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Margaret Zolnay: 1925
... and the Club Chantecler. Washington Post Feb 26, 1937 Miss Zolnay is Married in New York Of interest in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/07/2013 - 11:01am -

June 18, 1925. "Miss Margaret Zolnay." Our second look at this beguiling ballerina. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Margaret ZolnayWashington Post Sep 1, 1926 Margaret Zolnay to Appear in Hammerstein Operetta Capital Society Girl to Dance with Daniel Thew Wright, Jr., in "Wild Rose," Musical Comedy to Open Soon Success has crowned the ambition of Miss Margaret Zolnay, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Julian Zolnay and well known in Washington Society, to go on the stage. She has been engaged as one of the principals in the operetta "Wild Rose", produced by Arthur Hammerstein, which will open in Wilmington Del., September 20, and later will be presented in Philadelphia and New York. Miss Zolnay will appear in a series of dances with Daniel Thew Wright, Jr., son of former Justice of the District Supreme Court and Mrs. Daniel Thew Wright, as her partner. In order to fulfill her wish to dance with some one she knew, Miss Zolnay, has herself been Mr. Wrights instructor in dancing. ... Mr. Wright will appear under the stage name of "David Gerry," and will be understudy to the leading man, Joseph Stantley. The operetta will star Desiree Ellinger, who appeared in "Rose Marie." Miss Zolnay is one of four women principals. She also has charge of arranging the steps for the chorus. The operetta will to go Philadelphia for a stay of about two weeks, and be presented in New York about October 1. Miss Zolnay appeared in a minor part in a operetta entitled "Romany Love," starring Geradline Farrar, last winter. Washington Post May 15, 1927 Davis' Socety Orchestra With Margot and Gerry Margot and Gerry, dancers, and the Meyer Davis Society orchestra, are combining their forces in a diverting act that will be featured as a special attraction at Keith's this week. Though Margot and Gerry are better known as Miss Margaret Zolnay and Daniel Thew Wright 3d, in Washington society, this pair has achieved on Broadway, appearing both in musical revues and in exclusive resorts. Since returning to Washington several months ago, they have been featured attractions at Le Paradis and the Club Chantecler. Washington Post Feb 26, 1937 Miss Zolnay is Married in New York Of interest in Washington was the wedding yesterday afternoon at 4:30 o'clock in New York of Miss Margaret Zolnay, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Julian Zolnay, of that city, to Mr. John Churchill Newcomb, also of New York, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Danforth Newcomb, of Wavertree Wall, Greenwood, Va., and Louisville, Ky. (The Gallery, Dance, Natl Photo, Pretty Girls)
Diner at Seven: 1940
... with a make and model for the Pinball Machine. It's a 1937 Bally "Arlington" Probably named after Arlington Park in Illinois, Bally ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/27/2018 - 11:03am -

February 1940. "Truck driver in diner. Clinton, Indiana." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. French Fried Popcorn- - am I reading that right?? [Mrs. Klein says, "Yes." -tterrace] Milk for the truck driverAnd I see Sen Sen in the background. They tasted like soap to me. Bus DriverHis change dispenser is on the counter to his left. [That's what those pants made me think. I saw Greyhound drivers still wearing them in the 1950s in Marin County, California. -tterrace] [Also, his cap-badge says BUS. - Dave] I'd kill to have that light fixture!There's so much going on in this photo. The more I look at it, the more questions I have. 5 cents a bagWhat in the world is french-fried popcorn? I want some! French-fried popcorn?Pretty much what it sounds like: Heat a deep fryer load of oil, put in a basket, and pour in the kernels. Cover(!!) and wait until the popping slows to a stop; lift out the basket full of popcorn. Local NewsThe driver is reading the February 19, 1940 issue of The Daily Clintonian. The reward mentioned to the left of the masthead was for E. C. Harris, who stole the money from a $26,000 Clinton bond issue, and for Earl "Doc" Potter, a former cemetery superintendent who had embezzled city funds. Street Car ConductorThe gentleman looks like a street car (light rail) conductor. There was a spur of the Terre Haute, Indianopolis & Eastern Traction Co. that ran up to Clinton from Terre Haute. Clinton was a small town of about 7,000 residents at the time. About 3,000 of these residents have strong ties to Italy because their parents or grandparents came from Northern Italy. [As noted below (as well as on his cap), he is a BUS driver. - Dave] Baby It's Cold OutsideLook at the condensation on the window. Not a good night to be outside in your shirt sleeves. Whre in Clinton?Can anyone zoom in on the Store License (over the shoulder of the waitress)? The address and perhaps the name of the owner might be legible. Clinton is not that large a town. I suspect it might have been near the bus station--when it existed. Bulk Buying Bargain!Charles Thomson. 3 cents each, or five for 15 cents! What's in the little tubes?The name is obscured. Something-phos? Sanitized for your protection...Note the transformer and wires up on the wall (next to ceiling light) probably leading to a neon sign in the window behind the valence or maybe an outside sign. The way the wires are strung and the way that switch is wired to the overhead light, I predict a fire in their future. Especially since someone spent all that time, cutting up crepe paper to trim the shelves. I wonder about the condensation on the window indicating the temperature outside. Probably the result of all that cookin' going on inside. If you have pots boiling or a steam table holding food at temperature, you would get condensation inside the windows. Also very surprised to seen "whoopie pies" on the desert shelf, a Pennsylvania delicacy. Finally, I note the "Sanitary" nut dispenser. "Sanitary" was a big buzzword then, even to the point of there being diners named "Sanitary Diner" in Indiana back then. The Pinball MachineMy Cousin the Pinball Guru came up with a make and model for the Pinball Machine. It's a 1937 Bally "Arlington" Probably named after Arlington Park in Illinois, Bally was based in Chicago. Who knew there was an Internet Pinball Machine Database. http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=88&picno=6566 What's in the tubes -- Answered?If you check the illustration above the tubes, you'll see a hand pouring a tube's contents into a glass. This leads me to believe it's either a headache powder, or something akin to Alka-Seltzer. Sometimes it pays to do internet research, or just ask."We received your inquiry on a picture that was found of a 1940s diner in Clinton Indiana. "We believe that it was the Speed Grill on 114 N. Main St. Thanks." Christina Hardesty Librarian Assistant Clinton Public Library 313 S. 4th St., Clinton, IN 47842 PHOSShort for phosphate. I have found kali phos (potassium phosphate), ferrum phos (iron), calc phos (calcium), and mag phos (magnesium), all homeopathic treatments for a range of ailments from pain and fever to anxiousness and sadness. But I haven't been able to find an image of those 1940 tubes, and I can't make out the word to the left of PHOS on the display panel. [It's Bromo-Phos liniment. - Dave] FirestoneI wonder what kind of product is sold under the brand Firestone: "Mar..tips"? or ".......ES"? [Matches. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Eateries & Bars)
The Red Truck: 1940
... C Series This truck could also be an early 1937 model as the International C Series trucks were current from April 1934 until March 1937. The completely restyled International D Series trucks were not introduced until March 1937. This truck looks like a 1936 IHC 1-ton Model C30 Platform Stake ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 2:23pm -

Field workers in Mississippi circa 1940. View full size. 35mm color transparency by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. The windCan you feel the wind in the picture? Look at how it shapes the trees. International Harvester TruckLooks like a 1936 model, possibly 1935. VincentJust beautiful. And yes, the wind in the trees has a painterly effect, reminds me of Van Gogh's "Cypresses." About the truck.About the truck. Right now in Auto Trader.ca in the Ontario section there is a 1934 Dodge Brothers truck for sale that is the spittin' image of the truck in the picture, right down to the color. [Does it say INTERNATIONAL on the hood? - Dave] Old school truckYou won't see a lot of those trucks these days. Personally, I think they're pretty old school and that adds much to their mystique. [When I was a kid, we rode on an old school bus. - Dave] International C SeriesThis truck could also be an early 1937 model as the International C Series trucks were current from April 1934 until March 1937. The completely restyled International D Series trucks were not introduced until March 1937. This truck looks like a 1936 IHC 1-ton Model C30 Platform Stake Truck. International trucks were available in sizes ranging from 1/2 ton C-1 and C-5 models to the 7 1/2 ton A-8 model. The ligher models had 'skirted' front fenders, but the heavier models, as shown here, wore 'flowing' fenders. The four cylinder models (C-5, M-3, and C-20) were powered by Waukesha engines, while all 6 cylinder models used International engines. International continued to recover from the Great Depression. Calendar year registrations were 31,555 in 1934; jumped to 53,471 in 1935; and advanced again in 1936 to 71,958 giving them a 11.03% market share in 1936 and third place in truck sales. With the introduction of the C Series trucks, International no longer needed Willys-Overland to produce the old 1/2 ton D-1 series of trucks. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott)
Off Course: 1942
... how do we get it back in the bag? Ah Yes A late 1937 Goodyear Mark 4 first model raft. I may not be good at automobile ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/06/2014 - 3:03pm -

Circa 1942. "U.S. Navy -- inflatable raft." Just add water. View full size. ratingThe Chief's rating is Pharmacist's Mate WhatitzStrange symbol in the Chief's insignia. Anyone? McHale's NavyThe lost original pilot. Her DoCornrows back in '38? [That's her hat, something along the lines of the one seen here. -tterrace] Rating?Can anyone tell me what the rating of the CPO is? The 3rd class on the right is a radioman but I can not make out the chiefs. TIA A Whole Different FeelA sincere thank you to Shorpyite sbhistory for identifying the photo. I certainly would not wish my previous little post to tarnish these three brave heros in any way. Larry Identity of sailorsI believe these three brave fellows are Harold Dixon, Tony Pastula and George Aldrich sitting in the actual raft they survived in for 35 days when they were forced to ditch their observation plane during the second World War. A great read written by Robert Trumbull called "The Raft" chronicles their amazing story. [Bravo! Here's their photo from the article in the April 6, 1942 issue of LIFE magazine. -tterrace] Training sessionSo we now know that prior to WW II it took a Chief (who's rating I can't see well enough to identify), a 3d Class Radioman, and a Seaman, to explain to a Commander how a life raft works. That's about right. It's nice to know that traditions have been kept up over the last 70 years. [Edited 31Dec2013] Maybe the caption should be changed to reflect the correct information. If I'd realized it was from 1942 I'd have been rather less flippant in my original comment. Okay...now, how do we get it back in the bag? Ah YesA late 1937 Goodyear Mark 4 first model raft. I may not be good at automobile identification, but I've got this raft thing down! Based OnThe back story for this picture explains why Shorpy is such an educational site. Someone usually comments and helps us understand the what and the why or the where the photo was taken. Looking forward to more photo mysteries in 2014. As noted, "Always Something Interesting" The Rest Of The StoryThe Raft The courageous struggle of three naval airmen against the sea Author: Robert Trumbull When a plane carrying three airmen fails to return from its bombing mission on January 16, 1942, the U.S. Navy can afford only a brief search before giving the men up as dead. For 34 scorching days and shivering nights they faced the ocean terrors - three men of a rubber raft four feet by eight, marooned in the middle of the mighty Pacific. They had no water...no food...no compass...no paddles. All they had was guts and a prayer. — Gigantic waves upset them. Man-eating sharks besieged them. The insane urge to cannibalize one another grew stronger by the day. But by feats of super endurance unsurpassed in sea history and by an unwavering faith in God they steered their way to the safety of an exotic South Sea isle. Google Book Preview. Seafarers FarkedFarked again! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Farked, WW2)
Ask Mr. Foster: 1924
... the Casa Monica Hotel. If anyone has a copy of the 1937 publication of "Ask Mr. Foster" by Charles B. Reynolds. Please contact ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 3:36pm -

"Foster & Reynolds, exterior." The National Remembrance Shop in Washington circa 1924. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Ask Mr. EgoI want to ask Mr. Foster how he got to be such a Mr. Knowitall. Question for Mr. FosterWho was the ever enigmatic Edwards boy who appears in numerous photos around Washington DC? Count the TimesWe could almost make a game of how many times the phrase "Ask Mr. Foster" appears in this shot. Mr. Foster's ShopWashington Post, Apr 17, 1922; advertisement Every one visiting Washington wishes to take away something as a remembrance of the visit to the Nation's Capitol or as a gift for friends at home. It is the aim of the National Remembrance Shop to supply such things in souvenirs that shall have some artistic merit. Our wares are of gold, silver, wood, china, leather. There are picture books of views of Washington, and all sorts of things suitable as gifts. Many of these things cannot be had elsewhere. We mean that the prices shall be reasonable, the goods well and servicable, and pleasing to the eye: even the most inexpensive articles (and there are many such) being of a character to appeal to persons of cultivated taste. National Remembrance Shop (Mr. Foster's Shop) 503 14th St., One Door from Pennsylvania Ave. Opposite Willard Hotel Wallace NuttingA number of the framed images in the window were made by Wallace Nutting, a Congregational Minister turned photographer and entrepreur. In particular, the images in the top of the central window appear to be very similar to "A Plate of Cookies - Studio #67" by Nutting. http://www.wallacenuttinglibrary.com/wnp00067.htm A.M.F. CountI come up with 10 readable Ask Mr. Fosters. National Remembrance ShopThe following appears as an advertisement in the Washington Post in 1915: Remembrances of Washington that are attractive yet inexpensive. National Remembrance Shop,14th St. and Pa. Ave. Pre-GoogleAsk Jeeves' great-granddad. On the SillIn the left window, there are five publications, one with the Statue of Liberty on the cover. Are these atlases, maps, or travel magazines? [Travel guides ("Standard Guides") to Washington, Boston, New York, Chicago and Illegible. - Dave] Reynolds' Standard Guide Washington Post, Nov 11, 1940; obituary Charles Bingham Reynolds, editor of a sightseeing guide of Washington and brother of Burnet Reynolds of 1411 Crittenden Street Northwest, died yesterday at his home in Mountain Lakes, N.J., at the age of 84. Mr. Reynolds was one of the founders of the B.S. Reynolds Co. here, a wholesale souvenir and postcard company. He was editor of Forest and Stream from 1879 to 1906. He was the author of a number of travel guides including "Old St. Augustine, a Story of Three Centuries" and "Standard Guide to Cuba." He founded the Foster and Reynolds Travel Service more than 50 years ago, and served as secretary and treasurer. Standard Guide of Washington at Google Books That hill!Ha! I was going to guess 14th Street, because you just don't see streets slope that way too many places in downtown Washington. How Could I Miss It?I didn't get to Illegible on my trip to the US! Bummin' looks like a fine town. Ask Mr. FosterWard G. Foster started the "Ask Mr. Foster" travel agency in St. Augustine, Florida in 1888. The store was part of a building recently restored as the Casa Monica Hotel. If anyone has a copy of the 1937 publication of "Ask Mr. Foster" by Charles B. Reynolds. Please contact gary@adlibtours.com National Remembrance ShopI have just bought a jug here in the UK. 9.5 inches tall, Treacle Brown Glazed, with a print of the White House on one side and the Congressional Library on the other. On the bottom it is marked "National Remembrance Shop Washington DC." It looks very like the jug in the window. Far left above the second plate from the left behind the two tankards. More pics here. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets, Travel & Vacation)
Walton Way: 1905
... term in the South, not "trolleys") last ran in Augusta in 1937, four years before I was born there. My grandparents lived on the Hill, at ... in 1935 on the Walton Way-Central Ave. belt line, and in 1937 on the rest of the system. Tracks remained on portions of Walton Way out ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:57pm -

Circa 1905. "Summerville, South Carolina -- Walton Way." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Could be AugustaAs a lifelong resident (60 years) of Augusta, GA, I feel confident in saying this is indeed Walton Way. However, it's in Augusta, not SC. And, this particular section of it is in the "Summerville" neighborhood of Augusta. It looks as though we're looking down the familier steep hill where The Bon Aire Hotel and The Partridge Inn are both located at the bottom. As a matter of fact, The Partridge Inn can just be seen in the distance in the center of the picture. Of course I could be wrong...probably am. Tree TownSo many trees to trim, so little time. Even though Augusta, Georgia has an average high of 58 and low of 33 in January, I am sure they can have an ice storm every now and then. I would guess that a heavy one would put this town out of business in 1905. Look at all the tree limbs over power, telegraph, telephone and even streetcar lines. The tram is the only clueTried to find current pics of Walton Way. Only thing now in Summerville is Walton Place... a little cul-de-sac in a modern subdivision. But, close by is another development with street names such as Tram Blvd and Iron Road. My guess is that the area was bulldozed for new homes but the builder kept some of the history in the street names. Ahhh, that’s better.Obviously the trollies clean-up after themselves in Summerville. Too Late for Pony Express, Too Early for FedExOn the left, u-bolted to the metal post, what are those two box enclosures? Is the small one a Post Office mail drop? And I have no idea about the larger one. Gould's Corner, Augusta, GAThis photo was taken from Gould's Corner in the Summerville historic district in Augusta, GA. The photo is listed in the LoC database at the end of a short series in Augusta; my guess is that the photographer simply labeled it "Summerville," then he (or someone else) later added the "S.C." based on the photos that followed. In any case, the house at the left is the Gould-Weed house. Just down the road, Walton Way takes a jog left, as can be seen by the curve in the trolley tracks. Here's the (overexposed) street view today: View Larger Map If you look at Bing's street view of the house from a few different angles, you can see that the architectural details match. tree hazardsThough there is evidence of some tree pruning having been done, a lot of work remains to protect all those inmeshed utility lines from the next big wind storm and any swinging/falling branches. MislabeledI suspect this photo is mislabeled. In Augusta, Georgia, there is a community also called Summerville. Walton Way, in the former place, is a major main road and vintage photos show trolleys were in service there. To my knowledge, my native Summerville, South Carolina never had trolleys. Relay@lesle: The bigger box if possibly a postal relay box, to "refill" the letter carrier's sachel with delivery mail along the route. If not, then my guess would be garbage can. I agree with you about the smaller box being a mail drop box for customers. Today it costs millions ofToday it costs millions of dollars a mile to build a light rail system. Back then they just laid down track and drove the cars on it. Corrections and reflectionsAs others have noted, this Summerville is a section of Augusta, Georgia, on The Hill, as locals say. This is a view of Walton Way, corner of Milledge Rd., looking toward downtown (roughly compass east). The house on the corner at left is still standing, nicely restored in recent years. Streetcars (the preferred term in the South, not "trolleys") last ran in Augusta in 1937, four years before I was born there. My grandparents lived on the Hill, at 2504 Helen St. (house now demolished), and I attended William Robinson Elementary School through third grade. I would ride my bike down Arsenal Ave. to Walton Way and thence to school. The streetcar tracks were in the concrete pavement for many years after service ceased; in fact, you could trace practically the whole line back up to Monte Sano Ave. and, in the other direction, down the Hill to Thirteenth St. and then over to Broad St. From Monte Sano the line ran down Central Ave. in the center boulevard (in New Orleans they call it the "neutral ground') and worked its way back to Broad St. It was a belt line, i.e., cars ran in a continuous loop in both directions. Although I missed the streetcar era in Augusta, I later lived in New Orleans and rode them almost daily. Definitely Augusta, my home townThe photo was taken at the corner of Milledge Road and Walton Way, looking e-s-e toward downtown. Growing up in Augusta in the 1940s, I distinctly remember the streetcar tracks on Walton Way, although the cars went out in 1935 on the Walton Way-Central Ave. belt line, and in 1937 on the rest of the system. Tracks remained on portions of Walton Way out to Monte Sano Ave., and on Broad St. out to 13th St. and from 15th out to Julian Smith Park. On Walton Way it was single track from Milledge to Monte Sano, and there was a turnout into the Arsenal. Trackage was standard gauge, T-rail (no girder rail, i.e., no flangeways). The original street railway here was the Augusta & Summerville Railway, Summerville being that portion of present-day Augusta known to the natives as "The Hill." My paternal grandparents lived on the Hill at 2504 Helen St. and I spent summers there with them well into the 1950s. Augusta was a great railroad town also, with the main shops of the Georgia Railroad located near the grand Union Station ("the depot" to the locals). All of that is demolished. The Southern, Atlantic Coast Line, C&WC, and the Ga. & Fla. also served Augusta. While I missed the streetcars in Augusta, I later rode them in New Orleans, and became (and remain) a trolley "nut." Big box of news? Could that be an early paper vending machine, two cents for a copy? Looks like AugustaI've lived in Augusta for 13 years now and as a resident and avid photographer, this defiantly looks like Walton way. ["Defiantly"? Definitely. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns, Streetcars)
Nouvelle Cuisine: 1938
... evidence of Greenbelt housing being occupied much before 1937. So I think we have to conclude that the place is indeed quite new, but ... Road, and Betty Brooke's little sister, Paula, born in 1937. Paul was an accountant in "government" work, and earned a whopping ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/15/2019 - 6:43pm -

September 1938. "Mrs. Betty Zimmerman and child in kitchen of new home at Greenbelt, Maryland." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. The DressAm I mistaken, or does her dress look like it was made from a tablecloth? Reminds me of the flour sack dresses. After all, it was the Depression. Ben a long, long timeIt looks like there is a Westclox Baby Ben on the shelf above the sink. Westclox has been making the Baby Ben since 1910. My grandparents had the version with a wooden case as long as anyone could remember. Betty's a babeShoe game strong, beautiful figure, gorgeous hair, stylish dress. Show 'em how it's done, Betty. But is that kid chowing down on frozen vegetables right out of the Birds Eye bag? My kids didn't want them even perfectly cooked, with salt and butter. I don't think this is a "new house"Maybe new to her? Strongly reminds me of Grandma's house, especially the sink, built about 10 years prior to this pic in 1938. Floor is worn- not new. But Grandma is hose and heels and a dress, oh yes. But she wore an enormous apron to protect her clothes (but would never have let an outsider see her in it). And I'll bet that Betty was the same way. Never ever saw Grandma except in heels and a dress. [It is a new apartment home. This was one of hundreds of photos taken by Marion Post and others to document the construction of housing in the federally planned community of Greenbelt, Maryland. - Dave] Radiating curiosityAnyone else wonder why they put the radiator under the sink? I mean, it would be great to keep the pipes in the outside wall from freezing in the winter, but a lot of the heat from it would never make it out into the room and end up on the underside of the sink. [It might be time for that refresher course in thermodynamics. - Dave] Scans wellOne of my best friends has lived in Greenbelt for the 20+ years I've known him. His family first lived in one of the row houses there, and now has a nice detached home on a shaded street. Greenbelt was designed for foot traffic and has a pleasant park with a lake, which I suppose is man-made. Some of the houses in Greenbelt still have their original furniture and room dividers, and all that stuff was of a sort of a Scandinavian design. In the town center, where the co-op store and swimming pool often shown on Shorpy are, has a great club called the New Deal Café, which offers live music. Great town. Creative RecyclingI am quite certain that Betty's dress is made from one or more tablecloths. Re: babeI love it when women make these comments about other women. Especially these strong, beautiful Depression women who are like a later generation of pioneer folk to me. Her hair is indeed gorgeous: silken soft and deftly arranged like a braided eggbread. Square corners and glass bricksReferencing your photo below, this really has the Bauhaus look pioneered in Germany by Walter Gropius between 1919 and 1933 down pat! You can see its influence in lots of commercial structures in the late 1930s. A casement window yet in 1938Crank out and screened. Living is easy. Kinda, anyway -- no Swing-a-Way can opener in sight. "Get-Up!" sound of my childhoodThe bell alarm of the Westclox "Big Ben" is embedded in my brain. (archfan: Baby Bens were much smaller) I remember purposely "forgetting" to wind it so I might have and excuse to not go to school. It rarely was successful. Wearing fastI agree with francesblo that the place does not look new. The sink and faucet look nice, but the paint on the radiator and steam pipe is scuffed in lots of places. Some of it looks like damage from the trash can being repeatedly kicked into it, but some doesn't. I can't tell if the floor is worn or not, since it's clearly dirty. And there's a fair amount of accumulated grime in the corners. But the date of the photo is clearly September 1938, and I can't find any evidence of Greenbelt housing being occupied much before 1937. So I think we have to conclude that the place is indeed quite new, but the Zimmerman family is pretty hard on it. Betty x2Here we have Betty the elder (born in 1917) with her daughter, Betty Brooke, born in 1936. She lived with her husband, Paul Zimmerman, at 10-D Hillside Road, and Betty Brooke's little sister, Paula, born in 1937. Paul was an accountant in "government" work, and earned a whopping $2200 in 1939. Their monthly rent was $34. That's my sink!My 1883 building was renovated in the late 1930s, and my kitchen is original from that date. The only difference is that there's a metal cabinet enclosing the pipes under the sink, with two doors, leading to storage area. The decrepit condition of my kitchen is not something I'm happy with, but when I asked what it would take to get a new kitchen, the landlord said, "Move." One Gen. Ben LargerI believe the clock is a Westclox Big Ben, style 4. Made from 1934 to 1939. Both beauteous BettysAdding to Karaboo's information from the 1940 Census, husband Paul worked as an accounting clerk for the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. According to Wikipedia, "The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) was a government corporation administered by the United States Federal Government between 1932 and 1957 that provided financial support to state and local governments and made loans to banks, railroads, mortgage associations, and other businesses. Its purpose was to boost the country’s confidence and help banks resume daily functions after the start of the Great Depression. The RFC became more prominent under the New Deal and continued to operate through World War II. It was disbanded in 1957, when the US Federal Government concluded that it no longer needed to stimulate lending." Occupations of the Zimmermans' neighbors include file clerk at the White House, guard at the Bureau of Engraving, guard at the Post Office, boilermaker at Navy Yard, electrician at Navy Yard, and lecturer with a sightseeing company. Another photo of both Bettys can be found here: https://www.loc.gov/resource/fsa.8c35659/ Plastic Bag?Looks like a plastic bag. I thought they did not come into use until the 1950s? [It's cellophane, which has been around forever. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kids, Kitchens etc., M.P. Wolcott)
Now for the Tricky Part: 1942
... specs. P-38 Lightning Built by Lockheed starting in 1937. This aircraft was used in both theaters of the war, but was most ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/06/2013 - 4:19am -

May 1942. "Working on the nose of an engine on an interceptor plane. Lake Muroc, California." Photo by Russell Lee for the OWI. View full size. Been there, Done thatI've been in much the same position on the engine of a CH47 (Chinook) helicopter when I repaired them for Uncle Sam's Army. You were supposed to use a portable work platform which was always either in use, at the farthest opposite end of the flightline, in need of repair or otherwise unavailable. We had many more aircraft and mechanics in my unit than platforms. And of course, Operations needed this thing flying an hour ago! Sometimes you just had to "Git 'er done!" as they say. Every now and then, though, we were just hamming it up for a visiting VIP photographer. In my case it was Stars and Stripes newspaper. "Try 'er now, Joe!"Err, wait a minute, not yet! Joe! Noooooo.... P-38L Lockheed LightningOne of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson's most brilliant aircraft designs was the P-38, used in every theater of war throughout World War II. While Luftwaffe pilots considered it "meat on the table," USAAAF pilots in the Pacific excelled at the controls of this fighter. Among them was Richard Bong, the highest scoring American ace of the war. P-38FYou can tell by the hubcaps. Step 3: While keeping fingers clearI've got the wrench on the lock nut now. Just give her a quick bump so I can git this nut torqued to the right specs. P-38 LightningBuilt by Lockheed starting in 1937. This aircraft was used in both theaters of the war, but was most successful in the Pacific. The first dual engine fighter, it was quite a plane. P-38FFor a good lesson on flying a P-38, view this wonderful video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3nddCJbcdI NextA twin Allison powered P-38 I'd say. And, if so, he's got another nut case to work on over on the other boom. Got one in the living room. Constant Speed Prop on P-38FThe airplane is a P-38. It can be identified by the unique forward door on the left, giving access to the gun compartment, as well as the tail boom and long horizontal stabilizer. But, the serial number on the fuselage confirms it's a P38F for those still in doubt; the serial number is partly legible as well. Today's general aviation airplanes still use a lot of World War II technology. One such device is the "constant speed" propeller where the pilot can adjust propeller pitch (it's actually RPM's that are governed, hence the name.) In multiengine airplanes, the pitch change mechanism is also equipped to feather the propeller in the event the engine dies, to reduce drag of the windmilling propeller being turned by the slipstream. (A feathered propeller stops turning). The pitch change/feathering mechanism is enclosed in the spinner, a fairing over the propeller hub that's been removed in this photo, and that's what the technician is working on. Usually, aerodynamic forces tend to force the propeller to one end of the pitch envelope, and springs, compressed air, and/or engine oil pressure is used inside this device to control the pitch. Bushwacked'twas the plane that got Admiral Yamomoto. It's a P-38FIt says so on the data block on the nose. It also gives the serial number 41-7511 so we know it's to an FY41 contract. Kelly JohnsonA incredible designer of aircraft, worth checking into his history and story and learning more about him. From slide rules to computers, he was there. Lockheed P-38F Lightning 41-007511On 8/11/42, the aircraft suffered structural failure in Glendale, CA, at the hands of pilot Leown A. Gilliland, who flew with the 96 FS and the 82 FG, based at March Field in Riverside. This is from http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbaat.asp?theAT=p-38&Submit3=Go&o.... On 12/23/42, it apparently had a landing accident at Muroc while being flown by Leonard Gaber. This from http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbaat.asp?theAT=p-38&Submit3=Go&o... On 11/19/43, a mechanical failure compelled a forced landing in Santa Paula, CA, with Samuel Truluck at the controls. http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbaat.asp?theAT=p-38&Submit3=Go&o... In the above incident, we gather that the aircraft was damaged beyond repair, according to http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=107761 (Capt. Leown Gilliand, born 12/16/20 would go on to earn the DSC for downing two aircraft on 3/8/44 in Europe, three weeks before his death. http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipient...) Here he is: Maintainer's WardrobeWorking on fighter aircraft with hats on these days is a big way to get yourself in a lot of trouble. So is having stuff in your pockets if you crawl up the intake or the exhaust. Jets will suck up anything you have loose and it doesn't take much to put a 4 million dollar engine into a maintenance stand. Having everyone in maintenance to walk the ramps (and sometimes runways) for ingestible debris is another daily activity that wasn't as important for P-38's. Much more "expeditionary" than today's Air Force. EnginesThe props were also counter rotating. No P-factor or critical engine thrust issues. The P-38 also had mismatched super chargers that didn't do so well at high altitudes... However at low altitudes it was a superior aircraft for low level operations like ground support. (The Gallery, Aviation, Russell Lee, WW2)
Chicken Dinner: 1942
... & Curls Coiled telephone cords were invented in 1937 to replace the less forgiving woven fiber-covered ones but the new cords ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/12/2022 - 2:55pm -

May 1942. "Lancaster County, Nebraska. Mrs. Lynn May, FSA borrower, cleaning a chicken." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Big crowd on the wayLooks like a crowd coming for Sunday dinner: Mom's hair, still wet and rolled and set; five (or maybe six) chickens awaiting their later fate in the frying pan; everything spotless. I remember scenes just like this in my own family. The telephone with a ceramic bunny on top, wooden high chair with another bunny as a stencil, and most of all, the chicken being prepped on a newspaper on the kitchen table—it all looks like it stepped out of my own memories. Thanks for this nostalgic visit, and for all the rest. Imagine:Chicken being cooked with their own hearts and livers in the stuffing. A not-so-gentle reminder... that chicken doesn't start out on a Styrofoam tray at the supermarket. Egg NogginsPlease don't show us the act of harvesting the birds. I watched my grandfather chop the heads off and let them run around well, like headless chickens. I was maybe 7 but will never forget that! But they tasted so good when fresh! And everything tasted so good when Gramma cooked in Mississippi on the farm. Coils & CurlsCoiled telephone cords were invented in 1937 to replace the less forgiving woven fiber-covered ones but the new cords still didn't solve the problem of annoying twists and tangles. Also twisted (but hopefully not tangled) are the pin-curls in the mother's hair. The light fantasticJohn Vachon accomplished something extraordinary with the milky light in this room. Yes the chickens are sort of crass with their nubbly skin and the scrawny feet sticking up every whichaway, and the hard-working lady of the house doing the mundane task is rather ordinary. But the white door with its white knob, and the white wainscoting, and the white bunny, even the white of the wallpaper and the oilcloth on the table, and the gleaming high chair, and the luminous purity of the child's face and hair, are all suffused with such radiant light that the few shadows are welcome or it would all be too much. FeatherlessSimilarly. as a youngster I watched my Mom processing our backyard-raised chickens on countless occasions. Plucking the birds (outdoors) seemed the easy part, the reason being, she told me, for the very hot bath they had received shortly after their beheading. I'm quite certain Mrs. Lynn May also knew that. https://www.planetwhizbang.com/howtoproperlyscaldachicken No phone bookAll you had to do was crank the handle and tell "Sarah" who you wanted to talk to. That 'come hither' lookThose chicken feet look like they're straight out of a zombie movie. Chicken anonymousThose chickens probably had names. And, contrary to these days, almost certainly were multi-purpose chickens. Laying eggs, and when the eggs ran out changed from being involved in setting the dinner table to being committed. To most people who have leisure Raising poultry gives great pleasure: First, because the eggs they lay us For the care we take repay us; Secondly, that now and then We can dine on roasted hen; Thirdly, of the hen's and goose's Feathers men make various uses. Some folks like to rest their heads In the night on feather beds. http://www.davidgorman.com/maxundmoritz.htm#Erster_Streich Rural Party LinesThis family probably shared a party line with a dozen other families, and could call them directly on the same line by cranking the handle with a series of long and short rings, such as two long and one short. The phones would ring in everyone's home at the same time. A few people might pick up the phone that was not their ring code to eavesdrop. Phone numbers looked like 3-r-21, for line 3, ring two long- one short. Some places used a letter code, such as 3-X. They would have to call Sarah the operator for people on a different phone line or to make other calls. You can read more about it here. The Last Chicken DanceI remember when we'd visit my grandparents on their farm in SW Oklahoma my grandmother would always kill a chicken for dinner. My sister and I would watch her wring its neck and then the chicken would do that crazy dance that chickens do when they lose their heads. One time she did this to two chickens at the same time ... now that was a big deal. (Talk about a macabre scene!) I will never forget that smell that would fill the kitchen when she'd then bring the chicken inside and drop it in a tub of steaming hot water which would make it easier for her to pluck the feathers. Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance CompanyCalendar above the phone is from a crop insurance company founded in 1893 and still in business today in West Des Moines, Iowa. (The Gallery, Bizarre, John Vachon, Kids, Kitchens etc.)
Class Warfare: 1940
... neck. Pages School New York Times, May 9, 1937. Pages Go to School in Nation's Capitol Faculty of Six ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/29/2013 - 5:47pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1940. "Ernest Kendall, teacher of U.S. Capitol pages." Note old-school schoolboy mischief. Photo by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. Ahh yes, the remotethe cause of civil war in many households. I'm gonna ace this test...with all the crib notes I write on Billy's neck. Pages School New York Times, May 9, 1937. Pages Go to School in Nation's Capitol Faculty of Six Directs Study of 45 Boys Who Serve Senate and House The most vivid course in civics in the world is probably that being given this year to forty-five boys who serve as pages in the United States Congress. These youngsters, who have ringside seats at history-making debates, now study about them after hours in the Pages School, held in the basement of the Capitol. The current session of the school also finds the faculty increased to six, and the curriculum extended to include for the first time physical education, commercial law and economic subjects. Thus the pages, who range in age from 12 to 16, now have an even broader course and study under more favorable conditions than those in many high schools. No class group consists of more than nine students, and most of the classes are smaller. Teachers who have done graduate work in universities, give courses in English, history, mathematics, chemistry, physics, Latin, German, French, typewriting and shorthand, as well as the subjects added this term. … Ernest Kendall, a young teacher from Oklahoma, who served in the dual capacity of principal and one-man faculty when the school was started, has continued as principal and teacher. (The Gallery, D.C., Education, Schools, Kids, Theodor Horydczak)
The Old French Market
... photo shows WPA workers on North Peters on 5 January 1937; the Morning Call is to the left. --Infrogmation of New Orleans ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/13/2019 - 10:53pm -

Circa 1880s-1890s. "The old French Market, New Orleans." Photo by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. Deutsche GroceryApparently the Old French Market had a "Deutsche (German) Grocery." Grocery is, of course, an English word; the German one would be Lebensmittelgeschäft. There must have been quite a number of German-speaking immigrants to make it beneficial use such a sign. High & Dry GroceriesThe "Deutsche (German) Grocery" is north (roughly) across the street from the French Market; the French Market is that irregular-shaped long structure in the center of the photo. Last time I was in New Orleans, 25 years ago, there was at least one long-established grocery store in about that same location. The French Market is in the high ground area, such as it is, of earliest New Orleans settlement, and probably didn't get flooded after Katrina, although I may be wrong about this. --- Almost 50 years ago, I lived on the other side of Canal Street, about two blocks toward Lee Circle from the http://Liberty Theatre, www.shorpy.com/node/5786. There was also a nearby second theatre; I remember going to both. Shorpy, thanks for the memories! Gaslight to Carbon ArcThe Southwestern Brush Electric Light and Power Company had these carbon arc streetlamps up and burning by the end of 1882. The street gas lamp pictured is about 40 years older. There were 400 electric streetlamps powered by 12 generating stations. These were the days of DC municipal power, supplied for streetlights only until Edison came to town in 1886 to provide power for indoor incandescent lamps. I am fascinated by the wires in these old photographs and the eventual "current war" between AC and DC: Westinghouse vs. Edison. LocationI'm still trying to figure out exactly where this was, since the area around the French Market has changed a lot in the last 100 years or so. It looks like the street on the left is Gallatin, now French Market Place. The building at the very end of the street is the old U.S. Mint. The street on the right would be Peters, which ran along the river. Where it's at!I took a walk down to the French Market this morning and it looks like the photo was taken from the corner of Decatur and St. Phillip streets. Decatur is on the left (I wrongly identified it as Gallatin in an earlier post and that's not the US Mint at the end of the street) and Peters is on the right. Some of the buildings on Decatur are still there and you can line them up to figure out where the photographer was standing. Love the French MarketI used to travel to New Orleans in the 1990s, and my employer at the time had a condo in the Quarter for out of town visitors. I spent a lot of time in the French Market (I didn't patronize the tourist trap bars or gift stores). The market was open 24 hours a day at that time. I brought home a lot of pecans and cajun spices, but passed on the alligator meat offered by one vendor. French Market: Same but differentThis is just up from St. Philip Street, where Decatur & N. Peters Streets split. The "Red Stores" building is at the right. Seen is a part of the French Market that used to extend upriver a bit further. There used to be several stalls beyond the Morning Call Cafe (now the location of "The Market Cafe" restaurant). In the Great Depression, the Works Progess Administration did lots of good works in New Orleans, paving streets, building parks and playgrounds, and renovating public buildings. From a historic preservation standpoint, however, the 1930s WPA work on the French Market was a mixed bag. They renovated some of the oldest structures, but also tore down several buildings that were already more than a century old at the time. The attached photo taken a short distance down and to the right from the William Henry Jackson photo shows WPA workers on North Peters on 5 January 1937; the Morning Call is to the left. --Infrogmation of New Orleans Ship's ChandleryTwo storefronts, one says "Grocery and Ship Chandlery" the other "Ship Chandlery," the latter phrase indicates they would provision ships with food. In searching around I found that another grocery and ship's chandlery farther down the street (near the corner of Ursuline's) was involved in a serious explosion in 1895: "April 6, 1895, Wednesday Page 2, 644 words NEW ORLEANS, April 5. -- Five persons were killed and a number were injured by an explosion of powder in the grocery and ship chandlery of Charles J. Salathe, Decatur and Ursuline Streets, early this morning. Following is a list of the dead" http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9803E7DC133DE433A25755C0A... Looking at the PDF of the full article I see that, among the dead, were two "saloon loungers." +120 (approx.)Like the rest of the French Quarter, much of this view is the same today. The buildings on the left side of the image, although altered, are the same. The attached image is the identical perspective from September of 2008. (The Gallery, New Orleans, Stores & Markets, W.H. Jackson)
Paramount Winners: 1925
... Oscar in that category). He later married Mary Pickford in 1937 and was married to her until her death in 1979. Charles Brokaw was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/31/2012 - 8:18pm -

May 25, 1925. Washington, D.C. "Winners, Paramount Motion Picture School." View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Pretty Racy for 1925Wow, the woman on the far left leaves very little to the imagination with that shirt. I'm surprised she could walk around in public like that at that time never mind pose for photos. NSFW: The 1925 EditionThis picture has been carefully reviewed and found to be not safe for the 1925 workplace! Seriously, keep those jazz-babies coming! 20's sensibilitiesI'm very surprised to see the girl on the left not wearing a bra and such a tight top. Considering the sensibilities of the 1920's I thought her showing so much of her shape was socially unacceptable! [Might be a good time to read up on the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age. F. Scott Fitzgerald, anyone? - Dave] Fashion?What in the world is the woman on the right wearing? Is she sporting some fashion trend of the time, or did she forget her skirt? That seems to be an awfully racy outfit for 1925. [1925 was an awfully racy year! - Dave] Paramount WinnersWhat a shockingly fast crowd! [I wonder if they need directions to the Krazy Kat. - Dave] Bernice, is that you?The only thing that surprises me here is that the girl on the left has not yet bobbed her hair. What a fun and exciting time to be a woman -- too bad they didn't know what was coming. 1925 WAS a racy yearTangential: My father was in high school from 1923 to 1927. Once, in telling me a story about some high school escapades, he mentioned that he and his friends used to frequent a speakeasy in Calumet City called "The Speedway." "You went to a bar?!? In high school? They let you in?" "It was illegal for anyone to go to a bar in the 20s. They let everyone in." Paramount Motion Picture SchoolAccording to an article in the July 21, 1925 New York Times, the Paramount Pictures School opened for its first class of students that month in Astoria, New York. The first class of students was Josephine Dunn, Robert Andrews, Greg Blackton, Charles Brokaw, Claud Buchanan, Walter J. Gross, John Luden, Ethelda Kenvin, Mona Palma, Lorraine Eason, Wilbur Dillon, Laverne Lindsay, Irving Hartley, Marian Ivy Harris, Harriet Krauth, Dorothy Nourse, Thelma Todd, and Charles E. Rogers. The course lasted one year and those showing promise were to be offered contracts with Paramount Studios. The students appeared in the 1925 movie “Fascinating Youth.” I’ve heard of Thelma Todd and Josephine Dunn; don’t know if any of the others made it big. An earlier NY Times article says that the applications were done by district so these are probably the winners who applied at the Washington DC area. I love old movies...Walter Goss (not Gross) is better known as Roland Drew. Charles Brokaw was successful on Broadway. John (Jack) Luden is more infamous than famous - you can check out his IMDB bio. Thelda Kenvin was a beauty queen. I think it should be Lindsay La Verne (aka Sharon Lynn/e). Charles Rogers is better known as BUDDY Rogers! Thelma Todd died under mysterious circumstances - that was one of the first real Hollywood scandals. Some namesCharles E. Rogers is probably better known as Buddy Rogers. He appeared in the movie "Wings" which won the first Academy Award for Best Picture (and was the only silent to win what would become known as the Oscar in that category). He later married Mary Pickford in 1937 and was married to her until her death in 1979. Charles Brokaw was primarily a stage actor. There's an 11 year gap between his appearance in "Fascinating Youth" and his next movie role. Walter Gross (or Goss as IMDB has it) changed his name to Roland Drew. He had quite an active career until about 1945 although most of the movies he was in were either not memorable or minor parts for him. He's probably best known for playing Prince Barin in "Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe". John "Jack" Luden is described by IMDB as having one of the saddest stories in Hollywood. The child of a wealthy family (they made cough drops) he got some good early roles but by about 1929 he was seriously addicted to heroin. He made something of a comeback in the '30s doing westerns at Columbia but even that ended. He was eventually arrested and convicted for dealing heroin and writing bad checks and died in San Quentin at age 49. In the case of Thelma Todd, while she was a talented comedienne (she's great with the Marx Brothers in "Monkey Business" and "Horsefeathers", and her shorts with Zasu Pitts and Patsy Kelly are sometimes seen on TCM and are great) it was the manner of her death - carbon monoxide poisoning - that was the source of most of her enduring fame. Suicide? Accident? Murder? No one really knows for sure. It's not the FiftiesI'm surprised at the surprise regarding "mores" of the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, the Lost Generation, the era of speakeasies, fast cars, loose morals, flappers, a stock market that just went higher and higher based on nothing in particular ... sounds a lot like these days. I think when people think of a straitlaced past they're thinking of the Fifties. Which was pretty much an anomalously straitlaced decade in a very tumultuous century. That said, what IS she wearing? Bars and raciness@DTNelson -- we went to bars in high school all the time, and that was in the '70s. There was one place where we thought the unofficial motto was "Be 14 -- and prove it!" In the days before they raised the drinking age and finally cracked down on DWI, it was not uncommon at all. And although that looks like some sort of wool bathing get-up, just take a look at the silk shifts many young women wore then -- cut low, hemmed high, stockings rolled (the equivalent of letting stocking tops show today). It was a party time. History LessonThis discussion is what I meant about Shorpy being a a teaching tool specializing in photography and American history. It's fun. Thanks again, Dave and Ken. (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
Infinite West: 1941
... no longer used by present owner Union Pacific. [The 1937 bridge Ms. Wolcott was on was scheduled for replacement in 2014, but is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/12/2015 - 9:48am -

September 1941. "Buena Vista, Colorado (vicinity). The Sawatch mountains." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. VistaSuch a view is why we need the word: "vista". Yet, even this vastness has been conquered three ways: the railroad tracks, the telegraph lines, and the barbed-wire fences on both sides on the rail line. What do you suppose was the photographer's vantage point -- a water tower, perhaps? [Her car window. - Dave] Western entropy: The posting by Shorpyite, "swaool", gives us today's view of this vista; showing the deterioration of the conquering elements: an abandoned rail line, vanished telegraph lines, and the infamous barbed wire fences, installed in such straight lines are gone or lost in the weeds. Even the vantage point, a highway bridge, is in an aged condition. But Nature survives. Vantage PointTo me it is quite easy to discern. The photo was taken from the right side forward looking window of a train engine. [Yes, if your locomotive is 40 feet tall and you are waaay above the top of the telephone poles. Below, an actual cab view. - Dave] IMHOThe vantage point can't be her car window unless her car window is higher than those power lines. [What a puzzler. Maybe she chartered a balloon. - Dave] lol. But I see that others have cleared it up by pointing out that she was on a bridge. I should have thought of that lol. BYOONA-vistaThat's how they pronounce it there -- "byoonie" for short. Through the Rockies, not around them This is the route of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad from Pueblo to Dotsero, Colorado. Built to compete with the Union Pacific, it was downgraded after a more direct route was built from Denver to Dotsero though the long Moffat Tunnel and on to Salt Lake City. Being duplicative and containing some significantly steep grades it has been out of service since 1997. Part of the line includes the scenic Royal Gorge, seen elsewhere on Shorpy. The SubI guess Jack Delano was somewhere else that day. SpellingWouldn't that be Wasatch? [Too bad you don't have the Internet. - Dave] Vantage PointShe was most likely on the US 24 highway overpass about a mile south of Buena Vista. The view is to the SSE, and the railroad is the former Denver and Rio Grande Western's original mainline via Tennessee Pass, no longer used by present owner Union Pacific. [The 1937 bridge Ms. Wolcott was on was scheduled for replacement in 2014, but is still in this Street View image from 2012. -tterrace] View Larger Map (The Gallery, Landscapes, M.P. Wolcott, Railroads)
Deathtrap: 1917
... of Mrs. O'Leary in the disaster flick "In Old Chicago" (1937). Biltmore Street I currently live on the 1900 block of Biltmore ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/13/2017 - 10:57am -

        One hundred years ago today ... October 1917. Washington, D.C. "Knickerbocker Theatre." Harry Crandall's new Knickerbocker cinema at Columbia Road and 18th Street N.W. opened on October 13, 1917, with the historical drama "Betsy Ross," and an appearance by its star, Alice Brady. Less than five years later, 98 moviegoers were killed here when the roof caved in under an accumulation of snow during a blizzard. View full size. And ThenThe massive blizzard of 1922 came and took it away. [Good point! I added that to the caption. And the title. - Dave] Photoplays de Luxe When it opened, the Knickerbocker was touted as being fireproof -- and while it apparently was, unfortunately fireproof did not equate with disaster-proof. An earlier newspaper article documents the architect as Reginald Wyckliffe Geare. Both Geare and Crandall later committed suicide. New Theater Near Completion The Knickerbocker Theater at Eighteenth street and Columbia road, the newest addition to Crandall's circuit of theaters, will throw open its doors this week. The house will be devoted in the presentation of photoplays de luxe with full symphonic orchestral accompaniment. The structure, wholly unlike anything of the kind yet built in Washington, is absolutely fireproof throughout and the walls of Indiana limestone are Pompeian art brick. The auditorium is in the shape of an elongated triangle, generally following the shape of the lot, which is entirely occupied. The stage is in the apex of the triangle, and the arrangement lends itself admirably to the purpose for which it is designed. An unobstructed view of the stage can be had from every part of the auditorium. Along the front mezzanine floor are located the boxes, which will be reserved for each performance, an innovation in the conduct of local picture theaters. Immediately back of the reserved boxes is a broad promenade leading to the balcony section. A number of artistic loggias projecting from the mezzanine lounge overhand the auditorium and give space for other boxes and at the rear of the second floor is located a Japanese tea room. The auditorium is lighted by a new system of semidirect, self-diffusing type entirely new for theater lighting by means of which any desired light effect can be obtained in an instant. This lighting will be in harmony with the projected picture and effects ranging from full sunlight to subdued moonlight and the semidarkness of dawn will flood the theater as various scenes are projected upon the screen. The electrical fixtures have been specially designed for the building as have the seats, hangings, draperies and other furnishings, all of which are of the Adam period, the color scheme of the interior being ivory, gold and pale blue. The color scheme of the ladies reception room leading from the orchestra promenade will be blue and gold with furniture and hangings in harmony. The ventilating system is augmented by giant typhoon fans and blowers and is of the latest pattern. The air in the the theater will be changed every three minutes. Washington Post, Oct 7, 1917 The Knickerbocker StormMy maternal grandparents moved to Washington when they were married in 1914. They had planned on going to the Knickerbocker on the night of the disaster but decided to remain home due to the weather. I'm glad they did; otherwise my ending would likely have occurred a quarter century or so before my beginning! Earliest MemoryMy mother-in-law, born in DC in 1920, said her earliest memory was responding to the adults' news of the fire with "Knickerbocker-fall-down-break-neck" over and over. Is there a doctor in the house?My great-aunt and -uncle lived a few blocks from the Knickerbocker, and like the family of the other poster, they decided not to go to the movies that night due to the bad weather. My great uncle was a doctor and as soon as word got out about the disaster, he rushed to the scene to help the victims. General Patton to the RescueI think he was a colonel at the time, but George Patton was involved in the gruesome recovery effort after the theater's roof collapse. From the book "General Patton: A Soldier's Life" by Stanley B. Hirshson: Amid his writings and visions, Patton experienced a touch of activity at the end of January 1922. One Saturday night, he was sent to the Knickerbocker theater in Washington after its roof collapsed during a heavy snowfall. Ninety-seven people were killed. With a hundred men Patton helped get out "about a dozen corpses... They were pretty well squashed," he informed his father. "Many of the heads being only three or four inches thick made it rather hard to identify people as they were a sort of purple color." Alice BradyIronically, Alice Brady won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Mrs. O'Leary in the disaster flick "In Old Chicago" (1937). Biltmore StreetI currently live on the 1900 block of Biltmore Street, a block from where the Knickerbocker sat. My grandmother and her sisters were to attend the theater that evening as well, but canceled. The lot now consists has a Suntrust Bank whose structure was built in the 1970s in what is now a vibrant, affluent neighborhood. "Betsy Ross""Betsy Ross" is one of the very few films from the Woodrow Wilson era that has survived intact. A few months ago, I rented it from my local library, and found it to be still quite watchable. Knickerbocker disasterFamily history has it that an uncle of ours did attend the Knickerbocker that evening and left the theater. But he forgot his galoshes and went back inside, and was killed by the collapse. Very sad event. Our family still talks about it. Great AuntMy Great Aunt Veronica Murphy died in the disaster. 29 years old! Strange thingI used to pass the replacement theater The Ambassador as a child with my grandma. Even though it was open, it always appeared to be closed. I once ran inside and there were only three people. I felt very uncomfortable and ran back out. I never went in again. Then poof, one day it was gone. (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
Memorial Day: 1942
... along the fence, left to right, are a 1940 Chevrolet; a 1937 Ford; and a 1933 Oldsmobile (note the people inside watching the parade). ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/29/2017 - 5:05pm -

May 1942. Southington, Connecticut. "An American town and its way of life. The Memorial Day parade moving down the main street. The small number of spectators is accounted for by the fact that the town's war factories did not close. The town hall is in the left foreground." Medium format Kodachrome transparency by Fenno Jacobs for the Office of War Information. View full size. Baby carriage?Gorgeous scene. Is the blue suit wearing woman in the foreground pushing a baby carriage? It's very interestingly designed. [It's a stroller. - Dave] Southington From AboveThis aerial view shows Main Street (State highway 10) at Academy Street Two newer buildings are across the street, but town hall remains with little change. KodachromeKodachrome never ceases to amaze me. This photo looks like it was taken last week. The detailI had forgotten the detail of medium format Kodachrome. When I first started as a photography student we still worked in with film. I was one of the very last classes to do so. The world has changed so much in just over 10 years. Parking for the ParadeParked along the fence, left to right, are a 1940 Chevrolet; a 1937 Ford; and a 1933 Oldsmobile (note the people inside watching the parade). The first five cars parked along the parade route, starting at the yellow curb and working back, are a 1939 Buick; a 1942 Buick (which is not a Roadmaster model); a 1941 Pontiac; a 1934 Chevrolet; and a 1941 Buick. The American Legion is marching behind the boy band. The parade must be in the morning because the flag is still at half staff (it is raised to the top of the flag pole at noon on Memorial Day). It looks like there used to be a circular driveway in front of the town hall. The curb in front of the building has two ramps that go all the way to the street. There are at least six children on top of the roof of the building next to town hall. Another five are on the cannon in the parkway. I saw them because I had my eyes examined by Dr. Duffy. Parade plansSouthington News of 5-29-42. Front page article about the next day's Memorial Day parade activities. The whole newspaper makes for interesting reading. Immaculate lawnIt's clear the war effort didn't keep the groundskeepers at town hall from doing their work, and doing it very well, I must say. This Is Why We Love Shorpy!I still can't get over the fact that this picture is 75 years old! The Kodachrome just makes it look like it was taken yesterday. (The Gallery, Fenno Jacobs, Patriotic, WW2)
Choking the Chicken: 1943
... When an investor gained a majority of the stock in 1937, the original three left and started the Redman Trailer Company (named ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2015 - 6:43pm -

August 1943. "Middle River, Md. Farm Security Administration housing for Glenn L. Martin aircraft plant workers" is the general caption for this group of photos by John Collier. Unfortunately there are no specifics as to what exactly is going on here. Comments now open for alternate-title suggestions. View full size. Rejectedbecause it's just so obvious - "Choking the Chicken" [Since this does indeed seem to be a chicken (of the Barred Rock variety), we are changing the title from "Trussing the Turkey" forthwith. - Dave] Well --What would you do if your turkey got wet? It's what's for dinnerIt looks to me like they are having pheasant for dinner. Or maybe it's a game hen. Bad Day at Barred RockIt appears to me that the gentleman is using a commonly used method to dispatch his Barred Rock hen - secure the feet to a clothesline to immobilize the bird then either slit the throat or cut the head off. The bird will flop briefly then bleed out cleanly. Tomatoes on the sideTomato plants in the background are bearing nicely. Except for the trailers, this could be my Grandmother’s West Virginia back yard in the 1930s-40s. Loser, Winner, Chicken DinnerThe days when "fresh" was not signage over an aisle of the grocery store. Any trailer aficionados?My guess is they are Curtis, but it is just a guess based on the aircraft factory theme. Dressed for the occasionHe wears his belt buckle to the side so it won't catch on the feathers. [Buckling to the side was evidently a thing back in the 1930s and '40s -- See 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. - Dave] Fashion Follows FormMy dad always wore his buckle to the side, and explained to me that he wore it that way so as not to scratch the fender when working on his car. (fenders were big obstacles to engine access in the 30's and 40's) So; to paraphrase jimboylan's comment below - which inspired mine - "Dad wore his belt buckle to the side so it wouldn't scratch the fenders."(!) Standard operating procedureHe isn't "choking" the chicken, he is in process of cutting its head off! This was a standard way of butchering chickens in the South while I was growing up. I can recall many times that my mother butchered a half dozen chickens by tying their feet together, hanging them from the clothesline, taking their heads off with a very sharp butcher knife, and running like hell to keep from getting spattered with the blood that flew around while the chicken flapped as it bled out. Basically it was/is a very clean way of butchering chickens, as they bleed out quickly. Twist-OffMy mother used to tell me of a slightly more gruesome method her mother (Grandma) had of just picking up the chicken by the head and spinning it around a couple of times until the head twisted off. Of course the chicken would run around a bit without its head. This story terrified me as a kid. More on Buckle PlacementBuckle to the side keeps him from scratching the back of his guitar while playing in local rockabilly band. Buckles to the sideMy contemporaries and I in our pre-teen and early teen years were wearing our buckles this way, especially for what we called "garrison belts", in the 1950s. This for some of the same reasons cited, but we thought it was just being "cool", like rolling up the bottom of our dungarees six inches. Mom always bought 'em too long so we could grow into them. Pumping gasBack in the 50's I had a part time job at a Marathon gas station and the boss made me wear my belt on the side or tuck a shop rag over it to eliminate scratches on customer cars when checking oil or cleaning windshields. Yeah,,,,we really did that folks! Killing the ChickenOne of the most interesting things my brother and I were privileged to behold when we spent a few weeks with Grandma in small-town Southern Illinois in the late 1950's, was the killing of chickens in precisely this way. The lady across the street raised chickens in her back yard and about once a week would dispatch a fair number of them all at once, probably to sell. She would tie up about 3 hens per bunch and then hang up 4 or 5 bunches on her clothes line. Then she would take a big knife, grab the heads and cut them off. We were very impressed since we lived in a medium-sized town in Michigan where no such thing could be imagined. Chickens for us were wrapped in plastic - nice and neat. This picture brought back a wonderful memory. What's the matter with me? Were these the good old daysAs mentioned by PopCollector I have often seen my Mother kill a chicken by wringing its neck and letting it flop on the ground to bleed out. In the 40's ( maybe early 50's ) our local grocery store bought live chickens from local farmers. The store would truss the chickens up by their feet and have them hanging upside down on a rack in the storeroom. A customer could go back to the storeroom and pick out a chicken to take home where the chicken would be dispatched, dipped in very hot water, plucked, gutted, dismembered, and cooked. Mom could sure cook up some good fried chicken but I sure wouldn't want to go that route myself. Give me something already cut up in a plastic wrap to cook. Killing humanelyFried chicken on the dinner table requires several preliminary steps. Hanging the chicken upside down calms it considerably before the incision as blood rushes to its head, and allows it to bleed out as quickly as possible. In the hands of a skilled butcher the death of the chicken is humane because it is virtually instantaneous. No Irony HereI like tommydo's sense of humor, but those are not Curtiss trailers. Each one is a 1941 Silvermoon Model 7000 (later Model 70) made by the Alma Trailer Company in Alma, Michigan. Their color was olive drab green and gray, and both the two and the four-person versions rented for $6.50 a week The company started in 1930 when two brothers and an engineer built a hunting trailer for themselves, which attracted the attention of other hunters. Soon after a company was formed and they became busy enough to move into an abandoned Republic Truck factory. When an investor gained a majority of the stock in 1937, the original three left and started the Redman Trailer Company (named after the two brothers). They called their competing product the New Moon, and they set up shop directly across the street in an old Libby's pickle canning plant. Sales took off when they began offering a trailer that was significantly longer than others in the market. Both Alma and Redman (along with others) supplied the Farm Services Administration with housing (Silvermoons and New Moons, respectively) during the military build-up before the United States entered WWII. Redman also supplied military trailers and hospital units during the war. By 1944 the Redman Company had completed their war contracts and were being allowed to once again build and sell a few of their trailers—but only to workers engaged in the war effort. After the war both companies experienced a sales boom, with Alma Trailer Company peaking a few years later. In 1952 Alma began to lose money and continued to do so until production ceased around 1960, while Redman went on to greater fame and fortune by switching from trailers to mobile homes. In 1953 The Long, Long Trailer hit the big screen and became MGM's biggest comedy up to that time, while the New Moon Mobile Home featured in the movie became a best seller. Now headquartered in Dallas and known as Redman Homes, they are the second largest builder of manufactured housing in the country. (The Gallery, John Collier)
Starke Wreck: 1940
... Car ID L-R: 1934 Terraplane (made by Hudson) and 1937 Ford. RIP You beat me to it Hayslip! 1934 Hudson Terraplane Coupe 1937 Ford Deluxe Tudor Slant-back Sedan And the Missing Tag Quite a ways ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/13/2021 - 3:52pm -

December 1940. "Wrecked cars of Camp Blanding construction workers. Starke, Florida." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. Speed Racer“aw, I blew your doors off! See, one of them is leaning against the building!” Never mind the carsI'd like to get my hands on one of those bathtubs. "Blanding Worker Is Killed in Accident"AP wire service item in the Tallahassee Democrat, 12-31-1940: Car IDL-R: 1934 Terraplane (made by Hudson) and 1937 Ford. RIPYou beat me to it Hayslip! 1934 Hudson Terraplane Coupe 1937 Ford Deluxe Tudor Slant-back Sedan And the Missing TagQuite a ways from 1940 Florida to 1950's Oakland, but Signal30 could still apply. OuchAutomobile wrecks back then ... prior to the 1970s, actually ... were just horrible. Without seat belts, and certainly no air bags, and with a steel "dash board," a rigid steering column, non-collapsing body panels, etc., one simply went smack into the shattering-glass windshield (if one wasn't crushed under the crumpling roof, as starkly imagined in the car on the left). So much of what we take for granted (and are even broadly ignorant of), including sophisticated suspension, antilock brakes, radial tires, unibody construction, and myriad sensors and responding gizmos (see: broadly ignorant), were simply absent on those primitive beasts of the roadways (with horses being far more intelligent and responsive, half-a-lifetime earlier). My late mother-in-law lost her beloved brother to such a horrible wreck in the same year as this photo. She was 5 and he was 10. He was the bright light of the family and already a gentle mentor to my young mother-in-law. She talked about him regularly, until her own death at 85. And from what I heard, that wreck was probably at 35 mph, when their uncle lost control on a winding country road and hit a tree. (A certain golfer recently lost control and hit a tree, similarly, but at 50 mph faster than that earlier wreck. Looking at his vehicle pulled from the ravine, the damage seemed oddly mild, more like the car on the left than the one on the right.) TerryCarroll you're absolutely correctYour posting is spot on. We should be thankful they "don't build them like they used to." My family was in a wreck in an old Buick in 1954, that but for the grace of God, none of us would be here. My father went through the windshield just before the steering column went through the back of his seat. Fortunately he left an opening in the window for my 2 year old brother to fly through. I was fortunate to have a 16 year old sister that held on to me at 3 months old, as the car tumbled and rolled several times down the road. My first cars were 1960's and early 70's vintage models. Every one of them had the master cylinder go out at least once, leaving me to drive down the road with no brakes. Massachusetts DriversKeeping junkyards busy since 1940. Clean slateJudging by all of the sinks and bathtubs. Sign of doomI remember as a young kid going with my dad to an auto salvage yard to look for a part. I came upon an auto that had obviously been in a head on collision. As I looked around the interior I notice a crescent shape indentation on the metal dash. And then it hit me. It looked exactly like the outline of someone's teeth. From that point forward, seatbelts became my friend. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, M.P. Wolcott)
Just Add Water: 1942
... and the Bureau of Reclamation to get it built starting in 1937. Needs water now! Currently Shasta Lake is 37% full -- ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/26/2022 - 10:16am -

June 1942. "Shasta Dam, Shasta County, California. The dam under construction." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. Like an EgyptianSeeing photographs of projects like this are always amazing to look at. And then you go back and look at all the things built before power tools. Absolutely incredible what man can do. Dam dam damWe have almost forgotten how crucial dam-building was to the New Deal and how much it transformed America via resource management and rural electrification, as well as job creation. Dams became patriotic symbols, and rather sexy: it seems amazing that Life magazine chose a photo of Montana's Fort Peck Dam (by Margaret Bourke-White) for the cover of its first issue. Boulder (later Hoover) Dam, dedicated in 1935, became a major tourist attraction because U.S. Route 93 went across the dam's crest. (You can still drive across, but this has become much more complicated.) The Shasta Dam, which Lee photographed, had been envisioned for two decades, but it took the New Deal and the Bureau of Reclamation to get it built starting in 1937. Needs water now!Currently Shasta Lake is 37% full -- about half of what the average level in other years was this time of year. Only two guys workingI only see two guys working. They must have put in some major overtime to build such a dam. Just add colorhttps://www.shorpy.com/node/26703 Remember GuysIf you drop a tool, you get to climb down and bring it back. Oh, by the way, you're off the clock until you get back. Careful!I'm seeing a couple of OSHA violations here. Specifically, think the guy in the front of the picture on the edge of the dam, balancing on a narrow piece of wood, forgot to put on his safety harness. But he's probably wearing sure footed leather sole shoes. America in the time of war.Look at this. If anyone had doubts America was in danger of losing a war on two fronts look no further than to these awe inspiring historical pics of major construction projects, factories, or any other infrastructure all underway during a very troubling era. As Yamamoto mentioned: A sleeping giant was indeed awakened. Volume of concreteThis incredibly effective perspective relays the strength and the massive volume of concrete used on this dam: 15 Million tons! The dam flooded an old mining town, Kennett, under approximately 400 feet of water. (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Russell Lee)
Nightspot: 1941
... Tomorrow Night  1948 Flood Water Blues  1937 Mean Old Bedbug Blues  1927 Swing Out Rhythm  1937 Playing With The Strings  1928 Jelly Roll Baker ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 2:02pm -

April 1941. "Entertainers at South Side tavern. Chicago, Illinois." Safety negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Martin Dreadnaught!What I wouldn't give to have the guitar being played by the man in the center! Built by the C.F. Martin Company of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, it's a D-18. Hank Williams, Elvis, and other too numerous to mention played something similar. LonnieCould the guitarist on the right possibly be Lonnie Johnson? He'd have been 42 at the time, and was I believe based in Chicago in the early Forties. Looks a lot like him anyway. No reason for the photographer to know that he was snapping someone who'd played with Armstrong and Ellington, and is now seen as one of the great pioneers of blues/jazz guitar. The woman in the mirroris beautiful. I wonder if she's a partygoer or an employee? Sure wish we had sound with these pictures! The CrowdStylishly well dressed and enjoying the show. Classy Good TimesI don't think you can find places like this anymore where class and dignity upgrade the enjoyment of the music, cocktails and fun. I like the lady in the fedora in the back booth looking directly at the camera like she knows more than most and the elegance displayed by all the good company present. Don't know why, but it brings to mind a little-known song sung by LaVern Baker (born in Chicago in 1929) called "Saved" which is a real hoot with words something like "I used to smoke, I used to drink, I used to do the hootchy coo, but now I'm saved..." and there is a big Salvation Army drum booming in the background. I'll have to look that up and have another listen. Anyway, thank you Shorpy for the provacative photo, just another one of which takes me back to younger days. Chicago, Chicago, a toddlin' town... GuitarsThe guitar on the left is a 28 series Martin - you can tell by the white binding. It does look like a Dreadnought size, which surprises me. Man on the right has a Martin 00-21, which Lonnie Johnson played. LonnieMick H could be right. The resemblance to Lonnie Johnson is striking. [More Lonnie here. - Dave] Cool EleganceAs requested below ... A sampling of Lonnie Johnson's music from 1927-1947. I imagine he played one of these during a set. Ladies in hats and men including the musicians in suits and ties you just can't get gigs like that anymore. She's My Mary 1939 Two Tone Stomp 1928 Nothing But Trouble Have To Change Keys To Play These Blues 1928 Tomorrow Night 1948 Flood Water Blues 1937 Mean Old Bedbug Blues 1927 Swing Out Rhythm 1937 Playing With The Strings 1928 Jelly Roll Baker No More Troubles Now 1930 Guitar Blues 1929 Tomorrow Night 1947 Got The Blues For The West End 1937 Pleasing You As Long As I Live 1948 Blues In My Soul 1947 (The Gallery, Chicago, Eateries & Bars, Music, Russell Lee)
Carson Spur: 1930s
... The ubiquitous kerchiefs. The Car Looks to be a 1937 or 1938 Buick, from what I can tell. Mom and the kids The young ... 
 
Posted by Tony W. - 09/17/2011 - 8:15pm -

tterrace helps me out once again: On state highway 88 south of Lake Tahoe. Looks to be later than the other one in the collection. Get a load of the expression on the face of the gal on the left. View full size FeetThis family had a thing about bare feet in high elevations. I love this picture, not the least for the looming Radiator Monster. "Get a load" and "gal"A phrase and word I associate with that period. Nice touch. And the expression on the face of the "gal" on the left is such a perfect match for her left foot. Brilliantly rich. Thanks for the share. MidriffyI'm still just kind of gobsmacked at her belly-baring little outfit. Very cute vacation wear. The ubiquitouskerchiefs. The CarLooks to be a 1937 or 1938 Buick, from what I can tell. Mom and the kidsThe young ones all bear a strong resemblance to each other. Mom's prideLooks like twins on the right, older sister with the toe grip. Female family trait: cock head when being photo'd. Girls after my own feet!Those two girls are sporting my favorite footwear! I do the toe-curling, too. I wonder if they also liked to ride with their feet up on the dashboard or the back of the front seat? (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Tonypix)
Helena: 1942
... time. He starred in three Best Picture nominees: Dead End (1937), Foreign Correspondent (1940), and The More the Merrier (1943). McCrea ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/20/2021 - 10:51am -

March 1942. "Helena, Montana." Now playing at the Marlow: Sullivan's Travels and Paris Calling. Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Join in the debate on how to pronounce Helena. Movie travels far from Montana"Sullivan's Travels" is Preston Sturges' highly literate 1941 take on "Gulliver's Travels." The title sequence is designed like an opening book. I wonder how many viewers today would recognize the visual allusion to Jonathan Swift's Lilliput. "Paris Calling" is a film noir involving the Nazi invasion of France. It was released just three days before Pearl Harbor led Americans into World War II. The male stars of these two films, Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott, had a late-career pairing in the classic western, 'Ride the High Country' (1962). They were both so respected that director Sam Peckinpah flipped a coin to determine top billing; Scott won, which meant that his name is on the left in the titles and ads. Starring Joel McCrea"Sullivan's Travels," of course. His natural style was years ahead of its time. He starred in three Best Picture nominees: Dead End (1937), Foreign Correspondent (1940), and The More the Merrier (1943). McCrea himself was never even nominated for an Academy Award. Merchants National and Montana NationalA colored postcard view, circa. 1900, of the Montana National Bank (yellowish) and the Merchants National Bank (white), later the Union Bank. Then the aftermath of the January 9, 1944 fire at the Montana National Bank, in which two sisters-in-law died: the widow of the founding vice-president of the bank and the widow of the VP’s brother. More here. Before and after the showBased on the weather and their super-cute signage, I'll be visiting Corr Cafe for a cuppa and a substantial snack shortly after the end credits roll on Sullivan's Travels, in which "Veronica Lake's on the take." All goneEverything you see here was destroyed and much of downtown completely rearranged in a 1970s "urban renewal" campaign. Helenahistory.org describes the orgy of 'progress' as follows: "Most of the Victorian-era structures in the area fell to the wrecking ball. In total, 228 buildings were demolished, over 140 businesses were displaced, and 430 families had to find somewhere else to live. In a city of Helena's small size, it was a major upheaval." That's a Very Strange SignLooking at the photo on a large 4k monitor, it is easy to see that the sign is actually a neon sign! Neon has never been cheap relative to other forms of advertising. Why would they go to that one-time expense for these 2 films, made by completely different studios, with completely different stars, for one particular movie theatre, in an out of the way place such as Helena, Montana, and in the winter, to boot ? The "Marlow Theatre" and the "arrow" pointer in neon makes sense, but the film names? [The letters in the sign can be rearranged to spell out whatever is playing. - Dave] Behind the scenesAs GlenJay points out in his comment on "Paris Calling," there was an ominous background to these tranquil domestic scenes. Around the time this picture was taken, Roy Stryker wrote to John Vachon (March 18, 1942): "If everything goes well, we will go on a 'partial security' basis, that is the FBI will investigate the field photographers very carefully. You will then carry proper identification as well as have a letter of specific authorization for each assignment." As a former government photographer myself, I know full well that having an FBI background check really tells you that you're no longer taking holiday snapshots. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Movies)
Swim Party: 1942
... dive is not going to be anything fancy. In November 1937, five years before John Collier took these photographs, the Bridgeton ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/11/2022 - 2:41pm -

July 1942. "Bridgeton, New Jersey. Facilities for workers employed at the Seabrook Farms. Fourth of July picnic at Parvin Park." 4x5 acetate negative by John Collier. View full size. That diving board contraption --Oh so unsafe by today's standards, but oh so much fun by yesterday's. If you have to hold your noseyour dive is not going to be anything fancy. In November 1937, five years before John Collier took these photographs, the Bridgeton Board of Trade made a movie promoting their city. The 29-minute film includes a love story and is full of plugs for local businesses, including milk, bread, poultry, coal, and chocolate. But alas, there is no mention of Seabrook Farm. Bridgeton parks are quickly glossed over. I was hoping to see that diving platform, which I'm certain is no longer there. X marks the spotThe lady at the bottom left, back to the camera, is trying out a new bathing suit ... one which exposes more of her skin than the previous model. I hope she doesn't burn. Little bit of perilLife is made better with little bits of peril sprinkled in. No one wanted anyone to get hurt and the adults took all precautions before letting the kids climb the tower. Then they joined them! Mostly, they were all happy to not be part of the previous generation wherein no one could swim and wool bathing attire was required. Those suitsI always hated those men's bathing suits that resembled the trunks pro wrestlers wore on TV. (The Gallery, John Collier, July 4, Kids, Swimming)
Fender, Roads: 1942
... a chrome Mayflower. It makes me wonder if that's his 1937 Plymouth photobombing the main street of Hettinger. I dunno, though. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2021 - 3:29pm -

April 1942. Beaverhead County, Montana. "Road into Bannack, Montana's first capital." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Geez --At first I thought it was a pencil sketch, incredible photograph. A new favorite. RepurposedOn Fender Road, I chanced upon a couple of 1966 Jensen C12Ns for my old Tremolux. Looks like a Thomas Hart BentonHe painted some Montana landscapes that resemble this photo. A particularly artful captionwill not go unappreciated. I don't see the piano Witty headline. I like it. A Great Musical ReferenceEspecially for us former musicians who had to lug one of those around! Piano reference.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_piano The key question:Did they have a suitcase? Musically amusingMy son is a keyboardist in a jazz trio. I don't think he's much for old photos but he will appreciate the play on words when I share this with him. Following the shipSo, now we see that all the way through the northern Midwest, John Vachon was steering behind a chrome Mayflower. It makes me wonder if that's his 1937 Plymouth photobombing the main street of Hettinger. I dunno, though. The side vent on the hood of the Hettinger car looks more like a '38. But with the snow obscuring the hood ornament, we can't be completely sure it's even a Plymouth. Fender. Clouds. Road.Outstanding reflections! Vachon Keeps Amazing MeI think I'd seen John Vachon's name a few times before you started Shorpy, but you've planted him firmly among my favorite American photographers. This one is just stunning, as different as can be from his great Times Square 1943 shot (original AND colorized) but just as memorable. So, let me see ...Where is the car? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Landscapes, On the Road)
Fanny Parrott: 1941
... is for February 1940. The Watkins calendar is from 1937. And on the left we have a 1941 almanac. - Dave] Watkins products ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/11/2018 - 9:58pm -

May 1941. "Mrs. Fanny Parrott, wife of former slave near Siloam, Greene County, Georgia." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Calendars indicate 1943The insurance calendar appears to be dated 1943 and the Watkins calendar indicates January 1st is a Friday which is 1943. [The insurance calendar is for February 1940. The Watkins calendar is from 1937. And on the left we have a 1941 almanac. - Dave] Watkins productsI see she has a Watkins calendar. Watkins Products (seasonings and extracts, soaps and detergents, cough and cold remedies, liniment, etc.) were sold by traveling salesmen. I can remember the Watkins man stopping by my grandparents' house in East Texas, when I was spending summers there in the 1960s. Founded in 1868, Watkins is still around today. Stand CorrectedThe zoom in on the calendar really helped. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Portraits)
Dad at Dinner: 1938
... company led to the Supreme Court's landmark decision in 1937 upholding Congress's power to enact the Wagner Act, for reasons that ... laborer at one of the tube works) died when Dad was 7, in 1937. He thereafter faced a hard, often hungry, youth after that time. When I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/15/2018 - 10:35am -

July 1938. Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. "The Clifford Shorts family at dinner. Mr. Shorts is a roller at the Jones & Laughlin steel mill." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Her Beautiful LaundretteThat second iron on the shelf suggests that Mrs. Shorts may take in laundry. "In by nine and out by five." Striped ShortsClick to embiggen. Re: Striped ShortsThose kids would all be in their 80's now if any of them are still around. A plate of ??What is on that plate on the far right? Is it cheese?? Love the watch - Just the right sizeSome of today's styles leave me cold. In particular: men's wristwatches are too big, and men's suits are too small. Dad's wristwatch is just right. Labor history in the makingClifford Shorts had been a millworker at Jones & Laughlin, but by July 1938 he was working full time as the financial secretary for the C.I.O. organization, the Steel Workers Organizing Committee ("SWOC"), for the plant. In the mid-1930s, plant management and conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices believed that the New Deal's Wagner Act, creating rights to collectively bargain, was unconstitutional, and the company refused to follow it. Instead, they created their own association to represent workers (and appointed Mr. Shorts as one of its leaders). But Mr. Shorts and others soon broke away and formed SWOC, which filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The Board's action against the company led to the Supreme Court's landmark decision in 1937 upholding Congress's power to enact the Wagner Act, for reasons that reflected even broader federal powers to regulate the national economy. When Congress considered amendments to the Act in 1940, Clifford Shorts gave testimony. This 1995 law review article tells the story well. Eat your veggies and drink your milkIf I'm not mistaken, the kids are eating peas in milk. My father used to love them this way, but I could never really stand peas, in milk or otherwise. [There's a can of Country Club Evaporated Milk on the table. In addition to the kids' glasses of milk. This family had strong bones! - Dave] Evaporated MilkThe Shorts are using the evaporated milk to whiten the coffee. My late wife did that forever, passed down from her parents and I've seen others do it also. Two tiny little holes punched into the can and away you go. I wonder how Junior was taking it.Being already a big boy and all that. And dad still not trusting him with a table knife. And that in front of a stranger from the big city, and his camera. I would love to see the boy's whole face during the process. Five kids in allClifford and Catherine Shorts had five children, the three youngest of whom are still living. Rolling, rolling, rollingMy dear departed father in law was a roller at a steel mill. He was suspended in a pulpit about 10 feet long by 6 feet wide. About 6 feet below him were hot glowing slabs of steel, most at least 20 feet long and about 6 feet square. He sat behind a large steering wheel and used two foot operated pedals. This orchestration he perfected would stop the conveyor belt, flip the slab on its side, cut off the front at the specified length, move it up, and cut off the other end then send it on its way to eventually become one of those large rolls of steel you see on flatbed tractor trailers. The exact length of the slab was determined by the paperwork in front of him. Fortunately the pulpit was air conditioned year round. He would get frequent visitors who took advantage of the air conditioning on a hot day. During a tour I saw firsthand the grit and noise and heat he endured every day providing for his family. When he retired the mill eliminated the rolling operation and did it a different way. Apparently those rolls of steel held their heat for quite some time. He said after three days you still couldn't touch one. Clifford Jr.If I found the right obituary, one of these boys is Clifford Shorts, Jr., who died on Oct. 30, 2012. His brothers were Ronald and Kenneth (the latter predeceased Clifford), and sisters were Bernice and Patricia. One daughter is not pictured in the 2nd photo. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?page=lifestor... Other DimensionsMy dad grew up in McKeesport, with much the same relationship with the steel mills. I'm particularly keen on these Pennsylvania pictures for a glimpse into that world. His father (a laborer at one of the tube works) died when Dad was 7, in 1937. He thereafter faced a hard, often hungry, youth after that time. When I see pictures like this I see the kind of life he may have had if Grandpa had lived, with a little more money, food and a dad to take care of things here and there. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kids, Kitchens etc.)
Open Sesame: 1907
... I recognize the boat in the foreground. Pueblo (1891-1937) The Pueblo was built by the Milwaukee Shipyard in 1891. Renamed the ... to be salvagable, but finally scuttled in Lake Ontario in 1937 without repair. Jake and Elwood, where are you? Isn't this the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 3:06pm -

Chicago, Illinois, circa 1907. "Jackknife Bridge, Chicago River." The Pueblo passing through the open span. Glass negative by Hans Behm. View full size. Sorry no bluesThis is not the Blues Brother Bridge. The river is to narrow and to many buildings. Looking over the 1906 Chicago Public Works report, the direction of shadows and the fact that the train is going over this bridge I suspect that it's the Lake Street bridge over the South Branch of the Chicago River. It's not Wells Street because that bridge goes north south. Problem is the Lake Street bridge had pavement added in 1907 & this one does not. [The photo could have been made after 1907. - Dave] More, info found. Lake St carried traffic and was paved in 1901. So no Lake St. This is an elevated track bridge that was located between Van Buren St and Jackson Blvd. It's on the maps of Chicago till sometime in the 50's. This was the one bridge for subway tracfic only in the loop. I found a few refence photos including the builders photos and no refence to location but South Branch of Chicago River. This is a Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge built in 1895. I love this stuff and this website. DrawbridgesThis drawbridge is the one at State street at W. Wacker drive. Apparently the Blues Brothers bridge is a different one. The odd boatI believe that's the top of a mobile caisson used for underwater maintenance in those days. Jackknife Bridge, Chicago RiverThis is probably the Lake Street bridge, which was replaced by a double-decker bridge a few years a few years after this photo. It looks like this today. He moved the cameraMust have moved it a good seven or eight feet closer to the bridge. Interesting that something happened to the white napkin or handkerchief, too, on the side by the strange "turtle boat." [I think the camera is in the same spot. This photo has been cropped. - Dave] Pueblo of MilwaukeeI'd love to know more about the "Pueblo." It appears to be an old wooden-hulled sailing ship that has been converted to steam. BatteredLooks like the Pueblo has had her share of bumps and bruises. Neat picture We all live ...I recognize the boat in the foreground. Pueblo (1891-1937)The Pueblo was built by the Milwaukee Shipyard in 1891. Renamed the Richard W in 1916 and finally the Palmbay in 1923. On Jan 16, 1926, she burned at her winter layup dock. Thought to be salvagable, but finally scuttled in Lake Ontario in 1937 without repair. Jake and Elwood, where are you?Isn't this the bridge shown in "The Blues Brothers"? Van Buren Street BridgeFrom the Chicago Postcard Museum. Correction. This is not the Van Buren St Bridge but a bridge between Van Buren St and Jackson that is no longer there. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Chicago, DPC, Railroads)
Highway Lighthouse: 1926
... to help alleviate the effects of alcoholism. By 1937, Wilson and Smith had split from the Oxford Groups to form their own ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 9:54pm -

Rockville, Maryland, circa 1926. "Montgomery County Motor Co." What caught my eye is the "Highway Lighthouse" on the left, emblazoned with an ad for Studebakers. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Gas pumpsI love those old gravity gas dispensers. When I was a kid in the 50's there was one small gas station that still used them. Gasoline was pumped into the chamber at the top with a crank until the level indicator reached the desired gallons, then you emptied the contents into your tank. Hopefully it didn't run over before the chamber was empty. Take a telegram quick!Once somebody collided with the lighthouse "Signal" (which seems inevitable), I wonder how they were going to notify the company, 200 miles away and with no telephone number and only the city given. Highway LighthouseThey're road hazard signs with room for an ad, apparently; owned by American Gas Accumulator Co. [At this location at least, it seems to have offered free air for your tires. Another photo shows an air hose at the base. - Dave] Self PortraitGotcha, Self portrait of the photographer or at least his camera, 2nd window from the left, right side, just about center. Some type of twin lens view camera, on top of or behind a car parked across the street. [I think you're imagining things. It would be impossible to see the camera's reflection unless the windows were perpendicular to its line of sight. - Dave] Amazing!Four different brands of gasoline within 50 feet, three of them at one business on the right. Watch out - but watch thisFrom the Ruston (LA) Leader, July 27, 1931: SAFETY LIGHTS WILL BE PUT ON HIGHWAYS A hundred flashing safety lights are being installed in dangerous places on the highways of the state, it is announced from-the offices of the Louisiana Highway Commission, which has just entered into a contract with the Highway Lighthouse Co., New York, for the installation. The company agrees to "Install and maintain the lights In return for the privilege of selling advertising on one side of the base." [Below: Ad from 1922. - Dave] The Lighthouse Comes InlandAs precursors to the electric traffic signal, these were a fascinating technological dead end -- a terrestrial version of the acetylene-lamp buoys that were used as channel markers. Also interesting as a study in advertising -- the sponsored traffic light. I wonder what happened when a car ran into one at 50 mph -- kaboom? The developer of the highway lighthouse, Nobel laureate Gustav Dalen (inventor of the sun valve), was blind, having lost his vision when one of his experiments exploded. Click to enlarge. No telegram necessaryThe telephone number is provided: Elizabeth 2900. The call would go to the local operator who would call the operator closest to Elizabeth, New Jersey. The connection would be made, or a call back would be made back to the Rockville operator, who would then pass the phone to the caller. The telegraph would probably be cheaper. Having grown up in Rockville,albeit many, many years after this photo, it is a treat to see. Rockville maintained that ambiance into the sixties. Sherry Seiberling TiresHenrietta Seiberling was married into the Akron, Ohio rubber industry dynasty. Mrs. Seiberling was active in society and social reform. She created an "alcoholic squad" within her Christian fellowship to address the tragedy of chronic, untreated alcoholism. In 1933, Mrs Seiberling introduced an Easterner, Bill Wilson, to Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio. The three, and others, continued meeting regularly under the auspices of the Oxford Groups, a broadly defined ministry association, to help alleviate the effects of alcoholism. By 1937, Wilson and Smith had split from the Oxford Groups to form their own fellowship: Alcoholics Anonymous. InsideThe showroom of the dealership can be seen here. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Natl Photo)
William E. Corey: 1905
... 10 knots Funnels: 1 Masts: 2 Construction notes 1937 rebuilt, 6,485 GRT 1937 Babcock & Wilcox water tube type boilers fitted. Maiden voyage. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2011 - 1:11pm -

South Chicago, 1905. "Steamer William E. Corey, stern view on the ways." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Forgot something!Hope they remember to install the rudder before they slide it down the ways! Duluth?Not exactly what I think of when I think of shipping hubs. RidgetownThe Corey is still around, renamed Ridgetown, sunk in 1974 as a breakwall at Port Credit, Ontario. Gone, but not forgottenhttp://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?143633 It ran aground 5 months after launchThe $475,000 William E. Corey was launched by the Chicago Shipbuilding Co. on June 24, 1905. It was the first flagship of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. of Cleveland. The steamer ran aground on a reef in western Lake Superior in a severe storm on November 28. She was salvaged and repaired at a cost of $100,000. After years of operation and several structural changes, the William E. Cory was sold to Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd., a British company, in 1963 and renamed the Ridgetown. It was operated regularly until near the end of 1969. The Ridgetown was sold to the Canadian Dredge & Dry Dock Co. in 1970. It was eventually towed to Nanticoke, Ontario, and loaded with stone to settle as a temporary breakwall. It was later refloated, towed to Port Credit Harbor in early summer 1974 after wintering at Toronto, and again loaded with stone and sunk as a breakwater. She is presumably still there. This is a pic of her taken in 1997. TexturesNoticed that the building on the right seems have had another structure to its left, you can see what appear to be an outline of it. Taken down to make room? And I wonder if the exterior stair on that building was the only way to get to the upper level? Still not sure if I'd wanna be wandering around under the "Corey' while she's only held in place by those pieces of wood. If it did let go, those chaps on the opposite side would get a royal drenching! Lower East SideWow, I've been here. Near 98th street right? I think this is now a tug boat yard. 1905 - 1970William E. Corey (1905) Later names Ridgetown (1963) Builder: Chicago Shipbuilding Company South Chicago, Illinois Year Built: 1905 Launched: June 24, 1905 Type: Bulk freighter Completed: August 1905 Fate: June 21, 1974 Sunk as breakwater. Location: Port Credit, Ontario, Canada. 43.32N - 79.34W Dimensions, machinery and performance Length: 569' Engines: 1 Triple expansion Beam: 56' Boilers: 2 Scotch Marine (coal fired) Draft: 19' 6" Shafts: 1 Gross Tons: 6,363 HP: 1,800 IHP Speed: 10 knots Funnels: 1 Masts: 2 Construction notes 1937 rebuilt, 6,485 GRT 1937 Babcock & Wilcox water tube type boilers fitted. Maiden voyage. Nov. 28, 1905: Grounded in storm at Gull Island Reef in the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior. Refloated on Dec. 10, 1905. June 1970: Sunk as breakwater at Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada. Later raised. Corey / RidgetownGoogle satellite indicates that she's still there. No streetview, but many photos of her on the site. There are large signs warning against boarding her, as seagulls have her thoroughly contaminated. The rudder was probably left off to prevent damage during side launch, and installed later. Otherwise, rudders are clamped full over for side launch. The battleship posted a couple days later has a wooden clamp on her rudder for the stern launch. Drydocking is very expensive and time consuming, so a great deal of underwater work such as hanging a rudder or propeller blade is done either by divers, or by ballasting one end and pumping out the other. Freighters have multiple large ballast tanks to allow any trim condition. View Larger Map (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Chicago, DPC)
Midwest Cafe: 1941
... is a 1940 Lincoln Zephyr, and the car on the right is a 1937 Chevrolet Master Business Coupe, which came with only ONE (the left one) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/09/2022 - 11:04am -

September 1941. "Main street of Craig, Colorado. A new and thriving boom town in the Yampa River Valley." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Straight 8, V-12, Straight 6The Zephyr, with its aerodynamic lines and V-12, was a marketing coup for Ford Motor Company in the depths of the Great Depression. It came back for 1946, then was gone. Out of stateInteresting that none of the cars shown are from Colorado. The left car has California plates, the center is from Montana, and the right from Wyoming. Craig seems like an unlikely tourist destination, but perhaps the food at the Midwest Cafe was worth the detour. Air ConditioningI enjoyed seeing the "air conditioned" sign. It reminds me of the old Kool cigarette ad on many a restaurant door: "Come in, it's KOOL inside." The cars are the Stars!The partial car on the left is a 1940 Buick Special coupe. The middle car is a 1940 Lincoln Zephyr, and the car on the right is a 1937 Chevrolet Master Business Coupe, which came with only ONE (the left one) taillight! This Boomer Boomed From CraigJust a bit after this photo was made, I was conceived in this place. My mother said there were reasons I was NOT born there. Mostly, she said it had to do with exiting the family house from the second floor in winter. Also, leaving the family car running all night in winter. Then, there was the unpleasant task of hanging laundry that froze nearly instantly, including my sister's diapers. Mom said people were neighborly. If you were starving in winter, they'd bring you a deer carcass to gnaw on and trade eggs for a cup of coffee. Also, Mom did say there were decent cafes & bars, but that they absorbed too much of my old man's time. So one blistering cold winter morning Mom packed her bags, determined to get the Hell out of there. My old man said, "If you'll wait a day, I'll go with you." Over the months ahead, there were reasons I was not born in Alaska, Washington, California nor Texas. There's a whole armoire of inherited family photos in the next room, some of which almost certainly were processed by those folks at Irwin's. KodaksUnlike in Canada, where we say Kodak and Lego (which are the actual names), in the US people say Kodaks and Legos. Why? ["Kodaks" = Kodak cameras. - Dave] +81 YearsThe Midwest Cafe was located at 520 Yampa Avenue, now the Spicy Basil. Oh yes ...Yes please, three over easy, hash browns, whole wheat and gravy, coffee for sure. AAA approvalBet it was good back then. KodaksInteresting how brand names take on a generic item identification. Kodaks refer to Kodak cameras specifically, but could have been used for all cameras? Similarly in the UK 'Hoover' became used as a generic term for vacuum cleaning: "I"m going to Hoover the carpets" (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Eateries & Bars, M.P. Wolcott, Small Towns)
Urban Cowboys: 1942
... after all. The question is, what is the driver of the 1937 Ford pickup thinking? He's evidently stopped at a light, and therefore has ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/28/2022 - 7:25pm -

January 1942. "Fort Worth, Texas. View of Main Street and Tarrant County Courthouse." Last glimpsed here. Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Office of War Information. View full size. The slow(cow)poke's way to townQuite a sightseeing trip from Dallas -- huh?? -- but looks like we've made it. Items of note: the brick paving and Monnig's on the right (it was one of Fort Worth's main department stores - and it's the only thing from the first eight blocks in this picture that's still extant - but this wasn't the main location.) There was a nifty Twin Coach™ bus in the earlier shot, but it isn't in this one. If you're like me, you spent much of your life thinking of Fort Worth as one of those cities that are appended to another -- Minneapolis-St Paul, Tampa-St Petersburg, or, most particularly, Dallas-Fort Worth -- but unlike the first, the the pairing doesn't match the map ... it should really be the Fort Worth-Dallas. Stoplight thoughtsEven in a black and white photo, we can clearly deduce the color of the crosses on those flags. It's 1942, after all. The question is, what is the driver of the 1937 Ford pickup thinking? He's evidently stopped at a light, and therefore has time to gather his thoughts. If he's thinking about getting a Richelieu whiskey, it's because he can read backwards in the rearview mirror (I can). Darting through traffic for a busFortunately, it appears to be Red Cross Week. A lower profile has its benefitsIn both 1942 photographs you're looking north on Main Street. Here is a Street View from Main and 9th Street, a block or two closer to the Tarrant County Courthouse than Arthur Rothstein was standing. Everything in the foreground of his photos has been replaced by the Fort Worth Convention Center (look behind you on Street View). The tall building on the left is still there, at Main and 7th Street. The building on the right with arched windows along the top floor is still at Main and 8th. Photographic illusionAlthough Doug Floor Plan’s street view is taken from a vantage point closer to the courthouse than in Rothstein’s photo, the courthouse appears larger in the photo taken farther away. Isn’t the magic of photography wonderful? (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
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