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Tattoo II: 1941
... Hot Dog I'd love to see that light lit up at night. LOVE the Hot Dog Sign That sign tickles me to no end! In the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/24/2020 - 5:12pm -

March 1941. "West Main Street. Norfolk, Virginia." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Pick up your feetI'd bet more than one sailor on leave made a face plant on that sidewalk. Compact AfternoonA quick lunch, followed by getting that tattoo and a loan, then a haircut before dinner, all in the space of six storefronts. Can't beat the efficiency! Hot DogI'd love to see that light lit up at night. LOVE the Hot Dog SignThat sign tickles me to no end! In the words of the Three Stooges, Hot Dog, it's the Cat's Meow! I'd Swear That Guy In The Hatlooks just like The Kingfish! One LeftThe only building that remains is the tall light gray one all the way down at the far right, past the tops of the parked cars. Everything else is long gone. Just a short walk from a long pierNothing identifiable in this picture remains today, aside from West Main Street itself. There wasn't much of West Main Street in Norfolk then, or now. Main Street becomes East Main Street when it reaches Granby in the next block or so, and behind Vachon was the end of West Main Street. Now, West Main Street leads to the Nauticus museum and entertainment complex and the pier where the U.S.S. Wisconsin is permanently docked. It's a Navy townSo I suspect that Coleman is not the community's only inker. Now Hear ThisThree Light Cruisers approaching off the port bow. All hands on deck and prepare to be boarded. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Stores & Markets)
Difficult Cases: 1941
... you wanted to receive Communion you went to confession the night before and got up for one of the early masses. In those days those ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/19/2019 - 4:13pm -

January 1941. "Billboards on side of building in New Orleans, Louisiana." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Difficult CasesI graduated from a parochial school, and evidently the nuns didn't have much of us. The patron saint of our class was St. Jude, patron of "hopeless cases". Must have worked, most of us turned out okay. Ralphie's Old Man"Some men are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man." Mass × AccelerationI'm guessing the 11:30 Sunday Mass was the most popular. Only 45 minutes until the 12:15 means it was a quickie Mass. In Catholic terms that equates to popularity. The good old daysMass was in Latin. The priest faced the altar, which was against the wall. If you wanted to receive Communion you went to confession the night before and got up for one of the early masses. In those days those communing had to fast from midnight until after Mass. Most folks couldn't go until afternoon without eating or drinking anything so they either went to the early Mass or skipped Communion. The later masses were often well attended by those who chose to sleep in and or who wanted breakfast. The last scheduled service was usually High Mass. This one was sung and chanted, usually with a choir and one or more clergy assisting as deacons, clouds of incense and candles. It could easily last an hour and a half, unlike the "low mass" which was typically in and out in 45 minutes or less. When Catholics start waxing nostalgic for the good old days, Latin High Mass is often one of the things they are thinking of. +~78Looks like the streetlamp is still there, as well as some of the architecture. Mossy MotorsThe Mossy family still owns car dealerships in New Orleans. Mass ≠ Acceleration I went to a church with a similar set up of masses, but it didn't mean the mass was shorter: we had an upstairs church and a downstairs church with five priests and overlapping services. And six confessionals, no waiting (visiting priests). St. Jude & Mom were tight.If anyone in the family lost anything or were faced with an seemingly impossible problem her answer was always,"Say a Novena to Saint Jude. He solves most things." For those not in the know, a novena is nine days of prayer. The Saint Jude Novena is prayed to ask him to intercede on behalf of requests that seem especially dire. To me the odds were on her and St. Jude's side because after nine days a lost item usually shows up or the passage of time can make small problems out of big ones. This logic never sank in on her. To Mom's dying day St. Jude was the greatest problem solver. If there is a heaven where one can casually meet your favorite saints I'm sure Mom gave him a big hug and thanked him for that $5 he sent back to her in the 1940s. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott, New Orleans)
Chinatown: 1900
... circa 1900. "Chinatown. The street of the gamblers at night." Nitrate transparency by Arnold Genthe. View full size. Throwing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 12:57pm -

San Francisco circa 1900. "Chinatown. The street of the gamblers at night." Nitrate transparency by Arnold Genthe. View full size. Throwing Heaven and NineA dice game popular with Chinese immigrants around this time was called "throwing heaven and nine" or "chak tin kau." The game was played with two dice, with the different combinations divided into two suits. Players wager that the shooter will not throw the highest combinations. Rules can be found in the Archives of the University of Waterloo Museum of Games. http://www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca "Teneha, Timpson, Bobo & Blair!" Goober Pea Mirror imageJust letting you know, the image has been flipped. you can tell by looking at the Chinese characters in the current top left and bottom right corners. [Thanks. I have flipped it around. What do they say? - Dave] Ross AlleyGood photo. "The street of the gamblers" is formally known as Ross Alley, which runs from Sacramento Street to Washington Street, between Grant Avenue and Stockton Street. It is still a busy place, and it contains a wonderful fortune cookie factory. Regards, Joe Thompson Translationliteral translation of the Chinese characters: The top two characters: call to wealth The bottom four characters: welcome the god of wealth These are common decorations (lucky charms) for the entrance of a business. Great site btw! (The Gallery, San Francisco)
The Milkmobile: 1943
... deck, and left it with your (rinsed, please!) empties at night. I miss the Helms trucks more. Best chocolate and glazed donuts ever ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/06/2014 - 8:55am -

June 1943. Bryn Mawr, Pa. Our second visit with Mrs. Helen Joyce, "one of the many women who now work for the Supplee-Wills-Jones Milk Co." Piloting a little Walker electric delivery van. Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Door to door serviceIn Woodlyn, another Philadelphia suburb, my first house had the kitchen in the front of the house with a little door outside below the kitchen window and another door inside. One would open the door on the inside and put in the empty bottles and the milkman would put in the fresh milk and whatever else you had ordered. You had to be especially quick on summer days or the milk could spoil. The little passage was not especially energy efficient, but the home was built in a different time I vaguely remember in the early '60sthat my mother could actually order cottage cheese, cream, butter, chocolate milk and sour cream. Am I right? FirstlyNeed to try and see if that lovely house behind her is still there, and, secondly, hasn't the USPS investigated the use of modern versions of these vehicles in major urban areas? Such devices might be just the ticket. [The Postal Service is now it its third century of electric vehicle use. - Dave] Thought they might have, wasn't sure. Thanks My dairy could use some of theseWhen we moved out of the city in 1998, we were excited when we learned that our new community had a dairy that offered delivery, but we cancelled it after a few nights of their trucks loudly idling, roaring, and clanking outside house at 3 am, not to mention the huge spotlight trained on our bedroom window during the entire performance. Milk is still delivered!Theoeva, we live just outside Washington, DC, in an old neighborhood that's now a historic district, and weekly milk deliveries are still part of the scene. The farm, which serves about 8,000 homes a week in this area, offers many locally made or grown products, including gourmet cheeses, meat, and even homemade dog treats. The homemade chocolate milk was my favorite. We stopped using the service because we frankly couldn't consume the stuff fast enough. But the milk is provided in the old glass bottles in two different sizes. The firm provides an insulated metal bin that you put on the front porch in case you're away when it's delivery time. At one time, they used an old-timey milk delivery truck (gas, not electric) but I don't know if they still use it. Please rinse your emptiesYes, you could order all sorts of dairy products, as well as eggs, at least in Los Angeles you could. A fandeck of item cards was supplied, very similar to a paint sample deck -- you simply fanned out any items you wanted that day from the deck, and left it with your (rinsed, please!) empties at night. I miss the Helms trucks more. Best chocolate and glazed donuts ever made! The Philadelphia Main Line Never ChangesEntirely possible this very lady, in this exact truck, delivered milk to my house over in Haverford (the next postal district east on the Philadelphia Main Line) though that Haverford house would not become mine until 1968. Sealtest milk (and cottage cheese, butter, etc)still exist. Our street looked exactly like this too, even down to the hedge fences. I suspect, if you knew which Bryn Mawr street this was, it would look exactly the same today. Coming back soonThe first in electric mobility. Although the main concern with the milk floats may have been not to annoy the neighbourhood early in the morning with one of those noisy IC engines idling away down the road. Anyway, meet the 1943 Tesla. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano)
Orders Neatly Boxed: 1940
... packed in newspaper. I brought the leftovers to work that night, and joined co-workers in the cafeteria to eat. The Scotsmen a few tables ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2012 - 9:39pm -

November 1940. "Men outside of a beer parlor in Jewett City, Connecticut." 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Fish & Chips in NewspaperWhen I lived in England in 1972 fish and chips were sold wrapped in newspaper. By the time you got to the last chip the newspaper was transparent from the grease soaking. Western AutoThose were wonderful stores. I remember bugging my dad until be bought me a seven-transistor turquoise-colored portable radio from Western Auto. It was an AM/FM model, but of course there were no FM stations near Pascagoula, Mississippi to tune into. I taped that radio to my English racer's handlebars and rode around listening to WTIX out of New Orleans. Western Auto also sold student-grade guitars and amps. Many of us began on those; very similar guitars were sold at Sears and Montgomery Wards. When we moved to Port Arthur, Texas, a few years later, my mom bought me a Texas Ranger red wagon from the local Western Auto. Re: Fish & Chips in NewspaperAlso back in the early 70's, our company in California had hired a bunch of Scottish machinists. I had picked up a large order of F&C for lunch, traditionally packed in newspaper. I brought the leftovers to work that night, and joined co-workers in the cafeteria to eat. The Scotsmen a few tables over looked like they *really* wanted to come over and help me eat! (I can't believe I remember the place! Foghorn Fish & Chips, in the Haight.) No disorderlyfish and chips here, ours are neatly boxed, and don't forget to pick up your clean suit for 39 cents. And haven't heard the word beer parlor since I left the prairies. ... as opposed to?Being wrapped in the daily news? Highway PackageBeing a native of Massachusetts, a "package store" to me doesn't mean a UPS or FedEx shop, it's the old name for a liquor store. My Dad still uses the term, "going to the packy" before the holiday party. Since Connecticut is right next door, I'm assuming that it means the same there? Also, can anybody make out what costs 19 cents on the front of the dry cleaner's window? Western AutoI used to go to Western Auto with my dad -- to me as a kid, they were the neatest stores: they had a little bit of everything in them it seems from hardware to auto accessories to bicycles and tools. Another venerable institution that's bitten the dust. The 19¢ signEven with processing, there's still a lot of guesswork involved. But I think the left front window sign says... Special Men's Pants Dry Cleaned & Pressed 19¢ (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano)
The New Mathewson: 1910
... flag you would have thought Francis Scott Key spent the night on an English ship in the harbor. remnants off to the right, the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 9:54pm -

Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island, circa 1910. "Hotel (New) Mathewson." For many years the pre-eminent lodging in the "City of Hotels." View full size. Oh, say, can you see?By the looks of that flag you would have thought Francis Scott Key spent the night on an English ship in the harbor. remnantsoff to the right, the remains of the great McKim, Mead and White Narraganset Pier Casino, (The Towers,) which burned spectacularly in 1900 This is one a fire didn't getPerhaps the grandest hotel in the area when it was completed in 1896, the 500-room (New) Mathewson survived only 22 years. It was demolished in 1918, a victim of severely depressive effects of WWI on the tourism industry. Shingle StyleWithout Googling it, I'd imagine it burned down, like so many hotels of the era. But if it didn't, I pity the guy who had to do the stripping ten years after some fool decided to paint it. My HAT!OOOH GEEZ my hat! [Indeed. - tterrace] Coast Guard HouseI believe that house on the right with the anchor is now the Coast Guard House Restaurant. Had dinner there last summer. My first time in Narragansett. The towers still exist.Spanning across the road: View Larger Map (The Gallery, DPC, Travel & Vacation)
Hung Out to Dry: 1936
... Rear Window? If this image had been shot at night, I would half expect to see the glow of Lars Thorwald's lit cigarette in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/29/2013 - 12:35pm -

December 1936. "New York. Scene from the Bronx tenement district from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." There are a million stories in the Naked City, and a lot of them seem to involve laundry. Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Fishing in the BronxI assume those are not fishing or flag poles on about every rooftop. Does anyone know what they are for or their purpose? Rear Window?If this image had been shot at night, I would half expect to see the glow of Lars Thorwald's lit cigarette in one of those darkened windows. Radio AntennasMy aunt & grandmother lived in the LaReine apartments on Connecticut Ave, Washington, very near Chevy Chase Circle [built very late 1920s]. Each apartment had its own ++AM++ antenna on the roof with a cable to an outlet in the living room. There were frames on the roof with the antennas strung between them, as in this Shorpy photo. Question from a Country BoyI understand that the larger (steel?) structures on the roof are for access by tenants, maintenance, etc. However the smaller units have doors that don't look walkable, and there seems to be an excess of them. My lifetime experience with roofs is just to shed rain and snow, so I become interested in the various uses on the city roofs. Window BoxWhat is that in the top right window? And what's with the pillows stuffed in the window just to the left of that? Re:Window BoxThe box is called a 'pie safe.' It's designed to let baked goods cool without them being swiped by pigeons, gulls, or boys. If you look closely you can see perforations in it. The pillows are probably being aired out. I wonder how often they had to be retrieved from the back yard. As to the small doors on the boxes next to the chimneys I think those are trash chutes that lead to the ground or to a bin next to the furnace where they were incinerated. Advantages of 4th floorI assume that the people on the fourth floor had dibs on the clothesline on the roof. In return for having to walk up all those flight of stairs, they never had to retrieve their bloomers from the lawn because one of the clothespins broke! PolesWhat are all those poles for? Radio? (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, NYC)
King Dodo: 1910
... on Bourbon at Toulouse Street was destroyed by fire on the night of December 4, 1919. The Four Points Sheraton Hotel now occupies the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/11/2013 - 1:33pm -

1910. "French Opera House, New Orleans." Coming March 20: "King Dodo," a "phosphoronic comedy opera." 8x10 glass negative. View full size. LogicalIf you're gonna have an 'Opera House', you're gonna need an 'Opera Saloon'. Fire escapes?I count two fire escape landings, both sharing the same vertical ladder. Not very reassuring in the event of a fire during a packed house. Let's hope the back of the opera house featured multiple fire escapes with wide, steel staircases instead of ladders. Right. In need of paint?Can someone explain whether the upper story is in need of a paint job, or if the finish shown is some New Orleans distressed style of decorating? While we're at it, is this interesting building still standing? How oddNot a sign of life. [There's at least one ghost. -tterrace] Hear the Eminent Doctor Fizz!A recording of "Gems from King Dodo," recorded in 1912. http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/2761/ Only 9 years to goOpening in 1859 and fast becoming the social hub of New Orleans, the French Opera House on Bourbon at Toulouse Street was destroyed by fire on the night of December 4, 1919. The Four Points Sheraton Hotel now occupies the site. King DodoA synopsis of the plot of King Dodo, along with some other information. (The Gallery, New Orleans)
Gloomy Gippers: 1950
... seen that kind of locker room depression since... Last night with the Chicago Cubs. Really? I'd be depressed too if I had to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/26/2016 - 2:41pm -

November 25, 1950. "Locker room gloom. Dejected high school football team in locker room at the Freeport Municipal Stadium after the first half." New York World Telegram & Sun photo by Walter Albertin. View full size. I know it's a different gamebut there obviously is "no joy in Mudville" at this halftime. Does anyone know the final score at the end? Hard to believe that these young players would be about 84 today. Where's the coach?Shouldn't the coach be in there inspiring confidence and telling them to "win one for the Gipper?" The Future is BleakBeing blown-out after playing uninspired football for the first half, Coach just announced one mile of bear crawl drills on Monday. Haven't seen that kind of locker room depression since...Last night with the Chicago Cubs. Really?I'd be depressed too if I had to sit on the floor, they couldn't even afford benches in the locker room? Freeport StadiumI grew up in Freeport, NY although was born in 1953. Went to a few high school games in 1968-1969 at Freeport Stadium and also used to enjoy going there for stock car races and demolition derby events around that same time. The place was a real relic with benches as seats and believe after they razed the place years ago a Pep Boys or something similar was erected where it once stood. 2nd Half Not So Good EitherPossibly the Baldwin (NY) High School Bruins losing to the undefeated Freeport (NY) High School Red Devils, 47-13, in the 1950 season finale. Newspaper cover page here: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1950-11-23/ed-1/seq-1/ The stadium had a football field surrounded by a car-racing track. Photo and comments here: http://www.racerhub.com/forum/showthread.php?9774-Freeport-Aerial-Pictur... http://www.racerhub.com/forum/attachment.php?s=1ec6df8670244414a0c2236c3... (The newspaper is dated 11/23/50, but the Shorpy photo caption is dated 11/25/50. However, the newspaper was a community weekly, and the cover page story is about the season ending with Freeport undefeated, after "overwhelmingly defeating Baldwin", which would explain the dejection in the Shorpy photo. Much like modern-day weekly and monthly publications, the printed dates (and car model years) often don't match the real calendar dates. That is quite possible here, too.) A future award winning sports writer covered that game.None other than future award winning sports writer 16-year-old Dick Schaap covered that game for the Freeport, New York 'Leader', for whom he wrote a weekly sports column entitled 'Scanning the Sports Scene'. Schaap's story appears in the November 23, 1950 edition of 'The Leader'. According to Schaap, the game featured Freeport High School closing out their undefeated season against rival Baldwin High School 47-13 at Freeport Municipal Stadium. The uniforms of the dejected players are consistent with those of the Baldwin team shown in their high school yearbook of 1950, thus lending credence to the photo originating at the game Schaap covered for 'The Leader'. The only inconsistency here is that Schaap covered the game on November 18, 1950, and not on November 25, as the photo caption indicates. He clearly states that it was the last game of the season, so perhaps the photographer's caption was a week off. Freeport Municipal Stadium was demolished in 1989, having served as a football venue since the early 1930's. (The Gallery, News Photo Archive, Sports)
Shirley Temple: 1928-2014
... Shirley told Mr. Roosevelt about losing a tooth last night, and he told her about Sistie and Buzzie losing their teeth. Shirley ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/11/2014 - 9:30am -

Shirley Temple Black, Screen Darling, Is Dead at 85 June 24, 1938. "Shirley sees her old friend the president. Shirley Temple leaving the White House today after a very important conference with the President. Shirley told Mr. Roosevelt about losing a tooth last night, and he told her about Sistie and Buzzie losing their teeth. Shirley expects to be in Washington a week checking on the affairs of state with different government officials." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Squeezed outLook at the little girl's arm between the woman and man on the left. Famous children get the attention, but others are just in the way. Squeezing people out?In response to the comment about the children being squeezed out, I believe the woman and the man are Shirley's mother and her bodyguard, who are holding the crowd back so that Shirley can get into the car. A V-16 and BeerShirley looks like she is getting into a 1936 - 1938 Cadillac V-16. It is probably a 1938, but without seeing the grille and fender profile it is hard to be sure. The V-16 was produced by Cadillac from 1930 - 1940 with a total of 4,403 made. Most were made during the very first year of production (2,887), but with a brand new engine and slightly updated styling there were 315 manufactured in 1938 (up from 50 in 1937). Sales fell rapidly with only 138 sold in 1939 and 61 in 1940. General Motors probably lost quite a bit of money on the V-16 program, but it also highlighted their engineering ability and public image. Marmon, the company that won the first Indianapolis 500, also built a V-16 from 1931 - 1933 with 390 built. Peerless produced one V-16 car in 1931, but additional production never materialized because the firm switched over to beer production (Carling Black Label) just as production was beginning. A Sense of PrioritiesIt is not often that a President gets an audience with the most famous person in the world. It has probably happened only a few times. Shirley was busy during her week in DC"Shirley Sees How Kidnappers Trailed Shirley Temple of the movies squints into a comparison microscope, used in firearms identification, with help of chief G-man Edgar Hoover during her tour of Federal Bureau of Identification headquarters in Washington, D.C. June 24, 1938. This was just one of the many stops Shirley made during her visit to the G-men's laboratories, gymnasium, museum and rifle range." Associated Press Photo Collection of Washingtoniana, DC Public Library Total ProfessionalAll the interviews I've read with people who worked with her claimed she was always prepared, didn't demand special attention and showed respect to all. Very different from so many other "child stars" that bemoan their fate. She also used her work ethic to carry on as an adult with so many activities, not the least of which being her ambassador posts. So sad to see so many of that generation leaving us, with so few replacements here now as an example. She amazed meShirley Temple amazed me because she was a hugely successful child star who transitioned to adulthood gracefully, and then led a very successful life as a diplomat. She was an intelligent and graceful lady. ImmortalsThe singing, smiling, and tap dancing little girl performer will live on forever, even though her real-life adult has died. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids, Movies)
Security Mutual Life: 1905
... whitish trapezoidal building, not shown above. So last night, my wife and I watched the beginning of the 1991 movie "Liebestraum" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 4:59pm -

Binghamton, New York, circa 1905. "Security Mutual Life Insurance building." Rising amid a web of wires. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. With all those gargoylesI feel more secure already. Did anyone notice that building there?I think Monty Python. Laurel & Hardy do the WindowsI can't even stand to look at these guys, much less think about doing what they're doing! Still there!Amazingly, the company and the building are still there. Which is saying something for most upstate NY cities. http://www.smlny.com/history.asp My Home TownThanks for the Binghamton photo! I grew up around this area and love seeing old photos of the place. I'm sorry I never wandered into the lobby of this building. http://nyslandmarks.com/treasures/10jan.htm What?No awnings. VertigoFreaky Coincidence. Yesterday morning I searched for building using Bing Birdseye View and got the same view as the posting above. There's the green dome to the right and to the left on the other side of court street is a whitish trapezoidal building, not shown above. So last night, my wife and I watched the beginning of the 1991 movie "Liebestraum" (with Kim Novak) and about 2 minutes in a man walks out of a shower and across a room to stand in front of a window. The camera pans left and it's this building! We didn't watch past that point, we weren't in the mood for a dark, mysterious movie. And be forewarned, it's pretty explicit up to that point. NSFW or Family. (The Gallery, DPC)
The New World: 1936
... on the Coke sign (which I'm sure lit up and moved at night), all the pedestrians and 1930s cars! It just screams, New York!! At ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/10/2016 - 1:04pm -

Feb. 10, 1936. "Columbus Circle, Manhattan -- Looking northwest from above the circle, statue of Columbus, B&O bus station topped with Coca-Cola sign, other signs, Mayflower Hotel, Central Park with snow." 8x10 gelatin silver print by Berenice Abbott for the Federal Art Project. View full size. We have your shirtsNote the laundry truck. Four bags on the roof and another wedged between the fender and hood. Airy Columbus CircleI can remember the Mayflower, a modest hotel where ordinary people could stay and enjoy a Central Park view. Now it's occupied by 15 Central Park West, the most expensive co-op apartment building in the city. A gaudy Trump tower has replaced the Baltimore and Ohio bus station. Abbot took this photo from the top of the building where the Museum of Art and Design now stands. It's nice to see the streetcar on Broadway. Central Park West is quite crowded compared to Broadway. Maybe it's Sunday? Rye signSchenley? Why a "motor coach" stationThis building was the last of the B&O's various NYC termini built (it opened in 1929). Due to the influence of the Pennsy the B&O was never able to bring its trains into Manhattan; instead, they used the CNJ terminal in Jersey City, from whence a fleet of "motor coaches" (never, ever "buses" in B&O literature) took ferries across the Hudson and to various stations and stops in the city. This service stubbornly lasted until 1958; at the end of the year this picture was taken, a new set of, er, motor coaches arrived complete with "air conditioning" (actually a block of ice and a fan). "Always Something Interesting"This time it was marysd that had all the answers to all my questions about this wonderful photo; I only had to wait one day to get them. My thanks to Dave, marysd, and all the commenters and contributors. Shorpy.com is one of the finer things in life. There Goes the NeighborhoodIn 1959, my wife-to-be worked in that B&O building when at the time we were "keeping company." The bus terminal was gone by then. She worked for the Monroe Greenthal Agency, a boutique ad firm that handled motion picture promos. I usually had a day off midweek and I would drive down and pick her up. Out of sight in this photo was the NYC Coloseum, a convention center, and there was always something happening. It has been replaced by the Time Warner Center with its multi-million-dollar condos and high end shopping venues. The neighborhood behind the convention center was the north end of Hell's Kitchen. So much to loveThere is so much I love about this photo, I hardly know where to begin. I love the Majestic Theater sign advertising "At Home Abroad" with Ethel Waters and Beatrice Lillie, Herb Williams and Eleanor Powell, the architecture of the building directly behind the Coca Cola sign, the news vendors on every corner, what looks to be a roof garden atop the Mayflower Hotel, the park across the street and a glimpse of a streetcar whizzing by through the bottom right of the Coca Cola sign, the anchors on the Columbus monument, the bubbles on the Coke sign (which I'm sure lit up and moved at night), all the pedestrians and 1930s cars! It just screams, New York!! At Home AbroadA Little Song, A Little Dance
Chronic Pianos: 1908
... words, an arc light that would light up a great area at night. Some still exist to this day in Austin Texas. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2021 - 2:00pm -

Detroit circa 1908. "Woodward Avenue and Central Methodist Episcopal Church." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Disneyesque main streetJUST the time that Disneyland wanted to emulate. Fortunately I have avoided all things Disney since 1960. The Two AbideThere may now be skyscrapers to the left and a baseball stadium to the right, but the two churches remain. The church in the distance is St. John's Episcopal Church. The nearer church is now Central United Methodist Church. It has an interesting history - for instance, the congregation's outrage at a hanging outside the church in the 1830s led to banning capital punishment in Michigan. In between the churches, the piano and chronic buildings were replaced by buildings that were in turn replaced by Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. Electric CarsI'm thinking the car visible on the far right is electric. 1908 was the year the Model T came out. Before that watershed moment electric cars seemed prevalent. I've also seen photos of some old electric cars where the rear wheels seem smaller than the front wheels. Just a guess. The tower just to the left of the church in the distance may be a moon tower. In other words, an arc light that would light up a great area at night. Some still exist to this day in Austin Texas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlight_towers_(Austin,_Texas) Another Piano Store!Detroit Music Co. Pianos to go along with all the other piano stores on Woodward Ave. in the 1910 & 1912 photos. 10x8 You're killing meAnother stunning photo captured on 10x8 glass negative. The detail, tonal range and depth never ceases to amaze. It reinforces that this moment in time look, and of course, was, a totally different world. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Kids, Streetcars)
City Sidewalks: 1940
... for WAC officers during WW2. It's still there. I spent the night there once. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/30/2007 - 10:47pm -

May 1940. Business district and gas station in Des Moines, Iowa. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. Cake SignI can't seem to get the pictures as large as before, but the cake-shaped sign on the right corner is pretty amazing. I also don't think I've ever seen anything called a "Savery"--had to look twice. Des MoinesThis is looking north up Fourth Street. The building with the Buick sign (on Grand Avenue) and the Hotel Savery (on Locust) are the only structures left of those shown in the photo. There is now a Domino's Pizza where the Buick sign is and the Hills building is now Nolen Plaza, a fountain plaza. To the east of that is the Des Moines Civic Center (also relatively new). The block west of the Hills building is now a business center called Capitol Square. The Shell station would have been on Walnut. There are now high-rise condos there. Fourth street was eliminated between Locust and Walnut. Wish it was still like this ... City SidewalksWhat always amazes me is that in these vintage street scenes the people are so nicely dressed. Quite the opposite of today. Just like a movie setIt's amazing, but it really does not look like it is real. It looks too perfect, right down the couple swinging their children. Contrasting imagesThis is just incredible contrast to some of the other photos that you show of people living in abject poverty in the 40's. This looks so prosperous. Web siteFor me, this is one of the best sites I've ever found. It deals with real and decent subject matter. I, personally, find it very educational. It is very well thought out and executed perfectly. The "comments" section is a very integral and necessary function in this presentation (the educational part). Kind of pulls it all together. I'm 63 yrs. old and enjoy every "time-line" represented. It gives me great comfort knowing that there are still people out there that can put something together like this for us. By us, I mean everyone who views this site and maybe makes a comment now and then. It all seems to have a very "American" slant among all the craziness around us these days. Mike J. Albany, Oregon Odd isn't it......this oasis of normalcy among the gritty ethnic industrial centers and dry starved-out dust farms that today make up the era to us. I'm from central Iowa and know Des Moines well. There really were places like this then, but obviously taking pictures of them didn't educate the public about all the privation out there. You wouldn't recognize downtown Des Moines today. So this pic isn't even history, really. In a way, it is too perfect to ever have been real ... whatever Vachon took pictures of out of his window that day in 1940. PS: The Savery Hotel became a barracks for WAC officers during WW2. It's still there. I spent the night there once. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon)
Washington Pork: 1925
... Market Basket Everyone has one! I went shopping last night for groceries, bringing along my reusable bags -- what I really like ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 7:54pm -

"D.D. Collins." Another circa 1925 scene from the O Street Market in Washington. Who wants ham? National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Market BasketEveryone has one! I went shopping last night for groceries, bringing along my reusable bags -- what I really like about them is that they carry a lot and decrease the number of bags I have to lug home. Everything old is new I guess. I love your title -- that's Washington pork that I approve of! Maybe some good Virginia ham, hmmm. How can this be?Whites serving Blacks? Whites standing in line behind Blacks? Blacks and Whites smiling? All seemingly getting along? What gives here? Re: curing hamAh, dry-cured ham! If you've only ever had the wet-cured (likely brine injected) variety, do yourself a favor and splurge on a dry-cured ham. They're absolutely delicious. Thank You Sylvan GoldmanIn 1937 an Oklahoman named above dreamed up the first design for a shopping cart on wheels with two wire baskets, one high and one low. It was patented on March 15, l938. His hunch was that people would buy more if they had an easier way to get their groceries to the checkout counter and that proved to be 100% accurate. Later, other people got patents for their version of a similar object, but Sylvan was first. He was born in 1898 and lived to the age of 86 (1984). This WILL BE on the test. Achh! The smell of that aroma!Just by the way the photo looks the smell of all that beautiful meat brings tears to my nose! It's almost like walking past a house in the wintertime and someone is burning cherry wood in the fireplace. You just have to stop for a few moments and absorb the smell. Aunt IzzyYes, my Aunt Izzy had a smokehouse out back where she cured hams and sausage here in Georgia. Very tasty, and wonderfully low-tech. Kosher? No.Yummy? YES! (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Polishing Dept.: 1902
... place. Still I bet they coughed up a lot of brass dust at night. Belts and wheels Amazing that those polishing wheels are ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 12:53pm -

Dayton, Ohio, circa 1902. "Polishing department, National Cash Register Co." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Days of BrassActually, the NCR factory was far ahead of its time for taking care of its employees. It was labourious work but the factory had showers for the employees as well as a private park for the families. Books have been written of the advances they had over other industries. I knew one man who worked at the factory around 1910 who told me they paid him each week from a horse drawn pay wagon. It was a five dollar gold piece and some change. Stop the Line!Looks to me like the line shaft is stopped. The shafting and sheaves would have been blurred had the line been running. Even the hex nut on the third station back can be seen clearly. Pre OSHA, but there is, at least, some ductwork to exhaust the dust. Also looks like all the parts for each register are collected in the wood boxes for later assembly. Henry Ford could have streamlined this operation! Hold very still and Pose!Clearly the line is not running. Despite the slow, ghosting shutter, you can see the hex nut on the wheel of the third worker, and following the belt up you see a frayed lacing splice not moving. Nice to see the ventilation system, butthose drive belts look a bit vicious. . . One thing that is fascinating are the dancing light fixtures. The movement must be caused by the breeze coming in the open windows. For the time, it looks like a fairly comfortable workplace - except for standing all day. Exposure time? Lots of ghosts.I am going to assume the photographer was able to ask the workers closest to the camera to stop moving for a 2 seconds. And everyone else moved about as per natural in their work flow. Or perhaps it is a double exposure due to the low light. A longer exposure for all of the equipment when no one is present and then a shorter exposure later with humans in place? Nice to see there was at least a basic ventilation system in place. Still I bet they coughed up a lot of brass dust at night. Belts and wheelsAmazing that those polishing wheels are connected to one drive shaft on each side of what looks like a very long building. Wondering if each worker has a way of disengaging his own wheel at any particular moment. Surely each wheel can be stopped at times when needed. My comment I have actually posted several comments on this forum that have never got past the moderator. Guess I will try one more time. None of these people could stop their wheel. It all ran on one shaft. In Dayton in the winter the windows would have been closed due to the cold weather. I worked at a business that made feeder bowls (many won't know what that is). These things had to be polished. At the end of the day even in the summer when the doors and windows were open and bunches of fans blowing you left with black stuff running out your nose. Not uncommon for someone to tell you that you had black buggers that you werent even aware of. Gald I didn't work there very long. ManufacturingJeez, what dreary, soul-deadening work. I find this picture highly depressing. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories)
Seal Beach: 1958
... and worked in Huntington Beach and would often grab a late night dinner at the Harbor House Restaurant in Sunset Beach. Yummy! Those ... 
 
Posted by Mvsman - 08/31/2014 - 9:43pm -

From circa 1958, a Kodachrome taken by my mother, who could handle a 35mm camera in a pinch. My parents had friends with a summer place in Seal Beach, California, a coastal community on the border of Orange and Los Angeles counties. In the foreground are my parents' bosom pals who owned or rented the place behind the Ford station wagon. That's me at the bottom of the slide; the boy making his precarious way up is the son of the aforementioned couple. Dad (with the cap) appears to be zoning out, judging by the beer cans by his side. I wonder if any of these beachside homes exist today. View full size. Mad Dog, I am sure you are correct. It is my mother's recollection that the location was Seal Beach. That memory of hers is no doubt a bit hazy, as over 50 years have gone by. My parents (and I) would visit those friends, and stay at that place several times in the summers of the late '50s and early '60s. I don't know what eventually became of that house. Years later, I lived and worked in Huntington Beach and would often grab a late night dinner at the Harbor House Restaurant in Sunset Beach. Yummy! Those were the daysMy grandfather had the same Ford wagon, but his was burgundy with beige. I loved riding in that car! If I recall, his was a '54. I would love to find one and restore it as a daily driver. I remember it had 3 on the tree. We used to go to the drive-in movies, me and my siblings all decked out in our PJ's, with popcorn & Coke. I remember seeing Dr. No in 1962 at the drive-in. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Love the site! Sunset Beach or SurfsideI just checked an aerial shot of Seal Beach from 1958, and I can't match this photo with any of the beachside buildings. This is probably Surfside (or Sunset Beach), a small enclave immediately south of Seal Beach across Anaheim Bay. Surfside is officially part of Seal Beach, but it is now a gated community and has always maintained a separate identity from Seal Beach. Sunset is right next to Surfside. The sandy area with the slide is probably on what used to be the Pacific Electric right of way. The red car trolley use to run down to Newport Beach along this strip. Seal Beach is celebrating its centennial next year, and you can see more photos of our local history at sbfoundersday.wordpress.com. I'm tickled to see this photo because Shorpy was the inspiration for our blog back in 2010. Kinda brings the whole thing full circle. Eastside, SurfsideI shared this link to some Seal Beach and Sunset Beach facebook groups, and I'm sure someone in the online mob of locals will be able to pinpoint the exact location, and I'll share it here. Aha, while I was typing, I got a confirmation that it is in Surfside, and the house on the right is still there and painted blue. I'll try to take a photo when I drive up to SB on Friday, and I'll post it (no Google Streetview, darn it.) Since Surfside is within Seal Beach city limits, your mother's memory was correct! This photo has made a lot of locals happy. Thanks for posting it. What brand of beer?On what brand of beer was your father zoning out? I don't recognize the design on the cans. Does anyone recognize it? Looks likeSteinbrau Pale Dry Surfside I thinkI went to Cal State Long Beach and in those days a lot of these cottages were rented to collage students and my best friend and some others rented a place that looks pretty much like this one. A great little town that tended to flood under large wave alerts. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Avant-Garden: 1920
... with Ruth St. Denis. I just watched Pandora's Box last night. (The Gallery, Dance, G.G. Bain) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/25/2014 - 7:43pm -

Denishawn dance company founder Ruth St. Denis and husband Ted Shawn with garden party guests (bridesmaids? caterers? vestal virgins?), among them the modern dance pioneers Louise Brooks and Martha Graham. View full size. Before Bennifer, before Brangelina --There was Denishawn. "Come my dear"Lets us show them how to Twerk. Which one?One of my relatives (great-great-aunt? something along those lines) was a dancer for the Denishawn company and, in fact, changed her name to Florence O'Denishawn. I never knew her and am not sure, but she might be the one sitting on the far left. DigitizedI notice that the dancers tend to have three fingers extended with the middle finger and thumb relaxed. I tried this hand gesture, and it does not feel natural. Perhaps this gesture separates the true modern dancers from the common folk shuffling around the dance floor? Re: DigitizedThose are classical ballerina hands. The two main hand positions are called arrondi and allongé, and I believe they’re supposed to look graceful. To me, they look dementedly unnatural. I thought modern dance was supposed to do away with poses like that. [Consider the alternatives. - Dave] Martha GrahamI believe she is the young lady seated at the center of the photo, to the right of the other seated dancer. I saw her in the audience of one of her company's performances of "Appalachian Spring" in the late 1980s. It was unforgettable. Ignorance and MisapprehensionThose are the two principles on which I base any comment on dance as art or entertainment, having been born awkward and dedicated myself early on to amplifying that. Nevertheless, much modern dance seems to me to consist in the main of moving with grace and athleticism from one awkward pose to another. Dance is kinetic, obviously, which may be why the subjects of still photos like these invariably look odd, stuck in the pose rather than able to demonstrate how very lovely was their passage there. Louise BrooksWhat a find! I had no idea Louise Brooks studied with Ruth St. Denis. I just watched Pandora's Box last night. (The Gallery, Dance, G.G. Bain)
Stripes and Solids: 1925
... They would set up on the hill over looking the town and at night light the crosses on fire and ride through town hooded up terrorizing ... miners and different ethinc peoples. Said it was a scary night. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/04/2016 - 12:25am -

Washington, D.C. "K.K.K. parade on Pennsylvania Avenue, 8/8/25." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. KKK: Koneheads Keeping Kadencea.k.a. Pinheads on Parade Those hotelsmust be missing a lot of sheets. Rally in the Valley in the 1920'sMy mother would tell of their existence when they came to the area Cambria county Pennsylvania. They would set up on the hill over looking the town and at night light the crosses on fire and ride through town hooded up terrorizing coal miners and different ethinc peoples. Said it was a scary night. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Throw a Pair: 1924
... of his Cleveland Indians by sponsoring a free pantyhose night to lure the ladies to Municipal Stadium. Ballsy display I wonder ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/20/2019 - 2:10pm -

October 1, 1924. "Mogridge, Phillips & Martina buying baseball souvenirs." Washington players George Mogridge and Joe Martina with Nationals announcer E. Lawrence Phillips (2nd from right) at Griffith Stadium three days before the start of the World Series between the Nationals and Giants. View full size. Okay, you asked for it!Men are always very proud of their balls, be they soccer balls, softballs, basketballs, golf balls or footballs. Do you know why policemen have bigger balls than firemen? Because they sell more tickets. Ornamental HangersI wonder if the vendor thought this was as funny as I do. One question...Can he twirl them? This picture is begging for a caption contest. Matrons at ballgames in 1924There would not have been many matrons at a baseball game in 1924 -- it was pretty much a man-only zone. (White men, to boot.) It wasn't until decades later than Bill Veeck broadened the appeal of his Cleveland Indians by sponsoring a free pantyhose night to lure the ladies to Municipal Stadium. Ballsy displayI wonder how many matrons walked past this seemingly innocent yet ballsy display of souvenirs, straightened their backs indignantly and marched stiffly away? The idea tickles me. Nationals?Wasn't the team's nickname the Senators, not the Nationals? [In the real world the team was called the Nationals. Below: Nats win the World Series in October 1924. - Dave] Augmentation Augmentation -- The early years. CorrectionThat is not Under Secretary of State William Phillips in the photograph. [Your correction is correct -- second from right is Nationals announcer E. Lawrence Phillips. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
On Walden Pond: 1937
... nearby. I loved going there to relax after working a night shift. I also love the sign stating you can get a Frappe since I moved to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/14/2008 - 11:31am -

September 1937. Concord, Massachusetts. "At Walden Pond, haunt of Thoreau." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Edwin Locke for the Resettlement Administration. We wonder where Thoreau rented his swimsuits back in the day. WowLast time I was at Walden, it was a park and they didn't have any stores nearby. I loved going there to relax after working a night shift. I also love the sign stating you can get a Frappe since I moved to California I can only get milkshakes! I wish I could go back in time, because the store looks like it would be a fun place to go to. Walden PondFrom the Sports Illustrated archives. Oct. 28, 1957: Walden Pond, on whose wild shores and idle waters Henry David Thoreau lingered more than 100 years ago, has, like much of that early, innocent world, been changed by bulldozers, a trailer camp named Walden Breezes, hot dog stands and old beer cans. In the name of recreation, trees were felled on the eastern shore to make an addition to the present beach area, a slope was stripped and a concrete bathhouse and a paved road to the water were proposed. On weekends, Walden Pond resembles a rustic Coney Island. RoyalsWhat are royals? They sound tasty. WaldenI grew up in Concord and much of the "Coney Island" stuff was still there into the 1960s, albeit very much toned down. As you drove down Route 126, just past what used to be the town dump on the left, was the entrance to the Walden Breezes trailer park. Back in the 70s it was bought by the state, with the proviso that existing residents could stay there as long as they wanted. Just past the trailer park was the stand, or a similar looking successor, shown in the photo. It was much less gaudy in the early 60s. The bath house was an ugly cinder block structure down on the beach. If you go back to the late 1800s, there was a bandstand built out over the water and a horse racing track on the far side of the pond. Trains from Boston would stop there. At some point the bandstand burned and fell into the water. Frappes and milkshakesFor those who have never been to New England, a frappe is what everyone else in the U.S. calls a milkshake; but here, a milkshake is just that -- no ice cream involved. (The Gallery, Edwin Locke, Travel & Vacation)
Berkeley House: 1909
... a vain effort to save the historic Berkeley Hotel Saturday night. The firemen braved temperatures which reached 26 below zero in a ... structure. The wind chill factor through much of the night was minus 40 or colder. Twenty-two residents of the hotel were left ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/03/2019 - 3:09pm -

1909. "The Berkeley, Saranac Lake, Adirondack Mountains, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Fringe on topThe women in that carriage on the left have great hair. They seem like free spirits. I would take a ride with them. You Didn't Think This Was Still Standing, Did You?The subsequent history of the hotel, with pictures, can be found here: https://localwiki.org/hsl/Berkeley_House Spoiler alert -- it burned down. Twice. You Know What HappenedActually survived the first fire in 1925, rebuilt and then ultimately done in by fire in January 1981. Full history on the Saranac Lake Wiki. Completely different world.Naturally, the hotel burned January 10, 1981. The site, at the intersection of Main Street and Broadway, is now a small village park called Berkeley Green. MillineryMillinery is a women's apparel for the head. But it is also the design, manufacture and sale of hats and head-wear. Useful to know, for me as foreigner. Two Fires, 56 Years ApartThe first fire in 1925 claimed a portion of the original structure, then in the winter of 1981: "SARANAC LAKE - Seventy-nine firemen from four companies battled flames and sub-zero temperatures in a vain effort to save the historic Berkeley Hotel Saturday night. The firemen braved temperatures which reached 26 below zero in a futile attempt to save the 104 year-old, mostly wooden structure. The wind chill factor through much of the night was minus 40 or colder. Twenty-two residents of the hotel were left homeless by the blaze. Six persons had to be rescued by snorkel' truck from the third floor roof and one was removed by ladder from the second story." Now it's a park, Berkeley Green. (The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns)
Here's Lucy: 1908
... Yet for thirty-three years, for every hour of the day and night, they have been untiringly making the useless into the useful, magically ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 2:42pm -

Pittsburgh circa 1908. "Carnegie Steel Company, 'Lucy' furnace." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Recycle 1908 styleThat is a very up-to-date string of coal cars in the background. All steel cars show Keystone Coal to be a very modern operation. In the foreground is several stretches of disconnected narrow gauge plant track, with a string of cars and wheelsets nearby. These plantracks would change location quickly, as needed. But what really interests me is that arch-roof former baggage car lettered American Bridge of NY. That car could easily be forty years old here.It likely was used by AB to carry rigging and supplies for their projects, although it may no longer be in use. To its right is a short ex reefer. [The hinged doors give away its former occupation. The windows cut into it indicate other uses by ABNY.] Its odd, double archbar trucks were popular on New York Central lines for a time. Broken WindowsWell, I guess bridges shouldn't have windows, anyway. The tradition at U.S. SteelThe tradition at U.S. Steel is to name furnaces after wives of the President/Chairman. Lucy Coleman Carnegie was wife of Thomas M. Carnegie. Where was Pittsburgh, anyhow?The Lucy Furnace was named in honor of Andrew Carnegie's sister-in-law, Lucy Carnegie. Located on the Allegheny River at 51st St, it was dismantled in 1937. The Romance of Steel, 1907. By Herbert N. Casson The Rise of Andrew Carnegie … In 1873 two new furnaces had been built, now famous in the iron world as the Lucy and the Isabella. The Lucy belonged to the Carnegie company, and the Isabella to a combine of Pittsburgh iron men. These furnaces were of equal size, and belonged to rival owners. They began at once to race in the production of iron, and their amazing achievements for the first time attracted the attention of all countries to Pittsburgh. The average output of a furnace was then fifty tons a day. There were wild hurrahs at the Carnegie company's works in 1874, when, for the first time in the history of ironmaking, the Lucy turned out a hundred tons of iron in one day. In England the news was received in silent incredulity. To believe that a single furnace could pour out twenty-two thousand dollars' worth of iron in a week was too much. Where was Pittsburgh, anyhow? And who was this Carnegie who made such preposterous claims? … A second Lucy furnace was built in 1877, and the Carnegie company operated both until the organisation of the Steel Trust. During that period of nearly thirty years they produced more than three million tons of iron—enough to give four pounds apiece to every man, woman, and child on the globe; enough to pave a road seventy feet wide with iron plates an inch thick from New York to St. Louis. … There is nothing idyllic about the Lucy furnaces. They have received no honours, no medals, no monuments. They have inspired neither artist nor poet. Yet for thirty-three years, for every hour of the day and night, they have been untiringly making the useless into the useful, magically transforming the ore into a ceaseless stream of that metal which is immeasurably more precious to civilisation than all the gold and silver and rubies and diamonds. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Ruffles and Flourishes: 1906
... of humor and history concerning this apparently historical night. Thanks, Jules! Got cake? These dresses evoke wedding cake. Yum! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 10:55pm -

New York, 1906. "The Gerson sisters in costume for the Crinoline Ball." Our third from this series of photographs by Gertrude Käsebier. View full size. Well the dresses are prettyI cannot image the (wo)man hours used in creating those dresses. No doubt they were at least partially handmade, with all the details. Simply gorgeous. The dresses I mean. Anachronistic?Do any dress historians out there know if these are old-fashioned looking for 1906, perhaps deliberately? They look more typical of the Civil War era to me. [The Crinoline Ball was, as the caption suggests, a costume party. See the comment to this previous Shorpy entry.] ColoursAccording to the New York Times, Minerva was in lavender, while her sister was in white. Background checkAll the high society and excitement and New York Times and look at the photographic background! Chipped, nicked, and worn! Leave it to the TimesThat New York Times story is excellent, full of humor and history concerning this apparently historical night. Thanks, Jules! Got cake?These dresses evoke wedding cake. Yum! (The Gallery, Gertrude Kasebier, Portraits)
Frosty Mugs: 1940
November 1940. "Pierre, South Dakota, on a cold night." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/16/2019 - 1:54pm -

November 1940. "Pierre, South Dakota, on a cold night." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.         About these images: The exposures by John Vachon, Marion Post Wolcott and other FSA photographers that we've been posting over the past few months may be around 80 years old, but have only recently been scanned in high resolution and made available for download by the Library of Congress. So in that sense they're "new" -- the photo above, for example, is from a batch of around 300 negatives scanned in October 2019 and published to the LOC website on December 12. These high-quality scans are gradually replacing the low-resolution images that have populated the LOC's online archive since 2011. The Sun Has SetAlas, the frosty mugs of suds may be gone, but other commerce lives on in this edifice -- the circa 1884 Karcher Building on Pierre Street -- and adjacent, with minor modifications. Value to Joy RatioThe work at the LOC is easily one of the more useful government institutions. And, it's so wonderful that you take the time to scurry through their archives to bring us these gems each and every day. I'm grateful to you both. Viewing these images brings joy to each day. Welcomed joy. FSA PhotosThanks, Shorpy, for the beautiful and haunting FSA photos, especially those made by John Vachon. As the scene appears today. Next Stop PottersvilleThat is some glorious curlicue neon in the Sun-Set bar's windows. I can picture George Bailey running past the bar and wondering what happened to Bedford Falls. It isn't your fault, DaveBut your wonderful site keeps reminding of things I did when making a living in the zany world of photography. The Library of Congress, which by itself is worth a visit to DC, is far more than one building and the (if I remember right) Jefferson LOC building, across the street from the old LOC, has THOUSANDS or MILLIONS of photos and a lot of other wonderful stuff. Once, for a low-budget FEMA brochure in the 1990s, I went there to snag some public-domain photos of hurricanes. I recall walking through a room full of gorgeous globes five feet or so in diameter, into a big room with tons of filing cabinets. The LOC person said, "Here you go; start with the hurricane photos in these three filing cabinets." Overwhelming! And amazing. Back in the late 1980s, when I was a White House consultant, I visited the Pentagon photo lab, which was then on Bolling Air Force Base. May still be there. There were four or five Navy techs in civilian clothes digitizing military photos. Using flatbed scanners, they were running through Gardner and Brady Civil War glass plates. It was a painstaking process and I asked the guy who ran the place how many photos they had to do. He said their library had something like five million photos and guessed that, even considering things would go faster when they got to the film era and scanning technology would be improved, it would be two or three hundred years of work. One of the photo labs there had processed the autopsy photos of JFK. I was lucky to have been able to see such stuff and I thank Dave and his staff for all the hard work they do for our benefit. They make it look easy, but I know it ain't, and they deserve any and all support we can provide. Thanks, SHORPY.COM!!! You have enriched us all. Great news!Dave, thanks for the note about the high resolution scans at the LOC. I started visiting the American Memory site soon after it came online in the mid 1990s, spending many hours perusing the collections, especially the FSA/OWI, Gottscho-Schleisner and Horydczak collections, and downloading the TIFF versions of photos (the highest resolution then available). I'm glad to hear that higher resolution scans are becoming available - I know it will take them some time to go back through collections already scanned. I'll be watching as they make progress through my favorites, to see what wallpaper and screen saver collections I can put together. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, John Vachon)
Radio Radio: 1924
... near flat tront door. I wonder if the globe was lit at night with the street lights. [We've seen these before; it's a police ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/10/2013 - 10:10pm -

Washington, D.C., 1924. "Interstate Commerce Commission building." Two doors down from the Jazz Age equivalent of the Apple Store. Note police call box with Bat Signal globe. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Call him FuzzyThe Ghost in the middle was probably running to escape the Mold eating the near side of the street. ReflectionsThe base of the "Bat Signal" seems to be scratched up or dirty, but most of the globe is quite reflective. It shows us the buildings across the street (behind the camera), as well as possibly a glimpse of the photographer (or maybe just the top of the photographic equipment). If only the entire globe was shiny... Call Box??By the handle on front, I would say this is for fire call. Police call boxes I have seen have a plainer, near flat tront door. I wonder if the globe was lit at night with the street lights. [We've seen these before; it's a police call box. - tterrace] The police box in your cite is a different shape. With the obvious large handle on the front and the peaked roof design I will still believe it is a alarm box for citizens to report a fire. Tandem Fire/Police Alarm BoxI'm pretty sure the alarm box pedestal is a tandem fire and police emergency alarm box. The side facing the camera is a classic Gamewell design with the glass covered dog house door handle to gain access to the inner alarm pull handle. On the other side the roof and the door hinges are visible for an identical alarm box. I believe one box is painted red, the other blue with each respective box sending its signal to the appropriate agency. A call box with a phone normally would not have the glass covered dog house, but instead have a simple keyed door. Back to back?Charlie B: I think you and tterrace may both be right. San Francisco still has similar call box arrangements with back-to-back boxes for both police AND fire departments. Given the depth of the box(es) in this photo I think that'w what's going on here. Check out the attached photo, albeit without the bracket and all-seeing eye orb. Dueling Signal BoxesAt first I thought that the 12 years between pictures might account for the style difference, but then I came across Anton Michael's photos of modern Washington D.C. with side-by-side surviving call boxes across from Lafayette Square at Jackson Place and Pennsylvania Avenue. The picture (used with permission) shows the back side of the fire call box with its locked door that was accessible only to the Fire Chief. Inside this half of the box was a telegraph key and receiver that could send an order for a second alarm. Gas lamps were originally on top of the poles as seen below, but these were eventually replaced by the globes which, in turn, were replaced by the less vandal-tempting caged lights mounted on shortened poles. A brief history of the Washington D.C. call boxes can be found here. Call Box?? RevisitedThanks to Larmo for pointing out the obvious features of the opposite box. The site following has a history of D.C. alarm boxes. They don't show back to back, but it is interesting. http://househistoryman.blogspot.com/2012/02/history-of-washington-dc-pol... Reflections...of IvySplunge...I noted your unequal zoomed in photo of the globe. Might I suggest that the globe is indeed shiny and the lower part of the globe isn't scratched, but is reflecting the ivy or other plants in the lower right hand corner of the original view of the photo? Still, the zoomed view provides a glimpse into the past that I would bet my life the original photographer never imagined we today would be focusing in and looking behind the field of view of the camera. Southern Hemisphere@MrK - I considered that. You may be right, of course, but the reflection in question is fairly consistent from left-to-right and all the way to the bottom of the sphere, which would suggest that the ivy would run right up to the call box (which doesn't seem to be the case, given the visible sidewalk) and along a good-sized length of the street (not to mention *into* the street). Perhaps the reflection in the lower right is lightened or otherwise affected by the ivy, but to me, the rather abrupt loss of detail just south of the "equator" still suggests crusted dirt or blemishes on the globe's surface. As for unintended reflections, they are a particular favorite of mine: see also https://www.shorpy.com/node/12105. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Hot and Buttered: 1930
... I took my wife and son to a Japanese restaurant last night and almost everything on the grill was made with butter (with garlic of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/27/2016 - 11:02am -

San Francisco circa 1930s. "C.W. Smith's Yum-Yum candy concession along the Great Highway at Playland-at-the-Beach." 8x10 nitrate negative attributed to George or Leo Whitney. From the Marilyn Blaisdell Collection. View full size. Well, almost everythingWhat, no Hot Buttered cigars? Nothing ButterThan anything hot with butter. I took my wife and son to a Japanese restaurant last night and almost everything on the grill was made with butter (with garlic of course). Yum. Yum(?)In addition to all the savory concoctions like buttered popcorn, candied puffed rice, walnut cream taffy, pure butterscotch, and butter taffies, they also sold -- cigars. Quite a waist-expanding menuFor a shoppe with such narrow doors. Thank goodness for curb service. Good Lord, the aroma!Hot buttered popcorn and butterscotch - that must’ve been intoxicating! Brought to you by --Nice reflection of the photographer and helper. Looks like a large negative camera ... 8x10 perhaps. [Just like it says in the caption! - Dave] So, I'm supposed to read the caption first? Is it possibletheir candied puffed rice is shot from guns like a more famous brand? Butter Up!Looks like everything was buttered back then, in the same way that everything today is "sea-salt caramel" flavored! I wonder if the "candied puffed rice" was anything like Super Sugar Crisp cereal. [Sugar Crisps are puffed wheat. Candied Puffed Rice would, I imagine, be something like Rice Krispies squares. - Dave] Oops, I forgot that Sugar Crisp was made from wheat, but Rice Krispie treats are awesome. I'll wager that theirs were probably smothered in butter somehow! (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars)
Happy, Happy: 1937
... from Washington over the CBS network every Saturday night, the Church of God of Elder Solomon Lightfoot Michaux is a lively Negro ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 7:21pm -

1937. Washington, D.C. "Elder Michaux, Happy News Cafe." The radio evangelist and a young admirer at the Happy News, where indeed everyone is beaming with delight. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Happy Am IElder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux is one of the few people on Shorpy (excepting movie stars & past-presidents) for which there is surviving video on the web. Here he is with his choir singing "Happy Am I." While obviously a very happy man indeed, he was also pragmatic: "This text will not be preached, until the collection has been reached." Bonus: I love that syncopated clapping. What a wonderfulphotograph. What would our country be like today if we could just maintain such attitudes? Thanks to Stanton Square for the very enjoyable video. Happy I AmDuring the Depression people needed to be uplifted in more ways than one. Happy I am! Elder MichauxAfter watching the video, I gotta say the guy is smooth. And his services were characterized by high production values! Pioneer broadcasterTime Magazine - June 11, 1934...devotional exercises, interspersed with a rollicking theme hymn called "Happy Am I," have become familiar to many a U. S. radio listener during the past year. Broadcast from Washington over the CBS network every Saturday night, the Church of God of Elder Solomon Lightfoot Michaux is a lively Negro romp, noisy and syncopated as some white folks believe all black worship should be... ...Elder Michaux sometimes conducts mammoth baptismal services, with white-clad participants splashing in the river or Chesapeake Bay and spectators on gaily decorated barges and excursion boats. Last summer he scandalized District of Columbia officials by asking leave to baptize a flock in the reflecting pool in front of Lincoln Memorial... Encyclopedia of American gospel music - On September 24, 1951, at the anniversary program celebrating twenty years of broadcasting, Michaux...received congratulatory telegrams from General D.Eisenhower and many other Washington leaders. Elder MichauxI am inspired by Elder Michaux's life and recently discovered his gravesite in Hampton, VA. My grandmother lived in the neighborhood of his Newport News church and attended his tent revivals and she has fond memories of the Elder which she has shared with me on numerous occassions. The video of the singing of the Happy, Am I song is priceless. I have also written several articles on my blog about Elder Michaux. http://findyourfolks.blogspot.com/search/label/Michaux Professor Dru Find Your Folks Blog My memories of Elder MichauxI thought about my aunt and uncle now that they have gone on to be with the Lord. They started out with Elder Michaux and helped work on the farm in Williamsburg, and I have fond memories of the stories she tells of how he started and founded the seven churches. Those were memorable moments I will always treasure. I thank God for Elder Michaux, he was a great man of God. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing, Kids)
All Nite: 1941
... But Also We're left to guess exactly what is hot all night, but the young man's air of quiet alertness and the saddle bags on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:30pm -

July 1941. "Street scene in Chicago Black Belt." Old-school fixie. 35mm negative by Edwin Rosskam for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Shell OilI think the shell is a license plate tag given out by Shell Oil. That's an Elgin BicycleThat is an Elgin bicycle. I learned to ride on an identical bike, circa 1965. It was a hand-me-down. The sea shell ornaments were not present on mine, although I did have a chain guard. Mine was a redish maroon and cream color scheme. The saddle bags resemble World War ONE surplus musette bags. I believe that Elgin was a Sears & Roebuck brand name. I have no idea who actually made them for Sears, but it had some resemblence to an Iver Johnson bike I once saw. The two curved bars going from the base of the steering knuckle down to the sides of the front fork were purely decorative. All-in-all, it was a VERY heavy bicycle, not ideal for a boy learning to ride. On the flip side, the seat was very comfortable. There was decorative paint on the fenders, maroon & cream stripes and small stars. Perhaps this would become visible if the photo were enhanced. A Tough PairThat bike is a classic. It looks like it had almost as hard a life as its owner, but both are still looking solid and able to take on whatever task needed for survival in hard times. Check out the sea shell ornamental castings on the front spindle! The winds of war are blowing in the distance, though. I wonder if either the young man or his bike survived the draft and metal drives of WWII? Not Only, But AlsoWe're left to guess exactly what is hot all night, but the young man's air of quiet alertness and the saddle bags on the bike suggest that delivery is available. Maybe not always SearsAt least by the mid-1930s Elgin was a Sears brand, and became "J. C. Higgins" sometime after WW II. Elgin-labelled bikes were manufactured by Columbia Westfield Mfg, and I've read that there was at least one other builder for Sears. I have seen hints, but no clear proof, that there was an Elgin bicycle company in the 1920s. Could it be that there was a well known Elgin company that died in the Depression and Sears bought the name and had them manufactured elsewhere? Half-tooth sprocket...is an unusual feature I have not seen before. See a modern version here. A hot timeHe's got a lot of clothes on for it being July in D.C. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Chicago, Edwin Rosskam)
Parched Okies: 1939
... ironic that about the same time, we all gathered under the night sky to watch another neighbor fly overhead in Skylab. My last ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/15/2013 - 11:34am -

August 1939. "Drought-stricken farmer and family near Muskogee, Oklahoma. Agricultural day laborer." Wanted: Escalade with tinted glass. Large format negative by Dorothea Lange, Resettlement Administration. View full size. Question for wagon owners Why is there fabric woven through the spokes of that front wheel? Better Times AheadAfter the royalties from "Billy Jack" started rolling in. Are we there yet?That wagon is a familiar sight. Even as of the mid-60s, one could still see such a rig on the road here in Oklahoma. Old Mr. Hoffman who mowed my grandmother's yard with a non-powered reel-type mower drove such a rig. Another guy, a neighbor, drove one daily until the early 70s. All us neighborhood kids used to run out and stare whenever we heard the rig creaking and the tackle jingling. It only now seems ironic that about the same time, we all gathered under the night sky to watch another neighbor fly overhead in Skylab. My last surviving uncle (of ten kids) was telling me about how my grandfather drove such a wagon from Roswell, NM to Texas and Oklahoma time and again until my grandmother put her foot down somewhere around 1910 and put an end to family "vacations" visiting relatives by wagon (in winter, no less!) after the second of ten had come along. I've wondered how many days and nights it is from Ardmore, Oklahoma to Roswell, New Mexico at only one horsepower, but reckoned I'm with grandma, no matter the answer. I had her campfire coffee, though, and I reckon it'd get you going. Under my umbrella, ella, ella, eh?That poor woman--I can only imagine an August in Oklahoma and how little good that umbrella did. That tiny, ineffective shade against the heat and sun illustrates the futility here perhaps even better than the wagon does. Handsome hubby though, so I guess she had that going for her. Wheel WeaveThe wheel spokes are loose in the hub. The fabric, when soaked with water will hold moisture much longer at the hub where it is most needed to swell and tighten the spokes. Much like soaking an axe head with its handle in a bucket of water. Luck of the DrawWhat a beautiful woman - she looks like Virginia Woolf. In another life she could have been something less uncomfortable. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Dust Bowl, Kids)
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