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Office Xmas Party: 1925
... in photo, remind me of my father's photos of the late 1950's. It's all quite timeless. Hey, long time listener, first time ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/15/2023 - 3:04pm -

        It's two Fridays before Christmas, time for a hallowed holiday tradition here at Shorpy: The Office Xmas Party! Which has been going on for 98 years now. Will Clarence in Sales ever get up the nerve to ask out Hermione from Accounting? Is there gin in that oilcan? Ask the bear. December 1925. "Washington, D.C. -- Western Electric Co. group." There are enough little dramas playing out here to keep the forensic partyologists busy until Groundhog Day. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Leer Kings"That Guy" looks like he could be the son of the older leering man directly to the right of him. I shall call them Denis Leery Jr. and Denis Leery Sr. The two men with them are obviously Christopher Walken as The Continental, and a young Franz Mesmer. Just a little creepy....Some of the looks on their faces, wouldn't you love to know what they were thinking! Debauchery 2.0Four years after behaving scandalously at the Krazy Kat, our bohemian friends find themselves slogging away at desk jobs in the boring adult world. Just WAIT until the Christmas party, though! The oil canOf course the bear and the cabin weren't mentioned -- everyone knows the best part of the party is getting well-oiled! Thank you. I'll be here all week. And don't forget to tip your server. H.P. Lovecraft?Could it be? Standing in front of the "Go Go" guy, half hidden? Maybe Franz Kafka, instead? This would be the guy who takes an extra-long time in the lav in order to scratch unseemly things onto the stall partitions. Every office has one of these guys and in this office, its either him or else its the nearly invisible guy standing across from him on the other side of the tree. Also, the girl on the far left, standing in front of the door, is unforgivably cute. I'll bet she's told a lot of these guys "NO" and that's why she's way over there. The Power Bloc ...Have you happened to notice how Big Boss Man - the guy holding that little stubby cigar - is surrounded by thugly-type guys? This is the power bloc for this office. The guys up on the top left are all from a different Department and are wary of Big Boss Man's thugs. There is a little bit of cross-pollenation, however. The first guy standing on the table at the right is shooting a bemused glance in the direction of his bud in that other Department. He's the shorter, unjacketed guy with the full frontal grin and the eyebrows in serious need of plucking. To them, this is all a goof. They hang out together and keep each other informed as to who says what about whom, which of the girls are doable and what the scuttlebutt is coming down from the top. There's more here but I don't want to get censored. A Story in every faceThis photo can inspire everyone to write a novel because there is indeed a colorful character with his own personal bio in every set of eyes. The bald guy with the candle on his head particularly stands out as one who has a complex persona but so does everybody else in the picture. Some appear depressed, some look beat up, some seem desperate. Make up your own scenarios. Personally, I used to look forward to the office parties when the most unexpected facets of co-workers' personalities would be revealed, giving us the rest of the year to talk about that until the next one. Stuffy old lady accountants and spinsters turned out to shock us the most when relaxed by a "touch of the grape". Lots of fun, too bad they have mostly been eliminated. Thank you for this blast from the past. [That's a "GO-GO" traffic signal on Mr. Complex Persona's noggin. - Dave] WiredCould it be that they tapped the power for the Christmas tree lights from the ceiling fixture? What a mod hairdo!The brunette peeking from behind the desk (right above the black purse) has such a 1960's hairstyle! Fat ChanceThe corpulent boss, stogie in hand, actually thinks that removing his glasses improves his appearance. He also seems to be playing footsie with the marcel-waved cutie who inexplicably has an oil can in front of her. A KnockoutThe woman with the pearl necklace sitting at the very corner of the desk is a knockout! She looks like a present-day actress whose name escapes me. The guy standing up and glaring into the lens at the extreme top right of the photo may very well be the Antichrist. His stare gives me chills. The guy behind him looks like an "evil character" straight out of Central Casting. This is a great photo. Thought BubblesIt would take me all day to write out thought bubbles for what I imagine is going through all those heads, but the lady at dead center seems to be thinking, "What was IN that punch? Did they repeal Prohibition and nobody told me?" The "dark lady" downstage right is thinking, "I hope they snap that picture before I freeze to death down here on the bare floorboards. You would think the electric company would have better heaters in its own offices, but old man Pennyfarthing won't even spring for a rug to keep the draft out." Western Electric (Shock Therapy)Great pic. And I'm sure there are as many stories as people in this one. But let's admit that the lady sitting on the floor on the left has to have the most interesting one. There is a haunted, post-experimental-therapy look to her that immediately reminded me of the psych-ward scenes in "Changeling." Where's the copier?Ahhh, the days before every office had a copier, and every office had some joker trying to get the temp to sit on it! Re: Fat ChanceWait -- so the oil can is worth noting, but not the bear statuette or the small house? Western ElectricWestern Electric was the manufacturing and distribution arm of American Telephone and Telegraph. I suppose that this office in Washington was one of their distribution points. At any rate one interesting thing about the photo is the decided separation of men and women as though they might have come from different sections of the business. I also note that the ladies are sitting on a pretty rough floor, which is something I would have thought they would have avoided in those clothes. As to the glasses, I suspect that the photographer cautioned them that the flash might reflect from the lenses, assuming that I can assert that there was flash. Who knows, maybe there's a window somewhere. That Office GirlI find her the most intriguing face in the picture. She looks almost out of place in this setting... her face is striking. Her expression says that she's part of a back story going on around the office that no one knows about. Wow. I'm falling in love with a woman who's long long dead. How sad is that? GiftedJudging by the peculiar items in the shot I'm thinking they exchanged white elephant gifts at the party. I got a big stuffed fish at our last party. I would have preferred the oil can. This is so great!A bevy of attractive females here but I'm partial to the blond girl standing at the far left of the photo. Wowzer! Also, standing next to Boss Stogie on his left: ladies and gentlemen ... Mr. Joaquin Phoenix. The Black WidowQuick somebody, get the story on the raven-haired woman sitting in front of the desk. She looks like she ate her young; perhaps she has a few "missing" husbands buried in her dirt-floor basement. I get the very distinct impression that if you crossed her, you ended up joining the silent majority long before your time. Dark LadyWell.....the woman at bottom left certainly catches the eye. Something of a femme fatale, I think. Not generally popular with the more strait-laced ladies, like the woman two to her right who's giving her a very frosty look. The younger woman though, above and slightly to the left, is more sympathetic. Since it's not uncommon here on Shorpy for unflattering comments to be directed at the olden-days womenfolk, let me be the first to say what a grim bunch the men are. I'll make an exception for the guy under the tree. Getting Oiled at the Office Xmas PartyThe oil can on the foreground floor is absolutely precious. There can be no rational explanation for it. Then again, one tends to get oiled at the office party. The hot babe is standing, far left, if not the girl sitting left, in pearls by the purse on the desk corner. The fat guy with the cigar has his conjoined twin growing out of his forehead. Girls on one side, boys on the other? Weird. How dare these people all die off before telling us why that guy is holding the little horsey? "Hey, Griselda. Spin my copter. If it says 'STOP - STOP', you are not mine. If it says 'Go - GO', oh you kid!" Most riveting photo ever.I've been a lurker on Shorpy for months, but this photo has prompted me to register and comment. I've been coming back to this picture every day since it was posted, showing it to everyone I know. What strikes me is that though there are several vintage-type characters here, there are also quite a few very contemporary looking people as well. This photograph represents such a vibrant living moment in the lives of these people. Some of them look like they could speak to you right from the picture. And, oh what a story they could tell! This photo takes first place from my previous Shorpy favourite, They Shall Remain Nameless. (But it's so close... check it out if you missed it.) Ansel Adams had the Zone System... I'm working on the points system. First I points it here, and then I points it there ... Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen......hair! I think that's my favorite part of this picture. There's such a great group of hairstyles among the women. A few of those girls were pretty darn good with the curling iron, or whatever they used. I wonder if they're more glammed up than usual for the big party. For some reason, the hairstyles are more striking to me than in other pictures. Anyway, fascinating as always. P.S. I think the guy that bdgbill thinks looks like the antichrist is actually kind of a hottie. I'm going to go on the assumption that he didn't look that intense all the time. If he did...well, I could see bdgbill's point then. Now I KnowMy father worked for Western Electric. The money wasn't very good, so I never figured out why he stayed there. Guess this answers the question. IN and OUTI noticed the IN basket on the desk to the far right, but where's the OUT basket? I sometimes wonder why I have an OUT basket on my desk at work - it's always less full than the IN one. The woman sitting on the floor to the far left bears a striking resemblance to the Italian actress Ana Magnani (The Rose Tattoo). Dramatis PersonaeMona, the woman on floor, far left (one of the few without the Marcel wave), is probably a Suffragist or at least politically active. Maybe she's trying to organize these party animals into a union and all they want to do is balance traffic signals on their heads and be wildly social. Don't mess with these guys!The boss from Hades has what looks like a goose egg on his forehead and the coatless guy on his right has a black eye and cuts on the nose and eyebrow: maybe the partying started the night before. Looks like a smoking hot curling iron was de rigueur for any well-coifed lady. That guyOf the four guys standing in the upper right, the guy who is on the left side, closest to the tree -- which girl is he leering at? Western ElectricIf you flip the picture around, you can sort of read the door sign. I can make out: 504 [Western Elec]tric Com[pany]. [INCORP]ORATED [?]ION DEPARTMENT I wonder what the missing part is. Administration? Office TensionThis must have been just after Phyllis spilled the beans about Dwight and Angela. Poor Andy! The Power Bloc, continuedThe balding gent just over Boss Stogie's left shoulder-- the real power in the office, he certainly looks confident that his recent appointment to regional director will lead to greater things. Boss Stogie's son, Junior (with the candy cane), was on the fast track to becoming a junior partner until he was befriended by Harold from the mailroom (his hand on Junior's shoulder), which displeased Boss to no end. UndercoverIsn't anyone going to ask why the woman in the middle is wearing a hat with a Police badge? Is this a costume xmas party? Could she possibly be a real cop?? My GirlSay what you want about the woman on the floor or the blonde with the pearl necklace, but my heart belongs to the woman standing fourth from the left, middle row. She reminds me of Bernadette Peters. The henchman second from the right at the top has a menacing Snidely Whiplash quality about him. You just know he slipped a mickey into someone's drink. Re: Western ElectricYou know you're a Shorpy addict when you "get" Anonymous Tipster's reference to the photographer's use of flash (or WAS there a window somewhere?!). Nice shot, A.T.! Twins or Sisters?Study the features of the young woman directly in front of the door - then look at the one just to the right of (and looking directly at) "blondie with the pearls". Eyes, hair, smile, shape of face, body build: if they are not twins then they must at least be sisters. It is uncanny! Christmas BackstoryYes, the young lady at the lower left leaning against the desk has the most interesting backstory in the room. Thanks to the passage of time we'll never know what was behind her haunted expression beyond that the woman giving her the evil eye must have had something to do with it. Dave continues to put these evocative photos up knowing our emotions will never be satisfied!! Meanwhile, notice the vintage Chia Pet resting on the scales in the "shipping department" (the desk along the left side). The girl in the fake police hat is looking longingly at it. Chia bunny? Chia elf? The guy in front of the Christmas tree holding the toy, "I got a PONY!" Keep them in their place.I, too, wonder why all the women are sitting on the floor in their silk satin dresses with fur collars. Surely there were some men who would have been glad to give up their places for them (and to sit amongst the women!) How did they get Xmas light strings in 1925?I thought people used small candles until the '60s. How did they happen to have these string lights? Great pic of us back then. [The 1960s being, I guess, when covered wagons brought in the first supplies of wired Christmas lights. - Dave] I spy...Second woman in the third row...Frida Kahlo, at her day job. SpellbindingI cannot stop looking at this picture. So much to see. The Al Capone looking guy is mesmerizing. The guy at top, second from right gives me the creeps. 1920'sI'm kind of young so maybe I'm missing something, but did pretty women not have to hold jobs in the 1920's? This office is worse than the one I work in, I didn't think that was possible. Re: 1920sI'm kind of young too, but I disagree with you. I think this office has quite a collection of lovely women (and some not-as-lovely ones too, just like today). Sometimes, it's hard to look past the hairstyles and the clothes. If you are young (20-something? younger?), you've really only seen one ideal of beauty--you've missed a lot of the different fashions and hairdos of the rest of the 20th century. You also underestimate what modern makeup does for women. There are so many more varieties of it today than there were then, and it's generally of higher quality and easier to use than in the past. If you took one of the women in this picture, say, the girl with pearls sitting next to the desk and plunked her down in 2008 to get a makeover, her hair would be longer, probably highlighted and dyed, and aided by daily washing and a host of conditioners. Then, add some good moisturizer, foundation, and concealer, as well as a lash curler, mascara, and a healthy helping of eye liner, and I'm guessing you'd think her quite the fox. Conversely, take the most attractive woman you know now, and put her in short hair and marcel waves, take away her hair dye and most of her makeup, and I'm guessing she'd look quite similar to the ladies in this photo. Even something as simple as the shape of plucked eyebrows really change the look of someone, and with the change in aesthetics, it's sometimes hard to get past the fashion to see beauty. It works with the men too--you'd probably look a lot different with a side part and a pompadour! That's right . . .. . . pretty women did not have to work in the '20's so, Miss Oilcan's exemption is assured, in my opinion - what a hottie. Foy Las Vegas That's my desk!I have a desk that's identical to the one on the left. I had guessed it was 1940's vintage. It's nice to see it's even older than I thought. Record Breaker?Look at the stats on this photo: 53,000 + reads, and still climbing. That's a lot of forensic partyologists! I wonder if even Dave knew what he had pulled out of the hat with this one? [I am shocked. Shocked! - Dave] re: Xmas light strings LOL! Dave, a lot of your comments (like this one) crack me up! Are you a comedian in real life? Merry Christmas! [Please folks, no applause. Just throw money. - Dave] Hotness quantificationI count 20 women in that picture; most of them you can see no more than their face and hair, and two you can't even see all of that. Out of the 18 you have a good facial shot of, I'd put 3 of them at 8.5-9.5 on the scale... three of them are SMOKING hot. I'd put another 4 at the 7-8.5 mark, meaning serious cuties, and at least three of the others are a 6 -7. Where I work we have 100 women in my office; I'd put exactly three in the 8.5-9.5 scale, and another 10 in th 7-8.5 scale; of the rest, probably only a smattering are really in the 5+ range. So, I have to know ... where do you work that the women are so attractive? Playboy Enterprises? Taking into account the differences in style, these women were, mostly, very attractive, and even a couple of the less attractive weren't awful. The Men of Western ElectricIn the interest of gender equality, I got to wondering about the relative charms of the office boys. I found three who tickled my fancy. 1. The tall smiling fellow whose head is sticking up behind and to the right of Police Woman. His face is open and honest, he's smiling with his twinkly dark eyes as well as his mouth, and although his ears are a bit prominent there's a lovely overall symmetry to his face. I'll call him Dimples. 2. The one man who has the sense to sit down with the ladies. He's a bit older, but I love his soft wavy hair. There's a certain aristocratic but slightly sad angle to his tired half-smile that puts me in mind of a young Prince Philip. I'll call him Phil. 3. OK, here's the hotness - the brash, cocky young sheik peeking out confidently between the heads of Boss Stogie Pennyfarthing and his wan shirtsleeved assistant. He's got the eyes of Frank Sinatra and the hair of Jack Kennedy. I don't know what he looks like from the neck down, but from the Arrow collar up he's all, "How YOU doin'?" I'll call him Frankie. In summary: Were I one of the office flappers, I would ride in Frankie's Studebaker, nurse a secret unrequited crush on Phil, and take Dimples home to meet Mother. Rogues' GalleryI can't stop staring at the chilly filly down by the leftern desk. She looks like three out of every five women I've ever fallen for. It's the eyes. As to the resemblance to Ana Magnani, she might be of Italian descent. I am also like the older gentleman in the upper right. Mr. Leery Senior, was it? Right between Charlie Sheen (or Leery Jr.), Snidely Whiplash, and Mr. Deer-in-the-headlights. What a jovial sort. And a snappy dresser, as well. Conversely, the startled fellow's vest is well off-center and makes him look like he couldn't decide which part of him was the front. Or maybe he was taking a nap under a desk just before the photo op and somebody had to drag him out. Funny how a photograph will turn Bob & Lisa from the office into Dick Tracy characters once you let your imagination do the walking. Thanks to all you for sharing your insights. You were linkedA local blogger from Beaumont's newspaper linked your site today. I will be forever gratful! Nevermind I got absolutely nothing done today and instead pored over your site at length. This is truly an awesome site! This Won't DoOne chubby gal. One chubby guy. As an official with the State of California, I say that this does not pass muster. There was hiring discrimination here. Walk into any State office and you'll see what I mean. Not to mention the plethora of Caucasians. The chubby gal is next to sheet music. Wonder what this melba toast group was singing? They're all dead nowJust think ... they all had their youth, their lives, their personalities, and now they are all turned into worm food. Just a happy thought for Christmas. No, wait a minute. . . okay, I've changed my mind. Now I like Miss Lookingaway, sitting in the lower left. Definitely. She's the one. Foy Las Vegas Oil Can GalThe siren sitting with the oil can is undressing me with her eyes. I'll ignore the fact she is 112 years of age, and let her. [Guess that explains the oil can. - Dave] Houdini?The guy on the left side, just above and to the right of the P.D. hat girl....did Houdini make a special appearance? In any event, he's got a mean set of eyebrows. And you are correct, Stinky, the girl on the far left by the door is surely a looker! Lost in the crowdNobody seems to have spotted Hugh Grant peeking out between Stogie Boss and Bald Guy. Famous facesTo keep Hugh Grant company, fellow British comic actor Rowan Atkinson is peeking out from behind Shirtsleeves. He is not a crookOh, my gosh. There's Richard Nixon on the upper right (with face partially hidden) just below old boss and crooked-vest guys. Roxie & Co.I love this picture, and all the comments! Here's my .02: *Girl with the oil can doesn't want to undress you, she's too in love with herself. You can see it in her eyes; she's a Roxie Hart if I ever saw one. "Eat your heart out, Sophie Tucker." *I swear I graduated with the girl who has her hand on Roxie's shoulder. She's the one who organizes all our class reunions. *If I were one of those girls, I'd probably want to date the guy sitting on the desk, right hand side. However, I have a feeling he'd want to "just be friends." So, *I'd have to go for the one behind Ol' Pennyfarthing. No, not that one, the bald one. Handsome features and sense enough to not put some ridiculous piece of fur on his head. *Girl leering at our castoff looks like one of Cinderella's stepsisters. Drucilla, I believe. Office HottieI think the guy looking over the RIGHT shoulder of chubby-stogie dude is hot. There's something about the eyes that grab me. And the hint of a smile. British InvasionNot only Hugh and Rowan - isn't that the actress/singer Patsy Kensit on the left, standing in front of the office door? Can't Get Over This PhotoI can't get over this picture. It's my favorite one on Shorpy, which is saying a LOT. And, it has nothing to do with my collection of high-end Western Electric phones from 1905-1939. The woman in front, referred to as the "Black Widow," I can't look at her enough. She surely would get a large kick out of the ruckus she would caused in 2008, unless it bored her as also being commonplace in her own time. The woman over her left shoulder has movie star looks. They are on the fifth floor, and I wish I could see the name on the glass door. Then again, the woman obscuring it may be the one to take home to meet the family, so she can stay. The finish on the floor is badly worn, as contrasted by the part under the desk. These fellas were habitually hustling to and fro, and with the feminine charms represented here, it's no wonder. Office romances must have been all there rage therein. I have been hoping the Farkers would be all over this one, except they love to specialize in the one-person quirk shots. I could place the Black Widow in countless situations... Is this the only picture you have on this stunning group? [Afraid so. - Dave] If onlyTterrance had taken this photo! We would know all about it, mystery solved. I thinkthe mysterious suicidal communist was probably a cleaning lady whom the photographer sort of forced to be in the picture and she's embarrassed to be photographed in shabby clothes and feels naturally out place amongst the staff with whom she's always been subservient. She reminds me of Camille Claudel on her way to the madhouse. 50 Little IndiansThis photo looks like a cast of characters who would end up in an Agatha Christie mystery....and I'm pretty sure I know who did it! The Officethis picture reminds me of the TV show The Office. Jim is sitting on the desk in the right corner. Pam is all the way to the left in the back row. Michael is the guy with his hand on Jim's shoulder although he should be the bossman with the cigar. Stanley is the guy between the man holding the horse and the man with the cigar. Creed is Mr Leery. Kevin is holding the horse. Dwight is the only guy in glasses. Kelly is the bobbed woman behind the desk with the permanent smile on her face. Meredith is the creepy woman off alone... she's just waiting for her next drink of alcohol. Andy Bernard is the guy to the right in the back with the striped tie. I couldn't decide who Angela was. Ryan is the deer in headlights next to Andy. Phyllis is in the satiny dress to the right. Oscar is right by the right hand edge. Man I love this picture. AngelaAngela's sitting on the floor with that big lace collar, giving the stink-eye to Meredith. Naughty NaughtySome young lady has just done something naughty off screen left. The Leery Boys approve, the Black Widow and Stink Eye don't, and the young lady behind Stink Eye is too drunk to comprehend. Also, is the bald man by the Christmas tree wearing a traffic signal on his head, set to "Go?" Somewhere in this crowd must be Col. Mustard, Miss Scarlet and Prof. Plum. My favorite pictureI and my co-worker check this site at least three times a day. He has never been on the Internet and when he passes by he will invariably ask "Anything new?" Which I know to mean "Anything new on Shorpy?" This Christmas Office Party is our favorite. We both live in Maryland and have seen many of the areas displayed in these pictures. When we scan the Office picture and see the "mob boss" guy with the stogie and the gun in his pants, he does a great Al Capone voice. I hope my posting this comment will bring new fans to this amazing photo. Merry Christmas everyone!have a great holiday and prosperous New Year. Oh Christmas Twig! Oh Christmas Twig!Considering it is 1925 and an urban area they probably had a hard time locating a showpiece Christmas tree. Probably the best they could do was this poor little immortalized twig. Timeless peopleEver notice how nearly every photo of a large group, from about 1900 on, contains at least one person who looks like he/she could have been photographed in just about any decade, or just the other day? The lady by the desk behind the pretty girl with the pearls looks like a teacher at my kids' school! There is nothing about her teeth, hairstyle, makeup, etc., that gives away the fact that she was photographed in 1925 except, of course, for most of the other people in it. The Timeless DeskI'm still using the exact same desk as the one in the photo; my wife purchased it from McGill university when they replaced the professors' desks in the mid 1960s. Oh what funAdolf (second from right at very top) has quite the leer going on. Peter Sellers could imitate him well. Mystery Lady could have been even more beautiful. I imagine her long hair flowing and her prominent features brought out even more with an expert's touch. What is Stogie Man carrying, besides his eyeglasses? I also wonder who took this photo. It obviously took some arranging, with the piling up of people. Excellent, almost spellbinding picture! I come here about six times a day just to visit it. I wonder who lived the longest, and what year they all died and how? Yes, I'm a morbid one. Office A-Go-GoThe gent at the back is, indeed wearing the miniature street signal (it has 4 arms to the signal so not a railway signal) on his head. Firstly, the only thing behind him is a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall, certainly nothing that the signal could be perched on. And, secondly, if it was sitting on something, it would not be sitting at the angle it is. Then and Now I'm wondering -- in today's world there is usually at least one person at an office party of that size who gets a little too inebriated and winds up making photocopies of their nether parts for distribution to all. Was there a way to do the same thing using a mimeograph machine or whatever other copying technology existed in 1925? Would the tipsy individual first have to draw their naughty bits on some special copy medium? Our grandparents sure had a lot of hardships to deal with. At First Glanceand in the zoomed out view, I thought the gent at the far right might be the office troublemaker and that the folks wrapped him up in Christmas lights for his just deserts. Alas and alack, when you go in for a closer look, it's simply the ravages of time taking their toll on the negative. [This batch of plates has water damage along one side. - Dave] The Lady of the Deskjust wandered in from the Sergei Eisenstein film that was shooting on the set next door. She's on a break between takes of the Odessa Steps sequence. RE: Oh GreatIf CBS could give us Rudolph, Shorpy can give us Western Electric. 2010 InterpretationsThis year, I think the Black Widow has pretty much just had it with that place. Stink-Eye isn't looking at the Black Widow. She's disapproving of something messy on the front of the desk. I can't find Don Draper Nor Joan Holloway, but this sure conjures up thoughts of Mad Men, 45 years earlier. I burst out laughing when my eyes scanned to the guy in the back with the stop and go-go item on his head! Maybe THAT is the flavor of the evening? More GO than STOP? This is the roaring 20s after all and these are certainly modern women.. Yes, this picture and your readers' comments may be my very favorites to date! Some Like It Hot The mademoiselle standing in front of the woman wearing the Policeman's hat could have been Billy Wilder's inspiration for his casting Jack Lemmon in drag. Another WorldThese people are denizens of another universe that, no matter how many photographs we study or books we read, we will never fully understand because we didn't live in it and never will. These are people who knew how to navigate themselves in the distant world of 1925. All of these people were born at the beginning of the last century and were brought up by people from the 19th century. If a modern young person were to be suddenly transported here without preparation he would find it completely disorienting and possibly quite frightening, because of so many technological and cultural and social differences between now and then. Deja vuI loved this picture. But the lass in front of the desk, looking stage right, is memorable. I think I've seen this picture before. Then I noticed the dates of the previous comments. 2208? Surely two years cannot have gone by so quickly. [To say nothing of the 198 after that! - Dave] SteamyThere are some SERIOUS sexual crosscurrents and hot vibes in this picture! Amazing! Slow on the uptakeI'm pretty sure Mr. Semaphore head isn't actually wearing that thing on his head; it's behind him. What is alarming is the second head growing out of his chest. The heads seem to be in agreement to lurk. Oh great!Shorpy is doing reruns for the holidays. Kidding. Merry Christmas. Uh-Oh TannenbaumThat's the most bedraggled Christmas tree I've ever seen. It has more tinsel than needles. An unflattering portraitMy god, this is by far the ugliest group photo I've ever seen! Both girls and guys look like winners from the Walmart Ugly Photo Contest. Kimono-wearing parrot?With a bouffant, no less? Over there, on the scale!! The gal with the candy cane, to our left of the much-ballyhooed oil can chick, seems to be presaging late '60s hairstyles. And yes, the balding dude in the rear with the traffic semaphore on his head wins the covert group-photo clown award in spades. Sad to SaySo many hotties, so many dorks. Season's GreetingsHope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season, from Walter and all his friends in this, my favorite Shorpy picture. General Electric Crime FamilyOk, a lot of the men look like mafiosi with the big-lips guy in front being the capo. The two guys at the right, top, are hit men. Western Electrical FireI can't believe, in 90+ comments on this remarkable photo, that not one person pointed out the extension cord running from the ceiling light fixture to the tree. I think the answer to the comment about how and when these folks died is: a few minutes after this photo was taken, in a horrible electrical fire. It would be a chore, but could someone pleasecolorize this! BeautyI love the woman sitting on the floor next to the desk looking away. At first glance you think; boy she looks tired, and then you look again and you see how beautiful she really is. She is just stunning. I also find it interesting with the commentary just how similar our comments in the office were to the ones posted on this site. We too made up stories about these folks. I love this photo. Thanks for sharing it. I never tire of looking at this one.Always noticing something new, frinstance, The object on the scale, seems to have some heft to it based on how far the scale dial has moved, maybe a cast iron toy? The young fellow on the far right, Candy Cane in his right hand but whats on his left hand? Looks like it's slipped inside of something, a toy holster maybe? Completion All this tableau requires (perhaps) to make it complete, is a large paper bag on the floor stuffed with goodies, including the obligatory pair of turkey-feet protruding upward in a festive fashion. Best of the Season to All in the Shorpyverse Continuum! Secrets never revealedThere is no question that many secret alliances and not-always discreet hook-ups probably took place during and after this festive celebration 86 years ago. Luckily for those involved, there were no surveillance cameras, cell phone cameras, tape recorders, security guards, texting devices or other pesky snooping devices that could cause the merrymakers a permanent record (and deep lifetime regret) of their missteps. They were the roaring 20's when people gathered their rosebuds where they may and parties were for having the best time you could have. I'm betting many of these revelers took their sweet and sordid memories of that night to their graves. Another Shorpy Party!I love this photo and we're going to test the limits of the reply counter. Merry Christmas everyone and have a grand new year! Lord Almighty!!!It's the butler in the pantry!!! I have never, ever seen so many guilty people in one photograph. Unbelievable that it was not staged. But it obviously wasn't. Wow!!! My hat!How did she get it? "Pure horse, Danno. Book 'em."Having just spotted the drug paraphernalia on the left - the scale, the packaging materials, the kimono-wearing parrot - our undercover coppette in mid-pack has whipped out her official police hat and ignoring the cries of "that baggy's not mine!" is about ready to haul the whole gang downtown. A bust like this baby was sure to bump her upstairs and away from all these dreary office parties. Up to no good?The gal sitting on the floor behind the Oil can has had a drink or two already, and she is plotting mischief. I can see it in her eyes! Was she the good time that was had by all? Cost of that treeCould not have been more then a dollar in 2011 money Must have been last minute!!! The ion DepartmentA quick flip of the door confirms we are in room 504 of the ion Department. FestivusIts good to see this one again. I just keep looking at the people and see more than a few that would have been great company. I hope everyone, viewers, commenters, Dave and webmaster Ken has a great Holiday Season in the company of friends and loved ones. She apparently had a good time with my grandpa.As she is my grandma! "The gal sitting on the floor behind the Oil can has had a drink or two already, and she is plotting mischief. I can see it in her eyes! Was she the good time that was had by all?" 3rd rowfrom the top 3rd from the left. I'm in love. Oh wait. Party HeartyOoooo -- Roaring twenties office party, bathtub gin. Oooooo -- I think I just threw up in my throat a little bit. Shorpy Christmas cardIf Dave would produce an annual Shorpy Christmas card I would buy a few boxes, and I'm sure others would as well. Cards with this photo would be seen in every business cubicle in the country and quite a few places around the globe. It says Merry Xmas for me. So much to read into This picture is as familiar to longtime readers of this blog as our own family photos and as evergreen as that Christmas Tree was before it was cut down. One can imagine so much here, for example that as soon as the photographer finishes with his duties, the Volstead Act will be violated by most of the people in this room (there are a few who look as if they might disapprove), and the usual office party shenanigans will occur, some of which might have consequences in the months to follow even if they all swear that what happens at the Office Party stays at the Office Party. Al JolsonIs that Al Jolson in front of the "Traffic signal" bald guy? He's peering out just a bit from behind the guy with the vest and holding his glasses. 1925, the timeline is right. :) Iconic StatusThis photo has taken on a level of immortality that few others can hope to achieve. A Photograph for the ages that will always be appreciated and admired. A Tradition is born! Thanks to Dave and all that visit here; hopefully someday your office pictures will be shown here and we can all marvel at how far we've come in so short a time. Tiny Tim said it best so I shan't repeat it but that is my wish for one and all. Thank you, DaveI hope this re-posting will bring new fans. Merry Xmas,everyone! Why the oil canThose three objects in front - Maybe just spur-of-the-moment party silliness? Another year olderI just love this photo. There's so much to analyze. Saw it last year for the first time. Here we all are, another year older. That would include those in the picture, in a macabre sort of way. Best Christmas Party EverFirst, Dave, you have cured my holiday depression. I found this during a post-Xmas hangover and there are no words. I was instantly addicted to your site. Thank you. Second, if there is anyone out there with connections to the BAU I would like you to seriously consider imposing yourself on that relationship and get them on it. I'm dying for a more complete story. You must be too if you're reading this. You know who you are. Pick up that phone and give him/her a call. Not Al JolsonWade in NW Florida: if he looks like anybody of that period, it would most likely be Eddie Cantor, not Al Jolson. The other 13I have just spent an extremely enjoyable hour reading all the comments reaching back to 2008. Of the 47 people in the photo, 34 have been commented on. So what about the other 13? Six guys in the upper left have been ignored, plus seven gals in the pack. The most prominent of the abandoned baker's dozen are, to my mind, the two women standing side by side, closest to the tree. Both have bead necklaces: one tucked in, one on the outside. They seem neither hot nor cold, neither suicidal nor drunk. The two of them actually look (dare I say?) like really nice people. NOW it's the holiday season.....when Shorpy breaks out this holiday classic! I wonder what pop-culture figures of the past year will be likened to our hard-partying crew? The face that could sink a thousand shipsThe guy holding the cigar, oh man I want to punch his face! Every yearEvery year when I look at this, I think the same thing: do all those dames hate Desk Woman for the same reason, or different ones? Lots of single women in that officeNo wedding rings on almost all of them. Perhaps a woman worked until she got married, or at least until she had children - and then she was sequestered in the kit home built in one of America's booming trolley suburbs. It must have been a major change for these ladies to go from office life, with its daily human contact and pleasures (such as this office party) to a few rooms, kitchen and nursery figuring predominantly. My grandmother still reminisced proudly about her work as a lawyer's assistant in the 1920s, way back before she got married, had three children, and spent most of her time in the top floor of a Boston triple-decker for the next 20 years. Colorized Version Hidden in Plain SightCheck out https://www.shorpy.com/node/11937 for colorized version in Colorized Photos by members. Dave, do I get a prize for finding it? Talk About Your Lonely HeartsThis could be the Sgt. Pepper album just before The Beatles stepped into the shot Par-TAY!I totally wanna party with this crew. I've always loved the Roaring-Twenties era, and the show Boardwalk Empire is doing a great job with the fashions and the music. I think Nucky Thompson needs to sprinkle a little Xmas cheer on this group. Volstead Act be damned! Young bald guyEvery time I see this, my eyes go to the young, very handsome man who is looking over the shoulder of the rather portly guy on the right side of the photo. Balding men didn't have many options, then, like they do now, but I rather doubt that the premature balding kept all the young ladies away from him! I wonder which of these men were veterans of WWI? At the Ion Department Christmas Party . . .That exotic woman sitting in front of the desk in the lower left STILL seems distracted by something just out of camera, and the woman in front of her is still watching her carefully. It's a wonderful photo worth our annual holiday attention! --Jim Naughty or Nice?This oft-repeated photo is starting to remind me of the traditional holiday tune by Eric Cartman (of South Park fame) singing about the Swiss Colony Beef Log; irreverent but fun. What's printed on that document?Dave, can you zoom in on the piece of paper being held by the guy kneeling in the center, right in front of the tree? It's almost as if he's trying to show it to the camera. Thanks! ------------------------------------- Just a something something TO WISH You and Yours A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year Division Four Office 1925 Worth a second or third look There are some half dozen ladies in this photo. Like the one right behind the corner of the desk, with the chevron shapes on her dress and the one directly in front of the door on the left that are definitely worth seeing again. Merry Christmas Shorpyites! Is there anybody out there?Surely one of these people in the photo has a living relative (great grandkids, grandkids, etc) that might be able to shed some light on this photo. 2%Of the 47 people in the photo, only one is wearing glasses. Did the Ion Department require perfect vision of its workers? My cueI don't even start listening to Christmas music until I see this picture reheated. It's a classic. The Girl with the Curl -- and the candy cane. There once was a girl with a pretty little curl right in the middle of her forehead When she was good She was very, very good and when she was bad she was even better! Re 2%The cigar smoker on the right in the three-button suit and the gent on his right both are holding eyeglasses, all the more to ratchet up their smashing good looks. Well, maybe just looks. What's Left To Say?Besides their clothes and hair dos, two things that I’m glad have changed: The way Christmas trees look and protective coating for hardwood floors. And I’m guessing they had a White Elephant gift exchange, thus the whimsical gifts. Raise your glassesI'm sure one of our more knowledgeable posters might know better, but I wonder if glasses were removed to prevent unwanted flash effects? Could it be?I've looked at this photo for three Decembers now, and I just noticed that the girl sitting behind the girl with the striped blouse, and how much she looks like she could be Johnny Depp's great-grandmother. Party TimeThe office parties and associated grab bags were created to give us all a chance to regift. Allow me now to wish all of our Shorpy viewers, creators and commenters a very happy Holiday season. Let us all be well, prosper and keep returning to this wonderful site. Love this photo....Like so many of you, I love it when this photo is trotted out! We are so drawn to it and love imagining what this party must have been like, the silly little gifts, the party girls, and those who just wanted it to all be over with so they could get back to work. Each year I am struck by the lady behind the one in the striped blouse. She looks like she could have been in my high school annual from 1970. Yes, I dated myself there! Her hair style looks like it could have been from the 1970's, unlike her co-workers with their many finger waves. Keep posting this one, Dave....truly a classic! An Evocative PhotographThe romance of old photographs is especially powerful in a picture like this. Studying the faces of what we assume are long departed strangers, we can't help speculating about the nature of their inner lives and how things turned out for them. Who ended up married to someone who made them happy or miserable? Which one(s) got ahead and who descended into poverty? Who died young - and so on? With hindsight we know that only a few years after that Christmas party in 1925, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. Then World War II winnowed out a great many - how did this group of individuals make out through all those difficult times? There are many such questions which occur to the curious. This is an extraordinarily evocative photograph. The transience of everything is plain to see in this picture if you notice such things. This photois what prompted me to make an account on Shorpy. The first thing that jumped out at me was, is that a man in drag standing with his hand on the young lady's shoulder? The lady in question looks a bit like Drew Barrymore. I noticed the indentations between the eyes of many of the men, and realized that they did take their glasses off for the photo, to minimize glare. No featherweight lenses in those days! Tales from the Jazz AgeI'd like to take a crack at imagining who some of these people could be -- Oil Can Girl (seated at bottom, center) - Never turns down a chance to cut a rug at a speke. Very generous with the contents of her hip flask, which in a pinch can supply fuel for her sometime-boyfriend’s Hupmobile. Desk Girl (seated at bottom, left) - Staring intently at a winged, two-horned leopard and wondering if she should jump up and scream at everybody to run for their lives. Lace Collar Girl (two left from Oil Can Girl) - Wondering why Desk Girl is staring so intently at the office kitty-cat. Time Warp Girl - (immediately above Desk Girl) - Up until a few weeks ago was a liberal arts major at an Ivy League university in the year 1969, then stumbled through a time portal into 1925. Decided to stay and get a job because, well, things are a lot less crazy here. Starlet Girl - (above and to the right of Time Warp Girl) - Avid reader of Photoplay, Picture-Play, Screenland, Movie Weekly, Movie Mirror, and lots more. Passionately believes that her good looks could bring her fame in Hollywood, if only she could manage to stop tossing money away on magazines and save up for the train fare. Hat Girl (immediately above Starlet Girl) - Took a few slugs from Oil Can Girl’s hip flask, now having trouble remembering her name. Trashed Girl (immediately to the right of Hat Girl) - Took even more slugs from Oil Can Girl’s hip flask, but still conscious enough to realize that if she stops leaning on the girl below her, she’ll tumble to the floor. Handsome Guy (standing in the back, left side, farthest left) - All the office girls have swooned over him at one time or another. Been engaged six times, but it always breaks off when he tells his bride-to-be that his mother will be living with them. New Pretty Girl - (third from left, standing) - Just started work this past month. Soon to be Handsome Guy’s next ex-fiancee. Wow, this is way too long already. Anyway, you get the idea. This is fun! White Elephant Gift ExchangeI going with a White Elephant Gift Exchange for an Office Christmas Party. It explains the goofy gifts and the attire. Some of the exchanged presents still have tags on them. No one seems to have noticedbut the shy guy in front of GO GO is none other than Irving Berlin, on a guided tour of the Western Electric facility and already evidencing the reclusiveness of his later years. At uppermost left, we have the mustachioed miscreant looking disdainfully at those beneath him, which is everyone. And finally, we have Grishkin at lowermost right left, a handsome woman whose lean and hungry look hath a troubled aspect not customarily associated with holiday gatherings (apart from those with family members present). She seems to have wandered in from one of those Russian plays that Ira Gershwin makes reference to. All of which can only mean one thing - it's Christmas time here at Shorpy's. Greetings and salutations to all! Times they don't changeThe women definitely place this picture in time by their clothes and hair. The men, especially the back row, center in photo, remind me of my father's photos of the late 1950's. It's all quite timeless. Hey, long time listener, first time caller!I wonder if camp Pierce Brosnan (top row, far left) found the Ion Deptartment accepting of his flamboyant wonderfulness. Festive DressThe bald gentleman in the back has the best holiday hat I have ever seen, the festive Go Go hat atop his bald head. We need those names!The spectacular Massafornian colorized image should have some labels for the people in it. So, here we go. (Gimp and Python/PIL scripts did the job) Thanks for the MemoriesThank you for publishing this picture again this year. It just doesn't seem right to not have these wonderful people wishing all of us a Merry Christmas. I wish all of the Shorpy readers and the Admins a Merry Christmas also. Merry Christmas!I'm a faithful reader of Shorpy, have been for over 10 years now, since I joined up. Every year, I always look forward to the Shorpy Office Xmas Party picture. I don't know what it is; maybe it's the continuity of it. We know every year we'll see it, and every year we'll get to talk about new fictions we've created for the people therein. It's such great fun. Re Office StoriesNice commentary! You really bring life to this party. Glad for TradIt's truly a fun Shorpy-looker tradition to view this pic large and spend an hour time traveling and reading the comments. Hope everybody had a Groovy Solstice yesterday. Happy Holidays! Hair dressersWho did the hair styles back then, terrible...... Sic transit ursusI love the Shorpy Christmas party! This guy still startled me when I spied him on the floor, despite the fact that I commented on him FIVE YEARS AGO. Dean NorrisAh, it wouldn't be Christmas without this delight from Shorpy! The guy behind the big boss's left shoulder looks like a sightly younger version of actor Dean Norris. According to IMDB, Dean Norris was born in 1962 or 1963, but if this post on Shorpy is any guide, he's at least 100 years old. Is he pretending to be younger than he really is? And what's the secret of looking so young? Cheers!Thanks for posting again, this is one of my favourite pictures on Shorpy. Some odd Barnets going on with some of the women though...I'd love to know if there was a gramophone at this party and if so, what the playlist was. Tradition I can almost hear Tevya, singing the song in "Fiddler On The Roof", but not quite. It is of course the Holiday Season, office parties and good will to men and of course women. It is time for us Shorpy Junkies to wish each other the best of the season. Good health, prosperity and peace to all. Thanks to our Hosts Dave and Ken and to our interlocutor terrace for their grand efforts. G-manI had to do ctrl-f for all three pages, and I'm amazed that no one to date has identified J. Edgar Hoover standing in the front row, cigar butt in hand, between vest-and-watch chain guy and three-piece suit guy. I can't believe I didn't notice him when I first commented three years ago. Time for a Shorpy Xmas party!I think we are overdue to have one where we all meet and discuss THIS picture (because with 150 comments, we clearly have a lot on our minds about this W.E. holiday soiree). Merry Christmas ShorpyitesMerry Christmas to one and all, fans of the photos posted in Shorpy. Thanks to Dave and everyone who helps out with the site. I hope the new year is good to all and everyone will be back next Christmas to view Xmas Party. I've been a member for 3 years, 2 days and anonymous for several before that I think. What's with the oil can?I understand the Teddy Bear and little house in the front of the photo. But what is the significance of the Christmas Oil Can? [Yet another beloved Christmas legend inspired by this photo. -tterrace] Do they know?The standing gal, 3rd from the left, and the kneeling gal (center and one row back) both have the same necklace on (7 little cascading chains ending in a pearl). I think that the boss-man, J. Edgar Hoover (on the right with the cigar), is having an affair with both of these gals and he gave them both the same necklace. He thinks it's really funny and smiles when he sees them together; his own little private joke! I wonder if the gals know and are just playing him for whatever they can get? We will never know for sure. Modern Woman+89 One must wonder if oiling the bear will make the Yuletide bright? Thanks again!This is now my official notification that the Xmas season has begun. The Office Party re-post. Threadbare BoughsNow I know where Charlie Brown got his tree. Merry Christmas everyone! Hours and hoursI, like so many others here, have spent hours with this image. I'm always drawn back to the woman in the lower left. She's always struck me as the office outcast trying to get out of the picture. The woman to the right of her, with the lace collar, looks like her boss giving her the stink eye for not participating. Roaring Twenties!Thanks for this flash-back, Shorpy! Love the very mysterious Lady on the left... and still dislike that pompous guy with the cigar. Wee fish, ewe, a mare, egrets, moose... and a hippo gnu year! I have to askDoes "Office Xmas Party" have the largest amount of comments? [That record might be held by Our Lady of Lourdes School. Another much-commented post was The Beaver Letter. - Dave] FinallyShorpy's annual "Office Xmas Party" has arrived! There's my guy standing in the back row, far left still waiting for me. Swoon. Happy Holidays, Shorpyites! And thank you, Dave, for all that you do. Re 2%, and Raise your glassesI think glasses were considered unattractive. I remember lots of members of this generation (my grandparents') or the next who would whip off their glasses whenever someone raised a camera. Tough Day At The Office?The best part about these office parties are the grab bags. It's always the best way to regift. Other than that, I hope Dave, Ken, tterace and all our outstanding commentators and readers have a wonderful holiday and a healthy prosperous New Year. Must have been a heck of a partyAll the way in the back is a tall bald man with a traffic signal on his head! That's better than a lampshade. The body language between the woman on the far left and the woman to her right who is glaring at her is really very sad. You wonder what sort of ugliness was going on behind the scenes. The lady looks like she's been crying a bit. Who knows. It's fascinating to see such a candid photo none the less. An oilcan!Now I know the perfect gift to get for all my co-workers. Merry Christmas Shorpy nation. I look forward to these people each yearThey've become familiar yet remain interesting. As I said years ago, we're testing the counter on this one. Merry Christmas fellow Shorpyites and wish a grand New Year! It was ninety years ago today ...... and the photo never ceases to give. The fun is overOkay, we had our Christmas celebration, now everyone back to your desks and let's finish out the day at 5:00. The lucky onesDue to the magic of photography, this happy group has been celebrating now for ninety years. If you enlarge the picture and study their faces and demeanors, you may get some insight into their characters and personalities in 1925. After seeing this photo for many Christmases on Shorpy, I almost feel that I know some of them as well I know my own friends. Merry Christmas to all, especially the Shorpy staff. What are we missing?Great photo, been seeing it for years now, but I always wonder what else was going on? People are looking left, right, straight, up, down. What was going on out of frame? That lady in lower left looks ready to bolt, especially with the other lady looking on concernedly. If this was a Halloween photo, the massacre would be about to begin. I've been ill, and maybe delirious... Spooky Lady of Christmas PastI remain endlessly curious regarding the woman with her back to the desk. Spooky and haunting, amid all the fascinating characters in this classic shot, she is The One. Department Name for Room 504Western Electric Company Installation Department 5th Floor 1319 F Street Washington DC (From the 1925 Washington City Directory) This department installed Central Office equipment (testboards, operator switchboards, signaling equipment, etc) supporting both local and long distance telephone service. Google street view has an office building that looks old enough to be our Christmas Office party location. Perhaps another Shorpyite can add the street view for us. [It was built in 1913. Interestingly enough, it's just one building away from Harris & Ewing, another source of many Shorpy photos. -tterrace] Merry Christmas, George BabbittThe guy on the right, in front, with the grand forehead, holding the stogie, reminds me of Sinclair Lewis's protagonist in "Babbitt" (1922): "He was the modern business man; one who gave orders to clerks and drove a car and played occasional golf and was scholarly in regard to Salesmanship. His head suddenly appeared not babyish but weighty, and you noted his heavy, blunt nose, his straight mouth and thick, long upper lip, his chin overfleshy but strong; with respect you beheld him put on the rest of his uniform as a Solid Citizen." Room 504Flip the photo horizontally, and you will see that we are on the 5th floor. Who can guess the "department" we are in? Now it is Christmastime for sureI couldn't truly celebrate Christmas without seeing this picture again. It must be after Thanksgiving or Shorpy would not have posted it. Any comments I could make about this picture would only be a pale response to all the previous comments. It just makes me try to think what an office Christmas party like this must have been compared to a modern day party. I look forward to this picture every year for some crazy reason. 294408That's how many people have called up this photo. Over a quarter million! And this isn't YouTube. What an amazing picture. What an amazing site. Merry Christmas to all my Shorpy comrades and a huge thank-you to Dave and tterrace for all they do to bring this amazingness to us every day. YuletideI heard Springsteen singing about Santa on my way to work, and now I see this. It is truly Christmastime now. Oh, Beautiful Lady in the Lower Left......let me unwrap that bear for you, before your nearby friend gets more worried that you're not having any fun. DoppelgangerThe young woman framed in the door on the left looks remarkably like today's woman who was a business partner of mine. Nothing but the best at Shorpy!!Thanks for this expected post! Never noticed this beforeThe men's jackets have creases running the length of the arms. I wonder if this was a customary thing for "the office" or typical treatment "of the times" for pressing? Perhaps this treatment was typical only of a worsted fabric? P. D. Police Dept.I keep being intrigued by the one and only joker in the crowd, our lady with the "P.D. Police ...." hat. There must be another word after "Police," I suppose it is just "Dept." Marching In PlaceSeeing this picture so many times tells me that I'm growing older but these celebrants have become ageless. Along with that piece of wisdom allow me to add my Seasonal Greetings for a Merry Christmas, a joyous Hanukkah Past and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to all. Of course we are all in the debt of Dave,Ken and tterrace (who may or may not be on the Payroll) for their addictive posts, explanations and comment rebuttals. From NYC, where the Christmas Eve Fahrenheit is forecasted at 72º. Mel [tterrace is salaried, deals in a service and is bigger than a bread box. -John Charles Daly] Life of the partyMy best guess for "life of the party" status goes to the lady in front with elf buckles on her shoes. I love this image- there so much detail and depth of relational perspective. Afterlife Office PartyThis photograph has become a holiday tradition for me, as anticipated as my Christmas eve tradition of baking cookies, wrapping gifts and gently placing a dish towel under Uncle Trouble's chin so he doesn't drool on his good shirt after passing out on the couch. Scanning the full-screen photo, I wonder if a small corner of the afterlife might be populated by tenants doomed to spend eternity at a perpetual office Christmas party for some workplace sin like stealing lunches from the office fridge, pilfering office supplies, or failing to replace paper or toner in the printer. I can picture Dickensian clarks with ink-stained fingers forever mingling over paper-cupped eggnog with 60's swinging secretaries, Old Kingdom robed Egyptian scribes trimming the tree with bored mid-level Qing Dynasty bureaucrats, and that impenetrable knot of young IT guys and gals speaking in that techno-babble, side-eyeing the boss, forever giggling. I imagine the mirthless rounds of the eternal white elephant gift exchange: the Take Me to the River-singing fish going round and round and round the conference table ad infinitum. I can see the everlasting greasy pile of stale taquitos, timeless sips from the bottle of booze hidden in the file cabinet, Starbucks Christmas Jazz CD playing in an endless loop -- the horror. Goober Pea UpdatedUsing John J's sleuthing on the location of this office, I recently ventured there to see if any resemblance to the photo remains. I got as far as the only door in the hall on that floor. Nothing appeared to remain. Seek and ye shall find . . . GO!TimeAndAgainPhoto, that's a great job of investigating one of our Shorpy.com favorites, but I'm convinced that if you'll just badge your way into that office, you'll find a fellow in there with a traffic signal on his head. I hope so, anyway. Re: Seek and ye shall find . . . GO!Jim Page - I had to badge my way past security and up the elevator before I was stopped by the secured door. Those were the daysI really do miss the office Christmas parties from my working years which gave us an opportunity to meet, greet and schmooze with people we hadn't seen in 20 minutes. Merry Christmas to all, rejoice and be glad. Every Year and I am Still Captivated But I Don't Know WhyThanks Dave, I'm still enjoying this for some reason I don't understand, and I'm still curious about the front and center oil can. SNL Time Traveler?That person standing directly to the left of the tree is either a time-traveling, cross-dressing Pete Davidson from SNL or his Great Grandmother worked at Western Electric Group in 1925! Shorpy - I look forward to this picture every year and am a regular viewer of your site. Even have a couple of large prints on my walls at home, with another coming soon! Thanks for this site - it's one of the pleasures of my day! Yuletide.I love seeing this picture every year. As do my co-workers. Thank you. I have seen this picture for six (I believe) years nowBut today, today there is a new face, one I instantly recognize, that I would swear was not there in any previous year. I once found my wife's doppleganger (Trackless Trolley) in one of these pictures. Today, I find my youngest daughter, Cecilia (16); she's poking her face out between the 2nd and 3rd fully visible women on the left side of the photo (their right) from the tree. Ok, it's spooky Dave.... but I'm starting to believe someone has a time travel machine, and everyone but me in my family is using it. P.D. clocheWonder what she's hiding under that hat? It's timeThis picture (and the myriad comments) are so entertaining, I sometimes search for it when I'm feeling low, even in July! I especially love Oil Can Sally's come hither look. I amost know these peopleMy Great-Great Grand uncle was Dan Richardson, a senior accountant for Western Electric in the New England/Northeast US area. He certainly visited Washington D. C. during his time with Western Electric, and would have met and worked with one or more of the people in this photo. Odd to think I could, via relatives, have been introduced to these people. This is my first ChristmasI see 26 men, 21 women and hundreds of possibilities. Oh My GoodnessI had no idea it was so close to Christmas. We really need to finish the baking... Old Friends From The OfficeAre like warm Gluehwein to heat the cold heart at Christmas. Merry Christmas my Shorpyite friends and a Happy New Year to everyone, especially Dave who keeps all of us in memories. [updated] Phyllis Diller"What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day." QuorumThis picture puts the "mass" back in Christmas. Sturdy DesksI guess the nine guys head and shoulders above everyone else are standing on two or three of these desks. Curious as anyone about the office relationships and the lady sitting in front of the desk. My eighth year of wondering and guessing about this picture. The scraggly looking treein the picture most probably was bought with donations from some of the people in this picture. Older Shorpyites will no doubt remember the single set of lights on the tree. The lighting "outfit" was an inexpensive 8 light series set, with C-6 miniature based bulbs. When a bulb burned out, it was time to hunt for it with a good one...unscrewing every bulb in the set until it was found. I remember helping my grandmother do just that. For some reason, the C-6 series set was always at the top of the tree. Grandma would get up on a stool, with me holding the good bulb, and switching it one by one until the set lit. Wonderful times. Timeless memories. What Are They ThinkingI've enjoyed this picture year after year, and like many who had suffered through office parties, I often thought what goes through their minds. Click to enlarge. Lady in the foregroundI've also wondered (several years in a row) about the lady with her back to the desk. The thing that really stands out to me, is her hair. As far as I can tell, she has her hair swept back in a bun, which is clearly very old-fashioned compared to all the bobbed and shingled ladies in the office. I know this is a bit far-fetched but her clothes and hair suggest to me that she wasn't an office worker, as they give the impression of having less money to spend on herself. I wondered if maybe she was the office cleaner/ tea lady who was called in to be part of the photo? It could explain why she seems a bit distant from all the others in the group. It's here! It's here!The Shorpy Christmas Cheer office party picture is here! Smack dab in the middle of Prohibition, the gang at Western Electric make merry with two or three hundred stories or thoughts about what the heck was going on in their heads! My favorite is the seductress "oil can" Sally with her bathtub-gin induced come-hither gaze! Merry Christmas! #UsTooI bet if those girls had a voice today there would be some explaining to do. Night Before ChristmasWhen what to my wondering eyes should appear but a company Christmas calendar, the same as last year. Season's GreetingsThis is simply the greatest captured moment in the history of office photography! Nothing puts me in the spirit like --this pic, a glass of egg nog and Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on a loop! Merry Christmas all!! The distant gazeAs fun as it is, I think we're way overthinking the motives of the 5 or so "looking away" women. Yes, even the comment-generating pair of the sultry one in the lower left corner and the one sitting to her left who appears to be staring her down. It was evidently fashionable for many decades for women to "look into the distance" for a portrait photograph, and I think that's all they're doing here. My theory is that this practice started as a way to prevent the "zombie eyes" effect of the exposure capturing the blink after the flash. My mother always did it, even when I implored her to look at my camera with everyone else. That GirlIn the middle front, her hairdo reminds me of a poem my mother (b. 1915) used to recite: There was a little girl who had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead. And when she was good, she was very, very good, But when she was bad, she was horrid. [Nursery rhyme by Longfellow. - Dave] Every yearI feel sorrier than the year before for the one sitting on the floor with her back to the desk. She looks like she is just waiting for the party to be over so she can throw herself out the window. Reminds me of "The Office"I can find the whole cast from Dunder-Mifflin -- Michael, Jim and Pam, Dwight Schrute, Stanley, Kevin, Angela, and Phyllis. Let's danceHey, did anyone remember to bring their Lasses White albums? ClaireThis pretty gal looks exactly like my wife. I just printed out the image and am going to show her tonight. Work or PleasureIs the machine on the desk at the right (above the In Box) a record player brought in? A radio? Or is it merely some office device like maybe a phone-related routing/switchboard machine? Also, wingtips apparently were in style. Sure SignOf the Season: this picture on Shorpy (Thanks, Dave) and "A Christmas Carol" on TCM. All the best to all wherever ye might be! Ghosts of Christmas pastIt really is curious that we can scrutinize a picture like this every year and each time we notice something different that we did not notice before. This year, while observing enlarged close-ups of these people's faces, I see resemblances to many of my own acquaintances, friends and public figures and one can almost even determine the personality and attitude of each person. I think the young lady standing on the extreme left, second row, closest to the door, looks like a younger Martha Stewart. I also know that these happy holiday office parties are quickly disappearing due to the current lawsuits involving harassment, etc. so the people of my generation (old fossils) can move into the history books with them and just remember how it "used to be" and know it will never be again. This festive group gets a prime spot in that chapter and exemplifies what it was like, for better or for worse. Party on kids, 'til the end of time. The BossThe one sure thing about this photo is who the boss is, probably flanked by his second in command to his right. Ion Dept. XmasI have followed this wonderful Xmas photo for years but have never commented, till now. I always wondered what I might say, since so much has been said. But what really made me start this year -- the thing I’d never really noticed before – the new thing! – is that guy (head) craning behind the Xmas tree. Compared with all the other people, he’s really only half there, penciled in, lacking in the vibrancy and heft of every other person. So I guess my comment is: Merry Xmas, Ion Tree guy! (And Merry Xmas to all my Shorpy sisters and brothers, and of course to our all-puissant but beneficent overlords, Dave and tterrace, who make this daily joy available to us all.) [Or maybe Ion Guy is just tinseled in. - Dave] Was the Electric Company a Communist Front?Psychodramas? How about it looks like Alger Hiss and Whitiker Chambers’ cousins were exchanging Christmas gifts in Washington in 1925. Alger’s stands to the left and Whitiker’s to the right—significant? Whitiker’s cousin looks like someone socked him on the forehead and Alger’s has a smile on his face. [Ahem. Whittaker, not "Whitiker." - Dave] That Temptress!All these folks saying they see something new each year -- nuts. I first laid eyes on the beauty behind the oil can, what -- a decade ago now? And she has had me in her spell ever since. It is now officially Christmas season for me. I'm busy here!You Shorpyites who fantasize about folks from over 90 years ago -- How strange you are. And all your blather is distracting me from my mission of saving the saintly Love of My Life whose shoulder had been latched onto by the Evil Witch with no opposable thumb ... I must complete this pesky time machine before Christmas. Holiday RomanceI see that its time to renew my holiday romance. Every year I fall in love with the young lady the farthest to the left. Brings warmth to my heart, of course, I don't dare tell my wife. Season's Greetings!I look forward to this picture every year. I like that it's been a running thing here for so long, because I see it as a way to bind all us Shorpyites together. No matter where we live, how old we are, what we're doing in our lives, we can all stop here and comment on this picture, wishing everyone a wonderful holiday. Thank you, Dave, for providing that for us. I wish all of you that read this a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2019 be the year you've been waiting for. Hip FlasksEven the Bear won't tell, but, I am sure the oil can will. 1925! Prohibition! Almost every woman had one and, I am sure, that there may be a few here. Maybe, that's why Gladys sitting with the Bear and oil can, is smiling knowingly? Even the person who introduced Prohibition had a still in his basement. "It was 93 years ago today" Happy Christmas, John! Happy Christmas, Yoko!...Esther, Mary, Eugenia, Mabel, Nellie, Ida, Clara, Edith, Winifred, Maude, Violet, Gladys, Daisy,Doris, Agatha, Gertrude, Elspeth, Velma, Thelma, Myrna, Hortence... The LevelingTo paraphrase William Makepeace Thackeray "It was in the reign of President Calvin Coolidge, that the above-named personages lived and quarrelled ; good or bad, handsome or ugly, rich or poor, they are all equal now." Most popular galMy favorite - Oil Can Sally - has three gag gifts displayed. That probably makes her the most popular woman in the office. In addition, her provocative smile suggests a hangover was in her future! Still GOGO after all these yearsI love the bald guy just visible in the back row with the traffic signal "ballanced" perfectly on the top of his head. Very steady! It sounds crazy... but I swear the bear moved a bit since last year. That old gang is back!The Christmas Party Picture is back! I'd actually forgotten about it, so a quick check of Shorpy was the most welcome way to end my Friday. The week to come will reveal new snarks about these buddies of ours, and I look forward to that. Thank you, Shorpy! Those EyesThe beauty sitting against the desk gets me every year. She looks exhausted. My Favorite TraditionI don't post a lot of comments, but I check the site every day to see what's new and to read what *other* people have said. This is probably one of my favorite posts on this site because it's great to go back through the years of comments and read people's observations about the image, maybe see if someone has come up with something new. I hope we keep seeing this picture on the Friday before Christmas until the heat death of the universe. It would be a lovely constant. Happy Holidays to everyone at Shorpy. I hope it's filled with love, contentment, and joy. If you like this photo ...You loved the Shorpy.com postcard you just received!!! When mine came in the mail, my wife said, "Do you know those people?" OF COURSE I DO!!! Find the BossI just love the way he stands there holding his cigar. You can almost hear him barking out orders in a very Edward G. Robinson-ish voice. This reminds me of --That photo in "The Shining" of the 1921 New Year's Eve party at the Overlook Hotel. These folks will be back, again and again. The timeless shorpy traditionEvery year when I see the office party pic, my eyes always wind up gazing into the sideways glance of that beauty in front of the desk. I cant help imagining what the conversations of the day were, who brought a flask full of illegal libations, was jazz coming from a tube type radio, did everyone get a little Christmas bonus (it was the roaring 20's mind you), and who has a crush on who? Dave, thanks for all you do. Shorpy is a constant in my day. Be well everyone! I guessed the right number of buttons in the jarMerry Christmas! The Shorpy Ion Dept.A crazy thought occurred to me this year with respect to this beloved standard photograph: what if it were not the Ion Dept. from 1925 but the Shorpy regular contributors from 2019? Which one is Dave? Where is tterrace? And what about so many of the devoted Shorpsters (in no special order) – Jim Page, fanhead, TheGeezer, PhotoFan, Baxado, BethF, TimeAndAgainPhoto, Vintagetvs, OTY, Solo, Jeb70, switzarch, DaveA, JennyPennifer, rhhardin, pennsylvaniaproud, JohnHoward, kines, loujudson, lindab, Jano, StefanJ, jimmylee42, Hayslip, rivlax, Mattie, joemanning, Born40YearsTooLate, GarandFan, mountainrev, perpster, Dbell, Doubleclutchin, Root 66, KathyRo, archfan, GlenJay, alexinv, karenfryxell, Gooberpea, Angus J, 510Russ, Michael R, Brett, BillyB, bobzyerunkl, Alex, jsmakbkr, Marchbanks, Commishbob, Jimmy Longshanks, DoninVa, mgolden, Alonzo, Dag, Juan de la cruz, bobstothfang, Ice gang, Rute Boye, Vonderbees, Ad Orientem, MacKenzie Kavanaugh, JazzDad, Maniak Productions, EvenSteven, Doghouse Riley, John.Debold, Sewickley, Paul A, and jd taylor. And let’s not forget some of the people we haven’t seen for a while: stanton_square, aenthal, Mr Mel. (My apologies to those I have not listed.) Best of the season to you all, my fellow Shorpsters! Who's WhoDavid K - Dave runs the joint, so he's the three piece with the cigar. TTerrace is his major player on this site, so he is the guy looking over Dave's left shoulder. Now we just need someone to post a picture with numbers, and we label them. Maligayang Pasko all. Re:Shorpy Ion Dept@davidk, I'm the one peeking from behind the Christmas tree. I hope everyone in the Shorpy pantheon enjoys all the holidays! Postcards From The EdgeWhen I got mine, I literally jumped for joy seeing the people that I love and cherish so much. Now I can look at them anytime throughout the year, not just at Christmas. And, thank you to DAVIDK for the mention. [@davidk, I would be the guy with the object upon his head] Our own office partyI love seeing this photo every year and thanks to davidk for the guest book entries of our office. Top of the season everyone! Still HereEvery time I see this picture I think that these people could have been my mom or dad.The time and ages represented are almost perfect. It reminds me of aunts and uncles and family friends who are long gone although I will never forget them. I just turned 80 years old this past July and can remember a lot of people who would have been right at home in this picture. Thank you davidk for including me in your list of people who have liked this picture in the past and a big Merry Christmas to Dave and tterrace for maintaining the site. This one never gets oldHow is it that an old picture never gets old? Every year, I always notice something new that I hadn't noticed before. This year it's the guy with the beard, hiding behind the tree. Also, the woman just above and just to the left of the woman in the striped blouse (her left, that is) - could that be Johnny Depp's great-grandmother? I see a definite resemblance. Merry Christmas everyone! Love itI love this photo. The expressions, the faces. Some of the women are quite attractive. The man with his hand draped across the shoulder of another man is interesting. Office desk sultry beautyI wonder why the dark hair beauty is staring off to the side? Was she jilted? Was she sick of the many advances by the suited men, or despondent that the one she wanted got away. Why does the women in the RBG collar stare at her? Does she know what happened? I love the captions from another commenter. Michael ScottIf Michael Scott were the manager of this office, I wonder if he would have said (as he did 85 years later on the TV show), "Unbelievable. I do the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for these people and they freak-out. Well happy birthday Jesus, sorry your party's so lame." Merry Christmas, Shorpy! And for the record, I don't consider this a lame birthday party, and I doubt Jesus would, either. Bal MasqueNinety-five years later, if there even would be a party! With an added suspense -- what does Hermione look like, under that mask? Socially DistantWould they have believed it had someone told them that in 95 years their photograph would be the highlight of 2020 for a group of remote observers? Merry and BrightThis photo has become the official kickoff of the holidays for me. Best wishes to all the Shorpy regulars and particularly those who keep this place running. Neither here nor thereEach year my attention is drawn immediately to the three beauties at the bottom left of the photo: sultry beauty far left floor level, looking off to her right at someone/something off camera; the lady to that lady's left who seems to be watching her with deliberate intent; exquisite beauty just behind the desk corner, beheld with what appears to be fond regard by the lady just behind her to her left; and wholesome beauty smiling behind exquisite beauty, being kept tabs on by the lady in the Police Department helmet. I do eventually get past these women, to study the remainder of visages and postures and wonder about the other long-dead revelers of both genders, but it is these six who take up most of my time each year as I wonder what might have been the complexities of the various relationships. And as always, I hope each one in the photo had a Merry Christmas that year and many years after. I know that the likelihood is slim to none that all lived long and were carefree throughout, but that's still what I wish for in this suspended moment that so many have celebrated for so long, thanks to Shorpy. So a Merry Christmas to beloved Shorpy and its erudite, esteemed company of gazers no less fascinating than any who attended Office Xmas Party: 1925. Thanks Again Dave and Merry ChristmasThanks again Dave, I've been waiting for it. Obviously, we all love this yearly Christmas "surprise". I enjoy everyone's take on this party I missed awhile back. Questions, questionsEvery year I wonder. What is that thing on the postal scale? A misplaced elf? A misshapen magus? Why is that woman with the oil can looking at me? Am I safe? And why is the Christmas tree so scrawny? Merry Christmas Dave!And to all the crew at Shorpy! Thanks for the memories and keeping some of us sane in 2020! What I want for ChristmasI don't care what it is, I want one. [Update, thanks to all the gizmo identifiers. I love tape dispensers! Now I really want it!] Nothing stops this partyOh, thank goodness the Shorpy party is still on! It's the only event the pandemic cannot cancel! Judging youDon't know what got into her holiday spirit. Not too pleased with someone. Re: tterrace What I want for ChristmasIt's a gummed tape dispenser, similar to this one: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-vintage-ornate-cast-iron-... She of the averted gazeI know that we enjoy interpreting what is in - or not in - this photograph each year. However, eight people, including "she of the averted gaze" are looking in that direction, suggesting something was going on while the picture was taken, sufficient to distract. A further basis for interpretation and speculation, perhaps? Merry Christmas. Only one bow tieAmong all those Windsor knots on the gents, third on upper right. In group after group they are always in the minority, even until today. Going to a Go-GoNothing says Christmas like a Go-Go party hat. That machineMay be a gummed tape applicator. National Package Sealer model #206 Do they know?Do you think the two women wearing the exact same necklace (dripping pearls) suspect that it might have come from the same man? Are the pearls from the handsome young gentleman with the pen sticking out of his pocket? Is this an early version of "The Bachelor" that we are witnessing? Which one will he choose? Austerity Christmas?From the Charlie Brown Christmas tree to the lack of any visible food or drinks (except for a few candy canes) to the blank, unimpressed looks on some faces, it looks like an Austerity Christmas in Anytown this year. Well, Merry Christmas TermiteYou can probably still find one somewhere. It's an automatic wetter and cutter for wide, brown packing tape. You just mash down on the handle and it shoots out a measured length of wet sticky tape and cuts it when you release. There is a messy water reservoir up front. I used one in a shipping department in 1974. Buddha Bear!Puts in his once a year appearance. Merry Christmas to Dave & Ken & tterrace and all the naughty boys & girls at Shorpy! Nice $-value todayThat horse that guy in front of Christmas tree is holding. All with bit of wear and patina collected in 95 years. Another yearWe all get another year older and they stay the same. Five groupsPart of the endless fun with this photo is deciding which part of it to center as the embiggened image on my screen. I fluctuate between the five main Ion Dept. groups: on the left, the ladies on the floor, the ladies standing, and the men standing above them, and on the right, the lower men and the upper men. (If I had to distinguish a special sub-group, it would be solo guy behind the tree and the fellow on the very far right who hovers between the upper and lower groups.) Once I have the group du jour embiggened, I focus on the individual characters. As we who have been doing this for years well know, that’s when the fun begins. Might I take this opportunity to offer the best of the season to Dave and Ken and tterrace and all my fellow Shorpsters. In this extraordinary year of greater screen time than ever before, I find that my Shorpy screen time is even more intense and valuable, if such a thing is actually possible. Bless Shorpy, and bless you all. Elbow to elbowEvery year I have a different response to this photograph, depending on general mood and the state of the world. This year, I truly envy those people. They get to stand together in a bunch, breathing one another’s air, touching each other casually, sharing food and drink, simply going in to work at an office. They all lived through a plague of their own six years earlier, and they look fine now, so there’s hope. Happy holidays to all the people who create and enjoy this wonderful website that gives me joy and perspective on a daily basis. Re: Elbow to elbowI must concur. Having spent nine months wearing a mask, practically bathing in hand sanitizer every time I touch anything, and staying as far removed from people I don't live with as humanly possible, I'm jealous of these long-dead coworkers for being able to crowd together, enjoying one another's company in person, rather than over Zoom or FaceTime. It's been a bad, bad year, there's no denying that, but Shorpy has been a bright spot in my day since January, much as I'm sure it's been for the rest of you. Happy Holidays to all the Shorpyites out there — may you find some contentment and peace in the face of all this tragedy and come out the other side hale and hearty. That Time of Year AgainThrough the miracle of photography and our friends at Shorpy, we are able to visit this party again. A Vintage CrumpleAfter all these annual viewings I finally noticed what looks like a lone crumpled piece of paper at lower right. We'll never know what was on it. Maybe a dig at one of these people? Or love note? Ah, the mysteries! Christmas Past, Present, and Future all at once!Every year I wonder about the dark-haired smiling young woman third from the front, beside the desk. With her modern-looking bob, she looks like a Time Traveler, so that's what I've named her. (Not far away are The Maniac, Da Boss, and The Very Secret Lovers.) This photo, along with its subjects, never gets old, and I hope the Holiday Spirit that originally inspired it never does either. Happiest of Holidays to everybody who produces and sees Shorpy, and a New Year of peace, love, courage, and good health to all. 12 Years of ChristmasMerry Christmas Shorpy. Thanks for the memories. [This is Shorpy's 14th Christmas! - Dave] PerspectiveThey all lived through a plague of their own six years earlier, and they look fine now, so there’s hope. Thanks, jdtaylor--I'm sure I'm not the only one who needed that perspective today. Happy holidays to Dave and all the Shorpyites. This site has been a great distraction lately! Time to Move OnI vote that next year you post the 1926 photo. Some of the lingering issues must have been resolved by then. The X-mas Party Presents!And here you may have a look on how Christmas looked 100 years ago in the U.K. (including a display of toys made by Meccano in the toy department of Whiteleys store in Bayswater). Mysterious machineNow that the gummed tape dispenser has been identified, I hope someone will be able to reveal the secret of the machine on the desk behind the in-box. A perforator or a mimeograph machine perhaps? [It's called a typewriter. - Dave] Dead ringer, etc.At the very back and far left - the attractive woman 3 in - I have a friend who looks exactly like her but with a more modern hair style, but identical facial features. How eerie! Something tells me that Oil Can Mary's wicked smile indicates that she is already planning what flapper attire she will wear at the local speakeasy that night. Her future toast might be: "My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light!" Published in 1920. Edna St. Vincent Millay. I often wonder what became of all these people. It is my hope that they all lived long, happy, prosperous lives but alas, as we know, life can be more complicated than that. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year you ghosts of Christmas past! The only Christmas party I'll go to.Merry Christmas to Dave and the Shorpy Crew, as well as my fellow Shorpy followers. It appears that I've been around for 12.5 of the 14 years of Shorpy.com, though it seems like yesterday and DoninVa no longer lives in Va. There's always something to be found in a Shorpy photo: the young woman framed in the glass of the door is the doppelganger for someone I once worked with. Cheers! Newcomer To The PartyAfter viewing Shorpy for some years now, I finally decided to join this party; I'm in awe of the many observations, and for now, am unable to come up with any new angles on this fascinating photo. I do want to say that the comments of jd taylor and BethF most definitely struck a chord with me; I, too, envy those in the photo, survivors of even greater trouble, coming as it did following The Great War. Hope to see you all back at the party next year, and a few other places along the way. May you all find peace and hopefully some joy this Christmas. A Merry Christmas to You All!It's been a rough few years for me (family deaths, health issues), and my Internet usage dropped off considerably. I may have stopped commenting, but I never stopped reading, and I've looked forward to this photo every year for a long, long time. I'm glad that for all the things in flux in this world, the Shorpy Office Xmas Party remains the same. I wish you and yours the very merriest and happiest of holiday seasons. May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white. :-D EerieWhy the rush? [??? - Dave] MassafornianWhat a great comment, thank you. I’ve never colorized, and I use Photoshop for barely 10% of what it can do, but I truly appreciated your insight into the process. More amazing is that you’ve named them all. Gosh, I’d love to know who the others are, in addition to Mary, Bobbie, Lulu, and Lila. And how honest to share with us your faves, Mary and Bobbie, made legit by your wife asking. I agree about Lila: trouble. Also the lady with the marcel wave in the purple dress and blue coat with fur fringe behind the bear and oilcan and house: you might think of her in off moments but you could never make it work. (What’s her name?) Thanks for explaining about Remini because I wondered how their teeth and various other features were so brilliant and precise. And don’t worry about the rouging: it raised the temperature on the whole event (and not just on the ladies – it’s perfect for that guy third from the left in the upper right, the older fellow with the red tie, who’s had too much to drink or is about to have a stroke or both). One more thing: I’d never really noticed that unsightly blotch on the forehead of the boss with the cigar – you did it full, gross justice. Again, great job, and thanks, man! I'd like to be the first this yearSurely, it's not too soon for this Yuletide Jewel ... The Oilcan Need an explanation for the purpose of the oil can at the party. [It's not a party unless everyone is well-lubricated. - Dave] Now the season is complete!I look forward to revisiting this every year. Thank you! - Ken Colorized versionI've been working off and on to colorize this wonderful image throughout the year. Here's the result. You can also find it here in high resolution: http://www.hearthworks.net/1925/1925_office_xmas_party_12.12.jpg Merry Christmas! [Bravo! - Dave] Amazing colorization!@ Massafornian -- thanks so much for that epic job. It adds so much to an already incredible image. (Judging by your username, I suspect we are compatriots -- I was born in Massachusetts and live in California.) Merry and BrightWith retirement, our lives have been simpler here so the Christmas decorations go up earlier and earlier. But it isn't *really* the season until the annual Shorpy office party. Happy Holidays to Dave and the regular contributors that make this place special. BTW...it's kind of odd that I get older but none of the partygoers ever seem to. Must be something in the eggnog. As We Seek Normalcy, This Pic Provides it!The last two pandemic driven years, makes most of us seek glimpses of normalcy. Having this Christmas tradition each year, having a peek into the office Christmas party, gives a moment of that peace. Knowing these, and their children, and their grandchildren...made it through the Great Depression, WWll, the Cold War, etc., etc., still, a moment frozen in time, gives a certain reassurance, that everything is going to be ok! Merry Christmas, office party, as well as all the Shorpy members that crash the party each year! Bravo, indeedWell done on the colorization, Massafornian. It adds a level of vibrancy to an already-lively photo of an intriguing bunch of people. I’m also surprised at some of the effects, for example the oft-commented-upon woman in the lower left, sitting against the desk, craning her neck for a beady glare offstage – the rouge on her cheeks and the lipstick blunt the ultra-crazy impression and make her look, dare I say, somewhat fetching. Thank you for your addition to this seasonal favourite. And best of the season to my fellow Shorpsters and to the toilers in the digital mines who bring us this much-loved website. Everybody's back in the officeNobody's working from home and the party is ON! Happy holidays! WFHAs we head into Covid Christmas #2, it again strikes me that these folks would have no idea what working from home would even mean. (Taking in sewing?) Here they are, in joyous proximity one to the other, while we are still asked to distance, mask up, etc. Their mingled exhalations, their casual touches, the humid density of their gathering – how I envy them. Well, we come here to dream and fantasize, don’t we? Happy holidays to my fellow dreamers and observers and to the hard-working trio who bring us the stuff that dreams are made of. Up to good or no goodI am incredulous that I have never really noticed the girl at the far left of the photo, just in front of the door -- the last of the women. She is concealing something. Knowledge or intent, benevolent or nefarious ... no matter. Keep a weather eye on that one. Egad! New versions!Shorpy Patreon members have been treated to a short, elegant--well, creepy--music video in Ken-Burns-goes-Edward Gorey style. And now a colorized photo with costumes straight out of Technicolor heaven. And in 2021 they all sneaked in to party on Saturday! Old FriendsI've seen this picture so many times over the years at Christmas time on Shorpy that the faces have become like familiar old friends. I'm of the opinion that Christmas will never be the same for me unless I get to see this photo at least once during the Christmas season. Girl At The Far LeftNo one tried to say a thing When they took him out in jest Except, of course, the little neighbor boy Who carried him to rest And he just walked along, alone With his guilt so well concealed And muttered underneath his breath “Nothing is revealed” Time For A Rhyme...or TwoIt's Christmas Party time again, so back to yesteryear, To faces from so long ago, we now hold somewhat dear They lived through their pandemic, and now we've had our own For some, it was an ordeal; of much more time alone, Yet, gazing at these faces here shows us things will improve, And then to next year's gala even more will gladly move! A Merry Christmas to you all, here at this special time I thank you all so very much for bearing with my rhymes, May next year's party be the one our current trial's behind us But our friends from 1925 will be there to remind us ... A very special thanks to Massafornian for the superb colorization! A bit more on the colorizationThe colorization was done by hand, for about an hour most every morning, when I had the spare time while listening to podcasts. I started in early January and completed it around April. I am sure that most Shorpians know that colorization is tedious, mostly due to the need to mask objects and details as much as possible, to distinguish them from other objects. (The Christmas tree with its fir needles and tinsel was a bit of a job). Automated colorization just doesn’t compare in quality to doing it by hand. Each person is a smart layer in Photoshop that in turn contains many layers of isolated bits to colorize. The fun part was choosing the colors of people’s attire. Hopefully what I chose is close enough to what this cast of characters might’ve actually worn in 1925, but I won’t claim any historical research was performed for color accuracy. I could easily spend the same amount of time on this image again, by further masking textures and smaller objects, and separating their colors. If anyone wants the original layered PSD to do more magic, you can have it here: http://www.hearthworks.net/1925/1925_office_xmas_party_12.12.2021.psd.zi... You have exactly one year to post the next refinement! You might notice in the high resolution version that the faces are oddly higher resolution than the surrounding parts of the image. This is a bit of AI deployed on the faces, called Remini. Google it to learn more, but in a nutshell, Remini analyzes a face that is low resolution or blurry and magically reconstructs it in high resolution by drawing from a huge library of face components. Remini reassembles face components onto a map based on the original image. The process is hit-or-miss as far as how it can interpret low-quality image data. It was fun to apply it to this image one face at a time and integrate the rendered AI faces back into the master image. I feel that I know all these characters in the photo intimately, having spent a lot of time on each one of them. I’ve given them all first names to distinguish the Photoshop layer names. My wife asks me which lady I might’ve fancied back in the day, and I think it’s a tie between ‘Mary’ (the blonde in front of the ‘504’ door wearing purple) and ‘Bobbie’ (third-to-the-right of ‘Lulu’, (the pixie by the desk), with brown hair, a green coat and blue dress, looking directly into the camera). Those two have nice, approachable personalities. I’m intrigued by ‘Lila’ (the mysterious lady on the floor in front of the desk), but she’s perhaps too brooding for 1925 Me to take on; and ‘Lulu’ is far too racy and trendy for my sensibilities. I was born in 1963, so I imagined a lot of these people from 1925 as being my many older relatives who were a huge part of my childhood in the 60’s and 70’s. My grandmother was born in 1890 and her gaggle of five sisters had birth years that ranged between 1885 and 1902. Though elderly, they were all alive and vibrant for most of my childhood, and greatly influenced me. I’ve been patiently waiting for this time of year when Dave publishes this wonderful photo, to submit my contribution. I think this version turned out pretty nice. @ Born Too Late - my geographical fate is the opposite of yours: I started out in the Alameda, California and moved to Massachusetts some 20 years ago. Massachusetts is really a great place to live—weather be damned! @ DavidK - Yes, ‘Lila’ did indeed turn out to be beautified by the AI software, Remini. In retrospect I think I got carried away with rouging people’s cheeks, but without it, the skin tones just seemed too flat. Cheers, —Massafornian HUAAgreed, davidk ... most likely she's a downright dollbaby but there is a definite glint in her eye and you must admit she has a secret or two or ten. Maybe she's even got something on some of the other girls. Not nefariousI’ve had my eye on that woman on the far left in front of the ION window for years, JennyPennifer. She has a touch of high color, and I really like that ringlet that has broken loose by her right eye. She seems mild yet ready for fun. Not naughty. At this rateI'm thinking that by the 2025 centenary we should be ready for an animatronic enlivening of this ongoing party. Cast of charactersAbsolutely outstanding job of colorization, Massafornian! It really brings out details that were easy to overlook. I see the Serbian Anarchist, peering out just to the right of the Big Boss with the cigar, and wonder what he's planning. And the guy hiding just below the life of the party, with the STOP/GO headgear - he looks like he's hiding something, for sure. But is the Big Boss truly the Man? My money is on the distinguished looking silver haired gent at the top right, overlooking the affair with a cautious gaze ... And, who really *is* the mustachioed guy to his left, glaring at the photographer? Is he worried about this photo getting out? Does he appear on a Wanted poster?? Merry Thank YouBecause it's never Christmas until the Office Party and new Office Party Comments. Office Stories@ DavidK - If you have Photoshop, try downloading the PSD and you’ll see their names in the layers palette. The oilcan lady I named ‘Janelle’ because she looks like my cousin who has that name. I believe ‘Janelle’ to be the well-regarded office trickster. The aging lush in the top-right standing group of men is named ‘Redd’. Me thinks he’s barely evading his mortality this fine evening, and perhaps is about to fall off of whatever he’s perched upon, to be carried out to a waiting cab, muttering something about his childhood pet dog, Wilberforce. After his early departure his hip flask was found on the floor, where he fell. No one knows what happened to it, or its contents. The leader of the pack is named ‘Boss’, for obvious reasons. My wife thinks that perhaps he has a familial connection to ‘Bertha’, the large lady in the red dress. Boss’s blotch is an expanding skin growth. By 1945, it will have grown over his face, poor fellow. Unfortunately, the portly Boss died of a heart attack in 1946 while un-crating his new supply of Consuegra cigars and munching on a donut. I note in this photo that there is no evidence of food or drink, save the candy canes. So while we have conjectured on this post about the state of inebriation these people might be in, strong drink seems unlikely at this event, particularly in the age of prohibition these people find themselves in. (Redd is the exception, having brought his own supply of spirits.) The food might be in another part of the room, but the lack of it has me thinking that this event was a relatively brief gathering after work. ‘Lulu’, the office pixie, is only 19 years old. She is Boss’s niece. This makes her somewhat problematic for all concerned in the office, and something of a political figure. She’s not exactly incompetent at her job, but the office matriarch, ‘Ursula’ (sitting on the floor in the green dress) was grudgingly forced to hire her. Lulu got married to a Studebaker salesman in 1928, moved to Pasadena in 1930, and had 4 children. She died in 1988 in a car accident. The thing about the brooding ‘Lila’ that no one knew was that she had a very wealthy aunt in New York City. In 1934 her aunt passed away, and Lila inherited nearly $3 million dollars in property and bonds. She moved to the Upper East Side in 1936, but never married. She lived to the age of 103, dying in 1998. Here's a closeup of Lila: Go-GoIs that something hanging from the wall or sitting on the man's head as a prank? Has it ever been commented on before? Though not shown, there has to be a portable Victrola and stack of jazz records somewhere for when the party gets hot! This was the height of the Charleston era and there are plenty of flappers present! A White Elephant In The RoomMay explain the oil can, the Honey Bear, and all the other strange gifts. I don't know how long the White Elephant Gift party has been around, but my wife and I just had one at our house. That is one thing that I have been looking at all these years on Shorpy (the crazy gifts), and now realize the crazy gifts could be from the White Elephant in the room. Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year to all my Shorpyite brothers and sisters. (Thanks archfan. Good to know that it is still around after all these years) Colors!Kudos, Massafornian! At first I thought, hm, some of those dresses are awfully bright, but then I realized of course that for the office party some people always wear a “special” outfit. I doubt that woman in the red satin dress would have worn it any other day but it’s so Christmasy how could she resist! Colors!Kudos, Massafornian! At first I thought, hm, some of those dresses are awfully bright, but then I realized of course that for the office party some people always wear a “special” outfit. I doubt that woman in the red satin dress would have worn it any other day but it’s so Christmasy how could she resist! Re: Go-GoVictrolaJazz asks if the mini traffic signal on the head of the man at the back, to the right of the tree, has been commented on before. Yes! Many times over the years, in fact. This would provide a fine opportunity to review the long and enjoyable string of comments where you will find the following: Going to a Go-Go (12/12/2020), Still GOGO after all these years (12/20/2019), Festive Dress (12/19/2015), Must have been a heck of a party (12/23/2014), No one seems to have noticed (12/14/2012), Office A-Go-Go (12/25/2010), Slow on the uptake (12/24/2010), Kimono-wearing parrot? (12/23/2010), I can’t find Don Draper (12/23/2010), Naughty Naughty (04/21/2009), Getting Oiled at the Office Xmas Party (12/15/2008), Dramatis Personae (12/15/2008), and, finally, A Story in every face (12/15/2008) which includes a Dave link to a Shorpy post with a real GO-GO traffic signal in it. Time travel?Either Johnny Depp was the original Doctor Who time travelling as a woman or his mother was working Working for Western Electric that Christmas A white elephant party?I hadn't thought of that and now I'm disappointed. For years I have been daydreaming about the oil can lady, the one with the unnervingly lascivious direct look. Then I remember she'd be old enough to be my grandmother. Jeepers. Grateful Holiday pome These people, alas, are all now dust. But we on Shorpy surely must visit them once more. Cheer to all on Shorpy! Sad or Stimulating, or a bit of both?Having been recently retired, with no more company Christmas parties to attend, I am faced with a conundrum. Is it sad that the 1925 Christmas Party on Shorpy is now the Office Party I look forward to the most, or is it tantalizing that the faces and actions of these folks, now long gone, give all of us smiles nearly a century later? Let this serve as a reminder to treat every moment as if that moment is also "frozen in time"! Merry Christmas, Dave, and the entire Shorpy family! MomObviously, this is another photo in the Shorpy Hall of Fame inaugural class, but the best thing about it for me is that it was likely taken when my mom was just a newborn, having come into this world on December 17, 1925. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy Heavenly 97th Birthday to my mom! My how time fliesSeems like it was just a month or two ago when last Christmas flew by with this pic. NobodyHas changed much from last year. Remarkable. Gag Gifts?I look forward to this party every year, and I notice something new each December. It's occurred to me that everyone in the photo is holding some kind of small gift, and all of them look like "white elephants": a toy horse, an oil can, a little bear, a toy policeman's hat—perhaps it was a "Secret Santa" kind of gag gift swap, and each gift was appropriately unique to the receiver. The photograph makes every one of these people forever young, and I always wonder what happened to each one of them: all those life stories that we'll never know. (I hope they all got a Christmas bonus!) Happiest of Holidays—and a Happy, Healthy New Year—to every Shorpyite. The finer detailsI’ve chosen to focus on some of the smaller, obscure points this year in my investigation of this beloved photo. The woman in the bobby hat towards the left? Go south to the hand of the woman in front of her, the hand on the shoulder of the woman in the light-colored dress: that hand looks disembodied and is therefore creepy. Person who looks most Photoshopped in? The woman to the immediate left of that hand, staring right into your soul. Stuff like that. The picture is positively filthy with wacky, kooky, scary little things. Sober thoughtFourteen years of beautiful fascination. Wonder if some folks who commented earlier, by now "are with the people on the photo" too? Go-Go indeedI just wanted to second the man at the back, being bald myself. Go Go, folks. Christmas TreesIf nothing else, we have made great advances in Christmas tree technology. Every year they look a bit youngerMeanwhile, every year I look less like my father and more like my grandfather. Love the ones you're withThanks for the labor of love and commerce Shorpy is. Years ago this photo evoked for me speculations about what may have divided these office mates. Now what comes out of this photo is the love that is possible if only ... with enough time and enough patience and enough "having lived through" being absent from one another we arrive at a finality of cherishing "in spite of" or even "because of" the uniqueness we bring. The big read 1925I wonder how many of them were concealing new books in their purses, briefcases, or desk drawers. It was an era of readers, and 1925 was a banner year. Here are some of the newly-printed titles waiting for them in bookstores: Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Hemingway, In Our Time Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway Dreiser, An American Tragedy Christie, The Secret of Chimneys Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer Cather, The Professor’s House Loos, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Milne, a Winnie the Pooh story at Christmas Kafka, The Trial (if you read German) Proust, Albertine Disparue (if you read French—though some of them may still be working through the 1922 translation of Swann’s Way). By December, early subscribers could have accumulated ten months of the new “New Yorker.” But let’s hope that they still had a few years to be blissfully unaware of Mein Kampf, published in Germany in July. There's one in every office. Frank is holding up an equipment assignment sheet while calling (vainly) for the frivolity to end and a return to work. He will not succeed. Group AnalysisObviously far too long a comment, but Shorpy is so inspirational. Still had fun thinking and writing, as well as viewing picture again. I was wondering about the woman at the far left. She is showing a sideways glance, and nobody else in the picture has a sideways glance. A sideways glance can be a powerful indication of attention to a subject, like romantic attention or professional attention or just surprise, but in any case something out of the ordinary. Like here, it seems different, just that one woman. Trying to analyze a sideways glance, there is the face angle (determined by the nose angle) and the eyes angle. For a sideways glance like this, the eyes are directly pointed at the subject, but the face is pointed elsewhere. Using a reasonably limited choice of angles (0, 15, 30, 45) and expressing angles as "eyes angle / face angle" (eyes come first, most expressive), then this mystery woman with the sideways glance could be a 0/30. Directly below her on the floor is a 45/0 woman, and her eyes angle is the extreme opposite. Seems absolute difference between the two angles can show degree of interest or attention, not the amount of either angle. With any 45/0 difference then attention seems to be very much elsewhere. The 30/45 woman to her right apparently has her attention directed to the same subject, but not to the same degree, more a casual interest, just a difference of 15 between her angles. And the next woman above is a 30/30, also looking in that direction, but no difference between her angles, no indication of interest or attention, just looking. Also just looking, but now at the camera, are all the 0/0 men and women, no differences, the largest group. They seem to be posing conventionally for the picture, and there is no apparent sign of interest or attention (other than to the camera). The exact pose varies by individual, some are smiling more than others, but they are all 0/0's. Some 0/0's may be simple conformists, and others may be nonconformists bored stiff (they can still smile, for the camera), but you can't probably tell which is which from the picture. The big boss on the right is a 0/0, and the men in line with him are mostly 0/0's too, diligently following his traditional example. Above him are three 45/45's, you may not be able to tell about attention or interest from a 45/45, no difference there, in that way like a 0/0. However they are definitely not posing for the camera in any conventional way, not following the big boss example, and probably not in line to succeed him. His successor would probably be a 0/0 closest to him. We could also consider tilt angle of the head as a variable, but that's more difficult to determine, because it varies with perspective, further away or closer to the camera. Also could consider extent of smiles, but that also difficult to determine. Eyes angle and face angle (nose angle) should be easier. These angle measurements are probably useful only in a posed office photo, like this one. In a family photo 0/0's can be visibly full of emotion. And in real life anyone can look at you straight on, a 0/0, with amazement or fury or love or anything else. So angles won't help much in real life, although a sideways glance can still show interest and then create reciprocal interest, even mutual interest. Mistletoe and High Voltage for all the women!I love how the ladies' hair has that "Bride of Frankenstein" look ... creepy yet sexy. It reminds me to get the yule log out. ZoomThat was a quick year. Another Year Gone ByBeen seeing this annually for a long time now, am I the first to comment ?? Anyways all these souls, their troubles and happy days are behind them and now are just dust in the wind … enjoy yourselves as we will be dust too! Merry Christmas My Newest Favorite Christmas Tradition!I have gotten to the point of looking so forward to this party each year, it has indeed become one of my favorite Christmas traditions! LOL For most of those attending the party, they are indeed, "living life!" That is so valuable, the ability to live life. On a personal note, I am learning that this year, having lost my precious wife in March, to Dementia. As iamjanicemarie well noted, all of these, are now just "dust in the wind." Which makes me wonder, in what order did they pass? Did some in the picture in 1925 not survive till the party in 1926? Who was the last to go, and in what year? In the hundreds of comments, some pointing out actual things, others just speculating ... we can learn one lesson. Live Life Fully Every Day. Who knows, a hundred years from now, you may still be having an effect on someone who you never even met! Merry Christmas, Shorpy family! What's up with the gals?Are they wearing kryptonite jewelry? Old friendsI never get tired of this party and these coworkers. The job, yeah, I'm sick of it, but the people make it all worthwhile. I feel like I've known them forever. Welcome Back, Dear 1925 Office Party Friends. . . and all Shorpy friends, too! I look forward to seeing this wonderful photo every year. These folks never age, unlike the rest of us. I find this reassuring: life goes on, as it did for the office partiers whose lives continued through the Depression, WWII, and possibly even on to the 1990s. I always wonder who they were and what happened to them. Here's to a Happy Holiday season and a peaceful 2024. Seems Like Old TimesNice to see familiar faces, even though I never met them. However much they aged after this photograph, we'll never know, so just once each year, it's 1925 again. StableThis firm has a very stable workforce. Every year, it's the same folks in the Christmas photo. Macabre variationAlthough certainly macabre, I do like the door that iamjanicemarie tentatively opened and that HarahanTim swung fully open. In what order did these people pass? The annual response to this photo has definitely taken a curious turn, but I’m glad to chime in. First to go, I believe, was Boss Man with the cigar, the very next morning, in the wee hours. He’s clearly in bad physical shape, a massive coronary waiting to happen. And it wasn’t the fault of one of those young ladies sitting on the floor that it happened in her bed. It was a different time when office and sexual politics were vile, and everyone was drunk. Last to go was Heather on the far left in back, framed by the glass of the door. She’s only 23 in the photo, and she lived right into the next century, dying at 102 in 2004. She had moved back to Ohio, and on her last day was surrounded by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even one of her great-great-grandchildren. They all loved her very much. It's finally Christmas ...... when this bunch show up. I checked; they're all there. Proceed to celebrate. Merry Christmas, everyone xoxo In the officeIt's hard to imagine this bunch "working from home". The dynamic would be lost with a "Zoom" holiday party. Fire ExtinguisherJust behind the gentleman with the "GO" signal on his head it looks like there is a classic soda/acid fire extinguisher that I noticed for the first time today. Conveniently located next to what appears to be a rather combustible tree. Season's Greetings to Dave, tterrace and the whole Shorpy gang. Well, having had time to ponderabout these folk for a good decade since discovering Shorpy, I have come to a tentative yet preliminary assessment. The only woman with no apparent makeup and yet the most beautiful features is the lady sitting on the floor at bottom left. Really in a class of her own in this crowd with those almond eyes and high cheekbones, yet with hair and dressed a bit out of date, but still sporting brand new shoes judging by their soles. How they got her to sit on the dirty floor for the pic is beyond me. In any case, the photographer has just given her a huge suggestive wink, and she's snapped her head to the right in response, looking faintly amused / bemused, no doubt used to the unwanted male gaze. The woman second to her left is staring at her, annoyed that Gloria (for that is her name) has caught the roving eye of the photographer instead of her -- the body language is obvious. The flapper two to the left of Ms Envious is giving the photographer a bit of a come-on with her lopsided grin -- she has sussed out his game. Mr Fatlips the boss is terminally near-sighted but for photos and thus posterity takes his glasses off when posing, as one can see. What he looks like with them on is a subject for a horror movie. The rest of the crowd barring a few are to a greater or lesser degree tipsy on smuggled-in booze, it being Temperance Time, er, prohibited drinkees time in America I'll have an update in future when other things become more clear to me from my favorite Shorpy image. Merry Xmas to all! Finger WavesThe blond and brunette whose backs are against the door and doorjamb, respectively, look modern. The other modern looking girl is two rows in front of them, also a brunette. These three look timeless. The other women either still have long hair wrapped up some way or they have those awful finger waves that look like ridges in their hair. None of the girls that have finger waves have benefitted from that style. It does not flatter any face shape, it just looks weird and kind of Bride of Frankensteinish. The blond miss sitting on the floor is looking daggers at the moody looking woman sitting against the desk. I will always wonder why. Holiday Party Fun (2023)Dear Shorpy folks and friends of the site. This year I used this very photo to make a SPOT THE DIFFERENCE game at our work Christmas party. Each of the participants had 20 minutes to spot all 19 differences. I used Photoshop and AI to make the changes to the photo and we all had so much fun with it. If you would like me to post that image here, you may have fun too! Let me know Dave! Also, we have some new friends that might be joining us on this site as they were fascinated by all the expressions of this 1925 party. I did inform them of the site and URL. Merry Christmas everyone What is on the hand of the number 2 guy next to the boss?There is something on his pointer finger and thumb. Could these be some type of grippers for leaving through papers? Could it be he was working until they forced him to come get his picture taken? He is clearly annoyed to be there. Maybe he is plotting to have the boss removed so he can be in charge? Half a MillionI expect that the number of reads for Office Xmas Party will pass 500,000 shortly. Is this a record number of reads for a Shorpy photo? [Office Xmas Party holds the No. 2 spot. Shorpy's most popular post is ... Lady in the Water, with over 640,000 reads. And at No. 3 is The Beaver Letter. - Dave] Merry Christmas to all Shorpians!May your holidays be merry and bright. A special Merry Christmas to Dave and tterrace who keep this very special website going. And to all pictured from that office party held nearly 100 years ago, a Merry Heavenly Christmas to all! ONE MORE TIMEAfter passing this photo around for everyone to look and laugh at, it was probably hung on the wall for a time, then taken to someone's home and put away in a chest and forgotten ... perhaps copies were made. But how would these people feel if they knew that almost a half million people have studied it? Also those desks have been in their current positions for a very long time, the floor below them new and pristine. [This was not a casual snapshot -- the National Photo Company was primarily a news service. Its photographs appeared in newspapers, advertisements and publicity material. This particular image might have been used for Western Electric's in-house newsletter or a company Christmas card. - Dave] Thank ya Dave for clearing that up. Meet some of the boys ...Introducing ... Charles S. Barker, District Superintendent: "With the right personnel and a good organization, you can do anything in telephony" E.N. Searles, Division Superintendent J.E. Grant, R.D. Dick, and... Walter W. Lodding, Division Accountant ... with an invitation to Christmas at the Loddings': This image was featured in the December 1926 issue of the Western Electric News with the title: "YOUTH AND THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT" and caption: "Santa Claus did right by this little lad the son of W.W. Lodding of the Installation Division 11 Headquarters" Looking daggers?Susanhumeston wondered, "The blond miss sitting on the floor is looking daggers at the moody looking woman sitting against the desk. I will always wonder why." I have always been intrigued by that interaction. Pretty much come to the conclusion that three of the ladies were diverted by something off set to the left. One (Charlotte) clearly annoyed, one (Lila) merely taking it in, and one (Gwen) mildly amused. NamesMarkJo - nice job finding the real names! I'm fascinated by the different names and nicknames in all the posts. Then I scroll to 12/23/21; alex_shorpy did a great job labeling everyone. Or go further back to 12/22/19 and see davidk's comment. I also don't look at these folks as having turned into dust. Every year they come alive in the imaginations of many readers. Maligayang Pasko to all. Well, what else?Say, we don't view the full size for a micro-study. What we see is the "pyramid" of working stiffs that retracted into one side of the office against the forceful advance of upper management group. Sharp diagonal dividing line was disturbed somewhat at the bottom, by the lady and gent behind her. There he is!Every year I look forward to seeing dear old Mr. Hilter at the top of the picture looking so skeptical! "Mildred, what did you do with my flask"?This party was during the TEETH of prohibition too! The REAL fun will come later. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Christmas, Natl Photo, The Office)
California Modern: 1950
1950. Cocktail hour at the Spencer residence in Santa Monica. Note the ... black clothing. Quite a slick depiction of the trends of 1950, although most of it is timeless good design. Thanks for the flashback, I ... As California goes, so goes the future, and it was true in 1950. Granted, I was only 4 then, and my family wasn't in any way immersed in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/05/2008 - 12:47pm -

1950. Cocktail hour at the Spencer residence in Santa Monica. Note the mirror-view television sunken into the table. Architect: Richard Spencer. Color transparency by Julius Shulman. View full size. Is Uncle Miltie on tonight? Where is Hugh Hefner?This is reminiscent of the mood of the old TV Show "Hugh Hefner's Penthouse Party." It was all so "chic and stylishly sophisticated" and only the young and beautiful need apply. I do LOVE the streamlined clean look of it all but the guy standing by the fireplace appears to be wearing sandals with a suit, kind of a strange combo. And the powder blue chenille chair in the left foreground would have left lots of lint on black clothing. Quite a slick depiction of the trends of 1950, although most of it is timeless good design. Thanks for the flashback, I love your Shorpy time machine. Meaningful Look...... between Standing Man and Black Dress Woman. Who knows what else they have in common besides biblical footwear? The night is young... Time and placeSandals and a suit? Hey, this is California -- not only that, Santa Monica. As California goes, so goes the future, and it was true in 1950. Granted, I was only 4 then, and my family wasn't in any way immersed in this kind of lifestyle and fashion, but I grew up aware of it, so this scene is completely believable. About the only thing not cutting-edge that I can see are what appear to be 78-rpm record albums (they were literally albums) on the bottom two shelves. 1950 ArmaniWhen I saw this, I immediately thought of Armani Casa, the style is so similar. And the woman on the right in the black dress with the small pois pattern is pure Emporio. SandalsSandals on men are just wrong. Sandals with a suit are an abomination. This guy wuld probably be wearing flip flops to work today. Steak TartareIs that a big plate of raw hamburger there? [Probably not. - Dave] Name that tune.How about you all guess what suave, very cool and modern music that fits the scene might have been playing on the stereophonic hi-fi in 1950. I'm guessing something with Les Paul and Mary Ford. [There was no stereo hi-fi in 1950, but what the heck. Miles Davis. - Dave] Books!The thing that struck me immediately was the prominence of books in this otherwise very spare room. Note the tapered, built-in bookcases, the hard-bound volume carefully placed on the coffee table and the stack of books in the centre unit of sectional couch. Clearly, those who "dressed" this room could imagine the living room as a space where people would read, and they wanted to project the possibility. Today's living rooms -- and the "entertainment units" with which they are furnished -- are designed around electronics, with some allowance for a few magazines or decorative items. Bookcases, where you actually find them, tend to have oversize shelves for binders, photo albums and magazines, not octavo sized books. Soviet ChicI love the Soviet Chic concrete block wall. It reminds me of the university building where I currently work. Probably constructed in about the same era. Two observations: (1) without a ladder, how do you reach the books at the top of the 12-foot-shelf? (2) I love that the flask on the table matches both the drink on the table (which looks like Hawaiian Punch to me) and the pillows behind the bored blonde. [The "flask" is a table lighter. - Dave] Huaraches Going out on a limb here that those sandals are huaraches which were big in the 60's. I know because I had a Rat Fink surf themed LP, Surfink, in the 60's that mentioned huaraches. I suppose that qualifies me some. Modern and Cold...I like a lot of the modern designs from the 50's. However, this one looks too cold and industrial. This is one cocktail party that I am glad I didn't go to. Just look at how much fun they are having! Oh my! Swank padThe future was going to be so cool, and look what we did with it. Shag?Is that SHAG carpetting on the chair? And why is Mr. Spencer wearing Birkenstocks with his suit? Even the ladies shoes seems to be.... less than fashionable. House overall seems somewhat dated, but functional, but the furniture (except maybe the TV) needs to go. And the TV needs to be an LCD pop up with something like Microsoft Surface. Otherwise, this looks like a bad retro-istic look at yesterday's today. Looking like today!High ceilings, simple, sparse furnishings, even the fashions look contemporary. Usually there would be a grey brick fireplace and evidence of robin egg blue palette or chrome and blond furniture around for the fifties. This could be 2009 decor. Santa MonicaSo, tt, what was "this lifestyle" that was on the periphery of your awareness? Spooky ChicThe very chic woman on the right looks so contemporary it's almost spooky. Going DownI thought it was simply a blocky coffee table, until I saw the opening to the steps leading to the chic pleasure dungeon. The guy in the suit and the blonde are obviously planning an immediate descent. Playboy PadThe guy in the suit and sandals looks like a cross between Woody Harrelson and Hugh Hefner. Yeah, Baby . . . So Cool!This is probably the first Shorpy pic that truly makes me want to time travel and immerse myself completely into this scene. I love the coolness and sleekness and the fact that 58 years later, this looks like something that I could probably mimic today without too much fuss. Well, except the smoking. About Santa MonicaI phrased that poorly; my intention was to zero in on Southern California in general, not Santa Monica specifically. What I was driving at was that Southern California had long been a place where the new, the novel, the offbeat was a familiar part of the culture; also that there was a particular style of upscale living - influenced by, among other things, the climate, the movie industry and that tolerance for the idiosyncratic and unusual. A scene like this, in a ritzy, high-concept-design postwar modern living/entertaining room, with a guy in open-shirt designer garb in sandals, well, this is so totally Southern California that I can't stand it. And it's 1950. We're witnessing the dawn of casual chic. Hi-De-FiThe hi-fi system is highly unusual. They were not commonly built into coffee tables! They were commonly custom built, however. The components often didn't come with cabinets. I assume that the TV mirror is so thick because it has a layer of that zebra-grain plywood on it. I also assume that the preamp sticking out near Black Dress's knees tucks in when not in use. There would also be a record changer that slid out when the records needed changing. As someone noted, the records are those old-fashioned 78s. The 33 rpm LP record was just coming into vogue at that time, being introduced c. 1948. The draperiesThe draperies--I assume that is what they are--are amazing. But I really, really want that lamp on the right. [Those are probably boards set at an angle. Your classic mid-century room divider or window baffle. - Dave] True date of this photoThe unbroken horizontal top of the bodice on the sleeveless and strapless gowns gives me pause about the date 1950. I've found only one photo of 1950, "Carmen's Armpit" by Norman Parkinson, that shows a model in such a gown, but the top of that bodice has a break in the overfold to suggest cleavage. By 1952 such gowns as appear in this photo were worn; by 1954-1955 they were common. The short hairstyle on the blonde belongs to 1951-1952, or to 1955, especially if she has a flip curl in front. This image could be as late as 1955. Perhaps a source for the unusual TV setup will help pin down the exact year. [This photograph was taken in 1950. - Dave] More on the SpencersI found the Spencers' wedding announcement (in the January 28, 1949 Long Beach Independent). Based on the accompanying photo I'd bet that they are the two standing by the fireplace. Most remarkable was her wedding dress - "an apple green dressmaker suit and orchids." He was described as an industrial engineer, originally from Denver, who studied abroad. She was the former Josephine Caruso, whose parents had a Long Beach address and who graduated from Polytechnic High. "They will make their home in Santa Monica Canyon." Neal Cassady by the wallWith Kerouac chatting up the local hipsters, while traveling "On the Road." HotDo you suppose the fire is actually burning that wood? If so, Mr. Sandals wouldn't be able to keep his hand on the fireplace screen very long. That is unless he is so mesmerized that he doesn't notice. [Some people are just too cool to get burned. - Dave] As seen on AMC's Mad MenThe woman on the right sure looks like Betty Draper. Of course this would have been before she met her future hubby, Don. Time TravelerI can't believe that woman in the black outfit is from 58 years ago. I am intensely curious as to how she aged in the following decades... How did she look in 1965? 1974? 1995? The writer Robert Benchley once had to console a man who was in love with a woman who'd been dead for a hundred years. I feel myself falling in love with this woman, and wish I had a time machine. The lobbyistsThis room looks more like an upscale lobby or waiting room than a room in somebody's home. I'm guessing the little Spencers didn't play in this room. I think one of the biggest reasons the woman in black looks so contemporary is her millennial borderline-underweight figure, in a time when most of the starlets were more pneumatic. [You'll note from the caption that the owner of the house is the architect who designed it. - Dave] That mirror TV cabinetLet's see if we can figure out how that mirror cabinet for the TV worked... We need two mirrors to keep from reversing the image. Could the TV screen be facing the photographer, with one mirror out of sight reflecting the image up to the mirror we can see? No, then the viewer would see a sideways image, unless the TV is on its side. Probably the TV needed to stay upright? Or could it be on its side, or upside down? [Mirror view televisions, whose sales peak was sometime around 1948, were used for the larger screen sizes (17 inches and up) back when the bigger picture tubes were too long to fit front-to-back in a standard cabinet. Generally the tube was wired to display a reverse image. The standard design was an upright cabinet with mirrored lid. Some used a prism or extra mirrors. They were superseded by direct-view sets once picture tubes got short enough to fit front-to-back in a 24-inch-deep enclosure. Custom installations continued to make use of the principle. - Dave] Time is relative...Our family was totally working class, but, I remember the homes (and offices) of more "sophisticated" people looking much like this when I was a kid. Ours was a two-university town. This looks like the home of a prof or department head, and it resembles a lot of the university architecture being built at the time, the time being the early 1960s for me. It took a decade or more for California Chic to percolate down (and up) to the likes of us in Southern Ontario. This room is ugly and the people look strange.Why does the woman in black appear to have been decapitated and then had her head put back on the neck? What is wrong with this picture? There certainly is a lot wrong with the room. It's about as homey as a public toilet. Another worldWow. I can't even imagine how wealthy one would have to be to live like this in 1950. When I first saw the picture I assumed these people were all movie stars. My father was born in 1947, and his working class upbringing in Northern England, in an unheated home lacking an indoor bathroom, would have been almost literally on another planet compared to this. Astonishing. Kind of Cold In Here...I agree with all those who find this room cold and impersonal, but I suppose it would be a good place to hang out and smoke a couple packs of butts, like these people are doing. Girl in the black dress is exceptional by the standards of any era. For those who like this room I suggest a visit to Aqueduct Racecourse. That was built in 1961, but style hadn't changed all that much, and the little foyer below the grandstand escalator is still furnished something like this. A real time warp. What goes around comes around...I'm from New Zealand, and this style of interior is becoming extremely popular again. I think it's wonderful, nothing like a public toilet. (Art & Design, Julius Shulman)
Heart of Cleveland: 1950
Summer 1950. "Heart of downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and Union Terminal Group (Terminal ... Cafe survives There have been many changes since this 1950 photo, but the Flat Iron Cafe (bottom left corner) is still there. Its ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2024 - 5:22pm -

Summer 1950. "Heart of downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and Union Terminal Group (Terminal Tower and Hotel Cleveland)." Gelatin silver print by Carl McDow. View full size. The Flat Iron Cafe survivesThere have been many changes since this 1950 photo, but the Flat Iron Cafe (bottom left corner) is still there. Its profile says it's an unpretentious brick-walled tavern with live music. I suspect its younger patrons have no idea what a flat iron is. Click to embiggen Afternoon normalAfternoon rush hour getting underway as West Siders flood the Detroit/Superior Highlevel bridge. On the Cleveland Union Terminal Railroad, a streamlined Chesapeake & Ohio sleeper is getting set over to build the Nickel Plate's Cleveland-St. Louis train #9. The NKP will take the sleeper as far as Fostoria where it will join the C&O's "Sportsman" heading toward the Greenbrier resort. The sleeper will return to Cleveland via Columbus, Ohio, on the New York Central. In the flats, we see the yellow brick towered B&O station that lost its trains when the B&O moved the "Cleveland Night Express" and "Washingtonian" into the CUT. There is room on the near side of the CUT viaduct for additional tracks, and by 1960 the Cleveland Transit System will use that space for the cross-town Rapid Transit system. Just a Little Before I was BornThis would have been a vista of what my dad saw when in worked in Cleveland during 1948 and 1949. He met my mother in 1948 in Parkersburg, WV where they both lived. Dad got a job in Cleveland working at a key plant. He would hitchhike home from Cleveland every Friday evening after work to see my mother and hitchhike back to Cleveland on Sunday. There was no I-77 back then. Only U.S. Route 21. I’ve heard many stories about how long it took Dad to make it home to Parkersburg. Mother became a lifelong Cleveland baseball fan in 1948 when the Indians won the series. Chief Wahoo stood watch at her casket, and I still possess the Cleveland Indian pinback button Dad gave to my mother in 1948. Patrick Catenary SupportsThe overhead lattice structures over the trackage on the bridge were there to support catenary wire that carried 3000 volt DC current to power the electric locomotives used in Cleveland Union Terminal to comply with smoke abatement concerns. These locomotives or 'motors' were used until 1954 when they were modified to run off the 600 volt third rail in the New York City trackage into Grand Central Terminal. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, Railroads)
Waffle Shop: 1950
... The Waffle Shop, 522 10th Street NW, Washington D.C. Circa 1950 photograph by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. The diner still ... This is fantastic. This is fantastic. Waffle Shop 1950 I see the cool "tabletop remote" jukeboxes! Don't see those ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/21/2012 - 10:33pm -

The Waffle Shop, 522 10th Street NW, Washington D.C. Circa 1950 photograph by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. The diner still exists but is about to close. This, kids, was the epitome of fast food. (McDonald's? Beh.) i wanna go! mwi wanna go! mw PrintsWill every image shown be available as a print? I'd certainly be interested in this one. [Done! Print link added to caption. - Dave] Wow!As previously stated, (I think I blogged before) I am an elementary school teacher and this site will help put an end to those quizzical looks when I tell about the dark ages with no video games, no computers and no cell phones. 5th grade in California studies US History and the turn of the century is a great time to go back to first. Looks immenseThe ceiling appears to be tilted at an angle. In this image, that provides a forced perspective which makes the interior look immense. I also love the shine on everything. I'm kind of curious what the interior looks like now. Waffle ShopThe Washington Post did a story on the Waffle Shop a few months ago, along with a slide show. Nowadays it has what you might call that lived-in look. The mirror running along the wall makes the place look twice as big. This is fantastic.This is fantastic. Waffle Shop 1950I see the cool "tabletop remote" jukeboxes! Don't see those anymore...or old cash registers either. I want to go there.That's a good looking joint. I want waffles with ice cream NOWBeautiful, efficient and appealing design. A real soda fountain! Tell me again why the present is better than the past, because I've forgotten. Squeaky CleanThis is cleaner than almost any restaurant out there today. I wish there were places like this today, the food would probably be edible too since today mostly what is available is really crappy. Best Breakfast In DCThe Waffle Shop was the best place to have breakfast in DC before it closed. When my wife and I last ate there a few years ago, we sat in the 3rd and 4th seats from the right in the picture. We had an enormous breakfast including steak and eggs, waffles, bacon, juice, etc. which were all great and made better when the check came to a little over $9. Although the place wasn't nearly as clean as it is in the photo, which merely added to its ambiance (my guess is that the dust which began to accumulate as soon as the shutter clicked on this shot was never cleaned until the place closed). I sure do miss that place. Ah MemoriesI remember eating here many times in the 70s when the neighborhood was sort of run down. It was just across the street from Ford's Theater. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Theodor Horydczak)
Electrik Maid: 1950
... in Takoma Park. Montgomery County, Md., circa 1950. "Potomac Electric Power Co. -- Commercial kitchens, restaurants and ... by a faulty ventilator in the basement. - Dave] 1950? If this were captioned as 1915 I would never have suspected it was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/02/2016 - 4:18pm -

        UPDATE: This was the Electrik Maid Bakery at 7000 Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park. Montgomery County, Md., circa 1950. "Potomac Electric Power Co. -- Commercial kitchens, restaurants and lighting. Takoma Park Bakery." We're guessing these are not gluten-free. 8x10 acetate negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. CleanlinessBoy, cleanliness standards sure have changed in the past 65 years. Electrik Maid Bake ShopsThis strange phrase shows up on the right side of the upper oven's control box. Googling it reveals that such a place exists in Biloxi. Mystery abounds! [It was a franchise operation based in Minnesota. Also a clue as to the address here -- the Electrik Maid Bakery at 7000 Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park, Maryland. - Dave] Who Do We Call FirstThe health department or the fire department? [There was at least one fire here, in 1951, caused by a faulty ventilator in the basement. - Dave] 1950?If this were captioned as 1915 I would never have suspected it was wrong! [Note the radio. According to a 1987 Washington Post article on Takoma Park, "the Electrik Maid Restaurant, said to be the oldest eatery in town, opened in the 1940s as a bakery, one of the first using all-electric appliances. Now it's a kind of Middle-Eastern-Greek-vegetarian diner with nine booths, six swiveling stools at the counter and a Ms. Pac-Man game." - Dave] Maid with neonElectrik Maid (with a normalized spelling) is now the name of a nonprofit storefront community center and music venue, down the street from the defunct bakery. “Electrik Maid” was trademarked in 1920 by the franchiser of local bakeries mentioned earlier. The bakeries featured new-fangled electric ovens, which were then starting to compete seriously with the gas-fueled. In the 1940s some entrepreneur opened Takoma Park's Electrik Maid franchise at (approximately) 7000 Carroll Avenue in the row of art-deco storefronts on the town's main shopping street. The bakery is gone, replaced now by the eclectic homey-tasty Mark’s Kitchen diner. Meanwhile, the defunct bakery’s art-deco neon sign apparently was so well loved that the history-conscious, crunchy-granola nonprofit community center -- http://electricmaid.org/ -- adapted the sign for its own storefront, located since 1981 at 268 Carroll, on the Washington, D.C., side of the street. Lots more about the town on the D.C./Maryland border: http://www.historictakoma.org/takomahistoryinprint.html One left?There's an Electrik Maid Bake Shop in Biloxi, MS. It has been open since 1924, although it moved to a more modern building at some point. (The Gallery, D.C., Kitchens etc., Theodor Horydczak)
Pretty in Pink: 1952
... on the Ford, which we'll tentatively identify as a 1950 Crestliner. View full size. Tailfins Those are real, ... I run Plan59. - Dave] It's a Ford. 1949 or 1950 Ford. Also added vinyl (looks like cloth?) top and what appears to be ... - Dave] Beautiful photo! Beautiful photo! 1950 Ford Crestliner I love google. I'm a Chevrolet guy... Check this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/22/2008 - 3:30pm -

Circa 1952, possibly in Indiana. Another image from Set 2 of found 35mm Kodachromes. Note the Cadillac-inspired tacked-on tailfins on the Ford, which we'll tentatively identify as a 1950 Crestliner. View full size. TailfinsThose are real, honest-to-goodness tailfins. There's nothing faux about them. [They're aftermarket accessories, tacked on. - Dave] Crestliner?Probably not. Looks like something from Henry J. Kaiser. Maybe someone can find it on Plan59. Give it a shot. [It's a Ford Crestliner. And I run Plan59. - Dave] It's a Ford.1949 or 1950 Ford. Also added vinyl (looks like cloth?) top and what appears to be Buick-style side trim. Travis [There was no Crestliner in 1949. The top is canvas on metal; both it and the side trim are stock. The Crestliner was Ford's stopgap answer to GM's "hardtop convertibles" of 1949. - Dave] Beautiful photo!Beautiful photo! 1950 Ford CrestlinerI love google. I'm a Chevrolet guy... Check this out. I wish I could post the picture straight up. http://www.oldride.com/classic_cars/330546.html Travis JCWhitneyThe fins are aftermarket additions. Probably got them from J C Whitney catalog. The car has been "customized" as was the craze in the 50's [The only customized parts are the tailfins. The rest is stock Crestliner. - Dave] I Got Nuthin'I got nuthin' here, but I gotta say, seeing Dave shoot down these grossly mistaken commenters is hilarious! A familiar neighborhoodDave, you set us up by asking about the car, when you're already the most knowledgeable guy in the room! The housing in the area looks almost exactly like the neighborhood I grew up in: several streets of almost identical houses built quickly after the soldiers returned from WWII. I'd bet almost any town of reasonable size had a neighborhood just like this in 1950. 1950 Ford CrestlinerI had one of these and in this color. It was a great car. I believe only about 1400 were made. [If memory serves, there was an article about them not too long ago in Collectible Automobile. When I was a kid, my dad had a 1950 or 51 Ford sedan. - Dave] AccessoriesI wish I could buy some aftermarket tailfins for my car today ... Pretty in PinkGreat comments on the car. The girl's bike has training wheels, which is cool. The detail on these photos is just astounding. Every blade of grass. This image is more than half a century old. Looks like it was taken on digital yesterday. Is the license plate a clue to the state? 1951This picture must have been taken in 1951 since the black-on-white plates were issued that year. For 1952, a yellow tab was issued to bolt on top of the 1951 plate. http://www.in.gov/bmv/4211.htm [There is a tab on this one, across the bottom of the plate. It looks blue, or maybe green. - Dave] The FordMy dad had a 1950 Ford 2-door sedan, and a few years ago he gave it to my brother. That car's been in my family for more than fifty years. Custom CrestlinerA gussied-up version of the regular Tudor sedan added late in the 1950 model year. Designed to fill in for a true "hardtop convertible" pending arrival of the Victoria for 1951. Styling by Gordon Buehrig featured a contrasting color sweep panel on the bodysides and a padded top. Priced $ 200 upstream of the Custom Tudor, which explains why sales were not impressive. A true collectible today. Nice car in its fifties decor, Dave. What are the chances...I saw this picture and thought, "that looks an awful lot like my grandmother's front yard." Sent it to my mother remarking on the similarity. Turns out, that is her on the bike. Her mother sewed the dress and she bought the bike from her brother's future wife. The house is in Noblesville, IN. [That is amazing. So that's your mother on the bike? And is this her brother below? - Dave] 1953 Indiana platesThe Indiana 1953 tab is indeed black on light green. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, Kodachromes 2)
Luncheonette: 1950
... alarm clocks, etc., albeit at much higher prices than in 1950. Deja Vu Though I never visted this lunch counter, when I saw this ... going to charge a quarter just for a cup of coffee. 1950 Inventory Missing in stores today: Kodak and Ansco Film Ronson ... 
 
Posted by sledworks - 11/13/2011 - 6:16pm -

Early 1950s lunch counter somewhere in northern New Jersey that sold candy, cigars, small gifts and toys. View full size. I remember hundreds of theseI grew up in Brooklyn. I remember hundreds of stores like this. We had one on Kingston Avenue, in Crown Heights. My grandmother would take me for "a malted." One could, of course, get an Egg Cream, as well, which contains neither eggs nor cream. Note also the two wooden phone booths in the back and the older mechanical cash register behind the soda counter, in counterpoint to the electric cash register at the front counter. Some of the stuff for sale is interesting. Wind-up alarm clocks (top-right). Camera equipment -- Ansco something. Brownie camera, Kodalite Flashholder. A tricycle and a kids tractor up above the phone booths. Betcha they don't offer wi-fi. LuncheonetteAlternate title: A Kid's Dream Come True. Toys, candy plus burgers and shakes all at your fingertips. These are great vintage store and pharmacy shots, obviously done by commercial photographers. How did you come by them? So many thank you's shorpy, this one is awesome!The candy store -- growing up, as a little kid in the fifties, let me be very clear, I was six years old, left my house to walk three blocks to the most incredible place on earth; the candy store! No parental supervision, just a total array of colors, sodas, newspapers, comic books and most of all, candy. We were poor so the only way to buy a piece of candy was to sweep some neighbor's yard or collect deposit bottles. This brings it all back. I wouldn't trade being poor vs. rich for anything. I appreciated that five cent chocolate bar immensely. Thanks Shorpy, you rock! El ProductosGood to see that the store has a good supply of El Producto Cigars. You never can tell when George Burns might wander in looking for his favourite brand. Burns smoke 10 El Producto Queens a day for most of his long life. He'd order them in batches of 300 from the manufacturer and if his shipment was late he'd call the factory and send his butler out to get as many as he could find. How I got my imagesOwning an antique mall has been one source for finding some of my images. Some of my vendors know what I look for and show me before they put them out for sale. Ebay has been a source obviously. I've been buying since 1997. My third resource, and most prized, was from a former coin-op book author who passed away over 10 years ago. I bought several original images that he used in some of his books. I plan to upload some of those here. Dessert under glassLove this with the Coke clock and soda machine. Twelve stool counter equals a busy soda jerk. The phone booths probably each have a fan that is automatic. Brings back some memories from childhood. I want a hamburger and a real Coke with cane sugarAfter I'm done I'll wander over and get a 10 cent Hershey Bar that's twice as big as the one you get today. Counter servicejimmylee42, you're on the beam, but instead of a soda jerk I see a large middle-aged gal with bright red fingernails who calls you "Hon." A trip downtownThis scene so reminds me of the shopping trips made to the SS Kresge, FW Woolworth , or the Metropolitan store in downtown Windsor Ontario. The SS Kresge store had wood floors, I can still hear them creak. Now, where's the toy department? Let's see the new Dinkys. Vintage EatsSomething tells me this was either a Woolworth's Or McCrory's. Being from North Jersey I'd go with the latter. Let There Be LightWhen you closed the door in the phone booth, the ceiling light would come on. A nickel had been the price for a local call for decades, but by the mid-1950s it had doubled to 10 cents in most places. It was a surprise to find that it was still 5 cents on a visit to New Orleans in 1976. Delightful memoriesNot only do I want to buy those two riding toys for my granddaughters, but I want to have a leisurely lunch at the counter and scan the items for sale!!! Misspent youth, of courseTakes me back to cherry cokes at the Peoples Drugstore at Fesseden and Wisconsin Ave., Friendship Heights, D.C. Boy, were they delicious! Sigh! The good old daysWhen you could pick out and buy one thing instead of a plastic-encased "multipack" with three or four of whatever you just needed just one of. RepurposingI'm a big fan of antique shops, and can't recall how many shops I've been in (mainly in small towns) that were originally drug stores or something similar, with many of the original fixtures still intact (lunch counter, back mirror, wall displays, etc.). And a lot of the items in this photo can still be found in those shops -- Coca-Cola clock, Ronson lighters, pedal cars, countertop display cases, alarm clocks, etc., albeit at much higher prices than in 1950. Deja VuThough I never visted this lunch counter, when I saw this photo I felt I had been there before. Growing up in the fifties, I ate at many a lunch counter that looked just like the one here. AgogLook at the firetruck with the raised ladder, in the second overhead cubbyhole (visible in the mirror)! I always wanted one of these but we could never afford one. To the kids this must have been a fantasyland! "Hon"tterrace, As a former resident of northern New Jersey, I can almost guarantee you the "large middle-aged gal with bright red fingernails" would NEVER call you "Hon." 30 years ago I moved to Maryland, where the "Hon" is quite prevalent, and I remember being quite shocked when a total stranger addressed me that way. My OrderI'll have a cup of coffee and a piece of that banana cream pie. How much will that be? Fifty cents? I don't want to buy the whole place, I just want a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. Next thing you know they're going to charge a quarter just for a cup of coffee. 1950 InventoryMissing in stores today: Kodak and Ansco Film Ronson Cigarette Lighters Irvin S Cobb Corn Cob Pipes Westclox & Big Ben Alarm Clocks Waterman Pens Scripto Mechanical Pencils Dills Pipe Tobacco Blackstone, Robert Burns & El Producto Cigars 3 in 1 Oil Still There: Tums Kleenex Topps Gum Coca Cola I was surprised to find outThat you could still buy one of those Moist-N-Aire machines. I'd like to have a cherry Coke, club sandwich and an order of fries, please. Complete blast from my past!My father owned a Luncheonette in Passaic until 1977. I have some fond and some not-so-fond memories of it. But everything in this photo rings the nostalgia bell in me. His store wider than this, but the stools and counter and various wares are all familiar friends. My job at the age of 4 was to stock cigarettes and make Heinz soup in the electric soup maker. I still have two of his three malt mixers and they still work! Thanks for the memories. Are those bunnies?As I time-traveled back to 1950 to stroll around this wonderful establishment, I think it was near Easter because on the top of the display counter on the extreme left there appears to be a display of cellophane-wrapped chocolate rabbits near a collection of chocolate eggs in egg cartons. Also, on the far back wall, left side of photo, it looks like Easter candy novelties. Of course it could just be wishful thinking since there was something unique and especially delicious about chocolate rabbits in those days that just do not taste the same anymore. RonsonsI see my dad's old lighter on display. All that's missing is the pack of Parliaments. Having grown up in NYC this brings back such fond memories. A couple of things that haven't changed.Note the napkin the sugar dispensers. Go into any Waffle House in the South and you will find those exact dispensers. I always hated the napkins, they were too small and light. Couldn't clean your hands if you got syrup on them. But I love the photo, brings memories of the great "real" milkshakes you could get at a drugstore counter. Made in a metal tumbler and poured into a real glass. The chocolate was great not the imitation you get nowadays. And of course the paper straws. Thanks for sharing. Give or take a year or twoMost Europeans were just getting rid of ration cards. So a store like this would have been a major cultural shock for them, even for those who had actually been off rationing for some time. West of the Iron Curtain, that is. East of that? I can't even imagine. I'd be sitting at that counter!Wow, does this photo bring back memories. It looks just like the place my friends and I would "hang out" at at lunch time and after school, right down to the way it's set up with the phone booths in back. We'd buy cigarettes from a machine (put in 30 cents and get 2 cents change back on the side of the pack). Luckily, I didn't smoke too long. Cokes were either 5 or 10 cents and an order of fries was 15 cents. The guy who owned the place and his wife were like grandparents to us. They really cared about the kids. Pens and phonesYou can still buy Waterman fountain pens, Mr Mel ... but not in a drugstore. But when I looked at this photo, I tried to imagine getting to the phone booths past a couple of kids spinning like dervishes on those stools. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Happy Halloween: 1958
... Kodachrome slides found on eBay. View full size. 1950's TV Memories First we were told we had to sit at least five feet ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/31/2023 - 1:02pm -

October 1958, somewhere in Pennsylvania. Big brother is ready for a night of trick-or-treating. Rob from the rich, and share with your understudy! Our fourth selection from a batch of Kodachrome slides found on eBay. View full size. 1950's TV MemoriesFirst we were told we had to sit at least five feet away from the screen or we would contract radiation sickness. There were pieces of filmy plastic one could purchase in transparent colors like green and yellow to instantly turn a black and white into a color TV (whatever color the plastic was). There was often nothing on in small towns in the hills that could receive only one or two channels, except a test pattern, but we would watch it anyway. At some time during the life of everyone's TV, there would be a failure of the "vertical/horizontal" knob which would cause the picture to continuously flip and STILL we would watch it. I remember my amazement of seeing the coronation of Queen Elizabeth taking place in Great Britain, in my own home in a small town in Ct. That was truly a miracle to me. Needless to say, I now find Skype absolute magic. We can only speculate at what is coming next. Costumes by Irwin Mainway no doubt.We all wore them back then, and most of us survived. LegsWhen those kind of legs started showing up I thought they made otherwise nice furniture look chintzy. Place Your BetsGuess how long after exiting the house before Mom or Dad was carrying Robin's: bow, treat bag, younger brother. Safety panel on TVI notice that the parents of Robin Hood and Wonder Bread opted for the transparent safety panel in front of the picture tube of the TV. When my older brother and I, as young adults, removed the defunct TV component from our parents’ massive wooden hi-fi cabinetry (to create extra storage space), we took the TV - with safety screen attached – to a local dumpster so we could toss it from a high place and watch it explode. Far from breaking, the TV hit the bottom of the dumpster and bounced back up about five feet. Like much else back then, those things were tough. [That "safety panel" is a glare shield. - Dave] Technical Aspects AsideThat RCA simply cries out for a pair of rabbit ears. Safety glassThe glass screen cover wasn't an option or a glare shield, though many of them were tinted to increase the contrast. It was there to protect the unbonded picture tube from being hit and imploding, thereby causing serious injury. It's Its other function was to contain the flying glass should the tube implode for some other reason. Pretty much every set from 1946 till 1960 or so had a safety glass. Sets starting in the early 60's either had the safety glass bonded directly to the face of the CRT or they were banded to contain the glass in the event of implosion, after that the extra glass in front of the screen was not needed. My User Name will explain why I know this stuff. [The outer flat panel, made of safety glass, was designed to reduce glare and ambient reflections. Hence names like "Glare-Guard." (And something that implodes doesn't pose much of a risk to anyone unless they're inside the picture tube.) - Dave] The family's pride and joy on displayThe family is obviously proud of their kids, but they are also showing off their new 21" color TV. In 1958, color TV was still quite a rarity in the home, since RCA introduced their first color set, the 15" CT100, in 1954. [That's not a color TV. - Dave] [RCA used a similar cabinet for black-and-white sets and the one in our photo most closely resembles the 1956 Glenwood 21 Deluxe in several details. Also, the screen mask isn't quite the same shape as those used for the round color tubes. - tterrace] The TVForget the creepy John Wayne Gacy meets Wonderbread and store bought Robin Hood costumes. Yuck. That TV is the star of this scene. I can see it is RCA Victor at the top. I think it is black and white because the color sets of that era had a round sided picture tube. Only the b&w sets had a more squared green shape. I can see somebody has been going overboard on the Lemon Pledge. This family loved that set. I also can't read the script strip at the bottom of the speaker. It might be a remote control or other advertising slogan, not the model name. [It's the "eluxe" part of "Deluxe," the "D" having broken off. - tterrace] Winky DinkThe comments about the safety cover remind me of the vinyl screen you got so you could draw on the screen while watching Winky Dink. I think it was so you could draw paths to help him escape from some plot or another. I can smell that TV from hereThere were nearly 20 tubes in that thing, warming up the room and lending a faint smell of roasting dust and melting wax capacitors. Our kids will never know the joy of watching the picture dwindle to a shrinking white rectangle, then a little bright white spot in the middle of the screen when the set was turned off. Smell-a-VisionNixibunny. My very first thought was the smell that the television would emit. Your description is perfect. I might also add the sounds it would make as it warmed up as well. Those hidden control knobsIf I'm not mistaken, that center panel below the screen opened (downward, I believe) to reveal all those little knobs we kids were not supposed to touch like the vertical, horizontal, contrast,and brightness. Without rabbit ears they probably had a 75 ohm lead up to the roof antenna. Eventually Dad would get real sophisticated and install a "tenna rotor" device that would rotate the roof antenna with just a twist of the dial that sat on top of the TV! Warming up the TVMy 30-something children don't know whether to believe me when I tell them that TVs of the era needed a few minutes to "warm up" before the picture appeared and came into focus. Also, they seem skeptical when I tell them that TV stations played the National Anthem and signed off for the night around midnight. And that if you turned on the TV early the next morning, you were likely to see nothing but a test pattern, which usually included a Native American in a headdress. Is it just me? So I'm the only one interested in the costumes and not the TV set? LOL. Robin Hood is store bought but the clown looks like it could be homemade. I'd love to know what sewing machine was used and if it was a hand-me-down from Big Brother. Was the material purchased only for this costume or did Mom have a matching apron? A picture says a thousand words but I'd like a few more in this case! And speaking of explanations, can anybody describe the candy that went into that bag? Was anything individually wrapped back then? Could you get "fun size"? Is little sister dressed as a clown,or a loaf of Wonder Bread? Kid picture!Is it just me, or did every American have a picture of their kids in that exact same frame? We had one of me holding the cat named Nameless. I was 8 in 1958. Sorry, we had a 190inch Zenith (or was it Admiral?) in a black metal case with the speaker and controls on the side ... sitting on a wrought iron swivel stand. In the den downstairs, not the living room. I wasn't going to mention the TV, too late now. This photo reminds methat I closed on the house in which I live now on October 31, aka Halloween. No ghosts or goblins to speak of ... because they told me to keep my mouth shut. VIPs didn't wait for warm up.Waiting for the old tube type TVs to warm up was a problem of the hoi polloi. Presidents of the U.S. had better things to do than to wait for the many White House TVs to stabilize as they flitted around the various work areas (Richard Milhous Nixon was particularly irked by this) so their TVs were rewired so the tube filaments/heaters were on a separate circuit that was on all the time and was only shut off if a set wasn't expected to be used for an extended period. When they entered a room and powered on a TV (usually with the switch at the lower end of the volume control knob rotation range), it sprang to (stable) life almost instantly as it merely had to turn on the B+, grid and flyback etc. voltages. Maybe not so surprisingly, it was found that this didn't particularly cause the tubes to burn out that much more quickly as it eliminated many of the on-off thermal shocks that were the bane of tube filament life, which was in turn responsible for most sudden tube failures. Solid state electronics brought instant TV warm up to the masses, but things seem to be regressing as we now have to wait for interconnected everythings to boot up and connect to the mothership. _etachedThere's a running joke about how many of this era RCA sets have the D broken off the Deluxe script, possibly snagged by dust rags. It's so common that there were reproduction scripts made. This photo proves it started very early on. B/W vs ColorMy grandfather refused to give up the first TV he purchased in about 1955, maybe 1956. It was a black and white, only thing he could get then. When color came out, he saw no reason to have one. I don't believe he was being cheap, contrary to what my mother thought. He finally ended up with a color TV when my mother bought one, set it up, and took his black and white away. My grandmother loved the new color set, so my grandfather lost out. And I think I have a lot of my grandfather in me. No, I don't have a black and white TV, but, I much prefer the old black and white photos on this website than any of the original color ones. I will admit, though, that this one has to be one the best black and white color combos on the site: https://www.shorpy.com/node/25954. Wracking my brainKathyRo, I came along a few years after this photo, but I don't really remember any fun size candy bars, and folks I knew were definitely not springing for full size candy bars. We generally got several pieces of small, individually wrapped candy. The ones I remember were hard candy, Smarties, Dum Dum and Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Rolls, and the dreaded Peanut Butter Kisses. If folks had a good year, you would get a box of Good N Plenty, Milk Duds or Boston Baked Beans. Finally, you might get a homemade treat like cookies, which were good, or popcorn balls, which always seemed to me to be made from leftovers from last month's movie nights. This is what I remember in my town - other areas might be different. OMNISCIENTDave, how do you know everything? [Deitization. - Dave] Re: Kid Picture! -> Happy's StoryWhile it's not 100% the same, and it definitely came later, I still have a picture frame (rounded, not squared, insets, the difference) just like that one in my office at home. Of course, the office used to be my bedroom, when I moved into the house at 2 years old in 1968, before moving into the larger, side bedroom when my sister got married in 1978, before moving out back in 1992; I've just moved back into the home after inheriting it in 2016 with my parents passing. The picture has NEVER had a child in it, instead, taken in said 1968, it has the picture of a dog, blown up from an old photograph taken at Christmas 1968. Said dog, "Happy," was a good girl, as little as I can remember of her from life, who somehow, even though she was probably only three or at most four at the time (she was a street rescue in 1963), knew my mom was pregnant with me prior to her giving birth and was my mom's constant companion during her (tough) pregnancy (my mom ended up with a classic Near Death Experience which I've only just talked with my wife of 27 years about last week at the end, to explain how tough it was). Happy was, by all reports, devoted to me. In August, 1970, while walking through the under construction neighborhood around the corner from our home, I was walking/toddling in the road, while my parents and older sister walked in the grass. Happy was concerned, and kept trying to grab me and pull me onto the grass. A car came around the corner, driven by a newly licensed teenager arguing with a friend at too high a speed, not seeing the child in the road. Happy switched to pushing instead of pulling and pushed me out of the path of the car. My father carried her dying body back to our house; she died on the way home, only a block away, and we ended up burying her in the back yard. My father disliked being on that road for the rest of his life, and would go the long way if possible to avoid it when we had to go into that area. My father loved dogs, but the only portrait he ever had of a dog of his was Happy (he did, admittedly, have lots of just photographs of other dogs), which had pride of place on his dresser from 1970 until 2016, when I inherited it. I have been told by a few so-called psychics who don't know this story that I have a guardian angel, always with me, a small-medium black and white dog (yes, a good description of Happy). Over the years, I've only met one dog, no matter how vicious or "Guard Dog"ish, who didn't warm up to me within minutes of meeting me (the one exception was psychotic, and ended up needing to be put down, and even that dog was generally friendlier with me even than his owner, and no, it was a Cocker Spaniel), and I thank her for that. She'll have pride of place in my home for as long as I live, just as she did in my fathers, still in that frame. Re: WrackingThe prime stuff in the loot bag were chocolate bars, smaller than the full-size bars that cost a dime and still smaller than the nickel versions, but larger than the mini-bars of today. Many Hallowe’en kisses, which was taffy of an indeterminate brown/gray color, and which seemed lame at the time but are for me, now, at the top of the nostalgia list. There were hard candies, too, either individually wrapped or a mini LifeSavers tube, far too many suckers, caramels, definitely Tootsie Pops and Tootsie Rolls, small bags of assorted squishy things or jelly beans, then loose stuff like apples or peanuts in the shell, thrown in by the handful. I don’t think there were mini bags of chips back then in the sixties. As for the apples, I didn’t eat them like treats because they weren’t treats, they were food, so I gave them straight to my mom who used them for lunches or desserts. (ShorpyBlog, Halloween, Kids, Pa. Kodachromes)
Futuramic: 1950
February 15, 1950. New York. "Crystal Motors, business at 5901 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn. Exterior II." On display: the "Futuramic" 1950 Oldsmobile. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View ... Recent road test, plus period film More on the 1950 Olds 88, from Motor Trend . Plus, some Futuramic period film on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/28/2013 - 3:03pm -

February 15, 1950. New York. "Crystal Motors, business at 5901 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn. Exterior II." On display: the "Futuramic" 1950 Oldsmobile. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. I want..I would definitely take a few of those cool looking chairs, very artsy indeed. Re: Futuramic, indeedNot really. Between the very good Hydramatic automatic transmission and the first modern OHV V8 engine, Oldsmobiles of that time were pretty much the wave of, if not the future, then at least the next twenty years. They were pigs to drive, of course, but then American cars were pigs to drive for the next twenty or thirty years. When did downtown auto showrooms disappear, anyway? I remember them from the '50s - they were the rule rather than the exception, at least in the Northeast - but at some point everything moved to suburban lots and I missed the moment. Futuramic OldsesThe division's "Futuramic" body arrived for the 1948 model year, marking the debut of GM's redesigned postwar cars. Of Cadillac proportions for the first couple of years, by the early 1950s they'd had 5 inches lopped off their frames. The design with its integrated front fenders, full wheel openings and jet-tube headlights was progressive for the time, avoiding the dead-end vogue for bathtub-style bodies that afflicted a lot of late-40s cars. Dealer Showrooms!PersonFromPorlock, do you remember when Ford introduced the brand-new 1964-1/2 Mustang? Our dealer in Houma, Louisiana, had kraft paper covering all their windows so folks couldn't get a peek at this amazing new car until the designated day of introduction. I remember passing by the Ford dealer in our school bus and thinking that day would never arrive. RecommendedDon't forget to make an appointment for the 1,000 mile check up. Bring a list of the defects and problems with the car with you and we'll try to get it back to you in a few days. Odds are they won't fix them all on the first visit. Mid Century Futuramic The architecture is mid century futuramic. The vehicle is mid century. I had a 1957 Super 88 in high school in 1972. I loved that Rocket 500 power in a street boat. GM taught me about planned obsolescence from that car. Futuramic, indeedThe building, maybe, but not those dumpy crates. Olds buyers would have to wait until 1954 before they lost that look. Rite Aid PharmacyAccording to Google Street View, a Rite Aid Pharmacy now occupies the site. RadiosThe AM radios in 50s cars worked great, a lost sound. Recent road test, plus period filmMore on the 1950 Olds 88, from Motor Trend. Plus, some Futuramic period film on the 1948 Olds models as produced by the Jam Handy Organization. Mal, love your Hudson! If I remember correctlyThe Hudson 6 cylinder with dual H-Power still licked them at Daytona. [At the first NASCAR outing in Daytona Beach in 1949, the new Rocket Engine Oldsmobile ruled, taking the top four spots. - Dave] That's what I get for listening to a Hudson owner! Now that's a showroomLove, love the slanted windows of the showroom; so very up to date in 1950. I also remember car dealers in the Middle of downtown Minneapolis; I think some were still there in the 60s. I love the big "pig cars". I would trade in my Corolla for one any time!! To quote the Blues Brothers"The new Oldsmobiles are in early this year!" Not Until 1951It was 1951, the year of my Hudson Hornet shown here, when Hudson put Oldsmobile in its place. With the advent of the Hudson Hornet in 1951, Hudson became the NASCAR champion, a position they held through 1954. Hudson's big 308 cubic inch flathead six with dual carbs (Twin-H Power) when combined Hudson's vastly superior handling did the trick. Oldsmobile 98I learned to drive in a 1952 Oldsmobile 98 4-door sedan. It was a beautiful dark green monster purchased new by my parents in Dallas, Texas. The vehicle persevered until 1966 when it was sold to a young tow truck operator, for a pittance, after the fuel pump failed. Dad would say"Why pay for a Cadillac when you can get the same features on an Olds a year earlier?" My understanding was that tilted windows were placed that way to avoid the reflections of headlights. Sit!Please, sit down and admire our cars. Loewy RidersThe showroom itself appears to have been inspired-if not actually designed-by Raymond Loewy. In addition to creating the look of the postwar Studebakers, Loewy designed storefronts, filling stations, furniture, locomotives, etc. Never mind the OldsmobilesThis is a beautiful example of tricky exposure - getting the lit interior of the showroom, the neon sign, and the exterior at what looks like dusk to all be in balance. It reminds me of the photography of Julius Shulman. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Fountain Drinks: 1950
A New Jersey lunch counter and soda fountain circa 1950. View full size. Smoke gets in your eyes.....& lungs Wow, I ... for years prior but I never expected to see a TV in a c. 1950 lunch counter. Grolier Encyclopedia states: The number of television ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 07/08/2008 - 3:10pm -

A New Jersey lunch counter and soda fountain circa 1950. View full size. Smoke gets in your eyes.....& lungsWow, I can't believe the pipes, cigars, etc. for sale in a cute little soda fountain. Kinda makes me lose my appetite! TeeveeTelevision had been broadcast for years prior but I never expected to see a TV in a c. 1950 lunch counter. Grolier Encyclopedia states: The number of television sets in use rose from 6,000 in 1946 to some 12 million by 1951. No new invention entered American homes faster than black and white television sets; by 1955 half of all U.S. homes had one. Still pretty novel then. Looks like a commercial or a news show running. [Media historians (and collectors of old magazines) generally mark 1949 as the year TV "arrived." - Dave] MondayFrom the calendar, we know it's "Monday the 23rd" but what month and year? 1950 or "circa" 1950? Prices!I can't believe what they were charging for fountain items: Adjusting for inflation, in even 2004 dollars it would be: Ice Cream Soda: $4.17 Ice Cream Sundae: 5.83 CalendarIt appears to be Monday, October 23, 1950. Memories>> Wow, I can't believe the pipes, cigars, etc. for sale in a cute little soda fountain. Kinda makes me lose my appetite! Awwwww, poor baby. Good grief. I remember, as a kid growing up in the fifties AND in NJ, that EVERY candy store/soda fountain looked like that! Even the drug stores in town that had soda fountains sold pipes, tobacco and cigarettes. Appears that the brain washing has succeeded. Great picture, by the way! It's Kool insideAlso note the air conditioner. In the 60s I recall the stamped metal painted push-plates on the doors or window decals of the Kool cigarette Penguin proclaiming "Come in, it's Kool inside" for air conditioned establishments - often eateries and bars. Even in the 60s these seemed dated, rusting, and fading. So... another novelty - air conditioning. jnc Alderney, NJ eludes Google!Whenever I see an older commercial photo with superb detail like this one, I scrutinize it for old product signs, dates, and other subtle details. The name ALDERNEY appears twice: on the ice cream sign in the central alcove, and on the newspaper rack. I decided to Google Alderney, NJ, and, guess what? I cold find no references. There's a UK Alderney (interestingly enough near Jersey), and many references to Alderney in the gamers' blogs (Grand Theft Auto). Does anyone know where it's located or what happened to Alderney, NJ? Thanks, JNC, for a most fascinating picture into the past. Your photo blog of ghost signs is equally intriguing (Readers, note - it's listed in the Shorpy Profile as http://blog.hoffmancentral.org/) [There is no Alderney, New Jersey. The signs say Alderney Ice Cream. Alderney Dairy was based in Newark. - Dave] Soda FountainThe most memorable stamped metal, small advertising sign in places like this that I can recall from the period 1940 - 1950, was one for 7-Up. And another standard 'fixture', usually placed on the counter of the soda fountain back then, was the large clear plastic cylinder containing 1-cent stick pretzels standing upright in the container. This is a GREAT photo! Memories IINo, not brainwashing. Losing too many loved ones to cancer has succeeded. Air ConditionerI was in the room air conditioner business in the 1950's. The unit in the picture looks like it could have been a Philco. Anyone know? I can SMELL it now!We had almost IDENTICAL soda fountain/drug stores in Connecticut when I was a kid in the 50's and the prices were exactly the same. We usually got a VP or a CP for a nickel but if we did not have a nickel, we'd ask for a glass of water and the proprietor would good naturedly give it to us, no charge. What a pain that must have been. One thing I remember is the SMELL of these soda fountain/drug stores. One could detect sweetness like chocolate, fruit and candy odors, Orange Crush in the big glass bubbling dispenser, tobacco, sometimes sandwich smells and sometimes coffee. It is a long-gone fragrance I have not smelled since I was a kid. Also, the running fans, overhead and on the counters or tables were always buzzing away and were quite tranquilizing. Our favorite moviehouse advertised "REFRIGERATED AIR" like a oasis in the torrid heat of long, hot summers. Thank you for this WONDERFUL blast from the past. Newarkanyone know where in Newark this was? My grandfather was the first on his block (in Newark) to own a television right about 1950, so they weren't that rare then! CPIs that a cherry phosphate? We used to get that from our local drug store in the 50's. 1950-ish soda fountainWell, it turns out that there's still an Eastern Store Fixtures Corporation, now in Hillside rather than Newark. They don't have any sort of e-mail that I could find--they might be amused to know "their" photo is online all these years later! The 23rdIt could be Monday, January 23, as well. Assuming the year is 1950. If its 1949, then it would be Monday, May 23. If it's 1951, then it could be either April or July 23. Alderney DairyAlderney Dairy was located at the junction of Route 202 (Littleton Road) and Route 10 just north of Morris Plains. It was a great place for ice cream and milkshakes. You felt that it must be fresh since you could look out the window and see the cows. The business was founded in 1894 as Newark Milk and Cream Co., later becoming the Alderney Dairy Co. By 1936, it included 10 creameries, 800 dairy farms, six branch-distributing plants and its pasteurization and bottling plant in Newark - making the company one of the largest independent dairies in the United States. It took its name from the Alderney cow, which later was replaced by Jerseys and Guernseys. All these names came from several small islands in the English Channel. Sip & SupI lived in this area and yes the Alderney Dairy was on the corner of Route 10 and Littleton Road. The name was Sip & Sup. I used to love going there as they had the best ice cream. Sip & SupHello, somebody finally showed up on the internet that remembers the "Sup" as we called it late 50's and early 60's. I started working there as teenager and became night manager after working the various positions and running the snack bar at the Morris Plains Bowling alley, my boss had the lease on the snack bar for a number of years. Then transferred to Sip & Sup in Springfield until I went into the service in 1966. What fun we had at Sip & Sup. I still have some of the original postcards, will try to put on net after I scan them into my system. Alderney DairyI live on the north fork of eastern Long Island in a town called Mattituck. There are many old bottles on my property and every spring, when the snow melts, I find some new ones in good condition. Today, I unearthed a bottle from the Alderney Dairy Co., Newark, N.J. Alderney DairyAs kids growing up in Morris Plains in the early 1970s, we ran all around the then abandoned Alderney Farms and warehouses. Once we went to the top of the cow barn, about 70 feet up, and found tons of old account ledgers. It was a windy day. We pulled the bindings off tossed the pages out the window and they blew all over the farm along Route 10. We had a lot of fun until a detective from Morris Plains police came by and made us clean up every scrap of paper. It took all afternoon! We also built pipe bombs and blew them off in the abandoned buildings and raised heck. Those were the days. I'd kill my kids if they ever acted like I did then. (ShorpyBlog, Eateries & Bars, Stores & Markets)
Double Feature: 1950
... here and here . Washington, D.C., circa 1950. "Waffle Shop on 10th Street. Exterior from side angle, day. For Bernard ... to show this as newer. [The Waffle House opened in 1950, so it can't be older than that. The Victor and Victrola brands were used ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/29/2014 - 2:28pm -

        UPDATE: More Waffle Shop here and here. Washington, D.C., circa 1950. "Waffle Shop on 10th Street. Exterior from side angle, day. For Bernard L. Fishman." Photo of the now-defunct eatery, shortly after it opened, by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. Re: Could this be older?Note date on trim high above entrance: 9-11-50. Could this be older?Both movies shown in reverse are from 1937 and Victrolas were last sold in 1929. I wish there was a car or something to show this as newer. [The Waffle House opened in 1950, so it can't be older than that. The Victor and Victrola brands were used on phonographs made by RCA into the 1970s. The double bill of San Quentin and Alcatraz Island played at the Metropolitan in October 1950. And there is a car in the photo! - Dave] Prison DramaOld-school. After my waffleYou'll surely find me next door, at "The House of 1,000 Tools". Across the street from Ford's TheaterI ate lunch there at least a hundred times in the late '50s to early '60s and never had waffles (it was also a burger joint). This original Waffle Shop closed in 2007 and the deteriorating facade was still there years later. Some of the iconic interior fixtures were saved, and Waffle Shop version 2 recently opened a few doors down the street. Mystery number on marqueeThat's the permit number for the sign projecting into public space. DC construction code still says today: "Marking of signs. Every sign for which a permit is required shall be marked with letters not less than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in height, giving the permit number and date of permit issuance (DCMR12, Section 3107.5). Nice of Waffle Shop to so precisely follow the regs. The building was built in 1950. The business is still there, two doors downI don't know what actually led them to leave the awesome deco-licious Waffle Shop space, but the business is still in existence a few doors down in a much less photogenic space. It's still one of the few breakfast joints in that area, however. I learn something new every day.Now I know that the plural of Victrola is Victrola. I love the font, ( or should that be script? ), used for the sign 'Waffle Shop'. Very elegant, and stylistically extremely appropriate. Hanging OnOnly the S survives. The Help Shop "popup store" in 2012. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Movies, Theodor Horydczak)
Cover Girl: 1950
Winnetka, Illinois. June 1950. "Student Rue Lawrence wearing frilly summer dress and bright lipstick in ... High School." Rue was on the cover of the October 16, 1950, issue of Life. Color transparency by Alfred Eisenstaedt, Life magazine ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/24/2008 - 4:12pm -

Winnetka, Illinois. June 1950. "Student Rue Lawrence wearing frilly summer dress and bright lipstick in classroom at New Trier High School." Rue was on the cover of the October 16, 1950, issue of Life. Color transparency by Alfred Eisenstaedt, Life magazine photo archive. View full size. Green DayI like how everyone is color-coordinated with Rue's eyes. A Model StudentOn first glance it looks obvious why a teacher would want a stunner like Rue in the front row. But behind her are more stunning girls. This was no high school, it's a model school. Yes Yes Hubba HubbaEssie always had a good eye for the ladies. He sure knew how to pick 'em. Green & GrayAt that time the school colors were green and gray. High school eyesNew Trier H.S. had some other interesting sets of eyes enrolled... Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson, Ann-Margret. Another PossibilityPerhaps it was Saint Patrick's Day. [In June? - Dave] Holy Toledo!Please! No smoking in class... Cheer, Cheer"Cheer, Cheer, Beat New Trier!" That was an unofficial part of my (Evanston Township) high school fight song. [So what rhymes with "Evanston"? - Dave] Pen of ChoiceIs that a Parker pen? Also green. Not as greenTricky ol' Dave did some additional color correction since this was first posted. In looking through the New Trier High School color photos there, it's interesting trying to figure out what films Eisenstaedt used. The purplish-red fading on most of the large- and medium-format is a dead giveaway that it was Ektachrome, but a number of shots (like that of our Cover Girl here) can be seen in various states of correction. I did spot a couple 4x5 Kodachromes, which you can tell from the color as well as the fact that it said so right on the edge. The 35mm shots are almost all pretty good, indicating either Kodachrome or perhaps Anscochrome/color. On a related note, anybody know how to get more than 200 results in searching the LIFE archive? Re: Pen of ChoiceLooks more like a Sheaffer pen - they made several similar models in that era. Green?Am I totally insane, because to me everything is blue not green... [After a bit of tweaking, what once was green now is blue. - Dave] Beautiful picture, beautifulBeautiful picture, beautiful girl, but that bra strap sticking out drives me nuts! More New Trier TriviaThey split the New Trier district into East and West in the late 1960's. The original, called New Trier East, used the green and gray colors, while the little brother New Trier West used blue and gray. The two schools were reunited a few years ago and now use green, blue and gray as their colors. New Trier East's teams were the Indians, West's were the Cowboys, and the teams for the reconstituted school are the Trevians. Christie Hefner is a graduate (1970 or 1971) of New Trier West. John Holton, New Trier West Class of 1974 So ... Whatever became of Rue?Anybody know? Eyes V.2... and Bill Murray and Frankie B. Rhodes, who claims to have been Murray's straight man through high school! Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America Those eyesHer eyes are looking into my soul. I can't stop looking at those eyes. Nice outfit.My mother had a square dance dress just like that, with the full skirt and many petticoats underneath. But I never saw one at high school in the 60s! (Tamalpais '67 here). Now to go LOOK for the LIFE archives.. Here is another photo of Rue:http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=b9490b70b8c71f4c&q=new+tri... RueI couldn't find anything about Rue we didn't already know. She looks so perfect, she probably became the quintessential 50's wife and mother. But I never knew about Eisenstaedt's work or that he was the one who took that photograph (V-J Day). Rue-more mongeringDonald Rumsfeld might know how to find her. Not only was he the ultimate spybiz insider, but he was a member of the New Trier Class of '50, and thus graduated about the time this picture was taken. An Alum's thoughts:An incredible picture from the days of Americana embodied. As a recent alum of New Trier, I can say that in most ways not much has changed from this picture. My mother not only attended New Trier, too, but the same junior high school as well. Needless to say, there have been countless conversations comparing and contrasting the ages. NTHS has garnered much attention in the press for its famous alumni, high academic standards, liberal social policies, and social practices of students. Not to be swept under the rug is an article in Time about the rampant recreational drug use of NTHS students. True as it may be, and debatable as these aforementioned issues certainly are, the education provided to the students is of an unparalleled caliber, certainly attested to by the consistent achievements of its alumni. As one who has chosen a path in the arts, not politics, law, or business (and certainly receives much less attention from the press), I found the school's image to be paradoxically inspiring. What an iconic institution, delightfully distant from the usual East coast boarding school (or even the heartwarming economically disadvantaged school overcoming adversity) to be profiled. Most important, it's a timeless picture. Rue: Cover GirlThis is Joe Manning. I found Rue, and I talked to her briefly today. She was not interested in submitting to an interview or having an article written about her. However, she was very gracious and shared a few thoughts and stories about the photo and its aftermath, but I have promised not to repeat them. She married, has five children, and seems to be living a full and interesting life. OhhhOh to find an American woman today with as much class, elegance, and beauty. And this girl probably didn't curse every other word or drink like a sailor. Wow this woman is stunning!I would so love to see her now. (Alfred Eisenstaedt, Education, Schools, LIFE, Pretty Girls)
Checkmate: 1950
... went on a work-related trip to Sacramento in approximately 1950. They both worked as electrical engineers for the Light and Water ... 
 
Posted by motobean - 01/11/2014 - 9:44pm -

Don Campbell and my father, Jack Shepard, went on a work-related trip to Sacramento in approximately 1950. They both worked as electrical engineers for the Light and Water Department in Riverside County. My father took this picture with his 35mm Exacta, which I still have. View full size. Capitol ParkThis scene sure has the look of being at the Capitol Park in Sacramento. CamelliasAre starting to bloom right now in the South. Those blooms are huge but not rare. Fashion senseLove his suit and tie!!! So 1950s. Gotta love this baggy trousers!! Great photo. Sport coatsHe and Paul Drake went to the same men's store. ExactaWonderful 35MM cameras; rugged and eccentric. But great as a learning SLR. And I still have mine as well and they still work quite well. More than a checkThe jacket appears to be houndstooth, not a check. It's obviously tailored, and the three-button cut would still be stylish today; the exterior pockets would not. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
I Wanna Easter Egg: 1950
Looking at the expression on my face, I have to wonder if anything else ever made me quite as happy as finding that Easter egg 59 years ago. Of course, I was easier to please back then. View full size. Cutie pie Tterrace, you were a cut ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 03/03/2023 - 1:15am -

Looking at the expression on my face, I have to wonder if anything else ever made me quite as happy as finding that Easter egg 59 years ago. Of course, I was easier to please back then. View full size. Cutie pieTterrace, you were a cute kid. What a GREAT expression on your face -- utter bliss. Steel MagnoliaWeren't we all... GLEE!I adore this picture...it may be one of your best, tterrace, and that's saying quite a bit because you have a rockin' collection. Happy Easter! P.S. You should check out williamjoyce.com -- you look EXACTLY like one of his main characters on the home page--the glasses, the hair, the fashionable trousers, etc.! :-)Gioia e meraviglia... (joy and wonder) Bombs away!The other day I saw an announcement for the kiddies: one group has organized a helicopter drop of Easter eggs. Look out below! What are they thinking? Reminds me of the WKRP Thanksgiving episode where Mr Carlson sadly says, "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." World's cutest ShorpianThis is sweeter than a milk chocolate bunny in a basket full of marshmallow peeps. GratitudeI want to thank all the Shorpians for the nice comments, the Easter Bunny for the egg, and my sister for taking the picture. Thank YouThis beautified my day. AwwwwwwSo cute ... look at his wittle knees! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Easter, Kids, tterrapix)
Flowers for Rose: 1950
May 1950. Washington, D.C. "Miss Dorothy Torr [client]. Funeral flowers." Rose Bell ... Pumphrey Funeral Home Washington Post, May 12, 1950. In Memoriam Torr, Rose Bell Hurlburt , On Wednesday, May 10, 1950, at her home 8403 Irvington ave., Bethesda, Md., ROSE BELL HURLBURT TORR, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/15/2013 - 2:51pm -

May 1950. Washington, D.C. "Miss Dorothy Torr [client]. Funeral flowers." Rose Bell Torr in repose. Safety negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. Pumphrey Funeral Home Washington Post, May 12, 1950. In Memoriam Torr, Rose Bell Hurlburt, On Wednesday, May 10, 1950, at her home 8403 Irvington ave., Bethesda, Md., ROSE BELL HURLBURT TORR, beloved wife of the late Charles Stevens Torr and mother of Dorothy and Ruth Torr. Remains resting at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Funeral Home of Robert A. Pumphrey, Bethesda, Md., where services will be held Saturday May 13, at 2 p.m. Internment Forest Oak Cemetery, Gaithersburg, Md. Meeting my relativesIn the early 1900's my youthful grandparents came to the USA from Poland. They left their own parents, siblings and other family members, never to see them again and with no pictures to look at, I could only imagine what they looked like. But as these relatives started to die off, 'death pictures' were sent in the mail to my grandfather very similar to this but nowhere near as elaborate. He would show us the pictures of his "old country" loved ones in their coffins We were not frightened since, as kids we went to a lot of funerals when children did not require a constant flow of drinks, snacks and electronics to keep them entertained, just told to sit down and shut up. In those days, people who were quite poor could not afford to have pictures made as we do today, but would try to have a "last photo" as described, as a keepsake. When I was older and heard about the tradition of death masks, I was glad we did not have any of those hanging around the house, although many people did have them made including Abe Lincoln, Napoleon, Beethoven, Ben Franklin, Nikola Tesla, even Alfred Hitchcock among others. It all started even before the time of Tutankhamen. Even 63 years laterMost wakes down in Louisiana look exactly like this. Although photographing the deceased in the casket was normal well into the 1930s, for the most part it died out. [So to speak. -Dave] Check the pipes!Are those just shadows on the ceiling, or did the mourners stage a smoke-in, or do we have a plumbing problem? A rosefor a Rose. Embarrassed to admit this, but a friend recently emailed me a photo of his deceased mother. So I would have to say this practice continues, although much to my distaste. May I add, I prefer the before photos rather than the after to remember someone. VideotapingAlthough i haven't seen anyone take photographs of the deceased, i have been to funerals where people have been videotaping the entire thing! Photos or Video?I work at a funeral home. I only know of one circumstance (since I started working there) where a family member has taken video of the funeral service. As a general rule, we tend to not encourage photography or videotaping at the funeral home. Most families don't ask anyway. The casket, in this photo, seems very fancy. Today's prices for a casket like that would make one pass out. RE: Check the pipes!Based on the uniformity of the dark patches on the ceiling, I'd say it was the lights reflecting through the cut glass pieces in the ornamental fixture. Dark ShadowsI wonder if those dark spots might not be paint roller marks. They show up under the right light conditions. I've noticed the same thing on my own living room ceiling. Funeral photosMiss Rose Bell Torr looks pretty old and probably had a good life. Her relative gave her a beautiful sendoff, and who wouldn't want to remember that. I wish photos had been taken for my three family members who died. [Rose was a Mrs. - Dave] Oh. Well, than maybe not. Some ChangesHaving worked part-time for a funeral home (had two girls to put through college), I see some things missing in this picture that have become part of today's funeral home chapel. Modern chapels have a pink colored spotlight on the ceiling, pointing down towards the deceased person's face. Its purpose is to assist in making the deceased person's face look more rosy (lifelike) in coloring. Also, kneelers are usually placed directly in front of the casket, so that mourners are able to kneel down to pray. Also, florists now usually provide wire stands for the flowers sprays that are attached to the accordion-like devices on the right side of the picture. These devices are now usually to hold collages with pictures. And YES, families still do request private time to take photos of the deceased to send to those who cannot come in person to the wake. Research on Rose and familyThanks to stanton_square's posting of Rose's obituary, I'm able to find the following: Rose was born either in 1872 or 1873 in Nova Scotia. She emigrated to the US sometime in 1879 at the age of six. In the 1900 Census, Charles and Ruth lived in Lynn, Massachusetts. Charles is listed as having been born in Massachusetts. In the 1920 Census, Charles and Ruth lived in Ramsey, Minnesota. In the 1930 Census, they were living in Hennepin, Minnesota. They had three children: Dorothy, Roland and Ruth, all born in Massachusetts. Charles is listed as a Stationary Engineer at General Electric. Lastly, the Pumphrey Funeral Home in Bethesda, Maryland, is still there. http://www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com (D.C., Theodor Horydczak)
Waffle Shop II: 1950
... Waffle Shop at 522 10th Street NW, Washington D.C. Circa 1950 photograph by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. A Thumbnail! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:00pm -

Entrance to the Waffle Shop at 522 10th Street NW, Washington D.C. Circa 1950 photograph by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. A Thumbnail! Weeee!Got a cool thumbnail for this one in my Google reader. Why Did This Get Old?I recall counters like this all the way into the 70's. I loved, loved, loved the paper cone cups in metal holders that were used to serve water (I was a grade schooler in the 70's), the camaraderie of the countermates and the cool, efficient service. Thanks, Shorpy. Gorgeous!Gorgeous! Still here...The waffle shop is actually still more-or-less intact in downtown DC, though probably not for long. The neighborhood around the building has changed dramatically in the last 5 years, and I'd bet money that the Waffle Shop will soon be torn down for another bland office building. But Not for LongHai Ngo's lease expires this year. The block was bought by developer Douglas Jemal and is going to be turned into an office complex. Hopefully some vestige of the Waffle Shop will remain. Feature ArticleHere's a link to a December 2006 Washington Post article about the Waffle Shop and possible plans for its future. Waffle ShopI'm using that font for my next resume. Snazzy! Waffle ShopAccording to the more recent Washington Post story at this link, the developer has agreed to transplant the Waffle Shop on 10th where this photo was taken, and its fixtures, to a nearby location. (Note the links to old and new photos) DeliciousThis is just fantastic! Great Photo, great design!I love this, wish there was one in my town. Ford's TheaterDid anyone realize that Ford's Theater (Lincoln's assassination) is right across the street?! Waffle ShopBit by bit D.C. is losing what soul it had. This place was a gem. WafflyI like how the patterns of squares and rectangles of the windows, ceiling lights, chairs, and the rest of the decor all echo the pattern of a waffle itself. More Waffle ShopsThere were three Waffle Shops that I knew about. One was this one, the second was at Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road in the Arlandria section of Alexandria, built on a triangular corner plot. The third was at King and Washington streets in Old Town Alexandria. There might have been more in Maryland. No waffles for you. Next!Gone are the Waffle Shop's glory days. Google Street View. The house where Lincoln was carried into (and died) is just to the left, and Ford's Theater as mentioned is directly across the street. Heartbreak on 10th Street, NWMy title says it all. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Theodor Horydczak)
Expect Delays: 1957
... The Embarcadero recovered, West Oakland didn't. 1950 Ford The crest on the trunk and lack of chrome strips on the tail light ... (Incidentally, the Cypress opened on 11 June 1957.) 1950 Ford The 3 years, 1949,'50 & '51 are almost identical but this Ford ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/07/2015 - 9:02pm -

Oakland or thereabouts circa 1957, and two cars that have just taken out a stoplight. 4x5 acetate negative from the News Photo Archive. View full size. Oh, boy just wait 'til 1989 The concrete pillars being poured sure look like the Oakland viaduct that collapsed in the 1989 Loma Prieta "World Series" earthquake. I used it in the 1970s, and the repeating "swan dives" your car took as it went from section to section made this wannabe engineer leery of its construction and stability. Each section was higher at one end than the other and it was as if you were launched from one to the other as you drove. If you went a specific speed, you could get your car really rocking, and it was different going in the opposite direction. Perhaps this 1949-51 Ford nudged one post just a little too much, and started the process. The closest column in the picture just looks a little tilted to the right. Under the Cypress Street ViaductUnder construction, so probably late 1956 or early 1957. Remember it well, including its collapse in the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1986. The construction of the viaduct essentially destroyed a vibrant, lower-middle-class black neighborhood in West Oakland, much as the Embarcadero Freeway partly and (if completed as planned) would have done for the San Francisco waterfront. West Oakland was deemed a slum -- it wasn't, I spent a lot of time there searching out R&B records -- and essentially died without a whimper. San Francisco fought back with the "freeway revolt" and stopped the completion of the Embarcadero horror. The earthquake did in both of the concrete monstrosities. The Embarcadero recovered, West Oakland didn't. 1950 FordThe crest on the trunk and lack of chrome strips on the tail light body streak is the clue. The '49 had "FORD" in chrome letters across the trunk, and the '51 had the chrome strip covering the tail light body streak. Nimitz?Lacking other pics of the freeways, I doubt we're going to figure out where this is. Thought we could be looking west on 14th St and the concrete pier farther from the camera was supporting the southbound offramp there, but if so another pier would have to be behind the camera supporting the east side of the viaduct, and the viaduct would be straddling the parallel street in the foreground, which it didn't do. Problem is, the same objection applies to the rest of the Nimitz too. Where did it straddle a street? Another puzzle: to ignorant folks like us those look like forms for pouring the concrete for the legs of the viaduct. But wouldn't they finish those legs and remove the forms before building the rest of the viaduct on top of them? (Incidentally, the Cypress opened on 11 June 1957.) 1950 FordThe 3 years, 1949,'50 & '51 are almost identical but this Ford 2 door sedan is a 1950 model. 1949 Ford had different bumpers, door handles and rear trunk lock & trim. While the '51 Fords had added tail lamp chrome trim. As a youngster back then, my friends and I waited every year to see what changes were made to our favorite cars. All American of course. Straddling The StreetI drove that route fairly frequently to the meetings of the Oakland Cloud Dusters model airplane club at Fruitvale School, and it is my recollection that that they routed the traffic through various detours depending the needs of the construction crews, sometimes to the outsides of the viaduct and sometimes underneath. So I wouldn't assume that the accident happened on the final road configuration. Advice to Time TravelersIf you are transported back to mid-fifties Oakland and someone in a light-colored 1950 thru 1954 Ford offers you a ride, RUN! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, News Photo Archive, Signal 30)
Hotel Dixie: 1950
... New York's 43rd Street, just off Times Square, circa 1950. "Hotel Dixie -- 700 rooms, each with bath and radio." Not to mention ... Rooms with Radios New York Times, November 10, 1950. Furnished Rooms—West Side Hotel Dixie ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/03/2015 - 10:16am -

New York's 43rd Street, just off Times Square, circa 1950. "Hotel Dixie -- 700 rooms, each with bath and radio." Not to mention their own bus depot. Now the somewhat infamous Hotel Carter. 4x5 negative by James M. Fox. View full size. That exhausted lookLooks like a city that's too tired to get out of its own way -- to tidy up, to modernize. And, to the right, the lazy electrician's favorite technique, abandon in place. These days, every square foot is worth too much to neglect, unless it's too far off the beaten path to drag the value down. Remnants of the bus depot still thereArticle at Scouting New York. Rooms with Radios New York Times, November 10, 1950. Furnished Rooms—West Side Hotel Dixie Rooms available for weekly occupancy. All rooms with private bath & radio. From $21 weekly. See Asst Mgr. Tanks a lotHow many wooden water tanks can be spotted here -- Ten? Twelve? I reside -at the Shorpy Arms. Dixie HotelBath, Radio and the windows open all the way! Tanks for NoticingTurns out there are three long-time family businesses that specialized in the construction of the wooden water tanks in New York City. Here's an interesting New York Times article. (The Gallery, John M. Fox, NYC)
Pete's Bar: 1950
1950. Pete's Bar at Washington Market in Lower Manhattan. Photo by Al Aumuller, ... in perspective you need to consider what wages were in 1950. I think my dad earned about a dollar an hour in those days, or about ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 4:45pm -

1950. Pete's Bar at Washington Market in Lower Manhattan. Photo by Al Aumuller, New York World-Telegram & Sun. View full size. What? Not a Coca Cola signWhat? Not a Coca Cola sign floating around? Menu itemsSome of the menu items aren't found at most lunch counters today: liverwurst sandwich, sardine sandwich, fresh ham knuckle. I assume the last one is the knuckle end of an uncured pork leg. Standing or Sitting?Are those men standing to eat or sitting? Just curious. Don't we wish we had prices like that. I remember when I used to get a chicken salad sandwich on toast with pickles and potato chips and a large cherry coke for 25 cents at the soda fountain. Then I could walk 7 or 8 blocks to the bakery and get a big cream puff filled with custard for 5 cents. I miss that. StandingIf you measure the shoulders of the men to the man working behind the counter, they are pretty much level. They most likely are standing. SittingI worked in the financial district for many years and remember Petes Bar well from the 1950s. There were stools all the way around the counter. What memories! Thank you. Counter stoolsCounter stools are generally high, not low. That's why there's a rail for you to put your feet on. Otherwise they'd just dangle above the floor. Striped tieThe man in the striped tie looks like he is probably standing, with the stool in front of him accounting for the space between him and the counter. Lunch CounterNotice there are no women ... where are they? Goes to show how the working scene has changed since back then. Also note how a slice of cheese doubles the price of a hamburger back then... that would be outrageous today. BurgersWow, you can have three hamburgers for less than the price of franks and beans. Great pic! nicethis is a nice picture. i love these photos! PricesTo put the prices in perspective you need to consider what wages were in 1950. I think my dad earned about a dollar an hour in those days, or about seven hamburgers per hour. Today you can get a basic "hamburger" at McDonald's or Burger King for one dollar, which is about one-seventh of the minimum hourly wage. So really the price hasn't changed. Lunch CounterIf you add a zero to the prices, you get close to the current prices. The "Dollar Menus" are gimmicks. Sitting on stools for sureLook at the three men staring at the camera. All have their hands clasped and resting on the counter. That is a sitting position. If standing the elbows would be resting on the counter top supporting weight. I worked at the Washingon Market in 1955-1961I was a maintenance man for the Market Dept on NYC and the Washington Market was our shop hdq. You could buy any kind of exotic meat or food, with lots of fast food places, like in the photo. The Washington Market was around since the 1790s. It was later torn down for the Twin Towers. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Company Car: 1950
"1950 Nash experimental NXI." The Nash Experimental International, basis for the ... got the ribbon for the goofiest looking car design for 1950. Grass Killer My father had some kind of Nash when I was about 5 ... familiar. Its just grand Unveiled on January 4th 1950 at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, the NXI was priced at under $1000, more ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/07/2012 - 5:09pm -

"1950 Nash experimental NXI." The Nash Experimental International, basis for the Nash Metropolitan, piloted by Nash-Kelvinator Chairman George Mason with VP George Romney (Mitt's dad) riding shotgun. View full size. Mini-CarOdd little beast, now slightly sought after 'special interest' car. Had an engine sourced from MG, I believe. Worked for a fella that had one way back in the 60s. He loved it, I couldn't understand why. Another Matter of ScaleIn the mid 60's, my best friend and I (both 6 feet 4 inches tall) were hitchhiking to a shopping mall for some fun. Coming down the road, we spotted a red & white Metropolitan with its top down. I commented that wouldn't that be funny if he stopped to pick us up - which he promptly did. The driver was nearly the same size as us and my best friend protested about not being able to fit us all in. The driver insisted so my friend entered first, scooted over and I was looking at about 6 inches of seat to sit down on. When I said that I didn't think it was possible, the driver said, "No problem. We can all squeeze in. Just get in." I sat down and pushed everyone together barely getting both feet inside and barely sitting on the seat. The real problem was that because there was not enough room to fully get in, my right knee was still sticking outside of the car with no where to go. I tried to close the door, but my knee prevented it from closing or latching. When I started to protest again, the driver said to just pull hard on the door and it would close. So I followed his instructions and yanked on the door. As the door closed, it pushed hard on my leg, driving it forward which eventually forced my right foot completely through the floorboard! My foot was now sitting on the top of front tire. I yelled for him to not move and told him what happened. He said, "Ah, just hold your leg up away from the tire so we can get going". And that is exactly what I did. For the next five miles we drove merrily down the road with me looking at the tire spinning below and the driver telling us what a great car his Metropolitan was and how much he loved it. My friend never said a word until we were both out of the car and it was on its way down the road at which point we both began a long laughing spell. True Story! Golden OldieReminds me of that song lyric "Beep beep, beep beep. His horn went beep-beep-beep!" Caveman's PhotoshopLooks like a bit of stenciled burn/dodge in the old darkroom as evidenced by the line around the car / executives' heads where it meets the curtain. The effect is that the subject "pops" off the underexposed (on the print mind you) back / foreground. [Your "stenciled burn/dodge" would have been achieved by scraping away the emulsion on the negative, or using an ink pen on a print. - Dave] Well George,it looks like we've got the ribbon for the goofiest looking car design for 1950. Grass KillerMy father had some kind of Nash when I was about 5 yrs. I'm 58 now. I quickly realized at this early age what Nash autos were good for....... killing grass. He'd move it in the yard occasionally and it would kill more grass. I think he had the clunker for several years before giving up on fixing it and selling it for parts. Transmission problem best I remember. ... and it didn't hurt me noneThe Metropolitan's back seat wasn't really much of one. Its bottom served as a battery cover and its back folded down for access to the trunk, which didn't have an external lid. That said, my mother often tells me that, when I was an infant, she carried me around in a girlfriend's Metro by wedging my bassinet behind the front seat backs and atop the rear bench. To my knowledge I was never ejected from the bassinet. However, I suggest that Shorpyites take any of my posts with a grain of salt given that I was transported in that manner. Ahead Of Its TimeSomehow, so strangely familiar. Its just grandUnveiled on January 4th 1950 at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, the NXI was priced at under $1000, more here. Kelvinator on wheelsStand this car on end and you'd think you might find a cold beer inside if you could find the big chrome handle. Class wheelsAwesome roadster. Reminds me of the Sunbeam Tiger made famous in the 60's spy spoof Get Smart. SimilarWas George the inspiration for that body styling? They say people look like their pets, George bears more than a passing resemblance to his car. [It was designed by William Flajole. - tterrace] A Matter of ScaleThis antecedent of the Nash (and Hudson, briefly) Metropolitan looks even smaller with someone of Mason's impressive bulk wedged into the driver's seat. Cost SavingsTo keep costs down there was no external trucklid. Therefore, access to the trunk was via a flip down panel behind the rear seat. There also was no glass side windows, but there were plastic side curtains. The front bumper incorporated the grille. The back bumper was the same piece, but without the grille. The spare tire was then able to slide into the opening below the trunk. There were many design changes made before the Metropolitan was introduced in March 1954. The series of prototypes were called NKI for Nash Kelvinator International, and the NKI name almost made it into production. The early press photos and service literature actually shows NKI instead of Metropolitan. The December 2012 issue of Hemmings Classic Car has a four page story on the NXI/NKI/Metropolitan. Note the spare tire behind the license plate in the photo below. Lois Lane's car"Somehow, so strangely familiar." Postwar NashGreat photo collection of postwar Nashes. They had some pretty sporty concept cars. I got to shake Michigan's Governor George Romney's hand when he did a walk-through a Sears store were I was working in the stock room in my early college days. Not Lois' RideYour friendly "old car know it all guy" is back! Lois Lane's car in the 50s TV show was a 1950 Nash Rambler Convertible Coupe. Among other things, it was quite a bit larger than the later Metropolitan. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Our Lady of Lourdes: 1914
... Our Lady of Lourdes I also went there in the 1950's. The nuns were very dedicated to teaching. Our religion was the major ... NYC Hello Rita, Yes, we lived at 615 W. 150th from 1950 to 1956. Four of my children were born there (three at Lutheran Hospital ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2022 - 12:33pm -

        A newly restored version of a Shorpy favorite that has collected three pages of comments since it was first posted in 2007 -- The caption for this one just says "Post Office." Thanks to our commenters we now know that the building with the statue is the Our Lady of Lourdes School at 468 W. 143rd Street in New York circa 1914. 8x10 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size | The school in 2007. Post office?Looks like a Catholic school, actually. This is just a wild-a**ed guess, but St. Jean Baptiste on East 75th? This would coincide with the warehouse cart on the left (sort of). Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic SchoolThis is Our Lady of Lourdes School in New York City on 143rd Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Convent Avenue. The school was built in 1913 in Washington Heights, an exclusively white, upper middle-class neighborhood. It was built and equipped at a total cost of one hundred and forty thousand dollars. Besides classrooms for five hundred pupils, the building contained an auditorium with a stage lavishly equipped for theatrical productions, a gymnasium, a roof-top playground, an assembly room for parish organizations, rooms for classes in cooking and sewing, and offices for the school officials. The associated church (Our Lady of Lourdes) is located directly behind the school on the next block, 142nd Street. Yes...Which is the Post Office? The large building in the center must be a Catholic School, what with a saint on the roof and all. As for the location, I have no clue. Post OfficeWhich building is the Post Office? post officeBuilding with street level entrance and flags would be my likely guess. Today...Google Street View. It's always interesting to see NYC in the early years, and how it's changed. Our Lady of LourdesI attended this school for eight years in the 1950s. The lower grades entered by one door and the higher grades used the other. City College frat houses faced the school. Recess was on the street out front. We didn't have any cooking or sewing classes, no classrooms equipped for that. There wasn't any gym. We weren't allowed to go up on the roof and there wasn't an assembly room. We did have a annual spring play using the stage and we had a Christmas concert. There was a way into the church from the back of the school. The nuns that taught there were called Society of the Holy Child. Father Kline was one of the priests and Mother Mary Edward taught there. A good school, good memories. Johnny PumpThat fire hydrant probably was installed in the late 1880s. Was born and bred in NYC and traversed all five boroughs many many times, but NEVER laid eyes on a johnny pump like that. Every boy who ever grew up in "The City" is instinctively drawn to hop over as many hydrants as possible. However that one is a KILLER. Our Lady of LourdesI attended OLL from 1933 to 1941. The lower grades kindergarten to fourth were taught by the Ursuline Order of Sisters. The upper grades fifth to eighth were taught by the Sisters of the Holy Child. The school was funded and guided by the priests of the adjoining OLL Church. We were there to learn,to pray: no play, no library, no lunch room, no outside activities. It was not an easy life for children of poor families during this Great Depression Era. I often cried and asked God to help me through the day, the year. I know I received a very good education but not a happy one. There were nuns I would have died for, however there were many that should not have been allowed to teach children. The Church and school were founded by Monsignor Thomas McMann. There is a bust of the good priest near the entrance to the upper church. In the 1930s we were allowed on the roof for various activities. The term "very stern " comes to mind. The statue is Our Lady of Lourdes, similar to the statue in the grotto in the lower church on 142nd Street. It was removed a few years ago as it decayed and was ready to fall off the roof. Convent AvenueThis photo faces east, and the townhouses in the background are along the east side of Convent Avenue. All of them still stand, most are in superb condition. This is the finest real estate in Harlem; a house across the street sold for $3.89 million about 18 months ago. Here is a listing for a house a few doors down from the ones seen here: http://tinyurl.com/2396kb Note the terraces on two of the buildings -- those are stunning and almost never seen in New York. Does anyone remember anDoes anyone remember an Irish nun by the name of Sister Gerard? She was one of the Ursula ? nuns at the Our Lady of Lourdes in Manhatten. She emigrated about 1910, so am not sure anyone would remember her... Is there a cemetery associated with Our Lady of Lourdes? Upper and Lower ChurchCan you tell me if the Upper and Grotto Church still exists and do they have mass on Saturdays and Sundays? I lived 2 streets away a long time ago and would like to see the old neighborshood. I have never forgotten the Grotto. It's so unique. Would like to share it with my spouse. Or maybe I can speak with someone in the convent. Are the nuns still there? Thank you. Diana Gosciniak Our Lady of LourdesI also went there in the 1950's. The nuns were very dedicated to teaching. Our religion was the major reason they and all of us were there. The grotto was under the main stairs and confession was held downstairs at 4 pm on Saturday. The children's Mass was at 9 am on Sunday, a High Mass in Latin. The doors of the main church came from old St. Patrick's downtown in Little Italy. The sisters made sure that the majority of 8th grade students got into Catholic high school. A lot of the girls went to Cathedral H.S. and the boys went to Cardinal Hayes. The church was around the corner with a connection to the back of the school. The convent was right next door to the church and the rectory was across the street. Once in a while we were invited to go to the convent on a Saturday to see the nuns. The neighborhood was pretty good, all kind of stores that tolerated all of us kids. It was nice going there for eight years. Fond memories. O.L.L. Upper and lower churchYes, the upper church is still active with most Masses in Spanish. The lower church {the Grotto) is not used. However the statue of the Blessed Mother is still on view. The sisters left about 10 years ago. I visited the school and was told the Church no longer had any say in its operation. When did you attend? I was there from 1933 to 1940. J Woods Theatrical productions?Oh, how I wish I had your recall. However, I did attend O.L.L. from 1933 through 1940. Yes, the stage was used - but with limited equipment. I never saw or played on a rooftop playground. There was no gymnasium. The seats in the auditorium were moved to the side for military drilling by boys from grades 5 to 8 once a week. The girls exercised in a nearby room. The children in the lower grades had no physical training. I don't remember an assembly room for any parish organizations. Family members were not encouraged to come to the school except on Graduation Day or if the student had a serious problem that required a meeting with the principal and/or a parish priest. I must say we all received a very good education and were farther ahead in our studies than the Public School kids. Yours truly and in friendship, Jackie Woods OLL NeighborhoodI lived on Amsterdam Ave for 16 years. Where did you live? When did you attend OLL School? The few friends I had from the old days have passed on. I answered your other message; The Nuns left about 15 years ago. You need to have someone open the lower church to visit there. The Blessed Mother's Statue is still located in the Grotto but masses are no longer read there. Regards and in friendship. Jackie Woods Our Lady of Lourdes, 2008I had a chance to stop by West 143rd street and take a snapshot today. The cornerstone is dated 1912. As you can see, every building shown in the "1914" photograph is extant and all are in excellent condition. There is even a fire hydrant in the same location as the fire hydrant shown in the photo. As for changes — there are trees on the block now, and the cornice has been removed from Our Lady of Lourdes, as has the statue of the saint. And, of course, as with all modern photos taken in New York, it is full of automobiles. (Click to enlarge) The reddish sign on the left side of the street, behind the motorcycle, identifies this block as part of the Hamilton Heights Historical District (Hamilton Grange is only a few blocks away). Today was garbage day, so a distracting pile of trash sits in the foreground, sorry about that. Our Lady of LourdesCentral Harlem, did you attend Our Lady of Lourdes? If so what years? Thanks for the picture Jackie Woods Our Lady of LourdesI attended an Episcopalian school. I contributed that photo because of my joy in Harlem history, not any tie to this school in particular. Last weekend, I found a photograph of this block dating to 1908! All the buildings looked the same except for OLL, which was then an empty lot. Perhaps Team Shorpy can enlighten me -- would it be compliant with copyright law for me to scan and post it? [Is there a copyright notice on it? If it was copyrighted before 1923, the copyright has expired. - Dave] Our Lady of LourdesThank you for your latest information, Central Harlem. Where was your school located? Did you live nearby? I'm 80 years old going on 81 and all I have are my memories (mostly fond). And my memory is outstanding. I was hoping to hear from anyone who attended OLL with me. By the way, the folks on Amsterdam Avenue always envied the folks on Convent Avenue, always a beautiful clean street. (Today we would say "upscale.") Three of my children were born in The Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan on 144th off Convent. I had moved to upper Washington Heights by then but my doctor was still working out of there. Thank you and in friendship, Jackie Woods Our Lady of Lourdes, 1909I had a chance to scan the old photo I found of this block. It dates to 1909, not 1908 as I had first said. Every building seen in this photo remains, though some of the lots on the right-hand side of 143rd street were empty in 1909, including the lot that would house Our Lady of Lourdes three years later. Anticipating the interest of Shorpy's crew of automotive experts, I provide a closeup of that car on Amsterdam Avenue, below. Also, a note to Jackie Woods: we're of different generations. It is good to exchange notes here, but I'm sure we've never met. Our Lady of Lourdes SchoolWhat wonderful memories of days past. I attended OLL from 1943 and graduated in 1951. One of five brothers to do so. You may have known my older brothers, Larry, Dick or Bill. We lived in that apartment building at the end of the street on the OLL side. That was the location of Alexander Hamilton's house, Hamilton Grange. When it was built, it forced the move to its present location behind the church. It will be moved again to the SE corner of Convent and 141st Street. You also mentioned Lutheran Hospital. It wasn't so great for our family. My brother Dick was taken there after being hit by a car. While recovering, he contracted rheumatic fever in the hospital and later died at New York Hospital. We also lived at 310 Convent Avenue because my mother's family, the Healys, lived on 141st Street. If you have any other questions, ask away. I'm still in contact with several classmates and between us, we should be able to answer. "Thanks for the Memories" Bob Phillips OLL graduatesHi, Yes, I do remember a Phillips family. The boys or boy were in a higher grade with one of my brothers. As you can see, I had already left OLL when you started there. I am pleased you have good memories of your early years. Unfortunately, mine are mixed. An incident: a bunch of us, about 12 years old at the time, were fooling around and one of the boys fell out of a tree and broke his arm. We carried him to Lutheran Hospital They wouldn't let us in the front door. Told us to take him to Knickerbocker Hospital near 131st Street, and so we did. Today, I ask why no first aid was administered or an ambulance called. However, I have nothing but good words about the hospital in later years. I was sorry to hear about brother RIP Regards and in friendship, Jackie Woods PS My oldest sister, Ellen, class of 1936 Won scholorship to Holy Child Academy My older brother William (Billy), Class of 1937, won a scholarship to Regis High. MemoriesI graduated from OLL in 1973 and it is so wonderful to see a website with the School and the information that it offers. I too wondered about the Masses in the lower church. The grotto was always so beautiful and special. I have lived in Florida since 1986 and hope to make a trip to NYC just to visit the old school. Thanks again for bringing a smile to my face today. God bless. OLL MemoriesHi. I attended OLL from grades K to 5. I have the most beautiful memories of my childhood there. I loved the nuns. I can't believe how time has gone so fast. If anyone remembers me or remembers Sister Mary Owen or Ms. Valentine or the gym instructor George Izquierdo. I am talking about late 1960's, early 70's. Please contact me. Are the sisters still there? I went to visit Sister Mary Owen a couple of years ago. She wasn't wearing her habit any more. Those were good old days. I was so mischievous, always getting into trouble. Oh my God. I had the best early education there, never will I forget. I love history and I love these pictures that were posted up above, everything looks the same. Thanks! My family still lives up in Washington Heights. Our Lady of Lourdes School and ChurchAnd a HI to you, The good sisters left about ten years ago. You can reach the school online, it has a Web site. The school is no longer under the supervision of the Church. If you look over the rest of this page you will see that I have answered a number of postings that may be of interest to you. "Memories are made of this." In friendship, Jackie Woods OLL AlumniHello OLL'ers Head over to the OLL website www.ourladyoflourdesschool.net There's an alumni page where you can send your information and be put on the mailing list. OLLCould not connect with your e-mail: kbarkley@ourladyoflourdesschool.net Would you please check it. When did you attend OLL? I gave my information previously on bottom of page. Look forward to hearing from you. In friendship, Jackie woods To Jackie WoodsI knew Dennis before the war, and graduated OLL in 1937. My sister Marie graduated in 1936 and received a scholarship to Holy Name. Finding your web site after all these years is a small miracle. I'm sorry to say Marie, such a special person, passed away in 1977. Andrew, a 1943 or 44 graduate, died in 2000. I did not marry till 1985, had a daughter in 86. My wife Alice and I celebrated our daughter Colleen's wedding Nov. 24, 2007. I hope this proves I was not as bad as the sisters believed. They wanted so to see me go that they created the first coed class and skipped me from 6th to 8th grade. Yes we marched on the roof, auditorium, basement and in far away competition. I believe we had a West Point officer, but not certain. I just hope that life was as rewarding to all OLL graduates as I. God bless. John Orlando Wideawake80@verizon.net OLL, late 1950s and early 60sDon't know how I found this website, but so glad that I did. I graduated OLL in June 1961. The nuns are my most vivid memories of the school. The spring and Christmas plays that were held each year. Recess outside during lunchtime. Walking to school each day and spending the few pennies we had to buy candy at the store on Amsterdam Avenue, and the bicycle store there where we rented bikes on Saturday afternoons. Going to confession every Saturday down in the grotto. Checking the Legion of Decency list for movie listings. Learning to sing the Mass in Latin for every Sunday High Mass and, most important, the foundation the nuns gave us for our religion that is still strong to this day. A few years ago, we drove from Jersey up to the old place and convent still looked pretty good. Can someone please explain about not being under the archdiocese any longer. Thanks again. Lutheran HospitalI found this link when looking for the Lutheran Hospital. Very interesting information. I am researching my family history and found out this hospital is where my great grandfather passed away. Thinking that there may be additional information on the records, I searched for the hospital but have not been able to find any recent reference to it. Has the Hospital been closed? Can anybody give me some background information? I will certainly appreciate it, Anne [You might try the Archives search box on the New York Times Web site. Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan, at 343 Convent Avenue, merged with Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in 1956 to form Our Saviour's Lutheran Hospital at the Norwegian Hospital facility on 46th Street and Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. It's now called Lutheran Medical Center. - Dave] Lutheran HospitalHello Anne, Yes, I know Lutheran Hospital. My three oldest boys were born there: 1951: 1952: 1954. My brother-in-law's father died there c. 1937. When I last passed by the neighborhood, three years ago, I saw that the hospital had been converted to an assisted living facility. The neighborhood is looking great - real upscale. The brownstones that one could buy in the 1930s for a song are now selling for well over a million dollars. In the 1930s they were empty, thanks to the banks that foreclosed during the Depression. As kids we ran through them and at one time had a clubhouse inside one. In friendship, Jackie Woods Lutheran HospitalThanks you both, Dave and Jackie, for your responses. I will follow the advice and hope to be able to pass soon by the neighborhood. Anne OLL MemoriesHi Henry, I too remember Sister Mary Owen, my brother David Mora had her and she was really strict. We keep in touch with George Izquierdo and he is doing great. Sister Rosemarie passed away. I try to stay in touch with O.L.L. It was really a happy time in my childhood and the happy memories will always be a part of my life. Maxine Mora Lutheran Hospital of ManhattanLooking for pictures of the Hospital. I was born in 1940 in the facility and would like to see what it looked like in that era--anyone have a picture? Dad Was an AlumnusHello Jackie, I am curious to see if you know my father, Frank Corrigan, who was born in 1926, which would make him 82 this August. I think he was in the Class of 1941. I am also curious to see if you have any contact or info on Alfred Pereira or his sister Clara Pereira Mercado. Any help would be appreciated. Stephen Corrigan Please email me when you get a chance, stephenjcorrigan@aol.com. Frank CorriganYes, I knew Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940, not 1941, he was closer to my brother Dennis than me, I was a year younger. Didn't Frank have a younger very pretty sister? I last saw Frank c. 1968 in the upper Washington Heights area where many of the families from OLL had moved to from the 140th streets. I knew Pancho Pereira (the name Alfred does not ring a bell) and Clara, his younger sister. His little brother JoJo was killed in Korea. Pancho had a birthmark: strands of very white hair in the front of his head of very black hair. They were wonderful good people. Pancho was good friends with Jackie Koster, whose sister Barbara married Burl Ives in Hollywood and lived happily everafter. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Vacant Houses in Hamilton HeightsI thought we were the only ones that got into those empty houses. Afternoons we'd go in through a back window to study and do our homework. We didn't break anything, and at our age we always wondered why the houses were vacant. The Depression angle we didn't figure out until later. Tom Calumet and Frank Howe went with me. I understand Frank has died and Tom Calumet left NYC around 1945 to go out west with his parents. I graduated from OLL in 1941, and now live in Hopkins, MN OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1960. There were about 10 of us cousins who graduated between 1955 and 1960. I remember Father Cline, Fr. Malloy, Monsignor Hart, Mother Bonaventure, Mother Dominica and others. Does anyone remember the day the frat boys across the street pushed the dummy out the window during our recess? I can almost taste the corn muffins and egg creams at the soda fountain around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue while "Barbara Ann" played on the jukebox. OLL PhotoI have a great a picture of my Confirmation Day. I'm in full OLL uniform dated c. May 1935. How can I send it to the OLL Shorpy site? Yours truly, Ed Woods [Click the links under "Become a member, contribute photos." - Dave] Frat boys 0, Mother Mary Edward 10I sure do remember that day. Mother Mary Edward marched over and blasted them. Also the candy store around the corner used to sell two-cent pumpkin seeds out of a little red box. Does anyone remember the rumor going around that the Grotto Chapel was haunted? I remember walking home with "Little Star" playing on the transistor radio. The OLL GrottoI remember serving at what was called the Workmen's Mass in the Grotto in the 1930s - 6 o'clock in the morning! I know the Grotto is not used any more (I visited there in December 2007). As to the candy store on the corner of 143rd and Amsterdam, it was a very busy place: candy, pen nibs (no fountain pens), book covers etc. One day the owner came to school and told Sister Casmere, the principal, that we were disorderly and she must tell the students to behave when shopping in his store. Her solution was to tell the entire student body that they were not allowed to shop there. In a day or so, the man was back begging forgiveness and asked to plaese allow the children to return to his store. The kids were his main business. HelloHi Maxine How are you? Thank you for responding to me. It was very nice to hear from you. Sorry to hear about Sister Rosemary, but I don't remember her was she the pricipal of the school. I do remember Mr. Izquierdo he was the gym instructor with another man don't recall his name I believe he became principal of the school later on. Oh! now I remember his name was Mr. White I believe. God trying to recall, it is getting a little difficult now a days but I like it. It brings me back in time. How time have changed it was so innocent back than not like now. Looking back in time, makes me feel like I grew up to fast. How is Mr. Izquierdo doing? How can I contact him? Please let me know. My e-mail address is Je_Ocejo@yahoo.com. I remember he got married back than to a girl name Rocio, I don't know if they are still together but that lady was my father's friend daughter. Who else do you remember. Please get back to me with pictures. I have pictures too. Let me know how can I e-mail them to you. Would you believe that we are talking about almost atleast 35 years ago but I don't forget. God Bless you. Henry OLLBob, Any recollections of my father, Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940? Maybe not yourself but some of your older brothers. Steve Corrigan More OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1937 and was probably a fellow graduate of a brother. I had skipped 7th grade and so did not get to know classmates well. It is possible that the Waters family lived across the alley on the second floor of the building on 142nd Street. We lived on the top floor of the next building on Hamilton Place. In the same building lived Buddy Sweeney and Sal Guizzardi, also a tall blond kid who graduated with me. I believe your mother and my mom, Agnes Orlando, were friends. I believe your mother visited mine in 1952-3 in our new home in Bergenfield, N.J. I remember a sister who must have graduated with me or my sister Marie Orlando in 1936. My brother Andrew graduated 1947. My mother, brother and sister have passed away. I remember Poncho, the Kosta family, the Madigans, Woodses, Rendeans, Glyforces, McCarvils, Walshes, Philipses, Flynns, Duggans, Hooks, Rodriquezes, Craigs, Hugheses, Conways etc. I am sure we had many things in common being OLL graduates at a very special interval of time. I wish you well in your very beautiful state which I have passed through on three occasions. Best wishes and fond memories. John and Alice Orlando OLLLot older than you. Attended OLL from late 1930s to early 40s. Baptized, first Holy Communion and Confirmation (Cardinal Spellman). Lived at 145 and the Drive. Remember principal when I was there, Mother Mary Margaret. First grade teacher was Mother Mary Andrews. Remember playing on roof and being shocked by Mother Mary Andrews jumping rope. Believe there was a Father Dolan around that that time. Only went to through the 3rd grade there and then moved to 75th St and the Blessed Sacrament -- a whole different world, and not as kind or caring. Memories of OldHi Henry. You may not remember me but I also taught gym with George and sometimes Ms. Ortiz. George is with the Department of Education on the East Side. I work for the Bloomberg Administration. Sister Mary Owen has moved to Rye and of course all the nuns are now gone. I left in 1996 but I still miss all of the good times shared during my years there. Memories Are GoodHello, You taught me gym and we also had alot of good times with the High School Club on Friday nights. I have most painful memories of O.L.L the day Msgr. Cahill passed away. I never knew how much a heart could have so much pain and yet go on. My dad died on 4-29-96, Max Mora and I felt the same pain all over again. Do you know where Mother John Fisher has gone ... her name had changed to Sister Maryanne. I would love to hear from you. Maxine Mora Hi HenryMy email address is mmorafredericks@aol.com. I have yours and I am so happy to be in contact with you I graduated in 1973. I went to Cathedral High School. Later moved to Florida. My brothers and sisters are still in NY and I miss so much of it. I look forward to catching up with you. I will write soon. God Bless. Maxine Fellow ClassmateHi Tony, It has been more than 48 years since I last saw you - at our graduation from OLL in 1960. Let me know what you have been up to in the past half century. My e-mail address is kmckenna@clarku.edu. Kevin LTNSMr. White! Not sure if you still come to this site, but on the off chance that you still visit i thought i would write. It's been so long since I've seen or heard from you, not since "Len Fong" closed. For all others that may still come by this site, I graduated in 1983 (possibly 82). Would love to hear from a blast from the past. Please email me at kellyw88@gmail.com John McKennaHi Kevin, Any chance you are related to the McKenna family? John McKenna, Class of 1941 Your name sure rings a bell, however there must be 20 years difference between us. Have a healthy and happy 2009 In friendship, Ed Woods John McKennaHi Ed, I'm afraid that I'm not related to John McKenna. My brothers, Donald and Desmond, graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes in the fifties. I wasn't aware of another McKenna family in the parish when I was at OLL. Happy and healthy 2009 to you as well, Ed. Cheers, Kevin McKenna FamilyThe John McKenna family I knew lived on the northeast corner of Hamilton Place and 141st street. I had other friends and schoolmates in that building. Thinking back, you probably had to be an Irish Catholic to live there. Whatever, I think you had to be an Irish Catholic to attend OLL. I never knew any others at that time, the 1930s. Most fathers worked for the subway and trolley systems or at the milk delivery companies along 125th Street near the river. Those were the days, my friend. Innocence prevailed! In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods The Mc KennasJim McKenna and his younger brother Tommy lived in that house above Grizzardi's grocery. Tom hung around with Marty the Hanger Phipher and the Warriors. Billy Vahey and his brother Eddie who retired as a Lieutenant in the NYPD lived there also. Their mother was still there in the early 80s. You probably knew the Schadack family, who I believe owned Schrafft's or Donald York. I think the building was 644 West 145 St. It was the first apartment house in the city to have a self-service elevator. When we lived there the neighborhood was known as Washington Heights. For some reason it's now referred to as Hamilton Heights. A couple of great web sites -- Forgotten NY and Bridge and Tunnel Club. You can spend hours & hours on Rockaway Beach alone. Lots of good memories! How about the movie theaters -- the Delmar, the RKO Hamilton, the Dorset, the Loews Rio, the Loews 175 (now the Rev. Ikes Church) and all the theaters along 180th Street? Hamilton HeightsNorm, Many thanks for your fine memories of our old neighborhood but there are a few minor corrections I have to make. The first is the name Shadack family. I believe the correct spelling is Shattuck and his address was 676 Riverside Drive on the corner of 145th Street. We lived there and my brother Bill was classmates with Gene Shattuck. No relation to the Schrafft's empire. Secondly, Hamilton Heights was always known as such. Outsiders didn't know where that was so we usually said Washington Heights for simplicity. Washington Heights doesn't really start until 157th Street and is separated from Hamilton Heights by the Audubon plot. The Old NeighborhoodAlex Hamilton lived nearby. There was a very pleasant young man (OLL Class of 1941) named Eugene Shattuck who lived near 145th Street and Riverside Drive. His father was a professor at Manhattan College and his family owned the Schrafft's Restaurants. I fondly recall Eugene having the wonderful hourglass-shaped bottles of hard Schrafft's candy brought to school and distributing one bottle to each of his classmates at Christmas time. Needless to say, the poor Amsterdam Avenue kids were in awe of one who could afford to do such a good deed. You mention the Warriors, I knew the (Gang) but not any of the names mentioned here on Shorpy. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods P.S. My in-laws the Boyd family lived at 676 Riverside Drive. Les Sr. had a radio repair shop on 145th and Broadway. 676 Riverside DriveI lived at 676 as well. The family's name was Shattuck. In my day, many, many years ago, the elevator had an operator. A sweet man in full uniform. There was a doorman as well. Saw the building years later and was appalled at the change. Then went up to OLL and hardly recognized it. It was the best school I ever went to. Thank you for reminding me of the fun. And yes, of the education I got there. By the way, 676 on the Drive was called the Deerfield. OLL StudentsI am researching my family history and I came upon this great site. In 1930 my grandparents Michael and Marie Murphy were living at 1744 Amsterdam Avenue and later in the 1930s at 115 Hamilton Place. All of the Murphy children attended Our Lady of Lourdes School. They were: Maurice (born 1916) Rita (born 1917/ my Mother) John (born 1918) Theresa (born 1920) Vincent (born 1922) Veronica (born 1925) My mom had such fond memories of her time spent there. Rita Harmon Bianchetto Hi Neighbor!!Hi Rita, I'm a former resident of 676 Riverside. My family lived there from 1940 to 1960 in apartment 4A. Bobby Foy lived next door to us. I think you may have left just after we arrived since I remember the elevator operator. The change to automatic was somtime during or just after WWII. I remember they put up this 10 foot wall with a door to limit access to the building. Fat lot of good that did us as my mother was robbed in broad daylight in the service chamber of our apartment in 1960. That's when my Dad had us pack up and leave for a secure location in the Bronx. Anyway, the apartment was great. We had a balcony looking over 145th Street and the river. My brothers were Larry Jr., Bill and Nick. Bill was a good friend to Gene Shattuck and went to Xavier with him. Nick and I also went there. Larry had a scholarship to All Hallows. Judy, can you tell me your last name and if you knew me. Hope to hear from you. Bob Phillips at bobbyphilly@msn.com Your DadSorry Steve, I graduated in 1947 and my three brothers have died. But the name Corrigan does ring a bell. Probably from my brother Larry who knew just about everyone in OLL. Sorry I couldn't help out but it was great hearing from you. Bob Phillips Andrew.Yes, I remember your brother Andrew. We were in the same class and we used to kid him about his name - Andrew Orlando and how tall he was. What's he doing these days? Bob Phillips Those were the days, my friendsHello Rita, I remember the name Murphy but not the faces. We lived a block south of you at 1704 Amsterdam. My sister Ellen, Class of 1936, and brother Bill, Class of 1937, would have known your family. We had many friends on Hamilton Place, the Koster family for one: Anita, Class of 1936, her younger sister Barbara married Burl Ives, and her other sister Mary Lou married Eddie Byrne (1710 Amsterdam). Ed's sister married Chump Greeny -- killed at Anzio Beach. He must have lived near your family. My brother in law Les Boyd lived in the Deerfield and had an electric appliance store on the corner of 145th and B'way and a sporting goods store on the next block next to the Chinese restaurant. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods Hello RitaHello Rita, I attended St. Catherine's Academy on 151st between B'way and Amsterdam (It cost my dear old dad $10 a month for what was considered a private school.) I graduated in 1943 in a class of only four girls. I then went to the Sacred Heart of Mary Academy in Inwood (I had to climb the long steps up from B'way every day for four years -- Class of 1947. Most of my relatives went to OLL as did my husband of 59 years, Ed Woods. We are still alive, kicking and fighting and making up every day. In my Class of 1943, one of the girls was Ann Murphy -- any relation? Also a Virginia O'Malley and my best friend, June McAvoy, who keeps in touch with me. June's grandfather was Judge McAvoy, who had died by that time. I loved when my folks took me to McGuire's Bar and Restaurant on B'way and 155th. Oh that Roast Lamb (Irish style) on a Sunday or a holiday. The girls used to go to Nuestra Senora de Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope) next to the museum complex. We were told not to go there for confession, but the Spanish priests were limited in English. Thinking back we had but little to confess at that time. Eddie and I had an apartment on 150th near the Drive for a few years until 1956, then it was off to Long Island to raise our six children. In friendship and love hearing from you, Ed and Jackie Woods The MurphysHi Ed and Jackie, Thanks so very much for your reply. I wish my mom was still with us but she died in 1998, the last of the Murphy kids. My grandfather Mike Murphy worked for the Post Office (a mail carrier working out of the General P.O. at 33rd and 8th). My grandmother Marie Murphy died in 1939 while living at Hamilton Place. Uncle Maurice went to Regis H.S. for several years before leaving to attend All Hallows; John and Vincent then attended All Hallows; my mom, Rita, attended Cathedral; Veronica, I believe, attended St. Vincent, and Theresa died at age 25 in 1944 (not sure of her high school). Mom worked at Woolworth's on 145th Street and Broadway, and after high school at New York Telephone, retiring about 1980. She got married in 1943 and moved to 152nd Street, and we attended St. Catherine of Genoa on W. 153rd. I graduated in 1958. So I know the neighborhood. Peace, Rita Hi Ed and JackieSo Jackie you are a St. Kate's gal like me! My tuition was a dollar a month, so your education was really a private school. You have listed the Academy at 151st Street but I think that it was on 152nd between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. I took my high school entrance exam at SHM so I am sort of familiar with the school -- fireworks were going off during our exam. The end result was I did fine and attended Blessed Sacrament on West 70th, Class of 1962. I last saw the "girls" at a reunion in 2002. My Spanish teacher just celebrated her 70th anniversary as a nun with the Sisters of Charity. I am not familiar with any of the girls names that you mentioned,including Ann Murphy. I do know McQuire's, where I had my first Shirley Temple, Mass at Our Lady of Esperanza, Trinity Cemetery & loved visiting the museums. Do either of you recall Eugenio Pacelli, before he became Pope Pius XII visiting at OLL ? Please tell me about your days on 150th Street near the Drive since I may have been the little skinny blond kid you both passed on the street. Peace, Rita in Northern New Jersy West 150th NYCHello Rita, Yes, we lived at 615 W. 150th from 1950 to 1956. Four of my children were born there (three at Lutheran Hospital and one at Jewish Memorial). We had many friends from school and the neighborhood living nearby. However, by 1956 it was time to move on; many changes in the neighborhood. One of my nearby friends was Juanita Poitier; Sidney was just getting started with his acting career. A real nice couple. Was Father Tracy (Pastor) still there when you attended school? How about Father Brady? He was always telling stories during Mass about his sea time with the Navy. Eddie remembers going to the Woolworths lunch counter (145th and B'way) in the early 1940s just to have an excuse to talk with the girls. He knew many of them from school and the neighborhood. In friendship, Jackie West 152ndHi Jackie and Ed, I lived at 620 West 152nd Street, just a stone's throw from you folks. My sister was born at Jewish Memorial Hospital in March 1952 -- Dr. Sandler from Broadway 150/151st St. delivered. Those were the days of Dave's deli on the corner of 151st & Broadway famous for pastrami on rye and a cold beer for the dads, Rafferty's Bar and Grill on the other side of B'way, Harry's or Pierre's homemade candy and ice cream parlor, Cora's beauty salon where my Nana would get a cold wave and blue tint. And not to be forgotten, Snow & Youman's drug store on B'Way and 151st. I recall the name Fr. Brady but it was Pastor Kane and Fr. Tracy (and his Irish Setter, Rusty) that I recall. I just sent a photo of Fr. Tracy to my classmates. Rita Japanese BazaarWho remembers the Japanese-American bazaar in the brownstones across from the OLL lower grades school during the war? They had the blue star & the gold star pennants hanging in the windows. They also had a store on Amsterdam Avenue near 144th Street and when they sold coffee the lines would go all around the block. How about the punchball games out side the school, or stoop ball? Anyone remember playing basketball and using the bottom rung on the fire escape ladder as a basket? The nearest basketball court was at 148th Street by the river. If you wanted to "take out" a ball from the park, you would leave a shirt as a deposit. I remember shoveling snow off the court in order to play. Unfortunately those days were the last time the country was almost 100% together. Twenty years from now, these will be the "good old days." Your brother AndrewI palled around with Andy & another kid named Eddie McGlynn. As a matter of fact I have a picture of Andy, Buddy Ayres & me at Rye Beach. Buddy went to Bishop Dubois with us. He was from Vinegar Hill. You didn't mention the Wittlingers. They lived on the first floor in your building. Brendan lives in Virginia. I'm still in touch with him, Matty Waters and Les Scantleberry. Pancho Pereria made a career of the Navy. He died several years ago. JoeJoe, one of my closest friends, was killed in Korea. Dave's DeliI haven't had a good hot corned beef sandwich since I last had one at Dave's. His son Milton was running the store in the 1950s after Dave retired to Florida. Dave's used to have a window in the summer that sold potato knishes (5 cents, with mustard) and of course kosher hot dogs. I heard a Clement Moore fan club still meets every Christmas Eve next to Trinity Church Cemetery and recites "The Night Before Christmas." I was born in 1928 at 853 Riverside Drive. When 90 Riverside was built in 1941 and blocked the view of the Hudson, we moved there. Warm regards, Jackie and Ed The old neighborhoodThe Wittlingers (the twins were the same age as my two younger brothers, also twins), Matty Waters, Les Scantleberry, JoJo: All those names I remember, especially Pancho and his family. For the life of me, I cannot understand why your name doesn't ring a bell. You mentioned the Warriors. Did you know Tommy or Willie Taylor, the Conroys, Drago, Jackie Hughes, etc. What years did you attend OLL? I looked up some old friends on the Internet over the past few years -- said hello and then goodbye when their families called to give me the news: Vinny McCarville, Bruce Boyd, Phil Marshall, Eddie O'Brien -- all gone to their maker. They were spread out all over the country. It was satisfying, however, just to say hello. I met Vinny in New Orleans and we had a beer for the first time in many years. We had gone to sea together during WWII and had a lot of memories. You must forgive my spelling etc. My eyesight is on its way out (along with everything else). I will be 82 in a few months but active and still traveling. I have been to six of the seven continents and my wish is to have breakfast at the South Pole. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods ToppersWas Dave's on B'Way near 140th Street? I sold the Sunday News there for 25 cents during the news strike. It was normally a nickel. We had to go down to the News Building to buy them. Overhead! Who remembers the Sugar Bowl on the corner of 143rd and Broadway? A great hangout for different age groups. How about Toppers Ice Cream parlor on B'Way between 139 & 140th? In the 1940s and early '50s you could go to the Audubon Theater at 168th and B'Way on Sunday for 77 Cents and see three features, 23 cartoons, newsreels and an eight-act stage show with such luminaries as Billy Halop of the Dead End Kids or Lash LaRue or Ferdinand the Bull. Top shelf. They must get at lest a buck fifty for admission today! Tea and Nut StoreHi Norm, My mom (Rita Murphy) mentioned there was an Asian family owned Tea and Nut shop in OLL Parish when she was a child (born 1917). She said her brothers, Maurice and John Murphy, would sometimes play with the owners' son. I am wondering if this could be the same shop. Rita ToppersDave's was on the southwest corner of Broadway and 151st Street, a short trip from my home on 152nd near Riverside Drive. I do recall the Sugar Bowl and maybe was in it once or twice but never hung out there. Topper's is a name I never heard before, as far as ice cream parlors go. Thanks so much for mentioning the name and location. Perhaps before my time (1945 baby) or too far from my home. Many people have mentioned the Audubon Theater to me (165-166th Street) but I have no memory of it at all. I do recall the San Juan Theater that took over the space of the old Audubon. I love hearing about Mom's (Rita Murphy's) old neighborhood. Thanks for sharing. Rita Your Name?No, Dave's Deli was on 151st and Broadway. Yes, Toppers & the Sugar Bowl were popular hangouts, however the Piedmont, the Staghorn and the Chesterfield were more popular later on. I have pictures of the great snowfall of December 27, 1947 taken in front of the above mentioned restaurants with a bunch of the guys posing in the cold. The Audubon Theater became better known when Malcom X was murdered in its ballroom. I saw Milton Berle there in the early 1940s. Actually, the Bluebird and the Washington were also popular as they only cost 10 cents (no heat or air conditioning). Memories, memories, dreams of long ago. Ed and Jackie Woods The OLL ChoirI sang in the OLL choir for about 5 or 6 years and hated it.T he only advantage was that we skipped the last class for practice. The downside was that after attending 9 o'clock Mass we had to sing at the 11 o'clock High Mass, which interfered with our Sunday football game. I played with the Junior Cadets. We had a very good team coached by Joe Romo, who went on to be the trainer for the Oakland A's for many years. I saw him at Yankee Stadium whenever the team played the Yankees at home. Joe died several years ago. Mr. Skyler, the choirmaster, wore a wig that could easily be mistaken for road kill. I used to wonder if he was committing a sin by wearing something on his head in church. After all it was no different then wearing a hat during Mass. Mrs. Daly was a very lovely lady who played the organ and gave piano lessons. She lived down the street from us on 142nd between Broadway and Hamilton Place and had something like 10 kids. My sister Maureen was friends with Theresa and Billie. John was I believe the youngest son. Maureen graduated from Notre Dame de Lourdes on Convent Avenue. My sister Frances was close friends with Helen and Rita Nerney, who lived across the street. Fran died in 2002. ToppersI lived at 635 Riverside Drive. I recall Toppers being near the corner of 141st, next to a Jewish deli. In the summer my dad took my brother Tom and me for ice cream there every evening. Happy memories! Bishop DuboisI graduated 1953 from Bishop Dubois. I believe your brother Ernie was in my class at OLL. I hope he is doing well. Give him my regards. Bill Healy Names from the Old NeighborhoodBrendan & Bernie turned 76 on February 2. Don't ask how I remember things like this. I forgot what I had for breakfast this morning. I'll be 76 August 11, weather permitting. Everyone seems to forget Pinky (Michael) Pereria. You are closer to my late brother Jim's age. Jim hung out with Jimmy and John Bartlett, Donald LaGuardia, Tommy & Willie Taylor (born on the same day a year apart -- Irish twins). Again I don't know why I remember these things. Eddie O'Brien used to go by the name Drawde Neirbo, his name spelled backwards. He was a close friend of Big Jack Hughes. I recall a group of you guys joining the Merchant Marine during the war. The Dragos lived on 141st Street between Hamilton Place and Amsterdam Avenue. The youngest (Joseph?) was in my class. A couple of years ago I went down to the old neighborhood with my sons. Surprisingly, it looks great. Lots of renovations going on. My beautiful wife June is a BIC (Bronx Irish Catholic) from the South Bronx. It's not as great a neighborhood as it used to be, but lots of great people came out of there. I took her away from there, married her 50 plus years ago and got her a decent dental plan and raised five kids in New Jersey. I graduated in 1948. It should have been 1947 but Mother Mary Inez red-shirted me in the 6th grade. Will stay in touch. Norm Brown Norm Brown??Norm, I graduated in 1947 from OLL. I knew a kid (Norman Brown) who lived on 141st between Hamilton and Broadway. I think he had a younger brother. He went to OLL with me, but he did not graduate from OLL. Eddie McGlynn was in my class, and the Wittlingers. I lived at 510 W 140th. Are you that Norman? Bill H. The Summer of '66Hi Jackie and Ed, I never had one of Dave or Milton's corned beef sandwiches but I can say that the pastrami on rye was a thing that dreams are made of. I recall the knishes out the window in the summer and the hot dogs. Thanks so much for taking me back in time. Milton would take the pastrami out of that silver steamer box sharpening his knife, and the rest was heaven on rye. Milton was still behind the counter in the summer of 1966 but after that I can't say. I am sure that "The Night Before Christmas" is still recited next to Clement Moore's grave, in Trinity Cemetery. In my day the Girl Scout Troop that met at the Church of the Intercession would participate in the recitation of the Moore piece. I know that 853 Riverside Drive is on the Upper Drive, since I sat on "The Wall" on summer evenings as a teenager. You said you moved in 1941 to 90 RSD -- did you mean 90 or 890? I am not familiar with the numbering of the "lower" drive where the red house sits (so it was called). I am off in search of a good sandwich. Peace, Rita Stagershorn & ChesterfieldMalcom X was shot in the Audubon Ballroom at the back of the theater, which later became the Teatro San Juan. I saw Abbott and Costello there en Espanol. At 7 years old I was run over by a truck at 142 Street and Broadway, right outside the Staghorn, I managed to live! I would hang from the window outside the Chesterfield, watching football games on TV with Bobby Heller and Herby Gil and Buddy McCarthy. That was a hell of a snowstorm in '47. Remember digging tunnels through the snowbanks? You forgot to mention Larry's, just next to the Sugar Bowl. I would watch "Victory at Sea" there. A couple of years ago I took a walk through the OLL neighborhood and realized that when you are a kid everything you see is at eye level and taken for granted, but as you look up and around from a mature aspect it becomes a whole different world. It is really a beautiful area. 90 Riverside Drive WestHi Rita. I'm positive 853 was on the Lower Drive. When the new building went up next to it around 1941, the address was 90 Riverside Drive West. However, it caused so much confusion with 90 Riverside Drive (downtown) that the address was changed to 159-32 Riverside. The plot originally hosted a small golf course. I also went to the Church of the Intercession with the Girl Scouts. Small world. And the wall -- on a hot summer night, standing room only. Jackie West 140th NYCThe kids I hung around with were in the OLL classes of 1940 and 1941. I had a weekend job in 1941 with Ike's Bike Rental on 141st. He needed someone to identify the kids who rented there (bikes rented for 20 cents an hour -- and that's the truth). We started a Junior Air Raid Wardens group and had a store next to Ike's. Collected paper etc, for the war effort. And you are correct, within three years, when we turned 16, McCarvill, O'Brien, Drago and I joined the merchant marine. Did you know the Kieley family -- lived at 1628 Amsterdam before moving to the lower Bronx: Pauline, Rita, Josephine, Peggy and the two boys Nicky and Jimmy. I loved going to their upstairs apartment for tea, especially when Mrs Kiely made Irish Soda Bread. My wife (then girlfriend) Jackie sponsored Jim Kieley when he became a citizen around 1948. He was from County Waterford, the same as her family. We celebrated our 59th anniversary last week. Regards, Eddie Woods My Brother JimYou probably knew my brother Jim Brown. He too was born in 1928. He died three years ago today. He graduated from Cardinal Hayes, spent a couple of years in the Army and graduated from Fordham University. Jim lived in Wycoff, N.J. He was very successful in business. Amsterdam AvenueThe Denning family (10 kids) lived on Amsterdam Avenue between 141st and 142nd. Hughie had polio and wrote away to FDR for an autograph during the war. As it turned out he was the last person to get one. He was in an iron lung at the time. It was a big deal. Lots of press. One of the boys, Peter Schaefer Denning, was born on the back of a beer truck on the way to the hospital. Hence the name. The Connolly brothers, Eamon and Timmy, lived in the same building. Everyone in the family had red hair. Not unlike Bobby Foy's family. If I recall properly, the father looked like Arthur Godfrey, his mom like Lucille Ball, Bobby like Red Skelton, and they had a red cat plus an Irish setter. It took a lot of guts for a group of 16-year-old kids to join the merchant marine. A belated thanks for your service. My wife makes great Irish soda bread. Is there any other kind? You can give ten women the same ingredients for soda bread and you'll get ten different tasting breads. All great! Especially with a cup of Lynches Irish tea. The season is almost upon us once again. The only Kiely (different spelling) I knew was my NYPD partner Timmy, who was from the South Bronx, Hunts Point. Tim grew up with Colin Powell. Having worked in the South Bronx for 25 years and marrying June Margaret O'Brien, one of six girls from there, I pretty much connect with the people of SOBRO, as the area is now known. Sooner or later everything gets yuppified. How about this web site? Something else! Take care, Norm Mea CulpaHi Jackie, Of course you know 853 RSD is on the Lower Drive but Google Maps does not. "Looks like 800 Block of Upper Drive is even numbers and 800 Block on Lower Drive is odd numbers." I did not locate 159-32 but I did find a 159-34 and 159-00, seems to be the last structure (red brick) on the Lower Drive area that we are speaking of, now a co-op but the year of construction is not listed. I have very fond memories of the folks I spent time with on "our" wall. Peace, Rita Yes, it's Kiely I was in error. For whatever resaon, The Dublin House on 79th off the NE corner of Broadway became a meeting place for many of the kids from the OLL area up until the early 1970s: Eamon Connolly, Tommy Taylor etc. I worked with Tom for a short time before be went on the force and then as a T Man. I have not heard from him in too many years. One of great fellows from the old neighborhood. In friendship, Ed Woods My e-mail: eandjwoods50@Yahoo.com P.S. The Kiely family moved to Crimmons Ave in the Bronx West 159th Street NYCDear Rita, I do enjoy rehashing the old neighborhood and the wonderful memories we can recall. Yes, it is the last buillding on the street and I lived there until 1950, when I married Ed. My uncle George lived there until c. 1981 in a rent controlled apartment, and yes, it did become a co-op. When first opened, the building had four entrances. Later, in the 1980s, it was down to one main entrance on the via-dock for safety reasons. I loved our apartment there, which had a beautiful view of the Hudson and the George Washington Bridge. My friend June, nee McAvoy, lived at 3750 B'way. We were together in school for 12 years at St. Catherine's and Sacred Heart. June lives in Maryland. By the way, my e-mail is eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Jackie Woods The Red HouseDear Jackie & Ed, How lucky you were to have lived in the Red House, especially with the views of the bridge and the river. Growing up I never knew anyone who lived there, so never saw the interior, I'm sure it was lovely. I heard that David Dinkins lived there at some point before he became mayor. Many of my classmates lived in 790 Riverside Drive and I was always so impressed that their apartments had two doors. Our apartment was on the fourth floor of a walkup and across the street from a garage. Funny how I was not really impressed by a doorman but by the two doors. I seem to remember a gas station near your friend June's house...other side of Broadway from the museum, now college. One of my St. Catherine's classmates, last I heard, he was teaching at the college. Was Rexall Drug on the corner of 157th, with the newsstand outside the door, when you lived in the Red House? In my home we seemed to have all of the city newspapers -- morning, afternoon and evening, some selling for 4 cents. To this day I read two papers every day and still long to go out Saturday night to pick up the Sunday paper. Thanks for the email. Peace, Rita Class of 1959I attended O.L.L. from 5th to 8th grade. My 5th grade teacher was Mother Mary Edward, what a wonderful woman, 6th was Mother Mary St. Hugh, 7th Mother Mary Edward and 8th Mother Mary Bernadette. Graduated in 1959. Classes were mxed -- black, white and Latino. Memories are mostly good ones -- Father Kline, Father Malloy, Father Hart. The religious experience most memorable, especially during Lent, novenas on Wednesday afternoon and Stations on Friday after school. Liggets / RexallHello Rita, I loved the lunch/soda counter at Liggetts/Rexalls. for whatever reason, my family used the pharmacy across the street, on the east side of B'way, to have prescriptions filled. The family that owned and operated the newsstand helped us lease our first apartment at 600 W. 157th. Apartments were in short supply in 1950. We lived in the unit formerly rented by the Singer Midgets next to Peaches Browning of Daddy Browning fame. Of course they were long gone when we lived there. My father was very active in the Tioga Democratic Club with the Simonetti family. Do you remember Warner's Cafeteria between 157 & 158th? We visited St. Catherine's Church Christmas week 2007 with our niece who wanted to see where she was baptized in 1953. She is on Mayor Bloomberg's staff. Warm regards, Jackie Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Oh, as the poet said, "To return to yesteryear and our salad days." My brother ErnieBilly, Ernie and I went to Bishop Dubois. Ernie for two years and I for three. We both were bounced in 1951 and transferred to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. We went there on a Schrafft's scholarship. Our mom waited on tables at Schrafft's in order to send us there. In those days it was pretty much a blue collar school. It wasn't that far removed from being a reform school. VERY STRICT. Today it's much more hoity toity. I'm still in close touch with my old classmates, most of whom have been successful in life. Ernie was a great basketball player, the first to score over 50 points in a game in Bergen County (three times), breaking Sherman White's record. White was an All American but messed up his career in the 1950-51 college season. Ernie went to Fordham on an athletic scholarship. Ernie died in 2002. He was a very special guy, extremely generous and giving. We miss him a lot. He lived a couple of blocks away from me as did most of my siblings. Sad to say, the circle grows smaller. 1959 OLL gradsAre you out there, does any one remember or know of any of the following graduates of O.L.L. -- Starr Martin, Carol Long or her sisters, Carlotta and Tony, Josephine Velez, Melvina (Kinky) Boyd, Chicky Aponte. I went of to Cathedral and the others to various Catholic high schools and lost touch. After finding this site, many memories have come back. Would like to know how old friends are doing. 600 W. 157thHi Jackie, You lived around the corner from the post office. I remember going there once to get a money order and losing Mom's gray umbrella. Your building was by the Grinnell, where a friend's father was the superintendent during the 60s. Liggett/Rexall -- we went to Snow & Youman's for drugs but to Rexall for film, flashbulbs and of course the soda fountain. The last time I was there was April 1965, just before my son was born. I do not recall a Warner's Cafeteria but do remember the famous, and oh so good, Imperial Deli, Lambos Flower Shop, Commander Bar & Grill, Full Moon & McGuire's. I visited St. Catherine's about 1994 and it was like being in a time warp, except for the piano near the altar. The church was just as I remembered when I got married in 1964, only smaller. The school is now public. I am in touch with some of my friends from the Class of 1958. It was nice that your niece was able to visit the church where she was baptized. I never heard of the Tioga Democratic Club or the Simonetti family (the only Simonettis I know are the family whose niece and son are engaged). Jackie, was the pharmacy on the east side of B'way United or perhaps that was a sign for United Cigar? So nice this walk down memory lane. Best to your Eddie. Peace, Rita Memories: dreams of long agoHi Rita, My close friend June's, nee McAvoy, family lived in the Grinnell for many years. Her grandfather was Judge McAvoy. Eddie claims to have an exceptionally good memory but he says he needs to yield to you. You do have a most wonderful recall. However, he is more familiar with the OLL school and church neighborhood. My brother-in-law (much older than Eddie and me) was in the vending machine business: Ace Distributing -- jukeboxes, cigarette machines etc. Eddie worked for him for a few years when we first married and the company had locations in almost every store in the neighborhood (including the Commander). That is a dead business today. How about Pigeon Park? You couldn't sit there. Warm regards, Jackie Woods GrinnellHi Jackie, Do you recall a Doctor James Farley living in the Grinnell? Doctor Farley must have taken care of half of Washington Heights over a period of many years (had an office on 178 St. between Broadway and Ft. Washington Ave.). Ah, Pigeon Park...I remember it well and always tried to circumvent it! All the best. Rita I remember it wellHi Rita, Our family physician was Dr. VanWorth, as an adult I visited Dr. Liebling, who had an office c. 156th. He later moved down to 72nd Street. A wonderful caring man (who made house calls). My son Ed Jr. was 58 years old this week, I have a picture of him when he was 1 sitting on a pony taken on the corner of 155th and B'way. John Orlando's brother married a St Catherine's girl. I don't know her age. Ain't we got fun? Jackie Woods Current resident of the neighborhood (Grinnell)I'd like to invite you to visit www.audubonparkny.com, which is a virtual walking tour of the neighorhood you're discussing. You can "take the walking tour" online or go to the Sitemap/ Index of Images to read about specific buildings and see pictures from many eras. I'm happy to post any pictures (and credit the owners) of the neighborhood that you'd like to share - focusing on the Audubon Park area (155th to 158th, Broadway to the river). www.audubonparkny.com Walking TourThanks so very much for posting the site for the Audubon Park area...I had a delightful walking tour. Down Memory Lane at OLLWhat happened, did we all run out of memories? Who remembers the stickball field comprised of Hamilton Place from 140 to 141st Street. A ball hit over the small roof on 141st was a double and over the roof at 95 Hamilton Place was a homer. After the war the street was so crowded with cars that the games were moved to Convent Avenue in front of CCNY. There was some heavy money bet on these games. Walking TourThanks, Rita, I'm glad you enjoyed the walk! Please come back and visit the site again. I post a Newsletter on the homepage (www.AudubonParkNY.com ) each month highlighting new pages, information, and research, as well as updates on the Historic District project. Matthew The Prairie StateDoes anyone have memories of the Prairie State? It was a WWI battleship moored in the Hudson River at about 135 Street and I believe used for Naval Reserve training. As kids we snuck on board and played basketball on it. The deck (court) had a bow on it which is partially responsible for the replacement parts in my ankle today. How about the "Dust Bowl" at 148 Street next to the river where we played football and baseball? Today it's state of the art, at least compared to what we played on. Now there is grass on the field. Progress! Under the Via DockFar from being a battleship, the Prairie State (also called the Illinois) was an old transport. However, as youngsters we would have been impressed by its size. Pancho and another neighborhood boy whose name I can't recall trained there before being sent to England as frogmen in preparation for the D-Day landing. It was decided that those boys with big chests (big lungs) could do the job best. I can recall Pancho telling me after the war that he had only a few days of Boot Camp. Sports -- we used the oval near City College. Stick ball -- 144th between Amsterdam and B'way. A ball hit to any roof was an out, never a homer. Spaldines was Spaldings were costly in the 1930s. One had to learn to hit as far up the street as possible, over the sewers. That is why the good hitters (one strike only) were called three-sewer hitters. The Prairie State was docked under the Via Dock c. 130th St. Like you, we visited it often. Nearby were the meatpacking/butcher plants. During the 1930s there were two "Hoovervilles" (hobo camps) under the dock. The overhead gave the men some some protection from the elements. I had an uncle who took me fishing off the piers. I felt sorry for the "lost souls." Then one day they were all gone. Hosed away! I used to wonder where they went. In friendship Ed Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com PanchoAs you recall, Pancho was short, about 5'8" and maybe 200 lbs. and a very good athlete -- basketball, baseball and could hold his own on a basketball court. I remember speaking to him about the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams,the precursor to the Navy Seals) and asking him if they were relegated to swimming all the time. He told me they spent most of the time running, running, running to build endurance. As I remember, the Oval was near Convent Avenue. We never used the term two sewers in stickball. That was a Bronx expression. We bought our pink "Spaldeens" at Rutenbergs candy store on Amsterdam Avenue between 140 and 141 Streets for a nickel. He also sold kids twofers, two for a penny loosies, and Bugle Tobacco so you could roll your own or purchase a corncob pipe to puff away. Loosies were two cigarettes for a penny. I understand due to the cost of smokes they are doing that again. We played "swift pitching" in the park at Hamilton Place between 140 and 141 streets. It was comprised of drawing a box (a strike zone) on the the handball court wall and throwing balls and strikes as hard as you could. I'm a little younger then you but I remember the Swift Meat Plant down by the river and the time John Garfield filmed a scene from a movie, Force of Evil, running down the steps toward the river. Somehow he ended up at the red lighthouse under the GW Bridge and discovered his brother's body, played by Thomas Gomez, in the river. As kids during the war we would fish and crag off the docks right near the old Two Six Precinct. I'll never forget the time my younger brother came home with a catfish and an eel and damn near burned the house down trying to cook them. Boy, life was a lot simpler then. Even with a world war raging. Amsterdam AveRutenbergs, address 1628 Amsterdam, I lived in the upstairs bldg for five years. The Rutenbergs lived in an apt in the back of their store. Tommy Smith worked their paper route for many years. Tommy lived in 1626 next to McCarvill. The Conroys (Johnny the Bull) lived in 1630. Eddie O'Brien lived in 1634 over the Rothschild Deli where we could buy Old Dutch beer for 14 cents a quart plus a 5 cent deposit. "It's for my father." The playground around the corner was busy at night after it closed for the day. My recall of loosies is six for five cents in a small paper bag with six wooden matches. You refer to the station house as the "Two Six Precinct." Something tells me you were "on the job." A good family friend, Frank Lynch, became the Captain at 152nd and Amsterdam (The Three Two)? Your e-mail? In friendship, Ed Woods Three Oh PrecinctYes I worked in the South Bronx for 25 years which included 10 years at the Yankee Stadium,ten of the best years of my life. A ring side seat at the world. We played many games there-- Shae, West Point, etc. -- and traveled to Venezuela with the New York Press team. I worked out with players on the DL. Thurman Munson was a good friend as was Catfish Hunter. Lou Pinella and Graig Nettles. We guarded Pope Paul and Pope John Paul II. John Paul II gave off an aura that was indescribable. I was very close to him on three occasions and he made you weak in the knees and start to shake. Believe me it wasn't his celebrity status. Some of the people I knew were Cary Grant who used to look for me when he came to many games. Someday I'll tell you how he saved my marriage. A funny story! Jimmy Cagney came to a few games. Boy was that sad to see Rocky Sullivan, every Irish American kid's hero, all crippled up with arthritis. I finished up in the Bronx Detective Task Force and never looked back. It was a great career if you rolled with the punches. The six for five must have been filter tips.I forgot about the wooden matches. Do you remember the Hooten Bars they sold? One by two inch chocolate candy stuck on wax paper. Nobody seems to remember them. Rutenberg had the greatest malteds. They kept the milk frozen. God! Were they good! The Three Oh Precinct was at 152 Street & Amsterdam Avenue across from St. Catherines Grammar School where I went to kindergarten for a day. Later it became Bishop Dubois H.S., which I attended for three years before getting bounced along with my younger brother. There was a kid by the name of Neally Riorden who may have lived in your building and a kid by the name of Brian Neeson Hannon who died around 1945. I remember going to his wake on Vinegar Hill. Next we should take a trip down Vinegar Hill. My e mail is fuzz408@optonline.net God bless & HAPPY EASTER Rutenberg'sRutenberg's had the greatest milkshakes mainly because they kept the milk semi frozen. They also had Hooten bars, sheets of one by two inch chocolate that sold for a penny each. I've never met anyone from a different neighborhood who heard of them. Yes, I was on the job for 25 years in the South Bronx. Check your personal e mail. The Three Oh was at 152 Street and Amsterdam Avenue. It's now a landmark. The new precinct is on 151st Street of Amsterdam. How about Wings Cigarettes with the photos of WW II planes? The Shamrock Bar was on the corner of 140th Street and Amsterdam. On weekends guys would pick up containers of beer and carry them over to Convent Avenue for refreshments during the stickball games. Take care, Norm PanchoLooking for any info on Pancho Periera. He is my godfather and was best friends with my dad, Frank Corrigan. OLLumnaI went graduated from OLL in 1950. I came across this great site and I am wondering if anyone graduated the same year. I have been trying to get in contact with my fellow classmates and this looked like a great opportunity! The Old ShamrockI visted the 140th Street area a few years ago and took a few pictures. The Shamrock is gone with the wind -- history. I showed a picture of the building (1626 Amsterdam) to Vinnie McCarvill, who had lived there, when I met him for a beer in New Orleans a few years ago, and he almost wept. Some great memories of our Salad Days came to mind. "Oh the nights at the playground on Hamilton Place." It's the place where we came of age. In friendship, Eddie and Jackie ParishesOne thing folks from New Orleans and New York City have in common is that you identified your neighborhood by the parish in which you lived. Agnes GerrityMy mother, Agnes Gerrity, born 1916, and her brothers Thomas and Richard (born c. 1914 and 1920) attended Our Lady of Lourdes until high school. All three have passed away but I'd love to hear if anyone happens to remember them. Like your mother, my mom loved that school and spoke of it often. Anne Collins OLL Confirmation Day 1935I thought former students would enjoy seeing the uniform we wore in Our Lady of Lourdes School Primary Dept (1st to 4th Grade) during the 1930s. KnickersIt was humiliating having to wear knickers. Remember pulling them down to your ankles and thinking "maybe people will think they are pegged pants"? Boy did we ever fool the public! And how about the high starched collars -- I don't think they could have even gotten Freddie Barthomew to wear them. Didn't we replace them with waterboarding? However Ed, they look great on you. Do you still wear them? Old OLL picsDoes any one have some old OLL class photos or just some neighborhood pictures to post here in the comments? I'm sure a lot of Shorpy addicts would appreciate them. OLLi go to school at lourdes now im in the 8th grade and i think its really cool to see people talk about the memories they had about my school before i was even born and i would love to see some kind of picture of the inside of the school like a class picture so i can see what it used to look like [Just wait'll you get to Capitalization and Punctuation. - Dave] Class of 1964I too went to OLL from '57-'64. My parents and I moved to 3495 Broadway at 143rd St. in 1956. I started in the 4th grade with Mother Mary William. The school in those days was no longer a military academy. We wore navy blue uniforms, white shirts and the school tie and the girls wore navy blue jumpers with a white blouse and blue tie. It was very interesting reading about all the students who came before me and where they lived. I always was so curious to find out how this old neighborhood looked like years before we moved in. As you all know, the area changed at some point racially, although when I was at OLL the school was still predominantly white with a handful of Black children. I will always have wonderful memories of my time at OLL. My parents moved out of the area in 1969 and I since been back once to recapture some old memories of my childhood. NostalgiaThe picture that follows is the 1937 graduation class with the girls omitted. Monsignor McMahon built church and school(1901-1913); after 15 years as Curator at St Patrick's Cathedral, constructed 7 years earlier. See church of Our Lady of Lourdes for construction details. At the time of graduation, Fr's Mahoney, Dillon and Brennan resided across from the Church. The Poor Clares home was to right of the church, and secondary had Society of the Holy Name Jesus sisters. School and Church gave us faith and hope and discipline. Our world was the depression years followed by the wars. Our class of 1937 was just in time. The handsome lad below the sergeant stripes is the brother of contributor Ed Woods.Ed,and brothers Bill and Dennis served with distinction. Andy Saraga bottom right was a highly decorated Marines The others served as well. I hope Our Lady of Lourdes provides the inspiration our families sought for us. Nostalgia 1937The 1937 graduation photo is great. It's with both sadness and pride to think that most of these wonderful kids would be defending our country in a very short time in different uniforms.Believe it or not this military training was useful. How about more pictures like this and some candid neighborhood shots. OLL in the NYThttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/nyregion/16priest.htm So interesting: A more recent residentJust want to say that I've read every entry on this post. It is so interesting to read the memories shared by those that lived way before you in the same neighborhood. My mother and I live on 135th Street near Riverside between 66th and 77th, then moved to 138th between Hamilton and Amsterdam. I went to PS 161 and graduated from CCNY. I also have fond memories of my childhood. I used to play basketball in an after school center at Our Lady of Lourdes as a young kid, visited the area a couple of years ago and brought back great pics. Cheers to all Mauricio The Grinnell: Celebrating Its Centennial Those of you who remember The Grinnell (800 Riverside Drive) may be interested to know that the residents have just begun celebrating the building's centennial. We're having a year of events,so this is a great year to visit! Check the website: http://www.thegrinnellat100.com/ for photos, historical news articles, and residents' memories (and contribute your own). Click the calendar tab for a listing of the events between now and July 2011. Matthew Why Grinnel!The hundredth anniversary of a building? Forgotten is the fact that it's also the anniversary of the site building, and all the memories fast fading. I think Ed Woods of all the graduates, always hit the mark. Several others struggled to add something. If someone remembers the names of the sisters and preferably anecdotes please don't deny this information from this site. I personally remember sister Rose from 4th grade 1934. I believe Mother Michael provided my brother Andy's Confirmation name. Others with better memories speak up. Also it wasn't only our generation that owes recognition for all given freely. Christmas at Our Lady of LourdesAt Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the statues in the creche would be replaced by live students. The scene would be repeated the following day at the 9 o'clock Children's Mass and the 11 o'clock High Mass. A live baby would be borrowed to lie in the manger. The girl who posed as the Blessed Mother and the boy who posed as Joseph were the envy of the entire student body. "Oh to return to yesteryear." Happy New YearThank you SHORPY for bringing back to us so many wonderful memories. It has been said pictures are worth a thousand words. Shorpy's pictures, however, are worth so much more -- just can't put a number on them. Thank you and a Happy New Year to the Shorpy Staff. Ed and Jackie Woods [And thank you, Ed and Jackie, for inspiring the hundreds of interesting comments in this thread. - Dave] The OLL neighborhoodIt's nice reading and re-reading your stories about OLL, Hamiliton Place,and seeing the names listed. Many years ago, in my past, I visited the old neighborhood only to find it somewhat depressing, old and in poor shape. One time in particular I had parked my new "rental car" near West 144th street, and was showing my young children some of the places I lived on Amsterdam Ave, Hamilton Place ( 95 and 115 buildings) when two older African Americans came up to us, and said you'd be better not park here." It wasn't said as a threat, but more it's unsafe here, now that the area has changed. I had told them that I used to live here many years ago. I am glad to hear from Norm, that the area has rebounded, and in looking at the prices of the real estate I wish we had stayed here. Keep up the good work. Matt Waters mattminn@aol.com Hi Anon Tipster 1959. I used to date Carlotta Long & visited her lovely home many times. 147 off Convent as I recall. I often wonder in my old age (69) whatever happened to her & how her life turned out. I did graduate from Dubois in 1960, so I'm very familiar w/the sights & places referenced here. So glad I found this site. Tis That Time of YearThank you SHORPY for another year of nostalgic pictures and comments. Brought to us in Black and White and Living Color. Such fond memories of long ago, especially the itchy bathing suits. In the 1920s and up to the early 1940s, when on or near the beach and boardwalk, boys had to wear the coarse wooolen suits with the tops on at all times. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New York to Dave and staff. Ed and Jackie Woods Our Yearly PlaysI graduated in 1960 after 8 memorable years. I remember our yearly plays in the auditorium and all the hard work and practice we put into it. Father Hart was our pastor and I remember our farewell speech to him. My best friend was Lydia Marin and I remember Maria Santory, Joyce Brown, Maria Matos, Alma Mora, Maureen Quirk. If any of you from this class are around, give a shout. Jackie Erick Class of 1964Class of 1964 where are you guys? Write something here you remember. Do you remember me? OLL Class of 1957Here's the names of the boys' teachers from 1949 to 1957. I think I have then all correct. Grade 1, 1949-1950: Mother Mary Theodosia Grade 2, 1950-1951: Sister Mary Macrina Grade 3, 1951-1952: Mother Mary Eulalia Grade 4, 1952-1953: Mother Mary Declan Grade 5, 1953-1954: Mother Mary Edwards Grade 6, 1954-1955: Mother Maria Del Amor Grade 7, 1955-1956: Mother Mary Euphrates Grade 8, 1956-1957: Mother Mary Rosario Eighteen nuns lived in the convent adjacent to the church on 142nd Street: eight boys' teachers, eight girls' teachers, the school principal, known as the Reverend Mother, and the housekeeper. Six priests and the pastor lived in the rectory on the south side of 142nd Street. OLL was also known as Old Ladies' Laundry. I've written down the names of almost all the boys who, at one point or another, were part of the class of 1957. Only 27 graduated in 1957. Many were expelled in 1956 as part of a crackdown on gang membership. Mother Mary Rosario was brought in to preside over a difficult situation, but after the expulsions her job turned out to be not that complicated. I'll post the list of names another time. Our Lady of Lourdes Alumni ReunionHello out there. I am a current parent at Our Lady of Lourdes. As we enter a new decade, OLL would would like to start planning a few reunions. I am looking for some potential organizers to help us reach out and plan events in the new year. Please reach out if you are interested in planning or connect dots. There are many new happenings at the school. We will be launching a new website by the end of the month with an alumni portion. Thank you! Vanessa vdecarbo@ollnyc.org Class of 1971Hi! I graduated in 1971 and our teacher was Sister Patricia. I remember Marlene Taylor, Karen, Miriam, Dina, Elsie, Maria and Robin, Carla, Margaret and Giselle. Our class was an all girl class. I also remember Sister Rebecca, Sister Theresa, Sister Rosemarie (our history teacher). I continued to Cathedral High School but I miss all my dear classmates. Is there anyone out there who enters this site? My email is n.krelios@yahoo.com I would love to hear from someone. Marlene Taylor became a doctor (wonderful!!!). Shorpy Hall of FameIf there were a Shorpy Hall of Fame, this photo would definitely have to be in the inaugural class. I've enjoyed going through the many comments for this photo going back to 2007 even though I have absolutely no connection to the school other than being Catholic. What is equally as awesome is that a look at the location today via Google Maps indicates that, other than a few trees, fire hydrants, automobiles and removal of the statue, everything is basically the same today. Double DutchKllroy is correct about not much having changed, but it looks like even the foreground fire hydrant is in the same place (but a newer model). It looks like the circa 1914 photographer was set-up on the northeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 143rd Street. The Google Maps photo was taken travelling northbound on Amsterdam Avenue. So basically both photos are shot from almost the same location; it is interesting how the vintage image makes 143rd Street appear much shorter than in the Google image. I guess it's the result of different formats and lenses. By the way, the buildings at the far end of the T-intersection, on Convent Avenue (mostly blocked by the trees in the Google image), reflect NYC's Dutch heritage [ETA:] as does "Amsterdam" Avenue. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC)
Television Screen: 1950
July 12, 1950. "Hilda Kassell, East 53rd Street, New York City. Father reading ... this was because WJZ is a Baltimore station, but in 1950, it was the ABC flagship station in New York. Blank Stares There's ... Cost is four weeks pay for the average factory worker in 1950. [It's an Olympic. -tterrace] Olympic Radio & Television ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/16/2013 - 9:26am -

July 12, 1950. "Hilda Kassell, East 53rd Street, New York City. Father reading newspaper, two children viewing television." The test-pattern tone is especially hypnotic this morning. Photo by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Multiple photosOther Gottscho-Schleisner photos relating to Hilda Kassell can be found online. There's one from about this same time showing her nursing her baby in front of this window, one from 1948 of what I would presume was her former residence at 50 East 10th Street, and an undated interior view of what may be her country house in Croton, New York. As there also are some references to photos by her, my best guess is that she worked for Gottscho-Schleisner or at least was associated with the company in some way. Hence their interest in her domestic life. [Hilda Kassell was the designer whose business commissioned these photos. The people in them are models; the grander homes are those of her clients. -Dave] Test Pattern IndianWe got our first TV in 1951 when I was 3 or 4 years old. I remember spending a lot of time staring at the Test Pattern Indian, and even at that early age wondering what the hell an Indian was doing in our TV, and when was he going to DO something. Maybe I really WAS hypnotized by the tone. I Would Title This "Waiting for Howdy Doody" It's all relativeCompared to nothing-zip-nada, a test pattern was interesting, if only because it indicated that the set was ready to erupt into entertainment when programming began (usually, late afternoon). And it was our technological friend, enabling the painstaking setting of horizontal and vertical hold, contrast, brightness, and whatever quality brings about absence of "snow," all before Buffalo Bob and Howdy appeared. Did everyonehave a ship and brass baby shoes on top of the TV in the early 50's? I know we did. Good QuestionWonder why the Indian head shot was used. It seems fairly universal, but why? [A story about the original artwork and its survival is here. -tterrace] Thanks, wonder why the fellow in '38 made that choice. Just because? Line definition quality? Thanks again. Attention SpanAnd so it begins. The dumbing down of our children. There really is nothing on TVIn this case, not only are the kids staring at a test pattern, they're staring at a fuzzy test pattern. At first I thought this was because WJZ is a Baltimore station, but in 1950, it was the ABC flagship station in New York. Blank StaresThere's nothing quite like pretending to read the morning paper while the kids pretend to watch TV. $419.95Looks like a Zenith, Lexington model without cabinet doors. Cost is four weeks pay for the average factory worker in 1950. [It's an Olympic. -tterrace] Olympic Radio & Televisionwas a trademark of Hamilton Radio Corp., established NYC 1941. Hamilton purchased the Olympic trademark from American Bosch Radio the same year. In 1956 Olympic Radio & Television was still operating as a division of Unitronics Corp. of Long Island City. It probably disappeared the following year when Unitronics was absorbed by Siegler, which then merged with Lear Inc. Step UpOlympic was a recognized radio brand in the 1960s. Its TV line was strictly promotional. The attached ad shows a Radio/TV/Phono combo that probably sold in the $300-$400 price range. A comparable Magnavox unit sold for 2 to 3 times as much. Sitting that CloseI was a child in the late 1960s. Whenever I would watch television my parents always supervised me because they wanted to ensure that I didn't sit too close to the set. They were convinced sitting too close to the television would cause me to develope leukemia or it would ruin my eyesight. The first thought I had, when I looked at this photograph was the sound of my mother's voice "Don't sit so close to the TV!" By the time I was 16 years old, I did have to start wearing glasses which gave my parents an "I told you so." moment. They were convinced that my lazy eye was a result of sitting too close to the tv when I watched Captain Kangaroo as a four year old. The Ultimate Home Theatre!It's got both a small screen AND a big screen (for Dad to hide behind)! Subway foldDad - or the model playing dad - is probably a regular subway rider. That's the NY subway fold that I learned from my father. When you're on a crowded train, there isn't room to open the paper all the way. So you fold the pages in half lengthwise. PatternI hated daytime TV in the '50s. You'd be home sick from school and all that was on would be soaps and Queen for a Day. You'd be lying there bored to death with onions that your Mom put in your socks, I have no idea what they were supposed to cure but Mom must have known. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Kids, NYC, TV)
The Modern Way to Shop: 1950
June 6, 1950. "Vis-O-Matic department store." A Vis-O-Matic spokesmodel, or perhaps ... of a Lawrence Freiman invention, "Vis-o-matic" shopping, 1950. In 1971, "A.J. Freiman Limited" was sold to the Hudson's Bay Company. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2008 - 1:18am -

June 6, 1950. "Vis-O-Matic department store." A Vis-O-Matic spokesmodel, or perhaps even the queen of Vis-O-Matic, the Canadian catalog store whose slide-projection system of displaying merchandise was like a Buck Rogers premonition of online shopping. The Vis-O-Matic phenomenon seems to have been short-lived, with hardly any documentation online aside from these photos in the Life archive, and no word of its fate. Photo by Bernard Hoffman. View full size. The Power of ShorpyAs Dave relates in the comments describing this posting, the internets are pretty much devoid of relevant information regarding the innovative Vis-O-Matic. What remains impressive, however, is how quickly Shorpy.com rises to the top of Google search mere hours after posting a photo. Is this the result of the standard Google algorithms or some kind worker bee at Google giving Shorpy special preference? Inquiring minds want to know! Just a small sampling of other search strings which currently lead directly to recent Shorpy posts. Bevo boatmobile John Fisher candy Marshall pages dinner Holmes pies Odessa bread loaf Fealy's Corner Mae Esterly Ione Whalen Capitol Refining crocodile car Update:I have seen recent criticism of Shorpy for adding a watermark to public domain photos originating at the Library of Congress. Looking further down the above list of Google searches of the above phrases (specifically Fealy's Corner) clearly reveals just a small sample of how readily other websites appropriate the retouched photos (and comments) posted at Shorpy. Just GoogleIt's just normal Google behavior. If you notice the links that come up in Google are older Shorpy posts. Google hasn't seen this new Vis-o-matic picture yet, but it has had plenty of time to index older Shorpy posts with the keyword. Why does Shorpy often come up top? It's a combination of being a popular site and targeting unique keywords that don't have a large pool of pages on the internet. [Google has indeed seen this post. Shorpy posts are generally indexed by Google within 30 minutes of publication. This is not "normal Google behavior" -- you have to do something to make it happen. Namely submit a list of all the URLs on the site in a special format (the "XML sitemap") whenever the site is updated. - Dave] Housedresses or Jackknives Why Pembroke?For the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone would be starting up a revolutionary new business in Pembroke, about 150km outside of Ottawa. I live in Ottawa, and Pembroke is not exactly a shopping mecca... Perhaps that's why the Vis-O-Matic wasn't successful. From Archives Canada: In 1899, Archibald Jacob Freiman (1880-1944) and Moses Cramer opened the "Canadian House Furnishing Company" in downtown Ottawa, Ont. By 1902, the partnership had dissolved and Freiman and his father established "H. Freiman and Son", an enterprise which expanded its home furnishing business to include men's and women's merchandise. Freiman bought out his father's share in 1917 and by 1918 opened "The Archibald J. Freiman Department Store". The business was incorporated in 1923 as "A.J. Freiman Limited" with Freiman as president and his wife, Lillian (1885-1940), as vice-president. Their son, Lawrence (1909-1987), joined the business in 1931 and by 1939, had taken over its president and general manager. Under Lawrence Freiman, the business continued to expand its downtown operation but also opened up in suburban locations including Westgate Shopping Centre, 1955; Shopper's City, Blair Road (East End), Base Line Road (West End), 1966 and 1967; St. Laurent Shopping Centre, 1967. The business also expanded into North Bay, Renfrew and Pembroke, Ont., the latter being the location of a Lawrence Freiman invention, "Vis-o-matic" shopping, 1950. In 1971, "A.J. Freiman Limited" was sold to the Hudson's Bay Company. Great Dress!Those things always reminded me of the florid, frilly, tacky Valentine's Day candy boxes you see in drugstores every February. Does anybody really buy them? And does anybody ever buy them with a straight face? Vis-o-matic Shmis-o-maticWho is that gorgeous spokesmodel? Anyone know? Nano?So... I'm surprised nobody else is wondering what she's holding in her hand. Looks like a very early prototype of an iPod Nano to me, which sounds unlikely. [She's holding a slide mount. - Dave] What graceful arms!Can I get those exquisite gloves from the Vis-O-Matic store? Oooh YeahhhThe image of this shapely lady with arm cleavage holding a slide gave me a tingly sensation I can't quite explain here. That's the kind of mount I use with my dad's old Graflex Constellation projector. I've got magazines full of these babies. Graceful look-alikeWhen I saw this photo, I immediately thought of Grace Kelly so naturally she had graceful arms. But, sigh, all of us girls were beautiful at 21. Vis-O-MaticThis would not have been a convenience for city dwellers: it would have taken as much time to travel to the "air-conditioned booth" as it would have taken to travel to Eaton's, and at Eaton's you could see the merchandise and either take it home yourself or arrange for next-day delivery. This is not a convenience for country or Northern dwellers: they bought goods from the Eaton's catalogue. There were at the time only a limited number of communities in Canada which were both far enough away from a main city and large enough to support this kind of booth. Man I miss the Eaton's catalogue. Fark-O-MaticFarked again. Re: "Why Pembroke?"Mrs. Freiman (it was perhaps Lawrence's wife that was the Mrs. Freiman in this case) was one of the reasons why my stepfather chose to settle in Ottawa rather than the USA after attending MIT (that and the fact that some recruiting sergeant with a particular bias against people of colour snarled at him "Our Indian contingent is filled!" when he attempted to enlist in the US Army during WWII and he ended up taking the train to Ottawa where he joined the Canadian Army who were more concerned with the content of his character than the colour of his skin). When he arrived in Montreal after being demobbed after the war, Mrs. Freiman was on the platform greeting soldiers and ex-soldiers and ensuring that they had lodgings; a place to eat and putting them into contact with friends, family and jobs, if needed. She found him a hotel and gave him chits for a meal and made sure he had the tickets he needed to get back down to Boston. He never forgot that consideration. Whenever we had shopping to do, Dad insisted we did it at Freiman's, usually at Rideau Street. That is until after it was bought out and became "The Bay" and one day, after smoking bylaws came into effect and smoking in stores was banned. Dad, as usual, had a cigarette dangling from his lip when a floorwalker came over and (very politely, I should say) "I'm sorry, Sir. Smoking is not allowed. You are going to have to put the cigarette out." Dad turned on his heels and left the store, never to darken its door again. It didn't matter that this was Provincial law and not the personal whim of the floor walker. "Mrs. Freiman would never have stood for that!" he said, his sole comment on the matter. As for why Pembroke? Even Ottawa, Canada's capital, was hardly the hub of the Universe and it surprises me to know that Pembroke -- which was, relative to Ottawa, barely a one-horse, one street town -- would be the birthplace of this bit of technology. (Farked, LIFE, Stores & Markets)
Through the Wringer: 1950
... "Connor washing machine with motorized wringer." Circa 1950 photo by the Gordon Burt studio in Wellington, New Zealand. View full ... My Mother-In-Law, now long gone, told me how in the 1950's she went to work for only one purpose: To buy herself one of those fancy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2013 - 9:01am -

"Connor washing machine with motorized wringer." Circa 1950 photo by the Gordon Burt studio in Wellington, New Zealand. View full size. The Stories are TrueOn this day in 1970, I was a 10-year-old kid who was in the hospital after being hit by a train(!). The kid in the bed next to me was 4 years old and had gotten his arm caught in one of these things. He wasn't as fortunate as landtuna; his arm was pretty well crunched up, and he was in a lot of pain. I got out in a couple of days with a couple of fractured ribs and 56 stitches on my back. He had a pretty sizeable cast to contend with. Who'da thunk one of these modern appliances could do more damage than a freight train? Curse the New Machines!My grandmother used one of these well into the late 1970's. I used to watch her in the basement using the wringer and she would show me her recent wringer related injuries to her hands. She got a new washing machine around 1978 and hated it. She swore it did not get the clothes as clean as her wringer washer. We still have her rinse tubs. When speed is a factorWhen I was a summer camp counselor back in the 1970's, we prized these machines over the newer models for doing camp laundry. When one became unrepairable (a rarity) a replacement was almost impossible to find. They took a beating but kept working because there were uncomplicated and all of the works were right out where you could get at them. Compared to the newer models with time-consuming spin cycles and mechanical-rotating dials, when one of the kids would wet his sleeping bag, you could flip the switch, wash and rinse it in about 15 minutes, wring the water out in about 30 seconds and have it hanging on the clothesline by breakfast time. You could process 3 or 4 kids' bags by the time one modern washer did one load. That young lady doesn't look very happy. Maybe she's got a lot of bed-wetters in her family. Another wringer casualty here ...My grandparents had a "modern" Maytag wringer machine in the late '60s. I. too managed to let my hand get drawn into the wringer. I had never heard such panic in my mom's yelp. It was out in a flash, no harm done. I remember my grandfather, a stoic, reserved man in his mid 80s, beckoning me over to where he was sitting in the garage, and solemnly inspecting my hand. It was one of the few times we ever shared one-on-one. Pre-CardioMotorized wringers were before the fitness craze. Miracle MachineNo water needed. It wrings your dry towels even drier. The Pain, the Agony!My grandmother had a washer just like this when I was about 4 years old. She used to roll it from the kitchen out onto the front porch to do the wash. One day I was helping send the laundry through the wringer and it sucked my whole arm into it. Fortunately, she heard my screams and hit the release bar on the top. I was none the worse for wear but I stayed away from that machine as long as she had it. Old school washingMy grandmother's electric wringer lasted into the 70's. When it finally gave up the ghost - despite everything my mother tried to tell her about modern washing machines - my grandmother went out an bought a brand new wringer! Things we take for grantedMy Mother-In-Law, now long gone, told me how in the 1950's she went to work for only one purpose: To buy herself one of those fancy new-fangled Washing Machines. As soon as she saved enough money, she quit that job. I imagine that machine looked a lot like this one. Hope it made it her life much easier and much happier. Electric WringersMy mother and grandmother both told me stories of people getting their fingers caught in the wringer, panicking and pulling hard, thereby peeling the skin of their hand. I've never seen that story substantiated, but it was quite the visual for a little kid. Those Poor Kiwi Housewives!Heels, but no pearls. Lots of arms rung dry!I guess I wasn't the only one after all. :) I did fare better than the little 4 yr old in the hospital with you, Dave. I had my experience when I was 4 or 5, can't quite remember, but I do remember how it felt. I had my arm clean up to the armpit in the wringer while my mother was yelling for my uncle to come and save me. He got me out of that thing. I remember him smiling at me while he got my arm out. I think my mother was more upset than I was. It hurt but I didn't need a Dr. thankfully. I used to help my grandmother with the washing, mostly carrying water from the cistern. I was still afraid of the "mangler" so I let her do that job. Ah, the joys of childhood! Another one who got his arm......stuck in the wringer. I was about five years old when it happened and remember screaming at the top of my lungs. I did have a bruise and remember it was quite painful. I remember before I would press my fingers on the wringer and my mother yelling I would get it stuck. Well it did happen and I stayed away from that machine. My grandmother got an article of clothing stuck in it and was lucky my grandfather was home to stop the machine. The wringers did their job, but were no playthings. OuchThere was a kid in the class ahead of me in grade school who had a mangled right hand. The story was that he had caught it in a wringer. He became a professional french horn player--the one instrument that is played with the left hand. What a great magical wringer......the item shown going through it is already dry! It definitely had its advantages. Many claimed it got clothes cleaner faster than the modern front or top loading automatic. I wonder sometimes how much it might have had to do with changes in fabric and laundry detergents technology? Simpler fabrics without all the treatments and coatings and blends in fibers may have had an effect on how they absorbed or held dirt? I have no way to compare since I've never had to do a comparison test. But the one I've always wanted to have was an original Bendix Deluxe front loading model that started you out with DIRTY dry clothes, and finished you up with CLEAN dry clothes - all in the same machine. They were available into the early 60's I think, from the old advertising I've seen. I wonder why they didn't maintain their popularity? Price maybe? The length of time it took to do a single load may have been an issue, but whether it was done between two machines or all in one probably wouldn't have made too much difference. It certainly would be more space saving than two machines. Even stacked, because of the vertical space required. And with two machines, it requires your personal intervention between functions. So, it can only progress as quickly as you can be ready to switch clothes from one to the other. This way, you could throw them in, turn it on, and walk away - even leave the house - and come back to a finished load of clothes! Still Burns TodayIn 1975, when I was 4 years old, I got both of my hands caught in the electric wringers of our washing machine. I had put something in and it caught my right hand. I put in my left hand to get it out. So my left hand was on top of my right hand, and they were stuck. The wringers kept spinning. It was just me and my grandmother home at the time. My grandfather was having coffee at a restaurant a few miles away. He got an urgent sense that something was wrong. So urgent, that he ran out without paying. When he got home he was able to free my hands from the wringers. Then he rushed me to the ER. I had third degree burns on the bottom of of my right forearm and on the top of my left hand. The knuckle just below my left thumb had to be removed because it was crushed. They weren't sure if I would ever be able to use my left hand again. I had to get skin grafts on both and was in the hospital for over 3 months. Then I had months of physical therapy. Luckily, you can't hold back a little kid and I made a full recovery. I learned to live with the horrible scars from the skin grafts, and I never get offered when people, especially kids, ask me what happened. It's a part of my life, my history. Until I stumbled upon this site, I had never heard of anyone else sustaining injuries from these machines. For the first time in 42 years I finally realize that I'm not alone. (Kitchens etc., New Zealand)
The $64 Washer: 1941
... I remember my mother getting one like that circa 1950; primitive it may have been, but it beat the heck out of the tub and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/02/2024 - 3:08pm -

        Its big 8-sheet porcelain tub is insulated to keep water warm! Streamlined 8-position wringer with soft balloon rolls has chromium pressure controls; push-pull safety release; roll-stop safety dry feed rest and automatic water-return board. October 1941. "Kenmore washer for sale. Sears Roebuck store at Syracuse, New York." Medium format negative by John Collier. View full size. Mom Was DelightedI remember my mother getting one like that circa 1950; primitive it may have been, but it beat the heck out of the tub and washboard it replaced. Incidentally the price translates to $650 in current dollars. Not cheap, especially considering the lack of disposable income people had back then. They've Gotten CheaperAlthough you can't buy that exact model these days, I think, a comparable washer, with electronics, would cost $1,031.47 in 2016 dollars. $64 was a ton of money pre-WWII. I remember my grandmother had one a bit earlier than that one. She used to roll it onto her front porch to wash clothes and drain the water onto her yard. I remember helping her when I was 3-4 years old and the wringer sucked my arm right into it. Sure glad she was close by and knew to hit the emergency release 'cause I remembered that pinch for a lot of years. That was also when mom's (or grandmothers) used soap instead of detergent. It made great bubbles and smelled oh so nice! Not Exactly CheapBut I'm sure that every part was Made in the U.S. A. Familiar contraption!That looks a lot like the one that was in the basement of the house I shared in grad school at Duke in the early 80s. We were so broke, as students, we used that old thing and its wringer instead of going to a laundromat. If you have never gotten grabbed by an electric wringer, you can't fully appreciate that old saying about getting your teat caught in a wringer. YEOW! Mom-in-Law Was Delighted, TooMy mother-in-law, who grew up as a Pennsylvania farm girl, used one of these until she moved out of her suburban Philadelphia house in 2002, aged 85. She'd run the clothes through the wringer and then put 'em in her fairly new automatic dryer. The grandkids were enthralled! A Dream WasherWringer washers seem primitive now but they made life so much easier for women. I am old enough to remember my mother using one. In the photo above, you can see female customers in the background. They are all dressed up in hats, "good" coats, stockings and heels. Perhaps this Sears store was in downtown Syracuse. A trip downtown warranted getting dressed up. I remember those machinesAlong with the two galvanized washtubs for rinsing the clothes. My job to fill them with water and the washer. Punch the hole in the bottle of bluing for the white clothes. Wipe the outside clotheslines off and if it was winter time shovel the snow out from under the lines. Clothes would freeze solid then we'd bring them back in and hang them up in the basement. Coal furnace would dry them in half and hour. Only on Mondays. Wash day. Skip the Linepennsylvaniaproud said "if it was winter time shovel the snow out from under the [clothes]lines. Clothes would freeze solid then we'd bring them back in and hang them up in the basement. Coal furnace would dry them in half and hour." Why not just hang them in the basement to dry in the first place (in winter)? Not getting why do the extra steps of outdoor clothesline. Demonstration Washing MachineOn the extreme right, there is a washer with glass sides. These were used in department and appliance stores to demonstrate the washing action of the agitator. You could easily see how the clothes circulated in the water. When I left home in 1967 and moved into an old Vancouver, B.C. apartment building, the laundry featured three wringer washers with dual concrete laundry tubs for rinsing, a gas-fired ironing machine, and clotheslines in the spacious roof-top laundry room. Elderly ladies taught me how to use the machines - I was 19 at the time. In the United States, automatics outsold wringers as early as 1951, but in Canada that did not happen until 1968. One of the main reasons was that an automatic was three times more expensive than a wringer. I still have a 1944 Beatty wringer that I use occasionally. Here is a video on how to do your laundry with a wringer washer. Looking at photos like thisWell... Europe was not only at war, but... twenty years late? This design, for me it's just like 1960 or something like that. And some change...I'm sorry, but it's that 95 cents that broke the deal for me. Remember the "Suds Saver" Feature?You would stopper one side of your dual basement sink (which was probably made of concrete) and the washer would drain the sudsy wash water into that side. Then with the next load, the washer would suck that wash water back in and reuse it. My mother would wash the whites or lights first and "suds save" to wash the kids' clothes after that. It certainly did save water, especially if you had a big family and washed lots of loads. Old-style washers with wringerWhen my wife and I bought a 1920s Tampa bungalow, it had a wringer Maytag, originally fitted with a gas engine, in the garage building out back. Patty decided to use it one day, just for laughs, but she was astonished at how clean the clothes were. Soon, that old Maytag was what she used all the time. If I remember correctly, Patty collected the water after washing and used that on her flowerbeds, and the soap helped control insects. Regarding that wringer, yep; I caught my hand in it one time and that was all it took to teach me to stay clear of it after that. But the old wringer washers worked and drying on a clothesline also had advantages. At the cottageMy dad added a room to the back of my grandparents cottage the year after he added an electric pump for running water. He installed a flush toilet, and, a wringer washer just like the one in the picture appeared soon after. It was over in the corner, and I do not remember seeing it in use, but know that my grandmother would have used it to wash all the towels and such us ragamuffins got sand-encrusted at the beach. She sure put up with a lot of noise from the succeeding groups of grand kids showing up week after week for their time at the cottage. It was a never-ending battle to keep sand out of the front room, and encouragments to 'Wipe Your Feet Outside'or 'Get the sand OFF' were made often and AUDIBLY. It didn't help. There seemed to always be a layer of sand in the bottom of the washer tub. Wonder if it wore out the gizzards. Grandma's Washer of ChoiceAs a child growing up in the 60's, I remember well my grandmother owning two of these. She could afford a more modern style washer, but the wringer ones are what she preferred. I guess probably because that is what she was used to using. Sitting on her back porch, watching her feed those clothes through the wringers, looked like so much fun! As much as I'd beg her to let me do it she'd never let me for fear of getting my hand caught!! (Technology, The Gallery, John Collier, Stores & Markets, Syracuse)
Gloomy Gippers: 1950
November 25, 1950. "Locker room gloom. Dejected high school football team in locker room at ... Freeport (NY) High School Red Devils, 47-13, in the 1950 season finale. Newspaper cover page here: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1950-11-23/ed-1/seq-1/ The stadium had a football field surrounded by a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/26/2016 - 2:41pm -

November 25, 1950. "Locker room gloom. Dejected high school football team in locker room at the Freeport Municipal Stadium after the first half." New York World Telegram & Sun photo by Walter Albertin. View full size. I know it's a different gamebut there obviously is "no joy in Mudville" at this halftime. Does anyone know the final score at the end? Hard to believe that these young players would be about 84 today. Where's the coach?Shouldn't the coach be in there inspiring confidence and telling them to "win one for the Gipper?" The Future is BleakBeing blown-out after playing uninspired football for the first half, Coach just announced one mile of bear crawl drills on Monday. Haven't seen that kind of locker room depression since...Last night with the Chicago Cubs. Really?I'd be depressed too if I had to sit on the floor, they couldn't even afford benches in the locker room? Freeport StadiumI grew up in Freeport, NY although was born in 1953. Went to a few high school games in 1968-1969 at Freeport Stadium and also used to enjoy going there for stock car races and demolition derby events around that same time. The place was a real relic with benches as seats and believe after they razed the place years ago a Pep Boys or something similar was erected where it once stood. 2nd Half Not So Good EitherPossibly the Baldwin (NY) High School Bruins losing to the undefeated Freeport (NY) High School Red Devils, 47-13, in the 1950 season finale. Newspaper cover page here: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1950-11-23/ed-1/seq-1/ The stadium had a football field surrounded by a car-racing track. Photo and comments here: http://www.racerhub.com/forum/showthread.php?9774-Freeport-Aerial-Pictur... http://www.racerhub.com/forum/attachment.php?s=1ec6df8670244414a0c2236c3... (The newspaper is dated 11/23/50, but the Shorpy photo caption is dated 11/25/50. However, the newspaper was a community weekly, and the cover page story is about the season ending with Freeport undefeated, after "overwhelmingly defeating Baldwin", which would explain the dejection in the Shorpy photo. Much like modern-day weekly and monthly publications, the printed dates (and car model years) often don't match the real calendar dates. That is quite possible here, too.) A future award winning sports writer covered that game.None other than future award winning sports writer 16-year-old Dick Schaap covered that game for the Freeport, New York 'Leader', for whom he wrote a weekly sports column entitled 'Scanning the Sports Scene'. Schaap's story appears in the November 23, 1950 edition of 'The Leader'. According to Schaap, the game featured Freeport High School closing out their undefeated season against rival Baldwin High School 47-13 at Freeport Municipal Stadium. The uniforms of the dejected players are consistent with those of the Baldwin team shown in their high school yearbook of 1950, thus lending credence to the photo originating at the game Schaap covered for 'The Leader'. The only inconsistency here is that Schaap covered the game on November 18, 1950, and not on November 25, as the photo caption indicates. He clearly states that it was the last game of the season, so perhaps the photographer's caption was a week off. Freeport Municipal Stadium was demolished in 1989, having served as a football venue since the early 1930's. (The Gallery, News Photo Archive, Sports)
Princess Unplugged: 1950
New Zealand circa 1950s. "Model with wringer washing machine." I am Woman, see me Wash. Photo by Gordon Burt Studio. View full size. Something missing. There is no plug on the washing machine. Kind of hard to wash clothes without one. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/10/2014 - 5:00pm -

New Zealand circa 1950s. "Model with wringer washing machine." I am Woman, see me Wash. Photo by Gordon Burt Studio. View full size. Something missing.There is no plug on the washing machine. Kind of hard to wash clothes without one. Something vital is missingShe will be able to get a lot more done if the washer was connected. Why no plug, and just an unterminated cord? Perhaps it is the precursor to inductive charging. Lucky GirlMen in the Western civilization have always spoiled our women by allowing them to have electric appliances, educating them, and allowing them to carry their own money. Me being picky I'm sure she'll get better performance out of the machine, when there's a plug on the end of the cord - and it's plugged into a socket. [I guess no one noticed the title of this post. - Dave] Yep, a point too subtle (for me) at that time of the morning. New Zealand LaundryNew Zealanders must be quite eccentric to be able to wash clothes in an unplugged washing machine. Either that or they are much smarter than the rest of us to have figured out how to get the machine to work without plugging it in. Princess IndeedIt blows my mind to think of doing laundry (even with today's machines!) in a dress, stockings and heels. Oh and with my hair curled. [Princess is, for those who have not zoomed in, the brand of the machine. - Dave] A Bit Ahead of its TimeMust have been invented before wall outlets and plugs on cords. But at least it's not gasoline-powered like the one my grandmother had. As a kid of six, I spent a summer with her and laundry day was a noisy outdoor affair with the old one-banger. Primitive as it was, it was the once convenience Grandma had. The whites got boiled over a wood fire in an old cauldron with "bluing". This young woman looks like a twin for my niece, but thankfully my niece got a new washer and dryer just yesterday. Somebody cut the plug offWhy? One of the wheels is bentPoor machine must have had a hard life. That's settledNow that the plug explanation has been crowd-sourced, what color would that magnificent contraption be? It predates the fad for avocado or harvest gold appliances, but even in grey scale, it's pretty clear that the tub is not "refrigerator white." Three wireObviously she won't get much washing done with the cord hanging loose like that, but I see that at least she will be protected from electrocution once they get the thing properly wired up. That washer won't wash.Is there some sort of world wide conspiracy to sell washers without a $#@% electrical plug attached to the power cable? Pretty model. This will work much betterIf you have the power cord end attached. Plug: optionalMost likely, this appliance was sold in several countries, necessitating plug installation at points of delivery to be compatible with the outlets used in that locale. Danger: Electrocution hazard!Unplugged?!? There's not even a plug on the end of the cord. Her hairstyle could undergo a radical transformation when she pushes those wires into the wall socket. Kiwi KitchenThe high end kitchen appliance manufacturers Fisher and Paykel is a New Zealand based company. They developed the "kitchen drawer" dishwasher. TeslaIt worked on the Tesla principle he invented where electricity was broadcast through the air. Safety firstNo plug on the cord insured that the that pretty lady didn't get any part of her pretty self caught in the wringer. No plug ?In some countries,like the UK, there was no one standard electrical outlet as in North America. Appliances were supplied with no plug, so that the user could supply the one that fit their particular outlets. Customer SuppliedVarious options exist for the connection of electrical equipment, especially in earlier days or across different regions. Existing outlets of different ratings will have different plug configurations. Direct hard wiring of larger appliances is sometimes used with a disconnect switch that is surface mounted on the wall. The customer or installer would buy and attach the appropriate cord cap to match a particular location or existing outlets. Brings Back MemoriesI remember clearly at the tender age of 4 helping my grandmother with the laundry and getting my arm caught in the wringer. Fortunately, she wasn't too far away and released it before any damage was done. But even to this day my right arm seems a bit flat. Standards are great, there are so many to choose fromIt's just barely possible that sockets and plugs weren't as standardized in 1950s New Zealand as they are today. It may have made sense to ship appliances with no plug, and let the dealer or customer install the right plug to match the customer's house. An example from another country: The UK officially switched to their current plugs and sockets right after WWII, but the previous standards remained in use. For a while it was *illegal* to sell an appliance wthere ith a plug on the cord - the theory was that if somebody bought an appliance with the wrong plug for their socket, they would just chop the plug off, leaving a plug with a bit of wire sticking out the end. A small child would then find this plug+wire, somehow find a matching socket, plug in the plug+wire, and zap themselves. In theory, anyway. Part of the regular school curriculum was "how to wire a plug". Plugs might not have been standardizedI seem to recall on an electrician's forum several years ago, that one Australian had dug up some documents showing that their standard plug only dated to 1938 (and it is well-documented to be originally an American design). Australia and New Zealand now share the same electrical standards, but I don't know if this was true in the '50s. Even today, I think many appliances in the UK require the user to install their own plug (witness the Tenth Doctor Who describing Donna Noble as someone who "can't even change a plug"). A benefit of waiting so late is that the need for grounding appliances was already evident. I have a 1930 American book warning of the special hazard of not grounding washing machines, and recommending using a plug that matches today's Australia/New Zealand plug. This advice was not officially sanctioned until 1947, and went mostly unheeded until 1962. Mom's warningI can still remember my mother telling me in no uncertain terms not to put my fingers anywhere near the wringer and that was probably 62 years ago. Plugless PrincessLack of standardization of international electrical socket configurations and standards at the time led some manufacturers to ship their machines without plugs. It was the responsibility of the local installing dealer to provide a compatible one, be it with round pins, parallel or non-parallel flat blades, polarized or whatever. Also, jumpers in a junction box inside the machine often had to be changed to match local line voltages or 120 or 220 and frequencies of 25, 50 or 60 Hz. Not having a plug on the machine was an attempt to insure it would get properly setup by someone who knew what they were doing (although it didn't stop resourceful 10 year old boys from taking a lot of things for pre-installotion test drives). Why botherWe owned one of these dang things when I was a kid, my mom didn't need a plug on hers either because it was easier to go to the laundromat! Colour of the tubI remember seeing machines like this in the second-hand shops and the colour always seemed to be middle-of-the-range green. Not dark green or pale green but somewhere in the middle. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., New Zealand)
Midcentury Manhattan: 1950
March 14, 1950. "New York City views. Manhattan skyline from City Hospital." Large-format ... FDR Was it still called Welfare Island in 1950? Look how light traffic was on the East River Drive! [Renamed ... built in 1930, as it was one of the relatively few pre-1950's buildings in Midtown with a flat roofline, and the big antenna would ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/10/2013 - 10:19am -

March 14, 1950. "New York City views. Manhattan skyline from City Hospital." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. East River EnclaveCity Hospital, the site from which this was photographed, was on Welfare Island, sandwiched between Manhattan and Queens. The hospital was also known at one time as Penitentiary Hospital. It was closed in 1957 and was finally demolished in 1994. Welfare Island, formerly known as Blackwell Island finally morphed into Roosevelt Island, is a now a residential district with great view of Manhattan. It lobbied the city and was granted a Manhattan Zip Code, 10044 and area code, 212. It is connected to the Manhattan from the east by an aerial tram and from the Queens side by subway and bus. ExquisiteThe man certainly knew how to make light work to improve the shot. Breathtaking. FDRWas it still called Welfare Island in 1950? Look how light traffic was on the East River Drive! [Renamed Roosevelt Island in 1973. -tterrace] New Desktop MaterialThis is just an amazingly wonderful photo. Strangely enough, the nearly-completed United Nations Building off to the left looks incredibly out of place with the other gothic and art-deco structures in New York's skyline. Some landmarksAt far left are the smokestacks of the electric power plant that occupied the east side of First Avenue between 38th and 40th street until just a few years ago. Next is the UN Secretariat, a couple years away from completion. At the time, the UN's temporary headquarters was just across the Nassau County line in Lake Success, in a former industrial building that's now an office park. Trivia: prior to the start of construction in 1947, the UN site shown here was occupied by a slaughterhouse. A bit to the UN's right, among the buildings of the Tudor City apartment complex, the upper part of the Metropolitan Life tower can be glimpsed. Located a mile south of the UN, it was built in 1909 and had been the world's tallest building for a few years. Moving on to the right, the Empire State and Chrysler buildings are obvious. The building in the foreground with the rounded tower and two large wings facing the camera is a (very) luxurious apartment building with a 52nd Street address known as Riverhouse. It used to have its own yacht basin on the East River, but that was lost with the construction of the FDR Drive in the 1930's. The building with two towers further to the right is the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. One building that's a bit harder to identify is the squarish building slightly left of center with the huge antenna on top. I believe it is the 37-story Daily News building at 220 East 42nd Street, built in 1930, as it was one of the relatively few pre-1950's buildings in Midtown with a flat roofline, and the big antenna would make sense on a newspaper's headquarters. I'm not completely sure, however. Welfare/Roosevelt Island lacked direct road access until a bridge from Queens opened in the early 1950's. The Queensboro Bridge (now known as the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge) ran over the island starting in 1909, but was too high above the surface for a direct exit to be feasible. Instead, the trolleys which ran across the bridge stopped at a mid-span station called the "Upside Down House," from which elevators and stairs allowed people to descend to ground level on the island. In 1930 some of the elevators were modified to accommodate vehicles, enabling ambulances to bring patients to the island's hospitals. Trolley and elevator service ended when the bridge from Queens opened and the Upside Down House was demolished around 1970. George GershwinI cannot look at this picture without hearing "Rhapsody In Blue" going through my head, even though that magnificent song was 26 years old in 1950. Seems like every movie I ever saw about N.Y. used that musical theme. GottschoI try to figure out what it is that makes Gottscho's photos so instantly identifiable as his own: the lighting? the subject? the New York spirit that he captures so well and transmits in his own unmistakable style? All I know is that when I go to the always-open Shorpy tab and hit Refresh and see the Gottscho image appear, my pulse quickens and I embiggen the photo with slack-jawed wonderment. (Thanks to Peter, as well, for the very fine skyline guides.) Quiet CityThe piece of music that comes to my mind is Copland's Quiet City. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu06sqSIRdE (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Back to School: 1950
Palatine, Illinois, circa 1950. "Schoolchildren at Hirsch's." Home of the Neon Typo. 4x5 acetate negative ... View full size. Selfie City This collage of 1950 selfies is priceless. The woman's pencil move garnering a stern glare ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/18/2016 - 8:43pm -

Palatine, Illinois, circa 1950. "Schoolchildren at Hirsch's." Home of the Neon Typo. 4x5 acetate negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. Selfie CityThis collage of 1950 selfies is priceless. The woman's pencil move garnering a stern glare from across the room full of uninhibited kids creating their own topless boy and google eyes classics. Compliments to the photographer. [Not sure how "selfie" applies here. - tterrace] The "selfie" tie in that should have been mentioned was this photo reminded me of a collage of selfies made into a large get well card seen at a hospital. Bare-chested boyTurn around, kid. The shirts are right behind you. The Lad Under the Lady's ArmPerhaps shopping for a class clown costume? SpellingThat's the way the British spell the word jewelry over there. I saw it while reading British news sites and thought it was odd the first time I saw the word spelled that way. [Actually the British would spell it "jewellery." - Dave] A repurposed store?I wonder what this store was in a previous life. I see very ornate ceiling tiles and crown moldings. [Pressed-tin ceilings of this type were ubiquitous in stores all across they country from the late-19th century through the first decades of the 20th. The sheets and tiles were mass-produced. - tterrace] All of the lighting fixtures have the wiring conduit exposed and the sprinkler system appears to be an add on also. As are the fan boxes connected to the windows above the shelves. I wonder if they were used for exhaust or intake? Almost like it was some one’s home. There are over 72 kids jammed in here. Only 19 0f them are boys which gives them a ratio of 3.8 to 1 girls to boys. Good odds for finding the perfect girlfriend. I see one boy without a shirt that must have been in a hurry to try clothes on, no dressing room needed. What is going on with the Teacher's right hand?I see the pencil. Can't figure out all those fingers. Could this actually beThe first "flash mob"?? Long before WalmartCan anyone figure out what was going on here? Surely, even in a small town with only one clothing store (like the one in which I was raised) we never had it packed to the rafters with kids of all ages like this. Most of the townspeople ordered lots of things from Sears and Wards catalogs via mail order. It is very interesting to see the endless multitude and variety of facial features, sizes and revealing attitudes of all these very different human beings. Maybe we all are "snowflakes" after all. Yet when we see a photo of a flock of dozens of flamingos or an island covered with penguins, they all seem to look exactly the same. Maybe when animals look at clusters of people, we all look the same to them too, but I digress. Can we get a clue as to what this was all about? One boy is totally shirtless. Curiosity killed the cat and I need a story to go with this. Thank you for allowing me into your home or place of business. Neighbours to the NorthCanadians also spell it as "jewellery", not to mention a host of other British spellings. The lingo is a bit different too. Try this quiz to see how much you know about Canada. "Kids, C'mon Down!"It looks like several of these kids are holding identical-sized papers/envelopes in their hands. Perhaps their grade cards? Maybe this is a promotion based on getting above-average grades in some class? The woman may be the teacher of the class. I thought it looked like she was "snapping" her fingers, perhaps to get the attention of the girl looking her way. Maybe her prestidigitation was fast enough to get a double-exposure and double the digits? At least somebody on the premises knew another way to spell "Jewelry"... it's on the sign above and to the right of the woman's head. Background storiesSo many things going on here! I'd love to be in on the exchange between these two girls! Boom TownThe population of Palatine grew spectacularly between 1940 and 1960, nearly doubling in the first decade and then nearly tripling on top of that in the next. The prewar town was pretty small at 2,222 residents, so it's not terribly unlikely we're seeing the only clothing store in town. Crammed carsThose cars in the parking lot are sure crammed together. How could one even open a door to get out? WinterIt's just around the corner, kids. Boys, you will need those hats with the convertible earmuffs for those snowball fights -- some are sill left in the modern red plaid. It will be aces in the cold! Girls, pretty dresses for all seasons, in all sizes!! (The Gallery, Chicago, Kids, News Photo Archive, Stores & Markets)
Cafe Texaco: 1950
... Shorpy member Dennis Lorton. "California Sierras, 1950 -- 1939 Merc." This Kodachrome of a Mercury Eight sedan from the brand's ... and see what’s on the menu and be served a delicious 1950 meal while I take in the glorious view from those huge windows. This is a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/06/2021 - 4:32pm -

        UPDATE: "Cafe Texaco" is the Tom's Place resort in Mono County, as pinpointed by Shorpy member Dennis Lorton. "California Sierras, 1950 -- 1939 Merc." This Kodachrome of a Mercury Eight sedan from the brand's first model year is the latest from meandering motor man Don Cox. View full size. Plan59, where are you?I'm floored this is a photo. It looks like a really good advertising illustration from the same era. Looks a little like Cagney’s car in "White Heat"... where he plugged the guy who was in the trunk, and since then he’s repaired the bullet holes. 71 years agoLike many Shorpy fantasizers, I want to enter the photos of days gone by. But none so much as this one. I can hear the drip of the icicles, feel the crunch of the snow underfoot, smell the wood smoke and the crisp winter air. All I want now is to be able to go into that café and see what’s on the menu and be served a delicious 1950 meal while I take in the glorious view from those huge windows. This is a few years before I was born (1958), but that’s part of the fantasy, too: to enter the world of my parents when they were young and I was not yet born. I really want to put my hand on that brass doorknob and open that tall beautiful wooden door. VW Beetle Stretch Limo Concept?What's not to love about the green sedan in the foreground - split rear window, suicide doors, skinny bias-ply tires, running boards wide enough to hold a dance party on, just enough chrome, minimalistic rear lighting, and a hint of body corrosion. Could have been a concept vehicle for a 4-door Beetle limo! A PuzzlementGreat photo. Reminds me of the jigsaw puzzle I'm working on. Toms Place, Calif.It is still there, 99% unchanged. I've been going there for 65 years, like my grandparents did in the 1920s. It's in Mono County off U.S. 395, about 30 miles north of Bishop. The walls are covered in old photos, old fishing and hunting gear, etc. There's a store, bar and cafe, and cabins for rent on the property. Or several campgrounds in Rock Creek, a mile up the road. J.D. Taylor, make the trip. Green MachineThat Mercury is a budding hot rod. The primer is where the trunk handle, Mercury badge and license plate holder have been removed, the back half of being "nosed & decked". Can't tell if the hood ornament has also been removed, i.e. "nosed". The plate on the bumper is a little crude. Full chrome hubcaps in the rear and flipper style hubcaps on the front are stylin'! Sharp Studebaker SedanVery Attractive two-tone finish on the 1942 Commander Custom Cruising Sedan. Great photo! Tom's PlaceThank you so much, dennis lorton, for identifying this place and encouraging me to visit. My fantasy has now shifted to Yosemite, Death Valley, and San Francisco, with Tom’s Place as the pretext and focus. I live in Montreal, on a long diagonal across the continent from this place, and there’s a plague underway with a closed border, but I do hope to make it one day. A Shorpy-inspired vacation destination! I’m sure others have done it. Get going!Still there as noted and waiting for y'all to come visit your dreams! More GreenI believe the two-tone-green car with snow on its roof is a 1941 Studebaker Champion. Man alive, route 395! (Old advertising slogan)I'm glad someone mentioned Highway 395, that super-scenic inland route that takes you past the Eastern Sierra (with Mount Whitney up close and personal), the Alabama Hills, site of many movies, Western and otherwise (Bad Day at Black Rock and Gunga Din), and the Manzanar Internment Camp, well worth a visit. Many native Californians don't even know about this road. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Don Cox, Eateries & Bars, Gas Stations)
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