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American Girl: 1922
... girl who leaped from stenographer to Queen of Bohemia in a night ... she appears in magazine illustrations, and in the new salon pictures ... Avery Hopwood comedy of turkish bath locale, "Ladies' Night," beginning Sunday evening. Water Hazard I can hear their ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 4:56pm -

Washington, D.C. "Kay Laurell, 1922." The star of stage and screen, Kay (reclining) was "an American girl who leaped from stenographer to Queen of Bohemia in a night ... she appears in magazine illustrations, and in the new salon pictures -- also on butchers' calendars, soap ads, and so on." Five years after this photo was taken, Kay was dead of pneumonia at age 37. View full size. In the same boatThey're all beautiful -- back in a time where it was healthy for women to "have a little meat on their bones" (I just think they're healthy looking!) I love the girl who's playing the oar as a guitar -- something I'd do. Beauts in a boatIs the class clown on the end playing air ukulele? I can only imagine the comments this is going to generate from the male demographic. Yes, the swimsuits are unflattering. And yes, the real knockout is the one sitting behind the Queen of Bohemia. Proud to call any of 'em "grandma"They are all so lovely and charming and all the age of my father's mother. Sorry about the pneumonia, hope the rest had happy and fulfilling lives. Love the kooky hat, pinned-up suit, and the smoldering look of the second from left. Great picture. Farrrrr leftShe is the cutest loveliest thing ever seen on Shorpy yet. To each his own, but --The girl in the boat with the "Queen of Bohemia" is by far the hottest. Wowza! As a ManI appreciate the low standard established for us. It doesn't take much effort to rise above such a low bar. Wet and WoollyThey're all adorable, and I'm surprised how sexy those wool swimsuits look. To my surprise, I'm especially captivated by the buxom cutie standing up beside the boat with her hair covered. She looks like she gets all the BS about the queen of Bohemia and is fonder of the water than any of this nonsense. Most appealing though is the dark haired girl with bangs sitting in the boat. Her face is calm and she seems really for real. Great photo. Playing at the Belasco Washington Post, Jul 6, 1922 Coming to the Theaters Belasco The Belasco Players, augmented by such notables as Kay Laurell, the famous Follies beauty, and Eleanor Griffith, late of "The Last Waltz," will next week present the Avery Hopwood comedy of turkish bath locale, "Ladies' Night," beginning Sunday evening. Water HazardI can hear their mothers saying, "Don't go out in those skimpy suits, you'll catch your death of pneumonia!" Carole HanelGirl second from right was Carole Hanel, a redhead. Knew her granddaughter. She's playingoar guitar Va va voomA boat full of women in bathing suits. What could be better? Kay in a NutshellTypical show-biz tragedy. Small town girl from Erie, Pennsylvania goes to New York to make it big. While working as a secretary, is discovered in 1914, and became a big hit as a Ziegfeld Girl in the "Follies" shows of 1914 and 1915. Then hits pay dirt -- marrying uber-rich movie producer Winfield Sheehan in 1916. Hits the zenith of her career in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, where a very intentional costume malfunction (as the partially exposed French Liberte in a patriotic wartime extravaganza) makes her an international sensation. Heads out west to Hollywood to make movies, like everyone else in the silent era. Gains a reputation of a hard worker, and tries to make the tough transition from chorus girl to "real" actress. Then it all goes south. Gets divorced from big studio sugar daddy in late 1918 or 1919. Unlike most other former chorus girls, she is unwilling to get ahead by way of the casting couch. Is in a serious car accident in 1919, running off the road at 1:30 a.m. and takes a pretty hard banging around, requiring stitches and hospitalization. Makes only one other movie after that, in 1921. Returns to New York to find stage work. A cast player in one play in 1923 that runs a respectable five months, and then one poor effort in 1925 that flops and closes overnight. Feeling washed up in both theater and film, she retires to London, where she dies of pneumonia in 1927. I hope she didn't own a dachshund. On the LeftCan those be shadows on her legs? Looks like socks with cuffs, or stockings, and then from beneath her suit legs to her knees? The world's weirdest sun burn? Or what? [Those are girdle marks. Just like your ankles might look after taking off tight socks. - Dave] Before the days of antibioticsHer story reminds us of the many greats in history who had everything but with one cold, TB or pandemic illness were struck down. Today her pneumonia would be easily treated with a shot of antibiotics and some bed rest. In some ways even the poorest of us has the ability to live longer because of cures offered by modern medicine. mehI love how any photo with women in it gets subjected to choosing which of them is the hottest. I'm sure the the same thing happens with all of the photos of men. Yep. [Stick around. - Dave] As a womanI still say the swimsuits are ugly. Now that no one else has asked, I simply must know what the strange round protuberance is near the nether regions of the second lady from the viewer's left. Anyone? A place to put a cork to help her stay afloat? Available drugsThis young woman's death is almost familiar to me. My grandmother died of pneumonia in the early 1930's, within three days of the onset of illness. My mother always noted, when speaking of her mother's death, that the best drug they had to fight the pneumonia then was quinine. The sulfa drugs didn't become available until the late 1930s. By the way, I disagree about the cause of the marks on the one girl's legs. I suspect that the rings were left by stockings rolled over an elastic garter. You Gotta Be Kidding MeWhat happened to slim and trim? Goose lard and whiskey A few years after Kaye Laurel died of pneumonia, my grandfather contracted double pneumonia. The doctors basically threw up their hands and said there was nothing more they could do. Well, his mother, one of the most bull-headed people who ever lived, showed up at the hospital with a jar of goose lard and a bottle of whiskey. Several times a day, she would go and rub lard on Grandpa's chest and give him a shot of whiskey. This was in about 1932. Grandpa was with us until 1992. Grandpa said it was divine intervention that saved his life. My great grandmother said it was the goose lard and whiskey. Maybe it was some of both! Cause of her deathWikipedia states she died in childbirth, which was initially reported as pneumonia since the child was out of wedlock. Wonderful descriptions of her Ziegfield tableaux in that link as well. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
Night Riders: 1942
September 1942. "Boys sleeping as best they can on special train from Richwood, West Virginia, to upper New York state to work in the harvest." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/02/2023 - 4:23pm -

September 1942. "Boys sleeping as best they can on special train from Richwood, West Virginia, to upper New York state to work in the harvest." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Unconscious, but conscientious?I was friends with a man who was a conscientious objector in WW2. He was sent to a farm in New York to work the harvest. I wonder if that's what has the lads leaving the almost heaven land of West Virginia. [Um, no. These are boys not men. - Dave] PretzellyI bet those teens woke up, stretched once, and got on with their day. If I slept like that now, I wouldn't be able to move for a week! (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Collier, Kids, Railroads)
Movie Night: 1942
February 1942. "Tulare County, California. FSA farm workers' camp. At the movies." Not to be outdone by our previous FSA photo , we have two birders here, and three birds! Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Admi ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/22/2022 - 8:27am -

February 1942. "Tulare County, California. FSA farm workers' camp. At the movies." Not to be outdone by our previous FSA photo, we have two birders here, and three birds! Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Re: Third BirdI see a third, about 7 rows from the front, near the left side. And that plaid shirt (behind Double Flipper) has seen better days, for sure! I ain't touchin' that!Judging by the looks on some of their faces, the film must be the one about STD's. Two birds, four eyesI see (at least) two people with strabismus in the crowd. Two "Thumbs" Up!Apparently the young man inn the foreground is doubly displeased with what he's seeing on the big screen. Long-lived 16mmThat looks very much like the 16mm projector that I used to show movies for my Army company in 1970. (It was a way to avoid guard duty.) They were regular Hollywood films in the 16mm format. This FSA crowd is probably watching something similar. Portable 16mm sound projectors were popular from the 1930s to the advent of video cassette players. Beyond that, 16mm film was used for the early seasons of 'Sex and the City' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and for parts of the films 'The Hurt Locker' and Spike Lee's 'Da 5 Bloods' in 2020. Multiple Avian DisplayThe double bird and the double dog dare were kept in a boy's arsenal only to be deployed when the situation warranted an extreme measure. GesturesAs a youngster in the 1950s when living overseas, I learned birding the way Flipper and Two-Birds are doing it. When I first got to the States in the very early 1960s is when I learned that American teenagers did it differently. They folded the fingers into the palm of the hand instead of squashing them straight down. Haven't a clue how adults did it since we never associated with them! Taking a random sample of folks of various ages from teenage to 70+, all seem to have learned and use the folded fingers versus squashed fingers gesture. Wonder when Americans changed from what is shown in the 1940s to what I learned in the early 1960s. Movin' on up... the Valley: A double-bird ?? Lord, that boy is Folsom Prison bound !! Kid near the foreground, left of centerEverybody calls him "Red". Maybe it was a newsreel… and the kid up front is just expressing his opinion of der Fuhrer. The Third BirdHas no one spotted it? I think I see the thirdAnd by a girl! She's on the left-center of the photo, with a kind of crazy look in her eyes. Birds asideWhy are the three kids in the foreground looking at something to our left while all the people behind them are looking off to our right? And why is the kid front and center in the ratty sweater wearing a white glove on one of his hands cupped over his mouth? [We'll never know! - Dave] (The Gallery, Agriculture, Kids, Movies, Russell Lee)
Good Night: 1897
... Circa 1897. "Aboard the U.S.S. Brooklyn -- good night." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Edward H. Hart, Detroit ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:16am -

Circa 1897. "Aboard the U.S.S. Brooklyn -- good night." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Posers"Now lie down and pretend you're asleep whilst I take this picture." Well, this is timely:"The first African American to graduate from the Naval Academy died this week, 63 years after being commissioned into the Navy. "Retired Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Brown died Tuesday evening. "He was 85." ... "At the time Brown was trying to enter the academy, Navy physicians looked for reasons to find the young African American man unfit to attend. "The only defect they could find was an overbite. After an African-American congressman complained, they gave Brown a second look and deemed him qualified." Author is one Tina Brown, treed@capgaznews.com so I guess she works for capgaznews (Capital Gazette News? Not at my newsstand.) There's a little more in the article, which you can probably get with a Google. According to the Register of Alumni, he stood 372nd in a class of 790 (Class of '49). Bet he had a miserable Plebe Year. Sleeping with hankDo you suppose the hank of rope everyone appears to have been issued (at least those lucky enough to be issued a hammock) is to lash one's self in when the seas are rough? Odd compartment!I'm trying to figure out where this would be on this ship.I'm thrown by the ornate wooden doors on the right, the steam heat radiator in the middle and what looks to be a ships wheel on the right! With the wheel there, I'd say aft steering but it can't be.But then again !! Footnote; My ship had an aft steering wheel almost identical the air pump wheel but padded around the rim.Not all ships wheels have handles. Re: Rope The ropes seen in this photo were most likely used for lashing up the hammocks when not in use. Note the one that is lying on the deck and is being uses as a pillow by the young lad who seems to feigning sleep. Sleeping in a hammock on a moving ship would not be difficult at all. as the ship rocked the hammock would remain stationary, acting somewhat like a pendulum. the sleepers weight would pull it downward whilst the ship rotated around it. Now, to be honest, rough seas that caused the ship to pitch (rise and fall) rapidly would be a different story. Interesting to see that this ship has a mixed crew and that the sleeping quarters are not segregated. IntegrationWe have a mixed race crew who seem to be comfortable in each others company. I thought that the military was segregated until Truman's Presidency. [Racial segregation in the US Navy began under Woodrow Wilson's administration. -tterrace] Nevermind the LongjohnsThey've likely set up their hammocks to escape stuffy or overly warm regular quarters. I think the sailors are on an exterior sheltered deck toward the stern, where the auxillary/docking steering would be found. Exterior doors of that louvered type were quite common on ships of that era and don't in and of themselves suggest any interior space (though I doubt you'd find them in an area not well sheltered by a deck above). Air Pump?For Oldmanmac: The wheel at left isn't the ship's wheel. Too small, and there aren't any handles on the ends of the spokes. I think it's actually part of a hand-operated air pump for supplying fresh air to hard-hat divers. Compare it to this slightly smaller example from the Museum of London. If you look closely at the Brooklyn's pump, you can see one of the crank handles has been reversed and stuck through the wheel spokes, probably to prevent "owies" in the cramped below decks area. So much for integrationAnyone notice that the two minority sailors seem to be hammockless? At least there are no empty/rolled hammocks in sight. Re the salt sleeping on the deck, I think the fact that he's not bothered to remove his shoes or deploy his bedding indicates he recently came onboard and is soon due to go on duty. Lines, not RopesThose spare bits of line are used to trice up the hammocks, as when the order 'All Hands Heave Out and Trice Up' is passed at reveille. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, E.H. Hart)
Night View: 1932
New York circa 1932. "Night view, Manhattan." Photo by Berenice Abbott (1898- 1991). Library of ... shortly before Christmas on an extremely clear, cold, dark night some years ago. Preparing for landing we flew low over the city as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2013 - 10:33am -

New York circa 1932. "Night view, Manhattan." Photo by Berenice Abbott (1898- 1991). Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Collection. View full size. Digital Empirethanks google What wonderful pictureBernice Abbott took this picture from atop the newly built Empire State Building looking toward the northwest. The two streets are Sixth Avenue (with the elevated train tracks) and Broadway. Christmas Jewel BoxOne of the most beautiful sights I can remember was flying into New York City shortly before Christmas on an extremely clear, cold, dark night some years ago. Preparing for landing we flew low over the city as spread out below us was a seemingly endless carpet of brilliantly colored rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds and gold that was reminiscent of a pirate's treasure chest or an imaginary kaleidoscope out of a fantasy, twinkling, enchanting and alluring. If this photo of the city lights was in jewel-tone colors, you would get an idea of just how inviting and unforgettable it looked. The Naked CityTen thousand stories down there folks, each amenable to exposition and solution in one hour, less commercial breaks. Old Metropolitan Opera HouseJust beyond the distinctive tower of the Lefcourt Normandie Building (right of center and toward the top of the photo) is the gabled stage area of the old Metropolitan Opera House. The auditorium fronted at 1411 Broadway, but extended through the block to 7th Avenue. The old Met opened in 1883, but was gutted by fire in 1892. Rebuilt to match the original, it served until 1966 when the Metropolitan Opera was relocated to Lincoln Center. The building was demolished in 1967. The Sixth Avenue ElAt the time of this photo the Sixth Avenue El was already under a metaphorical death sentence. The IND subway under Sixth was either in the last phases of planning or the early stages of actual construction, and everyone understood that the El would be demolished once the subway was ready. That happened near the end of the 1930's. Demolition of the Sixth Avenue El was not a tragedy like that of its counterpart on Third Avenue a decade and a half later. There was, obvious, a subway replacement on Sixth, while the Second Avenue subway that was meant to replace the Third Avenue El resembles the offspring of a mythological creature and a sick joke. Sixth Avenue also was a much busier thoroughfare than Third and therefore a less appropriate location for having elevated trains clattering overhead. A persistent urban legend holds that scrap steel from the Sixth Avenue El was sold to Japanese dealers in 1939 and 1940 and used to build weapons that within a few years would be used against American troops. Given that scrap steel is a more or less fungible commodity there's no way of proving or disproving this rumor. WistfulThat city's largely gone, unfortunately; especially in the downtown area. My opinion: The lowly double-hung window influenced the very shape of some mighty fine architecture. Put a few buildings like that together et, voilà. Compare this scene with the landscape of monoliths a similar vantage point would likely reveal today. I won't even mention the elevated train--whoops, I did. Suddenly I long for the aroma of cigar smoke and leaded gas. (NYC)
Water Street, Night: 1943
... why blackout regulations weren't seemingly in effect this night while the war raged in 1943. I know the coast was under blackout ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/09/2017 - 9:21am -

May 1943. "South Water Street freight terminal of the Illinois Central R.R., Chicago." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. AmazingThis is all condo's now I believe Why no blackout in effect?I'm wondering why blackout regulations weren't seemingly in effect this night while the war raged in 1943. I know the coast was under blackout regulations but I also thought that the Great Lake coasts were too because of the possibility of enemy submarines heading up the St. Lawrence River. Just a thought! Blackout regulationsBlackouts were observed during blackout alerts. In coastal regions blackouts were on the shore side. From an April 1943 newspaper clipping: Blackout regulations are now uniform in a large area from the Atlantic Coast to the Mississippi River. Revised Signals. The new blackout signals differ from signals used in the past in that a second audible "blue" signal is used. The blackout signals now in effect follow: First or blue signal. This will be the first signal the public will hear. It will be a long blast of two minutes duration. When this is sounded all lights except the street lights and those in essential war industries must be extinguished. Traffic will continue to move with dimmed lights and pedestrians will move to place of shelter. The second or red signal will be a series of short blasts extending over two minutes. With this all traffic ceases except those vehicles with proper identification which have been given permission to move. War industries drop their blackout shades. Passengers have to leave cars and busses for shelter Third Audible Signal. The third audible signal will be a second blue signal. This will be a long blast of two minutes duration. Street lights will go on. War Industries remove their blackout shades. All other lights will remain extinguished. Vehicular traffic will resume "on the low beam." The next signal will be the all clear, which will be one short blast of 15 seconds duration. The all clear will be announced over the radio. Today's view looking south from Monroe StreetThe bridge over the tracks in the 1943 photo is Monroe Street. The low classical building is the Art Institute, and today you see its hall built over the tracks, leading to its later wings to the east. The building with the pyramidal top is the Metropolitan Tower. The train tracks are still here and well-traveled, carrying Metra commuter trains to Randolph Street station under Millenium Park. AutographedLove these time exposures. Here, we find a lonely track worker, with a lantern in hand, signing his name to the photograph. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Night Moves: 1962
Friday Night Lights circa 1962. A high school football game from the News Photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/06/2022 - 12:43pm -

Friday Night Lights circa 1962. A high school football game from the News Photo Archive. Location: somewhere around the 40-yard line. 4x5 inch acetate negative. View full size. Cuffed pantsFirst thing I noticed. That and the ties on all the coaches. This is my era. I was a sophomore in '62 and this easily could have been my high school in Fayetteville, NC. “I’d walk a mile… up and down these sidelines for a Camel.” Concentrate on the game!And you can have a smoke afterwards! And not just the really bad curse wordsI played high school football about 10 years after this photo was taken. For the past several years, off and on, I've been going through and purging boxes of stuff that have followed me around for way too long. One thing I found from my football team days was a list of personal infractions and the corresponding punishment (e.g., run laps, do push-ups). I smiled when I noticed the punishment for cursing was far, far worse than the punishment for smoking. Coach StyleNothing says "High School Football Coach" quite so unequivocally as a short-sleeved white shirt and a necktie. Well, it did anyway -- until coaches became models for sportswear companies with team logos plastered all over themselves. Déjà vu all over againMy football zenith was 1962 in Anaheim. I remember our coach, Clare Van Hornbeck, was always with his famous cigar, and "punishment" consisted of running laps round the track field or running "stadiums" up and down the grandstand near the practice field. Such memories are special for the members of the Anaheim Colonists football team. (The Gallery, News Photo Archive, Sports)
Night Lights: 1905
Coney Island circa 1905. "Night in Luna Park." What hath Edison wrought! 8x10 inch glass negative, ... A modern day Take on Luna Park. Spotted this last night at the New York Botanical Garden Christmas Train Show. Re: Fishpond ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/19/2013 - 6:39pm -

Coney Island circa 1905. "Night in Luna Park." What hath Edison wrought! 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Phase OneLuna Park was only a couple of years old in this photo. It burned down in 1944, though it had been in decline for some time by then. A new Luna Park opened a couple of years ago, not on the same location but nearby, and so far has been quite successful. But it certainly does not have nearly as many bright lights as its predecessor. Heavy truss constructionAnyone remember what was the water below this stage? Was it freshwater? Ocean water? Was it a fishpond or a dolphin tank? A modern dayTake on Luna Park. Spotted this last night at the New York Botanical Garden Christmas Train Show. Re: Fishpond or Dolphin Tank query answeredThe original Luna Park pictured here was on the North side of Surf Avenue, across from the Atlantic Ocean so I imagine that the water used was from the ocean across the street. What you are looking at is a ride at the amusement park that was very popular and the predecessor of the modern log flume ride seen at various parks these days. The one at Luna Park was called the Shoot The Chutes, and fortunately there is a Youtube available entitled: Coney Island Water Chutes 1896-1903 . You will see the ride operational and the viewing area which I believe is in the great Shorpy photo! Enjoy (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
Silent Night: 1925
"Volunteers of America, Christmas 1925." A festive table, good friends and that venerable yuletide sentiment "Profanity Positively Forbidden -- Shut Up or Get OUT." Merry Christmas! National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. The Sn ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:09pm -

"Volunteers of America, Christmas 1925." A festive table, good friends and that venerable yuletide sentiment "Profanity Positively Forbidden -- Shut Up or Get OUT." Merry Christmas! National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. The Snoring TwentiesI'm guessing this was one party Scott and Zelda didn't attend. Is this supposed to be a party?If this is a party, I think I'll skip it and go count headstones in the cemetary! That will be a lot more exciting than this group of people! Wow. I think Stinky had it right - these people were coerced into "making a party"!! Something sad about this picture ....... or maybe its just the room they're in. Somebody did their utmost to make things festive but the room is laughing at the decorations. Was the foreground space so limited that they were forced to park the table through the doorway? I'm made to feel "uneasy" looking at this and I cannot say why. Everyone looks "normal", so its something else and I suspect that its just the room itself - but why? I get the impression that they've been forced to make the best of a bad situation here. They wanted to have a group dinner but this was the only space available to them and it "feels" cold and unwelcoming. The ceiling is too high, the paint job is annoying and the floor is scuffed up and dirty looking. Also, besides the sign saying "Shut up Or Get OUT" there's another sign on that rear door saying "Keep Out". The overall effect is off-putting and unfriendly. I'm also sure that none of these attendees would agree with a word I've said. Secondarily, the standing man reminds me of Senator Joe McCarthy and the guy sitting next to him reminds me of Al Gore. All in all, this photo makes me feel sad -- and somewhat pitying that this was the best that they were able to come up with. Fainting from Hunger?Maybe their glumness is from having to wait to tuck into the turkey and oranges until after the slowpoke photographer gets his dam... er, sorry, dratted picture. Or maybe it's tied to the state of their shoes. They may be tired after a long day of slogging the streets doing their charity work. Of course, what I'd really like to believe is that they're plotting the demise of the gentleman at the head of the table, who's guarding all the precious gold in the KEEP OUT room. All's I really know is, that one coffee cup that's slightly out of alignment at the foot of the table? Somebody is SO getting a firm talking-to from Staff Capt. Myers for that one. Shining examplesWhy are everyone's shoes in such ridiculously horrible shape in these sorts of photos? I notice it consistently! It's like no one owns polish. Take the picture!"There will be no eating until the picture is taken." Harold, stop closing your eyes! Maude! Close your mouth!" I think that two people are helping take this picture. There is an open place on the left side of the table as well as the head of the table on our end. Some of the reasons this looks so unwelcoming: The tablecloth is meager--does not hide the bare legs of the table. There is a bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Where are the napkins?! And while the chairs have a definite "World Market/Pier One" vibe, they are still folding chairs--this is a most temporary set up. Perhaps a bit heavy-handed?"Shut up or get out"? And good will towards all men and women.... Also, I hope there was more than one bird to feed 14 men, two women and a child. Volunteer RecognitionVolunteer organizations all over the USA still look for venues large enough to honor the entire staff of volunteers at one time. Likely this hall was called into use for this occasion, hence the squeezing in. This being 1925 this hall was likely used to gather those down-on-the-luck, perhaps a day labor room, or a forerunner AA meeting. Those are pocket doors. Staff Captain Myers might have been the Salvation Army guy in command and we know how the Army feels about profanity, boy howdy we sure do. How long did they have to sit motionless for the camera to focus? I remember this same paralyzed looks on the faces of my family when dad brought home the first DONT MOVE Polaroid. And what about that baby front and center--what’s that tyke doing there? I am captivated by those big cups--that for chowder? This photo begs to be studied with a magnifier--see what we can see. No grinning either!The fourth fellow on the left, you can see his teeth. He can get out too! And not a napkin in sight.What were they thinking? In reply to Shining ExamplesI'm just guessing here, but maybe it has something to do with the age of the shoes. Today we think nothing of going to the mall and buying a new pair when they get slightly scuffed, but, I believe, as with everything else, there was a "Use it up, wear it out, fix it up, or make do" feeling back then that we seem to have lost today. I don't imagine they ran out to get new shoes for all occasions, plus they were sturdier (the shoes, and the people), and built to last. (Shoe, last, get it? I'm so bad.) In 1925 . . . .No one ever polished their shoes. No one ever mopped the floor. Spot cleaning of uniforms was forbidden. No one could smile while having their picture taken. There were TWO turkeys on the table to feed all those people. And it goes "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." I feel so much better now. Re: Shining ExampleAlso remember, that in 1925 if your soles wore out, you had new ones put on (if you could afford it) and kept wearing them. Who knows how old those shows actually are. It's funny, I'm young enough to grow up in the disposable/k-mart thinking, but still have enough "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" in me to not throw out a pair of shows that still have a sole on them. [Like they say, the show must go on. - Dave] (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Natl Photo)
Night Rider: 1921
Circa 1921. "Oakland window." A showroom display at District Oakland Co., 1709 L Street N.W. in Washington, for the General Motors brand that in 1926 would beget Pontiac. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Locati ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 4:54pm -

Circa 1921. "Oakland window." A showroom display at District Oakland Co., 1709 L Street N.W. in Washington, for the General Motors brand that in 1926 would beget Pontiac. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Location, Location, LocationWashington: 12 miles Baltimore: 31 miles For some reason, that struck me as particularly fascinating. I realizeshe's a dummy, but still she creeps me out. Looks like Chucky's mom. The GobblerNot only does she look like Chucky's mom, but she's freaking out the turkeys with those feathers in her hat! Well displayed Oakland!I will be sorry to see the Pontiac go after all these years. Times sure are changing. These displays are so wonderful, and very similar to what we used to do for car shows in the '60s. Cars would be displayed in a natural surrounding for interest and for sales. Fantastic, Dave! I would give anything to have one today. Oakland Six Do you remember......the kind of September when new cars filled the showrooms with windows covered by paper--in anticipation of the big fall roll-out of the new GM, Ford, Chrysler, American Motors, Jeep, and Studebaker-Packard cars? That's how it was in the 1950s, and, man, we kids would get excited. And, oh that new car smell. Nothing like it today. If auto dealers could recapture that excitement and longing, things might be different in Detroit! The first thing that crossed my mindChucky in drag, his sister or John Gruden. What a great show-window display! I Do SO RememberLook Magazine would have a new car issue in late August each year. That was the first look we had of the new models. The cars being hauled to the dealerships were often covered so no one would get an early peek. Stuff it?That is the first forest to have an electric light in its sky, if not the first dummy to drive through a forest without any hint of a road. But are the turkeys stuffed too, or did they let real birds roam the showroom? The mammal (bobcat?) in the far right corner does appear to be stuffed. Thirty-six years later every Edsel dealer got a live pony in their showroom, to bring people in to see the cars. Ponies make a far worse mess and smell than a couple turkeys. Yes, I rememberThese days, it's kinda tough to remember what year we're in -- it's May, and the car companies have been selling 2010 models for months, it seems... guess they're doing their best to fan new car fever into a pandemic. Wish I knew what happened to the scrapbook I made in first grade, carefully cutting out all the cars from every magazine ad I could find. As went Oakland, so goes PontiacOakland was shut down by GM at the end of 1931; companion make Pontiac had sold seven times as many cars that year, which sold fewer than 9,000. Now, Pontiac follows in its footsteps, set to be closed at the end of 2010. Before televisionThis window display is particularly fascinating because there is so much going on! The birds, the lush "greenery", and the glassy-eyed, grimacing dummy. I wonder how long it took to put this all together? The car seems almost incidental. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Election Night: 1909
November 2, 1909. Watching the municipal election returns at the offices of the New York Herald and Evening Telegram, with the results beamed out from the projection booth using slides. William Gaynor was elected mayor. 8x10 glass negative, George ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 7:45pm -

November 2, 1909. Watching the municipal election returns at the offices of the New York Herald and Evening Telegram, with the results beamed out from the projection booth using slides. William Gaynor was elected mayor. 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Lots to see here. Not a woman in the crowdNot a woman in the crowd that I can spot (perhaps since they didn't have the vote), yet over the scene hangs the prominent ad for corsetry. Ha! Sen-SenI see one woman. I also see a billboard for Sen-Sen, one of my favorite atavistic brands (the other being Moxie). Sen-sen is remembered today chiefly because it is mentioned in the lyrics to the song "Ya Got Trouble" in "The Music Man." They're tryin' out Bevo, tryin' out cubebs, Tryin' out tailor-mades like cigarette fiends! And braggin' all about How they're gonna cover up a tell-tale breath with Sen-Sen. I use the term "atavistic" brand, rather than "obsolete" because Sen-Sen can still be purchased in a few venues (and, of course, online). CHA [And let's not forget Zoolak. "Unequaled for the stomach." - Dave] I won?!Is this where the election term "projecting the winner" comes from? Times have changedI managed to find two woman (large hat, near the small tree at the back of the streetcar at the left of the photo; and in front of the projection booth) and two black men, both in front of the projection booth. Look where we are a hundred years later. Sen-SenHad some difficulty finding the Sen-Sen billboard, I finally managed to do so, the ad appears to be for Sen-Sen Gum: "Little Girls like it" Found on a page at the interesting site called "Friends of Historic Third Lake Ridge". (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Night and the City: 1917
... waiting to see if they would be allowed in for the night (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 7:49pm -

January 18, 1917. "New York Municipal Lodging House. Waiting for the doors to open." View full size. 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Hatsit's a real sign of the times that no matter how down on your luck you were, you always wore a hat. NYMLH1991 New York Times article on the Municipal Lodging House. Excerpt: IF Mayor David N. Dinkins has been perturbed by the opposition to his plan for 100-bed shelters for the homeless, he would surely take a suggestion for a facility 10 times that size as a bad joke. Yet that is exactly what New York City put up in 1909 at 432 East 25th Street. This shelter stood for 40 years but the chilling irony is that the 1909 Municipal Lodging House remains the only city building built in Manhattan for single homeless men and women. Homeless ShelterThat's a lot of tenants who did not have the freedom to get into their own bed until someone else said they could! I'd love to learn more about this one too. [So far we have six photos of the New York Municipal Lodging House, with more information in the comments. - Dave] ShelterThe hangdog expression on the policeman's face speaks volumes. What was the story on the New York Municipal Lodging House? Sure seems like a popular place. Covered FacesIt's also very interesting to note that a number of men have purposefully covered their faces or lowered their heads, as if to not be identified. It's also interesting to note the group of men standing off to the right toward the back of the picture. Why have they remained separate? Just interesting. LiteraryReminds me of Down and Out in Paris and London. Many scenes just like these with all the "tramps" waiting to see if they would be allowed in for the night (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC)
East River Rapids: 1904
... depicted Brodie's supposed feat, closed after opening night, a legendary belly flop. The Great Bridge David McCullough's book ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/05/2024 - 11:48am -

New York circa 1904. "Brooklyn Bridge and East River." The Williamsburg Bridge in the distance. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Curses of the depths?John Roebling, who designed the Brooklyn Bridge, died of tetanus after his foot was crushed between a ferry and a dock during early work at the site. The next year, John's son Washington Roebling suffered a severe case of the bends fighting fire in an underwater caisson; though an invalid, with the help of his wife Emily, also an engineer, he coordinated the project to completion from a bedroom window overlooking the site. Hart Crane, whose epic poem "The Bridge" (1930) is the greatest literary tribute, died two years later by jumping off a ship, not in the East River but the Gulf of Mexico. (Last words: "Goodbye everybody.") In 1885, swimming instructor Robert Ellet Odlum was killed during a stunt jump off the bridge. A year later, lifeguard Steve Brodie claimed to have jumped and survived. There was no clear verification, but Brodie thrived on the story for the rest of his (short) life. In 1965, the Broadway musical "Kelly", which depicted Brodie's supposed feat, closed after opening night, a legendary belly flop. The Great BridgeDavid McCullough's book "The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge" is an excellent read. I hope everyone has the opportunity to see this magnificent bridge in their lifetime. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
Night on Catherine: 1954
"Montreal July 1954. Night on Catherine and Peel Streets." From Set 3 of found 35mm Kodachrome ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/09/2008 - 3:07pm -

"Montreal July 1954. Night on Catherine and Peel Streets." From Set 3 of found 35mm Kodachrome slides. View full size. I don't know about you, but I'm heading right over to the Indian Room to meet Jack Delano for cocktails. Public WorksGarbage bucket style "C", eh? Much better than those style "A" or "B" ones, I presume. Garrett Dash Nelson Sainte CatherineSainte Catherine is the main drag in Montreal, now a one-way street running through the heart of downtown Montreal from upper class boutiques on the west side to lower class red light districts in the east end. It was the scene of the famous "Rocket Richard" hockey riots of 1957, and more recently the Stanley Cup riot of 1993. And a 1953 FordThe ghost of one anyhow, zooming by... Sainte-Catherine and PeelThere is a webcam run by Tourism Montreal at that location: http://www.montrealcam.com/en-visitation.html Unfortunately it doesn't look as "swinging" as it once did. All that neon......would be thrown away by government decree in the 1970's thanks to Quebec's French-only laws. Streetcar GhostsThere are also at least two streetcar ghosts in the picture as well: the more visible one is eastbound and you can see its illuminated dash lights a third of the way from the Indian Room to the Players signs. The windows of the westbound one are clearly shown above the Players Please sign. The unmistakable notice that every Montreal streetcar carried announcing a $40 fine for spitting appears at the upper left corner of the United Cigar Stores clock. Strictly speaking this is the corner of St. Catherine and Windsor since till about 1962. Peel only applied from Pine to Burnside (de Maisonneuve). (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kodachromes 3, Travel & Vacation)
North by Night: 1940
... in with the faint whisper of the evening breeze and summer night insect sounds, I hear the gentle double-slam of those ornate screen ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/02/2021 - 3:03pm -

July 1940. "Negroes from Florida and Georgia travel by car and truck, following the crops northward. The company store at Camden, North Carolina, where migrants buy anything from clothing to Coca-Colas." Photo by Jack Delano -- Farm Security Administration. View full size. Where's George C. Scott?This is like a scene from "The Flim-Flam Man." Near twinsOn the left, nearly out of the frame, is a 1935 Ford Tudor sedan -- a standard model, with but one taillamp. Farther to the right is a 1936 Tudor that may or may not be a standard, since the far lamp is hidden, if it's there. There were other differences not seen in this photo. I have owned an example of each of these jewels. Florida in JulySteve Belcher, I'm right with you except the cool evening breeze would be very humid, hot, and muggy. That BikeLooks exactly like the one that my wife had a few years back. Her's Hers was green and white with whitewall tires. Outstanding composition, detail and exposureIf there was ever a photo here that moves me, it's this one. I feel like I just walked up a dirt road and back into time. I can almost hear the bugs and feel the cool evening breeze. 361-452 & Old Screen Doors1931 Chevrolet AE Independence Coach. Mixed in with the faint whisper of the evening breeze and summer night insect sounds, I hear the gentle double-slam of those ornate screen doors. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets)
Night Ride: 1943
... "Baltimore, Maryland. Trolley leaving the terminal at night." Photo by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/26/2013 - 2:28pm -

April 1943. "Baltimore, Maryland. Trolley leaving the terminal at night." Photo by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. Spooky, EmptyEmpty? "Room for one more." What atmosphere in this pic. Edward HopperReady to settle in place for "Nighthawks"! Ghost carNot a human in sight. Ahead of its time?Either this car is moving away from us with a hidden motorman or there's a phantom driver piloting it driving toward us. I didn't know they had driverless vehicles already back in 1943. Lights, pleaseThere's just something I love about streetlights with clear incandescent bulbs, such as this one. Here in Connecticut they're all but extinct (Stonington Borough is the last town of which I'm aware that still has these). Still blows my mind that these go for a couple hundred dollars on eBay. Coming or going?Since there is no driver at the left end, and the overhead contact pole points to the left, I think this car is heading to the right and thus returning to the terminal. (The Gallery, Baltimore, Marjory Collins, Streetcars)
Good Night, Mrs. Calabash: 1952
1952. Jimmy Durante rehearsing for the "Colgate Comedy Hour" or "All-Star Revue." Photos by Maurice Terrell and Earl Theisen for a Look magazine article about the TV producer Sam Fuller, "He Keeps Them Happy." View full size. Ham it up ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/06/2013 - 12:44am -

1952. Jimmy Durante rehearsing for the "Colgate Comedy Hour" or "All-Star Revue." Photos by Maurice Terrell and Earl Theisen for a Look magazine article about the TV producer Sam Fuller, "He Keeps Them Happy." View full size. Ham it upThe exaggerated facial mugging was the norm for a dancing girl on that show. On the old kinescopes you can see the dancers projecting a huge amount of personality, and to a very charming effect. Those gals were more than just decorations, they were personalities. Add to that mix that it took a very extreme expression to come through at all on those old TV sets. And as we see here the body language was no less exaggerated. In early TV you had to play to the last row as much as in Vaudeville. Inka Dinka DooWe had our first television in 1950, I believe, a 12 inch Admiral. I was way too young then to fully appreciate some of the remarkable entertainers in those early days of the medium---which was really just an extension of vaudeville. Durante was one of them of course, and other names like Milton Berle, Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca and Burns and Allen come to mind. Keep in mind this stuff was all live, which ruled out second and third takes. Yet week after week these extraordinary people pulled it off to the delight of millions. Sid Caesar once mentioned in an interview that frequently the writers (Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, among others) for Your Show of Shows would be writing material for the last half of the program at the start of it. Regarding Berle, my understanding is that every program was recorded on 16 mm film, and it was all kept in a storage room at NBC. Then some upwardly mobile executive type decided the space would be better used for one of his pet projects, and he ordered all the Berle film burned. As for the Schnoz, I’ll always remember him signing off singing, “I’ll See You in My Dreams” on a darkened stage, with him in the center of a spotlight beam. And when he had finished the last note, it was, “Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.” The spotlight then went dark, and we were ushered into a Pard dog food commercial, or some other such thing. What a guy!My grandfather, born in 1898, recalled seeing Jimmy and a partner entertaining in a beer garden in Coney Island. This must have been in the summer of 1919, just after my grandfather returned from Europe and WWI. They were both troupers. HilariousHis turn in "The Man Who Came to Dinner" has always been a favorite. Great talent! Also had a nice role in "It Happened in Brooklyn", but more of a straight role, no major buffoonery, just a nice normal fellow. And, of course, "It's a MMMM World" was/is a classic. Up FrontI often wonder how it's decided who gets to be in the front line of dancers and who gets relegated to the back. In this case it would be an easy choice--the young woman on the left almost outshines Mr. Durante, which is no small feat. The TrioFrom the vaudeville days: it was Clayton, Jackson, and Durante. They had various combinations over the years. You can catch them on You Tube. Jimmy the JazzerJimmy Durante was a member of an early jazz group called The Original New Orleans Jazz Band in 1918-1919. He was the only non-New Orleanian in the group. Scary?As a tiny child, I thought his "Ahtchhaaaaachhhaaaachaaa" move was a bit scary. Now I wonder why. Kid brains are weird. (LOOK, TV)
Fight Night: 1897
Aboard the U.S.S. Oregon circa 1897. "Waiting for the gong." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Refreshment I see the guy on the right has beer bottle for his 'water'. T ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:35am -

Aboard the U.S.S. Oregon circa 1897. "Waiting for the gong." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. RefreshmentI see the guy on the right has beer bottle for his 'water'. There seems to be an awful lot of blood on the floor and half the crowd are in the ring. Great photo! What are you lookin at?What a great shot, with these two glaring at each other just waiting for the bell. The guy on the right seems like he might have a height and reach advantage, but my money's on the guy on the left, who seems like he's got the Mike Tyson-like advantage. This Could Get UglyOne of the fighters and one at least of the spectators seems to have been drinking -- this was before all US Navy ships became "dry" in June 1914. I should hope there are several Chief Petty Officers in the front row to keep the spectators under control in this very crowded "ring." I was wondering where on board a turn of the century battleship there could possibly be a two deck high room with a partial "mezzanine" when, looking more carefully, I realized that the objects at the top center are the keels of lifeboats! The space is outdoors, on one side of the superstructure at main deck level, and the stairway leads up to the 01 level, or "boat deck". These matches were called "Smokers"Very popular up until last 25 years. A Smoker would be held as part of a day off where the best boxer would be discovered on the crew, who in turn would represent the boat in inter-ship smokers. No place to hide!Pretty small ring they have there -- no running away in this fight! I love this series of shots of real life of sailors on board these pre-WWI ships. These guys seem Russian!Amazing pic. In my mind, I use to picture the past like a tale, all contaminated with crappy unrealistic hollywood images. But this site gave me a chance to SEE what the past was like. Pretty much like today. And yet, I get fascinated when I look at it. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, E.H. Hart, Sports)
Night Train: 1943
... A view of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe yard at night." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. 2-10-2 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2013 - 3:46pm -

March 1943. "Barstow, California. A view of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe yard at night." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. 2-10-2 "Santa Fe Type"The Santa Fe steam locomotive 1691 in the photo, is one of the earliest examples of a locomotive type which was named after the railroad. They descend from the 2-10-0 "Decapod" type, to which the Santa Fe added a one axle "trailing truck" under the cab in 1903, for better tracking on the steep and curvy Raton Pass grade in Colorado and New Mexico. This begot one of the most popular wheel arrangements in America for heavy freight service. Maybe We'll Steam AgainThere's a group up at the University of Minnesota working with some 501c3 organization refitting a Baldwin to run on Biomass. They think they can get better emissions, efficiency, and power than diesel once they get it right. Even got themselves a website: http://www.csrail.org/. It would be awfully neat if we could see these kinds of things again! That Odd TenderThat slopeback tender behind the first loco was uniquely used on the Santa Fe, and was not original equipment on that particular engine. It came originally attached to one of the 2-10-10-2 mallets used to push trains over Cajon Pass. Built early in the century, they were the world's largest locomotives in their day, yet proved so impractical and labor intensive that they were short lived, like most behemoth locomotives produced in that era. They were scrapped in the 1930's, and MAY have been (I don't have my Santa Fe books handy, so don't quote me on it) converted into two 2-10-0 types. Engines died, but tenders, especially practical designs like the slopeback, lived on until the very end of steam. Whale, not slopeThat type of tender was known on the Santa Fe as a whaleback. Slopeback tenders were typically used with switch engines not road power - though, as always, there were exceptions. The biggest problems Santa Fe had with the 2-10-10-2s were with their jointed boilers. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Night Ride Home: 1969
February 1969. "Night Traffic." This Kodachrome of Oceanside from a San Diego Freeway overpass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2021 - 8:00pm -

February 1969. "Night Traffic." This Kodachrome of Oceanside from a San Diego Freeway overpass is our latest posthumous dispatch from the camera of Don Cox, courtesy of his friend and "Birth of Hot-Rodding" co-author Robert Genat. View full size. Benchmark watermarkDave you've reached a new high benchmark with the motion artifact brake light watermark. No matter how long you spent getting it just right, it was worth every minute. Times have changedThe Interstate 5/Hwy 78 interchange is still the same, but now there are four lanes of traffic in either direction. IDI think I see a Mercury Cougar on the left and a T-Bird and Beetle on the right. What's up with the car on the offramp, no lights on. It looks like a '62 Thunderbird. Now, the sun's coming upI'm riding with Lady Luck Freeway, cars and trucks Stars beginning to fade And I lead the parade Just a-wishin' I'd stayed a little longer Oh Lord, let me tell ya that the feeling getting stronger (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Don Cox)
Texas Saturday Night: 1942
February 1942. Weslaco, Texas. Saturday night dance at the Farm Security Administration camp with music by the Drake ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2009 - 12:38am -

February 1942. Weslaco, Texas. Saturday night dance at the Farm Security Administration camp with music by the Drake family. View full size. Medium-format safety negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. FriskySeems like the young man dancing with the polka dot girl is getting a bit "handsy." [That's two girls dancing. - Dave] Wish I had a time machineOh, how I'd love to go to that dance! Facial ExpressionI wonder what the woman in the center is thinking? She appears to have on a wedding ring, but they are dancing like they aren't too close. She doesn't look unhappy, but she is clearly thinking about something! [Maybe the next call in the square dance. - Dave] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Drake Family, Music)
Edge of Night: 1958
... to the outer sheet metal, which then condensed in the cold night air and formed frost. But the top is definitely a layer of frosty snow. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2015 - 4:12pm -

Castro Valley, Calif., circa 1958. "Accident, Seven Hills Road." One sunburned '55 Ford Fairlane, saved. 4x5 acetate negative from the News Archive. View full size. Whew!Besides a fresh coat of paint, I'm guessing the Ford could use a thorough cleaning of the driver's seat cushion after this near-miss. License platesThe license plate frame outlines the shape of California tags prior to 1956. In 1956 all states standardized the size and shape of their license plates. That standard is still in use today. SnowThat looks like snow, not faded paint. There are a couple patches on the hood too, where the engine heat could more easily get through to the outer sheet metal, which then condensed in the cold night air and formed frost. But the top is definitely a layer of frosty snow. [Look up the average low and record low temps for Castro Valley. - Dave] Yes, well into the 20s and 30s for record lows, and if they came down from mountains, they had plenty of chances to be snowed on. The lighting of the roof snow clearly shows highlights and shadows that indicates a layer of snow, not faded paint. But I was incorrect about the reason for the patches of snow on the hood. I forgot that there are areas where insulation is attached to the underside between the formed crossbeams. So those areas stay cooler and don't melt. That's a powerful flashThe flash is illuminating the back of the truck, which is awfully far away. Were there such things as extra-jumbo flash bulbs? Also the dapper tow-truck tech appears to have very highly reflective shoes. Flash bulbs were powerful.Press photographers in the 50s typically used GE #5 or Sylvania Press 25 flashbulbs. These had a guide number of about 240 for 100 ASA film - that's 42 feet at f/5.6. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, News Photo Archive, Signal 30)
Night Shift: 1909
November 1909. Two of the boys on night shift in the More-Jones Glass Co., Bridgeton, New Jersey. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 9:23am -

November 1909. Two of the boys on night shift in the More-Jones Glass Co., Bridgeton, New Jersey. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. JauntyI love how their hats are pushed off to the side. They look like they're having a playful moment here. Kid on the leftMan, that is a good-looking kid. A century later he'd be River Phoenix. Instead he got to be a child laborer. [Considering what happened to River Phoenix, maybe our boy got the better deal. - Dave] OH MYNow THAT kid is CUUUUTE!!! And look at his MUSCLES! Hey I'm 16 year old girl......what can I say? (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Turkey Night: 1956
A December 1956 holiday kitchen scene in a found Kodachrome slide from Alhambra, California. View full size. Wings Do I see a saint? Or at least an angel. Also, over on the windowsill, a Virgin. Mary Christmas There's another Vir ... 
 
Posted by Vintagetvs - 12/31/2017 - 7:56pm -

A December 1956 holiday kitchen scene in a found Kodachrome slide from Alhambra, California. View full size. WingsDo I see a saint? Or at least an angel. Also, over on the windowsill, a Virgin. Mary ChristmasThere's another Virgin on what looks like a church calendar with the Blessed Mother as December's picture. Those curtains have been starched within an inch of their lives! I admire the way they were pressed. They look like they would break if they were touched, and that's not meant as an insult. Mother's apron and dress have been pressed well, too, but with much less starch. Is that a coffeepot in the dish drainer? It's shiny enough to give a good reflection, but my vision isn't sharp enough to tell what it reflects. It's Edgar!That seems more like a crow effigy she's holding up. And, the glasses are as classic as the turquiose tile - Lucky it wasn't avocado or copper like my mom's kitchen! And I imagine Mom doesn't trust Dad to carve the turkey, so it happens in the kitchen. MysteryWhy is it so dark outside? [Late, probably cloudy afternoon sun plus exposure stopped down for bright, close-quarters flash. - tterrace] Blue tileI live in a home that was built in 1955. In one of the bathrooms we have that same blue tile. My Wife hates it ! Past my bedtime9:30! And here I thought we ate late. [According to the clock, more like 3:55.] Let The Skin Wars Begin!Those ladies knew how to roast a turkey to crispy skin perfection. My sister and I didn't give a hoot about white meat or dark meat all we wanted was that crispy skin so for the sit down part of a holiday meal we usually settled for a wing but we kept a wary eye on each other when the turkey was taken into the kitchen. Any unguarded turkey with that crisp Old Bay flavored skin was fair game for us. It belonged to us and no one else in the family and once enough time had passed we excused ourselves and made a dash to the kitchen to gobble down that gobbler's skin. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Saturday Night: 1942
January 1942. Community house Saturday night dance in the Farm Security Administration settlement of Woodville, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 4:10pm -

January 1942. Community house Saturday night dance in the Farm Security Administration settlement of Woodville, California. View full size. Medium format safety transparency by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Back in the days when...Back in the days when white people could actually dance! So this was a month or so after Pearl Harbor...What an amazing photograph! I counted 111 people in this frame and all of them have a story to tell. If you capture this photo, then use an application like Corel to zoom in, you can see all the human emotions on different faces - all in this one photo. Also, I'm a musician and I can't help but wonder who the leader of the band is - I think he's the guy on the far left - but you only see in shadow. Did he not like the other three guys in the band? (The Gallery, Music, Russell Lee, Sports)
Night Swimming: 1952
"North Columbus Recreation Dept. 1952." What seems to be a ceremony involving ribbons and cake. 4x5 negative from the News Photo Archive. View full size. Swim Meet After Party Yup, I remember these. They were called 'swim meets', and th ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2015 - 10:52pm -

"North Columbus Recreation Dept. 1952." What seems to be a ceremony involving ribbons and cake. 4x5 negative from the News Photo Archive. View full size. Swim Meet After PartyYup, I remember these. They were called 'swim meets', and the community pools in suburbia competed against each other in racing and sometimes diving as well. I used to swim in these all the time, although I'm more of an early 60s vintage, but nothing much was different than it was in '52. By late summer, when all the races were over it was usually dark and cold by the time the team gathered up for a snack .. we usually had sliced oranges. Wash that cake right outta my hairThe lovely lady on the right presenting the cake is a doppelgänger for Broadway musical star Mary Martin. I Had ForgottenJust how flattering a swim cap can be. You're looking good, 1952Having spent last week at the beach, I know two things for sure: - We don't look nearly as healthy and alive as folks in 1952. - Today's swimsuits aren't as attractive as what they wore then. Everyone's a winnerNoticed all four in front are holding ribbons won in the swimming contest. Also, the woman at far left appears to have a knife...for cutting the cake in the box maybe? (The Gallery, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive, Swimming)
The Night Shift: 1909
November 19, 1909. "A group working on night shift at Hereford Glass Works, Cape May Court House, New Jersey. I saw ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/14/2012 - 12:05pm -

November 19, 1909. "A group working on night shift at Hereford Glass Works, Cape May Court House, New Jersey. I saw the smallest boy carrying in shortly before midnight, November 18th." Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Better check his forehead closelyThat kid on the right may be from another planet. I can hear it now...That guy on the far right ia saying, "What, me worry?" (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Bromo Tower: 1912
... car one morning on a train, obviously hung over from a night in the bar car. The steward asked if he could get Mr. Fields a Bromo, to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/27/2024 - 12:20am -

Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1912. "Baltimore waterfront and skyline." Dominated by the Emerson Tower at left, better known as the Bromo-Seltzer Tower, surmounted by a giant, 20-ton Bromo bottle. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Giant stepladder?I'm wondering about the structure, apparently made of wood, either part of a ship or standing on the dock, against the background of the further State Tobacco Warehouse, below and left of the word State -- anyone know what that is? What a headache!The Bromo-Seltzer clock remains, but the 51-foot bottle and its equipment (it rotated!) had to go because of structural concerns. By 2002 the tower was empty, but it was refurbished into the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, providing artist's studios/shops and a Bromo-Seltzer museum. The BasinThis was known as the Basin to the Baltimore of 1912. All the low structures fronting the water are facing Light Street, still a major north/south route. Most of the upper end of the Light Street waterfront was rebuilt after the Baltimore Fire of 1904. The low clock tower in the left foreground is part of the office and terminal of the Baltimore Steam Packet Company, the "Old Bay Line". This was the starting point for lines to the Eastern Shore of Maryland as well as Washington and Richmond. The Old Bay Line would survive until 1960/61. Note the men with wheelbarrows hauling coal into the fuel bunker of that first boat. Labor was cheap in 1912. Maybe someone who knows his steamboats can identify some that we are seeing here. Inner harborYou'll still find ships in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, notably the USS Constellation--but they're not going anywhere. (Sadly, the same has recently become true for the larger Port of Baltimore, we hope temporarily.) The Inner Harbor area underwent a hugely successful redevelopment as a tourist destination in the 1970s and 80s. The focus today tends toward sports (Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Ravens' stadium), gambling (Horseshoe Casino), and lots of condos. Bromo-SeltzerWas one of the great cure all medicines that actually survived the Pure Food and Drug Act and is still available today. For a very long time it was used for everything from upset stomach to a popular cure for the "morning after" blahs. There is a story about the famous comedic actor WC Fields who reportedly staggered into the dining car one morning on a train, obviously hung over from a night in the bar car. The steward asked if he could get Mr. Fields a Bromo, to which he replied; "No. I couldn't stand the noise." Coal BargesLoading that ferry steamer with wheelbarrows of coal sure looks like a hard day's work. What's that building to the left of the tower?The one with the substantial external framework visible. Could that be a refrigeration/icemaking building, with the structure holding up the cooling towers? The other thing I note is most buildings over maybe 8 stories have at least one water tank on the roof. Fire protection, water pressure in the structure, or both? Details, DetailsWhat's up there? Click to embiggen. Bananas, Oysters and Smokey JoeBaltimore is a hot and humid city so when we were young (late 1940s & early '50s) we would head to this area on our bikes to catch a cooling breeze and hope the banana boat was in so we could watch the stevedores unload it near Pratt and Light and maybe catch a snake hissing it's its way out of a bunch. Farther down Pratt was docked a Baltimore Skipjack loaded with all manner of seafood and oysters from the Eastern Shore of Maryland and the if asked politely we could con the hand there to shuck us an oyster. We young Baltimoreans were a brave bunch. Over on Pier 5 on Light Street was the home of the intrepid and much loved icon Smokey Joe. You might not hear her but you sure could see her steaming up the Patapsco from Love Point. The ferryboat known more commonly as Smoky Joe than by its real name, the Philadelphia, steamed three times a day for 16 years from Pier 5 Light Street across the Chesapeake Bay to Love Point. By the time it was retired in 1947, Smoky Joe had managed to sail into the hearts of Baltimoreans and those on the Eastern Shore. Described as a “Dumpy double-ender,” the boat earned its nickname because of the telltale trail of black coal smoke that belched from its two tall funnels (reduced to one after an 1935 refit). The ferry was a perpetual smudge on the city’s skyline. Another fond memory of Pratt and Light area is the Wilson Line’s Bay Belle, which would ferry you across the Chesapeake Bay to the bay beach towns of Betterton and Tolchester. In the days before the Bay Bridges were built this was a way to escape the heat and humidity while seated on the forecastle of a boat steaming across the Bay. All the above just reside now in the memories of Baltimoreans of the 1940s and '50s, since the whole place is now gentrified and one can't go into a long closed bar owned by a big and sassy lady at Pratt and Light who had with the language of the seamen who patronized her place. Oh yes, she could cuss but if she heard you cuss you had to put a dollar in the cuss jar which went to the Little Sisters Of The Poor on Calvert Street. I remember it wellWe saw the Bromo Tower when we toured Camden Yards in the spring of 2019! And also the beautiful Pandora building, 250 West Pratt. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Baltimore, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Death Star: 1902
... are an awful lot of open windows. It Hyphened One Night The Waldorf-Astoria was originally built as 2 separate hotels by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/25/2023 - 12:40pm -

Circa 1902. "The Waldorf-Astoria, New York." The original, and somewhat forbidding, Waldorf at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. Complete with the obligatory windowsill milk bottle. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. OK - I give up.What's an "obligatory windowsill milk bottle?" [A familiar sight on these pages. Left out to chill. - Dave] It stood for less than 40 yearsTorn down in 1929 to make way for the Empire State Building. The storks also deliver milk!It's amazing that, in addition to tiny babes, the storks are also adept at delivering windowsill milk bottles.... 7 stories high! 34th StreetThe street on the north side, the one with the trolley, appears narrower than it is today. It may be an optical illusion but it seems to be missing a lane on both sides. Today 34th Street is one of the busiest in the city, leading east to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and Long Island and west to the world's largest store, Macy's, and continuing to the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey and points beyond. This of course, takes nothing away from the magnificent old Waldorf or its successor, the landmarked Empire State Building. Police HatAlways a little tip-off on the season to check the hats of the cops. The gray ones were worn in summer, blue in Winter. Likewise with the straw hats. There was a season for them, much like we used to say about white pants. There was the famous "straw hat riot" in 1922 where a bunch of street toughs started ripping the skimmers off men who'd worn them after the agreed-upon cut-off date. [Probably the best seasonal tipoff: Windowsill milk bottles! - Dave] v = ?(2gx)Given the generous "no walk" zones at sidewalk level, do you suppose the engineers took the milk bottle "Oops Factor" into consideration? Movie SetLooks like Sigourney Weaver's apartment building in "Ghostbusters." [Which was on Central Park West. - Dave] It may be cold outside but it's sure hot in here!I guess the steam heat was cranking because there are an awful lot of open windows. It Hyphened One NightThe Waldorf-Astoria was originally built as 2 separate hotels by feuding members of the Astor family. The Waldorf on the left (the shorter half) was built in 1983 1883, and the Astoria on the right was completed in 1897. The two were soon operated as one hotel, but it's apparently possible to separate them back into two distinct entities if needed. One assumes that ..you could get a Waldorf Salad here. And screwdrivers. The Waldorf SaladIt seems like Doghouse Riley has been watching too many Fawlty Tower reruns, as well as myself. The Waldorf Salad episode is one of my favorites. Astor CourtThe banner on top of the short building on the right probably reads "Astor Court" - not "Astoria." The Astor Court Building stood just west of the private alley (also called Astor Court) that separated it from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. All of this became part of the site of the Empire State Building. Tricks of the House WreckersModern Mechanics featured the demolition of the Waldorf Astoria in the June 1930 issue. Click to enlarge. Penthouse ViewsWhat would the uses of the top several floors be in this building? They are very unusual; the arrangement, size and shape of the top floor windows. Actuallythe name was the Waldorf=Astoria! The "=" sign was put in because the cousins who built the two side by side hotel couldn't agree on whose name would be first in the new name! I would have loved to have stayed here, even in the smallest room. The old family homesteadAccording to an old family legend, an ancestor of mine once had his farm at this location in the early 19th century. I'm sure he'd kick himself If he could see what the property values were now! What a beauty!I'd like to live there those times and see it with my own eyes! Maitre d' MarcosMy grandfather Marcel Burgos was maitre d' for this Waldorf for many years during the 1920s. My dad told many stories about him. Anybody out there have any records of any employes from there? (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Columbus Night: 1908
Circa 1908. "High Street at night, Arch City, Columbus, Ohio." If you can't get into Bliss College, there's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/17/2016 - 12:31pm -

Circa 1908. "High Street at night, Arch City, Columbus, Ohio." If you can't get into Bliss College, there's always Professor Rader's Academy of Dancing next door. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. +105Below is the same perspective from May of 2013. Higher EducationBliss College was still operating here as recently as the early 90's. It's gone now. (The Gallery, DPC)
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