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Buffalo: 1900
Circa 1900. "Buffalo, New York. Creek and elevators near foot of Main Street." Detroit ... they're covered in paper survive the brutal winters that Buffalo is famous for? [Those are the grain elevators mentioned in the caption. - Dave] Buffalo wings Right above Erie Railroad car 44176 looks to be a Free ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 10:38am -

Circa 1900. "Buffalo, New York. Creek and elevators near foot of Main Street." Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. Snow vs. PaperHow did those buildings that look like they're covered in paper survive the brutal winters that Buffalo is famous for? [Those are the grain elevators mentioned in the caption. - Dave] Buffalo wingsRight above Erie Railroad car 44176 looks to be a Free Chicken! What a layout!I swear it's a model railroad masterpiece. I love this oneI've had this up on my screen for a long time. I long to walk through this city at this particular time and place. Chances are little of what we see here remains. Wow The only remaining structures that I can ID would be County Hall, the Ellicott Square building and a couple of churches. Check out the Watson Elevator standing to the left. That's a 23 foot deep turning basin now. The detail level is outstanding, thanks man! -B in B Buffalo elevatorsIn the next three decades, milling would continue to grow as an industry in Buffalo. In 1930 it would take the title from Minneapolis as the world's largest miller. Life Long BuffalonianWish you could see all these wonderful buildings today. People come from all over the world to see Buffalo's Architecture. I am presently working just around the corner from the Ellicott Square Building which when completed was the largest office building in the country. The other buildings B in B mentions below are even more spectacular! Buffalo has unearthed the very beginning of the Erie Canal which is somewhere in this photo. It is now part of our waterfront park as a tourist attraction. William James on Buffalo"We had passed great smoky Buffalo in the raw vernal dawn – with a vision, for me, of curiosity, character, charm, whatever it might be, too needfully sacrificed, opportunity perhaps forever missed…" -- The American Scene, p. 477 This photo pretty much sums it up. Somewhere in there. . .is my grandfather, age 11. Thanks for posting this. More detail I also did notice the Old Post Office's (now ECC) tower to the right between the Marine Legs of the paper covered elevator. If you look close you can see a DL&W passenger train between the buildings across the crick, pulled into the original passenger station's platforms. That is now the old parking lot for the Naval Park, under the Skyway. The Erie Canal Commercial Slip the previous poster mentioned is located just behind the white freighter docked at the terminal along the river. Trains in the streetsI love the trains running right through the streets. As a lifelong Buffalonian, I would love to go back and live in this time for a week -- maybe around the time of the Pan American Expo. 1894 Buffalo AtlasThe map from the 1894 Buffalo Atlas depicting the foreground and buildings directly across the Buffalo River is here. What is interesting about this is that the two elevators on the map and should be in the foreground (Sturgis Elevator and Eastern Elevator) were demolished by 1900. The little house is the little yellow rectangle with rear extension at the end of Ganson Street and the brick building all the way at the end is the remnant of the Sturgis Elevator. I think an alternate caption for this photo should be "Demolition of the Eastern Elevator, Buffalo NY, c. 1900." You can see the guys with picks and wheelbarrows and the piles of scrap metal being towed to the rivers edge, presumably for loading on a barge. Temporary tracks have been laid to allow for the movement of the scrap, tracks that do not appear in the 1894 Buffalo Atlas. The end of Washington Street and Wilkeson and Wells elevators are directly across the river. The Lyons Elevator is on the left. The layout of the DL&W complex at the end of Main Street is here. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Buffalo NY, DPC, Railroads)
Buffalo Bank: 1908
Bustling Buffalo, New York, circa 1908. "Erie County Savings Bank, Niagara Street." ... Fifty cents roundtrip! Last time I went to Niagara from Buffalo my niggardly tip was $20. I forget the fare. Inflation has come a long, ... saw was here . A kind of open-air omnibus. Death by Buffalo Mark Twain once said, "To commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 10:39am -

Bustling Buffalo, New York, circa 1908. "Erie County Savings Bank, Niagara Street." Another view of the imposing edifice previously seen here. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. I don't know, but --I think buildings can be both hideous and delightful, at the same time. Harry Potter's other school?I swear this looks like it should be a school of magic! What a GREAT building! The entire scene is cool. I love all of the business names painted on the windows and the detailing. The spires are simply amazing. Fare to Niagara and backFifty cents roundtrip! Last time I went to Niagara from Buffalo my niggardly tip was $20. I forget the fare. Inflation has come a long, long way. What were the Yellow Cars? With a name like Hazard . . . This time, Frank Williams has an officemate -- Willet E. Hazard. Corporate attorney Hazard and his brothers would incorporate a gasoline motor manufacturing company in 1909. First named Hazard Engineering Co., it would soon become Hazard Motor Manufacturing Co. The slogan in a 1912 ad in "The Rudder," a yachting magazine, claims "The 'HAZARD' is distinctly better." That is the last mention of the company to be found. Wonder why? Awesome!That's a great shot! I love the whole scene. The building is intense, why don't they make them like that anymore? What in the worldAre those little square things under the Swift's billboard? [An electric sign. Just wait till dark! - Dave] Looks like rainI count at least five gents carrying umbrellas. Erie Bank - This Is Your Lifehttp://www.buffaloah.com/h/eriebank/index.html I'm just one guyBut that hideous thing looks like a Kremlin prison to me. A Shorpy stapleThe last charabanc we saw was here. A kind of open-air omnibus. Death by BuffaloMark Twain once said, "To commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant." Or words to that effect. But it looks full of life to me! Love the long street view, and all the wonderful signage. The obelisk next doorAnyone know what the white monument is for down the street? Seven LampsWhen the term "architecture" is used, this is the type of structure they are referring too. Anything else is just another building. "To commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant"That was a quip by Neil Simon, used in "A Chorus Line." OmnibusesJust checked out the previous photo of the same bank. There are two omnibuses in front, one like that seen in this pic (probably electric; right-hand drive, too) and the other, just nosing into the lower left corner, is definitely gasoline-powered if that hood is any indicator. So I guess these things were pretty common. Imagine Winter!This same scene would be filled with Horse Drawn Sleighs...what a fun way to get around! No WordsI don't know what to say other than that is one of the most beautiful buildings I have seen on Shorpy. The thought of the wrecking ball plowing through those gorgeous granite walls makes me want to cry like a baby. Charabancs!Here's why I love this site. I never heard of a "charabanc" until Shorpy. I just thought they were funny little buses. You can read all about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charabanc The obeliskis the McKinley Monument in Niagara Square. Pay your dimeand climb up to the top of the tower and choke to death on the emissions of that nearby smokestack. A testimony to the air quality of the time is that the upper floors of all the buildings are blackened with soot. It's an electric signProbably a static illuminated letter board, vs. the Times Square style "crawl" which I think was beyond the technology of the day (though not TOO far beyond). The bulbs aren't really bright enough to work well in daylight. The message may have changed nightly, each letter was controlled by a large rotary wafer switch housed in a wooden box, that when turned would cause the bulbs in the sign to display a different letter at each position. High technology, 1908 style. Shorpy, keep these images coming, I love poring over them. America near its peak as the industrial power of the world, with no end in sight. The age of coal, steam and steel. Weird coatThere's a man on the right side of the street, to the left of the cigar store awning, his back to the camera. What are all those white things hanging off the back of his coat? And is he holding a banjo in his right hand? [Those are scratches and blotches in the emulsion. - Dave] Nothing remainsEssentially everything in this image except the McKinley Monument was destroyed in "urban renewal" in the 1960s. The site of the bank now appears to be a boring late-Sixties state office building. I can't find any trace of any other original building in this image. There was a good story written in 1967 when the Erie County Savings Bank was demolished. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Streetcars)
Expert Truss Fitting: 1900
"Main Street, Buffalo, N.Y., circa 1900." The merchants of Buffalo, aside from making that fine city a haven for the herniated, also ... photo will take a while to gather it all and to understand Buffalo as a major U.S. city at the time. [Those cities were excursion ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:35pm -

"Main Street, Buffalo, N.Y., circa 1900." The merchants of Buffalo, aside from making that fine city a haven for the herniated, also offered a wide range of "deformity appliances." Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. Fireproof indeed!The fireproof tiles on the roof of the Iroquois were a big selling point after the horrific fire that destroyed the Richmond Hotel, which stood on the same site until 1887. Mirror Writing?The reverse lettering above the motorman's head looks like the back of a glass sign that says SMOKING ENTRANCE REAR SEATS ONLY, whatever that means exactly. [The signs says "Smoking on three rear seats only." - Dave] Safe CityThat is one safety-conscious city. Note the pedestrian catcher mounted on the front of the trolley. Niagara Falls!!!!Niagara Falls! "Slowly I turned...step by step...inch by inch..." From the Three Stooges short "Gents Without Cents" Oh MyWhat a picture. This is definitely a downtown scene. I am curious about the rides to Lockport, Lewiston and Queenston. Are they entrance cities to Canada? Perhaps they are tourist destinations like Niagara Falls. This photo will take a while to gather it all and to understand Buffalo as a major U.S. city at the time. [Those cities were excursion destinations. - Dave] Shuffle off to Buffalo...So much detail to take in. Wonder what a "Deformity Appliance" is. [I am thinking something along the lines of a super-dangerous cake mixer. - Dave] Bustling BuffaloNothing is more depressing than seeing the once-bustling major city that is now Buffalo. Interesting that the streetcar was the main mode of public transportation, and yet the newer "metro" line (consisting of one short rail from HSBC to the University of Buffalo) has contributed to the death of downtown. Martha!And "I Love Lucy." Your neighbor the sign painterBesides the five (or six or seven) signs of his own, Mr. Scott seems to have painted all the other signs on that building. I wonder if he traded signs for trolly rides, cigars, or deformity appliances. Trolleys Then and NowThe open-seat single-truck trolleys seen in this picture (with smoking allowed in the three rear seats only) have long been absent from the City of Buffalo. The line is now the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's Buffalo Metro Rail light rail line. Interesting that the tracks on Main Street have survived, while those on Church Street, and all of the surrounding buildings, including the Iroquois Hotel, have all vanished. View Larger Map No heritage hereSo, is this was were the Main Street Mall now resides? Seems all these blocks were demolished. The Iroquois Hotel was torn down in 1940. The Perfect VignetteWhat a great photo! The "Signs" signs, the omnipresent hats, the fancy streetlight. I love the advertisement for the "tobacconist"--that would make a catchy little business card, I think. Some people are dentists, some are salespeople, and then there are the tobacconists. And I wonder what got thrown into the wires crossing the street? I also love the trolleys in the picture--somehow, my daily bus ride doesn't seem quite as cool as this. One question. What is the net in front for? I would guess it's for luggage or large packages? [The net would be for inattentive or careless pedestrians. - Dave] LockportLockport was and is a neat little city in NW central New York State where canal boats travel down a series of locks. It's fun to watch. The city is also the home of an American standard in every kitchen: Jell-O! Cars?Sign says "cars leave every 15 minutes"...I don't see any cars, it's 1900 (or so) What do they mean by "cars"? [Streetcars. - Dave] The GlobeSure would like to be able to see more detail on that globe painted on the left side - looks like the continents have been anthropomorphized into pinup gals. BuffaloCool! I stayed a night in Buffalo early last month. Had it still been standing, I would have chosen the Iroquois over the Holiday Inn for sure. Looks like a fun city, but you've never seen anything more depressing than Niagara Falls (the town) in winter. You Are HereIn response to the many requests seen in comments for a time machine: here you are. Absolutely fantastic picture. Pan-American ExpoThat's the logo for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, held in Buffalo -- where President McKinley was shot and later died. Trolly carsThey mean Trolly cars. [Or maybe trolley cars. ("Cars" = streetcars.) - Dave] Look out above!The top three floors of the Iroquois were "superadded" for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. In 1923, owner Ellsworth Statler opened another hotel, and the Iroquois became the Gerrans Office Building. The building with the tower was transformed into one of the earliest movie theaters, the Strand. Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America Leroy not LockportLeroy is the home of Jell-O, not Lockport! Visit the jello museum in Leroy to learn more about the product invented by a man named Pearl. CSI: BuffaloNice Cigar Store Indian on the right. Oh that logo The Pan-American Exposition Company chose Raphael Beck's design from over 400 entries, awarded him $100. They copyrighted it as the official logo in 1899. At first the design was to be used only for "dignified purposes," but due to its popularity, the decision was made to license its use. The logo was soon available on souvenirs of every conceivable description and was plastered on "everything that didn't move and some things that did." Some unscrupulous vendors ignored the licensing process and sold unofficial souvenirs with the logo. Here is a plate and a watch souvenir (both official): Beck made sketches of President McKinley when the president toured the fair and made a speech there. After McKinley died Beck completed the painting titled "President McKinley Delivering His Last Great Speech at the Pan-American Exposition, Sept. 5, 1901." Beck went on to design the logo for the 1905 Portland, Oregon Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. His father Augustus—who designed the bas relief at the base of the Washington Monument—named his son after the famous painter Raphael. +122Below is the same view from September of 2022. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Streetcars)
Urban Buffalo: 1904
Buffalo, New York, circa 1904. "Main Street." Landmarks on view include the Buffalo Savings Bank dome and Hengerer's department store. 8x10 inch dry plate ... Publishing Company. View full size. Progressive Buffalo It's only 1904 and already there's a store with an "AUTO SUPPLIES" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/02/2017 - 9:50am -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1904. "Main Street." Landmarks on view include the Buffalo Savings Bank dome and Hengerer's department store. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Progressive BuffaloIt's only 1904 and already there's a store with an "AUTO SUPPLIES" sign out front and three of the newfangled machines parked at the curb. Early Activist?The lady sitting in the chair, holding a sign, is interesting. I can make out 'Free' but that's about all. ["The Salvation Army Free Excursion [Outing?]..." -tterrace] What People Wore in 1904It's definitely 1904; the one billboard on the side of the building just left of center announces some giveaway to be made on December 24, 1904. And since the streets are clear and the clothing moderate, it could be late summer or early Fall of that year. I Wonder?If the Failing Optical Co. is still in business? Buffalo Savings Bank"The Gold Dome" is still there. It's a Buffalo landmark still! (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Buffalo: 1905
Buffalo, New York, circa 1905. "Looking up Main Street. Steamer North Land ... Co. View full size. Splendid New Steamship Buffalo Enquirer. January 5, 1895 SAFELY LAUNCHED. The New ... Northern Steamship Company and the representatives of the Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit newspapers, guests of the steamship company. At ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:17pm -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1905. "Looking up Main Street. Steamer North Land at Long Wharf." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Splendid New SteamshipBuffalo Enquirer. January 5, 1895 SAFELY LAUNCHED. The New Northern Steamship, NORTH LAND, Launched in Cleveland. A Sister Ship to the NORTH WEST and Similar in Construction and Equipment.         Cleveland Jan. 5. -- The splendid new steamship NORTH LAND was successfully launched at 2:30 this afternoon at the shipyards of the Globe Iron Works.         As the launching signal was given by Miss Gertrude Hanna, daughter of President M. H. Hanna, cheers went up from the thousands who had gathered to watch the great vessel slide into the water. The christening ceremony over this magnificent steel vessel, now the finest on the lakes, was performed by Mrs. F. P. Gordon, wife of the Assistant General Manager of the Northern Steamship Company. For the purpose a large platform had been built under the bow of the big vessel, and here the traditional bottle of wine was broken by Mrs. Gordon. The boat was launched sidewise, room being insufficient for a direct plunge.         The new vessel, which, both the Globe Company and the steamship people say is the finest that ever left these yards, dropped gracefully into the water amid repeated cheers of the crowd. The launching was carried out successfully, and now the Northern Steamship Company has two exclusive steel passenger steamboats, the best constructed and speediest vessels on the lakes.         The NORTH LAND is quite similar in beauty of design and in elegance of interior construction to the NORTH WEST. The Globe Company had the advantage of the experience gained in the building of the sister vessel, the NORTH WEST, and have made some improvements over what was last year supposed to be pretty nearly perfect in the way of construction. As one of the representatives of the steamship company said, the builder made improvements just as an architect is able to do when he builds a second house. He can learn to perfect his work after the first production. This experience has assisted the company in another way; it has enabled them to have the new steamer ready for launching 30 days earlier than last year.         This morning the Globe Iron Works were inspected by the officials of the Northern Steamship Company and the representatives of the Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit newspapers, guests of the steamship company. At these works are built a great many vessels for lake traffic, and the facilities for the purpose are unexcelled. The works are among the largest industries in Cleveland, and employ a large number of men.         The NORTH LAND, which was launched today, is built of steel throughout, and its hull has been strengthened and subdivided through transverse and longitudinal bulkheads into numerous water-tight compartments. Strength and safety were as much requisites in building the vessel as are speed and comfort. The hull is of novel design, and is constructed around the shafts, giving as little resistance as possible, and also great strength.         In general the dimensions of the NORTH LAND is 383 feet over all, 360 feet between perpendiculars, the molded breadth is 44 feet, and depth 26 feet.         The interior arrangements of the boat are as fine as money and excellent taste can make them. Electricity is used in lighting, and one might fancy he was in the parlor of some elegant private residence on terra firma. Mahogany has been largely used in the wood work. I love the SteamerI admire the photo and I love the "North Land" at first sight. As i read about the steamer a little bit and I know she has an interesting story. The steamer was built in 1895 by (as we all see) the Northern Steamship Company. Mark Tawin wrote about her, whilst travelling on his own tour of America: "All that has been said of this fine ocean ship on the Great Lakes is not exaggerated." "North Land" operated between Chicago and Buffalo, from June through late September. In 1919 she was sold and cut into two pieces at Buffalo and was towed to Montreal, Quebec. Plans to convert and operate her as an ocean liner or troop ship never materialized. She lay in her dock until 1921, when she was dismantled and scrapped. Unfortunately. Admirably Appointed The United States with an Excursion into Mexico, Handbook for Travellers, by Karl Baedeker. 1904. 46. From Buffalo to Chicago. e. By Steamer. It is possible to go the whole way from Buffalo to Chicago by water, through Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan, without change of steamer. — The ‘North Land’ and ‘North West’, the two magnificent steamers of the Northern Steamship Co. (each 386 ft. long, of 5000 tons burden, and accommodating 500 passengers), leave Buffalo (wharf at foot of Main St.) every Wed. and Sat. in summer at 8 p.m. (central time). The — The ‘North Land’ goes through to Chicago, which it reaches on Sat. at 1 p.m.; the ‘North West’ goes to (3 days) Duluth (comp. p. 372), and Chicago passengers must change at (1½ day) Mackinac Island. Through-fare to Chicago $13.50, berths extra (to Mackinac from $3 up). Luggage up to 150 lbs. is free. Fares to Cleveland, $2.00: to Detroit, $4.75; to Mackinac Island, $8.50; to Sault-Ste-Marie, $10.75; to Duluth $17.00. These steamers are admirably appointed in every way and afford most comfortable quarters. BeautifulAmazing view of Buffalo in its prime. You can see several landmarks that are still standing, including the Ellicott Square Building, and the old post office (now ECC city campus). Looking forward to more photographs of Buffalo! She's YarHow beautiful she is. It's a shame old ships and old buildings don't live forever. 1895-1921Built in 1895 by Globe Iron Works of Cleveland, Ohio for the Northern Steamship Company. One of two sister-ships. Originally built with three funnels. By 1910 she had new boilers and two funnels as shown in this picture. In 1905 was running a passenger service between Buffalo and Chicago. The North Land had been built to undertake the round voyage between Buffalo and Duluth in a week and her owners, the Northern Steamship Company, became the first to introduce seven day cruises. Scrapped in 1921. ElegantGrowing up in Western New York State, I passed through Buffalo many times. I've always loved the graceful lines of those Lake steamers. They had to be a little narrow to get through the Welland Canal, which enabled them to bypass Niagara Falls (the direct trip was a little precipitous). Just about all gone now. Like ghosts. Sherwin WilliamsI didn't realize the Sherwin Williams logo was that old. I figured maybe 1940's or 1950's. It's changed in 100 yearsI live in buffalo and looking at this is a bit odd. Most of what you see there was torn down to make room for RT5 and the I190. First, that's not Main Street anymore, it's looking east down Church Street. The new Main Street would start around were the tall flagpole is, I think. The large white building to the right of the street looks like the Ellicott Square building (completed 1896, the largest office building at the time). The large tower to the right of that is the old post office, now Erie Community Collage. The problem is it should be closer to the Ellicott Square building. The steeple to the left of the street is Asbury Delaware Methodist Church. Now it's the home of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center. The clock tower left of that is the old town hall. SpiresSadly, I've never been to Buffalo. There are a number of interesting church spires in this photo. Do any of them still exist? Map linkThe street centered in this photograph is indeed Main Street. A map from 1894, depicting the buildings along the left side of the photograph and along Main Street up to Seneca can be found here. The trapezoid shaped building with the large overhangs is the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western passenger station. It is Main streetTo David_T It looks strange to you because it is in fact Main Street. Then the location of the landmarks make sense. For example, the Ellicott Square building is on Main street. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Buffalo NY)
Teeming Buffalo: 1905
Circa 1905. "Buffalo, New York, Main Street." A bird's-eye view of Buffalo. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... walking into the office every day. If you are ever in Buffalo, make sure to visit it -- it is still a spectacular treat. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 10:41am -

Circa 1905. "Buffalo, New York, Main Street." A bird's-eye view of Buffalo. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Ellicott Square BuildingThe Ellicott Square building is such an amazing piece of architecture. Having worked in the building for some time, I can honestly say I loved walking into the office every day. If you are ever in Buffalo, make sure to visit it -- it is still a spectacular treat. Streetcars GaloreThis seems like an huge number of trolleys just for this street! Booming BuffaloIn the early part of the 20th century Buffalo was in the top 10 highest population cities in the country. According to stats of 1900 it was almost 10 times the size of LA in numbers. Of course LA boomed in growth later on. A Bannerless DayWhy are there no flags flying in this picture? They are so prevalent in all the other photos on the site their absence sticks out like a sore thumb. So many bare flagpoles! (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Streetcars)
Apolitical Animal: 1942
... Instead, I found myself in the mean-ass stare of a buffalo , made of rebar. On the capitol grounds is also a memorial to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2024 - 12:12pm -

February 1942. "Bismarck, North Dakota. State capitol." Yea or neigh? Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. That would be a yeaYes, that is the state capitol in Bismarck. Below is from another angle, as seen by me in December 1989. In both photos, it was freezing. I did not encounter a friendly horse on my visit. Instead, I found myself in the mean-ass stare of a buffalo, made of rebar. On the capitol grounds is also a memorial to veterans of all wars. There is a hole in the roof, placed so that at 11am on November 11th, a ray of sun shines upon the bronze globe. And, very similar to the Vietnam Wall in D. C., the names of those who gave their lives, right up next to you, grouped together in way too many conflicts. Very thoughtful and impressive. "The ayes have it".According to my heads-up count. Deco SchmeckoThat ugly building is supposedly Art Deco in style but it looks like Brutalism to me. Wish I could unsee it. Tom SwiftyShelby Foote introduces politics in General Lee calling for his horse Traveller to be brought: "Orderly! Orderly!" he called hoarsely, not seeing Tucker close by with Traveller, whose bit had been slipped to let him graze. [I had a pony named Hoarsely. - Dave] Human affairsI think the horse’s opinion on human politics can be found behind his left rear leg. At Twenty One StoriesThe capitol building was completed in 1935, and still is the tallest occupied building in the state. Is this circa 1963 Bulgaria?All that's missing is the typical giant mosaic of Lenin leading the way for the apparatchiks and peasants. Still on the fence?I like this post! (The Gallery, Horses, John Vachon, Landscapes, Politics)
Niagara Street: 1908
Buffalo, New York, circa 1908. "Erie County Savings Bank, Niagara Street." 8x10 ... office. 16 Niagara Street Another great image of buffalo this week!, thank you so much for this beautiful shot. This is the ... The site today: View Larger Map Poor Buffalo Should passenger rail service ever return in a big way, Buffalo is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/21/2011 - 11:55am -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1908. "Erie County Savings Bank, Niagara Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Oink Inc.You just can't find a good pig iron dealer around town anymore. Get your pig iron hereI've heard of putting lipstick on a pig, which looks stupid, but the pigs don't mind. But getting them to do your laundry? Turns out pig iron is not some porcine alternative to a "Chinese hand laundry." Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Pig iron has a very high carbon content, typically 3.5–4.5%, which makes it very brittle and not useful directly as a material except for limited applications. I guess you would use it for things like still banks, toys, and ornamental iron work (such as decoration on an andiron). But I still wouldn't want to walk up to the fourth floor of this gorgeous gothic building to buy iron ingots. I hope they delivered, and this was just their office. 16 Niagara StreetAnother great image of buffalo this week!, thank you so much for this beautiful shot. This is the former erie county savings bank, which was demolished in 1968. more info here. Click below to enlarge. The site today: View Larger Map Poor BuffaloShould passenger rail service ever return in a big way, Buffalo is standing by with its huge abandoned railroad terminal. The straddle methodThe guy on the 4th floor of the building on the left is using what looks like a horizontal pole placed for just the purpose of window cleaning. Tragic EndDemolished around 1970 to make room for a mall. The mall is barely hanging on, and is generally despised. Here is a link to a slide show of the demolition. Frank F. WilliamsFrank F. Williams, officing to the left of Norton, was a corporate lawyer of admirable conscience. Secretary for the Buffalo orphan's home and the public library board, Frank (with his wife Ruth Churchyard Williams) was a leader in Andrew Carnegie's international peace movement. The Williamses were in the American delegation to the annual 1914 peace conference - scheduled for August 1, 1914, on the German side of Lake Constance. The peace conference was "postponed to a more propitious time" when war broke out that week. The Williamses safely returned to London, then to Buffalo. STOPCheck out the traffic control device over the street, and the window washer. Bountiful BuffaloA magnificent city in its day. It's been said that Buffalo never came out of the recession of 1958. The city still struggles to deal with its slow decline. But it still has magnificent architecture, beautiful homes in lovely neighborhoods, a park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and enough industry to pay the rent. I think that's the Guaranty Building at the left, one of America's great architectural treasures. In spite of decline, Buffalo is still a very nice city. More & More AutomobilesWe have seen a lot of city street scenes from 1900 to 1905 with no automobiles visible. Now it is 1908 and motorized vehicles outnumber horse drawn by almost two to one! I count 15 automobiles and busses versus 8 or 9 horse powered. Who areFrank F. Williams and Chas O. Norton and why do they have the niftiest offices in Buffalo? Chas. P. NortonCharles P. Norton, the occupant of the law office atop the second turret, was not just any lawyer. In 1908 he was three years into his fifteen-year term as Chancellor of the University of Buffalo. Times are Changing.This photograph along with many others you have posted show the revolution in transportation that took place in the first decade of the 20th century. This photo, taken in 1908, includes a mixture of automobiles and horse drawn wagons, but photos taken of city streets a mere five years or more earlier portray horse and buggies and wagons being used for transportation. Get a CarNote how by 1908 the autos are outnumbering the horses. TrafficInteresting balance of vehicles- about 13 self-propelled as opposed to eight horse-drawn. One car looks like a Model N Ford, and there is at least one curved-dash Oldsmobile. Wonderful photo! Ferrous Dealer's Half OffIt's not that there is no market for pig iron -- it's just that people wouldn't walk up to the fifth floor to buy it. Even when a 2-for-1 ingot sale was on. Streetcar StopIf my guess is right the sign highlighted is a blue background with white letters porcelain marker used as a control sign for streetcars because it is hung from the cross span wire which holds up the power providing trolley wire. At this time I believe there were very few traffic signs for general traffic as such signs start to come into play in the late teens and early 20's as automotive traffic increased. Guaranty BuildingThe building on the left is the Guaranty Building, one of the first skyscrapers, which was designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler and built in 1894. At first I thought that it couldn't be, because it's at 28 Church Street, one long block from the foot of Niagara Street. However, a map of Buffalo from 1896 shows that Niagara Street used to extend all the way to Church Street. Not only is the Erie County Savings Bank gone, the block on which it stood is gone too. Tower Admission 10 CentsI wonder how many people paid 10 cents for the view from the tower in the building across the street. I guess that would be a couple of dollars in today's money. FlagsI've noticed in most of the cityscape photos that the numerous flagpoles perched on nearly every building never have flags flying from them. Anyone know on why and would they only fly them on holidays? (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC)
Thruway Lanes: 1956
... on the left is the most depressing storefront ever. Buffalo NY ... ... It's pretty eerie. Cheektowaga Lanes, outside Buffalo The building appears to be the Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga, New ... Thruway Lanes is still in Cheektowaga, N.Y. (a suburb of Buffalo, about 25 minutes from Niagara Falls). You would take exit 52W of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/21/2008 - 8:35pm -

Bowling alley circa 1956. Next door: Fine dining at the Thruway Restaurant. Color transparency by Dmitri Kessel, Life magazine photo archive. View full size. ColorsAside from the subject matter - the colors in this photo are absolutely stupendous. That Fifties FeelingLooking at this kind of place in the fifties brings back that old feeling. This was when a dollar was dollar, life was steady and predictable, and everything seemed so important and substantial. You just seemed to know your place in life and the value of things... where's my baseball cards? An order of friesWhen I was in high school the bowling alley restaurant was the best place to go for great late-night french fries and a cup of coffee. With three or four friends you could probably spend $2. Leaving our Honda 50 scooters in the parking lot we were a wild bunch. Fast forward to 2008...now I have a car and can go anyplace I want to, but where can I get great french fries? Empty FishbowlI love the warm Flintstonian vibe of the bowling alley entrance, but that chamber of solitude on the left is the most depressing storefront ever. Buffalo NYhttp://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1550+Walden+Ave+Buffalo... http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=r4j5bj8f1kp7&style=... Maybe some Buffalonians will help ID this bowling alley. A Hopper FeelMan, this place is hopping! It's pretty eerie. Cheektowaga Lanes, outside BuffaloThe building appears to be the Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga, New York -- 1550 Walden Avenue. The front entrance is to a mall-like area that leads to the bowling alley. In 1972, I worked as an Air Force recruiter in an office in that little mall area. There was also an Army recruiting office. All of us ate at the restaurant. Thruway Lanes was THE center of Cheektowaga. Anyone else have pictures of the Thruway Lanes in the 1970s? Thruway ColorsThe colors are arresting, but I think they may owe more than a bit to the kind of red-shift fading typical of Ektachromes from this period. Great French FriesUnfortunately you will never get great french fries again. What made them so good was that they were fried in beef lard. The Health Nazis have taken away that particular pleasure along with many others. Smoke, drink and eat what you want and save Social Security from bankruptcy. [You can still buy lard in just about any grocery store. So have at it. - Dave] LardLard is from pork. Beef "lard" is tallow. I have no idea if you can buy it in grocery stores. McDonald's used to use it for their fries. [It's next to Crisco in the shortening aisle at Costco. Think of it as spackle for the arteries. Lard is, by the way, the secret to really good pie crust. - Dave] Lard AlmightyYes, when I worked in a bakery in the early 1990's, we used lard in our pie crusts and they were sublime. When we switched to vegetable shortening, they were still good but you had to finesse them more to get them that way. I'm a LocalThe Thruway Lanes (as we locals call it) is now AMF Thruway Lanes. It is still there; among all the new shopping malls surrounding it you could hardly see it if you didn't know it existed. I was just thinking about how good McDonald's fries used to be, yes they may not have been good for you but we all knew that. People are eating the new less fat ones, (which to me taste like and have the texture of sticks)! Back in the early 70's the local FM radio station (97 ROCK) used to have a contest of the best McDonald's fries around. The franchise at Clinton & Ogden always came up the winner! [Where's "there" -- Cheektowaga? - Dave] Thruway Lanes cont'dOops, sorry, yes Thruway Lanes is still in Cheektowaga, N.Y. (a suburb of Buffalo, about 25 minutes from Niagara Falls). You would take exit 52W of the NYS-90 to get there. I can clearly remember the smell of the place. Nothing like a bowling alley to bring back a lot of childhood memories. I still have friends who bowl on leagues at the Thruway Lanes! [Thanks for the info! You know what would be great? A current photo taken from the same angle. - Dave] LardoWhile at the local Kroger, I found that even Pillsbury commercial pie crusts are made with lard - and they proudly proclaim "No Trans Fats!" My wife is firmly in the lard camp, as well - flaky, delicious crusts every time. Lard? Never!Aunt Chick would tell you that butter is the secret to perfect pie crusts -- of course, her non-stick rolling pin cover and pie pans wouldn't hurt, either. When I moved into my first house, I found several small cookbooks left behind, including a well-buttered copy of "Aunt Chick's Pies." My first two pies? Perfect! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nettie_McBirney [Still, try lard. Another really good cookbook: any 1950s edition Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking. - Dave] Dream fontDoes anyone know the name of that typeface? This is a very special photograph -- just solid, but lonely and moody, too. I used to dream about places like this when I was in the Peace Corps. I wanted to be in Cleveland -- in a bowling alley. Never mind that I had never been in Cleveland nor in a bowling alley. Way late to this partyI grew up a couple miles from Thruway Lanes. They did have good fries (crinkle cut if I remember correctly). I was closer to the Airport Lanes though, and that's where I belonged to a league. A sad lossI'm sad to say that as of March of 2015, The Thruway Lanes is no more. The car dealer next door to them bought the building to expand, and shut them down. (LIFE, Sports)
Buffalo Soldiers: 1942
... 10th Cavalry brigade." The African-American regiment of "Buffalo Soldiers" fame. Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/07/2023 - 3:33pm -

April 1942. "Fort Riley, Kansas. G troop of the 10th Cavalry brigade." The African-American regiment of "Buffalo Soldiers" fame. Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. The original super troopers When the youngest of these men were born in 1920, there were 20 million horses in the US. By the time this photo was taken that number was halved due to motorized transport. Most if not all calvary recruits had never ridden a horse, and training was an unbelievable ordeal on their internal organs and lower extremities. (The Gallery, Horses, Jack Delano, WW2)
Buffalo Savings: 1904
Buffalo, New York, circa MCMIV. "Buffalo Savings Bank." Just look at the time -- I:LV -- gotta run! 8x10 glass ... How did they manage to clean the streets in the winter - Buffalo can get a lot of snow? As for the letter box - my neighborhood had one ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:56pm -

Buffalo, New York, circa MCMIV. "Buffalo Savings Bank." Just look at the time -- I:LV -- gotta run! 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. I've got my cloakNow where is the Dagger shop? Did the sweepers have a quota?How much territory was a street sweeper expected to cover? I think I see another sweeper by the restaurant. How did they manage to clean the streets in the winter - Buffalo can get a lot of snow? As for the letter box - my neighborhood had one until just a few years ago. The Wilkinson Building has a sign proclaiming "Wearing Apparel" - is there any other kind? I'm afraid I am still trying to interpret Dave's reading of the clock. [I:LV = 1:55. - Dave] Those who are tardy do not get Fruit CupI have to wonder if Nurse Diesel is standing behind one of those large arched windows and if there is a spiderweb shadow on the walls inside. U.S. MailWhy the different mailboxes? You would think that with the most widespread form of communication (with phones a way distant second) that mailboxes would be large and all over the place. [With letterboxes on practically every street corner, and pickups at least twice a day, they don't need to be that big. The telegraph, and telegrams, would be No. 2 for intercity communication. - Dave] Cloak for saleOh good the store next door sells cloaks! They are hard to find. It would have been nice if a cloak wearer was seen strutting the latest in early 20th century garb. BTW was 1899 the year the building was built? Buffalo GuysThere are 2 men in straw Boater hats standing at the curb in front of the J.M. Wilkinson & Co store. One of them appears to have jumped the gun by about 90 years and could be talking on his cell phone, while the other one seems to be blowing his nose into the street. Don't HVIII MeI know, I am probably weird, but I have been an XIIDIGITATOR for many years as well as a fan of sniglets. XIIDIGITATION (ksi dij i tay' shun) n. The practice of trying to determine the year a movie was made by deciphering the Roman numerals at the end of the credits. It also works for cornerstones and grave monuments in addition to movie credits. Ding-dingNote the two ladies posing coyly with their two-wheeled steed, behind the fire hydrant. "I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can't get into harm unless she gets off her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood." So sayeth Susan B. Anthony, in 1896, er, MDCCCXCVI. Groovy hydrantsEspecially the one on the left. MDCCCXCICOK, I was away from school the day they taught Roman numerals, never did learn them, I never knew when any building was ever built. Completed in 1901This still-standing Beaux Arts building was designed by the Buffalo firm of Green & Wicks. The dome was originally copper-sheathed but is now gilded with gold leaf. Grand old building with such great detail!The striking detail on beautiful old buildings like this always amazes me! So glad this one is still standing! (The Gallery, Bicycles, Buffalo NY, DPC)
Buffalo Dredging: 1905
Circa 1905. "Waterworks and Niagara River, Buffalo, N.Y." Panorama made from three 8x10 inch glass negatives. Detroit ... down from Lockport and North Tonawanda into the port of Buffalo. Wow, talk about a bygone era!! Buffalo was one of the ten largest ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/10/2021 - 4:02pm -

Circa 1905. "Waterworks and Niagara River, Buffalo, N.Y." Panorama made from three 8x10 inch glass negatives. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Childhood memoryThe right side of this picture includes the Black Rock Canal, while the left side is the Niagara River. As a child in the '60s (long after this picture was taken) we boys would fish from this breakwall. The local rowing club would practice in the canal as well. I believe that the canal was an extension of the old Erie Canal that brought barges down from Lockport and North Tonawanda into the port of Buffalo. Wow, talk about a bygone era!! Buffalo was one of the ten largest cities in the US at the time of this picture. I'm impressedI can tell from the amount of smoke and the number of smokestacks that you are a modern, prosperous city, Buffalo! I don't see any buffaloin the dredge scoop yet. Three legged dredgerThe three legs are driven down into the river bottom. It can raise itself up and level using the three legs. Also helps stabilize its position. I have seen modern versions of this kind of dredger but didn't know the concept has been around so long. Another great Shorpy history lesson. Also kudos to either Detroit Publishing or Shorpy for the excellent job of stitching these negatives together. Spud bargeThe dredge is built on a spud barge. The legs drop by gravity and are not driven into the bottom by any other force. The barge could not jack itself up on them, as is done with some modern drill rigs. The picture appears to be taken from the Bird Island Pier, looking north along the Black Rock Channel toward the International Railway Bridge (on the left) and the Ferry Street Bridge (on the right, the old one, not the current 1914 iteration) leading to the docks on the Niagara River side of Squaw Island. Rail traffic over the international Bridge was probably over 200 trains a day at the time this photo was taken, peaking at 264 in 1916. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, Buffalo NY, DPC)
Buffalo Pup: 1900
Circa 1900. "U.S.S. Buffalo , ship's company." A certain amount of mugging for the camera here, as ... by The National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) in 1861. Buffalo Sailors An interesting but brief career for the Buffalo, designated both as an auxiliary cruiser and, later, a destroyer ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/22/2013 - 1:07pm -

Circa 1900. "U.S.S. Buffalo, ship's company." A certain amount of mugging for the camera here, as well as various props and a canine mascot. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Edward Hart, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Popcorn and peanuts and ...The swabbie with the dog could have modeled as Sailor Jack and Bingo on the Cracker Jack box. USS MassachusettsAt least one of them seems to be visiting from another ship (right end of the third row). Queen of HeartsBack row, third from the right. Wondering about the significance. What time was that photo shoot?And the guy atop the bridge seems to be thinking: "Oh, shoot - I overslept; hope I can sneak into the picture without the captain seeing that I got there late" U.S.S. Busby BerkeleyAll of these seamen & petty officers, but only one CPO that I can see. Chiefs would probably be 20% of the crew these days. VittlesThe sailor in the back row center is holding up lunch, a hardtack biscuit, and probably made by The National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) in 1861. Buffalo SailorsAn interesting but brief career for the Buffalo, designated both as an auxiliary cruiser and, later, a destroyer tender, she was only in service with the USN for about 20 years. Built at Newport News, VA she wasn't built for the Navy but was purchased from Brazil 5 years after being launched. This photo is far from the ship's entire company as she carried 350 men and only 80 or so are pictured here. The chief is a boatswain's mate as is one of the petty officers so I'd guess these are the deck crew, sometimes known in the vernacular as "deck apes". I doubt the squid with the Massachusetts hat is a visitor (or that the one with an Iowa band on his hat is either) but just hasn't switched the band from his previous duty station. I can't believe that 20% of enlisted men are CPOs in the modern navy, either....too many chiefs, not enough Indians. Takes a long time to become chief and typically there aren't more than one to a division aboard ship. I'd be surprised if they were 5% of the enlisted crew. UniformsCompared to the modern Navy these sailors look pretty disheveled. Those "flat hats" continued to get modified to be smaller in diameter until eventually being discontinued sometime after WWII although we were issued flat hats in boot camp in 1962 but they were not authorized for wear. Most navies of the world declare their ships on hat ribbons but the U.S. Navy changed that with the disappearance of the flat hat and sailors now wear shoulder patches with their ship's name. Don't know what the significance of the white lanyards are other than those might be Boatswain Mate strikers (seamen working towards the designation). The Chief appears to be a Bo'sun but the guy to his right looks like a Gunner's Mate (who wouldn't usually be in the Deck crew). The white ring around the right shoulder indicates a Seaman (pay grade E-3). There was no designation for pay grades E-1 (Seaman Recruit) or E-2 (Seaman Apprentice). Seaman was sometimes called Able Seaman or Seaman First Class. The white stripe disappeared after WWII and was replaced by three stripes on the arm. No names on tallies from 1940 onTo landtuna: The U.S. Navy ceased the practice of issuing tallies (the ribbons that were worn with the enlisted men's flat hat) with the names of ships or shore installations in 1940, prior to the start of WWII. The rationale described here suggests that the change was made due to security reasons ("to restrict knowledge of ship's movements") but it has also been said to be due to rapid expansion of the U.S. fleet. At that time the specific tallies were to be replaced with tallies reading "U.S. Navy" or "U.S. Naval Reserve." The Coast Guard also issued tallies that read "U.S. Coast Guard." The Navy ceased to issue flat hats altogether in early 1963. My father served during the Korean War and shortly thereafter and was issued a flat hat with the standard "U.S. Navy" tally, which he still owns to this day. I don't think he wore it much if at all during his enlistment. Tin in the foregroundCan anyone identify that tin container? Biscuit box, perhaps? ["Seabury's Corrosive Sublimate Gauze" - tterrace] Re: Uniforms landtuna, the answer to the lanyard can be found in this previous comment on Shorpy. Great Photo!I'm a retired Chief Machinist's Mate and I'm happy to see another MM in the front row (far left - Second Class Machinist's Mate). Man, I loved being a Second Class. A little authority, but not enough to be a hassle. If it paid better I'd have been happy to stay an MM2 forever. This can't be the Ship's Company - no Officers - but there's mixture of rates here. There's another Snipe (Engineering), a First Class Electrician's Mate - on the right in front of the guy with the HUGE hat. Several Boatswain's Mates (pronounced Bosun's Mate) from Deck (lovingly called Deck Apes), the Gunner's Mate and a boat load of Non-Rates. There are TWO Chiefs in the photo. The Bosun Chief in the crowd and another looking out the porthole. The First Class PO sitting behind the dog has FIVE hashmarks (Service Stripes). Each represents 4 years of service. It looks like the Bosun Chief only has two. Finally, the number of Senior Enlisted is capped by law at about 9%: ~6% for Chiefs (CPO) and 3% total for Senior and Master Chiefs (SCPO and MCPO). (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Dogs, DPC, E.H. Hart)
Buffalo P.O.: 1910
Buffalo, New York, circa 1910. "Post Office, Ellicott Street." 8x10 inch dry ... Company. View full size. Tallest building in Buffalo from 1901 to 1912 Designed by James Knox Taylor, it opened ... masonry rendered in shades of gray? (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 2:39pm -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1910. "Post Office, Ellicott Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Tallest building in Buffalo from 1901 to 1912 Designed by James Knox Taylor, it opened in 1901 and remained in use as the post office till 1963. Since 1981, it's been home to the city campus of Erie Community College. Workin hard to get the shotLooks like our cameraman had to work pretty hard to wedge that camera into the only available spot for the shot. I wonder if he couldn't or wouldn't get out onto that section of roof at lower right. Anybody who has tried to photograph high rise architecture knows it ain't easy a lot of the time. And my goodness is there anything more handsome than neo Gothic masonry rendered in shades of gray? (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC)
Speed Demon: 1904
Buffalo, New York, circa 1904. "Delaware Avenue." Hitching posts, mounting ... Publishing Company. View full size. Mark Twain and Buffalo winters The story of all the millionaires on this street reminds me that Mark Twain married and retired to Buffalo. After digging for gold in California, Twain became a gold digger and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:14am -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1904. "Delaware Avenue." Hitching posts, mounting blocks, ice wagons and gaslight at the dawn of the automobile age. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Mark Twain and Buffalo wintersThe story of all the millionaires on this street reminds me that Mark Twain married and retired to Buffalo. After digging for gold in California, Twain became a gold digger and married into money. I wonder what this street looked like during the next winter. How on earth did they clear the streets, or did all the millionaires go to Florida? I will always remember visiting Buffalo in May and seeing huge, melting mounds of plowed snow. Puts their winter into perspective. I would love to be thereFinally horseback riders! I would love to ride a horse around the city streets with no cars. Nice houses too. Those people were so lucky. Two ladies?I suspect the man is adjusting the lady's stirrup. Remember that even an ankle showing during this time was shocking, so I seriously doubt he was doing anything even slightly inappropriate. What is truly odd is that the sorrel horse is wearing a sidesaddle as well. Men didn't ride sidesaddle. I wonder if the dark horse threw a shoe and the man was allowing the lady to ride his horse home? Or is there another lady we can't see? [Count the legs -- there are three horses in this group. - Dave] Clop-clopAnd the rare rider on horseback in a city. Elm trees!And American Elms lining the street. Even from 106 years and 2,000 miles awayI can hear those horses flipping out, and the riders screaming, "Slow down, you whippersnapper!" Can't help but noticeThe woman riding sidesaddle. Her gentleman friend seems extra helpful. Uh-ohI suspect that we'll soon see a Google Street View that shows this lovely tree-lined street of serenity has been replaced by one choked with automobiles, strip malls and gas stations. I hope I'm wrong. So civilized!Wow. Such a quiet, peaceful street scene! It's hard to imagine such a civilized world. Time TravelI have a new favorite. Full size, zoom in, and walk back in time. Well done, Dave. Grew up hereThank you for showing this elegant street in its prime. I grew up in Buffalo and you could always catch a hint of what once was when driving down Delaware Avenue. Delaware AvenueIn 1901, President William McKinley was shot at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo and brought to the home of Expo head John Milburn at 1168 Delaware Avenue. (The house was later, unbelievably, torn down and paved over for a parking lot -- with schoolchildren watching.) When McKinley took a turn for the worse, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt made his famous dash from Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks to Buffalo -- the trail is still there today. Feeling it was inappropriate to swear in at Mr. Milburn's house, where McKinley was being autopsied, Roosevelt moved his inauguration to his friend Ansley Wilcox's mansion, a away at 641 Delaware Avenue. Today, it is the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. VroomMust be a crazed teenage driver. I bet he has that thing up to 15, maybe 20 mph! Oh my!I was more than a little shocked when I saw the man on the left with his hand under the skirt of the lady on the white horse. Even if it is her husband, I believe that show of affection in public was more than a little risque. I have to admit though, I do think it's very romantic. Beautiful HomesI walk this stretch of Delaware Avenue every day at lunch. This was the address to have in Buffalo at the turn of the 20th century. I have heard it said that more millionaires lived in Buffalo than any other American city at the time. Many of these homes are still standing but occupied by businesses. I can only imagine what it was like growing up in one of these places. Those trees are no longer there, like the millions of others wiped out by Dutch Elm disease. Delaware Avenue todayLooks pretty much the same. View Larger Map Beautiful BuffaloThank you for another gorgeous shot of beautiful Buffalo! I grew up in Buffalo and although some of this beauty is lost, we still have quite a bit. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Horses)
Detroit tourism, 1930s
... They likely traveled across Lake Erie between Detroit and Buffalo, NY. The Guardian building is seen flying the American flag on its roof. View full size. Re: Greater Buffalo Thanks Jimmy. I did some more searching and found some pictures of ... 
 
Posted by bhappel - 09/28/2009 - 11:09am -

Two passenger boats sit on the Detroit River near downtown Detroit, MI. They likely traveled across Lake Erie between Detroit and Buffalo, NY. The Guardian building is seen flying the American flag on its roof. View full size. Re: Greater BuffaloThanks Jimmy. I did some more searching and found some pictures of the Greater Buffalo from its heyday and as a training carrier. http://wnyheritagepress.org/photos_week_2005/greater_buffalo/greater_buf... "In 1924, the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company launched the 2 largest Great Lakes side-wheeled excursion steamers ever, the Greater Buffalo and the Greater Detroit. Designed by renowned marine architect Frank E. Kirby, they were built to provide "night boat" overnight service, transporting up to 1,500 passengers between Buffalo and Detroit." Greater BuffaloThe boat on the right appears to the S.S. Greater Buffalo, a sidewheel excursion boat that was converted to a small aircraft carrier during W.W.II and based in Chicago for pilot training. It was renamed the U.S.S. Sable. Late to the PartyNew to Shorpy's site, but saw you were talking about these ships. My grandfather, George J. Kolowich was the last Chairman of D&C Navigation, and my father worked for the company in the late 40's. I possess the bronze dedication plaque for the GREATER BUFFALO, which also is inscribed to reflect its requisitioning by the US Navy in 1942 as the U.S.S. SABLE, which operated off Chicago alongside the U.S.S. Wolverine (formerly the Sea&Bee) as aircraft pilot training carriers during WW2. Collecting all I can find about the GREATER BUFFALO and her sister ship, the GREATER DETROIT. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Twenty-One: 1980
"21 Club, Buffalo, Wyoming, 1980." 35mm color transparency from the John Margolies ... the scans and gave them the originals. Doubt this is Buffalo, NY I've lived here for 70 years and do not recognize this. I've also shared on Facebook "Former Buffalo Restaurants" and no one else recognizes. It might be Buffalo, Wyoming. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/02/2021 - 2:00pm -

"21 Club, Buffalo, Wyoming, 1980." 35mm color transparency from the John Margolies Roadside America photographic archive. Happy New Year from Shorpy! View full size. Coors in 1980 addendaCoors was the beer of the West back then; you couldn't legally buy it east of the Mississippi. Got a couple cases of it out here in Michigan back then and thought WOW, let's party!! It tasted like Golden water. Back to Stroh's. Time TravelIs it just me, or was 1980 just 10 or 20 years ago; not FORTY years ago. Lesson LearnedAmen to that. Back in the 70s, my hometown built a nice pedestrian mall, which I photographed extensively. It was unpopular, and was razed in the '90s, and the streets put back in. The director of the historical society said all their photos were monochrome newspaper shots, so they were delighted to get my slides. I kept the scans and gave them the originals. Doubt this is Buffalo, NYI've lived here for 70 years and do not recognize this. I've also shared on Facebook "Former Buffalo Restaurants" and no one else recognizes. It might be Buffalo, Wyoming. [Indeed it is. Caption corrected! - Dave] Buffalo, Wyo.Here's a current photo of the building. Coors in 1980Coors was kind of a big deal back then. Smokey and the Bandit helped. Re: Coors in 1980When I first saw this I was wondering about Coors being available in Buffalo, NY in 1980. As I had recalled it wasn't sold in the the eastern US until later in the eighties. Thanks for clearing this up Dave! The Shorpy lessonSeeing this photo reminds me that I never think of taking photos of the streets, businesses, and cars, in Durham, NC, where I live. I mean, how interesting could such photos be? But Shorpy shows every day that subjects that seem mundane and uninteresting in the here and now are hugely interesting in later years. So, take some pictures, people, and save them. Tempus FugitMan, I’m getting old when the year 1980 makes it on to Shorpy! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Eateries & Bars)
Swan Street, Buffalo: 1911
Buffalo, New York, circa 1911. "Swan Street." The motorcar gains a foothold where hooves once trod on Swan in Buffalo. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Elllicott Square Building ... still owned and operated by Statler, it became the Hotel Buffalo in 1923 when the new Statler at Niagara Square opened (built where the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 10:41am -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1911. "Swan Street." The motorcar gains a foothold where hooves once trod on Swan in Buffalo. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Elllicott Square BuildingA block up the street on the left is the Ellicott Square Building. When it was built, in 1896, it was the largest office building in the world. Nice Truss!That's an optimistic tire patch, and it doesn't look home-made. Could it be a Patented Herniated Tire Belt? Parking against the kerbI was always taught (in UK, and I don't think kids these days are taught it anyway) that if you are parking on a downwards slope against the kerb, then turn the wheels inwards so that if the handbrake gives then the vehicle would only roll towards (and be stopped by) the kerb. The car in the centre of the picture would roll out across the highway. Right Hand DriveOf the cars where the steering wheel can be seen, all three have right hand drive. Surely they weren't all imported from eg. Europe? When did LHD become standard in the US? [There was a gradual transition from a mix of left- and right-hand drive cars. - Dave] Where's Waldo[rf]?I see Statler Meep! Meep!Why am I imagining that Wile E. Coyote is somewhere under that great block of stone on the curb? Anchor? Horse-hitch? Something to do with the ghostly passers-by? TaggedThe cars have two license plates. Why izzat? [One for New York and one for Ontario. - Dave] VaultsI love the carriage all the way on the right. "Vaults for Silver storage. Cold Storage Vaults for furs." Not a fancy motorized vehicle but instead an old fashioned carriage with wooden wheels. Looking at windowsOne of the ways you can tell if a building is from the 1800s or not, is if it has arch-top windows. Obviously they knew how to make flat-top windows then. The top floors of the buildings shown here have them. The 1907 hotel Statler has them entirely. Obviously they didn't abruptly stop making them on December 31, 1899. But for the most part, you can date a surviving old brick building when it has those windows. The building in the right foreground is a classic round-top masonry example that would have been around during the Civil War. I love it, especially the windows. (Though I'd hate to try and get a 2011 glass man to replace one of those upper panes). Was it just fashion that made so many buildings have this look, or was there something structural all those keystones added to the masonry, which the flat top windows do not give the walls? The Hotel Statlerbuilt in 1907 at Swan and Washington Streets was Ellsworth Statler's first hotel. Although still owned and operated by Statler, it became the Hotel Buffalo in 1923 when the new Statler at Niagara Square opened (built where the Castle Inn had stood). Hotel Buffalo was sold in the 1930s. It was closed in 1967 and demolished in 1968. The land was vacant until what is now Coca-Cola Field was built in 1988. Tire patchWonderful tire patch. THE most important historic element in the photo. Arched WindowsArch-top windows don't need a steel lintel to hold the masonry above them. The masonry arch itself directs the downward force of the bricks or stones above out to the side. With a flat top you need to use steel or a very hefty chunk of stone over a very narrow opening to do the same thing. Glass for an arched window isn't very difficult to get, and even the window frame itself isn't particularly complicated as long as it's a wood window (metal windows or metal-clad windows are another story). Getting glass that's bowed out, like you see in the windows around some turrets, now that's difficult. I figure the turn of the century is about the time that steel became cheap enough and well understood enough structurally to be used for window and door lintels. It certainly saves on masonry work, because you don't need to build wood falsework to form the arch, nor do you have to cut the many bricks to fit around that arch. Unfortunately, these steel lintels need to be painted and maintained, because if they start to rust they break up the masonry around them and are a huge pain to replace. Multiple License PlatesCars that traveled out of state were not automatically considered registered in their non-home state. We take for granded this reciprocity today. Oftentimes you needed to acquire a temporary license plate or a permit to operate your vehicle in the state you were visiting. These license plates would differ by size, shape, and/or color to differentiate them from regularly issued plates. Probably the owners of these vehicles worked in New York City and commuted from Ontario or vice versa. The use of multiple license plates can be found in many places including photos of New York City, with New Jersey or Connecticut license plates displayed, and in the District of Columbia with Maryland or Virginia license plates displayed. +111Below is the same view from September of 2022. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC)
Thisbe: 1900
... attractive when the obvious is somewhat oblique. From Buffalo.. to this! Yowzzzzzer! Thanks Dave! Oh. My. God. I 'bout fell ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:56pm -

Circa 1900. "Thisbe." Who was quite the Babylonian. View full size. DecolletageFunny how the English language never came up with its own name for that sensuous area of a woman's body. Fun de SiecleThisbe one Victorian hotty! Egad!This be quite the "Babe" is another way of putting it. WOW is right !Looks exactly like a young Drew Barrymore. Phone homeShe reminds me of a younger, drug-free Drew Barrymore. Memories of ThisbeI once met a girl on the Jersey Shore who owned a pair of twin little pups named Pyramus (sp?) and Thisbe. She was surprised that I was familiar with those names, even though I was not exactly up-to-date with their story. This Thisbe though, was lovely indeed. What's she trying to say ?She's trying to send us a hand signal. It's too subtle for me, I can't quite work out what she wants. Could it be pull my finger? Wow!Reminds me of Carroll Baker "Baby Doll." But that was over 50 years later. And this girl is way prettier. Any more info? Was "Thisbe" a play? Was Thisbe the girl's name? What could this be? Jim [Thisbe gets hit on by this dude Pyramus. Who is all like, babe, we gotta hook up. That chick I was seeing last week? Ancient history. - Dave] Coif, coifShe could have benefited from some conditioner, but she's beautiful. Twin CaterpillarsWas there no tradition of eyebrow care in 1900? Do not pass GoGo directly to the Pretty Girls Gallery. Near the top of the list. Which reminds me,I gotta get back to work on that time machine. Be back later. Did she escape the noticeof Charles Dana Gibson? Odd, I was just showing a friend an article on Evelyn Nesbit and Stanford White last night. ExtraordinaryAnother example of a use for the word "timeless"! In any generation and at any time, a beautiful woman. Great picture. At that moment in timeSome guy was totally sick of putting up with her. Rose woodA rose in a carved rosewood chair. Timeless! I hope that life was good to this beautiful girl. Re: Memories of ThisbeHey Bob, I ALSO met that lady many years ago with the twin pups on the Jersey shore and she was in the water just this far. Being a youngster, I stupidly said "Hey lady, if you are going to drown those puppies, can I have the one with the pink nose?" Simply beautifulThat is one of the sultriest gazes I've ever seen from any era. I wonder if she could ever have imagined she'd still be quickening pulses 109 years later. SuperciliousI really get tired of the eyebrow comments. Once upon a time it was not considered unfeminine for women to have natural eyebrows! It's a different style -- do you get it? Conversely, I am fascinated with these older photos because they show lovely young women not bloated by modern diet and lack of physical exertion -- like walking (gasp!) to school, and without a lot of makeup. NSFWShorpy, please! You need to start labeling these postings: Not Safe For Work! IlluminatingI find this beautiful, especially the position of the hands. And the smoothness of the skin in pre-pre photoshop days.I wonder if lighting was from a window. It created a timeless look. [It maybe pre-photoshop, but emulsion on the negative has been extensively retouched by stippling with a pen or pencil to create diffuse highlights on the finished print, which in that era generally would have used a very soft focus to give an ethereal, painterly effect. - Dave] I Gotta Say.....that the evolution of eyebrow grooming was one thing that didn't cross my mind as I studied this photo. What Eyebrows?She has eyebrows? I haven't worked my way up there quite yet. Re: NSFWI can't imagine any workplace that this photo is not safe for that would allow one to surf the net and look at the Shorpy photos. Incredible!This is, bar none, the loveliest shot in the entire Shorpy collection. The lighting is amazing and the subject is perfect. She is gloriously beautiful. Dave, you have outdone yourself. The is the absolute pinnacle of perfection! MehShe ain't all that. She expects men to find her sexy. It's more attractive when the obvious is somewhat oblique. From Buffalo..to this! Yowzzzzzer! Thanks Dave! Oh. My. God.I 'bout fell outta my chair, Dave. You've outdone yourself. Don't see how you'll ever top this one. Double wowShe looks mighty fine to me just the way she is! I wouldn't change a thing. Cool it, GentsYour ardor is misplaced. Everything is not as it seems. She is 130 years old today. Exactly how do you think she looks? Please turn your attention to us living ladies... Whaddaya mean, "NSFW"?At most workplaces which don't require burkas, shoulders aren't specifically disallowed. You can probably walk outside of your workplace and see young women wearing more revealing clothing on the sidewalk. Perfect natural beautyI actually gasped at the sight of this lovely girl. Perfect skin, total natural beauty. Those perfect lips must be kissed again and again. I could gaze at her for hours. "Hot damn"was the first thing I uttered upon seeing this photo. She's absolutely stunning. A classic beautyShe is absolutely gorgeous. Your mention of Babylonia made me think of King Tut via Steve Martin: Born in Arizona Moved to Babylonia (King Tut) Dancing by the Nile Ladies loved the style (waltzing Tut) Thisbe and Pyramus: think Romeo & Juliet, West Side Story, The Fantasticks; with a dash of A Midsummer Night Dream. Surely you jest...Oh brave new world that would consider this innocent portrait of youth and beauty "not safe for work". Somehow, I'm glad our Thisbe isn't here to bear such absurdity. [Yes, they were jesting. Of course the real humor (the "meta-joke") comes from the replies of people who took the comment seriously.- Dave] Finally!I have new desktop wallpaper. I wish I knew who she wasSome more photos of her would be grand! Yes, question in back?Will Thisbe on the test? It's hard to tell at this resolution.....but it looks like there is some well done work with the etch knife. Yes, even then, beauty was being enhanced by the skill of retouchers. I'm not saying saying she wasn't pretty, just improved. [As noted below it would have been a pencil or pen. - Dave] OMG!That could have been my grandmother (b. 1884)! O Tempora! O Mores!I can't help thinking of the line in "The Devil Wears Prada" where the Meryl Streep character refers to the character played by Anne Hathaway (!) as "the fat girl." Kudos to the Photographer!The pose is beautiful, the lighting is gorgeous and accentuates all the right bits. Thisbe herself is attractive. But I really think the photographer did an excellent job of lighting and posing the subject to make her look so becoming. Decadent innocence?The hands remind me of classical Greek sculpture. There is a dreamy, ethereal, but three-dimensional quality about her. "Drew Barrymore" leapt to my mind also. Oh wowShe is gorgeous. pre-MadonnaI agree with some others that this is ravishingly honest ruebenesqe. The message (whatever it is) is for virile young men. French name?I believe that Thisbe is a French name. If this is so, the "h" is silent and the name is pronounced "Tis-be." ["Thisbe" is Latin. This photo is an allegorical depiction of a figure from Roman mythology. The legend of Thisbe and her lover Pyramus is an archetypal tale of doomed love that would see its themes recapitulated in works like "Romeo and Juliet." - Dave] Beautiful!So a beautiful girl! Oh my.She is absolutely breathtaking. The lady and the photo are both exquisite. Pyramus & ThisbePyramus & Thisbe was the play that Bottom and his cohorts were preparing to perform for the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta when Puck made an ass (or at least half an ass) out of Bottom. Thisbe the truthPyramus have been smitten. Florence Evelyn NesbitThis is Florence Evelyn Nesbit (December 25, 1884 – January 17, 1967) an American artists' model and chorus girl, noted for her entanglement in the murder of her ex-lover, architect Stanford White, by her first husband, Harry Kendall Thaw. [It's not Evelyn Nesbit. Below, Evelyn in 1901. - Dave] Fifty Comments!Yes! This girl deserves it. Hello, beautiful! How'd I miss this one?One word: WOW! Another ColorizationVery Beautiful I See a AngleI think she looks today just like she did 130 years ago when she slipped out of this world. She's my idea of what a Angle in Heaven looks like. [Acute or obtuse? - Dave] Words Escape MeBut colorizing her does not. Here is my take: NOT Evelyn Nesbit!I keep running into sites that have this picture posted, claiming that it is Evelyn Nesbit. Some even have pictures of Evelyn right beside them, where I would think it would be obvious to anyone who didn't have extremely poor eyesight that it wasn't the same girl. I have seen the same thing with pictures of many other semi-famous people, such as Virginia Rappe, as well as celebrities as familiar as Joan Crawford. Obviously, it is not of any Earth-shattering importance, but it is one of those things that just bug me! Dave, does it bug you? [It's not at the top of my list. - Dave] It bugged you enough to point it out on the Shorpy Store! Actually, I think this girl is much prettier than Evelyn. CaptivatingThis girl was absolutely beautiful. Does no one really know who she was? For example, where was the picture found? Had we but world enough, and timeI look at this and think of the line "Had we but world enough, and time..." I love the time travel we can do with old photographs. She is mesmerizing. A Mona Lisa of photography. Drew Barrymore?I agree with all comments regarding the beauty of both the woman and the photo, but does anyone else think she bears a striking resemblance to Drew Barrymore? (The Gallery, DPC, Portraits, Pretty Girls)
Buffalo Crossing: 1908
Circa 1908. "Main Street -- Buffalo, N.Y." Landmarks on view include Hengerer's Department Store and the dome of the Buffalo Savings Bank. 5x7 inch glass negative. View full size. Dome? ... out his family was quite influential in the future of Buffalo. His father was in the famous New York light infantry brigade at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/10/2019 - 8:34am -

Circa 1908. "Main Street -- Buffalo, N.Y." Landmarks on view include Hengerer's Department Store and the dome of the Buffalo Savings Bank. 5x7 inch glass negative. View full size. Dome? Still there. That Second Empire masterpiece is gone, though. That's a shame! Liemberner's Hair StoreWhat’s a hair store? Lot of history in these old photos!I took it upon myself to kill some time and decided to research the Diebold of "Coatsworth and Diebold" on the second story left. Turns out his family was quite influential in the future of Buffalo. His father was in the famous New York light infantry brigade at Gettysburg, and he himself started a large banking institution. His son Charles Diebold II went on to be known as the man in Buffalo in later years, largely responsible for the revitalization of downtown. He died in 2000 and had a full page obit in the local paper. All this rich history was just waiting to be found in the corner of this snapshot in time! This is one of the reasons I love Shorpy! Coatsworth & DieboldEdward Coatsworth is on our family tree. He died in 1943 and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery. I've shared this photo with his family. Here is the link to his Find A Grave memorial. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77359348/edward-e_-coatsworth +114Below is the same view from September of 2022. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Buffalo Rising: 1904
Buffalo, New York, circa 1904. "St. Paul's Cathedral, Episcopal." 8x10 inch dry ... is the same view from September of 2022. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 8:47pm -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1904. "St. Paul's Cathedral, Episcopal." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Steeple windowsAre those windows in the steeple? Is it possible to go up inside it? Whatever for? How did they do that!Notice the church's steeple is of brick. It boggles my mind when I try to figure out how men were able to lay the brick at that height and angle, considering the tools and equipment available during that era. Wow! Obligatory Street ViewView Larger Map "Considering the tools of the era"??You have it exactly backwards, bub. How (and when) do you think the great cathedrals of Europe were built? An Unusual Perspective on Louis SullivanThe tall building at the left is Adler & Sullivan's Guaranty (aka Prudential) Building of 1894-1895, seen from the back. You can just make out the cornice at the top of the facade and the arch over the doorway, both shown in extreme foreshortening. Tools of the era (redux)Many photographers today are obsessed with technical qualities like centre-to-edge sharpness, vignetting and light falloff and will use only the most advanced lenses. Here we have a photograph where the back has been shifted so far to that the lens no longer covers the entire plate and a lens that can't quite resolve the top of the steeple. By contemporary standards, this would be an unacceptable documentary photograph. What I see here is a a photographer who worked with and within the technical limitations of his equipment to produce a very striking image. A lot of contemporary 'gearhead' photogs could learn from this. Red SandstoneAccording to the Historic American Buildings Survey, the cathedral's load-bearing masonry exterior walls and the 275-foot main spire are all made of red Medina sandstone that came from a church-owned quarry near Huddleston, N.Y. The rest of the roof is covered in slate shingles. The heavily buttressed main entrance and the spire survived a disastrous gas explosion and fire in 1888 that gutted the rest of the building and necessitated its reconstruction in 1888-1890. Church on Planet XThe lens vignette effect makes it look like a scene from some Twilight Zone episode where a 19th century American town has somehow been relocated to a moon of Jupiter. Star Trek, 1904One explanantion of the vanishing man at the left, Mr. Scott just got the command to beam this guy up, and in seconds he should be safely aboard the starship Enterprise. +118Below is the same view from September of 2022. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC)
Buffalo Ghosts: 1900
"Hotel Iroquois, Buffalo, 1900." The ectoplasmic pedestrians are out in force. 8x10 inch dry ... Horace L. Bliss, one of the oldest living photographers in Buffalo. He was born in Hartford, Conn., October 6, 1823, came to Buffalo about 1854 and learned the photographic business. In 1859 he ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 10:42am -

"Hotel Iroquois, Buffalo, 1900." The ectoplasmic pedestrians are out in force. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Two heads are betterIs the circus in town? There is a two-headed cyclist in front of the hotel. It's Deja VuThought this one looked familiar. Just a bit of a different angle from This thread. [Also a different year, different storefronts, different signage! - Dave] TonalgiaA double dose would be required for crybabies like myself when occupying the dentist's chair. [Active ingredient: Cocaine. - Dave] Whoa - shoe sale!Some things seem to stay the same. The lady on the near corner appears to have done a 180 when she may have perhaps noticed a shoe sale sign in the store window. Blissful !Bliss Brothers (Harry A. and Frank H.) are sons of Horace L. Bliss, one of the oldest living photographers in Buffalo. He was born in Hartford, Conn., October 6, 1823, came to Buffalo about 1854 and learned the photographic business. In 1859 he established a photograph gallery at the corner of Main and Eagle streets, and successfully continued until 1886, when he retired on account of ill health. He made a specialty of outside photographs and also did considerable commercial work. Harry A. and Frank H. Bliss are natives of Buffalo; the former was born February 28, 1866, and the latter February 6, 1858. Both were educated in the Buffalo public and high schools, learned photography with their father, and when the latter retired in 1886 succeeded him in business under the firm name of Bliss Brothers. Soon after starting, their portrait and commercial work had grown to such proportions that they separated the two, locating the latter on Oak street near Genesee, and continuing the former at the corner of Main and Eagle streets. They are among the leaders in both branches in Buffalo, and enjoy the highest reputation for artistic work. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC)
Christmas in Buffalo: c. 1910
Christmas with my grandparents in Buffalo, New York. They are the couple on the right. Grandmother emigrated to ... she is seeing a mantle of snow on the ground. It is Buffalo after all. Grandmother's childhood tree My grandmother told ... I live in the Metro DC area now, but my childhood was on Buffalo's east side, in the Polish-German area (my father is from "Kaisertown", ... 
 
Posted by bhappel - 11/24/2009 - 3:25pm -

Christmas with my grandparents in Buffalo, New York. They are the couple on the right. Grandmother emigrated to the U.S. in 1909. This is likely from one of their first Christmases in America as the image comes from a glass negative. There are a couple dozen glass negatives so it would appear that Granddad moved to film stock by the Teens. The other folks in the image are unknown by name but appear in multiple negatives from this time period. I'm fairly positive that none are relatives -- more likely other immigrant friends from Germany or acquaintances met in the U.S. The "Charlie Brown" tree is decorated with nearly two dozen burning candles! The chandelier appears to be gas with flow regulators on each of the arms going to the globes. View full size. Different fociA lot of focused affection in that back row. However, Grandmother seems distracted by something outside a window. In the front, Jr. can't wait to gulp down that holiday punch, while Mr. Photogenic on the right seems fully conscious of the occasion (as usual). What a fascinating photo! Lit candles on a treecan be pretty dangerous. My mother recalled one of her childhood Christmas trees catching fire from one of the wax candles (mid to late 1930's). We have no holiday pictures from her childhood, so it's nice to see what her Christmas tree probably looked like. Real candlesWonderful image. One of the few things I remember well from kindergarten in the mid-60's is a real Christmas tree in a corner of the classroom with real burning candles. And a real bucket of water standing by. Never encountered anything like it after that. WallpaperAaaaaaannnddd now I have found a new desktop wallpaper. Thanks for sharing! The holidays have officially begun! Explosive!Burning candles on a tree below a gas lamp. Our ancestors didn't sweat the small stuff! Starfleet Christmas!Is that an ancestor of Brent (Data) Spiner, in front? Beautiful!What a marvelous picture, and such a family treasure! Thank you for sharing. Just Good FriendsThe two chaps in the foreground seem to be on very friendly terms. Mind you, judging by the jug, this is not the first round of Xmas cheer. White ChristmasI would be willing to wager that if grandmother is looking out the window, she is seeing a mantle of snow on the ground. It is Buffalo after all. Grandmother's childhood treeMy grandmother told us stories of her traditional family Christmas tree during the decade after this photo. They could only light the tree while their dad was in the room and standing by with a bucket of water. Hooray for electrons on demand! Very nice photo. Across the yearsThat background couple are completely focused on each other, and I get a sense of eternal love going on there! Great pictureThanks for sharing it, bhappel. I love these informal pictures as it makes me able to picture what my ancestors may have looked like at that time. Only the men appear to be holding beverage glasses. Was it considered inappropriate for a woman to be seen with a drink? Also, anyone know what the ribbon on Mr. Wicker Chair is for? That RibbonI did some editing to look at the ribbon. I can't detect any writing and from the 3D appearance I'd guess that it is a temporary Holiday accessory. Thanks for the big pic of the ribbon. It does look like a holiday adornment. Good thing that Mr. Wicker Chair was wearing some holiday cheer as he looks a little glum otherwise. Maybe b/c no s.o.? Your Christmas present to US!Yes, thank you, bhappel. "Vielen Dank" to you and your beautiful German grandparents...und Frohe Weihnachten! So familiar!And such memories. I live in the Metro DC area now, but my childhood was on Buffalo's east side, in the Polish-German area (my father is from "Kaisertown", my mother from Sloan). My grandfather's houses (both of them) were very similar to what we see in the photograph. My memory goes back to the early 50's but my 80 year old dad would sure recognize the atmosphere! Thank you! Lit candles on a tree (they still do that)My wife is from Germany and a couple years back we spent Christmas with her family there. Her brother had a indoor Christmas tree with burning candles. They all had a good laugh that I somehow thought this was dangerous! Those crazy Germans! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Market Street: 1916
... issuing forth from the mouths of beautiful cast-metal buffalo heads. "Certainly Not!" That's what Mom told me when I ... I must say I never really considered those drooling buffalo heads as beautiful. Interesting -- but not beautiful. Hemmed In ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 4:34pm -

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, circa 1916. "Market Street." A highlight of this relatively recent Detroit Publishing street scene is the horse drinking fountain shown with a thirsty customer. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Horsey GoodnessI live in Indianapolis, and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in the middle of town still has working horse fountains, which get used by the police mounts and by the horses which draw the tourist carriages. There are four fountains around the Monument's perimeter, with the streams issuing forth from the mouths of beautiful cast-metal buffalo heads. "Certainly Not!"That's what Mom told me when I asked to get a drink from one of those "drinking fountains" as a little tyke. At the time, I didn't really understand. I must say I never really considered those drooling buffalo heads as beautiful. Interesting -- but not beautiful. Hemmed InThe second car from the left sure is jammed in. I guess it's interesting to see that common courtesy was no better at that time than it is today. Not Thirsty But CuriousLooks like a beautiful, brand new 1916 Cadillac at the curb (third from left) which would not need a drinking fountain. But what's with the two large U S flags flying behind and partially concealed by columns? They appear to be the 46 star configuration, created in 1908 and rendered obsolete in 1912 with the admission of Arizona and New Mexico to the union. 200 Block of Market StreetSurely there's a Harrisburg-area Shorpy fan who can tell us if any of these buildings has survived these 94 years. I know the Whitaker Center is at 222 Market now, but don't remember what else. Where'd the People Go?I live in Lancaster, PA, but I'm in Harrisburg several times a week. This looks more like NYC. I don't think there's been that many people on Market Street at the same time since, well, 1916. Horse power to horsepowerNotice in the 1906 street scenes horse and buggies seem dominant and just ten years later Detroit iron is king.Of course I'm sure the transition varied from city to city. You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo HeadHere's the head in question at the Indianapolis monument. My question is "Are those bears going to relieve themselves on the buffalo heads or are they just kicking back"? >>>I forgot to mention the source: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/ Then and NowI hope someone will post a photo of what this street scene looks like now. Pinch me,I'm in Europe! That is until I look past the two leftmost buildings in the composition. Local Merchants Boher. Drugs, Soda. C.R. Boas. Jeweler, Silversmith Clark's. Cut Rate Medicine Store. Rothert Company. The House of Quality. Cash or Credit. The Globe The Lenox The New Store of Wm Strouse Theatre Walk-Over Stars & stripesThat flag looks to have been hanging there a long time; not many stars on it. So much to see, so much to comment onOnly one horse visible in downtown Harrisburg in 1916. Note the scarcity of horse apples on the street. The three guys on the steps of what I assume is a bank, scoping out the chicks. The mother apparently correcting her small daughter. The right hand drive car parked so close to a fire plug. Thanks to delworthio for the picture of the Indianapolis Soldier and Sailors Memorial Monument Fountain Buffalos. I looked at Google Street View to see what they looked like, but the view was not anywhere near as good as his picture. No modern views look as good as the old photos. Thank you Shorpy for letting us view the old days in their true glory before progress ruined it. Fat Man's WheelThe third car in line on the lower left appears to have a fat man's steering wheel, which swings up out of the way for ease of entry and exit. The pic here looks like the same style. For Buffalo horsesI tried a "timeandagain" myself today, of the fountain picture that delworthio posted. Maybe I should have put something in the member gallery instead of committing a bit of thread hijacking here. Cherub ChariotMy mom had a wicker baby carriage like the one in the lower right. When she got a little older, she had a small-scale replica for her dolls. Not much remainsI live outside Harrisburg and was able to identify where this is. Unfortunately only a couple of the smaller of these buildings remain (the building that says "Clark's" and the small one next to it). The commenter who mentioned the Whitaker Center hit the nail right on the head. Basically everything from the building with the large columns to the building that says "Walk Over" are now the Whitaker Center, which is a beautiful building and facility (a museum,etc.) but is very modern and not at all in keeping with the buildings it replaced. Walk-over?Can't figure out what kind of business this would be. Still In BusinessWalk-Over is a brand name of shoes. The shoe company roots go back to 1758, but the brand name didn't come along until 1899. The company history is here. The manager of this store was Herbert Parthemore (1893 - 1960) who worked in the retail shoe industry for most of his life. The article and ad below are from the Harrisburg Telegraph of April 22, 1916, Page 2. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Horses, Streetcars)
Buffalo Trilogy: 1900
Buffalo, New York, 1900. "Labor Day parade, Main Street." The Clairvoyant Bird ... to watch? Vexillographic Inversion In all three Buffalo pictures, I see flags displayed upside-down (on the Western Savings ... north on Main Street at Huron Street. The brand new Buffalo Savings Bank building and part of it's dome can just been seen on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 4:15pm -

Buffalo, New York, 1900. "Labor Day parade, Main Street." The Clairvoyant Bird Woman observes from her perch. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Rapery!I'll bet The Anderson Company would have given the photographer a "D" when grading the angle that he took. Either that, or the Furniture and Carpets must have been phenomenal considering what else was going on there! Look Out!So were the street cars still operating even while the parade was going on? Or did they just stop to watch? Vexillographic InversionIn all three Buffalo pictures, I see flags displayed upside-down (on the Western Savings Bank in "Labor Day 1900", and in the center of the Miller Block in this and the "Clairvoyant Bird" photos). A protest, a distress call or just a fairly dumb flag-hanger? The Bridge BuilderDr Ellis, who I guess, does not practice painless dentistry, but might be in the Boarding House business. Notice also the UV conscious citizens of buildings #478 & 488 shielding themselves from the sun with umbrellas whilst parade watching from their upper floor roosts. Help! Murder!Look in the window just below the Clairvoyant Bird lady's window. I swear it looks like a young lady (right) looking out the window toward us with one white sleeved arm (left) facing her with its hand around her throat. I love these photos with so many visible faces from 100 and some years ago -- clothes different but people don't change much. And each generation thinks theirs is the most important. Amazing how we humans keep trudging on, century after century. Some Things Never ChangeWe are looking north on Main Street at Huron Street. The brand new Buffalo Savings Bank building and part of it's dome can just been seen on the right side center. It was completed in 1901. The sign above the first floor of the building that the bird lady is in says "Hens and Kelly". A department store that lasted until 1982. In the distant center we can see the 245' steeple and pierced spire of St Louis R C Church. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Patriotic, Streetcars)
Buffalo Boys: 1910
February 1910. Buffalo, New York. "Home of the Palia family, 260 Terrace Street. The boy, ... it off before backing up to the heat! (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Dogs, Kitchens etc., Lewis Hine) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/17/2011 - 12:10pm -

February 1910. Buffalo, New York. "Home of the Palia family, 260 Terrace Street. The boy, Amorica, center, goes to the canning factory with his mother in summer." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Creepy Eyes!Were they dead when this was taken? Census recordGives the family name as Paglia. Americo is about 14. Two D ImageThere are four males in the photograph and the only one the photographer did justice to has four legs. The three humans blinked and weren't centered in the image. However, both the dog and the door came out great. Don't blinkLooks like the dog was the only one who was able to keep his eyes open during the exposure. There must've been some delicious people food just out of the frame on the right. What the?It looks as if both of those boys are sporting a shiner. You have to wonder if it was from the streets or at home. EerieThey ALL blinked! Roughed up a bitEither there are some serious flaws with the photo, or the boy with the dog was recently involved in some kind of accident or beating. His eyes appear badly swollen, and the left one appears ready to pop out of his head. Could this have been work related? [It's photography-related. The "zombie-eyes" effect, frequently noted on these pages, in which the subjects' eyes are recorded both open and closed in unsynchronized magnesium-flash exposures. -Dave] It's All RelativeMaybe the boy on the right was a half-brother. Not the best photo buteasily my favorite dog on Shorpy. It wasn't that long ago I recall my Irish grandma stringing rope everywhere when it rained. The whole apartment was humid and smelled of laundry. But we were kids, and that was just how Grandma's house smelled. I still have a 'foam fabric' jacket with the words 'Kalamazoo Stove' melted into it in reverse. I should have taken it off before backing up to the heat! (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Dogs, Kitchens etc., Lewis Hine)
YWCA Kitchen: 1927
... An industrial-strength garlic mincer? [It's a Buffalo meat grinder. - Dave] The Buffalo a perfect name for that torture device. Heavy metal Love the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:13pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Y.W.C.A. kitchen." The new Y building on K Street Northwest at 17th. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Clean with a capital C!Now THAT is a clean kitchen! No germs there. Menus: 1931The following menus are extracted from Aunt Sammy's Radio Recipes Revised, Bureau of Home Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture [Government Printing Office:Washington] 1931 Dinner menus for February Scalloped oysters, five-minute cabbage, pickled beets, jellied fruit; Lima beans in tomat sauce with crisp bacon, mashed rutabaga turnip, lettuce with tart dressing, fruit, chocolate drop cookies, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, scalloped parsnips, turnip greens, pickled cherries, Washington pie.. Dinner menus for April Cheese souffle, spring onions on toast, browned parsnips, olives and radishes, rhubarb Betty, pork chops, savory cooked lettuce, parley potatoes, chili sauce, jelly roll; fresh beef tongue, wilted dandelion greens, fried potato cakes, banana pudding... Dinner menus for July Cold sliced meat, potato salad, rolls, peaches and cream, iced coffee, tea, or chocolate; fried or broiled chicken, new potatoes, peas, currant jelly, strawberry ice cream, vanilla wafers; broiled ground beef on toast, lima beans, fried tomatoes, Spanish cream... Dinner menus for October Scalloped onions and peanuts, spinach, hot biscuits, catsup, lemon pie; cold boiled ham, succotash, carrots, cold slaw, green tomato pie; cream of vegetable soup, oven-toasted bread, grated cheese and lettuce salad, apple sauce, hot gingerbread; roast chicken, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts or some other green vegetable, crabapple jely, peanut-brittle ice cream, sand tarts..." Missed a spotThe kitchen looks great, but the windows are filthy. A mixer and a...?Okay, the rear machine on the left is a mixer (and bread-dough kneader.) But what's the near machine? There appears to be a wheel inside an enclosure, and a lower shaft arrangement that might possibly be a worm gear to turn the bowl. So what, something like a grain grinder? A particularly complex and Goldbergian vegetable chopper? An industrial-strength garlic mincer? [It's a Buffalo meat grinder. - Dave] The Buffaloa perfect name for that torture device. Heavy metalLove the machines of the day. Built to last. One is hard put to find a bit of plastic. The knobs are probably wood or Bakelite. Showroom QualityThat kitchen almost looks unused. Those garbage cansare exactly like the ones we used back in Newark until Rubbermaid and Hefty replaced them. Garbage trucks had no compactors. The heavily muscled "garbage men" would throw the full can up into the high walled truck, where another man stood to dump them and toss them back overboard. Those guys earned their pay. Buffalo Chopper Buffalo food choppers are still in use today. That's the earliest model I have ever seen. We bought one new in 1966 and it still works great today...you just need to sharpen the blades now and then. They were the food processors of their day. I hope there are wheels somewhere for the mop buckets under the sink. They look fairly heavy empty. And the bottom of those pots are really clean. That took some elbow grease. Re: Those garbage cansBack in the 40's and 50's our metal garbage cans looked like the two in the photo for about 2 weeks. After that the dents grew larger and larger and eventually the lids wouldn't fit. The garbage men in the DC area would bang the cans against the "wing" of the truck every time--no plastic bags back then. Gave my father something to complain about. Sanitary ConditionsStockpots on the floor right next to the mop buckets. And a bottom-fill sink in that work table. None of that would fly today. Ashcans, Top CatMy dad and his parents referred to this type of galvanized garbage can as "ash cans." I guess the name went back to the days of coal furnaces and stoves, when you'd need a fireproof place to dump all the ashes. Whenever I see one of them, though, the first thing I think of is the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series "Top Cat." TC would call together the gang by clanging two ash can lids together...we used to love doing that as kids, much to the annoyance of our parents. Top Cat also lived in an ash can...although his was equipped with a TV antenna. Ashcan alarm clockI too called them ash cans but my introduction to another use came at the Great Lakes boot camp in the late 50's when Drill Instructor Chief Large (strange how some names remain in your consciousness many years past any need to remember) took an empty Coke bottle and rolled it around the can while yelling, "Drop your #$%ks and grab your socks." One of the few pleasures of boot camp was having the late watch and being the one to perform what the Chief had taught us so well. Age verificationYou know you're getting old when you think that that's how garbage cans are supposed to look. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kitchens etc.)
Bustling Buffalo: 1900
Circa 1900. "St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Buffalo, New York." With the Guaranty (Prudential) Building and a bicycle ... Larger Map Two Spectacular Buildings! I visited Buffalo for the first time last April and saw these two landmarks of American ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/01/2016 - 5:27pm -

Circa 1900. "St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Buffalo, New York." With the Guaranty (Prudential) Building and a bicycle repair shop as neighbors. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. These two go well togetherView Larger Map Two Spectacular Buildings!I visited Buffalo for the first time last April and saw these two landmarks of American architecture on a spectacularly stormy day. But the work of Richard Upjohn (St. Paul's Church) and Adler & Sullivan (Guaranty, later Prudential Building) made it worth the effort! I very nearly got blown away by the wind and rain, but I certainly got blown away by the beautifully restored Guaranty Building. "Vaut le detour," as they say in the Michelin Guides. Two beautiful buildingsand both are still standing. Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building in brilliant terra cotta red and the local sandstone cathedral. Impressive that the cathedral's spires are also stone. Love the signs painted in the Guaranty's windows (Chicago and Alton RR, etc.). Hometown PrideAnother great old photo of my beloved Nickel City!!! Edit: What a difference 8 years makes: https://www.shorpy.com/node/12906 And at the very topBy far the best design feature of the Guarantee - Prudential Building are the beautiful round windows on the very top floor. And look -- they open horizontally for fresh air. You won't find those on the ready-made aisle at your local window store, back then or now. Skyscraper?Sullivan did not scrape the sky, he adorned it. How Did They Do That?St. Paul's was built in 1851, but the spires were not completed for a few years. I am very curious to know what construction methods were used to place the spires atop the church. Were they built in place, and if so how, or were they assembled elsewhere and lifted, somehow, to be sat on the building? (The Gallery, Bicycles, Buffalo NY, DPC, Streetcars)
German Band in Buffalo, New York
... Oktoberfest band. Bringing a taste of Bavarian music to Buffalo, New York, in 1925. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member ... 
 
Posted by phlyx - 10/30/2022 - 11:21am -

Frank Anneser (left) and friends decked out in lederhosen with their German Oktoberfest band. Bringing a taste of Bavarian music to Buffalo, New York, in 1925. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Buffalo Slept Here: 1942
... Nebraska. Tourist cabins." Yes, it's the Original Buffalo Bill Cody Camp. Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security ... in this interview , Cody Junior was a descendent of Buffalo Bill Cody. *The* Original (BEWARE of imitations) You just might ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/22/2022 - 3:54pm -

May 1942. "North Platte, Nebraska. Tourist cabins." Yes, it's the Original Buffalo Bill Cody Camp. Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The OfficeI have seen bigger ticket booths at a county fair. Other than taking your cash, what business could be transacted in that tight space, especially during a very hot NB summer or icy cold winter? Hard pass. Eponymous not anonymousIt's the official portrait of said Old West American hero, posted prominently at the point of ingress, that lends the whole place that irreplaceable air of ... ahem ... authenticity. Do what now?Oh. Misread as "VAGRANCY" Not Green RiverEvidently the original, as opposed to Ol' Cody Junior's camp that was in Winters, CA, described in John Fogerty's song Green River: Up at Cody's camp I spent my days, Lord With flat car riders and cross-tie walkers Old Cody Junior took me over Said, "You're gonna find the world is smoldering And if you get lost, come on home to Green River" According to John Fogerty in this interview, Cody Junior was a descendent of Buffalo Bill Cody. *The* Original (BEWARE of imitations)You just might end up with a group shower (or maybe a hose and bucket). Formerly at 1301 W. 12th (U.S.30) but now a vacant lot. Which admittedly isn't much of a comedown. One notes - unlike later versions - there is no provision for modifying the "Vacancy" sign: did they have a separate one with both words or just take it down when they were full, and leave you to wonder?? Or maybe there were always vacancies ... We'll ever be wondering. Cabin #4 had Wild Bill's personal throne!This was one of those places the kids went nuts over because of the look. Not so much the parents. I reckon being in the office after dark got a little lonely and a bit creepy ... but you did have the phone! "Private Shower" (water is extra). BIRGing can be a good thing"So what's wrong with profiting from a bit of reflected glory?" William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody considered North Platte, Nebraska, his hometown. North Platte residents basked in Cody's reflected glory during his lengthy career as a showman. https://history.nebraska.gov/publications/buffalo-bill-north-platte#:~:t.... (The Gallery, Frontier Life, John Vachon, Small Towns)
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