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School Shooters: 1942
... the Farm Security Administration camp elementary school in Weslaco, Tex. View full size. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. Cowboys & ... the mandatory cultural-sensitivity training. - Dave] Weslaco, Texas I live about 20 miles from Weslaco. It made me smile to see a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/16/2007 - 10:12pm -

January 1942. "Cowboys and Indians" at the Farm Security Administration camp elementary school in Weslaco, Tex. View full size. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. Cowboys & IndiansTry that now and they'd be in jail and the school would be in lockdown! [Let's not forget the mandatory cultural-sensitivity training. - Dave] Weslaco, TexasI live about 20 miles from Weslaco. It made me smile to see a little bit of history from my own backyard. Hope to see more of this area soon! SchoolkidsWish it was still this innocent ... SidesCan't figure out which are the cowboys and which are the Indians. Times ChangeKids playing with toy guns at a school run by the FEDERAL Farm SECURITY Administration ! Did Pres. Roosevelt know about that?? That photo is priceless! School ShootersLet's not worry about kids playing with toy guns. Worry about a sulking, unhappy, rejected young person with access to real guns and ammo. Yikes!Cowboys oppressing Native Americans? PLAYING with toy firearms? Gasp! Just think of how poisoned the minds were of these children!!! Nowadays, we keep them safely inside on the couch munching potato chips, playing video games, and getting fat & lazy. WeslacoThis is my hometown, which i currently reside in. I wonder what now stands at the site of the school (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kids)
Weslaco: 1942
... in the Farm Security Administration elementary school at Weslaco, Texas. View full size. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 10:26am -

February 1942. Third-graders in the Farm Security Administration elementary school at Weslaco, Texas. View full size. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Education, Schools, Kids)
New Math: 1942
... grade classroom, Farm Security Administration camp at Weslaco, Texas." 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. ... church. We're always barefoot in the winter! Weslaco is just about five miles from where I live. We're on the Mexican ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/02/2010 - 12:39am -

February 1942. "Third grade classroom, Farm Security Administration camp at Weslaco, Texas." 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. A real "blackboard"I haven't seen a black slate blackboard in years. I remember kids staying after school to wash the board and beat the chalk dust out of the erasers. The tall kid must have had arithmetic problems to be in that class with those little kids. Either that or he was was really big for his age. Blackboards go greenBy my grade school era (1952-60), most black chalkboards had been replaced with green ones. You can find all kinds of screwball "reasons" given for this on the Internet, but the two most plausible ones to me are that a) they were originally black because they were made of slate, and b) a green background was easier on the eye and thus aided legibility. Brown was another popular color. I don't know about other people, but web pages with white text on a black background drive me nuts. I loved watching my teachers writing on the blackboard, not for the content particularly, but I found something satisfying about watching the chalk skim over the surface; sometimes it rasped, but at others, due to the varying composition of the chalk or of the surface of the board, it would glide noiselessly along like butter over a warm surface. Mmmmmm... Man, you thought I was a weird kid before. One roomIt may be that this school was still on the one-room system, where everyone worked at a level rather than a grade. The big boy I initially mistook for the teacher, though! [This was, as noted in the caption, one of the classrooms at a Farm Security Administration camp for families and migrants displaced by the crop failures of the Dust Bowl years. Exterior shots below. - Dave] Take the chewing gum out of your ears!"I said FIFTY, Ned, not fifteen. Fifty plus forty-five gives us what, class?" Fold and CutRemember making fold and cut silhouettes like the scene at the top of the blackboard? It looks like digging and packing to make a snowman. Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo.?Although I know it was very common at the time, its still weird to see kids attending school in bare feet! Yeah, he's tall butIf Third Grade has a basketball team this year, look out! Winter Silhouette The border decor above the blackboard indicates it is winter but the boys are barefooted. They also seem to be pretty clueless for an answer to the math problem, each is looking to copy from someone else. A confident little girl sitting at the table on the right is busily working away, engrossed in her own work, possibly as smart as a whip. She is also wearing very nifty cowboy boots. This may have been a "one-room schoolhouse" in which kids of all ages were all taught in the same room by one teacher which would explain the difference in size. Very interesting personalities. Thanks Shorpy. [Indeed, as noted in the caption, it's February. Exterior shots a few comments down. - Dave] YeehawOh man, I wish the photographer was just a little farther back. I'd love to see that little girl's cowboy boots! An extra recessA lot of pics lately from 1942. That year was big for me. I started my first trip around the sun that year. Loved being picked by the teacher to go pound the erasers. It was always during school time and it was like having an extra recess. Hey Mr. Wilson!The kid in the striped shirt looks just like Dennis the Menace! Future Heismann contenderThe big guy is obviously being held back to improve his NCAA football chances. School attireMy parents (and aunts and uncles) all went to one room rural schools. All the boys wore the overalls. Looking at the school pictures (always taken outside of course), I always thought that looked sloppy. But I suppose that was primarily what they owned. Probably a nice shirt for church. We're always barefoot in the winter!Weslaco is just about five miles from where I live. We're on the Mexican border, and it rarely gets cool enough to wear long sleeves or long pants, even in the winter! So barefoot in February isn't that big a deal. Within the past couple of years, we've had temps over 100 in January. Green "Chalkboards"At St. Catherine's (Catholic) Elementary School, Spring Hill Avenue, Mobile, Alabama, we had wooden classrooms with blackboards. A new brick school was built adjacent and opened in 1949. It had green "chalkboards." We were told at the time that they would be easier to see. They were a wonder to us for a good while. Barefoot boyI went barefoot to school a few times during the first grade. That was in 1936. But not many boys did that, and I quit. Tactile memorytterrace, as I was reading your comment about the chalk on the board I was thinking to myself how the chalk would glide...you captured that so perfectly! I completely understand what you're referring to here. I went to grammar school in the 60's and I have the same sensual memory about chalk moving across the board. You're not the only weird one here, I guess. 2 and 2The big fellow might not have been all that smart or he might just have missed a lot of school with his folks moving around the country, or maybe some of both. Back then, they didn't move you to the next grade unless you were up to the work. Eventually, some kids got so big and far behind that they dropped out of school, but if there's farm work around, his folks probably won't complain and he'll do well enough. Barefoot in School, and everywhere else.People often misinterpret barefoot kids. Were we barefoot because we had to be? Well, some were, but usually not. Were we barefoot to preserve our shoes? Usually not. Usually, we were barefoot by choice. We didn't have to wear shoes, so we didn't. When I started school, we each had a little cubby to put our jackets in during the day. My shoes and socks went in there too. The other kids kept theirs on, but nobody said, "Tommy, put your shoes on," so I didn't. Before they came up the the little jingle about shirts, shoes and service, it was pretty common for kids to be barefoot, even shirtless in stores, or even the library. In school, we were supposed to wear dress clothes. I wasn't the only kid in jeans, but usually the only one in a bib. Time frame? I started school in 1963. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Education, Schools, Kids)
Guitar Four Hands: 1942
Weslaco, Texas. The "musical Drake family," performing at a barn dance in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 7:24am -

Weslaco, Texas. The "musical Drake family," performing at a barn dance in the Farm Security Administration's Mercer G. Evans camp, February 1942. Medium-format safety negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. Update: The fiddler is Nathan Drake, the younger boy is Jasper "Sleepy" Drake, and behind him is brother Weldon Drake. View full size. The Drakes' GuitarWho can tell us about the guitar, and the Drakes? Detail below. Broman GuitarBroman was one of dozens of brand names that Harmony Guitars (est. 1892) produced. Near as I can tell, it was a short-lived brand (late 1930s?), so this might be a semi-rare item. It also appears this was a Casa Loma model, which would have been capitalizing on the Glen Gray Casa Loma Orchestra, a well known and fairly well regarded band from about the late 1920s to the 40s or 50s. At one time or another, they had some pretty well known musicians, as was the case with a lot of the swing bands. I'm sure there's somebody out there who can tell you a whole lot more about it than I can. [Very interesting, thanks. Fiddler Jasper Drake's grandson (or maybe great-grandson) Eric Wauson has a MySpace page here. - Dave] Jasper DrakeOk, This is way too cool!!! Never seen these photos before, but the young man playing the guitar is Jasper "Sleepy" Drake. How do I know? Because he is my Dad. I am the youngest of his five daughters. The man playing the fiddle in the picture is my Grandpa Drake, N.W. (Nathan) Drake. Also my uncle Weldon Drake is behind my Dad playing guitar. This has made my day!!!! [Amazing. Thank you Connie! There are a few more Drake photos that I'll post later in the week. So I have to ask, how did your dad get the nickname Sleepy? - Dave] Drake 1942 photosDave, I'm the daughter of Jasper Drake. Could you please let me know were you come-about these photos of our family. Jasper Drake has five daughters. The pics of the fiddle player show my Granddad N.W. Drake. And my dad, Jasper Drake. And Uncle Weldon Drake. These are too cool, we love these. The Drake Family is in the book "Picturing Texas" on page 111. Thanks. Janette Wauson. [Hi Janette! These photographs come from the archives of the Library of Congress in Washington. They were taken by government photographers (in this case, Arthur Rothstein) documenting the relocation of farmers following the Great Depression of the 1930s. - Dave] SleepyHe got his nickname "Sleepy" because every time he would go on tour with various bands he would always want to sleep on the bus. [Hi Connie! No, I did not know your family. These photographs come from the archives of the Library of Congress in Washington. They were taken by government photographers (in this case, Arthur Rothstein) documenting the relocation of farmers following the Great Depression of the 1930s. - Dave] Jasper DrakeI am one of Jasper Drake's granddaughters ... his oldest daughter's youngest. Ann Jackson is my mom. I bought my 13-year-old son a guitar for Christmas hoping he inherited some of that Drake talent!!! So far, by hearing him practice I think he's got it!!!! I know my children will love to look at these photos of their great-grandfather they never got to meet. [Thanks for writing! It's like the Drake family reunion here today. What can you tell us about Jasper's life? He was a professional musician? Who did he play with? - Dave] Drakes galore!This is way cool. Downright serendipitous. This board constantly gives rise to the thought, "No way on God's green earth that the people taking these pictures (and even less likely those having their pictures taken) could have imagined us doing what we do here every day." I also have to add that there's a huge and impressive knowledge base residing out there amongst the Shorpy constituency. And while I'm at it, I have to say that I have looked at a number of these LOC images before, but seeing them in this context and, as it were, in the company of others, casts them in an entirely different and altogether more luminous light. It's not unlike seeing a movie on a large screen in the middle of an audience vs. seeing the same film in your living room with the dishwasher running and the phone ringing and all the rest. A tip of my hat to Dave and the rest of the Shorpy crew for taking something that was there all along and allowing us see it anew. And I have been wondering since I first saw this pic what those four-handed Drakes sounded like. Neat looking trick that is. [Good insights, SLR. Thanks. I might add that the closest thing to this picture that you will find on the Library of Congress site is this - not nearly as big or sharp, and kind of washed-out. The jpegs we post here are extracted from the raw image files (called tiffs) on the Library of Congress servers. It takes a bit of work on our part to come up with the images you see here. - Dave] Jasper's lifeSleepy starting playing professionally shortly after he married our mother, Irene, in 1944. He mastered the fiddle and became one of the best Western Swing fiddlers ever. He played with Bill Boyd and the Ramblers, The 7 Row Brothers, Hank Thompson, Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, and many more. Sleepy & Irene were married for 48 years have five daughters and 11 grandchildren. Now they are both deceased. So these pictures are very precious to all us in the Drake family, and believe me there are A LOT of us! [Wow. Thanks! - Dave] My Great Grandpapa DrakeI am the great-granddaughter of Jasper (Sleepy) Drake and am pleased to be a part of this family. My family has a lot of history and there are some things I don't even know about. Just today, i learned that my Grandpa Drake was on a website that i can learn more stuff about him. Even though i did not get to meet him i have heard a lot of stories of him and the things he did from my wonderful nana and papa. They told me that he was in a band and played the steel guitar, fiddle, guitar, and banjo. A lot of very interesting instruments. Being in this family means a lot to me and it just keeps getting better and better now that i know i can learn more about my great grandpa that i never got the chance to meet. [Goodness gracious. We've heard from three generations of the Drake family in one day! Thank you for writing, Shelby. Your great-grandpa sounds like a truly wonderful and fascinating person. - Dave] JasperGranddad once told me that he played in Jack Ruby's bar and that one time he got a ride from Bonnie and Clyde. I always got a kick watching him play because he would whistle softly while he was playing. I sure do miss him and my grandmother, they were fun to be around. Lots of lovin' came from those two. Have you ever......... talked to so many ducks (Drakes) in your life!!! Wow the other day we didn't know about all but one of the pics and now there are more than we can shake a stick at!!! Thanks for the pics of Grandpaw!!! [Another one! Glad to oblige. Actually the other day when I Googled "Jasper Drake" and "guitar" the first hit I got was your MySpace page. Good to see you are keeping up the musical tradition. - Dave] Plays well with othersWay back in the early 60s I saw the Everly Brothers do this same thing on the Tennessee Ernie Ford TV show. Then Ernie joined in and all three were playing the same guitar. Since my brain and my left hand seem to be total strangers, I could probably handle the strumming... The DrakesWould you mind posting a link to the original file location on the LOC website for this photo? I've found others of the Drakes but I can't seem to find this particular shot. I ask because I'm trying to teach myself photo re-touching (I use Photoshop Elements) and you do it so well on Shorpy, that my learning method amounts to attempting to make the raw tiff look as close to your version as possible. You guys are very skilled at this. I've experimented on a few others of those you posted--but I think I have a long way to go to be any good. Thanks. [How to locate just about any of these: First determine the filename of the image by right-clicking on it. Then plug the result (in this instance, 8b37744 -- do not include the one-letter suffix) into the bottom field ("Searching Numbers") of the LOC query form. - Dave] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Drake Family, Music)
After Taxes: 1939
... 1939. "White mother with children at migrant camp. Weslaco, Texas." Background for this series of photos as recorded by Russell ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 6:44pm -

February 1939. "White mother with children at migrant camp. Weslaco, Texas." Background for this series of photos as recorded by Russell Lee in his notes: "Local employment men say that there was no need for migrant labor to handle the citrus and vegetable crops in the valley, the local supply of labor being ample for this purpose. Most of the local labor is Mexican and the labor contractors favor Mexican labor over white labor, partly because the Mexican will work much cheaper than whites. One white woman who was a permanent resident said that the white people who lived in the valley had no trouble with the Mexicans. The Mexicans were good neighbors, she said, always willing to share what they had. She said the white migrants who came into the valley and resented and misunderstood the Mexicans caused the trouble between the two races. Some towns in this section permit camping only in trailers. The charge for camping in tents is about fifty cents per week, including water, which in some cases must be carried four city blocks. Privies are tin, very bad condition. Garbage is collected only once a week, with large dumps of decaying fruits and vegetables scattered among the camps. Some of the white migrants in this camp were very suspicious of governmental activity, due to the use by south Texas newspapers of the term 'concentration camps' referring to Farm Security Administration camps." Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. Seventy years agoThat's really not such a long time. I wonder how well we're going to handle the next economic rough patch? Who will be taking the pictures this time? todayI WISH SOMEONE WOULD PUT THIS ON THE NET...I DONT KNOW HOW ... WITH THE CAPTION..THIS IS IN OUR FUTURE IF WE CONTINUE TO NOT TALK ABOU THE ELEPAHNT IN THE LIVING ROOM. [The "elepahnt," oddly enough, has no problem talking about crazy all-caps guy. - Dave] Russell Lee's commentsI found Russell Lee's background comments to be fascinating. I guess even back in the 1930's labor was an issue between immigrants (illegal or legal, who knows?) and migrants from the Dust Bowl days. The faces of the mother and children tell stories of their own, don't they? Reading MaterialThere's a book/magazine/catalog to the left behind the baby child I can't make out. Would love to know what it is/its travels. [It's a Chesterfield cigarette ad on the back of a magazine. - Dave] ClassThrough all her obvious hard times this lady maintains a look of dignity with her beautiful children.I hope they all had happy lives. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Great Depression, Kids, Russell Lee)
Winsome Ragamuffins II
... connection with the pictures of the other children from Weslaco & Harlingen, Texas, posted earlier. That fruit box is from the Rio ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2010 - 2:39am -

April 1940. Dubuque, Iowa. "Children who live in the slums." Our second look at this towheaded twosome, a sort of proto-Opie and his sister. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Better!They look a lot happier here. Why does that comfort me? Also? Check out the buckles on the little girl's shoes. FABULOUS. I'll bet she loved them. We Were Poorbut we didn't know any better. This photograph is definitely my favorite of the two. It's showing them with a winning smile and a "we can make a better future" look, which is what America is all about. Cute kidsSince the first picture of these kids I've wondered if maybe the photographer dirtied their faces up for effect. Guess I'm of a cynical nature. [You should read up on John Vachon. - Dave] Re: Cute KidsMaybe the dirt is the reason for their smiles, no? All these years removed, it's not always easy to remember the fun of being carefree, running and exploring the outdoors from sun up to sundown -- but it's there, tucked away. Something tells me there was no need for the photographer to apply any more dirt than was already on those adorable faces! Sad or happy, these children tug at my heartstrings! Not always a hindranceMy mother, born in 1919, grew up poor and also with a crossed eye, she always said it developed her backbone in life. My father found a doctor in 1957 to correct it. Many photographs later she was convinced it was fixed. SweetThe reason my eyes tear up when I look at this photograph is because it makes me remember how sweet and innocent my own children where at that age. Texas CitrusWhat a neat connection with the pictures of the other children from Weslaco & Harlingen, Texas, posted earlier. That fruit box is from the Rio Grande Valley, maybe even from the farms/orchards worked by the FSA workers. Small world. One day at a timeI'm convinced this is a young Bonnie Franklin. These children were loved.These children may not have lived in the best house in town, but they look well-fed and adequately clothed and shod. Believe their parents did what it took to keep those little folks cared for and cared about. And I weep for my little children, who always lived in a nice house and always had at least enough, but whose mother abandoned them years ago, when my daughter was 8 and my little fellow 5. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Kids)
Fiddling With Bias: 1939
... around the country in a trailer. Has private income. Weslaco, Texas." What does Mr. Bias play? Why, he plays favorites! Photo by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/18/2013 - 8:31pm -

February 1939. "Mr. Bias, former cowboy, now travels around the country in a trailer. Has private income. Weslaco, Texas." What does Mr. Bias play? Why, he plays favorites! Photo by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Admin. View full size. ebay heaven.Everything in this photo from the Trailer right down to his socks would be of interest to collectors. Transitional LivingThe heels on those low-cut laced shoes indicate, to me at least, a reluctance to get entirely off his high horse. His Favoritesstart with Bob Wills! No doubt about it. A Real CowboyHow can you tell? An almost complete lack of anything plastic in his humble mobile abode, except that kewpie doll maybe. I would sure like to see the outside of the trailer or know what its locomotion was. High RiseMr Bias' beat up footwear appear to be what were known as "Elevator Shoes". Check out the height of those heels I spyLooks like a guitar case under his bunk. Heels to bootThose don't look like normal heels that belong on shoes. They appear to be the heels of cowboy boots: appearance, height, shape, forward slant. High heelsThose look like Cuban or Riding heels, more commonly seen on cowboy boots. the function is to stop the foot from slipping through the stirrup in case of unplanned dismount. Not so easy to walk with. Cuban heels can also be seen on Beatle boots and Sammy Davis, Jr. (The Gallery, Music, Russell Lee)
Swing Your Partner: 1942
... "Farm Security Administration Mercer G. Evans camp in Weslaco, Texas. Drake family playing for a Saturday night dance." Medium format ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/06/2017 - 11:01am -

February 1942. "Farm Security Administration Mercer G. Evans camp in Weslaco, Texas. Drake family playing for a Saturday night dance." Medium format negative by the under-appreciated Arthur Rothstein. View full size. This buildinglooks like it was also used as the local theater. Probably used folding chairs which are now stacked in a corner somewhere. Girls dancing with Girls... and young boys too nervous, or shy. [Or maybe the story this photo tells is of girls who'd rather wait for their turn with the man in the middle and waltz with each other, than dance with a bunch of grubby 12-year-olds. - Dave] The saddest dance everMost of these people look like they were forced to show up for picture day. Girls dancing with girlsNot surprising given the date. Enlistments were huge in early 1942. Maybe I'll look older if I smokeThe young boy on the left appears to be getting ready to light up a cigarette. He may not impress the girls, but if his mother is there, he may get some unwanted attention. First lessons?I'm no great dancer, but it's worth noting that nobody but the middle couple is positioned right; the man's right hand needs to gently pull at the lady's waist, and the woman's left hand needs to gently push him away on the shoulder. So I'd guess these folks are a bit new to dancing. Hope they had fun anyways, and as a former nerdy, snot-nosed 12 year old (36 years ago), I hope some of those boys were in fact dragged out of their chairs in the same way I was back when. Flash BulbInstead of lighting a smoke, I think the kid on the left is examining a flash bulb, probably a used one. What a great picture. [I think you're right. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Drake Family, Music)
Weldon Drake: 1942
February 1942 in Weslaco, Texas. "Boy musician" was the caption given by photographer Arthur ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:49am -

February 1942 in Weslaco, Texas. "Boy musician" was the caption given by photographer Arthur Rothstein to this portrait of Weldon Drake, shown in yesterday's posts playing with his father and brother at a Farm Security Administration Saturday-night dance. View full size. Twelve Strings.12 strings. Impressive. TK Twelve-string guitarA twelve-string guitar has the strings arranged in pairs (or "courses") which are plucked or strummed together. The guitarist doesn't play each of the twelve strings individually - one plays a twelve-string similarly to the way one plays a six-string. A twelve-string has a harmonically richer sound than a six-string because the strings in each course aren't tuned the same (for example, the bass strings are often tuned an octave apart). Even when the strings in a course have the same tuning they won't be exactly the same, which also adds to the richness of the sound (a similar thing happens with pianos). 12-StringsTypically the top 2 string pairs (E and B) are tuned in unison, while the lowest four courses are tuned an octave apart. Also, in the era of this photo almost all 12-string guitars would be tuned 2 or more whole steps lower than a 6-string because the doubled string tension would, over time, warp the neck and body, rendering the guitar unplayable. What I found most interesting is that the neck joins the body at the 10th fret. Modern accoustic guitars join at the 12th or 14th fret (or higher with cutaway bodies). Just a guess, but the shorter neck helps counter the additional string tension. a bajo sextoGiven the location in Texas and the 10-fret neck and overall ornateness of the instrument, I'd guess it's actually a bajo sexto, common to Tex-Mex music. 11-String GeetarIf you look a little closer, there are only eleven strings. He must have been doin' some hard jammin'! Bajo SextoWow, good call UncleJimmyPie! I think you're right. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Drake Family, Music)
The Drakemobile: 1942
February 1942. "Weslaco, Texas. Farm Security Administration camp (Mercer G. Evans farm ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/27/2021 - 4:50pm -

February 1942. "Weslaco, Texas. Farm Security Administration camp (Mercer G. Evans farm workers' community). Return from Saturday shopping. FSA client Nathan Drake at right." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. That Drakemobilelooks to be a 1933 Chrysler Royal Eight. Looking good for a nine year old car. With gas rationing nine months away, that will be one thirsty problem. I hope it survived the war years and beyond. Just for kicksI like all three faces but especially that of the lady on the left. She's quite pretty and appears to have a wry sense of humor. Also her shoes are the bomb. If I had those I'd save them for Sundays. Camera placementOn the ground, I assume. It accounts not only for the view of the sole of the man’s shoe but also for a certain sense of drama. (Imagine seeing them in slow motion against a shimmering background.) I think it might also account for the look of vague amusement on their faces. Excellent angleThe charm of the shot is that the photographer got down to shoe level. It puts Nathan head and shoulders (and hat) above the top of the Drakemobile. Depression Consciousness My parents said that people who lived through the Great Depression and into the postwar era of prosperity remembered the Depression and knew it could all be gone again overnight. They saved their money, didn't trust bankers, didn't leave lights on when leaving a room, frequently made meals out of leftovers, drove their cars until they were worn out but kept them in good running order as long as possible. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Drake Family)
The Drakes: 1942
February 1942. Weslaco, Texas. Younger members of the Drake family, including the young man ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/27/2021 - 7:42pm -

February 1942. Weslaco, Texas. Younger members of the Drake family, including the young man shown playing at the barn dance elsewhere in today's posts, at the Farm Security Administration's Mercer Evans camp. Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. View full size. Update: The banjo player is Jasper "Sleepy" Drake; his sister Monnie is the guitarist. Jasper and the KidsMy dad playing for the kids. ... (As always ... he was a big kid himself!) Also my Aunt Monnie playing guitar along with Dad. Jasper was about 16 in these photos. Jasper DrakeI am the daughter of Connie Drake Karr & the youngest granddaughter of "Sleepy." He was an awesome man and a GREAT musician. I could tell you a million stories, but I would run out of room on this page. He and my Gran would be proud to know that these pictures are here. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Drake Family, Kids, Music)
Texas Saturday Night: 1942
February 1942. Weslaco, Texas. Saturday night dance at the Farm Security Administration camp ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2009 - 12:38am -

February 1942. Weslaco, Texas. Saturday night dance at the Farm Security Administration camp with music by the Drake family. View full size. Medium-format safety negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. FriskySeems like the young man dancing with the polka dot girl is getting a bit "handsy." [That's two girls dancing. - Dave] Wish I had a time machineOh, how I'd love to go to that dance! Facial ExpressionI wonder what the woman in the center is thinking? She appears to have on a wedding ring, but they are dancing like they aren't too close. She doesn't look unhappy, but she is clearly thinking about something! [Maybe the next call in the square dance. - Dave] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Drake Family, Music)
Nathan, Sleepy and Weldon: 1942
... the Farm Security Administration's resettlement camp at Weslaco, Texas, home to many farm families displaced by the droughts and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 4:56pm -

From February 1942, another of Arthur Rothstein's photos of the Drake family entertaining at a Saturday night dance for the Farm Security Administration's resettlement camp at Weslaco, Texas, home to many farm families displaced by the droughts and bankruptcies of the Dust Bowl years. The fiddle player is Nathan Drake; on banjo and guitar are his sons Jasper ("Sleepy") and Weldon. Thanks to Jasper's daughters Connie and Janette for providing the names. View full size. (I'm having a Shorpy family moment here, having heard from the photographer's daughter, Annie Rothstein-Segan, and now Jasper's daughters. Life is a circle.) Drake familyThis photo is in the book "Picturing Texas." It's the only one we thought existed. I am sure Annie is having a blast seeing all the pictures her Dad took! Thanks to him we all have just a few more memories! [Yes, we owe Arthur Rothstein a lot for all that hard work. There are a few more Drake photos in the Library of Congress archives. I'll post as many as I can find. Click here  for the gallery. - Dave] Tenor BanjoIt is interesting that the banjo is the older style 4 string tenor banjo, not the more modern 5 string banjo. You don't see those very often these days. Compared to the 5 string banjo it's tuned differently and the style of playing is different. Usually it is strummed rather than fingerpicked. Banjo HistoryThe four-string (tenor or plectrum) banjo is actually later than the five-string. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Drake Family, Music, Rural America)
Restore America: 1939
January 1939. "Sign near Weslaco, Texas." Thinking back to high school civics or Trivial Pursuit, some ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 8:21pm -

January 1939. "Sign near Weslaco, Texas." Thinking back to high school civics or Trivial Pursuit, some of us may hazily recall the Townsend Plan's having something to do with old-age pensions and Social Security. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hand madeIn the days before computers, sign writers got away with using three differently shaped A's in a single, short slogan. That Townsend PlanFrom the SSA website: This cartoon stamp was part of a series produced by the Republican party for the 1932 presidential election. The series was designed to attack the Democratic candidate, Franklin Roosevelt, and other stamps in the series depicted FDR as a Frankenstein monster run amok, as using the Constitution to light his cigarettes, and the like. This stamp was intended to imply that FDR would drain the pockets of America's workers to fill the pot of America's elderly, by pushing through the Townsend Plan if elected President. This particular stamp is doubly ironic, since FDR was a vehement opponent of the Townsend Plan, and many Republicans advocated Townsend-type flat-benefit schemes as alternatives to Social Security in the years following the 1932 election. http://www.ssa.gov/history/towns5.html So let me understand thisThe Who was going to restore America somehow, maybe with a free Concert? Reports of the Townsend PlanE. B. White wrote a Letter from the East in The New Yorker about going to a meeting to hear Dr. Townsend propound his plan. He observed that Townsend sounded perfectly smooth and confident as long as he stuck to his script, but was flustered by questions, even those from a largely friendly audience. (The Gallery, Politics, Russell Lee)
Weldon & Sleepy: 1942
... the Farm Security Administration's Mercer G. Evans camp in Weslaco, Texas. Our pickers are brothers Weldon (1923-1977) and Jasper "Sleepy" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/01/2017 - 6:27pm -

February 1942. Two members of the "Musical Drake Family," performing at a barn dance in the Farm Security Administration's Mercer G. Evans camp in Weslaco, Texas. Our pickers are brothers Weldon (1923-1977) and Jasper "Sleepy" Drake (1926-1992). More Drakes here, and you can read comments from their children and grandkids here. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Pickin' 'n' not grinningIntriguing photo, and the links are well worth a look. Now I am on a mission to see whether I can find any recordings by the Drakes. That guitar, a Broman Casa Loma f-hole, probably sounded great, as did the big-bodied 12-string played by Weldon in an earlier Shorpy photo. Probably made by Harmony or Regal in the 1930s. Problem with those guitars is after many years of use or just from being under string tension for so long, the necks just go out of whack. I bought a similar one from the family of an Arkansas woman who played it on the radio in the '30s, and just couldn't get the neck to stay in place. After three resets, I gave up and sold it as a wall-hanger. But it sounded wonderful while it lasted! Mercer G. EvansThe camp was named after Mercer G. Evans, Director of Labor Relations during the Roosevelt administration. There's not a lot on Google about him, but there is a portrait of him on the FSA/OWI site: (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Drake Family, Music)
Nathan Drake: 1942
... Security Administration's Mercer Evans relocation camp in Weslaco, Texas. View full size. Medium format safety negative by Arthur ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:03pm -

February 1942. The fiddler Nathan Drake at the Farm Security Administration's Mercer Evans relocation camp in Weslaco, Texas. View full size. Medium format safety negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. DrakesTHAT'S MY GRANDPA DRAKE! (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Drake Family, Music)
Policeman's Ball: 1942
February 1942. "Weslaco, Texas. Saturday afternoon baseball game at Mercer G. Evans FSA camp." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/25/2019 - 5:24pm -

February 1942. "Weslaco, Texas. Saturday afternoon baseball game at Mercer G. Evans FSA camp." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Cops vs. Appliance Repair And the Maytag Repairman strikes out! Low techNo baseball caps? No baseball gloves? I do like the ball in the air. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Sports)
Like Pulling Teeth: 1942
... 1942. "Dental clinic, Farm Security Administration camp, Weslaco, Texas." Photo by Arthur Rothstein, Office of War Information. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/31/2017 - 8:03pm -

February 1942. "Dental clinic, Farm Security Administration camp, Weslaco, Texas." Photo by Arthur Rothstein, Office of War Information. View full size. This won't hurt a bit sweetheartBut it made her hair curl. Brave little girl. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kids, Medicine)
School Janitor: 1942
... at the Farm Security Administration elementary school in Weslaco, Texas. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2007 - 11:38pm -

February 1942. Janitor at the Farm Security Administration elementary school in Weslaco, Texas. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Education, Schools)
A Garden of Mum's: 1942
February 1942. "Weslaco, Texas. Farm Security Administration camp. Garden in front of shelter." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/11/2017 - 12:02pm -

February 1942. "Weslaco, Texas. Farm Security Administration camp. Garden in front of shelter." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Arthur Rothstein, Kids)
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