MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
Home

Search Shorpy

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

Search results -- 30 results per page

Florence: 1942
June 1942. "Florence, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Saturday afternoon." Acetate negative by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/01/2023 - 8:54pm -

June 1942. "Florence, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Saturday afternoon." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size. Now they stripe like all the restWe are looking at the NW corner of W Mobile and N Court Streets. The Majestic Theater, at 202 N Court, is gone and the windows and door on the ground floor of the First National Bank have been bricked up. Also, the city of Florence no longer designates its parallel parking spaces with a stripe that has a bulb at one end (like a thermometer) and runs up onto the sidewalk. Yes, KathyRo, another photograph of this intersection was posted in March 2008. Bank jobComparing the Google street view from June this year (top) to the one from May 2019 shows that the past is being uncovered. Deja Vu?I feel like we've seen this corner before? Anyone else under that impression? (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Small Towns)
Superstructure: 1942
June 1942. "Wheeler Dam, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Gantry crane." Acetate negative by Arthur ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/27/2023 - 8:33pm -

June 1942. "Wheeler Dam, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Gantry crane." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size. OooVery cool. UpliftingThe frame looks like it hasn't changed, but they may have reconfigured the hoists. It appears it is maintained and used regularly, if not often. Wrong GantryArchfan is looking at the wrong gantry crane. The picture was taken from the downstream side of the dam. In your Google view, if you move forward (or back up) and look to the right you can see the heavy gantry crane that is in the picture. Get Joe dam knowledgeThanks, Old Joe, you're right! The plans on Wikipedia (bottom left) show there are two cranes - an 85 ton gantry crane over the roadway, and a 270 ton gantry crane (from the photo) to service the generators. The 270 ton framework has one side short, one side tall. The original photo is of the tall side, possibly from the parking lot. One of the older Street View photos shows both cranes moved forward with the 270 ton crane on the left: (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Industry & Public Works)
Box Sets: 1904
... score can be seen online thanks to the University of Alabama Libraries. I'm Dreaming of a White Easter This must be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 6:19pm -

Detroit circa 1904. "Whitney-Warner Publishing Co." In the heyday of the parlor piano, sheet music was big business. Crates of the latest hits ready for shipment. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Smiles!It isn't very often you get to see some real smiles in old photos. Nice! Fine Wet GoodsGuaranteed to wet your whistle! The Belle of the PhilippinesThe complete score can be seen online thanks to the University of Alabama Libraries. I'm Dreaming of a White EasterThis must be April or so. You have the remnants of snow all over the road but it has melted completely off the sidewalks, and most of the people do not feel the need to wear their winter coats. You get the feeling from the Clockwork Orange looking teenager who has the Goetting box, that this is a rather warm day. New Titles for 1903"Belle of the Philippines" and "My Dixie Anna" were both published in 1903. "My Dixie Anna" was a featured song in a musical comedy titled "Busy Izzy," a vehicle for the comedian George Sidney, which ran for only eight performances at New York's 58th Street Theatre in March, 1903. A few months later the song was interpolated into the farce comedy "A Son of Rest," which opened at Haverly's 14th Street Theatre on August 17, 1903. CamouflageThat is some really nice beveled, leaded, etched glass in Bowman's Cafe. I like the way the tree reflected in the plain plate glass fits right in to the overall image. That would be a great subject for its own photo. And yes, while I'm here I would love a fine wet libation, if you wouldn't mind. Fine Wet Goods?Mr. Bowman can't fool me - he's running a saloon unless he's a broth mogul. I bet one of the ladieswas the demonstration pianist. Every sheet music store had one. That's how Louis' second wife, Lil Hardin Armstrong started her musical career—at the Jones Music Store in Chicago. Is this it?Is this the same "Belle of the Phillipines"? If so this is what it sounded like. Whiskey, Music and Furs!According to the 1904 Detroit City Directory, this building was located at 10 Witherell. It also housed the offices of Shapiro, Remick & Co. (music publishers) and Edward R. Schremser, a music teacher and the leader of "Schremser's Military Band & Orchestra". To the left is Herman Bowman's saloon at 12 Witherell and on the right is the Asbaugh, Dittrich & Co. Furs at 8 Witherell, which was located on the southeast corner with Woodward Ave. Reflected in the windows are glimpses of the snow-covered Grand Circus Park located just across the street. The Ghost of J PoolCould that be the ghost of the dentist? Second floor window above No. 8 door. [On this side of the pond, we call that the third floor. - tterrace] Yes indeed we will need to talk with the sign painter. Whitney-WarnerWhy does that name sound familiar? I wonder if new customers signing a 1-year subscription could get a player piano for only $1 a month and a high-speed telegraph connection? The Ghost of J PoolSurely it would be the top floor? This we know for sure this timeCustomer A. H. Goetting of Springfield, Massachusetts, is dead. An Old-Fashioned PrinterBefore ink-jet printers were... (wait for it)... ink-brush printers! In this picture an early ink-brush printer is being used to apply shipping labels to the boxes. Notice there is no wire attached to the printer. This photograph shows the earliest known use of 'wireless' printing technology. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Music)
Live Wires: 1942
June 1942. "Wheeler Dam, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Substation." Acetate negative by Arthur ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/28/2023 - 11:35am -

June 1942. "Wheeler Dam, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Substation." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size. (Technology, The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Industry & Public Works)
Tackle HQ: 1942
July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. War production center (Ingalls Shipbuilding Co.) on the Tennessee ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2023 - 9:07pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. War production center (Ingalls Shipbuilding Co.) on the Tennessee River." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. July in DecaturI hope that the Princess is air conditioned. From the bikes parked out front, I'm guessing Saturday afternoon, kids' matinee. "Down Texas Way" sounds like good matinee fare. The Princess Theater is Still ThereLoyd's Drug Store is gone. You can get Mellow Mushrooms on your pizza instead. Down Texas WayThe sixth film of Monogram's eight-film series "The Rough Riders" has U. S. Marshals Buck Roberts (Buck Jones) and Tim McCall (Tim McCoy) coming to a Texas town to visit their friend, U.S. Marshal Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton), only to learn that he has disappeared, and is suspected of the murder of John Dodge (Jack Daley), owner of practically the whole town, except the hotel Sandy owns and runs when he isn't on an assignment as a Marshal. Remnants remain 2nd Ave NE and E Moulton StreetBelow is the Street view today, looking north along 2nd Ave NE from the intersection at E Moulton. The Princess Theater is still there, at 112 2nd Ave NE, as is the small, two story building just this side of it. The building which housed Loyd's Drug Store is gone, replaced by new buildings containing two eateries and an architecture firm. In 1942 there was a barber shop on either side of the Princess, but none now. The theater is still thereBut the rest of that corner has changed a bit. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Crane Man: 1942
July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. A crane operator." Acetate negative by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2023 - 3:15pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. A crane operator." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Could it be?Is that Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne? A BeastLove this photo. Imagine how hot and noisy it must have been in there. Looking at the mechanicals this thing is just itching to take your body apart if you venture in there at the wrong time. Today most of what you see here is a lot cleaner looking design wise. An engine turning some pumps forcing hydraulic oil through the works, being manipulated by electronics. The minds that come up with this stuff. Amazing. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Jack Delano, WW2)
The Buoys of Summer: 1942
July 1942. "Florence, Alabama (vicinity). Boys in swimming class at Boy Scout camp." Acetate negative ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2023 - 9:27pm -

July 1942. "Florence, Alabama (vicinity). Boys in swimming class at Boy Scout camp." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size. I spy Jughead!The kid with the broken fingers could be a red-headed Archie. I'm not sure where Reggie is. (The Gallery, Boy Scouts, Camping, Jack Delano, Kids)
Throwing Shade: 1942
July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. Construction of ocean-going barges for ... to the ocean. These ocean-going barges constructed in Alabama must be floated down the Tennessee River to the Ohio River, near ... today It seems impossible that a ship constructed in Alabama would move downstream to the Ohio River -- the same Ohio River that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/22/2023 - 6:29pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. Construction of ocean-going barges for the U.S. Army. Welder's helper shading his eyes from the welder's torch." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Git-r-done!Like so many during those war years -- he looks like a kid but is suddenly in a seriously responsible situation. He's got a great look of determination. A long way to the ocean.These ocean-going barges constructed in Alabama must be floated down the Tennessee River to the Ohio River, near Paducah, Kentucky; thence down the Ohio to the Mississippi; thence down the Mississippi to the Gulf. Long-distance solutions like this are some of the necessities of wartime. I learned some geography todayIt seems impossible that a ship constructed in Alabama would move downstream to the Ohio River -- the same Ohio River that flowed past my house near Pittsburgh. But it's true. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, WW2)
Merry Christmas: 1913
... photos on this site. My father was born in northeastern Alabama around the time of Shorpy, and this alone makes the site worthwhile. To ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/25/2020 - 7:11am -

        The colorized Christmas tree is back, 107 years after its debut in Madison Square. Happy holidays from Shorpy! New York, December 1913. "Christmas tree, Madison Square." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size. Beautiful!Wow, what a beautiful tree! Merry Christmas, Dave, and Merry Christmas to all in Shorpyland. Best Image Site on the InternetBest wishes for 2010. Merry Christmas!Great photo! Thanks so much Dave for this great site. I have so enjoyed it all year long and look forward to more! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Dateline Shorpyland:Merry christmas Dave and to all who visit here. Merry Christmas To YouAnd thanking you for another year of incredible photos. You have given us a view into the past that few have ever had the chance to experience. You've changed my life. Prepared and thereHow very often it is when we see a photo of an important event that Boy Scouts are present. Merry Christmas, Shorpyites. Rick MacDave, a Merry Christmas to you! And thanks for your site -this has become my favorite. I look forward to checking for new photos every day, and I'm never disappointed. It's like having my own personal time machine. It's a blast! Thank youFor all the wonderful pictures and happy holidays right back at you! Beautiful!!That is beautiful! Thanks for all the great pics and Merry Christmas to everyone!! Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas to all Shorpyites from Reading, England A Shorpy Christmas To AllAnd a huge thank you to Dave and the staff at Shorpy, you have, literally, changed my life. Merry Christmas from Puerto Rico!I join my fellow Shorpyites in thanking you for another year of wonderful photos. May you live long and prosper! TintedIs this hand colored? [Computer-colored. By me. - Dave] Merry Christmas!Beautiful picture, Dave. May I add my thanks to you for providing us with these great pictures. I feel like I understand the world a little better after seeing these great glimpses into the past. Thank YouThank for for this wonderful image. My grandfather was ten years old that Christmas, probably about the size of the shorter of the two boys in the foreground. He also lived about fifteen blocks from Madison Square, so I imagine he was able to see this very tree that Christmas. Thanks again and merry Christmas. It's been a year of fantastic backward glancesMerry Christmas to all! Pictures are, indeed, worth a thousand words and Shorpy is a regular stopover site for me. Thanks for sharing all this, Dave. Merry Christmas to alland a big thank you to Dave for the best site on the web and we can't forget tterrace and we hope he doesnt run out of photos. Ron Merry Christmas to one of my favorite web sitesThank you so much for sharing all these marvelous photos with us. EchoWhat everyone below said. A big "thank you", Dave, from Las Vegas. Merry Christmas!To Dave and staff and everyone else who visits here! Thanks so much for this wonderful site and all the memories! This is about as close to a time machine as we're likely to see.You've changed my perception of how life was all those decades ago. You've helped me to see those years come alive. Merry Christmas, and thanks for one of the most incredible sites on the web. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas and Thank You! GratitudeI must add my sincere thank you as well Dave, and to those who aid you or add to the information, for the wonderful memories sparked by many photos here, and for the historic value of many of these pictures. Merry Christmas to all!! From Your Favorite Nittany LionTo Dave and all my fellow Shorpyites, from the mountains of Pennsylvania, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! DibsLet me be the first to wish one and all a glorious Christmas and a bodacious New Year! Merry Christmas everyone!In the background on the right is the Hoffman House located at Broadway and 24th Street. I love how the lights have been colorized! From Manitoba, CanadaEven our decorated trees aren't this big! A very Merry Christmas to all! Merry Christmas one & all from the UK!I'd like to wish everyone at Shorpy a fabulous Christmas and a healthy new year. Merry ChristmasWishing all at Shorpy a very happy Christmas and seasons greetings to my fellow Shorpyites! Holiday GreetingsTo all Shorpyites, Dave, tterrace and Stanton Square: Holiday Greetings from Bull City Boy, Bull Ciry Girl and all the Bull City Young'uns. Have a blessed Christmas A Little LateIt's 8:13pm Christmas day out here in Spokane, but I want to wish everyone who visits this wonderful site a very Merry Christmas and all the best for next year. Thanks Dave, and all who make this possible. I learn something new every day from all of you. Thanks. Happy HolidaysThank you, Dave - and thank you to all the folks who manage the site, and thanks to the contributors and commenters. The world of Shorpy is a terrific gift you share with us, every day. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas to Dave and all the Shorpyites from an old coot in Virginia Mele Kalikimaka!Christmas greetings from Hawaii! 1913Well, my father was born in 1914 and was a wonderful man and father even after getting shot to pieces in Italy with 168th Infantry, 34th Division during WWII. I'm OK with 1913 since my Aunt Helen was born in 1912 and was a most wonderful lady with smiles and laughs and hugs for me when I was a lad. The 1912 & 1914 bracket around 1913 is OK by me. Christmas GratitudeThank you for this wonderful site Dave and a special thank you for the photos you posted this year from the glory days of my hometown, Utica, New York. You, Shorpy, and others (especially tterrace) have provided a boundless window into the past and countless hours spent away from the stresses of the day indulging in something that is neither fattening, nor bad for me. Shorpy IS however, highly addictive and wonderfully entertaining. Best wishes to all in 2012! Merry Christmas Shorpy!Another year gone by already! Merry Christmas to AllAnd a Thank You to Dave and the Shorpy Elves for all the work you put into this site. Best Wishes from Canada.Merry Christmas to Dave and all the Shorpsters !! Nothing left to sayI echo ALL the sentiments of the commenters before me. So, just a simple Merry Christmas from Minneapolis, MN to Dave, Shorpy and the Shorpyites!!! Wishing you all an awesome 2012. From Cape Breton Canada A Merry Christmas to Shorpy and all ..... Merry Christmas!Dave, I'm a relative noob, here, and truly enjoy what you do. Merry Christmas from the Left Coast. Thank you and forward, into the past! Merry Christmas Gang!Dave, the rest of the Shorpy administrators and the great member submitters, Merry Christmas and thank you very much for another year of marvelous photos and replies for my mind and mailed photos for my wall! I wish everyone a grand new year! To each and every oneFrom England, to every corner of Shorpyland and to each and every one of its inhabitants -- a Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!to Dave and all the denizens of Shorpyville. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to AllMerry Christmas from Boston, Dave, and many thanks. Shorpy is a fantastic community! From here in PortlandFrom here in Portland Oregon, to every corner of Shorpyland and to each and every one of its inhabitants -- a Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year. Thank you, Dave, for giving us a glimpse back into the past. This is one of my favorite sites. Merry Christmas to allMerry Christmas to the Shorpy staff, contributors and commenters. Really appreciate all this site offers, it is one of my favorites. Madison SquareTo all at Shorpy, Merry Christmas! This is a great website and I have told many about it. This photo reminds me of a print by the American artist Martin Lewis. The picture is titled "The Orator" and is dated 1916. The scene is Madison Square. The three large buildings in the background are still standing and are located around the intersection of 5th Avenue/Madison Square North/W.26th. The photo and the Christmas tree are beautiful! Merry Christmas and a Happy New YearA bit late for me for the former, but heartfelt wishes to all for the latter Thanks so much Dave, for all of the work you put into Shorpy. Before it came along, I had to be pacified with scanning old pic collections at flea markets. Alas, no more! A very Happy New Year to you and yours! Happy New Year and for many years to come Thank you so much for the look back and to your members for giving me the chance to compare with current photos on occasion. MERRY CHRISTMASThank you all at Shorpy for another great year on one of my favourite sites. Merry Christmas to you all! Edmund Christmas wishesMerry Christmas Dave to you and all at Shorpy, another fine year and looking forward to 2017. Peace and Goodwill to AllMany thanks for the photos on this site. My father was born in northeastern Alabama around the time of Shorpy, and this alone makes the site worthwhile. To see and read about those times is very revealing. But the site is much more! Just the railroad photos alone are fantastic. Please know that you are appreciated, and Happy New Year to Shorpyland! Merry Christmas Everyone!!Merry Christmas to all out there in Shorpyland - everyone reading, everyone posting and especially to Dave and the Shorpy crew. Keep those great pics coming! Now, off to the Office Party! Merry Christmas: 2018I passed some very pleasant time in a Canadian Tire store near Toronto on Christmas Eve yesterday, an hour before closing, relaxed and unharried, with a brother-in-law and nephew, trying to figure out all the different kinds of tree lights available, to make a totally unnecessary purchase, upon command of a family member higher up than us on the boss scale. And the result was nowhere near as nice as this Madison Square tree. Merry Christmas and best of the season to Dave and tterrace and all my Shopry comrades at this bright and festive time of year. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas from Canada !! Glad Tidings to AllMerry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, Blessed Yule, and all other wishes to everyone here. May your tables be filled with good food and good conversation. See you in 2020. With gratitudeThanks to Dave and all who contribute. It's been a great trip of learning, from Mr. Higginbotham's life story to "flange bearing frogs". I thought the little amphibians were doing some heavy lifting! Wishing all a better 2021. After a full day and night Zooming Xmas Celebrations - - - After 3am realized I didn't get my daily dose of SHORPY and will complete reading and commenting around 4:50 am. Looking forward to the New Year edition to cap off another year of David's, tt's and other's massive and Artful contributions stimulating our family's memories and new insights as to our collective history as ALL our folks arrived as immigrants some as slaves or indentured workers and others stowaways or sailors and crew members jumping ship. The rest of our people we see populating SHORPY'S cities, towns and farms arrived on our shores in a wide range of financial status. However difficult it probably was for most of our descendants it's amazing how quickly, often in only one generation the new language and customs morphed into the American citizens we compare Shorpy's folks to. I as I begin my 89th year I'm the only first generation Norwegian / American male left in my NYC clan. Although l had a pleasant holiday I sorely miss our Scandinavian main roast pork meal on Xmas Eve with all the varied and distinctive cookies and other baked cakes that were baked during the week before and the house smelled like Xmas the whole tantalizing time. One of my dad's insistence that mom wasn't to speak to my sister and me in Norsk - slid into our having the American turkey and apple cyder on Xmas - wasn't that cool ! Merry Christmas!I want to wish all Shorpyites, both regular commenters and non-regular commenters alike, the happiest of holiday seasons this year. 2020 has been terrible, on almost every level a year can be terrible, and a little peace and joy over the next week shouldn't be too much to ask. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas yesterday with however many people you're allowed to have at your house. I hope the food was good, the conversation was lively, and the feelings warm. Come on 2021... (The Gallery, Christmas, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Barbershop Row: 1936
... Bess" This photo and the previous one "Sweet Home Alabama" both immediately reminded me of the scenes from 1959's Otto Preminger ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/06/2023 - 3:55pm -

March 1936. Vicksburg, Mississippi. "Vicksburg Negroes and shop front." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. American Pie 2I think that's a '29 Chevy. The 1930 models were very similar, but the windshield was tilted back ever so slightly. Something Going OnDown the street How did they do it?The detail is wonderful as usual but I'm amazed at the tonal range in this and the previous photographs. The people on the shopfronts are in full sun yet you can still read the circus poster in the shadow inside the open door. I could do this digitally but it would take a lot of work. The photographers really knew their stuff. [Having a negative the size of a windowpane helps. - Dave] Let the Devil take your cold666 for colds and fever. Not the marketing name I'd pick, but the company is still in business. Reminiscent of "Porgy and Bess"This photo and the previous one "Sweet Home Alabama" both immediately reminded me of the scenes from 1959's Otto Preminger UNFORGETTABLE film named above starring Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge and an all-star cast of outstanding African-American talents. At the time, there were some protests that the characters were Negro stereotypes which offended some African-Americans, but to this "sheltered life" caucasion Caucasian (me), they were incredibly strong, spirited, deeply emotional and never-to-be-forgotten people who have stayed with me all these years. I think it was one of the best movies EVER, in spite of all the controversy it provoked. The street in the movie was CATFISH ROW and the characters were largely fishermen who sold their wares but in my opinion, it opened up a whole new way to tell a story with music. Cannot believe it was fifty years ago. Just outside frame left:Robert Johnson unpacks his guitar and gets ready to entertain the men on barbershop row. 668The neighbour of the beast. American PieChevy with California plates. What year is the car? Monticello Drug Co.666 cold preparation and cold tablets are still made by Monticello Drug Co. Founded in 1908 by Tharp and Thurston Roberts, who "obtained a patent on a prescription known as Roberts Remedies #666. This prescription with a high concentration of quinine within the ingredients became the best selling remedy for malaria, chills, fever, influenza, colds, constipation, and bilious headaches. The 666 lines included the liquid, tablets, salve, and nose drops." "During the depression years, the business continued to grow in spite of the economic situation because the medicine was kept available and affordable. Dr. Roberts was once asked, “How can you make any money when you are only asking 25 cents and 35 cents a bottle?” He answered, "You sell a lot of bottles"; and that he did." 666 for colds666 for colds was manufactured in Jacksonville Florida, the factory (no longer there) at the foot of the old Acosta bridge (also no longer there) I think it was grain alcohol and creosote, or something equally nasty. It must have been sold throughout the South. Odd name for a cold remedy from the heart of the Bible Belt. Barbershop QuartetBy my count, four out of five stores shown in the photograph are barbershops. Today, in the mid-size city in South Carolina that I live in there is a short line, about a half block long, of five or so brick buildings of which I can remember only one not containing a barber or beauty shop. The lone holdout was a pawn shop. So what is with this clustering of barbershops? Whoa!I'm getting dizzy looking at these buildings 666You may scoff at the name, but 666 cough syrup is still hugely popular in the black community. A lot of white people have no idea what it is. The first time someone asked for it at the drug store I work for, I had no clue. Vicksburg BluesThis would make a great cover for a Delta Blues album. Maybe it already did. 666 for Colds Fever666 is such a big deal now; I wonder if it was in 1936. Red, white, red, white, etc.Clever paint scheme on the barber shop. Dilapidated Much?I find the photo very intriguing. Even being from the South I've never seen anything like that, things were so much different back then. Helluva ColdThat would have to be one devilish cold or fever for me to take "666" brand liquid, tablets or salve. Regarding the cluster of BarbershopsMy guess is that unlike more affluent establishments, each of these shops probably had one chair and one barber. So if one guy was busy, you'd go to the next. If they weren't near each other, you'd be more inclined to wait for your guy to free up. This way, everyone gets some bidness. The FactoryTaken in Jacksonville around 1980. VburgMy wife and sister-in-law inform me that this was at 1004-1006 Washington Street in Vicksburg, next to the river. Off-frame to the right would be the intersection with Jackson Street. Today it's an empty lot. The barely visible building in the background is the railroad depot. The Nassours, who owned the grocery, are still a prominent family in town. If you go to Vicksburg today, look for a pink-and-white building at 2710 Washington Street -- the "Nappie Roots Styling Salon." I kid you not. VicksburgThanks for that info about where this photo was taken. As a grad student, I lived near the corner of Monroe and Jackson for one summer while working at the Waterways Experiment Station. Although living in this "city" was quite the culture shock for a native New Englander like me, it didn't look nearly as run-down as this picture. AhaMy aunt has a painting in her living room of a country road with an old barn in the background and on one of the trees is a sign with the 666 on it. I always wondered why it had that number on it and why she'd want that number in her living room. Now I see it was just a weird name for a cough syrup. Roberts Remedies No. 666I stumbled upon your website while researching a bottle that I found recently. It is an old bottle with a cork stopper and the label (mostly intact) for Roberts Remedies No. 666 from the Monticello Drug Co. It sold for 50 cents. I found the "General Directions" interesting: One teaspoonful in water every three hours until it acts well, then three times a day. As cure for Malaria, One Tablespoonful in water every three hours for three days, then three times a day for eight weeks. CHILDREN IN PROPORTION TO AGE. Vicksburg Red Beans and RiceHad lunch (Red Beans and Rice) in ol' downtown Vicksburg today on the way back East from Louisiana and thought of this series of photos on Shorpy as I was shaking the Tabasco into the plate. Could have used a trim too. More than 15 times as effective as Vick's Formula 44 (The Gallery, Stores & Markets, Vicksburg, Walker Evans)
Avondale Mill Boys: 1910
November 1910. "Birmingham, Alabama. Workers in the Avondale Mills in Jefferson County. (The Avondale Mills ... Avondale, a formerly independent town in Jefferson County, Alabama that was annexed into Birmingham in January of that same year. That ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/01/2023 - 12:54pm -

November 1910. "Birmingham, Alabama. Workers in the Avondale Mills in Jefferson County. (The Avondale Mills in St. Clair County burned today in Pell City.) Smallest boy is John Tidwell." Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Avondale MillsThe mill that burned today was not the one visited by Hine in 1910. Hine photographed workers at the mill in Avondale, a formerly independent town in Jefferson County, Alabama that was annexed into Birmingham in January of that same year. That mill, seen here at the Birmingham Public Library's digital collections, has long been demolished. The mill which burned today was located in Pell City in neighboring St. Clair County. It was in the process of being dismantled by a salvage company when cotton dust in the ductwork caught fire. [Well gosh. I'll fix the captions. Thanks for the information. - Dave] Shoes...I have to admit, it gets me every time I see kids in old pics working with no shoes on... I can't imagine having to work in a mill without any protection on my feet. (The Gallery, Birmingham, Factories, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Shorpy at Work: 1910
"A greaser in a Coal Mine. Location: Bessie Mine, Alabama." November 1910. View full size image or view Shorpy even bigger ... -- was born Nov. 23, 1896, in Jefferson County, Alabama, to Phelix Milton Higginbotham and the former Mary Jane Graham. He ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/08/2019 - 4:29pm -

"A greaser in a Coal Mine. Location: Bessie Mine, Alabama." November 1910. View full size image or view Shorpy even bigger (cropped). This is, as far as we can tell, the first of only four photographs Lewis Wickes Hine took of Shorpy on his visit to the Bessie Mine late in 1910. (The others are here and here and here.) Almost 100 years after being taken, they retain a strange and startling immediacy even though their subject is almost certainly dead. Who were you, Shorpy Higginbotham, and whatever became of you? What became of Shorpy? Here's a summary of what we know, based on research using census and death records, contributed by visitors to this site: Shorpy -- Henry Sharpe Higginbotham -- was born Nov. 23, 1896, in Jefferson County, Alabama, to Phelix Milton Higginbotham and the former Mary Jane Graham. He served in the armed forces during World War I. On Nov. 19, 1927, he married Flora Belle Quinton. On Jan. 25 of the following year he died in a mine accident at the age of 31, crushed by a rock, and was buried in Jefferson County. He became a father, posthumously, when his widow bore his child in the summer of 1928. The writer Joe Manning says he has spoken with Shorpy's son but that he didn't want to talk. You can read more about Joe's report on his Web site. Shorpy?Well I hope so. I'd hate to have started a website based on a typo! In any case a big THANK YOU to the nice person who supplied the census data. That looks like Shorpy and his family to me. More info about Henry aka ShorpyHome in 1910: Precinct 48, Jefferson, Alabama Household Members: Name Age P M Higgenbotham 45 (Should be F(elix) Nancy J Higgenbotham 43 Robert Higgenbotham 23 Jock Higgenbotham 20 Cervet Higgenbotham 16 Sharpy Higgenbotham 13 Harley Higgenbotham 11 Ruthie Higgenbotham 8 Paulie Higgenbotham 5 Annie Lee Higgenbotham 4 =================================================== 1900: Graysville, Jefferson, Alabama Gix M Higginbotham 34 (This is really Felix) Mary J Higginbotham 30 Doffie J Higginbotham 16 Robert B Higginbotham 13 Jack J Higginbotham 10 Susie Higginbotham 9 Fardix D Higginbotham 7 Henry S Higginbotham 3
Birmingham: 1936
... company houses and outhouses. Republic Steel, Birmingham, Alabama." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/01/2023 - 12:57pm -

March 1936. "Workers' company houses and outhouses. Republic Steel, Birmingham, Alabama." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans. View full size. Birmingham "square top" houseA classic view of a Birmingham District company town with the typical "square top" houses. Thanks for creating this photoblog! Birmingham "square top" housesThere are still some of these square top houses out in Titusville, near the old gravel quarry that's been converted into an artist colony. Nice hips...In construction vernacular, those square top houses would have what we call a hip roof. Sometimes called a hipped roof, as well. No ridge, all hips. Square top housesIn the real estate business, those are commonly known as "foursquare" style. (The Gallery, Birmingham, Walker Evans)
Picture Window: 1937
... living very primitively on the plantation." Wilcox County, Alabama. Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. View ... . In the "Will of Mark H. Pettway, Wilcox County, Alabama - July 1860," you can read which of his properties he would "give ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:49am -

April 1937. "Girl at Gee's Bend. Descendants of slaves of the Pettway family are still living very primitively on the plantation." Wilcox County, Alabama. Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. View full size. The ironing is delicious!Wow, how ironic is it that the "window" to the house is covered by an advertisement for Cellophane. [Yes, delicious ironing. Must be the starch. - Dave] Proud faceProud face the girl has, I like the picture! Girl in the windowI am amazed almost every day by the quality - and qualities - of the photographs. This one reminds me so much of Andrew Wyeth. Fine ShotThere are so many fabulous photos on Shorpy, but once in a while one really stands out. This is one. Gee's BendJoseph Gee, a planter from Halifax, North Carolina established in 1816 a plantation, and named the place for himself: "Gee's Bend." Mark Pettway bought Gee's Bend from his relatives, Sterling and Charles Gee (nephews of Joseph), in 1845 to settle a $29,000 debt. A year later, Pettway and his family moved there in a caravan with a hundred or more slaves. Except for one cook, the slaves literally walked from North Carolina to Gee's Bend. The 10,000 acre plantation retained "Gee" for its name but the name of each of the slaves became "Pettway", a name that has prevailed in Wilcox County until the present day. Today, if someone from Gee's Bend is named Pettway, he or she is a descendant or married to a descendant of those Mark Pettway wagon-train slaves who walked from North Carolina. That is why many of the black tenants Arthur Rothstein photographed (as Annie Pettway Bendolph below) were named Pettway. By the way, the Resettlement Administration reports of the 1930s already emphasized ... the unreliable ferry. This, and more can be found here and here. In the "Will of Mark H. Pettway, Wilcox County, Alabama - July 1860," you can read which of his properties he would "give and bequeath" [un]to his beloved Wife, his eight daughters (depending on their civil status: married, unmarried), his son and his grand children. Among his daughters there was one who seems was married, but practically divorced, because her legacy is given in trust to his brother in law and son in law "to have and hold the same in trust for the sole use & benefit of my said daughter and her children free from the control and management of her husband." Among the properties were: fifty head of sheep, ... negroes and their increase (by name, among which: Peter No 14, Ginny & carpenter tools, Altimare -the ugly- Bett, Bathemia Dempseys and his black Smith tools), ... the gold watch usually worn by myself ... and a gold watch known as the watch with the gold face. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Gee's Bend)
Southern & Athletic: 1906
Birmingham, Alabama, 1906. "Southern Club and Birmingham Athletic Club, 20th Street." 8x10 ... say he did this solely to further his political career in Alabama (oh, OK). Later, he said that he had resigned from the Klan in 1925 and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/01/2023 - 12:18pm -

Birmingham, Alabama, 1906. "Southern Club and Birmingham Athletic Club, 20th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Black romanceThe Southern Club is where future Supreme Court justice Hugo L. Black met Josephine Foster, whom he married in 1921. Ironically, the only justice with a Ku Klux Klan background was appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Black had joined the Klan in 1923; most biographies and Supreme Court histories say he did this solely to further his political career in Alabama (oh, OK). Later, he said that he had resigned from the Klan in 1925 and abandoned its views (which apparently is correct). Clubs vs GymsAnytime I see a title that includes "athletic club" I think of the movie "How to Murder Your Wife". And it seems that with rare exceptions, we don't have athletic clubs anymore, we have gym memberships. Big difference between a social club where members can socialize and exercise versus a gym where a customer exercises with minimal socializing with others. 20th St N & 5th Ave N, SW cornerThe Birmingham Athletic Club was located at 502 20th Street North. It and the Southern Club have been replaced by the Regions Center, completed in 1972. 5th Avenue North and 20th StreetThis is the northwest corner of 5th Avenue north and 20th Street. There's not much in the photograph that remains today. More about the Southern Club here: https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Southern_Club (The Gallery, Birmingham, DPC)
Young Tacker: 1942
July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Co. A young tacker working on one of the barges." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2023 - 10:02pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Co. A young tacker working on one of the barges." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Superb photographic portraitYosuf Karsh, move over; Jack Delano is one up with this striking environmental portrait. I wonder if the subject's family has a copy of this image. I hope so. It would obviously be a family treasure to be handed along through generations as a memento, but also as an exceptional work of art. Kudos to Delano or whoever printed the image, as well. [Nobody printed it. These are all inverted scans of negatives. - Dave] Wartime FashionI can imagine this on the cover of Esquire. “Functional and sturdy have replaced stylish and elegant for the duration." Ummmmmmm!Wow! What a man! My comment is wrong!I need to delete it and repost!! Wow!This is just an iconic portrait of the working man. I’m dumbfounded that it’s never been printed! No need for wordsThe Baby Boom explained in a single image! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Jack Delano, WW2)
Southside Easter: 1941
... saw this picture at the Magic City Classic in Birmingham, Alabama in 2007. One of the vendors had it, but it was overpriced so I left it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2022 - 8:16am -

        Happy Easter from Chicago, and from Shorpy. April 1941. "Negro boys on Easter morning, Southside Chicago." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. That is a great picWonderful ... the clothes, the car. Brilliant. [I agree. There is definitely something to be said for dressing up. - Dave] It's my favoriteIt's my favorite (Blue Thunder -Chicago) Have these boys ever been recognized?Does anyone know who these boys are and whatever happened to them? On my wallThis great picture is one of the most prominent on my wall right now! Love thisThis is definitely a classic picture. Love it :-) I love it tooOne year ago I was wisiting in Stockholm and I see this picture in Old Picture store in very big print and I was amazing! At last weekend I go to the same store again, just to see this photo again...I looked it very long time, thinking about these boys, the time...wau! It tells more than thousand words! Peik Salonen/Finland love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Got this picture for a steal framed (huge size, not sure of dimensions) for $30.00 in downtown Detroit at our farmer's market. I had walked by it monthes before and was sorry I didn't get it then. Now it is in my home...I call them "my boys". MasterpieceThe boy in the center is a rebel and a leader. His coat is unbuttoned, the small boys know how to behave. What a style. I have a copy of this picture in my wall. Hats?!?Great! You don't even see grown men these days with classic hats and these kids have snappy fedoras... love this shot. Southside Boys, Chicago 1941The boy in the center in Congressman Bobby Rush of Chicago. [I don't think so. Bobby Rush was born in 1946, five years after this photo was taken. - Dave] Chicago EasterI have this picture on my wall - and it tells a story of a million words, every time I look at this picture, I always have something different to say. It melts my heart, this picture is truly a classic, I love it ... my whole living room is focused around this pic. I wish I knew what happened to these boys. CarnationThe boy on the left, with the glasses: what is the wire that seems to be coming from his hat to his lapel, and what is that thing on his lapel? Hat PreserverI believe it was called a hat preserver. I've seen pictures of Edwardian gents wearing roughly the same thing. It's a lanyard to catch your hat if it's blown off, thus keeping it from getting filthy in the street. South Side BoysI fell in love with this picture as soon as I saw it. I have it on my wall centered with a black and white of Miles Davis on one side and John Coltrane on the other (both back in the day) I would love nothing more than to find out who these boys are. Everytime someone comes into my home that is the first thing I am asked. If anyone has information relating to the identity of these boys who are now MEN, please forward to thattallnsexy1@yahoo.com! Thanks! Southside EasterI saw this in a photo gallery this past weekend. It was with an article called "WVON Bronzeville Mystery Photo," referencing a contest by a radio station to identify the boys. I don't remember everything it said, but seems like it mentioned there is only one of them still alive. Buttoning customI noticed the two boys with the patterned suits (No. 2 & 4 from the left) have buttoned their jackets right to left. Did it simply matter less then as it should now but doesn't? [There is no choice when it comes to suit-buttoning. It depends on how the suit is made -- whether the buttons are on the left or the right. - Dave] Who are they?I loved this picture for years. My grandmother has hung this pic on her wall till her death and she used to always preach to her grandsons, make this pic an inspiration in your life and she used to tell her granddaughters to find men of this example. I just want to know who these men are and what are they doing. Love at first sightI actually saw this picture at the Magic City Classic in Birmingham, Alabama in 2007. One of the vendors had it, but it was overpriced so I left it there. My husband bought it for me for Christmas that same year. I fell in love with "my boys" (as I call them) as soon as I laid eyes on them. I would love to know their background. That lanyard thingIt's called a "wind trolley" -- keeps your hat from flying down the street if the wind knocks it off your head. Attaches to your lapel somehow. The other thing looks like a flower. Re. Buttoning customThe younger boy's button configuration is the same as women's buttoning, because young kids didn't dress themselves. They had help. Just like women of high status were dressed by a servant back in the day. Anyway, I love the hip style of the kids in this great photo. MasterpieceI have the picture on my wall too. Second is Ansel Adams moonrise in San Hernandez. Which one is better. Both are brilliant. Pekka Finland. Bronzeville Mystery PhotoGo here for video https://news.wttw.com/2015/11/25/ask-geoffrey-story-behind-iconic-1940s-... The times, they are a-changing.Today, those boys would be told to keep six feet apart. Of course, they wouldn't be so nattily attired, but still. Easter 1941 was kind of the last hurrah for a whole generation of kids; depending on when Easter fell that year, the US would be at war in 8 or 9 months. They were too young to have served, but they might have had older brothers who did. They more than likely served in Korea a decade later. Happy Easter, Shorpyites! I hope you had lots of chocolate, lots of ham, and most of all, I hope you remembered to keep them separate on the table. Grow-in' clothingFor most of those guys the loose jackets and the cuffs on the trousers make their Sunday's best look to be set up for growth. I would also bet that most of those trousers had some spare cloth in the rear seam. Let-out-as-you-grow style. I had those when I was that age, and I'm not that old. But then, my parents were kind of conservative, too. Can't do that with jeans, though. And, dress maketh the man. Button anomalyTake a look at the gent in the middle. On the right side of his jacket (his right), there seems to be both a button and a buttonhole. I can't see the other side, so I don't know if the buttoning is actually reversible. 1938 PontiacThose handsome young men are seated and standing on! Alfred P. Sloan's identification cues are in full swing, just like the music, with the chrome stripes identifying the Pontiac brand -- they would last through 1956 in one version or another. When there were two stripes, they were called suspenders. It's further indicated to be a six cylinder at the bottom of the grille. Cool guysFor straight-ahead, steely-eyed cool, the guy in the middle wins hands down (beautiful new brogues, too), but for pure styling, the lad on the left takes the cake. He’s the only one with a pocket handkerchief, too. Re: Button AnomalyDouble breasted jackets normally had a button on the inside (The young man's left) that buttoned into the buttonhole that you see, thus securing it in place. I can't tie a tie eitherMaybe it's the angle but it seems like the guy in the middle ties his ties like me -- the fat part shorter than the narrow part. Great photo. Previously on Shorpy…The location is 47th Street and Grand Boulevard (later renamed South Parkway and now Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard). We are looking south. On the left, with the folded awning, is the Savoy Ballroom. Saturday Night: 1941 The Coasters: 1941 If we could pan farther left, we would see the Regal Theater directly across from the boys. Showtime in Chicago: 1941 Philadelphia Story: 1941 (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Easter, Kids, Russell Lee)
Red Injun: 1935
... December 1935. "Main street [Broad Street] of Selma, Alabama." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/01/2023 - 12:43pm -

December 1935. "Main street [Broad Street] of Selma, Alabama." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. If $3.85 seems a little pricey for that tricycleJust keep walking. Magazine Stand sign title!The sign on the news stand advertising SNOWED UNDER in the latest Liberty magazine: the same year Warner Brothers made a B-picture starring George Brent using that story. Not a very good movie, either! Photoplay CutieThat is Canadian born actress Norma Shearer on the cover of that mag. Also that was the month that featured a story about Shirley Temple. I don't wanna be fixedBelow is the scene today. The first two story building on the right is where Keeble McDaniel's "fixings for men" was located. Time has flownI assume there was once a clock there. Snowed UnderLawrence Saunders' short story "Snowed Under" will be made into a film about a playwright who is working under a tight deadline and just happens to be snowed-in in his remote cabin with his girlfriend and two ex-wives. Hilarity ensues. Very strange thereAt first, I also thought that the round object on top of the streetlight was a clock but upon closer inspection I'm 100% certain that that's an old tire. [That's a metal casting for the clothing store's street clock. Not an old tire. - Dave] eBay treasuresStrewn all over the sidewalk. Just like that? Appalling! Wagon WheelsThose wagons are quite collectible today. The one in front with the questionable name, is similar to one featured in a recent Shorpy post and a later version in the 1992 movie Radio Flyer. The Photoplay magazine is one of many publications , a Hollywood idea from the 1920s that promoted movie stars, and added to the allure and enticement of that behemoth of an industry. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Stores & Markets, Walker Evans)
Summer Swimmers: 1942
July 1942. "Florence, Alabama. Swimming at a Boy Scout camp." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2023 - 3:48pm -

July 1942. "Florence, Alabama. Swimming at a Boy Scout camp." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size. Dangers lurkThe lifeguard platform is conspicuously vacant! But the biggest concern, at that time, was polio You got it from swimming in lakes, rivers, and unchlorinated pools, according to belief at that time. My brother got polio, at age 8, in 1941. (He recovered, thank heavens). My mother always swore he caught it by swimming in a notoriously polluted river in my town. [Entirely possible -- poliovirus is transmitted through contact with you-know-what. Dave] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Boy Scouts, Jack Delano, Kids, Swimming)
Joined at the Ship: 1942
July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. Construction of ocean-going barges for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/16/2023 - 11:07am -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. Construction of ocean-going barges for the U.S. Army on the Tennessee River. A shipfitter and his helper. They are C.R. Willingham (right) and E.L. Sparkman." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. A welder named SparkmanReally? [The welder is Willingham. - Dave] The helper of a welder isn't a welder, too? He's got the cap. Great title, DaveIf you look to the left of E.L. Sparkman at knee level, there is a rectangular mark drawn in chalk. I assume this is an area to be the cut out. If you look to the right of C.R. Willingham at calf level there is the same mark, but with an incomplete note "Leave sto". Does anyone know what was supposed to be left? A Powerful Spark(man)?A quick virtual visit to Decatur and nearby communities shows big doings for the Sparkman family -- schools, parks and law firms all carrying the electrically charged moniker. Was E.L. the progenitor with the power? That toolI think is a puller to draw steel plate (or sheet) together, getting a good fit to then weld. I welded for 40 years and I'm guessin'. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Jack Delano, WW2)
Character Study: 1964
... opportunities. One difference was that I was in rural Alabama rather than Kentucky. I am not embarrassed by the type work I used to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/05/2010 - 6:07pm -

"Cornett family, Kentucky, 1964." One of the Cornett boys on the front porch after working hard at something. Print from 35mm negative by William Gedney. Gedney Photographs and Writings Collection, Duke University. View full size. Role modelMy 17-year-old grandson started his first job over the summer, bagging groceries. He quit after a week because the work was "exhausting." Sigh. The Working Hard at somethingIs most likely the questionable part. Did this young man escape from what is a future just like his father or did he decide to escape to a new beginning of education and prosperity for his family like many of us did at his age. I think I and most of my family looked like the Cornett's Cornetts in 1964. Dare you!Thsi guy looks capable of murder and abuse. Please stop with the 60s redneck series! Creepy is toop kind a word. [It's toop something. And speaking of creepy, how are those cousinfs? - Dave] It's all in how you look at itProbably not a good idea to judge a book by its cover, though on a site like this one it's pretty all we can do. To some this young man looks like someone capable of "murder and abuse", my impression is that he looks like someone who is used to hard work and not afraid of it one bit. It's such an unusual trait in today's youth that it's easy to mistake it for something else more sinister. DisquietingI find this set of pictures a little disquieting. There's something--an intimacy?--about them that's disconcerting. That would make them great pictures. What he looks likeis a hard worker, a smart guy, a good man to have on your side. Let's hope he didn't get blown up in Vietnam. GrittyI am really enjoying this series of pictures. The Cornetts show a hard core brand of grit and determination that I find admirable. I'd hang out with these people anytime. Bill GedneyI studied with Bill back in the mid '70s at Pratt. I was fortunate to have known him and to have heard a few stories about these people and his commitment to living with them and documenting their lives. I'm also fortunate to know the people who organized his life's work at Duke Center for Documentary Studies. Thanks for posting these images! Great Series!I love how this series from Duke brings some variety in the already amazing offerings from this site. Looking forward to seeing more of these pics in the future. Hmmm!Must admit -- I'm not enjoying these "Cornett" family pictures. Something about them makes me decidedly uncomfortable - perhaps I watch too much TV? I unreservedly apologise if I've done the family a disservice. ["If"? - Dave] [Update: Commenter has courageously altered his post to remove references to "Dueling Banjo's" [sic] and "potential for violence."] Huh???What's with the mean comments? This kid looks sweet to me and not afraid to work or get dirty. I would have been about his age in 1964 and it was very common for boys to work on their cars (IF they had one), hunt, fish, etc. If they lived in a farming community, they did some pretty darn tough, dirty work, too. My grandson rarely leaves the house---too busy with the video/computer games. If he does get out in the heat, it's only to get in the pool. I'll bet there were some real winners in this family who made something of themselves and changed their future. Hope we hear from them. Hey, WyethHey, Wyeth, your profile says it all. These people knew HARD, physical work. They have my admiration and my deep respect. Many here had parents, fathers especially, who worked with their hands and their backs to support their families. Honorable men, all. The family portrayed in these pictures didn't have the advantages you enjoy, your stereotypes obviously intact. I love these pictures, as they show a time when MEN worked hard, played hard and took care of their families. When times get truly tough, people like this survive, You will not. Bah! Salt of the EarthThis young man and many many more like him were and are the backbone of the United States. When we were young (I'm about his age, if he's alive) most of us had to work damned hard and get very dirty. Some found their separate ways to a higher place in the middle class, usually by education; some did not. Regardless, these striving, determined, hard-nosed people are the kind who move a country forward. Boys like this are the future of any country. The DraftAssuming that he was eligible to be drafted into the armed service, this guy probably served, may have even enlisted. Many of the "Lifers" I met during my time in the Army were from places like these and probably families such as the Cornetts. If they weren't hard drinkers, they made good soldiers and many became NCOs, some learned trades. They were able to visit and live in other countries. They met and worked with people of other cultures. The down side was they could have been in a war. Military conscription in our country ended in 1973. Then and NowI hope the Cornett family survived to better times. It's hard to look at the photos and imagine the family still living, given their hardscrabble existence. Did they ever smile for their portrait? Did they ever stand together and belly-laugh? Was there any joy in Mudville, ever? It's like looking into a parallel universe and it's haunting, and creepy. There are those who did not experience it, and cannnot imagine this life in America. We want to move on to life as presented by the privileged few, like Tterrace. TTerrace had the kind of life we all wanted so let's look at that ! I saw a documentary of the Appalachian families in the year 2010. Not so different from life as the Cornett family knew in the early 60s. Are we in a rush to flip back to a perfect world--patterns and possessions, and happy children being encouraged to thrive. No pain in there, just a glimpse of life we want to believe everyone had. The art of the well-done photograph is far more interesting and factual than film media could ever be. It produces huge emotion that cannot be dismissed by going for a brewski while the commercial is on. You will come back to your place and there is the same image. This guy knows how to do stuff.The fact that some people here somehow find his appearance frightening says a lot more about them than the hard working subject of the photo. I wonder how long those folks would last in this man's environment. Thank you for posting this series. We all need a reality check now and then. 60's redneck??Its almost as if the photos in this series are a kind of truth serum for the posters here -- would you call the members of this family rednecks to their faces? I come from a family of hillbillies and rednecks, and I'm not ashamed of it. My Grandfather was a coal miner in Logan, West Virginia. These photos could be of my cousins -- they bring back wonderful memories for me. These people are no more capable of murder and abuse than anyone else. They've just lived a hardscrabble existence, making do with what they had, and narrowing their suspicious eyes at the remarks of "flatlanders" who don't know any better. Keep posting pictures of the Cornetts!In my neighborhood when I was growing up in NC, they were the Daltons. They had lots of kids, little money, crappy cars and the worst house. Mr. Dalton drove a heating oil truck and they were all as redneck as one could possibly be. They stuck together and would collectively "whoop a#%" on anyone who messed with any one of them, whether it was the oldest or the youngest. We all thought we were better than them because we had more and came from smaller families with disposable incomes. As it probably is with the Cornetts, they were the lucky ones with a strong sense of family and independence, as well as a "we can look out for ourselves" mentality. My family became dysfuntional as we grew up and moved to the four corners of the country; rarely speaking with or seeing each other anymore. I'll bet the Cornetts still gather for holidays. It would be great to find out what became of the Cornetts. Mixed feelings, but you can't deny a brilliant shotAn amazing study. You look at it once, there's a bright, affectionate, fearless young man - suddenly there's a hostile, defensive, possibly cruel boy. This is an example of where portrait photography surpasses painting. He tries to stare you out across forty-six years. Not creepy at allHe looks like someone who has just finished doing hard and dirty work. Sad that that makes people uncomfortable nowadays. Same teen... different moodThe earlier photo of him smoking definitely had a sinister aspect to it, the eyes (to me) reflected something intense, whether it was resentment, jealously, hatred, disgust, I don't know what. It might have been just an affectation for the photo. But it made you wish you could find out. I felt I had the same reaction that Capote did when he saw the photo that inspired "In Cold Blood." Now, in this photo, he seems to be in a much better, happier state of mind. [Editor's note: Not the same guy. - Dave] Being born and raised, and having lived most of my adult life in the Deep South, I've had plenty of interaction with families like the Cornetts. If there's one thing I've learned, you cannot judge by appearances. If you did, and lived in certain areas, you'd never leave your house. Appearance, for the most part, results from circumstances, not from character. I'd be more leery of those in fancy suits. They have the power (and often the inclination) to do you much harm. I'd say the Cornetts must be good people, given their apparently warm reception of the high-falootin' photographer from Duke U. "Murder and abuse"?I look at this photo and see a really handsome guy. I don't understand where the negative comments are coming from. Enough already!This endless series of rednecks is uninspiring. They are being showcased as if they were iconic photos of Oakies of the Great Depression. Unlike the dust bowl pictures there is no dignity here or triumph of the human spirit. Let's get back to 19th century rarely seen photos of America's past. Honest dirtSome people's only exposure to honest dirt was the one time they got talked into helping their great-aunt Annie plant her new rosebush! Horrors! What is that stuff all over my hands? Must go wash it with some antibacterial soap, immediately! Poor babies. I like rednecks & I like GedneyAppearances can be deceiving; I'll bet if you gave this young man a good scrubbing, a haircut and put him in a nice suit, suddenly everyone will be trying to introduce him to their daughters, assuming he was going to Yale or Harvard (maybe he did, on a scholarship or GI Bill). When I lived in Charlottesville, with its "Gown and Town" culture, I met plenty of "rednecks" who were the nicest people; helpful, friendly, loved to sit on the porch Friday nights and shoot the breeze. Some of the "Gown" group were dressed to the nines, wouldn't dream of getting their hands dirty, stuck up, and borrringgggg! P.S. I belonged the "gown" crowd at the U of Virginia in Charlottesville, a boy straight out of the Maryland suburbs. Good Earthy FolksBack in the mid-1960s.I hung out with a family a lot like the Cornetts, to the horror of my mother, although my father was more understanding. I was enriched by this association and still keep in touch with the surviving members of my alternate family. Try as I mightI detect nothing sinister here. Just a young man with a hard life by today's standards. Maybe even by any standards. But lack of wealth does not always equal unhappiness. I hope he was happy. It bothers me that someone could look at this simple, unassuming photo and then ascribe to it terms like murder and abuse. Reminds me of the quote by Anais Nin: We see things not as they are, but as we are. We need moreI have a feeling that this young man is a bright-eyed smart fellow that happens to live in the country and knows how to give a honest day's work for a honest paycheck. Our country needs a few million like him right now. Negative comments?I also don't understand where these negative comments are coming from. Too bad that some Shorpy viewers think they are better than others. I see a very hard working family when I view these photos of the Cornett family. They appear to be honest hard working people the kind that make good neighbors and good friends. What viewers are looking at here is the true backbone of America. The fancy dressing politicians could not pass the muster in similar situations. Thanks Dave for showing not just the historical America but also the hard working America. I can relateI just spent the afternoon under the truck replacing its shock absorbers. Except for being much cleaner around the eyes thanks to wearing safety goggles, I ended up just at dirty as this fellow, something I don't find myself doing like when I was in my twenties. It felt good and I expect to sleep well tonight. Still creepyI have found the reactions to this series very interesting. I have lived in such a rural poor area all my life, going to school with MANY children who were forced to live as these people. Let's not make more out of these people than they were, they were just like the rest of us: both good and bad, smart and dumb, clean and dirty, hard workers and lazy, compassionate and indifferent, etc. How having said that and being a product of a poor rural area, and still a resident in that area, I find the series creepy especially of young children smoking which I never saw happening with the like people I grew up with, at least not in front of their parents. I think it very possible the photos could have been a bit influnced. [Just a bit "influnced"? Or a whole lot "influnced"? - Dave] MoreWould like to see more of the Cornett family series. Eye of the BeholderThis series of photos has turned out to be quite the Rorschach test. Dirty work, clean money I worked alongside some guys like this for a short while in the '60s. The title was a comment I heard from one of them. The Cornetts of flyover land built the 20th century and won its wars. I don't think the 20 year-olds of today could do as much. Worked hardAnd is dirty. This is what happens. I'd love to know how the next few decades played out. And I love the sparkly bits in the chair. The Best Hard TimesOdds are, in later years, these folks look back on this era as being some of the best times in their lives. I know that when I think back about my younger years, we lived in a tiny house, were raised by our divorced mom (two of us), and did not have extra money. We had lots of neighborhood friends, we always had three meals, and we always played outside. We were as happy as pigs in mud. Reminds me of my sonHe who isn't happy until he's worked hard enough to get this dirty. His dad and I must've done something right. A healthy work ethic will take one a long way in life. HandsomeI, for one, think that he's a very handsome young man, dirt and all. I bet he lights up and shines when he smiles. A true portraitI really hate reading some of the truly (literally) ignorant comments in this series. If you want a real taste of what Eastern Kentuckians are really like, just consider that this man and his wife, unemployed and with 12 children, opened their home to a photographer (read: stranger) from Duke University with no pretense and showed him hospitality for 11 days in 1964 and then again welcomed him into his home 8 years later. That is more a portrait of the true nature of Appalachian people than any ridiculous story Hollywood can make up (e.g. Deliverance). [A little confusion here. It was this young man's parents who played host to William Gedney. Who had no connection with Duke University when these pictures were made. - Dave] to: A Certain Canadian Shame on you! My parents lived in Minnesota during the depression, and we did not live much differently from this photo, but we had a happy family, we ate well, and we all grew up to be responsible adults. How dare you think that just because someone is poor, they are rednecks! [What exactly constitutes being a redneck, and why is it bad to be one? - Dave] Folks, do not despair.We still have plenty of hard-working young men and women like this young man in our America. Do not despair. We'll get through it. WOW!Dave...You must be in Heaven! What a response to your Photos of the Cornett family! I have commented, myself, before, and I am totally into this family, and have been for days. I just read through all of the comments and I think I could read on forever…they are such a mix of Brilliance, and, I am sorry to say this…total Stupidity, but that is in the Minority. Thank You, Dave! But, I Think you, too, must be a bit amazed. What a great way to get people to come alive and Talk to a subject…if only we could continue the dialog…in so many other topics. Coal DustThis young man has a right to be proud and you can see it in his eyes. He is covered with coal dust. That means he is making money--good money! Things sure have changed for today's young men. Not for the better. Bah, humbugSorry guys - but - by about the 3rd picture I didn't want anymore Cornett Family either. There's an affected bleakness about these pictures that just makes me wanna smack somebody, probably the photographer. A couple of the girls snuck in a smile . .probably when the photographer was off-guard. Good for them, probably blew the whole theme for Gedney though. Are we going to get any Cornett pictures without the "o I see misery, that makes me profound" motif? Goodness, beauty and truth are also part of the human experience, ya know. I mean, just sayin'. There's nothing wrong with honest dirt. /end tirade. ["Misery"? What misery? - Dave] "Dirty jobs"Late 70's spent my days baling hay and milking cows on our 4th generation dairy farm, my sisters and I would pack 1,000 bales or more of hay a day into the barn, under a hot tin roof in typical Ohio weather, 98 degrees and 98 humidity, "the sweaty armpit of America." I now own that farm and my dad at 78 is out helping me milk the cows every day, because he wants to be useful. The comments on this list tell me that a whole lot of folks have never learned to appreciate a hard day's work. The feeling of sweat running down the crack of your a-- and hay chaff in places you never new it could go, the feeling of a good shower and sleep that comes from being tired and not from "sleep aids". The pride of good day's work, a full barn ready for winter, contented cows and a full belly produced from your own hands. Keep posting these types of pictures, we need a reminder now and them. Like Mike Rowe keeps saying, this country needs people who will do the "dirty jobs." Definition of a redneckThe term is used to describe the hardworking man or woman who has labored, bent over, in the hot sun, and received the mother of all sunburns for their efforts. I don't know why it's bad to be called one. Sounds like a badge of honor to me. A few people who have posted here have more than likely never suffered anything more serious than a paper cut in their daily labors. Hey Lou, don't look!! It's that easy.Shoot, I was born in 1966, and there were a LOT of days I left work looking like that. It was either from working at the service station (yes, I used to pump Ethel), or at the sign shop. Sometimes, you just get dirty doing an honest days work. Painters get paint on themselves, and farmers get dirt on themselves. That's all. Dave-Thanks a million for posting the Gedney shots, as well as all you have done with shorpy.com. I scan your site every day looking for cool shots of insulators and feats of electrical engineering, but being a history buff in general, I get a real good feel for days of yesteryear. Keep'em coming my good man! [Now we know the reason for Ethel's mysterious smile. - Dave] Nothing More to AddI'm disappointed in some of these comments but reassured that there are others who don't agree with the stereotyping and leaping from a photo to the "murder and abuse" branding. Ridiculous. The Cornett defenders have said what I feel, but I found myself wanting to show my support for them, too. ("Yeah! What HE said!") Any way we could get a "like" button for Shorpy comments? Undoubtedly a relativeI'm a member the Cornett family with strong ties in Kentucky (my dad's family is from Cumberland, although we live in Maryland now). Amazing seeing these shots. I never knew this guy but I have no doubt he's a cousin of some sort. Cornetts had our black sheep (what family doesn't?) but on the whole we're a hardworking breed who gets by the best we can. Street smart?I have finally given up reading the comments on this picture. The one that really bugs me is the person who thinks this face belongs to a criminal. Obviously someone who has no street smarts. There is nothing sinister behind those eyes. And as for the people complaining about how sad these people must be, I ask why? Because they don't have all the luxuries of today that most people consider needful things when they are not? I have not seen a miserable face on any of the Cornett family. I am glad to have seen them and hope they all had or are having great lives. Another '"Yeah! What HE said!"These photos are great. Keep them coming. Anyone who could see someone capable of murder or abuse when looking at this photo is someone or find this series creepy is one who only has to look in the mirror to see a real creep. Am I the only one... or do you see a resemblance too? [Maybe that's toner on his face. - Dave] The old adagesays that when you point your finger at somebody, THREE fingers point back at you. These pictures of the Cornett family are a vivid portrayal of an important part of the American Experience. The photos are illuminating and often a work of art, as this particular picture is. This is my very favorite historical/picture blog. Keep up the GREAT work, Dave! Every timeI look at this photo I think of James Jones' star-crossed Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt in "From Here To Eternity." In fact, I think I'll pull out my battered copy of that book and re-read it for about the fifteenth time. My cousins from Martin County. Just like him. high-school "diploma," willfully ignorant, hopped up on Baptist prayer meetin's, and just as happy as can be that they'll be able to get a job in the mines just like Daddy and Granddaddy, both of whom got the Black Lung from too much coal and too many Camels. And it's still like that there. WTF, America? Seriously ... [Inane Comment of the Day! - Dave] Handsome I look at this photo and see a very handsome man. In this day and age, its hard for a girl to find a guy that doesn't mind rolling up his sleeves and getting dirty to get the job done. The ruggedness of his features makes him attractive. Kindred SpiritIn 1964 I was very close to this guy in age, economic prosperity, and work opportunities. One difference was that I was in rural Alabama rather than Kentucky. I am not embarrassed by the type work I used to do, but I am thankful to now have a physically less demanding job. My electrical engineering degree helped to ease my way into middle class status. I would like to know what happened to this guy after the picture was made. I hope that he has been as fortunate in life as I have been. William GedneyI was surprised when I saw the work of Bill Gedney, years after I knew him as “Mr. Gedney,” my photography teacher at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. He rarely, if ever showed his work to us. His classes were focused (bad pun) on us and how to improve our photographic vision. I liked him a lot – he was soft spoken and kind unlike the abrasive/aggressive nature some of the others in the photography department. One of my proudest moments: when he approved of my photo essay of my sister and her husband’s move from apartment to their first house. They weren't “pretty pictures,” but captured a significant moment in time, much like his own series of the rural families. It was indeed an honor and pleasure to have worked with “Mr. Gedney.” (Cornett Family, Portraits, William Gedney)
Company Town: 1937
... 1937. "Company steel town. Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama." The stomping grounds of our namesake Shorpy Higginbotham , killed ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/01/2023 - 12:47pm -

February 1937. "Company steel town. Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama." The stomping grounds of our namesake Shorpy Higginbotham, killed in a mining accident in 1928. Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. No master bath.Every home equipped with a serviceable outhouse. Foy NeighborlySome of the outhouses are so close you could talk to your neighbor. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Birmingham, Mining)
Our Baby Doffer: 1910
November 1910. "Birmingham, Alabama. 'Our baby doffer,' they called him. Donnie Cole. Has been doffing for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/01/2023 - 12:56pm -

November 1910. "Birmingham, Alabama. 'Our baby doffer,' they called him. Donnie Cole. Has been doffing for some months. When asked his age, he hesitated, then said, 'I'm twelve.' Another young boy said, 'He can't work unless he's twelve'." Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee. View full size. (The Gallery, Birmingham, Kids, Lewis Hine)
For the Duration: 1942
July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. Construction of ocean-going barges for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/16/2023 - 6:10pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. Construction of ocean-going barges for the U.S. Army. Work goes on twenty-four hours a day." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. NIght shotsPhenomenal photo. Good find. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Jack Delano, WW2)
Here You Go: 1936
... workers' houses, company owned. Vicinity of Birmingham, Alabama." 8x10 nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement ... is puzzling: there weren't any mainline installations in Alabama, and a plant line would seem like it would present interference with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/22/2023 - 2:55pm -

March 1936. "Steel mill workers' houses, company owned. Vicinity of Birmingham, Alabama." 8x10 nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. ACROSS THE TRACKS.What are those little sheds lining the property? I thought they were outhouses at first, but they are not related to the houses. [COULD THE TITLE OF THIS POST BE A CLUE? - Dave] Mystery in the airThe RR electrification is puzzling: there weren't any mainline installations in Alabama, and a plant line would seem like it would present interference with all the loading in a a steel mill; a streetcar line? Power plant line? [That catenary is over the street, not the RR tracks. - Dave] OK, but doesn't that just deepen the mystery ?? Birmingham did have trolley buses, but apparently not as early as 1936. Perhaps they're just some kind of power or phone lines, but I'm unclear on why they're suspended. [The wires are for streetcar service. - Dave] Ah, so 'Curtain #2': not THE RR track, but still a RR track ... of sorts. [Those are train tracks. The street is not in the photo -- it's too close to the camera. - Dave] Gotcha: the curse of 2D!! Kite-Eating Tree... claims another victim! Going, going ...Wonder if one of the outhouses had a gas explosion. Looks a little run down. Random thoughtsThis photo is less than 90 years old; but is unimaginable today for factory housing. Our house had 2 bedrooms and 1 toilet, if you played by the rules; 6 if you didn't. That family next door is stealing our Sears & Roebuck! When it's everybody's business when you do your business. It's raining; don't tromp mud inside the house when you get back. At least your sister didn't lock herself in there for an hour. There you go-- a fine row of jakes. Something Street ThomasSeveral of these houses remain in Birmingham's Thomas neighborhood. The street railway had a route through here to neighboring Pratt and Ensley that ran to the east of the steam railroad. Not sure exactly which street/alley we're looking down, but we'd most likely be looking west from 16th Avenue Thomas to have the interurban-type overhead wiring (one wire for each direction to simplify signaling) and mast arm in the foreground. A better Loo for youThey could save themselves a walk to the facilities by just cutting a hole in the kitchen floor. My mumma always said I was a genius. Outhouse windowsDiamonds in the rough. Hope they saved their corn cobsOr had plenty of Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs available. The Two DoorsEach of these homes has two back doors which leads me to believe that these are actually very tiny duplexes. Trolley BUSESwere ordered in 1945, so as Notcom says there wouldn't have been double wires for them, but the ones in picture appear to be too close together for bus use. My grandfather was a conductor on the old trolleys prior to 1922, and all the pictures I could find did not have double wires, so? Perhaps someone from Birmingham might have more information. In many cities, street cars were also referred as trolley cars, as the little wheel at the top of the pole which ran against the wire, was a trolley. [The wires are for streetcar service. - Dave] Pratt-Ensley streetcarThe streetcar line in question appears to be the #6 Pratt-Ensley route of the Birmingham Electric. At this location the line was single track on a private right-of-way, which helps explain the use of bracket-arm overhead construction with dual contact wire (one for each direction). The route paralleled the steam railway for much of its length. In the background are the Thomas Furnaces of Republic Steel. (Info from "Street Railways of Birmingham", Hudson & Cox, 1976) They are DuplexesThere are 8 houses and 16 outhouses. Neat and humble beginnings Jeffrey Jakucyk, you got the right area! I think it's the houses down to the lower southeast corner of your overhead view. The tiny row houses on 7th Street Thomas and 8th Street. The Evans image just focused on the outhouses but there would have been another row of duplexes just off the left edge of the image. Life was simple. (The Gallery, Birmingham, Factories, Railroads, Walker Evans)
Regular Dinner: 1936
1936. "Cafe -- Alabama" is all it says here. 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for ... of Broad Street (now University Boulevard). US 43 and Alabama state road 13, identified in Evans's photo, carried traffic north over ... of ginger ale that was popular in the northern part of Alabama in the 1940s. We lived in LA (lower Alabama) so when we were in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/27/2022 - 10:31am -

1936. "Cafe -- Alabama" is all it says here. 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. More random observationsNo date is given but this is summer. Having spent most of my life in the south, I recognize those clouds, and can practically feel the heat and humidity sitting here at my desk in winter. At first glance this is a lonely-appearing photo, but then closer observation reveals a worker at the counter, diners at the window table, and even the photographer (or assistant) in a selfie. The spiderweb motif is an odd choice. Not sure how that would attract diners. Probably has some specific meaning to the owners. The front door will not open all the way due to the slope of the sidewalk. Maybe 90 degrees max. Probably reduced the lifespan of the door with customers trying to shove it past its limit. Nice shiny new bicycle! OK I'm done. D-time in T-town ?? This is what, our third offering of no-nonsense dining? The '30s must have been tough on people seeking mealtime excitement. The cafe was located at the top of the Hill on the corner of 4th Street - that's the L&N station glimpsed off to the side (see below) - being replaced by the Temerson Building a few years after this picture. The latter currently houses a restaurant: the cycle is complete ! BBT/CPBefore Bucket Trucks/Cherry Pickers The condition of the surface of the utility pole indicates many scalings with traditional lineman's climbing spikes/spurs. I can remember when a lot of poles looked like this, not any more. Among the last people using them these days are big tree loggers in remote locations. Most of our local arborists seem to have switched to using aerial platform lifts (and more than doubled their prices to pay for the things). River Hill, TuscaloosaRiver Hill is an area of downtown Tuscaloosa. In a 1945 photo caption from the Tuscaloosa Area Virtual Museum, it is described as the north end of Greensboro Avenue, south of the Black Warrior River and north of Broad Street (now University Boulevard). US 43 and Alabama state road 13, identified in Evans's photo, carried traffic north over the river. (That stretch is now named Lurleen Wallace Blvd.) The area is now the center of Tuscaloosa's Civil Rights History Trail. Knob and TubeStill have that kind of wiring inside a few of my outbuildings (considered okay by my insurance broker). Exteriorly I've removed all of it because of degraded insulation as a result of decades of exposure to the elements. Pre GPSPeople's eyesight must've been a lot better back then or they went a lot slower to see and read those signs. Buffalo Rock, my favorite!Buffalo Rock was a brand of ginger ale that was popular in the northern part of Alabama in the 1940s. We lived in LA (lower Alabama) so when we were in Birmingham, we would swap a case of empties and bring a case home. Those didn't last long! There was so much ginger in it that it burned your nose! Tuscaloosa: 1936's US 43 and Today's US 43Thank you, GlenJay for the helpful information about River Hill, which is about one mile from my home in Northport, Alabama--across the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa! It's led me on a search to pin down the location of this great Walker Evans photo, which heretofore I did not realize was shot in Tuscaloosa. Incidentally, this spot is not far from where yesterday's Shorpy pic ("Tuscaloosa Wrecking: 1936") was located. One small correction to GlenJay's useful comments: In 1936, the road that is now Greensboro Ave (formerly 24th Avenue) led down River Hill to a lift bridge across the River. Thus, US 43 followed that route at the time of the photo. When the Hugh Thomas Bridge replaced the lift bridge in 1974, however, US 43 was shifted a few blocks to the west and became Lurleen Wallace Blvd (formerly 25th and 26th Avenues) in order to feed into the new bridge more efficiently. I've got some pals working on identifying the photo location and will update my comment if I come up with anything. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Eateries & Bars, Small Towns, Walker Evans)
Chemical Brothers: 1942
June 1942. "Wilson Dam, Alabama. Tennessee Valley Authority. Workers checking out at end of shift at a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2023 - 11:07am -

June 1942. "Wilson Dam, Alabama. Tennessee Valley Authority. Workers checking out at end of shift at a chemical engineering plant." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Next Frame PleaseIf we had a few more photos we could make a movie. First this one and now this one (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Industry & Public Works)
Dog, Paddle: 1942
June 1942. "Sheffield, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Kenneth C. Hall, wife and daughter rowing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/26/2023 - 2:35pm -

June 1942. "Sheffield, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Kenneth C. Hall, wife and daughter rowing on the Tennessee River." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Abandon Ship?Looks to me like this little boat is taking on water, since Mr. Hall's foot is submerged. One hopes they're close to shore. The dog seems to have abandoned ship. Keep paddling!Mom, Dad, keep paddling, my feet are getting wet! Let's get there before we sink! I don't think Arfy will rescue us! By the way, they ARE paddling, not rowing. To row you use two oars and face backwards. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Boats & Bridges, Dogs, Kids)
The Smiths: 1942
May 1942. "Childersburg, Alabama. Cousa Court housing project for defense workers in boom area around ... to blows over which football team to support, Auburn or Alabama. Doing it for Uncle Sam Like many Americans, the Smith's ... jobs working at the DuPont Powder Plant in Childersburg, Alabama. Mrs. Smith works nights, which gives Mr. Smith plenty of time to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2022 - 4:04pm -

May 1942. "Childersburg, Alabama. Cousa Court housing project for defense workers in boom area around the DuPont Powder Plant. The Smiths share the drudgery of housework, for they both have important war jobs." Photo by John Collier, Office of War Information. View full size. A songIf you stay I'll stay right beside you And my love May help to remind you To forget that Work is a four-letter word That's how we did it back in my dayGiven the gas meter is under the sink and the water heater is standing in the corner, I'm a little surprised Cousa Court is still there. Most of it is at the end of the street and turn right. If Mrs. Smith is handing Mr. Smith a rinsed dish to dry, then the sink in front of her contains rinse water, meaning the other sink is washed dishes that are waiting to be rinsed. If I'm correct, why are they doing it the long way? Why doesn't Mrs. Smith wash a dish in her sink and then place it in a rinse water sink in front of Mr. Smith for him to retrieve and dry? I'm sure they've both had a long day and would like to sit down. Meter below the sinkDoubt that is gas meter based on piping size and connections. Has to be for water service. [It's an "iron case" gas meter. - Dave] Nice-looking coupleHope they had a happy life and that their kids didn't come to blows over which football team to support, Auburn or Alabama. Doing it for Uncle SamLike many Americans, the Smith's Smiths are doing their part for the war effort. Both have good paying jobs working at the DuPont Powder Plant in Childersburg, Alabama. Mrs. Smith works nights, which gives Mr. Smith plenty of time to explain water rationing as well as demonstrating how to properly draw blackout curtains to Miss Jones. Mrs. Smith... is quite a dish herself. Please, please, pleaseI hope this charming man knows he has a wonderful woman. DuPont Smokeless Powder PlantsI used to have a high-level boss (he was a company VP) who started work at a DuPont smokeless powder plant about the same time as this picture was taken. He said they were very strict on matches and lighters, inspecting everyone daily upon entering the plant. One time violating the no matches rule got a reprimand, twice got you fired. One day he got called into the office and was told he was being assigned to a special job but they couldn't tell him anything about it. He was initially sent to Oak Ridge, Tennessee for training and then to Hanford, Washington where he was a reactor operator ("pile" operator in the terminology of the day) at the world's first full scale nuclear reactor (again, a "pile" in the day's terminology). 40 odd years later he was the VP for Reactor Operations at Hanford's ninth and last plutonium production reactor. Childersburg powder plantwas where my father worked during WW2. We didn't live right there, but I still have his W-2s from the powder plant. They were handwritten at that time. The amount seems really small by today's standards, but it allowed my Mom to stay home with me at that time. The Smiths washing their car - Who can ID make/model etc.?The Smiths washing their car: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017822600/ Albert Forrest Smith Jr. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72017266/albert-forrest-smith Janey Fay Smith https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72017303/janey-fay-smith Refrigerator dishesShe has a few glass refrigerator dishes with lids displayed on the top shelf. Nearly twenty years ago I found a set of four Martha Stewart fridge dishes at K-Mart. A large square one, a loaf-pan size, and two small square ones, all with matching glass lids. They're still like new and I use them constantly. Heavy glass, attractive and functional. A fine, ageless concept. 1941 FordThe car appears to be a 1941 Ford Tudor, similar to the car in the repair shop in the prior story. https://www.shorpy.com/node/26750 Really Good LightingCan I just say, as a photographer, getting that lighting is really difficult. Back then, before fast film and even faster digital, lighting the scene required actual forethought. The shadow hits the left wall, so his face is in full illumination. But she is not eclipsed from lighting from behind. She is in a balanced glow of light. The whole scene is well illuminated. I used a flash frequently for a decade, from the mid 1990s through the mid-2000s, and I always had horrible results, no matter how much I tried to off-set or soften or bounce my flash. And I'm a good photographer. But flash photography nearly made me give it up (or just keep my work outdoors, during daytime). Thank goodness for high-speed digital sensors, allowing ambient and natural light to be captured "as is." I congratulate the photographers of the pre-modern era. So should everyone. A bit of black powder humor"Defense workers in boom area around the DuPont Powder Plant." Boom! Staged but sweetAlthough likely staged, I find this photo quite endearing. Harkens to newlyweds or a couple that honestly "has it together." They look like nice people. [You're confusing "posed" and "staged." - Dave] MemorialThis photo is attached to the Smiths' memorial in Find A Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72017303/janey-fay-smith (The Gallery, John Collier, Kitchens etc., WW2)
Little Squirt: 1942
June 1942. "Sheffield, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Housing for defense workers. Kenneth Hall ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/11/2023 - 2:15pm -

June 1942. "Sheffield, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Housing for defense workers. Kenneth Hall gives daughter Peggy a shower with garden hose in front of their TVA defense home." The nice people last seen here. Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kids, Swimming)
« first‹ prev1 [2]3…next ›last »
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.