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Benched: 1935
... full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. Bench Press Four men passing the time on a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 2:24pm -

October 1935. Passing the time in Scotts Run, West Virginia. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. Bench PressFour men passing the time on a bench and not one of them is whittling? Tie GuyThe dapper guy with the necktie, the lapel pin and the rakish fedora must be a retired pharmacist, doctor or politician. The rest of them look like farmers. Can we really ever know who they were and why they are there. Can we assume they were friends or just guys with no place else to go. Now I Know.When I was a kid I used to think these guys sitting on benches must be retarded. Now that I'm old ... I love being retarded. Ain't life grand. Leave room for FidoDidn't notice until I looked at the full-sized photo, there are five "individuals" pictured here. Four gentlemen on the bench, and one comfortable looking pup curled up asleep underneath. From the looks of the ground underneath him, he spends quite a bit of time in that spot. Love it! SittersMaybe not whittling but the one on the end might be picking a winner. “Spit & Whittle Club”That's a term my in-laws use for groups of old codgers like this. None of these guys seem to be whittling, though. Never Seen ItI ain't never seen an old guy whittling even once in my entire life. It's a myth. Whittling doesn't exist. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Small Towns)
Are We There Yet?
... full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Shining Brightly She's beautiful! Okie I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 9:35pm -

June 1939. Migrant children heading west in the back seat of the family car somewhere east of Fort Gibson in Muskogee County, Oklahoma. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Shining BrightlyShe's beautiful! OkieI won't make any comment about an Okie from Muskogee! Cropped?This photo and the one earlier seem to be from the same negative, as the towheaded lad in this one is identical to the other. And yes, the girl is beautiful. [Compare. Two different photographs. - Dave] Stereo ImageryThe side by side makes for a pretty good stereo image. Back Seat?Good. I'm an Oklahoman, presently residing near Muskogee. It's nothing like the hick song; Trust me. The caption reads that the kids are in the back seat of the family car. Not so. See the sideboards the girl is resting her arm on? That's in the bed of a pickup or small truck. [Side view below. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kids, On the Road, Russell Lee)
Little Sipper: 1942
... daughter a glass of milk." Photo by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hand me a hanky Looks as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/20/2022 - 2:37pm -

May 1942. "Lancaster County, Nebraska. Mrs. Pierce, wife of FSA borrower, giving her daughter a glass of milk." Photo by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hand me a hankyLooks as though Mrs. Pierce had a hasty session with the curling iron that morning, likely in anticipation of Mr. Vachon's arrival with his lens, but no matter; the photo is all kinds of charming. I love the hands: Mom's hand gently encircling the baby's back, the other patiently holding the glass one wishes could have been a sippy cup (which would not be invented for another forty years). The baby girl's little hands, poised in a remarkably composed way for one her age, and her eyes, looking up in concentration at receiving the refreshing milk, are just sweet, sweet, sweet. One of those tiny moments -- perhaps posed but so what -- of which lives are made. I find it unexpectedly touching. KindchenschemaIn 1943, ethologist Konrad Lorenz proposed that "baby schema effect" (Kindchenschema) is an innate releasing mechanism primed by a set of infantile physical features. The large head, protruding forehead, round face, big eyes, small nose and mouth, evoke positive emotions and instinctual behavioral responses in adults with the evolutionary function of enhancing offspring survival. "Baby Cuteness"- This little girl has it in SPADES! (The Gallery, John Vachon, Kids)
Showtime in Chicago: 1941
... Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Looked the same in 1961 when I was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/11/2019 - 4:09pm -

April 1941. "The movies are popular in the Negro section of Chicago. Regal Theater and Savoy Ballroom in the Southside neighborhood." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Looked the same in 1961when I was producing a series of Chicago jazz sessions for Riverside Records. I took this photo then—notice Sam Cooke and The Drifters were on the bill. This ain't a rehearsalI know it's been said before, but I love the way people used to dress up to go out. I still dress up when I go out. You live one time; dressing up is a nod to the uniqueness of every day. [As well as, in this case, Easter Sunday. - Dave] All the more reason to resurrect the custom of dressing up to go out. The first car is a 1940 Mercury. I bought one in 1968, and restored it by 1972. I used it for about 40 years, and then gifted it to a young friend who will take care of it for many years to come. UneditedI find it sorta remarkable that on the coming attractions, the Regal found it necessary to say they’re showing GWTW with “Nothing Cut but the Price”. What, they were going to clip out the burning of Atlanta because the show ran long?? Oy gevalt! Late ArrivalsI hope these filmgoers got a break at the box office in April of 1941. Both "The Philadelphia Story" and "Life With Henry" were released and had already been shown in movie houses in 1940. Previously on Shorpy ...We've been to the Savoy for roller skating a couple of times. The Coasters: 1941 Saturday Night: 1941 I hear a MeadowlarkIn addition to movies and roller skating, the Savoy also had basketball exhibitions by the Savoy Big Five, who later changed their name to the Harlem Globetrotters. Basie at the SavoyIt looks as if Count Basie was playing the Savoy ... can you imagine? ObservantI'm fascinated that the ones who noticed Mr. Lee are all children. So many of them are looking directly at the camera. Also, The Philadelphia Story is worthy of many, many viewings. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Movies, Russell Lee)
On the Road: 1938
... Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Beyond Here Lies Nothing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2009 - 9:13am -

June 1938. Outskirts of El Paso, Texas. "Young Negro wife cooking breakfast. 'Do you suppose I'd be out on the highway cooking my steak if I had it good at home?' Occupations: hotel maid, cook, laundress." Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Beyond Here Lies NothingIt seems passing strange to me that, while many Shorpyites have been moved to give their two cents worth on other, recent Great Depression pictures-analyzing and projecting their emotions on the set of the nursing mother's jaw or the grin of the dirty-faced boy, no one has has had a word for this determined, realistic woman. The rocky foreground, the barren wasteland and the almost infinitely distant horizon make her simple act of preparing food seem quite heroic. Perhaps her position in society better prepared her for the Depression, giving her a capacity for survival and not encumbering her with a lot of easily broken dreams. StrikingI imagine it was hot, even in the morning. Yet this woman appears to be wearing a clean and well-pressed dress. Her shoes intrigue me. I don't think I've seen anything like them before. I wonder what became of her? On the RoadWhat I noticed most about this particular photo, as compared to the other Depression-era photos, is that there is not the direct gaze at the camera. This woman is busy doing something for herself. Not passively sitting and enduring, but doing what must be done. Hotel maid, cook, laundress she is described. All are grueling, thankless jobs. She must have been a woman of great endurance and determination. I'm more inspired by this photo and it's caption than I have been by any other thus far. How not good?I wonder what makes it so bad at home. Is there just not a home? Because you'd think that if there were just financial problems at home, she could cook like this just as well there. Hopefully there wasn't something else bad waiting for her there. OK, now I'm reading more into photos and captions than I should and annoying myself. Either way, this caption really makes this photo. As if nothing changes...The background is not too far from current outskirts of El Paso as it sits today. I was wondering when a picture from my hometown would pop up one day. Poignant image. Thanks for sharing as always! (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression)
Siler City: 1939
... Resting place of Aunt Bee. Photo by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Then and Now Love the Then ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2014 - 3:36pm -

July 1939. "Siler City, North Carolina." Resting place of Aunt Bee. Photo by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Then and NowLove the Then and Now comparison. Nice to see not much has changed. And how many times do we ever see more awnings in the Now picture than in the Then picture?!! How it looks todayThe intersection of Raleigh Street and Chatham Avenue. View Larger Map Nothing has changedOK, so they installed new traffic lights and the citizens have bought new cars, but otherwise ... Frances Bavier 1902-1989A sad later life was Aunt Bee's. Though never regarded as a warm and engaging person by castmates on the Andy Griffith Show, she became positively reclusive after retiring to Siler City, where her cat-filled home decayed around her. Interestingly, she was a New York City goil who had fallen in love with North Carolina's natural grandeur during her working years. The "real" Aunt Bee would of course have been a sixth-generation Tar Heel. [Especially interesting, considering that her working years were spent in New York and Los Angeles. - Dave] Tag TypeI like the typeface on the license plates -- maybe they can bring that back. Lots of Coca-Cola SignsI remember even up until the 1980s we'd see lots of signs like that in small towns. What's the story with those signs? I've seen Royal Crown versions, Dr. Pepper (especially here in Texas), Coca-Cola, and to a limited extent, Pepsi. Did a sign company have a deal with certain soft drinks and then they put the actual store name on the sign? [The deal was between the soft drink company and the store owner. These were called privilege signs. Also, see this. -tterrace] See "where the neons turn to wood"?To borrow the phrase from John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, look there, down the road to see just how quickly you leave town proper, and are back in countryside, driving past mailboxes and farmsteads, without a hint of the bright lights of town that you drove through just moments ago. Follow the village speed limit of 25 mph, and you've still covered those 6 blocks in a flash, and you're following that thread of asphalt, dipping through hollows crowded with the dark blue-green woods, and fields covered with tobacco and soybeans. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dorothea Lange)
The Andrews Family: 1941
... FSA clients. They run a small seven-acre vegetable farm near Falmouth, Massachusetts. Just got the first cow they ever had, of ... Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Macro lens? Excellent depth ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2019 - 11:52am -

January 1941. "The family of Peter V. Andrews, Portuguese. FSA clients. They run a small seven-acre vegetable farm near Falmouth, Massachusetts. Just got the first cow they ever had, of which they are very proud. Mr. Andrews works as a day laborer at a nearby Army camp." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Macro lens?Excellent depth of field demonstrated. Double IndemnityThe kid looks like a young descendant of Edward G. Robinson. Or Barton Keyes. Just Wondering --How many folks have a picture of our current president hanging in their kitchen? The rest of the storyGoogling Peter V Andrews I stumbled on this 1940 census record, he is listed as negro? Then I found this fascinating article about Peter's grand-nephew. Manuel Andrews of Christmas Tree fameOn the far right is the Manuel Andrews, who was featured previously in front of his Christmas tree: https://www.shorpy.com/node/24094 The family of Peter and Margaret Andrews included at least eight children. Pictured here are probably Manuel, the youngest son, Daniel, and daughter Elinor. Peter came from Cape Verde and Margaret from the Azores. Researching their history got me craving Portuguese Fried Dough, and then I realized today is Fat Tuesday, the perfect day for such sweets. Counting CalendarsIn his wonderful book "Blue Highways," William Least Heat Moon wrote that he always looked for cafes and diners with the most calendars. Apparently the food in those establishments was always better than anywhere else. I'm counting three in this kitchen. And look at that clean oven. I'm thinking the food was really good here. ["The Last Supper" notwithstanding. - Dave] (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Kitchens etc., Rural America)
An Uphill Climb: 1941
... Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A Bit of Class In what ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/05/2019 - 2:39pm -

January 1941. "Street in the mill district in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A Bit of ClassIn what looks like an otherwise dreary, polluted, hardscrable existence. Kudos to the hard-working people who lived and toiled in Company and Factory Towns. Forget Buying that Workout Machine!Could you imagine walking up that hill every day? I'll bet she's got calves you could bust concrete on! And she probably has asthma to boot, because of all that smog! Handrail?I don't see a handrail. Wood wouldn't last three winters and a metal one would be rendered useless in the freezing cold. Tough place to eke out life. [Au contraire. - Dave] About a century before this pictureCharles Dickens recorded his impression of Pittsburgh in his "American Notes" as "Hell with the lid off". In an industrial city, smoke was a sign of prosperity and therefore good; but even in olden times, smoke could be too much of a good thing. Important safety tip. Do NOT miss that sharp, sudden right hand turn at the bottom. Today, we would spin that as an "infinity street". Old placesIt is interesting that in photos like these and in so many others from even earlier times, things look old and worn - the buildings, the walls. It's almost like they were built old, that they were never new or nice. "Hell with the lid off"That quote is often attributed to Charles Dickens (he visited Pittsburg, no "h" yet, in 1842), but it actually came from Boston area biographer James Parton in 1868. "Hell with the Lid Off" is also the title of a book about the intense rivalry between the Steelers and the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s. Hell!In my copy of Dickens's "American Notes" the section on Pittsburgh is titled "Hell with the Lid off." I suppose an editor must have liked Mr. Parton's phrase enough to borrow it. This would account for a false attribution. I'll need to consult my edition but IIRC, the editor also added the "h" to Pittsburgh. (The Gallery, Dogs, Factories, Jack Delano, Pittsburgh)
Pit Stop: 1940
... Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The problem is deeper If it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/01/2018 - 7:37pm -

July 1940. "Migrant fruit workers from Louisiana fixing flat tire along the road. Berrien County, Michigan." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The problem is deeperIf it were just a flat tire, why would he need to touch the wheel hub? Safety First...or as Mike Rowe from "Dirty Jobs" would say, "It's at least in the Top 10 there somewhere!" I'm glad they have that rock blocking the front wheel to keep that Ford from rolling away. It also looks like they'll be doing this again on down the road. Those tires appear to be the "Maypop" brand. You know, as in "they may POP at any time!" Brake/break job.This Model A Ford is in decent shape having lost a few items over the years such as horn, center bumper clamp, license plate clamps. Note the license plate was digging into the radiator, so it was moved to the side. The wheels are from a 1930-1931 Ford. This example is the 1928-1929 type, a Tudor in Ford parlance. Expensive tripLooks like they had to replace the front right tire outright already on this trip. Others look like they're getting their money's worth. Berrien County is still a good fruit growing region--I grew up going downstairs almost every night for a mason jar of fruit my mom had canned after buying it for a very reasonable price. They're even getting some decent wineries after moving away from growing Concord grapes for bum wines for a long time. The JobI picked cherries in MI as a kid in the mid 50s. If nothing changed, they make you pick the whole tree (not just the easy cherries), and punched a ticket for every full bucket you gave them. The punches turned into money when you turned in the ticket. You could eat as many cherries as you wanted. This didn't turn out to be as many as you might think. And more to fixlooks like someone lost the little wire clips that hold the headlight lenses in place last time they got new bulbs! With the randomly oriented lenses, they are probably seeing only treetops and wandering possums at night. A remarkable number of Shorpy migrant and depression era pictures include '28-9 Fords -- they were the national standard for cheap and reliable used cars. [Also MIA: the passenger-side headlamp visor. - Dave] The George McFly lightBack when sealed-beam headlamps were secured by two adjusting screws and one strong spring (that is to say, only three decades ago), I used to joke that if you lost the spring, and the headlamp pointed into the treetops, you could spot Marty McFly's dad in time to stop. Safety rule , avoid pinch pointsI hope that vehicle was blocked up securely and not just held up by a jack . They have a rock under the front right tire to stop forward motion. But judging from the tension on his forearms he's pulling hard on the hub or brake assembly . The rock is not going prevent sideways movement . This is while exposing his legs which are under the vehicle . No need to remove the wheelOn the Model A (and probably other cars of the period) could change tires or repair tubes without removing the wheel. I've done it a few times. Joke's on RussiaThe Russian government showed their people the movie "The Grapes of Wrath" so they could see how bad things were in America. Instead, the Russian people were very impressed that even poor people in America owned cars. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, On the Road)
Sixty Special: 1941
... full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. Tony Car 1941 Fleetwood Sixty Special, $2,195. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2011 - 4:21am -

July 1941. Cadillac Fleetwood parked on a Chicago street. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. Tony Car1941 Fleetwood Sixty Special, $2,195. That was some serious money in those days! Beautiful. Tony NeighborhoodYou're right, that is a 1941 Fleetwood Sixty Special, and that looks like a Packard parked in front of it. Nice neighborhood! "No parking between signs"Either the Caddy or the Packard appear to be in a No Parking Zone. Ward LeaderThe Caddy and Packard were probably owned by a ward boss. If they were parked in a no-park zone, the chance of getting a ticket or of being towed ranged from slim to none. There are laws for the commoners and ones for the really important people! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, John Vachon)
Watching the World Go By: 1938
... in Marion, Ohio. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Handpainted Signs More ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2007 - 1:22am -

Summer 1938. Passing the time outside the bus station in Marion, Ohio. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Handpainted SignsMore beautiful hand painted signage and lettering. Imperfect and as distinctive as your handwriting. And if you zoom in, one of the bus lines had service to my hometown of Ft. Wayne. Too bad they tore down the old art deco Greyhound bus station here several years ago. http://www.pbase.com/image/38023103 re: Handpainted SignsThey tore down the old Greyhound bus station in my home town also. Those old buildings had such character and style, it's such a shame they have to destroy them. Greyhound StationLost a link in the last post. Here's a color postcard of our late Greyhound terminal. Evansville, INThe Greyhound bus station in my home town is still standing and in use. Evansville Greyhound StationLauren- Thanx for the link of the Evansville Greyhound depot. It's great to see that it's been so well maintained and still in use as a bus station. The shots of Union Station in Cincinnati from the same site are spectacular as well. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn)
Twenty-Mule Team: 1941
... till 6." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. 20-4 Looks more like a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/10/2018 - 10:52am -

July 1941. "Twenty-mule-team-drawn combine. Walla Walla County, Washington. This outfit gets to work at 6 in the morning. Knocks off at 11 for rest, food and water for mules and men, goes back to work at 1 and works till 6." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. 20-4Looks more like a sixteen-mule team (but who's counting?) [I did, and there are 20. Click to embiggen. - Dave] Horse-Drawn Combine, 1938Skip to the 0:35 mark for sack filling, sewing and depositing for later pickup They ain't hauling BoraxKinda looks like wheat to me. Twenty mules it isFour in each of the front two rows, six in each of the rear rows. 4-Leg DriveWhat's the ratio of mulepower to horsepower? Here's how it's doneWhenever I count mules I count ears and then divide by 2. Thank heavens for internal combustionOnce upon a Shorpy time there was an image of a tractor dealer's store. One of the signs in the window --there were several, if I recall-- read something like "Do your horses work for you or do you work for your horses?" I didn't realize the truth in the question until seeing the number of animals needed to pull a combine! About 2 mules per horsehttp://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/animalpower.htm EmbiggenOh, that's good!! (The Gallery, Agriculture, Horses, Russell Lee)
The Eggs and I: 1940
... Army camp nearby." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Make mine scrambled ... ... ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/29/2019 - 6:56pm -

December 1940. "Mrs. Richard Carter, poultry farmer of Middleboro, Massachusetts. She runs the business of one thousand poulets while her husband drives a bulldozer at an Army camp nearby." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Make mine scrambled ...... with buttery grits, crispy bacon, and a hot biscuit. Oh and I'll have a pair of those Knock-Out shoes in size nine. Not all in one basket?Check. When your day can't end soon enough.Egg scale. Small, Medium, Large. A boring job for sure. HOW MUCH DOES IT WEIGH?EGGzactly 2.1 oz. (That's what one of my Grade A large eggs weighs) Zenith egg grader... I suppose. And under her breath you can hear sayingL, L, M, XL, S, XL, M, omelette, M, M, L, omelette, and so on. I'm Totally Floored!As boring as this mundane task must be, I'm certain that the flooring will keep her wide awake! Any of you 'colorizers' out there up to the challenge?!? Mille chickensPoulets? Is this a flourish or an old American usage? [Perhaps Ukrainian-American. - Dave] Nice rugThat's a really nice rug. With that, the wallpaper and the curtains in the window, it doesn't look like a coop. They must move the ready eggs to a different room, barn or house to do the weighing and sorting. Since she's wearing short sleeves in December in Massachusetts then it's probably well heated also. I wonder if she moves the eggs from the barn or if they had a helper. [That's a linoleum rug. - Dave] (The Gallery, Agriculture, Jack Delano)
Fully Leveraged: 1940
... 35mm nitrate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Teamwork Took me a while to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/24/2008 - 12:31am -

September 1940. "Mountaineer trying to change tire with a fence post as a jack. Up south fork of the Kentucky River, Breathitt County." 35mm nitrate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. TeamworkTook me a while to come up with a reason that she's on that side of the tire, and it's just a guess: clearing out the rocks that were used to hold up the axle while they changed tires. Great teamwork there. Wonder if the photographer's rig had a jack? Thanks for the photo. That looks a bit dangerous!What is that poor girl doing? It looks uncomfortable for her as she's almost lying on those rocks (or is that the road!) That "jack" doesn't look all that safe either! Rocky RoadI sure feel sorry for that young Miss with the rocky perch. The car is a 1929 or so Chevrolet. Yumpin' Yiminy....No wonder they have a flat, yikes, that road is as bad as some of the backroads we still have in these here parts. My dad used to say that in those days, flats and tire changing were usually part of the trip. We still have his Model T jack, and needless to say it still works perfectly. Marion Post WolcottThe young Miss in the photo is Marion Post Wolcott. Here's her description of the situation as quoted in "Marion Post Wolcott - A Photographic Journey" by F. Jack Hurley. "We borrowed an old car the first day -- had to be pulled out of a creek by a mule, then later hauled out of the sand, and finally had a flat miles from everything and no jack! Tore down a fence post and while our driver (a young kid who is the son of the school janitor) tried to prop the car up, I was down on my belly on the creek bed piling rocks under it. But we finally got it fixed. We had to do some walking too, so that when we got back late I was one tired girl." Ms WolcottWho took the picture? (Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott, Rural America)
Eight Is Enough: 1941
... Family of a FSA borrower." Photo by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Lost in the crowd Life ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/06/2019 - 11:24am -

December 1941. "Rio Piedras (vicinity), Puerto Rico. Family of a FSA borrower." Photo by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Lost in the crowdLife before cable could be quite exhausting. It's a hard knock lifeSuch amazing and beautiful yet sad faces. Barbershop QuartetFood? Check. Clothing? Check. Shelter? Check. Haircuts? Damn straight. These boys look like their dad might be the local barber. Mama's boyI find it heartwarming that the little boy standing to the left of his mama is holding onto her dress. For security? (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Puerto Rico)
OK Grocery: 1939
... Homestead, Florida." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I grew up in Homestead ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/19/2013 - 2:29pm -

January 1939. "Grocery store in Negro section. Homestead, Florida." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I grew up in HomesteadArriving there as a 2 year old in 1957 and staying for the next 19 years (through High School), I can't recall a black section of town within the city limits of Homestead. My father was stationed at Homestead AFB. There were significant black populations living in Goulds, Naranja (north), and Florida City (south) which are all very near / adjacent to Homestead, and I had many black classmates in Junior High and High School. Back then Homestead was a very small rural farming community. Miami was 35 miles north and an entirely different world. There was actually farmland for miles between the two areas. No one lived east of US 1 as it was mangrove swamps or farm fields (closer to town). Krome Ave (then US 27) was the center of the town. I went back to visit a few years ago and most of the middle class had fled the area after Andrew's devastation. The area is now very poor and heavily Latino. US 1 is now the center of town and east of it is now heavily built up. God help them if another Andrew strikes the area. Card Sound Rd was inundated with a massive storm surge for miles inland in a storm that struck in the 1920' or 30's. The highway was literally wavy (up and down) from the beating of the flood. I remember an official DOT yellow sign warning of "elephant tracks" going south on Card Sound Road out of Homestead in the 1960's. Most of the area south of Miami averages 3' - 6' above sea level, even far inland. In fact Homestead is located on a narrow coral ridge the ends just west of town near the Everglades Nat'l Park boundary. For those who know the area, Roberts was literally just a fruit and veggie stand outside the gate of the Park back then. (http://www.robertishere.com) It was a great place to be a kid in the 60's! Talking Pictures!Folks in Homestead must have been a little behind the times, still advertising "TALKING Pictures" about 12 years after the first sound picture [The Jazz Singer] was introduced. However, I have heard that silent films continued to be produced through about 1930-31, mainly for secondary markets. 1939Bars on the window of the Bodega even back then? those boys...are SO cute! I hope they had good lives. Homestead TheaterIt took a while for theaters to be able to convert to sound technology. I would think that a theater in a place like this would be one of the latter to get it. The board looks like one that they write the movie schedule on and I sure wish we could read it! These cute little boys are what initially caught my eye, however! (The Gallery, Florida, Kids, M.P. Wolcott, Stores & Markets)
Red House Kids: 1935
... size. 35mm nitrate negative. Photograph by Ben Shahn, Farm Security Administration. The Textbook Would anyone like to hazard a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2009 - 2:23am -

"School youngsters. Red House, West Virginia." October 1935. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative. Photograph by Ben Shahn, Farm Security Administration. The TextbookWould anyone like to hazard a guess as to the complete title of the book that the girl is holding? All that is evident is that it somehow involves native americans, and is volume five. Re: TextbookIt's Book 5 of the Elson Readers. You can read the whole thing here or here. thanksthank you for a wonderful site. i am so appreciative of all the work you guys do! being just 21 i completely missed the good old days by about 80 or so years. i LOVE this picture, it is beautiful. thanks again! The girl in the front on the rightShe bears an absolutely stunning likeness to Marilyn Monroe at that age. Backwards into the futureI would venture a guess that many of today's college graduates would have issues with portions of that *fifth grade* book. I picked up a copy a while ago, by all means grab the OCR version provided by either link! "This book is based on the belief that an efficient reader for the fifth grade must score high when tested on five fundamental features: quality of literature; variety of literature; organization of literature; quantity of literature; and definite helps sufficient to make the text a genuine tool for classroom use." I'd like to see some of the assignments from this book used in a double-blind study in a community college anywhere in the USA... the results would, in my experience, make you ball like a little kid. [Hm. I wonder how many of those students would know the difference between "ball" and "bawl." - Dave] Red HouseRed House is now home to a radical Muslim community. They would have gotten short shrift in 1935 ... but that was before we became so "enlightened." [Not quite. You're confusing Red House, West Virginia, with Red House, Virginia, 280 miles away. - Dave] (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Great Depression, Kids)
Palm Meadow: 1940
March 1940. "Entrance to farm in San Patricio County, Texas." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Wordplay They're having fun with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/15/2021 - 11:59am -

March 1940. "Entrance to farm in San Patricio County, Texas." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. WordplayThey're having fun with palmetto. Near the city of TaftAccording to the very few records I could find of its existence. Quite a grand spread ol' Henry had. PalmettoA play on words? Sad palmsThose palm trees don't look too happy or healthy. Not like Florida or California palms! (The Gallery, Agriculture, Russell Lee)
The Cheshire Cows: 1940
September 1940. "Cows on the farm of Mrs. Dewitt Lasser, FSA client near Cheshire, Connecticut." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Undivided attention Seven out of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/27/2019 - 3:54pm -

September 1940. "Cows on the farm of Mrs. Dewitt Lasser, FSA client near Cheshire, Connecticut." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Undivided attentionSeven out of nine. Well done, Jack Delano. Moo! A Word of WarningI kissed the friendly brown eyed cow that gives us milk and cheese. Now I'm in the hospital with hoof and mouth disease. Smile for the camera, ladies!Back about this time, the beautiful town of Cheshire was said to have the largest percentage of its land under cultivation, of any town in the State. Its population was 4352 that year. Today it is home to over 29,000 folks, and known for growing LOTS of bedding plants (and subdivisions). Jack Delano sure had the eye for this work, he never disappoints! He took a number of pictures at several Cheshire farms in his travels. Old stanchion barnIn a day when milking parlors are computerized, my neighbor still operates a New England dairy barn that looks just like this. He milks about 30 head of Guernsey and Jersey cows twice a day, by himself. He's a tough old Mainer and proud of it. The cows on Mrs. Lasser's farm are pretty much the same breeds. I see Jerseys and the third one in has a blaze like a Guernsey. Rich milk high in butterfat. These cows will produce about 5 gallons a day. In 1939 these cows may still be hand milked, but vacuum milkers had become immensely popular by then. The girls in the photograph, I've seen that look before. They are expecting Jack Delano to kick some hay down in front of them. They are hungry! (The Gallery, Bizarre, Agriculture, Animals, Jack Delano)
Basting the Bird: 1940
... Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Happy Thanksgiving One of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/26/2020 - 11:42pm -

November 28, 1940. "Mrs. T.L. Crouch, of Ledyard, Connecticut, pouring some water over her twenty-pound turkey on Thanksgiving Day." Happy Thanksgiving from Shorpy! Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Happy ThanksgivingOne of the very best parts of Shorpy (aside from the photographs, of course) is the spirit of community amongst the commenters. Let us all sit down at our virtual table together, whatever our views, and commit to the mutual wish for a resumption of our normal world and the usual Thanksgiving next year, where we can all sit together, cheek by jowl, in peace and good health. Water? Water!?I've heard of basting turkeys with stock, wine, butter, and oil, and I know some people don't baste at all. But I've never heard of basting with water. I hope my comment doesn't start a argument between pro-basting and anti-basting factions. Mine was a waterless birdI'm firmly in the non-basting faction -- with anything, but least of all with water. Too much work. I must say that my 22-lb bird turned out so perfectly this year, I myself wonder what my secret is. I think it's that I bought a high-quality product and did a refresher course on how to serve a juicy, crispy-brown-skinned turkey that makes everyone's mouth water. (Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, then cut the heat to 375 right after putting the bird in. That way it gets done in less time, and is deprived of the opportunity to dry out.) The result exceeded my expectations. For Christmas, however, we will have ham. Tall turkeyJudging by eye, I'd guess the pan lid sitting on the stovetop does not fit over that turkey. A Kalamazoo ~ Direct to YouMrs. Crouch uses a Kalamazoo "President" stove. The version with a Utility Shelf had a price of $79.90 in the Kalamazoo 1934 catalog. And yes, it had a thermometer built into the oven door. Watch video for some looks at the inside. Preheat oven to (blah blah blah)Before 1917, recipes didn't give oven temperatures in degrees, because there was no reliable way to measure or control on that basis. In 1917, Gus Baumgarten outfitted his gas oven with a thermostat. His experiment attracted the attention of Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, who promoted thermostats nationwide. Nowadays it's hard to imagine not having a dial or digital control that you can set and forget until the timer goes off, but this lady was still using a wood or coal stove in 1940. It might have had a thermometer built into the oven door, as many stoves did in the early 20th century, but that required constant diligence. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kitchens etc., Thanksgiving)
Marching in Memphis: 1940
... format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Life can be so sweet Looks ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/01/2022 - 12:04pm -

May 1940. "Cotton carnival. Memphis, Tennessee." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Life can be so sweetLooks like it was a windy, cool-ish day. Those on the sunny side of the street had it made, but the folks (especially hatted, gloved, and coat-clad ladies both seated and standing) who had chosen the shade, were shivering. (The Gallery, M.P. Wolcott, Memphis)
Dixie Chicken: 1941
August 1941. "Feast of Farm Security Administration 'Food for Defense' chickens for the Craig Field flying cadets' ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/15/2016 - 3:21pm -

August 1941. "Feast of Farm Security Administration 'Food for Defense' chickens for the Craig Field flying cadets' Sunday dinner. Southeastern Air Training Center, Selma, Alabama." Medium format negative by John Collier. View full size. Golden brownChicken just doesn't look as yummy in black and white According to my Aunt MabelIt ain't Authentic Fried Chicken unless it's fried in lard. (And she lived to be about 95.) Darn it,Don't you just hate it when the second batch comes out darker that the first?! Blech!Has a less appetizing photograph ever been taken of a purported foodstuff? Mmmmm GoodClearly, many of the people posting here only know fried chicken from KFC... This pan of fried bird looks delish. This is the chickenThis is the chicken they're referring to when people say that something "tastes like chicken" whether it's possum, rattlesnake or whatever. This Just InContrary to popular belief, the Colonel did not invent fried chicken in the South. My Great-Aunt Ruby did, along with fried okra. So there. BonyThis chicken looks positively scrawny compared to today's mutant beasts. Presentation countsOne must show off the best and most attractive pieces, add a bit of appetizing garnish and serve it on a beautiful platter with pretty accessories. After all, the Miss America contestants don't just roll out of bed and show up in hair rollers, sweats and fuzzy slippers, do they? (The Gallery, John Collier, Kitchens etc.)
T for Three: 1939
... Oklahoma." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Saucered and blowed I saw ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/26/2018 - 11:54am -

June 1939. "Migrant workers eating dinner by the side of their car (Ford Model T) while they are camped near Prague, Lincoln County, Oklahoma." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Saucered and blowedI saw my father drink his coffee that way from time to time and he said it was “saucered and blowed”. I remember seeing my grandmother (his mom) pour her hot coffee into a saucer and blow across the top to cool it off. That “crystal candy” dish might be a dime store heirloom. I received one similar to it as wedding gift from one of my husband’s aunts who lived in a tiny country town in rural Mississippi in the late 1960s. The only store where she could have shopped would have been a Ben Franklin or other dime store. It was clear glass with a lid that had a silver painted top on top. I looked closely to see if I could figure out what they were eating. It appeared to be large lima beans, perhaps cooked with a ham hock. My mother in law cooked them with macaroni, making a rather thick, but very filling dish. Loaf bread, served from the wrapper, was served to round out the meal. Carb city. Grapes of WrathA few weeks ago, I commented on a 1920-something Auburn sedan that looked good as new after more than ten years on the road. This Model T, by contrast, has clearly been put through the wringer. The Joad Family drove a '26 Hudson, not a Model T, in the movie version of Grapes of Wrath. However, this car reminds me of theirs. They set a nice blanketThat's a nice, er, table setting for itinerant migrant workers. That fine china and that beautiful crystal dish, probably handed down from parents or grandparents, seem incongruent to people today who are used to seeing plastic utensils and paper plates and cups when eating on the road. Shades of prosperity pastThey're eating off what I'd assume is the last of the china they used to own, Dad's wearing a good pair of men's shoes, and the lady (Mom? daughter? sister? I can't tell) is wearing her "Sunday go to meeting" dress. The boy on the right has outgrown the clothes they had in the good days, though. I bet it's Sunday and they just went to church. And that's gotta be tight in that Model T to have all your clothes, cookware, and probably a tent in there. Wow. Laurel & HardyReminds me of the picnic scene at the front yard of the mansion from the movie "It's A Gift" [In which Laurel & Hardy were played by W.C. Fields. -tterrace] PronunciationShould you find yourself in this part of the country, be advised that "Prague" rhymes with "vague." There's also a Miami, Oklahoma, which isn't pronounced how you might expect. But that's a comment for another photo. Hood Ornament?Is that a flying duck on top of the crumpled front fender - right in front of the headlight? Ett fika, kanske?My maternal grandfather invariably drank his coffee the same way: milk and sugar while in the cup, then into the saucer for further cooling and subsequent ingestion. He was the son of Swedish immigrants, and since Grandma didn't take her coffee like that, I figured he'd picked the habit up from his folks and it was therefore a Swedish thing. Never asked him about it, though. So what about your grandma, Grammy23? Was she, or her folks, from up around these parts? Proper pronunciation of Prague, OklahomaLocally pronounced "pray" (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, On the Road, Russell Lee)
Country Church: 1936
... Tennessee." 8x10 safety negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Unusual Design I don't know ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/02/2008 - 3:57pm -

1936. "Church, Southeastern U.S., probably Alabama or Tennessee." 8x10 safety negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Unusual DesignI don't know that I've ever seen a church quite this style in the South -- the wood looks added on to a secular building of some kind. The three crosses are interesting, and the one in the center is crooked--and is that a bird perched on it? There's also no signage over the doors, which is odd. Fascinating building, clearly cobbled together. [Look again. There is a sign. Plus a cornerstone. - Dave] Southern CrossWhat is that thing on the middle cross. It doesn't look like a bird. Dave, can you use your super enhancing powers? Go go gadget magnifier? [Ta-da. - Dave] What a Letdown...It's a bit of wood. Thanks anyway! Super-Enhancing Go-Go GadgetCould you also employ your ultra-flux-capacitor, U236, turbo-rastermatic, Fireball, perma-firm, sofa-wide powers to explain . . . Okay, so it aint funny and I caint spell aint. Still, your scans are the best and your site(s) are my favorite(s) on the web. Keep up the good work. Foy Blackmon Las Vegas That Cross add-onMy first impression is that the small upright remembers the Thief on the Right at the crucifixion. Remember? The thief on the left scoffed at Jesus and blamed others for all that had happened to him,almost demanding that Jesus save him on his own terms. The thief on the right admitted his guilt and simply asked Jesus to remember him. The Orthodox Church’s cross has an additional shorter piece above the main crosspiece,and at the bottom is a smaller slanted piece. The upper piece represents the sign placed above Jesus’ head (on the Orthodox cross). And the lower piece slants toward the right as a reminder of the thief on the right. Mike This Site Teaches me So Much!Thank you Mike. I love the collaborative effect this site has in broadening my knowledge. And thank you Dave, for my absolute favourite site! Re: that Cross add-onA follow-up: My friend Dr. John Sasser (http://www2.eos.net/jsasser/) noted this in reference to the cornerstone, and church name: "The African Methodist Episcopal Church, with the "cross +" between the M and E, i.e., M+E has a very exciting history that is embedded in African tradition, i.e., voodoo, folk-lore or whatever you wish to call it...." (this cross example may) "...fit with some African-based religious practices that have been labeled voodoo are (in fact) biblical." [Or it could be a bit of bracing on the back of the cross that's come loose. - Dave] (The Gallery, Rural America, Walker Evans)
Privy Property: 1939
... Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. No trespassing in this john! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/19/2020 - 8:30pm -

November 1939. "Privy. Dawes County, Nebraska." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. No trespassing in this john!I like to think the owner goes up to those holes on the right, peers in and barks "Come out with your pants up!" Not brickBut really well-built. Not Very Friendly, DanI've spent some time in Dawes County, a beautiful and historic area of Nebraska. Folks there seem a lot more, uh, accommodating there these days. Humph!If it's so private, close the door then! In the lower left corner.I wondered where the Sears catalog wound up. I knew it was missing. Dan must've used a few too many pages. Dan the poet?Knowing about outhouses, it's probably more likely to be limericks. The Original PoetI've seen his work everywhere! Russian ThistleLots of tumbleweed that my mother's parents and other Germans brought from the steppes of Russia mixed in with their dry wheat seed. Worth a tag ...More privies (or should I say privy's?) at Shorpy's, some more than ten years ago, and still there! The Privy Chamber: 1935 You Go First: 1941 Porta-Privy: 1938 State-of-the-Art Facilities: 1941 Throne Room: 1935 (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Rural America)
Farmhouse Kitchen: 1940
... Creek County, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Census Realizing Pomp is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2018 - 9:35pm -

February 1940. "Family of tenant farmer Pomp Hall, eating breakfast consisting of corn flakes, biscuits, fried bacon, milk and coffee. Creek County, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. CensusRealizing Pomp is probably not his given name. I did many searches but came up empty. Odd. MilkAt first I thought using plates for the corn flakes odd. But it keeps you from using too much milk. My grandmother (born 1903) hated when us chaps used too much milk in the cereal bowl and just poured it down the sink. And the use of fresh newspaper on the table surfaces kept them cleaner. A charming family photo, although poor. Mama doesn’t like the intrusion but her family looks well fed. [That's not Mama, who is seated next to her husband. - Dave] Could be that he moved by 19401940 United States Federal Census Name: Pompey Hall Age: 50 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1890 Race: Negro (Black) Birthplace: Arkansas Marital Status: Married Home in 1940: Spring Creek, Phillips, Arkansas Farm: Yes Inferred Residence in 1935: Rural, Phillips, Arkansas Residence in 1935: Rural, Phillips, Arkansas Resident on farm in 1935: Yes Occupation: Farmer House Owned or Rented: Rented Attended School or College: No Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 3rd grade Class of Worker: Working on own account Household Members: Name Age Pompey Hall 50 Missouri Hall 49 Willie R Landford 13 Looks familiarThat newspaper on their dinner table is a copy of the now defunct Tulsa Tribune. I see ads for both Street's Clothing and Renberg's, a clothing store as well. They have been closed for quite a while. My very first IT job was at Renberg's starting in November 1977. The old Renberg's sign is still on the building at 311 S. Main in Tulsa. My grandfather attended Central High School with George Renberg. He said he was jealous because George would come to school in a different suit every day! (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Rural America, Russell Lee)
Interiors: 1941
... County, Georgia." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Take a guess The three ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/13/2017 - 2:47pm -

June 1941. "Interior of Negro rural house. Greene County, Georgia." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Take a guessThe three people in the background in two other rooms all appear to be watching TV, but I doubt that many people had a TV in 1941. What do you think they were looking at? [The lighting suggests the two in back are on an open porch and the seated man in a room with an open door, and they're all looking at whatever is going on outside. -tterrace] House DesignI believe we're looking at the interior of what is called a "Shotgun House." They were built narrow and long to fit more buildings into one area. The name came from someone saying you could "Stand at the front door and fire a shotgun out the back door and hit nary a thing." Shotgun Shack......was my first thought when I saw this photo, but obviously it's not really one, because there's not a door at the back end, and there look to be rooms on both sides of the hallway. I'm not from the South; I first heard about shotgun shacks when reading a biography of Elvis' life- his first home, where was born, was a shotgun shack. Also, I noticed how the woman in front has the top of her apron pinned to her dress, rather than holding it up with a neck strap. Never saw that before. Norman Rockwell, Eat Your Heart OutSo many details to see from the safety pins holding up her apron, to the cupcake tins that seem to double as decor on the far wall, the open lock on the old chest, the bare feet, the quality of light... Except this was not an artist's idealized fiction. Though I don't doubt there was some level of deliberate positioning between Jack Delano and the subjects, the overall feeling has a rich truth to it. Deep FocusI couldn't help but think of deep focus photography, as seen in movies such as "The Best Years of Our Lives." It's an amazing technique that draws the viewer in. Domestic sceneThis reminds me of Dutch domestic paintings where you can see people in distant doorways. A young woman stands at the entrance of a spotlessly clean house (also like the dutch) where her family members stand and sit farther back in the house, resolutely ignoring the camera. A beautiful, enigmatic photograph. Kitchen houseIn some parts of Georgia, families often had separate "kitchen houses" to keep heat and risk of fire away from the house. You can still view them in historic house tours. In the North, there was a similar concept, but used only seasonally, the summer kitchen. It appears to me that this family also had their kitchen area separated from the other parts of their living quarters by a breezeway or porch area. The woman/girl in the foreground is in the sleeping area, then there is a porch with two folks seated, and beyond them, is the kitchen. Hat bandI would love to know what's around that guy's hat, just in case there were other photos from that day. Muffin tins (on the wall, in the kitchen), probably for corn bread. Someone said cupcake pans, but even when they're used for cupcakes, they're called muffin tins. A dark and stormy nightFor what it's worth, my mom and dad and older siblings lived in a shotgun house back in the late 1940's. My dad was sitting in his chair smoking a cigarette in the living area in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. A ball of fire came through the front door, rolled down the length of the house, and exited through the back door. True story. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Rural America)
Gee's Bend: 1937
... Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Gee's Bend Gee's Bend ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:49am -

February 1937. Gee's Bend, Alabama. Descendants of former slaves of the Pettway Plantation. They are still living under primitive conditions there. Meat in sacks hangs from tree limbs to be cured. Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Gee's BendGee's Bend was perceived by many of the academics of the day as a pure distillation of slavery. The New Deal saw them like the exotic, mysterious folk found in deepest Amazon or darkest Africa. The FSA project that was created there was entirely different from all the other 1930s projects because of these perceptions. The Pettway Plantation was purchased in 1937 by the FSA and a full project was developed there including schools, store, blacksmith shop and cooperative cotton gin. The photo shows the "swept yard" of the cabins and the China Berry tree where meat was stored as part of the curing process. Gee's Bend still exists as an African American community in Alabama. Gee's BendGuess there wasn't too much to do after dark except.... Gee's Bend and Civil RightsHere is a great article on Gee's Bend and the amazing quilts that come from there. I have been thinking about this article since Shorpy.com published the picture of the Gee's Bend Ferry... This paragraph contains one of the most chilling comments I have ever heard. I don't think I will ever forget it. Many who marched or registered to vote in rural Alabama in the 1960s lost their jobs. Some even lost their homes. And the residents of Gee's Bend, 60 miles southwest of Montgomery, lost the ferry that connected them to Camden and a direct route to the outside world. "We didn't close the ferry because they were black," Sheriff Lummie Jenkins reportedly said at the time. "We closed it because they forgot they were black." I am a newcomer to Shorpy, and I love the amazing photographs...but I am also glad that it provides a forum to remember both the good and bad of American history. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Gee's Bend, Kids)
Tattoo II: 1941
... Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Pick up your feet I'd bet ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/24/2020 - 5:12pm -

March 1941. "West Main Street. Norfolk, Virginia." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Pick up your feetI'd bet more than one sailor on leave made a face plant on that sidewalk. Compact AfternoonA quick lunch, followed by getting that tattoo and a loan, then a haircut before dinner, all in the space of six storefronts. Can't beat the efficiency! Hot DogI'd love to see that light lit up at night. LOVE the Hot Dog SignThat sign tickles me to no end! In the words of the Three Stooges, Hot Dog, it's the Cat's Meow! I'd Swear That Guy In The Hatlooks just like The Kingfish! One LeftThe only building that remains is the tall light gray one all the way down at the far right, past the tops of the parked cars. Everything else is long gone. Just a short walk from a long pierNothing identifiable in this picture remains today, aside from West Main Street itself. There wasn't much of West Main Street in Norfolk then, or now. Main Street becomes East Main Street when it reaches Granby in the next block or so, and behind Vachon was the end of West Main Street. Now, West Main Street leads to the Nauticus museum and entertainment complex and the pier where the U.S.S. Wisconsin is permanently docked. It's a Navy townSo I suspect that Coleman is not the community's only inker. Now Hear ThisThree Light Cruisers approaching off the port bow. All hands on deck and prepare to be boarded. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Stores & Markets)
Chillicothe Buicks: 1940
... A bit of background on the FSA.The purpose of the Farm Security Administration Photographic Project was to gain support for projects ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/27/2007 - 1:39pm -

February 1940. Courthouse and auto transport hauling Buicks in Chillicothe, Ohio. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. The Buick Highway!US23 must have been known locally as the Buick Highway thru Chilli! "....Well,..you turn left onto Buick and then go three miles to that IHOP [sorry] on your right, and then pull a right at the corner...." IHOPWe have a Bob Evans in Chillicothe, not IHOPs, thank you. It's funny, Route 23 doesn't run through Main Street in that direction. FSA photographersA bit of background on the FSA.The purpose of the Farm Security Administration Photographic Project was to gain support for projects proposed by Roosevelt's New Deal government and funded by the taxpayers. FSA photographers followed a detailed outline when documenting life in small-town America, using a checklist for their documentation. For example "street life" would include photographs of stores, theaters, churches, garages, shops, restaurants, hotels, public buildings (such as the courthouse in the photo above ) and were to include details such as fire escapes, balconies, signs, facades, etc. Their primary responsibility was to create a historical record. Again, no bumpersAfter someone mentioned it in comments for another picture with a car-hauler I've been keeping an eye out. I can't tell if hubcaps are on, though. HubcapsLooks to me as if they have their hubcaps, at least the two on the top of the carrier do. U.S. 23The picture in question shows an older alignment of U.S. 23, along Paint Street. The camera is facing west, on Main Street, which is still U.S. 50 today. Paint Street is still Ohio highway 772. IHOP in ChillicotheYou have an IHOP now, ha ha, but still many more Bob's ... just wanted to say this is the first time on this website and I am enjoying it so much ... it's so interesting ... I have already been sending links to all of my family. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
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