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The Commandments: 1940
... mining town in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Puzzled Color me clueless. Why does it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/04/2019 - 10:36pm -

August 1940. "One of the children of John Yeuser [Yenser] of Mauch Chunk, a coal mining town in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. PuzzledColor me clueless. Why does it appear there's a clock on the roller shade? 5:45 I'm trying to make sense of the clock face on the window shade. I assume it's an optical illusion but I can't figure it out. [Double exposure! - Dave] Prim and properfrom the little girl to the furnishings. A Great Pennsylvania SmileOn a beautiful young lady. House will be nice and toasty with the anthracite coal heat from that area. Another dimension of timeWell-placed double exposure! And I'm sure a vintage film expert Shorpian could even tell us what causes the shape of the horizontal line with a curve in the middle. Bottom edge of the last exposure on the film roll? I'm just guessing. I know nothing about it. A PuzzlementI see the Lord's Prayer, but not the Commandments. [Look harder. - Dave] Yeuser friendlyWho's the pretty girl with the Mona Lisa smile? I wonder what she is listening to in the now that was 78 years ago. Shorpy webmasters, I love how you bend time. ClockThe double exposure clock is viewable in its full glory on the next picture here: https://www.shorpy.com/node/24017?size=_original#caption . Unfortunately, she died young..She was Anna Mae Yenser of Mauch Chunk (later Jim Thorpe) PA. Born: Jul 25, 1929 Died: Feb 3, 1981 Age 51 VictrolaThat was an old machine when this photo was taken - at least 16 years old and possibly a decade or so more than that. It is either the Victrola VV-IV ("Victrola 4") or VV-VI ("Victrola 6") which were made from 1911 to 1924. Befitting the humble surroundings, these were Victor's cheapest models (lacking a lid, for example), and were quite popular. You can hear one of them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0MOOMuapoY Questions answeredSee https://www.shorpy.com/node/24017 Familiar SurroundsMy grandparents had the same 'Our Father' picture over the kitchen table -- complete with the Ten Commandments -- as well as the oil lamp on a near-identical runner. Takes me instantly back to being 7 years old! Haunting ... That (Victor?) phonograph isn't playing anything, as the needle's not down and the doors aren't open. The knob at top right of the device was a leveler, keeping the platter on an even keel so the 78 RPM recording spun at a consistent rate. Colorized PortraitFocusing on the girl's face. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids)
Color Field: 1943
... R.R. at Vaughn." 4x3 inch Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Wow! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/14/2017 - 10:14pm -

March 1943. "A Southern Pacific freight passing Vaughn, New Mexico. The Santa Fe R.R. crosses the Southern Pacific R.R. at Vaughn." 4x3 inch Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Wow!Awesome big country. Large format heaven!Kodachrome in 35mm format was awesome enough. I can only imagine shooting it in a large format like 4 x 3 inch. Quarter-MilerI counted 34 boxcars. Average boxcar length in 1940 was 40 feet. So adding the caboose and locomotive, this train would have been about 1440 feet long. And yet so hard to see unless you zoom in. How flat is it?It's so flat that on a clear day you can see the back of your own head. I know, I know --and you can see your dog run away for three days. Come winterThere's nothing between you and the North Pole but three rows of barbed wire. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads)
Community Pool: 1941
... The contest last seen here . Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Raleigh, plain or cork The pride of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/10/2018 - 2:16pm -

April 1941. "A game of pool in the general store. Franklin, Heard County, Georgia." The contest last seen here. Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Raleigh, plain or corkThe pride of the Regiment. Long Lived BrandsStanback, Goodys and Van Camp's all still in business. I Hear Banjo Musicand I. am. out. of. here. It had to be thereMy first impulse upon seeing the picture was to look for the Prince Albert in a can. It didn't take long. Is that banjo music coming from the radio?I'm always amazed at the items people can spot in the background of the Shorpy photos. With collecting/restoring antique TVs and radios being my hobby, it didn't take me long at all to spot the Sears Silvertone model 4567 radio up on the shelf. Radio reference picture credits go to radioatticarchives.com which makes it fairly easy to identify common radios. Electrician WantedThat rats' nest of wires to the left of the door and the scorch marks above it lead me to believe that they should start looking for someone else to install their wiring. Sanitary GrocerAlthough a number of Shorpy photos display a sign proclaiming "sanitary" this or that, the proprietor of this shop would never be so bold. WowI can imagine going back in time right now and walking into that place! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Proviso Departure: 1943
... Western RR's Proviso Yard." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. East 5 looking west F.S. Adams - ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:04pm -

Chicago, April 1943. More of those yellow Proviso rails. "General view of one of the departure yards at Chicago & North Western RR's Proviso Yard." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. East 5 looking westF.S. Adams - This picture was taken facing west. Yard 4 is east of this vantage point. If you look closely you can see the CRO towers at the west end of this yard 5 so those cars (far background beyond the Wolf road bridge) are ones being pushed to the Hump. The steam locomotive in the foreground is most likely one of the pull down crews that will couple and then pull tracks east into yard 4. As a side note the only people I ever heard refer to yard 5 as the "bowl" were clueless trainmasters. Any rail spending time in this yard knew that it was downhill all the way from the west end. I can speak with some authority having spent many years working as a skateman being responsible for keeping those freight cars from running out of the east end. No "bowl" grading existed. ProvisoGreat photo, & I'll bet they were really busy with transporting material for the war effort. Proviso YardGreat photo. Amazingly, as railroad locations go this location is remarkably similar today -- Proviso Yard is still over 60 tracks wide and busy as all hell. Of course it's now Union Pacific and there's no steam -- though as of a few years ago several coaling towers were still standing along the line toward Chicago. From Google Earth I believe this was photographed from 41deg 53'49" N, 87deg 53'45" W, and facing west. There is today a catwalk over the tracks there -- if it was there in 1943 it was almost certainly where the shot was taken. The small yellow building in the foreground is gone, and the tracks have been slightly reconfigured. Proviso YardI grew up in Bellwood in the early fifties and I spent many hours as a brat, chasing around through the East end of Proviso Yard. It was a very short bike ride in those days. The bridge in the background appears to be the Wolf Road bridge, which was torn down before my time, but the remnants of the south end of the bridge were used for Soap Box Derby races before finally being leveled for an industrial park. Proviso is in the middle of this Google Map. View Larger Map What is the second bridge beyond?I have passed over that yard many times on Mannheim Road. Is that the bridge in the far background? I don't see a catwalk on any aerial photos I can find, any clues? Also, is this view facing west? I think it is from the Wolff Road bridge comments. I'm kind of a freak for noticing sites and then wanting to know their history. After seeing all the Proviso yard pics here, I thought "that might be the huge rail yard I have driven over many times" and so it seems to be! Plus, being a WWII buff makes it more interesting. Yard 5This shot was taken from the light tower at the east end of Yard 5 facing west. Mannheim Road bridge is east from this location. Near background is the Wolf Road bridge. The far background shows freight cars being shoved up to the "hump" for classification. East FiveThe location as stated by Anonymous Tipster is the east, or "pulldown" end of Yard 5 which was the classification bowl. The cars in the background would not have been being pushed to the hump for classification, as they would have already been "humped" or classified into Yard 5. More likely they were being handled by one of the "pulldown" yard engines which would couple up all the cars on the classification track, then pull them into Yard 4 which was one of the departure yards. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Women Wipers: 1943
... on an engine at the roundhouse." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Perspective ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2014 - 3:33pm -

May 1943. Clinton, Iowa. "Women wipers of the Chicago & North Western Railroad going out to work on an engine at the roundhouse." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. PerspectiveThis really gives the viewer an idea of just how monstrously big that engine was! TerrificJust terrific! More Big Boys!As this shows up while Union Pacific 4014 is in transit to Cheyenne Wyoming for restoration, it would be nice to see more photos of the Big Boys in their heyday - and more of the Women Wipers too! [Click the link in the caption. - Dave] Not to diminish the size... of a steam locomotive, but the women are farther away from the front of the locomotive than it seems; a man standing beside that steam cylinder would almost be as tall as the cylinder. Steam locomotives were large indeed. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Anthracite Alley: 1940
... Valley. Houses in East Mauch Chunk." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Keep 'er Still The infamous log parking ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/05/2020 - 11:54pm -

August 1940. "Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania. Small historic coal mining town in the Lehigh Valley. Houses in East Mauch Chunk." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Keep 'er StillThe infamous log parking brake. Now Jim Thorpe, PAThe "Switzerland of America", so named due to the famed Native American athlete being buried there (he began his career 100 miles away at a technical school), in spite of numerous lawsuits which sought to move his remains to his native Oklahoma. (Wikipedia) St. Joseph's Catholic ChurchI suspect this photo was taken looking northwest bound from about the 100-block of on East 4th or 5th Street. On the right is the unmistakable steeple of St. Joe's at North (Route 903) and 6th Streets. Car ID suggestionsFront to back: 1929 Oakland, 1928 Packard, 1929 Buick. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Mining, Small Towns)
Chateau Begonia: 1940
... on Race Street in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Photo by Jack Delano for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Great to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/29/2015 - 11:39am -

August 1940. "Old house on Race Street in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Photo by Jack Delano for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Great to see it's still with usLooks like she was overdue for tuckpointing in 1940. Urban renewal would've probably taken it if it were in a major city. There is a song about Mauch Chunk. Part of it goes When old Mauch Chunk was young And Captain Ables preached The top notch of intemperance by many of one was reached And dark the cloud of sorrow O're many a dwelling hung With deep disgrace and poverty When old Mauch Chunk was young It warms your heartAfter enlarging this picture and seeing the thriving, lush green plant and the animated human figures through the windows, this photo is no longer just a cold, stone building but reveals a place where life is happening and it instantly becomes much more inviting. Now Jim Thorpe, Pa.Now it is a beautiful quaint town with loads of tourists, probably the nicest little town in Pa. Wonderful little townMy wife and I spent a whole day there in 2004 while visiting in the Poconos. I highly recommend the Asa Packer Mansion and the jail where the Molly Maquires were incarcerated and executed. It was summer and the town was beautiful with flowers and incredible landscaping. Built in 1849 and still thereThis 4-bedroom townhouse in Jim Thorpe (renamed from Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk in 1954) was sold to a new owner in March. It's a Honey!I'd resettle there in a heartbeat. Slate sidewalkCheck out the hand cut slate sidewalk. (The Gallery, Jack Delano)
Bluetooth: 1943
... in the general office." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Way Out West Looks like something Wile E. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/01/2009 - 11:27pm -

March 1943. "Amarillo, Texas. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail dispatcher in the general office." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Way Out WestLooks like something Wile E. Coyote would get from Acme. Modern technology?I always find it interesting to see the "technology of the time" in action and to wonder. That man could not possibly imagine what would exist in 2009. Blue Tooth headsets? Trains that run on schedules designed by computers? Excel spreadsheets that are self generated? The mind boggles! High speed trains floating on a cushions of magnets and air? [The future was more like: The rise of truck freight and the demise of his employer as an independent company; bankruptcy, dissolution and nationalization of the passenger-rail system with the disappearance of the major carriers. - Dave] Hilarious TitleI laughed out loud when I saw the headline and picture. Some things are the sameOne of my friends is a dispatcher for a US railroad, and he let me sit in with him one evening. Mostly computerized, of course. Many safety features built in. But they still use the grid paper that you see on this desk, to track train movements. Train OrdersThis dispatcher is practicing the art of directing rail traffic by the use of train orders, communicating with his order operators by telephone. The microphone on his chest is activated by a foot pedal while the speaker is an open "party line" to all his operators as well as the offices of yardmasters, wayside telephone boxes, etc. The box in front of him is used to patch in the person he wishes to address. He dictates the orders to one or more operators simultaneously while at the same time writes the orders in his train order book. To ensure accuracy, each operator reads back the order one by one while the dispatcher underlines each word or number in his book. When the orders are ready to be delivered, the operator (on the Santa Fe) rolls them up and ties them with a string which he attaches to a train order delivery fork. When the train is approaching his office he will stand a prescribed distance from the track and hold one fork up at the correct height so that the engineman can place his arm through a loop in the string. The operator then takes the second fork and holds it up for the trainman in the caboose or in one of the passenger coaches. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Midnight Special: 1943
... for the West Coast." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. AT&SF # ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/28/2013 - 12:23am -

March 1943. Argentine, Kansas. "Freight train about to leave the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad yard for the West Coast." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. AT&SF # 31672-8-2 "Mikado" type. Lost in a flood in 1952 and now sunk in the Kaw River in Topeka, KS. What a Flood!The ATSF Argentine yard is in Kansas City. The Santa Fe placed several old engines on its bridge over the Kansas River (sometimes called the "Kaw") in Topeka to try to keep the bridge from being washed away during the 1951 -- it was 1951, not 1952 -- flood. It didn't work. The engines weren't salvaged after the flood and reportedly parts of them could be seen in the sandbars at low water levels for years. The ATSF bridge wasn't on the main line, but the Rock Island also lost its Topeka bridge during the flood, which was on its main line to the southwest. The city also lost two of four street bridges over the river. The water reached the street in front of my house, and we had to pump water out of the basement, but the house was up the hill a bit and wasn't otherwise affected. It was the biggest flood ever in Topeka. Steam at nightThere's an interesting technicality in this shot. The time exposure to ambient light means that there are light trails from the loco lights and a lot of motion blur in the steam, the train alongside and so on. However, the long burn time of the flash bulbs meant that there's motion blur in the flash part of the exposure, too. [This isn't a flash shot. The illumination is from lights mounted atop tall standards in the yard. - tterrace] 1 month oldMarch 1943: I would have been 1 month old. These Jack Delano railroad shots are fantastic moments in time. I can hear the hissing of steam, the smell of the exhaust and hot grease; the plaintive call of the steam whistle as I lay in my bed on a cold winter night. As a boy who spent his childhood summer days sitting by the tracks, these photos stir up a whole bunch of poignantly fond memories. I waved at the engineer who always waved back. As the caboose brought up the end of the train, they are now extinct, passed, the conductor would acknowledge my wave as he sat up in the cupola. If I were lucky, there was another engine coupled at the rear behind the caboose and another engineer to salute. I cherish the fact that I was born early enough to have witnessed steam locomotives as part of the passing scene. However, I regret the fact that I was born way too late to have been a steam locomotive engineer. Yes, I am truly an old geezer! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Santa Fe Flagman: 1943
... to start, after having taken on coal and water." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. What a job! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/10/2015 - 6:56pm -

March 1943. "Baring, Missouri. A flagman returning to a train on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad about to start, after having taken on coal and water." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. What a job!Jack Delano had to traverse the US by train and take photos of the things he saw or did. That must have been some great fun but probably not very comfortable in terms of accomodations. Plus, he earned $2,300/yr. working for FSA. According to inflation calculators, that would be about $31,500 today. Rule 99Up until the 1980's when railroads eliminated cabooses and changed the rules, when a train stopped on a main track it was the responsibility of the flagman to protect his train from being run into from behind by a following train. When the engineer was slowing to a stop he would sound his whistle with one long and three short toots. The flagman riding in the caboose upon hearing the whistle signal would drop off the back end of the train with his "flagging kit" (red flag, fusees, and torpedos) and walk back one mile (counting rails or telegraph poles to know how far he'd gone) to place two torpedos on the rail as a warning to a following train to slow down. He then walked half way back to his caboose and waited there for further instruction. As seen in this photo, this was done regardless of weather! If a following train approached he'd signal it to stop short of hitting his own train from behind. When his engineer was ready to resume running, the engineer would whistle 4 or 5 short toots. The flagman could then return to his caboose, as seen in the photo of him carrying his flagging kit. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Father & Son: 1941
... at the tenant purchase celebration." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Blind? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/15/2019 - 2:48pm -

December 1941. "Corozal, Puerto Rico (vicinity). Priest who conducted a Mass and baptism and blessing of the houses at the tenant purchase celebration." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Blind?I can't tell for sure but those glasses appear to not be transparent, so perhaps he is blind. However, I do not have a theory to explain why he would take them off for a photo. Or for why we do not see a white cane nearby. Or for why Jack apparently put no effort at all into leveling his camera before taking the photo. Weirdest everIn all my 7 years and 1 week of Shorpy (I actually started following in fall 2011, so I’m really 7 years and 4 months), this is the all-time weirdest and (can I say?) goddamn picture I’ve ever seen on this website! (And I’m one quarter Catholic, one quarter Protestant, and one half Jewish.) This is the craziest photo ever. Cool ClergyAre those a pair of Ray Ban aviators in his hand? The robeI wonder if there was some canonical requirement for the vestments to have buttons on the front, even though we can clearly see the zipper, not so very well hidden, behind the curtain. Meanwhile, add an 'S' and we have a Jesus Christ Superstar icon. Cool ClergyAn early photo of Father Guido Sarducci? (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Puerto Rico)
South Royalton: 1941
... in South Royalton." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. The more things change Looking at these same ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2021 - 12:46pm -

September 1941. "Small-town scenes in Vermont. Storefronts along the main street in South Royalton." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. The more things changeLooking at these same buildings today I thought of the photo of Gonzalez, Texas posted last week. Both showed a small town 'main drag' block like this that have had changes in businesses but remain otherwise unaltered. In both towns you swing around behind you to find a town square. The folks walking around in Gonzalez are certainly different from those in South Royalton but to me at least, it's reassuring in a way I can't really put a label on. What happened this week, September 1941? 15: The Estonian Self-Administration, headed by Hjalmar Mäe, is appointed by the German military administration. 16: German armour troops surround Kiev Ukraine Hitler orders for every dead German, 100 Yugoslavian be killed Jews of Vilna Poland confined to Ghetto 19: 1st meeting of partizans Tito and Draza Mihailovic in Yugoslavia German army conquerors Kiev But for distraction better go to the movies! To be seen in the South Royalton Masonic Lodge! Where did they all go?Interesting how all those 'basement' shops like Benedict's barber shop shown here all but disappeared. The same has happened here in Prescott. Nobody likes basements any more? The Rising Sun Lodge #7 AF&AM They still meet to this day at 234 Chelsea every 3rd Wednesday at 7:30pm Chartered in 1807 Now Playing at the South Royalton Multiplex"I Met My Love Again" with Henry Fonda and Joan Bennett, "Rebecca" with Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, and "When Ladies Meet" with Robert Taylor and Joan Crawford. Was the theatre in the basement? Five Minutes AgoJust five minutes before checking in on Shorpy, I was looking (as I often do) at the upcoming schedule of films on Turner Classic Movies. Just wanted to see if there was anything I should plan to DVR. On Monday, August 16, at 10:00 a.m., they will be running Navy Blue and Gold. Cute movie, made the year my mother was born. Access Issuesas defined and regulated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pretty much killed off the basement store. TuckpointingThe diagonal crack in the bricks above RB's Delicatessen is visible in both photos. Nice to see that it didn't progress into a major structural problem. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Movies, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Serviceman, Service Woman: 1943
... department of the Curtis Publishing Company." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. 1942 Dodge ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/15/2013 - 6:17pm -

June 1943. "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Miss Frances Heisler (last seen here), attendant at one of the Atlantic Refining Company garages. She was formerly a clerk in the payroll department of the Curtis Publishing Company." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. 1942 DodgeNice 1942 Dodge Deluxe sedan, someone was well prepared for war years. Same carWhy did they move the car from where it was in the other photo? Was the lighting better from this angle? [That's the thing about cars -- the darn things keep moving around. -Dave] Location Confirmedjimboylan nailed the 47th and Chestnut location in his comment from the previous post. The traces of the gas tank are still visible in the satellite view below (and a Hess gas station occupies the location where the garage was). Earplugs on board?The 1940 census shows that a Frances Heisler (born 1923) lived with her uncle and his family at a Front Street address in Philadelphia. At that address (currently occupied by a Brotherly Love barbershop with walk-up flats upstairs), the Market-Frankford elevated rail line has operated over Front Street for nearly a century. Screeeeech! Reflecting on true loveI like the reflection in the hubcap. Clean wheels. When I was a kid we had a rooster that was absolutely in love with the chicken in the hubcap of our '57 Ford stationwagon Not a lot of these aboutThis Dodge was one of only 13,343 four-door Deluxe sedans produced for the 1942 model year. Released in September 1941, civilian Dodge production ended on February 21, 1942 as all auto factories were turned over to truck and tank production to meet War needs. Chrome fittings on autos were forbidden after February 1, 1942 because chrome was urgently needed in gun barrels, armor and tool steels, and chrome metal was in limited supply. Total Dodge production for 1942 Deluxe four-door models was only about a quarter of the previous year, when 49,579 Deluxe four-door models were produced. Air Force GlovesIt was true in 1943 and true today...hands in uniform pockets are known as Air Force Gloves. The competitionJust across the street, West Philadelphia Buick repairs all makes of cars. The Dodge is shod with Goodyears, which will hopefully make it through the war years, since tires were rationed. The domes seen under the hood at the firewall are the horns. WhitewallsAny tire was already hard to come by that late in THE WAR, and whitewalls were probably out of the question. These white plastic rim covers served the same purpose and were still popular into the '50s. Disloyalty?With that 8th Air Force shoulder patch, shouldn't he be gassing-up at Texaco or Mobil? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Jack Delano, Philadelphia)
Iron Butterfly: 1943
... Topeka & Santa Fe shops for wheeling." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Not a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/18/2013 - 12:09pm -

March 1943. Albuquerque, New Mexico. "Lifting an engine to be carried to another part of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe shops for wheeling." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Not a Butterfly...It looks like a gigantic Praying Mantis with its small head on a large body turned almost 90º to look at us. It certainly qualifiesas a "heavier than air" conveyance. Makes senseSteam does tend to rise. MonstersWhen I was a little girl way back when, these types of very large behemoths scared me to grabbing my dad's pants leg and hiding behind him shaking like a leaf. I couldn't get away from them fast enough. ;D My dad was a diesel mechanic the majority of his working life and he worked on some pretty big machinery. It always scared me silly. Looking at these pictures still has a bit of that effect on me. It's almost as if it has turned it's head to look at me and say "BOO!!!" I hope the train never fell on anyone. 22 years down, 12 to goBy the number, this is a 4-8-2 "Mountain", built by Baldwin in 1921. If it was all there, it would weigh over 352,000 pounds! After this rebuild, 3733 went on to hit a "Caterpillar shovel" in 1945. It was scrapped in 1955. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Spring Planting: 1943
... Yard." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. What an astounding photograph! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 4:42pm -

April 1943. Chicago, Illinois. "Chicago & North Western RR railroad workers cultivating a little Victory garden at the Proviso Yard." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. What an astounding photograph!Not only does it have an all-encompassing and horribly stark beauty but those guys are also planting with an innocent faith in a worthwhile return. I shudder to imagine what sorts of toxins may have been dumped there first, though, and that consideration very probably never crossed their minds. This is, in my opinion, one of the best photos I've seen on this site. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Jack Delano, WW2)
The Kids' Table: 1940
... with in short order." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Yes!!! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/21/2018 - 10:22am -

November 28, 1940. Ledyard, Connecticut. "The family of Mr. Timothy Levy Crouch, a Rogerene Quaker, at their annual Thanksgiving Day dinner. A twenty-pound turkey was dispensed with in short order." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Yes!!!Where you could sit without being told to "Get those elbows off the table!" And you could probably get by without taking any vegetables. GreetingsTo all Shorpy fans and a desire that their Thanksgiving is a grand one with family and friends. Celery Stalks, or do you say Ribs?Does anyone still set out celery at a holiday table? I bet there's a relish tray somewhere on one of the tables pictured here. That's where we always had the celery, trimmed, strings stripped and stacked like cordwood. I always put a relish tray on the table at gatherings but I haven't included celery in years. I will tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving to all and especially to the folks at Shorpy who give me something to look forward to whenever I'm online. Tucking inThey seem so serious for such a festive occasion! I also think the boy at lower left is grossing out the poor little girl to his left at the kids' table with a gigantic bite of mashed potatoes in a wide-open mouth. The infamous kids' tableWhen you're a kid, you want to sit at the main table. As an adult, the kids' table looks pretty good! So many boysTimothy L. Crouch Sr. (60), wife Evelyn, sons living at home in 1940: Leonard, Roger, Robert, Raymond, Harvey, Paul, and Arthur (ages 24-11). Tim and Evelyn had three older sons and three daughters not living at home (total kids: 13!). According to the 1940 Census, Timothy and several of his sons worked as tombstone makers/dealers. Timothy died in 1949. RogerenesPatricia M. Schaefer wrote an interesting article about the Rogerenes in the New London area: The Rogerenes Leave Their Mark on Connecticut Society. Glasses half empty or full?Checking the glasses out I do not see anything to drink at either table. Art or religion, I don't know. And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating. Can Anyone say "Food Fight"? In a controlled way. And for good reason. Looks like a no-nonsense house. EngagedMuch as I am intrigued by Bike Bubba’s suggestion of the dynamic in the foreground, it appears to me that the pretty blonde girl is engaged directly with the boy sitting across from her. Is he a cousin? Does she like him very much? Or is he an annoyance? Her ambiguous look does not give it away. The 78-year-old mystery remains. (As for the girl with the classic bow barrette at the end of the table, she is entirely absorbed with herself.) Happy Thanksgiving, Americans, from a neighbor and friend to the north. Wonderful DaysNot one person looking at their phone or taking a picture of their meal. Happy Turkey Day!I hope everyone here at Shorpy has a wonderful Thanksgiving today. Eat plenty of good food, watch lots of great football, and enjoy the time with family and friends. There's a piece of pumpkin pie in the kitchen with name on it. Thought they looked familiarAnd here they are again: https://www.shorpy.com/node/9409?size=_original#caption Ribs. Definitely ribs.This is one of those fine points you pick up during a culinary career. A celery stalk is the thing you buy at the store. It's made up of a number of ribs, which you either cut into the soup or slice for the relish tray. When I was cleaning up my massive MasterCook database a few years ago, I ended up running a filter on "celery" so I could be sure of finding every place some other person on the Net had written "stalk" so I could correct it down to "rib". (You put two whole stalks of celery in something, you won't taste nothing but celery.) (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Thanksgiving)
Interiors: 1941
... house. Greene County, Georgia." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Take a guess ... 
 
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)
Model Flight: 1943
... train concourses at Union Station in Chicago, Illinois. Jack Delano, 1943. View full size. I'm going to crop part of I'm ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 10/12/2018 - 4:39pm -

Model airplanes decorate the ceiling of the train concourses at Union Station in Chicago, Illinois. Jack Delano, 1943. View full size. I'm going to crop part ofI'm going to crop part of this and make it my Windows desktop image. Talk about cool I'd love to know the story behind thisFrom what I understand of WW II, the economy was so focussed on wartime production that making of this many of these planes must have been for some other, no longer needed purpose. Maybe they were spotter's ID helpers, or maybe they were to help workers on assembly lines know where all of the parts were going? For what it's worth, though, in the upper level, the center band of twin-tailed planes appear to be P-38s, while the outer band planes may be P-51s. In the lower level, the nearer four-engine planes appear to be B-24s, while the two-engine planes seem to be A-26s. Plane Geeks, UniteAndy, The four-engine planes are B-24s, all right. But the A-26 existed only on the drawing board in '43; I can't make out the tails to see if they're B-25s, but the fuselages look too elliptical to be either B-25s or A-20s; I'm going to say B-26 Marauders. Correct about the P-38s, but while it's hard to tell with the photo's resolution, the wingtips look round, ergo not P-51s. I'd say P-40s, although the wings are far back enough on the fuselage to almost look like P-39s. The WallWow! Reminds me SO much of the WWII airplanes turning into crosses sequence from Pink Floyd's The Wall. Have to say it's sort of creepy. ScarySomething very scary about this the story -http://chicago.urban-history.org/sites/transpor/union_1.htm "Union Station's glory years were during World War II, when wartime mobilization dramatically increased its use. During the early 1940s, as many as three hundred trains and 100,000 passengers passed through the station each day. A significant percentage of those passengers were American service personnel en route to one of the hundreds of military bases across the country. For their benefit, volunteers opened a canteen at the station. Union Station also served an important function in the government's effort to sustain the public's morale during the war. In what some called the "world's largest patriotic display," local officials draped the concourse interior with gigantic war-bond murals and the national flags of the Allies. " Re: Plane Geeks, UniteMBerg, Absolutely correct about the B-26 Marauders. I let the wikipedia article confuse me, since the A-26 Invader was also called the B-26 Invader for a time. Good point about the rounded wingtips on the fighters. I would go with P-40 because of the wing-to-body ratio seems to be higher. Subject Picture The large, four-engined, planes at the top may very well be Consolidated PB2Y "Coronados". Note the floats folded into the wing tips, as well as the upward dap in the bottom of the fuselage, 2/3 of the way back, common to sea planes. Interesting pictureI think A-T is correct about the foreground planes being Coronados. They aren't B-24's, since they do not have the distinctive "Davis" wing shape. Union Station planes All my life I have wondered about going to Union Station as a three year old to meet my Uncle Paul who was coming home for leave. I only remember looking up and seeing hundreds of model planes. I saw them as being black. For sixty years, I wondered what I had seen. This picture reveals that I really did see planes hanging at Union station. Now I have to track down the two giant silver urns I had seem at Navy Pier that had something to do with Admiral Dewey. They were twice as big as I was. Four engine planes in the picture in Union StationThe four engine planes in the picture showing half of the hull exposed are definitely PB2Y Coronados. I have been on board one of these several times in Pensacola. The floats are folded up to complete the wing while in flight. The plane is virtually a B-24 with a much deeper fuselage (hull) and squared-off wing tips. Both were made by Consolidated Aircraft Corp. The floats are retracted just like the PBY while in flight. Model planesI remember seeing this photo many years ago. The planes were made by youngsters. Note the lack of paper or silk covering some frame members. Kits were distributed I don't know how. 1000 bomber raids in scale!Crikey, there aren't even 1,000 model planes in this picture! Just imagine the terror of being on the receiving end of 1,000 of the real things! I saw all those models in January 1943!After a 5 day train ride from Seattle to Chicago in January 1943 with my mother (I was 7) we arrived at Union Station and this was the first thing I saw! Already being a young airplane nut I was astounded! My dad was a Chief Petty Officer Radar Technician and was stationed at the Chicago Navy Pier. My mom and I were going to live with him in an apartment until April. He shipped out to the Pacific Task Force 58 shortly after. I never forgot those planes 68 years ago! (The Gallery, Chicago, WW2)
Bathtime for Baby H
... has a son-in-law in the Army." Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 7:41pm -

April 1943. "Viola Sievers, one of the wipers at the Chicago & North Western roundhouse, giving a giant "H" class locomotive a bath of live steam at Clinton, Iowa. Mrs. Sievers is the sole support of her mother and has a son-in-law in the Army." Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads, WW2)
Fair Maidens: 1941
... View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. Fair Maidens In the 1950s, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/09/2007 - 4:08pm -

September 1941. At the state fair in Rutland, Vermont. View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. Fair MaidensIn the 1950s, my mother would make dresses for me and my two sisters, using the same fabric but a different pattern or rick-rack. Alfred HitchcockI am waiting for the man on the right to say "good evening" More Fair MaidensI can relate to this picture because I came from a large family and my mother made her dresses and ours. Young ladies did not wear jeans, pants or shorts to school or church, etc. only when playing. It brings back a lot of memories. Thanks. Fair Girls' DressesThose dresses appear to be flour or feed sack material. My grandmother had many quilts that incorporated flour or feed sack, which was a fairly dense cotton printed material. It was usually printed in shades of pink and aqua-blue with rather girlish designs. People used printed fabric for feed sacks right up through the war as saving material was patriotic and frugal. And of course before then in the Depression there wasn't much choice. Rutland FairI've loved seeing these pictures from the Rutland fair--I live probably two miles from the fairground where they were taken and attend the fair every year. It's funny to see how people used to dress up for something that's all jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies today. (I daresay I've ridden on some of the same rides as these kids!) A Time Traveller?Is the lady in the black dress holding a cell phone? Are those two men security agents protecting the time travellers from harm? Probably just a coin purse but if it is a cell phone who is she gonna call? [Amazing. - Dave] No cellphoneI love this one too, although a bit less than the one with the giant schnauzer ! Ray B. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Rural America)
Blue Plate Special: 1940
... cameos by Dr. Pepper and Cold Liver Loaf. 35mm negative by Jack Delano. View full size. No fast food here And no misspellings, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 10:32am -

June 1940. Washington, D.C. "In the cafe at a truck drivers' service station on U.S. 1." The truck stop menu starring "Blue Plate Lunch," with cameos by Dr. Pepper and Cold Liver Loaf. 35mm negative by Jack Delano. View full size. No fast food hereAnd no misspellings, either. The cold liver loaf was probably very much like liverwurst or braunschweiger. Everything on the menu was probably cooked right in the kitchen. Pretty heavy lunches, but I don't see a single overweight diner. Cheap EatsThe menu price of 30 cents in 1940 is equivalent to $4.91 in today's dollar. Still not bad for a Blue Plate Special. Mmmm, the aromas!What a tantalizing menu! I'd love to eat there, but even going inside of it and just smelling the food would have been a treat! I don't know what a pork roll would have been, but I do know what fresh ham was, the same part of a pig as smoked ham, but not smoked or cured. More than 30 years ago, I prepared one for a Christmas dinner, for 17 people. It was delicious! (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano)
Hot Sugar: 1942
... cane easier to harvest." Medium-format safety negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Da Do Rum Rum ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2019 - 3:12pm -

January 1942. Guanica, Puerto Rico. "Burning a sugar cane field. This process destroys the leaves and makes the cane easier to harvest." Medium-format safety negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Da Do Rum RumThis was still a common practice in the U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix, at least) in the early '60s. I remember a hair-raising nighttime taxi ride through the cane fields during which the taxi would stop periodically while a fire singed the cane by the side of the road. At the time, the cane was grown mostly to feed the needs of the Cruzan rum distillery. Rum was probably the end use of the Puerto Rican cane, too. MemoriesEven in the 80s in the Rio Grande Valley; I remember charred bits of sugar cane leaves floating through the air. Don't know where the fields were or how far the wind carried the stuff. Dirty WarReminds me of northern Argentina during the 1970s while the military fought the leftist guerilla and it rained soot from the sugar cane harvest's burning fields. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Jack Delano, Puerto Rico)
Race Street: 1940
... on Race Street in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Photo by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. 1939 Nash ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/06/2018 - 2:50pm -

August 1940. "Old houses on Race Street in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Photo by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. 1939 Nash four-door, either a Special or a Deluxe in front. Looks like a '36 Ford Tudor sedan behind it. Name ChangeIn 1954, Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk merged to become the Borough of Jim Thorpe. Now the lovely town of Jim Thorpe, PAThe stone row at 25-55 Race Street in Jim Thorpe appears very similar today, though there's no Google Street View. What's In That Name?The photo contains a small piece of the current town's naming history, that of Jim Thorpe, PA. Those wooden stairs lower left lead to the longtime headquarters of the Times-News, who's whose editor in the 1950s led the campaign to raise money and bring the remains of the legendary Jim Thorpe to Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk, with subsequent renaming of the towns. It's now a bed-and-breakfast along the Stone Row. A town by any other nameThe town changed its name in 1954 from Mauch Chunk to Jim Thorpe, a story that has to rank as one of the most unusual in American history. (Mauch Chunk means Bear Place in the native Munsee-Lenape Native American language. B.O.W.If you ever read W.E.B. Griffin's "Brotherhood of War" series you'll see Mauch Chunk referenced a lot. Quite ContinentalHad I not seen the caption, I would have assumed this to be some small corner of Europe. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano)
Farm Wife: 1941
... farm near Fairfield, Vermont." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Swarm of flies? Is that what I see on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/10/2019 - 1:12pm -

September 1941. "Mrs. W. Gaynor canning tomatoes on their farm near Fairfield, Vermont." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Swarm of flies?Is that what I see on the window? Or is there a better explanation? Foot RoomThey had not yet discovered the need to leave room under cabinet bottoms for toes, which allows you to work standing straight. Bug sprayWith that bug sprayer in such easy reach it must have been used often. I wonder how much got on the food. Safety FirstNice bug sprayer on the windowsill next to her food prep area. Very close veinsHer varicose veins look painful. My tiny mom worked for years as a waitress and developed varicose veins as a result. Once, my daughter, aged about five, observed that Mom's upper arms jiggled when she waved. Mom looked right at her and said, "They do not." Erica, taken aback by the denial of what she'd seen plain as day, replied: "Well, your knee backs are purple and green." Get the Lead OutIs that perhaps a lead water pipe on the far left? Just having a BallI remember those older style Ball canning jars with the glass lids. I even have a few of them down in the cellar. The metal collar held the lid in place via a notch on the top, and you first inserted the rubber o-ring gasket between the jar and lid, for sealing. Cluster fliesPiles of cluster flies in the window corners, a memory of Vermont I'm less than fond of. You just can't get rid of them in the fall. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kitchens etc.)
Velocipedes R Us: 1940
... "Billy" now just 89 cents! 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Grumpy Grandpa The gent on the far end of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:49pm -

December 1940. "Window display for Christmas sale. Providence, Rhode Island." "Billy" now just 89 cents! 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Grumpy GrandpaThe gent on the far end of the window shoppers. Maybe he thinks the prices are too steep. Or maybe he recalls how he got along with just a barrell hoop and a stick. Red ScooterI had a red scooter just like the ones in the window. Black rubber handles. Even had the bell! Fire engineI want the fire engine. I could also be talked into the red scooter!! I Thought so!So that beat up, bent, rusty scooter I got to play with as a kid was all shiny and did have a bell once upon a time. Being the last kid in the family is a bummer. It even had hand grips. No Scooter for meWe couldn't afford a scooter, so we did the next best thing - took a 2x4 - nailed two halves of a shoe skate to the bottom - attached a wooden produce box to the front and voila, a scooter, if you were really handy you put two empty tunafish cans on the front of the produce box to serve as headlights. Two By For Me TooHey Fun2BeMe, I had the 2 by 4 and old shoe skate scooter, it was great fun till the pavement wore down those metal wheels. I want to know what that Volkswagen Van-looking thing is below the fire engine. Is it a bicycle fairing of some sort? Notice the semi-subliminal sales technique of using the word "Buy" twice, one just above the other, on the window sign and the monkey's price tag. I remember shops like this back in the fifties, they always had the good stuff. LocatedThis was the Rhode Island Bicycle Company (R.I. Bicycle Co.) store located at 57 Washington Street in Providence. It was run by Nathaniel C. Cohen into the 1930s, but his name stops showing up in the city directories in the early 1930s. I didn't find the name of the next owner. The front of the store, as well as the bicycle with the wind deflector/fairing attached can be seen here. The building is long gone. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Christmas, Jack Delano, Providence, Stores & Markets)
Table for Ten: 1940
... field in Wallagrass, Maine." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Almost ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/07/2019 - 2:07pm -

October 1940. "Dinner hour at the home of Mr. J.H. Dube, French-Canadian potato farmer, after he and the boys had finished a day's work in their potato field in Wallagrass, Maine." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Almost CanadaWallagrass is about as far north as you can go in Maine. If you started in New York City and drove to the L.L.Bean store in Freeport, you would be halfway to Wallagrass. Plenty of mustard“I thought of the anecdote (a very, very old one, even at that day) of the traveler who sat down to a table which had nothing on it but a mackerel and a pot of mustard. He asked the landlord if this was all. The landlord said: "All! Why, thunder and lightning, I should think there was mackerel enough there for six." "But I don't like mackerel." "Oh--then help yourself to the mustard." —“Roughing It,” Mark Twain HmmmmmI only count seven children, the others must be in the other room. ["Children"?? -Dave] Ten?I see a kid who has to stand instead of having a chair of her own, but I still count only nine, whom I take to be two parents and seven children. None in sightFried, mashed, or baked. Not even a hint of vodka. My older sister worked in a bakery. She soon disliked pastries, but she did bring home what didn't sell that day. Perhaps this is why there are no spuds. Tater totsThe younger ones look like children of the home to me too, and I also count seven, plus two parents. Be that as it may, I identify most strongly with the older girl on the right, at the end of the table. Her nails are painted and she's wearing a dainty ring. She's got a flower in her hair, which is elaborately curled. I think she managed to get hold of a fashion magazine now and again, even in remotest Maine. And she made an effort to do what my mama called getting "prettied up." Good for her. More spuds, anyone? #10Look under the table, next to Dad's knee. Table for ten.I'm thinking you are counting the cat as the tenth one, am I right? The Tenth DinerUnder the table next to Dad's right leg is then tenth diner, the family cat. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty... and Fluffy makes ten! How to get sent to bed without any dinnerAw, jeez, Ma, potatoes again? Yep, There's TenYa gotta count the cat, too. Rare jar of mustardI have not found any existing examples of the 1815 Prepared Mustard label, although I did find a listing for this product in the April 9, 1943 edition of the "Burlington [Vermont] Free Press" on page 20 in an ad for Colodny's Public Market, under the subheading of "NOT RATIONED-NOT RESTRICTED", advertising "1815 Prepared Mustard...qt jar 19c". I think this was a product of the Stickney & Poor Spice Co. of Boston who claims to have been the first to import exotic spices into New England beginning in 1815. The company advertised in the early 20th century as being "The National Mustard Pot". I'm guessing the fact that it came in a quart canning jar, which at the time would set you back between 5c and 8c each or more (there was a war on, you know), empty, made the product a bargain if you planned to soak off the label and reuse the jar for your own home food preservation purposes. Potato cousinsSeems you have discovered some of my distant cousins. The Dube (pronounced Doobee) families were prominent and large in the area. The original spelling is actually Dubé (pronounced Dubay). I'm not sure where they would fit in the family tree, as I don't know any names here, but I grew up a few miles from there. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Cats, Jack Delano, Kids)
Gridlock: 1941
... camp in Greene County, Georgia." A show of hands. Photo by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Almost ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2013 - 12:36pm -

May 1941. "In the convict camp in Greene County, Georgia." A show of hands. Photo by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Almost defies captionI assume these prisoners' day job is working on a road gang or rock pile (making little rocks out of big ones), and just when the temperature hits triple digits, they come "home" to this. These poor souls are definitely not free-range inmates. This one made me cryMy split second reaction was that this was a picture from a slave market. The way these men were used probably wasn't any better. I hope their lives improved. NightmareMust have been a nightmare to live through and it's nightmarish to see this: Claustrophobic. Dark. Anonymous hands coming through a wall. Too Sad for WordsWhat a haunting image. I hope these guys lived to see at least some of MLK's dream realized. It's hard to imaginethe abominable conditions behind that grid. Not Much to Say Except"What we have here is a failure to communicate." Things have certainly changed. (The Gallery, Jack Delano)
Fair Warning: 1940
... Coley. Stem, Granville County, North Carolina." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Arrow Beer I'd never heard of it and was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/11/2018 - 6:18pm -

May 1940. "Filling station and general store operated by Mr. Coley. Stem, Granville County, North Carolina." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Arrow BeerI'd never heard of it and was surprised to find it was originally made (by Globe Brewing) in my hometown of Baltimore. Globe was founded in the mid-1700s and Arrow has a long history as a brand. Here's one page with a lot of detail on the stuff. Orange Crushwhy should this bottle protect me? The brown, or amber, was introduced as a special new technique to protect the product inside from deterioration of ultra-violet light. from ORANGE CRUSH BOTTLES - the ‘KRINKLY’ AMBER ones L.S.M.F.T."Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco." No FiltersOne of my most enduring childhood memories of my dad was a pack of Chesterfields and a Zippo lighter in his front shirt pocket. He started smoking while serving in WW2, age 17. He quit cold turkey after his heart bypass when he was 65. He lived another 20 years. Lucky Guy!Forest Elmo "F.E." Boone (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets)
Rails and Rivets: 1943
... crosses a long steel bridge." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. The shadow ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/05/2013 - 10:38am -

January 1943. "Freight operations on the Chicago & North Western R.R. between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. The train crosses a long steel bridge." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. The shadowThe bridge casts a terrific shadow in Google's satellite view. View Larger Map Run LeftWhile almost every railroad in America ran or still runs on the right hand side, like driving a car, the C&NW ran on the left like the British do. I agree that this was taken from the back of another train running on the left main line. You can see the smoke from the steam engine as well as a head end car, a baggage car and then the passenger cars. West bound freightIt looks like it was taken from the rear platform of the caboose. Also it looks like the Mississippi river bridge. Freight Operations?The cars in front of the passenger car don't seem to be freight cars either. Wonder if the "freight" being hauled was troops. [The freight train is what the camera is on. -Dave] Where?I hope someone familiar with this route can comment on where this might be, and if it's still in service. HmmmIsn't that a passenger car? I guess the C&NW might have been deadheading it somewhere on a freight train? Bridge shotTerrific photo of the RR bridge, shows the structural massiveness required to get trains over rivers. I've done the same shooting from the rear on Amtrak trains, with video, especially going to St Louis, that's a really cool bridge to ride over. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Out We Go: 1941
... of business. Lowell, Massachusetts." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Attitude ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/16/2018 - 4:19pm -

January 1941. "Store going out of business. Lowell, Massachusetts." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. AttitudeWell, at least they're not bitter about it. The Long GoodbyeThey're probably still in business, based on the "Going Out of Business" advertisements I've seen in my lifetime. Everything you wanted to know about this photoMy trip down the rabbit hole ended quickly when I found this post explaining exactly where this photo was taken and what is there now -- a 1960s apartment building. I think it's obviousSX doesn't sell. Hard to believeIf you can't make it selling Hats in 1941, something is very wrong. Bucket and brushIs that a cleaner or solvent or glue in the can beside the bucket and brush on the sidewalk? Might it have to do with the putting up or taking down of paper posters? And my guess is that it’s all connected to the open back door of the panel truck on the left. Hidden in plain sightThe linked-to article was a good bit of research, but the author could have saved some trouble just by looking at the photo. The "Essex" stenciled on the windows could have been old, and all the "SX Men's Wear" signs are perhaps a bit cryptic. However, the paper sale sign in the window is clearly labeled "Essex Men's Store". [The article, based on a blurry low-resolution image, was written in 2016. The much sharper image seen here was scanned in November 2018. - Dave] No WonderLook at how much they are charging for hats! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets)
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