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U.S.S. Onondaga: 1864
... Onondaga up and she had quite a history. She was built in New York and sent to Virginia where she saw several important engagements. She was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 5:20pm -

1864. "James River, Virginia. Monitor U.S.S. Onondaga; soldiers in rowboat. From photographs of the Federal Navy, and seaborne expeditions against the Atlantic Coast of the Confederacy." Wet plate glass negative. View full size. HangersDoes anyone know what the three objects hanging over the side of the boat are? Appropriate HeadgearFor once, someone's wearing a boater in a boat. . . . Low in the water.It would not take much to swamp this ship. Questions? Why were they built to ride so low? What is in those little bags tied next to the oars on the sides of the rowboat? I suspect the older man with the pipe at the stern using a rough stick is acting as a rudder. Interesting snapshot of life! How Low Can You Go?Not a lot of freeboard on the good ship Onondaga. [The Onondaga was, as noted in the caption, a monitor or ironclad. - Dave] historical shipI looked the Ol' Onondaga up and she had quite a history. She was built in New York and sent to Virginia where she saw several important engagements. She was decommissioned in 1865 and sold to the French navy and refitted with rifled cannons of just over 9 inch. Replacing the 8 in smooth bore guns of American vintage. She was scrapped in 1902. Pretty impressive! Buffers-low in the waterMonitors were built very low in the water in order to present as little as possible of a target to an enemy gunner. They were very useful in inland waterways, on the open seas, in any bad weather, they would be in serious danger. My guess on the three bags on the launch is they are buffers to keep the wood of the boat's side from getting banged up when it is up against a wharf or another vessel in wavy water BumpersThose, probably leather, bags over the rowboat's side are fenders/bumpers meant to protect the sides of ships when docking. Today we use plastic fenders which are plastic and much larger (shaped like a serious hot dog). Ride So LowMonitors were river craft essentially floating gun platforms. They are not ships in the normal sense. Their freeboard (distance between the main deck and water line) was very small so they would present less of a target to opposition fire. Heavily armored above the main deck, they could withstand direct hits from the guns of the day without serious injury. Boat FendersThe small round objects hanging over the side are boat fenders, used to prevent damage to the rails when the boat is moored alongside something like a dock or the Onondaga. These are probably made of leather, and if they contain anything, it's probably more leather padding or perhaps a disk of soft wood. According to Wikipedia ....The good ship Onondaga was built in 1864, near the end of the Civil War and was sold to France after the war. She continued in service in the French Navy until 1903. The delivery cruise to France must have been terrifying. Interestinghttp://americancivilwar.com/tcwn/civil_war/Navy_Ships/USS_onandaga.html Across the waves.The Onondaga was sold to France after the war. How did they deliver it? Surely they didn't sail her! OnandagaThe bags on the longboats are probably bumpers, designed to keep the boat from being damaged when at a dock, or tied up alongside a ship with a low freeboard. Monitors were designed by Ericsson to sit low in the water to improve stability by bringing the mass of the turret down, and to make them a far more difficult target to hit. The hull was protected by the water and it was hard to strike below the waterline. This made them maneuverable and hard to hit but could make them very unseaworthy in bad weather. Monitor - Ericsson's original "cheesebox on a raft" sank off Cape Hatteras in a 1862. Other monitors were designed to be more seaworthy. Onondaga hull was built entirely of iron rather than wood like earlier monitors. As for Onondaga, she was sold back to her builder in 1867 and then sold to the French where she served as a coastal defense ship. She was scrapped by the French in 1904, making her the longest lived of the Civil War monitors. Those hanging thingies ...look like bumpers to me. They are all at the right height. Low FreeboardThe very low freeboard on this (and every other) monitor was designed to make the ship very hard for another ship to hit with cannon fire. When the monitors were "cleared for action", everything but the turrets were stripped down and stored or thrown overboard. The rigging and life boats were eliminated, and the ship was steered from a small armored box only a few feet high. Even the funnel (chimney) was dismantled so that only a small stub protruded from the deck so as to present the smallest target possible. Monitors worked fairly well in protected estuaries, bays, and navigable rivers, but monitors were notoriously poor sea-going ships. Many foundered and were lost, often with all hands, in heavy seas. In every other nation, the monitors were regarded as a design fluke and were not widely copied. The U.S., however, continued to use monitors well into the 1880s and beyond....mostly because Congress refused to fund a modern navy. Does anyone know what the three objects hanging over the side ofThey are fenders. Why so low?Why were they built to ride so low? To make a small target. Great in battle. Not so good at sea, as the original USS Monitor proved. What is in those little bags tied next to the oars? I was curious about that, too. I couldn't Google up an answer, but my guess is simple oarlocks. Place the oar in the slot, then flop the weighted line over the shaft. The high-tech nature of the civil war continually surprises. Even though it was still a time of cavalry and slavery, there were also ironclads, telegraphy, balloons, Gatling guns and railroads. Freeboard or Lack Thereof...If you look up the U.S.S. Onondaga on Google you will find that after the war it was decommissioned and then transferred to the French navy. With so little freeboard how did they get it to France? I can understand the low freeboard patrolling the coastal rivers, but even there it probably had to enter the Atlantic to get from the northern ports to the southern ports. How dey do dat? Could the three objectsCould the three objects hanging over the side be fenders? That is: padding for when the bout bangs alongside the mother ship? Lil' bagsThose little bags are in fact bumpers to protect the side of the row boat from damage. FendersThey be fenders to protect the boat's planking when coming alongside I should think. Those wooden things on theThose wooden things on the side of the boats are most likely to prevent scuffing and other damage, when the boat is moored. Unfortunately I have no idea, what is the proper English word for those. these days they are made of plastic, and resembles big, straight sausages.... Hanging ObjectsI think they are cushions, to keep the side of the boat from banging directly against the side of another vessell when boarding, disembarking etc. FendersBoat fenders, that is, is what the little bags are. Hangers maybeI'm thinking those are clean drinking water for the rowers. I'd suspect the guy to theI'd suspect the guy to the left of the guy smoking a pipe is the one who actually has a hand on the tiller. As far as the three objects handing over the starboard gunwale, they might be fenders, although they do seem small. As far as the freeboard goes, it is very low in the water. The Monitors were susceptible to being swapped as evidenced by the original USS Monitor, which went down in a storm off the coast of North Carolina. FendersThe objects hanging over the side of the small boat(s) are probably fenders, meant to keep the painted wood from grinding against the edge of the larger boat - which would be particularly punishing given the low iron deck of the Monitors. Hangers@GeezerNYC Bumpers Nautical KnowledgeThe hanging things on the boat are fenders, aka bumpers, that prevent rubbing and damage when alongside other boats and docks. They are still required gear for boats of all sizes, though of different design. The gent with the pipe is probably putting his stick in the water. The tiller is more likely in the hands of the soldier in the aft. The boats in the background have rudders and tillers, so this should one as well. Barrier?In the background, are those sunken ships forming a barrier? I'd rudder not bump, if you don't mind.Following exhaustive research efforts, our crack Civil War historical artifacts team members have reached a somewhat tenuous conclusion. After sometimes heated discussions, it has been narrowly decided that the device held by the pipe smoking gentleman in the above photo should be rightfully placed under the "P.S." category of 19th century naval devices. In layman's terms the P.S. would simply designate this instrument as a "pushoff stick." Either that, or the man was an utterly misguided landlubber with a proclivity in providing great mirth to the more nautically savant. In regard to the mysterious pouch-like objects hanging from the sides of the launch, the less than timorous artifacts team has proffered the suggestion that these would likely be called bumpers in today's parlance. Please note that our team does take all our suggestions quite lightly. On monitors and freeboardsMonitors, throughout their history (Roughly the U.S. Civil War to WWII), were built to be coastal ships. A large freeboard (which means more ship to build, and a larger target) was not necessary because the ships were never intended to leave inland waterways or shallow coasts. This also worked well with U.S. foreign policy which was more concerned with its own waters. I'm sure many people are familiar with the story of U.S.S. Monitor (the original monitor) which was swamped and sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras. Monitor FactoidsThe "monitor" was a radical new warship design by engineer John Ericsson during the US Civll War. The standard high-sided wooden warship with its "broadside" of guns was still designed for sail power and to repel boarders. He conceived a fully mechanized ironclad "ship-killer" that presented a much smaller target and had several much larger guns housed in heavily armored rotating turrets. This proved quite deadly against wooden ships especially in breaking through blockades. Although not totally seaworthy, most waves washed harmlessly over the low deck. The concept gradually evolved to larger more seaworthy battleships with "real" armor-plated hulls, but the large, turret mounted guns became the new standard. The "canteens" alongside the rowboat are fenders to keep its hull from scraping against the sides of the ship. IDing the ObjectsThe things hanging over the side of the boat are called bumpers, buoys, or fenders. They're to stop the sides from hitting and scraping other boats and docks. Hangers...Id say these are used to draw wather from boat. Sorry for my poor enlish :/ The Objectsare bumpers. Coiled rope inside tarred leather to keep from scratching the boat or the ship. Much like the rubber ones we have today. She was a river monitorRiver monitors were not designed with high freeboard because it was needed. They were not supposed to put to sea, and the lower the freeboard the better because it made less of a target. HTH Re:HangersMy best guess is they are bumpers to protect the wooden sides of the rowboat when along side a ship or wharf. Notice the other rowboats pictured have them as well. What I see here is the bumpers were fitted for the average ship or dock and the ironclad, being so low in the water, caused the scraping and damage to side of this rowboat below the bumpers. Built low for a reasonWonderful photo! One of the ideas behind the Union's ironclads (called "Monitors" after the archetype U.S.S. Monitor) was that if little sticks above the water, there is little to effectively shoot at. Hence, the only things that are exposed are the (heavily armored) revolving gun turret(s). Note that this ship has two revolving turrets, in contrast to the U.S.S. Monitor, which just had one. Needless to say, though, these monitors were not the greatest thing to be used in rough open seas -- that's how the U.S.S. Monitor was lost. The Confederates took an entirely different approach (as with the C.S.S. Virginia, née Merrimack). Their ironclad vessels were heavily armored structures built upon traditional wooden hulls. Because most of the Confederate ship stuck out of the water, it would have to employ a lot more armor plating which added weight and made it much less manueverable and less able to be employed in shallow areas. Low FreeboardIndeed, as earlier comments note, this monitor has unusually low freeboard (not sure if they all did; certainly, all monitors had relatively low freeboard compared to "normal" ships.) The function of this feature was to reduce the target area that could be hit by shellfire, both to make hits less likely and to reduce the weight of armor required to cover the vertical side. (The deck was also lightly armored, since the technology of directing long range fire made a plunging, high angle hit very unlikely; the deck armor was enough to deflect a glancing hit whose angle of fall was only a few degrees). What was neglected in this design compromise was the fact that there was hardly any reserve buoyancy...a leak too big for the pumps to control would result in the deck edge going under and the ship sinking in a rather short time...and in fact, this happened to the Monitor herself on an open ocean passage on the last day of 1862. The objects dangling over the rail on the boats (both the manned boat in the foreground and the empty boats tied up to the ship) are probably fenders, although they look rather small for the purpose. Needless to say, protecting the side of a small, lightly built wooden boat coming alongside a vessel armored with iron was quite important. Re: Hangers (@GeezerNYC)I'd think that the objects on the boat are fenders, to keep the boat from banging into docks or the ship. MonitorThe Monitor-class ironclads like that in this photo were designed to offer as little a target to Confederate artillery as possible; most of their hull was kept below water, and practically the only structures above it were the chimney (those were steam-powered ships) and two revolving, armored turrets. The most famous of these ships, the U.S.S. Monitor (which gave its name to this class of vessels) took part in the first battle between "ironclads", or ships made or covered on metal, which took place on march 9, 1862, and is known as the Battle of Hampton Road. Quoting from an excellent article on Wikipedia: "...While the design of Monitor was well-suited for river combat, her low freeboard and heavy turret made her highly unseaworthy in rough waters. This feature probably led to the early loss of the original Monitor, which foundered during a heavy storm. Swamped by high waves while under tow by Rhode Island, she sank on December 31, 1862 in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. 16 of 62 crewmen were lost in the storm." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Monitor Rubber Baby Buggy Boat BumpersMy guess on the 3 objects hanging off the side of the rowboat (and visible on some of the other rowboats in the photo) is that they are "Boat Bumpers" a.k.a. "Dock Fenders". These prevent the side of the boat from coming in direct contact with another boat or the dock when the boat is tied up. FendersI took those things hanging from the gunwale of all the small boats in the photo to be fenders, used as a cushioning bumper when tied up against a dock or another hull. Modern versions: http://tinyurl.com/m4jgzu Somehow it crossed the Atlantic!According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Onondaga_(1864) after it was decommissioned in 1865 it was sold to the French navy and here's a photo of it in Brest http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/USS_Onondaga_60211.jpg I can't imagine it out in the Atlantic, even on a very calm day! objects on side of boatThey look like typical boat bumpers of the small variety.. Hangers Answer?Ballast, or bumpers. It's a monitorYes, it would be easy to swamp this ship- it was designed for inlets and calm waters; it is a double turreted descendent of the Monitor- the famous ironclad that did battle with the Merrimack/Virginia. It sits so low in the water so as to be an extremely difficult target. The turrets, along with relatively petite size allowed the monitor vessels to be extremely maneuverable and effective- although the crew had qualms with living below the waterline- which is why there are so many canopies on deck. Johan Eriksson, the designer of the original Monitor was one of the first developers of the propeller, and on his signature ship he patented hundreds of brilliant inventions from a then state-of-the-art ventilation system, to the rotating gun turret, and the first operable marine toilet. HangersCould be to scoop out water eh? three objects"Does anyone know what the three objects hanging over the side of the boat are?" Bumpers. Re: Hangers, et al.The 3 little bags visible near the oars are the Civil War-era version of fenders. They were generally filled with corncobs or sawdust and served as spacers to prevent the wooden boat from brushing against the ironclad and becoming damaged. Of more interest is the canvas coverings over parts of the ironclad. These signify that the monitor is in Union-held waters as they would never be used where there was a risk of battle. Ironclads were just that, iron plates laid over a wooden hull and still vulnerable to fire. The Answer: Fenders!The bag-shaped objects are fenders, or as you land-lubbers would say, bumpers. You hang them over the side to save your paint job when you're tied up to the dock or to a ship. I'm guessing they're made of leather or rubber. The Onondaga sits low in the water to decrease her vulnerability to enemy artillery fire -- by design, not by accident. Re: U.S.S. Onondagathose little thingys are bumpers for pulling next to a stell ship with a wooden boat. This was definitly a 'Lessons Learned' device From a River Far Far Away . . .The two circular towers that have awnings on them - they remind me of Jabba the Hutt's sail barge in Return of the Jedi. I'm just saying. Monitor designThe design of the USS Monitor and follow-on ships such as the Onondaga were revolutionary for the time. The idea of mounting one or two guns in a rotating turret versus rows of guns along the sides of a ship enabled monitors to bring more accurate firepower to bear more quickly, and most importantly, independently of the direction of the ship's travel. While some earlier ships had turreted weapons, I believe the USS Monitor was the first to rely on its turret as its only weapons station. Monitors were low to the water to provide a smaller silhouette for the enemy gunners. Most shipboard cannons at the time would have had rather low, flat trajectories, which would have slammed into the sides of opposing ships rather than higher trajectories which would have sent plunging fire through the decks. Obviously a ship that sat lower in the water would have presented a much more difficult target for other ships--it practically didn't have sides to hit! It also made them difficult to see--in the days before submarines, these were the original stealth ships. These ships were generally designed to work in what are now called "littoral" operations, close to shore, in bays or rivers. In those environments, heavy sea states that would cause a problem with the low freeboard design were not a major concern. Riverboat steamers had similarly low freeboards. As for the items hanging along the gunwales of the rowboat, the look like bumpers to protect the rowboat and its mothership from bouncing off one another. Today they're a rubbery plastic, but I don't know what they would have been back then, maybe cork inside a waxed canvas bag? Re: Hangers>Hangers >Submitted by GeezerNYC on Sat, 08/01/2009 - 10:29pm. >Does anyone know what the three objects hanging over the >side of the boat are? They look to be bumpers. All the boats in the background have them, or some form of them, too. Low in the waterTo answer Woodchopper's question, Monitors (originally intended for harbor defense as floating batteries) were designed to expose as little of the ship above the waterline to minimize the target available to enemy gunners. With less to see, there is less to hit. While naval architecture changed over the years, this design is coming back into vogue with naval designers in examples like the DD(X) programs. BumpersUpon reading ALL the comments and not finding a clue and after a thorough and painstaking research I have come to the conclusion that those three objects hanging over the side of the boat are bumpers! Now hold down the applause. You can thank me later. More if you haven't googled yet...http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/onondaga.htm (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Civil War)
Margaret Zolnay: 1925
... 20, and later will be presented in Philadelphia and New York. Miss Zolnay will appear in a series of dances with Daniel Thew ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/07/2013 - 11:01am -

June 18, 1925. "Miss Margaret Zolnay." Our second look at this beguiling ballerina. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Margaret ZolnayWashington Post Sep 1, 1926 Margaret Zolnay to Appear in Hammerstein Operetta Capital Society Girl to Dance with Daniel Thew Wright, Jr., in "Wild Rose," Musical Comedy to Open Soon Success has crowned the ambition of Miss Margaret Zolnay, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Julian Zolnay and well known in Washington Society, to go on the stage. She has been engaged as one of the principals in the operetta "Wild Rose", produced by Arthur Hammerstein, which will open in Wilmington Del., September 20, and later will be presented in Philadelphia and New York. Miss Zolnay will appear in a series of dances with Daniel Thew Wright, Jr., son of former Justice of the District Supreme Court and Mrs. Daniel Thew Wright, as her partner. In order to fulfill her wish to dance with some one she knew, Miss Zolnay, has herself been Mr. Wrights instructor in dancing. ... Mr. Wright will appear under the stage name of "David Gerry," and will be understudy to the leading man, Joseph Stantley. The operetta will star Desiree Ellinger, who appeared in "Rose Marie." Miss Zolnay is one of four women principals. She also has charge of arranging the steps for the chorus. The operetta will to go Philadelphia for a stay of about two weeks, and be presented in New York about October 1. Miss Zolnay appeared in a minor part in a operetta entitled "Romany Love," starring Geradline Farrar, last winter. Washington Post May 15, 1927 Davis' Socety Orchestra With Margot and Gerry Margot and Gerry, dancers, and the Meyer Davis Society orchestra, are combining their forces in a diverting act that will be featured as a special attraction at Keith's this week. Though Margot and Gerry are better known as Miss Margaret Zolnay and Daniel Thew Wright 3d, in Washington society, this pair has achieved on Broadway, appearing both in musical revues and in exclusive resorts. Since returning to Washington several months ago, they have been featured attractions at Le Paradis and the Club Chantecler. Washington Post Feb 26, 1937 Miss Zolnay is Married in New York Of interest in Washington was the wedding yesterday afternoon at 4:30 o'clock in New York of Miss Margaret Zolnay, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Julian Zolnay, of that city, to Mr. John Churchill Newcomb, also of New York, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Danforth Newcomb, of Wavertree Wall, Greenwood, Va., and Louisville, Ky. (The Gallery, Dance, Natl Photo, Pretty Girls)
Cat, Cadillac: 1959
May 1959. New York. "Cat on sidewalk." 35mm negative by Angelo Rizzuto. View full size. ... built in August after the fire that destroyed the brand new plant in Livonia, Michigan, and used Buick's Dynaflow for the rest of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2023 - 1:56am -

May 1959. New York. "Cat on sidewalk." 35mm negative by Angelo Rizzuto. View full size. NYCats in 2023https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/08/nyregion/feral-cats-nyc.html 1954 Oldsmobile... parked behind it! Both have modern high-powered V-8's with Hydra-Matic transmission standard equipment on 98's and all 1953 Cadillacs, unless the Caddy had the misfortune to have been built in August after the fire that destroyed the brand new plant in Livonia, Michigan, and used Buick's Dynaflow for the rest of the year. Don't Mess With Me!"or I will scratch that camera right out of your hands" Said Garfield menacingly. Just ChucklingI'm chuckling to myself that, here I am commenting on what is essentially a picture of a cat (and thinking how cat memes of a more recent vintage have commanded such large swaths of public attention), and yet the recent Shorpy photos featuring the African American soldiers are getting less attention from commenters. Silly me. Still AroundI've seen that cat - he still hangs around that same area! Go Ahead, Make My Day.Eleven pounds of pure fury. Tough little animals. No cat allergies hereAngelo Rizzuto was a cat person, as evidenced by the above photo of a tabby and this photo from October 1958, a year earlier of a tuxedo cat. The 1958 photo location was identified as around Eighth Avenue and 34th Street. I looked around there for buildings with arched windows, as in the background here, but did not find them. Skirt chaser?Looks like an early '50s Cadillac to me. [1953. - Dave] CatmanMr. Rizzuto did like his cats! Here's an interesting book review with some good background. BrokerMr. Kitty has just come out from under his 1953 Cadillac DeVille to attend to his brokerage account at Merill Lynch. [DeVilles were hardtops. Kitty's Caddy is a Series 62 convertible. - Dave] Marked CatillacMy domain, trespassing felines be warned! DingbatWhen I see these pics of stray cats from sixty years ago, all I want to do is rescue them. Completely irrational on my part, of course. I have plenty of modern-day rescues lying here and there around the house. It's just that I know it likely didn't end well for these poor, long-departed cats. EssoClearly, that car uses Esso gasoline (Exxon these days) -- it's got a Tiger in the Tank! CatitudeNew York cats are a little tougher and have more attitude. This one here is Exhibit A. (The Gallery, Angelo Rizzuto, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cats, NYC)
WAH: 1910
New York circa 1910. "Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street." ... mansion, the ballroom of which held 400 people, hence the New York 400. More on the feud: here Wah Wah Had it burned ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/25/2023 - 1:57pm -

New York circa 1910. "Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Antennas?Were those tower structures on the roof radio antennas? The Wireless Ship Act of 1910 required passenger ships leaving from US ports to be equipped with ship to shore radios beginning in 1911. Could these towers have been related to that? ["The output of the station is 5 k.w., and is in daily operation with Chicago and steamers far out on the Atlantic." - Dave] Magnificent!A wonderful structure and outstanding photograph. What’s there now, you ask?The hotel was torn down and replaced by a somewhat taller office building which became well known in its own right. Very top floorsAlways curious what it would be like to have walked around and explored the very tops floors in buildings like this. Private residences, offices, mechanical gear, secret passages, or faux spaces? WAH not there nowThis address is the future site of a much bigger building, the Empire State Building, which opened in 1931. Empire Suite I would have loved to have stayed there in a lavish suite. And here I was ...... thinking "WAH" was the sound Caroline Astor (the "Mrs. Astor") made when her nephew started construction on the Waldorf Hotel next to her brownstone mansion, the ballroom of which held 400 people, hence the New York 400. More on the feud: here Wah WahHad it burned (like other Shorpy hotels), I wonder if wah wah would have saved the WAH. Architecture... has devolved immensely. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Anomie Farm: 1941
... dairy farm in South Rutland, N.Y., obtained through the New York Defense Relocation Corporation. Near Sterlingville, New York." Acetate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2019 - 2:39pm -

August 1941. "The family of Mr. Dan Sampson, father of 11 children. The Sampsons are moving out of their small unproductive farm in the Pine Camp expansion area to a 240-acre dairy farm in South Rutland, N.Y., obtained through the New York Defense Relocation Corporation. Near Sterlingville, New York." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hobbies: noneThat's one thing television eventually did--it gave the grown folks something to do besides making more viewers. Curlers in your hairWith regard to the young lady in curlers underneath the deer-head-with-bicycle-handlebars, I recall my dad, when he would see a woman with curlers interviewed on national TV, speculating on what event could be more important than appearing on national TV, that she would keep her curlers in her hair. In like manner, I wonder why this young lady does not take out her curlers and do something to her hair (like her older sister on the right), with the photographer in their house and all. And doesn’t she know she’ll be appearing on Shorpy in 78 years? Sampsons' ElevenWell, the farm may not have been productive, but Mr. and Mrs. Sampson sure were. Not smilingThe family doesn't seem to be welcoming the camera very much. It reminds me of something my grandmother told me about some distant relatives I thought I might like to get to know; "they are poor, but proud". She was warning me that I'd get the bum's rush very quickly if I gave the slightest "air of superiority", and I wonder if this family really doesn't appreciate being known as the recipient of charity in this regard. Where's #11?I count ten. Either one's under the table or mom's expecting again. Deer HeadThe absolute saddest example of taxidermy ever. Conceptual ArtThe deer seems to have tangled with a Picasso bull. Grapes of WhateverThere's an entire Steinbeck novel written in the face of that little girl in the foreground. This lad is not in on the fixYep, I like the boy in the foreground who seems unimpressed by Delano's stage directions. The girl in front doesn't seem to be fully on board either. We might call this picture "fake news" now. Father of 11Maybe #11 left home. 1940 CensusIn the 1940 Census for Wilna, Jefferson County, New York: Dan Sampson age 47, Lila 36, William 16, Warren 15, Mabel 14, Dorothy 12, Frank 11, Don 10, Charles 8, Charlotte 7, Clara 6, Edward 5, and Lila Jr. 2. Those black dots on the wallare flies. Moved out because of Fort DrumThe Pine Camp mentioned is now Fort Drum, one of the largest Army bases in New York. The military installation was set up as part of the massive military build up prior to the USA entering WWII. South Rutland is now called Tylerville, and the other place mentioned, Sterlingville, was also devoured by the new base. They may not have been so happy having the family farm taken away from them despite the optimistic commentary from the photographer, who, as a government employee, felt obligated to put a positive spin on things -- well, at least in the commentary. "Pine Camp expansion area"Now known as Fort Drum. My National Guard unit used to go there in early May for annual training (and wake up the residents by firing artillery at 2 AM.) In one week in the field we saw snow, rain, sun, dust, mosquitoes and mud. The commander said, "This is good training!" Our response cannot be printed here (and was probably anatomically impossible). That thing in the deer's antlersI'm thinking less "bicycle handlebars" and more "bow for a bow saw, missing the blade" That deer's seen better days. Well DocumentedPerhaps the Sampsons had had enough of being photographed. They were visited in 1937 by photographer Arthur Rothstein. Then were visited by Jack Delano twice in 1941, first in August, and after they'd moved to their new farm in October. Dan and his wife Lila would ultimately have 13 children. The couple both died in 1960. Different genreI'm thinking more Stephen King than Steinbeck. Gifts of ShorpySorry, but I have to "pipe-in" here. Having always liked Shorpy from first discovery, never considering why, I just realized an important ingredient (yes, slow learner). I don't know if Dave planned it this way from the beginning or if it was just good luck, however, while enjoying comments on this photo (and others) it became apparent that each comment gives us an added perspective to think about or learn. Each comment tells a short story. Dave could have started a site with just old photos that he found intetesting. But no, some (hidden?) genius decided to allow viewer participation through the ability to enhance the photos with comments. Well done Mr. Dave! (and any others behind the scenes). Anomie Farm?I had to google "anomie". Isn't that just a bit unkind? [The title of this post is a literary pun. - Dave] OK. Looks more like the Clover side of things than the Napoleon side, though. We have a winnerMrs Sampson is indeed pregnant. Alonzo S Sampson will be born Nov 30, 1941. She's not thereCount again. Mrs. Sampson is not in the picture, only "The family of Mr. Dan Sampson" which likely only includes his 11 children pictured. [Mrs. Sampson is the tired-looking lady in the doorway. - Dave] Grapes Of Some ...Eiger, yours is the comment of the day. I noticed that too, but throwing Steinbeck in there is so fitting! Could anyone maintain an appetite while that mounted deer was in the room?! It's rotting on the wall. Very odd energy in the room, with the lack of eye contact. What do they all know but aren't saying? Sad storyThe family grew to 15 children, seven of whom succumbed to lung cancer. Eldest daughter Mabel believed the cancer was caused by bug spray applied by the military to the area prior to the family's removal. The last living child is in her 70s. No, the family did not want their photo taken. They were not in curlers or a housedress because they were "trashy" as some have joked, but because it was early in the morning. They objected to being photographed but the three men talked them into it. Information from the chapter "Heartache on the Homefront" from Dave Shampine’s book “Remembering the North Country: Tales of Time Gone By.” Stone Cold GangstaBoy in the foreground seems to be doing something boys his age have been known to do; photobombing this event with a finger gesture (making the "Anomie" title even more apropos). His older brother in onto him. Something is Not Rotten in New YorkNot so sure the deer head is rotting. There is something hanging from the deer's right-side antler that makes it look like the right ear is rotting. But it seems the "rot" is really what's hanging. Could be a bottle brush (after all, it is/was a dairy farm). And flies in August on an upstate NY dairy farm isn't too surprising, especially in a farmhouse without air conditioning. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Jack Delano, Kids)
Fires for Jewish People: 1909
... she thought I was a nice Italian boy!! Not just in New York My mother told me about her doing this in the 1920s and 1930s in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/13/2012 - 4:00pm -

October 1909. Boston, Massachusetts. "Fire - Fire - I want to make the fire. An Italian boy on Salem Street Saturday morning, offering to make fires for Jewish People." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. A very young Shabbes GoyAs Orthodox Jews are prohibited from lighting fires on the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to just after sundown Saturday, the custom arose of hiring Gentiles to light fires for them. The person who did this was called a "Shabbes Goy" (Sabbath Gentile) in Yiddish. This was a necessity in cold winter climates like Eastern Europe or North America; presumably it was not quite so necessary in the ancient Middle East, where the Sabbath customs and prohibitions were first formulated. The boy in the picture will probably have to wait until the end of the Sabbath to get paid for his efforts, as handling money is also prohibited on the Sabbath. The 39 MelachotThe 39 Melachot. Today, kindling (making) a fire includes using switches, such as light or elevator. The "fire" is the electrical spark made when the contacts touch. Snow in AugustThere's a great book (and also a pretty good movie) built around the concept of the "Sabbath Goy" (as they call it in the book) called "Snow in August."" My Grandfather used to do thatHe'd also help them with small tasks they could not do on the sabbath. This was probably also in the 1920's. He spoke Polish, German, Russian, French and English so he became a helpful gentile for the mix of Jewish groups in Holyoke. In UK tooMy grandfather used to say that he used to do this in Liverpool for Orthodox Jewish families - he was born in 1899. I was always a bit dubious about this - but thanks Shorpy, it appears he was telling the truth. Even in the Arab WorldMy grandfather, a Sephardic Jew from Morocco, used to say his family had servants to do all the prohibited things on the sabbath. I wondered about this because the Islamic Sabbath, like the Jewish, is on Saturday, and while I'm not aware of exactly what behaviors are prohibited for Moslems on that day, it is hard to imagine hiring an Arab or Berber to violate the Sabbath so you don't have to. The basis of the Sabbath Goy in Europe and the US is the fact that Christians use a different day of the week for their Sabbath than Jews. The phrase "Shabbes Goy" is Yiddish, a language that was not used by Sephardic Jews, another indicator that this should not have happened in the Arab world. But my grandfather said it did. However, I'm also remembering that in French North Africa, as you can find out just by reading Albert Camus's novels, slavery was legal. It might be that my great-grandfather's "servants" were the kind that could neither quit nor say no. I remember whenI did this In late 30s-40s for a Orthodox Jewish family next door also on there Holidays, had my eye on their (Shana Mattel ??) girl, she thought I was a nice Italian boy!! Not just in New YorkMy mother told me about her doing this in the 1920s and 1930s in Thibodaux, Louisiana. There were one or two Jewish families in Thibodaux, and I guess my mother was the most reliable, or cute, kid available. [This photo was taken in Boston. - Dave] Shabbos ElevatorsMany Orthodox Jews living in NYC opt for apartments on lower floors to avoid using elevators on the Sabbath. In some other situations, Senior residences or Assisted Living situations etc, the use of a Sabbath Elevator is permitted. That type of lift operates continuously, stopping at each floor as it goes up or comes down. So that the resident does not have to press a floor button. [There are also Shabbos kitchen appliances. My refrigerator has a "Sabbath" setting that keeps the inside light on from late Friday to late Saturday, even when the door is closed. - Dave] Dave I hope you're kidding about the light going out when the door is closed. I had more than one customer that drunkenly drilled a hole in the Fridge to see if the light really goes out when the door is closed. Mom was a GentileIn the 1950s, Mom was a nanny for a Jewish family that kept Kosher. Even though she was a Gentile, she had to observe the same practices that the family did. I suppose that practices can vary from place-to-place. SabbathI thought (in fact I'm sure as my daughter lives in the UAE) that the Islamic Holy Day is Friday, not Saturday. And there are no restrictions on what can be done, only a requirement for prayer. (The Gallery, Boston, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Prairie Schooner: 1915
... March 1915. "San Francisco by wagon from Staten Island, New York." Three guys and a dog and their two-horsepower hybrid in Washington, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 2:41pm -

March 1915. "San Francisco by wagon from Staten Island, New York." Three guys and a dog and their two-horsepower hybrid in Washington, taking the Overland Trail west. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Wandering and Wonderingif they made it to San Fran and how many spare wheels they carried. Not to mention support for the horses. Looks cosy enough though for three. Maybe it's their midlife crisis. FriendsI wonder how good friends they all were when they finally got there? Any more details?Any more information on this trek? Trying to discern some details on the canvas (with the peculiar map drawn on the side with east to the left): Highlandtown, Maryland seems to be a neighborhood inside Baltimore. I can't find anything on Frank A. Blum. "Ask the driver for a booklet"? Anyway, it's nice to see the Capitol again with private cars driving right up to it and no surrounding guardhouses, fences, and bollards. Coastal ConfusionStrange that they have the Pacific Ocean (and west coast) east of Staten Island. I hope they didn't just drive off a pier into the Atlantic. Boosting the Eden of NYCI noted the curious geographical sense of these boys as well. I think the map might be drawn this way (flipping East and West) so that as they travel westward, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are oriented with the wagon. In Wagon to San Francisco Staten Island Boosters Reach Washington On Coast-to-Coast Trip. Three hardy young men, tanned with exposure incidental to life in a prairie schooner passed through here last week en route to the exposition at San Francisco over the old overland trail. They were all residents of Staten Island and are boosting that particular spot as the Eden of Greater New York. They are John Drebinger, William Stephens, and Edward Smith. They left Staten Island February 27, and expect to reach California about September 1. The trio paid a visit to Secretary Bryan yesterday. They Secretary greeted them cordially, they said. An expressed desire to see President Wilson was not gratified. The party will continue on their way today. Washington Post, Mar 14, 1915 UPDATE: It appears the boys made it as far as Denver. I'm not positive, but it seems likely this is the same John Drebinger who was a baseball reporter at the New York Times for over 40 years. Drebby's Hobo LifeNew York Times, Oct. 24, 1979 John Drebinger, 88, Baseball Reporter, Is Dead John Drebinger, who was dean of the nation's baseball writers when he retired in 1964 after 40 years with the New York Times, died Monday at a nursing home in Greensboro, N.C. He was 88 years old. His colleagues called him Drebby and one of them related his departure to "the retirement of Winston Churchill, the storming of the Bastille, the discovery of gunpowder or the instituting of income taxes: life goes on, but an era has ended." Indeed, when 11-year-old John Drebinger saw his first baseball game, it was played in the afternoon on real grass. The Boer War had ended in that June of 1902, ZuZu ginger snaps first appeared on grocery shelves, Wanamaker's was selling patent leather shoes for $1.90 a pair and a pound of coffee was 10 cents. The youngster was on his way to becoming a concert pianist -- his father was a violinist with the New York Metropolitan Orchestra -- but a thumb wound suffered while sharpening ice skates ended that aspiration. After an eight-year stay with the Staten Island Advance -- which included an ill-fated cross-country journey in a covered wagon that he termed the most exciting experience of his life -- Mr. Drebinger joined The Times for the "hobo life" of a baseball writer. For the next four decades he traveled 30,000 miles a year with the Yankees, the Giants and the Dodgers, saw 6,000 baseball games and ate "tons of hot dogs." From 1929 through 1963, he covered all 203 World Series Games. Not heard during the course of the trip...."Are we there yet?" Westward Ho! By Wagon"Staten Island Prairie Schooner is Going to S.F." Driving up to the City Hall yesterday in an old-fashioned prairie schooner drawn by two horses, John Urflinger and William Stevens obtained a letter from Mayor Mitchel to deliver to Mayor Rolph of San Francisco. The odd trip across the continent is being made in the interest of Staten Island business men, who want it advertised that Staten Island is the gateway of the Eastern Coast, just as San Francisco is supposed to be the gateway of the Western. The schooner was driven about Manhattan yesterday, and today a trip will be made through Brooklyn. Tomorrow at noon Charles J. McCormack of Richmond Borough will start the wagon on its long overland trip to the Western city where it is due to arrive before the Panama-Pacific International Exposition ends. NY Times, 24 Feb 1915 That title Panama-PacificThat title Panama-Pacific International Exposition kind of threw me for a second since I live in San Diego and thought that was held in San Diego's newly completed Balboa Park, not San Francisco. But then it dawned on me that ours was called the Panama Exposition in the same year, 1915. Never thought why it had the Panama in the name, but now I know from Wikipedia that both these events were celebrating the Panama Canal opening, along with some opportune marketing. Okay by me, Balboa Park was a great result, and is still a jewel as far as I'm concerned. (The Gallery, D.C., Dogs, Harris + Ewing, Horses)
A Dame at the Races: 1960
August 1960. Saratoga Springs, New York. An uncaptioned Kodachrome snapped by Toni Frissell for the Sports ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2023 - 6:35pm -

August 1960. Saratoga Springs, New York. An uncaptioned Kodachrome snapped by Toni Frissell for the Sports Illustrated assignment "Saratoga: Where Horse Is King." View full size. A Dame at the RacesWhat's next, Dave ... A Knight at the Opera? A Short StoryOnly two of Ms. Frizzell's photos made it into print to accompany the one-page story in the August 7, 1961, issue penned by longtime SI writer William Leggett. [Ahem. Frissell, not "Frizzell." - Dave] Reminds me of the Pink LadySeen here: https://www.shorpy.com/node/26990 Green GoddessOur girl again, after losing the glasses (and the dress). (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Saratoga Springs, Toni Frissell)
Fellow Travelers: 1936
... It's included in one of my wonderful Dover books titled New York in the 1930s. What's He Doing in New York? Corporal Maxwell ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2016 - 12:53pm -

Feb. 6, 1936. "El station, Sixth and Ninth Avenue lines, downtown side, 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, Manhattan." The WiFi is down, but we do have heat! 8x10 gelatin silver print by Berenice Abbott, Federal Art Project. View full size. SoundsI don't suppose it had a telegraph clattering, not having a ticket window. Stations on the NJ commuter lines had that, back then. Waiting involved listening to it. Also they had a very high dry heat on cold days that would burn your nose out. The young man on the left looks particularly dapper.This setting could have fit into an Edward Hopper painting. Historic preservation?That station was essentially unchanged for 70 years. It looked just like this when I was a kid in the 70s (minus the stove) and wasn't updated until about 10 years ago. BackupWhile there is now a turnstile that accepts 5 cent coins, the old ticket chopper is still in reserve on the left side, now with a cloth cover. Elevated not SubwayThe caption is correct. This is not the current station at 72nd and Broadway, which is part of the first subway line in Manhattan. The first two elevated railways in Manhattan were the Ninth Avenue El, begun in 1872 and which eventually ran from South Ferry to Jerome Ave in the Bronx, followed later in the 1870s by the Sixth Avenue El, which ran from Rector Street to Central Park. Once it hit Central Park the Sixth Ave El merged with the Ninth Ave El. The Sixth Ave El was torn down just a couple of years after this photo was taken, with the Ninth Avenue El going out of service in 1940. 72nd & Broadway?There is an above-ground subway station at 72nd and Broadway (and Amsterdam) that looked like this at least through the 80s. Is that what jjdaddyo is recollecting? Perhaps this picture is mislabled. Meet me at the El station at Sixth and NinthBring the Microfilm, make sure you're not followed. Wonderful characters!Peter Lorre, Broderick Crawford, Margaret Hamilton? GodfatherThe guy on the left is a ringer for the little Italian baker that Michael Corleone made stand on the hospital steps, with his hands in his pockets, to fake out any would be assassins of the Godfather. 5 centsAmazing to contemplate that there was once a time when a device could be built with the words 'drop nickel here' stamped right into the metal housing, secure in the knowledge that passage would always cost exactly 5 cents. I'll betthe mug on the left is packin' a rod. As Velma Waited Nervouslywith her back to Sam. The short man was fondling the Gat in his pocket in case Sam Spade was only pretending to warm his hands. Nickle fareI'm only mangling the chronology slightly to mention that when the El opened, the 3 cent coin was made of, and called, the "nickel", and the 5 cent coin was the silver half dime. The story is spoiled, since the original fare was 10 cents! Museum quality artEnlarge the picture and enjoy the beautiful, creative window designs over the doors. Time travel?Is that Klinger? Drop Nickel HereA nickel! Plus all the free heat you can absorb. Film NoirWhat a cast of characters. I love this photo. It's included in one of my wonderful Dover books titled New York in the 1930s. What's He Doing in New York?Corporal Maxwell Klinger (far right) should be in Toledo, Ohio while he is stateside! Re: Wonderful charactersOr Charles Dierkop, Lee Marvin and Joe Walsh? (The Gallery, Berenice Abbott, NYC, Railroads)
Flatiron Rising: 1902
"Flatiron Building, New York." The Manhattan landmark under construction circa 1902. 8x10 inch glass ... As noted elsewhere, by this time most of the streetcars in New York were running on electricity, with the electric supply on almost all ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 3:16pm -

"Flatiron Building, New York." The Manhattan landmark under construction circa 1902. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. StreetcarsAs noted elsewhere, by this time most of the streetcars in New York were running on electricity, with the electric supply on almost all the lines being underground. The same plow-and-shoe system as used in Washington, D.C. IconicOne of my favourite buildings and, speaking as a Brit, a real iconic image of New York. Stunning photo. The facadeIs limestone and glazed terra cotta. I looked it up in Wikipedia. 23Skidoo! The building that coined the phrase due to the updrafts. Times are a ChangingThe lone auto is I believe a curved dash Oldsmobile. Note the tiller steering. Probably scared the horses half to death. Gotham Gem!The Flatiron Building and the Chrysler Building in NYC are two of the most beautiful structures in the United States. To see them in person and to tour them is an education in itself! With my little eyeI love shots like this -- it's like "I Spy." AstoundingThis is absolutely one of the best early shots of the Flatiron I have seen. The detail is amazing, and there are so many of the surrounding buildings still there today. Thanks for posting! AwesomeFlatiron is my favorite building in Manhattan. This is a super shot. They knew what they were doingBut I still can't understand why the stonework was interrupted between the 4th and 5th floors and continued above. One would think they'd start at the bottom and continue up. There must be a reason. [Only the lower part of the facade is stonework. The top part is terra cotta tiles. They're still working on the bottom (limestone) section. - Dave] HorselessNote one horseless carriage lower right. Right smart fellows I reckon. Dear George ReadI'll take footage on the 18th Floor facing north, please! This picture shocked meSomehow it seems like this icon has always been. To think of it as being constructed is, well, kind of freaky. What a visionary design. What powers the streetcars?Is there voltage under that third rail? It would short out all the time in rain, so it's doubtful. No overhead wires though. [The underground power supply is accessed through a slot running between the tracks. There is no third rail. - Dave] George A Fuller Co.The contractor was a major player in the field of early skyscraper construction. Fuller built many buildings that are still around today and was credited with many innovative techniques for this type of construction. The company was liquidated in the 1970s. Spectacular!Everyone should stand at this intersection someday: Fifth Avenue on the right; Broadway receding into the distance on the left; 22nd Street running behind the building (where the buggy sits at the corner under the "Slosson" sign); 23rd Street just below the bottom edge of the photo. Stand on the sidewalk right at the rounded (northern) corner of the building, where today there is a Sprint cell phone store, of all things, and contemplate a city street scene from a century ago, filled with horse-drawn buggies, street cars, and Victorian finery. It will take your breath away. Egad!How thin! NervousApplying the skin stones looks like a job for the non-timid. Those scaffolds are hung from ropes! It's interesting to see how things were done before the invention of the tower crane. That boom on the right and the one on the roof did all the heavy lifting of stones and beams, I'm guessing. TransitionWhat I find fascinating about this photo is it shows the transitional nature of tall construction at the turn of the century. The steel frame here is clearly very sturdy and over-engineered, and yet they're wrapping it in brick and massive stone blocks, and not curtain-wall hung panels as would become the norm in 20 years or so. AmazingI think it's an amazing building. A work of art indeed! Super InsightAn icon in the making and the photo shows what we can't see today: the skeleton of this wonderful building before the "skin" was installed! Great find! Thanks, Dave. Water Wagon?I wondered where all the water was coming from & then I spotted it, maybe: up the street you can see a wagon with a rounded tank and what looks like water spraying from the back. Looks deliberate, unless the wagon got up enough speed for the wheels to do that. What could it be? Dust Control? [Poop control. See all those horses? The Department of Sanitation cleaned up after them. - Dave] One of these daysGorgeous building and the longtime object of my faraway architectural dreams. It's on my so-called bucket list to see this beauty in person some day. Flatiron TodayThe detail on this building is really mind-boggling. Definitely my favorite building in Manhattan. Click to enlarge. Fuller BuildingThe Fuller Company made sure their next HQ didn't get renamed by popular fancy: they set the name in stone over the door, and there it remains to this day. http://www.nyc-architecture.com/UES/UES107.htm Another Flatiron FanLike most of you, I've always loved this building. I've also had the privilege of working in it, on the 14th Floor (for Tor Books, a company I now consult for, so I'm still there periodically). There are lots of interesting facts about it, such as that the Flatiron name predates Fuller's construction of this icon, being applied to the block itself in those days. I first visited the building in the 70s, when I applied (unsuccessfully) for a job at St. Martin's Press, which is still there. Back then, the building still had its original painfully-slow hydraulic elevators. Those were replaced before I began working there in 2000. What I was most surprised to learn after I began working there is that almost all photos taken of it are misleading. That's because they're usually framed to emphasize the structure's thinness, as in the 1902 image here, or to make it look symmetrical (like an isosceles triangle), as in Seinberg's lovely color shot. (Great lighting, btw. What time of day was it?) So what was the surprise? Its footprint (or floorplan, if you prefer) is actually a right triangle, with the long side on Broadway. As you'd expect, the view from "the point," as occupants call it, is fabulous, looking straight uptown toward the Empire State Building, and down on Madison Square Park. An architectural tidbitGenerally speaking nowadays when buildings of this era are renovated, damaged or missing pieces of decorative masonry are replaced with fiberglass replicas. These cost much less than stone and are easier to install. The exterior of Shepard Hall at CCNY, for example, would probably blow away in a strong breeze. A few years ago, when the Flatiron building underwent a significant cleaning, tons (literally) of the decorative stonework was discarded in favor of replicas. Friends of mine who lived nearby dug through dumpsters and collected pieces they could cart home as souvenirs. Thanks to Team Shorpy for these excellent New York images. Love it!I love this building. I've visited Tor in their offices there (hi, Moshe!) and got to look out, as well as seeing the place from the outside. It's wonderful. Is the plan to convert it into a luxury hotel still in place? How are they going to deal with the historic elevators? (This building has hydraulic column elevators, and is really too tall for them, so they require constant maintenance. Plus they're fairly old by now. But it's a historic landmark, which strongly limits what can be changed.) [Another commenter (below) tells us the elevators have been replaced. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Flatiron Building, NYC)
Nine-Centers: 1942
June 1942. "Brooklyn, New York. Red Hook housing development. Diving pool at the play center which is ... Recreation Center and Pool, named for the Brooklyn-born New York real estate magnate who in the 1970s provided funds to keep a number ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/16/2023 - 8:35pm -

June 1942. "Brooklyn, New York. Red Hook housing development. Diving pool at the play center which is supervised by the city's Department of Parks. There are separate pools for swimming and diving. Charge is nine cents for children, twenty-five cents for adults." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Office of War Information. View full size. What could go wrong?Let's see -- there's a railing around this end of the pool to keep anyone from jumping in or climbing out there, avoiding collision with a diver. But the young man directly under the high diving board has decided it would be fun to climb up on the round, metal rails with slippery, wet feet and, in one swift motion, push himself up with one leg and grab the underside of the diving platform. And then what? Best case scenario is he balances there for a moment or two and then lets go, diving into the water and avoids being hit by someone diving off the board directly above him. Worst case scenario is he gets to visit a local Brooklyn emergency room. With the information provided by William Lafferty, above, I'm providing a birds eye view of the pool today. Gone are the pipe rail fence and diving boards, of course. Yet, I suspect Brooklyn yutes today are still able to risk serious injury doing foolish things. Something Looked Off ...I kept staring at this photo wondering what it was that looked out of place and it finally hit me. The kid climbing on that railing is dangerous enough but it occurred to me that I've never seen a railing around a pool before. I wonder if this was a normal thing back then. There are so many things that make a railing dangerous. First and foremost, it impedes the path of a lifeguard and risks injury. It would also make it difficult to help someone out the pool and also end in injury. Someone walking close to the railing could slip on the wet tile and go head-first into a metal bar. Sometimes I notice weird things but I don't know if it's worth pointing it out or not. Any public pool experts out there? HA! Boys will beWhat is it with boys crawling all over everything? That kid on the rail under the lifeguard on the high diving board, the boys on the right on the roof of that entrance on the stairs, and all the others, tensed and ready for action -- they all seem to be burning off some kind of surplus energy. Nine?!?Was one extra cent considered such a burden in 1942? Besides the extra revenue, a dime would have saved a lot of labor, making change! Just a short walk down Clinton Street from where I am typing is the Red Hook Play Center that houses this pool, now known as the Sol Goldman Recreation Center and Pool, named for the Brooklyn-born New York real estate magnate who in the 1970s provided funds to keep a number of New York City public pools open, including Red Hook. The aquatic facility was a WPA project opened in 1936 and is a designated New York City landmark. The diving pool shown is now a wading pool, and the buildings in the distance still exist, also WPA projects. It's undergone considerable refurbishment and renovation over the decades, and the pool is adjacent to playing fields on remediated industrial land south of the facility. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kids, NYC, Swimming)
Allied Asphalt: 1923
... He takes the train home to his nagging wife, who wants a new Orthophonic Victrola and a 12-cylinder Packard Cabriolet. She gives him a ... Asphalt Products Corporation Moves to 919 New York Avenue. The Allied Asphalt Products Corporation, of which Thomas J. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:37pm -

October 1923. Washington, D.C. "Allied Asphalt Products Co." Behind all that smelly hot tar and paving aggregate, under the compacted gravel -- a hidden world of glamour and intrigue! National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Willie Loman ... But Even LowerThe "Company Man" at the middle desk is a study in frustration. Almost everyone else in the office is younger than he is, but he's never gotten a private office of his own. His phone is facing in the wrong direction, and not even the frizzy-haired typist will give him a good time down at Joe's speakeasy. Meantime, he's the only economist in the whole company who's figured out that the stock market will collapse by 1929. But will the boss in the glass booth listen to a word he says, or look at his charts? No. He takes the train home to his nagging wife, who wants a new Orthophonic Victrola and a 12-cylinder Packard Cabriolet. She gives him a hard time from the minute he walks in the door, so he retreats to his den, with a bottle of bootleg hooch and a few Bix records. Graduation DayIt appears that Princess Leia is graduating tonight. That is her graduation gown, isn't it? It couldn't be a dress, because it looks unstylish, hot, and uncomfortable. Oh wait, it was the 1920s. Is that a telephone switchboard on her desk? Bestcaption ever Dave! I know this has been done before, but:Michael Scott watches over everything from his private office at the back. Sitting in front of him and slightly hung over is Meredith, with Creed telling her a surreal anecdote from his mysterious past. In the middle, Kevin is shuffling papers and trying to look busy. Off to the right, Pam gives the camera a knowing look. And at the left - whoa, waitaminute, how did Little Orphan Annie get a job at Dunder-Mifflin?! That hair!Get your finger out of the light socket already, young lady. Proud New Offices Washington Post, Mar 11, 1923 Larger Offices Occupied Asphalt Products Corporation Moves to 919 New York Avenue. The Allied Asphalt Products Corporation, of which Thomas J. Brown is president, last week removed their offices from the Southern building to new enlarged quarters, occupying the entire ground floor at 919 New York avenue northwest. This corporation is regional distributor for the Keystone Manufacturing Company, York, Pa., manufacturers of asphalt shingles, waterproof paper and paint. Re: HairUpon first glance, I assumed it to be a fur hat. The lady on the leftlooks as though something has crawled up onto her head and died there. Their Hair IIIOne of the girls has bobbed her hair - and it being so early in the 1920s has not yet had the opportunity to style it in marcel waves - probably just had it hacked off by a barber. By the end of the 1920s, she'd have the option of a permanent wave. The other two are wearing their hair in the "earphone" (or "cootie garage") style, which fell out of favor by the mid-1920s as more and more girls took the plunge with the barber (or even the female hairstylist!) Once cloche hats were standard it was harder and harder to have stylish long hair! Tight curls and bobsI've seen that kind of hair in a lot of early 1920s photos. Since I have that kind of hair myself I can see why. Most bobs were done by barbers and when hair of this texure is suddenly released from the weight of length and the constraints of hairpins -- this is the result! It took a while for people to figure out how to handle it when it is short. Devil is in the detailsAs usual the details of an era gone by are what make this photo so special. No cubicles. Everyone sits out in the open. Two have candlestick telephones and inkwells. The others just get typewriters. (What a dreary job to type and type and never even get interrupted by a phone call). [Look a little closer. The girl on the right has not just a telephone, but an entire telephone switchboard, on her desk. - Dave] There are paste pots by the cabinet in the corner, against the wall. Not sure what they pasted, but they apparently filed it there. Maybe it was customer addresses from invoices or letterheads. Maybe it was photos. On the wall are photos of houses they must have paved with asphalt. And the graphics of the calendar are indeed very 1920's. And yes, you are right. We now know what Little Orphan Annie did when she grew up. She became a typist! Look - It's Little Orphan Annie!All grown up! That hair IIThe Princess Leia twins! For Whom the Bell TollsJudging by the huge telephone ringer box under the desk, workers in this office suffered hearing loss early in their lives. Today OSHA would require these hapless victims to wear hearing protection. [Maybe that explains the hair. - Dave] RecyclingThe boss has an office made of surplus doors. If this is an example of their Southern Bldg accommodations, it's no wonder the company moved. Colorful ScenarioThese old photographs do conjure up interesting stories from our imaginations. Yours is particularly entertaining. Thank you for making this already-vivid photograph even more so. Allied AsphaltSounds like one of those dubious companies that Gomez Addams was always investing in. You know, like Consolidated Lint. Telephone boxThat big ringer was standard issue. They were all that big and metallic and LOUD. I installed one of those in a 1915 house I had (along with the candlestick phone), and it ensured that you never missed a call. Talking on a candlestick phone sounds like you are in a submarine - the Bell Ph.D. acoustical engineers had yet to be hired. A little Tar & AsphaltGreat title as usual. Once I saw a truck on the DC Beltway that said "If we didn't pave your driveway, it's your own asphalt." Bless Her HeartMy heart goes out to Little Orphan Annie. In providing us with photographic evidence of the fact that the "bad hair day" is not a modern phenomenon she also has to undergo the indignity of people still laughing at it 86 years later. This photo also proves that there is a direct correlation for women between attractiveness and the proximity to the boss' desk. (And I'd give anything to go back 86 years and chat up the cutie doubling on the switchboard.) (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, The Office)
Expert Truss Fitting: 1900
... Lockport was and is a neat little city in NW central New York State where canal boats travel down a series of locks. It's fun to watch. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:35pm -

"Main Street, Buffalo, N.Y., circa 1900." The merchants of Buffalo, aside from making that fine city a haven for the herniated, also offered a wide range of "deformity appliances." Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. Fireproof indeed!The fireproof tiles on the roof of the Iroquois were a big selling point after the horrific fire that destroyed the Richmond Hotel, which stood on the same site until 1887. Mirror Writing?The reverse lettering above the motorman's head looks like the back of a glass sign that says SMOKING ENTRANCE REAR SEATS ONLY, whatever that means exactly. [The signs says "Smoking on three rear seats only." - Dave] Safe CityThat is one safety-conscious city. Note the pedestrian catcher mounted on the front of the trolley. Niagara Falls!!!!Niagara Falls! "Slowly I turned...step by step...inch by inch..." From the Three Stooges short "Gents Without Cents" Oh MyWhat a picture. This is definitely a downtown scene. I am curious about the rides to Lockport, Lewiston and Queenston. Are they entrance cities to Canada? Perhaps they are tourist destinations like Niagara Falls. This photo will take a while to gather it all and to understand Buffalo as a major U.S. city at the time. [Those cities were excursion destinations. - Dave] Shuffle off to Buffalo...So much detail to take in. Wonder what a "Deformity Appliance" is. [I am thinking something along the lines of a super-dangerous cake mixer. - Dave] Bustling BuffaloNothing is more depressing than seeing the once-bustling major city that is now Buffalo. Interesting that the streetcar was the main mode of public transportation, and yet the newer "metro" line (consisting of one short rail from HSBC to the University of Buffalo) has contributed to the death of downtown. Martha!And "I Love Lucy." Your neighbor the sign painterBesides the five (or six or seven) signs of his own, Mr. Scott seems to have painted all the other signs on that building. I wonder if he traded signs for trolly rides, cigars, or deformity appliances. Trolleys Then and NowThe open-seat single-truck trolleys seen in this picture (with smoking allowed in the three rear seats only) have long been absent from the City of Buffalo. The line is now the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's Buffalo Metro Rail light rail line. Interesting that the tracks on Main Street have survived, while those on Church Street, and all of the surrounding buildings, including the Iroquois Hotel, have all vanished. View Larger Map No heritage hereSo, is this was were the Main Street Mall now resides? Seems all these blocks were demolished. The Iroquois Hotel was torn down in 1940. The Perfect VignetteWhat a great photo! The "Signs" signs, the omnipresent hats, the fancy streetlight. I love the advertisement for the "tobacconist"--that would make a catchy little business card, I think. Some people are dentists, some are salespeople, and then there are the tobacconists. And I wonder what got thrown into the wires crossing the street? I also love the trolleys in the picture--somehow, my daily bus ride doesn't seem quite as cool as this. One question. What is the net in front for? I would guess it's for luggage or large packages? [The net would be for inattentive or careless pedestrians. - Dave] LockportLockport was and is a neat little city in NW central New York State where canal boats travel down a series of locks. It's fun to watch. The city is also the home of an American standard in every kitchen: Jell-O! Cars?Sign says "cars leave every 15 minutes"...I don't see any cars, it's 1900 (or so) What do they mean by "cars"? [Streetcars. - Dave] The GlobeSure would like to be able to see more detail on that globe painted on the left side - looks like the continents have been anthropomorphized into pinup gals. BuffaloCool! I stayed a night in Buffalo early last month. Had it still been standing, I would have chosen the Iroquois over the Holiday Inn for sure. Looks like a fun city, but you've never seen anything more depressing than Niagara Falls (the town) in winter. You Are HereIn response to the many requests seen in comments for a time machine: here you are. Absolutely fantastic picture. Pan-American ExpoThat's the logo for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, held in Buffalo -- where President McKinley was shot and later died. Trolly carsThey mean Trolly cars. [Or maybe trolley cars. ("Cars" = streetcars.) - Dave] Look out above!The top three floors of the Iroquois were "superadded" for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. In 1923, owner Ellsworth Statler opened another hotel, and the Iroquois became the Gerrans Office Building. The building with the tower was transformed into one of the earliest movie theaters, the Strand. Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America Leroy not LockportLeroy is the home of Jell-O, not Lockport! Visit the jello museum in Leroy to learn more about the product invented by a man named Pearl. CSI: BuffaloNice Cigar Store Indian on the right. Oh that logo The Pan-American Exposition Company chose Raphael Beck's design from over 400 entries, awarded him $100. They copyrighted it as the official logo in 1899. At first the design was to be used only for "dignified purposes," but due to its popularity, the decision was made to license its use. The logo was soon available on souvenirs of every conceivable description and was plastered on "everything that didn't move and some things that did." Some unscrupulous vendors ignored the licensing process and sold unofficial souvenirs with the logo. Here is a plate and a watch souvenir (both official): Beck made sketches of President McKinley when the president toured the fair and made a speech there. After McKinley died Beck completed the painting titled "President McKinley Delivering His Last Great Speech at the Pan-American Exposition, Sept. 5, 1901." Beck went on to design the logo for the 1905 Portland, Oregon Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. His father Augustus—who designed the bas relief at the base of the Washington Monument—named his son after the famous painter Raphael. +122Below is the same view from September of 2022. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Streetcars)
Columbia U.: 1903
New York, 1903. "Columbia University and the Hudson River." 8x10 inch dry plate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/28/2023 - 10:53pm -

New York, 1903. "Columbia University and the Hudson River." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Oops -- wrong directionI somehow remember Grant's Tomb being down in the Eighties. Don't know why. Who's buried in Grant's Tomb?The view is looking southwest northwest. That's the general's tomb in the distance. I attended graduate school there in 1966-67 and mostly spent my time in the very buildings shown here. Buell Hall moved.Looks like the building in the corner, Buell Hall was moved further back sometime. It now sit behind the decorative landing on the steps and is closer to the main building. ViewpointIt's looking northwest, actually, from 116th Street (extending left/west) and Amsterdam Avenue (extending right/north). That is Grant's Tomb in the distance, visible just to the right of Low Library (the main building highlighted near the center). The tomb is ten or so blocks to the north, and closer to the Hudson. I attended for grad school a little over a decade ago. Sitting here in ManhattanI'm a little confused; the photo appears to have been taken near the intersection of W116th Street & Amsterdam Avenue -- with Grant's Tomb @ W123rd Street, wouldn't this be looking NNW? The building on the corner is still extant (Buell Hall, sans porch). At any rate, it's now so built up between the site & the Hudson that you can no longer see the lovely view. We're looking northwest... since Grant's Tomb is north of campus, and the Hudson River is on our left. This is why we have transportationI love how the boulevards are as wide as a football field. Closer to the river originally?The modern view versus this really does show the infill into the river to expand the land. Sticky FingersCan we lift that print on the bottom left and figure out who broke the universal rule of "Always Handle A Negative by the Edges!!" 120 years ago? (The Gallery, DPC, Education, Schools, NYC, Streetcars)
And bless Leo Durocher ...
June 1942. "Brooklyn, New York. Red Hook housing development. Jimmy Caputo, 7 years old, and Annette, 4, ... 32 in 1942) and Angelina (30) , and were both born in New York. The family had been living in this building since at least 1935. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/20/2023 - 4:44pm -

June 1942. "Brooklyn, New York. Red Hook housing development. Jimmy Caputo, 7 years old, and Annette, 4, at their nightly prayers." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Nice guys …… finish their prayers last. The Holy FamilyDepicted in the mini-altar. Why is the Holy Family a model for all families? Internally, what distinguished them were their holy hearts and their close personal relationship with God. It is this that has given them lasting greatness. It is this that motivates us to look at them as a model family. They illustrate God's plan for a family, the Nuclear Family, which modern society now seems intent on abolishing. "As a child I always said my bedtime prayers with my eyes closed." I'll be very pleasantly surprised to see my comment included, thanks Dave if you do. AgeShe's the same age as my mom, who was living in Baltimore at this time. My grandfather built Liberty ships. Echoes through the years. All while looking like a TV show housewifeMrs. Caputo is quite a homemaker. Everything is as neat as a pin, including Annette and Jimmy, seen here (and who I could not find in the 1940 Census). The drapes in this bedroom were, no doubt, made by her, as were the drapes in the family room. We've now seen half, two, of the four and a half rooms in this apartment. The bedspread here is made from the same bolt of cloth as the curtains. Mrs. Caputo also crochets, takes care of that furball on the family room floor, and is probably a talented cook. Let's hope Mr. Caputo is a TV show husband. Meet the CaputosIt looks like these are the Caputos: James and Antoinette, from the 1940 Census. They lived at 795 Hicks Street. From the Census: Their parents were James (aged 32 in 1942) and Angelina (30), and were both born in New York. The family had been living in this building since at least 1935. James was a helper on commercial ships -- most likely at the shipyard at the Erie Basin, only a few minutes' walk from their apartment. As a helper, James earned $1,146 the previous year, and while we don't know if it was a typical week, he worked 50 hours the week prior to the census. Interesting that the crane operator listed immediately after him (and probably his neighbor) earned more ($1,248) working only 25 hours the prior week. Dem Bums!God bless any and all Brooklyn Dodgers references here! Could be ..They're asking for some handles for the chest of drawers so they don't have to wear their PJs to school tomorrow. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kids, NYC)
There's a Tall Hotel: 1905
New York, 1905. "Hotel Netherland, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street." 8x10 inch dry ... The Sherry-Netherland replaced it in 1927- New, old, new Built in 1892-93 as the New Netherland, a name making more ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2023 - 2:26pm -

New York, 1905. "Hotel Netherland, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. At at Lower Height"There's a Small Hotel" was from 1936 Rodgers and Hart musical "On Your Toes" -- which us lucky readers have to be to catch Dave's classic wordplay. A fine version by Count Basie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90wyOs2cboI The Sherry-Netherlandreplaced it in 1927- New, old, newBuilt in 1892-93 as the New Netherland, a name making more sense historically, and touted as the world's tallest hotel. The 'New' was dropped in 1908. Demolished in 1927 and promptly rebuilt on the same footprint, 21 stories taller but eclipsed in height by the Woolworth Building. Opened as the Sherry Netherland: Louis Sherry, whose fashionable restaurant had been in the Netherland since 1919, now owned the whole place. Still there with his name but not the restaurant (or a wishing well). Seventeen stories tallThere is a description of the yet completed Hotel Netherland in the May 1891 edition of Building Age magazine, along with floor plans for the cellar and basement, first and second floors (note the nurses dining room in the top left-hand corner of the first floor), and third and seventeenth (laundry) floors. The Hotel Netherland was designed by William H. Hume and built for W. W. Astor. It's brief, 35-year history and some interior photos can be seen here. Hopefully a Window Washer?That doesn't look particularly safe! (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Death Avenue: 1910
... "Death Avenue" for the many pedestrians killed along the New York Central's freight line there. View full size. Removal of the ... Chelsea Docks) it wouldn't surprise me if this wasn't a New York Central spur line to connect the docks to a main line, in the period ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 4:16pm -

A detailed circa 1910 Manhattan streetscape of rail cars at West 26th Street and Eleventh Avenue, known as "Death Avenue" for the many pedestrians killed along the New York Central's freight line there. View full size. Removal of the street-level tracks commenced on December 31, 1929. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Update: Click here for the largest version. A Freight TrolleyI think this is one of my favorite photos ever. There's so much going on here that is representative of the time that I could spend hours scrutinizing it. I'd never even heard of there being freight trolleys that would rumble down city streets (I know, I need to do my homework). All the activity and storefronts and normalcy of it all. Simply incredible. "How do I get to the Susquehanna Hat Company?" Re: Freight TrolleyHere's a closeup of the engine. The coal seems to be in a bin on the front. Bain took several photos of this rail line and the freight cars. I'll post some more in the coming days. Any railfans out there who can tell us more about the 11th Avenue line? What's she holding?Out of all the details in this picture, there is one that has drawn my attention. On the left side of the street, about in line with the front of the train, there is a woman holding something white. Can someone with a better monitor tell what that is? I'm thinking large dog (though I think it's unlikely that a dog that large would be carried--unless maybe it was scared by the train?) or squirming child, or possibly a massive sack of flour (not that likely, I admit.) Anyone? [Looks like a bundle of packages wrapped in paper. - Dave] Freight Trolley?I don't think so, at least not by most definitions. A trolley draws power from overhead lines and I can't see any power lines above the tracks or the necessary connecting wires (and their poles) to keep it in place. I do see a steam engine [Coal-powered. See photo below. - Dave] of a fairly specialized type and in the distant background a line of freight cars crossing the street. Given the proximity of the location to the Hudson River (it's near what is now Chelsea Docks) it wouldn't surprise me if this wasn't a New York Central spur line to connect the docks to a main line, in the period before most of the rail traffic in New York City went underground. There is a street car in the shot, but I'm guessing that it's a horse car (pulled by at least one horse). What I find really interesting is that there's not a motor vehicle in sight, just horses, and the sheer amount of what the horses left behind (to put it euphemistically). "Freight Trolley"The engine, as noted below, is clearly not a trolley. It appears to be a "steam dummy," a small locomotive, largely enclosed, often looking like a streetcar so as not to frighten the horses. A conventional locomotive, even a small one, with large driving wheels and flashing connecting rods, would certainly frighten the animals. Mounted FlagmanI guess the guy on the horse on the foreground is also a mounted flagman... he is preceding the steam train to protect pedestrians! Remember... "2000 killed in ten years" on the Death Avenue (Eleventh avenue)! ----------------------------------------- Funimag, the web magazine about Funiculars http://www.funimag.com Funimag Blog http://www.funimag.com/photoblog/ Guy on the roofDid you see the guy on the top of the roof of the third wagon? I am wondering what he is doing! Maybe watching pedestrians!!! Incontinent horse!Did you see the incontinent horse?!!! Gash...! What a big river!!! That picture is really fantastic!! Re: Guy on the RoofThe man on the roof is a brakeman. Riding a car roof is better than hanging on a ladder on the car side. Horse-drawn tramJust to the right (our view) of the "train" is a horse drawn tram car being drawn along the track in the opposite direction. BrakemanPlease note that there are no brake hoses on the locomotive. All handbrakes, so the brakeman rides on top because the staff brakes are on the car tops. to stop the train the engineer signals the brakeman and he starts ratcheting down the handbrakes How fast?I'm wondering just how fast these trains were barreling through the street to hit so many people? If they were being preceded by a guy on horseback they couldn't have been gong all that fast. And yet people still did not notice them coming? How does one not hear a steam locomotive? Tank DummyPerhaps the locomotive is one of these (scroll down to the bottom of the page): http://www.northeast.railfan.net/steam22.html The sheer amount of detail in this is incredible.E.g. the kids' chalk scrawls on the sidewalk. I'd imagine that a lot of the deaths occurred at night or in bad weather. My favorite partMy favorite part is the kid running down the sidewalk on the lower left. Perhaps he's trying to outrun the train? He reminds me of the drawings of Little Nemo. [Lower left? Or right? - Dave] The beer wagonIncredible photo! The detail is fantastic. I like the beer wagon (wishful thinking?) in front of the train. I am just amazed.... CrutchesWhat about the guy on crutches on the right. I wonder what the story is behind that. 26th and 11thI went and looked up the intersection on Google maps, and the whole right side is a parking lot now. Triangle Shirtwaist FireThe worst factory fire in the history of New York City occurred on March 25, 1911, in the Asch building, where the Triangle Shirtwaist Company occupied the top three of ten floors. Five hundred women, mostly Jewish immigrants between thirteen and twenty-three years old, were employed there. The owners had locked the doors leading to the exits to keep the women at their sewing machines. In less than fifteen minutes, 146 women died. The event galvanized support for increased safety in the workplace. It also garnered support for labor unions in the garment district, and in particular for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Much material was provided by several websites, but two in particular I want to call attention to, the first for an overall exceptionally presented look back at this tragedy and a stunning presentation of the labor movement. Truly a brilliant multimedia presentation. The Triangle Factory Fire – Presented by The Kheel Center, Catherwood Library, ILR School at Cornell University. and National Public Radio ... I can not recommend those two sites too highly. They are top-notch. And on YouTube, The Cloth Inferno. 11th Avenue TrainBeneath the "dummy" shroud, it's actually a two-truck Shay locomotive, a type of geared power popular on many logging and industrial operations with sharp curves and steep grades. High LineThis rail line was replaced with an elevated line that entered the warehouses of the west side on their upper floors. It continued to be used into the early 1980s mostly for boxcars of produce. The boxcars shown are refrigerated for perishable items. The roof hatches are for loading ice into bunkers at the ends of the cars. The elevated rail line still exists but is now owned by the city which is rebuilding it into an elevated linear park in Manhattan's Chelsea district. 11th Ave trainIf you look at the largest version you can see that it says 11 on the front which would make this an 0-6-0, class B-11. The Shays also show the offset boiler. Great photo. 26th and 11thWest 26th & 11th is the location the fabulous old Starrett Lehigh Building, a block-long warehouse looking like a stylized ocean liner, with train tracks from the pier leading right into the building and up the freight elevators. Its time was past before it was even finished in 1931 as the trucking industry eclipsed rail freight. Funky old place to wander around if you ever get the chance. 26th & 11thThe right side of 11th Ave & 26th St will be the terminus of the 7 Train extension from Times Square. (last station will be 11th Ave and 34th) . They are currently boring down to the bedrock. NY Central dummy engine>> Beneath the "dummy" shroud, it's actually a two-truck Shay locomotive It seems the NY Central Shays weren't built until 1923-- so looks like he's right about the engine being an 0-6-0 beneath the dummy housing. N.Y. Central ShayA city ordinance required that a horseman precede the rail movement, and that the locomotive be covered to look like a trolley car so as not to frighten horses. When the line was elevated it was electrified, I believe with locomotives that could also run on batteries to access trackage that had no overheard wires. At that time the Shay locomotives were put to use elsewhere on the New York Central system. Here is a photo, from my father's collection, of one of the Shays in service near Rochester, I believe. The spout on the left is not part of the locomotive but is on a water stand behind it. Not The Sound of Silence!Just try and imagine the sounds here! The shod horses clomping down the brick street. The wagons creaking along as the wheels roll on the bricks and dirt. The various bells (church, train, etc) pealing, the subtle sounds of conversations and pedestrian footsteps, the whisk of broom bristles as the street is cleaned! Much preferable to the honking, boom-boxing, brake-screeching, muffler-rapping scenarios we endure today! 10th AvenueAnother pic https://www.shorpy.com/node/12859 shows what 11th Avenue north from 26th St actually looked like; someone mislabelled this negative of 10th Ave. Building Still ThereAccording to a post here, this is actually the intersection of 10th Ave and W 26th Street. I looked up this intersection on Google Maps and it appears that one of the buildings in the old photo is still there. It's way down the street..behind the train, the 3rd building from the end on the left side of the street. (The windows look like there is a white stripe connecting them). I think that is the same building on the northwest corner of the intersection of 10th Ave and 27th Street. Just thought I'd throw that out there :) 29th StLooks like you're right, that bldg is still there, but it's on the NW corner of 29th St and 10th Ave. In the Google streetview it's about a twin of the bldg at 28th St. At the left edge of the Shorpy pic you see 267 10th Ave, which means the engine is about to cross 26th St. The train moved from the yard onto 10th Ave at 30th St. Pic of 11th Avenue https://www.shorpy.com/node/12859 (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Horses, NYC, Railroads)
Family Room: 1942
June 1942. "Brooklyn, New York. Red Hook housing development. Mrs. Caputo and her children in the living ... what make it is, but that set would have been pricey when new. I have a similar one that is a Canadian-made Northern Electric model, and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/20/2023 - 9:35am -

June 1942. "Brooklyn, New York. Red Hook housing development. Mrs. Caputo and her children in the living room of their four-and-a-half room apartment for which they pay $5.35 weekly." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Office of War Information. View full size. 4½ roomsWhat exactly is half a room? [A ro. - Dave] 1942, June 12President Roosevelt made a radio appeal in support of the scrap rubber campaign, held because the Japanese had cut off 92 percent of the U.S. rubber supply. They're Trouble!Why has no one noticed that Tribble on the floor!! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!! 4½I guess they just couldn't afford $5.94 weekly for five full rooms. Armchair AntimacassarMrs. Caputo appears to be crocheting a doily to complement those under the clock atop the radio and under the lamp. When used on a chairback, doilies are known as "antimacassars" -- so named for the thin Macassar oil hair tonics from Indonesia (then colonial Dutch East Indies) popular from the mid-19th to early 20th century. Menfolk applied the hair tonic so liberally that absorbent pads were required to protect upholstery, and were a staple in Grandma Goober's house. Goober Pea Not a bright futureComparing prices in different eras is tricky, but the CPI suggests that 5.94 in 1942 is $110.83 today, which would make the monthly rent on the Caputos' apartment equivalent to about $450. The 2023 rental market shows 2-bedroom apartments in Red Hook Brooklyn going for between $3500 and $5000 a month. But if this is the Red Hook Houses project constructed in 1938-39, then paying subsidized rent might be the least of problems. Aside from other urban ills, the area is in a flood zone 1 and was inundated by Superstorm Sandy, losing power, water, and telecommunications for months. Various "resiliency and renewal" and "model community" projects have been initiated, with the usual difficulties. In the 1950s... Ralph & Alice Kramden were paying only $15 a month. Of course they only had two rooms on Chauncey Street in Brooklyn, overlooking a Chinese restaurant. $400 a month $5.35 is equivalent to about $100 today. $400 a month for a 4½-room apartment! A real bargain! The RadioI'm not sure what make it is, but that set would have been pricey when new. I have a similar one that is a Canadian-made Northern Electric model, and as on this one you can slide two panels shut that cover the speaker and controls. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Dogs, Kids, NYC)
The Tenement: 1905
Circa 1905. "New York tenement." With a number of tiny inhabitants in evidence. Dry plate glass ... Million-dollar condo 2010. Evening Journal The New York Evening Journal was a daily (except Sunday) published by William ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:40pm -

Circa 1905. "New York tenement." With a number of tiny inhabitants in evidence. Dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Typical catWon't hold still for a photo! Lord of the FliesSee the little black kitten in front of the stove? Hopefully he (she?) won't get a paw in either of the two sheets of flypaper, one on each table. Plenty of flies to keep Kitty entertained. The dressing tableNotice the hat pins, scent bottles and other such items on the dressing table. This tenement dweller did not leave home unadorned! Photo on shelfLooks like a National Guard Company group photo Not your typical tenementWhile we can't quite see through the window to the left of the oval bedroom mirror, it is evident from the amount of sunlight coming through that the window opens to the outside. It's a sign that this tenement is of higher quality (and rent) than most. Tenement bedroom windows usually opened onto narrow airshafts that admitted dim light and very little fresh air. Also, many tenement dwellers in 1910 would have been first-generation immigrants, mostly from southern or eastern Europe. If immigrants, the occupants of this tenement are at least knowledgeable enough in English to be reading an English-language newspaper. Again, if they're immigrants at all: the picture of soldiers looks like it could have been from the American Civil War, more than a generation in the past when this picture was taken. Basement catThe first known photo of Basement Cat emerging from the shadows. Tenement 1910Million-dollar condo 2010. Evening JournalThe New York Evening Journal was a daily (except Sunday) published by William Randolph Hearst from 1897 to 1909. The paper was sold in 1909 and ceased publication in 1911. Tenement MuseumIf any Shorpsters find themselves in NYC, they can visit the Tenement Museum and see a re-creation of a tenement much like this one. It is a fascinating place with, yes, some old photographs. It is on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side. RemodelThe disk high on the wall is a decorative cover used to plug an opening where an old flue pipe went through the wall, probably from a coal stove. Judging from the matching cover in the bedroom, the flue went horizontal for a while before heading up and out. The cover had spring clips on the back that snapped into the circular opening. Anyone make out what's in the mirror? Location, Location, LocationThe photo doesn't let us know where in NYC it is. 1910 tenements usually conjure an image of the Lower East Side, a neighborhood of immigrants. In this picture, which could be in Midtown, Yorkville or the Upper West Side or even Harlem, we have reasonable living quarters for 1910. The newspaper on the table appears to be in English. One picture on the wall show a Military unit, possibly a Spanish-American or Civil War Unit that a resident or relative served in. A tenement building was and is a way of life in many American Cities. Many remain in the poorer neighborhoods today, however the very upscale Upper East Side of Manhattan has them on almost every block east of Madison Avenue. A few are run down, but most are well kept and the monthly rents, where they are not controlled, are in the multiple thousands. The vacancy rate is around 1%. IronIt is faint in the photo, but it appears there is a flatiron leaning against the baseboard behind the corner of the stove. What is it?Can anyone tell me what the woven wooden object is that in propped up on the wall shelf? [A fan. - Dave] Home Sweet HomeAs somebody who lives in a 274-square-foot tenement from 1871 in the West Village, I find this photo wonderfully revealing. My home as been updated (in 1934), but still retains a lot of quirks. This shot is such a wonderful view into the personal lives of folks that lived in homes like my own. I can only imagine how warm the home must have been in the summertime with the cast iron stove and gas lighting. More photos like this please! The Evening Journal revisitedSince the old New York Journal-American was my late father's favorite newspaper, I'm going to have to quibble with Old Molly's history of the New York Evening Journal. The history account I found has William Randolph Hearst publishing both the morning American and the Evening Journal in New York from 1895 until they were combined in 1937 into the afternoon Journal-American, which continued as a Hearst publication until 1966, when it was merged with the old World-Telegram and Sun and the Herald-Tribune into the very short-lived World-Journal-Tribune. Love the Rohrshach tableclothNot about to divulge the things which popped into my imagination by that design along the bottom edge. Okay, one. I see a bearded gent with spectacles peering through an arbor. Another thought came to mind while examining the photos in the room. Which was the chance we just might come across a Shorpy photo hanging on the wall in another Shorpy photo. I'm too old to use the phrase "that would be so cool," but that would be apt. Quibble acceptedOld Molly agrees with the Tipster and stands corrected. Through mergers and various name changes, the paper survived until relatively recent years. Yarn swift The thing reflected in the mirror appears to be a yarn swift, or winder. The bag would be used to store it. Those are definitely flatirons (or, as they are known down here in the South, "sad irons," as it was a sad day when you had to use them because no matter the weather a lot of heat was involved). Great photo with lots of history which is somewhat lost except in museums or as one contributor pointed out a Tenement tour in New York. Stove Update A little Google research indicates my earlier thought the stove was a conversion may have been wrong. The Gem City Stove Company in Dayton, Ohio, produced a gas stove from the late 1800s up until the Depression known as the "Perfect." Boat modelTo the left of the doorway is a half-model of a boat hull with a centerboard. It's a technical rather than a decorative object and makes me suspect that someone in the tenement was a boatbuilder. It's definitely a well kept room and a superior tenement, but I bet that on a hot day it SMELLED. Basement CatI often wondered where Basement Cat got his start. Now I know. (I wonder if anyone else got that). Lewis Hinemust think everyone lives a wealthy life. This apartment looks clean and lovingly "decorated" to the best of the tenants' ability. I don't think it is all that bad!! [Perhaps, but this is not a Lewis Hine photo. And did anyone say it was bad? - Dave] The Gift of the MagiI have never felt closer to O. Henry than at this moment. Flash of memorywhen I noticed the wooden match holder next to the stove! Haven't seen one of those in a kitchen since the '50s. What are those pipes for?Does anyone know what use the pipes from above have? They might be a fire suppressant, but I am not sure. [The "pipes" are gas light fixtures. - Dave] Tenement DefinedIt's a little puzzling how the word "tenement" came to imply poverty or deprivation. I suppose the constant association by Lewis Hine and others of the word to their photographs of dire poverty would do the trick. Technically, the word tenement, as defined by New York City anyway, means any building that houses three or more unrelated families. The doorman buildings on Park Avenue are, by strict definition, tenements as well. GaslightDid one have to climb a ladder or stand on a high chair whenever they wanted to light the gas jets? PerfectI actually have an ad for this very oven - posted in a Dayton publication from 1904. It was placed by the Dayton Gas Light and Coke Company. COKE COKE COKE SMOKELESS FUEL Recommended by all Range and Furnace Manufacturers as being the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable fuel. Orders received at the Dayton Gas Light and Coke Co's Office etc. etc. Try and visitGeezerNYC submitted the comment that shorpsters can visit the Tenement Museum in NYC and see a recreation. In fact,you can enjoy an in depth online recreation and 360 degree walkthroughs of these wonderful tenements at http://www.tenement.org The site is dedicated to the stories of immigrants who lived in 97 Orchard Street, a tenement built in 1863 on Manhattan's Lower East Side. There are TONS of picture archives, a virtual tour, collections, first hand accounts of several families that lived there and LOTS more. I've visited it several times and I love it every time. I'm sure it is NOTHING like taking an actual walking tour of the tenement museum but it's as close as I can get for now. I suggest that everyone check this out. I'd also like to say that the comment such as how it had to have "smelled" in the heat of summer, etc. just bummed me out. So it may have smelled. so what. Many of these people struggled and busted their rear ends like no tomorrow just to get bread on the table and clean clothing to wear, to put shoes on their kids feet and on and on. We truly can't even begin to compare our lives today to the lives of the vast majority of those who lived in these tenements. They made the best of what they had. It was home. PipesThe pipes above the stove are gas pipes. Note the shut-off valves on the pipes. (The Gallery, DPC, Kitchens etc., NYC)
Chester W. Chapin: 1901
" Chester W. Chapin , New York Yacht Club steamer, America's Cup races, 1901." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... They could have afforded it The New York Yacht Club functions at a higher atmosphere than most of us live, so ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/14/2012 - 8:44am -

"Chester W. Chapin, New York Yacht Club steamer, America's Cup races, 1901." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Not a Club steamerThe Chapin may have been serving as a spectator boat for the America's Cup races that year and consequently may have been rented out to the NYYC for the day, but it would be inaccurate for the photographer to have labeled it a Yacht Club steamer. This is no member's yacht, but rather a commercial coastal passenger steamer. Seen it before?https://www.shorpy.com/Brooklyn-Bridge They could have afforded itThe New York Yacht Club functions at a higher atmosphere than most of us live, so it was certainly plausible to believe they could have afforded to own a steamer for the benefit of the membership. [This New York Times article on the event reports it was a boat of the Fall River Line. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
A Festive Fourth: 1919
... podium so his speech could barely be heard. He arrived in New York Harbor on July 8, and two days later delivered the Treaty of Versailles to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/04/2023 - 3:45pm -

July 4, 1919. "Washington's men and women who served during the war gathered at the base of the Washington Monument, receiving medals of honor provided by the citizens of the District of Columbia. The big crowd has just turned to watch a daring aviator circling low above the trees that surround the monument grounds." National Photo glass negative. View full size. Things Done No MoreIf you tried to fly a small plane around the Washington Monument this afternoon, there would be fighter jets sent to shoot you down. Must have been a thing to see!Just look at that flying machine to the right of the monument. No presidentWhile it's impossible to identity those in the photo, we know that the President, Woodrow Wilson, was not one of them. On July 4, 1919 he was crossing the Atlantic on his return from the Versailles Peace Conference. From the U.S.S. George Washington on that date, he delivered the first presidential address broadcast by wireless transmission. While the technology allowed it to be heard by those on ships within 300 miles of Wilson's, the transmitter was installed on the wrong podium so his speech could barely be heard. He arrived in New York Harbor on July 8, and two days later delivered the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate for consideration. One Aviator, Many BoatersBoater straw hats, that is. It seems they were quite popular. Then, there's all the sailors with their "Dixie cups", the long time nickname of the white hat. Looks like quite the shindig here. I enjoy seeing the many hats popular over the years, thanks to all the fine, enlargeable photos on Shorpy. Professional Umbrella HolderLooks like two women on the right side in the foreground hired a woman to hold an umbrella over them. I didn't know that was a thing! Soldier with the satchel We were trained to left-hand carry, since there was never a shortage of junior officers who took personal offense at any fumbling before a right-hand salute. (The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., July 4, Natl Photo, Patriotic, WWI)
S.S. Rotterdam: 1910
Hoboken, New Jersey, circa 1910. "S.S. Rotterdam at Holland America docks." The full ... 1908, she made her maiden voyage in 1909 from Rotterdam to New York. During World War I the ship carried soldiers and weapons from the US ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 7:28pm -

Hoboken, New Jersey, circa 1910. "S.S. Rotterdam at Holland America docks." The full panorama made from three 8x10 inch glass negatives. Landmarks of the Manhattan skyline include the Metropolitan Life tower. View full size. This Pano Blows My Mind!And with 8x10 glass plates you say?! I do not have the best eyesight in the world be I tried unsuccessfully to find any hint of joining or places slightly out of register. This is fantastic to me because I can't imagine how it was done. [They're combined using Photoshop's Photomerge tool, which does most of the heavy lifting. But there are discontinuities and rips in the fabric of spacetime that must be repaired with something called Puppet Warp. With tweaking, it took me about an hour. - Dave] Before FrankieThis pier was at the foot of 5th Street, northeast of Hudson Park. Today, instead of a pier, you would see Frank Sinatra Park and (on the far left) Frank Sinatra Drive. This particular SS Rotterdam sailed between 1908-1916, and 1919-1940, with a self-preservation break to avoid mines and u-boats during WWI. Rotterdam IVRotterdam IV was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd for the "Holland-Amerika Lijn," as the Dutch company is called in the Netherlands. Completed in 1908, she made her maiden voyage in 1909 from Rotterdam to New York. During World War I the ship carried soldiers and weapons from the US to France. Because of the Dutch being neutral, Germany did not suspect. She was scrapped in 1940 in Rotterdam. Coaling ShipAt first I suspected those men dangling over the side on platforms were painting the topsides -- they could definitely use a fresh coat. However, more careful scrutiny revealed the barges alongside are piled high with the period's favorite fuel. In fact, the crew is getting the stuff into the ship's bunkers, by all accounts a laborious, dirty process. Even zoomed in as far as my equipment allows I'm not able to see the details of how they get the coal into the scuttles on the ship's side, but my guess is from there it just tumbles down a chute into the bunkers. The white superstructure, high above the waterline, is being painted with the mop-like devices I remember from my time as a frequent passenger on the last of the ocean liners from 1963 to 1972. The painting crew is doubtless waiting for the coaling to be over so they can start applying the darker color to the topsides without having the black dust settle on their work and ruin it. Ocean liners were the queens of the ocean. Their brass was always polished and their brightwork always flawless. This photo reminds us why they needed such big crews. Where to BeginWhat a great image this is. Add color within the mind and actually be there, in 1910. What's astounding is how much the Rotterdam resembles much more contemporary vessels. Then look over to Manhattan and see -- shocked: only three prominent towers, which are the Plaza Hotel (1907), the Times Building (1901), and the Metropolitan Life Tower (1909). You'd have to wonder how the Dressed Meat Company delivered fresh meat in that wagon to the passenger shipping lanes, from its "model abattoir". And how did the wagon get to Hoboken from 11th Avenue in Manhattan -- ferry boat? Berwind's Eureka Coal King's Handbook of New York City, 1892. The Berwind-White Coal Mining Company was incorporated in 1886. … The company own and operate extensive coal-mines in the Clearfield and Jefferson County [Pennsylvania] regions, and are mining what is known as the Eureka Bituminous Steam Coal. The Berwind-White Company own 3,000 coal cars and a fleet of 60 coal barges, used exclusively for the delivery of coal to ocean steamships in New York harbor. The coal is of the highest grade of steam coal, and is supplied under yearly contract to nearly all transatlantic and coasting lines running from New York, Philadelphia and Boston, among these steamship lines being the Inman, the North German Lloyd, the Cunard, the Hamburg, and the French lines, whose gigantic and palatial ocean greyhounds have a world-wide reputation. What a Great Picture!The Pennsylvania RR tug, the sidewheeler in the river, the coaling operation -- stuff, stuff and more stuff. Could study this picture for days and keep finding interesting tidbits. Great find. Good Job Dave!Ok, I got it now. What "blew my mind" was I thought printed this way a the time! Whew, what a relief, you really had me going. Again, nice job!!! [A century ago, the people at Detroit Publishing combined these images into panoramas the old-fashioned way. I wonder what they would think of Photoshop. - Dave] Former HAL headquarters in Rotterdamis now called Hotel New York. "Trolley" TracksThe tracks in the street and the box car sidings with overhead wires are not for passenger trolley cars, but for the Hoboken Manufacturers' Railway, later the Hoboken Shore RR, which hauled freight until about 1976, using electric locomotives until about 1947. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Black Sea Bass: 1900
... between 5 lbs and 384 lbs. A Big Fish From the New York Times of August 27, 1900: A Big Fish From The Los Angeles ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 01/06/2008 - 2:22pm -

A world's record 384-pound black sea bass caught by Franklin Schenck of Brooklyn with rod and reel off Catalina Island, California, on August 17, 1900. View full size Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_sea_bass Add your picture to this article please! That's a BIG ol' fish. BobThat's a BIG ol' fish. Bob from Iceland. WoW!That fish is unbelievable!!! What an amazing picture. Is this realI never hear anything like this before ? That thing must weight 1/2 tone! Can eat a man! No way.no way. That thing's gotta be this thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_sea_bass Not exactly the same thing as the black sea bass in that other article. big difference between 5 lbs and 384 lbs. A Big FishFrom the New York Times of August 27, 1900: A Big Fish From The Los Angeles (Cal.) Herald. Catalina Island, Aug. 18. — The world's record for the heaviest fish landed with rod and reel was broken yesterday afternoon by F. S. Schenck of New York, who brought in a jewfish, or black sea bass, weighing 384 pounds, which was captured on a twenty-one-thread Cuttyhunk line after a twenty-minute fight. The record has previously been held by T. S. Manning, who, on Sept. 16 last year, took a 370-pounder after a two hours' contest. Enter Name Here FishWhatever kind of fish that is, it's phenomenal!! Could you imagine trying to reel something like that in?! It's fantastic. What a great photo!! Is this real???Is this real??? i dunnoit's not real, look closely at the lighting, very shiny and bright all close up on fish, dim on people, or maybe sharper and brighter on fish and dull on the people [Yes, it's real, and it's in the Library of Congress archives. It was also reproduced in newspapers across the country. See clip below from the New York Times. - Dave] Sea BassSome more sea bass sport-fishing photos. Indonesian Black sea bassHi all, my name is Welly m (Balikpapan - Indonesia) ,...2 days ago, I catched a black sea bass with my reel, it's about 12 Kg, and I cooked it in Rica-Rica (Indonesian Tradisional Recipe) Very nice taste. (Animals, Curiosities, Sports)
First Aid: 1919
... made the wearing of watches by soldiers obligatory,” the New York Times observed in 1916, two years into World War I. “The only practical ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/11/2023 - 6:30pm -

Washington, D.C. (vicinity), circa 1919. "Giving first aid." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Watch OutBeing that it’s 1919, it’s odd that the guy on the right has a wristwatch on. [Um, no it's not. - Dave]         “The telephone and signal service, which play important parts in modern warfare, have made the wearing of watches by soldiers obligatory,” the New York Times observed in 1916, two years into World War I. “The only practical way in which they can wear them is on the wrist, where the time can be ascertained readily, an impossibility with the old style pocket watch.” Triplets?The three men look so similar in face and haircuts my first thought is could they be triplets? My second notion is that I would not expect to find in a circa 1919 photo a woman dressed in short shorts and spaghetti strap top. [Indeed. - Dave] Instructions"It says here in the book to push his face in the dirt to absorb the water from his lungs." WatchesMy grandmother was a nurse from late WWI and into the Spanish Flu epidemic. She was given a watch by a doctor so that she could take the pulse of the soldiers that she was taking care of. When she left nursing, she was able to keep it. Forty years later, when I was 12, she gave it to me. I ended up losing it. I didn't understand what a loss it was until many years later. (The Gallery, D.C., Medicine, Natl Photo)
Country Squire: 1960
... Motor Co. photographic archive. View full size. NEW FORD TO SET RECORD FOR SIZE         DEARBORN, ... was an inch lower than the 1959 models ... -- New York Times , Sept. 1959 Curb ahoy! It is so refreshing to see that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/12/2020 - 5:36pm -

"1960 Ford Country Squire nine-passenger station wagon." Color transparency from the Ford Motor Co. photographic archive. View full size. NEW FORD TO SET RECORD FOR SIZE         DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 24 -- The 1960 standard size Ford will be the longest, lowest and widest in the fifty-six-year history of the Ford Motor Company. At a preview today it was made known that the regular Ford line had grown nearly six inches in length, five inches in width and was an inch lower than the 1959 models ... -- New York Times, Sept. 1959 Curb ahoy!It is so refreshing to see that no one here has chosen to make a chauvinistic "woman driver" comment in regards to this little cupcake's apparent inability to steer a car through a curved driveway, and her subsequent collision course with the shrubbery. So proud to be a member of this sophisticated, cultured Shorpy community. Thus it beginsSeeing Ford in 1960 touting a new model as "longest, lowest, and widest" made my mind jump forward 37 years to when my sister traded in her Ford Explorer for a Ford Expedition, for no reason I could gather other than that it was bigger. I like it!Jeepers, what a lovely looking car - I'd love to drive around in that. The house is pretty cool as well. Anent Curb (Kerb?) Ahoy!Reading this the sage words of Mervyn Griffith-Jones CBE MC in the Lady Chatterley trial come to mind -- "Is this the sort of car you would let your wife - or your servants - drive?" Ragged edgeWhat's going on at the top of the driver's side windows? It looks like a ragged piece of material along the top of each window. [Reflections in the chrome molding. - Dave] Stopped ShortI was just about to make a comment regarding Marjorie jumping the curb when dropping off Nan after their afternoon at card club, but thanks for making me think twice. Just a Moment"I need to duck in and use the ladies room." 27 Shady Hollow Drive, DearbornTragically, the amoeba roof was replaced in a later renovation (by Mike Brady, archt. ?) Fire when readyThe gunsights on the fenders are a nice touch. "Longer, Lower, Wider" - Not a New IdeaI can recall the phrase "longer, lower, wider" used in car ads of the 1960s. A little research shows that the brand positioning was old even then: - Pictured: the '51 Chevrolet: "You'll like it's longer, lower, wider big-car look!" - Ads for the '41 Studebaker and '49 Hudson also claimed their cars to be "longer, lower, wider." The 1960 Ford was so wide ...it exceeded passenger car width limits of 80 inches in several states, making it technically illegal. Ford got a one-year reprieve after promising to slim it down for 1961. White glovesWhat is surprising about them, is not that they went out of style, but that they stayed *in* style through 1960. I do not remember my mother *ever* wearing white gloves. She had joined the WAVES during WWII, and I suppose she was done with uniforms by the time she had me. And after she had me -- well, white gloves were the least of her concerns. All those rivet heads!Somehow the exposed fasteners all along the wood trim seem ugly. You can be sure Steve Jobs wasn't involved in this design (maybe not even born yet)! And on the 8th day of creation God made Rust. The plague and bane of American steel automobiles. But the body shops made a great living priming and painting those lead sleds. No cupholders!Unlike the Ford Expedition with 15 standard cupholders. Oh my, we have come so far since 1960. Presaging the avocado fad?I remember reading an article in a car magazine in the early '90s about PPG, the company that made (makes?) almost all automotive finishes. They said it takes ten years to develop and test a reliable pigment formula. So how do they know what colors will be popular in ten years? They look at lingerie. So, I dunno, was avocado green a popular color for lingerie in 1950? And do major kitchen appliances lag behind cars by ~5 years? (Also, I agree. She hasn't jumped the curb.) Rivets and curbsI always thought those exposed rivet heads were an intentional design feature, adding to the faux-utilitarian esthetic that harked back to the days when station wagons really had wooden structural elements. Another comment seemed to imply that the car had jumped the curb, but though it's in heavy shadow you can see that the right front tire is resting on the pavement, not on or over the curb. Beneath the surfaceI'm getting a "Pleasantville" meets "Twin Peaks" feeling about this scene. Frosh FordI was in my first year of college when a classmate of mine drove into the parking lot one day with a brand new black 1960 Ford convertible. I was speechless. It was the most desirable car I had ever seen and I still think to this day that I would have handed over body parts to have that car. (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Box Office: 1899
... Circa 1893-1899. "Doorways to two businesses, New York City." Tuesday at the Terrace Garden: the French Students' bal masque. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/25/2022 - 1:39pm -

        The Penfield Box Co. at 21 Gold Street. Circa 1893-1899. "Doorways to two businesses, New York City." Tuesday at the Terrace Garden: the French Students' bal masque. Glass negative by Robert L. Bracklow. View full size. Designated doorsThat's Frank's door on the right. You know, on Washington's Birthday EveEverybody knows when that is. 1893is probably the right date as February 21st for that year was on a Tuesday. So it's got to be close to that date as I would imagine that paper flyer would have weathered away in a year or two. [February 21 was a Tuesday in both 1893 and 1899. - Dave] 1893?The New York Times of February 7, 1893 announces "The French Ball," so I vote for 1893. Is this the Gold Street in the DUMBO area where, on the morning of November 20, 1908, "hell opened wide its gates onto Gold Street"? Or is this perhaps the Gold Street in Lower Manhattan? [The ball advertised in the photo was given Feb. 21 at the Terrace Garden, not Feb. 6 at Madison Square Garden, so it's not the same event, or even the same year. These French masquerade balls were held every February as a sort of New York version of Mardi Gras. - Dave] (The Gallery, NYC, R.L. Bracklow)
Captain of the Guards: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Capt. Riley and lifeguards, Coney Island." No horseplay or ... career as a life-saver earned him several notices in the New York Times. He was credited with saving the life of a man who nearly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:33pm -

New York circa 1905. "Capt. Riley and lifeguards, Coney Island." No horseplay or swooning allowed. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Reilly Really Riley. Really.Thanks Dave, my oops. Indeed, he was Thomas J. Riley, as correctly reported in the NY Times article of 1898, and in the LOC photo file. However, he was also misidentified in other Times articles as Reilly, for example in the 1902 story about missing men who may have drowned. I managed to get confused about which spelling was really correct, and chose the wrong one. Here's a clipping from one of those "Reilly" articles. As for the $300, the type was rather broken, and I misread it. My oops again. Even $300 was a huge wage in 1898. By going back to look again, I found a half-page biographical feature on Capt. Tom Riley, with artwork and a photo, published July 16, 1905. [These are all quite fascinating. A big Shorpy round of applause. Clapclapclap! - Dave] Photographer's note to self.Too many shots of fit, attractive people; get group shot of the Homely ones before leaving. Professional Perils of LifesavingCapt. Thomas J. Reilly, captain of the life-savers at Coney Island's Balmer's Pavilion, was a former champion swimmer whose career as a life-saver earned him several notices in the New York Times. He was credited with saving the life of a man who nearly drowned in 1901. More sensationally, Reilly was fired and later regained his job in 1898, when he was blamed for laxity that was thought by his employers to have resulted in the supposed drowning of Miss Louise King, a wealthy young woman whose distraught personal maid reported her disappearance on Sunday, September 11, 1898. The maid, Alma Lindstrom, was described in a story dated September 28 as "an ignorant but honest Dane." It turned out that Miss King had fooled her maid and had faked her disappearance in order to elope with her fiance, and she turned up a few days later as Mrs. S. Lloyd Chamberlain of Philadelphia. Capt. Reilly, still in disgrace, eventually sued her for damages in November 1898, having lost his $800-per-month position as a result of her little ruse. He did at least get his job back. In August 1902, Capt. Reilly and his team were mentioned again in the news during another questionable set of drowning disappearances of two men on the same day, only one of whom may have actually drowned, while the other was thought by police detectives to have faked his death for undisclosed reasons. That article named two of Capt. Reilly's assistants, John Carroll and John Vogelstein, whose post was a rowboat near two anchored rafts in 14 feet of water. [A great story, but I think the name is Riley, and he made $300 a month, not $800, according to the New York Times. - Dave] Comments we won't see.Such as: not one person in this photo is overweight. At least two of these guys could serve as flotation devises! OMG will you look at the size of that guy's arms! Put out that smoke before you jump in!Like the portly lifeguard with the cigarette! Guinness is good for you!Looks like some of my relatives are mixed in there. However, I think most of the Quinns, Gormleys and Burkes were already established at the "Irish Riviera" -- Rockaway Beach, several miles east of these folks. Skip ... per!That fellow in the captain's hat sure is a wee bit portly, eh? Life Guard Large and In ChargeThus proving American obesity is not necessarily a recent development (nor, for that matter, is form-fitting swimwear, at least for the men). I would, however, love to have a swimming outfit, complete with black stockings, such as that worn by the woman at the right edge of the picture. Zat' you George?Could that be George C. Tilyou smiling there in the middle? Sink or swim!Imagine that -- an obese lifeguard who's smoking! No thanks. Just throw me the life preserver. Don't smoke and swim!I love the cigarette in "The Captain's" left hand! Coney lifeguards were still taking group photos into the early 1960s. This one is inspiring! Baywatch, 1904Need I say more? YesI looks like the good Captain has remained true to his heritage. A slow pour, please! Come now!The fat fellow is perfectly fine and looks ready willing and able to float out and save a life. The rest of them are fine too. People were very frank in a way back then. If I Had a BoatIs Lyle Lovett's family from New York? One day sonNote the young lad to the left looking a bit peeved due to the fact that those guys have ALL the girls around them. Ah, to live the life of Riley. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming)
Ruffles and Flourishes: 1906
New York, 1906. "The Gerson sisters in costume for the Crinoline Ball." Our third ... Shorpy entry .] Colours According to the New York Times , Minerva was in lavender, while her sister was in white. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 10:55pm -

New York, 1906. "The Gerson sisters in costume for the Crinoline Ball." Our third from this series of photographs by Gertrude Käsebier. View full size. Well the dresses are prettyI cannot image the (wo)man hours used in creating those dresses. No doubt they were at least partially handmade, with all the details. Simply gorgeous. The dresses I mean. Anachronistic?Do any dress historians out there know if these are old-fashioned looking for 1906, perhaps deliberately? They look more typical of the Civil War era to me. [The Crinoline Ball was, as the caption suggests, a costume party. See the comment to this previous Shorpy entry.] ColoursAccording to the New York Times, Minerva was in lavender, while her sister was in white. Background checkAll the high society and excitement and New York Times and look at the photographic background! Chipped, nicked, and worn! Leave it to the TimesThat New York Times story is excellent, full of humor and history concerning this apparently historical night. Thanks, Jules! Got cake?These dresses evoke wedding cake. Yum! (The Gallery, Gertrude Kasebier, Portraits)
Chrysler Building: 1932
... the NYC views coming, They have been great. This one is my new desktop wallpaper. Thanks for your tireless efforts. [You're (pant, ... have had their day for quite some time now and New York is having its day in the sun, thanks to Dave. Can San Francisco be far ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 2:52pm -

Jan. 19, 1932. "View from Empire State Bldg. to Chrysler Building and Queensboro Bridge, low viewpoint." 5x7 negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. For a moment...I was wondering where the Empire State Building was! Then I read the caption. What an amazing photo this is. Dave, you're outdoing yourself lately. Gottscho's negatives are a true treasure. Is this backwardsHas this photo been mirrored? The empire state building is to the southwest of the Chrysler building, which is southwest of the bridge. [Whoops. It was backwards. Now fixed. Thank you! - Dave] Welfare IslandThe Queensboro Bridge that connects Manhattan to Queens is seen straddling Roosevelt Island, a residential community of some 12,000 people. There are rentals, co-ops, and condos and it is a self contained community with some of the best views of Manhattan. Its predecessor was called Welfare Island and housed the city's tuberculosis hospital, before that it was known as Blackwell's Island, which was a prison complex and insane asylum. Roosevelt Island is connected to Manhattan by a tramway (59th Street) and a newer subway station (IND on the 63rd St Line). It can be approached by car or truck from the Queens side. The founders fought hard to make it part of Manhattan and not Queens, it has a Manhattan Zip Code, 10044, and Area Code, 212. Speaking of directionsIsn't that the Sydney Harbour Bridge out in the distance in the top-left corner? Great work DavePlease keep the NYC views coming, They have been great. This one is my new desktop wallpaper. Thanks for your tireless efforts. [You're (pant, gasp) very welcome! - Dave] Negative CommentIs the negative reversed here? It seems like the East River should be on the right, not the left. [Maybe it's the West River. - Dave] [Thanks for fixing it! Can you switch faucets, too? My hot is cold and my vice is versa.- Delworthio] Same ViewpointI believe I snapped a photo from the same viewpoint at Mr. Gottscho 70 years later on the occasion of my 40th birthday - November 1, 2002. Why, why, whyWhy, why, why is this picture so much more beautiful and magical and fascinating and dreamy than your average cityscape of today on film? Is it gothic/nouveau/art deco subject matter + the technique + the hardware? I don't know, but I sure love it. Equal TimeWashingtonians have had their day for quite some time now and New York is having its day in the sun, thanks to Dave. Can San Francisco be far behind? What happen?When I look at the magnificent architecture of these old pre-1950 buildings and compare them to the unimaginative glass boxes of today- I wonder- what happen? My first visit to NYCMany years ago my father took me to NYC for the boat show and we walked for miles seeing the sights. He took us to Macy's, St. Patrick's, Radio City and the top of the Empire State Building. Somewhere I have snapshots from the observation deck, all four directions at that. I'll have to find them and see how they compare. GasometersThe gas holders by the bridge caught my eye. I didn't realize how huge they are - a lot of the nearby buildings could fit inside one. Similar tanks were pictured in this previous post. It was positiveThe canyons of mid-Manhattan were places of positive joy for a early 20-something guy attending television and radio production school at RCA Institutes in 1963. At the time I held a grand position as mail boy in the then-General Electric Building at 570 Lexington Ave. (to the left behind the Waldorf Towers in the photo), and my dad had an office in the Empire State Building at the time. Apropos of nothing, I once saw Van Johnson striding down Broadway in a trench coat walking a brace of Afghan hounds. Ah, those truly were the days, my friend! Re: Speaking of directions>> Isn't that the Sydney Harbour Bridge out in the distance in the top-left corner? Kind of, it's the Hell Gate Bridge, which turned out to be an inspiration for the SHB. Also seen here on Shorpy. Another stunner!Another stunning view. And just when I'd thought I had found my favorite Shorpy picture....These cityscapes always blow me away. KEEP "EM COMING! Amazing!This is my new wallpaper, replacing the Detroit Aquarium. The 59th St. Bridge has never looked so good. Frustratingly, my neighborhood in Queens is just to the right of the frame. I got a kick out of seeing both the 3rd and the 2nd El's in the lower right corner. These have both been torn down now. You can read about them here. Re: White CastleNew York Hospital. Now Weill Cornell Medical Center. EvocativeWhen I look at this photo (and the other Gottschos), it summons up a lifetime's worth of emotion in viewing the astonishing landscape of the Capital of the World and I am yearning again for a city that has no equal anywhere. And to echo the tenor of several of the commentators, this period in time was perhaps the New York era ne plus ultra. Thanks again, Dave. What's that cool building?What's the building about a block to the left of the Chrysler building, with gothic arches near the top and what appears to be a penthouse with skylight? Is it still standing? The current viewYou can almost duplicate this view using Google Earth's 3D buildings feature. The building in the lower left is the Mercantile building, finished in 1929. The building with the gothic arches is the Lincoln Building and still stands. Cool Lincoln BuildingThe "cool" building with the Gothic Arches is the Lincoln Building at 60 East 42nd Street. I used to work in it. And yes it is still there! Seen clearly in this viewSeen clearly in this view are the towers at 295 Madison Avenue (SE corner of 41st Street) and 230 Park Avenue (now the Helmsley Building, between 45th and 46th Streets), the latter of which is surrounded by the east and west ramps of Park Avenue, as are the Met Life (once the Pan Am) building and the Grand Central Terminal complex. I worked at 295 Madison in 1959-60, and later at 230 Park in 1977-1981. It's great to see these classical skyscraper buildings again, and to hope they are never demolished for one of those glass monstrosities so prevalent today in this part of Manhattan. Perfect TimingBy coincidence, the Knowledge Channel here in Canada has recently been re-running Ric Burns's excellent documentary "New York." Watching the series again and seeing these great images on Shorpy is perfect timing. I can almost hear the splendid narrative of the documentary in my head as I gaze upon these wonderful photographs. More please! White CastleCan anyone identify the big gleaming complex on the river, north of the bridge? I'm guessing its around the E 70s. I can't spy anything like that in Google Maps or Earth and it seems like a mighty big object to disappear. Maybe it was in Robert Moses' way when building FDR Drive? [It's still there. New York Hospital. - Dave] The City is beautiful, but..I've been waiting to make a comment on the recent string of NYC photos. I grew up on Long Island and could see lower Manhattan from my school's playground. I always wanted to know what the skyline looked like before my time. That said, the hardest thing for me to realize is that although this view is absolutely stunning, it was taken at the height of the Great Depression. I cannot reconcile the stories of suffering and privation that led to my grandfather running away from his home not too far uptown from here and only four years after this picture was taken (at age 14) with the gleaming monuments to mankind that compose this photograph. SurroundedAhh, I see it, thnx. Wow, the neighborhood really grew, it doesn't stand out as much. The cool building is... The Chanin Building. You can see it in the 2002 photo I posted below. [Actually the "cool building" referred to below is the Lincoln Building. - Dave] Old pics vs new pics>> Why is this picture so much more beautiful and magical and fascinating and dreamy than your average cityscape of today on film? Is it gothic/nouveau/art deco subject matter + the technique + the hardware? A good question, not easy to answer-- but some people still take above-average cityscapes, e.g. http://www.pbase.com/rfcd100/image/83470981/original Gigapans from this viewpoint...Hi - I just completed a series of view from the Empire State Building. Can't really embed any of the photos, as they are several hundred megabytes each (10MB images stitched together), but here is a link with a view of the Chrysler Building. If you want more, simply search the gigapan.org website for my pictures (search for "JohnF" there), there are a number of them from New York and elsewhere... http://gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=30511 John Legos or a Video GameI love this photograph. At first glance it looks surreal, like it is a Lego block building set or a video game where you build a city empire. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Southdale Center: 1956
... grounds. The Terrazzo Jungle Great piece in The New Yorker a few years back about Victor Gruen and his how his vision for ... earned McDonald's paycheck at a bank somewhere near the York steakhouse, which was the big hangout at the time. We sit in a booth in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2019 - 3:36pm -

1956. Edina, Minnesota. "Interior Garden Court with stairway to upper level in Southdale Regional Shopping Center, the first enclosed shopping mall." Color transparency by Grey Villet, Life magazine photo archive. View full size. RockwellianSomething about this photo is almost like a Norman Rockwell painting. The soft colors and muted details help, but what I notice are the little vignettes scattered about the mall — the dignified older man in the gray suit, the woman looking at a book with her son, the lady rummaging through her shopping buggy. The presence of a Woolworth's is just the sort of touch I would expect from Rockwell had he painted this scene. This photo is an excellent find! The disposable mallAfter having worked on several shopping malls, and knowing how much work goes into the construction of them, I am amazed how fast they are considered obsolete! This one would fail by today's standards, even though it was truly a work of art. Not Obsolete yet!This one is still open. ChangesThere's a lot less brown paneling now, and the escalators have been turned so they both face toward the camera. My highschool hangoutMostly because a friend of mine worked at the Babbages that was there for a while, and because it was a pretty short drive from home. Of course, it looked nothing like this then (highschool was late 80's to early 90's), but you can still make out the similarities. I can't quite get my bearings in this picture - where's the Apple Store? It looks like to the right might be the hallway down to where JC Penney is (is it still there? I don't frequent Southdale too much anymore). If I remember right, that would make this picture looking toward the Apple Store (which was a B. Dalton before that). At least the ceiling is the same (what parts they haven't expanded/remodeled, that is). Fading MallsFrom the 1950's through the early 2000's, didn't shopping malls have a great run? They're all subtly turning into ghost malls. There's another one near the Twin Cities called Har Mar (yes, like Har Mar Superstar) that's practically a marble desert with a dwindling Barnes & Noble being its biggest draw. There's also another popular local: The Mall of America. The Death Star. The Sprawl of America. The Mall of Gomorrah. Because what the hell else is there to do in Minnesota? Especially when it's colder than a witch's tit outside? [Some malls. Even many malls. But not all malls. - Dave] Victor Gruen and "indoor town centers"Southdale was designed by Victor Gruen, often considered the "father of the shopping mall." It's interesting that this picture depicts what Gruen wanted malls to be -- an indoor town center where people would be comfortable just hanging out as they would in a downtown park -- even if they weren't buying anything -- but nowadays I can't imagine anyone other than teenagers actually spending time just "hanging out" in a mall. James? James Lileks?Mr. Lileks, have you taken over Shorpy, you naughty blogger? First thing I thought of when I saw the (awesome) picture, and then I saw it was in Minnesota, his stomping grounds. The Terrazzo JungleGreat piece in The New Yorker a few years back about Victor Gruen and his how his vision for malls was undone by a change in tax regulations regarding depreciation of capital assets. Great, if somewhat depressing, reading. "Victor Gruen invented the shopping mall in order to make America more like Vienna. He ended up making Vienna more like America." Plus ça change...I think these slice-of-life pictures are my favorites. And, it's amazing how little malls have changed over 50 years. Such fond memories of eating at the Woolworth's lunch counter in the 1970s and '80s. Still bustlingSouthdale Center is, incredibly, still quite bustling. It's the more sane alternative to the nearby Mall of America. It has upscale shops but is still approachable, is small enough to navigate but has many of the options most people want. I hope this little gem doesn't go anywhere! P.S. - Minnesota in the cold months is ALSO bustling! Don't discount the ice skating, nearby skiing and snowboarding, local arts and theater, and the hardiness of its residents, who are always willing to put on a thick pair of mittens and go out and live life to its fullest (and coldest)! Takes me backI was born in 1964 and spent my early childhood going to this mall with my mother. She used to push me around in a stroller. The tall cage on the left was filled with canaries and parakeets. I was mesmerized by this. We would always stop at Fanny Farmer (just past Woolworth's) to get a treat of jelly fruit slices and continue around the corner on the left side to the pet store near the exit. There was a magnificent parrot that lived in a cage right out front of the store that I used to talk to. I think he might have known more words than me at the time! There was an FTD florist near the same spot, and I loved the fragrance of the fresh flowers that wafted into that part of the mall. It smelled like springtime, even in the middle of a dreary and cold Minnesota winter day. Dayton's and Donaldson's were the anchor stores; one on each end. I believe Donaldson's would have been directly behind the camera and Dayton's would have been straight ahead, on the far end (or vice versa). The shimmery gold floor-to-ceiling mobile type structures on the right, past the escalators, fascinated me too. They were so glamorous and HUGE! The lighting hadn't been changed yet, this is exactly what it looked like in the late '60's, although, later on when I returned there in my teens, there had been many changes and additions and a lot of these features had been removed. Going to this mall for a small child in Edina was possibly the equivalent of going to Disneyland for a child growing up in L.A. Thank you, Shorpy, for this special memory! Woolworth'sI bet there is a great diner inside that Woolworth's with lots of tasty things like meat loaf, stuffed bell peppers, and root beer floats. Yum. The Apple StoreThe Apple store would be behind and to the left of the camera. The upper level bridge is still there, so crossing from the left and continuing to the right would take you to Penney's. MemoriesThis really brings back memories. I was 10 years old when Southdale opened. I actually took part in some of the opening ceremonies. A friend and I hitch-hiked out to the mall and in the parking lot somehow we got picked to participate in a contest. Four of us kids were picked to catch passes from two pro quarterbacks. My friend and I caught passes from Otto Graham and the other kids caught passes from Tobin Rote. Whichever team caught the most passes would be treated to malted milks paid for by the winning quarterback. My team won but all four of us were treated to malts. Otto and Tobin us into Southdale and we all crammed into a booth and listened to them talk shop about the upcoming season. Quite a memory. I still live in the area and often thought I should contact Southdale to see if they might have any pictures of the event. Classy Early MallsIndoor malls were first developed in colder climates for obvious practical reasons. Over the years, mall design shifted from a focus on shopper experience and comfort (coat check rooms, lockers, sufficient restrooms ... even items of local historical interest) to maximizing the revenue of businesses (row after row of mini-vendor carts along what had heretofore been pedestrian walkways). On balance, I'll take the early generation mall ... or better yet, the restored downtown shopping district. [The synthesized version of "restored downtown shopping district" is the current hot concept in retailing -- the faux-urban "lifestyle center." A shopping mall turned inside out. - Dave] CorrectionThis is not the first enclosed mall. The first was (and still is) in Milwaukee. Built just after the Civil War. It is on Wisconsin Ave. I haven't more information at my fingertips. I am no historian, but was amazed to find this here. It is very attractive, too. [Covered markets and shopping arcades go back hundreds if not thousands of years. Southdale was the first enclosed, climate-controlled shopping center of the modern era. In other words, the first shopping mall. - Dave] More coverage of this pictureKottke has a piece on this, including another link to a relevant Economist article. I was struck by this picture when it came through the RSS feed the other day. Lovely to read these comments and articles on it too. Growing up in the UK in Cambridge, shopping malls were something of an oddity. I think the nearest real one was in Peterborough, at least 40 minutes race north. Cambridge now has two, I think (more's the pity because beautiful subsidised Georgian and Victorian housing was destroyed to build them, and Cambridge doesn't handle large numbers of people driving into town anyway). Both are relatively modern compared with this one so I never even considered shopping in a place like this. I wonder what the original mallrats would have looked like. I grew up with this mallI was five when Southdale opened. It didn't have a JC Penney at that time. It did have a little play area in the basement with a maze for kids. The basement also had a shoe repair place that is still there, though it is now on the second floor. Southdale also had Gager's Hobby and Handicraft store (on the opposite side of the open area from Woolworth's) where I could get chemicals for my chemistry set. I have no idea what kids do for chemistry sets these days. Do they even sell them? There was also our favorite, the Toy Fair, that sold nothing but toys. It was to the right of where the camera was. They also had a grocery store called Red Owl. It would have been off to the left of the camera and down a hall. The grocery store didn't last too long, probably because people who just wanted groceries didn't really want the hassles of a big mall. Thanks for sharing this photo. I had told my wife about the bird cage there, and now she has finally gotten to see it. Surely not!This photo doesn't look dated at ALL. You know the saying, "Everything old is new again"? Well, decorating trends are very similar to what's being shown here. Shopping MallsIt depends on how tight the specialty is to consider this the "first shopping mall" in the US. If you are looking at the subset of first enclosed, suburban, multi-level, postwar shopping mall, then yeah, it is the first. But if you want the first enclosed shopping mall then no. Northgate Mall was built quite a few years earlier as were a few others: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northgate_Mall_(Seattle) [A mall, in the original sense of the word, is something like a fairway or greenspace. The pedestrian walkway or mall running down the middle of Northgate Shopping Center between two rows of stores was mostly open to the sky, so this was not a "shopping mall" as we know it today. - Dave] Another photo of the mallhttp://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/11788654.jpg You Are HereI was 6 or so when Southdale opened. Back then the Dayton's department store had a sporting-goods department. My mom got shot in the back of the head with a BB gun by a clerk demonstrating the gun! When we would go shopping and bring my grandma along, she would sit by the birdcage and chain-smoke unfiltered Camels while we shopped. She loved to people-watch. Yup, great memories! Woolworth's was my favorite store when I was little! Two floors of "neat junk." Skipping School in the late 70'sOh yes, it looked very similar to the version in this picture in 1979-80. I was part of the "burnout" crowd in high school. I skipped class constantly in my 10th grade year and spent the rest of high school in summer school so I could graduate. We would take a bus to Southdale and I'd cash my hard earned McDonald's paycheck at a bank somewhere near the York steakhouse, which was the big hangout at the time. We sit in a booth in the back near the doors, smoking all afternoon. There was an arcade in the basement near the post office area and across from the County Seat. There was also a Musicland down there. Once and a while we'd eat at the Dayton's restaurant upstairs or the Woolworth lunch counter. I also recall from earlier trips in the 70's with Mom and my sister a restaurant/Deli called The Brothers and Red Owl as well as a Snyder's, where I went to a big going out of business sale around 1975. Another favorite (maybe this is still there?) was Spencer Gifts. The Southdale Theater (where I saw "Purple Rain") was across the street with the great bowling alley next door. Those were also major high school hangouts. Great memories. I can't go there anymore without nostalgia for the birdcages and goldfish pond, and that wonderful art deco style. Come on down!I was 13 years old when Southdale opened. I saw Bob Barker host a TV game show there. I got his autograph on the steps leading down to the basement where the zoo and shoe repair shop was. This TV show was very exciting to me -- it made an impression. I became a New York-LA TV director. My friends and I also put firecrackers in the planters hanging down from the send [?] floor. Oh My GoodnessFirst job? Busing tables at The Brothers. There was an open-air restaurant in the courtyard; Dayton's had the "fancy" restaurant. In the basement there was a shoe repair place and then a games arcade. Man, I loved growing up at Southdale. Mall ZooI heard there once was a zoo in the basement of the mall. Does anyone know about this? Milwaukee "Mall"It appears you are referring to what today is known as the Grand Avenue Mall, sadly in decline since its rebirth in the early-1980s. I shuttled various documents to and from the construction site on a regular basis at that time. But prior to its conversion, the oldest of the buildings comprising the GA Mall was known as the Plankinton Arcade. Yes, there are references that mention it being considered a "shopping center", its construction being 1915. As to it being enclosed, yes; as to it being climate-controlled, maybe if the windows were opened in the Beer City's humid summer to catch a delightful lake breeze and hope the winds didn't shift to the stockyards in the Valley. In Milwaukee the first shopping mall, albeit outdoor, was Southgate, located off the corner of South 27th Street (US Highway 41) and Morgan Avenue, and opened in 1951. At about the time in the early-1970s Northridge (now demolished) and Southridge were constructed Southgate was converted to an enclosed mall, but is now long gone, recently the site of another superlative, that of the first Super Wal-Mart in Milwaukee County. This metro area's first enclosed shopping mall as I recall was Brookfield Square in 1968, still in existence today and from all appearances doing well. Parakeets, new shoes and cheeseburgers in paradiseIn my family, Southdale circa 1960 was much more than a mall. My mother called it "The Cities," because it was as far as she was willing to drive on those "crazy" city highways. 35W was out of the question, but 494 to France Ave exit was tolerable (unless we hit RUSH HOUR). We lived on a farm, about an hour away, and before Southdale, the only outings were to school, church and occasional food shopping at the Red Owl, the Meat Market and the Variety Store with the cranky storekeeper who always thought we were stealing stuff. But Southdale, Wow! I was 5 years old, the youngest of four children, and twice a year, we would make the great journey to "Emerald City." Dayton's was Mom's favorite store, and for a farm wife, my mother had impeccable taste. Donaldson's came in second, and then Jack & Jill -- a small boutique with pricey, well-tailored children's clothing. Lunch was always at Woolworths, and our order was always the same. "HamburgerFrenchfriesMalt" (spoken so fast and with such excitement it sounded like ONE word); I remember the clattering of plates, the whir of the blender, the bar stools at the counter. Waiting for the food, we could check out the parakeets & goldfish. My oldest sister convinced my mother to purchase a parakeet, cage, & and all the accoutrements. We had that bird for years, and when he died we headed back for a second. This time, the bird died in his little paper travel carton before we even got home -- and since we only went to "The Cities" twice a year, my mother decided to freeze it along with the receipt until our next trip six months later. How strange to present a frozen parakeet back to the store for a refund. While the clerk was surprised to see the frozen parakeet, she did offer us another bird in exchange. A few years later, Southdale became a whole new adventure when my best friend's aunt drove just the two of us, and I bought my first long-playing album at Musicland, Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence." After that, my friend convinced me we should be drinking coffee and gossiping, or at least pretending to gossip, since none of our friends were old enough to be scandalous. Then we smoked Chesterfield Kings in random Southdale "Ladies" rooms and we both felt like we were going to throw up. Southdale! Never stopped to think about it, but Southdale was, and will always be, among my fondest childhood memories. "The Cities." Southdale MemoriesBoy this pic brings back memories. My family moved to Mpls in 1956 when I was about 3, so my earliest memories date from about 1960 or so. I later worked as a dishwasher and soda jerk at the Walgreen's on the upper level facing 66th street. They had a soda grill, as did most drug stores of that era, and the Woolworth's had a cafe as well. My first exposure to Chinese food was at the tiny little Half Moon restaurant, although I think initially I would order hamburgers, which were on the menu for fussy American kids. Behind the escalators in the picture was an "outdoor" restaurant. There was a Fanny Farmer on the second floor to the left. Southdale was THE place to hang out when you were a kid or teenager, especially the arcade in the basement. Southdale in the 1950sI grew up just a few blocks from Southdale. I was about 3 years old when it was built. My mom and I would walk there about once a week. Dayton's and Woolworth's were fabulous! The fish pond was fun, but seemed to sport dead fish frequently (wondered if they weren't poisoned from the coins being dropped in there). Christmastime was unbelievable! The tallest trees, the biggest bulbs, and Santa ... oh, Santa!! The line to see him, and the crowds were amazing! There was the Courtside Cafe, and oh so many shops! I shopped there for all my Christmas gifts, and worked there in my teen years. We didn't hang out there too much as to the crowds. We hung out more at Bridgeman's ice Cream Shop and Nelson's FireSide Pizza both in Richfield. They used to host fireworks in the parking lot for the Fourth of July. They didn't have too many, but, still it was fascinating. Many kids learned how to drive in the east parking lot. With all the curlicue and ribbon styled roadways within the parking lot, it was an exciting way to practice steering those big '56 Chevys! The parking lot markers of foxes, bears and lions were interesting, too. I would love to see a picture of Christmastime at Southdale from the 1950s. Thanks for all your posts -- they've been fun to read! Back when ...In those days people still used to dress up, at least to a reasonable degree, to go out to a public place like this. Compare to today's Walmarts, for instance. We have become a nation of slobs. Another early mallThose of us who grew up in the Boston area were told that Shopper's World in Framingham was "the first mall." It was not, however, enclosed. And I suspect that dozens of other places made the same claim. I had a very pleasant date there in the 1970s. I just discovered that it was demolished in 1994. Sic transit gloria mundi. The World of TomorrowForecast by the 1939 New York World's Fair. Attention, ShoppersThe first structure in the United States that might legitimately be called a shopping mall is probably the Westminster Arcade in Providence, RI, opened in 1828 and still extant, albeit recently converted into residential "micro-lofts." It's a marvelous building, all the more wonderful for still being around. [The shopping arcades of the 19th century, being arcades, are just what that term implies -- covered passageways, and not malls, a term that originally meant an open-air promenade. The suburban shopping plazas of the early 1950s -- rows of stores facing each other across landscaped malls -- were the immediate forebears of the enclosed, roofed shopping mall. - Dave] Southdale Shopping Center: Calling for IntervieweesMy name is Zinnia Ramirez and I am a student at the University of California, Irvine. I am a third year journalism major and as one of my big projects we are tasked with writing a narrative reconstruction (recounting the events in a narrative storytelling style to paint an image of what happened in a particular instance in history) about an event in history (big or small), I decided as I was looking through the web that I wanted to reconstruct the Southdale 1956 Richfield Edina Shopping Mall in opening day. One of the larger elements is, to have narrative voices from people who experienced the allure of Southdale, possible describe a day there, the atmosphere, stores, etc. So if anyone remembers what opening day was like, I would love to talk! Thank you for your time. Zinnia (LIFE, Stores & Markets)
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