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Central Square: 1912
Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 1912. "Central Square and Massachusetts Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... corner. Interesting to see that the Oak Grove Grocery in 1912 sat in the same spot (albeit in a new building) as Store 24 in the 1990s ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/08/2023 - 6:39pm -

Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 1912. "Central Square and Massachusetts Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Voted least likelyto still be here, by those born with a cynic's soul (or who have since acquired one by being disappointed one too many times by vintage photos), it surprises: Adding to the simple joy of mere survivalhood, it forms a particularly nice Romanesque ensemble with the Cambridge City Hall across the street. Formerly Seedy Central SquareMy first job after college was in Central Square, a couple blocks past City Hall (the tower at the center of the photo). Then, in 1980, Central Square was interesting but a bit run-down. On my last visit a couple years ago, I found it gentrified, but lacking its former character. The main differenceThe way the women dress now is scandalous! Sounds like a jingle ..."Have a lunch and a shine!" Klashman Bros. TailorsI wonder if that’s Mr. Klashman who just finished crossing the street on the left, his right heel in the air. 100 Years Of ConvenienceI've spent much time in and around this corner. Interesting to see that the Oak Grove Grocery in 1912 sat in the same spot (albeit in a new building) as Store 24 in the 1990s and Convenience Plus in recent years. At least it's not a bank -- yet. Seedy encounterCentral Square was the site of my weirdest urban panhandler experience. One summer around 1980, I came out of the Central Square T station and was accosted by a loquacious street denizen. He wanted money, but rather quickly got fixated on my pants, which were corduroy. I wore corduroy year-round, an affectation I did not consider too weird for Massachusetts. The panhandler got so worked up about my fashion inappropriateness that he seemed to forget about money. I thought perhaps he wanted me to give him my pants, but being some distance from Filene's Basement, I didn't think I could get away with it. NewsiesI think I've seen those kind of caps called "newsboys' caps." They're young guys' caps, so I guess it was natural for kids on the street to adopt them. The two guys talking on the corner look like they're from Central Casting -- 'get me a couple newsies.' Next to Harvard SquareThat hustle and bustle seen here are still going on today in a vibrant neighborhood and melting pot of culture. The street is Massachusetts Avenue, which stretches from downtown Boston through Cambridge and beyond to the suburbs. The cobblestone streets are under the modern pavement in some areas that were still there many years later. It's a rich and interesting area, full of life. A Civil War Veteran?I wonder if the bewhiskered elderly gentleman on the corner was heading to Post 30 of the Grand Army of the Republic or to inquire of T.H. Raymond about automobile insurance for his new Oldsmobile Autocrat. Though the horse still dominated in Cambridge this may be the oldest window display for automobile insurance I have seen on Shorpy. William H. Smart Post 30, Massachusetts Department GAR, was chartered in 1867 and surrendered the charter in 1935. It was named for Private William H. Smart of Company G, 1st Massachusetts Infantry, killed at Blackburn's Ford, Virginia, in 1861. There is lots of detailed GAR information available on the www. A trigger shot --So many threads to my life in and around Central Square. My first job while in school was at a print shop on the bottom floor of 678 Mass Ave. Not sure if this image has that building or a predecessor. The one I'm referring to was built in 1910. It could well be the one we see along the left of the image. Somehow I ended up with an old lawyer's desk from an office in that building. The desk itself is massive -- sits in our basement, and probably got moved into the building when it was newly finished. Our marriage license sits in the records for the City of Cambridge -- the bell tower in the background. I also had to pay many a parking ticket, some earned by my roommates who'd borrow my car to tool around Boston. There was nightlife in the 1980s and '90s in the area -- the Middle East just down the street toward MIT, and the Man-Ray / Campus dance club off one of the side streets. And if you were in college and you needed to get a tux, you took the Red Line to Central Square and walked to Keezer's, a consignment shop with rows of options in all sizes. This was a delightful morning visit, Shorpy! Thanks so much! Central Square was NOT seedyIt's an urban center, not unlike neighborhoods in the Upper West or East Side in NYC. It had music, food, culture, and people. Not any different than Harvard Square just up the road. I suppose if you grow up in leafy quiet suburbia in the middle of nowhere, an urban center can seem dangerous. Suggestion: Get out more. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)
On the Avenue: 1912
New York circa 1912. "Fifth Avenue south from Thirty-Sixth Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... "On The Avenue Of Golden Dreams" Curbed is a 1912 Pierce-Arrow Model 36 Vestibule Town Car, the chauffeur alertly trying to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2022 - 10:26am -

New York circa 1912. "Fifth Avenue south from Thirty-Sixth Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade. I'll be all in clover and when they look you over, I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter Parade. On the avenue, Fifth Avenue, the photographers will snap us, And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure. Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet, And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter Parade. "Smile and show your dimple"A little-known fact about Irving Berlin's famous song "Easter Parade" is that those are not the melody's original words. The tune was composed in 1917 as "Smile and Show Your Dimple" to cheer the girls whose boyfriends had gone off to fight World War I. Berlin revised it in 1933 with the Easter lyrics for the Broadway musical revue "As Thousands Cheer." Their great granddaughters will wear torn jeansFifth Avenue divides the numbered streets into east and west addresses. If you're looking south down Fifth Avenue and standing on this side of Fifth you're on East 36th Street, not West. To the immediate left, these beautifully outfitted ladies are strolling past 381 and 383 Fifth Ave; two buildings that appear to be one. "On The Avenue Of Golden Dreams"Curbed is a 1912 Pierce-Arrow Model 36 Vestibule Town Car, the chauffeur alertly trying to catch an early glimpse of his returning employer. Even the hack pony couldn't resist a sideways glance in the direction of the magnificent horseless carriage. "Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it." https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21223/lot/518/?category=list Steering wheels?Are the steering wheels on the right side? Or is this image reversed? [Is that license plate reversed? The signs on the storefronts? - Dave] Double visionViewers will note at least one -- the other is obscured -- of the double deck buses the Avenue was known for. Assuredly one of the first city bus lines in the U.S. But even the most knowledgeable will be hard pressed to identify the builder (and not just because it's mostly hidden): the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. were DIYers. Word of the Day"And you'll find that you're   in the rotogravure." I was just thinking about that line this morning. Is there anyone who didn't first encounter the word "rotogravure" in this song? A "few" changes ...Remarkable to me is the fact the building on the west side of the street, with the arches, still stands. A bit farther down is a building with columns and a flag flying from its roof. That building still stands though it no longer has columns and is now taller having undergone massive reconstruction, The building that follows it, with the onion dome at the corner is the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was demolished and moved to Park Avenue. The Empire State Building now stands on the site, and was constructed in thirteen months including the time taken to demolish the old Waldorf. A bit past the Waldorf, a flag flies from the approximate location of a new tower about to be built that will be almost as high as the ESB. +96Below is the same view from November of 2008. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC)
Chelsea Morning: 1912
New York circa 1912. "West Street (11th Avenue) north from 26th, view of Hudson River." As ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 2:58pm -

New York circa 1912. "West Street (11th Avenue) north from 26th, view of Hudson River." As well as the Chelsea Piers and fluttering banner atop the Otis Elevator building. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. W&J Sloane WarehouseThe W&J Sloane Company was a high-end home furnishing business. Established in 1843, they filed for bankruptcy protection in 1985. Their retail store was at 888 Broadway, at 18th Street, now home to ABC Carpeting, a similar business. This area was known as the "Ladies Mile" district it had many stores catering to the well-to-do. Sloane eventually moved to the even more exclusive 5th Avenue. Strange piece of machineryI'm really curious as to what this device is in the lower left. It looks like a giant Vacuum Cleaner? Night MarchThe notorious reputation of "Death Avenue" for fatal train accidents has been mentioned here before. An extraordinary event occurred on the night of October 24, 1908, when 500 schoolchildren marched down the avenue, "carrying American badges and flags draped in mourning," to protest the death of 7-year-old Seth Low Hascamp. The boy had been "ground to death" the month before, when he fell off the top of a freight car at 11th and West 35th during a game of Follow-the-Leader. Ups and downsThe Otis building is still there! Buck buck.I love the small details in these photos. In this one, unloading or more likely cleaning up the carcasses from a poultry car in the lower left corner. Nary an automobile in sight.But there is a steam dummy crossing the avenue just past the Otis building. Steam dummies were locomotives disguised with car bodies so as not to alarm horses. [There's an automobile just a few feet away. - Dave] And I, evidently, need new glasses! Cement MixerPutti; putti... The Strange Device is, I believe, a skid-mounted (hence portable, sort of) steam-operated cement mixer. The large dark vertical cylinder is the boiler, the engine - also vertical - can be be seen to the right of it, and the big barrel is the mixer itself with its delivery chute facing us. Now, back to Pico and Sepulveda. Otis Elevator BuildingThe history of Otis Elevator and its headquarters building can be found in West Chelsea Historic District pages 81 to 84. Re: Cement MixerTahoePines, you are correct, thank you. Knowing what it is I was able to find this illustration (or really grainy photograph?) of a similar machine. Cornell Iron Works still in the worksSometimes searching the names of the old firms in the wonderful Shorpy photos yields surprises. Cornell Iron Works is still going and the in depth historical information on its website mentions this location on the far side of the cement mixer. Terminal Warehouse!Still there, looks relatively untouched: View Larger Map I'm pretty jazzed about that. A little place for my stuffThe Terminal Warehouse is today partially occupied by a "mini-storage" facility. I kept the excess stuff that I, for some unknown reason, owned that didn't fit in my Manhattan apartment there for a couple of years (until I could finally afford a bigger place to live). Very interesting cast of characters hanging around that place, including some well-known musicians who used their storage rooms as practice spaces, which definitely brightened up the otherwise dreary surroundings. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
The Kaiser Comes Calling: 1912
1912. "German port call. U.S. battleship in Hampton Roads to greet German ... lights. Meeting the Moltke Washington Post Jun 3, 1912 Norfolk Va., June 2 - The American battleships Utah , ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 11:19am -

1912. "German port call. U.S. battleship in Hampton Roads to greet German squadron." Harris & Ewing Co. glass negative. View full size | More here. Searchlights GaloreIn the pre-radar days, men o'war sported lots of searchlights. [Were any of these used for signaling? - Dave] Two guns fired thereThat's one way to signal. How cool that the shot was taken at that time. Slop chuteThey're firing a saluting gun in honor of the dignitary. You'd think a visiting honcho wouldn't have to boat through the bilge discharge and they'd at least hoist the slop-chute inboard for the duration of the salute and coming up the side. Curious what ship this is. And yes, those searchlights all had radial shutters that could be opened to transmit blinker-messages in morse. There were a lot of them because they were subject to gunfire, being mostly glass. EnlightenedJughead may be on to something but most of the lights here have the main function of searchlights. They certainly could be for signaling but strict signal lamps were usually smaller, more nimble, and located in proximity to the bridge (or conning tower on this pre-WWI ship) or signal station. Even the smaller signal lamps could reach the horizon day or night though that was not always a good thing. The larger searchlights were generally for utility (e.g. cargo operations), emergency (e.g. man overboard or other search and rescue), or during warfare for night action (e.g., WWI against torpedo boats, WWII Battle of Savo Island). Radar changed the game and the need for banks of lights. Meeting the MoltkeWashington Post Jun 3, 1912 Norfolk Va., June 2 - The American battleships Utah, Delaware, and Florida exchanged salutes with the German cruiser-battleship Moltke this afternoon as the three former ships sped through the Virginia capes en route to Hampton Roads. The firing of the salutes on Sunday is not customary, naval officers say, and the fact the the Utah, which led the three American ships as they passed the capes, boomed a salute to Rear Admiral von Reuber Paschwitz, commanding the German squadron, was regarded as an unusual compliment for the German commander. The big guns of the Moltke answered the salutes from the Utah, and the officers and crew lined the decks and waved their hats to the American ships. Everything is in readiness for the visit of President Taft in the Hampton Roads tomorrow. The German ships are expected to leave Lynnhaven Bay about 7 o'clock tomorrow morning so as to arrive in Hampton Roads about the same time the Mayflower gets in with President Taft. U.S.S. FloridaThe battleship is either the USS Florida or the USS Utah. The Florida was scrapped in 1932. The Utah was sunk at Pearl Harbor. Lynnhaven BayJust wanted to put this out; the article quoted cannot be completely correct. There is no possibility that at the time a new capital ship such as Moltke or her two escorts could have entered Lynnhaven Bay; Lynnhaven Bay's shallow channel allowed sailing ships of 8-11 foot draft to enter, but Moltke would have drawn 16-18 feet, minimum, as a cruiser-battleship highbred (a type which would eventually be called a Battlecruiser). In addition, Lynnhaven Bay does not, technically, open into Hampton Roads, but is located almost literally at the mouth of the Chesapeake; Hampton Roads, proper, is some 5 miles further north, beyond the small bay at Littlecreek (which is now a US Naval Amphibious base, and is the the far right star shaped bay on the Wikipedia entry's photo of Hampton Roads). [Or, the fault may lie in incomplete knowledge on our part about the Lynnhaven Bay of 100 years ago. The "Movements of Naval Vessels" columns in the Washington Post and New York Times from 1900 to the 1920s contain dozens of references to battleships at Lynnhaven Bay. Below are some examples from 1910-1915. - Dave] "Firing Salutes back and forth"Somehow, I have this eerie feeling about reading the article and seeing the future foes, only 5 years from combat against each other, fired salutes back and forth at each other. I get the impression that hilarity would have ensued if the article had ended with something along the lines of: "After a rollicking 10 gun salute from USS Florida, followed by an additional 10 gun salute from USS Utah was answered by SMS Moltke's own 10 round salute, the enthusiastic friends continued to salute each other for the next few hours until Moltke lit off a massive pyrotechnic display near her forward armory and then slipped off, to the delight and cheers of the men of Florida, Utah, and Deleware. In an unrelated story, 1053 sailors from SMS Moltke were lost in a freak training accident off the Virginia Capes. The US Navy is currently enroute to look for survivors." The Main GunsThe ship looks relatively new. How big are the main guns? They look surprisingly small compared to the monsters that were on the WWII battleships. USS FloridaUSS Florida and USS Utah would have both been a year old at the time of the photo. SMS Moltke would have been the same age. They all had 10 280mm main guns for the main batteries. Cagy QuestionCan anyone explain what the purpose of the two cages on either side of the smoke stacks? What were used they were for? Just a fancy ladder? Cage Masts Cage masts, found on every battleship built in the USA from about 1910 to 1920, allowed spotters to direct artillery fire. The structure was designed to take multiple hits from enemy fire without collapsing. Big GunsUtah, Florida and Delaware all mounted ten 12 inch guns in five turrets. By comparison the last battleships completed for the US Navy, the Iowa class, mounted nine 16 inch guns in three turrets. The biggest guns ever mounted on a battleship where the nine 18 inch guns in three turrets on the Japanese Yamato class. In fact the Japanese were actually planning a "Super Yamato" class with 20 inch guns. I salute the battleship geeks!Seriously, the range of knowledge here is very impressive and much more interesting than the postings of the railfans (I'm one) when a locomotive photograph appears. U.S.S. FloridaThe U.S.S. Florida. Click to enlarge. Thanks Dave!It puts the top picture really into perspective. It's amazing the differences in design philosophy between the British/German dreadnought battleships and the Americans. Still didn't stop them from becoming ridiculously obsolescent fast and into scrap in 10 years. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Harris + Ewing)
Titanic Survivors: 1912
April 22, 1912. Our second look at Lolo (Michel) and Edmond Navratil, survivors of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/29/2008 - 5:07pm -

April 22, 1912. Our second look at Lolo (Michel) and Edmond Navratil, survivors of the Titanic disaster whose father went down with the ship. View full size. Lolo, the last remaining male survivor of the Titanic sinking, died in 2001. Titanic TotsSo cute! They look like Cabbage Patch dolls! Lolo and MomonInteresting article on the brothers at Encyclopedia Titanica. Imagining what they've seenI am deeply touched by this photo. The way the youngest one is holding his toy-cat makes the photo for me. What they had been through. Thanks for posting it. ToysThe little stuffed cat is amazing--the detail shows you every bit of fuzz and hair! But what is the bigger boy holding? At first I thought it was just a ball, or maybe a snow globe. Gotta love that curly hair! The brothersWow, that's quite a story -- thanks for posting the link. Those poor boys, caught up in family drama and then this disaster. I wonder how hard it was for them to go back to Europe on another ocean liner... The older boyMichel is holding what looks to be a glass paperweight, probably of the millifiori type. T-TotsWow. So much to be read between the lines of their parents' story. Wow. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Fires, Floods etc., G.G. Bain)
The Office: 1912
November 1912. "Government Printing Office, Washington." This looks like it might be a ... two companies were producing tubular incandescent lamps by 1912. H. W. Johns-Manville manufactured the "Mazda Linolite" before 1912, and the Electric Tube Lamp Company manufactured the "Rayline Lamp," ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 3:29pm -

November 1912. "Government Printing Office, Washington." This looks like it might be a nice place to work. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. AmenitiesHigh ceiling, tall windows, wood floor, lots of natural light, nice wood cases, cabinets and desks, clear sightlines, even the bricks ... what's not to like?!?! No computer monitors on the desks, and I think I can see only one telephone, maybe two. Startling to consider! Compare to the wired, isolated, fluorescent-lit cubicles we have now... sigh... Ceiling fixtureOn the light fixtures - is that a long center exposed bulb or something else? Let's dance!I can envision Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly having a field day with that room. Dancing up the drawers to get on top of the card catalog... leaping from desk to desk... maybe rolling along on a desk chair... ending with some flashy footwork on the floor. Yeah! SeatingWhat is the high tech contraption the person doing the filing is sitting on? The light fixtureThe overhead lighting looks to be a fixture with two incandescent lamps and a "thing" in the middle that seems to be a clear glass like cylinder. Each fixture has one of these cylinders ... any thoughts as to what this cylinder would be? The Pre-Modular AgeAll the filing furniture appears to be of one-piece construction, unlike the modular units that are ubiquitous in the office photos starting just a few years later. AromaThis might sound weird, but I bet that place smelled great. I think all that wood and polish had a specific smell to it that we don't experience nowadays. I look around the office I'm in and I don't think there's a single piece of wood to be had in the midst of all the plastic, aluminum and off-white paint. Big Empty SpaceNow that Wilson is elected, Taft won't be cutting through on his way from Union Station to the ice cream parlor so they can fill that gap with more furniture. Or use it for the GPO baseball team's practice field. Cool GPO history video here. What's with the light fixtures? Looks like some sort of roll shade but I can't see what use that would be. Horizontally oriented fly paper cartridge? Fluorescent lamp before the ballast was invented? May we please have a close up on one of the clearest ones? Or not. Watch outThis scene is a safety inspector's nightmare - stack of books ready to fall, file drawers left open ready to fold someone over, guy on the left using a box for a chair, but I'll have to say the floor is sure clean! Tipsy BooksI love the stack of tipsy books in front of the third desk. I'm also impressed by the number of women working there. Close to 50 percent by my estimation. Re Watch out!And if those drawers are, as I suspect, full of metal type, they'll not only fold someone over, they'll make a definite impression. And woe to the poor printer's devil who gets to pick up all those little bits of type and sort them all into their slots. This is where we get the expression "Mind your p's and q's." [The metal type and presses were elsewhere. - Dave] Mysterious Light FixturesAt least two companies were producing tubular incandescent lamps by 1912. H. W. Johns-Manville manufactured the "Mazda Linolite" before 1912, and the Electric Tube Lamp Company manufactured the "Rayline Lamp," advertised with the slogan "No Shadow." Patents for the latter were awarded in 1904 and 1910. The patent drawings illustrating a Rayline fixture and tube look very similar to the fixtures in the Printing Office, and can be seen here. Re Ceiling FixtureIt's an Attitude Regulator, designed to fill the office with soft ambient feel-good vibes. With pinpoint accuracy if it detects subversive fluctuations. Noses to the GrindstoneThey don't look to be very busy..... Oh I get it--GOVERNMENT Printing Office. BTUs AplentyEveryone should have been warm enough, based on the number of radiators I see in this office. P's & Q'sMind your P's & Q's came from England. It was verbal shorthand for last call in the pub. Barman would yell out "Mind your P(int)s and Q(uart)s!" just before closing time. A galley case is very distinctive. Each drawer was only about an inch high but 3 feet wide. Each drawer contained a font and back then a font was one type style, in one type size. So, Times Roman, Bold, 10 point, would be that drawer. When filled with type, it weighed about 50 pounds. Sorry, but there's no galley cases in the picture. Who's workingLooks like a lot of offices I've been around - all the women are working, while most of the men are sitting around trying to look busy. When in doubt, shuffle a stack of papers... How comethe women are WORKING and the men are just sitting around? [They're supervising! - Dave] The GPO TodayI'm typing this from the Government Printing Office ... picture that space, now filled with cubicles. The lights are different but other than that it all pretty much looks the same. I wouldn't be surprised if my desk was around in 1912. Those little card catalog drawers are still around and still in use. And yes, the women are still working and the men are still "supervising." [So the building still exists? Amazing! A photo from the same vantage would be great. - Dave] Can you take a joke?How do you know when a government worker has died? The doughnut falls out of his hand. The GPO Today, Part 2The building definitely still exists. The oldest part dates back to the mid-19th century and there have been two additions since then. The newest part is from the early 20th century. I believe the elevators are original equipment...(probably not, but it seems that way). It is a huge building - almost a city block square - and used to house about 12,000 employees. Now there are maybe 2000 in this building. I'll see if I can figure out the location of that photo and get something similar. Cooper-Hewitt Mercury LampThe fixtures are mercury discharge lamps of the Cooper-Hewitt design, a very harsh ancestor of modern fluorescents. Peas and QueuesAnother possible (and to my mind, far more plausible) origin of the "Mind your P's and Q's" expression is that between WWI and WWII the Royal Navy made some changes to their signal flags, making what had previously been the "P" into the "Q" and vice-versa. WWI Version: WWII Version: Pints and QuartsBut maybe not. The history is vague. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/248000.html http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/psandqs.htm p's and q's a printer's idiomThere are no type cases in this picture. Those are file cabinets. If this is the GPO, it was a shot of an administrative office. Contrary to the popular explanation some believe regarding "pints and quarts", "mind your p's and q's" is a printer's admonition to pay attention when distributing type back into the case after printing. Why? Because in order to make the mark of a 'p' on the page, the piece of type is cast in reverse, and as such, it looks like a 'q' in your hand. By extension, the same would hold true for 'b' and 'd'. In English the frequency of use of p's and q's is less than b's and d's. Consequently, they were less often encountered, and therefore, more easily mislaid in distribution. Another common printer's idiom would be to be "out of sorts". That is, to be flustered and discombobulated. Why? A piece of type is a "sort". If the compositor is standing at the case setting, and he uses the last sort in the case, s/he becomes out of sorts, and suddenly... what to do?! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, The Office)
Red Sox-Giants: 1912
October 1912. Washington, D.C. "Baseball, Professional. Electric scoreboard." A ... reproducer" from the previous post showing results of the 1912 World Series between New York and Boston to crowds on a Washington street. ... the same: Fenway's Inaugural The 1912 season was also the first for the Red Sox in their new home - Fenway Park. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 4:31am -

October 1912. Washington, D.C. "Baseball, Professional. Electric scoreboard." A close-up of the "baseball game reproducer" from the previous post showing results of the 1912 World Series between New York and Boston to crowds on a Washington street. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Game 4This, specifically was Game 4, played on Friday, October 11. Harry Hooper had just reached on a single, and any moment now Steve Yerkes will reach on a bunt misplayed New York's catcher Chief Meyers. Boston would go on to win the game 3-1, and the World Series 4-3-1 (yes, there was a tie; game 2 was called in the 11th on account of darkness). Nationals vs. OpponentsI love this. Love the design of the scoreboard, with the two different (hand-written?) fonts for the players' names, the light-up figures on the field, and the bell (right?) to be rung... when there's a hit, maybe? I also love the idea of a huge crowd "watching" the game this way. How much fun must it have been to be there! The Mighty OzIgnore the man behind the scoreboard! Old SmokeyIt's great to See Smokey Joe Wood up there. His was a short career, but he was said to have been one of the best! TV Off! Use Your Imagination!Like Grandma Rose used to say, "TV off! Use your imagination!" I still "watch" baseball in this manner (at work when I'm not investing company time on Shorpy.com), through MLB.com's Gameday. It's still a decent way to "see" a ballgame! Hmmm....Notice that it is "the World's Series"? [Which is what people called it. - Dave] An Early Version of MLB's GamedayThe technology changed but the design remains the same: Fenway's InauguralThe 1912 season was also the first for the Red Sox in their new home - Fenway Park. The World's SeriesIt was called that because people still remembered that it was started by the New York World newspaper. In 1903 they set up the first championship series between the league champion of the established National League and the champions of the upstart American League (founded in 1901). The National League refused to compete in 1904 but came back in 1905. The series has been running ever since (well with the exception of the strike season of 1994). The series might be the last remembrance of the New York World even if most people aren't aware of it ("Why do they call it the World Series when only American teams play in it? The Japanese should be in it!") Every city - maybe every newspaper - had one of these Electric Scoreboards, at least for the World's Series. I've seen a lot of references to them in the newspapers from the 1910s and '20s but this is the first time I've really seen what one looks like. [According to the Baseball Hall of Fame and various "urban legend" authorities, the World Series has nothing to do with the New York World. - Dave] Baseball Game ReproducerWashington Post Apr 20, 1910 Fans Impressed With New Baseball Game Reproducer Thousands of excited fans stood for nearly two hours yesterday afternoon watching the Post's new electric baseball game reproducer, as it realistically reeled off play after play of the Nationals' last game of the double-header with Boston. It was the unanimous opinion of the crowd that it was the finest exhibition of electrical scoreboard work that has ever been witnessed in this city, the only regret being the defeat of McAleer's men in the ninth inning. Up to the fatal ninth, it looked as if the Nationals, with Johnson in the box, had the contest safely tucked away, and it was interesting to note the change of expressions on the faces as Stahl, the first man up, went out. Four green lights sent the next batsmen to first on balls, and then the big bell told of two singles and a double, and before the contest was over Boston had sent three runners over the plate, and the game was won. The board, which will reproduce every game the Nationals play away from hone, is a great improvement over the one which The Post used last season. It is arranged to accommodate an unusually large crowd, and instead of one board as heretofore two will be in operation at the same time, the boards being set at an angle that it will be almost impossible for any on in the crowd to miss a play. The lights indicating the various plays are so brilliant that they can be seen from the District building, and this alone is a big advantage to the crowd, especially those who are in the rear. It is pitched just far enough from the street so that every play is visible, and the play is recorded on the board a fraction of a second after it is completed on the ground where the game is played. Not the New York WorldApparently that origin of the name is actually untrue: http://www.snopes.com/business/names/worldseries.asp Board game?I have a vague recollection of a board game set up similar to this that was at my grandmother's house when I was a child. Given that my grandparents' generation would've been about 5 - 10 years old in 1912, I assume the game was based directly on these pre-radio electric scoreboards. By rolling dice or selecting cards (as I recall), you could play out a game by highlighting various positions and changing the players' names. Unfortunately, I was never much of a baseball fan, so it was all lost on me. Any of the baseball collectors here know what I'm talking about? I wouldn't begin to know how to google it. ComplicatedI'd love to see how they controlled that thing! Are the lights, or did someone put up cardboard or something behind the cutouts? [It looks to be boy-powered. Or at least boy-operated. - Dave] Baseball in another ageI read about these gadgets in Cait Murphy's "Crazy '08," an account of the 1908 pro baseball season and World Series. It's great to see a close-up, detailed photo of one of them. Baseball ReproducerTo see one of these in action I recommend watching "Eight Men Out" to see a hand-operated indoor version. A couple of scenes are set in a hotel ballroom that's being used (in 1919, the last season before the first games broadcast on radio) to translate pitch-by-pitch telegraph messages into graphics on a smaller board that looks very much like the outdoor board above. A man dressed like a headwaiter uses wooden dowel or pointer to move a "player" figure up a slot that representing the basepath. Of course there are at least 600 reasons to watch "Eight Men Out." Game 7It is actually Game 7. When looking at the lineup in the picture, Devore is playing RF. In the three games with the same pitching matchups, Devore plays RF in Game 7 only -- and LF in the others. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Sports)
The Dakota: 1912
New York circa 1912. "Dakota Apartments, Central Park West and West 72nd Street." 8x10 inch ... the line of cars (taxis?) Kind of a metaphor, as it was 1912 and the horse-drawn vehicle was on its way out. I don't have a magnifying ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:43pm -

New York circa 1912. "Dakota Apartments, Central Park West and West 72nd Street." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The KillerIt sort of pleases me that none of the 27 or so commenters has mentioned the name of John Lennon's murderer and neither will I. He is now 55 years old, serving 20 years to life, he has been denied parole six times. Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York houses him, it is a perfect alternative to a death sentence. ImagineWhen this photo was taken, the Dakota was only 28 years old. Here's nearly the same view today. The Dakota TerritoryPossibly my very favorite building in all of Manhattan. In the late 70s, when I was a teenager, I would cut school and hang out there with a fellow John Lennon adorer. We met him many times, and he'd let us walk with him to Broadway where he bought his gum and newspapers. We'd also regularly see the other celeb denizens - Paul Simon, Rex Reed, and Lauren Bacall ( Bacall still lives there.) The night Lennon got shot, we were there within hours, holding a vigil outside with dozens of other people. When I became a horse-drawn carriage driver in the early 80s, it was one of the most requested sites by my customers, as it sits directly facing Central Park at 72nd St. I had a long line of trivia I would tell them about the building, including that it was named "The Dakota" because the owner and builder, Mr. Singer of Singer Sewing Machine Co. fame, was teased by his 5th Ave and downtown friends that his new building was so far away from the chic parts of NYC at the time, that "it might as well have been in the Dakota Territory." A few things - where the man is standing at the right in the Park (near that wonderful sign that should be reproduced and again posted for today's selfish Handy Andys) is about 20 feet from where the Lennon memorial, Strawberry Fields, is today. The building has not, to my eye, changed even one iota - masonry is still all intact, carriageway is still there, planters and fabulous railing all still there. It has even managed to retain its original windows, a great architectural boon in my opinion, with so many other old lovely buildings having had theirs replaced. The one difference is that there has been for decades a large, nice, bronze doorman's booth on the left side of the carriageway. I'm loving the horse-drawn wagon at the back of of the line of cars (taxis?) Kind of a metaphor, as it was 1912 and the horse-drawn vehicle was on its way out. I don't have a magnifying glass - can anyone tell me what it says on the back of the wagon? Thank you SO much for this pic - I have seen many photos of The Dakota, but never this one, what a treat. [Below: Stern Brother department store delivery van. - Dave] Thank you! Dakota TriviaJohn Lennon, who would have turned 70 on Oct 9th, was murdered outside The Dakota. His widow, Yoko Ono, still lives there. The 1968 film 'Rosemary's Baby' filmed some scenes at The Dakota. It was renamed 'The Bramford' in the movie. Happy Birthday JohnJohn Lennon would have been 70 on Saturday the 9th. Nice of you to remember Dave. Thanks. Happy birthday John LennonThat's a grand old building John and Yoko lived in. They don't build them like that anymoreThe Dakota is one of the most beautiful buildings in NYC. BTW, I was a teen watching Monday Night Football when Cosell announced Lennon's death on air. You can hear it here. Si Morley was hereI first heard of this building in one of my favorite books, Jack Finney's "Time and Again," published in 1970 or so. The Dakota is nearly a character in its own right in this book. What a beautiful building. John Lennon at 70Here's a computer image of what John may have looked like when he was 70 years of age. Happy birthday John!John Lennon would have been 70 years old today had he not been shot at the Dakota. Beautiful BuildingA sad way to commemorate tomorrow being John Lennon's 70th birthday. (How is that even possible?) Fitting.Happy Birthday, John. In MemoriamT'is sad that the main thing that this building is known for is the tragedy that happened outside. Performing Flea.I don't intend to be a performing flea any more. I was the dreamweaver, but although I'll be around I don't intend to be running at 20,000 miles an hour trying to prove myself. I don't want to die at 40. ~ John Lennon +70Happy 70th Birthday, John Winston Ono Lennon. Wish you were here. Strawberry Fields ForeverThe site of the murder of John Lennon (born on this day in 1940). Living life in peaceThis was John Lennon's home in New York, and where he was murdered on the street in 1980. Had he lived, Lennon would have turned 70 tomorrow. Film locationRosemary's Baby. If you saw "Rosemary's Baby"rest assured that the interior of the Dakota is a far cry from that which Mia Farrow moved around in. I have seen a few a few of the apartments, ranging from a very large one that Robert Ryan and his wife lived in to a much smaller, but far from cramped one that was Roberta Flack's residence. They ere all quite elegant. I live farther up on Central Park West, so I frequently pass by the Dakota and it is not unusual to see Lennon fans hanging around the entrance. Of course it did not all begin with Lennon, the Dakota was a home to celebrities for a few decades before he and Yoko moved in. A great building that once seemed to stand out of town. I believe that's how it acquired the name—it seemed to be in the sticks. More Dakota TriviaThe Dakota also plays a major part in Jack Finney's novel "Time And Again," a beautifully crafted mystery novel set in the 1970s and 1880s. What were you doing the evening of 9 Dec. 1980?I see that there are many here who also know that John Winston Ono Lennon would have been 70 years old today. I would guess that you also remember what you were doing when you heard the terrible announcement that he had been murdered. I was on my way home from a job I had singing Christmas carols for shoppers at ZCMI Center in Salt Lake City. I shed quite a few tears that night, and the next day. It is hard for most people to understand why some of us love him so much. It is absolutely not your run-of-the-mill celebrity worship. There was something special about John Lennon that was still developing, the older he got. Happy Birthday JohnHis music is so timeless and inspirational. I hope he found the peace he wanted so much in life. Shrubbery defacers, bewareI think this guy intends to see that the "punish" precedes the "arrest." I heard the news that night oh boyI had read about Lennon's upcoming album back in October. And every so often, I'd tune up the AM dial (how quaint) and down the FM dial, hoping to hear one of the new songs. I was doing that the night of December 8, when I caught "Just Like Starting Over" halfway through. I recognized the old-time rock-and-roll style which had been described in the newspaper preview (which Lennon referred to as "Elvis Orbison.") And I liked it-- no avant garde, experimental, primal scream, political stuff-- just fun. When the record ended, the DJ said "We'll have more details on the death of John Lennon right after this," and they went to a commercial break. I was so shocked, I tried to bend what the DJ had said, to something I could handle. Perhaps he had introduced the record by telling people to listen for "clues" that John is Also Dead? (Goofing off on the Paul is Dead hoax.) Or, if he was really dead, I was wondering, From What? Before the DJ returned, a friend called me and said that Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football had reported John Lennon had been murdered. So I had just that minute and a half of "Cool, he's back, and it sounds great!" 12-8-80I was home on leave from the Navy watching the Dolphins/Patriots game on Monday Night Football with my Dad when Howard Cosell came on and announced that John Lennon had been shot. Awful. Unforgettable momentI was living in Madison, Wisconsin on Langdon Street and walked over to Rocky Rococo's Pizza on State Street near campus to enjoy a slab of Pizza and watch Monday Night Football. The game coverage (the voice over commentary) was interrupted and I think I first heard of the news either from an announcement read by Howard Cosell or Frank Gifford. Then they broke in with an actual news bulletin that indicated he had been shot and was en route to the hospital. In the time that it took to walk back over to Langdon Street and enter my apartment it was announced that he had died. I turned on the radio and heard the actual announcement he had died and just recall thinking what a bizarre thing this was. His then recently released album was already getting a lot of play in Madison, and after the news it was complete saturation. Every time I see the DakotaOne of my favorite Christine Lavin songs: The Dakota. [YouTube link] It was a Monday morning, I was coming in from a long trip on the road. I flagged a cab near the East Side Terminal, I said, "Please take me home." We drove up along Third Avenue, crossed through Central Park. When we came out at Seventy second Street, I felt a cold chill in my heart. Every time I see the Dakota, I think about that night. Shots ringing out, the angry shouts, A man losing his life. Well, it's something we shouldn't dwell upon, But it's something we shouldn't ignore. Too many good men have been cut down, Let's pray there won't be any more. ... Words and Music by Christine Lavin December 9, 1980I was decorating my Christmas tree as my first child, who was three months old to the day (she's 30 now, obviously), watched from her infantseat. I was never a Beatles fan but I do remember the night they debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show; I was sitting on the couch after my bath, in my pajamas, a five-year-old wondering what all the fuss was about. The night John Lennon died I was listening to the radio and honestly -- and I know this next part won't be appreciated by many, but it's a free country and I believe we still enjoy free speech, at least for a little while longer -- after an hour or so I got a little tired of hearing the late Beatle practically elevated to sainthood by the announcer and every caller. I called the radio station not to speak ill of the dead, but to point out that perhaps we should temper our comments understanding that this man and what he stood for did a great deal to tear at the fabric of our society. (I don't think anyone really believes hippie-freakdom fueled by rock music has done all of us a world of good. Why do we have to act like it has?) The announcer, once he was onto my gist, hung up on me. So much for free speech. But I do adore Johnny Depp so maybe I'm a great big hypocrite. You make the call. A creepy place.I never liked that building from the time I first saw it in Rosemary's Baby, and that was some 12 years before Lennon was shot. It creeped me out then and creeps me out now, just looking at it. Time and Again and AgainNobody is going to mention Simon Morley using the Dakota as a time machine to travel back to the blustery cold winter days of 1882 in Jack Finney's novel "Time and Again?" It's such a fun and well researched book. [Somebody did mention it! - Dave] In MemoriamIn the new 4-CD Lennon compilation "Gimme Some Truth" there's a booklet that includes a photo of Lennon and Ono in their bedroom. Assuming it was taken at the Dakota, it's far less fancy then you would expect the apartment of a wealthy icon to be today. While it's a large room by New York City postwar apartment standards, it's not large by McMansion standards. The wall behind the bed is painted brick and there's nothing all that fancy in the room. As for Jenny Pennifer's comments, you certainly have the right to make any comments you like, but you obviously don't have a clue as to Lennon's impact, either culturally, politically or musically. To understand that impact, all you have to do is look up the hundreds, if not thousands of other artists who have recorded his songs, see the number of people who gather at Strawberry Fields or at the Dakota each day and listen to the radio where his songs are still played 30 to 47 years after they were written. Lennon did not tear at our society except to try and stop an illegal and useless war (what happened when we finally pulled out? Nothing except people stopped being killed.) and to fight for peace and the rights of all human beings. And I'll take "hippie freakdom" over the money and 15 minutes of fame obsessed (think Jersey Shore) and the cruel internet culture we live with today. I've been inside onceI was inside the Dakota once, at a political fundraiser in about 1995. The apartment belonged to the head of the European equities desk at a large hedge fund. It was very large, and clearly very expensive, but it was not as fabulous as the glass-walled penthouses overlooking the city in many other buildings, or even some of the (probably much less expensive) apartments in less famous buildings, but which have large terraces overlooking central park. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Eureka Vacuum: 1912
Detroit, Michigan, circa 1912. "Woodward Avenue." A shopper's paradise. Meet you in an hour at Cinnabon. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2021 - 3:43pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1912. "Woodward Avenue." A shopper's paradise. Meet you in an hour at Cinnabon. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. View from Grand Circus ParkDetroit renumbered all of their street addresses in 1920. Therefore, the old 260 address on the left indicates that this photo was actually taken from Grand Circus Park where Park Ave. (foreground) intersects with Woodward. View Larger Map View Larger Map I am disappointed!!Just when I was in the mood for some Chop Suey and not a place in sight. Player Pianos, Fifth FloorHope they had a good elevator! Woodward buildings still standI think the current street view above is a little off. I think this picture was taken from a spot just south of Grand Circus park between where the Whitney Building and Broderick Tower are now. Most of the buildings on the right including Grinnell Brothers still stand. Also the block of buildings on the left south of the Pontchartrain Hotel are still standing. Re What were they thinking?"When this is 'View full size' we're all be dead." PianosI counted 6 piano stores not 3. Grinnell BrothersGrinnell Brothers (sign on right side of street) was a Detroit area institution all the way into the 1980's, when the entire chain went out of business. They had stores in every area mall and not only sold pianos, but other musical instruments, lessons, records, sheet music, pianos rolls, everything to do with music. Wonderful stores, they just couldn't keep up with the times. What were they thinking?I love pictures like this! This is a frozen second in the lives of all these people. Where were they all going? What were they thinking about? Who was worried, or excited, and about what? Who had just gotten good news, or bad news? Who was going to work, or to do something fun? Who was pregnant, or had new a child, or grandchild? I also wonder what was playing at the theater. I assume it was live theater, primarily, although there were quite a few short films, and the production of feature-length films was only a few years away. If I had my choiceI have to agree with user "tterrace", I'd much rather walk down the 1910 version of Woodward than today's, oh if just for a day. What sights to behold. What happenedGrowing up in Detroit and remembering my mother taking me downtown on the streetcar and shopping at Hudsons, Kerns, and Crowleys and then for being a good kid she took me across the street to Kresge's downstairs and bought me a waffle sandwich which I will never forget. I often hear the phrase "you can't go back" but I miss and loved the way the city was. Mouse Furs, yuck!Oh wait, it's Mau's Furs. Never mind. What Could It Be?I wonder what the three objects are on the street to the left and in front of the second streetcar. No one is near them. [Newspaper bundles, thrown off the streetcar for pickup by Woodward Avenue newsies, would be my guess. - Dave] Prettier?I won't get in to the prettier/not prettier debate, but based on Anon. Tipster's Google Street View links, the adjectives that occur to me are more along the lines of : 1910: alive, vibrant, visually diverse, inviting; 2011: sterile, lifeless, visually monotonous, inhospitable. Hats anyone?As far as I can tell, with the exception of one small boy, everyone is wearing a hat. Ah, those were the days. Lots of piano storesI counted three different piano shops on this block, Bush & Lane, Manufacturer's and Melville Clark. Was this a sort of "piano district" at the time, or were pianos just ubiquitous enough in parlours of the day that several dealers on a single block was nothing unusual? [Player pianos were, I think, something like the plasma TVs of their day. - Dave] "Spirit of Detroit"The buildings at the left have been replaced by the statue "Spirit of Detroit" and Coleman Young Municipal Center. There's an automatic "people mover" tram running almost directly above where the camera was. This part of Detroit is quite a bit prettier now than it was a century ago. View Larger Map View Larger Map Urgent need to tinkleIs there anyplace on this street that sells pianos?? Of course it's DetroitMore cars here than any other 1910 picture we have seen. One thing, I think I'm pretty knowledgeable about antique cars, but does anyone know what the heck that round tank on the rear of the car at center right is? Has me puzzled. [Something steamy, perhaps. Condenser? Reservoir? - Dave] Are You Properly Attired? The boy about to board the trolley seems to be, although the ring around his shoulders could also be a part of whatever he's dragging behind him. A lamp maybe? Hard to tell - I run out of pixels before I can enlarge/enhance it enough. Still, it looks like a bicycle tire to me. Perhaps other Shorpists will have better data. Bush & Lane Piano Co.on the left had their main manufacturing facility in Holland, MI. They went out of business in 1930, victims of the Depression as were many other piano manufacturers. Right RulesLooks like all the cars of the time were right hand drive. Anyone know when we decided to change? [Gradually. - Dave] Majestic TheatreThe Majestic Theatre opened in April 1915 per its website, so I wonder it that dates this post to 1915. [Detroit had several Majestic Theatres over the years. The Majestic in this photo opened in 1908 at 231 Woodward. - Dave] Piano StoresOK, I count at least six piano stores! And at least three fur stores. More piano storesI'm counting possibly seven piano stores--Bush and Lane Pianos, Manufacturers Piano Co, Cable Piano Co, Tarrand Pianos, Grinnel Bros Pianos, Melville Clark Pianos, and another just to the upper right of the Grinnel Sign. I'm surprised that there isn't a Wurlitzer sign somewhere in this. I'm also seeing a Victor Records. Pianos were all the rage for years--before everyone had radios and tv. People learned to play for entertainment for themselves and others. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Washington Union Station: 1912
Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Union Station plaza and Columbus fountain." 8x6 inch glass negative, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2022 - 9:24pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Union Station plaza and Columbus fountain." 8x6 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size. A beautiful and functional place todayBelow is the original ground floorplan for Union Station. Here are some photographs of the original interiors. Like nearly all train stations, Union Station went through a decline. The two events which stand out in my memory both involve the main waiting room. Around 1967, in an effort to look more modern and deter transient sleepers the mahogany benches were removed, thrown on the depot's scrap pile, and replaced with individual plastic seats mounted on rails on posts bolted to the floor (similar to what you see in bus stations). Around the same time the station was repurposed as a Washington visitors center and in the early 1970s a giant hole, nicknamed The Pit, was dug in the waiting room floor to create a sort of amphitheater. The floor was restored during restoration of the station, which concluded in 1988. Unfortunately, the benches are long gone. Click to embiggen RentalsRental vehicles are returnable around the right corner of the building. I remember the other hole in the floor.The 1953 Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 sized one, that resulted from one of said locomotive class (PRR 4876) overrunning the platform area, entering the concourse and coming to rest in the basement. The entrance on the far right in the frontal and floor plan views used to be called the "President's and Ambassadors Entrance", good thing the GG1 didn't try to go in there. The only private citizen ever officially privileged to use it was supposedly Kate Smith. SoThat building held like, what, 5 people? A more perfect UnionOne of the earliest and most visible examples of the District's transformation from a slow Southern town to a City Beautiful, the Station - which is both a terminal and thru-station (see plan below) - replaced an earlier one situated on the Mall. Although picturesque and conveniently located, it became unpopular - President Garfield particularly disliked it - with the movement to restore the capital along the lines of the L'Enfant Plan. Horses to the left of me, autos to the rightI'm wondering about the horse/horseless divide. Could it have been designed to: > keep the horses calm? > make it easier for passengers to chose their preferred mode of transportation? > protect, in some small way, a dying trade? More 1908 PhotosI remember once seeing a photo of a table set in a private dining room in Union Station. It had something like seven stemmed glasses of various sizes lined up for different beverages and I don't remember how many different forks. I didn't find it again, but I did find a labeled floor plan, below, so you can see where the lunch room was, and a photo of the lunch room. Also, another photo of the main waiting room, where you can see recessed areas at the end of each bench for placing a spittoon where it can be used but not accidentally kicked. And the station under construction. Click to embiggen Blueprints aplentyHundreds of these on the LOC website. If you're into that sort of thing. Rocking chairs -- "Pay closets" -- ColumbiaNice to see that cultural Marxism has not destroyed this historical landmark yet. Bouncy!Back 25 years, when I was a communications consultant in the DC area, my partner and I would meet with clients in Union Station for meetings or working meals. It was a beautiful place, no doubt, but after years of being in rock bands and almost daily scuba diving, my hearing was shot. All the hard surfaces in that joint caused the worst reverb I ever experienced. Hearing aids couldn't help. I had to really be on my toes to understand what was being said. Finally, I put my foot down and insisted on meetings at the Post Pub or Sign of the Whale or Ben's Chili Bowl or anywhere other than Union Station. Bicentennial EmbarrassmentI worked for the National Park Service for 25 years, including the Bicentennial era, and remember the National Visitor Center with great embarrassment and remorse. What happened to Union Station in 1976 is still a blemish on the NPS' image. Planning for a National VC began in the late 1960s, but construction didn't really begin until 1974, which was too late to pull off many of the planned attractions in Union Station. The worst feature was an infamous multimedia theater excavated into the floor of the Great Hall -- a literal pit with stand-up "seating" where a bank of 100 Kodak Carousels projected a continuous slide show about DC and its monuments and attractions. I watched the show several times, or rather tried too, but a sizable number of projectors always seemed to be out of sync. And the clacking sound of a hundred 35mm slides being changed simultaneously was hugely distracting. I'm attaching views of the original Great Hall and the Bicentennial "Pit." Thank god the multimedia pit was removed during subsequent restorations of the Station. D.H. Burnham & Co.At the bottom right on the plan provided by Doug Floor Plan is the name of the architectural firm that designed this building. This Chicago-based company also happened to design the 1893 Columbian Exhibition that I happened to read about in the book, "Devil in the White City." Burnham was not the devil. (Panoramas, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
The Peelers: 1912
Circa 1912. "Neighborhood House kitchen." Our third look at this Washington, D.C., ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 10:16pm -

Circa 1912. "Neighborhood House kitchen." Our third look at this Washington, D.C., settlement house. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Kids nowHow many kids in this day and age would stand with Mom in the kitchen and help her peel potatoes? There may be a few, but I just don't think it's expected like it once was of children. Back then every member of the household pitched in--in fact, the reason to have children was to have extra help around the house and farm. That said, I agree with the others that a paring knife (and a lesson on how to cut it not in her hands, but on a cutting board) is imperitive. I get nervous watching her-- years notwithstanding. Nameless thingThat is a pot scrubber made of interlocking rings like chain mail. Kind of like the stainless steel scrung pads that look like a bunch of lathe chips that are used now. Be careful, you could lose a finger!Look at the size of that knife that girl is using! Yikes! Name that nameless thingAnyone know what this is? Hanging on wall to right of gas lamp. Been thereI've been in that room so often it isn't funny--not that exact room, but rooms with the same molding, bad plaster and flue. Even the cabinets are familiar. Some colleges only remodel every hundred years or so. ThingI'll bet it's a trivet that has some broken links. It is next to the stove. Hot pot?Perhaps it's a hasty trivet or a hot pot holder. Like a medieval oven mitt. Name for the nameless thingIt is a chain-link pot scrubber. TrivetThis possibly could be a wooden ball trivet. I remember my mother had one similar to this. Hanging on the wallThat is an old fashioned pot scrubber - long before Chore Boy scrubbers were invented. Pot ScrubberThat ringed device in question is listed on page 1178 of the 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue. It is called a steel ring pot scrubber. A Google search of "metal pot scrubber" brings up pictures and E-bay listings. Pot scrubberI think it's a pot scrubber, like this. Here's another one. The Nameless ThingLooks a lot like what my grandmother used for scrubbing cast iron. Old school, you couldn't use soap to clean the pan because it would take off the 'seasoning', rendering it liable to rust (and no longer non-stick). But if you had crusty stuff you needed something to scrub it with, hence the chainmail-like scrubber. Modern dish soaps are not as harsh as the old time ones, and so it's less harmful to the seasoning of the pan to occasionally give it a scrub with some dish soap. DreamcatcherOr a string of dried cherries. Before we had green nylon scrubbers This was a kind of pot scrubber for cleaning off cast iron pots and pans. Most I've seen had a more rigid handle, which would be helpful for cleaning off that fried-on crust. Re: Name that nameless thingThat's obviously a chainmail pot holder/dream catcher. Other detailsNow that we've got THAT settled, there are a number of other neat details here. First and foremost, it always makes me a little nuts to see the great old American tradition of pealing off the most nutritious part of the potato and tossing it out. I mean I LOVE smashed potatoes, but the skins are really where it's at, nutritionally. Next, hmmm, I see we're working by gaslight. And I dig the looped towel on the door, designed to allow folks to share the filth. And does the dish in the cupboard say "Pure Ice Cream"? And how about the tin of Old Dutch Cleanser on the back shelf? Finally, the more of these pics I see, the more I realize that our female ancestors spent a HECK of a lot of time sifting flour! Nameless Thing's NameIt's a pot scrubber! They were metal chain links used when washing dishes to scrub pots and pans. YikesSomebody give the girl in the back left a paring knife. That thingHmmm...maybe some sort of potholder, for handling hot dishes? Had oven mitts been invented yet? ThingyThat is a little goody that is made of metal rings. It was used to clean cast iron pans before SOS came into the picture. PotscrubberI'm pretty sure it's a pot scrubber- forerunner of brillo pads. Thing hanging on the wall.To the best of my knowledge this was a pot scrubber. Pressed metalEmbossed metal ceilings were all the rage back at the turn of the LAST century. they were reasonably easy to put up. They came in 1 by 2 foot sections and nailed directly to the lath-work that was attached to the joists. At 10 to 15 cents a square foot, the cost was reasonable too. Today Embossed ceilings are making a come back. The big difference is that they now cost anywhere from $15 to $25 a square foot. My first apartment had an embossed metal ceiling, and if you turned the valve on the fittings in the hallway, gas still came out of them. This was in 1972! Oven Mitt?Seems to be a collection of interlocking rings. Maybe something you put under a pan to isolate it from the stove top for simmering? Or a scrubber, or fireproof grabber for the stovepipe damper?? Kitchen cleanupI believe that is a chain-mail pot scrubber. My sister collects kitchen items and has something that looks very much like this. It was made of heavy wire links and was a precursor to Brillo pads. You just soak the dirty pan or skillet in soapy water and swish this around in the pan to dislodge any cooked on particles. The TrivetMy wife identified it immediately as a trivet. Having it handy by the stove makes sense. Paring knives neededI shudder to think of giving a carving knife to a child to peel potatoes. I wonder if she made it out of childhood with a fingers intact? Pot chainThe piece of chain mail hanging on the wall is called a pot cleaner, pot chain, or wire ring dish cloth. They sold for 5-7 cents in 1900 and were used to scrape the crud out of the bottom of cast iron pots, pans, and skillets. It's a vivid symbol of how far kitchen work has come in 100 years. Kitchen HelpersIt's a pot scrubber. Pot scrubberThe thing on the wall is a chain-mail type scrubber for cleaning stuck food from pots and pans. Nowadays there is the scrubber that looks like a long string of stainless steel turned on a lathe and bunched in a ball. Old ScrubberThat is part of a pot scrubber. There should be a metal handle attached. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kitchens etc.)
Alpha Girls: 1912
Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Gunston Hall group." Students at the tony girls' school. Harris & ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 9:08pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Gunston Hall group." Students at the tony girls' school. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Next stop, North PoleIs it those frumpy clothes, the weird hats or were all rich teens at exclusive Eastern schools just homely? Got fur?I feel like a small forest may have been denuded of wildlife for this photo. WowNever seen so much fur. They're dressed like their grannies would have been. I think the twenties couldn't have come soon enough. Architectural chapeauxThere is an Aretha Franklin joke somewhere here, but I can't come up with it. Goodness!What an impressive assortment of muffs. Wealth, but not tasteI don't think I have ever seen this much poor taste combined with so much hat presence before. Truly, the ugliest hats I have ever seen. Combine the hats with the overwhelming presence of dead animals and you have perfect examples of 1917 "Fashion Don'ts." Sad, for this is actually a very interesting period for women's clothing. Class PhotoI was amused that there were only one pair of earrings showing. Was the poor girl on the bottom left simply allowed to sit with the others for the photo? Her clothing (lack of furs & muff) seems to put her in a different "class." What good is a foxif not to keep humans warm! Their hats are wonderful. Look at all the textures on the clothing - beautiful. Beach TimeBased on some of the previous photos, these girls look like they're ready for a beautiful day of fun and frolic on Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Hat reincarnationI have no doubt that the middle lass in the back row was the inspiration for Chico Marx's headgear. Be thankfulJust think, you might have been an alpha male and ended up marrying one of these beauties. You're In ! The girl in the front on the far left proved she was tough enough to join the group after driving what appears to be a 50 penny nail through her hat! Yikes! In DefenceIsn't it just possible that they were having a bit of fun? - that they were deliberately dressing up, trying to look old and dowdy like their mamas and grandmamas? Those hats...surely they're meant to be ridiculous. Honest Penelope,There is a serious draft in this room. Yowzers!Actually, the girls are quite attractive. It's the clothes that are so awful. When my brother was in college in the '50s, he was a member of Delta Beta Sigma, and they had a photo similar to this in the yearbook. Those in the know knew that DBS stood for Dead Beat Society. Fox NewsThis was not one generation imitating an older one; it was the height of fashion. As "Fur News" would report in early 1920, "fur manufacturers, with their modish designs, have crowded the cloth coat into a secondary place in feminine favor." Later in 1920, the fur market crashed. To satisfy market demand for pelts at the time of this photo, trappers had overtrapped, forcing clothiers in later seasons to use inferior pelts from less mature game. Hats On!I'm clearly in the minority, here, because I *like* the hats. I find it sad that woman no longer wear them. And these are all so very different from one another; what an expression of personality! Hole in the HeadThat 50 penny nail is of course a hatpin. Fashionable women of the Edwardian period wore very large hats, and to keep them on, very long hatpins were needed. With the suffragette movement in the early 1900s, came the fear of radical women bearing 12-inch hatpins and a law was passed indicating that hatpins could only be 9 inches long. It was believed women were using them as weapons. With the shorter hatpin law, smaller hats also became necessary. The flappers of the 1920s wore cloches very close to the head and they seldom required hatpins. http://antiquescollectibles.suite101.com/article.cfm/collecting-antique-... Furry FarkeesFarked again! Wonderful lightingThe lighting in this shot is exquisite. Beautiful catch-lights in the eyes, just enough shadow to keep it interesting. (The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Harris + Ewing, Portraits)
Pensive Rocker: 1912
... negatives, both film and 4x5 glass. They seem to be circa 1912 and were taken in upstate New York. We have identified locales such as ... newspaper. One article in the paper gives us the hint of 1912, and her wardrobe offers more evidence. I'll submit other photos if ... 
 
Posted by 3dfoto - 10/21/2016 - 7:07pm -

I recently purchased a collection of negatives, both film and 4x5 glass. They seem to be circa 1912 and were taken in upstate New York. We have identified locales such as Trenton Falls park (now closed) as well as Niagara Falls, Fultonville and Rome. This lady is featured in most of them, as well as her husband and young son. There are other people, but these three are seen most often. She has an extensive wardrobe, and is photographed in many beautiful outfits. This dress is the simplest. In another photo, she is seen in this chair reading a newspaper. One article in the paper gives us the hint of 1912, and her wardrobe offers more evidence. I'll submit other photos if there is interest. View full size. Late to the party butI'd also like to see as many of this woman and her family as you have. Please. [There are several more in the Member Gallery. -tterrace] Please doA family photo collection from 100+ years ago sounds like it would be great fun to view. Please do submit. Yes, PleaseI'm just going through many family photos from 1900-1918, and would be fascinated to see this family as well, Yes, PleaseI'd love to see more of this collection. Please do submit further photos. Please ContinueGiving us hints of our own grandparents' lives: it's one of the things Shorpy is really good at. Thank you. More than happyto see more pictures of this attractive young woman and her family. Yes, interest!I'd love to see more, this era was fascinating to me... Yes!Please do share more photos from the collection. I would LOVE to see them. I always like looking at the clothes people wore in decades past. More PleaseWould love to hear from a viewer who knows antique rocking chairs as to where this may have come from. FunIt will be fun to try to figure out who they are. Yes, of course!People are so much more interesting than cars! And people who dress well? Priceless. Gibson Girl Hairstyle and outfit are very much the Gibson Girl look. I'd love to see more! YesI live in WNY and would love to see more photos from this vicinity. Bring it onMost definitely a collection of photos from that era, if they are family photos as appears, would be of interest to me. Please do post more of them. PLEASE DO THAT -Seeing folks from our past in intimate private moments enjoying their times and traditions would be most interesting - the photography and reproduction are wonderful too - - - Thank you ! Rock OnBy all means. I for one have an interest. Her jewelryI don’t know what they called them, dress watches? I think the watch face was upside down so the wearer could look down and read it. Hers reads a quarter to ? If the hour hand is under the glare it would be three or four in the afternoon. Did women of this era only get one ring when they got married? She is only wearing, by today’s standards, an engagement ring with a single diamond. It looks like it is starting to cut into her finger. Could the young boy be the son of one or the other and they’re still dating/ engaged? I can barely make out some kind of stone in a silver necklace. Please 3Dfoto I want some moreI'd love to see more. Especially if her dresses are as lovely as this one Absolutely!I would love to see more pictures of this lovely woman and her family, along with anything else from that era. Thank you. ProvocativeYou may have selected this one purposefully, but it is quite provocative. I would love to see what other interesting things this photographer has come up with. Please. Yes Please, and Thank you.I'd love to see more please. Thank you. Bill More, PleaseAs an Upstate New Yorker currently residing in Rome, New York, I would love to see more of these photos. When Trenton Falls was open, it was a beautifully photogenic area. So yes...another vote for MORE of these images. Oh wow.Yes, more please! Shorpy, you are the best part of my mornings! Shaker Rocker copyThe rocker is a copy of a Shaker rocker. The originals had horizontal slats or a woven fabric ribbon back, never turned vertical bars. They can be found on auction sites and will be called - if the vendor is honest - "Shaker style". An original will be called Shaker production. The Shaker style rockers are generally well made and reasonably priced. Beautiful!As I grew up in East Aurora NY, it would be interesting to see any shots from Elbert Hubbard's Roycroft Arts & Crafts era. Thank you so much for sharing this. Me too....Great picture, yes I'd love to see more please. Addressing the rocker. The rocker inletted into the legs, the pass through arm supports and turnings on the top rail and spindles screams Shaker made. More, pleaseShe's beautiful and interesting. And it's always particularly interesting to see the same person in multiple situations. Yes, most definitelyI would definitely like to see more of these photos. It saddens me when I see family photo collections end up on eBay, or in other places, but I can understand. My mother passed away four years ago at age 93, and her three sisters (all older) were already gone. She had quite a few pictures, mainly from the '30s to the '50s, some of which were her mother's (my older sister has them all now). Except for some of my cousins who are in their seventies, I doubt that anyone in my family could name a lot of the people in the pictures. You can write names and dates on the backs of prints, but there's not much you can do with negatives, whether film or glass. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Titanic Tots: 1912
April 22, 1912. New York. Lolo (Michel) and Edmond Navratil, survivors of the Titanic ... the last two survivors from the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, has died in England at age 96." That would leave only Elizabeth ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 2:14pm -

April 22, 1912. New York. Lolo (Michel) and Edmond Navratil, survivors of the Titanic disaster whose father went down with the ship. View full size. Lolo, the last remaining male survivor of the Titanic, died in 2001. G.G. Bain Collection. TitanicI was looking at these kids and wondered how much they could remember, I found this: On the night of the sinking, Michel, Sr., helped by another passenger, dressed his sons and took them to the boat deck. "My father entered our cabin where we were sleeping. He dressed me very warmly and took me in his arms. A stranger did the same for my brother. When I think of it now, I am very moved. They knew they were going to die." Michel, Jr., recalled. The boys were put into collapsible D, the last lifeboat successfully launched from the ship. Michel Sr. went down with the ship. TitanicCouldn't help but notice the toy being held by the boy on the right . . . Toy...Jim Pence wrote: "Couldn't help but notice the toy being held by the boy on the right . . ." Yeah, probably the only compensation White Star ever awarded these orphans... Toy BoatAnyone find it a little macabre that the kid orphaned by a shipwreck is playing with a toy boat? [At least it's not a scale-model iceberg. - Dave] Titanic SurvivorWanted to pass this sad note along, "Barbara West Dainton, believed to be one of the last two survivors from the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, has died in England at age 96." That would leave only Elizabeth Gladys "Millvina" Dean of Southampton, England, who was 2 months old at the time of the Titanic sinking, is now the disaster's only remaining survivor, according to the Titanic Historical Society. I recently finished a photo/video on the sinking ... using much information from the Society .. it is definitely a must-visit website. http://www.titanichistoricalsociety.org/ Also, the youtube piece I produced is located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwUb0BEkECM if you have chance .. take a look, would love to hear your comments. Dale (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Fires, Floods etc., G.G. Bain, Kids)
The Good Scout: 1912
"Boy Scout training demonstration, 1912." Part of a series showing bandaged Boy Scouts in Washington. Harris & ... best match I can find in the Washington Post archives for 1912. Washington Post May 12, 1912 Red Cross is Swift ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 3:12am -

"Boy Scout training demonstration, 1912." Part of a series showing bandaged Boy Scouts in Washington. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Hmmm....Nah. Faux First AidCan't be positive that this article corresponds to the photo but it is the best match I can find in the Washington Post archives for 1912. Washington Post May 12, 1912 Red Cross is Swift Miss Oliver's Team Leader in First-Aid Contests. Thrilling exhibitions and drills, in one of which an artificial mine was blown up, and supposedly injured miners rushed to safety by helmeted rescuers, yesterday afternoon held the attention of the ninth International Red Cross conference, and several thousand spectators who witnessed demonstrations of Red Cross first aid work, held on the Monument grounds at Seventeenth and B streets northwest. ... The society young women dressed in regulation blue uniforms, with Red Cross bands on their sleeves, made a pretty sight as they went through their contests. There were four teams entered, and each did its best to win the sliver cup, and the four medals which went to the victors. In the contest using Boy Scouts as subjects, they put bandages first for a severe cut on the point of a chin, and a scalp wound on the top of the head. Then they gave treatment for a person supposedly burned about the face, arms and hands. Next they gave treatment for a compound fracture to the left arm with severe bleeding and fracture between elbow and shoulder, the innjured person also having a crushed right hand and two broken ribs. Miss Marion Oliver, daughter of the assistant Secretary of War, headed the team which was awarded first place. ... (The Gallery, Boy Scouts, Harris + Ewing)
Elizabeth Street: 1912
March 1912. "Row of tenements, 260 to 268 Elizabeth Street, New York, in which a ... be so judgmental I was actually going to write that the 1912 street scene made me wonder why anyone would want to leave their country ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2020 - 2:49am -

March 1912. "Row of tenements, 260 to 268 Elizabeth Street, New York, in which a great deal of finishing of clothes is carried on." 268 Elizabeth Street, in Little Italy, is now a "luxe sweater bar" called Sample; 258 (Kips Bay) is a handbag boutique called Token. Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. ClaustrophobicSeems like a real fire hazard. updateI love this building– it's remained very much the same. The small building at left is Cafe Colonial. I posted an update photo. AmazingI live on Mott Street. From my living room window is right across the street from that building. When I first saw this picture I wondered exactly where on Elizabeth it was and then I noticed the distinct fire escape. Amazing. It's like riding a time machine. Fantastic find, I live in this buildingWhat a fantastic shot. I live in this building that extends from 260 to 268 Elizabeth Street. Aside from new storefronts and loss of light fixtures, it looks very similar today. The small building on the corner still exists, but but the Kips Bay structure and the building housing the Cafe on the northeast corner of Houston Street are long gone. I've tried to find a good, historic image of this building for years, but didn't think I'd come across something that also reflects the vibrance of the neighborhood. [Thanks so much for the info ... a current photo taken from the same vantage would be interesting! - Dave] Elizabeth street update photoI had posted a photo update from the same(ish) vantage point several months back: [Link] I want to know what the inside is like! The entire BLOCK at the extreme left is gone-- a casualty of street widening. I believe that is the middle of Houston Street now. 260-268 Elizabeth StreetYou really can find out about old building through the New York Times! 1883- Listed as a residence in arrest report 1900 - An alleged gambling house 1901 - Raided by police 1902 - 1908 - It was a marionette theater operated by a Senor Parisi 1910 - It was a saloon owned by Francesco La Barbera that was bombed by the "Black Hand". Query No sign of Steve Spinella, though! Kips BayAnyone have any idea what the Kips Bay building was then? Or who Steve Spinella is? 126 Elizabeth & StatueGreat photo! When my Grandfather, Calogero Sacco, first arrived from Sciacca, Sicily on Columbus Day 1899, the ship's manifest said he went to live at 126 Elizabeth St. I'm told that building is also still standing with a statue of Madonna del Socorso in the window at street level. Anyone know if that is true, and/or have a photo of the building or statue? ElizabethStreet@spenceburton.com I lived here I lived here in the 70s. There were no locks on the downstair doors so late at night, I had to step over people sleeping in the hallways in boxes. THere were 2 apartments per floor. One faced the front on Elizabeth Street and the other faced Bowery. It was an amazing experience living here at 268 Elizabeth as we had artists mixed in with local Italian families. I grew morning glories on the fire escape. On feast days, the parade would come up the block on Elizabeth and I would throw down money for the church. I love this photo. 260-268 ElizabethSince I lived here in the 70s, the buildings were painted grey. They were white. Someone here said it would interesting to see this buildings now. I took this photo in 1999 on one of my many trips back home to NYC. Shouldn't be so judgmentalI was actually going to write that the 1912 street scene made me wonder why anyone would want to leave their country and come to America. Surely things in Italy and Sicily couldn't be this bad. And then I read all the comments and realized I'd missed something. Obviously, this tenement holds something dear to those who have lived there & I smacked myself for being so judgmental. 198 and 200 Elizabeth St.Great picture. I have been looking for circa 1900 pictures of 198 and 200 Elizabeth St. NYC(just a little bit further up the street). My family had a fruit stand/market and lived at the 198 address in 1897 and the 200 address in 1900. Does anyone know where I might find pictures of that genre and location?? (The Gallery, Horses, Lewis Hine, NYC)
Fast Mail: 1912
"1912. Post Office. Hupp Automatic Railway Service." Another look at the Hupp ... some mail cranes in action. Washington Post Aug 1, 1912 Taft Sees New Mail Device Watches Operations of Invention ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2008 - 10:45pm -

"1912. Post Office. Hupp Automatic Railway Service." Another look at the Hupp system for mail transfer to and from a moving train, this being the upload part. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Just like in old cartoons!I remember seeing this type of contraption depicted in old cartoons from the 1960s, but never thought it would be an actual way of loading mail sacks into moving trains! Fascinating! Taft Inspects the MailThe patent database has numerous entries assigned to the Hupp Automatic Mail Exchange Company. None, however, seem to match the photographed devices exactly. The National Postal Museum has a 4 minute film, Mail by Rail, which shows some mail cranes in action. Washington Post Aug 1, 1912 Taft Sees New Mail Device Watches Operations of Invention to Receive and Deliver From Trains President Taft, accompanied by Maj. Thomas L. Roads, military aid, yesterday afternoon motored to Chesapeake Junction, on the Chesapeake Beach Railway, near the District Line station, to inspect personally the working of an automatic mail delivering and catching device. President Taft made a critical examination of the appliances, both on the ground and the equipment inside of the mail car of the test train of the Chesapeake Beach Railway. He made a trip on the train inside the mail car and watched the automatic device deliver and take in the mail, the train running at a speed of approximately 40 miles an hour. Later he took position on the ground near the appliance, and saw a rapidly flying train pick up and deliver the mail pouches. He was deeply interested. P.J. Schardt, president of the Railway Mail Clerks' Association; Mr. Hupp, owner of the device, and W.F. Jones, president and general manager of the Chesapeake Beach Railway, were present. High mail pickupWhen I was a kid in small town Texas (Alma) in the 1940s, the trains picked up the mail with a similar device. I use to love to watch the mailman hook up the hourglass shaped mail bag to the holding device and swing it out close to the track. When the train sped by, a V-shaped bar extended from the mail car would catch the bag in its small center and pull it off the arms. At the same time the man in the mail car would kick the incoming mail bag out the door. I remember how much our mailman would bitch when the man in the mail car was late kicking the bag out the door and he would have to walk some ways down the track to find bag on the ground and in the tall weeds. I would like to find a video of this device in action on the net. Has anyone ever seen such a video? (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
The Money Killers: 1912
Circa 1912. What might look like the start of a gruesome blood ritual is really just ... cropped, appeared in the Washington Post for 2 June 1912. [Ooh. Thankyou! - Dave] Deja vu We've seen this room ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 6:40pm -

Circa 1912. What might look like the start of a gruesome blood ritual is really just business as usual in Washington: "Treasury Department, Bureau of Printing and Engraving. Destruction Committee. Maceration of old currency." The lady is Mrs. Louise Lester, "in charge of mutilation." Harris & Ewing photo. View full size. Bored GameI'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the obvious. It looks like it will be done in the Conservatory by Miss Scarlet, with the knife and it also looks like she's paid the rest of the characters to assist in the murder. I definitely see Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green, and Professor Plum. There in the back on the left standing behind Hooterville's Homer Bedlow is the unsuspecting and still living, Mr. Boddy himself. Poor guy, doesn't know he's dead already in their presence. PocketknivesWow...so much to love about this photo. But at the larger size, it's the pocketknives that drew my attention first. One wonders if Ms. Lester kept one on her person all the time, given her duties. And is that a giant bowl or a funnel into some basement furnace. Maybe a portal directly to hell! Femme FataleWow, so much to love about this photo. But at the larger size, it's the pocketknives that drew my attention. One wonders if Ms. Lester kept one on her person all the time, given her duties. And is that a giant bowl or a funnel into some basement furnace? Maybe a portal directly to hell! Hot pocketsWhich one is thinking "they won't miss a few of these"? Hardly uniqueI dated a number of women who could make money disappear. Casting CallPaging Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. A Warner Brothers ideal setting! The Demon Currency Macerator of 14th StreetI like the way the light is shining off Mrs. Lester's knife. Earlier than 1917This same photo, aggressively cropped, appeared in the Washington Post for 2 June 1912. [Ooh. Thankyou! - Dave] Deja vuWe've seen this room before, haven't we? I believe it was an even older picture, and I'm awfully certain I remember seeing that cauldron in the floor before. [Indeed. We were introduced to Louise two years ago in this photo.- Dave] Mortal paperAre they going to macerate that money or stab it to death? Macbeth at the TreasuryDouble, double toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble. SpeechlessThis picture is so loaded with symbolism that it leaves me speechless. I think it may be my all time favorite Shorpy image. Super CougarI dunno, something about the woman. Maybe the way she's holding that knife? Journey to the center of the EarthI think it's a funnel that goes clear down to China. At least, that's what we have now, and it's not even the old currency that goes in. "Gee Louise""Can we try a double E cup next time. This old money spends just like new." I'm lookingThere must be a Goldman Sachs joke here somewhere. Now there's a corporate titleI can imagine the small talk at an afternoon tea. "So what do you do, Mrs. Lester?" "Oh, I'm in charge of mutilation." Wild thing?Louise Lester seems to have been quite a character in her off hours, when not annihilating money. She was active in Eastern Star and in amateur theatricals, and on one occasion she even won a contest in which "the ladies were required to eat a cracker and then whistle, the prize to go to the one who succeeded in performing both operations in the shortest time." (Washington Post, 1 August 1915, pg. R5) (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Merry Dickey Christmas: 1912
"Dickey Christmas tree." From around 1912 comes our sixth holiday greeting from the family of Washington, D.C., ... they do in the later photos. Wonder what happened between 1912 and 1914 to turn things sour. That Tree Just big enough to be a tad ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2012 - 12:39pm -

"Dickey Christmas tree." From around 1912 comes our sixth holiday greeting from the family of Washington, D.C., lawyer Raymond Dickey in what has become a Shorpy holiday tradition. National Photo glass negative. View full size. PennantsInteresting display of pennants, and not collegiate ones. One seems to say "Germantown" so I'm guessing localities sold these as souvenirs. Wondering if these were a common thing to collect back then. [The one on the right bears the name of Kallipolis Grotto No. 15, the lodge of a Masonic fraternal order. - Dave] Whatever You DoDon't confuse the Dickeys with the Denbys. Pennant raceI believe the pennant reads "Georgetown" and the one on the left reads "Ocean City" (most likely Maryland). They look happy hereMuch happier than they do in the later photos. Wonder what happened between 1912 and 1914 to turn things sour. That TreeJust big enough to be a tad too tall ---- perfect! Senior DickThis is now the earliest of the six photos that extends from 1912 to 1923 in a sequence that is decidedly grim. It really is one of the saddest Shorpy experiences I've come across. Over the years, the mother becomes increasingly unhappy and insane, the children look more and more beaten down, and we Shorpy witnesses find solace in the tree and ornaments. I have no proof whatsoever, but I put the blame for this family misery wholly on the father. He with the cigar and the pocket flask has sucked the joy out of his home and stubbed out the merriness of the season in the lives of his wife and children. [You'd think that after 10 years they (and National Photo) would have gotten the hang of it, but evidently not. Or maybe we are just seeing the outtakes. I look at these people, and the boy on the right, and think of James Thurber. -Dave] CheeksThat little boy has such huge cheeks. They look swollen, almost like he had the mumps? Or bad adenoids. I do enjoy seeing pics of this family, even though they never look too happy (I realize the exposure times, and people were more serious in pics back then, usually). [These are all flash pictures, so the exposure time was an eye-blink. -Dave] Christmas DecorationsAmazing how little they have changed. The one to the left of Mr. Dickey's head is identical to ones I have. It's OKCut a hole in the ceiling and be done with it. ShoesSomeone buy that baby some new shoes! Naughty or Nice? Hard to know...If you judged my own father's large family from the grim series of photographs spanning 100 years from about 1880, now in a trunk in my home, you might also think "Chekhov, Addams, and a dash of Dickens" (but truth is closer to Tennessee Williams or Erskine Caldwell), but my memory of those same people grimly photographed in gritty black and white in large gatherings over the years is consistently non-stop storytelling, laughter, and music. So I don't really think it's fair to assume "family misery" from the series of family photographs we have here, much less blame Pa Dickey's cigars or flask. I think it's simply that no one had come up with "Smile for the birdy" till somewhere around 1965. Aside from that, it amazes me how consistent they were in getting trees that were just barely too tall. My sister and I often enough laugh about our grim photographs wondering where Ma Barker and her boys have buried the bodies, but only because it seems remarkable such a happy and loving bunch could make so many decades of criminally grim photographs. The GrottoI belong to Kallipolis Grotto. It is chartered in D.C. but meets in Maryland. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Natl Photo, The Dickeys)
Topside: 1912
Circa 1912. "Steamer City of Detroit III , hurricane deck." Note the partly ... Joseph C. Suit , built 1884, 318 gross tons. On May 30, 1912, the vessel collided with CITY OF DETROIT III, which was leaving the ... 1911. 600 staterooms; speed of 23mph. Trial run May 30, 1912. Collision with JOSEPH C. SUIT, sinking her on the Detroit River. Maiden ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2013 - 2:09pm -

Circa 1912. "Steamer City of Detroit III, hurricane deck." Note the partly submerged wreck at left. The D-III was one of the largest sidewheelers on the Great Lakes. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing. View full size. Mystery Wreck SolvedIt is the steam screw Joseph C. Suit, built 1884, 318 gross tons. On May 30, 1912, the vessel collided with CITY OF DETROIT III, which was leaving the shipyard at foot of Orleans Street on sea trials on Windsor side of the Detroit River, and became a total loss. 11 persons on board; no lives lost. The vessel was later blown up to remove the wreck. The City of Detroit III, designed by Frank E. Kirby, was the largest sidewheel steamer in the world: Launched Oct. 7, 1911. 600 staterooms; speed of 23mph. Trial run May 30, 1912. Collision with JOSEPH C. SUIT, sinking her on the Detroit River. Maiden voyage June 26, 1912. Detroit to Buffalo. Sources: Loss of American Vessels Reported during 1913; Merchant Vessel List of the United States, 1889. Lifeboat numbersWere they odd/port, even/starboard? What a ship!! 477 staterooms, 21 parlors, and a cocktail lounge/wine cellar that cost nealry a quarter of her total. Compare that to flying economy on Southwest. Collision just happened?So, based on DrDetroit's post, was this picture taken immediately after the collision? If so, wow! The paint on the deck seems too worn for this picture to have been taken on its trial run, although maybe it got worn simply from being outfitted, etc., and was scheduled to receive another coat prior to the maiden voyage. Sign me up DaveSign me up for the maiden voyage in the Shorpy time machine. What a great time to be had walking on these decks and later walking the NYC streets of the early twentieth century. Joseph C. Suit?Comparing the photographs, it is clear that the sunken vessel is not the same ship as the image posted in the comments. The bridge on the sunken ship is smaller, the funnel is in not in the same place (or level) the front mast is not the same, and there is a deck below the bridge on the sunken ship with openings (dark in image) that does not exist on the comments photograph. Also. the upper deck overhangs the lower deck. [Boats change. Wooden pilot houses and decks get rebuilt; boilers, funnels and masts get replaced. No doubt the Suit went through a number of alterations -- the vessel was almost 30 years old when it wrecked. - Dave] It is the Joseph C. SuitHere is a snapshot taken from the deck of the City of Detroit III, just after the incident on 30 May 1912. The Suit had been rebuilt no fewer than four times during its life. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Advanced Vaudeville: 1912
Detroit circa 1912. "Griswold Street from Capitol Park." Home of the Miles Theater and ... William Richert, mayor of Detroit, died on June 16, 1912. Possibly why the half-staff flags. [And let's not forget the ... Half-Staff Who was being mourned in Detroit circa 1912? Relaxing in the park Why did we ever give up spaces to relax and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 10:54am -

Detroit circa 1912. "Griswold Street from Capitol Park." Home of the Miles Theater and "Advanced Vaudeville" -- you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll need a slide rule and a thesaurus. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing. View full size. Advanced VaudevilleWow--am reading Rick Altman's terrific book "Silent Film Sound" at the moment, so I have just learned that "Advanced Vaudeville" was actually another term for movies c. 1910, or for a vaudeville program combining movies, performers, and illustrated songs. No slide rule required! I'll biteMr. Gallagher: "Who was that cosine I saw you with last night?" Mr. Shean: "That was no cosine, that was my tangent." Some there, most notThe two buildings at right center are still there; the others have been replaced. Capitol Park was converted to an outdoor bus terminal and is nearly all concrete today. I remember waiting for the Grand River streetcar at that location in the 1940s. Sigh. Miles to GoThe Miles was demolished in 1927 along with other buildings to its left to make way for the Griswold Building, which was completed in 1929. The theatre switched from vaudeville to movies in the early 1920s. Sources indicate the 1000-seat Miles installed a two-manual, 29-rank Hillgreen-Lane organ at a cost of $9,600 in 1921, which was an unusually large pipe organ for a theatre that size. The Mayor is dead. Long live the MayorWilliam Richert, mayor of Detroit, died on June 16, 1912. Possibly why the half-staff flags. [And let's not forget the Titanic. - Dave] Half-StaffWho was being mourned in Detroit circa 1912? Relaxing in the parkWhy did we ever give up spaces to relax and read a paper downtown outdoors? We've lost so much with air-conditioned cars and buildings. Maybe I overstate, but this park looks so inviting, and "planned" for pedestrian use. Shops and theaters surround the park. Just a wonderful gathering place. Wish more towns and cities had them centrally located for everyone's benefit. ProgressFuture additions to the skyline in this view: the mighty Penobscot, the David Stott and the magnificent Guardian Building. Capitol Park has certainly seen a lot of change and is currently being restored to again be pedestrian-friendly. RE: Relaxing in the parkThe park is still there, but it's a lot less green. It's still being utilized by people from the looks of it. As far as thriving shops and theaters...well, there's room to grow! View Larger Map Houdini Played HereAs Griswold Street stretches towards Canada and the Detroit River, one can spy the marquee for the Garrick Theater on the left, ... it's in the first block south of Capital Park. The Garrick was another famous theater in Detroit, and could lay claim as being the last place Houdini performed, Oct. 24, 1926. He took the stage with a 104 fever; after the show he returned to the Statler Hotel on Grand Circus Park, where the house doctor diagnosed a ruptured appendix. He was rushed to Grace Hospital in the early hours of the 25th where he died Oct. 31, 1926. The Garrick was torn down for the David Stott building in the late 1920s. Houdini, has not expressed an opinion on the demolition. Minnie Schoenberg Marxtterrace, did you know that Al Shean was an uncle of the Marx Brothers? His sister, Minnie, was the mother of that incredible group. She tried to turn her boys into a respectable, well-mannered, singing group. Fortunately, she was only minimally successful at that endeavor! I wonder if they played the Miles Theater? Jeff, thanks for the definition of "Advanced Vaudeville"! Capitol SquareThis is a recent photo I purchased of the square from the opposite angle. I'm wondering if anyone can date it. You can see it larger at Tattered and Lost Photographs. I'd love to know more about the image. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Cloak and Suit: 1912
Detroit circa 1912. "Elliott, Taylor & Woolfenden -- cloak and suit." 8x10 inch dry plate ... exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, founded in 1912 (same year). The mannequins are posed similarly and, while the faces were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 6:16pm -

Detroit circa 1912. "Elliott, Taylor & Woolfenden -- cloak and suit." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Let me get my corset.That rack of dresses! As a devotee of vintage clothing, it is just killing me that I can't step into this photograph and go browsing. Question and commentAnyone know the reason for the unusual chair? And it seems this department store was across the street from a church. One gold thimbleThis looks like the 9th floor set for the "After Hours" Twilight Zone episode. The ChairMaybe it was to assist in standing, it couldn't have been easy to do with fifteen layers of clothing on. Anniversary giftToday marks my four-year anniversary as a Shorpyite, and I couldn't have asked for a better photo to celebrate with. There's something incredibly creepy about the mannequins just standing around on the sales floor. Fortunately, merchandising artists eventually learned to corral mannequins and perch them on display stands so they can't grope unsuspecting customers. CloseIt looks like the 'rose window' of that church is 5 feet away from the store. Well, there goes the side yard. It is interesting how stores have evolved; when have you seen windows in a department store these days? Look at that waste of possible display area. BTW, I also noted that the windows are operable and only have a standard locking device to 'lock' them. Another big change from today's fully alarmed shops and such. At the far right of the photoWe see the two light globes of the elevator to indicate the direction of its travel, something by which my brother and I were always fascinated as children when visiting similar early 1900s buildings here in San Diego. Pretty swankyLove, love, love this photo! Going DownThe two round globes on the extreme right are up and down lights for the elevators. I remember Hudson's in downtown Detroit when it had 24 manually operated elevators. Vancouver, B.C., department stores had operators until the 1970s. Here is one in the Woodward's downtown store. These elevators had manually operated doors and sliding gates. The starter manned an information booth, and dispatched the elevators with a CLACK-CLACK of castanets. Well-endowedThe torsos on the display cases caught my eye. And what's with the hats? The hats were the rage for so long, I suppose, that 100 different styles were stocked. Amazing days. Obsessed with cabinetsI am trying to "see" what is in the tall, glass-fronted case. They look like "trimmed hats." It looks like they sold untrimmed hats on the tables, and had examples of the fully trimmed hats in the cabinets. Wonderful! After Holiday SaleWhere's all the "50% Off This Rack!" signs? First LadiesThis image reminds me of the photos of the First Ladies' gowns exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, founded in 1912 (same year). The mannequins are posed similarly and, while the faces were painted and hair fashions added, the faces were all the same. So how did you try these clothes on?Were there little booths in the back you could disappear into? (I imagine you would need more than a little assistance to get some of these outfits on and off) or did the ladies of 100 years ago take these clothes home and try them on there? (I must say, I haven't a clue) And I do hope someone colorizes this amazing shot! What is the Ghostly presence lower left?The flash powder? [This was exposed by available light; flash wasn't used.] I gots to askLooking at the model in the foreground in the light colored dress, is she a floor walker displaying one of the dresses? The reason I ask, her left hand is blurred, thus moving. So she's not a mannequin methinks. The dress appears to have a price tag hanging from the belt like the display mannequins so she wouldn't be clientele. [Note that the rest of her, as well as everything else in that portion of the negative, is also blurred. Apparently an optical aberration of the camera lens.] I gots to answerIf you look at the bottom of the light-colored dress you will see that she is on a stand, therefore a mannequin. It's amazing that these mannequins look more life-like than what we have today. I can't figure out the chair. Maybe an early Transformers? Where was this?The reason I became quite curious is because the church window across the street seemed awfully familiar, so I did some digging and revealed that the window was from the Woodward Avenue Baptist Church, built in 1886 and demolished in the 1980s. This was confirmed when I did a search for the store itself and found an excerpt from a book on Google, which confirms the building in this photo was built two years earlier at the corners of Woodward and Henry, an area which is now at the very fringe of Downtown Detroit. This spot was exactly across the street from Woodward Avenue Baptist Church, which also sat at the corners of Woodward and Henry (now Winder St. on the east side of Woodward). My particular interest in this? I lived for the entire decade of the 00s in a condo built on the spot where the Baptist church sat. Woodward's downtown store, Vancouver, BCI love the photo of one of the old elevators and wish I could find more. Early on I remember the 3 older elevators encased in a floor to ceiling glass wall on the main and second floors, so you could see the old cages going up and down. I loved riding on these old elevators, watching the gloved operators opening the gates and doors manually and level them at each floor. There was usually a director on the main floor using castanets to signal a full elevator to leave. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Police Call Box: 1912
Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Police Call Box." Finally we have a closeup of a mysterious item of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 9:35pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Police Call Box." Finally we have a closeup of a mysterious item of street furniture on view in many of our urban scenes -- what looks like a streetlight with a dark globe. These were telephones with a direct line to the police station. When a call went out, the red illuminated globe showed arriving officers where help was needed. This one was downtown at 13½ and D streets N.W. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Still aroundA similar version of these is still around. At the University of Maryland College Park campus are the "blue light" call boxes. You can call anywhere on campus actually, plus campus police and 911. At the top of every pole is a nice blue light a la Kmart. Call BoxI have one in my yard minus the mast and light. It made its way to California with some others several years ago. Art on CallThese call boxes are all over the place in D.C. Not the pole with the globe, but the frame that held the box itself. They are being turned into street art. EducationalVery educational entry. I wonder if any of these still exist? Reporting inCall boxes were the standard communication for foot patrol officers. Each policeman carried a key to open the box and was required to report into the precinct station hourly. The obvious drawback was there was no way to get messages out to the foot patrol in case of emergency. In 1959, the department began experiments with portable "walkie-talkies" to improve communication with foot patrols. The D.C. call box system was discontinued in 1976. More info and pictures here. 1969 Jack E. Boucher photograph of call box in Georgetown, Historic American Buildings Survey Who?The British version appears from nowhere, making funny noises, and brings you not just any doctor, but The Doctor. Comedy fodderLike so many now-unfamiliar appurtenances of bygone days, police call boxes were once so commonplace that everybody would understand jokes surrounding them, like Laurel & Hardy using one to store their lunch in their 1933 comedy short The Midnight Patrol. Call Boxes Cont'dMilwaukee still has a working call box system. It's a simple touch-tone phone nowadays. There used to be a fire alarm on the opposite side until they were removed in the late 70's or early 80's to cut down on false alarms. In the age of cell phones, I don't know how much longer the call box system will last. Funky call box artFlickr member Mississippi Snopes noticed the repurposing of this call box on S Street NW: Gator BoxesThe University of Florida campus has these all over the place; in fact I believe they are so frequent that you can usually make visual contact with at least one other call box when you are standing at one. No Doctor here yet, though. Still working in '77When I was appointed a police officer in D.C. in 1975 we were issued a large brass call box key, which was also used to open the cell doors on some of the lockups in the precincts. The phones were still active in 1977 when I had to pull one after my portable radio quit working while on foot patrol. That was the only time ever I used a call box; it was on the corner of Jackson Place and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Call box keyI'm still carrying mine, just in case. Be prepared. Red LightPerhaps things were a bit different in D.C., but my research shows the red light did not tell officers "where help was needed," but rather the light was to have officers call in to find out where to respond to a call. In small towns, there was often a red light at the main intersection. If it was lit, the officer on patrol went to the closest telephone he could find to call in and ascertain the nature of the call. [The D.C. call box lamps seem to have been on all the time, according to various newspaper articles. Nighttime at least. - Dave] Milwaukee call boxesAccording to one of the last alderman newsletters I received while still a resident of Milwaukee, the call boxes will be removed as they are found to be unrepairable. Full-scale removal will cost too much money, so they still have a lease on life -- for now. Call Boxes Police & FireI was a DC officer starting in 1968 and I still have my call box key, it is mounted next to my badges on a plaque. I never saw one with a red light on it. The fire boxes were removed first since they were open to the public and were being pulled daily by kids and driving the fire department crazy. Call BoxesThe last time I used a callbox was 1987 in New York. Only a few Dinosaurs knew about where they were, and we had callbox keys. The son-of-a-gun callbox phones worked perfectly in 1987. Technology and vandalism were the problems. Those caught damaging or defacing a callbox usually left their teeth and some blood at the site. I still remember the locksmith shop that had the keys. New owners, they speak some other language, have no clue what a callbox was. Maybe I should take a ride and see if they have those keys hanging around; A memento. Original issue key was returned in late 1987 when they were officially retired. Radios of today go to Central communications/911 center; Callboxes went to the stationhouse and were answered by the Desk Officer. Nothing ever got logged in or recorded, and was typically and usually the topic of disagreements and arguments, especially after hours, in a local pub. Fire BoxesCall boxes are the cop ones. They were faded blue / gray, needed a call box key to use and had a phone handset where the cop would call in every hour or whatever. If they didn't check or call in, other cops would come looking for them. Remember, no radios in those days, so you were by yourself, fire & police. The fire boxes in DC were painted red (with red light so the public could see them from a distance) with the pedestal being painted gray. They were Gamewell boxes that tapped out unique 2, 3 or 4 numbers several times via telegraph wire to 300 McMillan Dr NW to our Fire Communications Division. Each box had its own unique number and the first number told you what section or area in DC the box was located. The rest of the number identified the exact location. The kids were "hooking" the boxes so often, DCFD switched to "phone" call boxes in the late 1970s that the public could call in on. Many kids called all the time or just let the phone hang, so CD quit answering the calls. That obviously couldn't last, so with pay phones being everywhere, the boxes were removed. 911 calls were free. So every pay phone was used as a fire "street box." The "boxes" were removed, but the pedestals with harp are still in most parts of the city and some were made into works of art. In DC, police & fire boxes were never attached to each other! Different pedestals for each. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Car Dale Tower: 1912
Circa 1912, another view of Old Miami and some long-gone landmarks. "Car'dale Tower ... had just been completed all the way to Lake Okeechobee in 1912. This canal helped drain the East Everglades, allowing for the westward ... Bogart movie "Key Largo." Cardale In early January 1912, the new Cardale Resort with a skating rink and tower opened at Musa ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 8:38pm -

Circa 1912, another view of Old Miami and some long-gone landmarks. "Car'dale Tower and landing and Musa Isle Fruit Farm, head of navigation, Miami River. Steamer Lady Lou entering the mouth of state drainage canal." The origins of the name of the tower, which overlooked the Everglades, are obscure. Sometimes spelled as "Car'dale," also "Car Dale" or "Cardale." View full size. Miami RiverMusa Isle, with its observation tower and the adjoining Seminole Indian village, were popular tourist attractions in early Miami. They stood on the North Fork of the Miami River just east of today's NW 27th Ave. The tower afforded a view of the Everglades, which began a few hundred yards beyond the tower where a waterfall and rapids obstructed further boat traffic. The Lady Lou is starting up the Miami Canal, an engineering marvel which had just been completed all the way to Lake Okeechobee in 1912. This canal helped drain the East Everglades, allowing for the westward expansion of Miami for another 20 miles or so to where the Everglades begins today. Lady LouHere is a little blurb from Google Books about Biscayne Navigation Co. and the Lady Lou. Seems she was associated with a casino operator. Disneyland?This doesn't even look REAL. How strange. FrontierI wish I could have seen Florida when it looked like this. Kind of reminds me of the Humphrey Bogart movie "Key Largo." CardaleIn early January 1912, the new Cardale Resort with a skating rink and tower opened at Musa Isle, the former site of Richardson's Grove, on the south bank near today's 25th Avenue. On opening night the boat Cardale left the Avenue D (today's Miami Avenue) bridge at 8:30 p.m. Round-trip fare was 25 cents and included admission to the skating rink. http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/1988/88_1_01.pdf I'm a little late to the party...having moved to South Florida only 3 years ago, but it really impressed me to learn that Miami was essentially nothing at the start of the last century. I think there were estimates of between one and two thousand in population in 1900. Alligator JoeI googled Musa Isle Fruit Farm and apparently our old friend Alligator Joe worked his magic here. A BeautyI can just imagine that summer's day…blue sky, warm temperatures. Would be quite something to colorize. Musa sapientumMusa, the name of the island, is also the genus name for the banana plant. Canal SystemThe canal system made South Florida habitable by diverting water away from stagnant ponds which would fill every summer and generate incredible quantities of disease-bearing mosquitos. My current house sits where one of those ponds used to be, as is evidenced by the three feet of algae-generated limerock clay (marl) lying under the topsoil. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/canhist.html Personal HistoryWhen my wife and I had a cleaning service, an elderly couple we serviced had owned the Musa Seminole Village attraction just off 27th Avenue. This is not ancient history. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Florida, Miami)
Mother and Her Sisters: 1912
Les soeurs Gaudreau de Stanbridge East, Quebec, 1912. Unknown photographer. View full size. Jolies demoiselles! Une ... photo labeled Les soeurs Gaudreau de Stanbridge East, QC, 1912 I am wanting to do some geneology research. Thank you [To ... 
 
Posted by Sonolisto - 05/03/2018 - 10:42am -

Les soeurs Gaudreau de Stanbridge East, Quebec, 1912. Unknown photographer. View full size. Jolies demoiselles!Une belle famille. Merci! Beautiful young ladies, thank you! What a Bunch!Got to be the most beautiful group of sisters I've ever seen. Gorgeous pair of eyes times eight. Is that fatalism?My modern eyes are at a loss to interpret the expressions on those faces. Some sort of resignation? Fatalism? What? Must be a deliberately chosen affection, even the little one is doing it. Discomforting somehow. But a great photograph, as well crafted as an oil painting. And yes, how beautiful! How I miss real dresses. LovelyStunningly beautiful girls! Great pic.Excellent work by the photographer to capture all of them at that instant. Help finding source of photoPlease help me find the source of the above photo labeled Les soeurs Gaudreau de Stanbridge East, QC, 1912 I am wanting to do some geneology research. Thank you [To contact the submitter, click on the member name (Sonolisto) above the photo, then the Contact tab on their profile page. -tterrace] [Also, it's "genealogy." - Dave] 35 Years LaterLes soeurs Gaudreau, 35 years later, Stanbridge East QC. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Hoops Hotties: 1912
... Washington, D.C. "Madeira School group." The Class of 1912 had that Gibson Girl thang goin' on. Harris & Ewing Collection glass ... -- she could have been from last year as easily as from 1912. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Portraits, Sports) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 4:04am -

Washington, D.C. "Madeira School group." The Class of 1912 had that Gibson Girl thang goin' on. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Time Machine WantedThe fourth from the right went right by me until I zoomed in. What a beautiful girl! Plow Woman?The second from the right looks remarkably like my maternal grandmother -- until you get down to her calves. She grew up on a medium-sized farm and plowed, plowed, plowed, developing huge, German plow-woman legs. They wouldn't look good on a pool table even if it were in a cave with heavy curtains. Third from the right...Positively gorgeous! Vassar Bound Miss Madeira's School 1380 Nineteenth Street A Boarding and Day School for Girls Certificate admits to Vassar, Wellesley and Smith. Miss ContemporaryThe hair of the third girl from the left kind of separates her from the other girls who have the style of the the day. Nothing but net!How brilliant to wear a hair net to protect the "do" while playing. QuartermasterInteresting choice, those jumpers, which look positively U.S. Navy. The young lady second from the right appears to be a first-class petty officer quartermaster (E-6 in today's system). Writing stylesI'm always fascinated by the way handwriting has changed over the years. The person who marked the ball in this photo took the little extra time to put some loops and flourishes on the 12. Nowadays people don't even take the time to write legibly on a legal document, much less a basketball. re: Plow Woman?Tom, I do so much appreciate your sharing. It's memories like these that make the comments so entertaining. Missing equipmentI think Miss Contemporary simply Miss-placed her hairnet. Girls playing basketball?Why that's positively progressive, if the first and third volumes of The Girls Of Central High (1914) are any indication. A healthy interest in the sports allowed by the Girls' Branch would aid in keeping the girls themselves from a more questionable use of their spare time. It was much more healthful and much more wise for them to take part in sports and exercises calculated to build up muscle and mind, than to parade the streets in couples, or cliques, or to attend picture shows, or to idle their time through the big stores in emulation of the adult "shopping-fiend." As boys are made more manly by physical exercise and sports, so girls can be made more womanly by them. A healthy girlhood is the finest preparation obtainable for the higher duties of life. As Dr. Agnew, Nellie's father, was fond of saying: "I don't care how much of a bookworm a girl is, if she swings a pair of two and a half-pound Indian clubs, she'll come out all right!" Middy blouses and bloomersThe girls aren't wearing jumpers, they're wearing middy blouses and bloomers. Middy blouses were the standard-issue gym wear of girls from the aughts through the twenties. I presume "middy" is short for "midshipman" since they are clearly sailor-inspired. QM1Actually, in today's Navy, she would be a QM1, Quartermaster First Class. E-6 is the pay grade. Contemporary galI noticed 3rd from the left as well -- she could have been from last year as easily as from 1912. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Portraits, Sports)
Seeandbee: 1912
November 9, 1912. Wyandotte, Michigan. "Steamer Seeandbee on the ways just before the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/12/2012 - 6:07am -

November 9, 1912. Wyandotte, Michigan. "Steamer Seeandbee on the ways just before the launch." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Strange fateShe became in 1942 the USS Wolverine (IX-64), a converted training carrier. The only one of two sidewheeler carriers ever. It Wasn't Finished YetThey must have finished it off while it was in the water. Here's what it looked like finished. Seeandbee's Future AccomplishmentsEarly on in WWII, the Seeandbee (along with the Greater Buffalo) were purchased by the Navy and converted into the world's only freshwater, coal-fired, paddlewheel aircraft carriers (The USS Wolverine and the Uss Sable, respectively), for training pilots. Both were scrapped at the end of the war. The Namewas selected by contest, and Seeandbee stood for "C&B" -- Cleveland & Buffalo, the railroad that owned her. Sidewheeler to carrierIn WW II the Seandbee was converted to the USS Wolverine, a training carrier (or "unclassified miscellaneous auxiliary", acto the navy). One GHW Bush qualified for carrier duty on her sister training ship, the USS Sable. TensionIt must be a really tense time, standing there, just waiting for someone to give the signal and see this marvelous ship slide into the water. And float [hopefully]. I like the lady in the lower right corner with the babe in arms, I'd step back a bit further if I were her, just in case. All together now, on the count of three:So when it is time to launch it do all of those guys under the ship knock out their respective support poles and then duck quickly between the rails that it uses to slide sideways into the water? What happens if one or more of the poles are not cooperative about knocking loose or someone misses the three count? Sounds to me like an occupation that life insurance companies would certainly shy away from. I must be missing something, there must be a better way. Please enlighten us Shorpy. No Ducking RequiredIf I'm not mistaken, the poles aren't pulled out from under the hull at launch. The ship and the support poles are all resting upon those topmost inclined planks, and it's the planks which are being held in place from the other side. Their anchorage is removed, and the whole system, ship, poles and planks, slides off. Splash Zone?A new launch looks like a popular spectacle, but I wonder if the front rows, close to the near side of the ways, is a Shamu-style splash zone! "Please leave all Kodaks and radio equipment in your automobiles, as the management cannot be responsible for damages!" Honeymoon and TailhookMy late friend graduated from the US Naval Acadmedy in 1941 and married, spending his honeymoon on a SeeandBee voyage. He then became a Naval Air Pilot and practiced carrier landings and take-offs from the same ship renamed the USS Wolverine. Certainly he and his wife were one couple of maybe a few who could have ever claimed to have spent their honeymoon on an aircraft carrier. Proto-taggingAll you commenters from last week: the railroad car in the foreground appears to have some sort of pre-spray paint graffiti on it, including what looks like a stylized letter "T". Old wheelI like the flatcars wheel - forged with the year 1888. Also, when they launch ships like this, how do they / DO they recover the wood rigging that slides into the water? Does it sink? Float? Flat car wheelThat wheel has been cast, not forged. The number is probably a serial number. More freight car wheels !Freight car wheels are forged not cast as they are made of steel and turned to the final dimensions. The 1888 is the year of manufacture as railroads like to keep track of how long things last and for the past hundred years or so it has been required by the Feds.( retired railroad machinist) Fire SafetyThe Seeandbee represented a step forward in providing fire detection and suppression built into the vessel. Perhaps that, along with large size, made her a suitable candidate for conversion to an aircraft carrier. While steam-driven side-wheel paddlers were approaching their final days when the Seeandbee was launched, it was still considered by some to be superior propulsion system for maneuverability and passage through ice. Safety Engineering, Vol. 26, November, 1913. A New Era in Steamship Equipment At last a steamship company has constructed a vessel in which the fire peril has been considered as important as length, breadth and comfort. There has recently been launched the largest and most costly passenger ship on inland waters—the "Seeandbee"—built by the Detroit Shipbuilding Company, and owned by the Cleveland and Buffalo Transportation Company. This vessel plies between Cleveland and Detroit. The "Seeandbee" is 500 feet in length and has sleeping accommodations for 1.500 passengers. In the design and equipment of this vessel, nothing in the way of comfort has been omitted. A new element of safety has been introduced. Contrary to the almost universal rule of steamship construction, the owners of the "Seeandbee" have afforded protection against fire for the passengers. The Aero Fire Alarm Company, New York, has equipped the ship throughout with the Aero Automatic Fire Alarm System. Sprinklers have been installed. How many passenger-carrying steamships carry such protection against fire? Examples have been frequent recently of the terrible destruction which fire accomplishes when it appears on a vessel unequipped to speedily detect and extinguish fire outbreaks. Thousands of lives are jeopardized each day on board firetrap ships, the owners of which refuse to consider seriously the grave danger to life from the fire peril which exists in their vessels. The Cleveland & Buffalo Transportation Company has set an example in providing for the safety of passengers, which can well be followed by other steamship owners. The "Seeandbee" represents a great step forward in steamship construction. The Aero Automatic Fire Alarm System consists of a fine copper tube which is extended in loops throughout the entire ship. Both ends of these loops are returned to a cabinet, which, on one end, contains a sensitive diaphragm, which moves sufficiently to touch an electrical contact point on the occasion of fire breaking out in the ship. Fire causes a rapid rise of temperature, and thus the air in the tube expands and so operates the diaphragm. The other end of the circuit terminates in a testing valve, which is opened at the time of testing into an air pump, by which pressure is created in the tube similar to fire pressure, causing the diaphragm on the other end to make the electric contact and carries out in exact manner the operation of the system in the event of an actual fire. … More on RR wheelsThose wheels are cast. The date of manufacture is included in serial numbers today per AAR regulations. I don`t know if that was true in 1888. All wheels made in North America today are cast except for the following manufacturer. http://www.standardsteel.com/history.html Forged wheels are required for passenger service and some freight cars. Most cast wheels today have the serial numbers on the back plate raised above the surface. Forged wheels have numbers stamped into the back hub or rim face. Retired wheel machinist. Last word on RR wheels?All the previous posts are partially correct in their own way. The wheel in question is almost undoubtedly a cast wheel. The raised lettering is a clue. The 1888 is also undoubtedly the date of manufacture. Railroad car wheels are currently manufactured both by forging and by casting. I believe that cast wheels comprise a larger segment of the new wheel market, due to lower cost. These are cast STEEL wheels, not cast iron, manufactured in highly automated facilities. However, a wheel cast in 1888 is most likely a cast IRON wheel. The real visual ID on these are the cast-in cooling ribs on the reverse side. More than anyone likely wanted to know about a minor detail in the foreground! John G (former RR Car Dept. Manager) Where's WaldoI think I have found him and his twin brother wearing identical knit caps in the front, near the water, to the right of center. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Campbell Kids Kids: 1912
March 1912. "Making dresses for Campbell Kid Dolls in a dirty tenement room, 59 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 11:47am -

March 1912. "Making dresses for Campbell Kid Dolls in a dirty tenement room, 59 Thompson Street, New York, 4th floor front. Romana family. The older boy, about 12 years old, operates the machine when the mother is not using it, and when she operates, he helps the little ones, 5 and 7 years old, break the thread." View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. Campbell KidsI understand Lewis Hine's mission was to persuade Congress about the evils of child labor, but from today's perspective it seems unfortunate that he frequently used the term "dirty tenement room." It was a cold water, walk-up flat; they did the best they could. This one doesn't look dirty to me. The children are clean in clean clothes. And the two boys in stripes must be twins. Re: Campbell KidsOops! The boys I thought were "twins" are five and seven years old. Scratch that thought. SewingIt looks like they are making doll onesies. The boy on the right has a string of backs and fronts with yokes. Mama is stitching the backs and fronts together at the shoulder seams. The boy on the left is turning collar sections right side out. Interesting that mama does not have a spool of thread on her sewing machine. She may be using an industrial size spool feeding from the floor but unless she has a heavy stand the spool is likely to bounce around and snarl. Gypsies?Could he possibly mean that this is a "Romani" family? That is the proper term for gypsies. I come from a bit of Romanes background, and these children look to have a bit of the Rom in them. It would be unusual for most Rom to stay in a tenement - at least in the long term. What are Campbell kids? LikeWhat are Campbell kids? Like the Campbell soup kids/dolls? Doll clothes manufactureMy grandparents, both Italian teenaged immigrants, met and fell in love in a doll clothes factory in 1917. This family, also Italian, are doing the same thing. I always imagined the clothes they were sewing to be a bit more fancy; but who knows? Thanks for digging this one up. (Where do you find these photos?!?) SingerWhat I wouldn't give for that sewing machine. My mom has a brown metal Singer that belonged to her grandmother, and it's outlasted every plastic sewing machine we've ever had. I see that Lewis Hine's isI see that Lewis Hine's is at it again with his pejorative captions. I like seeing his photos of New York's Lower East Side, but Hine has got a bit of a loose screw about things being "dirty." https://www.shorpy.com/node/2213 treadle SingerTreadle sewing machines can be had for around $100. The thread coming up from the floor looks very thick, which is odd for sewing doll clothes. Regular sewing thread would barely be visible. She's probably using an industrial cone rather than a spool but, like Tracy said, it would have to be in some sort of holder to prevent it from rolling around. Wish I could see behind the little boy's chair! Hine's agendaWere his subjects aware of Hine's mission? It makes me sad to think they dressed in their Sunday best and invited him into their homes to be photographed, only to have him describe them in some pretty unflattering terms. Or did he believe that the ends justified the means? campbell's kidsyep, they were soup commercial dolls. Campbell Kid DollsIn most of the advertisements by Campbell Soup until the late 1940's, "The Kids" along with a four line poem promoting a favorite soup, appeared faithfully in the advertising media. Dolls of Campbell Kids were offered in 1910 as promotional items and were a hit. Through the years, the dolls have become popular collectors' items. [Link] Dirty?Of course, Hine was there and we were not... Campbell Kid DollFor those wondering what the dolls look like, a detail below from here. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, NYC)
How to Be Cool: 1912
... Chicago White Sox against a backdrop of sales pitches in 1912. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Mac's Stats ... Matty McIntyre played between 1901 and 1912. He had a lifetime batting average of .269 and hit 4 home runs (remember, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 1:30pm -

Matty McIntyre of the Chicago White Sox against a backdrop of sales pitches in 1912. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Mac's StatsAccording to BaseballReference.com, Matty McIntyre played between 1901 and 1912. He had a lifetime batting average of .269 and hit 4 home runs (remember, this was the "dead ball" era). He played for Chicago in 1911 and 1912 which dates the picture. He died in 1920 at the age of 40. Re: wonderThe phrases "10 for 10 cents" and "Why pay more?" were used in ads for London Life Turkish Cigarettes, circa World War I. http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!176429!0#focus wonderwhat was 10 for 10cents.... MittGet a load of that "mitt!" (It's certainly not a "glove" by today's standards!) And check out that leather belt holding up his pants. But I wonder: what's the device around his right ankle? A brace of some sort? A pouch for his 'baccy? Yep: definitely "cool." Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska B.V.D'sLove those sales pitches! "Be COOL...wear loose fitting underwear" !! WOW 1912 was sure upfront and personal! Tires, alcohol, and Cigs! (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Sports)
The Big Apple: 1912
New York circa 1912. "Big buildings of Lower Manhattan." Landmarks here include the Singer ... Building burned down in a spectacular fire on January 9, 1912; the Chicago architecture firm of Graham, Burnham & Co. designed its ... of the tallest buildings in Manhattan from 1894 to 1912: The 1894 Manhattan Life Insurance Building (black baroque topped ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 6:56pm -

New York circa 1912. "Big buildings of Lower Manhattan." Landmarks here include the Singer Building and, under construction, the Woolworth tower. And let's not overlook the Hotel Grütli. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. SurvivorsMany buildings in this photo are still going strong. Woolworth, Bankers Trust, 2 Rector St., 111 Broadway and, of course, Trinity Church. What else I didn't know there was an elevated train on Trinity Place as well as Greenwich Street. Off in the distance is the Met Life Building, with no competition, and at the right the grand old Municipal Building is nearing completiion. El of a PhotoThe two Tracks shown at the bottom photo are the 6th Avenue (on the right) and the 9th Avenue(on the left) Elevated Lines where they have just diverged from a common track above Battery place and the South Ferry terminal. The 9th Avenue El is also seen further uptown in the photo. The photo also shows the NYC Municipal building under construction and way uptown, the Metropolitan Life building, shown in many images here. Those buildingshold more people than the 25,000 from my town. Coming soon to a Broadway block near youThis view would soon be transformed by the construction of the new Equitable Building at 120 Broadway, between Pine and Cedar Streets. The old Equitable Building burned down in a spectacular fire on January 9, 1912; the Chicago architecture firm of Graham, Burnham & Co. designed its replacement, which was built between 1913 and 1915. Although it was hardly the tallest skyscraper in downtown Manhattan, the new Equitable was one of the bulkiest, and it was heavily criticized for blocking out the sun from the downtown streets. Shortly after it was completed, New York adopted the Zoning Ordinance of 1916, which placed limits on the height and bulk of tall buildings; this law promoted the "setback" massing that characterizes so many NYC buildings built after 1920. With apologies to the Beach BoysWith trains on either side of the building, rooms in the Hotel Grutli would have had good, good, good, good vibrations. Tall, Taller, TallestWhat a great snapshot(!) in time. This image captures the progression of the tallest buildings in Manhattan from 1894 to 1912: The 1894 Manhattan Life Insurance Building (black baroque topped building in front of Bankers Trust pyramid, after its 1904 expansion). The twin-domed 1899 Park Row Building, just to the right of the Singer tower of 1908 (lantern-topped building with flag). The Metropolitan Life tower of 1909 (in the distance, through the haze). Finally, the Woolworth Building (under construction, completed 1913). (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
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