MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
Home

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page

Pig Out: 1941
July 1941. "Greased pig race, Fourth of July. Vale, Oregon." 35mm acetate negative by Russell Lee for the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/23/2020 - 12:18pm -

July 1941. "Greased pig race, Fourth of July. Vale, Oregon." 35mm acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A strong opponentHaving raised a pig or two, I understand the looks on these boys' faces. A pig as small as fifty pounds has the strength of two men, or at least it seems that way. Once, I asked my brother-in-law to hold one down while I gave it a wormer shot. He struggled like a rodeo cowboy on top of that pig, while I tried to place the needle. My brother-in-law doesn't speak to me anymore, but he'll never have worms. The Big QuestionWho's the guy that catches the Pigs to Grease them? (The Gallery, Animals, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Trading Shots: 1941
July 1941. "Boys on the Fourth of July. State College, Pennsylvania." 35mm nitrate negative by Edwin ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/15/2016 - 8:10pm -

July 1941. "Boys on the Fourth of July. State College, Pennsylvania." 35mm nitrate negative by Edwin Rosskam for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Because you never know when you might need a pith helmetTo wear with your Penn State t-shirt. (The Gallery, Edwin Rosskam, July 4, Kids)
Young America: 1941
1941. "Kids' race at the Fourth of July celebration in Vale, Oregon." Acetate negative by Russell Lee ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/18/2018 - 11:54am -

1941. "Kids' race at the Fourth of July celebration in Vale, Oregon." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Winners! Shoeless is best! If I recall my vintage catalog research well, shoes at the time mostly came with leather soles, in addition to leather uppers. With certain exceptions, like boots for barn wear or inclement weather, which were of course rubber. Leather soled shoes would be much too slick to run in, when what you're running on is dry dirt, therefore, stocking feet - for which you'll certainly get a scolding when your mother finds the condition of the "soles" of your socks! - or better yet, bare feet, are surely the way to go! [Another exception would be the rubber-soled sneakers worn by zillions of boys. - Dave] WinnersBarefoot seems to be the way to win. Stocking feet seems to be doing well also. Who needs shoes! Nice to see that the race is one class and not split between boys and girls or between ages. Of course, don't know if they have separate prizes but at least it is one race. Fit bunchNot a lot of body fat in the group. Chalk one up for the girls.They seem to be holding their own among all the boys. Boy on leftNever run a race without your Stetson on. (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Sports)
Soapbox Derby: 1940
1940. "Start of soapbox auto race at Fourth of July celebration in Salisbury, Maryland." 35mm nitrate negative by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 6:19pm -

1940. "Start of soapbox auto race at Fourth of July celebration in Salisbury, Maryland." 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Dad was such a HipsterDig those shades, man. Cool, Daddy, cool! Our GangLooks like a scene out of The Little Rascals. Here's Froggy ready to start the race! All Star PusherThe young man was lucky to get a starting shove from Liberace. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, July 4, Kids)
Little Squirt: 1941
July 1941. "Fun at the water fountain. Fourth of July picnic in Vale, Oregon." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/07/2014 - 4:00am -

July 1941. "Fun at the water fountain. Fourth of July picnic in Vale, Oregon." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Possible Current ViewNo idea if this is the exact location, but the large cement square is there. View Larger Map DelightfulCandid shot; boys being boys! (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee)
Coffee Run: 1941
... 1941. "Free coffee served at the picnic grounds on the Fourth of July at Vale, Oregon." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2014 - 10:58am -

1941. "Free coffee served at the picnic grounds on the Fourth of July at Vale, Oregon." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. HairThese kids' haircuts match the current hairstyles of half the soccer players in the FIFA World Cup finals now on in Brazil. Hot cupsThose metal camping cups look rustic and useful for durability, packing,etc. but they get unbearably hot when filled with coffee. Not only is it painful to hold onto them, you will burn the dickens out of your lips and mouth when you try to drink out of them. The same is true of the blue enamel (with white specks) "granite ware" camping cups. Like many things in life, they aren't always what they seem. White sidewallsNickname for that "style" of haircut in the 30's, 40's; shaved close on the sides and neck and long on the top. A variation seems to be coming back these days on young men. Re: Hot CupsThose cups do get hot. The main reason is the rolled rim which in some cups also contained a wire. All this extra metal retains a lot of heat and even if the rest of the cup seems cool enough to drink from. Some fellows I knew would cut away the rolled rim from the side they drank from. If you do that, you learn pretty quick to file it smooth. Myself, I just blow on the edge first and cross my fingers. WhitewallsLove the whitewall haircuts. I went to an old-school barber just before my interview for a faculty position at a university back in 1990. He gave me whitewalls like this before I realized what he was doing! Must have worked, since I still have the job 8-) got your ears lowered?When my 2 sons were about 10 and 12, this type of haircut (or a variant) was called the Skater cut. Now my younger son is 29 and a staff sergeant in the Air Force, and other than the long hair on top, this is how he has it cut. (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee)
Summer Games: 1938
... July 1938. Ashville, Ohio. "Wrestling matches at the Fourth of July celebration." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/27/2009 - 7:20am -

July 1938. Ashville, Ohio. "Wrestling matches at the Fourth of July celebration." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the FSA. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, July 4, Small Towns)
Hill House: 1936
... "Sharecroppers' families gathering needs for their Fourth of July celebration, whites and blacks together." View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2018 - 11:55am -

July 1936. Hillhouse, Mississippi. "Sharecroppers' families gathering needs for their Fourth of July celebration, whites and blacks together." View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. Candy box?Look at the "Oh Henry" box being held by the girl on the left. Candy? OuchWell, the "Oh Henry" box probably holds some homemade concoction, not candy bars from the company store or anything. But check out the scabs and scars on those kids' legs. Theirs were not easy lives, for sure. Hill HouseIn case anyone was wondering, the community is in the Northern Delta on MS Highway 1 near the Mississippi River. Delta Cooperative FarmThe Delta Cooperative Farm located near Hillhouse, Mississippi was an experiment in "Christian Socialism", governed on the Rochdale Principles of cooperation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochdale_Principles). In 1935 over a hundred striking sharecropper families allied with the Southern Tenants Farmers Union were evicted from the Arkansas plantation of C.H. Dibble. Aside from the violence met by the sharecroppers, they were also unable to find other work in the fields. A number of the Union members, both black and white, gathered at the site in Mississippi to create an experimental cooperative society. They were led by members of the Socialist Party along with Reinhold Niebuhr, one of America's leading theologians, and Sherwood Eddy, an ordained minister and missionary. The experiment lasted three years when the farm and some of the families resettled nearby at Providence Farms near Lexington, Mississippi. http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/index.php?id=219 KneesI always had scabs (and sometimes Band-Aids) on my knees when I was a kid too. It wasn't because I had a hard life, but because I PLAYED HARD, out in the dirt. I'm sure these kids did have a hard life, but I don't think the scabs have anything to do with it. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Kids, Small Towns)
A Fair to Remember: 1941
... July 1941. "Carnival attractions in Vale, Oregon, on the Fourth of July." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/22/2019 - 1:09pm -

July 1941. "Carnival attractions in Vale, Oregon, on the Fourth of July." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Like mother, like daughterI notice that the woman and the little girl on the right are wearing dresses made from the same print material. I suspect that the mother made them, from fabric and patterns bought at the local sewing shop. Pretty PrintsThe mother/daughter dresses were likely made from feed bags. In the 1930s - 1950s feed bag companies used fancy printed cloth that farm women could make into clothing for the family. An unusually spectacular example is here: http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1105750 My great grandfather was in management at the Chase Bag Company in Milwaukee. I well remember wearing shirts made of this cloth which my mother's family called "pretty prints." (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Too Much Excitement: 1941
... grounds in Vale, Oregon. "Interlude, after watching the Fourth of July parade." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/09/2008 - 9:14pm -

1941. At the picnic grounds in Vale, Oregon. "Interlude, after watching the Fourth of July parade." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee. What a sweet photo!What a sweet photo! Does my heart good. Mr. and Mrs.A well dressed and sweet looking couple. Look at the shine on his shoes, and how neatly they are placed. I wonder what color her dress and hat are? I pictured them navy blue. She's got her hanky and is keeping her hat safe. He's got some wild socks! Big love......for this picture! I adore it! (Oh, and come to think of it, my grandfather wore wild socks like this! They seemed almost to be opaque nylon between the stripes.) (The Gallery, July 4, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Pulling Together: 1941
July 1941. "Boys' tug of war, Fourth of July celebration. Vale, Oregon." 35mm acetate negative by Russell Lee ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/24/2020 - 11:21am -

July 1941. "Boys' tug of war, Fourth of July celebration. Vale, Oregon." 35mm acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Celebration activitiesSo in one of the activities (greased pig) you try to hold tight but the darn thing squooshes out of your grip, and in the other activity (tug-of-war) you try to hold tight but get a rope burn when the dry grip slips. I think I would still opt for the tug-of-war, since I’ve never forgotten the following lines from Ted Hughes’ “View of a Pig”: Once I ran at a fair in the noise To catch a greased piglet That was faster and nimbler than a cat, Its squeal was the rending of metal. Pigs must have hot blood, they feel like ovens. Their bite is worse than a horse’s— They chop a half-moon clean out. They eat cinders, dead cats. (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Mass. Transit: 1912
... it very rarely goes up these days -- mostly only on the Fourth of July when yachts come in from the harbor to watch the fireworks. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 2:39pm -

Boston circa 1912. "East Cambridge Bridge." A visual compendium of ways to get from here to there. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Not much has changedThe trolley track viaduct is still there. The building on the left with the tower still exists. It overlooks the Charles River dam. It still has a drawbridge over the connection lock between the river and Boston Harbor. Farther up on the left past the tower is now the location of the Boston Museum of Science. Beauty lost to timeView Larger Map Sensational!Remarkably, much of what is depicted in this photograph, which looks from Boston back across the Charles River to Cambridge, remains in place. Most prominently, the poured concrete viaduct for the trolley (today, referred to as the Green Line) running along the right side of the photo, is still there. I have often looked at the "1910" date engraved on the arched pediment above the column at the far right, and wondered what this part of town must have looked like when this structure was new. There is currently a drawbridge in the location where the police officer is standing in the middle of the road, in order to let sail boats get through from the Charles River (to the left) out to the Boston Harbor (to the right). The drawbridge is currently being rebuilt, and this section of road is actually closed for traffic for the next several weeks. The buildings on the left are still there as well. The tower is used (I believe) to control the drawbridge, and the lower building serves as a State Police station. A few weeks ago, a car was passing underneath the archway at the far right of the photograph, and a large chunk of concrete fell from above and shattered the driver's rear windshield. The whole structure still has a wonderful look to it, but it does need some attention. Bridge over the River CharlesI was surprised to see that the arches of this bridge were originally much narrower than they are today. (Although you can see the 1910 date has been retained.) Trolleys still run on that bridge, although it's now the only section left of a much longer elevated track that was mostly put underground during the Big Dig. There is also a drawbridge on the roadway now for boats to pass through, although it very rarely goes up these days -- mostly only on the Fourth of July when yachts come in from the harbor to watch the fireworks. The building on the left is now a State Police outpost (perhaps it was then, too.) The Museum of Science now occupies the open space behind it. Five out of sevenpossible methods of transportation shown here. Steam powered rail, electric trolley, horse-drawn vehicles, motorized vehicles, and walking! Surprisingly, I couldn't spot anyone on a bicycle, nor could I see any boats in the water. [Let us not forget the aeroplane. - Dave] "New" HistoryHow cool it must have been to witness a construction project of this scope knowing that there probably isn't another of its type anywhere nearby. It reminds me of seeing I-75 south of Detroit being built at the end of my street in the mid 1960's where there was never a freeway before. 101 years and still on the moveThe location is in Boston, at the old Charles River Dam, which is visible as an earth rampart at the left, behind the tower with the weathervane. The trolley viaduct is in current use as part of the MBTA Green Line service. At the viaduct's end, you can see the still-existing ramp down across the roadway to Lechmere station. In the roadway below, currently known as Monsignor O'Brien Highway and Route 28, it looks like they haven't yet installed the Craigie Drawbridge (though they've installed the traffic control gates for the streetcar, the sidewalks look like they're still solid instead of part of a drawbridge). Also interesting is the high drawbridge built into the trolley viaduct, to accommodate sailboats entering the Charles River. The Metropolitan District Commission building on the left (which now houses state police) has the control tower with the weathervane on top. The viaduct drawbridge is no longer operational (but the ironwork is still there), and the one in the roadway is being rebuilt right now, in a project running November 2010 through April 2011. The two buildings at the left edge of the photo, just in front of Wellington-Wildwood Coal, are an MDC stable and boathouse. The stable is now used for work trucks by the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, which is the renamed MDC, and the boathouse at far left is empty and deteriorating. The view of these buildings would now be blocked by the Museum of Science and its garage. Behind the coal company building and a little to the right is the square tower (with peaked roof) of the Clerk of Courts building in Cambridge, with the main courthouse next door not visible. Everything to the right of the viaduct is gone and changed, though there's still a major railroad crossing there for traffic to North Station. The polesThe trolley viaduct opened in June 1912. The draw in the Cragie bridge is there, it is just hard to see. Those poles in the middle of the road are to lift the trolley wire when the bridge opens, and to realign it when span closes. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Boston, DPC, Railroads, Streetcars)
Joyride: 1941
... getting on the ferris wheel, one of the attractions at the Fourth of July celebration at Vale, Oregon." Medium format acetate negative by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/30/2018 - 5:27pm -

July 1941. "Farm boys getting on the ferris wheel, one of the attractions at the Fourth of July celebration at Vale, Oregon." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Oregon vs. Oklahoma - who's living the dream?Am I the only one who thinks these Oregon kids are having a heckuva lot more fun than the Oklahomans? (The Gallery, July 4, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Liberté, Fraternité: 1918
... at Gare d'Ivry, Paris, showing decorations in honor of the Fourth of July, which was celebrated by the French as well as by the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2017 - 11:26am -

July 1918. "American Red Cross Canteen at Gare d'Ivry, Paris, showing decorations in honor of the Fourth of July, which was celebrated by the French as well as by the Americans." Photo by Lewis Hine for the American Red Cross. View full size. (The Gallery, ANRC, July 4, Lewis Hine, Patriotic, WWI)
New Kenmore: 1906
... Stars and Stripes It is either Flag Day or around the Fourth of July. I count about 39 flags. Great photo! Still There And ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 3:52pm -

Albany, New York, circa 1906. "New Kenmore Hotel." Familiar street fixtures of the era include the carbon arc lamp, telephone distribution ring and streetcar pylons. Not to mention hostelry with complicated masonry facade. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Flag DayQuite appropriate photo considering today is Flag Day. Stars and StripesIt is either Flag Day or around the Fourth of July. I count about 39 flags. Great photo! Still ThereAnd looking great. She's a Grand Old FlagNice photo for Flag Day! One wonders if the Kenmore was possessed of an overabundance of everyday patriotism, or if it was Independence Day. (The Internet tells me that Flag Day wasn't established until 1916.) Wagon wheel telephone distributionI can't get over the feeling looking at these wheels that they remind me of the Peter Breughel paintings of the middle ages with the wagon wheels mounted on poles with people or skeletons on them of people who had been "broken on the wheel" maybe I am just morbid ? 74 N. Pearl StreetAnd still there. MissingPainless Dentists. The daily double!Two distro rings in this one. One is almost hidden by the arc lamp on the left, the other sports the sinage for The Kenmore. It also seem s the street sweepers missed a lot of horse "exhaust"! Now PlayingIf it were 50 years later we could see and hear the Three Sons. (The Gallery, Albany, DPC)
Red, White & Brew: 1943
... tear down anything. I once spent a very uncomfortable Fourth of July in Palacios at a ramshackle beach hotel that ought to have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/02/2014 - 6:48pm -

May 1943. "Palacios, Texas. Liquor store." The original wine box. Photo by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Patriotic ClarityMy first thought regarding the besmudged starfield is that it wasn't really meant to be an accurate depiction. Kind of an abstract. Where'd the other stripes go?I too am just a simple Canadian, but, eve I know there's some stripes missing on that flag too. I guess they got into the liquor before they painted the place. Nothing changesKnowing Palacios, that building may well be standing yet. Everything there remains until it falls into a heap of rubble; nobody ever bothers to tear down anything. I once spent a very uncomfortable Fourth of July in Palacios at a ramshackle beach hotel that ought to have fallen down years ago, but somehow still goes on. A Bit WobblyI could get a little wobbly on that bench without partaking. Old GloryI know I'm just a simple Canadian, but what's with the flag? The "stars" are very strange. Carpenter GothicDespite some lost or badly replaced brackets, that screen door is the building's fanciest feature by far. How Texans Pronounce "Palacios"We say "puh-lash-us" So this would beA small box retailer? Little or not, probably pretty busyThe store probably had its fair share of military customers, since Palacios was home to Camp Hulen, a Texas National Guard camp before the war and used as an anti-aircraft training center during Ww2. Re: the Flag There was a time, long ago, when businesses respected the Flag Code of the U.S., and did not use the flag or a true likeness of it in their advertisements or in their logos. That day is long past, and so are the days of not wearing the flag as apparel. This would explain the flag not looking like a real flag. Guess I am old fashioned, even in my early 50's. :) (The Gallery, John Vachon, Patriotic, Stores & Markets)
My Little Piggy: 1941
1941. "Boy who caught the greased pig at the Fourth of July celebration at Vale, Oregon. Says he's going to join the 4-H ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/18/2018 - 11:53am -

1941. "Boy who caught the greased pig at the Fourth of July celebration at Vale, Oregon. Says he's going to join the 4-H Club so he can learn how to feed his pig properly." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Our Gang comedy in the makingCourse, what we don't know is that the curly headed child doesn't live on a farm because he's the rich mill owner's kid, and there isn't a proper place to put the pig. But he somehow gets the animal home and hides it from his Aunt Matilda (she's nearsighted, but she smells that there's just something not right). Two reels of merriment until Dad gets home from work and donates the pig to the 4H Club experimental farm out in the next county. (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee)
Li'l Darlin's: 1955
... remember my male relatives NOT wearing ties to were the Fourth of July picnics. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Thanksgiving, ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/20/2011 - 1:12pm -

Thanksgiving Day, 1955 My cousin's wife cuddles her baby, her father cuddles her doggie, Fifi, at our dining room table. Pumpkin pie remains on the plate show the meal's over, so no, Fifi was not a guest for dinner itself. I wonder how our own dog, Missie, felt about this interloper being allowed in the dining room when she was always restricted to the kitchen. Those were always my favorites of my mother's curtains, but photos show that by 1958 they'd been replaced with some boring ones. Kodachrome slide by my brother. View full size. What's in the glass?And has your cousin-in-law been feeding it to Baby? He looks like most of us feel when we've reached the pumpkin pie stage: where's a good spot for a nap? Times They Have ChangedI look at this picture with the older gentleman in a suit and tie and think how we have downgraded our everyday appearance. I was in my teens in 1955 and my father dressed "up" when we went to my grandmother's house for Thanksgiving while I was only required to wear dress slacks, nice shirt and sweater. Now when we have family over for Thanksgiving they dress is jeans, sport shirts for the men and tennis shoes. I liked it better when we had occasions that we actually got "dressed up." Dream come trueTterrace, last night I dreamed I met you. All I could think of to say was, "Keep posting those great pictures!" Thanks for listening to me. This one fits the bill. Annette!Your cousin's wife is so fresh-faced and gorgeous -- and geez, so young, like this is just the neighbor's kid she's holding for fun. Close to the NormAlmost Rockwellian. But there would be more pie and less Fifi. I love seeing your picturesIt's as though I've come to know your family personally and I've watched your childhood evolve as if I was actually there too. The crispness and rich color and casual, familial settings are so wonderful. Please keep posting them! I can't believe the quality of this pic! It's just gorgeous! ClassyThe older gent is so refined in appearance. Do you know what he did for a living? I agree with Mattie....Really enjoy looking at your photo's photos, they make me feel nostalgic for an era when I wasn't even thought of (I debuted in '78). Your posts are like a time machine for us "retro junkies." Dress upThanksgiving 1955 was my first one too. Growing up, the only parties I can remember my male relatives NOT wearing ties to were the Fourth of July picnics. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Thanksgiving, tterrapix)
Be Prepared: 1918
... Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Robert Hall, group." Happy Fourth of July from Shorpy! 8x10 inch glass negative, Harris & Ewing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 3:18am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Robert Hall, group." Happy Fourth of July from Shorpy! 8x10 inch glass negative, Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. Hue and EyeGreat colorization. It's funny how all it takes is a little color to make the picture look like it could have been taken this year. Thanks! Next: rubbing two sticks togetherFig. 38: Allegorical tableau: "Youth Instructing Liberty in Preparedness in Battle and Wilderness Footwear." Study by Mr. Saint-Gaudens for obverse of pattern $20 gold piece, rejected by Mint Director as inappropriately suggestive. Update: Well, I was close. Color Me BaadHaven't colorized a photo in a while and felt that this image would provide a wonderful canvas. Click to enlarge! Third Liberty LoanThey seem to be modeling Joseph Leyendecker's BSA Liberty Loan poster for war bonds. [This is a good example of the effectiveness of illustration as compared to photography. Or maybe it's just a lesson about the importance of casting. - Dave] (The Gallery, Boy Scouts, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Patriotic, WWI)
Bed Race: 1919
1919. "Fourth of July. Scenes in celebration at Walter Reed Hospital." The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 7:58pm -

1919. "Fourth of July. Scenes in celebration at Walter Reed Hospital." The ever-popular Competitive Napping event, maybe. Or would this demonstration have another purpose? Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. Missing BitsWell they are all missing at least part of an arm. So I'd guess it's a race to see who can get dressed the most quickly as a demonstration how well they've done in their rehab. One two three.I see a missing arm and two missing hands (three if you want to get technical). Good luck, boys, and thanks. Competitive DressingThe Washington Post fails to mention any one-handed dressing races but notes that other competitions of the day included "an artificial leg walk, a thirty-yard hop and a crutch race." PutteesI'd love to see them try to wrap those puttees you see rolled up next to their shoes. Here's a How-to. Puttees IIWell, the guy whose arm is completely gone doesn't have any puttees by his shoes. Perhaps with most of an arm to hold things in place, the puttee is considered doable. And what about the middle guy's right leg? Did he get his calf muscle shot off, or did he have polio? [Neither. The blanket is hiding it. - Dave] ContestThey are racing to see who can be first to go from bedded down to dressed and ready to go. My money is on the guy in the middle! Puttees in your handAs a history teacher, I wear a WWI uniform three or four times a year. Puttees are fun enough when you have two hands -- this is ridiculous! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Flag Day: 1915
... to be a very big patriotic holiday, celebrated like the Fourth of July. Perhaps it faded away because it is on June 14th and that is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 6:50pm -

"Post Office, Washington. Flag Day 1915." View full size. National Photo Co. The Glass Ceiling. And Glass Floor?Interesting setup, seems to be one huge skylight under another. Wonder why they did it that way. Good DesignSkylights? The better to see you with, my dear! Also, with the open atrium (as it is called now) and exterior windows that could actually be opened (something rarely seen in today's buildngs) the circulation of air is enhanced. Think of those hot and humid days in DC without air conditioning. [The question was, why is the "floor" also a skylight. - Dave] Glass Floor Perhaps this is where the term "Daylight Basement" came from. From the GSA website: http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?P=PMHP&contentId=19389&c... "The most remarkable feature inside is the nine-story light court topped by an enormous skylight that floods the interior with natural light. When it was built, the room was the largest, uninterrupted interior space in Washington." Are you sure......that the whole floor is glass? It looks to me like there are skylights around the exterior but the middle looks, to me at least; like bricks or maybe tiles. The skylights were to add daylight to a drab concrete basement. Having lived in DC all my life and worked in several government buildings I can speak for the dull grey "dungeon" feel of most of the basements of government buldings. - Malik [Click below to enlarge. - Dave] I'm flooredPerhaps I'm not looking at the right floor, but why is it assumed that the floor is glass? It appears to me that it could certainly be tile or stone (and when I've visited the OPOB on several occasions I've not noticed anything too unusual about the floor, like it being glass). [Examine it carefully, along with the next photo down. - Dave] Floor to CeilingThe questionable floor is also the ceiling of the basement, which housed the city's post office. The rest of the building consisted of offices. Hardly acknowledgedFlag Day used to be a very big patriotic holiday, celebrated like the Fourth of July. Perhaps it faded away because it is on June 14th and that is very close to Independence Day and not far from Memorial Day, both of which commemmorate similar patriotism. I wonder how many people today are even aware of Flag Day or its date. You can see by the extensive decorations that it used to be one very big deal. And the beat goes on. Call that progress?I worked in this building in the 1980s, after its renovation, and the main things I remember were noise, and terrible ventilation. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Patriotic)
Earthworks: 1864
... Georgia. I spent nearly every childhood family picnic and Fourth of July here. It looks very different now. Earthworks The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2011 - 8:25pm -

1864. "Savannah, Georgia (vicinity). View of Fort McAllister on the Ogeechee River." Wet plate glass negative by Samuel A. Cooley. View full size. My hometown!Richmond Hill, Georgia. I spent nearly every childhood family picnic and Fourth of July here. It looks very different now. EarthworksThe earthworks look to be well preserved in this aerial photo of the fort. AbatisIn military parlance this wood barrier is called an abatis, although a crude one and in disrepair at the time of the photo. The ditch is man-made and in defense of the fort will not allow cavalry through and will slow down infantry. But Fort McAllister fell in 15 minutes to 300 of Sherman's infantry on Dec 13,1864. To a no doubt depleted garrison due to the scorched earth policy of the Union Army of the time. Not making a judgement but it was what it was. (The Gallery, Civil War, Sam Cooley, Savannah)
Baker Bikers: 1941
July 1941. "Motorcycle racers, Fourth of July, Vale, Oregon." Members of the Baker Motorcycle Club, last ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/21/2020 - 11:39am -

July 1941. "Motorcycle racers, Fourth of July, Vale, Oregon." Members of the Baker Motorcycle Club, last seen here. 35mm acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. DaredevilsLooks like a break during some kind of performance, based on the climbing rig on the back of the bike and the folks lined up behind the wire fence. Massive handlebarMay it be to do stunts? or just for fun? A piercing SchreeckIn the far lower left corner, we see a mudguard banner with the words "Schreeck / er, Oreg." There are very few Schreecks anywhere; this one would seem to be Fred Schreeck Jr. of Baker (1920-2009). From the little I found, he was a farmer in Baker County; his father ran the local ice plant and cold-storage company. (The Gallery, Motorcycles, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Electric George: 1916
... Shorpy in the first page. Timely Somehow, the Fourth of July springs to mind. Not sure why, but there's something about this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 12:05pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1916. "George Parezo Electric Shop, 808 Ninth Street N.W." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Bright IdeasThis is wonderful! It strikes me as the predecessor to computer storefronts of today. I can imagine people drooling over the latest light bulbs. The Age of ElectricityI always get the feeling that in 1916 electricity was the marvel of the age. This display has just about everything except light bulbs. There are electric motors, flashlights, irons, coffee pots, chafing dishes, a hot plate, a telegraph key(!), what look some sparking devices the purpose of which I can't figure out and some other mysterious electrical gear. And the whole thing is set off with a portrait of George Washington in (presumably) a gilt frame... lit with an electric light. In less than a decade all of this stuff would be considered commonplace and pride of place in the window would be given over to radios. Spark GapsThose "sparking devices" are likely spark gaps used in amateur radio transmitters of that era. The advent of WW1 caused the shutdown of that aspect of radio for the duration (and if the US Navy had had its way it would never have returned). There is also a nice collection of knife switches on display. The "rocks" in the center are probably chunks of galena used (in much smaller sizes) as detectors in simple radio receivers of the era. Tubular RheostatWell, since there is a flurry to identify widgets in the window - I'll pick out the item at the very extreme right. It is a Wheatstone tubular rheostat (i.e. variable resistor). The backrooms of the physics labs when I went to college were full of these things. The physics department at Kenyon College currently has an excellent page on historical rheostats and resistance boxes with images of similar devices. Another curiosity is associated with the language in the display for Dim-A-Lite. I'm tickled by the advertising line that Dim-A-Lite "Saves Current." These days advertisers would proclaim "Saves Energy." Both statements are correct, I just don't think many people today would immediately identify with the concept, or need, to "save current." tterrace has already commented on this gadget in the previously seen image of Mr. Parezo's store. Typical of many things which appear on Shorpy, a google search for "Dim-A-Light" currently brings up a link to Shorpy in the first page. TimelySomehow, the Fourth of July springs to mind. Not sure why, but there's something about this particular picture! (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Molalla Buckeroo: 1936
... 4, 1936. "Warm Springs Indian at Molalla Buckeroo," the Fourth of July rodeo in Molalla, Oregon. Medium-format nitrate negative by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2019 - 3:28pm -

July 4, 1936. "Warm Springs Indian at Molalla Buckeroo," the Fourth of July rodeo in Molalla, Oregon. Medium-format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. The final humiliationThe classic features of this Native American call to mind the profile on the buffalo nickel (1913-1938) by sculptor James Earle Fraser. [The resemblance is rather striking, although according to Fraser the depiction is a composite rather than a specific individual. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Native Americans)
Red, White, Blue: 1963
... against a backdrop of snow white and sky blue. Happy Fourth of July from Shorpy! View full size. Not a Marketing Department ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/04/2021 - 2:05pm -

January 1963. "Lincoln convertible on snow road." From somewhere in the Sierras comes this Agfachrome of Don Cox's red 1957 Lincoln Premiere against a backdrop of snow white and sky blue. Happy Fourth of July from Shorpy! View full size. Not a Marketing Department shotInteresting seeing a luxury convertible in such a rugged environment. This would probably be the last thing that Lincoln would consider for a brochure. Almost every luxury car brochure showed couples dining at elegant restaurants or arriving at the opera. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Don Cox)
Utopian Picnic: 1936
... July 1936. "Hillhouse, Mississippi. Girls with food for Fourth of July celebration at Delta Cooperative Farm settled by evicted ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2018 - 11:57am -

July 1936. "Hillhouse, Mississippi. Girls with food for Fourth of July celebration at Delta Cooperative Farm settled by evicted sharecroppers from Arkansas, organized in 1935 by Sherwood Eddy, a New York writer and reformer." Photo by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. That HaircutMom, who was born in 1930, had a haircut like the girl on the right for most of her childhood. "How I hated that haircut!" she'd always say when looking at old pictures. That was one of few styles for little girls during the Great Depression. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Dorothea Lange, Kids, Rural America)
Luna Park: 1915
... New York. This photo is believed to have been taken on the Fourth of July, due to the dress of some of the people (like Uncle Sam). The ... 
 
Posted by wvsky - 09/20/2011 - 10:27pm -

Luna Park in Charleston, West Virginia, around 1915. There were many Luna Parks in the U.S., the most famous at Coney Island in New York. This photo is believed to have been taken on the Fourth of July, due to the dress of some of the people (like Uncle Sam). The Park, like many Luna Parks of the day burned down, and was never replaced. The strange streets that are still in use to this very day in Charleston where Luna park stood, are a direct reflection of the walkways there. Today, hundreds of homes sit in its place. Original photo by Cochrane. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
« first‹ prev12 [3]
Syndicate content  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.