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Double Rich: 1941
... a streetcar." 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. They both look like they ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/30/2013 - 11:25am -

Whisk brooms and brooches, Malteds and sundaes. Girls in straw hats and Chicago Mondays. Traffic lights flashing, streetcar bell clangs. These are a few of our favorite thangs. July 1941. "Chicago. Waiting for a streetcar." 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. They both look likethey could use a free milkshake. In the guise of mild-mannered Clarice KentFirst thing I thought when I saw the lady on the left was that she looked like a super heroine in her secret identity. She even seems to be scanning the street for evildoers to thwart. Forgot the matron"Girls in straw hats and matrons with frowns on." Cutting Edge Technology?As far as I know, whisk brooms have been around for centuries, but here they're given a display prominence more in keeping with the latest iPhone or an EV with a 500-mile range. Perhaps the marketing department experienced a collective delusion that week? 1940's fashionShe seems a bit mixed up, part sophisticated City Woman, part Farm Girl. If it wasn't for the horrible hair style, oversized straw hat and the nerdy glasses (which would be cool now) she could be quite attractive. I've seen the futureThis is me now, and this is me in 40 years after raising three brats and two sorry husbands. Oooh, the height of fashion!Those glasses are the most modern of this period. No wire frame and no tortoise shell. I think she sports the latest fashion of the time and quite frankly, I think she would be quite hip in the contemporary swing dance scene. Stylish enough in 1941"Horrible hair style"? Not in Chicago in July 1941. Does anyone think that in 70 years people will be looking at photos of us now and thinking how modern we all look? (The Gallery, Chicago, John Vachon)
Over Omaha: 1938
... Tri-City Barber College. Photo by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Found one! The Ford Bros. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/24/2019 - 12:59pm -

November 1938. "Omaha, Nebraska." A bird's-eye view of, among other attractions, Tri-City Barber College. Photo by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Found one!The Ford Bros. building (in the upper right corner of the photo) still stands at the corner of Dodge & 11th streets. Graybar Electrical SupplyContinues to thrive all over North America, and is still employee-owned. An early Ford spottedOne of the billboards advertises the film "Submarine Patrol," which was directed by John Ford for 20th Century Fox, the last Ford-directed film before a run of seven box-office or critical successes in a three-year period that would make him a legend. Much Has ChangedMy 1940 Omaha City Directory places the barber school at 1302 Douglas Street. Virtually everything in this photo is now gone. Much Has Changed IndeedI'm glad EADG found the barber school at 1302 Douglas Street, because I found the Arcade Hotel at 1215 Douglas (reference: https://history.nebraska.gov/collections/arcade-hotel-omaha-neb-rg3870am). Since hlupak604 identified the Ford Bros. Van & Storage building still standing at Dodge and N 11th Streets that means this photo is looking north towards what is now Interstate Highway 480. The railroad tracks in this 1938 photo, almost every building, and the tall building from which this photo was taken (and is casting the shadow) are gone. Yes pleaseSunshine Biscuits! Yay! I'll have a case of Hydrox cookies. And a visit to the Uptown Cafe too, after parking under cover for only 20 cents. Just sounds like a great time. What a fabulous picture. I scanned it for many minutes, as big as I could get it. This is why I love Shorpy: unvarnished but soulful glimpses of long-ago America. It took me awhile to find oneDoesn't look like they had too many trees in the area back then Strange place for a periodThe A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co. has a period under the c in McDonald. I'm what is considered an old timer, and I had never seen this before today. [Those glyphs (dots, triangles, dashes, etc.) under superscript letters are diacritics. - Dave] Identity Theft?It is interesting to note that this 1938 scene includes a billboard touting the presumably-yet-to-be-released 1939 Chevrolet by means of an illustration that bears very little resemblance to the actual design. Could this have been an early version of fake news? [As most everyone knows, Detroit’s model year begins in the fall or summer of the previous calendar year. And that is a faithful rendering of the 1939 Chevrolet. -Dave] The '39 Chevy had a V-section grille, receding at the top, with a center strip. The illustration suggests a more LaSalle-like vertical curved prow -- reason to believe that the illustrators were working from a prototype or sketch of same. [You're mistaken. And the photo is from November 1938. - Dave] A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co.An immigrant from Scotland, born in 1834, A. Y. McDonald opened his plumbing shop in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1856, making his company nowadays, at 163 years old, one of the country’s 100 oldest family businesses. It expanded to Omaha in 1915. The firm’s president is still a McDonald, great-great-grandson of the founder. A.Y. himself was in the Civil War, shot twice, and he was shot a third time, later in life, in a home invasion. He died in 1891 at the age of 57. What a fascinating photo that rewards multiple and extended viewings. It all seems to be gone, as EADG points out, but if you google 1150 Douglas Street, outside the photo to the right, to the east of the Omaha Stove Repair Works (1206-8 Douglas), you can streetview a few old survivors, notably a three-story red-brick building marked Specht. OopsHey, Dave, you're right! It appears that the photos I googled, in an attempt to make sure I knew what I was talking about, illustrate 1940 models. Now, as a kid I'd never have been fooled in that way. Thanks for engaging on this one!!! Graybar Electrical Supply... has a fascinating story. "Gray" is Elisha Gray, the (alleged) inventor of the telephone, whose patent was scooped by Alexander Graham Bell. The company was spun off from Western Electric, the wholly-owned supplier to the Bell System. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graybar (The Gallery, John Vachon, Omaha)
The Flavor Lasts: 1940
... the Key City. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Attention please Will the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2011 - 4:56pm -

April 1940. "Dubuque, Iowa." Grit and gum in the Key City. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Attention pleaseWill the person who parked their rail car in the loading zone please move it. You are blocking traffic. The glamor and excitement of the big city-I knew there was a reason I live in the suburbs. After 71 yearsStill recognizable. Just what every kid needsA Wabash boxcar in the back yard! Looks like a brand new Ford sitting there in the alley.Don't think that a lot of people living in this neighborhood could buy a new Ford, landlord? HO ScaleWhat an excellent subject for a railroad diorama. Dept. of SanitationI'm impressed (or depressed?) by the amount of garbage all over the place. If there's one thing the USA has gotten better at, it is keeping the garbage off the streets and sidewalks. I've been elsewhere, and I think the USA has come a long way since this photo. Framed!Can anyone tell us what the purpose of the framework attached to the shed is? There are at least two wires running to the top of the framework, but no power lines or telephone lines appear to connect to it. HopperesqueThe composition, subjec -- I wonder if the photographer was influenced by the painter Edward Hopper. NoirThis could be the opening shot for the credits in a Robert Mitchum or Robert Ryan or Mickey Spillane thriller. It captures that grittiness and mystery very well. Who could be sitting in that car? (The Gallery, John Vachon, Railroads)
Dishpan Hans: 1937
... in lumber camp." Medium format negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Behind in his work At least ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/26/2010 - 7:04pm -

September 1937. Effie, Minnesota. "Washing dishes in lumber camp." Medium format negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Behind in his workAt least when the young man tired of scrubbing, he could look up and see the nice view! *wink*, *wink* InspirationTacked up on the window frame just above his head is a rather bawdy picture of a young lady. Maybe she is his only company in the kitchen, besides all those huge coffee pots hanging up. Seeing all those big coffee pots makes me want a good cup of coffee too. 199, 198, 197 ...It looks like he had to do a lot of washing by the amount of dishes in the picture. Definition of RusticWow! Now that's a no-frills setup. I'd give my last molar to get a glimpse in the "sink." What do you want to bet he's got a couple of wash tubs in there? Nary a speck of porcelain in sight. [Except on all those dishes. - Dave] Who made this mess?There are only about 90 people in Effie. Must have been more in 1937, when there were still trees to cut. [This was a lumber camp near the town. The lumberjack population being somewhat transient. - Dave] Gotta sayThat he's a fellow with a lot of Pride in his work. Obvious StatementUnless Dave is reviewing a similar comment not yet posted, let me be the first to note that: This young man has a lot of Pride (tm) in his work. [You may groan now] All I can make out on the boxes is Pride Washing Powder. Performing a quick search online I found nothing - but Dave found the following images: I'll show my son this!My 16 YO son works at a restaurant where he usually has to wash dishes. He does it using modern equipment, of course, but is still much happier when they let him do something else. I think maybe this picture might help him feel like he doesn't have it so bad, though! I wonder how many hours this poor young man had spent standing in front of that sink, and how many he still had to go! More than just "pride"I think he probably had a lot of "Pride and Joy" in his work. (The Gallery, Mining, Russell Lee)
Nicotine, Caffeine, Gasoline: 1939
... Oklahoma." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Down to Snuff Great-Grandmother and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/07/2018 - 4:50pm -

June 1939. "Country store. Wagoner County, Oklahoma." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Down to SnuffGreat-Grandmother and Grandmother were both snuff users. Snuff was nasty stuff. They would put it behind the bottom lip and spit every 5 or 10 minutes. Great-Grandmother lived to be 94 and used it till the day she died. Times sure look tough thereI wonder if anyone had enough change to buy that Ice Cold Coca-Cola. The Big TwistInteresting ad for Red Raven tobacco twists. A twist was a bundle of cured, whole tobacco leaves that were rolled, twisted and tied into a pretzel like product. This could then be grated into pipe tobacco or finer snuff, or cut into ropes and smoked as a crude cigar, or even chewed like a plug. It was basically a pure tobacco product that had gone through no processing or flavoring, and the user could consume it whatever way he preferred. Economical Benefits of Smoking CigarsI don't see any ads for cigars helping to hold this storefront up but a friend once told me that cigars were the only way to use tobacco economically. You smoke the cigar down as short as you want and extinguish the stub, chew up what is remaining until all the flavor is gone, place the old chew on a windowsill in the sun until it is completely dry, then powder up the remains and use it for snuff. All gone and no waste. Squeak and BangThe universal call of an old wooden screen door opening and closing. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that noise as a boy I could have retired much sooner. Edgeworth Pipe TobaccoEdgeworth Ready-Rubbed, a very nice blend of burley and Virginia, still out there as Lane Limited Ready-Rubbed. Tornado alleyI'm guessing the place more or less survived a few tornadoes. Oh, and whoever left the broom outside, pick it up and get back to work. Hard TimesPerhaps another title could be: Abandon hope all ye who enter here. Difficult to believe that many products were on the shelves in this store on its last legs. A feeling of hopelessness in this snapshot from the past. Nicotine, Caffeine, Gasoline:An ine emerges. Pump ScaleIt may be obvious, but how does the scale on the pump work? I assume the scale indicates gallons of gas. Is the glass container filled to the zero mark so that as gas is released the new level shows how much was purchased? (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Sun Belt: 1937
... worker from Oklahoma." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Flashback Many times Shorpy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2014 - 3:21pm -

January 1937. "Deerfield, Florida. Migrant agricultural worker from Oklahoma." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. FlashbackMany times Shorpy pics remind me of past events, people and places. This man's face and expression brought me back to sometime in the early 60's. I had stopped and parked to get a burger and beverage at a drive in and park, Sonic like place. A guy that looked like our subject in the photo was leaning on his car playing a guitar. A drunk came up to him and all that I could hear from the "stewed" man was "I'm not afraid of you". I saw our guy slowly put his guitar down and next thing the drunk was lying on the ground knocked out cold. Picks More Than a GuitarSome good eyes here. He's well set up for playing a guitar or banjo, but if you'll look closely at the pinky on his left hand you'll notice that he can also pick his nose ambidextrously. Nothing is more frustrating when you find that you've broken your only pinky nail and you need to scratch that itch or do a little cleaning out. And having two increases the angle options for doing same. A familiar faceLooks like Richard Widmark is taking a break from the film set today. Tough Guy?Those are mighty long fingernails for a fieldworker! Bet he has a night job with a banjo. Guitar ManRight hand fingernails long for picking, left hand trimmed short for fretting. Great shotOddly long fingernails for an agricultural worker. Tough GuyBelt to the side, studs on the belt, leather wristband, sneer, and the cigarette. James Dean before James Dean. The Glowering InfernoAnd keep your cotton pickin' hands off my cigarette! Tough Guy, YesBut he always keeps his pinky up when smoking. Follicularly EnviousEven years ago when I had that much hair I didn't have that much hair. Outstanding!And they are mild! Admittedly, one tough image, except for the extended pinky. With earth-shattering events just over the horizon, one wonders how he made out. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Arthur Rothstein, Florida)
Life Used to Be So Hard: 1939
... Yakima Valley, near Wapato. One tenant purchase program (Farm Security Administration) client, Jacob N. Schrock. This family with eight ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/11/2017 - 2:26pm -

August 1939. "Washington, Yakima Valley, near Wapato. One tenant purchase program (Farm Security Administration) client, Jacob N. Schrock. This family with eight children had lived for 25 years on a rocky, rented farm in this valley. They now own 48 acres of good land, this good house, price $6,770. They raise hay, grain, dairy and hogs. Mrs. Schrock says, 'Quite a lot of difference between that old rock pile, and around here'." Photo by Dorothea Lange. View full size. Verl Elizabeth Shrock MoeShe was born November 11, 1925, in Wapato, Washington, one of ten children born to the late Jacob and Rhoda Shrock (from Find A Grave). I'd pay thatThe BLS Inflation Calculator tells me that $6770 in 1939 is the same as $118,646.93 today. Cat HouseThere appears to be a prejudice against man's best friend. Hopefully the dog is around back. You can't have a farm without at least one dog. It's a fact. Google it. The term running water applies here. Hand pumpIf you want water. You have to 'Run' out for the stuff. Mom behind the doorMrs. Schrock peeks shyly out from behind the screen door. It looks like she's still in her apron. The children are in freshly washed and ironed clothing and their hair is neatly combed. After all the trouble of getting the kids washed and dressed, she probably didn't have time to neaten herself up (although she looks fine to me). DogI think the little girl sitting on the ground is cuddling a dog. [Two cats. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Cats, Dorothea Lange, Kids)
Truck Museum: 1941
... merchants sell to retailers." Photo by John Vachon, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Bald tires! The Wulfstat ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 9:54pm -

Chicago, July 1941. "Produce market where commission merchants sell to retailers." Photo by John Vachon, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Bald tires!The Wulfstat Brothers better get some new tires soon, the cords are showing on that rear tire! Hey buddy!I'm taking a picture here! Cab OversIn the center of the photo there are a trio of cab-overs. Could these be Autocars from the later 20's/early 30's? The Trucks Are Long GoneI drive past these buildings on the way to work. They have been converted to condos. This area is known as University Village, just south of the University of Illinois at Chicago. As a former truck driverIn a truck with power steering, modern air brakes, 500 horsepower and a/c, I wonder what it was like to drive one of these, especially the semi on the right. Safety FirstNo right side mirrors, tiny left side mirrors make lane changes a crapshoot, but reinforce the back to the left rule. Suicide DoorsI don't know the make, but unit #110 of Green Bay Chicago Lines has suicide doors. I've never seen those on a truck tractor before. Comment for Glocke380The last company I drove for back in the '90s before disability claimed me offered us as drivers when our trucks needed replacing the choice of either power steering or air conditioning. I drove the night shift from 6PM to 6AM in a tanker carrying 80000 pounds when full and weighing about 27000 empty. The day driver with whom I shared the tractor wanted power steering so that is what we ended up with. The units without power steering had a steering wheel over 2.5 feet in diameter. The new fangled power steering made keeping the shiny side up very easy and you didn't have to be Charles Atlas to drive it. Six months after we got our new tractor, the company changed the replacement program to all new units had power steering and air conditioning. Because of my day driver's seniority (he had been driving for them since 1971 when he came home from the Army. We thought we had died and gone to heaven! As for that kind of tractor in the picture, cab overs are very hard on you ride wise but steer quickly. I drove a cab over with a sleeper when I drove over the road before the gas tanker job. You have to pay very close attention because they tend to oversteer and can go into the ditch very easily if you get distracted. Driving big trucks - the best job I ever had till I couldn't do it anymore. Too old and wore out now but it was great while it lasted. Ahhh Lackawana 9868Before there was Caller I.D., there was the telephone exchange. This is a term that must baffle those who know only touch tone, area code, star and pound. Back in the day in Baltimore the names which still reside in my memory are Calvert, Eastern, Broadway, Saratoga, Belmont and Orleans. Those were telephone exchanges -- actual neighborhood buildings where operators toiled to hand-connect wires on a switchboard. You knew if a girl gave you an Orleans number she lived around Belair Road or if it was Broadway than maybe she was a Fells Point girl (present Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski had that one) and Eastern ordinarily made her a Highlandtown girl. The present day strings of number have no romance or adventure but a number preceded by Plaza, Chesapeake or Belmont could only lead to fantastic fantasy. Like my SSN and USN service number my first phone number Orleans 5-1418 remains firmly in my databank. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, John Vachon)
Round Trip: 1942
... ride." 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Well-maintained... At ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/01/2010 - 6:06pm -

February 1942. "Brownsville, Texas. Carnival ride." 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Well-maintained...At least from what I can see in the photograph, that ride looks surprisingly well-maintained. Better than the ones I usually see these days. I wonder if it was well taken care of or if the ride just happens to be brand new at the time this was taken. The Best Ride!That would be so fun to ride! They have a ride similar to this at Cedar Point in Ohio. I don't know what the ride is called but it is fun! Also if you can can you find some old pictures of Cedar Point. Eyerly Aircraft Co. Fly-O-PlaneOne could manipulate a handle to make the planes roll. I don't think there are any of these rides in operation anymore. I think the last one was at Lake Winnie in Georgia. It might still be there. I've heard they were a real pain to maintain. Eyerly rides were popular from the late 1920s until the 1970s. Many can still be found at amusement parks today including the Loop-O-Plane, Rock-O-Plane, Octopus, Monster, and Spider. Think about the dateWhen you look at the date you have to think that at least some of the guys (there only seems to be one woman) riding would be hoping to be in the real thing in a few months or weeks. Or maybe the next day. NOT a Fly-O-Plane!What you are looking at there is a Frank Hrubetz "Spitfire". I've never seen one in person, but I have been told that the original Paratrooper was built on a Spitfire center, and that any remaining Spitfires have all been converted to Paratroopers. Given my experience on the Fly-O-Plane at Lake Winnie, I'm willing to bet the Spitfire was at least as unpleasant, and it is probably a much better ride as a Paratrooper. Spitfire memoriesThis ride is definitely the Spitfire manufactured by Frank Hrubetz of Salem, Oregon, and introduced in 1939. There were 10 planes around a big 45 degree inclined wheel mounted on a central upright pole. It was named after the successful British fighter plane used in WW2. Hrubetz was somehow related to the Eyerlys, who had a ride company across the street. When he came out with the ride, there was quite a stir in the family because Eyerly had come out with their somewhat similar ride (without the inclined wheel) called a Fly-O-Plane three years earlier. I remember the Spitfire well and was about 6 or 7 when I first rode it at the Wapello (Iowa) Homecoming in the early to mid-1950s. It was the most daring ride (downright scary) I had been on and very noisy (gas engine would backfire). The ride could be rough or more gentle depending on the operator and the rider! Some operators did not follow instructions and really revved up the speed of the big wheel and made this ride go much faster than it was supposed to. Riders could change the angle of the wings and you could not only fly upside down, but go into a series of barrel rolls -- talk about "upchuck city"! The ride was plagued with loading problems. On the original, the floor of the plane swung down and the rider used rung-like ladder steps to climb up into a seat with seat-belt. They then tried loading from a door on the side, but it meant moving a set of stairs each time the ride was stopped. In the early '50s the design of the planes was changed to make them look more modern, but the idea of a Paratrooper ride was becoming more popular and when Hrubetz came out with a self-contained version of the Paratrooper, that was the end of the Spitfire. Many Spitfire rides were retrofitted and became Paratrooper rides. The Paratrooper, in my opinion, is a lot tamer ride. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Aviation)
Porksicle: 1940
... be done here. This co-op received a $4,500 loan from the Farm Security Administration." Photo by John Vachon. View full size. Body ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/05/2019 - 6:46pm -

October 1940. "Cooperative cold storage lockers in Casselton, North Dakota, where farmers bring their own butchered pigs. Next year butchering will be done here. This co-op received a $4,500 loan from the Farm Security Administration." Photo by John Vachon. View full size. Body shop"My Pig has Been in an accident and I need a new Quarter Panel" On his day offWho knew that Ferris Bueller moonlighted as a butcher? Pyrofax Gas1960's Pyrofax Gas Company Advertising Salt & Pepper Shaker. And look here for the Pyrofax Gas Cook Book, with more than sixty of the best recipes submitted by "PROFAX" Gas Users from all over the country. (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Vachon, Small Towns)
Gone Visiting: 1939
... Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. composition a ridiculously beautiful composition. the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 12:35pm -

July 1939. "Sons of Negro tenant farmer go visiting on a Saturday afternoon." Granville County, North Carolina. View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. compositiona ridiculously beautiful composition. the story this pictures tells is marvelous! I rememberIf you had a pair of mules, you couldn't ride just one because they would be stubborn and act up if you tried to ride off without their mate. That is why I suspect there are two mules in this picture. And you could get awfully sore "you know where" from riding these things too unless you had a saddle or blanket or something for a cushion. That sure is some hardscrabble land to try to make a farm out of too...I wonder what types of crops they farmed. Rocks in a RowThe intentional placement of those rocks in a row suggests they were intended to mark some kind of boundary, but of what? I've seen photos of military bases where rocks would be arranged along the walkways to the barracks. Some were even whitewashed. And rocks were often used to outline flower beds. Whatever the reason, it demonstrates some pride of place on the part of the tenant farmer. Type of cropsMost likely they grew tobacco. That's the only real cash crop that was grown in the region. Too far north for cotton and soy beans and peanuts came later. For the record, it's actually very good farm land in that area. The picture give a bad impression. I used to work in Granville Co. You wouldn't recognize the place now. Most of the farmland has gone wild and the deer are so numerous that it's almost impossible to drive at night during the rutting season. I don't want to start a political argument, but I have to scratch my head when I hear how we're "destroying the environment". You couldn't prove it by Granville Co, or much of rural North Carolina for that matter. Stunning.Stunning. (The Gallery, Horses, Landscapes, Rural America)
Black Earth: 1941
... Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A matter of perspective ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/20/2020 - 12:45pm -

August 1941. "Farmer at Black Earth, Wisconsin." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A matter of perspectiveThis photo reminds me of one of those rooms in a science museum (or fun house) that demonstrate perspective. The guy on the right is actually the same size as the others, he's just sitting on smaller steps. Iron RangersMade in Red Wing, Minnesota, since 1905. Pretty sure that’s what our farmer on the right is wearing. Darn good boots. Suspendered in timeWhen galluses ruled the world. Conveniently locatedToday, most folks go to Black Earth to visit the Shoe Box, "the Midwest's largest shoe store." About twenty miles west on Route 14 is Spring Green, home of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin. Definitely worth a visit. I used to live in Mount Horeb, ten miles south of Black Earth. Big and Tall Shop Needed?The guy on the right appears to be vertically endowed and he has broad shoulders too. HandsLook at their hands. They are hands that know work. Not a very common sight anymore. But go to most any farm, construction or logging site or blacksmith, woodshop, you can still see them. Right or wrong, I've judged a man's worth by his hands. I know a lot of people don't have jobs that make their hands rough but it does tell you something. And rough hands on a woman can tell you a lot as well. My guess5'4", 5'2", 6'5". A recent hand injury won't keep our giant farmer from doing what he's got to do. Dirt collectorsI know it was the practice to roll up your pants cuffs back then, but if you had any kind of job that involved dirt, dust, chips or chaff you had to empty them out at the end of the day. Size of the matterTwo very small men or one very large man? (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Vachon)
Big Mama: 1940
... Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Respect Your Elders Why ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2020 - 1:21pm -

April 1940. "Resident of riverfront shacktown. Dubuque, Iowa." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Respect Your EldersWhy make her weight the subject of your caption? She looked like a nice lady who deserves our respect. [There's nothing wrong with being big. And that's the title, not the caption. - Dave] And her little dog, tooCute little dog behind the pump. The woman may be full-figured but it looks like she keeps the place as clean and tidy as she can, despite the fact it looks like it was nailed together with scraps of wood and a prayer. In fact, I bet she was self-sufficient in a whole lot of ways. Well bless her heartShe may be a big girl, but I bet she birthed a passel of kids, could fry up a batch of chicken that would melt in your mouth, grew her own vegetables and ran her farm like a boss. Historical ImaginationSad empathy is a little misguided in all these cases - it's home and it's just where you live, and you keep it clean or not just based on what interests you. I spent every childhood summer vacation in a mountain cabin built in the 1890s, no electricity, water from a brook, with many of the same contents that these houses have. You just kind of factor it into life. A dog would have been nice. Sweet old ladyI think we’ve found our new syrup mascot! Hoo boy.A glimpse of what would, in 80 years, become pretty common. And still in businessThe Carborundum Company that papered her house is still going strong, just like she was. I wonder what kind of abrasives came wrapped in it? [The paper itself (Carborundum Garnet sandpaper) is the abrasive. - Dave] View full sizeYes, I do. What is that thing?Cute little pup has probably never seen a camera before. (The Gallery, Dogs, John Vachon, Portraits)
Bustling Brattleboro: 1941
... Vermont." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Buildings remain - People, not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2019 - 4:13pm -

July 1941. "The main street in Brattleboro, Vermont." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Buildings remain - People, not so muchWhat a vibrant town! The same street today is pleasant, but can't match the street in 1941. Still a going concernThe theater is still operating under the same name. Lipstick on a ...1938 Ford Standard Fordor dead center. Someone bought the cheapest Ford possible and put whitewall tires on her. Is the ragtop five cars up a Lincoln Continental? Old stomping groundsBrattleboro was my go-to party town after they raised the drinking age in RI to 19, a month before my 18th birthday. Crash pad, the Molly Stark Motel! Car Experts --I know there will be a lot of ID comments but help me out on the number two and three on the left, the first with left side fenders showing. Front one I have seen before with those squared headlights, and the one behind with the headlights that look like a pear cut diamond having a "V" (for V-8 let's say) on the left front fender. First time I've noticed a badge on the front fender. Mystery CarsThe car with the squarish headlights is a 1939 Plymouth, while the one behind it with the teardrop headlights is a 1938 Hudson. The Hudson "V" emblem appearing on the front fender morphed on later models into a red triangle. [The red triangle is on the Hudson in our photo, at the top of the grille. - Dave] Nice shineAm really jealous of the deep shine on a few of the cars on the left. It seems I have often owned a car like the one across the street that has been used for target practice by the local birds. Fireproof! What a selling point!!Hotel Latchis celebrates being a fireproof hotel -- what a different time. Creative ParkingTwo 90-degree nose-ins; the top one appears to be blocking the truck. Vehicle IDsFifth car on left is a 1940 Pontiac station wagon with fender-well spare tire. On the far right is a 1934 REO pickup truck and to its rear is a 1934 Auburn. The 1933 model BBV8 Ford in the middle probably started out as a dump truck, now a flatbed with something overhanging the driver's side. Latchis TheatreAs a five year old boy living in West Townshend, Vermont I would go with my parents for a weekly trip to Brattleboro to buy groceries and other do other shopping. We went to the movies at the Latchis Theatre on a few occasions. It was very ornate inside ("Greco Deco" according to them) and is still in business today: https://latchistheatre.com/aboutus/ Road TripDowntown Brattleboro Historic District Pick up on blusun's Google View and learn the history of this bustling downtown as you go up the street to Amedeo de Angelis. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, Movies, Small Towns)
Where the Grapefruit Grow: 1937
... size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. She's beautiful. She's beautiful. A ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 11:41am -

January 1937. "Part of the family of a migrant fruit worker from Tennessee, camped near the packinghouse in Winter Haven, Florida." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. She's beautiful.She's beautiful. A thought while working on a new ProjectWorking on "The Face of the Great Depression II" ... just too many visual stories to ignore .. but .. what I am finding interesting is that for less than a 100 year span, this nation endured a civil war, the First World War, the flu pandemic which killed 50 to 100 million worldwide and some 500,000 to 675,000 here in the United States, a Dust Bowl that decimated the farm economy and forced 100s of thousands to lose everything and become part of one of the largest migratory moments in history, concurrent with the Great Depression that was quite honestly the icing on the cake. Oh, yes then the was World War Two, and the Korean War ... all that in less than 100 years ... Yet this nation and her people persevered, rebounded, rebuilt and became stronger for it all, we were the idol of the rest of the world ... Since 1960 .... what ... we're still trying to figure out who to blame. Yep .. we are without doubt .. C.T.D. Rock on America Better late than neverAs someone who fired groves, picked citrus, pruned trees and worked for two weeks in a packing house in Winter Haven before it closed for the season, I sympathize with the young boy's feelings. I suspect this was near the Snively Groves packing house in Eloise, where dirt poor white agricultural workers lived even in the 60's. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Arthur Rothstein, Florida, Kids)
All-American: 1939
... 35mm color transparency by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. God has blessed America ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2020 - 10:11am -

        UPDATE: As noted by our astute commenters, the store shown here is now the home of Bill Green's restaurant, Gullah Grub. July 4, 1939. "A Fourth of July celebration. St. Helena Island, South Carolina." 35mm color transparency by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. God has blessed AmericaWith countless fine and brave patriotic citizens who, together, regardless of personal cost, have made her a great nation. Long may Old Glory wave. USAThere's little doubt that many pictured here had grandparents and great-grandparents who were forced into the unconscionable and obscene act of slavery. Yet they're all dressed up in their finest duds to pay their respects to that same country's (their country's) important holiday. Pure class. Here's hoping the Good Lord blessed them all! Thin and trimA similar photo taken today would show that among other things, Americans have put on a lot of weight in the last 80 years. Hear hear!One of the best pictures I’ve ever seen on Shorpy. Thank you The buildingThis pic was taken at Frogmore. The building is at the intersection of the Sea Island Parkway (Highway 21) and State Road S-7-45 (Land's End Road). I lived on Ladys Island a few miles from here and passed this spot many times on my way to the beach at Hunting Island State Park. The family that owned it for many years operated a general store on the ground level and lived upstairs. I went to school with the kids who lived there and visited them several times in their living quarters. At that time, late 1950s-early '60s, there was an outside stairway to the upper level on the left side of the building, which is now a restaurant. Marvels of AmericaThere are so many things I don’t know about the USA. For instance, if someone showed me this photo, without the flag, and asked me where I thought it was, I might guess Trinidad. An island in South Carolina? Okay, and add that to my long list of unknown items about America. Great choice for a photo, Dave, and happy national day to all of you south of the world’s longest land border from someone north of that line. What a Great Picture!I just love the color transparencies from the 1930s and '40s! This is Frogmore... at U.S. 21 on St. Helena Island. The building is now a restaurant: Gullah Grub. Table for two, please!This is Bill Green's restaurant, Gullah Grub, as noted below. Check his cooking shows on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgBm3akYTRQ The Gullah culture was well-represented on Amelia Island, where I'm from, and I loved to listen to the folks talk. And their food was AMAZING! July 4th, 1939This photo is a masterpiece. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Gas Stations, July 4, M.P. Wolcott, Patriotic)
Howard Stove Works: 1941
... Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A fire waiting to happen Looks quite ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2022 - 4:15pm -

January 1941. "Inside the abandoned Howard Stove Works, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A fire waiting to happenLooks quite combustible. That said, I'd still like to explore it! Ahh, The good old daysToday the asbestos remediation would require the whole building be wrapped in plastic and the photographer wear a hazmat suit. Stoved upWhat a mess. Surely there is still a great deal there of at least some value? How about a yard sale, or an auction? Cleanup on aisle three. Chop chop! (The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano)
Pantry Pride: 1941
November 1941. "Mrs. Buck Grant, Farm Security Administration client, with her canned goods. Near Woodville, Georgia." Photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/22/2019 - 8:19pm -

November 1941. "Mrs. Buck Grant, Farm Security Administration client, with her canned goods. Near Woodville, Georgia." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Canning vs drySome folks might say that canning the beans helps retain more of the freshness, flavor and nutrients. And the canned beans are indeed more convenient since the beans are basically cooked in the canning process. Dry butter beans would be available in the fall, some to be used for cooking, and some as seeds for next year's planting. Nowadays, I store them fresh frozen from the garden! The Bare NecessitiesLooks like Mrs. Grant is well prepared for the winter and should be proud of her "stash" of canned fruits, veggies, and pickles. At that time, living in the country with little other way to preserve the harvest, canning was more of a necessity than a hobby. That cupboard of jars represents a lot of hot, hard work. Those were the daysWhen prepping was a necessity and a way of life, not an urbanite affectation. Justifiably proud!So many big jars! I'd smile like that, too, seeing the volume and variety of things she's canned, or, as we used to say, "put up". I spent summers in the late '60s with my grandparents in East Texas, and I would help my grandmother can vegetables in her kitchen, and sit in her backyard to string green beans and shell peas and butter beans from her large garden. Things that needed to stay frozen, like corn, were carried to the local locker plant, that was owned by our cousins. A winning smileShe seems to be suppressing a very cute and winning smile. Wow ... think about all the work that went into the bounty in that cupboard! Impressive inventoryThe investment in jars and lids looks substantial, but it should pay off by providing sustenance for this family through the winter. CannyI must say how much I am adoring these canning photos. The people who did the work are justifiably proud. Some of the jars are both fascinating and beautiful, such as the pickles on the left, second from the bottom. I wish someone would do the ID on all the contents, as the trusty Shorpy commenters do with trains and cars. That brings back memoriesWe had a walk-in pantry in our basement filled with shelves of canned vegetables and fruit in canning jars from our garden. My mother worked non-stop from summer to fall making sure that had enough food for winter and spring. ImpressiveA nice supply of goodies. And such large jars. I made thisIf I can read the lady's face, the expression seems to show her pleasure from having worked hard to produce a thing of value. Top ShelfI'm gonna go with okra on the top shelf. Best guess below that is turnips (purple top white globes). Middle shelf on the left might be plain cabbage, with butter beans (Henderson's?) on the right. Fourth shelf down pickles, of course, with beets(?) on the right near her hand. Bottom shelf looks like more turnips. And that is how you survived the Great Depression. What canned goods are missing and probably in another pantry? (Definitely string beans! Probably some collards or mustard greens.) 14 mouths to feedAccording to census records, in 1910 Mr. and Mrs. Grant had been married a year and had no children. The 1940 Census shows they were parents to eight girls and four boys. A Thing of BeautyI would be proud too! I have a question for the experienced canners : why can butter beans? It seems like the dried version would last just as long or longer? (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kitchens etc., Rural America)
Sky Chief: 1942
... Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Die and pay taxes Taxes ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/23/2022 - 1:22pm -

May 1942. "Gothenburg, Nebraska. Gas station and grain elevator." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Die and pay taxes Taxes paid ... twenty-two cents on one tank and twenty cents on the other. Today that wouldn't pay the taxes on the taxes on the taxes. After Inflation Adjustment20 cents is $3.45 today. So until very recently, gas was relatively cheap today. Razed the roofsIt's gone, now. From 2008: Not goneI don't think it is completely gone. If you swing the google pic around, there is a Sinclair station where the old Texaco was. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Gas Stations, John Vachon, Railroads, Small Towns)
Attention Honeymooners: 1939
... by Herbert Mayer in Virginia and Maine and residing in the Farm Security Administration archive at the Library of Congress, and its cryptic ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/14/2013 - 8:46am -

From August 1939 comes this unlabeled negative, one of a series of pictures taken by Herbert Mayer in Virginia and Maine and residing in the Farm Security Administration archive at the Library of Congress, and its cryptic message. Honi soit qui mal y pense: Happy Valentine's Day from Shorpy! View full size. No Thanks, Mr. GilbertI think if I was on my honeymoon I'd let Hollywood icon John Gilbert keep his bed while the missus and I got our own. Thanks for the offer though. And I do speak French and I do think evil of your offer. News item: Aug. 26, 1936 An old saying."Evil be to him who evil thinks." John GilbertAnother Rudolph Valentino-esque silent film star, John Gilbert died an alcoholic a few years before this photo was taken, but when the sign was painted he would have been one of the leading men of his era. He was blacklisted by Louis Mayer after a fight between the two at Gilbert's (planned) double wedding, where he would have married Greta Garbo (who jilted him at the alter) while one of Mayer's leading directors, King Vidor, married his on bride, in what would have been a blockbuster event. Sad tail of one of the early great romantic leads in Hollywood. [The rest of him sounds sad, too. - Dave] Into the WoodsIn the late 1940s, my parents, with me in tow, spent several Summer sojourns at the Summit. Being but a tad at the time, my recollections now are somewhat sparse -- mainly the nice lady who ran the gift shop and let me play (carefully) with some of the toys, my first taste of honeydew melon in the restaurant, some time in the swimming pool, finding the odd golf tee whilst rambling on the golf course. Oh, and attempting to ride the messenger's bike down the toboggan run. I'm sure my parents found other attractions to the place, though decency militates against my contemplating them. With the Internet, I could probably find out almost instantly what ever became of the place, but I prefer to remember it as it was then: a renowned haven for harried city dwellers (and apparently the repository for some of a failed actor's furniture). The Summit Hotel and John Gilbert's BedFrom The National Road in Pennsylvania, pp. 54-55 (available in Google Books) By Cassandra Vivian (Arcadia, 2003): The Summit Hotel Caption from post card on page: Summit Hotel, Golf and Country Club, (above the clouds) Uniontown, PA "Sitting atop Chestnut Ridge (the south side), the Spanish mission-style of Mount Summit Inn was once famous as a honeymoon hotel (actor John Gilbert's bed is in its honeymoon suite). It was built in 1900 of native mountain stone to accommodate the tourists of the automobile era. The view is spectacular during all seasons of the year, and a huge veranda surrounds the hotel." There are additional postcards and text in the adjoining pages. A billboard so naughty... they had to say it in French. They forgot to mentionHourly rates. Mail PouchMail Pouch would paint your whole barn free in return for the ad space, not just part of it. The bedHere's a postcard of the room. [But steer clear of the Lupe Velez bathroom. - tterrace] The photographerThe photographer was my great uncle. He owned a lumber company in Virginia, not sure how his photograph got into the archives. Someone needs to relearnFrench because the direct translation of 'Honi soit qui mal y pense' is 'evil be to him who evil thinks' buuuut if it is actually Latin it's more along the lines of 'Evil is not welcome'. Side note... "honi" should be "Honni" [It's archaic, not modern French, and appropriate for the historical context of the phrase. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Valentine's Day)
Log Train Running: 1941
... Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hardpack Harvest No doubt ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/08/2022 - 4:52pm -

July 1941. "Logging train. Spalding Junction, Nez Perce County, Idaho." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hardpack HarvestNo doubt headed to Yakima, to be turned into apples and nickels. You don't know what you've got 'till it's goneLots of big, old-growth logs on their way to the mill. I think I can make out ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, and possibly some western larch and western white pine. Some of those logs, though -- probably the tops of larger trees -- look like they barely make sawlog size (generally 9 inches, I think). Heading west toward Lewiston along the Clearwater RiverTaken from the bridge on Johnson Road, which is now closed to traffic, so no Google Street view. But here's the spot: The DoobiesNo doubt headed to China Grove! (The Gallery, Landscapes, Railroads, Russell Lee)
Harrowed Ground: 1941
... Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Excellent title! Driving on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/28/2022 - 12:02pm -

July 1941. "Harrowing summer fallow (wheat land). Nez Perce County, Idaho." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Excellent title!Driving on that slope might be a harrowing experience! I don't see a church nearby or a graveyard, and it is impolite to make fun of certain accents ... so what else can I say? Herro? Goombye. Not a harrow fallsI am trying to figure out where Russell Lee was perched in order to get this fabulous shot. Looks mysterious and oddly compelling ... like a great whale surfacing to have a look around. Not, I'm sure, what the harrower was thinking as he harrowed. Easy now, but later --The set of harrows offer a low center of gravity. Imagine pulling a combine on those sidehills, especially when it wants to track downhill behind the tractor. My maternal grandfatherA man so loathsome neither my mother nor her sisters ever spoke of him, and whose name doesn't appear in the obits of his widow or four daughters, died doing just what this guy is attempting, navigating a tractor on a steep embankment. In my grandfather's case it was a weedy hillside on his central Pennsylvania property. The tractor overturned and crushed him to death. I never met the guy and the only photo any of us have came from the news article in the Mifflin county paper following his accident. It shows the tractor on it's side with his feet stuck out from under it, a death not unlike that of the Wicked Witch of the East of Oz fame. My grandmother, who I don't believe I ever met either, and who spoke not a word of English, managed to raise four pretty remarkable women on the money she earned taking in laundry and doing clothes alterations and repairs. God rest all their souls. I'm hoping the driver of the tractor in Russell Lee's photo never met a similar fate. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Landscapes, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Service Man: 1940
... Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I’m from Michigan. Thanks ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/27/2019 - 2:34pm -

July 1940. "Gas station attendant. Millburg, Michigan." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I’m from Michigan.Thanks Shorpy for a glimpse of the past. I love this photo! That peanut machine!Back in my (very small) hometown the Chevy dealer had that same peanut machine sitting on a counter by the front door. It cost a penny! And since I used to pick up my newspapers for delivery there (they were dropped off by the Greyhound bus) I would regularly feed that machine. Occasionally something inside would break and you could get hit that lever for as many times as you wanted and fill your hand with Spanish peanuts. Consider thisIf you have time to lean, you have time to clean. Mirror, mirror on the wallStrategically placed to ensure that bowtie is straight. Nowadays you would need a gas check and a confined space permit to enter this place if it was in an industrial setting. 1940My parents were born that year. They'll turn 80 in 2020. Looks like Elizabeth Bishop had it right... in her poem 'Filling Station': Oh, but it is dirty! --this little filling station, oil-soaked, oil-permeated to a disturbing, over-all black translucency. Be careful with that match! What is it?Gentlemen, what is a "telephone directory"? Did it direct you to the nearest telephone? And if it did, what exactly is a "telephone"? Now THAT's a gas station attendant!That is the most "at your service" kind of guy you could ever have ask the timeless full-service question, "Check under the hood for you, ma'am?" Any non-serious motor car need you might have is no challenge for this cat and his immediate surroundings. Just pull up, and let him ask the questions. Fill 'er up? Check under the hood? Left front looks a wee bit low, let me check the pressure for you. As one who used to pump Ethyl, at a Mobil station off I-70 mind you, the regular customers knew I would answer all those questions without ever asking them, and I would wash the windshield because that's just what you did at the full service pumps. Today, I challenge you to find a full service drive at any gas station. It's a true slice of Americana that I feel proud to have been a part of, albeit the last wave of such a service that is all but extinct these days. I think I'm going to have some T-shirts made that say "I pumped Ethyl," and see if anyone under the age of 60 buys one. Happy New Year to Dave and band of Shorpy. I love what you guys do! Be well, everyone! Rough around the edgesThis guy will never find himself singing and dancing in the opening sequence of the Ed Wynn or Milton Berle shows. The Spirit of CommunicationThat archangel clutching thunderbolts and wrapped in cables was called the "Spirit of Communication" and was used by Bell from the 1930s and well into the late 1950s as seen on this phone directory from Cameron, Texas. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, John Vachon)
Wapato Ennui: 1939
... near Wapato. One of Chris Adolph's younger children. Farm Security Administration Rehabilitation clients." August 1939. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2009 - 2:43am -

"Washington, Yakima Valley, near Wapato. One of Chris Adolph's younger children. Farm Security Administration Rehabilitation clients." August 1939. View full size. Photograph by Dorothea Lange. WowThis is by far the most moving, beautiful photo I've seen in a long time. Thank you for posting it. [And thank you for commenting it. Please spread the word! You might also like this one. - Dave] I agree. This moving photoI agree. This moving photo is so sad. The girl in the picture looks so resigned to her fate.Likes she's already given in. Yakima ValleyI'm going to ask my father about that settlement. He and my grandparents moved from Wisconsin to Yakima in '31. Wapato girlThis photo appeared on the cover of the first edition of Dorothy Allison's "Bastard Out of Carolina." Look at herThis child is gorgeous, look at her. There was no hair care, or skin care, or air conditioning....or much anything elsee. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Kids)
Entourage: 1941
... Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Grimacing Judge, and who? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/07/2020 - 1:39pm -

March 1941. "Rustburg, Virginia. Judge of local court on right." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Grimacing Judge, and who?That judge does not look like one I'd like to face. But who is the gentleman on the left? I must say, black lives matter, and ignoring him is greatly insulting in these times. A fair trial. Followed by a first class hanging. That's my promise. Somehow I knew... that the judge was the guy on the right. However, the guy on the left has a dignified and confident bearing that says, “In another time and place, I, too, might be a judge.” The real power in RustburgI covered county government in Campbell County, VA, for two years when I edited a weekly newspaper there in the mid-'70s. The county seat was Rustburg, and I learned in my two years that the most powerful person in the county was the circuit court clerk, a constitutional officer who served an eight-year term. I bet the guy on the right approached whoever held that job in 1941 with hat in hand. Totally tubularWhoever last repaired that cathedral radio didn't bother to reattach the masonite back panel. Probably hereThis matching wall and window are directly across the street from the old courthouse. ΦΒΚLooks like a Phi Beta Kappa key on the waist chain of the guy on the right. The Clothes Make the ManIt's been said that you can always tell the stature of a man by his shoes. Take a look at the difference here. A TieSartorially, I'd say it's a pretty evenly matched pair of dudes. Grapette The Grapette poster that has fallen down in the window would not be very old, as the company only started marketing it in 1940. Read the Wikipedia article on Grapette - interesting story that continues today. Grapette ScienceIn 1958, I conducted an experiment involving a six-year-old boy with access to a 24-bottle case of chilled Grapette. I discovered that drinking five Grapettes in thirty minutes would make that boy throw up. On the shelfThat's the back side of a cathedral radio facing toward the window. I couldn't say which, but judging by the style, it would have been about 5-10 years old when this photo was taken. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Small Towns)
Windows on the World: 1938
... Street." Where Camels agree! Photo by Sheldon Dick for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Mooners Over Manhattan ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/18/2019 - 9:56am -

New York, 1938. "A scene on East 62nd Street." Where Camels agree! Photo by Sheldon Dick for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Mooners Over ManhattanRalph, Alice, Ed and Trixie would probably take umbrage at these comments. They lived at 328 Chauncey Street, in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. East 63rd Street in Manhattan is a world away from Brooklyn, especially in the days of the Honeymooners. 314 East 62nd StreetStill there today. The store, although next door, is 304 East 62nd. A/C Then and NowThen - open your windows. If you're lucky, turn on an electric fan. Now - turn on the air conditioner. For a similar view, check out this photo by Virginia Vivian Maier. She documented street life in New York in the 1950s. You can read the incredible story of her life and view more photos here. Bang! Zoom!Looks like Ralph and Alice Kramden could have lived here. GentrificationHave things changed a great deal on E. 62nd in the Big Apple? Let's just say you would be hard pressed to find the kind of crowd seen above and any more of the cold water walkup flats that Ralph and Alice Kramden would have felt at home in. Pensive WomenTwo ladies (?) at the windows with all but identical poses. DetailsI see a young Babe Ruth, woman being attacked by a cat, huge turkey on a cart, wet street with dry sidewalk, and a naked boy shooting dice. Scared MeWhen I first saw this picture I noticed what appears to be legs dangling from the back of the cart. It reminded me of a Monty Python sketch during the Black Plague where the ones hauling the cart are chanting, "Bring out your dead, Bring out your dead." I had to look two or three times and finally decided that the legs belong to the lady in the black hat behind the cart. It still looks weird to me. Pictures I loveThese are the Shorpy pictures I really appreciate. 13 people in view, each with their own story. Then you LOOK at the surroundings -- and even more stories. The car. The cart. The cat in the window. The laundry hanging out to dry. Rug or rag?Someone must do a lot of floor pacing. Great pictureThis picture has all of the earmarks of an Alfred Hitchcock movie! Intrigue, mystery romance, loneliness and suspense. Rear Window, maybe? Physical Graffiti? Reminds me of the cover of a Led Zeppelin album. (The Gallery, NYC, Sheldon Dick, Stores & Markets)
Essolene: 1939
... Ranch general store. Chicot, Arkansas. Leased by the Farm Security Administration and subleased to its client." With your choice of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/12/2012 - 12:55pm -

January 1939. "Hammond Ranch general store. Chicot, Arkansas. Leased by the Farm Security Administration and subleased to its client." With your choice of traditional or newfangled gas pump. Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Mansfield TiresI see the partially obscured sign for Mansfield Tires, made for many years in my hometown of Mansfield, Ohio. My great aunt and her brother my great uncle both worked there. Dental SnuffInvented by a Dentist to sweeten the chewer's breath. Available in regular or Scotch. Visible Gas PumpsThese held on long after they were technologically superannuated because folks in rural areas didn't trust either the quantity or the quality of fuel they couldn't see before it entered their car's tank. I recall my grand-uncle, the proprietor and pump jockey at a general store in rural Ohio, complaining that the store's gasoline distributor was trying to foist one of those new-fangled "invisible" pumps on the store. Being about three years old at the time, I marvelled at the idea of a machine that no one could see, and still recall my mental image of farmers blundering around in front of the general store, arms outstretched like Karloff in "Frankenstein," hoping to bump into the invisible pump so they could fill up. Observation on another topic: you know that snuff dipping is firmly entrenched in a community when there are three brands advertised on the outside of the general store! Ramon's Pink PillsGood for just about anything that ailed ya! HazardI wonder if any kids ever played around that air compressor and got their fingers or arms in the belt when it kicked on. Railroad TracksNot much left to Chicot, Arkansas these days in terms of even a single filling station or store, and the railroad tracks are long gone, however when I traced where the railroad would have been from a satellite view, it did appear from the fuzzy image and shadow, that an iron railroad bridge still crosses the river near there. Colorized VersionPhotojacker, that is a heck of a job. Yes, the Coca-Cola signs are perfect. One of them being in shadow made that a challenge, I suppose, but you nailed them. What I'm most impressed with, though, are the lower portions of the gas pumps. Those are totally convincing. I have to wonder why snuff was so popular back in those days. In college, I surrendered and gave it a try. It certainly wasn't something I enjoyed and I decided that it wasn't for me!!! --Jim Love those signsMy attempt at colorizing the image. Thanks to all the commenters who put up good colour references, I managed to source the rest myself and was particularly pleased with the Coca Cola signs. For the roof, I didn't want to go overboard with the rust. Enjoy. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
No Money, Ten Children: 1937
... Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. No Money, 10 Kids You'd think maybe the guy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 12:38pm -

March 1937. Stalled in the Southern California desert. "No money, ten children. From Chickasaw, Oklahoma." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. No Money, 10 KidsYou'd think maybe the guy with the camera could help him out. [That would be the gal with the camera. I've wondered about that too. - Dave] Stranded FamilyI would give anything to know what became of them. Stranded OkieThe composition here is epic. I feel like there's an entire novel conveyed in this one image. Compassionate, not "Immune"Ms. Lange stopped beside a car full of children that had stalled in a waterless desert. Anybody who stops for a stalled car is stopping to help in some way. At the very least she would carry the news to the next town that there were ten children and their parents stuck in the desert. It's easy to imagine that if she had any money at all to spare, she gave some to this family. (Wouldn't you?) These people were not in the safety of a migrant labor camp. They were stuck in the middle of nowhere. It is obvious from Ms. Lange's photographs that she was not "immune to poverty." She chose to document the suffering and the humanity of people in poverty. She must have had a good rapport with her subjects, or else their faces would not be so expressive. See myhero.com (http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=d_lange ) for a short biographical essay that stresses her sensitivity and compassion. See also the Wikipedia article about her (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_Lange). "Immune to poverty" is exactly what she was not. DorotheaLange was contracted to this work from 1935. I suppose she was quite immune to poverty by that time. GivingYou know, in those days it wasn't easy to give money to a man like that. Most people wouldn't accept charity. It was considered an admission of failure, defeat. He might have accepted a loan. If he did, I'm willing to bet he paid it off with the first money he came by after feeding his kids. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, On the Road)
Beer Boulevard: 1938
... to dodge some traffic.) Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Doo-Kane Recently heard a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/26/2017 - 12:49pm -

July 1938. "Main street (Franklin Avenue) in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania." Which you don't even have to cross if you're in the mood for a Duquesne. (If you're thirsty for an Iron City or Union Beer, you might have to dodge some traffic.) Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Doo-KaneRecently heard a local newscaster in Erie Pa say "Doo Qwes Nee" There goes the neighborhoodThis is a case of the entire neighborhood disappearing over time. The Joseph Building seen at the end of the street still exists as a shell on the Google Street View images, but the White Castle "clone" next to it and nearly every other structure in this picture is long gone, buried under a highway project. Those were the daysWhen this photo was taken, Aliquippa was home to a Jones & Laughlin steel plant. It closed -- I think -- in the late 1970s. In the early 2000s, I used to ride the 16A Aliquippa bus into Pittsburgh. That's probably an early version of the 16A in the old photo. ConstitutionalThe year before this photo was taken, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Co. that the Wagner Act (formally the National Labor Relations Act) was constitutional. The case arose from the Aliquippa steel mill's termination of workers for unionizing. The decision was one of two in early spring 1937 that signaled President Roosevelt (and a switch by Justice Owen Roberts) had tipped the Court's balance toward generally upholding New Deal measures. The picture shows the "Wye" area of Aliquippa, where three major streets came together near the entrance to the tunnel serving as the vehicular entrance to the J&L mill. The name of the roadway whose overpass design devastated the intersection and surrounding areas (with help from the mill's ultimate demise) is Constitution Boulevard. J&L MillBoth of my grandfathers worked in the J&L Aliquippa Works, and my father worked there part-time while in college. My father took me to the mill once during a visit to Aliquippa when I was a boy and we happened to be there during a shift change. I have a vivid memory of what seemed to be hundreds of men entering and leaving the mill at the same time. Later that night, while trying to fall asleep in a guest bed at my grandparents' house, I saw the sky glow orange every so often in the direction of the mill, due to the round-the-clock operation of the open blast furnace. Ford countryL-R: 1931 model A Ford; 1937 V8 rear view; Ford signs and lamps. The only tractor available in 1938 was the English imported Fordson model N. This would change in 1939 with the introduction of the Ford 9N tractor featuring the Ferguson 3 point hitch system forever changing farming for the better. Ah, Duquesne!"Best beer in town!" I mean, you can't lie on a billboard, right? I saw J&L close.During 1981-84 I lived in Ambridge, directly across the river from J&L and witnessed it's final death throes. In 1981 the sky was yellow from the mill's output. By 1984 the sky was blue, J&L shuttered, and Aliquippa was becoming a ghost town. Ambridge is often seen on Shorpy, but I wish I had a photo of the row house we rented while in grad school. At one point in it's long history is was a house of ill repute and the entire interior had been painted pink. The closing of the mill was hard for everyone in the community. Odd topsWhat are the domes on top of the light poles? Victoria CoupeThe Victoria Coupe facing away from us, on the right side of the photo, is a 1934 or 1935 Buick - probably a Series 60, Model 68. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Small Towns)
St. Louis: 1940
... St. Louis, Missouri." 35mm negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. St. Louis Fountain The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2011 - 10:44am -

May 1940. "Fountain in front of Union Station, St. Louis, Missouri." 35mm negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. St. Louis FountainThe fountain is named "Meeting of the Waters" and was created by the noted Swedish sculptor Carl Milles in 1936. Meeting of the Waters FountainThe fountain is in Aloe Plaza, directly across from Union Station (behind the photographer). Sixty-eight years later, it's still there and just as beautiful. More information here. Union StationWe used to play in the Columbus fountain at Union Station and the waterfalls in Meridian Hill Park. My granma would sit and talk to the ladies. Peculiar thing, no matter where we went, my granma knew somebody. It's a wedding. Mazel tov!The artist's original title for this fountain was "The Wedding of the Waters." However, prominent St. Louis citizens/politicians thought that the use of the word "wedding" was inappropriate for such pagan images (mermaids & mermen). Thus the "official" name was changed to "The Meeting of the Waters." It's still one of my favorite spots to take photos. Ummm, those girls aren't there anymore, though. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Kids, St. Louis)
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