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I'm Baaaaad: 1920
... 712 12th Street NW in Washington. He sold snakes to Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Under the sign "this pig slept last night in the White ... the sale of a pig for young Quentin Roosevelt after the president's son had snuck it into the White House, only to have it discovered. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/23/2014 - 10:18am -

Sept. 3, 1920. Washington, D.C. "Wap-See-Ho-Hong." We leave it to our resourceful commenters to fill in the blanks. National Photo Co. View full size. The Horn of a dilemma?Getting "butted" by this fellow would sure be a new twist! Bad Is Right!Unless my eyes are deceiving me, it appears that this may be the first picture on SHORPY of anything, man or beast, relieving itself. [That's hay. - Dave] Baaaad Job!Looks like one of Morning Glory and Oberon G'Zelle's semi-successful experiments! HmmSomehow the term "animal glue" comes to mind. Sheep. Why'd it have to be sheep?I'm much better at identifying goats. But it looks like our friend here may be related to a Jacobs Sheep. They have some whackadoodle horns. Could it be?The fabled ramoceros. Picture?Who in their right mind would stop, see, then set up the camera to take a picture of something only a mother could love?!!!! [The National Photo Company was a commercial photography firm which, in the words of the Library of Congress, "supplied photographs of current news events in Washington, D.C., as a daily service to its subscribers. It also prepared sets of pictures on popular subjects and undertook special photographic assignments for local businesses and government agencies." -tterrace] The Great Wolf Slayer Washington Post, June 8, 1918. Masonic Notes … Grand Monarch Edward S. Schmid is to take a hand with a curiosity which he found in southern Texas on his recent trip there. It is a handsome goat with the usual accompaniment of side horns, but with a spike sticking from the top of his head which makes him unique. Grand Monarch Schmid calls his pet “Wap-See-He-Hohong,” which he says means “the great wolf slayer.” … Schmid's SheepEdward S. Schmid (like his father and grandfather, and later his son, Edward L. Schmid), sold small animals a short distance from the White House. He was the proprietor of Schmid's Bird and Pet Animal Emporium at 712 12th Street NW in Washington. He sold snakes to Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Under the sign "this pig slept last night in the White House," he brokered the sale of a pig for young Quentin Roosevelt after the president's son had snuck it into the White House, only to have it discovered. He seems to have been a generous man; he included in his store's catalog instructions for the treatment of rabbits with colic, constipation, sniffles or influenza, and published a phamplet on how he chose his canaries. A freemason and member of associations such as the Association of the Oldest Inhabitants and National Tuberculosis Association, the elder Schmid's donated records take up 25 linear feet in the archives of the Historical Society of Washington D.C. [Also, this article from the The National Humane Review, October, 1918. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Animals, D.C., Natl Photo)
Oyster Bay: 1908
September 1908. "Invited guests going to Roosevelt house on foot and by carriage" at Sagamore Hill, the president's estate near Oyster Bay, Long Island. View full size. 5x7 glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2007 - 6:17pm -

September 1908. "Invited guests going to Roosevelt house on foot and by carriage" at Sagamore Hill, the president's estate near Oyster Bay, Long Island. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Depredations of the sweets closet After many trips to President Roosevelt's home at Sagamore, LI, my most memorable recollection is that the cook had to place a lock on the pantry to prevent 'depredations' by young Teddy and his siblings. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Landscapes)
Country Store: 1940
June 1940. "Mr. Keele, merchant and president of the Farm Bureau, in front of the general store. Pie Town, New ... 88 (called the Apache Trail) from Apache Junction to the Roosevelt Dam. It's mostly known for the white knuckle drive on a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2020 - 3:26pm -

June 1940. "Mr. Keele, merchant and president of the Farm Bureau, in front of the general store. Pie Town, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Where the sidewalk endsIn a more litigious time, the boards constituting a walkway outside the store would be an ambulance chaser's dream. Have a nice trip! See you next fall. Now lawyer up. Amarrilla by morningup from Pie Town. I hope somewhere in the world there are places still this simple and quaint. TobaccoThis sure makes me glad I stopped smoking. Lowering the Boom"Dammit Jenkins, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: keep that boom mic OUT of the frame!" While this is probably just a furtive finial, it's important to keep Jenkins on his toes! [Or could it be a light bulb? - Dave] Going to Fish CreekThere are some misspellings on the sign showing locations in Arizona. McNarry should be McNary, and Miama should be Miami, a copper mining town near Globe. The most interesting is Fish Creek, along Arizona Route 88 (called the Apache Trail) from Apache Junction to the Roosevelt Dam. It's mostly known for the white knuckle drive on a precipitously narrow dirt road down Fish Creek Hill. When I moved to the area 40 years ago, driving down Fish Creek Hill was considered a rite of passage for greenhorns! Here's a nice picture of the road in the area of Fish Creek: Daniel Fahrenheit's InventionMercury reads around 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Long pants and long sleeves optional. Hat required. Open 24 hours?Where is the door?? [The doors are open. - Dave] Country Store colorizedClick here to watch Jordan J. Lloyd colorize the photograph taken a few moments earlier (?), from start to finish. In the past I did some colorizing of Shorpy pictures myself, e.g. this or this, but having seen this pro at work, I think I better quit, or learn it myself of course, I would like to, I admit. Pie Town is still a great placeIt's well worth the drive off I-25 in Socorro, past the VLA telescopes, thru Datil (great general store/restaurant), to the Pie-O-Neer cafe, which opens at 11:30 am. Fabulous pie, terrific people! A few old buildings are still standing; don't know if any of them have been shown in this series. Las Vagas?That's 281 miles to New Mexico's Las Vegas. Nevada's is 500 miles. But neither is spelled "Vagas," and the longer the drive, the more numb one's vagus. Seventeen ads for tobacco productsBut only two are for “tailor mades.” Folks round those parts chaw plug or leaf, puff a pipe, or roll their own. (The Gallery, Pie Town, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Welcome to the White House: 1908
... Calls. The 300-pound presidency It's a cinch that President Taft never sat in any of those chairs. Tattered rug Note how ... If this wasn't just "circa 1908," but 1908, Teddy Roosevelt would be in his final full year as president. This shot matches the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 4:21pm -

Circa 1908. "White House Executive Office entrance." View full size. Mix and MatchSeems like Uncle Sam could've at least sprung for some matching chairs. Quote:"I'm sorry, Mr. Coolidge, you're much too early." Theatre MomentAn Inspector Calls. The 300-pound presidencyIt's a cinch that President Taft never sat in any of those chairs. Tattered rugNote how tattered the rug in the vestibule is. Gives a sense of the White House as a working government building, less of the symbol it is now. Before Bill arrivedIf this wasn't just "circa 1908," but 1908, Teddy Roosevelt would be in his final full year as president. This shot matches the north end of the "lobby" area in this map of the first true West Wing, built only six years earlier. The ordinariness and wear suggests why his successor, William Howard Taft, would overhaul the West Wing almost immediately upon taking office. Call boxDoes anybody know what the name of the object is mounted on the wall directly behind the doorman's head? It looks like a drop-shutter servant's call box from the period. In this case, a "call box" was an inconspicuous way to summon servants. If one was needed in a particular room, an electrically operated red disk would appear under the name of the room requesting attendance. It was the "modern" version of the old Victorian rope pull for the parlor maid. Uncomfortable ChairsIt was common a century ago for chairs in a waiting room of an office, or the entry hall of private houses so equipped, to be relatively uncomfortable, ranging from annoying to excruciating. (Think of Frank Lloyd Wright's straight-backed chairs.) The explanantion is that the visitor would settle-in only when invited to the inner office, library, living room or the like by the host. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
The Miantonomoh: 1892
... America began to catch up with the big boys. Having Teddy Roosevelt, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy, as president certainly aided its progress. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/07/2022 - 12:39pm -

The Hudson River, 1892. "U.S. double turret monitor Miantonomoh." Named after the Narragansett chief. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Edward H. Hart. View full size. Often overlooked.As it were. In every sense. Yet somehow managed to survive 45 years (at least if you count from the launch date, not the 6-year-long - !! - fitting-out period) Low freeboardLooking at that, you'd suspect the least wave would swamp it. However, it made it across the Atlantic and back. [You're confusing this ship with the first Miantonomoh. - Dave] In and Out of ServiceUSS Miantonomoh (BM-5) was the second ship to carry the Narragansett sachem's name. She was one of four ships of the Amphitrite-class of monitors. She was commissioned and decommissioned four times during her life which has to be some sort of record for US Navy ships. Retirement AgeThe continued use of Civil War-era technology helps to explain why the U. S. Navy was rated well below that of several nations which would not even make the Top Ten list today. It would not be until the early 20th Century that America began to catch up with the big boys. Having Teddy Roosevelt, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy, as president certainly aided its progress. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, E.H. Hart, NYC)
Beer Boulevard: 1938
... decision was one of two in early spring 1937 that signaled President Roosevelt (and a switch by Justice Owen Roberts) had tipped the Court's balance ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/26/2017 - 12:49pm -

July 1938. "Main street (Franklin Avenue) in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania." Which you don't even have to cross if you're in the mood for a Duquesne. (If you're thirsty for an Iron City or Union Beer, you might have to dodge some traffic.) Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Doo-KaneRecently heard a local newscaster in Erie Pa say "Doo Qwes Nee" There goes the neighborhoodThis is a case of the entire neighborhood disappearing over time. The Joseph Building seen at the end of the street still exists as a shell on the Google Street View images, but the White Castle "clone" next to it and nearly every other structure in this picture is long gone, buried under a highway project. Those were the daysWhen this photo was taken, Aliquippa was home to a Jones & Laughlin steel plant. It closed -- I think -- in the late 1970s. In the early 2000s, I used to ride the 16A Aliquippa bus into Pittsburgh. That's probably an early version of the 16A in the old photo. ConstitutionalThe year before this photo was taken, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Co. that the Wagner Act (formally the National Labor Relations Act) was constitutional. The case arose from the Aliquippa steel mill's termination of workers for unionizing. The decision was one of two in early spring 1937 that signaled President Roosevelt (and a switch by Justice Owen Roberts) had tipped the Court's balance toward generally upholding New Deal measures. The picture shows the "Wye" area of Aliquippa, where three major streets came together near the entrance to the tunnel serving as the vehicular entrance to the J&L mill. The name of the roadway whose overpass design devastated the intersection and surrounding areas (with help from the mill's ultimate demise) is Constitution Boulevard. J&L MillBoth of my grandfathers worked in the J&L Aliquippa Works, and my father worked there part-time while in college. My father took me to the mill once during a visit to Aliquippa when I was a boy and we happened to be there during a shift change. I have a vivid memory of what seemed to be hundreds of men entering and leaving the mill at the same time. Later that night, while trying to fall asleep in a guest bed at my grandparents' house, I saw the sky glow orange every so often in the direction of the mill, due to the round-the-clock operation of the open blast furnace. Ford countryL-R: 1931 model A Ford; 1937 V8 rear view; Ford signs and lamps. The only tractor available in 1938 was the English imported Fordson model N. This would change in 1939 with the introduction of the Ford 9N tractor featuring the Ferguson 3 point hitch system forever changing farming for the better. Ah, Duquesne!"Best beer in town!" I mean, you can't lie on a billboard, right? I saw J&L close.During 1981-84 I lived in Ambridge, directly across the river from J&L and witnessed it's final death throes. In 1981 the sky was yellow from the mill's output. By 1984 the sky was blue, J&L shuttered, and Aliquippa was becoming a ghost town. Ambridge is often seen on Shorpy, but I wish I had a photo of the row house we rented while in grad school. At one point in it's long history is was a house of ill repute and the entire interior had been painted pink. The closing of the mill was hard for everyone in the community. Odd topsWhat are the domes on top of the light poles? Victoria CoupeThe Victoria Coupe facing away from us, on the right side of the photo, is a 1934 or 1935 Buick - probably a Series 60, Model 68. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Small Towns)
International Newsreel: 1924
... harder to handle. Mr. Van Tine wanted to get a photo of President Wilson basking in the sun on the White House lawn, so he hid in a ... secretary-treasurer. Mr. Van Tine, who lived at the Roosevelt Hotel, 2101 16th st. nw., is survived by two granddaughters, Mrs. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2012 - 1:52pm -

Washington, D.C., 1924. "Van Tine & Johnson." Harry Van Tine and Joe Johnson in a photographic survey of Washington-area lensmen. View full size. International Newsreel Corp.That's confusing - if they're newsreel lensmen, why the still cameras, a 4x5 Graphic and 5x7 Graflex? I'll need to dig into this one. [International Newsreel was a photo agency whose pictures appeared in many newspapers. - Dave] Perfect typesThese look exactly like the guys you would see in a 1930s movie, brandishing flash cameras, with a card reading "Press" stuck into their hatband. Graflex shootersThe camera between them appears to be an early Graflex single lens reflex. Walking all over town those shoes could use a spit shine. Could it be Lincoln's church?The building in the right background is the old Masonic Hall on New York Avenue, which would seem to put these two gentlemen on the roof of the old New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, the church attended by Abraham Lincoln, which was torn down in 1950. I'm not sure where they'd fit up there, however--possibly on a ledge on the clock tower? Perhaps it's more likely that they're on the roof of one of the buildings nearby on H Street, such as the Times-Herald Building, which would be very fitting. Pappy Van Tine Washington Post, May 2, 1968. Lensman Harry Van Tine Dies. Harry M. Van Time, who snapped exclusive photos of Harry K. Thaw escaping from a mental institution in 1915 and took the first still pictures of actress Mary Pickford, died Tuesday at Washington Hospital Center after a two-month illness. He was 82. Mr. Van Tine, known throughout his professional life as "Pappy" and "Van," retired in the 1950s after 40 years with International News Photos. He was dean of the White House News Photographers Association and one of its founders. Born in Beacon, N.Y., he was working for a newspaper chain in the Hudson Valley when Thaw, who had murdered the famous architect, Stanford White, escaped from Matteawan State Hospital. His photos helped him to land a job in New York soon after that and by 1914 he was working for INP, covering championship boxing matches, taking photos from early and makeshift airplanes, and photographing Barney Oldfield winning the Sheepshead Bay auto race. He took still photos of Mary Pickford when she was a young girl appearing in "The Call [Song] of the Wildwood Flute" and he was there with his camera when a midget was planted into J.P. Morgan's lap. Mr. Van Tine came to Washington in 1917 on assignment, covering the arrival of French Marshall Joffre and Italian Minister Marconi, and decided INP needed a Washington bureau. He became that bureau and was with it from then on. Things were more casual then around the White House and the photographers harder to handle. Mr. Van Tine wanted to get a photo of President Wilson basking in the sun on the White House lawn, so he hid in a load of hay that was headed for sheep which then grazed behind the White House. But he was discovered by Secret Servicemen. Mr. Van Tine was the first vice president of the White House News Photographers Association. He served later as president and was for ten terms the organizations secretary-treasurer. Mr. Van Tine, who lived at the Roosevelt Hotel, 2101 16th st. nw., is survived by two granddaughters, Mrs. Cyril J. Pittack, of 601 Four Mile rd., Alexandria, and Mrs. Al Kimbrough, of Reno, Nev. Van Tine's cameraHarry Van Tine was my great grandfather. We still have that camera. Thank youThis is the first time I have been able to see my Great Grandfather Harry (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Machine Shop
... became official 4 July 1896 . Thomas Reed also ran for President in 1896 (losing the nomination to McKinley). The 1896 Republican ... and politicians Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge, Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Adams, John Hay and Mark Twain. Interesting and funny ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 09/21/2011 - 9:15pm -

On close inspection, I see a McKinley political sign. So would that be just before the turn of the century? View full size. "Machine shop"These are linotype operators in a newspaper pressroom. 1896The 45-star flag became official 4 July 1896. Thomas Reed also ran for President in 1896 (losing the nomination to McKinley). The 1896 Republican convention was in June, I would guess flag makers (and the linotype shop) got an early jump on the new flags. [The flag in the photo has 44 stars, not 45. - Dave] LinotypeIn the 1950s my Uncle George Percy Gaskill of Barnegat, New Jersey, was the plant manager for Sleeper Publications in Mount Holly. I visited several times to observe his operation of the Linotype there. It was used to cast molten lead into "slugs," one for each line of type ("linotype")in a newspaper column. I have a couple of inserts that he made for me with my name. Thomas ReedI was curious why this shop displayed both primary candidates, which led me to wikipedia. But I was soon distracted on the political story when I saw this about Thomas Reed... He was known for his acerbic wit (asked if his party might nominate him for President, he noted "They could do worse, and they probably will"; asked if he would attend the funeral of a political opponent, his response was "no — but I approve of it"). On another occasion, when a fellow congressmen declared that he would "rather be right than the president," Reed coolly replied that the congressman needn't worry, since he would never be either. His size -- over 6 feet in height and weight over 300 pounds -- was also a distinguishing factor. Reed was a member of the social circle that included intellectuals and politicians Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge, Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Adams, John Hay and Mark Twain. Interesting and funny man with some notable acquaintances. [Reed and McKinley weren't "primary candidates" -- state presidential preference primaries didn't exist in 1896. The two were contenders for the Republican nomination at the party's national convention. - Dave] IntertypeIf you look at the man on the left, closest to the camera, just to left of his head is a shaft inside a large spring. This indicates the these machines were Intertypes a typesetting machine very similar and in someways superior to the Linotype. How do I know? I spent my apprenticeship operating linotypes, and later in Australia spent some time on Intertypes. The shaft was attached to a plunger that pumped molten typemetal that cast the lines of type or slugs.That machine room would have been very noisy! Linotypes, not Intertypes.Sorry, these can't be Intertypes, as the first Intertypes weren't in production until 1917. Both Linotypes (some models, some years) and Intertypes had the vertically mounted spring for the pot plunger, it wasn't until much later that Lintotype moved that spring into the column. The actuation was slightly different as ll, as you can see on my 1922 Intertype. From here: "Original pot plunger spring on Linotype Model I was positioned directly above plunger lever to exert a straight downward action. Intertype continued this method as the patent must have run out by 1912. The Intertype spring pressure is released by simply unscrewing a rod straight up. Linotype "improved" their machine by a system of levers to put this spring inside the column. This worked until a stronger spring was necessary to cast larger slugs and improve faces for reproduction proofs. I remember a time in Santa Rosa, California, when it was a three-man job to put that heavy spring back in place on a Model 8 Linotype." etaoin shrdlu cmfwyp vbgkqj xz (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
K.C. Club: 1906
... of Lincoln's funeral procession. Six-year-old Theodore Roosevelt and brother Elliot look down as the dead president moves past their grandfather's house in New York City. Club Stats ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/25/2022 - 2:10pm -

1906. "Kansas City Club, Wyandotte and West 12th Sts., Kansas City, Mo." Popcorn, anyone? 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Building goneI checked, all the buildings there are newer ones. Right out of a sci-fi flickThe shadow formed from the hat worn by the woman on the corner makes her head look like it's some sort of alien insect creature. Maybe it just climbed out of the sewer? Maybe it wants to warn the popcorn vendor that he's set up illegally in a "Cars Stop Here" zone? What a strange-looking buildingStrange but cool in a unique way. So much stuff going on there. Bay windows, enclosed arched balcony and those two open terraces. Faces in the WindowMany Shorpy photographs, like this one, are more alive thanks to a face or two peering out a window, sometimes looking at the photographer, sometimes not. Consider this closeup from a famous photograph of Lincoln's funeral procession. Six-year-old Theodore Roosevelt and brother Elliot look down as the dead president moves past their grandfather's house in New York City. Club StatsThe $112,000 building, on the northeast corner of Wyandotte and 12th, opened in September 1888 and served the Club for 34 years, being supplanted by newer, larger quarters elsewhere in 1922. It was demolished shortly thereafter and replaced by the "Hotel Stats" -- and no, that's not a typo. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)
Hoover Terminal: 1942
... when he was Secretary of Commerce prior to being elected President. It's not surprising that when President Roosevelt announced plans for Washington National Airport in 1938, the Hoover ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/23/2021 - 6:38pm -

Arlington, Virginia, 1942. "Washington-Hoover Airport terminal and Eastern Air Lines sign prior to demolition for construction of the Pentagon." Nitrate negative by Harold Lang. View full size. Location and nameIn a horrible irony, this unsafe airport was at the exact location where a Boeing 757 was flown into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The airport was named for Herbert Hoover when he was Secretary of Commerce prior to being elected President. It's not surprising that when President Roosevelt announced plans for Washington National Airport in 1938, the Hoover name was not transferred to the new facility two miles away. Fright PlanThis airport had to be one of the worst situated in American aviation history -- between two (burning) landfills, the Potomac River, an amusement park with a tall roller coaster and a busy military road actually cutting through one of its later runways. Oh, and a pair of 600-foot radio towers. Famed pioneer aviator Wiley Post deemed it the worst and most dangerous in the nation during the 1930s. Which was saying something at the time. After decommissioning it gave way to what is now Reagan National Airport a short distance south. New York, Chicago, and ... Brownsville?The sign lists ten major or almost-major U.S. cities, along with Brownsville, which had a population of 22,083 in 1940. Brownsville may have made the cut because it was the main connection for air traffic between and U.S. and Mexico. It was also a hub for pilot training during World War II. After the Airport ClosedThis page says that the building shown is in a configuration from an era after the airport closed and the building was used for the construction of the Pentagon. http://www.airfields-freeman.com/VA/Airfields_VA_Arlington.htm (The Gallery, Aviation, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., WW2)
Portrait of a Prodigy: 1933
... Perkins gave a solo recital in New York, Franklin D. Roosevelt was in his second term as President, and the violinist was a 12-year-old prodigy. Sunday afternoon she ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 3:11pm -

Washington, D.C., 1933. "Miss Gloria Perkins, portrait." As a 10-year-old violin prodigy, Gloria played with the National Symphony Orchestra. View full size. Time for GloriaIt seems she made Time magazine back in the day. Gloria Perkins, 10, whose mother is a church organist in Queens Village, Long Island, and whose father, Clemmett Birdsong Perkins, is Eastern Passenger Agent for the Norfolk & Western Railway Co., played the Mendelssohn Concerto with the National Symphony in Washington. Gloria is a wispy little girl who wears big hair ribbons and oily black corkscrew curls. She took so long to tune her violin that the audience started to titter. But the feeling rapidly changed as the Concerto got under way. Gloria was not only technically expert but her playing had a simple persuasive quality that touched the audience deeply. Father and Mother Perkins are making a pianist of their son, Clemmett Birdsong Perkins Jr., 3. Little Girl BlueThe little details of her crucifix and ring make her look like she's posing for a communion picture with an incidental instrument. Not sure I would have appreciated the "oily black corkscrew" comment in Time. Her poor hair looks like it would really prefer to frizz and/or be left alone. Possibly like the girl herself; she looks a little sad. Young Soloist Washington Post, Nov 12, 1933 Child Artist Makes Debut at Symphony Young Soloist Will Play Mendelssohn Concerto This Afternoon Gloria Perkins, an exceptionally talented child violinist will maker her debut as an orchestral soloist in Washington this afternoon, playing a Mendelssohn Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Hans Kindler. She is a pupil of Louis Persinger, who succeeded Leopold Auer as head of the violin department of the Julliard Graduate School. Gloria was born ten years ago in Winston-Salem, N.C., and has lived in New York since she was 2. At the age of 4 she played the piano with surprising ability and when she was 6 she began the study of violin with her mother. Her progress was so remarkable that she was placed under the tutelage of Mr. Persinger who had instructed Yehudi Menuhin and Ruggiero Ricci. Gloria Perkins Returns to the StageN.Y. Times, September 25, 1972 Gloria Perkins, Violinist, Returns to Recital Stage The last time Gloria Perkins gave a solo recital in New York, Franklin D. Roosevelt was in his second term as President, and the violinist was a 12-year-old prodigy. Sunday afternoon she was welcomed back by a cordial audience that nearly filled Carnegie Recital Hall. Miss Perkins, who now lives and teaches in Queens, has much to offer as an artist. Her tone is firm and full, her intonation precise, she phrases musically, and her playing has an assertive energy that, when not pressed too relentlessly, produces performances of impressive impact ... The Wonder YearsWhenever I see this kind of portrait, I always wonder what became of the subject. There's something about this girl's face that especially leaves me filled with unnerving curiosity. The newspaper excerpts are very helpful, but I still wonder: did her parents push her? Did she continue to play? It says she didn't do her next solo again until '72, but did she play for a band? She would be about 86 now. I wonder if she's still alive. [The 1972 performance was her first solo recital in New York in many years. We don't know if she continued to give recitals elsewhere. - Dave] My Violin TeacherI began taking private lessons with Ms. Perkins when I was about 5 or 6 years old and continued through junior high school. She is 88 years old now and is still playing her violin. I grew up in Queens, NY and she still lives in the same house where I took lessons from her. After high school I stopped playing the violin but recently began to play again (I'm now 27). She lived with her brother who passed away, I think a few years ago. She still plays occasionally at weddings and churches and has a couple of students that she is still teaching! I moved away after high school to attend college and live out of state. However, I have family still in NY and decided to visit her my last trip up (last week). It has been probably since junior high school when I last saw her. She is an amazing woman and is still the exact same lady I remember growing up. A quintessential teacher, passionate about her first love and somebody who lights up a room. She would not let me leave without sifting through her music to find a copy of "Adoration" for me to play, as I mentioned to her I play weddings occasionally. I am a photographer now and took several photographs of her before I left. A part of me wishes I lived in NY so I could visit her and receive lessons again. An amazing woman. Your violin teacherWonderful! Thanks for the photo - this truly is a way to make the past come alive. Did you let her know about or show her her photo here on Shorpy and, if so, what was her reaction? Wonderful update from EricaThat brought a smile to my face. Thanks especially for the photograph! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Music)
Inauguration: March 4, 1933
March 4, 1933. "Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as President and John Nance Garner as Vice President. Podium at U.S. Capitol East ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/04/2021 - 1:40pm -

March 4, 1933. "Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as President and John Nance Garner as Vice President. Podium at U.S. Capitol East Portico, Washington, D.C." This 37th presidential inauguration, the first of four for FDR, was the last to be held in March before Inauguration Day was moved to January by the 20th Amendment. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Excellent WhiskersChief Justice Hughes, administering the oath, had some classy facial hair. Some politicians today experiment with beards, mostly with embarrassing results. The View From AboveI'm amazed at all the people up on the roof and standing outside the rotunda. Don't think they allow that anymore! Administration of the Oath has ChangedIn 1933, Chief Justice Hughes recited the entire Oath. Then, FDR recited the entire Oath, perhaps from memory; it's hard to tell. That practice seemed to end with FDR. In 1949, Chief Justice Vinson would say a brief phrase ("You, Harry Truman, do solemnly swear -- ") and Truman would repeat the phrase (I, Harry Truman, do solemnly swear -- "). As far as I can remember, that's how it's been done ever since. Re: WhiskersThose of us fortunate enough to be Shorpy patrons received today an Inauguration detail of this photo, where we get a side view of FDR with his hand raised and a side/rear view of Chief Justice Hughes, his hand also raised high, and the profile of his white moustache clearly visible. (Sign up today to be a patron! Look for the pink Become A Patron rectangle in the right sidebar.) I'm at a loss ...Any idea what the wired object is next to the two men? [You? - Dave] H.H.Looks like Herbert Hoover above the eagle's left wing. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Politics)
Immigrants: 1955
... into New York Harbor from Le Havre France. Theodore Roosevelt was the President of the US. On board were Giovanna and her sons Guido and Albino. ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/29/2011 - 6:17pm -

49 years after they arrived from Italy, my father and grandmother pose at her new home in Calpella, California. He's 53, she's 73. In the background beyond the fence, part of the vineyard my grandfather had sold a couple years before after working it for almost 40 years. Also, our 1948 Hudson. One of my brother's first Ektachrome slides, restored and color-corrected. View full size. Immigrants Once Now AmericansA good picture made great by your description. How proud you must be. Is the property still in your family? Did your grandfather live on the proceeds from the vineyard? Doug Santo Pasadena, CA Stunning!Hope he prospered after all those years of work! 40 years isn't anything to sneeze at! Old Smoothie Speaking of the '48 Hudson with its velvet smooth cork faced wet clutch which ran in a mysterious fluid called Hudsonite. Your dad certainly knew his automobiles. You look like your grandmother. Quite a resemblance. Thanks againLove your family photos! We are in the same age bracket and they make me think of my family! Thanks for sharing! How quickly we become AmericansI have a client whose daughters were born in Pennsylvania but whose ethnic heritage is "100 percent Japanese. But when we are in Tokyo, you can tell they're Americans from a block away." My heritage (look at my name!) is wholly Celtic, but I am American to my soul. Our Immigrant RootsOn January 1, 1906, the French ship La Touraine sailed past the Statue of Liberty into New York Harbor from Le Havre France. Theodore Roosevelt was the President of the US. On board were Giovanna and her sons Guido and Albino. Giovanna was 23, Guido would be four on 19 January, and Albino was 2. They were from Murialdo, Savona, Italy. On 2 January 1906, the family first set foot on US soil. The date January 2nd was always mentioned by our father as the most important day of his life next to his birthday. So much so, that I often got confused and thought January 2nd was his birthday. They crossed the US by train and arrived in San Francisco to reunite with husband and father, Agostino. When they became US citizens Agostino changed his name to Austin, and Giovanna to Joan. (Although everyone still called them by their original names.) They always voted. Italian-AmericansWell, your Father and your Granny in particular, actually look Italian if you ask me. Two of many thousand of Italians that made your Country great along the XX century. You can actually be proud of them. Massimo La Civita - Italy OMG! I knew we had a connection !After reading some of the comments on this pic, I got hit by a bolt of lightning when I realized that MY grandfather came to America on the LaTouraine from France as well! WOW-EE! I'm going to have to check my copy of the Ellis Island manifest and see if it could have possibly been the same TRIP on the same SHIP! Weird how little threads of familiarity are out there in the universe, if you watch for them. Cool. My GF was a farmer from Vicalvi, and came to NYC and then settled in New Jersey. We're practically family! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Post Office Restaurant: 1901
... bottle of beer produced by the brewery was delivered to President Roosevelt at the White House on April 14, 1933. (The Gallery, D.C., D.C. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/10/2020 - 7:31pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1901. "View of D Street N.W., looking west from 12th Street at Pennsylvania Avenue." 5x7 inch glass negative, D.C. Street Survey Collection. View full size. Hints of ParisThat corner building would look at home in Montmartre. Back When It Really Was the Post OfficeI'm going to take a flyer here and guess that the restaurant has that name because it is across the street (or at least very near) to the Old Post Office, which is at Pennsylvania and 12th. [Which at the time would have been the New Post Office. Also known as the Trump International Hotel. - Dave] Tracing a Structure's PedigreeTake the third building down the street — the one with the large flagpole atop it. As the son of a DC firefighter, I recognized it right away as bearing the unmistakable signature façade of a fire station: driveway with flanking lamps, huge arched front doors, sidewalk chair, and the flagpole. With the help of an 1888 Sanborn Fire Insurance map, I can confirm that this (1204 D St. NW) was indeed the home of DCFD Engine Company 2 up until 1887. At the time this photo was taken circa 1901, Engine 2 had moved to other quarters but the building’s pedigree is still readily evident. More about Engine 2’s history here. What I wouldn’t give to have been standing in the photographer’s position just a few years prior to when this photo was composed to witness Engine 2, a classic Amoskeag 600 GPM steamer pulled by horses, emerge in all its smoking, gleaming glory and responding to an alarm. All day breakfastI'll have coffee, three poached eggs on a plate of hash-browns, whole wheat, topped with a roll of "forever stamps", please. Congress BeerThe Abner-Drury Brewery was in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington. After Prohibition was repealed the first legal bottle of beer produced by the brewery was delivered to President Roosevelt at the White House on April 14, 1933. (The Gallery, D.C., D.C. Street Survey, Eateries & Bars)
Band Ahoy: 1923
... guys with their violins and bass fiddles marching with President Harding in Alaska that year. Thee Navy Yard Band became the Navy ... Concert hall. As Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt put it, "The U.S. Navy band confirms the belief that the U.S. navy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:49pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Navy Yard Band." Brass, woodwinds and a surfeit of strings. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Zing went the stringsThere are some strange people in that front row string section. (I assume that isn't a marching band.) Navy Yard BandHard to picture these guys with their violins and bass fiddles marching with President Harding in Alaska that year. Thee Navy Yard Band became the Navy Band in 1925. This picture from 1923 looks like a different group, but with the same bandleader: But this is a little personal for me: my dad was born in 1924 and raised in the apartment above the restaurant my grandfather ran across the street from the Navy Yard's main entrance. These fellows had to have been patrons there and must have known my grandparents (and maybe even my father). Way back when!Back in the early 60's when I went to Navy boot camp at Great Lakes,I met a senior Master Chief Musician who at that time had 50 years service in the Navy!! I look at this picture and wonder "Is he here?" Shinola!I think these are the first sailors we've seen who have used shoe polish. Bull fiddles get played by the most bullish, I guess. What did they play on their nights off?I wonder how many of these players had a sideline in ragtime and hot jazz. Some of them certainly certainly look the part. UnratedI'm struck by the number of sailors in this photo who have no rating/rank. Notice the unadorned left sleeves (indicating, most likely, a Seaman Recruit, or E-1 in today's military parlance) of the uniforms of most of these gobs. Band duty must have been a tough career field to advance in. Bluejacket OrchestraThe bandmaster in the center of the photo appears to be Charles Benter. Washington Post, Dec 16, 1923 Navy Band Proves Pleasing in Concert Directed by Benter That Washington in the United States Navy band possesses a military band comparable to the famous United States Marine band was fully demonstrated last week in the fifth anniversary concert of the naval musicians at Memorial Concert hall. As Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt put it, "The U.S. Navy band confirms the belief that the U.S. navy can do anything it sets out to do, in the best possible style." The concert was given under the distinguished patronage of Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, Mrs. Edwin Denby, … The bluejacket musicians presented a picturesque appearance as they sat on the flag-draped platform, garbed in their "blues." The entire program was directed by Bandmaster Charles Benter, who was masterly in the handling of his men, and in the scholarly precision and understanding in the reading of the scores. A novel feature was that the band first played as a symphony orchestra with string instruments. The first half of the program was given over to this display of the versatile genius of the musicians many of whom play three or four instruments with ease. A tone poem "Finlandia," by Jean Sibelius opened the program. It was smoothly played and with unusual expression. Musician E.A. Ambrogio appeared as violin soloist in "Meditation" from "Thais," next. His tone was true and of rare sweetness and the whole orchestra showed musical strength and careful training in the "Finale Fourth Movement," by Tschaikowsky. … The musicians then turned to their band instruments. … The band numbers proved to be filled with vim, and the bluejacket musicians were acceptable technically and from a popular viewpoint as well. The band numbers were "Fantasia," "Reminiscences of the Plantation" (Chambers), cornet solo, "Inflamatus," from "Stabat Mater"; rhapsody, "Espana" (Chabrler); suite "Ballet Divertissement," From "Henry VIII" (Saint-Saens), and the "Star Spangled Banner." (The Gallery, D.C., Music, Natl Photo)
A Boy and His Dogs: 1928
... star of this show is his socks. Teddy III? Theodore Roosevelt IV (grandson of the the former president, son of Ted, thus known as III) would have been fourteen years old in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/01/2013 - 1:11pm -

August 1928. Washington, D.C., or vicinity. The caption label has come off this Harris & Ewing glass negative -- maybe someone recognizes the boy on the bike, who must have been at least a little newsworthy. View full size. Bike front wheelCould use a little straightening for sure! WobblyWhoever this young lad is, his ride must be a bit wobbly with that, shall we say, less than straight bicycle wheel. I can remember enduring such things when I was young also. Unless it was broken, you used it. WobblyThat s-shaped front wheel must have made that bike a handful to steer! Doggies look as if some roadwork would be the height of their day. Someone with better knowledge of breeds may chime in, but their size makes me think of young greyhounds or whippets. Obscure AwardSurely his name would appear on the BSA's roster of recipients of the Innovative Dog Walking merit badge? Another dad "I told you so" momentI remember Dad telling me that was what would happen if I continued jumping curbs. Because he knew I wouldn't, he gave me a spoke wrench. I'd have been proud to have a front wheel with that little bit of wobble. Forget the BoyThe star of this show is his socks. Teddy III?Theodore Roosevelt IV (grandson of the the former president, son of Ted, thus known as III) would have been fourteen years old in August 1928. While it's hard to find photos of him between this appearance https://www.shorpy.com/node/3558 as a scrawny 10-year-old boxer, and his WWII service as a flier, this looks plausible. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Dogs, Harris + Ewing)
Potomac Passage: 1861
... today, huh? Mason's Island Presently Theodore Roosevelt Island. That's Georgetown on the other side of the river I would ... the 1841 Mississippi Rifle, designed by the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis, when he was the Colonel of a US regiment from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/23/2019 - 10:09am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1861. "Guards at ferry landing on Mason's Island examining a pass." Wet plate glass negative by George N. Barnard. View full size. A Visual Time Machine!What an interesting photo especially when you consider how old it is. There is so much to see. And to think that Abe Lincoln could have walked right into the frame! Time warpSorta like going thru airline security today, huh? Mason's IslandPresently Theodore Roosevelt Island. That's Georgetown on the other side of the river I would wager. That civilian on the leftHas "spy" or "journalist" written all over him. Rare RifleThe weapons in the possession of the Yankee guards is none other than the 1841 Mississippi Rifle, designed by the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis, when he was the Colonel of a US regiment from Mississippi. The rifle was first manufactured in .54 cal and later enlarged to .58. It was a short weapon, but the rather nasty saber bayonet was long enough to compensate for the rifle, and reached out in length to equal the length of the longer 1861 Springfield rifle and its bayonet. The brass on the butt was an access to the rifle's cleaning kit -- or tobacco. There's millions like her but this one's mineThe soldiers have fixed bayonets because they only have one shot. It will take at least 30 seconds to reload the powder and ball into the muzzle and replace the percussion cap. You can be assured they have at least four opposing teeth to open the ball and powder packets, as that's a draft requirement. One hand to hold the rifle upright and one hand to hold the packet while you rip it with your teeth. If they had revolver pistols, which weren't common at the beginning of the war, you could get off six shots quickly with poor accuracy. But it would take 3 or 4 minutes to reload because at that time they were muzzle loaders too. Levity aside, the next few years are full of horror for all. Regarding Jefferson DavisDowner commented that the 1841 Mississippi rifle was designed by Jefferson Davis. Actually I believe he popularized it for his command, reputedly in opposition to the desires of General Winfield Scott, but had no hand in its design. I read that Eli Whitney Jr. though was one of the first contractors to build it at Harpers Ferry. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Civil War, D.C., Geo. Barnard)
Fashionistas: 1925
... of American Pen Women Heavy Hitters Mrs. Colman was president of the National League of American Pen Women, an arts association that exists to this day. Eleanor Roosevelt was also a member. I'm guessing this was taken at their national ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2012 - 1:56pm -

Washington. April 25, 1925. "Mrs. H.A. Colman, Mrs. C.E. Holmes, Mrs. C.M. Busch." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. And here's to you, Mrs. ColmanJesus loves you more than you will know ... She may need some penitence for her inattention to fashion, but I am guessing that she has her own ideas of style and prefers notice on her own terms! The other personages have flair and you can imagine that they glide gracefully for all their rotundity, God bless them. The MayflowerThis is the Connecticut Avenue entrance of the Mayflower Hotel. These ladies would be facing southwest, more or less toward the White House, three blocks away. I'm betting the one on the left is the free spirit of the group. League of American Pen Women Heavy HittersMrs. Colman was president of the National League of American Pen Women, an arts association that exists to this day. Eleanor Roosevelt was also a member. I'm guessing this was taken at their national convention. FashionistasThe 1925 version of the Dixie Chicks Some Like It Hot... featuring Lew Lehr, Alan Hale Jr. and Kathy Bates! Mrs. Holmes is the most tastefuland she looks as though she might also be the most friendly; Mrs. Busch is the second runner-up, but poor Mrs. Colman! Couldn't her maid have taken her aside, in an act of charity, and set her straight? Were polka-dots ever this popular? And are those melted marshmallows on her hat? Might she have been an opium abuser? A little off the topOh Boy! I can't wait for the swimsuit edition. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
The Wilson: 1908
... to a local site: "... just a couple of months after President Teddy Roosevelt visited, it burned nearly to the ground. Most of the first floor was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/22/2013 - 9:36am -

Circa 1908. "North Adams, Massachusetts -- Wilson Hotel." With "first-class moving pictures" at the Empire Theatre. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. That Five-Cent CokeAlmost 50 years later I could catch a 5-cent coke at a fountain. For 2 cents more you could get a shot of syrup fired into your glass of Coca Cola and you were working with a Cherry Coke. The expert soda jerk would mix your heavenly refreshment with a long narrow spoon but not so much as to damage the "fizz". Multi-flavor drinksWe drank a modified version of those Cherry Coke concoctions, with one additional squirt each of lemon, lime, cherry, orange and even chocolate. We thought it was heavenly, even though it was named "A Suicide." I later learned it basically tasted like the Dr. Pepper we know today, but it was pretty special back then. What's left?Not a lot: View Larger Map According to a local site: "... just a couple of months after President Teddy Roosevelt visited, it burned nearly to the ground. Most of the first floor was saved. Floor tile-work on the first floor still remains in some of the business establishments located there today." The Wilson: 1908The Wilson burned down in 1912, and was replaced by a two-story block that still stands. I have written two books about the history of North Adams, and once interviewed a 97-year-old woman who witnessed the fire. See this article about the fire, published in the Lowell Sun: http://www3.gendisasters.com/massachusetts/14255/north-adams-ma-business... In reply to "What's left, not a lot" below: The block contains several important social agencies on the second floor. On street level, there are several art galleries, one which displays wonderful work by Jarvis Rockwell, one of Norman's sons. There is a also a great bakery, a very popular restaurant called The Hub, a lovely antique store, and a boutique which carries gifts and toys for children. Amateur workLooks as if the Wilson House Drug Store didn't hire a first-class sign painter for their windows. One of the owner's kids probably did it a lot cheaper than a pro. It just might be...That might be a Drug Store on the corner, if only there was some way to be sure, like a sign, or two, or four. No. Adams Co-op. Ass'n.Could that be the name of the groceries Association on Holden Street? (The Gallery, DPC, Movies)
Eastern v. Central: 1923
... a year nationally, but many old fans including former president Teddy Roosevelt lamented the introduction of helmets. They thought it sissified the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 9:42am -

November 3, 1923. High school football in Washington, D.C.: Eastern vs. Central. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. ZebrasSo when did the refs start wearing stripes? More Stop Action GreatnessMore stop action greatness...just a great shot considering the time period. Love the taped up pants as well. Thanks for posting this. HeadgearFootball helmets look to have been optional in 1923. I remember an article years ago (in American Heritage magazine?) about the introduction of helmets in college football. The sport had been running a death rate of something like five players a year nationally, but many old fans including former president Teddy Roosevelt lamented the introduction of helmets. They thought it sissified the sport. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
Ladies, First: 1933
March 4, 1933. "Lou Henry Hoover and Eleanor Roosevelt in First Ladies' car of Inaugural motorcade. Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as 32nd President of the United States." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2018 - 8:01pm -

March 4, 1933. "Lou Henry Hoover and Eleanor Roosevelt in First Ladies' car of Inaugural motorcade. Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as 32nd President of the United States." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Restore America: 1939
... was designed to attack the Democratic candidate, Franklin Roosevelt, and other stamps in the series depicted FDR as a Frankenstein ... elderly, by pushing through the Townsend Plan if elected President. This particular stamp is doubly ironic, since FDR was a vehement ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 8:21pm -

January 1939. "Sign near Weslaco, Texas." Thinking back to high school civics or Trivial Pursuit, some of us may hazily recall the Townsend Plan's having something to do with old-age pensions and Social Security. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hand madeIn the days before computers, sign writers got away with using three differently shaped A's in a single, short slogan. That Townsend PlanFrom the SSA website: This cartoon stamp was part of a series produced by the Republican party for the 1932 presidential election. The series was designed to attack the Democratic candidate, Franklin Roosevelt, and other stamps in the series depicted FDR as a Frankenstein monster run amok, as using the Constitution to light his cigarettes, and the like. This stamp was intended to imply that FDR would drain the pockets of America's workers to fill the pot of America's elderly, by pushing through the Townsend Plan if elected President. This particular stamp is doubly ironic, since FDR was a vehement opponent of the Townsend Plan, and many Republicans advocated Townsend-type flat-benefit schemes as alternatives to Social Security in the years following the 1932 election. http://www.ssa.gov/history/towns5.html So let me understand thisThe Who was going to restore America somehow, maybe with a free Concert? Reports of the Townsend PlanE. B. White wrote a Letter from the East in The New Yorker about going to a meeting to hear Dr. Townsend propound his plan. He observed that Townsend sounded perfectly smooth and confident as long as he stuck to his script, but was flustered by questions, even those from a largely friendly audience. (The Gallery, Politics, Russell Lee)
Sign Here: 1924
... exhibits the signatures of five Presidents—Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding and Calvin ... Lord Curzon, the Prince of Wales, Prince Lubormirski, the President of China, Admiral Togo of Japan, J. Pierpont Morgan, a long list of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/08/2015 - 1:09am -

        UPDATE: This is the Croatian-American "world walker" Joseph (Josip) Frank Mikulec. More here and here. And here. August 6, 1924. "Joseph Frank [illegible] at White House with album for autographs." His pencil, however, was not allowed in. View full size. Joseph Frank Mikulec No word on what happened to Joseph’s giant books of autographs. New York Times, September 2, 1923. Autograph Collector Here in World Tours Joseph Mikulec, autograph collector, has covered several hundred thousand miles and twice traveled around the world to get signatures of prominent persons in all countries. In travel-stained clothes and with his huge book strapped upon his back, he went to City Hall a few days ago and got the signature of Mayor Hylan. After visiting several local celebrities in financial circles, Mikulec started West again. His leather-bound book, which weighs fifty-seven pounds, is the second he has carried to the far corners of the world. In it he proudly exhibits the signatures of five Presidents—Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. The book is heavy with seals of many States and cities, and contains the names of Lloyd George, Lord Curzon, the Prince of Wales, Prince Lubormirski, the President of China, Admiral Togo of Japan, J. Pierpont Morgan, a long list of United States Senators, American Ambassadors, Ambassadors to the United States and many editors and noted writers. Mikulec left his home in Stubica, Croatia, twenty-two years ago, when he was 23 years old, and began his long pilgrimage on foot, traveling from city to city in Central Europe. After several years of incessant travel on the Continent he visited the United States, making his home in Philadelphia and becoming a citizen in December, 1910. Later he returned to his wanderings and visited Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, India, Egypt, the Holy Land and South Africa. Mikulec said he was now about ready to settle down. He hoped to see his autograph books placed in a position of honor in a museum. Then, he said, he would get a small farm of his own somewhere in the Middle West. The Baltimore Sun, July 1928. Tracking down the Autograph … The enlightened collector seeks items which stir his feelings for the past. This change in the aim of autograph collecting has been the tragedy of one man, Joseph Frank Mikulec, who twenty-nine years ago started around the world collecting the autographs of the great ones of every land. When he ran out of money he painted portraits, houses and landscapes until he had a stake for his next pilgrimage. As he circumpedaled the globe his album grew until it became a sort of great register of the noted men and women of the nineteenth century. Mikulec developed a set of Atlas-like shoulder muscles from packing his giant album on his back. Finally, when he found himself staggering under the fifty-eight pounds of autographs, he had a perambulator made and today he wheels his life work about. A generation ago his book might have been a treasure, but today dealers are not interested. Trend SetterAbout fifty years thence, his carry style would make a big hit with owners of portable stereos. Dream StirringI'm really disappointed the book is missing because this post really piqued my interest. I think to view it would be utterly fascinating the way Mikulec attached notes, photos, seals and postage stamps of the people concerned. I need to do some researchI'd be interested to see if he's in our family tree somewhere down the line. My dad's parents emigrated from that area back before World War 2. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Lafayette Mall: 1904
... looks like a pleasant spring morning toward the end of President Teddy Roosevelt's first term in office. A lot is still the same That shorter ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2019 - 5:35pm -

Boston circa 1904. "Lafayette Mall -- Masonic Temple and Hotel Touraine." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Carpe diemI know I'm not the only one who enlarges these photos and studies them from stem to stern, but I particularly enjoyed this one. I'm always struck by the pure ordinariness of the day. The two people washing windows. The middle-aged lady who appears to have dropped her handbag. The newsboy. The elegant ladies out shopping. The handsome young man hurrying to an appointment. All of them long dead. How they would have marveled at the thought of us poring over their blurry likenesses 115 years into the future. Trite but true: seize the day. The more things change --This is one of those wonderful Boston intersections (basically looking south on Tremont Street as it crosses Boylston Street) where nothing much has changed in 100+ years. Both the Masonic Temple and the Hotel Touraine buildings are still there, although the latter is no longer a hotel. The Masons still occupy the former. But each building is almost completely unchanged from the outside, except for things like a Starbucks occupying the corner of Boylston and Tremont in what used to be the Hotel. The squat concrete structure with the metal roof is the entrance to the Boylston Street station on the MBTA (the "T") Green Line, situated at the southeast corner of the Boston Common. It's still there, completely unchanged, as is the station below ground. (Some would say, unkindly, that the trolley cars on the Green Line haven't changed much since 1904 either.) The building at the far right of the picture, behind the station entrance, is gone, replaced by a larger building that is owned by Emerson College and is presently undergoing a sidewalk-to-rooftop renovation. The building at the far left, next to Masonic Hall, is also gone, replaced by a 14-story structure called the Ansin Building, which is now also part of Emerson College (alma mater of, among others, Jay Leno). But otherwise, that intersection, which is one of those crossroads where, if you stood there long enough, you'd wind up seeing almost everyone you ever knew in Boston, would feel very familiar even today to the newsboy standing in the middle of the picture, or any of the other pedestrians going about their business on what looks like a pleasant spring morning toward the end of President Teddy Roosevelt's first term in office. A lot is still the sameThat shorter building is the head house for the Boylston Street subway station. Tremont St & Boylston St Boylston Station (1897)Boylston and nearby Park Street were the first two stations in Boston's first-in-North America subway system. It's still there, at the southeastern corner of Boston Common, just down the street from this recent photo on Shorpy: https://www.shorpy.com/node/23804 Two Heads Were Better Than One Apkmax75 points out the head house of the subway station. Allow me to point out the Head Building over on the left edge, at 181 Tremont Street. Alas, it was one head too many. The Head Building is now the Ansin Building, with a "1" subtracted from the address: it is now 180 Tremont Street instead of 181. (Don't know if the original building was replaced, or embiggened). (The Gallery, Boston, DPC)
Pigeonholers: 1924
... had borrowed $1.3 billion.) In 1936, Congress overrode President Roosevelt's veto and paid the veterans their bonus years early. - Dave] ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/28/2013 - 3:37pm -

November 24, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Bonus Bureau -- Examining Division." The "bonus" was a benefit granted to WWI veterans by the World War Adjusted Compensation Act of 1924. National Photo glass negative. View full size. Bonus Went UnpaidAnd caused the "bonus riots" in WashDC which were suppressed by army troops led by MacArthur and his aide Eisenhower (yes, THAT Eisenhower). [The bonus, for amounts over $50, was, by the terms of the original legislation, set to be paid in 1945. The "bonus army" protesters, however, wanted the money right now. (Veterans were able to take out loans against their service certificates beginning in 1927. By 1932, more than 2 million veterans had borrowed $1.3 billion.) In 1936, Congress overrode President Roosevelt's veto and paid the veterans their bonus years early. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, The Office)
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