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Cimarron: 1936
... short excerpt from "The Grapes of Wrath" When the night came again, it was black night, for the stars could not pierce the dust to get down, and the window ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/21/2009 - 12:23pm -

April 1936. "Farmer and sons walking in the face of a dust storm. Cimarron County, Oklahoma." Perhaps Arthur Rothstein's best known Dust Bowl image, and overall one of most memorable photographs to come out of the entire FSA/OWI program. Gelatin silver print by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Bad timesI'm probably stating the obvious, but how could the Dad leave that little guy tagging way behind?! 'Nuff said: That was a terrible time in the 20th century - ruined so many lives! [It's not like they're running for their lives or anything. It's one of dozens of pics of these folks standing around and walking in the dust. The little boy is the one shown here. - Dave] Hard TimesEgan's "The Worst Hard Times" is a must read if you really want to understand the past and, more important, learn from their lessons what we should not be doing now. So glad to find a fellow reader. Thanks, Dave. It was your photos and the NYT review that prompted me to find out more. My Oklahoma HomeBruce Springsteen got to the heart of the Dust Bowl era with his version of "My Oklahoma Home (It Blowed Away)," written by Oklahoma-born political activist "Sis" Cunningham and her brother Bill. Sand dunesIs the house that low, or is it actually buried in sand? Looking at what I assume are fence posts in front, I guess it is buried, but it's hard to believe that much sand can be blown. [That's a shed, not a house. Below: Nearby dune, outhouse, farmhouses. - Dave] Depression ReadingThe best book I've come across dealing with the Dust Bowl and the incredibly durable Americans who stayed put through the Depression is called "The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl" by Timothy Egan. He discusses the causes of the Dust Bowl, going back to the 19th century, as well as descriptions of life in the Dust Bowl states. A truly compelling read. NY Times review. Steinbeck's ProseBut it sounds like poetry (one short excerpt from "The Grapes of Wrath" When the night came again, it was black night, for the stars could not pierce the dust to get down, and the window lights could not even spread beyond their own yards. Now the dust was evenly mixed with the air, an emulsion of dust and air. Houses were shut tight and cloth wedged around doors and windows, but the dust came in so thinly that it could not be seen in the air, and it settled like pollen on the chairs and tables, on the dishes. The people brushed it from their shoulders. Little lines of dust lay at the door sills. ComicalNothing more laughable to me than Bruce Springsteen singing about Oklahoma hard times. Yeah, that's a good one alright. 1930s dust stormsThe pictures take me back to the Texas panhandle in those days. I recall it vividly. Our school had no electric lights, no indoor plumbing. When the dust storms rolled in, they sent the kids home...walking in the dark. We tied a handkerchief over our noses. Dust seeped into the houses even though doors and windows were closed. Money was scarce and unemployment was very high. It was a hard time but it made us stronger. It helped prepare us for World War II. Today, I am amused at the whiners (usually Democrats) who think times are bad. What wimps they are. Art in Hard TimesFunny that you think Democrats are whiners. Sis Cunningham, who wrote that great song, was about as lefty as you could get -- labor-organizer and founder of the agitprop Red Dust Players in Oklahoma, until she fled anti-Communist harassment and went to NYC to live with Seeger and Guthrie. Steinbeck was in the same boat (as were probably these photographers) and of course Springsteen, the great American blue-collar balladeer. Hard to create great art unless you sympathize strongly with the human condition... but maybe you consider writing or singing about hard times to be whining. Beautiful images. Very happy to find them. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Dust Bowl)
Vacation Time: 1969
... later that year, Pop decided to drive on through the final night to miss the desert heat, with us kids sleeping in the back. I discovered ... from our Fountain Valley Ca home like thieves in the night. Had to get across the desert before the heat killed the kids. Of course ... 
 
Posted by Mvsman - 09/13/2011 - 10:36pm -

Leaving Walnut, CA for Wyoming and Nebraska in July 1969. I'm on the left, trying to look cool, going to start high school in the fall. Yikes, those socks! There's my Dad and Mom, who appeared in earlier pictures. They're showing some age progression. Both are in their early 40s here. My little brother was a surly bundle of anti-joy then, and he whined a lot through the whole trip. We packed up the '64 Chevelle wagon and left for the great unknown. As a surly teen, I read a lot of books along the way and grunted and moaned a lot. During the trip, we heard about the Charles Manson family murders in Los Angeles, and being only 30 or so miles away, I was really scared to come home. It all worked out ... thanks for looking and I look forward to your comments. View full size. Chilling NewsWe too were leaving for our vacation on our way from Diamond Bar (not too far from Walnut) to visit the grandparents in "Idyllic Larkspur" (near San Francisco) when we heard all about the Tate-LaBianca murders on the car radio. It definitely put a damper on the trip for us adults. With the three kids squabbling in the back of our VW van (Mom, she looked at me!), I don't know if they heard any of it or not. Our oldest kid was 9, the middle one 6, and the youngest 4. -- tterrace's sister Vacations in a wagonYou know, vacations just aren't vacations without a station wagon. Sorry, but an SUV just isn't the same thing. Folks across the street have a 1965 Rambler Classic Cross-Country; ours was a 1966. Did you have air-conditioning? Maybe that would have quelled the grumbling and moaning somewhat. I know that we welcomed the A/C in our Rambler after 10 years without it in our '56. But now, decades later, I'll occasionally switch mine off and roll down the windows when cruising along a rural road, and the breeze carrying the aromas of cut hay and other vegetation fills me with a warm, nostalgic glow. A great, era-defining shot, thanks! (Out of respect for your mother, I won't comment on her headgear - although I just did, didn't I?) West of the MidwestWyoming AND Nebraska? You are a lucky, lucky boy. One of our few vacations from our Indiana home was a trip to Iowa but since my dad was on some sort of a deadline* we didn't get to enjoy any of Illinois' diversions that must surely have existed along I-80, or so I dreamed. Departing from Walnut, CA, mvsman must have seen plenty of I-80 as well on his "Asphalt of America" tour. *Who has a deadline on a trip to Iowa? It was only 250 miles! FootwearYour shoes are in style about every 8 years or so. Just keep the shoes and wait for them to come back. Your dad's dark socks (with shorts), on the other hand ... Adler socksI bet they were Adler socks. I graduated from high school the year before and it was all the rage to wear Adler socks in colors that matched your shirt. Black socks with sandalsMy wife thinks I invented that look. I can't wait to show her that it's retro chic. Chevy Bel AirIt's either a 68 or 69, sitting in the other neighbor's garage - complete with trailer-light connector installed in the bumper. [It's a '68. - Dave] Love Your Mom's Hat!I think you looked quite cool for an "almost" high schooler! Your mom's hat is the best! I bet she's pinching your little brother. Or maybe that was just my mom! PurgatoryWe used our '69 Pontiac Catalina station wagon to put the gear in the middle and the whiny kids waaaay back on the rear-facing seat. Man, I loved that car! Meanwhile ...At the beginning of that very same month we were on our way back from Los Angeles in a white 1965 Impala wagon with no AC and a ton of camping equipment both on the roof and in the back. We stayed in Reno on the Fourth, hoping that the drunken manager of the KOA there wouldn't accidentally back over our tent. I was more or less inured to the lack of cool, even back in Maryland, and I think the only time we really noticed it on the trip was when it was over a hundred crossing the Mojave. The Impala was passed on to my great-uncle who drove it until it dropped sometime in the mid-1970s. By 1969 we had left short haircuts behind, which since I had thick glasses meant I looked totally dorky in a completely different way; my father, on the other hand, was well into leaving hair itself behind. I notice you're wearing the de rigueur cutoffs, which is pretty much what we wore when we weren't in jeans. TweaksDitch the socks and you'd fit in perfectly with today's Williamsburg hipsters. You were scared?I was terrified! I was 11 years old at the time of the Manson murders and lived only 20 miles away. In my 11 year old mind, I was convinced the murderers would find their way to my house and they were specifically go after me! Thanks for posting this. This photo captures the "feel" of L.A. suburbia of the era perfectly- just as I remembered it. To the Moon!I started high school in 1969, too. Did your trip start before or after the moon landing? Did your parents make you watch it on TV, even though you wanted to be out with your friends? That was a surly moment for ME for that reason. Don't worry -- the shades and the hair in your eyes make up for the socks. 1969Was not this the year of the PLAID ? Fun vacationNebraska? For a vacation? I drove through that state. Couldn't get out fast enough. I was only 3 in 1969, but lived in nearby Simi Valley, home of Spahn Ranch. What city was this taken?? Oh yeah, love your mom's hat. I have pics somewhere of my mom wearing the same thing. What were people thinking?? We went after the moon landingI actually watched it on my little black and white TV in my room. I was a space geek then (and now). Thanks! That Ramblerbelonged to the superintendent of our school district! He and my dad knew each other causally, to say hi to or wave at as the car went by. I don't recall if we had AC in that car. It had a small engine and was seriously underpowered for hills and mountains. Now, I'll try to did up slides of our earlier trips in my granddad's borrowed 1959 Chevy Nomad wagon! This was truly a luxury barge on wheels. This thing looked like it was 15 feet wide and 25 feet long (to my 8 year old eyes). I had the entire back area to myself and my comic books, as little bro wasn't on the scene yet. The Summer of '69Grew up in La Puente, not far from Walnut. My 1969 was the the summer of "Sugar, Sugar" and Man on the Moon. 41 years ago -- WOW Taz!When I saw your brother, the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil came to mind! Mom's "Hat"That's no hat, it's a curler-cover. A la Phyllis Diller. A different eraIn '69, my dad was making probably about $18K-$20K a year. My mom stayed home. Yet we took similar vacations, 2-3 weeks at a time. Now, my wife and I work like rented mules and can't afford to go anywhere. When station wagons ruled the roadEach summer, Dad would load up the gear in the suction-cup equipped, stamped steel Western-Auto roof carrier on top of the old '61 Ford Falcon wagon and off we'd go. Looking back, it truly took faith and fortitude to pile a family of five and enough gear to support a safari in that underpowered, unairconditioned two-door wagon and set off fron Louisville to the far reaches of the country (New York City, Washington D.C., Miami). I remember fighting with my brothers over the desirable real estate in the back of the wagon where you could stretch out (no seatbelts) and watch the miles of highway fade into the distance through the tailgate window! Wagon MemoriesOur 1957 Mercury Colony Park station wagon with the Turnpike Cruiser engine had a similarly slanted rear window. On our trip to California later that year, Pop decided to drive on through the final night to miss the desert heat, with us kids sleeping in the back. I discovered I could position myself to see the road ahead as a reflection in the rear window, while simultaneously looking through the glass to watch the clear Western skies for shooting stars. What can beat the cozy feeling of slipping off to sleep while rolling along the open road while Pop faithfully pilots the family bus through the dark? Sixty-NineAh, Summer of '69, my favorite year. Got my driver's license. Got my FCC Third Phone. Started work part time in a REAL radio station. My parents ran their own store so we couldn't take too many trips. I'm jealous of those of you who did. And yes, Nebraska was borrrring to ride across back then, but today it isn't bad -- there are several interesting attractions across the state and a nice Interstate to zip you through! FourteenI was 14 years old that summer of 1969 (living in Cocoa Beach, Florida). I can relate to the yellow socks. I had a few pair of those. The color of the socks were supposed to match the color of the shirt. It looks like those are a freshly cut-off pair of jeans. What's in your father's right shirt pocket? A lens cover, maybe? Who took the photo? I see the car in the garage across the street looks like a '68 Chevy Impala--round taillights. And the Rambler in the next drive looks very nice too. A little peek of the mountain is nice too. I've never been to that area so I have no conception of what it's like there. Great photo, thanks for sharing a piece of your childhood memory. Cartop carrierMan, I want one of those roof carriers. Looks like it holds a lot of stuff. Memories aboundOur vacations were exactly the same (even my dad's socks with sandals). We headed from our Fountain Valley Ca home like thieves in the night. Had to get across the desert before the heat killed the kids. Of course we had an aftermarket AC installed by Sears so the front seat was a chill zone (no kids allowed). Our vacations happened at breakneck speed but we saw everything and always ended our trips with a pass through Vegas for Dad & Grandma. Fun times! "The Box" - Rooftop CarrierOur family trips were always in a station wagon, and always with "the box" on top. Dad built and refined a series of boxes over the years. They were much larger and taller than the one in the picture. All our luggage, supplies etc went in "the box" leaving the wagon for the 6 of us. With the back seat folded down my brother and I could sleep in sleeping bags in the back. In the winter dad put brackets on the box sides and bungee-tied all our skis on. The station wagons themselves were amazing. Dad always bought the biggest engine offered (we needed it), a large v8. The last wagon had dual air conditioners, front and rear. And how about the rear doors on a wagon. The rear door folded down or opened from the side, and the window went up and down. SUVs, get serious, they have very little useful space. No fairI suspect one of the reasons the younger brother is looking so crabby is that he didn't get sunglasses like everybody else. It's no fun to squint all day. Tterrace is completely right, roadtrips just aren't the same without a big ol' station wagon. I loved sitting in the rear-facing seat when I was a kid. And I remember being fascinated by the tailgate that could open two ways: swinging from the left-side hinge or folding down like a pickup truck. Hi Pat QYour recollections are so evocative of those road trips from another time. Life seemed simpler, or is it just filtered through our nostalgia screen? Great Time To Be AliveSure brings back memories!! I started HS in '68. We went on many, many driving vacations to New Mexico, Colorado, OK, MO & many places near the Panhandle of Texas where I grew up!! Road trips now are usually to the coast or TX Hill Country, but still have a magic to them, leaving before the sun's up!! ChevelleLove the car. In high school, a wagon was an embarrassment. Now I wish I had one. VentipanesOur family of six and a dog would pile into our '63 Lincoln and while sitting in the driveway Dad would ask Mom, "Okay, where do you all want to go?" Then we would be off to Nova Scotia or Florida. There was no AC in either the Lincoln or the '63 Impala we had so we would drive the whole way with windows open in the summer heat. If you turned the vent windows all the way open so they were facing into the car they would generate a terrific amount of airflow into the cabin at highway speed. It was quite comfortable actually and 40+ years later I wish cars still had those vent windows. Lunar summerSeveral have mentioned the Apollo 11 landing. I have a similar tale. I was 7, just a little too young to understand the significance of the event. I remember my mother trying to keep me interested as she sat on the edge of her seat watching the coverage. Now I'm glad I remember that night, and get chills watching the video and Walter Cronkite taking off his glasses and saying "Whoo boy!" totally at a loss for words. That was an awesome summer! Oh yeah, we had a station wagon too. '69 Caprice Estate with fake wood paneling! Almost had the wagon...Our family was cursed to miss out on having station wagon vacations - first time in '65, we were supposed to be getting a red '62 Corvair wagon from my uncle who was going into the Air Force but he hit some black ice and rolled it while he was delivering it from back east (he was unhurt). Next in '66 we traded our rusted-out '56 Chevy for a beige '63 Dodge 440 eight-passenger wagon; I was looking forward riding in the third seat on our annual trip from Chicago to Paducah, but a lady in a '62 Continental hit it. We ended up with a maroon '65 Impala hardtop for the next several years' vacations, but at least it had AC! Our imitation wagonWe did not have a wagon so Dad cut a piece of plywood for the back seat of our 57 Mercury that gave us kids a full flat surface in the back seat. Holding it up were two coolers on the floor. On top Dad blew up two air mattresses, then they gave us "kiddy drugs" (gravol). They caught onto that after the first trip in which that back seat became a wrestling arena. Hi BarrydaleSugar Sugar is a favorite of mine to this day. The San Gabriel Valley has changed a lot since those days, eh? And the year beforeAnd the year prior to this photo my family, consisting of myself at 13, my sisters aged 10 and 4 (or 5) loaded up in a 2 door Marquis and headed from Raleigh up through Indiana, SD, WY Oregon down through LA and back east across the desert through AZ, NM, TX and driving one marathon from Texarkana to Anderson SC in one day, during the peace marches throughout the South that summer! I still remember passing the civil rights marchers for mile after mile on the roads through MS, AL and GA. The trip took two months.... and you think YOU heard whining from your brother? Sometimes things don't changeThe socks may be a little bit high, and shorts a bit short, but the way you are dressed is exactly the way many kids at my middle/high school dress now. Especially the ones going into high school, I'm just stunned by how similar you are. I could actually almost confuse you with my younger brother, who is so similar he even has blond hair. Right now I'm planning a road trip in my 1968 Ford Falcon for the spring, its a 4 door sedan and not a wagon. But it is a daily driver kind of car, not a show car, so I drive it in the same way your parents might have driven their car, not to show off, but just to get around. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids)
The House Jack Built: 1940
... time around Brownfield, TX, but they drove all day and night (accompanied by the father of the bride) to the nearest courthouse in NM, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 12:02pm -

Sept. 1940. The Jack Whinery family in their Pie Town dugout. Homesteader Whinery, a licensed preacher, donates his services to the local church. More on the family below. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. Re: Dancing Africans?Not Africans. Injuns. There's such a thing as aThere's such a thing as a "licensed preacher"? Stupid comment hereThe girl second from the right seems to be channeling Napoleon Dynamite. Sorry to ruin it. Juvenile. Sorry. [Gyaaah! - Dave] Dancing Africans?I'm a bit intrigued by the pattern on the boy's shirt. so youngi'm more intrigued with how young they look and how many kiddos they have. wow. looks like the 2 girls on the left are twins. Sad eyesIn so many pics of poor families in the 30s/40s, I notice how sad (maybe just tired) the mothers look while the dads somehow show some kind of dignity or at least of being alive. PIE TOWN I just talked to some friends who went there this summer. There are still people who bake pies and have a very rural lifestyle. They said it was a great place! Licensed preacherSure there's such a thing as a licensed preacher. In many states, there are 2 distinctions: licensed and ordained. A licensed minister is recognized by the state and can perform weddings, funerals and the like. It kind of depends on the church you attend, but ordination is usually church recognition of a minister's credentials. Sunday best....wonderful how they managed to step up to the plate and present themselves in their "finest'...an amazing and poignant photograph... me again1940 = year I was born in Norfolk VA..... :-) Velva MaeIf my research is correct, the Mrs. is Laura Edith, née Evans, and Jack’s full name is Abrim Jack Whinery. The eldest daughter, the camera-shy one on the right, is Velva Mae. If she’s still alive today, she’ll turn 76 on August 29th. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska There's a Velva M. Kosakowski who may be the oneHere's her obituary. She's the only Velva in the SSDI born on that date with the middle initial M, and the obit says she's Jack and Edith Whinery's daughter. It looks like the same Velva Whinery you mention, Denny, but whether she's one of the girls in the photo I don't know. The girl on the right looks far too old to me to be nine (she is almost as tall as her father when sitting plus she has breasts - I'd suggest she was about 12-13), but the girl on the left looks nineish. Charlene...thank you for the information! I think you're right: the camera-shy girl on the right is likely well beyond nine, now that I look at her again. The obituary you linked us to shows that Velva certainly came a long way from this Pie Town dugout, eh? Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska The girl on the rightI think that girl is Wanda Whinery. She's mentioned in the obit as being Velva's deceased sister; a Wanda Whinery shows up in the SSDI from the Grand Junction/Clifton, CO area (where they all seem to have ended up). She was born in 1929, so she'd have been 11 in this photo, an age at which most girls are shy, awkward, and uncomfortable. You're right about it being a long way; a little girl sitting beside her mother to a great-grandmother in her own right. SadHow old was that mother when she married? She doesn't look that much older than her eldest child. Sad. namesInteresting how first name fashions come and go. Here we have Jack and Edith (basic early 20th C names) with a Velva and a Wanda, surely exotic names for the time -- though the 30's, when they were born, was a time of experiment in many things... What were the other children called? Bet the boys got more ordinary names. One boy's name was Lawrence,One boy's name was Lawrence, apparently. And if the Obit for Velva is right, Wanda Whinery never married - no married name is listed. They may have been dirt poor, but the kids look healthy and cared for. young mothers>>>"i'm more intrigued with how young they look and how many kiddos they have. wow." My paternal grandmother was 15 when she married my grandpa 1932 (in Lovington, New Mexico), and they started a family right away. My grandmother preferred to say that she was "almost 16". They were actually residing at that time around Brownfield, TX, but they drove all day and night (accompanied by the father of the bride) to the nearest courthouse in NM, because at that time, 16 was the legal age for girls to marry in TX. Apparently, there was nothing shameful or even unusual for girls to marry at 15 in that place and time, though perhaps 14 might have been pushing it. Both families were fairly strict and god-fearing people-- poor but not destitute. Grandpa's whole family were members of the Primitive Baptist Church. Scott, in Taiwan distichum2@yahoo.com They are all so thin. NotThey are all so thin. Not starved thin as much as built thin. Thanks for all the comments on who they might have been! They are interesting reads. clothingThe fabric the clothes are made from has to be flour/feed sacks. Perhaps not the father's but the rest of them surely are. The parents do look so young. Not more then 30. And yet they must have led a hard life up to this point. Amazing the family resemblance. Feed Sack FabricIn the late 1800's cotton sacks gradually replaced barrels as food containers. Flour and sugar were among the first foods available in cotton sacks, and women quickly figured out that these bags could be used as fabric for quilts and other needs. Manufacturers also began using cotton sacks for poultry and dairy feeds. The earliest of these bags were plain unbleached cotton with product brands printed on them. In order for women to use these bags they first had to somehow remove the label, or to make sure that the part of the cloth with the label was not normally visible. It did take some time for the feed and flour sack manufacturers to realize how popular these sacks had become with women, but finally they saw that this was an opportunity for promoting the use of fabric feedsacks. Their first change was to start selling them in colors, and then in the 1920's began making them with colorful patterns for making dresses, aprons, shirts and children’s clothing. They also began pasting on paper labels that were much easier to remove than the labels printed direstly on the fabric. By the 1930's competition had developed to produce the most attractive and desireable patterns. This turned out to be a great marketing ploy as women picked out flour, sugar, beans, rice, cornmeal and even the feed for the family farm based on which fabrics and pattern they wanted. I can remember that if my mother was not able to go along when my father went to buy feed, she would often send a scrap of material of the fabric design she needed so that he would be sure to buy the right one. This was during the 1950's. By the 1950's paper bags cost much less than cotton sacks, so companies began to switch over to this less expensive packaging. The fabric feedsack industry actively promoted the use of feedsacks in advertising campaigns and produced even a television special encouraging the use of feed sacks for sewing, but by the end of the 1960's the patterned feedsack fabrics were no more. Pink feed sacks...The girls' clothing is actually relatively new cotton muslin, and in quite good shape. Dad and the baby are wearing the most worn-out clothing of all of them. I doubt feed sacks came dyed with pink flowers or other feminine designs. The ones I own are just plain off-white. As an aside, I just noticed that all the kids look just like Mom except the oldest daughter, who looks just like Dad. The Sack DressFeed sacks came in every design imaginable. I have a friend who collects and lectures on them and she has seen literally thousands of different prints. Andover Fabrics out of New York will be doing a line or reproduction fabric based on her collection soon. I've even seen feed sacks printed to look like toile. The variety is astounding. Information about the Whinery childrenI was in Pie Town a few days ago and managed to find the name of all the Whinery children. The oldest girl is Laura; Velva (middle name "Mae") is in pink, and Wanda is in white. The eldest boy is A.J, and the baby boy's name is Lawrence. I know for certain that Wanda, Velva, and Lawrence have died. Wanda was born in Adrin, Texas on August 29, 1931 and died on May 27, 2007 at the age of 75. She was married twice, to Clifford Miller on Nov 4, 1956, and she had four children, two boys and two girls, and Chester Kosakowski, age 81, on Oct 31, 2005. In her obituary it says that Wanda and Lawrence preceded her in death, Wanda likely unmarried as they referred to her as Wanda Whinery instead of with a married name. It also said that Laura and A.J. survived her, so unless they have passed away in the meantime, Laura is living in Clifton, Colorado, with the married name Murray, and A.J is living in Dayton (it doesn't say which of the 23 Daytons in the US, so I'm guessing it is Dayton, TX) I talked to a man who lived in Pie town for all of his life, and he said that he doesn't think the Whinery home is still there. Neither is the Farm Bureau building that the children went to school in. On the other hand, one of the other school buildings is still there and being re-stuccoed and made into a residential home. Their current public schools are in Datil and Quemado, none in Pie Town. The current population of Pie Town is approximately 60 people, and the Pie-O-Neer has better pie than The Daily Pie. The Farm Bureau buildingThe Farm Bureau building still exists. It is now used as the "Community Center" and is the property of the Pie Town Community Council. A porch has been added along the front, and an addition on the side for a kitchen and restrooms, but otherwise it looks pretty much as it did in the Russell Lee photos from 1940. Gyaaah! Unbelievable! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Support Shorpy on Patreon
... be able to view and comment as before with no need for night classes. My oh my, we old geezers hate change. Awaiting your answer so ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 07/22/2021 - 3:25pm -

We now offer an ad-free browsing experience to our Patreon contributors. Patreon is an easy way to contribute to Shorpy. In return you'll get access to special content and rewards. But, importantly, your contributions will help underwrite the cost of keeping Shorpy running and will let us make some upgrades to the site. Thank you to the loyal members who have made Shorpy a success. Support Shorpy on Patreon. Become a Patron! One-time contributions can be made via PayPal. Because some have asked: Shorpy is not moving behind a paywall. We will continue our updates as usual for all to see. Think of Patreon as Shorpy Plus. Done!Very happy to support your work! I am on your site almost every day and absolutely love what you do. THANK YOU! [You're very welcome, and thanks! - Dave] Thanks for the many years of workIf it will move us toward a world of comment pictures beyond 490 pixels, I'm in! I love the vintage photos on Shorpy, but not-so-love the vintage technology that delivers the goodness. But beyond that, it's a fitting (and more direct) "thank you" for the years of great content I've received. [Thanks! - Dave] So, do I understand correctly,that it will now cost me a minimum $24 a year to view Shorpy content? Wish you could have found another way. Goodbye, old friend. [Um, no. You do not understand correctly. Please re-read the post! Questions? Ask them here. - Dave] I'm inJust signed up. Anything this good should be worth something to me. [Thank you! - Dave] Trapper BoyI am pleased to support Shorpy as a Trapper Boy. I like the name choices for different levels of support. My seven year membership at no cost has allowed me to connect with you in a personal way that I would not have been able to do otherwise. Keep up the great work! [Shorpy thanks you! - Dave] Thank You!I've just signed up. Thank you for all of the hard work you do to make life more interesting! I'm pleased to be able to support Shorpy. [Thank you so much! - Dave] IntriguedI'm very interested in this. In particular I'm interested in what upgrades you are planning for the comment section. I would love to see a modern managed comment section like Disqus. Can you tell me where you are leaning on this? [Most likely it would be a newer version of our current platform (Drupal) with commenting and logon plug-ins for Disqus, Facebook, etc. - Dave] QuestionsI have the double whammy of being an old geezer and a techno dunce . Therefore, still not sure what is happening. I read the Patreon post. I'm not "of big money" but I think $24 per year (Greaser) is dirt cheap for what Shorpy provides. That's about the same as one DVD rental from that "color" box at food stores. Shorpy is 24/7, 365 days per year enjoyable entertainment, with Dave's clever quips thrown in for free. However, does anything change under Patreon as far as viewing photos and making an occasional comment? It looks to me as though a person can still use Shorpy without paying, but doing so gives one a slight benefit (still not sure what a Greaser gets). Even without that, I would consider the small fee as a donation to help keep Shorpy running if that is what is needed. And here I thought Dave was making millions from ads. So let me summarize Dave and you tell me where I am wrong. With the Patreon involvement, nothing really changes except that we are helping with some of the expenses. To make that go down easier, we get a little something extra from the Shorpy experience to match the donation. We will still be able to view and comment as before with no need for night classes. My oh my, we old geezers hate change. Awaiting your answer so that I can become a Geezer-Greaser, or should that be Greaser-Geezer? A Fair Deal!Even though I could still lurk for free, it seems only fair to contribute to help improve and grow the site which has afforded me so much pleasure over the years. Happy to support you and the great Shorpy community! Thank YOU, gentlemen! [And we thank YOU. - Dave] The least I could do ...Dave -- I've been a follower of Shorpy since shortly after you started it. I check the site at least 3-4 times a week and have enjoyed -- and will continue to enjoy and appreciate -- as a supporter, what you and Ken do on a daily basis. Thanks and keep up the excellent work!!! [Thank you. We'll do our best to do our best! - Dave] And High Time, TooI've gotten much, much pleasure from perusing Shorpy for lo these many years, and not a dime has it cost me. It's high time I paid up, and glad to do it. Many blessings upon you! Good idea!Done & dusted, my pleasure. Annual?I'd love to support you and Shorpy but the only option I see is for monthly payments. Is there any way to just pay you a lump sum for the year? That would be much simpler. [You could take your lump sum and divide by 12. - Dave] BargainThe wonder of it all is that it’s been free for so long. I’ve just signed up for the price of a pack of smokes per month, or a couple of beers in a bar. Excellent value. Kerplunk!Just took the plunge! Can't wait to see the new site. I feel it's the least I could do after nearly 5 years of enjoyment. Thanks Shorpy. [And Shorpy thanks you! And you and you and you! - Dave] Took me a minuteBut then it hit me... I like SHORPY! Not as much as coffee but enough to have one less cup of it a month. My pleasureYou folks are wonderful. Thanks for all you do. With pleasureOf course, after all these years of fun, I am glad to contribute. I have so enjoyed this fabulous site. Keep up the good work. I'll be here every day! Easier posting?Will becoming a patron at any level make it more likely our contributed photos will be accepted and posted? [Possibly! - Dave] Hey - you kids! Get off my lawn!> compatibility with mobile devices, I'm for it... as long that doesn't also mean "becomes unusable on desktop". A few of us old farts like our big monitors, hardware keyboards, and being able to right click. Also, from what I've seen, most authors of mobile Web browsers are better at making sites render in a usable way than most sites are at "designing for mobile". When an older site goes mobile, sometimes they get it right, and sometimes it becomes "it renders OK on the iPhone 12 we bought yesterday - why would we test anything else?" > streamlined commenting The moderated comments are one of the best features of Shorpy, after the photos themselves. Hopefully the streamlining is in the direction of easier queueing/approval on the back end for Dave, Ken, et al. If you switch to the same comment system everybody else has, then all the bots that everybody else has will be able to leave comments too. Done and thank you.Always intriguing, always a visual treat, and it's astonishing how much I have learned from the commenting multitudes. Worthwhile InvestmentShorpy has been a source of joy and entertainment in my life for more than 10 years. I'm happy to throw a little something in the pot to help keep this site going. I'll echo a lot of the other comments when I say, thank you for hosting a most enjoyable community. [Grazie! - Dave] Aaaaand I'm in!I enjoy the photos (and comments) each and every day. Well worth my small contribution. [Merci! - Dave] Done, with pleasure!I get solicitations to join Patreon for other folks that I follow online, but this is the first time I’ve ever actually signed up - a no-brainer! Shorpy has given me so much enjoyment over the years, I’m happy to be able to give something back. [Thank you! - Dave] GladlyI'm more than happy to pay a subscription fee but I beg that you don't alter the site layout too much! New and improved these days is usually pretty far from it, and I would gladly pay more to ensure it stays the same. A daily treatI always knew this day would come, and a usage fee is richly deserved. Just make sure, please, that any changes are explained using small words so those of us of a certain age understand!! But ... not too many changesIt is almost the last interesting thing left on the internet, however, having been on the internets for a while, I feel like decent webpages are lost and antiquated as the pictures this site shows. What I'm mean is, most webpages that become "mobile-friendly" lose a lot of content. These business pages don't tell me anything anymore. All I get is a big image with a fancy logo, and a menu, and a goofy name to boot. In the old days, pages were teeming with data, now I feel they're too simple. People don't even read words on a screen anymore. I like the shorpy blog layout, and I really hope it doesn't come to a slideshow or some type of format that loses it's its information. The best little corner of the internetSorry it took me so long to notice the sidebar about Patreon. Once I noticed it, though, I grabbed my credit card and said YES. You're the best, Shorpy! [Many thanks! - Dave] (ShorpyBlog)
Vibrator Sale To-Day: 1921
... his head again. Waterman I was reading just last night in a 1957 edition of Popular Sceince, that Lewis Waterman was credited ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2012 - 8:47pm -

1921 or 1922. "People's Drug Store, 7th and K." On the table: a nice assortment of Star vibrators. This is a new version of a photo originally posted Aug. 15, 2007. In what counts as an exciting curatorial development here at Shorpy, the glass negative is now available for this image (a.k.a. "the vibrator photo"), as opposed to the previous version made from the scan of a print. The new version is a lot sharper, and shows more of the store. The caption info also gives the address, which we didn't have last year. National Photo glass negative. View full size. Not sure what is in thoseNot sure what is in those boxes but they must be impervious to heat as they are on a table over the radiator. Liver?Liver is ok, However.....the item "Hypo Cod"...hmmm....many images, none all that pleasant. dss Love the display!Wish I had that display knack every month when I try to come up with cheap, creative bulletin boards at school... You can tell this is a really old photoby the Beta tapes stacked below the "cough and cold" sign on the right. Well, they look like Beta tapes. The guyThe guy with his hands in his pockets looks like he is "gonna rob da joint" Henry Fonda?Rob the joint? NEVER!! Kewpie DollThe large Kewpie Doll in the back next to the sale sign might be a good clue. In those boxes>Not sure what is in those boxes but they must be impervious >to heat as they are on a table over the radiator. Looks like electric heat clamps for curlers. [They're Star electric massage vibrators. Supposedly a beauty aid. See below. - Dave] Um...If the vibrators are for reducing wrinkles, then what are the "French Tickling Rings" for? (Look just under the word "Fountain", between the nail clippers and the um, chains.) [They're for babies to chomp on. Teething, not "tickling." And necklaces ("Job's Tears"), not chains. - Dave] Listen ya mugs...Does anyone know where in DC this Peoples Drug was located? Could it been the one at DuPont Circle, now a CVS? [This was at Seventh and K. In researching your question, I found a different and better version of photo, which I just posted. Thanks! - Dave] People's Drugstore - 1912Just did a search for "Nutra Vin" and found this January 1912 newspaper ad for this very People's Drugstore at 7th and K. (Click to enlarge.) Waterman Fountain PensStill in business, at least a few years ago. My son bought me a nice Waterman fountain pen for Christmas not too long ago. Remedies for Men. And Women!More remedies from the pages of the Washington Post, 1912. One Word: PlasticsPyralin was Du Pont's trademark for a nitrocellulose pyroxylin plastic that was an early substitute for ivory in the manufacture of toilet articles like combs. It was also used to make automobile side curtains. Between Constipation and Nutra VinIt looks like a beginner set of X-acto knives. Yes? No? Tiny BoxesI'd hate to have to do inventory on this place! Would anyone care to guess what's in the numbered boxes up near the ceiling? And what's behind the back wall? It's obvious that the space goes much farther than that wall. Bzzzzzzzzz.....Bet there was a real buzz in the neighborhood over this sale. GladAdvertisements like the ones posted by Diane and Dave make me extremely glad that I was born in the latter part of the 20th century. Especially interesting in Diane's photo is the Melorose Beauty Cream, which "does not grow hair or turn rancid, and has a very dainty odor." This would mean that other, lesser quality beauty creams of the day did have that unfortunate side effect, I reckon. I'm also not sure if the words "dainty" and "odor" were the best descriptors, either. Use As DirectedAs long as both ends of these devices are plugged in where they are supposed to be, everyone's happy. Just RightHaving the vibrators right on top of the radiator means they're toasty warm when you get them home. Just the thing for "facial wrinkles," no doubt! RootsSeveral years ago my widowed grandmother showed me one of these "vibrators" and told me that my grandpa had gotten it because he had heard they could restore one's hair. She said that he was very disappointed when it didn't do the trick. My grandpa was bald by the age of 23 or so and my grandmother refused to marry him unless he wore a toupee. This he did -- but only on his wedding day and the thing never rested on his head again. WatermanI was reading just last night in a 1957 edition of Popular Sceince, that Lewis Waterman was credited with inventing the first workable fountain pen in the late 1800's. Pyralin IvoryI found this page about pyralin ivory hair receivers and pictures of well groomed ladies of the Victorian age. MopsyWhat is that mop-like thing in the upper right? Is it some kind of light bulb cover? [It's a lampshade. - Dave] X-acto knives or ...They look like cuticle care instruments to me, but they are pretty fuzzy. I too noticed the French Teething Rings and anachronistically grew suspicious that they were really something else. Waterman & Parker (& Peoples)Yes, Lewis Waterman is popularly supposed to have invented the fountain pen, although it might be more accurate to say that he invented the fountain pen advertising campaign, since although he was the first big international success, there had been other pens before his. Parker was one of his archrivals; ironically, both companies are now essentially foreign operations (Parker in the UK, Waterman in France) under the control of the same parent (Newell Rubbermaid). I can make out some steel dip points, which is what you would have used had you been unable to afford the relatively expensive new fountain pen. Finally, as a native of the DC area, I can recall "going to Peoples" to pick up drugs & sundries. A couple decades back they were purchased by CVS, which promptly got rid of the name (and the cool neon signage on many of the stores). I still can't understand throwing away a name with nearly a century of goodwill behind it. No Plastic !If you notice, everything is either in a box, glass or some type of metal because plastic really wasn't invented yet. [Actually, it had been. -tterrace] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, PDS, Stores & Markets)
Chi-Town Bus: 1938
... Gable? This looks like the bus in "It Happened One Night." Anyone for a rousing chorus of "The Man on the Flying Trapeze?" ... Deja View Isn't this the bus from "It Happened One Night"? Fageol Safety Coach Built by the Fageol Truck and Coach Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/17/2012 - 6:26pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1938. "Greyhound bus." This coach looks like it knows its way around. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Where's Clark Gable?This looks like the bus in "It Happened One Night." Anyone for a rousing chorus of "The Man on the Flying Trapeze?" BaldyTwo front tires are ready to be changed! Deja ViewIsn't this the bus from "It Happened One Night"? Fageol Safety CoachBuilt by the Fageol Truck and Coach Company of Oakland, CA, the Fageol Safety Coach was introduced in 1922 and was so named because of its low center of gravity and equal-length front and rear axles. Fageol was the first firm to build a bus from the ground up. By the 1930s, most Greyhound buses were Fageol Safety Coaches. The night bus taken by Clark Gable and Myrna Loy Claudette Colbert in "It Happened One Night" (1934) was an Atlantic Greyhound Safety Coach, its crowded interior seen here in the dimly-lit singalong scene. Fageol was bought out by Peterbilt in 1939. [The bus in our photo has a General Motors Truck Corporation radiator badge with the Yellow Coach emblem. - Dave] Have the mechanics look her over.Tires? Love the blinker system. What are those two jugs on the front? Some kind of oil filled shock absorbers? Wrong Way BusWhoops! General Motors Yellow Bus? Couldn't read the logo in the resolution available on my laptop. When I Google-Images-searched using the string "'It Happened One Night' bus" this image came up, identified on its host website (the Internet Movie Cars Database) as a Fageol Safety Coach. Guess they couldn't read the GM plaque on the radiator in their photo either. Here is an exterior shot of the Gable-Loy Atlantic Greyhound bus with its many 1933 state license plates. Since it looks quite like the Shorpy bus, it must not be a Fageol. ShockingThe jug things are oil-chamber shock absorbers. No LoyThat's Claudette Colbert, not Myrna Loy, on the bus. YikesSeems like it could get through traffic through sheer intimidation. Definitely intimidatingWhen I first looked at this picture I immediately assumed that it was a military vehicle, maybe an armored personnel carrier. Would hate to look in my rearview mirror and see this crowding me. CrankyIs that a hole for a starter crank? Bus-FaceMy sister recently told me that cars have faces or expressions. If it was ever true, it would be for this bus, which appears to have a permanent scowl. [And bugs in his teeth. - Dave] Yellow Coach or Fageol? There are a number of pictures of Fageol Safety Coaches on this page: http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/fageol.htm All of the Fageol trucks and coaches have a distinctive logo that extends across the top of the radiator and is quite dissimilar to the GM logo. However, a bit more research shows that there are a number of diecast models of "Fageol Safety Coach - Yellow Cab" buses around in the antique toy market, and demonstrate the confusion in names which exists about the buses built in the 1920's and 1930's This PDF file from busmag.com: http://www.busmag.com/PDF/Greyh1.pdf describes what maybe be a more definitive history of the Greyhound buses and may answer our question: Fageol buses were indeed a great part of the Greyhound Fleet in the 1920's, but Greyhound developed an interest in Yellow Coach which expanded into bus manufacture and a custom model for Greyhound in the 1930's. Yellow Coach was eventually bought by General Motors. The bus in our picture appears to be one of the custom Yellow Coach buses manufactured for Greyhound after the General Motors purchase of Yellow Coach. Industrial strength mass transportationLooks like something one would have seen in the old Soviet Union. Signs on top should read Moscow-Leningrad-Stalingrad. Da, tovarich? License plateIt reads "Maryland EX 3-31-39". Was that the expiration date of the plate? (valid until that date...) Or was it the licensing date? If it's the latter case, the photo had to be taken after March 1939. [EX is an abbreviation for "expires." - Dave] 1938 Greyhound depotDoes anyone know where this might have been taken? The background doesn't look like the old depot location on New York Avenue (now incorporated into an office building). ShockingThe front shock absorbers are actually air shocks, with the Sharader Schrader valve on the top. The oil port is for lubrication of the sliding piston inside the housing. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Zines & Beans: 1938
... the beach, at Dabob Bay, on Washington's Hood Canal the night before, and opened that day. In Nebraska, I'll bet they had to use ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2017 - 4:07pm -

November 1938. "Capitol Avenue storefronts, Omaha, Nebraska." Medium format negative by John Vachon for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Oyster stew!It's been forty years since I've made oyster stew! I'll bet mine was better, because I used oysters we picked up off the beach, at Dabob Bay, on Washington's Hood Canal the night before, and opened that day. In Nebraska, I'll bet they had to use canned! I'd even settle for canned right now, though! Hurry up!I don't know what that third car from the left is, with the 1-1813 license plate, but I want it and I want it now. I also want 45 cents worth of oyster stew, with some of them teeny little saltines and some Tabasco. And make sure that the oysters are the kind that grow in the ocean and not around Omaha, Nebraska, if you please. Top to BottomSam in 1616 and 1616½ has you covered from one end to the other. Spotted car1-1813 is a 1935 Oldsmobile top of the line sedan . Spotted Car1-1813 is a 1935 Oldsmobile L-35 touring car as seen here. No longer thereThe buildings have since been torn down. A Doubletree hotel sits in its place. Don't know if the restaurant serves oyster stew or not. FlawedThe adulation for that Oldsmobile would vanish quickly when one of its pistons blew --- - common problem for the 35s and 36s. Mine failed leaving Jackon Hole, Wyoming in 1948. Had to limp over the mountains and down into Salt Lake City where the second piston failed necessitating an engine tear-down in a parking lot. Before Parking LinesHave the feeling the 2nd car from the right, is going to be a little upset when it's time to back out. 1-1990 must have squeezed into that parking spot. Even after parking lines, he's probably still parking like that. Precursor?I favor the funky one fifth from the left, with the interesting back door. Anybody know what it is? Maybe it is my fondness for VW buses in my youth, but it looks intriguing. Travel Rule #1Don't order the seafood when the nearest ocean is 1000 miles away. Or do, but eat it with a side of Imodium. What Kind Of Oysters?As a son of The Land Of Pleasant Living I have always been leery when traveling of restaurants advertising oysters. If a restaurant isn't within 50 miles of a major oyster producing body of water I won't order them since my preference in oysters run to the Chincoteague style and not the Bull Durham variety. Precursor?The Funkymobile is a 28/29 Ford Model A Sedan Delivery. Very rare and desirable to the restorers and hot rodders alike. I'd choose it over all the cars in the lineup Rear door1929 Ford Sedan Delivery Current prices begin around $30,000 Oysters in Omaha? You betcha!Just a few blocks south of 1610 Capitol Ave (Now the Doubletree Hotel and First National Bank) lies a great seafood joint called appropriately 'Shucks' with a great oyster stew and all sorts of the succulent bivalves on the half shell - from both coasts, and even occasionally from the Choctawhatchee Bay in the Gulf. I've lived in Omaha for 31 years and vouch for the freshness of the seafood offerings here in our fair city. (Also has pretty good beefsteaks, as well!!!!) Can't say I've ever seen that 1935 Olds still around, though we like our classic cars here as well. Salty roads in the winter have been the ruin of many a fair classic, including my old '71 VW Westphaia. Shorpy and history.My son hooked me up to the Shorpy site years ago. Have just recently gotten the nerve to register and leave a comment. I really enjoy all the photos, the depression era by Dorothea Lange, And the photos of the old cars. Keep up the excellent work Dave. Shop to right?What is the shop between New Capitol Bar and Dean Lunch? I can only make out the word "Falstaff", and the objects in the window give few clues as to what they sell. [It's part of the New Capitol Bar; Falstaff is a brand of beer. -tterrace] Half-Seen Zine StoreA big bunch of people on FictionMags, an invitational Yahoo group I'm in, have been fascinated by the "zine" shop on the far left, and what the kid visible in the window is reading. Other images of magazines and especially newsstands here on Shorpy, for instance the recent 1938 Omaha newsstand, have been widely dissected. Falstaff BeerThe Falstaff brewery was south of downtown Omaha near 25th and Vinton Streets. Another Omaha local beer (also defunct) was Storz. Of course, there are numerous craft beers now brewed locally - and those have much more flavor than the old locals! Try 'Lucky Bucket' if you can find it. TrunkThe second car from the left is a 1932 Ford sedan with an aftermarket trunk mounted on an aftermarket support made by Kari-Keen or possibly Potter. Queued CarsFrom left to right: 1. 1937 Ford Tudor or Fordor (slant back) 2. 1932 Ford V8 with non-standard bumper 3. 1935 Oldsmobile L-35 4. 1936 Studebaker, likely a Dictator 5. 1929 Ford Model A Deluxe Delivery 6. 1936 Ford Deluxe Tudor Touring Sedan 7. 1933 Plymouth coupe (Business Coupe?) 8. 1937 DeSoto S3 Touring Sedan Note the partial reflections of the cars in the store windows. Bygone 'Zines DealersShortly before this photo was taken, the "Zines" store had been one of two news dealer stores of Charles C. Savage. This one, at 1618 Capitol Avenue, was being run by his daughter Hazel Lydia Savage. Two of her brothers both worked at the main family store at 1260 S. 16th in 1938. Hazel married Paul Colgrove on November 6, 1938, moved to Bandon, Oregon where she spent the rest of her life, and had a daughter, Colleen. The couple divorced in 1966. Hazel was born on September 12, 1917 in Omaha, and died January 15, 2011 in Bandon. After Hazel Savage, the store on Capitol Avenue became the business of Paul William Lehn. His last name can be partially seen in the window. He was born in Nebraska to George and Madeline Lehn in 1920. Less than a year after the photo was taken he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on June 19, 1941. After WWII he became an accountant, and he remained in Omaha at least through the late 1950s. He died on Chrismas Day, 1971 in Los Angeles, California, but he was buried back in Omaha. Re: Error in descriptionThe information that I provided in regard to the store is easily found in the Omaha city directories from 1936, 1938, and 1940. I have attached extracts that verify the information that was provided. Perhaps Hazel's daughter was simply just never told how her mother ran a news store prior to being married, and that her uncles also were clerks in their grandfather's store. Not a traceThe street was redone sometime in the 1950s. The Edward Zorinsky Federal Building was originally completed in 1958 as a home to the US Army Corps of Engineers. It's been modified a couple of times, most recently completed as a post-9/11 security and environmental retrofit in 2008. It is an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly and sustainable building. But I'd do anything to sit in Sam's Barber Shop shown in the original image and listen to the stories drift in and out with each customer. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Eateries & Bars, John Vachon, Omaha)
Ghost Hotel: 1905
... 1954 I stayed with my parents at the Hotel St. George the night of July 30-31 after returning from two years in the UK as a USAF ... Avenue IRT to the school after work. Boy, was I tired. One night I fell asleep and ended up going under the river. I woke, panicked and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:34pm -

"Hotel St. George, Brooklyn, circa 1905." Plus a ghost or two in this time exposure of the hotel's Clark Street facades. This Brooklyn Heights landmark, which by the 1930s was New York's largest hotel, with 2,632 rooms in a complex of buildings spread over a block, started with the 10-story dark brick structure, completed in 1885. After more than a century, it was destroyed by fire in 1995. The adjoining white building with the flagpoles, designed by Montrose Morris in the 1890s, still stands. Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. Hotel St. George: 1954In 1954 I stayed with my parents at the Hotel St. George the night of July 30-31 after returning from two years in the UK as a USAF dependent. I might even have the room number in a crude diary from the time. We sort of aborted our first full meal back in the U.S. in one of its dining rooms in favor of a walk down and across the street to the east to some burger joint to sit on stools at the counter! I got a US Road Atlas from its lobby bookstore for the impending seven-day cross-country road trip to the SF Bay Area. I also got one those automated photos done in a booth there, but it's far too poor to even think about scanning. One of the postcards obtained there (click image for details): I've another one showing their famous 120-foot indoor salt-water swimming pool. It all certainly went into a fast decline by just a few decades later. SwimmingI remember going to the St George in the 1950s to swim. They had an enormous swimming pool in the basement. It was a coed attraction for young college kids and singles. It probably didn't cost more than a couple bucks for admission and suit rentals. Back in '62Back in 1962, I was a student at the RCA Institutes in lower Manhattan. I worked at the GE building at 570 Lexington Avenue, so I took the 7th Avenue IRT to the school after work. Boy, was I tired. One night I fell asleep and ended up going under the river. I woke, panicked and got off at the first stop in Brooklyn. It was the St. George Hotel. I was amazed that a hotel had its own subway stop, so to speak. Those were the days! Saltwater PoolsI've never heard of a salt-water swimming pool ... was that common in the past? [Lots of hotels, resorts and even private homes have saltwater swimming pools. - Dave] A Dim MemoryI remember staying there for one night in the early 1950's with my family. My only recollection is of the swimming pool. The St. George Swimming PoolCan you scan your postcard showing a view of the pool and put it up here at Shorpy? In 1961 I was living on West 12th Street in Manhattan as a fledgling employee of Union Carbide, and went by subway over to the Saint George in Brooklyn to swim in that great pool. My other visits to Brooklyn back then were to the Cypress Hills Cemetery to visit the graves of my paternal Wilson grandparents who lived on Madison Street in Bed-Stuy at the turn of the 20th Century. I had commissioned a stonecarver to complete a gravestone inscription for my grandmother. In that effort, I got the birth and death years and month correct for her, but missed the days of the month in each case by a few. St. George salt-water poolLinen postcard. Click to enlarge. THE ST. GEORGE SWIMMING POOL, located in the Hotel St. George, Clark St., Brooklyn, the largest in New York (120' x 40'), was constructed at a cost of $1,263,000. Crystal clear pure natural artesian salt water is used. Swim and gym suits, showers, steam rooms, battery of sun lamps, and air-conditioned gymnasium are included in the admission charge! 4 minutes from Wall St., 15 from Times Sq.; Clark St. Station of 7th Ave. I.R.T. Subway in hotel. I only had a quick peek at it in 1954. The main reason that my parents and I were there was because my father had stayed at the St. George in August 1951 on his way to England on the USNS Gen. Maurice Rose.
Pick a Possum: 1916
... a small club or a slingshot one could kill quite a few at night. Probably a sort of cottage industry. The Dixie Cookbook From the ... and tail; rub well with salt and set in a cool place over night; place in a large stone pan with two pints water and three or four slices ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 6:39pm -

New York circa 1916. "Opossums hanging up outside shop." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress. View full size. Seems like rabbits?Under the table 'possums, it looks like there is a pile of rabbits as well. And what is on top of the table? I love this site, my favorite time of the day. [No one's said anything about the ducks yet. - Dave] The Possum DealerI guess it's a sign of the times, the man in the bloody butcher's smock is wearing a derby hat, a high starched collar (detachable), a white shirt, a necktie, a suit jacket and shined shoes. All he has to do is ditch the coat and he can be off to lunch with Evelyn Nesbit. Tastes like...Anyone know what possum tastes like? In one of the fancier restaurants in Florida, I've had gator meat. Alligator meat really does taste like chicken (when grilled and marinated like chicken). Yumm yummWe got them! Possums! Possums! Get your fresh hot possums! Hello, Possums!That appears to be Granny Clampett herself hurrying to buy up a few for supper. But are these . . .free range possums? Jeb and WillyThere is something about this picture that just makes want to put words into the mouths of the two men with their opossums. I don't know what exactly - something to the effect that they can offer the photographer a good deal on a nice one - skinned out and ready for stew. Just makes me want to write a story.... I always enjoy these little looks back to times gone by - Thanks so much! Hangin With the PossumsI'm wondering less about the merchandise and more about the location. This is New York, by which they presumably mean New York City. One wouldn't think there'd be enough of a market for possum in the Big Apple that you'd have nine or ten of the critters hanging outside your shop. A sign of the times? [This is Chinatown. - Dave] Frontier Fast FoodI'm pretty sure there isn't anything in the world that would induce me to eat an opossum. Why no squirrels, I wonder? Well dressed, but...The possum dealer is indeed very well dressed under his coat, but look how filthy the gutter is! Must have been hard to keep nice clothes clean, even if you weren't slaughtering vermin all day. Recipe CornerNo mention of possum in my 1904 White House Cookbook but several rabbit recipes. My grandmother grew up in Texas and has had possum and she said it wasn't worth trying. But for those that care, here is the recipe for Fricassee Rabbit from the 1904 White House cook book. Clean two young rabbits, cut into joints, and soak in salt and water half an hour. Put into a saucepan with a pint of cold water, a bunch of sweet herbs, an onion finely minced, a pinch of mace, half a nutmeg, a pinch of pepper and a half a pound of salt pork cut in small thin slices. Cover and stew until tender. Take out the rabbits and set in a dish where they will keep warm. Add to the gravy a cup of cream (or milk), two well-beaten eggs, stirred in a little at a time, a tablespoonful of butter, and a thickening made of a tablespoonful of flour and a little milk. Boil up once; remove the saucepan from the fire, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, stirring all the while, and pour over the rabbits. Do not cook the head or neck. Taste of PossumI've actually had possum - very greasy, dark meat. My dad was quite a hunter when I was a kid, and being a child of the Depression, he wouldn't consider us not eating whatever he brought home - that would be wasteful. However, I'd go out of my way not to eat possum again - yuck! Same goes for raccoon and beaver. Bear, on the other hand, was quite delicious - though I oppose killing them on moral grounds. Playing PossumHow do we know they weren't just playing dead? And those guys were just the Allen Funts of their day, waiting to see a customer jump out of their shoes when the 'possum suddenly scampers off the counter. Candid Glass Negative Show. We need those little cartoon X's over the eyes maybe. Where'd they come from?Opossum are able scavengers. I'd imagine at that time they were all over the trash bins and alleyways of NYC. I'll bet armed with a small club or a slingshot one could kill quite a few at night. Probably a sort of cottage industry. The Dixie CookbookFrom the Dixie Cookbook. OPOSSUM. — Scald with lye, scrape off hair, and dress whole, leaving on head and tail; rub well with salt and set in a cool place over night; place in a large stone pan with two pints water and three or four slices bacon; when about half baked, fill with a dressing of bread crumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper and onions if liked. After returning to pan place sweet potatoes, pared, around the opossum, bake all a light brown, basting frequently with the gravy. When served place either an apple or sweet potato in its mouth. — Mrs. L. S. Brown, Atlanta Meta GivenMy cookbook treasure, "Meta Given's Encyclopedia of Food," has a recipe for roast possum as well. (First printing 1947.) I found it among such culinary delights as turtle soup (and how to dress a turtle), muskrat Maryland, and a complete American Legion raccoon dinner. Courtesy of the Chillicothe, Missouri chapter. [Meta rules. I have both volumes of Meta Given's "Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking," the 1959 edition. They've been in my family since they were new. A great cookbook! - Dave] New YorkThis is funny I am in Tennessee and have had dealings with New Yorkers and have been called possum eating hillbilly.. I tried to explain that it was Turkey deer fish squirrel rabbit and other game birds before possum. But it looks as though it was Sunday dinner in New York. Possums look differentDunno bought y'all but the only possums I have ever seen are white, no where near that furry, and much much smaller- do they have bigger possums back east? [Possums are not white. Maybe you're thinking of armadillos. - Dave] JoyThe old (unexpunged) versions of The Joy of Cooking actually have a brief bit on dressing and preparing Opossum. You have to look under O and not P in the Index. Sadly, my copy is newer and doesn't have this lovely tidbit, so I'll have to rely on someone else. Like ChickenI actually cooked a possum, in a Dutch oven over (and under) coals, as a part of a historical reenactment of the 1830's in Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas. It tasted like chicken. I love these booksI have both the volumes of Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking as well, the fifth printing 1956, I suspect they were a wedding gift as my parents were married in 1956. I love them, they are a treasure of not only unique recipes, but everything else from buying fruits, storing food and entertaining! Janet This Opinion From a "Possum Expert"I grew up in rural Alabama and trapped rabbits and possums in what were called "rabbit boxes". Consequently, I have caught many possums. My family would eat the rabbits I caught, but I sold the possums locally to those who did eat them. Generally, the price of a regular size possum was 50¢ and the larger ones would bring 75¢. This was during the 1940's. The animal carcasses in this photo do not appear to be possums to me. Among other things, they are much larger than any I have ever seen. 50 shades of gray?Possums come in all shades of gray, from such a light gray as to appear almost white to such a dark shade that they are nearly black. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Stores & Markets)
How to Watch TV: 1980
... asleep watching classic moves and doing my nails. Last night, it was "Horse Feathers" and my latest nail job! I've seen that ... that position (complete with facial hair) almost every night that he watched TV after work. I had to take him out dancing or to the ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 10/09/2010 - 2:55pm -

A friend and I engrossed while watching TV at another friend's house. I don't know what was on to get us into this state; then again, maybe it was because those velour shirts were just so darned comfy. These days, of course, with all the excitement provided by big-screen hi-def sets and surround sound, nothing like this ever happens. View full size. I agree with JennyI agree with Jenny. This is neither vintage nor high-resolution. I would rather not see this sort of thing on Shorpy. Thanks! Sweet Dreams?I don't know what's going through the minds of you two posed sleeping beauties, but I'm thinking a certain woman has burst onto the Shorpy scene in a big way. Me, I like a gal with strong opinions. HmmmDo I see a canned intoxicant on the table near the plant? A few of those and a television set have the same effect on me. SleepingAfter reading some of the comments I realize these guys are handling it the right way, sleep right through it all. Perhaps they don't fit in with the rest of the site but it is Dave's site and he can do whatever he wants with it. I'm behind you Dave. Sweet and FunnyYou guys look like twins!! I like the photo. It screams the 80s! But be careful next time. JenniferPennifer might find the next photo "marginally interesting." And we wouldn't want that to happen here because, of course, she's entitled to her opinion...such as it is. Two peasYou two are falling out of reality in exactly the same way! Hilarious. Maybe in another fifty years or soThese photos will be seen as quaint and interesting. I'm sure if you had shown some of the people the photos taken back one hundred years ago to those alive back then, they'd think them uninteresting and mundane as well. Something like, "Wow! Women walking around in long fluffy dresses, everyone wearing hats, while trying to avoid stepping in horse poop as one crosses the street. Been there, done that." I also watched that TV ShowIt was the infamous BBC three-hour special documentary on moss. I would be inclined to title this "couch potatoes" but then I noticed that the couch was from the sitcom "Rhoda," and should probably be in the Smithsonian. Just FYI, there is currently available on public TV another BBC production with a similar cure for insomnia which is titled "Dirt" (absolutely true). In my opinion, all of tterrace's photography is quite outstanding in depicting slices of real life to which we can all relate and I have liked every single one so far. But, as they say, no one can please everybody all the time so can't we all just get along? As my mom used to say, "That's a nice picture". Thanks for sharing, "t." Can't do itPlease all the people all the time. Those velour shirtsWERE comfy!!! They'll be back! Oh, now I see it@Anonymous Tipster: Excuse me for ignoring the sycophant in the middle of the room. Apparently -- at least according to you -- nobody's allowed to have an opinion on Shorpy until they've "watched" and "learned" to sit down, shut up, take the Kool-Aid by IV drip, and get in lockstep about each and every last photographic offering that drops from the lens of the "beloved" tterrace. The photograph in question is meritless amongst thousands of pictures on this website that have great -- almost immeasurable -- merit. But that's only my opinion, and I'm nobody. So, that being the case, am I allowed to have an opinion that differs from everyone else's? Or is one welcome here only if they think and express themselves in a fashion that reflects the herd mentality? Because up until now -- and FYI, I have read thousands of Shorpy comments -- that hasn't been the impression I've gotten. BTW nothing at Shorpy has to be "about" JennyPennifer, any more than it has to be about "Anonymous Tipster." Just so you know. But at least I can cop to this: never in my entire life have I posted a comment on the Internet using anything but my own identity. You? Not so much. Was It Something In The Water?What's with the matching mustaches? We didn't need remotes in those daysThat's why we had kids! "Get up and turn it to Channel 5, willya?" I quite agree,JennyThankfully there's not too many of these. I've seen this at MY house!However, the couch is dark blue leather and my DH and DSs will fall asleep like this. I actually fall asleep watching classic moves and doing my nails. Last night, it was "Horse Feathers" and my latest nail job! I've seen that look beforeMy future husband assumed that position (complete with facial hair) almost every night that he watched TV after work. I had to take him out dancing or to the movies to keep him from reclining in that favorite "veg-out" position. He still does that exact same thing four nights out of seven, except now it's in a leather recliner. A remote control makes it so much easier! Unfortunately, there are no dance clubs catering to 50-year-olds who like Devo around here, so he won't go dancing anymore. Besides, we have to be up early in the morning. Have some fun with it babeMaybe JennyPennifer should post a picture of herself fast asleep on her couch due to the boredom caused by this "less than marginally interesting" photo. Shame on you, Dave!Didn't you remember that Shorpy.com is all about JennyPennifer? How dare you post something that doesn't satisfy her. :| Great Scott, what a ... (best left unfinished). Re: Posed and drearyI think maybe the new people here may see this picture and not realize that it is part of a much larger whole -- the ouevre of tterrace, if you will. Every week (usually on a weekend) for the past several years, tterrace has been kind enough to share with us his family photographs, which span the better part of the past century. Many of them taken by himself, and all of them digitized by himself, by scanning either prints or negatives or transparencies. A laborious, time-consuming process. Done not just three or four or a dozen times, but for almost 200 photos, which have generated thousands of comments. So I would say to the new people here, not only are tterrace's photos "marginally interesting," they are compellingly interesting. It would not be a stretch to call them beloved. But first you have to take the time to get to know them. Read the comments. Watch and learn. Not sleeping, you we're hypnotized!By that funky pattern on that sofa! UmmmThere's nothing of interest in this photo. Why do tterrace's pictures keep getting posted on this site? That upholsteryWas loud enough to wake the dead. Posed and drearyThis isn't what I visit Shorpy to see. If you're going to post a family photo, at least make it marginally interesting. ForgottenThe art of total relaxation. Turn out the light when you leave, thanks. Wow.Self-Awareness Filter obviously not standard equipment on all models. And I don't mean tterrace. We heart tt. ActuallyTterrace's photos are one of the main reasons I come here. In fact, I enjoy almost every photo I see on Shorpy. Occasionally (seldom, seldom) there will be a photo that doesn't thrill me. Guess what I do? I roll on by it and wait for one that does. Guess I am too lazy to work up much indignation about it. The SecretJennifer Pennifer is actually Lucy Van Pelt. Oh, the dramaBoring snapshot unless you're in it or you're the mother of the guys in it. C'mon, to claim otherwise is a huge stretch. I've got a hundred like it and so does everyone else. That's all JennyPennifer pointed out, and I agree. Is it worth a debate? Absolutely not. If you don't like it then by all means just move on, but castigating someone for pointing out that it's just a mundane snapshot when that is, in fact, the case? Nice photo!TTerrace is right, falling asleep in front of the tv almost never happens today, television has become so intense, not to mention xbox and stuff like that. This photo captures a little moment of our culture that may never come again. I'm a student of American culture and I like TTerrace's photos because they give us little reminders of things about our past that were really cool. Thanks, TTerrace! Just like my houseI see you guys watch TV like my wife sometimes does, eyes wide shut. She insists she's still "listening" though. Marginally interestingIs how I find Jennifer Pennifer. Pffffft! Tterrace on the other hand has provided me many hours of enjoyable viewing and childhood memories. CompositionallyIt's a great picture, what with both slumbering subjects in the same pose. Plus tterrace is showing some skin. tterraceI like all the photos on shorpy, just some more than others. Aside from from Dave's (of course), tterrace's pics usually tell a tale of some sort, including this one. Unfortunately, the tale this one tells would put me in to a simular slumber! tterrace, thanks for posting, and keep'em coming! tterrace is "da bomb"!He and his photos are the main reason I look at Shorpy on a daily basis! Keep 'em coming tterrace!!! tterrace fanbase!some comments are upsetting the fans! tterrace gives us nostalgia, while dave supplies the history. its a perfect blend for this website, which is why it ranks above most other blogs:) i only hope that tterrace gets more recognition on radio or TV, cause i would really enjoy to see an interview from this man:) So THIS is what...The geeky social outcasts did on Friday and Saturday nights while the rest of us were out partying and scoring with chicks on the beach. Hmmmmm. Tired of Mork & Mindy? Can't stay up late enough for Saturday Night Live? tterrace rocksHe could post pics of himself sleeping and I'd find them interesting. Er .. wait. No, seriously - add me to the fan list for those who can't get enough of his "work." Keep it comin', Ace! Louise, you're scaring me!Re: the post from Louise about 50 year olds and Devo -- never thought I'd see those two things mentioned in the same sentence. Thanks for reminding me how old we're getting! LALLI don't mind that some people don't care for this picture. So what? Why even find it necessary to respond with more negative comments? We don't all think the same, and shouldn't. Live and let live. For me personally, most of the pictures on this site are totally captivating. I truly appreciate Dave's hard work to provide us with such interesting glimpses of America's past. Shorpy is truly the best historical picture site on the Web as far as I am concerned. Please keep up the good work, including tterrace! tterrace, I think I love youI agree with Traci. Please get yourself an agent or publisher, tterrace. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Gotham City: 1908
... did they eat? Where did they poop? Where did they stay at night? [There were hundreds of livery stables and carriage houses in New ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/15/2016 - 2:49pm -

"Fifth Avenue and Forty-Second Street, New York." Circa 1908, horses and motorcars shared the streets. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. 42nd Street Come and meet those dancing feet On the avenue I'm taking you to - 42nd Street Hear the beat of dancing feet It's the song I love the melody of - 42nd Street Little nifties from the fifties, innocent and sweet Sexy ladies from the eighties who are indiscreet! Oh, there side by side, they're glorified Where the underworld can meet the élite - 42nd Street Come and meet those dancing feet On the avenue I'm taking you to - 42nd Street Hear the beat of dancing feet It's the song I love the melody of - 42nd Street Little nifties from the fifties, innocent and sweet Sexy ladies from the eighties who are indiscreet! There side by side, they're glorified Where the underworld can meet the élite Naughty, gawdy, bawdy, sporty, 42nd Street The big parade goes on for years It's a rhapsody of laughter and tears Naughty, bawdy, gawdy, sporty, 42nd Street Hat PinsLadies in those days kept their hats in place by pinning them to their hair with large steel pins often decorated with elaborate ends. Still sold to this day http://www.pennypins.co.uk/ They Do WindowsWow, window cleaners, top floor building on the left. No safety equipment. Don't think that would happen today. Occult BooksIn the third window from the left, top of picture... Does the sign say "Occult Books"? Bet that's an interesting store. Busy streetI love these old pictures of NYC, especially since I work on Madison Avenue and take a daily lunch stroll down Fifth Ave. I was wondering how the ladies on the upper deck of the bus kept their hats on but I guess the bus didn't go too fast anyway. Talk about Hollywood advertisingI know Hollywood likes to tease us a year or so before a big movie comes out, but really, "Bull Durham" being advertised in 1910? (yeah, yeah, I know, but I couldn't resist) Which Direction? Clues...In trying to figure out which direction they were looking, I first tried google maps and street view. Since construction on the New York Public Library building started in 1902, then the photograph must be looking up 5th or east on 42nd. You can see the banner on the right hand side says Apollinaris. Since they were located on 5th, then this photo must be looking up 5th Avenue. 1930 Blue Book Apollinaris "The Queen of Table Waters." Apollinaris Agency, Co., 503 Fifth ave. at 42nd st., New York City. GreatWhen I opened up this picture I was practically drooling - so much to look at!!! Love these busy street scenes. Thanks again for all the great pics. Armored Horse & Buggy?There is a horse and wagon turning which has Silver Vaults 37 and what is probably the firm's address on its side. The number 37 can also be seen in the shadow under the footrest of the driver and passenger. Any idea what the name refers to? How do the Ladiesget to the upper deck of the bus? He ain't doin' windowsIt looks like he's hiding from a jealous husband or he levitated up from the occult book store. HATS!When was the exact moment that going out in public without a hat became legal in this country? I'm guessing it was sometime in the 1950's, but it could have been in the late 1940's. Perhaps it resulted from the residue of WWII. All I know is that every picture of Americans dressed for the public in a downtown or urban setting between 1900 and 19XX shows each man and woman with a hat. Virtually this is without exception! What I don't know is when "XX" took place. There were holdouts. You might see some crotchety old gent with a derby or Homburg in the 1960's, but he was a quaint relic. What happened, and when did it happen? It just seems that the American Hat Industry went to heck in a handbasket on a given day for no apparent reason. [The reason was JFK. - Dave] Time TravelEach of these street scene pictures is a window into a "lost" world--like peering back in time. And each one is just stuffed with interesting things to see and think about. The small details, things the photographer probably didn't even notice, are riveting now. The "Occult Books" is an excellent example. If I recall correctly, Spiritualism and the Fox sisters had kicked off in the late 1800s and of course as soon as photographs were possible, "ghost" and "spirit" photography became the rage. Thanks, Shorpy. I hope you realize how much we appreciate this site and what a revelation it is. Every history class in high school should have it as required reading! TrafficWhat amazes me is the amount of traffic in the streets. Somehow I equated this much traffic with the LA freeways of today, and not the horse carriages of lore. It makes sense, but just not something you think about. Kids These DaysI was just reading in our local paper today some things from 100 years ago, and a socialite wanted to know how long this fad of young ladies going outside with short sleeves and no hats would last! Silver VaultsNew York Times, December 11, 1898 SAFES FOR SILVERWARE They are Coming More Into Use in Modern Houses SOME ARE VERY EXPENSIVE . . . Where safes are not used for table silver, the silver vault is built into the house, opening from the butler's pantry. A family well known in New York society, which figured not long ago in a noted burglary case, has recently had larger silver vaults put into the house. The most prominent architects now plan for these vaults in most of their most pretentious city and country houses. These vaults are small rooms fitted up much like the silver safes, though possibly with less velvet and more woodwork, as the vault is used frequently to hold fine china as well as silver. . . . The vault is built exactly on the principle of the most modern bank vaults in regard to security and outside finish. There are massive doors of the metal finished on the inside with a brass plate which shows through the heavy plate glass covering it. There is the day gate of open metal work, with a simple fastening exactly as in the banks, and used also for convenience. The woman of to-day not only has more valuables than she had a few years ago, but she uses them more frequently, and the bank is useful only for very valuable and seldom-used plate or while she is away in the Summer. Freeze FrameNotice something unusual about this picture? The action of moving objects is nearly frozen by the shutter speed. Most street scenes of the early 20th century have very blurred action due to the slow lenses and the even slower film emulsions. But why? I have in my hand a Seneca folding 4x5 camera from about 1910 and the fastest shutter speed is 1/200th. Why would a camera manufacturer offer such a fast shutter speed if the available films could not keep up? Maybe photographers did not choose the fastest speeds for some other reason. A clue might be in the very out of focus pedestrians in the foreground of this image. In order for the photographer to stop action using a film rated at ASA 25 or slower the lens aperture would have to be wide open resulting a blurry foreground and a blurry background. My guess is that most photographers were captured by the majesty of the scene – the beautiful new buildings or the sweeping landscape – and were less interested in the comings and goings of their fellow citizens. So faced with a decision between fast shutter speeds and long depths of field they chose to stop the lens down. Of course there were photographers that focused on people from the very beginning but it seems the street scene as a social document had yet to mature. [Regarding "available films," this photograph, like almost all photos of the era, was made without film. It's a glass plate negative. Just about any glass plate exposed outdoors would have had a short exposure time. Stop-action street photography was nothing new or unusual, as the hundreds of similar photos here will attest. - Dave] HorsesIt seems so incongruous to see horses in the middle of a big city. Where did they eat? Where did they poop? Where did they stay at night? [There were hundreds of livery stables and carriage houses in New York. Many were multi-story stables with elevator hoists. The horses went on the street, and the Department of Sanitation cleaned up after them. - Dave] Hansom CabNote the hansom cab in front of the double-decker bus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansom_cab The driver sat behind and above the passenger compartment, and controlled the door latch by a lever from his seat. That way he was sure that he'd get his fare! Both of my Irish grandfathers drove hansoms in New York in the 1880's and 90's, and their experiences made their way into family lore: SWELL DUDE: You DO know the way to the Lamb's Club, my good Man? GRANDPA: Do you take me for a greenhorn? Why it's in the sheep, isn't it? Now, where are yez going? Re: Hat pinsAnother nearly forgotten use for hat pins was self defense, a purposeful jab with a sturdy and ready-to-hand hat pin was frequently enough to discourage the attentions of less polite elements. Double-DeckersI can just barely remember double-deckers in NYC in the early '50s in regular revenue service. This is not to be confused with tourist buses of recent decades. Now one is being tested for transit duty. HorsepiesI remember seeing an editorial, from the dawn of the motor vehicle age, to the effect that all the pollution in the streets would be going away with advancing prevalence of the motor car. MTA Double-DeckersIn the mid to late 70's there were double-deckers in service for the MTA on Avenue of the Americas. I think they were M6s. If you know the City, I went to "Little Red School House," on Bleeker, and took that bus every day. That would be cool if they made a return. [From the NY Times: Double-decker buses "returned in 1976 when the eight British-made double decker buses went into service again on Fifth Avenue as part of a test program. But the buses did not hold up well, said Charles F. Seaton, a spokesman for New York City Transit, and were taken off the road after about two years." - Dave] Everything is oldI wonder what it was like to live at a time when everything in existence was old: the buildings, the vehicles, your clothes? I even asked my aunt, who was born in 1887, and she said, "Well, they didn't seem old at the time." But they look so old. Men without hatsF. Scott Fitzgerald made the comment when he was in college that he saw a group of young men going out without their hats and he dared to do the same. So at least around WWI, a few people risked societal disapproval by going outside bare-headed. Up the rampTo Anonymous Tipster and Dave (whatever happened to Dave?) -- nearly all the livery stables were multi-storied, and many had elevators, but the elevators were for hay and grain. The horses ascended to their stalls on the upper floors by ramp. There are still four carriage horse stables in NYC, and all are of this design: 37th and 38th Streets between 10th & 11th, and 48th and 52nd Streets between 11th and 12th. The ramps can be seen from the sidewalk in all except the one on 37th, which faces the back of the building. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC)
Beauty Contest: 1922
... sinister, I certainly wouldn't like to meet her on a dark night! Thelma and Louise Seems like the one on the left probably ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2018 - 4:38pm -

"Washington Tidal Basin Beauty Contest -- August 5, 1922." Misses Eva Fridell, 17, and Anna Niebel. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Political PowerIt is amazing how quickly women's bathing attire became so much smaller after they got the vote. Our beauty on the lefthas got the "babyface knees" almost perfect Looks like the wrong one wonassuming that size, in silver cups, matters. The one on the right is a beauty. We've seen these two before: https://www.shorpy.com/node/356 If they were the winners,what did the losers look like. The one on the right looks particularly sinister, I certainly wouldn't like to meet her on a dark night! Thelma and LouiseSeems like the one on the left probably wrestled that cup away from somebody. And the one on the right looks like she's a street brawler. Ah yes, leave it to Shorpy to find the first two lady wrastlers and foist them on us as beauty queens! LovelyWow. There's just something enchanting about the women in the 1920s-era beauty contest photos you post. Maybe it's because they were so naturally beautiful without all the beauty aids and plastic surgery women have access to today. I WonderIf anybody else showed up for the contest. The one on the right is OK, but the one on the left looks, um, rather plain (I'm trying to be polite!) YikesI've often had the thought that the 1970s had the worst style and taste in American history, but nah. Nothing will ever beat the 1920s. I'm thinking of why the port side wonLooks like a red haired lady with beautiful freckles and naturally long hair. The very attractive lass with the dark hair has her hair bobbed. I'm sure the judges considered that no real lady would bob their hair. I prefer both. Both of these ladies are lovely.Although I have to admit that I never knew Joan Cusak was so old. Left GirlHmm, Maogwai Cat has made me reconsider my opinion of the girl on the left. If she had red hair and green eyes (her eyes seem lightly colored in this picture), she would be striking. In this case, the B&W photo giving her such a lifeless coloring does her no favors, along with the angle of her head. But I still stand by that the styles of the 1920s were a low point. They are both winners!Especially if you look at it full size. And even more if they were wearing something else. Oddly, red hair has not always been considered attractive. "Red-headed stepchild" was an insult in more than one way. [Indeed they were -- Eva won the beauty prize and Anna won for best costume. - Dave] A Girl With CurlsWashington Post, August 6, 1922. TITIAN-HAIRED GIRL WINS BEAUTY PRIZE Judges Rule None in Tidal Basin Contest Excelled Miss Fridell In Pulchritude. SIXTY IN GRAND PARADE Miss Niebel Again Awarded First Honors for Best Bathing Suit Shown at Beach.         The old-fashioned titian-haired beauty, without the modern make-up, returned to popularity yesterday by winning the fourth annual beauty contest at the Tidal Basin. A girl with curls, of athletic type and wearing the normal style of bathing suit, Miss Eva Fridell, a 17-year-old Business High school student, took the capital prize, a large silver loving cup. She wore a yellow bathing suit with narrow black stripes around it. Not only is she a regular patron of the beach, but one of the expert divers and swimmers.         Miss Fridell, whose complexion needed no paint or powder, quickly caught the eye of the judges, Al. J. Frey, Isaac Gans and Arthur Leslie Smith. The winner lives with her parents at 611 Ninth street northeast. Going Back to High School.         Last spring she graduated from a two-year course at Business High school, but expects to return in the fall to complete a four-year course.         The winner of the style show at the beach a few months ago, Miss Anna Niebel, of 1370 Harvard street northwest, again came out as the winner of the best costume for beauty, design and durability. Miss Niebel was awarded a silver loving cup for the suit she wore, which was all blue rubber, with several white stripes at intervals.         Second prize for the beauty was awarded to Miss Gay Gately, of 1402 Massachusetts avenue southeast. Miss Iola Swinnerton, of 3125 Mount Pleasant street northwest, was awarded second prize for costumes. Both were given engraved gold medals. Nine Chosen From Sixty.         Of the 60 girls entered in the contest, nine were picked out to appear before the judges. These were Gay Gateley, Norine Fords, Mae Poole Allen, Eva Fridell, Edith and Aileen Bergstrum, Anna Niebel, Dorothy Parker and Iola Swinnerton.         The participants were paraded before the judges several times before the winners were chosen. Al. J. Frey, chairman of the judges, is a member of Hochchild Kohn & Co. of Baltimore, Md. He was appointed to select the winner of the beauty contest conducted at Palm Beach, Fla., last winter. The winner of this contest received a check for $1,000 as first prize. YellowThis is interesting for colourisers. The article states that Miss Fridell had a yellow suit with black trimmings. In monochrome the yellow appears quite dark - a common feature (see the picture I colourised of Civil War veterans a while back). It's easy to assume that yellow in black and white looks pale - but it isn't always so. And this is an excellent example. Orthochromatic FilmPanchromatic film was not invented until the thirties and was first used for the movies. Othochromatic film is most sensitive to blue light. That's why the silent films have such high contrast and the mid 30s and later "talkies" look so much different with their extensive grey tones. Panchromatic film did not get wide use until almost WWII. [This was photographed on a glass plate, not film. Panchromatic emulsion for plates first became available in the early 1900s, though they did not come into common usage until the 1920s. Kodak released their first panchromatic film stock in 1913, though it was intended for use in additive-color motion-picture photography. Their regular panchromatic film came in 1922; the first feature film to be shot entirely with it was that year's The Headless Horseman. - tterrace] I know, I should have said emulsion. Othochromatic film or emulsion was not in general use until WWII. Even Weston used Orthochromic film in a box camera for his photos. What you see is mostly his darkroom work when you view his photographs. In color... and if you want to see how I think it looked in colour: https://www.shorpy.com/node/12695 UncomfortableI have been trying to picture what a rubber bathing suit would be like, and it sounds miserable, but so does a wool bathing suit, like Ms. Fridell is wearing! (The Gallery, Bizarre, D.C., Natl Photo, Pretty Girls, Swimming)
A Keen Christmas: 1920
... front of the croquet girls. I bet this looked gorgeous at night. I'm a little mystified by the critters in front of the log cabin, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 11:42am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Mrs. A.M. Keen. Christmas tree." Somewhere in there: a very tiny kitchen sink. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. 19th century iTunesFor those youngsters out there, the case at the far right is filled with piano rolls. Used to have a player piano in our basement when I was a kid, and hundreds of old rolls just like the ones inside the case. Noah's ArkThe ark with all the animals escaping is really cute and the details on the miniature house is great. Wonder if one person made this or if it was a group effort. Too badthere are no photos of the previous year's setup. Mrs. Kean recreated the 1919 signing of the Treaty of Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors! Busy, busy, busyMuch to see and too much to really enjoy but my questions are: how did those girls get to the croquet field, and what's in the boxes inside the glass case? [Piano rolls, as noted below. - Dave] Full speed aheadI like the model train layout. Someone put a lot of effort into building it. Seems like there are two different kinds of train sets in use. The top one looks like Lionel since the track has three rails but the bottom one is two rail track for something else, with that neat model of a steeple cab electric locomotive (interesting that someone chose to build a model of one of those in the 1920s). For years, I wanted to lay out a loop of track around my family's Christmas tree and run my model train on it but my parents shot me down every time. I'm doing it for the first time this year since I'm in my own place now. "Merry Christmas From the Family"Robert Earl Keen's ancestors, perhaps. WOW! Elaborate Train SetWith a Charlie Brown tree. And OverallA grand chandelier! Santa/SatanThis is the first time I have seen a Christmas ornament depicting the devil. Very odd. Tree toppersIt's very weird to see the long pointy ornaments that today are saved for the top of the tree, sticking out from various branches. KrampusThe fellow with the horns is Krampus, Santa's evil counterpart. In old-school German folklore, Krampus filled out St. Nick's mythic entourage to play bad cop to Santa's good. For those on the naughty list, Krampus got downright medieval. Traditionally depicted with huge horns, a black mane, talon-like claws (Krampus comes from the Old German for "claw"), and wielding chains and a birch rod, Santa's enforcer beat, whipped and shamed bad children. Sometimes, Krampus went so far as to shove his victims into a sack and throw them into a river. He seemed also to have a particular penchant for birching young, pretty virgins. More here. As seen byThis seems to be Henri Rousseau's model train layout. Pointy OrnamentsA true artistic talent need not be bound by convention. Look Up, Way Up!The one thing missing from this image is a friendly giant wearing boots. Bob Homme would have envied this train and homestead scene around the tree. A cow jumping over the moon would not have been out of place with this tree and neither would a castle next door. Bobble HeadsIt looks to me that both the giraffe and the dog (mountain lion) on the rocks to the right of the giraffe are bobble heads. The heads are balanced on a hook in the neck of the body. Tap the head and watch them wiggle for awhile. Twinkly!Lookit all the little lights! They're even buried in the dirt in front of the croquet girls. I bet this looked gorgeous at night. I'm a little mystified by the critters in front of the log cabin, though. Is that a tiny giraffe?? Just wonderingWhere do they put the presents? Re: Busy, busy, busy«How did those girls get to the croquet field?» There is a gate in the fence. They would have to cross the tracks, but who wouldn't risk their lives for an exciting game of croquet? The Hook...and Rear AccessIt looks like the tree is attached to a hook in the ceiling for stability. I wonder if that was a permanent fixture that they used every year? When that Steeple Cab Electric Locomotive jumps off of the track when it is under the tree (inside the tunnel) how do they retrieve it? It look like there might be access from the rear that is visible in the tunnel that the upper train is exiting. Even so it would be a low clearance to get to the lower set of tracks from behind. Time stood still"Son, Santa can stop time so that he is able to set up this display." My dad would say, if I asked the big question. Politically Incorrect, but...We need this Krampus guy today. Too many spoiled and bad boys and girls. Declasse DecorNice to see that people with bad taste were putting up absurd Christmas decorations 90 years ago. I can just imagine Mrs. Keen showing off this display to her friends, beaming with pride, only to have them poke horrible fun at it behind her back. I was waitingFor some one like kjottbein to notice the gate. There is also the little tram car (that doesn't seem to be to scale) that could have brought them thru the tunnel from the upper level. It's fun to look at these old Christmas Gardens and dream. I feel so bad...that the good Mrs. Keen must have put HOURS and HOURS into this labor of love, and all I can drool over are those gorgeous doors and baseboards. Greco-Roman Gardens and The DogOf course no authentic period diorama would be complete with nude statutes in the Greco-Roman garden! And, is that a lonely dog waiting for someone to open the gate at the top of the stairs to the right? Wonder what happened to all the props from this elaborate diorama. Which thrift store got all these treasures? Krampus is Oh. So. German.Okay, I don't usually go in for German-bashing since my great-grandmother emigrated from Hanover, but I laughed out loud at the comment about Krampus. (And the link, with its Colbert clip, was hilarious. Next year, I think we'll have to live it up on Krampustag!) A.M. KeenWith a name like that you'd better be a morning person. Citizen KeenI think William Randolph Hearst played with this as a boy. How else could he have come up with the idea of San Simeon? Can't you just smell the Ozone!That steeple cab locomotive running on the lower level is a rare one. Made by the Howard Miniature Lamp Co. of NYC c. 1908. These ran on 2 inch wide track. Just wonder how many other Howard trains are derailed in the tunnel! (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Caffeine Warehouse: 1935
... Table Talk and Selma Pride ("Roasted Last Night") as well as Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper. Nitrate negative by Walker Evans ... caffeine hit late in the day. Then I could stay up all night roasting coffee for the next day. Coffee, White -- Subliminal ... had a laugh when I saw that the company used "Roasted Last Night" as a slogan. Roasted coffee needs to "air out" for 2-3 days before ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/05/2023 - 3:38pm -

December 1935. "Coffee house in Selma, Alabama." The Sadler Grocery Store, purveyor of Kon-Koffee-Kompany's Table Talk and Selma Pride ("Roasted Last Night") as well as Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper. Nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Resettlement Admin. View full size. TimingLet's see ... if I can have Dr. Pepper at 10, 2 and 4, that means that at 6 and 8 I can have coffee. At the next 6 and 8, I can have Coca-Cola. Start out with lots of caffeine early on, then taper throughout the day. Of course, I could mix either the Selma Pride or Table Talk with Coke for a really nice caffeine hit late in the day. Then I could stay up all night roasting coffee for the next day. Coffee, White --Subliminal messaging?? We may never know if it was intended, but that name certainly conveys it. Yet history had the last laugh: what was known as Sylvan Street (see marker painted on steps) is now Martin Luther King Street. Nice work by BlantonEspecially finding just the right angle to fit "Selma Pride Coffee" and "Table Talk Coffee" in between the windows. Koffee KornerIf Sylvan Street is now MLK, then this is the corner with Water Avenue today. Kitty-corner is the old railroad depot, now a museum, making this a pretty good location in 1935. Sign Of The TimesI tend to agree there is no hidden message in the sign. 1935 Selma wouldn't bother to be coy about the prevalent attitudes and would feel no reason to hide what was obvious in everyday life to a certain segment of the population. The Hawaiian KIdiosyncratic spelling and alliteration were something of a fad in brand names of the 1920s and '30s, resulting in quite a few "Koffee Kompany" businesses in locales from Tacoma to Indianapolis to Selma, not to mention the Kona Koffee Kids -- a girls' baseball team. Is there trouble brewing in that Kon-Koffee-Ko name? Probably not. Must have been pretty bad coffeeI roast my own coffee and had a laugh when I saw that the company used "Roasted Last Night" as a slogan. Roasted coffee needs to "air out" for 2-3 days before grinding and brewing. The roasted coffee beans release CO2 during the "airing out" time, and if brewed before that happens, the coffee tastes terrible. The first time I roasted coffee, I didn't know that, and wondered why it tasted so bad. Now, I can't drink most coffee made outside my house because it is hard to compare to the quality of home-roasted coffee made from fresh green coffee beans almost straight from a coffee plantation. Koo Koo Ka ChooI am the yeggman Watch Your StepsIt's interesting that the railing only begins about halfway up. I guess the stairs aren't dangerous before that point. The BikeEarly Grub Hub vehicle? Have a Nice Trip --That first step at the bottom is a doozy. The Circus!Three railroad trains, double length! Circus Was HereThank you Paul Schmid for that beautiful circus poster. The remnants of a Cole poster on the side of the grocery store. Feel sorry for those poor animals such as lions and elephants that have no place to be kept in such conditions. (The Gallery, Stores & Markets, Walker Evans)
Sunset School: 1921
... the well? Most of these kids look like they came out of "Night of the Living Dead". Avenging Angel? Great pic - some barefoot ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 7:23pm -

October 7, 1921. "School in Session. Sunset School, Marey, West Virginia. Pocahontas County." View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. I wonder if the bottlesI wonder if the bottles contain preserved frogs or similar for dissection? It reminds me of an old one I had once, and would perhaps explain the variety of queasy and mischievous expressions. That vial is a temptationA fantastic photo. The flowers on the teacher's desk are touching. I like the pail next to the water jug in the back. I do hope the teacher didn't swallow what was in that vial she's contemplating so earnestly. Boys will be boysMy new favorite photo. Everyone is posing stiffly in their Sunday go-to-meeting clothes except the rascal on the left. But why are their eyes closed? It's the waterDid someone dump arsenic in the well? Most of these kids look like they came out of "Night of the Living Dead". Avenging Angel?Great pic - some barefoot students, tatty shades, but a jar overflowing with fresh flowers! - is that a picture of an angel with a sword on the side wall? Also, any clue as to what the cylinders are that the teacher is using (appears to be a set in a special case)? Wireless SchoolhoueNo sign anywhere of the schoolhouse having electricity. Dark window shades are drawn also. Yet there seems to have been a good source of light somewhere in this classroom. Living DeadI'm with you on that one - it reminds me of "memorial photographs" from the Victorian era. One Room SchoolhouseMy mom was taught in a similar class of various ages and said that the teacher took each age group while the others worked on something else. I see the older looking kids in the back on the right are reading, while she appears to be explaining something to this somewhat younger group while showing them something in a bottle, taken from a kit of similar items. Are they paints? Can you see what is in her hand? Oh, if only we had a real time machine, huh? There must have been a well outside as seen by the bucket inverted next to the crockery water vessel. Either one of the big boys or the teacher would have to bring in water each day. Be glad we have shoes for our kids in October, since it isn't really summer. A beautiful and thoughtful photo of the "roaring twenties" when NOT all of America was prospering. West Virginia's employed people at the time were probably coal miners and not everybody was dancing and partying. Poverty?When this picture was taken my mother was 8 yrs old and sitting in a school house no doubt just like this within 40 miles of where this picture was taken(Elmira, WV). From the stories of my Mom and Dad we can not imagine the poverty. Most kids got one pair of shoes a year and had to make them last (and hand them down). The teacher is probably 18 or 19 at most. There would have been an outhouse and probably an outside pump. If lucky kids might have gone to 8th grade but most (especially boys) stopped at 4 to 6th grade. Many of these kids grew up to move north to Ohio and Michigan. They used to say WV schools taught the 3-R's = readin, 'rightin, and Rt 21 (the route to Akron and the Rubber factories). Others went to Detroit and built the cars to put the tires on. The poverty was great but most of them didn't realize it. I once asked my Dad what the Depression was like and he said none of them ever noticed it since they were always poor. They had no cash and traded milk and eggs for what ever they couldn't grow or hunt on their own. Dresses were sown from flour sacks. He said that he and Mom rented an 80 acre farm for $40/yr when they were first married and never managed to make the payment. But they raised three kids, 8 grandkids, owned their own homes and cars. These kids had no idea how far (literally and figuratively) most of them would go in the next 60-70 years. WV (and especially this part of it) was very poor and very isolated. Most at this point had never seen a car much less ridden in one. No imagination of electric lights, telephones, air-conditioning, TV. Some might had heard a radio but probably didn't own one. Travel was by horse and wagon at best. So don't look at the poverty --- look at this as the starting point of a great adventure. I can not imagine my life progressing as far and as differently as the lives of my parents and this generation. My Great-Great Grandfather.......taught at the Milhoan Ridge School in Jackson County West Virginia. I have a great old picture of him with his hunting dogs. His name was William Tack Milhoan. Don't know why the Archivist would want to ruin the shot of the school by putting a title over it. BTW, what is the Winged Victory figure in the poster near the window wearing? WV schoolNo wonder these kids ended up in the mines, with a dour looking teacher like that. what a depressing look at their lives. I hope some of these children rose above their poverty. Questions: Do you think thatQuestions: Do you think that they knew that a photograph was being taken that day? The young, unmarried teacher is nicely dressed and has flowers on her desk, along with two bells and a pencil sharpener. A few of the students are dressed up too--love the little girl with the huge bow in her hair. However, it's October 7th and two kids are, of necessity, barefoot, The girl is crossing her feet almost in a hiding manner. Please tell me that they had outhouses and not just the overturned bucket in the back of the room. What do you suppose the teacher is holding in her hand? No shoesI had heard people from that era saying they hadn't had shoes until they were 18. Kinda rough to see it on these kids. Creepy, retouched eyes?What a great photo. That classroom must have been dark in that classroom when the flash powder ignited as it appears that most of the students blinked, only to have their eyes applied to their eyelids in post production. This detail gives the photo an unsettling quality. ["Post-production"? You've been watching too many movies. The eyes look the way they do because the camera shutter is open longer than the duration of the flash. So you get open eyes superimposed with closed eyelids (when the flash makes everyone blink) in the same shot. - Dave] Praying?Looks like it is prayer time or they are trying to visualize something. We could learn a lot by going back to some of these old ways... The new ones don't seem to be working too well... Bare feetWest Virginia was very poor then so the bare foot kids probably had parents that couldn't afford shoes. They were just lucky to be able to even go to school. Fancy BootsCheck out the boots on the child hidden by the flowers. His dad must have been the town millionaire. Quite the contrast with Shoeless Joe and Shoeless Jill to his immediate right. By October 7, it was getting a wee bit chilly in that area. Just about time to start lighting up the big stove just behind Mr. Fancy Boots. Old photographyOh, that effect of seeing the eyes and the closed eyelids is so creepy. Winged VictoryA reply to ne_time_now: The poster appears to be an old war stamps poster probably from WWI. Population figuresOn a hunch I looked up the population of the county in Vital Stats. 1920 was the peak for population in Pocahontas County, WV with around 15,000, up a thousand or so from 1910 and again for 1900. Population declined to about half of that and was 9,000 in the 2000 census. We are viewing the county at the peak! And I lived in WV in the mid, late 60s. Funny how migration and whatever external factors will have on population. We always think more and more people are coming in and in this case, it is not. In my home county in Kentucky, the population was in the 15,000 range in 1840 and it took until the 1950 or 60 census to get back to that level. Now, we're overrun with people around here! AppalachiaLarry K's comments sum up all the other comments so well. I grew up in Appalachia -- southeastern Ohio -- and my 75-year-old parents still live there, three miles from Route 21. Though my five brothers and I were far from rich, we certainly had it better than our parents, who were both born in the middle of the Great Depression. Mom's parents also rented a farm and her father worked in a coal mine to support the family of twelve. Mom told us bedtime stories about her childhood -- "undies" made of flour sacks that were stamped with "Pillsbury's Best," etc. I could detect no bitterness in her voice, only fondness and perhaps a little remorse for the loss of "the good old days." Better or Worse?Pocahontas County was actually booming in those days--far better off than it is today--with lumber being the main industry. Granted, the people weren't very well off, but most were working and for the most part this area was typical of rural America at the time. Shoeless kids weren't an uncommon sight anywhere back then when weather permitted. Angel AngleNotice the picture on the back wall with the little girl. On one side the "good" angel urging her to do right while the "bad" or "dark" angel urges her to misbehave. I know I heard that lesson a few times in my youth. I love the comments on this one........probably as much, or more, than the actual photograph. My grandmother taught elementary school in the '20s in a farming town in California. Her stories remind me a lot of this photograph. The one thing she always emphasized was how much fun they had. Apparently, she and a couple of other teachers were known for their pranks. Thanks to everyone for their interesting and thoughtful comments! Mystery deviceWhat is that next to the Water jug? A book stand? Someone's crutch? A music stand? Some Had No ShoesMy dad often told me he and his brothers had no shoes. They had to walk on the railroad tracks, barefoot, to get to school. They lived in a log cabin with no floors. During the winter, their father dug a big hole in the ground and they slept in it to escape the cold wind blowing in through the cabin walls. Haves from Have-NotsIt's very easy to pick out the haves from the have-nots. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Bathgate Avenue: 1936
... slaughtered chickens and live pike & carp for Friday night's "gefulte" fish was a given. Mom used to keep the fish alive in the ... ride on a merry-go-round that came by on a truck. Most night the third avenue L put me to sleep. Everything was simple then, yet ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:50am -

December 1936. "Scene along Bathgate Avenue in the Bronx, a section from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. Nothing really changesFunny, I've seen scenes just like this (with different languages on the signs and different clothes) in Cueramaro, GTO and Oakland, CA within the last few months. We don't really change as much as we think sometimes... Billy BathgateI lived on Bathgate and 187th four years ago when I went to school at Fordham. Looking at the address on the bulding I wonder what the cross-street was at this time? The one little boyThe one little boy appears to be carrying a toy airplane while the stroller has a piece of wood being used to keep it from rolling away. TK http://unidentifiedfamilyobjects.blogspot.com/ Bathgate AvenueI googled the address and it is shown to be between Claremont Parkway and East 172nd Street. It was never considered a Garden Spot. Pop vs sodaThis shows that the word "pop" was still in use in NYC at that time, with the word "soda" presumably meaning an ice cream soda. The word "soda" has all but obliterated "pop" for soft drink in most of the country now. If you still say "pop" you're really from the hinterlands. Bathgate AvenueI used to go shopping on Bathgate Avenue with my mother in the early 1950's. I was still a kid and it was an exciting place. Open display cases in front of the stores, the smells of dried fish and ethnic foods baking in the sun. The area was much more crowded in the 1950's. If I remember correctly there were still some pushcarts in those days. Bathgate Avenue is near Crotona Park. BathgateI lived across the street from this address at 1599 Bathgate Avenue in the late 60's thru the mid 70's and my fondest memories were that of Melvin's Eggs right next to this location. This store was right in the middle of the block. Next door to me was F.W. Woolworth. The Manager was Mr.Blackman, funny how some names you never forget. The cross street was Claremont Avenue and that was 172nd street. The next street over was Washington Avenue and the Deluxe Theatre, where I went to my first movie by myself for 35 cents. Gosh I feel old and I'm only 46. Great times playing stickball and kick the can on Sundays, everything was closed because of the Blue Laws. Tone2020@gmail.com Pop vs Soda MapSee this site. Bathgate Avenue ShoppingI lived on Washington Avenue during the same timeframe (mid 60s through late 70s) and can remember a poultry shop where you could buy freshly slaughtered (right in front of you) chicken. Also, the smell of roasted peanuts sold from the fruit stands on Bathgate is something I remember. My first job while in Junior High was at a small variety store across the street from Woolworth (I can still hear the 3rd Avenue El rattling as it heads towards the Claremont Avenue Station). Bathgate AvenueMy grandparents owned a small store called Tillie's Specialty Shop from about 1945 to 1957 on Bathgate Avenue, just next to the stores in the photo and a few doors down from Woolworth's. Tillie's sold housedresses, hosiery, robes, etc. During the summer, when I wasn't attending P.S. 4, I'd sit next to the hosiery display at the front of the store and sell stockings. I also collected baseball cards, which my mother threw out. My guess is that I had a bunch of Mickey Mantles. Wish I still did! I recall a haberdasher (when was the last time you heard that word?) on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Claremont Parkway. The el still stood then. Crotona Park was two blocks away. Nice to remember... Fond Memories of my youthMy grandparents lived at 1663 Bathgate Avenue and 173rd Street. My grandfather owned a tomato store near the corner of 173rd. I was only a small child then but can remember the delicious smells in the hallway when entering the building from all the cooking. There was Italian, German, Irish, Greek and Jewish food that created the most wonderful aroma. I remember all the stores that had their products outside under awnings. There was clothing, shoes, toys, food, etc. My mom used to take me to a clothing store south of 173rd on the east side of the street. I remember a heater in the middle of the floor in this clothing store. I also went to a pool a few blocks away, must have been Crotona Park Wading Pool. I remember the water not being very deep. For some reason many things have stayed with me and the memories are cherished. Memories of a fellow Bathgater..I was born in Apartment 4C at 1663 Bathgate, the southwest corner of Bathgate and 173rd, in December 1933. My dad died in 1934. Vogel's Grocery was on the northwest corner and I delivered groceries for them. Schactner's Haberdashery was opposite 1663 as was the Daitch Dairy. The orthodox synagogue was underneath 1663 on 173rd and Grubmans Interior Decorators was underneath 1663 on Bathgate. (For some unexplained reason the interior decorators' center of NYC was Bathgate between Clairmont Parkway and 173rd, three blocks with about a dozen interior decorator stores. As kids we used to marvel at the chauffeured limousines carrying elegantly dressed ladies from Park & Fifth Avenues in Manhattan to Bathgate to buy extraordinary fabrics for their apartment & mansions.) Tillie's Specialty Shop may also have been Zweigart's Specialty Shop, whose daughter, Sally, I once dated, when I was a student at P.S. 4 on Fulton Avenue. There were many such shops. Freshly slaughtered chickens and live pike & carp for Friday night's "gefulte" fish was a given. Mom used to keep the fish alive in the bathtub so we could see them when we came home from school! Punch ball on 173rd from Bathgate to 3rd Avenue started promptly at 10 every Sunday morning and ended promptly at 2 pm when all the Italian kids had to go home for their traditional Sunday pasta dinner. If there were cars parked on 173rd, we pushed them out of the way. Spectators lined both sides of the street and total bets could be $100 or more. I could punch a "spaldeen" 3 sewers, but Rocky Colavito, the eventual Cleveland Brown slugger, could punch the ball onto the 3rd Avenue Elevated tracks, almost a whole block away! Correction: The movie house on Clairmont and Washington Avenue was the Fenway, not the Delux. Admission was five cents and we were there on Saturdays from 11 to 5 -- two feature films and about 25 serials and cartoons. Our moms came to pull us out for dinner. If you went in the evening, you would also be awarded a free dinner plate. My mom collected an entire service for eight, some of which my niece may still have! The Delux was at the corner of Arthur & Tremont, also 5 cents. The Crotona on Tremont was 10 cents, the more resplendent Loewe's farther east on Tremont at 15 cents and the famous & magnificent Loewe's Paradise at Grand Concourse and Fordham Road, admission was a hefty 25 cents, but well worth the beauty of that particular movie palace! I left Bathgate in 1953 to go to college and never returned. I'm 75, but those memories are as fresh in my mind today as though they occurred yesterday. Please pass on to your Bathgate cohorts ! Fair Winds, Jack Cook Reprinted from an email I received today from Jack. Eat at Paul'sMy grandfather had a deli on Bathgate Avenue. I have a pic taken in 1932. The awning on the store said Eat at Paul's, my grandpa was Henry. That was the way the awning was when he opened the store. Does anyone remember? or know the address number of the store. I want to see what is on that spot now. I remember MamaI was born in 1946 and shopped with my mother on Bathgate as a very small child. I remember watching her choose a flounder at the fish market, and kosher pickles from the barrels on the street. One of the women in the Rothstein photo looks just like my grandmother. She shopped there too. What if? 1593 Bathgate AvenueThe window appearing in the upper right hand corner of the picture is that of a top floor apartment at 1593 Bathgate Avenue. From the early 1940s to the early '60s, our family (Tosca) lived on the first floor (same line as the window) in Apartment 6. 1589 was Geller Bros., a candy stand which in the fifties became somewhat of a supermarket. 1591 was a full fresh fish market, huge water tank and all. The ground floor of 1593 housed a kosher meat market and as well Mr. Cherry's grocery store. 1595 was another tenement. After a few shops, there was a Woolworth's, a drug store and Meyers & Shapiro Deli. After which more shops and at the end of the block 1599, another tenement. Further down from the other side of Gellers, a huge poultry store. With no doubt, hundreds of live chickens daily sold, slaughtered & quartered on the premises. Many many thanks for affording "Junior" the trip down Memory Lane. 1991 BathgateI lived at 1991 Bathgate apt 1A at the end of the 60s into 1976 and I love that neighborhood I still go back there once a year I walk down towards tremont where St josephs church is i had great times there if anyone was from around there at that time email me at bronx1966@hotmail.com Crotona Park PoolI taught myself to swim in the shallow pool and then was daring enough to dive off the diving board towards the ladder opposite in the semi-circular diving pool. I am 83 and still a good swimmer. I recently found a site where I could see the pool and the shallow one is still active but the diving pool has all the boards gone and a fence around the pool to keep people out! damn lawyers for making an end to diving boards due to their incessant suits! Bathgate Avenue1575 Bathgate Avenue, 1946 to 1952: from my grandmother's apartment, I could look across the street and see Daitch Dairy. Sometimes I would be sent there to get butter. Then, it came in a large block, and they would chop you off the amount you wanted, either by the amount or amount of money I was given to buy it. I was never board, after all, I could visit the chickens, watch the fish swim in a tank, go to the deli for chicken salami (which I don't believe is made anymore). Through my grandmother, the shop keepers knew me, so I always got a slice of salami. There was Woolworth to walk around in. The Sugar Bowl for ice cream, the shop around the corner for ices for 5 cents, the leather shop (to smell new leather), and produce stands everywhere. Loved to go to Crotona Park and climb what I thought then were mountains, but just big boulders. You could hear and see the world just by sitting at a window, and ride on a merry-go-round that came by on a truck. Most night the third avenue L put me to sleep. Everything was simple then, yet an awful lot of fun. Good memories they were indeed. Brings tears to my eyesMy Dad and his brothers{ the Geller Bros.} had the candy store, which later turned into a grocery store. There was Bobby{Isadore} Max, Sam, Harry,and Jack. My dad. who was the oldest, lived above the store with his four brothers and two sisters, Faye and Dottie. Will have to post a picture of all of my cousins standing in front of Geller Bros. My uncle Jack and Aunt Millie had the Sugar Bowl, and my Aunt Faye and Uncle Jaime had the chicken market. My dad Bobby died several years ago, and I have fond memories of going to the markets, and visiting grandma Sophie . If you have anything to share, I would love it! This all brings tears to my eyes. Melody Please e mail me @ melody.dancer@cox.net thank you City Girla short video shot on Bathgate in 1958 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgxr03mcVAs Moe, Irv and Max from BathgateMoe, Irv and Max from 1648 Bathgate Ave. in the 1940s are all doing well! I am Max's eldest daughter Aylene. My Dad wrote an article I attached below which was published in a magazine. I spotted this site and couldn't help but to send it to you. Should you wish to reach out to my Dad Max, his e-mail address is primeno19@aol.com. I am sure he would love to reminisce about the days at Bathgate! GOLDMAN’S YARN on BATHGATE AVE. Your last issue on Goldman’s Yarn store prompted me to reflect on some very fond childhood memories. When I was asked for my address as a young boy, at about the age of 11-12, I usually responded, “1648 Bathgate Ave., across the street from Goldman’s”. Mentioning Goldman’s as part of my address not only pinpointed my house but in my mind it elevated the status of my building. To the people in our area, Goldman’s was a neighborhood landmark. It almost ranked with the Loew’s Paradise Theater. My recollection of the Bathgate Ave. area in the late 1940’s was that shoppers associated the ‘market’ as the place to get bargains. My friend claimed he purchased a pair of pants and received a price reduction when he traded in his old pants. The pedestrian traffic on Bathgate Ave from 171st to 174th caused it to be among the most populated areas in the Bronx. Stores were continuous on both sides of the street. There were bakeries, grocery stores, shoe stores, clothing stores, butchers, novelty stores, candy stores, the very first Daitch store, and Olinsky which specialized in appetizing foods. Also, there were many, many vegetable stores which had stands extending half way out onto the sidewalk. Every woman had her favorite stores where she shopped. Also, stationary pushcarts were on the street lined up back to back selling vegetables which added to this already congested scene. In between the pushcarts one can see many horses (how else did the pushcart get to the location?) on the street and some parked cars. The cars which dared to travel through Bathgate Ave. were crawling at 5 mph. This was the environment where Goldman’s was situated. Goldman’s Yarn and Barash Decorators were considered the upscale stores in the area. These stores attracted patrons from affluent Bronx areas, such as the West Bronx (Concourse area), Riverdale, and Parkchester. During the early evening hours (after dinner), Bathgate Ave. took on a different appearance. Pedestrian traffic subsided, pushcarts were leaving, stores were closing, sanitation crews came in for their nightly clean-up job, and many of the residents in the buildings came outside to recapture their street. Mothers relaxed on their chairs outside and discussed the day’s activities with a little gossip injected to spice up their conversation. Friends from various age groups would congregate for their evening activity. One vegetable stand was used for a nightly card game by the older kids. One evening, that card game ended abruptly when a woman in the building above the stand poured a pail of water on the card players for making too much noise. Needless to say, they never played cards at that stand again. For a few years, one of the street games I enjoyed was ‘off the point’. This was a variation of ‘stoop ball’. In this game, we threw a spaldeen at the metal bar just below a store’s window. We used Goldman’s Yarn store for our game because it had a sharp point on its metal bar. On an accurate throw at the metal bar, a ball could travel far and hit the building across the street. If not caught, it‘s considered a home run. Occasionally when we were not so accurate with our throw, we would hit the store’s window above the bar causing the window to vibrate. Of course we kids could never think of the possibility of breaking a window. Evidently Mr. Goldman had a more realistic viewpoint. One evening, as my friends (Pete Palladino, Joseph Greco, and Angelo Pezullo) and I were playing this game, Mr. Goldman ran out angrily chasing us away from his store. The following evening, we needed a substitute activity. We decided to make picket signs which read, “Goldmans is Unfair to Kids”, and jokingly marched in front of the store with these signs. Apparently Mr. Goldman did not see this action as amusing. On the following night, as we were picketing again, 2 policemen from a patrol car stopped and approached us. They took our signs and told us to leave the area. Obviously Mr. Goldman called the police. This was a dramatic event for 11 and 12 year old kids. Who would believe we had a confrontation with the police at that age? During the next few years, I noticed many stores on Bathgate Ave were installing accordion gates. At that time, I naively thought the store owners installed the gates to curtail our evening game ‘hit the point’. Max Tuchman 1657 Bathgate in the 1920s (and maybe 30s)A great-great grandfather of mine (Solomon Beckelman) lived at 1657 Bathgate with his wife (Minnie) and at least one of their daughters (Pauline) in the 1920s. His son, Abraham, was my great-grandfather. Solomon was a tailor, and Abe was a cutter and dressmaker who was married with children by 1912. From the maps I've seen, 1657 and the whole block of houses is (long?) gone. 2068 Bathgate AveMy great-grandaunt, Anna Havemann, lived at 2068 Bathgate Ave from at least 1936 (the year of this photo) until maybe 1950. The building that stands there is a large apartment building. Near as I can tell, it's the same building. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Miss Orloff Regrets: 1921
... of the day like they are now. She could have used a good night's sleep, though. [Check your math! - Dave] Unfiltered > > ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 8:28pm -

New York, June 3, 1921. "Orloff (girl in slacks)." Our third and final look at this intriguing ingenue. 5x7 glass negative, G.G. Bain Collection. View full size. WowI'm glad there's not any more of these. I thought she looked kind of cute in the first one, but she gets progressively worse with each picture. Where's my eye bleach?Yes. That'll be quite enough of Miss Orloff, thank you. She's hotC'mon, she's got a smokin' bod. A Wish for the HecklersMay your photo be posted on a blog a few decades in the future and may the populace have at it with the same tender mercies you have displayed here. In fact, why wait? How about submitting your best glamour shots now? Inside yesterday's paperWere there a lot more "Page 3 girls" in American newspapers in the early 20th century? Round FiguresLooks like the lady had a smoking body, and a smile on her lips. Yes, her profile is nice, but that figure is one some gals would kill to have. The hat is silly, as are the stockings, and the bathing costume she's wearing looks frumpy today, but if this young lady were wearing modern clothes, she'd turn heads even today. I don't see where the naysayers come off ... are they married to the (young) Morgan Fairchild, or to Maryiln Monroe? Her Boudoir Another shot in the bedroom. She has to get out of the house more. Wait for the glamourOK, 11:13, I've just got to put in my dentures first, and get out of this stained wife-beater tee. (Really, though, this photo was obviously intended as cheesecake. Therefore, it's fair game.) Ooh-poo-pee-dooHey, guys, cut a girl some slack! When this shot was taken, the Roaring 20s still had three years to go, and she'd lived six of 'em. Then, too dentistry, cosmetology, and image, image, image were not the orders of the day like they are now. She could have used a good night's sleep, though. [Check your math! - Dave] Unfiltered>> Looks like the lady had a smoking body, and a smile on her lips. I don't know about smoking body, but definitely smoking teeth! [Or maybe that's lipstick. Is there a dentist in the house? - Dave] Mustache!What, you don't like mustachioed lovelies with wild child-bearing hips, flawed complexion, stained teeth and shadowed eyes? I'm so very glad that there are those who find her lovely, for after all every human deserves to be seen as lovely, even we homely old bags with bags under our eyes. Still you won't see me posing on camera as though I were a bathing beauty, not even when I was a beauty, which apparently I'm told I was in my youth. I didn't see it. I saw myself as pleasant-enough-looking but certainly no glamourpuss. I did not put myself out as one either. If I had, I suppose I'd resent the criticism I'd generate but after all, that's inevitable. Anyway, Ms. Orloff is very unlikely to still be around to hear the hurtful words. IndividualityNot so very long ago people had to resign themselves to traveling down life's highway with the same bodies and profiles with which their Creator had endowed them. No tummy-tucks, nose jobs, liposuction, chin lifts, implants, collagen, botox … what a shame, everybody forced to retain his or her own individuality. How empty life must have been then. Now anybody can look like anybody else! Thank God for Progress. Miss Orloff Bobs Her HairBobbing the hair seems to have been the "beginning of a major change in societal norms and values seen during the 1920s." (hairarchives.com) Time magazine reported in 1930 that "Roman Catholic authorities at the Vatican decided last week that bobbed hair shall not exclude women from Catholic churches or from the Sacraments." Right on Fina! Beauty's only skin deepWhat did the photographer see here, something that just didn't come across, some fantastic personality that couldn't be captured in a photograph? I keep coming back to this because I look at my girlfriend of 5 years, the sweetest person I've ever met - she doesn't turn any heads, she doesn't photograph well (not by me, anyway), but there's something there I can't live without. What time is it?All my clocks have stopped. Do yourselves a favor folksDon't click "View full size." It is tempting to leave a negative comment on this final view of the less-than-lovely Miss Orloff, especially since I didn't heed the warning not to click 'full size'. But there's a mirror in this room and it tends to shut me right up. Still really hoping that's just lipstick on her teeth though, ewwuuue. Softcore for the timeWhile this picture generates ridicule and cheap laughs today, at the time this look was smokin' hot. Prior to the 1920s, you'd only find this kind of revealing clothing and suggestion in Victorian porn and "art" photography. Of course, the licentious, scandalous '20s destroyed many cultural taboos; there's a lot of softcore cheesecake photography from this time. My wife's grandparents were Vaudeville stars that no one now remembers. The grandmother was a lead in "Good News", and introduced the dance The Varsity Drag to the nation. She, too, took some cheesecake professional photos, though not quite as suggestive as the bodacious Ms. Orloff (I should scan those and submit them to the visitor's area on this site). Rolled Down StockingsMy grandmother was in her 20's during the '20s. She told me about how fashion of the day dictated short hair and rolled down stockings. I guess she wasn't fooling. Gray LadyRemember the movie "The Picture of Dorian Gray," where the subject of the portrait never ages but the painting does. We have a kindred situation here. Only she becomes less attractive with each photo. Holy Smpkes!Like everybody else, thought she looked great in the first shot, not so good after. But in reality, this was back in the day when people lived a little rougher lives then we do today. And somebody thought enough of her to take some candid shots that we get to see today - a rare glimpse into life during that time. And that's enough. Oh, that hatThat hat definitely didn't help matters any. This doesn't even look like the same girl that we saw in the first photo. Definitely the hat. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Sty in your eyeLooks like a nice sty sprouting up in her left eye ... polysporin indeed! I think her teeth have a shadow on them due to indents caused by some type of damage. Love the one button bathing suit. Foy loves Fina (2)I love her. She's just as imperfect as I am - less so, even. A match made from above for a little heaven on earth before we go back to the clouds. Foy Las Vegas Cover GirlIf modern magazines would post pictures of women like these, then perhaps I might actually show an interest in looking at them because to be frank, this girl looks about 200% hotter than any of the disgustingly skinny women they love putting on fashion magazine covers. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Portraits, Pretty Girls)
Kitchen Candid: 1984
... it really hurt when I walked into it in the middle of the night. Just spotted it After all these years, I just now noticed that ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 11/27/2010 - 10:21pm -

First of all, a belated apology to my mother for catching her with her slip showing. Despite the relatively late date, much of what we see here was already verging on the antique. The kitchen itself dates from a late-1940s remodel; the white utility table that or even earlier. Lord knows the vintage of the unenclosed rubber-bladed fan. I loved sticking my hand in it and stalling it. Oddest item is the brown cushion on the kitchen chair at left, relict of a long-gone love seat, now the province of the cat. Elsewhere, the agglomeration of stuff from over 40 years of daily family meal preparations. My brother stands in the doorway to the dining room, where shortly thereafter we gorged ourselves on my father's 82nd birthday dinner. Available light Kodacolor 1000 negative. View full size. Behind the shelfTterrace, it looks like your shelf was hung in front of a narrow door in the kitchen wall. My guess (and I'm probably wrong) is that it's a no-longer-used water heater closet. Hmmm? Your mom got it right tterraceFrom your shared family history, it is apparent that your wonderful mother wanted what was best for all of her family and she managed it all without fanfare and egotism. We know she loved crosswords (brainwork), gardening (nature lover), cooking (nurturing loved ones), a nice cup of tea (coziness factor), the color salmon (all shades of pink have been found to psychologically calm people from hyperactive bi-polars to agitated criminals and they use it in child care and police custody rooms), music and comunication (the radio on the kitchen counter = every cooking mom's companion) and her tireless efforts to make her loved ones happy (I'm remembering the picture of your ninth birthday when she made you a full turkey dinner). I know your dad was also a very hard worker, non-complaining and devoted spouse and father (and car lover). You have exposed your life and family members' personalities to all of us selflessly with such honest and truthful genuine photos. If only all people could be raised as you were, what a wonderful world we might have. Bless you all, past, present and future, may your giving yourselves to others become your family tradition. You have written a book in photos that exemplifies what a family should be. Thank you. Egg BeatersThank you tterrace for sharing this wonderful image. It captures yet another family moment as well sharing great detail of a typical mid 20th century American kitchen. The color palette and array of kitchen appliances and furnishings remind me so much of my youth. -stanton_square What Juxtaposition! I see a 1970's (Radioshack?) intercom beside the door with a stove top toaster (1920's?) on the rolling cart shelf below. What a time spread of the items we see! The kitchen reminds me of all the comfortable kitchens that I've grown up in. Thanks for sharing tterrace. By the way, that rubber bladed fan is just like the one my grandparents bought in the late '40s for their cabin and it really hurt when I walked into it in the middle of the night. Just spotted itAfter all these years, I just now noticed that the brown shelf at the upper left, with the books, wood recipe box and cans of tea is the only thing I ever completed in shop class at Redwood High, over 20 years before this shot was taken. Originally light mist green, my father must have subsequently re-painted it. I haven't seen it for years, no idea whatever became of it. My God. I do have the varnished wood recipe box with the fruit decal, with all my mother's hand-written recipe cards in it. Talk about juxtapositionsCock 'n Bull Ginger Beer and sensible shoes. Ginger BeerI love the ginger beer in the lower left. ThanksSo many times you have opened your life to us on the internet. It is amazing to see this scene and apply our own family moments into it. A time of family creating and caring together surrounded by the things that we have collected and gathered over the years. The skinny doorI had an identical door in the kitchen of my 1927 house in Detroit. It originally held a fold-out ironing board - very common in that time period, and also the source of many a gag in Tom & Jerry cartoons. Changed twice since thenMy mother-in-law had that same flooring when I met her in '82. Does every guy make that shelf?My husband and I have been dragging his old shop shelf around for the last 30 years--looks just like the one in the picture!. I believe the object on the lower shelf of the rolling cart is just a box grater. I think these cabinets are what were in my childhood home--and the "cozy" kitchen was just what most every house had that was built in the post WWII housing era. I am about to do a kitchen remodel on what is a luxuriously large and functioning kitchen compared to this one. We are a bit spoiled I think. Warm beermust be the norm (Binden-Binder?) Also beside it a couple of large bottles of the "hard stuff." This is where? Although it could be anywhere in North America, except Mexico. That's coolThe fan appears to be a Samson Safe-Flex, shown on Page 72 of Witt's Field Guide to Electric Fans. No definitive dates, but probably mid-'30s to '40s. FlashbackYour mother has my mother's copper measuring spoons. I may cry now. Old Hippie Grows Upto become stockbroker. Or maybe political activist looking though law books for loopholes as his contribution to society. Which is it, TTerrace, what did brother do with his life? He looks in mighty fine threads here, and sporting a good hairdo as well. What has happened to this home? Did it stay in the family? Lie to me, I do not want to think of another family in this home, or enjoying that fine terrace vista. A cook lives in this kitchen! That's why all the jumble and she knows where everythng is! My own kitchen is spotless, nothing sitting around taking up space or "handy" and you will come to my house with reservations to go out for dinner. I remember that utilitycart for it's great round knobby wheels! it was so cheesily- made it was a marvel that any weight could be put on it. Kitchen Candid SupplementalIn answer to Anonymous Tipster's speculations, brother was a high school English teacher and department head. Below we see graphic evidence of from whom he, and the rest of us, inherited the expounding gene. Oh well, yes, now that you mention it, I can see "teacher' in brother. I'm gleeful at the sight of the expounding gene photo! Gosh I would have loved Mother! In the vernacular of the day, What a dame!!! Once I painted my kitchen in 50s pink. Everything, including the cabinets. Then i put it on the market and had to redo everything in white. Tsk. TTerrace, thanks for the response and for all the enjoyment you and your family memories give to us Shorpy fans. Am I right?tterrace, I'd bet that large aluminum vessel to the left of the stove is a pressure cooker, probably a Presto brand. I prefer Mirro-Matic with its adjustable pressure-regulating weight and Cerro metal safety valve. The floorlooks really clean, except maybe for a dusting of flour around your mother's shoes. This is the kind of kitchen one can trust. It's not Binden-BinderIt's GINGER BEER. [The very best ginger beer, imho: D&G (Desnoes & Geddes), from Jamaica. Intensely gingerful. Made with real ginger root and cane sugar. Very useful for making the rum drink called a Dark & Stormy. - Dave] Relict of a long-gone love seat?A relict is a word that is a survivor of a form or forms that are otherwise archaic. It is was also an ancient term for a widow. A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Expounding on a relict relict: 2. Something that has survived; a remnant. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition (2000) However, in this case my deliberate choice of this archaism was for an ironic riff on lines you might find in Victorian novels: "Mrs. Fotheringay-Phipps, relict of the late Col. Fotheringay-Phipps of the Fourth Dragoons." YumToo bad scratch-and-sniff internet hasn't been invented yet, cause pound for pound, the kitchen churned out some serious home cookin' I'm sure, and my belly is grumblin'. FlooredFunny, I remember that exact vinyl (linoleum?) flooring from the first house I lived in. I was pre-kindergarten age at the time, but I remember when it was installed and what it smelled like when new, and I remember playing on it with various toys. Of course at that age I was quite close to the floor. ArmstrongIf I remember correctly, I think that the linoleum was the among the first (and most popular) patterns that Armstrong introduced. A fixture in the house we (and friends) bought in the '60s. I think that the appliance on the bottom shelf to the right of Mom's leg is a stovetop toaster. Obsolete for 50+ yearsDefinitely a stovetop toaster. (For power outages when one simply had to have toast?) May I pretty pleasePoke through all the drawers and cupboards? I bet I will find a trove of 50s era treasures, many of which I probably already own after having spent way too much for them on ebay. For example, here is my own little guy who perfectly matches the one perched proudly on top of the clock. No granite countertop here!I love these older pictures of the minimalist, functional kitchens where magic was made despite the lack of stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops! White hair geneMy family shares the gene that gives us early "gray" hair. That aside, your brother seemed to age in other ways, rather rapidly, in ten years or so. From hippyish to extreme button down collar and cerebral glasses. Hey, I was about the same age in the same span, also a professional. And at dinner time, the tie and dress pants went goodbye! [That's why they invented napkins. - Dave] Bertolli Chef FigurineWow, JohansenNewman, that is the very guy. Happy to say I have him now, although a bit yellowed compared to yours. However, since that yellowing is from kitchen vapors from years of Mother's cooking, that's even better. The earliest kitchen photo I have that shows it is from 1968. I don't know where we got it; it's possible that my father got it through the grocery store he worked at. Would I be out of line asking how much you paid for yours? ttTVI enjoy watching the house hunting programs on HGTV from time to time, and always laugh a little when some well-heeled woman dismisses a kitchen because "it doesn't have granite--I need granite!" Tterrace's mom didn't need granite, nor much counter space either, it looks like. Definitely makes me rethink any whining I've done about my little apartment kitchen-- if your mom could whip up meals for a family that probably contained many more dishes than anything I make does, I'm showing my late-20th century skewed perspective of what is necessary. I love your pics, tterrace. My great-aunt's house also has that linoleum--can't believe how prevalent it apparently was. They must have made a killing on that stuff! If I could rememberjust how much I paid for that little guy, I would gladly tell you! I think I must have gotten him in my "buy any and all 50s chefs" period on ebay, although he could have been an antique shop find, too. Just did a search for "vintage chef" on ebay. He did not show up this time. Unfortunately for me, too many other cool things that might have also been in your mom's kitchen did. In so many ways, Shorpy is health food for my soul, but bad for my pocketbook. No Sis-In-Law? I see the frequently pictured elder brother but not the lovely sis-in-law with the long braids. Is she in the other room waiting for the salmon kitchen to yield up a birthday dinner? The flooringWe had the exact same flooring in a house we rented in the 1990's. Glad to see the landlord had only the most up-to-date stuff for us! Me too ! Wow! That must have been SOME popular textile line! I had this same exact flooring in an apartment in 1991, in Doylestown, PA. ! Amazing! Is your Brother named Will ???I swear he is my high school English teacher from 1979 in Santa Cruz. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kitchens etc., tterrapix)
Negro Cabaret: 1941
... could hardly be used as an advertisement for having a fun night out! South Sider This photo predates me by a couple of years. I ... name & address, they were taken home as souvenirs of a night out. The beer that gave Milwaukee the Schlitz! Thanks for the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 7:07pm -

April 1941. "Negro cabaret, South Side Chicago." The Boyd Atkins Band. Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Swept awayHey, we're trying to make a classy photo up here. Someone get that broom and the thingamabob outta that little room there. What's folks gonna think in 2009? Boyd AtkinsSaxophonist and bandleader. Wrote "Heebie Jeebies," which as recorded by Louis Armstrong was one of the first hit songs to feature scat singing. Probably PeoriaIf it's 1941, it's more than likely this is Boyd Atkins fronting the Society Swingsters in Peoria. [This is a Chicago nightclub. Doesn't anyone read the captions? - Dave] Various PatronsInteresting that most of the customers are white. The zoot-suited hepcat on the balcony looks like one of Will Smith's ancestors. Swanky JointMakes me want to go out and buy a suit and tie. And start smoking. Black and whiteJust about any nightclub on the South Side would have been considered "Negro" at the time -- the owner was probably black, it was in a famous black neighborhood, and most if not all of the name talent was black. Which isn't to say you wouldn't find lots of white folks there -- "slumming" had been considered fashionably adventurous well before the advent of swank watering holes like this. Anyone got a time machine?I need to go back and meet the dancer in front on the right. Cotton gin millHow very Cotton Club it all seems (except for the Caucasian people in the audience). The expressions on the faces of the dancers are very... distant. Many of these old timey dance pictures show girls with bright, lipsticked smiles. These expressions seem to range from concentration to disdain. Dave's Cafe I think I found the place. This is absolutely the right area, the right era and the right aura. Lena Horne is leaning on a railing that matches the Shorpy photo and it looks like "show stopper" Claudie Oliver is the front dancer. Interesting that the Chicago Tribune had exactly zero references to band-leader Boyd Atkins from 1930 to 1960. The great South Side black paper, The Chicago Defender, had dozens. The Chicago Defender, September 14, 1940 - Joe Johnson's Production Is Hot Harlem Done Up in 'Chi' Bronze What Little Ziggy Johnson has done for Dave's Cafe a-la floor show is more than patrons expected, even more from Ziggy. Johnson has some names; lots of dance, fine singing and a beauty line you find worthy of a rave. But even better yet, my friends, Little Ziggie has surrounded himself with such well-known artists as: Ted Smith, a radio star with the silver toned voice; Maxine Johnson, sweet singing Canadian songbird; Leroy "Pork Chop" Patterson, three hundred pounds of mirth and melody; Spizzie and George, a pair of clever dancers that have everything that the public wants and then those nationally-known society dancers, Johnson and Grider, a mixed team of terpsichoreans that display art with every move. Margie Smith, Bea Rhinehart, Arrabelle Martin, Ollie Dell Southern, Harriett "Hickey" Hickerson, Cecelia Jones, Mammie Morton and Claudie Oliver are the eight shapely line girls. one of the girls, Claudie Oliver, shows exceptional cleverness as she tags the finale "Tuxedo Junction." Boyd Atkins and his music master add the final touch to a show well worth seeing. Salad of the Bad CafeI got food poisoning once from the shrimp salad at a place just like this! Black and TanHow very Cotton Club it all seems (except for the Caucasian people in the audience). Blacks were usually barred from the Cotton Club, except as performers. Looking through the Defender archives, I ran into the term "black and tans" a lot, for black and white bars. Without black customers, I don't know if the Cotton club qualified. A mixed audience may have been progressive at the time, but notice who gets all the front seats, and who's restricted to the back rows and the balcony. Cotton Club audienceIt was said: How very Cotton Club it all seems (except for the Caucasian people in the audience). The audience at the Cotton Club was Caucasian. Club GlumThere is not one person smiling as the photographer clicks the shutter. Not one. Not even the dancers. This photo could hardly be used as an advertisement for having a fun night out! South SiderThis photo predates me by a couple of years. I was raised on the South Side of Chicago and would love to know where this photo was taken. Clarification*SIGH!* I meant "except for the African Americans in the audience." Thanks to those who corrected me. I was surprised to see brown skin even at back tables and in the upstairs. As someone who wouldn't want to sit at a strip club, either, I find it VERY weird how many women are with the men watching the dancers. Wouldn't that feel just awkward, especially back then!? Apparently not. [This is your standard mid-century nightclub floor show. Pretty much gone with the wind except maybe in Vegas. - Dave] Lollipops?It seems, that there are lollipops on some tables. Were they popular at that time? [More like little xylophone mallets. To tap out your applause or perhaps to stir your cocktail. - Dave] "Lollipops"Those are noisemakers called knockers. There would be one for every patron at the table. They were struck against the table (if unclothed) or mostly on the glassware. It was used as an applause mechanism by the celebrants. At New Year's Eve events they were, like the funny hats, expected accoutrements. Usually embossed with the venue's name & address, they were taken home as souvenirs of a night out. The beer that gave Milwaukee the Schlitz!Thanks for the close-up on the knockers because I see a bottle of Schlitz beer. You know, it was brewed with just a kiss of the hops, not the harsh bitterness. Just saying. Boyd AtkinsAtkins (standing with sax) seems a rather obscure figure considering his illustrious associations -- playing in Fate Marable's legendary band steaming up and down the Mississippi at the end of the 1910s, then with Louis Armstrong in the 1920s, etc. in addition to leading his own bands. Trombonist Kid Ory, in a 1957 interview, recalled playing in Boyd Atkins band in Chicago in the 1920s when two rival gangs of Chicago gangsters opened fire on each other. I wonder if the venue was similar to this one. SwinglandThis was at 343 E. 55th Street near Washington Park. Other names for the club were Swingland Cafe (1938 at least) and Rhumboogie (April 1942 to 1947). Building looks to be long gone. (The Gallery, Chicago, Music, Pretty Girls, Russell Lee)
Lounge Act: 1948
... Club in New York, the Exotic Esteleta Morrow played Cuba's Night Club in Asbury Park, New Jersey from August 1st to the 8th. She was ... earlobes . - Dave] Late entry All about the NYC night club scene. Many pictures, just scroll down. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/01/2019 - 1:06pm -

New York circa 1948. "Jazz singer at the Onyx Club, 52nd Street." We trust that this canary won't stay unidentified for long. Medium format Kodachrome transparency by Down Beat photographer William Gottlieb. View full size. Is it June Christy?It looks a lot like her so that's my guess. [Probably not. - Dave] Kodachrome NoirA photo more evocative of the 1940s than this one would be hard to imagine. Here we have the sultry blonde singer winning the rapt attention of the (likely) husband of the poised, sophisticated, bepearled, Bacall-eyebrowed smoker, who is engaged in conversation with an attentive, lacquer-manicured gent while the slicked-down, slightly scarred tough guy on the right stares menacingly at he camera. All this scene needs is Humphrey Bogart. Just a HunchI'm gonna guess it's Peggy Lee. Girl drinksThe men are drinking some kind of golden-colored liquor (whisky?) on the rocks while the women have an amber-colored cordial in a tall stemmed glass, neat. Wonder what it is. I'm 99% sure it's Peggy LeeBecause I think the pianist is her husband of many years, Dave Barbour. Google Image him and the face that comes up is a dead ringer. [These are two different people, and Dave Barbour played the guitar. - Dave] Album cover photoThis picture is used as an album cover photo. Possibly Julie London? [Doubtful. - Dave] http://www.elusivedisc.com/The-Wonderful-Sounds-of-Female-Vocals-200g-2L... A bit of Lynch too!The red curtains look like the inspiration for David Lynch and "Twin Peaks"! Looking forward to finding out details. Is there a historic Down Beat website? Studio ShotThis might be a posed photo for that album. Since several singers are listed, seems reasonable the producers would just want a shot that make the point about the different female singers. In other words, no featured singer on the cover of the album. [This is not a "studio shot." As noted in the caption, the photo was taken in the Onyx Club. It is cover art for an album released in 2018. - Dave] Wonder if there's a photo credit on the actual album? Think Vexman has a very good point. [The photo credit is "Photo by William Gottlieb." - Dave] Red HerringsIt's not someone on the LP set; they're all too young. My vote is for Jeri Southern. Helen Forrest?It rather looks like Helen and the hairstyle is one she sometimes wore as a blonde and brunette. She was headlining at clubs and theatres in the late 40s after singing with the Harry James Orchestra, recording with Dick Haymes and appearing in a couple of movies earlier in the decade. The Bartender's Standard CocktailsI'd bet the ladies are drinking Manhattans and the men Scotch on the rocks, two standards of my parents' generation. Of course my dad preferred the Old Fashioned, but the glassware is wrong for that. That album cover has nothing to do with the music on the album. It was royalty-free art so it was used. Another shot of this singer Note the mole. Shorpy hive mind ...... is letting me down! It is killing me not to know who this is, because she looks so damn familiar! It's not Frances Langford (my first thought), Peggy Lee, Martha Tilton, Helen Forrest, Helen Merrill, Jo Stafford, June Christy, Martha Mears -- augh! Definitely Peggy LeePhoto dated 1950. [I would have to say definitely not. - Dave] Might not be a singer at allThis is quite obviously a posed shot. It might even have been done in a studio, though could have been setup in a club off-hours. Lighting is done purely for the photo. [As noted in the caption under the photo, it was taken at the Onyx Club on 52nd Street. One of hundreds of similar photos taken by William Gottlieb for Down Beat magazine, none of which are "studio shots." Please READ THE CAPTION before commenting. - Dave] Good a guess as any I supposeI'm thinking Evelyn Knight OR Eva Peron (okay, just kidding on that second guess but hey, the hair matches). International Woman of MysteryIn 1948, following a gig at the Onyx Club in New York, the Exotic Esteleta Morrow played Cuba's Night Club in Asbury Park, New Jersey from August 1st to the 8th. She was never heard of before, never seen since, and no photo ever found. She gets my vote. What a great mystery!I'm with dwig. The lighting -- evidently a strobe from the left behind the camera, the careful framing of the blonde -- point to that. Even the pianist doesn't really look like he's playing. Everybody is so compact and carefully placed. It's a shot for the magazine, not during an actual live performance. So who knows who the model for the singer is? Any other pix by the photographer that also feature that model? [All of William Gottlieb's 1,700-plus photos in this collection were "shot for the magazine." They can be seen here. We can tell this was taken at the Onyx Club by comparing it with his other photos taken there. And yes, Gott did use supplementary lighting. Below, his photo of the Stan Kenton band. - Dave] Could it beLee Wiley? If so, the piano player is her husband, Jess Stacy. [Lee Wiley was born in 1908. - Dave] How about Marion Hutton?I'm too tech-impaired to figure out how to upload the photo, but to me the woman in these photos looks very much like the woman in this photo: https://loc.gov/item/gottlieb.08661 (It's one of a series of photos of Ms. Hutton with Jerry Wald, Mel Torme, and Gordon MacRae taken by William Gottlieb that ran in Downbeat in 1947.) [Marion is missing the mole. She also has attached earlobes. - Dave] Late entryAll about the NYC night club scene. Many pictures, just scroll down. http://popspotsnyc.com/jazz_clubs/ I would say Norma JeanMarilyn Monroe did some singing along with modeling during her early career. [If only this lady looked remotely like Marilyn Monroe! - Dave] This lady's hard to find!I'm guessing Dottie Reid. Same photographer, same club, same ear lobes. Could the mole be make-up? https://www.loc.gov/resource/gottlieb.12551.0 [It's not Dot. - Dave] Second GuessingRosemary Clooney? Maybe she had the mole removed later? [If this were some even halfway famous singer, she'd be named in the caption. (And if this were Rosemary Clooney, she'd look like Rosemary Clooney.) Does the answer await in some dusty back issue of Down Beat? - Dave] I didn't look through old Down Beat issues but after some sleuthing I am confident it's Betty Grable. The ear lobes provided the clue. [That's not Betty Grable. - Dave] The politics of itYou're doing a record album featuring female singers. Of course, you'd like to show a female singer doing her thing on the jacket. The problem then becomes, which female? How can you place one of the ladies from your album on the cover? That might cause issues with the other singers. If you photograph a lesser known singer [they have fans too] for the cover, HER followers will want to know why she isn't in the album. My bet is that this mystery singer is no singer at all, but a generic "stand in" for the genre. There! Peace is maintained, and all of these talented women will be willing to work for you again in the future. [Um, no. William Gottlieb didn't shoot album cover art. He was a photojournalist who took pictures for Down Beat magazine as well as other publications. - Dave] A clue, perhaps?I may not be very good at 'em, but I can't resist a challenge! I went over to the LOC site to get a closer look at the original, to see if any further details could be gleaned. Apart from what appears to be sheet music or a magazine on the piano, there's nothing that appears to give even an approximate date. I don't know much about photography, but I noticed in the upper right hand corner what seemed to be some sort of identification number (367-33). Operating on the assumption that it identified the specific roll of film used, I went back to the main page and looked around for any other Gottlieb shots with that ID (or at least the first three digits). Sure enough, there's a day shot of 52nd with the Onyx right in the center, same ID number. [This is sheet film, not roll film, and that's a lot number, shared by other exposures dated July 1948. - Dave] Gottlieb was too far away and the Onyx's front was in too much shadow to see if there were any showcards, but it appears that one Harry the Hipster was on the list that day (if he wasn't a regular feature). But what *is* clearly visible is the featured artists over at the Three Deuces: Erroll Garner, J. C. Heard, and (Oscar) Pettifo(rd). The Wikipedia article for Erroll Garner features another Gottlieb shot of the same marquee, identifying it as taken in May 1948 without any concrete attribution. Given the cool-weather dress of the good folk of New York in both pictures, however, early May or late April might not be an unreasonable assumption to make. I think it would be simple, then, to pin down when Garner, Heard and Pettiford were playing the Deuces and then, perhaps, cross-check who was playing the Onyx on those same dates. Whoever it may be, it's not June ChristyHow about Lennie Tristano in drag? No, wait a minute, Lennie's not a vocalist. I'll get back to you -- Wouldn't it have to be one of the singers on the album?Side A: 1. Cry Me A River - Julie London 2. Black Coffee - Ella Fitzgerald 3. -- [ The album is a compilation released last year. This photo was used as cover art because it was free. - Dave] Not in Down BeatI'm afraid the photos from this shoot were not used by Down Beat at all, in 1948 at any rate. Today I went through the bound volumes of Down Beat from January 1948 to June 1949, without success. To err on the side of certainty, I read every single caption with a New York dateline, and compared every headshot of a female singer (there were several in every issue, mostly obscure) to Ms. Mole. Nothing. Down Beat did have a regular feature "Where the Bands Are Playing" which listed some 200 or 300 bands and solo singers and the venues where they'd be appearing for the next couple of weeks (as DB was biweekly); but sadly it's alphabetised by name of act and not by venue! [It might be worthwhile to look in the 1947 issues as well. The years on many of these photos are based on publication dates; the pictures may have been taken weeks or months earlier. In addition, some of Gottlieb's work appeared in the July 3, 1948, issue of Collier's. - Dave] New Yorker no helpI looked at a bunch of 1948 New Yorkers but pretty much the only acts they listed for the Onyx Club (which they cover sporadically in Talk of the Town) were Charlie Parker and the Merry Macs (separately, of course). This woman doesn't seem to resemble either of the female singers with the Merry Macs at the time, Marjory Garland or Imogene Lynn, based on the very small number of pictures available online ... sigh. Uncle!I give up. I've spent far too many hours on this. I looked at every publication of his at the LOC, and googled a myriad of search terms/phrases, and I just can't figure it out. Please tell us? June Christy, I thinkWith her mouth open and her eyes closed, it's hard to compare this to other photos, but there's one on Pinterest, "Miss June Christy: Live on Stars of Jazz (1957)", that shows her ear, and the comparison is strong. Wikipedia says, "When the Kenton Band temporarily disbanded in 1948, she sang in nightclubs for a short time." So the date fits. [Below, June Christy and her attached earlobe circa 1947, definitely not the lady in our photo. - Dave] Stumped, But More InfoI tried to ID the lady and could not. However, while doing that I learned that Gottlieb left Down Beat magazine in 1947. For what it's worth, either the date of the photo shoot is off or it ran in a later issue after he left. [It may have been taken for another publication. The lot number on the transparency is the same as for other exposures dated July 1948. - Dave] Not in Collier's None of the photos accompanying the Gottlieb article in the July 3, 1948, issue of Collier's ("Good-Time Street: The story of the most raucous and colorful block in New York" by Bill Gottlieb) were taken at the Onyx. [Incorrect. The photo below of Harry Gibson, which illustrates the article, was taken at the Onyx. - Dave] My apologies! I thought "Harry The Hipster" was the owner of another nightspot! I should have recognized those red curtains, shouldn't I? Helen Merrill?Suggested earlier, but I also think she's Helen Merrill, b. 1930 in Croatia. Merrill was singing in jazz clubs at age 14, and the performer shown here certainly looks young enough to be 17-18. [Helen Merrill has attached earlobes, real eyebrows and no mole. And the lady in our photo is no teenager. - Dave] MoleThe mole means nothing. It was common for women of that era to paint one on their face as a beauty spot. ["Beauty marks" are something you're born with. And no woman would put a "beauty spot" in that spot. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Music, NYC, William Gottlieb)
Gentlemen Will Not Get Gay: 1925
... get on or off roulette wheel while in motion. 3. Last night we hung one rowdy. The rope still works. 4. The operator is a bird. He ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 11:56am -

Funhouse at the Glen Echo amusement park in Maryland circa 1925. Note the many cryptic signs. View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. Ride it, too!There is still one of these operating at Luna Park, which is right on the Harbour in Sydney, Australia. Leave it to the Australians to take litigiousness out of the equation--have you seen how little padding their footballers wear? "The Nauseator"Boy, that ride looks truly thrilling. Human RouletteWashington Post May 21, 1911 A New Glen Echo Outdoor Amusement Grounds Present Many Attractive Features With the opening next Saturday afternoon of the Glen Echo Park, which under its new management of local business men, has been practically rebuilt in the last few months, the Washington summer outdoor amusement season will swing into full stride. No single department has been slighted in the complete rehabilitation of the Glen Echo Park, in which 50 attractions will be in operation when the gates are open next Saturday. Important among these is a new open air dancing pavilion, ample enough in area to permit of its use by 500 persons at the same time, and this is only one of a dozen structures recently erected to house the newest devices to provide fun and merriment in summer amusement parks. The spacious interior of the amphitheater has been entirely remodeled into a new midway, in which have been placed ten of the latest contraptions with which to defy the trials of the "dog days," including a "human roulette wheel" and a "giant slide-ride," said to be the largest in the United States. Other attractions include a novel marine toboggan, the "social dip," a thrilling topsy-turvy ride, Ferris wheel, modern miniature railway, a new boating pavilion at the canal bank. Some Observations1. It is awfully loud in there - See the kid lower-center. 2. Gentlemen Still Do Not Get Gay - 2008. 3. The Carneys are as well dressed the patrons. 4. Sometimes the Bull Moose isn't so fun - It's at those times that it may be necessary to actually shoot the Bull. Was this ride called the Bull Moose by chance? Don't Shoot The Bull meant don't loiter after the "ride" is over?? [Also, who can tell us which building this is. - Dave] Dangerous ridesWhen I see photos of old amusement park rides I'm always amazed how dangerous they look. They use the throw people around like rag dolls. They would never have such rides nowadays. Maybe people were tougher back then- or maybe they didn't have good personal injury lawyers! Sign, SignEverywhere a sign. 1. Sit down on the wheel don't stand up. 2. Do not get on or off roulette wheel while in motion. 3. Last night we hung one rowdy. The rope still works. 4. The operator is a bird. He is perched high just to make the wheels hum. 5. Forget your cares. Be a kid if only for an hour. 6. Gentlemen will not get gay. Others must not. 7. The bull moose is for fun. Don't shoot the bull. 8. If you find a four foot round square please hand it over to ru---. 9. Rowdyism is the birth-mark of a rough n---. 10. The answer to the question "Why is a mouse when it spins" is the higher the fewer. Human roulette wheelNo doubt Dave will remember the "human roulette wheel" from the Fun House on the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA. It was a great ride except for flying off and smashing into someone else or being smashed into. Funny but we all had a great time, survived, and didn't feel a need to sue anyone for a few bumps and bruises. [I think you mean tterrace. - Dave] High Ladder to slide....Look how high the children climbed to get onto the sliding spiral....that must have been half the thrill climbing up that high... Getting GayBased on one OED definition of gay: Forward, impertinent, too free in conduct, over-familiar; usually in the phrase "to get gay". U.S. slang. I'd translate the sign from 1925 slang: "Gentlemen will not get gay. Others must not" Into current vernacular as: "Real gentlemen won't act like jerks. Others had better not." Spinningtterrace does indeed remember a fun house ride like this, but at San Francisco's Playland at the Beach rather than Santa Cruz. Not sure what the official name was; I called it the turntable. It was smaller and less elaborate than this, and just one of many things in the Fun House. Know what the best thing was about these things? They were made of wood! Highly-polished (in large part by the posteriors of the fun-seekers) hardwood, like this one. The giant slide was, too, as well as the tumbler, a big revolving cylinder. Those were the days when falling on your keister was fun. Fun houseI spent many a fun filled hour in the late 1950s in the Fun House. The slide was a favorite and the long climb in the narrow, steep stairs was kinda cool also. Do you remember "Laughing Sally"? Laffing SalI didn't realize until I just now did some searching that it's "Laffing," not "Laughing" Sal, and that the automaton was not exclusive to SF's Playland at the Beach, but a standard fixture of old-style amusement parks since the 1930s. Additional surprise: the Playland Sal is now ensconced at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Man, if they only still had that giant clown face, what a then-and-now pic that would make, but they shut the fun house down in 1971 for liability reasons. Why is a mouse when it spins?I'm pretty sure the sign at the far right says "Why is a mouse when it spins?", not "house." This is a pretty well-known example of an "anti-joke" (others are the classic "Why did the chicken cross the road?" and the shaggy-dog story "No soap, radio"). There are various different "punch lines," but Google suggests that "the higher, the fewer" is the most common. I'm sure a historian of humour somewhere would be interested to find this documentation of the joke from 1925. [Yes it should be mouse. The joke is mentioned in an 1899 newspaper article ("Mr. Scullin' connundrum"). - Dave] Rowdyism and ReminiscencesThe one sign must be "Rowdyism is the birth-mark of a rough neck." Here in the Twin Cities, we had the Excelsior Amusement Park (on Lake Minnetonka) up until the early 70's. It was built in the early 20's and replaced a park that had been on Big Island in the middle of the lake. Excelsior Park had a fun house with similar attractions. The "roulette wheel" was rarely operational by the time I was around (in the 60's), but I do remember riding it once and staying on it until the operator gave up (I was near the center, didn't weigh much, and had sweaty palms). There was a revolving barrel, which they later built a catwalk through and decorated the interior with fluorescent paint and black lights. Apparently they got tired of rescuing people who fell down trying to walk through it. There was a giant slide, and one of those obstacle-course-like things with sliding or jumping floorboards. It was equipped with air jets, presumably for blasting ladies' skirts into the air, but no one was ever operating them in my day. There were a couple of other attractions in the fun house as well. I also remember that they had "Report Card Day". You could bring your report card, and for every A, you got 3 ride tickets, for every B you got 2, and for every C you got 1. Very nice of them. Other attractions included bumper cars with metal bumpers, a rotted wooden roller coaster that occasionally jumped the track (my folks never let me ride it), a little train that took you out on a pier over the lake and many of the usual rides - ferris wheel, scrambler, tilt-a-whirl, etc. The carousel was a work of art by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. It's the only part of the park that survives and is now an attraction at Valleyfair - the modern-day, sanitized theme park in the Twin Cities. Here's a link to a picture of the carousel: http://www.nca-usa.org/psp/ValleyfairPTC/001_34.html You can see others by clicking Previous or Next. Where's Sal?I thought Playland's Laffing Sal lived at the Musee Mechanique now (http://www.museemecaniquesf.com/). The SlideLongtime visitor, first time commenter ... love Shorpy. Anyway, there's a slide almost identical to this, from the same time period, in my home town of Burlington, Iowa. You can still go on it, and it is indeed terrifying climbing up those steps -- you don't realize how high it is until you're about halfway up. I have a photo but am not sure how to post it. [First, register as a user. Then log in and click the Upload Image link. - Dave] Re: Laffing SalHere is the Laffing Sal at Santa Cruz. As seen on the Silver ScreenI've seen this ride in a silent movie -- if I recall correctly, it was "The 'It' Girl" with Clara Bow. Looked like fun -- if I ever make it to Australia, I'll have to check it out! Looks boring for the womenNot much a woman of the time could have had fun doing there, modesty ya know. OopsYou're right, Dave, that was tterrace: https://www.shorpy.com/node/3695 No matter, thanks for stimulating so many great memories. Doug Playland-Not-at-the-BeachI am enjoying the posts about the old Fun House at Playland-at-the-Beach. In our Playland-Not-at-the-Beach museum in El Cerrito, California we have many artifacts from the beach amusements. A few points I would like to correct: 1.) The Fun House was not demolished in 1971. It was torn down after September 4, 1972 -- the date the whole park closed and was demolished to make room for condominiums. 2.) At San Francisco's Playland she was named Laughing Sal -- the variant spelling "Laffin' Sal" was used in many other parks across the country. She was also known as Laughing Lena and many other names. The Sals were mass produced and purchased by amusement parks out of a catalogue. 3.) The Laughing Sal that is now at Santa Cruz was the final Sal at San Francisco's Playland. There were earlier ones that wore out. Santa Cruz purchased her from the John Wickett estate for $ 50,000. Wickett had purchased her for $ 4000 decades before. To learn more, visit our website: www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org, or better yet, visit our museum for the time of your life! Richard Tuck Playland-Not-at-the-Beach 10979 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 Website is www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org email: Richard@playland-not-at-the-beach.org (510) 232-4264 x25 for reservations (510) 592-3002 24-Hour Information Line Does anyone else rememberDoes anyone else remember the "disembodied head" versions of this Laffing Sal thing that were a gift-store fad in the late '70s-early 80s and scared the crap out of me( and probably most other small kids) at the time? They don't seem to have stuck around very long, for obvious reasons. The WheelThe wheel at the Fun House in SF which I used to frequent in the early 40's I remember as having a low fence around it into which you slammed when you were eventually swooshed off the platter. Am I misremembering? This one looks a bit hazardous for passersby. Scariest thing for me? Those big padded spinning wheels you had to walk between to get in the place. My friends were usually well on their way before I worked up the nerve. Laughing Sal - East CoastFor those of us on the East Coast, the "Laughing Sal" who used to reside on the Ocean City, Maryland, Boardwalk is currently on display at the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum. She's no longer mobile and they have her enclosed in a glass case, but you can push a button to hear a recording of her laugh. In fact, if you click here, there's a (not very good) photo of her at the bottom of the page, and a sound clip of her laugh will automatically play, so turn up your speakers! Going UpSimilar slide in Burlington, IA: http://www.nolamansour.com/images/Thanksgiving07-08.jpg It is scarier going up than down. Crapo ParksI was born in Burlington & grew up in a neighboring town. I know I've gone down that slide but it's been years and I can't remember if the slide is at Dankwardt or Crapo Parks. (For those not familiar with the area, yes Crapo is an unfortuante name for a very pretty park. Pronounced "cray-po"). At Crapo, there are two artillery guns (I don't know exactly what they were - they had seats & long barrels). They were up on a bluff and I remember sitting on them and shooting imaginary shells to Illinois. Chautauqua AmphitheaterAccording to the historical marker at Glen Echo, this building was the original Chautauqua amphitheater built in 1891. It opened as the fun house in 1911 and operated till 1948. In 1956 the termite ridden building was burned to make room for a parking lot. Attractions in the building included, the Rocking Pigs, the Whirl-i-gig, Crossing The Ice, and the Barrel of Fun. The Anonymous Tipster (07/25/2008, 4:36pm.) is remembering correctly: the roulette wheel was later altered by sinking it into the ground resulting in a low wall around the edge. Thank YouI appreciate the translation, I've been sitting here (in our current Internet vernacular) going o_O trying to figure that one out, ha. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Christmas With Wilbur and Orville: 1900
... chore of folding the church bulletins every Saturday night. To deal with this dreary task, they used their creativity and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2008 - 5:15pm -

December 1900. Christmas tree in the home of Wilbur and Orville Wright at 7 Hawthorn Street in Dayton, Ohio, three years before their famous flight. 4x5 dry-plate glass negative by the Wright Brothers. View full size. There's a lot of detail here for fans of old-school Christmas decoration. Zoom the gifts. Update: Niece Bertha is shown here playing with the dish set in a different room or house. Candles on a Christmas tree...... has got to be the most optimistic decoration ever. "nah, it's fine, it wont' burn up" ToysThe toys must've been for nieces and nephews, as Orville and Wilbur were unmarried and (presumably) had no children. I wonder if the wrapping paper was leftover from their printing business. ["Don't bother me, kid. I'm inventing the airplane!" - Dave] No WiresThese trees were fire hazards. Also lit by candles, my mom's family tree burned down in the 1930s and took their few gifts with it. Gifting was so much simpler then, without the megahyped products and must have items of today. Dolls, books, toiletries and no batteries required! All this stuff!Wow coin bags, dolls, candles, popcorn, and of course a star at the top. The man's head in the picture on the right is blocked by an ornament. Plus, those books are awesome, now that's a book cover. And is that a rifle I see? [I think it is! And there's a tag on it. Unfortunately I can't read the writing. I also see roller skates and a toy locomotive. Click here for a closeup of the gifts. But only if you've been good. - Dave] Toy$I wonder how much these toys would go for on eBay. CeilingWow, I'd hate to wallpaper a ceiling. What?No "fragile" leg lamp in the window? Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska Presents Beneath the TreeI wonder if the gun under the tree is an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle! By the way, does anyone know what the cup-shaped ornaments on the tree are? I've never seen those before. Great presents!What great presents--the doll tea and dishes set, roller skates and some very detailed doll furniture, the train--a classic Christmas! Electric lightsThe ceiling fixture looks electric, so I guess Dayton had electricity in 1900. [I think those are gaslights on the ceiling. - Dave] Definitely GasYou can see the taps for the gas just before the fixture elbows up into the light mantles (I think that's what they were called). Hard to imagine Bishop Wright spending the money (or even having) the money needed to convert from gaslight to electric. If we think about the fire danger from candles on a Christmas tree, I think we could also offer a bit of concern about a gas flame being so close to a wallpapered ceiling. Orville & WilburTwo comments: 1) I believe they had a younger sister. Perhaps the girl's gifts under the tree are for her. 2) As a kid, I read a book about them. One interesting anecdote that stuck with me: Before their Dad was a Bishop, he was just a church pastor, and his two young sons got stuck with the boring chore of folding the church bulletins every Saturday night. To deal with this dreary task, they used their creativity and inventiveness to design and build a machine to fold the bulletins for them! I would just love to see this contraption. Most likely it long ago was destroyed, but maybe there's a tiny chance it survived and is in a museum somewhere, eh? Animal in the tree- dead or aliveIs that some kind of animal in the tree? House pet sleeping or trophy? I have never seen that before. [Seems to be a fur stole. - Dave] Coonskin CapOf course...now I see it, even without zooming in it does appear to be either that or a fur hat of some sort to go along with the gun? That is really quite funny, to place it in the tree.... maybe the brothers had a sharp wit as well as a sharp intellect...... Thanks Dave.... Christmas CandlesYou'll notice in the hi-def view that the wicks on the candles have never been lit. Maybe they were purely decorative in this instance, but I assure you they aren't as risky as they might seem. My family has put candles on our Christmas trees for the past four decades (and lit them) without any problems. You don't exactly leave the room while they're lit, mind you, but it's actually quite difficult for a fresh cut tree to ignite from a tiny candle. I know this because my father tried to demonstrate to my mother once how dangerous this tradition from the old country (The Netherlands) was. One January in the mid-70s, once the tree had dried out and was out at the curb, he spent 45 minutes trying to set the old tannenbaum ablaze and failed utterly. We still have lit candles on the tree every year, but there's always a fire extinguisher in the room in deference to my father. Gifts ON the TreeI believe people used to put the gifts, which tended to be smaller, on the tree itself. You could fit them in the branches because they were further apart and not as bushy as they tend to be now. And I think the cup-shaped ornaments may have held candy or other small gifts. I think some people even tucked their nativities into the tree branches too. There were obviously trends and fashions in how trees were decorated and I'd love to know more about it. Wright relationsI know I'm late in the game here, but Orville and Wilbur did indeed have a sister, Katherine, but she would have been a bit old to receive dolls and miniatures in 1900 and didn't marry until she was past childbearing age (to a newspaper magnate). Their brothers, Reuchlin and Lorin had children -- one was an inventor of toys -- hence the dolls and miniatures. Wired DaytonDayton had electricity, without a doubt, not long after Edison rolled out his first electric-enabled neighborhood in the Gramercy Park vicinity (NYC) in or around 1882. I used to enjoy Con Ed's exhibit about same. Dayton had a number of advanced industries - including the National Cash Register Company, which was already global by this time. The Wright Brothers used electricity in wind tunnel tests for their wing development. Electric Power in DaytonDayton was a very advanced city for 1903 due to its importance as a manufacturing center (NCR, Barney and Smith Railroad Car Company . . .) The Wright Family, though not rich, were fairly well-to-do. Thier father was a Bishop (pastor) of a local church. Historical note: before they flew and even before the bicycle shop the Wrights dabbled in publishing. They produced a small local paper and were one of the first pubishers of Paul Lawerence Dunbar's stories and poems. (The Gallery, Aviation, Christmas, Wright Brothers)
Gotham: 1931
... is New York in daytime, while Gotham City is New York at night. My personal opinion is that Metropolis is New York from the air, where ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/13/2013 - 6:19pm -

New York. December 15, 1931. "River House, 52nd Street and East River. Cloud study, noon, looking south from 27th floor." 5x7 safety negative by the prolific architectural photographer Samuel H. Gottscho. View full size. School, work and homeI attended secretarial school in the Chrysler Building, lived a couple blocks away at the Barbizon Hotel when it was a residence for single women, and my first job was in the Empire State Building. Breathtaking photo. Awesome pictureIncidentally, 1931 was the year the Empire State Building was completed. I agree that the real star of the picture is the Chrysler Building, which was the world's tallest for 11 months before the Empire State took that title away. 1 Beekman PlaceBottom left is 1 Beekman Place. Sixteen floors, built as a cooperative, 42 apartments now selling at over $1M each. The coal pier next door is gone. View from Queens AstoundingProof, as if needed, that New York will always be the most American of cities! This photo demonstrates the excitement and the beauty of this one of a kind place where expansion "up" was exploited to the max! FANTASTIC PANORAMA!These are without a doubt my FAVORITE shorpy pics. I really hope someone somewhere has more of these grand views of the city. SO MUCH GOING ON IN ONE PICTURE!!! Poster!I've seen this exact picture before, reproduced as a giant framed poster. I didn't realize it was Gottscho. High IronyThe star of this photo is the Chrysler Building. How the mighty have fallen. BeautifulCities were so much more attractive before the glass boxes started to take over in the '50s. San Francisco is another city that looks fantastic up until the late '40s. InspiringSomebody cue Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue! Empire still dominatesMy fist trip ever to NYC was in 2004. While approaching the city on Amtrak, I was amazed that how, after 70 years, the Empire State Building dominated the skyline. More than a bit of luckGottscho had a great understanding of light. The sunrise pretty perfectly illuminates the buildings. At a different time of day, the effect would not have been half so good. Railroad FloatJust behind the coal wharf you can see two or three railroad car floats. Once a common sight in New York and other cities, they've become largely obsolete with decreasing freight traffic and improved river crossings. Dead EndCoal barges, slaughterhouses and luxury highrises: the location for the 1937 movie "Dead End"; a neighborhood in transition. How one man's slum is another's prime real estate. Superman's MetropolisThere's a saying amongst comic book fans that Metropolis is New York in daytime, while Gotham City is New York at night. My personal opinion is that Metropolis is New York from the air, where you can't see the garbage on the street, while Gotham City is New York at ground level where all the faults and flaws are all too visible. UNI walk through the area in the middle of this photo every day. I'm amazed by the number of still-familiar buildings in this photo, I didn't realize so many were so old. Notable changes: the FDR Drive now takes up the area along the East River. Most of the area along the river between the Beekman Hotel (tall building in mid-foreground) and the first set of tall smokestacks seen on the left side of the photograph is inhabited by the United Nations. Those smokestacks are now gone, too - demolished about 5 years ago in anticipation of a long-delayed residential development. WashdayI love the laundry hanging on the line in the lower right of this picture -- so many details, so much time and movement. Thanks ShorpyThanks to Shorpy we enjoy great pictures like these, thanks again and greetings to all. MemoriesI lived on East 54th between First and Second Avenues from 1961 through 1963, just a few blocks from this area. I enjoyed drinks at the top of the Beekman Tower between First and Beekman Place. What a great and elegant neighborhood that was, even better in my opinion than Sutton Place, two blocks north. RooftopsOne of the neatest things from the aerial photos is seeing all the structures, plants, odds and ends on the roofs of the buildings. We never know about that from ground level! No peopleWhere are all the people? It's as if they have been magically removed. We only see remnants of their existence. A bit of laundry. A few parked cars. Penthouse terrace furniture. But no humans. Weird. December sunlight>> The sunrise pretty perfectly illuminates the buildings. At a different time of day, the effect would not have been half so good. It's closer to midday -- I'd say 11:30, maybe noon. [And I'd say it's noon because the caption under the photo says "noon, looking south." - Dave] Noon?Even though the original caption says noon, I believe those shadows are way too long for that time of day.........maybe he got his notes mixed up. [He's not the one who's mixed up. Winter solstice, Northern Hemisphere -- hello? - Dave] (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Tenement Kitchen: 1905
... living in tenements used the kitchen as a bedroom at night. This family appears to be working-class English. The glass and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:43pm -

New York circa 1905. "Interior of tenement." All the conveniences, including a somewhat incongruous couch on wheels. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. A Tree Grows in BrooklynThis could be straight out of the book. It's funny how nice a "lowly" tenement room can look without modern plastic junk all over the place. Nice place!It was a lot more run down by the time the Kramdens moved in fifty years later. Royal BustsI think the busts are of Tsar Alexander III and Tsarina Maria Feodorovna. Any other ideas? The picture on the shelfThe one behind the clock looks like it might be a cased Civil War era half plate Tintype of a mother and her baby. Godfather Part IIAll that's missing here is Vito C, Clemenza, and Tessio...all sitting around the table with a big bowl of pasta and a jug of vino. Immigrants from the UK?Busts on the wall shelf are of King Edward VII (reigned 1901 to 1910) and Queen Alexandra. On the shelfBusts of Queen Alexandra and Edward VII? Plus a photo of a magician? Never saw a radiator like that. Changing marketsPretty spacious and spiffy for a tenement! Bet it now rents for $7k a month to a junior law partner. The Curious SofaThat incongruous couch on wheels is a late and decidedly on-the-cheap version of the Victorian lounge sofa, now popularly called a fainting couch. Lounge sofas were a kind of casual daybed, and the cook in this very tidy tenement kitchen might have had it there to rest her back while she was waiting for the dough to rise. The shiny, pleated upholstery on this one looks like the sort of imitation leather typically used on the cheaper versions of these sofas, and the tied fringe is made of the same material, probably a nitrocellulose-coated thin canvas. Many types of 19th Century household furniture were mounted with small cast brass caster wheels. They were hell on floor finishes. Here's a similar lounge sofa that has been reupholstered in a cheery and completely non-historic furnishing fabric. Apt furnishingThe couch is to assist an Edwardian lady experiencing an attack of the kitchen vapours. Another viewof a similar kitchen in this post. At first I thought it might be the same room, but the stove-corner artwork is different. Coronation SouvenirsThe white bisque porcelain busts of Alexandra of Denmark and her husband Edward VII were produced circa 1902 by Robinson & Leadbetter of Stoke-on-Trent. Here is an identical pair. Homeless headsThis shot reminds me of all the photos I see for sale in antique stores today. Some of the photos are even fairly recent (1960s-'70s). It breaks my heart that so many don't keep their family photos! If I ever become independently wealthy, I'll spend my time "rescuing" these photos & posting them to Shorpy! Re: HammeredNot only is plaster impossible to get nails to stick in--in some places, they used to mix horsehair in with the plaster, which actually gave it a springy quality. I remember talking to the owners of an old home once and they described the first (and last) time they tried to drive a nail in--it came shooting back out at them. Re: Homeless headsYou may want to check this out, sackerland, someone is already running with your idea. http://forgottenoldphotos.blogspot.com/ Unusual radiatorThe radiator likely appears unusual because of its context. It is of a design that is typically hung horizontally from a ceiling. This style of rad only requires about five inches total clearance from the wall, which is likely why it was selected for this location. One can tell that it's the original installation because foot valve it too close to the wall for there to be room for a conventional rad. BustDefinitely Edward VII (eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert). Quite probably modelled after this one (Nov. 9, 1901) Elegant is as elegant doesThere's no denying the inherent elegance of the family that lived here, regardless of its fiscal condition, and the artistic care someone showed in decorating this kitchen. Note the symmetrical arrangement of the pictures on the wall, the busts on the shelf, etc., and of course the spotless wood floor. Lovely. Kitchen differencesThis one has half as many gas lamp jets. The sink is out of view in each photo (assuming there was one actually located in the apartment, rather than down the hall), but it's safe to say that the concept of the work triangle had not occurred to anyone yet. HammeredDoes anyone know why pictures were hung like that in the early 20th century? I have seen the exact same hanging mode for pics ranging from middle class folks to European royalty so it was clearly THE way to do it--but why not just hammer a nail in like we do nowadays? [Ever try hammering a nail into plaster? - Dave] That SofaIn "Ann of Green Gables" there's casual mention of someone sitting on the kitchen sofa, which gives us a pretty good hint about what wintertime home heating was like in PEI, Canada. Maybe the same thing here? Lowly can certainly be a relative termEspecially when you consider what tenement housing was like just a few years prior to this, and still was in many parts of New York. The tenement act that sought to create places like this one had only been passed in 1901. Prior to that, this apartment probably would not have had gas fixtures, heat, or windows to capture light to take this photo. More a napping couchMost families living in tenements used the kitchen as a bedroom at night. This family appears to be working-class English. The glass and ceramic knick-knacks seem very urban North of England to me - Leeds, Newcastle, etc. Similar kitchensThey certainly do look like the same room, and I was going to suggest that the two photos were taken at different times with different wall decor - but then I noticed the floorboards. Definitely different rooms. OCDI feel the need to straighten those pictures on the wall! The "lowly" tenementAs noted elsewhere on Shorpy, the meaning of "tenement" has changed over time. Far from being synonymous with "slum dwelling," it originally connoted a dwelling in any tenanted building, or the building itself. Its root is the Latin word tenere, meaning "to hold." The kitchen as bedroomI am reminded of my first historic house tour, Naperville's 1883 Martin Mitchell Mansion, when I was in the third grade. All of the beds had the pillows propped up against the headboard, and we were told that people slept with their heads more or less upright, lest lying flat should result in pneumonia or consumption or whatever. The construction of this couch would be consistent with such a belief. Occupants of the Martin Mitchell Mansion had no need to sleep in the kitchen, but I remember a vacuum cleaner powered by a pair of bellows strapped to the user's feet! The kitchen couchMy parents have a couch in their kitchen too. Used for watching TV, using the internet, talking on the phone, napping, or just socializing in the kitchen area. But they don't have a radiator, especially not a work of art radiator like that one! That amazing sofa!The "kitchen sofa" is an American Empire or Greek Revival recamier, also called a Grecian sofa or "fainting bed." This one was probably made in NY prior to 1855, when Victorian furniture came in vogue. The tight bolster indicates a "high style" piece that would be very valuable today. Tenement dwellers often kept a cradle or small bed in the kitchen for a child's nap time, which would allow Mom to keep working at the same time. This is a pretty fancy "cradle." (The Gallery, DPC, Kitchens etc., NYC)
Jack & Mary: 1936
... stage revue, at Loew's Fox Theater. Mr. Benny's Sunday night broadcast will be made from the auditorium of the National Press Club ... ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/29/2023 - 1:45am -

March 13, 1936. Washington, D.C. "Man and woman disembarking from train." 4x5 inch glass negative, Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. Washington Post, March 14, 1936: Arriving for Week at Loew's Fox         Arriving in the Capital early yesterday morning, Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone -- Mrs. Benny in private life -- were met and breakfasted by a group of Loew's executives and newspaper representatives. Mr. and Mrs. Benny are here for a week of personal appearances, in conjunction with an elaborate stage revue, at Loew's Fox Theater. Mr. Benny's Sunday night broadcast will be made from the auditorium of the National Press Club ... Watch your step Jack.Just about missed the stepstool. Won't be any vaudeville dancing for a couple days. Fabulous Fox, fabulous BennyThey're headed for a venue appropriate to Benny's stardom. Loew's Fox, opened in 1927, was the last theater designed by Cornelius Ward Rapp of the Rapp & Rapp architectural firm. The grandest of Washington's movie houses, it was renamed Loew's Capitol five months after this Shorpy photo was taken. Closed in 1963, it was demolished the following year--all but the elegant archway, which is now the entry to the National Press Club from which Benny made his March 15 broadcast. Benny: "Think of it, just one mile from the White House--it's closer than Al Smith ever got." Watch your step JackIt would be awfully easy to miss that cheesy little step they put down. A PI lawyer would be salivating at that these days. Forever 39And in this photo, Jack has just celebrated his 3rd 39th birthday the month prior. He would pass away in 1974 having celebrated his 39th birthday 41 times! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Movies, Railroads)
Frosty the Mailman: 1922
...     Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. ... More than 24 inches of continuous snow had last night covered the middle Atlantic section, with Washington as a center, to a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/16/2014 - 10:32am -

        Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. January 1922. Washington, D.C. "Snow scenes after blizzard." When the mailbox is also an icebox. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. UniformAs an ex letter carrier I wonder if that was the standard winter uniform at the time. Also what the "D" meant on his hat? I don't think he was a carrier as they would have had to take the train or bus to get to their routes, they would not have been collecting bags of mail. Blizzard of '22 Washington Post, January 29, 1922. Blizzard Costs 1 Life; Capital Goes Afoot; Business is Halted More than 24 inches of continuous snow had last night covered the middle Atlantic section, with Washington as a center, to a depth of a foot to nearly 30 inches; caused the suspension of practically all business and social activity; disrupted transportation and shut most of the populations in their homes. The storm, which weather bureau officials, after looking up their records, said was one of the most severe in history and exceeded in the depth of snowfall only by the long-remembered blizzard, 1899, was moving slowly last night up the coast from its position during the day off Virginia. … Automobiles and other motor vehicles likewise were unable to cope at all during the day with the snow and last night the streets of downtown Washington were lined with abandoned cars, some of which owners had not been able to move since Friday night. Taxicabs did a thriving business, but as the snow increased their numbers were decimated by the drifts. … Thousands of government employes walked to work and many in the outlying or suburban sections stayed at home. When noon came and the storm showed no signs of abating and the weather bureau held out no hope, many bureaus dismissed the employes so as to allow them to get to their homes.… Mailman or doorman?With the "D" on his cap, I'm wondering if this might be a doorman or porter from a hotel or building, putting mail into the box. [Only a postal employee would have access to the interior of the box. Also, his badge is an official Post Office Department issue - the last year of this wreath design, in fact. I haven't been able to find the significance of the "D"; usually it's a number, but others denote a specific function. -tterrace] "D" on Postal Uniform CapMaybe the D stands for Delivery, as that is what he appears to be doing: getting ready to deliver mail. [Badges for letter carriers (aka"mailmen") were numbered. At any rate, he's not delivering, he's collecting mail - in this case packages - customers have deposited in the box. -tterrace] "D" for "Driver"?In an age when autos/trucks were still relatively new and not everyone had a drivers license, maybe he was a driver. Possibly driving a truck to pick up mail from the boxes around town. RelaysBack then they may have had relay boxes. You would case your mail for the route, put it in a bag and it would be dropped off in a green relay box. You would then go to that box, take out the mail for your route and then deliver it. Maybe back then they used regular mail boxes for relays. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
We're the Nuts: 1970s
It was a warm late September night on Route 1 near Saugus, Mass., sometime around 1977. Smokes were 57 cents ... I just drove past where this must have been last night. Based on the exit signs in this photo, I put it on the southbound side ... 
 
Posted by rizzman1953 - 04/28/2012 - 10:43pm -

It was a warm late September night on Route 1 near Saugus, Mass., sometime around 1977. Smokes were 57 cents and gas was 56. Taken for a photography class with a 4x5 view camera. View full size. It's the irregularityThat patch of water/spilled brewsky in the foreground: Remove the effect of its wandering, irregular shape and the photo drops to being just a very good photo. (Cover it and you'll see the difference.) With it and the depth it creates, this image jumps to the Best Picture category. Great job, Rizzo, if I may call you that. I'll take either Mopar (thank you, Jimmy Longshanks). Caught in timeThis captures the moment, the period and the light perfectly. I remember it like yesterday, OK the day before yesterday.1977 I was driving a Fiat 1283P. We were appalled that gas was so expensive. Gas is supposed to be 32 cents a gallon. Inflation was about to spike. I remember getting significant pay increases about 4 times a year, but not getting ahead. Both of my sisters lived in this area of Mass at that time, I remember driving there frequently. This brings back so many memories. Another Fantastic PhotoThis is an award winner for sure. Nuff SaidI love the lines and composition in this photograph. Good work. I may have to have this printed. .57/gallon???!!!Marty, fire up the DeLorean, we are going for a ride! This looks like Jim and Pete should be pulling in to use the phone: "One Adam 12, calling in!" Just Up The RoadI'm going up the road for a Ginsburger at Adventure Car Hop. The Adventure Car Hop jingle: "Oh Adventure Car Hop is the place to go for food that's always right- Adventure Food is always just so, you'll relish every bite- Out on Route 1 in Saugus, come dressed just as you are- Adventure where the service is tops and you never get out of your car." 57 Cents?That wandering flow in the foreground was a premonition! I hope BP saved some of the 56.9 cents to pay for future 'events'. Old MemoriesIf I recall correctly, Adventure car Hop ('WooWoo Gisberg: WMEX DJ) was just up the road. Across the road was a Carvel stand with a miniature golf course replete with large fiberglass creatures. It's a PlymouthDon Struke, the car on the left is a '70 or '71 Barracuda. On the right, a '63 Valiant. I'll take either one, too. BP StationWith a little oil spill in front. Great photo, the lighting and composition are fantastic. Was that a High School or College photography course? Either way I'd bet it was well received. 63 Valiant? Nay!more like a 63-66 Dodge Dart. Mix them up!Back in my Chowderhead period (a New Englander for twenty years) River Queen was my favorite brand of locally produced mixed nuts. Very fresh tasting, with great salt. By far, their best product was Teddie's Peanut Butter - a wonderful natural product that had to be stirred daily and tasted of peanut and salt. Both are wonderful brands and wishing they were available out here in Cali. UnclutteredWhat a lovely, evocative shot. What struck me was the complete lack of junky advertisements taped all over the attendant's little glass-walled building. Try finding a gas station/convenience store with clean, uncluttered windows today. Oh, and SJBill - go to teddie.com. You can order peanut butter online. You'll have to travel back to the site of this photo to purchase River Queen nuts, though. SpookyI love this picture, it's quite nostalgic for me because I remember this era well, I graduated High School in 77. The long haired kid in the Cuda looks like every guy I went to high school with, his car is typical of what we drove back then, Mag wheels and lots of primer paint. I wondered if it would look better or worse if there wasn't any background clutter so I Photoshopped out the sign and everything in the background. While I like it better with the sign I think this is a little more spooky looking. Any chance the OP could identify the exact location for us on Google Maps? Dinoco Was Owned by BP?This reminds me of the Dinoco gas station in "Toy Story." What a terrific composition, I just love this photo! There's so much going on: Mopar metal; mixed nuts; 60's-style angular architecture; and 56-cent gas. I think I'm going to cry! No Self Serve?These were the days when you never got out of your car at the gas station. Leaning into the driver's side window, the station attendant is taking an order something like "Five bucks' worth of regular, please." If he squeegees the windshield and offers to check the oil, it may be worth a dime or a quarter tip! "Main St. Saugus, 2nd Exit"I just drove past where this must have been last night. Based on the exit signs in this photo, I put it on the southbound side of Route 1, approaching the exits for Main St. in Wakefield and Saugus, past the landmark Hilltop Steakhouse. According to Google Street View, there's a Mobil station in roughly the same location today. This is a beautiful photo - reminds me of the work of Julius Shulman. Frank Lloyd Wright: not The attendant’s shelter, notwithstanding someones best efforts, has all the design elegance of a Chrysler Airflow. Note the Mopar muscle stopping at the high octane stuff. The driver is probably asking when prices went up. The building in the background most likely housed the air compressor for the air hose (free, then) hanging on the exterior wall, and assorted mops, buckets, brooms etc. And of course there’s the ever present pay phone that was as natural to any retail business as a cash register. Looks like gas and cigarettes were it for this place. A very dramatic photograph with a real film noir effect. Self serve on the horizonIn September of '77 I'd been out of high school one year and was working at the SOHIO station at the corner of Main & Washington Blvd. in Belpre, Ohio and going to college full time, too. That summer, Standard Oil had decided to convert the island of pumps on the east side of the station to self serve. When a customer pulled up to the pump, we had to go out and unlock the pump with a key that we carried on us. Self serve was confusing to many people for a while. I remember self serve regular was 55.9 at the time. A great time in my life. Thanks for reminding me of it. A thousand times, yes...This is an unbelievably wonderful photo. No matter how anti-BP, anti-fossil fuel, anti-prevalence of the internal combustion engine, or even how nuts one might be ABOUT nuts, great photography shines through. Desktop BackgroundYet another immediately placed Shorpy background on my monitor. Thank you once again. [And thanks to user rizzman1953 for submitting it! - tterrace] I remember this place wellWe used to drive past this spot every Friday and Sunday, Friday going north to Beverly Farms and Sunday, going south back to Boston. The heart shaped sign in the back ground was a wedding shop with the most spectacularly tacky dresses. I always wanted one of the hot pink, ruffled layered ones. There was an IHOP right on the other side of the bridge, that you can't quite see. A More Innocent Time.Sadly, in addition to its beauty, this picture is real comment on out time. No bulletproof glass, no door-lock, no pass-through trough, no security cameras, no panic button. No "Cashier Does Not Have Access to Safe" sign. I'll bet they didn't even have a floor safe! And the attendant even leaves the safety of his fortress. My, how times have changed in just thirty-some years. The good old days?A beautifully composed photograph! All of your works posted here are breathtaking, Rizzman. And, thank you for this site, Dave. A couple of points: I don't think the 'cuda is gassing up; too far from the pump. More like- gimme a pack of Marlboro reds, and did you know there's a guy over there taking your picture? It is cool to see such an unadorned kiosk, but this was a time when we didn't feel it necessary to be constantly shoving snack food and soda (or should I say tonic?) into our faces. Cupholders? Yeah, a little dimple on the back of the glovebox door. For when you were parked, not barreling down the highway at 65 with 44 ozs. of HFCS blocking your vision. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
The Squeaky Wheel: 1924
... unforgettable. One of my fondest memories is from a night my uncle, a B&O dispatcher, allowed me to hold up train orders a mere ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 11:41am -

Washington, D.C., June 1924. "Congressman John C. Schafer of Wisconsin." Who seems to have been something of a railfan. National Photo Co. View full size. Size DID Matter!This photo shows how massive steam locomotives got before they were eclipsed by internal combustion (notably diesel-fired) technology. Locomotives couldn't get much bigger than what's shown here because of tunnel clearances and the like. Diesels presented greater thermal efficiency, allowing smaller engines to perform a prescribed level of work. There's a lesson here. While conventional wisdom demands that we drill our way out of today's fuel supply shortages, the scientific community pursues a paradigm shift in motive technology not unlike the steam to diesel conversion. This includes not only alternative fuels, but alternative materials that reduce vehicle weight without compromising strength. Speaking of size...He must have a massive bundle of rasta dreds under that hat! Lightweight Locos?The implication by Chollisr that it would be desirable to reduce locomotive weight is incorrect. The function of a locomotive is to haul passengers/freight. The pulling ability of a locomotive is proportional to locomotive weight, wheel - track friction, and locomotive torque. Everything else being equal, reducing weight reduces pulling ability. Railroad manJohn Charles Schafer, Republican, WW I veteran, was a former locomotive engineer for the Chicago, Northwestern Railroad and member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen. Elected to congress at the age of 29, he would have been 31 at the time of this photo. While in Washington he lived at 800 North Carolina Avenue SE. Schafer weighs 200 pounds and clings to the ancient idea that tobacco was made to "chaw." He practices at it on or off the floor of the House. He has a magnificent pair of lungs and, after he delivers a speech in the House, acoustics experts have to be called in to make repairs. They call Schafer the "Firpo of the House." He is at his best when he is thundering against prohibition. Washington Post, Nov 8, 1931 Locomotive BreadthWhat amazes me most about old steam locomotives like this is their size and their massive construction: you know, really thick plates, exposed rivets, lots of pipes and tubes running all the length of the locomotive, gargantuan pistons and rods, wheels bigger than a man. I wasn't lucky enough to ever have a ride on a train pulled by one of those; that would be like making a childhood dream come true. Of course, it would be better if I could step in the cab and pull the whistle cord; who didn't want to do that as a kid? Too bad the only examples of steam locomotives I can see where I live are stored away in museums, and then in a very improper (and I would say disgraced) state of preservation: the two or three locos stand idle on some length of dead track, outdoors, exposed to rain, sun, and the corrosive atmosphere of Mexico City. Last time I checked those, I could even spot some small plants growing among the boiler plates, in places where corrosion had made the rivets disappear. It was a pity - those locos are not only beautiful, they are also historical, since they used to pull the Presidential train in days gone by. Sometimes I wish there was a better culture of preservation down here. Anywho, Shorpy provides us again with a very interesting picture, something really worth a thousand words. Motive Power Writ LargeActually, my comments about weight-to-power ratios were focused on all forms of motive power that we use in everyday life. That includes things like sport utility vehicles (SUVs). The "utility" is puzzling: the larger the vehicle, the more power is required to move it (and the fuel that it carries). The horsepower required to move the vehicle itself increasingly dwarfs the power needed to move its passengers. A point is reached when people start serving their machines, instead of the other way around. Diesel enginesDiesel engines do not drive trains nowdays -- electricity does. The modern locomotives we all see pulling trains today utilize electric motive power. The diesel engines merely turn the generators which provide the electricity to drive the engines. A direct link from a diesel engine to the drive wheels would require a transmission and differential. Electric motive power requires none. This is why you will never hear a locomotive shift gears like a semi. And Miguel: Someday, if you visit the United States, you will find several places with live steam engines still working. One of my favorites is near Baraboo Wisconsin, where each year their coal-fired Baldwin locomotive hauls a train load of circus wagons to Milwaukee for an annual parade. Chaw vs. CigarSchafer may cling to the ancient idea that tobacco was made to chaw, but that appears to be a cigar in the hand that holds the oil can. Having restored a small (0-4-0 saddle tank with slope back tender) steam locomotive, I can testify that a steam engine is the closest thing to a living machine there is. A diesel doesn't even come close. Operational Steam LocomotivesMy goodness, Miguel, how I wish I could transport you to experience one of these living, breathing behemoths – you’re right, there’s nothing like them! It does seem Mexico has few operational steam locomotives, as seen in this list of survivors. However, if you ever chance a visit to the US, there are a great many more operational steamers of all shapes and sizes. I agree with your observation that static locomotive displays, no matter how well-cared for, cannot match those actually under steam. In my mind, steam locomotives are multisensory experiences unmatched by just about anything else. Imagine yourself on a damp, cool fall morning. In the distance a whistle faintly wails, calling out to anyone within earshot. Above the trees a plume of smoke and steam begins to appear and the chuff-chuff-chuff-chuff of steam exhausting from engines slowly becomes recognizable. Soon the glow of a single large, yellow headlight appears from around the bend. Louder and louder and louder the sound climaxes as the ground shakes from the locomotive's tremendous weight rolling over the rails. Instinctively, you take a few steps back as rapidly turning wheels and gleaming side rods suddenly flash by and you catch a brief glimpse of the firebox conflagration that makes this all possible. The thunderous noise of the locomotive rapidly gives way to the gentle click-clack click-clack of passenger car wheels traveling over rail joints and the lingering scent of coal smoke and steam oil hangs in the air as the train fades into the distance… Sigh ... pretty amazing stuff for a big chunk of iron that boils water, I think. Some folks are pretty captivated by this stuff and have dedicated their lives to steam preservation and operation. Knowledge shared by steam-era railroaders like Congressman Schafer is utilized by a relatively small but dedicated force of young people diligently working to keep steam alive for this and future generations. So please, by all means, seek out these places toiling to keep steam alive and support them by buying tickets and riding behind a working piece of history! I'll step off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening. Small piston, top rightWhat does that small piston above right of the greaser do? I don't recall seeing anything like that in Finnish locomotives. Or maybe there are, but located differently. -- Cheers, Jari from Finland A big sighOh, how I remember these monsters. As I approach 70 at a more rapid pace than I like, the times shown here and into the '50s still hold a treasured place. If I were blindfolded with earplugs right now, I could immediately tell you if a steam locomotive went past. That smell of hot oil, cinders and soot are unforgettable. One of my fondest memories is from a night my uncle, a B&O dispatcher, allowed me to hold up train orders a mere couple of feet away as one of these monsters roared past. Finnish TrainsJari, You should go find a Finnish train and take a photo for comparison. It shouldn't be difficult to find a well-preserved example, since Finnish trains last nice. (Dave - sorry about this "frowned-upon second post of the day" but I couldn't resist the pun) Goober Pea Small piston may be I don't doubt that someone will know exactly what it is but going by its position it looks as if it might be a servo to ease the driver's movement of the regulator or the reversing gear. He would be a long long way from the sharp end and I'd imagine there would be lots of lost motion even through rigid rods and links. Woohoo! Got one right! Power ReverseThe small piston above Congressman Schafer's head is the "power reverse." On early steam locomotives, the valve gear was directly controlled by a "johnson bar" in the cab. This lever set the valve gear to forward/reverse and on some more modern engines controlled the cutoff or the length of the piston stroke that received steam. As engines and valve gear grew in size, so did the job of adjusting the johnson bar. Various screw drives and other controls were tried, and in the early 1900's steam power was harnessed through a piston to do the job. The Pennsy, being very conservative, was among the last to adopt the power reverse and many of its largest engines still used the arm-busting johnson bar at the time of the photo. Cylinder on the K4See that rod toward the right end of the picture, maybe 2 meters long, inclined upward left to right? To throw the engine into reverse the engineer needs to lift the back end of that rod until it's about horizontal; the cylinder you asked about is an air-powered piston to help him do that. My QuestionWhy is a U.S. congressman occupying himself with locomotive maintenance? [Mussolini wannabe? - Dave] Reverse PsychologyPower reverse gear was never widely used outside of North America, which is why it appears unusual to non-US viewers. Two great books of railroad photosMiguel - I would recommend "Steam, Steel and Stars" and "The Last Steam Railroad in America" by O. Winston Link. B&W photos of outstanding quality, documenting the Norfolk and Western in its last few years before converting from steam to diesel. Both available at the major online bookstores at a reasonable price. Thanks a lot for the tip!Thanks a lot for the tip and information! I had heard of such live steam trains in Britain - the National Railway Museum (http://www.nrm.org.uk/home/home.asp)runs several steam-powered trains on tracks around York, and I thought it would be one of the places I wanted to visit at least once in my lifetime. Now knowing that there are also places in the States where it is still possible to experience the wonders of riding a steam-powered train, I will certainly make sure to include them in my long list of beautiful and interesting places I want to visit sometime. Dave, you know what would be great, on this same subject? To see a good picture of a famous station like Grand Central in the days of steam locomotives; either a view from the street, or a picture of the hectic movement of people in the grand hall inside, or a view of the tracks, perhaps showing one of the famous express trains of the '20s or '30s... Man, I can almost hear those famous words, "All aboard! All aboard!!" [There's also the Steamtown National Historic Site in Pennsylvania. As for photos, we already have lots of pictures of steam-era train stations, including Grand Central. Click the "Railroads" link above any of the train photos. - Dave] Reminds me When I was a kid we went in a school trip to the National Railroad Museum here in Buenos Aires, where they have these steam locomotives (some of them from the XIXth century) and I can still remember how they were neatly exposed side by side. The thing that I clearly remember after almost 30 years is when we were walking in between them and how I was amazed at the enormous size of the wheels, and how I then had nightmares where I fell behind them and under the heavy machine. Looking forward to visit that museum again, after seeing this photo. Pennsy PowerCongressman Schafer is oiling the side rod on one of the finest steam passenger locomotives of all time, the Pennsylvania Railroad K4s. From the teens to the 1950s these engines pulled the finest "varnish" on the fastest schedules. Daily they raced the New York Central class J Hudsons between New York City and Chicago. Before electrification they handled the heavy traffic between NYC and DC. In the early 1950s it took three diesel units to replace one K4s. But replace them they did, because of the diesel's much lower maintenance costs. Wish we could see the number on the headlight, but whichever engine she was, she wears her Juniata builders plate proudly. CigaraptureCigars are superior nicotine conduits -- smoke 'em OR chew 'em. The nicotine buzz from a dead cigar resting on one's lips as saliva darkens and attends the tissues in one's mouth is intense. Congressional ZealotOn top of his other charming qualities, Schafer promoted an anti-semitic, fascist agenda. This phrase in the following account is particularly amusing: "He was easily emotionalized by the power of his own oratory." Schafer had fought every measure which tried to bolster the American defense and had proved himself an obstinate obstructionist to national defense. ... Washington newspapermen often refer to Schafer as "bullneck." When angered, which was often, his neck became red and "glowed like a stop-light." ... I met Schafer at his home and my impressions of him are indelible. He had once weighed 300 pounds, but was now a mere skeleton of 250 pounds - a huge, ferocious-looking fellow, with layers of fat bulging around his chin and neck, a shock of blond hair falling over his face. He had the appearance of a zealot about him. He was easily emotionalized by the power of his own oratory and as we talked, he got into the habit of swinging an enormous, club-like fist only a few inches from my face. I found Schafer no different from the "patriots" back home in his prophecy of Hitler victory and its natural consequences of a revolution here against Democracy. "What kind of revolution?" I asked. "The BLOODY kind," he roared. "There will be purges and Roosevelt will be cleaned right off the earth along with the Jews. We'll have a military dictatorship to save the country." He leaned toward me and his fist swung like a pendulum grazing my face. "How about the Constitution?" I asked. "Oh that? That'll be set aside temporarily until they get some law and order in this country. A revolution is no picnic." Under Cover - My Four Years In The Nazi Underworld Of America John Roy Carlson, 1943 PsssssstOddly contemplative stance and expression: is the engine speaking to the congressman? Could he be an iron horse whisperer? Steam Is Not DeadTwo engines of this class still exist. Number 1361 was removed from display near Altoona, Pa., in 1985 and restored to operating condition. You could have ridden behind her in the late 1980s. She is at Steamtown USA in need of another major overhaul. The only thing keeping her from the rails again is money, LOTS of money. A sister engine is on static display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, where on any sunny summer afternoon you can ride behind one of four operating steam locomotives. Thanks guysThanks for the info about the cylinder, everybody. In Finnish engines direction changer is indeed "non-assisted", as they are/were smaller and lighter than these US-behemoths. I do have a pics of a live Finnish HR1 taken in last summer. It made a stop here in Salo due to normal train traffic and really attracted a big crowd. Maybe I should post the best ones somewhere. Cheer: Jari Big WheelsI can't believe how big this locomotive's wheels are (or, how small the legislative representative from Wis. is). It would be interesting to see a contrasting image of a man standing next to the wheels of a modern train engine. Thanks for posting this great image. The K-4The K-4 Pacific in the photo isn't a particularly large locomotive for the time--it's slightly larger than average for a passenger locomotive, but the freight haulers of the day, as well as the modern steam locomotives to be built in the next few years, would dwarf her in size. Nevertheless, she is one of the greatest feats of railway mechanical engineering ever. Designed and first built in 1914, the class would eventually number 425 locomotives. The last one was retired in 1957. Drivers are eighty inches in diameter, a standard size for passenger service. Big Wheels keep on turnin'The wheels were large for a couple of reasons.....large drivers translated the smaller-diameter stroke of the connecting rods from the pistons into a lot of forward motion and ground covered for a given amount of energy. Plus, the larger driving wheels gave a smoother ride to passenger trains. Locomotives intended to pull freight had markedly smaller drivers. Massive?K4 Pacifics were marvelous passenger engines, but hardly anywhere the top end of steam size-wise. Drop by our museum in Sacramento and see the SP Cab Forward #4294 - that weighs at least three times what a K4 does. http://www.csrmf.org/doc.asp?id=162 (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Radio Days: 1938
... is one lucky guy. I wonder if he went home alone that night. Black lips From the black lips, it looks like the glass plates ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 12:23pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1938. "Dancing class, WRC studio." Smile for the microphone, girls. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Troupers!They're wearing heavy makeup. For rehearsal. For radio. Not good to fantasizeI wonder who the third on the right is. Wow. Died and went to Heaven That interviewer is one lucky guy. I wonder if he went home alone that night. Black lipsFrom the black lips, it looks like the glass plates were made with an orthochromatic emulsion that wasn't sensitive to red. Isn't 1938 a little late for glass plates? [Evidently not. - Dave] TapsThey were tap dancers, as shown by the metal "taps" on the shoes of the seated girl. You definitely could hear their routine on the radio. BTW, LOVE, love, love their outfits!! Buses and damesMore of the latter please! Boys will be boys and all that. Trans-Lux BuildingNBC's Red and Blue network stations (WRC and WMAL) had studios in the Trans-Lux Building on 14th Street between New York Ave and H street. The Trans-Lux theater originally showed newsreels and short subjects. As a child, I was taken there due to the short attention span of youth. Legs and LipstickBy the shape of the legs, tap dancing must be a good exercise for these girls. They all have lovely limbs. The lipstick and eyelashes look like they are getting prepared for some kind of stage production. Awesome lineup of legsNot a cankle to be seen. And who knew they had false eyelashes in the '30s? HoofersThese girls do not appear to be the teenagers we would find as aspiring dancers today. They look to be in their mid to late twenties and I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. OverpluckedI feel sorry for their poor, tortured eyebrows. Live BroadcastingDidn't most radio programs have a live studio audience back in the day? This would explain why everyone is made up and looks so sharp. We used our imaginationI like the thinking behind the idea of dancers on the radio. It fits well with Peter Brough and Archie Andrews - 1950s radio stars here in the UK. They were a ventriloquist and his dummy! Polka-Dots RuleAnd so does the lovely lady wearing them at the far left. She's got my vote! All dolled up for radioEven if there wasn't a studio audience for this program, I'm sure the girls knew they'd be having their picture taken that day. Cute rehearsal clothes, clean shoes, freshly-curled hair, and a nice coat of lipstick might mean some casting director noticing them in the picture and offering them a job! Speaking of rehearsal clothes, man, oh, man. I'm a heterosexual female, but those perky little shorts and skirts are making my heart flutter a little. Dance MakeupAs a former dancer myself, I'm not surprised at the makeup. If they're going somewhere "as dancers," then they'd wear the makeup, especially if they're wearing a costume of some sort. Even if it is on radio, they'd want to look the part for the host (how would he describe the lovely ladies?) and for photos. Also, the dancer on the floor is pretty darn unflexible. And it's rather funny that he put down that blanket for her to demonstrate her stretch on. Gams!A beautiful selection of legs! And gosh, why has the word "gams" passed from popular use? Ripe!That's one bushel of tomatoes! Keep on learning>> These girls do not appear to be the teenagers we would find as aspiring dancers today. Well, there's nothing particularly to say they're "aspiring." Professionals did (and do) continue to take dance classes, and at least some of these ladies may well be working dancers. They certainly have the legs for it. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Pretty Girls)
Dinosaur Garage: 1942
... they do with those engines during northern winters over night? I don't suppose they would risk parking then and have them all freeze ... lock if condensate accumulated in the cylinders over night? Even if they kept the fire going in the boiler, that would not have done ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/04/2021 - 11:04am -

        Updated April 2021 with a better scan of this Kodachrome. December 1942. "40th Street Shops (Chicago & North Western locomotive shops at Chicago)." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Steam TechAnother great Delano photo. Notice all the blurred ghost men tending the engines. There used to be thousands of them. Now there are only a handful of men in the country with the knowledge to maintain steam locomotives. Amazing how quickly the technology vanished. I was lucky enough to learnI'm fairly young to have that knowledge, but I worked as a teenager in a "Locomotive Works" shop that specialized in maintaining the last of these machines. I worked in the foundry, and also learned how to cast all manner of things in brass, iron, copper, etc. One of the main customers was the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway. In fact all of the journal box covers were made by me, as well as a good portion of the luggage rack brackets in the passenger cars. All brass. RR shopDreimer, Lucky for you to have experienced working on these magnificent iron machines. I managed to help clean & polish N&W 611's main rods when she came through my town of Danville IL. It was my way of paying her back for all the great trips I had behind her in the previous yrs. And I was really happy to get a chance to work on her. 2808 and 2635Seen from another angle (same photographer, might even be the same workman in the blue overalls with rolled cuffs) https://www.shorpy.com/node/18160 Driver 8, take a breakThe Union Carbide canister seen in the lower left quadrant of this photo in all likelihood contains calcium carbide powder, which would have been used in an acetylene generator. This powder, when combined with water, produces acetylene. This is then mixed with oxygen, and voila!, an acetylene torch. Here's an image of good ol' 2808 three years before this shop time: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3888666 Next week, we'll discuss the use of uranium hexafluoride in producing fissile material. A great science project for the kids! Class H's Achilles HeelNice to see a clear picture in the foreground of the unique and troublesome "banjo frame" of one of the C+NW's otherwise great class H 4-8-4's. The frame curved around the outside of the trailing truck to make room for the large ashpan, but was a weak spot, since all of the pulling force went around the frame to the drawbar. This led to cracked frames. C+NW replaced the frames with conventional ones as part of major post war rebuilds. This design mistake was somewhat excusable, as this was a period of dramatic growth in the size of locomotives, with many new problems to solve. Something to think about, that entire engine frame was cast in one piece, including all the little attachment points, and usually also included the cylinders. It was a technology that was incredibly strong and rigid, but in this case fooled designers into thinking that the banjo frame idea was not doomed to failure. European and UK manufacturers apparently never adopted use of large steel castings, sticking with weak fabricated underframes to the end. Shocked & confused That hussy of a boiler in the middle distance with its bare lagging showing is sticking out its tongue. Wait, that's superheater tubing. Well as Emily Litella would say,"Never mind!" Two things I have been wondering about for a while1. Would we still be able to design and build new steam locomotives if need should arise? Yes, I know, thermodynamics haven't changed. And plans are probably available as well in some archive or other on some of the engines. We might also reverse engineer the few remaining museum exhibits. But just about every technology tends to have tribal knowledge that never gets documented anywhere, or if it does only in some obscure place. 2. What did they do with those engines during northern winters over night? I don't suppose they would risk parking then and have them all freeze up. Did they keep the fire going 24/7? What about hydraulic lock if condensate accumulated in the cylinders over night? Even if they kept the fire going in the boiler, that would not have done much for the steam pipes and the cylinders. Or did they have heated sheds (well, heated to no less than 32°F anyways) for every locomotive that was not in immerdiate use? Dreimr What a great experience to work in the foundry!! Steam KnowledgeThere are lots of steam plants needing this type of knowledge - both mobile and stationary. Electric generating stations, ships (yes, they still exist), heating systems etc. Nothing like the smell and sounds of welders, grinders and torches in a railroad yard though. Especially one having been in existence for over 100 years. Kind of like the blacksmith shop my grandfather used to own. Wondering about Steam1. By modern engineering standards, any existing steam locomotives are woefully inefficient and mechanically complex. It can be done with modern manufacturing methods, an English preservation group built a new engine a few years ago, but the last semi-serious look at modern railroad steam power in the US came in the late 1970s/early 80s. In response to the energy crisis Ross Rowland proposed an updated steam engine, the ACE 3000, but it was never built. As for cold weather, they stayed outside unless they were in a roundhouse for minor repair or inspection with the fires kept hot ("banked") between runs. Dropping the fire was a lot of work, reserved for heavy repairs that took the engine out of service - pesky thermodynamics - as the boiler had to be allowed to cool slowly, the work completed then reheated slowly. You're talking live steam, so cylinders freezing wasn't likely, however they were equipped with drain valves to force out excess water rather than pressurizing and blowing off the cylinder head. Air compressors were prone to freezing; a friend's father worked for the NKP out of north eastern Indiana. In the winter, they'd soak journal waste (fabric packing material) in kerosene and light it with a couple of fusees (flares) so they could depart. Build a steam locomotive today?StefanJ asks if it is possible to build a steam locomotive today. Yes, it absolutely is possible. In 2008 a group of railway enthusiasts in Great Britain did just that, building a LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado, the first mainline steam locomotive built in the United Kingdom since 1960. In the US, a group called The T1 Trust is working to build a locomotive based on the design of the Pennsylvania Railroad T1. The T1 was the last steam locomotive built for the Pennsy. It was designed to be fast and to look fast with a streamlined casing designed by Raymond Loewy. They regularly achieved speeds in excess of 100 MPH pulling passenger trains with unconfirmed reports of speeds in excess of 140 MPH. While the terms “Best” or “Fastest” or “Most Beautiful” are obviously subjective, no one can argue that the T1 wasn’t in a class by itself. Cold WaterSteam locomotives were usually kept hot all the time between trips to the repair shops. There were some worries about stresses to the metal from frequent and fast cool-downs and fire-ups. Cylinders had cylinder cocks to drain condensate. Normal position was fail safe open, and steam or air pressure was needed to close them. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
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