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Washington, D.C., 1912. "Government Printing Office -- views." The G.P.O. a century ago. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
My maternal grandfather was born in Washington, D.C. He took great pride in the fact that he was born on Flag Day in 1903. His father died at an early age leaving his wife to raise 4 young boys. She enjoyed quite a social life so her sons learned very quickly how to fend for themselves. Like rats scurrying the District's alleyways they, too, scrapped for food. The bakery was a favorite because of the stale donuts and heels of bread tossed at the end of the day. And so, as the story goes, my grandfather began sweeping floors at Merkle Press. The business owner saw potential in Joseph Howard Johnson, Sr. His hard work and perseverance did not go unnoticed by Mr. Merkle. He thought it worth his time and effort educating my grandfather with every aspect of the printing trade. My grandfather retired 47 years later with a gold watch, golf clubs and a legacy like none other.
JellyBelly .. You must have missed this mess.. https://www.shorpy.com/node/5561 which I do believe is the messy-ist work place Mess on Shorpy
A stern looking crew here.
Got broom? This office has not been 5S'ed in a loooong time.
Several of those "young men" look exceptionally young, i.e., 16 or under. But the kid in front, far right is still in kneepants. One thing I've learned from perusing Shorpy is that boys didn't wear long pants until they reached puberty. So - that makes this kid 12, 13, 14 maybe? Guess the Gov't didn't concern itself with such minutiae back then.
[They're office boys, a.k.a. clerks, gofers, interns. - Dave]
This looks like a much better choice for jobs than coal miner.
That fellow in the front must really love his job. He's got ink all over him, including his nice white tie!
Only one guy with no tie, or even a collar. And a mustache, too. He looks like the last guy in the shop you'd mess with. Meanwhile, everyone else has to wear a tie and keep it tucked in, or risk strangulation.
They may have a very nice wastebasket next to the second press, but they sure don't seem motivated to use it.
Basket empty. Floor full.
This is one of the most unkempt work places that I have seen on Shorpy. Scraps of paper and empty boxes scattered all over the floor.
A bunch of guys who make government forms and one of the guys who use them.
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