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The Bucking Buick II
... View full size. G.G. Bain Collection. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 11:52am -

Roy Repp circa 1915 in his bucking Buick. View full size. G.G. Bain Collection. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Mona Lisa: 1920
... yet fallen to redevelopment: (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/14/2016 - 3:09pm -

San Francisco circa 1920. "Studebaker Special Six touring car at Mona Lisa apartments." Fitted with yet another variation on the "California top." 5x7 inch glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Still thereIt got an Art Deco makeover at some point (and lost the awning), but it hasn't yet fallen to redevelopment: (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
I'm E.Z.: 1941
... Unbelievably dense and heavy! Those short little ore cars, each only 24 feet long to match the spacing of the pockets and loading ... recent pix, held up to 100 tons of iron ore! The ore cars were shoved by steam locomotives onto the docks and spotted carefully over ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/10/2020 - 2:35pm -

August 1941. "Ore puncher waiting for change of shift. Allouez, Wisconsin." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Come here often?If he's E. Z., you can call me Ava L. Bull. Nimble Ore PunchingMinnesota natural iron ore as being handled in 1941 was heavy. Unbelievably dense and heavy! Those short little ore cars, each only 24 feet long to match the spacing of the pockets and loading spouts in the docks, and the hatches of the boats holds that Shorpy has recently featured in other recent pix, held up to 100 tons of iron ore! The ore cars were shoved by steam locomotives onto the docks and spotted carefully over the bins to be dumped into the boats (even though they're 1/5 of a mile long, on the Great Lakes they're "boats"). This dense ore tended to "clump up" in the ore cars. When the doors under each car were opened, often the ore didn't dump! Hence, the "punchers". Particularly in freezing weather near the end of the shipping season. These guys climbed on top of such cars with a pike pole to jab it down into the ore to break it loose, then quickly get off the top of the car before he becomes part of a shipment to Cleveland. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Portraits)
Florida Souvenirs: 1906
... is eager to use all the modern conviniences. If the two cars are any indication, Daytona as a test bed of the new fangled invention ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2012 - 8:33pm -

Daytona Beach, Florida, circa 1906. "Beach Street, with souvenir shops." Glimpsed earlier here. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Florida SouvenirsI don't know if it's a franchise, but they are still in business all over Florida. @JKoehlerNotice on the other side of the photo, we have 2 fuse cut-outs on the top arm above the ancient transformer, trade named "Buhdda" for their similar sillouhette. Communications and Power!.....Talk about your Victorian Internet! There looks to be an almost even dozen crossarms of telegraph lines on your right side of the photo and three phase electric power on your left. The New Century is upon us and it looks like Daytona is eager to use all the modern conviniences. If the two cars are any indication, Daytona as a test bed of the new fangled invention surely isn't far behind. Souveniers all right!Looks like all the horses have been leaving lots of souveniers behind! Has to be WinterLiving in the Daytona Beach area, I can't conceive that any woman would be out mid-day in dresses like the two ladies to the left. I'm sweating like crazy in shorts and a T-shirt. Long sleeves and long dressesYou have to remember that at the turn of the century there weren't any trucks running around spraying to keep the mosquitos down. The sleeves, hats and long dresses served two purposes; keep the mosquitos off and keep the sun off. It wasn't fashionable to be tanned. It was a sign that you worked outside and in a lower station job. Having lived in Florida all of my adult life and 32 years in Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral area I can attest to the mosquitos. There are actually two kinds. One a fresh water variety and one a salt water variety. They also like different parts of the day and night. LocationThis postcard gives the location as South Beach between Magnolia and Orange Ave. A Piece of Old Beach StreetIn approx. 1988 my husband was working on the refurbishment of Beach Street after its decline upon the arrival of Volusia Mall. He was working on an update of the building which had housed Dunn Lumber, the old toy store upstairs to be exact. He was very excited to bring home an old wooden cash drawer for me, to be used as a 'shadow box.' Some 25 years later, that wooden cash drawer hangs on a wall in my home in Upwey, Victoria, Australia! I think of shopping on Beach Street as a little girl every time I look at it. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Stores & Markets)
National Tube Works: 1910
... rather new looking Lake Shore and Michigan Southern hopper cars in the company of the Baltimore and Ohio units. I wonder what track ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 1:32pm -

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1910. "Furnaces, National Tube Works." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Tube City King's Handbook of New York City, 1892. The National Tube Works Company, the New-York office of which is at 160 Broadway, conducts one of the gigantic industries of the country. It was originally a Boston institution, and the office of its Treasurer remains there. The New-York office is that of its General Manager. Its principal works are at McKeesport, Pa. The establishment there covers forty acres, thirty being occupied by buildings. The product includes every variety of wrought-iron pipe, boiler-tubes, pipes or tubes used for artesian, salt, oil or gas wells, rods and columns used in mining, grate-bars, hand-rails, telegraph poles, gas and air-brake cylinders, drill-rods, Converse patent lock-joint, wrought iron kalameined and asphalted pipe for water and gas works mains and trunk lines, and locomotive and stationary injectors. An important branch of manufacture is that of sap pan iron, kalaineined and galvanized sheet iron, cold rolled iron and steel sheets, and corrugated and curved sheets, for roofs and ceilings. Another speciality is the celebrated "Monongahela" brand of Bessemer, mill and foundry pig-iron. The company finds a market for its goods not only in the United States but also in Central and South America, Mexico, Europe, Australia, and Africa. The works have a capacity of 250,000 tons of tubes and pipe yearly. The company was one of the first to use natural gas as fuel in the manufacture of iron. The gas is brought from its own wells, through twenty miles of pipe, to the works. The Monongahela: River of Dreams, River of Sweat, 1999. McKeesport became a heavy-industry town. It was home to the largest producer of steel pipe and tubing in America, National Tube Company, which opened in 1852. The city's nickname was Tube City. … Mckeesport is one of the small cities that suffered because of the decline of the steel industry. For a long while after U.S. Steel closed the plant in 1984, the riverside complex was a mass of rubble, grass, trees, and unused buildings. Now much of the old plant has been razed. A mini-mill and a couple small companies have moved into the area, but there is still much vacant land. The former docking facility, from which a bargeload of pipe was shipped every day for so many years, is still idle. Glazier Wantedfor large Tube and Pipe Factory. Must have own tools and access to large quantities of glass. Estimated replacement of 200 panes of glass. All inquiries to Mckeesport Factory site. LS & MSI've often hoped to stumble across a railroad car marked LS/MFT, but here we see a couple rather new looking Lake Shore and Michigan Southern hopper cars in the company of the Baltimore and Ohio units. I wonder what track arrangement got that solitary LS & MS car snugged against the bumper? Hardly looks like room for a turnout and a turntable seems unlikely. Those new coal ''gons''belong to the Lake Shore & Michigan Railway which was mostly owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt and was absorbed into the New York Central in 1914, the LS&MS logo seems to be a large (mail sack) with a lock. Note the small NYC logo before the NYC amalgamation. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Theory & Practice: 1917
... from burning. It does the same job as the capacitor in old cars with points & condensor ignition. I'm a retired electronics tech but ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/30/2014 - 10:06am -

New York, 1917. "Helen Campbell." A Hunter College student licensed as a wireless operator during World War I. Bain News Service. View full size. In theoryI love the textbook excerpts up on the wall! This really shows accurately the state of art for early radiotelegraphy. The transmitter circuit (albeit lacking a key) is a simple "buzzer" interrupter that feeds the (R/L) tuned output. The waveform in "Fic 9" shows the end of a transmitted burst, as the oscillations decay. It would be nice to know the frequency they were working at... DaveB Quite correct Papa Bear! Should have been (L/C) in the tank circuit. And yes, a capacitor (perhaps that bank of Leyden Jars) to protect the relay contacts, and as also suggested, to provide a continuous RF path around the coil. I believe (R/L) should be (L/C) Spark transmitter?The circuit diagram seems to want to produce a more or less regular continuous sparking as the relay makes and breaks contact with the battery circuit, operating as a buzzer, and a component of that noise at radio frequencies as selected out by the tank circuit (coil and variable capacitor at right). EMF can be a bearIs that the symbol for a non solid state diode to suppress the back EMF from the coils as the field collapses? I believe it is a capacitor to absorb the "spark" caused when the relay makes & breaks. To keep the contacts from burning. It does the same job as the capacitor in old cars with points & condensor ignition. I'm a retired electronics tech but my ticket doesn't quite go back to 1917. CapacitorAssuming the mystery part is a capacitor (condenser before 1960), it's probably to provide an RF path around the coil. You guys can say what you wantbut to me it looks like she's working under Robbie the Robot's hood..... Aha.As a tinkering kid I indeed discovered that not only was a relay turned into a buzzer by having the off circuit wired back to the power of the relay but that the coils inside the relay released high voltage magnetic field collapse spikes too, so wiring those to alternative rows of wire threaded around a margarine container with a mercury switch inside would shock victims told to turn it over so badly it was hard for them to even let go! And now, the female viewpoint!Her dress is very plain for 1917--it was a rather frilly fashion period compared to today--but I love the sheer sleeves! I just hope there are no moving parts to catch her skirt flounces. I'm fairly surethat she's actually working on an early Dalek. (Technology, The Gallery, G.G. Bain)
Safety Patrol: 1959
... of fun. We directed traffic in the parking lot (stopping cars so buses could back out) and at the gate (letting traffic in and out). ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2018 - 4:37pm -

Columbus, Georgia, circa 1959. "School Safety Patrol." 4x5 inch acetate negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. I Did!Boy, the memories. At about that age I was on a safety patrol. It was a lot of fun. We directed traffic in the parking lot (stopping cars so buses could back out) and at the gate (letting traffic in and out). Administration got rid of our fun when someone realized it might not have been the best idea to let 10-year-olds be traffic directors. I did the same thing in high school a number of years later. That was entertaining. Especially when being ignored by a teenage driver since Mom was yelling at him. Rear-ended the car in front. Lots of laughs. Cool kid IIMy thought, too. Maybe daddy, uncle, older brother or so just returned from his guided tour to Southern Germany (courtesy of the Uncle Sam Travel Agency) and that felt hat was a souvenir? The Land of WynnThis is Wynnton Elementary School, on Wynnton Road near Wynn's hill and the house known as "Wynnton". School's outI remember bobby sox and penny loafers, saddle shoes, dresses, skirts and cardigan sweaters. Not a backpack in sight. The styles change, but the fun of school's end never does. The hat kidAs a military brat who lived in Germany for two of my dad's tours, that looks like a Bavarian hat to me. I'm guessing this kid, who is about my age, is an Army kid who recently lived in Germany and whose dad is stationed at nearby Fort Benning. Future cop?In 8th grade I was appointed captain of the crossing guard. My job was to assist fellow students and an occasional adult through my dangerous intersection by placing my body in the middle of the road only holding a sign and a whistle and a snazzy belt with a badge that said CAPTAIN. The highlight of my deployment was when a habitual criminal insisted on performing a U turn right at my intersection every morning without regard for life and limb. I reported him to the principal and the next morning a policeman was sitting nearby and promptly gave the driver a ticket. After that incident, my mornings became hum drum with no excitement. I never did pursue the crime fighting career. It was passed to my younger son who is a security forces Sergeant in the USAF. Cool kidI love this youngster only because of his hat! Me TooFlash forward 20 years from this picture and I too was on Safety Patrol. We had red windbreakers and hard hats and we were coooool maaaan. (Or so we thought.) We were also responsible for raising and lowering the flag. I was the designated flag-folder because of my many years folding Greek tiropites (cheese triangles). Like Juan de la Cruz, I marvel that the administration allowed 12 year olds to direct traffic. Granted all we did was "reinforce" the existing stop signs and prevent kids from crossing until it was safe. But it was years later before they decided actual adults should monitor the proceedings. PerksThe advantage of safety patrol was that you could leave class early and return late. This is the city. I work here. I carry a flag.My law enforcement career began and ended in 1976 when, as a 6th grader with good grades, I was asked to be a member of the elite Kiwanis Junior Police. We were responsible for holding a mustard-colored canvas flag when our fellow students were crossing the street before and after school. We did not have helmets, but we did have those odd sash-belt things that I never got the point of. Absolutely no one waited for us to step out in the road and hold the flag like they were supposed to. They just crossed whenever and wherever they wanted. To my chagrin, we also had no authority to arrest people or issue citations. As a reward for our service we were surprised by a hotdog picnic lunch at Kiwanis Park one day with our fellow brothers-in-arms from the other elementary schools in the city. My friend Bill ate 3 hotdogs, then vomited on the bus on the way back to school. You see a lot of gruesome stuff when you're a cop. It's just part of the job, but after that scene, I knew it was time to hang up my sash and turn in my flag. Also because school was out for the summer about a week later and it was on to Junior High. Another PerkA free soda and free admission to Memorial Stadium to see the Baltimore Orioles (minor league variety in 1952) on Safety Patrol Day. Your Safety Patrol belt was the badge of your admission to a general admission seat which was a step up from my usual bleacher seat with my father. Dad wasn't cheap but the right field bleachers were where he would meet his friends for an afternoon of betting .05 whether the next pitch would be a strike, ball or base hit. Dad would take me to the ballgame but I had to promise him I wouldn't tell Mom about the betting. It was a good deal all around since Dad got points with Mom for taking me to a ball game and I got to see the ball game with plenty of sodas, peanuts and Cracker Jack. (The Gallery, Columbus, Ga., Education, Schools, Kids, News Photo Archive)
American Pickers: 1937
... in the photo. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, Great Depression) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/12/2014 - 1:58pm -

January 1937. "Migrant agricultural workers. Family from New Mexico, camped near the packinghouse at Deerfield, Florida. Note the box labeled 'Yakima Apples' which has been carried all the way from the apple orchards of Washington." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. ReflectionLove the photos with the photographer's reflection in the photo. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, Great Depression)
Meet Miss Vroom: 1920
... name, how many kids and all their names. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Harris + Ewing) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/20/2013 - 9:10pm -

UPDATE: the photo now has a caption. May 25, 1923. Miss Grace Gloria Ahr, chosen to be the modern emulator of Cleopatra in the "Congress of the Seas" during Shrine Week. From the other end of the forgotten-Washington spectrum comes this unlabeled Harris & Ewing plate from around 1920. 4x5 glass negative. View full size. Location, locationIs that the State, War, and Navy Building in the background? I want to knowMake, year and model of the car, who made her hat, who designed her clothes, the name of the jeweler that sold her the bracelet, who did her hair, her name, date of birth, date of death, husband's name, how many kids and all their names. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Harris + Ewing)
Co-op Gasoline: 1937
... in a different capacity. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/23/2017 - 5:09pm -

August 1937. "Virginia, Minnesota -- cooperative service station of the Virginia Work People's Trading Company." One manifestation of the Iron Range consumer cooperative movement started by Finnish immigrants. Photo by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Corn to StudebakersMy father was employed at the Elanto Co-op in nearby Nashwauk in this era. Virginia was the local headquarters for Co-op stores all over NE Minnesota. In their day they sold most anything a person would need from canned corn to Studebakers. Alas, it's all gone now other than some local credit unions, the victim of chain stores. The Finnish immigrants in this area brought the concept with them from Finland. Still Auto-Related. Although, in a different capacity. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Russell Lee)
Oceanside Tennis: 1906
... 3 here, plus 1 electric monstrosity. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Sports) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 7:51pm -

Gloucester, Massachusetts, circa 1906. "The Oceanside and tennis courts, Magnolia, Mass." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Gloucester High SocietyThey must like the new Packard 30. Like the one at the Magnolia Depot, I believe there are 3 here, plus 1 electric monstrosity. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Sports)
Four's Company: 1943
... Gordon Parks did to document Engine 4. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Fires, Floods etc., Gordon Parks) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/19/2019 - 8:46pm -

January 1943. "Engine Company No. 4, Washington, D.C. Firemen returning from a fire." Photo by Gordon Parks for the Office of War Information. View full size. Back step FirefightersNo longer do Firefighters ride the back step to fires. Today they all sit in an enclosed cab, most often air conditioned. The days of the back step firemen are gone. No more tailboardingThe practice of tailboarding (as we called it where I was), that is having firefighters ride on the back step, was abolished throughout the U.S. by the mid-1970s. It was an incredibly dangerous practice and lots of firefighters were killed falling off the back of the truck trying to get into their gear while bumping down streets and around corners. Modern fire trucks have inside seating with seats designed to hold turnout gear and breathing apparatus so that you can don your gear while in motion and still be safe. Firefighters do a much better job when they arrive alive! 6th and R Street NWEngine Company No. 4 was DC's first all-black firefighting company. It was moved to 931 R Street NW in 1940. This scene shows the truck heading east on R Street as it crosses 6th Street. Only one of the houses with the fancy turrets on the left still has its turret (602 R Street NW). This photo is probably from the series Gordon Parks did to document Engine 4. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Fires, Floods etc., Gordon Parks)
Second City Service: 1941
... would be replaced by the gold crowns. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Gas Stations, John Vachon) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/20/2020 - 4:11pm -

July 1941. "Gas station. Chicago, Illinois." 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Fill 'er Up with Ethyl!Though black and white, we can tell the gas globes are different colors. It is pretty safe to assume the lighter one on the left was white, and the one on the right is red. In that time period, the white globe indicated "Ethyl", considered premium gasoline, and the red would be regular. Around 1956, premium would be replaced by the gold crowns. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Gas Stations, John Vachon)
Park-Vista: 1941
... on the street below the apartment. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/25/2018 - 11:55am -

April 1941. "Kitchenette apartments on South Parkway, Chicago, Illinois. These are rented to Negroes." Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Renamed and demolishedOn a hunch I figured south parkway became MLK drive, and this website confirms https://chicagology.com/chicagostreets/streetnamechanges/ "Grand Boulevard changed 1923 to South Park Avenue, changed 15 April 1940, 24 September 1940 and 8 October 1940 to South Parkway, changed 31 July 1968 to Martin Luther King Drive" The building next door is still there. Shorpy Vehicle Identification Imperative1937 Chevrolet two-door sedan and an ultra cool 1937 LaSalle four-door sedan with a custom "Landau" top. Parked in front of such a beautiful building. What a great place to hang out, on those balconies! Those second floor dudes be lovin' it, for sure. A shame it had to come down. KitchenetteUpscale way of saying "small kitchen". The Ryan Homes salespeople called the small kitchen in my house a "step-saver" kitchen. Less walking to sink, stove, and refrigerator. I bought a starter (low-cost) home in 1983. Now someone calls or sends me a letter wanting to buy my house about 6 days a week. Real Estate Magic DescriptionsDavid Brinkley wrote about some apartments he was looking at in Georgetown, DC. They were called the Gulfview Apartments. Mr. Brinkley asked his realtor, "How can they be called that if we're thousands of miles from the Gulf of Mexico or any other gulf?" The realtor responded,"Look out this window." There was a Gulf station on the street below the apartment. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Russell Lee)
The Bucking Buick III
... the showman, is steering with his FOOT! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 11:51am -

Roy Repp circa 1915 in his bucking Buick. View full size. G.G. Bain Collection. Look, Ma! No hands!Mr. Repp, quite the showman, is steering with his FOOT! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Modern Mail: 1917
... MOTOR TRUCK CHEAPER (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2019 - 7:48pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "U.S. Mail trucks -- Parcel Post delivery." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. The philatelic angleThe Post Office Department began Parcel Post service on January 1, 1913. A set of 12 stamps was issued in denominations from 1¢ to $1, several of them depicting various vehicles used in the transportation and delivery of PP. For some reason, the 15-center with a truck is labeled "Automobile Service." [Motor trucks are automobiles! - Dave] MOTOR TRUCK CHEAPER (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Ready for Takeoff: 1912
... of more than 200 miles. It differs from the regular cars in that it is driven simultaneously on all four wheels, fore and rear, and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2012 - 11:44am -

College Park, Maryland, 1912. "Aviation, Army. College Park aviation field, 2nd season. Capt. F.B. Hennessy, Curtiss plane." Harris & Ewing. View full size. What? me worry?He looks just a tad anxious. Captain Hennessy, a brave guyand possibly a friend of football star Red Grange. That helmet looks a lot like the one used by "The Galloping Ghost." Really?Seems he's looking at the designer and asking: "This thing really flies, right?" Dual purpose"Captain Hennessy, I need that helment back by 3 o'clock for our last practice before the big game Saturday. Have a good flight." State of the art componentsFriction tape, bamboo struts, baling wire, adhesive tape, leather gauntlets, make-do leather football helmet and a steering wheel sans the inner tube ... still, the guy looks supremely confident. We owe a lot to these pioneers! Frederick Hennessy Washington Post, Sep 12, 1912 It was announced by Capt. Frederick Hennessy, who is in charge of the school at College Park and the barracks, during the absence of Capt. Chandler, that flying hereafter will be in the morning at College Park, and in the afternoon at the hydroplane school. Washington Post, Oct 15, 1912 Capt. Frederick Hennessy, in charge of the hydroaeroplane school, together with Lieut. H.H. Arnold and Lieut. T. DeW. Milling, tomorrow will leave for Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley, Kans. At Fort Riley the officers will demonstrate the two type "C" aeros, which were shipped from College Park Saturday. Two new aeroplanes are expected at College Park within a few days, coming from the Wright factory in Dayton, Ohio. They may be purchased by the government. William Kabitzke and Paul Conover, Wright aviators, will fly the machines. Washington Post, Oct 16, 1912 Capt. Frederick Hennessy, with Lieut. H.H. Arnold and Lieut. DeW. Milling, will leave this morning for Fort Leavenworth, Kans., to inspect a new type of automobile. The officers will take the machine over the roads from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley, a distance of more than 200 miles. It differs from the regular cars in that it is driven simultaneously on all four wheels, fore and rear, and is reputed to possess much more power and stability than the ordinary car. Washington Post, Nov 19, 1912 Capt C. deF. Chandler, commandant of the army aviation school at College Park, with several officers at the school, left Washington yesterday for winter headquarters at Augusta, Ga. Lieut. Harold Geiger, with several other officers of the hydroaeroplane school, will leave in about one week for San Diego, Cal., for the winter school at that place. Capt. Frederick Hennessy, of the hydroaeroplane school, will remain here throughout the winter in charge of the tests of the four Wright machines which William Kabitzke will make at College Park. Washington Post, Feb 28, 1913 Orders were issued from the War Department last night which, for the first time in the history of the army, will mobilize a complete and fully equipped squadron of aeroplanes. Nine flying machines will be immediately dispatched to Galveston and held in readiness for complications in the Mexican situation. The station to be established there will be in charge of Capt. Charles de F. Chandler, commandant of the army aviation school. Capt. Frederick Hennessy, who has been in charge of the aviation schools at College Park and the Washington barracks all winter, left last night for Galveston to select a site for the station. A land station and hydroaeroplane station are to be constructed, and it is understood that all the eight officers ordered to the mobilization will hold themselves in readiness for a rapid move to Vera Cruz in case the unexpected should happen. Shoulder YokeThat thing by his shoulder was used to control the ailerons. Curtiss had developed this particular feature to avoid violating the Wright Brothers' patent on wing warping. The pilot leaned against it to keep the plane in level flight. Fascinating picture showing one of the alternate paths that airplane controls went down before becoming more standardized. Aviator Falls 600 Feet and Still LivesSan Francisco Chronicle July 11, 1913 Aviator Falls 600 Feet and Still Lives - Captain Hennessy Is Saved From Death by His Foot Catching in Wire Strut - San Diego, July 10 - Falling 600 feet in a military biplane and saved from being crushed to death when his heel caught between a steering wire and a strut was the thrilling experience of Captain F.B. Hennessy, one of the daring military pilots attached to the first aero squadron at North Island yesterday, according to information which leaked out this morning. He had attained a high altitude, when his plane suddenly pitched forward and threw him out of his seat. His right foot became caught in the wires which control the ailerons. The plane immediately began to fall. Captain Hennessy, however, succeeded in wrenching his foot free, regained his seat in spite of the dizzy plunge of the machine and righted it within 200 feet of the water. He said, it is reported, the machine drooped 600 feet before he regained control. (The Gallery, Aviation, Harris + Ewing)
De Old Museum: 1918
... gas extraction and stainless steel. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/01/2017 - 10:05pm -

San Francisco circa 1918. "Haynes 'Fourdore' four-passenger roadster at Golden Gate Park," with the De Young Museum and Museum of Antiquities forming the backdrop. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Two NewbornsThe car and the museum were both new in 1918, the M. H. de Young Museum having opened just the year before. It was stripped of its ornate exterior in the late 1940s and finally replaced altogether with a new incarnation about ten years ago. The Egyptian structure was a leftover from the Mid-Winter Exposition of 1894. Damaged by the 1906 earthquake, it was patched up and finally demolished in 1923. Only the sphinxes that flanked its entryway remain. Fascinating inventorThe brilliant inventor of the Haynes was Elwood Haynes. In addition to automobiles, he also invented improvements for natural gas extraction and stainless steel. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
You Better Watch Out: 1940
... headquarters. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/18/2007 - 11:43pm -

February 1940. A roadside snowball fight in Chillicothe, Ohio. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. A reminder from the Shorpy Art Store: Place your order soon for regular delivery by December 25. We also have an Express Mail delivery option. Recent distinguished purchaser: The New York Times, for 30 x 22 prints to decorate its new Manhattan headquarters. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids)
Easy Payments: 1906
... the timbre, the echo of city streets was before motor cars assaulted the auditory canals? Being "in the city" must have been a very ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 9:14pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1906. "Askin & Marine credit parlors." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Gotta Give 'Em CreditI like the concept of a "credit parlor." "Come in. Have a seat. Care for a cup of tea? How much can we loan you?" And is that a newsgnome on the corner? Super signage"We furnish the home. We clothe the people." So noble! Gately's Peoples StoreMy family used to shop at Gately's Peoples Store in Tinley Park, Illinois, when I was a kid, until it closed in the 80s. Some Gately's photos from another store. A photo from the Roseland (Chicago) store remnants: And a closeup of that same logo on the building, on a souvenir plate from the '50s. The Sound of the PastI wonder how much different the sound, the timbre, the echo of city streets was before motor cars assaulted the auditory canals? Being "in the city" must have been a very different sensory experience. When the only sounds were the clop clop of horses and the clang of trolleys on those wide, empty streets. Perhaps the zzzzzt of the trolley electric wires overhead, too. And a cop whistle now and then. The swish of a woman's long dress as she whisked into a store. The jangle of the bell hanging on the door. When you could HEAR everything with a vividness that has been lost to time. It must have made the city seem larger, calmer, more majestic, more austere, more vivid. And, as they say, like "in the movies." Sarah FarlyAccording to the 1906 Detroit city directory, Sarah J. Farly (widow of Stephen M. Farly) was the proprietor of the Farly Tailor shop at 83-85 Michigan Avenue, on the southeast corner of Wayne Street (now Washington Boulevard). On the right side of the photo, Wayne runs away from the camera toward the Detroit River. View Larger Map Look out Detroit! Your future is coming.Little old Detroit had no idea what was coming in 1906. Can you imagine if someone then could have seen into the future to the forthcoming glory days of Detroit, its pride and wealth and on to the present collapse. It sure makes you wonder what is ahead for all of us, each city, each region of this big country. The exciting changes always seem to come from the inventors. It certainly is tempting to yearn for the quieter days of horse and buggy and the much slower pace. Thank you Shorpy for archiving the past. It is so comforting to visit even if we can't stay. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Young Pete: 1913
... were working to make sure the family ate. Computer games, cars and the latest phone fad were still some way off. Reality check I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/08/2009 - 5:24pm -

November 1913. Huntsville, Alabama. "Pete Henson, 414 C Street. Mother said he was 12 two months ago, but has been sweeping in the Merrimack Mill for seven months, so he began at 11 years. Brother Edward said to be 13 years, but doubtful. Mother said they had no Family Record here and gave me ages from memory." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Can we really imagine what it means? I could cry if I see pitures like this one. Children without childhood. Thanks for all the great photos (watching since more than two years)! He might be right this time...Mr. Hine was frequently skeptical about the ages of the kids in his pictures and was frequently wrong about it. I think he's right to doubt this kid. Even taking into account poor nutrition, etc. The boy only looks about 9 or 10 to me. The view from 2009The sobering thing is that those kids were working to make sure the family ate. Computer games, cars and the latest phone fad were still some way off. Reality checkI am going to stop whining about what I percieve to be my my own financial woes now. Poor PeteI remember being so proud at age 13 when I secured a paper route for my hometown weekly. I delivered 100 papers twice a week and considered it hard work. Poor Pete, he knew real work at an early age. No lighthearted fun for him. What a grim life! Hello, PeteSuch haunting eyes. I'm honored to make your acquaintance. It is what it is...No self-pity, my name is Pete, If I don't work, then I don't eat. Pete and C StreetI live in Huntsville. I am going to look for the memory of Pete Henson at 414 C Street. Sad little boySome of the kids in the child labor photos on this site have a hard and flinty look in their eyes. This one looks like life has already broken him. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Beer for Rent: 1943
... Interesting parking regulations in that town. I see two cars parked parallel with the curb facing the opposite way of traffic, one ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/17/2008 - 1:38am -

March 1943. "Raceland, Louisiana. U.S. Highway 90." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. Borne'sI know the Borne family...it's amazing what Shorpy turns up. SignsI own a sign company and would love to have those old signs in my shop! Raceland I'm from Raceland and would love to have a copy of this photo. I have one of the old bridge that crosses Bayou Lafourche. JBoogawa@yahoo.com I'm also interested in any old photos of Raceland. Contact me. I want the signs!The signs shown here are awesome! Can I please have them ALL? WowWhat a difference 66 years makes! I travel the entire stretch of Hwy. 90 between Lafayette and New Orleans almost on a weekly basis for work and still had to study this photo for about 30 minutes trying to pinpoint where this was taken. Parking During WartimeInteresting parking regulations in that town. I see two cars parked parallel with the curb facing the opposite way of traffic, one parked diagonally nose in, and one parked perpendicular to the curb, tail in. (That last one could have a driver and be pulling into this "main street" to make a turn). But they do at least have one regulation. You can't park near the bridge. If you come to that town, you need to know, that is the one and only rule they seem to have. Great titlesOne thing I love about this website is the witty headers, like this one's ~ "Beer for Rent"! Does the same person come up with all of those headers? [He does! - Dave] (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, John Vachon)
More Apple Candy: 1940
... the same pump island. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/25/2018 - 6:14pm -

        An alternate view of the Apple Candy Texaco last seen here, along with a double exposure of what would have been the right edge of that photo if not for a film-loading glitch. February 1940. "Gas station along Highway U.S. 50. Winchester, Virginia." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. View full size. One possibilityThe photographer was probably using a film pack of 16 sheets. After each exposure a tab was pulled, moving the sheet that had just been shot to the back of the pack. It looks like a sheet broke toward the middle instead of at the end where it should have separated. Kodak made film packs as late as the 1980s, when they were discontinued since the only person who knew how to load them finally retired, Campus cultureThe white columns and trees to the left give the station's precise location away, as 819 S. Braddock Street in Winchester - across the street from the glorious campus of the public but endowed John Handley High School. Cryptic RThe shield sign below the US 50 sign denotes State Highway 3N, which must certainly have been an alternate to the main VA 3, which passed to the south. It seems that 3N was superseded by US 50 with the interstate numbering plan of 1926, and I'm not sure whether the routes were co-located as of 1940, or if the state just hadn't gotten around to removing the old signs. But as to the "R" sign directly below: It means make a right turn to stay on 3N. It boggles my mind that nobody in the 1920s hit on arrows as the superior solution. I suppose that's the sort of thing that's obvious in hindsight. As a side note, it's fascinating to see clock-face, visible register, and odometer-style pumps on the same pump island. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations)
Rim Shot: 1920
... to me: "Vickie Dugan" by the Limeliters! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2017 - 10:36am -

San Francisco circa 1920. "Chalmers (rear detail)." Today's entry in the Shorpy Catalogue of Callipygian Cabooses. Photo by Christopher Helin. View full size. The Pinto of its dayWhoever buys this car better stay out of Oakland. Rear-endedI've been trying to remember where I heard callipygian before. Then it came to me: "Vickie Dugan" by the Limeliters! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Glossy Gardner: 1922
... crash of 1929, that didn't happen. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/10/2020 - 8:25pm -

San Francisco, 1922. "Gardner touring car." Yet another Jazz Age marque that died with its sneakers on. 5x7 inch glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Distancing?When I first glanced at the photo I thought the driver was wearing a mask. Sign of the times, I guess. It might have beenSears, Roebuck & Company asked Gardner to develop a car to be sold by mail order. But, as a result of the stock market crash of 1929, that didn't happen. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
The Albion: 1905
... in 1878. Watch your step. Is that what trolley cars left behind in those days? Cinematic Delights A poster on the far ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2014 - 9:47pm -

Augusta, Georgia, circa 1905. "The Albion." Please watch your step crossing the street. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Wide Open SpacesIt's strange to see the total absence of newspaper boxes, trees, litter receptacles or signage. There aren't even any benches! The ladies on the left are leaning on the enclosure of the Confederate Monument, dedicated in 1878. Watch your step.Is that what trolley cars left behind in those days? Cinematic DelightsA poster on the far right promotes the Annual Tour of Shepard's Moving Pictures. I gather this was a touring movie operation that visited different cities. This advertisement is from the Reading Eagle of Friday January 19 1906. Fairly new hotel butFor only being 4 years old it really looks weather beaten. Burned to the ground November 26, 1921. Until I saw the Station signI wondered what those heavily dressed women were waiting for. My hometownI can't tell if this is on the north or the south side of Broad. When I was a kid Broad St. had no trees and no median, but had parking in the center. Nowadays it's got huge trees and a grassy median in the middle of it. The Augusta Chronicle-Herald building is, I think located behind where the photographer is standing, if this indeed faces north. The early beginnings of what became the J.B. White department store chain can be seen on the ground floor. bicycleNote the shaft drive bicycle. RoughageI believe that horse must have died. (The Gallery, DPC)
King of the Road: 1941
... after 10-plus years of the Depression. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/06/2018 - 12:12pm -

March 1941. "Construction worker from Fort Bragg. He lives in this homemade bunkhouse in Manchester, North Carolina." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Old StreetcarAs evidenced by the destination sign area and light areas on either side. I would not be surprised if this went back to the horse drawn era. [This is a metal van or bus body that originally would have been mounted on a truck chassis, similar to the vehicles seen here and here. - Dave] Camp ConstructionThere is an awesome series of photos in the Library of Congress archives taken by Marion Post Wolcott, as I recall, during the early part of 1941, covering the area around Alexandria, Louisiana, at the time several large Army camps were being built in the vicinity. Many of the photos were of construction workers living in similar accommodations as the one shown here. Despite the Spartan lodgings, I imagine the workers were more than happy to have a steady job after 10-plus years of the Depression. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano)
Oakland Rider: 1920
... keep that Oakland out of Oakland.... (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/19/2015 - 11:16am -

San Francisco circa 1920. "Oakland touring car at Golden Gate Park." Latest entrant in the Shorpy Parade of Prehistoric Phaetons. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Appereciated, alwaysShorpy's alliterative assemblage of antiquated automobiles. OaklandBetter keep that Oakland out of Oakland.... (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Twenty-One: 1980
... think of taking photos of the streets, businesses, and cars, in Durham, NC, where I live. I mean, how interesting could such photos ... 
 
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)
Birdhouse Boys: 1921
... I like the bark birdhouse myself. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2014 - 12:33pm -

January 20, 1921. Washington, D.C. "American Forestry Association bird house contest." Back when ornithology was something a boy picked up on the streets. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Creative yet rusticLooking at the variety of birdhouses built by these boys shows an interesting mix of ideas but the one featured being held by the apparent "judge" is quite ingenious as it is obviously manufactured to bird specifications but is veneered in natural bark which would not only appeal to the birds but would blend right into the tree when in use. The boy sitting high up in the center (in the trench coat)seems to be having the best time, so maybe he feels he is gonna win. And are those velvet suits the two on the right are wearing? They don't look like corduroy. Seems like those wholesome and innocent days were long ago and far away. Before thermostatsThe variable opening size radiator cover on the vehicle helps solve the possibility of boiling over when the air tempature rises after a cold morning start. At Least One Is CordZooming in shows that at least the boy second from the right is wearing corduroy. The one on the right may be, but either the resolution isn't high enough or he's wearing something like a velvet like material. I like the bark birdhouse myself. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
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