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Christmas in July: 1915
... their eyes look perfectly normal for an indoor shot at night. - Dave] Tin Man Ornament Is that a Tin Man ornament ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/11/2013 - 11:01am -

"Raymond Dickey. Christmas 1915." View full size. Nat'l Photo glass negative. OrnamentsI have a box of Christmas ornaments that belonged to my grandparents, maybe 50 years old. They're pretty well preserved, with nary a sound-chip to be had. My grandfather's method of applying tinsel was to take a fistful and hurl it at a spot on the tree. It's interesting to see how the designs of ornaments have changed to reflect what people consider festive. I see an ear of corn, and a scary disembodied head (oer the little sailor boy's shoulder). I really like those little clip-on birds. And really, that's got to be a HUGE tree for them to sit underneath it like that. [Below, the whole thing. - Dave] IciclesGood ol' lead tinsel. In our house, it was required to be applied by us children--one. strand. at. a. time. or. else. My brother and I enjoyed gathering the imperfect and leftover pieces into near-lethal balls to throw at each other. My grandparentshad the clip-on birds on their tree and I loved playing with them as a kid! Is that really an ear of corn or a German type pickle ornament? 1910 CensusWith a quick scan of the 1910 census, I found a Raymond Dickey that lived on Otis Place in Washington D.C. He's listed as a lawyer, which by the look of him, I could certainly believe. If my calculations are right, he should be about 37 in the picture. His wife, Rose, would be 36. The oldest son would be 12, and the daughter would be 9. The youngest would be below 5 since he isn't on the 1910 census. They must have been pretty well-to-do since the census lists them having two servants as well. Ornament survivalI'm astonished. Those could be the ornaments on our tree in the 1950s. I knew we had some really old ones from my mother's family, including a couple that still had wax drippings on them, but practically all our ornaments were like this; there's at least one exact duplicate insofar as I can tell in black and white. I had no idea they were that old, or that those traditional designs were kept in production so long. Need a Little ChristmasLike the song from "Mame" goes, "We need a little Christmas" on a currently hot and steamy NYC afternoon. The size of that tree is enormous...they were probably decorating it since Thanksgiving. I'm also with tterrace that the 30s and 50s ornaments looked identical: forever old, just as fragile. Old OrnamentsI too have a handful of old ornaments in my possession. They belonged to my mother's parents, who are gone now. Some of them date from their first Christmas together, in 1937. If I take some of their photographs and a magnifying glass, I can spot a few of them on their tree at the time. Luckily my grandfather had some odd habits such as photographing the interiors of every house he owned (once they'd set up) and I have a record of basically all the houses they lived in from 1937-1973 when they moved the last time. Bells, birds, little cabins, puppies, and angels. Wonderful. Jeepers CreepersWhere'd they get those peepers? Looks like the retoucher was a little over-zealous... I've seen other photos like this, with the pupil of the eye provided with a dot of pencil lead. [There's no retouching here. And pencil lead applied to a negative would result in a white pupil. - Dave] Lil' Orphan AnnieBut pencil lead to a print... or scraping a negative none too gingerly... [Would look a uniform black, not a gradation of grays, and jagged at the edges (these are all scanned from the original glass negatives -- there are no prints). Plus their eyes look perfectly normal for an indoor shot at night. - Dave] Tin Man OrnamentIs that a Tin Man ornament above the ear of the small boy in the sailor suit? The Wizard of Oz was published in 1900. I love this site. Thanks Dave. (The Gallery, Christmas, Natl Photo, The Dickeys)
Zollie Lyons: 1939
... but used copies are probably at Amazon. I stayed up all night to finish this one. A good non-fiction work about sharecropping in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/10/2009 - 12:23pm -

July 1939. "Zollie Lyons, Negro sharecropper, home from the field for dinner at noontime, with his wife and part of his family. Note dog run. Wake County, North Carolina." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange. They all look so tired....Life must not have been too easy back then. Dog run?What dog run? [Reference to a southern style of architecture. - Dave] Re: Dog RunOne purpose of the dog run was to serve as a sort of firebreak. The kitchen was on one side. If a fire broke out there, perhaps the rest of the structure could be saved. The Lyonses It would be interesting to know what the war did to this family; the years of Southern sharecropping were drawing to a close, and the war could have provided work in factories in the Northern cities. Additional reading If one wanted to get a real sense of how life was for sharecroppers in the South during the Depression, I can suggest a novel called "Hold Autumn in Your Hand" by George Sessions Perry. I don't know if the book is in print, but used copies are probably at Amazon. I stayed up all night to finish this one. A good non-fiction work about sharecropping in the South is called "The White Scourge: Mexicans, Blacks, and Poor Whites in Texas Cotton Culture" by Neil Foley. A tough read, but mixed amongst the first-person narratives is a good explanation of the financial aspects of sharecropping, for both the sharecroppers and the owners. [Thanks for the suggestions. I'd like to throw in a mention for the short stories of Flannery O'Connor. - Dave] Dog TrotThese cabins, called "dog trots," were found throughout the cotton South, having originated in Appalachia. They featured a center hallway between two "pens" or buildings, where much of the domestic work of the house such as cooking, washing, and food preparation could be done in the shade or out of the rain. Also, ventilation was provided by the center opening. Here is an extensive photo documentation of one of the houses - much like the one pictured here: http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Dogtrot_House.html Dog run = dog trotThe "dog run" or "dog trot" is the center opening. A lot of Southern homes had a kitchen separate from the main living area, to keep the living area cool. Sometimes homes had a completely separate building known as a "summer kitchen" where cooking, canning, clothes washing etc could be carried on without heating up the house, & also to prevent any fires from burning the main house down. My dad (age 87) says southern men also used to keep a mirror, pitcher & basin, soap, razor, etc on the back porch, so they could wash up & shave out there. We are the desendantsCommenting on one of the articles The Lyonses- wondering what happened to the family after the war. It was amazing to see our great- grandfather Zollie Lyons on these pictures! How can we get more information? I didn't know that these pictures existed. The family still resides in North Carolina. Please advise of who we can contact for more information. [This and other photos from this set at the Library of Congress can be found here. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Rural America)
Cops at Cars Getting Coffee: 1919
... his squad of boxers won four of five titles in a single night (they didn't compete that night in the fifth weight class). His school seems to have existed from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/30/2016 - 12:22pm -

Washington, D.C, 1919. "Police coffee." Backed by the Salvation Army's powerful message of hope and/or thrift. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Zombie Apocalypse Pssst ... in the back seat. Twins?Or at least brothers. BenefitsApparently, their plan did not include dental. Looking OutThat face in the broken rear window is creepy. Wow If I ran into that officer on the street today, I'd swear he was my brother! What? No Doughnut?I guess it's coffee and no doughnut, due to that "thrift" thing. Last Thursday, after three days of resistance broke down, I went and got two dozen at the much-too-close Winchell's, right at sunrise. When I got home, I found a sheriff's car in my driveway. I wondered that maybe a neighbor didn't like my new cabana or the feral cat I feed, but it turned out the deputy had a subpoena for me to appear as witness in an upcoming homicide trial, which I'm happy to do. After our friendly discussion, I returned to my car to get the two big boxes of doughnuts and felt positively guilty I'd not offered the deputy one or more for breakfast. I wonder if that coffee's as thrifty as mine? I save on the coffee by buying generic so I can have the doughnuts. In any event, I bet that coffee wasn't hot for very long. PeekabooI see the coffee man in the back Get Whipped Into ShapeThe photo shows the headquarters of the Salvation Army at 930 Pennsylvania Street NW. Helping to identify the location is Whipps School of Scientific Boxing next door run by William Roy Whipp (1892 - 1992). He died on the day after his 100th birthday. Whipp opened his school while the troops were demobilizing from WWI. He volunteered to teach men to fight (box) during the days before they went overseas. He received no payment for his services. He opened up his school in January, 1919 while the troops were demobilizing. By this time Whipp was a former South Atlantic light-weight champion. Since he was deaf in his right ear he was considered not fit for service. After the war he began to train soldiers to box at Fort Myers, Virginia, and in 1922 his squad of boxers won four of five titles in a single night (they didn't compete that night in the fifth weight class). His school seems to have existed from 1919 - 1922, but he remained involved in physical training nearly his whole life. There are photos of him in the Library of Congress photo collection here and here. He was also a boxing coach for the Maryland Terrapins boxing team in 1930-1931, but they did not fare well during the season. "William Whipp's career began as a trainer to the boxer Jack Dempsey in 1919, before his championship match with Jess Willard. During the 1920s and 1930s Whipp worked as a sports columnist for the Hearst newspapers and the Washington Star. During the 1950s, William Whipp hosted one of the area's first television fitness shows, as well as hosting radio health programs. After 51 years as physical director of the University Club, Whipp retired at the age of 81. At the age of 100, William Whipp died in 1992 (Washington Journal, 4 March 1992)" Source: Maryland Historic Trust document here. Here's JohnnyThe guy with his face sticking through the window in the back might want some coffee and salvation too. Coffee Police"You know why I pulled you over, don't you? You're suspected of toting Sanka into a Starbucks area. I'm just going to have a taste to be sure." SurpriseI didn’t see the face looking out the broken plastic window until I went to the full view. He kind of surprised me. Did they have plastic windows in the canvas tops of the day? [Isinglass, celluloid, etc. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Icebox Buick: 1922
... due time Five below is when you brought the oil in at night and heated it on the stove the next morning, back in them days. Or just ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2015 - 7:30pm -

San Francisco, 1922. "Ice-packed Buick motor stunt." A demonstration of the "Heat Control Carburetor." 6½ x 8½ inch glass negative. View full size. Lotta cool hats thereNot a bare head to be seen, at least by me. I do like that handy oil can mounted in its own holder there on the firewall. I wonder when those went away. Probably long before all the hats. Nice stunt!That must have been a very impressive feat, considering how hard it was to start an engine when it got really cold. Assuming, of course, that the oil didn't get as thick as molasses, the spark plug cables didn't short, and the carburetor wasn't flooded with water from the melting ice ... Do we know if the car started after this automotive version of the ice-bucket challenge? It WorkedFrom page 8 of the Sunday, Feburary 26, 1922 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle, with the still in effect War Tax being extra: The Driverlooks a tad apprehensive. You can almost read his mind, "Come on, Baby, start!" Age of AcceptanceNote that with one or two exceptions that caps are worn by the boys and the fedoras by the older guys. How about bringing it down to 5 below?It's a nice stunt, but the engine won't get any colder than 32 degrees Fahrenheit. That's not so cold as most winter mornings. [Not a frequent problem in San Francisco, though. -tterrace] [Also, while ice can't get any warmer than 32 degrees, it can certainly be colder. The ice in my freezer is kept at zero degrees. - Dave] All in due timeFive below is when you brought the oil in at night and heated it on the stove the next morning, back in them days. Or just didn't bother with the car. This was a pretty good trick for 1922. Charles S. HowardI believe the fellow standing in front of the Buick is Charles S. Howard, owner of the Buick dealership in SF and later the owner of the legendary racehorse, Seabiscuit. [Not with that nose. -tterrace] I'm missing the logic...If the carb used exhaust heat to warm the fuel, what made it a good carb for cold starts? Did it have some kind of fancy automatic choke as well? Hats vs. CapsBack then, I believe, for men, the hats vs. caps divide was one of class. Blue collar workers, laborers, and such wore caps. White collar workers and the wealthy wore hats. Except for cowboys, of course ;-) It's just like making ice creamBobu, it may actually be colder than 32 degrees Fahrenheit, if salt is sprinkled on the ice. If you look closely at the gentleman directly in front of the radiator, his outstretched right hand is cupped and appears to have a whitish material in it. I'm betting he's sprinkling salt on the ice as it's being shoveled on the engine... A pretty common featureIt's basically a manifold heat riser which routes exhaust gases through a passage in the intake manifold, under the carb. It became a common feature on carbureted cars. It really wouldn't help starting though, since it only has an effect once the car is started. But, it does help driveability during warm up. The logicGasoline with moisture content can ice up the venturi during cold weather and stop a running engine. I had a 60's era Chevy which fed a bit of the exhaust gas through a 'crossover' that went under the carburetor for that reason. A bimetal-sprung thermostatic valve would work to close the crossover when the engine was hot. I still have a 70's era Datsun Z which does not have that feature. The latter stranded me on an interstate one subzero Christmas Eve in the early 80's due to icing. As the caption says, this was a stunt and as such would not truly prove their claim. Choke it!I cut my teeth on carburetors, chokes, accelerator pumps and floats. The passage under the carburetor was great, but the system required that it flow enough exhaust gas to produce the heat to open the choke. Older vehicles tended to burn oil, and this oil went out the exhaust. Some of this oil mixture exhaust was routed through this passage under the carburetor. Over time this oily exhaust would clog up the passage, so the choke wouldn't open as designed. This caused the engine to stall, and further attempts at starting were futile. The spark plugs would be soaked in gas, so they needed to be removed and cleaned or replaced and the passage cleaned out. This usually meant the intake manifold needed to be removed and the deposits chiseled out. With fuel injection, we take for granted that we can turn the key and the engine will start and run right away with no hesitation. Every now and then I have to work on a carbureted vehicle, and I forget to pump the gas pedal a few times before turning the key. ["Turning the key" -- how quaint! - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
Orange and Blue: 1968
... feeds. Since I was a political junkie, on every primary night he'd patch me into the live not-for-broadcast feed so I could keep up ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/14/2013 - 11:17am -

June 8, 1968. "Funeral cortege of Robert F. Kennedy." More of the mourners who lined the route of RFK's funeral train as it made its way from New York to Washington. The mood may have been blue, but the Popsicles were not. Photos by Paul Fusco and Thomas Koeniges for Look magazine. View full size. Different CrowdDifferent time of day? Different zip code? The last crowd looked like they had all spontaneously dropped their household chores, hair curlers and all. They were standing in tall grass, most of them wearing shorts, and I almost start scratching my ankles thinking of the chigger bites. But here, they're dressed to the nines, at least the five very fashionable women in the front row. I love that dress with the Morse code patterns, or is it more like an oilfield geologist's sounding chart? I've known a few women who would kill to find that in a vintage shop. Who knows which state, just somewhere along the Penn Central line, as this is after the merger, but before Amtrak. CoverageI was ten years old when this happened. I remember "Bewitched" was preempted for coverage of the funeral, which was on all the networks. The thing went on forever. The poor newscasters ran out of things to say, so resorted to saying, time and again, "Yes, the coffin will be passed through the removed windows of the train car," which I though was incredibly spooky. At some point, one of the guys said, "So tragic...two brothers...from the same family." This reminds meof a European on his first visit to the U.S. who noticed that Americans are always eating in the street, others Europeans have mentioned this also, seems funerals are no exception. A HOT June Day!According to records kept by www.weatherunderground.com the high temperature on that date in NYC was 88, and 80 in Washington, D.C. - so assuming this photo was taken somewhere between those two points, it was a pretty hot day all around - which would explain the ice pops - bottled water was not around back then. [It was, but the bottles were glass. - Dave] Re: GreenlandIn '68 I was a SAC crew dog flying 'Thule Monitor' (AKA 'BUTTERKNIFE') missions, where we'd take a B-52 up to Thule and orbit the place for twelve hours, (ostensibly) watching just in case the Soviets vaporized it. We killed time (and probably drove Soviet radio monitors nuts) by playing 'Trivia' over the UHF with Thule ground control. Any chance that was you? HemlinesYou could just about take a laser sight (time machine needed, of course,) and etch a straight line with those hems on the three skirts to the left. StrangeI find this photo kind of surreal. Popsicles and a funeral train. Two things that I would have never put together. [Don't knock it till you've tried it. - Dave] Why the popsicles?Did an ice cream truck running a special on orange Popsicles pass by just prior to this photo was taken? Just seems weird that several of the people in the picture seem to be eating them; I mean the same flavor and everything. This also reminds me of how things have changed; all of the visible females are wearing skirts/dresses even in the free for all late '60's when things began to relax fashion-wise. I remember wearing either a dress or a skirt every day to school around that time. By the early 70's though, jeans were the norm. Gold pinky ringsI don't remember that as a fashion statement in the late 1960s or early 1970s, but two of the women in front (maybe all five, but I think the two AA women have wedding bands on their index finger, and it's hard to tell with the blond on the left) have pinky rings. Heard it from GreenlandI was stationed at Thule Airbase in 1968 and worked in the comm center. A friend of mine worked in Tech Control and had access to all the Armed Forces Network news feeds. Since I was a political junkie, on every primary night he'd patch me into the live not-for-broadcast feed so I could keep up with the latest election news. I was listening to the feed from the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after Kennedy had been declared the winner of the California primary and heard the pandemonium after the shooting. The previous April, I was working at Eugene McCarthy headquarters in D.C. while home on leave the previous April when MLK was killed. It's hard to describe the feelings of those days. It felt like everything was falling apart. SurrealI was just finishing up at CUA then, Almost too much going on to fully appreciate. Strange times. It is a SaturdayJudging from the clothing of the young people in the crowd, I thought they were all possibly office workers, stenos, etc. but after looking at the day of the week site, it said it was a Saturday and certainly not what most people today schlep around in on a weekend. Practice for the futureCellphones haven't been invented yet, so we'll just hold up these popsicles. Minimal RestraintNote that the Police Line consists of a mere length of twine. (LOOK, Railroads)
Fill Noir: 1942
... 1942. "Hollywood, California. Gasoline filling station at night." Photo by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2017 - 10:54am -

April 1942. "Hollywood, California. Gasoline filling station at night." Photo by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. Strange pump?Anyone know what that "pump" is in the center of the front lane? I swear, it looks more like an arcade "Claw Game" cabinet than a gasoline pump, and I've never seen anything like that that I can recall. Blackout, Shmackout?If the date is right, the picture depicts a pretty blatant violation of the blackout rules, especially two months after the "Battle of Los Angeles." [Except for the occasional air raid alert (see clipping below), Los Angeles was not under blackout. - Dave] Film NoirIf it's taught me anything it's that this will soon be the scene of a crime, most likely a murder, or maybe some poor sap will pick up a stranded "dame" at this service station, sending his life careening off the tracks and ending in death. Still TiredThe location was 6210 Sunset Boulevard at El Centro Avenue. There's still a tire store on the corner. Cheap washI paid ten bucks for a car wash yesterday ... those were the days! My oh My that signageGetting a little light-headed over all those signs. And that neon clock. Hope they have those clocks in heaven. Glassware giveaways and girls on roller skatesMark C. Bloome immigrated to Southern California from Canada in 1924 and parlayed a 15-cent-a-gallon Richfield gasoline station into one of the nation's largest chain with 45 tire stores and service stations He was a boy when he left Canada to find his fortune and only 22 when he opened his Richfield station at Compton Boulevard and Slauson Avenue in South-Central Los Angeles. He survived the Depression years by offering glassware giveaways and other free premiums at his expanding chain of stations and at one point even had women on roller skates speeding among the pumps dispensing gasoline. Bloome was 89 when he died at his Beverly Hills home, Dec.3, 1991 Dave ?EIViego sends a copy of news clipping to support his comment. You offhandedly dispute as we must accept what you say. Where is your support? [That clipping is from me. Maybe you should read it again! - Dave] These are the daysAccounting for inflation, 69 cents in 1942 was pretty much exactly the same as the ten bucks you paid for that car wash yesterday, if not just a bit more. Car WashAccording to the BLI inflation calculator, that 69-cent car wash is equivalent to $10.76 today. ShowcaseThe "Showcase" gasoline pump was manufactured by at least 3 different companies during the 1930s. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Los Angeles, Russell Lee)
V: 1942
... when my grandmother died in Pennsylvania and we took the night train to get there, my first experience as a youngster with a family ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 7:10pm -

August 1942. "Crowds at Pennsylvania Station, New York." Medium format negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. Sentimental JourneyAlthough it is apparent that all the men in uniform have an appointed destination and mission to accomplish, one has to wonder where all the other people are headed with children and cardboard suitcases. There seems to be no business men getting on these trains as one would see at Grand Central Station. I was in a similar line with my mother at the same place just one year later when my grandmother died in Pennsylvania and we took the night train to get there, my first experience as a youngster with a family death. Quite unforgettable. V for Victory, and moreThe “V for Victory” banner dominating the background includes, as you see, the Morse code for the letter: three dots and a dash. Early in WW II the letter began to be used as a rallying signal, expressed by holding up one’s first two fingers with the intent of showing defiance to the Nazis. The BBC took this idea and created its V for Victory campaign, which continued through the war and essentially was used by all Allied nations and their armed forces. Mass communication then, obviously, was by radio, and the BBC gave a sound to the campaign for its broadcasts into occupied Europe by using the opening notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. I have no idea if this choice was some wry British humor or what, but Beethoven, of course, was a German. [It was used because the opening notes of Beethoven's Fifth are three short notes and a long (da-da-da-daaaa), which corresponds to the Morse code for the letter V. -tterrace] [Ahem. That's what I thought I was saying in my first sentence, but I forgot to include the part about the notes.] As a very young child during the war I traveled through Penn Station quite often and remember two details: the hundreds of model airplanes hanging from the ceiling (black Bakelight plastic aircraft recognition models, identical to a few I had at home) and the crowds of troops arriving and departing, as this photo illustrates. To this day I wonder about the fate of that uniformed generation of Americans that I saw; for some it had to be their last few steps on home soil. Next weekend my wife and I will be in Penn Station en route to a place without question much nicer than the destination of many of the military men and women who visited there, all those years ago. glass tileThat glass tile floor provided light to the tracks below. You can still see some portions of it looking up at the ceiling of the NJ Transit tracks. Vault LightsNote the glass prism vault lights imbedded in the floor, which were used to illuminate the room underneath. As a kid I remember seeing these in San Francisco, but I think most large cities had them. There's an interesting web site that tell the full story at: http://glassian.org/Prism/Vault/index.html You could make millions!Every person in this photo could have become a millionaire if only he or she had the sudden thought: "Hey! Why not build wheels into these suitcases?" Dinner in the DinerBack in the 1980s, I belonged to a singing group that performed for many "snow birds" in the Phoenix area. One of the favorite songs of our audiences was "Chattanooga Choo Choo", which includes the lyrics: "You'll leave the Pennsylvania station 'bout a quarter to four, read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore, dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer, than to have your ham and eggs in Carolina" As one of the oldest in the group, I had to explain what it meant, and keep reminding the other ladies that it wasn't "dinner AT the diner"! I was the only one who could remember dining cars on trains. In the early to mid 1960s, at 9 and 10 years old, I really didn't think much COULD be finer than dinner in the diner, during a cross-country train trip! On a more serious note, I would love to be able to hear what experiences each person in this photo was having, that day, and in the next few years. Certainly, everyone in it was affected by the global war in some manner. He's not ordering two more Pimm's CupsHere's Winston Churchill in one of his iconic images, flashing the V for Victory sign. LIRRThe Long Island Railroad also uses Penn Station as its NYC terminus. At he time this picture was taken it was the best route to that Shorpy favorite, The Rockaways, on the Queens County Shoreline. After a 1950 fire on the tracks running across Jamaica Bay, in Broad Channel, the LIRR felt that the line was too costly to operate and they sold it to NYC and in 1956 it became the IND Subway System's Rockaway line. That opened up those great beaches to the rest of the city. (The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC, Railroads, WW2)
Safety Tested: 1958
... that screwed on the valve stem with a small key. One night someone not only stole the spinners, but also replaced the locks back on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/08/2022 - 1:17pm -

        At Rucker Oldsmobile in Columbus, Georgia. From around 1958 comes this News Archive photo of a "Safety Tested" used Oldsmobile -- a two-tone 1956 Ninety-Eight De Luxe Holiday Coupé, to be specific. Low miles, only driven to church, never smoked in, must see to appreciate! 4x5 inch acetate negative. View full size. "Never smoked in"In 1958? That seems rather improbable. Parking in the rearCareful where you park if you decide to rent the apartment. You might find your two-tone 1956 Ninety-Eight Holiday Coupé sold if you park in front. Yes!I like real cars. "They don't build them like they used to"... is an often heard comment at the car shows I go to. My reply is "and that's a good thing." Yes, I have one car that is 99 years old, and my wife's car is 60, however growing up, rarely did we see a car much older then 10 years. In 1969, my folks' 1964 Chevy (bought used in 1967) was off to the junkyard and the "new" to us 1968 Pontiac was out in driveway. By 1972 it was replaced by a brand new Chevy. Without doubt, this 1956 Olds was scrap by 1964. After 6-8 years/80-100k miles, a car was done. Today 15-20 years and +200k is the norm! '57 Chevy featuresAgree with Steve Belcher. My first car was a ten-year-old '57 Chevy. It looked great, but in retrospect was sort of a rolling health hazard: no seat belts; steel dashboard; non-collapsing steering column; asbestos brake pads; no power steering. Also, no smog control (had to install it when I bought it to make it street legal). Got all of 15 MPG and leaked oil. And I seem to remember "vacuum assist" windshield wipers that slowed to almost nil when going up steep San Francisco hills. Yeah, glad they don't build 'em like that anymore. Safety Tested = Making sure it's unsafe!"Safety Tested": Still no seat belts? Yes! Hard metal dashboard? Yes! Still no airbags? Yes! Small drum brakes prone to fade? Yes! No door guard beams or child-proof locks? Yes! I guess "Safety Tested" meant that the doors stayed closed and the wheels stayed on. [A padded dashboard and child-guard door locks were standard equipment on 1956 Oldsmobiles. - Dave] Great car, but --My mom and dad bought a 1956 Holiday sedan back then and it was a great car. I loved driving it. Comfortable, plenty of room and ran good. Unfortunately in 1964 Dad was killed in a freak accident in it. The car hardly looked damaged but he slid off the road on Route 66 and hit a mailbox and the box came back through the windshield and hit him. Three days after his funeral, we got a hand-scribbled note from the mailbox owner asking for $8 to replace it. SpinnersThose coveted flipper hubcaps had a tendency to disappear to Midnight Auto Supply. Spin offEarly in my driving days my dad had a 1953 Mercury that I put similar spinners on. I also bought locks for them which were a sombrero shaped gizmo that screwed on the valve stem with a small key. One night someone not only stole the spinners, but also replaced the locks back on the stems. My mother's car!Bought used, to drive to her job as an elementary school librarian. It was pink and white, Earl Scheibed to "Passionate Purple". (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive)
Windsor Shades: 1935
... between the chimneys must have been a nice place on a cold night. This Old House A retired hospital administrator named Carl ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 4:40pm -

1935. King William County, Virginia. "Waterville, vicinity of Sweet Hall." Built by Tidewater planter James Ruffin in 1794 on the Pamunkey River, this home served as a tavern for Ruffin's Ferry. Currently known as Windsor Shades. 8x10 inch safety negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston for the Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South. One of thousands of large-format images of dilapidated mansions, decaying farmhouses and tipsy cabins recorded by this pioneering photographer as she traveled the South during the Depression, documenting a fast-disappearing inventory of Early American architecture. View full size. Flemish Bond Chimney Stacks Windsor Shades is still standing and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was recently restored and wings were added to either end of the building (source). Description of the architecture at http://www.kingwilliamhistory.org: Windsor Shades, also known as Waterville, is a strikingly handsome, little-altered Tidewater planter's house situated on the Pamunkey River about ten miles above West Point. The house sits in a small open area between the river and a pond and is shielded from the public road by a stand of evergreen trees . The dwelling is a story and a half, five bay, gambrel roofed structure built of frame, covered with beaded weatherboards and set on a low, English-bond brick basement. The feature for which the house is renowned is the massive Flemish bond brick chimney stacks at either end. The east chimneys consist of double stacks with three sets of tiled weatherings on each and with a two-story pent between them. In the basement there is an unusually large cooking fireplace topped by a segmental arch. The fireplace is served by the south flue of the east chimneys. Winter bedroomDibs on the bedroom between the chimneys during the winter. Still StandingThe website for the King George County Historical Society displays current photos of Waterville and Sweet Hall, among others. Many of these wonderful manses have disappeared, yes, but many are still extant. I love this place. Great photo. Needs TuckpointingBut the doghouse entrance on this end is generous. ConnectedThere's no electric line in sight, but at least there's a phone line so they can call the fire department. Tidewater TitillationThis is an exhilarating example of Tidewater architecture. The chimneys are amazing! They're also vulnerable to deterioration as evidenced by obvious signs of rebuilding. Note that the chimney stacks begin in Flemish Bond and terminate in Common Bond. Original features include the 9 over 9 first floor front sash and 9 over 6 elsewhere. The horizontal bars in the basement windows are also original. Nineteenth century alterations include a "Greek Revivalization" of the front entry and flanking windows with their corner blocks. Truly a remarkable image. I'd love to poke around inside. I'm WatchingThe dog just stands guard as if to say "OK photographer, you're close enough." I think these old structures are awesome. I like the lines and the massive sise of the building. I imagine many small rooms behind those windows with a large kitchen at the fireplace. Nice shot. Wanting to see more. Cozy!That little alcove between the chimneys must have been a nice place on a cold night. This Old HouseA retired hospital administrator named Carl Fischer bought the place in 1998 and renovated the house. 1. The renovation. 2. A history of the house. (Scroll down) (The Gallery, Dogs, F.B. Johnston)
The Belmont Coach: 1905
... of valuable property, and the dogs watched the carriage at night when the owners were sleeping at country inns. Horseless carriage ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:54pm -

New York circa 1905. "The Belmont coach." Alfred Vanderbilt's Belmont Park four-in-hand passing the Holland House Hotel on Fifth Avenue, in the days when "coaching" was a favored pastime of millionaire sportsmen. View full size. Vanderbilt's horsesFrom around 1900 and into the 1920s, Charles Hersig, founding owner of the Wyoming Hereford Ranch, and my father's guardian, bred and trained high quality carriage and riding horses that he sold every year to the horsey members of the New York 400. The team pulling Vanderbilt's drag (which is what they called these heavy English mail coaches) quite possibly came from Hersig. Each year he took a trainload of horses East, a couple of weeks before the start of the racing season at Belmont Park, and always sold out. His wife Ida told my father that one year around 1902, when she went with Charlie for the New York sale, they were invited to a customer's Opening Day box at the racetrack, and, ironically, Uncle Charlie had to rent a buggy and a skittish young horse from a livery stable to get there. The drive to Belmont Park was crowded with carriages and at least ten of these big yellow and black drags, loaded with millionaires, when Charlie's horse panicked and bolted. As Aunt Ida held on for dear life, Charlie stood up in the box like a charioteer to let the horse run himself out. She said she was pretty mortified when they passed Vanderbilt's drag, and he and all his friends were laughing in admiration, blowing on coach horns to clear the road ahead, and shouting "Give 'im hell, Charlie, give 'im hell!" Outlaw PoochIf that dog tried running on Fifth Ave. today, the police would slap a $200 ticket on him for not having a leash. A watery endAlfred Vanderbilt, a passenger aboard the Cunard liner Lusitania, drowned at sea when the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1915. His body was never recovered. A memorial stone was erected in London. "In Memory of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt a gallant gentleman and a fine sportsman who perished in the Lusitania May 7th 1915. This stone is erected on his favourite road by a few of his British coaching friends and admirers." By all accounts this man of wealth died nobly after giving his life jacket to a woman holding her baby. Free dog!I like a dog in charge of his own recreation. Spot the Carriage DogThe New York Times - November 18, 1900 - It Is commonly believed that the spotted carriage dogs, once so frequently kept in England, were about the most useless creatures of the dog kind, maintained only for show and fashion. This is a mistake. They were used at a time when a traveling carriage carried, besides its owners, a large amount of valuable property, and the dogs watched the carriage at night when the owners were sleeping at country inns. Horseless carriageFollowing the four-in-hand (look to its left and in the background) is a horseless carriage. The driver appears to be operating a tiller. Fifth AvenueI assume that this is Fifth Avenue in the fifties, looking southwest, or is it northeast? Can anyone identify the church in the background? [The street sign on the lamppost says West 30th. - Dave] Cool lamps! Check out the cool dragon lamps on the front of the hotel. I wonder if they are lying in some basement somewhere gathering dust? Free Dog III'm with Jimmy Longshanks. I too love seeing random dogs going about their business without a care in the world. This dog looks very happy in his work. Like those cool dragon lamps, I briefly wonder what became of him? (The Gallery, Dogs, DPC, Horses, NYC)
Proviso Yard, Chicago: 1942
... and wondering if we would make it across. One winter night, I recall a switch engine was belching flames from its stack as it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:00pm -

December 1942. Classification yard at the Chicago & Northwestern Proviso Yard, Chicago. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. RailyardTechnically this railyard is not in Chicago. The Proviso Railyard is in Melrose Park at the corner of Lake St. and Mannheim Rd., about 4 to 5 miles west of the Chicago city limits. Beautiful picture, though. Can't tell what angle this was shot from, but currently there is a large bridge with 2 lanes of traffic that goes over the railyard just south of Lake on Mannheim. one more thingThis railyard used to be a Chicago and Northwestern Railway yard, but a few years ago Union Pacific took over with the purchase of C&NW. In the mid-80s there was a large fight over the land next to the yard, as a German chemical company wished to put a plant there (the name of the company escapes me at the moment.) Local opposition killed the plant, and a strip mall was built on the lot. This mall was demolished in the late 90s and is now container storage for the yard. ProvisoProviso yard(s) actually starts farther east than Mannheim Road. Entry tracks started right at 25th avenue in either Bellwood or Melrose Park, depending on where the line was drawn. JN was the entry tower. It was located west of 25th a short distance. It handled traffic from the Vail, which was just east of the Des Plaines River in River Forest, IL where the tracks went from 4 to 2 (now 3 tracks). I assisted in operating the tower in the 50's as a high school youth. it was all unofficial, of course. I knew the tower quite well and could operate it and did under the watchful eye of various railroad men. If memory is correct there were 9 yards. I did go over the hump in an engine a time or two both there and at the Milwaukee Road hump in Bensenville. Proviso was then said to be the largest in the world. In time some of the yards were pulled up and the complex dramatically changed. The Mannheim bridge is 4 lanes. At one time, and it would have been in 1942, there was a two lane timber bridge over Proviso at Wolf Road. I remember going over that many times in wonderment. Would we make it without that rickety thing falling down? Finally it was closed off and eventually torn down. It has not been replaced. The mainline run around track that bypassed the yards was used for three things as I remember. First the locals or commuters, intercity or streamliners, and cattle trains. Since the cattle trains were on a strict time limit before having to water/fed, etc., the cattle, they didn't go into the yard but bypassed the yard and went down to the slaughter houses in Chicago. When I was hanging around there were not that many cattle trains and the streamliners were getting fewer and fewer. I think we finally got down to the Kate Shelley 400 and that was it. Fire on the Wolf Road BridgeAs a small child in the early 1940's, I remember crossing the Proviso Yards on the Wolf Road Bridge, listening to all those boards rumble and wondering if we would make it across. One winter night, I recall a switch engine was belching flames from its stack as it approached the bridge just as we crossed overhead. I thought for sure we would all be cooked and remember commenting that the engine would burn the bridge down. I have a vague recollection a short time later of the adults talking about how the bridge caught fire. Does anyone have any details on this and how it came to pass that the bridge was closed? Incidentally, for a child, it was awesome watching all those steam locos working in the yard. Burned Down BridgeWhen I was a child, my dad used to take us for a walk the two blocks from our house to the old Wolf Road bridge over the Proviso Yard. The old wooden bridge had burned down in the late '50s but the ramp on the north side was still there. We used to walk up to the barricades and watch the train cars coming down from the hump and going through the ladders. He may have originally taken us there to answer our question about where the screeching and big bangs were coming from (the sounds of the cars being assembled into trains) but we often asked to go to the "burned down bridge" just for something to do with Dad. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
And Away We Go: 1952
... the Look magazine articles "TV's Big Boy," "Mr. Saturday Night" and "The Jackie Gleason Story: Fat, Sad and Funny." View full size. ... years. Break a leg A regular part of our Saturday night TV viewing, when we'd settle down in front of our 21" Motorola (in my ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/06/2013 - 9:14pm -

New York. August 1952. "Jackie Gleason rehearsing television show. Includes Gleason in steam cabinet." From negatives by various staff photographers used in the Look magazine articles "TV's Big Boy," "Mr. Saturday Night" and "The Jackie Gleason Story: Fat, Sad and Funny." View full size. Re: Break A LegTTERRACE: I recall vividly the episode where Pinky Lee had his heart attack. He was being physically bounced up and down by Mr. Bluster and suddenly went limp and yelled: Wait A Minute! or something like that. The show went to the familiar screen pattern, and did not come back on that day. SAD! [I, too, believed the heart attack story at the time. Much later I learned that Lee's collapse was due to an extremely severe sinus infection. But it was final nail in the coffin for the ex-burlesque comic's career as a kid show host; his antics had long been under fire from parents for being hyper-active, violent and at times risqué. -tterrace] Don't steam me Norton!It's hard to believe people used to use steam cabinets in the 1950s to lose weight. All the really did was become dehydrated. Love the photo by the way, Jackie Gleason was a true talent. Ticket window conversationsMy mother was the cashier at a New Jersey movie theatre back when your ticket bought both a movie and a stage show. Early in Jackie Gleason's career he travelled with some kind of entertainment group, I assume comedy, and they often sent him to a nearby White Castle (or White Tower) for hamburgers and coffee (basically an ill treated errand boy). Between shows he stood at my mother's window and they passed the time talking. She never revealed what was said. She felt that he was a nice guy and she thought of him as a poor soul (personified as one of his later TV characters). In any case, he had the last laugh going on to fame and fortune, while the other troupe members likely faded from memory. Claustrophobia!Every time I see a picture of someone in one of those steam cabinets, I'm sure that, if I were to be put in one of those, I'd immediately get an uncontrollable nose itch! Red-faced in black & whiteWas he wearing makeup? Otherwise it's difficult to imagine how he managed to live another 32 years. Break a legA regular part of our Saturday night TV viewing, when we'd settle down in front of our 21" Motorola (in my case, sprawling on the floor) for 2-1/2 hours of sketch comedy and variety: first Jackie Gleason at 8, then switch to NBC at 9 for Sid Caesar and company in Your Show of Shows. Down on the floor I'd be rolling. One day in 1954 I witnessed one of those mishaps of the golden age of live TV (although here on the West Coast we were watching 3-hour-delayed kinescope recordings): Gleason slipped doing some slapstick and broke his leg. It was just the kind of thing to enflame the ghoulish imagination of an 8-year-old boy. A year later I was pouting after having missed Pinky Lee's medical breakdown on his kids' show. Gleason's face is made up here, to sell the gag of him having gotten as red as a steamed lobster. Live TV!When I was a kid, living in Port Arthur, Texas, the local kid's show was Cowboy John; the host was also the evening new's weatherman. One day a fellow brought on a big python. Cowboy John was obviously nervous, and asked the handler, "Do these snakes bite?" The handler said, "No; they constrict their prey." No sooner had the handler said that than the python struck Cowboy John on his hand, and the show went to a "Please Stand By" screen and then a series of cartoons and Three Stooges shorts; no more Cowboy John that show. On the evening news that night, the anchors were teasing poor Cowboy John, who had a big bandage on his hand. The next day, the kids at Tyrrell Elementary could talk of little else! --Jim Miami Beach AuditoriunGrowing up in Miami Beach, in the mid to late sixties, my friends and I would sneak in to the Auditorium and play around the stage where the Jackie Gleason Show was taped. There were times that the stage was set up with props such as a bowling alley. It's a wonder we never got caught. Great memories of a simpler time gone by. (The Gallery, LOOK, TV)
Stove Warehouse: 1865
... were placed over that expensive corner window every night at closing time. It looks like these are four panes on both sides of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/29/2008 - 3:04am -

The Petersburg, Virginia, courthouse in 1865. From photographs of the main Eastern theater of war, the siege of Petersburg, June 1864-April 1865. Glass plate negative, right half of stereograph pair. Photographer unknown. View full size. ShuttersMattie, I'll betcha those shutters were placed over that expensive corner window every night at closing time. It looks like these are four panes on both sides of the corner window - at least 6 feet total height = 3 foot panes. Probably very expensive in 1860's. Goober Pea Site NavigationThis is unrelated to this photo (though as a future 19th c. US history PhD student, I do enjoy it), but I was wondering why there isn't a monthly archive in the side bar for this site? I know it's pretty common for most blogs, so I'm not sure how hard it would be to add, but it would be very useful for navigating the site. I only started coming here a couple months ago, and really want to explore the stuff I missed in the ten months before I found it. Problem is, I usually read this at work, and I can't advance to the "Last" page (it is blocked because of some reference to illegal drugs), so it takes a significant amount of time to go back two pages at a time. Anyway, even if it doesn't happen, I still love this site, and I'm sure I'll work my way back to February 2007 someday! [You can get to any page you want from "Address" field of your browser. If you are on page 3, for example, change the "3" to "100" (or any other page number) and then hit "Enter." - Dave] Window shoppingI'd love to see a close up of the merchandise in that window. Also, I wonder why there are shutters leaning against the corner of the building? ShuttersI wonder about the shutters myself. I'm not familiar enough with the so-called Siege of Petersburg (I say so called because the city itself wasn't completely encircled as in a classic siege) to know whether the town itself was shelled. Presumably shutters might offer at least some protection from things like shell fragments, though I'm not sure about concussion from explosions. Window glass would undoubtedly have been extremely difficult to replace within the city. There seems to have been at least some damage to the street lamp. Note also the absence of window glass on the south facing(?) third floor windows as opposed to the windows on the street leading to the courthouse. The battle lines were to the south of the city. The photo is most likely after the siege - if for no other reason than the scarcity of the chemicals needed for photography during the war on the Confederate side. The window seems relatively well stocked, including canned goods (canned tomatoes?) which suggests that the proprietor can finally get a steady supply at goods at acceptable prices. [Most of these stereographs were taken by photographers working for the Union Army or were commissioned by the federal government. - Dave] Siege of PetersburgAccording to the Petersburg Siege Museum, the city of Petersburg, Virginia, became the setting for the longest siege in American history when General Ulysses S. Grant failed to capture Richmond in the spring of 1864. Grant settled in to subdue the Confederacy by surrounding Petersburg and cutting off General Robert E. Lee's supply lines into Petersburg and Richmond. On April 2, 1865, nine-and-one-half months after the siege began, Lee evacuated Petersburg. The National Park Service gives this description of the battle than precipitated the siege: Marching from Cold Harbor, Meade’s Army of the Potomac crossed the James River on transports and a 2,200-foot long pontoon bridge at Windmill Point. Butler’s leading elements (XVIII Corps and Kautz’s cavalry) crossed the Appomattox River at Broadway Landing and attacked the Petersburg defenses on June 15. The 5,400 defenders of Petersburg under command of Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard were driven from their first line of entrenchments back to Harrison Creek. After dark the XVIII Corps was relieved by the II Corps. On June 16, the II Corps captured another section of the Confederate line; on the 17th, the IX Corps gained more ground. Beauregard stripped the Howlett Line (Bermuda Hundred) to defend the city, and Lee rushed reinforcements to Petersburg from the Army of Northern Virginia. The II, XI, and V Corps from right to left attacked on June 18 but was repulsed with heavy casualties. By now the Confederate works were heavily manned and the greatest opportunity to capture Petersburg without a siege was lost. The siege of Petersburg began. Union Gen. James St. Clair Morton, chief engineer of the IX Corps, was killed on June 17. PetersburgInteresting, with the blur in the trees, you can tell the wind was blowing this day. [There's a swinging shutter, too. - Dave] Petersburg Court HouseThe courthouse building still exists. The nice brick buildings in the foreground are, alas, now a parking lot. Old Town PetersburgThe courthouse is, of course, still there and is still in use. I spent a week there as a jury member back in 2002. The picture of the window also looks quite familiar; I believe that storefront remains relatively unchanged. It would be interesting to bring a printout of this picture and look at the trees to see if they might be the same; I can't recall how big the trees are around the building. Petersburg's Old Town, where the courthouse is located, is worth a half day or so. Try to go on one of the Fridays when the art crowd has the galleries open; not sure which Friday of the month that is but it shouldn't be hard to find. Stay for dinner at Wabi Sabi (interesting basement renovation) or Brickhouse Run. To-DayAlways fun to take a look at what what's there in the modern day. View Larger Map (The Gallery, Civil War, Stores & Markets)
Pitcher This: 1924
... Yes, We Have No Bananas, You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night Or You Can't See Mama at All. Frederick Lewis Allen wrote a nostalgic ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2012 - 6:50pm -

New York circa 1924. "Fitziu." The Metropolitan Opera soprano Anna Fitziu, seated, and friends. 5x7 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size. It's Come UndoneI had to laugh when I saw that the embroidery design on her dress -- it makes it look like the dog is coming unraveled. The PitcherThat is a gorgeous and unusual pitcher which I would like to know more about. As an aside, wonder what the spoons are for. Is there a carpenter in the house?She'll be singing the blues when that rotted out beam supporting her swing gives way. Everything is Beautiful!Everything they are using is beautiful! The lovely ornate tray sitting on a pretty wicker table would be treasured items in anyone's home today. The dresses both ladies, and they are LADIES, are wearing would be perfectly acceptable today and they are 86 years old. There are many styles from the intervening decades that have not worn--no pun intended--nearly so well. Their hairstyles are attractive and their smiles are genuine. The 20's seems to have been a magical interval in the 20th century that were filled with jaunty, happy music to accompany the high energy of everyday life. I've always envied my parents, born in 1898 and 1902, that they got to spend their young adulthood in these years. In the 50's, my mother would take out her sheet music from this very year and earlier and play with great enthusiasm the songs they remembered: Ain't We Got Fun, Three O'Clock in the Morning, Yes, We Have No Bananas, You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night Or You Can't See Mama at All. Frederick Lewis Allen wrote a nostalgic book from the vantage point of only 1930 called Only Yesterday when he was 40 telling of all the wonders of the era because he knew even that soon they would be seen as special. SpoonsThey keep the sugar from settling into the bottom of the glass, if it's anything like my mother-in-law's sweet iced tea. Another Round?Looks like they are on their second pitcher! The dog has seen it all before. I love Ms. Fitziu's wingtip shoes. Very stylish! Might go fastThat pitcher looks so unique. I bet it would bring more than a few dollars on eBay. A pitcher of FarkFarked again! (The Gallery, Dogs, Farked, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Manhasset 346: 1942
... to the "Antiques Roadshow" I happened to see last night. It had a lock to keep the servants from poaching the precious tea. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/11/2021 - 3:52pm -

May 12, 1942. "William S. Paley, residence in Manhasset, Long Island, New York. Library, telephone table." 5x7 acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Holy smokes!Did this man own stock in a tobacco company? Cigarettes have been in pretty much every image of this guy's house. Yes, I am aware that a lot of folks smoked back then. (My grandfather was a three packs a day man who also liked his pipe.) But I've never seen a house where cigarettes were part of the ambiance and décor. Farm Scene With Three Horses (1931)John Kane (1860–1934) John Kane: a Shorpian LifeKane's father died when he was age 10, and young John quit school to work in the shale mines. He mined coal in Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky. He worked on the railroad, first as a gandy dancer (stamping down stones between the railroad ties) until he lost a leg when struck down by an engine running without its lights. Later, he painted trains and houses. Kane attracted attention from the media when his paintings were first admitted to the 1927 Carnegie International Exhibition. His success was suspected to be a prank. Today, his paintings hang in major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art. My two cents: his most interesting paintings are cityscapes of industrial Pittsburgh. Kane's life story was told in "Sky Hooks: The Autobiography of John Kane," written with Marie McSwigan. You Can Ring...but you can't hide. The older 202 sets did not have bells in the phone itself. There was a ringer box attached to the phone that would ring. This ringer box is attached to the underside of the table. They were very loud, and this table would only amplify the sound. You could probably hear this one across the street. Tobacco sponsorsFor all the cigarettes that were advertised on CBS, no doubt Paley had regular samples from the tobacco companies, gratis. How quaint!A whole table devoted to an appliance that has for many people today become a digital (in both senses) appendage. Paley in the Framed Pic?Can anyone tell if that's Paley in the framed photograph? I attach the Wikipedia pic of him to this comment. And a bit of Long Island anti-Semitism history from Wikipedia: "Paley married divorcée, socialite and fashion icon Barbara "Babe" Cushing Mortimer (1915–1978) on July 28, 1947. She was the daughter of renowned neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing. William and Babe Paley, in spite of their successes and social standing, were barred from being members of country clubs on Long Island because he was Jewish." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Paley Smokes and PhonesI was never a heavy smoker and I quit over thirty years ago, but I always had to light one up while talking on the phone. It was a ritual in my house that we smoke after meals too, even after breakfast. Wandering eye and portraitSomeone in the household must have liked that particular portrait of Paley; you can also see it in the living room on the glass table next to the sofa. If that was Mrs. Paley's way of "keeping an eye on" her husband, it predictably failed. Same PhotoI believe this is same photo as seen (partially obscured) earlier in the living room. Portrait by Cecil Beaton?I haven't found the image online yet but it looks to me like Cecil Beaton's signature on that portrait of William S Paley. Ironically enough as Beaton's pre-WW2 career in the US was interrupted by accusations of anti-Semitism: "In 1938, he inserted some tiny-but-still-legible anti-Semitic phrases (including the word "kike") into American Vogue at the side of an illustration about New York society. The issue was recalled and reprinted, and Beaton was fired" (Wikipedia). Facing the music (stand)As a musician, when I saw the name Manhasset, I immediately thought of the iconic black metal music stands made by a company of the same name. But (as the young'uns would say), I was "today years old" when I found out that Manhasset was also the name of a town. (And yes, the company that manufactures the stands originated in this town, though it relocated to Washington state in the early '40s.) Private Telephone LineI believe that Manhasset 346 was a private line. Most phones in manual systems were on party lines in those days, and depending on the system you would see numbers like Leamington 22-X, or Richmond 15-R-12. The ring code for the operator at the Richmond number would be 1 long followed by 2 short rings. A private phone number without letters was often for a business, a doctor or the Paleys. Tea (or tobacco) caddy at the readyThe 18th-century, pear-shaped tea caddy on the right was probably used in Paley's time to hold tobacco, according to the "Antiques Roadshow" I happened to see last night. It had a lock to keep the servants from poaching the precious tea. Paley by BeatonThat is indeed Paley in a portrait by Cecil Beaton. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Portraits)
End of the Line: 1963
... Coliseum along with NBA & BAA Basketball and Tuesday Night Wrestling with Antonio Rocca and Gorgeous George. When my sister ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/30/2013 - 9:44pm -

As a coda to the day's earlier Baltimore transit photos, we present "1963 -- Last streetcars in Balto." Kermy and friend, along with Car 7109, in a pair of off-brand color slides. Who can locate the intersection? View full size. Still in Servicefor the #15 bus route. View Larger Map Good find!Janbear: You're a fast Googler! I knew that bus stop as soon as I saw the picture - I used take the #15 on my way to high school! PCC streetcarThe most successful streetcar/trolley design in the US, PCC cars ran in at least 26 North American cities. I rode one every day to school as a kid in Pittsburgh in the mid '60s. Balto to FriscoThe City of San Francisco bought, refurbished, and operates vintage streetcars, including a restored PCC car painted in Baltimore Transit Company yellow. Better Than Carlin's Mountain SpeedwayThe 15 streetcar line was my life line as a preteen and teenager growing up in Baltimore. I used it to go downtown to see first run movies plus vaudeville at the Hippodrome (The Three Stooges & Herb Shriner are two acts I remember), the main Pratt Library and Ford's Theater (not the infamous one) where I saw a young Andy Griffith in "No Time For Sergeants." As a car-less teenager it was the route to and from various date destinations. Yes Virgina there were nice looking cool girls in the late 50's who would date car-less boys and ride a streetcar to go see a movie or a rock & roll show. We never called them concerts. Concerts were at the staid Lyric and R&R shows were at the Coliseum along with NBA & BAA Basketball and Tuesday Night Wrestling with Antonio Rocca and Gorgeous George. When my sister moved to the wilds of Overlea/Fullerton I would take the 15 Overlea down to where the streetcar bends (the topic of this pic) and walk a mile or so to her new house. The best part came when the streetcar would crest the hill at Brendan Ave and fly down the hill to the bottom at Herring run and they coast back up the hill towards Parkside as gravity would exert its influence and slow down the car. If the operator was an adventurous sort he would never apply the brake and if the car was loaded what passed for warp speed would be achieved and the car would rock side to side to the glee of youngsters and consternation of the older folk. Balto BroadBaltimore streetcars ran on a 5' 4 1/2 " track gauge, wider than most cities which used standard gauge, 4' 8 1/2". Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New Orleans still run on 5' 2 1/2" track. Toronto, Canada, operates to this day on a unique 4' 10 7/8". Denver and Los Angeles city cars ran on narrow gauge, 3' 6". You can read more about it here. TTC PCCThe Toronto Transit Commission, which still runs streetcars, had PCC cars in regular service until 1995. People called them red rockets. I lived 2 minutes from thereThe streetcar is about to turn right (south) onto Belair Road and in the picture is parallel to Overlea Ave. Blast from the past!That is indeed the end of the line point on Belair Road in Overlea for old #15, which was the last streetcar line removed from service in Baltimore (if my memory serves me correctly). In the bottom photo, the grey stone building on the right is the old location of Della Rosa's restaurant, which has relocated elsewhere. I lived about a mile south of there on Rosemont Avenue and rode this every day while I was going to Baltimore City College in the 60's. (Baltimore, Kermy Kodachromes, Streetcars)
Bridge Out: 1865
... of Richmond was nowhere near as bad as was expected, the night the Confederate Army abandoned it held as much confusion and fear as any ... brought to the city. But we have to remember that on that night, the citizens and soldiers (many of whom left loved ones behind) didn't ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2013 - 1:24pm -

April 1865. "Richmond, Va. Ruins of Richmond & Petersburg Railroad bridge." Span over the James River, burned by Confederate troops before the advancing Federal Army. Wet plate negative by Alexander Gardner. View full size. Remains of the supports left of route 60.View Larger Map The Rail Linehere is the Richmond & Petersburg. The brick structure the left is presumably the burned-out paper mill; to the right and behind the photographer was the railroad depot. This is less than a half-mile from the (then and now) State Capitol, but a bit farther because of the need to find a bridge across the James River and Kanawha Canal, that passed between. Well builtWell built, main arterial bridge support, I'm surprised it was never rebuilt for rail use. The Great ConflagrationLooking at this one gets an idea of the mayhem and terror of a city in its death throes. Put this image with the many others taken of the industrial district and put them alongside those of Berlin or Dresden in 1945 and you can barely tell them apart. Although the occupation of Richmond was nowhere near as bad as was expected, the night the Confederate Army abandoned it held as much confusion and fear as any city in history left to hordes of invaders. Besides the columns of troops marching out, the streets were filled with half starved women and children looting government storehouses, unemployed prostitutes (at least temporarily), street urchins, deserters and gangs of released prisoners from the penitentiary stealing from everybody and drinking from the street gutters the whiskey poured out by the provost guards. During all this, munitions dumps were exploding and raining shrapnel all over the place. Several accounts from soldiers leaving the city recall the sight of the burning city and one described it as being "at once, both terrible and sublime". Another compared it to Dante's Inferno. By the grace of God, the yankee "hordes" were not as bad as feared and order was quickly brought to the city. But we have to remember that on that night, the citizens and soldiers (many of whom left loved ones behind) didn't know that. They didn't know that a day later Lincoln would tell the general commanding the occupying troops to "...let them up easy, General, let them up easy." A Couple near the riverDid anyone else notice the couple sitting near the river (approximately 25 feet or so) to the left of the burned out bridge? [Looks like three people. -tterrace.] Re: A Couple Near the RiverIt's very possible that they are paroled Confederate soldiers wondering how to get across so they can go home. Or they could be displaced workers from one of the mills or the Armory. There were a lot of people and soldiers from other parts of the state and other states as well as foreigners cast adrift in Richmond in '65. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Civil War, Railroads, Richmond)
Milk Runners: 1940
... vertical shaft, usually with a lantern mounted above for a night indication (probably green for the train in the pictured orientation). ... red, maybe yellow) with a similarly colored light at night (if so equipped), and know that there were 'orders' for the train. I do ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2022 - 12:08pm -

October 1940. "Rail depot in Burlington, North Dakota." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Burlington Project: making farmers out of minersCaptions on most of Vachon's October 1940 photos in the Burlington, North Dakota area refer to the "Burlington Project," for which the FSA had assumed responsibility. It was well-meaning, but generally unsuccessful. As historian Steven Martens explained, '"the Burlington project was set up to ameliorate the desperate condition of some 35 or 40 families displaced from the small Burlington vicinity coal mines. A plan was implemented to utilize DesLacs River reserve water for irrigation of bottomlands, and to establish on those lands individual subsistence farms with sufficient irrigation acreage." Each family was provided with a cottage, irrigated tract, barn, and chicken house. According to Martens, "based on the many obstacles and the scale of the project, in retrospective this 'utopian' project was probably doomed from the beginning." Eventually, ownership of the homes was transferred to disabled veterans. For more, see https://www.history.nd.gov/hp/PDFinfo/64501091FedReliefConstruction.pdf Iron maskAnyone know the purpose of the plate with two holes hanging in front of the window? Some part of a signaling device? Train Order SignalThe plate with two holes is called a Train Order Signal. When turned to the appropriate position the train's engineer is notified that he must stop at the station. Train Order - Iron MaskIn response to ColoZ, the plate with two holes is a signal to tell approaching trains that an important operational message for the train is present at this station. I think that, in the position as pictured, there is no message (train order), since the train crew would not see the plate. It is mounted on a vertical shaft, usually with a lantern mounted above for a night indication (probably green for the train in the pictured orientation). When it is rotated about 90 degrees, the train crew would see the plate (probably red, maybe yellow) with a similarly colored light at night (if so equipped), and know that there were 'orders' for the train. I do not see the lantern in the picture, though. Re: Iron maskIt's a switch indicator, but I see no switch in the photo, nor do I see any mechanism below the indicator connecting it to a switch. I wonder if the indicator has been repurposed to something else -- a flag stop indicator, perhaps? The "Iron Mask" is a train order signalHere is a page from an old Northern Pacific RR signal book (The Gallery, John Vachon, Railroads, Small Towns)
Meat Market: 1943
... the Depression and the war, meat was on the table every night thanks to where her dad worked. Help For Europe Interestingly, ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 09/22/2011 - 6:19pm -

March 1943. Washington, D.C. Meat rationing at the A&P. "Harold Rowe, Office of Price Administration food rationing chief, sells meat to girl reporter at shopping preview of new program." View full size. Print of a photo by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. [Thanks to John D. for this sharp scan. - Dave] Share the MeatMeat was difficult to obtain during World War II. Much of the available supply was being diverted by the government to US and allied troops abroad, which meant less for civilians at home. The "Share the Meat" program urged Americans to limit their weekly consumption of beef to 2½ pounds per adult, 1½ pounds per child 6 to 12 years old, and ¾ pound per child under 6 years old. It appears you could eat all of the liver, kidneys, fish and poultry you could get. "Girl Reporter"It strikes me that the "girl reporter" looks to be at least 40. MeatI'd have to say that 2 1/2 lbs per person a week, especially with no limit on poultry and fish, actually sounds pretty generous to me. I'm not vegan or anything close to it, but I still eat less than 2 lbs of beef a month. Then again, I remember once seeing one of the old wartime propaganda films that spoke of the Japanese diet as "low in fat and sugar" in tones that made it clear this was positive proof of unspeakable evil, and old recipe books give me the impression that people used to eat like every day was Thanksgiving---makes my gallbladder hurt just thinking about it, though I suppose they usually had more physical work to offset it. WW2 RationingMeat rationing was instituted in Washington D.C. on March 28, 1943. Rather than a set weight per person, families were allotted 16 points per person per week. Different cuts required different numbers of points. For example, a pound of steak or center cut pork chops was 8 points while a pound of hamburger was only 5 points. A pound of spare ribs was 4 points because of the extra bone. The program also included dairy products with a pound of butter requiring 8 points while margarine was 5 points per pound. A Gallup poll conducted in mid-April of 1943 asked people to rank which rationed products were hardest to cut down on. Meat ranked first. The full list is below. I wonder if gasoline would be #1 today. The 1943 survey noted that "one-half of all car owners said that if necessary they could give up their automobiles without undue hardship."    1. Meat    2. Coffee    3. Gasoline    4. Sugar    5. Butter    6. Canned goods    7. Shoes    8. Fuel Oil    9. Tires 10. Cheese The human head...Butcher: "The human head weighs eight pounds...here, look!" Girl Reporter: "Tee-hee!" What this needs ...This is so begging for a caption contest. War Economy MythsLest we remain attached to the notion that wartime scarcities lowered our standard of living from 1941-1945, ponder this: Even though the War Production Board implemented manufacturing bans on certain consumer products during World War II, it is important to realize that our economy grew substantially during this period due to nearly full employment and better cash wages that accrued from war jobs. Even though Roosevelt warned the country that we could not sustain a consumer economy and a war economy at the same time, Americans did just that. While war spending jumped from $3.6 billion in 1940 (2%GNP) to a peak of $93.4 billion (nearly 50% GNP) in 1944, consumer (civilian) purchases of goods and services grew an astounding 12%.* The War Production Board estimated that labor productivity increased by 25% during the war years, even while millions of men and women were in uniform overseas. The economy was good due to the immense war production spending ending up in the pocketbooks of labor. This can happen again. Need we fear that the American economy cannot undertake the Herculean task of converting from petroleum to a “next fuel” economy? I think not. With no apologies to the poster of the “hydrogen!” comment attached to “Full Service: 1950’s”, my money is on the Flux Capacitor. * Bureau of Budget, The United Sates at War, (USGPO, Washington D.C., 1946) "I must put a goat on." Winston Churchill (possibly misheard) Goober Pea War EconomyI agree with Gooberpea. Notice how many women are wearing fur in some form. As limited as our funds were, even my mother had a winter coat with a huge fur collar. A&PHe worked at an A&P during WWII as well, in Pittsburgh. My mother recalled that despite the Depression and the war, meat was on the table every night thanks to where her dad worked. Help For EuropeInterestingly, food rationing in Britain didn't end immediately after WW II. Some food items were limited through the 1950s, with the last item ("yes, we have no bananas") only coming off the list in 1954. [Australia, too. - Dave] Now That's a good one!I laughed! Thank you, Moomin. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Stores & Markets, WW2)
Japan Surrenders: 1945
... release was palpable. This went on late into the night. There were no grumps, no arguments, no political dissent, just mutual ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/02/2015 - 12:30pm -

Sept. 2, 1945. "Japanese foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signing the document of surrender aboard the U.S. battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay as General Douglas MacArthur and members of the Allied delegations watch." Acme photo by Dave Davis, war pool correspondent. View full size. My great-uncle was aboardMy great-uncle Carroll A.L. "Whitey" Herget was stationed aboard the USS Missouri BB63 during WWII. He was one of the few men in uniform to witness the Japanese surrender on the Missouri September 2, 1945. Ten days till I turn 6This was on a Sunday, just three years and nine months since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In reality to a child, WW2 seemed so very long, as though it would go on forever, since I remember nothing before age 3. Growing up in a very industrious, factory-filled, small Connecticut mill town where everyone had at least one full time job, I remember the many nights of "lights out" air raid drills, everybody's mom having to work in the factories, rationed food stamps, savings bonds, recycling of paper, scrap iron, grease, rags, restrictions on so many items, and banners on countless windows with gold stars of people who lost their beloved young family members in combat. It was common to see people wearing uniforms of the various armed forces everywhere, throughout every day. Just about every home displayed their American flags and patriotic songs and sorrowful, sentimental or yearning love melodies playing on the radio. True joy was hard to come by, although through the spirit of togetherness, most people had hope we would soon be victorious. On the day this happened, our town really let loose. Starting shortly after church services, there was a huge impromptu parade that soon became a massive block party, people all gathered in the center of town and the grocery stores and social clubs were providing unlimited cooked free food and drinks and local bands were playing uplifting music. There was dancing and singing and hugging and kissing and crying and everyone's emotional release was palpable. This went on late into the night. There were no grumps, no arguments, no political dissent, just mutual exuberance from everyone that surely better times were ahead, happy days were here again. As a dumb kid, I really didn't understand all of what it meant, but it was obvious that this was one of the best days in history. God bless America. Lots of brassGeneral MacArthur was in charge of the proceedings and stands at right. The officer standing to his left is Lt. Gen. Richard K. Sutherland, sometimes erroneously identified as Gen. Jonathan Wainwright. 6th from bottom in the line at left is Adm. William F. "Bull" Halsey, 4 stars prominent on his service cap (he got a 5th star 3 months later). Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz stood just out of view to the right of the shot. Allies Also on HandJudging from the varied array of hats on the group in the foreground, the Allies were there in force. I can't identify many, but the French kepis do stand out. They have long preferred the kepi style dress hat, and here is no exception. Then there are the 2 fancy kepis with the design on the top. My guess would be Algerian or Moroccan officers serving in the French Army. But the real question is, what are the French doing there? Their Pacific exploits in WWII would make for a very thin book. Beginning and the endOn a recent visit to Hawaii we toured the Missouri which is now a museum ship in Pearl Harbor. After seeing newsreels and photos, I was amazed to note that the actual site of the surrender signing is quite small. Ironically, Missouri is now docked along Battleship Row where World War II began December 7th 1941 and, as this great Shorpy photo reminds us, ended on the Missouri's starboard deck 4 years later. Distracted?What are the three guys one the railing of the ship looking at? One of them has binoculars. The three are located next to all the sailors in white uniforms. With such an important event going on right in front of them, I am just wondering what could be so important that they are focused on something else? Noisy neighborhoodWhen the surrender was announced in August, my mom gave me a metal dishpan and a wooden spoon and told me to go out by the front gate and bang it. Wow! Here I was a little kid actually being encouraged to make noise! She didn't have to tell me twice. The French deserved to be thereThe Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri was signed by the military representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, the Soviet Union, and France. At the time, the British, Dutch, and French all had more overseas dependencies or independent countries within their cultural-political orbits in the Pacific than the United States did. In most cases their local defence forces had fought valiantly against the overwhelming, unprovoked aggression of the Japanese, and their populations had suffered great hardships and losses of life. Not distractedThat was the boarding gangway and that would be the duty officer and his crew, in charge of piping aboard any visitors. Amazingly enoughThe man with the binoculars is still alive. See this article. Thanks Shorpy!Stunning Photo! Thank you for the opportunity to view this. Missouri GunsUSS Missouri is indeed at Pearl Harbor, but the 16-inch guns looming overhead in this famous photo were replaced at the end of the Korean War. The guns remained in storage until a few years ago when they were made available to military museums. (A few were saved; the others scrapped.) The gun barrel closest to the surrender ceremony (serial #386) was saved by the National Park Service and is now on display at Fort Cronkhite in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area near San Francisco. It's awaiting remounting in a nearby disarmed Coast Artillery battery to take the place of a 16-inch gun salvaged at the end of WWII. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, WW2)
Hiram Walker: 1905
... thank you. I enjoy my glass of Hiram Walker every night, so this photo means a lot to me. Greetings! Sorry, we have to assume ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:00pm -

Walkerville, Ontario, circa 1905. "Hiram Walker & Sons, bottling works." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The toughs lining the wallsmust be there to make sure nobody gets a free sample. TemptingSo many bottles, so little time. Jeopardy AnswerThey got high from the fumes? Spirits!Here's one for the "orbs and faces" crowd. Taste testersI assume all those folks in the back are doing quality control. Another round for all pleaseWorking in this place would make me crave Canadian Club and Crown Royal cocktails all day, being permeated in the robust, sweet scent of good liquor and clinking glasses, not to mention lots of company for sociability. It does seem to me there are a few very young boys under 16 working here although they could not have drunk their wares and I also notice that although the men are apparently supervisors and observers (perhaps 'tasters'), the women are the ones actually working, a little twist on queen bees and male drones. Anyway, gotta go, I need a drink. Cheers! OverkillAll of that huge belt driven machinery just to put a cork (or cap) on the bottle just looks odd to me. [It might have something to do with chipmunks. - Dave] My favourite whisky, everGreat picture, thank you. I enjoy my glass of Hiram Walker every night, so this photo means a lot to me. Greetings! Sorry, we have to assumeRule number 7 says that if you fall off your stool we will terminate employment. See rule 5 that prohibits consuming the product. It's clear nowFor years I tried to drink them dry. Now, I know the answer. They were making it at a faster rate than I could drink it. Even in my foggy mind it is beginning to make sense. About the fumesMy wife used to work in a Joseph E. Seagram Distilling plant. One year, at the height of hay fever season, she gave some of us a tour of the place. After five minutes in the warehouse where millions of gallons of the product were aging in wooden barrels I realized that my respiratory passages had been blasted to the point that I could breathe freely, and they stayed that way for hours after I left. Needless to say, a no-smoking area. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Walkerville)
Talking Pictures: 1908
... Niagara Falls, New York, circa 1908. "Falls Street at Night." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 9:33pm -

Niagara Falls, New York, circa 1908. "Falls Street at Night." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Rudimentary, my dear WatsonIf you zoom in you can see the "Cameraphone Actual Talking Pictures" handbill. The short-lived Cameraphone system attempted to synchronize motion pictures with a phonograph soundtrack, with usually unreliable results. The company went bankrupt in 1910. Even with sound and picture in synch, the audio couldn't have been very good, or even loud, seeing as how recording and playback in that era were entirely acoustic. [Who can identify the pictures being shown? One looks like "Meadow-Brook Farm." - Dave] Where's George Bailey?This looks A LOT like Bedford Falls in "It's a Wonderful Life." Not so wonderfulThis looks like Pottersville in "It's a Wonderful Life" after George Bailey got his wish to never have been born. Long ExposureYou can tell a very long exposure was used to take this picture. A "light trail" from the headlights of a moving vehicle start from the back of the street all the way to the left hand corner, where you see a glimpse of the lamp and criss-cross frame. CameraphoneI just received info from an Edison expert that the Cameraphone system used a 6-inch long cylinder (and thus could not have used the Victor Auxetophone amplified disc phonograph). However it did use a mechanical string and chalk Higham amplifier system which was later used by Edison in his talking picture system in 1914. The sound could have filled a small theater. Taft-ShermanThat's William Howard Taft and his running mate James Sherman strung across the roadway amid the dazzling lights. Life imitates artlooks like Bedford Falls! Merry Christmas Mr. Potter!And a Happy New Year to you! In jail! What's for Lunch?Any chance of getting a close up on the lunch menu sign on the sidewalk two doors down from the Talking Pictures? [Too blurry. - Dave] No One AroundThe town is a little bit lonely looking. But I like this picture, I was excited to finally see one from Niagara Falls. It is such an ignored town, & my grandparents were living there around that time so it's neat to see what it looked like when they were there, so thanks. I'd love to see more. (The Gallery, DPC, Movies)
The Shining: 1908
... the camera. This is how he seems to have taken most of his night shots. In this instance there was enough ambient light to register the ... artifact we can see in other Hine photos taken at night. re: How about a double exposure? It is more likely a very long ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/19/2015 - 12:27pm -

August 1908. "Greek bootblack in Indianapolis." An interesting example of a time exposure where the subject either enters the frame after the shutter opens or leaves it before it closes. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. How about a double exposure?....since there's no streaks to indicate the kid coming or going. Single exposure with flashHere I've recreated the effect in my hotel room. This was a 5 second exposure with the flash firing at the start of the exposure. After the flash fired I immediately stepped into the bathroom. I vote doubleIf the exposure time had been long enough for him to walk on or off he would have had to stay VERY still while he was posing to not be blurred. Since he looks quite sharp I think it was two fairly short exposures rather than one long one. Single ExposureI agree with Ken. The reason there's no blur is that a flash was used. With the shutter open, the kid takes his place, Hine sets off a charge of magnesium flash powder, then the glass plate is removed from the camera. This is how he seems to have taken most of his night shots. In this instance there was enough ambient light to register the background on the plate, an artifact we can see in other Hine photos taken at night. re: How about a double exposure?It is more likely a very long exposure where the boy stood still through most of it and then walked off. You can try the same thing at your house with a long exposure. Simply sit still for most of the exposure and then get up and walk off. You won't see any streaks, just a ghost. Location of the parlorI found a copy of the 1909 Indianapolis City Directory and located "Papatheofines Chris" at 108 1/2 E Washington St., under the heading of 'Shoe Shining Parlors.' Today that address (to right of the corner building which has flag on top and ATO frat headquarters below) is occupied by luxury condos, in a building that started out (or at least was at the earliest of my memory) the Morris Plan Savings and Loan company. This structure most certainly was build well after the one in the Shorpy photo as it was in a modern 50/60's style. This is the NE corner of Washington and Pennsylvania streets. (The Gallery, Indianapolis, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Key Bridge: 1920
... car while my father made mad dashes. One unforgettable icy night my mother, brother, and I sat in the car as we often did when the car ... had begun moving. To this day we still chuckle about the night my mother gave strict orders for us not to talk, move, or even breathe ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 11:55am -

The Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Potomac under construction circa 1920. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Potomac? Doesn't the FSK cross the Patapsco river, not the Potomac? [It does. And it also crosses the Potomac. There are two Francis Scott Key bridges. - Dave] [Sorry about the confusion. I'm a Baltimoron and didn't know there was an FSK in Washington, too. -WKH.] Old Key BridgeThe photo is taken from the old Key Bridge, looking southeast. In the background you can see the Washington Memorial. The blur on the bottom right is the railing for the old Key Bridge. Only parts of this structure remain, the north landing in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park, south of K St NW at "36th St NW" / Whitehurst Fwy. There are also pilings on the Virginia side, west of the bridge. There's no real way to stop on the George Washington Memorial Parkway to see the pilings. http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qgh90c8k9qpx&style=... Bridge Span Placed The Washington Post, Oct 30, 1920 Key Bridge Span Placed Second to Be Lowered by Tide Between Abutment and Pier No. 1. A second steel span, 187 feet long, was lowered in place between the Georgetown abutment and Pier No. 1 of the Key Bridge yesterday morning at 10 o'clock. This span, like the other will be used as a base to build the concrete arches. The span was erected on a huge float and drawn between the two piers, finally being lowered in place by the falling of the tide. Capt. L. E. Oliver is in charge. This article doesn't refer to the span pictured (the Georgetown abutment would be at the bank to the left of the photo) but explains the ingenious method of construction which places the span without use of a crane. Bridge to HellA native Northern Virginian, I can vouch for the fact that this bridge was the road to freedom when I was coming of age in 1969. The Key Bridge was the link from Rosslyn in Arlington into Georgetown. At the end of that bridge was M Street where the sign atop Dixie Liquor drew one's attention at first glance. Stock, prices, and Virginia Blue Laws made it worth going into the District during the 1950s. Every few weeks my father would pack up the family and head east from Fairfax to buy what was rarely more than a pint. We would wait in our idling car while my father made mad dashes. One unforgettable icy night my mother, brother, and I sat in the car as we often did when the car began to roll back. It was along that very steep brick alleyway that the very famous scene from The Exorcist would one day be filmed. Miraculously the car came to a stop as quickly as it had begun moving. To this day we still chuckle about the night my mother gave strict orders for us not to talk, move, or even breathe heavily. She didn't have to tell us twice! I don't think I ever saw my mother as angry as she was that night. The steam that met my father as he cluelessly slid into the driver's seat was enough to melt all the ice in Alaska! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, D.C., Natl Photo)
Daisy Darling Pet: 1926
... problems, and I have been dreading losing him. The other night, I went to someone's home who had a three month old kitten who looked ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2013 - 11:47am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "Dog cemetery." Intimations of canine mortality. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Heir of the DogThe unsatisfactory thing about dogs is that they don't live as long as people, so you'll go through a bunch of them. The experts' rule is another dog, same breed, as soon as possible. Pick up where you left off. Don't bury your heart with the dog. Memento moriLooks like the little tyke has lost two colleagues or predecessors, reason enough to ponder life's transitory nature. Mistaken identityWhen I was a mere seven years old and riding the bus to my very first day camp session, I burst out crying when I looked out the window and saw a small concrete marker with the inscription "Bound." I was sure that it was the gravestone of a beloved dog named Bound. Hey, at age seven, I was scarcely acquainted with the land surveying industry. The unsatisfactory thing about dogs is that they don't live as long as people, so you'll go through a bunch of them. The experts' rule is another dog, same breed, as soon as possible. Or you could get one of those Galapagos tortoises, and someday it'll mourn (in tortoise fashion) your great-grandchildren's deaths. Not Six Feet UnderBeauty Baden doesn't seem to be buried very deep. Or is that a big pile of dirt to prevent other animals from digging her up? [Four feet under. -Dave] Good advice for animal loversI like rhhardin's advice not to bury your heart with a beloved furry family member. Our pets would not want us to be grief stricken! My best pal, for the past 13 years, has been a great big fluff ball of a tabby cat. He is starting to have some health problems, and I have been dreading losing him. The other night, I went to someone's home who had a three month old kitten who looked just like my cat at that age. Playing with the kitten was reassuring that, whenever my big feline friend goes to Kitty Heaven, I'll be able to find another fur-baby to love! Doggie SwitchoverI've had dogs all my life and Susan the border collie lived to be 19 years and 10 months. I am happy to report that I took in a momcat off the street and her litter of four three years ago. Two kittens were adopted while Mom and her two kids are still here as house cats after two grand in vet bills. Any day now I'm thinking the cats will start behaving like good dogs. Will I have to wait long? A Dog's LifeOver a 40 year period we had 3 different Black Labs. We loved them all very much. When we moved from the suburbs back to the city, we had just lost our first dog but had one of the puppies that she delivered about 2 years before. The Pup adjusted to the city and lived another 10 years. My wife and I said that was enough and decided not to adopt another. There's an old joke about the best time in life. That's when the kids leave home and the dog dies. This was our situation. About a year later my youngest daughter said that her job was a dead end and she needed to go back to school for her MBA. I said fine but the scholarship terms were that she move back home. She did and we jumped at the chance to get another Labrador Retriever. Now fast forward 12 years and that one passes. My middle daughter asks if we're getting another one and we said no. She asked why and I honestly answered I didn't want a situation where the dog outlives us. She calmly replied "don't worry I'll take it". Oh yeah, that helped. A Fitting MemorialTwo of my cats, Buster and Punkin, lived with me from the time they were born, in the bushes outside my house, until they died eighteen years later. Buster went first, and Punkin pined away, stopped eating and died twelve days after him. I buried the brothers together underneath the little lemon tree in my front yard. Up 'til then, I'd only gotten two or three scrawny lemons per year. Ever since, I've had a huge crop of robust lemons. I don't think two decomposing cats made that big a difference. I think the difference is love. H.D. GlovesEx WW1 German gloves or NYC Motorcycle Police issue? Always have a new friendI firmly agree with the advice to have another dog as soon as you can. I suffered needlessly through nearly three months of crippling depression trying to obey family advice to wait before adopting before I clicked on a link about an overcrowded shelter on a nearby Indian reservation and broke( best loss of willpower I ever had). I don't know that it has to be the same breed because they will surprise you ( and my "Aussie shepherd mix" adopted based on a not-so-good pic from the shelter that made her resemble my beloved Border Collie cross Asta, proved to be a Catahoula, which is a whole other ball game, but also a truly wonderful experience ), but people do have particular breeds or breed characteristics they get along with best( I sometimes feel I must be the only person whom most Labradors habitually dislike, but dogs that straddle the line between genius and insanity I'm good with). OK, OK, I get the message!Stop chewing up your shoes or else. But couldn't you at least be a little more subtle about it? NickelGreat tale by Mr Mel about the black labs. We had one when I was a kid back in the sixties, named Nickel, and since he was the only dog our family ever had, he occupies a special place in my memories. As an indication of how far away we were back then from our current poop 'n' scoop practices, my dad trained Nickel to do his business anywhere but our front or back lawns. Didn't matter if it was the neighbor's lawn or the boulevard -- we never picked it up. Two items of note for me in this photo: the cigar in the gloved hand of the chauffeur, and the tree trunks at the perimeter of the cemetery, cut to uniform height and stripped of bark. Just back after two weeks of no internet. I didn't miss a damn thing except for this site. Belated holiday greetings to all my Shorpy brothers and sisters, with a special nod to Dave and tterrace. Nice FrenchieAs an owner of a French Bulldog, it is great seeing historic photos of the breed. Tempus fugitThis photo is certainly earlier than 1926. The Sunday Star ran an almost identical photo of the same party on Nov. 7, 1920. (The Gallery, D.C., Dogs, Natl Photo)
Castle Thunder: 1865
... to escape from Castle Thunder was discovered on Wednesday night. The parties had made a long rope of cotton sheets and had gotten ... the wound pronounced his recovery impossible. Last night he was reported dead. The sentinel said he fired at Wooters because he ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 8:08pm -

Richmond, 1865. "Castle Thunder, Cary Street. Converted tobacco warehouse for political prisoners." Main Eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April-June 1865. Wet plate glass negative, photographer unknown. View full size. Great HistoryI found some interesting info on Castle Thunder... this site has many Richmond newspaper stories from the era on Castle Thunder... http://www.mdgorman.com/Prisons/castle_thunder.htm For example... From the Richmond Dispatch, 10/27/1862, p. 1, c. 4 Abducted Negroes. – A countryman, past middle age, was sent to Castle Thunder yesterday from Fredericksburg, by the Provost Marshal of that place, charged with abducting negroes and carrying them to the Yankees. From the Richmond Dispatch, 10/17/1862, p. 1, c. 5 Attempt to Escape from Prison. – A conspiracy on the part of a number of the prisoners to escape from Castle Thunder was discovered on Wednesday night. The parties had made a long rope of cotton sheets and had gotten everything ready to let Rogers (who is condemned to be shot on Saturday) out of a window, when they were discovered, and put in the dungeon. One fellow, who proved very obstreperous, was undergoing the bucking process yesterday evening. It is not certainly known that Rogers initiated the movement, but it is believed that his friends in the prison did so to help him. – We learn that efforts are constantly being made to escape from this prison, and that it is only by unceasing vigilance that they are prevented. The next party discovered trying to get out are to be shot. also here. One of those articles is below from the Richmond Whig (March 2, 1864) DETECTIVE SHOT AT CASTLE THUNDER. – J. L. Wooters, of Maryland, detective on duty at Castle Thunder, was shot, at 11 o’clock yesterday morning, by one of the guard, under the following circumstances: Some of the prisoners confined in the building opposite Castle Thunder had been for some time throwing stones and bits of plaster at the sentry on guard on Cary street, under the windows of the building; and they continuing to throw at him after he had repeatedly requested them to desist, he fired up at the window. Mr. Wooters and several other officials about the Castle then went up into the building to see whether any one had been hurt. On getting up to the room into which the shot had been fired, Wooters very unwisely approached the window and looked out, and thereupon the sentry fired at him, the musket ball entering his left eye. – Wooters fell at the crack of the gun, and was borne out of the building. The surgeon who examined the wound pronounced his recovery impossible. Last night he was reported dead. The sentinel said he fired at Wooters because he thought he was a Yankee. What are they hiding?I’m so glad you posted this photo, Dave, because it presents the opportunity to ask you and your learned Shorpy readers a question that’s been bugging me for years; for what reason did some men find it necessary to put their right hand inside their jacket or vest when being photographed in the mid to late 19th century? [I'd guess that Napoleon Bonaparte had something to do with it. - Dave] Castle ThunderI would like to hear more about what made a political prisoner. Or was this an archaic term for POW? Mainly used for civilian prisoners, Castle Thunder was generally packed with murderers, cutthroats, thieves and other desperadoes. Males suspected of disloyalty, spies and Union sympathizers were incarcerated here. A large number of its inmates were under sentence of death. A few women were held here, including the famous Dr. Mary E. Walker. Used by the Federals for Confederate civilian "war criminals" after the surrender. Formerly the (William) Greanor's, Palmer's, & Whitlock's Tobacco factories. -- mdgorman.com The Right HandFreemasons used that pose in the 19th century. A lot of non masons copied it also. The hidden handYes, the hidden hand of Jahbuhlun. A masonic gang hand signal. (The Gallery, Civil War, Richmond)
Transit: 1906
... switched on only when the locks were being operated at night to allow boats to pass. These early open lamps are extremely rare. Very ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:36pm -

The Ohio River circa 1906. "Canal locks at Louisville, Kentucky." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Planes, trains and automobiles... are spectacular here on Shorpy, but the steamboats, ah, the steamboats. How they beckon me. Grandma would have been 9My grandmother was born in Louisville in 1897; she would have been familiar with sights like this. So, Shorpy shows us what our ancestors saw. Love Shorpy! Then and nowPuzzling abotu this O went to google maps and forunt: So it is a curve in the river where it dropa a bit, possiy once was rapids, and the locks alow boats to get around the drops. I bever knew! Someone will probably post when they got rebuilt into the modern version... Thanks! SteamboatsSic Transit gloria. [Bever forunt! - Dave] ModernityEarly 20th Century. The horrors and depradations of the Civil War finally beginning to recede into memory. America in the midst of the industrial revolution and poised on the brink of international dominance. How wonderfully sleek and bustling and modern this scene must have looked to a Kentuckian in 1906! That soaring steel bridge spanning the Ohio River in the background. The fine, solid stonework of the locks. The hissing, wheezing energy of the steamboat pushing a barge full of coal up (down?) river. Industry!! The Grim Reaperstanding up there on the left embankment! Jedi Knightpracticing on the walkway on the left. The TransitBuilt in 1889 at Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Spent most of its career in the Louisville harbor switching barges. Sank in 1901 and was raised. Rebuilt in 1920 at Paducah, Kentucky, and renamed the A.W. Armstrong. Early open type arc lamp The arc lamp in this photo is a very early open carbon type that was dominant in the 1880s and '90s, requiring very frequent maintenance. A single set of carbons lasted only a few hours before needing to be replaced. These were rendered obsolete by the late 1890s by enclosed double globe arc lamps, which could burn a single set of carbons for a week. The lamp shown here is a slightly modified version of an open lamp having two carbon rod sets instead of the usual one. When one set burned up the second set was energized. This lamp may have remained in service later (1906) as it was likely switched on only when the locks were being operated at night to allow boats to pass. These early open lamps are extremely rare. Very few survive today. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Louisville)
Over the River: 1903
... in NYC in the mid 80's. It happened quite by accident one night as we walked across the bridge and discovered an unlocked stairway that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:42pm -

New York circa 1903. "East River from Brooklyn tower of Williamsburg Bridge." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Cascarets and Uneeda BiscuitsWhere can I get me some of them Cascarets? Mebbe at Dannat & Pell? The Forgotten BridgeThe Williamsburg Bridge is one of the more obscure New York bridges; invariably overshadowed by the stardom of its neighbor the Brooklyn Bridge. Yet it's one of the most beautiful in my opinion; strongly designed, functional and sleek for its time. Its blunt towers stand there, year after year, like trusty sentinels, doing their workhorse job of shuttling car, truck and subway traffic back and forth between Brooklyn and the grimy east end of Delancey Street, and not complaining that it's almost never included in tourist guidebooks to New York. I love the Williamsburg Bridge. The I-Wish-We-Could-Forget-It BridgeThose of us here in the 1980s and '90s remember it as so dilapidated that it was entirely closed for years. It's the local poster boy for legendary infrastructure disrepair. *cough* *cough*All those belching chimneys and that smog in the background makes be cough just looking at it. I'm sure nobody misses coal furnaces. The view from the Willy Bhas changed a little. To and froThe "New & Improved" version of the Willie B is the result of the city finally spending the money required to repair this elegant bridge. The bridge was built in 1903. You show me any structure that old that has not been maintained by its owners and it too would be the poster child for neglect. I grew up on Delancy Street and looked out my bedroom window onto the bridge and watched the subway cross over in either direction, to and fro. Nameless faces travelling between Brooklyn and "The City" (as non-Manhattanites refer to venturing into Manhattan). I take exception to the posting that refers to the east end of Delancey Street as "grimy." I have fond memories of a wonderful childhood in a diverse neighborhood of working class people. Judging by the number of car ferries,this bridge was badly needed! Cascarets vs. Castor Oil      A history lesson from the Candy Professor in which he weaves candy and constipation into a lively slice of early 20th century medical history. My First Bridge to Climb!This was the first of many bridges two of my buddies and I explored and climbed in NYC in the mid 80's. It happened quite by accident one night as we walked across the bridge and discovered an unlocked stairway that went all the way up to the cradle room and then a ladder to the curved roof. The room where the suspension cables were anchored to the masonry buttresses was really scary as there was so much corrosion! I also used to ride my motor bike on the pedestrian walkway down the middle of the bridge. There was a ramp on the Brooklyn side but I had to deal with the stairs on the Manhattan side. I worked high-rise construction at the time to pay for college and I had access to many of the construction drawings to most of the NYC bridges through my school. Over the course of the next three years we climbed the towers (never the cables) of the Manhattan, Queensborough, Verizano and George Washington Bridges. We couldn't climb the Brooklyn Bridge as there was so much hoopla around the '87 Centennial but we did manage to cross the length of the bridge on the underside maintenance catwalk. Good times! Thanks for the pics! Gaping holesThe Williamsburg Bridge was closed to both automobile and subway traffic for seven weeks in the spring of 1988 after an inspection discovered gaping holes in critical support beams due to neglect and rust. In some places it had to be shored up with wood! Since then it has been virtually rebuilt. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
Willie of Montgomery: 1914
... Says he is 16 now; been messenger for 6 years. Late Sunday night, October 4th, I talked with him, still on duty, until 10 P.M. 'You bet ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:25pm -

October 1914. Montgomery, Alabama. "Willie Cheatham, Western Union messenger #1. Says he is 16 now; been messenger for 6 years. Late Sunday night, October 4th, I talked with him, still on duty, until 10 P.M. 'You bet I know every crooked house in town. Went to school with one of those girls when she was straight. Her mother died and she went bad. Some young girls were there too. I go out to Red Light some with messages and packages, and if I want to, I bust right in and sit down.' Hard face." View full size. Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. Red Light DistrictDid every kid that worked for Western Union go to the Red Light District? I think they all mentioned it red light districtYeah no kidding, I was thinking the same thing! Kids and Bad HousesI frequently see messengers going in what was then called "Red Light District". I guess "ghetto" is what we now call them? Why would a young kid deliver messages from a well-respected company to the dirty areas? [Because that's his job. - Dave] Red Light Districts"Ghetto" has racial overtones that people probably didn't apply to a red light district, which was typically where the gambling and whorehouses, and, during Prohibition, speakeasies could be found. Old timer once told me....An old timer once told me that whence the meaning of "red light" as it relates to ladies of the evening began when a so-inclined woman put a red shaded light in her street-faced window ---- if the light was on, she was available, if off, she was either in service or not home in the moment ---- as birds of a feather flock together, so did the ladies, either by choice or by community ordinance ---- at the turn of the 20th century, some "higher-class" ladies only received gentleman company by appointment and the cutting edge of making an appointment was by telegram ---- so, as pointed out already, it was the messenger only doing his task at hand ---- I believe though that the term "red light district" applied to prostitution rather than gambling and speakeasies although there was certainly "intercourse" betwixt.... His left arm......doesn't match his right. I wonder if something was wrong with it. Poor kid... Mandi- That's a good,Mandi- That's a good, plausible explanation for these type of pictures. I wonder how kids seasoned later in life then when they learn almost everything early on. Fake name?"Willie Cheatham" is way too much of a double entendre... reminds me of the "Car Talk" office located in the fake law firm of "Dewey, Cheatham, & Howe." Probably not a fake name.It looks like in Ward 1 of Montgomery, Alabama, in the 1900 and 1920 censuses there's a Willie D. Cheathem, born c. 1897/98. (I couldn't find him in the 1910 census, but that could be from a transcription error in the index.) No matching entry in the Social Security Death Index so he may have never had an SSN, or may have died after 1920 but before the social security system was in place. Willie CheathamAs part of my project to find descendants of child laborers photographed by Lewis Hine, I was able to contact Willie's oldest living direct descendant. I found some interesting information in my search, and you can see it at www.morningsonmaplestreet.com/williecheatham.html He looks so much older thenHe looks so much older than 16. It's amazing how working hard, and living hard can age you so quickly. LookalikeMy husband bears an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Cheatham. So much so that when we showed his mother, she thought I Photoshopped his picture into this one. What's more, after reading more about him on Mr. Manning's fabulous website, we found that he passed away a year and a day after my husband was born. If it had been that much sooner, I'd really be spooked! (The Gallery, Lewis Hine, Montgomery)
Paper, Mister?
... school, church to the world of adults who were out at night -- business owners, shoppers, drunks, gamblers, lonely people, nutty ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2010 - 11:38am
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