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Neumann Grocery: 1910
... told me she was around 16 years old at the time and worked night shifts. She said it was really loud due to the machinery and the trains ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:30pm -

The Edw. Neumann grocery at Broadway Market in Detroit circa 1910. 8x10 glass plate negative, Detroit Publishing. View superjumbo full size. (Which is still less than half the pixel dimensions of the full-resolution, 6100 x 5000 image -- i.e., less than a quarter of the available detail!) Who'll be the first to count all the cans? Neumann GroceryThis display is a work of art, although it must have been a stockboy's worst nightmare. The amount of detail is just incredible. Considering the amount of perishable fruit and vegetables on display, this store must have done a high volume of business. And the refrigerated cases were a surprise for 1910. Who knew? All that white asparagus, both fresh and canned, is beyond yummy! Beautiful displayCompare this to the 1952 Grand Union photo ... the Neumann Grocery is so much more inviting and interesting than that sterile, fluorescent dead zone of the 50s. [Yes it is very pretty. And of course there's another difference -- the Grand Union is all self-service. - Dave] Neumann MarketCan I get a time machine and go work there for a few weeks? Isn't it just wonderful. Neumann GroceryThanks Shorpy, sure enjoyed this photo. I am amazed at the sheer weight of the filled glass jars in the upper cabinets. Libby's AsparagusIf you look at the cans at the top of the store, the labels read "Libby's." This was a large cannery that my mother worked at in California. The original name of the cannery was Libby, McNeil, Libby. I believe it was located in the Mountain View area near El Camino Real. My mother told me she was around 16 years old at the time and worked night shifts. She said it was really loud due to the machinery and the trains arriving to pick up the canned goods. She also told me she processed a variety of fruits/vegetables and would have to pit them by hand. I still have her tools. Edw. Neumann GroceryI found this book listed on a culinary website: "Selected Recipes and Valuable Food Information," by Edw. Neumann Stores, Detroit , MI, 1932. This is the link. http://clarke.cmich.edu/cookbooks/author.htm It's in alpha order as Edw. Neumann Stores Neumann GroceryI found this on Google Books. It’s from Bulletin No. 200-201, May-June, 1912, issued by the State of Michigan Dairy and Food Department. “No. 26135, S.705. Sample of Brillat Imported Canned Peas handled by G. & R. McMillan Co., Detroit, and procured from the store of Ed. Neumann, Broadway Market, Detroit. Colored with copper sulphate and held to be injurious to health.” Anyone see a can of peas on the shelves? "I'd like...a can of asparagus, please. No, up there, on the left. That one; thanks. No, right next to it... NO! the one NEXT to it; yes, THAT one! Thanks. Oh, is this the large size; do you have anything smaller?" Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska RefrigeratedLooks like a cooler on bottom - I count six frozen-over condensers. Baskets and liliesBaskets and lilies - it must be Eastertime. And a very lonely bunch of bananas, well I think they are bananas, anyway. [Could be Easter. Or shopping baskets. Or both. - Dave] Libby's CanneryThe Libby's cannery in Sunnyvale was on the north side of the tracks from Evelyn Street. Brings back lots of memories. In 1964 we moved into a new subdivision in Sunnyvale and lived in a cherry orchard - five cherry trees in our yard. In spring it was pure joy riding our bikes in the street with all the blossoms. Next subdivision over were in a plum orchard. The entire "Silicon Valley" Bay Area used to be farm/orchard country, the soil and climate were perfect. It sure has changed. The DetailOn the Super Jumbo Sized photo is incredible! I can even see the patterns of the water from the mop on the floor. Now that is pretty darn cool! AmazingThis photograph and "Extra Fancy" never fail to fascinate me. I used to work at a grocery store, and it's amazing how much processed and prepared foods have overtaken fresh ingredients. I'd touch cans more than vegetables. And somehow I never realized that there was a time when grocery stores weren't self service. Broadway MarketMy grandfather was Edward Neumann from Detroit. Although I cannot be certain, I think that I was told that he did have a store in Broadway Market before the store on Farmer Street (1420 Farmer Street, just behind J.L. Hudson Co) in Detroit. The display in the picture is very much like what I remember from the produce department at the Farmer Street Store. Of course, I was a very, very little girl at the time, but I do have pleasant memories as well as a lingering preference for Crosse & Blackwell foods. BeautifulMy father was in the grocery business. He passed away September 2009, he would have loved this picture. This is so beautiful, imagine this much food in a store in 1910. I grew up in rural south Georgia, and it seems all the older people I knew were so poor and had bare necessities. Looking at all these pictures makes me think life in the North was so much more advanced and modern. Maybe that is just me. I don't know, but this is truly a beautiful store. Pass the peas pleaseReplying to Joe Manning: I found the can of peas; or at least A can of peas. Look just under the Edw. Neumann sign. The picture shows peas (still in the pods); of course, everything had the label "Enco", so I can't be sure if these are Brillat Imported Canned Peas or not. I. am. overwhelmed. I cant imagine any store doing enough business to move that many artichokes before they went bad, I work in a very busy produce store, and we can sell basically any obscure fruit or vegetable, but this is incredible. I love love LOVE this, I wish time travel were possible (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Green Street: 1900
... I bet it was pretty dark along that street at night, with only the glow from the electric (or still gas) lamps from the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 5:22pm -

Ithaca, New York, circa 1900. "Greene Street." Hey, mister -- you missed a spot. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. No Electricity yet?I only see one wire, strung tree to tree, and nothing going to the houses. Was there no electricity or phones to the houses yet? Broom ServiceBack when "street sweeper," like "computer," was an occupation and not a machine! Hey, my home town!Thanks for this great photo. Let me point out that it's "Green," without the E. Alas, Alasfor the elm and chestnut trees of yore. How lovely they were. It seems those trees serve a dual purpose. They have telephone wires strung on them. The first tree on the left seem to have a wooden sidepin with an insulator on it, and the next tree has the knob/spool type of insulator attached to it. The other purpose of course is to look beautiful in the fall. Curbside to go Are those steps at the curb for entering a carriage? Dutch Elm DiseaseAre those the elm trees that died? Keep up the good work Dave, these pictures make my day. Playing HorseyWhat are the stacked blocks before the two houses in the center? I guess they are to stand on to get up onto your horse (after it's been untied from the metal stand across the street). [They're called mounting blocks (for mounting and dismounting a carriage) and hitching posts. - Dave] What a beautiful neigborhoodSo sad to see the wasteland it turned into. (The same could be said for most of the American landscape.) Half-bakedThe house in the foreground on the left is now a parking lot. All the houses on the right have been plowed under for a modern bakery. View Larger Map No ParkingHow beautiful our streets were before we had to park cars all along them. Time to SpareIn the distance comes a carriage. Should be here in half an hour or so. I'll go watch paint dry while I wait. Mounting blocks!And the drone of leaf blowers nowhere to be heard. Where'd I put my time machine? Somebody else's problemOne of my major "peeves" is that today's lawn service workers just take their leafblowers, blow the grass and leaf debris out into the street and it becomes somebody else's problem. It also gets directed into the storm sewers and block up the drains causing sewer back-ups and all sorts of plumbing problems for the neighborhood. Even though it is SUPPOSED to be against the law to do this, it is never enforced. Not too much gets my goat, but leafblowers really DO. Progress does not become this sceneThis makes me sad. I looked at this scene, and said, "This is beautiful; I bet the only changes are that the street is now paved with concrete, the horse hitching posts are gone, and there are a few more wires strung through the air." To see that one of the houses is a parking lot, and one entire side has been torn down for that THING on the right just makes me sad. Yes, I realize this street may have become blighted 50 or 60 years after this picture, but it's just such a beautiful street here, it's such a shame. Still a nice neighborhood"Wasteland"?? I explored around using the Street View posted below. It's still a very pleasant, leafy neighborhood with many if not most of the old houses still standing. View Larger Map This Old HouseI was certainly surprised to see that this was not just any generic Green Street, but the Green Street in my current city of residence! Yes, as others have pointed out, most of these old houses are gone, but Ithaca still has many, many old, historic homes similar to this. Unfortunately, few of them are single-family homes anymore-- they are mostly chopped up into two or three (or more) apartments. But such is the fate of a big old house in a college town. Moonlight feels rightNo streetlamps! I bet it was pretty dark along that street at night, with only the glow from the electric (or still gas) lamps from the windows of those gorgeous houses to light the way. Still niceWandering about the neighborhood a hundred and ten years later, I'd still live there. A hundred an ten years ago this was already a mature neighborhood, quality lasts. Lots Still LeftWestern Upstate NY and else where around the Finger Lakes still has a lot of street scenes with all the houses like this still standing. Take US20 East out of Buffalo and head to the NY State Fair. See a lot of rural people not effected by modern day life. Geneva, Batavia, Waterloo, Auburn. NY. Skaneateles could have been a set in a Hardy Boy book. Sits right on the North Shore of Lake Skaneateles. In Toronto between Bloor and College St. same thing. Full of cars because of no driveways, but the houses are all still there. You can still time travel in your sub conscious I wish I could retire in the pastThe world of 110 years ago, while it lacked many good things we've learned and achieved since then, was very beautiful. No driveways!THAT's what was bugging me about this picture--the lack of driveways cut into the curbs. You just don't see that now. Let there be light!I was thinking the same thing as the person who wrote the "Moonlight feels right" comment but several moments later I did notice that there's at least one carbon arc streetlight in this picture. It's hanging above the middle of the street above the street sweeper's left shoulder in the middle of the thick canopy of leaves, making it hard to see, but it's there. What a shamethat beautiful things in life never stay the same. Things have changed!How can something change like that? Beautiful photograph, horrible sensations now! (The Gallery, DPC)
Vesuvius Amoco: 1956
... used flashes exclusively in the project, at least for the night shots. He was an engineering major in college, and after graduation ... seeing original Link prints. OWLish flash Link's night pictures were flash photography: there's a well-known photo of him and an ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/17/2013 - 2:33pm -

Vesuvius, Virginia, 1956. "Sometimes the electricity fails." Gelatin silver print by Ogle Winston Link, pioneer of the photographic genre that might be called rail noir. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division. View full size. 4-8-2 MountainThe locomotive is a 4-8-2 K2a Mountain—one of twelve (road numbers 126 - 137) built in 1923 by Baldwin for the Norfolk & Western Railway. Its cylinders were 28 x 30 inches, it had 69-inch drivers, a 200 psi boiler pressure, weighed 359,460 pounds, with 57,950 lbs of tractive effort. In this picture #131 is pulling the #2 passenger train northbound on the Shenandoah Division of the N&W. When these (and ten others built in 1919 by ALCO—road numbers 116 - 125) were rebuilt, they were up-dated with 70-inch drivers, semi-streamlining, boiler pressure bumped up to 220 psi, and an increased tractive effort of 62,832 lbs. No Norfolk & Western 4-8-2 Mountains survive. Someone please,Identify that streamlined steam locomotive #131, which to a railfan is the highlight of the photo. Been there, done thatIn 2012 I went on an odyssey through central Virginia, searching for the locations of Winston Link's photographs, to see whether they could even be found, and if they could, what changes sixty years had made (I found an astonishingly high number, and some hadn't changed as much as you would think). While I found the general store at Vesuvius still standing albeit boarded up, the pumps are gone--the 1923 pump now stands in the Winston Link Museum in Roanoke. America the BourgeoisWhen all the cool kids drove full-sized Buicks! The Buickwas O. Winston Link's own car. It also appears in another of his famous photos, along with perhaps the same couple. There is a fine Link museum housed in the former Roanoke, Norfolk & Western passenger station. In addition to his photos, it also includes his recordings of steam trains and a collection of railroadiana. As a bonus, the station was redesigned after WWII by Raymond Loewy, and there is a gallery of his work as well. Great coffee table book!I was given a great photo book of O Winston Link's nighttime rail photos. Spectacular! His use of flash in these black and white photos was great. [He used floodlights. - Dave] LightingAccording to wikipedia, "Link's vision required him to develop new techniques for flash photography of such large subjects. For instance, the movie theater image Hotshot Eastbound (Iaeger, West Virginia), photographed on August 2, 1956 [negative NW1103], used 42 #2 flashbulbs and one #0 fired simultaneously." While he may have used floodlights he certainly used flash too. InterestingI was 6 years old then and of course remember the kind of pump behind the attendant being typical through the 50's and 60's. I didn't realize the old 30's era pumps, like the one being used, still being around that late. More info on Winston LinkActually Link used flashes exclusively in the project, at least for the night shots. He was an engineering major in college, and after graduation became a commercial photographer. He used that background when making and planning his photos, and you can see many of the diagrams made in the planning of the individual shots both in his books and at the Roanoke museum dedicated to his work on the N&W. The prints made from his negatives are masterful, with tonal variations to make any devotee of Ansel Adams proud. Although the photo reproduction in the books is excellent, nothing beats seeing original Link prints. OWLish flashLink's night pictures were flash photography: there's a well-known photo of him and an assistant surrounded by some of his apparatus, including one reflector which held eighteen flashbulbs. Link also did some daytime photography along a branch line which did not operate at night. I have the fortune to own a print from this group, unfortunately a little damaged, which an office mate happened to find for me many years back in a junk shop. Much less dramatic than his night shots, though. The most famous N&W streamliner, 4-8-4 Class J #611, survives, and there is a campaign being mounted to put her back into excursion service. 1952 SuperDesignated by the three faux portholes on the front fender where a Roadmaster would sport four. The Special also had three, but was built on the smaller body shared by Oldsmobiles. This car would be left in the dust in '53 when its Fireball Straight Eight was replaced by the brand new 322 V-8 in the same chassis. Still in useThere's a resort on the way in to Kings Canyon National Park that has two functional gravity gas pumps. I had my tank topped off from one them last June. No Electricity NeededPerhaps I am stating the obvious, but some people may not know how the gas pump in the photo works. The attendant hand pumps the needed amount of gas with the long lever as shown in the photo. The clear cylinder on the top of the pump shows the quantity of gas pumped. Gravity did the rest when filling up the car, thus no electricity needed. O W L BuickCorrect. It is his car. Fitted with a piece of plywood in lieu of the rear seat to allow more camera equipment to be loaded into the vee-hickle. The clubFollowing Shorpy feels a bit like belonging to a discussion club. Whatever the subject of these wonderful photos, there is an audience of enthusiastic, knowledgable members who explain what we are looking at while filling in the sort of fascinating detail that draws you into even the most unlikely subjects. I can't tell you how many times I have clicked off across the web to further investigate a subject after having my appetite whetted by Shorpy and his many followers. Thanks for both preserving and presenting such evocative photos as well as moderating possibly the most entertaining, educational and civil comments section on the web. Re: Gravity PumpsI know I'm missing something, but why do the (visible) numbers count the direction they do? It would seem more logical to have 0 at the bottom, so you directly see how many gallons have been pumped into the reservoir. [The glass cylinder was completely refilled after each sale to be ready for the next customer. See this. -tterrace] After gravity jars, portholesI remember in the early 60's there were quite a few gas pumps with a small round window on the face. A spinner inside it would indicate flow as your tank was being filled. At least I assumed it was actual gas flowing through it. Could have been just a gadget giving the appearance of that. Now I suspect it was intended as a transitional gimmick to satisfy the old timers who were used to watching the glass jar empty. [That was called a sight glass. This report from 1939 to the National Bureau of Standards reports that those un used at the time did not work as purported. -tterrace] (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Railroads)
Coal to the Curb: 1925
... the damper and through the rest of the evening and the night, the coke fire would simmer and keep the house comfortable enough that ... the day. Come evening - repeat. Dad was our Day/Night thermostat. 16 Tons And What Do You Get? This is not my area of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/02/2014 - 1:11pm -

Washington, D.C., 1925. "Ford Motor Co. -- A.P. Woodson Co. coal truck." And now for the hard part. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. What a dump!I know the train has already left the station, but I've been in the hospital. Only on Shorpy, Dear Friends, will you find 16 substantive (I'll err on the side of generosity) comments on a dump truck and a load of coal. Makes me smile. The roar of the coalFollowing up on Max's comment below, as a young boy, the excitement of "the coal man" coming was greatly enhanced by being in the basement at the time of delivery and watching the dust as it spread out from the coal as it came racing down the chute into the coal bin, accompanied by that magnificent roar of the sliding coal. No chute!I can't remember the exact moment when nobody took coal delivery at home anymore. What I can remember is that nobody took delivery by the "dump and carry" method shown here. Maybe it was cheaper to hire help in that time and place than in the times and places of my memory. Cellar windows in older homes were hinged on top to facilitate such things as coal delivery. The deliveryman ran a chute from the truck bed through the cellar window to the coal bin. The delivery was made by gravity, with but a minimum of labor to keep things flowing. I just realized that when I wasn't looking, I reached an age at which I can remember things that younger people have never seen. The easy partWhen I was a boy, about 5 years old growing up in East Liverpool, Ohio, with hills on every street, We had coal delivered to the curb. Our house was downhill from the street so my dad built a chute from the street into the cellar window, about 30 feet. The neighbors on the other side of the street were not so lucky, gravity working against them. My friends father built a ramp from the street to their coal cellar and we took turns pulling a wagon full of coal up that ramp using a pulley system. We little ones all worked together and we got that coal in. Can't imagine where the authorities were when we needed to be saved. We had fun doing this. My dad soon went to natural gas, even with gravity on our side. How long did it last?In Florida that might just about get you through the season. In Washington D.C., probably a week or two. In St. Paul, a day or two. Coal was delivered to the cellar window of our house in Minneapolis by the ton. The piles on the ground in the photo is, probably, 250 pounds. Dad stoked the furnace early every evening, burning a hot fire to burn off the volatiles and warm the house. Then, with a system of levers and chains directed from the upstairs hallway, he'd shut down the damper and through the rest of the evening and the night, the coke fire would simmer and keep the house comfortable enough that sleeping was easy. In the morning, he was first one up, to open the damper. He'd then go downstairs and throw in a few more scoops which would keep the house warm for mom and us kids through the day. Come evening - repeat. Dad was our Day/Night thermostat. 16 Tons And What Do You Get?This is not my area of expertise but is he shoveling coal, coke or some other fossil nugget? This guy is doing some heavy lifting. I'm guessing, that once he filled that metal container, he then has to carry it down to the basement area for the furnace or into the kitchen for the cook stove, he did this for not a lot of money. Unless they shared their duties the Driver had the better deal. Motion Study1. Load truck 2. Drive truck to customer's house 3. Dump coal on ground 4. Pick it up for delivery one bucket at a time Wouldn't it work better if you skipped the dumping step and loaded the bucket from the truck bed? You could just push the coal into the bucket and never have the back breaking shovel job at all. I was taken aback I did an internet search for space heating last night and got a bunch of hits of automatically stoked anthrocite coal stoves that were power vented through the wall. I guess we're going back to the future and might see this again. I was gratefulFollowing up on the comment from aenthal let me say that as a youngster growing up in the UK in a family that was not too wealthy I was very grateful that the coal delivery system was not very well organised. As a reasonably well built 13 year old lad I used to earn useful cash after school helping in the coal delivery process. Coal was sold by coal merchants and delivered in one hundredweight (112 pounds) sacks off the back of a lorry. But this size sack was relatively expensive. Not everybody could afford such an outlay. Alternatively coal could be purchased at greengrocers in 28 pound sacks. This is where I came in. I was taken to a railway yard in a lorry. Both the lorry and I (plus a very large coal shovel, coal is not very heavy) were left there for a few hours whilst I unloaded a railway wagon of coal onto the lorry. After this back to the yard where...I unloaded the lorry to free it up for other work. I then weighed out 28 pounds of coal and put it into paper sacks for sale. Doubtless this shameless "child labour" would be forbidden nowadays. But I was grateful for the work that did me no harm and the money which did me much good. And I loved the smell. Coal heatLarryDoyle gives a pretty good picture of what it was like for me as a kid growing up in Rhode Island with coal heat. I'll just add that we kept our coal heat well into the 1960's, and when there was a winter power outage, the whole neighborhood gathered at our house, because we still had heat! Everybody else's heat needed electricity for one reason or another. Also, our driveway was for years paved with coal cinders and ash-until Mom said "no more!" Too messy. The "mud" of wet coal ash after a rain is nasty stuff. Clinkers?Does anybody remember "clinkers"? Over a period of stoking the furnace it would develop lightweight, sort of coral-shaped, football-sized "rocks" that were removed from the furnace with a long handled tool with a open-close claw on the end. Automatic stokerWhen I was a kid in the 50's we had a coal furnace, a boiler, and an electric pump that forced the water through radiators throughout the house. Nice, even heat. The coal was delivered through a hole, covered with a metal disc when not needed, in the garage floor. Every night, my dad would fill an automatic stoker with coal. It fed the furnace when the thermostat in the house called for more heat. Every day he'd shovel out the furnace of ash and clinkers. Reading the stories here, I realized that our house, built in 1942, had a really deluxe furnace. In 1959, natural gas pipelines made their way out to us, and we switched to natural gas. So much easier! Thank you, all! Clinkers = CindersSeveral years ago I was employed by a consulting engineering firm. While looking at the plot plan of an existing high school for which we were to design an addition a new young engineer pointed to the running track shown on the plan labeled 'CINDER TRACK' and asked, "What's a cinder?" I explained how, in the past, most of the private and public buildings in the city were heated by coal furnaces which resulted in the generation of mountains of cinders for which uses had to be found. I then roundly cursed him for reminding me that I was getting old. Coal chimneys?Maybe those with experience with coal heating can solve something that strikes me as unusual. Our house, a 1926 Sears kit house in Maryland, was totally refurbed before we bought it. My neighbors told me that the guys who refurbished the house, a trio of brothers in the construction trade, replaced the fireplace and chimney and so our house is the only one on the block that is rated for burning wood, as the other houses--all 1920s vintage--are only rated for burning coal in their fireplaces. I never realized there was a difference. Our furnace, original to the house, was converted to gas long ago and my wife won't let me use the fireplace anyway. But it's strange that there is a distinction between coal and wood for fireplaces. Ford Model TT TruckThe first thing that struck me about the picture was that the truck had two spares - one for the 4 bolt front tires and one for the 6 bolt rears. If the picture was taken in 1925, the truck looks like it's been around the block a few times. According to Wikipedia the Ford Model TT one ton was manufactured from 1917 to 1927. I'll bet it was a joy to drive - NOT. More About ClinkerThere are two kinds of clinker (there is no plural - you've got clinker, or you don't). In a properly burning coal fire, the parts of the coal that don't burn filter downward and drop harmlessly through the grate into the ashpan. If, for some reason (weather, strange stuff in the coal, or bad karma) the ash, instead, lays on top of the burning fire and melds together, it will form "Soft" clinker. This is what gturkovi describes. It is light, breaks up easily, and sorta looks like coral. But, it prevents air flow through that part of the fire, and in a spot without air flow the coal will not burn there. Clinker spreads like a cancer to the fire, and soon the entire firebed will be covered and you will be cold. It can be usually dealt with by simply breaking it up with a poker or rake to allow sufficient oxygen into the fire and burning it off. If not, it must be removed as described. "Hard" clinker is created when the ash that is sifting down through the firebed gets so hot that it actually melts, forming a heavy glasslike substance that also blocks air flow. It also spreads like cancer. It's harder to remove, since when in the firebox it's actually a semiliquid, kinda like hot chewing gum. Burning coal isn't easy. [At least in the pages of the Washington Post, "clinkers" seems to have been abundant. But of course they didn't have the Internet back then. -Dave] ChimneysFor Jim Page - I am not a coal "expert", but my understanding on the difference in chimneys has to do with creosote. Coal burns very cleanly (anthracite being much cleaner than bituminous coal) and does not produce creosote, as does wood, and therefore does not build up on the chimney walls. Many coal burning chimneys were not lined with a terra-cotta flue liner. Such an unlined chimney cannot be used for wood as the creosote buildup would be disastrous. Unlined chimneys are often newly lined today with flexible stainless steel liners to allow their continued use with gas or wood. Gas fired also produces a great deal of moisture which is quite bad for an unlined chimney as well. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
IBM Noir: 1962
... conversation piece. I used to sneak out at age 15-16 at night and take our lada for a ride. Legal age to drive being 18. We Wrecked ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/17/2013 - 10:57pm -

Circa 1962. "International Business Machines Corp., Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York, 1956-61. Exterior. Eero Saarinen, architect." Large format negative by Balthazar Korab. View full size. Famous Computers for $100, AlexThis is the home of Watson, the computer system that won Jeopardy against two former champions a couple of years ago. As part of that event, Wired magazine did a wonderful series of interior photos of the Research Center, including a picture of the bust of the original Watson below. Still fabTheSenator grew up near this amazing Saarinen specimen! I loved driving through the wooded IBM campus to see this stark black marvel on the hill, the long low curve of the exterior appeared endless. Still fab today. Corvairs!I had a 1965 Corvair 500, which was the four-door base model. I dearly loved that car, and drove it through high school and into college. It had the automatic-transmission lever on the dash, which I couldn't figure out when my dad presented me with it; he walked out to ask why I wasn't driving my new car, and I hated to admit I couldn't put it in gear! Those Corvairs had a characteristic burned-oil smell that I loved, and having the spare tire in the engine compartment only added to the strangeness. My Corvair's transmission finally gave out, probably from my evil habit of flipping it into reverse when going down the road so it sounded like I was popping a wheelie!!! My high-school friends and I still talk about that wonderful car, and I think they were surefooted, no matter what some folks said about them. AjaxI'll guess that most of those cars belong to the cleaning crew. TR3Interesting to see the Triumph TR3 sitting out front. Definitely stands out against the other American iron in the lot. TriumphThe small sports car in front of the entrance is most probably a Triumph TR3A. If it was very new at the time this picture was taken, it might be a rare TR3B, which had the slightly larger engine and fully synchronised gearbox of the TR4. TR3A's were and are great cars. I should know, because I drove mine to work and back today. Where have I seen this?This is exactly, precisely, 100% similar to all the images on Mad Men on TV every week. Just seeing images from that late 50s - early 60s era instantly recalls it. HintThose canopy supports give a suggestion of his work for TWA. Interesting contrast with the balance of the building. The Waterless Wonder from Willow RunThis is a splendid photograph, for several reasons; the architecture, the mood ... and the cars. I knew that, one day, I would find a Corvair on one of your photographs. Maybe there has been one earlier, but I haven't seen it. This 4-door was likely almost new when the picture was taken. I am restoring a 1965 Corvair Monza 140 HP Convertible. Corvairs are rare as hens teeth here in Britain. I had a number of Corvairs as a kid, many years ago. Over the years, I lost interest in cars in general; but the Corvair always occupied a special place in my memories. When I retired, I thought, "why not"? Given our weather here, I might even get around five days a year when the top can come down. IBM and a Corvair .... I like the association. Among the BehemothsFront and center an early 60's Triumph TR-3 and further to the right a Gen 1 Corvair. You could almost wear one of those TR-3's on each foot. At least 1962, or late 1961The newest car I can identify is a 1962 Chevy Impala, the fourth car from the left. Burning the midnight oilThough it might be late on a dark winter's afternoon, I suspect that this shot was taken after "normal" working hours. Nevertheless, the number of cars in the parking lot (the poor TR-3 looking quite at odds with its Detroit iron fellows) suggests that there's actual work being done inside, at least by those senior enough to rate a prime parking spot. Though far from a start-up by 1962, IBM still had some exciting years of innovation ahead of it. TriumphantLooks like a Triumph TR3A parked near the entrance. Had one of those in high school - could never get the carbs synched right. Still there and hugeLocated at 1101 Kitchawan Road. This overhead shot shows most employees would have parked in the big lot at the rear of the building. View Larger Map Triumphsweren't the greatest because they had electrical systems by Lucas, Prince of Darkness. I guy I knew had a Spitfire that in rain or snow, wouldn't start without a push down the street from my Volkswagen. How a country with a climate like Britain could have given rise to that company is beyond me! Yes, Corvairs!Jim Page commented about his 1965 Corvair handling well, and I'm sure that it did. Starting with 1965 model year, the Corvair had true independent rear suspension. The previous year, Chevrolet had added a camber compensator to the swing axle suspension, but the never recalled the older models for that modification (to the chagrin of Ralph Nader). The IRS models were what all of the early Corvair owners dreamed of. I had a 1962 Corvair Powerglide wagon with the same dashboard gear selector. It was a fun car to drive and handled well for the time (vs. an Impala or a Galaxie), but would "crab" the rear axle when a radical maneuver was attempted. The swing axle would fold under the car, and if you weren't lucky, the whole car would roll over. My wagon had been a beach car and no matter how much a vacuumed and swept the interior, I always found more sand the next day. Still, it was a good car that served me well. The life of an IT personAs a 44 year IT person (it was called Data Processing back then), you can be pretty sure that those cars belong to developers and systems people; either troubleshooting a problem or burning the midnight oil on a software release deadline. BTW, no one has yet mentioned the '61 or '62 Ford Falcon to the very right in the picture. My first car was a '61 with a manual choke, 144 cu in motor, FordoMatic 2-speed transmission, and a tube-based pushbutton radio. It could barely get out of its own way, but I loved it! Corvair IronyCorvair engines are popular as inexpensive and reliable engines in experimental, home-built aircraft. A pilot at my home airport built a Zodiac with a Corvair engine, and it flies like a dream. MGA's and Lucas ElectricsSame problems in wet weather as described by John Braungart in his Triumph. When I first got my 1962 Mark II, I noted there was a crank (yes, a crank in 1962!) mounted on the front wall of the boot (trunk) and I wondered why - but I needed it several times in wet weather. UncladI had a 1970 MG Midget; cloth covered wires! Not a single wire in that poor dear had a modern vinyl coating, so when it was damp, you drove the Volvo. Business casual? Hah!While today most IT companies have no dress codes, other than maybe not allowing employees to be skyclad (I'll wait while you check Urbandictionary.com), back in the day IBM was quite the opposite. Almost all of their professional and managerial level employees were men, and they were required to wear white dress shirts, and only white. No stripes, no blue, no beige, just pure white. I am a veteranof 20 years in the IBM dominated computer industry. I began in '82 as a "burster". I processed the printed output of reports and forms,and ran them through a machine that "decollated" the carbon paper.Thus,there were the required number of copies required by the department management. I also delivered them,by handtruck. Apparently I showed some aptitude,as I was promoted to the operator position on 2nd shift.This entailed answering console commands,mounting tapes,listening to angry users,and placing phone calls home to sleepy programmers who had to come in to fix an "abend",or abnormal ending to one of the programs they were responsible for. The hardware was IBM 370/158,4361,Magnuson,and much more.MVS,JCL,ROSCOE,TSO,you name it.Hundreds of employees used the text based terminals. I ran through various IBM mainframe jobs,winding up from 1997-2002 as system programmer and a support engineer for a prominent software company. By then,the internet was getting more robust,and our PTFs were available online. The old days were driven by manpower as well as automation.The old computer room,raised white floor,cold a/c and the double locked door! [Did IBM not put spaces after commas and periods? - Dave] 62 CorvairDrove one for a while in the early 70s. Sky blue four door automatic hard top, gear shift buttons were on the dash board to the left of the steering wheel. Four of us picked it up and moved it in a parking lot once. Drove her into the ground. On her last day I filled her up with naphtha and burned up the neighborhood streets before putting here out of her misery in the scrap yard. [Sounds like you were driving a Plymouth Valiant or some other Chrysler product. Corvairs never had pushbutton transmissions. The shift lever was to the right of the steering wheel. - Dave] Famous designer and a crank Finnish native Eero Saarinen is really well known here in Finland. Nice to see beatiful examples his work here. BTW, my dad bought new white Lada 1200L in 1986. It also had a crank, which was useful when starter broke and a cool conversation piece. I used to sneak out at age 15-16 at night and take our lada for a ride. Legal age to drive being 18. We Wrecked in TriumphBack in the 1960s when my brother Jerry was home on a weekend leave from the Navy, he managed to wreck his TR-3 in a big way; big damage-wise and big-upsetting-Mom-wise. She had dropped his insurance because he wasn't around. Except for that weekend. He rebuilt it as a race car and we both drove it. With its engine modifications it was quite fast, being clocked at 130 mph at Virginia International Raceway. At the Hershey Hill Climb I went off into the woods with it when the steering failed (probably a casualty of his accident) and I became but a hapless passenger, no longer in control of the car but deeply interested in its journey. Here it is. The small view is my brother's wreck. Love that Lark!If I'm not mistaken the car almost completely silhouetted at far left is a 1959-60 Studebaker Lark. In my hometownThis building is called out in a number of recent magazines and books on the area as one of the top 10 architectural marvels. Here it is today, relatively unchanged: (The Gallery, Balthazar Korab, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Camp Chevy: 1959
... have a ’57 Chevy story but I do and here it is: One night in 1958 my friends Roger B., Gordon C. and I were hurtling down Wopsy ... I can still see the sparks shooting off the roof into the night as we slid. This was getting exciting. The car was stopped by a bunch of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2014 - 2:49pm -

35mm Kodachrome from circa 1959 sent in by a contributor who found it in a thrift shop, and scanned by me. The wagon is a 1957 Chevrolet. View full size. re: No longer existYou left out the one thing I miss the most - vent wing windows. I wish they would bring them back, but they are not aerodynamically correct for fuel economy purposes, so I guess they're gone for good. This is the car I learned to drive a manual transmission in back in the 60s. I had gone through driver ed on our school's automatic, but my best friend had one of these wagons with the straight six and a 3-on-the-tree that he let me drive a lot. It was an ugly monotone Battleship Gray, although I'm sure GM had a catchier name for the color. The summer of my junior year in high school seven of us went camping in the Adirondacks and I was the only alternate driver he would let drive on the trip. We spent our time in these, as seen previously on Shorpy. Someone must respond... and may I be the first. Dear loujudson, I see that you've been a member for over a year and this is the first pic that you've seen that might be a little out of focus. I noticed from your profile that you're a sound engineer. Maybe if you put your ear up real close to the screen, you might hear the sounds of these people having fun camping. Roughin' it?Not roughin' it that much. While I'm sure he doesn't have a t.v. my guess is that he's using a cot to keep him above ground judging by the left side of the tent. Shifty GuyMy family camped in Chevy wagons (we had several). We had it down to a science and could set up and tear down in no time at all. I too learned how to drive in the first one. A 55 V8 stick. I could easily spin the wheels perhaps because it was a wagon and had low rear end gears. Speaking of 3 on the tree, does anyone remember reaching through the steering wheel and shifting with your left hand because your right one was around your date :-) I guess a '57 Chevy saved my lifeEverybody can’t have a ’57 Chevy story but I do and here it is: One night in 1958 my friends Roger B., Gordon C. and I were hurtling down Wopsy Road near Altoona, Pa., on our way home from the Highland Fling Tavern up on Wopsononock Mountain. Roger was driving the red fuel injected ’57 Chevy Bel Air that his mom had bought him, one of the 220-hp cars doled out to dealers early on, and this one had been driven on the sands at Daytona Beach by a car salesman, running 133 mph. For a passenger car in 1957, that was something. Well, Fireball Roger exited what he thought was the last serious curve on the road, nailed the throttle and as I looked over and saw the speedo a tick above 100 mph (shouting "Yee haw!"), the actual last serious curve presented itself. What a surprise. Roger lost control and the car ran up an embankment on the right, flipped onto its roof and slid backwards for (according to official state police measure) 156 feet before going off into the woods on the left. I can still see the sparks shooting off the roof into the night as we slid. This was getting exciting. The car was stopped by a bunch of small trees and one big one, but the Angel of No Fires kept the gas tank intact. Plus, teenagers live forever. In the photo you can see that my window (passenger side) was seriously reduced in height, but I managed to squeeze through it, crawling in total darkness around to the other side, and I reached in, turned the engine off (fuel injected engines can run upside down, but you don't want to make it a habit) and helped Roger and Gordon get out. When the windshield made its way in hundreds of pieces past us into the back seat, it cut our arms and faces in dozens of places (no other injuries) and two days later my left arm was swollen twice its size. I had crawled through poison ivy. Considering the what-ifs, I was real happy, or at least happier than Roger, because his mom forgot to add his car to her insurance policy. The Handyman1957 Two-Ten Handyman, i.e., the 2-door model as opposed to the 4-door Townsman. The One-Ten models did not have the color wedge down the side, just a solitary chrome bar. That tent!I still have one just like that. Bought it from J.C. Penney about 30 years ago and we used it last summer! Hard to set up but we like the headroom ! Yes, I would like to have that 57 Chevy as well! Things on that Chevy that no longer existHubcaps Giant luggage rack the size of a radio astronomy antenna Drip rails (that the luggage rack attaches to) Station wagons! Straight-six under the hood ... and most probably a two-speed Powerglide automatic [One of BMW's most popular engines is a straight-six. -Dave] Dave, Correct. I was thinking of 'Merican iron. I think there are still a number of straight-6 Diesels out there as well. Same carI drive a 57 Chevy wagon, same color as this one. I've had mine more than 20 years. 1957 HandymanIt's a model 150, not One-Ten I believe Pretty in pinkAs one who reveled in the unique, sleek, chrome-embellished, streamlined and definitive car models of the 50's and 60's, I wonder why they no longer offer the color range from the mid 20th century, like this soothing pink, the entire range of aqua,the two-tone combos and the vibrant feel-good interiors to match the exterior. Easter egg colors were desirable for females and some males and the only colors in interiors today seem to be tan or gray, pretty darn dull if you ask me. P.S. Update: Thanks and appreciation to Vintagetvs for the website on pastel and feminine cars, very informative. Now I can prove to my kids that I did not dream these up, but that they really were available. Pastel CarsDodge briefly played with the idea of cars styled just for Women, the Dodge La Femme was available as an option for a couple years but was dropped in 57. There were few built and far fewer still around. Wiki has an article on it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_La_Femme You won't print this one.It's your site, and I am merely a daily visitor, but this substandard photo and scan is unbecoming and inappropriate. I guess it is popular among the 50s car crowd, but since i had to squint to see the details and found them boring, you can spend that much time reading my comment... don't publish lousy pictures such as this! This is not a 100 year old picture worthy of Shorpy! There are plenty of old car sites for the chevy folx. Lou [Seeing as how this is currently the most popular post on the entire site, it would seem that most people think otherwise. - Dave] Very becoming and appropriate!I love this very detailed picture of camping in 1959, along with that cool looking '57 Chevy wagon! There are so many fascinating things available to see, without even looking closely! I like old car pictures, and Shorpy is kind enough to post this classic! Didn't even have to go to an old car site! Thank you, Dave, for posting this image of camping life in the '50s! It's a great shot! RosebudWho does not have a photo like this tucked away in a shoe box or album? A keepsake, blurred, not well defined, imperfect, and yet very dear as a reminder of Mom, and Dad, and that summer when we were young; now all gone, except for this hastily taken photo. I am Nomad!Is that Chevy a Nomad? [No. The Nomad was a 2-door model with a distinctive slanting pillar and hardtop-style side windows, i.e., frameless. - tterrace] Thank you! What a gorgeous car! 1957 Chevy wagon out camping.This Coral and white wagon is a 210. It has a white panel within the trim sweep. Belairs had trim as you see on the Seafoam and white Nomad below. 150s had a horizontal stainless steel spear down the side from the rear into the front fenders with an angled paint divider up to the window. First responderSee "very becoming and appropriate" post below. Thanks for the backup, 'Gazzie'. I'm sure 'lou' just got up on the wrong side of the bed. I guess we all have days like that. 57 ChevysOur family had a 57 210 standard shift. Another way to tell that a 57 is not a Bel-air is to look at the hub caps. Both the 150 and 210 have the small ones. The Bel air has the full size caps. (ShorpyBlog, The Gallery, Camping, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kodachromes 1)
John McCain: 1973
... on Guam when Nixon ordered the bombing of Hanoi. Day and night the B-52s would roar down the runway headed for a round trip bombing run ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/02/2008 - 10:15am -

April 24, 1973. "Interview with Lt. Commander John S. McCain, Vietnam prisoner of war." Medium format negative by Thomas J. O'Halloran. View full size. Richard GereAre you sure this isn't Richard Gere playing the part of a Navy Officer? He's done it before. [Um, yes. We're sure. Next! - Dave] Re: Richard GereHe actually looks more like Tom Cruise. McCain Interview 1973Here's the 1973 McCain POW article for which this photo was taken. It was recently republished on USNews.com as a Campaign 2008 point of interest. Time isHey, I came to see realy old pictures, not 2008-1973=35 35 years is old so you get a pass. At least it's before color was invented. There's a famous dude whos always in the news with the same name as this guy. [So when was color invented? - Dave] McCain InterviewThanks so much for posting the link to that amazing interview. I read the entire article, and found it fastenating, especially in today's context. I was young and in the Air Force during the Viet Nam era. I was stationed on Guam when Nixon ordered the bombing of Hanoi. Day and night the B-52s would roar down the runway headed for a round trip bombing run over Vietnam. During the ramped up bombing, I had visited with a B-52 pilot I knew earlier at one of my other stations, and he was very aware of what was at stake. Just as there is very much at stake in 2008. Will we repeat history, I wonder? JMJohn McCain was more attractive in his younger days than one might imagine. Mr McCainI guess he used to smoke. That's OK, so did I. I admire the man. Film FormatDo you know, Dave, if this photo is cropped? It seems to be the right dimensions to have been shot on a 2x3 Century Graphic, or a later 6x9cm press camera - Graflex XL or Mamiya Press, say. Sorry. I'm just a sucker for medium-format existing-light portraiture. [Barely cropped. Full frame below. - Dave] Young McCain.Wow! Impressive. WowThis really is "The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog"! McCain?Wow! This is almost eerie. He was quite a strapping young buck back in the day. Young Buck Back In The DayWeren't we all. (Politics, Public Figures)
Animal House: 1900
... to have arrived just in time for the photo after a long night out on the town. Great assortment of characters in this photo. It was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 3:18pm -

"Football team." Circa 1895-1910, location unknown. "James" written on negative. Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Animal HouseGiven the assortment of sports equipment displayed or worn by these boys, I'd say this was an athletic club, more than simply a football club. The diminutive boxer in the center of the group, for instance. And the fellow two over from his left appears to have arrived just in time for the photo after a long night out on the town. Great assortment of characters in this photo. It was enjoyable assigning various stereotypes to each. The guy with the ball in his lap certainly has the look of a quarterback to him. Lots of testosterone in the air. Facial hairThese mustaches are intense. Looks like they're about toLooks like they're about to head about for a bit of the old ultra-violence. MercuryThe logos on their jerseys appear to be the Roman god Mercury's winged helmet. Writing at the topIs the "94" an indication of the year or did it have some other meaning? [It could be. Typically for these old glass negatives there is writing all along the margins, which usually gets cropped out. This one had another number along the top on the other side. - Dave] That football looks enormous. More like one of our (Aussie) rugly league balls of that era. What are the tenpin looking thingies that the bloke on the front left is holding? [Indian clubs. - Dave] That DogThat dog is adorable. One of the popular bully breeds of the time. I love the huge collar. Bantam Rooster..I have absolutely no doubt that the wiry little boxer in the middle could work a much larger opponent over something fierce. Animal HouseThe guys in front look like they should be on the beach saying things like "Alley oop!" and "balderdash!" while lifting barbells. ExpansionBack at the turn-of-the-century, these guys would've been considered big men. Today, they'd be middleweights at most. Touchy FeelyIt's interesting that the tough guy with the dog has his hand resting on his companion's knee. I guess personal space rules have changed dramatically because that would never fly nowadays! Indian clubsMy grandfather had a set of these. They were used to increase muscle strength, swung around and held in various positions. Dog and ManDog and owner in exactly the same pose. Awesome. Working out circa 1900The guy on the right is holding a Medicine Ball. These guys were obviously working out at the "Gold's Gym" of 100 years ago! There is certainly an air of pugilism about these guys. Training for a fight? (The Gallery, DPC, Sports)
Atwater Kent: 1927
... Virginia that closed with a banquet at the Lee house last night. The high quality of radio programs being broadcast together with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/02/2016 - 11:18am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Thomas R. Shipp group, Hamilton Hotel. Atwater Kent standing by radio." National Photo Co. safety negative. View full size. Fuller is rightthat Kent walked away with big bucks, not a failure. One of the big reasons that he closed the company down when he did was the threat of unionization by his workers. he said that if they persisted in attempts to unionize, he would close the company. They did, and he did. The factory was eventually taken over by Philco and produced enormous number of radio before, during, and after, WW2. Sometime in the late 50s/early 60s, Philco sold at least part of the property to the Government, and it became a Veterans Administration Data Processing Center, full of equipment that, by today's standard, was as about as advanced the radios made by Atwater Kent! Model 33 in a Pooley CabinetThe set is an Atwater Kent Model 33 in a Pooley 1700-R-2 cabinet. Pooley had a deal with AK -- customers could order from their line of radio cabinets, and then pick from any number of available AK sets to go in it. The cabinets cost anywhere from $190 to $240, and the radios $145 to 390. That was a pretty hefty sum in 1927 -- even more so when you consider that the delivered radio-cabinet set came without tubes or a battery, which the buyer had to purchase separately. Mr Kent appears to be showing off the latest model -- the 33 was manufactured in 1927, and the Pooley 1700 started production in 1926. The radio isn't a Model 30 (manufactured in 1926) -- the knobs on the 30 were closer together. Pinpointing the dateThis is one of those photos where, with a little detective work, one can easily figure out what month of the year it was taken. The cover of the Cosmopolitan magazine that woman is holding is clearly visible. [February 1927. - Dave] Attentive StareAlthough obviously a posed picture, interesting how everyone is "watching" the radio set. Replace the speaker grille with a small TV screen and this could be 1949 (at least, if you look more at the mens' outfits). Looking at the radioYou see, if you look at the radio, your ears just happen to be pointing in the best possible direction for you to hear best as well. One of nature's little tricks. Attention pleaseIf you don't look at the radio, you can't hear it. And the lady on the left has taken one of the drapery ruffles and fashioned a hat. What are they looking at?Why is everyone looking at the radio? They have a good 20 years to wait until a screen pops out of that thing. Radio daysThe fact that they're all looking at the radio is hilarious, and reminds me of a line from Woody Allen's Radio Days. "He's a ventriloquist... on the radio! How do you know he's not moving his mouth?" I paraphrase, but you get the idea. The one visible female face has a highly amusing expression on it. Most everyone else appears somber and she's sort of simpering, seemingly unable to get into character. Interesting PieceThe radio cabinet could double as a writing desk. I wonder if the area below the desk is a functional drawer or storage space of some sort or does it have any part of the electronics. Atwater KentAtwater Kent provided radios for various manufacturers to include in their own cabinetry. This one looks like a model 30, produced in 1926 and notable for single-knob tuning: http://www.atwaterkentradio.com/ak30.htm Atwater Kent himself!Funny that I always assumed "Atwater-Kent" was a combination of two names, like "Nash-Kelvinator" or "White-Westinghouse." Unless, of course, the caption actually means "standing by Atwater Kent radio." Note the Cosmo girl to his left--this being the days when Cosmopolitan was like a mixture of Redbook and Literary Digest. RearrangedLooks like they might've dragged some furniture around to better compose the shot. A smart hunter would've swept that plant around to cover his tracks. Play by PlaySteeeRIKE THREEE!! and he's OUT! Thomas Roerty Shipp Washington Post, Aug 20, 1926 Greater Radio Sales Predicted Next Year Dealers, Closing Meeting With Banquet, Base Forecast on Broadcasters' Rivalry A larger business in radio sets for next year was predicted at the annual meeting of the radio dealers of Washington, Maryland, and Virginia that closed with a banquet at the Lee house last night. The high quality of radio programs being broadcast together with rivalry between the broadcasting stations to procure the best talent was the basis for the prediction. A representative of the Atwater Kent factory reported that the Philadelphia plant had already received a sufficient number of orders to warrant the manufacture of more than 600,000 radio receivers this year as compared with a 400,000 order on hand at this time last year. The dealers were the guests of William E. O'Connor, president of the Southern Auto Supply Co., at the banquet. The dealers were welcomed by M.A. Leese, local radio dealer and president of the Washington Chamber of Commerce, followed by greetings from F.C. Ferber, vice president and secretary of the Southern Auto Supply Co. Others who spoke were C.W. Geisner and P.A. Ware of the Atwater Kent Co.; T. Cronyn, S.D. Goodall, G.O. Hamilton and H.W. Jarrett, all of New York and Thomas R. Shipp, of this city. Washington Post, Sep 12, 1927 "Better Broadcasting" Talk By Bullard Today Having explained to listeners, station owners, manufacturers and others the part they must play in the national program for better broadcasting, two members of the Federal Radio Commission today will being to enlist the cooperation of radio dealers in the movement. To this end, Chairman W.H.G. Bullard will address the annual Atwater Kent dealers meeting at the Hotel Hamilton, taking for his topic, "How Radio Dealers May Aid the Radio Commission." At the same time Commissioner H.A. Bellows will address the Atwater Kent dealers in Philadelphia. To day's program in Washington will open with a housewarming this morning at the Southern Wholesalers Inc., distributors, followed at 12 o'clock with a luncheon at the Hamilton. Then will come an afternoon business session, concluding with a banquet at 6 o'clock followed by vaudeville. Washington Post, Feb 11, 1952 Thomas Shipp Dead in Miami At Age of 76 Thomas Roerty Shipp, 76, veteran public relations man and one of the founders of the National Press Club, died yesterday in Miami, Fla., where he and his wife had been spending the winter. Mr. Shipp came to Washington in 1908 to organize the first conference of State Governors during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, who then appointed him secretary of the National Conservation Commission. He was public relations advisor for such corporations as General Motors, Standard Oil Co. of New York, the Pullman Co., Swift & Co., International Harvester and many others. Mr. Shipp organized the first national and international publicity campaigns for the American Red Cross in World War I and headed the national publicity drives of the Y.M.C.A. and United War Work Campaign. A native of Morristown, Ind., Mr. Shipp was nominated by the Republicans for Congress but was narrowly defeated in the election. He then became the Indiana member of the Republican National Congressional Committee and directed the publicity campaign for the party in 1914. In 1914 he organized the Thomas R. Shipp publicity company, with offices in the Albee Building. He lived at 3733 Oliver st. nw. Mr. Shipp was a mason, a member of the Chevy Chase Club, Columbia Country Club, National Press Club, Artists and Writers of New York City and a member of the Indiana Bar. Funeral services will be held Tuesday in Indianapolis, with interment there. AK ClosingKent never "failed" in the radio business or in any other business. In 1936, he was a solvent multimillionaire. He had his son, A. Atwater Kent Jr., sell the factory buildings and other company assets, which were all his personal, debt-free, property. He retired to California, where he became famous for his flamboyant parties. He died a wealthy and reportedly happy man. Atwater Kents were the bestAtwater Kents were the best set you could buy back then. If you ever compare a RCA, GE, or Philco radio from the 20's-30's to an Atwater Kent set of the same era, the AK radio wins by a landslide. Unfortunately the sets were too expensive for them to survive the Depression. 14th StreetI think the street outside the window is 14th, with the cars parked in the alley across from the Hamilton that connects 14th and Vermont (in between the current Continental and and Tower buildings). LusciousI wish I could see all those rich fabrics in color. Velvets, brocades, satins...mmmm!! They're probably in lovely jewel tones. (I also want all the women's shoes, especially the adorable mary janes on the left.) Way Back My grandparents & I used to listen to the radio in the evenings. Amos & Andy, Walter Winchell. This brings back good memories. AK CabinetThe Pooley cabinet is a Model 32. Mr. Kent sells his company.Sounds like he "went John Galt." (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Century Road Club: 1913
... my Dad and I used to go raccoon hunting, which is done at night with dogs (technical term "coon hounds"). For light we used carbide ... kept up the escort as far as Tarrytown. The first night's stop would be in Poughkeepsie, with other overnight stays in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:25pm -

May 3, 1913. "Fred J. Scherer and Walter Wiley at the start of New York to San Francisco bicycle race." Bain News Service glass negative. View full size. Fixies?It appears that the bikes they were planning to ride were fixed-gear bikes with no brakes. I shudder to think what these guys went through crossing the Continental Divide. Odometers?There appear to be little Veeder-Root type counters mounted on the front forks of each bicycle. Or is this some other accessory? The amazing thing about this image is.Bicycles haven't changed much in all these years. Those OdometersBetabox, I actually had one of those odometers a couple of bikes ago. There was a little peg that attached to one of the spokes, and it hit a star wheel on the little meter. I still remember the little ping it made every time the peg came around. Worked pretty well, as I recall. Now I use a $5.00 GPS app on my iPhone that gives me a Google map of my route, speed, distance, altitude, pace, and even calories burned, and it keeps track of every ride I took for over a year. Even lets me listen to iTunes music while I ride. Absolutely amazing for $5.00. We've come a long way, baby. But still, that little counter gizmo lasted 100 years, and I'll bet it's still being sold. Now that's pretty cool. Carbide bicycle lanternsThere are a ton of these available at various on-line antique auction sites. The ones shown here resemble the "Old Sol" model by Hawthorne of Bridgeport Connecticut. There are jeweled facets on either side of the lamp that serve as running lights, green on the right and red on the left (with Red Port Wine being the aide-memoire). Century Road Club AssociationI don't know whether these two made it to Frisco, but their organization was founded in 1898 and is still going strong. Wool Was the Old Spandex Bicycle enthusiasts, dressing like dorks for nearly 100 years! Long Ride!I hope you have a photo of them at the finish line! Very bold.Considering that the first cross country automobile trip, and the hardships they endured, took place in 1907 it was still a bold move, even in 1913, to make the attempt on a bicycle. Track BikesIn today's terms these are track bikes: fixed gear: NO freewheeling rear gear/hub assembly. Difficult to ride because the only way you can stop is to pedal slower and slower -- bit tough on the down hills in hilly terrain. Of note: I could find nothing on this "race" via the search engines. Given the nature of the bikes, I doubt they make it very far without major crashes. In memory of carbide lanternsBack in my pre-teen youth in Altoona, Pa., my Dad and I used to go raccoon hunting, which is done at night with dogs (technical term "coon hounds"). For light we used carbide lanterns that were designed to be mounted on coal miners' helmets, and an Internet search yields many sites explaining how they work. Hunting was fun and all that, but carbide offered an extra benefit to anyone wanting to blow a can apart (technical term "teen vandals"). We'd drop a handful of carbide in a can that had a metal lid, such as an empty paint can, punch a hole in the lid, introduce saliva to the carbide (technical term "spitting"), wait for calcium hydroxide gas to build up while covering the hole, then touch a match to the hole and BLAMMO. Coaster brakes?I don't know when the Coaster Brake was invented but I think I see the little brake anchor lever that clamps to the frame on the one bike. It was never much fun as a kid when that lever came loose and you hit the brakes. Not FixiesFrom what I can tell, these are single speed bikes with a coaster brake, not a fixed gear. If you look at the left chainstay, it looks as if there is a coaster brake bracket coming from the rear hub. Also the rear hub looks to be rather large which would indicate it housing all the elements of a cb. I could be wrong, kind of hard to be 100% sure from the photo. Those carbide lampsWhen I was a kid, we had a "carbide cannon" as a toy. It was a poorly cast piece that looked like a WWI cannon. You put carbide in it, and it had a sparker like an old zippo lighter to ignite the gas. It was about a 5 on a 10 point fun-o-meter. Fun for about half an hour. How about those toe clips.If you look closely at the pedals, you will note the toe clips. I did some 100 miles per day bike trips in my salad days and toe clips made it a lot easier by locking your bike shoes to the pedals. It was a relief not to have to concentrate on keeping your shoes centered on the pedals. In addition you could "pull up" on one pedal while "pushing down" on the other. The carbide bike lamp is a Model S Solar manufactured by the Badger Brass Mfg. Co. of Kenosha, WI. It was patented in the US in 1896. My lamp (see pic) is not as shiny. The water tank and filler hole with vent plug is located in the back. The carbide pellets went in the cup on the bottom. The "key" on the side adjusted the water dripping on the carbide. Water plus carbide generates acetylene gas which burns with a hot white flame. The front of the lamp has a glass cover which swings open to light the acetylene. The flat cap on the light is the "smokestack" for the burnt gas to escape. The Eternal BicycleToe clips, coaster brakes, drop handlebars, handlebar wrap, panniers (sort of).... You need to change very few things to arrive at a modern bicycle. "Brought to you by..."... Fisk Tire (if the flag on the boys' bikes was indeed a sponsor). Fisk made bicycle and automobile tires at the time, and their logo was the little yawning boy in pajamas with a bicycle tire slung over his right shoulder. "Trust the Truss"Based on the badge and the frame design of the bicycle on the left, it's an Iver Johnson Truss-bridge bicycle. Yes, this is the same Iver Johnson that made fire arms. They built this style frame from 1900 to 1939. The bicycle on the left does, in fact, have a coaster brake. The coaster brake was invented in the late 1890s and were quite common by 1910. The large chrome ball on the handlebars are bicycle bells. Also note the sprocket driven odometers on the front hubs of both bikes. I have a feeling this event, sponsored by Fisk Tires, was not so much a race as it was a reliability run. What better way to promote your tires. The fact that no information can be found about this event makes me believe it was a failure, and so was not reported. Vanishing PointOn April 27, 1913 Fred J. Scherer, Walter Wiley, George McAdams, and Ernest Higgins were among more than 300 cyclists who took part in the 16th Annual Spring Century Run from Columbus Circle in Manhattan to Hicksville, Long Island and back. The race, sponsored by the Century Road Club [bicycle] Association, was a warm up for the 48-day Transcontinental Handicap Team Race that was started a week later. Scherer and Wiley represented the Caribou Club, while McAdams and Higgins rode for the Century Road Club. Scherer and Wiley received a twenty-four hour head start, leaving from City Hall at Broadway & Murray Street on the 3rd of May 3 at 1:00 p.m. They pedaled up Broadway (mostly) accompanied seventy-five other cyclists and autos stuffed with officials who were shouting last minute details and instructions. The autos dropped out at Yonkers, while the other cyclists kept up the escort as far as Tarrytown. The first night's stop would be in Poughkeepsie, with other overnight stays in Schenectady, Utica, Auburn, Batavia, Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Norwalk, and Toledo, Ohio—where they hoped to arrive on the 13th. The itinerary had them arriving in Chicago on the 16th and Omaha on the 22nd. They figured to arrive at their final destination—San Francisco—on June 20, whereupon they would present a message from Mayor Gaynor of New York to Mayor Rolph of San Francisco. They also carried messages from East Coast bicycle organizations to their West Coast counterparts. They estimated making an average of seventy miles a day and took no money, as "all expenses must be met by the sale of post cards and money actually earned in other ways while enroute." McAdams and Higgins left twenty-four hours later from the same place and followed the same route and timetable, although they bragged that they would overtake Scherer and Wiley in a few days, and reach San Francisco first. There was supposed to be another team from Denver that would be riding a tandem bike, but no one really believed that they would show up. They didn't. A couple of newspapers in Indiana got the news feed wrong, and printed that Scherer and Wiley were riding motorcycles from New York to San Francisco. One newspaper that apparently got it right was the Chicago Daily News, whose photographer took the picture below (Library of Congress collection): It seems that the first pair of cyclists made it to Chicago looking none the worse for wear, but the exact date is unknown at this time. The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette noted on May 10 that the cyclists were due through that town on May 18 and 19, and the local cyclists were "preparing to give them a rousing reception." I don't know if they ever got their rousing reception—at this point I can't find anything about them past Chicago. I'll keep looking, but if someone has any idea whether or not they made it to San Francisco, please share with the rest of us. Coaster brakes vs. coastingYes, as douglas fir mentioned, the diameter of the rear hub looks quite adequate for containing a coaster brake mechanism. Early fixed gear bikes would have a rear hub with a narrow barrel. But fixed gear bikes were of course the first style of bicycle and during the 1890s they were used for long (even round the world) tours. On leisurely rides and for more gentle descents, early fixed gear bikes were sometimes fitted with foot rests added to the sides of the front fork. This illustration gives a good idea how these front "pegs" were used; of course, you'd better be familiar with the road if allowing yourself a long coast - since you'd eventually need to regain control of the still rapidly rotating pedals, and pedals with toe clips would likely be out of the question. Sturmey Archer 3 speedThe bike on the left has a sturmey archer 3 speed rear hub. (The Gallery, Bicycles, G.G. Bain, NYC)
The Duchess of Dallas: 1920
... who couldn't win the heart of John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever". WOW! Just one word, WOW! A very pretty woman. Pretty ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2018 - 1:10pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Miss Inez Thomas of Dallas, Texas." Who represented her city as the Duchess of Dallas at the 1916 San Antonio Fiesta. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Texas bellesMy husband used to travel a lot for business, and he always said the most beautiful women were in Dallas. Aye for "Pretty Girls"The votes are in, Dave. I think Miss Thomas deserves elevation to the revered "Pretty Girls" category. [Consider her elevated. - Dave] That Look!Can't decide if it's "come hither" or "touch me and you'll be crippled for life." Everything about her screams "1920s" and she's gorgeous. The Eyes Have ItI wonder if they're blue or maybe hazel. Either way I say hubba hubba. Reservation for oneI'll bet the "Duchess" dined out on that for years. Dallas women haven't changed much in the last century. From what I heard...that's not all she did at the 1916 San Antonio Fiesta! Shades of 1977Miss Thomas reminds me of Donna Pescow when she played the girl who couldn't win the heart of John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever". WOW! Just one word, WOW! A very pretty woman. Pretty eyes, nice full lips, what's not to like? An air of mystery about her, for sure. **sigh** Knows her nosePortrait of one fine-looking Texan, made all the more so by her (or the fotog's) realization that a slight tilt up minimizes the effect of a generously-sized nose. Note the focal point is right at her irises; everything else is soft. Oh, to be the Duke to such a Duchess. "Another ladle of Tex-Mex chili to go with your Pearls lager, m'lady?" Flawless BeautyNo unnatural "pillow-lips" or plastic enhancements, dressed in elegant attire and probably a Neiman-Marcus customer (if it was there in 1916). For those who think that all "flyover country" is full of hicks and rubes, I can assure you that lots of the most beautiful people on the planet exist in between the two coasts. They just aren't heavily promoted. Top Ten!I would put her in the running for Shorpy's top ten females. Guardian angleThat pose can be used to minimize an alarming nose. Elegance beyond comparison!!!Neiman-Marcus was founded in 1907 and I'm certain this gorgeous and elegant lady was a valued and regular patron! I'm sure she danced fox trots and waltzes, maybe even the Charleston, to the music of Jimmie Joy's Baker Hotel Orchestra as well as Jack and Fred Gardners' Orchestras, all early 1920's graduates of the University of Texas. While she was in San Antonio, she would have danced at the St. Anthony Hotel (still in business today) to the same bands because they played in both venues with the names of the hotels changed where appropriate. I have many of their mid-20's jazz records. The Duchess of DallasHits the blogosphere in the Dallas Observer: According to the Texas History experts over at the Dallas Public Library, Miss Thomas was a student at St. Mary's in 1908 and attended Fairmont Seminary in Washington, D.C. This photo appears to have been taken in our nation's capital, probably when Miss Thomas returned for alumnae events. She went on to marry one J. William Rubush in 1926, though her husband seems to have shot himself in 1948. A quick glance over at The Dallas Morning News historical archive suggests that she remarried a man named Schubert and died herself in 1978, living at an address on Lomo Alto Drive not far from our very own Unfair Park headquarters. Not a completely charmed lifeInez Thomas Rubush Schubert was born Sept. 29, 1893, and died July 23, 1974. Her father made a large financial contribution to the San Antonio Fiesta in 1916, which is what got her the "Duchess" title. A graduate of Fairmont Seminary In Washington, D.C., she returned to Dallas and married her first husband, Joseph Rubush, in 1926. He committed suicide in 1948; she later married a Mr. Schubert. Mystique and classSimply gawjus. Dallas Doozies!I lived in Dallas (Addison suburb) for a year in the mid 80's. It seemed that everytime I stopped at a light on my daily commute and took a second or two to glance around, I always saw one or two gorgeous women drivers. I have visited the area many times since, and I have to say Big D would get my vote for the most beautiful women in the nation. Photo induced nose enlargingI think the camera has enlarged her nose a bit, as happens very often on closeups, even with modern cameras. I think she had a gorgeous nose, and would love to see a profile of her! Profiles were very popular in those days, and the greatest beauties in the movies usually had fairly prominent, "shapely" noses. Nose enlargingRe noelani's comment below, the facial distortions you often see in amateur close-ups are the result of a wide-angle lens. Be sure to step back and zoom in when taking a shot of your sweetie! This is why professional portrait photographers use a medium or long focal length lens. Or used to, since weirdifying faces is sort of a style in and of itself these days. She's a wholesome beauty.What a beauty! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Portraits, Pretty Girls)
One-Chevy Home: 1964
... of the driveway. Not easy I'm sure, especially late at night or in the snow. Thanks, twaits, for letting us visit. Can't wait for ... 
 
Posted by twaits - 02/17/2013 - 8:48pm -

My dad was born in Maryland and lived there until he was 12. In 1964 he and my mother visited old family friends the Winklers in Silver Spring. This is their house where they stayed, my mother Janice sitting on the front steps. She was pregnant with my sister at the time. View full size. The photoIs it a print? A 35mm slide? Ektachrome? Kodachrome? Colorized? Sanforized? RadiusLovely picture, a nice comfortable looking house and a nice V8 150 [right?] coupe in the drive. Getting a car into that clever garage explains the size of the driveway. Not easy I'm sure, especially late at night or in the snow. Thanks, twaits, for letting us visit. Can't wait for someone to find a picture of the house today. Thanks for the correction ----- mulled it over for a bit and just wasn't sure. Glad my fellow Shorpy fans set me straight and glad to see the house is still looking good after all this time! BTW, wonder why the window in the porch gable was changed. The PhotoThe picture is a 35mm slide. Dad took all of his pictures back then with a Leica camera and always made the images into slides. This year my sister took a bunch of them and digitized them so they could be viewed on the computer. Could this be the place?View Larger Map That Porch!I could just imagine sitting on that lovely porch sipping a mint julep or iced tea, perhaps during a summer thunderstorm! Looks like the good folks from Capitol Awning paid a visit there sometime in the past... https://www.shorpy.com/node/6465 Remarkable!The only thing missing today is the fire hydrant. Paint jobNote matching car and fire hydrant paint! 1956 Chevy 210Radius, I believe that is a 210 not a 150. 1956 ChevroletThe car still has the snow tires installed on it from the previous Winter season. Either that, or the owner leaves them on all year long. Change of atmosphereI notice they have bars over the lower right window now, a bit of a shame I think, a sign of modern times... Google streetview certainly doesn't give off the same kind of atmosphere that the photo from 1964 does! The Silver Spring GalsThe blooming azaleas set the time as late spring. I wouldn't be surprised to see Nora Roberts or Connie Chung wandering by on their way to attending Montgomery Blair High School. Goldie Hahn might be heading over to her folks' watch store on Georgia Avenue. Gist AvenueMy family lived on Gist Avenue when I was born. When I was very little, I thought all houses looked like the one in the picture. TiresThe car has the winter snow tires left on it. This was common to leave them on on the spring if they were too warn to make it through another winter anyway. Today many people falsely believe that radial tires are just as good as snow tires and while it is true that they do good in snow they are NOT as good as a real snow tire for winter driving. '56 Chevy 210 V8The chrome side trim goes all the way back. My mom had a 210 Handyman (two-door station wagon--not a Nomad). Wish I had it today! bazzilHow did you manage to find that? Re: Remarkable!The fire hydrant is still there, just out of the frame that was posted. Looks like they may have moved it over from the edge of the driveway. Probably was backed into on more than one occasion. Snow tiresin the summertime? Car's in great shape for an 8-year-old. Shades vs. A/C1964, all windows and the porch are shaded to keep heat out of the house while having the windows open for a little breeze. Today, no shades because most dwellings are equipped with air conditioning. I wonder if the current residents realize that keeping the shades would render a lower summer utility bill? Apparently not. [Awnings are a huge maintenance hassle, especially in places that get snow. - Dave] Where Dad grew upThis is the house my Dad, William Winter, grew up in until he was 12. He just sent me the following to share. His best friend was Jackie Evans back then. Perhaps some of the Evanses still live in the area. "Jacky (John Wilfred Evans) I think lived @ 127 Gist. Had a sister Joan and another that I can't remember the name. Tommy Day lived a couple streets away. His dad was head of the bank of Silver Spring in the forties. Carlista just called and said Jacky's other sister was (Ginny) Virginia." View Larger Map Two more picturesHere's a couple more views. Note these do not have the awning. My parents went to DC in the Spring of '64 so they must have just been getting ready for summer. That would also explain why someone noticed snow tires still on the Chevy. (although I have no idea how anyone could tell this from the picture!) One last picture of Gist Ave.There's a sign on the right hand side of the street that says "Hardware C.S. Youngblo..." Youngblood? The sign actually might be on the side of a van parked in a driveway. When I first saw it I thought it was on the lawn of a house. Snow TiresIt seems the snow tires were on the rear only. Cool car; my mom had a green '56 Chevy 110 two door around the same time but in Burbank, CA. Reminds me of grandma's "56"My grandmother bought a brand new blue and white '56 just like the one in your photo from Luby Chevrolet in Baltimore, Md.; she drove it till 1968 (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Better Watch Out: 1921
... the house and setting them out under the tree all on the night before Christmas. They had no time to choose a decorator's perfect tree, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 5:34pm -

"Secretary Davis, Christmas tree, 1921." James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor in the Harding, Coolidge and Hoover administrations, moonlighting as Santa Claus. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Father ChristmasWonderful variety of ornaments. But especially sweet is the daughter's little hands holding her father's hand. Better Not CryEven when the tree comes toppling down -- I haven't seen such a lopsided extravaganza since the year our family tree tipped sideways thanks to insufficient rocks supporting the trunk. The garland is particularly egregious. The Pullman train car makes up for it, though. Train TechLooks like the trains of the 1920's were not far removed from 1950's models. As far as the timely tags, dry cleaning anyone? TimelyBut, please Dave, what's on time on the doorpost? And let's hope Junior doesn't short the transformer with the Pullman car. More tasteful!I love the dangly silver bead strings - that's more tasteful than the tinsel gobs of the midcentury trees! Of course, it's not QUITE enough to distract the eye from Secretary Davis's elaborate combover, but it's a start. Dollhouse, Army tank, toy car, Indian headdress, tea set: you're all on the bench. Today's game is all about The New Train! Tree CriticsI know from my parents' storty-telling that in the early part of the 20th century most families did not bring in and decorate their trees until after the kids went to bed on Christmas Eve. Try to imagine setting up a tree in the stand, decorating it with all the trimmings, gathering up the toys hidden all over the house and setting them out under the tree all on the night before Christmas. They had no time to choose a decorator's perfect tree, place everything perfectly and make it look like a showplace. Also (even before everyone went "green") the gifts from Santa were never wrapped, just put out. I think the wonder and amazement in the kids' eyes prove they were quite enchanted with it all, so it must have looked pretty special to them. Amazing Array of Glass BaublesI have a large number of ornaments from my grandparents' collection, and peering at the pretty things on this tree, I see several that are exactly what my grandparents have. It's amazing what bits of family history survived upteen Navy moves and the one time Grandmother lost almost everything when the train transporting everything caught fire. I don't care how misshapen the tree is, or the garlands being haphazard, I think it's a charming tree! Trains Don't Run On TimeLooks like the Secretary of Commerce is responsible for disrupting train movements on this line - his foot appears to have pulled the track far enough back that it pulled apart at the switch. Knocked down one of the signals too. Godzilla would be proud but the Interstate Commerce Commission would have questions. There's not just a giant Pullman in this shot, but behind the boy there's a tender and the locomotive to go with it seems to be behind the secretary's child dandling leg. Davis On Time ....Interesting batch of "ON TIME" labels hanging from the hinge of the door. Wonder what they were for, and why collecting them? At least the doll is happyEveryone else looks a bit overwhelmed. And when was the last time you saw child-sized shoes with nails in the soles? Our TreesIn my family we have always waited until Christmas Eve to set up the tree, though at least it wasn't done stealthily. And presents from Santa were never wrapped. Another thing about the tree is that in 1921 most Christmas trees were not the carefully sheared farm-grown specimens of today. Sole TrainThe Pullman car and the tender look to be well played with. There are dents on the end of the Pullman at the boy's right as well as worn paint on it and the tender. As to the soles of the boy's shoes, that's stitching, not nails. Whose TrainThe electric train is for the grown-ups. Everyone knows that! Merry FarkmasFark a la la la. Pre-Martha StewartFrom the days when Christmas trees didn't have to be perfectly symmetrical and Martha Stewart approved. Maybe it was last year's tree. What kind of tree IS thisSo many comments about this tree, but it does not look like a real tree. it's not any pine or spruce or fir that i recognize. Any botanists out there care to ID this tree? [Scraggly blue spruce (Picea pungens Charlie Brownius), I would opine. - Dave] Egads!Charlie Brown called from 1965. He wants his Christmas tree back. Lionel, I believeLionel standardized the electric trains they're still selling with minor modifications around 1906, so I'm guessing that is a Lionel. The Pullman car is a Gauge 1 that preceded O gauge, but was wiped out in the depression. No Gauge 1 tracks are visible as far as I can tell. They were expensive; my dad got a Lionel train that cost about $200 around 1950, and it was either that or carpet in the living room. Grandma and Grandpa did not see eye to eye on that decision. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Farked, Kids, Natl Photo)
Auto-Campers: 1920
... Chandelier He's even got an outside lamp for late night dining. In 1920 Any trip from Texas up to the Washington area ... from Washington, DC, to Maine and back. They camped each night, usually in farmer's fields. They were avid photographers and I should ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/22/2013 - 9:37am -

Washington, D.C., or vicinity circa 1920. "Dr. A.A. Foster and family of Dallas, Texas, in auto tourist camp." A novelty that would evolve into tourist cabins of the 1920s and '30s, the motor courts of the '40s and '50s and culminate in the motor hotel, or "motel." Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. About that license plateNice illustration of the first state-issued Texas license plate and registration plate in action. State-issued Texas plates were introduced in 1917, with slightly over 50,000 plates being issued that year. The plates were undated, with the date being on the registration plate [commonly called a "radiator seal", for obvious reasons]. This style of plate, with separate registration seal, continued to be used through 1924. The first dated Texas plates came out in 1925. Great photo of auto camping, which was quite a national fad in the 1920s for those lucky enough to afford it. Lots of folks would do auto camping during the following decade as well, but for altogether different reasons. A great memory of the pastWhen we were young our families used to go to the various roadside rests around the area for a picnic. There were quite a few in our area of Ohio. As years went by and the advent of 4 lanes, the roadside rests were closed and abandoned. Some of them had the best drinking water I have ever had. Winnebago,The early years. Give it ten years or so.They will be doing the same thing, only it won't be for fun. Deep in the HeartI am curious why anyone would ID this as being in the Washington DC area when the vehicle clearly has a 1920 Texas license plate, and some kind of Texas permit (possibly for its use as a camper) on its radiator. [A big hint is the term "tourist camp." Harris & Ewing was a commercial photography studio located in Washington, D.C. -tterrace] Chandelier He's even got an outside lamp for late night dining. In 1920Any trip from Texas up to the Washington area would have been a grand adventure. Imagine the type of roads that poor car had to use. Brave souls. Lamsteed KampkarOne of the first RV's, a Lamsteed Kampkar. Designed in 1915 by Samuel Lambert of Listerine fame... later built by Anheuser-Busch. Described in the book Mobile Mansions Motor Touring in 1923In 1923 my grandmother, aunt, mother and a friend just back from being a missionary in Liberia (4 women), took a motor trip from Washington, DC, to Maine and back. They camped each night, usually in farmer's fields. They were avid photographers and I should post a picture or two on Shorpy. Dadlooks to be a rather jolly ol type of fella doesn't he. Clear the Bridge!He must have gotten that Klaxon from navy surplus. Re: DadWhile Mom, on the other hand, looks a little tired of it all. Car campingThey've essentially turned their car into an RV. Plunk that RV down in a more scenic piece of land and it screams national park to me -- a campground. Car camping. Meet the FostersAfter much squinting and Photoshopping I was able to decipher the writing along the bottom of the plate. Caption updated to reflect this. "Dr. A.A. Foster and family of Dallas Tex." Also seen here. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"Oh, there's nothing like the posh, posh traveling life for me!" -- From the film, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" 1920 Census RecordsFound the family! From familysearch.org 1920 Census Records - Dallas, TX Allan A Foster (M) - born in Tennessee 1886 - 34 years old Jessie W Foster (F) - born in Texas - 34 years old Beula Belle Foster (F) - born in Texas - 8 years old Allan A Foster (M) - born in Texas - 7 years old Thomas K Foster (M) - born in Texas - 2 years 6 months old Household ID: 83 Sheet No.: 4 GS Film No.: 1821791 Digital Folder No.: 4391480 Image No.: 00741 More on the Foster familyIn the 1930 census, the family was in Pasadena, California. The parents, Allan (spelled Allen) and Jessie, are both 46. The children are Beulah, age 18, Allan, age 17, and Thomas, age 12. In the 1940 census, the Foster family is still in Pasadena. Son Thomas, at age 22, is still living with his parents. There is also a daughter-in-law, Theresa Foster, age 25, living there, who I assume was Thomas's wife. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Dogs, Harris + Ewing, Kids)
Visibility: Spotty
... the Milky Way. Rufus looks like he had a sleepless night. Wheee! The spots give them a cartoonish, inebriated look. Don't ... key?” In the newspaper piece from 1911 provided last night, we find the answer to that question: “The sending key was set on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2014 - 1:12pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1911. "Flights and test of Rex Smith biplane flown by Antony Jannus. The plane with Rufus R. Bermann, wireless operator, and Fred Aubert." Whose somewhat pixilated appearance can be attributed to mold on the emulsion. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Mars or bustNo no it's not emulsion degradation, it's a clever overlay technique Harris & Ewing did to portray the lads flying into the Milky Way. Rufus looks like he had a sleepless night. Wheee!The spots give them a cartoonish, inebriated look. Don't drink and fly, kids! ETA: This is what came to mind. Eventually. Forever blowing bubblesIt looks like a segment from the Lawrence Welk Show. Not QuiteAs much as I like the ‘’ bubble machine’’ effect: I’ll take Senorita Lenore Riviero in the previous post anytime! And, I mean how! (whoopee) The second requisite to braveryButtocks of steel. Chicken LittleSwitzarch, you were spot-on with your post, they were a lot more brave than I am, I'll tell you that much! Their faces say:We who are about to die salute you. Early AviationIt appears that every passenger has that "this is not going to end well" look. Wood and FabricThat's all they were for the most part. If you ever visit Sagamore Hill, they have a piece of Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son Quentin's plane from the Great War -- the one he was shot flying -- and it's a wooden stick! Not only is it almost inconceivable to imaging going up in such a contraption, but try imagining going up in one only slightly more advanced while people are SHOOTING AT YOU. TR, of course, was the first president to fly. He used a plane, but he didn't need one. The Wright StuffThis photo looks like the first documented evidence of manned space flight. Flying attireHow many co-pilots would consider pince-nez and homburg proper flying gear? No restraintDid they really wear no seat belts or restraint of any kind? I can't see any. S.O.S. The title "wireless operator" is interesting. I wonder if they were carrying some sort of apparatus. I notice his right hand is over something. Could be just a seat brace or perhaps some sort of Morse code key? Also couldn't help noticing that I can't see anything that looks like a seat belt. ApprehensionOne unifying feature of all early aviation pictures. It's hard to realize the bravery it took to 'be among the first' to try this new form of transportation. We owe them a lot. Are you sure that's mold?Near-sighted hunters mistaking Rufus and Fred for a Canada goose. Not so happyTony doesn't seem quite as excited about taking this sourpuss aloft as he did with the pretty socialite. [Tony's not here. - Dave] Doi . . . . It helps to read captions, don't it? Anyway, neither of them looks too elated. Re: S.O.S.Another Shorpy delight that spans the years: Zcarstvnz in 2018 clears up a mystery from 2011. In the comment by Fitz (S.O.S.) over seven years ago, he asks, with reference to Rufus R. Bermann on the left, “I notice his right hand is over something. Could be just a seat brace or perhaps some sort of Morse code key?” In the newspaper piece from 1911 provided last night, we find the answer to that question: “The sending key was set on the side of the passenger’s seat on the right of the operator.” I note that Fitz’s last comment was over six years ago, but I hope he’s still around to read this answer to his question from 2011. ... .--. --- - - . -.. From the Evening Star of April 9, 1911, Part I, Page 7 ----------------------------------------------------------------- (The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Liver & Lights: 1942
... from the young male pigs. They were soaked in water over night, then sliced, breaded or battered, and fried. Some people made sandwiches ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/24/2013 - 4:25pm -

February 1942. Detroit, Michigan. "Sign in a grocery window in the Negro district: 'chitlins and hog maws'." Not to mention Taystee Bread. Medium-format nitrate negative by Arthur Siegel for the Office of War Information. View full size. HasletsMy dad, who was reared on a farm and sold gasoline and diesel fuel to farmers for 40 years, really raked it in when "hog killin'" time came around. We all loved country ham and tenderloin, but he really enjoyed chittlin's and haslets (liver and lungs) he'd get from the farmers. He wasn't the of the race that would refer to "soul food", but I know this stuff meant the same thing to him. Re: Lights"Lights" (i.e. lungs or other organs) cannot be sold raw, nor can they be used to manufacture food items in the United States; however they can be part of a shipped food that has already been cooked and imported to the U.S., such as Scottish Haggis. Say, do you have Prince William in a can?Let him out, he can't breathe! I also searched on "liver and lights", and now I regret having done so as it is very near dinner time. 1936 FordNosing its way in. My, My, MY, My, My!Making a virtue of necessity, traditional soul food -- like all cuisines particular to the poor -- took parts rejected by the privileged and prepared them in a delicious but deadly way. Here we see advertised the elements of many fatally alluring dishes, including that key ingredient, lard. The smoking tobacco seems almost superfluous. Of course, soul food had many rivals in that regard. I fondly, though with a shudder, recall my Pennsylvaina German grandmother frying pork chops in lard and, in memory at any rate, mighty tasty they were! "Lights"Another name for lungs, usually calf. If I'm not mistaken they are no longer considered edible in the United States and cannot be offered for sale. Pretty far Northfor a selection of Southern vittles. [Followed the workforce. - tterrace] I would starve there.Not one thing I would care to eat. Offal or Awesome?My Mom was born Italian, in northern California, in 1909. When she was a youngster, an aunt, uncle, and cousin immigrated to join the family. Grandma sent the cousin into town (a mile or two), to pick up a grocery and meat order. Dino came back with the order, but also dragging a gunnysack as big as he was, shouting, "Mama, look what they were throwing away!!" Full of the finest treasures - kidneys, hearts, tripe, and probably yes, lungs. It's all in one's perspective. Just don'tIf liver and lights made you uncomfortable, don't google Hog Fries. In a canIt's Prince ALBERT! Beyond Prince AlbertDoes the person who answers the phone also have pig's feet? I mean, are his hooves cloven? Winter FrontThat '36 Ford has a partial winter front on the grill to help with engine warm-up, a common accessory at the time. Taystee BreadWas baked in Flushing, Queens, NY - not far from where I was born. Prepared there until 1992, when it was bought over by Stroehmann Bakeries and moved to Pennsylvania. This NY Times article details its demise: http://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/11/nyregion/taystee-bakery-closes-bittern... Good Bread, too! ToastI agree with Vintagetvs, not one thing I would care to eat that's advertised on the windows, except for the Taystee bread. Let's make toast! Hog Fries & MawsHog fries were the parts that were cut from the young male pigs. They were soaked in water over night, then sliced, breaded or battered, and fried. Some people made sandwiches of them. Hog maws referred to the lining of the pig's stomach. One popular way to prepare that was stuffed with sausage and potatoes and sometimes cabbage. It was baked, whole, and sliced. I have a recipe for pig's liver and lights, from The Black Family Reunion cookbook. It calls for slicing the liver and lungs and layering the slices with potatoes, bacon, onions, fresh parsley and sage. Other recipes include stewed kidneys, several for pig's feet, and chicken feet stew. I'd be game to try everything, with the possible exception of the last one. African American women took the parts that others didn't want, and skillfully turned them into tasty and nutritious meals for their families. I, for one, am in awe of them! Some of It is Pretty GoodI would agree that much of this food was not meant for human consumption. However, if you cut calves kidneys in half lengthwise, season and grill in the oven, they are delicious. Chitlins can also be pretty good as long as they aren't overly salted, which is often the case. In either case, enjoy these delicacies with a side of greens cooked with a little fatback. Yum! Had by my DadA '36 Ford, which he sold before I managed to wreck it, unlike his next two cars (please see my profile). His Ford's winter grille cover was a rubberized canvas with several zippered panels that provided various levels of protection depending on the temp. The one shown here is a bit different but does have two panels open. No one's mentioned tripe yet but in the same vein (sorry), long before I was ruining my father's cars he and I used to listen to boxing matches on the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports on the kitchen radio while we munched on pickled pigs' feet. Gnaw might be the better word. Today when I walk pass the jars of that, um, delicacy in stores I look at their jellied, pink mass and realize that once upon a time I was brave, very brave. Correctly Apostrophized.Chit'lin's is a shortened spelling of Chitterlings. The Bell System Couldn't help noticing the Bell Telephone sign hanging off the side of the building. I would say there was a coin operated telephone in the store that allowed many of their customers to make as well as receive calls. A telephone in 1942 in any working class or poor neighborhood was a luxury that then became scarce during the war years. My family did not get a phone until the early 1950s. I once asked my mother about it and she said we really didn't need the phone because very few of our extended family or friends had one anyway. There was a phone in the candy store on the ground floor of the tenement and in an emergency the owner would send someone to tell us to come down. Those calls rarely brought good news. No HaggisAlas, the importation of Haggis from Scotland is still banned due to the lung/lights content. There are imitations made, without the lungs, but they taste like imitations. See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8480795.stm Michigan Avenue at RooseveltThis was easily found and almost certainly the same location. Michigan Avenue is my favorite road - Detroit to Chicago. (The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Detroit Photos, Stores & Markets)
The Spring House: 1944
... I hopped off a Greyhound bus in Washington, GA. Later that night I ate dinner with the Mayor! It was a pretty small place. Young girls ... fished out the dead chicken. They had it for dinner that night. I had a piece of toast for dinner. My hometown Great find! I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 4:41pm -

Wilkes County, Georgia, circa 1944. "Spring house, Hill Plantation. Washington vicinity." 8x10 inch safety negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston for the Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South. View full size. Bubbling UpThere was a good article on springs in the NY Times about a month ago. Not Washington.Sorry but that tree on the left is a long leaf pine tree and it's straw is on top of the spring House. Long leaf pine didn't grow in Washington state or Washington DC then or now. Most are in North Carolina and it is an endangered species. [If only people would read the captions we put under the photos! The Washington in question is Washington, Georgia. - Dave] View Larger Map No half moonI'm just glad to see no half moon cut out of that door on the right! Cool storage in lieu of refrigeration seems to be the consensus. Springhouse memoriesI grew up next to my grandmother's house in South Carolina. In my time (and my father's) the house had indoor plumbing, but behind her house was a wellhouse featuring the classic round brick shaft sunk into the ground with a bucket and pulley mounted above on a crossbar. Down a gentle slope about 30 yards and into the woods was the foundations of a springhouse. My father remembered when it was standing, a smallish low-ceiling building with stone walls. Inside was a pipe coming out of the ground that trickled water into a basin that in turn flowed out of the structure through another pipe, the water flowing down to a small pond. There were built-in shelves inside and cross timbers with movable hooks to hang items. He recalled it was still used for long-term storage of foods like cured hams, but had been mostly superseded by a refrigerator and icebox up at the house. The well water was quite drinkable; by my day the well house had gone dry due to disuse and lack of maintenance, but Father remembered hauling up buckets of water for himself and his friends to drink when they didn't want to bother going inside. The house I grew up in was supplied with water from a well my father had sunk when he built our house; all you had to do is treat it to remove excessive iron (it turned china and clothes yellow) and it was ready to drink, bathe with, etc. Lively DialogueGirl on left: "Do you know Art?" Girl on right: "Art who?" Girl on left: "Art Tesian" Girl on right: "Oh sure, I know Artesian well!" Washington memoriesWhile traveling a few years ago I hopped off a Greyhound bus in Washington, GA. Later that night I ate dinner with the Mayor! It was a pretty small place. Young girlsBeautiful girls in a gorgeous picture. Makes me wonder what that shack was used for. [Something tells me it might be a spring house. - Dave] The old springhouseThe title of this post and the caption are two definite clues that this might be a spring house! As you might infer from the name, a spring house houses a spring or well. The shed keeps animals and birds out. The bigger ones, at least. Half the storyThe spring house only seems to take up the left side of the structure. Could the right, screened-in side be a chicken coop or, perhaps, just a shed for yard equipment? [You would probably not want chickens (and their byproducts) right next to your water supply, or food. - Dave] A Rural Privilege Some comments make me realize how lucky I am to live in an area of the country where the occasional spring house still survives. For those not so lucky, I suppose the concept of clean, cold and potable water bubbling out of the ground is inconceivable. Chillin in the Spring HouseI've been more than a few spring houses, and never saw one used as a drinking water supply. The ones I've seen housed a pool of cold spring water that was used to keep food from spoiling. I see bunniesThat adjacent room looks slightly more secure. So, I think maybe a place to keep produce that you wanted to keep cool. Love the cute little dress she's wearing with the velvet (?) bunnies on the pockets. SlatsMy guess, and the only spring house I've seen were in south Texas where water is important (if not rare) and heat plentiful, is that the enclosed part houses the well (closed to keep animals out as Ginny said). The part with the slatted sides, where the girl's are sitting, was probably the wash house, and the slats were there to allow a breeze to keep those working cool. VentilationIs the half-open part on the left the spring enclosure and the open-at-the-top part on the right cool storage? What an awesome use of natural resources. Around my place we have to drill deep into the ground for water. In W VaMy grandfather had an artesian well tapped into the side of the mountain that shot a good 20 feet horizontally before seeming to arc down. It fed a raspberry patch, a spring house, two large ponds and, finally, a creek with its overflow. My grandparents used the spring house to keep milk, eggs and butter cool before lugging them to the bottom of the hill to sell once a week. Part of the water was plumbed to the house (coldest showers I've EVER taken!) and then down the hill to the Ingole household in exchange for helping to tap the well to start with. The well was old when I was not even 10, and I'm nearly 60 now. The Well and IWhen I was little, my mother bought a farmhouse -- Ontario fieldstone, about 100 years old, then. We never actually moved in due to family circumstances so my mother rented it out and we would visit. The first visit we made, the well still hadn't been capped and a pump installed. They were drawing with a bucket from a hole in the floor of the well-house. I was just toddling, at that point and when my mother took her eye off me for a second, I made a beeline for the well-house. They little boy of the family caught me by the straps of my sundress just as I tipped over the edge of the well. A drowned chicken!My first year of marriage, we lived on an oyster farm, near Quilcene, Washington, along with my in-laws. Our water came from a spring, which originated up on a hill, and we had a spring house much like the one in this picture. One day, I went out to the spring house and was shocked to find that a chicken had fallen into the water and drowned, with its wings out and a horrifying look on its face. I walked down to the house with my heart pounding, and into my in-laws' house, looking like I had seen a ghost. My mother-in-law was very alarmed and asked me what was wrong. When I told her that there was a drowned chicken in the spring house, she said, "Oh, is that all" and went and fished out the dead chicken. They had it for dinner that night. I had a piece of toast for dinner. My hometownGreat find! I grew up in Washington, Georgia, and am restoring an old house here now. I am pretty familiar with the many old homes and plantations we have there, but never heard of the Hill Plantation. Lots of history here. Somewhat of a living time capsule, even today! Good news!I am pleased to report that the structure in the photo is still standing, in much the same condition as in the picture. It is in fact a spring house, located at our home in Wilkes County, Georgia. The left side contains an artesian well, and this section empties into the right side. The right side contains a long, narrow trough filled with water. The trough is deeper at one end than the other. People would put jugs in the water, and items in the jugs (e.g., butter, milk) to keep them cool. Live, fresh fish were someimes kept in it until they were ready to be eaten. The right side empties into a stream in a forest. Local lore has it that the water has mystical properties. I can't say for sure, but I can attest to the fact that the water is cool, clear, delicious, and abundant. Our house is probably located where it is because of this natural spring. We think we might know the women in the photo, and we're checking with them. I recognize the spring house!!The picture above is indeed a spring house on the Old Hill Place Plantation. We own it now!! Bought it from the original owners several years ago. The right side of the spring house was for refrigeration and the left side houses the spring head. It bubbles all the time! Right now I am researching the two little girls in the photo. I think I may be able to find out who they are! Thanks for finding this picture. Dave, are there any more of Frances' photos around of the Old Hill Place or Wilkes County? [Amazing! It sounds like a magical place. There are more photos here. - Dave] (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
Here Come the Girls: 1953
... Dec. 29, 1953. "New York City views. Times Square at night." Let's meet at the Brass Rail. 4x5 acetate negative by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/13/2014 - 2:41pm -

Dec. 29, 1953. "New York City views. Times Square at night." Let's meet at the Brass Rail. 4x5 acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Give my regards to BroadwayTo be more specific, it's Father Duffy Square, the north triangle of Times Square. Now home to TKTS and a statue of George M Cohan. Mr. PeanutI don't spy the person so costumed who used to stroll around in front of the Planter's store, but below the Pepsi sign is Castro Convertibles' neon. That firm had become a public nuisance by the early '60s, their radio jingle ("Who was the first to conquer space?") being a tune that, once stuck in the mind, abides until senescence. I still sing it in the shower every now and again. This view, which predates both Times Square's descent into Sodom and its more recent Disneyfication, shows a place of honest, if slightly tawdry, popular entertainment. A steak, a couple of shots of Four Roses, a movie and vaudeville's last gasp at the Palace, and then, if all goes well, a $4 room at the Taft. Here comes the bus.I have such a warm feeling when I see that GM bus. That was the bus in Springfield, MA that picked up the high school kids. In the winter, it was so nice to see it coming down the street. The StarsBob Hope, Tony Martin, Arlene Dahl and Rosemary Clooney. And I didn't even have to Google it. Old coots rule. +56Below is the same view from May of 2009. Poor Mr. Peanut One of my first memories is of some college boys grabbing a person wearing a metal Mr. Peanut costume who was in front of a store and rolling him down the sidewalk to the bottom of the hill. The poor Mr. Peanut slowly got to his feet after this experience and was staggering around so much that the college boys ran down the hill to keep him from stepping into traffic. This was about 1955, I guess, and the Mr. Peanut person was lucky that Tallahassee didn't have very high hills. Times Square memoriesI spent some time here in the mid-'60s while in the military. Made a few trips to the Brass Rail and saw Gene Krupa playing drums in a little bar on Times Square (must have been toward the end of his career). It had not been too long since the Cuban Missile Crisis and as a kid from the sticks, after seeing the Castro Convertible sign, wondered why Fidel was allowed to sell cars in NYC. Ralph KramdenSeated behind the wheel of the "Old Look" General Motors bus. Castro ConvertibleWho was the first to conquer space? It’s incontrovertible, The the first to conquer living space Is the Castro Convertible! Who conquers space with fine design? Who saves you money all the time? Who’s tops in the convertible line? Castro Convertible! I could climb into this picture, so well do I remember the remnants of this from the late sixties before it sank into decrepitude. There is something innocent yet tawdry about this photo. No business like show businessIt was a bit of a surprise at first to see the vaudeville pitch on the Palace marquee. My thought was that vaudeville had gone the way of the dinosaur long before the sophisticated early/mid fifties. Then I remembered that several hit television shows from that period were nothing more than warmed over vaudeville, so there must have still been a market for it. Texaco Star Theater with Milton Berle, The Jimmy Durante Show, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and Your Show of Shows all come to mind. Note the sign under the Marquee: "Only Stage and Screen Show on Broadway." No. 8 bus, 7th Avenue LineThrough the windshield, look closely -- it's Ralph Kramden. How I First Saw ItWhen I was nine, my grandmother married a retired NYC cop. His last job before retiring was escorting Manhattan merchants to the bank with their daily receipts. It seemed like everyone on the island knew and loved him. Their wedding reception was at Mamma Leone's, we met the man himself at Dempsey's, had comps at Radio City Music Hall. The Brass Rail was just one place where I heard a variation of "Put your wallet away, Mac. Your money's no good here." 2761Is that Ralph Kramden behind the wheel of Gotham Bus Company coach 2761? The ConvertiblesUnlike today, the only foreign (and that's a stretch) neon sign that I can spot is the Canadian Club behemoth that brags about it being imported. Castro Convertibles were not automobiles but sofa beds. Early TV commercials shows a child, a young girl, pulling the bed out of the couch. She was Mr Castro's 6 year old Daughter, Bernadette, later the Parks Commissioner of New York State. Bernard Castro, her father, was credited as being the inventor of the modern sofa bed. Held OverAs a young Brooklyn boy in 1953 I remember this version of Times Square well. At the Embassy I wouldn't know a thing about the sensational "Virgins of Bali," but "Indo-China Aflame" caught my eye, as it was still burning when I got there 15 years later as a young Marine when the place was known as Vietnam. HoneymoonersI'm absolutely sure that's Ralph Kramden driving the bus. This picture is worth1000 pages, not 1000 words. Looking at what is here and going on in this one you could write a novel and never leave the block. Amazing. 4x5 cameras rule! GMTATo all those who shared my Ralph Kramden observation: All Great Minds Think Alike! Virgins of BaliVirgins of Bali is a 1932 documentary directed and filmed by Colorado native Deane H. Dickason. The only reason an old social anthropology movie was being screened in 1953 Times Square was because the two main characters, the "firmly and harmoniously developed" sisters Grio and Tagel, appear in unabashed comfort while being filmed in their traditional topless Balinese dress. A few links: Virgins of Bali page at the American Film Institute. First 7 minutes of the film at YouTube. Indelible memoriesI believe the last part of the human brain to die is where ever jingles are stored. It's been 45 years since I lived near NYC but I could still sing the jingles for Castro Convertibles, Palisades Amusement Park, Man-o-Manischewitz kosher wine, and "It pays to save at the Bowery...". Regarding the photo, classic GM coach! The Public Service ran about a million of them in north Jersey, each with a miniature cash register type machine that spit out a small fare receipt. StatuesIn the 1954 photo, the statue of Father Francis Duffy of the "Fighting 69th" is seen in front of the Pepsi Cola sign (partly obscured by the traffic light in the foreground). Father Duffy was so highly thought of by both the soldiers of his regiment those higher in the chain of command that his divisional commander, Douglas MacArthur, once recommended him for the post of regimental commander. The Duffy statue was erected in 1937, five years after the priest's death. In 1957 a second statue was erected in the square, forward of the Duffy statue. This is the statue of George M. Cohan which is the only statue visible in the 2009 photo. Vaudeville And The MoviesWhile I never caught the show at the RKO Palace I did catch shows in my hometown of Baltimore at the Hippodrome up until about 1950 or so. One of the first shows I remember seeing was Glenn Miller's Band under the direction of Tex Beneke plus the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands. Mom was a fan of big bands as I am still to this day. For some reason I also remember the comedian Herb Shiner and the silly Harmonicats. Once I even got on stage when a rolling skate act ask for volunteers from the audience and I and three other kids became part of the act for about 5 minutes. All the above were fine but for a youngster of the 40's the all time favorites I saw were Abbott & Costello and on another day The Three Stooges. 'Twas a fine time to be eight years old. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, Movies, NYC)
Nightline: 1920
"Election night crowd at White House, November 1920." The chosen one was Warren Harding. ... from the left and his bulging eyes. Must have been a tense night. Top That Not a hatless head in the entire crowd. And no man ... by the photographer, and just in time to lose their night vision for a few minutes to a burst of flash powder. I wonder what he ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2012 - 1:54pm -

"Election night crowd at White House, November 1920." The chosen one was Warren Harding. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Mrs. WethenThe very indignant lady at the far left takes a wonderful picture! Mother of the loser? Patiently waiting for the black or white smokePatiently waiting for the black smoke or white smoke. Incredible resolution, is it a 8 x 10 plate? [6 x 8, seen here at one-quarter resolution in the "full size" view. - Dave] Ia! Ia! Shub-Niggurath!It's the so-called "Innsmouth look". I hear it's all the rage this year in Arkham, Massachusetts. Whoa...Check out the fourth guy from the left and his bulging eyes. Must have been a tense night. Top ThatNot a hatless head in the entire crowd. And no man without a necktie. Wow. Deer in the HeadlightsIt's surprising just how many people in this crowd are looking straight at the lens, and if startled to attention by the photographer, and just in time to lose their night vision for a few minutes to a burst of flash powder. I wonder what he said, or if he fired a track pistol. Criminal Mastermind?Pipe the swell on the far right, gazing levelly at the camera. Oh, he's a cool one, all right. KnickeredAt what age was it customary for boys to stop wearing knickers and put on their "big boy pants" like their fathers? The boys in this photo look to be in their teens. Holy cow!Just about everybody in this alarming photo looks as if they'd "fit the profile" by today's tense standards. Were they all arrested just minutes later? Jeepers CreepersStartled looks on some of them, indeed, Tipster. The Charles Boyerish fellow fourth from the left, in particular, has a whole lot of eyeball going on. Not a slob in the entire crowdAs a previous poster mentioned, every single person in attendance is presentable, indicating respect for the occasion. Psychologists believe that well-dressed people also behave better and usually obey the law more conscientiously. (Tell that to Bernie Madoff and all the other white collar crooks who have absconded with our retirement accounts). Pipe the swellWhat in the hell does pipe the swell mean? [Pipe = slang for "look at." - Dave] Hi-ResThe high resolution/quality really makes me appreciate the content on this one. It would be impossible to make out all these disgruntled faces on a picture half the size. One of the things I've always admired about Shorpy is not only the interesting subject matter, but the high quality of the images themselves. This is a shining example. Hey CopperI love the look of the cop on the left, nightstick ready for those who may step out of line. Didn't they carry guns back then? (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Politics)
Elizabeth Street: 1912
... 70s. There were no locks on the downstair doors so late at night, I had to step over people sleeping in the hallways in boxes. THere were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2020 - 2:49am -

March 1912. "Row of tenements, 260 to 268 Elizabeth Street, New York, in which a great deal of finishing of clothes is carried on." 268 Elizabeth Street, in Little Italy, is now a "luxe sweater bar" called Sample; 258 (Kips Bay) is a handbag boutique called Token. Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. ClaustrophobicSeems like a real fire hazard. updateI love this building– it's remained very much the same. The small building at left is Cafe Colonial. I posted an update photo. AmazingI live on Mott Street. From my living room window is right across the street from that building. When I first saw this picture I wondered exactly where on Elizabeth it was and then I noticed the distinct fire escape. Amazing. It's like riding a time machine. Fantastic find, I live in this buildingWhat a fantastic shot. I live in this building that extends from 260 to 268 Elizabeth Street. Aside from new storefronts and loss of light fixtures, it looks very similar today. The small building on the corner still exists, but but the Kips Bay structure and the building housing the Cafe on the northeast corner of Houston Street are long gone. I've tried to find a good, historic image of this building for years, but didn't think I'd come across something that also reflects the vibrance of the neighborhood. [Thanks so much for the info ... a current photo taken from the same vantage would be interesting! - Dave] Elizabeth street update photoI had posted a photo update from the same(ish) vantage point several months back: [Link] I want to know what the inside is like! The entire BLOCK at the extreme left is gone-- a casualty of street widening. I believe that is the middle of Houston Street now. 260-268 Elizabeth StreetYou really can find out about old building through the New York Times! 1883- Listed as a residence in arrest report 1900 - An alleged gambling house 1901 - Raided by police 1902 - 1908 - It was a marionette theater operated by a Senor Parisi 1910 - It was a saloon owned by Francesco La Barbera that was bombed by the "Black Hand". Query No sign of Steve Spinella, though! Kips BayAnyone have any idea what the Kips Bay building was then? Or who Steve Spinella is? 126 Elizabeth & StatueGreat photo! When my Grandfather, Calogero Sacco, first arrived from Sciacca, Sicily on Columbus Day 1899, the ship's manifest said he went to live at 126 Elizabeth St. I'm told that building is also still standing with a statue of Madonna del Socorso in the window at street level. Anyone know if that is true, and/or have a photo of the building or statue? ElizabethStreet@spenceburton.com I lived here I lived here in the 70s. There were no locks on the downstair doors so late at night, I had to step over people sleeping in the hallways in boxes. THere were 2 apartments per floor. One faced the front on Elizabeth Street and the other faced Bowery. It was an amazing experience living here at 268 Elizabeth as we had artists mixed in with local Italian families. I grew morning glories on the fire escape. On feast days, the parade would come up the block on Elizabeth and I would throw down money for the church. I love this photo. 260-268 ElizabethSince I lived here in the 70s, the buildings were painted grey. They were white. Someone here said it would interesting to see this buildings now. I took this photo in 1999 on one of my many trips back home to NYC. Shouldn't be so judgmentalI was actually going to write that the 1912 street scene made me wonder why anyone would want to leave their country and come to America. Surely things in Italy and Sicily couldn't be this bad. And then I read all the comments and realized I'd missed something. Obviously, this tenement holds something dear to those who have lived there & I smacked myself for being so judgmental. 198 and 200 Elizabeth St.Great picture. I have been looking for circa 1900 pictures of 198 and 200 Elizabeth St. NYC(just a little bit further up the street). My family had a fruit stand/market and lived at the 198 address in 1897 and the 200 address in 1900. Does anyone know where I might find pictures of that genre and location?? (The Gallery, Horses, Lewis Hine, NYC)
Custom House: 1915
... Shoe Building, the second tallest edifice, illuminated at night by lights on its roof. Boston Gem I just recently stayed there. I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2019 - 10:52am -

Circa 1915. "Custom House tower, Boston, Massachusetts." Note the wireless masts next door. Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. What is on the clock face between the 6 and 7?I cannot see what it is from the full view size. [6:30 - Dave] Best towah evahGlad to see my *favorite* building in Boston on Shorpy! The Custom House Tower looks just as gorgeous today as it did back then. The Art of PhotographyThere is a rather timeless quality about this image, don't you agree? [The clock is definitely timeless. - Dave] Look Ma, No Hands!It looks as if the Custom House clock is "out to lunch." It was only recently that the brothers David & Ross Hochstrasser were successful in making this clock a reliable timekeeper. The clock's original hands were far too heavy and the clock would frequently stop due to the load of the minute hands when they were ascending the dials. Today, the clock's hands are made of lightweight plastic. Carter's Tested SeedsCarter's seems to have been a British seed producer. Not only did they offer seed for turf around "some of the finest holes" -- one assumes this refers to golf courses -- they offered flower and vegetable seed, included the largely-unloved Brussels Sprouts. WirelessWhat are the wireless masts for? It's too early for broadcasting. [Radiotelegraphy goes back to the late 19th century. Its most widespread application was ship-to-shore communication. Wireless telegraph and telephone ("Marconi") masts began to appear in large cities, especially along the East Coast, around 1910. - Dave] ScalePerfect example of how to get a large building on a tiny site! Beautifully simple! My favorite too!I've always loved that building and what it means to Boston's maritime past. What I remember most fondly though is the trip I made in 1970 as a 14 year old geek to take my commercial radio license exam at the FCC offices that were there. Some years later I was able to ride the tiny elevator to the observation deck above the clock. Sadly, I didn't have a camera with me. A timeless punGood one, Dave! I think what Fort Worth Guy is asking about is the little door between 6 and 7, which perhaps was needed for someone to assist the heavy hands with making their upward climb on occasion. [It's where the cuckoo pops out. - Dave] Checking InThe tower is now a smallish (87-room) Marriott hotel. Nice RenovationFor those that don't know, the base of the building was completed in 1847, but the twenty-six floor tower was not added until 1913-15. We don't build them like this anymore! Gas worksIn the distance can be seen one of the ubiquitous (at the time) municipal gas holders. These got quite a bit of discussion in some earlier Shorpy threads at: https://www.shorpy.com/node/5575 and https://www.shorpy.com/node/5587 I think these old dinosaurs have pretty much disappeared from the contemporary city skyline. Wonderful ViewAs I write this, I am looking at this very building, as I do every day from my office on the Boston waterfront. Still one of the more striking profiles on the Boston skyline, even though it is now surrounded by a number of more contemporary structures. Incidentally, the handsome building upon which the wireless masts are anchored, at the corner of India and State streets, is still there, very nicely preserved, and serves, among other things, as the current home of Kitty O'Shea's, an Irish bar on the State Street side. And the Gothic beauty with the arched windows at the right margin of the photograph -- the Flour and Grain Exchange Building -- also still syands, also very well-preserved, and newly visible now that the dreadful Central Artery has been torn down. Terrific photograph! Weird architecture This is a weird looking building. It seems to be cross between a courthouse, office building and church. A SurvivorNice to see that this building still stands. It's amazing how much they destroyed of their old city in Boston. Somebody Goofed?What's the point of a clock tower if one can't tell the time by it? Where were the hands at the time this was photographed? [In a crate with the rest of the clock. - Dave] Now a Marriott vacation timeshare.It is now a Marriott vacations property. A friend gave my wife and I two nights of their timeshare last week. We were on the 19th floor facing the harbor (the top of the three floors by the fluted columns.)The room key accessed an elevator to the observation deck. We saw a few groups of people not staying there approach front desk and were given an escort to the observation deck. ViewWhen I was a boy, the Custom House was the only skyscraper in the City of Boston. I could look across the harbor from my home in Winthrop, and see the Custom House, and the United Shoe Building, the second tallest edifice, illuminated at night by lights on its roof. Boston GemI just recently stayed there. I did take a tour of the building. Great history behind it. The 36 original pillars at the east and west entrances are solid granite weighing in at 42 tons each. 1847 means ox had to deliver them. The dome of the original structure was kept intact and the tower built over it and can only be seen from the interior. Tropical RadioThe radio towers belong to Tropical Radio. A part of the United Fruit Company. This was their contact with fruit growers in South America. Growing up in a small town south of Boston I had a friend whose father was employed by Tropical Radio as an auditor and traveled all through South America visiting their locations. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC)
Kodachrome Vegas: 1958
... to visit relatives. When we stopped in Las Vegas, late at night. I would step off the train and watch the lights of Fremont Street while ... 
 
Posted by Deborah - 01/16/2013 - 7:57pm -

Classic Las Vegas -- Fremont Street. 35mm Kodachrome film taken by my father-in-law, Woodrow Humphries. I'm guessing 1958 or so. The Westerner was open from 1950 to 1962. The Mint and The Boulder Club (with its famous sign) are on the right edge. The marquee above the Nevada Club was a late-'50s addition. Any other thoughts are welcome. I just noticed the VW Beetle! View full size. KudosAmazing photo. Car is the foreground is a 1958 Chevrolet. Kudos tooAnd parked at the curb at left, a 1958 Rambler. Neon KodachromeA beautiful photo. I love the colors. The 'CLUB' sign in the upper left corner has a curious appearance of neon green outlines at only the outermost points on the illuminated letters. A neat effect from however Kodachrome reacts to the combination of incandescent and neon lighting. Is that a searchlight in front of the Nevada Club? [The much-brighter incandescents are blown out (grossly over-exposed) either on the film or, more likely, the scan, thus bleeding over and obscuring the neon outlines. Film still has the edge over digital in dynamic range. - tterrace] Union PacificSeeing the Union Pacific depot at the far end of the street reminds me of riding the train. During the 50's my family would ride the Challenger from the East LA station to North Platte, Nebraska to visit relatives. When we stopped in Las Vegas, late at night. I would step off the train and watch the lights of Fremont Street while my dad had a cigarette. Thanks for the memory. Stunning Image!Kodachrome and Vegas neon; what a combination! There's something about the way Kodachrome reacted to and rendered green that is always eye-catching, but this is just amazing. I wonder if they still make Cibachrome prints?!??! I'll take this in a 24" x 36", gloss lammed, on black Gator Board, please. Nice to see Vegasbefore it got gaudy. Henderson Home NewsHere's a newspaper that shows the exact same headliners at the Nevada Club from August 20, 1959. Music music musicI see the Hilltoppers headlining the marquee, and their site lists them as being active from 1952 to 1957, so pretty good chance this is 1958. Tuesday NightsYou might get the feel of this place and time watching the new CBS show "Vegas". Car guy's eyeI noticed the '58 Rambler and '58 Chevy first thing. My first car was a '58 Rambler, a gift from my parents, well-used by the time I got it. It had its good points, but style was not one of them. The Chevy came from another universe; a universe where things were beautiful. Visiting the old Golden NuggetWhat a beautiful picture this is of the old downtown Vegas. I used to love visiting the old Golden Nugget years back. I loved the old downtown area when I was a young kid. My folks used to let us see downtown as we drove through Vegas to visit with my godfather who lived just outside of downtown. I later gambled and usually ate at the Golden Nugget casino there on visits in the early 70's. I loved the howdy pardner sign down the street. I remember when Glenn Manning who was the giant man from the "The Amazing Colossal Mant" movie, tore down the frontier and howdy partner sign on the set for the movie. Fremont StreetI was on Fremont Street just a couple of weeks ago. The Plaza Hotel is still there, recently remodeled. The Golden Nugget is probably the nicest hotel on the street, but the casino is pretty tight compared to Binion's across the street. The Golden Gate, right at the end of the street and across from the Plaza, has a really nice little cafe called Du Par's. The giant cowboy is still there and hopefully will be forever. Live It Up (at the Union Plaza)@rfleischer, The Union Pacific station continued to operate in that location as long as passenger trains served Las Vegas, Amtrak's 'Desert Wind' being the last scheduled train to leave the station in 1997. There was a lovely moderne station on the site until it was demolished to make way for the Union Plaza Hotel (last I knew it was known simply as the Plaza). Passengers continued to be served by a station on the UP property connected to the hotel. It was very convenient to step out of the train and into the hotel, as I did more than a few times. From time to time, there are reports or rumors of a LA - LV passenger train being resurrected but I wouldn't hold my breath. @Vintagetvs Quite right! Before they tarted it up, "The Meadows" was a nice place to go for a tranquil holiday. Not Just a 58 RamblerBut a 1958 Rambler DeLuxe, which meant there was no side trim or excess chrome (though still more chrome than 10 cars put together by today's standards). And instead of two headlamps on each side, there is only one. Many were sold as fleet vehicles, taxis and government use. I purchased this model in 1996 and restored it. Despite its clunky family car look, I won my share of awards and trophies. Mine had the pushbutton transmission. A Roof Over ItPrevious posters failed to mention that this part of downtown Vegas now has a roof over it. It is the called the Fremont Street Experience. It's referred to as a "light canopy." The screen contains 12.5 million synchronized LED lamps, including 180 strobes and eight robotic mirrors per block. You have to see it to believe it. As Mr. Mel mentioned, check out "Vegas" on CBS, 10 pm on Tuesdays. Great show set in the early 60s. Or watch the original Ocean's 11 movie, with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. 1959 ModelBehind the searchlight trailer it looks like there is a 1959 Mercury or Ford station wagon. Since the dark wood does not appear to go above the front wheel it cannot be a 1958 Mercury, and since there is no center hood scoop it cannot be a 1958 Ford. [The car is a 1959 Mercury Colony Park. - Dave] More CarsBehind the Beetle is what looks like a 1955 Plymouth (it's hard to tell), followed by a 1956 Pontiac. We had one of the Pontiacs; it was the first car I ever drove. August 1959@SouthHammond63 – good find. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Larkspur, California 1955
... large crowds from all over the Bay Area every Saturday night in the 30s - 50s, were the sole means of support for the town's ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/22/2011 - 7:53pm -

Larkspur, California, the small town I grew up in, about 15 miles north of San Francisco. Here in 1955 the population was around 3500. Within its three-block downtown there were: two grocery stores, both with full service butchers (here the Rainbow Market, or "Ernie's," and next door The Food Center, or "Fred's"); a drug store, where I also bought my comics and had my film developed; a hardware store with everything from bins of nails to small appliances; a variety store, where I bought my Matchbox cars; a dry goods store; two barber shops; a movie theater; my doctor and dentist; a TV repair shop; a soda fountain; a caterer; a florist (on the left in the photo), as well as the gas station, garage, post office, bank, fire house and city hall, the latter with the library. Oh yeah, and three bars. I never went to those, but you could often find me at the library investigating dinosaurs or old coins or freeways or whatever else I happened to be obsessed with at the moment, all with the indulgence and encouragement of Miz Wilson, the long-time librarian. 35mm Ansco Color slide by my brother. View full size. Three bars?Kids today probably think you're referring to cell signal strength. Those of us old enough to recognize that shiny thing on the roof as a TV antenna probably know better. Any chance of seeing the truck larger? [Click on "original" under the caption. - Dave] Three BarsThree bars must be a nationwide small-town thing. I live in a small (pop. 2,000) town in Michigan, and we still have three bars, as does the next town down the road. I grew up in Larkspur too!I grew up in Larkspur too! These photos are really amazing and such a treat to see. I remember the Silver Peso (still there) and the Blue Rock (now a fancy French place) but I can't think of the third bar. What was it? NostalgicPictures like these make me think of the little town my dad grew up in. And summers spent up there, trips downtown to the Red Owl with my cousin. You know, back when kids could spend all day roaming the town without worrying about a thing. At that point (in the early to mid 80's) the store was on its last legs. It's gone now, of course. My aunt would send us with a note, the shopkeeper would send us home with her cigarettes. (Aunt told us that her own mom would send her down with a note, and the shopkeeper would send her home with some mysterious "products" wrapped in brown kraft paper.) I'd give anything to step back into that store now. It had the most wonderful smell -- a whiff of which I catch now and then today. Always sends me right back. Once again, thank you for sharing your pictures. ~mrs.djs Third BarLarkspur's third bar at this time was the Rose Bowl Chateau, named in reference to the town's outdoor dance pavilion, the Rose Bowl, located a couple blocks up the side street from it. The dances, featuring name bands and drawing large crowds from all over the Bay Area every Saturday night in the 30s - 50s, were the sole means of support for the town's privately-operated volunteer fire department. The building Rose Bowl Chateau was in now houses a fancy restaurant. No higher compliment.Lucky Miz Wilson, to be remembered so fondly! It is my hope--my sincerest hope--that someday my former students use words like "indulgent" and "encouraging" if they ever describe me to others! Yeah...three bars! ??I live in a small town in ill. pop. about 2100, we ALSO have three bars. weird. The Rainbow Market NowA fire around 1960 damaged the second floors of two of these buildings, and the repairs left them in state you see here. Oh, and even though they kept the vintage neon sign, the market itself is now an art gallery. Rainbow MarketYou call the Rainbow Market, "Ernie's." Do you know Ernie's last name? Larkspur Ernie'sYes, Ernie was Ernie Epindendio. I met up with his son (and fellow Redwood High classmate) at last year's Larkspur 100th birthday party. Also, word has subsequently come that the fire I mention in my post below happened on September 6, 1959. Home Sweet HomeThere was no better place to grow up than Larkspur. Three BarsThe third bar I recall as a youth in Larkspur was the Rose Bowl Chateau. It was directly across the street from the Peso. There was always a bit of a rivalry between the two. I remember a fireworks war between them one New Year. Other memories of downtown include Fred's Market, Lark Theater, Archer Chevron, and for a while there was a slot car track in one of the shops on the east side of Magnolia. Life in Larkspur as a kid was freedom without worry. As long as I was home by the time the fire whistle blew at 5, all was good. We had to stay out of trouble because just about everyone knew everyone, so we couldn't get away with anything anyway. Ah, the good ol' days! The way of living we we're dreamin' about.I do speak for my now-deceased parents. 1955 was a great time of hopes (and I do myself confirm, cause on French TV we have a lot of "remember the good ol'time of the Marshall Plan" style programs, and my parents were avid of everything the US of A had to offer, even if they were a bit leftwing and look to socialism). Hehehe, nevertheless, their love for your way of living never left them until the end. Now, I'm a great "proudly made in America" addict. I had 2 Buicks, and collect everything related to the all-American ads and memorabilia + views of the 60s buildings. As you can see, the influence of your country never stops, héhéhéh! I too grew up in LarkspurMy Grandmother worked for Ernie Epindiendo for 25 years or so. I lived around the corner on Ward St, as did my grandparents. My grandfather was a Marin Co. Sherrif in th 50's and 60's. Little league at(going by memory) Joe Wagner field. My dad went to LCM in late forties. I remember many of the 4th of July Parades. Went to Redwood High. Used to buy my mom's cigarettes with a note and would hand it to Fred Schefer's wife Edna, and later airplane glue for my model car's.(Had to show Fred the model before he'd sell it to you though, due to kids using it as a inhalent) Lived behind the Lark theater in 1960 to 1961 on Post st. My mom worked at the Lark at that time. Loved seeing the posts and the pictures... thanks!!!!! Looks Like These Buildings Are Still There ..at 487 and 489 Magnolia Ave [Still there, but the flat stucco façades date to on-the-cheap repairs after a 1959 fire. -tterrace] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Stores & Markets, tterrapix)
Crime Scene: 1920
... Montreal, Canada, and what is the mileage? At 9:55 last night (Sunday) I heard music broadcast by a Mr. Root, Montreal, Canada, I am ... that Koukos and Odiscus applied at the house late Saturday night for a room. They say that the sister of Odiscus would arrive later in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 7:33am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "809 Ninth Street." A good location if you need some printing done. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. UPDATE: This is the scene of the "Greek murder" whose victims were shown here two years ago. Thanks to Cnik70 and Stanton Square for their detective work. SpookytownAnother Parallel Universe shot. Obviously those children have seen us and startled as we see them and startle. The watchful eye of the Matron dares us to make a move, even a false move. And this before I saw it's the Murder House. Cool. Another lady in the windowShe's trying to be unobtrusive, but we see you ... Stood still long enough to register clearly, unlike the children and the passing man. Gallaudet PennantDoes the pennant hanging approximately beneath the "D" in the Word Art Press sign read "Gallaudet"? Sure looks that way to me. If so it would be fitting that the college be recognized alongside Georgetown and other area institutions, though odd because at the time it was called "Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind" and would not be named Gallaudet College until 1954. Edward Miner Gallaudet was the school's first superintendent and his father was the founder of the first school for the deaf in the U.S., but would that rate a pennant? Can someone with better eyes and/or a better computer screen confirm that the pennant does indeed say "Gallaudet"? If so, may the mob-source wisdom of Shorpydom provide an answer to the question of the anachronistic pennant. [Hardly an anachronism -- the name Gallaudet College has been around since 1894. - Dave] W.B. Dawson: Radio Enthusiast Washington Post, May 7, 1924 Listening In Radio Editor: Kindly Tell me through your paper if there is such a station as CHYC, Montreal, Canada, and what is the mileage? At 9:55 last night (Sunday) I heard music broadcast by a Mr. Root, Montreal, Canada, I am quite sure. Thanking you for any information. W.B. Dawson, 807 Ninth street northwest. ANSWER — CHYC as listed on The Post radio map is a broadcasting station of 2,000 watts power operating in Montreal, Quebec, on 410 meters. The station is owned by the Northern Electric Company and broadcasts in English. The station is approximately 495 miles distant from Washington. Check OutThat superb masonry work on 809. Hard to duplicate today. And the stained glass glazing above the ebtry doors and the first floor double window. A lost art. Look out belowThe birthplace of the old flowerpot-on-the-head gag. A true comedy classic. Scene of the CrimeThe account of this grisly murder reads like the back-story of a George Pelecanos novel. The subplot: a crime of deception and betrayal goes tragically wrong. The characters: Greek immigrants working in the restaurant trade. The location: inner neighborhood of Washington D.C. Washington Post, Jul 26, 1920 2 Slain, Third Dying Man and Woman Lose Lives in Affray in Ninth Street. Police Believe Tragedy Followed an Attempt at Robbery. A man and a woman are dead, and another man is mortally wounded as the result of a shooting and cutting affray in a rooming house at 809 Ninth street northwest, early yesterday evening. The dead are Katherine Odiscus and Theodore Apostalos Koukos. Jean Odiscus, believed to be the husband of the woman, is in Emergency Hospital in a critical condition. A roomer at the house, hearing four shots about 6 o'clock, summoned Patrolmen Page and Murray of the First precinct, who removed the victims to Emergency Hospital in the patrol wagon. Physicians at that institution said that the wife died before she reached the hospital as the result of two bullet wounds to the head. Koukos died as the result of several hatchet wounds about the head, believe to have been inflicted by the husband. Odiscus is suffering from two bullet wounds in the head. Clew in a Post Card. A .32-caliber revolver with four bullets discharged and a blood-stained hatchet were found lying on the floor near the bodies. Koukos was found lying face downward at the foot of a small flight of stairs where he had fallen. He was partially clad when picked up by Patrolman Davis, of the First precinct, who took the victims to the hospital. The woman was lying on the floor of a hall a short distance from her bedroom door. The husband was discovered lying across the threshold of his room with two bullet bounds in his head. A postcard addressed "Dear Phillip," and signed by a woman stating that she was leaving for Wilmington, S.C., was on the bureau. Four new suitcases hurriedly packed, were standing on the floor of the room and appeared as though they had been dropped by some on in flight. A razor, which had just been used, was found lying on a dressing table. Mrs. Minnie King, proprietress of the boarding house, said that Koukos and Odiscus applied at the house late Saturday night for a room. They say that the sister of Odiscus would arrive later in the night and engaged a room for her. Odiscus said that his sister was French and spoke no English. He said that he had formerly roomed with Mrs. King, although the woman has no recollection of him. Story Told by Mrs. King. Shortly after the two men entered the dwelling the girl is believed to have arrived, taking the room which had been engaged for her. Mrs. King told Lieut. Sanford and Detective O'Reilly that she had no knowledge as to the exact time that any of the trio entered the house for the night. No other roomers in the house saw either of the three persons at any time yesterday, although it is known that they left the dwelling sometime in the forenoon and returned shortly before the tragedy. The theory advanced by the police for the killing is that the husband and wife lured Koukos from his home in Norfolk, Va., representing the woman to be single, for the purpose of robbing him. Theories of the Police. Reconstructing the tragedy Lieutenant Sanford said that probably the husband and wife entered Koukos' room when the latter was asleep and attempted to slay him by beating him over the head with a hatchet, which the husband is known to have incurred before engaging the room. It is thought that Koukos managed to gain his feet long enough to procure a revolver and then retreating toward the starts shot and killed the woman and fired two shots which may prove fatal to the husband. The murdered man is thought to have made an attempt to raise some one in the dwelling but succumbed to his wounds when at the head of the stairs. Police last night declared that Odiscus formerly worked in a restaurant in Washington. Letters found in the room indicate that the husband and wife were separated several times and that the man in his effort to locate the woman traveled in several cities in Virginia and North Carolina. $1,900 Found on Body. It is practically certain, police say, that the man and woman going under the name of Odiscus were in collusion to rob Koukos and got him to come to Washington to marry the girl who was posing as his sister. Greeks consulted in this city who allege to have known Odiscus last night definitely identified him as a husband of the woman. A money belt containing $1,900 in bills of large denominations was found on the body of Koukos when on the operating table at Emergency Hospital. Police are endeavoring to locate any relatives of the three. Passports out of Greece were found in the baggage owned by the man and his wife. It was by this means that their names were procured. An inquest will be held over the bodies of the man and woman at the morgue this afternoon. [And there's more here. - Dave] "Shining" prequelNo wonder all that mayhem and murder occurred here. The two sisters from the Overlook Hotel are standing there checking everything out. Greek MurderI thought this sounded familiar. This is directly related to this previous post. [Brilliant! I saw the two photos side by side yesterday when I was posting this but did not make the connection. - Dave] Local colorJust posted a colorized version on my blog. Sorry, it's a bad habit. I can't stop myself. MintyThis site's now the location of the US Mint and the new Cuba Libre restaurant. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Fresh-Squeezed: 1951
... "pithy" comments. First laugh of my long, hard day & night. :) When I looked at this picture I thought those have to be grapefruit. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/05/2013 - 2:08pm -

Circa 1951. "Swimsuit model in Cadillac convertible filled with oranges." We don't know the where, the who or the why -- but really, why not? Shorpy promises to update this post the instant an actual caption becomes available. View full size. Minute Maid ParkThis looks like some kind of Florida fantasy come to life. Is this what they mean by a "bumper crop"? I swear there were just two when I leftI didn't know tribbles came in orange. Ok enoughStop the pithy comments. Beneficial name changeAfter tiring of being simply Julie Jones, things just got better and better for Julius after accepting that life changing part time summer job in Orange County. Flash!Cutie in Cadillac Rises Above Citrus Calamity. In spite of appearancesthe car was a lemon. I've looked them overbut I can't find a navel anywhere. Going nowhereShe may be posing in a car covered in oranges, but clearly she is not riding in it. Nobody is driving that car anywhere. No way to step on the brakes, for one thing. I also think she is sitting on a stool/ledge set up or built across the transmission hump of the back seat, with her legs dangling into the front seat. The oranges were added after she was seated. Just because you CAN do something...sometimes you should. Were girls prettier back then? Orange Bowl CityI found this description of some photos in the Look Magazine collection -- pictures from "Orange Bowl City", Jan. 9, 1951 include "a woman in a bathing suit riding in a convertible filled with oranges." Since not that many women, even in Florida, are inclined to ride around in Cadillacs packed with fruit, I think this must be the picture mentioned! Red / orangeCan we assume that the difference in the colour of the oranges from the front to the back seats is due to polarized glass in the windshield? [Maybe, but it would be a result of the windshield being tinted, not polarized. -tterrace] Thank you guysfor your funny, "pithy" comments. First laugh of my long, hard day & night. :) When I looked at this picture I thought those have to be grapefruit. Then I read the title and discovered they were oranges. In my neck of the woods, our grapefruit looks like these oranges. In answer to BillT, I don't think they were physically prettier than the girls today just more innocent maybe? Going by the girls I ran with back then, yes innocence. Innocence and morality makes any woman "prettier". Just the way it is. Neat Car!!Over her left shoulder, a 1949-50-51 Plymouth Roadster Convertible. My first car was a 1951 Dodge Wayfarer Roadster Convertible. Wish I had it back!!! A tomatoamong the oranges. Occupational hazardEvery seventeen seconds, somewhere in America, a PR flack goes over the edge. Wonder howthey got that woman on top of all those oranges without creating a total mess. Headline In The Orange County RegisterPolice are investigating the death of a man hired to drive a a model in a parade celebrating this year's orange harvest. The Coroner believes he died of suffocation. A very appealing lady!Orange you glad she's sitting in a Cadillac? Her juicy swimsuit adds a lot of zest to the car! 1950 Orange Bowl QueenTo me she looks like La Dene Van Wagoner, the 1950 Orange Bowl Queen. If she is, there's a lot more to add. Below (left) La Dene is getting crowned by actress Colleen Townsend, and next to that picture she is serving orange juice at the Miami train station to Santa Clara Broncos football players John Hook (left) and Jerry Hennesy (right). Jokes asideA very pretty girl with a cute figure. Whoever she was/is I'm sure she had fun that day!! She married a Naval officer! What are the odds?1950 Orange Bowl Queen La Dene Van Wagoner Martin was born August 3, 1926 in Midway, Utah. She married US Navy officer William C. Martin in New York on July 26, 1951. Bill Martin passed away in 1980, and La Dene passed away in 1998 at the age of 71. They are buried in Salt Lake City. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Pretty Girls)
An Orange for Mrs. Atkins: 1942
... I saw a documentary on PBS about Tupperware the other night and Tupperware was marketed to address just this situation - to store ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/28/2012 - 7:36pm -

May 1942. "Greenbelt, Maryland. Federal housing project. Mrs. Leslie Atkins taking an orange out of her well-stocked refrigerator." Medium-format negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. DominoKeeping the sugar in the fridge keeps the ants out. Might help keep brown sugar from hardening, too. Haven't tried that. Nice orangesWhy are the ones we get in the stores these days always about half that size? DominoDomino? She refrigerated her sugar?!? Life was good then too. . . . It's telling (in an incredibly good way) that in a Federal Housing Project in 1942 we see not only the well stocked fridge, but a telephone, and a tea service and some fairly cool tile work in the kitchen. Greenbelt historyGreenbelt is now and was then part of Greater Washington DC http://www.greenbeltmd.gov/about_greenbelt/history.htm Fridge doors,etc.When watching old films and TV shows, I always watch for things like telephones and refrigerators, and am always especially happy to see the door to one of the latter open. This picture has both! I think this must be a very early example of a fridge with racks on the door. Seeing the latch on that door reminds me of hearing of children hiding in an old refrigerator, who didn't get discovered in time before they suffocated. My grandfather took the door to the old one they had stored in the barn all the way off, because of that. About that Co-opGreenbelt's Consumer Cooperative was very successful, and ran several grocery stores during the 50's in the Maryland suburbs of DC. It also spawned, of all things, a Scandinavian furniture store called Scan which was around well into the new millennium. As a young, groovy bachelor in the 70's, I managed to buy a few things there. The co-op entered bankruptcy organization in the late 80's, but another Greenbelt Co-op apparently replaced it. The town's prospective residents were screened, it would seem, for their cooperative spirit. This turned sour during the McCarthy Era, when many Red hunters saw it as a hotbed of Communism. [Here's a history of the Greenbelt Cooperative from the University of California at Davis. - tterrace] Grade A hyperboleIf that fridge is "well-stocked" I don't like imagining what the less fortunate dealt with. Kind of like a college refrigerator nowadays except all that empty space would be occupied by Yuengling beer and a couple bottles of vino. Just enough Considering this is during the war she has plenty in her fridge. Notice the items from a co-op; was she on public assistance or did she shop at a co-op with her ration stamps? Projects were usually in/near cities (I don't know where Greenbelt, MD is) and folks shopped daily or every other day if you lived near a grocer. There was no need to stockpile food in the fridge like we do in the huge behemoths we have in our kitchens today. I especially like seeing the waxed paper over the bowl. I saw a documentary on PBS about Tupperware the other night and Tupperware was marketed to address just this situation - to store food in the fridge in a reusable unbreakable resealable plastic container - no more buying waxed paper! DominoIf that is sugar, she is doing it for the same reason I do. I keep my sugar in the refrigerator to keep the ants and other unwanted critters out of it. The "cool tile work"Appears to be a linoleum "rug" with a tile pattern on it. They were available in a wide variety of colors and patterns in the Sears catalog. ShelvadorThis may be a Crosley Shelvador, the first refrigerator to have shelves in the door I think in the 30's. Photo ColoristsI'm thinking that the many possible color contrasts in this picture could be nicely accentuated by one of Shorpy's talented coloring mavens if one were so inclined, although the floor tiles seem quite complex and may be challenging. Any takers? ShelvadorThe Crosley Corporation held the patent for the door that could be made thin enough and light enough to have shelves, and still be an economical appliance. Powel Crosley bought the patent from a guy who wanted cash rather than the royalty Crosley offered him. Not a wise choice! Oranges or grapefruits?Is anyone else with me in thinking that those are probably grapefruits, rather than oranges? In addition to the larger size, their skin looks too smooth to be an orange. [Each of Marjorie Collins' photos taken in the Atkins home are accompanied by detailed descriptions, undoubtedly recorded at the time. So it's probably an orange. - tterrace] re: Grade A HyperboleThe concept of "well stocked" has a different meaning in times of war. Mrs. Atkins lacked the services of the various agribusinesses that keep our larders stocked to overflowing and keeping us all fat 'n sassy. CreamThe wavy top on the milk bottle makes cream that floats on the top easy to pour off if you want cream. Otherwise you shake the bottle and get whole milk. 'Fridge and 'Phone: 2012Here is my 1947 McClary refrigerator, without door racks, and made in Canada. Eight and a half cubic feet of storage space. It still runs nicely, with barely a sound. Yes, that is cream top milk, still available in Vancouver, B.C., where I live. The telephone is an Automatic Electric model 50, installed by the B.C. Telephone Company when I moved into my home in 1977. Still in use, along with several other rotary dial 'phones. In the mason jars there is homemade red pepper jelly, marmalade, and apricot jam. GreenbeltVery nostalgic photo. I lived in Greenbelt from 1948 to 1951. I wrote a story a few years ago based on an interview I did of a mother and daughter who lived many years there. Those interested in reading the story can find it by clicking here. Darn you for this photo.I really have to clean out our fridge. I'd rather scrub the toilet. Rising Bread?On top of the fridge is what looks like a pan covered with a dish towel. My mother always placed bread and anything needing to rise on top of the fridge and covered it with a dish towel, it was warmer up there she said to aid in rising. Scan Furniturejdowling23, I had no idea that was the origin of SCAN Furniture! My parents bought a number of pieces there that have ended up with me. There's a rosewood wall unit in the next room, and some teak bedroom furniture in my bedroom that they also bought. SCAN was so popular that it's been easy to pick up matching pieces inexpensively. Crosley ShelvadorI happened across this ad in the Reading Eagle from March 11, 1935 which confirms the fridge ID. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Marjory Collins)
Brenda Lee: 1958
... Tennessean. (Her first Nashville performance was at night – a double bill with Pat Boone at Ryman Auditorium on September 16, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/13/2022 - 11:56am -

        UPDATE: The Annenberg Foundation caption information is off by a year; this is 13-year-old Brenda Lee at Centennial Park on June 8, 1958, performing in a concert sponsored by the Nashville Tennessean. (Her first Nashville performance was at night – a double bill with Pat Boone at Ryman Auditorium on September 16, 1957.) Brenda Lee, "Little Miss Dynamite," in 1957 at age 12, in her first Nashville performance. Photo by Elmer Williams / Annenberg Space for Photography. View full size. Stringbean perhaps? Just how tall could the ol boy using the microphone to her left be? Ingenue VenueI'm going to guess this was in Centennial Park on West End Boulevard. My first crushI grew up in Augusta, Ga., in the '50s and Brenda, who also lived in Augusta, was on the Peanut Faircloth Country Hour TV show every Saturday. I had a mad crush on her back then. She lived on Lionel Street, near one of my aunts, and I saw her a few times, though was afraid to say anything since she was an "older woman" three years my senior. What a marvelous story!An amazing woman. She was supporting her family by her singing from the time her father died in 1953. Still married to her first husband since 1963. The Beatles were her opening act at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, before they made it big. The first and only woman elected to both the Rock and Roll AND the Country Music Halls of Fame. And she's still alive, and performing! As an adultBrenda Lee was 4-foot-9 tall as an adult. At 13, probably somewhat less. The microphone on the left could have been for a person about 6 feet tall. [The mike on the left is for the band. - Dave] (Kids, Music, Nashville)
Paging Rosie: 1942
... "Havoc" Built by Douglas also converted to a night fighter P-70, sold to eight other countries, the Brits called it the ... period, Pinky was going to Long Beach Community College at night to take classes to further her career as an engineer. She was an early ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 8:34pm -

October 1942. "Douglas Aircraft plant at Long Beach, California. An A-20 bomber being riveted by a woman worker." (With, yes, a power drill.) 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Staying feminineLove the lipstick. RivetingShe must be just posing since where she is about to drill has already been riveted. Love the color! Compressed AirRosie is using a pneumatic (air-powered) drill, for those of you who care about such things. Pneumatic hand tools are preferred in dusty settings where a motor spark can cause explosions. Kudos to all the Rosies, including my grandmother. A-20 "Havoc"Built by Douglas also converted to a night fighter P-70, sold to eight other countries, the Brits called it the Boston, even the Russians used them, they were called The Box, 7,478 were built, the cost of each aircraft was $74,000. What's the problem, anyway?Before you can buck a rivet you do have to drill a hole. However, I rather hope that lady didn't inadvertently press the button on that drill, or at least its hose wasn't hooked up. Because another hole in this otherwise rather complete looking section would seem to be a bit superfluous. I can imagine the shop foreman grinding his teeth about those stupid press freaks who wanted to have a flashy but technically incorrect picture, and endangering the quality of his nice new aircraft section in the process. By the way, if I had to guess I would place the lady in or near the center wingbox. Poor RosieWow! Drilling in these close quarters without eye protection. Not a good idea. These gals did a tremendous job mobilizing America when it needed it the most. I doubt if we could do that any more. One of the lesser known planes.A friend's father flew one over the Pacific during the war. I was given his flying boots that show the wear and tear from the long hours spent flying missions. They are in excellent condition considering their age. I hold them in highest regard. Keep 'em flying!I will always be in awe of the Greatest Generation. While the boys were away fighting Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo, women like the one pictured here kept them armed and ready to take the battle to the enemy. God bless 'em all. Black & DeckerShe is using a Black & Decker 1/4" electric drill. You can see the electric cord hanging down. Those holes were not drilled in that position. They were drilled in the shop on a jig. Yes, it was a Photo-Op. For the War EffortMy Mother worked as a Rosie at Willow Run, (now a defunct GM plant) and it was through that job that she met the man who became my Father. Ironically, he worked at Willow Run after the war. I think that's an electric drillThe housing is too fat for a pneumatic. An electric drill contains a big motor and gearbox. A pneumatic contains a turbine, and that's it. Note the slots just aft of the chuck, for cooling the motor. Also see the rubber cone strain relief on the cord, where an air tool would have a quick-release fitting. I'll admit the oversize cord does resemble an air hose. She is wearing what I think of as "old lady pants", mainly because old people often continue to wear what they liked when they were young, without regard for current fashion. My memory for such things only goes back to about 1974, and both of my grandmothers wore pants like this. They were born eleven years apart, but both would have been the right age to work in this factory. Built 'em and flew 'emIn 1955, 32-year old civilian pilot Diana Bixby died in a borrowed A-20 when it ran out of fuel and she crashed in the Pacific off Baja, Mexico. She was well-known back then, having attempted a round-the-world flight in a De Havilland Mosquito with her husband but ending in India with engine trouble. Btw of the 7000+ A-20s built only 15 airframes or so survive, and I don't think there are any flyable. The A-20 was a single-pilot airplane and with a 385-mph top speed was relatively fast for the early 1940s. Great Aunt Pinky's PlantMy great-aunt Pinky (she had red hair, thus the nickname) worked in that plant. She drafted rivet layouts for the workers to follow when building the planes. After the rivets were placed, she checked that they were placed correctly and were secure. During the war, the entire plant was covered with camouflage netting. When photos of it were posted on barnstormers.com last year, I asked my cousin, her daughter, if Pinky had ever told her about the netting. Indeed, my cousin already knew all about it, but none of the younger generation in our family had ever seen a picture of it until last year. During this same period, Pinky was going to Long Beach Community College at night to take classes to further her career as an engineer. She was an early trailblazer on that path for her gender, and worked for many years at Westinghouse among a department that was otherwise entirely male. Rosie the RefinerWonderful picture. My Grandmother worked at the Shell refinery in Houston during this period making the AV gas for these planes. She was a Rosie the Refiner. She met my Grandfather there at the refinery (he was hit by friendly fire so was already home from the war). (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Red, White and Blue: 1956
... were always nearby. We ate the melons out on the lawn at night with lightning bugs floating all around. That way you could spit out the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/28/2008 - 5:53pm -

South Carolina, 1956. Another entry from Margaret Bourke-White's photoessay on segregation and civil rights in South. Will someone pass the salt? Color transparency from the Life magazine photo archive. View full size. Low saltNever could figure out why people wanted to put salt on a nice sweet, tasty slice of watermelon. [Because it tastes better that way? I say this as someone who grew up in Suwannee County, Florida, on a farm whose crops included watermelons. - Dave] Southern porchI love the knob & tube wiring above the door. Makes you wonder how more people didn't get electrocuted back then. This appears to be a back porch that was closed in judging from the exterior siding on the walls and the blue/green ceiling. [The wiring would most likely be for a telephone or doorbell. - Dave] MeloncholiaWith the exception of grumbling old Dad, this is a bright, sunny, happy picture! I spent my childhood considering watermelon to be vastly overrated -- a (vastly mistaken) opinion held for almost all of my life, until this summer. For some reason, I've fallen in love with it and cannot get enough of that cold, pink, juicy goodness! The last vestiges of it are just now disappearing from my local Stop & Shop and I'm very, very sad about that. What kind of idiot watermelon etiquette is this?I'm a Southerner (b. 1951), and never in all my life have I seen watermelon eaten like this at an informal gathering, which this clearly is, as evidenced by the spread newspaper and lack of plates and forks. The sight of these eunuchs picking at watermelon seeds with teensy knives is more annoying to me than I can possibly express. People, listen up! Slice the melon crosswise into wedges, pick up a wedge with one hand, take a bite, and spit out the damned seeds, already! SeedySeeded watermelon tastes better than seedless. It is quite impossible to find seeded watermelon in where I live, D.C. A MealThis is exactly the way you eat watermelon. Watermelon was a rare treat for a lot of people. You got that thing cold in a creek or icebox. Then you set your table with newspapers. (Everyone had the Newspaper.) Get out a knife for each person, and the condiment of choice was salt. It was very hot in the South and most didn't have a/c. It was just another way to beat the heat and it was great family time also. The newspapers kept the juice from getting all over the place. Because windows and doors were kept open so much, the sweet juice would attract bees and yellowjackets, which you didn't want in the house. Norman RockwellI really did think this was a painting at first. The composition and faces etc. are pure Norman Rockwell. Eating WatermelonI'm as Southern as any a y'all. This is not our preferred way to eat watermelon. You cut the melons is half, lengthwise. Then, you take a tablespoon, not a teaspoon. Next, eat until you no longer can. See all that delicious juice on the newspapers? We wanted that in our tummies. Eat wedges? Don't want it all over your face, hands and clothes. ChillinIf this were Alabama or Mississippi, the two refrigerators would be on the front porch. Salty-SweetApple lovers have been known to sprinkle a little salt on their Sweet Delicious or Galas occasionally. Probably the same sort who would lightly salt a juicy tomato, cantaloupe or watermelon. Salt-of-the-earth types, we are. My grandfather owned an ice house in Piedmont, Missouri, when I was a kid. So he'd bring home several ice-cold melons on summer nights during our visits. Salt shakers were always nearby. We ate the melons out on the lawn at night with lightning bugs floating all around. That way you could spit out the seeds with abandon. Of course, you'd be reeking of mosquito repellent. Gladly, though. OK experts . . .I was born and raised in Brunswick, Georgia. There are many "correct" ways to consume this plentiful Southern source of sweetness and pleasure. At the height of the season, when melons were 10 for a dollar (mid-1960s), the proper outside method of enjoyment was to crack open a ripe watermelon and eat just the heart, the best part, and fling the rest to the ants, with a rind that still had an inch or so of bright red fruit on it. You're welcome, happy to put the issue to bed for everybody. Foy Las Vegas By any means necessaryMy only requirement for eating watermelon is that you don't get between me and it. I'll eat it cold or warm, salted or not, seeded or seedless. That said, I prefer it cold, salted, and seeded (only because it tastes better than seedless to me). Oh yeah salt babyAlways put salt on my watermelon. Don't you know salt brings out the flavor Waste Not, Want MoreSome folks consumed not just the sweet red flesh of the watermelon, but made delicious, spicy pickle of the rind. Like my Mom. TastyBlack pepper on cantaloupe is very good, also. Salty fruitMy dad and mom always ate salt with their melons and apples too. I learned to eat it that way. I've had it both ways and I prefer salt on melon. It seems to make it sweeter or at least bring out more flavor as salt tends to do. I even put it on apples sometimes. Popcorn and apples seem to go together like bread and butter do and it's because of the saltiness of the popcorn. These looks like the Diamond watermelons that they grow in Texas. One of the best watermelons I've ever eaten. You might also like....Black pepper on strawberries. Trust me on this! Like FamilyThis site is like being with family. Pass the salt and stand back! Eating watermelon with salt on it has resulted in more insults then pulling out my Macbook in a room full of PC users! MelonographyI moved from west Tennessee to Mississippi, a distance of about 150 miles. In Tennessee, we ate watermelon with forks. In Mississippi, the people ate watermelon with only a knife. Still don't get that! Watermelon tastes like summerJust this week I was telling my daughter that the reason I love watermelon is that it tastes like summer. Very few foods act as much like a time-machine as a cold wedge of watermelon. Milton, Florida, 1965, dad would split the watermelon into brilliant pink oversized slices and we'd be sent out into the back yard to eat it in the long shadows thrown by the floodlights mounted over the sliding screen door while sitting on the shaky rusted Sears swing set listening to crickets and frogs. Who could spit the seeds the farthest? FoodiesI am well aware of the many national debates over barbecue. I had no idea that watermelon was so contentious! (LIFE, Margaret Bourke-White)
Gasolene Gospel: 1937
... I love old gas stations. Looks like all the "night parking" is filled up and it's only 5 minutes to 3. Wheels ... I like the painted lines on the walls for spacing the night parking. Shorpy Truck Shorpy truck on the left. Filled with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2013 - 3:54pm -

August 1937. "Gas station and gospel mission in Cleveland, Ohio." In addition to Koolmotor "Gasolene," a long-defunct Cities Service brand, we also seem to have at least a couple of the major food groups represented here, as well as two verses from the New Testament. Photo by John Vachon. View full size. Intersection todayThe warehouse across the street is still standing, though the facade has been updated. Otherwise the intersection is quite different. View Larger Map Missing Billboard"Pray And Get Gas" English Teacher's NightmareGasolene. Kool. Thru. Towards. No wonder the kids today can't spell. Hotel Auditorium Wonderful photograph! From the web site, Cleveland Memory, regarding the Hotel Auditorium: The Hotel Auditorium is Cleveland's newest hotel in the downtown section, and is directly across from the famous Cleveland Public Auditorium. It was located at East 6th Street and St. Clair Avenue and apparently opened in 1930. Wonder what the difference was between a two dollar and a two dollar and a half room. [If the Hotel Auditorium had an auditorium, things could get super confusing. - Dave] Way Kool!!!This photo is just begging for colorizing! What a scene! And I want that panel truck! But does that second Bible verse read oddly to anyone else? I was expecting it to be "those" instead of "them." I suppose that's the King James Version of the text, which usually sounds so wonderful to my ear. Amazing Photo!Again, Shorpy whisks us away to another time and place. In a flash, it's 1937. Thanks Shorpy! All Closed CarsWhat I love about these pics are the old cars in their natural surroundings. Gather a group of cars of this era today and there will be a preponderance of open cars. Twenty-one cars in this pic and not a one of them an open car! Three times three slices of bread.Why not an even number, so you don't wind up stuck with half a sandwich. My CliffordvilleYes, I think I have found it. But with a happier ending, please. Terminal TowerPeeking over the building in the upper left corner. Bible verseIn response to Jim Page's comment, the verse sounds odd now, but remember that several of today's most popular Bible translations hadn't even been written in 1937. On a different note, I can't be the only one here who wouldn't mind paying a visit to the ice cream truck on the bottom left. Well Ethylis standing right next to the Koolmotor gas pump. Looks like their glass globes are canted toward each other and they're carrying on a conversation. Koolmotor is asking, "Is your name really Ethyl?" I love old gas stations. Looks like all the "night parking" is filled up and it's only 5 minutes to 3. Wheels "O" RollinYou've got to love those old trucks. The AuditoriumI presume the Auditorium Hotel received that name because it was located across the street from the Public Auditorium, which is part of downtown Cleveland's Group Plan designed by Daniel Burnham. The Auditorium Hotel is gone, but the site had another hotel, which is now getting a major re-work in anticipation of the reopening later this year of the downtown convention center after its own major overhaul. A corner of Public Auditorium can be seen in the upper right corner, showing the word "CONCEIVED" as part of the sentence inscribed on the building. [“A Monument Conceived as a Tribute to the Ideals of Cleveland, Builded by Her Citizens and Dedicated to Social Progress, Industrial Achievement and Civic Interests” - tterrace] The March of Time Will Now Take a Short BreakLiving for a while some 164 blocks East of this scene and nine years later, I found similar cars to be common sights during my daily wanderings. The three-year hiatus in passenger car production during WWII, coupled with delays in getting Detroit reconfigured after war production, meant that many cars of the '30s soldiered on for some time after peace broke out. I recall finding cars with "lights that stick out" preferable to more modern ones ... and I suspect that I still do. Pack 'em inI like the painted lines on the walls for spacing the night parking. Shorpy TruckShorpy truck on the left. Filled with large format glass negatives, waiting for the internet. That lounge chairThat lounge chair intrigues me. What an odd position to put a chair like that. I realise the angle and camera standing adds to the visual illusion, but to me, it remains strange placement. St. Clair and E. 9th Street in 1963Here is a photo from the Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery. It shows a view of this block from the St. Claire Avenue side. The City Mission is still there, and the Koolmotor station is a Sohio in 1963, but a lot of the rest of the view ended up as parking lots for a while. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cleveland, Gas Stations, John Vachon)
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