the number of posts to a picture. Have we bettered the "Leave it to Beaver letter" picture?
[The Beaver Letter has 70 comments; this one has 57 so far. No, wait. 58! - Dave]
It's Going, Going..."Oh drat! Every time the Cubs have a chance to win a series this darn radio stops working."
She Has the AnswerWho knows that evil lurks in the hearts and minds of men? MRS. NEW KNOWS!
"Can I Pick Up Duluth?""Duluth??? Bucko, you can get Tierra del Fuego!!!"
New Job for New"Mrs. New relished her new job with the NSA and found the Army's pillow talk especially titillating."
Would you hush up for a while Harry?"I'm trying to hear the advertisement from People's Drug Store...Myrtle told me that they are repeating their unprecedented one-day sale on Star vibrators like they had in 1921 and I need to get rid of these wrinkles and get relief from my stiff neck."
Page 2"Oooh where is that program? Honey, you have to come listen to this program I herd yesterday. It was interesting, but I don't think it will last very long. Now what was that guys name? Oh yeah, it was Paul Harvey."
TransmissionMrs. New? Are you receiving me? This is your master's voice. You will tell your husband to accept my illustration of a mallard for the newest US Postage stamp. Then my dream of world domination will be realized! Muwahahah!
That Was The Year That Was, 1924Oh, what wonders are afoot! Grandmothers are bobbing their hair, naked angels have been seen cavorting about, some boys are certainly up to no good, families are living in automobiles, fist-pounding rabble-rousers are making trouble, puppies are on the loose, an elephant has a toothache, the Babe enlisted, and Meg Ryan is out driving around in one of those hybrids. Time for a nap!
Happy Hour News Team"It was hotter than Hooker in Heater today, and hotter than Heater in Hellmouth…"
(As long as we're doing Firesign Theatre.)
Can You Hear Me Now?If I get these just so, I get five bars... isn't technology amazing??!!
Art"Art Bell learns the secret of time travel."
TV"I just heard John Logie Baird has invented a television. Now if I fiddle with this knob a bit I might be able to see what all the fuss is about"
ZZZZAAP!!Another victim of a poor HMO, Mrs. Harry S. New demonstrates her "Fry King" home electroshock machine.
WOO-HOO! I just realized I'm the 71st comment, breaking the Leave it to Beaver's letter record of 70 replies!
If my witty caption doesn't win a prize, perhaps this achievement will secure me a place in Shorpy history.
Earth to MarsCan you hear me now?
"Sigh....""I am sorry, my dear, but I definitely feel some resistance in between the second and third windings of the primary transformer coils. Honestly, if you would stop fooling around, posing for those silly photographers down at the factory during your work time, this sort of mistake would not occur!"
Mrs.New finds her purpose in lifeDialing up a Prosperous (and timely) Happy New Year.
11These go to eleven.
Radiola IVThe receiver is an RCA Radiola IV, made in the General Electric factory in Schenectady about 1923.
War of the WorldsCome in, Commander Zord, come in!! We have infiltrated and the mere humans are none the wiser. But couldn't you have found a more comfortable race for us to dress as? This girdle is killing me.
Winner?Have you picked a winner yet?
(Technology, The Gallery, Natl Photo)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/25237u.thumbnail.jpg "Mrs. New Tunes In: 1924")
- Ethel Roosevelt: 1908
- Washington, D.C., circa 1908. "Miss E. Roosevelt." Ethel Roosevelt, younger daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. Harris & Ewing. View full size.
Racy ... Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:10pm -
![Washington, D.C., circa 1908. "Miss E. Roosevelt." Ethel Roosevelt, younger daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. Harris & Ewing. View full size.
Racy necklineIt exposes her earlobes. Gad!
Fashion SenseThe collar is actually a neck brace that allows her to support the weight of that magnificent hat.
DebutanteEthel Roosevelt had her Debut and Coming Out in December 1908 at age 17. This was a year earlier than usual, because her father was about to leave the White House, and they wanted to hold it in Washington. (More details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Roosevelt_Derby )
This photo may well be part of that.
Have Mercy!Oh where did I leave my Wayback Machine?
Ethel's threadsI love the embellishments on her dress! It must have cost a fortune!
Croix RougeJust a gorgeous, gorgeous young lady.
During World War I, Ethel served as a nurse in France. Later, she became extensively involved with the Red Cross, earning a 60-year pin. Her beloved Red Cross was so important to her that when it came time to have her portrait painted, she did not choose to wear an evening gown and jewels. She wore her Red Cross uniform!
Ethel died in 1977.
WondrousThis is a photographic portrait of a soon-to-be woman who has the world by the tail and will soon shake it. Such confidence!
Speak Softly... and carry a big hat.
I'm impressedNot just anyone could pull off a hat like that. She seems like a really cool girl.
That hat..today would probably have its own zip code.
Friend MeLots of personality in this photo. She looks self-assured and funny and direct and I'd have totally wanted to be her friend.
A true patriot!Not only was she a nurse, but she grew a Victory Garden on her head.
LostWhere has this kind of woman gone?
[Underground. - Dave]
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Portraits)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/16085a_0.thumbnail.jpg "Ethel Roosevelt: 1908")
- Gunboat Diplomacy: 1905
- ... Any guesses anyone??
The Quiet American Isn't Teddy Roosevelt the guy that said "Walk softly, but carry a big stick"?
[T.R. ... the region. Would that we had Teddy Roosevelt today.
President Teddy Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet.” This appears to be a ... Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 8:18pm -
![Venezuela circa 1900-1905. "American fleet at La Guaira." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Ship IdentificationWell, I spent a little time shifting through a few websites to try to ID the various US warships in the harbor.
The ones I feel are positive about are the two three stackers. The one to the right is the USS Brooklyn. The one centered is the USS New York. These are both armored cruisers.
I would love to figure out what the two same class two stackers are to the left. There is another two stacker and a one stacker above the New York and are different classes.
Any guesses anyone??
The Quiet AmericanIsn't Teddy Roosevelt the guy that said "Walk softly, but carry a big stick"?
[T.R. was a firm believer in crepe soles! - Dave]
He sent the Fleet into Venezuela because the Brits and the Germans had set up a blockade of the country for, among other things, unpaid debts. He made sure that the Europeans left the region. Would that we had Teddy Roosevelt today.
President Teddy Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet.”This appears to be a photo of America’s Great White Fleet during its around-the-world tour of 1907-1909. A voyage initiated by President Roosevelt to defuse the tensions of a near-war atmosphere between Japan and the US.
White Fleetit's easy to see where the term Great White Fleet would come from a couple of years later, when T.R. sent the navy around the world to show off America's newly established sea presence.
I wonder, how impressed were the Venezuelans to see these ships off the coast?
Steel NavyIt looks almost like Admiral George Dewey's Pacific Squadron from 1898, except a couple of the three-stackers appear to be battleships, or what passed for battleships back then. This photo was taken in Teddy Roosevelt's administration, and he certainly was not one to do things quietly.
BattleshipThe two 2-stackers on the left are the USS Raleigh and Cincinnati (built 1894, 11x5 inch guns), the 2-stacker farthest away from the camera is the USS Newark (1891, 12x6 guns), and the single-stacker is the USS Texas (1895, 2x12 cannons). The Raleigh was in the Battle of Manila Bay, and the Texas and Brooklyn were in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.
HistoriansI am often impressed by the knowledge and resourcefulness of Shorpy commenters. To be able to start with a little information and expand it to the point of identification of the vessels and the reason they were there is beyond cool.
Imagine what could be accomplished if there was a way to electronically link the resources of the world through autonomous data access devices!
It might beThat the Navy has to go back to Venezuela again with that nitwit Chavez running things there.
Service ElsewhereThe USS Brooklyn was sent to Vladivostok prior to and during the Russian Revolution as part of an eight nation coalition to keep law and order. My grandfather served on the Brooklyn circa 1917-1918.
Another I did not know that.I did not know the Brooklyn made a trip to South America. My grandfather served on the USS Brooklyn in the Pacific circa 1917-18.They made port in the Philippines, China, Japan and Russia. I have several photographs and postcards he brought back.
Great White FleetThey went out with fuel for one way! TR told Congress that if they didn't cough up the money for fuel they wouldn't be home for Christmas! TR started the US Navy League after this cruise and we are still here!
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a05686a.thumbnail.jpg "Gunboat Diplomacy: 1905")
- Roosevelt Repository: 1941
- May 2, 1941. "Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York. Exhibition hall." Large-format negative ... View full size.
VOTPOTUS Vases of the President of the United States.
Great place to visit FDR was the only ... Posted by Dave - 04/21/2014 - 5:16pm -
- Neighbors: 1938
- November 30, 1938. "Now that President Roosevelt has approved the $15 million low rent housing program for the ... Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 12:09pm -
![November 30, 1938. "Now that President Roosevelt has approved the $15 million low rent housing program for the District of Columbia, such slum scenes as this will disappear from the 'city beautiful.' This picture was made within a stone's throw of the U.S. Capitol." Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size.
The OuthousesI see snow and I see outhouses. Imagine having to make that "pit stop" at six in the morning.
Ralphy!Can't help but think this looks just like Ralph's back yard in "A Christmas Story."
New metricHow 'bout "within rifle shot"?
Stone's throwYou'd have to have a pretty good arm.
Typhoid MaryThere are two outhouses to be seen, one behind each residence. One of the real dangers in slums like this came from poor sanitary facilities, with outhouses and shallow wells all in close proximity to one another. Today's swine flu pandemic would look mild compared to a typhoid outbreak!
OuthousesDavid Brinkley wrote an interesting book titled "Washington Goes to War" (1988) describing how DC changed from a quiet town to the prominent city it is today. I remember him saying that in 1940 there were more than 15,000 outhouses in DC, by 1945 there were virtually none. A good book to put some Shorpy pictures into contest.
By the way, I don't think this house is in such bad shape, I suspect the owner suffered from some sort of pack rat complex, probably related to having experienced the Great Depression. I live in a nice town of about 15,000 and can think of more than a few houses that resemble this one in the amount of outside junk.
Omigod, accident waiting to happenWhat squalor!
That horrid, jerry-rigged chimney is missing so much mortar it's a miracle it hadn't fallen in at this point. Slap & "schmear" cement repair isn't doing a lot of good.
Looks like whatever available piece of wood/lumber was good enough.
Makes you wonder if any political figures ever went for a walk past this . . .
Count again....I see three outhouses in this photo.... well, maybe four. The big one in the background is bicameral.
More of the sameIn 2007 I volunteered in a daycare for homeless children not too far from where that picture was probably taken. Here's the image of DC poverty today:
The policy described in the post sounds like the current "Housing First" initiative. DC has long been home to epic levels of poverty.
[Not to mention drunks on park benches. - Dave]
OutbuildingsThe two smaller sheds are chicken coops. I think the larger shed is just a shed.
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/25474a.thumbnail.jpg "Neighbors: 1938")
- Madame President: 1940
- ... Investigation director, greets Mrs. Henry M. Robert Jr., President General of the D.A.R." View full size.
Wrong side of history ... of her African American heritage. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt subsequently resigned her DAR membership in a letter to Mrs. Robert. ... Posted by Dave - 09/15/2016 - 10:44am -
![Washington, D.C., 1940. "Daughters of the American Revolution reception. J. Edgar Hoover, Federal Bureau of Investigation director, greets Mrs. Henry M. Robert Jr., President General of the D.A.R." View full size.
Wrong side of historyMrs. Henry M. Robert Jr. was President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution when they denied Marian Anderson the opportunity to perform at DAR Constitution Hall because of her African American heritage. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt subsequently resigned her DAR membership in a letter to Mrs. Robert.
A writing assignment?Is the letter submitted by ctank77 an actual letter or a writing assignment? Looking at all the markings it sure looks like the latter.
[It's a carbon copy of Mrs. Roosevelt's letter to Mrs. Robert. The markings were later added for archival purposes. -tterrace]
Good evening, Mrs. Robert"I *love* your dress, and those shoes!"
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-28505a.thumbnail.jpg "Madame President: 1940")
- Chicago: 1905
- ... Sanitary District Board of Trustees. June 4, 1902
PRESIDENT DIRECTED TO REVOKE PERMIT ISSUED TO STEAMER I.M. WESTON FOR ...
Re: Today's view 12th Street is today's Roosevelt Road (named for Teddy). I'm not sure if either bridge in the Google ... Posted by Dave - 11/05/2018 - 1:47pm -
![Chicago circa 1905. "12th Street Bascule Bridge." Dinosaurs of the Carboniferous Period. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size.
Bascule BridgesMore on the bascule ("seesaw") design here. These bridges used a system of counterweights to balance the span.
Today's viewIt looks like this bridge is down, but the 2 in the background are still standing.
View Larger Map
Drainage CanalSomehow, a tour of a drainage canal sounds rather disturbing.
Now that's marketing!Daily Excursions to the Drainage Canal! How could anyone resist that?
Floaters.Daily Excursions. Step right up, buy your ticket to see the effluence.
I.M. WestonDespite being in a canal, there was no smooth sailing for this steamer. The permit for its travels between Chicago and Lockport was revoked for the drunken rowdiness of its passengers.
From Proceedings of the Chicago Sanitary District Board of Trustees. June 4, 1902
PRESIDENT DIRECTED TO REVOKE PERMIT ISSUED TO STEAMER I.M. WESTON FOR NAVIGATING THE DRAINAGE CHANNEL
Under the head of new business Mr. Braden stated he had been informed that the steamer I.M. Weston plying between this city and Lockport is selling liquors and carrying boisterous crowds on its trips down the Drainage Channel and moved seconded by Mr Jones that the President of the Board be requested to revoke the permit granted said steamer until such time as the proprietors have given assurances that the boat will be properly conducted. The motion prevailed unanimously and it was so ordered.
Steamer Weston: R.I.P. 1902 Port Huron Daily Times, September 6, 1902
The little passenger steamer I.M. WESTON which has been engaged in carrying excursionists down the Chicago Drainage Canal to Lockport for several years caught fire in the canal near Summit on Friday and burned to the water's edge. No one was lost.
The I.M. Weston was built in 1883 as a passenger steamer, she later saw use carrying fruit before reverting back to passenger trade. 95 tons gross; 57 tons net.
Zug IslandIs one of those bridges on Zug Island?
Any kid growing up in Detroit was easily made to study harder by the threat of working on Zug Island. Cruising by it on the Bob-Lo boat was enough to scare a C-student into a B+ student by the end of the cruise.
Bascule BridgeWe have two of those bridges here in Detroit!
[Chicago wants them back right away. Or else. - Dave]
Re: Today's view12th Street is today's Roosevelt Road (named for Teddy). I'm not sure if either bridge in the Google view is what you see in background of the photo. The top (north) bridge is no longer in use - it served the old Grand Central Station (B&O and others) at Wells and Harrison until the late 60's/early 70's. Follow the old right-of-way going north and you can still see traces of the platforms. The south(bottom) bridge connects Union Station and the BNSF with the Illinois Central mainline.
Bascule Bridges - Zug IslandActually, one is at Fort Street and the other one is on Jefferson. I think there is one on Dix at the Ford-Rouge Plant, also. There might even be one on Zug Island.
Uh, Dave, Chicago is out of luck -- we're not giving them back!
Carboniferous DinosaursCouldn't be a more appropriate caption. Not only do we have the steamboat and steam switcher locomotive, but a steam-powered dredge in the background. Impressive!
Dancing About ArchitectureMy wife and I took a two-hour river cruise sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation a couple of weeks ago while visiting the Windy City. The tour was informative and relaxing and the expert commentary was provided by a docent from the CAF. We passed under several of these bascule bridges. We happened to be there during the Chicago Air Show, so we had the added fun of watching fighter jets and vintage aircraft screaming above the city. I highly reccommend the experience.
More on the CAF's tours and activities: www.architecture.org
Goober Pea
Roosevelt Rd. BridgeThis is the "modern" bridge as it appeared in April 2008, view looking north from the river (click to enlarge):
Hey...I used to live thereSo, as far as Chicago's development goes, I would say that this is an area that remains quite similar today. Until a few months ago I lived nearby in East Pilsen and I loved taking pics in the area. Here is a night shot of these same bridges from last winter.
Over the RiverThe bridges in this area were all taken down and rebuilt between 1919 and 1921 for the straightening of the river.
Chicago Drainage CanalAt the time of this picture, Chicago had recently reversed the flow of the Chicago River. Previously, the river and all of Chicago's sewage flowed into Lake Michigan, which is also where Chicago got its drinking water. A drainage canal was dug (some claim that more material was moved in the excavation of this canal than during construction of the Panama Canal). The drainage canal, along with a system of locks, caused the Chicago River to flow downward through the Des Plaines and Illinois River systems to the Mississippi. It was an incredible achievement, but maybe not so good for the people and fisheries downstream.
Those bridgesThe two bridges shown prominently are long gone. They did provide access to Grand Central Station but were removed when the South Branch of the Chicago River was straightened in the 1920s. The railroad built a single leaf bascule bridge to replace the double bridge a few blocks to the south. That bridge is seen in the "today's view" and "I used to live there" photos. It is the one that is up.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Chicago, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a16992u.thumbnail.jpg "Chicago: 1905")
- Let Us Continue: 1964
- ... pictures of John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson with the slogan 'Let Us Continue,' at the 1964 ... taken at the convention. She and the other woman served President and Mrs. Johnson tea. I never did ask her why, but I'm thinking LBJ ... Posted by Dave - 03/14/2024 - 12:55pm -
- The White House: 1914
- ... stacks.
I enjoy the image in the following articles of President Wilson rising from his outdoor desk to stroll the garden grounds and ... garden lies directly opposite the garden of roses Mrs. Roosevelt planted when she remodeled the gardens ten years ago. Occupying the ... Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:17pm -
![1914. "White House tent in Rose Garden." A view of the executive mansion from over the West Wing looking east past the Treasury and along Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
CozyI am not sure why, however White House looks so small back in 1914. In nowadays, in all pictures, or movies - white house looks so enormously huge. And in this picture it looks cozy and nice. Love the picture.
Adam
Storm WindowsNotice the windows stacked against the wall. Looks like replacements or storm or extras. Would they be leaving things around like this today?
Summer OfficeA very unique view of the White House grounds. I love the skyline with the towers, steeples, water tanks and smoke stacks.
I enjoy the image in the following articles of President Wilson rising from his outdoor desk to stroll the garden grounds and pick flowers.
Washington Post May 5, 1914
President Works In Tent
Performs Executive Duties in Rear of White House
The President spent most of the morning yesterday under an open tent which has been put up in the rear of the White House grounds. The tent is of regular army pattern of brown canvas. A white bench and table has been placed beneath the covering, and at this table the President worked. Representative Underwood was the first visitor to be shown to the open-air office. For an hour he and the President sat in the summery shade and considered a legislative program that would permit Congress to adjourn by July 1. ...
Washington Post Jun 8, 1914
Mrs. Wilson a Rose Culturist of Decided Ability
Skilled in Landscape Art
The bewildering mass of roses, shading from the deepest crimson to the palest pink, now blooming in the White House gardens gives evidence of Mrs. Wilson's skill as landscape gardener and rose culturist.
...
Mrs. Wilson's garden lies directly opposite the garden of roses Mrs. Roosevelt planted when she remodeled the gardens ten years ago. Occupying the sheltered space between the executive offices and the south entrance to the White House, the path which the President travels to and from bisects the blossoming plat.
Possibly no one takes greater pleasure in the roses than the President whose out-door office or tent is pitched at the far end of the garden.
...
The President's delight in the roses is evidenced in many ways and callers, whose love of flowers prompts them to discuss the array of roses not infrequently, come away either with a rose bud buttonniere or a cluster of flowers, the President himself in the leisure hours of the day going out among the bushes and plucking them.
ScreensThose look like window screens. Maybe taken off for window cleaning?
Set Up Over Where?This seems to have been taken from a tall building on 17th Street that is no longer there. Anybody knowledgeable about that?
[The photo would have been taken from the old State, War and Navy building, 134 feet tall, which is still very much there. - Dave]
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Politics)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/04114a.thumbnail.jpg "The White House: 1914")
- Silent Cal: 1923
- ... a day or two after the death of the world economy.
President Coolidge For the next pose please use those spectacles in your ... decades too late.
Grace and Style Alice Longworth Roosevelt may have complained that Calvin Coolidge "looked like he was weaned ... Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 4:38pm -
![August 4, 1923. Washington, D.C. "Coolidge and wife." Grace and Calvin Coolidge (wearing a mourning band), two days after his ascension to the presidency following the death of Warren Harding. National Photo Co. View full size.
"What do they think I am? Dumb or something?""Why, I make more money than Calvin Coolidge ... put together!"
-- Lina Lamont, "Singing in the Rain."
Love the DressCan't tell if it's ancient Greece, native Navajo, or flower power Berkeley.
Strike up the Band. I'm sure there must be a similar picture of Herbert Hoover also with a mourning band, a day or two after the death of the world economy.
President CoolidgeFor the next pose please use those spectacles in your breast pocket as if you are reading the material.
Bad MemoriesI had a math teacher in high school in the '60s who looked just like Mrs. Coolidge with that icy stare. Ever since then whenever I try to figure out the tip at a restaurant I feel like she's watching me. Creepy.
"How could they tell?"When informed in 1933 that Silent Cal had died, Dorothy Parker replied, "How could they tell?" It does look like he has a permanent blood pressure strap on his left arm, so there may have always been a slight question of the fact. Looks like a watch fob attached to his lapel.
That chainThere is some kind of chain looped through the president's lapel buttonhole and something at the other end of the loop must be in his pocket. What is it?
[Watch fob, as noted below. - Dave]
Weird. I've never seen one attached to the lapel. I guess I was a few decades too late.
Grace and StyleAlice Longworth Roosevelt may have complained that Calvin Coolidge "looked like he was weaned on a pickle," but Grace Goodhue Coolidge was one the most stylish and popular First Ladies in American history, surpassed in those qualities perhaps only by Dolley Madison and Jacqueline Kennedy. Tall, slender and vivacious, Mrs. Coolidge wore couture dresses well and Calvin Coolidge loved seeing her in the latest fashions from Paris. The pseudo-folk embroidery and asymmetrical closure of her dress strongly suggests that this is one of the embroidered silk "Slavic" dresses designed and produced by Coco Chanel in the 1920-1924 period. Here's a Hartsook studio portrait of Mrs. Coolidge in the same dress.
Mourning BandOn second thought, the black band around Coolidge's left arm that I made light of in an earlier post, is possibly in honor of his son, Calvin, Jr. ...
[As noted in the caption, the mourning band is in honor of Warren Harding, whose death two days earlier elevated Cal to the presidency. - Dave]
Compared to Calvin, anywayThe missus was a nice-looking woman, sporting that boho dress.
Amherst ManThis spring I attended, with my son, Admitted Students weekend at Amherst College. The president of the University addressed the gathering in a early nineteenth century New England style meeting hall on campus. The walls were lined with past Amherst Presidents and Cal. The President made a snide swipe at Coolidge noting he wished Cal didn't hang in the hall.
I thought this showed very poor taste, I doubt that you would hear such disparaging remarks at the Naval Academy about Jimmy Carter, no matter his record.
My son, who knew of Coolidge was but had no opinion of him told me he didn't know why Amherst's president was "cracking on one his own."
Silent Cal, the comedianOld joke from the Coolidge presidency:
Two Washington correspondents were talking and one said that he had an interview with President Coolidge the next day. His buddy said, "I'll bet you can't get him to say more than two words."
Next day, at the interview, the reporter asks Coolidge, "Hey, Mr. President, a buddy of mine bet me I couldn't get you to say more than two words. What do you say?"
Coolidge replied, "You lose!"
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Politics, Portraits, Public Figures)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/09141u.thumbnail.jpg "Silent Cal: 1923")
- Mr. Hi-Fi of 1955
- ... Swings On." View full size.
The Duke and The President It seems Mr. Ellington had a childhood love of the game. From ... lessons, he was more interested in baseball. "President Roosevelt (Teddy) would come by on his horse sometimes, and stop and watch us ... Posted by Dave - 03/24/2014 - 1:59pm -
![April 1955. "Duke Ellington and band members playing baseball in front of their segregated motel while touring in Florida." Who'll be first to locate the Astor? From photos by Charlotte Brooks (who died this month at age 95) for the Look magazine assignment "A Living Legend Swings On." View full size.
The Duke and The PresidentIt seems Mr. Ellington had a childhood love of the game. From Wikipedia:, "Though Ellington took piano lessons, he was more interested in baseball. "President Roosevelt (Teddy) would come by on his horse sometimes, and stop and watch us play", he recalled. Ellington went to Armstrong Technical High School in Washington, D.C. He got his first job selling peanuts at Washington Senators baseball games.
Colorful signI'm now suddenly struck with the thought that many old motel signs I've seen that seem to advertise COLOR TV excessively prominently ( though no doubt that was a nice amenity when it first appeared) may have been advertising color of a different sort a few years previously and were simply saving money on the cost of sign alterations.
Hep CatOn the left in the blazer is William "Cat" Anderson, the Ellington band's trumpet player renowned for being able to hit the high notes.
Jacksonville!This is an ad for the Astor from the 1956 The Negro Travelers' Green Book.
1111 ClevelandThe hotel's ad in the 1956 Green Book puts it at "US 1 and US 23 North" in Jacksonville. The street address appears to have been 1111 Cleveland.
1954 PontiacTo me,that looks to be a 54 Pontiac rear fender/bumper. If it is not a '54, it will be a '53.
[The answer is neither. It's a 1951 or 1952 Pontiac. - Dave]
It don't mean a thingif it ain't got that swing.
Church visible in top right corner.View Larger Map
The BusI believe this is a model PD3751 General Motors "Silversides" highway bus, or a close relative to it. These were built in the post World War II era, and more information can be found here.
(Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, LOOK, Music, Travel & Vacation)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_09451u.thumbnail.jpg "Mr. Hi-Fi of 1955")
- Fill In the Blanks: 1931
- ... UPDATE: The photo now has a caption.
Signs the president's name. Mrs. Leafie E. Dietz, recently appointed the "Secretary to ... D.C., Sept. 8. Affixing the signature "Franklin D. Roosevelt" to land grants and patents, Jeanne [...], 20, is getting a great ... Posted by Dave - 04/20/2013 - 9:03pm -
![UPDATE: The photo now has a caption.
Signs the president's name. Mrs. Leafie E. Dietz, recently appointed the "Secretary to Sign Land Patents," a position in the Government Land Office which, since its creation under President Arthur, has been held only by women. She signs "Herbert Hoover" to land patents and is the only person who has authority to sign the President's name.
Washington circa 1930. The document at hand in this unlabeled Harris & Ewing negative is a form ready for the signature of Herbert Hoover. Perhaps someone versed in bureaucratic history will recognize this lady. View full size.
CylindersCould they be for sending messages through a pneumatic tubing system?
The Mysterious CylindersThe Land Office probably trafficked in large documents -- maps and such. The cylinders might have to do with storing, transmitting or duplicating them. They look too long to be dictation cylinders or radio batteries.
Difficult JobCan you imagine how difficult it must have been for a woman in those days to be part of the White House staff? I love her glasses and her very direct, no nonsense look. There is a small star on her ring. I imagine someone will recognize its significance.
I bet those flowers wiltedThe moment she sat next to them.
Possible identificationI'm not sure, but I think that might be Ed Wynn.
A woman before her time?It looks like she was married and had a successful career, too!
Not an Ordinary Worker BeeWell dressed, with a fat engagement/wedding ring combo and what looks like an Order of the Eastern Star ring.
Job DescriptionThe document is a form of the General Land Office, predecessor to the Bureau of Land Management; the lady is authorized to sign the President's name as described in a caption accompanying a 1937 Harris & Ewing photo of another lady in what may be the same room:
Signs president's name. Washington, D.C., Sept. 8. Affixing the signature "Franklin D. Roosevelt" to land grants and patents, Jeanne [...], 20, is getting a great thrill out of her new [...]h the General Land Office. As "Secretary to the President [...]ning Land Grants and Patents," she is the only [...] authorized to sign the president's signature to documents. She is the youngest person ever appointed to the position. 9/8/37
Cylinders????What are the tall cylindrical objects against the wall? If we could identify them it might give us a clue as to what department she works in. The labels on them are far too out of focus to read.
Soil samplesSince this is a land management office, the tubes might well be soil sample cores. Contemporary tubes are a similar size and shape.
[The Land Office didn't have anything to do with dirt. - Dave]
Pot MarigoldThe flowers appear to be the common calendula officianalis, or the more common name of pot marigold. A popular cut flower back in the day, it has the unusual characteristic of sleeping, or folding up at night time. Much used in present day lotions and fragrances.
Re: Cylinders?My first thought, as well, but aren't they awfully long canisters? The required bend radius in the pneumatic lines would be huge!
Her name is Leafie E. DietzAfter a fun little search these past couple of hours, I've discovered her identity. It is Leafie E. Dietz, designated by President Hoover in 1931 to sign land patents, by Executive Order 5529.
This photograph shows the preparation of a land patent granted to Janie Furr, for 640 acres of land in two sections (8 and 17) in Grant County, New Mexico, dated Jan. 21, 1931.
The most exciting part was the hunt! I work in land administration, so I immediately recognized the document as a patent or similar document.
I rotated the image and messed with the contrast to try and read the document. I immediately recognized a chunk of the writing as a legal description. At first, I couldn't make out much, but after recognizing the words "New Mexico Meridian" (23rd Meridian) and "six hundred forty acres", I was able to discern the township and range: T16S R15W (or "Township sixteen south of Range fifteen west" as it is written on the patent). From there, I did a simple search of the BLM's land documents using the legal description, which pulled the original patent (fully filled out by that point!) image with matching description! (attached below, original accession # 1043289).
Stupidly, I did not look down at the signature block, and attempted to locate the identity of this woman through a search of the congressional registry for 1931. After searching the GLO's employees, as well as the executive office's employees (thanks to the hint from Dave's comment), I was not able to find anything further...until...
I took another look at the patent, and voila! How blind could I be?! There, under "Herbert Hoover"'s signature, is the notation "By Leafie E. Dietz, Secretary." It's her!
A quick Google search turns up the executive order by Pres. Hoover designating her to sign land patents, and also some results regarding her involvement with the Order of the Eastern Star (in Colorado, apparently), as hinted by her ring.
A search on Ancestry.com returns census records, indicating she was born in Iowa about 1878 (making her about 53 in this photo), and the 1920 and 1930 censuses show she lived in Washington, D.C. The 1920 census lists Joseph, Dorothy and John as children (22, 16 and 14 respectively). Interestingly, it also shows George working as a law clerk in the Land Office, but Leafie with no occupation. She must have started the position after the children were grown, perhaps hearing of the opening through her husband. Joseph is listed as a stenographer.
Also see the image below of a snippet from the New York Sun, (Jan. 13, 1931, only days before the Shorpy photo above!) highlighting her new post.
A fun way to pass a couple of hours! I love research/genealogy (and land records!). I'm glad I found this site!!
Wow!Wow, jordannelson, that's an amazing piece of sleuthing. Good thing Mrs. Dietz has long departed this vale of tears, or Mr. Dietz might accuse you of stalking his wife.
Petworth Lady
Washington Post, May 25, 1954.
Mrs. Dietz Dies; Worked at Interior
Mrs. Leafie E. Dietz, 78, who put the signatures of two presidents to homestead land grants as part of her job at the Interior Department, died yesterday at the Washington Sanitarium. She lived at 8424 Queen Anne's dr., Silver Spring.
After her husband, George C. Dietz, an Interior Department lawyer, died in 1929, Mrs. Dietz was appointed a clerk in the General Land Office of the Interior Department. There she was legally empowered to sign land patents for homesteaders with Presidential signatures. She served under Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Mrs. Dietz, who retired in 1944, moved to Washington in 1918. She was a native of Keokuk, Iowa, and was married in Silver Cliff, Colo., in 1895 during a silver rush there.
Active in the the Order of the Eastern Star, she helped found the Joppa Lodge Chapter in Petworth. She was a member of the Petworth Women's Club and the Petworth Methodist church.
Surviving are two sons, John E. Dietz of 9143 Sligo Creek parkway, Silver Spring, and Joseph M. Dietz, of Harrisonburg, Va.; one daughter, Mrs. Dorothy Trautman, of 8424 Queen Anne's dr., Silver Spring; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. …
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, The Office)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_36187a.thumbnail.jpg "Fill In the Blanks: 1931")
- Farmville: 1938
- ... ultra conservatives ranting about a socialist president leading America to damnation.
God Bless America.
[Actually, Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal programs encountered exactly that kind of criticism. ... Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 10:40pm -
![May 1938. "Farm family, Scioto Farms, Ohio." 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
UPDATE: This is Earl Armentrout and his family, government rehabilitation clients who were relocated by the Resettlement Administration to a new house in a cooperative farming project, a story repeated thousands of times for families who were forced off the land by crop failures during the Dust Bowl era.
Goes to showWhat having no TV will get you.
Farm FamThese guys look exceptionally healthy for a Depression era family - none of that terrible gauntness, not even in the mother who has borne so many children -- shiny hair, big smiles. And kittens!
A very hopeful picture of a bad time in American history.
GollyThis photo is mind blowing! Look at the faces on these folks, especially the children. No ADD, no prescription medications because there depressed. Pure Family happiness that a Park Avenue kid couldn't buy for a million bucks. Total respect for each other, animals (speaks volumes) and life. You made my day.
Great FamilyWhat a great-looking, loving, happy family. Love the kittens. Must have been a great family to grow up in.
Thank you!Such beautiful smiles and joy in this photo. It made my morning.
Re: 1899-1967They say women survive their men, but men don't live long once their women are gone. Earl only lasted three months.
So different This family is a contrast to the Dust Bowl poverty we see often at Shorpy. I love those cute kitties and the way the children love (ack! choke! gasp!) them.
No Tea Party hereA government program that helped the American people that was not met with self-proclaimed ultra conservatives ranting about a socialist president leading America to damnation.
God Bless America.
[Actually, Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal programs encountered exactly that kind of criticism. - Dave]
Smiles!Only a few decades before, it was decidedly not done to get yourself photographed while smiling. It's so good to see that had changed by this time.
Happy daysThey certainly are a cheerful bunch, compared to what we usually see in FSA photographs! Even the cat on the right is smiling.
Wow!Now that is one good looking family.
Aw, kittiesRelaxed, well fed, happy kitties!
The AcornThe old man sure put his stamp on the oldest boy.
Depression era?What a great family photo! I had to remind myself that this was taken during the Great Depression, for they seem so happy and healthy. It goes to show that not every family suffered all the time during the Great Depression. These kids are happy, clean, and appear healthy. I bet some are still around.
A farmer's work is never done"Come sunup, got me some plowin' t'do! Come sundown, got me some plowin' t'do!"
Loving CoupleThe headstone gives a clue as to how happy and loving Mr. and Mrs. Armentrout were. I don't know why she passed on, but the dates say he died of a broken heart. Any idea if the children know their family portrait is now on Time's 15th best blog of 2010? It would be very interesting to see these kids as adults and with their children, and their children's children.
[If past experience is any guide, we will eventually be hearing from some Armentrouts. - Dave]
Nice contrast to other Depression-era photosA farm family that looks happy, healthy, and reasonably prosperous. You see enough of those Dorothea Lange images, you begin to think there were NO viable, operating farms in America in the '30s. Which is impossible, of course.
[As it turns out (see caption), these folks had been relocated from a failed Dust Bowl farm by the Resettlement Administration. - Dave]
Brings To Mind"Our house is a very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy
'Cause of you"
Genuinely HappyLooking at the picture, I don't get the feeling that any of the people are just smiling for the camera. There seems to be genuine happiness on every single face - not a single sourpuss. Makes you wonder if home life for this family was as upbeat and warm as the picture portrays.
The Good Old DaysCompare this family to any of the "Real Houswives" of Orange County etc., or "John and Kate Plus Eight." Simple, honest, happy, children proud of the kittens they are holding. How far off track we are now!
Nine Happy FacesIt is difficult to "fake" genuine serenity and joy but I sense that it was present in each of the family members pictured here just from the very sincere and natural smiles all around. I would bet that this was a tightknit supportive family, all for one, one for all. They really light up this photo in a good way. For all the young whippersnappers out there, it was not unusual for families in those days to have seven, eight, nine kids and more. Family farmers and ranchers often produced their own employees as appears to have happened here, yet nobody appears to be suffering. Bless 'em all. Ain't nobody's business but their own.
It'll get youOne heck of a good looking family. It's a shame we don't know who they are, to find out how things turned out for them.
1899-1967Googled Earl Armentrout, and came up with this from Ohio. Is this the same man?
[I checked the SSDI records for various Earl Armentrouts -- this would seem to be he. His wife was Lovie Mae. - Dave]
They are all happyTo pose for the pic for the "Farm Family of the Year" in Ohio.
Put on a happy faceWhile it sounds as corny as Kansas in August to say so, an amazing amount of happiness seems to be radiating from this family. I don't know when I've seen such genuine smiles.
I love this pictureIn how many family photos of today would you see that many genuinely happy-looking faces? You can just see the pride in the father's eyes. Wish I could have lived there with them.
Eating regularly really makes a difference.They seem so happy. I guess being a farm family they had enough to eat. Quite a difference from the photo of the slum children posted recently.
American LifeA very nice photo of a proud American farm family. A slice of 1938 farm life.
Yes, Virginia.There is a Walton's Mountain.
WheeEven the baby is giving a thumbs up!
I bet they are feeling some serious reliefI cannot imagine trying to raise seven children in the Depression on a farm that was yielding nothing. I bet the relocation in many ways felt like a blessed fresh start. Good on 'em. (And I love too that the baby is giving a thumbs up!)
A Tolstoy familyAn example of Tolstoy's happy families ("Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"). These people really are a happy family.
A little thingBut I love that it's the dad that's holding the baby, not the mom. That feels unusual to me for this time (am I wrong?).
The love and happiness on their faces is a real inspiration.
An Only Child's DreamBy all appearances, what a fun family to be a member of! I can just imagine all the activity and the dinner conversations 'round the table with this gang. I so hope one or more the Armentrout clan navigates to this post and introduces him/herself.
Resettlement ProgramsThere was a large resettlement program like the one refered to here in the area of Crossville TN where I am from. The families were selected from many who applied and they worked together to clear the land, building barns first to live in while the houses were built using wood cut from the property and stone quarried as well. It brought a group of very special families many who remained here.
They had cooperative farming, a furniture factory, a lumber mill etc. and the farms were designed to be subsistence farms for the families to raise their own food. The photo above was probably taken on move in day and would esplain the very happy faces.
ReactingI don't doubt the strength and overall happiness of this family, even in hard times, but it seems to me that most are reacting rather than posing. I suspect that they are reacting to something the photographer said, but the very fact that they are in an amiable mood says a lot.
(The Gallery, Agriculture, Arthur Rothstein, Kids)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/8a09569a.thumbnail.jpg "Farmville: 1938")
- Haute Cuisine: 1920
- ... Linda Tripp (facing camera)
Three tables back: Eleanor Roosevelt (facing northwest)
Four tables back: Will Rogers (facing ... the view and spending way to much on martinis.
All the President's Men There is a scene in the movie "All the President's Men" ... Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 4:48pm -
!["No caption." Rooftop dining somewhere near the Washington Monument circa 1920. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
DoppelgangersTwo tables back: John Goodman as Linda Tripp (facing camera)
Three tables back: Eleanor Roosevelt (facing northwest)
Four tables back: Will Rogers (facing southeast)
Five tables back: Mr. and Mrs. Claus
Roof Dining RoomI love the placement of the skylight in the foreground of this photo: to me, it suggests that the rooftop dining was added as an afterthought after the building was already constructed. It also emphasizes to the diners that they are indeed on a roof.
The term "Sky Terrace" was not used until the late 1940s. Below, advertisements from 1928 and 1951. The 1951 ad reminds me of the Jetsons.
Most dangerous hatThe lady on the far right wins the prize.
More DoppelgangersTable one: Bill Maher.
Table two: Jimmy Olsen of the Daily Planet.
Table five: Papa Hemingway (or maybe Burl Ives), Gertrude Stein, Warren G. Harding and the back of Calvin Coolidge's head.
Behind that: Shecky Green, Forrest Gump, Ru Paul, Ron Paul, the guy from Goodfellas, and Oliver Stone.
Watch your head!Food fights at this establishment would be detrimental to pedestrians on the sidewalk below.
Sky TerraceThis is the Sky Terrace rooftop restaurant of Hotel Washington at 515 15th Street NW. Elvis famously stayed in Suite 506 a few times and it became a shrine. It's being completely refurbished and will reopen as a "W" Hotel. That rooftop restaurant had a stunning view. Many movies scenes have been shot there.
LocationWhat makes you think this is near the Washington Monument?
Drinks?ca. 1920, so prohibition is in force since it's definitely not before January 16. There appears to be a bottle with a logo that looks like Budweiser on the second table from the right. I doubt it is, but wonder what that bottle held. Also, what is the dark liquid in the glasses? There are ice cubes, so it's some kind of cola, perhaps. Or iced tea?
[Beer-brewing did not end with Prohibition -- most of the major brands remained on the market with a lower alcohol content. Below, a Budwesier ad from 1922 in the Washington Post. - Dave]
Flying FedorasWith a little breeze, the hats on the hatrack are going flying. At least they didn't hang them on the column next to the railing!
The Luminaries!Don't forget Buddy Ebsen and Bing Crosby at the front table. And that's even Paul Sorvino, looking right at us, in the very back. Goodman, in his cups, has taken Monica's hat and turned the brim up in swashbuckler style as Monica snapped the picture. There's a ton of celebrity up on that roof!
Doric InfluenceDo notice the Doric hat rack at the back left. Wow, heavy duty for those few straw hats.
Great PlaceI stayed there on a trip to D.C. in the Fall of 2007. Every evening found me at that rooftop bar enjoying the view and spending way to much on martinis.
All the President's MenThere is a scene in the movie "All the President's Men" that was shot here on the roof restaurant of the Washington Hotel. The Carl Bernstein character is having lunch with a girl he's charmingly trying to get information from.
(The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/13464a.thumbnail.jpg "Haute Cuisine: 1920")
- Inaugural Umbrellas: 1901
- March 4, 1901. "President William McKinley second inaugural parade, Pennsylvania Avenue." ... elected, would be assassinated six months later. His vice president, Theodore Roosevelt, would succeed him.
Number 2 I thought of The Prisoner too. ... Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 12:22pm -
![March 4, 1901. "President William McKinley second inaugural parade, Pennsylvania Avenue." Brady-Handy Collection glass negative. View full size.
Precision Umbrella Drill Team Rules!Complete with snappy white top hats (the Doo Dah Parade is calling, gentlemen!) And if that's The Washington Post building in the background, maybe they're the (well informed) destination for the impressive array of phone lines above the buildings on the left. Hopefully the men perched atop the other phone pole aren't disrupting calls!
Just funWhat a whimsical sight, from the umbrellas, to the white top hats, to the dog in the street. Can you think of any inaugural parade in the last fifty years that was as much fun?
Friends ForeverIs that a pickpocket in action left foreground?
MulletDid anyone else notice the fashion-forward hairdo on one member of the umbrella drill team?
Takes GutsThere are at least 2 men sitting on top of a telephone or light pole and a few more about halfway down. I hope they all got down safely.
DisneyesqueIt looks like it was staged by Walt Disney and great fun to be in and to watch. One of the aspects of "the good old days" that is actually true: no fears of disruption or calamity. A celebration of Liberty.
No dames allowed?Virtually no women visible in the ranks of the spectators. What's that about?
[There are dozens of women in this picture. - Dave]
What goes up must come... Wait, what?Again and again, we see photos on Shorpy that feature people fearlessly leaning out 6th-floor windows, cramming onto roofs, perched on mile-high balconies and swinging from the tops of fifty-foot poles. Makes me think the apple fell on Isaac Newton much later...say, the 1940s.
Pride ParadeThe umbrella corps would do San Francisco proud. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Where's Waldo......can you find at least one man who is uncovered (not wearing a hat)? I think I can see a couple.
I find it heartening to see such enthusiasm for the workings of democracy. I suppose a cynic would say that it was a time when the people were starved for entertainment and would turn out for any dog and pony show, especially if given a few hours off. To me, in a time when the media weren't so pervasive, it was probably important that the democratic process was proved to have been completed.
A Prelude>> One of the aspects of 'the good old days' that is actually true: no fears of disruption or calamity.
That's a rather ironic statement considering that slightly less than 6 months later the man whose inauguration was being celebrated would lie dead in Buffalo, shot by the Anarchist Leon Czolgosz.
The VillageAnyone else see the umbrellas and capes and think of The Prisoner?
Short TermMcKinley, the last veteran of the American Civil War to be elected, would be assassinated six months later. His vice president, Theodore Roosevelt, would succeed him.
Number 2I thought of The Prisoner too.
Short Time in OfficeFrom the date of this photo, President McKinley would have but a little more than six months in office; losing his life to a madman's bullet on September 14th. His VP - Teddy Roosevelt would become the 26th President.
I agree that this looks to be a much more enjoyable inaugural parade than we've seen of late. I doubt that any of these marchers would be thrown out of their organization because they dared look at the President.
Social ProprietyOnce past the Umbrella Drill Team, one is impressed that onlookers are free to line buildings, windows and parapets. Although there is some police presence, it appears nobody really expects this important ceremony to be disrupted by protests or violence. No longer a safe assumption in these security-conscious days! Still, the price of this social stability seems to have been a rigid sense of "proper" dress and public decorum. One might wish to stroll down lovely Tremont Street in 1906 Boston, but imagine having to dress up like this just to go out! Those onlookers would be scandalized by at least 75 percent of today's ordinary public activities (Kids running around! Unsupervised teenage couples! Boisterous music!), not to mention our scandalously revealing comfortable clothing.
Mullet?I haven't been able to spot a mullet hairdo, but if JeffK is referring to the second umbrellist from the right in the first row, what looks like long hair in back is actually the bottom corner of the cape on the guy behind.
Ka Pow !Which one is the Penguin ?
Parade, si! Vote, no!I appreciate Stevie's comments on democratic spectacles. I feel that kind of nostalgia, too.
But before getting too carried away with that kind of enthusiasm, I would like to note that most of the spectators frozen in the year 1901 by this photo were unable to vote for either of the major presidential tickets (McKinley / Roosevelt or Bryan / Stevenson). Nor for that matter could they cast a ballots for Wooley, Debs, Barker, Maloney or any of the other presidential candidate who managed to get himself steamrolled by the Republicans in 1900.
Why? I assume that most of the people in the photo lived in DC. Any of them alive in 1964 would have been enfranchised by the 23rd Amendment (1961), and so could have voted for President in 1964--finally.
That's not to mention that no woman in the photo could have voted in 1900. The 19th Amendment wasn't ratified until 1920.
For that matter, it would have been unlikely that any of the African American males who were in town that day from Virginia or Maryland had been permitted to vote in their own districts.
So when we celebrate our democratic heritage, let's also remember how far we've come.
[Whether the women in this photo could vote depended on where they lived -- suffrage was granted by the individual states and territories (starting with Wyoming, in 1859) long before passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. By 1917, women in 16 states plus Alaska already had the vote. - Dave]
(Dave, I appreciate your comments as well. I think I was looking at the forest, and you, at the trees. Just a couple things.
First, Wyoming was admitted to the Union in 1869, and its constitution did enfranchise women.
Second, a number of states did allow complete women's suffrage by 1915--not surprisingly, they were nearly all western states with Progressive traditions, save New York. (Differences from one state to another encouraged by our federal system must always be taken into account.) But in other states, even when they did enjoy the vote, the right to vote was not extended to women in all kinds of elections. This was the case in both Maryland and Virginia in 1901.
Third, there were localized instances of women being extended suffrage rights in the US before the Civil War, but those rights were very specialized. As I recall, in some states, women could vote if they were widowed and owned property above a certain value.
Finally, all African American males should have been enfranchsed after the passage of 15th Amendment in 1871. The odd thing is that, by and large, the women's suffrage movement of the 19th and 20th Centuries avoided taking black suffrage on board with their own cause.
Thanks again for both the entertainment you provide here, and the chance to blog about the occasional arcane, forgotten, or obscure issue.)
Dig that flag!Tthe flag in this photo is by far the coolest historical flag I think I've ever seen; I never realized that we went back, briefly, to the old circle constellation style for a brief period at the very beginning of the 20th century.
Dang! Never seen a flag like that!Parade flag with stars inside a circle of stars -- anyone know if or when that was an official flag?
Dressing up to go outOne might wish to stroll down lovely Tremont Street in 1906 Boston, but imagine having to dress up like this just to go out!
I once lived in a house built in the 1890s that had not had the privilege of being remodeled in the intervening century. Each closet was outfitted with precisely three hooks: One for Sunday, one for Monday through Saturday, and one for overalls.
Dressing up was surprisingly less onerous than you'd think when you owned precisely three suits of clothes. The smell, despite the presence of numerous laundries, was another issue entirely. Sweat, wool, tobacco, macassar oil, and lilac water is a powerful combination. Every time I see a Shorpy crowd photo from 1890-1910, the smell overwhelms me.
Suffrage in VirginiaArnnman writes about women's suffrage:
"But in other states, even when they did enjoy the vote, the right to vote was not extended to women in all kinds of elections. This was the case in both Maryland and Virginia in 1901."
I don't think this was the case in Virginia at all. Women here did not get the right to vote until three-fourths of the states ratified the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. However, even then, Virginia refused to ratify until 1952.
Encyclopedia Virginia's entry on the subject can be found here:
http://staging.encyclopediavirginia.org/Woman_Suffrage_in_Virginia
If we got this history wrong, please let us know.
Washington Post buildingNear the middle of the photo you can see the top of the Washington Post building (located at 1339 E St. NW, according to the Post website). The Post still uses the same font for its masthead.
America's Choice Bike ShopAnyone have any idea what the name of the bike shop with the awning is? I would love to know if there was once a frame-builder in DC.
["America's Choice" was President McKinley. This was the R.M. Dobbins bike shop at 1425 Pennsylvania Avenue. - Dave]
The PrisonerThat was my first thought. Actually, I have thought about the show in a number of instances with the photos from this era. This one, though, was the one that REALLY did it for me.
Re: Never seen a flag like thatThere was no such thing as an "official" American flag until President Taft standardized the design in 1912. This flag design was as official as any other with the correct number of stars on it. It would appear to be the forerunner for Wayne Whipple's flag. See the pdf chart of US Flags at http://www.vexman.net/
(The Gallery, D.C., Politics)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03416a.thumbnail.jpg "Inaugural Umbrellas: 1901")
- Hanging Together: 1865
- ...
Last surviving witness of the assassination of President Lincoln appeared on "I've Got a Secret" back in 1956.
... Anton Cermak, who was standing next to President-Elect Roosevelt. The shooting happened February 15th 1933. He pled guilty almost ... Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 4:03pm -
![July 7, 1865. "Washington, D.C. Hanging hooded bodies of the four conspirators; crowd departing." Lincoln assassination conspirators Mary Surratt, Lewis Payne, David Herold and George Atzerodt shortly after their execution at Fort McNair. Wet plate glass negative by Alexander Gardner. View full size.
AdiosCapital punishment means never having to say, "You again"?
Lewis Payne's cause of deathI have read that Lewis Payne's neck muscles were so strong that the fall did not break his neck and he died of asphyxiation. Looking at the picture, it appears to be true. So sad. I've always suspected that they weren't all guilty, primarily Mary Surratt. Dr. Mudd almost ended up hanging, too.
Interesting timingIs Shorpy spying on me? I'm reading Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell right now, so I've been reading about these very conspirators. Weird.
Also, this looks like a miniature almost. Much like many pics in the faux tilt shift fad that the kids are so into these days. Which is odd because Vowell's book covers feature miniatures. Hmmm.
Nice work, Shorpy.
Last surviving witnessof the assassination of President Lincoln appeared on "I've Got a Secret" back in 1956.
Pot ShotThe two sergeants and the soldier in front of them have obviously turned around to see where the pot shot came from that shattered the glass just to their left.
Grim ReaperThat beardless seargent facing the camera looks like Death himself, hollow eyesockets and all, posing for posterity. It's not hard to imagine a sickle in place of the bayonet.
Spectator There are a lot of people moving in that photo. This one young boy is stock still.
Hanging AroundIf this were today they'd still be on death row waiting.
Their clothingBesides Mary Surratt, who would be wearing the dress (presumably, and yes, it does it make her look fat).
Lewis Payne appears to be wearing the same outfit seen here.
David Herold seems to be the one on the far right, he's dressed in dark pants like the ones in his picture here.
That leaves George Atzerodt, who doesn't seem to have a photo here on Shorpy.
They didn't mess around back then, you were executed quickly, no time to change into something nice I guess.
Christian "Wrath"The Army officer in charge of the gallows construction and giving the signal to the soldiers to knock out the supports under the traps was Captain Christian Rath of the Seventeenth Michigan Infantry. He can be seen in several of the photographs in this series.
More discussion on these images here on Facebook.
I interviewed Rath's great-niece who lived in his household. He was haunted by nightmares of Mrs. Surratt's daughter asking why he had hanged her mother.
There are several theories as to young soldier's identity.
Last Words"You can't hang me. I've got at least a dozen appeals left."
Ok this is weirdI too feel like Shorpy is spying on me. I was just tonight watching American Experience - The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and I looked up Mary Surratt online to find out more about her story. I even read about the photographer who took this picture on Wikipedia. Strange.
[Love your jammies. - Dave]
Family connection, sort ofMy great-grandfather grew up in Bryanstown, Charles County, Maryland. One of his playmates was a son of Dr. Sam Mudd, a convicted co-conspirator who missed swinging with these people by one vote.
Many years later, my ancestor belonged to a fraternal organization in Baltimore. An applicant for membership to this group was asked if he had anything to add to what was already known about him. His reply was, "Yes. The United States of America murdered my mother, Mary Surratt."
I don't know if he was accepted or not, although Baltimore's Southern sympathies (her City Council spent the War in Fort McHenry without charges) were such that Mr. Surratt's views may have been a plus.
Mr. Surratt slipped out of Washington after the assassination. He was finally caught in Egypt many years later and brought back the the US for trial, where he was acquitted. By 1900 he had been a passenger agent for the Baltimore Steam Packet Company (Old Bay Line) for many years, which is about when my great-grandfather met him.
Game, Set, MatchYes, it is remarkable how fast they worked back in the day. My favorite example of speed in the not-so-distant past was the arrest, prosecution, conviction and execution of the fellow (Giuseppe Zangara) who tried to kill FDR in Miami. His shots were wide of the mark and he ended up mortally wounding Anton Cermak, who was standing next to President-Elect Roosevelt. The shooting happened February 15th 1933. He pled guilty almost immediately to four counts of attempted murder. Then Cermak dies after lingering in the hospital and Zangara is charged with murder. He pleads guilty to that charge too, and asks for the electric chair, and gets it after only 10 days of waiting on death row. March 20th, 1933 they light up Giuseppe in Old Sparky. 33 elapsed days. In by 9, out by 5!
In that orderThe order is as given in the caption: Surratt, Payne, Herold, Atzerodt.
An excellent, if creepy, book on the event was published in 2009: "The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators: Their Confinement and Execution."
Four noosesNo waiting!
Only WordGrim.
TimingI think Shorpy is spying on me as well. I just learned yesterday that woman hanging was a relative of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Notice the two Sergeants?I can hear the one on the right saying, "Didja get the photo?"
Public ExecutionsThere are people today who want to make all executions public. They are anti death penalty supporters who feel that if the general public sees someone put to death, no matter how mundane the execution, it may lead to its ultimate goal of banning the death penalty. My feelings are that life without possibility of parole is a worse fate.
Oklahoma hanged four in 1909When I first moved to Oklahoma forty years ago, I was befriended by a very elderly and sweet lady who was born in Ada in 1895. She remembered a public hanging of four men there when she was 14. She told me nobody was barred from attending, the entire town turned out, they sold food, drinks and balloons and even children and babies were spectators. Ada was a Wild West town with rustlers, crooks and con men and "criminals needed killing" (not my words but hers). She remembered it as a carnival atmosphere and the attitude was that they got what they deserved. Quite a departure from human rights in our civilized times.
I read that Mary Suratt diedI read that Mary Suratt died very cleanly, as she fell into the trap door hole after she rose from a chair placed on the scaffold for her on the order of the executioner. Someone held an umbrella over her since the sun was so hot, until the moment when she rose from the chair.
Lewis, witnesses said, moved his legs into a sitting position twice after he was hanging from the rope, so his neck was not broken as he dropped . He got what he deserved, I think, having done brutal things to Secretary Seward while trying to kill him (Seward survived).
Suratt aided the assassins in many ways, giving them shelter and a place to meet in her house in Washington, and providing supplies at her farm in Maryland as they tried to escape after killing Lincoln. The law applied the most serious offense of the cabal - murder of the President - to all the conspirators. She was involved with the conspirators from the beginning, even if she was not integral to the plot.
Dr. Mudd was an innocent bystander, most likely, and so was spared the gallows, but he did spend time in prison, serving selflessly to save many during outbreaks of disease in the prison. He was released to return to Maryland where he was a respected member of the community until his death.
(The Gallery, Alexander Gardner, Civil War, D.C.)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/04230a.thumbnail.jpg "Hanging Together: 1865")
- The Fistic Arts: 1924
- March 22, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Theodore Roosevelt III, boxing." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. ... A lot to live up to TR3's grandfather was the youngest President of the U.S. and a Nobel-Prize winner. His father was a General and ... Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:04pm -
![March 22, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Theodore Roosevelt III, boxing." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
TR3Despite the asbestos, our young pugilist lived to the ripe age of 86, dying on May 2, 2001. Probably climate change that got him.
But ...Sorry if don't see the family resemblance, which kid is TR3?
[He's the boy in the dark top. His father Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was one of the instructors at this session (below, hand raised). - Dave]
Tough White KidsThis was a segregated event. If it had been open to everyone, there may have been different story here.
The Dead End KidsFunnily enough, the kid boxing on the left looks like a young Jimmy Cagney. Oh, and the look on the face of the boy seventh from the left is priceless, though they all look like they're rarin' to go.
Stand tall, young man!Seventh kid from the right seems to standing "tippy-toe" so he can be seen behind the pugilist on the right.
What I noticeAll that asbestos. Cute shot of the kids, too.
Boy 5th from the rightThis isn't what was advertised in the brochure!
Educated GuessMy money is on the kid with the dark gym clothes being the budding Roosevelt pugilist, unlike the rest with plain old white shorts and shirts, Teddy the Third paid attention to style....you betcha.
A lot to live up toTR3's grandfather was the youngest President of the U.S. and a Nobel-Prize winner. His father was a General and Medal of Honor winner. Can you imagine trying to live up to that legacy?
Wonder who had the equipment contract?I guess they didn't believe in sharing boxing gloves -- almost everybody has a pair on. Part of what made Everlast the company it is today.
TR Sez:Bully!
TR3's cause of deathPerhaps he died because he couldn't stand the new Age of Snark that our culture has entered. 20th Century America was a lot more sincere in its public correspondences and utterances. Even the satirical statements of Will Rogers were gentler, cleaner and funnier than any of the comedians that you see in stand-up or online today.
I wonder how many of those children survived WWII. They all would have been of service age at that time.
God bless their manly, determined little hearts.
(The Gallery, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, Sports)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/10824u.thumbnail.jpg "The Fistic Arts: 1924")
- Park Square: 1906
- ... the barouche (a horse-drawn carriage) transporting President Theodore Roosevelt from downtown Pittsfield to the Pittsfield Country Club collided ... Posted by Dave - 02/20/2023 - 1:11pm -
- Family Room: 1942
- ... half a room?
[A ro. - Dave]
1942, June 12 President Roosevelt made a radio appeal in support of the scrap rubber campaign, held ... Posted by Dave - 06/20/2023 - 9:35am -
![June 1942. "Brooklyn, New York. Red Hook housing development. Mrs. Caputo and her children in the living room of their four-and-a-half room apartment for which they pay $5.35 weekly." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Office of War Information. View full size.
4½ roomsWhat exactly is half a room?
[A ro. - Dave]
1942, June 12President Roosevelt made a radio appeal in support of the scrap rubber campaign, held because the Japanese had cut off 92 percent of the U.S. rubber supply.
They're Trouble!Why has no one noticed that Tribble on the floor!! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!!
4½I guess they just couldn't afford $5.94 weekly for five full rooms.
Armchair AntimacassarMrs. Caputo appears to be crocheting a doily to complement those under the clock atop the radio and under the lamp. When used on a chairback, doilies are known as "antimacassars" -- so named for the thin Macassar oil hair tonics from Indonesia (then colonial Dutch East Indies) popular from the mid-19th to early 20th century. Menfolk applied the hair tonic so liberally that absorbent pads were required to protect upholstery, and were a staple in Grandma Goober's house.
Goober Pea
Not a bright futureComparing prices in different eras is tricky, but the CPI suggests that 5.94 in 1942 is $110.83 today, which would make the monthly rent on the Caputos' apartment equivalent to about $450. The 2023 rental market shows 2-bedroom apartments in Red Hook Brooklyn going for between $3500 and $5000 a month.
But if this is the Red Hook Houses project constructed in 1938-39, then paying subsidized rent might be the least of problems. Aside from other urban ills, the area is in a flood zone 1 and was inundated by Superstorm Sandy, losing power, water, and telecommunications for months. Various "resiliency and renewal" and "model community" projects have been initiated, with the usual difficulties.
In the 1950s... Ralph & Alice Kramden were paying only $15 a month. Of course they only had two rooms on Chauncey Street in Brooklyn, overlooking a Chinese restaurant.
$400 a month $5.35 is equivalent to about $100 today. $400 a month for a 4½-room apartment! A real bargain!
The RadioI'm not sure what make it is, but that set would have been pricey when new. I have a similar one that is a Canadian-made Northern Electric model, and as on this one you can slide two panels shut that cover the speaker and controls.
(The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Dogs, Kids, NYC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-8d06201a.thumbnail.jpg "Family Room: 1942")
- Words and Music: 1920
- ... news article additionally interesting for the details of President McKinley's grooming regimen.
I believe (but can't be positive) ... Secretary Root, Secretary Long, Vice President-elect Roosevelt, Senator Frye, former Vice-President Stevenson, Justice Harlan, Gen. ... Posted by Dave - 08/06/2012 - 1:56pm -
![Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Harry Wardman property, 1340 G Street." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
John Dabney: Barber to Presidents.The ground floor barber shop at 1344 G appears to have been the business of semi-famous barber John W. Dabney. A 1901 article regarding his hair tending activities is below: Dabney's clientele list is a who's who of the day's prominent politicians. I find the news article additionally interesting for the details of President McKinley's grooming regimen.
I believe (but can't be positive) that the owner of "Dabney's" in this photo to be the same person based on two additional factoids:
The Post's legal notices, Jun 5, 1913, include reference to "John W. Dabney, 1344 G Sts. N.W."
Census records list only one John W. Dabney in the relevant period. The 1920 census cites him living at 618 R St, age 63, mulatto, born in Virginia, occupation: barber, owns his own shop.
He Shaves Great Men
Barber Whose Razor Moves Over Familiar Faces.
Over a little shop in an F street basement there presides a man who has perhaps pulled the noses of more distinguished men than any other man in the country. Withal he has pulled them gently, and has for years been a great favorite of men who have thus been assailed by him. He is John W. Dabney, a colored barber, who is the special barber of the President of the United States and of two score of other public men, who compelled to be shaved like ordinary mortals, delight in having that duty well done and with due regard to their own comfort and convenience.
There are three sets of official barbers in Washington, the Executive, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, but the dean of this corps is, or course, the man who shaves the President, looks after his hair, and keeps the Executive scalp in good condition. Dabney is an artist in this line, and one of the most modest of men. He is not talkative. He has never yet contracted the failing of the average barber, and no man who wished to sleep would be kept awake while under his care.
It must not be inferred, however, that President McKinley does not know how to handle a razor. He has all the accomplishments that belong to the first gentleman of the land, and shaves himself every morning. Dabney is an occasional visitor only, and he becomes the official barber when the President's hair needs trimming and when his scalp demands attention. This occurs about once a week. There is a barber's chair at the White House, but is has fallen into disuse. The President sits in an ordinary easy chair while Dabney spends the hour and a half usually required to properly dress Mr. McKinley's head and shave him. The Presidential face is somewhat tender and demands some care. His beard grow "stout" and must be handled gingerly. In the chair the President is one of the most pleasant of men. He talks freely and discusses current matters of the day, save politics. That he carefully eschews. He enjoys the operation, chats entertainingly, and after his head has been rubbed and scalp treated, as Dabney only knows how to treat it, the President expresses his satisfaction, and goes about his arduous duties refreshed and contented.
Then Dabney returns to his shop and waits on ordinary mortals or makes the rounds of the houses where he is daily expected in his duties and require him to care for the hair of ladies of innumerable official families. He is, as a barber, one of the most familiar figures in many of the leading families in Washington. For thirty years he has wielded the scissors and razor, and twenty-three years of that time has been spent in Washington. Among those now living whom he has or is servicing are, besides the President and Mrs. McKinley, Secretary Root, Secretary Long, Vice President-elect Roosevelt, Senator Frye, former Vice-President Stevenson, Justice Harlan, Gen. Miles, Admiral Dewey, Senator Hoar, Senator Carter, Gen. Clarkson, Henry Watterson, Gen. Tracy, former Secretary of the Navy, former Senators Murphy and Smith, and others.
Among the distinguished dead who were habitues of his shop were James G. Blaine, Secretary of State; W. W. Corcoran, philanthropist; Secretary Windom, of the Treasury; Secretary of Agricultural Rusk, Senator Farley, of California; Senator Vorhees, of Indiana, and many others. ...
Discussing the habits of great men in the chair, Dabney said: "Mr. Roosevelt was always chatty. He discussed anything that happened to be the center of public attraction, politics, prize fights, sports, religion, or anything that people were talking and thinking about. Blaine and Corcoran were reticent. They had little to day, but were always pleasant. The German and French ministers like their own peculiar foreign hair cuts, expressed the satisfaction when well served, but did no talking. Secretary Root likes good attention, is pleasant and agreeable, but reserved. Secretary Long is a man of few words at all times, and fewer still when in the barber's chair. Former Vice President Stevenson had a pleasant word whenever he entered the shop, took everything good naturedly, and was easily pleased. Few men are testy when under the scissors or razor, in you only study what they like and endeavor to give it to them."
Since his appointment as the White House barber three years ago, Dabney has had many calls, not only for prominent officials but from many ladies, wives, of Cabinet officers, and others in Congressional and exclusive social circles, whom he attended for hair and scalp treatment. One interesting thing in connection with his work is the fact that he has been of student of his profession and refuses to use any of the numerous so called remedies for the scalp with which the market is flooded. He uses his own shampoos, tonics, &c., which are compounded by himself. This secret, whatever it is, is zealously guarded by him, but he proudly asserts that the ladies of Washington society whom he treats regularly and whose hair he keeps in order commend him for the excellence of his work. As a successor to Charles Leamis, who has been identified with the White House since Grant's first term, Dabney seems to have been succesful and to have won the favor of those with whom he comes in contact.
...
[article goes on to detail barbers of the House and Senate]
Washington Post, Feb 3, 1901
also appeared in The Colored American, Jun 29, 1901
Dabney's
The Young Visiters"The Young Visiters" was written by Daisy Ashford when she was 9 years old (though not published until some years later).
The full text is available at project Gutenberg.
No ParkingI wonder how much a parking ticket was back then?
Still waitingIt looks like it's still for lease (or at least part of it) after 88 years ...
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Wutta View!Shame about the "facadomy" applied to the face of this building over the years. The original architecture was handsome and robust. Trivia: I believe that's the roof of the Willard Hotel (14th & F Streets N.W.) appearing to the upper left of the subject building. The sign announcing the "smokeless boilers" may refer to the site's having natural gas service to supplant coal use-- the "smokeless" feature can be thought of as an antecedent to today's "green" technology. The streetcar tracks seen here belonged at the time to the Washington Railway & Electric Company, later becoming the Capital Transit Co.'s Route 20 line, which covered a LOT of territory from Bladensburg, Md., in the east of Washington to Cabin John, near Great Falls to the west of the city. The "No Parking" sign was not taken seriously, if only because of its homemade look.
["Smokeless" generally meant coal-fired downdraft boilers. - Dave]
Double JeopardyFour of the five cars with visible license plates have 2 plates. One plate on each car is D.C. Can anyone know what the other one was and why the cars had two?
[Those are Maryland plates. In the days before motor vehicle reciprocity, a driver might need to have a license plate for every jurisdiction he drove in. - Dave]
Heads UpLook out! Mind the flowerpots!
Electrical Massage?Dabney's, under the bookstore, is apparently offering "Electrical Scalp and Facial Massages." YOW!
You know, I love these old photos because, often as not, they remind us of how much we have in common with the people in them, in spite of the funny technology and hairdos.
This is NOT such a time. Electrical Face Massage? They... run 120V through your face?
I hope that I'm just ignorant of the process.
Harry WardmanIndication is, Harry lost his fortune in the 1929 Wall Street crash. He had amassed $30 million. Wouldn't a lot of it be in his vast real estate empire? That would also have been depressed, but not like the stock market.
Autumn 1920I am always curious when Dave states something such as "circa 1920." To what extent is such a statement based on information attached to the photo and to what degree is it based on Dave's own research and intuition?
In this case, Dave, is indeed, quite accurate. I date the photo to Autumn of 1920, bracketed by the following Washington Post articles:
Sep 26, 1920: Bellevue Farms Lunch (located behind the photographed construction signage) at 1334-1336 G st, had acquired #1332 G street and the premises were being remodeled to serve as the "Bellevue Annex, Dining and Tea Room," (matches signage seen in photo)
Dec 13, 1920: Advertisement announcing beauty services at Maison La Vigne, recently opened by Beatrix La Vigne Erly at 1342 G St. (this address still under construction in photo)
Jan 8, 1921: Bellevue Farms Lunch advertised that the former annex at 1332 G street is now functioning as "The Bellevue Bantam," a home style dining room serving "the same delicious Bellevue food." (signage in photo not yet updated reflect this name)
[The year is on the license plates. If the numbers aren't legible, you can often tell by the design. - Dave]
Still thereI work across the street from those buildings. They've been abandoned for approx 7 years (most recently they were the site of an adult bookstore/tattooist and palm reader). The bookstore building has been gone longer than that and is just a deep hole now. Just last week they've started to clean up the empty site of the bookstore, to make way for a new building which will be part of the Armenian Holocaust Museum being built there and in the old National Bank next door on the corner.
That's not the Willard in the background. The Willard is off the right side of the picture, 1 block down.
This stretch of G Street between 13th and 14th is one of the last "underdeveloped" areas downtown. Looking forward to some of the luster coming back.
+90As edition_of_one noted with the Google Street View, two of the buildings still exist although they are still vacant and have been for several years. Prospects for tenants aren't great. Below is the identical view taken in April of 2010.
Now goneAn update: These buildings have been demolished. The D.C. government threatened to declare them a blight and gave the owners a deadline to demolish them, otherwise the property taxes would have increased dramatically. The demolition began a bit before Christmas and seems to have mostly wrapped up over the past MLK holiday weekend (Jan. 18-20). Here's a WBJ story from last year about the fate of the buildings:
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2013/04/dc-buildin...
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/29643u.thumbnail.jpg "Words and Music: 1920")
- Mourning McKinley: 1901
- ... station. Houses have McKinley memorials. Portrait of President William McKinley draped in black is visible on the house on the left. ... The assassination of William McKinley made Theodore Roosevelt President at the age of 42. When TR became Vice President earlier ... Posted by Dave - 02/03/2021 - 10:29am -
![Washington, D.C. "View from Randall School of H Street S.W., between Half & First Streets, in 1901 showing coal yard and old homes near railroad station. Houses have McKinley memorials. Portrait of President William McKinley draped in black is visible on the house on the left. A flag is at half mast on the right." Along with at least two other McKinley portraits. 8x10 inch glass negative, D.C. Street Survey Collection. View full size.
Oddly lonelySuch a stark contrast exists between the pretty house with delicate embellishments casting lacy shadows -- the two older folk porch sitting on an early autumn afternoon; the younger woman dressed like an Old West frontier female standing by, arms crossed; the hatted child playing at the edge of the sidewalk -- and the rest of the landscape, which appears suspended in a dusty, lonely languor.
McKinley's destinyThe assassination of William McKinley made Theodore Roosevelt President at the age of 42. When TR became Vice President earlier that same year, his friend Charles G. Washburn remarked: "I would not like to be in McKinley's shoes. He has a man of destiny behind him."
Buffalo / DallasI was 7 when President Kennedy died. I never hear mention of Dallas without thinking of his assassination. I've always wondered, did people who were alive when McKinley died have similar associations with Buffalo, where he was assassinated?
TRElsewhere in the city, "that damned cowboy" Teddy Roosevelt has just become the new President.
All the houses with TepeesI had always assumed that the little turrets, or cones on the corners of houses were purely for appearance. I wonder whether they also played a structural purpose since more than two dozen of them are visible in the picture.
McKinley's DeathWhen he died President McKinley was widely and deeply mourned. The trappings of official and Victorian mourning with black crape and formal mourning attire were everywhere. But so also were touching demonstrations by simple people throughout the country where public assemblies and special services in churches were held. The route of his funeral train was lined by ordinary working class people standing shoulder to shoulder with the well off and powerful. People placed coins and flowers on the train tracks and kept the flattened remnants as mementos. At almost every stage of the journey local bands appeared playing the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee," a popular hymn and Mr. McKinley's favorite long before it became associated with the Titanic disaster. McKinley was a deeply religious man and according to popular legend (disputed) his last words were from the opening verse of the hymn.
Here is a link to some rare film footage of the official ceremonies and funeral procession. https://youtu.be/gTQrpsZ3tQA
LOCIs that the Library of Congress in the distance on the left?
Ballast = coalI believe we're looking at a coal dealer. Note that some of the bays are divided so the coal can be sorted as to lump size and possibly some choice Anthracite in there.
Seems to be a small cart-ramp extending over yet more bays below.
Displaying FlagsFlags are flown at half mast aboard ships. On land they are flown at half staff.
Jefferson BuildingThe partially visible large building in the upper left of the image is southeast corner of the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, which was completed four years before the image was taken.
Lehigh ValleyThe elevated rail arrangement and piles of ballast in the center-right of the photo remind me of all the comments and speculations last week with regard to Earth Movers: 1901.
Building IDI'm curious about the complex of large white (at least in this picture) buildings in the upper right. Can we identify that?
It's on the MapGoats of Venus has indeed got it right. [As does the photo caption, which calls it a coal yard - Dave] A look at a 1904 Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows this to be the Allegheny Coal Co. The map clearly shows the hard and soft coal trestles as well as the other structures on the site. Even more fascinating, it matches up perfectly with the houses in the image (facing H Street) and accurately shows their construction, with the pink color representing brick and yellow being frame. Even the 2-story frame porch on the house in the foreground is shown on the map as well as the split brick and frame construction of the first house around the corner on Half Street.
Building ID FoundAfter much sleuthing, including trying to get the right perspective using old DC maps, I can positively identify the large white building in the upper right as being the “old” Providence Hospital located at the time at 2nd & D Streets SE on Capitol Hill (see the image in the plaque below).
I’m a bit embarrassed it took me so long to figure it out--I was born there in 1950. Dating to the Civil War era, the hospital moved in the 1950s to larger quarters in Northeast. The buildings in the photo were razed and site became Providence Park, which still exists today. Incidentally, a number of previously published Shorpy photos were taken around the same time frame from the roof of the hospital, including several pointed back in the general direction of the Randall School—the reverse of where we’re looking from in the photo above.
The fall of a sparrowThe prominent group of structures at 2 o'clock is the old Providence Hospital complex. It's a park now.
(The Gallery, D.C., D.C. Street Survey, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-40417a.thumbnail.jpg "Mourning McKinley: 1901")
- Uncle Joe: 1922
- ... of a success."
"Not one cent for scenery."
"Teddy Roosevelt has no more use for the Constitution than a tomcat has for a marriage ... personal history included support for Abraham Lincoln for president in 1860. Little wonder Brennan looks a little awed.
Joe died in ... Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 11:08pm -
![May 8, 1922. "Cannon & Brennan at Capitol." Former House speaker "Uncle Joe" Cannon, congressman from Illinois, accessorized with Michigan lawmaker Vincent Brennan and a big cigar. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size.
The Wit and Wisdom of Uncle JoeAlso known as "foul-mouth Joe".
"I am g**damned tired of listening to all this babble for reform. America is a hell of a success."
"Not one cent for scenery."
"Teddy Roosevelt has no more use for the Constitution than a tomcat has for a marriage license."
"I am one of the great army of mediocrity which constitutes the majority."
Yikes ... now that's a "stick"Cigar smokers sometimes refer to a cigar as a "stick." In this case that "stick" is more like a branch! That said, I've seen pictures of the hand-rollers in Cuba with similar "big smokes." Apparently, they are allowed to smoke "one cigar a day" and roll themselves something large and long, a sort of "all day smoker."
Bang!I wonder if anybody ever slipped him an exploding cigar. Need a light?
Who rolled that cigar?Personally I'd put my money on Cheech and Chong.
Uncle Joe SaysTheodore Roosevelt "has no more use for the Constitution than a tomcat has for a marriage license."
Cannon retired from the House in 1923. He was first elected to the House from Illinois in 1872. He had served, with a couple of interruptions, 'til March, 1922. He had been Speaker from 1903 to 1911.
Joe was so old in 1922 that his personal history included support for Abraham Lincoln for president in 1860. Little wonder Brennan looks a little awed.
Joe died in his bed at age 90. Don't make 'em like that any more. Nor them cigars, neither.
[He's also namesake of the Cannon House Office Building. - Dave]
Big cigar indeedWhere's Freud when you need him?
Proper attireIn 53 years, standards of senators' dress fell off a cliff.
Cigar and AttitudeA big cigar and attitude to match.
Speaker CannonTR had a small brass cannon at Sagamore Hill, his house in Oyster Bay, which he would fire off every day to entertain his children. Roosevelt named the artillery piece "Cannon Speaker." I am sure that there were a number of other quips that he made when putting the piece to work.
The beginning of TimeUncle Joe was Time magazine's inaugural cover boy -- he appeared on the front of its very first issue, in 1923.
Michigan not MaineVincent Brennan was a congressperson from Michigan, not Maine. But both states do start with M.
[Wups. Thankew! - Dave]
Later known as ...Senator Byrd.
Tired of Byrd BashingSen. Byrd seems a frequent target of comparison of any elderly politician pictured on Shorpy. While I cannot defend every position the honorable senator has taken, he has done well both for the interests of his state and for upholding the constitution and tradition of the Senate.
The following is a snapshot of me as a child on a visit to the Senator's office in July 1975.
[A nice photo. But -- although that comment was digit-related, the digit has nothing to do with age. - Dave]
Oh ME, Oh MICongressman Brennan represented Michigan rather than Maine. This was probably about as close as he came to meaningful power during his two-year tenure in Congress.
Modern PharmacologyThis looks like it could be a pharmaceutical ad for an anti-aging drug.
Formidable StogieWhen "Uncle Joe" said he was going outside for a smoke, his colleagues knew they wouldn't see him again for a couple of days.
FreudianIn this case a cigar is only a torpedo.
Uncle Rip and Uncle JoeHarold Austin Ripley, my mother's sister's husband, was one of Joe Cannon's page boys. I recall some of his stories about Uncle Joe -- not the least of which involved running to a nearby cigar store to restock the Speaker's humidor. You might imagine my total surprise, then, on coming upon this photo of Cannon, cigar in hand. What a flashback trigger!
Rip tried to enlist when the U.S. signed on to the war, but his parents (Rip's father worked for the U.S. Mint) wouldn't sign off -- Rip was 16 in 1917. So Rip asked his boss to write a letter of recommendation on his behalf, making up some story about why he needed it. I cannot recall the exact wording, but it began: "I highly recommend Master Ripley etc etc." Rip took the letter to a D.C. recruiting station. The master sergeant in charge took one look at the letterhead and the signature at the bottom -- and sat up ramrod-straight in his chair, as Rip liked to tell it. No questions asked. The next thing my uncle knew, he was on a troopship bound for Europe.
The army discovered his real age in France and assigned him to the Graves Registration Dept, out of harm's way. Rip and his buddies stayed drunk on cheap French vin; there was no other means of confronting the awful stench of no-man's land. Gas masks, he said, proved worthless.
Master Ripley returned to the U.S. a devoted though albeit functional alcoholic, and remained so until 1940 when he imbibed his last distilled spirits (from Crown Royal to Royal Crown cola -- Rip has cases of the latter in his basement). He became, in the following order during those intervening years: the first territorial salesman for LifeSavers; crime reporter for The Chicago Tribune; the author of Minute Mysteries (read in a minute/solve in a minute) syndicated in over 150 daily newspapers; the longest continuous columnist (Photo Crime, 13 years) in Look magazine; and finally the founder of Guest House, a retreat for alcoholic priests located in the grandiose Scripps estate at Lake Orion, MI, and which recently celebrated its first half-century of drying out Catholic clergy from all over the world. The Catholic hierarchy -- totally befuddled -- simply ignored and abandoned their alcoholic priests, so Rip stepped in and devoted the rest of his life to their rehabilitation and recovery.
For all his imagination, crime-plotting ability and investigative skills, Austin Ripley could never have imagined the greater crime now tearing apart Catholic dioceses around the world. I'm glad he never lived to see it.
What do your cats look like?Fancy meeting you here!
Uncle Joe really was my Uncle...my Great-Grand-Uncle.
My Great-Grand-Mother was Joseph Gurney Cannon's Sister.
Maybe our Grand Mother's traded cats too!
Cheers Cousin!
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Politics)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/22931u.thumbnail.jpg "Uncle Joe: 1922")
- Cherry Blossom Queen: 1939
- ... day for a drink or two of good Kentucky Bourbon. Vice President Harry Truman, a regular, happened to be there on the afternoon of ... He learned when he got there that President Franklin Roosevelt had died in Warm Springs, Georgia, and that he was to be sworn in as ... Posted by Dave - 03/30/2013 - 1:44pm -
- No News of Major Butt: 1912
- ... April 16, 1912.
Archibald C. Butt’s Fate Sad News to President’s Staff
Washington, April 16.–News of the Titanic disaster ... was an Army officer who so impressed President Theodore Roosevelt, he was appointed his military aide. After Roosevelt helped Secretary ... Posted by Dave - 05/17/2014 - 11:37pm -
- Baby Picture: 1908
- ... Louisville, Ky.
Miss Critten is a friend of Miss Alice Roosevelt, and accompanied the President's daughter, in the Taft party, last summer to the orient. ... Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 7:10pm -
- Can You Hear Me Now?
- ... Rothstein. View full size.
What if? Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, was diagnosed with infantile paralysis, better ... Posted by Dave - 06/21/2023 - 9:32pm -
- Celebriquilt: 1937
- ... six years of collecting. Parts of wearing apparel from President Roosevelt, Mrs. Roosevelt, members of the Cabinet, diplomats and notables from ... Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 3:54pm -
- The Tax Clock: 1939
- ... for reduction in taxes by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. President Davis called in the photographers today to see the first one done ... light on them. One headline was over remarks by President Roosevelt in a press conference while on his way to his vacation. This ... Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 1:42pm -
![January 18, 1939. Washington, D.C. "'Less taxes, more jobs' reads the poster being pasted up by George H. Davis. It is the first of 25,000 such signs which will be put up all over the nation as part of a drive for reduction in taxes by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. President Davis called in the photographers today to see the first one done right." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
CredibleWell, if an old white guy supports it, you KNOW it's good for everyone.
Mucher Grammar WantedLess Taxes? On 25,000 signs? Shouldn't that have been Fewer Taxes or Lower Taxes? Or was this lobbying campaign consciously written so it could be understood by the barely literate Little Man?
What Helps Business Helps YouWhat's good for General Motors is good for the country.
Imagine!In 1939, you put on a coat and tie to glue up a billboard!
The Tax ManI like the fact that Mr. Davis was straightforward about the fact that this was nothing other than a photo op. Despite his claims about "getting it right," it looks like there are more than a few bubbles in the billboard. He's got a mean brush, though.
Less Taxes is A-OK!If you are making a comparison in quantity that can be counted individually, the choice is FEWER: "Fewer apples."
If the quantity is continuous (like water) or entails a number too large to count, the choice is LESS: "Less sand on the beach."
"Fewer taxes" is a reduction of individual tax categories (sales, income, etc.) "Less taxes" is a reduction in money owed.
New Deal = SocialismEverything old is new again! I have a hunch if Mr. George H. Davis were alive today he would be a frequent guest on Bill O'Reilly's and Sean Hannity's shows.
Somehow, we were miraculously spared the inevitable fate proclaimed by Mr. Davis that the New Deal would move us "straight down the road by which 'business will logically be required to disappear.'" Does this remind anyone else of the hyperbolic scare-tactics in the current debate over health-care reform?
Washington Post, Feb 21, 1939
Government Meddling
Perplexing Headlines
By Mark Sullivan
On the first page of the New York Times the other day, in adjoining columns, was one of those curious juxtapositions of headlines which add interest to public events, and sometimes throw light on them. One headline was over remarks by President Roosevelt in a press conference while on his way to his vacation. This headline said:
"Roosevelt Tells Business ... Confidence Is in Order. An Assuring Tone. No Cause for Misgiving." In his talk, Mr. Roosevelt was described as saying that "Business and industry ... could look forward without any misgivings as to the Administration's objectives in the months ahead."
The other headline was over an address by the president of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, Mr. George H. Davis. In part this headline said: "G.H. Davis Warns New Deal Moves Country Towards the Socialist State." In his talk Mr. Davis said that "Washington is moving surely into the State Capitalism that marks the totalitarian countries of Europe ... Thus we move straight down the road by which 'business will logically be required to disappear.'"
...
Of course it was all for our benefit.Business didn't really WANT the tax breaks, they were just trying to help the little guy out the only way they knew how.
Workers' ParadiseYou can be reasonably certain that standing just off camera are a couple of guys in overalls and glue soaked hands watching Mr. Davis mime the job that they just did. And, once Mr. Davis gets back into his limo, they'll be putting up the remainder of those 25,000 signs.
The opposing viewIn 1939 the top tax rate was 79%; and it only went up from there. Once the war hit, the rates skyrocketed, and remained at over 90% until it dropped back to 77% in 1964. In 1953, if you made $16,000, after only the Federal tax you brought home $7040, and if your income was $100,000, you only brought home $10,000. To see how it would stifle business, ask yourself...is it really worth it to put in the enormous effort it would take to increase your income from $16,000 to $100,000 if all you got for your trouble was $2960?
Yes, it was in his best interest to lower his taxes, but most businessmen try to grow their business. Higher taxes mean less money to invest, which means less growth, which means fewer jobs available for those who don't run their own business, but rely on others for their employment.
It may seem like a great idea to tax the rich businessman out of his shirt, but it only dries up the job market in the end (and be sure of it, the owner probably still made his).
Re: Opposing ViewMy understanding of the tax codes of the past is that those high rates (in the 90% range, etc) back during World War 2 and beyond were only for any income ABOVE $200,000--that's pretty good money for the 40's and the 50's. Later it was on income over $400,000, and before that--in the 1930's--the highest rates were for income over $5,000,000. 5 million dollars! In the middle of the depression! Those who were making that kind of money back then have nothing to complain about, and we shouldn't weep for them now.
It was highly responsible of the government to raise taxes during World Wars 1 and 2 in order to pay for them. Thank god they did.
Income RedistributionRight now the national debt is a little over $11 trillion. What retires the debt is taxes -- and there is no way to not retire the debt unless this country starts defaulting on its obligations to creditors, i.e. stops redeeming Treasury notes.
The national debt isn't going down because the federal budget runs at a deficit every year. The usual reaction to this is to blame Congress and "politicians." But politicians are not aliens from Mars, they're us, and do whatever it takes to get reelected. Which is shovel out the entitlements.
The Big 3 entitlements -- Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid -- account for the majority of federal spending every year -- two-thirds of the federal budget. There is no way to substantially reduce taxes without decreasing payments to retirees. (And even if entitlement spending were cut off completely, and deficit spending came to an end, there's still that $11 trillion in outstanding debt that has to be paid off.)
It's withholding from the paychecks of today's working-age people that go to pay today's retirees. It can't go on forever.
It worked, sort ofMr. Davis didn't get everything he wanted from Washington that year, but he got enough to turn a corner. An alliance between the Chamber, Henry Morgenthau's Department of the Treasury, and Sen. Pat Harrison, conservative chair of the Senate Finance Committee, prevailed over the remaining New Dealers, in blocking further tax hikes and opening up new loopholes. Roosevelt went along, expecting the gratitude of business, but was disappointed when the Chamber simply demanded more tax breaks the next year, while backing Willkie.
Less, Fewer, Lower TaxesFewer Taxes means a reduction in the number or types of taxes being levied. No confusion there. But the use of Less with a plural noun like Taxes is a confusion between uncountable and countable nouns, and, even though used by many, sounds barbaric at best to them what don't. "Taxes" is not an uncountable noun. Uncountable nouns describe substances like sand, water or mustard (none of which are made plural when used with Less). So, there may be less water and less sand, and I'd like less mustard on that next hot dog, please. But the plural noun Taxes describes a set of similar, countable things, which do not somehow become a substance when lumped together. Each item in the set is called a Tax, which is a monetary levy with a defined percentage rate. The Sales Tax is set at eight percent in some places, and some people once paid as much as ninety percent on their Income Tax. And many people (and Chambers of Commerce) would like to see these Taxes (that is, the Tax Rates) become LOWER, not LESS.
[So who wants to colorize this? - Dave]
Re:Re: Opposing viewThe following link is to the historic tax tables from the present back through 1913.
http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html
Yes, the top tier was only on huge amounts in 1939, but during and after the war they went up across the board - the previous example from 1953 showed that at only $16,000, the feds took over half your income.
[Commenter Samham replies: "You are misinterpreting marginal rates. The tax applies only to the amounts in the specific bracket, not total income. In the case of a single payer in 1953, the 53 percent rate applied only income between $14,000 and $16,000."]
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/29291a.thumbnail.jpg "The Tax Clock: 1939")
- Speed Demon: 1904
- ... down Delaware Avenue.
Delaware Avenue In 1901, President William McKinley was shot at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo ... took a turn for the worse, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt made his famous dash from Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks to Buffalo ... Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:14am -
![Buffalo, New York, circa 1904. "Delaware Avenue." Hitching posts, mounting blocks, ice wagons and gaslight at the dawn of the automobile age. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Mark Twain and Buffalo wintersThe story of all the millionaires on this street reminds me that Mark Twain married and retired to Buffalo. After digging for gold in California, Twain became a gold digger and married into money.
I wonder what this street looked like during the next winter. How on earth did they clear the streets, or did all the millionaires go to Florida? I will always remember visiting Buffalo in May and seeing huge, melting mounds of plowed snow. Puts their winter into perspective.
I would love to be thereFinally horseback riders! I would love to ride a horse around the city streets with no cars. Nice houses too. Those people were so lucky.
Two ladies?I suspect the man is adjusting the lady's stirrup. Remember that even an ankle showing during this time was shocking, so I seriously doubt he was doing anything even slightly inappropriate.
What is truly odd is that the sorrel horse is wearing a sidesaddle as well. Men didn't ride sidesaddle. I wonder if the dark horse threw a shoe and the man was allowing the lady to ride his horse home? Or is there another lady we can't see?
[Count the legs -- there are three horses in this group. - Dave]
Clop-clopAnd the rare rider on horseback in a city.
Elm trees!And American Elms lining the street.
Even from 106 years and 2,000 miles awayI can hear those horses flipping out, and the riders screaming, "Slow down, you whippersnapper!"
Can't help but noticeThe woman riding sidesaddle. Her gentleman friend seems extra helpful.
Uh-ohI suspect that we'll soon see a Google Street View that shows this lovely tree-lined street of serenity has been replaced by one choked with automobiles, strip malls and gas stations. I hope I'm wrong.
So civilized!Wow. Such a quiet, peaceful street scene!
It's hard to imagine such a civilized world.
Time TravelI have a new favorite. Full size, zoom in, and walk back in time. Well done, Dave.
Grew up hereThank you for showing this elegant street in its prime. I grew up in Buffalo and you could always catch a hint of what once was when driving down Delaware Avenue.
Delaware AvenueIn 1901, President William McKinley was shot at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo and brought to the home of Expo head John Milburn at 1168 Delaware Avenue. (The house was later, unbelievably, torn down and paved over for a parking lot -- with schoolchildren watching.)
When McKinley took a turn for the worse, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt made his famous dash from Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks to Buffalo -- the trail is still there today. Feeling it was inappropriate to swear in at Mr. Milburn's house, where McKinley was being autopsied, Roosevelt moved his inauguration to his friend Ansley Wilcox's mansion, a away at 641 Delaware Avenue. Today, it is the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site.
VroomMust be a crazed teenage driver. I bet he has that thing up to 15, maybe 20 mph!
Oh my!I was more than a little shocked when I saw the man on the left with his hand under the skirt of the lady on the white horse. Even if it is her husband, I believe that show of affection in public was more than a little risque. I have to admit though, I do think it's very romantic.
Beautiful HomesI walk this stretch of Delaware Avenue every day at lunch. This was the address to have in Buffalo at the turn of the 20th century. I have heard it said that more millionaires lived in Buffalo than any other American city at the time.
Many of these homes are still standing but occupied by businesses. I can only imagine what it was like growing up in one of these places.
Those trees are no longer there, like the millions of others wiped out by Dutch Elm disease.
Delaware Avenue todayLooks pretty much the same.
View Larger Map
Beautiful BuffaloThank you for another gorgeous shot of beautiful Buffalo! I grew up in Buffalo and although some of this beauty is lost, we still have quite a bit.
(The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Horses)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a12147a.thumbnail.jpg "Speed Demon: 1904")
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