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South by Southwest: 1943
... train." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Melrose v. McCurdy Love it when some obscure little place on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 7:50pm -

March 1943. Melrose, New Mexico. Chicago to California trip. "Santa Fe R.R. train." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Melrose v. McCurdyLove it when some obscure little place on the planet is featured on Shorpy that I've been to. Melrose was the high school team that in 1962 McCurdy HS beat for the NM state football championship. McCurdy was a small parochial school in Santa Cruz that had about 50 boys in the whole school. Not that Melrose was any metropolis. Luckily, we had a talented QB who pretty much carried us on his back, and who was also the biggest guy on the team. That, and we were a bunch of undersized, but quite ornery, animals on defense. I must have been the skinniest lineman to ever put on pads. I bet I wasn't over 145 lbs. Pure heaven it was for all of us getting to knock someone down and not get punished for it...rewarded, even. But we kept it on the field back in those days. Bunch of nice guys, actually. The Wayward WindMr. Delano captured the moment perfectly with this shot. Kinda reminds me of the Gogi Grant song "The Wayward Wind" In a lonely shack by a railroad track He spent his younger days And I guess the sound of the outward bound Made him a slave to his wand'rin ways. Keeping it on the FieldMost of us are still nice guys who keep it on the field. I just retired after 12 years of pro football. MOST ballplayers are nice guys who keep it on the field. Unfortunately we don't get a lot of press coverage. It goes to the handful of troublemakers that aren't nice guys. It's a shame really but please don't generalize all of us due to the sensationalism of today's news and the shenanigans of a few... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Mrs. Sandman: 1943
... Illinois, ordnance plant." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Sand Dumb ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 3:30pm -

April 1943. "Mrs. Thelma Cuvage, working in the sand house at the Chicago & North Western R.R. roundhouse at Clinton, Iowa. Her job is to see that sand is sifted and cleaned for use in the locomotives. Mrs. Cuvage's husband works as a guard at the Savanna, Illinois, ordnance plant." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. SandDumb question, but what was the sand for? Re: SandIt was used for traction in icy weather, released from a hopper on the locomotive onto the tracks. Mrs SandmanSand is still used by many railroads icy weather or not, for traction, especially on uphill grades. SandThe sand was and in many places still is very important. It had to be dried so it wouldn't freeze into chunks in the engines. Also needed to be clean and sifted so it would feed through the lines properly. Fed by air jets through tubes and dropped on the rail just in front of the driving wheels. A long commute...The Cuvages both had fairly long commutes for a time when everything that an automobile requires was rationed. According to Google Maps, the towns of Savanna, Illinois and Clinton, Iowa are 21 miles apart, which means even if they lived in the countryside between the two they commuted a combined 42 miles a day, which I imagine was a lot of gas when you drove a 1930's pickup or sedan. [Drive a car? Most wartime workers would have taken the bus or interurban. Or streetcar if they lived close enough. - Dave] CommuteYou're forgetting that the railroad was still running passenger service in those days. Mrs. Cuvage as a railroad employee might well have been issued a courtesy pass for commuting... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
The Information Room: 1943
... at the Union Station, Chicago." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Room with a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/27/2013 - 12:55pm -

January 1943. "Information room at the Union Station, Chicago." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Room with a viewNot much gazing out the window on a nice spring day. Handcranked pencil sharpeners.Life was tough in 1943. Questions, questions." Mam, I'm sorry but you were misinformed. There is no Cannonball Train to Wabash, Indiana". Technology changesNow we can press 1 for Spanish or 2 for English. Then 1 for eastbound trains and 2 for westbound trains. So impersonal and painful to deal with. At the cost of many a job. Menial, but it was a job. Makes me almost ashamed that I've helped in some of these systems being developed. Spirit of 1943There are three, possibly four, instances of the "Spirit of 1943" advertisement (clearer picture below) visible in this photograph, the most obvious being in the lower left. I wonder if that advert was used as the cover for some common informational booklet, or if several copies of some magazine just happened to be open to that page when the photo was taken... ParmeleeOn the phone number board left of the window. Parmelee was the outfit that shuttled passengers and their baggage between stations in the Windy City. Very busy and profitable at one time. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads, The Office)
Herman Delp: 1940
... Farmers Co-op Market." Medium-format safety negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Sweet Baby James I've been trying to place ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/11/2009 - 3:37am -

August 1940. Du Bois, Pennsylvania. "Farmer and wife at the Tri-County Farmers Co-op Market." Medium-format safety negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Sweet Baby JamesI've been trying to place that face. It's been driving me nuts! James Taylor of course. What the --What's his hat hanging on -- a nail driven into the back of his head? Kinda creepy! [Farmer Delp isn't wearing a hat. - Dave] Thanks for the laughsThanks, rgraham and fanhead for the funniest posts about one of the funniest shots I've seen on Shorpy! (Especially the "punchdrunk" quip) Chillin'Coats and jackets in August? Well, yeah. The summer of 1940 seems to have been pretty cold, according to the Penn State records. For example, the low temperature on August 21 was a mere 46 degrees. Now we have the answer to the question nobody asked. It's what I do. I live in the South; I have dreams of 46 degrees. The mister and missusThere's something ominous and creepy about this photograph. I suppose it's only the dominating shadows and the expressions of defiance (mister) and mild fear (missus). He looks tough and snarling - sort of a pugnacious Sean Penn type. She -- well I'm sure she was very nice and I hope to heaven that more flattering pictures of her were taken in her lifetime. We've all been captured at an inopportune moment. Written on their facesLet's par-tay! Well, maybe not. The DelpsI'd say he wears the pants in this family. He looks like he takes no guff, and she looks punch drunk. Other than that, all I can say is WOW, what a shot. Invasion of the Body SnatchersWhatever you do, do NOT bring those pods home, or you'll end up like them! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets)
Cut Rate Drugs: 1941
... on the main street." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Is this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/14/2021 - 12:12pm -

September 1941. "South Royalton, Vermont. Storefronts on the main street." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Is this the spot? The brickwork is redone and the building has been renamed, but this could be it. [It is the same spot but a newer, shorter, building. - Dave] Belt Drive Drill?Taking a peek through the window of Dr. Dearing's office window I spy something that looks suspiciously like a belt drive dental drill. Those of us of a certain age may not want to be reminded of slow speed drills and a lack of novocaine. I was always fascinated by the spinning belts. Money Well SpentI've shopped in the last store on the right. I believe the cashier's name is Patreon. I wonder if that's MartinWatching over his block. De rigueurOf course Dr. D.E. Dearing was a Dentist. Visiting his office was no doubt de-de-de-delightful. '59The Martin Block (constructed in 1887 upon the ashes of a fire that destroyed the village's commercial core) was replaced by the Crawford Block in 1959 - the same year that Dr. Dana Emerson Dearing (Tufts College of Dentistry Class of 1904) was laid to rest in the main South Royalton cemetery, a decade after the death of his wife May. Dr. Dearing had been an officer in numerous agricultural or natural associations in the White River valley. (The presence of an IOOF hall, next to the Crawford Block in part of the original 1887 commercial redevelopment that remains standing, makes this an official Shorpy photo.) Zoot SuiterJust down from the SHORPY What Not Store sits local Zoot Suiter awaiting opening of the cleaners to get his pegged pants pressed. Reminiscent ofwhat Edward Hopper was intrigued with. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Smokescream: 1942
... the mask back when he was peeling onions .) Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Flora That's a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/27/2013 - 12:37am -

September 1942. "Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Sergeant George Camplair learning how to use a gas mask in a practice smokescreen." Sgt. Camplair in one of his scarier manifestations. (He could have used the mask back when he was peeling onions.) Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. FloraThat's a Liriodendron tulipifera he's walking under. Also I'm seeing a 40s adult fantasy scenario. My DadIs the one in back, this photo ca. 1944. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, WW2)
Sportsmen's Tavern: 1940
... rainy day in Colchester, Connecticut." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Who's in retreat? Maybe our history ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/12/2019 - 10:39am -

November 1940. "Having a beer in 'Art's Sportsmen's Tavern' on a rainy day in Colchester, Connecticut." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Who's in retreat?Maybe our history buffs can tell us who is retreating in Athens in November of 1940. Can't read the first word in the Daily News headline. [ITALIANS. - Dave] Windows to the PastI found this site comparing past images of Art's with modern views. In the Google Street View it appears to be a pub: Dude on the left with Jimmy Durante appendage.I'll just bet he honks a symphony whiles he's sleeping. Election Day?Any ideas on the button the gentlemen man on the left is wearing on his trousers? Something to do with voting/election day perhaps? [It's a hunting permit. The campaign button is on his shirt. - Dave] Put that in your pipe and smoke itAnyone that young smoking a pipe today certainly wouldn't have tobacco in it. Greco-Italian WarThe Greco-Italian War of 1940 was a part of World War II. Fascist Italy invaded Greece from Albania on October 28, 1940. They were repulsed by the Greek Army back beyond the border at some places by November 5. The Italians never got as far as Athens. I think that's where the news was coming from: the Greek command HQ. Human felicity"There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn." --Samuel Johnson Which is even truer on a rainy winter's day. I'll be there in a bitJust let me lace up my boots. Shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. Arthur Charles Zupnik (1909-1999)Owner (for twenty years) of Art's Sportsmen's Tavern, Justice of the Peace, and charter member of the Colchester Fishing Club. https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1999-01-27-9901270586-st... I want to be thereSomething about this photo really pulls at me. I want to sit with these guys and just listen to the conversation. I also want a pair of boots like that young man has. Election DayCampaign button looks more like Wendell Willkie than FDR - certainly not WC Fields! [It's FDR. - Dave] (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano)
Tableau Vivant: 1941
... farm house, Carroll County, Georgia." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Statistics Just wondering if anyone has ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/23/2018 - 11:52am -

April 1941. "Mr. and Mrs. Lemuel Smith and their younger children in their farm house, Carroll County, Georgia." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. StatisticsJust wondering if anyone has calculated the percentage of photos on Shorpy that feature a Coca-Cola ad? On his game hereDelano is always a photographer to stir my emotions. Among the best with a camera ever. But, he was doing particularly good work with these ideal subjects, wasn't he? Any more to go along with the first three? Coca-Calendar"Your thirst takes wings" CrochetingEvidence of Mrs. Smith talent for crocheting is under the radio, on the fireplace and on the washstand. She is starting another one right now. When people sat around the radioand TV didn't get a look-in. Everyone has a hobbyToo bad Mother Smith isn't far enough along with her crochet project that we can see what it is. My guess is she also made the doily hanging in the upper right hand corner. Room To Dream DreamsI was a baby, less than a year old, when this picture was taken. But I was raised in a house a slight cut above this one (we had wallpaper on the walls and linoleum on the floors). We were happy without knowing quite what happiness was. The comfort, while spare, was comfort nonetheless. It was what we knew. The details in this photo bring back misty, nostalgic images: The cathedral radio on the drysink, the antimacassar pinned on the mantle, the cowboy storybook in the boy’s hands. The children with dreams in their heads. What roads did they all ultimately travel? Shorpy’s pictures are always worth at least a thousand words, and more that cannot be expressed. Thank you. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Rural America)
Up on the Roof: 1941
... View full size. Medium format Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. Who can identify the building? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2019 - 3:10pm -

December 1941. "Bird's eye view of San Juan, Puerto Rico." View full size. Medium format Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. Who can identify the building? Alternate version of this shot. On the RoofNote the dovecotes. Or maybe pigeoncotes. San JuanI am 99% sure the tall building is on the corner of calle de Tetuan and calle de San Jose (tetuan 150 san juan puerto rico). The white dome on the left crowns the entrance to the former jail of La Princesa - Now an art gallery. The unfinished looking tower on the right (background) used to be in the 19th century the official spot from which to take weather measurements if I am not mistaken. More or less, on the far shore of the bay is located nowadays the Bacardi Rum Distillery. Mr. Delano, his wife and their work are highly regarded in Puerto Rico. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Puerto Rico)
Proviso Yard: 1942
... rear." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. How it was. Cold, icy, and dangerous. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 7:50pm -

December 1942. Proviso Yard, Chicago & North Western R.R. "A train, or 'cut,' being pushed out of a receiving yard toward the hump. A brakeman rides each train to signal the engineer in the locomotive at the rear." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. How it was.Cold, icy, and dangerous. DOT placard?Look at the white diamonds on the tanker, looks a LOT like a DOT placard. I didn't realize they already had the DOT hazardous materials placards back in 1942? I was under the impression that the placard system wasn't started until the early 60's. [There was no DOT in the 1940s -- the Department of Transportation was established in 1966. The current system of hazmat placards, hinged in the middle with a four-digit number on them, goes back to the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act of 1975. In the 1940s, tank cars full of gasoline might have a DANGEROUS placard (below), with skull and crossbones. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Midland: 1941
... steel town of Midland, Pennsylvania." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2018 - 1:18pm -

January 1941. "Main street in the steel town of Midland, Pennsylvania." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What's that got to do with the price of ribs?Wow! Ribs 12½ cents a pound! Smoked, yet! I like the outfit!Nothing says GANGSTER CHIC like pinstripes! E A T- - - any other instructions ? Half cent pricing"Smoked Ribs 12½¢" At first glance I thought the half-cent pricing was odd. But then I realized that pennies were valuable enough to make a half-cent equivalent to 50 cents per pound for us. Winter greensLet’s hear what greens those are in the peach basket out in the freezing weather. Got fresh ribs at a military commissary back in 1969 for 17 cents a pound and we still mention it when we purchase a rack today. EATThat restaurant convention was in a Gahan Wilson cartoon, a diner in the desert with a huge EAT sign and a horrible giant monster approaching; "I hope he can't read," says one diner to another. Ready for Ribs!It looks like the ribs building is currently vacant and ready to lease to an entrepreneur who can fire up the rib smoker. Also, it unfortunately looks like many of the buildings along Midland Avenue fell victim to the ubiquitous 1970's-era "beautification." What's going on at Megdal's?Looks like a delivery driver arrived early and plopped some Big Things in the doorway. Flat cap man seems concerned. E A T (again)I remember, as a kid on long family vacation drives from Ohio to visit my grandparents in Oklahoma and Arizona in the '70s, seeing lots of places on the side of the road named EAT. I always thought that was the funniest name for a restaurant, and there were so many of them! Now I can't remember the last time I saw one, though I imagine there must be a few surviving still. My home.This photo was taken just a few miles from where I live. My grandfathers and uncles all worked at Crucible Steel in Midland, PA. Here are a couple of photos of my great-grandfather at work as a roller at Crucible. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets)
Jackhammer Time: 1942
... Dam -- Tennessee Valley Authority drillers." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Can you hear ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2017 - 8:11pm -

August 1942. "Fort Loudoun Dam -- Tennessee Valley Authority drillers." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Can you hear me now?Are nine pneumatic jack hammers louder than one? Probably not. Ten minutes near just one without ear plugs and you are blissfully deaf. What noise? Drill, Ye Tarriers, DrillEvery morning at seven o'clock There's twenty tarriers a workin at the rock The boss comes along and he says, "Keep still And come down heavy on the cast iron drill." Grinders consumption This reminds me of a problem early knife makers encountered. It was called grinders consumption. It was caused by grinding steel and exotic handle materials such as abolone shell and many others. They never wore protective mask so for a lot of these men it meant early death. They did not provide mask for these early workers to wear which resulted in inhaling all these particles directly into their lungs. Where it stayed and never came out. Sadly, I am certain these TVA workers encounters similar situations over the years because of breathing rock dust and a residue called silica. When you buy a grinder stone nowadays there is usually a warning on the stone that says something about silica content. It would be a horrible way to die. We just did not know these things in the early years. Prime candidates for vibration white finger, otherwise known as hand-arm vibration syndrome or dead finger Ear protection?You could bet they were saying "WHAT" a lot a few years after! Dam Good WorkDrove across the finished product every day for years. They did good work! Wake upThis picture has been up for three days and nobody has chimed in with the model or date of manufacture of these jack hammers. Somebody must be snoozing. (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano)
Spa Treatment: 1942
... Yard." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. Insulated Boxcars At first I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 5:38pm -

December 1942. Boxcars being refurbished. "Regular tracks of the South Yards of the Chicago & North Western R.R. Proviso Yard." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. Insulated BoxcarsAt first I thought these were really refrigerator cars but upon closer inspection they are insulated box cars used for hauling milk. There are no ice hatches on the roofs of the cars either. You can see the word milk on the car in the right corner of the photograph. Its wheel set or "truck" is a beefed up express truck capable of higher speeds then the convention freight car trucks of which we see side frames lined up in the foreground. This was necessary as these cars were usually hauled on passenger trains. These are excellent photographs. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Heart of Darkness: 1943
... about to leave the Santa Fe railyard for the West Coast." Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Absolutely ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2014 - 12:17pm -

March 1943. "Argentine, Kansas. Freight train about to leave the Santa Fe railyard for the West Coast." Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. AbsolutelyBeautiful image. 42nd Street again?My guess is that this was taken from the 42nd Street bridge, possibly near the south end of it, looking west. Argentine Yard is still there in Kansas City, KS... see Refrigerated Freight, another Delano shot on Shorpy, for more info. These days, most of the freight probably travels *from* the West Coast, though. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Colonial Esso: 1940
... Norwich, Connecticut." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ... (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Jack Delano) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2021 - 10:53pm -

November 1940. "City Hall after a snowstorm in Norwich, Connecticut." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ReconfiguredI've been through Norwich, but this old photo completely baffles me. Power lines have since been buried, and the traffic pattern has changed. Esso no moIt looks like at some point Norwich decided to sacrifice parking lots and filling stations for green space, and to bury the power and phone lines in front of City Hall. I guess they opted for the Bedford Falls look over Pottersville. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Jack Delano)
Jumbo-Lube: 1943
... 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. Just love this pict Shows the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 11:05pm -

Thomas Madrigal greasing a locomotive in the roundhouse, Rock Island R.R., Blue Island, Ill. April 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. Just love this pictShows the working part of a steamer, any guess as to the wheel arangement? Mountain typeI think this is a Rock Island 4-8-2. Based on the sheer size of the locomotive and the Baker valve gear (though partially disassembled here) and the distinctive casting above the man's head. The CRI&P's 4-8-4's were big too but didn't have the same valve gear. Mountain or NorthernCould be either a 4-8-2 or 4-8-4. The first series 4-8-4 (5000 class) had Bakers gear and Alligator crossheads. Second series (5100 class) had Walschart gear and multiple bearing crossheads. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Derby From Ansonia: 1940
... Ansonia side of the Naugatuck River." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/16/2021 - 10:50am -

November 1940. "View of Derby, Connecticut, from the Ansonia side of the Naugatuck River." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Armour's Star BrandInteresting to see the billboards below the house shilling Armour's Star meats. Obviously of "star" level quality. I have never known the brand as anything but Armour Star. Still thereAt least the building by the river is (1 New Haven Ave). No more bacon and ham signs, but it is a BBQ place now. Not sure if the building the photo was taken from is still standing though. Still there, indeedThe house in the foreground also seems to have survived (52 Prospect Street) - although its proch has lost its ornate woodwork, and the view down to the building with the ham and bacon billboards is blocked by an abundance of trees now. Nada Naugatuck viewThe house has been fixed up a little, but the trees have closed up the nice view of the river now. Spring freshMy guess is that this is the house in the picture - minus the fancy schmancy trim. One of the older street views was luckily taken in April, so you can just make out the Armour building through the trees. The angle looks right, and parcel data say it was built in 1900, so enough time for the building to get the patina we see in the 1940 photo. Ham and ... hosiery?That scratchy little shirt pinned to the wash line upside down is poignant for some reason I cannot name. But what small sleeves for such a large neck opening. And is that a pair of stockings hanging beside it? Please be kind if I am wrong. All I know is that my tummy would have been rumbling at having to read those ever-present bacon and ham adverts while I processed the wet clothes. (The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano)
Stem: 1940
... "Crossroads garage and store." 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Ubiquitous ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/20/2009 - 6:49pm -

May 1940. Stem, North Carolina. "Crossroads garage and store." 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Ubiquitous beverageIn a surprisingly large number of these old shots there is a Coca-Cola sign to be seen. Probably one of the oldest and most enduring brands in the world. A few guesses about what's there now.It's surprisingly easy to make a guess about which intersection this is on Google Maps; there's only one cross-intersection in the whole town of Stem that has any buildings near it -- the intersection of Main/Brogden and Sanders. There's even reportedly still a gas station there, though it's now a BP station with convenience store, and set back rather a lot farther from the road. I can't really tell if the current gas station is on the same corner of the intersection as the old one or not, though. Based on the houses in the background, I'm tempted to say it's not, but that's just a guess. About the time this photo was taken, my dad was six years old and growing up in a town only a little larger and maybe three dozen miles south of here. Was there any other way?Noticed the sign to drink Coke "in bottles." Does anyone know if there was any other way back then? Don't think they had cans. [Out of a glass at a soda fountain. Which, once upon a time, was how most people consumed their soft drinks. - Dave] Across the StreetI believe the BP is across Main St. from the "Coca Cola" building. I have a friend who lives in Stem and this intersection is instantly recognizable, even though the area has grown up a bit over seven decades. I'll check out the lay of the land in the next few weeks. Wonderfully gloomy!There's something about the leaden sky and soggy streets that make me love this photo! Maybe I've been living in Southern California, Land of Eternal Sunshine (and earthquakes), too long. Gas n GoI really like the idea of the gas pumps being close to the road. This is the true idea of "in and out." How can you get any quicker of pumping the gas and you're practically on the road itself. What's there nowThe gas station is still there, and the BP is behind where the "Coca Cola" building was. View Larger Map (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Jack Delano)
Chicago and North Western: 1942
... 1942. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. RR yd I think it's Proviso YD and if you look in the background ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 9:30am -

General view of one of the Chicago and North Western railroad yards at Chicago. December 1942. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. RR ydI think it's Proviso YD and if you look in the background there's another overpass that Jack probally used in the previous picture, the large object on the flat car on the left shows up in the other photo as well C & NW RailyardThat's the U.S. 12/20/45 overpass (Mannheim Road). To the left it heads south to Bellwood. North of this yard (check out how big it still is today on Google Maps satellite view!) is the Stone Park/Northlake area. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Amarillo From Above: 1943
... view. Santa Fe R.R. trip." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 6:37pm -

March 1943. "Amarillo, Texas, general view. Santa Fe R.R. trip." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Factory Houses: 1941
... Bedford, Massachusetts." 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. Beautiful! The muted colors make ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 7:19pm -

January 1941. "Near the waterfront. New Bedford, Massachusetts." 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. Beautiful!The muted colors make it look like an Edward Hopper painting. Circular ThingsI used to see those circular things in the background from time to time in St. Louis. What are they for? [Gas holders. - Dave] (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano)
Other Voices: 1941
... now occupied by a Negro family." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Arsenic Oreos When I was 12, my family lived ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/16/2019 - 10:49pm -

October 1941. "Woodville, Greene County, Georgia. Section of a house built in the 1830s by the grandfather of Mr. Wade Durham. The house is now occupied by a Negro family." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Arsenic OreosWhen I was 12, my family lived overseas. However, my folks sent me to school in the US. My parents knew that I loved a certain cookie, so they used to send a care package full of them. One day they showed up in a large can marked "Rat Poison". I loved it since none of my classmates would eat the cookies. I got them all to myself. ... Other RoomsMr. Capote surely could have found inspiration here. Perfectly safe!Of course there's no problem at all with using a box previously full of AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDE for everyday household items. Heart Pine FloorThose southern yellow pine floorboards! Could they be original to the house? Mr. Delano took several photos of this house, including views of the exterior. This photo is a view looking across the dogtrot into the room with the fireplace. While the other photos in his series look a bit washed out, this photo is just so pleasing to the eye. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Rural America)
Millie Williams: 1943
... Topeka, and Santa Fe depot." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Buttoned What ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2011 - 6:07pm -

March 1943. Kansas City, Missouri. "Mildred Williams, one of several women freight handlers employed at the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe depot." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. ButtonedWhat does the button on her coat say? ["404." - Dave] Rough JobThis is a service known as LCL(Less than Carload Freight), a business practice discontinued by the railroads by the late 1960's. Single boxcars were loaded with freight from several different shippers all sending to the vicinity of a certain area, and the cars were then unloaded at centers like this one, the freight sorted and then put on trucks to the final destinations. This service was very labor intensive and therefore unprofitable; railroads lost money on it even during the war years. These days rail customers have no choice but to ship in bulk, one car to a customer. All I can say is that she must have been one hell of a tough woman, working probably 48 hours a week or more dragging freight off those cars. The items handled could have been anything, and most were probably heavy, like those solid steel pieces on the cart to her right. BackbreakerMy dad tells the story of when he was in high school (around 1943) of helping my great-uncle unload a freight car full of red brick that he was building a house with. It had to be unloaded in one afternoon. Dad is 83 now, and says that was the most bone tired he ever was. He says pulling slabs in a sawmill was a close second, though. Muscles of steelShe would be one tough woman. Nobody had better try to mug her on her way home. She would just lift them off the ground, toss them into a corner and beat the stuffing out of them! Dave, thanks for showing women in non-traditional roles from way back when. DickiesI'm betting these are actually men's jeans Mildred is wearing. Very stiff and uncomfortable. Check out the safety pin holding her sweater closed. Youths of today have no idea how physically hard their grandparents & great-grandparents worked. Freight coutureMildred has coveralls on over her street clothes. See left leg and waistband. Just love this site. Father-in-law was with ATSF for 40 years an this is the way he dressed. Action shotThe simple composition of this photo is strong and dramatic. Notice how the "V" lines of the freight-car roofs direct the eye to the subject of the photo, Miss Mildred with her hand-truck. The open sky overhead could be seen to represent escape, freedom, or even heaven, but Miss Mildred, caught in this photo, is forever earthbound, toiling along in the tunnel between the train cars to this very day. I doubt if the photographer thought about all that when he snapped the photo. He just looked through the viewfinder with his photographer's eye and thought, "That looks good." Modern times.I last worked on a LTL freight dock in the 80s and we were still using the style of two-wheeler in the photo then. They are clumsy things to use when facing the "right" way and the way Millie is using one even more clumsy. Once loaded correctly, you'd be surprised how easy you can wheel a crate around like the fellow on the right is doing though. There are several "Mildred Williams" of the appropriate age (88-95) listed in the KC phone book. If this one is still around and one of those, let's hope she Googles her name someday and arrives "here" for a nice surprise. That's a heavy load.If memory serves, the type of hand-truck Ms. Williams is pulling was called a stevedore, and was named for the cargo loaders on ships docks. I used to use one back in the 70's for moving 55 gallon drums. It must have weighed 100 pounds by itself, and although it could be easily balanced, there was still a lot of weight to by pulled. Couple that with the fact that those wheels are solid steel, and you've got the makings of some stiff muscles by days end. Today they are made of formed aluminum with inflatable tires and weigh 1/10th what they did. Today, her partner would be guiding an electric pallet jack. or driving a fork lift. Millie is beautifulAfter all the critiques of women's attributes that I've seen in these comments, I'd just like to say that I believe Millie was a woman to be reckoned with, and given the advantages of education and wealth would surely have surpassed them all. Stowe Building, Kansas CityThat's the Stowe Building next to her shoulder. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kansas City MO, Railroads)
Calumet Park: 1943
... Ill. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Absolutely beautiful What a great picture!! This is going to my ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 12:33pm -

January 1943. Indiana Harbor Belt switch engine near Calumet Park stockyards at Calumet City, Ill. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Absolutely beautifulWhat a great picture!! This is going to my screen saver. Excellent Idea!Excellent Idea! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Son of John: 1940
... the automotive discussion begin! 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Winter Trouper! My Father-inlaw was a rural ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/27/2012 - 9:01am -

December 1940. "The son of Mr. John Rambone, Italian market gardener getting ready for a trip into town. Johnston, Rhode Island." Let the automotive discussion begin! 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Winter Trouper!My Father-inlaw was a rural mail carrier near Sioux City, IA and had a five window '29 coup with rumble seat kit and exhaust manifold heat exchanger that was really a hole through the firewall. When there was a deep snowfall, he would leave his modern 1990 4 wheel drive pickup at home and take the A on his route because the narrow tires would cut through the snow to the pavement instead of sliding around like my wide tired luxury car. Funny how old technology can be an improvement! Maybe Trip to Town is DelayedI noticed the engine hood is open on the drivers side -- what do you think is up with that? Possible snow packing? Appears he may have cleeared snow from the passenger side engine hood. Open hoodHe's just rummaging around for some baling wire to fix whatever is wrong under the hood. He'll be on his way shortly. Tire Chain DiscussionMust have been an interesting ride into town. It's an A1929 Ford Model A business coupe with 1930-1931 wheels. ModelLooks like a 20's Model A Roadster, but I have only seen the Porthole tops on the trucks. I thought maybe an American, but the vents went horizontal not vertical on the American Roadster. That is a good one. Either they switched tops from the Factory top, or it is a model I do not know. Automotive Discussion?How about the cool boots discussion? Or the hexagonal siding on the house discussion? Model A28/29 Model A Ford Cabriolet. Roadsters did not have roll up windows and Coupes had metal "tops" with a fabric covering in the center of the top you wouldn't be able to see in this pic and I am pretty sure the wheels were the same for all Models A’s 28 thru 31. First poster was correctIt is a 1929 business coupe with 30-31 wheels. That was the only year for the oval side windows. An unusual and desirable model today. The 28-29 wheels were 21", with a small hubcab. 30-31 wheels were 19", with a larger, flatter hubcap. (I own a 1928 Fordor, and used to own a 1931 Coupe. My father was a Model A guy and I've been around them my entire life.) Cool BootsThey look like a pair of lineman's boots, Radio Free Babylon. Wesco makes some great ones. I was wrongand you two are exactly right. Looked like a Cabriolet to me but then I went to my friend Google. I have a 1931 Coupe myself but it’s a street rod. Built it in the '70s and it has been sitting in my garage since my oldest starting racing karts in the '90s. He races cars now. Cold day, warm carIf his Model A Ford is anything like my 1928 Ford Phaeton the cars' wooden floors transmit some of their engine heat up into the passenger compartment, likely making his drive in the snow more comfortable. John had five sonsAccording to the 1940 Census. This particular son looks to be one of his older sons, so it must either be Joseph (age 32) or Antonio (age 29). Narrow Tires...on snow is an interesting theory but the reality is that there's usually a layer of ice on the pavement - and boy, do narrow tires not work on ice! Go wide, with studs. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano)
Proviso Yard, Chicago: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Railyard Technically this railyard is not in Chicago. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:00pm -

December 1942. Classification yard at the Chicago & Northwestern Proviso Yard, Chicago. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. RailyardTechnically this railyard is not in Chicago. The Proviso Railyard is in Melrose Park at the corner of Lake St. and Mannheim Rd., about 4 to 5 miles west of the Chicago city limits. Beautiful picture, though. Can't tell what angle this was shot from, but currently there is a large bridge with 2 lanes of traffic that goes over the railyard just south of Lake on Mannheim. one more thingThis railyard used to be a Chicago and Northwestern Railway yard, but a few years ago Union Pacific took over with the purchase of C&NW. In the mid-80s there was a large fight over the land next to the yard, as a German chemical company wished to put a plant there (the name of the company escapes me at the moment.) Local opposition killed the plant, and a strip mall was built on the lot. This mall was demolished in the late 90s and is now container storage for the yard. ProvisoProviso yard(s) actually starts farther east than Mannheim Road. Entry tracks started right at 25th avenue in either Bellwood or Melrose Park, depending on where the line was drawn. JN was the entry tower. It was located west of 25th a short distance. It handled traffic from the Vail, which was just east of the Des Plaines River in River Forest, IL where the tracks went from 4 to 2 (now 3 tracks). I assisted in operating the tower in the 50's as a high school youth. it was all unofficial, of course. I knew the tower quite well and could operate it and did under the watchful eye of various railroad men. If memory is correct there were 9 yards. I did go over the hump in an engine a time or two both there and at the Milwaukee Road hump in Bensenville. Proviso was then said to be the largest in the world. In time some of the yards were pulled up and the complex dramatically changed. The Mannheim bridge is 4 lanes. At one time, and it would have been in 1942, there was a two lane timber bridge over Proviso at Wolf Road. I remember going over that many times in wonderment. Would we make it without that rickety thing falling down? Finally it was closed off and eventually torn down. It has not been replaced. The mainline run around track that bypassed the yards was used for three things as I remember. First the locals or commuters, intercity or streamliners, and cattle trains. Since the cattle trains were on a strict time limit before having to water/fed, etc., the cattle, they didn't go into the yard but bypassed the yard and went down to the slaughter houses in Chicago. When I was hanging around there were not that many cattle trains and the streamliners were getting fewer and fewer. I think we finally got down to the Kate Shelley 400 and that was it. Fire on the Wolf Road BridgeAs a small child in the early 1940's, I remember crossing the Proviso Yards on the Wolf Road Bridge, listening to all those boards rumble and wondering if we would make it across. One winter night, I recall a switch engine was belching flames from its stack as it approached the bridge just as we crossed overhead. I thought for sure we would all be cooked and remember commenting that the engine would burn the bridge down. I have a vague recollection a short time later of the adults talking about how the bridge caught fire. Does anyone have any details on this and how it came to pass that the bridge was closed? Incidentally, for a child, it was awesome watching all those steam locos working in the yard. Burned Down BridgeWhen I was a child, my dad used to take us for a walk the two blocks from our house to the old Wolf Road bridge over the Proviso Yard. The old wooden bridge had burned down in the late '50s but the ramp on the north side was still there. We used to walk up to the barricades and watch the train cars coming down from the hump and going through the ladders. He may have originally taken us there to answer our question about where the screeching and big bangs were coming from (the sounds of the cars being assembled into trains) but we often asked to go to the "burned down bridge" just for something to do with Dad. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
More Mystic: 1940
... Morgan house, last seen here . 35mm Kodachrome by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Well, the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2019 - 10:38pm -

November 1940. "Street scene in Mystic, Connecticut." A view down East Main Street of the Christopher Morgan house, last seen here. 35mm Kodachrome by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Well, the Mobil station is still thereThe streetview vision of this is just too depressing, as the whole look of the street has changed for the worse, though a number of the buildings are still there. And the fine folks of Mobil Oil still have their gas station. The following for those of you who wish Mr. Delano had pointed his camera at the filling station: FunnyThe old house at the end of the road looks like a Bed and Breakfast when viewed in color. The same house looks haunted in black and white. Trolley TracksIf you look at the centre of the street you can see evidence of the rails for the streetcars that once ran in Mystic. The condition of the tracks and the lack of overhead wire indicates the system was abandoned sometime previous to 1940. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano)
No Sit: 1940
... County, North Carolina." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Nuclear wood stove Interesting how the air ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/30/2019 - 5:16pm -

May 1940. "Interior of poolroom and general store. Stem, Granville County, North Carolina." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Nuclear wood stoveInteresting how the air control vent on the front of the stove looks like the radioactive symbol. Oh dearI like to fantasize that there was a time in American history -- long before cell phones, perhaps -- when folks were better read and more carefully educated, and the poor apostrophe did not suffer the blatant misuse and ignorant abuse that it does today. I see that I was wrong. *sigh* Starts with PHe looks like trouble. Beer IDI'd say Esslinger's Little Man Ale is a solid bet for the cone top. The Good old daysEverything appears to be filthy, all the time. ManyThat's a grocer's plural on tables. The pool table's ... edge. BeerBottle of Budweiser is visible by the pool table to the right of the crossed knee. Below the knee on the floor looks like a cone top beer can, brand not fully visible. Esslinger’s would be a guess, though they were in Philly. Esslinger's Little Man Aleis indeed the Cone Top can seen on the floor. A quart can to boot. With "Delicious Esslinger's Recipes" on the side panel for Welsh Rarebit, Cole slaw and Ale Flip (whatever that is). https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/esslingers-little-man-ale-32-oz-q... That gal in the Uncle Sam getup!Would love to see the whole image of that gal in the Uncle Sam costume behind the stove pipe, and to read her message to us! [She's in the comments of the previous post of this pool hall. - Dave] (For the record, if my folks had heard about me peering into the windows of the pool hall in our little town - where beer was consumed - they would have removed at least the outer layer of my hide! I never EVER went in there but I learned to play pool later!) Esslinger's Cone TopDespite the fact that earlier I submitted a comment that expressed my doubt that the cone top can on the floor held beer, I am now convinced that it is, in fact, a can of Esslinger's. A Google search reveals that Esslinger's produced quart-sized cone tops, and all that writing on the side was actually recipes. Half a day so far ...And at least a couple to go. I'm not a beer drinker, but the mentions in this thread of different types of beer cans led to me looking online for info on the various types. Wow. I had no idea that folks collected old beer cans or that there were so many fascinating variations. Fascinating and fun to read. Shorpy.com is the top website for generating wonderful research rabbit holes and I love every one of them! THANKS, SHORPY! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Night Shift: 1941
... in New Bedford, Massachusetts." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. OMG As much as I like to think I have a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/28/2017 - 8:45pm -

January 1941. "Textile mill working all night in New Bedford, Massachusetts." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. OMGAs much as I like to think I have a great eye when photographing, this one proves I don't. Freaking awesome. Bright for a short timeA year later and this factory could never be lit like this with the U-boat threat on the east coast. Already by this time, the subs were using the bright lights along the Florida coast to silhouette the passing tankers. Diners and dancers would see the explosions. It took quite a while for the US to realize the problem of city lights. Hollywood nightmareLike a film by Ridley Scott or a story by Ray Bradbury. Light pollutionAnd they say it's bad in the 21st Century! (The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano)
Creative Differences: 1940
... Christmas for Tom." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2021 - 5:00pm -

November 1940. "Boys in the schoolhouse in Ledyard, Connecticut, working on the school newspaper." Title of their typescript: "A Happy Christmas for Tom." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ScriptoriumThe monks never had carbon paper, so modernity had taken over the school newspaper by the 1940s. Fond MemoriesI well remember those wooden desks and wooden floors. However, you didn't want to get caught scratching your name into the top of your desk! Love these old photos! "Rosebud"Citizen Kane: the early years! "You look warm, Friend Rabbit"The boy in the foreground appears to be fully immersed in the short story "Why the Rabbit's Tail is Short". Happy Christmas for Tom        Once upon a time a poor woman and her son Tom lived in an old cabin in the woods. They could not have anything for Christmas because they didn't have any money. This made the little boy sad. So he put on his hat and coat and went out side. He walked through the woods. Soon he came to a little town. A man was shoveling snow off his walk. He called to Tom and said, "I will give you a quater if you shovel off my walk." So Tom went to work. When he was through the man gave him his quater and he hurried to the store. So he bought a new shovel so he could do some more shovelling. He worked hard all day and made one dolar. He bought a present for his mother, and some bells and things for a Christmas tree.         Tom did not know what was going on at home, but his mother was making cakes and other good things to sell. With the money she received from them she brought a new sled for Tom. Tom's mother hurried to get home first and she hid the sled.         When Tom ... And that's all I can read. I guess we'll never know how it turns out. Lefties?I wonder how many lefties dripped ink on their papers while dipping their nibs into the inkwell holder so awkwardly located on the right side of the desk? BBP -- Before Ball PointI sat at desks like that in grade school, but by then (in the latter half of the 1950s) those inkwells at the upper right corners were just empty cavities. (The Gallery, Christmas, Education, Schools, Jack Delano, Kids)
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