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Advanced Vaudeville: 1912
... Mr. Gallagher: "Who was that cosine I saw you with last night?" Mr. Shean: "That was no cosine, that was my tangent." Some there, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 10:54am -

Detroit circa 1912. "Griswold Street from Capitol Park." Home of the Miles Theater and "Advanced Vaudeville" -- you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll need a slide rule and a thesaurus. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing. View full size. Advanced VaudevilleWow--am reading Rick Altman's terrific book "Silent Film Sound" at the moment, so I have just learned that "Advanced Vaudeville" was actually another term for movies c. 1910, or for a vaudeville program combining movies, performers, and illustrated songs. No slide rule required! I'll biteMr. Gallagher: "Who was that cosine I saw you with last night?" Mr. Shean: "That was no cosine, that was my tangent." Some there, most notThe two buildings at right center are still there; the others have been replaced. Capitol Park was converted to an outdoor bus terminal and is nearly all concrete today. I remember waiting for the Grand River streetcar at that location in the 1940s. Sigh. Miles to GoThe Miles was demolished in 1927 along with other buildings to its left to make way for the Griswold Building, which was completed in 1929. The theatre switched from vaudeville to movies in the early 1920s. Sources indicate the 1000-seat Miles installed a two-manual, 29-rank Hillgreen-Lane organ at a cost of $9,600 in 1921, which was an unusually large pipe organ for a theatre that size. The Mayor is dead. Long live the MayorWilliam Richert, mayor of Detroit, died on June 16, 1912. Possibly why the half-staff flags. [And let's not forget the Titanic. - Dave] Half-StaffWho was being mourned in Detroit circa 1912? Relaxing in the parkWhy did we ever give up spaces to relax and read a paper downtown outdoors? We've lost so much with air-conditioned cars and buildings. Maybe I overstate, but this park looks so inviting, and "planned" for pedestrian use. Shops and theaters surround the park. Just a wonderful gathering place. Wish more towns and cities had them centrally located for everyone's benefit. ProgressFuture additions to the skyline in this view: the mighty Penobscot, the David Stott and the magnificent Guardian Building. Capitol Park has certainly seen a lot of change and is currently being restored to again be pedestrian-friendly. RE: Relaxing in the parkThe park is still there, but it's a lot less green. It's still being utilized by people from the looks of it. As far as thriving shops and theaters...well, there's room to grow! View Larger Map Houdini Played HereAs Griswold Street stretches towards Canada and the Detroit River, one can spy the marquee for the Garrick Theater on the left, ... it's in the first block south of Capital Park. The Garrick was another famous theater in Detroit, and could lay claim as being the last place Houdini performed, Oct. 24, 1926. He took the stage with a 104 fever; after the show he returned to the Statler Hotel on Grand Circus Park, where the house doctor diagnosed a ruptured appendix. He was rushed to Grace Hospital in the early hours of the 25th where he died Oct. 31, 1926. The Garrick was torn down for the David Stott building in the late 1920s. Houdini, has not expressed an opinion on the demolition. Minnie Schoenberg Marxtterrace, did you know that Al Shean was an uncle of the Marx Brothers? His sister, Minnie, was the mother of that incredible group. She tried to turn her boys into a respectable, well-mannered, singing group. Fortunately, she was only minimally successful at that endeavor! I wonder if they played the Miles Theater? Jeff, thanks for the definition of "Advanced Vaudeville"! Capitol SquareThis is a recent photo I purchased of the square from the opposite angle. I'm wondering if anyone can date it. You can see it larger at Tattered and Lost Photographs. I'd love to know more about the image. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Memphis: 1906
... coloured lanterns can be hoisted to the funnel tops at night. This would indicate whether the steamer in the distance is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 11:36am -

Memphis, Tennessee, circa 1906. "Mississippi River levee from the bluff." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Snagboat historyAll U.S. snagboats are based on the Heliopolis, built in 1837 by Henry M. Shreve. The largest crane currently operated by the COE is also named for Shreve. Corps of EngineersI love the fact that the Horatio Wright wheelhouse is topped by a wonderful model of the Army Corps of Engineers' famous castle insignia. All Snaggled UpI can't say about the others, but the four boats on the right look to be snag boats run by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The name of the boat on the far right, the John N. Macomb, tipped me off. I thought I was clever until I read US Snag Boat Wright on the paddle of the left-most in the group. Snag boats were used by the Corps for decades to remove debris from those river courses which were once important to interstate commerce. Lots of stuff on Google about them. If you're interested, the snagboat Montgomery http://montgomery.sam.usace.army.mil/about.html is an historical monument, and you can tour the old tub way down in Alabamy. By the way, the Macomb was named after Col. John N. Macomb. Macomb was a graduate of West Point, and apparently a member, like John C. Fremont, of the Corp of Topographical Engineers. His claim to fame was his exploration of the canyon lands of the Colorado River, in the four corners region. (There are books with photos--look it up.) He was also a Civil War balloonist and apparently served in the Mexican War, too. Quite a career. Horatio G. Wright was a general officer in the Corps of Engineers. I haven't found much about him. Maybe another reader can enlighten us. But it looks like the Corps like to name their boats after engineers in the Corps. Surprise. SnaggersThe heavy A-frames and tackle were used to remove snags, large trees that had washed down the river until one end grounded out. The trees would remain there, bobbing up and down in the current, thus often called "sawyers" after the motion of the sawyer at the top of a pit saw. (The guy down below eating sawdust was the "pitman", later replaced by a lever mechanism of the same name, yielding an automotive term still in use -- pitman arm.) Such a snag could tear the bottom out of a wooden boat, so needed to be removed by a snag boat as soon as possible. Note the C.O.E. castle logo atop the wheelhouse of the Horatio Wright. Elsewhere on Shorpy are Civil War Engineers with the same castle badge. There is a fiddle tune named "Mississippi Sawyer", named for the motion of the fiddler's elbow, "rockin the bow." The age of horse and steamIt is only by seeing these pictures that you realise how much the world continued to rely on horsepower and steam power to drive the economy for much of the first half of the 20th century. A fascinating picture full of life. BridgeThe Frisco Bridge seen in the background was built in 1892,at that time it was the only bridge across the Mississippi south of St. Louis, it is still in use today and has always been a railway bridge. Mark Twain's river mentorThe Horatio Wright was captained by none other than super-pilot Horace Bixby from Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi"! An interview with him was published in Waterways Journal in April 1910, just four years after this picture was taken: HOW MARK TWAIN GOT ON THE RIVER. Among those who are competent to give personal reminiscences of Mark Twain are Capt. Horace Ezza [sic] Bixby, probably knew the humorist earlier than anyone now living in St. Louis, and doubtless knew Clemens, the pilot, better than any other man now living. Capt. Bixby is pilot of the United States snagboat Wright at the age of 84 years. He resides with his son-in-law, Dr. Louis T. Pim, 5910 Etzel avenue. Capt. Bixby "learned" Clemens the river from St. Louis to New Orleans, and although they saw each other little since 1861, the captain cherishes his recollections fondly. In Memphis one time, he told a reporter that he wished Mark Twain were dead so he wouldn't be bothered in retailing reminiscences about him longer. He was annoyed when the remark was printed, but there is no record that Mark Twain ever heard of it, and if he had, it was just the sort of a whimsicality that he would have appreciated. But when Mark Twain hung on the brink of the beyond, a flood of recollections came to the captain, and looking out over the green lawns he saw the little dingy pilot house of the Paul Jones, with a lank young fellow standing in the doorway saying in that enduring drawl: "Say, will -- you -- teach -- me -- the river?" Snag BoatsExcellent view of two snag boats. Their duty was to remove snags (hazards to navigation, usually sunken logs) from the river. The split bow allowed them to get over the snag and then lift it out of the water with the A-frame crane. Wow!Wow, what a shot! My grandfather Henry Schmidt on my mom's side was an engineer on the Horatio Wright at this time. Mom was a year old or less when this was taken. Thank you! TintedHere's Detroit Publishing Company's 1906 colorized postcard from the same image. Port and Starboard.I notice that most of the two side-by-side funnels on paddle steamers shown throughout the Shorpy site have a J-shaped bracket at the top of each funnel with small pulleys at the outer end of the J with lanyards to the deck below so that illuminated coloured lanterns can be hoisted to the funnel tops at night. This would indicate whether the steamer in the distance is approaching or going away as seen from the pilot house on the steamer you were on. I presume the lanterns would be green for right/starboard and red for left/port side as per salt water rules. On the stern of the 'Transit' in the lock shown elsewhere at Shorpy, there are two small boxes with side doors at the stern above the paddle wheel which have stern lanterns within. Thank You. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Horses, Memphis)
Mary H. Miller: 1905
... the chamber pots were emptied. Wash Me After a big night on the town, Mary would go back to her room, get the bed spins, and hurl ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2021 - 1:27pm -

Circa 1905. "A Mississippi River floating dry dock, Vicksburg." The sternwheeler Mary H. Miller. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. I wonder what...they dump out of the window right above the paddle wheel? Maybe it was the galley. SnaggedThe 1912 annual report of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers records that "The wreck of the steamer 'Mary H. Miller' at lower end of Whites Bar, near Yazoo City [on the Yazoo River in Mississippi], was removed by a snag boat November 18-20, 1911. The cost of this work, $64.87, was reimbursed the United States by the owner of the wreck, under section 20 of the river and harbor act approved March 3, 1899." The hull repairs seen in this postcard photo could have been the result of an earlier snagging accident, or possibly the normal periodic maintenance needed to replace rotting hull planks. I wonder what...they dump out of the window right above the paddle wheel? Maybe it was the galley. Working boat!Its nice to see a typical working boat instead of a showboat. Although perhaps the cook could have been a little more careful throwing out the slop. Galley Hell!That's where the chamber pots were emptied. Wash MeAfter a big night on the town, Mary would go back to her room, get the bed spins, and hurl out her window. Dry DockIt looks like the boat is brought onto the platform while it is submerged, and then the pump or ratchet handles are worked manually to raise the platform and boat together. I guess they either have to insert those big saw-horses just before the platform makes contact with the hull, or are the saw-horses permanently attached to the platform? There is a sign on the right front piling encasement -- "Finnie Dry Dock Co." Anyone have an idea how the platform is lifted on the pilings? Are there gears or cogs? Is it a pulley/winch system? Come on Shorpy engineers. I've seen modern versions of these lift systems with huge hydraulic lifts at the port in Long Beach. Charlie NobleThe two ports do indeed serve the galley on this fine vessel. You can tell by the "Charlie Noble" (galley smokestack to you lubbers) poking through the overhead. Charlie was a 19th-century British captain who insisted that the copper stack on his ship be brightly polished. He would be appalled by the sooty condition seen here, and the cook's helper would be in irons. Floating Dry DockThe caption says "floating dry dock." There is no winch attached to the pilings; the large boxes are tanks that are filled with water to lower the dock and emptied to raise it. Pumping was all done by hand (see the hand pumps on top). You can see a pump inlet/outlet at the base of the tank. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Vicksburg)
Chicken Dinner: 1942
... uses. Some folks like to rest their heads In the night on feather beds. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/12/2022 - 2:55pm -

May 1942. "Lancaster County, Nebraska. Mrs. Lynn May, FSA borrower, cleaning a chicken." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Big crowd on the wayLooks like a crowd coming for Sunday dinner: Mom's hair, still wet and rolled and set; five (or maybe six) chickens awaiting their later fate in the frying pan; everything spotless. I remember scenes just like this in my own family. The telephone with a ceramic bunny on top, wooden high chair with another bunny as a stencil, and most of all, the chicken being prepped on a newspaper on the kitchen table—it all looks like it stepped out of my own memories. Thanks for this nostalgic visit, and for all the rest. Imagine:Chicken being cooked with their own hearts and livers in the stuffing. A not-so-gentle reminder... that chicken doesn't start out on a Styrofoam tray at the supermarket. Egg NogginsPlease don't show us the act of harvesting the birds. I watched my grandfather chop the heads off and let them run around well, like headless chickens. I was maybe 7 but will never forget that! But they tasted so good when fresh! And everything tasted so good when Gramma cooked in Mississippi on the farm. Coils & CurlsCoiled telephone cords were invented in 1937 to replace the less forgiving woven fiber-covered ones but the new cords still didn't solve the problem of annoying twists and tangles. Also twisted (but hopefully not tangled) are the pin-curls in the mother's hair. The light fantasticJohn Vachon accomplished something extraordinary with the milky light in this room. Yes the chickens are sort of crass with their nubbly skin and the scrawny feet sticking up every whichaway, and the hard-working lady of the house doing the mundane task is rather ordinary. But the white door with its white knob, and the white wainscoting, and the white bunny, even the white of the wallpaper and the oilcloth on the table, and the gleaming high chair, and the luminous purity of the child's face and hair, are all suffused with such radiant light that the few shadows are welcome or it would all be too much. FeatherlessSimilarly. as a youngster I watched my Mom processing our backyard-raised chickens on countless occasions. Plucking the birds (outdoors) seemed the easy part, the reason being, she told me, for the very hot bath they had received shortly after their beheading. I'm quite certain Mrs. Lynn May also knew that. https://www.planetwhizbang.com/howtoproperlyscaldachicken No phone bookAll you had to do was crank the handle and tell "Sarah" who you wanted to talk to. That 'come hither' lookThose chicken feet look like they're straight out of a zombie movie. Chicken anonymousThose chickens probably had names. And, contrary to these days, almost certainly were multi-purpose chickens. Laying eggs, and when the eggs ran out changed from being involved in setting the dinner table to being committed. To most people who have leisure Raising poultry gives great pleasure: First, because the eggs they lay us For the care we take repay us; Secondly, that now and then We can dine on roasted hen; Thirdly, of the hen's and goose's Feathers men make various uses. Some folks like to rest their heads In the night on feather beds. http://www.davidgorman.com/maxundmoritz.htm#Erster_Streich Rural Party LinesThis family probably shared a party line with a dozen other families, and could call them directly on the same line by cranking the handle with a series of long and short rings, such as two long and one short. The phones would ring in everyone's home at the same time. A few people might pick up the phone that was not their ring code to eavesdrop. Phone numbers looked like 3-r-21, for line 3, ring two long- one short. Some places used a letter code, such as 3-X. They would have to call Sarah the operator for people on a different phone line or to make other calls. You can read more about it here. The Last Chicken DanceI remember when we'd visit my grandparents on their farm in SW Oklahoma my grandmother would always kill a chicken for dinner. My sister and I would watch her wring its neck and then the chicken would do that crazy dance that chickens do when they lose their heads. One time she did this to two chickens at the same time ... now that was a big deal. (Talk about a macabre scene!) I will never forget that smell that would fill the kitchen when she'd then bring the chicken inside and drop it in a tub of steaming hot water which would make it easier for her to pluck the feathers. Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance CompanyCalendar above the phone is from a crop insurance company founded in 1893 and still in business today in West Des Moines, Iowa. (The Gallery, Bizarre, John Vachon, Kids, Kitchens etc.)
A Helping Hand: 1919
... the road. The dash light enabled you to read the gauges at night. I really like the emergency brake. A mechanic's view I've ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 12:11pm -

Washington circa 1919. "Woman being instructed in driving of automobile." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Instrument PanelistNeat that the clock is directly in front of the driver and the speedometer is on the right. I like the dash light at the top. Any idea what make of car? Interesting curve to the windshield side post, very much like a 1950s Austin Healy, just a bit early! That black gloveSo easy to look and not see! Thanks, Dave! How I learned to driveThe button on the floor is indeed the starter, on the dash is a choke and a spark advance. You could use the choke as a primitive form of cruise control, pull it out a little and putt on down the road. The dash light enabled you to read the gauges at night. I really like the emergency brake. A mechanic's viewI've been an auto mechanic for over 30 years, and still have some old-time customers say "when I step down on the starter" even though they haven't owned a car that had that feature in over 40 years. PedalistI can see what appears to be the clutch and brake pedals, but is that little button the accelerator? [I think that's the starter. Brake and throttle seem to be one above the other. - Dave] Woman Being Instructed?Okay, I give up. Where's the instructor? [In that big black glove. - Dave] Do I spythe well-turned ankle and stylish slipper of Mlle. Elinor Blevins, Auto Fiend? Electric startersThe electric starter is said to be the most significant feature ever added to the automobile. It allowed women to be able to operate an automobile. It allowed the less-mechanically inclined people to operate an automobile. It made for easier starting in cold weather. With crank start, you didn't wind it like a clock. You could only give it a half turn with a good strong yank. If it didn't start and you didn't break your hand with engine kick-back, you gave it another hard yank. Electric start was patented by Charles Kettering around 1911 and first appeared on the 1912 Cadillac. It became standard on most cars by the late teens. It became optional on the Model T Ford in 1919. Choke the MotorThe choke was also engaged to enrich the gas-air mixture for starting the car and warming it up, especially in cold weather. "Choke" signifying less air, more gas. I thought the throttle was the primitive cruise control. Not sure what make of car...I'm not sure what make of car, but yes, the button on the floor is the starter. It's actually a lever, not an electrical contact; when you push it down, the lever moves the bendix to engage the flywheel, and contacts in the starter itself make the electrical connection. Also, if this car is anything like a T, the pedals are only clutch and brake- and the clutch is inboard, I believe. The throttle is actually one of the two levers on the steering wheel- seen only at the very upper edge of this photo. The other lever is the spark advance/retard. [It's a Marmon touring car. - Dave] You're choking me!One of the last mass-produced cars to have a manual choke were the Honda Civics of the mid-eighties (my friend had one). Most American cars from the 1950's on had automatic choke valves, thus dispensing with the need for an on-dash control knob. Now, with the advent of electronic fuel injection, the choke has gone the way of the dinosaur. Some outboard boat motors still have them though. I think it's a BuickVery simular to a 25 Buick Standard Model I owned a few years ago. The ears on the pedels, speedometer, and the dash switch for the lights are the very same. [As noted earlier, it's a Marmon touring car. Not a Buick. - Dave] X-RatedThis photo would be banned in Saudi Arabia! A pilot's viewI've been a lightplane pilot for over 30 years; and I have to tell you it's amazing the similarity of this panel to some airplanes built from the the 1930s even up through today. The big switch on the panel looks exactly like an AN-standard magneto (ignition) switch used on most planes until the 1960s. The oil pressure and temperature gauges are dead ringers for those used in numerous light airplanes. Even the protruding light is similar design (although larger) to a standard instrument panel post light. For many years aviation technology was basically frozen at the WWII stage; the theory being that if it works, don't fix it! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Hancock's: 1914
... E. Heidenheimer's family, Washington, was arrested, Monday night, charged with attempting to poison Mrs. Heidenheimer. At breakfast Mrs. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 7:11pm -

"Hancock's, the Old Curiosity Shop, 1234 Pennsylvania Avenue," probably around 1914, the final year of its existence. The restaurant, the Washington Post reported in 1927, "was noted particularly for two things -- its cocktails and its fried chicken." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. MonogramNote the letter H made with shingles between the upper windows. Holy Gutta-percha!Did Larry, Moe and Curly wire that joint? Makes SenseIt stands to reason if they sold a lot of fried chicken there would be a lot of "cocktails" lying around. Get it? Chicken, cocktails? Ahhahahaha! Happy Holiday, Shorpyites. Hancock's Tavern Washington Post, Aug 30. 1914 Hancock's To Close Famous Pennsylvania Avenue Tavern is 74 Years Old Washington is about to lose a landmark, which dates to the time when it was more properly the Capitol than the Capital, its few streets more muddy roads, its present parks nothing more than swamps or forests. In the days of Clay, Webster, and Calhoun this historic place was known as Hancock's Tavern today it is Hancock's, the Old Curiosity Shop, at 1234 Pennsylvania avenue. Abounding in the memories of great men, the passage of epochal events, and the infancy of Washington, Hancock's, in the seventy-fourth year of its existence, soon will close its doors and put up the shutters. Owned by Three Generations Andrew Hancock, whose grandson of the same name is the proprietor now, founded a tavern in 1840 a what was then the western extremity of Pennsylvania avenue proper. It soon became a rendezvous for the ante-bellum statesmen. It is said that many a speech which was acclaimed on the floor of the House or Senate had its inception at this meeting place of the legislators. Tales are told of the oratorical dissertations of Daniel Webster, the sallies of Henry Clay, and the fiery eloquence of John Calhoun, which where heard under the old roof by patrons of the tavern long since dead, who related the stories to the younger generation, now gray themselves. Old Traditions Upheld With the growth of the village into a city Hancock's began to assume a look of age. The original site was never changed, nor any efforts made to enlarge or modernize the building. Carefully guarded recipes for the beverages which were enjoyed in the fifties have always been preserved, and connoisseurs have pleaded in vain for the secrets of the entrancing brews mixed out of sight and dispensed by solemn servitors with a reverent hand. Their fame and that their birthplace spread throughout the land, and no traveler was said to have seen Washington until he had seen Hancock's Fine Collection of Curios A collection of curios dating back to the foundation of the tavern lends it additional quaintness. Relics which a museum might envy deck its faded walls and musty cabinets. There are numerous letters and appointments signed by the hand of Washington, arms of 100 years ago, clothing worn by great men, a veritable history of long-past times and manners. What will become of these when Hancock's closes is not known. The license not having been renewed with the excise board for the coming year. Hancock's has but two months more to exist in its present form. Its memories of three generations will pass away with it: its ancient walls, stripped of their venerable relics, will mark progress and decadence of all things old. Attempted murder! Poison!"Mary Richardson, a colored domestic in E. Heidenheimer's family, Washington, was arrested, Monday night, charged with attempting to poison Mrs. Heidenheimer. At breakfast Mrs. Heidenheimer noticed a strange taste in the coffee. An analysis showed that the cup contained six grains of oxallic acid. NY Morning Herald, August 20[?],1880 http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%202/Utica%20NY%20Morning%20Herald/Uti... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid Not too poisonous, then. One wonders what's the story behind this short notice. Was it the final attempt of a tormented soul (i.e. Mary) to rid herself of her tormentor (i.e. Mrs. Heidenheimer)? Was Mrs. Heidenheimer a vicious old bat who harassed the domestics or just a forgetful old bat who confused the bleaching powder with sugar? I will try to find out more. First-Class Drinks There is a small, modest-looking bar on Pennsylvania avenue, in Washington, where the best first-class drinks are to be had. Hancock's bar is entered with respect, and is a place of pilgrimage for certain members of Congress, because of the number of their predecessors who come there to seek inspiration for their eloquence. Right around the long room, narrow and dark, historic souvenirs tell of the past glories of Hancock's: autographs of Washington and of Jefferson, old hats, rusty swords, which formerly belonged to different famous citizens of the Union — quite a museum of bric-a-brac is found in that bar. Hancock's is a sort of National monument for some Americans, while for others it is only a disreputable place. American Life By Paul de Rousiers Translated by Andrew John Herbertson 1892, Firmin-Didot & Co. Another famous place, long a favorite resort of public men, is Hancock's, on Pennsylvania Avenue near Thirteenth Street. It is called "the old curiosity shop" for the reason that it contains within its contracted space thousands of unique relics. The dark and dingy walls are covered with curious objects. But these are not all that gives interest to the place. At its bar one can get an old-fashioned Southern mint julep made to suit the "queen's taste" and it is said to be the only place in Washington where this drink properly prepared can be procured. In the rear of the saloon there are two rooms where an old colored Aunty prepares a Southern supper for the guest. This supper consists of old-fashioned fried chicken with cream gravy, hoe cakes, fried potatoes and coffee. Voorhees, Vest, Holman, Beck, Edmunds, Kerr, Cameron, Curtin, Gresham, Sickles, Cummings, Laird and many others used to go there when they wanted to get "something good and fit to eat." Many of the noted men still go there for a julep or a supper in preference to the stately New Willard with its mahogany tables, luxurious appointments and ten thousand per annum "chef," only one square away. Twenty Years in the Press Gallery By Orlando Oscar Stealey 1906, Publishers Printing Company Monogram?My eyes aren't what they used to be but I sure don't see any monogram "H" between the upper windows. [It's where hexagons have been replaced by squares. - Dave] Notorious PatronIn addition to great legislators (Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, John Calhoun), Hancock's had its notorious patrons as well. During this period he [John Wilkes Booth] seemed to have been occasionally absent from town, but we frequently met and strolled on the Avenue, usually dropping into Hancock's. The old man, "Uncle Andrew," was then in the prime of his genial old age, and his mulatto assistant, "Dick," was justly celebrated for his ministrations to the convivial frequenters of this unique old curiosity shop. Recollections of Lincoln's Assassination by Seaton Munroe in the The North American Review edited by Lloyd Bryce 1896, O. Everett, publishers "Appetizers"From the early days of Prohibition comes this anonymous newspaperman's ode the the watering holes of Pennsylvania Avenue -- Gerstenberg's, Shoomaker's and of course Hancock's. Excerpt below. Washington Post, July 31, 1921. Ghosts of Jovial Days Recalled; When Avenue Was Long Trail Nectars Fit for Gods to Quaff and Viands Than Which Olympus Had None Better Are Fading Memories Now — Historic Places in Which Wits and Nation's Leaders Foregathered Described by One Who Saw Them Before They Went Down and Out. Pennsylvania avenue once was a long, long trail. In those days it began at the corner of Fifteenth street, where Bob Murphy ran the Regent, but, more properly, it started at the corner of Fourteenth street, just over on the south side of the hill, where E street runs into the Mall and where Dennis Mullany ran his little old shebeen. There it started. Where it ended — well, that's another story, but there was always a line of sea-going hacks up on the west end of the thoroughfare ready and willing to hit the high spots with anybody, anything or any group that wanted to go — anywhere. They called it the Street of Magnificent Distances, because the distances between places were as perfect in proportion as if they had been laid out by Ganymedes, the cup bearer of the gods ... Hancock's the Next Step. A sort of a tack, like a sailing vessel takes when the wind is coming from the leeward, brought the casual stroller to 1234 Pennsylvania avenue — Hancock's! Who, fortunate enough to be living then, will ever forget Hancock's? There is where the chicken dinners were served as only the old-time Virginia cooks could serve them. The major domo was on duty as you entered, standing behind the funny little bar, the bar with the brass slots in its bosom, as if it had at one time been used as a slot machine before modern slot machines were invented, but the slots constituted a sort of cash register where the major domo deposited the money he received for the drinks. Yes, there were drinks served in Hancock's. Appetizers, they were called, and while they were being consumed and the next round ordered, some member of the party, if there were a party, or the single visitor, if such he happened to be, stepped to the door of the little back room and ordered the dinner. "Yas-sah!" the old negro always said. "Yas-sah, yo' dinnah will be surved, suh, in a ver' short while." A Real Chicken Dinner. And when it was served! Wad the power some one would gie us to go over again the bare outlines of that dinner — chicken, fried, sizzling hot, with corn cakes on the platter, all the other delights that went with it and a great pitcher of beer standing out there in the middle of the table — a cut glass pitcher that would inspire a Sargent, a Whistler or any other great American artist to do his darndest — with the pitcher or with the beer. They always liked to serve the beer in pitchers at Hancock's when the guests had assembled around the tables and the chicken had been done to a turn. Hancock's Bites the DustBetween the closing of Hancock's in 1914 and the building's demolition in 1931, the address housed a number of businesses, the first of which was Cunningham Plumbing Supply. Washington Post, August 16, 1931. Hancock's Once Famous Resort Bites Dust Before Modern Progress Structure in Triangle Is Claimed by Wreckers for Uncle Sam. By Chas. A. Hamilton In the early summer of 1893, at the beginning of President Cleveland's second term, a large party of British journalists visited Washington on their way to Chicago to see the glories of America as depicted in the Columbian Exposition. These gentlemen were taken in tow by members of the National Capital Press Club, who piloted them to the White House, introduced them to members of the Cabinet, took them on a trip to Mount Vernon and in other ways endeavored to to give them "the time of their lives." That they appreciated the attentions shown them was evidenced in the form of the dinner to which every Washington correspondent, and about all the local men, were invited. At that dinner, which was attended by some fifty or more of the Washington newspapermen, all the Britishers were on hand save one. But he was the most popular member of the whole bunch, and his absence was noted with much regret. But just before the party left for the railroad station, he appeared. What Caused Regrets. "I can not tell you how deeply I regret my apparent discourtesy as shown by my failure to join you gentlemen at dinner," he explained. "But the fact of the matter is that I have been in a comatose condition for several hours, and have just recovered my senses. This afternoon some of the boys of the Press Club took me in hand and introduced me to many establishments and to a corresponding number of delectable concoctions with which I was entirely unfamiliar. At one place, I can not recall the name, but I do remember it was one-two-three-four, I imbibed a number of wonderful drinks with grass in them, with the result that I was actually unable to see. I have only just awakened." That "one-two-three-four" establishment was 1234 Pennsylvania avenue, about a mile west of the Capitol. There was a "pathway worn to the door" of this place by Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun in the earlier days, and later by statesmen, justices of the United States Supreme Court, admirals, generals, and thousands of others, residents and visitors. One after another, four generations of "Andrew Hancocks" were on hand to dispense all kinds of "delectable concoctions," such as those which were so attractive to the English journalist in 1893. Chicken and Hoe Cake. For a century Hancock's at 1234 Pennsylvania avenue had been the gathering place of men who were partial to "chicken a la Maryland and hoe cake." For the old fat "mammy" in the kitchen, who seemed to live forever, certainly could "beat the world" in preparing that dish so dear to the hearts of most Americans. But in spite of the excellence of the Hancock cuisine — no woman was ever served in the establishment, by the way — the magnet which drew aristocrats and plebeians alike was the bar. That bar was located just inside the entrance door, in a room which was decorated from floor to ceiling with all sorts of relics and curios, from a hat once worn by President Lincoln to a letter bearing the enormous signature of Drake de Kay. The "hell and blazes" cocktails served in glasses frosted with sugar, the juleps in the mint season, hot toddies and "buttered rum," with scores of other mixtures at all seasons were what the visitors craved. In no other place in the country was the art of mixture so thoroughly developed as it was by the colored artists who served behind Hancock's bar. The last of the fourth generation — the fourth Andrew Hancock — died, practically penniless, about a year ago. At least one of the old-time "barkeeps" is still alive and prosperous. He recently declined a berth in a fashionable club because, as he explained, "I have retired, thank you, and don't care to reengage in business." Hancock's closed its doors when prohibition fell upon the District of Columbia, a year or more before the adoption of the 18th amendment. And now the building itself, that quaint little low-ceilinged colonial house, has vanished. In its place is a pile of debris, bricks, rafters, laths, beams, joists and old plaster, for the wreckers have been busy clearing the site for the new building soon to be erected to house the Post-office Department, in lieu of the monstrosity which has served a similar purpose during the past quarter century. Avenue Now Dry. There is not a single "establishment" on Pennsylvania avenue today, where once there were at least 50 between the Capitol and the Treasury, in which any sort of intoxicant can be obtained — without a doctor's prescription. That does not mean that Washington is a particularly dry town. On the contrary, there is scarcely a grocery or chain store in which the makings of beer in the form of "malt extract" can not be obtained. "Wine glo" and brick concentrates are openly peddled through the office buildings. As for "hard stuff" that, in the form of Maryland rye, comes in literally by the ton every week. The police get some of it — perhaps 3 per cent of the entire importation — but the profits on the portion which "gets over" are great enough so that the bootlegger of the Maryland product can afford to sacrifice a high-priced car and pay the fines of his drivers about once a month without danger of bankruptcy. As for alcohol, the supply exceeds the demand almost in the same proportion that the supply of wheat exceeds the demand for flour. Correspondingly, the price has dropped. It is now possible, according to the patrons of the dealers, to buy 190 proof ethyl alcohol for as little as $6 a gallon, and with each gallon is supplied a sufficient quantity of "essence" to produce nine quarts of very fair "bath-tub gin." This, with a case of Canada Dry, is enough to assure a very hilarious evening for large party of the younger generation, to whom the "summer gardens" of bygone days are closed. PavementsWhat are the countless dark stains on that pavement? Spat out bubble gum (was it already popular back then?) Tobacco? Both? [It's either dirt on the glass plate that kept the emulsion from being exposed, or pitting in the emulsion after the plate was developed. - Dave] Heidenheimer's Washington Post, Mar 15, 1914 Tenant Becomes Landlord Heidenheimer Buys Site He Has Occupied Thirty Years. Henry W. Sohon, trustee of the Walters estate, acting under a court decree, has sold the property at 1236 Pennsylvania avenue northwest, to Elias Heidenheimer, for $20,000. The structure which occupies this property was erected more than a half century ago, and stands in what was once the center of the business district. The building itself is now valued at only $4,000, a valuation of $16,000 being placed on the land. It contains four stories and a basement. The property has a frontage of 25 feet on Pennsylvania avenue, and extends back in an L shape, about 100 feet. The purchaser of the premises has occupied it exclusively for 30 years. Extensive remodeling is contemplated. The new owner is considering a plan to raze the structure and erect a new building. Hancock's New Look"The original site was never changed, nor any efforts made to enlarge or modernize the building." For all that nostalgic reportorial rhapsodizing about unchanging traditions at Hancock's in 1914, the facade of the building tells a very different story. The brick core of the building might date to 1840, but the dormered mansard roof, its iron work and signboard, and second floor window case facings are all unquestionably post-Civil War, probably dating to the 1875-1885 period. So, about halfway through its 74 years, one of the Hancocks must have embellished the old tavern with fashionable new ornamental details, but it was still "Hancock's - Established 1840." [The restaurant, noted for its low ceiling, was the ground floor, dating to the 1840s. The upper stories were added later. - Dave] The site todaySadly, no improvement.... View Larger Map [Wrong quadrant -- you want Northwest, not Southeast. The ghost of Hancock's is somewhere under the Department of Commerce. - Dave] View Larger Map (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)
Klanorama: 1925
... just out for a good time. Jump in the roadster. Fresh night air and the crowd. Bring the kids. This was before "American Idol." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/18/2009 - 6:15pm -

Sunday, August 9, 1925. "KKK services." The "services" at the Capital Horse Show grounds in Arlington, complete with flaming 80-foot cross, wrapped up the Klan's weekend in Washington. Some 100,000 people from all over the country were thought to have attended. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. Great Granddad is that you?When researching grave sites for family genealogy, my aunt talked to the cemetery caretaker and he sheepishly told of an ancestor who rode in parades in full white sheet and hood KKK getup on a big white horse. But seeing as he had the only white horse in the county, he kind of blew the anonymous part! The caretaker was cautious since telling someone their ancestor was a proud KKK member might not be welcome, but my Aunt loved the story even though she does not share the ancestors racial viewpoint. The LotteryThe smiling father to the right of the center foreground group is simultaneously creepy and depressing, like those old photos of the whole town turning out for a lynching. In the BasementDecades ago when I was a small-town editor in Oklahoma, one of the old-timers told me about trouble that the local Kluckers tried to stir up in their heyday in the 1920s. They whispered, he said, that the basement of the home of the local Catholic priest contained an arsenal, concrete evidence, you see, of a planned Papist takeover. Years later, the house was torn down -- revealing the fact that there was no basement. Average white band.Amazing how many average-looking folks participated in the klan back then. Of course, you can't judge people by how they look...this is a prime example of that old adage. God bless the First AmendmentNo matter how stupid the speech is. Yesterday's NooseThe first thing I thought of when I saw the structure at the middle of all this hubbub was that it looks an awful lot like a gallows. FlagsThe so called KKK of modern times waltz around waving Confederate flags instead of Old Glory. I don't think either of my great-grandfathers would approve of their battle flag being used by radicals like the present Klan. [Don't forget your other two great-granddads. Everyone has four. - Dave] Four?How do you get four Grandfathers? My fathers father & my mothers father, that's two. Where are the other two? Or is this a joke? [I said everyone has four great-grandfathers, not four grandfathers. - Dave] Re: Average-looking folksOf course they were average-looking folks. What's most striking to me about the comments on the KKK pictures is the widespread assumption that the people attending these meetings and participating in the Klan were evil, fringe members of society. They weren't, as you can see. The Klan, particularly in the 1920s, was sold as a patriotic, Christian organization. As repulsive as it is to modern sensibilities, to the average middle-class white guy in Indiana in 1923, joining the Klan wouldn't have sounded any weirder than joining the Rotary Club (or any other civic organization) might sound to someone today. As someone mentioned on one of the other photos, the Klan salesmen received a portion of the membership fees for each person that joined, so it was obviously in their interest to make it sound as mainstream as possible. The tendency to jump all over these people and paint them as the spawn of Satan is, I think, a fearful reaction to the fact that they DO look so normal. Deep down, many of us know that had we grown up in the same circumstances of the time, we would have likely made the same choices as Mr. Joe Schmoe Klansman. To deal with that guilt and fear, the only choice is to demonize these people as "way different than us." Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly glad that racial attitudes and attitudes toward Catholics and other religious groups are fairer and more inclusive now than they were then, and I certainly don't condone the actions of the Klan. But I think there is some danger in imagining ourselves to have reached such a state of enlightenment that we would never be tempted to act or think in a similar way. Ironically, that sense of superiority is exactly what breeds groups like the Klan. "Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan" by Todd Tucker is an interesting look at the Klan at this point in American history. It's quite character and narrative driven, so it's a pretty easy read. I think it explains well some of the appeal of the Klan in the 20s, and uses the prominence of the Notre Dame football team as a sort of counterpoint, culminating in a Klan march through South Bend, Indiana. It also describes the horrific career and downfall of one of the Klan's leading figures, D.C. Stephenson. Kennebunk MaineAn 80 year old man I know remembered how his neighbor would hold Klan rallies (in Kennebunk, no less). Afterward the neighbor would give this person's family the leftover food. Forgetting the family in question was Catholic. Xenophobic PageantryAs I understand, the Klan was also fairly anti-immigration. There was plenty of fear and uncertainty around that time. Everyone in this picture seems just out for a good time. Jump in the roadster. Fresh night air and the crowd. Bring the kids. This was before "American Idol." This shot does sort of remind me of those iconic photographs of American lynchings--kids, women and men in straw hats, all smiling at the camera save one. Those photos are REALLY disturbing. The Klan Was For 100% Pure AmericanismIn the early 1920's, how often did we hear about rape, robbery, murder, drug dealing, child molestation and other such crimes -- we didn't. People today simply do not want to admit it, but the Klan, at one time, was a great patriotic organization. Say what you want to, but your words will not change history. [You should look at an actual 1920s newspaper. I've gone through hundreds researching posts for this site. They are full of assaults, murder and robbery. When I was a kid I knew a lady whose grandfather was lynched by the Klan for driving in the wrong place after sunset. - Dave] (The Gallery, Curiosities, Natl Photo)
Norma Shearer: 1929
... I fell in love with Norma when I stumbled upon a late night showing of "The Divorcee'" on TCM several years ago. What a gorgeous, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 11:41am -

July 24, 1929. "Norma Shearer (Mrs. Irving Thalberg)." The Oscar-winning actress at the White House. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. Fabulous!She's not recalled very favorably these days, but my God Norma Shearer was fabulous. And what a great print. Thanks, Shorpy! Lovely necklaceReal pearls! And at such a uniquely 1920's length. I Love Her!I fell in love with Norma when I stumbled upon a late night showing of "The Divorcee'" on TCM several years ago. What a gorgeous, smart and talented woman! Thanks for this photo; I look at Shorpy every day and this was a very nice surprise! NormaConsidering her supposed physical faults ("dumpy figure, with shoulders too broad, legs too sturdy, hands too blunt, small eyes that appeared crossed due to a cast in her right eye"), Norma certainly turned out well. There is a certain studied confidence about Norma, but good for her. She knew what she wanted and she got it. She was, afterall, the Queen of MGM--thanks to Irving Thalberg. FavourableSticking up for a fellow Canadian, I have to say that a lot of the "accepted wisdom" about Norma Shearer is due to her rivalry with Joan Crawford. Crawford famously described her as "cross-eyed, knock-kneed and she can’t act worth a damn." She was also the one who created the myth that she was only successful because she was "sleeping with the boss" (Thalberg, although some of the more scurrilous writers about Hollywood suggested that Mayer had been there first so to speak). If nothing else their rivalry made their scenes in "The Women" particularly juicy. KolinskisWhen I was a kid, two very richly dressed wealthy sisters always seemed to sit in the row directly in front of us at church. They often wore similar fur stoles like this one, with faces on them (I believe there were fox and mink ones) and I was totally mesmerized each time, focused on the faces of these little dead animals with glass eyes. Once when I mentioned it to my older sister, she said "those are Kolinskis" and being that we lived in a Polish community I thought she meant the sisters. It was many years later that I found out that kolinsky was the name of that style of fur stoles. Turned out the sisters were Italian. Feh on the new "The Women" Shearer starred in the original film alongside a fabulously bitchy Joan Crawford and a charmingly catty Rosalind Russell. The current ladies are no match. BeautifulWhat a beautiful snapshot of Norma Shearer! I love it. She's by far my favorite actress. Norma in WashingtonNorma has long been my favorite Classic Era actress (I run a YahooGroup devoted to her), and I have to wonder what was going on here. If I had to guess, I'd say she was in D.C. with her husband, M-G-M's Head of Production, Irving Thalberg, who was probably at the White House on some important matter pertaining to the motion-picture industry. Thalberg was a very big fish in the business at that time, and the industry itself was the seventh-largest in America then, so he had quite a lot of clout (HIS boss, Louis B. Mayer, was wont to call the White House and ask to speak to the President - and when he did, he got the man on the phone). Shearer is definitely there by invitation; that's the extension leading to the West Wing behind her, and even in 1929, you didn't stroll that part of the WH grounds just because you felt like it, except on public receiving days, a tradition long discontinued for security reasons. The throngs of people that would have been around on one of those days are not in evidence. Shearer is almost directly in front of the West Wing's lobby entrance (to her left, off the right side of the frame). Norma's classic cloche hat was the salvation of every '20s woman; hairspray hadn't been invented yet, and a cloche kept hair out of sight, except for a fetching curl or two. I can't be sure of the season from the foliage, but if it was any season but Winter, those furs had to have been warm wearing in D.C. (however, there is no sign of the fire that would strike the West Wing on Christmas Eve that year) The pearls, in those days and in those circles, would have been real - and very expensive. Her pumps are metallic-dyed kid, which would have been very chic, flashy even, for D.C. at that time. I doubt that any old-guard D.C. matron mistook her for anything but what she was, an actress. What's really wonderful about the photo is that Norma is deprived of all her usual on-camera tricks; she did, like all stars, have some physical characteristics that she was insecure about, and she had a pretty fair array of strategies for downplaying them. Here, she's in broad daylight, no screen makeup, no trick Hollywood lighting or special lenses or fancy poses, and she looks great. She's either 27 or 29 years old here, depending on which of her biographers you believe - over a decade younger than Jennifer Aniston (who resembles her) is today. By the way, Norma, who was born in Montreal, was still a Canadian at this point; she didn't take out American citizenship until the '30s. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Public Figures)
Carrying-In Boy: 1911
... Alexandria, Virginia. Works on day shift one week and night shift next week. Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 9:47am -

June 1911."Carrying-in" boy in Alexandria Glass Factory, Alexandria, Virginia. Works on day shift one week and night shift next week. Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Rob KiddOn the Library of Congress record for this photo there's a note that says on the back of the caption card someone has written "Rob Kidd?" So this might have been the boy's name. This is one of my favourite Hine photos, I think that the weary expression on the boy's face is exactly what Lewis Hine wanted to capture and bring to the public. Serious workBet these guys didn't go home after work and play on their PS2's and Wii's. Rob KiddThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. Thanks to a previous comment, I have identified the boy as Robert Ellis Kidd, born in Virginia about 1898. In the 1910 census, he is living in Alexandria, and everyone in his immediate family, except him, is listed as working at the glass factory. In the 1920 census, he is living with his widowed father and four brothers in Baltimore. In the 1930 census, now listed as Ellis Kidd, he is living in Amherst, Virginia, with his wife and 3-year-old daughter, both named Mary, and he is working for a lumber company. From that date on, he does not appear in any of the online records that are commonly available. His oldest brother, Bradley Kidd, was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on March 13, 1952. Rob KiddI have a correction to make. The Ellis Kidd I found in the 1930 census in Amherst, VA, is not Rob, after all. I later found Robert Ellis Kidd in the 1930 census in Alexandria, and he's married with five children. I am still looking for more information. Mr. Manning - more on Robert Ellis KiddMr Manning - Your request from the Fairfax Genealogical Society was referred to the VA Room, where I am a volunteer. Obviously you have found a descendent of Mr. Kidd's. I was able to ascertain through his WWI registration (dated Sept. 11, 1918) that he was born September 29, 1898, Del Ray, Alexandria, Virginia. It states that his occupation was a brakeman for the R.F. & P.R.R. -- the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. His height was short; Build - medium, Eyes blue and color of hair Light Brown. His nearest relative at the time was Joseph M. Kidd, 17 N. Highland Ave., Baltimore, MD. Hope this helps. If you should need to get a copy of the WWI registration, please contact the Virginia Room at the Fairfax City Regional Library - 703-293-6227 and press 6. Kathe Gunther Volunteer researcher Virginia Room Robb Kidd againJoe Manning again, of the Lewis Hine Project. I found one of Robert Kidd's daughters, and she is living with her 101-year-old mother, who was Robert's wife. Amazing. They've never seen the photo. Robert died in 1960. Wow!Thank you for posting this incredible photo! I googled myself and have now found your collection--a true treasure. Rob KiddThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I interviewed Robert Kidd's daughter. She sent me several photos of him as an older man. You can see the photos and the interview at www.morningsonmaplestreet.com/robertkidd1.html Re: Rob KiddWow. Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Manning. I appreciate your work as much as I do Dave's. I'm glad you were able to connect with the family and provide them with this picture. How amazing that his wife is still alive! Rob KiddThis is Joe Manning, who wrote the story about Rob Kidd. The link to that story has been changed. It is now: http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/11/26/robert-kidd-page-one/ (The Gallery, Factories, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Cereal Shiller: 1952
... was the Ed McMahon sidekick to Merv Griffin on his late night TV show. He was with Griffin from 1965 to 1970. When the show was moved ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2013 - 12:23pm -

        UPDATE: The Shorpy commentariat lost no time in identifying the butler as actor-restaurateur Arthur Treacher. New York, 1952. "Martha Raye rehearsing skits for her television show; in dress rehearsal; includes shots of cameras, sound equipment and sets." The All-Star Revue host with her cigarette and sponsor's cereals. Photo by Charlotte Brooks for the Look magazine article "Perpetual Commotion." View full size. The ManArthur Treacher. The Big MouthI remember her from Polident commercials, and an occasional variety show cameo when I was growing up. "Take it from the big mouth". Mart & ArtI remember seeing Arthur Treacher as a frequent guest on Merv Griffin's show. Guest spottedLooks like the man may have been Arthur Treacher. Great character actor, often played a snooty yet kindly butler. He had a fish and chips business for a while. Fish & Chips!Looks like Arthur Treacher to me. Arthur TreacherProbably best remembered as the policeman on the telephone at the end of Mary Poppins when Mr Banks returns home after being fired. No CalArthur Treacher was the Ed McMahon sidekick to Merv Griffin on his late night TV show. He was with Griffin from 1965 to 1970. When the show was moved to Los Angeles, Treacher declined to go, saying he was too old to live any place that shakes. John Wayne?Looks like John Wayne. [It's Arthur Treacher in a sketch called "The Butler," broadcast May 24, 1952. - Dave] Arthur TreacherMr. Treacher was not a "frequent guest" on the Merv Griffin show -- he was the announcer. I never knewI did nto know that Martha Raye had such nice-looking legs. Hubba, hubba! WHO CARES?JUST WANT TO LODGE MY PROTEST THAT THE 1950S 1ND 1960S ARE NOT 100 YEARS AGO YET! TV and Look Mag. are less and less interesting the more I see of them. (especially LOOK with its staged faked shots of celebrities of the time.Not a glorious time in media. OLD towns, cities, countrysides, and people get more interesting the more I see of them. Lou. RIP to a PatriotMartha Raye's exemplary service to the Army - including trips to Vietnam to entertain the Green Berets - earned her a funeral with military honors. Raye, who died in Los Angeles at age 78, requested several years [earlier] to be buried at Fort Bragg, home of the Green Berets. [S]he was to get her wish after a ceremony with a flag-draped casket and military pallbearers. Raye entertained troops in Vietnam for nine straight years, four months a year, spending much of the time with isolated Special Forces detachments in camps all over the country. Normally, only active duty and retired Army personnel are buried on post, but the Defense Department granted an exception for Raye, who was made an honorary lieutenant colonel in the Special Forces in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. http://www.vietnamexp.com/morestories/MarthaRaye.htm Learn something new every day!I grew up eating Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips in the '70s and to this day had no idea it was started by an actor. I've always assumed Arthur Treacher was a pirate (fictional or otherwise), like his competition at Long John Silver's. I remember being very disappointed when the local Arthur Treacher's closed down, and I had to start eating fish that was actually good for me. I'm pretty sure a lot of us care.That would include a substantial number of regular Shorpy viewers and the people who continue to provide us with interesting and varied images day after day, absolutely free of charge. When I encounter a picture that doesn't necessarily interest me, I move on to the next one. I guess an ALL-CAPS DIATRIBE would be another option. Count me as oneNot only do I remember watching Martha Raye on TV when I was a little guy in the 1950s, but I had the pleasure of meeting her while flying aboard a C-130 during one of her many trips to Vietnam. Weird thing to go CAPSLOCK aboutI was 16 months old when the '60s ended, and I'm not a kid. I'll be 45 in August. My first memory of what year it was is when my dad put on the '71 license plates (back then, you got a new set every year in many states, including Texas). I remember the '70s in fits and starts, and the '80s pretty well, and I am interested in looking at any well-crafted photo, but particularly any before the digital age, when we all began to snap with wild abandon, knowing we weren't paying for film and processing. I'm with TimG on Arthur Treacher. I had no idea he was a real person, and actually did think he was a fictional pirate. I see an analogy to Chuck Taylor, whose eponymous footwear became a cult item to punk rockers and other misfits in the '80s and '90s, including yours truly. We assumed he must have been a famous athlete, back in the days before the Converse All-Star was obsolesced in professional basketball, but to us he could just as easily have been invented by some marketing department. But now, in the Age of Google and Wikipedia, we know. (LOOK, TV)
Memphis Bridge: 1985
... the 70's, some friends and I walked out on this bridge one night and climbed down through a stairwell to one of the pilings over the ... move around. Crazy Youth II And as a teenager one night a few of my friends and I rappelled off the end off this bridge (on to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2013 - 1:20pm -

"Memphis Bridge spanning Mississippi River between Memphis, Tennessee, and West Memphis, Arkansas. Cantilever span detail, view to southwest." 1985 photo by Clayton B. Fraser for the Historic American Buildings Survey. View full size. 3 bridges are still thereView Larger Map Rails within railsHave often seen the rails-within-rails scheme in pictures of bridges and other elevated rail systems. I presume that is to save the engineer the embarrassment of diving into the river in the event of a derail. Am I correct, or is there some other purpose? 1985 looks like 1895There's something about this photo that looks a century old, instead of a quarter-century. Still, it's beautifully done. Frisco BridgeDesigned by George S. Morison. Built 1891-1893 by Union Bridge Company, and masonry by Lewis M. Loss. When it opened it was the longest span in the US and most southerly crossing on the Mississippi. Now known as the Frisco Bridge. Guard railsBill T.'s assumption regarding the purpose of the extra rails found on bridges, and occasionally in other constricted areas, is to help keep a derailed wheelset aligned with the track. They are called guard rails. There is often, as on this bridge, a set of wooden guard timbers bolted to the ties about a foot outside of the running rails to further assist. Crazy YouthAs a teenager in the 70's, some friends and I walked out on this bridge one night and climbed down through a stairwell to one of the pilings over the river. Later, we popped our heads up as a train approached...The crazy things we do in our percieved indestructible youth. The inner railsI think the inner set of rails does two things. First, they help prevent derailings. They also reinforce the connections of the ties to the rails on the bridge. The outer rails have to be able to expand and contract at different rates than the land-bound rails they connect with at each end of the bridge, so their attachments to the land-bound rails are "loose." The inner rails keep the part on the bridge in one solid piece as the outer rails move around. Crazy Youth IIAnd as a teenager one night a few of my friends and I rappelled off the end off this bridge (on to land, not water) just to say we'd done it -- thirty years later on a website like Shorpy. 1895Large-format hasn't changed that much since 1895. The plate/film/emulsions are a lot better but it doesn't make that much difference. Part of the reason it looks old is that it looks kind of like it's orthochromatic. The blank white sky is classic. It may really have been ortho, it could have been pan with a blue filter, or it could have just been a hazy day. 3 BridgesThese bridges were the only way over to Arkansas when I was a kid. The old Harahan Bridge, the Frisco Bridge (this rail bridge), and the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge. In 1973, another bridge, the Hernando de Soto Bridge opened. It's the iconic "M" shaped bridge shown in views of Memphis. Almost 50 years later, that one's called the "New Bridge". At least in my family. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, HABS, Memphis, Railroads)
Dreaming Inside the Box: 1927
... The temperature is maintained constant throughout the night by automatic controls." Milton, you are so close . Just a couple more ... you imagine climbing out of that contraption three times a night? [Note the counterweight for easy egress. - Dave] Not sure of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/16/2013 - 8:56pm -

Nov. 28, 1927. "Washington man sleeps in a blanketless bed. Milton Fairchild of Washington, D.C., does not need any blankets for keeping him warm these winter nights. He has invented an electrical bed which does not require any covering for the body when asleep. Furthermore, according to Mr. Fairchild, an 'electric blanket' is healthier and one is not so susceptible to colds. The temperature is maintained constant throughout the night by automatic controls." Milton, you are so close. Just a couple more tweaks and you will be sitting pretty, or at least reclining more comfortably. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Darn.I saw the picture just now and thought "Wanna sleep in a coffin?" Vintagetvs beat me to it! I am Iron-Lung!It looks about as comfortable as an iron lung (which won't be invented until 1929). It seems safeto presume there was no Mrs. Milton Fairchild. Serendipity!?!I was just thinking how the guy that invented the microwave oven was actually trying to invent something else. I think it was some kind of audio or video transmitter or receiver. At any rate, he had a chocolate bar in his coat pocket, and when he turned the device on, the candy bar melted. Thank goodness the "blanketless bed" inventor did not encounter the same kind of serendipity! Design by the Little RascalsOdd lengths of rope, sash weight, frayed wire old plumbing and a certain amount of spit and sweat. This has everything! The inventor seems to have worn a wing collar to bed. Huh?Words fail me. Some additional features-Milton could also likely heat his morning coffee, make toast and fry up some bacon and eggs without leaving bed. And if he raised poultry... well the possibilities are just endless. Double dutyIf you die in your sleep (probably from electrocution) they can just put a lid on it and bury you in it. I'll PassWould not work for us old guys with enlarged prostates. Can you imagine climbing out of that contraption three times a night? [Note the counterweight for easy egress. - Dave] Not sure of what to say.This is so bizarre. I await with bated breath further enlightened commentary Well Done!... would be the result if the thermostat went on the blink! Why notuse the money he would have spent on that contraption and buy a nice new unstained mattress and some cosy warm blankets? The Warmth of Electric Sunshine Milton Fairchild founded the Character Education Institution and seemed to be a bit of a kooky racist. The Baltimore Sun, March 2, 1924. Sleeping Box to Supplant Blankets — Maybe Throw your blankets in to the discard and sleep in the warmth of electric sunshine. Stop smothering your skin with heavy bedclothes. Cut out the bath of poisoned vapors in which the human race has been soaking itself since the first nights of creation and give the body a chance to breathe. Milton Fairchild, of Washington has blazed the way. This keen student and thinker has shed new light on our manner of repose. In an electric bed he has found the secret of scientific sleeping and made the first step toward removing us from the crude slumber customs of the cave dweller. For the swaddling couch covers of our ancestors Fairchild substitutes the electric light. Instead of suffocating the body he combines air circulation with perfect comfort. The Fairchild invention is a sleeping box resting on a matress and sheet. Within the box are four lamps of 40 watts each, blazing away at full tilt, while he sleeps and bathing his body in soothing and cheerful glow. Switches within easy reach permit the lamps to be regulated at will and any of them may be turned off or on for change of temperature. In going to bed the occupant crawls into the box through the opening at one end. His head only is left in the open. A blanket spread across the top of the box and draped over the shoulders curtains the lights and leaves the room in the darkness needed for restful sleep. Air circulation is afforded by the holes in the upper part of the box, and in this compartment the sleeper slumbers as natured intended, with skin-breathing unhampered by the swaddling, burdensome and unhygienic covers of his cave-dwelling ancestry. … Of special significance is the possible influence of the principle on the perpetuation of the race—particularly among the people of higher intellect. Mr. Fairchild has a belief that race suicide attributed to the scholarly professions is a matter of nerve condition. He feels any factor for the improvement of nervous vitality will be reflected in the birth rate and that the use of the electric sleeping box may prove the needed influence. “The high-strung mental workers represent the productive force of the race,” he declared, “and it is on them that the millions depend for the advancement of mankind. To give new impetus to the intellectual minority would be distinctly worth while and I have reason for the hope and belief that in this new method of sleeping there is a contribution of value to the attainment of this end.” … In Washington the name of Fairchild is well known. Milton Fairchild is a student and a leader in educational development in his position as chairman of the Character Education Institution. … (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Les Miserables: 1911
... said 11 years old, and works until midnight every week night; said he made $2.25 last week and $1.75 the week before. Willie Payton, ... 11 years old, made over $2 last week, works there every night until midnight." View full size. Photograph and caption by Lewis ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 9:09am -

October 1911. Lowell, Massachusetts. "Pin boys in Les Miserables Alleys. Frank Jarose, 7 Fayette St., Mellens Court, said 11 years old, made $3.72 last week. Joseph Philip, 5 Wall St., said 11 years old, and works until midnight every week night; said he made $2.25 last week and $1.75 the week before. Willie Payton, 196 Fayette St., said 11 years old, made over $2 last week, works there every night until midnight." View full size. Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. Those boys looks happy asThose boys looks happy as can be. $80$3.72 is about equivalent to $80 in 2007 when adjusted for inflation. Not so badI'd have to say that late hours and low wages or not, the bowling alley kids all look a lot happier than in the other jobs kids got stuck with then--including some of the farm kids we now often think of as having an idyllic existence. My dad did this back in the late 30sWe ran into a manual pin setting rig when I was a kid--those pins are heavy, and my dad said a lot of kids were hurt by flying pins. They were "supposed" to go behind a low wall when the bowlers were throwing, but there was a lot of pressure to get the pins up as soon as possible so kids would jump out while the pins were still flying, and sometimes drunk bowlers would roll the ball before the kid got out of the way. Even without that, just those small bodies lifting and setting those heavy pins as fast as they could, all night long... (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Sports)
Cash for Your Car: 1942
... lot of maintenance keeping all those bulbs lit but boy at night they sure looked pretty reflecting off the shiny paint of the new cars ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2015 - 11:36pm -

April 1942. "Hollywood, California. Used car lot." All clues point to the street address being 1541. But what's the street? Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. From the City Directory1541 Cahuenga Boulevard Cars from the stars and czarsAccording to the 1942 LA city directory, Monty Kingsbury's was at 1541 Cahuenga Blvd., not far from Hollywood and Vine. Maps today read "N. Cahuenga Blvd." There is no South Cahuenga; Cahuenga East and Cahuenga West do exist. Strings of clear light bulbsI remember as a kid in the 1950s-60s car dealers in my town had strings of seemingly hundreds of those clear light bulbs hanging from wires spanning over their car lots. It must of been a big expense and a lot of maintenance keeping all those bulbs lit but boy at night they sure looked pretty reflecting off the shiny paint of the new cars beneath. And back then cars came in much more vivid colors than the monotonous pastel colors of today. It was all about the tiresSoon after Pearl Harbor, one of Britain's correspondents in the States, a young Alistair Cooke, embarked on a nationwide voyage to see how the war, its shortages, and mobilization affected ordinary Americans. In Los Angeles, he needed a new car, to replace one sold earlier in the trip. "The salesman who finally sold me was in the state of high excitement for forty-eight hours after hearing that a visitor wanted to buy a car for no other reason than to drive around the country. Throughout the subsequent negotiations, he regarded me a an amiable madman. His storeroom was a funeral parlor, the cars lined up there like so many coffins. He admitted stoically that he saw no future for himself unless he went into the Army. About once a month somebody would come in on the pretense of wanting to buy a car and then sneak around prodding the tires and not even bother to look at the engine. These were pestiferous middlemen looking for cars with good rubber and making heavy profits on the immediate resale." (Cooke, "The American Home Front: 1941-1942," p. 152 (published, finally, in 2006).) Almost a CadillacThat first car on the left appears to be a LaSalle. That GM Brand was discontinued in 1940. Alfred P Sloan, the GM leader, believed he was missing a price point between, I'm guessing, the Oldsmobile and the Cadillac. It was first produced in 1927. It was not too long ago that GM also ditched Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Hummer and Saturn in order to stay afloat from the deluge created by the U.S. Market's acceptance of foreign automotive brands. The weakened economy didn't help either. I'll just take the front row (At those prices)Nice stuff sitting there and brings back memories of when I used to visit these places and drool but didn't have the $150 to buy one. Heavy On GM ProductBesides the LaSalle, we have two Cadillacs ('38 at rear, '40 toward the middle) and, penultimately, a '41 Oldsmobile. GM 4, Ford 2. Still ThereIt appears that the dealership building is still there on the SW corner of North Cahuenga and Selma Avenue. The brickwork still visible matches the original as does the three-windowed front of the building. Also, at far right in the original image, the stacked-block (lacking a better term) corner of the building across Selma still exists on the building there today. Best GuessLeft to right: 1940 LaSalle, 1940 Ford, 1941 Ford, 1939 Cadillac, 1941 Olds, and a 1937 Cadillac. [I'm leaning toward 1938 for the far Caddy. -tterrace] Second LaSalleThe car closest to the building is a 1938 LaSalle. The lower headlights help to differentiate it from the 1937 models, but it is the unique trim in 1938 that helps to conclude that it is not a Cadillac. A comparison photo is below. Sales of LaSalles dropped dramatically because or the 1938 recession. In 1937 LaSalle had its best year selling 32,005, but in 1938 only 15,575 were sold. +74Below is the same view from November of 2016. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Los Angeles, Russell Lee)
Cruising: 1907
... appear to be carbide lights. The only way to watch those night time submarine races with your gal. Illumination I know somebody ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 2:38pm -

Detroit circa 1907. "Band concert on Grand Canal, Belle Isle Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Awesome NeedleworkCheck out the canoe in the lower middle of the picture. The two pillows with the designs on them. I especially like the one with the Indian head on it. CharmingWhy they are called "the good old days." I hope the pavilion has survived. Speaking of checking outThe two young ladies seater lower right are checking out the canoes (or their gentlemen paddlers) quite intently. Now I know what's missing... from canoe rides -- Pillows! Lots of pillows, and even headlights! I see that I have the concept of rustic, quiet canoe rides all wrong. Honey, are you enjoying the concert?ZZZZZZZZZZ I gotta wonderHow many of these damsels "accidentally" took a tumble into the water, only to have half a dozen handsome young men dive in to save her! Carbide LightsSome of the canoes are sporting what appear to be carbide lights. The only way to watch those night time submarine races with your gal. IlluminationI know somebody will explain the large spotlights on some of these canoes! Program NotesAs a musician, I would love to be able to hear what the band is playing. I wish someone would discover that there was a recording made of this band. Canoe RacesFourth canoe on the right headed toward the band pavilion and second canoe from the bottom on the left are all girls. Those guys with the pillows are well prepared for events to come. Solemn bunch Wait! There's a woman smiling, over there on the right. Obviously a troublemaker. re: Program NotesOne way to get an idea of the kind of thing the band was playing is to follow this link to the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project of the University of California at Santa Barbara. Do a search for year 1907 (or any other +/- about five years) and listen to items listing a band as performer. What entertainment was?Amazing, all these people (of ALL ages) beautifully dressed and seated, watching intently--but what exactly ARE they watching so intently ? (people just canoeing by? I still haven't quite figured out that part) and why are so many of them doing so? (I have teenagers and the very idea of them dressing up to watch something like this would put them in conniptions>>how the world has changed). [As noted in the caption, this is a band concert -- everyone is listening to the orchestra on the bridge. - Dave] Where'd we park the car?Notice the line of cars on the right hand shore. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Dark Shadows: 1936
... full size. Double Dog Dare I'm not spending the night in that place! Let Mikey do it! Some links The architect was one ... Lets see if we can get Luther Heggs to spend the night in this house for a front page story. Don Knotts was great in that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 11:01am -

1936. Halifax County, North Carolina. "Prospect Hill, Airlie vicinity. Built 1825 by Wm. Williams Thorne." 8x10 inch safety negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston for the Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South. View full size. Double Dog DareI'm not spending the night in that place! Let Mikey do it! Some linksThe architect was one James Burgess; A bit more about the history of the house. Mr. ChickenLets see if we can get Luther Heggs to spend the night in this house for a front page story. Don Knotts was great in that movie. Prospect Hill constructionCost $3545.30 to build. Federal FantasyNow THAT'S something you don't see every day... a two-story porch on a Federal-style house! The detailing is spectacular, and attributed to an architect/builder named James Burgess of Virginia. I would take fanhead's double dog dare, but sadly Prospect Hill was destroyed in the mid 20th century. Once again I am stunned by FBJ's photographic skill - simply amazing. Palladian ProspectFrom the Historic American Buildings Survey notes dated 1940: Owner: Myron Horn, Woodbury, Conn. Begun 1825; completed 1828. Builder owner: William Williams Thorne; Architect: Mr. Burgess. Condition: Poor. Description: two-story; frame; interesting two-story columns on east porch; Palladian windows; delicate front door treatment. Paneling and mantels removed to Woodbury, Conn., by owner. Gable roof; end chimneys, Flemish bond, two on right, one on left. Facade three bays with trifle windows. Center door with fanlight and sidelights. Stoop porch, coupled reeded colonettes. Lower windows 9/9 surmounted by dummy lunettes; 3/3 sidelights. Cornice has crude triglyphs and metopes; open loggia with two-story colonettes behind left room under main roof. Central hall plan, elliptical spiral stair. CreeptasticThat's what the landscaper was going for. You hit the nail right on the head, buddy. Beautiful photoI keep coming back to this photo. I especially like the details of the first floor window. The carving above and below is lovely, the little fan window above the shutters, and the carving along the edge of the roof. It puts to shame all those tract-houses with the pillared fronts mimicking this style (not very successfully). (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
Mysterious Missive: 1905
... "M" Interesting because I left a comment last night which included a photo of the building on the left. I later found a photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 4:40pm -

Hoboken, New Jersey. "Holland America Line piers." This two-plate composite showing the S.S. Potsdam at harbor could be looked at as a letter to the future -- five years into the future, if we compare it to the other Hoboken panoramas posted this weekend. Who can decipher the riddle? View full size. The "Curious Tipsy Shed" has been moved and turnedGreat photo's photos of the 1905 and 1910 HAL piers. I noted that the Curious Tipsy Shed has been moved and 90 degrees turned. The slanting side is in 1905 parallel to the pier, but in 1910 facing the pier. In the 1910 picture clearly various beams underneath the shed can be seen, working like a foundation. I wonder how they moved and rotated it, as the building must have had a considerable weight. The Mystery of the Slanted WallIn previous posts regarding the "tipsy building", I now see why the wall was slanted - the building was so close to the edge of the wharf that a rocking ship would hit it if it were NOT slanted! Looks top heavy!What was the function of this unusual vessel? Top HeavyLooks like a floating grain elevator. It would enable ships carrying grain to be discharged without them having to be alongside a dedicated grain berth. The long pipe hanging down the side of the structure would be hoisted into the ship's hold and the grain sucked out like a huge vacuum cleaner. There would be a similar arrangement on the other side of the structure whereby the grain would be discharged into barges. [The other post says these are for loading ships, not unloading. But maybe it could go either way. - Dave] And the letter is ... M>> this could be looked at as a letter to the future -- five years into the future I got it! The "tipsy house" in the 1910 photos is the front right corner of the previous 1905 Holland-America building. The letter M is still there. [Excellent! Clapclapclap. - Dave] The letter "M"Interesting because I left a comment last night which included a photo of the building on the left. I later found a photo which showed the area to the left. I second-guessed myself when I realized that it was a larger warehouse. Now, I see it WAS part of a larger building. (In my defense, the photo was really small and I couldn't find one with better resolution so it was hard to tell). Mmmmm boy, that was good.Wow, it's the cannon mystery all over again. Now, let's find the rest of the building. Hey youNo pole leaning during daylight hours! Yet another classic Shorpy image to peruse over for ten minutes or so. Ferry nice viewThe 1905 ferries would not look too out of place next to the 1965-built Staten Island Ferry MV John F. Kennedy. Grain elevator "Renovator"Further to my previous comment, out of curiosity I Googled 'Renovator floating grain elevator new york'. I was astounded when Google turned up the following; http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Newspaper/BSU/1882.Death.html 13 January 1882 A Watchman Drowned Frank LECRAY, a watchman on the grain elevator Renovator, lying at the foot of Harrison Street, fell overboard from the deck of the elevator yesterday. Patrick KINSELLA and Manuel GARCIA hauled LECRAY out of the water, but he died before the arrival of the ambulance. The dead man was 50 years of age and lived at the corner of Henry and Poplar Streets. Checking out the streets on Google showed that Frank Lecray lived just off the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Bridge, about 2 miles from where he was drowned off the Renovator. She was lying at the foot of Harrison Street which might well have been her regular berth and which is just across the Hudson (about 2 miles) from the Holland -America terminal. There's a 23 year disparity in the dates but a working vessel such as the Renovator would pay her way and was probably well maintained, so she might have lasted that long. There is also the possibility that a later elevator was given the same name. Much speculation but it seems reasonable enough. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Hoop-De-Do: 1958
... in the 1950s. My Cindy's full name was Cinders Ebony Night. Born in Montreal 1944 At 16 yrs old I got my drivers licence and ... 
 
Posted by Islander800 - 02/12/2015 - 9:27pm -

This is me in the summer of 1958 in Bedford Quebec, during that year's Hula Hoop craze. As you can see, Mom sure did dress me in a weird way -- buttoned-up collar, full cuffs and elastic band pants? Our cocker spaniel Cindy is in the background. View full size. Hair raisingIt took 50+ years but that front flip hair do is in style today Hula Hoops and AlleysIn September of 1958 I was a grade 6 student at the old Brown School off of Avenue Road in Toronto, Ontario. There were separate girls and boys entrances, and the unpaved, fenced school yard had an imaginary line down the middle. At recess, the girl's side was a forest of spinning hula hoops, and the boy's side was a sea of marble games, or "alleys" as we called them. A deep purple Crown Royal Whiskey cloth bag held the marbles. No boy dared to use a hula hoop, and no girl played with marbles. And no one crossed that boundary! To signal the end of recess, the back door of the school was opened and a teacher rang a large brass hand bell. Back in the classroom, we dipped our pens in inkwells and filled our workbooks. Misbehaviour was dealt with quickly out in the hall with a leather strap. Nice 56 Chevy"Say, how do you put gas in this thing?" Said by me as a kid working as a pump jockey, to customer with wry grin. He then showed me how to flip the tail light open to access the filler tube. More than one 50s iconThe '56 Chevy, hula-hoop, little red (probably metal) wagon and of course the child's attire & hairdo. Many good memories. The smileI think that there is a deep and weird psychological quirk in humans that produces that smile from a round hoop of plastic; "Hey! everybody!!!!! Look at me! I'm doing it!!!!! "Cindy"must have been a popular name for black cocker spaniels in the 1950s. My Cindy's full name was Cinders Ebony Night. Born in Montreal 1944At 16 yrs old I got my drivers licence and sped away in the family car .. a 1956 Chev 210 4dr stick shift. Dipped the girls pigtails in the inkwell. Got retrained to write right-handed instead of left. I know the strap well. Yo-yos and aggies were the recess activities. I had a black dog named "cinder". Loved to watch the girls practice their Hula Hoops ! Great photo Right there with you!Same year, probably same age (or close to it), I was 6 and we were stationed at the time not all that far from you at RCAF Station Goose Bay, Labrador. My sister and I both had hula hoops and loved them. What great exercise too, when you think about it. :) Properly-dressed Canadian boyNuthin' weird about it. Weird? What weird?I would kill for that shirt! Size XL, of course. (And full cuffs would be alright, too.) You know..for kids! That smileYour smile is positively too cute. Hula Hoop Contest!Long ago, in my hometown East Aurora NY, the Theater would have different contests between Saturday Double-Features. In 1958, I won a Hula-Hoop Contest...I was able to keep it going the longest. The Secret: It's all in the hips! PistereeDuring these years in late 1950s Bedford, a popular game played at the schoolyard was called "Pisteree". It was an indigenous game to the Quebec Eastern Townships in the '50s, and went like this... In the gravel playground of the school, you cut a groove with a stick, about six inches long and three inches deep. Then cut a broomstick at four inches and three feet, making for the key instruments of play. Overlap the small stick over the groove, hit it with the long stick to twirl it in the air, then bat it to the outfield. Count points by "walking" the short stick to where play stopped, in increments of "five", as in "five, ten, fifteen, twenty,....". We played that for years between 1956 and 1961. Is there any history out there of this game? The Hollywood BurrA late 50's, early 60's (mild) sign of rebellion for the pre-teen set. At least it was where I grew up in the Midwest. They could've had a V-8In its second year availability, but decided to stick with the tried and true Blue Flame Six as no "V" is present under the blue bow-tie medallion. They cost a big $1In the exact same year I walked down the street in Rahway ,New Jersey with my dollar in my hand to buy a brand new, bight yellow hula hoop. I think it took me years to figure out how to really use it. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Oregon or Bust: 1936
... out of the old Model T and put the crankshaft in. And that night we made Baker, which is a matter of 24 miles from the night before. Well, then we had pretty good luck all the rest of the way. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:31pm -

July 1936. "Vernon Evans [interview] and family of Lemmon, South Dakota, near Missoula, Montana. Leaving the grasshopper-ridden and drought-stricken area for a new start in Oregon or Washington. Expects to arrive at Yakima in time for hop picking. Makes about 200 miles a day in Model T Ford. Live in tent." Medium-format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Vernon Evans interviewAn interview with Vernon Evans (at center in photo) about how this picture came to be taken: Well, we was all without jobs here [in South Dakota]. And the jobs was so few and far between at the time we left that you couldn't even buy a job. We had friends that we knew out in Oregon, and we decided we was going to go out there and see if we could find some work. We had $54 between the five of us when we started out from here to go to Oregon. And when we got to Oregon, I think we had about $16 left. We had absolutely no idea what we was going to do. We all got in an old Model T and started for Oregon. We started out, and, I don't know, we got out six miles and broke the crankshaft. This old rancher, he had some old Model T motors laying around. He said we was welcome to a crankshaft if we wanted one. So, we went back and proceeded to tear the motor out of the old Model T and put the crankshaft in. And that night we made Baker, which is a matter of 24 miles from the night before. Well, then we had pretty good luck all the rest of the way. But we got around Missoula [Montana] and we was having a good time. See somebody along the road or something. And here was this car sitting alongside the road, and a guy sleeping in it. So, we honked and hollered at him, having a good time. Pretty soon, this car was after us. We'd heard they was sending them back [police sending migrants back at state borders], wasn't letting 'em go on through. So, we thought, "Well, here's where we go back home." He motioned for us to pull over to the side of the road. Anyhow, he come up and introduced himself [as Arthur Rothstein] and said he was with the Resettlement Administration and asked us questions about the conditions here and one thing or another. Where we was headed for. This "Oregon or Bust" on the back end was what took his eye. Then, he asked us if we cared if he took some pictures of us. Oh, we said, "I guess not." I think he took eight different poses. And then after we was out there [in Oregon] I guess probably it was that fall or winter, why these pictures started showing up in the different magazines and papers. Anyhow, we got out there and I went to work on the railroad. Source: Transcribed from an audio clip at livinghistoryfarm.org SeinfeldesqueLooks like Vernon is channeling Kramer. I hope one of themgot a job as a sign painter with the scripted serif-laden destination sign. "200 Miles Per Day"When things were running right and the roads were good, Model T's might be able to average 35 miles per hour. Looking at the road condition in this photo and dropping the average to 25 mph for rest, gas and food stops means the five of them spent 8 hours a day in that little Ford. Sounds like fun!!! Love the ladies' pantsThose have to be the most stylish pants I have seen from the depression outside of a movie. What a sense of style she had during those difficult times. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Great Depression)
MG vs. Cadillac: 1955
... car memories is of riding the freeways of Houston at night with the top down. Fun stuff for a 3-4 year old kid. Thanks for the ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/11/2019 - 12:51am -

Someone took this Ektachrome slide of my uncle in his newly-acquired MG around 1955, in front of his San Francisco home (on the right). Why the Caddy limo is there, or if it's connected with the event, I don't know; based on the front fender trim, I think it's a '54. Appears to be a registration certificate taped inside the windshield. I presume it's parked facing the wrong way on the street because Cadillac limos get to do that. Next-door neighbor kid seems entranced by the scene, as I would have been. View full size. MG-TDLooks like uncle fitted a non-standard radiator cap (looks like a leaping Jaguar)to his new MG-TD - the MG-TD was eventually replaced by the slightly redesigned MG-TF - an interim measure until the sleek MGA was produced. the rights to to MG-TD design were purchased by a Malaysian group who are producing a modern version of this British classic; check it out at - http://www.td-2000.com/ TC or TD?Probably a TD. Damn I love these post war MGs (or just about any MG - I owned an aged and rusty MGB at one time and was heart-broken when I was forced to sell). Lovely proportions, just he thing for a college student who wants to look a bit more sophisticated than he could in the family sedan, and could do it at an affordable price. Thoroughly idioscincratic . When he grows up and gets married he'll replace it with some anonymous Detroit Iron and when he gets really successful he'll turn into a Cadillac owner. Someone's done a little after market modification by adding a hood ornament. MGs didn't need that short of frippery. MG's are fantastic!My mother had a MGA, British racing green who passed it to me. So much fun to drive on country roads in Western Mass, New Hampshire, and Vermont. But a very heavy car to push! IdiosyncrasiesOne thing you could say about the MGs is that they were full of idiosyncrasies. The dual carbs were unlike anything you'd find on a North American car. They needed a specialised device to properly synchronise them and it didn't take much to throw them out of synch. The early MGBs (like mine) used two six volt batteries in a battery box located behind the seats and just above the ground. Supposedly this helped with the center of gravity, but you really had to improvise if your battery box rusted out and there was nothing to keep the batteries in the battery box. Mine were held in with spit and baling wire - well, wire anyway, and I'm not kidding. Pushing MGsMy best friend also had an MGA (black with the wonderful wood trim around the cockpit) in high school so I'll second the "heavy car to push" post from paula and completely get the irony of the quip, recalling how fun it was to drive and the absolute headache of all the work we had to put into it to keep it running - operative word "running" since the dual carbs were nasty to maintain, plus other mysterious mechanical and electrical aliments. Going on memory, but the turn indicator was a left/right switch on the dash and would disengage itself only after you hit a bump. That may have been intentional on the part of the engineers... or not, we never decided but that's how it worked. Another friend had a Sunbeam and another had a Datsun Fairlady. My first car was a '63 VW bug with a canvas sunroof that my dad repainted with a case of spray paint cans. I think it was the best of the bunch. Series 75I'm thinking the Cadillac was for scale, to show how small the MG was. CaddyI am sure the Cadillac is 1956, the MG does look like a 1954. [The limo is a 1954, not 1956, Cadillac. - Dave] 1953 MG TDIt is a 1953 TD. They made the TF in '54. It has the round taillights (late TD and TF) 1953 MG TD IDThanks, Anon., for nailing it down chapter & verse. That goes into my family photo database on all the Uncle Albert & his MG photos. Lifelong TD'sStarted out riding in the back of my uncle's TD in the early 50's (there is no back seat) racing to a package store with my father as co-pilot down some back road. Must have caught on, as I now have owned three of them, many MGA's and B's, and Healeys. Still have two TD's, one Healey 3000 and a Bugeye, all wonderful rides. Those "random red clouds"are that oh-so-cool car's AURA leaking into the photograph. (A car that tasty is simply oozing aura to the point of visibility!) Picture perfectWith the neighbor kid looking out the window this could be a magazine ad for a MG! MG memoriesBack in the late 60s and early 70s, my dad had two MGs, a 1951 TD and a 1954 TF. The TF was the only one running at the time, and one of my earliest car memories is of riding the freeways of Houston at night with the top down. Fun stuff for a 3-4 year old kid. Thanks for the memories. I'm assuming that it was bought used?I'm assuming it was a "gently used" MG that your uncle bought rather than brand new? Looks great by the way. [Yes, he bought it used in 1955. -tterrace] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
To Catch a Kitten: 1954
... Me, Wowww My kind of kitten. Just saw her Sunday night on TV in "Rear Window" and "To Catch a Thief." Breathtaking ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/17/2013 - 9:17pm -

1954. "From photographs of actress Grace Kelly on the movie set of To Catch a Thief." Photo by Robert Vose for Look magazine. View full size. Frees FrameA cat in fabric does not always equal the work of Harry Frees. Say What?Why there are no fireworks in sight. Me, WowwwMy kind of kitten. Just saw her Sunday night on TV in "Rear Window" and "To Catch a Thief." BreathtakingPerhaps the most classically beautiful woman ever to "grace" the screen - or anything else for that matter. Liz Taylor was more darkly mysterious; Natalie Wood was just prettier; Marilyn Monroe was more joyously sexy. But for just pure, epic beauty, Grace Kelly is a category unto herself. Breathtaking! GorgeousWhat a stunning woman. If I had to pick out the five most beautiful women who ever appeared in Hollywood, she would be on the list, along with Julia Roberts, Ingrid Bergman, young Mary Astor, and Natalie Wood. I married Grace Kellywell, not REALLY, but about 44 years ago I married a young woman who was a dead ringer for Grace Kelly (to my love-freshened eyes, she looked even better). Now along comes this photo, reminding me that 3 years later she divorced me and I ended up with the damned cat. Thanks a bunch, Shorpy! (The Gallery, Cats, LOOK, Movies, Pretty Girls)
Quartermaster Corps: 1865
... on Fort Stevens. The defenders showed up in force over night, and when Early saw them the next morning he gave up mounting a full ... After a day of skirmishing, his troops withdrew at night. The next morning the Union defenders discovered the Confederates ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/11/2012 - 10:34pm -

April 1865. "Washington, District of Columbia. Group of Quartermaster Corps employees." I detect a pattern here, and it's checks. Wet plate glass negative. Civil War glass negative collection, Library of Congress. View full size. 3rd from the right, front rowI'm just guessing but he looks like a bit of a scallywag. 1. A scamp; rascal 2. A deceitful and unreliable scoundrel 3. One who is playfully mischievous. There are other definitions of Scallywag but these are the ones I'm going with. Three dozen different peopleEach one of these fellas has a distinctive look and attitude. A few of note: checked vest, a quarter of the way in from the left, in front, who took obvious pains to comb his hair and who poses like Napoleon, with forearm horizontal against chest, hand disappearing into the garment; blurry face beside him, the only one in the bunch to polish his shoes, with his right foot set forward to display the footware; wild-haired cigar chomper in the middle, rear, who has wandered off a pirate ship into the Civil War; and the tallest man, far right, standing at attention, as one should for a photograph. Before there was HalliburtonNo uniformed personnel shown. I wonder how much of the Corps was manned by civilians during the war? Oh, you guys!You guys are a regular laugh riot! C'mon now, knock it off. I mean it! You are breaking me up! Camp FollowersMost military support personnel in that era were civilians, employed by the Army but not considered "soldiers" or entitled to wear uniforms. The Civil War marks a point in the evolution of militaries in that respect. In earlier eras support was provided by "camp followers", people whose only connection with the Army was that they followed it around and were available when the troops needed to buy food or other services -- including things like borrowing money to support further operations. Camp followers were generally disrespected, because the concept of "logistics" hadn't been invented. Armies were expected to steal food and other necessities as they passed through an area. The notion that support should be official and systematic didn't become general until technology started making the camp follower system insufficient. The innovation (like a lot of changes in military structure) traces to the Thirty Years War. Civil War armies had camp followers too, but their function was reduced to something like the modern stereotype, i.e. mostly prostitutes and con men. General Joseph Hooker was known to be particularly solicitous of the camp followers, thus the use of the word for a prostitute -- "Who are those women?" [grin] They're Hooker's." The men in this picture aren't camp followers. They were hired and paid by the Army, or the War Department, to provide logistic support; they just weren't considered "soldiers". After the Civil War the system evolved further, until most support personnel were official, uniformed, integral parts of the Army. By WWII almost all support was integrated, and camp followers disappeared. Recently that trend has reversed, with many support functions provided by civilian contractors, but camp followers as such have not reappeared. They probably won't. Modern armies move too fast for them to keep up. Civil War generals would be mightily puzzled by the notion that, e.g., gate guards should be civilians, but motor pool mechanics should be in uniform. [The tracing of the term "hooker" to General Hooker is suspect, to say the least. There are a number of instances on record of use of the term earlier, for example. - tterrace] Sure -- but the pre-existing meaning made the exchange a joke, a play on the good General's name, and all the funnier because Gen. Hooker really was solicitous of the camp followers, thinking them an important part of the army's support (besides his, umm, personal interest). That turned an obscure usage into a common one. Glaring boldly at the futureI love the lanky fellow over on the middle-ish right. He is just barely fitting into that waistcoat, and he has gone to pains to be friendly and put his arm on the shoulder of his comrade on the left, necessitating that he duck down a bit. One senses he might be used to ducking down, going through doorways and in chatting the ladies. Also I must say the fine head of hair on the well dressed gentleman in the middle front puts a special longing on me. He is a fortunate fellow to have such a good head of hair. He looks honest, hardworking and reliable. And finally, I love the fellow at the far left with the big mustache who glares at the camera with the ultimate scowl, as if to say "A pox upon you people of the future, ogling us and wondering what our lives are like." His scowl is so forthright! Hidden handI believe that Napoleon hand in vest pose is a Freemason gesture. Our Checkered PastSorry about this, but apparently dead men DO wear plaid. Civilians who fought and help save WashingtonThe Quartermaster employees were civilians, but they had been pressed into armed service only 9 months before this photo was taken when Confederate General Jubal Early and perhaps as many as 20,000 troops attacked Washington from the north, having come down through Maryland. Washington was only very lightly defended at the time; most of the Union troops who had been defending the city had been sent south for Grant's siege of Richmond. When Early's forces came down from Hagerstown, Maryland they were held up for a day by Union troops from Baltimore under Gen. Lew Wallace (who later wrote Ben-Hur). Wallace lost the Battle of the Monocacy, just south of Frederick, Maryland, but by delaying Early he managed to give the defenders of Washington time to mobilize the Quartermaster's civilian employees and the "Invalid Corps," who were injured or sick troops recuperating in Washington. Wallace's efforts also gave them time to bring back some of the regular troops who had been sent south. Wallace was court-martialed for his effort because his orders had been to defend Baltimore! Only later was it recognized that he had saved Washington. When Early arrived, the forts defending Washington were lightly defended, but his men were worn out from marching for miles during one of the hottest July periods on record. So he decided to wait until the next day before mounting a major attack on Fort Stevens. The defenders showed up in force over night, and when Early saw them the next morning he gave up mounting a full attack. After a day of skirmishing, his troops withdrew at night. The next morning the Union defenders discovered the Confederates had abandoned the field in front of Fort Stevens, but they mounted only an ineffective effort to keep them from getting away through Montgomery County, Maryland and across the Potomac river into Virginia. In fact, Mary Lincoln complained to the Secretary of War that she and a bunch of women could have done a better job of stopping Early from getting away. Early's attack was the only time a Confederate army entered the District of Columbia during the Civil War and it may have been the only time a sitting American President came under enemy fire. Lincoln went out to Fort Stevens to survey the scene and was narrowly missed by a Confederate sharpshooter, who did hit the person next to Lincoln. At that point someone, by some accounts later Supreme Court Justice Oliver W. Holmes, yelled "Get down, you fool!" at Lincoln. Lincoln got down. There is a soldierThere is a soldier standing fourth from the left. He is wearing an Army issued four-button "sack" or fatigue coat (dark blue in reality), military trousers (sky blue in reality) and is holding a civilian hat (a common habit of US volunteers). He Army issue bootees (or "brogans) are falling apart. This was a common occurrence in the field--sometimes with in six weeks of their being issued. Perhaps he stopped by to get a new pair. By April 1865 the younger men may have realized they were not going to be drafted, or perhaps the older ones may have been discharged veterans. (The Gallery, Civil War, D.C.)
What-a-Jolly-Street: 1936
... between 1963 and 1972, I read them a bedtime story every night from this child-friendly old-timey, innocent book of 365 one-page bedtime stories, one for every night of the week. I did not know this was such a popular book for so many ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/01/2015 - 7:13pm -

February 1936. "Children at the El Monte subsistence homesteads, California." Photo by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Too briefAll the boys are in long pants except for the one whose shorts are really a little too short and a little too tight. Those shorts remind me of a certain kind of bathing suit that old guys wore when I was a kid, a little too revealing sometimes for their own good. Flashback (or flashforward)What (if anything) is the child in the distance wearing? This almost gives me a flashback to the famous picture of the aftermath of a napalm raid in Vietnam. And suddenly spring!The 1936 North American cold wave ranks among the most intense cold waves in recorded meteorological history. The Midwest of the United States and the Prairie Provinces of Canada were hit the hardest, but only the Southwest and California largely escaped its effects. Luckily, these guys here were able to enjoy warm weather in El Monte! Our old friendSince we had four kids between 1963 and 1972, I read them a bedtime story every night from this child-friendly old-timey, innocent book of 365 one-page bedtime stories, one for every night of the week. I did not know this was such a popular book for so many until I saw your familiar title on this picture. We remember it well since it was continuously used to induce the "winding-down" process of bringing each night to a close (kids really do love structure). I had no idea it was so widely known until I googled it after seeing your nostalgic heading and it really is news to me that it was so common. Remember Mrs. Apricot, Beppo, the monkey and all the shenanigans that could give a kid something amusing to think about while they fell asleep? And each story was only a few minutes long. What a blast from the past it is for me to hear that it was so popular, since I thought it was just a cheap dime store treat which, at the time, could not have cost more than $3 or thereabouts and was printed on coloring book paper. Today it is selling for $25. Who knew we were not the only ones who knew about it? Wouldn't we all love to go back and revisit those carefree days and nights? Something was workingWhile they may not have had much, these children all appear happy and healthy. A lookerYou can tell that girl second from left grew up to be a real looker. Very pretty girl. I'd have had a crush on her if I was one of those boys. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Kids)
White Line: 1924
... Re: That Hat By day: dutiful civic transport. By night: wanton destroyer of ladies' millinery. Gorgeous! I'm not usually ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 12:10pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1924. "Continental White Line bus." Who can pinpoint the location here? National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. That hatIs that a smashed hat in the foreground? Very nice omnibus. LocationI think it's right in front of the Atkinson Garage Company. Air!It doesn't appear that there was a great deal of ventilation for this omnibus. In a time before antiperspirants and in wool clothing, no ventilation would be a bad thing. I can just imagine some of the tours were rather ripe. It could smell like the Lancaster County Farmer's Market on a rainy Friday in July after the Amish have been picking corn all week. The kind of smell that's nearly visible. [The four-section windshield is hinged and opens for ventilation. Deodorants, which go back to the 19th century, were well established by the 1920s. - Dave] Atkinson GarageAccording to an ad in the Washington Post (May 7, 1922), Atkinson Garage was in "Blagdon's Court" between 9th and 10th, M and N Streets NW. [That didn't take long! Now called Blagden Alley. - Dave] 1244 Blagden Alley NWView Larger Map Little has changedBetween the photo and the Google pic. Can even see where the drain cover in the foreground was -- the dark circle on the left in the Street View. [Wouldn't it be funny if that hat was still there. - Dave] "Auto Repair Inc."Another view of the old garage in Blagden Alley. Note the ghost lettering on the beam across the garage door. Google Maps goofed on the street name's spelling! PsssssstI don't think I'd have a lot of faith in that right front tire. It looks like a bad "re-capping" job is about to delaminate - blowout! You Da' Man, Cranch!This is the sort of thing that makes Shorpy the best website ever. Re: That HatBy day: dutiful civic transport. By night: wanton destroyer of ladies' millinery. Gorgeous!I'm not usually very interested in vehicles of that age but that's got to be one of the most beautiful bus bodies I've ever seen. The designer was obviously someone who saw coachbuilding as an art rather than a job; just look at the sweep of the roof line - there's not a straight section in it. I'm so lucky!How lucky am I? My software business is located directly across the alley from this building. Blagden Alley rocks; we love being there amongst the history, trying to build something new. The New Blagden AlleyAtkinson Garage is soon to be open as R.J. Powers' restaurant Rogue24. The back doors of Wagtime and Long View Gallery are straight ahead. It's gratifying to see what is happening in DC these days, and wondrous and to see what was happening in DC those days. With a few decades of disrepair in between. Truck MarqueWhat is the name on the radiator/grille below the fluting on top of the radiator? It appears that the manufacturer's name might be written diagonally below. Also, note the interesting mechanical device attached to the door. When the door opens up, the step automatically goes down. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Funk, Antoinette: 1914
... On a side note, Mrs. Funk looks like she hasn't had a good night's sleep in a while. Despite this, she looks remarkably well put together. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 9:09pm -

"Funk, Antoinette. Co-chairman N.A.W.S.A., 1914." Antoinette Funk of the National American Women Suffrage Association. Mrs. Funk, who was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1899, was U.S. Assistant Commissioner of Public Lands from 1933 to 1939. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Not pictured ...Hobnail boots, bullwhip. Yowzuh. [Don't make me stop the car. - Dave] No Shenanigans Here!Oh wow. What an amazing picture. She looks so together, so organised, so in control. The look on her face says "OK, take your photo. But no monkey business!" I wanna be her when I grow up. BackboneMore than most, Mrs. Funk seems to look straight through the camera lens into the eyes of the viewer. Her forthright, no-nonsense demeanor must have helped to disarm many opponents in the courts and in the bureaucracy. Her straight-backed posture as she rotates to her right to rest her arms on the desk surely reinforces our impressions of her character, yet that ramrod posture is the product of her very constricting corset, which allowed no sideways bending at the natural waist and very little arching of the low back. She must rest against the desk like a ladder resting against a second floor window ledge. Many photos of women taken during these years show similar physical accommodations to the unseen engineering beneath their clothes. A tip of the hat... to Ms Funk. My 18-year-old daughter voted for the first time last week. Funk @ Bryn MawrMs. Funk gave a speech at Bryn Mawr titled "The Best Arguments for Woman Suffrage" a year after this picture was taken. She died in 1942. She was also featured in a N.Y. Times article where she commented that a faction within the suffrage movement was causing a setback. Mrs. Funk's photo popped up on amazon.com (side profile) and she apparently did work with Liberty Bonds during WWII. The skirtLooks interesting with those side seams. I'm curious as to know how comfortable it'd be and to see how it's constructed. On a side note, Mrs. Funk looks like she hasn't had a good night's sleep in a while. Despite this, she looks remarkably well put together. A woman I would like to have known. Lady FaceAntoinette Funk's costume is up-to-the-minute for 1914. Her severely tailored high-waisted wool skirt contrasts with the complicated soft layering of silk net and tulle over silk taffeta on her blouse. The tiny silver pin at her throat however is a classic Art Nouveau style "Lady Face" pin, a young woman's face framed by four enormous roses or poppies, and probably dates from around 1904, the year Mrs. Funk was admitted to the Illinois Bar. Waitin' for the phone to ring.(I'll bet she never married!!) [You lose. Antoinette was already married, with two daughters, to Frank H. Funk when this photo was taken. - Dave] The sign behind herCan anyone make out the first and last words? It looks like: "_____ is the sweetest _____" ["Imitation is the sincerest flattery." In other words, men shouldn't feel threatened by women wanting to vote. They should be flattered! - Dave] Ms. FunkMs. Funk -- we owe a LOT to you and your colleagues. Factions in the suffragette movement causing problems ... sounds like problems with 3rd wavers vs. the old league in the contemporary feminist movement. I love this photo. I am....Frau Blücher"Stay close to 'za candles...za' stairway can be tweacherwus!" In The MovieLily Tomlin to star as Ms. Funk. Enigmatic Mrs. FunkWhat a bundle of internal contradiction! Starting in 1912, there are over 150 references in the Washington Post regarding Mrs. Funk's participation in the Suffragist movement, Liberty Loan program and the Land Office. Back in 1904, however, there is a full length article (below) profiling Mrs. Funk and her law practice in Illinois. In the article she states that women should not aspire to professional careers nor should they have the vote. It's hard for me to understand if she really believed this at the time, or if saying these things was a strategy to soften the "threat" and "scariness" of the advancement of women's rights. In either case, it reminds me of Mary Loomis and her radio school for men only. Women Stay at Home Advice of a Successful Woman Lawyer to Other Women. Standing before twelve jurors in the Criminal court last week a little woman who does not weigh more than 100 pounds pleaded for clemency in the punishment of a man who had murdered the girl who had jilted him. This little woman, Antoinette Funk, is a lawyer, and the case in which she figured was one of the very few in the history of the State in which a woman has appeared to defend a murder. [Several paragraphs about the specific case and Mrs. Funk's performance in court] For a professional woman Mrs. Funk has some extraordinary opinions about women in the professions. She does not believe in it. She is herself a lawyer by accident, and not be design, and she deplores the fact that women ever chose to enter the public or semi-public life. She has been practicing her profession for five years in this state - at Bloomington during the greater part of that time - and she takes great interest in her work, but she says any woman is out of place in any of the professions. "A woman is better off with a few babies at home than in a law office," says Mrs. Funk. "Woman's place is in the home, as it has always been. No change in social or economic conditions can alter that. The woman who enters the profession and assumes the duties and the hardships of public life gets out of her natural environment. The continual and increasing drift of women toward public action is working an ill effect upon society, and the ill will grow greater as the proportion of professional women increases." "I have two young daughters. Both of them were born before I took up the practice of law. I shall do everything in my power to turn those girls from the thought of entering any profession. I shall teach them all the domestic arts, so far as I can, for that is what they should know." ... "I am just a plain, old-fashioned woman myself. I do not believe that woman should vote, whatever their rights in the matter may be. [emphasis mine] It is the duty of women to preserve the home in the simplest, most sacred state. They cannot do it if they spend their time discussing politics, preparing law briefs, or practicing medicine. Being an old-fashioned woman, my ideas may be old-fashioned - far too old-fashioned - but I think I am qualified to speak with some authority upon the subject of women and the professions." "It is a false ambition which is leading women into public life. Some of them imagine, perhaps, that they have some public function to perform, but I do not know of one whose work could not be done as well by a man. When a woman enters public life new worries come to her, and worries are something that she does not need. That is one reason why I, for myself, object to women's clubs. I am not a member of one and I do not expect to be, I get all the excitement I need out of my law practice." [Several more similar paragraphs of direct quotes elaborating her regressive views.] Mrs. Funk really grew up in the law office and courtroom. Her father practiced law at Dwight, Ill., and when he died she went to live with her uncle. C.C. Strong, at Pontiac. In her uncle's law office she began her studies, simply because she was fascinated with the business and not because she ever expected to enter the profession. In time she was married. After her two daughters were born she moved to Bloomington and there resumed her studies in the Illinois Wesleyan University. Before she finished her course she decided to take up the practice of law as soon as she was admitted to the bar. Five years ago she was admitted to practice and since then has continually followed her profession. Washington Post, Feb 22, 1904 Waist knotShe is in a long stiff corset that would be considerd very tight for everyday wear. However, this lady probably thought it "normal / proper / respectable" to wear this style of corset. I was born in the UK in 1945. I remember that one of my teacher when I was 10 had this same posture and shape. Her curves tend to be in one dimension only! My Miss Shillinglaw would have been about 55 or so, so whe would have been 14 at the time of this photo. Perhaps this Mrs Funk would have been a role model for her? Although not comfortable these corsets force you into an upright posture which give the impression of confidence and certitude. This was power dressing in 1914. Cousin FunkI'm distantly related to Antoinette: she's my first cousin three times removed. I've been gathering information about her as part of some research for the history of my family, and I must say she was a remarkable woman. I'm surprised nobody has written about her in recent decades. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Dreamland Twilight: 1905
... Bert Kaempfert I keep hearing "Wonderland by Night." I'd have to say that Dreamland, especially the spectaculars Fall of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:15pm -

Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Dreamland at twilight." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. AtmosphereWhen I look at this print I can almost "feel" the air. People anticipating a wonderful and enjoyable evening. The fall and the flamesFrom here : http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/articles/shows.htm The Fall of Pompeii was an attraction at Dreamland in 1904. Visitors seated inside a classical Greek temple decorated with a fresco of a dormant volcano watched the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and its destruction of the town of Pompeii and its remaining inhabitants. The effect was achieved with scenic and mechanical equipment and an exciting electrical display finale. In Dreamland's similar, more elaborate and most exciting show, Fighting the Flames, there was the noisy arrival of the fire fighting apparatus, followed by breathtaking rescues of people trapped in the building's upper stories. Spectators watched from bleachers just inside the buildings ornate facade decorated with sculptures of fire fighters. A cast of 2000 fire fighters, complete with four engines and hose wagons, an extension ladder fire truck had to save a full-sized six-story hotel constructed of iron that was set on fire. http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/articles/images/dr-fightflames.jpg Please.More Dreamland. Please. I'm begging. Safety Last?I just noticed that the ONLY way up or down to the observation tower (background right) is via the elevator - no stairway at all! Heaven help you if there's a breakdown or a power failure! Dreamland "the novel"This photo brings alive much of what I read in Kevin Baker's "Dreamland." http://www.amazon.com/Dreamland-P-S-Kevin-Baker/dp/0060852720/ref=sr_1_2... Bert KaempfertI keep hearing "Wonderland by Night." I'd have to say that Dreamland, especially the spectaculars Fall of Pompeii and Fighting the Flames, out-Avatars "Avatar." DreamyI'd give a year of my life to spend one day here. Meet me tonight in Dreamland Under the silv'ry moon Sign me upI would so love to go there. It all looks so clean and shiny and promising...well if you don't look at the beach section on the lower right that is. Nothing lasts foreverhttp://vimeo.com/groups/704/videos/5552596 A short film about Dreamland (all still images) ending with the fire. "Fighting the Flames" was filmed, I haven't located it yet. I'd give a year, tooBut I'd want a long weekend in 1905, so I could spend a day at each of the parks. Have to grin at how Tilyou has put the "Steeplechase This Way" sign on the lookout tower where it's going to be in every photo taken of the Dreamland promenade. Luna Park has stuck their sign in just to the left of the tower, too. Great place!I never heard about Dreamland until I got into Shorpy. And reading your comments I learned a lot about this place. It would be great, at that time, to have a place like that, considering the little fun you could have at home. So sad Dreamland burned to the ground and noone rebuilt it. Big shock for the people, they lost their land of amusement. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
Columbia Basket-Ball: 1908
... I know it is early in California or at best very late at night when you posted this. Can't sleep? [Well you know, I am not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2012 - 4:54pm -

New York City circa 1908. "Basket-Ball, Columbia University." 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Go to sleepDave I know it is early in California or at best very late at night when you posted this. Can't sleep? [Well you know, I am not necessarily awake when a picture shows up. Image posting time is pre-settable. - Dave] FloorThat floor looks like it was very unforgiving if you fell or slid on it. Ouch! Mighty big negativeIs the actual negative 8 inches by 10 inches? Is that because of the lighting conditions? I noticed many other negatives on your site are smaller. Not too knowledgeable on older cameras, just curious. [The negative is a windowpane-size sheet of glass, 8 by 10 inches. You could be right. A lot of GGB's indoor photography around this time was done on 8x10 plates. - Dave] No lights, againNotice the ceiling lights are off even though it appears rather dark. This was also noticed in the surgery thread, but the rooms were much brighter. Perhaps the overhead lights weren't very strong. [The overhead lights here are off. In the surgery photos the subjects are lit from behind the camera. - Dave] Is that you, Ichabod?Strange effect, that fellow with the transparent head. University Hall GymnasiumThis image was taken looking east in the then-new gym in University Hall (started, 1895), at about 119th Street in the middle of campus. It's the rounded building on this map. There is a running track around the upper level, where a man is standing. The track is still in use today. It's 1/10th of a mile, IIRC. The windows face north and there was probably quite a lot of light in the space when the shot was taken. There as little or nothing built to the north, and the building planned for the top of the gym was never constructed. Eyes Wide OpenJudging by the movement of the players, this looks like perhaps an exposure of 1/2 second to 1 second. The lens aperture had to be wide open considering the depth of focus. Film speed was still quite slow in 1908. [Again I will point out that these photographs were not made on film. - Dave] (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports)
Acorn Buggy Co.: 1909
... which I rode many times as a kid; what a view it had at night with the open summer cars. He also mentioned Columbia Parkway which ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2012 - 3:17pm -

Circa 1909. "Cincinnati from Mount Adams." The continuation of our previous view of the Queen City. Among the enterprises whose names are blazoned across the factory district's smoky skyline: Acorn Buggy Company, Cincinnati Bag ("Cotton, Seamless and Burlap") and of course J. Chas. McCullough, "Seedsman." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The More Things ChangeI was a bit surprised to see that a whole cluster of buildings at the left are still there today. The huge warehouse with the two water towers (Tailors L.E. Hays etc.) has had a modern makeover, and the 5th Street/Columbia Parkway Viaduct now slides in just to the right of it. The Taft Museum and its back yard, part of a small enclave of wealthy residences, can be seen poking out from the left of the warehouse. The two buildings at the very left edge of the shot remain, sans smokestack. Aerial photo. The street coming towards us is 5th, and Eggleston is running left to right behind the Seeds building and Acorn Buggy. FechheimerFechheimer Brothers was, and apparently still is, one of the major suppliers of postal uniforms. I note their home page says they've been in Cincy since 1842, and that in addition to their foreign plants maintain three stateside union operations, presumably to cater to the union-heavy trades. Spillinghis seed. Did someone from Cincinnati buythe Brooklyn Bridge? Sure has a similar design. [Cincinnati's Roebling Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge were both designed by John Roebling. - Dave] Memories of CincyI grew up in Cincy in the 40s and 50s in Walnut Hills, Mount Auburn, and Hyde Park. Reader Jeff mentioned Eggleston Avenue. It was near the Mt. Adams Incline which I rode many times as a kid; what a view it had at night with the open summer cars. He also mentioned Columbia Parkway which was an early day version of an expressway. When it reached downtown, its viaduct crossed Eggleston and you could always smell the spices being made at the Frank Tea and Spice Conpany down below. Columbia then became 5th Street which went to Fountain Square and Government Square in the heart of downtown. White HouseI believe that white house with the tree-lined triangular yard (that looks like a small park) might be the home of William Howard Taft. It is the Taft Museum, today. Uniform tailorsWhen I was in high school we bought new band uniforms from Fechheimers. How funny that would come up after all these years! Procter and GambleHad already been around Cincy for 70 years when this pic was made. One more pan to the rightand just maybe we will see my favorite Cincinnati business, Lunkenheimer Valve. More on the BridgeConcerning Chris's remark on the similarities between the Cincinnati and Brooklyn suspension bridges, they are both the product of the Roeblings (John and Washington). The Cincinnati bridge (1867) is a predecessor of the Brooklyn bridge (1883), is still in service, and currently being repaired and repainted. The deck is metal grating and "sings" when driven over. You can see the river through the deck, which is a thrill to ride a bicycle over. http://www.roeblingbridge.com/historyb.html (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Factories)
Double Duty: 1942
... 1942, John Vachon wrote from Wisdom to his wife: "Last night 2 soused cowpunchers had a real slugging knocking down rolling on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/26/2021 - 1:02pm -

April 1942. "Wisdom, Beaverhead County, Montana. Accommodations at the Wisdom Hotel." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Two things rarely seen these daysCatalogs and outhouses. Sears stopped producing its general catalog in 1993. It's a long, long way to necessaryYears ago I learned a German word. It is one of those complex German words that has a nuanced meaning involving a stressful situation, the distance from point A to point B and a toilet. Fahrfumpoopen. Just a word from an experienced user. While waiting to finish, tear out a generous number of catalog pages and give them a good rubbing up. Much more satisfying than straight from the book. Ya gotta love the Google Books search engineIssue 134 of the Montgomery Ward catalog (1941), Page 412. https://books.google.com/books?id=uWhQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA412&dq=sun+valley+pl... No thanks!A hotel with an outhouse? And a shared outhouse at that? Umm ... maybe I don't want a time travel machine. Thank GoodnessFor the camera angle ... I've used facilities like this in my younger days, and the combination of visual and olfactory assaults were a bit much. No No, not the glossy pagesWhen I was a kid we were the only ones with a septic tank and flush toilet. My great-grandparents who lived behind us and my grandfather across the road had outhouses and used old telephone directories and the soft pages from Sears and Roebuck catalogs. When those were gone then the misery of the glossy pages began. Re: Ya gotta love the Google Books search engineLooks like they kept the Sears catalog to use for actually buying things and the Monkey Wards catalog for ... oh well. Two cowpunchers walked into a bar...On April 22, 1942, John Vachon wrote from Wisdom to his wife: "Last night 2 soused cowpunchers had a real slugging knocking down rolling on the floor fight in the joint next door ... After a few minutes I ran and got my camera, and when I came back they were buying each other drinks and lighting cigarettes. They wouldn't fight again for the camera." From the book, "John Vachon's America." Careful!The seat appears smooth so splinters may not be an issue but watch out for those gaps in the board. They are just waiting to pinch someone. Slick paper?That's rough. Deluxe OuthouseTravel through British Columbia and you will find that most Rest Stops on the highways feature modern concrete pit toilets and a few picnic tables. Regional parks in the Vancouver area also have outhouses; there is one just 1 km. from where I live. On Lopez Island in Washington State there is this amazing pit toilet. From the outside it is a plain wood building, but when you open the door you are greeted with a spotless interior - including fresh lilacs. Best title ever?Certainly right up there!! Additionally, it looks like the wall covering was used once or twice as emergency TP -- that couldn't have been pleasant. (The Gallery, Bizarre, John Vachon, Small Towns)
High School Mythical: 1917
... The Bard Could they be performing A Midsummer Night's Dream? That's two-thingsism I have the same wee little ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2012 - 9:32pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "National School of Fine & Applied Arts." An interesting group of young thespians. Harris & Ewing. View full size. The BardCould they be performing A Midsummer Night's Dream? That's two-thingsismI have the same wee little wheels on my antique vanity. I hope the centaurs' wheels don't squeak as loudly as those on my vanity. CreepyIs there something wrong with the two centaurs' eyes? I feel like they are boring into my soul. [Someone inked in their spooky pupils is why. - Dave] A firstI believe Pan is wearing a proto do-rag! A friend of Ms. Orloff?I believe the gal on our right share's the recent Ms. Orloff's taste for see-thru clothing. Fast Forward 100 Years...If these kids were born 100 later what modern subculture would they belong in? Which one would shop Abercrombie? Which one would shop Hot Topic? Which one would shop thrift stores to make a political statement? I see the centaur with the shoulder length brunette hair as a Abercrombie girl. Hooray for Captain Spaulding!"Animal Crackers." Which?Is this an example of a fine or an applied art, or maybe both? I WonderDid this inspire Walt Disney in creating the "centaurettes" of "Fantasia" 30 years later? The Hunt EternalCostumes for a Mardi Gras Ball.... Washington Post, Feb 21, 1917 Revel at Hunt Ball Mardi Gras a Brilliant Close for Capital's Social Season Washington social season went out in a blaze of glory last evening at the Mardi Gras hunt ball, in the largest ballroom of the Willard. Maids and matrons, belles and beaux disported themselves in fantastic, grotesque and antique costumes from Pan and his band to the most richly bedecked modern Turkish lady. ... At 11 o'clock the bugler sounded boldly for the clearing of the venter of the floor for the first pageant, and Pan, in the person of Mr. Milton Bryan, dashed through the hall announcing the coming of the centaurs. In this group were Miss Dorothy Dent, Miss Margaret Cutler, Miss Louise Rochon, Miss Phillips, nymphs; Miss Muriel Boyd, Miss Leah Range, Mr. F.G. Hammer, Mr. Louis Janof and Mr. Overton Colbert, centaurs. This group was given by the National School of Fine and Applied Arts, the costumes made and dyed there. Can't help but wonder...It know it involved centaurs, Pan, and Turkish ladies, but what the heck was this play about? (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Portraits)
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