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Missoula: 1942
... Hill Surviving buildings include the former Atlantic Hotel (including its wall sign), the former Northern Pacific Railroad Depot, ... Dave] The Paint on the Building ... The Atlantic Hotel and Coca Cola signs painted on the side of building located at 519 N. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/23/2021 - 11:39am -

April 1942. "Missoula, Montana." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. The turntable is still thereBut the buildings have gone. https://www.google.com/maps/@46.8761404,-113.9892682,3a,60y,244.79h,95.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1ReWcT0iuv0JuXq_HnvBYw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 TurntableThe roundhouse is gone, so now we can see the turntable. However, it was not housed or sheltered. It was an open air table, like almost all of them were. Three C's DeploymentMy dad was in this area a few years earlier with the Civilian Conservation Corps. I suspect it looked pretty much the same when he was out there. Changed, but not totally differentThis Street View is taken from what is now Interstate 90, also called MT-200. The main body of the train station is still on the other side of the tracks but the house sheltering the turntable is gone. At left the cupola atop the Missoula County government building is still visible. The roundhouse is gone - - but the turntable is still there and in use. Round? Yes. House? Nope. Poor trains, nary a roof over their heads. Spare tires?There are several piles of large rings in the foreground, to the left of the locomotive barns. Are those spare tires for the drive wheels? The view from Waterworks HillSurviving buildings include the former Atlantic Hotel (including its wall sign), the former Northern Pacific Railroad Depot, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, and the Missoula County Courthouse. Vachon took this picture from "Waterworks Hill," which is getting a major upgrade (including its own parking lot) for the benefit of others using the spot to look over the City, or as a trailhead. A bunch of balloons?Nice view of the now-gone roundhouse. Everything here is fairly recognizable except for the odd looking load in this gondola. Anybody know what this is? And there is the oddly proportioned caboose next to the gon. [The load of logs is behind the gondola. - Dave] The Paint on the Building ...The Atlantic Hotel and Coca Cola signs painted on the side of building located at 519 N. Higgins Ave are both still there. Missoula StationMissoula Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, as the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot. Near the depot is the preserved Northern Pacific #1356 4-6-0 steam locomotive. If you know, you knowEvery time I hear or read the words "Missoula Montana" I think of that scene in Twin Peaks where Ray Wise (as Leland Palmer) is in the process of murdering Sheryl Lee (as Maddy Ferguson, his niece) and he shoves her into a mirror bellowing "You're Going Back ... to Missoula ... MONTANAAAAAAA!" (The Gallery, John Vachon, Landscapes, Railroads)
Michigan Avenue: 1918
Chicago circa 1918. "Michigan Avenue -- Blackstone Hotel and Grant Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... of Detroit in the news so much I was expecting this hotel and entire block to be gone or abandoned. It's nice to see that the hotel ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2015 - 10:48am -

Chicago circa 1918. "Michigan Avenue -- Blackstone Hotel and Grant Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Trees, please. Thank you. Amazinglythose multi-globed street lamps are still in use today. Original Michigan Blvd. Lampposts The unique originals were replaced in the '50's by a bland street lighting design eventually used throughout the city. These 50's replacements are still in use in most areas in Chicago proper. Later use of sodium vapor in the lighting elements, these newer fixtures have contributed to the "Orange-ing" of Chicago which sets the city streets apart from those of the suburbs. Even though these replica lampposts use sodium lamps (orange), I was glad to see them return! Still looks beautifulFunny, with the decline of Detroit in the news so much I was expecting this hotel and entire block to be gone or abandoned. It's nice to see that the hotel appears to be as beautiful as it was in 1918. [This is Chicago, though. -tterrace] Oohh...Detroit PUBLISHING company. Thanks tterrace. I saw Detroit at the bottom in the description and got it in my head. Thanks for setting me straight. I had a moment of hope for Detroit! :) +89Below is the same view from April of 2007. Art Institute of ChicagoThat would be the Art Institute in the distance on this side of the street - also still there in the same building. Stick It To 'EmThe billboard to the left of the Blackstone advertised Thrift Stamps that were being sold to the public to aid the Liberty Loan drive during WW1. They sold for 25 cents each. and could eventually be traded for interest bearing War Bonds. We had similar stamps during WW2 but they could be purchased for as low as a dime. BlackstoneI have stayed there a few times, actually. Neat old building. A ton of movies were filmed there too! (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC)
Magic Kingdom: 1905
... they had seriously threatened to destroy the Nantasket hotel, the pier of the Nantasket Steamboat Company, 100 or more cottages in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 4:14pm -

Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, circa 1905. "Bird's eye view of Paragon Park from Rockland House." Note the Schlitz sign as well as the "Katzenjammer Castle." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Gone but not forgottenParagon Park closed its doors in 1984. Loved the Bermuda Triangle ride and the Giant Coaster. Many folks would rather take out a second mortgage and go to Disney than frequent their local amusement parks. I'm glad places like Cedar Point in Ohio, Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh and Lake Compounce in Connecticut are still around. Another fantastic photographThe clarity from top to bottom is just stunning. Before even getting to the park, I've already lost ten minutes just scrolling around the hillside and waterways, steamboats and sailing ships. Well done. Opposite from the expectedThis is like looking at a stage set from the back of the wings; all that excitement inside and beyond that gaudy fence? Grass. All illusion, as it was meant to be. Who knewThat Hans und Fritz were closet aristocrats?!? The Giant CoasterApparently the roller coaster in the background was moved, and it's still in operation at Six Flags America, Largo, Maryland (now called "The Wild One"). Dreamlands BabyThis reminds me a lot of Dreamland Park that was on Coney Island, especially the big tower. Mini Dreamland! Johnstown Flood funhouseCan I get an idea of what that building housed (bottom left)? Maybe some debris, a log flume? That place looks like fun, even a bit ghoulish. I'm seeing itRiding a sidewheeler. Walking on a beautiful beach while looking at a distant lighthouse. Going to a beautiful amusement park and riding the roller coaster. I am looking at heaven. Intermodal transportI see a train platform next to the park and it's also just a short walk from the pier with those cool sidewheel steamers with the walking beams. E-Z access, indeed. Now all I have to do is drag my time machine out of the garage and find my straw boater. Cottage LotsAre there still any cottage lots remaining? I'll take one. Waning daysThat's Hingham Harbor to the left. As a child in Hingham in the late 1950s, I was aware of dilapidated Paragon Park but don't retain any vivid memories of it. I do remember collecting sea glass along more-stony-than-sandy Nantasket Beach. Just out of frame is World's End, a peninsula where my family often walked and flew kites: beautiful hillsides, groves, and a few gravel roads lined with stately trees. For 20 years I remembered it as Arcadia, nature at its most harmonious...then learned that it had been landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted for a luxury housing development that didn't pan out. Partly Burnt: 1916 The Standard, Jun 10, 1905. Boston and New England. Paragon Park Buildings Insured for $100,000. … Paragon Park, which is operated by the Eastern Park Construction Company of Boston, is said to be the largest amusement park in New England, comprising twenty acres of land and containing thirty distinct shows. The amusement buildings surround a large lagoon, and are one and two stories in height and of frame and plaster construction. Two-thirds of the interior finish, however, is of compressed steel, and certain of the exterior walls are also of compressed steel. The palm garden, which is the largest of the buildings in the enclosure and upon which $12,000 of the insurance is placed, is considered well cut off from the other structures, and in event of fire in other sections of the park, it is not thought that this building would be exposed. The power house and the electric light plant are located at the extreme end of the park near the main entrance. Municipal Journal, Sep 21, 1916. Fire and Police Summer Resort Swept by Fire. Paragon Park, a popular Nantasket summer resort is partly destroyed as the result of an early morning fire which swept through its pleasure buildings doing $50,000 damages. The big Palm Garden, the principal building of the park, had been saved, but the dance hall, the old mill, the moving picture theatre, the entrance, the sand bumps and a portion of the roller coaster, as well as other buildings were destroyed. Several firemen were injured, but none seriously. The fire starting in the sand bumps about 1 o'clock, from unknown cause, swept eastward, toward the other structures. Fanned by a heavy wind, the flames were carried across the park, destroying the power station, and many telephone and telegraph poles were also destroyed. A huge water curtain thrown in front of the Palm Garden saved it from destruction, while firemen from Hull, Cohasset, Hingham, Scituate, Quincy and other near-by towns checked the flames after they had seriously threatened to destroy the Nantasket hotel, the pier of the Nantasket Steamboat Company, 100 or more cottages in the residential section of Rockland Hill and other buildings. At 2.30 o'clock the fire was under control. While the fire was in progress, thousands of persons arrived in automobiles and other conveyances to watch the spectacle. Chief Frank F. Reynolds, of the Hull police, fire chief John Mitchell of Hull, and chief Charles Bickford of the Metropolitan park police will conduct a probe. As an indirect result of the fire, a lineman employed by the Weymouth Light & Power Company, was probably fatally injured when he was thrown from the company truck when it skidded. Wheeler and other members of a repair crew were responding to a hurry call from the park to repair a live wire which had fallen from a burned pole. Just MagicalThis image is so magical and otherworldly. The landscape of water and hills, dotted with isolated homes -- the lighthouse to the far right, the paddlewheel ships - is as enchanting as the amusement park itself. The artificial world of the park, and the real world of the park's environs, are both so dream-like and compelling that it is hard to tell where one ends and one begins. An entire world of fantasy within a single image. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Homeward Bound: 1941
... waiting for a bus! Other than the 220-mile trip to the Hotel Lexington in New York. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/13/2018 - 12:00pm -

January 1941. Lowell, Mass. "Commuters who have just come off the train, waiting for the bus to go home." 35mm Kodachrome by Jack Delano. View full size. EHThis looks like an Edward Hopper painting. OvershoesI love the women's overshoes. The way they all have packages, I'll bet they did some shopping on the way home. Isolation x8I like the way each figure seems isolated from the other members of the group...the image could be read as critical of urban life in general. The FortiesI like how elegant the 40's always looks. Everyone has a sameness in their garments - but there are little touches here and there that set one apart from the crowd. Trouser breakLook at the break on the three gentlemen's trousers. Extra fabric at the trouser leg hem leaves a small fold or 'break'. The younger the man in the photo the larger the break... just like today! Shoulder PadsThank God for Dior, those poor women have bigger shoulders than me. The SceneNothing vulgar or garish here, not like today. Love these photo's, real reminders of a lot of "lost" standards. [Speaking of lost standards, what is the plural of "photo"? - Dave] What's the plural, you ask?As Dan Quail could tell you, it's photoes. [And what is the correct spelling of Dan's last name? - Dave] As the not-so-long day wanesThe photo is a work of art, in small part because of the way in which it uses natural light. It's taken when the horizontal sun of midwinter directly lights up the faces at the same time that shadows have begun to descend. But in January, Delano couldn't do that when most commuters were returning to Lowell, because by then the sun would have disappeared. Judging by the sunlight, the gender balance and range of ages, and the train schedule for the Boston and Maine railroad (from the 1/15/41 Lowell Sun), I'd say this shot was taken soon after the 3:05-3:41 train from Boston arrived in Lowell. (The next train wouldn't arrive until 5:26, well after sunset). Does anyone know if this station survived urban renewal and the decline of the passenger train? Carrie Nation on Liquor AdvertisingThe large advertising poster on the right in the background is for Wilson Whiskey. Basically a cheap blended product that I believe is still made. I remember it sitting on the back bar of lesser drinking establishments & being amused by the simple slogan on it's label, "That's All" Carrie Nation, (1846-1911) the hatchet wielding prohibitionist writing in her 1905 autobiography, "The Use and Need of the Life of Carrie A. Nation" targets this lowly spiritous drink & fulminates against it's slogan & liquor advertising in general in Chapter XVI of her book. "There is no business in America so much advertised as the whiskey and tobacco business. Both are destructive in their influence on the morals and the health of the people. We would be better off without these articles. The interest of these manufactories are built up in proportion as they can catch the unwary who see these signs that are suggestive. One of the most notorious signs is "Wilson's Whiskey That's All". Yes that is ALL it takes to ruin your homes. That is all it takes to break a mother's heart. That is all that is needed to build houses of prostitution and that is ALL that it requires to break up every impulse of justice and love and happiness. That is ALL that it takes to fill hell. How my heart is stirred when I see this: "Remember me, Oh, my God!" What a testimonial. "That's All". The beholder's eye has a beam....My grandmother could be one of those women, though she lived outside Chicago during WWII. She dated my grandfather through most of the war while he was in the Pacific and she was working as a computer (aka human calculator) building ... something. She never knew. And her father would have called that same scene you call wholesome just as vulgar as what you believe is now vulgar. My great-grandfather never accepted visible sheer stockings -- or worse, no stockings and eyeliner pencil seams; shoulder pads, rolled and ratted hair, red lipstick, bobs, and knee-length skirts. He hated the baggy suits men wore, hated the fitted ones worse because the vest went away... need I go on? Standards change. Time moves on. What you hate as garish, your grandchildren will consider quaint. Answering my own question . . .As I feared, the depot in the background of this photograph was a victim of urban renewal in late 1959, nearly eighty years after it opened. With state transportation funds, the state and city flattened the "depot area" of Lowell (at the intersection of Middlesex, Thorndike, and Chelmsford streets) in 1958 and 1959. It did so ostensibly because the street pattern and at-grade rail intersections sometimes stalled traffic. In their place, an interchange emerged, with two overpasses and entrance ramps to a more "modern" route out of town. The precise site of the old station is now a grassy right-of-way. Sadly, the Lowell Sun editorialized not in favor of preserving the depot, but actually complained that too much time passed between the acquisition of the depot site and the depot's demolition. If only "progress" had been slower, or the historic preservation movement quicker, the project might have been designed in a way that would have allowed preservation of this gem. I wonderif Kerouac was back in Lowell at this time. I'm pretty sure this was a year or two before he was hanging out with Cassady and Ginsberg. Strange to see the actual town and people in it during such an historic period. Little did they know that they were in the same town as a future literary giant. Hawaiian RoomExcellent ad placement. Who wouldn't rather be sipping tiki drinks and listening to Ray Kinney in the Hawaiian Room compared to standing in the damp January cold waiting for a bus! Other than the 220-mile trip to the Hotel Lexington in New York. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Royal Street: 1901
Mobile, Alabama, circa 1901. "Hotel Windsor and Royal Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... (or horse, I can't tell) is the front of the Battle House hotel. It's the five-story building with a rectangular chimney rising from the hotel's southerly-side roof edge. The front and northerly side of the Battle ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 5:58pm -

Mobile, Alabama, circa 1901. "Hotel Windsor and Royal Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Mystery GadgetTo me anyway. Lower left of the frame with what looks like a T-handle on the top and an atomizing bulb on the bottom? The Street of MobileAre these dirt streets, or just streets that are dirty? Hapless motormenIt's hard to believe that so many streetcars seen in these historic photos required the motorman to brave the elements on an open platform while the passengers are given the protection of the enclosed car. Of course that would be remedied in later years when completely enclosed cars were built. But one wonders why such a thoughtless design was ever conceived in the first place. The ThingAt the bottom left on the sidewalk, next to a post, a ball peen hammer is sitting in the top of a, well, I don't know quite what it is. Any ideas? Street curiositiesAnyone know what that contraption is that is sitting on the sidewalk bottom left? And directly across the street, into the alley, almost out of sight - looks like a woman begging for food. What is that contraption?Right above the Shorpy watermark, on the sidewalk. Oddest looking thing I've seen, besides my own reflection. Mobile Mardi GrasMardi Gras is celebrated along the Gulf Coast from west Florida to Texas. The City of Mobile -- and Mobile's Mardi Gras -- is about 150 years older than New Orleans. In the late 1940s to the mid-'50s, when I was a kid in Mobile, about 12 Mardi Gras parades were held over a two-week period in February. The parades would come down Dauphin Street toward Mobile Bay, turn right onto the stretch of Royal Street pictured above, come down two blocks, passing Conti Street, and then turn right on Government Street coming away from the Bay. As a kid, I would watch the parades come by on Dauphin Street and then cut over two blocks to Government and watch them come by again. Confetti, serpentine, tokens; mule-drawn floats, accompanied during the night parades by walking men holding aloft tall poles topped with v-shaped metal holders with burning limelight? magnesium? for illumination. On the extreme right of the photograph, where the hanging L&N awning is, was a corner of a new Sears & Roebuck store, which extended farther right. It had air conditioning, and doors that opened using an electric eye. I was fascinated by the electric eye, I think it planted a germ, I ended up in computers. It was a good place and time to be a boy, and a kid. Royal StreetApparently this is near Royal and Conti, but there has been so much built around there (Riverview Plaza, Hampton Inn, etc) that anything "old" has been obliterated. Royal was cut in half when the interstate was cut through. I've lived in Mobile for all of my 32 years and it's always nice to see what the old city looked like. Battle House ReduxSeen directly behind the dark hat of the man astride one of the mules (or horse, I can't tell) is the front of the Battle House hotel. It's the five-story building with a rectangular chimney rising from the hotel's southerly-side roof edge. The front and northerly side of the Battle House are shown here. It burned down in 1905. Tool KitThe mystery object at the lower left looks like it might be a portable tool kit for use in maintaining the nearby carbon arc lamp. (The Gallery, DPC, Mobile, Streetcars)
Pittsfield Panorama: 1906
... photo collection I have a similar view taken from the same hotel but during the 1909 Independence Day parade. It shows that streetcars ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/19/2023 - 1:38pm -

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, circa 1906. "North Street from the park." Time in New England, 1:33. Panorama made from two 8x10 inch glass negatives. View full size. Taconic Monarch In the near distance sits Mt. Greylock, which, at 3491 feet, officially, is the highest point in Massachusetts. It sits off a ways from other area peaks, as if one of the southern Green Mountains of Vermont had picked up & hiked itself south. Better to rule in Massachusetts, than to serve in Vermont! The hike is great, the view much better, on a clear day. No Streetcars in sightAs a kid growing up in Pittsfield in the 1940s I spent a lot of time waiting for buses in front of this bank. I noted in this photo that there were no streetcars present but in my own personal photo collection I have a similar view taken from the same hotel but during the 1909 Independence Day parade. It shows that streetcars were the principal means of bringing parade viewers downtown. In the photo attached you will notice that a very large percentage of the men present are wearing jackets in July. (Panoramas, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Havana Jai Alai: 1904
... 1973, there was a Jai Alai court on the North side of the hotel, beyond the movie theater. It looked much like this photo. All the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2013 - 11:04am -

Havana, Cuba, circa 1904. "Jai alai hall." Parimutuel pelotas in a smoke-filled fronton. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. AVISOInteresting, the language of the sign in the first comment...A US-owned factory in Mexico that I have visited has a sign asking workers (in Spanish) to "Demonstrate your education, and do not write on the bathroom walls." Gambling!Growing up in Florida in the 1980's, I was aware of Jai Alai, but I think my conservative father discouraged any interest in it because it was 1) dangerous and 2) allowed gambling. I had no idea of the history of the sport until this post compelled me to read up on it. Check out the "luxury suites," in the mezzanine!Those who could afford more than a bleacher seat got to hang up his hat in spacious comfort with table service! Yikes!Today there's always a screen or plexiglass shield between the players and the gallery. Las VegasWhen the MGM Grand opened in Las Vegas, December of 1973, there was a Jai Alai court on the North side of the hotel, beyond the movie theater. It looked much like this photo. All the players were from Cuba or South America. Top noctch entertainment, and I believe some of the games were televised. It did not last but a few years. Gamblers couldn't figure out how to bet (and beat the game) so they went back to the ponies, and other sports. I love this photo. I had a lot of fun going to those games. I beg your pardon?Am I the only one who has had to look up virtually every word in the description above? (I was reasonably sure I knew what "Smoke-filled" meant!) Vocabulary building the Shorpy way. TangentiallyIf there are any Route 66 fans out there (we're a declining number), the game of Jai Alai was featured in episode 88 (Third Season) of the show broadcast on April 12, 1963 and written by the great Stirling Silliphant: "In Tampa, Tod and Linc aid Jai-Lai players in a dangerous attemt to smuggle a little girl out of Cuba." This was the first time I'd ever seen this sport and was mesmerized by its speed and the way balls were bounced off the walls of the fronton. "Linc" was played by Glen Corbett, who replaced George Maharis in the series. Tried and true Martin Milner lasted to the greatly mourned ending of the show in 1964. Luxury boxes and Panama hatsHow much for tickets to the luxury boxes at the mid-level, complete with hatstands and armchairs? Notice also the number of women (and even a small child) in the lower grandstand level, and a shortage of them up in the upper level (I think I found one, at most two) up at the top. Fans of men's headwear should be able to pick out a number of styles of braided straw Panama hats, with a variety of brims and crowns. The flat skimmer is "in," but other styles of summer hat are holding their own. Sign of the timesRough translation: NOTICE It is absolutely forbidden to throw anything on the court. ----- Just because you paid to get in doesn't mean that you are exempt from demonstrating that you have good manners. (Literally, "are well educated") Jai Alai!One used to see Jai Alai frequently on "Wide World of Sports" and other television shows. I used to enjoy watching it but it just sort of disappeared from TV. It was an exciting sport... better than tennis, to my mind. You BetI lost a lot of money on Jai Alai when while I lived in Miami. One thing's for sure. We don't have any Google Street Views for this location. (The Gallery, DPC, Havana, Sports)
Urban Elephant: 1923
... I think this is probably taken in front of the Willard Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue. I believe the shadowy tower above the elephant's ... Pennsylvania Av NW looking SE at 14th St NW. The Willard Hotel is behind to the left. The misty building on the right is the Southern RR ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 2:35am -

December 5, 1923. Probably Washington, D.C. View full size. 4x5 glass negative, National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress. Huh?What is going on here? Is the elephant operating the interesting old stop sign? Is he on his way to work (if this is DC) at the Republican party headquarters? There has to be more information! The Stop SignThat Stop sign looks to be a predecessor of the traffic light - one side says "Stop" and the sign perpendicular to it probably says "Go". Umbrella to protect the traffic cop who operated it from getting wet in the rain. As for the elephant, could the circus be in town? Obviously a publicity photo showing how smart the elephant is or maybe how the trunk is able to grasp things. Wherever it is, it's a pretty major intersection - note the cobblestones surrounding the street car tracks on both streets. bus stop?I thought that instead of a "old traffic light" it was a bus stop with an umbrella to people wait below and to protect from the rain :-) D.C. ElephantI think this is probably taken in front of the Willard Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue. I believe the shadowy tower above the elephant's trunk is the former Post Office Headquarters (now the Old Post Office Pavilion) Pennsylvania & 14thKenny D is quite right. The view is on Pennsylvania Av NW looking SE at 14th St NW. The Willard Hotel is behind to the left. The misty building on the right is the Southern RR Headquarters, behind which is the Post Office Tower. Also on the left background is the outline of Raleigh Hotel. The DC Police had a manual traffic device in various location at this intersection thru the 1920s. Circus always provided good promo in DC. (The Gallery, Animals, Curiosities, D.C., Natl Photo)
Spring Break: 1890
... Florida, circa 1890. "On the roof of the Ponce de Leon Hotel." Then back down to the room, and into our T's and Victorian flip-flops. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:35pm -

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1890. "On the roof of the Ponce de Leon Hotel." Then back down to the room, and into our T's and Victorian flip-flops. Dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. The OverlookCreepy little girl with the veil, reminds me of "The Shining"! Overheard"My card, Sir! I should like to talk to you about land opportunities in South Florida that come but once in a lifetime." MarvelousI would love to be able to see the Working Drawings for this building!! Veiled threadOBVIOUSLY just a blur .. Thanks. My chills have subsided. I Can't ImagineWearing all those heavy clothes! Strange face coveringShould have checked the comments first but I'm wondering what the strange hood is covering the little girl sitting with her mom. I can only guess covering a medical condition that in those times this was the normal way of keeping it a bit private in a formal setting, such as down syndrome or hemangenomas hemangiomas (port wine syndrome). [Netting on hats was nothing unusual, especially in a buggy climate. But what we have here looks more like motion blur. Check out the Ghost Shoe. - Dave] Supposition The ladder on the wall must be there in case of fire. PlaytimeIt looks like the man on the far right is playing a game of catch with the little girl with whatever item he has in his hand. They seem to be much more "footloose and fancy-free" than the two in the middle. Great shot! Sartorial StereotypeNow we see the origin of the stereotype that older guys in Florida yank their pants up to their ribs. It was a hot, hot timeI am so grateful I live in an era that allows me to wear, light, comfortable and loose fitting clothing. I'll bet the females are wearing woolen stockings. On a roof. In St. Augustine, Florida. Ugh! [Remember that "the season" in Florida was winter and spring. So probably not so hot. - Dave] Catch!It's a beanbag. Haven't played with one of those in years. We used to make them from a couple of squares of cloth sewn together, filled with dried beans. See how easily amused we were? Re. Pant-Yanking StereotypesIn defense of the older man: the reason that "older guys in Florida yank their pants up to their ribs" is that the male body changes shape after about the age of forty and the natural waistline migrates upward (also, a gut usually develops about this time). It happens regardless of how hard you work out. The change is slow and imperceptible at first, but by the time you're in your sixties it is just more comfortable to wear one's trousers hiked way up. Don't worry younguns, it'll happen to you too *evil laugh*! ConstructionA massive concrete building. Note the tile roof. Built for the ages and now Flagler College. The clientele 1890 were the top of society. Those in the picture are dressed accordingly. The Strange Ladder... gave access to the water tanks on the roof. They still use ladders for access today but the tanks have been replaced with loudspeakers for fake bells. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, W.H. Jackson)
Vicksburg Panorama: 1909
... going east up the hill is the tower of the Carroll Hotel (a picture of which was posted on Shorpy several years ago -- The Carroll ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2014 - 11:33am -

The Mississippi River circa 1909. "Vicksburg waterfront." A panorama made from three 8x10 glass negatives (the widest image, pixel-wise, that Shorpy has ever posted -- be sure to scroll all the way over to the right). The nine-story skyscraper is the First National Bank. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. PanoramaI know of one panorama William Henry Jackson composed for Leadville, CO, although I don't know if it was while he worked for DPC. His "stitching" technique involved three large prints on easels, which he re-photographed. I found the process documented in a series of photos in the Denver Public Library. Chinese groceryWhat a fascinating image. An unexpected surprise was the "Quong Yulin & Co." grocery, a few blocks away from "Sol. Fried" store. Wikipedia currently lists Vicksburg at less than 1 percent Asian. Vicksburg's 165-year old Synagogue now has just 20 members. I wonder how much of the construction along the waterfront is post-war. Vicksburg experienced quite a boom in population growth between 1860 and 1870. Earlier components?I seem to recall parts of this (great) panorama as previous Shorpy photos. Can someone post links to them? [One photo. Our Search box would take you here. Waiting in the wings, there is at least one other version of this scene taken the same day, for a total of three. - Dave] Remarkable detailThis is a remarkable image. I wonder if Detroit Publishing produced any more of these stitched multi-image panoramas. [Click the "Panoramas" link above the photo. The stitching is all done by me, and Photoshop. - Dave] No Horseless CarriagesTypically photos of this vintage display horse & buggies AND early automobiles. Was Vicksburg behind the times or could it be the photo pre-dates 1909? Either way, this a facinating snapshot of a moment in time along the Mississippi River. [The First National Bank building was completed in 1907. - Dave] Seek and you shall findWay on the right, a Coca-Cola sign. [Actually there are three. - Dave] Very DirtyAn amazing photo. The thing I am thinking about is that all the ladies seem to be wearing long white dresses and the streets appear to be all dirt. Their clothing must have gotten filthy in a very short time from simply walking the streets. I am also loving the Steam Boat Exchange Saloon, I wonder what curious sights were beyond those doors ?? Merchants DespatchWell weathered. Above the Falls Cityare buildings in disrepair, could they be civil war casualties? [From 50 years earlier? That's fire damage. - Dave] Coca-Cola and VicksburgVicksburg was home to the Biedenharn Candy Company, the first bottler of Coca-Cola. Although the drink was created in 1886, it was sold mainly at druggists and soda fountains. Biedenharn started bottling the drink in 1894. Did the channel change?I notice from the satellite view that the channel fronting most of the city is now the Yazoo River, not that there is much of a waterfront left. Such a channel change is something that General U.S. Grant unsuccessfully tried to engineer in 1862-1863, but it looks like nature finally did what 19th Century military engineering could not, as nature always does. Many of these buildings remainHaving lived in Vicksburg, I can tell you that while a number of the buildings shown along the Mississippi riverfront have been torn down and replaced, still, many of the buildings pictured in this panorama are still there, being re-purposed with new businesses and tenants through the years. On Washington Street, the street the First National Bank building is on (still there, its main floor used still as a bank with professional offices on the other floors), many of these buildings still remain. You'll notice the many steeples and cupolas on the skyline. Going from left to right, the first steeple is that of Christ Episcopal Church (still there); the two-storied brick building with the cupola right on the river (with train cars pictured in front) is the old L&N Railroad Depot, now a Visitor Center. Atop the hill, the building with columns on all sides and the cupola on top is the old Warren County Courthouse (built in the late 1850s), now the Old Courthouse Historical Museum. Right across the street from the Old Courthuse, you see the "steeple" of the City Jail. Past the First National Bank Building, going east up the hill is the tower of the Carroll Hotel (a picture of which was posted on Shorpy several years ago -- The Carroll was torn down sometime in the late '40s or early '50s). The church that is pictured was St. Paul's Catholic, destroyed in the early 1950s when a tornado did a lot of damage as well as killing a number of people. A new church was built on the site in the 1950s. The squareish tower is the top of the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters, now used as the HQ of the Mississippi River Commission. The tall steeple at the left is Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. At the extreme left, the top two floors of the light-colored brick building (another skyscraper of five stories!) was a popular department store known as The Valley, which did business until sometime in the late 1970s or early '80s. The building has been converted into condos. At this time, the downtown streets of Vicksburg were not dirt but were paved with brick. The streets going east, up the bluffs from the river were (and still are) paved with cobblestones in order that vehicles can get some traction going up and down. When I started driving as a teenager in the 1960s, I was told that if you could learn to drive on the hilly streets of Vicksburg -- in a car with a standard transmission -- you could drive anywhere! Alice Used to be FrankThe sternwheel packet Alice B Miller, seen here to the right, was built in 1904 at Jefferson, Indiana, as the Frank B. Hayne. She became Alice in 1908 and met her demise by fire in Vicksburg in 1915. Source: University of Wisconsin LaCrosse, Murphy Library. Superb, engrossing imageFascinating - rewards hours of scrutiny! Just wanted to say a sincere thank you for putting this one together and sharing it with us. Depot at VicksburgThis view shows the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad (Y&MV) depot, not the L&N. Great panos!Thanks for the link to the panoramas you've stitched. I now have to look forward to hours in the time machine. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads, Vicksburg)
Stoneleigh Court: 1925
... from photo in the book Washington D.C.'s Mayflower Hotel , by Keith McClinsey. Built in 1902 at a cost of $600,000 by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 12:58pm -

Washington, D.C., in 1925. "Stoneleigh Court, L Street N.W." For some reason I feel like Jimmy Stewart here. National Photo glass negative. View full size. Home of the EliteCaption from photo in the book Washington D.C.'s Mayflower Hotel, by Keith McClinsey. Built in 1902 at a cost of $600,000 by Secretary of State John Hay as a personal investment, the Stoneleigh Court at L Street and Connecticut Avenue housed many of the city's social and political elite. During the Depression, all of the large apartments were subdivided and the high ceilings lowered to conserve fuel. At the time it was razed in 1965, the building had been converted entirely to office use. Where's Waldo?Can you spot the human being in this photograph? WaldoI think I see someone in the first floor window on the right behind the tree. That what you are referring to? Two People ActuallyFifth and sixth floor balconies to our right of the main doors on the ground floor. I count sixsix people that is. Of course it could be my old eyes playing tricks. One immediately next to the main entrance, two and three on the balconies, four and five in the ground level window facing us at the end of the left wing. Six is above those two fifth floor open window behind the tree. I am sorry to see old buildings like this torn down. There is so much character in that brickwork. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Veribest Canned Meats: 1900
... differences between this view of the doomed Brunswick Hotel building, and this one , posted in July. Building Coming Down ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:16pm -

New York circa 1900. "John C. Graul's art store, 217 Fifth Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. I better run!To the train depot. That lady is looking at the very photograph I want on my wall! Thanks Dave, that's funny! They say the neon lights are bright... on Broadway, and we have O.J. Gude to thank: It's 1878 in Brooklyn, and my great-great-grandfather O.J. Gude starts an outdoor advertising company with $100 in capital and goes on to pioneer the first use of the electric bulb in a billboard sign in May, 1892. Soon The Great White Way will be born. Shopping in New York with my fatherThese stores look pretty classy from that genteel age of gracious living. My father was somewhat of a bargain hunter and low-price shopper and I remember in the 1950's going with him into New York every three months or so where he would purchase $1 neckties at a store called Tie City or he'd go to Orchard Street on the Lower East Side to haggle over the price of socks and underwear and even suits and shirts. Once a year or so, he would buy new eyeglasses at Pildes Opticians, which had the newest styles and the lowest prices. We'd buy a wonderfully delicious lunch at Katz's Deli or some cheap Italian pasta emporium whose name I've forgotten. I have inherited the skinflint miserly pennypincher mentality but every once in a while I splurge exorbitantly although I now live far away from N.Y. My father used to tell me that in New York you can get anything from anywhere in the world. I was very impressed and still am. Photo shopperA closeup. Shadows and lightThis picture is deliciously creepy. The lone woman window shopping in a near-defunct district ... those hauntingly dark windows above her. Thanks for this one, Dave. I love these thrilling peeks into time gone by. Literally they make my day. I'm a bona fide Shorpyholic! VeriworstAccording to a New York Times expose six years later (July 12, 1906), Veribest canned chicken loaf was "a small amount of muscle fibre and a large amount of cornmeal." Mystery SolvedNow we can see where Nestle might have gotten the inspiration for their familiar slogan. Who can resist?It looked familiar. Upton's Opinion DifferedUpton Sinclair's infamous book "The Jungle" didn't opine that Armour's meats were the Veribest™. The Brunswick, againThere are interesting differences between this view of the doomed Brunswick Hotel building, and this one, posted in July. Building Coming Down SaleThe vacant windows would certainly uphold that sign. Cool and creepy all at the same time. Look again. She's Kuklanated.Somebody's going to be late for the big Gude meeting. Paintings...I would love to be able to get my hands on those paintings being sold in that store. The frames alone are absolutely beautiful. Location, Location, LocationAll the $5 Hat Shop had to do at their new location was hold out for another 30 something years and they would have had it made. 359 5th Avenue would put it directly across the street from the Empire State Building which is at 350 5th Avenue. A woman of means This window-shopper's ensemble is very finely hand-tailored, and her coat appears to have a velvet collar. Everything fits her perfectly, suggesting that she has access to a private dressmaker. Her hat is equally stylish. Wonder what type of feathers make up that jaunty plume? Notice how carefully coiffed her hair is, and how shiny clean. Knowing from Shorpy how grubby life could be for many people at the time, this lady had it good. DyslexiaI thought it said Verbiest. I don't want my meats chatting at me. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Auto Parking 25¢: 1923
... large building on the horizon to the right is the Cairo Hotel, for many years the only high-rise private building in Washington. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/01/2012 - 8:31pm -

April 26, 1923. Washington, D.C. "Automobiles at ballpark, opening game, Nationals-Athletics." National Photo glass negative. View full size. They all look differentI don't see any two cars here that look the same. Just the rear window shapes are a hundred times more diverse than what I see in a modern parking lot. Home Opener for WashingtonThe sign looks temporary. I wonder if they raised the parking price for the home opener. I would have. Harding was throwing out the first pitch. Looks like the guy in the white shirt is raking it in. Hand crankingThe Buick owner in the first row plate #23867 evidently is an optimist as he's covered the crank hole with the license plate. Compare plate 107 on an identical car in Row 2. N.1115On the Baxter McKinney building, is N.1115 a phone number? [On the sign at the bottom: PHONE N.1115 - Dave] Help! I've parked and I can't get out!Guess there was no leaving at the seventh inning stretch for some folks. Is this my car?I wonder how many people left the game and had trouble finding their car because they all looked the same. Classy ChassisI'd choose the one that's in the furthest row, 6th from the right. The one with 5 glass rear-windows. Nationals? Really?I'm sure this should have read "Senators," which was the name of the American League franchise in DC in 1923. There was no NL team, so "Nationals" makes no sense. The team that eventually became the Minnesota Twins went to the World Series for DC in 1924 (won) and 1925 (lost). They moved to Minnesota in 1960 and were replaced by another team that eventually became the Texas Rangers. [The team was called The Nationals. Below: Headline showing the results of this game in 1923, and one from the 1924 World Series. - Dave] A little speculationMy hunch is that the Baxter McKinney building is the "existing garage" at 2035 Georgia Avenue that later received a building permit for an addition (under a different owner name) (Washington Post, 9/9/1928). Also that the large building on the horizon to the right is the Cairo Hotel, for many years the only high-rise private building in Washington. The Washington Post for 12/25/1917 also records the sale of a property at 1927-1931 9th Street NW (about two blocks from the Georgia Avenue location) to Baxter McKinney. LocationDoes anyone know of the old location of the ball field in DC? [American League Park, later called Griffith Stadium, on Georgia Avenue at Fifth Street NW. - Dave] I'd take the phaeton3rd row this side of the fence, 1st car along the left side of the driveway. It's a little lower-slung and really snazzy-looking. Anyone know what the Sporty Convertible is at the right end of row two. Not bad...The average yearly wage in 1923 was $1236.00 a year....that is approx $23.76 a week...he has 75 cars visible on the lot (and probably a few more out of frame), so has made $18.75 for the day. Wonder how busy he is during the week? Make sure you have your AAA card handyLots of AAA medallions on the radiators of several cars. I would have gotten lost in the parking lot just checking out all of the makes and models. Additional InfoFrom this link you can see the full stadium view, including the specific parking location in the upper right corner. Also not to belabor the point, but the baseball team was locally known as the Nationals or "Nats", but officially known as the Senators. Using the link above you can see a few players from the 1923 team including Walter Johnson and Tom Zachary. Donnie Bush ("Bushmen") was the manager of the team for that year. Great stuff! Funny how one picture leads to a journey for more information on it. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
New York: 1933
... chimneys, I believe was the Savoy Plaza, another luxury hotel. It was replaced by the sterile General Motors building, home to the CBS ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/13/2013 - 6:18pm -

1933. A view across New York's Central Park Lake framed by the Sherry-Netherland and Plaza hotels. 5x7 safety negative by the noted architectural photographer Samuel H. Gottscho. View full size. New YorkWow, this looks like a great place to live. YesNYC is the greatest place in the world to live - New Yawker living in LA Savoy PlazaThe building to the immediate right of the Sherry-Netherland, the one with the mansard roof and two chimneys, I believe was the Savoy Plaza, another luxury hotel. It was replaced by the sterile General Motors building, home to the CBS Morning News telecast. The previous comments are right, Midtown is a great place to live. America, America"Oh beautiful, for ageless dreams, that reach beyond the years. Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears." Perhaps not literally true, but as an American poet, I will always love those verses. I immediately thought of them, seeing this image. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Cooped Up: 1910
... life did they have to compare it to? "Eloise at the Plaza Hotel"? I think not. Been there, done that... I've lived in worse and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2009 - 10:31pm -

May 1910. Seaford, Delaware. "This photo shows what was formerly a chicken coop, in which during the berry season the Arnao family live on Hitchen's farm. Seventeen children and five elders live here. Ten youngest children range in age from 3 to 13. On the day of the investigation no berries being picked on Hitchen's Farm. The family went over to the Truitt's farm to pick. Edward F. Brown, Investigator." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Rascals!Where's Stymie and Alfalfa? DiscriminationBoys get caps -- girls get shoes. Glad I'm a girl. In the Modern Daythere is something similar, it's called Section 8. I'm sure there are deserving families in the program, but usually the scene in one house is two women, several kids, and a revolving door of "boyfriends" All Cooped UpOf course these kids don't seem to be unhappy about living in an old chicken coop, since what other child's life did they have to compare it to? "Eloise at the Plaza Hotel"? I think not. Been there, done that...I've lived in worse and been happy... Representing..the lollipop guild. Such as it isWell, at least they had a home. The photo doesn't show us the extent of the building, but I can't imagine 22 people living there. How many outhouses would you need for that group? And what happened to those little tykes? I keep thinking that if I just keep looking at the photo, the answers will appear. Kids in a coop like peas in a podThey don't seem terribly unhappy about their cramped living quarters, but Mom looks like she's posing for Dorothea Lange. Thankful...I lived in bad places (one home...oy vay!) but I count myself lucky that I didn't have to share it with so many. I am going to show this to my kids...maybe they will think twice before complaining that they have to share a room and a bathroom! Living conditionsWhere did you live that was worse than a chicken coop? I'm just curious. At least it is a well built chicken coop. The roof and building looks solid. There is a pipe for a stove and even the door looks to be well made to stop drafts. If you took the chicken wire off the windows, you would never know that it was previously a chicken coop. [Aside from the fact that the beds were wooden boxes full of straw. - Dave] Slim PickensYou can pick you friends and you can pick your nose but you can't pick your friend's nose. Reversed Negative?Just looking at this, something strikes me as odd: three of the kids have their left hands going up towards their faces, and the mother (we can assume she's somebody's mom, I think) has what looks to be a wedding band on her right hand. Looking at the initials, too, makes me wonder: has this image been reversed? [On a glass negative, writing in ink (which looks white on the positive) is usually backward to the viewer if the negative is oriented correctly -- the emulsion side faces us; the glass side, which is what gets written on, faces away. When the image was exposed, the emulsion faces the lens; you have to turn it around because the image is reversed by the lens. - Dave] FashionBoys were just as happy to see their shoes packed away as soon as winter ended. Like their obligatory caps, though, their bare feet were just another way that fashion and local custom insisted on distinguishing them from their sisters. Even had their mother been sending them off to school each morning instead of off to pick berries, she'd still have sent the boys off barefoot, and only put shoes on the girls. The custom in many communities dictated that girls "needed" shoes, while boys were seen as better off without them. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Rambler Biclorama: 1902
... houseplant on a windowsill of the Board & Residence hotel. Rambler rumble Bicycling dandies versus piano-playing toughs. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:31pm -

Auckland, New Zealand, 1902. "Dexter & Crozier, cycle importers, Victoria Street East." Glass negative by James Hutchings Kinnear. View full size. Dexter & CrozierFrom The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: The business premises contain a large show-room, with offices at the front, and behind there is a large repairing shop, with lathes, a forge, and brazing and enamelling plant. Demolished?There appears to be nothing left of the buildings shown. I went to Victoria Street East yesterday and carefully looked for remnants, but saw none. I suspect the cycle shop and the buildings on each side were demolished long ago, the site now being occupied by the Lister Building. SignedThe signpainters: Bollard & Froude. [Also Tudehope & Robertson. - Dave] A touch of homeA sad looking houseplant on a windowsill of the Board & Residence hotel. Rambler rumbleBicycling dandies versus piano-playing toughs. Play it cool boy, real cool. Backseat driverTwo tandems and the one on the right seems to have an arrangement that allows it to be steered from the rear seat. Rambler bikes and cars These Rambler bikes came from the Gormully and Jeffery Mfg. Co. of Chicago. By the time the instant image was snapped, Thomas Jeffery was in his 5th year of producing automobiles. In 1901 he introduced the Model A Rambler, a name that would much later be tied to Nash products. The G and J (Gormully and Jeffery) Tire Co. sponsored two races at the Indianapolis Speedway prior to the first 500 in 1911. ... on a bicycle built for two, or maybe three?interesting, the first bike has the more modern low set handlebars one associates with racing bikes. I can't help but feel sorry for the person sitting in the second seat if the first has some digestive problems. The second bike however has the step-through frame more commonly associated with ladies' bikes in the first position, with the step-over bar for a gentleman in the second position. Both are equipped with the "sit up and beg" style handlebars. I'm trying to decide if there is a saddle or at least a seatpad on the crossbar in the second position - perhaps for a child? The Coffee RoomYeah right, like anyone will ever make money just selling cups of Coffee. The Tandem on the RightThe tandem on the right appears to be steerable from the stoker position, but I'm having trouble understanding the geometry. I've never seen such a configuration. Can anyone help a brother out with an explanation? Courting Tandem!The tandem to the right has a curious frame: a few more tubes than usual; step-through frame in front; parts going from the fork to the rear rider! An initial google search for 'tandem stoker steering' yielded the term 'courting tandem'. Search that for description, photos and antique bikes for sale. Is that a leather chainguard at the front chainwheel? Chainwheel of the left, uphill tandem is interesting: a very large tooth pitch. Chain looks pretty normal, though. One tooth per three links? A franchise?At about this time there was apparently another "Biclorama" located in San Francisco. It was billed as "Thos. H.B. Varney's Rambler Biclorama: The Largest and Most Complete Bicycle Establishment in the World." Specifics are scarce, but some material is available from Google in printed form only. Never locate a bicycle shop on a hill. The considerable extra energy required to pedal up hill can be too much of a reality check for a newbie cyclist. Blind BustThe head to the left of the piano sign is very interesting with the eyes covered with a wrapping, odd indeed. HillyBill T. said: "Never locate a bicycle shop on a hill." You don't know Auckland! It's hilly almost everywhere in the CBD, except for Fort Street, Customs Street, and Quay Street, which are all built on land reclaimed from the harbour. Opposite ends of the tandem spectrumThese bikes represent the two extremes of turn-of-the century tandems. The bike on the right would have been most at home pootling down a garden path, while the one on the left was built for the velodrome. fastRfastR is quite right that the bike on the right with the leather chainguard is a rear-steered courting tandem. This was probably the most common tandem configuration in the 1890s. While the bike on the right is built for leisure, the one on the left is a speed machine that concedes little to comfort, especially for the stoker. While tandems were raced on the track in their own right, they were more often used as pace bikes. In certain types of trials, tandems, triplets and even quads and quints "towed" bikes up to speed in their slipstream before the final laps. The "skip-link" chainring on the track bike was not uncommon on racing bikes into the 1940s. Alternating short and long links allows the use of stronger, higher profile teeth on the chainring than is possible with a standard chain, which in turns means fewer broken teeth for both bike and rider. Rambler logosIt's interesting to see how many ways the Rambler logo is interpreted in that single scene. Brand identities were much more flexible back then. I spotted yet another Rambler logo in a Stockholm bike shop a few years ago. (The Gallery, Bicycles, New Zealand)
Come Play With Us: 1925
... Fomeen band which played in the Congo Room at the Carlton Hotel in DC in the 1950s. The ONK! ONK! of that sax was characteristic. ... fame). It seems that the Carlton has become the St Regis Hotel at 16th and K. Michael Scott! Is that Steve Carell with the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/04/2011 - 10:02pm -

Arlington, Virginia, circa 1925. "Happy Walker Orchestra." On certain moonless nights, the old porters say, you can still hear them going at it. View full size. ZonkedThat trumpet player looks like he has finished a large measure of bathtub gin and is thinking, "If I just sit here very still, I won't fall off of this chair. Ohhhh, I think I'm gonna be sick." Mellophone on the floorOn the floor next to the trumpet player is an E-flat mellophone. I had to play the school's horn when I was in 5th and 6th grades. There was always gum in the mouthpiece, thanks to the girl who played it in the high school band (it was a small school), Bass SaxThat big bass sax reminds me of the Basil Fomeen band which played in the Congo Room at the Carlton Hotel in DC in the 1950s. The ONK! ONK! of that sax was characteristic. Unfortunately the band was well beyond its prime and was pretty terrible ... but they were in LIVE!! HiFi on the Continental FM Network (funded by Maj Edwin Armstrong of FM fame). It seems that the Carlton has become the St Regis Hotel at 16th and K. Michael Scott!Is that Steve Carell with the violin? The CountCount Dracula on Piano. Which one is Happy Walker, is he the Undertaker with the Violin? Nino SaxLooks like our reedman's slinging a Sopranino Saxophone; the straight one standing up next to the oboe. B-flat and C sopranos saxes are about the same length as a standard B-flat clarinet; the standing straight saxophone is noticeably shorter, so odds are it's a sopranino. The tiny horn slung on the stand to the player's left might be a curved version of the Sopranino as well, but might just be a B-flat curved soprano. Hard to tell from the angle. When Adolphe Sax invented the horn in the late 1830's (the first saxophone patent was filed about 1841) he described and built a family of saxophones ranging from the high end sopranino all the way down to contrabass. Outside the alto saxophone, marching band music and a few orchestral composers, for years nobody much took saxophone very seriously; it really took American jazz to make it a broadly recognized and respected instrument. In the Teens and 1920s the entire saxophone family came into vogue, though outlying family members like the sopranino tended to be treated as novelty instruments. Re the comment above - that's not a Bass sax, it's a mere Baritone. Bass saxophones are ginormous: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_saxophone#Gallery Not that a Baritone can't honk -- boy can they!! Lots of bands in the '20's deployed the Bass Saxophone where a tuba would normally be used - they occupy the same subterranean sonic territory. Spit and PolishLooks like they all stopped at the shoeshine stand on the way to the ballroom. StrangeThe fellow standing isn't Happy Walker; the fellow on trumpet at the left doesn't really look like Walker, where is Walker? And they've lost the bass player? A mystery for the ages, I suppose. OK everyone, smile and blink your eyes!Thanks to T.K. Torch for the interesting history on the instruments! I never knew where the saxophone got its name, until now! I don't know that much about photography, but wouldn't the weird eyes have come from the shutter speed being a bit slow? [The "zombie look" characteristic of flashlight photos comes from the subjects' eyes being both open and closed during a magnesium-powder exposure, where the shutter, not being synchronized with the flash, is opened before the charge is ignited and closed after it goes out. - Dave] Thanks for the explanation! That tall violinist is pretty handsome, despite the "zombie look"! Altogether now,Silk lapels and socks, striped vests and hair parted in the middle, a one and a two ! Busy sax manI wonder if he got a bigger cut than the others? That's a lot of instruments to play (and to maintain!) What a difference two years makesThe boys in the band have changed remarkably from the 1923 photo posted a couple days ago. In fact I don't think it's the same guys at all. Could it be that we're looking a 2 different bands here: the Happy Walker Orchestra and Happy Walker's Madrillion Society Orchestra? Take my life, but please don't take my banjo!Which is what the face of the banjo player, and corresponding grip on his instrument, seems to be saying. And the look on the trumpet player's face. Jeb70 seems to have hit the nail on the head. And the sax player bears a slight resemblance to Adrian Rollini, who was one of the kings of the bass sax for most of the 1920s. (The Gallery, D.C., Music, Natl Photo)
Ocean Spray: 1964
... 1964. "Collins Avenue, Miami Beach." With the Ocean Spray Hotel representing the Art Deco old guard and the curvy Fontainebleau the new. ... in England and edited together with footage shot at the hotel. -tterrace] Never mind the buildings I'm more interested in what ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/15/2015 - 12:32pm -

1964. "Collins Avenue, Miami Beach." With the Ocean Spray Hotel representing the Art Deco old guard and the curvy Fontainebleau the new. Medium format slide snatched from the jaws of eBay and scanned by Shorpy. View full size. A Bond moment?Down the street at the Fontainebleau in 1964, wasn't James Bond keeping an eye on Auric Goldfinger and enjoying a romp with Jill Masterson? Although I think I read somewhere that they didn't actually shoot those scenes on location. [Correct. The scenes with the principals were shot on soundstages at Pinewood Studios in England and edited together with footage shot at the hotel. -tterrace] Never mind the buildingsI'm more interested in what happened to the trunk lid on the car parked at the curb. [There's no trunk - it's a 1960 Ford station wagon with the tailgate lowered and the liftgate - the upper part with the window - not raised, but slightly ajar. -tterrace] AAHHH, my neck of the woods.Thankfully, a great job has been done saving the Art Deco heritage of Miami Beach. So many of the "old guard" buildings have been saved and are better than new. Even the lobby furniture in these old beauties is proper period design. This structure and many others by the architect Martin Hampton are on the National Register of Historic Places. This hotel is not in the "hot" South Beach part of town. The Streets of MiamiI've never been to the area (though I did have a change-over at the Miami airport once). Upon seeing this, my first thought was the old Allan Sherman spoof, "Streets of Miami", sung to the tune of "Streets of Laredo"... https://youtu.be/-cjAqvQBotM As I wandered out on the streets of Miami, I said to mine self, 'Dis is some fency town!" I called up mine partner and said "Hello Sammy," Go pack up your satchel and mosey on down. I got me a bunk in the old Roney Plaza, With breakfast and dinner included of course. I caught forty winks on mine private piazza, Then I rented a Pinto from Hertz Rent-a-Horse... You're Right JerryIn February 1956 I went to South Beach (although it wasn't called that then) and stayed at a hotel called the Peter Miller. It may still be there for all I know. As a young 20-something waiting to be drafted, I had a memorable vacation. However, the Fontainebleau could not be seen from there. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Found Photos, Miami)
Winter Palace: 1933
... The tall one is a personal favorite, the Sherry-Netherland Hotel. Winter Wonderland What a beautiful photo of NYC. Of course ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:26pm -

February 12, 1933. "New York City views. Plaza buildings from Central Park." The Savoy Plaza and Plaza hotels. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. Homer & LangleyThis photo is used for the cover of the new E.L. Doctorow novel "Homer & Langley." Beautiful shot. I check out Shorpy every day for the incredible photos. Nothing else like it online! If you like this photoIf you like this photo I strongly recommend getting a copy of "New York 1930" by Robert A.M. Stern. Every page of that immense book has beautiful period photographs of New York during this time period, as well as background on the architectural styles, the architects and business interests which helped build that wondrous city in that wondrous time.. Tall, Dark and HandsomeThe tall one is a personal favorite, the Sherry-Netherland Hotel. Winter WonderlandWhat a beautiful photo of NYC. Of course seeing the snow and ice makes me want to leave town early this year for Florida. Baum LandWhat a great photo; the city has a true feeling of being Oz. Mysterious and welcoming, off in the distance, The water looks like the path to follow to find the Wizard. Well set and framed! ManhattanSimply put, one of the most glorious urban landscapes on the planet. And today, although a few of the buildings on Fifth Avenue are different, the view from this point in the Park isn't much different. Reflects WellAn excellent reflection on the planners of Central Park. Not only a bit of "nature" in the middle of the city but a priceless viewpoint to appreciate the metropolis. Will we do as well? Magnificent viewI haven't had the pleasure of visiting New York, only the West Coast, and as we don't get a lot of snow here in Australia, this to me has a surreal look. Thanks once again. WonderfulAs a photographer myself, I think the composition is spectacular. Mr. Gottscho was a true photographic artist! GorgeousWhat a stunning photograph. This would look fantastic framed and on a wall. Lovely! (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Fresh-Cut Firs: 1903
... tallest of these would have been for department stores or hotel lobbies. Or for setting up outside. So many wires and crossarms So ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/02/2011 - 4:33am -

New York circa 1903. "Cut Christmas trees at market in front of Barclay Street Station." May all your Christmases be bright and all your ceilings be tall. 6½ x 8½ inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Electrical treesMore impressive than the Christmas trees are the number of electrical wires on the poles at the right. Three bits for the 16-footerLooks like the two men on the right might be haggling over price. Any one on Shorpy have a clue what Christmas trees were going for in 1895? [From a 1901 article in the New York Times: Small firs cost around $5; a large spruce, $30. - Dave] Today Goldman Sachs at 200 West Street sits where the pier used to be. Lobby TreesI imagine the tallest of these would have been for department stores or hotel lobbies. Or for setting up outside. So many wires and crossarmsSo many wires and crossarms on the poles... Are these telephone lines or telegraph circuits? Hello, Operator130 telephone lines! Tall trees, taller buildingsIt's somehow strange for me to think of Christmas trees being sold like this in Manhattan so many years ago. I do remember them being sold at curbside in Greenwich Village back in the 1960s, on Sixth Avenue and on Hudson Street. Since I lived in a fifth-floor walkup on West 12th Street at that time, I wasn't much interested in lugging a tree up five flights to have on display for only a week or two. Tribute to an unknown heroJust look at the individual lines on those telephone poles! It's a visible tribute to the man who invented the cable! Wow.They weren't kiddin' around with those power telephone lines. Make a wreath!Cut the tree to fit, and you'll have plenty of material to make a Christmas wreath. Telephone PolesIn all the old photos of the city, there are always a mass of phone lines. I would guess that each telephone had its own wire on the pole. If that is the case, there wouldnt be much more space for new customers. Ooooooh That Smell!!Can't you smell that smell! Heavenly! Trees for the RichThose trees are expensive! $5 in 1901 is about $100 today. That makes the large spruce $600. I'd be haggling over the price too. Holy crossarms!!Sure, the Christmas trees are interesting but what really caught my eye was the telephone pole line with the insane amount of crossarms! No fewer than 100 arms, on just eight poles stretching maybe only two or three city blocks. As a lineman by trade, I can't imagine the man-hours necessary to build all that across the whole city, without power tools, bucket trucks, or probably any proper safety equipment. Each and every one of those had to be drilled out by hand with a brace-and-bit, and hoisted up on a hand-line, by linemen who climbed the pole. And if you've never felt a crossarm, they're heavy, probably a good 50 pounds each. And after all that is done, the stringing of all that wire is no small task. That was when men were really men, and I kinda feel like a wimp now! Rooted in traditionI think if you look up the history of Christmas trees in this country, you'll find that they started with the upper crust and worked their way down. Christmas trees became popular in England after Queen Victoria married her German husband, Prince Albert. He introduced them to Britain. They became popular with the American upper crust shortly after that. Common folk might have had small carved wooden representations of trees, or other similar decorations. Veteran Shorpyers will remember some of the big fancy trees shown at various times going back to the turn of the century. Bring a ruler I decided, having just moved into my first home with my new bride, that I would return to the family farm in up-state NY to cut down and install a fir tree, thereby cutting out the middleman. After removing two foot from the bottom, then another two foot from the top, I ruefully conceded to my amused wife that this bloated monstrosity would simply fill our entire living room and wound up turning it into garlands. P.S. I had to pay $8.00 for a decent mini tree. (The Gallery, Christmas, DPC, NYC)
Hot Shoppe: 1941
... Hot Shoppe restaurants were the beginning of the Marriott hotel chain. Surprised! I was so surprised when I saw the caption under ... that a Hot Shoppes would open in the new Marriott Marquis hotel now under construction next to the Walter E. Washington Convention ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/24/2012 - 9:27am -

December 1941. Washington, D.C. "Hot Shoppe restaurant." Medium-format nitrate negative by John Collier. View full size. From Hot Shoppes to Marriott The Hot Shoppe restaurants were the beginning of the Marriott hotel chain. Surprised!I was so surprised when I saw the caption under this picture! I was born and raised in the Bethesda, MD area and Hot Shoppe was big part of my childhood memories. However, the Hot Shoppe I knew was a drive-in where you put your order in a little speaker and they bought the food out to you. It was the favorite hang out for the teenagers from the 50s to the 70s. I never knew it as a go-in-and-sit-down restaurant! Just goes to show you can still learn about what you think you are already familiar with. What time do you get off work?Is what I'd be asking the waitress next to that empty coffee pot. Loyal LifersI remember, as a kid growing up in the DC area, seeing little old ladies in white smocks holding down jobs in the Hot Shoppes, Fannie Mae Candies, and the like. As a demographic, they were de rigueur up until about 1980. Perhaps some of them are seen here in their youth. I'm realizing that some spent their entire career doing this work. Hot Shoppe In Temple Hills, MarylandWe had an office near a shopping center in Temple Hills, Maryland, and it had a Hot Shoppe restaurant until the early 1990s; it wasn't a drive through. It may have been one of the last of the chain's eateries. ReheatedHot Shoppes was the foundation of the Marriott family hospitality empire, which grew from a single storefront restaurant opened at 14th Street and Park Road NW by J. Willard Marriott in 1927. The large chain of Hot Shoppes closed in 1999. However, the Marriott family announced last year that a Hot Shoppes would open in the new Marriott Marquis hotel now under construction next to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Opening planned for 2014. ClassicsMighty Mo, Onion Rings and a chocolate shake at the drive-in Hot Shoppe in Bethesda, MD.on East-West Highway. Buckysmom!That Hot Shoppe you remember is the one I was thinking about. During the 50s, it was 'home turf' for the kids from BCC, just up East-West Highway, and you did not go there on a weekend and show any other high school colors. It was like a seqment of 'Grease'! It's gone now, sadly No women allowed?The only women in the photo are waitresses. Where did women eat, Schrafts? Women tooHey shmolitz, I see at least two women on the customer side! When Dad Met Mom....Not really, but Dad would take Mom to Hot Shoppes, every evening at 6. It was in a shopping center in Temple Hills, this was late 70s early 80s. Dad would give the waitresses a hard time about their cinnamon rolls, when he came in they would be stale, so he would holler out for them to put fresh rolls out. Mom said she felt embarrassed....Dad didn't pull his punches. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, John Collier)
Bedtime Bros: 1910s
... found gainful employment a few years later at the Overlook Hotel. No, not from P.U. The "W" on the shirt of the fellow in the back ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/26/2014 - 1:45pm -

From the early 1900s comes this nightshirted posse of college men, possibly in Wyoming. Three cheers for old Pimento U! 4x5 glass negative. View full size. The future Mr. TorranceNice to know that the young lad seated at left end of the front row found gainful employment a few years later at the Overlook Hotel. No, not from P.U.The "W" on the shirt of the fellow in the back row means they're from Wossamotta U. EGADWhat was behind the camera that so many of these young men are wide-eyed, almost terrified? [Magnesium flash powder. - Dave] Alpha Phi ShorpyBrothers, don't look directly at the flash. What's Shorpy doing here?!?!This has to be the most bizarre photo yet. The folks who complain that the kitty photos are created with posed cadavers should have a field day with this one! I just hope that the fellow on the right is somehow sitting on a wire waste-paper basket and not a canary cage. Before we used 'say cheese'They evidently instructed people 'Now, whatever you do, don't blink!' Not just a "girl thing"Looks like proof that the idea for pajama parties started with young men as early as 1900, even though it has evolved to be more of a feminine gathering throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. From having a daughter, I know the girls style their hair, try on new make-up, play music and dance, eat pizza, gossip and stay up late, but what on earth did the guys do? Where's WaldoIs hiding a photo of Shorpy a new game, like where's Waldo? I haven't seen that before! Lace curtainsNice to see they've been a men's dorm-room staple for more than a century! Wide awake.At couple of these guys seem to have consumed an entire pot of Coffee right before this was taken. Are They Stoned?Wow. Creepy. Shorpy FansIt's nice to see that these fine lads are fans of this website's namesake. In reply to Vintagetvs (Re: "Wide Awake")Coca-Cola still contained cocaine, circa 1900, did it not? ["Partly true" says Snopes. -tterrace] Animal House, version 1.0Looks like some of these guys could be the grandfathers of Otter, Flounder, Bluto, Niedermeyer, et al. Good ole P.U.!Any day with a Dover Boys reference is a good day, indeed. [Curse you, Dan Backslide! -tterrace] Possibly altered?There is more to their eyes than just their bizarre widths. It looks like the photo may have been altered (pre Photoshop of course.) This is most noticeable with the gentlemen to the left and center in the middle row. Look carefully at the one in the center with the black robe. His eyes are actually closed. We are looking at an image of eyes on his eyelids. Perhaps they were put there in prank for the photo back in 1900, or they were added afterward. Anyone else see this? [Typical of magnesium-flash illumination; the burst is long enough to expose the eyes open as well as closed when the flash causes the subjects to blink, thus resulting in the superimposition. There have been a number of other examples published on Shorpy. -tterrace] Don't Blink!A shout out to Doctor Who my friend. JohnHoward, well done. Maybe the Doctor took the picture and they were all looking at his sonic screwdriver Coke SignI see that the college tradition of stealing beverage advertising signs to hang in one's dorm room has a long and distinguished history. (The Gallery, Found Photos)
A Ride on the Boardwalk: 1907
... for it its wide and popular reputation as a homelike hotel. The hotel will accommodate four hundred and fifty guests, and is one of the most ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 2:41pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1907. "Haddon Hall and Boardwalk, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Steamboat Gothic.It may not be on the Mississippi, but Haddon Hall certainly presents all the features of the style. AmpleLady on the right would be described by my grandmother as a Lady of Ample Bosom. Beautiful photo, thanks. Capturing life's momentsA great photo to study people of yesteryear. For instance, the handsome couple on the extreme right, strolling along in what appears to be an intense conversation. How cool would it be to recognize, from old family photos, your grandfather and grandmother or even great-grandma and grandpa in their youth? Also interesting in these type photos are the clothes of kids such as the little boy at the end of the ramp with shorts and one of those wide brimmed hats and the teenage girl with ribbons - just as we have seen in old movies. Shorpy is more than a business - it is a great service to understanding past times. Leeds & Lippincott Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey, 1910. In 1890 he [Henry West Leeds] came to Atlantic City and opened Haddon Hall, in partnership with J. Haines Lippincott. Subsequently his mother sold out her interests in the Tremont House and joined with her son in operating Haddon Hall, and winning for it its wide and popular reputation as a homelike hotel. The hotel will accommodate four hundred and fifty guests, and is one of the most central and convenient of the hotels in Atlantic City. Being at the ocean end of North Carolina avenue, it commands an unobstructed view of the ocean and the boardwalk, and during the twenty years that Mr. Leeds has been connected with the house, he has established a most enviable reputation among people of culture and refinement. The house is beautifully furnished and decorated, and on its walls can be seen the best collection of water colors of any seaside resort hotel in the country. The hotel is open all the year. Stayin' FitI have a strong suspicion that pushing one of those carts about over the course of a season kept one in pretty good shape. I wonder how far these folks usually covered in a day. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
The Belmont Coach: 1905
... Belmont Park four-in-hand passing the Holland House Hotel on Fifth Avenue, in the days when "coaching" was a favored pastime of ... Check out the cool dragon lamps on the front of the hotel. I wonder if they are lying in some basement somewhere gathering dust? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:54pm -

New York circa 1905. "The Belmont coach." Alfred Vanderbilt's Belmont Park four-in-hand passing the Holland House Hotel on Fifth Avenue, in the days when "coaching" was a favored pastime of millionaire sportsmen. View full size. Vanderbilt's horsesFrom around 1900 and into the 1920s, Charles Hersig, founding owner of the Wyoming Hereford Ranch, and my father's guardian, bred and trained high quality carriage and riding horses that he sold every year to the horsey members of the New York 400. The team pulling Vanderbilt's drag (which is what they called these heavy English mail coaches) quite possibly came from Hersig. Each year he took a trainload of horses East, a couple of weeks before the start of the racing season at Belmont Park, and always sold out. His wife Ida told my father that one year around 1902, when she went with Charlie for the New York sale, they were invited to a customer's Opening Day box at the racetrack, and, ironically, Uncle Charlie had to rent a buggy and a skittish young horse from a livery stable to get there. The drive to Belmont Park was crowded with carriages and at least ten of these big yellow and black drags, loaded with millionaires, when Charlie's horse panicked and bolted. As Aunt Ida held on for dear life, Charlie stood up in the box like a charioteer to let the horse run himself out. She said she was pretty mortified when they passed Vanderbilt's drag, and he and all his friends were laughing in admiration, blowing on coach horns to clear the road ahead, and shouting "Give 'im hell, Charlie, give 'im hell!" Outlaw PoochIf that dog tried running on Fifth Ave. today, the police would slap a $200 ticket on him for not having a leash. A watery endAlfred Vanderbilt, a passenger aboard the Cunard liner Lusitania, drowned at sea when the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1915. His body was never recovered. A memorial stone was erected in London. "In Memory of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt a gallant gentleman and a fine sportsman who perished in the Lusitania May 7th 1915. This stone is erected on his favourite road by a few of his British coaching friends and admirers." By all accounts this man of wealth died nobly after giving his life jacket to a woman holding her baby. Free dog!I like a dog in charge of his own recreation. Spot the Carriage DogThe New York Times - November 18, 1900 - It Is commonly believed that the spotted carriage dogs, once so frequently kept in England, were about the most useless creatures of the dog kind, maintained only for show and fashion. This is a mistake. They were used at a time when a traveling carriage carried, besides its owners, a large amount of valuable property, and the dogs watched the carriage at night when the owners were sleeping at country inns. Horseless carriageFollowing the four-in-hand (look to its left and in the background) is a horseless carriage. The driver appears to be operating a tiller. Fifth AvenueI assume that this is Fifth Avenue in the fifties, looking southwest, or is it northeast? Can anyone identify the church in the background? [The street sign on the lamppost says West 30th. - Dave] Cool lamps! Check out the cool dragon lamps on the front of the hotel. I wonder if they are lying in some basement somewhere gathering dust? Free Dog III'm with Jimmy Longshanks. I too love seeing random dogs going about their business without a care in the world. This dog looks very happy in his work. Like those cool dragon lamps, I briefly wonder what became of him? (The Gallery, Dogs, DPC, Horses, NYC)
Locomotive Dreams: 1942
... gone up in flames faster than an early 20th century resort hotel. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/23/2017 - 12:08pm -

December 1942. "Locomotives in the roundhouse at a Chicago and North Western Railroad yard." Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. Absolutely beautifulThe light, the composition, the atmosphere, it's breathtaking, almost like a rendering PerfectWow, just perfect! Just beautifulI agree with the other comments. You couldn't paint this scene any better. Terrific lighting, atmosphere and composition. Fine art in the roundhouse. You can almost smell the coal smoke and steam. Organic FlooringI believe that the floor surface depicted here is wood block. Similar to cobblestones, long wood blocks were placed with the grain in a vertical orientation, and were remarkably durable, albeit somewhat lumpy. As a young lad ca. 1959, my father pointed out to me the old driveway of a family member in East Hollywood, California - it was wood block. Delano's Masterwork? This is one of the greatest photos on the site. Wood block flooringIn my youth I inspected fire damage to some rooms in the old St. Louis Post-Dispatch building on 12th Street. One room was floored with wood blocks. Fire fighting water had expanded the blocks so that they were humped up as much as a foot or more above the concrete floor like the waves in the sea. I walked on that surface. The sides of each block had slots to accommodate long strips of corrugated metal. Those strips held the blocks together. Wood block flooring was common in machine shops, printing press rooms and the like. Wood block flooring at GPOThe only place I've ever seen flooring like that is at the old Government Printing Office in downtown DC. I remember liking the look of it. I guess the original purpose, at least in that building, was to lessen the noise of large printing presses. I don't know whether printing is done there now. When I was last there, in the mid-1990s, I don't recall seeing or hearing presses running. Cushioned flooring?I was recently given a tour of the NASA-Ames center in Mountain View, CA, and saw a similar wood block floor in a 1940s lab building. When I commented on it, one of the engineers said the wood blocks cushioned any tools that might fall off a workbench, as opposed to the damaging effect of landing on a concrete floor. Wood?If that's a big pile of ashes under the fire it suggests this is not wood but rather stone. All that oil-soaked wood would have gone up in flames faster than an early 20th century resort hotel. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Jacksonville Skyline: 1910
... Building lined up along the city's Bankers' Row, with the Hotel Seminole at right. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. ... additions to archfan's comment, 1) on the right -- the Hotel Seminole and whatever else was on this block of Forsyth Street have been ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/11/2022 - 2:09pm -

Jacksonville, Florida, circa 1910. "Forsyth Street looking east from Hogan." The post office, Atlantic National Bank and Bisbee Building lined up along the city's Bankers' Row, with the Hotel Seminole at right. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. SurvivorsThe two tallest buildings are still there - with several newer buildings between. The one in the distance looks like it has been shuttered for many years. The good news is that it looks like they're planning on refurbishing it into apartments! Ask The Man Who Owns OneThat looks like a brand new Packard Model 30 Touring sitting high and proud out front. And the race is onTwo additions to archfan's comment, 1) on the right -- the Hotel Seminole and whatever else was on this block of Forsyth Street have been replaced by the massive Bank of America building, and 2) the interesting dome in the distance is gone. I wonder what it was? The photographer from the Detroit Publishing Company caught an interesting slice of life. In a quiet niche on the post office steps a couple is having a conversation which I believe includes romance. A small child wanders away from them. The man in white suspenders is sweeping away horse apples so the automobile, which is parked ahead of the carriage, won't soil its whitewall tires as it pulls away from the curb. A bicyclist is peddling towards the photographer as a man in a white Eton jacket runs across the street ahead of him and towards the post office. A collision seems eminent. Dome storyThe building in the distance is the Duval County Courthouse erected in 1902 to replace the one burned in the 1901 Fire. (And not to be confused with the similarly domed Jacksonville City Hall, hidden from view by the Bisbee Building) (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Florida, Jacksonville)
Aquacabana: 1941
March 5, 1941. "Raleigh Hotel, Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. Snack bar. L. Murray Dixon, ... describes the rental deal between the Army and the hotel owners: You hear afterwards that the crux of the negotiations was reached on a sunny afternoon when the Army acquainted the hotel operators with its normal basic rate. The hotel-keepers started to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/15/2013 - 9:44am -

March 5, 1941. "Raleigh Hotel, Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. Snack bar. L. Murray Dixon, architect." Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. Still ThereStill Standing, with a few more palm trees for privacy. The Most Beautiful Boot Camp In AmericaFrom 1942 to 1945, The US Army Air Forces Training Command requisitioned over 300 Miami Beach hotels, including the Raleigh. They were used both as residences and classrooms. During that period fully 25 percent of the USAAF officers and 20 percent of the Air Force's enlisted men had been trained there. Check out this post card from the era. There's Always Moneyin the banana stand. Nautical ThemeThis tower is still in use at the Raleigh. How fun to stay there and enjoy the cool outdoor bar and nearby pool. Real estate negotiationsAlistair Cooke, in his book The American Home Front, describes the rental deal between the Army and the hotel owners: You hear afterwards that the crux of the negotiations was reached on a sunny afternoon when the Army acquainted the hotel operators with its normal basic rate. The hotel-keepers started to expound the woes of their business. They pointed out that most of the big hotels had been built at a cost of anything up to half a million dollars. Through the winter season they asked and got anything from $20.00 to $35.00 a room a day. The Army repeated the grievous news that its basic rate was $10.00 a man a month. It would be hard to imagine a more exquisite opportunity for use of the word 'compromise'. But the deadlock was resolved by a young Lieutenant who remarked that the Army does not theoretically engage rooms, it rents cubic feet. After a moment's silence, the perspiration rolled happily down the foreheads of the hotel men. The only problem now was how many men you could pack into a room, 16 x 20. A little hasty arithmetic was figured on scratch pads, and the conference was amicably ended. The only headache they had to wrestle with was how to store or dispose of the furniture and furnishings, for again the Army likes its cubic feet to be uninhibited by four-poster beds and Jacobean trestles. (The Gallery, Florida, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami, Swimming)
Walton Way: 1905
... looking down the familier steep hill where The Bon Aire Hotel and The Partridge Inn are both located at the bottom. As a matter of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:57pm -

Circa 1905. "Summerville, South Carolina -- Walton Way." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Could be AugustaAs a lifelong resident (60 years) of Augusta, GA, I feel confident in saying this is indeed Walton Way. However, it's in Augusta, not SC. And, this particular section of it is in the "Summerville" neighborhood of Augusta. It looks as though we're looking down the familier steep hill where The Bon Aire Hotel and The Partridge Inn are both located at the bottom. As a matter of fact, The Partridge Inn can just be seen in the distance in the center of the picture. Of course I could be wrong...probably am. Tree TownSo many trees to trim, so little time. Even though Augusta, Georgia has an average high of 58 and low of 33 in January, I am sure they can have an ice storm every now and then. I would guess that a heavy one would put this town out of business in 1905. Look at all the tree limbs over power, telegraph, telephone and even streetcar lines. The tram is the only clueTried to find current pics of Walton Way. Only thing now in Summerville is Walton Place... a little cul-de-sac in a modern subdivision. But, close by is another development with street names such as Tram Blvd and Iron Road. My guess is that the area was bulldozed for new homes but the builder kept some of the history in the street names. Ahhh, that’s better.Obviously the trollies clean-up after themselves in Summerville. Too Late for Pony Express, Too Early for FedExOn the left, u-bolted to the metal post, what are those two box enclosures? Is the small one a Post Office mail drop? And I have no idea about the larger one. Gould's Corner, Augusta, GAThis photo was taken from Gould's Corner in the Summerville historic district in Augusta, GA. The photo is listed in the LoC database at the end of a short series in Augusta; my guess is that the photographer simply labeled it "Summerville," then he (or someone else) later added the "S.C." based on the photos that followed. In any case, the house at the left is the Gould-Weed house. Just down the road, Walton Way takes a jog left, as can be seen by the curve in the trolley tracks. Here's the (overexposed) street view today: View Larger Map If you look at Bing's street view of the house from a few different angles, you can see that the architectural details match. tree hazardsThough there is evidence of some tree pruning having been done, a lot of work remains to protect all those inmeshed utility lines from the next big wind storm and any swinging/falling branches. MislabeledI suspect this photo is mislabeled. In Augusta, Georgia, there is a community also called Summerville. Walton Way, in the former place, is a major main road and vintage photos show trolleys were in service there. To my knowledge, my native Summerville, South Carolina never had trolleys. Relay@lesle: The bigger box if possibly a postal relay box, to "refill" the letter carrier's sachel with delivery mail along the route. If not, then my guess would be garbage can. I agree with you about the smaller box being a mail drop box for customers. Today it costs millions ofToday it costs millions of dollars a mile to build a light rail system. Back then they just laid down track and drove the cars on it. Corrections and reflectionsAs others have noted, this Summerville is a section of Augusta, Georgia, on The Hill, as locals say. This is a view of Walton Way, corner of Milledge Rd., looking toward downtown (roughly compass east). The house on the corner at left is still standing, nicely restored in recent years. Streetcars (the preferred term in the South, not "trolleys") last ran in Augusta in 1937, four years before I was born there. My grandparents lived on the Hill, at 2504 Helen St. (house now demolished), and I attended William Robinson Elementary School through third grade. I would ride my bike down Arsenal Ave. to Walton Way and thence to school. The streetcar tracks were in the concrete pavement for many years after service ceased; in fact, you could trace practically the whole line back up to Monte Sano Ave. and, in the other direction, down the Hill to Thirteenth St. and then over to Broad St. From Monte Sano the line ran down Central Ave. in the center boulevard (in New Orleans they call it the "neutral ground') and worked its way back to Broad St. It was a belt line, i.e., cars ran in a continuous loop in both directions. Although I missed the streetcar era in Augusta, I later lived in New Orleans and rode them almost daily. Definitely Augusta, my home townThe photo was taken at the corner of Milledge Road and Walton Way, looking e-s-e toward downtown. Growing up in Augusta in the 1940s, I distinctly remember the streetcar tracks on Walton Way, although the cars went out in 1935 on the Walton Way-Central Ave. belt line, and in 1937 on the rest of the system. Tracks remained on portions of Walton Way out to Monte Sano Ave., and on Broad St. out to 13th St. and from 15th out to Julian Smith Park. On Walton Way it was single track from Milledge to Monte Sano, and there was a turnout into the Arsenal. Trackage was standard gauge, T-rail (no girder rail, i.e., no flangeways). The original street railway here was the Augusta & Summerville Railway, Summerville being that portion of present-day Augusta known to the natives as "The Hill." My paternal grandparents lived on the Hill at 2504 Helen St. and I spent summers there with them well into the 1950s. Augusta was a great railroad town also, with the main shops of the Georgia Railroad located near the grand Union Station ("the depot" to the locals). All of that is demolished. The Southern, Atlantic Coast Line, C&WC, and the Ga. & Fla. also served Augusta. While I missed the streetcars in Augusta, I later rode them in New Orleans, and became (and remain) a trolley "nut." Big box of news? Could that be an early paper vending machine, two cents for a copy? Looks like AugustaI've lived in Augusta for 13 years now and as a resident and avid photographer, this defiantly looks like Walton way. ["Defiantly"? Definitely. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns, Streetcars)
Boston Rooftops: 1906
... expansion to seven stories and 500 rooms--Boston's largest hotel. Across the street in the earlier photo is square-towered Brattle ... erected in 1772. As is clear from the Shorpy photo, the hotel outlasted the church, which was demolished when the congregation moved to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2022 - 12:09pm -

Boston circa 1906. "Quincy House and Faneuil Hall from Barrister's Hall, Boston University." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Where's my shopping cart???Everything you need is there. Whiskey, rifles and pistols, art supplies, sign makers...you name it, it's there. And speaking of there, could that 5-masted schooner shown there in the picture just to the right of the tallest flag pole be the "Jane Palmer"? Hard to say, but it could be What Could Have BeenSo much of this Boston cityscape was obliterated by urban renewal in the late 1950s and early '60s and replaced with soulless concrete and glass monstrosities. Restoration and repurposing could have made the city far less of an eyesore than this area is today. Vanished Boston institutionsThe Quincy House lasted eleven decades after it opened on the corner of Brattle Street and Brattle Square around 1819. The photo below, circa 1860, shows it before an 1885 expansion to seven stories and 500 rooms--Boston's largest hotel. Across the street in the earlier photo is square-towered Brattle Street Church, erected in 1772. As is clear from the Shorpy photo, the hotel outlasted the church, which was demolished when the congregation moved to Back Bay in 1872--then disbanded four years later. The Quincy House closed in 1929. Even the addresses are gone. Ask for Brattle Street and Brattle Square today, and you'll end up in Cambridge. Faneuil Hall Marketplace survivesThe building in the 1906 photo with the pitched roof and copula survives. It appears all else is no more. City Hall Plaza has replaced most of what is in the foreground. Click to embiggen. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is circled in white. [NOTE: Must be 18 or older to enter the "copula." - Dave] Dave, I'm too ashamed to admit how many times I Googled "copula" after your comment and got the correct response of cupola without noticing Google corrected my spelling. Yes, "copula" is something very different. Cold makes things grow, tooAs in the operations of the Quincy Market Cold Storage and Warehouse Company. Beginning with a warehouse at Commercial and Richmond Streets (situated behind the ball of the Quincy House's flagpole) it expanded up the street to that hulking building near the left of the photo (which ended up looking even more hulking); all linked together by a "maze of insulated metal pipes coiling for 30 miles under the cobblestone streets". One Other Still StandingThe Sears Crescent Building on the far right still stands, I believe. The building was given that shape to follow Cornhill Street, which no longer exists. I'm not old enough to remember when the neighborhood looked like this. However, I am old enough to remember it in the early 1960s, flat and empty. Shorpy has visited other nearby sites, like Adams Square (https://www.shorpy.com/node/7919), also obliterated in haste and regretted at leisure. SurvivorsAs noted below, Faneuil Hall, in the center of the photo, with the low-pitched roof, cupola, and half-moon window in the gable, is still there, as is the central Quincy Market building immediately behind it, with the large. light-colored dome. Today, Quincy Market is a big food court, filled with tourists, asking for directions to Fenway Park. (Umm, kind of a long walk from here.) The long line of buildings to the immediate left of Quincy Market, with the street level awnings, is also still there - part of the Quincy Market commercial development - consisting largely of shops and places to eat and drink. The stone building immediately behind Quincy Market is long gone, but the long 5-6 story stone building immediately to the left of it is Mercantile Wharf. The front section of Mercantile Wharf has been lopped off, but the rest of it is still there - commercial space at street level, pricey condos above. Finally, the building in the extreme lower right corner of the photo, with "Sears Crescent" written in stone on the face, is still there (as is the original stone "Sears Crescent" signage). But virtually everything to the left of that building is gone, replaced by the barren, windswept desert of City Hall Plaza, and the brutalist concrete architecture of City Hall itself. They keep trying to liven it up, with only limited, incremental success. Great picture of a great city. (Excuse me now while I go get a 10 cent whiskey in that fine establishment across the street from the Sears Crescent.) (The Gallery, Boston, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Memorial Bridge: 1931
... Steps The steps are so still there, past the Watergate Hotel, Kennedy Center and the volleyball courts. They're used most often now by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/18/2019 - 4:08pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1931. "Construction of Arlington Memorial Bridge over Potomac River." Acetate negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. The Drawbridge of DignitariesAt the time of the Memorial Bridge's design, planners anticipated a dock for berthing the ocean-going ships of foreign dignitaries visiting Washington, D.C. Such ships would ply their way up the Potomac River and through the drawbridge span, shown in detail here. Immediately upstream of the bridge was a dock featuring a sweeping array of steps on the river's eastern bank up to the Lincoln Memorial. This dock was seldom if ever used, and is now gone. The steps are still there, however, serving as the extreme western limit of the Mall. [Steps perhaps better known as the Watergate. - Dave] Bridge on the River PotomacBeautiful shot. It gives a look at construction methods of the day. I love the perspective given by the three guys under the bridge. Do any DC Shorpsters know the building on the left edge of the frame? [It's the Lincoln Memorial. Next up for identification: That big building down the street with the humongous dome. - Dave] Really builtSo wonderfully built, it should have been named the Thisbe Memorial Bridge. Giant StepsThe steps are so still there, past the Watergate Hotel, Kennedy Center and the volleyball courts. They're used most often now by folks adding a little more aerobics to their jog. I've always wanted to know their purpose. [They are the "water gate" that the Watergate is named after. - Dave] Views from the bridgeCrossing the bridge in to DC you see a beautiful view of the Lincoln Memorial, crossing in to Virginia you see the old Lee mansion. It's even better at night, and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Watergate concertWhen I was stationed there in the late 1950's those watergate steps were used for musical concerts. A barge was placed at the foot of the steps for the stage. Having very little money in those days, my wife and I were very appreciative of what we were able to observe for free. The entertainment was first-rate. The airplanes flying into Washington National were very noisy but we loved it. Like a RockLooks like a proper stone bridge when you cross it. Wear good shoes...Geezer, you will be stunned. I did just the same thing last week. The city -- especially the Mall and surroundings -- is incredibly walkable. No matter who is temporarily occupying those iconic buildings, the history, majesty, power, and beauty of DC was overwhelming--especially at and after sundown. I was a bit unprepared for the emotions I experienced. I wish every citizen could spend a day there at least once in their life. Up and DownThis is the draw span under construction. The Potomac was navigable to Georgetown, north of Memorial Bridge. Until the Roosevelt Bridge was built upstream, Memorial would be opened for river traffic. There was an oil dock in Rosslyn across the river from Georgetown where coastal tankers would make deliveries through the '50s. See for myselfThat does it. My bride and I just talked it over and we're going to DC in two weeks to walk over this bridge and then spend a week wandering around and filling big gaps in our knowledge of our nation's capital. Dave, it was your reply to my comment that did it. I'm an American; I should have recognized the Lincoln Memorial. Who Knew?As an area resident, I consider myself pretty well up to speed on lots of the trivial parts of DC, but I can't say I knew Memorial Bridge could open. There's a great shot at the LOC website. Massive ProjectAs noted by other commenters below, I had no clue that this bridge contained a moveable lift section in the middle. It is a testament to the beautiful design that such basic functionality could be so well disguised. Not to nitpick, but since Hoover witnessed the spans raising at the time of the following article (January 1931), I would venture that the date of this photo is more likely to be circa 1930. Washington Post, Jan 23, 1931 Hoover and Party Inspect New Span Workings of Arlington Bridge Viewed by Officials, With Grant as Guide President Hoover yesterday inspected the nearly completed memorial bridge which spans the Potomac River between the Lincoln Memorial and the Robert E. Lee home in the Arlington National Cemetery. He was accompanied by Vice President Curtis, Speaker Longworth, Lieut. Col. U.S. Grant 3d and others connected with the huge project. The President stood in the middle of the bridge and watched the giant spans operated. Then he went to the control rooms of the bridge to watch the machinery slowly and soundlessly lower the two giant leaves of the bascule bridge. The control rooms are in the central pier of the bridge, partly below the water line of the river. They are reached by a stairway leading down from the bridge surface. The President and the inspection group then waled to the Virginia side, where the bridge enters the Arlington Cemetery, athte base of the hill on which the Lee mansion stands. After the inspection the President returned to his desk at the White House. His only comment on the trip was, "It is a massive project." Open and ShutThe draw span for Memorial Bridge was welded shut about forty years ago. The bridge no longer opens. D.C. SojournMy wife and I are visiting Washington this week and we walked over this bridge last night around sunset. With the gold bridge statues and the Lincoln Memorial behind them, it was quite a sight. The whole D.C. experience is very emotional, as DJ noted. It is my wife's first visit to her adopted country's capital and it has been an incredible experience for her. Thanks for the prompting, Dave, it was your comment that got me out of NYC and down to D.C. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, D.C., Theodor Horydczak)
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