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Dog-On Taxi: 1924
... Turk, he was still at that address in 1924. Al died in 1937. Details Note the pipe and missing digits. Sign of the times ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/09/2014 - 8:21pm -

1924. "REO taxicab, San Francisco." Why Uber when you can Rover? 6½ x 8½ inch glass negative, originally from the Wyland Stanley collection. View full size. Careful Drivers?With tires that bald they better be! I wonder if they could climb some of San Fransisco's steeper hills on a rainy day? Woof!I say, old chap, that doggie is awesome! Bird Dog?For a moment there I thought I thought the driver was flashing the pooch the Audubon Salute. Those signs,again, Shorpy shows us the skills of freehand signpainters at their finest, this, by Al Niell is outstanding, truly a lost art. Baldies all aroundHopefully their other rolling stock have tread on the tires. That scowling dog is probably thinking the dog bone radiator cap is not the real thing. I've Seen That Mutt Before Oh yeah, he's one of the poker players in that painting. Also a boxerThe signwriter Alfred James Neill was born in 1877. The 1900 Census lists him a a pugilist. He was a middleweight compiling a 37-18-15 career record. He appears to have retired in 1910, and his 1917 draft registration states that he is a sign writer with his business at 115 Turk, he was still at that address in 1924. Al died in 1937. DetailsNote the pipe and missing digits. Sign of the timesMy mother had 9 brothers, born between 1906 and 1925. I don't know if it was being raised on a farm or the various machinery of the era but not one brother made it to adulthood with 10 complete fingers. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dogs, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
Knock, Knock: 1939
... Benevolent Aid and Burial Society An ad from the 1937 souvenir program for the 50th anniversary of Mound Bayou's founding. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/11/2018 - 7:06pm -

January 1939. "Businesses in Mound Bayou, Mississippi." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. One Step ConvenienceIf one takes a final step off the unprotected balcony at right, one doesn't have far to go for their final journey. Always an adventureI looked at this photo and wondered if Mound Bayou still existed (it does). I also discovered it has a history: http://julieguardado.com/blog/2016/10/10/america-part-2-mound-bayou-miss... It is always an adventure with the folks at Shorpy. Thanks. Who's There? Cluck.Cluck Who? Cluck-A-Doodle-Doo Dare I say it?Business seems a bit dead for the business next door. I have to askUpholding the tradition about the big old hotels on Shorpy; When did this place burn down? Now we knowSo that's why the chicken crossed the road: to get a Coke at Smith & Smith's. Always entertainingI love the creative abbreviations you find in this era on signs and in newspaper headlines. They had it down to a science. Make Me a SaladChickens should avoid any building with an axe display in the window. Benevolent Aid and Burial SocietyAn ad from the 1937 souvenir program for the 50th anniversary of Mound Bayou's founding. No explanation for the name change. [This is a different burial association in another town -- Glendora is two counties west of Mound Bayou. - Dave] (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Who Wants Serum?
... articles in scientific journals, like this one from 1937 and this one from 1951. In 1930 a New York Times article mentions ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 6:22pm -

July 8, 1926. Washington, D.C. "Miss Hattie E. Alexander & Mrs. S.A. Carlin testing serum." View full size. National Photo Company Collection. [Update: A few years after this photo was taken, Hattie (on the left) would become Dr. Alexander. As president of the American Pediatric Society in the 1960s, she was among the first women to head a major medical association.] Hattie AlexanderThis is Joe Manning. I think I found some amazing information about Hattie, the woman on the left. Dr. AlexanderThanks again Joe for more information on this unsung trail blazer. Wonder if Mrs. Carlin was a hero's hero? Shorpy's good enough for the eye candy alone, but when you learn something too, all the better. Hattie Alexander, 1901-1968Thanks to Joe Manning for the lead on Hattie. From her New York Times obituary of June 25, 1968: Dr. Hattie Alexander, 67, Dies;                   Columbia Research Pediatrician Dr. Hattie E. Alexander, a pediatrician who won international recognition for her research at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, died at its Harkness Pavilion yesterday of cancer. Her age was 67 and she lived at 4 Richards Road, Port Washington, L.I. Years ago, Dr. Alexander developed a rabbit antiserum that was the first effective treatment of meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae, a disease that had been fatal for children. Throughout her career she was a leading authority on the treatment of bacterial meningitis. Upon her election as president of the American Pediatric Society in 1964, she was one of the few women to head a major medical society. Dr. A.Thanks for the link. It's amazing to see her at both the start and toward the end of an illustrious career. And she never made professor until age 57! A remarkable person. Shorpy en FrancaisJ'ai tellement aimé vos photos anciennes des enfants travaillant à la mine aux USA, que j'ai réalisé un diaporama sur Dailymotion, sur lequel je n'ai pas manqué d'indiquer la source : © shorpy.com Merci encore ! Shorpy HigginbothamUploaded by daniela-lucie [Shorpy, like Jerry Lewis, is evidently big in France! - Dave] Hattie E. Alexander Isn't it interesting? Many of the comments on this site about photos of women, especially young women, refer to the hairstyle, clothes, teeth, and other physical characteristics. But few observers make references to what the women are doing in the photos, or what they might become. Take Hattie, for instance. Many of us will assume that she was just a young woman working in a laboratory, with no thought to how important her work might be, or how much she might accomplish in her work, due to the fact that she was a woman, not a man. So then I Google her, and guess what I find out? She later became one of the 20th century's most important researchers in the field of medicine. Even in this day and age, too little attention is paid to the accomplishments of women. We are still vulnerable to the assumption that it's the men who do the important things. I know that's a dangerous generalization to make, but this is yet another example of that kind of thinking. Hooray for Hattie! What a great role model for girls and young women. -- Joe Manning Wonderful storyWhat a great story to go with a stunning photo. Thanks to Joe Manning and Dave for providing the extra information. Absolutely fascinating! Sadie CarlinI've been trying to find some information about the other woman in the photo. With a bit of googling I've discovered she was Sadie A. Carlin. She published some articles in scientific journals, like this one from 1937 and this one from 1951. In 1930 a New York Times article mentions she contracted psittacosis or parrot fever while doing tests for the Public Health Service. And here, there's a photo of her in later life. (The Gallery, Animals, D.C., Natl Photo)
Teamwork: 1939
... light of day on April 1. This same thing happened in July 1937 when Mrs. Robie gave birth to a girl and a few hours later Mrs. Moon's ... up close and personal. Coincidence might have happened in 1937 but again 2 years later is a stretch. Lynch pins Thankfully, their ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/21/2013 - 7:22am -

April 7, 1939. "Twins become mothers together for second time in less than two years. Accustomed to doing practically the same things all their lives, these Washington twins, now mothers, have apparently decided that having their children together would certainly be in order. The mothers, Mrs. Eileen Moon, left, and Mrs. Kathleen Robie, last week gave birth to daughters to set a new record at Columbia Maternity Hospital. Mrs. Moon's youngster, whom she named Carol, was born on March 29, while Mrs. Robie's new daughter Nancy Lee first saw the light of day on April 1. This same thing happened in July 1937 when Mrs. Robie gave birth to a girl and a few hours later Mrs. Moon's baby, a boy, arrived." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Planned ParenthoodNot to get too personal, I assume there are husbands involved here. Timing has to come into play, scorecards and other informational materials. Communications between the 2 couples had to get more than a little up close and personal. Coincidence might have happened in 1937 but again 2 years later is a stretch. Lynch pinsThankfully, their family members have created two records that shed light on what came before, and after, this moment. One is an online slideshow, which focuses on the mothers' birth in 1919 to Abel and Jessie Lynch of Tennessee. The other is a comprehensive online Lynch family tree. What are the odds....I was catching up on my backlog of Shorpy photos when this one came up..... My mom is the baby on the right, and I wrote the story on Treelines that was cited in the first comment! The internet sure makes this a very small world. For more on the Lynch family, see my blog posts here. And as for Mr. Mel's comment -- the twins lives were so intertwined that "coincidence" was a daily experience. If you ever have the good fortune to know identical twins, then you will realize that such a confluence of events is not at all unusual. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids)
Men of Steel: 1938
... entering the city limits. On the night of May 12, 1937, 25,000 workers went on strike at Jones and Laughlin. It turned out to be ... 36 hours J&L capitulated and agreed to a union. The 1937 strike was the benchmark by which the United Steelworkers of America would ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 12:06pm -

July 1938. Veteran steelworkers in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. SWOCNote the S.W.O.C. label on the window with "Lodge 1211." Below you can see writing on the window about "PM" and "attend." The Steel Workers Organizing Committee, precursor to the United Steelworkers of America, was formed by the CIO in 1936. It organized at Jones & Laughlin Steel in Aliquippa as an "industrial union" unlike the AFL which was a trade union. Aliquippa was one of the handful of steel towns where union organizers risked their lives by merely entering the city limits. On the night of May 12, 1937, 25,000 workers went on strike at Jones and Laughlin. It turned out to be one of the shortest strikes in the history of the steel unions. Within 36 hours J&L capitulated and agreed to a union. The 1937 strike was the benchmark by which the United Steelworkers of America would be measured. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Industry & Public Works)
Park-Vista: 1941
... Shorpy Vehicle Identification Imperative 1937 Chevrolet two-door sedan and an ultra cool 1937 LaSalle four-door sedan with a custom "Landau" top. Parked in front of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/25/2018 - 11:55am -

April 1941. "Kitchenette apartments on South Parkway, Chicago, Illinois. These are rented to Negroes." Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Renamed and demolishedOn a hunch I figured south parkway became MLK drive, and this website confirms https://chicagology.com/chicagostreets/streetnamechanges/ "Grand Boulevard changed 1923 to South Park Avenue, changed 15 April 1940, 24 September 1940 and 8 October 1940 to South Parkway, changed 31 July 1968 to Martin Luther King Drive" The building next door is still there. Shorpy Vehicle Identification Imperative1937 Chevrolet two-door sedan and an ultra cool 1937 LaSalle four-door sedan with a custom "Landau" top. Parked in front of such a beautiful building. What a great place to hang out, on those balconies! Those second floor dudes be lovin' it, for sure. A shame it had to come down. KitchenetteUpscale way of saying "small kitchen". The Ryan Homes salespeople called the small kitchen in my house a "step-saver" kitchen. Less walking to sink, stove, and refrigerator. I bought a starter (low-cost) home in 1983. Now someone calls or sends me a letter wanting to buy my house about 6 days a week. Real Estate Magic DescriptionsDavid Brinkley wrote about some apartments he was looking at in Georgetown, DC. They were called the Gulfview Apartments. Mr. Brinkley asked his realtor, "How can they be called that if we're thousands of miles from the Gulf of Mexico or any other gulf?" The realtor responded,"Look out this window." There was a Gulf station on the street below the apartment. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Russell Lee)
Alice's Restaurant: 1939
... of that infamous Russian mystic. Hoot Gibson -- in 1937 this cowboy, rodeo performer, and movie actor performed with the circus. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/21/2019 - 2:40pm -

September 1939. "Street on Saturday afternoon in Belzoni, Mississippi Delta." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. Well Known Wallace Shows EntertainersWell known now but not so much then. Clyde Beatty -- famous animal trainer. Joe Skelton, the father of Red Skelton, once worked as a clown in the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. Red himself performed with the same circus as a teenager before entering vaudeville. Emmett Kelly got his start as "Weary Willie" during the Great Depression with Hagenbeck-Wallace. Maria Rasputin, daughter of that infamous Russian mystic. Hoot Gibson -- in 1937 this cowboy, rodeo performer, and movie actor performed with the circus. A little Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus History Sideway signsWhat's missing in this modern day and age are the old style signs that protrude above the sidewalks. From the 1939 pic just by a glance I would know what businesses lay ahead and from the google street view supplied by arch fan (thank you), with the almost every establishment and business displaying their brand, but today you see none of this. Unless you lived in that area you would have no idea what lies ahead as you're going down that road. I now have a real appreciation of how branding and signage was done back then. Goldberg's of BelzoniThe fate of Alice's Cafe is unknown, but there is still a "Goldberg's" in this location (North Hayden Street) in Belzoni. It is no longer a grocery store (once known as "The Home of Good Things to Eat"), but is a department store. Opened by Joe Goldberg in 1916, it recently celebrated its centennial. DecolessThis seems to be it. On the left, the front of Alice's seems to have been rebuilt, but Goldberg's is still there. On the right, Ken's Discount Furniture still has the ball-on-top-of-block at the corner of the building. The fruit market's windows have been bricked up, but there's still a gas station on the far right. Alas, all of the cool deco/neon signage is gone. EnduringConcrete pavement proves its superiority as witnessed in the street view of its present condition. Kudos to the city officials who originally made that choice. I Have To AskJust what are those bags for? Is it to weigh down the front when there is a huge stash in the trunk? What? Can anyone tell me? [They keep your cotton from spilling all over the road. - Dave] [Thanks mate! I knew you would know - Baxado] Coca-ColaI was going to comment that Alice's Cafe not having a Coke sign violates Shorpy's longstanding policy of including a Coke sign on every venue. But then I looked across the street where the Coke signs clearly met or exceeded standards. Whew. It took me a whileto figure out that IMP.CO on the truck in the intersection stands for Implement - as in farm equipment. I didn't even google it. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, M.P. Wolcott, Small Towns)
No Swearing Gambling Drinking
January 1937. "Children of citrus workers in hallway of apartment house. Winter Haven, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2014 - 7:43pm -

January 1937. "Children of citrus workers in hallway of apartment house. Winter Haven, Fla." Swearing, Gambling and Drinking, with their little brother Allowed. Photo by Arthur Rothstein, Resettlement Administration. View full size. 15-minute waitI might assume that the door marked BATHROOM might have been communal and the only one is the building. And some people today can't get by with even 3 or 4 bathrooms in their homes. ButYou can smoke all you want. Mirrors of the soulIf you enlarge this picture, don't look too long into the eyes of the girl on the extreme left or you will see a troubled soul. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Florida, Kids)
Ruffles & Flourishes: 1900
... 23, 1953, was married to one Frederick W. Parker (1868 - 1937), who was a dentist, on November 2, 1892 in the District of Columbia. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2017 - 10:35pm -

"Parker, Mrs. F.W. -- between February 1894 and February 1901." The wife of one Dr. F.W. Parker. 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative from the C.M. Bell portrait studio in Washington, D.C. View full size. Hats create distance I submit that part of the reason this woman seems more accessible, aside from her beauty, is the absence of a hat. GAL-lery WorthyThe lovely image is fit for Shorpy's "Pretty Girls" gallery but this woman has such a fascinating quality that might require a new section called "Unconventionally Pretty Girls." In any case, I'd call her the original cool girl. WowI'm in love Pretty great-grandma!I'd give a lot to have pictures of that kind of quality of my great-grandmothers, who would have been near this lady's age! One of them hadn't yet come here from Russia, two didn't have the kind of money for top of the line photography like this. The fourth, we do have a photograph of this quality of, taken about 15 years later, along with her parents and grown siblings. It's one of my most prized possessions! The Eyes have itWhat an incredible lovely woman. Those eyes are mesmerizing. Those eyesI'm dying to know what color they are. "You don't know me but you make me so happy"Mrs. Jennie C. [Hamlin] Parker, April 20, 1871 - February 23, 1953, was married to one Frederick W. Parker (1868 - 1937), who was a dentist, on November 2, 1892 in the District of Columbia. They had one daughter named Grace Marion Parker born circa June 24, 1895. Their home in 1910 is at 233 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, and her husband has his practice in their home. By 1916 she and her daughter were living at 30 Girard Street NW, but she is now divorced from Dr. Parker. She was supporting herself by taking in boarders and working as a picture artist. By 1930 she and her daughter, now Mrs. Grace Curtis, and son-in-law, Richard, were living with her. She gave her occupation as "artist" for the 1930 U.S. Census. By 1940 both Jennie and Grace show that they are widowed in the U.S. Census. There is no occupation listed for Jennie, but she does have several boarders. Grace is now working as a secretary at the Navy Department. Their home in both 1930 and 1940 is at 1361 Taylor Street NW. Grace later remarries to a man whose last name was Smith, and she dies on October 30, 1977. Both Jennie and Grace are buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland. (Comment title from "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone) Retouching?She's a lovely woman. There is a mottling (or maybe freckles?) on her face that my eye can't pick out in other portions of the image - would this have been the hand of a retoucher at work, or an artifact of the preservation of the photograph, or perhaps an effect of the wavelength sensitivity of the photographic emulsion (for the last I'm thinking of the strange skin effects seen with tintypes)? [Customary Bell Studio retouching. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Bell Studio, D.C., Portraits)
Go Right: 1940
... to offer "initial" vanity license plates starting in 1937. No other state would do this until the late 50's, now they are ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/11/2019 - 4:34pm -

November 1940. "The main square in Colchester, Connecticut." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Has enjoyed a facelift Brisk!Though I have no idea what "SALADA" tea is, it must have been popular in the Northeast, as it was also advertised in a previous Shorpy shot of a grocery store in Vermont. Also, I always believed that 'Package store' was a term only used in the South (where it can still be heard occasionally), but I was apparently wrong. SaladaAs a kid, I used to collect the large plastic coins that came in each Salada tea box my mom bought, with pictures of sports figures and planes and cars. We even had circular plastic storage devices (which might have come from Jello) that could hold eight stacks of the coins. This system competed with the insect, mammal, bird, and dinosaur cards I collected from the Red Rose tea my mom also bought. The Salada Tea Building (built in 1917, bought by Salada founder Peter C. Larkin in 1921) still stands in Montreal. The company was created by Larkin in 1892, and he discovered the name in a directory of tea gardens and chose it because he liked the pleasing sound and its similarity to the word Canada. Only a Doctor and FuelAlmost everything you need is in this little strip. Food, clothes, booze, a dentist, drug store and a lawyer. The pharmacy probably was like a general store. The whole toothI wonder if the dentist was amused by placing his signs in the windows directly above the Drink Coca Cola signs. Goodbye thirst, hello tooth decay. NRS tagThe Buick(?) rear facing us in the center of this photo has license NRS, that being the initials of the owner. Connecticut was the first state in the nation to offer "initial" vanity license plates starting in 1937. No other state would do this until the late 50's, now they are everywhere. In Connecticut, however, there was a catch: you had to have a perfect driving record to get them for your car. But there was no extra fee. Salada TeaSalada has a long history dating back to the early 1890s. Initially distributed in the northeast US and eastern Canada, it now has a much wider distribution. Currently, it is my wife's choice for organic green tea and is available in the Publix grocery stores here in Key West. Wikipedia has a short article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salada_tea About that lawyerMorris H. Broder grew up in Colchester, as the son of Leon Broder (ne Brodsky) a local businessman and leader of the local Jewish community (which was a primary subject of many of Jack Delano's Nov. 1940 pictures of Colchester). After graduating from the local high school (Bacon Academy), Wesleyan University in 1929 and Harvard Law School in 1932, Morris was elected to the state's House of Representatives in 1932. After working for a firm in Norwich for a year, Morris had returned to his hometown and put up his shingle in the window of this second-floor office on Main Street above the pharmacy. His son was born shortly before this photo was taken, and has followed in his footsteps. Thats a lotta teais the intent of the naming. Been around midwest since forever. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Man of Letter: 1904
... became vice president in 1926, executive vice president in 1937 and president in 1940. He served as president and chairman of the board ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/23/2020 - 9:31am -

1904. Washington, D.C. "H.D. Watts, 6th Street." Proud alumnus of Maryland Agricultural College. 5x7 inch glass negative from the C.M. Bell portrait studio. View full size. He gave his alma mater the Byrd tooIn addition to Ritchie Coliseum, H.D. Watts Construction Co. also built the University of Maryland's first football stadium. It opened in 1923 and was named for Harry "Curley" Byrd, the segregationist football coach who commissioned it. That stadium became known as Old Byrd Stadium after the current stadium (now known as Maryland Stadium) was completed in 1950. And the man in the photo is ...Harry Dorsey Watts (b. 28 Apr 1885 in Baltimore; d. 27 Jul 1952, East Hampton, N.Y.) This is his Class of 1904 photo in uniform. ~ Stephen P. Hall An Old LinerThis was what became the University of Maryland. They were known as the Old Liners (Maryland being the Old Line State). However appropriate that name might seem in football, they became Terrapins in the 1930s because people wanted an actual mascot. And future architect?Ritchie Coliseum, home arena for the U-MD basketball and boxing teams, was built in 1931 by the H.D. Watts Construction Company, which was owned by Harry Watts, an alumnus who played as a fullback on the football team from 1901 to 1903. https://www.revolvy.com/page/Ritchie-Coliseum Mansard or GambrelOh, the paths Shorpy takes one down. Looking up Maryland Agricultural College took me to the wiki for University of Maryland. There I learned that the oldest building on campus (the only unscathed survivor of The Great Fire of 1912) is Morrill Hall, built in 1898 in Second Empire architectural style. Clicking further, I learned that Second Empire was popularized in France during the reign of Napoleon III and characterized by a mansard roof similar to the gambrel roof style commonly seen in barns. "What's the difference between mansard and gambrel?" I wondered. A gambrel roof has vertical gable ends and overhangs the facade, whereas a mansard roof is hipped and usually does not overhang the facade. Thank you H.D. Watts and Shorpy! One more thingInspired by Zcarstvnz's research, I thought that Yawkey isn't a very common name, and wondered if Elsie might be related to Tom Yawkey, for many years the owner of the Boston Red Sox. And I found the following: From the Reno Evening Gazette, Nov 14, 1944, p. 6 Red Sox Owner Divorced Here Elsie Sparrow Yawkey Monday divorced Thomas A. Yawkey, millionaire owner of the Boston Red Sox. All this inspired by one Shorpy photo. Thanks, Shorpy. Decorated ConstructionistThe New York Times July 28, 1952 Harry Watts Dies; A Building Leader Ex-President and Chairman of James Stewart & Co. Won the Navy's Service Emblem.         Southampton, L. I., July 27 -- Harry Dorsey Watts of 1 East End Avenue, New York, and East Hampton, former president and chairman of the board of James Stewart & Co., contractors of New York, died today in Southampton Hospital after a brief illness. His age was 67.         Born in Baltimore, the son of John H. C. and Mary Dorsey Mitchell Watts, he was a descendant of Col. Harry Dorsey, first Secretary of the State of Maryland.         After being graduated in 1904 from the University of Maryland, he began his career as a time-keeper and engineer with Wells Brothers Company, later becoming vice president. From 1915 to 1923 he headed the H. D. Watts Company.         Mr. Watts joined the Stewart construction concern in 1924, beginning as manager of the southern territory and assistant to the president. He became vice president in 1926, executive vice president in 1937 and president in 1940. He served as president and chairman of the board from 1942 until his retirement in 1946.         The Stewart concern participated in the construction of many notable buildings, including the United States Chamber of Commerce, Department of Labor and Home Owners Loan buildings in Washington, D. C.; the United States Court House, New York Postoffice, Federal Building, New York Central Building and 60 Wall Tower, all in New York; Union Station in Cincinnati, the Trinidad Naval Air base and the Republic Steel plant in Chicago. It also worked on the West Side Express Highway in New York.         Mr. Watts received the Navy's Meritorious Civilian Service Emblem. He had been president and director of One East End Avenue Corporation.         He had been a member of the United States Chamber of Commerce, the West Side Chamber of Commerce in New York and Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. His clubs had included the Deepdale, Metropolitan, Bankers, Cloud, Atlantic Beach, Devon Yacht, Seawane Country and Pilgrims, the Maryland of Baltimore, the Elkridge of Maryland, the Piedmont Driving of Atlanta and the Metropolitan of Washington.         Surviving are his widow, the former Mrs. Elsie Sparrow Yawkey; a son, Harry D., Jr.; three daughters, Mrs. Thomas Crabbe, Mrs. Harold McTigue and Mrs. Haley Fiske 2d; a brother and three sisters. Harry's first wife, Idoline Lochrane Austell Watts, whom he had married in 1907, died in 1943. They are both buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. Time for an upgrade?Surely, Mr. Watts deserves elevation to the Handsome Rakes category here on Shorpy. He's 116 years overdue, by my estimation. (The Gallery, Bell Studio, D.C., Handsome Rakes, Portraits, Sports)
Lenny and Edna: 1924
... reported missing) in 1936. They resurfaced, but in late 1937 the Japanese invaded Shanxi (and the Wilburs were again reported missing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:08pm -

June 3, 1924. "Leonard and Edna Wilbur," children of Navy Secretary Curtis Wilbur. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Edna & OnaFrom the Lima (Ohio) News, April 9, 1928: Rescued by forest rangers from a narrow ledge 2,000 feet high, where darkness had trapped her and her girl companion during a trip thru Yosemite valley, Miss Edna May Wilbur, daughter of Secretary of the Navy Curtis D. Wilbur, was home here none the worse for her thrilling experience. Miss Wilbur went to the park with a party of friends. She and Miss Ona E. Ring attempted late Saturday to descend the snow-covered trail from Glacier point to the floor of the valley. Caught by darkness, they lost the trail and presently found themselves on the narrow ledge, whence they feared to attempt further progress. With a biting mountain wind tugging at their clothing, the girls huddled against the face of the cliff and called for help. Tourists in the valley, 2,000 feet below, heard their cries, and notified the forest rangers. Five men reached the girls shortly before midnight, and strenuous efforts succeeded in hauling them up to the trail with ropes. [Thrilling! I think this was an episode of "Leave It to Beaver." - Dave] Tats or Vacs?Those circular things on her arms. Can I assume that they were vaccination scars? She certainly has a modern attitude or so it seems. [That's mold on the emulsion. - Dave] Yes, DaveYes, the episode wherein the Beav climbs into a teacup and can't climb out and is rescued by the fire department. Amazing how daring Miss Wilbur was - that explains the dress. [Not quite. I was thinking of the episode where Beaver and Gilbert go camping, get stuck on a ledge and are rescued by park rangers. - Dave] Still waters run deepMiss Edna has a certain sly gleam in her eye. I'll bet she danced a few Charlestons in her time while Dad was off minding the boats. Edna Does D.C.Atlanta Constitution, 11 July 1924 New Cabinet Daughter Lands in Capital And Looks it Over Washington's newest cabinet daughter has been spending her first few days in the capital just like anybody's daughter here on an excursion trip -sightseeing. Miss Edna Wilbur, whose father is secretary of the navy, arrived last Thursday from California. She came through the Panama canal with her brother, Leonard Wilbur, and then up the Chesapeake bay and the Potomac, from Hampton Roads, on the neat little yacht Sylph, which is at her father's disposal as boss of the navy. ... Miss Wilbur is Washington's third cabinet daughter of marriageable or debutante age. Both the other two aren't braving hot weather here. ... Miss Wilbur has another cabinet distinction besides braving Washington heat. She's the only daughter of a cabinet member who knows how it feels to spend money earned by herself. The daughter of the navy secretary is a California high school teacher and she didn't give up her job just because her father is a member of President Coolidge's cabinet ... Miss Wilbur is a tall girl, with much pale yellow hair and a fair skin. Not pretty, but attractive looking. And not the debutante or flapper type. She is quiet and self-possessed. She has the voice and manner of a successful teacher. And --no, her hair is not bobbed! A Boston Globe article from April 13, 1924 says Edna graduated from Stanford with a degree in French. She was teaching at Chico High School. Leonard or Lyman, perhaps Paul?I've been doing some research on Curtis Wilbur and all the sites list his children as Edna, Paul and Lyman. Perhaps Leonard was a nickname or is this a typo? [Leonard Wilbur's name makes dozens of appearances in the historical archives of various newspapers. See the next comment up. - Dave] Dr. Leonard Wilbur's mission Young Leonard would lead an inspiring, but all too short, life. After graduating from medical school at Stanford (where his uncle had been a president) he and his wife embarked upon a mission to Northern China, starting a hospital in the province now known as Shanxi. First the communist insurgents invaded (and the Wilburs were reported missing) in 1936. They resurfaced, but in late 1937 the Japanese invaded Shanxi (and the Wilburs were again reported missing but resurfaced). On Easter in 1940, during the Japanese occupation, Leonard died of typhus. He was only 33. His wife survived, and became one of the heirs to father-in-law Curtis Wilbur's inheritence when he died in 1954. Sorry, Miss Edna.I guess you weren't the flapper I took you to be. The sly gleam must have been that look you gave your students to let them know you meant business. Wilbur childrenCurtis D Wilbur had 5 children... 1. Ralph 3/18/1903 - 3/24/1906 age ~3 2. Leonard 3/2/1907 - 3/24/1940 age 33. 3. Edna was 25 in this photo, and Leonard 17. From Pathways: A Story of Trails and Men (1968) by John W. Bingaman-- The Ledge Trail: "In 1871, James M. Hutchings had been guiding parties of hikers to Glacier Point over a most hazardous trail, which he had blazed up the Ledge and through the chimney and which climbed 3,200 feet in approximately one and a half miles to Glacier Point. This was the Ledge Trail. In 1918, it was repaired by the Park Service. It was a dangerous climb because it was partly built of solid rock, and extremely steep, much like a staircase. Rock slides occurred frequently causing accidents to climbers. Only up-travel was permitted by the park regulations in later years. After several major floods, rock slides, injuries, and deaths to climbers the park authorities deemed it necessary to close this trail to all hikers. The Author assisted in rescue parties several times on this trail." Edna hiked the Sierra's of California until she was 90. 4 & 5. Paul and Lyman lived until they were 100. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
1,568 Questions
April 27, 1937. "Capitol's busiest policeman. Besides being an arm of the law, a Capitol ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 3:11pm -

April 27, 1937. "Capitol's busiest policeman. Besides being an arm of the law, a Capitol policeman has to also act as an information bureau. Frank Foley, officer on duty at the entrance of the Senate office building from 8 to 4, kept a record today of the number of questions asked him. At the end of his day's hitch the total showed 1,568 questions asked, and answered correctly and with a smile, if we must believe Mr. Foley. Miss Mildred Aitken of Brooklyn, N.Y., is the pretty sightseer in this picture, receiving directions from officer Foley." View full size. Scene: Across from the potato display.Cop: Hey! Lookit dem two dames havin' a donnybrook over a couple a p'tatoes! Woman: Goodness gracious! Shouldn't you do something, officer? Cop: Nah! Dey'll wear each udder out an' head back ta Portland sooner er later. To the Batmobile!Quick, Robin - Chief O'Hara and Catwoman are in unholy alliance! ContrastWhat a perfect shot to show how things had changed in only 30 years! Amazing. Imagine poor Officer Foley confronted with about 12 or 20 visitors at one time. It was truly a more innocent time on so many levels! The best in town!Look how enthusiastic that police officer is in answering that lady's question. And I bet you she asked the officer something for which he was well familiar. "Where can I find the best donuts in town, officer?" Among the answers"That one there, the one with the funny shoes; that's a libertarian" The No. 1 questionI work part-time at a library. The number one question we are asked every day is "Where's the restroom?" I wonder how many times Officer Foley heard that one as well. [You could also say that's the No. 2 question. - Dave] 1568In eight hours with no lunch or bathroom breaks, Officer Foley was answering (and logging) better than three questions every minute of the shift. Pretty impressive. Patrol... which is exactly why my husband decided NOT to become an NSA or Supreme Court officer, and instead works as a county deputy. Not that those jobs don't get interesting occasionally, but he got depressed just watching the check-in and question-answering duty, so he decided he didn't want to go that route. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Lard of the Flies: 1938
... were relatively new. (I used to think they were built in 1937, but they may have been new in 1938.) Jane Adams, a professor at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/16/2018 - 11:15am -

May 1938. "Southeast Missouri Farms. Son of sharecropper washing hands." Our title for this photo comes from the things in this photo. Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. This headlineBelongs in the Shorpy Headline Hall of Fame. Tea Kettle Crock StopperAlways wanted to use my tea kettle more than just for boiling water. Learn something new here with every picture. Wash your hands before dinner we wouldn’t want to spread germs around. Here's hopinghe does feet next. I am speechlessThis photo is too sad for words. No running water, but your own privy and wellSoutheast Missouri Farms was a Farm Security Administration project that provided housing and land for 100 sharecropper families. Russell Lee took a number of pictures there in May 1938, when the houses were relatively new. (I used to think they were built in 1937, but they may have been new in 1938.) Jane Adams, a professor at Southern Illinois University, and her husband D. Gorton, took photos of some of the remaining houses in 2005-2006. After some work, I found a mirror of Adams' original pages at SIU, including the pictures of a few houses and the cotton gin at Southeast Missouri Farms. (My previous complaint about SIU is partly rescinded; either SIU or archive.org has changed enough that archive.org has parts of the orignal SIU pages available. Googling those SIU URLs led me to the mirror linked above.) Shiny pots and pansThe kitchen may be filthy but those pots and pans sure are glistening. They're in better shape than mine are! (The Gallery, Kids, Kitchens etc., Russell Lee)
Expert Lubrication: 1939
... soda sign is below. The Chevrolet pickup truck is a 1937 model and cost $515. This was the first year for the all steel cab (no ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/17/2017 - 11:36am -

February 1939. "Service station in Harlingen, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Cans Along the BorderThis is the service station of Lonnie Wade Molder (1911-1993), the son of Abraham Molder and Pearl Adair. Lonnie graduated from Harlingen High School in 1928, and then Brownsville Junior College in 1930. He married Edna Faye Swisher in 1935, and they had four children. It appears that he owned this station based on Harlingen city directory entries from 1944 to 1948. Of interest in the photo is the array of oil cans that are the border to the shrubs at both the left and right of the photo as well as the change in gas price, from 16 to 15 cents, as seen on the sign on the canopy above the pumps. All of the planters, including the ones attached to the windows, appear to be reutilized gas tanks. A clearer view of the "Won Up" soda sign is below. The Chevrolet pickup truck is a 1937 model and cost $515. This was the first year for the all steel cab (no wood). Based on the license plate, I believe this photo is actually from 1938 (the 1939 - 1941 commercial plates had "Texas" at the top). The enlarged license plate is also below. Molder continued to own and operate the station into at least 1948. By 1950 he was a partner in North Side Welding & Repair down the street at 622 Commerce. By 1956 he had become the assistant manager for the service station at Harlingen Air Force Base (now Valley International Airport). He eventually went back to welding, and he was employed with Gulf Welding Supply in Harlingen for many years. It appears that he retired in 1975. He and his wife then moved to LaFeria, Texas, in 1979, and by 1992 they were living in Ingram. He died the next year, Edna in 2006. From her obituary we learn that they met while she was still in grade school at South Ward School (now Bowie Elementary). Since he was seven years older, they would not have attended school together for any long period of time. Molder's obituary mentions his involvement in the Masonic Lodge of both Harlingen and LaFeria. He served as the secretary for the Harlingen lodge for 35 years, he was a 32nd Degree Mason, and he received their Golden Trowel award in 1991. Try that todayTexaco and Shell pumps at the same station! Competing Brands?This is the first gas station I've ever seen with pumps for at least two different brands of gas, and the third pump seems to be unmarked. Was this common before WWII? [For more buffet-style gas, click the links below. - Dave] https://www.shorpy.com/node/4287 https://www.shorpy.com/node/20712 Flowers by FordI believe that the planter on the ground at center is made from a Model T gas tank. Who dropped the ball?Unless my vision is failing me, this is one of the first pictures of a service station, convenience store or street scene that does not have an advertising sign for Coca-Cola, although I do see that the 7 Up rep and some other unknown beverage did get advertising signs as did the telephone company that is also a fixture in most old Shorpy photos of this nature. [No Coke. Pepsi! - Dave] An original "pumping gas story"During WWII, my uncle in Vinita, Oklahoma, owned a wholesale gasoline business. He had a 750-gallon tanker truck and would deliver to nearby country gas stations and to farms that had their own small storage tanks. My cousin and I, both 10 years old, would ride along to add interest to our lazy summer. In those days, there were two grades of gas, Ethyl and Regular. At one stop, he made the error of filling the Ethyl underground tank with Regular. In a hurry, he left the two of us to hand pump the Regular into the glass bowl and then drain it into the Regular tank. Ten gallons at a time. When he returned, both of us kids were really worn out. An aside: all gas was rationed. Civilians had 3 classes: A, B, and C. I think for 4, 8, and 12 gallons per week. Then there were commercial and farming classes based on need. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Russell Lee)
Urban Infrastructure: 1941
... President's Conference Committee or “PCC car” built in 1937 by the St. Louis Car Company. It was one of Capital Transit's initial ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/23/2017 - 10:29am -

July 1941. "Work on streetcar tracks, Fourteenth and G Streets N.W., Washington, D.C." Medium format negative by Martha McMillan Roberts. View full size. Capital Transit 1120Capital Transit Company 1120 was an Electric Railway President's Conference Committee or “PCC car” built in 1937 by the St. Louis Car Company. It was one of Capital Transit's initial order for 45 PCC cars. By 1946, Capital Transit would operate a fleet of 489 PCC cars. That cars were being built for Capital Transit during World War II shows just how important Washington's street car system was to the war effort. Washington PCC cars were one window shorter than standard PCC car because of transfer table clearances. They were also the only PCC cars ever equipped for underground conduit operations, as can be noted by the trolley pole in the “retrieved” position. Washington's streetcar system used underground conduits in the heart of the city but switched to overhead lines as the routes left the downtown area. It took a few minutes to make the transition. An inbound car would pull over a “plow pit” in the middle of the street where one worker would lower the trolley pole and another, working in the pit under the car, would attach the “plow,” the device which hung from a truck of the car, through the slot in the street between the rails, and made contact with the conductor rails under the street. For outbound cars the procedure was reversed. After WWII, Capital Transit developed an automatic device for raising and lower the pole without the need of the “trolleyman.” This photograph clearly shows just how complicated the conduit system was. There would have been dead spots in a crossing such as this and a street car would have to coast through it. If a motorman had to stop a car in the intersection to avoid hitting an automobile, it would not have any power and would need to wait for a following car to push it through the intersection. This would cause delays for the streetcar and its passengers and congestion for automobile traffic. 74 Washington PCC cars went to Sarajevo, Yugoslavia in 1959-1962 and 101 cars went to Barcelona, Spain in 1962-1963 but 1120 was not one of them. Under the AsphaltI wonder how much steel was left in these streets as most of the tracks were not removed, but merely asphalted over. Don't Get Hurt!I see no hi-viz vests, no hard hats, and doubtless no steel toed boots on the workmen. Thank goodness the wooden crossbucks surrounding the work zone contain the admonitions "Safety First" and, more importantly, "Don't Get Hurt!" Plow pitOverhead wires were not allowed in most of Washington. It made for cleaner views but the resulting plow pits certainly complicated track work. Lots of old friendsMany familiar fac(ad)es here. Dominating the background is the Colorado Building, which we previously saw from the inside. Further east is Epiphany Church, now with a taller bell tower. At far right is a glimpse of Jordan Piano Co. (13th & G NW, northeast corner), seen to better advantage in an earlier Shorpy post. Sleep carsThe street car was half a block from my house. They would put me to sleep. My grandma would set me on the hot box near the center of the streetcar. Winters were great, but summers made for a very hot rear. (The Gallery, D.C., Martha Roberts, Streetcars)
Gasoline Alley: 1935
... the photos are from 1935, they precede the great flood of 1937 in Cincy which caused great damage throughout the city. After the waters ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/16/2016 - 6:34pm -

December 1935. "Hamilton County, Ohio. Cincinnati slum dwellings." An alleyway view of the "Garage" sign seen in the previous post. 35mm nitrate negative by Carl Mydans for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Thank you ShorpyI had always thought Gasoline Alley to be mythical, after the comic strip. Not only are there quite a few Gasoline Alleys, there are several Tobacco Roads. The Slums of CincyHaving grown up in Cincinnati, I think those slums were in the area of Eastern Avenue which ran parallel and close to the Ohio River. Since the photos are from 1935, they precede the great flood of 1937 in Cincy which caused great damage throughout the city. After the waters receded, Eastern Avenue was still blighted and didn't turn it around until years later. The last I heard, that area has been revitalized and is now a haven for yuppies with new condos, parks, and shopping built throughout the river bank. Little do they know as they sip their Chablis on their patios on a summer evening, the despair that once thrived in that area. Ham AlleyAccording to Jeffrey's map, this is Ham Alley -- the buildings to the left face Eastern Avenue and the buildings to the right face Marengo Street. (The Gallery, Carl Mydans, Cincinnati Photos)
Family Room: 1941
... A nice Kadette radio in this picture. Model K-10 from 1937. Attached photo from Lynn Toppo and Radioattic. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2019 - 12:38pm -

May 1941. San Diego. "Family living at Kearney Mesa defense housing project. This man came out to California from Oklahoma 10 years ago. He has been an agricultural worker and had lived in various FSA camps. Now employed as a painter at Consolidated Aircraft." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Kadette K-10A nice Kadette radio in this picture. Model K-10 from 1937. Attached photo from Lynn Toppo and Radioattic. https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/intern_rc_k_101.html Caught in the reflectionOur intrepid photographer seems to be shooting from the hip. Role Playing Set PieceWhile the photographer futilely tries to hide from his reflection in the window, Mom and Dad have been placed in their traditional roles. Mom sits on the couch holding baby, while Dad sits to opposite side and pretends to be interested in newspaper contents. Who was on strike?Oh no, Shorpy has done it to me again. The newspaper headline screams about a labor union defying FDR against striking at a defense plant. I wondered: which plant, which union, and what happened? Two clues: it is May 1941 and the plant is an aircraft facility in the LA area. Off to Google where I found a US Department of Labor bulletin -- Number 711 dated 1942. This document listed all of the strikes from 1941. Sure enough, there it was: the UAW (then part of the CIO) called a strike against the North American Aviation plant in Inglewood, CA on June 5th. By June 9th, FDR ordered the Army to take control of the plant and the workers returned the next day. A settlement on wages was achieved by July 1st. [page 25 of the bulletin] The document also notes that all strikes were cancelled on 8 December. See: https://www.bls.gov/wsp/1941_strikes.pdf Relections and shadowsThere are two light sources evident in the photo, as best evidenced by the two shadows of the floor lamp. The shadow on the side wall is considerably off-axis from the camera angle, coming from a good distance to the right. That's the flash unit being held by the man reflected in the window. The other shadow, on the wall behind Dad, is from a light source on a very close axis to that of the camera, so close that it has to be from a flash unit mounted on the camera itself, the bulb and reflector a few inches higher than and very slightly to the left of the camera lens. Therefore, the guy in the window reflection is an assistant, not the photographer. Plus window guy would have to have third hand to click a camera shutter, since one is holding the flash and the other the white thing. Russell LeeI can’t remember seeing a picture of him here before, even as a reflection. He was born in 1903 (and lived till 1986), so he’d be in his late thirties in this shot. I attach a photo of him from a year later, from 1942. North American Aviation Strike - Los Angeles TimesU.S. Ready to Seize Plane Plant. June 7, 1941: The strike at the North American Aviation plant, in which Army troops dispersed union activists and took over an essential American defense facility, is one of the landmark events in Los Angeles history. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Sal's Italian Groceries: 1936
... outside... Yeah, me, too! (Arrigoni's is still open, since 1937, but Traverso's is sadly gone from Santa Rosa.) DO YOU WANT WAR? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2013 - 10:47am -

December 1936. "Scene from the Bronx tenement district from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." Another example of the ostensibly onerous conditions from which the Resettlement Administration offered an escape. Medium-format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Leffs Freeman PosterIs a Yiddish language advertisement for the 1932 film Symphony for 6 Million. In the 1930s and 40s the juxtaposition of a Italian Grocery and an advertisement in Yiddish would have been common in The Bronx. This was the area that my Grandparents escaped to when they were able to afford to leave the Lower East Side. The other destination of choice would have been East Harlem. Success?Based on just these two offerings, the idea of 'resettlement' probably was very appealing. How long did the program last and what has become of those new areas, 75 years later? Italian grocery storesHaving lived my first 22 years in the northeast, I used to love going into these stores. I can still smell the irresistible aroma of salami, aged cheeses, oregano and garlic, freshly baked breads and incredible delicacies. As a child who loved artwork, I would study all the beautiful labels and intricate signage on the illustrated metal gallon cans of olive oil, the Roma tomatoes with basil, the talented arrangements of multicolored pickled peppers in lavishly shaped jars, very detailed wine labels, the packaged sweets, etc. while my parents shopped. I still marvel at the artistic quality of those (suitable for framing) masterpieces used on their imported foods, all the colors and pastoral scenic depictions of Italy. Since I have not been in one for over fifty years, I have to wonder if their labeling and aromas are still so intriguing. Obviously the artisans who designed these labels took great care to make them fascinating and inviting. I want to go back there. Onerous conditions? I agree with your use of the term "ostensibly" when describing the living conditions. This is 1936 and these properties don't look that "onerous". As in other photos you've posted from this area and era, they don't look any worse than the area I lived my first five years in Chicago from 1950-1955. We weren't rich, but not poor either. My Dad was a school teacher. Not just the northeast!We had (and to a lesser extent still have) many of the same shops here in California. I remember exactly the same experiences you described, shopping at Traverso's and Arrigoni's - the smells, the label art, the sausages and hams hanging over the butcher counter, and always a "taste" of cheese and salami for the kids. Fresh ravioli, covered in flour in flat white boxes, packs of exotic looking pastas, sliced deli products in white butcher paper going home, and only around Christmas, those tiny boxes of nougat candy, with the intricate cameo portraits on the outside... Yeah, me, too! (Arrigoni's is still open, since 1937, but Traverso's is sadly gone from Santa Rosa.) DO YOU WANT WAR?Who's asking? FlameMeaning of the word in Hebrew script printed in chalk to the left of the Freeman poster, with what looks like an exclamation point after it. (Hebrew and Yiddish read right to left.) What in the world is that chalked-upon door about? War Delays the March of ProgressWhile many will see this horse and wagon as a fading relic of former times, if not an outright anachronism, World War II, with its rationing of fuel and tires, gave such conveyances a brief reprieve. I recall as a tot in Cleveland seeing milk delivered by horse and wagon (most of the dairies had but recently mechanized and the horses, who knew the routes better than the drivers, were still available). Likewise, various peddlars and, of course, the "junk man" still made their rounds in horse-drawn conveyances for a time even after the war. Incidently, a recent satori decoded for me my childhood memory of the junk man's cry: Piper-ex Juice!" was probably my misunderstanding of "Paper, Rags, Jute!" (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Horses, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Re-THINK: 1956
... THINK, the musical From "Songs of the I.B.M." (1937 edition), the words to "Our President's Motto - 'THINK'" (sung to the tune ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2013 - 11:12pm -

1956. "IBM Manufacturing and Administrative Center, Rochester, Minn. Eero Saarinen, architect." Another perspective on the desk seen here, now with a view of the parking lot. Kodachrome by Balthazar Korab. View full size. Cigarettes help you thinkYou can see this wasn't taken while the programmers were there. You can see across the room. Back in these days all the programmers smoked like chimneys. You could spot their work area by the cloud of smoke over it. American Iron outside...Yesterday I saw an all black, perfect condition 57 Chevy with continental kit and RED interior driving South on Highway 101. Could've pulled right out of this lot, given the one year time slip. I love the lighting, it's like late in the day and most have gone home. Or is it early, and the view the first person in the department gets when they walk in? It still blows my mind that they needed an architect to build this rectangular room devoid of any personality at all! Is there a defined style called Cookie-Cutter architecture? Where's my Taurus?Very disconcerting to my mind to see "antiques" out the windows and "modern" furniture inside the windows. This furniture, and cubicles in the previous pic, are almost identical to much of the furniture at US Steel Gary Works where I toiled in an office much like this one through 1999. When I look out the window at IBM, I can't help but expect to see 1990's autos! Very cool picture for that reason. The DeskI don't think it's the exact same desk. The room is completely different. My guess is it's just one of many identical desks and placards that IBM probably bought for that facility. [Same desk, unless IBM had strict accouterment placement standards. -tterrace] And not onedrab silver/grey car among those Easter egg colors! FHS '89Change the cars and remove the ashtrays and that looks like a room in my high school in the '80s! Deja vuBut for a brief moment just looking at this photo took my mind back in time and there I was sitting on one of those chairs similar to the ones used in our high school cafeteria. And I was gazing through the window, much like the one pictured, at the student parking lot across the street from the cafeteria. Students back in the 60's generally drove cars that were at least 10 years old and it was those cars shown in the photo that took up occupancy in that student parking lot so many years ago. THINK, the musicalFrom "Songs of the I.B.M." (1937 edition), the words to "Our President's Motto - 'THINK'" (sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle"): (verse 1) T-H-I-N-K spells THINK- Our President's great motto. Saves mistakes, lost time and ink. You'll then do what you ought to. (verse 2) T-H-I-N-K spells THINK- 'Tis good for brain and body, Dark blue visions change to pink. And you'll please everybody. (Chorus) T-H-I-N-K spells THINK- Thoughts are pure and golden; Bigger thoughts and good ones too, Then I.B.M. will broaden. (Balthazar Korab, Cars, Trucks, Buses, The Office)
H Street Market: 1920
... in Florida in 1926 and his son also died in Forida in 1937 while vacationing from the bread business. Both had heart disease. Charles ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2014 - 10:23pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "The New H Street 620 Market." Another glimpse of a long-vanished item of urban street furniture, the bakery delivery box. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Corby's Florida connectionBrothers Charles and William Corby built and grew their bakery into the largest in Washington D.C. in 1920. They were ahead of other bread bakers with automation and were able to deliver 90,000 loaves per day. Charles died at a polo match in Florida in 1926 and his son also died in Forida in 1937 while vacationing from the bread business. Both had heart disease. Charles was 55 and his son was 44 when they died. A hard way to live & maybe an easy way to die.This could almost be my Grandad's Grocery on Singleton St @ LeGrande Ave. Indianapolis, Ind. 1924. He was shot down during a holdup in 1925. It was a hard way to make a living, and for an unlucky few, an easy way to die. But for 30 years it provided a family of 4 with a warm home & a fine upbringing for my dad & his sister. Sometimes it is dificult for us to see past the black & white of the photograph, but the ghosts are all there with their own stories to tell, to those of us who can hear them! Old-time DC bakeriesMore about the history of both the Corby and Bond bakeries, which were located on either side of Georgia Avenue near Howard University, can be found here. Bakery delivery boxCan anyone tell us, foreigners, how the bakery delivery box worked? Was it used to deliver the fresh bread to the customers? They could take out and pay later, or how? Thanks Jess, for the answer! The Bread BoxAlex, as a former wholesale baker, I can tell you how the bread box worked. The store had an account for a set number of loves a day, but the bread was baked at night and delivered at dawn before the store opened. The delivery driver and the grocer both had a key to box. It was a safe place to leave the bread so it wouldn't be stolen before the store opened. The grocer would get the bread from the box and sell it in his store. Wholesale bakeries in large cities still work like this. At my NYC bakery, our baguettes would be delivered at dawn and, if there was no one to receive the bread, it would be left outside of restaurants until the opening staff retrieved it. If you wander Manhattan around 5:30 AM you will see bags of fresh bread on the sidewalk outside of many nice restaurants! It's a system that works better than you think it might, and we didn't use the old boxes because no one can keep track of thousands of keys if you have thousands of accounts. PS- I'm working on opening a small green grocery now, I love this picture! (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Steel City: 1938
... Rosenbaum's. Corner of Liberty and Sixth, photo taken in 1937. The car parking looks very scary. The car parking looks very ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/02/2020 - 4:26pm -

July 1938. "View of city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." The Wabash Bridge over the Monongahela River. Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Lee Kee car park It's easy to see how the vehicle parking was arranged on the Mon wharf. Drips and dribbles from countless crankcases, transmissions and differentials have left their mark. This is also seen on the concrete highways up to the present. When I started riding motorcycles in the early seventies my father warned me not to ride the middle of a lane when it first started to rain. Slippery as hell he said. He had been a motorcycle MP during WW2 and knew of what he spoke. Troubled Bridge Over WatersThe bridge was built from both banks, but the merger failed and the center of the bridge collapsed. Ten workers died. Construction was also plagued by smallpox, bad weather, and strikes. The bridge was completed in 1904, but its owner, the Wabash railway line, fell into receivership in 1908. By 1931, the bridge was used only for freight traffic through the downtown terminal. When the terminal burned in 1946, the bridge became useless. It was demolished in 1948. Rosenbaum's Department StoreI see so many interesting signs: The Kelly & Jones Co. (Pipes, Valves and Fittings), Champion Coal, Somers-Fitler & Todd Co. (Machinery & Supplies). But the one that really caught my eye was the biggest: Shop at Rosenbaum's. Corner of Liberty and Sixth, photo taken in 1937. The car parking looks very scary.The car parking looks very scary. It stands at big angle. Gone But Not ForgottenThe Wabash bridge and terminal just at the end of the bridge were part of Jay Gould’s Alphabet Route railway in the early 1900s. After two fires in the terminal in 1946, this line was abandoned and the bridge was torn down in 1948. The bridge piers still stand and the Wabash’s connecting tunnel under adjacent Mount Washington is now a high-occupancy vehicle route into Pittsburgh. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_and_West_Virginia_Railway Wabash Pittsburgh TerminalThe Wabash terminal is the long, dark bar like building to the left of the bridge -- that’s the trainshed, and the adjoining building with the cupola was the headhouse of the station. It was unusual (but not unique) for a station that size, in that the tracks were on the second story. Out of the picture to the left was a small elevated freight terminal, which some sources suggest was originally meant to carry the railroad across the city, to a never-built route to link George Gould’s projected transcontinental system with the New Jersey port cities. Some things never changeThe Pittsburgh waterfront changed significantly after the war with the addition of the feeder expressways (The Parkway East and West), as well as the removal of any industrial remnants during the "Renaissance". But at least one block of buildings on Fort Pitt Boulevard is almost completely intact. The building with the Champion Coal sign is gone and is now a surface lot. But the rest of the buildings in that block between Market and Wood are all still standing. And the fairly large building at the corner of Smithfield and Fort Pitt is still there (dark building at the extreme left). But the masonry has been completely cleaned and the architectural highlights are actually light stone. The Smoky City really did wreak havoc with the furnishings. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Boats & Bridges, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Classical Gas: 1942
... Shell gas truck. It is a 1939 Hudson. My dad had a 1937 Terraplane version of the sedan in the photo. He enjoyed calling the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2019 - 5:54pm -

July 1942. Washington, D.C. "Cars and trucks on Independence Avenue S.W." Photo by John Ferrell for the Office of War Information. View full size. AkimboThe arms on the sailor, way on the left. Healthy treesToday's view shows scraggly, anemic looking trees. So much so it's not hard at all to see the Washington Monument. [In the December 2016 view below, it's almost as if the trees are missing their leaves. Bizarre! - Dave] It's more than just the leaves, Dave. [Yes. They're a sickly green color. - Dave] Stylin'The '30s and early '40s saw the gradual application of Deco and streamlined design themes to a wide assortment of machines, in this case the Shell tanker depicted. What's the difference between a gasoline tanker and a Sunbeam toaster? In this instance, not a whole lot, aesthetically speaking. Sentimental momentMy Dad worked for Shell for nearly 50 years. He kept a 1/32(?) scale model version of this tanker truck on his office credenza for as long as I can remember. Nice to see a photo of the real thing. No where to goThere are no pockets in a Navy dress uniform, difficult to know what to do with your hands. Same with football uniforms. Car IDsThe car closest to the sailor is a '39 Plymouth. The car on the right with radio antenna and Greyhound hood ornament is a '35 Ford. Car radios were expensive in the 1930s, $80 for a Packard radio. The low-priced 3 had MSRPs of about $700, so a radio sale made the dealers happy. Does anyone know what a heater cost in 1935 - 1940? Shorpy Vehicle Identification ImperativeNo one has yet identified the humble 2dr sedan in front of that adorable Shell gas truck. It is a 1939 Hudson. My dad had a 1937 Terraplane version of the sedan in the photo. He enjoyed calling the Hudson a "Late Model Essex." Which, I guess, it was. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Gas Stations, John Ferrell)
PAFA: 1900
... adhere to 21st-century museum standards, what happened in 1937 is perhaps slightly more jarring. The Plinth In 1876, PAFA opened ... was designed specifically to house the sculpture. By 1937, the ravages of industrial air pollution and cold winters had rendered ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/13/2018 - 4:21pm -

1900. "Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia." Who can fill us in on that headless statue? 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. The ArchitectThe man who designed the building behind the statue was Frank Furness, pronounced "furnace". After earning a Medal of Honor in Civil War, he became an architect and designed a number of buildings in a bold and unorthodox manner. The style fell out of fashion after he died, and many of his creations were demolished. Nowadays many people find them interesting and the remaining structures are being preserved. His Broad Street Station, West End Trust, and Blaine Mansion have all been featured on Shorpy, but only Blaine still stands. The amazing though sad story of CeresFrom the PAFA web site: In 1827, Commodore Daniel F. Patterson commanded the U.S.S. Constitution on an anti-pirating mission in the Mediterranean Sea, while quietly supporting the Greeks in their war against the Turks. Upon rescuing four near-starved Greek refugee soldiers, Patterson learned the location of a valuable marble sculpture. Indeed, the grateful soldiers offered to sell the sculpture, an 8-foot, 3rd-century BCE, full-length figure depicting Ceres, the goddess of the harvest. Almost as an act of charity, the Commodore agreed to the purchase, and brought the headless sculpture home to Boston. Upon arrival in 1828, he wrote PAFA and offered the statue as a gift: “I regret its mutilated state and that I was unable to procure the Head tho I offered a high price.” PAFA had no qualms about accepting a headless sculpture, nor did the fact that the sculpture was effectively looted from a war zone seem to have been an issue. While we might not expect 19th-century PAFA to adhere to 21st-century museum standards, what happened in 1937 is perhaps slightly more jarring. The Plinth In 1876, PAFA opened its new Furness and Hewitt-designed building. So highly thought of was the Ceres sculpture that the plinth, immediately above the front entrance, was designed specifically to house the sculpture. By 1937, the ravages of industrial air pollution and cold winters had rendered Ceres into a damaged menace to pedestrians. City officials urged that it be removed and PAFA secured bids. To remove the piece intact would have cost “well on $1,000,” and restoration was deemed impossible. Instead, $150 was spent erecting scaffolding and $250 was given to a local sculptor, whose contract stated that “the marble will be removed in small pieces by competent workmen.” Thus Ceres was chipped into oblivion, although her remains were given to PAFA faculty members for use in creating their own sculpture. Charles Rudy’s Pekin Drake, carved from Ceres’ marble, is on view in PAFA’s Sculpture Study Center in the Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building. Ceres’ sad end did not escape unnoticed. TIME magazine published a brief illustrated article, and William B. Dinsmoor of Columbia University’s School of Art and Archeology was able to use the accompanying photograph to identify Ceres and the last resting place for a marble head “which Commodore Patterson fortunately did not bring back from Greece, but left at Megara, where it still exists today.” Body gone, but still a headThe head of Ceres by the way still does exist in Megara, Greece, it was not imported in the 1820s with the rest of the statue, which suffered such an ignominious death in Philadelphia. Headless Cereshttps://www.pafa.org/museum/history-pafa/buildings/historic-landmark-bui... (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia)
The Roundup: 1940
... a population of over 10,000. I'm guessing the car is a 1937 Nash. Air cooled Clearly means, "We'll leave the door open on a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/02/2019 - 7:21pm -

November 1940. "Restaurant and beer hall in Summit City, California, boom town near Shasta Dam." Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. S.J.Can I assume the chili sandwich was the precursor to my beloved Sloppy Joe? Dream come trueWhat more could a guy want? Chili, beer, tobacco, candy, A/C, your picture taken for the future to examine, plus your reflection in the car door. Chili & SandwichesI could be mistaken but I believe the sign is meant to be read as Chili and also Sandwiches, not "Chili Sandwiches." Likewise they aren't advertising "Cigar Candies." On another note, according to the web, the Sloppy Joe was said to have originated when a cook named Joe at Floyd Angell's café in Sioux City, Iowa, added tomato sauce to his “loose meat" sandwiches. "Air Cooled"IIRC, that does not mean "air conditioned". Shasta Lake, CaliforniaSummit City was one of five communities which sprang up to accommodate the workers on the vast Shasta Dam project. The others were Central Valley, Toyon, Project City, and Pine Grove. Afterward the conglomeration became Central Valley, then the name was changed to Shasta Lake. It is now incorporated with a population of over 10,000. I'm guessing the car is a 1937 Nash. Air cooledClearly means, "We'll leave the door open on a windy day". And nowI need a chili sandwich. With an ice cold drink. If I'm lucky, Sheriff Longmire will show up all the way from Absaroka County, Wyoming (without a cell phone), thirsty for a Rainier. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee)
Arthur Fields: 1920
... in the late twenties and performed with him on radio in 1937. Fields also recorded with Bailey's Lucky Seven, Sam Lanin and the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2008 - 6:30pm -

The vaudevillian, singer and composer Arthur Fields (Abe Finkelstein) circa 1920. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Arthur Fields bioArthur Fields was born Abe Finkelstein in Philadelphia on August 6, 1888, and grew up in Utica, New York, where he sang in church (or temple, perhaps?) He became a professional singer at the age of 11, singing in a movie theater. At the age of 16 he joined a minstrel troupe, and later worked in vaudeville. His first record was "Along Came Ruth" for Victor in 1914. In 1923, Fields had his own record label: Arthur Fields Melody Record, for which he was the only performer. Over the years, Fields made many records under his own name and was also a band singer, especially for Fred "Sugar" Hall. Fields recorded with Hall in the late twenties and performed with him on radio in 1937. Fields also recorded with Bailey's Lucky Seven, Sam Lanin and the California Ramblers. He was a composer and lyricist as well, with works including "And the Angels Sing," "Aba Daba Honeymoon," "On the Mississippi," "Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner," "Eleven More Months and Ten More Days," "I Got a Code in By Dose" and "There Shall Be No More Tears." He suffered a stroke on March 11, 1953, and on March 28 was admitted to the Littlefield convalescent home in Largo, Florida, where a day later he was among 33 who died when the building burned to the ground. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, Music, Public Figures)
Cockaday and Banning: 1924
... Television Why Not Facsimile published by "Radio News 1937: Was teaching at New York University, and authored 34 Lessons In Radio and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2012 - 4:20pm -

New York circa 1924. "L.M. Cockaday and Maj. Kendall Banning." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Flat TopThe guy in the light shirt could almost fit in perfectly in appearance with young men in the early 60's. Kendall Banningwas the editor of Popular Radio magazine at this time. Unusual name ? Banning Major BanningWith that shiny jacket and matching trousers, he must have been quite the rake at the big post-war 1919 national wireless radio convention. But, alas, by 1924 what once was stylish apparently was demoted to throw-something-on-for-work. A veteran of World War One (signal corps), Banning was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution (the Banning lineage in the U.S. goes back at least to the late 17th Century). Also he was an author, possibly most famous for "Censored Mother Goose Rhymes", per this, found online: Censored Mother Goose Rhymes by Kendall Banning (1929) Flipped through an interactive version of this very funny book today at the Ransom Center’s wonderful “Banned, Burned, Seized, and Censored” exhibit. (It’s out of print, so you can read the whole thing online.) Originally published in 1926 and dedicated to “The Censors who have taught us how to ready naughty meanings into harmless words,” Banning reprinted it in support of the efforts to revise parts of tariff legislation that allowed customs agents to ban “obscene” books from the US—the book was distributed to congressmen in the middle of the debate.1 Banning (1879-1944) wasn’t some underground prankster: he was a war veteran, a poet (a New York Times review in 1913 said of his work, “no other poet in America at the moment has such a gift of pure melody”), an author of over a dozen books (he wrote books on Annapolis and West Point), and an editor of Cosmopolitan, Popular Radio, and Hearst Magazine. Fun fact: Gertrude Stein owned a copy. Major Banning is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and here's his grave: Re Flat TopMister Cockaday was much more than just a telegraph key pilot. That component to the left of the desk (shown below) was one of the radio products of L.M. Cockaday and Company, 2674 Bailey Avenue, New York City. It was described in a Cockaday ad in the January 1921 issue of Wireless Age as "...the BEST detector and single stage amplifier in the WORLD" and cost $45, about $523 today. ARRL MemberIn the middle of the wall is a Membership Certificate in the American Radio Relay League, the pioneer Ham Radio organization, headquartered in Connecticut. Radio components identifiedThe Detector/1-Stage Audio Amplifier was a Superadio Corporation D/A as seen on the logo on the set. The Superadio Corporation was the successor to the L. M. Cockaday Co. starting January of 1921 as seen in a January 1921 Pacific Radio News advertisement. The radio on the desk was also a Superadio Corp. product as can be seen by the same logo. On top of the device with two meters sits a Wireless Specialty Apparatus Clark Tone-Tester which is a miniature crystal radio to monitor the tone of the transmitted signal. Chronological Cockaday Father: Edward J. M. Cockaday, born February 1866 in England Mother: Kate Simmonds, born August 1869 in England Laurence Marsham Cockaday, born June 18, 1894, Greenville, New Jersey 1915: Vocalist, possibly with his father who was also a vocalist and a professor of music 1916: General Secretary, Cathedral Choir School (of St. John the Divine which still exists) 1917: Electrical Engineer for the New York Interborough Railroad 1918: Radio instructor for the U.S. Navy 1919: Patent for Radiotelegraphy, "invented certain new and high potential electrical oscillations from a direct current or other supply" 1920: Electrical Engineer 1921: Was involved in relaying the Dempsey-Carpentier heavyweight title fight via radio. Setup a relay at the Majestic Theater which was heard by 265 people. More info here. 1922: Techical Editor for "Popular Radio." (he was also one of the founders). Authored Radio-Telephone ($1.50) for Everyone which was also published in England. 1923: Authored three publications: Wireless Telephony For All; How to Build the Haynes DX Receiver; and How to Build the Haynes 2-Tube Amplifier. 1924: With Kendall Banning authoried How To Build Your Radio Receiver. 1925: Working at Popular Radios's laboratory. Designed a circuit for radios to operate with alternating current. Served on the Operating Regulations Committee at the 4th National Radio Conference. 1926: Silver Cockady Four Tube Receiver is being sold 1927: On the advisory board for WGL based at the Hotel Majestic (the station lasted less than two years). 1931: In March became the Editor for "Radio News"; Author of 23 Lessons in Radio 1932: Author of Radio Experimenters' Handbook 1933: Author of Short-Wave Handbook with Walter H. Holze 1934: Author of If Not Television Why Not Facsimile published by "Radio News 1937: Was teaching at New York University, and authored 34 Lessons In Radio and Television. 1940: On July 12th he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He retired at the grade of Captain in January 1957. 1957: His wife Marguerite Mary Cockaday, a social worker, passes away after a long illness in Annapolis, Maryland. 1986: Cockaday dies on November 18th in Manhattan, New York. Both he and his wife are buried in Annapolis at St. Marys Cemetery. He was also the Technical Editor of the New York Herald Tribune, but I could not find the exact dates, but certainly before 1931. Details of one of the transformers he helped design can be seen here. The first photo below is the frontispiece of his book Radio-Telephony For Everyone, and it shows the same room as in the Shorpy photo. The second, also showing the same room, is from the November 1921 edition of Popular Science Monthly, Page 22. (Technology, The Gallery, G.G. Bain)
Newark Luxe: 1944
... it every few years since. Fast Company Written in 1937 by Harry Kurnitz (1908-1968), published under the name Marco Page, and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/15/2014 - 6:01am -

March 21, 1944. "Newark Athletic Club, Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey. Long shot of lobby. Morris Lapidus, architect." With a nice selection of 25-cent Pocket Books. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Interesting ContrastThe bland and blonde 1944 furniture with the intricately beautiful interior and lighting fixtures of an obviously 1920's or earlier building. Working GhostLooks like a resident ghost at work behind the counter back left, behind the Pocket Book display. The Judas WindowWritten by John Dickson Carr (1906-1977), published in 1938 under the name Carter Dickson, a locked room mystery novel featuring detective Sir Henry Merrivale. Newark Ex-LuxeAfter becoming the Military Park Hotel and then going into a long period of decline, the building was demolished in 1993 to make way for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The view below, which may have been the same lobby, was taken sometime before it was imploded. Paperback Library"Crime of Violence" looks interesting. Assignment In Brittany!I had that one. By Helen MacInnes. Have read it every few years since. Fast CompanyWritten in 1937 by Harry Kurnitz (1908-1968), published under the name Marco Page, and made into a movie in 1938 starring Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner)
Color Wheels: 1943
... View full size. Popeye The truck is a circa 1937 International D300 COE. No raises in 1943 ...due to price controls ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2017 - 12:03pm -

May 1943. "Bethlehem-Fairfield shipyards, Baltimore. Ship painters loaded on a truck." Photo by Arthur Siegel for the Office of War Information. View full size. PopeyeThe truck is a circa 1937 International D300 COE. No raises in 1943...due to price controls and rationing. Those boys are happy to be sending another boat on the way to fight Hitler and Tojo, I think. They're also happy because a few years ago, a lot of them were unemployed. Did they just get a raise?That's the happiest group of workers I've ever seen. A customer of mineWay back in the mid 70s/early 80s time frame, Maryland Shipbuilding was one of my customers on the B&O RR. We'd leave them a few cars about every night, just inside their gate. They moved them around in their facility with self-propelled cranes. Of course, the amount of work there in my time was a fraction of what it was for these fellows in the photo. Maryland Shipbuilding folded about 1996. The last time I was down there, Toyota was using the large lot to store new autos. Armstrong Cork?Looks like that sign on the truck's side could be Armstrong Cork. I think they used a lot of product as insulation on USN ships. Power steeringI drove a flatbed of the same vintage when I worked in a tannery. The power steering worked the same way as the power brakes, and the non-synchro transmission, muscle power. Notice the wide arc of the steering wheel. (The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Baltimore, Cars, Trucks, Buses, WW2)
The Apprentice: 1917
... Die Makers I wonder if Fred had a tool and die job in 1937. Assuming he had a job throughout the Depression, did it pay well? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/15/2020 - 8:52pm -

Jan. 30, 1917. "14-year old Fred cutting dies for a new job. Embossing shop of Harry C. Taylor. 61 Court Street, Boston, Mass." 5x7 inch glass negative by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Training The Right WayThat was and still should be the way to learn a trade. I have had the privilege of training my son in the same trade as me. I started when he was 12 and now he is 30 and has a career for the rest of his life. In fact, he is now teaching me some things as well. Apprenticeships should make a comeback to bring craftsmanship back. Mr. WizardNext week, Timmy, we'll make battery acid. There's Poetry in this PhotoI understand the thrust of Lewis Hine's mission, but I can't help feeling that there's something ennobling going on in this photo. A 14-year-old shouldn't live under compulsion to work, yet, what are the options for a 14-year-old today. Even the paper routes and yard mowing jobs of my own youth are gobbled up by contractors. I think what I like about this scene is the person-to-person aspect. I'd like to think Fred is thriving under wise tutelage. Maybe I'm a dreamer. Tool and Die MakersI wonder if Fred had a tool and die job in 1937. Assuming he had a job throughout the Depression, did it pay well? Twenty years further down the road, would he be training someone the same way he learned or would he have started to transition to newer technology? By the time he was looking at retirement in another ten years, what would he be telling his replacement? The bow tieis more than a fashion statement, it seems to me. By wearing a bow tie and nice shirt, Fred is showing that by training for a skilled artisan position, he is to be considered at a higher social standing than the common laborer, who would be wearing a "blue collar" shirt and work overalls. And the difference between Fred and a breaker boy is a massive chasm. I'm sure that Fred's family was proud that he got this apprenticeship, if he isn't actually related to the proprietor and learning the family business. On a personal level, my own father was Fred's age in 1917 and his school teachers wanted him to be apprenticed to a solicitor (lawyer) to become a legal clerk. My grandfather objected though, probably because he was uncomfortable with the large jump in social standing for his son. At age 15, tired of selling winkles on the corner, he ran away from home, lied about his age and joined the British Army. By 1918, the British Army was more than well aware that underage boys were joining up, but desperate for manpower, they closed a blind eye to it. However, in order to avoid an outcry, they underage recruits were given jobs behind the lines, which freed up adults for the trenches. My father made a career out of it and by WWII was a regimental sergeant major supervising anti-aircraft batteries in the south of England. Dress codealexin just triggered a memory with the bow tie remark. In olden times the dress code was quite immaculate. Academics, engineers, medical staff, and some other professions: White lab coats, formal business attire underneath. I guess that was universial. At least in German industry: Foremen frequently had grey "lab" or workshop coats. The line workers dressed in blue. Exceptions confirmed the rule. I also remember a TV interview with an ancient typesetter, way back when. His punchline: He chose to train as a typesetter because of the professions actually available to him this was the only one where he was to wear a tie and a white coat on the job, and where he would be addressed as "Mr. Schmidt" rather than by given name even as an apprentice. (The Gallery, Boston, Kids, Lewis Hine)
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