MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
Home

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page

Too Much Excitement: 1941
... July parade." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee. What a sweet photo! What a sweet photo! Does my heart good. Mr. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/09/2008 - 9:14pm -

1941. At the picnic grounds in Vale, Oregon. "Interlude, after watching the Fourth of July parade." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee. What a sweet photo!What a sweet photo! Does my heart good. Mr. and Mrs.A well dressed and sweet looking couple. Look at the shine on his shoes, and how neatly they are placed. I wonder what color her dress and hat are? I pictured them navy blue. She's got her hanky and is keeping her hat safe. He's got some wild socks! Big love......for this picture! I adore it! (Oh, and come to think of it, my grandfather wore wild socks like this! They seemed almost to be opaque nylon between the stripes.) (The Gallery, July 4, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
The Last Picture Show: 1940
... Silverton, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Firetrap I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2020 - 12:21pm -

September 1940. "Entrance to abandoned theater. Silverton, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. FiretrapI wonder if the projection booth was also walled with combustible material. Safety film was still about a decade away. Lode TheatreThe address is 1309 Greene Street. According to the Cinema Treasures web site, the theater did not permanently close until 1960. It is now home to a liquor establishment. Pinocchio, the Last Movie shown?Going by the current theater poster, the 1940 classic, may have been the last movie shown. (The Gallery, Movies, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Character Study: 1937
... "Two types living along the waterfront." Photo by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Hanging tag ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/30/2013 - 7:09am -

January 1937. Ottawa, Illinois. "Two types living along the waterfront." Photo by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Hanging tagNo way to be sure, but I remember from my youth that Bull Durham had a tag just like that. A bag of so-so tobacco in a little sack with a drawstring closure attached to the tag and with 20 cigarette papers. Much cheaper than "ready rolls"; Bull Durham was 5 cents. After you opened the sack and poured an adequate amount of tobacco into the paper, the smoker closed the bag by pulling on the tag with his/her teeth. The other hand was holding the loose tobacco in the paper ready to roll 'er up and smoke. Which waterfront?The Illinois River Valley includes the river, of course, but also the I&M Canal. The river was dammed for barge navigation in the early 1930s, but that did not prevent flooding. My guess is that this photo may have been taken nearer the old canal, which still sports some old structures. No other word would sufficeother than "types" WaterfrontThe word waterfront today finds itself in such phrases as “luxury waterfront condos” or “exclusive waterfront residences.” These two guys live down by the river. DepressedThese 2 guys, most likely WW1 veterans, look like they're as close to the abyss as they could get. The tag hanging from the pocket of the fellow on the left is probably attached to a pouch of chewing tobacco which was probably not his worst habit. Hopefully their situations improved, but I have my doubts. I expectTheir stations did improve with the outbreak of World War II if they could hold on that long. Too old by that time for military service, they would have been able to get jobs in defense work on the homefront. By the end of hostilities, unless their bad habits intervened, they could have launched into more productive pursuits. Tell me about the RabbitsWhich one is George? Their handsTheir hands indicate that these gents are no strangers to hard work. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Pony Show: 1940
... bred and raised in West Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Second choice ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/27/2018 - 3:20pm -

March 1940. "Ring of people watching the judging of horses at the San Angelo Fat Stock Show. Many polo ponies are bred and raised in West Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Second choice carThere's a '39 coupe hiding behind the buildings that's just about as nice as the '40. I'd take either. Popular then and nowThat 1940 Ford coupe in the foreground was a winner then and highly sought after today. My first car1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe. I bought it in June 1952 after graduating from high school for $225, earned as a part-time stock boy at a department store in Denver. I knew it!Knowing Shorpy, I knew this would end up being a car-judging contest instead f horses! Some Serious Money ThereBesides the almost new Ford coupe, there are quite a few recent model cars in that group, including the 1939 Oldsmobile with the dented fenders and the 1940 Chevrolet beside it. But in the back row behind the Ford pickup is a 1939 Buick Limited and it looks like a LaSalle beside the pickup. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Horses, Russell Lee)
Happy Days: 1940
... factory. San Diego, California." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Supercharged! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2018 - 11:34am -

December 1940. "Workers eating lunch on curb across the street from the Consolidated Aircraft factory. San Diego, California." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Supercharged!Love that "Supercharged" Model A! Wonder if it's true, does not look like a hot rod of any fashion. Three years in the futureThey'll be fighting their way across Europe and the Far East. Hope they fared well. [Actually many if not most of the young men employed at defense plants in 1940 kept their jobs for the duration of the war. - Dave] I didn't know that Thanks Dave "Supercharged"?The Model A with two horseshoes and the crank starter. Tight SqueezeInteresting park job between the two cars on the left which appear to be just inches apart. Maybe someone was playing a practical joke? I guess getting out via the passenger side was much easier with bench seats! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories, Russell Lee)
Black Butte: 1942
... View full size. Gorgeous 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Sheep, close-up and in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2012 - 6:57pm -

August 1942 in Madison County, Montana. Sheep grazing the Gravelly Range at the foot of Black Butte. View full size. Gorgeous 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Sheep, close-up and in the distanceThis shot reaffirms and gives authentication to my ideal of what sheep look like in their grazing land. Completely different from that digitized stuff that Ang Lee tried to pass off on viewers in Brokeback Mountain. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Agriculture, Landscapes, Russell Lee)
Fair Laddies: 1942
... Young people at the Imperial County Fair." Photo by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. No Coed! Does ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/30/2017 - 11:11am -

Spring 1942. "El Centro, California (vicinity). Young people at the Imperial County Fair." Photo by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. No Coed!Does Shorpy have a third photo in this series? - Fair Laddies - Fair Ladies And in between not so - Fair Chaperons ? Truck ID1929-1930 Chevrolet. The latest fall fashionsAt Sears. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Kitty Corner: 1940
... of their living room. Pinal County, Arizona." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Strike ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/30/2020 - 6:45pm -

May 1940. "Wife of member of Casa Grande Valley Farms in corner of their living room. Pinal County, Arizona." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Strike Anywhere MatchesI thought all strike anywhere matches were white tipped so a Google image search yielded Ohio Blue tip strike anywhere matches. Dark blue head with light blue tip. Can’t tell the actual color or brand of course but they certainly do not have a white tip. Joan Crawfordwas on the cover of LOOK Magazine – March 12, 1940. (The Gallery, Cats, Russell Lee)
Ouray Depot: 1940
... now is confined to freight service." Acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Dutch Bonnet Depot Reminds me of the Dutch ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/01/2018 - 7:06pm -

September 1940. "Station of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad at Ouray, Colorado. This narrow-gauge line formerly had passenger service but now is confined to freight service." Acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Dutch Bonnet DepotReminds me of the Dutch bonnet or cap seen in vintage costumes. Is there a name for this style of architecture? Roof nomenclatureI looked up "chamfered roof peaks" and found reference to a "jerkinhead roof". D&RGW RR Royal GorgeThe logo & the Royal Gorge itself. D&RGWThis was one of the greatest sources of inspiration for many model railroads. Probably the most famous was John Allen's "Gorre & Daphetid" in Monterey, California. Worth looking up for the incredible detail and landscape scale it depicted. Sadly, the entire structure burned down just days after John died of a heart attack in 1973. (The Gallery, Railroads, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Big as a Breadbox: 1940
... Unit, Maricopa County, at her kitchen stove." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Steve Allen would be proud. I can't see a bread ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2018 - 10:56pm -

May 1940. "Wife of member of the Arizona part-time farms, Chandler Unit, Maricopa County, at her kitchen stove." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Steve Allen would be proud.I can't see a bread box (or anything like a bread box) without immediately bursting into laughs. Makes for an awkward moment at Ikea, I tell you. Cabinet artworkI'm admiring the painting high on the right, on the cabinet. Would be nice to see it straight on. One clean kitchenEither she's just moving into a house that has been cleaned for a new tenant, or she is one heck of a housekeeper. Just look under that stove, and even the stove itself. [This is an apartment in a housing project built by the Resettlement Administration. - Dave] Dishtowel drying rackOne of those 20th Century kitchen items that used to be ubiquitous and still should be. Got ours at an estate sale and use it every day. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Russell Lee)
Essolene: 1939
... choice of traditional or newfangled gas pump. Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Mansfield Tires I see the partially obscured ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/12/2012 - 12:55pm -

January 1939. "Hammond Ranch general store. Chicot, Arkansas. Leased by the Farm Security Administration and subleased to its client." With your choice of traditional or newfangled gas pump. Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Mansfield TiresI see the partially obscured sign for Mansfield Tires, made for many years in my hometown of Mansfield, Ohio. My great aunt and her brother my great uncle both worked there. Dental SnuffInvented by a Dentist to sweeten the chewer's breath. Available in regular or Scotch. Visible Gas PumpsThese held on long after they were technologically superannuated because folks in rural areas didn't trust either the quantity or the quality of fuel they couldn't see before it entered their car's tank. I recall my grand-uncle, the proprietor and pump jockey at a general store in rural Ohio, complaining that the store's gasoline distributor was trying to foist one of those new-fangled "invisible" pumps on the store. Being about three years old at the time, I marvelled at the idea of a machine that no one could see, and still recall my mental image of farmers blundering around in front of the general store, arms outstretched like Karloff in "Frankenstein," hoping to bump into the invisible pump so they could fill up. Observation on another topic: you know that snuff dipping is firmly entrenched in a community when there are three brands advertised on the outside of the general store! Ramon's Pink PillsGood for just about anything that ailed ya! HazardI wonder if any kids ever played around that air compressor and got their fingers or arms in the belt when it kicked on. Railroad TracksNot much left to Chicot, Arkansas these days in terms of even a single filling station or store, and the railroad tracks are long gone, however when I traced where the railroad would have been from a satellite view, it did appear from the fuzzy image and shadow, that an iron railroad bridge still crosses the river near there. Colorized VersionPhotojacker, that is a heck of a job. Yes, the Coca-Cola signs are perfect. One of them being in shadow made that a challenge, I suppose, but you nailed them. What I'm most impressed with, though, are the lower portions of the gas pumps. Those are totally convincing. I have to wonder why snuff was so popular back in those days. In college, I surrendered and gave it a try. It certainly wasn't something I enjoyed and I decided that it wasn't for me!!! --Jim Love those signsMy attempt at colorizing the image. Thanks to all the commenters who put up good colour references, I managed to source the rest myself and was particularly pleased with the Coca Cola signs. For the roof, I didn't want to go overboard with the rust. Enjoy. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Bananas, Borden's & Beyond: 1939
... stand in Robstown, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Cheerios 5 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/30/2018 - 1:39pm -

February 1939. "Fruit stand in Robstown, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Cheerios 5 centsVanilla ice cream on a stick with a hard thin chocolate shell. Crunchy chocolate and ice cream. All that bliss for a nickel. My dad would’ve called it aStick in the mud. Also remember purple people eaters, nutty buddies, and dreamsicles. BananasThese look like the Gros Michel (Big Mike) variety, prior to disease forcing a move the newer Cavendish we see today. Unfortunately, the Cavendish is in danger as a single cultivar with disease issues in many growing regions. Some growers are working to re-institute the Gros Michel, which some feel is a tastier variety, as well. Spell CheckHmmm, should be 'Cheerios' and 'Fudgesicle' on the signs. I'll let it go this time. Foot RestCan someone explain the warped and broken boards running low along the front of the shop? Also, what are the sticks with nails on their ends hinged to the columns for? [To keep people from filching fruit, and to hold up the awnings. - Dave] (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Ophir Station: 1940
... the town with supplies and takes out the ore." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. There's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2018 - 1:16pm -

September 1940. "Railway station at Ophir, Colorado, a small gold mining town. A narrow-gauge railway runs into the town with supplies and takes out the ore." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. There's a whole book on resident station agentsSee "Living in the Depot". According to family history, my grandfather was born in the station where his father worked. That structure still exists (Wimmers station, now in Hamlin, Pennsylvania), but I'm not sure there were living quarters above the station. Iconic viewThis is -the iconic photo- of -the iconic Colorado Narrow Gauge railroad-, the Rio Grande Southern. Lots of people have produced models of this scene. That's actually a mining tipple behind the station, it's a separate building. A FirstAs a former B&B carpenter on the Milwaukee Railroad, this is a first for me -- seeing curtains on a depot. Upstairs apparently living quarters for the station agent, another first. Gold from Ophir wasn't good enough for BachIn the epiphany cantata number 65,"Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen" (They will all come from Sheba), the bass sings "Gold aus Ophir ist zu schlecht" (Gold from Ophir is too bad, away with such vain gifts). Of course, this Ophir isn't the subject, but the original Biblical location that was the source of much of Solomon's wealth. Bach's librettist seems to believe the king that brought gold to the manger came from there. -T h a t-Old RR Joke: Railroad crossing, look out for the cars. How do you spell that without any R's? (The Gallery, Railroads, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Potato Polo: 1941
... the Fourth of July celebration in Vale, Oregon." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. That's a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/13/2021 - 2:45pm -

July 1941. "Getting potatoes from bucket in potato race at the Fourth of July celebration in Vale, Oregon." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. That's a Girl!!!... on the left! Mixing it up with the boys and quite possibly showing them "how it's done". (The Gallery, Horses, July 4, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Nightspot: 1941
... South Side tavern. Chicago, Illinois." Safety negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Martin ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 2:02pm -

April 1941. "Entertainers at South Side tavern. Chicago, Illinois." Safety negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Martin Dreadnaught!What I wouldn't give to have the guitar being played by the man in the center! Built by the C.F. Martin Company of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, it's a D-18. Hank Williams, Elvis, and other too numerous to mention played something similar. LonnieCould the guitarist on the right possibly be Lonnie Johnson? He'd have been 42 at the time, and was I believe based in Chicago in the early Forties. Looks a lot like him anyway. No reason for the photographer to know that he was snapping someone who'd played with Armstrong and Ellington, and is now seen as one of the great pioneers of blues/jazz guitar. The woman in the mirroris beautiful. I wonder if she's a partygoer or an employee? Sure wish we had sound with these pictures! The CrowdStylishly well dressed and enjoying the show. Classy Good TimesI don't think you can find places like this anymore where class and dignity upgrade the enjoyment of the music, cocktails and fun. I like the lady in the fedora in the back booth looking directly at the camera like she knows more than most and the elegance displayed by all the good company present. Don't know why, but it brings to mind a little-known song sung by LaVern Baker (born in Chicago in 1929) called "Saved" which is a real hoot with words something like "I used to smoke, I used to drink, I used to do the hootchy coo, but now I'm saved..." and there is a big Salvation Army drum booming in the background. I'll have to look that up and have another listen. Anyway, thank you Shorpy for the provacative photo, just another one of which takes me back to younger days. Chicago, Chicago, a toddlin' town... GuitarsThe guitar on the left is a 28 series Martin - you can tell by the white binding. It does look like a Dreadnought size, which surprises me. Man on the right has a Martin 00-21, which Lonnie Johnson played. LonnieMick H could be right. The resemblance to Lonnie Johnson is striking. [More Lonnie here. - Dave] Cool EleganceAs requested below ... A sampling of Lonnie Johnson's music from 1927-1947. I imagine he played one of these during a set. Ladies in hats and men including the musicians in suits and ties you just can't get gigs like that anymore. She's My Mary 1939 Two Tone Stomp 1928 Nothing But Trouble Have To Change Keys To Play These Blues 1928 Tomorrow Night 1948 Flood Water Blues 1937 Mean Old Bedbug Blues 1927 Swing Out Rhythm 1937 Playing With The Strings 1928 Jelly Roll Baker No More Troubles Now 1930 Guitar Blues 1929 Tomorrow Night 1947 Got The Blues For The West End 1937 Pleasing You As Long As I Live 1948 Blues In My Soul 1947 (The Gallery, Chicago, Eateries & Bars, Music, Russell Lee)
Christmas in August: 1942
... Meagher County, Montana." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2021 - 4:53pm -

August 1942. "First snow of the season in the foothills of the Little Belt Mountains. Lewis and Clark National Forest, Meagher County, Montana." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Landscapes, Russell Lee)
Rural Roots: 1940
... as windbreak. Box Elder County, Utah." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Some real ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/20/2020 - 12:18pm -

August 1940. "Rural scene with Lombardy poplars used as windbreak. Box Elder County, Utah." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Some real craftsmen back thenThe stone house is spectacular. Cut the stone then place the piece. Great job. Our neighbor when I was a kid could cut stone. Unbelievable to me as a 6 year old how he could do that. I suspect it is no more"Ruins of a stone house, Honeyville, Utah, 1970." https://digital.lib.usu.edu/digital/collection/Slides/id/1983/ I betThe house is still standing. With a little luck as rural as than then ... It looks so peaceful. They don't make 'em like that any more.I second pennsylvaniaproud's motion. And not just the stonework but the overall architectural quality is great. The best one can hope for these days is a modest 2-car garage and only one bay, all covered in PVC siding. But then, I am a confessed provincial reactionary with no taste (as a novel once put it succinctly) when it comes to architecture. OTOH, who could pay for somebody breaking, dressing and laying all those stones these days anyway. I wonder whether it is still there. House is indeed still standing.Photo submitted by PUFF4 is not the same house: lintels don't match, none of the stones match. Actual house is still standing: (curvature of road matches, ridge-line matches and the stones that are visible also match). Many such houses dot the countryside around Willard UT. Most built by stonemason Shadrach Jones in 1860s-1880s. Less obscured similar house is a half-mile to the south: She Stands! After doing a virtual cruise around the area, checking to see if the background mountain notches properly triangulate with the house in the original photo, I am confident we have our good ol' stone house. [Wrong house. The stones don't match. - Dave] Such a Hard AxWell, of course, StefanJ's mention of "dressing stone" sent me down the rabbit hole, or quarry in this case, to read up on stone masonry and the tools that craftsmen of the era would have used. Hurrah for hardened steel. I am lucky to live in a stone houseWe live in a stone house, it's been in my wife's family for well over 100 years. Finishing up a multi year remodel, spending first Thanksgiving in the house today since the late '70s https://www.shorpy.com/node/23411 (The Gallery, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Double Feature: 1939
... of movie theater. San Antonio, Texas." 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. City Streets ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2008 - 10:37pm -

March 1939. "Mexican man in front of movie theater. San Antonio, Texas." 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. City StreetsThe poster for "City Streets" announces that one of the stars was Tommy Bond. I checked with IMDb and found that indeed it was our beloved Butch from the Little Rascals. His last appearances with the Gang were in 1938 and 1939 as he was becoming too old for the show. http://members.tripod.com/~plantation/rascals1.htm I'm very pleased to see this picture. Tommy was a true gentleman and believe it or not, a friend to the entire Gang. Bill Cary Castles in the AirMore interesting, to me at least, is the other movie being advertised behind the guy. It is "Castillos en el Aire" which was a Spanish language film made in the United States by Edward LeBaron Productions. Apparently it was the only film the company made. There seems to have been a number of fly-by-night companies in the mid to late 1930s producing Spanish language movies for either the American or the Latin American market after the major studios pretty much abandoned the idea. (The Gallery, Movies, Russell Lee)
Don't Go There: 1937
... old residence near the levee after the flood." Photo by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. The Bones Look ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/25/2015 - 2:20pm -

April 1937. Shawneetown, Illinois. "An old residence near the levee after the flood." Photo by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. The Bones Look GoodActually, it seems like a beautiful house under all the old vines and the debris. Hope they were able to save it.... High water mark?that 1937 Ohio River Flood was a doozy, as the flotsam scattered about gives evidence. I'm looking for a high-water mark on the building but don't see one. Maybe halfway up the shed wall on the far left? But that doesn't seem high enough. Modern Chairs!Good to see some things dont go out of style! I have some wood backyard chairs that are very similar to the ones in the yard (right hand side of picture)! (The Gallery, Fires, Floods etc., Russell Lee)
Saturday Night: 1942
... View full size. Medium format safety transparency by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Back in the days when... Back ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 4:10pm -

January 1942. Community house Saturday night dance in the Farm Security Administration settlement of Woodville, California. View full size. Medium format safety transparency by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Back in the days when...Back in the days when white people could actually dance! So this was a month or so after Pearl Harbor...What an amazing photograph! I counted 111 people in this frame and all of them have a story to tell. If you capture this photo, then use an application like Corel to zoom in, you can see all the human emotions on different faces - all in this one photo. Also, I'm a musician and I can't help but wonder who the leader of the band is - I think he's the guy on the far left - but you only see in shadow. Did he not like the other three guys in the band? (The Gallery, Music, Russell Lee, Sports)
Slender Manse: 1940
... miner. Telluride, Colorado." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Even the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/01/2018 - 5:00pm -

September 1940. "Old house of gold miner. Telluride, Colorado." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Even the housing in Coloradois narrow-gauge. Getting into Fashion --- AgainThis would seem to fit nicely into the current interest in small homes and mini-mansions. I would love to hear the storyabout that buckshot pattern in the righthand door. Looks like whoever did it used both barrels to express himself. They've come backThey're called "tiny houses" today, being built in many communities to house the homeless and hipsters who are into "downsizing". (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Mining, Russell Lee)
Box Elder County: 1940
... cooperative tractor." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. Is a puzzlement I never have been ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2018 - 4:36am -

August 1940. Box Elder County, Utah. "Farm Security Administration cooperative tractor." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. Is a puzzlementI never have been able to understand what the putative advantages of a crawler tractor over a wheel tractor were supposed to be. [Crawlers don't get stuck in muck. - Dave] Dust and Dirt.You don't get the sense that the fellow at the controls has operated the tractor; not in those clothes. Tale of the nosesThis looks to me like three generations of one farming family. Putative PuzzlementTracks offer immensely greater traction and pulling power with much less soil compaction than wheels. I once had a Caterpillar D4 track ride over my foot (just missing the grouser) and suffered more anxiety from it than pain. I was not injured. TracTracTorThat slick little crawler is a kerosene-fueled 4 cylinder McCormick-Deering T20, one of about 15,000 produced between 1932 and 1939. The guy with the banged-up thumb, sitting on the fuel tank, is hiding the "TracTracTor" logo. Read more here: http://tractors.wikia.com/wiki/McCormick-Deering_T-20 No wildfires hereThat's an interesting spark arrester on the exhaust stack. I wonder where he got the mesh cloth? (The Gallery, Agriculture, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Big Variety: 1941
... irrigation project." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Location ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/08/2021 - 5:08pm -

July 1941. "Main street of Vale, Oregon, on the Fourth of July. Vale is one of the shopping centers for farmers who live and work on the Vale-Owyhee irrigation project." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. LocationThis is actually one block west of Main Street, at the intersection of Court Street and A Street looking east down A Street toward the mountain slope. [The principal thoroughfare of a town is the main street. Which may or may not be called Main Street. The main street of Vale is A Street. Don't even ask who's on First. - Dave] However if Main Street is capitalized one can assume that that is the name of the street rather than just the "main street of the town". [In our photo caption, it's not capitalized. - Dave] Rough day at the Tavern?What happened to the awning in front of the Coca Cola soda fountain? Maybe the guy walking right in front of the car tried to swing from it after getting kicked out of the Town Tavern? Mr. Whitehat seems to be playing it safe by looking before crossing. July 2015But probably not the Fourth of July, based upon the comparatively placid scene: Color me!Boy howdy, this would be a great image to colorize! Somebody with more time and skills should take it on, even without any pretty girls in it! De-EvolvementI look at street-scapes of the past and compared to most exact scenes of today all I can think of how devolved we have become. The Main Streets used to look so vibrant with activity, signs, flags, stores, and well....life. Today most places look like ghost towns with a lot of parked cars. Honeymoon HotelMy folks spent their extended Honeymoon in the Vale Hotel just a couple of years before this photo was taken. They were married on New Years Day 1939 in Boise, and stayed in that hotel for two weeks or so while they waited for their permanent house to be available. They lived in Vale for 15 years. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, July 4, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Park Here: 1937
... lot in Washington, D.C." Medium-format negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Convertible ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/03/2015 - 10:03pm -

July 1937. "Parking lot in Washington, D.C." Medium-format negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Convertible RoadsterVery interested to identify the convertible roadster parked next to the attendant's station. Has a suitcase luggage rack mounted on the rear. What a lovely automobile. Spite Wall or Spaghetti Factory?I was intrigued by the ghost of an old house on the wall at right, and then realized that the wall itself seems to be part of a two-story building that is not even as wide as the length of the cars parked next to it. The brick roof parapet appears to be on all three visible sides of the structure, and encloses chimneys and skylights. If it's actually part of the lower structure at the far right, that's a very unusual layout for an old American urban brick building, but such things sometimes got built on narrow right-of-way lots. Too bad there's no 1937 Street View to click on and see what the facade looked like. Roadster ID suggestion1931 Cadillac or LaSalle. Note two cowl vents and fender lamps, features of both Cadillac & its companion make LaSalle. Car Show77 years later, the cars in this parking lot could be the entries in a very nice vintage car show. Some beautiful vehicles here! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Russell Lee)
B is for Bisbee: 1940
... Arizona. Copper mining center." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. An Uninvite ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2018 - 1:18pm -

        If anyone needs us, we'll be at our table at Cafe Roka. Just as soon as those painters get done. And the 1990s roll around. May 1940. "Main street of Bisbee, Arizona. Copper mining center." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. An UninviteThe 1940 view is black and white and by my count there's only eleven people shown, yet I'd rather be there than in the today view. And: S is for SalidaI did a quick double-take seeing this image. I thought for sure it could only be Salida, Colorado. Love Cafe RokaI spent a lot of time in the early '90s at Fort Huachuca. I'd head to Bisbee, and if Roka was open, that's where I'd go for dinner. They're in the building that's between the two cars, with a bit of awning dangling in front and the painters at work on the scaffold. The storefront to the left of "The Fair" is preserved. The classic Woolworth storefront to the right is gone, though. A Simple Street Scene... with so much wonderful signage! I could really go for a Giant Malt right about now. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Mexican Migrants: 1939
... had been picking cotton in Mississippi." Photograph by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Mexican ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 12:10pm -

October 1939. Neches, Texas. "Mexican migrants drinking cold drinks and buying candy at filling station where the truck taking them to their homes in the Rio Grande Valley has stopped. They had been picking cotton in Mississippi." Photograph by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Mexican laborersCotton farmers in the Mississippi Delta increasingly turned to contract labor as the old system of sharecropping was being dismantled. Starting after WWl, African Americans emigrated to jobs in the northern and western cities in an effort to make a better life for themselves and their families. By the 1930s mechanization was becoming an important force on the farms, with early cotton picking machines being tested and deployed to the fields. The machines triumphed over hand labor in the 40s and early 50s. This photo was taken at the end of the cotton picking season in October of 1939. There are a number of FSA photos taken by Marion Post Wolcott at Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale, Mississippi that have Mexican labor. Also FSA photos at Perthshire, Mississippi, show Mexicans in the general store and around the plantation. NechesI am continually dismayed (a polite term) by the doubters and naysayers which persistently plague the good folks at Shorpy. Don't these chuckleheads realize that Dave, Ken & company know what they're about? Be that as it may, when I saw this post, I thought "they must mean Port Neches," but a look here (3rd photo down) convinced me that I had it right the first time. Don't these chuckleheads (me included) know .... Coke and peanutsThis was typical, as I recall as a child, when ever the truck load of workers stopped for gas, men, women and children stopped to freshen up and by cokes. The last time I picked cotton was in Ok. in 1957. A favorit treat was to stop get a coke and peanuts, place the penuts inside the coke bottle and drink it. What really bothers me is that hisstory tells of cotton picking, but only the blacks. Nothing against them it's just that that is incomplete history. When will history be corrected to include the Mexicans? Mr. Flores (The Gallery, Agriculture, Gas Stations, On the Road, Russell Lee)
Little Fork: 1937
... Fork, Minn. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. Pontiac Kind of ironic that these Native Americans are ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 9:41pm -

August 1937. Indian pickers on way to the berry fields near Little Fork, Minn. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. PontiacKind of ironic that these Native Americans are driving a Pontiac, named for a famous Ottawa Indian Chief. The car is a 1929 Model 6-29. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee)
Gasoline Allée: 1939
... woodsy gas station. Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Compaction With cars driving over the roots and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/17/2012 - 1:18am -

January 1939. "Main Street in Jerome, Arkansas." As well as a cozy, woodsy gas station. Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. CompactionWith cars driving over the roots and the occasional petroleum spill, I wonder how long the gas station trees lasted. Wait, is that George Raft emerging from the general store? Grove's Chill TonicGrove's Tasteless Chill Tonic--a quinine mixture suspended in a supposedly-tasteless syrup. No SmokingProbably shouldn't be lighting up that pipe by the gas pumps. Indiana JonesHas an evil twin who appears to be lighting up awfully close to the foreground gas pump. Health & SafetyLooks like a guy is lighting up beside the pumps. Could be wrong, but also looks like a makeshift fire drum sitting on ground behind him. Cold Medicine of the BeastThe tree at right foreground appear (edit: appears) to have a sign for 666 cold medicine nailed to it. The remedy, in liquid and tablet form, is still produced today by its original manufacturer, the Monticello Drug Company of Jacksonville, Florida. [The sign was also seen here. - tterrace] Thank you. I now note another 666 sign on the side of the building just to the right of the tree. Jerome GrowsJerome, Arkansas became a busy place during WWII when a Japaneese American internment camp was built which later became a camp for German POWs. At one point during WWII it was the fifth largest city in Arkansas. The population in 2000 was only 46 people. The PBS documentary "Time of Fear" is an account of this camp and one located about 30 miles away at Rohwer, Arkansas. A 1937 Plymouth is in front of the gas pumps and what looks like a 1937 Chevrolet is down the street. Photos of similar cars are below. All the houses appear to be raised off the ground for when the area floods. Gas PumpsI'm curious. Did those antique pumps use underground tanks like modern pumps? Those large trees growing next to the pumps would have large root systems. Those Tank Fill PipesI'm quite certain those capped risers you see protruding from the ground just inside the sidewalk line are for the underground tanks. 37 PlymouthWas the first car I remember my parents having, around 1960ish - age 2, along with a 56 Chevy P/U. The Plymouth was hard to start, and Mom would often get frustrated (angry?). It apparently had very loose steering also. I thought the faster you moved the wheel back and forth, the faster the car went. Reality was actually just the opposite, the faster you drove, the more you had to wiggle the steering wheel to keep the car on the road. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
The Derrick: 1939
... in Oklahoma City oil field." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Cars ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/30/2018 - 6:45pm -

August 1939. "The Derrick, roadhouse in Oklahoma City oil field." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The CarsL-R: 1939 Chevrolet nose, 1936 Terraplane, 1936 Ford Not All BadBusy oilfields, cool 1930s cars (Hudson, Chevy, and Ford visible here), and 15-cent sandwiches. Maybe the Depression wasn't all bad! Roustabout HeavenI wonder how many fights broke out among the oilfield workers in this place so close to the oilfield? It looks like a nice place and I am sure they tried to keep it that way but what happens when drillers from different companies and alcohol get mixed? I can only imagine. Don't be fooled.Those cheap sandwich prices are deceiving. In 1939 a gallon of gas was about 10 cents. So I don't think much has changed as far as prices go. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Eateries & Bars, OKC, Russell Lee)
Walla Walla Wheat: 1941
... County, Washington." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A place so ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/11/2020 - 11:38am -

July 1941. "Port Kelley, where wheat belonging to members of the Walla Walla Grain Growers is stored and shipped by barge to Portland. Walla Walla County, Washington." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A place so nicethey named it twice, that's what the sign said in 1958. 79 years laterNewer facilities, but most everything else is the same. Cool sweet waterIt looks like the driver has a desert water bag hanging off the front bumper of the truck. To me it looks vulnerable there but that may be the only place to get enough airflow. There is still a grain terminal at the same location. https://www.moonrandolphhomestead.org/homestead-journals/2018/7/16/the-d... Left turn reverse.If the driver is backing into the open bay, turning the steering to the right will cause the trailer to turn left. That long wheelbase tractor combined with a short trailer would make a rig that was quick to react to steering inputs in reverse and difficult to follow to stop the turn. I know when I started driving reverse moves where much easier with a long trailer as opposed to a short one. My father, who had been a truck driver since 1945, would often tease me that he "had more miles backing up than I had going forward." He was probably right. Photograph of photographer's equipmentIt looks to me like photographer Lee has left a tripod in the photo, at the left. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee)
« first‹ prev…15 [16]17…next ›last »
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.