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Thankful Smiths: 1941
... of the attitude seen at our Thanksgiving dinner last night. Wish I had a photo to remind me, like these folks did. The ironic sight ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/22/2018 - 3:20pm -

April 1941. "Family of Lemuel Smith, Farm Security Administration borrower, saying grace at the afternoon meal. Carroll County, Georgia." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the FSA. View full size. Improvised placematfor the baby, who obviously is expected to make a mess. Lemuel and Susie lived long livesAccording to the records accessible through Ancestry, the Smiths were 40 and 38 in 1940, and had seven children. Lemuel and Susie lived to be ~94 and 86, respectively. Happy ThanksgivingWhat a beautiful photo of an Americans during difficult times! Maybe poor in finances, but clean and a great family. Doubly blessedCornbread AND biscuits. Like homeThis photo reminded me somewhat of the attitude seen at our Thanksgiving dinner last night. Wish I had a photo to remind me, like these folks did. The ironic sight of oil lamps and an electric iron, both atop the pie safe, is pretty charming here, too. Yeah we have it tough these days 2018they did not know they were poo in the sense, it will get better in the future let it not drag us down, of course religion was just aboiut the paramount of their lives unfed all trying times. [The poo will always be with us. - Dave] Happy Thanksgiving Shorpies!! Time to play "guess the food". I'm not very good at the game so may need help from fellow Shorpies. I see: Cornbread ( and lots of it ) Green beans Rolls The adults and 2 older children are drinking coffee or tea? Raisin pudding? A plate of chicken? A large mason jar of ... salad dressing? A large bowl of gravy? Sugar bowl in the center? Everybody has a bowl of ... cranberry sauce? ( I have thanksgiving on the brain.) AcmeWile E Coyote's brand of choice. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Kitchens etc.)
Half Past: 1907
... Portsmouth. The church is still there, and is lit up at night. Seen previously on Shorpy ... here and, in the distance, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/02/2015 - 10:53am -

1907. "North Church and Congress Streets, Portsmouth, New Hampshire." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Then and Now: 104 years laterGoogle was unusually cooperative with the angle for this one, though I still had to do some compositing. I didn't do much with the right side, since I didn't have a good angle on it, and the original pic didn't give us much building detail anyway. You can compare the sidewalks, though. One interesting aspect is that the sidewalks seem to be bigger these days, which is unusual. That one large-ish building down the street is the same, but I got tired of trying to align it without breaking the alignment of the church and that one chimney further down I was using as a reference. :) So sorry about that flaw. Click here for larger version (4.4 MB) One of these days I want to do one of these where I pull out the old citizens and carriages and "ghost" them into a modern shot. Edit: I just noticed the time in the old pic and Google are only 15 minutes apart, and the shadows seem to be about the same angle, so might be around the same of time of year as well. The North Church of PortsmouthNotable worshippers during its long history: General William Whipple, signer of the Declaration of Independence, John Langdon, signer of the U.S. Constitution, Daniel Webster, John Paul Jones, and President George Washington. NearbyI live in the next town over. Portsmouth is the mecca of the NH seacoast now. This view is known as Market Square. Basically the hub of modern downtown Portsmouth. The church is still there, and is lit up at night. Seen previously on Shorpy... here and, in the distance, here. TimB, the large-ish building down the street (to the right of the church) is National Block. I linked to some interesting history of its ground-floor occupant, the Granite State Fire Insurance Company, in an earlier Shorpy comment. ApplauseNice job TimB CannonsAt the extreme right and about two doors down on the sidewalk are what look like two cannon barrels. Wonder if they have some particular use of if they are just purely decorative? Also wonder if they are Civil War or Revolutionary War cannons? Bravo!Well done, TimB, on that fabulous transformation of the then/now views. Isn't technology wonderful, that we can almost step into a time-machine, with the help of skilled and meticulous artists? Fascinating! Cannon AidDepotHack: Those cannons mark the entrance to the Portsmouth Athenaeum, and were "taken from the British by Commodore Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie, September 10, 1813." See this page. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)
Newsstand Noir: 1957
... Ford F-100. And not to forget the Friday and Saturday night cruises where the county gathered from Highway 101 to Foster's Freeze and ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 05/21/2015 - 1:26pm -

My brother snapped this 35mm Kodak Tri-X negative as a former high school classmate left (Fled? Took it on the lam?) from this newsstand at 1241 Fourth Street in San Rafael, California. At the time this was one of two newsstands downtown. That was in addition to Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penney, Macy's plus all the other kinds of stores that made San Rafael the major shopping spot for Marin Country - that is, until shopping centers started popping up a few years later. If I didn't know better, I'd think that guy might have been Elvis. View full size. Speaking of parking metersI remember one evening a bunch of us were hanging out at the Foster's Freeze when a car, obviously out of control, jumped the curb and knocked down a parking meter (at the same exact place incidentally that the cop car was de-axled in "American Grafitti"). The car backed up and sped away at which time we dashed for the meter and took it up the hill to disgorge its contents. After an hour of bashing it refused to give up its booty and for all I know the meter is still up on the hill in back of Foster's Freeze. Our adventure didn't make it into the movie. Fourth Street holds many memoriesThe Rafael Theater where some serious necking was done. Next door, the Navy recruiter where I solemnly vowed to protect my country in 1962. J.C. Penney's where I bought most of my clothes. The two auto parts stores across the street from each other where I furnished my 1957 Ford F-100. And not to forget the Friday and Saturday night cruises where the county gathered from Highway 101 to Foster's Freeze and back again countless times. It was a great place to spend my senior year. 2 things you don't see anymoreTypewriters Parking meters White wall tires Barber poles [And then some. -tterrace] Parking metersDon't know about whitewall tires, barber poles or typewriters, let alone Elvis, but downtown San Rafael is still loaded with parking meters. No Cool Hand Lukes roaming around lopping them off with a pipe cutter though. Body languageThat looks like the pose taken by my high school pals when leaving a store that had sold beer to the underaged. You know, hiding it under the coattail as if nobody would notice it or him. Saw it a hundred times, hehe. Elvis confusionI have to agree with your comment about Elvis; at first glance I thought it was him too. I don't doubt it will eventually find its way into the fan circles misconstrued as a long-lost unreleased candid. Cool pic nonetheless. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Hot Texas Wieners: 1939
... one, perhaps to inhibit table-hopping by ladies of the night. I was once forcibly evicted from Bassin's (12th and Penn, NW, and long ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/20/2017 - 12:29am -

Spring 1939. "Washington, D.C., lunchroom." Offering, in addition to Lone Star tube steaks, "Tables for Ladies." Medium format acetate negative. View full size. Long EstablishedFrom the Washington Times, Thursday, July 15, 1915: New Seventh Street Lunchroom Opened         The latest addition to Washington's lunch rooms is the New System Lunch, at 913 Seventh street northwest, which opened its doors to the public on Saturday morning. The place was decorated with attractive floral pieces, and souvenirs were presented to all patrons.         "The Dining Room That Is Different" is the slogan which has been adopted by Messrs. Roussos and Zagos, the proprietors, to describe the establishment.         A large and varied menu is offered, with many special dishes. A Piece of Good News! (Reproduced From Monday's Times)         Hundreds of shoppers and business men are daily enjoying the splendid cuisine, sanitary surroundings, prompt service, and popular price at this big modern lunch room, recently opened "in the heart of the shopping district."         "Satisfaction to Patrons" is our motto; give us a trial today! Souvenir Fans for the Ladies, which arrived too late for the opening day, will be given FREE to every lady on next Saturday. New System Lunch, Roussos, Zagos & Co., 913 7th Street N.W., "In the Heart of the Shopping District, Always Open." "Spick and Span"HOT TEXAS WEINERS (sic) evidently a late addition to the menu. From July 10, 1915: Meanwhile...In my home state of RI, you can get New York weiners. Hotdog and cold glass bottle of Pepsi for a shiny silver dimeI would be spending my lunch hour there as even back then it was a great price! Try getting anything for $1 these days. As so many others have stated here: If only I had a time machine... I'm looking atthe hand-lettered sign, truly a work of art and it was painted backwards on the inside. Changing TimesThe baseball poster advertises a game between two teams of the Negro Leagues. Normally, one would have seen this at a "Colored Only" lunchroom in 1939, yet that doesn't seem to be the case. Perhaps, these games had white fans, too. Tables for ladiesThis is near the end of the era when no respectable woman would dare to sit at a bar, though I wonder if lunch counters fell into that category as indicators of depravity. More likely, women preferred tables to the counter because of the requisite feminine impedimenta of the time -- purse, hat, gloves, Woodward & Lothrop shopping bag, etc. Of course, until at least the early '60s, DC had a set of blue laws that seemed to rival those prevailing far to the south in the Bible Belt. As least as recently as 1961, though the drinking age for all adult beverages was only 18 (just like New York state and all military installations until fairly recently), DC bars closed at midnight on Saturday to avoid profaning the Sabbath. A local ordinance also prohibited moving one's own drink from one table to another or even standing with one, perhaps to inhibit table-hopping by ladies of the night. I was once forcibly evicted from Bassin's (12th and Penn, NW, and long gone) for standing up at my table with a beer in my hand to offer a toast to the newly elected JFK. Another stricture was that the server could not bring you another drink so long as a single drop remained in the glass you already had unless the latter was simultaneously removed. Far from promoting moderation, that regulation encouraged the imbiber to chug the previous potable while signaling the server for another. Strange but bizarre are the ways of regulating public behavior! You always want the one you don't haveI've never understood why I can get Coney Island Red Hots in Texas, and Texas Footlongs or Texas Weiners in Coney Island. Re: I'm looking atOne of the few items in the possession of my family that used to belong to my maternal grandfather, a commercial sign painter, is a book entitled How to Paint Signs and Sho' Cards (1920), written by E.C. Matthews (1892 to 1977), and filled with wonderful information and illustrations on everything from how to mix paints to how to paint window signs. You can view the whole book here. (The Gallery, D.C.)
Shadowland: 1907
Circa 1907. "Pittsburgh by Night." Our second nocturnal view of the Steel City. 5x7 inch dry plate glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:13pm -

Circa 1907. "Pittsburgh by Night." Our second nocturnal view of the Steel City. 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Take a deep breath*cough* *cough* Smithfield BridgeThis is taken from the Mt Washington side of the Smithfield St bridge (still standing today). These days there's an awful sports bar complex off to the right and Station Square to the left. Shadows of Architectural GreatnessToward the right we can see the silhouettes of two Pittsburgh landmarks, facing each other across Grant Street: the spiky tower and broad back of H. H. Richardson's Allegheny County Courthouse (1883-1888), and the broader tower of D. H. Burnham & Co.'s Frick Building (1901-1902). Coolness all around! Pass me My Inhalor!I can recall driving through Pittsburgh in the late '40s with my parents, and this is often how it looked in the daytime as well. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Delicious Cakes: 1922
... household exposition, which opens at 7:30 o'clock tomorrow night in Convention Hall , Fifth and L streets northwest, and continues for ... receive final instructions. After the opening tomorrow night, the show will be open daily, except Sunday, from 3 to 5:30 and 7:30 to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 6:47pm -

Washington circa 1922. "Food show. Ward exhibit." Among the tempting varieties of Ward's Cakes on display here: Silver Queen, Devils Dream, Kukuno, Creamy Spice, Sunkist Gold and Southern Pride. Plus Paradise Fruit Cake and something called "Homelike." View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. What, no penathalenoleum?Store-bought cakes that actually look like they taste good, rather than the weird aftertaste and bloating you get from today's preservative-laden science projects. This is the first Shorpy photo that made me hungry. Well, OK, the second… after the possum gloop splattered into the gutter. Food Show Exhibitors Washington Post, Feb 4, 1923 60 Exhibits Prepared for Pure Food Show Convention Hall Converted Into Dazzling Picture for Opening Tomorrow Sixty exhibits and practical demonstrations of pure food products and labor-saving devices for the home are scheduled for the national food show and household exposition, which opens at 7:30 o'clock tomorrow night in Convention Hall, Fifth and L streets northwest, and continues for two weeks. The hall has been converted into a veritable fairyland with rows and rows of dazzling booths and yards and yards of artistically draped bunting. Salesmen and demonstrators will gather at the hall tomorrow morning to receive final instructions. After the opening tomorrow night, the show will be open daily, except Sunday, from 3 to 5:30 and 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Everyone will be given plenty to eat free -- coffee, tea, milk, soft drinks, "hot dogs," pancakes, salads, gelatine, cheese, salad dressing and other things. The list of exhibitors follows: France Milling Co. (Gold Medal Pancake Flour) Joseph Tetley & Co. Gelfand Manufacturing Co. Browning & Bains Coffee Co. Steuart Sons & Co. (sirup [sic] and molasses) Foulds Milling Co. (macaroni and spaghetti) Carry Ice Cream Co. Noxzema Chemical Co. Johnn B Heppe & Co. E.J. Agee (Economy Darner) Cheek Neal Coffee Co. (Maxwell House Coffee) J.L. Kraft & Bros., Inc. (cheese) Akin Manufacturing Co. (Shi-Nall) Brewer Snyder Co. A. Loffler Provision Co. Corn Products Refining Co. (Parko) O.J. DeMoll & Co. (pianos and talking machines) Nelson Refrigerator Co. Refrigerator Pan Alarm Co. Rosslyn Packing Co. Golden & Co. National Furniture Co. Corby Baking Co. Hacker Cereal Co. Thomas J. Lipton, Inc. S. & S. Water Co Genesee Pure Food Co. (Jell-O) Wilkins & Rogers (butter) Palmer Harvey & Co. Walker Hill Dairy C.F. Mueller Co. Julius Lansburgh Furniture Co. McCormick & Co. Martin Gillet & Co. (House of Lords Tea) P.B. Davis Co. (Davis Baking Powder) S. Kann Sons Co. (modern kitchen utensils) Hub Furniture Co. Chapin Sacks Inc. Mutual Service Bureau (electrical devices) Kirkman & Son Carroll Erwin Co. (electrical household goods) Columbia Bottling Works William Conradis & Co. (model bath room) New Era Gas Stove Co. Pillsbury Flour Mills Co. King Electric Washer Co. Ward Baking Co. Doubleday Hill Electric Co. (radio receiving station) Cook's Quality Cakery Harry Chapel (broker) Troco Nut Butter Co. William T. Leahey & Co. (vegetable cutters) Havenner Baking Co. Ridgewood Orchards (apple) and several additional exhibitors to be definitely announced tomorrow. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Happy Family: 1954
... any film. The image of her running up the highway in the night in stark fear immediately sucks the audience into the drama before the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/08/2016 - 1:15pm -

April 1954. New York. "Actress Cloris Leachman at home with husband George Englund and baby Adam." The future Oscar and Emmy winner would be coming soon to the big screen in the 1955 noir classic Kiss Me Deadly. 35mm negative from photos by Phillip Harrington for Look magazine. View full size. A Grand EntranceI count Leachman's entrance in "Kiss Me Deadly" as the best first appearance of any actor/actress in any film. The image of her running up the highway in the night in stark fear immediately sucks the audience into the drama before the opening credits have finished. Great debut appearance for a very fine actress, and one of my very favorite films, which also includes the earliest appearance of a telephone answering machine I've ever seen. Alfred Hitchcock PresentsA very young Cloris Leachman in Premonition. I was startled at how beautiful she was in the show. Even in 1955, her talent showed. IdaLooking much friendlier here than as the evil grandmother on Malcolm in the Middle almost five decades later. Adam is on TwitterAnd there's no doubt who his Daddy is, he's the spitting image of George. George and Cloris split in 1979. Earning her OscarAs Ruth Popper in The Last Picture Show: (Kids, LOOK)
And Baby Makes Three: 1940
... The Wreck of Old Number Nine On a cold winter's night, not a star was in sight -- Miscellany Looks like a dried palm ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2020 - 1:41pm -

August 1940. "Family in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Wreck of Old Number NineOn a cold winter's night, not a star was in sight -- MiscellanyLooks like a dried palm frond between the organ and the back wall. Also someone dropped a pencil to the floor. It's behind the stool. [Also a match on the mat. - Dave] They could have burned the place down. Catholic familiesoften will display a palm frond received at mass on Palm Sunday. They are collected and burned the following year for Ash Wednesday to mark the faithful. Additionally, one photo displayed on the organ looks like a lady who has just received the sacrament of confirmation judging by her approximate age, veil and white dress. Palm SundayI like the Easter season because it’s spring and the time of my own son’s birth and the holiday makes people happy. The weekend before, I’ve always taken pleasure in spotting people in the streets with palm fronds from the church service for Palm Sunday. It was a definite mark of our current virus crisis that I saw no palm fronds this past Sunday. And when I asked an RC friend how she takes the Sacrament without actually going to church, she told me that the remote version of it must now suffice: it takes place in your heart. Happy Easter to everyone in these strange and challenging times! Re: Catholic familiesActually, the photo is of a young girl, most likely the woman pictured, in her First Communion dress. Catholics receive First Communion about the age of 7. Confirmation is a separate sacrament, received in the teen years, after a two-year instruction period. Holy FamilyNo matter which painting of the theme I look at it, and no matter which trio of mother and father and baby I see in real life, every time I look at the painted version of the Holy Family, I think of your basic young family with a single infant, and vice versa. Parlor organLooks to me like a Mason & Hamlin reed organ from the 1890s. Or something very similar. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids)
West Side Story: 1959
... playing stickball on street; on streets during day and night; playing pool and basketball at a community center; making boxes in a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/18/2021 - 11:37am -

September 15, 1959. "Photos show 14-year-old José Rivera, a Puerto Rican immigrant, his friends, family and neighborhood on New York City's Upper West Side; playing stickball on street; on streets during day and night; playing pool and basketball at a community center; making boxes in a pizza parlor; at church; with family in their apartment." 35mm negative by Paul Fusco for the Look magazine assignment "The Real West Side Story." View full size. Well technically speakingPuerto Ricans aren't immigrants per se. They are United States citizens. They gained that right on March 2, 1917. Freewheelin'I was immediately reminded of this iconic album from my youth. Take your placesI could not find this street so I asked someone knowledgeable. He responded: None of the buildings on that block look familiar. Given that this was an article about Puerto Ricans on the Upper West Side and the connection to "West Side Story," I would wager that this was taken in the San Juan Hill neighborhood, bulldozed between 1955 and 1969 to make way for Lincoln Center. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, LOOK, NYC)
Laurel in the Pines: 1901
... sleeping in a tot cot outside my parents' room, our first night at this grand and imposing hotel. I awoke in the night, and called out sleepily: "Mommy, I smell burning". Trusting my sense of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/03/2018 - 1:44pm -

Lakewood, New Jersey, circa 1901. "Laurel in the Pines." This winter resort hotel on Lake Carasaljo, which opened in 1891, was leveled by fire in 1967. Composite of two 8x10 inch glass negatives by William Henry Jackson. View full size. Replaced by Ugly Stunning!What an amazing piece of architecture. I can only imagine how fantastic a nice long stay would be. Two things1. Here's a photo of the fire, and some more background on the resort. 2. And a menu for dinner at the hotel from 1892. "I Smell Burning"I was a kid, sleeping in a tot cot outside my parents' room, our first night at this grand and imposing hotel. I awoke in the night, and called out sleepily: "Mommy, I smell burning". Trusting my sense of smell (that was the best part!), they collected my sister and me and scrammed the heck out of there; our safe little family had a long drive home in the dark. (Panoramas, DPC, Horses, W.H. Jackson)
Hi-Fi 1954
... of I think. Dad and I spent about an hour or two each night for what seemed forever building it. We had built an oscilloscope prior ... listening to WLS (I think that was it) in Chicago at night. I used that receiver right up till I went in the army in 73. ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/22/2011 - 7:20pm -

My brother's do-it-yourself hi-fi. From Top: tweeter, woofer, Webcor portable phonograph, Heathkit amplifier. One of his high school buddies assembled the Heathkit for him. He took this in the upstairs bedroom we shared until a year or so later. That's my bed on the right. Check out our cool wallpaper. View full size. HeathkitI can't begin to count how many Heathkits and Knight-Kits I built over the years. It's another lost art -- no one builds kits anymore. Electronic parts are so tiny these days you can barely see them, much less handle them. It's all done by machines. Heathkit Memories (Egads)My dad built a Heathkit television, he started in the mid/late 70's. I'm pretty sure he never really finished it. I don't wish to knock Heathkit because it never really worked, but that could be because of Dad's skills. Iit did work for a while, but not for long. At one point Dad decided it needed a remote control, so he built one. Using an incredibly long highway of that rainbow wire strip, attached to a black plastic box with a metal face. It had two buttons, using that labeling tape - ON and the other OFF. When I was 10 I thought it was pretty spiffy, really. HeathkitMy father and I built 4 Heathkit televisions and numerous other kits. With a kit that large it took a bit of determination to troubleshoot a problem but Heathkit provided good tech support and if necessary would repair/build your kit if you had problems. Shortwave radioFor one Christmas in the early 60's my folks got me a Heathkit shortwave receiver kit. This was back when FM was still unheard of I think. Dad and I spent about an hour or two each night for what seemed forever building it. We had built an oscilloscope prior to that. I don't ever recall what we used the scope for though it stayed with the family for decades and finally found a dumpster just after Dad's passing in 2000. The radio was fantastic though. We strung a 50 foot antenna across the back yard and I remember listening to WLS (I think that was it) in Chicago at night. I used that receiver right up till I went in the army in 73. [Wouldn't that be AM, not shortwave? As for FM broadcasting, there were hundreds of FM stations by the early 1950s. - Dave] (ShorpyBlog, Technology, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Peer Pressure: 1942
... neck for flipping me off at the first aid class the other night. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Medicine, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/23/2022 - 5:10pm -

February 1942. Woodville, California. "FSA farm workers' community. Demonstration of 'pressure spot' to stop arterial bleeding at the first aid class." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Stop the bleeding!“Well, your honor, he had a scalp wound, so I put a tourniquet around his neck, and tightened it until the bleeding stopped. Unfortunately, he did not survive.” They're here!He's actually demonstrating the Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Bye, Bye Birdie!Ma said I could wring your neck for flipping me off at the first aid class the other night. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Medicine, Russell Lee)
Heavy Metal: 1920
... burner in the Union Crawford kitchen range. After a night of water heating, the temperature/pressure relief valve would sometimes ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 2:43pm -

Circa 1920. "Stove. Standard Engraving Co." Continuing the Shorpy Cavalcade of Iron Age Kitchen Equipment. National Photo glass negative. View full size. Unsafe At Any SpeedWhen I moved into my present home 40 years ago, a stone lined hot water tank was heated by thermo-siphon action from a Lynn kerosene burner in the Union Crawford kitchen range. After a night of water heating, the temperature/pressure relief valve would sometimes blow off steam to the cellar. I don't see a safety valve in this setup. Safety ValveThere would be a safety valve in this professional setup. The need for safety valves on hot water and steam producing arrangements was well known as far back as the 18th century. I have a 1922 Sylphon Heating Specialties catalog from the Fulton Co., and the range of valves, regulators, and thermostats in 1922 was quite staggering. The catalog runs to 144 pages. Scott Gas Range"It Uses all the Heat in the Gas" "It Stores Hot Water While it Cooks" Washington Post Jun 12, 1957 J.G. Scott, Inventor of Appliances J. George Scott, 82, an inventor who had obtained his last patent in April on a three-temperature control refrigerator, died Monday in Hahnemann Hospital, of a heart attack. Mr. Scott, who was an engraver at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing from 1906 to 1913 and from 1941 to 1945, invented the smooth-top gas range while he was president of the Scott Gas Appliance Co. here in the early 1920s. A District native and lifelong resident, he also invented an electric fan for summer and winter which blows hot and cold air. Another invention was the Scott "Dry-I-Cer," a picnic box which keeps food and drinks cold with dry ice. His dry ice pie container was introduced in Atlantic City, N.J. in 1950. ... Steam PowerOne of the Mythbusters shows looked at the risk of exploding water heaters. By disabling the safety valve, they got dramatic explosions, with the internal tank flying hundreds of feet in the air. Very impressive in ultra slow motion, it motivated me to (safely) flush my water heater and check the functioning of the relief valve. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Natl Photo)
Llano de San Juan: 1940
... creepiest That is the creepiest church. Imagine, at night. Llano de San Juan What is amazing is how this image could have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 2:01pm -

July or October 1940. Church at Llano de San Juan, New Mexico. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. Llano de San JuanThere is an interior photograph of a house in Llano de San Juan in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The photo is by Alex Harris. Beautiful SkyKodachrome and images of the sky seem to go together! and, they do age well. That is the creepiestThat is the creepiest church. Imagine, at night. Llano de San JuanWhat is amazing is how this image could have been taken yesterday. This church is that unchanged...oh, except the doors are not as white. It's still used on special occasions. I miss my KodachromeNothing like a roll of Kodachrome and a polarizing filter. May they rest in peace, gone the way of the steam train and the internal combustion engine. Oh the saturation! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Housing Boom: 1923
... marble steps and friendly neighbors made a humid summer night somewhat bearable. We kids would play games of Red Line and Hide And ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 1:18pm -

1923. "Allied Asphalt Products Co., 4700 block of 8th St." The Joseph Shapiro Company Exhibit House at Eighth and Crittenden streets N.W. in Washington, D.C. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Brick House(s)Those places were built to last and they have. The hills beyond have sprouted houses since then, too. RowhousesStill there. Eighth & CrittendenHere. Joseph ShapiroApparently, Joseph Shapiro was a very busy builder... Washington Post, June 10, 1923 13 of 15 Houses in Row Sold Before Completion Fifteen attractive dwellings just nearing completion and being erected by the Joseph Shapiro company at Eighth street northwest. With the exception of the two end houses, all have been disposed of from plans. Each contains six rooms and a bath, and the corner houses have built-in garages. Washington Post, Oct 24, 1926 Real Estate Field Entry by Shapiro 7 years ago today. Today marks the seventh anniversary of the Joseph Shapiro Co.'s entry into the real estate field. Starting in 1919 with a small office at 914 New York avenue northwest, this company opened general real estate offices, and two years later opened their building department, their first operation being a group of houses on Crittenden street between Eighth and Ninth streets northwest. Today the company occupies the first and second floor of the Edmunds building, 919 Fifteenth street northwest, and have to their record the erection of hundreds of homes in the northeast and northwest sections of the city and a large number of apartment buildings.... AtticWhat that a tiny, pointy attic up above the 2nd floor, or just a faux front? I wish modern houses were still built that high off the ground, so basement windows could be taller. And having steps up to the front door gives it more of a grand impression. A Good Block To Grow Up InI was raised in a similar rowhouse block in Baltimore. Those porches brought back some on the joys of my youth and the days of stoop sitting. During the dog days of summer the whole neighborhood would sit outside. Cool breezes, marble steps and friendly neighbors made a humid summer night somewhat bearable. We kids would play games of Red Line and Hide And Seek while crunching on cherry snowball or drinking a RC Cola. Our parents might be drinking a beer either out of bottles or a tin filled at the local pub with draft beer. No theatrical visual effect could top the natural sight of the clouds above glowing with snatches of heat lightning, lightning bugs glowing their love serenade, gas lamposts flickering a warm yellow light over the entire block, a wooden match flaring to light a pipe and a streak of fire as a cigarette was flicked away to land in the gutter amid a shower of sparks. There were always radios in the background. As you were running to hide there were sounds of baseball games (minor league Orioles and if the wind was blowing right maybe even a major league game between the Yanks and Red Sox), boxing matches (Joe Lewis or Rocky Marciano), westerns (Gunsmoke with Conrad as Matt Dillon), mysteries (Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of man? The Shadow knows!) ,horror shows (the eerie creak of a door as Inner Sanctum began). All those sounds plus the sounds of children at play, adults bidding in a pinochle game and the woofs, yips and meows of the pets combined to make a sweet music I can still hear today whenever I ride pass a rowhouse block. Life lost a little luster when houses were no longer built with porches and AC replaced summer breezes. Of course I am writing this as I sit in a porchless house with the AC set on 75. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
The 24-Carrot Kitchen: 1954
... be in this shot? Dude looks like he tied on a few the night before. Your modeling days are behind you, buddy. 1950s Prophecy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/19/2018 - 8:14pm -

1954. "Harley Earl, General Motors Vice President of Design, in Frigidaire's 'Kitchen of Tomorrow' exhibit for the GM Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York." Flanking the Range of Tomorrow we have, on the right, the Rotisserie Oven of Next Wednesday; on the left, stowed in the down position, is an "Electronic Oven," which is what they called microwaves back in the day. Color transparency by Arthur Rothstein for Look magazine. View full size. Frigidaire FlairWhen I bought my house 22 years ago I thought that bizarre oven/stove combo would be the first thing to go, but I'm still using it! Previous owners were kind enough to leave both pics of the house from a Better Homes article from 1941 and the original brochure for the stove, among other things. The lady on the cover of the brochure is wearing a dress, high heels, and a CROWN while using the fancy new appliance! One major downside is the interiors of those ovens are chrome and therefore nearly impossible to clean. BewilderedMr. Earl looks ... uncomfortable. "What do you expect me to do with these carrots? I'm a car designer." Always wondered what motivated GM to get into appliances. [Zillions of dollars in profits? - Dave] And here it isCourtesy of Google Books, here's an article on the Motorama kitchen, from the April 1954 issue of Popular Science. Paging Jackie GleasonWe desperately need "The Chef of the Future" to complete this scene. Visine, pleaseGod bless him, but who decided Harley Earl should be in this shot? Dude looks like he tied on a few the night before. Your modeling days are behind you, buddy. 1950s ProphecyTomorrow is like today only in stainless steel. A gadgety timeIn the early 1960s my parents renovated their 1920s Colonial home outside of Detroit. The kitchen especially received much attention with a fresh coat of orange paint (so much orange) and a space-age Frigidaire Flair double oven with pull-out cooktop. Futuramic CarrotsHarley Earl was fixated on the future, at least in his own areas of operations. I believe he is scrutinising the carrots, trying to visualize the carrot of 1957 if GM should make the logical move from stoves to vegetables. Should it be straightened, or should we just make the curve more controlled? Fins?? and those leaves desperately need some organization! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Kitchens etc., LOOK)
Police Woman: 1955
... marks during the day, "at home cooking and knitting" by night. Looks like a scene from a fifties film noir. Suspect regrets sending his ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/31/2022 - 1:41pm -

May 1955. "Los Angeles Policewoman of the Year Fransis Sumner questioning suspected drug user. Photographs show Officer Sumner working and training; questioning people; with children and infants; at jail with women prisoners; at firing range with other policewomen; in hand-to-hand combat class; in judo class; on obstacle course. Also photographs of Sumner receiving award; with husband at restaurant; at home knitting and cooking." 35mm negative by Earl Theisen from the Look magazine assignment "Police Woman." View full size. Renaissance LadyChecking for needle marks during the day, "at home cooking and knitting" by night. Looks like a scene from a fifties film noir. Suspect regrets sending his long sleeve shirt to the laundry just this morning! Total packageI like this dame. Shiny hair, lovely manicured nails, dainty wristwatch, and no nonsense whatsoever. You got the wrong guy, copper!"Get these bracelets off me, copper! I don't know who that wise-guy Lenny Bruce is and I ain't no rat fink!" (LOOK, Los Angeles)
Mills House No. 1: 1905
... building had 1,560 tiny rooms that rented for 20 cents a night. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. In ... in 2012. Which would still be ridiculously cheap for a night's lodging in The Big Apple. Ahh, the Village Gate Lots of great ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/23/2012 - 10:37am -

New York circa 1905. "Mills House No. 1, Thompson and Bleecker Sts." Designed as a "hostel for poor gentlemen," the building had 1,560 tiny rooms that rented for 20 cents a night. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. In Today's MoneyThat twenty cents of 1905, would be between five and six dollars in 2012. Which would still be ridiculously cheap for a night's lodging in The Big Apple. Ahh, the Village GateLots of great jazz performed in this building. D.O. MillsPhilanthropist Darius Ogden Mills (1825-1910) was the man behind the Mills Building. It opened on November 1, 1897 more on the opening here. (The Gallery, NYC)
Needle's Eye: 1943
... The Joads, of course, drove past this place at night, after spending the searing hot desert afternoon immersed in the Colorado ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/01/2014 - 10:14am -

March 1943. Needles, California. "General view of street leading to depot of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Cooling towersThe structures atop both hotels resembling inverse pagodas are cooling towers, as no decent hotel in a place like Needles could have done any business without some kind of comfort cooling. They may be water-cooled condensers for refrigerated systems, or they may be just plain old "swamp coolers"; it's impossible to tell from this evidence alone. From what I've seen and been told, the louvers on the sides were usually made of wood, probably cedar or cypress. The man straddling the foreground tower attests to the intensive maintenance that these systems required, while the tower in the background may have emanated the warm smell of colitas. The Joads, of course, drove past this place at night, after spending the searing hot desert afternoon immersed in the Colorado River, the poor man's air conditioning. Welcome to the Less ornate today.I am certain this is the location, with all the charm thoroughly removed: View Larger Map ID for CarsWe often hear it said that today's cars are not distinctive enough to ID. That was also true in the 30's, especially from the rear! To the right of the fellas on their way to the USO Club is a nice new 1941 Pontiac Streamliner "Torpedo" Four-Door Sedan. With a nice pair of non-factory fender skirts as well. To their left is a 1939 Ford Tudor. Can't tell if it is a Deluxe as we cannot see the right tail light - or lack thereof. Updated IDThe 1939 Ford is definitely a Tudor and not a De Luxe Tudor. The De Luxe models are easy to spot because the headlights are in the fenders, not between the fender and hood as shown here. The 1941 Pontiac is a De Luxe "Torpedo" Four Door Sedan and not a Streamliner. In addition to there being a definite break between the roof line and the trunk, the side trim on the De Luxe ends in a straight line, parallel to the ground, before the trunk begins. The Streamliner, which is a true fastback, has side trim which extends far beyond the trunk top, dips down towards the rear bumper, and follows the fender line. Also of note, the fender skirt shown on the Pontiac is a standard accessory that was shown in the Pontiac catalog. Photos of everything below. Needles Today...The soldiers in this picture were most likely stationed at the Needles Army post located between the Riverview Cemetery and what is now Needles Airport on the road going to Blythe. They would be going to the U.S.O. located inside the El Garces Hotel (Harvey House), which also serves as the passenger train station (it was completely refurbished in 2014 and serves as an Amtrak station and office space, although the only office space being used now is for the local city bus company). Most of the buildings in the picture are still around. Some are abandoned but available for reuse. We are looking south on F Street from Front Street, which jogs around Santa Fe Park via F and G Streets. Looking at the postcard here, the building on the left, at the corner of F and Front Streets is the Needles Point Pharmacy along with some other businesses. Beyond that (during wartime) there was a service station at the northeast corner of Broadway and F Street. Across the street from that is the Needles Theater (Cinema)/Masonic Lodge (the local Masons built it in 1929 as a dual purpose building). The theater closed down many years ago and the Masons no longer meet in Needles. However, the marquee still works and it can be rented for messaging. On the other side of F Street, where the palm trees are is Santa Fe Park, which is in front of El Garces Hotel (Harvey House). There aren't as many palm trees today. We cross Front Street as it jogs around Santa Fe Park. Here we see the Needles Point Liquor Store (complete with loyal customers at the front door) and then we see the Needles Eye Lunch. This is the Butler Building and it's all abandoned but it's serviceable. Beyond the Needles Eye Lunch we see a Shell Station and the northwest corner of F Street and Broadway. This is now where Needles Glass and Mirror do business. Across the street from that we see the Hotel California, which burned down in 1952. Today that site serves as the parking lot for the Frontier Phone Company. Beyond that is Robinson's Motor Inn (cottages) which is now Robinson's Apartments. (Three of the old 1930s motels became apartment complexes.) Needles Point Drug and Liquor Stores are now neighbors on Broadway to the southwest of this picture. The former site of the Needles Point Drug Store is now property of the Needles Unified School District. There are still other businesses in that building, including a beauty salon. The solid white line down the middle of the street is now a double yellow line. The crosswalk from the drug store to the park no longer exists. Only parallel parking is allowed on Needles streets today. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Bessie Hicks: 1911
... to one of Bessie's granddaughters for nearly an hour last night. Bessie lived for 81 years. It appears that the "store" she was planning ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 6:22pm -

June 1911. "A Suggestion for Dependent Widows. Mrs. Bessie Hicks, a widow in the mill settlement at Matoaca, Virginia. She has no children large enough to work in the cotton mill, so she is starting a little store in her home." View full size. Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. Young Mother?Bessie Hicks certainly doesn't look like a current day young mother. Then again....times were hard and people probably aged much earlier than now days. A little store...sellingA little store...selling children! Yes, Patty, they did. She'sYes, Patty, they did. She's probably not much older than 25. You must remember that these were the days of real natural medicine. No antibiotics, no antifungals, no immunizations other than smallpox, no cancer therapies, no antitoxins. Most people in the US didn't reach their 50th birthday and those that did were prematurely aged both inside and out. Imagine going through 10 or 15 life-threatening infections by the time you were 30. Imagine knowing that you had about a 5% chance of dying during or immediately after each pregnancy, no matter how wealthy you were or how clean your attendants were. Now add to that the debilitating effects of hard physical labour (the idiot who first said "hard work never killed anyone" obviously never worked hard) and you can see how someone at 25 could look so old. Bessie HicksThis is Joe Manning, from the Lewis Hine Project. I talked to one of Bessie's granddaughters for nearly an hour last night. Bessie lived for 81 years. It appears that the "store" she was planning was an at-home sewing and dressmaking business, which turned out to be her lifelong profession. She was remembered fondly. Some of the information will eventually be posted on my Lewis Hine Project website at: www.morningsonmaplestreet.com/lewishine.html Bessie HicksJoe Manning again. The link to my story has changed. http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/11/26/bessie-hicks-page-one/ 100 Years too soonMatoaca is now a suburban bedroom community outside of Peterburg, VA. No sign of a cotton mill. Poor Bessie was born a hundred years too soon. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Rural America)
Last Stop: 1901
... was moved to a museum. Superstorm -116 years On the night of October 29th 1896, a hurricane hit Savannah causing the cemetery to be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/31/2012 - 10:08am -

Circa 1901. "Bonaventure Cemetery. Savannah, Georgia." The locals say it's best not to travel alone here after sundown. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Come back at midnightThis is the "garden of good and evil" of John Berendt's famous book about Savannah. The iconic "Bird Girl" statue on the book's cover wouldn't have been found in Bonaventure Cemetery when this photo was taken, or indeed today. It wasn't installed until the 1930s, and after the book was published it was moved to a museum. Superstorm -116 yearsOn the night of October 29th 1896, a hurricane hit Savannah causing the cemetery to be 'a scene of ruin'.You can make out where some trees were felled in this photo but the damage has been repaired by the looks of things. Read more here http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F00C15FF385F1B738DDDA8... And The Angels SingBonaventure is a beautifully kept cemetery on the banks of the Savannah River on the outskirts on the city. It's something to see because of its natural setting, lush vegetation, and the variety of the architecture and design of the its many headstones and mausoleums. Well-know songwriter Johnny Mercer (1909-1976 writer of over 1500 song lyrics including 'Moon River' and 'Days of Wine and Roses'), a native of Savannah, is one of many buried there. The epitaph on his headstone is the title of one of the many pop standards he wrote: "And the Angels Sing." Fearless and FaithfulRobert Houston Anderson went to West Point and served in the US Army in New York and Washington Territory. He joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and saw action at the Battle of Fort McAllister, the defense of Atlanta, Sherman's March to the Sea, and the Carolinas Campaign. After the Civil War he was police chief of Savannah. My namesake citySavannah is known, to locals anyway, as the "Most Haunted City in America." Granted ghost tours are also big business, so it makes economic sense to keep that stature going, but having taken a tour myself, I must admit to being legitimately "wigged out." I think the scariest part was learning that a certain block of the city, apparently the most haunted region, was built over the unmarked graves of hundredss of slaves. If nothing else, great history lessons! (The Gallery, DPC, Savannah)
A Pretty Grille: 1941
... looks like clear plastic and just might have lit up at night. Barn Find Reminds me of an urban legend current when I was young ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/29/2014 - 2:28pm -

San Francisco, 1941. "Pontiacs being unloaded from freight cars." Slathered with chrome. 8x10 Eastman Kodak Safety Film negative. View full size. Last of the New Cars for ConsumersI'm supposing that these are being unloaded not long before the attack on Pearl Harbor. These represent the last model year of new cars available to consumers until World War 2 was finished. Sales of new automobiles were severely limited for the duration. [You're a year off. These are 1941 Pontiacs; 1942 was the last model year for new cars before the war. - Dave] Note that the Pontiacs are being unloaded from special end-door RR boxcars. The boxcars shown have now-obsolete features such as full-height ladders and roof walks. Examining the boxcar doors close up will reveal minor damage. Autos are still shipped extensively by rail, but the current auto carriers have three decks! Put them back in the freight carThen wait 75 years and open it again. What a time capsule that would be! Illuminating?I refer to the hood ornament which looks like clear plastic and just might have lit up at night. Barn FindReminds me of an urban legend current when I was young in Minnesota circa 1980. A boxcar (or two, or three) filled with 1949 Hudsons or '42 Chevys or (fill in dream car here) was found, lost by the railroad for decades, on a siding in Michigan or Ohio or Canada. Ah, well. Great photo. Chief Pontiac's faceDid not light up until 1949. Bryant StreetBuilding in background is the Hamm's Brewery at 1550 Bryant Street. See this photo across railroad loading docks. My guess is that the photo was taken at the former site of the Southern Pacific 16th Street freight depot, located around Treat Street between Florida and Harrison. The Shorpy photo and the one below both appear to be from around Treat Street. looking towards Florida. A 1960s track diagram for the Southern Pacific doesn't indicate a match for the freight sheds and ramp for unloading (see Zone 8 page 1). The track diagram does indicate track 828 was the "old 16th Street Freight Depot," suggesting the tracks had been rearranged before 1960. Interesting story here.The type of railroad car is an "end door" type. They were designed for carrying automobiles, or larger loads. The end doors were only on one end though, meaning that to unload, you had to move the cars around after each was emptied. Bout twenty years ago, in a small town in Georgia, they stumbled across three of these cars abandoned in an old yard. Took some working to figure out, but the cars had apparently been lost in transit to a local dealership in Savannah. Sidelined due to something wrong with the trucks (bogies the cars ride on.) The cars were just forgotten. Well, when the crews found them, they asked what to do and were told to just scrap them. Opening the doors, they found that each car held three brand new Ford Galaxies, with all of six miles on the odomoter. The owner of the company doing the demolition took two for himself, and divided the remaining cars among his crew. One of the cars sold at Barret's auto auction some years back, with the winning bid being over one million dollars. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Railroads, San Francisco)
Death Car: 1923
... 50 years old, 477 C street southwest, was identified last night at the morgue as the second victim of the accident which carried an ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:11pm -

"Auto wreck. December 31, 1923." Continuing this week's theme of vehicular mishaps on (and off) the roads of Washington, D.C. On New Year's Eve, this car was in the drink. See the comments for details about this fatal accident in the Tidal Basin. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Terrific reportage, stanton_square!Nothing like making the past come alive again! (no pun intended, sorry) This red house may well be 211 10th SW. It's across the street from Google's 212. Mr. Hammen's C Street address no longer exists. May I ask you, please? How were you able to access the coroner's inquest? View Larger Map Look out! It's..."Sergt. Miskell, motorcycle man." I love the image this conjored up in my head. This may become my new online alias. Tidal Plunge 2 Drown When Auto Sinks in Tidal Basin Two men were drowned and another rescued when the automobile in which they were riding crashed through a guard rail and plunged into the Tidal basin, in Potomac park, shortly after midnight. The two victims were trapped in the big touring machine, which was submerged in 18 feet of water. Robert McLeman, 43 years old, 221 Tenth street northwest, threw himself clear of the hurtling car, and was rescued from the basin by park policemen. McLeman said one of the dead men was John Craven, residing at the Tenth street address. All he knew of the other was that he was from Virginia. Washington Post, Dec 26, 1923 Body of Tidal Basin Victim is Identified; Driver of Car Held Scene of Accident Long Considered Peril to Safety of Motorists Essige Hammen, 50 years old, 477 C street southwest, was identified last night at the morgue as the second victim of the accident which carried an automobile, containing three men, into the Tidal basin early yesterday. Funeral services for John J. Craven, 55 years old, 211 Tenth street southwest, Hammen's companion in the automobile, will be held tomorrow in the Church of the Holy Comforter, and at the residence of his sister, Mrs. Mary A. Bellenger, 1216 D street northeast. Interment will be in Mount Olivet cemetary. ... Hammen's identification was established by Samuel Scklattereggia, 481 C street southwest, brother of a huckster who employed him. The condition of Robert McLennan, 43 years old, driver of the automobile, who was rescued from the water by park policemen, was reported much improved at Emergency hospital. He is still under police guard pending an inquest which Dr. Herbert E. Martyn, deputy coroner, said would be help Friday. The automobile is still in 20 feet of water near the southern floodgate of the Tidal basin. Harbor police have no equipment with which to raise it. Whether the engineer commissioner's office would take means to raise the car police could not say. The accident, it is believed, will hasten a reconstruction of the floodgate bridge, which according to Lieut. Col. C.O. Sherrill, in charge of public buildings and grounds, has been a "constant source of danger to motorists. The span is only 25 feet wide and Col. Sherrill has asked for $20,000 appropriation to widen it 10 feet. McLennan said he was turning onto the bridge and, in order to avoid striking a car coming toward him, swerved off sharply. This, he believed, caused a break in his steering gear and he could not control the car. The machine crashed through the iron railing, hurtled 18 feet across a sloping embankment and landed 20 feet out into the basin. McLennan told the police he was driving slowly. McLennan fell clear, but the others were trapped. A passing motorist notified a park policeman several blocks away. Sergt. Miskell, motorcycle man, despatched three other men who reached the sea wall just as McLennan was about to go under a second time. The officers, Sergt. Rease and Private Jenkins and Rainey, formed a human ladder and pulled him ashore. Washington Post, Dec 27, 1923 Robert McLennan was a stone worker and sculptor. At the coroner's inquest, the park policemen who pulled McLennan from the water testified that they had smelled alcohol on his breath. McLennan admitted he had had a glass of wine, but blamed the accident on defective steering apparatus. He was subsequently indicted for murder, which was later reduced to manslaughter. In the end he was acquitted of all charges. He died July 7th, 1927 as a result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident when his car collided with that of Detective Arthur T. Fihelly on July 4th, 1927. Again there were reports of alcohol on his breath after the accident but an inquest failed to reach a conclusion that he had been driving under the influence of liquor. Karma? Update I: Well, maybe not karma. After more careful reading the newspaper reports of the coroner's inquest, McLennan died by what today moght be considered gross negligence, if not criminal action, by the police. McLennan was pinned under the wreckage of his car: after being taken to hospital he was examined for spinal injury. A doctor declared he was "O.K." and the police subsequently carted him off to the police station for questioning. While in police custody, he lost movement and sensation in his legs and was returned to hospital where he died from the consequences of fractured cervical vertebrae and hemorrhage. Update II: In reply to Stinky: Coroner's inquest as reported in Washington Post, July 9th, 1927. Also, the google streetview in Stinky's post is from NE, not SW. Everyone gets screwed up by DC's quadrant system at some point. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Marlene: 1952
... a DVR'd documentary from Turner Classic Movies just last night called "Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood" (2009), about the huge ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/12/2016 - 3:25pm -

March 1952. "Marlene Dietrich makes her stage debut in Chicago." Color transparency by Phillip Harrington for Look magazine. View full size. The Sharp Eye of ShorpyHaving been a publisher of magazines for 25 years, I agree tterrace is right that printing would smooth this out a great deal, with all those Ben Day dots. I hadn't noticed until just now taking a second look at this Shorpy-Sharp photo that Dietrich employed the same makeup tactic as Lucille Ball (and others) -- painting in lips far larger than nature provided, with the upper lip drawn well above the natural line. I imagine one would rarely see a photo of either Dietrich or Ball without that artifice. I've found only one photo of Ball with the natural lip line and she was truly not recognizeable as the icon we all know. My aunt worked in pictures in the 50s and said no one would recognize Betty Grable without her makeup, but said Marilyn Monroe was naturally beautiful without hers. This picture makes me realize why Dietrich liked Von Sternberg's "butterfly lighting" and reckon that black and white was something of a blessing for her (though Dietrich in her first Technicolor, "The Garden of Allah", was spectacular). Absolutely FabulousAs Edina in the UK sit-com AbFab says "My entire body hangs off these cheekbones!" Before plastic surgeryTons of pancake makeup. The seat of glamourShe appears to be sitting on a vinyl-and-chrome chair from a dinette set. But under all that Max Factor, a fine soulI watched a DVR'd documentary from Turner Classic Movies just last night called "Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood" (2009), about the huge number of film-making refugees from Germany just prior to WWII, in which she featured prominently. Most of the points made about her in that film are made in the Wiki biography about her. As an old fan, I already knew most of anyway, and while I admit that the heavy makeup is the first thing I noticed in this photo of her at age 51, my immediate next thought was that her inner beauty of strength of character and humane ethics needed no makeup or embellishment. She was right among the first to open her home to refugees and get them into jobs and homes of their own, and was right at the top in sales of war bonds and among the most hardworking entertaining the Allied troops around the world. The vanity of a bit of makeup and later a bit of plastic surgery seem trivial amid such a life lived in anything but vain. Living gracefully is more rare and important than the superficiality of "aging gracefully". I confess stereo wars with my sister during high school involved me listening to Dietrich in my room and my sister listening to Led Zeppelin in hers. Before the touch-upLooks like a photographer's proof before the touch ups are done. [It's not a "proof" because this is a scan of the camera original. The magazine's color printing process alone would smooth everything out a good deal. -tterrace] Wrong terminology.I think the magazine publisher in an earlier comment used the wrong terminology. Ben-Day dots differ from halftone dots in that the Ben-Day dots are always of equal size and distribution in a specific area. To apply the dots to a drawing an artist would purchase transparent overlay sheets. Photographs and artwork are converted to halftone dots for reproduction, whether it be for letterpress or offset production. Yes, sometimes they will tend to lose detail especially when using a coarser line screen. I've been a graphic designer for over 40 years. (Kodachromes, LOOK, Phillip Harrington, Portraits)
Chase the Chills: 1920
... suffocate. Grandma would turn off all the heaters at night and we'd be buried under at least 4 handmade quilts. Of course winters ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/16/2015 - 2:36pm -

Washington, D.C., 1920. "Pittsburg Water Heater Co." You'll come for the hot water but stay for the giant washing machine. 8x6 glass negative. View full size. General Electric and ZoroastrianismMazda brand light bulbs were made for decades after 1945 outside the USA. The company chose the name due to its association with Ahura Mazda, the transcendental and universal God of Zoroastrianism whose name means light of wisdom (Ahura = light, Mazda = wisdom) in the Avestan language. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_%28light_bulb%29 Built to lastThose little gas heaters are still around. I work at an architectural salvage company and we STILL get requests for replacement ceramic elements for these exact Humphrey heaters. This company used to be at 1305 G Street NW according to the old city directory (Tel. National 1031). Long gone, of course. Grandma had one of those heatersIn her living room. One winter day she left my 5 year old sister and me (6 yo) in the house to run to a neighbor's without lighting the heater. We had never touched the thing but were getting cold. We knew you needed matches and to turn the gas knob to get it to light. We got the sequence wrong and turned the knob first and struck the match second producing a small fire ball. Luckily, we weren't hurt...just scared and lesson learned. Those heaters could really dry a room out so grandma would place a tin can full of water to help hydrate the air. Also, it was important to let a little outside air in since the heater could also gobble up the oxygen in the room. If this happened while you were sleeping, the flame would die and the gas would fill the room and you'd suffocate. Grandma would turn off all the heaters at night and we'd be buried under at least 4 handmade quilts. Of course winters down here in Louisiana were much milder than up north. Getting warmerkirksjunque has the location exactly right. Here's a detail from a 1921 photo showing the awning with street number. Strike thatIn the front of the window display are a number of spring wire flint strikers. I've never seen this style. Similar torch strikers have a cup over the end to catch the gas to ease lighting but that would be pretty big for those burners! Saves having to dispose of a cord of matches every winter. Carbon MonoxideMy grandmother had one of these. Although fueled by natural gas (NOT 'manufactured gas'), the unvented heater was a source of carbon monoxide. This might explain her somewhat loopy behavior. We Used One. . . until the 90's. Wish we could still use our ornate and dangerous space heaters. It was wonderful to space warm your hands and back in front of one of these--the southern equivalent of a roaring hearth. ThanksJust wanted to drop in and say thanks to the many photo sharers & comment posters that share their wonderful stories and information here on Shorpy. And to those that complain about the watermark -- humbug! I think of the Shorpy name as a nice badge. I'm proud to use the photos watermarked on my computer background. That way when anyone asks "where did you find that photo?" I just point to it. TTFN Carry on. :) (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Tashmoo at the Dock: 1900
... high point in the boat's eventful 36-year life was the night in 1927 that she broke free of her moorings in a winter storm and headed ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:32pm -

"Tashmoo at the dock, Star Island House, St. Clair Flats," c. 1900-1901. The Detroit River excursion steamer SS Tashmoo, a sidewheeler, stopped at Tashmoo Park on the St. Clair Flats on trips between Detroit and Port Huron. A high point in the boat's eventful 36-year life was the night in 1927 that she broke free of her moorings in a winter storm and headed downriver on her own. Her end came in 1936, when she hit a submerged rock and sank. View full size. Tashmoo MemoriesLiving in Detroit our family took boat trips. The how is the mystery as my father died in 1929 when I was 8 and left my mother with ten children age 20 down to a 1 year old. Of the ten, three of us are still living. Great Depression? I remember saying "all I can have please" when giving my plate to my mother. We took the Tashmoo to Tashmoo Park one year and the Put In Bay to Put In Bay Island another year. At the shooting range at Put In Bay I shot into the stuffed alligator on the floor and was told it was not a target. In time I moved out of Detroit to Grosse Ile, Michigan, then in 1980 I retired and moved with my youngest daughter, who is now visiting me here in Indiana, to Seattle. Differing ViewsIt's kinda funny. I grew up in Michigan and look at this photo and would love to be able to ride it in this era. However, look at the woman on the second level in the white hat looking at the camera. She's leaning on her arm with a completely bored look on her face which looks like "Oh, boy, I have to do THIS again." It's interesting how many of the things we romanticize wree just commonplace for a given time. The Place To Meet Ladies & CelebritiesThe ladies seem to outnumber then men and on the lower deck in a white hat is Ron Howard and just to the right of him with a glorious handlebar is Ted Levine who plays Captain Stottlemeyer in Monk. I think I also spotted either President Taft or Jackie Gleason seated on the top deck with his arms on the rail. What a wonderful frozen slice of life this pic be! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Truck Parade: 1919
... peace monument. At the close of the entry lists last night more than 400 trucks had been nominated for today's parade, the biggest ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:29pm -

June 28, 1919. "Motor Truck Parade, Pennsylvania Avenue." Held on Motor Transportation Day under the auspices of the Washington Automotive Trade Association. At left we have another appearance on these pages by a Witt-Will conveyance. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. The Metropolitan HotelOur view here is looking east from approximately Seventh Street. On the left is Gilman's drugstore, in the building that formerly housed Mathew Brady's studio. The large white building is the Metropolitan Hotel, profiled here. Streetcar GeekWe streetcar geeks are accustomed to standard, boring three-quarter views of rolling stock. It's a treat to see a candid shot of classic streetcars in everyday use. The Capital Traction Company cars numbered 621-750 were built by the Jewett Car Company of Newark, Ohio and placed service in 1910-12. The last of this type was scrapped in 1947. This model was numerically the largest of any series in the company's inventory and remained in service through World War II. According to LeRoy O. King Jr.'s book "100 Years of Capital Traction," the Jewetts were perceived as "typical" Washington, D.C. streetcars because of their concentration on Pennsylvania Avenue. Employed on every line in the city, these cars were "sturdier than most and performed well until the end of their days." One example survived as a holiday cottage on Maryland's eastern shore until acquired in 1990 by the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine, where it awaits restoration. Lonely GuyThe only rooftop watcher I could find stands atop the Metropolitan Hotel next to a flagpole. He has a better view of the Capitol than he has of the parade. Motor Transportation Day Washington Post, Jun 28, 1919 Big Parade of Autos Greatest Nation Has Had Fair weather, it is promised by the weather man, will assure more than a success for the motor truck parade today, Motor Transportation day. Promptly at 12:30, the police escort will start up Pennsylvania avenue from the peace monument. At the close of the entry lists last night more than 400 trucks had been nominated for today's parade, the biggest thing of its kind ever held in Washington in the way of an automotive demonstration. There will be trucks of all sizes ranging from the light delivery wagon of only a few hundred pounds capacity to a big 7-ton dump truck which with their load weigh in the neighborhood of 15,000 pounds. In all there will 22 divisions, the entrants being classified according to lines of business in so far as this is possible. there will not only trucks to see but there will be music to listen to. Sightseeing cars will carry the bands. ... What will undoubtedly prove a center of attraction will be two German trucks entered by the motor transport corp, the Audia, a three-ton cargo truck, and the N.A.G., a one-ton chassis with an ambulance body. The two trucks have just reached this country, having been turned over to the American expeditionary forces at the time that they moved into Coblenz, Germany. They arrived in Washington yesterday from Camp Holabird. In addition, this branch of the government service will have a series of floats, one of them a machine shop truck, as used under combat conditions. Gas masks will be donned and the work proceed as it would under actual conditions and bombs will be exploded. Another will represent Uncle Sam getting the kaiser's goat. There will also be a school float, showing how enlisted men can learn a trade. ... (click to enlarge) +91Here is the same view taken in April of 2010. The top of the Atlantic Coast Lines building can be seen over trees in the 1919 view and is the light/dark orange building in the 2010 view. Today, the bottom floor of the building is occupied by the Capital Grille - the best steakhouse in DC. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Streetcars)
A Little Game: 1897
... entire time we were at sea. If it was your turn to play at night, the firewatch would wake you up. There were some good players that would ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 6:14pm -

Circa 1897 aboard the U.S.S. Brooklyn. "Evening amusements. A little game." 8x10 glass negative by Edward Hart, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Armored Cruiser Brooklyn A veteran of The Spanish American war. What a fascinating pictureThe expressions on the faces of the players and the audience are something to behold. Like the neatly trimmed mustaches as well. A question I mustacheDo you have to have one to be dealt a hand in this game? Cheating?Surely not, with that kind of close scrutiny & cramped living quarters! Somethings never changeWhile on the USS Juneau as a Marine, our platoon had an around the clock spades game going on the entire time we were at sea. If it was your turn to play at night, the firewatch would wake you up. There were some good players that would end up purposefully losing in order to get some sleep. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, E.H. Hart)
Rainey's Harley: 1922
... stretcher bearers got Rainey back to a base hospital. Night before last Private M.A. Rainey, of the United States Park police, was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2013 - 11:48am -

At the White House gates. "M.A. Rainey, October 5, 1922." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Eh?Mr. Rainey couldn't hear over the sound of how awesome he was on his Harley. Sidehacks Rule!What a great photo of new (then) Harley and sidecar. In those days, Harley sold more motorcycles with sidecars than without. Harley was in competition with the Model T Fords for the family transportation market. These days, Harley is the only motorcycle manufacturer that makes their own sidecars. Phantom FifeI think Deputy Barney Fife was also reprimanded for his "wild west tactics" by Sheriff Taylor during his stint as a motorcycle cop in Mayberry. SpeedometerThe speedometer is the round gauge nearest us with the wrapped cable coming out of it. The other gauge (with the light) maybe a tach, I'm not sure. The metal box is for tools. I also love the cop spotlight. I need one for my sidehack rig. Maurice A. RaineyMaurice A. Rainey (ca. 1891 - Oct.9, 1952). Son of Robert B. and Catherine B. Rainey. A veteran of WWI, he is interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Washington Post, Oct 2, 1921 Praises Officer Rainey. Park Policeman M.A. Rainey, who was reprimanded by Judge Mattingly in the Police court early in the week for alleged "wild west tactics" in bringing a speeding motorist to a halt, was yesterday commended for his work by Col. C.O. Sherrill, superintendent of public buildings and grounds. Col. Sherrill conducted an investigation into the incident, and after a hearing in his office yesterday stated that Rainey's "actions were beyond criticism and were most admirable." He expressed his appreciation of the aid given Rainey in making the arrest by Serg. F. Wilson, Gen. Pershing's chauffeur, and Park Policemen C.D. Fortner and O.E. Morgan. Washington Post, Feb 28, 1922 Wrecked in Liquor Race An exciting chase between Park Policeman Maurice A. Rainey, stationed on the speedway, and an alleged bootleg automobile through the streets of the northwestern section, early Sunday, resulted in the machine crashing into a tree at Twenty-sixth street and New York avenue northwest, wrecking it. The alleged bootleggers escaped. The bootleggers threw a quantity of Scotch whisky, Rainey declared, from the the speeding machine. The wrecked car was confiscated by the police and revenue agents. When the bootleggers jumped from the machine Rainey abandoned his motorcycle and gave chase on foot, but was outdistanced by the negroes. Washington Post, Jun 28, 1931 Park Policeman Hurt; Motorist is Released Park Policeman M.A. Rainey was injured yesterday morning when he was knocked from his motorcycle by an automobile driven by James H. Harper, 23, of Mount Rainier, MD., at Ellipse Road. Rainey was treated at Emergency Hospital for a broken leg and bruises. Harper was held at the Third Precinct until the extent of the policeman's injuries were determined. No charges were placed against him and he was later released. Washington Post, May 13, 1933 Buddies of the Lost Battalion Meet Here after 15 years A shadowy line advanced across a French battlefield. It as 1918, the Lost Battalion was hemmed in by enemy forces and the First Gas Brigade was attempting to cut an escape passage through for their beleaguered comrades. There was a burst of machine gun fire. Many of the advancing line fell in their tracks. One was Pvt. M.A. Rainey. His sergeant, Edward McDade, stopped a moment: "Can I do anything, Rainey," he said. "Go ahead," said Rainey. "I'll get by somehow." Sgt. McDade went ahead. After an interminable wait, stretcher bearers got Rainey back to a base hospital. Night before last Private M.A. Rainey, of the United States Park police, was assigned with the detail to move the bonus marchers from Seaton Park. Rainey was strolling through the milling veterans when a hand was laid on his arm. It was his old sergeant, "the best sergeant a guy ever had," said Rainey. And the two men had a reunion right there. It was the first time they had met since Rainey fell with five machine gun slugs in his body. Rainey finally recovered in the base hospital and for fourteen years has been connected with the Park Police. McDade, who comes from Michigan, rode here on a freight train to ask for his bonus. (The Gallery, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo)
Public Figures: 1929
... would I be willing to sleep with them in the same house at night? I don't think so. True to the Nom de Plume I thought that was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/30/2013 - 3:37am -

Washington, D.C., 1929. The caption for this one is, disappointingly, NO CAPTION. That looks like Herbert Hoover on the left. Who are the others? What about the lady? Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. From left to rightSome of these are tough and I am less than 100% certain of but I believe that they are from left to right... Herbert Hoover Sitting Uncertain but possibly Charles Curtis Calvin Coolidge Charles Dawes Sitting w/glasses James Eli Watson Sitting Nicholas Longworth Standing Billy Sunday Sitting Robert M. La Follette I thinkthe one on the left is Theodore Roosevelt, although it also looks like Ted Kennedy, and yes, perhaps Hoover. The lady draws my eye. She seems to look looks a bit oddly upon the carvings, presumably her creations. They are all interesting, but would I be willing to sleep with them in the same house at night? I don't think so. True to the Nom de PlumeI thought that was Hoover in the center. Silent Cal?The one with the glasses looks like Calvin Coolidge. Statue of Limitations"Mrs E.F. Flotney of Walla Walla displays her hand carved likenesses of the Presidents, produced from the finest Mississippi mud" Billy SundayI think the standing character leaning on a small podium (back right) might be the brimstone and fire preacher Billy Sunday. Pictures of him show him leaning heavily on a small podium like that. He had a national following and used a lot of physical action and antics in his sermons. These postures he took while preaching were widely known and often poked fun at. I'm pretty surethis is actually a still from a Twilight Zone episode. (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing, Public Figures)
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