July 1941. Crossing Dearborn Street in Chicago. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the FSA. What's the street we're looking down?
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 10:03pm.
The real giveaway is, as someone else pointed out, Stop and Shop. One of our family's favorite stores. Also seen on the far right is Wiebolt's Department Store, defunct for quite a few years.
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Thu, 01/10/2008 - 4:00pm.
It is indeed Washington Street; per the Chicago Tribune in 1935, Washington Shirt Company had occupied that corner since 1895. Which would make this the infamous Block 37, leveled in the late 1980s for a redevelopment scheme that fell through. It's only now being built up again. If you were standing there today, you would have your back to the plaza in front of Richard J. Daley center, home to the Picasso, and would be looking at the future studios of CBS Channel 2.
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Thu, 01/10/2008 - 2:28am.
Another vote for Washington Street. The sign for "Stop & Shop" can be seen below the big "Morrow's Nut House" panel. Some quick Google sleuthing came up with the old Stop & Shop gourmet market located on Washington Street between Dearborn and State. Washington Street now ends at Millennium Park.
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 9:03pm.
And then when the war came, they used some leg makeup and DREW the seams on with an eyebrow pencil. Nylons did not get rid of seams, really. It was a style.
Note the seams on the stockings of the ladies in the left foreground. They took some care to get them perfectly straight. The invention of nylon stockings around 1939 or so did away with the seams, and also cut the cost of hosiery considerably from the silk ones. My grandmother told stories of hating to mess with those seams, trying to keep them straight.
My guess is that we're looking east down Washington Street. You can make out the name "Washington Shirt Co." on the building on the left. If you are heading east down Washington at the intersection with Dearborn, you are only 3-4 blocks from the open water, the reason there are no buildings in the background - Washington stops at the lakefront.
Submitted by MichaelD on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 3:58pm.
Am I seeing things or does the back seat in the taxi to the left appear to be open air? It seems to be covered by an awning, with the back window removed. Good I guess for the summer, but they must have had to replace the window in the winter.
