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Afternoon of the Dead: 1895
Circa 1895. "Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. ... grave of family members and encounter others they knew (New Orleans was a small town, and still is in many ways) and sit and chat. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 3:17pm -

Circa 1895. "Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Young man with a hornSomewhere out there Buddy Bolden is blowing "Didn't He Ramble." Set a spellThere's a cultural thing I'm not understanding here, and I hope someone can explain. What's the purpose of the chairs outside the tombs? Obviously for sitting, but to this Northwesterner, that seems an odd place to hang out. Prie-dieuThe prie-dieu and two chairs for relations are a common theme outside of Paris tombs. They are meant for prayer, chairs for the relations that cannot kneel on the stone prie-dieu in front of each tomb. Abide With MeWell, 1890's fashions for women and the climate offer one explanation. But many graves all over have benches nearby -- for those who visit to have a brief repose. It seems very likely that folks would go to visit the grave of family members and encounter others they knew (New Orleans was a small town, and still is in many ways) and sit and chat. re: Set a SpellIt is a cultural thing. Very Southern, and very old. Back in the day, cemeteries served as parks. Families would visit and even have picnics by the graves of their beloved. I am imagining some old widow or widower visiting weekly, or even daily, to be close to their resting loved one. Sounds macabre, but rather sweet. Notable residentsAccording to the Wikipedia article, many notables are entombed at Metairie Cemetery, including baseball Hall of Famer Mel Ott, trumpeter Al Hirt, and bandleader Louis Prima. Strolling among the headstonesMetairie Cemetery was still a popular garden spot in the 1920s, apparently. City of the DeadIt looks to me like Justo Garcia y Leon lived at 130 Perdido Street, according to the 1871 New Orleans city directory. Justi Garcia y Leon (a son or a relative?) lived nearby at 138 Perdido. The occupant of the second tomb from the right could be another Justo Garcia y Leon, of course, and someone else was living at 130 Perdido. The house doesn't look to be now standing at 130 Perdido, but if Google's mapping function located the placement of the address correctly, the Justo in the city directory lived just northwest of the present location of the LA Superdome, near what is now the Medical Center of LA. The cemetery is about three miles northwest of the same address. And unless he's playing a funeral in the cemetery the day this photo was snapped in 1895, Buddy Bolden is 18 years old and kicking it, with Frank Lewis on coronet, maybe in the Storyville red light district located around South Rampart and Perdido Streets, just a couple of blocks from Justo's front door. Whatever. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Metairie Cemetery postcardsMattie -- Metairie Cemetery continues to be a popular spot with both locals and visitors, and if not as common as it once was, going there for a picnic lunch is still occasionally done. The 1920s postcard you reproduced is the reworked version of a postcard from some 20 years earlier. Rather than shoot a new photo, apparently the C. B. Mason postcard company of New Orleans just had their artist shorten the women's skirts to make the old card up to date. Attached is the earlier version of the same card. (The Gallery, DPC, New Orleans)
Good Eats: 1937
... Administration. View full size. Could be in New Orleans…. In New Orleans a husband would take a To-Go oyster Poor Boy (or loaf, which was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2014 - 12:41pm -

1937. "Restaurant in Mobile, Alabama." Welcome to the Wooden Shoe, where you can order your eggs "dressed up" (but not too loudly, because it's a "Quiet Zone"). Photo by Arthur Rothstein, Resettlement Administration. View full size. Could be in New Orleans….In New Orleans a husband would take a To-Go oyster Poor Boy (or loaf, which was bigger) to his wife sitting at home waiting for him to return from a night of drinking with buddies. It's called "The Peacemaker." 312 Conti StreetI believe this is 312 Conti Street at Claiborne, behind the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. The building was still there as recently as 1967, but now the entire block is a park. Oyster loaves used to be a common item on restaurant menus throughout the South. Gone, probably due to the rising cost of oysters and changing tastes. "Dressing" a sandwich would probably mean lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. DressedWhen I ordered a ham sandwich in Burras, Louisiana (elevation 0') the young lady asked "Would you like that dressed?" Without a clue what she meant, I said sure. It turned out to be coleslaw on an awesome ham sandwich. FadedApparently the former home of Shaw Electric Co. according to the faded sign above the doors which looks like it was repainted at least once. The car parked around the corner appears to be a 1935 or 1936 Chevrolet Master Deluxe, but not enough is visible to tell if it is a 4-door Sedan or (2-door) Coach. These models, with an external spare tire but without an integral trunk, were declining in popularity; however, it was not until 1939 that they were finally phased out of production early in the model year. We called them "po-boys." My parents were married at the Basilica in 1966, the Catholic church seen behind this building. My late maternal grandparents, Mobile natives, were familiar with this establishment according to my mother. She remembers my grandfather raving about their oyster loafs (we called them po-boys). I'm going to have to go back and look at their wedding photos taken outside of the church and see if there's another angle of this building before it was torn down for a park. In any event I love this site and just wish there was more activity here than reading posts from years past. I feel like I'm in a time machine viewing a time machine, lol. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Eateries & Bars, Mobile)
Canal Street: 1890s
New Orleans in the 1890s. "Canal Street from the Clay monument." Dry-plate ... man to stand in the way of progress. Infrogmation of New Orleans A Streetcar Named Electric The switch to electric streetcars ... than a year for changes to be made. They were delivered to New Orleans starting in 1896. Strings and Things Pianos and Ladies' ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/14/2012 - 11:46pm -

New Orleans in the 1890s. "Canal Street from the Clay monument." Dry-plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Radio antennasOr maybe they're buggy whips. What I would give to be a buggy whip salesman in that town! Broadway of the SouthGreat photo, looking lakewards (away from the Mississippi River) from Canal Street's intersection with St. Charles Avenue & Royal Street. I think the photo is somewhat earlier than the given "circa 1898", as only mule cars are visible and no catenary; the Canal Street streetcar line was electrified in 1894 (with Brill semi-convertible electric cars ordered February 1894 and starting to run on the Canal Street line in August of that year). The photo is no earlier than 1890, however, from the presence of the Chess, Checkers & Whist Club Building (the building with the distinctive corner cupola at seen at left) at the uptown lake corner of Canal & Barrone. The "Clay monument" mentioned but not seen was a statue of Henry Clay erected in the center of the intersection in 1860. With the electrificiation of streetcars in the 1890s, the slowing of traffic on the tracks around the monument became more of a bottleneck. After years of debate, the statue was moved to Lafayette Square in 1900, where it can still be seen today. Henry Clay, it was remarked at the time, was not a man to stand in the way of progress. Infrogmation of New Orleans A Streetcar Named ElectricThe switch to electric streetcars began in 1894. That would allow for more than a year for changes to be made. They were delivered to New Orleans starting in 1896. Strings and ThingsPianos and Ladies' Underwear? What a combination. My First ClarinetI remember my father buying me my first clarinet at Werliens Music Store on Canal Street in 1967. I haven't been back to New Orleans in over 25 years so I don't know if the store is still in business. Cat's Cradle"Web" hardly does justice to the arrangement of electric (and telephone?) wires. Also, thanks, Infrogmation, I was wondering about the cupolaed building. I'd guess the Chess, Checkers & Whist Club Building was a quiet oasis in the hurly-burly of the Big Easy. Extra TextureHow magnificently textured our cities used to be. There had been a Philip Werlein music store in the city since the Civil War. An elderly descendant of the original owner (also named Philip) did radio spots for the store in the '70s and early '80s. He had that great old New Orleans accent: "Guitaws, drums, pianas, awgans, 'n everything musical at Woi-lahnz!" Werlein's closed almost ten years ago, and now houses the Palace Cafe. OrnamentalismThis beautiful scene reminds me of the greatest deficit of modern architecture: the lack of ornament (whichever style doesn't matter). The human eye needs to see surfaces that are alive, that are subdivided into recognizable forms, not just big blank surfaces. Ornamentalismo?A mí me encanta la maraña de postes de la luz, crucetas y cables... Werlein'sWerlein's is no longer there. The sign stood long after the store closed. It's now the Palace Cafe, which serves a Werlein Salad. The good old daysAh, Werleins ... In 1996 I came all the way down from Belgium to buy a Deering tenor banjo at Werlein's. I'm sad to learn the shop has closed! +118ishThe Clay Monument would have been immediately behind the photographer. Interestingly, the numbering of addresses along Canal have been changed since the photograph was taken. There are two buildings on the right numbered 131 and 133. Those addresses now are several blocks south at the terminus of Canal at the Mississippi River. The location today is the 700 block of Canal. The view today is similar and some of the buildings may have survived under different facades as noted in this picture from September of 2008 taken from the same location. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, New Orleans, Streetcars, W.H. Jackson)
The Old French Market
Circa 1880s-1890s. "The old French Market, New Orleans." Photo by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. glass ... in the center of the photo. Last time I was in New Orleans, 25 years ago, there was at least one long-established grocery ... is in the high ground area, such as it is, of earliest New Orleans settlement, and probably didn't get flooded after Katrina, although ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/13/2019 - 10:53pm -

Circa 1880s-1890s. "The old French Market, New Orleans." Photo by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. Deutsche GroceryApparently the Old French Market had a "Deutsche (German) Grocery." Grocery is, of course, an English word; the German one would be Lebensmittelgeschäft. There must have been quite a number of German-speaking immigrants to make it beneficial use such a sign. High & Dry GroceriesThe "Deutsche (German) Grocery" is north (roughly) across the street from the French Market; the French Market is that irregular-shaped long structure in the center of the photo. Last time I was in New Orleans, 25 years ago, there was at least one long-established grocery store in about that same location. The French Market is in the high ground area, such as it is, of earliest New Orleans settlement, and probably didn't get flooded after Katrina, although I may be wrong about this. --- Almost 50 years ago, I lived on the other side of Canal Street, about two blocks toward Lee Circle from the http://Liberty Theatre, www.shorpy.com/node/5786. There was also a nearby second theatre; I remember going to both. Shorpy, thanks for the memories! Gaslight to Carbon ArcThe Southwestern Brush Electric Light and Power Company had these carbon arc streetlamps up and burning by the end of 1882. The street gas lamp pictured is about 40 years older. There were 400 electric streetlamps powered by 12 generating stations. These were the days of DC municipal power, supplied for streetlights only until Edison came to town in 1886 to provide power for indoor incandescent lamps. I am fascinated by the wires in these old photographs and the eventual "current war" between AC and DC: Westinghouse vs. Edison. LocationI'm still trying to figure out exactly where this was, since the area around the French Market has changed a lot in the last 100 years or so. It looks like the street on the left is Gallatin, now French Market Place. The building at the very end of the street is the old U.S. Mint. The street on the right would be Peters, which ran along the river. Where it's at!I took a walk down to the French Market this morning and it looks like the photo was taken from the corner of Decatur and St. Phillip streets. Decatur is on the left (I wrongly identified it as Gallatin in an earlier post and that's not the US Mint at the end of the street) and Peters is on the right. Some of the buildings on Decatur are still there and you can line them up to figure out where the photographer was standing. Love the French MarketI used to travel to New Orleans in the 1990s, and my employer at the time had a condo in the Quarter for out of town visitors. I spent a lot of time in the French Market (I didn't patronize the tourist trap bars or gift stores). The market was open 24 hours a day at that time. I brought home a lot of pecans and cajun spices, but passed on the alligator meat offered by one vendor. French Market: Same but differentThis is just up from St. Philip Street, where Decatur & N. Peters Streets split. The "Red Stores" building is at the right. Seen is a part of the French Market that used to extend upriver a bit further. There used to be several stalls beyond the Morning Call Cafe (now the location of "The Market Cafe" restaurant). In the Great Depression, the Works Progess Administration did lots of good works in New Orleans, paving streets, building parks and playgrounds, and renovating public buildings. From a historic preservation standpoint, however, the 1930s WPA work on the French Market was a mixed bag. They renovated some of the oldest structures, but also tore down several buildings that were already more than a century old at the time. The attached photo taken a short distance down and to the right from the William Henry Jackson photo shows WPA workers on North Peters on 5 January 1937; the Morning Call is to the left. --Infrogmation of New Orleans Ship's ChandleryTwo storefronts, one says "Grocery and Ship Chandlery" the other "Ship Chandlery," the latter phrase indicates they would provision ships with food. In searching around I found that another grocery and ship's chandlery farther down the street (near the corner of Ursuline's) was involved in a serious explosion in 1895: "April 6, 1895, Wednesday Page 2, 644 words NEW ORLEANS, April 5. -- Five persons were killed and a number were injured by an explosion of powder in the grocery and ship chandlery of Charles J. Salathe, Decatur and Ursuline Streets, early this morning. Following is a list of the dead" http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9803E7DC133DE433A25755C0A... Looking at the PDF of the full article I see that, among the dead, were two "saloon loungers." +120 (approx.)Like the rest of the French Quarter, much of this view is the same today. The buildings on the left side of the image, although altered, are the same. The attached image is the identical perspective from September of 2008. (The Gallery, New Orleans, Stores & Markets, W.H. Jackson)
Oyster Luggers: 1908
New Orleans circa 1908. "Oyster and charcoal luggers in the old basin." 8x10 ... that the type is actually a survivor from the period when New Orleans was a French colony? Howard I. Chapelle, in "American Small ... work-boat type in the late 19th century." A plan of a New Orleans lugger is figure 104 in Chapelle, and it looks almost exactly like ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 2:02pm -

New Orleans circa 1908. "Oyster and charcoal luggers in the old basin." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Shorpy UI think the posts for this photo demonstrate big time the second major virtue of Shorpy, the first one being the seemingly endless unveiling of one fascinating image after another. That second virture is the education and enlightenment provided by people who know what they're talking about. Look at what you learn (about boats and the oyster biz, in this case) in "Tonguers", "Long Tongs", "Couldn't See..." and other posts. It's like Introduction to Sailboats 101 or something. Marvelous, totally marvelous. Thank you, oh learned Shorpians. Great lines on that scow schooner in the backgroundBoats like this, built with simple materials and for a specific purpose, are often more beautiful than the fanciest yacht. Much more graceful looking than any modern glass racing sailboat. 'Arster DrudgersThese little flat bottom boats with a center board keel were fast sailers and had a beautiful line to them as exemplified by "1708 SUPERIOR" in the photo above. Sometimes referred to as Skipjacks, Bugeyes, Sharpies and other names depending on the rig; Chesapeake Bay was once full of them. Boat and more boatsThis is a wonderful picture. The Center For Wooden Boats in Seattle WA www.cwb.org has two big sharpies in daily use. Those little flatiron skiffs like the one in the foreground aren't so bad, either, and are now rarely to be found. Long tongsNot a mechanical dredge in sight. Lots of long tongs are visible. Oystermen in this area started using mechanical dredges around this time of the century but stopped doing so when they realized the damage that dredges caused to the oyster beds. They returned to the hand tongs again. Did anyone notice that one of the crew seemed to be plucking a broom for the camera? TonguersThere are several types of boats in this scene. The "luggers" of the title are the ones with the booms secured to the masts at about a one third point, like "___ Tedesco 93" close to the middle of the scene. Several of them have what looks like sail covers of a dark material -- today we generally think sail covers were not needed in the time period of canvas sails that do not deteriorate when exposed to sunlight. The balanced lug rig was common in France during the Age of Sail. Could it be that the type is actually a survivor from the period when New Orleans was a French colony? Howard I. Chapelle, in "American Small Sailing Craft," 1951, says the lug rig came from the Channel coast (used on both the French and British sides), but the hull evolved here. The rig is "the only dipping lugsail to be used in an American work-boat type in the late 19th century." A plan of a New Orleans lugger is figure 104 in Chapelle, and it looks almost exactly like Tedesco 93 here. In the photo, there seems to be a parrel holding the yard to the mast, making it hard to imagine how the lugsail would be dipped to get it to the other side of the mast. Several of the luggers also have long poles stacked up with one end in the bows and the other resting on the booms near the mast. These look like they might be tongs. Therefore, the boats probably do not dredge for the bivalves, they tong. This conclusion is also supported by the small size of the craft and the absence of winches and tackle for handling a dredge. The luggers are fully molded in form, not flat or V-bottomed like scows or most of Cheaspeake Bay's skipjacks. They have but one mast and sail. There are schooners in the scene and one conventional gaff sloop with headsails, in the foreground, named Minerva. The craft behind her, 1708 Superior, seems to be a schooner with quite a large boomed headsail on a bowsprit (Look up at the masts -- it's easier to tell). Before wood was replaced by other materials in boatbuilding, every region of the country had its own types of fishing and cargo craft, even down to quite small sizes. Swab the DeckFor working boats they sure are very clean, I'm impressed. I wonder what they did with these boats when a hurricane rolled through? They probably didn't get as much of a warning that one was coming like we do today. Couldn't see any sharpies in thereMy family began their oyster business in New Haven about 1868, and sharpies had been in use for some decades before that. The sharpie is a cat-rigged (mast at the very bow) vessel renowned for its speed and ability to hold a big load of oysters. There is a sharpie on display at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. As oyster gathering shifted to dragging, rather than tonging, the boats became larger and eventually powered. The last of the old era was just before WWII. In 1940 my mother filmed a Sunday seagoing picnic on one of the family's draggers, the Catherine M. Wedmore, built in 1924, named after my great-grandmother, and still in service dragging oysters and clams. We always said that warm-water oysters weren't particularly good, and my opinion on that matter has not changed. Pretty SailsI like the scallop edging on the sails on the right. Must have looked great. Pepino Tedesco's Boat First Annual Report of the Oyster Commission of Louisiana, 1904. List of Vessels Other Than Fishing Skiffs Licensed by the Oyster Commission of Louisisana. License Number, Name of Vessel, Name of Owner, Address, Capacity in BBLS, Tonnage. … 59, Lugger Chavere Tedesco, Pepino Tedesco, New Orleans, 141, 8. … 93, Lugger Joseph Tedesco, Tedesco, Tedesco & Lazard, New Orleans, 106, 6. … 1708, Lugger Superior, Marco Koparitich, New Orleans, 107, 6. ... Tedesco Oyster Luggers - 1908 My grandfather Salvatore Tedesco, brothers listed in "Pepino Tedesco Boat" were Pepino (Joseph) Tedesco and Chavere (Saverio)Tedesco. Lazard is Pepino's son-in-law Alberto Lazaro. A response to "Swab the Deck" regarding hurricanes. On October 2, 1893 a storm which would be known as the Cheniere Caminda hurricane which hit on the Louisiana mainland just west of Grand Isle with winds of 135 mph unexpectedly. Captain Chavere Tedesco and three crew men were in Biloxi waters when the storm hit. The crew men were lost and Chavere was in the water three days before being rescued. Another brother, Tony Tedesco, was in the lugger F. W. Elmer (Biloxi waters) with two crew men all three were lost. There is an estimate of 2,000 persons lost their lives and many were fishermen. This information came from Pepino's daughter Josephine who passed away this year at 103 years old and the Times Picayune newspaper. During the month of October, 1893 the Times Picayune lists many of the persons that died and the persons that survived. The articles are detailed and very informative. Storm of 1893 - Cheniere CaminadaGiuseppe Tedesco had 3 brothers, Agostino, Chaverio and Antonino (Tony). Two of them were in luggers when the storm of 1893 (hurricane). They were in Biloxi waters when the storm hit - they did not know it was coming. Chaverio's boat was lost and he was in the water 3 days before he was rescued and Tony and two other men in their lugger were lost. Below is a link to the Louisiana Genweb Archives Project - Newspaper Articles which I added some of the newspaper articles that ran in October, 1893. They were posted during the months of May and June, 2007. http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/orleans/newspapr4.htm (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, New Orleans)
Horsecar Opera: 1890
New Orleans circa 1890. "The Clay Monument, Canal Street." Fascinating details ... in 1860. In 1890 he was under Durieu Management in New Orleans along with other principal singers. In January 1891 he was in ... "Lucia di Lammermoor" at the French Opera House in New Orleans. He later returned to New Orleans in 1901 and was under Roverval ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 3:42pm -

New Orleans circa 1890. "The Clay Monument, Canal Street." Fascinating details abound in this scene captured by William Henry Jackson: The 1-horsepower horsecar, the ancient carbon-arc lamp suspended from a complicated-looking boom, and much signage. Personal favorites: WIG MANUFACTORY, and logo of the ETV&G (East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia) Railway. View full size. Most buildings still there Though the statue was moved to Lafayette Square. View Larger Map Your Mother Dresses You Funny!Lucky kid in front of the monument. I suppose he survived peer review and eventually graduated to long pants and a human collar. +114Below is the same view from May of 2004. "If I could be instrumental . . ."Henry Clay, Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams, among other positions. Monument in N.O. circa 1890 Mr. Ceste and the French Opera HouseI believe that the baritone on the poster is Mr. Paul Antoine Ceste who was born in 1860. In 1890 he was under Durieu Management in New Orleans along with other principal singers. In January 1891 he was in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" at the French Opera House in New Orleans. He later returned to New Orleans in 1901 and was under Roverval Management. The French Opera House, whose real name was the New Orleans Opera House, took one year to build, cost $118,500 to build, and opened on December 1, 1859. It continued performances until it was engulfed by fire on the evening of December 4, 1919. In 1913 it went into receivership and became part of Tulane University. The capacity was 1800 people. The history of the French Opera House can be seen here. Trovatore ou Le Trouvère?It seems likely that Mr. Cesta, as he is billed as singing the "Comte de Luna" rather than "Conte di Luna," is participating in a performance of the French version of Verdi's opera, Le Trouvère. It was definitely in the repertoire at both the French Opera House as well as the older Théâtre d’Orléans; in fact, the French Opera Company brought the production to New York's Lyric Theatre in April, 1912. Verdi himself reworked Il Trovatore for the Paris Opera in 1856 to meet the house's requirement that operas be performed in French. Another stipulation was that there be a ballet and, unlike those he wrote for the other French versions of his operas, Verdi's 20-minute work includes themes from the opera itself. One wonders if this was also part of the New Orleans production. Mr. Ceste Made His Debut in October 1890According to the 1891 New York Clipper Annual, MM Ceste made his debut in New Orleans as "Comte de Luna", on October 22, 1890. I don't know how long the show ran, but this would certainly verify the circa 1890 date of the picture. Yes, It was moved to Lafayette SquareIt was moved ostensibly because of traffic considerations, but many times in its history it had been the rallying point for white mobs and Confederate sympathizers. It is believed that the real reason for the move was to prevent further violence. It was moved in 1901. InscriptionThe inscription on the Clay statue reads "IF I COULD BE INSTRUMENTAL IN ERADICATING THIS DEEPEST STAIN, SLAVERY, FROM THE CHARACTER OF OUR COUNTRY I WOULD NOT EXCHANGE THE PROUD SATISFACTION WHICH I SHOULD ENJOY FOR THE HONOR OF ALL THE TRIUMPHS EVER DECREED TO THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CONQUEROR" This might seem odd for a statue erected in New Orleans most prominent intersection in 1856. The inscription, however, was added during the Civil War occupation by Union General Banks who dredged the quotation from a speech made by Clay in 1827 to the American Colonization Society, which was advocating resettlement of slaves to Africa. Apparently, Banks was inspired by his predecessor, General Butler, who had added "The Union must and shall be preserved" to the Jackson statue in Jackson square. I think the Jackson inscription remains, but when the Clay statue was moved to Lafayette square in 1900, the new base was only inscribed with a innocuous statement about the date and place of the original installation and the date of the move. Eugene Robinson's Museum & TheatreNote the 5 story building at 714 Canal (since the 1894 street address renumbering), in the photo housing "Eugene Robinson's Museum & Theatre". I worked in that building in the 1980s when the bottom 3 floors housed a book store. Eugene Robinson's story is more interesting than mine, however. He was something of a P.T.Barnum wanna-be with rather dubious exhibits in his dime museum, but also a patron of the arts - at least as far as realizing that hiring a loud band was a good way to draw a crowd. The attached image appeared in a weekly scandal sheet, "The Mascot", for 15 November, 1890. The late New Orleans writer Al Rose claimed it was the earliest known illustration of a New Orleans jazz band. Apparently not everyone was a fan of the new style of music. (The Gallery, Horses, New Orleans, Streetcars, W.H. Jackson)
Absinthe Room: 1906
New Orleans circa 1906. "Old Absinthe House -- the bar." No obvious patrons ... me in the least to see one turn up in an absinthe house in New Orleans. Sanded Floors Odd Corners, by Isabel Anderson, ... taken anything at all. Standard History of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1900. Restaurants Two drinks that are ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:28pm -

New Orleans circa 1906. "Old Absinthe House -- the bar." No obvious patrons except for a number of barflies. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Distilled since 1830.Bottom shelf, second bottle from the left. "Old Crow" was General Grant's favorite whiskey. Also favored by Mark Twain and Henry Clay. The Green Fairy has left the room.Maybe she will appear after a few more sips. Absinthe fountainsThose tall counter fixtures with faucets appear to be rather hefty looking absinthe fountains. They slowly drip cold water into your glass of absinthe to enhance the color and flavor. And it looks like there's sand or sawdust on the floor. Clearly it's there to make it easier to clean up the blood from absinthe-induced barfights, just like in the old gladiatorial arena. Faux FinishThat's a faux finish on the wooden bar. Most wood used in N.O. was cypress dressed up to look like another wood, usually oak. Mighty fine job of fauxing. Brassiere on the Camel?I love how the top of the pillar looks nicely carved and artfully decorated and the bottom looks like an old telephone pole. Some great fixtures in this room: stove, taps, lights, fans, etc. So much detail that just isn't appreciated any more. Anybody know what the little cabinet(?) above the Red Raven Spirits sign is for? It's electric, whatever it is. Bourbon Street BeatWhy, Cal Calhoun, Rex Randolph and Kenny Madison had their offices just above this place. The lovely Melody Lee Mercer was their secretary/Girl Friday. Last I heard, Rex had moved to L.A., out on the strip and Kenny was on a houseboat in Miami. Cal, never heard of him again, probably still sippin' absinthe. Beaux artsI suspect, though I cannot confirm, that the artwork to the left of the clock behind the bar is a hand-colored print by the artist Vincent de Paredes. His prints of French royalty and the such were quite popular at the turn of the century, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see one turn up in an absinthe house in New Orleans. Sanded Floors Odd Corners, by Isabel Anderson, 1917. Round the Gulf Another time our friends took us down Bourbon Street and stopped near the old "Absinthe House," which, as it was supposed to be closed on Sunday, we entered by the back door! It is one of the most picturesque houses in the world—there is nothing more interesting in Paris—with its sanded floors and little tables and the curious people who frequent it. No wonder the mixture of absinthe is so dangerous, for it makes you feel so well, yet you do not realize that you have taken anything at all. Standard History of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1900. Restaurants Two drinks that are peculiar to New Orleans are the "roffignac," said to have been invented by the Marquis de Roffignac, one of the celebrities of the early days; and absinthe, which is also drunk in Paris. It is found at the old Absinthe House at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville streets, which was built in the year 1752, and which has been an absinthe house since 1826. SawdustWhen I was a child there was a supermarket in Brooklyn called Packers that had sawdust on the floor throughout. You see sawdust here. You see it in old photos of butcher shops. Even the Southern California restaurant chain Chris and Pitts had sawdust covered floors in its early days. The sawdust was taken away from Packers in the mid 1960's, supposedly because it was considered a fire hazard. I do not know when Chris and Pitts got rid of theirs, but none of the surviving outlets have any sawdust on their floors any more. Clearly people thought that putting sawdust on a floor did something good for them. I have no clue what they thought it did other than give fires a place to smolder, and patrons a slippy surface to slide and fall on. [The sawdust soaked up various expectorants, tobacco juice chief among them, and no doubt other fluids. - Dave] That PanelCould it be an annunciator panel of some sort to signal that someone in another area has runout of libation and requires a refill? Thank you Evelyn WoodWhen I first read the title of this photo, I read it as "Abstinence House." I thought to myself, if a fellow can resist temptation in here, he is cured! (The Gallery, DPC, Eateries & Bars, New Orleans)
Cathedral Mansions: 1924
... made it obsolete. Some Creole families and merchants in New Orleans used brick dust for the same reasons. Sawdust They would put ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 6:51pm -

Washington circa 1924. "Cathedral Mansions Grocery." The market at Cathedral Mansions, a multistory apartment complex on Connecticut Avenue that also had its own bakery and drugstore. View full size. National Photo glass negative. Sawdust on floorsAbsorbed spills. Generally it was swept up each day and replaced with fresh. Very common in shops & bars of the period. Butter and Egg MoneyButter at 47 cents a pound is equivalent to more than $5.60 a pound in 2008 dollars so we are doing OK on that front. Even better, if that big can of Criso is four pounds at $1.40, that's equivalent to almost $17 today. In fact, a 4 pound can of Crisco today costs less than $6. Good old days indeed! CocoaThey seem to stock at least six different kinds of cocoa. Campbell'sCampbell's Soup and Wrigley's Gum have not changed much if at all (except the price obviously). I wonder if the A&P tearsheet behind the register is for comparison purposes or was this store part of that chain? Dusting it upSawdust caught a lot of the detritus that fell to the floor, and made it easier to sweep up at the end of the day. Whoa, look at those melons.Whoa, look at those melons. Also, I see Kellogg's was pushing bran even back then. SawdustWhat is the reason for all the sawdust on the floor? At least I hope it is sawdust. SawdustIf I recall, it was on the floor to make cleanup at the end of the business day easier. The streets weren't exactly clean in those days. The sawdust would absorb whatever was tracked in and at closing, you'd just sweep up and throw away what got dirty and then lay down some more. SawdustSawdust was used to absorb dirt, mud and grease. At the end of the day, the old sawdust would be swept up and new sawdust laid down. It was also used in bars for a very long time. Eventually, concerns about flammability from dropped cigarettes and improved flooring made it obsolete. Some Creole families and merchants in New Orleans used brick dust for the same reasons. SawdustThey would put sawdust on the floor because it would absorb the liquids that would fall, making for a easy clean up at the end of the day. Sawdust reduxMy down-South 60s school custodians used sawdust to sweep the floors. They had big bins of it stored outside the building and I recall us looking in them from time to time. The sawdust seemed wet because it was oily and the combination of sawdust and oil smelled great. Think about it - faster than wet mopping, absorbed moisture, soft on flooring, and most of all no dust scattered from dry sweeping method (it picked up fine dust and dirt before it can hit the air and settle back). Ideal. I'd order a bin today to tackle our wood floors, pet hair, and teen boys residual in the house. Sawdust.2Sawdust has long been used on floors to pick up spills. At the end of the day you sweep it out and throw some clean sawdust on the floor for the next day. Ever been in an old-time bar with sawdust on the floor? Look at the size of the watermelons! Cheap corn flakesWow...Kellog's Corn Flakes for 10 cents. Wonder what's under lock and key up in that skylight? SawdustWikipedia has everything! In the article "Floor cleaning," in the section "Methods of floor cleaning," it says: "Sawdust is used on some floors to absorb any liquids that fall rather than trying to prevent them being spilt. The sawdust is swept up and replaced each day. This was common in the past in pubs and is still used in some butchers and fishmongers." I found this through Google, of course. Received fresh dailyI believe that in those days before modern packaging it was common for many substances to leak, for example the "choice meats" would tend to bleed thru the paper sacks. SawdustIn butcher shops (which this is), it catches drips of blood or fat to prevent the floor from getting slippery, and makes it easier to clean up. That's a dang big scan! Good idea to get a jump on everybody asking for enlargements of certain products. A & P Bulk BinsThe bins with lids behind the cash-register counter belie the fact that this is an A & P store. I wonder is service was as slow then as they are near me...possibly the store employee is on a higher floor delivering a brown bag of telephoned-in items for the truly cosmopolitan urbanite. Hmm.Why is there sawdust on the floor? Paper or Plastic?No plastic bags back then. Check out how all the bread is wrapped in waxed paper. Zero Scoops"Now You'll Like Bran!" I see five bran choices, mostly Kellogg's, and none includes raisins. Many wheat and corn options too. Mr. Kellogg must have been proud, as he was still alive at this time. Where's waldo (a.k.a. the Sun-Maid girl)?The Sun-maid company has a cute history of the Sun-Maid girl: "In 1915, the brand name SUN-MAID was launched, and within a year, executives of the company discovered a local girl, Lorraine Collett Petersen whose smiling face, red sunbonnet, and tray of fresh grapes would become synonymous with the sun-dried goodness of California raisins." TemperatureMy grandparents used to cook with Crisco exclusively, just scooping it out by the pound. I remember when I was little getting it confused with sour cream. The reality was not pleasant. I notice the packages of eggs on the counter stored at room temperature. How long do eggs last unrefrigerated? [How long do they last warmed up under a hen? - Dave] Hot MothersAs a youngster, I couldn't help but notice that lots of my friends did indeed have hot mothers but in today's connotation, they would have had great advertising potential with that name. Also notice the cracker barrel in the right at the end of the meat counter and the jars of (probably) olives, pickles, green tomatoes, pickled pigs feet and pickled eggs on top of the meat counter. To the person who asked about fresh eggs kept at room temperature, my grandmother kept hers in a glass bowl at room temp for several days and none of us ever got sick. Of course she also left the Thanksgiving turkey on the back porch since it could never fit into the icebox. (We did not ever need any of the BRAN stuff). Saw what ?I suspect Dave to have kept all these redundant answers to the intriguing question of the sawdust on purpose, just waiting for someone to ask it again. CalasOK, I know what hams, strip bacon and fatbacks are, but what the heck are calas? Or are my old eyes failing me? [Cala is short for California ham. Which is not really a ham but a pork picnic shoulder. Also called a "callie." - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Texas Bodega: 1939
... it was a product of the Southern Syrup Co. of New Orleans. - Dave] Dippin' Snuff Seeing those tins of Garrett's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2022 - 7:23pm -

March 1939. "Small Mexican grocery store. San Antonio, Texas." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Old Anheuser-Busch productI love looking at pics of old stores like this. I noted the A-B Table Syrup 4th shelf all the way to the right. I wonder when that item stopped being marketed. [It was advertised in newspapers as late as 1945. - Dave] SaxetAs every Texan knows, that's Texas spelled backwards. Best known today as the name of a never-ending gun show, and don't you dare call it "dainty". (I mean, personally I don't mind if you call it dainty, but other people might.) Staples, not convenience foods, but noteworthy also the number of kerosene lamp chimneys. Granted, these items are easily broken, but San Antonio was and is a major city, and major cities had electricity long before 1939. An ill-served non-electrified enclave? Emergency lighting? Or just dead stock? Let me have one of those cans of Chuck Wagon… a ballpoint pen, and one of those Kiltie Pops there, a pint of Old Harper, a couple of flashlight batteries and some beef jerky. CornucopiaI'll have one of everything, por favor. The more things change --What strikes me most about this photo is how little many brands and labels have changed over 82+ years! Don't make me come over that counterI don't see price stickers on anything and remember the days when a cashier simply knew the price of most items. Customers would let them know if a price seemed out of line. On each vertical divider is a paper clip, each holding a different type of paper. One looks like a receipt. Does anyone know what those were for? I give this cashier a B+ on stacking merchandise. But it offends my anal retentive sensibilities that the cans of PET Milk are not all facing forward, and the one can of K C 5 Baking Powder turned backwards is driving me crazy. Don't even get me started on the salt. So cows are now pets?The cans of milk in the upper right corner of the shelf might make one think so. IconsAunt Jemima's makeovers didn't take, so she was retired (image, name, and brand) in 2021. The Argo corn starch maiden has been diminished and her American Indian identity downplayed. The Quaker, looking a bit smug, no longer greets us with open arms. Brer Rabbit has been pushing syrup since 1907, but competitors Teddy and Mary Jane have given up. The Pet milk cow continues to peek out of her can. Our Mother is enjoying retirement, though she worries about what Texas Girl gets up to. Is this store in Mexico or Texas, or is this before the Alamo?How is this a "Mexican grocery store?" The products are US products and the labeling is in English. [It's in the Mexican section of San Antonio and is owned by a Mexican. - Dave] Responding to a comment. Yes, the clerk and the clients may know all the prices, but we wouldn't put up with such a limited selection. We may have too many choices now, but I'm not ready to go back to beans, rice and white bread. Couldn't find out why the name "Pet." Wikipedia and the Pet website provided no explanation. [In 1923, the Helvetia Milk Condensing Company was renamed the Pet Milk Company after its signature product, "Our Pet" Evaporated Cream. - Dave] Mr. Monk would not approveThere are many things in this photo that bother the OCD in me. What would be... inside those small tied up packages on the bottom shelf? Post Toasties Corn Flakes...in Reverse!On the top shelf, it appears the Corn Flakes boxes were turned around, with the back showing the awesome crafts and giveaways, being promoted by Walt Disney! Product DesignMy eye was immediately drawn to the glass jars, each shaped beautifully in their own way. Texas GirlWhat a fantastic catalogue of extraordinary words contained within the array of products on these shelves: Chuck Wagon, Ole Reliable, Saxet, Our Mother’s, Argo, Aunt Jemima, Popeye the Sailor, Apex, Mary Jane, Brer Rabbit, Jefferson Island, Excelo, Teddy Bear, Lamo Lye, Rinso, Lux. My favorite is Texas Girl. Anything and everything in a canExcept lettuce. If you pleaseI will have a Derby Sugar Shaker Jar and one of those unmarked brown paper packages tied up with string. Then I will offer to, free of charge, organize all of the cans and boxes so that nothing is upside down. Drives me crazy. Right the Rinso already! Calling all artistsThis is just *screaming* for colorizing. Any takers? Almost eponymousIt was my desire to devise a clever jape over the possibility that Mr. Russell Lee had purchased a can of R. Lee's Special Sauer Kraut at this emporium, but alas, after downloading the full-size tiff from the LOC, I found my hope dashed by a vagrant reflection. A.R. Lee's Special Sauer KrautFor TTerrace, here is an actual label, that would have been on the can. Sure enough, one had sold on eBay! Must be a Texas thing.Anybody know what "Kiltie Pops" are? It seems that the box has been up there for awhile. Quite a selectionLots of beans, lots of crackers. What surprised me is the mentholated tobacco. Kool's ancestor? A-B SyrupThe photo was taken some five years after Prohibition ended. Perhaps it was one of the products made by the brewer to get by until the Volstead Act was abolished. That product might have been on the shelf for five years? [A-B Syrup was being sold well into the 1940s. Branding notwithstanding, it was a product of the Southern Syrup Co. of New Orleans. - Dave] Dippin' SnuffSeeing those tins of Garrett's Snuff on the shelf in front of the match boxes reminds me of an old fellow who ran a small engine repair shop in my East Texas hometown. He fixed lawnmowers and tillers and chainsaws and such out of a barn behind his house on the outskirts of town, just a couple miles from the Red River bottoms north of Texarkana. I cannot recall the gentleman's name, but he had to be nearing 80 years in the 1970s. He dipped that Garrett snuff and would stand at his workbench while sharpening a mower blade and kept a Coke bottle at his feet and would spit a long string of brown tobacco juice right into the bottle without any spittle running down the outside of it. Every time. He never missed. It was pure poetry. He'd stop mid-sentence and "ssspt" into the bottle and resume his soliloquy without missing a beat. He kept little screws and washers and nuts and carburetor parts in those snuff tins up on a shelf above his workbench. I don't think I've seen one of those snuff tins since, but this photo took me right back there in that old man's barn. Goober Pea (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Uneeda Baby: 1937
New Orleans circa 1937. "Dumaine Street at Bourbon." Momma's balcony scene. ... Terra-cotta foundation ventilators. Lots of em in New Orleans. Stoops, Not Steps I am a Shorpster from New Orleans, and the wooden stoops are attached to the buildings. Some have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 3:55pm -

New Orleans circa 1937. "Dumaine Street at Bourbon." Momma's balcony scene. 8x10 inch safety negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. A closer lookThe house on Dumaine in the 21st century. Step Right UpThe steps in front of the doors look as though they were designed to be picked up and carried. In the new photo posted here they look to have been replaced with brick and cement. Any Shorpsters in NO know about the steps? Now the Biscuit Palace Guest Househttp://www.biscuitpalace.com/ Happily, the old Uneeda Biscuit sign remains. Building There, Baby Gone.View Larger Map The oval thingsTerra-cotta foundation ventilators. Lots of em in New Orleans. Stoops, Not StepsI am a Shorpster from New Orleans, and the wooden stoops are attached to the buildings. Some have been replaced with cement analogs over the years, but are still called stoops. I have stood where that lady is standing, a friend of mine owns that guest house. StoopsInteresting that the popular New York-ism "stoop" should be used in New Orleans. The word originally comes from the Dutch "stoep," meaning small front porch or steps. Oval VentsThose grilles are usually cast iron. Before and after KatrinaThis is an area I have spent a lot of time in over the years and the Uneeda sign is one of the best examples of old painted advertising in the French Quarter. Unfortunately as with many things in New Orleans, Katrina wasn't kind to it, but it is still there. I am posting one picture I took in 2003 and another I took in 2006. You can see there was damage to the building and unfortunately, some really crappy reconstruction of the damage. Stoops on the BanquetteA lot of the stoops throughout the city are still in use today and many more are wooden. Some people replace them with brick or cement for aesthetic preferences. The sidewalks are referred to as banquettes in New Orleans. The character Santa Battaglia mentions in "A Confederacy of Dunces" of how in the summer in her childhood the family would often spend all evening on the banquette until midnight when the house finally cooled down enough for them to sleep. In many areas of the city, family and friends still spend evening chatting, drinking, and resting on their stoops or in kitchen chairs on the banquette. The oval vents are still prolific throughout the city and help release hot air trapped under the houses but are horrible when the winter wind blows through. The roof over-hangs that jut out over the sidewalks are referred to as "abat-vents" (a-bah-vonts) creole french for "windbreakers" They helped direct the breeze into the house and kept rain out. Three days ago!I shot this just this week. Biscuit PalaceMy wife and I rented the room that leads to the balcony that that woman is standing on. http://www.biscuit-palace.com/ This Property Is CondemnedI was watching the movie "This Property Is Condemned" with Natalie Wood and Robert Redford, and caught sight of this building. I was kind of excited to recognize a landmark that you all had presented in the site. [You have a sharp eye (and memory). - Dave] (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, Kids, New Orleans)
Biloxi Bakery Circa 1930
... goods. Fred Klein Sr., the founder, claims when he left New Orleans at the turn of the century, they forgot how to make REAL french ... for his claims as some of the deliveries were made to New Orleans! His bread was even flown to California and New York when visiting ... 
 
Posted by FredKlein - 08/05/2007 - 12:04am -

Three delivery trucks in front of the Biloxi Bakery and Confectioneries. known by the locals as simply Klein's. For over sixty years it supplied the Biloxi - Gulfport - Ocean Springs areas with fresh baked goods. Fred Klein Sr., the founder, claims when he left New Orleans at the turn of the century, they forgot how to make REAL french bread ... He had backup for his claims as some of the deliveries were made to New Orleans! His bread was even flown to California and New York when visiting dignitaries from the local air base were in town! New Orleans style French breadLooking at all of these pictures from the Biloxi Bakery, and reading the captions, has made me very hungry! I'd love some New Orleans style French bread, right now! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Crescent Limited: 1926
... the Crescent on a daily basis between New York City and New Orleans. It's even slightly quicker now. When the service was inaugurated in 1926, the journey from Washington to New Orleans required 33 hrs and 55 minutes. Today, thanks to 87 years of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/13/2013 - 9:42pm -

Alexandria, Virginia, circa 1926. "American Locomotive Co. -- Southern R.R. Crescent Limited 1396." Seen here from the other side, with more info in the comments. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. So little stock, so high the rentHow much would the shoes have been to pay the rent? It doesn't look like a high volume place and the selection is very small. [Probably didn't even make enough to pay for the coal. But at least they could move to a new location easily enough. -tterrace] OOPs: Intended for the 'Juvenile Footwear'. Daily CrescentAmtrak still operates the Crescent on a daily basis between New York City and New Orleans. It's even slightly quicker now. When the service was inaugurated in 1926, the journey from Washington to New Orleans required 33 hrs and 55 minutes. Today, thanks to 87 years of innovation and investment, the trip will only take you 26 hrs and 2 minutes! Washington Post, May 7, 1933. Crescent Limited Sets Up Records Running on a faster schedule than in any previous year, the Crescent Limited, ace of the Southern Railway System's passenger train service between New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, broke all records for on-time performance in the year ended April 25, 1933, the eighth of its operation. Out of the 365 trips in each direction the Crescent Limited reached Atlanta on time southbound on 360 days, or 98.6 percent, and reached Washington on time northbound on 357 days, or 97.9 percent. This brought the on-time performance for eight years up to 98.3 percent southbound and 96.4 percent northbound. On April 25 the Crescent Limited was placed on a schedule of 15 hours and 5 minutes between Atlanta and Washington, 20 hours and 10 minutes between Atlanta and New Your, and hour having been cut from the running time in each direction between Atlanta and Washington. The Crescent limited is operated over the Pennsylvania Railroad between New York and Washington, the Southern between Washington and Atlanta, the West Point Route between Atlanta and Montgomery and the Louisville & Nashville between Montgomery and New Orleans. SmileThat's one happy locomotive. The "Hudson"The first 4-6-4 in America was built for the New York Central by ALCO and named after the river it ran. It proved it be such a popular configuration between 1920 and 1940 they were in use by 21 American railroads (and many more overseas) -The Canadian Pacific was its second most user. Various railroads built these in their own shops and called them by assorted names, but Hudson prevails. In their day they set two speed records. However, in the '40's the clear superiority of the diesel sent these to the scrap yards. A great steam engine; pulled the 20th Century Limited in its day. This locomotivewas painted green. It's beautiful!Most engines, at least this side of the water, were very much 'cleaner' in appearance than the Hudson ... but this engine appears to proclaim to the world that it is a very tough and powerful machine. To my eyes, it looks wonderful ... an amazing array of 'stuff' and 'things' just hung on the outside of the locomotive, all of it going to make this one purposeful-looking machine. And, presumably, maintenance was easier. As for those punctuality rates; they make UK rates today look pretty poor, despite ultra-modern electric traction, computers, and the like. The people who operated the services all those years ago were evidently made of the 'right stuff'. How things have ... progressed. PacificThe previous post regarding the "Hudson" class of locomotive on the NYC are effectively correct including the mention of the "20th Century Limited being pulled by the "Hudson" type 4-6-4 locomotive. The locomotive in this image however is a 4-6-2 "Pacific" from the Southern Railway and called a Ps-4. Its sister locomotive No. 1401 sits in the Smithsonian. They were painted a stunning green with gold trim. Some of the most beautiful locomotives on US rails. Painted Green...I am not sure if the Smithsonian has the locomotive painted correctly but my comment for Shorpy's other side of the locomotive image shows that they have it depicted with green trim and the rest is gray. Here is my comment and my image from the Smithsonian. Cylinder behind the bell?As handsome a machine as I have seen. I can identify most of the systems here, but the cross ways cylinder between the bell and the smoke vent has me stumped. A lot of complexity there, it must be a worthwhile bit of steam technology. Who can say what it is? Elesco FWH/paint scheme.The appliance between the bell and the smokestack is an Elesco feedwater heater. It uses exhaust steam from the loco's cylinders to pre-heat the feedwater going into the boiler. The cylindrical part is the heater bundle, and the feedwater pump is the appliance visible just above the rear coupled wheel. 1401 in the Smithsonian is in the correct paint scheme, which is largely green - inspired by the livery of the Southern Railway in Britain. The grey mentioned is representative of the graphite and oil-based finish typically applied to loco smokeboxes and often fireboxes on US railroads. The smokebox was usually unlagged, and so the external surfaces got quite hot when the engine was in steam. Normal paint would quickly burn off, so graphite used instead. That cylindrical applianceis a Feedwater Heater. An Elesco Feedwater Heater to be precise. Made by Locomotive Superheater Company (hence the name L-S-CO), it used steam to preheat the water before being injected into the boiler so as to reduce the total energy needed to bring it to a violent boil at 200 psi. There were a number of Feedwater Heater manufacturers, the Elesco and Coffin types being the most easily identified because of their most common location on top of the smokebox between the smokebox front and stack (or smokestack). Pole pocketWhat is strange to see on a mainline flyer are the pole pockets at the front just above the first wheel. In local service it sometimes was necessary to shove a car on an adjacent track using a long wooden pole socketed into this pocket and into a similar pocket on the car to be shoved. A dangerous practice that could result in serious injury when the pole snapped. Pilot beam casting with poling pockets.The pilot beams on most modern US locos were a proprietary casting made by Commonwealth Steel, later known as General Steel Castings, of Granite City Illinois. The poling pockets were a standard feature of the casting, and can be seen on most locos, whether they were for passenger, freight or switching service. Crescent was a class actIn 1977, I made a train trip with 3 children from Benson AZ to Augusta GA. Our "heritage fleet" Amtrak sleeper was dropped in New Orleans to be picked up by the next day's Southern Crescent. The Amtrak car's air conditioning quit and, as the temperature rose, the elderly Southern conductor sent an equally ancient porter to move us to another car. As we stepped into the coolness, I blurted out, "Hey, the air conditioning works." The old black porter put down the bags, turned to me and standing stiffly erect, said, "Suh, this is a Southrun cah. EVERTHING WORKS!" Formal steam engine portraitsrequired that the side rods be in the "down" position, witnessed by this photo of 1396. Take a look at any steam locomotive builders photos; you will see all photos are made with the rods down. Thanks to those who corrected some who mistakenly referred to this as a "Hudson" 4-6-4 engine type. These beauties were 4-6-2 "Pacific" class locomotives arguably the most ubiquitous steam locomotive type ever to run on the world's railways. The Canadian Pacific ran both light small pacifics and heavier more powerful ones until the end of steam. I would imagine many other roads did too. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Career Girl: 1939
... in 1939. She was going to work at the Times Picayune in New Orleans. She was the secretary of the editor-in-chief or the publisher (I ... godson and that is how they met. View full size. New Orleans Central Business District Nice photo. I'm trying to place ... 
 
Posted by catsoldpics73 - 09/12/2011 - 11:49am -

This is not the greatest scan but I love this picture of my grandmother, Mary Teresa Mayne (Fallon after marriage) in 1939. She was going to work at the Times Picayune in New Orleans. She was the secretary of the editor-in-chief or the publisher (I forget the title of her boss). Anyway, my grandfather was her boss' godson and that is how they met. View full size. New Orleans Central Business DistrictNice photo. I'm trying to place the location. I think I walked by that same doorway many times when I worked in the New Orleans Central Business District 40 years later. The United Fruit Company building on St. Charles Avenue down from Poydras? -- Infrogmation of New Orleans Probably United FruitInfrogmation - Probably so. My grandfather, her husband-to-be at the time, worked for United Fruit. His grandfather had sold his company to United Fruit. I have attached photographic proof. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Naval Maneuvers: 1901
... "The Admiral", while on a drunken and debauched week in New Orleans, fell madly in love with one of "les filles" at Madame Fricassee's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 1:28pm -

Annapolis, Maryland, circa 1901. "Cadets at residence of superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Many years later... in a land over the rainbow, the sister of the young lady with the hat died in a tragic accident when a house fell out of the sky and struck her. The Munchkins were thrilled! Exquisite shotAnd a very explicit look. "How can I tell her that I love her?" No lack of confidence here.Every one of these young people has the look and body language of supreme confidence. Ok, except for Mr. Daydreamer behind the hat lady. He's somehow fascinated and mesmerized by the millinery I suppose. WhatisitOne of the young men is holding something that I can't even guess what it is. [Perhaps one of the dainty folding fans favored by sailors of the era. - Dave] The GazeI don't see love in his eyes. He's probably thinking "Why on earth does she keep a dead pigeon on her head?" This fellow's nameMidshipman Smitten. Love triangleObviously, the young man in the closeup below is smitten with the girl with the puffy hat in front of him. She, in turn is eyeing one of the likely lads to her right. Hat in handMidshipman Smitten obviously has a thing for the cute young lady directly in front of him, and she is holding his cap! She stole his hatto get his attention, so they are mutually smitten. GaslightWould love to see that gas chandelier in the foyer ablaze at night with a circle of fishtail flames flickering through the globes. Ahead of his timeI'm wondering about the melatonin-advantaged (Asian? Hispanic?) fellow in the middle of the picture. I wonder what sort of career he could have had in the Navy. Or perhaps he was an exchange student from Japan? This was about the time they were working hard to create a "modern" Navy. [He's probably Filipino, his countrymen numbering among the "newly acquired peoples" granted admission to U.S. military academies in 1901 following the defeat of Spain in the Spanish American War. - Dave] "Academy" - the miniseriesFollowing the trials and loves of The Class of '05 - Purvis, son of a Congressman, ambitious and dim and in love with Fanny, the Superintendent's daughter; Jake, the brilliant but diffident cadet unaware of Fanny's longing looks but well aware that her father, "The Admiral" is prepared to stop at nothing to have him drummed out of the Academy; Violet, Fanny's beautiful "City" cousin, whose dazzling smile turns the heads of most of the men on campus; Manolo, the first Filipino cadet in the history of the Academy whose dark, exotic looks have attracted the eye of Walter, Fanny's older brother, whose aspirations lie not in the Navy but on Broadway - Manolo, alas, has already fallen for Bert, the Academy's football star ... I'll be waitingFor "Academy" Season 1, Episode 2. Written by Mudhooks, produced by Dave, directed by Shorpy. Hilarious Comments on this Pic!I think there is a possibility that the young man staring across the porch and the girl, are brother and sister. They seem to favor. Edvado, that is exactly what I was thinking. Miss Elvira Gulch. Poor girlMisses #1 and 2 overwhelm Miss #3 who is mostly hidden to the right. I bet she complained of not being given enough "face time" in the photo. CNOErnest King, CNO during WWII, was Class of '01. Any chance he's in the picture? I feel a song comin' onThe trio of theatrical looking lads on the extreme left seem posed to begin singing a rousing rendition of a show-stopping musical number, perhaps something like "Anchors Aweigh" or some other toe-tapping, patriotic naval song. Can't you just see them stepping off the porch and doing their drill down the sidewalk? Season 2 of "Academy"Heart-broken after the disappearance of Jake during a daring rescue of Bill the Goat, the college mascot, from the crow's-nest of the USS Chesapeake, Fanny reveals to Violet a terrible family secret. Sixteen years early, "The Admiral", while on a drunken and debauched week in New Orleans, fell madly in love with one of "les filles" at Madame Fricassee's "Maison de Mauvais Parfum". Alas, "Collette", the object of his desire, was in fact Mabel, the laudanum-addicted, wayward wife of none other than "The Admiral's" own brother - and mother of Violet. Nine months later, "Collette" gave birth to a son and promptly died of Yellow Fever. The ever-resourceful Madame Fricassee employed the services of even more resourceful Sam Huckabee, private detective, to track town "The Admiral". A financial arrangement was reached and Oswald, the product of the brief union of "The Admiral" and "Collette", was raised by Madame Fricassee and "les filles". Eventually, "The Admiral" agreed to have him enrolled at the Academy, as long as Oswald was never told of his actual parentage. Fanny had come across "The Admiral's" stash of letters from Madame Fricassee and reveals all to Violet. Violet, in turn, has her own secret ... Feigning indifference to one another Oswald and Violet have secretly eloped and Violet is with child. Another possibilityIs that the Asian-looking midshipman is Hiroaki Tamura, graduated 1900. Last of some 15 Japanese cadets who attended between 1869 and 1900. Another Japanese graduated in 1993. If I may ask an obvious questionWas parting one's hair in the middle mandatory in those days? The one guy in the picture whose part is slightly off-center is wearing his hair in the manner that matches most photos of President Roosevelt at the time. The Superintendent's daughterThe Academy's superintendent from 1900 to 1902 was Commander Richard Wainwright. He and his wife Evelyn had one daughter, Louisa. She was chosen to christen the submarine USS Shark (SS-8) in 1901. The Boston Globe reported on October 29, 1902 that Miss Wainwright wed Lt. Walter Stevens Turpin (in the drawing room of "the superintendent's new residence"). He was the son of a former Maryland state senator. Do not look for him in this photo; he graduated from the academy in 1894, and was stationed at the Crescent Shipyards in Elizabethport NJ in 1901 and the USS Indiana in 1902. Dating the MidshipmenI’m thinking this photo was taken in 1894-1896. Big balloon sleeves on women's clothing started to appear around 1894 and by 1897 were gone. Also the hats they’re wearing are more typical of the mid 1890s. The LOC gives the date range of the U.S. Naval Academy photos as between 1890 and 1901. [This particular image is listed in Detroit Publishing's 1901 catalog. - Dave] Update on cadetsBIG update! The one in the center, seated between hat lady and the woman you can't see much of is future Vice Admiral Joel Roberts Poinsett Pringle USNA 1892. The cute boy who is entranced with the girl is the future CPT William Lord Littlefield, Class of 1896. Behind Pringle is Motohiko Takasaki, class of 1895, Empire of Japan, who designed the class ring for that year. On the right side of the picture are L-R, Roscoe Spear and Charles Webster, class of 1894. DonY commented that the fashions on the women suggested the date to be the mid-1890s, rather than 1901. He was correct! The only time men from all of these classes would have been there, still as Naval Cadets, was in the Summer of 1894. Pringle was back from the two years "service afloat" that was required after graduation, and would be appointed an Ensign, in July. Spear and Webster would have been preparing to start their service afloat. Takasaki and Littlefield still had to finish their studies. The dean at USNA, that year, was CPT (later Commodore) Robert Lees Phythian. He had two daughters, Bonnie, born 1871, and Cordelia, born 1874. My guess is that the object of Cadet Littlefield's affection was Cordelia. He didn't marry her, though. In fact, she married then LT Pringle, in 1899, and their daughter and her children also carried on the USNA/Navy tradition! Here's a Lucky Bag photo of the class of 1895, in which you will see Motohiko Takasaki and a few others found in this picture, but which I can't identify. Click to enlarge. Included in the group photo are Worth Bagley, the only line officer killed in the Spanish-American war, in the far upper left corner, and the very tall you man on the right side, in the very back, who was John Robert Monaghan. Monaghan was killed in 1899, in the second Samoan civil war. There's a picture of our smitten Cadet Littlefield here. (The Gallery, DPC)
Napoleon House: 1905
New Orleans circa 1905. "Napoleon House, Chartres Street." 8x10 inch dry plate ... Napoleon This is our absolute favorite bar to go to in New Orleans. Classical music, Charcuterie Plate and a Pimms Cup. Ah, heaven! ... the passing of the years. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, New Orleans, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:32pm -

New Orleans circa 1905. "Napoleon House, Chartres Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Grandma's roomIf this photo had been taken in 1938 that might have been my grandmother in the window. That's when she lived on the 3rd floor. Coming, MotherYikes! It's Mrs. Bates. Identity theft, 1905-styleAccording to this article in L'Abeille de la Nouvelle-Orleans dated Tuesday May 5, 1905, a certain John Escat was sentenced to 30 days for impersonating Joseph Labourdette. I am depending on my limited French to translate. John Escat showed up at the Consumers Brewery Company, presenting himself as Joseph Labourdette, proprietor of a liquor store at the corner of Chartres and St. Louis Streets. He claimed to have lost his coat and convinced the Brewery to loan him $3. The real Joseph Labourette, when asked to repay this supposed loan, refused and this was when the deception was discovered. Escat pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $25 fine or spend 30 days in jail. It appears he chose the latter. The last sentence is a mystery: "Fogarty is said to be armed and dangerous." No Fogarty named in the rest of the article. [Fogarty is the recorder, or judge. (Escat a ete en outre condamne a $25 d'amende ou 30 jours de prison par le recorder Fogarty comme suspect et dangereux -- "Escat was sentenced to a $ 25 fine or 30 days' imprisonment by the recorder Fogarty as suspicious and dangerous.") - Dave] Ah! Thanks! A table in the courtyard please.Bring me a Pimm's Cup and a Muffuletta. I shall enjoy lunch until dinner. Geaux Saints! Whoa, Nelly!Seeing that person in the window sent a chill up the nape of my neck. It looked to me like Hannibal Lecter in drag. Plus ça changeView Larger Map The iceman comethGreat picture, Shorpy does it again! I am so jumpywhen I view these photos in high def. The people you don't see in regular view almost seem like spirits when you are scrolling along the pic and POOF they are staring back at you. By the way, is that sewage running along the curb? [Mud would be my guess. With perhaps a soupcon of manure. - Dave] The Doctor is in?There appears to be a young Dalek waiting at the curb, just in front of the horse. Exterminate! Any bar in a stormThe balcony at the left of the photo was attached to the old St. Louis Hotel, which fell victim to the Great Hurricane of 1915. The solid Napoleon House has survived that and more recent storms. After Katrina in 2005, they were among the first businesses to reopen after electricity was restored to the French Quarter. A sign in the window announced their limited post-Katrina menu of M.R.E.s -- "Muffulettas Ready to Eat." Throw me something, Mister!Oh to be on one of those balconies with a Mardi Gras parade passing by below. Back when you had to be cautious after shouting, "Throw me something," lest you be beaned by a coconut. C'est la VieAs the Napoleon House this was my favorite watering hole back in the 1950's and the repository of some great, great memories. Was largely patronized by the locals then, but later changed its focus to attract more tourists with lunches featuring a rather lame po boy sandwich. You can't go home again. Chez NapoleonThis is our absolute favorite bar to go to in New Orleans. Classical music, Charcuterie Plate and a Pimms Cup. Ah, heaven! Buddy's BluesA line from "Buddy Bolden's Blues": I thought I heard Judge Fogarty say: "Thirty days in the French Market, take him away. Give him a good broom to sweep with, take him away." I thought I heard him say. I can hear Buddy's trumpet echoing through those streets. RuminationsRe: "The Old St. Louis Hospital" In the wrought iron of the building at left, you can see the letters spelling St. Louis. I presume the remainder is lost behind the curvature of the ironwork. Notice those glistening slabs of ice in the ice wagon. My parents and grandparents used an "icebox," and my kids still laugh at me when I slip and call the refrigerator the "icebox". It's incredible that routine, even mundane photos become valuable archival documents with the passing of the years. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, New Orleans, Stores & Markets)
A Streetcar Named Henry: 1905
... Back to the sunny South circa 1905. "Carondelet Street, New Orleans." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. ... the Crescent City The tall building down the street is New Orleans's first skyscraper, the 10-story (*11 stories counting the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 3:32pm -

Back to the sunny South circa 1905. "Carondelet Street, New Orleans." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Possible BollardDoes anyone know what the post in the middle of the street (far down right) is? Actually, I just wanted to use one of my favorite Shorpy-learned words. Pedestrian WarningThat fellow standing in front of Fellman's, with his hands in his pockets, better look where he's going before he steps off that curb. 10 stories in the Crescent CityThe tall building down the street is New Orleans's first skyscraper, the 10-story (*11 stories counting the penthouse) Hennen Building, designed by Sully and Toledano and built 1893-1895. This view shows the building before alterations were made to it in the 1920s. The building is still standing and is now known as the Latter & Blum Building. [The 11th floor was added in 1922. - Dave] That BollardIt prevented turning wagons from straying too far into a bend when rounding a corner. There are still quite a few around New Orleans today. Occasionally old cannons were also used for this purpose. MiffedWhat exactly IS it that Leon Fellman doesn't want me to see? Why would anyone wanta square cigar? Under the StarsWhat's that on the roof of the Hennen Building aka Latter & Blum Building? It's gone in the modern photos, but it looks like a restaurant or night club with open air dining or dancing. It must have had fantastic views of the River and the City. Your knees are showing!That is one short tight skirt on the lady crossing the street with her back to us center stage. Her coat looks the same style as the white haired man's she is walking with. Short Pants??Am I crazy or is the guy on the left crossing Canal wearing short pants? The boy on the opposite corner, right side, is wearing knickers, but the guy I'm talking about looks to be wearing Bermuda shorts with a long jacket. Look at all those wiresYou know it's time someone invented underground utilities when you have to cobble telephone poles on top of telephone poles. Dear "Miffed"Mr. Fellman doesn't want you to see his new window display before it's perfected. Come back next week and be prepared to be seduced out of your money by the fabulous panorama of goods! In the meantime, you can peruse the fine selection of shirts featured behind the plate glass next door. Sincerely, Mr. Fellman's Window Dresser Re: Short PantsThose are knickers too. +99Same view from May of 2004 below (in lesser detail due to my second attempt at scanning slides taken prior to my conversion to digital). Immaculate ConceptionThe boy in the picture is not wearing knickers. He is a student at Jesuit's Immaculate Conception College on Baronne Street - one street over. Today it is Jesuit High School at a different location. From 1901 to 1907 the Corps of Cadets existed there and their uniform was the West Point cadet's uniform. (The Gallery, DPC, New Orleans, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
White Ribbon: 1936
February 1936. "Frame houses. New Orleans, Louisiana." 5x7 inch acetate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. ... homes thirty years before the photo. (The Gallery, New Orleans, Walker Evans) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/13/2023 - 5:28pm -

February 1936. "Frame houses. New Orleans, Louisiana." 5x7 inch acetate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. Zero lot lineThree charming, and narrow zero lot line homes. Yes, they leave you staring at a blank wall on the side, but at least your neighbor isn't staring back. You have privacy in that respect. And privacy is good when you're probably sleeping on that balcony, if not on the roof, on hot summer nights, waiting for a breeze to blow through. Lard CanFrom The Encyclopedia of Chicago: "The Cudahy Packing Co. was created in 1890 ... Over the next 30 years, the company added branches across the country ... By the mid-1920s, Cudahy was one of the nation's leading food companies, with over $200 million in annual sales and 13,000 employees around the country ... During the 1970s, after it was purchased by General Host, Cudahy was dismantled." "White Ribbon" was the Cudahy Packing Company's brand of lard. Wonder what the can was repurposed for? I'm guessing tobacco juice. [It's a garbage can. - Dave] Radio Repairman?The fellow at 234 is advertising tubes for 35 cents. Could it be he's helping folks in the hood by selling replacement tubes for their radio sets so they can continue to listen to WWL? Or is it just some voodoo-hoodoo potion they are selling? [Or is he selling patched-up innertubes. - Dave] Dilapidated and De-lovelyIf a building wasn't weathered and dilapidated, Walker Evans just wasn't interested in photographing it, and I'm very thankful for that. He must have felt like a kid in a candy store in the towns and cities of the South in the '30s and '40s before people felt that they needed to get rid of those old beauties. Once UpscaleThe stone curbs and catch basins indicate that this was once in a popular part of the city. I've seen many of the two-story single shotgun style, but never with the side balcony with wrought-iron. They were likely luxury homes thirty years before the photo. (The Gallery, New Orleans, Walker Evans)
A's 8, Giants 2: 1913
... to transport them. Mel & Richie Mel Ott is a New Orleans hometown hero. Yes, sadly he is not given enough ink. Richie ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:30pm -

October 9, 1913. The scene at the Polo Grounds in New York after the third game of the World Series. Philadelphia Athletics 8, New York Giants 2. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Polo Grounds RailroadThat should be the Ninth Avenue Elevated line... http://www.nycsubway.org/lines/9thave-el.html Ow"Green River, The Whiskey Without a Headache" -- say, where do I get some of that? 'Cause the whiskey I'm drinking contains several headaches in every bottle. Railroad in backgoundDoes anybody know anything about the railroad that can be seen behind the left field wall? Its the 9th Avenue Elevated LineThe polo ground shuttle was merely the cut down remnant of the 9th Avenue Elevated line which had a station at the Polo Grounds as shown in this photo which shows the station with the stadium at the left... http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?47747 PS: It's interesting to see that one of my favorite brews "Bass Ale" was sold in the states as early as 1913! Train YardsThe trains seen in this photo are in a layup yard behind left field in the Polo Grounds. These trains were assigned to the 6th and 9th Ave els and were used during rush hours when more trains were required to handle the increased need. Polo Grounds ShuttleThere was a NYC Subway shuttle train that ran from 167th Street and Jerome Avenue to 155th Street and 8th Ave (the Polo Grounds stop). That could be the station in the picture. I believe it also went from 161st Street and River Avenue as well. Service was discontinued in 1958, about a year after the Giants moved to San Francisco. When the line was running it moved people from the Bronx or those who came uptown on the IND subway to the games. In another picture, it shows fans walking across the field. They were heading to the exits and the buses and trains. It was a great experience, today the security people won't let you anywhere near the turf. Polo Grounds ShuttleYes, the "Polo Grounds Shuttle" was the last functioning piece of the Ninth Avenue El. Same railway! Exiting the BleachersIf I remember correctly, there were staircases that led from the bleachers to the ground floor and you went out of the park, passing the turnstiles. The bleachers were behind the outfield, separated by the clubhouse (locker rooms etc) with 2 long staircases, one from the visitors side and the one on the right from the Giants side. The players entered the field from there. The distance from home plate to those bleachers was 505 feet, the only player I know of that hit one out was Richy Ashburn of the Phillies. Willie Mays patrolled center and caught just about anything that was hit there. The bullpens were also out there and when a pitcher was taken out, the walk to the mound seemed to take forever, and then he took the ball from the guy he was replacing and he had to walk back to the showers. At the end of their reign the Giants started using cars to transport them. Mel & RichieMel Ott is a New Orleans hometown hero. Yes, sadly he is not given enough ink. Richie Ashburn of the Phillies swung an extra heavy bat for a lead-off batter. That big bat helped him hit some very long balls. Speaking of Mel OttSpeaking of Mel Ott, he was one of my favorite players from the All-Time All-Star dice baseball game I had as an early teen, and is one of the greatest mostly-forgotten stars of the 20th century (I'd put Stan Musial first in that category). Ott has the distinction of having among the third most severe home/road power discrepancies -- 63% of his dingers came at home (Home Run Handbook via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Ott ). The Polo Grounds helped Babe Ruth in his two greatest seasons of 1920 and 1921 too, as he perfected pulling balls right down that short right field line. Oh, the outfield wasn't completely doubled-decked. I envy Mr. Mel for having actually been to one of the classic old ballparks -- he has memories of Coogan's Bluff, I've got Arlington Stadium and the Astrodome. Polo Grounds cont'dI stand corrected, it wasn't Richy Asburn who hit the homer into the bleachers but Joe Adcock of the Milwaukee Braves in 1953. Hank Aaron also did it later. Outfield bleachersIt looks like the only way to get out of the outfield bleachers is to climb over the wall and drop down onto the field. re: Exiting the bleachersMr. Mel's memories are of the Polo Grounds following its 1923 reconfiguration when the entire outfield was double-decked. In 1911-1922 center field was "only" 433 feet from home plate. After expansion that weird notch in center field placed the clubhouse steps 483 feet from the plate. The 505-foot figure may have been to the scoreboard above the clubhouse. http://www.andrewclem.com/Baseball/PoloGrounds.html has diagrams of the original (well, this was actually the FIFTH Polo Grounds!) and expanded configurations. Amazing that someone such as Richie Ashburn, with only 29 career home runs, could hit a ball out of his back yard, much less a major league stadium. Polo GroundsMy memories the stadium don't go back to a previous life. Two things I remember are the "505 feet" sign on the front of the single decked bleacher section and the "257 feet" sign high on the right-field wall. I saw my first baseball game there in 1943 or 44 and Mel Ott, my hero and namesake, popped one over that wall for a home run. That shot would have been a medium long foul ball in just about any other ballpark. A's won it all, right?Wasn't this the series where the upstart A's shocked the heavy favored Giants? There's an interesting story by Christy Mathewson about why the Giants lost that World Series. Into the BleachersSo did Lou Brock, then playing for the Cubs. I've also read that Luke Easter of the Old Negro Leagues did it, too. Arlington Stadium?Scribe 9999, Do you have a Kodachrome of Old Arlington Stadium? Or just the memories? I have several collages of Arlington Stadium that are really neat. I am trying to find different pictures of Arlington Stadium pre-1984 before the wrap-around scoreboard was added. Also, any wide shots of stadium before the Upper Deck/Plaza was added before the 1972 season and any pics with the old Texas Shaped scoreboard. You can shoot me an E-mail at buckynance@hotmail.com Thanks, Bucky Polo Grounds If I'm not mistaken Aaron never did it. If my memory serves me well the 3 people who hit it in the bleachers were Adcock, Orlando Cepeda and Lou Brock of all people! Hank AaronI found this by Googling Baseball Almanac Four sluggers have put a ball over the center field wall in the Polo Grounds (Version IV). Those sluggers are Luke Easter of the Negro Leagues in 1948; Joe Adcock on April 29, 1953; Lou Brock on June 17, 1962; and Hank Aaron on June 18, 1962. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports)
Sleeping Beauty: 1910
... good for him! No movies - no internet - John in New Orleans again - I wonder where their ideas for costumes came from. ... We had "moving pictures" as early as the 1890's here in New Orleans, and I know these were "big city" kids with access to these venues, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2012 - 8:39pm -

Washington circa 1910. "Congress Heights Dramatic Club." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Nearly ThereDoesn't she sleep for a hundred years? Only a year to go... CostumesKids had much better costumes in the days when nearly any mother could whip up something fairly elaborate on the home sewing machine. Posh CostumesWere these Congressmen's kids? Looks like the costume budget was pretty big for an amateur youth theater group. There is evidence that attics had been searched for props, though. That immense Paisley shawl under Sleeping Beauty is of a size worn with Lincoln-era crinolines, but not later. Gee, I don't know ...all these pictures of prone folks are giving me flashbacks of "playing doctor" when I was a young-un'. Please stop toying with me, Dave; you're playing with fire. Act 2This is the same backdrop as in "Class Photo." Wowza.Such beautiful children. Not that kids today aren't cute, but I'm sure they all grew up to be beautiful men and women in their day. Same old ratioTwo girls for every boy. I guess drama clubs have been like that since Great-Great-Grandma's day. Jack and JillThe girl on the left is strikingly beautiful. As for the dude wearing fish scales and the lace around his neck; I can just see him arriving at school wearing that outfit and being stopped by the bullies in the schoolyard! But he's a good sport, good for him! No movies - no internet - John in New Orleans again - I wonder where their ideas for costumes came from. Books, probably. Most people in 1910 probably didn't have preconceived notions of what medieval costume would have looked like from years of watching movies or Disney cartoons - although I know they had magazines in 1910 with photographs reproduced. I just wonder about stuff like that. Of course without TV and movies and the computer (ahem...) to distract them, they read a great deal more than most of us do today... And I look at this photograph and wonder about the friendships that were made during the rehearsals of this production and the giggling and fun that went on as they tried on their funny costumes... Where was it staged... what did the cars and carriages look like lined up outside... [They probably saw some movies. There are hundreds of movie ads in the Washington Post archives from 1910. Plus there were plays, opera houses, vaudeville. - Dave] Sly smileSleeping Beauty is smiling slightly because she knows any second she's gonna get a big wet one! That GirlThat beautiful young lady could be the model for every interpretation of an Angel ever painted. Wonderful picture! Costume History BooksIn addition to theater productions and the early movies, there were numerous well illustrated books on historical costume that would have been readily available in Washington schools and libraries. One very popular source was The History of Costume by Braun & Schneider, published serially in Germany from 1861 to 1880, and widely reprinted ever since. Such resources added a level of authenticity to the look of historical genre paintings, theater and opera productions, and the early movies. And, textile mills here and in Europe churned out reproductions of historical textiles and trims from many periods for popular revival styles in fashion, architecture and for churches. It looks like Sleeping Beauty's handmaidens had seen Plate 15b in Braun & Schneider, among other images. This plate is reproduced online at http://www.siue.edu/COSTUMES/PLATE15BX.HTML That's interesting!I knew they had movies then, but I hadn't realized that they were as widely available as they were, judging from these ads. We had "moving pictures" as early as the 1890's here in New Orleans, and I know these were "big city" kids with access to these venues, but I guess I always think of silent movies as something out of the 1920's - and then "talkies" from the late 20's and 30's. So much change going on right before WWI... I'd like to know more about their world. Pre-RaphaelitesAbsolutely gorgeous! Reminds me of a Burne-Jones painting. If anything, the variety of faces actually improves on, say, a Waterhouse or Burne-Jones image, which tended to feature one type of face serially. Costume imageryIt wouldn't have been necessary to do much research to come up with costumes like this; in fact I'm sure the look wasn't at all unfamiliar to these kids, since this period was justifiably termed the "Golden Age of Illustration." Books of fairy tales, myths and adventure stories aimed at younger readers were filled with full-color paintings by such illustrators as N.C. Wyeth, Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. Though from 1924, the Wyeth Charlemagne illustration below is typical of what was being done during this period. Time didn't flyAfter perusing the excellent reference provided by A.T. at 3:58 am, I was surprised at how slowly fashions changed then. Now, we can recognize the 1920's, 1930's, etc. with no problem. Most interesting is that the men started exposing more and more lower body and the women continued to wear long skirts well into the 20th century. Except for the military, hats eeemed to have disappeared altogether just within the last 50 years. This looks familiar... I'm currently stage managing a production of "Camelot." These costumes would fit right in. The kneeling prince even has a sword and tights. I love that the king has that elaborate chain of office, but his crown is rather simple. Jack and JillI am struck by the fact that this photo looks like the Sleeping Beauty tableau described in Louisa May Alcott's book "Jack and Jill." I wonder if any of children (especially the girls) read the book and set themselves up in the same way. Harry ChickI normally hate topic drift but my mind is completely befuddled by the Plaza Theater's "Harry Chick in Songs" ..... something to do with Ag's mechanical demo hen we saw earlier (tomorrow?) [The tenor Harry Chick was billed as "Washington's sweetest songster." - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids)
Water Avenue: 1935
... first image on the top and I said to myself "nice photo of New Orleans French Quarter", then quickly read that it is instead Selma, ... Then, I scrolled down to the next photo, and it's New Orleans! And on top of that, I wouldn't have guessed it by looking. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2023 - 11:37am -

December 1935. "Main street architecture. Selma, Alabama." Premises of the Cotton Exchange and L.C. Adler & Co. furniture store. Note the fire bell tower at right. 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. FiligreeThe word comes to mind when I look at the fine metalwork of that attractive upper gallery. I know it’s used more with regard to jewelry, but we are allowed to use it when talking about metalwork and wrought iron, too. I also think of lace. Period architectural detailsIt's interesting to see the quoins (corner blocks/stones) on the brick building. It's hard to see in the shadows, but it looks like arched windows on the second story. The ventilator grilles above each window are an interesting Southern architecture touch. What's not clear to me is the window/door header on the ground floor above the row of doors/windows. There might be arches hidden behind the porch, or this might have a iron/steel beam as a header. If the latter, I'd tend to date this to early 20th century, if the former, then earlier. And if later, the quoins and similar detail along the ground floor doors could be cast concrete, rather than stone. The porch posts are most likely cast iron. I hope someone has some more history on this building. Sort of survived Head bangersThose low hanging light bulbs in the furniture store appear to be ... low hanging. You would think any one of those chairs they're selling would give a person some extra height so they could change a burned out bulb. Architecture/geography coincidenceWhen I opened Shorpy just now, this was the first image on the top and I said to myself "nice photo of New Orleans French Quarter", then quickly read that it is instead Selma, Alabama. Then, I scrolled down to the next photo, and it's New Orleans! And on top of that, I wouldn't have guessed it by looking. Still there, maybeIf the recent tornado that ravished the Selma area missed this old building then it is still there. [You haven't been ravished until you've been ravished by a tornado. - Dave] Someone stole my balconiesPlease bring them back! The building (1225 Water Avenue) is still extant, and, up until a few years ago (above) looked little different than in 1935. The most recent Street Views show the ironwork missing. Hopefully they just sent it out to be cleaned. The historical survey of the building is rather brief: "1223-5 Water Ave. c 1860-70. Italianate. Two-story, two-bay brick two-part commercial block ... Cast iron quoins." I just knew ...... this was a Walker Evans photograph before reading the caption. [Taken almost 90 years ago, but digitized and made available online by the Library of Congress only last fall. - Dave] (The Gallery, Stores & Markets, Walker Evans)
A Place in the Sun: 1936
January 1936. "Negro house. New Orleans, Louisiana." The abode last glimpsed here . 8x10 inch nitrate ... around so the back faces the wall! (The Gallery, Kids, New Orleans, Walker Evans) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2023 - 6:12pm -

January 1936. "Negro house. New Orleans, Louisiana." The abode last glimpsed here. 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. 1st or 2nd problem solvedWhy not just look at the "Metadata" for each image? Oh wait, 8x10 nitrate negatives in 1936 didn't record "Metadata". Coming ... or going??If one consults that prior photo -- it was posted 16 years ago! -- it will be seen that most of the comments centered on the man sitting in the (now) vacant rocking chair. Specifically that he was facing away from the camera; interpretations ranged from the prosaic -- bashful, miffed at the photographer -- right up to the exotic -- voodoo priest (okay I exaggerate, a little). None of that interests me; what I want to know is: was this shot taken just before that one, or just after?? The shadows seems ever-so-slightly shorter, but with no sense of time or direction. I'm not sure that helps any. I think we have a winner, but at any rate a consensus: "going". The key is the (very slight) lateral movement in the shadows; I had noted the vertical movement, but forgot about the horizontal movement, which is ultimately more useful since the sun may move up and down in the sky, but it always moves west. The only possible complication would be if the negative had been reversed - an oddly common problem I have discovered - but the billboard tells us it's correctly positioned. The other question, "why?"(take two so similar shots), I'm afraid we may never have an answer to. Thanks to DFP and 'kines' for your deductions. - N Using my little grey cellsI conclude today's photograph was the second of the two. First, the man at left on the balcony -- it makes more sense he came out onto the balcony, stared at Walker Evans, then took his place at the corner; than it does he left the corner, walked towards the center of the balcony, and then turned to look at Walker Evans. Second, there is garbage at the curb. In the 2007 post there is no discernable garbage at the curb; but today there is at least one piece of white paper; probably dropped by one of the many small children running around because children are more likely to drop garbage than they are to pick it up. N'est-ce pas? Re: Coming ... or going??This photo was taken after the one posted here in 2007. So ... he is going. When I first considered the challenge of Notcom's question, I thought to myself that it would be very unlikely the two photos were taken far enough apart to be able to find a clear difference in the shadows when comparing the two photos. But I found at least two places that allow an unmistakable comparison. The only opportunity to screw this up would be to misinterpret this virtual gnomon as I'm still sipping my first cup of morning coffee. Being winter helps, as the sun is very low in the sky in the south, so the house is facing south, or at least approximately. So the sun is progressing to the left of this photo behind the photographer as it moves west in the sky and the shadows are moving to the right. Of the two places I used for comparison in the photo, the most distinct is the shadow cast by the center handrail (serving nonexistent steps) on the pattern of what appears to be cement at the base of the porch. It is so nice to have a lazy Sunday morning to be able to afford the time to contemplate something so esoteric and trivial, and share with others. Some day I'll retire and nearly every day will be like this. Off your rockerMaybe it's just me but someone may want to turn that rocker around so the back faces the wall! (The Gallery, Kids, New Orleans, Walker Evans)
The Matrix: 1907
New Orleans, Louisiana, circa 1907. "Canal Street." Life on the grid a century ... is doing is reading. - Dave] Streetcar Remnants New Orleans once sprawling streetcar system has been reduced to two lines, ... see in the modern photo) and St. Charles Avenue (the old New Orleans & Carrollton Railway, in service since 1835). That said, there ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:35pm -

New Orleans, Louisiana, circa 1907. "Canal Street." Life on the grid a century ago. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. +101Here is the identical view looking up (roughly west) Canal from just below Camp (on the left)/Chartres (on the right) Street taken in September of 2008. Five sets of streetcar tracksAnd now there are two. The palm trees and street lights are a beautiful addition to this famous street. Old Familiar NamesI see two store names that I know very well and used to shop at from time to time at their sister stores in Baton Rouge -- Godchaux and Werlein. Godchaux's was a high end department store and Werlein's sold musical products, specializing in pianos. Neither store, to my knowledge, is in business any longer. Praying or drunk?The man on the right behind the horse and cart holding onto the lamp standard from some reason best known to himself. [Look closely and you'll see that it's not a lamppost. And that what the man is doing is reading. - Dave] Streetcar RemnantsNew Orleans once sprawling streetcar system has been reduced to two lines, Canal Street (which we see in the modern photo) and St. Charles Avenue (the old New Orleans & Carrollton Railway, in service since 1835). That said, there are still relics of lines abandoned over 70 years ago, namely Prytania Street. This site shows some of the remnants of these long-abandoned lines: http://www.streetcarmike.com/nopsi_artifacts.html. Sadly, Google Street View hasn't made it to New Orleans yet and photos of all the patches and rail visible on lower Prytania (a line that was torn out in 1932!) don't seem to be online at this time. [Street View is available for almost all of New Orleans. - Dave] View Larger Map Only two years after Groucho joined the troupe.And the Marx Brothers already dominated the theatrical marquee. According to Wikipedia, at that time they were purely a musical group. [Marx Bros. was a dry-goods store on Canal Street ("Furnishers & Hatters, Leaders in Low Prices"). - Dave] I see "Annunciation"But where is "Desire"? Actually three car lines nowThe Riverfront line was created in 1988, long before the Canal line was restored. It was partly as an attraction for 1988 Republican National Convention. (The Gallery, DPC, New Orleans, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Liberty Theatre: 1935
... "1935 or 1936. Saint Charles Street. Liberty Theatre, New Orleans." Now playing: Wheeler and Woolsey in "The Rainmakers," with a ... street car to and from work. (The Gallery, Movies, New Orleans, Walker Evans) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 4:58pm -

"1935 or 1936. Saint Charles Street. Liberty Theatre, New Orleans." Now playing: Wheeler and Woolsey in "The Rainmakers," with a product tie-in. Large-format nitrate negative by Walker Evans, Resettlement Administration. View full size. Six adult tickets please..."I'm gonna be a sport and treat you all, and I will still get 4 cents back from my dollar." Wheeler and WoolseyIt's thanks to these guys that we have the phrase "acquired taste." The March of TimeSeventy years before we had Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly, Fox News gave us Lew Lehr and Lowell Thomas. Fox NewsI had no idea Fox News went back that far. I can read the 'selected shorts', but what is that slanted word in cursive letters? Of course, this may not be the same Fox News we have today. I do recall these kind of news clips from my kid days at the Saturday movies in the 50's. I think they were presented as World on Parade, or something similar. Fox Movietone NewsThis would have been Fox Movietone News, newsreels that had evolved from Lee De Forest and Theodore Case's pioneering sound-on-film process they developed in the early to mid-1920s. The cursive word is "Also." Fox NewsNo indeed the Fox News of 1935 had nothing in common with the present day opinionated and distorted "Fox News." The old Fox Film Corp. had a newsreel division that was called Fox Movietone News and movie theatres regularly played these newsreels before the feature. People got their news a little later in those days but it was generally better journalism than we see today. Vive La LibertéThe Liberty was adjacent to the St. Charles, at 420 St. Charles Avenue, between Poydras and Gravier. This is the heart of the Central Business Disctrict, so this is one part of the old city that was razed. At the site are the immense Hotel Intercontintal and the Pan-Am Life Building. View Larger Map TaxWow, a one cent tax on a 15 cent ticket. Looks like the tax man was well into it even then. Well at least the kids ticket at 10 cents wasn't taxed. Wheeler and WoolseyJust about forgotten these days, Wheeler and Woolsey were on a par with Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello back in the day. Bob Woolsey was a patrician-looking fellow who played his scenes with a wry detachment; his trademark was an exclamation that transliterates, roughly, as "whoa-OO-ooah!" (It was Really Funny in the 30s.) He died in 1938 of a kidney disorder. Bert Wheeler was a salt-of-the earth guy, kinda the Chico/Abbott/Cheech member of the duo -- but he also sang, and had a surprising pop-tenor way with a song that holds up quite well. He went on to play a lot of TV character parts before his death in 1968. A sample of their repartee, thanks to Wikipedia: The Wheeler & Woolsey pictures are loaded with joke-book dialogue, catchy original songs, painful puns, and sometimes racy double-entendre gags: WOMAN (coyly indicating her legs): Were you looking at these? WOOLSEY: Madam, I'm above that. WOOLSEY (worried about a noblewoman): She's liable to have us beheaded. WHEELER: Beheaded?! Can she do that? WOOLSEY: Sure, she can be-head. FLIRT: Sing to me! WHEELER: How about "One Hour With You?" FLIRT: Sure! But first, sing to me! "Whoa-OO-ooah!"Back in the 50s, they showed some Wheeler and Woolsey movies on TV. For, at least, a month, after seeing them, my little brother and I would repeat that line as often as we could. We thought it was hilarious. Morton's Salt Tie-InAs an old PR and Product Promotions man, I love the tie-in between the movie title and Morton's "It rains when it pours" Salt. I wonder if a salt packet giveaway was part of the promotion? I once proposed to the people in charge of raising funds for the mausoleum clean up for Captain "Bully" Robinson in Newburgh NY ("the man who introduced goldfish to America") that they give away samples of Pepperidge Farms Goldfish Crackers as a promotion gimmick. The cemetery folk were not amused. In my opinion, Wheeler & Woolsey were far lesser lights than either Laurel & Hardy or Abbott & Costello, more on the scale of Wally Brown & Alan Carney, at best. Who came first?Woolsey or George Burns? They look like twins to me. Fox News Not the Fox News of Today (sort of)Well it is and it isn't! The Fox News in this photo was a newsreel (usually weekly) made by 20th Century Fox pictures. As 20th Century Fox (Rupert Murdoch's News Corp) also owns the Fox News Channel (a modern day incarnation of course) it could be argued there is a direct hereditary link. Yes I amI would just like to say that it is great to see that my second cousin Bob Woolsey has not been forgotten. He was a great comedian and I love to see that his work is still inspiring and motivating conversation and interest in older movies, which have a tendency to waste away into oblivion. My father was Bob's cousin and I only regret that I never had the opportunity to meet him or any of his children or grandchildren. As the title states yes I am and will alawys be not only related to Bob Woolsey but one of his biggest fans! Jonni (Woolsey) Murakami St. Charles Street MemoriesIn about 1961 I lived for some months on St. Charles Street about two blocks toward Lee Circle from this theatre. I remember attending movies here and at a nearby theatre on the same side of the street--perhaps? the St. Charles that Vic and Natly refer to. There was a Chinese laundry, a real one, across the street from this theatre; shirts starched, folded, wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. 25¢ a shirt as I recall. The photo caption has it right. In at least those days it was St. Charles Street between Canal and Lee Circle; only on the other side of Lee Circle going toward the Garden District and beyond did it became St. Charles Avenue. I worked way out Prytania Street and daily took the street car to and from work. (The Gallery, Movies, New Orleans, Walker Evans)
Hello Lamppost: 1926
... my wife and I just saw Simon and Garfunkel at Jazz Fest in New Orleans this past weekend. Hello Lamppost: ... feelin' not so ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:51pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "Auto accident." With no shortage of witnesses. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Maybethe lamppost ran out and jumped on him? Celebrity WatchIsn't that George Costanza standing next to the cop on the extreme left of the picture? Slow Down, You Move Too FastThe missing running board and dented passenger door seem to indicate that a side impact threw this Durant into the lamppost. Some other car apparently came kicking down the cobble stones. How appropriate a headline, too, as my wife and I just saw Simon and Garfunkel at Jazz Fest in New Orleans this past weekend. Hello Lamppost:... feelin' not so groovy! Whatcha knowin'?He may have even kicked down a few cobblestones. The good old daysThere was less government encroachment on personal liberty in the "good old days." That driver will be able to feel the effects of the accident for some time to come: he may even have scars or bruises to show family and friends. Today, however, the government requires us to wear seat belts: what a bummer. [And our insurance premiums help pay for the liberty of you who choose not to. - Dave] RubberneckingA good accident never fails to draw the attention of surrounding people. It is so interesting that boys would rather watch than play baseball! That tire on the groundis pretty thin! High mileageThat certainly was a well worn tire that was knocked off the car. Maybe a blowout was the cause of the accident in the first place. Front EndHey, is that an indepentdent double wishbone suspension with anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control? The air bag didn't deployDurant is in big trouble now! Accidentes de tráficoNow climbing the charts at meneame.net. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Triple Feature: 1939
... the call - the last place I saw a nickel pay phone was in New Orleans in 1977. On the horizon I wonder how old the guy is on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/02/2012 - 9:54pm -

February 1939. "Boys sitting at table in restaurant, Raymondville, Texas." While most web sites might be content to give you one picture of a lunch joint with a Fritos calendar and a deer, Shorpy gives you not one, or even two, but three. It's practically a damn movie. We do this because you deserve it, and so much more. Photos by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Darned youth of todayIf this was today, the guy on the right would be totally involved with his smartphone, completely ignoring his friend who's sitting right there in person and ... oh, wait. Boy 1 and Boy 2Boy on left is smoking, boy on right has Dr. Seuss socks. Gar WoodThe man pictured with goggles on the newspaper page is none other than Gar (Garfield) Wood. The same photograph of him can be seen at Garwood.com. The image to the right of Wood is most likely one of his Miss America racers, with the bow reaching a bit upward while at speed. Miss America X was powered by four supercharged Packard V12s. Gar Wood was a truly remarkable man! Youtube has a 10 minute clip on him titled "Gar Wood Story." It also has an assortment of other clips showcasing the beautiful pleasure boats he made. These boats are timeless and a joy to behold. There's an App for thatIn the bottom photo, the youth on the left is furtively checking his e-mail. Where there's smokeYou have to be a certain age to remember when you could put a few coins in a vending machine and obtain a pack of cigarettes. In most Canadian provinces when you go into a store to buy a pack now, they are hidden from view behind sliding doors. In the second frame I see smoke rising from the hand of the boy in the rear. I like the non-dial pay phone on the wall. A nickel would pay for the call - the last place I saw a nickel pay phone was in New Orleans in 1977. On the horizonI wonder how old the guy is on the right. Looks old enough to enlist. Since its 1939 is he thinking about trouble in Europe? Hollywood stars?The young fellow on the left looks a lot like Ricky Schroeder and the other guy a young Gregory Peck. I guess I watch too much TV. Wrong CalendarWhile everyone dissects the guys I have been looking for a way to enlarge the fan dance calendar. Big DealYeah, three photos. But the people of Raymondville got FOUR acts of comedy at the high school auditorium, though admittedly they had to pay for it. An Old GroanerThis photo reminds me of the story of the desperate guy who goes to the psychiatrist and says "Dr. please help me, no matter what I do, everyone ignores me." The doctor says "Next." Sequence of eventsJudging by the sandwich consumption rate and his page position in the newspaper, it seems the middle photo was taken first, then the bottom, then the top. GREETINGSFrom the home of Fritos is what it says on that calendar. San Antonio being where Earl and Elmer Doolin began making them in 1932 after buying the recipe for $100. P-SJ-A High SchoolWell, people from Raymondville had to travel another 25 miles to go and see the "Seventeen" play, if it was given at the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School, unless there was an annex of the school in Raymondville. But, I still am not sure about the school's history and location. When you read the history of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, it seems that the school had not encountered Alamo until 1959. That should mean that in 1939 the school should have been the P SJ High School. To complicate things more: I read "P-SJ-A HIGH SCHOOL MISA", or something like that. Perhaps that last word will give the clue? P-SJ-A High SchoolAlex, I believe the last word of that line is "AUD"; i.e., an abbreviation for "auditorium". As for the inclusion of Alamo before the districts were combined in 1959, I wouldn't be surprised to find that Alamo didn't have a separate high school in 1939. The fact that there may have been separate districts wouldn't have kept them from using a combined "multi-district" high school. Boy on the leftThe boy on the left is very handsome! Gar WoodGreat spotting, kreriver! My grandfather was working for Gar Wood when that paper came out- he fact he was working for him from 1937 to 1945. Edward Gray, of Grayhaven fame where Wood had his mansion, and was Henry Ford's Chief Engineer, introduced him to Gar Wood in 1937. Grandpa worked for Gray in Oil City's Riverside Engine before they both moved to Highland Park, Gray in 1909 and grandpa soon after. Grandpa's last job before he died was modifying a Spanish outboard engine for use on Storm Boats for the invasion of Japan- which of course, never happened due to the A-bomb. He worked with Gar, Gar Jr., Paul Wearly, Orlin Johnson, Worth Boggerman (sp) and others at a private office at Grayhaven. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee)
Best Beer in Town: 1937
New Orleans, Louisiana, circa 1937. "Tortorich Restaurant, Royal Street." 8x10 ... myth). The bitters are still around, and the Sazerac is a New Orleans favorite. If its appropriate, here's the recipe: 2 ounces ... and St. Louis. Of Tortorich Restaurant, the 1938 WPA New Orleans City Guide says: "well known for Italian food and seafood ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/11/2012 - 11:50am -

New Orleans, Louisiana, circa 1937. "Tortorich Restaurant, Royal Street." 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. "Every bottle sterilized"Two men are ordering in a restaurant and they both ask for a glass of water. One man adds, "And make sure the glass is clean!" When the waiter comes back, he's got two glasses of water in his hand and asks the two men, "Which one of you wanted the clean glass?" Nichol and MayBack in the 1950s Jax had some of the most entertaining TV commercials of the day, like this one with Mike Nichols and Elaine May: House of SchenleyIt's been ages since I've seen that name (their logo is printed above the corner entry to this establishment). We always had liquor in our house and I had all but forgotten about Schenley's. My father was a good friend of the proprietor of the "package store" in our small town and when he bought spirits there, the man always gave him the little "gifts" distributed by the liquor companies. We had in our home endless glass cocktail sticks, bottle top pouring spouts, beer trays, glasses and other novelties which were marked with advertising gadgets. I remember toy white seals (the kind that frolic in the ocean) which were tied around the bottles of Carstair's White Seal liquor and black and white scottie dog figurines from Buchanan's scotch. We just do not see these giveaways anywhere today. As for Jax Brewery, it still exists somewhat intact although it has been gentrified into a trendy and stylin' multi-level tourist attraction full of great places to leave your money. Thanks Shorpy for testing my memory yet again; it is the reason I cannot go even one day without looking at this best ever website...may I say I love you? Tortorich RestaurantOpened in 1900 by Louis Tortorichi. SazeracNext door at 437 Royal was the pharmacy of Antoine Peychaud. He invented "Peychaud's Bitters "which along with absinthe and Rye is basis of the Sazerac cocktail. Some say it is the oldest cocktail (probably a myth). The bitters are still around, and the Sazerac is a New Orleans favorite. If its appropriate, here's the recipe: 2 ounces Rye Whiskey 5 dashes Peychaud's Bitters 1 sugar cube splash of Absinthe lemon peel Muddle the sugar with the Peychaud's Bitters. Splash the Absinthe into a glass and pour in the Rye followed by the Bitters. Place the lemon peels in the glass and toast to a good life. And Good Eats, too!Judging by the "menu" written on the walls and windows, Tortorich's is exactly the kind of neighborhood watering hole I remember from my youth, and which I hope still exists. I'll bet the food was delicious. But Not for MeAnd the sad part was that Jax *was* the best beer in town. Have you ever had the swill that is Dixie? It may hearten some to know that the regional brewery tradition of South Louisiana is being kept alive by Heiner Brau and Abita on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain and that both outfits make truly excellent beers. 441 RoyalCorner of Royal and St. Louis. Of Tortorich Restaurant, the 1938 WPA New Orleans City Guide says: "well known for Italian food and seafood specialties." The DoorThanks Brooks for the before and after.Why is it when a structure is updated one of the first features to go is the screen door? It is functional, handsome and of all the sounds I have stored away in my feeble memory bank, the sound of a screen door opening and slamming closed is one of my most cherished. Home of the JaxAlthough Jax beer is associated with New Orleans, it really belongs, as the name implies, to Jacksonville. And here is more than you would ever want to know about that. Point of Sale promotionsOTY's eagle-eye spotting of the Schenley sign brought back lots of memories. Two of my prize possessions as a kid were curbside discards thrown out by a liquor-supply salesman who lived two doors down: a Carstair's White Seal table lamp (the seal had the top of the lamp balanced on its nose, and the lampshade revolved -- How great was that to put on the desk in my room?), and a huge four-color map issued by Schenley's at the beginning of World War II that I put up on the wall of our den and used to learn the names and places of just about anywhere in the world. The Other side of the Family!I never thought I'd see any part of my family on Shorpy ... But wonders never cease! Here is my wife's family in front of me. When the Tortorici family settled in the United States, some went to New Orleans and some landed here in Chicago. Both sides of the family produced great food and greater cooks. I am the fortunate recipient of both great food and a fine wife. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, New Orleans, Stores & Markets)
Room and Bird: 1936
January 1936. "New Orleans architecture. Cast-iron grillwork house near Lee Circle on Saint ... a bird in a gilded cage" Bebop on down to Birdland New Orleans. Jazz. SAINT CHARLES. Who needs a gilded cage? Am I Psyhic or ... mercy. When I see pictures of the glorious past of New Orleans, my first thought is: How in the living hell did they stand the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:31pm -

January 1936. "New Orleans architecture. Cast-iron grillwork house near Lee Circle on Saint Charles Avenue." Large-format nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. $2I forgot to make reservations this year for the Mardi Gras parades, do you think I can still get the advertised rate? TweetDid anyone else search every square inch of the grillwork looking for the bird? [Hello? They're right in front of your nose. - Dave] Re: TweetI, too, searched for the elusive bird, never thinking to look IN the window. Guess my super-sleuthing abilities are somewhat less than super. Conservative Chimney...It leans to the right. And it's singing . . "I'm only a bird in a gilded cage" Bebop on down to BirdlandNew Orleans. Jazz. SAINT CHARLES. Who needs a gilded cage? Am I Psyhic or PsychoThis image looks to me to be a repeat. The frontal scene and especially the ornate grillwork struck a memory chord. However, I searched Shorpy using various combinations of caption words or phrases (cast-iron, grillwork, ornate, etc.) to no avail. Is this the same of smilar to a posted picture in, say, the past 6 months? (Should I mention that I have been having vivid and interesting dreams of late?) [Did you search for "Orleans"? - Dave] Chez IgnatiusSweet mercy. When I see pictures of the glorious past of New Orleans, my first thought is: How in the living hell did they stand the heat in the summer? Yes, I know. As my mother whose clan is from New Orleans says, they were much tougher folks in those bygone days. I just bet they were. But I guarantee I smell better than any of them after a long, sticky, hot summer night spent in my air conditioned home rather than sprawled out on the front porch because it was too damn hot to sleep inside. Motel 2The $2 room is the one overhanging the alleyway with floor about to give way and wrapped in high-voltage wiring! Lake PontchartrainIn a gentler time, during the New Orleans summer, thousands of people would sleep out on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. (The Gallery, New Orleans, Walker Evans)
French Market: 1910
New Orleans circa 1910. "A corner of the French Market." At the produce stand ... you mean "women." - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, New Orleans, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:31pm -

New Orleans circa 1910. "A corner of the French Market." At the produce stand of Gus Clesi & Bro. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. Burrita.Increíble cantidad de información, preciosa foto. El grupo de chavales mirando al fotógrafo, displicentes, es un mundo aparte dentro del entorno urbano. Extraña manera de pasar el arnés por detrás del rabo de la burra ... Tough GroupI'm sure it was a tough time to be a kid, and their faces reflect it. It seems the kids in all of these turn of the century photos have the same expression. I especially like little Ross Perot on the far left. Those are some impressive ears. French Market: NowView Larger Map The Three Stooges!Those three kids in the back of the cart. It's Curly, Larry and Moe! Woo-woo. If you look closely at the street...that place has got to smell pretty bad. I mean, barnyard bad. The Little RascalsThis pictures conjures up Our Gang, of The Little Rascals fame. Alfalfa must be the tall skinny boy on the right. Hatsville USAThe woman in the background has a hat. The man in the background has a hat. All of the little boys are wearing hats--except for one. The little bald boy, who is the only kid who has any need for a hat, has none. Go figure. Sorriso? Perché?A bit of unrelated triva (the "DeLuca Hardware" sign set me off): By 1910, the population of the French Quarter was 80 percent Sicilian, with the greatest concentration of Italian families living in the Lower Quarter, between St. Ann and Esplanade. Businesses in and around the French Market would have taken full advantage of cheap Italian labor, and I'm guessing that at least two of these tired-looking kids are Italian. In this photo from the Louisiana Digital Library, the woman in the black dress with white hair pulled back in a bun may or may not be a Sicilian grandmother, but I'd like to think that she is. The photo is titled simply "Courtyard on Chartres Street." Meanwhile. . . . . . . . elsewhere in the city, nine-year-old Louis Armstrong is attending the Fisk School for Boys and picking up extra money for Mom as a paperboy and other menial jobs, which didn't keep her from resorting to prostitution now and then. He didn't pick up a horn for a couple more years. Peel outYes, we have mo' bananas! Mamma MiaNot only Italian, but the way she is dressed, appears to be widowed as well. A shaved headsometimes indicated a "nit" problem, no hat = infested hat. Black, WidowsI don't think the woman is a widow. Widows even today in parts of Italy wear ALL black. No white dresses. Never. [Not sure I get the logic here. Or do you mean "women." - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, New Orleans, Stores & Markets)
Caprine Caper: 1904
... not the heat ... it's the stupidity. Or so they say in New Orleans. In this case, I'm betting it was a hot, humid day. The squinty ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/08/2022 - 10:44am -

New York circa 1904. "Goat carriages in Central Park." The sullen tots last glimpsed here. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. The other half livedat least. They may have reason to be sullen: 1904 was a bad year for children in New York, some of them, anyway. Capra Hircus AromaticityI think I know why these "tots" are sullen. Have you ever been downwind of a goat? Maybe class structureIn coach No. 2 you have the daughters of privilege. They sit in passenger seats because they are accustomed to being chauffeured. In coach No. 1 you have children of the middle class. They assume they'll have to drive themselves. Neither coachman looks all too excited about his job. Best palsI like that in both pictures the two girls in front of the man in the white hat have their arms around each other. Best buds or maybe sisters. It's not the heat... it's the stupidity. Or so they say in New Orleans. In this case, I'm betting it was a hot, humid day. The squinty faces say it all; even the goats are longing for a pair of sunnies to wear. Large format photos really stand out.I like how this shot looks like a 3d photo but without the glasses. A large 30x40" print would feel like you walked into the scene. Looks like they had no overweight problems in 1904.These early 1900's photos tell a story about the average weight of the people. I see mostly slim and fit men and women from that time. Ludwig van Beethoven... watching the fun! (The Gallery, Animals, DPC, Kids, NYC)
Royal Street: 1906
New Orleans circa 1906. "Royal Street from Canal Street." Where the ice man ... Fabacher. His obituary read that his restaurant "meant New Orleans wherever gourmets and epicures gathered." He also founded Jackson ... see one in its original location. (The Gallery, DPC, New Orleans, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:34pm -

New Orleans circa 1906. "Royal Street from Canal Street." Where the ice man goeth. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. 45 star flag!In 1906, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii weren't states yet. Commercial HotelIt became the Hotel Monteleone in 1908 after being bought by Antonio Monteleone, an Italian shoemaker who came to America to make his fortune. The hotel has been patronized by a who's who of Southern writers, and is haunted by the ghost of a three-year-old boy. The inevitable present -day viewView Larger Map Piece of CakeAh, I spot another lady wearing a cake on her head! I had been previously intrigued by what appeared to be a very fancy cake on top of a lady in this class photo of 1910: https://www.shorpy.com/node/6314. It looks like the woman in this photo is wearing a basic chocolate cake. Fabacher’sFabacher's Restaurant, Oyster House and Hotel -- 137 Royal Street, of noted restaurateur Lawrence Fabacher. His obituary read that his restaurant "meant New Orleans wherever gourmets and epicures gathered." He also founded Jackson (Jax) Brewery. Jax beer was, for us college students, easily affordable, and the inside of the bottle cap featured a rebus. GoneEverything within view on the right-hand side, in the first block, is no longer standing. The newer buildings that are there now don't even compare. The Hotel Monteleone, directly under the flag in the 200 block, is still going strong. The Monteleone!I'll be there in late July. Delightful!How tedious would the job be for the man who replaced the light bulbs that illuminated the street at night? They look like they are placed every foot or so. What a temptation for a lad with a slingshot! Monteleone and FabacherI immediately recognized the Commercial Hotel as the Monteleone simply by its architecture. What a great place! I've been there for a couple of conventions and can't wait to go again. jnc, thanks for the post regarding Lawrence Fabacher; that clears up something that confused me as a kid. We had Jax beer commercials in Houston, and their spokesman was a faux Andrew Jackson who, on occasion, tried to change his name to Andrew Fabacher in honor of a spinoff brand they called Fabacher Brau. I had no idea until now that the name was a nod to their founder. Lawrence FabacherLawrence Fabacher was my great grandfather and sold the restaurant to his brother Peter after he went into the brewing business. I have one of the original beer mugs from the restaurant which I treasure along with some Jax memorabilia. Nice to see the photo as I never was sure where the restaurant was on Royal. Glue chipped and beveledPictured here is a R&E glass advertising sign just above the boy's ICE wagon. These were the very ornate sign of a well to do business! These were not cheap, being composed of a border of chipped and mirrored bevels. The major background as well, with the letters being 24K gold leafed and having faceted glass jewels that would glow after dusk with the help of electric or gas lamps inside the sign. The chipped glass effect was accomplished by applying hot animal hide glue to the glass which then dried and would chip off taking bits of the glass with it. These are very collectible today. Great to see one in its original location. (The Gallery, DPC, New Orleans, Stores & Markets)
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