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After the Storm: 1913
... half a dozen more were treated for slight injuries. Last night the police were still digging in the ruins in the fear that other bodies ... Hospital, where she is undergoing treatment, said last night that she is rallying well from the shock and is not regarded as in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 4:33pm -

Washington, D.C. "Storm damage. Between 1913 and 1918." Somewhere under all this rubble, I suspect, is a narrative waiting to be unearthed by a Shorpy history detective. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Incoming toilet, indeedTut, you gave me the laugh of my day, turning a gloomy disaster (mine) into an incoming toilet. I'm still laughing. Washington Torn by Electric StormHere it is in the New York Times. 1913!According to this caption on Flickr, the Saul store at 7th & L Streets was destroyed by a tornado on July 30, 1913. There's a small photo of the whole building here: http://www.bfsaul.com/history.html Heads up!Incoming toilet at twelve o'clock. Death & Ruin Washington Post, July 31 1913 Death and Ruin Spread Swiftly By Lightning, Wind and Hail ... The wind wrecked a three-story brick office building occupied by the B.F. Saul Company, real estate brokers, at Seventh and L streets northwest, and nineteen persons were carried down in the crash. W.E. Hilton, vice president of the real estate company, and Thos. B. Fealey, 65 years old, a tinner, were taken from the ruins dead. Half a dozen were taken to hospitals seriously injured and half a dozen more were treated for slight injuries. Last night the police were still digging in the ruins in the fear that other bodies might be recovered. ... Some of the injured: Thomas E. Allen, 35 years old, secretary of the real estate firm; perhaps fatally hurt: In Emergency Hospital. Miss Catherine McMahon, 23 years old, cashier of the real estate firm, of 1111 Rhode Island avenue northwest: in Casualty Hospital, suffering from internal injuries; is likely to die. Miss Catherine Breen, 25 years old, bookkeeper in the real estate office, of 435 Sixth street northwest; in Casualty Hospital, suffering from shock, contusions, and perhaps internal injuries; condition serious. Mrs. Ida Coplan, 35 years old, of 2017 Ninth street northwest, and her daughter Sadie, 12 years old; rescued from debris of real estate office and taken to Casualty Hospital: slightly injured. J. Wriley Jacobs, 28 years old, clerk in real estate office; pinned in debris, injured about legs and body; taken home. Miss Nellie E. Desmond, 22 years old, bookkeeper in real estate office; suffering from Shock. Albert J. Drury, 19 years old, 605 Florida avenue northwest; Edward H. Boblitz, 21 years old, 134 Barry place northwest; Harold Robinson, 18 years old, and Roy Humphrey, 18 years old, all escaped from the structure with minor injuries. ... The building in which all these people were at the mercy of the storm was a three-story brick structure on the northeast corner of Seventh and L streets, occupied on the ground floor as the office of the B.F. Saul Real Estate Company, with a little store on the same floor at the Eighth street side occupied by Thomas E. Casey, a tinner. The upper floors were used as lodge rooms. In the real estate office the force was placidly at work when the storm broke. There was no thought of danger until there came the sudden shriek of rending tin and the crash of splitting timbers and falling bricks. The wind had got a purchase under the roof and was lifting it away. Walter E. Hilton, the vice president of the concern, whose desk was about in the middle of the long room, shouted a warning, and some of those nearer the front made a rush for the door. They were hampered by the low railings and partitions that divided the room into separate departments. Edward H. Boblitz, a young runner, who was sitting on a bench, was the first to reach the door, which he swung open, to permit the egress of Hilton, who was half leading and half carrying Miss Nellie E. Desmond, one of the bookeepers, and the Misses Hilda and Emma Schutrumpf, young sisters who were employed in the place as stenographers and whose desks were close to Hilton's. As Hllton and the three girls got out, Boblitz reached over the counter to rescue Miss Katherine McMahon, the cashier. But just then the shifting roof pushed the front wall out into the street and the two side walls came down upon the dropping roof. Miss McMahon disappeared in the smother of debris, and Boblitz found himself practically unhurt, lying among the bricks and broken boards on the sidewalk. Behind him and all around him were piles of debris whence could be distinguished the screams of women and cries of men. It was then that Hilton was killed. Having dragged the three girls to safety through the raining bricks of the falling front wall he essayed to reenter the store, the front of which being of iron and stone, was still standing. Hilton was going in after more women. But just as he went through the door a beam dropped on him, breaking his neck. Down in the cellar, buried under tons and tons of tangled timbers and iron and brick, were Miss McMahon, the cashier; Miss Katherine Breen, one of the bookkeepers; Thomas E. Allen, secretary of the concern; J. Wriley Jacobs, the firm's insurance agent; Mrs. Ida Koplan and her 12-year-old daughter, Sadie, and Thomas Fealey, an aged carpenter, who had stepped into Casey's tinshop to get out of the rain. The rescue work started almost immediately. Policeman Jack, of the Second precinct, and a sergeant were half a block away when they heard the crash. The sergeant ran as rapidly as he could to the police station, a few squares away and Jack rushed to the fire alarm box at K street and turned in an alarm, which brought to the scene Deputy Chiefs Carrington and Keliher, with Nos. 6, 14, 2, and 7 Engine companies, and Nos. 4 and 1 trucks. The reserves of several precincts came and maintained fire lines to keep back the crowds. The first to be taken out of the wreckage were Mrs. Koplan and her daughter, who were freed from a mass of splintered timbers by Policeman Jack and a civilian named Waddington. Much bruised and shaken, but not badly hurt, they were carried across Seventh street to a clothing store, where Leon Cohen, one of the proprietors, and his wife had a narrow escape from the falling wall, which partly demolished the front of their store. The Cohens gave them clothing, after which they were placed in an ambulance and taken to Casualty Hospital. In the meantime, the firemen, led by Capt. Lanahan, of No. 6 engine, and Lieut. Steele, of No. 4 truck, were chopping and sawing timbers and shoveling away bricks and mortar dust in an effort to reach the imprisoned victims, whose cries could be heard now and then. In fifteen minutes the fireman had reached Miss McMahon and taken her out after Dr. Kelly had given her a hypodermic injection of morphine. Then Fealey was found – or what was left of him. He was dead when Dr. Kelly and the firemen, crawling through a tortuous tunnel of debris, reached his side. Heavy timbers had pinned him to the foundation wall crushing his body, and a beam of the roof truss had crushed his skull. By this time the debris at the L street side of the wreck had been removed so that the rescuers could utilize an ash hoist there. Dr. Kelly and four of the firemen on No. 4 truck company held Fealey's body in their arms, while the ash hoist slowly ascended to the street level, where the body was placed in a patrol wagon an sent to the morgue. It was not identified for several hours. An employe and a small son of T.J. Casey had a narrow escape from death when the building fell. The two had just driven to the curb in front of Casey's shop and had entered the building when they heard falling bricks and ran hurriedly out. The falling wall caught the horse and wagon, smashing the latter and instantly killing the horse. Thomas Fealey, who was in the shop when the young men entered, ran out with them, but paused to lock the door. This delay cost him his life. He was crushed just outside the door. The two youths escaped unhurt. By the time Capt. Beers, of No. 4 truck, and several of his men, directed from above by Deputy Chief Keliher had chopped their way to Miss Breen, and when Dr. Kelly, following the firemen, had reached her, he found Allen the secretary of the firm, pinned under some timbers close to her, and trying with his free hands, to make her position easier. Allen himself was in agony, and mortally injured. Dr. Kelly found that Allen's legs were so horribly torn and broken that they would have to be set and bandaged down there in the dark before he could be moved. So, cramped in the narrow space, the top of which might settle suddenly and crush all of them. Dr. Kelly bandaged the maimed legs and then he helped hold Allen while the ash hoist lifted him to the sidewalk. Miss Breen was hurried off to the Casualty Hospital and Dr. Carr, who had brought an ambulance from the Emergency, took Allen to his institution. The last man to be taken out of the debris was J. Wriley Jacobs, who having been in the rear of the office, had no chance to escape. Jacobs was pinned near Miss Breen and Allen, and he, too, was trying to help the young woman when the firemen found them. Jacobs was bruised about the legs and body, but the timbers and bricks about him had failed to press upon him with great weight. He was carried into W.T. Kerfoot, jr.'s drug store, opposite the wrecked building, and treated, preparatory to being removed to his home. Two hours or more had elapsed after the crash before the firemen and police were certain that the rescue work was complete. It was after they made a list of the persons taken out of the debris, and those who had escaped without the aid of rescuers, that they were certain. Washington Post, Aug 1, 1913 Injured Are Doing Well ... Miss Katherine Breen, the cashier of the Saul Company, is still in serious condition, but the physicians of the Casualty Hospital, where she is undergoing treatment, said last night that she is rallying well from the shock and is not regarded as in danger. She did not suffer fracture of any bones, and that the chief fear now is that she may have received some internal injury. Miss Katherine McMahon, the bookkeeper for the company, is at her home, 1111 Rhode Island avenue, and is rapidly recovering from the numerous contusions which she received. Mrs. Ida Koplan and her daughter, Miss Sadie, who were in the building when it collapsed, are said to be suffering merely from numerous contusions. Thomas E. Allen, secretary of the Saul company, is probably the most seriously injured of the victims. The physicians of the Emergency Hospital are still disturbed as to his condition, but say that unless infection sets in at the seat of the fracture to his lower limb, he should recover the use of the limb. Both bones in the lower leg were badly fractured. ... Note to SelfWhen fleeing a collapsing building, don't pause to lock the door. What a story! I'm glad the two Katherines and the other injured people pulled through. Looks like a bomb hit it!This photo looks like it could just as easily have been taking in London during The Blitz, or any of innumerable other cities subjected to aerial bombardment or artillery shelling in the last century. Great ReportingThat's a great piece of reporting! Not only are the facts presented clearly and in detail but it is exciting to read...I felt like I was on the scene. By comparison, today's news reporting is dull and uninformative. Craigslist 1.0Curb Alert: One lightly used leather settee, somewhat dusty but easily cleaned. Located at corner of 7th & L. Also two men's overcoats, doing some cleaning and they must go too. Come and get it! Policeman JackLove the moniker. Such an informal way to refer to an officer. I wonder if this was his beat? Crushed where he stoodThe collapse took place at Seventh and L across from where the Convention Center now stands. More excellent coverage can be found here. Mr. Fealy's life was crushed out where he stood. A pathetic incident was ... that the young clergyman ... who had rushed to the scene in an automobile in order to give aid to the injured, found that his own father ... was among the killed." And the posthumous rose delivery to the ailing wife -- whoa. (The Gallery, D.C., Fires, Floods etc., Harris + Ewing, Horses)
No. 1 Atlantic Ocean: 1910
... maidens, didn't he? Well lit I'd like to see a night photo of this place. It's covered with hundreds of bulbs. Do you suppose ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:52pm -

Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1910. "Young's residence on Million Dollar Pier." The marble-encrusted Venetian "villa" at No. 1 Atlantic Ocean of showman and real-estate developer Captain John Young. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Wishful thinkingDave, any "post-gale" photos of this monstrosity? This is just too tempting for Mother Nature. WOW!Which hurricane took it out? Beach CottageDoes anyone know how long this lasted? I want to move in! [Captain Young's concrete-and-marble villa, built in 1906 hundreds of feet from the shore on a pier 20 feet above the ocean, survived gales, hurricanes and several boardwalk fires before it fell to the wrecking ball in 1953. - Dave] Uplifting cultureHe sure liked those alabaster maidens, didn't he? Well litI'd like to see a night photo of this place. It's covered with hundreds of bulbs. Do you suppose those light-bulb-encrusted flowers blinked? [The lighting is said to have been designed by none other than Thomas Edison. - Dave] From a 1910 article in the New York Times: The Captain is, to make use of his own expression, "a bug on lighting effects." In other words he has a fancy for a lot of light and for a varying in colors. His house is outlined in white electric lights from "cellar to dome," and those peculiar dials near the top are not clocks, but arrangements for giving a constant change to the lighting scheme. Surrounding the house is a magnificent lawn. It was built on a solid concrete platform with sufficient ventilation to keep the grass from scalding. It is made of the best Pennsylvania soil. The lawn is intersected by broad walks, and artistically distributed are small pine trees set out in large tubs. Statuary is scattered in profusion all about the lawn, and the whole place is surrounded by concrete coping to keep the rains from washing away the lawn. Artistic electroliers have been placed all about the outside of the property, too. Window DressingCaptain Long did not care much for privacy, it seems. Fresh fish for dinner!Some images start my mind a wandering; I thought of fishing out the window. Allegedly Cap'n John landed 30 pounds of fish on his first attempt as reported in the AC Weekly: http://www.acweekly.com/view.php?id=4793 . Other interesting views of advertising on the boardwalks are at http://library.duke.edu/exhibits/maxwell/index.html . Everything MatchesIt's hard to imagine now just how popular this overblown style was at the time. Not even counting its unique location on the pier, this house owes a lot to the fantasy-laden grandeur of the World's Fair Beaux Arts style of architecture that came in with the White City in Chicago in 1893. Tiffany & Company even redecorated the White House interiors for Theodore Roosevelt in a style similar to this, although they didn't outline the building in Edison lightbulbs. The party of well-dressed and well-fed tourists in the foreground, especially those Under Full Sail ladies, hold their own against all that marble and plaster. How utterly charming!It looks like a combination of a dollhouse and a cake. I want so badly to go inside! House of...If anyone will ever ask me to define the word "kitsch" I'll just show this photograph to them. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
Mixed Drinks: 1941
... song being played while Rick and Elsa are dancing in the night club scene from "Casablanca" where Elsa has learned that Victor is alive ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2018 - 10:55am -

April 1941. "Booth in Negro tavern on southside of Chicago." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What's playingon the booth jukebox? Can anyone see? It's so tantalizing. [Click to embiggen. - Dave] The Playlist#1 I'm Falling For You - Earl Hines [and His Orchestra] #22 I Want a Little Girl - Count Basie #24God Bess America - Bing Crosby #18 Do I worry - The Ink Spots #14 You're Looking For Romance - The Ink Spots. #17 It Makes no Difference Now - Bing Crosby. #22Count Basie playing "I Want a Little Girl." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pm4CoouK-s More of the playlistHoly cow - this is right up my alley. Looks like that hep juke is *filled* with 78's already in my stash. In addition to Fatha Hines at #1 and Basie at #22 is, from what I can see: #4 - "If I Had You" by Una Mae Carlisle #5 - Another (illegible title) by Fatha Hines #7 - Illegible title by Artie Shaw #10 - Illegible title by Art Shaw (Artie Shaw - Brunswick, Vocalion and first 3 Bluebird 78rpm releases listed him as 'Art Shaw') #11 - Illegible title by Ella Fitzgerald #17 - Illegible title by Bing Crosby #18 - "Do I (illegible)" by The Ink Spots #19 - "Perfidia" by Xavier Cugat #20 - "Summit Ridge Drive" by 'Art Shaw' (1940 recording on Victor by Artie Shaw and his Gramercy Five - wicked blues shuffle introducing pianist Johnny Guarnieri to the harpsichord) #21 - "Bugle Call Rag" by - 'All Star Band' (This would've been a brand new record, as that's really the 1941 Metronome All Stars playing like freaks possessed on that recording, cut on January 16, 1941 and released on Victor 27314 - my personal copy on 78 is below. The complete personnel of that recording are: Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Cootie Williams - trumpets Tommy Dorsey, J.C. Higginbotham - trombones Benny Goodman - clarinet Toots Mondello, Benny Carter - alto saxes Coleman Hawkins, Tex Beneke - tenor saxes Count Basie - piano Charlie Christian - guitar Artie Bernstein - bass Buddy Rich - drums If you care to hear it, here's a link to my public Facebook posting of the squeaky clean 78 in my stash: https://www.facebook.com/SwingMan1937/videos/1311612725612153/?l=1030688... ) #23 - "Flying Home" by Lionel Hampton (has to be the February 26, 1940 Lionel Hampton session for Victor, as the famous recording with Hampton's full big band didn't occur until May 26, 1942) If only that camera were focused a hair sharper ... Makes No Difference NowHere are a few more: It Makes No Difference Now - Bing Crosby You're Looking For A Romance - Ink Spots Do I Worry - Ink Spots Flyin' Home - Lionel Hampton Please Mister Johnson - Buddy Johnson Bugle Call Rag - All Star Band (?) - possibly the Metronome All Star Band Wait Until It Happens To You - ? Cocktails For Two - ? Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - ? Re: What's playing?#3 Please, Mr Johnson - Buddy Johnson #5 Everything Depends on You - Earl Hines #6 Wait Til It Happens to You - Earl Hines #7 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - Artie Shaw #10 Frenesi - "Art" Shaw #11 The Man I Love - Ella Fitzgerald #12 Maybe - Ink Spots #13 Cocktails for Two - Spike Jones #14 You're Looking for Romance - Ink Spots #15 Wigwam Stomp -Tony Pastor #18 Do I Worry - Ink Spots #20 Summit Ridge Drive - "Art" Shaw #21 Bugle Call Rag - (Metronome)All Stars Bands #23 Flying Home - Lionel Hampton #24 God Bless America - Bing Crosby More titles2 - Flamingo; Duke Ellington 3 - Please, Mister Johnson; Buddy Johnson 7 - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 17 - It Makes No Difference; Bing Crosby 24 - God Bless America. But I'm only 53. #4I believe #4 is "If I Had You" by Una Mae Carlisle. I think #2 is "Flamingo," but I can't tell by whom (it was covered by a lot of artists). A few more2. Flamingo - Duke Ellington 3. Please, Mister Johnson - Buddy Johnson 4. If I Had You - Una Mae Carlisle 5. Everything Depends on You - Earl Hines 6. Wait 'Till It Happens to You - Earl Hines 7. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - Artie Shaw 10. Stardust - Art Shaw 11. The One I Love - Ella Fitzgerald 12. Maybe - Ink Spots 13. Cocktails for Two - Tommy Dorsey 14. You're Looking for Romance - Ink Spots 17. It Makes No Difference Now - Bing Crosby 18. Do I Worry - Ink Spots 19. Perfidia - Xavier Cugat 20. Summit Ridge Drive - Art Shaw 21. Bugle Call Rag - All Star Band 23. Flying Home - Lionel Hampton 24. God Bless America - Bing Crosby Re: What's playing?#2 Flamingo — Duke Ellington #3 Please, Mister Johnson — ? #4 If I Had You — Una Mae Carlisle #5 something by an artist named Saul — I can't make out the last name or title #6 Wait Till It Happens to You — ? #7 something by Artie Shaw, I can't make out the title #12 Maybe — ? #13 Cocktails for Two — ? #17 It Makes No Difference Now — Bing Crosby #19 Perfidia — Xavier Cugat #24 God Bless America — ? If anyone can fill in what I missed, or fill in what I've partially figured out above, that would be awesome. More choice ditties#7:Smoke Gets in Your Eyes #8:Wait Until it Matters to You #10 Moonray (art Shaw) #13 Cocktails for Two #16 Tales from the Vienna Woods #18 Do I Worry (Ink Spots) #20 Summit Ridge Drive (Art Shaw) ie Artie Shaw #21 Bugle Call Rag A few more identified11 - The One I Love with the great Ella Fitzgerald 14 - You're Looking For Romance - The Ink Spots 23 - Flying Home - Lionel Hampton 24 - God Bless America (already noted) - Bing Crosby "Flying Home" btw is one of the swingin'est tracks ever laid down. Go over to Youtube and give it a listen. This jukebox badly needs a Louis Jordan selection. I would load up "Somebody Done Hoodooed the Hoodoo Man". # 19"Perfidia" is the song being played while Rick and Elsa are dancing in the night club scene from "Casablanca" where Elsa has learned that Victor is alive and she must leave Rick. Very subtle way to let you in on what's coming. #7 : Smoke Gets in Your Eyes#7 is almost certainly "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvveAPrOGGI #20 : Summit Ridge Drive#20 could imaginably be "Summit Ridge Drive," if you buy that Artie Shaw could be listed as "Art Shaw." It's worth listening to, anway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlaFEBLHDpA For the Record#10 is "Frenesi" (Artie Shaw). Enough about the jukebox already. Re: Enough about the jukebox alreadyI agree. How about the intense dynamic at the table? The woman at the right in the swoosh hat has the attention of all four men (much to the chagrin of the woman on the left). I would dearly love to know what is going on with the man offering the pen on the far right. Does he want her to sign something? Or is he just admiring the pen? Such drama! And what is that tassel-y thing in her lap? I also really like that we can see the other side of some of the people's faces in the mirror above the table. [The most interesting dynamic is the mix of black and white patrons rubbing elbows in a "Negro tavern." - Dave] Table dynamicsSix seated at a table for four? It's easy to tell which two were seated originally. They look like they'd rather be anywhere else. Too bad they didn't join in on the conversation. To be fair, only two in this photo are really having fun: the flirter and the man she's chosen. Fascinated by the tie on the gentleman on the near right; it looks like a modern graphic one. What's he holding in his hand? We have a bet going on as to the answer. [A mechanical pencil. - Dave] It is a ...Seeburg WallOmatic W5-2Z DELUXE (The Gallery, Chicago, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee)
Stoked: 1901
... I worked in a furniture factory in eastern Wisconsin as a night watchman and had a wide range of jobs. Being part of maintenance I also ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2012 - 10:49am -

Chelsea, Michigan, circa 1901. "Boiler room, Glazier Stove Company." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saidIt's cool in the furnace man, oh yeah! A airy 275 degrees. Close EnoughJudging from the logos just above the dial -- those doors are installed upside down. Workmanship is alive and well! Stirling Water-Tube BoilerAccording to the 1895 Catalogue of the Stirling Water Tube Safety Boiler, the boiler at Glazier Stove Co was rated at 66 horse-power which is at the smaller end of Stirling boiler power range. The Stirling Water-Tube Boiler, Babcock & Wilcox, 1912 The Stirling Boiler in Service Stirling boilers have been in operation since 1890, and their performance since that time has clearly demonstrated their right to all of the claims of excellence which have been made for them. The ease with which the Stirling boiler may be cleaned, its efficient and substantial baffling and its flexibility under varying load conditions, have caused it to be adopted extensively in plants representing practically every industry throughout the world. Over 3,000,000 horse-power of Stirling boilers are in use in electric light and power plants, street railway power stations, coal mining plants, blast furnaces, rolling mills, smelting and refining plants, heating and lighting plants in educational institutions, sugar mills, breweries, cotton mills, lumber mills, ice plants, oil refineries, and their allied industries. The Stirling boiler has proved entirely successful in the use of anthracite and bituminous coals with both hand and stoker firing, lignite from the various lignite fields, oil fuel, wood and saw mill refuse, green bagasse, tan bark, blast furnace, coke oven and natural gas, and waste heat from brick kilns, cement kilns and smelting furnaces. Upside down doorsI guess that you couldn't get good help even back in 1905. At 275 PSI pressure, that boiler probably furnished power for all the machinery in the factory. Hold still!Missed his chance for immortality by moving. It's in the DetailsEven something as functional and mundane as a boiler has intricate and artistic metalwork. It was a piece of machinery most people would never see. Proof that someone took pride in their trade. You know the old saying"It takes an oven to make an oven." An Awfully big boiler!This is far more heavy duty than we would expect for just space heating. Note the 2 furnaces, and below them the doors for emptying the ash (a messy but routine duty for stokers). It looks like the doors above the gauge, needed for cleaning the gas side, might have been installed upside down -- note that the shield seems to be inverted. The equipment was made by the ___ Stirling Co. in Chicago. The gauge says the pressure is 275 pounds per square inch (or maybe the temperature is 275 degrees F) -- either way it's more than you would need for space heating. Note the pipe coming out of the steam drum to the gauge and the wonderful little petcock (in the open position) that you could use to isolate the gauge from the steam should the device leak. No electronics here -- just a spring and bellows, or whatever, that needs a direct connection to the fluid to be measured. Now I wonder what all that steam is being used for -- generating electricity? Turning machine tools by a network of belts and linkages, driven by reciprocating engines? I've been to Chelsea, Michigan, in 1978 -- a nice little town almost entirely made of red brick. Was it a company town for the stove maker? 100, not 275.Or maybe 99. The clockThe dial indicates steam pressure. Which would be going down as the open door is cooling the firebox, punching holes in his fire, and cooling the flues, risking a leak. No wonder the indicator and our friend are in motion. On the wall, to the rightNow that's a man's fireplace-poker set! Volga BoatmenWonder why this song is going through my head? My last name One of the first things I noticed on the picture was my last name. It says "Stirling," a last name my family had at about that time. It originally was "Starling" when we were in England, then it was "Stirling" when we moved to the USA and Canada, and now it is Sterling. I just thought it is pretty cool. Boiler Reamer MemoriesBack in 1970 (while still in high school) I worked in a furniture factory in eastern Wisconsin as a night watchman and had a wide range of jobs. Being part of maintenance I also acted as "fireman" and helped with routine maintenance including boiler tube reaming. The factory occupied about three city blocks and most of it was four stories high. There were two active boilers, each about three times the size of the one shown here. They operated at 160 PSI and had been converted from pulverized coal to natural gas. Both boilers also were capable of burning sawdust that the factory generated. The doors above the pressure gauge are access covers to the boiler tubes, where the water passes through and boils into steam. Behind the doors is another bulkhead with many small access covers that need to be removed for maintenance. A long air-driven reamer is inserted into each tube and the slag (from minerals in the water) need to be cleaned from the inner walls of the tubes in order to maintain proper flow. In the summer they would shut down one boiler and we'd ream the tubes and inspect the interior walls (and patch with a asbestos mixture, without ANY masks). It would take about a week for the boiler to cool down enough to enter it. A third boiler was three times bigger than the two that were in operation. It had been taken offline sometime in the late 50s when a set of steam driven electric generators were removed. This picture brings back many fond and HOT sweaty memories! Oh. And during the energy crunch (1977?) there was fear of having the natural gas cut off so we installed two 300,000 gallon oil tanks and added oil burners to both boilers. Not so old! I worked in Brooklyn, on a pair of Stirling's, that had been converted, first to coal dust, then to bunker oil. They were awesome beasts. Prone to fouling and dusting of the later mandated safety electric eyes in the ducts, but, God, could they put out BTU's. Still, I'm happier with my modern HVAC! (The Gallery, DPC, Glazier Stove Works)
Cooks on Wheels: 1950s
... special about sitting around a campfire on a starry night; singing songs, often with people you just met, listening to the kids ... 
 
Posted by Tony W. - 03/30/2012 - 3:02pm -

Bill Bliss and his family again, enjoying a little outdoor cooking sometime in the mid-fifties. I'm not sure where this is but I'm guessing somewhere up the Pacific coast. 35mm Anscochrome color slide. Here's another photo of their trip. View full size. I never got it.I'm talking about the "craving to go camping" gene; apparently my physiology deleted permanently the instinct to want to live in the wild. I don't mind an occasional one-meal picnic or an afternoon at a civilized park facility with all the amenities but I could never understand bringing half of one's possessions on a trip to attempt to cook, eat, sleep, bathe and evacuate in the woods, especially when you have all the comforts of home (at home) and don't really need to live with wild critters, insects, nasty weather, lack of hot water and all sorts of possible unknown hazards such as being stranded alone in a primitive setting. Call me an old grouch, and there is no disrespect intended for those whe love it, but I still don't get why people do it. Happy CampersIt's not cheating to bring the comforts of home with you camping. Still go camping all the time with my neighbor's VW Bus with kitchen built in and pop out tent (similar to what's pictured) and it's a blast. Oh, and new guy here. Been following this site for a week now, always one of my morning stops. Cat food?Tell us more about your selections for camping "eats." Meals on wheelsI had no idea those kinds of trailers housed a traveling kitchen, this one stocked with Ritz crackers, no less. Bill Bliss and I could have shared wardrobes. MeowI see two Dogs, a Boy and two Women, no Cats though. I'm guessing the box was just being used as a container for other stuff? CatfoodI'm pretty sure it's just a box for holding stuff. Eating at the "Ritz"Actually, the teardrop style camper (so named because of its shape) was quite popular in the day. In recent years, it has made a comeback. Just do a search for the phrase "teardrop camper" and you can find hundreds of websites that offer everything from basic construction plans to fully macked out designs that are fit for a king. As for the Ritz crackers; from using them for mini-s'mores to crumbling them into my tomato soup to feeding the stale ones to the critters, they will always have a place in my camping supplies. Gray GhostThe gray dog is a Weimaraner, originally a hunting dog owned by German royalty. They were first brought to the US in the 1930s and became quite popular by the 1960s. I have owned two and helped train many. Their nickname as noted above is "the gray ghost." [Also noted as the sweater-wearing models of William Wegman. - Dave] Kitchen on wheelsA decade or so later we crossed to country in an Impala wagon with a massive kitchen box in the back, more or less like this except that the Coleman stove had to find someplace else to sit when cooking. And our tent was, well, a bit more ship-shape (to mix a metaphor). Other than that, camping had hardly changed. The weight of all this plus parents-and-four-kids was enough that my father installed helper spring on the back, and even then on the road to Mogollon he bottomed out so hard that he stopped to make sure we still had a rear axle. A decade after that, and nylon had conquered all, and then came Gore-tex. Simple joysNoting the lantern, it looks like a Coleman dual fuel or could be a kerosene type. I've just recently purchased a North Star dual fuel. It provides as much light as my two LPG lamps combined. Sometimes old technology is better than you expect. We still holiday like this as a family just as I did in the 60s. Canvas has given way to poly tarps & nylon tents; the ice boxes hold ice for 10 days; other than that it's still the same simple fun & we have no bears to worry about in Australia. We had a English made kerosene Tilly lamp when I was a kid, you had to preheat the mantle with methylated spirits & pump the pressure tank up, the best thing about these kind of liquid fueled lamps is they are less noisy then the high pressure LPG lanterns I want that lantern!I'm pretty sure the Coleman is a Model 220. The nickel-plated tank indicates that it is probably a Canadian model. It also rules out dual fuel, as that technology was then reserved for the military, and those lanterns were all green. If it is a kerosene model, there will be a metal cup affixed to the base of the generator tube. You fill that with alcohol to preheat the kerosene to vaporization temperature. This is not necessary with the more volatile white gas. Another use for Ritz CrackersMaking an apple pie. Well, more like an "apple" pie, as it doesn't actually contain apples, instead using crumbled Ritz Crackers as the main filling. But it *does* taste almost the same as a real apple pie. That's because when you eat apple pie you mainly taste the lemon and cinnamon, and the Ritz version has these in abundance. Billy has a boo-booOr at least what appears to be a bandaid on his temple. Reply to: I never got it.I don't think camping is a genetic trait, but it may have something to do with your past. Can I assume you didn't go camping much as a child? Or perhaps you went, and had a bad experience? I didn't get a lot of chances to go camping as a child, but I cherished the opportunities I had. There's something special about sitting around a campfire on a starry night; singing songs, often with people you just met, listening to the kids laughing, smelling the wood smoke, and eating s'mores. Peace and relaxation come differently to different people. Many of my friends enjoy camping, and for different reasons: some want to get away from "civilization" and kick back and just relax with friends; some enjoy "roughing it", and the challenges that nature brings; and still some feel they are working out the kinks in their preparation for a future world holocaust. Camping out can be fun, if you choose to let it be. I even have friends whose kids like "camping out" in a tent set up in the living room. Little black ghostThe grey ghost is lovely, but the little black dog is the spitting image of my little dog Patsy, a Schipperke mix who lived to the ripe old age of 17 and enjoyed many a camping trip with me and my boys and many friends. This dog is even curled up like Patsy would, taking a snooze before somebody said, hey! Let's go for a walk! and then she would wag herself from top to bottom and head off for an adventure. Camping, and kids, and dogs. Nothing like it. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Tonypix, Travel & Vacation)
Bustling Detroit: 1912
... catcher I just came across this picture last night, of this cow catcher touted for autos. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/29/2017 - 2:57pm -

The Motor City circa 1912. "Campus Martius. Detroit City Hall, Bagley Fountain and Majestic Building." Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Testamentary ?/-'men-/ a. of or given in a person's will. Yes, I had to look it up in the Oxford dictionary. Zip!I'm always a little impressed with how quickly modern America happened: stone-built cities rivalling Europe's, built up from bare ground in little more than a lifetime and packed with cars recognisably like our own only eight years after Oldsmobile introduced mass-produced cars. And some of the people in this scene may have flown around the World on jet airliners. Always a surprise... to see how much the automobile changed both our lives, and the views of the city streets that these photos provide. When is the last time that Detroit saw horse-drawn deliveries? There are still enough horse-drawn carts for deliveries and vendors to make their appearance in 1933's "Duck Soup" seem plausible. Did Detroit, the city built on the automobile, get rid of their old-fashioned alternative sooner? Car-mounted catcherI just came across this picture last night, of this cow catcher touted for autos. https://www.shorpy.com/node/4468 This picture, on the rightThis picture, on the right hand side, looks the opposite direction down Woodward Ave than the Eureka 1910 picture does. I'm surprised mostly by how many streetcars are running up and down Woodward. Not just one every hour or half hour, but dozens in a one block area. Watch your step!Look at the drop from the front of that streetcar step to the pavement, yikes! Don't know how women managed with those long cumbersome dresses. It's good the miniskirt came along - strictly for the comfort of the ladies of course, naturally. Bagley FountainThe water fountain in the foreground was given to the citizens of Detroit by John Bagley; one of the founders of the Republican Party, staunch Abolitionist, City Councilman, Governor of Michigan and tobacconist. Long before Detroit was the center of Automobile manufacturing, tobacco was a huge business with over 100 cigar and snuff factories in different parts of the city. The Bagley Fountain was built for both humans and horses as I believe there is a horse trough on the side we can't see. It was moved to Cadillac Square in the 1920s (I believe). It is still there and was outfitted with new piping a couple years ago. I can't say I've ever drunk from the fountain as it is mainly used by our wandering class of citizens for their morning ablutions. Personally I care to honor their territorial markings. For more complete information, may I suggest: http://historicdetroit.org/building/bagley-memorial-fountain/ HorsedrawnWhen I was a child, in the early '50's, they were still delivering milk with horses, at least in Flint, "The Auto City". Hanging OnYes, you, the guy standing in the window in the Majestic Building. Watch Out For The Cows!tterrace's comment had me going to Google to see what these contraptions were called when fitted to streetcars. Apparently the proper terminology was "streetcar fender". There were an abundance of patents issued for designs to enhance the safety of pedestrians who were reckless enough to walk in front of moving streetcars. Some required the conductor to pull a cord to lower the fender when a collision was eminent, while others were designed to be deployed full time on the forward facing end of the streetcar. Streetcar catcher contraption?Looks like the the thing on the front of the streetcar was designed to provide a humane landing zone rather than just plowing cows/horses out of the way. [That's a cowcatcher. - tterrace] Gone, gone, goneCan you imagine that when the Old City Hall was demolished in the 1960s, they considered it progress? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Champagne Music: 1957
... He told me that once when his group finished a late night gig at a dance hall, Louis Armstrong up showed with his trumpet. They all jammed the rest of the night. I've known a lot of musicians and was never impressed a whit by them. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/10/2014 - 10:23am -

April 1957. "Entertainer Lawrence Welk playing accordion with the Lennon Sisters." (Or, as he would introduce them, "The lovely little Lennon Sisters.") Color transparency by Earl Theisen for the Look magazine assignment "Lawrence Welk: Nobody Likes Him Except the Public." View full size. String sectionDid the Tailor misplace his/her Scissors? It is now 57 years laterAnd they are still airing his shows on PBS on Saturday nights. The public sometimes made fun of him and his corny entertainment but it seems quite remarkable that people are still fascinated with his brand of innocent amusement, even after all this time. You were able to watch his shows with audiences from infancy to elderly, without worrying about offending anyone, a rarity today. So what if the band wore orange, red or yellow tuxedos, their performances were fun. Not so badThey may have played schmaltzy bland arrangements of a lot of stuff, but on occasion the band decided to really swing. And when they did they showed off the very solid musicianship they all possessed. Darn good band! And please, it was the LUFFLY Liddle Lennon Sisters! Stop the bubble machine!The thing I hate is that about a month after this photo was taken, NBC cancelled Sid Caesar because Welk's ABC show was clobbering him in the ratings. On the other hand, Welk inspired one of Stan Freberg's funniest records, so there's that. Yup, not so bad at allWatch for the occasions when guitarist Neil Levang gets to cut loose. Very accomplished guy, funny suits notwithstanding. The sum was less than the partsMy father, who led jazz and dance bands in the 1920s and '30s, was an habitual watcher of Welk's TV programs. When I asked him once how he could abide such schmaltz, he replied that while the arrangements were often pedestrian and Welk's stage personality unbearably ingratiating, the quality of his sidemen was extraordinary. Even Myron Floren, who played an instrument my father could not ordinarily abide, got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from one who by then had become in most of his views the consummate curmudgeon. Fond memoriesUntil his death about 7 years ago, I played next to a lovely old man who had played clarinet and tenor sax in a number of famous dance and swing bands during the 1930s and 40s. He was so humble and encouraging to a fellow clarinetist of modest skill and talent who never rose above community band level. I, on the other hand, was awed by his tales of his musical past. He claimed he was no longer the musician he once had been but I played beside him long enough to know he never missed a note. When he played Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax" on his tenor sax he just about knocked me out of my chair. He told me that once when his group finished a late night gig at a dance hall, Louis Armstrong up showed with his trumpet. They all jammed the rest of the night. I've known a lot of musicians and was never impressed a whit by them. But this man truly impressed me. But he had his limits. He told me that around 1950 he was asked to join Lawrence Welk's orchestra. "I told them, 'Absolutely not'," he said to me. "I never could stand that champagne bubble music." Alice Lon (1926-1981)"The Champagne Lady" was still my 90 year old paternal grandfather's favorite Lawrence Welk performer in this year! He did enjoy the Lennon Sisters, though, as we sat in our rockers in front of the fire watching on his metal Firestone with rabbit ears. For those only familiar with the schmaltzy music, here is 25 year old Welk's (born in 1903) first recording from 1928, playing in the much hotter style than which was popular later: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u66wBebZQ3Y Another stellar talent on his show from 1953 to 1959 was Dick Kesner and his Magic Stradivarius. I was taking violin lessons then and my music teacher and I would both rhapsodize every week during my lesson about the beautiful solo he had performed during the weekend show. Sadly, Dick was killed in a car accident just a couple of blocks from his home not to long after this show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8jP5PI-hFc And a-One and a-Two!A few years ago, I corresponded by email with a former Welk rhythm guitar player, and he was very proud, and rightfully so, of the quality of the players in that organization. Worth looking for online is the Welk Show boy-girl duo singing One Toke Over The Line. It's a classic! Wunerful! Wunerful!The only way I knew about Lawrence Welk was Stan Freberg's spoof on him. It's nice to see what he actually looked like, with his bubbles. The Lennon SistersAh, the Lennon Sisters -- they were my favorite paper dolls as a kid, and I never missed them on Lawrence Welk show: Dianne, Peggy, Kathy, and Janet. Janet and Kathy still sometimes perform with younger sister Mimi. There were eleven children in the family all told, so the money the girls received no doubt came in handy (scale wages). They probably got a commission on the paper dolls too! They appeared regularly on The Andy Williams Show later. Lucky little girlMy mom and dad loved this show; I even received Lennon Sister paper dolls for Christmas one year. Nix on Welk"Nobody liked him etc." My mother, a classical pianist, forbade us from watching this show. You should have seen what happened if we switched by the channel while JoAnn Castle was playing and paused too long to watch. My mother is gone. I now watch the show every Saturday night and enjoy it very much. (The Gallery, LOOK, Music, TV)
Purr Me Another: 1937
September 1937. "Lumberjack at the bar on Saturday night. Craigville, Minnesota." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... Ohhh I'm a lumberjack! And I'm OK. I sleep all night and I work all day. I cut down trees. I skip and jump. I like to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/23/2018 - 5:24pm -

September 1937. "Lumberjack at the bar on Saturday night. Craigville, Minnesota." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Rough With The SmoothSo goes the story of a lumberjack who, Brought his kitty into the bar bearing life's heavy load Without a thought for himself, did with a sigh say, "I'll have one for my baby, and one more for the road" Ohhh I'm a lumberjack!And I'm OK. I sleep all night and I work all day. I cut down trees. I skip and jump. I like to press wild flowers. On Wednesday I pet kitties That hang around in bars. Long Branch saloon?Well, there's Miss Kitty. This picture is incredibly sadI've sat here staring at it for ten minutes, trying to come up with a backstory that isn't totally depressing and tearjerking, and utterly failed. [Spilled milk? - Dave] Looks familiarI would not be surprised if that man is me in a past life. Drinks, please!I'd like a "Catster", and for my little buddy, a "Hair of the Dog". Deja vuBeen there, done that. (several times but without the cat). SadThis picture almost makes me cry. And I'm 65 years old. At leastHe has a job during the Great Depression, spotlessly clean hands, a full head of wavy hair and the friendship of a nice little cat. So there is hope for the lumberjack that he went on to enjoy better days. HauntingLong time lurker here, but had to reg just to comment on this image; like others here this has haunted me. It is incredibly sad. My photo class in college introduced me to the pics in The Family of Man - nothing in there was as profound as this. Why hasn't this image captured all the available awards? Sarting with the Pulitzer & not stopping. Although I have a professional printer which I use to print my art, I'm ordering a print as a Thank You for finding this image. HauntingI enjoy coming to the site every couple weeks and reviewing old photos. Shorpy is a wonderful contribution to the internet. Like previous commenters, this one stopped me in my tracks. What a intimate and revealing photograph, and what an incredible moment that was captured. In a time when twitter posts about what is trending with a hashtag drive a newscycle, this photo, by comparison, arrests the mind of the viewer and depicts a shard of the man's soul. Best, by fur!I nominate the title given to this photo as the "Most Clever" of the many Shorpy titles. (The Gallery, Cats, Russell Lee)
First-Nighters: 1941
... way. And this abode in which they're spending their first night is, no doubt a step up from where they had been living. I remember the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2022 - 6:14pm -

September 1941. "First evening in the new home. FSA defense housing project in Hartford, Conn. Living in a defense boom town is expensive, so both work -- husband at Pratt & Whitney and wife in a restaurant." Photo by John Collier, Farm Security Administration. View full size. MmmmFig bars and ketchup. My go-to favorite snack! Life was a mad scrambleThe U.S. went suddenly from financial depression to war preparation. I'm sure this young couple was excited about his good paying job. They were willing to relocate and sacrifice to save for the future. Children of the Depression thought that way. And this abode in which they're spending their first night is, no doubt a step up from where they had been living. I remember the Rogan family in Pennsylvania moved from a remodeled attic to a travel trailer before finally getting their newly constructed defense home at Franklin Terrace. I found a February 1942 issue of Victory newspaper, printed five months after this photo was taken. Housing was scarce wherever war work was being done. You can read that Hartford was slated for an additional 490 permanent homes and 175 demountable units. I was interested to read the article in the next column, 'Free services to property owners', or how to turn your vacant house or vacant space in your house into rental property. In 1942 my mother followed my father as he went through Air Force training. That winter they rented a converted sleeping porch in Denver. I was told it was not warm. Yum ...Fig bars and ketchup for supper! A beautiful ladyWho had time to curl her hair for a seemingly disinterested husband. MustardI imagine is what most of us use on our Fig Bars Kids in those days !! About that ketchup bottle --Am I the only one who sees the glass of milk in his hand?? Just the exchange of a glassBut he made sure that his hand is touching hers. I like the dueling polka-dots, but I'm pretty sure it's a fashion fault. (The Gallery, John Collier, Kitchens etc., WW2)
Nocturne: 1942
... 69 years? This looks like it could have been taken last night. Modern It is interesting that when you see pictures in color how ... and identify the rear of a train when on the road at night. Also, some switchman has left his kerosene brakeman's lantern sitting on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:35pm -

December 1942. "Work goes on 24 hours a day at Chicago & North Western RR's Proviso Yard." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. You just need a eye for this stuffFrom all the time I spent in my dad's darkroom as a young boy. The C&NW shots on this site still amaze me. RetardersThe scene is an image of the Proviso hump. Cars were shoved over a manmade hill, to roll free to a designated track. The retarder operator sat in the upper level of the tower at right, controlling switches remotely, depending on the desired track a given car was to roll to. He also controlled several sets of retarders, devices that pinched to a degree the wheel flanges on a car, slowing it to avoid hard impacts when it coupled into the cut being built. Jack's shot was time exposed, and during the exposure the ghost MP boxcar rolled off the hump into the picture. Although it's difficult to make sense of in the image, the foreground mechanism is one of the retarder devices. Dwarfed by the lightThe interesting part of the photo to me are the numerous little switch lights around the yard. I'm far from an expert, but they appear to be a type of Dwarf light to indicate the direction of the switch points. I suppose their power came from electicity. Anyone have knowledge of these? Ghost Trainor one of them newfangled glass boxcars! What 69 years?This looks like it could have been taken last night. ModernIt is interesting that when you see pictures in color how much more modern they seem. I guess black & white creates some kind of romantic distance. That indigo skyThat's the most blue blue I've seen in a long, long time. Kodachrome is amazing. OrbsThe ghost car is great. Nice observation, Thump. My question is what are those round "distortions" on the far left? Possibly water droplets magnifying and distorting the image behind them? What else could it be? [Those are tank cars. - Dave] Thanks for the blow up image, Dave. I see the edges of the cars now. Switch lampsThese look like they were electrically lighted, and motorized (controlled from the yard office or tower). All manual (hand-operated) switches I've ever seen had kerosene lamps if they had lamps at all, in addition to painted metal "targets" to indicate their position. StunningGreat photo! It's my new desktop. It makes 1942 look so serene and peaceful, of course it wasn't at all. Still I wish I could step into that picture for a few hours and take a stroll around the Train Yard. LightsThe position of each switch in the yard is indicated to the switchmen at a glance by the color of the electric switch lights on the ladder tracks. I spotted a few other things: The two red lights towards the left hand side of the photo are the marker lights on a caboose, which were used to help protect and identify the rear of a train when on the road at night. Also, some switchman has left his kerosene brakeman's lantern sitting on the sill of the hump tower. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Asylum Hospital: 1915
... enumerated below as follows: An operating-room nurse, a night supervisor, a dietician, increase in the housekeeper's compensation, a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2012 - 2:59pm -

March 16, 1915. "Operating Room, Washington Asylum Hospital." More sanitary, one hopes, than the moldy glass plate recording the scene. View full size. Spectator SportThe rack contraption on the left looks more like it's to seat operation observers than anything else, and you're to bring your own Crackerjacks. Besides the moldthis is still one very creepy scene!! 97 years of progressHard to believe this picture was taken so recently as my father was 6 in 1915. We must be thankful for the many improvements in medicine in such a relatively short span of time and be grateful to all the doctors in both research and treatment for their ability to keep us alive and well longer than ever before. Life is good. Insanitary and Antiquated Washington Post, October 30, 1915. Needs a New Hospital. Asylum Superintendent Points Out Ill Conditions Without It. Need for a new hospital for the Washington Asylum, Nineteenth and C streets southeast, is insisted upon in the annual report of L. F. Zinkhan, superintendent of the Washington Asylum and Jail, transmitted to the commissioners yesterday. This recommendation, with others from annual reports of department heads of District government, is to be printed and sent to congress. Mr. [Louis] Zinkhan describes the present buildings at the Washington Asylum and Jail as "insanitary and antiquated." He declares during the past year there has been 50 per cent more patients cared for than there was room for. The year's total of cases treated is reported to have been 3,103, in addition to a large number treated at the jail. The superintendent reports 54 births at the asylum this year and 354 deaths. Daily average beyond capacity. The accommodations there, he says are for 175 patients, but there has been a daily average population of 198 cases, with a maximum population for one day at 263. “In the psychopathic wards we treated during the year 580 suspects. Of these 267 were transferred to the Government Hospital for the Insane. In the same wards there were also treated many cases of acute alcoholism and others addicted to morphinism. The latter class of cases should be treated in separate wards, for which we have no provisions.” Mention is made of several improvements at the institution, including the growth of the training school, the completion of a new pathological and X-ray laboratory. Recommendations for the hospital are enumerated below as follows: An operating-room nurse, a night supervisor, a dietician, increase in the housekeeper's compensation, a stenographer, operating-room expenses and a new refrigerator and ice chest for the hospital kitchen. Sanitary ConditionsI always cringe when I see pictures like these that were taken "back in the day." But really, the sanitation standards had increased so dramatically since the Civil War that there is almost no comparison. I certainly would not like to be operated upon using the sterilization procedures in this picture. Who knows? Years from now someone may look at a picture of modern day operating procedures and think, "How backward those people were. They had no sense of cleanliness or sanitation." The RackYes, Downer is right. It was called the ‘’Peanut Gallery’’. Hard timesNo antibiotics. Even sulfonamides were a newfangled fad not yet used much except against a few specific infections (e.g. Salvarsan). Few sterile use-and-discard implements (or even bandages), if any at all. No insurance. Thanks, I'll take the 21st century. The only upside, no hospital superbugs. They weren't needed to kill a patient. Job could be done by any normal self-respecting bug. Re: Spectator SportNot Crackerjacks -- Junior Mints. They're very refreshing! I HopeJeb70 mentioned sanitary conditions in hospitals and ended with the statement "Who knows? Years from now someone may look at a picture of modern day operating procedures and think, 'How backward those people were. They had no sense of cleanliness or sanitation.'" Given the rates of staph and other infections in our modern "sanitary" hospitals I certainly hope so. Other than the poorOther than the poor attention to properly tying (and wearing!) their masks, and the mold encrustations, there is almost nothing in this picture that is not "up to code" for modern infection control. Even the light fixtures are covered! Gloves, gowns, head covers, proper drapes obscuring all but the immediate operative field... We still have to use constant vigilance to enforce these things. These people were no less intelligent than we, and knew as much, at least, classical microbiology as any current surgeon. And unlike a modern surgeon they knew that avoiding sepsis depended on their technique, with no safety net. The autoclave was mature technology, invented in 1879. Laundry was certainly something they knw how to do -- they probably ironed everything, too. There's no problem with reusing linen if done well. And, just an FYI, more "superbugs" come from the factory farm and community in general than from the hospital, these days. As mentioned in a comment on another photo ~Once again, anesthesiologists working under the assumption that they do not carry or exhale microorganisms of any kind. (No offense intended to anyone here who works in that profession and knows better.) In 15 years of working in the ORs of many different facilities (I was a traveling Surgical Technologist for several years, not a "job hopper") I have come across so many who still think that way. As for poorly tied masks, it seems there was some assumption as well that covering the mouth only was adequate sterile technique, and the nose was OK to leave uncovered. Fortunately, we know better now! I don't see too many breaks in technique not already mentioned, other than the round metal basin in the ring stand, where there is not complete coverage of the ring stand by the sterile wrapping the basin came in. (There are parts of the stand still exposed where the basin touches it.) Fortunately, something else has been improved upon, and that is the type of chemicals used to scrub hands and the patient's skin before surgery. I have some 1920s reference books on operating technique, and without getting too detailed, some of them are downright frightening. For hand scrubbing at one point, it sounds more like they are tanning leather; and for emergency skin preps of the patient, gasoline or kerosene was recommended, since there wasn't time in an emergency to use the time consuming and laborious process normally done for a scheduled procedure! And they say ether was explosive! (The Gallery, D.C., Medicine, Natl Photo)
T for Two: 1922
... I guess. [They're dressed for a road trip, not a night at a speakeasy. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2012 - 9:27am -

June 13, 1922. Washington, D.C. "Viola LaLonde and Elizabeth Van Tuyl." Our second glimpse of these Jazz-Age vagabonds. National Photo. View full size. Oh! SheetTry sitting on the sheet metal of a modern car. Trip ReportDid they document any of their trip? (A quick search turned up other sources of these Shorpy pics, but no narrative). On the ReturnThe Decatur (IL) Review caught up with these "two girl tourists" on July 13, 1922, when they stopped at Fairview Park in that burg on their return to Washington. The article said they had been on the road two over two months (which is more plausible than the idea that they'd made it from Washington to San Fran to Decatur in only a month). The article also noted that "they carry no tent, but sleep in the automobile. . . . Their vacation will soon be over and they are in a hurry to get back to Washington." Miss LaLondeIn September 1929 Viola LaLonde (then of South Manchester CT) became the new "physical directress" at the Norwalk (CT) Y.W.C.A., prompting the local newspaper (The Norwalk Hour) to share with its readers her background. After graduating from Holyoke High, she attended the Washington College of Music and Marjorie Webster School of Physical Expression in Washington, and completed the physical education course at Arnold College in New Haven. By 1929, she had "experience in recreation work" at Yellowstone, Fry's Springs (VA), and summer camps in Maine and Vermont. Her new boss "expressed her belief that Miss LaLonde would be a worthy successor to Miss Bertha Mooz, who recently resigned to be married." True individualistsI notice the girls are dressed identically. They're wearing shiny leather shoes, matching short pants (what did they call these, anyway? Plus fours? I've forgotten) matching hose, and matching what appear to be men's shirts. They don't look like my idea of flappers, either - true individualists, I guess. [They're dressed for a road trip, not a night at a speakeasy. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Patriotic Pole Sitter: 1929
... was allowed a bathroom break every so many hours. At night, after the pier was closed to the public for the night, he was supposed to sleep up there for the night, but no one was ever ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/21/2013 - 7:49pm -

UPDATE: The Library of Congress has given this photo a caption. September 3, 1929. "Maryland youth breaks pole sitting record. William Ruppert, 14-year-old youth of Colgate, Maryland, as he appeared atop the flagpole in the yard of his home yesterday after breaking the pole sitting record of 23 days set by Shipwreck Kelly. Young Ruppert, who started his sitting on August 1, has worn out three pairs of trousers so far. He says he expects to stay up 30 days more. The pole is 18 feet high." Note the light bulb rigged to the seat. View full size. ReminiscedA few years back, there was an article in Reminisce magazine about this guy. It included a recent interview plus additional pictures. Light bulbNot to mention the series string of lamps leading up the pole! I make out five, with possibly a sixth one at the bottom. The rig on the seat is a 'Y' socket for two, with only one present. What kind of circuit IS that? Not enough for them to be 12V lamps in series across 120V; were 24V lamps common in 1929? Steel PierThe "art" of pole sitting continued well into the '50's. I remember, as I'm sure many others do, that during the summer months on the old Steel Pier in the OLD Atlantic City, a pole sitter was a prime attraction, along with the diving horse. There used to be a bank of telephone handsets that allowed people on the ground to talk to the pole sitter, and ask him questions and what not. Food and drink was hoisted up in a basket contraption, and he ( I never remember a female pole sitter) was allowed a bathroom break every so many hours. At night, after the pier was closed to the public for the night, he was supposed to sleep up there for the night, but no one was ever around to verify that. 10 Days in AugustHe must have had good weather. Ten days in August in Baltimore without thunderstorms is a bit unusual. Certainly, if there had been a storm he would have been down in no time, if he were smart. 10 days up thereI guess they could send food up to him, but did he get to come down for bathroom breaks? King For A DayAccording to an August 12, 1929 article in the Baltimore Sun, Jimmy Jones' record only stood for 6 hours before being shattered by Wee Willie Wentworth (12 years). The mayor made a house call to congratulate the latter on his ascension to the throne. Back then we didn't have a Wii, we had to sit on polesEvery time I think we have stupid fads today, I just have to remind myself of pole-sitting. Although, substitute a tree for a pole, and I can name at least one fairly famous latter-day female sitter, Julia Butterfly Hill. I count seven bulbs in series, but there might be one more hidden near the top. They could be 32-volt bulbs, widely used on farms before the REA, and in railroading. What about school?The updated information states that William planned to stay up on the pole for another 30 days. Since this photo is updated to September 3rd, are we to assume young William has dropped out of school, in favor of a career choice that starts out "at the top" and stays there? Series stringIt looks like a common (then) 8-lamp string for Christmas trees, the kind usually fitted with C6 type bulbs. (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing)
Long Goodie: 1925
... had them lined up waiting for a photo ... then work all night and delivered prints the next day! [National Photo was a news ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 4:34pm -

April 14, 1925. "Margaret Gorman with 'Long Goodie.' " Margaret, the Girl With the Crocodile Car, was the first-ever Miss America. National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Long MargaretWhat a gorgeous gal. Lovely gamine demeanor and legs up to here! Love the gloves, coat and hat, too. Possible Pedigree?http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?z=p_lyAI&d=Long+Goodie&sex=m&color=&birt... Color White sex male date of birth AUG 1919 land of birth US USA Could be him. Two great subjects!Beautiful girl, gorgeous dog, GREAT outfit...any nation would be proud to have this young lady as their representative! SweetnessNow I ask you very confidentially: Ain't she sweet? Ab-so-lute-ly and how! Thanks for sharing. Woof! Dog ShowWhat was going on that day in April 1925 with those dogs and pretty girls? Same date, same chair, same location as Mae Esterly with Sgt. Jiggs. Gotta make a buck!An enterprising photographer who probably had them lined up waiting for a photo ... then work all night and delivered prints the next day! [National Photo was a news service. The event was the Washington Kennel Club dog show at the Riding and Hunt Club. - Dave] Miss AmericaA long article on Margaret Gorman and the pageant here. [And we'll forgive New Jersey Monthly for misspelling "ukulele" in the very first sentence! - Dave] (The Gallery, Dogs, Natl Photo, Pretty Girls)
Mixed Message: 1917
... According to the NY Times, 7,000 attended the first night's festivities, which were opened by Woodrow Wilson pressing a telegraph ... stage celebrities. A full account of the fair's opening night is online at the NY Times Archive. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/20/2012 - 4:05pm -

New York, 1917. "Actors' Fund Fair." Break a leg, if it doesn't get shot off first. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Turrets SyndromeRarely do we see such warm, open inviting smiles on Shorpy; surely these nurses were chosen for the kind, supportive ends of this event. Why, I'll bet you'd have to trigger a search far and wide to sight others of this caliber. Kilroy?I think I see Kilroy in the background Can I have the first dance?You there, dear. Sitting down, third from the left. That twinkle in the eye has absolutely taken my breath away. sublimePJ, that is one of the coolest sublime comments I've seen on Shorpy Or else?Dance Mister! 7000 Attend Actors' Fair OpeningThe Actors' Fair was a charity fundraiser that netted about $80,000 during its twelve-day run in May, 1917, at the Grand Central Palace on Lexington between 46th and 47th. Built in 1911, the Grand Central Palace was a 13-story office building with three floors of public exhibition and entertainment halls and meeting rooms. It also housed the main New York induction center for American military recruits during World War I. The formidably guarded Army-Navy Tea Room was located in a partitioned section of the main exhibition hall's balcony. According to the NY Times, 7,000 attended the first night's festivities, which were opened by Woodrow Wilson pressing a telegraph key from the White House. Louise Homer sang the National Anthem from the balcony, accompanied by the 22nd Regiment Band from Governor's Island and the Marine Corps Band from the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Fair included booths of goods donated by more than 500 merchants, and hawked to the crowds by popular New York stage celebrities. A full account of the fair's opening night is online at the NY Times Archive. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C04E0DD123AE433A25750... Missing the star of the showAft of the weapons and abeam a couple of the dancing nurses (or nursing dancers), that folksy ship model is center stage, appearing to be surrounded at the waterline by a tiny ocean made out of whatever they used to fill Easter baskets before plastic grass was invented. Pro Patria PosterHere's that "For The Fatherland" poster, which, in Latin, probably did not look too Germanic to World War One American eyes. Well girlsif these guns don't make them dance, nothing will. How big?Looks like a final decision on the size and location of the 'cross' was still pending. Great photo. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, WWI)
King of the Hill: 1913
... me about how that they used to sweep that light around at night. Sometimes down into Pasadena, much to the annoyance of the people who's houses were illuminated. Probably light like the night sun on a police helicopter sweeping across your house today. She was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 1:38pm -

Mount Lowe, California, circa 1913. "Powerhouse and incline station, Mount Lowe Railway." Our third look at the workings of this scenic railway (First, Second) in the San Gabriel Mountains outside Los Angeles. View full size. WOW!That's some searchlight on top of that station! SearchlightsThey were all the rage, at least in my corner of the world, after WWII. Maybe they were surplus and just plentiful. But every store having a big sale, every drive-in theater, and many auto dealers, used them routinely to attract customers. I was forever in awe of the intense blue-white beam blazing up into the sky when Dad would drive us by one of them. At one point, being the guy who struck the arc and operated the gearshift levers was what I wanted to be when I grew up. Bright lightMy grandparents, who lived in Hollywood during the 1930s, said that the beam of light from the Mt. Lowe searchlight could plainly be seen from their favorite vacation getaway Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, at least 20 miles out to sea. Several Richfield Oil Company service stations along the Pacific Coast Highway in Southern California also had big searchlights which served as navigational beacons for airplanes. I see him !He must think he is steering a ship, some searchlight. Familiar appearing, isn't it?It looks like the prototype for 'Taco Bell'. The LightMy grandmother lived with her sister in Pasadena in the 1920s and told me about how that they used to sweep that light around at night. Sometimes down into Pasadena, much to the annoyance of the people who's houses were illuminated. Probably light like the night sun on a police helicopter sweeping across your house today. She was surprised when I moved out here in 1980 that the whole Mt Lowe was gone, it was a nice weekend day trip when she was young. SurvivorTo the left rear of the Powerhouse, at the front of the line of extra trolley cars, is the tower car for repairing the overhead wire. It survived the fire and vandalism after the end of service, so that a souvenir collector could put it in his back yard. I wonder if it still exits today. In the background, you can trace a lot of the mountain trolley line, including the Circular Bridge. 1893 Worlds Fair SearchlightThe 1893 Worlds Fair Searchlight was first mounted 20 feet to the left of where the cameraman is standing in August 1894. In 1900 it was moved to top of the stairs 20 feet to the right of the cameraman, after the Echo Mountain House had burned down in February. The Pacific Electric rebuilt the Cable House in 1906, after the 1905 fire destroyed it, and they mounted the searchlight on top, until 1940 when it was finally removed. Circular BridgeLook on the hillside behind and to the left of the searchlight and you can see where the narrower gauge trolley line went on up the hill. That was quite the resort in those days. (The Gallery, DPC, Los Angeles, Railroads, Streetcars)
Joint Maneuvers: 1943
... he got the girl, and, hopefully, nothing else from this night out. Meanwhile, across the Sea Grill ... ... a genuine beauty ... two images from the same bar on (presumably) the same night is stunning. Seeburg From an eBay listing: Seeburg Pre-War Jukebox ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/14/2014 - 9:41am -

April 1943. Washington, D.C. "Slightly inebriated couple at the Sea Grill." Photo by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. Worst Case Scenario What she was probably trying to do was get him to marry her, as she did many other GIs and have him allocate the spousal part of his paycheck to her. If she really got lucky and he died while in the service, she got the insurance money, $10,000. Hopefully he outwitted her. Service ForcesOur bon vivant is wearing the shoulder patch of the Army Service Forces. I don't know what service he plans on providing on this particular occasion. Eeek! It's alive!The lady was more than just a little inebriated when she selected that hat. Now, now, don't be so harshPerhaps that's his mother saying goodbye before he goes off to war. We can see where this is going...she's already got her leg draped over his lap, she's falling behind on the drink count (mixed drink in hand, another on the table, plus a glass of wine). Meanwhile, soldier boy has switched to what appears to be milk -- a young man obviously wise beyond his years. I'd love to knowwhat music is available on that jukebox! Good for a laughShe left her teeth the Ladies Room. Medic?Looks like a Medical Corps lapel disk on his uniform. Could not have been in the Army very long - no rank, no ribbons. But at least he got the girl, and, hopefully, nothing else from this night out. Meanwhile, across the Sea Grill ...... a genuine beauty is drinking alone. The contrast between these two images from the same bar on (presumably) the same night is stunning. SeeburgFrom an eBay listing: Seeburg Pre-War Jukebox 5¢ WS-2Z Wireless Wall O Matic Music Selector Wall Box. Rare Pre War wireless version. Circa 1940 - 1941. Dimensions: height 12", width 8 1/2", and depth 5". Army Service ForcesThis young man wears the shoulder patch of the U.S. Army Service Forces, a catch-all for everything that was neither "Army Ground Forces" nor "Army Air Forces." As such, the Service Forces included quartermaster, signal, ordnance, corp of engineers, etc. Could not have won the war without the logistics provided by him and his colleagues. The patch was a blue star on a white background and a red outer-most border. ASF nicknameBecause the duties of the Army Service Forces kept most of its members out of the line of fire, those who weren't so lucky [frontline infantrymen] derisively referred to members of the ASF as the "Blue Star Commandos", based on the colors of the patch. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Esther Bubley, WW2)
12th Precinct: 1923
... protecting them with a chain link fence, razor wire, night lighting and guard dogs from nocturnal "salvage" thieves. Radiators, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 3:59pm -

"G.G. Loehler Co., August 1923." The 12th Precinct police station under construction in Washington at 17th Street and Rhode Island Avenue N.E. Cost: $55,376. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. MasonryNo prefab walls here. And here it is today!View Larger Map RadiatorsOn the left a wood barrel is sitting in a pile of cast iron radiators that would presumably be used in this building for heat. If this building is still standing there is a chance the radiators are still in service. We have similar system still in operation on the campus where I work. Stacked UpLooks like they delivered the radiators early! Heavy MetalThe cast iron boiler sections are on the other side of the building. Free StuffThe most striking difference to me in this photo from any image of a construction site today is that the contractor was able to stack his building materials along the street side of the lot without protecting them with a chain link fence, razor wire, night lighting and guard dogs from nocturnal "salvage" thieves. Radiators, boiler parts, bricks, roof shingles and more are all just sitting there waiting to be hauled off. My First Thought Was... only the government would spend that kind of money in 1923 on something like that. But it's still there and looking good. Must be one solid structure. I stand corrected. Thanks for the modern view.Thanks for the modern view. Helps explain why the brickwork was left 'unfinished' under the fascia line. They still had some what we today call 'elevation' applications to put on that area. And it looks like they added on to the back later, with a separate entry. I enjoyed roaming over this building site comparing it to how we do things in construction these days. The NeighborsI am really surprised to see that the white house to the right in both pictures is still there. It must have been noisy although they must have felt pretty secure. First BookingCurious to me that back in the day, a speeding offense resulted in a person being arrested and hauled into the police station. Teacher First Prisoner At New Police Station The first man booked at the new Twelfth precinct police station was Marion Richard Vickers, 26 years old, a teacher, living at 1625 K street northwest, who was arrested on Rhode Island avenue yesterday afternoon by Motorcycle Policeman K.L. Potts, charged with speeding. As Potts came through the door of the new station with his prisoner, Policeman John Donovan, at the desk, assumed a business-like air, and then proceeded to write Vickers' name and address on the first line of the first page of the arrest book. The new station was opened formally in the morning by Maj. Daniel Sullivan, superintendent of police. In the course of the day many men and women, including several members of the Rhode Island Avenue Citizens association, inspected the station. Washington Post, Jan 2, 1924 RadiatorsI have been told that the radiators were usually assembled in place so that only components were moved and not the whole thing. Looks like I've been told wrong. Additionally, I automatically keep trying to move the original picture around like you do in the Google street view. It doesn't work. DebarredAppears that the bars on the ground floor windows were removed at some point in the past...apparently it's a safer neighborhood now than it once was. [The jail bars were to keep the bad guys in, not out. - Dave] What is thatTapping you guys' knowledge here. The guy on the far right pushing a wheel barrow away from the camera is in front of something stacked up that appears to be sectional square fluted pieces. I cannot figure out what those are. Can any of you I.D. those? Thanks. [Those are stacked shingles nearest the camera. Behind him it looks like clay conduit, as noted above. - Dave] Clay ConduitLooks like terra cotta conduit, used to run wires underground. FireblockThey look like fire blocks; at least that's what we call them. In older commercial buildings, the interior walls were laid up with these block, rather than with wood framimg. A fire-spread preventive device which then got a plaster veneer. Simply hell for rewiring/replumbing projects. Hollow TileThat's Hollow Tile, kind of a precursor to cinder blocks. Fired out of clay and hollow, they were used in combination with brick to build a load-bearing masonry structure. Grooved so it could accept a plaster finish on the interior face. Fireproofing wasn't the point, although they were certainly fireproof just like brick. Eventually Hollow Tile was supplanted by cinder block construction and brick veneer on a wood stud frame. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Griswold Street: 1906
... who are operating in the Central Station system of night watch and fire alarm signal system, we are very much interested in ... to the plant in case they are wanted for emergency in the night. Another splendid feature of the Still Alarm system is the direct ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 12:58pm -

Detroit circa 1906. "Griswold Street." My favorite detail here: The American Still Alarm auto at lower right. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Very interesting.But what is a ‘’Still Alarm.'' [A silent alarm that signals various responders telegraphically. -Dave] Another Lost WorldBeginning in 1909 and continuing through the 20s up to the Depression, then picking up again in the 1960s, nearly every building in this picture was replaced with something larger and newer. Griswold is still at the center of downtown Detroit, but the "old" skyscrapers on that street are all from the 1910s and '20s now. Other than Capitol Park (site of the Michigan State Capitol for Michigan's first 10 years as a state)in the background, what you see here is a completely lost world. Taking FlightThe woman's hat just to the left of the Alarm car is a humdilly too. Some Kind of WonderfulGrand Trunk Railway? Hey, I remember them! Fascinating Time Great photo! I particularly like images of America during the brief period between the first cars appearing on the street and the last horse leaving. It was such a huge upheaval that happened in such a short time. It must have been a crazy thing to live through. Imagine if cars were completely replaced with something orders of magnitude better over the next 8-10 years! Cute, but not about moonshineWhat I find most fascinating are the details of the gorgeous Gothic building across the street. It still has its hardware for the external shutters, though all its wooden shutters are gone. And the modifications for the knob and tube electrification are outside the building to see. (Unless those are phone lines, not electric lines, in which case, you can report the fire from the comfort of your desk, and not use any kind of alarm box at all). Also interesting are two competing rubber stamp companies across from each other. American Still Alarm Company In a letter addressed to Insurance Engineering, dated December 10, 1906, Mr. John Winter, president of the American Still Alarm of Detroit, conveys information of value in view of the interest in the interior fire alarm question. We have read with considerable interest the matter contained in the November number of Insurance Engineering, and as our companies, the American Still Alarm and the American District Telegraph Company [which we know today as ADT], are the only companies who are operating in the Central Station system of night watch and fire alarm signal system, we are very much interested in anything that improves our service. The American Still Alarm is operated on a different basis from any A.D.T. system in the country. Some of the special features are that we use automobiles and police officers to wait upon delinquent watchmen; we also use this same service to take owners and managers and engineers to the plant in case they are wanted for emergency in the night. Another splendid feature of the Still Alarm system is the direct wire fire alarm system, which in brief is as follows: The second the circuit opens in the plant, transmission is immediate to the Central Telegraph headquarters of the fire department, giving them the building and floor. In addition to that we operate the circuit system which also goes through our Central Station, but requires transmitting. We have practically every concern in this city equipped with this system, who have night watchmen. This is not due, however, to our own energy so much as the opportunity the field affords, there being no other reliable system of the fire alarm in operation in this city for many years. Rubber StampsTwo competing rubber stamp companies on the same street, right across from each other -- boy, if I had a nickel for every time I've seen that. 1906 automobilesA number of the cars, including the "alarm" car, show the early body design of the "horseless carriage". But the automobile to the right of the closest streetcar, rear-facing, seems to have a more advanced body and top. Anyone care to guess brand and date? Also: the pennants flying above the building just beyond the Detroit Savings Bank - corporate or signal flags? (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Yreka Comix: 1942
... the time of day--by 1942, Bomber Command had switched to night bombing pretty much exclusively. The artist for Sky Fighters made ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/11/2015 - 6:25pm -

June 26, 1942. "Yreka, California. Magazine stand." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. Great Story Name"Taken for a Slay Ride" on the 10 Story Detectives magazine. I Want HueThis photo begs to be colorized by a Shorpy wizard. Sky Fighters "A Thrilling Publication"Indeed! Though in some cases the covers might have been the most exciting part. Richard Brautigan"Rommel Drives on Deep into Egypt" is the title of a 1970 collection of poems by Richard Brautigan. According to Wikipedia, he moved from Oregon to SF in 1956, and that the title of the titular poem was indeed taken from that headline. I'd love to know how he first saw it and why he chose it. Boy howdy!If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: "What a rack!" Allied and Axis AviationThe artist for Dare-Devil Aces was working from a reference photo of an Avro Lancaster, although he took licence with the time of day--by 1942, Bomber Command had switched to night bombing pretty much exclusively. The artist for Sky Fighters made things more difficult for the plane-spotter by the angle he chose, but it seems pretty clearly to be intended as Mitsubishi A5M2 "Claude" (I considered but rejected identification as the Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate"). He had somewhat more trouble with relative positions of things, but I suppose the page format cramped him; any pilot that close to the ground would be within about a quarter-second of a crash. All the Western heroesThey all remarkably resemble John Wayne. War Stamp BrideEllen Allardice, 1922 to 2014. Obituary here. QuirkyI found another one of the covers: Pulp mags.Not comix. Always FascinatingShorpy is always educational - or at least fascinating! Checking out the Super Science Stories pulp cover, and did you know? Malcolm Jameson (“Wreckers of the Star Patrol") did not start writing until after he came down with throat cancer, first published in 1938. Sadly, he survived this issue by less than 3 years. Rommel is dead. His army has joined the quicksand legions of history where the battle is always a metal echo saluting a rusty shadow. His tanks are gone. How's your ass? Here's Most Of The HueMy first attempt at adding some accurate colour to the magazine stand - I've found an image online of every magazine here except for the July 1942 issues of "Super Sports", "West?", "Dare-Devil Aces", "Ten Detective Aces", and "Thrilling Western". [Most impressive! - Dave] What I wouldn't give...Though the comics might have no value, what I wouldn't give to have at least one of them in my possession. Before you ask, yes. I WOULD read it. Lovely Photograph I fell in love with this photo the first time I saw it awhile back and thought I just have to see this in colour. So I spent many days colorizing this photograph and I hope you all enjoy this photo in colour as much as I enjoyed colorizing it. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, WW2)
My family in the Dutch Indies before the war
... My family witnessed fellow ex-prisoners disapearing at night, being found the next day brutally murdered. Then in a convoy they ... 
 
Posted by missjoeri - 01/24/2009 - 1:45am -

My great-grandparents moved to the Dutch colony of Indonesia at the end of World War I, where they ran one of the few, probably the only, car garage on the emerald isles. They had a fantastic time there, the locals were happy to work for them or succeeded well in hiding their discontempt [contempt? discontent? - dave]. This is rather common, many Indonesians were very friendly and acted happy and many Dutch had no idea many of these people hated being colonised and dominated and exploited by the Dutch. So my grandmother and her brother Dirk grew up in a paradise, they had servants, money, space, a nice house and just lots of freedom. Not realizing anything about politics, Indonesian rebels, what was happening in the world. They were just very happy, innocent children. When World War II began they were in their late teens, about to become adults. My grandmother married a Dutch soldier but then the Japanese came. Everybody was locked up in prison camps but, and I'm not quite sure what happened, my grandmother managed to hide with two girls who looked dark and local. They stayed hidden in a house, Gran remaining hidden because she looked so European, the dark girls managing to get food now and then. Things were becoming very difficult as my gran was pregnant by her husband and they had to take even bigger risks. Of course this couldn't last, they were discovered. Some or all the girls were raped by Japanese soldiers. We are not sure if my gran was raped as at that time as she was already heavily pregnant and it was a subject never talked about in the family, something we only found out when meeting one of the other girls many years later. Perhaps Gran became pregnant because of that rape. We don't know. After this ordeal they were taken to a prison camp or went there themselves because of what happened. In the camp Gran had her baby, my aunt Annemarie. Life in the camp was terrible, my aunt as a toddler had a nightmare all her life of a woman beaten to death by the guards, also my gran was beaten a few times. Gran later confirmed that my aunt had seen such things as a toddler. Once when a Japanese soldier or officer started beating Gran, Annemarie escaped the grasp of one of the other women, ran up to the Jap and started fighting him. Everybody held their breath, fearing the worst. The Jap looked at the little girl and then simply walked off. Other family members didnt survive the camps. My Uncle Dirk, a prisoner of war, was forced to work on the Burma railroad, a experience that broke him forever. He was and still is a strong and proud man but he never got over it. He still hates everything Japanese, caused a big row when his son went on a trip to Japan. He never talked about what he went through. When the war finally came to an end my grandmother, aunt and uncle were close to dying. Although we all hate the atom bombs that fell on Japan we also realise that nobody in our entire family would be alive today without them. My grandfather though was somewhere on the other side of the country when he was released because the war was as good as finished. He heard where his family was being kept prisoner and decided he couldn't wait any longer. First I didnt believe this story but its now been confirmed. My grandfather escaped from the POW camp (not difficult, few guards left, war pretty much over), he went to a japanese airfield and hijacked a plane!!! He got on board of a plane and forced the pilot to fly him to the other side of the country. Knowing my granddad he would have snapped the japs neck in a second if he wouldnt have listened. At this time the survivors of my family were hiding inside the camps, now the indonesians (fuelled with hate by the japs) stood up against the Dutch. In a strange reverse situation the japanese guards now had to defend their former prisoners from the indonesians. My family witnessed fellow ex-prisoners disapearing at night, being found the next day brutally murdered. Then in a convoy they went to the harbour, being shot at by indonesian rebels, knowing very well that they were shooting at women and children who had just survived years in a camp. When they arrived on a british ship my aunt remembers a very young british sailor looking after her while the rest of my family sort of collapsed. He was very sweet to her, treating her as his little sister. Singing to her, giving her sweets, etc. My aunt still gets emotional when she thinks about how nice he was, the first nice man she had seen in her life as there had been no men in the camp besides the japs. Many years later she would marry a sailor, she told him that she wouldnt even had talked to him if he hadnt been wearing the uniform... heheh some things run in the family. My family left indonesia in a plane with no door, probably a dakota used for airdrops. They never went back. In the Netherlands they simply couldnt get used to normal life, nobody talked about what happened and the dutch had their own war traumas to handle. My grandmother died very young, probably because the shock her system got in the camp, she nearly died several times and her body sort of gave up. My greatuncle Dirk left the Netherlands and went to australia, he only came back once. Thank youI agree with anonymous you must pass this on so these people are remembered. Gran>> Perhaps Gran became pregnant because of that rape. We don't know. ?? You said she was already pregnant. bless your familyGod bless your grandma and family. If treasures in heaven do exist, your family deserves every one of them. You should be proud to come from such a strong family. Do not let this story die. Make sure it is passed on. We are not quite sure whatWe are not quite sure what happened with gran, she always said grandfather was the father of her first child but even before we heard about the possible rape people were always wondering about the first child, she was different from all the others. I wonder if perhaps we could find out through DNA research or something, Auntie may not want to know though. I totally agree.This story must be passed on. It's something I'd be proud to tell people. StoryFantastic story and glad you could tell the world about it. I feel sorry for what your family had endured, and telling your story helps everyone to understand to always fight and stand up against oppression, as best as they can. There are a lot of other families that were hurt badly around the world during WW II my mother and her family suffered too in Italy during the war, she told me some stories about it. They lived in the port city of Genoa Italy, so it was a strategic military area that went through a lot of bombardments from the allies against the Germans. Luckily they survived and I got to meet them all back in the 50's when I was very little. Dutch-IndiesHello, I am Indonesian and love to learn story about colonial life and history of my country. Can i know what city your great-grandparents live? Dutch Indies Concentration CampMy grandparents were in a Japanese concentration camp when they were young. All of the girls in their family were raped and tortured (same thing in my book). I plan to write a book about the story of their Dutch/Indonesian family, how they were brought together and ultimately torn apart by war... my mother's immigration to the US from Holland, and before from Indonesia. The way the Dutch government used to treat these families and how much money they owe their citizens (most of whom are in their 80's now; of course they pay very little each month if anything and don't continue once the vets have passed). If you or anyone else has any information to add, please write me at tashaz3@yahoo.com. Maybe we could all put a book of tales together. This part of my heritage amazes me. It truly was a WORLD war.Thank you for sharing this story from your family history. The second World War left scars across the globe. (My grandfather never spoke a single word to his grandchildren about what he saw in the Philippines. We were told never to bring it up...and we loved him so much that we never did.) Forgiven but not forgottenIt was awesome to see your pictures, like my family, in Indonesia they was go to Japanese Camp, and their family in Nederland was killed in NAZI camp Auschwitz and Sobibor, really a nightmare...may their soul rest in peace Compassionate StoryGreat story, I'd like to read about anything related to history of my country. From this story we see that even Dutch people had suffered in Indonesia during the 1940s. I am an Indonesian, my grandpa's young brother was also shot death by a Dutch soldier when he was just 16. However in the name of struggle for the independence, there's nothing wrong about that. Many people from both sides suffered because they lived in the "wrong" place and "wrong" situation. If Japanese, Dutch, and Indonesian meet now, the right place & time, no more war and hate they make but peace and love. Books about the campsMy husband, born in 1936, was a child in the camps. His whole family on both sides had roots in Indonesia for several generations. As far as colonials go, I believe they were pretty good ones. One cannot judge people by the standards of a later time. We are all products of our society. If you want to read about the camp experience, I recommend "The Way of a Boy" by Ernest Hillen, and "The Flamboya Tree" by Clara Olink Kelly. Clara is my husband's cousin. The great tragedy is what happened to these people after they returned to Holland after the war. Apart from the fact that many would have preferred to stay in Indië, as they thought of it. Holland was recovering from its own experience. It had just discovered the truth about the concentration camps, colonialism was suddenly out of fashion, and the returnees found few people interested in their horror stories. No one offered therapy in those days! My mother-in-law tried for years to be heard. Half her conversations ended up in the camp, no matter where they started. Now they are going overboard and encouraging all sorts of second generation victimhood. Never mind, the psychology industry is another topic! Acted happy ...."This is rather common, many Indonesians were very friendly and acted happy and many Dutch had no idea many of these people hated being colonised and dominated and exploited by the Dutch" thats an interesting and precise observation.seems nobody learn from it. similar to your family story. many indonesian learned to survive, sadly.."acted happy" was the only way to live. and yes indonesian didnt fight hard enough the atomic bomb somehow agreed ,needed to stop the war and indonesian now agreed.somoehow japanese needed to come,otherwise we might be still hate Dutch and act happy. thats the past. so yes pass on the story, but dont forget those who "acted happy" and loyal to your family during the struggle.we re now still struggling to find our lost identity .. Great storyHi. My name is Andre. As an Indonesian, I like your story. It's about big struggle for surviving. Your great grandparents had a wonderful life in Dutch Indies, you can say that again. Wonderful country, nice weather, big houses, lots of servants, etc. Heaven is just a little bit closer. When you said "many Indonesians were very friendly and acted happy and many Dutch had no idea many of these people hated being colonised and dominated and exploited by the Dutch," I could understand 100%. Why ? Well, who can be happy to be colonised for more than 300 years? When you have no songs, you have no rights (unless to remain silent), you have no hope, you live as a slave for foreigners. Indonesians, Dutch, Japanese, they were people at the wrong time, at the wrong place. At that time, everybody in the world hated each other. So, everything had to be done in order to survive. Just like your grandfather did. Well, let it be a great story of history. Let's leave the history behind without forgetting it. Let it behind when we learn the mistakes happened and let's face the future for the better life for all of us. De goude oud tijd (the good old times)My name Nuzwardy, pure indonesians. On the contrary most of Indonesians hate the colonial time, I am obsessed to go back to that times. I do not agree that the colonial times was the worst one of this nations. I think it was the Soeharto era 1966 - 1998 as the worst times. I heard from my Oma (grandma in Ducth)who ever life in the colonial time, she frequently said that the colonial era as "Jaman Normaal" (normal times). I'm partly agree with her. Everything run in order according to the rules. On the contrary of many Indonesian who are not punctual, she was very strict in times. After I learn many source about life during colonial era, the era after etisch politics endorsed by Van Deventer, the colonial era during 1900 - 1942 was the best times Indonesians ever have. Sadly we have to separate with Dutch, I dont blame my nation's founding father for this. Dutch did not accommodate to have our own parliaments (known as petisi Soetardjo)when the threat of Japs was prevalent at that time. If dutch wise enought that time we could still have closed relationship with Dutch like "British commonwealth" (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Y Girl: 1919
... nearly every day that very town was shelled. Every fair night for five weeks running it was extra-smashed from the air. "Oh, I'm ... of Y supply trucks to the forward canteens, was wholly night business. Moreover you had to drive without lights. And the roads ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 3:10pm -

Washington, D.C., 1919. "Frances Gulick, Y.M.C.A. girl." Frances, a Y.M.C.A. welfare worker attached to the First Engineers in Europe, was awarded a citation for valor and courage during the aerial bombardment of Varmaise, France, where she operated a canteen. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Francy GuSounds like a girls' book series of the 1920s -- "Frances Gulick: YMCA Girl and the Canteen." Wherein our heroine saves the lives of doughboys in Europe and survives a terrible bombardment by the Hun. It's an inspirational story for young ladies 10 to 18 years of age. The heroine is self-sacrificing and long-suffering while loyal to the Allied cause ... Sparkling eyesShe's not much of a looker but I bet she was really fun to be around. WowMy heroine! What an inspiration! I am making my daughter of the same age read about her. What a Gal!From "That Damn Y: A Record of Overseas Service" by Katherine Mayo Dorothy Francis and Marjory Skelding, Charlotte Hand, Mary Arrowsmith, Frances Gulick, Gertrude Ely, and the rest served through their apprenticeship of warfare with a steadiness that put their case beyond dispute and that clinched with unshakable strength the earlier link between the First and its Y. Frances Gulick, for example, made her little canteen like a cozy sitting-room at home. Her stove was always busy, cooking for the boys, and the boys always swamped the place. Sometimes you found her reading aloud to them. Sometimes telling stories to the crowd, while she mended blouses or sewed on new-won chevrons. Sometimes just cooking, and singing to them while they waited for the "party" to be ready to devour. And nearly every day that very town was shelled. Every fair night for five weeks running it was extra-smashed from the air. "Oh, I'm all right!" she would laugh, day after day, when they urged her to rest, steadfastly refusing to quit the post. Later came a time when they put her on a camionnette, to deliver newspapers. She could not only drive a car, but repair it too, you see; which latter attainment was more than desirable in that line of work. For the newspaper service to the Front, like the carrying-up of ammunition, and the passage of Y supply trucks to the forward canteens, was wholly night business. Moreover you had to drive without lights. And the roads were full of shell-holes, so that now and again, despite every care, in you lurched and stuck fast, or gave your car a fearful, dislocating wrench. Shells burst before you, beside you, on your nightly road. Craters opened almost under your wheels. And your little tin Lizzie, after a trip or two, got so speckled and dented and sliced by flying shrapnel that scarcely a hand's-breadth of surface remained untouched. But the men in the front-line trench system watched for those regular consignments of daily papers with an eagerness that almost surpassed their desire for smokes. And Frances Gulick drove her car along the shell-swept midnight roads with an unbroken steadiness and a superb, laughing dash that almost discounted its own credit, so utterly steady-nerved did it show her to be. A creature so built was glorious to behold; yet—one of some nervous sensibility might really show more merit in the act. So had thought even that famous character, "the Count." [?] One night, however, "the Count" happened to be in the room with Frances Gulick while she waited for her bundles of papers — her Paris Heralds, Chicago Tribunes and Daily Mails, to be ready to load so that she might get away to her job. room with Frances Gulick while she waited for her bundles of papers — her Paris Heralds, Chicago Tribunes and Daily Mails, to be ready to load so that she might get away to her job. As the two lingered, talking, a Boche bombing-plane, with its ghostly, pulsing hum, swung close overhead. The girl switched off the light, but opened the window blind and stood looking out. "Come away from there!" snapped "the Count," laying a hand on her arm in his haste to pull her back. In that instant it was that he met one of the real surprises of an eventful life. With his hand so on her arm, he knew that her whole body was shaking — big tremors flooding her muscles, as hammering waves flood and shake a ship. "What in the world is the matter with you? " he exclaimed. "Oh, don't notice me!" she retorted, more than a little annoyed. " Why, I've been like this every single night, from the very start. I never get used to it! And nobody has seen it before. Don't you ever dare tell! . . ." But on Frances Gulick's Army citation1 for valor and courage on the field, her general's endorsement reads: "A splendid type of woman welfare worker with combat troops." The citation itself runs: Miss Frances Gulick, Y.M.C.A. (attached to 1st U.S. Engineers) welfare worker, who has displayed the finest qualities of energy, courage and devotion in the discharge of her duties throughout the war and occupation of hostile territory, notably during the aerial bombardment at Vernaise, May 30, 1918, where, in spite of many casualties in the town, she remained at her post. From then until the division was relieved in July, 1918, Miss Gulick, with total disregard for her own personal safety, continued to operate her canteen, although the town was shelled and bombed at different times by the enemy, and her canteen itself struck. The full story of her bravery, devotion, and actual achievements, but faintly shadowed here, would place her easily among the outstanding heroines of history. Yet she is instanced, not as a bright, particular light, but, on the contrary, as a fair common example, in character and in record, of the fighting divisions women of the Y. WWI WomenI love these active gals from WWI - they always look so comfortable and competent. Consider the layers of clothing worn just 10 years before this picture and look at the practical uniform Frances is wearing. "How you gonna get them back in tight corsets and long skirts after they've run a canteen in Varmaise!" A little silver starMiss Gulick wears what looks like the ribbon for the World War I Victory Medal, with 2 bronze campaign stars and 1 silver citation star (though the ribbon may be a YMCA award). Other than the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, or the Navy Cross, valor awards were recognized with a silver star attachment to the ribbon and service medal. The little silver star would become the Silver Star Medal in 1932. Plus, she has 3 overseas service stripes on her sleeve, representing 18 months service. The Big Red OneOn her shoulder, Miss Frances is wearing the patch of the fabled First Infantry Division -- "The Big Red One" -- hard to believe that would happen in this era. My Hero(ine)What a woman! She embodies the old saying "Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the mastery of it." (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Schrafft's: 1948
... shining bright! The Tender Trap Watching it last night on TCM, one of the characters said "He's taking me to Radio City Music ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/22/2013 - 1:24pm -

June 9, 1948. New York. "Schrafft's, Esso Building, Rockefeller Center. 51st Street exterior. Carson & Lundin architects." Ubiquitous in urban areas, slightly upscale, tastefully decorated -- Schrafft's was something like the mid-century restaurant version of Starbucks. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. Applebee's and Oranges.Schrafft's definitely cannot be called an upgraded Starbucks. Unless Starbucks intend to serve a full menu, it wont even come close. The correct comparison would be an upgraded Applebee's. [That's why I said "RESTAURANT version of Starbucks." Applebee's is pretty much nonexistent in most downtowns. - Dave] However, here in Manhattan, there's one on 42nd St between 7th & 8th Avenues and another on 50th St & Broadway. 75 Rockefeller PlazaStill there, nearly unchanged. From Google streetview: http://goo.gl/maps/yg7X8 But ...But Schrafft's was just NICER . . . I Remember Schrafft'sWhen I was a lot younger, my mother used to take me to Schrafft's in Wellesley Hills Square, Massachusetts, for a hot fudge sundae, which, with no nuts, was my favorite. Thanks, Dave. WoW just WoWSo mid-century. Just love it! Great storefront design.Pretty contemporary look even for 1948. Rectilinear look. Huge expanse of clean sleek glazing and framing. Inside we see recessed can lights and more modern glazing details on the clerestory window wall. Graduation LunchThis was the exact Schrafft's where our 8th Grade class had our graduation lunch in 1974. We sat upstairs. 1948 ModernismEven the revolving door, the overhead lights, the stainless steel, the plate glass, it all looks as modern as today. Raise High the Roofbeam, CarpentersIs this the Schrafft's that Buddy Glass took wedding guests to after his brother ditched Muriel at the altar? Things I didn't knowDespite my family all coming from that part of the country (NJ/NY/New England), I'd not ever heard of Schrafft's. So, in case you're in the same boat, here's some more information on what must have been a truly great place to visit: The fantastic Vanishing New York blog. A 2008 NYT article with then/now pictures. Close to HomeMy father worked for Standard Oil/Esso/Exxon for 42 years. (He met my mother there, working for Standard Oil's cosmetics firm - Dagget and Ramsdell.) He worked in this building, formerly the US Rubber Building, before the Exxon Building was built, before they moved to NJ, and then to Houston. Schrafft's was my mother's favorite lunch out. My father referred to having had lunch at "Scraps." Auntie Mame"On our way to Bunny Bixler's—that's my friend who lives on Park Avenue and 71st Street—Patrick and I just stuffed ourselves at Schrafft's! Do you know what your silly nephew did? He spoke French to the counterman! Imagine anybody speaking French to a counterman ... at Schrafft's?" Little Old Ladies from ScarsdaleBack in the '40s-'60s, parties of same often lunched at Schrafft's prior to taking in a matinee performance of some innocuous book musical or other. Perhaps not quite so ubiquitousThis is interesting: I am familiar with the name but never realized Schrafft's were know for whole restaurants. I only knew them from their boxed fine chocolates and candies. Such confections were only available at the finer downtown department stores as I recall, Pizitz or maybe Loveman's in Birmingham. Perhaps Schrafft's restaurants were not as "ubiquitous" in the South. We always went to Britling's cafeteria anyway. But it was still a "dress-up" occasion. Schrafft's Factory, Charlestown, Mass.My mother and grandmother grew up just a few blocks from the Schrafft's candy factory and offices at the base of Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The huge building (now the Schrafft Center commercial office building) is a great landmark, the neon sign still in place and shining bright! The Tender TrapWatching it last night on TCM, one of the characters said "He's taking me to Radio City Music Hall, and afterwards, if it's not to late, we're going to Schrafft's." This one, no doubt. Mom Worked ThereMy mom worked at the Charlestown Schraffts factory in the early 60's. She told me stories about poking the chocolates in the boxes with her finger coming down the conveyer belt. One time her Aunt received a box and some of the chocolates had finger pokes. Coincidence?? She also told me that one time Jimmy Durante came to the factory for an event. She sat with him at the piano, I think to turn the sheet music. I've always wondered if there are photos out there of this. I have no clue where I would even begin in looking for them. Ideas? (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Emancipation Day: 1905
...     In addition, there was a unique feature to-night, the inauguration of a colored President. At True Reformers' Hall the ... caused a little excitement, but no one was hurt. Last night there was a banquet of the leaders at Price's Hall, and at True ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 4:54pm -

April 3, 1905. Richmond, Virginia. "Emancipation Day." See news item below. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. NEGROES' DAY CELEBRATED. Inauguration of Colored President Part of the Ceremony.         Richmond, Va., April 3 -- Thousands of Negroes observed Emancipation Day in Virginia to-day. The occasion resulted in an outpouring of the race never before equaled, armed with miniature United States flags and attended by brass bands.         In addition, there was a unique feature to-night, the inauguration of a colored President. At True Reformers' Hall the interior of the White House was reproduced, and all the ceremonies incident to the induction of a Chief Magistrate into office were gone through with.         To-day was also the fortieth anniversary of the evacuation of Richmond by the Confederate forces and the partial destruction of the city by fire. (Washington Post, April 4, 1905.) Hello! Mark Gooch!Awesome to run into a fellow Birmingham person on here! I grew up outside of Birmingham, in a little community called West Jefferson. I lived, as a child, about 4 miles from where Shorpy worked. I was fascinated and attempting to explore all the abandoned mining works around at the age Shorpy would've actually been working in them. (I also had a substitute teacher in elementary school with the last name of Higginbotham. I only had her once or twice, I believe she was retired. An amazing woman, very stern.) This website is a continual source of inspiration and diversion for me. Like Mark, I have been drawn to the photographers he mentions since I can remember, and they inspired me to get an undergraduate degree in photography. I'm studying architecture in Texas now, and use these amazing images in my presentations from time to time as examples of good spaces lost, or to get at that piercing nag that historical images have. This image is powerful to me not only because it foreshadows the groundswell that was civil rights, but also because I'm from a place that saw so much of that struggle. I am proud to be from this conflicted place, and I only hope that the progress continues. Emancipation Day should be a national holiday. Great PictureThis picture suggests the wonderful hidden history of African Americans in the time after the Civil War. It's remarkable to think that for these people about as much time had passed since the end of the Civil War as has passed for us since the fall of Saigon. It's interesting to consider what memories and stories they were carrying with them. A bit grim...For all that this is a commemoration/celebration, there seem to be more serious faces than not. Interesting that they had an inauguration! It was a 104 year early dress rehearsal, apparently. Yes you can.Although none of those marching in this image would live to see it, I wish we could reach back and tell them that one day, it would happen. That today a black man is president of their country. A particularly stylish womanA particularly stylish woman on the sidewalk next to the building on right caught my eye. Is she there with the man on her right and the three(?) children on her left? What are the white men up in the law offices thinking? Who are the various white men among the crowd? Just passersby? Plainclothes? Any possibility they're actually participating/ celebrating? Birthday greetings from Shorpy's Hometown!Happy Continuance Day Shorpy.com! I hope you continue for many years to come. I'm a professional photographer in Birmingham, Alabama. This is the proud home of Shorpy Higginbotham. I'm like so many of your fans, I start my day looking at this site. I have for three years. I've been a fans of Walker Evans, Lewis Hine, Russell Lee, Dorothea Lange, and Arthur Rothstein, for most of my life. I even got to meet and visit with Rothstein once. It is such a privilege to view your photo offerings. The picture above is very special to me. I grew-up in Columbus, Mississippi. Emancipation Day was celebrated on May 8. In Columbus this was known as "8 of May Day". I was always under the impression that May 8 was when the news of Emancipation reached Mississippi. This site is such a gift. Thank You. www.markgooch.com Cheering Dixie? Richmond Times Dispatch, Apr 4, 1905 Celebration of Day of Freedom Negroes Cheered "Dixie" on Their Emancipation Anniversary. Nearly every colored man, woman and child in Richmond, and the surrounding territory, took part in or viewed the big emancipation parade yesterday. The crowd was orderly and was the subject of favorable comments from all who saw the line as it passed along to the music of several bands. The parade consumed something like twenty minutes in passing a given point, and was made up of various negro clubs and societies. An amusing incident was the cheering of "Dixie" on this occasion. After the principal streets of the city had been marched over, the crowds centered in the ball park, where the orators addressed the multitude on the subject most in mind. The principal speaker was D. Webster Davis, whose oration was loudly applauded. Rev. T.A. Green was the other speaker. During the speaking a board on the bleachers broke and caused a little excitement, but no one was hurt. Last night there was a banquet of the leaders at Price's Hall, and at True Reformer's Hall a colored opera company held forth. The colored hotels and boarding houses were full to overflowing with excursionists and the ward was a dense mass of people all day and far into the night. The thousands of local colored people on the streets were augmented by many from the country, who, in their gay rigs, added to the general interest in the parade. Old donkeys, with ante-bellum beards, marched beside negroes of the younger generation, and cooks, waiters, porters, washerwomen and barbers knocked off from work to join in the festivities incidental to the celebration of the day that really marks the fall of Richmond rather then the negroes' emancipation. Times Change'Inauguration of Colored President.' The writer of that headline would never have dreamt in a million years that it would actually come to fruition. And cheering Dixie? Deep irony or carried away in the moment. Where was this photo shotI have been trying to figure out exactly where (street/block) this photo was shot. The "John I Williams" bankers and brokers business in the background were apparently at 112 E Main Street at some time (according to court records) but the National Park Service says this image was taken in Jackson Ward, on the other side of town. Given the segregation of the time, I suspect this march was in Jackson Ward, "the Harlem of the south". Unfortunately, it seems that most of the original 1905 buildings in both areas are demolished today. There were street car lines both on Main as well as 1st and 5th (which passed through Jackson Ward). [This is somewhere in the main business district downtown. John L. (not I.) Williams was a prominent brokerage firm. The National Bank of Virginia is on the right. - Dave] 10th and Main downtownVirginia Commonwealth University's Rarely Seen Richmond puts this location at 10th and Main Streets with the Shafer Building at the corner and the old Custom House and Richmond Post Office in the background. The page also links to a photo of a somewhat different parade at the same street corner. Attorneys Looking Out The WindowAttorneys Shelton and Atkinson looking out of their second story offices probably are celibrating celebrating with champiagn Champagne, knowing these people mean money in the bank from defending them (or prosecuting them). You know there is going to be some kind of lawbreaking going on with these people. There always is. Will the defendant please rise. ($$$) Also, on ground level the photographer with his box camera and bodygaurd bodyguard can be seen keeping an eye out for troublemakers. Which probably was not that hard to find. I hope they were safe and un-harmed. [What a dope. - Dave] Jim Crow is a-waitin' The light skinned participants might be white pro-abolitionists, or, what was referred to in those days as 'High-yella', those whose ancestry made them less than septaroons, verifiably less than one sixteenth negro, and consequently able to 'pass' as white. It is a shameful legacy that we still employ, branding anyone of the lightest discernible African tint as colored. Partly black is black, while partly white is still black. "Free in body my brothers, but our souls are still in chains", those words still have relevance today. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)
Ebbets Field: 1920
... for Lifebuoy stated, 'The Phillies use Lifebuoy'. One night a graffiti artist sneaked in and added to the ad, 'And they still ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 4:12pm -

"Crowd at Ebbets Field. Oct. 5, 1920." In the first game of the 1920 World Series between the Indians and Dodgers, the final score was Cleveland 3, Brooklyn 1. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. "Dem bums!!"They'll always be the BROOKLYN Dodgers to me! World Series 1920Observations: Few if any women in the stands. The men all have jackets, ties and hats on - no fan attire here - not even a pennant to wave! Spectators are walking to their seats on the field, with uniformed policemen keeping them on the sideline. It looks like all the seats are bleachers - no reserved seating here. And there is still quite a bit of empty seating available, though maybe the game hasn't started yet. If the only way to get to the stands was through the fields, how did they go to the concession stand or the bathroom? Temporary bleachers?I suspect the outfield bleachers were built for the Series. They cover part of the scoreboard - it looks like there's a place below the strike-ball-out count where the inning-by-inning score would usually be displayed. This is partially covered by the bleachers and there's a line score posted on the wall at the front of the bleachers. Also, there's a car ad that's almost completely obscured, and some of the other ads are partially obscured. Other interesting things to notice: there are vendors on the field selling to spectators at the front of the bleachers. In those days Lifebuoy was a "health" soap, not a deodorant soap. The metal railing looks like it could be dangerous to a fielder who goes after a foul fly ball. Ebbets Field 1920WOW! Great stuff. MORE, PLEASE. Ebbets FieldNotice the advertising is for men's products. Lifebuoy soap was a popular brand in the US into the 1940s. It had a very distinctive smell and, as I recall, not a very pleasant one. Wikipedia says, "When the Philadelphia Phillies played at the Baker Bowl during the 1920s, an outfield wall advertisement for Lifebuoy stated, 'The Phillies use Lifebuoy'. One night a graffiti artist sneaked in and added to the ad, 'And they still stink'." The CrowdIf you look at the folks walking by the cops, you'll see a woman...and it looks like that may be another woman ahead of her where the group is stepping into the stands from the field. Also, if you look in the lower left side, to the left of the boy walking in the aisle in the paperboy cap, you'll see a boy in what appears to be a ballcap/fan attire. Hats!Did you find someone without hat ?!!! Great photo which needs to be enlarged more to see details under the "Gem Safety Razor" advertisement. Dave, is it possible to have it in extra large format? Ebbets Fieldhttp://www.andrewclem.com/Baseball/EbbetsField.html is a wonderful site for former and current ballparks. If you mouse over the different years you can see when the outfield bleachers and upper deck were added - starting in 1926. The original stadium did not have outfield bleachers, so these were obviously added for the World Series. PiedmontSo, Piedmont's a blend, right? Yikes!That fence existing atop the left-field line wall must have presented "challenges" to left-fielders going after a foul ball fly. I'm sure Zack Wheat ("the most graceful left-handed hitter I ever saw," Casey Stengel), the Hall of Fame left fielder for the "Robins" (as they were known in 1920) had probably mastered putting his gloved hand up above those spiked tops, but visiting players, especially from the American League Indians, may have hesitated when faced with a foul ball in that area. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska How do I get to the bleachers?I agree that the bleachers seem built for the series, and it appears to me there's no way to get to them other than walking along the foul area. Could it be these folks are arriving spectators? The male to female ratio seems right. I bet it got awkward if they needed to get to the restroom. Splendid. But not ...It is not a blend, Not a blend, Not A Blend! At no time has Piedmont been blended. Nor will it ever be blended. Piedmont is unfamiliar with the concept of "blending". So, at last, I hope we are clear? Yes? (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports)
Keep Smiling: 1906
... clergyman took a stroll and examined the pictures. Before night official orders were issued, and before morning the mutascope men had ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 11:39am -

The Jersey shore circa 1906. "Rolling chair on the Boardwalk, Atlantic City." In the distance, the giant safety razor seen on the Gillette sign in the previous post. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Keep SmilingWhaddaya mean, keep smiling ? I AM smiling. The Wicked Witch of the East?The smiling, striding woman on the left is a dead ringer for Margaret Hamilton. Ouch!I was admiring the smiling lady, which seems uncommon in this period, and when I panned over to the stern couple in the rolling chair with the sign I laughed myself out of my chair. Thanks Dave, this is the most delightful photo I've seen. A Short Time LaterI hope the poor bugger in the rolling chair hopped out and ran away with the smiling lady and left that evil eyed old biddy behind. Hotel TraymoreAs noted in Dave's comment, vantage point for the previous birds-eye view of the beach. Is it a smileor a maniacal grin? The lady on the left seems to be holding her cane in a very threatening way. Perhaps it's her husband in the rolling chair running off with her mother! Rolling chairsAh, that's what you call them. I was thinking maybe "nobility scooter." Hello Pork Pie HatLove the gent's hat. A cool modern topper, especially compared to the fusty lady sitting next to him. Rolling Chair Evils Washington Post, Apr 22, 1900 Reforms in Atlantic City Rolling-Chair Evil Regulated This resort wears the aspect of summer, with a crowded boardwalk, and ideal sky, warm breeze, and everything in the way of amusement and entertainment in full swing. So great is the multitude of people that certain features of the city which have given it its attractiveness promise to become, and to certain extent now are, veritable nuisances. Once of these is the rolling chair, which every invalid who has ever been here and many of the perfectly able visitors know and have enjoyed. There are other visitors, those of the pedestrian class, who find their strolls on the Boardwalk at times almost blocked by the chairs, which line up five and six across the walk. There are no less than 600 of them. But a new grievance against the chairs has come up. Careless attendants have recently been employed, and because of the rolling of the chairs against a number of visitors, several handsome Easter promenade gowns have been torn, and others ruined by the dust and grease from the unprotected wheels. The authorities have now stepped in with vigor, and all the chair attendants are to be uniformed, provided with badges, and are to held accountable to the police department. This move will be hailed with general satisfaction. The morals of the Boardwalk have also been tuned up by the authorities. It took the police an entire week to learn that one or two mutascope showmen were exhibiting for "a nickel a look," scores of pictures decidedly "Frenchy." Then one morning Mayor Frank Stoy and a Baptist clergyman took a stroll and examined the pictures. Before night official orders were issued, and before morning the mutascope men had changed the pictures in toto, and now complain that business has fallen off. But the police order stands. Washington Post, Feb 12, 1939 Atlantic City Rolling Chairs Prove Popular The Boardwalk rolling chair, almost exclusively an Atlantic City vehicle, which was first introduced in 1887, is still a popular feature in the resort. The late George Hayday at first rented the chairs to invalids, who found the Boardwalk chair rides stimulating but later learned that persons in the best of health also enjoyed the chairs. The chairs, which are constructed here, were later enlarged to accommodate two or three persons. There are now 1,500 in use. Everyone who has ever visited Atlantic City will remember them and many a romance has started under the moon in a Boardwalk rolling chair. Should the weather prove to be a trifle cool, a warm robe and glass windshield protect the ride. Amazing photoIt's almost surreal the way the characters pop out of this photo. The clarity of those early lenses makes one wonder why modern cameras can't match the dots per inch. Amazing! [It's not so much the clarity of the lens as the size of the "image sensor." In this case, a humongous 8 by 10 inches. - Dave] Sun GrinsThe "smiling lady" doesn't seem to be smiling to me. She has the same expression I do when I go outside and forget my sunglasses. I have VERY light sensitive eyes and end up with the "sun grins" without my sunglasses, even in cloudy weather. I can easily assume I'm not the only one to have this problem. DopplegangerLooks like Amy Winehouse stumbled into a time machine. The third wheel Oh God, Harold, She's gaining on us, give the man another dollar! (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Travel & Vacation)
Cold, Cold Art: 1904
... I knew that I should have shut that faucet off last night! Leaden sky A pretty goood example of a leaden sky. Holy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 4:54pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1904. "Fountain of ice, Washington Boulevard." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. WowMagnificent photo! FamiliarThat could almost be the scene in my front yard in Fairfax VA for the last couple of weeks. Tallest frozen fountainThat I've ever seen. Looks to be about 40 to 45 feet tall, unless the boys are over 5 feet tall at the base of this frozen monument. If they are, this chunk of ice could be 50 feet or more. I have to go now and turn up my thermostat. Are we all so innocent?Looks like it could be an ad for Viagra. The City PlumberMust have cussed up a storm when he was looking for the valve to turn off that fountain. Amazing ! That is an awesome photo! I've never seen anything like it before ! Put on your crampons and grab your ice axeThis looks exactly like ice towers that climbing clubs build today for recreation and competition where a frozen waterfall isn't handy. There are a number of links to pictures at the bottom of the Alaska Alpine Club's website. What/How?How was it made? First thing that came to my mind was a snapped off fire hydrant? but really.. How was it made? Amazing!I am speechless! I have NEVER seen anything like this! It is beautiful and scary at the same time. Oops!I knew that I should have shut that faucet off last night! Leaden skyA pretty goood example of a leaden sky. Holy HannahThat is so cool. No pun intended. Man it looks cold in that neighbourhood. Brrrr. What's old is new againThey've got a similarly-sized ice fountain on Belle Isle today. I was just there, and there's an "fountain of ice" about the same size as this one on the Detroit side of the island by the yacht club. Why can't I free your doubtful mind... and melt your cold cold art? (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Flyboy: 1917
... aeroplane mail from New York arrived in Washington last night at 8:42 o'clock, six hours and twelve minutes behind schedule, marking ... and New York yesterday was unofficially reported last night to have been a little more than five hours. A plan to use larger ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 1:50pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "Allied aircraft demonstration at polo grounds. Avro training plane designed by A.V. Roe of England. Lieut. Stephen Bonsal Jr., one of the young Army flyers who have entered the newest profession, that of airplane mail carrying, is the son of the former war correspondent and veteran newspaperman who is now a major attached to the general staff of the Army." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Lieut. Bonsal Hits a FenceWashington Post, May 17, 1918. AERO MAIL IS DELAYED Accidents Mar Second Day's Service With New York. LIEUT. BONSAL HITS A FENCE Swerves to Avoid Horses in Landing At Fair Grounds in New Jersey. After undergoing various delays, the aeroplane mail from New York arrived in Washington last night at 8:42 o'clock, six hours and twelve minutes behind schedule, marking the second day of America's aerial mail service by another accident. On the first leg of the journey from New York to Philadelphia the pilot, Lieut. Steven Bonsal Jr., lost his way in a fog over Delaware Bay and was forced to descend at Bridgeport, N.J., 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia, smashing his machine as he landed. Lieut. Bonsal said that he was driving a new machine and that he had ascended to an altitude of 8,000 feet so as to be high enough to manipulate his plane in the event of an accident. When he realized that he was off his course he picked out the old Bridgeton racetrack for a landing place. It is now used as a horse bazaar and was filled with horses. In landing, Lieut. Bonsal made a nose dive to drive away the horses, but they would not scare, he said, and in order to avoid killing some of the animals he swerved into a fence, breaking the propeller and one plane. Lieut. Bonsal was uninjured. Mail by a Relief Plane. A relief plane was immediately sent to Bridgeton and the mail taken to Philadelphia. At the latter city the mail was transferred into a plane piloted by Lieut. Walter Miller, and he started on the second leg of the journey to Washington at 5:50 o'clock. After going about 30 miles, Lieut. Miller noticed that the spark plugs in his plane were too close together, and that the engine was missing, so he returned to Philadelphia. There were no relief planes in Philadelphia so Lieut. James C. Edgerton, who carried Washington's first aeroplane mail to that city this morning, volunteered to make the trip and left Bustleton, Pa., at 6:33 p.m. for this city. Just as the twilight was fading Lieut. Edgerton landed his plane on the aviation field in Potomac Park. Although it was virtually dark he made a perfect landing. The consignment of mail for Washington amounted to 218 letters and was delivered by special messengers at 9 o'clock. Lieut. Edgerton's Success. The plane piloted out of Washington by Lieut. Edgerton yesterday morning at 11:30 o'clock carried 7,360 letters to New York and 570 for Philadelphia. Of these 3,630 were for New York City delivery, and 3,730 for distribution in New York State and New England. Twelve Killed in Two Weeks. Twenty-nine flying fields are being operated by the army air service in the United States. Four other fields will soon be opened for flying instruction, increasing the total to 33. During the two weeks ended May 8 aviation accidents at the American fields took a toll of 12 lives, the War Department announced. Out of this total two were killed at Hazelhurst field, Mineola, N.Y., and two at McCook field, Dayton, Ohio. Early Air MailN.Y. Times, May 19, 1918. AERIAL MAIL SERVICE RUNS WITHOUT HITCH Letters Delivered on Time in All Three Cities Involved -- May Use Larger Airplanes. The airplane mail service between Washington and New York via Philadelphia worked without a hitch yesterday, the mail being delivered on time in all three cities now included in the daily aerial service. Lieutenant Stephen Bonsal, who piloted the machine which brought the Washington and Philadelphia mail to New York, arrived at Belmont Park at 2.52 P.M. yesterday, having covered the distance between Philadelphia and New York in one hour and seven minutes — that is, at a speed of approximately 90 miles an hour. Lieutenant Bonsal left Belmont Park with the New York mail boxes for Philadelphia and Washington at 11.23 A.M. yesterday, and landed on the aerial mail field in Philadelphia at 12.38 P.M. Lieutenant Paul Culver brought the Washington mail to Philadelphia, where he transferred it to Lieutenant Bonsal, who piloted it to New York. It was said at the Post Office that the mail brought by Lieutenant Bonsal, which arrived at the Pennsylvania Station Post Office at 3.15 P.M., was distributed within an hour after its arrival. Lieutenant Culver piloted the machine which took the mail to Washington from New York and Philadelphia. The total round trip flying time between Washington and New York yesterday was unofficially reported last night to have been a little more than five hours. A plan to use larger airplanes in the service to Philadelphia and Washington because of the unexpected increased use of the mail is under discussion by the postal authorities, it was reported yesterday at Belmont Park. It was said that all persons except army men and Post Office employes directly concerned in the mail service would hereafter be barred from the field, as a measure of precaution against accidents. There will be no flight today. Coolest job in the worldat that time. Cigarettes, Airmen and AirmailCigarettes and airmen seemed inseparable - military planes had ashtrays well past WW2. Smoking did in my father, a Marine aviator, at a somewhat early age. Meanwhile, after nine years of Army air operations, with many deaths in the early years, the government began awarding mail routes to commercial carriers, encouraging the flying of regular routes, and making it possible to take passengers on a subsidized basis, since the planes were flying anyway. This program, although marred by favoritism and a public scandal in 1934, developed the infrastructure for all-weather scheduled flights and improved airplanes, that put US aviation into a leadership position. By 1933, millions of pounds of airmail were delivered annually across the nation - a lot of progress in 15 years. Handsome RogueI vote for the HR tag on this daring young man in his flying machine. 23-skiddoo! HR!Second vote for HR tag here. I'm surprised there aren't more of us making a fuss over this one! Love the sweet, slightly shy look in his eyes. (The Gallery, Aviation, Handsome Rakes, Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Good Clean Fun: 1912
... it was decided to reincorporate. Mr. Sieman said last night neighborhood house has been incorporated because the enterprise may some ... McKay, and it is followed by scenes from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by two young men's and young women's clubs, the Wyvern Girls ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 5:06pm -

Circa 1912. "Neighborhood House, pool room." Another look at this Washington, D.C., settlement house. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Playgrounds, Gymnasiums & Baths Washington Post, Oct 24, 1906 Help Neighborhood House Social Settlement in Southwest Applies for Incorporation Charles F. Weller, General Secretary of the Associated Charities, his wife, Mrs. Eugenia Winston Weller, and John B. Sieman, jr., yesterday filed with the recorder of deeds articles of incorporation of Neighborhood House the object of which is to carry on active social settlement work. The corporation is to be perpetual, and its scope will include the conduct of social clubs and classes, educational and industrial work, and the maintenance of playgrounds, gymnasiums and baths. It is proposed to hold summer outings, and to investigate industrial conditions and social problems and promote individual, neighborhood, and municipal improvement. The institution and maintenance of philanthropic enterprises and the development of volunteer personal service in such work is to be part of the plan of the corporation. Fourteen trustees are to manage the affairs of the institution for the first year. Neighborhood house is located at 456 N street southwest, where it has been for the past five years. Articles of incorporation were filed several months ago, but, on account of some technical defect in the papers, it was decided to reincorporate. Mr. Sieman said last night neighborhood house has been incorporated because the enterprise may some time be left property, and it is desired to have a legally constituted body to take title. The Music ManWhere Is Harold Hill When You Need Him? Trouble in River CityThis all looks so nice and progressive. But I seem to recall pool was once a decadent activity a la Meredith Willson. 45 + 13Using my superpower for spotting trivia, the flag suspended from the ceiling is one that was in use from 1896 to 1908, after Utah was admitted to the union. There were four more changes to the flag between 1908 and 1960 as five more US territories were recognised as states. Any more and you're going to need a bigger flag. [That's a 48-star flag in our photo. - Dave] MagazineCan anyone tell what magazine the boy on the couch is reading? QuestionThere's a cross on a shield hanging above the piano. Does anyone know what the letter "k" signifies? Special KWhat's the K on the plaque above the piano represent? 48-star flag?No, that's not a 48-star flag. A 48-star flag has six rows of eight stars. This flag has staggered rows, not aligned rows. (A 50-star flag also has staggered rows). Hilcat [Count the stars. Six rows of 8 makes 48. - Dave] Prior to 1916 there was no official flag design. From the flag website nava.org: Q: I have two different 48 state flags. One has 48 staggered stars and the other has eight equal rows across with six rows down. Were there two different 48 state flags ever made? - Marla A: Prior to 1916, there were no official specifications for US flags. Indeed these two variants show up right from the beginning of the 48 star flag in 1912. After 1916, pretty much everyone switched to the even rows with the stars one over the other like the second one you mention. 48 star flags with staggered rows are somewhat rare and are early (1912-1916 or thereabouts). Supersize me.What else do they suspend from those ceiling hooks? The pool table? Club Pennants The pennants on the wall represent the names of clubs at Neighborhood House. The following article concerning the Spring Festival at the house talks of dances and skits put on by the clubs. Of special note is the "Pleasure Club Girls," a rather saucy name for a club of 14 to 16 year-olds. Washington Post, Apr 27, 1913 Eleventh Spring Festival at Neighborhood House ... The Golden Rule Club and the Merry Makers' Club, of girls a little older, give a masque of the children of fairyland and a May-pole dance by English shepherdesses. In the evening the boys hold the stage, the True Americans and White Eagles giving a Robin Hood play, and the Progress and Young Builders clubs offering a minstrel show. On Friday afternoon and Aztec and Bluemont clubs and several girls' clubs give the various May-day ceremonials of other countries. in the evening is another play, given by the Pleasure Club Girls, of 14 to 16 years old. This is "The Play of Merrymount," a May-day tale of gypsies and Puritans in 1626, written by Miss Constance McKay, and it is followed by scenes from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by two young men's and young women's clubs, the Wyvern Girls Society and the Keystone Boys Club, the last feature of that day being Morris dances by the Olympia Boys' Club. The last event of the festival is a version of "Hansel and Gretel," dramatized by Mrs. Eugenia Paul Jefferson, and acted by the Neighborhood Peace Club. Mrs. Eugenia Paul JeffersonMrs. Jefferson was the daughter-in-law of the great American comedian Joseph Jefferson (1829-1905), famous for his portrayals of Rip Van Winkle. She was also the author of "Intimate Recollections of Joseph Jefferson," published by Dodd, Mead in 1909. Pool RoomI shot many a game of pool in this place back in the late 30's and 40's. The pool room was located upstairs over the gym in the alley back of the Neighborhood House. You entered through the gym, straight through to the back, and up the stairs. Things changed a little from 1912 to the 30's and 40's because I don't ever remember seeing anyone wearing nice suits like those kids are. Anyway, great memories. Thanks. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids, Sports)
The Scrap Room: 1915
... all day, as well as scraping it out of your nose every night. Your life expectancy will drop about ten years or so as well, so don't ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 4:23pm -

Wyandotte, Michigan, circa 1915. "Detroit Shipbuilding Co., scrap room." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. That is one depressing workplaceAnd I've got a strange feeling that they weren't big on safety, either. Deluxe lunch pailI was wondering how on earth could you pack your lunch in such a way that it wouldn't be completely contaminated by the dirt and dust and particulates in this environment. Would you just not even bother trying after a while? Questionable EngineeringThere seems to be some dubious joist work in the ceiling. Rafters with no hangers held up by what must be nails only! "Depressing Workplace"How about an 8 by 8 cubicle in front of a computer screen for 8 hours,with no window? Dollar for dollar I'll take the scrap room and the sunlight. The dirt washes off. Somebody call OSHA!Lots of workplace dangers in this scene. That open drive belt looks like it could remove a finger or worse pretty easily. Stand still please gentlemenI think the the gent in the foreground with his "thousand yard stare" says it all. Okay, who moved that pipe? TracksI'm guessing a boxcar would stop and load or unload in the scrap room, judging by those rails. Another Haunting PictureEven the pipes are see-through. There be Ghosts here.Ghostly workers and a some ghostly pipe, the bent piece with the flange looks like it was either removed from the Sawhorse and dropped on the ground, or vice versa, while the shutter was open. Carpal TunnelI'll take carpel carpal tunnel any day over getting a sleeve sucked into those massive grinding wheels! Those things must weigh 200 pounds each! Imagine the dust when you grind down a few castings for eight hours a day. Glasses and respirators were 40 years away. I can taste the iron in my mouth! Ectoplasmic PipesLots of ghosts in this picture -- even the "pipes" on the sawhorses are transparent. Wonderful documentation -- but why?You have to be grateful that someone thought to preserve a view of an everyday, unglamorous interior like this. But I'm not totally sure of the purpose of the photograph. I believe the Detroit Publishing Co. took photos for use as postcard views and such. Wonder what the reason was for exposing an 8x10 plate on a view like this? (But still glad the photographer did!) [The Detroit Publishing archive includes over 150 plates made at Wyandotte of ships and the shipbuilding process. - Dave] I'll take the scrap roomHere in Philadelphia, there are still a lot of buildings remaining that look exactly like this. I would gladly work in any one of them. You Would?To those of you longing to work in a metal shop I say: GO AHEAD! And by all means, have fun breathing in all the smoke and mill dirt all day, as well as scraping it out of your nose every night. Your life expectancy will drop about ten years or so as well, so don't make any definite plans for your retirement. I worked out of one of these places for a couple of years (I was the shop truck driver, but I spent a lot of time in the fabricating mill loading the truck and working there if there were no loads to deliver). Trust me, places like this still exist and they are indeed depressing workplaces. New BricksIt's interesting when you look at this. You can see where at one time the dividing wall was supported by an arch and had a doorway through it. At some point in the past, possibly to allow rail cars into the building, they demolished part of it and bricked up the old arch for support. They also added a strap of metal around the wall for further support, closing off the door on the right. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Factories)
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