July 1940. "Rural mailman who has brought the mail to the crossroads transfers letters and packages to another postman's saddlebags. This rider takes the mail farther up the side road and creek beds where no wagon or car can go. In the mountain section near Morehead, Kentucky." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "Jewish Community Center, 16th and Q Streets N.W." In addition to being the year the JCC was completed, 1926 was also when Washington was equipped with traffic lights ("GO"). National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "L Street Garage, between 17th and 18th on L Street N.W." The garage and adjacent Washington Accessories Co. store and gas station can also be seen in these photos. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.

Shorpy being the Historic American Photo Archive, and me being American and at this point in my life historic, I present from my archive a nighttime photo experiment I performed in winter 1962 while a teenage camera geek. This is how I made this time-exposure of our Larkspur, California house: I turned on all the lights in the front-facing rooms, also those on the porches and front walk, and added one more (my desk lamp) below the front porch. I set up the camera (an old c. 1920 folding job) in the cactus garden, opened the shutter, ran down to the bottom of that stairway and wrote out my name with a little flashlight, then ran back up and closed the shutter. Voilà! I used that old camera, a Kodak Folding Autographic Brownie 2A, because it was the only one around the house then that could take time exposures. No tripod receptacle, so I had to balance it on something or other. (I know it's winter because of the burlap sacks covering the lantana for frost protection. Oh, and before you ask, no, we're not related to the Addams family.) Scanned from the original "116" 2½ x 4¼ negative, slightly cropped at top. View full size.

June 1940. "Supervised play hour for younger children in assembly building at Osceola migratory labor camp. Belle Glade, Florida." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.

June 1940. "Natchitoches, Louisiana -- drug store." McClung Drug, "Burial place of St. Denis." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "U.S. Mail trucks -- Parcel Post delivery." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.

Detroit circa 1908. "Gas office, first floor, looking back; cashier windows at right." The lobby of the Detroit City Gas Company. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.

Circa 1904. "The Philadelphia Bourse, Fourth and Ranstead streets." Our second look at this imposing structure. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size.

New York circa 1903. "S.S. Cymric outward bound." Torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat in 1916. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "B.J. Cullen." Whose piercing gaze COMPELS YOU to further identify him in the comments below! National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.

Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1928. "Hendrick Motor Co. garage -- Battery Service." Another aspect of the establishment last seen here. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.

This tranquil scene, much less the sight of people in suits, ties, earrings and heels, may have today's frazzled visitors questioning if this is actually the Magic Kingdom. Nevertheless, my brother-in-law took this Kodachrome slide there in February 1958. View full size.

1906. "Music Hall, Washington Park." Cincinnati Music Hall on Elm Street, completed in 1878. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.

New York, 1903. "Docking a big liner -- R.M.S. Oceanic." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.