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Buck in a Truck: 1940
... dump bodies on a White chassis. We tried it out last night. It isn't hard to crank with no load in the bed, but don't know how it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/17/2023 - 12:22pm -

From around 1940 comes this snapshot of a young man in a truck with West Virginia plates -- one of thousands of 35mm negatives in the FSA/OWI archive at the Library of Congress with no caption or photographer information. Why so glum, chum? View full size. I know his name isn't MargaretBut his sorrowful expression and some of the comments remind of the poem 'Spring and Fall' by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Márgarét, áre you gríeving Over Goldengrove unleaving? Leáves like the things of man, you With your fresh thoughts care for, can you? Ah! ás the heart grows older It will come to such sights colder By and by, nor spare a sigh Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie; And yet you wíll weep and know why. Now no matter, child, the name: Sórrow’s spríngs áre the same. Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed What heart heard of, ghost guessed: It ís the blight man was born for, It is Margaret you mourn for. Passing the BuckDave's suggestion of a glum Buck is something of an oxymoron, since the name is said to refer to a "robust or spirited young man." "Buck" is of Old English origin, originally a male goat or deer. It got attached to cowboys, which may be a reason why its popularity as a baby name rose around the turn of the 20th century. It declined through the century, despite Buck Rogers and Buck Owens (or Buck Barrow, Clyde's brother), but seems to be making a modest comeback. (N.B. Manager of the Year Buck Showalter was born William Nathaniel Showalter III.) FordoorPerhaps of more interest than the man -- they've changed little in the past century -- is the (Model A?) door, which almost looks like it has been disassembled for display purposes (though it probably was delivered that way): - The centered door handle, linked by tie-rod to a - very tentative!- latch - The window crank (sans actual crank) - The sound deadening material sprayed inside the panel. All very familiar to anyone who's ever seen one. Wake up, Buck!Sure does look like he's napping. [He's looking at a picture in his wallet -- on his lap in the main photo. - Dave] How many turns?He's wiped out from hand cranking that dump body all day. How many turns on the big wheel? How many loads today? The large diameter is supposed to provide leverage to make it easier for a big guy to crank, but maybe tough for a kid. Been ThereI recognize the look and the mood. It is a malady I suffered a few times when I was that age, caused by a pretty young lady. A hard working FordIt looks to be a 1930 Ford AA dump truck. Here's OneA restoration group I belong to has one of these hand cranked dump bodies on a White chassis. We tried it out last night. It isn't hard to crank with no load in the bed, but don't know how it would be when loaded. Keeping it well greased would be key. Next to the truck is the next step, a very primitive hydraulic dump, using cables to lift the bed. Here are 2 photos. The overhead view was shot by a friend. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
The Perisphere: 1939
... moving images onto the Perisphere from nearby buildings at night. For the cost of a quarter, which first included a walk through the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/16/2022 - 4:15pm -

"Perisphere and ramp at 1939 New York Word's Fair." Corpulent counterpoint to the trimmer Trylon. Uncredited acetate transparency, possibly by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. I bet it included flying carsHere is a little information on what the Trylon and Perisphere consisted of. Inside, visitors traveled on a moving platform while watching a six-minute show focusing on a futuristic, utopian City of Tomorrow. Obviously, in 1939 the show's creators did not anticipate urban flight to the suburbs that actually happened and the adverse ripple effects which left no utopian cities I can think of. I can't figure out what is casting a big, round shadow on the big, round Perisphere. [The tall, straight Trylon. - Dave] Thanks, Dave. I'll confess I'm still trying to visualize how that worked. Not So SmoothCentral pieces of the 1939 New York World's Fair known as the 'Theme Center', the Perisphere and accompanying Giant Trylon Tower were to be covered in smooth concrete, however due to the high cost, gypsum was used instead. Gypsum caused an uneven texture and visible seams on the structures, although that didn't stop them from projecting moving images onto the Perisphere from nearby buildings at night. For the cost of a quarter, which first included a walk through the Giant Trylon Tower, visitors could ride on one of the Perisphere's two rotating balconies, which encircled a miniaturized ideal city of the future called Democracity. Slick recorded narration and glow-in-the-dark lighting completed the effect. Visitors left the Perisphere via a 950-foot curved ramp called the Helicline, the first thirty or so feet of which are pictured above. The Helicline had a mirrored underside, creating the illusion of invisibility from below. At the base of the globe, eight supporting pillars were also hidden by mirrors and fountains which gave the Perisphere an appearance of floating in midair. Both the Perisphere and Trylon Tower were demolished in 1940. The Unisphere, central piece of the 1964 New York World's Fair, was erected on the exact same spot as the Perisphere, and is still standing to this very day. Hmm ...That's no moon. ShadowDoug, I think that big round shadow is nothing more than the dark side of the big round Perisphere. [Incorrect. Below left, the "dark side" and, on the right, the "dark side" overlaid with the shadow of the Trylon. - Dave] The fair in color "Get out of my head!"Am I the only one seeing a giant, screaming face in the cutaway sphere?!? Utopian Promises1939-40 World's Fair Democracity Re-Creation (The New York Pubic Library) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kulk7IPTL10 CutawayHere's a look at the interior. Click to go to a page with more info and a bigger photo. Coarse surfaceI'd only seen distant (and perhaps slightly edited) images of the Perisphere before this and it was an eye-opener. I went looking for the construction details and discovered this: The original plans for the Perisphere called for it to be covered in a smooth and seamless layer of concrete. However, due to the high cost of that material, gypsum was used instead. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts to smooth it out, the gypsum created an uneven texture and had visible seams. Also, surrounding fountains damaged the fragile coating and their arches of water had to be lowered. Legend has itThat the Trylon and Perisphere still exist in Queens! https://untappedcities.com/2020/01/06/a-house-in-queens-has-a-mini-world... Dave deliversAn admirably concise and alliterative caption. (The Gallery, Art & Design, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
From Scratch: 1963
... day, when we had pie in the refrigerator from the previous night's meal. I ate it for breakfast. (Not in trouble at home. You find it, you ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/29/2011 - 6:07pm -

My mother had to do something with all the fruit and berries from my father's garden, so if it wasn't made into jams and jellies, or canned, or frozen, it went into cakes and pies. We had a lot of pies. Lord knows what that stuff is for this one; if I didn't know better, I'd say it looks like Chicken McNuggets. As usual, the equipment spans the decades from the 30s to the 60s. The board, stamped "Howard" on the end, is among the oldest, along with the sifter (behind the flour sack), measuring cup and glass pie plate. The stainless steel bowl, part of a nest of three, came along in the late 50s. The teardrop-shaped enameled wood salt and pepper shakers (left of flour sack) are just there because this is our kitchen table. Newest item is probably the plastic mixing spoon. Interesting that she kept her diamond engagement ring on for this operation. My mother is 55 here; I was 16 when I shot this Tri-X negative; now I'm about to turn 65 and I still haven't made a pie from scratch. View full pies. Thanks for the MemoriesBless you young 16 year-old Tterrace, your camera, and your wonderful mother. You had the prescience to take the photographs that the rest of us now wish we had taken. Thanks to your eye for what is important, many of us can spend a few minutes back in our own mom's warm, welcoming kitchen. Kumquat pie ???Those might be candied Kumquats in that pie dish. Strange little citrus fruit in that the rind was sweet and the center was sour ! My mother was a bake-aholic, pies and cakes for any occasion. About twice a year she made Kumquat pie for a good friend of hers' and I remember sampling the Kumquats,Tasty but not for everybody ! If you curious, recipes are available on Google. By the way tterrace,looks like your mom made a great pie! Plum, or maybe peach?Great photo! I wish I had a picture of my grandmother baking pies from scratch. I think the fruit in this pie is something soft that has been sliced in fairly large slices, and then dredged in flour, sugar, and maybe something like cinnamon. Did you have some kind of plum tree? It looks a little dark to be peach, but that is the only other guess I can think of right now. It could also be something that has been frozen, which makes it even softer. The peaches I freeze don't look too pretty after they have been thawed, but still make a good pie. This makes me want to go thaw some and bake a pie! P.S. Aenthal, a slice of homemade fruit or pumpkin pie and a glass of milk is the best breakfast I can think of! I never make just one pie, so that we have leftovers to eat for breakfast. Bitter FruitAny chance your folks had a quince tree? They grow well in parts of California, and there are varieties that are edible when cooked in pies, jellies, etc. Even fully ripe, they are bitter and have an unpleasant astringent quality. Fresh quince look like small lumpy apples, and I wonder if the fruit, presuming it is fruit, in the pie shell might be pared quince coated with spices and sugar. Surely, you'd remember your mother making quince pie, unless she fudged a bit and told the kids they were eating apple pie. It wouldn't be the first time a mother used subtrefuge to get children to try something different. Looks likeapricots to me. Mom's ringAlso being a 1946-model baby boomer I remember most mom's of that era rarely removed their wedding or engagement rings, no matter the activity. Mine here in San Diego made rhubarb pies, kidney bean salads and strawberry guava jelly, all now rarely encountered but delicious in my memories. I've only twice attempted recreating the salad but haven't quite mastered it as yet; my own mom's been gone since 1988. My older niece now has her rings but lacks her grandmother's culinary interests. Mmmm, pie, peach pieYou mean there is another way than to bake a pie from scratch (not counting buying an already made one at a store)? I have no clue what it would be. My mother made the best pies (with her wedding ring on, of course. It is still on her today at age 80. I have never seen her with it off). And by the time I was ten, I could make the exact pie by myself. And I still do. I got in trouble in school one day, when we had pie in the refrigerator from the previous night's meal. I ate it for breakfast. (Not in trouble at home. You find it, you can eat it). That day the teacher went around the room and asked everyone what they'd had for breakfast. My lying classmates made up all kinds of fanciful three course meals with bacon, and eggs, and toast, orange juice, and milk. I never had a breakfast like that in my life, other than at a restaurant. So I told her I had peach pie. There was no master chef and servants on duty at my house, preparing three course meals at 7 a.m. She told me I was lying, that my parents wouldn't allow that. Like fun I was lying. My mother's scratch pie was the best thing she made. And I wasn't going to leave it in the refrigerator for somebody else to finish off before I got home. Peaches, perchance?They look like peach slices dredged in sugar and flour. Mmmmmm ... Peach pie! Mama's handsI don't know about you guys, but there is something very comforting about my mama's hands. This picture makes me want to drive down across town right now just to hug her. Pie, schmyShe's waiting to klonk Tom on the head. Pie piece possibilitiesFrozen peaches, possibly sugared, was the most plausible of my own guesses. We had plums, but those were too sloppy for pies and usually went into jelly. Apricot pie was a personal favorite, but these here don't look quite the right shape. No cumquats (C-U-M-quats! Quats! Quats!), but we had loquats. Didn't do anything with them but eat them right off the tree - delicious, but gigantic pits. We had a red-flowering quince (seen here in bloom), but the first and only experiment doing anything with them - jelly - was not well-received. Persimmons went into a bread, crabapples into jelly. Pears got canned, baked in wine sauce, and occasionally into pies, as did prunes. Yes, we had rhubarb pie, too. Not one of my favorites, but hey - it was pie. Blackberries - OMG, Mother's blackberry dumplings! Dave, you're showing your youth here. That rolling pin would more likely be aimed at Jiggs. [Actually was thinking of "Fraidy Cat." - Dave] PiesThanks for sharing your family pictures so generously. I always look forward to seeing them and reading your descriptions. No lard for this familyLet us pause to remember Snowdrift, which lost the shortening war to Crisco. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8KwVv4OMok Looks like the set of a cooking show!My first thought was frozen apples dredged in sugar and cinnamon. She has a blouse/dress with 3/4 sleeves, so I bet it's not summer. The fruit had probably been frozen. Like others have commented, my mom never took her rings off to do messy stuff. Maybe if she had her hands in something caustic, but she was smart enough not to stick her hands in that stuff. She was so organized! I bet she could turn out a pie in nothing flat. It takes me half an hour to find the sifter. It also amazes me that women back then could put together a 5 course meal with no countertops to speak of. Of course, they did everything on the kitchen table. Now, we have "breakfast nooks". Long walk from the sink. What the heck was Snow Drift? The Spell Was BrokenAs always, I came to Shorpy for an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Then someone had to mention rhubarb pie. All set, thanks. I'll try again tomorrow. Snowdrift Slug I remember that can from when I was a little kid. That lump of lard on the spoon always looked like a Casper banana slug ghost to me. Still does. Probably why Crisco won the war. [If you'll pardon the expression, it's a big lard-S. - Dave] Mother's PieMy first thought after looking at the enlargement was peach. But I think I'll go with apricot. That was her favorite. In any event, she always mixed the sugared peaches or apricots with a little tapioca so that the juices would thicken while baking. That explains the little granules on the fruit. Nothing says lovin'Like something from the oven, And Pillsbury says it best. The cherries are waitingI have a bunch of pie cherries which I have to do something with, so if the kids can get enough of the kitchen clean I think I'll make a cherry pie tonight. I make a good crust (so I'm told) but like most guys ancient or modern I don't have the Mo organization to just keep cranking the stuff out. And probably more of my crusts go into quiches than fruit or custard pies. Thinking about my equipment it occurs to me that some small part of it is really just about as old, relatively speaking, as some of your mom's stuff in the picture. I don't use a board (I have a marble slab but it's too much trouble to get out for basic pie making), so I roll things out directly on the slide-out counter of the hoosier, which is pushing eighty now; my rolling pin is the one I got when I moved into my own place about twenty-five years back. Man, this is making me feel old. My mom was of the "everyone needs to know basic cooking" school but she never taught me any of this stuff and pies weren't her thing. I pretty much taught myself with the help of Meta Givens's New Encyclopedia of Cooking, on the of classic postwar cookbooks. Volume II opens directly to her pie crust formula. Thank YouI'm with Green Machine. Thank you again, Tterrace. The next time I'm at my mom's house, I'm taking a picture of her hands. Many years from now, I'll pull out the photograph, reminisce about Mom and say "Thanks, Tterrace." And the nurse on duty will think I've finally gone off. I love making pies! The secret to a great pie is of course the crust. The secret to good crust is the pastry board. P.S. The newfangled silicone mats don't cut it. Pies, Pasties and Sausage-rolls.This photo brings waves of nostalgia washing over me. I could be back as a 7-year-old boy looking at my grandmother in her kitchen when she baked fruit pies (apple and and mulberry were our favourites), vegetable pasties and sausage-rolls. The aroma was mouth-watering. She was a super pastry-cook and my father used to tell stories of how she was known throughout the neighbourhood in their Sydney suburb for her cooking. Cripes! Now I'm hungry! [Baked pasties -- yum. - Dave] Mmm -- piiiieeee!Tterrace, you are KILLING me! Now, I want pie (whine). As for not from scratch, you can buy frozen ones to bake vs. ready to eat from the bakery. There are two pies in my freezer right now: pumpkin (blechh!) and raspberry (drrrooooll). Since it is raining and 65 degrees (this is SUMMER?!) I think it's time to fire up the oven! Anybody want to bring the ice cream? Tterrace, thanks for the encouragementI am 63 and have NEVER made a pie in my life!!! Why would you make one when you can go to the bakery. Ha ha. I hate baking but love your pictures. Maybe my daughter will eventually make a pie but I'm not betting on it!! Love your pictures! Thank you. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kitchens etc., tterrapix)
Ford Customline: 1956
... be out and about until you got ready for your hot Saturday night date. I'm disappointed No one has posted a modern Google ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2021 - 2:46pm -

Dearborn, Michigan. "1956 Ford Customline Fordor Sedan in Meadowmist Green." A stylish suburbanite and her toothpaste-toned transport. Color transparency from the Ford Motor Co. photographic archives. View full size. Thing on headI am distracted by the clothing in this shot. Nice car, great color, but there’s a lot going on here with the humans. Specifically, I want to know what is the purpose of that cloth on the driver’s head. Functional headband? Covering something up? Fashion? Sometimes I feel just like a dumb boy. Product Planning"I think for next year, we should make it longer, lower, wider". ... resulting in my father needing to shim out the garage door. That's how I lived back thenWe had a ranch house with awnings and a Ford in the driveway. Only ours was a '54. I had a sportcoat like that once.I was 9, and Mom wanted it to last until I was 12. I complain about the current fashion in men's suits, which are too small. In the 1950s, men's suits was too large. My motto: happiness lies in the middle. Thing on headI suspect that it was a fashion thing that didn't last. However I remember seeing women wearing something similar in order to hold things like pin curls or hair rollers in place for a later comb out. Ford family in progress The Ford was my in-laws' first new car, in two-door version, white over blue. I've included the Dad-snapped slide, from summer 1956, taken at 13505 Burt Road, Detroit. Keep Your Hairin place with a stylish yellow scarf. Both my grandparents and my mom in her younger days wore scarves to keep their time consuming hairdos in place. How's Your Reception?Aaah, what every suburban American's rooftop looked like before cable! Maybe it's just the photographBut that sure looks like a matte finish, which I didn't think existed until much later. [Enamel paints of the kind used by Ford were not very glossy. - Dave] Left-Wing IssuesIn the days when air-conditioning was a rarity, the windwing seen on this Ford was necessary to protect the driver from a blast of slipstream wind coming through an open window. But there was no avoiding the ubiquitous "trucker's tan" that invariably resulted when an uncovered left arm rested on the window sill. Perfect CircleLove the handbag! Ideal for delivering a ... pie? My first Fordwas a 1952 convertible, light blue. Fashion forwardLike davidk, I hardly noticed the car for the clothing. I'm in favor of the red dress and oversized circular olive handbag -- red and khaki being one of my favorite combinations -- but the oxblood pumps confuse me. Not sure what the stylist was going for but it seems to miss the proverbial mark. Also, were I asked, I would have counseled the pretty model to lose her ten-year-old sister's red plastic headband. As for the headwear sported by the driver, that's less a fashion statement than straight-up don't-blow-my-bouffant strategy. When I was a kid, my own mother was seldom seen without a scarf (occasionally over curlers, more often over the coif) out of doors. Of course her brunette tresses were assiduously Aqua-Netted but it was like, belt and suspenders. When riding (she didn't drive until the '70s, when she was in her thirties) the windows had to be partially down in both the front and back seats, because there was so much smoking going on. Keeping every hair in place was job one. That jacketJust ... that jacket. World's best chimney sweep?Inside the chimney looks unusually clean. You can see the white mortar even. Did they ever light the fire? HeadwearThe headwear is more properly called a kerchief rather than a scarf. Kerchiefs were very common in the 1950s. All the teenaged girls wore them. Brand identityYou could tell that it was a Ford from a half-mile away. I know I'm getting old, but there are so many cars and SUVs today that I can't identify at all unless I get close enough to see the logo. Department store men's section sceneYep honey, this one is just about right for you. You're still growing. RE: "Thing" on headThat's a common headscarf worn by everyone's mom, grandmom or sister back then to keep your hair from blowing in your eyes while the window was open so you could flick your ashes and look cool. Also used to cover your hair curlers to you could be out and about until you got ready for your hot Saturday night date. I'm disappointedNo one has posted a modern Google Street View of the house. Calling all Shorpysleuths -- Try driving with the windows downI must be getting old, because I didn't give the driver's kerchief a second look or thought. When I was a kid in the 70's, on a long hot summer's drive my mother (born 1925) always wore a kerchief because we had no air conditioning, so the windows would be at least partly open. As the present owner of an MGB convertible, my wife sometimes does the same. Still DisappointedI took Born Too Late's challenge and have looked at every 334 house number in Dearborn and can't find this house. Looking in surrounding towns also. Anyone else have any luck with this? This is not my beautiful coat.That coat says David Byrne to me. Where oh, whereI would guess this to be somewhere around the Golfview Area of Dearborn; north of Michigan between Telegraph and Evergreen based on homes like the one below. There are a lot of new ones scattered among others like this; the one in the Ford photo could be long gone. Ford Engineering is across Michigan from this area, too. (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Kenny's Drugs: 1953
... occasional Route 66 reptile zoo and souvenir stand. The night we spent in Phoenix, in whatever the major downtown hotel was called, was ... deprived of such stimuli for three years. Virtually all night, one could stick one's head out the hotel room window and witness what ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/26/2013 - 11:49am -

Phoenix in 1953. "Photographs show teenagers, mostly male, participating in the Maricopa County, Arizona, programs for teenage delinquent drivers. Includes boys working at Juvenile Farm; teens attending Attitude School; policeman with boys and their hot rods; teens driving on Phoenix streets." Photo by Earl Theisen for the Look magazine assignment "How to Tame Teenage Drivers." View full size. Back then, There were no racing slicks available. We just found the largest tires he could get and put them on the rear. The REAL "Happy Days"These were the real "Fonzies" of the era, not the bland happy-go-lucky character Henry Winkler played on TV's "Happy Days". They did not wink when crossed, and those boots were not for walking. Teenage Boys?They look much older than any teenage boys I've ever seen. Not a bad-looking hot rod, though. "Attitude School" -- I think we could benefit from some of that today! Sheriff Joe would have approved of Attitude School.These boys would not look good in pink jumpsuits if they were hauled in for drag racing TiresInteresting tread pattern on the rear wheels of that Deuce. The fronts looks fairly smooth. I wonder how it drove; and where it might be now, 60 years later. I hope Theisen had another shot of these three. Motel CityBased on the number of motel signs, I am guessing that this is either Van Buren Street or Grand Avenue. Both gateways to a city that was based on the automobile back in the 1950s. Personalized Weapon?The cop's police .38 has an interesting grip, looks like imitation horn. A bit flashy for police armory issue. Most of those guns came with a polished wooden grip. No more cruising stripsThis appears to be a popular street on which to see and be seen, rev up the gas and peel out, very much like the scenes from "American Graffiti" and since I was a pre-teen, there used to be one in every state in which I have lived or visited until about 20 years ago. They have mostly been restricted now by local police and new laws to keep kids and their souped-up hotrods away and keep them from being an annoyance and hindrance to emergency vehicles and drive through restaurants but they were fun (for young people) while they lasted. We made many enduring friendships and never-to-be forgotten memories by just meeting and greeting from our cars or parked side by side as we waited for the carhops to deliver our sodas. These kids who allegedly need an attitude adjustment look tame and respectful to me compared to the armed gangbangers accosting each other these days. I'm grateful to have lived my youth during the best decades of the 20th century. Flathead Ford V8Was the likely engine in this car. I graduated in 1952 and many of us in that class had experience in tearing them down and rebuilding them. urcunina is correct.The engine in the roadster is a flathead Ford or Merc V8. You can see the coolant hose for the left bank of cylinders routed from the top of the engine down in front to the left water pump. This completely eliminates the radiator and was only done on race cars set up for the 1/4 mile drags. This car would not be driven on the street. The flathead V8s were notorious for overheating, even with proper cooling systems, and would not last more than a few blocks of street driving set up this way. You can see in the pic that there is no grille/radiator in front of the engine. This photo was probably staged for the camera. Pistol strap is wrongThe strap should be over the hammer of the pistol. As it is there is nothing to prevent it from falling or being taken out. Missing that final touchA pack of Luckies rolled up in the shirtsleeve. CruisingMy parents and I lived in Paraguay from 1957 to 1960, and upon our return stateside, drove from New York to Monterey, California, stopping along the way to visit relatives, friends, and the occasional Route 66 reptile zoo and souvenir stand. The night we spent in Phoenix, in whatever the major downtown hotel was called, was an interesting one, especially for a teenage gearhead who'd been deprived of such stimuli for three years. Virtually all night, one could stick one's head out the hotel room window and witness what seemed an endless stream of street rods, custom jobs, and even family sedans parading down the main drag at a stately pace. I guess it was for the benefit of the tourists, because apparently every local resident was driving, not spectating. Unfortunately, my pleas to be allowed to take our steel grey Imperial and join in the spectacle fell on deaf parental ears. Rear TiresThose rear tires look like dirt track tires to me which were popular on the old jalopies of the day. I Sure wish we could get a front view of the car. Cruising CentralThe cruising street of choice until a decade or so ago was Central Avenue from downtown northward. This photo doesn't look like Central as most of the motels back then were along the main highways: Grand Avenue and Van Buren. The officer is wearing the uniform of what is now called Department of Public Safety but was then called Arizona Highway Patrol. They don't normally patrol city streets so I'm guessing this is on the edge of town but would have been on a state or national highway. It is a good thing that rod and its flat head V8 didn't make much horsepower as that Model A spoked wheel was not that strong. And that rear tire looks much more suited to dirt or clay than pavement. I found an obit of someone who had worked at "Kenny's Drugs" but it did not give the location. Love that sidearmMost likely a S&W .38 police special with stag grips. Would love to have that now. What a classic. Sand DragsWith those rear tires, and the other racing-inspired bits, it might be am early sand dragster. What's on tap?What I'd like to know is which beer company is represented on the sign at the top right. I thought it might be A-1, an Arizona regional of the time, but could not confirm any of their signs had that look. Thoughts? There's hot and then there's HOTHaving cooked, I mean lived, in Phoenix for a year, I can guarantee it isn't summer in this photo. Wouldn't be leaning on the car. I had metal door handles and learned the hard way that when parked outside for more than an hour or two, use a potholder to open the door. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, LOOK)
Five-Milers: 1914
... Kyra and Caitlin. Old Spike Milligan Gag "Last night, I went to a French restaurant. The lady at the next table had frog's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2012 - 5:02pm -

New York, July 16, 1914. "Martha Hogstedt, Elsie Sultan, Edna Cole. Women's race." The top three finishers (from left, 1-2-3) of the National Women's Life Saving League five-mile swim from Rockaway Inlet to Brighton Beach. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. My Name IsIt's funny how popular names change with the generations. What used to be Martha, Elsie and Edna now becomes Tiffany, Kyra and Caitlin. Old Spike Milligan Gag"Last night, I went to a French restaurant. The lady at the next table had frog's legs... her friend's were even worse!" It's Like I Always SayOur ancestors in the first twenty or thirty years of the 20th century were far less prudish than we have been led to believe they were. And indeed far less prudish than many people are today. But they are wearing them. . .As for not lasting two minutes on an American beach of this time wearing this kind of bathing suit. . . But but - they ARE wearing them! I've seen other pictures of girls wearing this sort of suit in the 1910s. They are especially revealing because they are wet and suits of that era did not have any support of any kind - so what you saw when they were wet was pretty much what the person's figure was. And these girls are fine and look very strong! Mothers of the Greatest GenerationI wonder how many kids these girls would eventually have. Would any of them become Gold Star mothers? No way to know, of course, but questions like that come up when you look into the eyes of these candid, unpretentious subjects. And by the way, a shadow on the wall suggests that someone standing to the photographer's right was wearing a fedora! [That's the photographer. - Dave] 5 Miles?!Wow! Imagine how hard it would be to swim that far wearing a wool bathing suit. They all look to be in fantastic shape. Scandalous!!For this era, it's incredible how revealing their bathing suits are. They wouldn't have lasted two minutes on an American beach of the time before being thrown into the hoosegow for indecent exposure. Unfair AdvantageThe swimmer in the middle appears to have a couple of flotation devices which if Olympic coverage is any indication have long-since been banned from women's competitive swimming. Fit and TrimI wonder how many women competed in the event and how many years the event lasted. They can save my life anytime. Ever seen a wet Speedo?They do not have any undergarment support either, and they are just as revealing as the old wool ones, especially the the light blue colored ones. Why do you think so many young men go out for swimming? Reverence AskewAsymmetry is a defining feature, and perhaps the charm, of the human form. "I Feel Fine" Young Women Who in Swimming Race Covered a Five-Mile Course in Atlantic; The Victory of Little Miss Hagstedt Was a Surprise to Experts in Aquatic Sports Amid mingled exclamations of astonishment and surprise by expert swimmers stationed at the finish, Miss Martha Hagstedt, of Brooklyn, N.Y., won a long, hard 5-mile swim for women in the ocean waters around New York. The race was held under the auspices of the National Women's Life-saving League. The winner's time was 1 h. 32 m. 31 2-5s. Miss Elsie Saltan, finished in 1 h. 33m. 46 3-5s., and Edna Cole was third, in 1 h. 37m 24 1-5s. Ten girls competed. Besides those who won the prizes, there were Mrs. Lillian Howard, Miss Lillie Bartildes, Miss Rita Greenfield, Miss Clarabelle Barrett, Miss Ethel Strauss, Miss Sophie Freitag, and Miss Anita Dryer. Of the big field Mrs. Howard and Miss Cole were the favorites with the swimming handicappers, and when Miss Hagstedt, who is much smaller and built on less generous lines, beat them both she gave them a severe shock. When asked how she felt, Miss Hagstedt replied: "I feel fine. I don't feel a bit tired. I feel so good that I could start in another race." Miss Hagstedt, who is 20 years of age, and weighs 125 pounds, had to fight every inch of the distance to secure first prize. Washington Post, Jun 19, 1914 Remarkable Progress Made by Women in All Lines of Outdoor Sports Since Grandma Sat Around and Knitted The recent remarkable exhibitions of swimming and diving by young women contestants at the New York sportsmen's show, held in Madison Square Garden, directs renewed attention to the increasing efficiency of women athletes in all branches of outdoor sports. Here was indeed a significant spectacle — a score of fine, modest, well-bred girls — carrying off swimming and diving honors before mixed audiences of tens of thousands during the week from January 2 to January 9, and doing it with as much confidence and absence of embarrassment as if they were so many professionals of the sterner sex. ... Although amateur athletes, these girls are so proficient in swimming and diving, and all water sports, that they actually vie in records with the best professionals, like Annette Kellerman, who offered the diving trophy. It does not shock them at all that their photographs and names are frequently printed in the newspapers in connection with their athletic triumphs. Such names as Elsie Hanneman, winner of the world's woman's fancy diving championship; Nellie Greenhall, who though barely 16 years old, swims 100 yards in 1 minute 5 ½ seconds; Miss M. Simpson, Miss Edna Cole, Miss Millie Bartildes, and among scores of others, the Misses Josephine Bartlett, Lucy Freeman, Rita Greenfield, Mary Nerich, Martha Hogstedt and Elsie Sutton. At their age grandmamma, tenderly shielded from any contact with the outside world, was doing her "tatting." Her athletic pretentions were limited to a ladylike game of croquet on the home lawn, well screened from the public. If grandmamma is amazed at the change that has come over girls in the last 40 years, what amazes her most, probably, is that the higher the social scale the more addicted are its girls to strenuous outdoor sports. Grandmamma might expect that sort of thing in the case of "hoydens of the working classes," show hard-working parents have no time in which to "properly bring them up," but not in the case of the daughters of parents possessing wealth and inherited refinement. ... Washington Post, Jan 17, 1915 "Built on less generous lines"What a great turn of phrase. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports, Swimming)
Luna Park: 1905
... Noting all the decorative lights makes me want a night view version of this as well. I can only imagine! Counting lightbulbs ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/13/2022 - 8:49pm -

Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Whirl of the Wind, Luna Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Meet me in DéjàvulandBravo Dave, for the lovely pairing of this photo with tterrace's latest post. And, down in the lower left corner, isn't that little Tootie Smith and her older sisters, visiting all the way from St. Louis? Little Debbie is there!Maybe she has the Cake and Cookie concession. Safety First!That ride looks perfectly safe to me! Later That EveningNoting all the decorative lights makes me want a night view version of this as well. I can only imagine! Counting lightbulbsI started counting the lightbulbs in this photo but gave up when my vision went blurry and a migraine set in. Then I found some info on the internet that said, "By 1907, Luna Park was illuminated by 1,300,000 incandescent bulbs at a cost of $5,600 a week." It must have kept a squad of workers busy just replacing the burned out bulbs! Not like the amusement parks we knowI still can't get over how well some people dressed in those days. I have to imagine that Luna Park attracted a more well to do customer and that the price of admission may have been the reason. American GothicHow does that thing even work? It's very Edward Gorey. It was bound to happen.Combining the wood used to build the park, the number of light bulbs, and the period electrical wiring of the times, it's no wonder it burned. I'm just surprised it lasted until 1944 before it did so. Though, I would have loved to have experienced the park in its heyday. Well-to-doConey Island before the subway opened was a destination of the middle class and up, hence the fashion. I learned this just today from the Bowery Boys' posts (with podcasts) on Coney Island history. (Post 1, Post 2). Just an ImpressionPhotos like these make that period seem impossibly elegant. Pocket full of quartersThe name Luna Park was here used for the first time. It went on to be used in several other fairgrounds all over the world, and eventually became (at least in Europe) a generic name for fairground attractions, or part of them. During my childhood ('70s and '80s), where I lived in Belgium, we had a winter fair that came to our town every year. One part of it was a covered affair that presented to us youngsters the latest in arcade video games. It was called ... Luna Park. Nobody knew where that name came from, or what it stood for. And at the time, the name "Luna Park" even became a generic name for an arcade video game place. The arcade video games died out in the '90s, but even now, slip the name "Luna Park" to any guy from my generation, and they'll turn into a boy again, eyes gleaming, and pockets full of quarters (or their equivalent). Not GothicFYI, like another comment I made today, this is not Gothic. The arches are not pointed, and the building has not vaulting except some barrel vaulting. This is Romanesque, not Gothic. It does, though show some influence of Byzantine and Eastern culture [very popular in that period] much like structures in resort areas from the same period in Brighton and Eastbourne on the south coast of England, on which it was likely based. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
The Lumberjack Song: 1918
... a Lumberjack I'm a Lumberjack, I'm OK. I sleep all night and I work all day ... Army Lumberjacks This was indeed a logging ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/21/2009 - 3:36am -

April 17, 1918. Army Signal Corps music-makers in a logging camp bunkhouse at Hoquiam, Washington. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Starting in 1917 the Army sent 10,000 soldiers to Oregon and Washington logging camps to cut timber as part of an effort to harvest 10 million board-feet of spruce a month for aircraft construction. Something missing?I see a ukulele. And I see an accordion. But ... no banjo?? I wanted to be a lumberjackThat's not a ukulele- it hasThat's not a ukulele- it has 8 strings. 8 stringsIt is a tenor ukulele, that's why it has 8 strings I'm a LumberjackI'm a Lumberjack, I'm OK. I sleep all night and I work all day ... Army LumberjacksThis was indeed a logging camp. In 1917 the Army Signal Corps established a "spruce-speeding bureau" that sent 10,000 men to the lumber camps of Oregon and Washington, cutting timber in an effort to harvest 10 million board-feet of spruce a month for aircraft construction. Yes, this is a ukulele, someYes, this is a ukulele, some have "double" strings, like a twelve string guitar this is a ukuleleyes, this a 8 strings uke, like some guitars have twelve That is logging camp housingThe boots under the bunk are genuine calk boots (otherwise referred to as "cork boots". A common accessory of a feller (I'll always say faller). The pants and suspenders hanging above the stove would have been "tin pants". Heavy canvas that was somewhat waterproofed. On cleanliness... this actually looks pretty clean, I've seen photos of much worse. Not A Logging CampThis is not a logging camp, these guys are soldiers in a log barracks in an Army camp. They're wearing army uniforms or parts thereof and are are too neatly groomed to be any lumberjacks I've ever known. The clincher is the US Army Signal Corps emblem in the LH corner, this was an official picture. [It was indeed a logging camp. - Dave] Guy on bunk showing his stripesLook at the full view and the Sgt's stripes of the guy reading on the bunk are clearly visible, as is his cover sitting on a shelf just behind him. Logging SoldiersI could believe the "logging camp" caption. During WW1 the Army used soldiers to log spruce forests along the Oregon coast for logs and poles. Maybe these guys were doing the same in Hoquiam, Wa. Maybe? Maybe not. Logging campIf this was an actual military barracks these guys would be doing pushups till sunrise for being such slobs! It looks more like a frathouse dorm. Tenor ukuleleA tenor uke can have 8 strings, you hold down 2 strings at a time. it's basically 4 stringed, except that each 2 strings are tuned the same and are held together. (it makes the uke have a louder sound) The stringed instrumentis a mandolinetto, tuned and played like a mandolin but with a figure-8 guitar/ukulele shape. (The Gallery, Curiosities, G.G. Bain, Mining, Music)
Dover Books: 1945
... saved us was that the movie version was shown on "Saturday Night at the Movies" the week before the quiz. Afterword Nice looking ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 1:57pm -

March 23, 1945. "Dover Book Shop, 2672 Broadway, New York." Among the offerings: "Dr. Quizzler's Mind Teasers." Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. Is that Nancy Drew?Dave, is there any way you can post a close up of the shelves on the back wall? I think those just might be Nancy Drew (and probably other popular series) books in their original editions. The spines and cover art certainly look right from this distance. Nancy first appeared in 1930 and there were 22 titles by 1945. [It's the Hardy Boys ("The Melted Coins") and "Heidi's Children." - Dave] Shoplifters will be ...The gnome above the cash register sees all. Ka-chingWhat a beautiful cash register! Perpetual favorite"The Yearling" was first published in 1938 but didn't hit its peak of popularity until 1947 when the movie version was released. We had to read this book when I was in 5th grade in the 1960s. It's pretty good but what really saved us was that the movie version was shown on "Saturday Night at the Movies" the week before the quiz. AfterwordNice looking store. Makes me just want to step in and browse. Of course I'd be done in five minutes, but still. "At Ease"Was first published in 1943 by Whittlesey House, an imprint of McGraw-Hill, and featured reprints of games and quizzes originally printed in military service news outlets. (I know this because I just found it in my vast uncatalogued library.) Recent SalesThe last sale rung up on the cash register is 61 cents. I might have been a greeting card that sold for 59 cents plus the 2 percent sales tax, rounded up to the next figure or perhaps an unsophisticated 60 cents and they forgave the fraction above 61. 2672 B'way todayView Larger Map HeavenlyI could spend all day in this little bookshop, but then again, I'm a librarian. How primitiveThere's no espresso bar! I would have loved to browse this shopeven though I was only seven years old when this picture was taken. My love of reading and of books themselves was already well developed. I fear that the death of "real" books is not too distant. One gets the same information from an E-book, a Kindle, or a computer screen, but not the same experience. A future book store will lack the old ambiance, especially the wonderful smell of books. That joy was really present in the un-airconditioned public libraries of my youth. In the Summer, when I had the freedom to hang out at the library, the smell of old paper and old bindings was one of the best parts of the visit! Plowman's FollyThat the title, Plowman's Folly, a treatise on the practice of plowing and soil augmentation, is displayed prominently on an store endcap on Broadway in NYC surprises me. Even though the shift from an agrarian culture to a manufacturing economy was well underway in 1945, accelerated by the WWII needs and in post-War years, there must have been significant interest in farming practices for that book to be stocked in that location. "At Ease" againHoly cow I have that book. I bought it at a used book sale about 15 years ago. Pretty neat brain teasers and quizzes that were from Yank magazine. On Amazon.comMany of Dover Books' offerings are now available at Amazon.com even though they are out of print: Yankee Stranger by Elswyth Thane
Unlimited Texting: 1919
... as if a parade of horses had been through during the night. Since the Piazza is surrounded by canals and not easily accessible to ... had transported a load of manure from the mainland the night before with the help of a gondolier and deposited small piles of it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 4:21pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1919. "Underwood Typewriter Co." An interior view of the Underwood office on New York Avenue whose exterior we saw in the previous post. Really, who needs distracting windows when we have this marvelous artificial lighting? Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Idle handsNo computers or Internet! What the hell did you do all day? Awaiting InstructionsThe young man sitting on the chair was probably "the office boy" the title of the messenger/gofer awaiting instructions from the stern man at his right. I wonder if the job of "office boy" exists in our politically correct business lives. It was a good way to start a career in those days. I don't know what the minimum age was for employment in then. It looks like this guy is about 14 or 15 years old. The Mole PeopleOnce the camera's flash is eliminated this had to be a dark room to work in even if it had windows in the front of the building. The guy in the middle of the room looks like the power-tripping office jerk. I can smell it...Dustbane...you can just smell it...every Monday morning...!!! Low Light Levels??No problem; miner's lamps for evryone! Direct Task Lighting. re: Idle HandsI guess they had to play solitaire with actual cards... I really wantThat water cooler in the corner--I had no idea they had those then. I wonder what sort of contextually-applicable current-event related office-safe jokes they told around it? Or did they stand around it at all? [If it's a cooler, how would it cool -- ice in the base? - Dave] That's my staplerNobody has any personal belongings or doodads on their desk. April Fools 1919 Water Cooler LaughsOn April 1, 1919 Venetians awoke to find piles of horse manure deposited throughout the Piazza San Marco, as if a parade of horses had been through during the night. Since the Piazza is surrounded by canals and not easily accessible to horses, this was extremely unusual. An infamous British prankster honeymooning in Venice had transported a load of manure from the mainland the night before with the help of a gondolier and deposited small piles of it throughout the Piazza. (From the Tampa Tribune, March 26, 2009) The lengths some folks will go... I wonder if the Underwood office folks got a laugh out of that while standing around that cool cooler. Re: Idle handsThey drank heavily - that's what the hell they did all day. See those bottles under the card files on the right? And the guy in the middle? Think De Niro in Taxi Driver, about ready to take out the entire office staff. Typewriter standsI really like the cast iron typewriter stands that swing from the end of the desks Nice furnitureLots of nice quarter-sawn oak furniture there. Office party anyone?The woman with her arm on the typewriter and the wry smile, must be the only one aware that the party supplies have arrived. (on the floor, to her left) Re: Water coolerForget the water, what's in the bottles below that card file to the right? [Ink. - Dave] Broad Rock"Broad Rock Virginia" (on the cooler) is an area on the southern side of Richmond. Years ago it used to be its own little area, but for the last 50 years or so it has been part of Richmond city. It is near the James River, so possibly they bottled water from the river and sold it. It would be a pretty decent hike to bring refills to Washington. I wonder if Underwood "purloined" the stand from somewhere else and used local bottled water. [Broad Rock did business in Washington from 1431 L Street. - Dave] ComptometryUnderwood Typewriters, Otis Elevators -- who doesn't recognize these icons. I learned to type on an Underwood. And I learned in Business College I was not a typist. What has caught my eye is the machine on the desk of the lady facing the camera on the left. I am fairly certain that is a Comptometer. This machine made me crazy. The fingers of both hands were placed on the keyboard. Somehow by pushing all the keys it did something. That something escapes me. Perhaps someone can enlighten us on the function of the machine. ComptometerI think that its just an old fashioned adding machine sitting beside the typewriter- it looks too small to be a Comptometer. No PaperworkThere sure doesn't seem to be an abundance of unfiled paperwork laying lying around. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, The Office)
Dream Kitchen: 1942
... O. Darby. Four or five of us were assigned to the "night laundry detail" which we thought would be a horrible fate. Not so - our ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/25/2013 - 1:28pm -

May 1942. "Greenbelt, Maryland, federal housing project. Mrs. Leslie Atkins preparing dinner in her kitchen, one end of which is the dining room. Notice the mangle and washing machine on either side of the stove." Medium format negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. Prominent plumbingI'm surprised that a new-build at this time has a toilet flange and bathtub drain trap hanging under the ceiling. That is more like a house built before indoor plumbing and having it added. [The ceilings are concrete slabs. - Dave] Oh, that changes everything - no room. Thanks for the clarification Dave. MangleEven before I read the caption I was excitedly thinking, WOW, an ironer! Our family never called it by the proper name of mangle. My mother got one of these things shortly after her marriage in the late '40s and used it up until the advent of permanent press in the late '60s. I never lost the fascination of watching her sit in the ergonomic chair and feed clothes into the roller. She had use of the thing down to a science and could iron a man's dress shirt just like a laundry. It was really heavy and took up a lot of room and was a pain every time the family moved. This is what it looked like opened up. My grandmother had one of her own. They were still fairly common when I was a kid. The ironer is long gone, but my 89-year-old mother still has the cool little chair. Drinkware from the futureThose beverage glasses with their rounded, tinted bottoms look like something easily found today in many housewares shops/departments. I never would have imagined that they were available back then. Mangle, the NounFor the young'uns who might not have seen one before, a mangle was an electric ironing machine. My mother always claimed it was called that for what it'd do to your shirts or to an inattentive operator's fingers. The front and top lifted up and the sides folded down to make a table. Inside was a padded cylinder and a heating shoe. You'd sit in front of the machine and carefully feed damp clothes into the beast. Sheets, pillow cases and towels were a cinch, but only a magician could do a decent job on a dress shirt. Before this invention, the term "mangle" was applied to those crank wringers on old washing machines, which could also mangle your fingers. Kids' tableI love the little kids' table with two chairs behind the dining table. It looks freshly painted. In fact, it looks brand-new. Want list:Just about everything in this pic except the wrinkly skirt. In fact, we'll take the whole house per megmodern's comment pic. Hall pitcherThat's a Hall pitcher sitting on the mangle, a collectible today. My mother had a mangle, and I'm wondering if maybe she didn't call it an ironer too. It was used for sheets, and diapers when my sister was a baby. Washday FlexibilityThose old wringer/tub washers were usually on wheels which meant they could be moved to a more convenient location on wash day. My grandmother used to roll hers out to the big front porch so if water spilled it wouldn't be on her neatly dusted floors. She filled the washer from the garden hose and drained it into the yard. The real soap (not detergent) in those days made for fun with bubbles. It was that washer that I caught my arm in the wringer and had it wrung dry. I was only 4 years old but I remember as if it were yesterday. More on Greenbelt, MarylandThis photo is one of many that are invaluable to us at the Greenbelt Museum. There's so much detail in it, from the canister set to the tablecloth, not to mention the mangle! We have a mangle on display at the historic house we operate, which was one of the original housing units built in Greenbelt in 1937 as part of the Resettlement Administration's experimental green towns program. If you're interested in learning more, come visit our website www.greenbeltmuseum.org. LessonsJudging by her skirt, she hasn't figured out the mangler and doesn't own an iron. [Is that not seersucker? -tterrace] Paper towelsI didn't know paper towels were around in 1942. I'd thought of them as more of a 1950s invention. Shows how much I know. [Paper towels go back to around the turn of the century. And, here on Shorpy, to 1920. -Dave] Dysfunctional?The layout of this kitchen is terrible. Must've been difficult to do the laundry and to prepare and eat meals there. Today Greenbelt is an interesting place to spend time in. The visitors center is in one these dwellings, many of which are accessed by paths rather than directly by roads. Other planned communities in the DC area are Washington Grove, a former Methodist camp meeting, and the newer Reston and Columbia. Plumbing situationNothing like having a sewage trap directly above your stove! It's most likely a sink and not the Loo but still... Ick! Not SeersuckerYou can tell by looking at the waistband; seersucker has rows of little tiny puckers, usually but not always on a striped background. You would still be able to see the puckers even if the fabric was pulled tight, as in the waistband. Looks more like some kind of chintz. Still, ironing it would not be an easy task with all those pleats. Mangle the IronerWe had a 1950 Sears Kenmore Ironer. At least, that's what the instruction book, which told how to do a shirt, called it. Broomstick Skirt, Not SeersuckerMrs. Atkins owns an iron, because her blouse is neatly ironed. She has dried her skirt in such a way as to make it into a broomstick skirt--a full skirt that is pleated by hand while damp, wrung like a washcloth, and then, while still wrung, coiled back on itself (sometimes around a broomstick) before being left to dry. Broomstick skirts are still popular for their lovely swing--in thin fabrics that hold a crease, such as cotton, silk, and rayon. The pleats are supposed to turn out somewhat irregular but fine, and it's not easy to avoid having some large areas of the skirt turn out with much coarser pleats. Mrs. Atkins has done a good job of keeping them even. Proctor Silex coffeemakerOn the counter behind Mrs. Atkins, you can see near the canister set an all glass P.S. coffeepot, one of which my mom had, that made the very best aromatic coffee ever, but were very fragile. They now sell them on ebay. Magnus mangleBack in 1965, the US Army shipped me (and several hundred other GIs) to Germany on board the USNS General William O. Darby. Four or five of us were assigned to the "night laundry detail" which we thought would be a horrible fate. Not so - our principal task was to assist the merchant mariner who ran the laundry by feeding bedsheets, pillow cases, etc., into mangles about six feet or so wide - not such a bad job, and we got to share the superior crew mess vs. troop mess. Coffee potWhy is there another glass pot on top of the glass coffee pot? [It's a vacuum coffee maker. -tterrace] IronriteWe always called our mother's machine by its brand name - Ironrite. She, too, could easily do a shirt in swift operation. The kids' job was to do the handkerchiefs, napkins and tablecloths. It hung around the house from the early 50s until we sold the home after their passing. It was still functioning, although a bit worse for wear as to scratches and a bit of rust. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Marjory Collins)
Family Dinner: 1952
... have their best meal of the week). The other six week-night suppers were mostly home-made soup and bread, every kind of soup ... I'm trying to figure out what they were eating that night. I can distinguish the green beans and bread and the consensus on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/29/2015 - 10:31am -

1952. "Photo for U.S. Information Agency propaganda poster titled 'I Choose to Be a Miner,' distributed in Asia; poster includes photographs of coal miner Walter Ward and family in David, Kentucky." Gelatin silver print. View full size. The most used utensilin my grandma's kitchen was the soup ladle hanging above the stove. Having come from a Pennsylvania coal miner grandfather, my 'take' on this picture is that it was staged, posed and fully planned in advance (unless this was on a Sunday when they would have their best meal of the week). The other six week-night suppers were mostly home-made soup and bread, every kind of soup imaginable, more than Campbells could ever come up with. Having a large family, my mom said there was nothing else that could satisfy seven or eight hungry, hard-working people as a filling, hot and inexpensive meal like soup and fresh bread & butter. She was a master soup cook too, taught by her mother, and I was pretty much raised on soup, some heartier than others, but never disappointing. It can be time-consuming to prepare but I've never felt deprived and it really stretches your meat to feed any number of people. (If someone got a big chunk of chicken or beef in their soup, or too many clams in their clam chowder, we used to say "the string must have broke"). ... and look! Cake!I do love this photo. It's all shiny and full of bounty. Once you look closely you'll see the financial constraints this family must have faced. I'm left to wonder if she normally served cake at dinner. Need a new washer on that faucet?If they're under financial constraints, they could help their water bill by either a) turning the faucet off, or b) putting a new washer in it. MixerIt looks like a '40s Kitchen Aid stand mixer. [Looks like a Sumbeam Mixmaster to me. -tterrace] It still works...I bought this Sunbeam Mixmaster for $25 on a trip to Tacoma, Washington, over 20 years ago. So 1950sThe Mixmaster, the teapot from the Jewel Tea Company, the General Electric range, and all the gleaming surfaces that wipe clean with a damp sponge. Why can't I have a kitchen like that? Miners at tableNo miners I grew up with ever lived that well, dressed that well nor ate that well. With all the fresh haircuts, clothes, appliances, etc, this was nothing but a stage production. Folks my age will recognize it as such. [The worn-out stool for a chair and the T-shirt with holes are probably props, too. - Dave] I'll Second ThatIt looks like the second-hand one in my kitchen--a Sunbeam Mixmaster, which gets frequent use and works perfectly 60+ years on. I bought it minus beaters and must have bought about 50 pairs of beaters before I found the right ones. I have a drawer-full. Maybe they fit tterrace's "Sumbeam". Miners' HousesThe Wards' house (at right, with the tree), and their neighbors. Click to enlarge. MixmasterMy mom had one of those. It was an ergonomic beauty: you operated the speeds by rotating the black dome-shaped knob at the far end, and you released the beaters by swiveling the black handle 90 degrees. Ah, and the glass bowls. Seeing that Sunbeam in use on the kitchen counter meant something aromatic and yummy was on the way. P.S. A place named David! I’m okay with that. Which?OK everyone, would you like dessert first or these lovely string beans? Just as I RememberA typical middle class family dinner, as I remember it, from the early 50's, although: Cake wasn't a normal feature and the kids always had milk (Starlac as I remember and it was terrible) instead of water. Older sis looks a bit peeved at the main course (it was always someone's least favorite). Dinner was always in the dining room. Breakfast was always in the kitchen. Mom was always in a dress but no high heels. Another vote for the MixmasterThat Mixmaster brings back some pleasant childhood memories for me. My mother had one very similar to the one in the image. I was about the same age range as the boys in the photo in 1952 and I always lobbied to lick the bowl and the beaters after the cake was finished. they even had a swimming pool...Put in circa 1949...whoda thunk? A Not-Christmas StoryAm I the only one who looks at this kitchen and sees the "eat like a pig, Ralphie" scene from A Christmas Story in the making? (Of course I also have one of those Sunbeam mixers, and so does my mother. They are/were indestructible). Jelly GlassesLove those bird themed water glasses on the table. I have the same glasses my Dad used as a kid. They came from the grocery with jam or jelly in them and then you used the glass later. Running WaterThe faucet water flow may be intentional, if the supply is by gravity through an uninsulated pipe from a mountain side spring. Otherwise, it could be too hot in Summer, and frozen solid in Winter. I recognize the sink/counter!Unfortunately, it's because I see it every day in the kitchen of the house I rent. I love the style, but those cupboards are mighty small. Youngstown KitchensThe logo in front of the sink is from Youngstown Kitchens. Yup, I grew up with them. Here's what I see….Mother's Swiss-dot curtains are torn on the left panel; her drain rack for her dishes is in its place by the drainboard. She normally uses her table for her counter space, but since the table is set for dinner, she's using her sink drainboard for her Sunbeam Mixmaster which whipped up the frosting. Ah, yes, that tiny black spray nozzle on the sink. Is that grated cheese in the cheese shaker or do they use a lot of salt? The younger daughter has her eyes on the boiled frosting cake, as would be mine as well. Father and the boy are eying the fried chicken. Deviled eggs on a side plate with lettuce? There are sweater 'pills' on the older daughter's sweater, at the farthest point West. Nice white bread, hard to find nowadays with all the nutritious breads forced on us in our stores. Father's hair is combed in a 'combover' on his bald spot. Bet any money that Mother's wrist watch is a Bulova. Mother ironed and 'starched' the tablecloth, so it must be Sunday. Father's shirt is ironed, older daughter's sweater is ironed, younger daughter's dress is ironed, younger son's t-shirt is ripped with holes. The plant at the window is a 'Wandering Jew.' The tin pots and pans are surely much lighter to lift than my All-Clad set today. All in all, the scene resembled by own childhood in 1952, right down to the floral design on the linoleum on the floor. MenuI'm trying to figure out what they were eating that night. I can distinguish the green beans and bread and the consensus on the lumpy main course is that it's fried chicken. I'm curious what's in the bowl underneath the chicken. Potatoes? The side plates look like they have salad on them and that's maybe pickles next to the bread? I have to assume the cake on the table was for the benefit of the photo. No mother then or now would put dessert out first! I also have to wonder if the ice in the water was there to indicate prosperity, along with the mixer and the frig. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Mining)
RCA: 1933
... for a View This picture, and especially the previous night shot, when viewed full size, benefit greatly from the drama of slowly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 6:33pm -

September 1, 1933. "Rockefeller Center, New York City. RCA Building, general view from the old Union Club." Our second look at 30 Rock in the past few days. 5x7 inch safety negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Wow.Dubai eat your heart out. Angling for a ViewThis picture, and especially the previous night shot, when viewed full size, benefit greatly from the drama of slowly scrolling up from the foot to the pinnacle. The nighttime picture takes you from somber darkness at street level, past endless tiers of lighted windows and cornices, to a mysteriously luminous overcast, somehow condensing the emanations of light from the city below. Oddly, the daylight image loses a bit of focus top and bottom, making the construction lot look like model toys in a sandbox. "When we were Jung, and easily Freudened"I refuse to mention the word "phallic" here. No, I won't, I won't! "There was a wall of course in erection." I didn't say that I wouldn't quote James Joyce (twice). In spite of the imposing verticality here, the real beauty of Rockefeller Center is in its multitude of lavish Art Deco details. The complex both visually overwhelms and seduces the viewer-visitor at the same time, which is a very difficult thing to pull off. It remains, at least to my mind, the most harmonious large group of buildings in the United States (contrast, for example, San Francisco's clunky Embarcadero Center). Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to create something just as stylistically integrated on this scale, but for various reasons, he never could. There's a definite "Wow!" factor here, but it's entirely appropriate to the United States (and especially New York City) in the post-Depression period. That is, a "Can-do" attitude that persisted right through WWII, and saved the free world from the horrors of Fascism. Our grandparents and great-grandparents set quite a high standard for posterity... 21st century clutterMuch harder to get a picture with all of the post 1933 development blocking the view. View Larger Map jacie....Ale wielgachny !I to amerykanesy zrobili? Ciekawe czyimi rekami to zrobione jest? Technical CommentaryWow. How do you get these, Dave?Dave, how are you able to get these hi-res versions from the LOC? All I can find there are the uncompressed tiff files, which aren't nearly this good. It seems like years ago, I was able to download larger files (mainly from the Theodor Horydczak collection, and the HABS/HAER collection). [Click link, click thumbnail, download archival TIFF. - Dave] SplendidGreat to see a photo of this building where the full impact of its Art Deco majesty can be appreciated! The Magic Palace of Radio CityThe broadcasting industry was in its 13th year when it erected this huge building. From 1934, The Magic Palace of Radio City in Modern Mechanix. Seems to Get Lost in Today's NYCThis is one of the most beautiful and I think under appreciated structures in NYC. Nowadays however, it gets lost among the other buildings. I say let's tear down some of those other ones and let the best truly shine like they did before every street became a deep, shadowy asphalt canyon. A good use of rising frontI used to do shots like this, much harder on a digicam (well impossible without a shift lens), but what an example of corrected verticals! The essence of the skyscraper."What is the chief characteristic of the tall office building? ... it is lofty. ... It must be tall, every inch of it tall. ... It must be every inch a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exultation that from bottom to top it is a unit without a single dissenting line." — Louis H. Sullivan. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
A Familiar Facade: 1909
... both images henceforth changed to 1909. Thank you and good night. - Dave] P.O.V. Nice to see a photo of this icon from a slightly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 2:00pm -

August 1909. "The Flat Iron Building, New York." One of Detroit Publishing's favorite subjects, making its eighth appearance here. View full size. Pieter Brueghel the ElderThis photograph evokes a Brueghel painting. Billions of blistering bollardsThey are skinnier than usual, but this is the most bollards I remember seeing in a shot on Shorpy. Here they seem to function as yellow and white lines would today. Trompe l'oeilUntil I clicked "View full size" I thought it was a winter scene with lots of beautiful snow in the foreground. But now I see they're all in summer togs. The street paving seems unnaturally even -- except that part where I guess a giant water wagon came through and made a hard right. A couple of street sweepers with tools unequal to the task seem to be following along. And the hatted horse from Philadelphia has turned up here! Oh say can you seeI count 15 flagpoles in the neighborhood but only five flags, only two of which are the Stars & Stripes. Guess it's not the Fourth of July. I love this building -- even more impressive in person. 97 percent occupancyIt looks like most of the Flatiron is occupied with tenants due to all the awnings that are extended on the sun side. The small buildings to the left and directly behind are still standing and the building in the foreground to the right is there as well according to Google street view. It's interesting to view how city planners allowed for those wide sidewalks during this era. Love the rare automobiles lurking about in this shot. It can't be long before they take over in NY. Beloved iconI stood not far from there not too long ago, riveted in rapt admiration. Thrilling. The Flatiron's grace and mystique is timeless. Better get a move onIt's almost 9:30. Some of those folks are going to be late for work. All that trafficand no honking! Olden ArchesFifth Avenue, to the right of the Flatiron, ends at Eighth Street. There we have a fading glimpse of the Washington Arch and behind that, Washington Square Park. The Arch, dedicated in 1895, is really Greenwich Village's most famous landmark. The park attracts a most varied clientele including NYU students and faculty, chess players, buskers, dogs and their owners, break dancers, soapbox orators, potheads plus their vendors and that's during the daylight hours. WindowsWhy are there so many awnings out of the windows? [Sun hot. No AC. - Dave] One horse townSomeone else pointed out how quickly street scenes went from mostly horses to mostly cars over a short period. Compare this photo with the 1916 photo in Harrisburg. Creepy CordialsThat huge guy at the top left serving the cordials was a little creepy...look at those eyes. I assume he was selling this.... Must be cars around!Or perhaps those are not oil stains on the road? [Shorpy veterans will recognize the isolated dribbles as horse pee. - Dave] I get lost in this imageEvery time I see the Flatiron Building I think about Michael explaining his love and excitement of the Flatiron to Walt. That one building inspired him and changed his life. Like Michael told Walt, "You've gotta see it!" I can get Lost in this image. It is a trip through time. Peculiar vehicleCan anyone explain the reason behind the design of the vehicle in the center foreground? It looks like some sort of bus, designed so that customers are funneled past the driver, perhaps to facilitate payment. [It's the rear end of a double-decker bus. Hence the spiral stairs. - Dave] 1908 or 1912?I don't know which year this photo was taken in, but it was definitely taken about 15 minutes after this photo, which is dated 1912. The awnings and windows in the buildings are in identical positions in both photos, and the same trucks are parked in front of the Hotel Bartholdi. [A good observation. Aside from the clock, people and vehicles (and the big wet street-cleaning path), the two photos are almost identical. Library of Congress gives the year of this image as a qualified "1908(?)"; the other image is part of a nine-part panorama with the date range "1910-1915"; I averaged that out as "circa 1912." Further scrutiny of each of the nine images in the panorama turned up one showing an Order of Acorns banner with the slogan "Give us Home Rule, We will do the rest" flung over Broadway -- a banner mentioned in the August 29, 1909, New York Times. So, dates of both images henceforth changed to 1909. Thank you and good night. - Dave] P.O.V.Nice to see a photo of this icon from a slightly higher perch. I wonder if it swayed like a sailboat in a really strong wind? A Little AstronomyGiven the clock that reads about 9:28, and the direction of shadows, one could estimate the day the photo was taken. Not much has changedWhat I find amazing is that so many of the buildings down both Broadway and Fifth Avenue are still in existence today. I used to work in 141 Fifth Avenue (the domed building behind the Flatiron to the right) StreetcarsWhat is the power source for all those streetcars? -- I don't see any overhead wires. [The power source is underground. Note the slot between the tracks. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Flatiron Building, NYC, Streetcars)
Wish You Were Here: 1921
... than 90% of the women I saw waddling though the mall last night when I was Christmas shopping! Potomac Bathers The tags are claim ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 10:13am -

1921. "Bathing Beach." Taking the waters somewhere along the Potomac River at Washington, D.C. View full size. National Photo Company Collection. Re: Tags and medalsMy guess is that they are claim checks or some similar thing for their street clothes. And while the girls are not exactly fit, I wouldn't consider them plump, by 1921's standards or even today's. I wonder, though, about the girls' ages - they appear to be rather short in stature, and perhaps in their early teens, but their faces look much older. Swimsuit TagsI think they're locker numbers for the lockers they have their clothes stored in. I remember things like this at public pools from when I was a kid. I think... Potomac BathersI don't think they are too plump, but they were most likely never considered especially beautiful girls in any era. They were, however, probably someone's friends and having a good time. The picture just wasn't taken for aesthetic purposes. Tags and medalsWhat are the tags hanging from their necks about? Ditto with those pinned on the girl in the black suit. In my culturally depraved opinion both girls appear to be fairly plump. I guess back then this was evidence of prosperity. SwimmersShould these be in the "pretty girls" set? [They are! - Dave] HairRegardless of whether they are attractive or not, I find their appearance unusual. Not that I'm an expert or anything, but their look is very unusual for what I've seen of the era. Her long hair, in particular, looks very wild and unkept. I find this photo very interesting, these two gals would look just at home in a contemporary picture. FamilyLooks like a Mom on the right -- she has two other tags pinned to her suit, probably two younger kids. Smiling!What I LOVE about Shorpy is the amount of smiling people in these old photographs. It is a joy to know that not everyone stood still in solemnity for the rare photograph--and these women, both clearly adventurous since they ventured to the shore, are such a delight. They smile proudly in bathing suits, hair down, and having been granted the right to cast their first vote the year before. Not PlumpNot plump but definitely beat with the ugly stick. The one on the right has to be the Mother who has unspooled her hair from a bun that she has no doubt worn since the turn of the Century which may have been her last hair cut. Bathng suitsThose suits are made of itchy wool. That the women are smiling at all is a miracle in itself. There are no built-in 'cups' or tummy tuckers to camouflage nature. What you see is what you see. Now, have you seen pics of the men in their itchy wool bathing suits? That's a sight to see, too. No built in cups there, either! Potomac BathersNo one wants to see pictures of women, I guess, unless they are thin/skinny. Of course these women aren't beauty queens, but come on! Every time I see a bathing suit pic on here, someone is commenting that the girls look fat (or plump, which is more PC I guess). Then someone says something about modern/not modern cultural standards, blah blah, ad nauseam. Why can't we look at a picture of women without commenting on their weight? This is why every woman over 125 pounds feels like crap. As for the photo - I think the girls look like they're having a great time. They look happy. It makes me wish I were at the beach. Of course I'm well over 125 pounds, so I'd have to cover myself with a towel and make sure no one took a picture of me. Mother-Daughter DuoThis is pretty clearly a mother-daughter duo. The lady on the right is a mature (if short) woman between 35 and 45. She is married as evidenced by the honking big ring on her left ring finger. I'd assume she is the mother of the girl on the left and presumably has several other children. The girl on the left is pubescent. She's no more than 12-13 years old. That's baby fat you guys are seeing. The woman on the right is clearly NOT fat. her arms are slim as are her legs. She has an average hip to waist ratio. She's only got what the gods gave her up top also. No artificially enhanced secondaries like lots of women do today. She's wearing a shapeless wool bathing suit whose purpose was to conceal the womanly curves of the wearer. She appears to have a slight double-chin, but I suspectthat this is due to the excessively wide and somewhat forced smile she is exhibiting. This is what conspires to make her look fat to some modern eyes. In point of fact both of these ladies are skinnier, in better shape and more attractive than 90% of the women I saw waddling though the mall last night when I was Christmas shopping! Potomac BathersThe tags are claim checks. There probably weren't any lockers just wire baskets you folded your clothes into and handed them to a harried clerk and he gave you that claim check. Heaven forbid if you lost it since the only way you got your clothes back was with that claim check at least that's the way it was at Clifton Park swimming pool in Baltimore around 1948. Hair downI like the fact that this mom has her hair down. It reminds me of the movie "Greed" with Zasu Pitts undoes her very long hair. I suppose ladies were not letting their hair free that much then. I think "Mom," if she really is, looks quite healthy and a very nice lady too. Love this website. Even with the (supposedly) sexist comments. I think most people here a writing creative, informative comments. Thanks Shorpy. Ravel, Montreal, Quebec (The Gallery, D.C., Sports, Swimming)
Ray's Beauty Salon: 1941
... a CVS and, like its predecessor of eight decades, open all night, though not the pharmacy part. I recall this area for its nighttime ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/20/2023 - 11:34am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1941. "Thomas Circle at 14th Street N.W." And yet another Peoples Drug Store. Medium format acetate negative with no photographer credit. View full size. Thomas Circle centerFor these pictures around Thomas Circle, here's the center of the Circle. Statue of George Thomas, a noted general of the Civil War. He was known as the "Rock of Chickamauga", for his defense of the Union position there, and the "Sledge of Nashville" for his victory there. And "Old Pap" to his loyal troops. He refused to take action, even when pressed by Grant, until situation was favorable. When an instructor at West Point, he protected horses from overwork, and was known as "Slow Trot Thomas". After the war Sherman wrote that Thomas' service was "transcendent", a slow and methodical transcendent general. Survival of a sortPeoples is gone, but there's still a drugstore here -- just across 14th Street, with an address on Vermont Avenue. It's a CVS and, like its predecessor of eight decades, open all night, though not the pharmacy part. I recall this area for its nighttime population and activities, with the drugstore as a focus. The trend has been upscale -- however, a May 2022 a shooting led to the "closing" of Thomas Circle and the clearing of its homeless encampment. Reflections of the way life used to beThis photo was linked on the other Thomas Circle photo. Just shows how nice that entire area used to look. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Thomas_Circle_... (The Gallery, D.C., PDS, Stores & Markets)
The Corridor: 1898
... estimated from $500,000 to $1,000,000 was caused last night when the Hotel Victory at Put In Bay burned to the ground. The ... had never seen gaslights and, when they retired for the night, they blew out the flames as they would for a coal oil lamp. Luckily, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 7:42pm -

Put-In Bay, Ohio, circa 1898. "Hotel Victory corridor." A door slammed. The maid screamed. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. The ShiningWelcome to the Overlook Hotel. A beautiful resort hotelin its day. Too bad there are not more of these types of hotels left. TimelessAre you sure this wasn't taken in 1998? It sure looks like it could have been, such fine quality. CharacterThese old hotels had character, which can be summed up in one word: combustible. I imagine feet clunking up the wooden stairs, and creaking across the wooden subfloor which undoubtedly underlies the carpet. The stairway doubles as a chimney, of course, and every room has a transom, which will all be opened during the summer months. The walls are probably wood lath and plaster. Although many hotels boasted of "fireproof construction," the more useful term "fire rating" had not yet been invented. The knob-and-tube wiring would be the least of your worries. As much fun as murder mysteries are, most deaths in these places were far more prosaic. AmenitiesI wonder if the folks checking in at the front desk asked about the availability of Wi-Fi? Maintenance Nightmare Acres of carpet and the electric vacuum cleaner will not be invented for a few more years yet. Plus the huge amount of laundry that had to be done everyday without electric washing machines. It must have taken an army of employees to keep a hotel operating back in the day. Your next step, the Twilight ZoneThe things along the corridor on the right are doors. The things that look just like them on the left are presumably doors too. But if you step into a left door you fall straight into that brightly lit atrium, or whatever it is, that you get to, down that flight of stairs. Uhm, no thanks. I don't want to go there. Erie TinderboxPut-in-Bay was Ohio's Mackinac Island, and the Victory was its Grand Hotel. Advertised as the world's largest summer hotel, it hosted many national conventions (including one in 1901 for fire insurance agents). By August 1919 it was a pile of ashes, burned to the ground in a spectacular fire. DanglersWatch out for low hanging lighting. RealityThanks Lectrogeek68 for reminding all of us of the downside of vintage construction, etc. Makes you appreciate modern building codes for their safety! Now when you can combine classic architecture, high quality craftsmanship, and modern day conveniences and safety, then you really have something! CombustibleOne of the world's largest hotels, the Hotel Victory, opened its 625 rooms to the public in 1892. The four-story hotel featured a thousand-seat dining room. However on August 14, 1919, the giant hotel burned to the ground. Today only parts of the foundations can be seen at the state campground. -- Wikipedia Suddenly a pirate ship ... appeared on the horizon! Dave, is there no corner of pop culture with which you are not familiar? Electric LightsLectrogeek might get a kick out of this old New York hotel sign for guests encountering electric lights for the first time. My mother stole it during a stay at an ancient hotel in the '50s. I never thought to ask her which one. [Wow. Amazing! Props to your mom. - Dave] I wonder who was playing in the piano barI'm betting it was Pat Dailey. He's always playing somewhere near Put in Bay. Hotel CaliforniaYou can check in but you can never leave. But First, A SongWell, since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell. It's down at the end of lonely street at Heartbreak Hotel. The FireThe Mansfield News Ohio -- August 15, 1919 Sandusky, Aug. 15. -- Fifty guests were driven from their rooms, losing all of their belongings and damage estimated from $500,000 to $1,000,000 was caused last night when the Hotel Victory at Put In Bay burned to the ground. The structure, one of the most famous hostelries on the lakes, contained 625 rooms in addition to a large dining room, parlors and ball room. The origin of the flames is unknown, the blaze starting in a cupola and enveloping the entire third floor before persons in the hotel were aware that it was on fire. Word was telephoned to the hotel from outside of the fire. The huge structure burned like tinder and the blaze was visible for miles around the lakes. Crowds gathered at many points to watch the flames shoot high in the sky. The hotel was built in 1891 at a cost of over a million dollars, but has never been a paying proposition. A Chicago company headed by Charles J. Stoops bought the hotel this spring and had refurnished it. They carried some insurance but Ben Mowrey, manager, was not aware of the amount of the insurance. The "Key"The "key" that one was to turn was a surface-mount rotary switch, seen to the left of the stairway. They come up on eBay from time to time, and I own a few. Here is one that I found a couple of years ago, in the basement of a 1917 house in San Antonio. Presumably, it's still there. I didn't remove it. Electric LightsBryharms picture of that notice about electric lights reminded me of a story about Will Rogers that I heard quite some time ago. It seems that he and a friend checked into a hotel that had gaslights. They had never seen gaslights and, when they retired for the night, they blew out the flames as they would for a coal oil lamp. Luckily, they did not gas themselves but were very sick the next morning. We may laugh about the two incidents today but what new technology is just around the corner that we may not understand to begin with? The West WingNot Aaron Sorkin's "West Wing", Edward Gorey's. I fully expect to see a card or three tennis shoes lying on the floor, or a darkly dressed lady in an Edwardian hat on the stairs, or *something* disappearing around the edge of a doorway. That window at the end of the hallreally bothers me! It almost looks as if it's a portal to another dimension, or an alternate universe, or something. Might be a time-travel hole of some sort, who knows -- it could be 2011 on the other side! (The Gallery, DPC)
Sisters Grimm: 1943
... (with the tea kettle) was warmed with heating oil and each night we kids had to take turns filling the oil can. It was filled from a huge ... it worked but the can that was placed at the stove each night was probably about 3 to 4 gallons. We used the oil side of the stove ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/04/2015 - 3:33pm -

May 1943. Buffalo, New York. "Patsy Grimm helping with housework. Their mother, a 26-year-old widow, is a crane operator at Pratt and Letchworth." Photo by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. Identifying old stuffOne question has been answered: That IS a dual-fuel stove. Never heard of that before but it sure looked like it. The other question is: What is the device behind the boy? (light fixture, less bulb is my best guess; water pump?) [Floor lamp minus bulb and shade. -tterrace] Grimm namesAccording to the Library of Congress archives, the names and ages of the girls were Beverly Ann, eleven, Mary, eight, and Patsy Grimm six. There is no indication who the boy was. The kicker was that my uncle worked at Pratt & Letchworth back in the day, and might have known their mother. Dual FuelMy parents bought a Fairmount range in 1946, similar in design as pictured. The left side had kerosene burners, and was used as a space heater since kitchens typically were not tied in to the central heating system. In the 1970's I removed the kerosene unit and converted it to a wood range. I still have it, can't be beat for baking and roasting. Halls BowlIn the Autumn Leaf pattern. Octagon GranulatedYou may think it's sugar but it's laundry detergent. It may also double as dishwashing detergent. Just keep it off your Kellog's Corn Flakes. Who Knew?For those who, like me, may have thought the name of the pattern of that bowl was "Jewel Tea," it wasn't. That's just what your Grandma called it because it came as a premium with Jewel Tea. DUZ DetergentThe open box on the stove is DUZ detergent. Growing up in Ohio in the 40's - 50's that product was always in the kitchen. Wash basinsUp into the eighties, our summer place in Manitoba did not have hot and cold running water or a proper sewage hook-up, so we had to haul buckets from a nearby artesian well for all our water needs and we had to use kettles and metal pails on the stovetop for hot water. Doing the dishes, as in this photo, meant one basin for washing and one for rinsing. When we finally dug our own well and got proper plumbing, it was like entering the modern age. But I actually have fond memories of the basins. There were five kids, and my mom always devised a fair schedule for washing and drying the dishes. Gas and oil maybeWay back in my memory, I remember a two section stove similar to this one. One half was for cooking with a gas oven and gas burners but the other side (with the tea kettle) was warmed with heating oil and each night we kids had to take turns filling the oil can. It was filled from a huge drum of oil that was supplied by a local oil co. that was kept in the cellar (this was in Ct.). The filled can would then be placed upside down in a holder that dispensed the oil, via a coiled spring of some kind (a slow drip I assume), and that side of the stove was always warm enough to simmer pots of soup, stew, sauce, etc. all day or as long as desired and there was always a kettle on for tea, etc. that stayed hot. I was too young at that time to remember exactly how it worked but the can that was placed at the stove each night was probably about 3 to 4 gallons. We used the oil side of the stove only in the winter, not in the summer. One other thought; why is the male in the house always assigned to the garbage detail? The Brother GrimmAlton James Grimm is the boy's name. He is one year younger than his 11-year-old sister Beverly Ann. The age of the mother, Thelma Grimm, is incorrectly stated. She was not 26 years old in 1943, she was 29. This puts her more in line with the ages of her children. Thelma married the 32-year-old Alton R. Grimm right out of high school at age 17 in 1931. In early 1940 Alton R. Grimm was an inmate at the Buffalo State Hospital for the Insane later on that year he was buried in his home town of Cattaraugus, New York. He was 41. [The boy is Peter Grimm. More Grimm photos and information here. - Dave] New one to meI don't think I've ever seen a dual fuel stove like this. I assume the left side range is coal fired in lieu of a water heater. Any Shorpyite know? [The even older Wedgewood gas range we had pre-1955 was this basic configuration, and the left side was a trash burner. -tterrace] That's interesting. Hey tterrace, did that incinerator side heat anything above? [I imagine it was possible, but I don't remember too much about it. I was 8 when it was replaced with the new O'Keefe & Merritt in 1955. -tterrace] What a shamethat kids had to live in a black and white world back then. Dual dutyUp until 12 years ago I cooked on a 1927 cream and green porcelain stove that was gas on one side, cast iron trash burner on the other. It was built for burning paper but we also stoked it up with wood on cold days and it burned beautifully. Great stove, I do miss it. The top had removable metal covers and could be used for cooking. On another note, this woman has humbled me and I don't have any problems today. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Kids, Kitchens etc., Marjory Collins)
The Green Book: 1910
... ever conceived That bonnet I inherited two such night caps. Both are very pretty, really, one made of light pink satin and the ... cap she looks a fright and in disguise must spend the night. She must lie low and out of sight as Phoebe's contract's good and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/21/2011 - 2:04pm -

Circa 1910. "Electric-lighted berth on a deluxe overland limited train." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The Green BookThe Green Book Magazine Total Issues: 151 Began as a standard-size magazine devoted to the theatre, but in its final year or two seems to have turned into a fiction pulp. Issues & Index Sources Jan-1909 – Jun-1912, as The Green Book Album Jul-1912 – Jul-1921, as The Green Book Magazine Picky? Or Lazy?I reckon the bonnet comes off, given a trifle of effort. In '77 or '78 my wife and I rode from Oakland to Orem on the California Zephyr, just for the experience (Utah was as far as we could go and get back to California in time for work on Monday). Berths aren't private enough, but compartments on a moving train, with solid doors and curtains over the windows, are quite conducive to, er, bonnet removal. That bonnetIs probably the best birth control device ever conceived That bonnetI inherited two such night caps. Both are very pretty, really, one made of light pink satin and the other pale blue satin. One has ribbon roses and tiny apples made from silk fabric. The blue one is rather plain, with just white lace trim. They belonged to my husband's grandmother ( https://www.shorpy.com/node/7764 ) and would have been worn into the early 1920s. They may well have been her mother's before they belonged to her. My mother-in-law just had them draped over a lamp on the dresser as decoration. Rail travel was better thenCompare her setting to that of the average modern day Amtrak sleeper car. It seems for everything that has progressed in 100 years, something has regressed. Including the rail travel experience. Little House on the PrairieIsn't that Nellie Oleson? Is she on her honeymoon? Where is Percival? IncognitoWith wig and cap she looks a fright and in disguise must spend the night. She must lie low and out of sight as Phoebe's contract's good and tight when not on the road of Anthracite. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
Sloss City Furnaces: 1906
... all they're worth. Having rehearsed late into the night several times, I have to say that it's easy to believe that Sloss is as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 4:34pm -

Birmingham, Alabama, circa 1906. "Sloss City furnaces." Four years later, our site's namesake, Shorpy Higginbotham, would be working for the Sloss-Sheffield Iron Co. at nearby Bessie Mine, helping to supply coal for the furnaces at this steel mill. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Heavy MetalSloss Furnaces is occasionally used as a concert venue. I saw Rage Against the Machine perform there in the late '90s. No sign of Shorpy's ghost. Ghost of SlossI grew up in Birmingham and went there several times on school tour groups. The guides always pointed out the hidden gravesite of a small dog behind some hedges near one of the side buildings. Apparently the dog was loved by the furnace workers and lived there. I wonder if it's still there! The Pittsburgh of the SouthGrowing up in Texas, I was taught that this was one of Birmingham's nicknames. I never really knew if the people of Birmingham ever referred to their city as such. FascinatingSteam, smoke, water, stacks of ingots, men bending their backs both with work and also hands in pockets as per the older gent standing at the rail carriage. There's a lot going on here all right. Not a day to hang the washing out! Can anyone explain the process going on here? Still thereI took the scenic route back to the airport last summer (in part by "lost by GPS") and it was still there. I did not expect it and was surprised to see the furnace right off the road. Looked it over and U turned to check it out again. Tried to imagine what it was like to see it in production. Wow! Whatta photo! StackedI wonder what's going on in the lower center. Looks like a fair amount of wood stacked up, and possibly being burned in the large shed. They might be making charcoal, but why would they bother if coal was available? [Those are metal ingots. Ore goes in, iron comes out. - Dave] Lazy SusanLove the Southern RR ventilated car, the lazy-susan narrow gauge bridge track, and the link-and-pin couplers on the little engine shoving cars into the plant and the in-house railcars. Very interesting moment in time captured here. A brief [?] explanationThere are a lot of folks who know more about this than I, but I can give you a simple sketch of what's going on. The tower just left of the central shed is the charging stack. Note the elevator running up the left side. This is used to haul the ore, limestone and whatever else is needed to the top. The foreman in charge mixes the ingredients in the correct proportion into the top of the stack. This stuff is heated at high temperature in the blast furnace and when it's all blended and liquefied, the bottom of the stack is opened to allow molten steel to run onto the floor of the large central shed. This molten steel is run down narrow gutters in the floor and turned into molds to cool. These molds full of red hot steel look like little piglets being fed by their mommy. That's where they started calling them "pig iron." Note the small steam locomotive with its rear facing us to the left below the elevator. Both the engine and the cars down there have link and pin couplers that were outlawed for interstate commerce by about 1900, which indicates this engine and cars may belong to the steel company. It appears they are hauling waste, also called slag, away. At the far left edge of the photo is a four wheeled railcar with a large pocket on an elevated track. This looks like a "larry car" which was filled with coal and dumped into a coke oven from the top. The oven was sealed shut and the coal was "baked" to create coke, which burns much hotter than coal, which is needed to make steel. I'd say Mr. Shorpy's coal was turned into coke right here in the steel plant. (A single larry car could run atop any number of ovens, which would be off camera here.) Note in the foreground the narrow gauge plant track on a turntable. This appears to allow the narrow plant track to cross over the wider track at a slight elevation. When the wide tracks are used, the narrow track is turned away as it is here. Worth a visitThis is now one of the most incredible national monuments in our country. The only one I know similar to it is Gas Works Park in Seattle, and you can't actually explore it. You can walk all over Sloss. Just another example of how much incredible potential Birmingham has. Mom and Dad and ShorpyAs I child, I lived about three miles from where Shorpy would've lived, Bessie Mines. I live in West Jefferson. Incredible place. My parents met working on Miller Steam Plant. Iron OnlyOlde Buck basically nailed it. The three ingredients are iron ore, fluxing stone (usually limestone) to draw off impurities, and coke, which adds carbon to the mixture and also burns to superheat the interior. But, blast furnaces only produce iron. As iron contains many impurities, it’s actually a much weaker metal and more susceptible to stress and fracturing. To make steel, the impurities have to be burned off in a separate facility, or "converter." In this era, it could be done in a bessemer converter by blowing air into the molten iron. This started a chemical reaction, igniting manganese, then silicon and finally carbon monoxide; took about 20 minutes to burn it all out. Also coming into their own at this time were open hearth furnaces, basically a regenerative furnace, where scrap and molten iron were mixed to create custom blends of steel. The items in the photo "Stacked" are iron pigs aka "pig iron" – "ingots" are gigantic blocks of partially cooled (just enough so they can be handled) steel that are fed into rolling mills and formed into various shapes such as beams and rail. Ghost AdventuresI watched an episode of Ghost Adventures where they visited Sloss Furnace. This place really caught my attention and some of the stories that went along with it were pretty crazy. The Magic CityI, too, grew up in Birmingham in the late '50s and all of the '60s. We heard about "Pittsburgh of the South" in school, of course. It was printed in them Yankee textbooks from up Nawth. But the C-of-C called Birmingham "The Magic City" while I was growing up. I remember Sloss very, very well, and fondly, too, in a retrospective kind of way. My father worked near Sloss (in a different career field) and we frequently passed Sloss as we travelled over The Viaduct, a raised portion of 1st Avenue North that went right beside Sloss. On some evenings when they would pour out the molten steel huge plumbs of steam would billow forth. These clouds would take on a glow the same bright red-orange color as the molten steel. Traffic would slow briefly along The Viaduct as we would all want to watch the spectacle. There was always an incredible aroma that billowed out along with the steam. It was deep, rich and earthy, somewhere between rotten eggs and burnt coal and wood. When the wind was right, you could smell this aroma even at my parents house in the Roebuck neighborhood, some 8-10 miles from Sloss. I had to move away from Birmingham in 1969 when My father took a new job. I was so glad to hear they have saved Sloss and turned it into a national monument-- and a performance arts center! I was eager to take the tour when I got back there for my first visit in years back in 2004. Attached is a photo I took then of Sloss today. For anyone wishing to explore Sloss online, may I suggest http://www.slossfurnaces.com/ Thanks, Shorpy, for letting me share some memories with you! -DJQ Old FurnacesLooking at the way things are laid out, and given the time frame visible here, these are the OLD Sloss Furnaces. This view of the furnaces changed in 1927 when the furnaces were totally rebuilt with modern equipment. At the time of this photo, these furnaces had only been in operation 1899. This picture was taken around the time the new boilers were installed. Muse of Fire: Shakespeare at Sloss I've enjoyed working with Muse of Fire for the past several spring seasons as we perform Shakespeare under that shed in the center of the Shorpy photo. In the fall we stage select Shakespeare scenes in various spots along the walking trail around the Sloss facilities. There's nothing like having trains running by 100 yards from the stage, blowing their whistles for all they're worth. Having rehearsed late into the night several times, I have to say that it's easy to believe that Sloss is as haunted a place as I've ever been (especially deep in the back near the old brick ovens). Thanks, Dave, for posting this great photo of a cherished landmark in my hometown. I think of Shorpy Higginbotham at every rehearsal and performance, and I wonder if he's watching us and enjoying the show. Sloss Fright FurnaceAround Halloween time, Sloss Furnace is converted into a "haunted house." As you are walked through the place, you are confronted by ghouls, ghosts of angry steel workers, zombies, and psychos. My brother & I went there this past October. (The Gallery, Birmingham, DPC, Factories, Railroads)
Eats: 1975
... most of us can easily relate. In this case, just last night we dined at a restaurant where we had to park in the back like this. ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 10/12/2015 - 7:54pm -

Can it be that a mere 36 years ago it was still a world of neon signs, diners that offered "eats," public telephones and gigantic vinyl-roofed hardtops? It was on Water Street in Petaluma, California. Already those days were numbered. Beasley's, in the c.1850 Wickersham Building, had only 5 years to go before being replaced by a fancy Italian restaurant - at which I enjoyed many a zabaglione, it must be admitted. Water Street, formerly an access alley of tar, asphalt patches and plain old dirt, is now a cobbled promenade, though the now-unused railroad tracks are still there. The rest of the business district is populated by boutiques, wine shops, shabby-chic antique emporia, nail-, hair- and skin-care parlors and lots more upscale restaurants. Somehow it all makes me want to belly up to a counter for a burger and a shake. Car is a Ford LTD, film Kodacolor II, photographer me. View full size. What?Payphones aren't gone. Here in Hawaii, they're all over the place! In fact, I know of five just on my street alone. LTD = Loves To Die (I'm not a Ford fan) Another LTD fan!Ahhh, the memories. We once bought a '72 LTD for a hundred bucks! Yep, you read that right. No, it wasn't a mess. We got it in 1986 and had it for several months until an old lady rear ended me at a stop light and totalled it. It was avocado green--icky color, great car. I got a '71 Tbird with a 429 and four-barrel carb after that. As for the clothing shown? Hellll-o, pimp wear! Tterrace, would you like to go with me for a quick bite to eat at this place? Looks like a lot of fun! Hygienic EatsHere in Indiana, the town of Rossville has a place called Sanitary Lunch, which bears some resemblance to Beasley's. Oh, the Memories.Oh, TTerrace, I just love these pictures of my old stomping grounds. Beasley's used to supply the food to the Petaluma Police jail. Rumor has it that upstairs was the towns red light, er house of ill, er, well, you get the idea. Great pictureI just love these Kodacolor/Kodachrome pictures. Brings back memories I can relate to. The cars are probably fence post now. Keep these pictures coming. Thank you. The loss of payphones and comfort foodI suppose gentrification is better than urban decay, but it is a shame to lose these little places where you could relax and enjoy "comfort foo.d" One thing I do not miss: those huge rust buckets shown in this photo. Compared to the Japanese cars that were overtaking Detroit, these "boats" were a sad reflection on American automotive engineering and manufacturing. "Eats"Beasley's looks both intimidating and intriguing. I'd have to know what kind of "eats" they served before going in, though. I have a feeling they were limited on vegetarian options, although I'd be happy with a grilled cheese and an iced tea. LTD flashbackWhen I was about 10 years old we had a 1970 Ford LTD we had bought from my grandparents. Same car as in the photo -- two-door, white vinyl hardtop, but in a nasty canary yellow color. However, it did have a honkin' Ford 429 engine under the hood and didn't let any grass grow under its tires. And each door weighed about the same as a Smart Car. Unfortunately it only ran best on leaded gas, and when that fuel was done away with, the car never ran quite the same, so off to the used car lot. Thanks tterrace for the automotive memory. Hello, operatorFar more telling of how long ago 36 years really was, than the cars, or the neon, is the vintage Bell "Public Telephone" sign. The Bell System has been gone since 1984. And the pay phone? I still see its credit-card-reading descendants at odd places like international airports, but inside neighborhood eateries or at gas stations--nope. You know that you are really, really old when you can remember the pay phone. 75 LTD My first car was a '75 LTD that was green. I called it the Tank. It was my grandparents' last car, and so had less than 30,000 miles on it when I got it as a senior in high school in 1986. I loved that car. It had a 429 engine that could pass semis on hills. A top speed of around 120 mph. Lots of power. Sometimes I wish I still had it. Oh well! You want 1975?About the 1970s, kids. I was there, and lived to tell about it. There was inflation, and there was Watergate. There was Vietnam. But worst of all, there was ... Polyester. Chest hair. Disco shoes! Beasley's fixturesLast year, a bunch of Beasley's fixtures, including the juke box system, went up for sale. The family had stored them away since closing. Read about it here. Also, I hasten to point out that this was the rear entrance. Haven't come across a picture of the front online yet, but this one already shows up in Google Images. Payphones lost and so forthWhile it is true that Japanese cars eventually put most Detroit iron on the back lot for years, let's keep in mind that the wide open nature of America allowed a family of six to climb into their LTD/Caprice/Roadmaster and GO someplace. Maybe three or four hundreds miles -- easy like -- to see Grandma. Try that in a Datsun Fairlady/Toyopet/Honda 600. Also keep in mind that the Japanese learned a lot about mass auto production from Americans. And now here comes China. Payphones?This may be a dumb comment, but I know I've seen plenty of Bell payphones around where I live - I'm from Canada, so maybe that makes a difference; also I'm only 19, so I don't know if payphones were somehow different back then...? Anyway, cool photo, I also love the "Sanitary Lunch" sign! I'm not that old!Payphones haven't been gone all that long. I clearly remember late '97 to early '98 as the moment when every day laborer who cashed his paycheck at the Money Box suddenly had a prepaid cell phone. Payphones definitely hung on for a few years after that. The blue-and-white Bell sign has certainly been a collector's item for as long as I can remember, though. We had a '70 LTD. Ours was a four-door, butter yellow. We had it until I was about ten. And I think of an "EATS" sign as something you see in a Popeye cartoon. Yeah, I sure do want 1975Hi Dave I was there too and you're right about stagflation (remember that term) and Viet nam. We do seem to have a tendency to block out less wholesome bits when looking at this period through through the rose coloured lens of our nostalgia. But as a teen during that period, i can honestly say that the only complaint i have about the 70's are disco music and the fact that miniskirts were out of style at the time when i really would have appreciated them. TTerrace. Once again, thanks so much. I look at your pictures, close my eyes and I'm there, the heat of the day beading my forehead with perspiration, but with the odd summer breeze providing a most welcome relief. My throat feels oddly constricted. I wonder why lyle Bars- on windows that isDid Petaluma, California circa 1975 really need security bars on the windows? Or is this shot in So Central LA? tterrace's talentI'm not one to fawn excessively over most things, but I never stop being amazed by the humanity of the photos submitted by "t". They all seem to coincide with moments in time with which most of us can easily relate. In this case, just last night we dined at a restaurant where we had to park in the back like this. Three kitchen workers were on their break sitting outside on the back steps in sweaty, sleeveless white t-shirts and aprons, obviously exhausted, drinking cold liquids and smoking, and my mental snapshot of that scenario was very similar to this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the workings of a restaurant. I have no doubt that tterrace is a "natural", a photographer who stirs emotions in most viewers and his pictures will live on as have those of the other greats on this wonderful website. Such a simple yet mind-stirring photo. I think "t" was born to take pictures and to share them. I certainly appreciate them and thank you. The great payphone differencePayphones still exist in many parts of Canada not because people don't have cellphones but because some provinces have laws requiring that the local phone company continue providing them for public safety purposes. And in some provinces the provincial government still owns the local phone company! Pictographic Content"Beasley's Beasley eats public telephone" is the not so hidden message here. Thanks for the postSorry to be late to the party, I just came across this by chance. I am the grandson of the former owner Jack Beasley. Most of my family worked in the restaurant, although before my time (I was born in '84). My mom actually curses losing her childhood to working so much in this place! We chose to get rid of a lot of the things, like the jukebox, since we had no places for it and my mom remarked that it wasn't the "iconic" jukebox of the era since they had upgraded to that one at the restaurant. She mentioned they sorta regret the upgrade. I also remember growing up on our farm property with random signs from the restaurant and other memorabilia. I really appreciate the post and it gave me fond memories of my grandfather. If any of you would like any more information just let me know. Best, Tom I have the original sign!Tom, I stumbled across your picture posting in a search for the Beasley Eats history. I have had the original 2 sided neon sign for a few years now. I live in the Bay area. I was wondering if you or your family was interested in owning the sign again since it is a part of your family history. [Fantastic! -tterrace] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Eateries & Bars, tterrapix)
Hotel Manhattan: 1904
... upon a time from one of them. I love how they glow at night when the building has the lights on below, and better still, they melt ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 3:34pm -

New York circa 1904. "Hotel Manhattan, 42nd Street." Another architectural view with many interesting details being peripheral to the subject at hand. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. A Gold Mine of Peripheral DetailsDave, you have a gift for understatement. Many interesting details, indeed. Another fascinating pic 'o the past. Pictures in a pictureIt's always strangely gratifying whenever photography-related business or references to same pop up, and we've had two in one day: here the "KODAKS" awning next door to the hotel, and earlier the "Camera Supplies" etc. sign on a building by the Dudley Street Station. Also, thanks to Dave for remembering that I'd already waxed rhapsodic with my sidewalk skylight memories, which I was on the verge of doing again. Track curvesIn the immediate foreground, one of the rails of the streetcar tracks at the intersection makes a sharp "s" curve. No other visible rail matches that curve, and I doubt the rail obscured by the passing streetcar follows that curve because it would require an axle far wider than anything I've ever seen. Furthermore, I can't think of anything longer than a handtruck that could navigate that curve. Does anyone have any idea what purpose that curve serves? [That's not a rail -- it's the slot between the tracks giving access to the electrical supply under the street. - Dave] Career ladderHas anybody found the painter? Forty-Second StreetAccording to Emporis the Hotel Manhattan was at East 42nd and Madison. It was converted into an office building in 1922 and unfortunately demolished in 1963. A Precursor of the Plaza ...The Hotel Manhattan was designed by Henry Hardenbergh, architect of the Dakota Apartments and the Plaza Hotel, and built in 1896-1897. It was demolished in 1961. It stood at the northwest corner of 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, just west of Grand Central. To me it resembles Washington's Willard Hotel, which Hardenbergh designed in 1901. Check out the cool entrance kiosks for the brand new (opened 1904) IRT Subway! Let there be lightNotice the glass sidewalks in the right foreground. Thick glass set into grids to let light into cellar spaces (or the subway) under the sidewalk. More space to lease! It very rarely survives today but it was common at one time in many American cities. F.R. Tripler & CoThe F.R. Tripler & Company had a store at 366 Madison Avenue, at 46th Street. They were a high end clothier, custom shirt maker and haberdasher. Their competion was Brooks Brothers at 346 Madison Avenue at 44 Street (their Flagship Store) and Paul Stuart Clothing at 10 East 45th Street at Madison Avenue. All three stores occupy the corner of Madison Avenue at their Street locations. All are/were well respected quality shops. My own business was on 45th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. I shopped at all three at one time or another. The Tripler store closed about 20 years ago and the location now houses a Jos. A. Bank clothing store, the quality is good but not in the same league as Tripler. Tall PolesI'm impressed by the very tall flagpoles we see in these old photos. Glass Sidewalk InsertsI love the "Coke bottle" glass inserts in the sidewalk (foreground, right side) that would provide light to the subway below. There aren't many sidewalks that exist like that in uptown. Quite a few still exist in Soho. [You'll note that many such inserts are amethyst colored, due to the action of the sun's UV rays over the decades -- the effect that turns old bottles purple. I think tterrace pointed that out awhile back. - Dave] Death Defying FeatMy favorite picture might be these incredibly detailed cityscapes. Up near the roof of the third building up the street from from the hotel, is that a man on a ladder working on the facade? How fearless is that? Look at the poor schmuckswho are replacing the paving stones in the lower left of the frame. Contrast with the guy on the corner who is probably looking at his gold pocket watch, for effect. This photo spans income and class spectrum entirely. Banks a lot!I remember the Tripler and Paul Stuart stores very well, as competitors to Brooks Brothers. Tripler and Stuart were known as clothiers to Ivy Leaguers, and just a tick or two above Brooks in quality and price. My tastes ran to Brooks in the 60s and 70s, but my pocketbook usually led me to Weber & Heilbroner, a block west on a NE corner of Fifth in the 40's. My first bank in New York in 1959 was in the old Hotel Manhattan structure (a Manufacturers Trust branch). I was working at that time for Union Carbide at 30 East 42nd across the street. Carbide paychecks were issued from the Hanover Trust Company in the Carbide building, but Hanover did not handle personal checking accounts. At about the same time that Union Carbide moved to a new skyscraper at 270 Park Avenue, at the head of Vanderbilt Avenue. Manufacturers merged with Hanover to become "Manny Hanny," and opened a branch on the ground floor of the new skyscraper. Those glass sidewalksIt's always a thrill to see these. My first encounter of these was here in Saskatoon where there's a few buildings still sporting this unique method of bringing light into the basement. All the glass blocks are a lovely violet now and I even have a half block piece that was dislodged once upon a time from one of them. I love how they glow at night when the building has the lights on below, and better still, they melt snow even at extreme cold temperatures, so that the building tenants don't have to clear their sidewalks! Mystery of the amethyst sidewalk inserts solved!One reason I love Shorpy is how much I learn. Seattle has many of those glass inserts still in the sidewalks, from when the underground city was up and running. I always wondered why they were purple and now I know! Streetcar SlotsThat sharp bend in the electrical conductor slot, which was pointed out in the "Track curves" comment, is interesting. If you follow the track to the right of that point in both directions, you can see that there are what appear to be four rails for the streetcars - two running rails and two power supply slots. The power supply shoe on the cars must have been capable of side-to-side movement to stay in the slot as it veered to one side. There's a map of the Metropolitan Street Railway system here. As you can see from this detail, the Metropolitan cars coming down Madison had to turn onto Forty-Second to go one block east on the rails of the Forty-Second Street cross-town streetcar line, before turning back to continue down Fourth Avenue (you can see one of the large open cars just turning in from the right). I suspect that this four-rail system must have been necessary to keep the electrical supply from the Madison/Fourth Avenue line separate from the supply for the smaller cross-town cars on Forty-Second. Cable Car FlingSeveral of the New York City street railway companies had a very brief fling with San Francisco style cable cars in the 1890's, transitioning from horse cars to cable cars to Washington DC style underground electric distribution in a span of 2-3 years. To reduce the expense of the second conversion to electric power, some of the lines, including the Third Avenue Railway, found ways to retrofit the electric 3rd rail (sometimes 2 "third rails") into the existing cable trough. It appears that this is the case here, where the troughs for the 2 diverging lines swerve to run parallel with each other, as was done with cable cars, rather than joining, as done when a line was designed for electric power from the beginning. The underground power distribution, rather than overhead wires, was per a NYC ordinance that forced all wires to be placed underground. Unlike relatively warm Foggy Bottom, it must have been a challenge to keep the New York lines operating despite snow and ice falling into the troughs, in either the cable or electric eras. I always want to visitthose beautiful little dormer rooms right up at the top and see what they are like inside! (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Tidily Trimmed: 1901
... location, her big bush was no doubt crawling with crabs at night. Neatly manicured in front ... that bush is, but a little raggedy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2010 - 4:01am -

Mississippi circa 1901. "Gate to the Hamilton residence, Bay St. Louis." Mrs. Hamilton, perhaps, showing off her neatly sculpted entryway. View full size. ShelledNote the oyster shells in the lower right corner. They served as cheap aggregate to "pave" dirt streets along the coast. When I Googled that it wasn't the picture that came back. Nice 'Fro(someone had to be first) Barbed WireThat is an interesting fence arrangement. It looks like they might have kept grazing animals in the enclosure to keep the grass trimmed. As a lifelong hater of power lawn mowers, I think it's a pretty cool set up. I'm GuessingThat her other hat is really, really, big. Obviously......Mr Hamilton was eleven feet tall. New do?Looks like Mrs. Hamilton is showing off a giant afro! Shrubbery TrimThis trim job was in anticipation of a resurgence of the stovepipe hat craze. EntrywayShe must have had some VERY tall gentleman callers. HideousI see that bad taste is not a new phenomenon. Maybesomeone knew big screen tv was coming. What's in her hand?Is it possible to see what she's got in her hand. It looks like a candy bar. [Exactly. Probably one of those old-fashioned Butterfingers that unfold into a fan. - Dave] Barbed wireThat was to keep horses away from the picket fence. D'ohPerhaps Mrs. Hamilton was expecting a visit by Marge Simpson? Like Mama always saidNothing increases curb appeal like a neatly trimmed bush! How can they have palm trees in the East?Hmmm? [Back then, Mississippi was in the South. Hmmm? - Dave] [P.S. That's a cycad. Hmmm? - Dave] "Her neatly sculpted entryway"Man, I am not even touching that one. So to speak. Bush distractionSo much distraction with the bush I hardly noticed the dark circles under her eyes, hope it is only a 5 o'clock bush shadow. Now onto that porch with the fantastic curtains. Wow. What a kid magnet that would have been for me. On the GulfGiven the waterfront location, her big bush was no doubt crawling with crabs at night. Neatly manicured in front... that bush is, but a little raggedy around the crotch. Re: How can they have palm trees in the East?Ever wonder how some people make it through the day without their heads imploding? No treadmill for me todayWith all the good cardio I'm getting today reading Dave's answers to some of the comments today. Can't tell you how hard I'm laughing. My wife thought I was watching Seinfeld reruns. I think the hedge looks like the hairdo of Nancy of the old comic strips. Porch curtainsLove the curtains - the latest craze in "outdoor rooms." And here we thought it was a new trend. (The Gallery, DPC)
The Siege of Petersburg: 1865
... in this unit which had begun the retreat to Appomattox the night before. Additionally, my uncle's body servant was there. Lee's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 4:01pm -

April 3, 1865. Petersburg, Virginia. "Dead Confederate soldiers in trench beyond a section of chevaux-de-frise." Wet plate glass negative. View full size. Comment and questionPhotos like these really do belie the idea of the glory of war. My question is, is that a second dead shoulder, mostly buried, just below the man's feet? If you visit the comfortingIf you visit the comforting side of Virginia history at Williamsburg take the short drive to Petersburg for a different, perhaps much more evocative experience. This stuff breaks my heartIt's never far enough away or long enough ago to mitigate the sadness to me for some reason. Looks like he or someone else put a cloth under his head to keep it from the dirt so maybe there was a little comfort there. A bit personalThe siege of Petersburg became a bit personal for me a bit over a decade ago when I discovered that my great-great-great-grandfather died during it. A member of the 26th South Carolina, he died from wounds suffered at the Battle of the Crater in July 1864. I learned that he and others in his regiment were buried at Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, and so paid Blandford a visit. Although there was a specific record that he had been buried there and that the grave had once been marked, in the intervening years the markers had gone missing. All that remains is a large area in Blandford marked "South Carolina Troops" that is for all purposes a mass grave. All in all a very moving experience for me. Civil War PhotosI've always found it curious that in every Civil War photo I've seen of the dead, they are without exception on their backs. Did none of them fall face forward? Or were photos always taken after they had been turned over and identified? WW II photos show the dead in all kinds of positions, not just on their backs. Morbid thinking perhaps, but still somewhat curious. Dead & half-buried soldiersI think that Chinawanderer is correct - it sure looks like another corpse is almost buried - possibly by artillery - just below the above ground guy's feet. Looking at these old Civil War photos I always have to ask myself if it was staged or not. I've read that the famous Civil War photographer Matthew Brady often moved corpses around for a more dramatic photo. One photo that I'm thinking of in particular was of a sniper in a place that had Devil in its name. I did a quick search and didn't find what I was looking for. If anyone knows which photo I'm talking about I'd love to know what it's named. The Great TragedyWhenever I see pictures like this, I have this instinctual reaction like, "Why couldn't the South have just given in on slavery? Was it really worth wrecking their entire civilization to keep alive this great evil that so many, even of the time, knew was evil?" But then my brain kicks and I see how trapped they were -- their entire economy and way of life was based on slavery. There was no way forward and no way backward. They had to culturally convince themselves that blacks were animals and the rest of the world was crazy for wanting to give blacks the same rights as whites. And after their civilization was wiped out, the attitude that blacks were inferior with an undercurrent of seething hatred still took another 100+ years to finally start to make some progress, and today we still have much hatred. It's just such a tragedy. The South had such a great civilization, but somehow couldn't get out of this cultural trap. It just seems like someone of the time could've negotiated a transition from the slave economy to a mechanized economy over, say, a decade and avoided such a horrible war. And there are still people today in the South who think it was a "War of Northern Aggression" and still can't see how, frankly, the South brought it on themselves. re: Dead & half-buried soldiersdarkhours, you're thinking of Devils Den. It has been questioned if the picture was staged. IMHO it was. Re Dead & half-buried soldiersDarkhour's memory is correct. Bodies were moved sometimes by photographers for their own purposes, but not just by Civil War fotogs. The dead sniper photo is the very famous "A Sniper's Last Sleep" in the Devil's Den at Gettysburg image, taken not by Brady but by Alexander Gardner and Timothy O'Sullivan. Historian William Frassanito provided this analysis. ALSO: To answer Chinawanderer's question about another body in this photo, I am reasonably certain he's right, per the attached. Devil's DenThe book to read about restaging photographs of battle scenes is Errol Morris's Believing is Seeing, which traces the trickery all the way back to the Crimean War, the first war in history to be photographed. One more little correction: Mathew Brady spelled his name with one t. 1861-1865 = 1914-1918I have read that European observers during the Civil War were particularly impressed by the defensive works erected by the Confederates at Petersburg, and figured that vast trench systems would be a great idea for any future European war. Change the uniforms and substitute barbed wire for the chevaux-de-frise, and the photo could have easily been taken at the Meuse-Argonne or Somme some 50 years later. Uniform IDLooks like some of his wear is British import of 100% wool kersey. The flap on his right pocket is the "mule ear" which an indicator of CS military trouser design. Jacket looks like it may have been a 9-button British blue kersey jacket. Shoe possibly a high ankle British import blucher. I note he is also wearing a captured US Greatcoat. The right coat cuff is folded back (design feature)and you can see the cape laying out by his left shoulder. Shirt looks well made and newly received. And no one needed cover as his slouch hat is at his feet. 53rdBrock Townsend He was a member of the 53rd NC stationed at Fort Mahone directly across from Fort Stedman. They were in the assault that was Lee's last gamble of the War. My great grandfather and great uncle were also in this unit which had begun the retreat to Appomattox the night before. Additionally, my uncle's body servant was there. Lee's Surrender, By My Great Grandfather, April 9, 1865, 146 Years Ago http://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2011/04/lees-surrender-by-my-great... Petersburg National Battlefield to commemorate Battle of Fort Stedman Saturday http://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2011/03/petersburg-national-battle... Fort Mahone This photo is one of 22 "death studies" taken by T.C. Roche at Ft. Mahone on April 3, 1865. According to William Frassanito in his book "Grant and Lee, The Virginia Campaigns". There are 2 bodies in the photo and in the next photo in the series taken from further away the photographer has placed 4 rifles as props. (The Gallery, Civil War)
Christmas 1964
... Mom here looks a bit tired! She was probably up half the night for weeks, baking cookies, wrapping presents and finishing those she was ... When she finally got into bed, after midnight, each night, she was lucky if she got an hour or two before she had to get up with ... 
 
Posted by delworthio - 06/26/2008 - 12:01am -

Christmas 1964 in Rochester, Indiana. Kodachrome slide. View full size. [It's Christmas in June (for me, especially) with an exceptional selection of member-submitted color slides. There are even more here. Thanks, Santa! - Dave] Xmas 1964 1962On the right, Mom and me, Christmas 1962 in Miami. Eerie, isn't it. Hey, that's mine!I had that Barbie case! And I want it back! Nuh-Uh!I still have that Barbie case and you can't have it. Nyeeaaa! ChristmasMy former wife put all our home movies from the late 40s & early 50s on tape and gave one to each of our children. Their mates loved seeing their mates as children. No, No, NoPlease tell me he dind't get the little lady an ironing board for Christmas! A blast from the past!I have a picture of my mother and I about the same year that looks just like this~musta been the 'in' pose for the early 60's! And that Barbie Case! Wish I'd kept mine! I think I remember my brothers drawing a mustache and beard on Barbie.... Topless BarbieI remember, during my childhood, that every kid's toybox contained at least one, sometimes several, nude Barbies, minus their heads. Were the heinous decapitations carried out by us brothers? Personally, I don't recall ever doing such a thing...I suspect it was Ken. Never did trust the guy. Coulda Been My HouseThe sparsely decorated tree and braided oval rug -- very familiar. Attack of the headless BarbiesLance, headless Barbies were my weapon of choice against my little brothers. They were terrified of them! Bwaa haa haa! Attack of the Headless Barbies IIMattie, I have often been on the receiving end of those dreaded headless Barbie assaults (although not lately, I must confess). The missing heads may have been soft, but those bodies, made of rock hard vinyl, made great blackjacks. They were especially lethal if the famous pointed Barbie breasts were on the leading edge at impact. Tired momsMom here looks a bit tired! She was probably up half the night for weeks, baking cookies, wrapping presents and finishing those she was making. When she finally got into bed, after midnight, each night, she was lucky if she got an hour or two before she had to get up with the baby. Christmas Eve, she probably polished silver, ironed tablecloths and napkins, baked pies for the next day, and cooked a special meal for that night. Then, it was washing and setting the girls' hair, last minute preparations, and getting up with the baby. She probably no sooner got the baby back down, before the older kids started getting up wanting to open presents. After getting everyone dressed and hair combed, she had to get the turkey in the oven, the rolls started, and the side-dishes going. She probably didn't sit down for more than five minutes at a time during dinner, serving everyone, getting up to grab the hot rolls out of the oven (this was before microwaves and you had to stagger batches in the oven to keep hot ones available), and wiping up the milk the two-year-old spilled. After dinner, she got right up and busy on the dishes, while Dad most likely settled in front of the TV with a beer to watch football. I would bet on these things, because I remember my mother doing them all, and doing them all myself. As tired as it makes me just to think of it all, I wouldn't have traded it for the world! (Well, actually, I would have had more help with dishes.) (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Auto Wreck: 1923
... The story is surprisingly familiar - young kids party all night, wreck the car and then tell a fanciful story to the investigating police ... 1602 Gorsuch avenue, Baltimore, was summoned here last night by the local authorities. When the machine, a touring car, traveling ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/13/2014 - 10:00am -

        A larger, more detailed version of a photo we first posted six years ago, with the details supplied by Shorpy member Stanton Square, accompanied by a "new" image here. Washington, D.C. A curious photograph titled "Auto wreck. 7/30/23." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. 1923 WreckI have seen this photograph published before, in a book by Robert Reed. Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me remember the title. Perhaps someone here knows what I'm writing about? Rock Creek ParkwayThat was the year construction started on Rock Creek Parkway, and the water suggests that this car strayed off the parkway a bit. [That, and the three trees he knocked over on the way in. Would be interesting to see if someone near Rock Creek Park could locate the spot. - Dave] Chain Bridge WreckI've been searching the Washington Post archives trying to find the back-stories for some of the photographs on Shorpy. See, for example, https://www.shorpy.com/node/3318 https://www.shorpy.com/node/3152 https://www.shorpy.com/node/2706 I've found an account of a July 30, 1923, wreck at Chain Bridge whose description seems to fit this photo. The story is surprisingly familiar - young kids party all night, wreck the car and then tell a fanciful story to the investigating police ------------------------------------- Washington Post: July 31, 1923 Plunge Over Bank at Chain Bridge in Auto May be Fatal Mrs. Dorothy Holland, 20 years old, of Baltimore, Md., stopping at 1420 Harvard street northwest, lies in Georgetown University Hospital suffering from internal hemorrhages as a result of an automobile in which she was riding going over a 30-foot embankment near the Virginia end of the Chain bridge at 6 o'clock yesterday morning. Detective Sergeants H.M. Jett and Joseph Connors worked on the case more then fifteen hours in establishing the woman's real identity. Physicians at the hospital hold little hope for Mrs. Holland's recovery. Her sister, Mrs Myrtle Griffith, 1602 Gorsuch avenue, Baltimore, was summoned here last night by the local authorities. When the machine, a touring car, traveling at an estimated 70 miles an hour going in the direction of Virginia, left the road and crashing through a fence dropped to the jagged rocks below three other persons were in the car besides Mrs. Holland. Two escaped with minor injuries while the driver of the machine, whose identity the police have been unable to establish, escaped injury. The other occupants of the machine were Mrs. Edna Metos, 24 years old, with whom Mrs. Holland stopped, and Bernard Shrove, of 56 Foxhall road, northwest. Mrs. Metos, was injured about the head and suffered shock. Shreve suffered a sprained ankle. While police believe that Mrs. Metos was driving the machine at the time of the accident, both she and Mrs. Holland declare that a man whose name they do not know was the operator of the machine. According to the police, the accident was the result of an all-night party that began at 1 o'clock yesterday morning. It was learned that the party went to the vicinity of the Chain bridge and were sitting on the bridge listening to music from a nearby camp. Frank Haggerty, said to be a novelty salesman, and stopping at the Sterling hotel, but according to the police, also rooming at the Harvard street address, one of the party, left the machine when Shreve crossed the bridge riding a bicycle. Haggerty, according to Shreve, asked him to let him ride the bicycle. When Haggerty started riding toward the District side of the bridge, Shreve said that the woman invited him to take a ride. They got in the machine and after going to the District side double back on their tracks and, traveling at a terrific rate of speed, started toward Virginia. Shreve told Detectives Jett and Connors that a woman was driving the machine when it crashed over the embankment. Passing autoists brought the injured to Georgetown hospital. Following an early investigation, Haggerty was taken into custody by police of the Seventh precinct and at a late hour last night was still held on an investigation charge. Deputy Sheriff C.C. Clements, of Arlington county, last night requested the local authorities that if Mrs. Holland died from her injuries to arrest Mrs Metos and hold her for the Virginia authorities. [Excellent work, PER, and much appreciated. Maybe you can figure out who the Edwards boy was. As well as Mr. McDevitt. - Dave] HoweverThe damage to the car and the relatively minor injuries suffered by its other occupants argue against the "estimated 70 miles an hour" speed. Always suspect --Those novelty salesmen. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Branding: 1939
... East Texas - usually inspiring a rousing rendition late at night. RE: Texas cola wars...Dublin, Texas is the only place you can still ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2008 - 10:18pm -

September 1939. "Hamburger stand with old cattle brands. Dumas, Texas." 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Swastika BrandI'll bet that swastika brand over the door disappeared fairly soon after this photograph was taken. Cola SignsI count five Coca-Cola signs vs. three Royal Crown signs. Coke wins, at least for these two sides of the building. Do you think one of the other sides has a Golden Arches brand? Give me a signThe bent cross/sun/good luck symbol (swastika) was used by Arizona on highway route markers well past World War 2. Check out the 1948 shield. Before National Socialists hijacked this symbol, it was used by many cultures and societies, including Native Americans. Drive-throughThat's the earliest drive-through I've ever seen. In-and-Out Burger says they built the first drive-through restaurant in 1948. Isn't there a sixth Coca-Cola ad on the strut/handle across the screen door? SwastikaThe swastika was a good luck sign in both Indo-Asian and North Amnerican Indian cultures long before the Nazis perverted it. In those cultures, it was usually rendered reversed from the Nazi presentation. It is still considered a "good luck charm' by some Asians which startles Westerners who encounter it. Them's Good BurgersI'm getting hungry just thinking about how good those burgers must've been. It being Texas, it's a safe bet to say the beef was fresh. RC ColaIn Dumas, Texas...TRUST ME...RC Cola sells better. As someone once told me in NYC---"RC Cola? That's what hillbillies drink!". I took offense at that as I dumped a nickel pack of Planter's Peanuts into my RC. BrandsIt's amazing how many ancient cultures used the swastika. Since this was taken in Texas, I'm guessing it was associated with either the Navajo or Hopi indians of that area. SodaAn excerpt from Texas writer Larry McMurtry's "Walter Benjamin in the Dairy Queen": In the summer of 1980, in the Archer City Dairy Queen, while nursing a lime Dr Pepper (a delicacy strictly local, unheard of even in the next Dairy Queen down the road Olneys, eighteen miles south but easily obtainable by anyone willing to buy a lime and a Dr Pepper), I opened a book called Illuminations and read Walter Benjamin's essay The Storytellers, nominally a study of or reflection on the stories of Nikolai Leskov, but really (I came to feel, after several rereadings) an examination, and a profound one, of the growing obsolescence of what might be called practical memory and the consequent diminution of the power of oral narrative in our twentieth century lives. How beautifully phrased, especially the bit about the lime Dr Pepper, and the passage introduces a discussion of the issues that make Shorpy images so powerful. Drive-ToThat doesn't look like a drive-in or drive-through. That car is parked next to it - probably the owner's. If it was a drive-through lane, there'd be tire tracks worn through the weeds. The little window in front with the small shelf is for walk-ups. Or at least that's how every Dairy Queen and walk-up food place I've ever been to works. "Ding Dong Daddy......From Dumas" was a song my father (who was not from Dumas) used to hum and sing when he was driving. We used to drive through, or near, Dumas on our way to Colorado from East Texas - usually inspiring a rousing rendition late at night. RE: Texas cola wars...Dublin, Texas is the only place you can still get original recipe Dr Pepper (a Texas drink) made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Good stuff. 10, 2, and 4. Uurrp. Goober Pea BrandsThere are some clever brands up there. The 'Bar' BQ and the 7UP brands caught my eye. Once upon a time I wanted a $ sign brand to put on my cattle. My old boss grew up in the Texas Panhandle in the 30s and 40s. He said as a kid you always bought RC Cola because you got two more ounces for the same money as Coke. Indian ThunderbirdThat brand that looks like a swastika is a Native American symbol representing the thunderbird. The 45th Division of the US Army in Oklahoma had that design on its shoulder patch. When WW II started, they changed the design to look like a stylized bird because they did not want it to be confused with Hitler's swastika. Dumas, TexasI was born and raised in Dumas and I can't for the life of me identify the location of this building. I wished I could so that I could walk around it and relive these simpler times. I am guessing that it was on Main street. There wasn't much here back then and the center of town consisted of the courthouse and some businesses and a few hotels. [Below: More from Dumas. - Dave] Spirit of '76I was a high school freshman in 1976, and I wrote the date on every school paper with a single-stroke "76" like the one to the left of the swastika. I hadn't thought of that in thirty years...until I just looked at this photo. Great stuffI broke a fan belt in Dumas in 1974. I stumbled into a local service station and got it fixed quickly and was on my way. Everyone was really friendly and they didn't try to rip me off. I have that great memory of Dumas. Mystery solvedI am from Dumas and I was curious as to the location of this hamburger stand. I asked the old timers and got no results for a couple of years of inquiries. Finally, I showed the picture to a friend of mine whose father has always lived here. He went to the rest home where his father, Jim Ed, lived and showed it to him. Old Jim Ed remembered the place, couldn't remember who owned it but his younger brother used to work there. It was located at 9th and south Main on the west side of the street. The building pictured is still there but the structure is the back portion of an operating restaurant called "Nana's". It has been quite the mystery. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee)
Wonder Women: 1919
... top row? You really can't blame her for wondering. Night-Night An image that will haunt my dreams for years to come. Spinster ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:02pm -

Washington, D.C. "War Risk Insurance gym team, 1919 -- girls." All we can say is: Watch out, boys. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. You are toying with us.This is a joke, right Dave? "Wonder Women"Yes, I was wondering too. I will behave.There is no way I will comment on this photo on a public forum!! Two things1. Is that a scar on the knee of the gal top and center? Judging from the caliber of "wonder women" in this photo, my instincts tell me that wound is from a vicious knife fight. These ladies look pretty tough. I'd hate to see the other guy. 2. Is that a spontaneous gender check happening on the top row? You really can't blame her for wondering. Night-NightAn image that will haunt my dreams for years to come. SpinsterBack row, second from the right. She's either a very ugly girl or very pretty monster. As an asideWhat was "War Risk Insurance"? Was it a government entity? Private? [The Treasury Department's Bureau of War Risk Insurance was established by act of Congress to provide marine insurance during World War I. - Dave] Oh my goodness!tell me that the little thing in the middle has a repair in her stocking and not a Frankenstein like stitching going up her leg!!? I refuse to comment on what the two to her left are doing. SpinsterNormally, I refrain from commenting on the relative charms (or lack thereof) of folks in the photos on Shorpy. However, it looks to me as though she might have been a he... Which makes the crotch grab somewhat more odd. Welcome to our groupHow would you like an Indian club, or do you prefer a pommeling? Wonder Women???Wonder where they got them. They're all homely, those stockings make me itch, and the top row second from the right looks like Bill Clinton. ColonizedI sure hope time was friendlier to these ladies than the mold and mildew were. ScarThat's a repair in her stocking. [My money says scar. - Dave] StockingsIt is not a scar on her leg but a patch job. Stockings were expensive and you would have done anything to keep them going. These ladies aren't in such a position in society that they could have afforded to buy new ones all the time. An Early Manifestationof the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy! Why so unkind?The ladies are long gone, and I hope they had good long lives, yet there is something so unpleasant about reading these comments. Though indeed, the caption did invite such remarks. They are young and healthy and athletic and doing something that maybe not a lot of women did in 1919, and more power to them for it. So they weren't pretty. So (blanking) what? I realize this response is as predictable as the comments. Someone has to play this bit part, so I guess it's me this time. Roger Corman assembles the castfor his next Women in Prison Film. Skinny Bowling PinsDecided not to comment on the appearance or speculate on gender possibilities of the gym team members. There are undoubtably some relatives of these folks visiting this site. Sure would like to know what type of sport was being played here though. Shorpyland knows the answer to this, I trust. No "PC" with this commentI have just met the "Lee" sisters. Ug-lee, Home-lee, Beast-lee, Ghast-lee ... etc, etc. Must ... not ... lookI want to look at the full size version of this picture. I REALLY do. But, it is getting late, and I need to get up early in the morning, and need a good night's sleep ... maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow about noon. Maybe. The daughters of Dorian GrayThe picture's corrupting while (possibly) the ladies stay young. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
The Cure: 1935
... coated tongue, yellow complexion, bad breath, restless at night. Give a few doses of this wonderful tonic and note how quick it will put ... tongue, yellow complexion, bad breath, and restlessness at night. But which tonic to dose it with? Pharmacists to the Beast The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/15/2009 - 1:31pm -

October 1935. "Advertisements for popular malaria cure. Natchez, Mississippi." Photo by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. TiltThat's a real slanty shanty, to quote Sluggo. That buildingI think we've found the Acme Cartoon Warehouse. Anvil, buckets, chain - what else do you need? 666The Triple 6 brand is now owned by Monticello Drug Co. Devil of a tonicSeems tonic was a big product in Natchez. Wonder just what proof these elixirs were? There are no fewer than three different brands advertised on that shack: Nash's chill and liver tonic, Grove's chill tonic, and my personal favorite: 666 liquid tablets and salve. I thought the Pure Food and Drug act did away with such products (at least their claims to cure specific ailments) well before 1935, but I guess not in rural Mississippi. I would also think the repeal of Prohibition would have cut into their appeal. But I guess the temperance movement in the South lasted longer than the 21st amendment. I can just hear some old granny saying "that's not booze, that's medicine." Yeah, right, Granny. [These anti-malarial remedies, according to their advertising, contained quinine and an iron supplement, but no alcohol. - Dave] Nash's Chill and Liver Tonic The following advertisement for Nash's Chill and Liver Tonic was reprinted in the May 2007 issue of The Sandyland Chronicle. MALARIA IS ONE OF CHIEF CAUSES OF LAZINESS IN THE SOUTH Statistics prove that there are more deaths caused by MALARIA than by automobiles and it is a fact that most of these deaths could be prevented if treatment had been given in time. There are thousands of people who have Malaria and do not recognize it until it has sapped their vitality and put their system in a weakened condition. The South has a reputation for being lazy. It is not the climate so much as it is disease — the dreaded Malaria that gives that tired, worn out, achy feeling. Constipation and biliousness are caused by this disease and make one sluggish and without usual energy. Recent years have given us a new discovery—in fact, the greatest discovery in the annals of medicine for malaria infested districts in our South. The new discovery, NASH’S CHILL AND LIVER TONIC, is the result of many years experience and experiments to correct the two main troubles of Southern people, malaria and biliousness. Chills and malaria can now be controlled and prevented if the right treatment is taken in time. NASH’S CHILL AND LIVER TONIC is pleasant to take, stimulates the glands of the liver, and evacuates the lower bowel. At the same time, it combats the malaria germ! It increases the appetite, aids digestion and puts red corpuscles in your blood, and best of all, gives you the pep and energy you are lacking. This tonic is highly endorsed. Though just introduced in Camden, dozens of bottles have been sold with astonishing results. Numerous testimonials are being received by the manufacturers almost daily attesting to the wonderful merits of this discovery. Local druggists who are selling this preparation are surprised at the enormous sales and the satisfaction which it gives their customers. And, this tonic is absolutely guaranteed. Take a few doses and if you are not satisfied with results, your druggist will gladly refund your money. Look out for these symptoms: If you are tired all the time—hate to get up in the morning — feel lazy and no account—have headache or backache—floating specks before the eyes — are nervous — stomach out of order. If you have any of these symptoms, you are no doubt affected by malaria and biliousness, so don’t wait. Order a bottle of NASH’S CHILL AND LIVER TONIC and note the improvement after a very few doses. Some people are so foolish as to wait until they have a chill to begin treatment. This is the wrong idea as it is better to prevent the chill that to have to cure Warning to Mothers: Watch your children! Perhaps they need this tonic. Don’t wait until they have chills to begin treatment. Watch the youngsters—if they seem cross and unruly, don’t spank—they probably are not well. Watch for the coated tongue, yellow complexion, bad breath, restless at night. Give a few doses of this wonderful tonic and note how quick it will put roses in their cheeks. Absolutely harmless, and pleasant to take. Ask doctor about this formula: NASH’S TONIC contains the most active Alkaloid of Cinehons called “Ouinidine”—tasteless quinine. This ingredient kills malaria germs. It also contains the extract of Podophyllum, commonly called May Apple, which produces a more frequent flow of bile, this stimulating the glands of the liver. It also contains Phenolphthelein, which evacuates the lower bowel, thereby eliminating all poisons and waste matter from the system. Price: 50 cents per bottle. If not satisfied, purchase price will be refunded without question. Camden Evening News, September 14, 1928 Whoa, NellyJudging by the way the building is leaning precariously to the side, methinks it may not be well. Someone better check for a coated tongue, yellow complexion, bad breath, and restlessness at night. But which tonic to dose it with? Pharmacists to the BeastThe early versions of the Pure Food and Drug Act did little to control the claims of the patent medicine manufacturers, or even to limit the inclusion of potentially dangerous substances in medicinal concoctions. The primary purpose of the Act was to require that all ingredients be listed on the packaging, still an important feature today. And some of those early ingredients were hair-raising by today's standards. For example, some of the most popular cough syrups in the Teens and Twenties included such ingredients as creosote (an expectorant), strychnine nitrate (a heart stimulant) and opium (good for most anything what ails you). Some of these proprietary medicines probably did help people. Others succeeded by aggressive advertising rather than by effective results. And it wasn't until the 1960s that "Carter's Little Liver Pills" were required to become "Carter's Little Pills." Three SixesI used to hear a lot of radio ads for 666, especially on stations carrying the farm market reports, in the 50's and 1960's -- my prime radio listening decades. 666 was often advertised along with Black Draught Laxative. I don't believe the biblical connection with the triple 6's was a big thing back then. Public consciousness about that three-digit number has grown along with the rise of Protestant fundamentalism, beginning (generally speaking) in the 70's. Mom's cure-allMy mom grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1930s and 1940s. While raising me in Canton, Ohio, she always kept "Three Sixes" in the house and dosed me with it whenever I had a cold. It tasted awful and the bright yellow color didn't help. I had no idea it was a malaria cure! Thanks for the insight; I love this site! It ain't that long goneThree Sixes, Black Draught, and Cardui were still features of my childhood, in 1960s rural Texas. They also gave away wall calendars by the thousands through local drugstores, and it was quite common to see a Black Draught calendar hanging in working-class homes, used as a kind of domestic diary. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Small Towns)
Gas Class: 1927
... they had to prepare a big meal for their husbands every night without all the modern conveniences we have today. With that and the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:44pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Cooking demonstration, Washington Gas Light Co." Where no cake is ever half-baked. Or else. View full size. Based on the coatsperhaps the Washington Gas Light Co. needs to divert some of the gas into the heating system. Whoa momma!This lady does not look like she will take any sass from her students while in the kitchen. 2nd row 2nd from rightShe's daydreaming, thinking "I'm pretty, I don't have to learn to cook." Washington Gas Light Co. indeed!Apparently, they aren't wasting any of that gas to heat the room. All the ladies sitting in their coats and hats. Coats and hatsPokerChip sez: "Apparently, they aren't wasting any of that gas to heat the room. All the ladies sitting in their coats and hats." My mother would have been a bit younger than the women here, but she would never think of attending such an event, or going anywhere else in a large city, without a coat and hat. "Just wait til you taste this, You all!"I guess this is the forerunner of Paula Dean. (or Paula's more serious Aunt) I am a newcomer to these photographs so I am curious about many things. Does anyone know why these ladies would be wearing coats for a cooking class? I am sure it is warm in the room with the ovens. Great picture! I love it! Cooking With GasThe gas stove is a Tappan, which were manufactured for many years in my hometown of Mansfield, Ohio. No questions!The teacher scares me. She could be in the next Stephen King movie. Great photo filled with incredible details. Anything to spin the meterMost gas and electric utilities had programs to promote increased use of their product. Many also sold appliances right from their offices. It was a good thing to get folks to spin their meters. Now days the utilities preach energy savings so they don't have to invest in expensive infrastructure upgrades because they have not kept up with demand. It also looks little Johnny, out from school early and stuck with Mom is about to bolt out the back door. Lady in stripesHas made quite the muddy mess with her shoes. No one looks overly happy to be there. Gee she looks familiarNow I know where I've seen that lovely lady at left. The matron from hell in a B-level women's prison movie. Yeowl! Poor KidLooks like the little guy peeping up from the back had to tag along with Mom. It must have seemed like an eternity in there waiting for a taste of the finished product. Hope he got some! Family event?The two ladies on the left of the front row and the two on the right look like mothers and daughters. Not sure about the centre lady. The older front row ladies seem to be thinking 'I've made better cakes than that for forty years!' It's your duty, ladiesThis was definitely from the era when cooking wasn't necessarily something you did for enjoyment. It was definitely a required task for most married women and a rather laborious one at that, considering that they had to prepare a big meal for their husbands every night without all the modern conveniences we have today. With that and the apparently cold room, no wonder they weren't smiling! Bring Your Son to Cooking ClassAfter looking through the sea of surly-looking faces, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the little boy near the back (the only one sans hat) is probably the one who does NOT want to be there the most! Happiness Cooking Washington Post, February 27, 1927. Come to Our Demonstration of “Happiness Cooking” Daily This Week—9:30 to 4:30. Come to see the magic of new cooking methods; short cuts in meal planning time savers in meal getting—as demonstrated by Mrs. Lois Shelton, Directory of Home Service of the Standard Gas Equipment Corporation. Daily from now until March 12. Don't miss the opportunity Special Terms on Ranges During the Demonstration. Washington Gas Light Company 419 Tenth Street N.W.—Main 8280 Cooking expressionsThey're not looking "surly" (well, except for Mrs. Shelton, but more on her later), but instead rather neutral. People didn't automatically grin like morons when getting their picture taken in those days. Also, proceedings have ground to a halt as the photographer and assistant go through the rigamarole of making a flash-powder exposure with a large, tripod-mounted view camera. I think this helps explain Mrs. Shelton's expression; seeing it on my mother, I'd call that her "you and your darned foolishness" look. Women's Hats and CoatsSeveral questions have been asked about why the women here are still wearing their hats and coats. Here's my theory: The demonstration is being held at the gas company's office, in a room which may not have provided a coat rack. The women are generally wearing longer winter coats, and if they hung them over the chairs, the coat tails would get dirty. Women's hat etiquette at the time stated that it was not required for a lady to remove her hat indoors, as it was for men. Even today, women are typically permitted to wear hats that are part of the outfit indoors. Emily Post advised that a hat should NOT be worn with an evening dress (more of a style point than an etiquette point). The style mavens of the 1950s and 1960s advise that daytime hats with large brims not be worn inside in the evening. Smaller brim hats should be worn if any hat is worn. Some would say that any dress hat can be worn indoors without exception. After dinner is the appropriate time to remove your hat if so inclined. A woman would not normally wear her hat in her own home even in the old days. Wearing hats at an upscale restaurant is acceptable especially for fancy luncheons and High Teas. Indeed many ladies get together for High Teas where hat wearing is mandatory and is a fun event. Some advise that the hat should be part of your street clothes – a nice dress for example. Muddy shoesAll the shoes on the women in the front row have mud on them. Maybe that's the reason for their unhappy look. They must have had to walk through a muddy parking lot in there fancy dress shoes. [You think they drove there? - tterrace] Washington Gas Light CompanyThank you stanton_square, for providing yet another rabbit hole to follow. The Washington Gas Light Company, 419 Tenth Street N.W.—Main 8280 is a parking garage at the moment, not surprising. The company does provide a good history of their progress from 1848 to present day in section on their web page. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Natl Photo)
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