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Picket Fences: 1905
Ocean Grove, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Tent life." Looks relaxing, doesn't it? 8x10 inch dry ... Company. View full size. This was typical The tent platform with the frame structure at the back was typical of such ... a Methodist tent camp, but living in tents down the Jersey shore year-round proved untenable. So frame structures were added on to the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2014 - 2:54pm -

Ocean Grove, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Tent life." Looks relaxing, doesn't it? 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. This was typicalThe tent platform with the frame structure at the back was typical of such places - Chautauqua, NY, Lakeside, OH, and Bay View, MI, are three that come to mind. They also began as Methodist summer settlements. Not rental necessarily, Thomas Edison married into the Miller family that was one of the founders of Chautauqua. He would visit there throughout his life. The Miller cottage is still there - still owned by the family. Somewhere in TimeOk, curiosity got the best of me and I drove the extra 5 minutes to Ocean Grove on the way home. I took this photo from almost the same location as the original photographer. Despite the fact that much of the physical components of the area have been replaced since 1906, the original wood structure appears to be the same and the tents look somewhat similar. A variety of Ocean Grove photos that I've taken can be seen on my New Jersey photo collection. Cheers! Contemporary stylingToday the tent would be termed "outdoor living room". It's all the rage on TV and in the magazines, but is an old idea. Wonder where they keep the grill? Plate 15Here's a terrific map of Ocean Grove, dated 1889: And an undated one here. Ocean Grove is still a dry town. My friends have visited, said that the big treat is to get an ice cream cone down near the beach. Most folks drive over to Point Pleasant for liquid refreshment. Tent in front, house in back?I guess I don't understand the design here. I see a wood-frame house at the back, and tent up front. I'm assuming it's a rental-type arrangement, but I'm not sure what purpose the tent serves. Ocean GroveThis community was set up for revival meetings, and also to be close to the beach. People, by no means rich ones, would come in every summer for the revival meetings. There was a big tabernacle for that sort of thing. The permanent house in back would hold the kitchen and the necessaries, and the tent up front would hold the parlour and bedrooms. They used to put up a gate to shut the town off every Sunday, lest anybody desecrate the Sabbath. It is all still there, although the gate is no longer in use. Methodist campOcean Grove was one of several Methodist camps in New Jersey and elsewhere. Over time, many of the tents were replaced with cottages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Grove,_New_Jersey Tent MakeoverThe settlement began as a Methodist tent camp, but living in tents down the Jersey shore year-round proved untenable. So frame structures were added on to the back. Those homes are insanely expensive now. They Still Have TentsI snapped this shot a couple of years ago. The "tent people" still return to Ocean Grove every summer. Ocean Grove isn't known as much as a religiously tolerant town--until 1981, they actually put a barrier up on the one road in and out of the area on Sundays because they didn't allow driving on Sunday. Also, until not too long before that time, you wouldn't have been able to lease a house (all homes are leased for 99 year periods, you don't "own" a home there) if you were Catholic or a Jew. Stop Thief!Hmmm. I wonder what the reward being offered was for. Ocean Grove BuildingsThe main buildings -- just 114 sheds, really, with facilities -- stand throughout the year. But each spring, renters unfurl the tents and customize each one with furnishings, flowers and the like. Some are fourth or fifth generation visitors. Presidents at the turn of the last century often visited, including William McKinley and James Garfield, who died not far away in Elberon, NJ. President Ulysses S. Grant arrived in 1875, found the gates locked due to the prohibition on carriages, and simply tethered his horses and walked to his sister's cottage. Times were different back then. So were presidents. TentsThe tent expands the living space available to the tenters. Over the winter, the tents are removed and all furniture is stored in the wooden structure. The tenters are a community all to themselves, The entire town ("God's Square Mile") is owned by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (http://www.OGCMA.org). Most of the town is now permanent homes, not tents. The town is a National Historic District for the hundreds of wonderfully preserved Victorian and Queen Anne homes. That's my tent!Great photo! We are the current residents of this particular tent and have been since 1972. The more current photo someone posted in comments shows that the little fence is gone and has been replaced with a hedge. While not as picturesque it does show a bit more security and privacy. (The Gallery, Camping, DPC, Travel & Vacation)
Wish You Were Here: 1905
The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "On the beach, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2012 - 3:10pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "On the beach, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. That '70s BookI've seen this photo before, in a 1970s series of books published by Time Life called "This Fabulous Century" with one book per decade. I remember this photo because so many of these people seem so modern, especially the couple in the middle -- our great-grandparents. Fun loving peopleWhat a really great human element picture this is, I like the guy in the center joking with his girlfriend maybe wife. I would of done the same with my friends or they to me in the photo. Best closeup of people enjoying themselves at the beach, ever. Used to think people back then were more serious, this photo shows them like us nowadays. Most instructive picture on Shorpy Possibly the finest and most instructive picture ever posted on Shorpy. Rather than showing the denizens of a far distant time as stiff, alien black & white beings standing and staring uncertainly into a camera, we see that the people of 1905 were pretty much exactly like the people of today, merely clothed differently. This could be any modern gathering of people having fun. Yesterday and TodayLike so many others before me I am always very intrigued with the folks that display themselves and lives so well in these photos. Changing dress they could be of any era and time, going back forever, I think. We Humans have enjoyed play and communal affection since we first discovered one another. The need for this sociability remains timeless. Let's hope that this never ends. "Wish you were here"In another 105 years we *will* be partying with these folks -- dead and completely forgotten! I can't look awayA particular keeper from Shorpy: I feel as though I should recognize at least five people. The context is that the Civil War was within the experience of one or two of them, while cars, flight, public health, education and endless political upheaval would make their world unrecognizable. In a word, moving. What a cast of characters!Mario (from Nintendo) is in the center left. Peter Lorre is brushing close to his left shoulder. There are even a pair of jailbirds in the center right. One of my favoritesJust a great picture, it really captures the humanity of these people, who are now all long gone, but immortalized in a single moment here. Lots of fun, and a good reminder to smile and enjoy things while they are here. Stockings and bulgesIt's interesting how our ideas of what needs to be hidden have changed over time. In these old photos women had to wear shoes and stockings even at the beach but men often show quite conspicuous bulges that would be taboo today. Gangs of New YorkLooks like Bill the Butcher (fourth from left, behind the other mustache) is keeping a sharp eye on young Amsterdam Vallon to make sure he doesn't recruit those two even younger whippersnappers right in front of him. Thank youMoridin, you said exactly what I was thinking, but in a far more eloquent way than I could have ever written. Well done. And many thanks to Dave, as this picture just became my favorite on the site. And one other thing..."...we see that the people of 1905 were pretty much exactly like the people of today, merely clothed differently." And with inferior dentistry. No legs showingWow... all the women are wearing stockings. What elaborate swimsuits. And... so do I! '05One of the most charming and moving photos I've seen here. "Like the people of today"?I don't know about that. I'd bet none of these men would be stupid or vain enough to refer to himself as "The Situation." FlirtingI absolutely adore the guy and the girl in the center who are one of the first subjects I've seen on this site who are showing genuine human emotion. I also get the distinct feeling that they aren't classically together as girlfriend/boyfriend, but they are certainly flirting with one another. I get this from his body language-- he's stepped away from her at a distance to appear respectful, but his touching her indicates that he is most definitely interested in more. This might actually be a wee bit scandalous ... and I love it. WonderingThis is exactly what I search for on Shorpy! Some tend to either romanticize the past and others seems to vilify. Enamored by the stately homes, the fine dress or what seems to be the "simpler times," while others are appalled by the stench in the air and the very real hardship of life. However, even for the humblest of viewers, one could view this photo and become philosophical about the past towards the here and now, death, what to live for and "what does it all mean?". I often wondered what would history be viewed like if photography existed a few hundred years ago or a few thousand. Then again I should just enjoy the picture and move on. Well I beBack in the day I had a body like those young men. As I have aged I wouldn't mind a swimsuit like theirs. TimelessUsually we see images of buildings and landscapes long departed. "Not a brick left standing" is the phrase that often occurs in the comments. But here we have a landscape that could have been snapped at any time in the past 105 years ... even the buildings in the background (is that the Chalfonte, erected 1868?) would have probably been there for most of the past century+. The nature of Americans hasn't really changed during that span, either and not just in their smiles and pleasures. What percentage of the people over 30 in this photo were actually born in the US? It's an important question, considering all the present debate over immigration and the nature of being an "American." Take a group shot on most of the New Jersey beaches on any July afternoon. The numbers won't be that different. Much gratitude, Dave, for your beautiful gifts to us. Every image only makes me cherish the beauty and Gift of the Now even more. A pair of glasses and a smileOne of my favourite pictures on Shorpy. All ages so relaxed in front of the camera, even the older folk who you would imagine would be a bit more wary. I'm sure I've seen him before on this site but that must be Harold Lloyd surely? From Then to EternityIn the movie "Atlantic City," when someone makes a comment about the beauty of the ocean, Burt Lancaster says, "Yeah? You shudda seen it 25 years ago, kid." The center of it allIt looks to me like the girl is "with" the guy behind her, since he is very close to her, and has his left hand on her left arm. The fellow grasping her head looks like the brother of the guy behind the girl. Oh, and is that a corpulent man on the left? Don't see many of those folks in these old photos. Comment on immigration and being AmericanThe people in this wonderful photo may have been recent immigrants, but they all came through Ellis Island, legally and had full intention of assimilating and speaking English. Like my great-grandparents in 1904. Today, we have a debate about illegal immigration by people not so interested in assimilating and becoming Americans, Without a Hyphen. Great picture of people having fun and not worrying about who is American. They all were. What I Spy with My EyeI love the different interpretations of what is happening in the photo. I see a woman who doesn't want to be photographed yet her brothers (friends, cousins, schoolmates? But I think family, look at those lovely choppers!) hold her in place. One holds her arms to keep her from using her hands and scarf from covering her face while the other holds her head to the camera. At least that's what I see. Rich Pictures like thesePictures like these, that strip away the years between "me" and "them," make me so melancholy. "Margaret, are you grieving over goldengrove unleaving?" Yes. Yes, I am. Uninhibited by the breachThe two women smiling in the right portion of the photo. Enjoying themselves snaggletoothed and all. Great frozen moment of time for us to study. Could be todayOne of my favourites on Shorpy. The younger ones look so relaxed, one could mistake it for a modern fancy dress party. I love these people shots, yet they make me feel melancholic knowing they are no longer with us. Ignore me! It's 01:27 in the UK and I must go to bed. LuckyI feel so lucky to live in the era of photography and often wish/imagine I could look back much farther into the past - I'm just fascinated, and reassured really, that humanity churns on, day after day, before me and after me. The way we have lived and adapted to change over the years, slowly as far as biology goes but quickly when it comes to fashion and social change...I can get lost in this and other photos here for a long, long time. Sorry I can't articulate it very well, but thank you so much for this lovely snapshot. And thanks to the poster who reminded me of those Time Life books. I remember those! Interlocked M&SI know this is a bit of a bump, but does anyone know what the interlocked M&S on the two kids just to the left of the happy threesome stands for? From their ages I would guess a school. I also want to echo the sentiment of how moving this image is in connecting people 105 years ago to us today. [M&S is probably the initials of the bathhouse or hotel that rented the swimsuits. - Dave] (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Human Roulette: 1908
The Jersey Shore circa 1908. "Atlantic City bathing beach and Steeplechase Pier." Who out ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/25/2014 - 8:16pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1908. "Atlantic City bathing beach and Steeplechase Pier." Who out there can fill us in on "Human Roulette" and "Human Niagara"? 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Human roulette wheelSee The Street Railway Journal, Volume 31, pg 132: Human Niagara in legal termsFrom New Jersey Law Reports, 1914: The plaintiff was injured while riding upon an amusement device known as "Human Niagara Falls," maintained and operated by the defendant company upon the Steeplechase Pier in Atlantic City. The Steeplechase Pier is an amusement resort upon which is maintained and operated a number of mechanical contrivances for the use and amusement of its patrons. There were displayed all about signs reading "All amusements at your own risk." Several of these devices were maintained for the purpose of allowing patrons to take rides or slides of a more or less thrilling nature, and the "Human Niagara Falls" was a structure of this character. Patrons of the pier were charged a fee of twenty-five cents upon entering, and this entitled them, if they chose to put themselves in a position of obvious danger, to the use of all the devices plainly designed to produce unusual excitement and sensations. The plaintiff paid the entrance fee on the day of the accident, and thus became entitled to all the rights and privileges of patrons of the pier. The "Human Niagara Falls" consisted of an incline upon which was fastened a series of rollers, about eighteen in number. The rollers were about seven feet wide by eighteen inches in diameter. Persons using the device seated themselves upon the topmost roller of the incline and were then propelled by the force of gravity, over the rollers, to the bottom. The weight of the person passing over them caused the rollers to revolve. There was a space of from three-sixteenths to one-quarter of an inch left between the rollers for clearance so that they would revolve without touching. At the trial the plaintiff's version of the accident was that, having chosen to ride on the "Human Niagara Falls," when she reached about the fourth or fifth roller on the way down, her heel caught between the rollers and she was twisted around, thrown forward head foremost, and bumped over every roller to the bottom, and was thus injured. We are of opinion that the direction of a verdict for the defendant was justified. Wheeee! Ouch.Human Roulette was an amusement park ride where one sat on a giant wheel and tried to hang on as it spun faster and faster. If you could stay on the center you had a better chance of staying in place longer. The losers got flung to the sides by centrifugal force. This ride looks more dangerous than fun to the modern viewer. Give me a 450 foot tall roller coaster any day. Loose Extra from the Walking DeadSeems to be approaching the woman sitting at the waterline. I Rode One as a KidThe Excelsior Amusement Park in Excelsior, MN had a fun house that included the Human Roulette Wheel. By the time I went there in the mid-sixties and early seventies, it was always a crap shoot as to which of the fun house attractions would actually be working, but I remember the one time I rode the Human Roulette Wheel. I think it was pure luck, but I was very near the center, and my palms had just enough sweat on them to provide some extra gripping power. I didn't spin off, and the guy finally shut it down. Good times! Rolly SlideA park near my home has a Human Niagara, but we call it Rolly Slide. It's just a slide with the equivalent of rolling pins tightly packed together, and it's quite amusing to slide down. Google for "roller slide" to see photos and videos. Well informed people visit ShorpyI knew what Human Roulette is but Human Niagara was a new one on me. Thank you! Social MixerThe Clara Bow classic "It" has a scene with a Human Roulette wheel in action, billed as the "Social Mixer." She and her not-quite-beau also ride a long, wavy slide, though I don't recall it having rollers. Given the fashions of the late 1920s, those who paid admission to watch the roulette wheel (as noted in the article jwp quoted) would get rather more for their money than patrons of 1908. And since "It" is of course a pre-Code movie, there is also rather a lot of Clara to be seen. I pukedProbably 1941 at an amusement park in Denver Colorado, I got in the center and was the last one off. No Human Pool Table?Coney Island's Steeplechase had one, along with the Roulette Wheel and a large wooden slide.(I don't recall rollers.) The ride began with a spiral slide down an enclosed tube. Then the rider was ejected onto a polished floor with several flush-mounted 24"-36" rotating discs. After being violently tossed around at random, the victim was thrown into a padded gutter around the edge. As a ten-year-old, I never mustered the courage to ride it. The floor looked fun, but the dark slide scared me. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Islesworth Gardens: 1906
... Co. View full size. Just for a moment I thought the woman in the streetcar was texting a friend. Then I woke up! Great ... and take off from Cincinnati for that glorious week on the Jersey Shore. We stayed in an old converted mansion on North Carolina Avenue ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 12:32pm -

Continuing our trip to Atlantic City circa 1906. "Islesworth Gardens Hotel, Virginia Avenue." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Just for a momentI thought the woman in the streetcar was texting a friend. Then I woke up! Great shot!I think the Trump Taj Mahal casino is there now. All GoneI'm about an hour's drive from Atlantic City, though not being a gambler, I don't go there often. With the advent of the casinos, locales such as this, evidently at the Boardwalk, are completely gone. I'll have to make a trip there with a camera and some of these old pictures to see the differences. Thanks for all the great pictures. The Streetcar!At first I was confused with the streetcar having its pole up in the wrong direction for a double track line but then I noticed that there is a crossover (a pair of switches in the street) allowing the car to "turn back" or "short turn" without having to go to the end of the route. The pole has been turned but the seats are still facing the wrong direction. The faded lettering on the sign on the roof also suggests that this car might not be going to the end of the line. InterestingThe only people I see around here using parasols are Asians. Remembering Atlantic City in the 1950sOur family vacationed in Atlantic City for many summers in the 1950s. We would load up our old Buick, include the dog, and take off from Cincinnati for that glorious week on the Jersey Shore. We stayed in an old converted mansion on North Carolina Avenue called the Manlor Guest House. Every morning was an open air breakfast on the Boardwalk, then to the beach and back to the Manlor to squirt off the sand in the backyard and go to dinner at Betty's Restaurant. The Manlor is long gone along with all the other old converted homes but those places had a charm that no Holiday Inn could replace. Look through the windowYoung lady in the window under the letter "N" of the streetcar looks like she just realized she has purchased the wrong ticket. TrumpedIf this is where the Trump Taj is now, I think it looked much better then! Her TownThe sidewalks are full of Mary Poppinses. The End of the Line or Back at 'Go'?The streetcar in the photo is interesting, having just arrived at this location on the track closest to the curb and the horse cabs. The car seatbacks are in position indicating the right end of the car was the front on arrival, the seat backs could be flipped over depending on car's direction. The outer arm rests are on the window ledges. The seats at the front and rear two side windows would have their backs to the window, the patrons facing the aisle. On cars with sanders the sand boxes would often be located under these lengthways seats which hinged up when filling with sand. However, the trolley pole has been moved around so the car will now travel right to left when it starts on it's next journey, the left end now the front. The car is short enough, altho' it has two 4-wheel trucks beneath, that the Motorman or Conductor could walk the trolley pole around with the trolley pole rope still able to hang over the end at either end with the trolley pole stand centered lengthways on the car roof. Without the trolley pole rope overhanging it would be difficult to centre the trolley pulley on the wire. A longer two-truck car would have to have a separate trolley pole at each end. There were also parameters governing the placement of the trolley pole stand on the car roof so that the pulley would track on the wire properly when the car beneath turned at a track switch at an intersection or went straight thru. Now, there are TWO tracks in the street, and this car will cross over to the far track to 'Run on the right' as it moves ahead on it's new journey. The 'crossover' in the street is visible by the man's head above the nearest horse cab and thru the cab behind. Thank You. Phones in RoomsThe Islesworth Gardens Hotel was popular with conventioneers (pharmacists, railroad ticket agents, elevator operators ...) 1908 Advertisement Impossible waistsThe women wearing corsets have those impossibly small wasp waists. I wonder about the young woman walking toward the camera. She appears to have a normal waist. The corset must have exacerbated the heat problem. Give me my smelling salts. And Gracious Sakes, I see a few women without their hats in public! City of the FutureIt looks like a futuristic city of dollhouses. They had some kind of super "green" vehicle that ran on hay and produced fertilizer instead of carbon monoxide... and even mass transit that ran on electricity! Wow, imagine if we could harness that kind of technology. No sunscreen requiredI but none of these people is thinking about sunscreen! Also, its a shame that we don't use parasols anymore. I count about 15 in this picture (if you count both sides of the street). Dress CodeNo shorts or tank-tops allowed! Good MannersNotice that the men use proper etiquette when walking with a female companion. The man walks on the street side, ladies to the inside. By the way, what is the covering on the roofs of the horse cabs? Is it some kind of treated cloth? In praise of ShorpyShorpy is my all time favorite web site ! It's like having a portal to the past. Shorpy lets us see in incredible detail what life was like decades ago. I tell everyone I know about this fantastic site. My problem with this site is that I could spend all day looking at the photos. Thank you for all of the work you do in making these Library of Congress photos look as good as they do. Fastest Way to Ocean CityThat interurban trolley on the right is from the Shore Fast Line connecting Atlantic City to Ocean City, New Jersey. It operated into the 1940s and was immortalized as the Short Line on the Monopoly game board. Car 6812West Jersey and Seashore Type Q semi-convertible, built by the J. G. Brill Co., Phila, 1904-05. Originally single ended, rebuilt as double ended car in 1908. Sold off in 1913-14 when new "Nearside" cars were delivered. The cars, incidentally, are numbered in the Pennsylvania Railroad fleet as the WJ&S was a PRR subsidiary. This is the kind of picturethat deserves the "even bigger" option, or the colorized version. Lovely, absolutely lovely in every detail. Exquisite photo. Speaking of Monopoly RR'sDid we ever find out why Darrow used the B&O railroad for his game? The Baltimore and Ohio never served Atlantic City; only the Shore Fast, Reading, Pennsylvania (later these would merge into the PRSL) and the Central RR of NJ (with it's its infamous Blue Comet) did. From Atlantic City to Ocean CityThe trolley advertises 2 ways to get to Ocean City: "SHORE FAST LINE ELECTRIC FLYERS VIA GREAT EGG HARBOR BAY" "ATLANTIC AVE. TROLLEY AND BOAT VIA LONGPORT" No. 6818 is a local Atlantic City car, maybe even a shuttle out to Atlantic Avenue. It does not have 3rd rail shoes, which Shore Fast Line cars needed, as they used a part of the West Jersey & Seashore RR to get across the meadows between West Atlantic City and Pleasantville, where the electrified railroad didn't use overhead wire. Shore Fast Line ran between Virginia Avenue and the Boardwalk, Atlantic City to 8th Street and the Boardwalk, Ocean City, both on barrier islands, via the Mainland. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Streetcars, Travel & Vacation)
Meats and Groceries: 1905
Continuing our visit to Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Atlantic Avenue West." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit ... Hotel Genealogical and memorial history of the state of New Jersey, 1910. Louis Kuehnle was born January 6, 1827, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/24/2011 - 1:24pm -

Continuing our visit to Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Atlantic Avenue West." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Kuehnle's Hotel Genealogical and memorial history of the state of New Jersey, 1910. Louis Kuehnle was born January 6, 1827, at Hacmusheim, in the principality of Baden, Germany, and died August 7, 1885, at Egg Harbor, New Jersey. In his native country he received the training requisite for a first class chef, and came to America in 1849, obtaining employment at some of the leading hotels and restaurants of the country. While in Washington, D. C., he had the honor of presiding as chef at the hotel where President Buchanan boarded. In 1858 he opened the New York Hotel at Egg Harbor, being connected with same until his death. January 9, 1875, he purchased and opened Kuehnle's Hotel, at Atlantic City, New Jersey, placing same under the management of his son, Louis K. He was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens at Egg Harbor, who several times elected him to the office of mayor; he was also a member of the city council and the school board. He married, in 1852, Katherine Werdrann, of Germany, and they had three sons— George, Louis and Henry. "Poultry! Game! Butter! Eggs!"...all produced in the nearby farms of the Garden State. They were brought in daily by horse-cart, as well as grain, garden truck, milk, pork, firewood, even barrel staves! New Jersey was called the "Garden State" because it was the backyard vegetable garden, chicken coop, pig sty, timber patch and cow pasture for New York City, Philadelphia, and the sandy shore resort-towns. As Benjamin Franklin, a man who knew it well, said, New Jersey is like "a beer barrel, tapped at both ends, with all the live beer running into Philadelphia and New York." (It was also the brewer, hard cider as well as beer.) All those McMansions presently in New Jersey, and their accompanying highways? They were all built on those former tomato fields, potato fields, corn fields, fruit orchards and cow pastures, after the Second World War and the Interstate Highway Act. Most developments have one lone farmhouse standing by the access road, often with large chicken coops still standing behind them, the palimpsest of New Jersey's agricultural heritage. If transportation costs ever get so high that it's no longer worth it to truck in vegetables from California and Mexico, and not sensible to drive to work from 5000-square-foot houses 100 miles from the place of employment, New Jersey will turn its residential zoning back into farmland. There's going to be a lot of money waiting for someone who develops a way to remove toxic chemicals and metals from poisoned reclaimed farmland. Yes - New Jersey born, New Jersey bred, New Jersey proud! That's me! Jitneys on Pacific AvenueI remember Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Avenue as being the two main streets in the Atlantic City of the 1950's. Pacific Avenue had small buses called jitneys that held about 12 people. They ran practically bumper to bumper so they were very handy. The fare was 10 cents unless you wanted to go past the end of the line to Hackney's Seafood Restaurant (10 cents extra) or Captain Starnes Restaurant (15 cents extra.) The last I heard, the jitneys are still in service. My main memory of Atlantic Avenue was going to the movies on a rainy summer vacation day in 1957 and seeing William Holden in "The Bridge on the River Kwai." Captain Starnes, Pat Boone The Captain's was always a highlight of our Atlantic City vacation. The visit was usually reserved until the last full night and I can still remember the flounder I had my first trip. The Steel Pier along with its Deep Sea Diver Bell, Diving Horses, comedy divers, first run movies and name entertainers was the first full day must. I remember seeing Gary Cooper's High Noon then after the movie Pat Boone came out to sing Ain't That A Shame and Lucille but to my fine tuned R&R ear they were poor imitations of Fats Domino's and Little Richard's versions. A daily highlight was eating at a cafeteria where I was allowed to pick my meal and the only admonishment was one I heard later in life at Great Lakes NTC, "Take all you want but eat all you take." It was always a day of adventure from the rental bicycle Boardwalk ride to being allowed to eat salt water taffy just before bedtime at the Saint James Hotel. On another note, I love those swinging doors on Kuehnle's Hotel Bar. Kuehnle’s hotel was the hub of Republican politics in Atlantic City and the place where important political decisions were made. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
The Steel Pier: 1904
The Jersey shore circa 1904. "Steel Pier, Atlantic City." Can anything compare to Atlantic ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 11:08am -

The Jersey shore circa 1904. "Steel Pier, Atlantic City." Can anything compare to Atlantic City in the summer, and the feel of sand in your bathing-socks? 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Sand MosaicWow. At least three black families here. Great picture!There is a guy lying on the other guy's hip as a pillow -- now that's not something you would see today! Everyone is very appropriately dressed, not a inch of elbow or knee showing. How strange the Victorian era must of been. I suspect there is enough cloth in this one picture to dress the entire East Coast of beach-going folks today. What would they think?Suppose these folks woke up on a beach in Brazil and saw how the sunbathers looked nowadays. Misery Loves CompanyAnother miserable day at the beach according to these poor vacationers. Not a smile to be seen! An odd photoI'll give an internets for every smiling face you can find. Bathing Socks?I see exactly one pair of unsocked feet. Virtually everyone has enough clothes on to weather a Noreaster in November. Why go to the beach at all? Hot? Cold?I'd like to know what time of year this was taken. No shadows. Body LanguageFor the young couple by the black umbrella, there is nobody else on the beach. True GritIt always strikes me how REALLY well-dressed beach-goers could be in the early 1900s. They aren't just fully-dressed -- they're wearing suits and hats and white dresses for a day in the hot sun and gritty sand! What never ceases to amaze me is that few (if any) people bring a blanket or towel to lie on. There they are, in their nice clothes just sitting and lying directly on the sand. Many of the men (and some of the women) are sitting on suit jackets, getting them all mashed up and sandy. Way more surprising than that, though, is the number of women in white dresses and/or white blouses lying partially on newspapers (possibly because the sand is so hot). All I can think when I see THAT is that they must have newsprint ink smeared all over their nice white clothes! Got a laundress?The privileged classes employed a washerwoman to launder all of these clothes. Otherwise, you stoked up the fire on Monday morning and boiled and stirred all day long. Good old bluing kept the whites white. I, too, am always astounded at how heavily dressed our ancestors were in the heat of the East Coast summers. Prior to this time period, in the latter half of the 19th century, bathing machines were on the beaches in the UK. They looked like little sheds, and you went into them, disrobed, put on your heavy-duty bathing costume, and ejected yourself into the waves. No witnesses. So this photo represents a gradual pull away from that Victorian commodity. Peppermint TwistJoey Dee and the Starlighters did this song, not Chubby Checker. In the age of wiki and google, I kind of feel foolish pointing this out, but then I am also in an age where most people aren't old enough to remember this. Castles in the sandI like seeing "flip bucket" castles here and there. Some things never change! Back to SchoolThe Steel Pier. Atlantic City. This is where Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) developed and practiced his now famous "Triple Lindy" dive. Why go to the beach......if you aren't going in the water?? The people up on the pier must be enjoying the cool breezes without the hot sun shining on them! The view is just as nice above as below - so what is the attraction for the hot sand? More space maybe?? AND does anybody know what those big elaborate buildings house? Great pic - thanks again!!! No action?"How strange the Victorian era must of been." Well, Edwardian, to be precise. And all folks are doing is sitting, standing, or lying around. No activities of any kind. Isn't watching waves come in kind of like watching grass grow? Summer of '62Forty eight years ago, I watched Chubby Checker perform on the Steel Pier as he unveiled his second "twist" record, "The Peppermint Twist".. The "Pier" has an interesting history of storm damage, rebuilding, fires, rebuilding, diminishment, rebuilding, Miss America contest runways, cut-offs and add-ons. Seems like right now Donald Trump has made it an entertainment center once again. In 1904 when this photo was taken, my grandfather had just arrived at Ellis Island from Poland and in WW2, my uncle was stationed there, as Atlantic City was an Army training camp. A fascinating location, thanks Shorpy for the long trip down Memory Lane. Intergrated Too Couple hundred miles south and there would be a Blacks Only and a Whites Only beach sections. Good to see this intergration. [Yers. - Dave] What a coincidenceJust earlier today I was reading an older book entitled "Discovering America's Past," and looking at the section on Atlantic City's Boardwalk. The book also mentioned the Steel Pier, which is the first time I had heard of it. They didn't have a photo so I was glad to see one today. Seven inchesOf exposed skin in the whole field of view. I'm afraid I'll be underdressedHoney, where's my tie, vest, socks and garters and celluloid collar and second best coat? I'm going to the beach! Why go to the beach? Fresh air is the reason.We forget that most people lived in apartment buildings or rooming houses with few fans and obviously no A/C. It was common for people to leave their rooms for the day just to get out to where the air was fresh and a breeze might blow. In the summer months (at this time) in Chicago, people (whole families) slept in the parks at night if it was hot. In a time when illness was spread from living in close quarters people were encouraged to take the air to stay healthy. Given there was no TV or radio and few recordings in peoples homes - why not head out rather than sit in your stuffy rooms? Massacre!All those fully clothed bodies lying about on the beach remind me of corpses. Perhaps I have been watching too many cop shows. Oh Look! A ShorpyShooter!At least there's a camera on a tripod toward the front left, and who knows how much insight the cameraman has about future venues for his pictures! Steel AppearI watched Al Hirt's Steel Pier dance show on our black-and-white TV in the early '60s. It was like American Bandstand next to the ocean. I had no idea what a pier was, so I thought the show was called Steel Appear because it "appeared" on TV. (And I had no idea why the word "steel" was in the name, either.) Bathing suitsMy mother was telling me today my grandmother was scandalized by the appearance of men's bathing shorts. She felt that my grandfather's bathing suit, which in the 1920s consisted of a one-piece outfit with t-shirt length sleeves and cut mid-thigh, bordered on impropriety. My grandfather, a Presbyterian minister, wasn't the least concerned. Chicken Bone BeachThis is another in a series of images from Atlantic City. Last year Shorpy published a view that included a well dressed black family in the foreground. Now we find, in the photographic evidence, black families on the beach again. However, an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the beaches were restricted in most Jersey coastal towns, including Atlantic City. The story says that these beaches, presumably including "Chicken Bone Beach" in Atlantic City, were staffed with black lifeguards. A person quoted in the article says that "there were no signs saying colored-only beach ... you just knew your place." I think that the photographic evidence to the contrary is an inconvenient problem for some histories. The Diving HorseI was a young lad of about 6 when my parents took my younger brother and I to the Steel Pier in AC to see the famous Diving Horse. This was about 55 years ago. The horse didn't actually dive into the water; the front half of the platform the horse was standing on collapsed and forced the horse and rider to slide into the water from about five stories high. I felt sorry for the horse and worse later in life when I read that a few of the horses they used died of heart attacks from the experience. I also had to sit through a Vaughn Monroe performance and I'm not sure which was worse for a 6 year old. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Boardwalk Empire: 1910
... Atlantic City knows. I've never been there. Amazing The scope of the shot is breathtaking! From the chimney that needs repair in ... the railroads to move the more distant customers to the Jersey Shore. I'm sure there were day trippers but many people came to spend ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:36pm -

Atlantic City, N.J., circa 1910. "Boardwalk, Hotel Marlborough-Blenheim and Young's Million-Dollar Pier." There are a zillion interesting details in this panorama made from four 8x10 inch glass negatives. View full size. Just imagineTo be able to take for granted that you will walk outside to such beautiful buildings, a boardwalk where everyone is nicely dressed and you can even walk six abreast, sweeping lawns, spacious streets, peaceful porches to rock on, an almost empty beach to sit on. They probably took much of it for granted and certainly didn't know how amazing and wonderful it would look to me 100 years hence. A Monumental ChallengeDo any of our talented colorizers dare tackle such a sweeping scene? Are any of these buildings still standing?Maybe someone familiar with Atlantic City knows. I've never been there. AmazingThe scope of the shot is breathtaking! From the chimney that needs repair in the lower right corner and the "hidden" clotheslines on that roof, to the confection of the M-B to the Pier and the vistas beyond and the wonderfully random set of tracks throught the sand. These people wouldn't recognize Atlantic City today. Such detail. All in focus.This is a fantastic photo. You might even say it took my breath away. Nice to see an old shot like this and have everything look so new and clean. I'm amazed to see so much built in 1910. I'm going to have to do some research and discover the Atlantic City timeline. I was always under the impression it lagged behind Coney Island, but here it looks as though they were in place about the same time. Amazing DetailThis is just a fabulous image. It's fascinating to study the various hotels (I assume), porches, rooflines plus the people on the boardwalk and beach. It just goes on and on. Mary PoppinsApart from the cigarette ad, it could be a Disney film set. Wonderful photo. Photography and condimentsNice view of another set of tripod legs and camera just below the apparent center view point of this pan. And just to the bottom right a wood headed greenhouse with the little cart of wood right beside the wood heater. Windows of the spice/condiment bays stored neatly behind the hedge in back of the green house. You can almost imagine the year long work of someone to make sure this operation always provides fresh things for the chef. Steve BuscemiAnyone who's watched "Boardwalk Empire" has to believe many of these photos must have been used to create the CGI backgrounds they use for various shots. [The "Boardwalk Empire" production company is one of our print customers. -Dave] A Lot of GasI see at least four gasometers (gas holders) in the photo. The Twin TowersDoes anyone know what purpose two tall pillars or columns, might serve on the central hotel with the dome and all the gingerbread? They seem strange and lonely. Couldn't be elevator works inside, or ... what? [Chimneys. - Dave] Coney & ACConey Island became what it is because of the availability of public transportation. The first subway line or El trains were built in the late 1800s. This afforded relatively cheap rides to the beach. There were hotels but nothing like those in Atlantic City. Although it was a reasonable distance from Philadelphia and NY it still required the railroads to move the more distant customers to the Jersey Shore. I'm sure there were day trippers but many people came to spend their vacations in the luxury of the the hotels. Park PlaceThe park in the front of the photo is Brighton Park. The street between the park and the hotel is Park Place. The Marlborough-Blenheim remained in great condition through the seventies. In 1979, Bally's bought it and replaced it with the Bally's Park Place Casino. Make Room for Bally'sThe Marlboro-Blenheim started construction in 1902 and completed in 1906. In 1978 it was demolished to make way for Bally's Park Place casino. Bally's Wild West Casino now sits where that little park looking thing is and Young's Million Dollar Pier became The Pier Shops at Caesar's in 2006. Wheelchair RampThe hotel at the end of the great lawn had a wheelchair ramp installed after the building was constructed. You can see how it sits on top of the original staircase. I wonder what VIP stayed there to justify building that? [The ramps were for "rolling chairs." Not quite the same as wheelchairs. - Dave] Obviously shot from the Traymore HotelJust as this 1910 postcard picture was obviously shot from the "wedding cake" part of the Marlborough-Blenheim. Some of the same things are visible from the opposite side such as the Y-shaped walkway in the garden-like area and even the greenhouse. Beautiful BuildingsI wish Atlantic City looked like this today. These are gorgeous buildings, unlike the ugly buildings that one sees there now. It must have been a great place to vacation in those days. "Boardwalk Empire" BoardwalkThe set is located at Newtown Creek and the East River, Brooklyn side in NYC. It is surrounded with cargo containers stacked four high hung with blue screen so the background can be matted in electronically. Some blue screen can be seen at the left of the photo on a stack of containers. Google Earth: Dupont and Franklin St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY (Panoramas, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming, Travel & Vacation)
Seasons in the Sun: 1904
The Jersey Shore circa 1904. "The Beach at Atlantic City." One hundred seven years after ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:36pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1904. "The Beach at Atlantic City." One hundred seven years after this photograph was made, the people here are finally ready for their high-definition closeup. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. The Shame in all the scene, there must be a total of at least two square feet of exposed skin, have they no pride. Donkey on the beach!Today that would at least get you a ticket or worse. My dog loves the beach but I can only take him there off season and during certain hours. What's with the three ladies as well, slightly above and to the left of the photographer. All dressed in white and the one in the middle has her sunglasses on. I think the beach in 1905 was the same as today. I'd really like to go back and mingle with that crowd. Legal action from Dewey, Cheatham & Howe.I hope you sought out and received written permission to publish a high definition image of these sunbathers in such risqué attire. You know how people can get when we focus in on their partially exposed arms. Is that Tim Tebow on the far right? Mildly surprisedThat no one has said it yet. FunWe had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun. But the wine and the song, like the seasons, all have gone. There Dave, I said it. Some things never change!The sea breeze is 15-20 from the SE, just as it was when I spent the first 12 Julys of my life on the Jersey Shore (except 1960). You can tell by the whitecaps, and also the trim of the sails of the gaff sloop running north with a fair wind on the starboard quarter. Can't quite make out the insignia on the mainsail. Mildly Surprised About What?That no one has made a Jersey Shore joke? That no one has wondered aloud at the whereabouts of the photo being taken within this photo? On another topic, does anyone have any idea of the colors we would be seeing in real life? It looks like everyone was wearing black, but I suppose red could appear black in a photo with no color. Surprised what hasn't been said?Life is a beach? ["Get a load of the girl on that ass!" - Dave] I just have to askWho brings a donkey to a beach? Even in 1904! [Roving portrait photographers and other beach concessionaires. - Dave] Flex TimeOh you big bad brute! Flotation DevicesHell with the ass, get a load of the gunboats in the distance! I'll say it.Everyone in this picture is now dead. We all have our day in the sun. Enjoy every day, and make someone around you happy. Life goes by pretty quickly. Also, there looks like another group to the left lining up for an unseen photographer. Found Him!There's Waldo! No wait. There's Waldo, or is he over there! PeacefulNothing beats spending the day at a nice, secluded beach. The Ministry Of Silly HatsGet a load of those crazy hats! Obviously one of the various beach salesmen was peddling them since there seem to be quite a few of them about. Navy or BlackThe most common colors for ladies swim attire at this time was navy, followed by black. The suits were generally made of wool serge. Trimmings might be wool or silk. The New York Times published several nice articles on trends in ladies' swimwear about this time. About the men's attire I know almost nothing. Gotta love the strength of character to wear those wide stripes though! Hair styles.It is interesting to see all the women have their hair pinned up. That makes plenty of sense on a wind swept beach but was that also the style of the day -- to have their tresses pinned up? [This was the heyday of the Gibson Girl pompadour. - Dave] (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Horses, Swimming)
Get the Party Started: 1941
... Florida. "Guests of Sarasota trailer park picnicking at the beach." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. ... of an adventure than today. Our first road trip from New Jersey to Florida was in 1955 when I was 7 years old. Route 95 was only ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:50pm -

January 1941. Sarasota, Florida. "Guests of Sarasota trailer park picnicking at the beach." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. Miserable much?Hey, they're from Ohio, where gloominess is an avocation. I think it's all the snow and other winter weather that does it. Fun in Florida!Because nothing says "Fun in the sun!" like pantyhose, sensible shoes and a black wool coat. I feel relaxed just looking at this photo. BUICK, 1938Hija, de pié; padre, madre y abuela... Todos muy serios. ¿Quién hizo la foto? Cloudy dispositionsWhat funereal looking people, given that they're on a beach! Could they look more miserable? A good time was had by all.This poor guy is on a vacation with three women and nothing he says is going to be correct (if he even gets a word in edgewise). He might as well just shut up and drive. Ain't we got fun? They look like the Carol Burnett crew from "Mama's Family." Seeing RedI shudder to think of the number of traffic lights one would encounter driving from Ohio to Florida before the interstate highway system. These Sensible Shoes Are Made for Stompin'Hupmobile? These ladies drive the Hurtmobile. Party like it's 1949The wife, the mother-in-law, and the twice divorced or spinster sister-in-law. Rock on. Where's a tsunami when you need one?Oh my, this photo is downright sad: Sarasota when it was pure, pristine, undeveloped -- one of the most magnificent beaches in the world, as hinted at by this photo. Yet this bunch of champion curmudgeons is "enjoying" it by driving their car onto it and apparently having a decidedly bad day. Go ahead and make fun of them..These are the people upon whose shoulders we stand. Been ThereWhat a hoot! People dream of fun vacations and picnics by the sea. This is usually what they get. Possible reasons for looking so sad1. About to scatter Aunt Tillie's ashes into the Gulf. 2. Looks to be about 35 degrees there -- that's not sand, it's snow! 3. Women depressed at being rejected for off-camera bikini contest. This is a1938 Buick Straight Eight. A very serious automobile. I never liked the beachAll that sand gets in your sandwiches and between the teeth. You're 60+ years oldYou've probably worked all your life. You drive from Ohio to Florida. You sit outside and have a little meal and look at the sand and the water. You aren't gloomy; you aren't a stick-in-the-mud; you are tired. Mystery SolvedI've often wondered what those running boards were used for. Another American GothicI find this photo particularly soothing. The auto looks polished and the people appear to be all dressed up. I remember my grandmothers' Sunday print dresses and those sensible shoes. We used to call them "nun shoes." And I love their hats, too. Maybe this is their last day in Florida and they're paying one last visit to the shore. They've had lunch and they're in that moment before someone says, "Well, that's it. Let's get everything packed and start back for Ohio." Traffic Light HellAlexander raises an interesting point. While it's true that road travel before the interstate system was much slower, it's also true that it was much more fun and interesting. The interstate system homogenized cuisine and culture; it eradicated local diners and bypassed points of interest and replaced them with national fast-food chains and sheer boredom. In the pre-interstate era, a road trip from Ohio to Florida would have been a trip through dozens of local cultures, small towns, interesting sights, and a lot of darn good food. Now it's just mind-numbing hours of exit numbers, all featuring exactly the same bad choices of things to eat and absolutely nothing to see or do. As much good as the interstate system has done, it has also killed much of small-town America and local flavor and culture. "What's that over there?""Over where?" "Out there, in the water." "Well, why didn't you say in the water to begin with?" "I gestured." "I didn't see it." "I gestured with my eyes." "You can't gesture with your eyes." "You weren't paying attention." "It looks like a sailboat." "How pretty. Like Father's old boat." "Shouldn't we be getting back? I have sand in my shoes." Times changeI'll bet if you asked these folks how they enjoyed their day at the beach they'd say it was terrific. All depends on what you're used to. BTW, pantyhose were not invented for another generation. These ladies had old fashioned stockings held up by garters, that were probably attached to their girdles. The guy probably had old fashioned (pre Spandex) socks, held up by garters, too. Sotto BlottoHow do you know they aren't stinking drunk and just holding still until the photographer is gone to get back to the party? "Quick, Ethel, put on your sober face -- they got the camera out again!" Carey is right.Travel back then was more of an adventure than today. Our first road trip from New Jersey to Florida was in 1955 when I was 7 years old. Route 95 was only finished in sections so most of the way we were turning off and traveling on Route 301 through tobacco fields, cotton fields, stopping at small town diners and roadside attractions. We still talk about what great fun we had and how it was an adventure for all of us. [If by "Route 95" you mean I-95, the Interstate Highway System wasn't even begun until 1956. Perhaps you mean U.S. 1. - Dave] Driving SouthIn February of 1956, I answered a classified ad in the NY Times offering cars to drive to Florida. A friend and myself were given a new Ford convertible and a full tank of gas. All other expenses were on us. We were allowed 3 days to get there. Using routes 1 and A1A, we drove the car there in 28 hours (including being stopped for speeding and waiting for a magistrate to come in and fine us $15) and then had the car for us to use for a couple of days. The car's owner lived on an island in the Miami area and after we gave her a sob story she tipped us $25. I'm nearby when this picture was takenBack in 1941, I was 5 years old and living in Sarasota. The next year, because of the war and transportation was for servicemen mainly, few tourists came to town. My father lost his therapy business downtown and we all moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to find work. My life changed forever in 1941, as it did for every American citizen on Dec. 7. Sarasota was a lovely little town back then; now it is beautiful, but without me, I'm sorry to say. Snow BirdsI am from around Sarasota, Florida, and I love that it is January and they seem to be from Ohio. If you were to be in Sarasota in January there would still be a lot of people from Ohio! I also love how they're just relaxing on the beach. It's so interesting to me how the same beach I have played and laid out on my whole life has been "bathed" on for so many years. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, M.P. Wolcott)
Revival: 1900
Ocean Grove, New Jersey, circa 1900-1910. "Interior of auditorium." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... View full size. A Magnificent Auditorium The is the wonderful auditorium where I was lucky enough to once see a ... Ocean Grove, just south of Asbury Park on the north Jesrey Shore, along with Ocean City on the south Jesey shore, and Oak Bluffs, on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:24pm -

Ocean Grove, New Jersey, circa 1900-1910. "Interior of auditorium." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A Magnificent AuditoriumThe is the wonderful auditorium where I was lucky enough to once see a production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" back in the summer of 1947. The acoustics were amazing. Ocean Grove, just south of Asbury Park on the north Jesrey Shore, along with Ocean City on the south Jesey shore, and Oak Bluffs, on Martha's Vineyard, were popular Methodist summer camp grounds and resorts and probably still are. You could not drive on the streets of Ocean Grove on Sunday. The locals hung chains across the roadways into the community to prevent cars and trucks from disturbing the tranquility. Wooden you know itSo that's what happened to Noah's Ark! And the Spirit movedThey meant business during that turn-of-the-century Holiness revival. And I'll bet deodorant hadn't even been invented. Electrifying SermonWith a stage show and gear like that I'd have to guess it's Billy Sunday. No? Re: Wooden You Know ItThanks for the hearty laugh I got from your comment. Wheres Waldo?Post Rapture? Just imagineThe heat in that place on a July Sunday Say Amen sombodyLooks like a Revival setting up. How many trees did it taketo create a marvel like that? All that wood must have smelled wonderful - until half the occupants lit up their cigars. Maybe smoking wasn't allowed for being sinful, not to mention the tremendous fire hazard. A wonderful space, anyway, complete with full orchestra. Fireproof ConstructionThis place gives new meaning to "Burn in eternal damnation." Beautiful BuildingInteresting building, looks like it's still standing too. View Larger Map Holy cow!An esthetic nightmare! Elmer Gantry Lives!Where are Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons? Praise the LordFor your viewers who are city slickers and sophisticated lifelong residents of either American coast, they might not realize that these revivals are still going on to this very day in the Southern states of the U.S. on all levels, from the big entertainment shows in huge church auditoriums to the local small scale "tent revivals" which are precisely as described, various sizes of simple tents with assortments of metal or plastic folding chairs or even B.Y.O.C. venues. There are both ordained ministers or simple country preachers and everything from full orchestras to a single rinky-dink used piano. Elmer Gantry comes to mind as individual cardboard fans are distributed by the local funeral homes. Having grown up in Connecticut, I really enjoy my current residence in the south, sometimes I feel like I'm living in a moving picture, but the people have stellar strength of character which I find intriguing. I didn't know what I was missing growing up as a Yankee. Sitting in judgmentI hope the revivalists provided seat cushions. Ouch. Pre-individualismReligion on an industrial scale. Amazing. A lot of woodI was thinking the same thing......a lot of wood was used to build this place. The downside is places like this burned down fairly easily. Not to mention being on the coast, you would assume the wood was more subject to corrosion & rot. FiretrapToday's fire marshal would be horrified with this seating arrangement and building materials. Say What?They must have had some sort of amplification system in use, but I can't imagine what it would be back then. [It was called "oratory." - Dave] High reachI bet all those little light bulbs hanging from the ceiling were pretty lit up but it must have been a job to replace them when they burned out. In the Sweet By and ByThe roof had to rise up off its rafters or beams as the choir, pipe organ, orchestra and congregation raised their voices in the great 19th century hymns! Would loved to have heard them! None of the pathetic little 7-11 songs of today where they sing the same seven words over and over 11 times in monotonous drudgery. Then it was five full verses plus chorus each time! Still standingI live in the area & was visiting Ocean Grove & Asbury Park which is right next to Ocean Grove. Tony Bennett was playing the Great Auditorium, as it is known, & you can actually hear the concert in the next town over! Here is a current photo of the auditorium, not much has changed. Here's some videoFireproofDespite the fire hazard of all that wood and all that hellfire, the 1894 auditorium is indeed still standing, and its surroundings seem unchanged as well: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeruny/4323388065/ I've been there. It's magnificent. An interior shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/humbleland/2570769421/ The tent houses still stand also: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sloppydawgnj/536085078/ Ocean Grove is well worth visiting--it's almost like a little time capsule. BurnoutAs an Electrician, I would hate to have to be responsible for re-lamping this building back then. Today I would rent a articulated lift to get so high up above the seating, but back then, I imagine the best option might be scaffolding. Unless there was access above the ceiling. Either way it would be tough. The prototypeThe Auditorium at Ocean Grove was patterned after the Amphitheater at Chautauqua Institution. The leaders of Ocean Grove perused the Amp, and designed a building that was a copy to a great degree. The Ocean Grove Auditorium took the outer rows of seats from the Amp and turned them into a balcony. It was completed a year after the Chautauqua structure. Both buildings are still going strong and are terrific venues to enjoy music. They have exquisite acoustics, like being inside a giant cello. https://www.shorpy.com/node/7257 Fond Memories of Graduation Graduation ceremonies from Neptune High School in 1957 were held here. Much better than an outdoor stadium. I wonder how many graduations were held after that. (The Gallery, DPC)
The Dakota: 1912
... Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The Killer It sort of pleases me that none of the 27 or so commenters has ... over the money and 15 minutes of fame obsessed (think Jersey Shore) and the cruel internet culture we live with today. I've been ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:43pm -

New York circa 1912. "Dakota Apartments, Central Park West and West 72nd Street." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The KillerIt sort of pleases me that none of the 27 or so commenters has mentioned the name of John Lennon's murderer and neither will I. He is now 55 years old, serving 20 years to life, he has been denied parole six times. Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York houses him, it is a perfect alternative to a death sentence. ImagineWhen this photo was taken, the Dakota was only 28 years old. Here's nearly the same view today. The Dakota TerritoryPossibly my very favorite building in all of Manhattan. In the late 70s, when I was a teenager, I would cut school and hang out there with a fellow John Lennon adorer. We met him many times, and he'd let us walk with him to Broadway where he bought his gum and newspapers. We'd also regularly see the other celeb denizens - Paul Simon, Rex Reed, and Lauren Bacall ( Bacall still lives there.) The night Lennon got shot, we were there within hours, holding a vigil outside with dozens of other people. When I became a horse-drawn carriage driver in the early 80s, it was one of the most requested sites by my customers, as it sits directly facing Central Park at 72nd St. I had a long line of trivia I would tell them about the building, including that it was named "The Dakota" because the owner and builder, Mr. Singer of Singer Sewing Machine Co. fame, was teased by his 5th Ave and downtown friends that his new building was so far away from the chic parts of NYC at the time, that "it might as well have been in the Dakota Territory." A few things - where the man is standing at the right in the Park (near that wonderful sign that should be reproduced and again posted for today's selfish Handy Andys) is about 20 feet from where the Lennon memorial, Strawberry Fields, is today. The building has not, to my eye, changed even one iota - masonry is still all intact, carriageway is still there, planters and fabulous railing all still there. It has even managed to retain its original windows, a great architectural boon in my opinion, with so many other old lovely buildings having had theirs replaced. The one difference is that there has been for decades a large, nice, bronze doorman's booth on the left side of the carriageway. I'm loving the horse-drawn wagon at the back of of the line of cars (taxis?) Kind of a metaphor, as it was 1912 and the horse-drawn vehicle was on its way out. I don't have a magnifying glass - can anyone tell me what it says on the back of the wagon? Thank you SO much for this pic - I have seen many photos of The Dakota, but never this one, what a treat. [Below: Stern Brother department store delivery van. - Dave] Thank you! Dakota TriviaJohn Lennon, who would have turned 70 on Oct 9th, was murdered outside The Dakota. His widow, Yoko Ono, still lives there. The 1968 film 'Rosemary's Baby' filmed some scenes at The Dakota. It was renamed 'The Bramford' in the movie. Happy Birthday JohnJohn Lennon would have been 70 on Saturday the 9th. Nice of you to remember Dave. Thanks. Happy birthday John LennonThat's a grand old building John and Yoko lived in. They don't build them like that anymoreThe Dakota is one of the most beautiful buildings in NYC. BTW, I was a teen watching Monday Night Football when Cosell announced Lennon's death on air. You can hear it here. Si Morley was hereI first heard of this building in one of my favorite books, Jack Finney's "Time and Again," published in 1970 or so. The Dakota is nearly a character in its own right in this book. What a beautiful building. John Lennon at 70Here's a computer image of what John may have looked like when he was 70 years of age. Happy birthday John!John Lennon would have been 70 years old today had he not been shot at the Dakota. Beautiful BuildingA sad way to commemorate tomorrow being John Lennon's 70th birthday. (How is that even possible?) Fitting.Happy Birthday, John. In MemoriamT'is sad that the main thing that this building is known for is the tragedy that happened outside. Performing Flea.I don't intend to be a performing flea any more. I was the dreamweaver, but although I'll be around I don't intend to be running at 20,000 miles an hour trying to prove myself. I don't want to die at 40. ~ John Lennon +70Happy 70th Birthday, John Winston Ono Lennon. Wish you were here. Strawberry Fields ForeverThe site of the murder of John Lennon (born on this day in 1940). Living life in peaceThis was John Lennon's home in New York, and where he was murdered on the street in 1980. Had he lived, Lennon would have turned 70 tomorrow. Film locationRosemary's Baby. If you saw "Rosemary's Baby"rest assured that the interior of the Dakota is a far cry from that which Mia Farrow moved around in. I have seen a few a few of the apartments, ranging from a very large one that Robert Ryan and his wife lived in to a much smaller, but far from cramped one that was Roberta Flack's residence. They ere all quite elegant. I live farther up on Central Park West, so I frequently pass by the Dakota and it is not unusual to see Lennon fans hanging around the entrance. Of course it did not all begin with Lennon, the Dakota was a home to celebrities for a few decades before he and Yoko moved in. A great building that once seemed to stand out of town. I believe that's how it acquired the name—it seemed to be in the sticks. More Dakota TriviaThe Dakota also plays a major part in Jack Finney's novel "Time And Again," a beautifully crafted mystery novel set in the 1970s and 1880s. What were you doing the evening of 9 Dec. 1980?I see that there are many here who also know that John Winston Ono Lennon would have been 70 years old today. I would guess that you also remember what you were doing when you heard the terrible announcement that he had been murdered. I was on my way home from a job I had singing Christmas carols for shoppers at ZCMI Center in Salt Lake City. I shed quite a few tears that night, and the next day. It is hard for most people to understand why some of us love him so much. It is absolutely not your run-of-the-mill celebrity worship. There was something special about John Lennon that was still developing, the older he got. Happy Birthday JohnHis music is so timeless and inspirational. I hope he found the peace he wanted so much in life. Shrubbery defacers, bewareI think this guy intends to see that the "punish" precedes the "arrest." I heard the news that night oh boyI had read about Lennon's upcoming album back in October. And every so often, I'd tune up the AM dial (how quaint) and down the FM dial, hoping to hear one of the new songs. I was doing that the night of December 8, when I caught "Just Like Starting Over" halfway through. I recognized the old-time rock-and-roll style which had been described in the newspaper preview (which Lennon referred to as "Elvis Orbison.") And I liked it-- no avant garde, experimental, primal scream, political stuff-- just fun. When the record ended, the DJ said "We'll have more details on the death of John Lennon right after this," and they went to a commercial break. I was so shocked, I tried to bend what the DJ had said, to something I could handle. Perhaps he had introduced the record by telling people to listen for "clues" that John is Also Dead? (Goofing off on the Paul is Dead hoax.) Or, if he was really dead, I was wondering, From What? Before the DJ returned, a friend called me and said that Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football had reported John Lennon had been murdered. So I had just that minute and a half of "Cool, he's back, and it sounds great!" 12-8-80I was home on leave from the Navy watching the Dolphins/Patriots game on Monday Night Football with my Dad when Howard Cosell came on and announced that John Lennon had been shot. Awful. Unforgettable momentI was living in Madison, Wisconsin on Langdon Street and walked over to Rocky Rococo's Pizza on State Street near campus to enjoy a slab of Pizza and watch Monday Night Football. The game coverage (the voice over commentary) was interrupted and I think I first heard of the news either from an announcement read by Howard Cosell or Frank Gifford. Then they broke in with an actual news bulletin that indicated he had been shot and was en route to the hospital. In the time that it took to walk back over to Langdon Street and enter my apartment it was announced that he had died. I turned on the radio and heard the actual announcement he had died and just recall thinking what a bizarre thing this was. His then recently released album was already getting a lot of play in Madison, and after the news it was complete saturation. Every time I see the DakotaOne of my favorite Christine Lavin songs: The Dakota. [YouTube link] It was a Monday morning, I was coming in from a long trip on the road. I flagged a cab near the East Side Terminal, I said, "Please take me home." We drove up along Third Avenue, crossed through Central Park. When we came out at Seventy second Street, I felt a cold chill in my heart. Every time I see the Dakota, I think about that night. Shots ringing out, the angry shouts, A man losing his life. Well, it's something we shouldn't dwell upon, But it's something we shouldn't ignore. Too many good men have been cut down, Let's pray there won't be any more. ... Words and Music by Christine Lavin December 9, 1980I was decorating my Christmas tree as my first child, who was three months old to the day (she's 30 now, obviously), watched from her infantseat. I was never a Beatles fan but I do remember the night they debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show; I was sitting on the couch after my bath, in my pajamas, a five-year-old wondering what all the fuss was about. The night John Lennon died I was listening to the radio and honestly -- and I know this next part won't be appreciated by many, but it's a free country and I believe we still enjoy free speech, at least for a little while longer -- after an hour or so I got a little tired of hearing the late Beatle practically elevated to sainthood by the announcer and every caller. I called the radio station not to speak ill of the dead, but to point out that perhaps we should temper our comments understanding that this man and what he stood for did a great deal to tear at the fabric of our society. (I don't think anyone really believes hippie-freakdom fueled by rock music has done all of us a world of good. Why do we have to act like it has?) The announcer, once he was onto my gist, hung up on me. So much for free speech. But I do adore Johnny Depp so maybe I'm a great big hypocrite. You make the call. A creepy place.I never liked that building from the time I first saw it in Rosemary's Baby, and that was some 12 years before Lennon was shot. It creeped me out then and creeps me out now, just looking at it. Time and Again and AgainNobody is going to mention Simon Morley using the Dakota as a time machine to travel back to the blustery cold winter days of 1882 in Jack Finney's novel "Time and Again?" It's such a fun and well researched book. [Somebody did mention it! - Dave] In MemoriamIn the new 4-CD Lennon compilation "Gimme Some Truth" there's a booklet that includes a photo of Lennon and Ono in their bedroom. Assuming it was taken at the Dakota, it's far less fancy then you would expect the apartment of a wealthy icon to be today. While it's a large room by New York City postwar apartment standards, it's not large by McMansion standards. The wall behind the bed is painted brick and there's nothing all that fancy in the room. As for Jenny Pennifer's comments, you certainly have the right to make any comments you like, but you obviously don't have a clue as to Lennon's impact, either culturally, politically or musically. To understand that impact, all you have to do is look up the hundreds, if not thousands of other artists who have recorded his songs, see the number of people who gather at Strawberry Fields or at the Dakota each day and listen to the radio where his songs are still played 30 to 47 years after they were written. Lennon did not tear at our society except to try and stop an illegal and useless war (what happened when we finally pulled out? Nothing except people stopped being killed.) and to fight for peace and the rights of all human beings. And I'll take "hippie freakdom" over the money and 15 minutes of fame obsessed (think Jersey Shore) and the cruel internet culture we live with today. I've been inside onceI was inside the Dakota once, at a political fundraiser in about 1995. The apartment belonged to the head of the European equities desk at a large hedge fund. It was very large, and clearly very expensive, but it was not as fabulous as the glass-walled penthouses overlooking the city in many other buildings, or even some of the (probably much less expensive) apartments in less famous buildings, but which have large terraces overlooking central park. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Wring Out the Old: 1905
The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "A wringing match." Show us your knees! 8x10 inch dry plate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2012 - 3:11pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "A wringing match." Show us your knees! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. I say!Some very good looking young women here, especially the one with the stripey socks! HappinessThis picture makes me smile! Naughty, Bawdy Beach Beauties!They have that gleam in their eyes! Showing off a little leg and wanting to show a bit more! They are a cute bunch of young ladies having a good time and I love their spunkiness! A peek of patellaWow, showing knees like that in 1905, those hussies! It's a good thing the Jersey Shore constables didn't see this, otherwise the gals would be hauled off for indecent exposure. Where are they now with what goes on there? No duplicatesHow many variations of the sailor suit bathing costume can you have? Cheesecake FactoryI am shocked and appalled at yet another picture on Shorpy of young ladies in swimsuits. I was under the impression this is a family web site. Have you no respect for women? I just may cancel my membership. Or not. And now for the Main Event!.Looks like an act in the "Wringling" Brothers Circus. Hey there!The tall girl on the right has a cute mischievous look on her face, and the girl second from left has the showgirl pose working. A nice December reminder of summertime! UpstandingIt looks like the woman on the right would be head and shoulders taller than the others if she straightened up. A Real BeautyThe girl on the right is a real beauty. There is a hint of a promise of something more in that look. Scandalous!Wow! I have never seen such mischief makers on Shorpy from circa 1905. I love the expressions on their faces. The third one from the left's expression is saying, "You think this is something? Just you wait!" Old NavyHave they really been in business that long? PerfectPhotograph to help us all forget that the first snow of the season is just outside our door. Hubba Hubba! Saaaaaaayy!Those bathing suits aren't even wet. Scamps! Wow!I must say, I do believe I'm getting the vapors from such an erotic image! And without showing any skin too!Stockings and bloomers under their bathing suits, and slippers of some kind. These girls may want to be naughty, but pulling up their skirts seems pretty tame. Stay and playI wouldn't kick any of these ladies out of my sandbox for eating animal crackers. I wonder about their shoesThey look like they are made of canvas. Were the shoes specially bought to go with the whole swimsuit ensemble, or was any old shoe good enough? To modern eyes, the only thing odder than shoes with a bathing suit are stockings with a bathing suit. Bathing shoesBathing shoes were often worn, just as many people wear them these days at the beach partly for modesty's sake and partly for protection for the feet. In the Victorian era, they were knee-length and were laced with ribbon. From the turn of the century until the 1920s, when women began wearing sandals to the beach, canvas was was the usual material for most beach shoes. Surf slippersSwim shoes were still around in the 1930s. I wore them as a child as did most people whenever entering the surf because it was often very rocky. Having said that, In the early 1900's I suspect "fully clothed" was the justification for shoes. (The Gallery, DPC, Swimming)
The Tickler: 1909
Cincinnati circa 1909. "Chester Park -- the Tickler." Now "not as rough." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... offered! You may have had to leave your idylls of the Jersey shore, but taffy's teeth-pulling sweetness is still available to remind ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 2:41pm -

Cincinnati circa 1909. "Chester Park -- the Tickler." Now "not as rough." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The lady's not for TickleringOnly young men seem to enjoy it. The women standing below are gazing at it dubiously - as I would too. For one thing, their hats are a lot more difficult to put on and take off. For another, the excitement the ride induces probably isn't appropriate in public mixed company. The Atlantic City theme continues, with boxes of its famed salt water taffy proudly offered! You may have had to leave your idylls of the Jersey shore, but taffy's teeth-pulling sweetness is still available to remind you of the salt spray, even after you're back in Ohio. What goes downI'm sure that even with the remodeled Tickler, many still lost their popular price luncheon! By the late 1920sI think is when they closed Chester Park. Coney Island and the new Riverdowns horse track took over by the 1930s. I always thought Coney Island was Cincinnati's first amusement park until I saw this site. The current location now holds a Honda dealership and a Kroger grocery store. Tickler on the West CoastThe Tickler could also be found at the 1909 Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition held in Seattle. The fabulous documentary "The Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition: Seattle's Forgotten World's Fair" has footage of the Fairy Gorge Tickler in action beginning at 24:27: http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=4030901 Another good image of the ride in question being used is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uw_digital_images/3383228748/ You can tell just how popular it was by the line of people waiting to get on! Evidently the thrill was worth the whiplash. My aching neck!Claims to be not as rough, but I hurt just looking at it! Also known asThe Kidney Stone Crusher! Rubber bumpersThe secret to the ride is the rubber bumpers. The bumpered car rolls along against the railings, carrying it down the slanted floor. The cars would spin along the track as they descended. Tickler historyThe idea of a ride named ticker has apparently been around for a while. The Tickler name holds special significance in the history of amusement rides and of Coney Island. The Tickler was the first amusement ride "designed to jostle, jolt and jounce its riders about in their seats when the ride was in motion," according to its inventor and manufacturer William F. Mangels. More here. Human pinballIt's interesting to see there are reflectors mounted on the arc lamps in this photo. "Not as rough as last season"Those six words make my imagination go wild. Just how bad was it last season that they feel compelled to mention it? New and ImprovedIt shouldn't kill nearly as many people this year! "Not as rough"Quite a bit more popular than its predecessor, "The Lacerator." The Hat ExchangeThere is a sign that reads "HATS" and some lined circular containers nearby. I guess if you were afraid that your hat might blow away during your Tickler experience you left it in one of those receptacles. If there were enough of them in the bin I wonder if someone looking for an upgrade just helped themselves and left you theirs. [The "lined circular containers" are what you ride in. The hat basket is what the sign is attached to. - Dave] FrazzleI want to know what's inside "Frazzle." RemodeledAny truth to the rumor the work was done by a French company? "Mangels"The inventor was a man named Mangels? Ah. Last season must have been a hoot and a half. The First VariationThis must have been the predecessor of The Price Is Right's Plinko game on a slightly larger scale. Frankly, I've love to see it in motion. Amusement park rides of yesteryear had so much more charm than the overly padded and seat strapped and belted rides of today. There is something to be said for the thrills one gets from riding and surviving intact a hair raising ride such as this. Today's rides may be higher and faster but they lack the genuine fear factor and adrenaline rush that real danger provides. I can only imagine the concessions possible on the "I survived the Tickler" wool t-shirts, wool neckties, and wool bathing suits. Instant InjuryJust don't let your arms hang too far down on the outside, or your fingers will get squished into useless tentacles. HeadwaiterThe bloke wearing the dark suit looks like the headwaiter in a mortuary. Maybe he is waiting to pick up customers that didn't survive the ride. [I don't even want to ask what kind of mortuary employs waiters! - Dave] Instant injury (2)And be careful how your tentacles are hanging as well!! How does it move side to side?Since the cars don't appear to have any motors and the planks have no rails to guide the cars, I wonder how they move thru the railings left to right/right to left? Gravity wouldn't move the car sideways, only down. [The rotation of the car might be enough to move it from side to side. Or the railings might be angled down a bit. Or both. - Dave] MisnomerHow would this "ride" do anything but rattle you to the core? Tilt-a-whirlThis looks like an early albeit extremely-dangerous looking tilt-a-whirl from amusement parks of today. Oddly, there doesn't look to be any sort of stopper mechanism at the end (or padding)... hopefully it didn't go too fast. The sign at the top is amazingI'd love to get a large image just of the sign at the top. The decoration on the lintel is also great. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Sports)
Greetings From Atlantic City: 1904
Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1904. "Boardwalk from the beach." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. ... under the boardwalk for shade. Any time I'm down at the shore, especially Atlantic City, I try to avoid going under the boardwalk, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 8:43pm -

Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1904. "Boardwalk from the beach." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Phillips for Your Photo in ACMy paternal gradmother, Emma, and her kids had their postcard format photo taken at the Phillips studio, 1619 Boardwalk, about a dozen years after the "Greetings" photo. My father, Bill, is in front with the shovel, while older brother and sister Sam and Hazel are behind. They were Philadelphia residents and an excursion to Atlantic City by ferry and train was a typical summertime activity. Imagine my surprise when I saw the Phillips photo studio included in the Shorpy scene. There he is!I found Waldo. He's right behind the dude from Village People adjusting his wedgie. That lifeguardHe looks very familiar. Japanese goodsA google search shows an Emanary business in NY specialized in Japanese goods. We can indeed (barely) read "Japanese" on that S.Emanery shop window. http://www.14to42.net/16street2.html Hey you with the camera I think this less-than Shorpy photo is a continuation of the one posted; the "ry & co." to the left seems to be a part of the S. Emanary sign. Anyways, that ACB Patrol gentleman looks awfully wary of the camera. The LifeguardAlthough they look fairly similar, I don;t believe they are the same. The Handsome Rake (on Brighton Beach) from the other photo looks a few years younger and this photo was taken the year before the other photo. https://www.shorpy.com/node/6901?size=_original Scandalous!The young man in the middle-ground right side is about to touch the big-toe of the woman next to him with the tip of his index finger. He was probably forced to marry her after that. 3 Men...where's the baby?Is that Tom Selleck's Grandfather scratching his leg? Under the boardwalkI'm always surprised to see that people used to use the place under the boardwalk for shade. Any time I'm down at the shore, especially Atlantic City, I try to avoid going under the boardwalk, imagining that there's unpleasantness of various sorts under there. And too, the beach there at Atlantic City is so deep, you'd never touch the sea if you stayed under the boardwalk. The girl in the sailor swim suit is so pretty. What cheekbones! 100 year old wedgieIs that the lifeguard from a previous post adjusting his trousers? Form factorNot an overweight person in the crowd. My how times have changed. Under itWell, now I understand the song, "Under the Boardwalk." Those chairs would appear to be comfortable perches from which to watch the peopled world go by. The white canopies above the chairs are apparently to catch sand and trash that fall through the cracks. Sandy bottomsI wonder when some unsung genius thought up the idea of sitting on a towel while at the beach. All of these old seashore images show everyone's bathing costume caked with scratchy sand, but they look as if they are happy as pigs in the mud. "Types"So many in this century-old scene! Jocks, the Pretty Girl, the Clueless Dork, the Twins, Dude Checkin' Out the Ladies. Plus of course lots of Old People. Re: Form FactorI now amuse myself when pictures of crowds and kids' classes come up by counting the comments before someone declares, "And nobody in the picture is fat!" Getting to be quite a theme! Re: TypesClueless dork? Can't think which one you mean! That's too funny. Bathing Suit lawsThis was back in the day when male chests had to be covered in public by local ordinances and laws. [In addition to swimsuits! - Dave] And I thought it was only in the cartoonsLook at the two little tots standing on the boardwalk upper left. I had no clue children really dressed like this. I remember watching Bugs Bunny cartoons with kids dressed like this holding a lollipop but I never really thought it was the norm. I itch just looking at this photoIt apparently predates the invention of the giant-size beach towel. Just imagining the combination of damp sand and salty-wet woolen swimwear makes me squirm in my seat. (And is it just me, or is something odd going on in the front of Mr. A.C.B.'s trunks?) (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
The Honeymooners: 1905
... Publishing Company. View full size. Here's to the Newlyweds! Their marriage is off to a great start. He's already getting ... like a mixture of trash, butts and animal dung. ["Jersey Shore." - Dave] A Man's Legacy Reason No. 1000 why you ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:37pm -

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1905. "They were on their honeymoon." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Here's to the Newlyweds!Their marriage is off to a great start. He's already getting her goat, and she's riding his, um, mule. HmmmmmmmmNice woman on that ass. Please, please, please!Oh, please let Wills & Kate see this pic and get some stunning ideas. I hear they postponed their honeymoon so they could wait until the proper photograph was revealed on Shorpy! The Beach, Yuck!It looks like a mixture of trash, butts and animal dung. ["Jersey Shore." - Dave] A Man's LegacyReason No. 1000 why you should never let yourself be photographed in a little toy wagon being pulled by a miniature donkey: 111 years later that photograph will be posted on a website for millions of people to see, and your legacy for the rest of eternity will be, "Look at that jackass riding in that silly wagon!" (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Swimming)
No. 1 Atlantic Ocean: 1910
Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1910. "Young's residence on Million Dollar Pier." The marble-encrusted Venetian "villa" at No. 1 Atlantic Ocean of showman and ... villa, built in 1906 hundreds of feet from the shore on a pier 20 feet above the ocean, survived gales, hurricanes and several ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:52pm -

Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1910. "Young's residence on Million Dollar Pier." The marble-encrusted Venetian "villa" at No. 1 Atlantic Ocean of showman and real-estate developer Captain John Young. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Wishful thinkingDave, any "post-gale" photos of this monstrosity? This is just too tempting for Mother Nature. WOW!Which hurricane took it out? Beach CottageDoes anyone know how long this lasted? I want to move in! [Captain Young's concrete-and-marble villa, built in 1906 hundreds of feet from the shore on a pier 20 feet above the ocean, survived gales, hurricanes and several boardwalk fires before it fell to the wrecking ball in 1953. - Dave] Uplifting cultureHe sure liked those alabaster maidens, didn't he? Well litI'd like to see a night photo of this place. It's covered with hundreds of bulbs. Do you suppose those light-bulb-encrusted flowers blinked? [The lighting is said to have been designed by none other than Thomas Edison. - Dave] From a 1910 article in the New York Times: The Captain is, to make use of his own expression, "a bug on lighting effects." In other words he has a fancy for a lot of light and for a varying in colors. His house is outlined in white electric lights from "cellar to dome," and those peculiar dials near the top are not clocks, but arrangements for giving a constant change to the lighting scheme. Surrounding the house is a magnificent lawn. It was built on a solid concrete platform with sufficient ventilation to keep the grass from scalding. It is made of the best Pennsylvania soil. The lawn is intersected by broad walks, and artistically distributed are small pine trees set out in large tubs. Statuary is scattered in profusion all about the lawn, and the whole place is surrounded by concrete coping to keep the rains from washing away the lawn. Artistic electroliers have been placed all about the outside of the property, too. Window DressingCaptain Long did not care much for privacy, it seems. Fresh fish for dinner!Some images start my mind a wandering; I thought of fishing out the window. Allegedly Cap'n John landed 30 pounds of fish on his first attempt as reported in the AC Weekly: http://www.acweekly.com/view.php?id=4793 . Other interesting views of advertising on the boardwalks are at http://library.duke.edu/exhibits/maxwell/index.html . Everything MatchesIt's hard to imagine now just how popular this overblown style was at the time. Not even counting its unique location on the pier, this house owes a lot to the fantasy-laden grandeur of the World's Fair Beaux Arts style of architecture that came in with the White City in Chicago in 1893. Tiffany & Company even redecorated the White House interiors for Theodore Roosevelt in a style similar to this, although they didn't outline the building in Edison lightbulbs. The party of well-dressed and well-fed tourists in the foreground, especially those Under Full Sail ladies, hold their own against all that marble and plaster. How utterly charming!It looks like a combination of a dollhouse and a cake. I want so badly to go inside! House of...If anyone will ever ask me to define the word "kitsch" I'll just show this photograph to them. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
Nine Lives: 1910
October 1910, aboard the steamship Trent off Bermuda. "M. Vaniman and cat." Melvin Vaniman, ... crossing when his airship, the Akron, exploded off the New Jersey shore on July 2, 1912. Filled with 11,300 cubic meters of hydrogen gas, his was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/09/2013 - 1:31am -

October 1910, aboard the steamship Trent off Bermuda. "M. Vaniman and cat." Melvin Vaniman, first engineer aboard the hydrogen airship America, with the tabby cat mascot of their ill-fated attempt at the first air crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Just As WellOur cat Diablo would be a dangerous source of static electricity were he on board a hydrogen filled airship. Patting him actually causes interference on an AM radio! Maybe it's just as well that the America's crossing was aborted. Vaniman's DemiseVaniman lost his life during his second attempt at a trans-Atlantic airship crossing when his airship, the Akron, exploded off the New Jersey shore on July 2, 1912. Filled with 11,300 cubic meters of hydrogen gas, his was the first American airship that could compare to the better known European manufactured models. Vaniman and his crew of four were killed when the airship exploded in front of the gathered crowd near Atlantic City, and gondola plunged 750 meters into an inlet. -- Wikipedia A more fortunate feline.... than the one that accompanied Shackleton and the crew of ENDURANCE to the south polar seas. R.I.P. Mrs. Chippy. Anyone got a lint brush?I love that the guy holding the cat is covered in cat hair. Some things never change... Never annoy a cat...That cat is definitely planning an act of revenge. Flying cat!I was hoping that we'd get to see the cat. Looks like he was leash trained. [Also rope trained. The New York Times reported that Kitty jumped out of the airship in heavy fog early in the voyage but was fished out of the Atlantic with a canvas bag attached to a lifeline. - Dave] What happened to the cat?Out of sheer curiosity, is it known what happened to the cat when the America was abandoned by its crew? [That''s what the photo is of. The crew after they were rescued by the Trent. - Dave] Lint RollerLooks to have cat hair all over his sweater and coat. Just like my clothes, my house, furniture and every damn thing I own. It was never my intention to love a cat and I swear, I will never love another one. Re: HELIUM, not hydrogen, DID NOT explodeWriting in ALL CAPS is irritating enough when people are "correcting" a previous comment. When the "correcter" turns out to be the one who needs correcting, it's ESPECIALLY annoying. Akron lost in storm, did not explode.The Akron was lost in a storm on April 3rd,1933, off the coast of New Jersey. It DID NOT explode as reported above. It was filled with 6,500,000 cubic feet of HELIUM, not hydrogen. US airships never used hydrogen. 73 men went down with her. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Akron_(ZRS-4) [Wrong. The very first sentence of that Wikipedia article notes that there was more than one airship called the Akron. Like my sixth-grade teacher used to say, it always pays to check your facts. - Dave] All according to plan?The cat's expression is so calm and cool. It's almost as if he may have had a paw in the ship's demise... To use the colloquial expression...BURN (pun intended) On a side note, I have decided personal Zeppelin would be an awesome way to travel. Provided hydrogen is not the source of one's lift of course. I wonder about that cat ....That cat looks downright diabolical. I wonder if, in two years, Kitty had something to do with the Titanic, and if he is plotting it even as this picture is being taken. One should never underestimate the power of a cat .... Cat Conspiracy TheoristsSo the consensus is that it was the cat's fault? My dog would buy that. Kiddo, the airship cathttp://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/famous/kiddo.html Love the cat! And the cat hair!Frederick Murray Simon, the navigator of the airship America, from which this cat was rescued, was on the maiden voyage of the Hindenburg! http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/flight-schedule/maiden-voyage (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cats, G.G. Bain, Zeppelins & Blimps)
Endless Summer: 1905
The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "On the beach, Atlantic City." Who has the Frisbee? 8x10 inch ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/24/2011 - 1:24pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "On the beach, Atlantic City." Who has the Frisbee? 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Where the Frisbee isSeveral hundred miles away is where. At this point, the Frisbie Pie Company's plates hadn't made it outside the Bridgeport, Conn. area. Whew!If the weather that day was as hot as it is now here in Pa. they had better hurry up and eat the ice cream before it melts! Did they refrigerate with dry ice back then? Several unanswered questionsHow did the third girl from the left get so much sand in her hair? Who is the fourth girl throwing sand at and why? Who cleans up after the horse (whose tail indicates he may be ready to drop one)? Why does the chap in the background have a big circled "A" across his vest? Pegasus Love these old photos! I was just at the beach at AC recently, in some ways it hasn't changed. I wonder if that's the high-diving horse on a break from the Steel Pier? Your Credit Is Good HereThe sign on the building on the left is a reminder that the enticement of easy credit has been around a long time. Horse on the BeachNo good can come of this. Gimme an A!There in the background on the right and coming closer, is that Hester Prynne from "The Scarlet Letter"? Re: Whew!Was wondering the same thing about the dry ice. Were they using it back then for refrigeration? I looked up some history on it. Dry ice was discovered in 1834, but was not commercially available until 1924 or 1925. I remember its widespread use in the early 50's. It was always a treat at the end of a picnic to see it being dumped into water and seeing the resulting explosion of bubbling and vapor release. Bathing Suit RentalsIt looks the most popular rental shop was Old Navy. Ice Cream DreamWhat is the profit margin for selling something like ice cream for 1 cent? Ice Cream and --The sign on the Ice Cream cart is partially obscured -- what ends in "ocks"? The DaysThose were the days when it was worth it to stoop and pick up a penny. Bubble, bubbleI, too, can remember at the end of the annual church picnic when the leftover dry ice was tossed into the river. Along from the trampoline and collecting tadpoles, it was the highlight of the day. Beach Blanket BingoMinus the blankets. And the bingo. Ice cream ...ocksPossibly "blocks." I remember small cubes of ice cream, about the size of a child's alphabet block, wrapped in waxed paper being an item one saw for sale during my childhood years back in the 50s. Could be another convenient way, along with sandwiches and cones, to sell small quantities in a recreational venue such as this. Then there's Neapolitan ice cream, often served in block form to maintain or display its multi-colored layers. Pretty racyBathing suits that showed arms AND legs? The horror! The Dawn of UltimateHey, this may be the earliest photo of an Ultimate Frisbee beach tournament. Off to Asbury Park for a round of Disc Golf after the tourney, maybe? Hands and sandThis is like a panorama spliced together from three different pictures: the kids sitting in the foreground, the line with the ice-cream cart in between, and the beach perspective in the background. The last two layers don't do much for me, but the foreground is amazingly tactile, expressive, and dynamic. I'm drawn most of all to the steady hands and quiet gaze of the rightmost girl in the foreground. There's an interesting contrast between her steadiness and the blurred gestures and shifting weight of the girls beside her. There's also a very pleasing symmetry between the way she rests her hand on her ankle and the more wound-up gesture of the leftmost boy scooping up a fistful of sand. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Splash: 1906
New Jersey circa 1906. "Bathers, Atlantic City." At right is the Hotel Traymore. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... I've been carefully studying all these 100 year old Jersey shore photos and have been so amazed at how all the women are wearing black ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/24/2011 - 1:25pm -

New Jersey circa 1906. "Bathers, Atlantic City." At right is the Hotel Traymore. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Grumpy Not-So-Old Man?That guy with the all black suit and dark curly hair in the lower left corner could be a young Walter Matthou! Quite the Fit LotIt would be interesting to see a photo, perhaps taken from the same vantage point, today. I would like to compare the body shapes of 1906 with those of today. The building in the backgroundwas still there in 1977. Interesting experimentI think it would be interesting to take a picture like this on a beach today and compare the differences in the people's reaction to the camera man. There is an awkwardness from the beach goers here that lends itself to the idea of photography being a relatively new technology; or at least the camera as a candid time capsule. I imagine the reaction, or lack of would be quite different. I particularly love the little kid in the lower right that is either "shooting" the camera or mimicking the camera man. Many people seem to be stopping conversation to look over as the picture is being taken, as if they were just rudely interrupted. If anything else, I'm sure the beach attire would be quite a comparison. Women without hose!I've been carefully studying all these 100 year old Jersey shore photos and have been so amazed at how all the women are wearing black hose. It must have been so uncomfortable! In this photo, on the far left (our right) are two women with bare legs. Had they just taken their wet & sandy stockings off? Amazing beach architectureAstonishing architecture! Those towers and balconies are fascinating. never seen anything like them. I can just imagine what's there today. Plate glass windows and boxy bland motel schlock. WHY, why, why does America have such a devotion to tearing down every building once it gets to be 75 years old? [The Atlantic City hotels were razed because they went bankrupt (blame the invention of the jet airplane) or burned down. Below, the Hotel Traymore circa 1930. Demolished 1972. - Dave] Click to enlarge. Every Picture Tells a StoryIn this instance, a story of thinly veiled aggression interspersed with good-natured fun. Ninja alertPlus la change... You lookin at me?The "foot as hand" guy at left looks like he's saying "Heyyy ... I got yer photograph RIGHT HERE." Another funny thing about this picture is the guy on the sand walking along fully dressed in a business suit and shoes. Barnham AttractionHurry! Hurry! Step up and see boy with foot for hand! [P.T. Barnham, I'd like you to meet Walter Matthou. - Dave] The tyranny of monochromeI do not believe for ten minutes that that the people of 100+ years ago went around dressed in lots of black. I suspect the midi-dress style beach clothes were navy, and that what we see as black parasols and black stockings may have been red sometimes. But there is no mistaking that horizontal stripes were the fashion trend of 1906 beachwear. Not one vertical stripe, floral, or plaid in the bunch. Demolished!At 2:01 in this trailer for the movie "Atlantic City" you can see the demolition of the Hotel Traymore. ZombielandSecond kid from the left in the front was a future cast member of Dawn of the Dead. He even positioned his arm perfectly to overlap with the leg and foot of the gent behind him. Creepy. Un dimanche après-midiA few of those women with parasols thought it was A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. (I wonder if that kid is smoking a Helmar Cigarette.) Pardon me, Miss.If you could go back into that photo and ask one question, what would it be? For me, I'd go up to some of the women and say "Why are you wearing a dress on the beach"? Was it prudery, or perhaps they knew about the dangers of the sun and were trying to prevent skin damage. I believe back then, a suntan didn't have the status of today. The "lower" class who worked in the fields had the tans. The beach was more a place for the well to do to be seen, despite the dangers of the sun. Of course, Hollywood would eventually change the image of a suntan from low class to sexy status symbol. T-shirtsI hadn't realised T-shirts were that old, especially the one on the boy at the front with 'Gold' on it, it could have been bought today. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Asbury Park: 1905
New Jersey circa 1905. "Boardwalk, Asbury Park." "Notice: Bicycle riding on the plank walk is strictly prohibited." Detroit Publishing Co. View full ... looking up. Bicycles Way down on the South Jersey shore at Wildwood, bicycles were allowed on the boardwalk until 10 a.m. Unless ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 8:19pm -

New Jersey circa 1905. "Boardwalk, Asbury Park." "Notice: Bicycle riding on the plank walk is strictly prohibited." Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Oops. Wrong coast.Oh, yes. This "Winter" you speak of. It's some type of "season", isn't it? BeachwoodKnow we know where all the old-growth forests went -- to the boardwalk at Asbury Park. Has anyone been to Asbury Park in the last 10-20 years? Boy has it gone downhill! Calling Mrs. PuffWhat's with all the boats? I couldn't be that they are intended for lifesaving. You could drown twice before they got one off the pier. No ShowI’m curious to know what all the benches are for. It would take quite a crowd to fill all of them, so what would they be watching? Baby,We were born to stroll. RaysInteresting that in 1905, almost all the men are wearing hats and the ladies are under parasols. They must have been aware of the damage the sun can do. When I get my time machine,I'm going to make the woman in front cover her arms, such boldness, then it's straight to the roller coaster. At EaseThe awesomeness of this picture makes me yearn for simpler days. Not that these folks had things easier than we but just look at the carriage on the street to the left. Can you say, "leisurely"? Where's Doc Brown when you need him. Landlocked LifeboatsWhat do you suppose those dory-like boats were doing on the boardwalk? Props for photos? Exhibits? It looks like it would be very difficult to get one of these in the water unless there was some ingenious system of pulleys whereby they could be lowered onto the beach below. I can't read the "Notice" sign...tried to enlarge it, but I'm not very good at PhotoShop. Any ideas, Shorpy Nation? [Try reading the caption! - Dave] Ahhh...the caption!Yes...now I get it. Folks on the boardwalk were supposed to use the boats instead of bicycles! Check out the expression on the gal adjacent to the stern of the first boat. I think she's heebie-jeebied by that rat on the boardwalk a few steps in front of her. Off seasonAnother clue that it is not the high summer season is that none of the men are wearing their straw boaters. In 1905, these were a strict summer ritual from May through Labor Day. Big guy advised little guyI can see you've got a hungry heart and you're on fire. Don't worry, kid, someday the name Springsteen will mean a lot to people around here. Lifeboats in winter storageNote the lack of crowds, despite it being the morning of a a sunny day. There is no one on the beach or in the water. It's clearly the off season. I'd guess that the boats were stored high and dry on the boardwalk during the winter, and moved down to the beach for the summer. Tan, anyone?I can come up with three reasons people covered themselves while strolling along the boardwalk in 1905. I don't think they were worried about skin cancer. Modesty was becoming. This is not far from the time when Brits referred to arms and legs as "limbs" so as not to raise the eyebrows of society matrons. Middle and upper-class city dwellers didn't want to look like members of the laboring classes. "Red-neck" is a modern term, but the look has been around for a long time. Back then, you didn't want to be one. See Shorpy. Tanning for white folks has only been thought a mark of beauty and health for a couple of generations. Look at how pre-WW I advertisements portrayed women's complexions. Lily-white was in. Now we're starting to wear clothes again when we walk in the sun. Plus ca change . . . Sun and parasolsIt was considered very declasse to have a "tan" -- ladies had fair skin, farm girls were tanned. The woman in the front seems to be noticing the camera. And there is a well-dressed black man near the bottom of the frame. I'm always pleasantly surprised to see how many of these old photos are integrated. The bleachers appear to be set up for a parade. This could be for the Fourth of July, a major holiday at the time, except that there is hardly anyone around. Could this have been taken in the early hours of the morning? [This looks to be early in the season. - Dave] Decisions,decisionsI wonder which the dog finally chose-- the statue or the bush. What about reading caption?Dave, I understand your reply to Gooberpea to mean that the viewer should see button for "View full size." But on my monitor the sign about warning is still illegible with enlarged view. Wouldn't a reminder about the keystrokes to zoom in on page be more appropriate? If your remark to Gooberpea was supposed to be about the boats, the question of why they are where they are, I too am given no clue by the caption. What refer you? [Sometimes I wonder about you people. - Dave] Re: Lifeboats in Winter StorageI think the boats are lowered down to the water and not carried to the beach. They look small enough to be able to be rowed out under the boardwalk. I've never been to the boardwalk, but it seems to me that it's high enough to have clearance underneath for small boats such as these. Could that be the case? PhysiquesThe Men are Portly for the most part, but the Women have those nipped waists far as the Eye can see. Something to be said for corsets. And nowI was in Asbury Park in 2008. Things are looking up. BicyclesWay down on the South Jersey shore at Wildwood, bicycles were allowed on the boardwalk until 10 a.m. Unless one was cycling in a crowded area, enforcement was pretty lenient through the forenoon. (The Gallery, Asbury Park, DPC)
Asbury Park: 1905
The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "On the beach, Asbury Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/19/2012 - 8:53am -

The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "On the beach, Asbury Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. AmazingIn many of these olde beach photos, folks seem to just come and look at the ocean. Like, "Well, there it is, can we go home now?" Circa 1963 or '64It was the summer I was 12 or 13, 1963 or '64, that my family travelled north to Asbury Park. My father was a snare drummer with the Washington, D.C. Pipe Band Denny & Dunipace. My mother & I decided to forego the competition at a nearby Scottish Games in favor of enjoying the Jersey shore. To one side of a long pier was a secured rope that to prevent drownings in the ravinging waters' undertow. It was on this particular overcast day that participation gave way to desire as we joined the fun of the others floundering & groping for the lifeline that determined their fate. Circa 1963 or '64It was the summer I was 12 or 13, 1963 or '64, that my family travelled north to Asbury Park. My father was a snare drummer with the Washington, D.C., bagpipe band Denny & Dunipace. My mother & I decided to forgo the competition at a nearby Scottish Games in favor of enjoying the Jersey shore. To one side of a long pier was a secured rope to prevent drownings in the undertow. It was on this particular overcast day that participation gave way to desire as we joined the fun of the others floundering & groping for the lifeline that determined their fate. Turtleneck swimsuits and wet dressesThe man on the left coming toward the camera had no idea that one day "clothing optional" beaches would be available almost everywhere. The countless ladies in wet dresses who just plop down on the naked beach sand and pretend to be comfortable would be mystified by all the crap and accouterments one must bring to the beach 106 years later in order to get a little "R&R." Just for starters, this would include a change of clothes, a towel and/or blanket and/or beach chair, a cell phone, a supply of bottled water, snacks, iPod or iPad for entertainment, sunglasses, hair-grooming supplies, sunscreen, all of this multiplied "per person", one or two giant totebags to cart everything in and perhaps a dozen other optional "necessities." One would think that during the past century, we would have learned to simplify and minimize our constant needs, but this picture proves we have instead added so much cargo to what we lug around with us everywhere that a simple beach visit getaway has become a burden. Since the whole idea of a day at the beach was comfort and easy fun, is that still the case in this day and age? Arms AkimboGramps seems to be disapproving of something. Just beyond his right shoulder, a young lass seems to be checking out one of the young men behind her. I disagree that those peopleI disagree that those people would be "mystified" by our need for various modern conveniences. I see plenty of people sitting on cloth of some kind, and obviously many people brought umbrellas. They would most likely love to have our gadgets, they just hadn't been invented yet. They would love sunglasses. They would love sunscreen (who likes sunburn?). Lightweight plastic containers for water would be wonderful (yes, people in the old days got thirsty, too). Lightweight folding aluminum beach chairs would be a miracle. If people didn't bring a change of clothes, it was because cleaning was so labor intensive. Like probably many on Shorpy, I feel a sense of longing for "simpler times", but I don't pretend those days were easier times, just because they seemingly had less "stuff". There's a reason we lug the stuff to the beach. Dashing man and sweet elderly coupleThis man in the turtleneck is James Bond-esque and oh so handsome. I found the elderly couple sitting together on the beach to be so sweet looking. I would have loved to hear their conversation. (The Gallery, Asbury Park, DPC, Swimming)
Ocean Spray: 1910
The Jersey Shore circa 1910. "Atlantic City bathers." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2011 - 9:48am -

The Jersey Shore circa 1910. "Atlantic City bathers." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. People SoupToo many people in too small of a water area creates the image of some type of tepid human broth. There's a whole ocean and entire shoreline out there, so why is everybody clustered in the same small space? It would be like someone getting on a bus containing only the driver and one passenger and the newcomer sitting down to share a seat with that one passenger. (Yes, it did happen to me). BathersI see Tina Fey's grandmother in the front left, about to pounce on someone. And what's with the guy with the umbrella, out in the deeper waters? WOW!!!This is one of the few Shorpy photos from this era where most of the folks are smiling and appear to be having a lot of fun. Unguarded smilesIt's rare to see so many spontaneous, unguarded smiling faces at once in such an old photo. I love it. What's this world coming to???Some of the young couples in this photo are touching each other in public. One couple is even holding hands!! Where's the morality police when you need them?? Pleasant findWhat a pleasant picture. It seems so odd to see so many people smiling. Except for their suits, they don't look that different from modern folks. The lady holding an umbrella far out in the water is an odd sight, though it may not have been back then. Tina Fey's grandmotheris standing in front to the left. I wonderWhat ever became of this couple? So rare to see such an intimate moment from that time. SunscreenThe lady is about to get her sunscreen washed away. ShadeLove the solitary figure, fairly out into the water, with an umbrella. That's a pretty tricky device to walk about with in active surf currents. All in all, a very happy and jovial group. Happy JuiceWow. This is the first time I have ever seen a picture from this era with literally EVERYONE smiling! It makes the photo seem all the more timeless. Awesome. Rain ?One person standing with umbrella in the back ! Always good too see so many people having fun, great picture ! Just like yesterdayImpromtu and unposed, smiles and laughing rarely seen in vintage pics and even the sun's glint off the water make me think this could have been taken yesterday if it were not for the swimsuits... ParasolingLove the woman with the parasol far in the back of the crowd. In water up to her shoulders, but we must keep that parasol high and proud. Life's a beachI like beach scenes like this. Most of the ones I have seen had people in it that looked as if they were waiting in line at the DMV. Slim swimmingContrast this photo with the overweight people you would see at the same beach today. Only 15?Wow, surprised it took 15 comments to point out the lack of fat people on the beach 100 years ago. Slow day at Shorpy! I'm more interested in the people out in the boat. Looks kinda dangerous out there! Companion shotEveryone is posed so nicely in the other shot - then the splash happens! Focus?Can someone explain why these shots are in focus as opposed to the 'ghost' and blurred figures in other shots of people just walking by? [This glass plate was exposed for a split second to stop the action; in other cases, longer exposures were used because of dim light, or to use a smaller lens aperture in order to achieve sharper focus over a greater range of distance. By this time, photographic emulsions were sensitive enough that long exposures were not necessary just to get an image in daylight. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
S.S. Rotterdam: 1910
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 ... for the Hoboken Manufacturers' Railway, later the Hoboken Shore RR, which hauled freight until about 1976, using electric locomotives ... 
 
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)
A Most Amazing Room: 1910s
... years ago in Pawnee City, Nebraska, looks to have been the personal space of a boy or teenager. It's filled with weird little items a ... two horseshoe crabs on the wall. Nothing unusual for the Jersey shore but not really abundant in Nebraska. Eclectic and eccentric ... 
 
Posted by Fredric Falcon - 02/28/2019 - 3:49pm -

This room from well over a hundred years ago in Pawnee City, Nebraska, looks to have been the personal space of a boy or teenager. It's filled with weird little items a teenage boy might have found worth collecting. A handwritten sign on the wall says "WHO ENTERS HERE - LEAVE HOPE BEHIND". A large Punch and Judy puppet is mounted on a chair with a warning not to handle it. Playing cards decorate the walls. The scrawled message on the heating stove says "Sacred to the Memory of a Fireman - He has gone to his last fire". An American flag covers the ceiling. Browse around the room and see what you can find. It's his own private museum, the Voynich Manuscript of Victorian living space! Scanned from a 4x5 glass negative. View full size. Animal House 1.0Has that frat-house parlor vibe. BeachcomberThere are at least two horseshoe crabs on the wall. Nothing unusual for the Jersey shore but not really abundant in Nebraska. Eclectic and eccentricHe certainly had the eye and sensibilities of a collector, as well as a gift for design -- especially collage. I love how he ran out of room on "leavehopebehind" but didn't bother to do it over. All he left out was the hashtag. Could be BertThe sign on the right wall could say Robert's room or Herbert's room. How did he get up to reach the laundry hanging over the sign? I see nothing other than a few rickety chairs and something like a pulley clothesline similar to those seen stretching from tenement to tenement. Parasols, Chinese lanterns ...... not to mention what appear to be old helmets from the Franco-Prussian War, and a halberd. There's also a miniature human skull in a tiny shadow box. Some of these things might even have been stage props. I wonder if this room is in the same house where we met the baby on the floor the other day. If so, a darned interesting family must have lived there, and I'd love to have met them. His rocker is off its rockersI see the notches in his chair legs and the rockers are across the arms. I love his Prussian military helmet collection. It is a great room -- looks like mine when I was about 12. The door must have a STAY OUT sign. Mad Magazine, ca. 1910OK, I know William Gaines's father was only about 16 in 1910, but these guys were operating on the same wavelength. This is an extraordinary picture in that it shows a view of life wholly unlike anything we customarily encounter from this era, e.g., the cityscapes peopled by a formally attired citizenry as they navigate the Main Streets of an ascendant American economy. A picture-book world with everything properly in place. But looking at Junior's lair, it’s comforting to see a sensibility on display that I believe will be readily familiar to almost any reader of this blog, although perhaps a bit rough-hewn. I can’t speak for today’s (what are we calling them now?), but to this child of the Fifties, it looks really cool. My mother, however, would never have countenanced such rococo anarchy, which is probably why I think it looks cool. A truly amazing find. Map of FranceAt far left. Old Eighty-EightsI spied with my little eye a couple of things with "88" on them.I wonder what significance that number holds. Perhaps it was the year he was born, or graduated. Who knows? At any rate, I could waste all day looking at this photo! I love it! My guessI have to guess that the owner of this room was the child of one of the more eminent citizens of the town--worth noting is that Pawnee City produced Nebraska's first governor, David Butler. My guess, though, is that the banker's son is most likely--someone who had traveled as a young pup. PrivacyI bitterly resent the posting of this picture of my college dorm room. I Spy. . A rifle stock (probably a .22) sticking out from behind the cloth above the fire place he's hanging all his tchotchkes on. There isn't a stovepipe from the wood stove. The fireplace behind it is too low. The fireplace is also covered with a piece of cloth. Kind of a fire hazard. The Pith HelmetThere's a pith helmet with a plume in the picture and it looks like and I'm wondering where that might be from or what campaign. I can't seem to readily find a British one like that or any other. According to wikipedia, "The US Army wore blue cloth helmets of the same pattern as the British model from 1881 to 1901 as part of their full dress uniform. The version worn by cavalry and mounted artillery included plumes and cords in the colors (yellow or red) of their respective branches of service." It doesn't look quite like one of those though. Theater of the absurdThis looks like it could be the set of some kind of very weird stage play. Wonder RoomTrue, the preponderance of the materials (and the sign) point to a young man, but the more feminine touches make me wonder: The Chinese parasols, the girl cutout, the many hand fans, the Chinese lanterns, the necklaces, and the bonnets. Perhaps a would-be museum curator? Possibly he spent some time in Asia. As for identity, besides the "_bert"s Room” sign, the letter on the mantle mantel looks to me to start with a large flourish "Dear Robert." The banner partly obscuring one horseshoe crab and the one on the wall next to Punch both show "88," presumably 1888? That together with the "College" sign at far right could make him (and the photo) a bit older than we think. The map of France appears to be the 4 provinces of ancient Roman Gaul (except for the added bit of Basque territory I can’t find an equal to). A fire down belowIt looks obvious that stove vents through the back with a hot pipe passing through that piece of cloth over the fireplace if BillyB is wrong. If so ... Adding all that fabric pinned to the walls and mantle mantel, with all the paper and cloth flag hanging from the ceiling, it's amazing that the whole place didn't go up in flames on the first cold morning of the year. So that fireman may not have "gone to his last fire" after all. Typical Schoolboy's roomThis looks like thousands of old photographs of dorm rooms from colleges and prep schools, although an excellent example of the genre. The boys (and also girls, who however were often neater) would gather all the family castoffs, military campaign souvenirs, photos of actresses, weird signs, and college banners from brothers, fathers and uncles. As you imply, kids could recreate this look in their family homes if necessary. An Old Man Sits Collecting StampsIn a room all filled with Chinese lamps. He saves what others throw away, says that he'll be rich someday. -Cake, "Frank Sinatra" Well ... maybe,but I was a "frogs and snails and puppy dogs' tails" boy, grew up with three brothers, and raised three sons -- and I don't quite buy the interpretation here. It's just too arranged, too goofy, and just a tad feminine. There's a weird artistic sensibility in evidence here, and maybe a little derangement. What's up with the playing cards on the back of the door? I hesitate to go further, but it just doesn't look quite like an untampered-with boy's room. Some observationsFirst, the Chair That Is Not To Be Handled is a rocker, perhaps intended to be convertible, perhaps just partially dismantled. Second, the helmets (save that with the plume or feather) may be firefighters' gear, ceremonial if not quotidian; metal helmets of a military appearance were common for firefighters in France, Britain, and many other countries. Coupled with the legend on the stove, this suggests that the paterfamilias may have been a fireman, though how such exotic items came to be in the Cornhusker State is not obvious … maybe something to do with the map of France? Human beings seek to discern patterns, as much mentally as visually, so my reach may well have exceeded my grasp here. Re: I SpyHere in Maine, I have seen many stoves plugged into a fireplace cover. The stovepipe exits in the rear near the top (about opposite from where the word "Sacred" is) and goes straight into a hole in the top of the fireplace cover. It's hidden in this photo. Likely it is a coal stove, not a wood stove, although that is not certain. I do see a piece of wood leaning against the mantle mantel front next to it but coal stoves need kindling wood to get them going, so who knows? Also I don't think the fireplace cover is fabric. What looks like a wave in the face of it continues on up over the mantle mantelpiece, leading me to believe it is a stain on the original photograph. [That's the shadow of the fringe hanging off the M-A-N-T-E-L. This is scanned directly from the negative; a stain on it would show light, not dark. - Dave] I have seen a number of these fireplace covers with painted designs on them. They are made of metal. Still, with that fringed curtain hanging low off the mantle mantel top, it is indeed a fire hazard. Like the country folk here, hopefully the photo was made in summer and when the cold winds blow, the combustibles were moved a distance away from the heater. Penrod would have killed for this room.To KimS, This is exactly what a boy's room of the period looked like, perhaps neatened a little for the photo. The playing cards were in fact de rigueur -- a broken pack would have created tons of material to put up, and especially for a schoolboy, but also for college students, implied the "naughtiness" of forbidden adult gambling. Attached is part of a photo from my own collection showing a room in Springfield College from 1903 decorated with playing cards. [Subtle! - Dave] --Sorry if I was a bit didactic, but old dorm room photos are one of my collecting specialties. Also, I do not know why the attached photo did not appear. I checked, and it was not too wide (437x291 pixels). [Click "Edit" at the bottom of this comment. Browse to your photo, click "Attach" and then "Post comment." - Dave] Pawnee City remote, but not isolatedAt the time, Pawnee City was at the junction of two rail lines that likely brought a lot of visitors from across the country and with them, bringing curiosities from both coasts that would be attractive to a curious young person. The town is also in extreme southeastern Nebraska, not far from Missouri River traffic and the 'big cities' of Omaha and Kansas City. These photos are so fascinating and wonderful. Thank you! Andrew W. Roberts Norfolk, VA [We don't know for certain that this photo was taken in Pawnee. - Dave] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Hard Copy Exterior: 1962
A garden, a deck, a barbecue, the family dog and the papers. My father, after a day at work, relaxes in his ... of the big parties that he and Mom would host at our Jersey Shore summer house, on the big back lawn shaded by an ancient apple tree. Dad ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 4:53pm -

A garden, a deck, a barbecue, the family dog and the papers. My father, after a day at work, relaxes in his domain in 1962. You don't get more echt than this. He created the deck and the lattice fence as well as surrounding gardens, a very small portion of which is at the top. Our BBQ seems starkly low-tech these days. No starter fluid for Father; that's a box of kindling at the bottom. Snapped with my Kodak Brownie Starmite. View full size. Mmm-mmm good.Nothing better than a steaming mug of barbecued coffee! Grill master.There is nothing not to like about this pic. The grill, the dog, the deck, and Dad with the news. Wonderful. Terrific SceneThis is a view right out of Sunset Magazine, really nice!!! It's always interesting to peer into other people's back yards -- Old school grillingYour dad probably would've been appalled with at my grandpa -- he had a beer can with the top cut off that he filled with gasoline to light a nearly identical Structo grill when I was a small Anonymous Tipster. MemoriesMy dad had the same grill when I was a kid. I still remember the hand crank on the side that would move the entire coal bed up and down to adjust the heat. And of course the bags and bags of charcoal briquets in the garage and that aweful smelling lighter fluid that would create a mushroom cloud when lit. The only thing missing in that pic to be my dad is a beer on the deck next to his chair. And no mosquitoes!Maybe it's because I was a Boy Scout, but I'm with your dad. Who needs lighter fluid? Our briquets start right up with a few twigs that have fallen out of the trees. And no icky taste from the petroleum. Now, barbecued coffee ... that's something I haven't tried. Boxer or -- ?What kind of dog did you have? BBQ dogOur dog Missie was hybrid beagle/undetermined mix, hard-wired to point and track. During our summer vacation hikes up in the hills between Guernewood Park and Cazadero, she'd disappear into the underbrush for hours sniffing out critters, finally tracking us down miles from where she'd left us. The crank on the BBQ raised and lowered the grill, not the coals, BTW. We purchased it partly with funds I collected as taxes a few years before when I incorporated our entire back yard as a city and appointed myself City Manager. 10¢ per week was the rate, as I recall. He's got a barbecue jonesMy dad was also big on outdoor grilling, but my memories aren't of him sitting alone, but rather of the big parties that he and Mom would host at our Jersey Shore summer house, on the big back lawn shaded by an ancient apple tree. Dad went in for the whole 60's-70's BBQ thing, standing behind the grill with a chef's apron and toque on, and wielding his cooking tools with great gusto. The beer flowed freely, too (there was always a keg at the larger gatherings). When he died, more than one person told me, "What a host he was! What a cook!" He was a government official, but I suspect that he would have been much happier owning a fine restaurant instead. My grandpa used gasoline...My grandpa built his own grills out of 50 gallon drums he would get from the oil refinery where he worked. I remember as a kid back in the '60s helping him put gasoline in a coffee can that he used to soak the charcoal briquets and then stack them up in the grill and throw a match at it. Worked every time! A summer idyllA beautiful scene, the epitome of the American Dream. Thank the gods, we still enjoy similar scenes at our summer bungalow co-op in the shadow of Shawangunk Mountain, Ulster County, NY; eagerly awaiting same, now, during this protracted winter season. We don't BBQ coffee, but we do enjoy fantastic beer-can BBQ chicken. Except we all have cats frolicking and lurking in the hedges and woods. Cats rule, dogs drool. That device is a grillBarbecue is something you eat (pulled pork, ribs, brisket) and a grill is something you cook on. And cooking on a grill is not "barbecuing," it's grilling. [A word can have more than one meaning. The device is called a barbecue grill, or barbecue for short. In fact the first definition of "barbecue" in Webster's is: "an often portable fireplace over which meat and fish are roasted." - Dave] Still likely nowCtheP, I don't want to distract from tterence's great photo, but your comment is inaccurate in several ways. About the only thing that has changed much since that afternoon when his father was enjoying his paper is what we consider to be "basic necessities" is far in excess of what was considered "basic" back then. It should be no surprise that it costs more to fund our lifestyle. For example, just look at today's average home sizes, frequency of new car purchases, number of cars per household, value and quantity of home electronics, number of times people eat out, the list goes on. In many ways, things are astonishingly cheap these days, it's just that we have much more of them. You have to get a permit to build a deck because a lot of "handymen" don't know how to do it right--their deck falls off their house, hurting or killing someone. (It's been said that behind every code item there is a death.) It's unlikely a simple deck would need a variance from the city, though if you opted to buy in a HOA community, their hoops are something you valued when you bought and have little to complain about if they deny you your deck. As to "savers" paying the mortgages of those who got in over their heads, that's silly. What "savers" are paying for now is the multi-million dollar bonuses of the country-club set who approved those crappy loans. A mortgage is a simple document at its heart; a lender agrees to lend money to buyer of a house with the understanding that if the buyer cannot pay, the bank gets the house in lieu of payment. In a sane world, such as existed in tterence's father's day, banks very carefully determined the value of the house they were lending on in order to ensure they'd come out whole if everything went south. They were careful about the buyer, too, and insisted the buyer bring a large down-payment in order to show their worthiness. If the bank is going to go out of its way to lend money to people who shouldn't be buying vastly over-priced houses, that sounds like the bank's problem to me. That we're bailing out the fat cats irritates me, but I have no issues with the home buyers. I wish they were more prudent, but when they mail the bank the keys they've done their part. They will have trouble getting another mortgage in the future, that's the price they'll pay. So I think I'll join tterence's father, at least in spirit, on his deck, and not pretend life was much better "back in the day." I doubt his father felt that at the time and I don't think that now. The Right IdeaAlthough as a kid I was a devoted user of lighter fluid, your father had the right idea with the kindling. No matter what they included in the fluid to make it small like hickory or whatever, the lighter fluid was always going to give a petroleum based smell to the smoke, which was half the charm of barbecuing. These days I use propane of course, but I feel like I'm missing something. Not likely nowMy guess (correct me if I'm wrong, tterrace) is that your father worked long hours while your mother raised the family. Even then, he could afford a nice deck (your post suggests he built it himself) and a nice yard. I imagine he wanted a deck and all he had to do was buy the materials and erect it -- no permission necessary, as it was his property. Now, he'd need a variance and probably have to pay for the privilege of improving his own property as he saw fit. Today, those things are almost a luxury. Dad and Mom work to buy all the modern devices (even the "poor" have cell phones, DVD players, iPhones, etc.) while those of us who work and save get shafted to pay the mortgages of those who got mortgages they knew they couldn't pay for in the first place. Neighborhoods are cookie-cutter, and God help you if your neighborhood association doesn't like the new mailbox you put up to replace the one the neighborhood thugs tore down. Freedom was a wonderful thing. Damn shame the sheeple decided they'd rather let the government take care of them than provide for themselves. That GrillMy dad had a grill just like this one. He placed an inch or so of gravel in the bottom to keep the fire from burning through. Had an old license plate bent into a cylinder that he would place the charcoal into to start the fire. The grill lasted into the late 70s.. Headline NewsI would love to know what the headlines say! What DO those headlines say?"JFK Stands Up To Khrushchev?" "Studebaker Autos Not Selling?" "Penn Station To Be Torn Down?" "Captain Kangaroo Show A New Hit With Kiddies?" "Sox Lose Series, Again?" Make up your own, the possibilities are endless... BBQ HeadlinesLooks like the San Rafael Independent-Journal. Man's home is his castle.The tterrace family lived right and they lived well. It is apparent that they all had traditional and responsibly-fulfilled roles of their position in the family. I have to say, I do miss those days, coming home, tired and hungry, to incredible smells of freshly cooked food being prepared for supper by Mom and having a pleasant evening at home at the end of the day with the comfort of a caring family all around. As we age, we realize that changes are inevitable and one really cannot go back, life never stays the same. Still it is a beautiful picture to remember and know that home is where the heart was. It certainly appears there was great contentment in the family of tterrace. Thanks for the memories. GrillingLike most of us, I use a gas grill today (natural gas, not propane, though). However I still have a Weber charcoal grill which I refuse to discard, despite my wife's urgings. Unlike many, I do not use lighter fluid, though. Long ago, I learned the advantages of an electric fire starter for a charcoal grill. You have better control over the process, and you can start the fire under a wooden deck without any worries. I have used the quick start saturated coals, but still prefer the electric starter. In any case, gas is easier, but something is missing in the taste. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
De Forest Wireless: 1905
The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "Along the beach, Atlantic City, N.J." Note the radio mast at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 9:41pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "Along the beach, Atlantic City, N.J." Note the radio mast at right on Young's Pier. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Bowler Hat Concession There doesn't seem to be much non-conformity in the men's headwear department.I wish I would have had the Jersey Shore bowler concession back then. Wireless TelegraphDeForest tried, with minimal success, to create a worldwide network of wireless telegraph offices. This was evidently one of them, a spark-gap transmitter. He would go on to demonstrate the first AM audio transmission in December 1906. His fort­é was brilliant ideas that he just never quite succeeded in perfecting. Others would, and reap the rewards rather than Lee. DeForest the audion tube and co-invented amplitude modulation (AM) which made AM radio, commercial broadcasting, and home 'wireless' sets possible but these were still about 20 years away. CrowdedFirst crowded boardwalk scene I've seen on Shorpy. And obviously off-season at that. ["The season" in Atlantic City was at its most crowded around Easter. - Dave] VarietyI see five pushmobiles in this scene and they are all of a different design. Nowadays the pushmobile concession would be held by one company and all of them would be identical, same color and design. Much more interesting back then. Dr. Lee De Forest comment" I came-I saw-I invented-It's that simple-No need to sit and think-It's all in your imagination" Look where you're going!Not a cell phone in the bunch. Just don't step on the alligatorThere, between the fourth guy from the left and the mam'selle, rests an alligator-skin bag. Speaking of mam'selle, one of the most successful lyricists in American music, Mack Gordon, wrote the song so named, along with Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?, I Can't Begin to Tell You, I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo, Serenade in Blue, The More I See You, There Will Never Be Another You, Time on My Hands, You Make Me Feel So Young and You'll Never Know (Oscar winner in 1943 and the first song Barbra Streisand ever recorded). Oh, and he wrote "On the Boardwalk at Atlantic City," released in 1945. "Read all about it!"Those newsies sure do get around on Shorpy. I spot 2 just on this short stretch of boardwalk. I also see one satisfied customer leaning on the near railing. Spring is in the airThis looks like the Easter Parade with everybody wearing brand spankin' new clothes, flowery hats, new shoes, etc. and there doesn't seem to be anyone in swimwear. And I'd be reluctant to lie around on that beach with galloping horses running roughshod. Drool droolHam Radio operators dream of a salt water ground but to have a station out on a pier is the cat's pajamas. Why the name DeForest ?Lee DeForest was an American inventor that created what we would now call a triode tube. It was the first device that amplified a signal. That meant we could detect radio signals from a lot further or listen to music louder then the way it was recorded. He was brilliant and way ahead of his contemporaries. Why do I know this ? My first girlfriend lived next door to a gentleman that worked in his lab in Jamaica Queens. I was a young student at Brooklyn Tech and was trained on triodes in my junior year. To listen to Mr Whitman was such a thrill. Such a nice guy, so humble, but he was there when it happened. To put it in perspective, I'd rank this second only to the Edison light bulb. This broadcastThis broadcast provided as a public service to all wireless-mast non-believers (seen in a number of Shorpy photos atop tall urban buildings) out there: Yes, they did have them back then and yes, they looked like that. (Technology, The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Ocean Pier: 1904
... size. Childhood memories When I was growing up in the 50's and the 60's this pier was still pretty much intact. The large ... commercial Interesting to see looking more like the Jersey Shore in regard to ads. It looks like this might be the current ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:23pm -

Circa 1904. "Old Orchard, Maine. Ocean Pier." After a long walk on this long pier: Drink Moxie! 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Childhood memoriesWhen I was growing up in the 50's and the 60's this pier was still pretty much intact. The large building at the housed a miniature golf and an aquarium. You could still walk on the porches but only in the front as it had a barrier preventing you from going around the back. The hall itself was lined with photos of the big bands that performed there in the 30's and 40's. My parents used to go there and see the bands. Storms over the years have taken their toll. The building beyond where the people are walking is now the end of the pier. and the railing on the left is lined with booths selling the usual tourist items meant to separate the visitors from their cash. Thanks Dave for the memory Still there!The pier is still there - a mainstay of OOB. It's shorter now, and has more buildings, and the word honky-tonk doesn't begin to describe it, but essentially it's still the same. Summer Memories.Back in the Fifties we used to vist Old Orchard and walk out on the pier, watching the waves roll in a break on the shore beneath. They had a mine ride with mules, which was a bit tacky account all the flies, but, all in all, part of a summer's fun. We stayed in a small cottage South along the shore at Old Orchard and still visible in the creek entering the ocean at that point were the wooden pilings from the bridge of the long-abandoned Interurban that ran along the shore. The Navy would perform exercises offshore. Occasionally we would drive up to Portland and cross the Million Dollar Bridge. Another wonderful photo from Shorpy! Thank You. MoxieShorpy fans with a yearning to go back in time should know that they can at least still drink Moxie. It remains available in New England. I buy it by mail order and drink it all the time. Very commercialInteresting to see looking more like the Jersey Shore in regard to ads. It looks like this might be the current version of that pier. Spot the swimmer!Very nice. BrrrrOld Orchard Beach is still a popular destination, but with average summertime (July and August) water temperatures of about 64 degrees (F) it's easy to see why there was only one swimmer in the water on the day this was taken. Peer under the pierHere's a photo I took underneath this pier (at low tide, obviously) in May 2006. I had the best hot dog of my life at Old Orchard Beach that day (seriously). (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Fantasyland: 1963
... about how thoroughly obsessed I was with Disneyland in the 1960s? At first I ached to go there just to drive the Autopia cars. The ... the effort, and for the week-plus long journey from the Jersey shore to SoCal. We picked up Route 66 at St. Louis (I remember that) ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/23/2011 - 2:19am -

Kennedy-era folks at Disneyland in Kodachrome. Should I go on here about how thoroughly obsessed I was with Disneyland in the 1960s? At first I ached to go there just to drive the Autopia cars. The real fixation started after my first visit in 1960. It was like another world -- actually, a multitude of other worlds, all of them ones I'd rather live in. That being not quite possible, I settled for the next best thing: bring it into my real life. I organized the hundreds of color slides I took into elaborate shows with music and even printed programs. I drew and painted Disneyland artwork. I dubbed my cactus garden "The Living Desert" and tape-recorded a narration for walks through it. I built my own Storybook Land in one corner of our garden, and a diorama in the basement. I insisted we start having our Sunday dinners in the dining room so I could wheel the TV set around in order to watch The Wonderful World of Color -- in black-and-white. I sent an inquiry about employment in the park, but they weren't hiring teenagers who lived 400 miles away. Even now I think I'd really like to live there, or at least the one of the 50s and 60s. Must be a Peter Pan complex. View full size. Have you seen Daveland or Gorillas?If you haven't, you need to visit Daveland and Gorillas as they are chock full of thousands (yes, thousands) of color vintage Disneyland slides and, between the hosts and commentators, know pretty much everything you could imagine and more about the singular cultural gem that was/is Disneyland. You'd be most welcome to comment and share your pics at either one. FantasticIt's easy to understand an obsession with such a magical place. Disney did an incredible job of touching on that spirit of the imagination in all of us. Love DisneylandWalt was one of the most creative people in the entertainment business of the 20th century IMO. He simply did things that he found enjoyable or exciting and everyone else came along for the ride. Stirring MemoriesI love that teacup with the gent in the suit and tie and girls in what look like gowns. Pretty classy tea party going on in there! My parents moved to Orange County in 1960 and lived right across the road from Disneyland. Dad was a Navy doctor stationed with the 8th Marine air wing at El Toro. They've said that some evenings Disneyland would host a sort of "Adults Night" showcasing a popular band or singer and staying open late; they could just cross the road to attend. I'm pretty sure there are some Kodachrome slides at home that include a few shots from one of those events; a Tony Bennett concert, if I remember correctly! Disney was a master of illusionWhat a job they did with the original Disneyland. It quickly made you forget you were in Anaheim; in fact, I don't think you could even see the outside world from the original park. And they were so lucky that a small Matterhorn just happened to be on the property! Heh heh. We met Walt!On our first visit to Disneyland during the summer of 1955 we were waiting at the Main Street train station for our first ride of the day inside the brand new park. As the train arrived in to pick up passengers, off stepped Walt Disney to welcome my older brother, 12, and me, 8. He bent down to our level and kindly asked us how we liked Disneyland. My mom quickly said to ask for his autograph, but he smiled and said he was on his way to an appointment and had to rush to get there. We were in absolute awe, and for us it truly was the happiest place on earth that long ago day. Tterrace is absolutely right. Disney obsessionBack in the day my parents would get me magazines at the Gulf gas station with fill up. A good many of them had info on Disneyland and the soon to be Disneyworld. I read those things obsessively and noticed that they would end up near my father's recliner on occasion. Well the minute Disneyworld opened we made the trip. The sod was still brown in sections where it didn't take. By then I was a sullen teen totally embarrassed to be with my parents. Hardly remember a thing. Went back about 1990 with a co-worker and had a ball, being the kid I should have been in the 70's. Taking the kids and grandkid in a couple of weeks. Wish I could take a friend my age to be silly with instead of a responsible mom and grandmom. We went in '64We visited in late summer around this time of year in 1964. My dad was going to take a job out there so we all went and stayed while all the job and house details were looked into. I remember some things (like the submarine) but not teacups. I do know we stayed all day -- ages 10 (me), 6 and 1. I respect my folks a lot more these days for the effort, and for the week-plus long journey from the Jersey shore to SoCal. We picked up Route 66 at St. Louis (I remember that) and traveled it the rest of the way, including seeing the Teepee Motel. Drove from Moose Jawto Los Angeles (2200 miles) in the early '60s and they were still building it, no one told us it was not finished yet, good time though. [Disneyland was finished when it opened in 1955. A $6 million expansion was begun in 1960. - Dave] Great memories.Our family took the train from South Bend, Indiana, to SoCal in June of 1963, and Disneyland was of course one of the featured places for us to visit (I was 11, and my sister 15). I had my first cheapo camera (127 film?), and my parents shot with their 616 format cameras -- all b&w. Seeing this great tterrace shot brings back fantastic images in my mind. The train trip took us over 40 hrs. to get there (no compartment, just recliner chairs and lousy food; thanks Santa Fe!). Dad decided to cash in the return train tickets and purchase our fare back via United Air Lines, and saved over 37 hours of traveling! Teacup twirlI love the girl's long ponytail swinging out of the teacup on the left. This is the kind of scene that Kodachrome was made for! I've never been to Disneyland, but grew up in Orlando when Disney World had just opened and was very affordable (unlike today) - we went as a family on weekends fairly regularly. Mr. Toad's Wild RideMr. Toad's Wild Ride is still there although a bit different. The ride in the '63 tterrace photo was closed down in 1982 for renovations, and here's the finished product. My kids are jealous!They have yet, at 18 and 19, to go to Dinseyland. Tterrace, you have scored with another great shot! A movieBwayne! What a fun movie that trip could be! Cable CarsYou will note in the upper right hand corner the bottom of one of the gondolas of the cable car ride that went across the park. I remember gliding over the Teacup ride and seeing some poor kid barf up, in a 360 degree spray, what looked like a large Coke, a bag of popcorn and a chili dog - at least that's what I had for lunch that day. God Bless KodachromeIn 2009 and 2010, knowing the demise of Kodachrome was near, I shot many rolls of my kids at Disneyland, at the beach, with their grandparents, etc., using that film. Digital has many advantages, but the particular color mix and grain of Kodachrome (and the slightly rounded images from the slide mount), evoke a powerful sense of American family life in the mid-20th century. Not BostonSo this is where all that Tea Party stuff started! My first visit to DisneylandMy first visit to Disneyland was in 1959, when I was 8 years old. My mom and I took the train from Richmond CA to Bakersfield, where we got the Santa Fe Trailways connecting bus to Los Angeles, then to Anaheim. We stayed in a motel just a few blocks from the entrance to Disneyland, and I remember that relatively short walk very clearly - it was ALL orange groves, on both sides of the street, from the motel to the gates of Disneyland! My favorite attraction was Tom Sawyer's Island, where my cousin and I ran around like idiots, probably much to the adults' relief! The submarines were brand new that year. I remember I did NOT ride the Matterhorn, but my Mom did and she loved it! I made my fifth trip to Disneyland last April, on my 60th birthday. It was still great fun, but WOW was it expensive! I told a clerk it was my birthday when I bought a new set of ears, and she gave me a pin to wear. I was amazed when EVERY employee who saw me with the pin said "Happy Birthday, Ken" to me! Somewhere I have an Ektachrome slide I took in 1970 with my new Hasselblad. We were the last to leave the park, and I set the camera on the ground in Main Street for a long exposure of the street cleaners pushing brooms toward us. If I find it again, I will post it here! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Lifeguard on Duty: 1905
The Jersey shore circa 1905. "On the beach at Ross' pavilion, Ocean Grove, N.J." Short of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/07/2014 - 10:00am -

The Jersey shore circa 1905. "On the beach at Ross' pavilion, Ocean Grove, N.J." Short of tuxes and ballgowns, it's hard to imagine being any more dressed up at the beach. (And cheer up, guy in the middle -- your problems are over by now.) 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Just CuriousDoes anybody know what the ropes are for? [You grab onto them so you don't drown. - Dave] yeah, i get that - but, in the sand? ...or does high tide bring the water up that far? Casual workerTalk about laid back. A perfect setting for the old Rodney Dangerfield jokein which a small boy runs up to a cop, pleading, "Officer, I'm lost! Can you help me find my parents?" "Gee, I dunno, kid. There's so many places they could hide." Anyone notice this?Looking at all the people on this beach you see them with nary anything around them on the sand. Mostly just themselves. Maybe a newspaper or two. No towels, blankets, ginormous coolers filled with sodas, beer, or food, no boom boxes, no games, no toys, tote bags, floating toys, etc. So simple. Beach was a breeze to clean up in the morning I bet. Taking the sea airIn the days before modern drug treatments, the sea air was considered highly therapeutic. People with consumption (TB) for example, as well as other diseases were thought to benefit by breathing the salt-laden air. Hence the folks on the pier, and even inside the wide-open windows, are breathing in the therapeutic seaside breezes. Insouciantyet alert, lifeguards still adopt that same pose a century later. Blue LawsDo we think their beachwear was restrictive? The town was developed by the Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist group from Philadelphia. Before a 1981 court decision, they allowed no automobiles to be driven in the village on Sundays. Ouch!That man in the suit and white hat is gonna need a chiropractor with that large rope tied around his waist! It seems in 1905that people truly had no idea of the purpose of a beach, complete wool suits for men, 12 yards of material in dresses for women and crocheted tablecloths for shawls, some wearing what looks like bathing suits, others fully dressed plunked on the sand, and beyond, hundreds of fully clothed gawkers lining the shore, there seems no purpose to any of these shenanigans. It's no useI find neither Zelig nor Waldo here. OverdressedOr not, (almost) everybody seems to be having a good time. Why else would they be there? Well, I never!One of them fancy photographer fellers with his no-good box. Original Bumbo SeatNo one seems to have noticed the little tyke with the Buster Brown haircut in the lower left corner of the photo in front of the two women with shawls. The sand has been molded into a seat obviously by an adult to keep the child put. Ingenious. Re: "Well, I never" ladyLooks like she's wearing her "Marcel" original Chapeau The Scarlet LetterI know what an "A" stands for, after all we were forced to read the story in high school in the 60's, but what does the "R" stand for on the dude's chest? [Perhaps the caption contains a clue. - Dave] WarmI figure, after a winter with no central heating and coal smoke permeating the city, sitting at the beach in the fresh air and warmth felt pretty good, even in your wool suit. The "guy in the middle"Do you think he's sad because he forgot his bathing suit? (The Gallery, DPC, Swimming)
Ocean Grove: 1905
The New Jersey shore circa 1905. "Bathing at Ocean Grove." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2011 - 8:43pm -

The New Jersey shore circa 1905. "Bathing at Ocean Grove." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. We see the well uniformed crewestablishing the final steps to the newly arrived trans- Atlantic cable, altogether now, 1-2-3 PULL ! ToppersI can't get over two women that have on hats, one looks like she has a bell on top of her head and the other looks like she could promenade down Main Street in the Easter parade. Also, the woman left center looks like she may have on some sort of life preserver. Her hat looks weird, almost like a bird's nest. AppendagesPlease tell me those are some sort of Victorian water wings she is carrying out of the water. The guy with his hands clasped behind his back would like to know too. So awesome!To see where I grew up, 80 years before I was born. I feel strangely connected to these people who have been on the beach so many years ago. Poor little girlWhat has happened to this child? She looks as though her leg has been gashed and she's lost some clothing as well. The "Grove"...At one time the Jersey Shore had seriously bad Rip tides which can sweep a swimmer off their feet and out to sea in a minute. The ropes seen in this photo were there for folks who could not swim that well to hold onto. After the built a number of rock Jetties out into the ocean the riptides decreased. However I still remember there still being ropes as late as 1974 or '75. Wistful VistaI was struck by the lovely young lady at the right with that incredible shawl. She looks like she really wishes she could join in the fun. Once again, some seem to come to the seashore just to verify that it is still there. 60 Years Before Candid CameraLove the three ladies holding hands in a circle and laughing hysterically as they tug at one another. So many pictures from this era show people looking so stiff, so formal. These are real people having real moments, 60 years before Candid Camera. I like spotting the family groups, huddling together, not straying too far. My grandparents, all of whom I was lucky enough to know when I was little, would have been about fifteen to twenty years old in 1905, and I can imagine any of them in this scene. Please do not enter Ocean GroveDuring the late fifties, before Asbury Park (the town to the north) began its decline, our family spent the day on the beautiful beaches. Tired of the cold water and strong undertow, we went for a walk in the warmer air. We noted that the boardwalk was guarded at the border with Ocean Grove, and our family was not permitted to cross. My father, brother and I were indecently dressed, on a Sunday. We wore no shirt, jacket or swimsuit top as required by law. Ocean Grove was and to this day remains a strict religious center run by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. Re: the two ladies by the lifeguard towerWell I guess if you're going to play leapfrog you might as well be in the water! Either that or it's a very public backrub. FlotationI wonder if the girl in the light coloured bathing costume in the centre has got something akin to the bulky kapok-filled "Mae West" life vests that we all wore into the '70s. Mae West would have been 11 or 12 at the time of this photo, so the term would still be a few decades in the future. (The Gallery, DPC, Swimming)
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