Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
- Texas Flyer wanted
- Just a Year Too Soon
- WWII -- Replacing men with women at the railroad crossing.
- Yes, Icing
- You kids drive me nuts!
- NOT An Easy Job
- I wonder
- Just add window boxes
- Icing Platform?
- Indiana Harbor Belt abides
- Freezing haze
- Corrections (for those who care)
- C&NW at Nelson
- Fallen Flags
- A dangerous job made worse
- Water Stop
- Passenger trains have right of way over freights?
- Coal
- Never ceases to amaze me.
- Still chuggin' (in model form)
- Great shot
- Westerly Breeze
- For the men, a trapeze
- Tickled
- Sense of loneliness ...
- 2 cents
- Charm City
- What an Outrage
- Brighton Park
- Catenary Supports
Photos submitted by Shorpy members!
Print Emporium
Fort Worth: 1942
October 1942. Lathe operator machining parts for transport planes at the Consolidated Aircraft plant in Fort Worth, Texas. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem, Office of War Information.
No workpiece?
No tooling either. And you usually don't want to leave hand tools on top of an old school turret lathe while running parts. Still it's fun to see a picture of one of these new. I've never seen one that wasn't covered in ... we'll call it "patina".
Authentic Feeling
The photo may be posed, but the soiled apron and shirt provide a feeling of authenticity. The 4x5 Kodachrome and sharp focus give great detail, including the end of the steel rule visible in the apron pocket.
Her
Nice shot, although it is completely staged. There is no workpiece mounted to the faceplate of the lathe!
[Posed, not "staged." - Dave]
Protection
It is a good idea to wear eye protection when running a turret lathe.
The Cap
Do you get the feeling the new, clean yellow cap was carefully perched on top of her hair by the photographer to get some "Kodachrome" color into the posed picture? Love the detail in the metal, though.
Nail Polish
And why should she not wear nail polish? It didn't affect how well she did her job and made her feel pretty. An affordable luxury went a long way in those uncertain times.
What a lovely lady!
What a lovely lady!
Danger
That hanging strap is dangerous over a lathe!
Has anyone else noticed?
That she is wearing red nail polish?
AE
Fort Worth
God bless you ladies, and God bless Kodachrome.
[Amen! - Dave]
Fort Worth
Forth Worth, Where the Westh Begins
Dallash, Where the Easth Ends
This site indicates Consolidated Air is now Lockheed Martin, and was General Dynamics in between. The plant is adjacent to the former Carswell Air Force Base, which was closed and transformed as the Joint Naval Air Station.
“Forth Worth”
There was a Dodge truck commercial that ran down here in Texas for 3 or 4 years that had a Texas map in the background that had that same typo in it ("Forth Worth" instead of "Fort Worth"). I don't know if anyone else ever noticed it or if Dodge (or its ad agency) just didn't care.
[Oopfh! Fixed. - Dave]
Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5