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

Best Friends: 1938
... Nebraska." 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Dog Point Here in the quail ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2017 - 9:24am -

November 1938. "Boy with dog. Omaha, Nebraska." 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Dog PointHere in the quail country of north Florida/southwest Georgia, that's a Bird Dog! Definitely a hound.Can any of you colorization gurus take a stab at this one? Methinks that dog is a bluetick. edit-EQ,you guys are right. I did some image searching. A boy and his dogThankfully, some things never change. Definitely not a houndThis dog is no bluetick, it's some kind of setter. To Settle the 'What Kind of Dog' MatterLooks like a "Curb Setter" to me! BondHow astute of Mr. Vachon to capture this simple moment of mutual affection. Bird DogI was thinking it looked like an English Setter. Shoe Shine?Even though you can only see a small corner of it, the boy appears to be sitting on a type of box used by shoe-shine boys - open at the bottom to hold shoe polish, brushes, etc. He also seems to be using a fire hydrant as a back rest. Definitely an English SetterAfter taking a closer look, I think the dog is definitely an English Setter. The hair on the chest looks like one of my dog's, and there are slight curly areas in the hindquarters. Not to mention the way he/she is looking at the boy, I have seen that look many times! Daddy And His Dog?I really had to do a doubletake at seeing this. I instantly thought of a photo of my father when he was a boy -- in Omaha. He would have been about 7-1/2 at that time, and this boy looks like he's a little older than that, but still ... It's hard to tell in my photo if the dog could be quite as multicolored as the dog in this Shorpy photo. Springer?He may also be a pet quality English Springer spaniel. (The Gallery, Dogs, John Vachon, Omaha)
Nightspot: 1941
... Chicago, Illinois." Safety negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Martin Dreadnaught! What I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 2:02pm -

April 1941. "Entertainers at South Side tavern. Chicago, Illinois." Safety negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Martin Dreadnaught!What I wouldn't give to have the guitar being played by the man in the center! Built by the C.F. Martin Company of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, it's a D-18. Hank Williams, Elvis, and other too numerous to mention played something similar. LonnieCould the guitarist on the right possibly be Lonnie Johnson? He'd have been 42 at the time, and was I believe based in Chicago in the early Forties. Looks a lot like him anyway. No reason for the photographer to know that he was snapping someone who'd played with Armstrong and Ellington, and is now seen as one of the great pioneers of blues/jazz guitar. The woman in the mirroris beautiful. I wonder if she's a partygoer or an employee? Sure wish we had sound with these pictures! The CrowdStylishly well dressed and enjoying the show. Classy Good TimesI don't think you can find places like this anymore where class and dignity upgrade the enjoyment of the music, cocktails and fun. I like the lady in the fedora in the back booth looking directly at the camera like she knows more than most and the elegance displayed by all the good company present. Don't know why, but it brings to mind a little-known song sung by LaVern Baker (born in Chicago in 1929) called "Saved" which is a real hoot with words something like "I used to smoke, I used to drink, I used to do the hootchy coo, but now I'm saved..." and there is a big Salvation Army drum booming in the background. I'll have to look that up and have another listen. Anyway, thank you Shorpy for the provacative photo, just another one of which takes me back to younger days. Chicago, Chicago, a toddlin' town... GuitarsThe guitar on the left is a 28 series Martin - you can tell by the white binding. It does look like a Dreadnought size, which surprises me. Man on the right has a Martin 00-21, which Lonnie Johnson played. LonnieMick H could be right. The resemblance to Lonnie Johnson is striking. [More Lonnie here. - Dave] Cool EleganceAs requested below ... A sampling of Lonnie Johnson's music from 1927-1947. I imagine he played one of these during a set. Ladies in hats and men including the musicians in suits and ties you just can't get gigs like that anymore. She's My Mary 1939 Two Tone Stomp 1928 Nothing But Trouble Have To Change Keys To Play These Blues 1928 Tomorrow Night 1948 Flood Water Blues 1937 Mean Old Bedbug Blues 1927 Swing Out Rhythm 1937 Playing With The Strings 1928 Jelly Roll Baker No More Troubles Now 1930 Guitar Blues 1929 Tomorrow Night 1947 Got The Blues For The West End 1937 Pleasing You As Long As I Live 1948 Blues In My Soul 1947 (The Gallery, Chicago, Eateries & Bars, Music, Russell Lee)
On the Road: 1939
... Medium format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. Travelin' Man No doubt he had many ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 2:43pm -

February 1939. Calipatria, Imperial Valley. Car on siding across tracks from pea packing plant. Twenty-five year old itinerant, originally from Oregon. "On the road eight years, all over the country, every state in the union, back and forth, pick up a job here and there, traveling all the time." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. Travelin' ManNo doubt he had many interesting stories to tell his grandchildren. Travelin' mansaddest picture I've seen in along while Riding the RailsI didn't get "sadness" from this one, unlike some of the of the other photos . . . . I see a train with no grafitti and a time when you could still ride the rails . . . . I love reading the different perceptions from people, as I said in a prior post, we see what we see. Travelin' ManI thought this picture captured the image of men in the 1930s. Thanks for posting these awesome pictures. Helped me out a ton. Illusion of civilityRiding the rails was very much illegal and dangerous in many ways. My grandfather, who was a brakeman on the Southern RR in the 1930s, had a co-worker who was killed by a desperate rider who thought he was going to be kicked off the train. After that, Granddad carried a revolver in his overalls (against all company rules, of course) until times got safer after World War II. Fruit trampsMy dad who died last year at 99 traveled this way from time to time chasing the fruit harvest. They called themselves "fruit tramps" and worked all over the West. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Railroads)
Brattleboro Blizzard: 1940
... blizzard." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. How Vermont Cities Change ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/08/2019 - 1:26pm -

March 1940. Brattleboro, Vermont. "Corner of Main Street, center of town after blizzard." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. How Vermont Cities ChangeThe gas station is a pocket park plus a florist shop. Montgomery Ward is a hardware store. Some of that green space has been taken over by a bank. The movie theatre has been replaced by a building with an interior decorator and a coffee shop. And because this is Shorpy, the picture was taken from a hotel (Hotel Brooks) which later caught fire. Fortunately, that building is still standing, and has its own wikipedia page. Pshaw!Wolcott calls that a blizzard? Not where I come from (Canada). And I see an umbrella. In winter! "Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls"This photo reminds me of the climax of "It's a Wonderful Life," when Jimmy Stewart runs through town, shouting, "Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls!" I believe Seneca Falls claims to be the inspiration for Bedford Falls, but Brattleboro has the same feel. BlehzzardI live an hour south of there and that ain't no blizzard. What -- 5 inches of snow on the roof? My guess is the photo was taken out a window or on the roof of the building at High and Main streets. Prosperity Reigns!Brattleboro must have been a prosperous community, if such can be judged by the high proportion of current or very late-model vehicles appearing here -- probably higher than would be the case in a similar automotive assemblage today. Then, again, in light of the year-to-year sameness of today's vehicles, how could we tell? Now Playing at the Auditorium"High School" starring Jane Withers, aka Josephine the Plumber. Mandatory Car IDOK, I give up. What is the car in the foreground, next to the streetlamp/highway marker? Manual chokesI'll bet a lot of those cars spit and sputtered on that cold morning since they didn't have automatic chokes like those some ten years later. Made the first few minutes of driving a chore as the car would buck and jerk until it got warm enough to run on the regular mixture. It's all white now. The church, that is. Mystery CarRe Rowdy5858's comment, I believe that snow-covered car might be a 1937 Hudson. That GrilleIt's a Hudson Terraplane. Possibly a 1937. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, M.P. Wolcott, Small Towns)
No Man's Land: 1940
... borrower operating tractor. She and her mother run the farm without the assistance of any men." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What she needs is a hat. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/15/2020 - 1:11pm -

May 1940. Grant County, Illinois. "FSA rehabilitation borrower operating tractor. She and her mother run the farm without the assistance of any men." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What she needsis a hat. Not surprisingUntil probably the 1950s, women in America worked really hard all day long, and pretty much drudge work at that. Much harder than men, in general, or at least a lot more continuous work. Running a tractor doesn't require a man's physical advantages, it takes a lot of stick-to-itiveness. It was probably notable at the time, hence the underlying "shock" of the original caption, but arguably it's easier than doing endless manual housework like scrubbing clothes by hand and trying to feed a family 3 meals a day from a huge cast-iron wood stove. MaintenanceThe hard part is the repairing, not the driving. KilljoysThe clutch-operation instruction sticker located just ahead of the operator shows just what sticks in the mud the builders of this equipment really were. After all, where's the fun in having all those gears if you can't speed-shift? Good for her!I assume the tractor is a Fordson? That's what it looks like. They were called widowmakers, for their propensity to pop wheelies. I must say, as someone typically assumed to be a dude, I'm thrilled to see a woman named as an "FSA borrower" rather than as a wife thereof. Those women worked just as hard as the men, and they deserve the credit. And who says she didn't repair her own tractor? Tractor IDMcCormick-Deering 10-20, perhaps? [It is indeed a McCormick-Deering. Click below to embiggen. - Dave] Grant County?The label appears to be wrong; there is currently no Grant County in Illinois. It looks like there's a Grant Township in Illinois or Grant County, Wisconsin. [Vachon did take 20 photos labeled Grant County, Wisconsin, so perhaps this is there. - Dave] HarvesterNot an expert, but: The tractor looks like an early 1920's McCormick-Deering brand (part of International Harvester). In 1923 McCormick and Deering (both IH) had to reduce to one dealer per region as part of a US antitrust suit. Maintaining a battered 17-year-old tractor had to be fun. So that's what they meantThe farming area I grew up in had occasional signs along the roads: "Tractors with lugs prohibited." Quite understandable. I believe my parents had one of these tractors to work our orchard. (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Vachon)
Expect Delays: 1939
... Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Illinois backroads. I was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/28/2017 - 7:54pm -

January 1939. "Highway in Franklin County, Illinois." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Illinois backroads.I was stationed at Chanute AFB in Champaign County, Iliinois in the early '70's and my friends and I all had street legal dirt bikes that we rode all the county and environs. It was all farm roads and four digit state roads, mostly unpaved, that allowed us to go just about anywhere without traveling on a paved road for miles. Great fun! Two signsI think I'd turn around, head back the way I came and not take any chances. L.E. DirdenLoren Edgar Dirden was born in 1890 in Carmi Illinois and died in 1967 in Franklin County Illinois. A draft card from 1941 can be found in a document called "Old Mans Draft Cards, Franklin County Illinois". He was 51 at the time. "Expect Delays"This is where any road gets interesting! Terrible TwosdayWell, between this and the foregoing Private Entrance: 1936, it looks like a good day to have pulled the covers over one's head and maybe try it again on Wednesday. Canary in a Coal MineFranklin Co. was a bustling hub of mining when this photo was taken. More than a dozen mines operated then, including the one seen in the background here, providing rapid count growth in the early part of the 20th century. It also made for a poignant tie to the sign in the photo, "Prepare to meet thy God," as 119 miners lost their lives at the Orient #2 mine on Dec. 21, 1951 due to a methane gas explosion. There was only one survivor. Going PostalThe front mail box belongs to an H. Butler. In the 1940 census, there was a Hershal Butler living on an "improved road" running west from Hwy 37 and near the Bethel Church, still extant on a route now bisected by I-57. In between the main route and that rural road was the Orient #2 mine mentioned in a prior comment. It's a fairly safe bet that the mine from the 1951 Franlin Co. tragedy is the one depicted in the background here. Fortunately for H. Butler, he was not amongst its victims. He died in 1949. Mail box questionThe smaller mail boxes with the flapper make sense. One can padlock the box at the top and still receive mail kept from prying eyes. I cannot see what the purpose of the ability of pad locking the type like the large one and getting no mail. Bombs? [That assembly at the front top of the box isn't for a lock - the lower section serves as a handle for opening the door and also as a latch to secure closure when engaged with the upper part. A lock requiring the carrier to have key in order to deliver mail into a box isn't permitted. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Railroads, Rural America)
The Farmer's Daughter: 1939
... of Hillview cooperative who formerly lived in submarginal farm area." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What a little sweetheart. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/20/2018 - 9:47pm -

November 1939. "Osage Farms, Missouri. Member of Hillview cooperative who formerly lived in submarginal farm area." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What a little sweetheart.She has her Daddy's eyes. I'll bet that in a few more years she'll have her Daddy's teeth, too. Same ears, tooBut that can be hidden in the hairstyle of the day in a few more years. I hope that is licorice in her mouth. And not some other dark colored chewable. About my mom's ageThis young girl looks about the age my mom was in 1939. She too is a Missouri farmer's daughter. I'm reminded of a cute sticker I saw at a local farm stand in New Hampshire which reads, "no farms, no farm girls" GorgeousWhat a beautiful pair! (The Gallery, Agriculture, Arthur Rothstein, Kids)
Texacola: 1940
... Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Looking for a date? Look at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2019 - 6:13pm -

October 1940. "Old country store. Prospect Hill, Caswell County, North Carolina." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Looking for a date?Look at the guy eyeing up the girl. And the other girl looking at the Guy! Old and newer gas pumps. Nice picture. Still around!And still open. They have their own Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/warrenfamilyfarm/ Mutual, I'm sureSomething tells me that the young man sitting on the porch was sweet on the young lady sitting on the steps. And my female intuition informs me that she reciprocated his interest. Ah, young love. Even older, now. Feminine Company.This is one of the few Shorpy pictures I can remember that had so many women hanging around in front of the general store. Usually it's a bunch of men. No car ID?Amongst the young folks, I think it’s the two young ladies interacting directly, with the young fellow on the bench looking on hopefully and a bit timidly or sheepishly. As for the house, wow, it shows what good bones and maintenance can do. Are those the same cement stairs almost 80 years later? (Worth checking the Facebook pix, which include an interior view.) Pretty SureThe Car is a 1938 Chevrolet Master Deluxe. A third pump?What is the fixture mounted on the porch immediately behind the gas pump on the right? It appears to have a pipe going to it from under the porch. For 27 Years, The Symbol of SavingsThe car is a 1938 Chevrolet Master De Luxe Town Sedan. "Chevrolet for 1938 - The Car That Is Complete" The third pumpThe pump behind the gas pump on the right looks like a hand operated water pump. There appears to be some kind of tag on it. I wonder what it says. Out Of Order or Not for Public Use? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, M.P. Wolcott, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Speed Dating: 1941
... Illinois." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. New Title? Photobomb: 1941 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/26/2018 - 10:01am -

April 1941. "Couple at rollerskating rink. Southside, Chicago, Illinois." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. New Title?Photobomb: 1941 A Head of His TimePhotobombing. Invented April 1941, at a rollerskating rink, Southside, Chicago, Illinois. Between LoversSweet photo bomb! :) "I like him 'cause he's different"No roller skates. His Suit and HirsuteDapper Dan is not skating tonight. He is too busy looking suave and debonair for Mata Hairy. Did you wonder ...A split second captured in time by the camera. How did life go on for these two? Did they go on together, or did they go separate ways? What careers followed? Were they fans of the Cubbies or the White Sox? How did WW II affect them? Dang, Shorpy photos get me wondering about the darndest things. ScarfaceGetting all googly-eyed over Al Pacino, are we? Surprise!And here we have an early example of the photo-bomb Bomb's Away!Great photobomb by the man in the middle! Dad, similarly suitedThis is a selfie my dad made just before he left for the war in Germany around 1943 to become a photographer in the Army. (The Gallery, Chicago, Pretty Girls, Russell Lee)
Maynardville Men: 1935
... 35mm nitrate negative. Photograph by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. Hunger Look at those gaunt faces; hunger stalks ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2009 - 2:24am -

October 1935. Men of Maynardville, Tennessee. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative. Photograph by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. HungerLook at those gaunt faces; hunger stalks these men. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska The pride they hadThe clothes are all worn and threadbare. However all are clean and pressed and neat. However the thing that gets me is the "not really here" look on all the faces. hauntingthat man who is looking into the camera seems to really LOOK at you. kind of longing. really engaging and sort of haunting. i wish i could know this man. Re: Hunger...Not so sure they're hungry so much as they *work* for a living. It's hard to relate now that most of us work an 8-hour day (if that) in comfortable air conditioning, ergo-chairs, and safety that we're really FAT compared to people of this era. The poster is correct about tidy vs poor though: one of those farmers is wearing a suit jacket over his overalls. I see so many young people now with such poor grooming habits, unkempt beards and of course the classical hip-hop jeans - heheh. Dallas, Texas 'not really there look'This is before every person on the street was well-versed in hamming it up for a camera. These men live in world that's pretty removed from the hypermediated one we know. People comfortable being people rather than characters in some imagined soap opera/sitcom/reality show. We may yet see these facesWe may yet see these faces again. Trillions of debt and such. ThinSometimes i wonder if we equate "gaunt and hungry" with "proper body weight" These men worked for a living. They exercised, and it wasn't at Spin Class. If we didn't sit behind a desk all day, and instead went out at sunrise to work the fields, and then returned at sunset, more of us would look that way. Tom Joad by any other nameThe man at the front is the character portrayed by Henry Fonda in "The Grapes Of Wrsth" He is oh so real to the time and place. The Maynardville lookI live in Maynardville, and I'm telling you this is how half the folks around here look now. With the exception of different hat styles and no frock coats. There was plenty of work here in the 1930s from farming, plus the TVA was keeping lots of them working on Norris Dam, or in local quarries supplying it. About the time all of the dam work dried up (no pun), work started in nearby Oak Ridge. So, no, they ain't hungry, they just have the look of that era. I have seen lots of photos from that time that were in color, which gives a totally different impression. Less bleak or stark and gloomy. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Great Depression, Rural America)
Petaluma Crater: 1942
... Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Eggcrate Skyscrapers! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/29/2022 - 9:47am -

January 1942. "Petaluma, Sonoma County, California. Crates for eggs. Petaluma, which is the center of the intensive egg producing area, calls itself the world's egg basket." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Eggcrate Skyscrapers!Yikes!! Those crates are stacked more than 20 high, and they are not on pallets, that means somebody had to stack each and every box by hand, probably on a ladder! Not a job for someone afraid of heights! OpportunityGet rid of the labels, call it Untitled 1942 and we can get at least a million-three for it, guaranteed. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Russell Lee)
Route 99: 1939
... Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Tough Beginnings This baby ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/21/2012 - 10:50pm -

February 1939. "On U.S. 99 near Brawley, Imperial County, California. Homeless mother and youngest child of seven walking the highway from Phoenix, Arizona, where they picked cotton. Bound for San Diego, where the father hopes to get on relief 'because he once lived there.'" Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Tough BeginningsThis baby would be somewhere between 73 and 75 today if she made it through those hardscrabble years and is still around. Hopefully life got better and she did experience more good times as the economy improved. I'd like to think there was sufficient joy in her life to bring about contentment and fulfillment as time went on. As for mom, as one elderly lady once told me "When your kids hurt, you hurt too." This mom's face does convey the pain of a struggle to take care of a family (as another child is visible in the extreme left margin) and reminds us that life is not always just a bowl of cherries. [As noted in the caption, this lady had seven kids. - Dave] Brawley=HotGood thing it's February, Brawley is nearly intolerable in the Summer. Worn outThe baby is lucky to have shoes. My mother didn't own a pair until 1940 when she was 11. She picked a lot of cotton during the Depression too as a migrant worker in the Arkansas-Oklahoma-Texas border area. An interesting aside: In the late 1960s Mother asked us kids what "soul food" was. We told her. Her reaction was, "Soul food! That's poor people food and I've eaten enough of that." Ummmm check on thisUS 99 never ran through Phoenix; it ran from the Mexican border in California to Blane, Washington. So she didn't walk US 99 from Phoenix as inferred in the note about the photograph. US 60 ran from the Arizona state line where it connected to US 70 to then connect to US 99. So she walked the highways, not highway. Ms. Lange's unique styleShe never fails to reveal the deepest pathos of her subjects. my heritageThis is what my grandparents endured as small children when they emigrated to California from Oklahoma and Arkansas. Particularly SadThere is something uniquely sad about this obviously very poor woman wearing a worn fur coat. Does the coat imply she was in better financial position in the past? Was it purchased in a worn used state? One can only wonder. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Kids)
Ghost Horse: 1936
December 1936. Farm horse in Woodbury County, Iowa. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Horses I think that horses are some of the best subjects ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2007 - 6:57pm -

December 1936. Farm horse in Woodbury County, Iowa. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. HorsesI think that horses are some of the best subjects in pictures. Unlike humans, horses convey emotions without being campy. Argh!I get so cross when people treat horses, who are my passion, like this! (The Gallery, Agriculture, Horses, Russell Lee)
Free Parking: 1940
... Dakota." 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Case of the Missing Infant ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/21/2011 - 11:34am -

November 1940. "Lunchroom. Aberdeen, South Dakota." 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Case of the Missing InfantOne has to wonder if Martin Kane, private eye, is inside pitching the merits of Model pipe tobacco under the pretense of investigating the missing infant. Hap was left to fend for himself a thousand miles straight east, surrounded in his shop by his first love: endless supplies of Dill's Best, Old Briar, Model and Tweed pipe tobacco. Abandoned babyIts amazing how often we see things in Shorpy photos that would be considered irrational and even illegal today. I can't imagine why a mother would even think of leaving her baby unattended outside a store. [What makes you think there's a baby in there? - Dave] Would the mother carry the baby in her arms while shopping? [In case it's not ultra-obvious: This is a restaurant. - Dave] Oops, so it is. I better get my glasses fixed. :-/ Not Much Of A Meal - Then or Now25 cents in 1940 is about $4.01 in 2011 money. The meal couldn't have been very large either date. Park itJust leave the kid in the perambulator and catch a quick bite. Watch your kids!Similar to this scene, and about the same time - my mother left my elder sister in the baby carriage while she went into the store (apparently a common thing back then). When she came out, the baby was gone. She screamed and shoppers came a-runnin'. They fanned out and caught a woman with my sister a block away. Her own baby had died and she needed a replacement I guess. E A T To the point, nothing else, just EAT ! And for you Chesterfield fans "Made for smokers like yourself." Bread and WaterOne has to wonder how anyone could serve a dinner for 25 cents, even in 1940, so we can only imagine what incredible gastronomic delights might have been on their dollar menu. I'm having trouble just trying to think of something edible that one can buy today for 2 bits and I keep coming up empty. NOT abandoned babyI agree with Dave. There is probably no baby in the carriage. I imagine the mother took the child inside the diner with her. The obviousWhat if Peterson objects? Posh NoshA twenty-five cent meal in 1940 would be $3.84 today (courtesy of 'the inflation calculator'). Not really all that inexpensive. Who's PetersonAnd why do they want me to eat his lunch? (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, John Vachon)
Aerial Omaha: 1938
... to the West. Medium format negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Fans Anyone aware of what ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2017 - 9:05pm -

        UPDATE: Our vantage point for this view north along 14th Street is the Woodmen of the World tower at 1323 Farnam. November 1938. "Omaha, Nebraska." Gateway to the West. Medium format negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. FansAnyone aware of what the contraption is on top of the building on the left. I see fan units. Was this an air conditioning system? If so it is very narrow. Three Corner TavernsInteresting to note the small corner taverns in the Omaha photographs: in the “Omaha Suds” image, in the Theodore's Place image, and the Oaks Tavern in this image. Three corner taverns, each about the same size and height, although some more decorated than the other. I wonder how many others existed? Across the street is the Paris Bar and Billiards. Oaks and Paris advertised together. What Depression?For a small city during the worst of the later Depression years, this photo portrays an impressive proportion of late model vehicles. As opposed to the trucks, the great majority of the cars seen here are within 3 or 4 years of age if not newer -- a mix probably not excelled in most U.S. localities today. Brand new Ford TudorThe car almost directly in front of the "Nebraska" is a new 1938 Standard Ford V8. I've had one of these since the late 1970's. Once considered the ugly duckling of the 30's by almost everyone is now kinda good looking. Kinda. Scorch marksSo what was the commercial establishment that burned at the corner of 14th and Capitol? Whatever it might have been, the fire appears to have thoroughly gutted the place. Pay no attentionI'm assuming that this picture was taken from an airplane, so it's interesting that none of the many people on the street are looking up at the photographer. It seems like an airplane flying low over the downtown area would attract a lot of attention! [The photo was taken from the Woodmen of the World building at 1323 Farnam Street. - Dave] Gateway to the WestJust a minute, that nickname belongs to my native city, Winnipeg, Manitoba. But wait, Wikipedia points out that it also refers to no fewer than 6 cities in the US (Fargo, Fort Wayne, Omaha, St. Louis and the Gateway Arch, Kansas City, Pittsburgh) and one whole state (Oklahoma, although particularly Tulsa). Location, Location, Location?I believe this photo was taken from a building on the southeast corner of 14th and Farnam. In an aerial photo from the early 1950s I can see a tall building located at that corner. Furthermore, in that aerial photo I can clearly see the Hotel Fontenelle a few blocks to the west at 1806 Douglas and I can positively identify the fronts of the buildings in the 1300 block of Douglas where Palace Billiards and the Oaks Bar were. [You are correct about the location (my first guess, the Hotel Fontenelle, is on the wrong block). Which means our vantage point is the 19-story Woodmen of the World headquarters, at the time of its completion in 1912 the tallest building between Chicago and the West Coast. - Dave] No Apartments AvailableThe three story brick building being demolished was an apartment building offered for sale in January 1937. Directly across the street from it was the “Hummel Auto Shed” and the Omaha World Herald delivery truck garage and parking lot and the vacant space diagonally across the street was the site of the Jefferson Hotel, demolished in 1935. Win some, lose someBetween the Oaks Bar and the Nebraska theater is a campaign office with banners for 19938 candidacies of (James T.) English for (Douglas) County Attorney, and (Frank) McGrath for (Douglas County) Clerk of Court. English won, and later became a state-court judge. McGrath, an incumbent mired in scandals, lost. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Omaha, Railroads)
The Hill: 1938
... size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. The Hill? Which one? Which hill? Pittsburgh is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/24/2011 - 10:46pm -

July 1938. Houses on "The Hill" slum section of Pittsburgh. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. The Hill? Which one?Which hill? Pittsburgh is known to have multiple hills... There was 20 inclined cable railways in Pittsburgh all around the hills of the city... now there are only two of them... Dave... did you find any great old photos of the Pittsburgh old inclined railways? I found some old picts at the Library of Congress... http://www.funimag.com/Funimag-Links-OldUSpictures.php ...but the quality is not so good compare to the picts you publish on your blog! If you can find old picts of the Pittsburgh inclines that would be great!! ----------------------------------------- Funimag, the web magazine about Funiculars http://www.funimag.com Funimag Photoblog http://www.funimag.com/photoblog/ Not the power poleBased on the sag, I'd say that the clothesline isn't attached to the power pole but rather to something on the building across the street. We're running into the old question of perspective in a two dimensional representation of a three dimensional situation. The sage problem is inherent in a laundry line - you don't want it too taut or the weight of the clothes could break the line or contraction during the winter. And in that sort of situation you really don't want to have to splice the line! ClotheslineI'm intrigued by the clothesline. Someone had to climb a power pole to rig that! I have one of these in my backyard in the midwest because it allows one end to be high and out of the way. Kids can run around in safety under it. Have not solved the sag problem though. Also known as the HillAlso known as the Hill District. History of the HillThe Hill district was long a place for immigrants. The Irene Kaufmann Settlement House helped people from Eastern Europe find baths and a decent life. There were a lot of different ethnic groups up there. Then, during World War I, more Southern Blacks came North for a better life. Others were brought in as strike breakers during the 1919 steel strike. The men were treated like cattle: they slept in box cars. When the strike ended, so did their wages. But the money helped build the so-called "Harlem Renaissance" of Black culture during the 1920's. Look for documentaries by Rick Sebak. He does a lot of stuff about Pittsburgh, and he's made one film about the Hill. He's good, if you don't mind corn. Wylie Avenue DaysI believe the Rick Sebak documentary you're thinking of is Wylie Avenue Days What the HillIn many cities and towns, an area known as "The Hill" is an affluent area. When I first visited Pittsburgh in 1974 to find a place to live prior to attending graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh, I was looking at a city map and saw "The Hill" listed as an area not far from the Pitt campus. Thinking it might be a nice area, I drove up there. Big surprise! It was "lock the doors and roll up the windows" time. Is it any better today? (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Pittsburgh)
Marja, Akbar, Stella May: 1938
... Donaldsonville, Louisiana." 35mm negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Free Parking Looks like ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/26/2012 - 4:19am -

November 1938. "Fortune teller's cubicle, state fair. Donaldsonville, Louisiana." 35mm negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Free ParkingLooks like Marja flew in on her broom and parked it in her cubicle. Stella May!What a hoot! Scientific palmistry. Were those the days? Palm JointAs an ex-carny -- the ticket booth has raised floor piece which the talker, not barker, stands on, normally there is no seat. The term "barker" was coined by a novelist in the 1930's. Carnival folk never used the word barker, the word is talker. Carnival concessions were referred to as "joints." Fortune telling concessions were called "palm joints" and usually not part of the traveling carnival but at fairs, came on as independents. And a Magician, Too!The barker appears to be standing, yet he has NO FEET! BarkerFrom what I can see of the barker's "build", it appears that he may be a little person - in those days called a midget. He is standing on a shelf, I guess. The Talker Has a SpeakerA snappy suitcase-style PA speaker hanging on the left side of the booth, with tweed racing stripes. Then & Now CostAdjusted for inflation, 10 cents in 1938 would be equivalent to $1.65 in 2012. There’s a joint in my Wisconsin burg currently offering psychic readings for $10 — quite an increase compared to the 1938 charge for a similar service, even considering inflation. Registered!Well, they ARE registered, so it MUST be on the level, right? Only an idiot would have their palms, psyches, crystals etc., read by anyone who was UNregistered. My question is, on which registries do they appear? I'm thinking police blotters throughout the US and Canada. Temple? Huh!Oversells it a bit, you think? Hands onI like how the patron is staring at her hand wondering what her future may hold. "I see a thousand eyes seeing you as you are right now" (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Con Carny: 1939
... size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. Four-Legged Girl The poster on the right ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/25/2008 - 10:34pm -

Summer 1939. Carnival at Bozeman, Montana. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. Four-Legged GirlThe poster on the right advertises "Betty Lou, Four Legged Girl" Here is Betty Lou's bio from www.thehumanmarvels.com and corroborated by several additional citations: "Betty Lou Williams was born Lillie B Williams in Albany, Georgia on January 10, 1932. She was the daughter of a poor farming family and the youngest of twelve children. She was also born attached at the side to a parasitic sibling that consisted of two legs, one tiny arm-like appendage and a more developed arm with three fingers. Despite the fact that the head of her twin was embedded deep within her abdomen, Betty Lou was a very healthy girl and doctors proclaimed that there was no reason she could not live a long and healthy life. She was originally discovered at the age of one by a professional showman named Dick Best. Best changed the name of the little girl to Betty Lou – perhaps in an attempt to promote the parasite as a male, a lie that was popular in parasitic twin displays – and he began to display the infant in his New York Museum. It was there that she drew the attention of Ripley. Working for Ripley, at the age of two, Betty Lou made an astounding $250 a week. As she grew into adulthood, she made over $1000 a week. With her earnings she purchased a 260 acre ranch for her parents and sent all eleven of her siblings to college. The jump in Betty Lou’s earnings was due in part to the fact that, as she matured, she developed into quite an attractive woman. Her beauty and generosity drew many male suitors and, at the age of twenty-three, she became engaged to one of her admirers. However the husband-to-be was little more than a heartbreaking thief. He left Betty Lou taking a great deal of money with him and, distraught over the breakup, Betty suffered a severe asthma attack at her home in Trenton, New Jersey. Betty Lou suffocated to death at the age of twenty-three." Photos of Betty Lou from childhood to adulthood can be found at: http://www.phreeque.com/bettie_lou_williams.html Goober Pea Dark's Pandemonium CarnivalThe very first thing I thought of when I saw this was "Something Wicked This Way Comes." Great story and a great photo. Popeye?Thank you, Gooberpea, for the info on Betty Lou. That's very interesting stuff! I do have a question though - are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is Popeye the Sailor also in the banner with Betty Lou? I wonder why? Advertising gimmick, perhaps? Step Right Up...Yes, Laura, Popeye appears to be shilling for Betty Lou, the Four-Legged Girl on the poster. It was (and is) common to use characters from popular comics to sell products – Popeye was at the peak of his popularity in 1939, so it makes sense that the carnival would use his image (unlicensed, I’m sure) to promote Betty Lou. It is interesting to see the barker with what appears to be a microphone at the entrance to ZaZa’s tent. There is a speaker mounted on the stanchion between ZaZa and Betty Lou’s posters. The barker is looking to his left, in apparent direct eye-contact with the gentleman in the black coat and hat. ZaZa’s poster depicts her in the nude – or nearly so, and the banner on the right says “exotic” something or another…wonder if she was a stripper or hootchie-coo dancer? The group of guys with their hand in their pockets seem to be on a bee-line for her tent. “Step right up and see the Enchantress of the East, the Amaaaazing ZaZa! She whirls, she twirls, she offers you all a peak at the pulchritude beneath her veils…” Betty LouFascinating! Thanks for posting the story, Goober Pea. I also find it interesting that the poster appears to depict her as extremely Caucasian. Maybe the farm boys don't pay to see an African-American woman with four legs? (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Sports)
Bank Nite: 1939
... Farmington, Minnesota." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Lyric lives on A ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2017 - 7:46pm -

September 1939. "Motion picture theatre. Farmington, Minnesota." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Lyric lives onA brief history of The Lyric Theatre. Shades of YesterdayPepsi Cola hits the spot 12 full ounces, that's a lot. Twice as much and a nickel too. Pepsi Cola is the drink for you. Oak StreetThe theatre building remains, but is now an employment agency. In place of the popcorn stand is a bank branch. In place of the grocery store on the far right side of the photo is the office of the local newspaper, the Farmington Independent. The names of the actors and actresses of the two films are forgettable, but for one: Linda Winters, in North of the Yukon. Her real name was Dorothy Comingore, and in a couple of years she'd appear as the second wife of Charles Foster Kane in a certain film that a young upstart named Orson Welles made. The Hollywood blacklist sealed her sad fate. A fun family outingThe feature film this week takes the Jones Family to Los Angeles for the 1938 American Legion Convention. In the poster Mr Jones is seen in his American Legion Uniform. The Jones Family was a series of Fox B movies. Full disclosure: I am a member of the American Legion. Unless The Theater Owned It-----the popcorn stand OUTSIDE had to be a real drag for the operators of the movie house concession. The reason 7-Up liked you back then is because, until 1948, it contained lithium citrate, a mood stabilizing drug used for things like manic depression. PatronsI wonder how many seats were in the theater? [Answered in a link in an earlier comment. -tterrace] Charles StarrettSoon to leave the Mounties and become that cowboy terror of evildoers - the Durango Kid. Next to Roy, he was my favorite. Pop Corn vs PopcornWas the term "Pop Corn" a regional variation? When did the popular vernacular change to "Popcorn"? Spring ByingtonI very much remember watching Spring Byington on TV on "December Bride" when I was a kid. She also appeared in a series of Jones Family movies. Bank Nite"Bank Nite" was a franchised lottery, the purpose obviously being to draw people to the theater. Prizes were awarded based on names being drawn and you had to be present to win. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Movies, Small Towns)
Time and Tide: 1941
... Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Promenade Home These folks ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/18/2022 - 9:55pm -

September 1941. "By the Pacific Ocean. Seaside, Oregon." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Promenade HomeThese folks appear to be sitting on Seaside's Promenade in the only area with curved railings, the Turnaround. The Prom was built in 1921, so at 101 she looks good but has had some work: the railing cement looks different so it was renovated or replaced, and the lamps look old, but aren't the originals. Spread out!Social distancing, the early years. Edward Hopper was hereWas Ed coaching the photographer, or did this shot lodge itself in his mental trunk of painterly images? (The Gallery, Landscapes, Russell Lee)
Well, Well: 1941
... format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Tetanus Anyone? Our little ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/04/2019 - 8:36am -

July 1941. "Home supervisor, while making home visit to FSA borrower, inspects water supply for repair. Charles County near La Plata, Maryland." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Tetanus Anyone?Our little girl on the right (with the Akhenaten head), is perilously close to a number of exposed nail points--though running around a farm barefoot all day likely made tetanus the least of her worries. Still odd that no one gave these nails a hammer whack when building the enclosure. And the tow-headed lad in the middle, throwing Miss Marion the twice-over, seems out of place in our Gothic family portrait--straight hair versus the mound o' curls the other kids sport; fair-haired versus brunette; situationally-aware versus oblivious. Neighbour kid? The well and the pumpsA more marked contrast could not be imagined. On the left: two-tone heeled lady shoes. On the right: bare feet. I can’t resist noting that the girl on the right appears more comfortable in her feet than the home supervisor on the left, slipping one foot out of her shoe as she stands, which I interpret as a sign of discomfort. Nice ShoesToo bad they didn't have them in her size. She's no dummyIf she has any chance at all to get some relief from those high-heels, she'll take it. Memory HoleReminds me of an old well we had in from of our old House in a booming town in central Georgia, population 300. The only difference is ours had brick sided instead of wood. Note that there is no cover beam with a windlass for raising and lowering the bucket. Had a rope tied to the bucket and you threw it in and hauled out hand over hand. And make sure you don't throw the rope in with the bucket! The little girl on the right -I don't think I've ever seen a forehead quite that high. The Revolution Begins SlowlyThe Home Supervisor thinks," Ohh I can't wait to get back to my room and kick off these dang shoes and have a cold drink. Tomorrow I'm wearing flats no matter what the boss says." Marion Post Wolcott, whether by luck or patience, got the shot she wanted when the lady took a break for her aching feet and took one shoe partly off. It took a prosaic pic into the realm of universal understanding of what it takes to do a good day's work (a little foot pain in this instance). Heels, and deep understanding.I detect from the little heel exposure that her work shoes are not the most comfortable to be wearing out in the field ... any moment to rest a foot must be welcome. The rest of her outfit and hair are very well put together though! Good to have a decent job, helping people who need it. Don't go thereI remember more than once visiting a great-uncle in East Texas in the '70s. He had spent his career working in Gulf Oil refineries, without hearing protection, so when you spoke to him, he'd cup his hand over his ear and say, "EHH?" I'm not sure of the relation, but he was the same generation as my grandmother, who was born in 1900, and didn't have electricity until she was 40 years old. I must have been about 6 or 7. My dad wanted to make sure I was aware of the hazard in the back yard, so he pointed to the piece of rotten plywood covering up the hand-dug well, and told me not to get close to that. It was both tempting and terrifying at the same time. (The Gallery, Kids, M.P. Wolcott)
Feed Shed: 1936
April 1936. "Farm boys. Jackson County, Ohio." 35mm nitrate negative by Theodor Jung for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Just add water The East River, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/04/2011 - 11:17am -

April 1936. "Farm boys. Jackson County, Ohio." 35mm nitrate negative by Theodor Jung for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Just add waterThe East River, specifically, and you'll have the Dead End Kids. Of Mice and MenThe early years. Or is it a woodshed?These boys look like they were caught by their father smoking one of his cigars. "Git out back and git me a switch, young 'un" And in 6 yearsthey will probably become part of the "Greatest Generation." Cheer up son,you still have WWII and the Draft to look forward to. Something Looks FamiliarI had an great-uncle that looks very much like that fellow on the left. He would have been 21 years old in 1936. My grandparents ran a boys' home in Jackson County, Ohio around this time period so I'll have to poke around to see if it might be him. (The Gallery, Rural America, Theodor Jung)
The Stag Table: 1940
... Farms. Pinal County, Arizona." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. A Cooperative is not Socialism ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/03/2020 - 1:37pm -

May 1940. "Boys eating their lunch at the WPA nursery school at Casa Grande Valley Farms. Pinal County, Arizona." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. A Cooperative is not SocialismKAP, Casa Grande Valley Farms was a cooperative. It operated under cooperative principles, which mostly involve providing economies of scale. The Federal government has been supporting agriculture through cooperatives since the Federal Land Bank was formed in 1916. The FSA my have initially allocated the same resources to each member as part of getting each farm started, but to say the government dictated nearly every aspect of their lives is ridiculous. The FSA did not tell everyone when to go to bed, where to worship, what to purchase at the general store, etc. Further, such a statement totally contradicts your later statement that "The settlers were unable to cooperate because they were involved in a ceaseless struggle for power." According to your first quote -- the FSA controlled all the power. A failed experimentCasa Grande Valley Farms was an FSA experiment in a socialistic system, where all farmers were assigned equal work, paid equal wages and had equal housing. The government dictated nearly every aspect of the lives of the tenants. However, human nature and the dilemma over differentiating work ethics took over and the experiment failed after only two years. Edward Banfield, in his book on the project, put it this way; “The settlers were unable to cooperate because they were involved in a ceaseless struggle for power”. Food pyramidI can't help the impression that even back then kids considered some types of greens to be greener than others. What I can't make out is whether these kids were saving their favourite greens to enjoy them last, or whether that leafy stuff (kale? spinach?) is actually at the bottom of the pyramid of preference. SpoonsSo many things to like in this photo. The boys’ towheaded cuteness. The tongue with the morsel of food on the left. Eating everything on their plate without objections due to food allergies or vegetarianism (I’m assuming). Their readiness for action at such a young age. Eating it all with a spoon (no need for fork and knife). And (another assumption), I would bet on them to kick the butts of any current daycare kid the same age. (I realize I’ve said so many potentially objectionable things, but I don’t care.) That lettuce is toughPerhaps the boy might have an easier time with the lettuce, if he ate his spinach and channeled his inner Popeye. Eat your greensThe one youngster is leaving his greens until last (albeit his tongue is out in anticipation of the next bite of whatever has his attention -- potatoes? Cabbage? Anyone?) while the other seems to be throwing down on his. My grandchildren would be retching. Something I am not proud of. In other news, I would love to have a set of those dishes. PrioritiesLooks like cabbage, carrots and spinach. The spinach of course is eaten last (some things never change). If there was any meat, it's long gone. Brings to mind what my father used to say to me and my three younger brothers when there was a rare reluctance to finish our plates: "At least eat your meat!" Not 'til I was an adult did I realize why he said that. Meat was the only thing on the plate he and my mom couldn't grow -- thus it was the only thing on the plate he had to PAY for! (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Stepping Out: 1941
... full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Arthur Siegel for the Farm Security Administration. I Want... Those shoes. Mind you, I wouldn't say ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 11:02am -

Detroit, summer 1941. "Getting ready to go out. Girl straightening seam in her stockings and another girl combing her hair." View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Arthur Siegel for the Farm Security Administration. I Want...Those shoes. Mind you, I wouldn't say no to legs like that either! Yes I guess I have always loved girls who wear dresses and stockings. Nice. Not to be too obvious, but...Nice gams. They lookhealthy. No anorexia or bulemia there. It was a great time to be a size 12 Re: Size 12I'm sure it was, a size twelve in 1941 was 30, 25, 33, that's a size zero now. Shoes, Dress, SpreadLove the shoes and the dress on the left. I have a white chenille bedspread very much like the one in the photo. Mine is probably vintage to that time or shortly afterward. Chenille is making a comeback, believe it or not! How do I look?"Are my seams straight?" "Yes, but your legs are crooked." (The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Detroit Photos)
Idaho Chief: 1941
... Caldwell, Idaho." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Turn around, Bright Eyes I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/11/2021 - 5:39pm -

June 1941. "Filling station and store across the street from the FSA labor camp. Caldwell, Idaho." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Turn around, Bright EyesI can't find a building similar to the one pictured near any entrance, but the Caldwell labor camp is still around - just transformed. It was originally built in 1938 to house American farmers displaced by the Depression. WWII caused labor shortages, so the Bracero program brought folks to Caldwell from Mexico as farm workers to cultivate and pick sugar beets, hops, and potatoes. The Bracero program continued until 1964; then the camp housed Mexican-American workers. Today, it houses workers from Mexico on H-2A visas. Also during the war, interred Japanese Americans were allowed out of the camps for temporary farm work, and some stayed at Caldwell. The camp originally had a mix of 2 bedroom houses and single-room apartments. The houses were occupied year-round; the apartments were for seasonal workers. After the war, the government transferred the camp to the Caldwell Housing Authority. Today, it's known as Farmway Village. Not exactly the Piggly WigglyIt's hard to imagine that the groceries could have been very good there (as in, plentiful and of a wide range), but I bet it was nice to have a cold drink while you filled up. For archfan: the Japanese Americans were interned ... not interred. xo (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Jars of Plenty: 1939
... County, Missouri." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Some can can However, I do ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2018 - 2:42pm -

November 1939. "Mrs. Lawrence Corda, wife of tiff miner, with some of her 800 quarts of food canned under FSA supervision. Washington County, Missouri." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Some can canHowever, I do not. Many moons ago I read a true story about a middle-aged woman who picked and canned many, many pints of wild mushrooms. She suffered sudden death and nobody knew why. After her funeral, a traditional repast was served at her home and among the foods served there were some of her delicious canned mushrooms. Within hours, those who ate them were getting symptoms of food poisoning. Some suspected that the wild mushrooms were poisonous, but it was soon discovered that was not the case but they had botulism which can come from improper sterilization and sealing of canning jars. Although botulism kills only about 5 to 10 percent of it's its victims, to me it was like playing Russian roulette. I decided I would never do any canning, even though my mom did can tons of garden produce every summer and it never made anyone ill. I just wouldn't take that chance. I have however eaten lots of wild mushrooms but that can be a gamble too and you've got to know your stuff. Steel lidsMy grandmother continued to use the 'bail' style jars with a glass top and a rubber gasket that then clamped down onto the jar. These went out of favor quite some time ago since there was no way to know if a good seal was made. But grandma never switched over, probably due to the depression-era frugality which they maintained even into the 80's. Community canneriesMy wife is from Appomattox County, Virginia, and until I began visiting that area in 1970 I had never heard of communities having town-owned canneries to which all residents could bring their produce and do their canning with decent equipment. Even in 1970 the cannery was a social occasion in her hometown of 350 people. Sadly, as we go back to visit, we notice that all the canneries are closed and in disrepair these days. Now we're cooking with ... wood?Eight hundred quarts of canned food is a very respectable and industrious total, and argues for the Cordas having a large and well-tended garden this year. I would guess there is almost enough to carry them through two winters just from the cellar (depending, of course, on the size of the family--evidence elsewhere suggests the Cordas had four small children at this point). Besides mining tiff (barium sulfate) ore, Mr. Corda worked a 15-acre subsistence farm, raising oats, corn, and lespedeza for sale as well as keeping a mule for farm work, cattle, hogs, and chickens. I suspect the FSA counted his farm as one of their success stories. Look at that smileUntil you enlarge, then it looks like she's gritting her teeth and muttering to Mr Rothstein to hurry up and take the blankity-blank picture. I remember the dayIn 1942 to 1945, my mother and I had as many. Our basement had sheves with quart jars (cans) of chicken, string beans, beets, peas, tomatoes, pickles, peaches, pears, plums and apples. The war years kept us busy, and we would reserve Thursdays for canning. My brothers were at war and my sister was too young, so I was elected to help. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kitchens etc.)
Tony and Maria: 1935
... cemetery." 8x10 nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The house over Maria's shoulder is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2011 - 12:30pm -

December 1935. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. "Gravestone in cemetery." 8x10 nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The house over Maria's shoulder is still there, too!Looks like some of windows have changed over the years but still basically the same. I'm also guessing those rails/markers/guides surrounding the graves in 1935 were common back then? Not sure if I liked them but they are unusual (to me, anyway). I can see why the lawn manicuring wasn't the best back then. Fascinating photo! We're still hereA bit of searching finds that Tony and Maria are still ensconced at St. Michael's Cemetery in Bethlehem, just looking a bit more weathered. The grounds are considerably better-groomed now, but it seems several of their neighbors have moved out, including that rather wonderful angel at left. Grave Images. An interesting and fine example of the stone carver's art. They definitely do not make them like this any more. And "sua moglie" means "his wife." I am hoping that they had a long and happy life together. Fine Italian CraftsmanshipYou won't see unique and extraordinary tombstones like this anymore since most newer cemeteries will allow only a plaque level with the ground for easier lawn maintenance. The very artistic and talented Italian immigrants who came to America in the l8th, 19th and 20th centuries could do just about anything and when I was a kid, they did all the masonry work, tile work (mosaic included), church paintings,stained glass windows, marble carving, you name it. I'm quite impressed with this stone and others in the background. The only improvement I could make on it would be if the eyes of Tony and Maria followed the viewers around the grounds. Rest in peace friends, ya done good. 1855 - ?Antonio Castellucci, born in Colle Sannita, Benevento, Italy, November 21, 1855. The son of Giovaniangelo, a wine merchant, and Fiorinda Castellucci. Came to America in 1887 and took up residence in South Bethlehem, PA. Antonio's first marriage was in Benevento, Italy, in 1881, to Maria Nigro, who died in 1884, without children. His second marriage was in South Bethlehem to a widow, Mary (Fanella) Salvatore, the mother of Joseph Salvatore. Three children by this second marriage: Florence, a graduate of Holy Infancy School, Class of 1912; John, a graduate of South Bethlehem Business College, Class of 1914, who then attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy; Anna, a graduate of South Bethlehem High School, Class of 1918. (Find A Grave) Back EastI find the old cemeteries back east fascinating places to visit and photograph. Especially the ones in once "well to do" areas. I especially enjoyed visiting the cemetery where my namesake Washington Irving is buried. Just up the road from the Headless Horseman bridge. Still leaningThe second utility pole up the road is still leaning to the right. But I find it hard to believe that could be the same stick of wood, after 80 years. (The Gallery, Walker Evans)
Wild Animal Circus: 1936
... Carolina. 35mm nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Cole Bros It looks like the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/27/2007 - 8:53pm -

Posters advertising a 1936 circus near Lynchburg, South Carolina. 35mm nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Cole BrosIt looks like the Downie Bros. circus is no longer with us. However, the Cole Bros. (see the partially covered poster at the top) is! http://www.colebroscircus.com/welcome.htm Great photo to enhance...This is a great photo to colorize with Photoshop. I'd do it if I had the skills and patience, but I don't. Downie Bros. Indian ShowI'm looking for pictures from 1935 through 1937 of the Downie Bros Indian Show. My father was part of the show riding a black horse with feathers on his head. email mavachicago@yahoo.com Thanks The Family CircusThe Downie Bros. circus belonged to my great-grandparents. I've never seen this before, or knew Walker Evans had ever shot anything from the circus. Thanks for locating this! (The Gallery, Rural America, Walker Evans)
Black Belt Barber: 1941
... full size. 35mm safety negative by Edwin Rosskam for the Farm Security Administration. "Specailize"? Hair "cuting"? Ouch. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 2:16pm -

April 1941. South Side Chicago. "Barber shop in the Black Belt." View full size. 35mm safety negative by Edwin Rosskam for the Farm Security Administration. "Specailize"?Hair "cuting"? Ouch. I hope they didn't pay that sign painter too much! [Long hair? So not cute. "Hey barber. Cute my 'do." - Dave] SpellingThey also missed with "straightner." Stocking CapAppears that the barber is wearing a stocking cap. These were made from a woman's stocking, usually worn overnight for the purpose of setting a day-long "permanent". I did this up to about age 16 (that would be 1955). Stocking Cap...Black men wore (and still do) wear tight elastic caps to set tight, close waves in their hair. "Conking," or perming the hair straight and then keeping it together for a night out, was done with a "do-rag," which is a bit different. In his autobiography, Malcolm X talks about the pain of those crude perming chemicals burning his scalp, and what can go wrong when you start the process only to find your pipes frozen and no water flowing to wash that stuff out! And yeah, I wore a stocking cap too until I was about 20... Great photo. Do RagsWas there a name for the knit do rags that were open on top? There is no information whatsoever about these on the web, or not that I have found. [That's a stocking cap. - Dave] (The Gallery, Chicago, Edwin Rosskam, Stores & Markets)
Foot Traffic: 1941
... last seen here . Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I'm waiting for a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/10/2020 - 5:04pm -

March 1941. "Portsmouth, Virginia. Houses near Navy yard." The street last seen here. Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I'm waiting fora report on the guy with all the stripes. Hey Chief!Get your hands out of your pockets! Disapproving lookWhat a marvelous tableau, with so many groupings of people at various levels of interaction. My favorite is Dad with Junior pushing the stroller while Baby cranes around for a look, all under the scowly and scoldy scrutiny of Madame Tightly-Clasped Hands. CPO The guy with all the stripes is a chief petty officer. He has at least sixteen years service according to the hash marks (diagonal stripes). The stripes are only on his left sleeve and in this time period that would signify his rating was something other than a normal sea going rate which would be displayed on the right sleeve. The rating badge is between the chevrons and the rocker and is difficult to make out. It appears to have wings which signify an aviation job. The chief appears to be feeling his Cheerios he's taking a good stride I have to agree with rayray, the chief has five hash marks not four, and what I took to be wings are probably ships propeller blades which is the rating badge for machinist mate. The Navy would abbreviate his rank and rate as MMC. An Old SaltThe old salty sailor is a Chief Petty Officer, Machinist Mate. The Navy authorizes one service stripe per every four years completed. This chief's got 5, so he's been in the Navy 20+ years. More than likely he's looking forward to retirement, but that's probably not going to happen with December 7 looming in just nine months. Here's hoping he made it through the war unscathed. All the stripesbelong to a Chief Petty Officer, looking bored to be back on land. Child laborI'll bet that baby carriage was fun to push with those little tiny wheels. The little guy pushing it seems to be working all out on it while Dad looks amused. The house seems to have a sagging problem. Great scene. Navy heading homeLooks like a Chief Machinist Mate with 20 years service. If they are gold colored it means he served with Good Conduct (not getting into any trouble) This part of the street sure looks a lot dirtier than the previous view. Six seconds in the futureThe CPO is pushing the carriage, having recognized dad from Shop 31 at the Yard. Chief and dad discuss their mutual 1920's China gunboat service; the serviceman has recognized the civilian's tattoos as similar to his own. Junior walks between the two, holding his father's hand and happy to be relieved of his duties. The little shaver continues to stare intently over his shoulder, impressed by his uniformed motivator. Most good ladies of Portsmouth disapprove of tattoos. CPO RatingHis rating badge looks like a caduceus to me, which would make him a Hospital Corpsman. Which would make some sense in that his stripes are on his left sleeve indicative of a less than normal chance he'd be at sea. Also there is a large naval hospital in Portsmouth. MMCMachinist Mate Chief Petty Officer (MMC) Back in the day it wasn't so much an issue but in the last 40-45 years the Navy has frowned on "slovenly", unprofessional appearance while in uniform. This includes walking with your hands in your pockets, wearing your cover (hat) askew, jacket unbuttoned, etc. I know it's not definitive, but, the stripes (and rank chevrons) appear to be gold. Gold stripes were authorized for 12 years of continuous good service/conduct. In the early '80s, I recall seeing a few "ole timer" Chiefs, Senior Chiefs and even one Master Chief retiring with red stripes. Another tradition that has been done away with. Today, when authorized, all service stripes will be gold. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Kids, NYC)
« first‹ prev…18 [19]20…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.