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Now Hear This: 1937
June 9, 1937. Washington, D.C. "Congressional hog caller. The Capitol Plaza ... Eh, La Bas! Washington Post, Jun 13, 1937 Congress' Rival Hog-Callers Charged With Dodging Issue. By ... beginning to talk. Washington Post, Jun 17, 1937 Rep. Wearin Wins Hog-Calling Contest But Pigs Disappear. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2012 - 11:45am -

June 9, 1937. Washington, D.C. "Congressional hog caller. The Capitol Plaza reverberated with sounds of the barnyard today as Rep. Robert L. Mouton of Louisiana went into serious training for his coming hog-calling contest with Rep. Otha D. Wearin of Iowa. The contest, which will take place on the Capitol steps sometime in the near future, is the result of an argument between the two solons as to the abilities of the hog-yodelers from the respective states. Judging from his demonstration today, the cameraman is willing right now to place the mantle of champion on Rep. Mouton." Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Sheep shotAs a hog-calling expert, it is funny to think that the very name of Rep. Robert L. Mouton of Louisiana actually means "sheep" in French. Eh, La Bas! Washington Post, Jun 13, 1937 Congress' Rival Hog-Callers Charged With Dodging Issue. By Sidney Olson. A sinister rumor is rife in the halls of Congress that the two hog-calling artists of the House are dodging a showdown. Representative Robert Mouton, of Louisiana, exponent of the Bayou Bawl, and Representative Otha D. Wearin, of Iowa, producer of the Prairie Shout, have been avoiding the direct issue of face-to-face contest, the cynics say. While each is willing to strut his stuff separately, neither has emitted a time-and-place challenge. Already the whisper is heard in the cloakrooms: "Wearin and Mouton are phonies! Neither one could call a hog across the street, even with corn-cobs hidden in their pockets." Papers Demand Truth. Sneers are observed in the faces of some members when the subject is mentioned. Others, holding the honor of the House is at stake, have begged that the matter be dropped. Newspapers, however, probing the truth, continue to insist on the showdown. Wearin and Mouton, at the invitation of the National Broadcasting Co., displayed their wares on the Capitol Plaza yesterday for the delectation of a crowd of tourists and the radio audience. Mouton, whose opened mouth resembles a gaping satchel, has a warm, alluring bellow which must be highly attractive to any sensitive hog. His old Cajun cry, "Eh, la bas!" (Hey, you down there!) rings forth in a rich vibrato that flutters the ear-drums of everyone in a two-block radius. Mouton Makes Bet. Wearin, of slight, almost fragile build, bespectacled and studious in appearance, has unexpected physical reserves, with a window-rattling roar that makes his whole frame shimmy while he produces it. He begins with a low, seductive repetition of "piggy, piggy," shifts rapidly into second for a tremendous hoot and then swings into his final smashing blast, a call which his backers claim can start up a medium-sized dust storm on the spot. He closes with a soft "Coo-ee," which is supposed to keep the pigs, who have responded to his thrilling barytone from climbing up his leg. Mouton has bet two pigs that he can out-clamor Wearin. Wearin says his only present worry is where to put the to pigs he wins. But still no time has been set for the colossal conflict. People are beginning to talk. Washington Post, Jun 17, 1937 Rep. Wearin Wins Hog-Calling Contest But Pigs Disappear. Representative Otha Wearin, of Iowa, exponent of the "S-oo-o-ie," hog call of the Corn Belt, laid claim last night to two pigs, whereabouts undetermined. The pigs were the State of Louisiana's bet that the Cajun dawn greeting call of "Eh, la bas!" had the hog call licked for carrying power and tonal quality. Wearin pressed his claim for the pigs after Representative Bob Mouton, official Louisiana representative in the scheduled contest, suddenly announced he had withdrawn. Calling this a "victory by default," Wearin said that he was "willing to let it go at that, as long as Louisiana acknowledges the superiority of Iowa hollerin'." Then Wearin learned the pigs were missing. Wearin said Mouton kept them in his office for several days, but a clerk there denied any knowledge of their whereabouts. As said to Marge Simpson"I know you don't think you're good enough for me, but believe me, you are. Hell, I've done it with pigs ... real no-foolin' pigs." IronicallyThe Congressional Representative's name, Mouton, means "Sheep" in French. Ah, what memories "hog calling" conjures up. When we we kids when we went shopping (or practically any place else for that matter) with my Dad, when he was ready to leave and we weren't to be seen would holler "HELLIONS!!!". We knew we'd better get there quick before he started yelling "SOOIE, SOOIE, SOOIE!!!!", a-la a hog-caller. It was all in fun but SO embarrassing! I suppose it could have been worse if Monsieur Mouton had been our Dad. On the spotJason Powell devotes his blog to locating spots seen in old photos (many of them familiar to Shorpyists), and photographing the photo against the contemporary backdrop. Here is Rep. Mouton, in situ: http://jasonepowell.com/?p=145 Uh huhAnd they haven't been able to get the hogs out of congress ever since. HearteningIt is heartening that American politicians - then as now - had a laser like focus on the vital issues of the day. Wearin outCongressman Wearin's loss in this contest began a streak that ultimately returned him to Hastings, Iowa. After three wins in a historically Republican district, Wearin was talked into challenging an incumbent Democratic senator, Guy Gillette, in the 1938 primary by New Dealers who viewed Gillette as too independent of Roosevelt. WPA Administrator Harry Hopkins' endorsement for Wearin backfired; Gillette beat Wearin handily, and someone else claimed the nomination for Wearin's house seat. He then lost two more U.S. Senate primaries and one for the Iowa Senate, before he found something to which he could win election - the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Mr. Smith Goes To WashingtonI wonder if this image was the inspiration for this scene from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: It seems to meCan't fool us today. This guy is auditioning for the Lion in the Wizard of Oz movie, coming out in two years. Somebody has to say itPork. It's called pork, and for a reason. Hog CallingMy understanding is that this was the kind of thing we lost with the coming of television. Best Background Yet!He's almost life sized on my screen. Representative Mouton will keep everyone away from the computer. Fark! Hark!Farked again! (The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Harris + Ewing)
Flood Refugees: 1937
April 1937. "Flood refugee family in tent at Tent City near Shawneetown, Illinois." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/02/2012 - 8:51am -

April 1937. "Flood refugee family in tent at Tent City near Shawneetown, Illinois." Photo by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. It'll never happenNo matter how long they watch it, that pot will never boil. Sewing machineThe treadle sewing machine behind the boys seated on the floor has features typical of models from the earlier part of the century (1900-1920); curved drawers and a drop-down head. When the hinged top was opened, a cable lift mechanism raised both the machine and front panel, to allow access for the operator's legs. Nearly every household had a sewing machine, which means that there were millions produced, and that their value today is negligible. Castor Oil?It looks like the bottle next to the Pet canned Milk might be Puretest Castor Oil. Worth A Pretty PennyA few items that would be of value today would be the sewing machine cabinet (holding the clock and lamp) and the Mickey Mouse shirt the little boy is wearing. Sewing Machine?Is that a sewing machine behind the two boys? I think so... it is interesting what people look to save when the flooding begins. [Fancier than my mother's of similar vintage, interestingly. She was still using hers up into the 1970s. - tterrace] TreadleMy mother had one of those treadle sewing machines that very much resembled the one in the picture. I liked to sneak in and work the treadle by hand. Let there be musicThere's also a cabinet Victrola in the right hand side of the photo next to the sewing machine. Important ThingsIs that a toy motorcycle on the floor to the mother's right? The youngest has a doll. And mother saved her sewing machine (a major investment and a tool for further savings by making things). Today, after the family members, what would we save? Photo albums? Computer disks with photos? Sunday FunniesRemember when the Sunday comics were this size instead of the present miniaturized version? Free Sewing MachineThat treadle is a “The Free” Sewing Machine, made in Rockford IL. The cabinet is unique to them. They cost around $65 new, and are exceptionally well engineered. The cabinet top has an automatic lift that raises the machine. Free also had an guarantee that gave the original owner a brand new replacement if the machine was destroyed by fire, flood, or accident. It’s no surprise to see it saved as a prized possession. The machines are a favorite with collectors and quilters today. (The Gallery, Fires, Floods etc., Kids, Russell Lee)
Our Lady of Lourdes: 1914
... Academy My older brother William (Billy), Class of 1937, won a scholarship to Regis High. Memories I graduated from OLL in ... I knew Dennis before the war, and graduated OLL in 1937. My sister Marie graduated in 1936 and received a scholarship to Holy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2022 - 12:33pm -

        A newly restored version of a Shorpy favorite that has collected three pages of comments since it was first posted in 2007 -- The caption for this one just says "Post Office." Thanks to our commenters we now know that the building with the statue is the Our Lady of Lourdes School at 468 W. 143rd Street in New York circa 1914. 8x10 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size | The school in 2007. Post office?Looks like a Catholic school, actually. This is just a wild-a**ed guess, but St. Jean Baptiste on East 75th? This would coincide with the warehouse cart on the left (sort of). Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic SchoolThis is Our Lady of Lourdes School in New York City on 143rd Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Convent Avenue. The school was built in 1913 in Washington Heights, an exclusively white, upper middle-class neighborhood. It was built and equipped at a total cost of one hundred and forty thousand dollars. Besides classrooms for five hundred pupils, the building contained an auditorium with a stage lavishly equipped for theatrical productions, a gymnasium, a roof-top playground, an assembly room for parish organizations, rooms for classes in cooking and sewing, and offices for the school officials. The associated church (Our Lady of Lourdes) is located directly behind the school on the next block, 142nd Street. Yes...Which is the Post Office? The large building in the center must be a Catholic School, what with a saint on the roof and all. As for the location, I have no clue. Post OfficeWhich building is the Post Office? post officeBuilding with street level entrance and flags would be my likely guess. Today...Google Street View. It's always interesting to see NYC in the early years, and how it's changed. Our Lady of LourdesI attended this school for eight years in the 1950s. The lower grades entered by one door and the higher grades used the other. City College frat houses faced the school. Recess was on the street out front. We didn't have any cooking or sewing classes, no classrooms equipped for that. There wasn't any gym. We weren't allowed to go up on the roof and there wasn't an assembly room. We did have a annual spring play using the stage and we had a Christmas concert. There was a way into the church from the back of the school. The nuns that taught there were called Society of the Holy Child. Father Kline was one of the priests and Mother Mary Edward taught there. A good school, good memories. Johnny PumpThat fire hydrant probably was installed in the late 1880s. Was born and bred in NYC and traversed all five boroughs many many times, but NEVER laid eyes on a johnny pump like that. Every boy who ever grew up in "The City" is instinctively drawn to hop over as many hydrants as possible. However that one is a KILLER. Our Lady of LourdesI attended OLL from 1933 to 1941. The lower grades kindergarten to fourth were taught by the Ursuline Order of Sisters. The upper grades fifth to eighth were taught by the Sisters of the Holy Child. The school was funded and guided by the priests of the adjoining OLL Church. We were there to learn,to pray: no play, no library, no lunch room, no outside activities. It was not an easy life for children of poor families during this Great Depression Era. I often cried and asked God to help me through the day, the year. I know I received a very good education but not a happy one. There were nuns I would have died for, however there were many that should not have been allowed to teach children. The Church and school were founded by Monsignor Thomas McMann. There is a bust of the good priest near the entrance to the upper church. In the 1930s we were allowed on the roof for various activities. The term "very stern " comes to mind. The statue is Our Lady of Lourdes, similar to the statue in the grotto in the lower church on 142nd Street. It was removed a few years ago as it decayed and was ready to fall off the roof. Convent AvenueThis photo faces east, and the townhouses in the background are along the east side of Convent Avenue. All of them still stand, most are in superb condition. This is the finest real estate in Harlem; a house across the street sold for $3.89 million about 18 months ago. Here is a listing for a house a few doors down from the ones seen here: http://tinyurl.com/2396kb Note the terraces on two of the buildings -- those are stunning and almost never seen in New York. Does anyone remember anDoes anyone remember an Irish nun by the name of Sister Gerard? She was one of the Ursula ? nuns at the Our Lady of Lourdes in Manhatten. She emigrated about 1910, so am not sure anyone would remember her... Is there a cemetery associated with Our Lady of Lourdes? Upper and Lower ChurchCan you tell me if the Upper and Grotto Church still exists and do they have mass on Saturdays and Sundays? I lived 2 streets away a long time ago and would like to see the old neighborshood. I have never forgotten the Grotto. It's so unique. Would like to share it with my spouse. Or maybe I can speak with someone in the convent. Are the nuns still there? Thank you. Diana Gosciniak Our Lady of LourdesI also went there in the 1950's. The nuns were very dedicated to teaching. Our religion was the major reason they and all of us were there. The grotto was under the main stairs and confession was held downstairs at 4 pm on Saturday. The children's Mass was at 9 am on Sunday, a High Mass in Latin. The doors of the main church came from old St. Patrick's downtown in Little Italy. The sisters made sure that the majority of 8th grade students got into Catholic high school. A lot of the girls went to Cathedral H.S. and the boys went to Cardinal Hayes. The church was around the corner with a connection to the back of the school. The convent was right next door to the church and the rectory was across the street. Once in a while we were invited to go to the convent on a Saturday to see the nuns. The neighborhood was pretty good, all kind of stores that tolerated all of us kids. It was nice going there for eight years. Fond memories. O.L.L. Upper and lower churchYes, the upper church is still active with most Masses in Spanish. The lower church {the Grotto) is not used. However the statue of the Blessed Mother is still on view. The sisters left about 10 years ago. I visited the school and was told the Church no longer had any say in its operation. When did you attend? I was there from 1933 to 1940. J Woods Theatrical productions?Oh, how I wish I had your recall. However, I did attend O.L.L. from 1933 through 1940. Yes, the stage was used - but with limited equipment. I never saw or played on a rooftop playground. There was no gymnasium. The seats in the auditorium were moved to the side for military drilling by boys from grades 5 to 8 once a week. The girls exercised in a nearby room. The children in the lower grades had no physical training. I don't remember an assembly room for any parish organizations. Family members were not encouraged to come to the school except on Graduation Day or if the student had a serious problem that required a meeting with the principal and/or a parish priest. I must say we all received a very good education and were farther ahead in our studies than the Public School kids. Yours truly and in friendship, Jackie Woods OLL NeighborhoodI lived on Amsterdam Ave for 16 years. Where did you live? When did you attend OLL School? The few friends I had from the old days have passed on. I answered your other message; The Nuns left about 15 years ago. You need to have someone open the lower church to visit there. The Blessed Mother's Statue is still located in the Grotto but masses are no longer read there. Regards and in friendship. Jackie Woods Our Lady of Lourdes, 2008I had a chance to stop by West 143rd street and take a snapshot today. The cornerstone is dated 1912. As you can see, every building shown in the "1914" photograph is extant and all are in excellent condition. There is even a fire hydrant in the same location as the fire hydrant shown in the photo. As for changes — there are trees on the block now, and the cornice has been removed from Our Lady of Lourdes, as has the statue of the saint. And, of course, as with all modern photos taken in New York, it is full of automobiles. (Click to enlarge) The reddish sign on the left side of the street, behind the motorcycle, identifies this block as part of the Hamilton Heights Historical District (Hamilton Grange is only a few blocks away). Today was garbage day, so a distracting pile of trash sits in the foreground, sorry about that. Our Lady of LourdesCentral Harlem, did you attend Our Lady of Lourdes? If so what years? Thanks for the picture Jackie Woods Our Lady of LourdesI attended an Episcopalian school. I contributed that photo because of my joy in Harlem history, not any tie to this school in particular. Last weekend, I found a photograph of this block dating to 1908! All the buildings looked the same except for OLL, which was then an empty lot. Perhaps Team Shorpy can enlighten me -- would it be compliant with copyright law for me to scan and post it? [Is there a copyright notice on it? If it was copyrighted before 1923, the copyright has expired. - Dave] Our Lady of LourdesThank you for your latest information, Central Harlem. Where was your school located? Did you live nearby? I'm 80 years old going on 81 and all I have are my memories (mostly fond). And my memory is outstanding. I was hoping to hear from anyone who attended OLL with me. By the way, the folks on Amsterdam Avenue always envied the folks on Convent Avenue, always a beautiful clean street. (Today we would say "upscale.") Three of my children were born in The Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan on 144th off Convent. I had moved to upper Washington Heights by then but my doctor was still working out of there. Thank you and in friendship, Jackie Woods Our Lady of Lourdes, 1909I had a chance to scan the old photo I found of this block. It dates to 1909, not 1908 as I had first said. Every building seen in this photo remains, though some of the lots on the right-hand side of 143rd street were empty in 1909, including the lot that would house Our Lady of Lourdes three years later. Anticipating the interest of Shorpy's crew of automotive experts, I provide a closeup of that car on Amsterdam Avenue, below. Also, a note to Jackie Woods: we're of different generations. It is good to exchange notes here, but I'm sure we've never met. Our Lady of Lourdes SchoolWhat wonderful memories of days past. I attended OLL from 1943 and graduated in 1951. One of five brothers to do so. You may have known my older brothers, Larry, Dick or Bill. We lived in that apartment building at the end of the street on the OLL side. That was the location of Alexander Hamilton's house, Hamilton Grange. When it was built, it forced the move to its present location behind the church. It will be moved again to the SE corner of Convent and 141st Street. You also mentioned Lutheran Hospital. It wasn't so great for our family. My brother Dick was taken there after being hit by a car. While recovering, he contracted rheumatic fever in the hospital and later died at New York Hospital. We also lived at 310 Convent Avenue because my mother's family, the Healys, lived on 141st Street. If you have any other questions, ask away. I'm still in contact with several classmates and between us, we should be able to answer. "Thanks for the Memories" Bob Phillips OLL graduatesHi, Yes, I do remember a Phillips family. The boys or boy were in a higher grade with one of my brothers. As you can see, I had already left OLL when you started there. I am pleased you have good memories of your early years. Unfortunately, mine are mixed. An incident: a bunch of us, about 12 years old at the time, were fooling around and one of the boys fell out of a tree and broke his arm. We carried him to Lutheran Hospital They wouldn't let us in the front door. Told us to take him to Knickerbocker Hospital near 131st Street, and so we did. Today, I ask why no first aid was administered or an ambulance called. However, I have nothing but good words about the hospital in later years. I was sorry to hear about brother RIP Regards and in friendship, Jackie Woods PS My oldest sister, Ellen, class of 1936 Won scholorship to Holy Child Academy My older brother William (Billy), Class of 1937, won a scholarship to Regis High. MemoriesI graduated from OLL in 1973 and it is so wonderful to see a website with the School and the information that it offers. I too wondered about the Masses in the lower church. The grotto was always so beautiful and special. I have lived in Florida since 1986 and hope to make a trip to NYC just to visit the old school. Thanks again for bringing a smile to my face today. God bless. OLL MemoriesHi. I attended OLL from grades K to 5. I have the most beautiful memories of my childhood there. I loved the nuns. I can't believe how time has gone so fast. If anyone remembers me or remembers Sister Mary Owen or Ms. Valentine or the gym instructor George Izquierdo. I am talking about late 1960's, early 70's. Please contact me. Are the sisters still there? I went to visit Sister Mary Owen a couple of years ago. She wasn't wearing her habit any more. Those were good old days. I was so mischievous, always getting into trouble. Oh my God. I had the best early education there, never will I forget. I love history and I love these pictures that were posted up above, everything looks the same. Thanks! My family still lives up in Washington Heights. Our Lady of Lourdes School and ChurchAnd a HI to you, The good sisters left about ten years ago. You can reach the school online, it has a Web site. The school is no longer under the supervision of the Church. If you look over the rest of this page you will see that I have answered a number of postings that may be of interest to you. "Memories are made of this." In friendship, Jackie Woods OLL AlumniHello OLL'ers Head over to the OLL website www.ourladyoflourdesschool.net There's an alumni page where you can send your information and be put on the mailing list. OLLCould not connect with your e-mail: kbarkley@ourladyoflourdesschool.net Would you please check it. When did you attend OLL? I gave my information previously on bottom of page. Look forward to hearing from you. In friendship, Jackie woods To Jackie WoodsI knew Dennis before the war, and graduated OLL in 1937. My sister Marie graduated in 1936 and received a scholarship to Holy Name. Finding your web site after all these years is a small miracle. I'm sorry to say Marie, such a special person, passed away in 1977. Andrew, a 1943 or 44 graduate, died in 2000. I did not marry till 1985, had a daughter in 86. My wife Alice and I celebrated our daughter Colleen's wedding Nov. 24, 2007. I hope this proves I was not as bad as the sisters believed. They wanted so to see me go that they created the first coed class and skipped me from 6th to 8th grade. Yes we marched on the roof, auditorium, basement and in far away competition. I believe we had a West Point officer, but not certain. I just hope that life was as rewarding to all OLL graduates as I. God bless. John Orlando Wideawake80@verizon.net OLL, late 1950s and early 60sDon't know how I found this website, but so glad that I did. I graduated OLL in June 1961. The nuns are my most vivid memories of the school. The spring and Christmas plays that were held each year. Recess outside during lunchtime. Walking to school each day and spending the few pennies we had to buy candy at the store on Amsterdam Avenue, and the bicycle store there where we rented bikes on Saturday afternoons. Going to confession every Saturday down in the grotto. Checking the Legion of Decency list for movie listings. Learning to sing the Mass in Latin for every Sunday High Mass and, most important, the foundation the nuns gave us for our religion that is still strong to this day. A few years ago, we drove from Jersey up to the old place and convent still looked pretty good. Can someone please explain about not being under the archdiocese any longer. Thanks again. Lutheran HospitalI found this link when looking for the Lutheran Hospital. Very interesting information. I am researching my family history and found out this hospital is where my great grandfather passed away. Thinking that there may be additional information on the records, I searched for the hospital but have not been able to find any recent reference to it. Has the Hospital been closed? Can anybody give me some background information? I will certainly appreciate it, Anne [You might try the Archives search box on the New York Times Web site. Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan, at 343 Convent Avenue, merged with Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in 1956 to form Our Saviour's Lutheran Hospital at the Norwegian Hospital facility on 46th Street and Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. It's now called Lutheran Medical Center. - Dave] Lutheran HospitalHello Anne, Yes, I know Lutheran Hospital. My three oldest boys were born there: 1951: 1952: 1954. My brother-in-law's father died there c. 1937. When I last passed by the neighborhood, three years ago, I saw that the hospital had been converted to an assisted living facility. The neighborhood is looking great - real upscale. The brownstones that one could buy in the 1930s for a song are now selling for well over a million dollars. In the 1930s they were empty, thanks to the banks that foreclosed during the Depression. As kids we ran through them and at one time had a clubhouse inside one. In friendship, Jackie Woods Lutheran HospitalThanks you both, Dave and Jackie, for your responses. I will follow the advice and hope to be able to pass soon by the neighborhood. Anne OLL MemoriesHi Henry, I too remember Sister Mary Owen, my brother David Mora had her and she was really strict. We keep in touch with George Izquierdo and he is doing great. Sister Rosemarie passed away. I try to stay in touch with O.L.L. It was really a happy time in my childhood and the happy memories will always be a part of my life. Maxine Mora Lutheran Hospital of ManhattanLooking for pictures of the Hospital. I was born in 1940 in the facility and would like to see what it looked like in that era--anyone have a picture? Dad Was an AlumnusHello Jackie, I am curious to see if you know my father, Frank Corrigan, who was born in 1926, which would make him 82 this August. I think he was in the Class of 1941. I am also curious to see if you have any contact or info on Alfred Pereira or his sister Clara Pereira Mercado. Any help would be appreciated. Stephen Corrigan Please email me when you get a chance, stephenjcorrigan@aol.com. Frank CorriganYes, I knew Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940, not 1941, he was closer to my brother Dennis than me, I was a year younger. Didn't Frank have a younger very pretty sister? I last saw Frank c. 1968 in the upper Washington Heights area where many of the families from OLL had moved to from the 140th streets. I knew Pancho Pereira (the name Alfred does not ring a bell) and Clara, his younger sister. His little brother JoJo was killed in Korea. Pancho had a birthmark: strands of very white hair in the front of his head of very black hair. They were wonderful good people. Pancho was good friends with Jackie Koster, whose sister Barbara married Burl Ives in Hollywood and lived happily everafter. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Vacant Houses in Hamilton HeightsI thought we were the only ones that got into those empty houses. Afternoons we'd go in through a back window to study and do our homework. We didn't break anything, and at our age we always wondered why the houses were vacant. The Depression angle we didn't figure out until later. Tom Calumet and Frank Howe went with me. I understand Frank has died and Tom Calumet left NYC around 1945 to go out west with his parents. I graduated from OLL in 1941, and now live in Hopkins, MN OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1960. There were about 10 of us cousins who graduated between 1955 and 1960. I remember Father Cline, Fr. Malloy, Monsignor Hart, Mother Bonaventure, Mother Dominica and others. Does anyone remember the day the frat boys across the street pushed the dummy out the window during our recess? I can almost taste the corn muffins and egg creams at the soda fountain around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue while "Barbara Ann" played on the jukebox. OLL PhotoI have a great a picture of my Confirmation Day. I'm in full OLL uniform dated c. May 1935. How can I send it to the OLL Shorpy site? Yours truly, Ed Woods [Click the links under "Become a member, contribute photos." - Dave] Frat boys 0, Mother Mary Edward 10I sure do remember that day. Mother Mary Edward marched over and blasted them. Also the candy store around the corner used to sell two-cent pumpkin seeds out of a little red box. Does anyone remember the rumor going around that the Grotto Chapel was haunted? I remember walking home with "Little Star" playing on the transistor radio. The OLL GrottoI remember serving at what was called the Workmen's Mass in the Grotto in the 1930s - 6 o'clock in the morning! I know the Grotto is not used any more (I visited there in December 2007). As to the candy store on the corner of 143rd and Amsterdam, it was a very busy place: candy, pen nibs (no fountain pens), book covers etc. One day the owner came to school and told Sister Casmere, the principal, that we were disorderly and she must tell the students to behave when shopping in his store. Her solution was to tell the entire student body that they were not allowed to shop there. In a day or so, the man was back begging forgiveness and asked to plaese allow the children to return to his store. The kids were his main business. HelloHi Maxine How are you? Thank you for responding to me. It was very nice to hear from you. Sorry to hear about Sister Rosemary, but I don't remember her was she the pricipal of the school. I do remember Mr. Izquierdo he was the gym instructor with another man don't recall his name I believe he became principal of the school later on. Oh! now I remember his name was Mr. White I believe. God trying to recall, it is getting a little difficult now a days but I like it. It brings me back in time. How time have changed it was so innocent back than not like now. Looking back in time, makes me feel like I grew up to fast. How is Mr. Izquierdo doing? How can I contact him? Please let me know. My e-mail address is Je_Ocejo@yahoo.com. I remember he got married back than to a girl name Rocio, I don't know if they are still together but that lady was my father's friend daughter. Who else do you remember. Please get back to me with pictures. I have pictures too. Let me know how can I e-mail them to you. Would you believe that we are talking about almost atleast 35 years ago but I don't forget. God Bless you. Henry OLLBob, Any recollections of my father, Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940? Maybe not yourself but some of your older brothers. Steve Corrigan More OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1937 and was probably a fellow graduate of a brother. I had skipped 7th grade and so did not get to know classmates well. It is possible that the Waters family lived across the alley on the second floor of the building on 142nd Street. We lived on the top floor of the next building on Hamilton Place. In the same building lived Buddy Sweeney and Sal Guizzardi, also a tall blond kid who graduated with me. I believe your mother and my mom, Agnes Orlando, were friends. I believe your mother visited mine in 1952-3 in our new home in Bergenfield, N.J. I remember a sister who must have graduated with me or my sister Marie Orlando in 1936. My brother Andrew graduated 1947. My mother, brother and sister have passed away. I remember Poncho, the Kosta family, the Madigans, Woodses, Rendeans, Glyforces, McCarvils, Walshes, Philipses, Flynns, Duggans, Hooks, Rodriquezes, Craigs, Hugheses, Conways etc. I am sure we had many things in common being OLL graduates at a very special interval of time. I wish you well in your very beautiful state which I have passed through on three occasions. Best wishes and fond memories. John and Alice Orlando OLLLot older than you. Attended OLL from late 1930s to early 40s. Baptized, first Holy Communion and Confirmation (Cardinal Spellman). Lived at 145 and the Drive. Remember principal when I was there, Mother Mary Margaret. First grade teacher was Mother Mary Andrews. Remember playing on roof and being shocked by Mother Mary Andrews jumping rope. Believe there was a Father Dolan around that that time. Only went to through the 3rd grade there and then moved to 75th St and the Blessed Sacrament -- a whole different world, and not as kind or caring. Memories of OldHi Henry. You may not remember me but I also taught gym with George and sometimes Ms. Ortiz. George is with the Department of Education on the East Side. I work for the Bloomberg Administration. Sister Mary Owen has moved to Rye and of course all the nuns are now gone. I left in 1996 but I still miss all of the good times shared during my years there. Memories Are GoodHello, You taught me gym and we also had alot of good times with the High School Club on Friday nights. I have most painful memories of O.L.L the day Msgr. Cahill passed away. I never knew how much a heart could have so much pain and yet go on. My dad died on 4-29-96, Max Mora and I felt the same pain all over again. Do you know where Mother John Fisher has gone ... her name had changed to Sister Maryanne. I would love to hear from you. Maxine Mora Hi HenryMy email address is mmorafredericks@aol.com. I have yours and I am so happy to be in contact with you I graduated in 1973. I went to Cathedral High School. Later moved to Florida. My brothers and sisters are still in NY and I miss so much of it. I look forward to catching up with you. I will write soon. God Bless. Maxine Fellow ClassmateHi Tony, It has been more than 48 years since I last saw you - at our graduation from OLL in 1960. Let me know what you have been up to in the past half century. My e-mail address is kmckenna@clarku.edu. Kevin LTNSMr. White! Not sure if you still come to this site, but on the off chance that you still visit i thought i would write. It's been so long since I've seen or heard from you, not since "Len Fong" closed. For all others that may still come by this site, I graduated in 1983 (possibly 82). Would love to hear from a blast from the past. Please email me at kellyw88@gmail.com John McKennaHi Kevin, Any chance you are related to the McKenna family? John McKenna, Class of 1941 Your name sure rings a bell, however there must be 20 years difference between us. Have a healthy and happy 2009 In friendship, Ed Woods John McKennaHi Ed, I'm afraid that I'm not related to John McKenna. My brothers, Donald and Desmond, graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes in the fifties. I wasn't aware of another McKenna family in the parish when I was at OLL. Happy and healthy 2009 to you as well, Ed. Cheers, Kevin McKenna FamilyThe John McKenna family I knew lived on the northeast corner of Hamilton Place and 141st street. I had other friends and schoolmates in that building. Thinking back, you probably had to be an Irish Catholic to live there. Whatever, I think you had to be an Irish Catholic to attend OLL. I never knew any others at that time, the 1930s. Most fathers worked for the subway and trolley systems or at the milk delivery companies along 125th Street near the river. Those were the days, my friend. Innocence prevailed! In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods The Mc KennasJim McKenna and his younger brother Tommy lived in that house above Grizzardi's grocery. Tom hung around with Marty the Hanger Phipher and the Warriors. Billy Vahey and his brother Eddie who retired as a Lieutenant in the NYPD lived there also. Their mother was still there in the early 80s. You probably knew the Schadack family, who I believe owned Schrafft's or Donald York. I think the building was 644 West 145 St. It was the first apartment house in the city to have a self-service elevator. When we lived there the neighborhood was known as Washington Heights. For some reason it's now referred to as Hamilton Heights. A couple of great web sites -- Forgotten NY and Bridge and Tunnel Club. You can spend hours & hours on Rockaway Beach alone. Lots of good memories! How about the movie theaters -- the Delmar, the RKO Hamilton, the Dorset, the Loews Rio, the Loews 175 (now the Rev. Ikes Church) and all the theaters along 180th Street? Hamilton HeightsNorm, Many thanks for your fine memories of our old neighborhood but there are a few minor corrections I have to make. The first is the name Shadack family. I believe the correct spelling is Shattuck and his address was 676 Riverside Drive on the corner of 145th Street. We lived there and my brother Bill was classmates with Gene Shattuck. No relation to the Schrafft's empire. Secondly, Hamilton Heights was always known as such. Outsiders didn't know where that was so we usually said Washington Heights for simplicity. Washington Heights doesn't really start until 157th Street and is separated from Hamilton Heights by the Audubon plot. The Old NeighborhoodAlex Hamilton lived nearby. There was a very pleasant young man (OLL Class of 1941) named Eugene Shattuck who lived near 145th Street and Riverside Drive. His father was a professor at Manhattan College and his family owned the Schrafft's Restaurants. I fondly recall Eugene having the wonderful hourglass-shaped bottles of hard Schrafft's candy brought to school and distributing one bottle to each of his classmates at Christmas time. Needless to say, the poor Amsterdam Avenue kids were in awe of one who could afford to do such a good deed. You mention the Warriors, I knew the (Gang) but not any of the names mentioned here on Shorpy. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods P.S. My in-laws the Boyd family lived at 676 Riverside Drive. Les Sr. had a radio repair shop on 145th and Broadway. 676 Riverside DriveI lived at 676 as well. The family's name was Shattuck. In my day, many, many years ago, the elevator had an operator. A sweet man in full uniform. There was a doorman as well. Saw the building years later and was appalled at the change. Then went up to OLL and hardly recognized it. It was the best school I ever went to. Thank you for reminding me of the fun. And yes, of the education I got there. By the way, 676 on the Drive was called the Deerfield. OLL StudentsI am researching my family history and I came upon this great site. In 1930 my grandparents Michael and Marie Murphy were living at 1744 Amsterdam Avenue and later in the 1930s at 115 Hamilton Place. All of the Murphy children attended Our Lady of Lourdes School. They were: Maurice (born 1916) Rita (born 1917/ my Mother) John (born 1918) Theresa (born 1920) Vincent (born 1922) Veronica (born 1925) My mom had such fond memories of her time spent there. Rita Harmon Bianchetto Hi Neighbor!!Hi Rita, I'm a former resident of 676 Riverside. My family lived there from 1940 to 1960 in apartment 4A. Bobby Foy lived next door to us. I think you may have left just after we arrived since I remember the elevator operator. The change to automatic was somtime during or just after WWII. I remember they put up this 10 foot wall with a door to limit access to the building. Fat lot of good that did us as my mother was robbed in broad daylight in the service chamber of our apartment in 1960. That's when my Dad had us pack up and leave for a secure location in the Bronx. Anyway, the apartment was great. We had a balcony looking over 145th Street and the river. My brothers were Larry Jr., Bill and Nick. Bill was a good friend to Gene Shattuck and went to Xavier with him. Nick and I also went there. Larry had a scholarship to All Hallows. Judy, can you tell me your last name and if you knew me. Hope to hear from you. Bob Phillips at bobbyphilly@msn.com Your DadSorry Steve, I graduated in 1947 and my three brothers have died. But the name Corrigan does ring a bell. Probably from my brother Larry who knew just about everyone in OLL. Sorry I couldn't help out but it was great hearing from you. Bob Phillips Andrew.Yes, I remember your brother Andrew. We were in the same class and we used to kid him about his name - Andrew Orlando and how tall he was. What's he doing these days? Bob Phillips Those were the days, my friendsHello Rita, I remember the name Murphy but not the faces. We lived a block south of you at 1704 Amsterdam. My sister Ellen, Class of 1936, and brother Bill, Class of 1937, would have known your family. We had many friends on Hamilton Place, the Koster family for one: Anita, Class of 1936, her younger sister Barbara married Burl Ives, and her other sister Mary Lou married Eddie Byrne (1710 Amsterdam). Ed's sister married Chump Greeny -- killed at Anzio Beach. He must have lived near your family. My brother in law Les Boyd lived in the Deerfield and had an electric appliance store on the corner of 145th and B'way and a sporting goods store on the next block next to the Chinese restaurant. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods Hello RitaHello Rita, I attended St. Catherine's Academy on 151st between B'way and Amsterdam (It cost my dear old dad $10 a month for what was considered a private school.) I graduated in 1943 in a class of only four girls. I then went to the Sacred Heart of Mary Academy in Inwood (I had to climb the long steps up from B'way every day for four years -- Class of 1947. Most of my relatives went to OLL as did my husband of 59 years, Ed Woods. We are still alive, kicking and fighting and making up every day. In my Class of 1943, one of the girls was Ann Murphy -- any relation? Also a Virginia O'Malley and my best friend, June McAvoy, who keeps in touch with me. June's grandfather was Judge McAvoy, who had died by that time. I loved when my folks took me to McGuire's Bar and Restaurant on B'way and 155th. Oh that Roast Lamb (Irish style) on a Sunday or a holiday. The girls used to go to Nuestra Senora de Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope) next to the museum complex. We were told not to go there for confession, but the Spanish priests were limited in English. Thinking back we had but little to confess at that time. Eddie and I had an apartment on 150th near the Drive for a few years until 1956, then it was off to Long Island to raise our six children. In friendship and love hearing from you, Ed and Jackie Woods The MurphysHi Ed and Jackie, Thanks so very much for your reply. I wish my mom was still with us but she died in 1998, the last of the Murphy kids. My grandfather Mike Murphy worked for the Post Office (a mail carrier working out of the General P.O. at 33rd and 8th). My grandmother Marie Murphy died in 1939 while living at Hamilton Place. Uncle Maurice went to Regis H.S. for several years before leaving to attend All Hallows; John and Vincent then attended All Hallows; my mom, Rita, attended Cathedral; Veronica, I believe, attended St. Vincent, and Theresa died at age 25 in 1944 (not sure of her high school). Mom worked at Woolworth's on 145th Street and Broadway, and after high school at New York Telephone, retiring about 1980. She got married in 1943 and moved to 152nd Street, and we attended St. Catherine of Genoa on W. 153rd. I graduated in 1958. So I know the neighborhood. Peace, Rita Hi Ed and JackieSo Jackie you are a St. Kate's gal like me! My tuition was a dollar a month, so your education was really a private school. You have listed the Academy at 151st Street but I think that it was on 152nd between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. I took my high school entrance exam at SHM so I am sort of familiar with the school -- fireworks were going off during our exam. The end result was I did fine and attended Blessed Sacrament on West 70th, Class of 1962. I last saw the "girls" at a reunion in 2002. My Spanish teacher just celebrated her 70th anniversary as a nun with the Sisters of Charity. I am not familiar with any of the girls names that you mentioned,including Ann Murphy. I do know McQuire's, where I had my first Shirley Temple, Mass at Our Lady of Esperanza, Trinity Cemetery & loved visiting the museums. Do either of you recall Eugenio Pacelli, before he became Pope Pius XII visiting at OLL ? Please tell me about your days on 150th Street near the Drive since I may have been the little skinny blond kid you both passed on the street. Peace, Rita in Northern New Jersy West 150th NYCHello Rita, Yes, we lived at 615 W. 150th from 1950 to 1956. Four of my children were born there (three at Lutheran Hospital and one at Jewish Memorial). We had many friends from school and the neighborhood living nearby. However, by 1956 it was time to move on; many changes in the neighborhood. One of my nearby friends was Juanita Poitier; Sidney was just getting started with his acting career. A real nice couple. Was Father Tracy (Pastor) still there when you attended school? How about Father Brady? He was always telling stories during Mass about his sea time with the Navy. Eddie remembers going to the Woolworths lunch counter (145th and B'way) in the early 1940s just to have an excuse to talk with the girls. He knew many of them from school and the neighborhood. In friendship, Jackie West 152ndHi Jackie and Ed, I lived at 620 West 152nd Street, just a stone's throw from you folks. My sister was born at Jewish Memorial Hospital in March 1952 -- Dr. Sandler from Broadway 150/151st St. delivered. Those were the days of Dave's deli on the corner of 151st & Broadway famous for pastrami on rye and a cold beer for the dads, Rafferty's Bar and Grill on the other side of B'way, Harry's or Pierre's homemade candy and ice cream parlor, Cora's beauty salon where my Nana would get a cold wave and blue tint. And not to be forgotten, Snow & Youman's drug store on B'Way and 151st. I recall the name Fr. Brady but it was Pastor Kane and Fr. Tracy (and his Irish Setter, Rusty) that I recall. I just sent a photo of Fr. Tracy to my classmates. Rita Japanese BazaarWho remembers the Japanese-American bazaar in the brownstones across from the OLL lower grades school during the war? They had the blue star & the gold star pennants hanging in the windows. They also had a store on Amsterdam Avenue near 144th Street and when they sold coffee the lines would go all around the block. How about the punchball games out side the school, or stoop ball? Anyone remember playing basketball and using the bottom rung on the fire escape ladder as a basket? The nearest basketball court was at 148th Street by the river. If you wanted to "take out" a ball from the park, you would leave a shirt as a deposit. I remember shoveling snow off the court in order to play. Unfortunately those days were the last time the country was almost 100% together. Twenty years from now, these will be the "good old days." Your brother AndrewI palled around with Andy & another kid named Eddie McGlynn. As a matter of fact I have a picture of Andy, Buddy Ayres & me at Rye Beach. Buddy went to Bishop Dubois with us. He was from Vinegar Hill. You didn't mention the Wittlingers. They lived on the first floor in your building. Brendan lives in Virginia. I'm still in touch with him, Matty Waters and Les Scantleberry. Pancho Pereria made a career of the Navy. He died several years ago. JoeJoe, one of my closest friends, was killed in Korea. Dave's DeliI haven't had a good hot corned beef sandwich since I last had one at Dave's. His son Milton was running the store in the 1950s after Dave retired to Florida. Dave's used to have a window in the summer that sold potato knishes (5 cents, with mustard) and of course kosher hot dogs. I heard a Clement Moore fan club still meets every Christmas Eve next to Trinity Church Cemetery and recites "The Night Before Christmas." I was born in 1928 at 853 Riverside Drive. When 90 Riverside was built in 1941 and blocked the view of the Hudson, we moved there. Warm regards, Jackie and Ed The old neighborhoodThe Wittlingers (the twins were the same age as my two younger brothers, also twins), Matty Waters, Les Scantleberry, JoJo: All those names I remember, especially Pancho and his family. For the life of me, I cannot understand why your name doesn't ring a bell. You mentioned the Warriors. Did you know Tommy or Willie Taylor, the Conroys, Drago, Jackie Hughes, etc. What years did you attend OLL? I looked up some old friends on the Internet over the past few years -- said hello and then goodbye when their families called to give me the news: Vinny McCarville, Bruce Boyd, Phil Marshall, Eddie O'Brien -- all gone to their maker. They were spread out all over the country. It was satisfying, however, just to say hello. I met Vinny in New Orleans and we had a beer for the first time in many years. We had gone to sea together during WWII and had a lot of memories. You must forgive my spelling etc. My eyesight is on its way out (along with everything else). I will be 82 in a few months but active and still traveling. I have been to six of the seven continents and my wish is to have breakfast at the South Pole. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods ToppersWas Dave's on B'Way near 140th Street? I sold the Sunday News there for 25 cents during the news strike. It was normally a nickel. We had to go down to the News Building to buy them. Overhead! Who remembers the Sugar Bowl on the corner of 143rd and Broadway? A great hangout for different age groups. How about Toppers Ice Cream parlor on B'Way between 139 & 140th? In the 1940s and early '50s you could go to the Audubon Theater at 168th and B'Way on Sunday for 77 Cents and see three features, 23 cartoons, newsreels and an eight-act stage show with such luminaries as Billy Halop of the Dead End Kids or Lash LaRue or Ferdinand the Bull. Top shelf. They must get at lest a buck fifty for admission today! Tea and Nut StoreHi Norm, My mom (Rita Murphy) mentioned there was an Asian family owned Tea and Nut shop in OLL Parish when she was a child (born 1917). She said her brothers, Maurice and John Murphy, would sometimes play with the owners' son. I am wondering if this could be the same shop. Rita ToppersDave's was on the southwest corner of Broadway and 151st Street, a short trip from my home on 152nd near Riverside Drive. I do recall the Sugar Bowl and maybe was in it once or twice but never hung out there. Topper's is a name I never heard before, as far as ice cream parlors go. Thanks so much for mentioning the name and location. Perhaps before my time (1945 baby) or too far from my home. Many people have mentioned the Audubon Theater to me (165-166th Street) but I have no memory of it at all. I do recall the San Juan Theater that took over the space of the old Audubon. I love hearing about Mom's (Rita Murphy's) old neighborhood. Thanks for sharing. Rita Your Name?No, Dave's Deli was on 151st and Broadway. Yes, Toppers & the Sugar Bowl were popular hangouts, however the Piedmont, the Staghorn and the Chesterfield were more popular later on. I have pictures of the great snowfall of December 27, 1947 taken in front of the above mentioned restaurants with a bunch of the guys posing in the cold. The Audubon Theater became better known when Malcom X was murdered in its ballroom. I saw Milton Berle there in the early 1940s. Actually, the Bluebird and the Washington were also popular as they only cost 10 cents (no heat or air conditioning). Memories, memories, dreams of long ago. Ed and Jackie Woods The OLL ChoirI sang in the OLL choir for about 5 or 6 years and hated it.T he only advantage was that we skipped the last class for practice. The downside was that after attending 9 o'clock Mass we had to sing at the 11 o'clock High Mass, which interfered with our Sunday football game. I played with the Junior Cadets. We had a very good team coached by Joe Romo, who went on to be the trainer for the Oakland A's for many years. I saw him at Yankee Stadium whenever the team played the Yankees at home. Joe died several years ago. Mr. Skyler, the choirmaster, wore a wig that could easily be mistaken for road kill. I used to wonder if he was committing a sin by wearing something on his head in church. After all it was no different then wearing a hat during Mass. Mrs. Daly was a very lovely lady who played the organ and gave piano lessons. She lived down the street from us on 142nd between Broadway and Hamilton Place and had something like 10 kids. My sister Maureen was friends with Theresa and Billie. John was I believe the youngest son. Maureen graduated from Notre Dame de Lourdes on Convent Avenue. My sister Frances was close friends with Helen and Rita Nerney, who lived across the street. Fran died in 2002. ToppersI lived at 635 Riverside Drive. I recall Toppers being near the corner of 141st, next to a Jewish deli. In the summer my dad took my brother Tom and me for ice cream there every evening. Happy memories! Bishop DuboisI graduated 1953 from Bishop Dubois. I believe your brother Ernie was in my class at OLL. I hope he is doing well. Give him my regards. Bill Healy Names from the Old NeighborhoodBrendan & Bernie turned 76 on February 2. Don't ask how I remember things like this. I forgot what I had for breakfast this morning. I'll be 76 August 11, weather permitting. Everyone seems to forget Pinky (Michael) Pereria. You are closer to my late brother Jim's age. Jim hung out with Jimmy and John Bartlett, Donald LaGuardia, Tommy & Willie Taylor (born on the same day a year apart -- Irish twins). Again I don't know why I remember these things. Eddie O'Brien used to go by the name Drawde Neirbo, his name spelled backwards. He was a close friend of Big Jack Hughes. I recall a group of you guys joining the Merchant Marine during the war. The Dragos lived on 141st Street between Hamilton Place and Amsterdam Avenue. The youngest (Joseph?) was in my class. A couple of years ago I went down to the old neighborhood with my sons. Surprisingly, it looks great. Lots of renovations going on. My beautiful wife June is a BIC (Bronx Irish Catholic) from the South Bronx. It's not as great a neighborhood as it used to be, but lots of great people came out of there. I took her away from there, married her 50 plus years ago and got her a decent dental plan and raised five kids in New Jersey. I graduated in 1948. It should have been 1947 but Mother Mary Inez red-shirted me in the 6th grade. Will stay in touch. Norm Brown Norm Brown??Norm, I graduated in 1947 from OLL. I knew a kid (Norman Brown) who lived on 141st between Hamilton and Broadway. I think he had a younger brother. He went to OLL with me, but he did not graduate from OLL. Eddie McGlynn was in my class, and the Wittlingers. I lived at 510 W 140th. Are you that Norman? Bill H. The Summer of '66Hi Jackie and Ed, I never had one of Dave or Milton's corned beef sandwiches but I can say that the pastrami on rye was a thing that dreams are made of. I recall the knishes out the window in the summer and the hot dogs. Thanks so much for taking me back in time. Milton would take the pastrami out of that silver steamer box sharpening his knife, and the rest was heaven on rye. Milton was still behind the counter in the summer of 1966 but after that I can't say. I am sure that "The Night Before Christmas" is still recited next to Clement Moore's grave, in Trinity Cemetery. In my day the Girl Scout Troop that met at the Church of the Intercession would participate in the recitation of the Moore piece. I know that 853 Riverside Drive is on the Upper Drive, since I sat on "The Wall" on summer evenings as a teenager. You said you moved in 1941 to 90 RSD -- did you mean 90 or 890? I am not familiar with the numbering of the "lower" drive where the red house sits (so it was called). I am off in search of a good sandwich. Peace, Rita Stagershorn & ChesterfieldMalcom X was shot in the Audubon Ballroom at the back of the theater, which later became the Teatro San Juan. I saw Abbott and Costello there en Espanol. At 7 years old I was run over by a truck at 142 Street and Broadway, right outside the Staghorn, I managed to live! I would hang from the window outside the Chesterfield, watching football games on TV with Bobby Heller and Herby Gil and Buddy McCarthy. That was a hell of a snowstorm in '47. Remember digging tunnels through the snowbanks? You forgot to mention Larry's, just next to the Sugar Bowl. I would watch "Victory at Sea" there. A couple of years ago I took a walk through the OLL neighborhood and realized that when you are a kid everything you see is at eye level and taken for granted, but as you look up and around from a mature aspect it becomes a whole different world. It is really a beautiful area. 90 Riverside Drive WestHi Rita. I'm positive 853 was on the Lower Drive. When the new building went up next to it around 1941, the address was 90 Riverside Drive West. However, it caused so much confusion with 90 Riverside Drive (downtown) that the address was changed to 159-32 Riverside. The plot originally hosted a small golf course. I also went to the Church of the Intercession with the Girl Scouts. Small world. And the wall -- on a hot summer night, standing room only. Jackie West 140th NYCThe kids I hung around with were in the OLL classes of 1940 and 1941. I had a weekend job in 1941 with Ike's Bike Rental on 141st. He needed someone to identify the kids who rented there (bikes rented for 20 cents an hour -- and that's the truth). We started a Junior Air Raid Wardens group and had a store next to Ike's. Collected paper etc, for the war effort. And you are correct, within three years, when we turned 16, McCarvill, O'Brien, Drago and I joined the merchant marine. Did you know the Kieley family -- lived at 1628 Amsterdam before moving to the lower Bronx: Pauline, Rita, Josephine, Peggy and the two boys Nicky and Jimmy. I loved going to their upstairs apartment for tea, especially when Mrs Kiely made Irish Soda Bread. My wife (then girlfriend) Jackie sponsored Jim Kieley when he became a citizen around 1948. He was from County Waterford, the same as her family. We celebrated our 59th anniversary last week. Regards, Eddie Woods My Brother JimYou probably knew my brother Jim Brown. He too was born in 1928. He died three years ago today. He graduated from Cardinal Hayes, spent a couple of years in the Army and graduated from Fordham University. Jim lived in Wycoff, N.J. He was very successful in business. Amsterdam AvenueThe Denning family (10 kids) lived on Amsterdam Avenue between 141st and 142nd. Hughie had polio and wrote away to FDR for an autograph during the war. As it turned out he was the last person to get one. He was in an iron lung at the time. It was a big deal. Lots of press. One of the boys, Peter Schaefer Denning, was born on the back of a beer truck on the way to the hospital. Hence the name. The Connolly brothers, Eamon and Timmy, lived in the same building. Everyone in the family had red hair. Not unlike Bobby Foy's family. If I recall properly, the father looked like Arthur Godfrey, his mom like Lucille Ball, Bobby like Red Skelton, and they had a red cat plus an Irish setter. It took a lot of guts for a group of 16-year-old kids to join the merchant marine. A belated thanks for your service. My wife makes great Irish soda bread. Is there any other kind? You can give ten women the same ingredients for soda bread and you'll get ten different tasting breads. All great! Especially with a cup of Lynches Irish tea. The season is almost upon us once again. The only Kiely (different spelling) I knew was my NYPD partner Timmy, who was from the South Bronx, Hunts Point. Tim grew up with Colin Powell. Having worked in the South Bronx for 25 years and marrying June Margaret O'Brien, one of six girls from there, I pretty much connect with the people of SOBRO, as the area is now known. Sooner or later everything gets yuppified. How about this web site? Something else! Take care, Norm Mea CulpaHi Jackie, Of course you know 853 RSD is on the Lower Drive but Google Maps does not. "Looks like 800 Block of Upper Drive is even numbers and 800 Block on Lower Drive is odd numbers." I did not locate 159-32 but I did find a 159-34 and 159-00, seems to be the last structure (red brick) on the Lower Drive area that we are speaking of, now a co-op but the year of construction is not listed. I have very fond memories of the folks I spent time with on "our" wall. Peace, Rita Yes, it's Kiely I was in error. For whatever resaon, The Dublin House on 79th off the NE corner of Broadway became a meeting place for many of the kids from the OLL area up until the early 1970s: Eamon Connolly, Tommy Taylor etc. I worked with Tom for a short time before be went on the force and then as a T Man. I have not heard from him in too many years. One of great fellows from the old neighborhood. In friendship, Ed Woods My e-mail: eandjwoods50@Yahoo.com P.S. The Kiely family moved to Crimmons Ave in the Bronx West 159th Street NYCDear Rita, I do enjoy rehashing the old neighborhood and the wonderful memories we can recall. Yes, it is the last buillding on the street and I lived there until 1950, when I married Ed. My uncle George lived there until c. 1981 in a rent controlled apartment, and yes, it did become a co-op. When first opened, the building had four entrances. Later, in the 1980s, it was down to one main entrance on the via-dock for safety reasons. I loved our apartment there, which had a beautiful view of the Hudson and the George Washington Bridge. My friend June, nee McAvoy, lived at 3750 B'way. We were together in school for 12 years at St. Catherine's and Sacred Heart. June lives in Maryland. By the way, my e-mail is eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Jackie Woods The Red HouseDear Jackie & Ed, How lucky you were to have lived in the Red House, especially with the views of the bridge and the river. Growing up I never knew anyone who lived there, so never saw the interior, I'm sure it was lovely. I heard that David Dinkins lived there at some point before he became mayor. Many of my classmates lived in 790 Riverside Drive and I was always so impressed that their apartments had two doors. Our apartment was on the fourth floor of a walkup and across the street from a garage. Funny how I was not really impressed by a doorman but by the two doors. I seem to remember a gas station near your friend June's house...other side of Broadway from the museum, now college. One of my St. Catherine's classmates, last I heard, he was teaching at the college. Was Rexall Drug on the corner of 157th, with the newsstand outside the door, when you lived in the Red House? In my home we seemed to have all of the city newspapers -- morning, afternoon and evening, some selling for 4 cents. To this day I read two papers every day and still long to go out Saturday night to pick up the Sunday paper. Thanks for the email. Peace, Rita Class of 1959I attended O.L.L. from 5th to 8th grade. My 5th grade teacher was Mother Mary Edward, what a wonderful woman, 6th was Mother Mary St. Hugh, 7th Mother Mary Edward and 8th Mother Mary Bernadette. Graduated in 1959. Classes were mxed -- black, white and Latino. Memories are mostly good ones -- Father Kline, Father Malloy, Father Hart. The religious experience most memorable, especially during Lent, novenas on Wednesday afternoon and Stations on Friday after school. Liggets / RexallHello Rita, I loved the lunch/soda counter at Liggetts/Rexalls. for whatever reason, my family used the pharmacy across the street, on the east side of B'way, to have prescriptions filled. The family that owned and operated the newsstand helped us lease our first apartment at 600 W. 157th. Apartments were in short supply in 1950. We lived in the unit formerly rented by the Singer Midgets next to Peaches Browning of Daddy Browning fame. Of course they were long gone when we lived there. My father was very active in the Tioga Democratic Club with the Simonetti family. Do you remember Warner's Cafeteria between 157 & 158th? We visited St. Catherine's Church Christmas week 2007 with our niece who wanted to see where she was baptized in 1953. She is on Mayor Bloomberg's staff. Warm regards, Jackie Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Oh, as the poet said, "To return to yesteryear and our salad days." My brother ErnieBilly, Ernie and I went to Bishop Dubois. Ernie for two years and I for three. We both were bounced in 1951 and transferred to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. We went there on a Schrafft's scholarship. Our mom waited on tables at Schrafft's in order to send us there. In those days it was pretty much a blue collar school. It wasn't that far removed from being a reform school. VERY STRICT. Today it's much more hoity toity. I'm still in close touch with my old classmates, most of whom have been successful in life. Ernie was a great basketball player, the first to score over 50 points in a game in Bergen County (three times), breaking Sherman White's record. White was an All American but messed up his career in the 1950-51 college season. Ernie went to Fordham on an athletic scholarship. Ernie died in 2002. He was a very special guy, extremely generous and giving. We miss him a lot. He lived a couple of blocks away from me as did most of my siblings. Sad to say, the circle grows smaller. 1959 OLL gradsAre you out there, does any one remember or know of any of the following graduates of O.L.L. -- Starr Martin, Carol Long or her sisters, Carlotta and Tony, Josephine Velez, Melvina (Kinky) Boyd, Chicky Aponte. I went of to Cathedral and the others to various Catholic high schools and lost touch. After finding this site, many memories have come back. Would like to know how old friends are doing. 600 W. 157thHi Jackie, You lived around the corner from the post office. I remember going there once to get a money order and losing Mom's gray umbrella. Your building was by the Grinnell, where a friend's father was the superintendent during the 60s. Liggett/Rexall -- we went to Snow & Youman's for drugs but to Rexall for film, flashbulbs and of course the soda fountain. The last time I was there was April 1965, just before my son was born. I do not recall a Warner's Cafeteria but do remember the famous, and oh so good, Imperial Deli, Lambos Flower Shop, Commander Bar & Grill, Full Moon & McGuire's. I visited St. Catherine's about 1994 and it was like being in a time warp, except for the piano near the altar. The church was just as I remembered when I got married in 1964, only smaller. The school is now public. I am in touch with some of my friends from the Class of 1958. It was nice that your niece was able to visit the church where she was baptized. I never heard of the Tioga Democratic Club or the Simonetti family (the only Simonettis I know are the family whose niece and son are engaged). Jackie, was the pharmacy on the east side of B'way United or perhaps that was a sign for United Cigar? So nice this walk down memory lane. Best to your Eddie. Peace, Rita Memories: dreams of long agoHi Rita, My close friend June's, nee McAvoy, family lived in the Grinnell for many years. Her grandfather was Judge McAvoy. Eddie claims to have an exceptionally good memory but he says he needs to yield to you. You do have a most wonderful recall. However, he is more familiar with the OLL school and church neighborhood. My brother-in-law (much older than Eddie and me) was in the vending machine business: Ace Distributing -- jukeboxes, cigarette machines etc. Eddie worked for him for a few years when we first married and the company had locations in almost every store in the neighborhood (including the Commander). That is a dead business today. How about Pigeon Park? You couldn't sit there. Warm regards, Jackie Woods GrinnellHi Jackie, Do you recall a Doctor James Farley living in the Grinnell? Doctor Farley must have taken care of half of Washington Heights over a period of many years (had an office on 178 St. between Broadway and Ft. Washington Ave.). Ah, Pigeon Park...I remember it well and always tried to circumvent it! All the best. Rita I remember it wellHi Rita, Our family physician was Dr. VanWorth, as an adult I visited Dr. Liebling, who had an office c. 156th. He later moved down to 72nd Street. A wonderful caring man (who made house calls). My son Ed Jr. was 58 years old this week, I have a picture of him when he was 1 sitting on a pony taken on the corner of 155th and B'way. John Orlando's brother married a St Catherine's girl. I don't know her age. Ain't we got fun? Jackie Woods Current resident of the neighborhood (Grinnell)I'd like to invite you to visit www.audubonparkny.com, which is a virtual walking tour of the neighorhood you're discussing. You can "take the walking tour" online or go to the Sitemap/ Index of Images to read about specific buildings and see pictures from many eras. I'm happy to post any pictures (and credit the owners) of the neighborhood that you'd like to share - focusing on the Audubon Park area (155th to 158th, Broadway to the river). www.audubonparkny.com Walking TourThanks so very much for posting the site for the Audubon Park area...I had a delightful walking tour. Down Memory Lane at OLLWhat happened, did we all run out of memories? Who remembers the stickball field comprised of Hamilton Place from 140 to 141st Street. A ball hit over the small roof on 141st was a double and over the roof at 95 Hamilton Place was a homer. After the war the street was so crowded with cars that the games were moved to Convent Avenue in front of CCNY. There was some heavy money bet on these games. Walking TourThanks, Rita, I'm glad you enjoyed the walk! Please come back and visit the site again. I post a Newsletter on the homepage (www.AudubonParkNY.com ) each month highlighting new pages, information, and research, as well as updates on the Historic District project. Matthew The Prairie StateDoes anyone have memories of the Prairie State? It was a WWI battleship moored in the Hudson River at about 135 Street and I believe used for Naval Reserve training. As kids we snuck on board and played basketball on it. The deck (court) had a bow on it which is partially responsible for the replacement parts in my ankle today. How about the "Dust Bowl" at 148 Street next to the river where we played football and baseball? Today it's state of the art, at least compared to what we played on. Now there is grass on the field. Progress! Under the Via DockFar from being a battleship, the Prairie State (also called the Illinois) was an old transport. However, as youngsters we would have been impressed by its size. Pancho and another neighborhood boy whose name I can't recall trained there before being sent to England as frogmen in preparation for the D-Day landing. It was decided that those boys with big chests (big lungs) could do the job best. I can recall Pancho telling me after the war that he had only a few days of Boot Camp. Sports -- we used the oval near City College. Stick ball -- 144th between Amsterdam and B'way. A ball hit to any roof was an out, never a homer. Spaldines was Spaldings were costly in the 1930s. One had to learn to hit as far up the street as possible, over the sewers. That is why the good hitters (one strike only) were called three-sewer hitters. The Prairie State was docked under the Via Dock c. 130th St. Like you, we visited it often. Nearby were the meatpacking/butcher plants. During the 1930s there were two "Hoovervilles" (hobo camps) under the dock. The overhead gave the men some some protection from the elements. I had an uncle who took me fishing off the piers. I felt sorry for the "lost souls." Then one day they were all gone. Hosed away! I used to wonder where they went. In friendship Ed Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com PanchoAs you recall, Pancho was short, about 5'8" and maybe 200 lbs. and a very good athlete -- basketball, baseball and could hold his own on a basketball court. I remember speaking to him about the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams,the precursor to the Navy Seals) and asking him if they were relegated to swimming all the time. He told me they spent most of the time running, running, running to build endurance. As I remember, the Oval was near Convent Avenue. We never used the term two sewers in stickball. That was a Bronx expression. We bought our pink "Spaldeens" at Rutenbergs candy store on Amsterdam Avenue between 140 and 141 Streets for a nickel. He also sold kids twofers, two for a penny loosies, and Bugle Tobacco so you could roll your own or purchase a corncob pipe to puff away. Loosies were two cigarettes for a penny. I understand due to the cost of smokes they are doing that again. We played "swift pitching" in the park at Hamilton Place between 140 and 141 streets. It was comprised of drawing a box (a strike zone) on the the handball court wall and throwing balls and strikes as hard as you could. I'm a little younger then you but I remember the Swift Meat Plant down by the river and the time John Garfield filmed a scene from a movie, Force of Evil, running down the steps toward the river. Somehow he ended up at the red lighthouse under the GW Bridge and discovered his brother's body, played by Thomas Gomez, in the river. As kids during the war we would fish and crag off the docks right near the old Two Six Precinct. I'll never forget the time my younger brother came home with a catfish and an eel and damn near burned the house down trying to cook them. Boy, life was a lot simpler then. Even with a world war raging. Amsterdam AveRutenbergs, address 1628 Amsterdam, I lived in the upstairs bldg for five years. The Rutenbergs lived in an apt in the back of their store. Tommy Smith worked their paper route for many years. Tommy lived in 1626 next to McCarvill. The Conroys (Johnny the Bull) lived in 1630. Eddie O'Brien lived in 1634 over the Rothschild Deli where we could buy Old Dutch beer for 14 cents a quart plus a 5 cent deposit. "It's for my father." The playground around the corner was busy at night after it closed for the day. My recall of loosies is six for five cents in a small paper bag with six wooden matches. You refer to the station house as the "Two Six Precinct." Something tells me you were "on the job." A good family friend, Frank Lynch, became the Captain at 152nd and Amsterdam (The Three Two)? Your e-mail? In friendship, Ed Woods Three Oh PrecinctYes I worked in the South Bronx for 25 years which included 10 years at the Yankee Stadium,ten of the best years of my life. A ring side seat at the world. We played many games there-- Shae, West Point, etc. -- and traveled to Venezuela with the New York Press team. I worked out with players on the DL. Thurman Munson was a good friend as was Catfish Hunter. Lou Pinella and Graig Nettles. We guarded Pope Paul and Pope John Paul II. John Paul II gave off an aura that was indescribable. I was very close to him on three occasions and he made you weak in the knees and start to shake. Believe me it wasn't his celebrity status. Some of the people I knew were Cary Grant who used to look for me when he came to many games. Someday I'll tell you how he saved my marriage. A funny story! Jimmy Cagney came to a few games. Boy was that sad to see Rocky Sullivan, every Irish American kid's hero, all crippled up with arthritis. I finished up in the Bronx Detective Task Force and never looked back. It was a great career if you rolled with the punches. The six for five must have been filter tips.I forgot about the wooden matches. Do you remember the Hooten Bars they sold? One by two inch chocolate candy stuck on wax paper. Nobody seems to remember them. Rutenberg had the greatest malteds. They kept the milk frozen. God! Were they good! The Three Oh Precinct was at 152 Street & Amsterdam Avenue across from St. Catherines Grammar School where I went to kindergarten for a day. Later it became Bishop Dubois H.S., which I attended for three years before getting bounced along with my younger brother. There was a kid by the name of Neally Riorden who may have lived in your building and a kid by the name of Brian Neeson Hannon who died around 1945. I remember going to his wake on Vinegar Hill. Next we should take a trip down Vinegar Hill. My e mail is fuzz408@optonline.net God bless & HAPPY EASTER Rutenberg'sRutenberg's had the greatest milkshakes mainly because they kept the milk semi frozen. They also had Hooten bars, sheets of one by two inch chocolate that sold for a penny each. I've never met anyone from a different neighborhood who heard of them. Yes, I was on the job for 25 years in the South Bronx. Check your personal e mail. The Three Oh was at 152 Street and Amsterdam Avenue. It's now a landmark. The new precinct is on 151st Street of Amsterdam. How about Wings Cigarettes with the photos of WW II planes? The Shamrock Bar was on the corner of 140th Street and Amsterdam. On weekends guys would pick up containers of beer and carry them over to Convent Avenue for refreshments during the stickball games. Take care, Norm PanchoLooking for any info on Pancho Periera. He is my godfather and was best friends with my dad, Frank Corrigan. OLLumnaI went graduated from OLL in 1950. I came across this great site and I am wondering if anyone graduated the same year. I have been trying to get in contact with my fellow classmates and this looked like a great opportunity! The Old ShamrockI visted the 140th Street area a few years ago and took a few pictures. The Shamrock is gone with the wind -- history. I showed a picture of the building (1626 Amsterdam) to Vinnie McCarvill, who had lived there, when I met him for a beer in New Orleans a few years ago, and he almost wept. Some great memories of our Salad Days came to mind. "Oh the nights at the playground on Hamilton Place." It's the place where we came of age. In friendship, Eddie and Jackie ParishesOne thing folks from New Orleans and New York City have in common is that you identified your neighborhood by the parish in which you lived. Agnes GerrityMy mother, Agnes Gerrity, born 1916, and her brothers Thomas and Richard (born c. 1914 and 1920) attended Our Lady of Lourdes until high school. All three have passed away but I'd love to hear if anyone happens to remember them. Like your mother, my mom loved that school and spoke of it often. Anne Collins OLL Confirmation Day 1935I thought former students would enjoy seeing the uniform we wore in Our Lady of Lourdes School Primary Dept (1st to 4th Grade) during the 1930s. KnickersIt was humiliating having to wear knickers. Remember pulling them down to your ankles and thinking "maybe people will think they are pegged pants"? Boy did we ever fool the public! And how about the high starched collars -- I don't think they could have even gotten Freddie Barthomew to wear them. Didn't we replace them with waterboarding? However Ed, they look great on you. Do you still wear them? Old OLL picsDoes any one have some old OLL class photos or just some neighborhood pictures to post here in the comments? I'm sure a lot of Shorpy addicts would appreciate them. OLLi go to school at lourdes now im in the 8th grade and i think its really cool to see people talk about the memories they had about my school before i was even born and i would love to see some kind of picture of the inside of the school like a class picture so i can see what it used to look like [Just wait'll you get to Capitalization and Punctuation. - Dave] Class of 1964I too went to OLL from '57-'64. My parents and I moved to 3495 Broadway at 143rd St. in 1956. I started in the 4th grade with Mother Mary William. The school in those days was no longer a military academy. We wore navy blue uniforms, white shirts and the school tie and the girls wore navy blue jumpers with a white blouse and blue tie. It was very interesting reading about all the students who came before me and where they lived. I always was so curious to find out how this old neighborhood looked like years before we moved in. As you all know, the area changed at some point racially, although when I was at OLL the school was still predominantly white with a handful of Black children. I will always have wonderful memories of my time at OLL. My parents moved out of the area in 1969 and I since been back once to recapture some old memories of my childhood. NostalgiaThe picture that follows is the 1937 graduation class with the girls omitted. Monsignor McMahon built church and school(1901-1913); after 15 years as Curator at St Patrick's Cathedral, constructed 7 years earlier. See church of Our Lady of Lourdes for construction details. At the time of graduation, Fr's Mahoney, Dillon and Brennan resided across from the Church. The Poor Clares home was to right of the church, and secondary had Society of the Holy Name Jesus sisters. School and Church gave us faith and hope and discipline. Our world was the depression years followed by the wars. Our class of 1937 was just in time. The handsome lad below the sergeant stripes is the brother of contributor Ed Woods.Ed,and brothers Bill and Dennis served with distinction. Andy Saraga bottom right was a highly decorated Marines The others served as well. I hope Our Lady of Lourdes provides the inspiration our families sought for us. Nostalgia 1937The 1937 graduation photo is great. It's with both sadness and pride to think that most of these wonderful kids would be defending our country in a very short time in different uniforms.Believe it or not this military training was useful. How about more pictures like this and some candid neighborhood shots. OLL in the NYThttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/nyregion/16priest.htm So interesting: A more recent residentJust want to say that I've read every entry on this post. It is so interesting to read the memories shared by those that lived way before you in the same neighborhood. My mother and I live on 135th Street near Riverside between 66th and 77th, then moved to 138th between Hamilton and Amsterdam. I went to PS 161 and graduated from CCNY. I also have fond memories of my childhood. I used to play basketball in an after school center at Our Lady of Lourdes as a young kid, visited the area a couple of years ago and brought back great pics. Cheers to all Mauricio The Grinnell: Celebrating Its Centennial Those of you who remember The Grinnell (800 Riverside Drive) may be interested to know that the residents have just begun celebrating the building's centennial. We're having a year of events,so this is a great year to visit! Check the website: http://www.thegrinnellat100.com/ for photos, historical news articles, and residents' memories (and contribute your own). Click the calendar tab for a listing of the events between now and July 2011. Matthew Why Grinnel!The hundredth anniversary of a building? Forgotten is the fact that it's also the anniversary of the site building, and all the memories fast fading. I think Ed Woods of all the graduates, always hit the mark. Several others struggled to add something. If someone remembers the names of the sisters and preferably anecdotes please don't deny this information from this site. I personally remember sister Rose from 4th grade 1934. I believe Mother Michael provided my brother Andy's Confirmation name. Others with better memories speak up. Also it wasn't only our generation that owes recognition for all given freely. Christmas at Our Lady of LourdesAt Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the statues in the creche would be replaced by live students. The scene would be repeated the following day at the 9 o'clock Children's Mass and the 11 o'clock High Mass. A live baby would be borrowed to lie in the manger. The girl who posed as the Blessed Mother and the boy who posed as Joseph were the envy of the entire student body. "Oh to return to yesteryear." Happy New YearThank you SHORPY for bringing back to us so many wonderful memories. It has been said pictures are worth a thousand words. Shorpy's pictures, however, are worth so much more -- just can't put a number on them. Thank you and a Happy New Year to the Shorpy Staff. Ed and Jackie Woods [And thank you, Ed and Jackie, for inspiring the hundreds of interesting comments in this thread. - Dave] The OLL neighborhoodIt's nice reading and re-reading your stories about OLL, Hamiliton Place,and seeing the names listed. Many years ago, in my past, I visited the old neighborhood only to find it somewhat depressing, old and in poor shape. One time in particular I had parked my new "rental car" near West 144th street, and was showing my young children some of the places I lived on Amsterdam Ave, Hamilton Place ( 95 and 115 buildings) when two older African Americans came up to us, and said you'd be better not park here." It wasn't said as a threat, but more it's unsafe here, now that the area has changed. I had told them that I used to live here many years ago. I am glad to hear from Norm, that the area has rebounded, and in looking at the prices of the real estate I wish we had stayed here. Keep up the good work. Matt Waters mattminn@aol.com Hi Anon Tipster 1959. I used to date Carlotta Long & visited her lovely home many times. 147 off Convent as I recall. I often wonder in my old age (69) whatever happened to her & how her life turned out. I did graduate from Dubois in 1960, so I'm very familiar w/the sights & places referenced here. So glad I found this site. Tis That Time of YearThank you SHORPY for another year of nostalgic pictures and comments. Brought to us in Black and White and Living Color. Such fond memories of long ago, especially the itchy bathing suits. In the 1920s and up to the early 1940s, when on or near the beach and boardwalk, boys had to wear the coarse wooolen suits with the tops on at all times. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New York to Dave and staff. Ed and Jackie Woods Our Yearly PlaysI graduated in 1960 after 8 memorable years. I remember our yearly plays in the auditorium and all the hard work and practice we put into it. Father Hart was our pastor and I remember our farewell speech to him. My best friend was Lydia Marin and I remember Maria Santory, Joyce Brown, Maria Matos, Alma Mora, Maureen Quirk. If any of you from this class are around, give a shout. Jackie Erick Class of 1964Class of 1964 where are you guys? Write something here you remember. Do you remember me? OLL Class of 1957Here's the names of the boys' teachers from 1949 to 1957. I think I have then all correct. Grade 1, 1949-1950: Mother Mary Theodosia Grade 2, 1950-1951: Sister Mary Macrina Grade 3, 1951-1952: Mother Mary Eulalia Grade 4, 1952-1953: Mother Mary Declan Grade 5, 1953-1954: Mother Mary Edwards Grade 6, 1954-1955: Mother Maria Del Amor Grade 7, 1955-1956: Mother Mary Euphrates Grade 8, 1956-1957: Mother Mary Rosario Eighteen nuns lived in the convent adjacent to the church on 142nd Street: eight boys' teachers, eight girls' teachers, the school principal, known as the Reverend Mother, and the housekeeper. Six priests and the pastor lived in the rectory on the south side of 142nd Street. OLL was also known as Old Ladies' Laundry. I've written down the names of almost all the boys who, at one point or another, were part of the class of 1957. Only 27 graduated in 1957. Many were expelled in 1956 as part of a crackdown on gang membership. Mother Mary Rosario was brought in to preside over a difficult situation, but after the expulsions her job turned out to be not that complicated. I'll post the list of names another time. Our Lady of Lourdes Alumni ReunionHello out there. I am a current parent at Our Lady of Lourdes. As we enter a new decade, OLL would would like to start planning a few reunions. I am looking for some potential organizers to help us reach out and plan events in the new year. Please reach out if you are interested in planning or connect dots. There are many new happenings at the school. We will be launching a new website by the end of the month with an alumni portion. Thank you! Vanessa vdecarbo@ollnyc.org Class of 1971Hi! I graduated in 1971 and our teacher was Sister Patricia. I remember Marlene Taylor, Karen, Miriam, Dina, Elsie, Maria and Robin, Carla, Margaret and Giselle. Our class was an all girl class. I also remember Sister Rebecca, Sister Theresa, Sister Rosemarie (our history teacher). I continued to Cathedral High School but I miss all my dear classmates. Is there anyone out there who enters this site? My email is n.krelios@yahoo.com I would love to hear from someone. Marlene Taylor became a doctor (wonderful!!!). Shorpy Hall of FameIf there were a Shorpy Hall of Fame, this photo would definitely have to be in the inaugural class. I've enjoyed going through the many comments for this photo going back to 2007 even though I have absolutely no connection to the school other than being Catholic. What is equally as awesome is that a look at the location today via Google Maps indicates that, other than a few trees, fire hydrants, automobiles and removal of the statue, everything is basically the same today. Double DutchKllroy is correct about not much having changed, but it looks like even the foreground fire hydrant is in the same place (but a newer model). It looks like the circa 1914 photographer was set-up on the northeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 143rd Street. The Google Maps photo was taken travelling northbound on Amsterdam Avenue. So basically both photos are shot from almost the same location; it is interesting how the vintage image makes 143rd Street appear much shorter than in the Google image. I guess it's the result of different formats and lenses. By the way, the buildings at the far end of the T-intersection, on Convent Avenue (mostly blocked by the trees in the Google image), reflect NYC's Dutch heritage [ETA:] as does "Amsterdam" Avenue. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC)
Full Service: 1937
July 1937. "Mayflower Accessories & Garage Co. service station, 17th and L ... they were sold side by side. Peek-A-Boo That's a 1937 Chevy truck peeking out from behind the building. Standard operating ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/29/2016 - 11:59am -

July 1937. "Mayflower Accessories & Garage Co. service station, 17th and L streets N.W." The Washington, D.C., petroleum buffet previously seen here, here, here and here. Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Dual FuelWas it common practice to have two different companies supplying fuel to a station or were Amoco & Esso owned by one entity ? My '37 Packard hearse would have had plenty of room to be serviced here. The More the MerrierTry seven brands from twelve pumps at this Halensee, Germany station in 1930. re: Dual FuelESSO is a name created from the initials S. O., for Standard Oil. Amoco is a division of Standard Oil (or maybe it's the other way around). As a high schooler, I worked at a Standard Oil station that got rebranded as Amoco in the late 60's/early 70's while I worked there. Same oval/torch logo but they changed the lettering on it. Standard OilBoth brands were part of Standard Oil, Esso (Standard Oil of New Jersey) and Amoco (Standard Oil of Indiana). Unclear why they were sold side by side. Peek-A-BooThat's a 1937 Chevy truck peeking out from behind the building. Standard operating procedureAt the time that this picture was taken, Amoco was the retail gas station brand for the American Oil Company, which was partially owned by Standard Oil of Indiana. Esso was the retail gas brand for Standard Oil of New Jersey. The two Standards had been separate companies since the government break-up of Standard Oil in the early teens. The various Standards had regional rights to the "Standard" name, and so often used other marketing names or subsidiaries to expand beyond their territories. Thus, Amoco in Jersey Standard's territory - down the street might have been a Mobilgas station (Standard of New York). As to two brands at one station, that was unusual. This was a feature of California retailing. But D.C.? I'm not sure. (The Gallery, D.C., Gas Stations, Russell Lee)
Last Chance Texaco: 1937
October 1937. "Abandoned garage on Highway No. 2. Western North Dakota." Medium format ... Dave Stanley? Williston? Cuthbertson? The 1937 Texaco Drivers' Map of North Dakota noted Texaco stations with a red star, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:36pm -

October 1937. "Abandoned garage on Highway No. 2. Western North Dakota." Medium format safety negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. Who would guessThat just three years later they would start sponsoring the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts! Really helps me understandMy mother was from North Dakota, a tiny town near the Canadian border. She left around the time this picture was taken, and more than once talked about how isolated and isolating the place was. Had she seen this picture, she would have cocked her head the way she did and said something like, "That's it. That's what it was like." This is iconic, I tell you.This is something that Edward Hopper would have loved. The turnoffIn sequence, this Highway 2 photo appears between photos taken by Lee in farmhouses near Wheelock and photos taken in a general store in Ray. Three miles north of Wheelock and three miles west of Ray is an intersection between Highway 2 and a gravel road that may be this spot. Anybody could go broke trying to sell gas there. Last ChanceI wonder, at the peak of the station's business, did the owner bring in enough to make it worthwhile? I'm WaitingWhat, no Google Street View? You know that Texaco... it's the one at the corner of Nothin' and Nothin'. Phrases like "you can't miss it" take on a whole new meaning in landscapes like this! Russell Lee had some kind of eye.He was without question an artist, and this stunning photograph is a fine example. Long after the Great Depression, Lee headed photo department of the University of Texas art school, and that's the source of a regret I've carried for 40 years. I took a number of classes in that department and was always too much in awe of him to introduce myself. My loss. Almost artThe FSA photographers were very good in composition and light control. Considering the conditions under which they worked the end product is beautiful to the eye. Sometimes the subject was melancholy (considering the times) but nonetheless appears to have transcended from contemporary photography to an evocation of our historical past. ["Almost"? - Dave] You can trust your car... to the man who wears the star ... I'm going to have that jingle in my head for the rest of the night! Art indeedI would gladly hang this on my wall. I believe it would give me a different feeling every day that I looked at it. Art, ActuallyAs soon as I saw the image, I knew I had yet another addition to my screensaver. Thanks, Dave and Ken. It appeals from both the technical or artsy side; it's art in my book. That the Texaco sign is leaning just so is a plus. Pricey gasLast week I saw a twin gas pump similar to these for sale in a collectibles store in Sausalito. Could have been mine for a measly $7,500. Russell Lee was a geniusNo "almost" about it! And todayIt's been replaced with some glass-and-steel monstrosity, no doubt. It was a crime to tear this place down. Gas Stations Rock!I love all gasoline related photos, and this may be the best one yet. Just beautiful. This is ItThis is the one. My favorite Shorpy pic of all. I've been in the garage business for 45 years. My building is built around a 1952 Gulf station. I collect old service station and garage photos that I display on my office walls.This is my favorite.I just bought a print.Thanks Dave Stanley? Williston? Cuthbertson?The 1937 Texaco Drivers' Map of North Dakota noted Texaco stations with a red star, so this might have been located in Stanley, Williston, or Cuthbertson. Minot and Rugby (the exact geographic center of the continental United States) were probably too large at the time. Amazing to a person living on the East Coast to realize that North Dakota has had the same population -- 645,000 approximately -- since its heyday of immigration, between 1880 and 1910. Eric Sevareid grew up in a very small town north of Minot, and here is how he described it: "It was a trial of the human spirit just to live there, and a triumph of faith and fortitude for those who stayed on through the terrible blasting of the summer winds, the merciless suns, through the frozen darkness of the winters when the deathly mourn of the coyote seemed at times the only signal of life." HitchcockianLooks like North by Northwest. Great Photo! The FSA photos were one fo the best things to come out of this time. Just documenting life at the time and is absolutely art! ElectricalI'm a youngster, only 43, so I haven't been around that long. But looking at the power line it looks like a 3-phase transmission line but no ground. How did they run the ground leg back in the day? Any electricians out there? Thank the REAThis art most likely brought to you by the Rural Electrification Administration, born just two years earlier. The sign may be leaning, but the power poles are straight and new. Strong feelingsMost of us in our lifetime have witnessed scenes like this somewhere, sometime. We, as a species, are different from each other yet so much the same. Many thoughts from my past went through my mind as I looked at this image. Most were not even related to the building, the gas pumps or the signage, just the whole scene. So simple in itself but such a strong feeling that came from within me. (apparently a lot of other folks too looking at the number of comments). Thanks for posting this Dave. Isolated no moreRead yesterday that there has been a huge oil discovery extending out of North Dakota up into Canada and West into Montana. Extreme shortage of labor. GroundingNowadays, primary distribution is nearly always a "wye" system as you have observed. In the early days, the "delta" system was more common, and there was no neutral. In some cases, even today, a delta has one phase grounded. However, the practice of grounding has evolved over the years. I've read that at one time, ungrounded delta distribution was the norm. I don't know exactly when this began to change. It was certainly beginning to by the late 30s, judging by some old catalogs I have. But you're right. I don't see a neutral here, either. No "there" thereView Larger Map To the electrical commentsUngrounded delta distribution is still around. It's simply 3 phases with no connection to ground. Each transformer is connected phase to phase and the center tap on the secondary side is grounded to create a neutral for the customer. Usually ungrounded deltas for distribution run at 4800 volts. These systems are rare. Most areas with older distribution systems are running 2400/4160 wye. Most power companies upgrade these systems to 7200/12470 or 7620/13200 wye systems. Great photographer!Russel Lee was really great photographer, almost all his pictures show us real life at those years. Where it wasThe alignment of US 2 from Minot to US 85 has been straightened out considerably. Given the comment regarding the sequencing of the pictures, and using a 1933 ND / SD map, and a 1946 map I have showing the electric system as it was in ND then, I offer the northeast corner of 119th Ave NW / 60th St. NW (about 3/4 mile south of Wheelock) as the location of the gas station. Vintage memorabilia motherlodeHow would you like to have been the person that said, I'm gonna go out and get those pumps and that sign before somebody else does. And as noted above, $7500 for one of the pumps. The sign is worth more than gold. And almost worth as much as shorpy.com. The price of nostalgia I'm always saddened and a little depressed to see these once thriving, or marginally surviving, edifices brought to desolation and ruin. The abandoned farmhouse, shop or service station only reminds us of our fleeting nature. Someone once sat in those freshly erected buildings and dreamed the American dream, maybe now gone to dust or glory. Godspeed, you stalwart forebears, I hope you found some joy in your life! Last Chance, colorized.I had a go at a colorized version. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Russell Lee)
Motorcycle Mama: 1937
September 15, 1937. "First of fair sex to obtain motorcycle license in Capital. Although she ... for 'Halterman'. Washington Post, Sep 11, 1937 D.C.'s Lone Girl Motorcyclist Stormed Loudly to Get Permit ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2013 - 11:51am -

September 15, 1937. "First of fair sex to obtain motorcycle license in Capital. Although she weighs only 88 pounds -- one-third of the machine she rides, Mrs. Sally Halterman is the first woman to be granted a license to operate a motorcycle in the District of Columbia. She is 27 years old and 4 feet, 11 inches tall. Immediately after receiving her permit, Mrs. Halterman was initiated into the D.C. Motorcycle Club -- the only girl ever to be accorded this honor." View full size. Brain Bucket?Not much of a helmet, but I was pretty stupid when I rode my Harley... I'd love to have her bike now. Crash GuardsBy the looks of the crash guard, it had been laid down a few times on the right side. The front fender and headlight rim didn't fare too well either. Look at her feet.She really is tiny. She can barely touch the ground. Love the boots and the jodhpurs though. If I were still riding, I'd have to think about getting a similar outfit. Aunt Eva was a CarnyRode loop the loops on her Indian in 1932. Same style duds, but when not on the bike add a gunbelt. Instead of a helmet, add a rakish cap (think Brando). I'll have to see about scanning a picture of her in her "uniform." A total packageThose boots just *make* the outfit. And she's got great gloves. You'd think someone could make a bike more her size, though. Maybe she got one eventually, custom-built. Still a girl of 27Wow! 27 years old and still a *girl*! at 4 foot 11, that makes her more like a midget. Wanna Race?Her squint says: Road rash? maybe a time or two. What about it? Go Biker Chick!!Most bikes are too tall for the shorter-than-average woman and man even today. I'm 5-foot-3 and can barely reach the ground on my Harley Sportster. I had to make sure to get boots with good heels. I can't imagine riding in that helmet. It looks like a bathing cap! UpfrontNo riding on the bitch seat for this Hot Mamma. Productive CussingTypically the differences in names between the Library of Congress and Washington Post archives are slight variances of spelling. I don't know what could account the Harris & Ewing photographer mistaking the name 'Robinson' for 'Halterman'. Washington Post, Sep 11, 1937 D.C.'s Lone Girl Motorcyclist Stormed Loudly to Get Permit Sally Robinson - She Weighs Only 88 Pounds - Had to 'Buffalo' Stalwart Policeman but Finally Won His Praise - and License. By dint of stamping her foot Sally Robinson, of 2120 H street northwest, has become the only girl in Washington licensed to ride a motorcycle. Miss Robinson - all 88 pounds of her - has been operating motorcycles on and off since 1928, but last spring she decided she wanted a permit. The policeman assigned to officiate at her examination had different ideas, however. Although the District has no law against women motorcyclists, this examiner apparently thought it should have. "First he said I was too little, then he said I was too young," Miss Robinson declaimed yesterday, malice toward all policeman shining in her eyes." She is 27, years old and 4 feet 11 inches tall, and didn't see what either factor had to do with her sitting behind the handlebars of a motorcycle. "I passed the written examination all right - passed it twice, in fact. The first time I got 80 on it, but that wasn't good enough for him so I went down again and got 92, when that didn't satisfy him, I got my lawyer. "Well, that cop looked from me to the lawyer, and from the lawyer to me, and then he said I could take my road test," she continued. Her difficulties had not ended, however. Thinking all was well, she said goodbye to her lawyer and started out for the road test. Then the policeman announced he would not ride with her in the sidecar of the machine he provided for the test - he said he was afraid to. But when the test was over, the examiner announced, "Lady, you handle it as well as a man could. Your balance is swell and you know the machine. But I didn't see you kick it over so I can't give you the permit." That was when Miss Robinson started "cussing him out." "I called him such names - well, I was ashamed of myself. But it worked, and I have the permit." Miss Robinson uses the smallest type of machine built, but at that it weighs 325 pounds, nearly four times as much as she does. Despite the fact, it occasionally falls on her, she insists she would rather ride that machine than eat when she's hungry. As for automobiles, she has no use for them whatsoever. At present her chief goal is membership in the Capitolians, a newly formed motorcycle club of which Lynn Cook, 1515 U street northwest is president. She will be on the only girl in the club, which does not share the Police Department's prejudice against the sex. Name Difference>> I don't know what could account the Harris & Ewing photographer mistaking the name "Robinson" for "Halterman." It probably wasn't a mistake. Confusion on the distaff sideIf your information is correct, I'd say that Robinson is her maiden name, and Halterman is her married name. "Miss" v. "Mrs. Ya reckonshe had a shirt that said "If you can read this, the bastard fell off!"? Harley SportsterBiker Girl, most people think the Sportster is an easy bike to ride, but that is far from the truth. The Sportster came out in 1958 and was adopted by many as a "bar hopper" motorcycle. The Sportster is really harder to ride than the other models. it has a higher center of gravity and more torque in the lower gears and is by no means a starter bike. I've owned just about ever model and would strongly recommend the Fat Boy model. Harley Sportster or Fat Boy?Jimmy, I appreciate your opinion but disagree. The 883 Sportster is truly an entry level bike. It has centered ergos (no forward controls or floorboards), less weight and more ground clearance than any of the Softail models. Its reduced fork rake and better clearance make it far more maneuverable than any Fat Boy. Unlike the 1200 motor, the 883 doesn't make that much torque and is very tractable and easy to control. I think apart from Harley, there are better starter bikes, but if you must have a Harley and you're a newbie, a Sporty is hard to beat. Where do I buy the poster?I ride motorcycles, and own two, and YES, I'm a chick! I love these vintage pics, and would be honoured to have her splashed against a prominent wall in my home. Good for her!! Girls, get on out there. It's tons of fun, believe me! Leave your fears at the door. This sport is just too much fun to miss out on! Small differences a result of retrospective reporting.The posters story looks to have been written long after, by someone who wanted it to sound like it was written then. The original story as pasted in the comments has two important clues. As mentioned before, the original refers to her as "Miss Robinson" while the more current peice uses a married name. Also, the fabrication states: "Mrs. Halterman was initiated into the D.C. Motorcycle Club -- the only girl ever to be accorded this honor." While the older story says she intended at that time to ask for membership, implying that it wasn't a certainty. [A Shorpy mystery! Somehow you've gotten very confused. At least you've gotten me very confused. Below, the newspaper article that you think was "fabricated." What are you thinking is "the original" -- the original what? The caption under the photo comes from the Library of Congress. - Dave] A little history on "Dot" RobinsonShe was really really something! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Motorcycles)
The Big House: 1937
April 1937. "House in Ottawa, Illinois." Bonus points to anyone who can Street View ... look like three elaborate stained glass windows in the 1937 picture. Sadly they are now gone. Oh, Just One More Thing, Please ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2012 - 11:30pm -

April 1937. "House in Ottawa, Illinois." Bonus points to anyone who can Street View the place, assuming it still stands. Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. UPDATE: Astute commenters ID this as the Palmer house at 1236 Ottawa Ave. WOW!That right corner with the chimney is so cool. It is great that no one, over the years, thought to paint the masonry to match the house proper. Such an interesting detail. Walter B. Palmer HouseGoogle doesn't cover much of Ottawa but I did find out this is "The Walter B. Palmer House, completed around 1896. An example of design from the periodical American Homes. George F. Barber, architect." It was standing as of 2008 but looks a bit beat. [Good work! It's on Street View at 1236 Ottawa Avenue. Click below to enlarge. - Dave] Flickr of interestI did find a recent picture. It's badly in need of a paint job. What a shameA beautiful home that deserves much more attention than it's getting. [My first thought was "needs paint," but then I noticed that almost all of the siding above the first floor is shingles. -Dave] Could be worseAll things considered, it's pretty intact. Usually you see homes of that era that have been completely butchered. I imagine the upkeep alone must have been a full time job. Story TimeLooks like there might be a fourth story at the far end, which would make five levels counting the basement. Well Known HorsemanWalter B. Palmer, born 1863, killed in a riding accident in 1932. I think this is the placeright here. It still standsHere is the link to Street View for this old gem. Awaiting my bonus ... [Your bonus points: !!!!!!!!!! (of the exclamation variety). Hats off to you and all the other Shorpians who located the house with lightning speed! - Dave] 1236 Ottawa AvenueIt's the Walter Palmer house, at 1236 Ottawa Avenue! Needs some work!Now it's quite a fixer-upper. I count what look like three elaborate stained glass windows in the 1937 picture. Sadly they are now gone. Oh, Just One More Thing, PleaseThe original porch was much better; too bad it was modified. Hey, Little BuddyThe big brother of a chimney looks like it has an arm draped around the shoulders of the window, as if to say, "Whatcha looking at?" I've never seen chimney masonry extended quite like that before. It's very appealing, and lends weight to the design gracefully. It makes the porte-cochere look spindly and out of place. Fire in the fireplaceI see some comments about the chimney so let me be the first to point out that there is a fire below since you can see the heat waves leaving the top. Design No. 27That would be a "George Barber House" built from his Design #27. (Below). I know because my great-grandfather built an identical house from the same plans at 123 Central Street in Salinas, California. (Also below.) No longer standing, alas. [Good heavens. I'll wager there's a kitchen sink somewhere in there. -Dave] Update: Full-size drawings at http://www.pbase.com/jamartini/barberhouse The bottomless money pitQueen Annes are groovy to look at from the street but you'd had better have an awesome set of tools and skills in the garage if you're gonna own one. My brother and wife lived in one like this and they were ALWAYS fixing, repairing, or replacing something on the exterior. Twas a never ending battle. Linsay House in IowaHere's a beautifully preserved #27. Interesting to see some of the custom details different buyers would opt for (such as the bargeboard in the large gable and railed upper porch) Floor PlanHistry2, is there any way you can post that floor plan larger? I'm intrigued by old house plans. Bloom County Linsay HouseWell I'll be gobsmacked, it is! Floor plansHi tinytortoise. I posted four Barber sheets (Including two for #27) at http://www.pbase.com/jamartini/barberhouse Barber design bookThis posting led me to Google Books, where I found one of George Barber's design books, available for free here. Unfortunately this book does not contain this exact design, but it's a good place to get lost if you appreciate 1890s architecture. Santa Claus: Keep OutUtterly stunning, especially that chimney. Do enough of the plans still exist that one could build these again with more modern materials, or only the exterior and floor plan so you would have to hire an architect to fill in the rest? If only I won a multi state lottery so I could go buy one and afford to restore it. Finding Grandmother's HouseWith help from a former colleague, I located the house where my grandmother grew up at the turn of the 20th Century this way. Click here. Bloom CountyToday while researching Berke Breathed's comic strip Bloom County I came across a Wiki entry that states that the Linsay House, already pictured in a comment below, was Breathed's model for the Bloom County boarding house! This very dayHere is a photo taken today, 12 Dec 2012. Friend lives in Ottawa and took this photo. Much excitement in town due to photo being up on Shorpy. A friend's grandfather knew the photographer as he lived in Ottawa for awhile back in the day and rented a house from the grandfather. Before and AfterI love that chimney, I've seen it on several old house photos. This one in particular is mesmerizing so I put together a little before and after animation. Re: This Very DayLooks like the current owners or occupants are slowly chipping away at some exterior sprucing up since the street view was taken! Quite the job they have ahead of them. Too bad they lost their little round porch--that might be my favorite feature on the original house. Looks like they gained the upper porch at least. My heart criesAs a restoration carpenter and lover of American architecture and homes built from early 1800's to early to mid 1940's when I see this I cry. Tears literally fill my eyes as these homes that gave definition to the landscape fall to disrepair and neglect. I watch as these homes some left and abandoned are reclaimed by old mother earth. I tears a hole in my stomach as I see pictures of these "homes" where as roof fails, it is only a matter of time before the often all solid oak floors or some even walnut woodwork with incredible 10 foot ceiling. The internet is loaded with this photography and brings to light the failure of our country to revive these beautiful homes that took hands to build. Hand built, hand crafted and often had milled woodwork before electricity was even an option. I hope this country wakes up and begins to revive these beauties. Once inside they are nothing short of incredible if you knew what it took to join, match and assemble this beautiful woodwork. where not one piece of plastic was ever used. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Provincetown Summer: 1937
Summer 1937. "Street scene -- Provincetown, Massachusetts." And a reminder to "Don't ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:35pm -

Summer 1937. "Street scene -- Provincetown, Massachusetts." And a reminder to "Don't write -- Telegraph!" 35mm negative by Edwin Rosskam. View full size. Quite stylishnothing like pedaling a bicycle while wearing two inch heels. Itchy nippleMy guess. [If you look closely, you'll see that both hands are at her sides. And if you don't look closely, this is what you come up with.] - Dave] Old Cape CodTwenty one years after this picture was snapped, I made my first of many road trips to Provincetown. 1958 was the year Patti Page recorded the title song and it was played constantly everywhere in Provincetown to add musical atmosphere for the tourists. Nothing stays the same and neither did Provincetown, but the fresh lobsters, crusty Portugese breads, artists and artisans of all kinds, lively ambient bars, balmy beaches and friendly people got me hooked on this beautiful town. My last trip there was in 1970 so maybe somebody can locate an updated picture of the current Main St. and post it. P.S. to Kilroy - Thanks for refreshing my memory. I do remember that their main street was called Commercial St. We used to stay at a B & B type lodging called the Gray Inn that most likely no longer exists, a family-run rooming house sort of arrangement, casual and inexpensive. Wonderful memories. P.P.S. to JesryPo - I appreciate the photo (the architecture does look original) and its nice to know it is still a quaint and charming town. Many thanks. StyleFrom her head to toe, the bicycle chick evokes style...boasting the latest in eye wear, jewelry, socks, heels. She may have been heading home from work. And, remember the rear wheel push-down stands? I love this image. Wish I knew what the attention grabber was. Judging by those socksTwo years later a house from Kansas will fall on her! At first glanceI thought she had her hand under her shirt, adjusting her bra. Burchis the maker of that beautiful Art Deco popcorn machine. In 1940 it became Manley Inc. to reflect the new owners name. More here. Bicycling experienceI remember as a boy, having to tie my pants leg tight so the material wouldn't get tangled in the chain mechanism. I never saw the need to tie BOTH legs, since there is nothing on the other side to get tangled up. And those heels must have made the pedaling difficult. I'd have put those shoes in the bag, and worn appropriate shoes for the trip, then switched to my heels once I reached my destination. What's this world coming to?A man outside and not wearing a hat!! There he is againIt seems like the older fellow on the right by the curb (hat, tie blown back) is omnipresent in photos from this era. He certainly did get around! The Start of the End of the USPSIn the window it says "Don't write, Telegraph." The sign of things to come. Armchair quarterbacking the photoI too thought her hand was in the shirt adjusting things...She seems very flexible too. Can someone describe the pants? They look like a pants-skirt??? [Culottes? - tterrace] Re: OTY - No Main St.There isn't any Main Street in Provincetown if you can believe it. The main thoroughfares through P-Town are Bradford St. (Rte 6A) and Commercial St. I'm guessing this photo was taken on Commercial, but not sure. Stylin'That girl is years ahead of her time style wise. I love it! That took guts back then. Free thinkerI'm guessing this woman was what was referred to at that time as a "free thinker." She's very stylish and uninhibited looking. 304 Commercial StreetI can assure you, OTY, much of Provincetown is as it was, at least architecturally. There is no Google Street View for Commercial Street, but I found this picture of 304 Commercial - now a jeweler. Girl on BicycleHer hand is going straight down her right side, not in her blouse. Love how she looks. Too bad there isn't even a reflection to help us know what the people are looking at. I keep coming backIve looked at this photo alot, and I keep thinking how the girl on the bike would fit right in with the students at Appalachian university here in Boone NC. hip, but with a agenda. Modern girlExcept for the passerbys she looks like she would fit right in, in downtown Monterey in the artsy section or underground Atlanta back in the late sixties. Especially with the glasses. The pic took me right back there. AkimboThe young lady's pose is a variant of "hands on hips" or "akimbo". The hands are placed so that the fingers are vertical and end up approximately at the waist, instead of on the hips. Thanks to various life experiences I associate it with the Northeastern U.S., with impatience or irritation, and with the sort of woman we describe today as "high maintenance". I Always telegraphThat's why I'm such a lousy poker player. "Don't write" would last about five more yearsNo one who lived on the home front during World War II ever wanted to receive a telegram again. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Edwin Rosskam)
This Won't Hurt a Bit: 1937
Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Children's Hospital Rotary." Who can tell us what's going on here? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 6:18pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Children's Hospital Rotary." Who can tell us what's going on here? Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Apprehension"Ve hav vays uf making you talk!" This is what happens... to boys who lose their socks. Wild GuessThe closest thing I can think of is that it is a precursor to an EKG. Can hardly wait for what the students of old medical techniques come up with. What's going onAncient dialysis machine? EKGIt's probably an electrocardiograph. He appears to have electrodes attached to his wrist and ankle. There should be at least one more attached to his chest, under his shirt. The part of the device to the nurse's left looks like a film recorder, which would be used to record the waveform. ElectrocardiogramThis is what it might be, although a bit unnerving for a child! Take it from a nurseThis looks like they are checking this child's extent of paralysis due to polio. You actually have a point... with the sock comment. It appears that the boy has something strapped to each wrist as well as to his left ankle, though not his right. So it would appear that his single sock status actually serves some sort of purpose. What this could actually be, however, I have no idea. Early ECGThis is amazing to me... I've never seen a picture like this. The boy looks like he is getting an electrocardiogram. But I can't say for sure because again, I've never seen equipment like this. Diathermy GeneratorMaybe a diathermy generator. Or a myograph. Whatever it is, it's made by Cambridge Instruments. Poor kidLooks like the very definition of "scared stiff." Flux capacitor1.21 gW. Polio testing I had it when I was 5 years (in 1952) old and this is similar, as much as I can recall, of what I went through. Cambridge ElectrocardiographSimilar to the one here. Amazing that last month I walked around for a day with a monitor the size of a pack of cigarettes (probably not the best analogy) that recorded my thousands of heartbeats. [I think we have a winner! The kid may have had rheumatic fever. - Dave] Who wants a drumstick?I saw the caption real quick in my peripheral vision and thought it said Children's Hospital Rotisserie. Talk about a double-take. EKG sounds rightThe machinery is quite a blast from an engineer's perspective. This thing would have been called an oscillograph. The light source is the item at the left end, then some optics to make a small spot, then there must be a galvanometer to move a mirror that moves the spot of light across the slit that the roll of what I assume is photographic paper is exposed through. There's a drive belt with a flywheel to move the paper past the slit at a controlled rate. The Tungar box below is a rectifier to power the electronics (Tungar is a rectifier tube brand that I've heard of - Tung-Sol perhaps?). I assume that there is a vacuum tube amplifier to boost the feeble pulse signal to drive the galvanometer. [Not quite. The "Tungar" box is General Electric battery charger. - Dave] Assault and BatteryI think they're trying to jump-start the poor kid. OperatorIf you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again... Shocking electrical adventuresAmazing that they would put a boy that large in a crib. He barely fits. But that seems to be the least of his worries. One can hope this boy was a model used in a photo session, to promote the device, and not a real patient. [That's a hospital bed. - Dave] The String Galvanometer ElectrocardiographHere the principle of the device is explained in greater detail: http://www.hrsonline.org/News/ep-history/timeline/1920s.cfm YardstickI noticed the small piece of a yardstick we can see on the floor - looks like it says McDougall-Butler. A search yielded a paint company based out of Buffalo, NY that could be a possibility. Gimme gimme Shock Treatment!Poor kid. An Early ECGThis is a very early ECG machine. The electrodes are strapped to the child's wrists and left ankle in a standard setup. Even earlier (say 30 years before) when electrodes weren't available, there were baths of salt water to put one's hands and foot into. The equipment used a "string galvanometer" which vibrated with the heartbeat; the tracing was recorded on film stock, developed, printed, and pasted onto cardboard. --Retired cardiologist Yes, Nurse RatchedI will never, ever jump on the bed again. Nursing capsNurses no longer wear nursing caps. The nurse in the photo shows why: they got tired of the caps constantly falling off the back of their heads. EKGI am an anesthesiologist and thus I use an EKG every day in my work. Thus I immediately recognized this as an early EKG. It requires an electrode on the right arm, left arm, and the left leg in order to "see" the heart electrical currents from different directions. His sock is off is to be able to put the electrode on the ankle. We know now that they could just as well have put it further up on his leg and left the sock on. Interesting photograph. We know it is not electroconvulsive therapy because ECT is done on the head and not on the limbs, ECT was first done in Italy by Cerletti and Bini in 1938, a year after the photo was made. CappedThat's one reason nurses no longer wear caps- the others are that they always got tangled in the privacy drapes and were ultimately unsanitary because they could never really be cleaned well. Still have my cap, but haven't worn it since graduation! Banzai!We're sending him to the 8th Dimension. Watch out for Lectroids. Same Socks? Same Kid?https://www.shorpy.com/node/6116?size=_original He must have talked dirty to Dr. Eleanor Hunt. [Both kids are wearing striped socks. But with different stripes. Different kids, too. - Dave] Scary!If I saw a contraption as scary looking as this as a kid I'd have leaped off that bed and taken off pronto. Poor kid. Too funnyI had an unfortunate stay at Children's Hospital in the very early 80s and I swear they might have still been using those same cribs. This photo sparked a memory I hadn't recalled in years and years; when I first got there, they'd put me in a crib just like this. I was five years old. A very nice nurse saw me and said, "Oh, you're a big girl, you shouldn't be in a crib. Let's get you into a big girl bed." A minor kindness that made me feel much better in the midst of a very bad illness. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Medicine)
Sins of Passion: 1937
August 1937. "Early morning scene. Tower, Minnesota." Medium format nitrate negative ... Did you know? Censorship, Mad City style A November 1937 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal reports that the City of Madison's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/01/2010 - 2:21am -

August 1937. "Early morning scene. Tower, Minnesota." Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I want that Phillip Morris sign.Is this Lee Harvey Oswald's dad? Still standing on Main.View Larger Map Opera singers!Not only does Lucky Strike have Madeleine Carroll selling tits wares, but also Metropolitan Opera singer Helen Jepson. Even better than a doctor! The resemblance to Oswald is spooky! So that's where all those Norwegian bachelor farmers wound up on a Saturday night! "Sins of Passion" does not show up on IMDB. Were there second rate theaters that sidestepped the Hayes Office, showing this kind of film without getting arrested? [The Hayes Office was an arm of the motion picture industry. Which of course didn't have the power to arrest anyone. - Dave] It's HIM!! Wow, I was thinking the same thing! Suspicious cigarette he has there. B.V.Ralph Fiennes, Before (Lord) Voldemort. Saturated MarketInexplicably, I have the desire to use tobacco products. CALLING...PHIIIIIIIIILLLLIIIIIIIP MOOOOOORRRRRIIIIIIISSSSSS!!!!! Time traveling tterraceWhere'd tterrace get the time machine? And if he could go back in time, why'd he pick this bar to hang around? "Sins of Passion"A "sex hygiene" short produced by Maurice Copeland. Generally classed as an exploitation film with the ostensible topic of venereal disease. As if we needed itEven more proof that LHO had been in some unexpected places. People's BeerFrom Oshkosh. First black-owned brewery in the U.S. http://www.mainstreetoshkosh.com/2008/02/peoples-beer.html Lucky Opera SingerHelen Jepson chose Lucky Strikes because of her voice. Her arias must have been something, punctuated, as they must have been, by coughing fits. On the Sunny Side of the StreetThis place does not appear to be there any longer. The building below in the Google Street View is on the south side of the street facing north. The shadow of the time-traveling tterrace shows him to be on the north side of the street facing south. Helen Jepson saysHelen Jepson sang lead soprano with the Metropolitan Opera from 1935 to 1941. She was also popular on radio shows and had a brief film careen. Do you suppose she REALLY smoked Luckies "because of her voice"? SundayReminds me of Edward Hopper's "Sunday" from 1926. Beautiful downtown TowerI've been to Tower -- on business, believe it or not. Can you say "middle of nowhere"? SmokesWe see ads for Lucky Strikes (before Lucky Strike green went to war and didn't come back) featuring actress Madeleine Carroll and soprano Helen Jepson; Chesterfields (whose theme song contains a line "while your Chesterfield burns" that was highly alarming in Canada where chesterfield is another name for a sofa); Philip Morris (featuring Johnny, the Bell Boy), Camels, as well as Van Dyck and White Owl Cigars, and "Model" which looks to me to be some sort of pipe tobacco or tobacco pouch. In fact, besides the ad for the movie, the only non-tobacco things I can see here are a sign pained onto the glass for Peoples Beer (a small brewery out of Oshkosh) and a small sign telling people that this place "serves" "we have Wrigley's" Spearmint gum. JohnnyThe "Call For Philip Morris" Bellman was Johnny Roventini, a 4-foot-7 actor who was a national celebrity in his time. More Doctors Smoke CamelsDid you know? Censorship, Mad City styleA November 1937 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal reports that the City of Madison's censorship committee (led by its acting mayor) concluded that "Sins of Passion" could not be shown in the Capitol Theatre - but instead could be shown only "as an educational film in a school auditorium or some other public place." The Mayor's last name was Gill, not Quimby. The sun is in the morning. The sun is in the morning. In Minnesota, the sun rises in the northeast in the summer. So I believe the google picture could be correct. This ain't Florida. In summer you have 18 hour days or longer. [Back to school for you. The sun doesn't rise in the northeast anywhere north of the Tropic of Cancer.* - Dave] *Actually, back to school for me. The sun will never pass directly overhead north of the Tropic of Cancer, but it can rise north of due east, and therefore can shine from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere. I think. - Dave North and SouthIt's not astrophysics, but the sidewalk is sloping downhill to the left in the Lee photo. The Google Street View below seems to show the sidewalk sloping in the opposite direction. From what I can tell, most or all of Main Street in Tower slopes downhill east to west. The two stores are probably on the opposite sides of the street, the Street View store on the south side and the Lee photo on the north. On the other hand, step down the street to the old building next to Hardware Hanks on the north side of Main Street. View Larger Map I think this is probably your old store, or at least a better candidate. The sidewalk has been raised (as wasn't too uncommon in many midwest towns as the roads were improved and built up) but the short step inside the alcove seems to still be there. The photo isn't very good and someone parked a silly trailer home partially in the way of our better view!! Sunrise[Back to school for you. The sun doesn't rise in the northeast anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. - Dave] Oh, yeah — just like a rocket can't work in a vacuum, I suppose. I suggest that you go back to school. In the northern hemisphere, for instance, after the autumn equinox and before the spring equinox, the sun rises south of east — and between the spring equinox and the autumn equinox, it rises north of east, the number of degrees north dependent on the latitude and date. In extreme cases, such as just south of the Arctic Circle (which one might note is in the northern hemisphere), on the day of the summer solstice, say, the sun will rise just east of due north, and set (24 hours less a bit later) just west of due north. Thus, there certainly are dates and (north) latitudes where on those days and at those locations the Sun will rise exactly in the northeast. (Similar arguments might be made about southern latitudes, but that wasn't what you tried erroneously to dismiss.) [Back to school for me indeed! - Dave] This Post's PopularityCourtesy of Instapundit. (The Gallery, Movies, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
A Lab and a Cab: 1937
Scanned from a print dated March 23, 1937. Colorized! View full size. Call me Phil Being one who enjoys ... really a choice for the average amateur photographer in 1937, a year after the first color print films became commercially available.) ... 
 
Posted by D_Chadwick - 07/12/2009 - 11:01pm -

Scanned from a print dated March 23, 1937. Colorized! View full size. Call me PhilBeing one who enjoys the colorized pics -- and therefore a Philistine -- I have to say I'm not seeing the point of what appears to be ranting for ranting's sake. Surely the point of all this outrage can't be to persuade, since hardly anybody is persuaded by being called names, or having their positions caricatured, or being accused of the worst imaginable motives. But if I were a wise and sensitive respecter of art and history, perhaps I would understand. Of course, in that case, I might be over at the Library of Congress site, where, as far as I am aware, nobody ever colorizes anything at all. What's old is new!My great aunt made money during the Depression tinting photos by hand. We have a few of hers around, and they are very similar in appearance to these. It was a point of pride with her to turn out the work that she did, and she was in great demand by the local drug stores until she got a job as a secretary during the war. I think for some other body to spend all of the time it takes to tint these photos is a tremendous mark of respect for our past-doing so is NOT "easy" or fast. No LabThat sure is a cab but that isn't a Lab. [Perhaps you're looking at the wrong dog. - Dave] History coming to lifeThis image really conveys vitality better than B&W, although I still like those images too. The dogs really come to life. Well done. It seems like there have been more colorized images recently. Any particular reason? Whoa Nellie!Let’s all take a deep breath and relax. I'm the guy who colorized this "travesty." As a collector of antique negatives and prints I too am a bit of a purist when it comes to black and white photography as can be seen if you click on the "track" tab of my user profile. However, I see nothing wrong with putting color to an old image for recreational purposes. I shouldn’t have to remind the noted "historians" who were kind enough to submit their thoughtful comments that tinting photos goes back to the days of Daguerreotypes, so the process is hardly anything new. As for being done by "technicians" rather than artists I’d like to point out that I've been employed as a graphic artist for over twenty years. I also oil paint, work with charcoals and particularly enjoy pen and ink and can assure you that colorizing these digitally is an art since it takes the same ability to mix colors, recognize good contrasts etc. Anybody who disputes that isn't familiar with the process involved. Not to mention the eye it takes to restore the original photos even before adding color. I for one am glad Dave and the Shorpy gang are posting these. It's interesting to see other people's interpretations of how history might have looked had we been there. One of the most entertaining things about the arts is the critics. Go to your corners!I don't like colorization, but can't really get hysterical about it. In this photo, the "yellow" cab is a color of yellow that no one has ever seen on a real cab, and if the lovely lady is still alive, she might take offense at being made to look like she dyed her hair. Still, this kind of anonymous snap is the best choice for colorization, rather than the work of photographers who took great care with their tones and shadings. I remember in my childhood, people could buy "tinting" kits to colorize their own b&w photos, and my mother used her kit to create some ghastly images of my childhood. Ironically, however, the tinting has proved more stable than 1950s color prints, which have faded and now look even older and weirder than they, and I, are. ColorizationI've held my tongue long enough. I find colorization to be a travesty and a deliberate show of disrespect to both the filmmaker and the photographer. If the photographer had wanted to use color film in depicting these images, he certainly could have. He chose not to. It is my opinion that succeeding generations should respect his judgement and refrain from altering the photographers reality. Simply using a technology because it new or somehow "neat" is a poor reason to use the technology. Further, I believe colorization used in this manner is simply a tool wielded by technicians, not artists, who have no creative ability of their own and so seek to vandalize art created by others. I despised colorization when Ted Turner first sought to employ it and I deplore it today. ["Travesty"? "Disrespect"? "Despise"? "Deplore"? "Vandalism"? Goodness. As for "art created by others," they're casual snapshots salvaged from old shoeboxes, family photo albums, thrift stores, etc. (And shooting on color film was not really a choice for the average amateur photographer in 1937, a year after the first color print films became commercially available.) For more colorization hilarity, see the comment below. Note how this "historian" went to the trouble of adding italics. - Dave] The Best MedicineI'm not sure he'd ever admit to it, but I suspect the real reason Dave gives space to the colorized pictures is entertainment value. Not of the photos themselves, which are OK, but the opportunity they afford otherwise rational people make complete asses of themselves with their ridiculous, unintentionally hilarious "comments." [Of course you're right -- he would never admit to such a thing. - Dave] Who Owns the Past?As an art and design historian I'm happy to say "Good night and good luck" to Outta Here and the other Kultur Kops who refuse to accept any difference between casual artistic appropriations of historical images and "professional" presentations of those images. What "standard" do these clowns think they're protecting? Is Shorpy the National Archives? Here we have people happily engaging with history in creative and thoughtful ways, and they can't stand it. No wonder so many historical societies are closing their doors for lack of support. And to the digital artists on this site who've provided these images, please, send us a colorized Mathew Brady. Soon. If it weeds out a few more sandbox bullies who think they own history, hurrah! If I had a little more time for my own Photoshop efforts, by now I would have done so myself. Brady beat us to itSo much for the supposed sanctity of black and white Civil War photos. A quick Google search yielded the image below, a very large original salt print portrait of General Joseph Hooker, ca. 1863, 17 1/2 inches by 15 inches, taken, printed and hand-colored in the Mathew Brady studio. Brady was a businessman and a showman, not an "artist," who counted Horace Greeley and P.T. Barnum among his personal friends. And he found that colored images sold well then for the same reasons that they captivate us now. Not a fan of this colorizationI'm ok with colorization if it adds to the image. The key is to add the color with a subtle, light touch and to understand that, say, the yellow on a taxi is actually comprised of several subtly different yellows. In this case, however, the color does not add but, in my humble opinion, takes away from the image. The colors are so heavy that the area of the collie's face and man's chest has lost its detail. The colors on the dog's coat and the woman's hair were especially applied with a rather heavy, clunky fashion. Hue and CryIf you don't like colorized images, feel free to avoid them. I think they're 100% fine for Dave to put on his site as long as he notes that they have been colorized recently, which he does with the colorized tag. The photographs on Shorpy were made for many different reasons, and it's not our place to dictate the artistic intentions of the photographers. I think it's great that we have the option of seeing a modern artist's conception of what the original photog saw. For example, I don't think colorizing would improve "Lady in the Water" but I think it would be interesting for "The Jerk" and many other images. I believe that most pictures would have probably been taken in color in the first place if it had been as cheap, easy to access, and durable as it is today. BunkI support the colorization. In response to those who feel otherwise, I would like to point out the black and white negatives safely remain. I spent a long career as a professional editor and reporter/photographer, as well as amateur historian, and I see nothing wrong with these colorized photos. Variety is the Spice of LifeTHANK YOU, DAVE, for offering a venue where photos can be displayed in original form, as well as colorized. How can it be that some moral corruption is committed by adding a little color? If you don't like it, don't look at it. Use the power of your mouse and click elsewhere. And as to the photographers using color if they had been able to, I would be willing to wager that any one of these photogs would have GLADLY switched to color had it been available. It is we on the romantic side of looking back that insist on purist displays. Otherwise, why would they have gone to the trouble to hand color with paints and the like before color was available. Again, no one is twisting anyone's arm to look at any of this stuff. If you don't like it, scroll on! Colorized just like Grandpa used toThese colorized photos look much like colorized photos that could be found in magazine advertisements and on postcards in the years before color film was widely available. Colorization as artFor centuries, artists have taken previous artists' works as inspiration to be quoted and reworked in new ways. Manet quotes Titian, Bacon quotes Velasquez, etc. If the colorization is well done and helps you see the original in new and interesting ways, then it succeeds as art too. Done respectfully, it's a form of homage to the original. Retro ColorThe colorized pictures presented here had a vaguely familiar feel to me. Then this afternoon, whem I was moving boxes of old National Geographics around in the attic, it dawned on me. Most of them look almost identical to old color magazine prints. So what you have here is a digital recreation of an old process. Just what we need: another colorization opinionI wonder why the various Farkizations don't inspire similarly vehement responses. As with the colorizations, I regard them as completely separate and distinct visual experiences vis-a-vis the originals. And though I rarely get an "it's real" feeling from colorizations, I must say that in the coulda-fooled-me department, The Summer of '41, 2.0 takes the cake. To heck with the hatersI too am one that enjoys colorizing old black and white photos. I have done mostly old family ones and a bunch of old sports ones. The funny thing about the haters is this. The world is a world of color. The only reason old pictures are in black and white is because there was no color film. When any of the haters take family pictures now or pictures of vacations or whatever how many use black and white film or in digital? I see some very talented people on here with the colorizing. For some of you to do all the little details is fantastic. I love Shorpy and try to check it every day. The quality of the pictures makes them great to be colorized if one can do so. The anger by many about this puzzles me. Color me NeutralPersonally I don't care either way concerning color vs. black and white but I think I can see the point the anti-colorization mob is trying to make. Most of the photos I have seen colorized no longer look like "real" photos. The colors, from the skin tones on the people to the brickwork on buildings, are unnatural and generally off. From reading all of the posts concerning this I understand how difficult the process apparently is so I am not trying to knock anyone's work. It just takes a picture that looks real and transforms it into a cartoon in most cases. Some people, it would seem, don't appreciate that. Aesthetically speakingI must respectfully disagree with Mr. Breza here. I think colorizing embalms the photos. Even the most sensitive application of color muddies the tones and the highlights. The original black-and-white images have so much more immediacy, texture and vitality. Color snobsThis debate reminds me that many art purists love classic Grecian architecture and sculpture. The simplicity of form and aspect, etc. Well, the Greeks painted and gilded their temples to make them more lifelike and eye-catching. Imagine the Parthenon's friezes colorized with the subtlety of a Sunday-funnies comic strip. The original art, if that is what it is, is untouched by the work of those who wish to enjoy it in any way they feel led to. Perhaps some of you wish to take paint and brush to "fix" a Greek temple? You know, to take it back to the artist's "true concept"? Hair flip"Outta Here" marks the first hair flip I've seen on Shorpy. I'm quite used to seeing them on sites like CafeMom and Babycenter -- where new-mommy hormones rage. Funny to see one in this setting, performed by a historian no less. You could almost hear the finger-snap. You can also bet that, true to hair-flip form, "Outta Here" is most certainly NOT outta here. Instead they are lurking to see what kind of dust they kicked up and how/if anyone is begging them to come back. I don't mind the color. I can respect the time, talent, and artistry it takes to do it, even if I prefer the black-and-white originals. Taxi!Old Yeller appears to be a '36 Dodge . . . I've been colorizing B&W photos digitally since 1993. And I was doing it in Marshall's oils before that. Also with color dyes in an airbrush. I once did an entire calender of stills from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" about 15 years ago digitally. I know, I should be shot for such blasphemy, but the company I did the work for had acquired the rights to do so. It was fun, and I tried to maintain a look of hand tinting as apposed to all out colorization. Some tricks are trying to maintain a certain value of color across the entire image, as well as not allowing the shadows to obtain too much color saturation. The saturation is what gives most of the colorized images an off look. It's not all plug and play, and the use of curves and selective color is often needed to make a more natural color effect once a color has been layed in. My Great-Aunt was a colorizerReally enjoy the work of the colorizers on Shorpy. My great-aunt is 96. During her late teens, she worked as a colorizer in a local studio. She told me that so many customers wanted their portraits colorized, she was working overtime. She gave my mother two original portraits of my great-grandparents that she herself had done, they are really nice. Thanks for sharing the colorizing work on Shorpy. Life has always been in color, and to see our forefathers in color reminds us that they, too, were just real people like us. Knickers in a TwistI am surprised by the vehemence of the anti-colorists. I think it adds more than a little something. Like watching the Wizard of Oz. I think the other dog is either an English or Australian shepherd. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Colorized Photos)
Company Town: 1937
February 1937. "Company steel town. Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama." The stomping ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/01/2023 - 12:47pm -

February 1937. "Company steel town. Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama." The stomping grounds of our namesake Shorpy Higginbotham, killed in a mining accident in 1928. Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. No master bath.Every home equipped with a serviceable outhouse. Foy NeighborlySome of the outhouses are so close you could talk to your neighbor. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Birmingham, Mining)
Point at the Birdie: 1937
... steps of their apartment on Ramona Ave. in San Francisco, 1937. View full size. Birthday Notice my Shirley Temple curls, and ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/22/2011 - 4:40pm -

My sister (at right) and her guests for her third birthday party, arrayed across the terrazzo front steps of their apartment on Ramona Ave. in San Francisco, 1937. View full size. BirthdayNotice my Shirley Temple curls, and the Shirley like dress and socks. A Shirley Temple movie at the Majestic, preceded by dinner at a local greasy spoon was the big entertainment at the time. No, I didn't get named Shirley like hundreds of other girls of my era. "Birthday Girl" (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kids, tterrapix)
Gasolene Gospel: 1937
August 1937. "Gas station and gospel mission in Cleveland, Ohio." In addition to ... whisks us away to another time and place. In a flash, it's 1937. Thanks Shorpy! All Closed Cars What I love about these pics are ... popular Bible translations hadn't even been written in 1937. On a different note, I can't be the only one here who wouldn't mind ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2013 - 3:54pm -

August 1937. "Gas station and gospel mission in Cleveland, Ohio." In addition to Koolmotor "Gasolene," a long-defunct Cities Service brand, we also seem to have at least a couple of the major food groups represented here, as well as two verses from the New Testament. Photo by John Vachon. View full size. Intersection todayThe warehouse across the street is still standing, though the facade has been updated. Otherwise the intersection is quite different. View Larger Map Missing Billboard"Pray And Get Gas" English Teacher's NightmareGasolene. Kool. Thru. Towards. No wonder the kids today can't spell. Hotel Auditorium Wonderful photograph! From the web site, Cleveland Memory, regarding the Hotel Auditorium: The Hotel Auditorium is Cleveland's newest hotel in the downtown section, and is directly across from the famous Cleveland Public Auditorium. It was located at East 6th Street and St. Clair Avenue and apparently opened in 1930. Wonder what the difference was between a two dollar and a two dollar and a half room. [If the Hotel Auditorium had an auditorium, things could get super confusing. - Dave] Way Kool!!!This photo is just begging for colorizing! What a scene! And I want that panel truck! But does that second Bible verse read oddly to anyone else? I was expecting it to be "those" instead of "them." I suppose that's the King James Version of the text, which usually sounds so wonderful to my ear. Amazing Photo!Again, Shorpy whisks us away to another time and place. In a flash, it's 1937. Thanks Shorpy! All Closed CarsWhat I love about these pics are the old cars in their natural surroundings. Gather a group of cars of this era today and there will be a preponderance of open cars. Twenty-one cars in this pic and not a one of them an open car! Three times three slices of bread.Why not an even number, so you don't wind up stuck with half a sandwich. My CliffordvilleYes, I think I have found it. But with a happier ending, please. Terminal TowerPeeking over the building in the upper left corner. Bible verseIn response to Jim Page's comment, the verse sounds odd now, but remember that several of today's most popular Bible translations hadn't even been written in 1937. On a different note, I can't be the only one here who wouldn't mind paying a visit to the ice cream truck on the bottom left. Well Ethylis standing right next to the Koolmotor gas pump. Looks like their glass globes are canted toward each other and they're carrying on a conversation. Koolmotor is asking, "Is your name really Ethyl?" I love old gas stations. Looks like all the "night parking" is filled up and it's only 5 minutes to 3. Wheels "O" RollinYou've got to love those old trucks. The AuditoriumI presume the Auditorium Hotel received that name because it was located across the street from the Public Auditorium, which is part of downtown Cleveland's Group Plan designed by Daniel Burnham. The Auditorium Hotel is gone, but the site had another hotel, which is now getting a major re-work in anticipation of the reopening later this year of the downtown convention center after its own major overhaul. A corner of Public Auditorium can be seen in the upper right corner, showing the word "CONCEIVED" as part of the sentence inscribed on the building. [“A Monument Conceived as a Tribute to the Ideals of Cleveland, Builded by Her Citizens and Dedicated to Social Progress, Industrial Achievement and Civic Interests” - tterrace] The March of Time Will Now Take a Short BreakLiving for a while some 164 blocks East of this scene and nine years later, I found similar cars to be common sights during my daily wanderings. The three-year hiatus in passenger car production during WWII, coupled with delays in getting Detroit reconfigured after war production, meant that many cars of the '30s soldiered on for some time after peace broke out. I recall finding cars with "lights that stick out" preferable to more modern ones ... and I suspect that I still do. Pack 'em inI like the painted lines on the walls for spacing the night parking. Shorpy TruckShorpy truck on the left. Filled with large format glass negatives, waiting for the internet. That lounge chairThat lounge chair intrigues me. What an odd position to put a chair like that. I realise the angle and camera standing adds to the visual illusion, but to me, it remains strange placement. St. Clair and E. 9th Street in 1963Here is a photo from the Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery. It shows a view of this block from the St. Claire Avenue side. The City Mission is still there, and the Koolmotor station is a Sohio in 1963, but a lot of the rest of the view ended up as parking lots for a while. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cleveland, Gas Stations, John Vachon)
Try the Train: 1937
California, March 1937. "Toward Los Angeles." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative ... "There's No Way Like the American Way" , also from 1937. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:12pm -

California, March 1937. "Toward Los Angeles." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. MagnificentNow THAT is a photograph. Such powerful social commentary captured in a single image. Lange couldn't have gotten a better shot. Incredible ShotIt made me think of "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. Ms. Lange......shows us how it's done. Again. It's like a white rural version of......Margaret Bourke-White's famous shot, "There's No Way Like the American Way", also from 1937. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Railroads)
Mom and Pop: 1937
August 1937. "Storekeeper and wife in front of their store at Section 30. 'Bust' iron ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/04/2010 - 12:53am -

August 1937. "Storekeeper and wife in front of their store at Section 30. 'Bust' iron mining town near Winton, Minnesota." Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. They are quite endearingWould this have been what the song "Sixteen Tons" called a "company store"? How many souls are on its books? A sweet looking coupleNot sure if they are husband and wife, brother and sister or just good friends, but they look like they've been together for years, have seen a lot together and still enjoy each other's company. A great natural pose! [The mystery of their relatedness can be solved by, quel surprise, reading the caption. - Dave] Thanks Again, Shorpy!You did it again: another photo that brought a smile to my face. What a happy and sweet looking couple. Whatza whizitReally neat old Lee denim sign in the upper left. Has their early "house" or triangle logo and "slanted e" logo. Whizits were Lee jeans and overalls with zippers. The first jeans maker to use 'em. Less draft and no puckers -- smoother lines. When Levi's finally began offering 501ZXX jean with a zipper, one irate cowboy who had been sent a pair with his order as a promotion of the new product sent them back -- "It's like peeing through the jaws of an alligator!" Pipe SmokingDang... I miss my pipe. I finally get old enough to not look odd smoking a pipe, and I have to go and get all health conscious. Fleischmann's YeastAh yes, Fleischmann's Yeast. At one time, they operated a large factory in Peekskill, NY and when it was up and producing, a karge part of the Mid-Hudson Valley could inhale its scent. Worth a thousand words...Much as I love those photos, a moment frozen in time does not need bustling streets and signs galore to say as much a this one does. Really a wonderful backward glance—thanks, Steve. Whizits AKA zippers"Railroad men tell us we must have made Lee Whizit Union-Alls and Overalls for them. We did- and we made them so handy, roomy, keen looking and comfortable that you find men on famous trains of every system wearing Lee Whizits. Railroad men with pride in their jobs-men who have service records in the cabs of famous trains-say, "We feel dressed up in Whizits." The Whizit fastener, exclusively Lee, means no buttons to bother - to come off - to sew on. Then too, Lee fabrics with their distinctly different weaves are stronger, wash more easily and cleaner, keeping color, shape and clean-cut appearance through months of hard service. The Whizit is a real man's work garment. More Lee garments are worn than any other make." http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/magazines/fem_... Sans PitchforkAmerican Gothic without the pitchfork, frowns and barn. Denver SandwichHits the spot everytime. Wonder what the apron says?I love this photo. I grew up in North Carolina and I remember store keepers that looked much like this couple. I like the looks of his hands, they look like he has done some good honest work with them. Great picture. OutstandingDave, you've made my day! One of the best pictures yet on Shorpy! A perfect pair. Denver Sandwich CandyI had never heard of such a thing! The only photo I could. TV Mystery SolvedSo this is where Sam Drucker got his start! They must be....in love. I am always impressed when I see a couple that look as comfortable around each other as these two do. I only wish my marriage had been so successful. Who has the keys to the Delorean?There's something I love about this couple. They look like people you could meet today, or during any time period really. Great picture! Denver Sandwich Candy"Crispy wafers surrounded by creamy caramel and nuts coated with plenty of milk chocolate." What's not to like? Made by the Sperry Co. in Milwaukee. "Take your brother with youWhen you go to the store, pick up our meat order and Mr. Burge will have a surprise for you." Usually it was a dime credit for coke or candy for us. Our grocer was a butcher, baker, produce manager, and stock clerk. He did it all with help from his wife, probably just like the folks in the picture. He also knew every customer's name including their kids. She looks like my grandmaShe wore a tidy little hairnet too. Great photo!Reminds me of all the mom and pop stores of days gone by. And they're actually smiling for a change. Empress"We Feature Empress Coffee" -- that's what the apron says. Laugh lines don't lieBoth of them have plenty of laugh lines around their eyes, indicating a lot of fun in their lives. I bet they were a hoot and a half to hang with. 7 Layer cakeThe Denver Sandwich reminds me of what we New Yorkers called Seven Layer Cake. Alternate layers of vanilla and chocolate butter cream. My God, how I wish I could walk into one of those Bronx bakeries and buy a slab of that. Imitations are available everywhere including Palm Desert, California, where I am spending the winter. Dr. GrabowThey're in love, seems to me. Radiates from them like sunshine. I especially like the pipe; it looks like one of my Dad's Dr. Grabows. He's unconsciously tamping it with his finger, as my dad used to do, and as I do now,on the rare occasions that I smoke. Denver sandwichStrange, here in Canada we refer to a "western sandwich" as a "Denver Sandwich" and usually it's an "Open faced Denver" that is the preferred. Mom and Pop storekeepers identified!"Oppel’s Store, fore-runner of modern shopping centers, was famous throughout the area and did so well that eight clerks, a bookkeeper and two butchers were kept full time." -Minnesota Humanities Center This is Joe Manning. I managed to identify this couple by contacting the local newspaper, the Ely Echo, which ran a short article with the picture. They were William and Nellie Oppel, who ran Oppel's store, near the iron ore mine. William died at the age of 72, about two years after this photo was taken. You can see more information, and more photos of the store, on my website. http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2015/01/05/3564/ (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Nelmobile: 1937
March 30, 1937. "Transportation and no parking worries. Nelm Clark, 16-year old ... Ahead of his time Nelm was too advanced for 1937 - in the 1950s, anyone who read magazines like Popular Mechanics must have ... Waaay ahead of his time! Hey, it's a SMART car, circa 1937! A car for our own time Wow, looks a lot like the little tiny cars ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 7:11pm -

March 30, 1937. "Transportation and no parking worries. Nelm Clark, 16-year old Washington, D.C., youngster, solved this problem by combining a lawn mower motor with a set of motorcycle gears to make this unusual midget auto. Costing $60 to build, the contraption weighs only 150 pounds -- the weight is its main feature -- and if you run out of gas you easily push it or tuck it under your arm and walk home." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. IngeniousAnd where is he now? President of Chrysler??? Our Gang!Looking at that photo, I can't help but think of the Our Gang short "Hi Neighbor!" where the gang raced their fire engine against the rich kids: Tuck it under your arm?Maybe if you're Hulk Hogan. C'mon, Dad helpedThis picture reminds me of when I was young. We were always searching for baby carriages put out in the trash so we could pirate the wheels and build a racer. Always had fun. Always crashed. We didn't have the luck of acquiring a lawn mower engine, or $60 either! Nelm Clark 1921-2004Amazing what one finds on the Internet. Nelm B. Clark, born January 28, 1921, died in Atlanta on March 6, 2004, at age 83. He was a member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. Obviously he survived his harrowing rides in the Nelmobile. TimingOnly 72 years too early. A soap box derby racer with an engine! Wonder if it had trouble passing Inspection! In '37, were there Inspections? Very nice. I guess it ran on Sikijom, hi-test! Ahead of his timeNelm was too advanced for 1937 - in the 1950s, anyone who read magazines like Popular Mechanics must have seen the ads for the King Midget. It was a car only a little more developed than Nelm's, though the price was bumped to $500 (a fair amount of money in the mid-50s). You could get it in kit form. Street LegalIt had to be street legal, it even had a horn. It looks like it has an automatic clutch that put it in forward when giving it the gas. I had a clutch like that on a motor scooter in the early 50's. Nelm the FlyboyIn January 1945, Nelm, who lived at 113 South Clifton Terrace, was an airman in advanced flight training at Blackland Army Air Field, Texas. VroomWow, it sure looks a lot larger than a typical lawn mower engine of the times. As a kid we would try to put an old motor on anything that had 4 wheels, dreaming of the later years of being a hot rod builder. The favorite of mine was a washing machine engine as it had a great foot starter, and were relatively easy to find in the 50's as most all washing machines were electric long before then. Most garages and sheds had one or two kicking around. The best item on this "car" is the Harley Davidson horn! [Below: 1931 lawnmower ad. - Dave] You're right Dave ... much larger than I remembered. Waaay ahead of his time!Hey, it's a SMART car, circa 1937! A car for our own timeWow, looks a lot like the little tiny cars we'll all be driving soon under the new "Cafe Standards." 1936 Chevrolet MasterThe Derby Racer is cool but check out the 1936 Chevrolet Master two-door sedan parked behind it. I have the same model in my collection for the past 36 years but this is one of the first I have seen pictured. Lots of 37 Chevy varieties, or 36 four-doors or converts or 36 Standards but this is the first 1936 two-door Master. I only just discovered your site today and I love it. Thanks for the memories. Hot grill(e)Let's mention that cover on the Chevy grille. A very common accessory back in the day. My dad had one for his '35 Ford and in order to keep the coolant temp up high enough in cold weather so the heater could produce some reasonable BTUs, the cover blocked varying amounts of cold air through the radiator, depending on how the zipper and snaps were adjusted. I see this was taken at the end of March, so in warmish springtime D.C., I'd say the owner by then should have tossed the cover in the trunk until next November. Let's run out to White Flint"Time to go shopping. I'll just back out of this spot. Nothing in my mirror but that Chevy way behind." Varooooom CRUNCH That Norm was a real tech Georgia Tech class of '43, in fact, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. In a fraternity newsletter I found his grandson (different surname) with this info appended: • Gamma Tau Legacy – Grandfather Nelm Clark ’43 – Mechanical Engineer (deceased) and Great grandfather Alexander Clark ‘04 Cornell • Designed and built Ramblin’ Wreck parade contraption and Greek Week downhill racer NOTE the last entry, the "downhill racer". Grandpa Nelm must have liked that (he was still alive). (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids)
Unknown: 1937
... Farm Security Administration photographer John Vachon in 1937. View full size. Lookalike Brian Williams? Cute Whoever ... it's Warren Beatty, Sr. [I thought the same thing. 1937 is the year Warren was born. - Dave] Mystery men Yeah, top guy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/02/2008 - 1:37pm -

Unidentified man in an uncaptioned frame from a roll of 35mm film shot by Farm Security Administration photographer John Vachon in 1937. View full size. LookalikeBrian Williams? CuteWhoever it is, he's handsome. :3 Mr. CI was thinkin' more like Perry Como taking a break during a whirlwind tour with the Ted Weems Orchestra... Mystery ManSome nearby frames below. Top one taken in a mirror, probably JV himself. The holes, made with a paper punch, mean he didn't want prints made of these. There was a punch in the main pic too, which I managed to Photoshop out. Now, I think....It may be a self portrait of Vachon. Check out this link--- http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/8917/8917.samples.pdf page 2 [Those are some great photos. But Vachon had a narrower face (below). - Dave] Whoever he isI find the photo strangely sexy. I'm not entirely sure why! I think...it's Warren Beatty, Sr. [I thought the same thing. 1937 is the year Warren was born. - Dave] Mystery menYeah, top guy has to be JV - check out that head of hair, looks like he has an advancing hairline. (I used to have hair- *sigh*) The bow tie guy looks somewhat like Truman Capote- until he smiles. And then there's Warren Beatty. Quite a stellar lineup. Hello HollywoodIf this kid has any kind of a voice at all, he has a career calling in Hollywoodland. I'm not Gay, but I must say, this dude is good lookin'! Wow! (The Gallery, John Vachon)
Vital Foods: 1937
Washington, D.C., circa 1937. Exterior of the Happy News Cafe (described in a 1933 news item as "the ... that the buildings to either side have been replaced since 1937. What is the use of the building today? It looks pretty shabby and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:35pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. Exterior of the Happy News Cafe (described in a 1933 news item as "the new dietitian restaurant for the unemployed") at 1727 Seventh Street N.W. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. The font says, "It's circus time!"There's nothing like Bozo The Clown-style lettering on the sign to put the patrons in a good mood... but I doubt that they got any Coney Island red hots, popcorn, or cotton candy inside. Am I wrong, or is this a charity soup kitchen that was "tricked out" to look like a real restaurant? Maybe in an attempt to spare people the embarrassment of taking a handout meal? Bernarr McFadden connectionNote the name "Bernarr McFadden Foundation." McFadden was a famous proponent of exercise and nutrition. A search on Google for "Bernarr McFadden" "Happy News Cafe" turns up exactly one reference - on Google Books - which explains the connection nicely. Day by day in every wayDay by day in every way, I am getting well (Ha!) I am filled with health and strength, More than I can tell (Ho!) Now I know, I can go All along the way (Ha!) Growing better all the time, And singing every day! (Ho!) -- Marching anthem by Bernarr Macfadden, to be sung with gusto Don't know if I would want to eat there. Some interesting articles written about him and his Foundation. Makes Mr. Kellogg's health regime seem mild. The bikeCan someone identify that great bicycle parked out front? What is that cylindrical object between the frame members? Tough TimesI note the "Ladies Dining Room" is upstairs... We wouldn't want any fraternizing with the enemy! And since they make a point that the food is actually served at a table, you know these were tough days in the Depression because that means that many places were more like soup lines. Tire pumpThe cylindrical object on the bike is a tire pump. I carry one on my bike in exactly the same place. Clowns to the Left, Jokers to the RightDig the "Ladies Dining Room." Speaking as a man, I say let's bring this idea back. About Bernarr MacfaddenIt's worth checking out the somewhat hilarious Wikipedia entry on him. Apparently a bit of a celebrity in his time, this was the first I've heard of him. The FoundationI see the Happy News Cafe was sponsored by the Bernarr MacFadden Foundation. MacFadden was a physical-culture promoter and magazine publisher. Interesting, that in the next picture, the cafe customers are all African Americans. Was the restaurant segregated or perhaps, was it placed in a black neighborhood intentionally? Were there other places like this in DC at the time? GraphicsThat main sign is super! It really helps make the point about the establishment! But if the "Ladies Dining Room" was upstairs, why need that No Smoking sign downstairs? It would appear that there was really no bother about where the Ladies ate. Which would be logical. [Because there were plenty of ladies who ate downstairs. - Dave] Elder Solomon Michaux and Bernarr MacfaddenAccording to his obituary in the New York Times, Elder Solomon Michaux's Good Neighbor League fed "250,000 indigent people at its Happy News Cafe on Seventh Street in Washington" in 1933. Bernarr Macfadden was the author of books like "Virile Powers of Superb Manhood" (1900) and "Strenuous Lover" (1904), as well as "Constipation: Its Cause, Effect, and Treatment" (1924) and the always-compelling "Predetermine Your Baby's Sex" (1926). In other words, he appears to have been into most of the fads -- many of them now viewed as hard science -- of the 20th century. 9-Cent Banquet Washington Post, Jul 1, 1933 Educators Attend 9-Cent "Banquet" A Barnarr McFadden "banquet," at a cost of 9 cents a person, was attended yesterday at the new dietitian restaurant for unemployed, 1727 Seventh street northwest, by Dr. Mordecai W. Johnson, president of Howard University, and Garnet C. Wilkinson, assistant superintendent of schools. They inspected the penny plant and expressed approval of its sanitary and scientific features. Elder Michaux, who is giving all surplus foods each day for benefit of worthy colored families, was also in the party, as was Dr. Emmett J. Scott, Howard University secretary, and member of the parole board. Arthur C. Newman, Guy D. Glassford and Eloise Skinner, completed the party. LadiesThere appears to some discrepencies between this photo and the previous one of the same cafe. In this one there is a sign that says the ladies dining room is upstairs while the previous one shows everyone eating together. There is also a sign on the window of this one that says everyone is "served at the table" while the previous one shows everyone going through a line cafeteria style. [Lots of restaurants had "ladies dining rooms" for women who preferred them. That doesn't mean they couldn't eat downstairs in mixed company. - Dave] Still there! Happy News!Just older and drabber, that's all. View Larger Map Battery case.I think the cylinder is the battery case for the headlight. I'm working on the bike brand. Bike is either a Colson or a Huffman Best I can tell. Both of these bikes of this vintage had the radical curve in the twin bars near the seat. Stuck in the dining room with...Dig the "Ladies Dining Room." Speaking as a man, I say let's bring this idea back. Speaking as a lady, I couldn't agree more. Throwing a history fitI wonder if there is a plaque or any historical marker attached to that building? That cafe was a pretty cool and historically significant place, in my opinion. Is it on the historical preservation list? It appears that the buildings to either side have been replaced since 1937. What is the use of the building today? It looks pretty shabby and forgotten in time. No Lock!Best thing about the bike is that I don't see a lock.....probably had no need for one in those days. Wow, A time full of honesty! Final wordIn these days, maybe it would be appropriate for some enterprising individual to reopen the Happy News Cafe in the original location. Great name for a coffee shoppe as well! And a tribute to the building's past glory. Why not? Shelby AirfloThe bike is a mid to late 1930's Shelby Airflo. It's unusual to see this model sporting the chrome (or stainless steel) fenders but without the "tank." It is loaded with the lighting accessories. Delta "Silver-Ray" headlight on the front fender, a Delta "Horn-Lite" (horn and a headlight combined) on the handlebar, and the Delta "Defender" taillight. The aluminum tube held the batteries. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)
Tommies Place: 1937
Chatham County, Georgia, circa 1937. "38 Price Street, Savannah. Structure dates from ca. 1840." 8x10 negative ... that Tommie Mary and Clifford B. Whittington operated in 1937 -- it looks exactly as she described it to us (her children) many years ... was shot in Savannah. If a building was in Savannah in 1937, it's probably still there 70 years later (barring hurricane damage.) They ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 11:02am -

Chatham County, Georgia, circa 1937. "38 Price Street, Savannah. Structure dates from ca. 1840." 8x10 negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Smoking WindowCan someone tell me what the cigarette-like thing in the bottom window frame of the brick building is? It even appears to have smoke issuing from it! [It looks like an electrical insulator. The "smoke" is a wire moving in the breeze. - Dave] +73Below is the identical perspective from July of 2010. Tommie's PlaceWe believe this is the sandwich shop that Tommie Mary and Clifford B. Whittington operated in 1937 -- it looks exactly as she described it to us (her children) many years ago. They lived upstairs over the store. It's wonderful to find this piece of family history. The same or worse nowOver seventy years later, lessons on the hows and whys of apostrophe use still haven't permeated all segments of our society. Tommie is goneBut the building is still there. An army life for meBritish soldiers always welcome! SuperbExcept for the siding on the dormers and the signage, nothing is out of place. Very pleasant, tidy little building. Renovations and alterationsStill standing and, thankfully, retrofitted with period appropriate 6-over-6 sash in the basement and first floor windows to replace late Victorian 2-over-2. I love the way the stair begins on the neighbor's property -- evidence of a more casual and less litigious time. This place probably looked a lot different in 1840; the "cut" corner basement entry and existing siding are both likely to be later alterations. 12-Step ProgramA 1930s version of a breathalyzer. You got in and knocked back some brewskis and if you could make it down the flight of stairs successfully, you have established a rebuttable presumption of sobriety. Such beautiful lightingJohnston must have set up her camera and waited until just that sweet spot in the late afternoon to make this exposure. What a calm air of peace and gracefulness pervades it. That woman truly loved her work and her subjects. The humanity of the builders of her architectural "models" always shines through. It was also with a sigh of relief that I saw that this street sign was shot in Savannah. If a building was in Savannah in 1937, it's probably still there 70 years later (barring hurricane damage.) They know how to preserve their heritage. And, yes, this building and its brick companion are still with us, including the probably-unchanged standing-seam roof. That little scraggly treeis still holding on there. I'm always happy when I find the buildings are (mostly) still standing. View Larger Map Missing TreeWhere is the tree in the photo that 73+ posted? RungsWhat the purpose is for the ladder on the roof? Where did it lead to? Was it for climbing up to the top, or down from the dormers? Subtle changesI've just noticed that there is a very subtle difference between the original porch/steps and those shown in the more recent photo. The columns, for one, are slimmer today and the beams supporting the porch roof have a slightly different profile. At some time in the past renovations must have been made but at least the original style was retained. Well done, renovators, whoever you were. i used to live herei lived here from 2002 through 2005 while attending SCAD- we had the top portion of the house- not the garden level- so crazy!!!! Memories So many great memories from living here while attending SCAD between 2002-04. I always wondered about the history of the place - how exciting to have a glimpse of its past. Indoors, the original brick fireplaces are still intact, as are the wood floors. The top dormer bedroom windows had magical views of downtown Savannah at sunset! (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, Savannah, Stores & Markets)
Shady Character: 1937
February 1937. "Southern Illinois character. McLeansboro, Illinois." Photo by Russell ... [His subject was the Ohio River Valley Flood of 1937. - Dave] Squared. Einstein incognito in Illinois. Style I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/24/2013 - 7:09am -

February 1937. "Southern Illinois character. McLeansboro, Illinois." Photo by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. LostI think he took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. I like that coat!He may be a character, but he looks like a practical guy to me. I especially like his coat. It's long and double breasted, and that collar when turned up would cover the back of his head very nicely. The stylish hat, variegated gloves and cool mustache complete the ensemble. Not crazy about those specs, though. My hometown!Nice to see the little burg represented. There is a WPA courthouse there, and I wonder if Mr Lee was in town for the dedication. [His subject was the Ohio River Valley Flood of 1937. - Dave] Squared.Einstein incognito in Illinois. StyleI think I saw him on The Sartorialist in December 2011. Corner of Washington & MarketFrom Google street view. To meHe looks like a member of Captain Beefheart's Magic band (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Lush Life: 1937
Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Jane Grier." Pictured with a Packard near the old State, War and Navy ... now! Her mission According to the September 18, 1937, Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail, a Jane Greer (not Grier) visited the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 12:23pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Jane Grier." Pictured with a Packard near the old State, War and Navy building. Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. West Wing WomanIt appears that this shot was taken in front of the West Wing of the White House looking west toward what is now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. On the left side of the frame, the corner of the West Wing can be seen. The gate behind the car opens to steps which go down to West Executive Avenue. ElegantBoy, everything about this photo says "elegant." Miss Grier, her clothes, the Packard with the distinctive hood ornament, and the structures in the background. Elegant. Not just a PackardIt's not just any old Packard, it's a Packard V-12--very costly when new, sold in limited numbers and THE prestige American car of its time. Joan BlondellShe has the look of those Joan Blondell characters who were Broadway babies or the wives of the Park Avenue rich. Cars & Trucks?!Perhaps you would also consider categorizing Ms. Grier under "Pretty Girls"? The V-12 PackardThough big, elegant and luxurious it wouldn't have been too much of a bargain during the upcoming gas WW2 rationing. My grandfather had a similar one and it sat in the garage most the time for several years while he drove my grandmother's 6 cylinder Chevrolet from 1942 until 1945. Wish we had both cars now! Her missionAccording to the September 18, 1937, Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail, a Jane Greer (not Grier) visited the White House to perform a vital mission: to deliver an invitation to President Roosevelt to attend the Mountain State Forest Festival at Elkins, West Virginia, on October 7 and 8. She had been chosen as the festival's queen. Miss Greer, daughter of Morgantown Dominion Post publisher Herbert C. Greer and Agnes Jane Reeves Greer, graduated from the University of West Virginia in 1940, and was married to its former men's basketball coach (Richard Aubrey "Dyke" Raese) from 1943 to 1955. Control of her father's media business passed to her family, and the Greer business empire soon included minerals, steel, and radio stations. Prominent Republicans, the Greers include her son, John Raese, a three-time loser in statewide elections. She is obviously not the Jane Greer who co-starred in the film noir masterpiece "Out of the Past" (1947). Super Circus This girl could be Mary Hartline's twin sister! Albeit 20 years too soon. She's sure look great in a majorette costume! Where's Claude Kirchner when you need him? Talon ShowShe is very pretty, but it's so odd how her nails have been sharpened to a point. I guess they would make an excellent jerk deterrent. Almost Heaven West Virginia!Now I know why I admire Miss Grier so much. She hailed from the Mountain State! I used to live in Elkins and attended many a Forest Festival albeit about 30 years after Miss Grier's coronation as Festival Queen. Morgantown GreersHaving grown up in Morgantown, I am very familiar with the Greer name, both for the newspaper as well as for Greer Limestone, the largest limestone mine in the state. Jane married Richard Aubrey "Dyke" Raese, the head basketball coach at West Virginia University (not University of West Virginia, please). Their son John ("Jack) Raese, now owns the newspaper and other mining, steel, tourism and broadcasting commpanies (Greer Industries). Jack Rease ran, unsuccesfully, on the Republican ticket for both the governorship as well as the U.S. Senate seats held by Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller. Ah, the nails...Here's something I know about, as I've been a manicurist for nearly 30 years. These sharply filed nails were the height of fashion in the late '20s and '30s. The hairline on the tip was done to prevent polish chipping, and many women also left their "crescents," or half-moons, free of polish as well. The popular color was red. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Pretty Girls)
Fight It Out: 1937
... like trouble," Tip muttered, frowning. October 1937. "Boy reading in bedroom. Note lack of proper bed clothing. Home of A.O. ... appears that young Clarence may be reading from the Sept 1937 issue of Five Star Western Novelets, with the story "Fight it Out!" by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/20/2022 - 2:11pm -

        "Sure sounds like trouble," Tip muttered, frowning. October 1937. "Boy reading in bedroom. Note lack of proper bed clothing. Home of A.O. Ryland, farmer who has quit farming. Near Williston, North Dakota." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Five Star Western NoveletsIt appears that young Clarence may be reading from the Sept 1937 issue of Five Star Western Novelets, with the story "Fight it Out!" by Oscar Schisgall being one of the five stories in the issue. [Bravo! How did you figure that out? - Dave] The Fall of the Year (1911)Book by by Dallas Lore Sharp: Stirring accounts of the author's autumn adventures in the out of doors, interspersed with specific suggestions for tramps afield in the fall of the year providing things to look for and hear and do as the world turns toward winter. Includes six bits of sound advice about going afield at any season that are not to be missed! Available on Amazon.com Musta been mail orderLooks like we found a customer for that overage of chimneys at the bodega. Note the strengthIt wasn't the bedding that caught my eye, it was the strength in his right forearm. He's done physical work at an early age. I know. A true North DakotanHe's got his ear-lapper hat on the shelf below the table. Populate and perishAnd how many parts got re-populated in the first place can be read in Dee Brown's "Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow". So what's he reading?The story, whose title gives its name to this post, is by Oscar Somebody. Warm capI noticed a wool 'Stormy Kromer' cap on the bottom shelf of the table next to the bed. One thing one won't see in a current boy's roomwould be an ashtray on the table. Chances are not even in the kitchen, the living room, parents' bedroom. Maybe on the porch. The tie that bindsOld wooden chairs held together with wire were still in use in my Manitoba village community hall during the very early 1950s. Just the way things were back then -- believe it or not. Clarence Vernon Ryland 1919-2001Oldest son of Albin O. Ryland. Mr. Ryland was no longer farming, and would die the following year -- June 1, 1938. Re: So what's he readingFive Star Western Novelets [v1 #5, September 1937] (Blue Ribbon Magazines, Inc., 10¢, pulp) Details supplied by Peter Rogner & John Locke from Table of Contents. 6 · Locked Horns · G. W. Barrington · nv 39 · Gunsmoke Reckoning · Guy Arnold · ss 52 · Law for the Lawless · Larry Harris · nv 73 · Range War · Cliff Campbell (by Abner J. Sundell) · nv 94 · Fight It Out · Oscar Schisgall · nv Rural depopulation successThis is why depopulation of rural areas is a success story. Even as late as mid-20th century, the average farm family had one-third the annual income of the average urban one. It's a reaction to what North Dakota historian Elwyn Robinson called the "Too Much Mistake," too many people on land that could not support them. By leaving the farms, they were able to improve their lives by moving to the city, and it left farms behind that could consolidate the land to make them large enough to make a living from the low level of per-acre profitability. I'm a retired North Dakota farmer, and I used to say that North Dakota has three exports: agricultural products, energy, and children. North Dakota always has low unemployment because it exports its unemployed to the Twin Cities, Denver, Seattle, and other out of state metros. Grow up in North Dakota, and it's going to be pretty certain that at some point you'll have to leave. [The book "Bad Land," by Jonathan Raban, is an engrossing account of the rise and fall of agriculture here. - Dave] (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Smell the Bird: 1937
Dec. 4, 1937. Washington, D.C. "Correct way to bake turkey. H.E. McClure, of the Bureau ... to all!! Overtime? According to the November 1937 calendar at upper left, Dec. 4th is a Saturday. Mr. McClure must have been ... taken at the Department of Agriculture dated December 4, 1937. - Dave] Proper procedure He'll sniff the soda crackers next, in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/27/2014 - 10:10am -

Dec. 4, 1937. Washington, D.C. "Correct way to bake turkey. H.E. McClure, of the Bureau of Husbandry, tests the turkey meat for odor." With this pungent image, Shorpy begins his seventh holiday season online and wishes a Happy Thanksgiving to all! Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Culinary Art AppreciationThe old expression used to be: "First, you eat with your nose." Happy Thanksgiving, Shorpy!I am thankful for Shorpy every single day -- for the wonderful photos, the witty titles, the artful insertions of Shorpy himself and the logo, and the fascinating comments of observers. What an education I receive! Thanksgiving blessings to all!! Overtime?According to the November 1937 calendar at upper left, Dec. 4th is a Saturday. Mr. McClure must have been one busy turkey-sniffer. Perhaps the image is from Nov. 4th? [This is one of eleven turkey-baking photos taken at the Department of Agriculture dated December 4, 1937. - Dave] Proper procedureHe'll sniff the soda crackers next, in order to cleanse his olfactory palate. Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to Dave, Tterrace, Shorpy, and all the contributors to this amazing site. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Thanksgiving)
Imperial Valley: 1937
March 1937. "Migratory Mexican field worker's home next to pea field. Imperial ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2022 - 2:10pm -

March 1937. "Migratory Mexican field worker's home next to pea field. Imperial Valley, California." 4x5 inch nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange. View full size. That little girl peeking outThat little girl peeking out is the real star of this shot. The dark doorway draws you in, and the sweet face child keeps you there. Dorothea had such and eye for composition. Thanks, Shorpy, for introducing me to her. Imperial ValleyToday, if you drive the back roads of Imperial and Coachella Valleys, you will see dilapidated trailers and homes that do not look too much improved from this scene. Migrant WorkersI'll second the comment that this is a scene that you can still see today. The car will be different. The looks on the faces can be the same. There are shacks, still to this day. The children attend school only sporadically as they migrate with the location of the crops and different picking seasons. It's still a very, very hard life for them. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression)
Full House: 1937
"Trailer camp, June 4, 1937." More tourists at the Washington, D.C., trailer camp. Photo-op casserole, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 7:20pm -

"Trailer camp, June 4, 1937." More tourists at the Washington, D.C., trailer camp. Photo-op casserole, anyone? Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Photo-Op Casserole78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 1 percent trace elements. Serve at room temperature. Fun in the sunEverybody's getting a nice tan. Bananas and what?What are they eating and drinking....all the vessels and dishes look empty. My wife and I had a little travel trailer in the late '60's when we were first married. It was such a joy to have this little home away from home that was all your own...sleeping on your own sheets and eating your own food just like at home but being anywhere you wanted to be. It was a wonderful time. Great memories...thanks Dave. What are they eating?I see bananas in the middle plate but every one else's plate is empty. Makes you wonder what big brother has on his fork. The other day......I had a cool water sandwich and a sunday-go-to-meetin' bun. Bow bow bow... ColorsI would love to see the interior in color, because looking at the various patterns and textures, you know it was brilliantly bright. It's also interesting that the nautical theme is in the camper -- same idea, I guess, traveling in a small, compact "home away from home" enclosure. It's...invisible casserole! Especially for Shorpy fansFor all of you out there who find the present and past such interesting companions, you have got to check this out: http://woa2.com/a-walk-through-time/ Booth seatingMom should always sit on the outside so she can jump up every few minutes to wait on someone or fetch something. At least that's the way it was in the 50s when I was a boy. I don't think Mom ever ate a meal in peace. ColemanGasoline stove on the left. Still have one but never used it inside. Per the Coleman website, yes they are still made but now they are called "Liquid Fuel" stoves. My family's hippie trailer.My family trailer growing up was this vintage thing, even though it was the the late 80s/early 90s we had this sweet trailer with orange and brown interior and big hippy flower drapes, although we brought real food with us, not imaginary. Children's Tea PartyNotice how healthy and slim they all are. Maybe more of us should have pretend parties like this. Trailer Treat StewReminds me of the one pan supper my mom used to make: Trailer Treat Stew with franks, kidney beans, canned tomatos, canned corn and spices. I think I need to make up a batch! My mother-in-lawate every meal like that, at least when I was there. I don't think the poor woman ever got to finish her meal without interruption. The only way to keep her from popping up to get whatever anybody wanted was to get up and get it yourself without saying anything. She always insisted she *wanted* the slightly burned toast. Whats for supper?"We're having Breeze Pudding , and Air cake for dessert. Take a Banana for later - if you get peckish!" Matching ChinaI find it interesting that this family would have matching china including cups and saucers in a travel trailer. I don't do that much camping but I don't remember seeing anyone using fine china in a trailer. On the few occasions my parents went camping back in the 50s-60s they had a complete Tupperware set. Plates, tumblers, cups, saucers, etc. At least it wouldn't break. With the csserole dish angled away from view perhaps Mom is just getting ready to serve everyone. EnamelwareThat's enamelware, not china. The plates and cups are porcelain-enameled metal. Still sold at camping supply places. Cream of Nothing SoupDid'ja ever eat dinner with a lump in your throat when there had just been a family fight at the table? Looks like the mother and son on the left are both about to burst into tears. But don't worry, they'll all cheer up when we pass out the rotten bananas for dessert. My TakeOlder son refuses to eat air, Dad smacks him, Mom empathizes with son, younger brother watches to see how older brother reacts and Miss Goody-goody sister is triumphant. Family resemblancesThe older son looks just like his father and the daughter looks just like her mother. Can't tell about the little fellow. Everyone is dressed very comfortably and looks tanned and fit! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Travel & Vacation)
Jessie and Tom: 1937
December 4, 1937. Washington, D.C. "Miss Jessie Lamb demonstrates correct way to bake ... Turkey Tedium Washington Post, Nov 18, 1937 U.S. Assigns 6 Testers to Eat Turkey All Day; Sure, You Can ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 5:29pm -

December 4, 1937. Washington, D.C. "Miss Jessie Lamb demonstrates correct way to bake turkey. In this very scientific kitchen each bird is weighed before it goes into the oven as a difference in weight demands a change in cooking time." Happy Thanksgiving from Shorpy! Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. "Scientific" cookeryNowadays we'd base the doneness of a turkey on internal temperature instead of weight, since the moisture content of meat also affects timing (a moister turkey will take less time, which is why a brined turkey takes about 15% less time to cook than an unbrined one). Happy ThanksgivingDave and all you other birds! Turkey Tedium Washington Post, Nov 18, 1937 U.S. Assigns 6 Testers to Eat Turkey All Day; Sure, You Can get Tired of It They Conclude Men have given their all to science, have staked their lives on experimental serums and undergone the bites of reptiles that antidotes might be found. And now, in another adventure of science, a group of volunteers in the Agriculture Department are eating turkey - eating turkey until turkey becomes tedious - with the threat of losing their waistlines. It is all for science. For the first time in taste-testing history the group, three men and three women, sat yesterday at a board and started eating turkey. Before them was a luscious browned turkey, scientifically baked by the Bureau of Home Economics. Individually, each would nibble a slice of turkey, then purse the lips reflectively. discerningly, meditatively. Then each would take a sip of coffee. a bite of cracker, a munch at an apple. Then another taste of turkey; and the eyes would look off, searching, again meditatively and discerningly. A notation would be made on a score sheet. This score sheet had these notations: "Aroma, texture, flavor of fat, description of fat flavor, flavor of lean, description of lean flavor, tenderness, quantity of juices, quality of juice and general conclusions.” The degrees of these conditions were amplified with such remarks: Desirable, neutral, tough, very pronounced, moderately pronounced. very coarse, fine, good and poor." When the volunteers emerged from the ordeal by turkey late in the day, a spokesman for the group issued a statement. He was Rob R. Slocum, a high-ranker in the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. Heavy with turkey, Mr. Slocum stated: "Yes, the eating of turkey can make you tired of turkey. It keeps you from wanting any dinner; it la also very tedious when you just get to eat turkey for many hours." He added that, withal, he probably would want some turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but at the moment he didn't care about turkey. He believed these sentiments would be shared by the others: Alfred R. Lee, Bureau of Animal Industry: Adelle Freeman, Bureau of Home Economies; Fannie Walker Yeatman, Bureau of Home Economics; Virginia Weatherby, of the bureau, and Harold E. McClure, Bureau of Animal Industry. The taste jury was selected because "they are discriminating . . . for their ability to show good taste and judgment.” Behind all the eating of turkey are many records. tracing the turkey to the farm. The records contain every detail at breeding, marketing, cooking. The final palatability test shows which or the birds was but in the mouth. Help!Jessie Lamb and Tom Turkey: there's a punch line in there somewhere but I'm too sated on tryptophan and pumpkin pie to make the connection. Tom ThumbI suspect that these were the tests that produced the USDA's old "twenty minutes per pound" rule of thumb that, sadly, desiccated so many turkeys. Gobble gobbleJessie, did you disinfect that modern scale? 21st century standards require you to at least wipe it down with a 50/50 clorox/water solution, but you probably already know that. Do you Jessie?? (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kitchens etc., Thanksgiving)
Pork Shrinkage: 1937
1937. College Park, Maryland. "Hams. From time to time the hams are taken from ... Nature Photo captions, Washington Post, Oct 30, 1937 New Curing Method at University of Maryland Experimental ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 1:42pm -

1937. College Park, Maryland. "Hams. From time to time the hams are taken from the incubator by Mr. Carroll and weighed to check the shrinkage caused during the aging process." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Speeding up Nature Photo captions, Washington Post, Oct 30, 1937 New Curing Method at University of Maryland Experimental Station Ages Hams in Six Weeks Speeding up Nature. In co-operation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mr. F.D. Carroll of the University of Maryland, shows how the ham is rubbed in a mixture of salt, brown sugar and saltpeter before it is smoked. Three days are allowed for the curing of each pound of ham. A specially constructed incubator maintains temperature from 107 to 125 degrees F. The hams are set in the incubator and the thermostat, controlling the heat, is set at the required temperature. Using this process it is no longer necessary to age hams a year or more to obtain that .. .. sharp, pungent, cheesy flavor in the lean meat so characteristic of the Southern style ham. From time to time the hams are taken out of the incubator to check for shrinkage that results during the aging process. Depending upon the weight of the ham, the curing method .. ..seldom extends over ten weeks. In the photo above Mr. Carroll has just removed the finished product. Miss Ruby Bresnahan, coed at the university is permitted to inhale the aroma from the quickly aged, fully cured ham. The aroma of spoilageA "pungent, cheesy flavor" in the meat? That's usually when I toss the stuff in the trash. Minion of SatanThat's what this Mr. Carroll is. The decline of our great American culture began when a bunch of pointy-head university people sold us the bill of goods that three days per pound was ample curing time for a ham. Oh, it looked like a ham and it smelled like a ham, but it didn't TASTE like a ham. Mister Carroll might have been able to fool the young college folks, but now there's been three or four generations who have never had the exquisite pleasure of tasting a ham that has been coated with black pepper (to keep the bugs away) put in a burlap sack and hung in a curing barn for many months. Now that's a ham! No wonder that today's kids are listening to their rap music and texting on their tweeters and wearing their baggy pants; they've never tasted a real ham. Where's RubyDid Ms. Bresnahan finally come to her senses and leave? Ham It UpNot one, but two ham shots. There is something about these two that crack me up every time I look at them. Notice—Any chance we can read that notice in the blackboard? I see "Anyone ... will be ... [very important underlined word]!" I am intrigued. (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing)
Happy News Cafe: 1937
Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Elder Michaux for United Mine Workers Fund. Happy News Cafe, 1727 7th ... and the scuffed wooden floor. This is a busy place, and in 1937 the fact that everybody got food -- even if unemployed -- made it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2012 - 9:19pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Elder Michaux for United Mine Workers Fund. Happy News Cafe, 1727 7th St." Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Next!That is such a great name for a cafe. You know what struck me?The people in this photo (both behind the counter and those waiting to be served) actually DO look happy! Count the smiles in this photo... guarantee it will make YOU smile! Thanks for a cheerful end to the day, Dave! Oh, the Ladies!"Positively NO SMOKING On Account Of the LADIES!" Best "No Smoking" sign EVER. SignageWhat a wonderful 'No Smoking' sign! Coffee Please!HUGE coffeemakers and mountains of those classic, heavy diner mugs. Makes me want good hot cup of joe. BrunchOoh, looks like brunch after church. I see a couple of leatherbound books under arms which could be Bibles. And pancakes! I love the enameled coffee pot and the scuffed wooden floor. This is a busy place, and in 1937 the fact that everybody got food -- even if unemployed -- made it definitely a happy place. Not a grim soup kitchen, this. I Am So HappyWow! This is the same Elder Michaux that recorded "I Am So Happy", the happiest gospel song I've ever heard. I thought he was from Memphis. I've never seen a picture of him before. Coffee CupsI would wager that this coffee cup design is still being produced somewhere... Heavy and timeless design! Coffee just tastes better from a vessel like that. I also love the no smoking sign... Civility The beauty of this picture is the way the people are dressed, the men, including the restaurant workers, all wearing ties and the ladies in hats. Sunday morningAll the patrons look to be wearing their Sunday go to meeting clothes. The one lady seems to be carrying her Bible and a man farther up in line is getting pancakes. One other thing all the men have removed their hats, yet another custom lost to time. Coffee & PancakesSeveral observations - one, take a look at how close that kitchen walkway is. Hardly enough room to turn around. The man behind the counter facing the camera is slightly stressed but you can tell he's done this before and has it under control. He just wants to keep it that way. Wonder what the packages are stacked up on the counter that say "Holsum"? My guess is bread. I love those coffee cups too. Overall this just looks like a great, happy group of people. Holsum BreadWow, I think Holsum bread must have been around since Adam and Eve!! It's still seen today, here in Canada anyway! Holsum Lives!Still baking Holsum fresh in Louisiana...a leading brand and favorite of Cajuns. Little creamer bottlesYou young things probably won't register the little glass bottles to the left of the agateware coffee pot. Those are individual creamers. In the diners of my childhood, a full creamer rode along on the saucer when a cup of coffee came to the table. My parents always took their coffee black, so I was allowed to drink the cream. And it was real half-and-half then. These little glass creamers had disappeared by the time I was six or seven. MugsThose much loved coffee cups are appropriately called "Diner Mugs". Still available, all over the place. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)
News of the World: 1943
... By John Dos Passos, in the Modern Library edition of 1937. A Quink Comment It’s difficult, usually, to identify a fountain ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/19/2024 - 10:22am -

January 1943. Penasco, New Mexico. "Marjorie Mueller, Red Cross nurse at the clinic operated by the Taos County cooperative health association. The radio is her only contact with the outside world. Papers come rarely to the town, and she must depend on news broadcasts to follow daily events." Acetate negative by John Collier, Office of War Information. View full size. Lucky Strike Green has gone to war!And we appreciated their sacrifice! I see here that Ms. Muller's cigarette packs have the red bullseye on a white background, exactly like the Luckies smoked by my Assistant Scoutmaster in the early 80s, a man missing parts of fingers, and having skin graft scars, resulting from a drag-racing accident in the 60s. American Tobacco claimed in 1942 that they eliminated the green in their packaging because the negligible amount of copper in the ink was needed for the war effort, but it turns out that this was just an excuse to eliminate a color which had impeded their efforts to market to women smokers for a decade. I'm pretty sure Ms. Muller was adapting to living off the grid. Peñasco was a remote location. I don't see a power cord for the radio, a model which was designed for operation on battery power as well as AC or DC utility power. The kerosene lamp is unlit, and the chimney conspicuously clean, as it would have been cleaned for a photo shoot, and the lighting is coming from an uncustomary angle, leading me to believe that it's a battery-triggered magnesium flash. Quality goes in before the name goes on!Zenith 6G601, early. They started with the sailboat on the grille cloth. After Pearl Harbor, and before domestic production shut down, they changed that to a B-17. I have a nearly identical radio, the 6G501. It was the first tube radio I had refurbished, which was a huge pain because all the rubber-insulated wiring had turned to rock and cracked, so every wire had to be replaced. It has remarkably good performance and works dandy as a portable. I listened to the ballgame on mine just this Thursday. 1940 Zenith radio model 6G601http://elmphotography.com/radios/radio19.htm S&PMy granny, who would have been a few years older than her, had the same Fiestaware salt and pepper shakers; used them until she died in 1978. Wonder what the canning jar, with what appear to be giant capers, actually contains. U.S.A.By John Dos Passos, in the Modern Library edition of 1937. A Quink CommentIt’s difficult, usually, to identify a fountain pen in this kind of photo. This is a happy exception. I took this one, at first, to be a double-jewel Esterbrook Model J; but that model made its appearance in 1948. What we have here, instead, is a Parker Vacumatic: either solid black or one of the darker ringed/striated colors. The jeweled barrel-end tassie tells us that it’s a pre-1942 model; the Vac switched to streamlined unadorned blind caps in that year, as a war conservation measure. I can’t identify a specific Vac model, but maybe a real Parker expert (I’m a Sheaffer guy) would be able to make an informed guess. The ink is Parker as well; Ms. Muller followed the practice -- more common in those days -- of matching the ink brand to the pen brand. (Of course, the ink choice may also have been a matter of buying whatever was available locally.) It’s a Spanish-language package, obviously, and it’s Royal Blue, either washable or permanent (I can’t make out the last word of the product descriptor, which looks to be an abbreviation). Ms. Muller may have been forced to use wadded-up paper to plug the hole in the window glass, and the newspapers may not have shown up with any regularity, but at least she had a nice pen; the Vacumatic, even the entry-level range, was always a fine writing instrument. [Azul Real Fijo = Permanent Royal Blue. - Dave] Thanks so much for the enlarged view! And a dual-language package, too. Delivering the NewsSeems she got home delivery of a newspaper, just not at her doorstep. If You’re Like Me, NeverWhen was last time you saw a young nurse pounding multiple packs of Lucky Strikes? Quick fixWell, I guess that's one way to fix a hole in your window. Nice sturdy locks too. That sure wouldn't fly in today's world. Tsk, tsk -- a smoking nurse. Not uncommon though, even now. Medical SmokingIn the mid-1950s my grandfather had a lung removed (lung cancer). He was in his hospital room recovering. Bunch of his coworkers were there. The usual visit to wish well of a friend. They were all having a smoke ... including my grandfather. Doc walks in, sees all this. Grabs my grandfather's smoke, tells him that is the last one he will ever have. He quit with that smoke. Last one. He lived another 20 years. Up In SmokeL.S.M.F.T. re: Those things in the jarMy grandmother used to can grapes that looked like that: little globular things in a colored liquid. Not just S&PIn addition to the salt & pepper, there is also the sugar bowl, cup & saucer, and her plate; all Fiesta. I have my gran's set of salt, pepper, sugar, and their "tray". Her daily set was all Fiesta that she bought back in the '30s, shortly after its introduction c. 1936. My daily use Fiestaware is all more recent, dating from the 1990s. Rare sauceI can find no references to Su Mai Real Worcestershire Sauce (on the table, by the salt and pepper). I did discover from "The History of Worcestershire Sauce (1837-2012)" that soy sauce was one of Lea & Perrins' not-so-secret ingredients at the time, but that the War made it extremely difficult to obtain (perhaps because of supply chain problems with traditional sources of soy sauce in the far east). I'm curious whether this bottle of Su Mai was a prewar product, or the only brand available during the war on the shelves in remote New Mexico. Grapes?!My first thought was that the canned globes were olives but olives aren't usually so spherical. Next guess: cherries. Foul ballI like the paper window plug . (The Gallery, John Collier, Kitchens etc., Medicine, Small Towns)
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