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Daddy's Boy: 1942
... the laundry, the boys making a model plane and sleeping at night) and still manage to elicit such genuine emotion as with the dad hoisting ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/28/2017 - 11:54pm -

September 1942. "Rochester, New York. Mrs. Babcock, Shirley and Earl greeting Mr. Babcock in front of the house." The nucleus of this nuclear family, orbited by his little electron. Large format negative by Ralph Amdursky. View full size. A Little Known ModelWhat a strange car in the Babcock's driveway. Look at the Shorpy logo on its right front fender. [The poor abused apostrophe. Which of these nice people would be "the Babcock"? - Dave] I think that the word "the" preceding the family's name makes it the collective Babcock family and that that renders my apostrophe unharmed. Not too sure though. [These people are the Babcocks, and this is the Babcocks' driveway. - Dave] Too Young & Too OldMr. Babcock falls into that odd category my paternal grandfather also shared. Too young for WWI, yet too old (and supporting a family) for WWII. Great jobIt really makes you wonder how the photographer was able to shoot the Babcock family in so many situations (listening to the radio, Mom doing the laundry, the boys making a model plane and sleeping at night) and still manage to elicit such genuine emotion as with the dad hoisting Earl in the air upon his return home. It's a credit to his skill at what he does. As for the look on the mom's face, she's obviously a bit more reserved than the others, and it may very well be that she's bursting with pride and happiness at her husband and little boy. RationingThe "A" sticker entitles him to 3 gallons of gas a week, the lowest civilian grade. You get that if you certify that you own five tires or fewer. The rest had to be turned in. Daddy's carA 1939 Plymouth. Defroster/Air ConditionerGotta love the old plug in fan on the dash. Insufficient DataI've been trying to pin down these Babcocks in the 1940 Federal census. [Somebody has. - tterrace] WipersHi, new here as far as a poster but always have looked at the pics daily . Just wondering has anyone here had any experience driving this car in the rain . Doesn't look like the wipers cover enough area to see out of. [Typical for cars of the period. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, Ralph Amdursky, Rochester)
Lewiston Hill: 1941
... Drove my '63 VW Beetle in 1964 down this hill at night, I think I had to replace my brakes the next day, what a nightmare drive. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/10/2022 - 11:54am -

July 1941. "Idaho wheat country -- extensive rolling fields. Lewiston Hill, north of Lewiston." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Nice view from a motelThere is now a motel about where this photo was taken, above the appropriately named Old Spiral Highway. That's the Clearwater River in the distance, right before it joins the Snake River just out of frame to the right. Lewiston is a twin city with Clarkston, Washington, on the other side of the Snake and which is home to the Lewis & Clark Discovery Center. Old Spiral Highway indeedNo surprise that US Route 95 has replaced what is now called Old Spiral Highway. Here is what it looks like from above. Click to embiggen. Google Street view from the old highway is grainy, so here is roughly the same angle as the 1941 photo but from US-95. You can see Old Spiral Highway between the guardrail posts. Drove my '63 VW Beetlein 1964 down this hill at night, I think I had to replace my brakes the next day, what a nightmare drive. The Southern Edge of the PalouseA region that attracts photographers from all around the world. When I tell WSU and UI alum that, they look at me like I'm nuts. The Famous, or Infamous, Lewiston GradeIt's not quite so twisty these days. My mother went to nearish-by Washington State College (now University--go Cougs!) in the 1940s and she told me about a classmate, who was a pilot in the war, who wrecked his car going down the grade. He apparently got confused, thought he was in an airplane, and tried to bank the plane around a curve. When I asked how someone could get confused between a car and an airplane, she allowed as to how he might have been a bit tipsy. Good crop of housesHere's another view, from the Lewiston Hill Overlook, that shows the ridge, with the river and bridge in the distance. Someone stuck a house on that ridge. It doesn't look like much wheat is cultivated here lately. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Landscapes, Rural America, Russell Lee)
The Prize: 1921
... (so kids with rocks and the coppers can't see you at night). - ditch the tire pump (weight again). - blacken the whitewalls ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:40pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Times boy and bicycle." One of the winners of a Washington Times subscription-selling contest and his prize, a Mead Ranger bike. More here and here. National Photo glass negative. View full size. You'll Hear Him ComingI picked one of those klaxon-style horns up decades ago at an antique store. It's heavy and requires that you put your weight on it when you blow it, but it will easily launch a sleeping cat or dog into low earth orbit. My only other bicycle noisemaker is a St. Christoper bike bell inscribed in Latin. Alas, St. Christoper has been relegated to civilian status. In the late 1950s I lusted for a chrome-plated bicycle siren that mounted on the front fork. You pulled a chain which moved the siren shaft to rub on the front tire creating a real siren wail. So realistic that the City of Detroit banned them. The second noisemaker of choice was baseball cards clothespinned to the bike tubing so the cards would flap against the spokes creating a motorbike sound, or so we thought. Maybe if your bike is cool enough,your prize is standing in the doorway. HeadlampThat's a very electric headlamp. I'd guess that there's a no. 6 Ignitor dry cell in that can under the top tube. Boss Man.He looks like a future CEO. The real prizeis the young woman standing in the doorway. Lucky for us that the lens captured her beauty forever. Now all the has to do is - remove the kickstand (too heavy). - throw away the light and battery (so kids with rocks and the coppers can't see you at night). - ditch the tire pump (weight again). - blacken the whitewalls (sissy stuff). - bend the handlebars outward and down (just because). - get rid of the fenders (macho mud splatters on clothes). - paint flames on the frame (coolness factor). - tie raccoon tail to back rack (ditto). - buy pilot's leather helmet and goggles (if you can't pedal fast at least you can look like you are). WowWhat a handsome and dashing young man. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Natl Photo)
Hank Aaron: 1934-2021
... We were lucky enough to see him hit #712 that Saturday night. We went back on Sunday hoping that with some luck he’d hit two and we ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/22/2021 - 1:43pm -

September 8, 1955. "Hank Aaron standing in front of his locker with misspelled name in the Milwaukee Braves locker room." Photo by Phillip Harrington for Look magazine. View full size. Hank Aaron, Home Run King Who Defied Racism, Dies at 86         Hank Aaron, who faced down racism as he eclipsed Babe Ruth as baseball’s home run king, hitting 755 homers and holding the most celebrated record in sports for more than 30 years, died today in Atlanta. He was 86. -- New York Times Arron? Really?For the love of Pete. How long did it stay like that? RIPI remember when he hit 714; we lived in Atlanta and although I was only 17 and living in an all-female household and not yet a baseball fan, Hank's accomplishment was so celebrated that even those who weren't paying attention, sat up and took notice. There was such joy in the air. Four years and four months later, when my soon-to-be husband took me on our first date to see the Chicago White Sox defeat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 at old Comiskey Park, and in the ensuing years, he taught me about many of the greats, including Hank Aaron. Now we're die hard Cub fans but we love and have utmost respect for all baseball legends. Rest in Peace, Hank. Henry Was Consistent. Here's how to hit 755 home runs: start early, and end late. Henry hit 37 HRs at age 21, and 40 (in just 120 games) at age 39. His stats are especially impressive for a man who played half his career in the pitching-dominant 1960s. Looking at his stats online, I just noticed something for the first time: Henry received votes for MVP for 19 consecutive years. That must be a record. My first baseball gameAt the first pro baseball game I ever attended, in 1953, Hank Aaron played for the Jacksonville Braves. Aaron hit 22 home runs that season and I believe I saw one of them, though that particular memory might be influenced by the following 23 years. (In this photo he's standing at far right.) Hank?I learned from the NY Times obituary of Aaron that he never liked being called Hank. What an annoyance to have to go through life seeing your name in the headlines with a nickname you can't stand. Arron? Makes you wonder doesn't it.Watched an interview with him, he said breaking the home run record made his life miserable, death threats, kidnapping threats, etc to him and his family. Makes me sick to my stomach thinking about the pain and misery we brought on these magnificent human beings when we should have been lifting them up. Forgive us. My Henry Aaron memoryHad a friend in college here in Houston who hailed from Richmond Va, the home of the Braves’ AAA club. He loved Hank and the Braves. We went to the Astrodome in September of '73 with Hank sitting on 711 dingers. We were lucky enough to see him hit #712 that Saturday night. We went back on Sunday hoping that with some luck he’d hit two and we could at least see him tie Ruth. But he sat that one out. Still a fun memory. We got some sort of little certificate on our way out of the Dome with his photo and "I saw #712". I’ve got in buried in one of my many boxes of memorabilia. I always got a kick out of the fact that he and Al Downing were both wearing my college number (44) when Downing gave up #714. RIP, Henry Aaron A piece of my heartI was in Grade 11 when Aaron hit number 715, and I remember the historical impact of the moment. Thank you, Dave, for the link to the NYT article. It saddened me to read of all the racist crap, and I was moved when Aaron is quoted as having said about all the incidents: “All of these things have put a bad taste in my mouth, and it won’t go away. They carved a piece of my heart away.” He added, in 1994: “Any Black who thinks the same thing can’t happen today is sadly mistaken. It happens now with people in three-piece suits instead of with hoods on.” Move over BabeRest in peace Hammer. Charlie Grim and the boysIn the mid 50s my friends and I would frequently conclude watching a Milwaukee Braves game far outweighed the educational opportunities of Horace Mann Junior High School in West Allis, Wisconsin. The school was only a couple miles from Milwaukee County Stadium, so we could meet our academic responsibilities in the morning, and just not return after lunch. (My older sister was an invaluable resource by providing the note I needed the next day from my mom, justifying the absence.) But the real beauty was we could watch the games free. One of my co-conspirators had learned of a seating area the VA had set up on their property on top of a high steep hill that overlooked right field (Andy Pafko) of the ball park. The seating was provided for residents of the VA facility and we were always welcome to join them. One of us always had a portable radio and we listened to the play-by-play from Earl Gillespie as we watched from high on the hill. Henry Aaron of course was someone we always looked forward to seeing at bat, hoping for a homer with each pitch. Times were good. (LOOK, Milwaukee, Phillip Harrington, Sports)
Friends to the End: 1865
... that two male travellers would share a bed for the night. Soldiers often "spooned" for warmth while tenting under open canvas. It ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2013 - 9:08pm -

1861-65. "Pvt. Charles Chapman of Company A, 10th Virginia Cavalry Regiment (left), and unidentified soldier." Half-plate ambrotype, hand-colored. Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs, Library of Congress. View full size. Familiar Touch.Of particular note, is the physical contact exhibited by the two men in the picture. In modern times (at least in America) you observe less of this. 19th century Americans had fewer hang-ups about gestures of friendship and affection between men. It was not uncommon that two male travellers would share a bed for the night. Soldiers often "spooned" for warmth while tenting under open canvas. It causes one to wonder why we live in a time where one might be derided for such gestures. Re: BrothersProbably not. Definitely not twins. There's a good bit of age difference here. But, there seems to be a family resemblance. There's a good chance that they were cousins. It is pretty common to see pictures like these of relatives other than brothers taken usually early in the War before disease or action claimed one or more of them. This picture looks like one from about mid-War. Charlie ChapmanPrivate Chapman was 36 years old at the time of his enlistment at Richmond on June 9, 1861. He enlisted for the period of the conflict. His Compiled Service Record (CSR) at the National Archives contains almost nothing else, but does include a payment requisition, dated November 5, 1863, for a bay mare killed in action on June 17, and said to be valued at $800. The reverse shows a notation that it was paid on November 17. Confederate cavalrymen commonly brought their own mounts to the conflict, but even with the devaluation of Confederate currency, $800 is a lot of money. More 10th VA images?My great-great grandfather was a member of Co. K, 10th VA Cav. I have some postwar pictures of him but none of him during the War. It would be great to find some more that may include him. This picture is of very good quality and very helpful for those who research variations in Confederate uniforms, particularly the shell jackets. Brothers ?If you look at their faces, are they not brothers? Even twins? (The Gallery, Civil War)
The Avengers: 1943
... day as a secretary and Grandpa worked in the factory at night. This gave my mom plenty of time to sneak off with my father, riding on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/09/2013 - 10:03pm -

February 1943. "Working on a 'Vengeance' dive bomber at Vultee Aircraft in Nashville, Tennessee." Gunning away at the Axis, one rivet at a time. Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Airless PneumaticsThey worked so hard making these pieces that their pneumatic riveters didn't even require air lines to run! Sticking out of sheet metal like thornsThose are called CLECOS. They act as temporary rivets and can be removed prior to final assembly. Vultee A-35 VengeanceBuilt in the U.S.A. never used in combat by the U.S. many sold to Britain, Australia, India, France, Brazil, ended up as a target-tug. VulteeMy grandmother and grandfather worked there during the war. Grandma worked during the day as a secretary and Grandpa worked in the factory at night. This gave my mom plenty of time to sneak off with my father, riding on his old Indian Chief motorcycle for a few clandestine dates. Would love to see more pictures from Vultee. Is there a key ?On the lower left, something looks like a lock with a key inside. The key to the key discovered?I looked up the Vultee Vengeance on the line to get a bit of casual information on its history and immediately began to realize that the part shown simply did not fit... The same image turned up on a flickr site and this comment clarified things: "I believe this transparency must have migrated from another file - the part being assembled in the nose door for a Consolidated C-87 'Liberator Express,' probably taken at Consolidated's Fort Worth plant." The shape seems right for C-87...I suspect the "key" is perhaps the handle of a latch allowing the door to be opened below that little panel...or maybe an actual key on the hypotheticl latch...the AAF wouldn't want the natives to steal the spare tire! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Factories, WW2)
Road Closed: 1958
... They had a wick that burned so they could be seen at night. Those smudge pots will soon disappear from road construction ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2015 - 10:41am -

Columbus, Georgia, circa 1958. "Highway detour." Note the Greyhound bus terminal that looks like someone's screened porch. Also: a big microwave relay tower. 4x5 acetate negative from the News Archive. View full size. Looking NorthThis is the corner of 4th Avenue (now Veterans) and 12th Street, looking north. This was the construction that would widen 4th to four lanes. The tower in the background is on top of the local AT&T switching building. The old Howard bus terminal is still there, only now it's covered in a thick layer of artificial stucco and used as a church annex. Before Flashing BarracadesNotice the small spheres that look like the cartoon image of a bomb that are placed around and on the dirt pile? I had forgotten about these. Before the advent of expensive flashing barracades they used to put these little jewels around. They had a wick that burned so they could be seen at night. Those smudge pots will soon disappearfrom road construction sites, to be replaced within a few years by portable reflective devices and battery-powered flashers, to warn drivers and others of the hazards. Thanks to KAP The worst changesLooking at all these old urban images, it's sad that so many of the interesting old buildings are gone, but the worst change I think is the lack of trees. Imagine how cool it would be under the shade of all those trees, now only a few are left. It makes the streets that much hotter. 1952 ChevyI believe the car on the right is a 1952 Chevy. My father owned one for a few years in the late 1960's. I was then a few years too young to drive it. Not visible in the photo, the '52 Chevy windshield was the old-fashioned divided type consisting of two flat glass plates with a vertical metal bar (muntin?) between them. (The 1953 Chevy had a curved glass windshield. There may have been a transition in which the regular model had the flat windshield and the deluxe model had the curved one. Not sure if this would have been '52 or '53) ) The theory was that the bar dividing the windshield was narrower than the distance between a person's eyes, and therefore it should always be possible for at least one eye to "see around" it. The windshield glass could be _economically_ replaced by any glass dealer that carried laminated safety glass. Contrast that to replacing a modern windshield, which costs an arm and a leg. AT&T Switching CenterThe AT&T switching center suffered a catastrophic failure in the early 1980's. The rear loading dock was built at ground level with a sunken ramp allowing for truck access. Flood waters filled the ramp and then the loading dock. Once inside the doors, the waters filled the basement to a depth of about four feet (if I remember correctly) The power plants failed and brought the office down. The water covered the tops of the battery cells located on the lower power plant shelves. Bell Labs removed the fresh water that entered the cells with syringes (large ones). Power plants were restored (after cleaning) and continued service for quite a spell. I was a supervisor in the power engineering group in Atlanta and visited the site with my manager. Smudge PotsAt least the smudge pots actually worked, I can't tell you how many of the battery operated new ones ever work. 1958 versus 2015It makes me sad to see the vast difference between the two Columbus photos. In the original picture everything (except possibly the telephone tower) is at a pleasing, human scale showing a seemingly endless row of trees, grassy lawns, and comfortable appearing old houses. Virtually all of that is missing in the current view, and could be showing any faceless suburban intersection, with nothing but the tower and highway markers to indicate its true location. (The Gallery, Columbus, Ga., Motorcycles, News Photo Archive)
W.M. Freeny: 1920
... love to have seen what the Freeny sign looked like at night, all lit up. Shorpy viewers are the best! As soon as I saw this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 12:51pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "W.M. Freeny Co., front." The W.M. Freeny men's clothing store on 14th Street. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. Flotsam and jetsamStrange that the photographer would have left that ugly ladder standing there to detract from his photo. And what in the world is it that was won by the Police in 1917? We'll probably never know...... I remember haberdasherieswhose well-trained clerks who worked in such fine stores supplying all manner of men's furnishings. Harry Truman was one before he became president. And they provided such good service that they would do free alterations to make your clothes fit perfectly, even if they were not custom-made. And then, if you found clothes that would fit, you could go next-door to Velati's and stock up on famous caramels, bonbons, chocolates and pastries. This was what a typical Main Street looked like when I was young and I must say, I found it much more personal than going into a cavernous super huge warehouse that sells everything under the sun, you push a massive, two-story shopping cart, walk a mile or more to find ALL your needs and finally take a number to check out. Believe me young ones, some things were better in the olden days. Mysterious LadderThat looks like an extension ladder for work in trees, or maybe street lamps. Fruit pickers had ladders like these, narrow at the top to make them easier to use in the branches, but it would work as well on sidewalk light standards. Probably not the photographer's. The shop window it's propped against (glass already cracked) looks like maybe the display window for a pawn broker. There's also a set of golf clubs and a croquet set in the window with the police trophy, and maybe a radio tuner. The odd array of giblets for sale isn't packed densely enough for a hardware or sporting goods store. [It's the A.G. Spalding & Bros. sporting goods store at 613 14th Street -- A.G. being Albert Goodwill Spalding of baseball fame. - Dave] Velati CaramelsMy dad always said that if he had his life to live over, he'd live over a delicatessen. I might choose the Velati Famous Caramels shop. Freeny lit upLooks like a warm late afternoon when this pic was snapped. I would love to have seen what the Freeny sign looked like at night, all lit up. Shorpy viewers are the best!As soon as I saw this shot, I wondered just how quickly we'd know about the businesses on either side. You guys are just great. Thank you and Happy Fourth to all! [More on Velati Caramels here and here. - Dave] Sporting SpaldingAmazing detective work! So was this store part of a chain? Where's the window cleaner?The ladder is very likely a widow cleaner's. There are at least a couple of window cleaners here who ply there business walking from location to location, carrying their equipment including a ladder like this. Albert G Spalding"So was this store part of a chain?" Yes. Spalding Sporting Goods began when Albert Spalding opened his first sporting goods store in Chicago in 1875 or '76 with his brother. Spalding was a well known pitcher and by 1876 was playing with the Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) so his name on a store was going to drive traffic. Spalding published the first guide to the rules of baseball, and an annual Baseball Guide. By 1901 the store in Chicago had grown to a chain of 14 stores. Spalding died in 1915 but the company still exists, although not as a retail entity - it is Spalding Sporting Goods and produces balls for many sports - although as far as I can tell from their website, they no longer make baseballs. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Hotel Rochester: 1908
... - 1999 "300 all outside rooms" that rented for $1.50 a night. Later it was turned into a dorm for RIT, but it was torn down in 1999. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 11:42am -

Rochester, New York, circa 1908. "Hotel Rochester, Main Street and Plymouth Avenue." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Mostly GoneWhile the hotel is gone, the building mostly hidden behind it with the steep roof still stands. View Larger Map 1907 - 1999"300 all outside rooms" that rented for $1.50 a night. Later it was turned into a dorm for RIT, but it was torn down in 1999. Mostly goneAnd even the old building that still stands is in disrepair. Curved RoofDoes anyone have any idea what the building at the next corner, to the left, was? That roof area looks like glass panels, an enclosed garden room, perhaps. It is gone, I think, the "slanty" roof building is still there, as noted, but I don't think they were connected. Interesting. Curved Roof Bldg.The building with the odd curved roof is the Rochester Savings Bank, built in 1844 and described by one writer as a "fancy wedding cake." It was at the SW corner of West Main & Fitzhugh Streets. Just beyond it (almost at the left edge of the photo) on the SE corner of the same intersection is the Monroe County Building, completed around 1894 and still standing. The building with the mansard roof, just barely visible to the left to the Hotel Rochester, is the Rochester Free Academy. It still stands, but has long ceased to serve as an educational institution. The once grand Hotel Rochester building was imploded on the Saturday before Christmas, 1999; hundreds of onlookers witnessed the event. ThanksThe beauty of Shorpy! Thanks, Chip. Still curious about that upper floor where the glass is [or appears to be]. National TheatreDoes anyone know anything about the National Theatre next door? I can't find any references to it. (The Gallery, DPC, Rochester)
NCR Girls: 1902
... if they truly let their hair down when they went home at night? Nice Work Mostly comfy looking height-adjustable chairs, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:59pm -

Dayton, Ohio, circa 1902. "Lock and drill department, National Cash Register." Dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Gibson GirlsAll these young ladies seem to have virtually the same hairstyles. Presumably, their hair is done up in pins to avoid tangling with machinery. I wonder if they truly let their hair down when they went home at night? Nice WorkMostly comfy looking height-adjustable chairs, footrests and stools, fans overhead, aprons to keep your clothes clean, height-adjustable task lighting, and even flowers on the workstation left front. Compared to other places we've seen, this was probably a good job to have in 1902. Dressed to KillIn comparison to these well-dressed ladies, today's workforce is a bunch of ragamuffins. Workplace amenitiesGood point, Anonymous -- and as we see in the next photograph, the dining facilities are more than civilized. (Separate dining rooms for ladies and gentlemen. White tablecloths.) The machineryThe row on the right is small drill presses. Nothing unusual there. The ones on the left look like pantograph engravers. The workpiece appears to be a decimal counting wheel or something similar. It's stuck on a horizontal shaft just below the top of the yoke in the center - you can see that it matches the ones stacked up on the pins to the left of the worker. The machine has a vertical spindle that spins at high RPMs, judging from the pulley diameter ratios leading up to it. The bottom of the machine may have some sort of pattern that the worker traces over and the machine follows. Numbers 0 through 9, perhaps. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories)
Modern Nativity: 1953
... December 1953. Continuing the Look magazine series "night photographs of houses decorated for Christmas." You know what they say ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/23/2013 - 7:42pm -

December 1953. Continuing the Look magazine series "night photographs of houses decorated for Christmas." You know what they say about people who live in glass houses -- they don't throw Christmas parties. At least not until they can afford curtains. From photos by Jim Hansen and Bob Lerner. View full size. Be Still My HeartMultiple colors, not just an alpha channel? What is the Shorpy brand coming to? Unwinding my tongue from my cheek, I guess that it's time to wish everyone Seasons Greetings. Heat lossThe R-value of glass is about 0.14, and there's 120 square feet of it right here. When it came to selling, picture windows were the '50s equivalent of today's granite countertops, but the thermostat is probably set on 82 just to make that room comfortable. Oh, and did anybody notice that all of the snow and ice are melted off that roof? Season's GreetingsI see the "war on Christmas" has been going on for at least 50 years now. My father was drafted in 1964 and injured in the Battle of Tinsel Hill, recovered, and then took part in the famous Christmas Tree Stand of 1965. And the stockings were hungfrom the window with care! It is always interesting where people hang stockings when they don't have a mantel. We used the backs of chairs, if I remember rightly. The window would be handy, especially is Santa could open it. CharactersI want to say those three figures at the bottom of the window are the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and March Hare from Alice in Wonderland. And I really want to say they're the versions from the 1951 Disney film. UPDATE: Well, they may be. This ad is for a set of toys issued upon the original release of the film. The size seems right. Also, surviving examples of the final products. All Through the HouseThe stockings were hung by the window with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas -- Hey! No chimney? Jingle BillsJust think of the heating bills. All that glass *shudder*! WindowOur second house, which was built in '58 had a huge window like this in the living room. Fortunately it faced south, but was still a cold air source. The rest of the house had aluminum frame crank out windows, single pane. The furnace and A/C were original as was the water heater. We bought the place in the late '70s, so you can imagine the efficiency. We finally replaced all the windows,added six inches to the insulation in the attic and put a new furnace, water heater and A/C in. Energy costs must not have been an issue in'58 but what a difference all of that made. (Christmas, LOOK)
Where the Sidewalk Ends: 1941
January 17, 1941. "On a foggy night in New Bedford, Massachusetts." Medium format acetate negative by Jack ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/28/2019 - 2:46pm -

January 17, 1941. "On a foggy night in New Bedford, Massachusetts." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Spooky pictureIf there was only a human figure walking down the sidewalk. The chill factor would be sky high. NoirBetter buy your popcorn quickly and get back in your seat. The murder is about to take place. 514 County Street at KemptonOn this site now stands -- a KFC and its parking lot. The old houses are gone, replaced by an ugly ugly apartment building. Streetview if you dare -- I found the address in a 1919 New Bedford Guide: https://archive.org/details/newbedforddirect1919wagr/page/1168 KFC and ugly apt buildinghttps://goo.gl/maps/6fJUUa8GLHfwyvj6A TalentJack Delano was so talented! Muffled blanketDashiell Hammett: eat your heart out. Thick fog covered the city like aunt Mabel's pea soup. I could just make out the dame up ahead, lurking under the washy light of a street lamp leaning like the thousand drunks it had supported. Was she the spy? I knew I'd find out soon enough. Her dress was blue. The Germans wore gray ... Typical DelanoThat is, SUPERB! Reminds me of the Sleeping Locomotives photo (a masterpiece!) DELANO NOIR - Forget about the assignment for the F.S.A.Let's face it, many of the best Photographers that Roosevelt kept alive during the great depression took photos that "Shorpy" has blessed us with which don't seem very much of interest to "farm security". They were just there at a visually magical moment and couldn't resist. This is a stand apart FANTASTIC work of pure art thanks David - - - (The Gallery, Jack Delano)
The Grill Room: 1912
... Edelweiss cafe, will ignore the police order of Saturday night. HVAC I wonder if those 4 wall mounted oscillating fans really ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 7:12pm -

Detroit circa 1912. "Edelweiss Cafe -- The Grill Room." There may be a slight wait. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The OverlookWhen I look at this, all I can see is the Colorado Lounge. Poached eggs, rarebit, and coffeeThe Edelweiss Cafe was previously seen in this exterior shot. The interior picture could have been taken this morning. As strange as every aspect of life in 1910 would seem to us today, I think restaurants would be the one place the average modern person would see little difference, allowing for the prices and a few out of fashion foods like sardine sandwiches. I was hoping to find a menu, but the only old article I could find is behind a Detroit Free Press paywall. Looks like the owner was planning some civil disobedience. CAFE OWNERS PLAN TEST OF DANCE EDICT Mar 10, 1914: Determined to test the right of the police department to order dancing stopped in cafes. Manager Charles Glaser, of the Edelweiss cafe, will ignore the police order of Saturday night. HVACI wonder if those 4 wall mounted oscillating fans really solved their hot weather problems? Optional"Would you like a regular table or the deluxe option that includes silverware?" I'd like a booth, pleaseHow about a table for five? Hardly my concept of a "cafe." The extensive linen creates an elegant atmosphere, but must have been an expensive operating cost. The chairs don't look comfortable. Dancing in cafes is the least of Detroit's problems today. When one sees such a genteel scene, one is left to wonder if we are progressing as a culture. Fans and their fernsThere are two fans in the "middle" of the room near the tops of their columns. Each fan is partially blocked by ferns. I know I didn't see them at first. What was the address?Does anyone know the exact address? (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Eateries & Bars)
Now Playing: 1920
"York Theater, night." Washington, D.C., circa 1920. Among the cinematic offerings: Jack ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:16pm -

"York Theater, night." Washington, D.C., circa 1920. Among the cinematic offerings: Jack Pickford in "In Wrong." National Photo Co. View full size. HackI love the sidecar rig, and thinking that that was once a reasonable mode of transportation! New Photoplay House Builds Eighth 'Movie' Harry M. Crandall Constructs the York in Petworth The York Theater, eighth link in the chain of photoplay houses operated in the Capital by Harry M. Crandall, is now in course of construction on Georgia avenue, occupying the entire area between Princeton and Quebec streets. The newest of the Crandall theaters will have a seating capacity of 1,000 on one floor, no provision having been made for a balcony. The total floor area will be 10,000 square feet. Entrance on Georgia Avenue Entrance to the York will be from Georgia avenue into a foyer fifty feet long and twenty feet wide, with a ceiling height of twenty-five feet. The lobby walls will be of marble with inset, self-lighted poster panes. Lighting will be of the indirect, self-diffusing type. The exterior of the theater will be golden brown brick laid in white mortar, with cornice, coping and clerestory walls trimmed in gold. Silk Canopy Inside The entrance will be surmounted by a marquee of wrought iron, copper and Tiffany glass, to harmonize with the color treatment of the building, which will extend to the curb line and be fitted with brilliant flood lights, bathing the entire front of the structure in bright light. The decorative scheme utilized throughout the interior will be in silver, black and gold. One interior feature deserving mention is the treatment of the proscenium, which will be built in three arches under a silk canopy extending over the audience beyond the orchestra platform. The screen and side curtains, as well as the overhanging canopy, will be of gold silk, further beautified by concealed colored lighting making possible many extraordinary effects. There will also be elaborate balloon fixtures hanging from the ceiling. Of special interests will be the ventilating and heating system specially designed for the theater. The unique feature of the new system will be that heat will be blown in from the ceiling. The same system will serve to introduce cooled air during hot weather and is capably of completely changing the atmosphere of the theater every thirty seconds. Crandall's York Theater was designed by, and is built under the personal supervision of Reginald E. Geare, who also planned and supervised construction of Crandall's Metropolitan and Knickerbocker theaters. The York will open about October 15, and will be devoted to exclusive showings of photoplays of the highest grade. The completion of the York will give Mr. Crandall three houses of the first rank in the northwest residential portion of Washington, the Knickerbocker and the Savoy being the other two. Washington Post, Jun 1, 1919 Wow! It is still there! View Larger Map Beautiful Photo!What a nice photograph. You can really appreciate the sense of the photographer in love with his craft. It completely transcends the typical yet fascinating National Photo fare. It just reeks of atmosphere and ambiance! RecyclingIt is no big surprise that the building is still there virtually intact. Old movie houses are easily converted to other uses -- supermarkets, warehouses and the most common, as in this case, churches. It is remarkably well preserved with the exception of the storm canopy and the poster cases. Old YorkHeadley reports that the York was in service as a theater until at least May, 1954. In 1957 it was sold to the National Evangelistic Center and converted to its current use. He also notes that newspaper coverage for Harry Crandall's theaters was generous. While newspaper accounts claimed that $100,000 was spent building the York, the actual cost was only $50,000. Petworth MemoriesThis is very close to where I grew up, and is the first place I ever saw a movie, when in 1955 my grandmother took me to see an Abbott and Costello picture there. I hope you'll find other pictures from Petworth, preferably the residential neighborhood around 5th & Quincy Street NW. As someone who lived there for 44 years, I am most curious. The rowhouse development seems to have begun near the end of WWI. (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
A Shot in the Dark: 1909
... professional, died at the Elgin Asylum for the Insane last night. Demarest suffered a nervous breakdown last June and attacked his wife ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2012 - 2:57pm -

January 1909. Billiard champion Calvin Demarest in New York, seven years before his prematurely reported death. From his 1916 obituary, headlined "Calvin Demarest Dead -- Noted Billard Player Expires in Illinois Insane Asylum": CHICAGO, Feb. 22. Calvin S. Demarest, former amateur champion billiard player and later a professional, died at the Elgin Asylum for the Insane last night. Demarest suffered a nervous breakdown last June and attacked his wife with a knife. She was saved from serious injury by Demarest's mother. The billiardist was taken for treatment to a rest cure, but failed to improve and was removed to the asylum. As it turned out, Calvin was very much alive. In 1925, though, he died before his time. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Calvin Lives!Another news item from the day of Cal's 1916 obituary: DEMAREST, EX-CUE CHAMP, NOT DEAD ELGIN, Illinois, Feb. 23, 1916. -- Dr. M.C. Hawley, assistant superintendent of the Elgin State Hospital, stated today that he was unable to explain reports that Calvin Demarest, onetime holder of the world's amateur billiard championship, had died. "Demarest is in practically the same condition as when he was committed here several months ago," said Dr. Hawley. "He is in bad mental condition and his case is of the type which deteriorates gradually, but we do not look for death for a long time, unless ho should have a sick spell or an accident." [Calvin actually died in June 1925 although the news item on his funeral doesn't say what the circumstances were. - Dave] EyefreakHe probably fooled them into thinking he was dead the first time by using his patented eyefreak trick, as demonstrated above. Pool TableI have to confess to suddenly knowing less about pool than I thought . . . what kind of pool table is that? Is it wider, are there pockets we cannot see? [No pockets in carom billiards. - Dave] Calvin D.He got da crazy eyes! Lovely picture- the light streaming in, the man in the top hat, the graphic angular shape of the lamps make it for me. BilliardsWealthy Kentuckian James Findley, to "Fast Eddie" Felson in The Hustler: "I don't play pool, Mr. Felson. I play billiards." (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports)
Erie 2601
... engines in the world, was derailed at Gulf Summit Sunday night. It was pulling a train of about eighty cars and was running along at a ... 
 
Posted by Lost World - 09/22/2011 - 11:39pm -

Erie 0-8-8-0 Camelback locomotive at Port Jervis, N.Y., in 1911. The camelback design was unique in that the engineer sat in the tiny cab alongside the boiler, while the fireman worked at the usual spot behind the boiler. One of the main disadvantages was the obvious communication problem between engineer and the rest of the train crew while the engine was in operation. The Erie camelback mallets didn't last long, but smaller camelback locomotives survived well into the 1950's on roads like the Jersey Central. View full size. Photo's History?What might you know of the photo's history? Interesting shot of a very rare locomotive. Don Hall Yreka, CA Erie 0-8-8-0 CamelbackAt Port Jervis, N.Y., in 1911.I model trains in HO scale. I have never seen anything like this engine. I have seen 0-4-0, 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 camel engines, but never an articulated camel. I have a 2-6-6-2 articulated and have seen the 4-8-8-4 UP engines, but not this one. Anyone know where I could get more pictures of this engine? Don Rowland - donhotrains@cinci.rr.com [You could try contacting the person who posted this picture. First sign up for a user account, log in, click on his username, and then "contact." - Dave] Erie 0-8-8-0 malletThe "Mother Hubbards," sometimes called "camelbacks", common on railroads in the Anthricite (hard coal) region of Pennsylvania. IIRC there weren't many articulated locomotives built this way. I believe this particular type of locomotive was typically used in "helper service," pushing coal trains over the mountains. The design comes from the need for a very large firebox on locomotives burning hard coal. Hard coal required a fairly thin fire to burn well, thus a large area was required to burn the amount of fuel required to generate enough steam. The fact that they burned the lowest quality of coal available didn't help! This particular locomotive is interesting in that it is a true compound; notice the size of the front low pressure cylinders compared to the high pressure cylinders on the rear engine. This makes it a "true" Mallet. It turned out that compounding didn't work as well as expected on railroad locomotives, and later articulated locomotives were built as "simple" engines. I've never seen any of the larger Mother Hubbards in service, but I did see several of the smaller 0-6-0s and 0-4-0s in active service. BTW & FWIW - in the 70's we lived in McCloud for four years. Beautiful country in that end of the state! Erie 0-8-8-0- More photos (Link)There are a few more photos of these engines at: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/loco/erie-lmn.html Erie Engine No. 2601 Derailed at Gulf SummitIn my wife's hometown paper (The Deposit Courier), the "Looking Back" section "100 Years Ago, 12 October 1910" says, "Erie engine No. 2,601, one of the largest engines in the world, was derailed at Gulf Summit Sunday night. It was pulling a train of about eighty cars and was running along at a fairly good rate of speed when suddenly it left the track. The big engine pounded along the rails for about 500 yards, cutting off the ends of the ties and tearing up the roadbed for a considerable distance. The Susquehanna wrecking crew was called and repaired the damage." Only oneThere was only one of this type of locomotive ever built, and it was used for only one thing. Hump work. Basically this engine spent its whole life pushing long trains up the hump of a yard where they would be gravity sorted. The idea behind the placement of the cab was more for visibility than anything. As for communication, the engineer and fireman used their own whistles to communicate between themselves. The engineer used the train whistle, the fireman had a lighter, lower whistle he used. There were three of theseThere were three of these used for pusher service, not hump service. Only the ERIE had articulated camelbacks, no other road had them. They were all rebuilt later with their cabs at the back. There were alot of camelbacks in the east and even some western roads had them: Santa Fe, Canadian Pacific, MKT, Chicago & Indiana Coalm, C&IE, to name a few. There are more pictures all over the Internet, even a color painting. An HO scale model just sold on Ebay for over $3000.00! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Railroads)
Top Brass: 1860s
... to. Once in camp they musicians might play for the camp at night and even compete with enemy musicians across the lines for playing best ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/20/2013 - 1:22pm -

Man with a horn, ca. 1861-65. "Soldier in Union infantry uniform with saxhorn." Sixth-plate tintype, hand-colored. Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs, Library of Congress. View full size. Typical of a musicianThey're always ahead of their times. Our saxhorn wielding warrior seems to have a diamond stud in his right earlobe. Of course I understand that it is really his left ear because of the mirror image nature of the tintype. An otherworldly appearancein no small part enhanced by the removal of an oval framing matte that must have been in place for quite some time. Far more than the clothes, the expressions we find in the old photos speak volumes about the differences in mindset between then and now. Of course, sitting rigid for several minutes has something to do with it, but even so it seems a serious demeanor was deemed to have greater value then than now. Over the shoulder horn.That is an over the shoulder horn. Saxophones did exist then but they were a reed instrument - not a brass instrument. My wife plays a horn such as this for special events via the John Phillip Sousa Museum where they have a collection of these instruments from the 1850's and 1860's. They were played at the head of a marching column with the bell aimed over the shoulder back to the soldiers behind. There are a range of instrument sizes (bass, tenor, etc) so there might be 4 or 5 horns and a drum at the head of a column providing music to march to. Once in camp they musicians might play for the camp at night and even compete with enemy musicians across the lines for playing best musical selections. Indeed a Horn of SaxI believe this is indeed a Saxhorn (a different beast from a Saxophone though also invented/patented by Adolphe Sax). Saxhorn - ooopsI see it says saxhorn in the caption - I must have misread it as I am a saxophone player. Please see attached a picture of some 160 year old over the shoulder horns. Horns from the John Phillip Sousa Museum. Saxhorn vs. SaxophoneIt's an over-the-shoulder saxhorn. The saxhorns are a class of brass instruments with a conical bore and a cup mouthpiece. They are generally claimed to have been invented by Adolphe Sax, who also invented the saxophone. The flugelhorn and modern cornets and upright tubas are all saxhorns. Saxhorn it is.The instrument is a saxhorn, designed by Adolphe Sax of saxophone fame. They were quite popular with Civil War bands. Wikipedia has all the details and a couple of good photos. DodsworthThe Dodsworth Saxhorn Band often plays at events at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. Their site has samples of their music on the CD page. The imageThe image indeed seems to be reversed, but I see no stud in either ear, just wisps of hair. (The Gallery, Civil War, Portraits)
Family Shelter: 1961
... many years later, if I heard heavy aircraft overhead at night, I just *knew* they were Bear bombers. Then I went to work a block from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2015 - 5:42am -

Oct. 11, 1961. "New York Civil Defense Commission Family Shelter display." Including Chess-Dominoes-Checkers. 35mm negative by Hans Knoff for the Look magazine assignment "The Great Fallout Shelter Panic." View full size. Flemish bond - now that's one fancy shelter!At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Dad casually remarked to Mom that World War III was probably imminent. He didn't think I overheard him, but I did. After that, whenever I heard any kind of siren -- police, fire, ambulance -- I was convinced that it was an air-raid siren and that Soviet ICBMs were on their way, due momentarily. I memorized the location of every Civil Defense Shelter in my end of town, and I had a pretty good idea of their capacity, too. Quite a burden for a 7-year-old. Brings back memoriesWhen I was a kid, the next door neighbors had a shelter installed in their basement right about this time. A big yellow, reinforced steel box that occupied a corner of the basement and had a heavy entry hatch. Being around 7 or 8 at the time, I remember the nuke threat as something the grownups talked about, but I didn't really understand any of it beyond the duck and cover drills we had at school. The shelter is still there today. I don't know if the bottled water, dried foods, bunk beds and the box of toys are still there because I haven't seen inside it in years. But the metal air vent still protrudes from the back of the house. Oh yummie!Canned Bread! Like homeOur house was built in 1962, and it has a fallout shelter - probably because there was a Nike missile base a few miles away at the time. So far, it has proved pretty useless, except as a wine cellar. What about Dad?With all that "generic" food on the shelf, they almost forgot the important stuff: Dad's emergency supplies. Canned bread?That definitely calls for some aerosol cheese spread. Re: Canned BreadDon't knock it: B&M Brown Bread is a New England staple, and very tasty! Cold War WilliesI thought that perhaps tterrace's lack of fear in that era might have had something to do with his living further from Cuba, but Dbell's post puts the kibosh on that notion. I can remember being terrified from about the third grade (1960) up to the Kennedy assassination. We lived on the Gulf Coast, not all that far from Cuba. I have vivid memories of JFK on TV letting the nation know the seriousness of the situation and thinking, "That guy is telling it straight." At the same time, I had serious doubts about whether bringing wool blankets and jugs of water would do much good in case of a nuclear attack. My friends and I were fairly certain that if something bad happened, we were toast. --Jim Living not in fearExperiences obviously varied. I was age four to fourteen in the 1950s and thoughts of nuclear war hardly ever entered my consciousness, low-level or otherwise. When it did, it was the transitory result of news coverage of some particularly critical international event, but even then I don't recall having any great sense of anxiety. That didn't happen until the Cuban Missile Crisis. We never had duck-and-cover drills in school - in fact, I'd never heard of them until the films started showing up as funny retro-nostalgic items on video and TV in the 1980s. I knew of the fallout shelter craze, but to me it was mainly just another one of those things about contemporary culture that I'd see lampooned in MAD Magazine. And none of my little friends so much as mentioned nuclear weapons or any fears generated by them. Living in fear!Contrary to tterrace's experience, I absorbed quite a lot of the fear mentality. I was also 4-14 in the 50's, and living maybe 40 miles away from him in northern California. I can't say I was constantly aware of being afraid of WWIII, but as with 510Russ, I was aroused by every siren, test or not. Even many years later, if I heard heavy aircraft overhead at night, I just *knew* they were Bear bombers. Then I went to work a block from the Blue Cube. Duck and coverI remember the constant, low-level terror of worrying about nuclear war when I was growing up in the 60s. I read about shelters in the back of Popular Mechanics and such, and always wanted my family to build one. My wife actually tried to dig to build one when she was a kid. Sit down, put your head between your legs, and kiss your arse goodbye! (The Gallery, LOOK)
Rush Hour: 1941
... to see that all her paint had peeled off her face with the night dew.These photographs bring back so many memories! Ditto lisavc. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2018 - 3:33pm -

Gas pump with clothesline, barn and horse-drawn wagon in background. View full size. Photographer and location unknown. FSA, 1941 or 1942. not a great photoordinarily, but fascinating to me, an australian, showing all these ordinary aspects of american life. The simplicity......of this photo is what draws me in. I mean, there is the contrast of the orange Gulf gas pump against the greens and blues. But, can't you just feel that gentle breeze that's brushin' against the wash on the line moving through your hair and whispering past your ears. A few birds sounding off sporadically in the surrounding brush line. Maybe the limb above the pump scratches lightly against the crown of the Gulf logo. Sigh. Guys, these pictures are...damn... This picture is not that oldThis photo took me so, that I put it up as wall paper on my desk top. It is a beautiful photgraph, but it is not that old. Look at the power pole in the back ground on the left. The bottom wire is a telephone line, not used in the 40s [well, actually ... see comment above]. The telephone wires used then were open wires on a cross arm with glass insulators. This appears to be a farmstead. The roads are not built up and are with out ditches. I believe that the real road is behind the brush by the power poles. All in all, I like the picture and it looks nice on my computer. Telephone wiresSingle-strand wires were indeed common in rural areas, but multiplex cabling began to replace them in the 1930s. Similar "three cable" line from LOC archives, photo taken Aug. 20, 1946 by Theodor Horydczak. The gas pump picture is from a roll taken in 1941 or 1942 for the Office of War Information / Farm Security Administration. Here's another photo from the same roll. I had a doll just like thather name was betty lou and I left her outside in a field and the next morning I was devastated to see that all her paint had peeled off her face with the night dew.These photographs bring back so many memories! Ditto lisavc. Another AussieDitto lisavc. Another Aussie who loves Americana. Abandoned gas pump?I suppose that gas pump was no longer in use? There is no indication of a business enterprise around it. [It would have been used mostly for agricultural equipment. I've seen similar pumps on farms out west.- Dave] (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Landscapes, Rural America)
Corps de Ballet: 1912
... N.C. They said they were working and went in to work. At night I counted over thirty children coming out when the whistle blew, and they ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 12:44pm -

"Photos taken during noon hour, October 23rd, 1912, at the Loray Mills, Gastonia, N.C. They said they were working and went in to work. At night I counted over thirty children coming out when the whistle blew, and they seemed to be from ten to twelve years old. The Superintendent was much disturbed over the photos." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Gastonia Ballet CompanySeriously, those are NOT ballet shoes and I am certain that, even back in 1912, no boy would be caught dead in his sister's ballet shoes! They're make-shift shoes for boys without proper shoes, but whose mother insisted they still needed some sort of protection. They're made from remnant cloth. Don't ask me how I know! Bryharms is right.Those pitiful cloth wrappings were better than nothing, but not much. Wonder why the barefoot boys haven't done the same. And Jerry Mathers as The Beaver!Far right. Can't for the life of meBeen trying to come up with some logical reason for those ballet shoes. All I can figure is maybe they found them somewhere or, considering both boys have socks, that indicates (CSI Donno here) they were wearing the ballet foot garb when they left home, having donned socks but without regular shoes to wear. If they found the shoes at work, most likely they'd have been barefoot. I hope other Shorponians will chime in. Both pairs are so beat up I doubt if there were any sisters at home ticked off about their ballet shoes taking a walk (sorry). (The Gallery, Factories, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Hot Rivalries: 1942
... helps to support the town's volunteer fire companies. Each night is alloted to a specific group, and there are several hot rivalries. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2008 - 7:31pm -

January 1942. Bantam, Connecticut. "In the basement of the town firehouse is the bowling alley, revenue from which helps to support the town's volunteer fire companies. Each night is alloted to a specific group, and there are several hot rivalries. Among the women shown here is Mrs. Winfield Peterson, whose husband is foreman of the Warren McArthur experimental shop." View full size. 5x7 nitrate negative by Howard R. Hollem for the Office of Emergency Management. Ball sizeThe bowling balls pictured seem smaller than today's? [Those are duckpin balls. No holes. - Dave] Duckpins or candlepinsFrom the size of the balls I'd guess they're engaging in duckpin or candlepin bowling. These types of bowling use relatively small balls without finger holes. Also five-pinThat's also the size of the ball in five-pin bowling, but that game is exclusively Canadian. Bowling DressI thought it was interesting that every one of these women was bowling in a skirt or dress. How things have changed! Already by my childhood 25 years later, all these women would have been wearing pants. Interesting sheenon Mrs. Peterson's leading leg, perhaps indicating nylon rationing had not yet made its way to her neighborhood. Or, maybe, she had been saving a pair for special times: like this one! [Or they might be cotton stockings, a nylon substitute that was the subject of about a dozen OWI photos. - Dave] Re: ConnecticutConnecticut is a lingering stronghold of duckpin bowling. This appears to be that game. Virginia is for lovers...........of duckpin bowling as well. I grew up in the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia, from the late 50s until I left in 1977 with my new husband of just one year (of marriage, not age, before anyone else comments), right after he got out of the Air Force, having been stationed at Langley AFB for his entire enlistment. Duckpin bowling was a major force in bowling competition when I was a little girl, and my dad taught me how to bowl in duckpins because the smaller duckpin balls were/are easier to handle by smaller children's hands. I got pretty good at it too. Adult leagues were going strong then, and it was amazing to me to watch the men in the men's and mixed leagues fire those little balls down the alleys like rifle shot at the short, squatty pins waiting at the other end! It was still quite popular when I left the area for the "Great Midwaste" in 1977, to accompany my husband to his home territory. I haven't heard anything to the contrary since then about it still being quite popular. (The Gallery, Howard Hollem, Small Towns, Sports)
Disney Vertigo: 1967
... walking around inside Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Ahhh, Grad Night. Hurl I went on that ride around 1958 or so with my Mom and ... 
 
Posted by Mvsman - 11/17/2012 - 4:26pm -

Disneyland about 1967. The "vomit cups," as I recall them. Here are my indefatigable mom, still alive and kicking, my little brother and moi. These were the days of the ticket books. The letter coded rides! From what someone told me, it is now nearly $80 to be admitted to Disneyland. Kinda makes me NOT want to go. This was one of a series of my dad's crystal clear 35mm slides. Dad was a fine amateur photographer. He just had a nice touch! Of course, depending on where he sent his film to be developed, results could vary. Here's a link from a popular Disneyland site showing how the ride has changed over the years. View full size. I Was ThereThis does bring back memories. I worked at this exact time as a ride operator on this ride as well as the adjacent Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. The two rides were under the same foreman, so the crews would tend to shift back and forth. Mr. Toad was more fun to operate because when we got bored we could mess with the car spacing and, once in a while, stand inside and jump on the back of a car mid-ride, just to give the riders an extra thrill. Obviously, none of this was Disney-approved procedure. Nice touch is right!Yes, the vomit cup ride at Disneyland (among other places). I never went on any of them because I knew it was just asking for being nauseous the rest of the day! Well NamedThe woman wearing yellow in the upper left cup looks like she agrees with your name for the ride! Teacups and TunaAt the right, the late, lamented Captain Hook's Pirate Ship, home of the Chicken of the Sea restaurant. I wonder how many, having just devoured a tuna sandwich or two, went directly on the teacup ride, to their eventual regret. A Big Strong Friend...taking charge of the wheel; his drunkenness didn't affect him, but mine did me. Later, I saw him walking around inside Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Ahhh, Grad Night. HurlI went on that ride around 1958 or so with my Mom and brother. My brother took great delight in getting it spinning at top speed. I did not toss my cookies, but staggered off the ride looking green! DIZZY-landIf you're over 40, never go on a ride like this with your kids--you'll embarrass them. Quality shotRazor sharp, grain-free focus, and beautiful bright colors. Mvsman, your dad did a great job, and chose a quality film processor on this roll! FarkedTeacups Farked. WOW!Now that revisits my childhood much as any thing I've seen yet! I was looking for myself in the photo! Thanks!! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Jungle Flivver: 1922
... Palms and ferns "Some Like It Hot" was on TCM last night and potted palms and ferns were used liberally in the sets. Looks like ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 6:52pm -

April 1922. "Oldsmobile window." The Model 47 "Smaller-Eight Super Sport," $2095 at Oldsmobile Sales Co., 1016-1018 Connecticut Avenue in Washington. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Oldsmobile V-8This car was an exciting and revolutionary for the average American to covet. It was powered with a lightweight V-8 engine. It would be another decade until Ford introduced the Model B V-8 "Deuce Coupe." http://www.oldsmobile.com/olds/enthusiasts/defaulte659.html Palms and ferns"Some Like It Hot" was on TCM last night and potted palms and ferns were used liberally in the sets. Looks like the set designer had the right idea. TiresIs it the lighting, or are both sides of those tires whitewall? [That's the natural light color of gum rubber. - Dave] WowThis is not my father's Oldsmobile. What a beauty! Model B FordThe Model B Ford was a four cylinder car. The 1932 Ford V-8s were Model 18s. Both engines were available across the line, not just in the coupes Pretty good deal$2095 in 1922 is equivalent to about $27K today, of course GM retired the brand in 2004. WowThere're so many plants in that window you can hardly spot the car. What's this? A car for every man's jungle? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
De Leon Springs: 1904
... in the photograph. I would bet things get pretty eerie at night around here. Even now I can hear the bullfrogs, crickets and nocturnal ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/15/2012 - 12:17pm -

Volusia County, Florida, circa 1904. "De Leon Springs near DeLand." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Voodoo settingThis is the perfect setting for a movie about a Voodoo queen, even though it is Florida. Also, in the left side window upstairs there seems to be somebody standing back away from the glass (visible in the lower left pane) as if they do not want to be seen in the photograph. I would bet things get pretty eerie at night around here. Even now I can hear the bullfrogs, crickets and nocturnal sounds of the swamp and smell the steamy, earthy odor wafting over the stagnant water. [This is a spring, so the water is anything but stagnant. - Dave] My mistake. I must be smelling something else, maybe the decomposing organic matter. left bank chateauYou don't string a seine in a swamp. Looks like they caught something. An artifical poolLocated in Central Florida, DeLeon Springs has a unique history. The spring was utilized as early as the late 1800's to refine sugar and crops by way of a sugar mill. The mill was powered by the spring's strong outflow of water. A retaining wall was built to increase the flow. DeLeon springs has a basin about 100 yards wide and depths near the center vent are around 25 feet. From the vent, about 4 feet wide, a cave continues for approximately 170 feet. A retaining wall makes spring look like an artifical pool, and visibilty is not that great in the basin, primarily due to large crowds. Green algae covers the bottom. Eau de AmbienceAdd some moonlight, some fireflies and some desultory plunking on a fretless banjo, render it all in Color by Technicolor, and this could be the spot-on inspiration for the Blue Bayou Restaurant in Disneyland, a favorite and relaxing spot for late lunches after a morning of too much sun and fun. Diving platform?Looks like a diving platform up in the tree to the right of the house. Bewitchin' PoolI sure would like to go there and have some lemonade with Aunt T. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida)
Adrian C. Anson: 1887
... note, this illustration makes the guy look like he's in "Night of the Batting Dead." "How do I get to the Susquehanna Hat Company?" ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 12/04/2007 - 12:20am -

A baseball card for Adrian C. Anson, first baseman for the Chicago White Stockings. Issued by Allen & Ginter Company, 1887. View full size Another look at "Cap" Anson."Cap" Anson was the was the 1st member of the 3000 hit club. Origin of cardsI don't know how commonly known this is, but this photo illustrates the fact that baseball cards were originally introduced in cigarette packs in order to keep the cigarettes from bending over. When they later started getting popular with kids they were packaged with bubble gum. On a totally different note, this illustration makes the guy look like he's in "Night of the Batting Dead." "How do I get to the Susquehanna Hat Company?" Blowing Up A Baseball Card To The Size Of A PosterBy my estimation, the "Full Image" version of this is approximately 30 times the size of what it's supposed to be, which would partially account for the somewhat pixilated effect. [And maybe even pixelated. - Dave] BatIt's interesting to view the evolution of baseball equipment over the decades, particularly (as this card shows) bats. Today's lumber has much more "meat" at the hittin' end, with a tapered handle that probably allows for higher swing speeds. Could this be due to better wood selection, lathing and curing techniques by the folks down there in Louisville? The lumber swung by the hitters of today's game make Cap's bat look like a fat stick. Ginter = Richmond industrialistLewis Ginter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Cemetery http://www.lewisginterrecreationassoc.org/history.html Major Lewis Ginter (1824 - October 1, 1897) was a prominent businessman, army officer, and philanthropist in Richmond, Virginia Of Dutch ancestry, he was born Lewis Guenther in New York City, New York, he moved to Richmond, Virginia in 1842. Ginter had a number of careers, arguably making and losing a fortune three times. Ginter amassed a great fortune in the tobacco industry via new technology for rolling cigarettes. He used this massive fortune to act as a philanthropist and for the development of civic and business interests in Richmond. He developed the neighborhood Ginter Park and brought the Union Theological Seminary there. His niece Grace Arents continued his philanthropy, spurring the development of St. Andrew's School, the Instructional Visiting Nurse Association and the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden at her home Bloemendaal. He served with the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, rising to rank of Major. His residence Ginter House sits on the Monroe Park campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. Hired on to the John Allen & Co, he became a partner of the Allen and Ginter tobacco company that ushered in a number of innovations including cigarette cards and the use of local Virginia tobacco. In 1890 Ginter's company joined forces with James B. Duke to form the American Tobacco Co.. Ginter also commissioned the design and construction of the luxurious Jefferson Hotel Richmond, which opened in 1895. Anson helped erect the pro baseball color barrierhttp://www.capanson.com/chapter4.html Cap Anson was (common for the era, even in his native Iowa) a bigot. His racial attitudes were stronger than most, however, and he led efforts to exclude blacks from professional baseball. Note that Jackie Robinson was NOT the first black to play in the major leagues -- both Fleet and Welday Walker played in 1884 before the color barrier limited baseball to the (ahem) melanin-impaired. (Sports)
Heeeere's Johnny: 1965
... from that era. Johnny was the best King of Late Night. There never will be anyone like him again. It's nothing but an ... had game and energy. The later shows kept, re-run every night, show a still-witty sophisticate and his longtime staffers generally ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/11/2019 - 10:11pm -

Los Angeles, July 1965. "Entertainer Johnny Carson on the 'Tonight' Show delivering a monologue." 35mm negative from photos for the Look magazine assignment "Johnny Carson, the prince of chitchat, is a loner." View full size. Cue the PeacockJohnny is being brought to you in Living Color courtesy several of those RCA TK-41 color television cameras, in 1965 still virtually the only game in town for color broadcast production, but not for long. 1965 looks like 2019Narrow lapels, narrow tie, tight pants, a little gel in the hair. Johnny looks like he stepped out of the latest J.Crew catalog. Personally, I'm looking forward to a return of the 1990s look, as most of my clothes are from that era. Johnny was the bestKing of Late Night. There never will be anyone like him again. It's nothing but an obsession with politics now, and it's not even funny anymore. Lost EpisodesJohnny was reportedly distraught and furious when he discovered NBC recorded over or otherwise disposed of virtually every show tape up through a date certain, including this depicted show. I'm with him. Gone are the nights from when he really had game and energy. The later shows kept, re-run every night, show a still-witty sophisticate and his longtime staffers generally following their formula rote. Except for rare nights such as when national NBC affiliate honchos made up the crowd, they seemed to simply mail it in. We young'uns thus miss out. Color TVI used to tinker with TV's and bought an old Westinghouse TV with a round picture tube. The first color I saw were the colorful curtains behind Johnny. (LOOK, Los Angeles, TV)
Bathtime for Joey: 1943
... off of a baby spoon. My sons also slept through the night around six weeks of age. Now I have three strong teenage sons and not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 11:01am -

December 1943. "Lynn Massman, wife of a second class petty officer studying in Washington, D.C., giving eight weeks old Joey his daily bath." The Massman family was the subject of dozens of photos shot by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. Epilogue: Joe, a lawyer, died in March 2000 in Montana. His dad, Hugh, died two years later. Lynn, a mother of eight, passed away in 1983 after a very active life. Click here for remarks by her son Bascomb. Any info on Lynn?When did she die? [In 1983 (see above). More on the Massmans in this thread. - Dave] Lynn MassmanLynn died before her sister Elaine passed away in 2001. Elaine's obituary. [Thanks, Joe. - Dave] Lynn's passingI'm Lynn's sixth child. Her fourth son. She died in 1983 of cancer. She would have made a great old lady. [Thanks for filling in the gaps. - Dave] More on LynnThe confusion could have been caused by her name change. When Lynn died she had not only remarried to Julius "Babe" Stoner, but she had taken to spelling her name Lyn. She made that move in the seventies when she ran for the state Senate in Montana--and nearly won. If it had been after Watergate instead of before, she probably would have won. Re: JoeyThe size of Joey at eight weeks doesn't surprise me. All three of my sons were also chunky at eight weeks. Their pediatrician instructed me to start my sons on baby cereal at two weeks with pureed fruits and vegetables. By around six weeks, I was instructed to add pureed beef roast or chicken into their cereal for dinner. Of course this was served in tiny amounts off of a baby spoon. My sons also slept through the night around six weeks of age. Now I have three strong teenage sons and not one of them has an allergy. Go figure! JoeyJust have to ask - are you sure that's an 8 WEEK old baby and not 8 MONTHS??? I'm sorry to question, but my baby is just about to turn 18 months next week and she was not anywhere near the size of Joey in this picture until 8 or 9 months, and she was 8 lb 2.5 oz at birth and has remained in the higher percentiles of weight & height to date! [Eight weeks seems to be correct. Joey was born in October 1943. - Dave] Joey MassmanThe Massmans are all big folks. Joe was 6 foot 2 and about 275 pounds before the cancer thinned him down in his last weeks. I'm 6'5 and 210. My daughters were both over 10 pounds at birth. I always say "Massman" is just another way of saying "big guy." (The Gallery, D.C., Esther Bubley, Kids, Massman, WW2)
Government Connections: 1959
... work long, telling us they could make $80 in a single night, dancing in the bars. Our Chief Operator didnt like men in her crew. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2013 - 8:26pm -

January 27, 1959. Washington, D.C. "Women working at the U.S. Capitol switchboard. An average of 50,000 calls are placed through the board daily." Photo by Marion Trikosko for U.S. News & World Report. View full size. Grandma BellMy grandmother was a supervisor for Bell Telephone in the 1920's. She traveled around by streetcar to six exchanges. She would carry a stopwatch and time the girls for answering calls and make sure they would use rising inflection on the last number when repeating the phone number that the caller had asked for. Hows about that!Pocket book holders on the back of each stool! The FatesWhat a wonderful picture. Those three supervisors with their skeins of wire and air of superhuman authority put me in mind of the ancient Greek Moirai, the Fates: the three implacable female spirits who controlled the metaphorical threads of life. One Ringy DingyBeing a telephone operator was my first real job in 1977. The switchboards were exactly like these and just as long. Although we had supervisors monitoring us at random, they did not sit directly behind us. It was an interesting job, you never knew what you would encounter with customers. I could work 2 positions at one time. I really liked these old switchboards, but when they went to all computer consoles, it was very boring and I quit. Worst mistake I ever made, too young to realize my error as I would have been retired long ago with a great pension. WiredAs someone who used to install these behemoths many moons ago, I can attest that soldered to pins at the back of each and every jack you see are six 22 guage gauge cotton jacket wires, all of which must be the exact same length, bundled, and neatly tied into a wiring harness with waxed lacing twine. Cables from the back of the switchboard run to a football sized room full of noisy switching equipment, clicking and clacking away. These installations were a unique works of art, which in some cases took weeks to months for several men to complete. The operator's room would smell of fresh cedar wood for months. Today this of course could all be done by a wireless device the size of a toaster. Second careersWhen they retired from telecommunications, many supervisors (shown seated behind the switchboard operators) found employment as tennis umpires. New Dial System Washington Post, December 29, 1957. Telephone Dial System Is Installed in Capitol A brand new dial telephone system went into action this weekend in the Capitol, but it's not going to change things much for the Congressmen. They'll be able to retain their old, comfortable and stately ways. Though each one has a dial phone, he also has an old-fashioned manual phone, so the operator still can do all the work. The old way was to pick up the phone and ask the operator to connect you, and that's the new way, too, for Congressmen. Everybody else will dial. The dial system connects all offices served by the Capitol switchboard and other Governmental units which have inter-office dial service. Operators will still handle all incoming calls and whatever calls the statesmen make on their manual phones, but the switchboard jam is expected to let up. A count one day disclosed 63,000 calls handled by the 72 operators on the Capitol switchboard. Things were getting so hectic that Congressmen sometimes had to wait for the operators to answer. There are new phone books, separate ones for the House and Senate. They contain all the Congressmen's office numbers and all other Government numbers too. Elizabeth Cole, assistant chief operator, said the system worked well yesterday. Fortunately, the inauguration of the service came on a between-holidays Saturday. Boy Scout VisitWe visited such a switchboard in the 50s as a boy scout troop. Who says number please when you pick up the phone? We boys found out the answer. We thought it was cool when all our numbers switched from Short Hills 7 to Drexel 9 and there was a nifty rotary dial, a few years later. Male operatorsAs in most professions the telephone operators were men in the beginning but women got these jobs because of the war. By 1973 women had been operators for so long that it was a novelty when the phone company began hiring men again to serve as operators. For us young guys, being an operator was a good paying entrance job. I remember $80 paychecks! Another benefit was 4 new female operators hired every two weeks! If you didnt see any appealing girls in this batch, just wait 2 weeks. Some women didnt work long, telling us they could make $80 in a single night, dancing in the bars. Our Chief Operator didnt like men in her crew. One time I got a call from a woman who said she didnt feel good and would I call her husband. This was against the rules but I asked what is the phone number? She said, "I cant remember." me: Where does he work? I got the number from directory assistance. This was against the rules. I connected her to the local number. This was also against the rules. I made the call 'person to person' This was also against the rules. I stayed on the line until the husband came on, then filled out the required card for an "emergency call" but forgot to put my operator number as required. Two weeks later the chief operator came over and threw the emergency call card down in front of me and demanded, "Is this your card?" Yes, definitely my hand writing. I'm in trouble for omitting my operator number. She gave me a letter and stalked off. The letter was from the husband. He said it took him 15 minutes to get home, 15 minutes to get his wife to the hospital and she lived for 15 minutes after that. He was grateful for those last few minutes with her. Equipment that was in that "football sized room"@ LaviathanRider and 19thCenturyGirl... Since you were former telephone employees you inspired me to log in and post this link to a video I shot this year (2013). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GklLptiOGRo While I can't reveal the location, it is located at a private residence here in the US. Everything in this personal CO is operable, interconnected, and works as it did when it was removed from service. For others who may not know, this is known as a step switch. Switches like these went out in the mid-1980's here in the US. Enjoy! -K (Technology, The Gallery, D.C.)
Drawing Room 1920s
... sconces on the walls. We would light them just for fun as night illumination. No lamps - just the gas coming straight out of the ... 
 
Posted by Joe - 09/22/2011 - 11:09pm -

Drawing Room 1920s. View full size. The Non-Roaring TwentiesWell, this photo may have been taken in the 1920s, but this room doesn't "roar". No cocktails served here. Flappers need not apply. The scene looks high Victorian, and from the size of that pipe coming down from the ceiling, the room is still lit by gas. Gas LightThe lighting fixture looks like it may be combined gas + electric. The lower lights look like they accept screw-in bulbs while valves appear to control the upper lights. If it is all-gas, how did the lower lights burn upside down ? ConversionI suspect the chandelier was converted from gas to electric. I remember seeing gas piping, outlets and converted fixtures in my grandparents' house. It would have been a whole lot cheaper to add the electric fixtures than buy new. Let Your Lamps Hang DownGood point about the lamps hanging down. They must be light bulbs. In San Francisco as a college student back in the sixties, I lived in an old Victorian flat that still had live gas jet sconces on the walls. We would light them just for fun as night illumination. No lamps - just the gas coming straight out of the fixture. Thank God we didn't burn the place down. Gas fixtures...Gas fixtures can burn pointing up or down... they blow gas inside a mantle so it makes no difference how they are oriented. I have gas lights in my hunting cabin and they point down. Gas & ElectricI've seen pages from old catalogs offering fixtures with both gas mantles and electric sockets from the turn of the century. In small towns it wasn't at all unusual for the "electric-light plant" to shut down after 10 p.m. or so well into the 'teens. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Pilot Project: 1938
... Morrison, Arcadia (Calif.) High School student, last night was awarded a trip to Miami as winner of the National Air Mail Week essay ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/15/2013 - 11:14pm -

May 16, 1938. "National Airmail Week essay winners at Washington Airport." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. WonderWhere the 'Airmail Week' winners are being airmailed to. An interesting assortment of folks; how many might be about to take their first airplane ride, if that be the prize involved. hold on to your hats!These essays are going to blow you away. The plane that changed the world These wonderful birds have been in the air in one form or another for almost 80 years. An excellent history of the plane (Donald Douglas himself considered it the best on the subject), “The Plane that Changed the World: A Biography of the DC3,” (Douglas Ingells, 1966) is available online, and should be a must read for anyone with the slightest interest in aviation history. These planes just keep flying and flying with no end in sight. Most likely many Shorpy readers are unfamiliar with airmail service of days gone by. Most mail moved by train or truck then, but for a premium (six cents as opposed to three) a letter could be sent by air. Tail NC16094I googled the tail number and found out that the DC3 was sold by Eastern to Pan Am in 1939. In 1941 the government grabbed it and sent it to the UK. The Dakota (Brit for DC3) was sent to the North African campaign. I found that Corgi prduced a model of this DC3 and there were several offered in action. There were also three rather low rez pictures of it in war trim. It as well as both Eastern and Pan Am are no more. My First FlightMy first commercial flight was on a Frontier Airlines DC3 from Lincoln, NE to Kansas City, in about 1960. Before takeoff, the stewerdess handed out sticks of Doublemint to chew because the planes were not pressurized. I sat behind the emergency exit door and there was a slight breeze coming through it during trip. The plane flew low enough that you could see farmers out working in their fields. We had to spend about an hour on the ground in St. Joseph Missouri during a scheduled stop because it was discovered that one of the fuel caps was missing and it took them a while to round up another one. I remember more details about that short flight than the many I have taken since. Wings Over AmericaPictured are the state winners of the national essay constest. This photo at the LOC shows Postmaster Burke awarding the prizes to the top three national winners. A technical comparison of the photos (I looked at the shoes) suggests that Perry Morrison is second from the left (he has the swagger of a winner) while Ellen Peak is on the right-hand arm of the pilot. I can't find Homer Still, jr. Washington Post, April 21, 1938. Essay Contest Will Mark Air Mail Birthday Washington Public, Private School Pupils to Seek 1,500-Mile trip. Vincent Burke, District postmaster, yesterday announced plans for an essay contest for students in public and private high school of Washington in connection with the twentieth anniversary of the Government air mail service, to be celebrated from May 15 to 21. Burke said the essays would treat the subject “Wings Over America,” including the purposes of air transportation and its effects on modern communication. Similar contests are being conducted in each State. Winners of the State contests will receive an air trip to Washington to take part in the Airmail Week celebration, while the winning Washington student will be given a 1,500-mile round trip to whatever point he wishes. The runner-up in the District will be given a plane ride to Norfolk, Va., and back. The national winner will be given a trip and five-day stop-over to Hollywood, Calif., or Miami Fla. … Washington Post, May 16, 1938. … Perry Morrison, Arcadia (Calif.) High School student, last night was awarded a trip to Miami as winner of the National Air Mail Week essay contest at a dinner held at the Mayflower Hotel. Runners-up were Ellen Peak, of Manhattan, Kans., who received a bronze and silver trophy, and Homer Still, jr., of Jacksonville, Fla., who was presented with a silver plaque. … DC-3!My dad loved DC-3s, and in the late '60s finally found a C-47 cargo variant, which he loved. He flew it out of the Naples and Ft. Myers airports. He raved about it being perhaps the best airplane ever built, and I asked him what made it so special. He started a long explanation about wing loading and other technical stuff, and then stopped and said, "Sometimes an airplane just looks so right that you know it's right, and the DC-3 is one of those. It's just perfectly proportioned." Maybe that's part of their appeal. I used to see the Naples Airlines/Provincetown-Boston's DC-3 at the Naples airport in the winters and it was a beauty! The Winning EssayI tracked down Perry Morrison's winning essay, published in the May 16, 1938 issue of the Lodi News-Sentinel. Their are a few metadata discrepancies with the previously posted Washington Post article: the correct theme of the competition was “Wings Across America&#8221, not “Wings Over America&#8221 and the California paper reports Perry's high school as Monrovia, not Arcadia. I enjoyed reading Perry's essay for the combination of astonishment and thrill in the new age of air commerce and communication. Wings Across America by Perry Morrison A nation is no stronger than the ties which bind it together, Air transportation and communication constitute such a tie—an agent in binding our country into one unit. Moreover, it helps to maintain within that unit a social, cultural and economic as well as political democracy. For instance: The Federal Reserve Bank's resources in New York are being taxed. Money lies idle in San Francisco. An adjustment is made—by air. A Government official is in Chicago. Urgent matters of state call him to Washington. He is there in less than twenty-four hours—by air. Serum from Boston is needed for an epidemic in Florida. It gets there in a few hours and saves many lives—by air. Junior cuts his first tooth. Full particulars are sent—by air. Even such trivial matters as information bout Junior's tooth help to bind us together as a nation. Wings Across America help to keep us united yet democratic; efficient yet free—an ideal much of the world has given up. Wings Across America also makes for more gracious living for the individual. One has breakfast in Los Angeles; dinner in New York. A letter mailed on one coast is delivered on the other in an astonishingly short time. Loved ones or business connections, days away by land, become a matter of hours by air. Scenic wonders take an even greater glory when viewed from above. Speed and dispatch undreamed of a few years ago are now at every man's disposal for the purchase of an air mail stamp. To what end? Unity for the nation; more abundant life for the individual. (The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
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