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House Without Windows: 1938
... farmers of Mississippi bottoms." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. You are my ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/07/2009 - 1:09pm -

May 1938. New Madrid County, Missouri. "House without windows. Home of sharecropper cut-over farmers of Mississippi bottoms." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. You are my sunshineHow heartbreaking to know that these beautiful, innocent youngsters were in a home with no windows, no sunlight, no birds to look at, no flowers, trees, rain, only darkness, like solitary confinement. A home with no windows is like living in a bunker or an airplane hangar. I hope life became brighter for all of them at some point but it is difficult to see how they could have kept from getting depressed. They lived like ground moles. ChangeSometimes things do change for the better. It's amazing what was allowed or condoned and even thought "normal" just under 75 years ago. Cut-Over FarmersBy the 1930's, Depression-ravaged farm families - both Black and White - were moving out of the Deep South to cut bottomland timber and farm cotton on shares in the cleared land of the Missouri Delta. The sharecropper would be paid in shares to clear bottomland (much of the timber was sold for fuel or to turpentine mills). After the bottomland was cleared of timber, it would be planted in cotton and corn. Much of this bottomland soil washed away once the timber was removed - so only a few years of cash crops were possible -- then the sharecropper would move on to the next wood-lot and start over. Though Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi had more acres planted in cotton, the fields there were depleted and infested by weevils. The newly-cleared Missouri Delta cotton fields were marginal due to cooler weather, but outperformed the played-out croplands farther south. Still, the collapse of crop prices in the early 30's left many farm families living on relief or in poverty. A good resource is "The Final Frontiers, 1880-1930: Settling the Southern Bottomlands" by John Solomon Otto. House w/o WindowsSo they're running Linux? A hole in the wallWindows are not the be-all and end-all. That house looks pretty decent to me. It's solid, raised, with an amazing roof (beautiful hand-cut shakes), and it's pretty large. True, they had no washing machine, microwave, toaster, internet, and the other things that make us feel superior. Eskimos in Alaska, where I'm from (and many others), lived in mostly underground sod houses without windows; did this make them less connected to nature? Now that more than half of humanity is living in cities, I think the problem is pretty much the opposite you mentioned. It's impossible to tell from this photo, but maybe that family was more loving, aware, responsible, active, and connected to nature than anyone you or I know. In and OutI think the children probably left the house instead of staying in to play video games. The solitary confinement is a bit of a stretch, and the lack of windows might have been handy in the wintertime. "Missouri Delta"That term threw me for a minute. I was born in Poplar Bluff and am somewhat familiar with the region even though we moved from there in my childhood. My confusion was from knowing that the Missouri River runs into the Mississippi at St. Louis, which is about 100 miles north of New Madrid. And there really is no delta there. So even for this Missourian, it was interesting to learn that bottomland of the Mississippi River as it meanders along the bootheel area of southern Missouri is indeed called the Missouri Delta. I would assume the vast expanse of the Big Muddy snaking back and forth through there gives it the look of a delta. But I'm calling it a technical misnomer, yet I wouldn't go so far as to start any arguments over it with the locals...especially since I was raised by a pair of them to be a polite gentleman. Low paymentsTrue, it's a crummy house, but it's brand new (new boards still visible on ground) and cost little more than the labor in it. Remember labor? Is that...the family shoe I see out in the yard? Gimme glass!I just pictured myself walking into that scene with an old storm window with intact glass. The smiles that would light their faces as Dad and Mom ran to get tools to cut the hole into which the new Real Glass window would fit. I'm sure the glass was simply too expensive for them and it was on the Wish List alongside a fine fat turkey and a bushel of apples. As tragic as it seems that they didn't have windows, they DID have a house, and it looks like they had food, far more than far too many families then, and now. [These people were tenant farmers, or sharecroppers. Their landlord (the property owner) would have built the shack. - Dave] Sad but true.As sad as this picture is, as recently as 10-15 years ago there were still plenty of people living like this in "the Delta." Not long ago, I was working not far from where this photo was taken. I was steering around an old shack in the middle of a cotton field and wondering how long it had been vacant. 1940? 1930? Surely, no one had lived in it for 50 years. The shack was identical to this shack only it had a few glassless windows, a corrugated tin roof and a porch. After a couple days, I finally passed by when a lady was on the front porch enjoying the morning air from her rocking chair. It wasn't vacant, it was very lived in. A funny thing about the Missouri side of the Mississippi Delta are the rural, non-engineered roads. You're driving in flat, treeless bottomland yet the roads meander all over. They began as paths meandering through the woods connecting shacks and clearings in the trees. As the shacks and trees were cleared off and the land turned to farming soybeans and corn, the meandering roads remain in place as they were 100 years ago. The world was their "window"People then spent most of their waking hours outdoors, not cooped up inside; that was reserved for cooking and eating, doing chores like mending, and sleeping. Today, most people spend much more time inside, and even when we're outside, it's most often in a city or suburb at best, not the open country they had. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Water Boys: 1939
... about a dozen families. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size.         General caption: ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/19/2020 - 8:24pm -

July 1939. "Children of May Avenue camp pumping water from thirty-foot well which supplies about a dozen families. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size.         General caption: Photographs show exterior and interior of shacks, tents, other makeshift shelter in May Avenue camp, which is partially under bridge and adjacent to city dump and hog wallow. Squalor, filth, vermin in which poverty-stricken inhabitants dwell. Water supplied by shallow wells and water peddler. Piles of rubbish and debris in which children and adults have injured feet. Privies. Families eating food from vegetable dumps, packing houses and discarded from hospital. Children clothed in gunny sacks. Malnourished babies. Sick people. Cooking, washing, ironing, patching. Improvised chicken coop. Corn patch." Just imagineThere are some people who view back then as "The Good Old Days." (The Gallery, Great Depression, Kids, OKC, Russell Lee)
All the Allens: 1937
... Black River Falls, Wisconsin." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Bug Screens ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/29/2014 - 12:41pm -

        Black River Falls (vicinity), Wisconsin. April-June 1937. Photographs show families who live on small farms in cut-over areas. Dilapidated log cabins and shacks; interior details. Poor families; Bohemian farm families. Few scenes in town. June 1937. "Ray Allen family near Black River Falls, Wisconsin." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Bug ScreensDuring the depression bug screens were such a precious commodity that people used to tether their dog to the front door to make sure nobody would steal it while they were away and that wild animals couldn't tear it. They didn't have HVAC in those days and the houses were often improperly shaded so the kitchen could make the heat unbearable in the summer and open windows and doors would bring in bugs. This house has screen doors without any tears and this couple has obviously kept their children bathed and kempt under very difficult circumstances. Seven kids!Oldest daughter looks about 13, Mom & Dad look like they might be 30. Mom looks mighty proud of her brood! Good-lookin' mobI say, if all those children are that lady's, then I would say she has weathered the years well. They all look healthy and I hope life improved for them. I also hope there was a lot of love in that family. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
The 8 Ball: 1940
... the Shasta Dam across the Sacramento River. Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Sawdust ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2018 - 10:57am -

November 1940. "Pool hall in Shasta County, California." Recreation for the workers and engineers building the Shasta Dam across the Sacramento River. Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Sawdust MemoriesTo me the smell of America is fresh sawdust. So many photos from the 1800s through the next century seem to be of Americans putting up quick functional buildings in which to do things. To me, this building looks relatively new and one can imagine a fine dusting of the stuff still covering some of the nooks and crannies within. No stone buildings meant to last millennia but just do what needs to be done so we can be on our way to sell dry goods or shoot pool. "Well, You Got Trouble, My Friends"Don't get into a game of stud with the guy wearing the green eyeshade visor on the right. Looks like he's been dealing nothing but losing hands all day long. Cheapest Car In AmericaThe unusual black sedan is a 1934 Willys 77. It was advertised as the "Cheapest Car in America" with a price below $500. Its 145ci engine produced 48hp and a 65 mph top speed. That appears to be a 1936 Buick behind it, hard to tell the year. Here's a photo of the front of the Willys 77. I'm inas long as there is tobacco and candy. That Place Gives Me the WillysModel 77 Willys, parked in front. Contrary to popular belief, it is pronounced "Willis" Tiny CarIt's a 1934 Willys, the Fiat 500 of its day. Notice that the license plate is about a third as wide as the whole car. I couldn't find a single modern photo of one that hasn't been hot-rodded. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee)
Arterial Stop: 1937
... Black River Falls, Wisconsin." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Still There ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/21/2013 - 9:49am -

June 1937. "Street corner. Black River Falls, Wisconsin." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Still ThereCorner of South 1st Street and Main, most of the buildings still there, notably the one across the street on the left. View Larger Map OutfitI'm digging the white shoes and the clothes on the dude on the left. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Crunch Time: 1940
... Marysville, California." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Leave them ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/30/2019 - 10:53am -

November 1940. "Dead leaves in the fall. Marysville, California." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Leave them wanting moreInteresting shot. What it lacks in context, it makes up for in curb appeal. When I see a photo like this --I have an uncontrollable urge to go crank up my leaf blower. Leaf them wanting moreI can just imagine if the leaves were bright yellow how pretty that would look with them blanketing the ground like that. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Payasos en Penasco: 1940
... View full size. Medium format safety negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. Fellini This reminds me of Fellini and "La Strada" with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/05/2008 - 11:19pm -

July 1940. "Penasco, New Mexico. Spanish-American clowns at a traveling show." View full size. Medium format safety negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. FelliniThis reminds me of Fellini and "La Strada" with the foreign (to us in the US) idea of a clown -- all of ours are Joeys and don't have the European ancient theatre figures. (The Gallery, Music, Rural America, Russell Lee)
High Water: 1937
... Missouri. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administ'n. Praise I just wanted to say that this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 9:38pm -

January 1937. Young flood refugee asleep in a schoolhouse at Sikeston, Missouri. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administ'n. PraiseI just wanted to say that this site is absolutely great! I've been a subscriber for awhile now and love to see the artistic rawness that was life long ago. Thanks for your hard work! [On behalf of the people who actually took the pictures, thanks! - Dave] (The Gallery, Kids, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Hitting the Low Notes: 1938
... Louisiana." View full size. Medium format negative by Russell Lee. Bootsy Collins' Dad Double bass players have all the coolest ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/14/2008 - 5:44pm -

October 1938. "Specialty number of orchestra at the National Rice Festival. Crowley, Louisiana." View full size. Medium format negative by Russell Lee. Bootsy Collins' DadDouble bass players have all the coolest tricks. Even the horn section's in on this one. If this guy had played in the seventies (and you know, he quite possibly did), he would've had star-shaped shades. The fat lady's seen better days, though. I love it when an instrument is well loved, well-worn and played well. (The Gallery, Music, Russell Lee)
BBQ Blessing: 1940
... Fair." View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. (The Gallery, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 5:22pm -

September 1940. "Saying grace before the barbeque dinner at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair." View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. (The Gallery, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Petro Pueblo: 1940
... of Penasco, New Mexico." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. No. 10 Steel ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/02/2018 - 6:05pm -

July 1940. "Filling station is only building of modern design in the Spanish-American village of Penasco, New Mexico." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. No. 10 Steel DrumThat's an early steel drum over there by the left corner of the building. Probably for oil or maybe kerosene, and known by its ICC Specification, No. 10. Its shape was designed so that it could be handled with the same equipment as had been used for handling the wooden barrels it replaced, and furthermore its bilge shape added strength and resisted dents. So how did they manufacture a container of this shape? They welded a steel cylinder (even earlier, riveted side seams were used), rolled in the head at each end, then filled the drum with high pressure water until it swelled to the desired shape! 50% taxDo I read 12 cents a gallon plus 6 cents tax for a total of 18 cents a gallon on the gas pump? Ouch. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Russell Lee)
Dairy Inspector: 1941
... Canyon County, Idaho." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Dairy barn ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2018 - 10:18am -

June 1941. "The cat drinks foamy, fresh milk. Dairymen's Cooperative Creamery. Caldwell, Canyon County, Idaho." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Dairy barn catsFor the first 25 years we were married, my wife's uncle was a dairy farmer in Charlotte County, Virginia (he's now retired). We never had to buy a cat during that time. As our cats aged and died, her uncle always had a new litter of barn cats for our kids to choose from. Tasty TreatMy grandparents milked the cows morning and evening. Always an audience of interested cats seemed to show up. They both were able to angle a teat in the direction of a cat and shoot fresh milk all over their faces. It was very funny. They also kept a small hubcap in the corner that they filled with milk when they were done. When I was there, I got to run the manual separator in the pantry. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Cats, Russell Lee)
The Wonder of It All: 1938
... state fair in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Black and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2008 - 3:14pm -

Noevember 1938. Children at the state fair in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Black and WhiteThis is the deep South but the crowd does not seem at all segregated. Perhaps because they are children? [Click here. Maybe you've been watching too much TV. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Parade Rest: 1938
... in buggy at National Rice Festival." 35mm negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. "Oh, Shirley ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/08/2012 - 4:37am -

October 1938. Crowley, Louisiana. "Children in buggy at National Rice Festival." 35mm negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. "Oh, Shirley JeanI just can't take it anymore!" "Hang in there, Lloyd. Mom will be crowned rice queen and then we can all go home and have porridge." "The Help"Immediately thought of the movie when I saw this pic. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Repairing Neatly Done: 1938
... door to the Good Food Cafe . 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Chewy But Durable Any resemblance between the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/18/2015 - 9:44am -

January 1938. Washington, D.C. "Shoe shop on L Street." Right next door to the Good Food Cafe. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Chewy But DurableAny resemblance between the half-soles installed here and the breaded veal cutlet served next door is strictly fortuitous. Repairing Neatly Done. While U eat at the Good Food Cafe? (I guess a couple of the original painted panes are missing.) You can trust their work, the title is correctThe window was neatly repaired without wait. Addictive OdorsThe small town in which I grew up had a similar shoe repair shop except the adjoining store was a dry cleaner. The shoe repair establishment had a unique smell of the combination of tanning chemicals, new leather, shoe adhesive, rubber heels (Cat's Paw) and shoe polish and dye. It was run by a Russian immigrant man and his son and they could fix anything and even built footwear from nothing. I used to love the smell of the place and had no idea how very dangerous all these chemicals and fumes were but they both did die very young. The dry cleaners also had its own unique fragrance blend, carbon tet and other unknown fumes but I found their odors much less appealing. I am not a bloodhound but I am very sensitive to smells and my memories of everything usually have a distinct aroma associated with them. My great aunt's house was cabbage and mothballs. (The Gallery, D.C., Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Top Drill: 1940
... Labor Day celebration in Silverton, Colorado." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Movie Star good looks. Kind of reminds me of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/30/2020 - 2:10pm -

September 1940. "Miner who won power-drilling contest at the Labor Day celebration in Silverton, Colorado." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Movie Star good looks. Kind of reminds me of John Garfield. Call the cops!Someone sold tobacco to a miner. (The Gallery, Mining, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Comic Con: 1939
... "Grade-school boys making books of comic strips." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Comic-strip books ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/21/2018 - 9:58am -

        The comic: "The Circus and Sue," by Claire S. Moe. April 1939. San Augustine, Texas. "Grade-school boys making books of comic strips." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Comic-strip booksAs a kid I used to clip my favorite strip, Peanuts, and paste it into a scrapbook, the short black-and-white dailies as well as the color weekend funnies. Imagine my amazement (and retroactive feeling of wasted time) when I discovered that a publisher of books did more or less the same thing and came out with annual collections of the same strips. Inquiring minds want to knowFirst of all, they already have books of comic strips all around them, why would they separate them and re-make them again? Was it just busy work to keep them occupied? Secondly, what is the boy using to cut out the comic strip? Those aren't like any scissors I have ever seen, nor is it a paper cutter. What is the point of this exercise? [That's a hole punch. Capisce? - Dave] (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Kids, Russell Lee)
Do Not Disturb: 1939
... Good night, John-Boy. Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Long trip now, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2013 - 2:12pm -

February 1939. "White migrant boy asleep in car. He came with his father from Houston to Edinburg, Texas." Good night, John-Boy. Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Long trip now, even longer thenA drive from Houston to Edinburg is still a pretty good haul nowadays, even with a 4 lane highway nearly all the way down. I can only imagine how long it would have taken in 1939, on 2 lane roads in an underpowered car. No wonder the kid is tired. Check the quiltMade from old suits. My Mother made my baby quilt of old baseball uniforms in the Depression on the prairies; I donated it to a museum depicting the 30's Depression in Western Canada. It is one of the items most commented on. Not a second thoughtI bet that worrying about things like dust mites never crossed minds in those days. Big CarBad roads, no doubt, but this was not an underpowered car--shabby, no doubt--once a fine automobile. Probably a seven-passenger sedan, and with the rear-seat cushions and jump seats removed, there's a lot of acreage back there. The openable rear-side window with wood framing, arm rest, and pull cord for a roll-up shade all point to a fancy car. Not so different looking than this '31 Cadillac. The lack of wood visible in the rear-body structure, however, leans more toward Chrysler. The broken window crank is reminiscent of both makes. I have that quilt!I have that quilt! It looks exactly like my 'hobo quilt' that I picked up at a Salvation Army Thrift Store in Morgantown West Virginia. I paid $2 for it about 10 years ago. Yes, it's made of old suits and it is the warmest blanket I own! There Is Something AboutThe peaceful innocence of sleep. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee)
Wednesday's Child: 1939
... farmer, now on WPA." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. So you think you're poor ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/24/2018 - 1:10pm -

June 1939. "Son of day laborer living in Arkansas River bottom at Webbers Falls, Muskogee County, Oklahoma. The father is a former tenant farmer, now on WPA." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. So you think you're poorPeople back then had dignity, but "poor" is putting it mildly for those of us who may think we are poor or know someone we perceive to be poor. Hard TimesWhen you have to peel off the labels on oil cans to side your shack, you're not poor, you're broke. But the people in the Depression photos on Shorpy seem, if not happy, at least not despairing. And the Government actually did try to help them. Good on these people for not giving up. I wonder how today's generation will deal with crushing adversity. And how tomorrow's government will help, if at all. Given the recent reaction to the hurricane in Puerto Rico, my hopes aren't high. To quote Nero Wolfe "To be broke is not a disgrace; it is only a catastrophe." Wednesday’s Child is Full of WoeWednesday children are associated with emotional empathy. They feel the weight of the world, with a caring and compassionate outlook, often to the point of sadness for others. Grim and gloomy Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family Television Series optimizes a Wednesday’s child. Modern uses associate with the term with children in foster care and from broken homes. Reported by famlii. As a foreigner, I did not know the meaning of the expression. (The Gallery, Great Depression, Kids, Russell Lee)
Cauliflower Power: 1940
... View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. (The Gallery, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 5:29pm -

October 1940. Mr. Leatherman, homesteader, tying up cauliflower in his vegetable garden. Rabbit fence made of juniper stakes. Pie Town, New Mexico. View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. (The Gallery, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Washings & Iornings: 1939
... the woman takes in washing and ironing." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Clean and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/22/2018 - 6:40pm -

August 1939. "Home and family of oil field roustabout in Oklahoma City. During periods of unemployment the woman takes in washing and ironing." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Clean and PressedWhat better advertisement for laundry service than two women and children neat and clean as can be, the girls wearing nicely made dresses probably made from feed sacks, one with even a bit of lace trim. Those women had courage. My grandmother used to scrub the blue ink out of sugar sacks for pillowcases, embroidered and trimmed with fine crochet. Making do never looked so good. I tried asking my Motherwhat it was like during the depression and she would never answer, and until she died she still collected buttons off old clothes, and saved every scrap of food. A Glimmer of HopeOut of all of this series of photos taken around this place and time, this one is by far the least depressing. I would like to think these ladies (and kids) went on to have decent lives. Better off than someThe sign on the wall requests 25 lbs of ice. One luxuryThey at least have an icebox! There is an ice “order” at the top right by the door for 25 lbs next delivery. The driver could see from the truck if you wanted ice and how much by the way your sign was hung. This saved a lot of time (and ice) for the delivery guys, especially in hot, dry weather. Summer iceEven though I’m only 60, I remember from when I was a little kid in the early sixties that we still had an icebox to refrigerate the food at our summer cottage. My dad would drive to a shack marked ICE on the highway where an old guy (probably way younger than I am now) would bring out a big block of ice with massive tongs and put it in a metal tray in the trunk of the car. It always amazed me, and still does, that the ice block had been cut out of the frozen lake months before. Some funI was born in 1932 and I remember the ice man coming around with a horse drawn wagon full of ice, and we kids would grab a broken off shard of ice while the iceman was making his delivery. A small treat, but appreciated on a hot day. (The Gallery, Kids, OKC, Russell Lee)
Pie Town Ice Cream: 1940
... for ice." View full size. Medium-format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. (The Gallery, Pie Town, Rural ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/30/2007 - 8:37pm -

June 1940. "Ice cream party at Pie Town, New Mexico. Ice cream is a great treat for someone who must drive thirty or forty miles for ice." View full size. Medium-format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. (The Gallery, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Stovepipe Hut: 1938
... repairer on U.S. 90 near Jeanerette, Louisiana." Photo by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. Dangerous Combination This is just ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2014 - 2:51pm -

October 1938. "Tent of migrant stove maker and repairer on U.S. 90 near Jeanerette, Louisiana." Photo by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. Dangerous CombinationThis is just a wild guess, but I think I'd be a bit leery of using fire in a straw-filled tent. Rushes on floorMy grandmother, from Wilkes Barre PA who was born in 1881, used to tell us about putting down rushes on the floor in the summer. I've heard about it since then, but have never seen a picture of such a thing before. Seemed it was a way to keep the dirt down. As the green rushes dried, they replace them with fresh ones, at least that's what I recall of what she said about it. Does look like quite a fire hazard though! Tin StoveMore properly, a sheet-metal stove as opposed to a cast iron one. Calling sheet metal, especially thin sheet metal, "tin" is common in the South. Tin stoves were used by people who moved around because they were relatively light weight. They don't last long because heat promotes corrosion. After a short time, perhaps less than a year, the corrosion would "eat through" around the firebox, and the stove had to be repaired or replaced. Stoves made of cast iron, either one piece or assembled from parts, are much heavier and harder to move, but can last a lifetime or longer with care. And people were very conscious of the fire hazard, but didn't really have any good choices. They could either accept the hazard and try to take precautions, or do without heat or cooking. No 100-amp electric service on the pole in the RV camp in those days. It's a little surprising that this fellow, who presumably has a stock of sheet metal, doesn't have a metal plate under the stove -- that was common in houses with wood floors, and wealthier people had tile or masonry. Well, maybe... Most tin stoves I've used got cherry red on top but pretty cool on the bottom. Still, we spread sand just to be safe. (The Gallery, Camping, Great Depression, Russell Lee)
Good EAT Food: 1938
... biscuits is the peeling paint! 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Price Gouging ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/17/2015 - 9:42pm -

January 1938. Washington, D.C. "Cafe on L Street." Where the only thing flakier than our delicious biscuits is the peeling paint! 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Price Gouging25-cents is way too much to pay for chitterlings. Especially if you can get a Fish Sandwich for a dime. Inscription on doorWhat is the writing that appears on the door? It looks Arabic. [1841. And indeed, they are Arabic numerals! -Dave] Questionable syntaxPut me immediately in mind of our trip to Kyoto, where we'd breakfast in a cafe called "Good Eat You". We'd joke about putting in a reservation for Donner: "Donner, party of five . . . party of four . . . party of three . . . " Making me hungryLiver & onions for a quarter?? Make it a double and add some mashed w/dark lumpy gravy and string beans. I'll be back tomorrow for the fried chicken! Panoramic viewA quick stitching and we get a better view of this old building full with character. Chincoteague oysters"1/2 dozen oysters 35 cents" ... nowadays a half-dozen Chincoteague oysters runs about $6. This was probably L Street in SE Washington, about 200 feet from the Anacostia River. When I was a kid my dad would stop by the wharf and buy fresh shucked oysters in big mason jars from the boats at water Street SW. Now it's turned into a fish market. You buy from shops instead of right off the boat. I beg to differI respectfully disagree with MaltedFalcon on the location of this photo. I don't believe this can be in SE because, well, L St. SE doesn't run past 17th St. (and never has). No, I think this has to be 1841 L St. NW. That seems to match the 1921 Baist atlas, which shows two frame structures with a narrow side yard to the east (which we see in the companion photo of the shoe store). Even though the photo above is from a later decade, it seems likely that the building in question has been there, slowly deteriorating, since well before 1921. 1957 Baist's Real Estate AtlasThe 1940 Boyd's City Directory shows 1841 L St. NW to be "Tate Louis restr", which would be a restaurant owned by Louis Tate. Also there by the same name in the classified section. Things were different by 1957, as shown by the Baist's Real Estate Atlas of that year. Street address 1841 is now assigned to the buildings in lots 937 and 1038. There's a gas station on the corner, with a building set back from the street, like the building with the "Independent" sign in the picture. 1845 L St. NW was a filling station in the 1940 Boyd's City Directory. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee)
Curb Service: 1940
... factory. San Diego, California." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Here, smoke ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2018 - 11:03am -

December 1940. "Workmen during lunch period, 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. Here, smoke my brandMy Doctor says they're actually good for you! I Pick Bachelor #2, JimFor Handsome Rakes inclusion. Shorpy Vehicle Identification ImperativeL to R: 1934-35 Chevrolet two-door sedan, 1935 Dodge, 1936 Ford, and far right, a 1937 Oldsmobile convertible, complete with fog lights, cowl mounted spotlights, outside rearview mirrors (note the other cars do not have them), and some oh-so-sexy fender skirts. Also note the Oldsmobile has been "nosed," meaning the hood ornament has been removed. On the MendThe stitching job on Joe Smoker's shirt pocket is serviceable though inexpert. I wonder if he did it himself. My mother's hand-stitching was a thing of beauty - every stitch precise, evenly spaced and tiny. She gave the same care and attention to even the most ragged of our clothes. Pacific Coast HighwayHaven't been down that way in years (late 70's), but at one time you could bypass Interstate 5 and go down PCH. On one side of the road was the old plant parking lot. There was an elevated walkway over PCH that led to the Consolidated plant. The security turnstiles were still in place. Should have looked first!at your comment bohneyjames! Just spent a bit of time trying to ID that Dodge! I came up with a '37, but I'll take your ID. The '36 Ford was the easy one and the '37 Oldsmobile is a Six for what it's worth. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories, Russell Lee)
The Oil Patch: 1939
... Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." Last seen here . Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Legal History ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/02/2018 - 12:19pm -

August 1939. "Independent refinery. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." Last seen here. Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Legal HistoryThe only oil company in Oklahoma at the time with "Producing & Refining Co." in their name was the Denver Producing and Refining Company. Most of the remaining information on the company is in the form of lawsuits that were lodged against it in the '30s and '40s. [This all looks like secondhand equipment, which would explain why the DENVER (Acme, or whatever) was removed from the tank. - Dave] Back 'a the PatchLooks like a horse racing track in the background, center, with stables in the background, right. What's the roundish large building in the background left, with cupola? Railroad roundhouse? Indoor fairgrounds? [Whatever it is, it is not the same building as the fairgrounds carousel. - Dave] Oil PatchThe roundhouse is probably for indoor horse-training. Notice the really big, long building top right of center. That's an aerodrome if ever I've seen one. [Actually that's the Stockyards Coliseum, aka the Oklahoma City Ice Palace, built in 1922, destroyed by fire in 1930, and then rebuilt with a similar design. - Dave] The round buildingIs for walking and training horses. It is not a railroad roundhouse. Links to the PastI believe this location is just south of the former Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, on the east side of Oklahoma City, where Douglass High School now stands. Which would put the refinery southeast of the intersection of NE Fourth Street and North Martin Luther King Avenue (former Eastern Avenue). A number of paddock buildings are visible to the southeast of the track. The body of water between the racetrack and the refinery is now part of James E. Stewart Golf Course. (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, OKC, Russell Lee)
Mex-Tex: 1939
... district in Robstown, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. It's A ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/08/2018 - 1:49pm -

February 1939. "Housing. Mexican district in Robstown, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. It's A Dog's LifeEspecially when you have something to do like this one. He/She (not quite sure here) is totally oblivious and continues with routine regardless. The humans however, are well aware of the photographic situation. "Tiny House"Used to mean something entirely different before the Millennials came along! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, Russell Lee)
A Fair to Remember: 1941
... Vale, Oregon, on the Fourth of July." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Like mother, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/22/2019 - 1:09pm -

July 1941. "Carnival attractions in Vale, Oregon, on the Fourth of July." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Like mother, like daughterI notice that the woman and the little girl on the right are wearing dresses made from the same print material. I suspect that the mother made them, from fabric and patterns bought at the local sewing shop. Pretty PrintsThe mother/daughter dresses were likely made from feed bags. In the 1930s - 1950s feed bag companies used fancy printed cloth that farm women could make into clothing for the family. An unusually spectacular example is here: http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1105750 My great grandfather was in management at the Chase Bag Company in Milwaukee. I well remember wearing shirts made of this cloth which my mother's family called "pretty prints." (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Refugee: 1937
... at Sikeston, Missouri." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Flood Refugee ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 6:33pm -

January 1937. "Flood refugee in schoolhouse at Sikeston, Missouri." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Flood RefugeeEverything she's seen is in her eyes. Haunting. (The Gallery, Fires, Floods etc., Russell Lee)
Life With Father: 1941
... a painter at Consolidated Aircraft." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I married ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2019 - 12:36pm -

May 1941. San Diego. "Family living at Kearney Mesa defense housing project. This man came to California from Oklahoma 10 years ago. He has been an agricultural worker living in various FSA camps. Now employed as a painter at Consolidated Aircraft." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I married Mom?Maybe it's the hairstyle, but does anyone else think the woman looks to be much older than her husband? What Comes Next?The photo and description begs so many questions. Did he fight in the war? Did he earn enough at Consolidated to buy her a wedding ring? Was he ever injured in an Oakland car accident? Whatever the answers, I hope they lived with few regrets and pride in their children. ON Kearny MesaThe Kearny Mesa section of San Diego is at higher elevation than much of the city itself. Many valleys and hills in the area, thus the term 'mesa'. Picky oldtimers who know best refer to it as ON Kearny Mesa as opposed to IN. BTW, I have much family still in nearby Linda Vista (yet another common SHORPY topography reference) and my mother was in the first graduating class at Kearny High (on Kearny Mesa). Go Komets! [You might live "on" Kearney Mesa, but you live AT the Kearney Mesa Defense Housing Project. - Dave] Mom?If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Shorpy (amongst many, actually), it’s that women in the 1930s and 40s look a helluva lot older than they actually are. (And is it just me, or do her eyes seem to float in two entirely different planes?) Military? Perhaps not.As Dave has pointed out, many men did not serve in the military in WW II. As a father with two children, working in what likely became a defense plant, he may have been kept stateside. My father was a supervisor at a GM factory in Michigan and while his brothers served, he stayed home. WW2My father was a coal miner in WV and did not serve. As we later learned, mining was almost as dangerous as the war. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
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