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March 1940. "Going to town. Woodstock, Vermont." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Who or perhaps what is the cartoon character face behind the snow drift on the right? Charlie Brown did not appear until 1950.
Contribution from my wife: To the best information I was given when I bought this runabout at auction in Ocala, Fla., in 1993 -- this is an Amish built Florida buggy, dating to possibly around 1895. I’ve repaired and restored it to the best of my ability as I’m proud to own and use this tiny piece of history. (Wish our cars would last as long). It’s being pulled by my OTT Standardbred mare in our pasture. This photo is from 1999. The vehicle is still operational.
What a great Christmas card this would make. Perhaps Shorpy should branch out from selling photo prints and add cards to his offerings.
I faintly recall a couple of buggy rides in the snow myself. Ranch neighbors gathered kids and went out for a bit now and then. Long gone days.
I don't think the lady is wearing a thing on her ears, at least not the thing asked about. It's the buggy whip just positioned in a way that makes a modern viewer wonder about the appurtenance.
Love the simplicity here and the fact the horse and buggy seem out of place in 1940. Is our subject wearing some kind of earmuff device?
If this is not a Norman Rockwell opportunity, I don't know what is. New England. Snow. White church with steeple. Horse and buggy. Cold. How could it miss?
tom
Most followers of Shorpy will recognize several of the signs that this is not a 19th century scene, but instead edging well toward the middle of the 20th: the electrical power transformers, the US 4 route shield, and the yellow octagonal stop sign. But there's another telltale sign that we are well into the automotive age.
The road has been plowed.
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