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Let It Snow: 1940
February 1940 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Guests in a hotel lobby watching the snowstorm. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/21/2007 - 1:59am -

February 1940 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Guests in a hotel lobby watching the snowstorm. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. Snowy movieThis series of photographs by Rothstein is very precious. You can almost hear the silence of this snowy day, feel the chill outside, watch the time quietly go by. Gosh, I love watching snow as wellIs there anything better than on a snowy shut-in kind of day, than watching the fluttering flakes with your best girl? I think not! Also, this photo reminds me of the movie Ghost Story in many ways. Hope you have seen it, it's a gem. The Law!In 1940, there must have been a law that you had to wear a hat - even indoors ! Chaq'un a son goutEach to his own taste. I prefer to watch the snow. If the main squeeze is there to watch it with me, so much the better. Another reason to beAnother reason to be thankful I was born during the reign of television. I'll take my 50" Hitachi Plasma over a snowy window any day.. Thanks Santa! My Dad!Another great photo I haven't seen by my father, Arthur Rothstein. What an interesting photo! He photographed the way he saw things. I love the fact that he shot them from behind as an observer. I remember him wearing a hat just like this. Thanks for putting this up. The Sound of SilenceRay B, you said exactly what entered my mind and heart upon seeing this wonderful photo, Rothstein was a true artist with a camera. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, On the Road)
Termite Terrace: 1901
Miami circa 1901. "Hotel Royal Palm, west front." Henry Flagler's hostelry opened in 1897 and ... due to being buried underneath the garden in front of this hotel. To tterrace Was this the building where Looney Tunes were born? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/25/2014 - 5:37pm -

Miami circa 1901. "Hotel Royal Palm, west front." Henry Flagler's hostelry opened in 1897 and closed in 1930, condemned after a termite infestation. 8x10 inch glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. AmazinThat it didn't burn down before the termites got into it. Current Issue of American Archaeology There is an article in the current American Archaeology Magazine on the the excavation of remnants of a Native American Tequesta village at this location. It probably escaped complete destruction in part due to being buried underneath the garden in front of this hotel. To tterraceWas this the building where Looney Tunes were born? [Well now, I wouldn't say that. -tterrace] Let The Sun Shine InFlorida in the early 1900s, yet no window awnings? Wow, gotta love the heat to endure that. Then again I'm sure the hurricanes made short work of them. [These hotels were winter destinations for their wealthy northern clientele. -tterrace] (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Miami, W.H. Jackson)
Back on Track: 1907
... trip. It looks like a good walk from the depot to the hotel. Plenty of Time to Enjoy Your Stay It won't be until 1977 that the ... Club's Highland Center. The "Omni" Mount Washington Hotel, just up Route 302 in Bretton Woods, is still active. It's worth a stay ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2017 - 6:48pm -

Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, 1907. "Gate of notch toward Crawford House, White Mountains." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. B&M station still survivesI saw the Crawford House before it burned during a trip to New England in the 70's. Shame it was allowed to deteriorate. The railroad station in the photo still survives. It has been converted to a restaurant. Dedicated tracksThe tracks appear to make a loop behind the hill to turn the train around for the return trip. It looks like a good walk from the depot to the hotel. Plenty of Time to Enjoy Your StayIt won't be until 1977 that the inevitable fire destroys this wooden masterpiece. Full description of the fire can be found here. It had definitely seen better days right before the end. Burned to the ground 1977Abandoned, then suspected arson. http://www.whitemountainhistory.org/Crawford_House.html Now the site of the Appalachian Mountain Club's Highland Center. The "Omni" Mount Washington Hotel, just up Route 302 in Bretton Woods, is still active. It's worth a stay just to experience how life used to be in the White Mountains. Current location A lot of workIt must have taken a lot of work to cut through those rocky hills. I can't imagine how they did things like without modern construction equipment. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
Hanging Out: 1937
... "charters" in New Orleans) St. is now the Soniat House hotel. Say "Cheesy" All trying to pose nonchalantly and not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:36pm -

New Orleans circa 1937. "1133-1135 Chartres Street." Laundry day in the Quarter. 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Southern hospitality1133 Chartres (pronounced "charters" in New Orleans) St. is now the Soniat House hotel. Say "Cheesy"All trying to pose nonchalantly and not really succeeding. Also, none of them looking directly at the camera. One wonders if this was what the photographer wanted. Finally, there seems to be a definite demarcation between the sexes! Also known asRed Beans and Rice day. That's Monday to the rest of the world. BonjourMes chers amis. Laissez rouler les bon temps. The Kindness of StrangersSorry, it's impossible for me to look at these back door French Quarter pics and not think of "Streetcar." They must have built the sets from these stills. (If it wasn't shot on location). (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, New Orleans)
Tourists of Doom: 1906
... Now the "Renaissance San Francisco Stanford Court Hotel" is on the site at California & Powell streets in SF: ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/30/2016 - 6:34pm -

"Ruins of Stanford Mansion and Hopkins Art Institute, San Francisco." Aftermath of the April 18, 1906, earthquake and fire. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Look On the Bright Side...At least the lamps survived. 110 years onThere's a good pre-earthquake photo of the mansion from almost the same angle at: http://www.ronhenggeler.com/the_big_4/1-15.htm Now the "Renaissance San Francisco Stanford Court Hotel" is on the site at California & Powell streets in SF: What's leftInteresting - that square utilities pole. Looks like possibly constructed of concrete. And, typical of devastating fires, nothing left except for the chimneys. Before and AfterI found this image from nearly the same spot before the fire. The burned tower in the background of the Shorpy photo is still under construction in this image. Caught off guardAn interesting cross-section of the city's population, including three U.S. Marines, captured apparently unaware of the photographer's presence. It would seem that a relatively fast-acting camera was used, based on the motion captured in the frame. [Daylight exposures of fractions of a second were commonplace by this time. -tterrace] Well dressed even in disaster...Amazing how well turned out these people are in the midst of their ruined city complete with attractive hats, coats and dresses. They even have their Brownie cameras in tow (I am guessing that is what is being carried by the man in the foreground) How Long After ?I wonder how long after the fire that this was taken? The large utility pole seems to have more guy wires anchored to it than service wires on its cross arms while another wooden one (without any wires) looks, fresh even with all the spiked-boot climbing evidence on it. Also, the irony of the fire hydrant - likely rendered useless if the quake sheared the mains supplying it. Some SF buildings had private cisterns, which in a few rare cases mitigated damage. Another curious survivorThe monkey puzzle tree in the front yard. (The Gallery, DPC, Fires, Floods etc., San Francisco)
A Chat With Marilyn: 1953
Marilyn Monroe in 1953 at the Banff Springs Hotel while in Canada to film River of No Return . Photo by John Vachon for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2013 - 7:22pm -

Marilyn Monroe in 1953 at the Banff Springs Hotel while in Canada to film River of No Return. Photo by John Vachon for Look magazine. View full size. CandidShe never took a bad photo. And in 50 years, she will still be admired for her beauty. The girl you wished lived next door. BeforeI love the photos of her before she got to be really famous. She looks so much more beautiful in this photo!!!! More natural. The 55 Year ItchWhen I was but five years old, I tore a full page photo of this enchantress from "Life" magazine and, after folding it reverently, secured it in my plastic Roy Rogers billfold and carried it everywhere I chanced. I find myself still enthralled to her at age 60 with no hope of manumission. Her song ended long ago, but O! How her melody lingers on. Old Marilyn PhotosMany years ago, when I was doing free-lance work for Globe Rangefinder in NYC, I spent an hour or two looking through their files of Marilyn Monroe contact sheets with a linen tester magnifier. These photos were taken in the early 1950s, and even when Miss Monroe sneezed, was caught offguard or made a goofy face at the camera, she looked amazing. An earlier comment by switzarch is so true: she seemingly just couldn't take a bad photo. Even girls have a crush on Marilyn, she was so lovely. I enjoy seeing these photos of her so young and eager for her promising future. Simply . . . . . . . radiant. (The Gallery, John Vachon, LOOK, Marilyn Monroe, Pretty Girls)
Welcome to Denver: 1908
... the street there. My kind of place ! The Oxford Hotel looks like my kind of place. Cigars on one side, bar and restaurant on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2014 - 9:35am -

        Click here for a view of the arch from the depot. Denver, Colorado, circa 1908. "Welcome arch and Union Depot." Where blurry pedestrians risk the retoucher's brush. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Because ...that's much less noticeable than a blurred pedestrian, right? +104Below is the same view from July of 2012. SuperheroI think that might be the Human Torch crossing the street there. My kind of place !The Oxford Hotel looks like my kind of place. Cigars on one side, bar and restaurant on the other and a nice group of chairs in the middle! Time to sit down and have a smoke! Photo RetouchingBy the time this photo was taken in 1908, the airbrush had been around for nearly a decade. It's level of sophistication and ease of operation may not have been quite on par with modern machines, but would have definitely done a better retouching job on the blurred pedestrian than this feeble attempt done by a regular brush. From someone who did his share of photo retouching the old school way with an airbrush, retouch grays, and frisket paper, let me tell you that I love PhotoShop immensely. [The actual "retouching" would be done while preparing the lithograph printing stones, in effect repainting the area. My guess is that the scratching out of the pedestrian was a method of calling attention to the necessity of doing so. -tterrace] Right you are! My remarks would only pertain to photographic print retouching. Thanks! Modern advertising skillsThe Depot Drug Store's slogan, painted on the side of the building, is "Come In and Wait". I'm not sure that kind of slogan would work today. Welcome ArchShortly after this photo was taken, this side of the arch was changed to "Mizpah" - Hebrew for "God watch over you while we are apart" - after some citizens pointed out that "Welcome" didn't make sense for people passing under as they departed. "Welcome" remained on the arrival side until the arch was declared a traffic hazard and removed in 1931. The central portion of the depot lost its tower when it was rebuilt in Romanesque style in 1914 WhenWas the Arch installed and by whom? (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Finials Galore
... they were taken. [It's Washington, D.C.'s Mayflower Hotel, previously seen here on Shorpy. -tterrace] View full size. ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 02/17/2017 - 8:16pm -

Picked up a set of about 5 of these 8 x 10 architect's photos (in oak frames) way back in the 1990s. Do not know where they were taken. [It's Washington, D.C.'s Mayflower Hotel, previously seen here on Shorpy. -tterrace] View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
The Shining: 1908
... with flash Here I've recreated the effect in my hotel room. This was a 5 second exposure with the flash firing at the start of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/19/2015 - 12:27pm -

August 1908. "Greek bootblack in Indianapolis." An interesting example of a time exposure where the subject either enters the frame after the shutter opens or leaves it before it closes. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. How about a double exposure?....since there's no streaks to indicate the kid coming or going. Single exposure with flashHere I've recreated the effect in my hotel room. This was a 5 second exposure with the flash firing at the start of the exposure. After the flash fired I immediately stepped into the bathroom. I vote doubleIf the exposure time had been long enough for him to walk on or off he would have had to stay VERY still while he was posing to not be blurred. Since he looks quite sharp I think it was two fairly short exposures rather than one long one. Single ExposureI agree with Ken. The reason there's no blur is that a flash was used. With the shutter open, the kid takes his place, Hine sets off a charge of magnesium flash powder, then the glass plate is removed from the camera. This is how he seems to have taken most of his night shots. In this instance there was enough ambient light to register the background on the plate, an artifact we can see in other Hine photos taken at night. re: How about a double exposure?It is more likely a very long exposure where the boy stood still through most of it and then walked off. You can try the same thing at your house with a long exposure. Simply sit still for most of the exposure and then get up and walk off. You won't see any streaks, just a ghost. Location of the parlorI found a copy of the 1909 Indianapolis City Directory and located "Papatheofines Chris" at 108 1/2 E Washington St., under the heading of 'Shoe Shining Parlors.' Today that address (to right of the corner building which has flag on top and ATO frat headquarters below) is occupied by luxury condos, in a building that started out (or at least was at the earliest of my memory) the Morris Plan Savings and Loan company. This structure most certainly was build well after the one in the Shorpy photo as it was in a modern 50/60's style. This is the NE corner of Washington and Pennsylvania streets. (The Gallery, Indianapolis, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Here Come the Bridesmaids: 1924
... The happy couple planned to move into the Wardman Park Hotel, home of many a Shorpy subject, to await the groom's return to service in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/28/2016 - 12:52am -

May 6, 1924. Arlington, Virginia. "Byars-Coontz wedding." The union of Miss Virginia Byars to Lieut. Kenneth Lee Coontz, son of Admiral Robert Coontz. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Little boy lostPresumably the usher standing with arms crossed amidst encroaching bouquets. His outfit was not designed to bring a smile to his face. [He's most likely the ring bearer, and his feminine counterpart the flower girl. -tterrace] Can I go now?That little boy looks thrilled to be part of the festivities. Tragic end to the union?ADM Coontz served as the second Chief of Naval Operations. His son, the groom, died on active duty, apparently two years after this photo was taken, and was interred not far from wherever this photo was taken in Arlington. See here. A somber occasionAs my late mother would say, when taking a picture, "Would it kill you to smile?" Ghastly GarmentsIt's nice to know that bridesmaids dresses have always been useless once the wedding is over. And what's with the bride, who looks like she's trying to figure out a way to get out of the wedding? Virginia lived a long lifeUntil the age of 98. Groom & doomThe wedding earned an entire column of coverage in the May 7, 1924 New York Times. The matron of honor in this photo was the First Lady of Virginia and the flower girl, her daughter. The happy couple planned to move into the Wardman Park Hotel, home of many a Shorpy subject, to await the groom's return to service in the Pacific that fall. In its brief September 26, 1926 report on Lt. Coontz's death, the Times stated that it followed an illness of more than a year, and that he had undergone several major operations. The Associated Press had mentioned cancer. Son of the brideObituary here. (The Gallery, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, Weddings)
Pilot Project: 1938
... Mail Week essay contest at a dinner held at the Mayflower Hotel. Runners-up were Ellen Peak, of Manhattan, Kans., who received a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/15/2013 - 11:14pm -

May 16, 1938. "National Airmail Week essay winners at Washington Airport." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. WonderWhere the 'Airmail Week' winners are being airmailed to. An interesting assortment of folks; how many might be about to take their first airplane ride, if that be the prize involved. hold on to your hats!These essays are going to blow you away. The plane that changed the world These wonderful birds have been in the air in one form or another for almost 80 years. An excellent history of the plane (Donald Douglas himself considered it the best on the subject), “The Plane that Changed the World: A Biography of the DC3,” (Douglas Ingells, 1966) is available online, and should be a must read for anyone with the slightest interest in aviation history. These planes just keep flying and flying with no end in sight. Most likely many Shorpy readers are unfamiliar with airmail service of days gone by. Most mail moved by train or truck then, but for a premium (six cents as opposed to three) a letter could be sent by air. Tail NC16094I googled the tail number and found out that the DC3 was sold by Eastern to Pan Am in 1939. In 1941 the government grabbed it and sent it to the UK. The Dakota (Brit for DC3) was sent to the North African campaign. I found that Corgi prduced a model of this DC3 and there were several offered in action. There were also three rather low rez pictures of it in war trim. It as well as both Eastern and Pan Am are no more. My First FlightMy first commercial flight was on a Frontier Airlines DC3 from Lincoln, NE to Kansas City, in about 1960. Before takeoff, the stewerdess handed out sticks of Doublemint to chew because the planes were not pressurized. I sat behind the emergency exit door and there was a slight breeze coming through it during trip. The plane flew low enough that you could see farmers out working in their fields. We had to spend about an hour on the ground in St. Joseph Missouri during a scheduled stop because it was discovered that one of the fuel caps was missing and it took them a while to round up another one. I remember more details about that short flight than the many I have taken since. Wings Over AmericaPictured are the state winners of the national essay constest. This photo at the LOC shows Postmaster Burke awarding the prizes to the top three national winners. A technical comparison of the photos (I looked at the shoes) suggests that Perry Morrison is second from the left (he has the swagger of a winner) while Ellen Peak is on the right-hand arm of the pilot. I can't find Homer Still, jr. Washington Post, April 21, 1938. Essay Contest Will Mark Air Mail Birthday Washington Public, Private School Pupils to Seek 1,500-Mile trip. Vincent Burke, District postmaster, yesterday announced plans for an essay contest for students in public and private high school of Washington in connection with the twentieth anniversary of the Government air mail service, to be celebrated from May 15 to 21. Burke said the essays would treat the subject “Wings Over America,” including the purposes of air transportation and its effects on modern communication. Similar contests are being conducted in each State. Winners of the State contests will receive an air trip to Washington to take part in the Airmail Week celebration, while the winning Washington student will be given a 1,500-mile round trip to whatever point he wishes. The runner-up in the District will be given a plane ride to Norfolk, Va., and back. The national winner will be given a trip and five-day stop-over to Hollywood, Calif., or Miami Fla. … Washington Post, May 16, 1938. … Perry Morrison, Arcadia (Calif.) High School student, last night was awarded a trip to Miami as winner of the National Air Mail Week essay contest at a dinner held at the Mayflower Hotel. Runners-up were Ellen Peak, of Manhattan, Kans., who received a bronze and silver trophy, and Homer Still, jr., of Jacksonville, Fla., who was presented with a silver plaque. … DC-3!My dad loved DC-3s, and in the late '60s finally found a C-47 cargo variant, which he loved. He flew it out of the Naples and Ft. Myers airports. He raved about it being perhaps the best airplane ever built, and I asked him what made it so special. He started a long explanation about wing loading and other technical stuff, and then stopped and said, "Sometimes an airplane just looks so right that you know it's right, and the DC-3 is one of those. It's just perfectly proportioned." Maybe that's part of their appeal. I used to see the Naples Airlines/Provincetown-Boston's DC-3 at the Naples airport in the winters and it was a beauty! The Winning EssayI tracked down Perry Morrison's winning essay, published in the May 16, 1938 issue of the Lodi News-Sentinel. Their are a few metadata discrepancies with the previously posted Washington Post article: the correct theme of the competition was “Wings Across America&#8221, not “Wings Over America&#8221 and the California paper reports Perry's high school as Monrovia, not Arcadia. I enjoyed reading Perry's essay for the combination of astonishment and thrill in the new age of air commerce and communication. Wings Across America by Perry Morrison A nation is no stronger than the ties which bind it together, Air transportation and communication constitute such a tie—an agent in binding our country into one unit. Moreover, it helps to maintain within that unit a social, cultural and economic as well as political democracy. For instance: The Federal Reserve Bank's resources in New York are being taxed. Money lies idle in San Francisco. An adjustment is made—by air. A Government official is in Chicago. Urgent matters of state call him to Washington. He is there in less than twenty-four hours—by air. Serum from Boston is needed for an epidemic in Florida. It gets there in a few hours and saves many lives—by air. Junior cuts his first tooth. Full particulars are sent—by air. Even such trivial matters as information bout Junior's tooth help to bind us together as a nation. Wings Across America help to keep us united yet democratic; efficient yet free—an ideal much of the world has given up. Wings Across America also makes for more gracious living for the individual. One has breakfast in Los Angeles; dinner in New York. A letter mailed on one coast is delivered on the other in an astonishingly short time. Loved ones or business connections, days away by land, become a matter of hours by air. Scenic wonders take an even greater glory when viewed from above. Speed and dispatch undreamed of a few years ago are now at every man's disposal for the purchase of an air mail stamp. To what end? Unity for the nation; more abundant life for the individual. (The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
DeLovely: 1904
... food. At the time there was an abandon, two story, wood hotel at the springs. My grandmother told me it closed down when a guest had ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/04/2013 - 8:55pm -

Florida circa 1904. "DeLeon Springs near DeLand." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Looks like a decent fishin' holeI would love to throw a spinner bait across that pond! Second of two picturesSometime back you had a picture with a view of only the house on the right, along with the leaning tree with boards nailed on for a ladder. The rope across the water was also in the first picture and the overall look was one of complete isolation; no other buildings in sight. This view changes all of that with the addition of the large extended building to the left and the couple in the carriage. The water is clear and ice coldand they have a mill there where they grind flour and you can sit at these big tables and make your own pancakes. I can't recall if it was there that the big manatee would come in the winter or nearby Blue Springs, but I spent many happy times there in my youth swimming with the sunfish and being able to see all the way to the sandy bottom. Water qualityI can see the real estate ad now: The nearby pond is spring-fed, directly from the Fountain of Youth. Swimmers InvitedIn that this was taken when most 'Gators were ending up as luggage, it was probably perfectly safe to swim in this pond -- or reach, or slough or whatever. Except for the moccasins, rattlers, copperheads, and the odd nautical coral snake, of course. Not Exactly Golden PondBut we've been here before. It's a haunting location. Location, location, locationAn idyllic scene with the Spanish Moss, until you realize that the location by the pond in Florida probably has insects the size of flying tomatoes as well. Bewitchin' PoolI sure would like to go there and have some lemonade with Aunt T. Old timesI lived next to DeLeon Springs from 1958 to 1963. My grandmother worked in the gift shop, next to the 30 foot water wheel. I spent many happy days swimming in the springs and in the river. What was fun was dropping bread in the crystal clear river and watching the fish grab the food. At the time there was an abandon, two story, wood hotel at the springs. My grandmother told me it closed down when a guest had fallen through the floor because the wood was so rotted. It was all boarded up to keep people out, especially little boys. While the visitors were swimming, workers would attach two foot long "Visit DeLeon Springs" signs to the bumpers of the cars. My dad made sure the workers knew not to put a sign on our car. At the spring's parking area were peacocks, a free roving Emu and two Ostriches in a fenced in area. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Florida)
Florida Times-Union: 1904
... this building at 136 W. Bay Street became the Atlantic Hotel. An article in The Florida Times-Union was about a character they ... 1921, on the premise of scaling the front of the Atlantic Hotel, a three-story building at Bay and Hogan streets." (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 7:14pm -

Florida circa 1904. "Jacksonville and St. Johns River." Plus the headquarters of the Florida Times-Union newspaper and much transportation-related signage. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Jacksonville got bypassedIt wouldn't be long before all those travelers and freight would hit Jacksonville and keep right on going. The city's days as a destination were doomed by the relentless push southward of Henry Flagler's railroads and hotels. By the time I grew up there in the 1950s, Jacksonville was more or less Atlanta-lite with a beach. Signs of the timesI would have loved to have studied under some of the great sign painters of those times. Does anyone know if anything in this picture still exists? Jacksonville got "urban renewed"The St. Johns River is still there and more or less the same. The docks are gone, and any buildings that remain are unrecognizably altered. There are a few ghost signs visible here and there in downtown Jacksonville. The Florida Times-Union moved outNot later than 1921 this building at 136 W. Bay Street became the Atlantic Hotel. An article in The Florida Times-Union was about a character they referred to as the Human Fly, actually a Mr. Rockett. It reads in part: "Mr. Rockett had assembled a crowd in downtown Jacksonville Jan. 9, 1921, on the premise of scaling the front of the Atlantic Hotel, a three-story building at Bay and Hogan streets." (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Jacksonville, Railroads)
Magic Fingers: 1970
... U.S. Senate in Michigan, and meeting with son Mitt in her hotel room in Marquette." Note the "Magic Fingers" coin box. Photo by Douglas ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/12/2013 - 4:06pm -

1970. "Lenore Romney, wife of former Michigan Gov. George Romney, campaigning for U.S. Senate in Michigan, and meeting with son Mitt in her hotel room in Marquette." Note the "Magic Fingers" coin box. Photo by Douglas R. Gilbert for the Look magazine article "Lenore Fights Alone." View full size. Where are we, Mitt?They may be in Marquette but that looks like the front page of the Milwaukee Journal on the bed. Used to work for them in house-to-house distribution once a long time ago so it caught my eye. YoopersMarquette is in the UP, and is closer to Milwaukee than Detroit. Yoopers often seem to associate more with Wisconsin than Michigan (e.g., cheering for the Packers rather than the Lions, etc.). So it's not surprising to find the Romneys reading a copy of the Milwaukee Journal rather than the Detroit Free Press. Thanks for the delayI don't know if it was intentional, but I'm SO glad you didn't post this until AFTER the last election. I could just see the headlines: "ROMNEY PHOTOGRAPHED IN BED WITH MOTHER" ShoesI know that if I tried to sit like that, my mom would yell at me to get my shoes off the bed. Magic Fingers indeed (not)I *finally* convinced my dad to let me try Magic Fingers. He was reluctant to give me a quarter but my begging wore him down. What a disappointing experience! Magic fingers are alive elsewhereMy wife and I often stop on our way east at a roadside motel in Irwin, Pennsylvania. the small, but comfortable rooms are right out of the 1940s (knotty pine walls and period furniture). The Magic Fingers at the bedside work for two bits. I still have one of those Magic Fingers!I once worked at an old vending supply place and bought a few of them as gag gifts for friends. (They make great wedding gifts!) The motor can be screwed to any bed, chair or baby crib (as the booklet suggested!) and it really is a strange experience. The vibrations feel nice, but I like it when it suddenly stops and in the still of the moment you feel like you're floating. Best investment ever. You can still find them on eBay at times. the Holiday Inn in MarquetteAs one of the commenters said, the U.P. has close ties to Wisconsin and it wasn't surprising to see Milwaukee papers. I grew up in Marquette in the 70s and can remember a friend having a birthday party at the Holiday Inn... to use the swimming pool. Her parents rented a room. One of the things we enjoyed was trying out the "magic fingers..." so exotic! (LOOK, Politics)
Our Staff: 1900
... Dixville Notch, White Mountains, New Hampshire." The hotel staff, all of whom are upstairs these days. View full size. Axle ... Lettie fell off the train on the spur in front of the hotel one afternoon and hit her head, although some thought Jack pushed her. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/12/2012 - 8:45pm -

Circa 1900. "Group at the Balsams. Dixville Notch, White Mountains, New Hampshire." The hotel staff, all of whom are upstairs these days. View full size. Axle GreaseThe stylish man's pomade. Top of the hillThose three need a backstory. Scary in backThe people in the front row look like regular folks, just like anyone you might see on the street today. But as you go back in the group, many of the people have the dead-eyed stare of characters in old horror movies. I'm sleeping with the light on tonight. The Plot ThickensThe three on the hill in the rear row were known, left to right, by their fellow employees as Light-In-The-Head Lettie, Smackback Jack, and Anxious Annie. Lettie fell off the train on the spur in front of the hotel one afternoon and hit her head, although some thought Jack pushed her. In any case, that was the day they both earned their nicknames. It was further rumored that Annie did indeed witness the incident from one of the attic dormers, and she knew that Lettie had just the day before given Jack his walking papers. Poor Annie at first became nervous whenever jack came physically close to her, but then worried continuously, eventually becoming addicted to Paregoric as a calmative. All women will wear 18 yards of material in their dresses and men will part their hair in the middle for the staff photo. (The Gallery, DPC)
A Merry Xmas: 1940
... at Christmas dinner in the Australian Club (old East Hotel) in Jerusalem between 1940 and 1946. View full size. Matson Photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/16/2007 - 8:15am -

Australian soldiers at Christmas dinner in the Australian Club (old East Hotel) in Jerusalem between 1940 and 1946. View full size. Matson Photo Service. A bit of homeThe beer is Ballarat Bitter and the leaves on the walls look like eucalyptus, which with its unique smell would have so reminded them of home. Merry Xmas?Wouldn't an Australian Club have used Happy Xmas on their banner hanging above? Seems like the Brits used Happy Christmas as a greeting. [Maybe it's a British-made banner? - Dave] Australian XmasBetween '40 and '46 there was a major altercation . . . Ballarat Bitter?No wonder they look so down in the mouth. They're drinking poor quality Victorian beer. Ballarat Beer and at war... Could life be any worse? Of course it could be worseThe could be drinking American beer. Or Fosters. HandsomeI'm in love with the man in front, second from right. When we get the time machine up and running, I'm booking passage to the time and place in this picture. First, though, I'd have to stop in about 1980 and get myself back to how I looked then! (The Gallery, Christmas, Matson)
Tierra del Fuego: 1900
... 1900. "The beach at Old Orchard, Maine -- Ocean Pier and Hotel Velvet." Which, following the curiously inevitable destiny of beach ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/04/2016 - 11:18pm -

Circa 1900. "The beach at Old Orchard, Maine -- Ocean Pier and Hotel Velvet." Which, following the curiously inevitable destiny of beach resorts surrounded by ashtray-grade sand and literal oceans of water, "burned like oil" in the Great Fire of 1907. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Re: BathsA cold saltwater bath was probably warmer and more relaxing than bathing in the frigid Maine surf. As for hot baths, I can only wonder what happened to those. Saltwater is very therapeutic, and a hot salt bath sounds most rejuvenating. I wouldn't be surprised if they make a trendy comeback in beachfront spas. PiersMy guess, based on living in towns that took pride in their piers, is that they were used for fishing. It was also nice to just stroll out to the end of the pier and not jump in. BathsI bet the "Cold Salt Water Baths" advertised were just a joy to be partake in. [Hot also available. -tterrace] Always the same endingSo when did it burn? [Funny thing about the captions for these photos... - tterrace] Old Orchard Beach PierHaving spent many summers of my youth in Old Orchard I got to see a few different phases of the Pier. The one that remains there now is only about 5oo feet in length, the original was over 1600 feet long. Like many old beach resorts in the north east the combination of fire and storms are often the merchants of change. Pier attractionSo many of the pictures of seaside hotels, resorts, etc have long piers extending a long way out to sea. What was the attraction? the firePhoto here. Out on a limbThe lady sitting all alone in the foreground, head bowed. [Those are two women. -tterrace] (The Gallery, DPC, Swimming)
Shaken & Singed: 1906
... The building at far left in the "today" view is the Palace Hotel. Originally built in 1875 by William Ralston and opened right around the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/24/2022 - 2:37pm -

"Ruins of Pettibone Bros., New Montgomery Street." San Francisco in the aftermath of the earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Then you see it,now you don't: the (shells of the) Crocker, French Bank, Union Trust and Hobart Buildings. Only the second of these remains. (Pettibone Bros. -- manufacturer of "uniforms, regalia, flags, banners, badges and secret society goods of all kinds" -- had been at 19 New Montgomery.) My best guessNew Montgomery Street is mercifully short, so not many options as to where the photographer was standing in 1906. I'm assuming the new Hobart Buildings were built on the site of the destroyed Hobart Buildings. From that, here is my best guess as to the angle today. Click to embiggen And a Google Street view today, from New Montgomery Street and Stevenson Street. Force of natureThe amount of destruction you see just in this 8x10 photo is mind blowing. I think the death toll was around 3000. Terrible. TraditionThe building at far left in the "today" view is the Palace Hotel. Originally built in 1875 by William Ralston and opened right around the time of his mysterious death (accident or suicide?), it was burned out in 1906 and rebuilt three years later. That replacement structure is the one that still stands, its former carriageway now featured as part of a very posh restaurant in which I ate only once in my many years of living in SF (someone else was treating). (The Gallery, DPC, Fires, Floods etc., San Francisco)
National City Bank: 1912
... From U.S. Custom House > Bank HQ > Luxury Hotel > Condos: all while its cousins in other cities were consigned to the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/18/2022 - 4:13pm -

New York circa 1912. "National City Bank, Wall Street at William Street." Also the Atlantic Building, and a sliver of U.S. Trust. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. Piggy-back... if not "piggy bank". They don't build 'em like this anymore (actually, they didn't even build 'em like this then: the upper floors were a later addition.) From U.S. Custom House > Bank HQ > Luxury Hotel > Condos: all while its cousins in other cities were consigned to the landfill in their youth ... some buildings have all the luck !! 110 years laterIt's a scarier world on Wall Street; here and look to your right. The Merchants' ExchangeThis building has an extraordinary architectural history. It was built in 1836-1841 as the Merchants' Exchange, designed by architect Isaiah Rogers from Boston. The original building consisted of only the lower three stories, with the Ionic colonnade, and a big dome in the center of the block. As such, it was clearly modeled after Karl Friedrich Schinkel's Altes Museum in Berlin, built 1822-1828. From 1862 on it served as the US Custom House, which had been housed in what is now called the Federal Hall National Memorial (aka the Subtreasury) at Wall Street and Nassau Street. When the Custom House moved out to occupy Cass Gilbert's Beaux-Arts extravaganza facing Bowling Green, the National City Bank bought the building and hired McKim, Mead and White to expand it (1907-1910). Charles F. McKim decided to double the building in height by adding four more stories with a Corinthian colonnade on top of the original Ionic structure, while creating an entirely new interior with an impressive domed banking hall at the center. He integrated his addition so well that you would hardly suspect it was ever added in the first place! One pieceThe Bank building with its formidable pillars began life as the Merchants Exchange building. Those pillars came down the Hudson River -- and are one piece of stone -- no joints. [There are joints in the upper columns. - Dave] Melville's neighborhoodHerman Melville worked as a customs inspector in New York from 1866 to 1885. His work was around the wharves, and inspectors had to rent their own work space nearby. But he would have been in and out of this Custom House over two decades. Melville was paid four dollars a day for a six-day work week. He never received a promotion or a raise in pay. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
A. Foulke: 1864
... a Daughter in law and a new son George. He was running a hotel in 1870. The proof came in a Washington DC city directory for 1865 where ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2012 - 1:08am -

February 1864. "Brandy Station, Virginia. Tent of A. Foulke, sutler, 1st Brigade, Horse Artillery." Wet plate glass negative by James F. Gibson. View full size. Corner storeI learn something new here nearly every day. Obviously this is a semi permanent camp. They went to a lot of trouble building a store front if they were following an army on the move. "A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp or in quarters. The sutler sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, allowing them to travel along with an army or to remote military outposts." Sutler Brandy"Sutler: a person who followed an army and sold provisions to the soldiers." (Not to be confused with "Hooker", who also followed an army and sold to soldiers). I sure hope the fellow behind the bar is pouring a brandy. If not, he's at the wrong Station. Sutlers, appointed by the Secretary of War,enjoyed what can only be thought of as a monopoly. My sense is that the facial countenance of these Union soldiers was a sufficient deterrent to price gouging. Grant’s Secretary of War, William Belknap, was impeached for his roll in a price gouging scheme by his appointed concessionaire at Ft. Sill, whereby Belknap would receive kickbacks. George A. Custer testified against Belknap, assuring George a place on Grant’s ‘most hated’ list. Although there were formal, prescribed regulations governing sutlers, it's hard to imagine they were meaningful. Deterrence, But Whose?My sense is that the facial countenance of these Union soldiers was a sufficient deterrent to price gouging. Unless these were the soldiers A. Foulke hired to discourage the rest from objecting, of course. SutlersThe Halliburtons of the Civil War. Andrew FoulkeAndrew had a quite varied life. Listed as a farmer in the 1850 census born 1821 in PA he lives in Chemung NY. By 1860 he is a shoemaker living in Spotylvania VA with his family, wife Susan and three sons Judson Franklin and William. I was pretty sure this was our guy when I found the 1870 census in Prince Georges MD adding a Daughter in law and a new son George. He was running a hotel in 1870. The proof came in a Washington DC city directory for 1865 where he is listed as "Andrew Foulke, sutler." DebrisIt always amazes me how thoroughly chewed up the gound is in most of these Civil War images. You get the image of the army engineers coming in, clear cutting, building sturdy but crude make shift structures with the lumber, and leaving the debris everywhere. (The Gallery, Civil War, James Gibson)
High Life: 1963
... architect, 1927-1929, now the InterContinental Chicago Hotel); the Tribune Tower (John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood, architects, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/07/2016 - 1:15pm -

October 1963. "John and Sandy Dienhart of Chicago at their Marina City high-rise apartment -- the couple entertaining on their 60th-floor balcony." From photos for the Look magazine assignment "Living on the Top." View full size. Thought you had a mirror image for a moment.That photo is confusing for a Chicagoan. It looks like they are looking over the river, but Marina City units overlooking the river are on the other (south) side of the building. It took a moment to realize the river bends behind them The MenacesThe embracing couple look like Henry and Alice Mitchell. Michigan Avenue - from the BackThe three tall buildings on the left are all located on North Michigan Avenue (Arthur Rubloff's "Magnificent Mile"). From left to right: The Medinah Athletic Club (Walter W. Ahlschlager, architect, 1927-1929, now the InterContinental Chicago Hotel); the Tribune Tower (John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood, architects, 1923-1925); and the two-part Wrigley Building (Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, architects, 1919-1922 and 1922-1924). The low building in the center of the lower border of the picture is the old Chicago Sun-Times (and Daily News) Building, demolished in 2004 to make way for the Chicago Trump Tower. Worked hereI was an apprentice painter working on these apartments after the carpenters finished their work. Had lunch on a balcony every day. (Chicago, LOOK)
Welcome D.U. Bathrick: 1946
... 24, 1946. "Pontiac zone managers' banquet at St. Francis Hotel." 8x10 acetate negative, originally from the Wyland Stanley collection. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/19/2015 - 7:45pm -

April 24, 1946. "Pontiac zone managers' banquet at St. Francis Hotel." 8x10 acetate negative, originally from the Wyland Stanley collection. View full size. Biggest surprise in this photo?They're drinking milk at the "PRESS" table. SpottedOne lady, and one guy brazenly without a necktie! SmokersWithout trying too hard I count at least 11 people puffing away. Times have sure changed. Roast Beefand green beans--the standard fare for banquets from time immemorial. Bright LightOne hungover guy, top left, wearing sunglasses. Donald Upton Bathrick 1893-1972From a Wikipedia article on the 1916 Michigan Wolverine football team: Donald Upton Bathrick, born March 4, 1893, Battle Creek, Michigan. He lived in Battle Creek with his parents, Charles and Grace Bathrick, at the time of the 1900 and 1910 Censuses. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I. At the time of the 1920 Census, he was living in Houston, Texas, and working as a sales manager for an auto distributor. In 1930, he was living in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, and working in the wholesale automobile business. He worked for Ford and later for General Motors. He became general sales manager of the Pontiac division of General Motors. He also served as the head of General Motors' office in Washington, D.C., during World War II. He died September 24, 1972, Broward County, Florida. A Picture of D.U.Here's a snip I made of a Michigan State Univ. library archive scan of a Chicago Sunday Tribune article from their November 5, 1939 edition. Press. Press. PULL!Nine members of the press covering a Pontiac banquet? The budget-conscious media giants today wouldn't send one INTERN to cover an event of this "magnitude". (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Eateries & Bars, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
King Dodo: 1910
... the night of December 4, 1919. The Four Points Sheraton Hotel now occupies the site. King Dodo A synopsis of the plot of King ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/11/2013 - 1:33pm -

1910. "French Opera House, New Orleans." Coming March 20: "King Dodo," a "phosphoronic comedy opera." 8x10 glass negative. View full size. LogicalIf you're gonna have an 'Opera House', you're gonna need an 'Opera Saloon'. Fire escapes?I count two fire escape landings, both sharing the same vertical ladder. Not very reassuring in the event of a fire during a packed house. Let's hope the back of the opera house featured multiple fire escapes with wide, steel staircases instead of ladders. Right. In need of paint?Can someone explain whether the upper story is in need of a paint job, or if the finish shown is some New Orleans distressed style of decorating? While we're at it, is this interesting building still standing? How oddNot a sign of life. [There's at least one ghost. -tterrace] Hear the Eminent Doctor Fizz!A recording of "Gems from King Dodo," recorded in 1912. http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/2761/ Only 9 years to goOpening in 1859 and fast becoming the social hub of New Orleans, the French Opera House on Bourbon at Toulouse Street was destroyed by fire on the night of December 4, 1919. The Four Points Sheraton Hotel now occupies the site. King DodoA synopsis of the plot of King Dodo, along with some other information. (The Gallery, New Orleans)
Walk Your Horse: 1910
... a predecessor. You can see the upper facade of the Capital Hotel (still there, at 111 West Markham Street) rising over other buildings ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 7:13pm -

Little Rock, Arkansas, circa 1910. "View from the Free Bridge." The sign: YOU MUST WALK YOUR HORSE OVER BRIDGE. View full size. High waterThe stairs down to the diving platform have been washed out, and further to the right of the floating dock, there is some trash on the bank. Hmm.What if I don't have a horse -- how do I cross? Modern EquivalentWith the march of progress, we no longer have to worry about walking our horses across bridges. Today, we only have to walk our bicycles across them! Lower right cornerCheck out the 3-level diving platform, inboard speed boat and homemade sternwheeler. Fones Brothers HardwareMy dad worked for Fones Bros. for 44 years until 1981. They were one of the oldest and longest lasting businesses in Little Rock. They started in 1865 and finished in 1987. Their last location was built in 1921 and today has been totally revamped on the inside. It is now the main branch of the library system in Little Rock. The building was built so well and with so much reinforced concrete it was declared a Civil Defense fallout shelter in the 1950s. Fones buildingThe Fones building that was renovated as the Central Arkansas library is farther east (at 100 S. Rock Street). This one would have been a predecessor. You can see the upper facade of the Capital Hotel (still there, at 111 West Markham Street) rising over other buildings slightly to right. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Little Rock)
Me and My Shad: 1920
... was later collected in the masterpiece "Up in the Old Hotel." Joseph Mitchell was from a small town in North Carolina; after ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 1:33pm -

Circa 1920. "Shad fishing on the Potomac." National Photo Co. View full size. "Gluttonous Springtime Blowouts"Here's a quote about shad bakes from catfish1.com During the shad's Hudson River heyday, virtually every river town could boast at least one big annual shad bake—the Hudson's equivalent of the New England shore dinner. New Yorker essayist Joseph Mitchell, in his 1959 piece "The Rivermen," calls these bakes "gluttonous springtime blowouts" and remembered when huge bakes were given by churches, lodges, labor unions, and local politicians. "The Rivermen" was a long essay for the New Yorker. It was later collected in Mitchell's "The Bottom of the Harbor," which itself was later collected in the masterpiece "Up in the Old Hotel." Joseph Mitchell was from a small town in North Carolina; after graduating from college, he moved to New York, where he reported for several newspapers and eventually began writing for the The New Yorker in 1933. He worked there until his death in 1991, although he effectively stopped writing in 1964. Shorpyites who are fascinated by the old urban photos, especially of New York City, would likely be fascinated by Mitchell's writing. Bad shadI've always thought of shad as a trash fish. Were they considered more desirable in 1920 or is there something I don't know about them? [Planked shad was practically a religion in this part of the country. And shad roe is considered a delicacy by many. - Dave] Blind to their Own InterestsShad were once plentiful in the Potomac, Delaware and Hudson rivers. Overfishing and pollution were greatly reducing their numbers at the time of this photo. Due to efforts to stock the river with fry and roe, the population in the Potomac lasted a few years longer then those in the Delaware and Hudson. There is now an ongoing project to restore shad to the river. On a culinary note, in addition to planked shad for dinner, newspapers of the time mention bacon-garnished shad roe as a popular breakfast treat. Of course making a delicacy of the thousands of eggs in each fish no doubt hastened their decline. Additionally, please don't interpret the title of this post (Blind to their Own Interests, extracted from one of the following newspaper articles) as a condemnation of the hard-working fishermen of the time. Overfishing, as in many exploitations of shared resources, is due to the larger dilemma of the Tragedy of the Commons. Washington Post, Dec 20, 1915 Driving Out Potomac Shad Fish Will be Gone Says Commission, if Greedy Catch Isn't Stopped Unless protective measures are taken at once by the State of Maryland and Virginia there is a danger that the shad, the most valuable of the migratory river fishes of the Atlantic seaboard, will become unknown in Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. A real note of alarm in this respect was sounded in the annual report of the government bureau of fisheries, which was issued yesterday. Not only is it indicated that the fisheries laws of Maryland and Virginia should be amended, but the laws of all the Atlantic coast States as well. "The bureau repeatedly has pointed out the shortsighted and destructive course pursued by some of the States with reference to this most important fish," the report said. "The most serious condition exists in the Chesapeake basin, where in 1915, the fishing was the poorest ever known, following a season that was the poorest in a generation. No limits are placed on the operations of the fishermen, who seem blind to their own interests. Every stream which the shad can try to ascend is literally choked with nets. Washington Post, Nov 27, 1925 Fish Disappearing Commissioner O'Malley, of the Bureau of Fisheries declares in his annual report that the country is at last awakening to the need of conservation if serious depletion of some of the most important American fisheries is to be checked. ... A few years ago shad visited the waters of the Potomac in sufficient numbers to enable the proprietors of the resorts along the shores between Washington and Indian Head to offer a round trip ticket on their steamers with a "whole planked shad and a moonlight ride on the return," all for a dollar. In those happy days fishermen offered the choicest "roe shad " at the height of the season for "a levy," and itinerant peddler would bring one to your door, all dressed, for a quarter. Frequently when the fish were "runnin' strong" they were a drug on the market, to be had for carrying them away. Farmers along both shores of the river salted hundreds of barrels of shad and herring every spring, while "Potomac Robins," as the herring were known, were the staple food of most of the colored laboring class. 1914 Advertisement Washington Post, Jul 22, 1926 Will The Shad Come Back? ... Thousands of citizens not yet out of the "thirties" can remember when the fish peddler cried his wares through the streets of Washington early in the spring when a roe-shad big enough for a family dinner could be purchased for a "quarter." But there has been a gradual falling off in the catch every year for more than a decade and last May, in the height of the season, the haughty fishmonger scorned the dollar proffered for an insignificant "buck." The United States fish commissions has carried on restocking operations in the Potomac during the past nine or ten years. This season the number of fry turned into the river at the hatchery opposite Mount Vernon was the smallest in years. There were 10,000,000 fingerlings released from the hatchery. In some years the number has reached 80,000,000 and the commissioner is still hopeful that results will be shown in the returns from the seine haulers. The falling off in the number of shad caught in Northern waters can only be explained by the growth of cities on the banks of the rivers and the erection of all sorts of manufacturing plants along the shores which have resulted in the pollution of the waters and killed off young fish by the millions. ... Oh, waiterThe popularity of shad roe is illustrated in the Cole Porter song "Let's Do It" with the line "Why ask if shad do it? Waiter, bring me shad roe." Fish storyShad fishing in the Hudson River remained a major seasonal activity until well into the 1950's: the rivermen would live on their boats/barges during the shad run. Some time earlier, large sturgeon were plentiful enough on the Lower Delaware that there was a town (Caviar) built around the harvesting of their roe. The Central Railroad of New Jersey had a freight line serving the town. Not much left of that now. ShadHere on the Tennessee river, shad are used for cut bait on trot lines. You have to cut up a shad and get the pieces on the hooks as they don't "keep very well" in warm weather. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, D.C., Natl Photo)
Crown Restaurant: 1904
... have never known that Mr. Traphagen designed the Moana Hotel on Waikiki Beach, and they he hailed from Duluth. I have strolled past that hotel and had a few drinks on its veranda overlooking the beach. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2014 - 11:09am -

"Superior Street, Duluth, 1904." Last glimpsed here, five years in the future. The latest installment of Minnesota Monochromes. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The Lyceum Theater of DuluthThe "Lyceum" was built in 1892 for live theater shows, then later converted into a movie-theater. The original interior, shown in this old photograph, had 3 balconies. It was demolished in 1963. (High resolution version of this photograph is available here.) Trapahagen & Fitzpatrick -- architects of The LyceumBy the way... the architectural firm of Trapahagen & Fitpatrick designed The Lyceum. (Their name is visible in this photograph -- high on a building about a block away). Traphagen & FitzpatrickIt amazing what you can learn if you do a little poking around in Shorpy images. I would have never known that Mr. Traphagen designed the Moana Hotel on Waikiki Beach, and they he hailed from Duluth. I have strolled past that hotel and had a few drinks on its veranda overlooking the beach. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_G._Traphagen "Minnesota Monochromes"Oh, Dave, you are too funny! This Minnesota Monochrome is an interesting contrast to the Minnesota Kodachromes. Thank you, Dave, tterrace, and all the Shorpyites for another year of outstanding photos, in-depth commentary and research, clever captions, great groaning puns, and good spirits! Happy holidays! (The Gallery, DPC, Duluth, Eateries & Bars, Stores & Markets)
International Newsreel: 1924
... Mr. Van Tine, who lived at the Roosevelt Hotel, 2101 16th st. nw., is survived by two granddaughters, Mrs. Cyril J. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2012 - 1:52pm -

Washington, D.C., 1924. "Van Tine & Johnson." Harry Van Tine and Joe Johnson in a photographic survey of Washington-area lensmen. View full size. International Newsreel Corp.That's confusing - if they're newsreel lensmen, why the still cameras, a 4x5 Graphic and 5x7 Graflex? I'll need to dig into this one. [International Newsreel was a photo agency whose pictures appeared in many newspapers. - Dave] Perfect typesThese look exactly like the guys you would see in a 1930s movie, brandishing flash cameras, with a card reading "Press" stuck into their hatband. Graflex shootersThe camera between them appears to be an early Graflex single lens reflex. Walking all over town those shoes could use a spit shine. Could it be Lincoln's church?The building in the right background is the old Masonic Hall on New York Avenue, which would seem to put these two gentlemen on the roof of the old New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, the church attended by Abraham Lincoln, which was torn down in 1950. I'm not sure where they'd fit up there, however--possibly on a ledge on the clock tower? Perhaps it's more likely that they're on the roof of one of the buildings nearby on H Street, such as the Times-Herald Building, which would be very fitting. Pappy Van Tine Washington Post, May 2, 1968. Lensman Harry Van Tine Dies. Harry M. Van Time, who snapped exclusive photos of Harry K. Thaw escaping from a mental institution in 1915 and took the first still pictures of actress Mary Pickford, died Tuesday at Washington Hospital Center after a two-month illness. He was 82. Mr. Van Tine, known throughout his professional life as "Pappy" and "Van," retired in the 1950s after 40 years with International News Photos. He was dean of the White House News Photographers Association and one of its founders. Born in Beacon, N.Y., he was working for a newspaper chain in the Hudson Valley when Thaw, who had murdered the famous architect, Stanford White, escaped from Matteawan State Hospital. His photos helped him to land a job in New York soon after that and by 1914 he was working for INP, covering championship boxing matches, taking photos from early and makeshift airplanes, and photographing Barney Oldfield winning the Sheepshead Bay auto race. He took still photos of Mary Pickford when she was a young girl appearing in "The Call [Song] of the Wildwood Flute" and he was there with his camera when a midget was planted into J.P. Morgan's lap. Mr. Van Tine came to Washington in 1917 on assignment, covering the arrival of French Marshall Joffre and Italian Minister Marconi, and decided INP needed a Washington bureau. He became that bureau and was with it from then on. Things were more casual then around the White House and the photographers harder to handle. Mr. Van Tine wanted to get a photo of President Wilson basking in the sun on the White House lawn, so he hid in a load of hay that was headed for sheep which then grazed behind the White House. But he was discovered by Secret Servicemen. Mr. Van Tine was the first vice president of the White House News Photographers Association. He served later as president and was for ten terms the organizations secretary-treasurer. Mr. Van Tine, who lived at the Roosevelt Hotel, 2101 16th st. nw., is survived by two granddaughters, Mrs. Cyril J. Pittack, of 601 Four Mile rd., Alexandria, and Mrs. Al Kimbrough, of Reno, Nev. Van Tine's cameraHarry Van Tine was my great grandfather. We still have that camera. Thank youThis is the first time I have been able to see my Great Grandfather Harry (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
The Hollenden: 1900
Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1900. "Hotel Hollenden." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 11:17pm -

Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1900. "Hotel Hollenden." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Oh, it's a trash receptacle!Dave, You are correct, by cracky. Me and Mr. Magoo have the same kind of problems. I cannot have ANY of them!I just happened to notice that a few of my "forbidden" indulgences are lined up in this picture as is the doctor's list in my conscience: Riblets (small, meaty pork ribs) Cigars Coffee Dairy (way over on the right) Uneeda biscuit (on the mailbox) What was the average age of expiraton expected in 1900? Where is the salad and produce? Tofu? Soy? Maybe it just SEEMS like we are living longer. [Just wondering -- do you find that your postcards, Christmas cards and such never seem to reach their intended recipients? - Dave] May the road rise up to meet youInteresting to note that it appears as if the road rises up to meet the curbs to form crosswalk locations, instead of using curb cuts the other way round. What's the difference...?between an elephant and a mailbox? If you have to ask, don't offer to mail any letters for me. Sorry, very old joke. It amazes mehow prevelant cigars were in the early 20th century. In some of the pictures, there seem to be numerous prominent vendors everywhere. It must have been a major industry in its own right. A bit moreThe Hollenden page at coolhistoryofcleveland. Stages, barbershops and "The Vogue Room" were all part of the story. One Thousand Rooms ... one hundred bathtubs. Hmmm (The Gallery, Cleveland, DPC)
Electric Sight-Seeing in N.Y.
... heavy coats and all have rugs over their knees. The Hotel Bartholdi, it seems, was well known in the period, and a search reveals ... 16 inches. I would like to know more about Green Car, the Hotel, and Lansden. View full size. - Roverdriver in Australia ... 
 
Posted by roverdriver - 09/19/2011 - 11:33pm -

I bought this framed photograph at a garage sale. The vehicle appears to be a Lansden Electric. Apparently the photo was taken on a cold day in New York because the passengers are wearing heavy coats and all have rugs over their knees. The Hotel Bartholdi, it seems, was well known in the period, and a search reveals that the Green Car Sight-Seeing Service made photographs available to patrons. This one is 27 inches by 16 inches. I would like to know more about Green Car, the Hotel, and Lansden. View full size. - Roverdriver in Australia Lansden ElectricThe Standard Catalog of American Cars lists Lansden Electric in business from 1901-1910. The company was taken over by Maccar (as in Mack trucks) after that. Lansden himself left the company to run the electric truck division of General Motors. The Lansden company made passenger and commercial vehicles but discontinued the passenger vehicles in 1908. They were located in Birmingham, Alabama from 1901-1903. They moved to Newark, New Jersey and continued until 1910. The guide makes no mention of this particular vehicle however. The Hotel Bartholdi closed in May 1912. I have one of these photos as well: http://www.flickr.com/photos/crackdog/6769883575/ (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Welcome Home: 1925
... However, two incidents stand out. In 1927, in a hotel room in Shreveport, Louisiana, "Bananas" took a razor to himself, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 3:02pm -

The White Sox in Washington playing the Senators. "Schalk & Mostil, Chicago, 1925." View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Ball BoyWho is the guy in the background? He's on the field but not in uniform. Could it be a ball boy? Did they have ball boys in those days? The KidProbably a bat boy. A barefoot bat boy! "Bananas"Johnny Mostil (nickname "Bananas") played his entire career for the White Sox, for most seasons as a center fielder. By all measures his career was undistinguished. However, two incidents stand out. In 1927, in a hotel room in Shreveport, Louisiana, "Bananas" took a razor to himself, inflicting 13 deep cuts on his wrist, neck and arms. At the time, the attempted suicide incident was blamed on either neuritis, a disease that caused Mostil great pain and suffering, or the fact that he had been discovered having an affair with the wife of Red Faber, a White Sox pitcher and teammate; this, too, was believed to have had the potential to cause him great pain. Whatever the reason, Mostil missed most of the 1927 season. In 1929, Mostil broke his right leg tripping on home plate as a base runner, on the front half of an uncontested double steal. The break ended his active playing career. Interestingly, Johnny Mostil's Razor is the title of a blog maintained by "Doug," which discusses all things related to neuritis. OK, no, actually it's a blog devoted to the Chicago White Sox. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska Red Faber's wifeThere were whispers of a relationship between Red Faber's (first) wife and Johnny Mostil, but in researching my book "Red Faber: A Biography of the Hall of Fame Spitball Pitcher" (McFarland & Co., 2007) I determined that it was not Mrs. Faber but Mostil's own girlfriend/fiancee who was the source of his discontent. But there was a teammate connection. Seems that Mostil's girl dumped him for White Sox player Bill Barrett. Eventually, Barrett married her. High-FiveLook, Schalk's giving Mostil a high-five. I didn't realize people did that in the 1920s. High-FiveOn the high 5...it's much more likely he was holding both hands up high as a signal to his teammate that the throw was going to be late, so don't slide. A common signal everyone still uses from Little League to the pros. Score twoChicago White Sox at Washington Senators, either July 28, 1925 (Game 1 of doubleheader) or September 19, 1925 (Game 2 of doubleheader). The White Sox won both games, and Ted Lyons was the winning pitcher in each. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
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