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Car Radio: 1924
... somebody sells something. (Technology, The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/04/2013 - 7:20am -

1924. Washington, D.C. "Auto equipped with radio (made for Potomac Electric Power Co.)" Another look at the high-tech Model T seen here a few days ago. Can the 8-Track be far behind? Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. B BatteryThe first car radios required A and B batteries in order to operate. In 1928 Bill Lear, later the developer of the afore mentioned 8 Track Tape and founder of the Lear Jet Company, came up, along with others, with a B Battery eliminator. He traded that invention to Paul Galvin for a 30% stake in Galvin's Company soon to be renamed Motorola. This proves the old adage, nothing happens until somebody sells something. (Technology, The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Top This: 1929
... wheels, reminds me of a circus wagon. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/06/2015 - 7:21pm -

San Francisco, 1929. "Nash convertible coupe at Golden Gate Park." Heading into the Depression in style. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Oh dear!How can such a nice car break so easily, Henry? WheelsI love the pin-striping on the wheels, reminds me of a circus wagon. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Bancroft House: 1907
... Note the transit schedule on the corner, "Interurban cars for Bay City." Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Interesting ... likely waiting to make a "crew change" on the next car or cars through. This is still a common practice in mass transit today. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/25/2011 - 5:08pm -

Saginaw, Mich., circa 1907. "Bancroft House Hotel." Note the transit schedule on the corner, "Interurban cars for Bay City." Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. InterestingDepth of field. Relief CrewsBelow the interurban schedule sign are at least three interurban or street railway crewmen in their uniforms most likely waiting to make a "crew change" on the next car or cars through. This is still a common practice in mass transit today. The little building next to the line pole might be a phone booth or a shelter for the starter, inspector or supervisor who would keep track of the streetcars and interurban cars schedules assuring that they would be on time. Some contemporary larger transit systems use CAD (computer aided dispatching) and GPS to do this today. Two interesting facts1. The first street corner in the world to have electric light was Washington and Genesee, outside the Bancroft Hotel. It was suspended from a rope and people came from miles and miles away to see it. 2. First incandescent bulb in Michigan lit the Bancroft Hotel. [Link] New lifeThe Bancroft is getting a new life after being vacant for years. There is a restaurant in the floor and refurbished apartments throughout. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)
A Greater Gardner: 1921
... by using 'threaded rubber' separators. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/01/2018 - 12:34am -

        The "New and Greater Gardner" numbered, among its 30 Quality Features for 1922, "curled hair filled cushions, aluminum moulding on body, windshield wiper, Willard threaded rubber battery, door-opening curtains, and clear-vision top covered with Chase Dreadnaught double-texture material." San Francisco circa 1921. "Gardner car at Spreckels Mansion." 5x7 glass negative by the Bay Area automotive impresario Christopher Helin. View full size. AlcatrazYou can see Alcatraz Island and Prison in the left background. Threaded BatteriesApparently, lead acid batteries in that day used wood as separators between the lead plates and Willard improved on that by using 'threaded rubber' separators. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Legal Briefs: 1925
... touring car. By October of '25 you could buy one of these cars for $765, which was only $105 more than the price of the Ford Fordor Sedan. Essex sold 159,634 cars in 1925. The old Louisiana Avenue Before 1933, this block of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2011 - 9:19pm -

Washington circa 1925. "Tepper Building, Standard Engraving Co., 470 Louisiana Avenue N.W." The Tepper family business is what you might call vertically integrated: Joe's law practice upstairs, above Saul's "Notions, Hosiery, Underwear." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Two for OneGet defended and hosed at the same time! (Does George Washington live next door?) HeadsThose two heads peering out of the Estes Building entrance give this photo a certain creepy effect. [Plus the three ghosts outside. One is wearing pumps. - Dave] Long goneLouisiana Avenue in the northwest quadrant of DC is just a short 3-block segment running from Constitution Avenue to Union Station, a stone's throw from the Capitol. "Legal Briefs"may be the very best of Dave's pun-ishments of Shorpy viewers! Keep 'em up!! [So to speak. - Dave] Tax BrassSign over the entrance to the building on the left: "Bureau of Internal Revenue," now known as the IRS. 1925 EssexThe car parked at the curb is a Second Series 1925 Essex 6 Coach, built after March of that year. Essex pioneered the first low priced closed car with the introduction of its five-passenger Coach in 1922, which was an immediate success. The 1925 Essex was the first closed car that sold for the same price as an open touring car. By October of '25 you could buy one of these cars for $765, which was only $105 more than the price of the Ford Fordor Sedan. Essex sold 159,634 cars in 1925. The old Louisiana AvenueBefore 1933, this block of Louisiana Avenue was adjacent to Judiciary Square - here it is on a 1911 map: The section of Louisiana south of Pennsylvania Avenue was built over during the construction of the Federal Triangle, prompting Louisiana senators to argue that the remaining, smaller road was an affront to their state's dignity (see "Fight Over Name of Thoroughfare Will Be Vigorous", 11/28/30 Washington Post). The name was being applied in its current location by 1933. The remaining stub of Louisiana became part of Indiana Avenue NW. The city bought the Tepper Building in December 1932 and condemned it to make way for the never-completed Municipal Center complex. I'm not sure when it was finally razed, but it's definitely gone now. Death and taxesThe building at left--462-464 Louisiana Ave., occupied here by the Bureau of Internal Revenue--housed the Army Medical School until its relocation to Walter Reed in 1922. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
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)
Ford (Colorized): 1923
... 1923 Ford. Library of Congress. View full size. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Colorized Photos) ... 
 
Posted by Dennis Klassen - 02/06/2011 - 7:04pm -

1923 Ford. Library of Congress. View full size. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Colorized Photos)
Temple of Music: 1928
... distraction in slow moving traffic. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/24/2016 - 4:15pm -

San Francisco, 1928. "Hudson Super Six with Biddle & Smart body at Golden Gate Park Music Stand." Also known as the Spreckels Temple of Music. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Yes, rust freeAccording to this page on my favorite go-to site for coachbuilder history, Coachbuilt.com: http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/b/biddle_smart/biddle_smart.htm Biddle & Smart devoted its entire factory space to building sedan bodies for Hudson in 1923, and those bodies were done exclusively in aluminum, as they had no tools or presses for forming steel. Later acquisitions of other local coachbuilders allowed them to take on some business for Rolls-Royce's Springfield, Mass. plant, in 1925. Biddle & Smart wouldn't last, though; the handwriting was on the wall when Hudson opened its own ten million dollar plant for all-steel closed bodies in Detroit in 1926. As a result, by 1928, Biddle & Smart production had dropped by 60 percent. Also, transportation of the bodies by rail from Amesbury, Mass. to Detroit made them more expensive, at a time when auto prices were dropping. Hudson began buying bodies from Briggs, and also Murray, which were based in Detroit. In 1930, B&S was notified by Hudson that they would no longer be Hudson's outside source for bodies, for the 1931 models. With no more automotive coachbuilding business, B&S made an attempt to market aluminum boats, but by the end of 1930, they were out of business. Rust FreeOne of the things that Biddle & Smart coachbuilders were famous for was using aluminum in their auto bodies (though they would also use steel if that was requested). Makes me wonder if this Hudson was an aluminum-bodied car. Hubba hubbaLuv the brilliantly reflective, faceted hub caps. Must have been a sensational distraction in slow moving traffic. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Lincoln at the Capitol: 1924
... jet that gave them such bad PR. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 4:37pm -

Washington, D.C., 1924. "Ford Motor Co. -- Lincoln at Capitol." The Great Transportator. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. The Ford SuitsThe Ford suits should have driven this car to the Congressional Hearings instead of the corporate jet that gave them such bad PR. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
The New Olds: 1927
... 2,317 pounds, and it was priced at $975. All of the open cars made had black pebble grained leather upholstery. Unlike the coupes, the ... your arm and hand out to signal turns. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2016 - 3:39pm -

San Francisco, 1927. "Oldsmobile roadster at Golden Gate Park." Latest listing in the Shorpy Catalogue of Jaunty Jalopies. 5x7 glass negative. View full size. Four Wheel BrakesThe 30 X 5.25 inch tires indicate that this Olds was built in or after January, 1927 and included four wheel brakes as standard equipment. Surprisingly, there was no price increase with this new safety feature. The car shown is the Model 30-E roadster, and they could only be ordered with the deluxe trim package which included the front and rear bumpers, a locking motometer and dogbone radiator cap, and the option of body-colored steel disc wheels or wooden spoke wheels. Olds produced 2,474, including the 132 exported, it weighed 2,317 pounds, and it was priced at $975. All of the open cars made had black pebble grained leather upholstery. Unlike the coupes, the golf club door on the passenger side was not a standard feature. The standard colors for the 1927 Deluxe Roadster were Sea Fog Gray for the main body color, with Ocean Blue fenders, hood and the top of the body, and Burnt Orange striping. Other colors were optionally available. Late in the model year other paint variations were offered including an extra wide stripe at the top of the doors. The images below are from factory photos and a color image from a Oldsmobile brochure. Note the interesting side curtain shape needed, and the small covered area built-in to it where you could stick your arm and hand out to signal turns. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Trenton Pinsetters: 1909
... Later he would work as a hod carrier and parking cars in a parking garage before joining the Marines in 1940. He had a lot to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2007 - 3:11pm -

December 20, 1909. "Boys working in Arcade Bowling Alley, Trenton, New Jersey. Photo taken late at night. The boys work until midnight and later." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Interesting...mix of regular and duckpin bowling on adjacent lanes. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska Duck pinsMy Dad told us kids that he once worked in a bowling alley setting duck pins. Didn't say how much he was paid or anything else about this job. This would have been in the 1930s in or around Clairton, PA, south of Pittsburgh. Later he would work as a hod carrier and parking cars in a parking garage before joining the Marines in 1940. He had a lot to say about these jobs. Joe Bartolini West Columbia, SC PercussionThose duckpins look like upside down maracas. Duck PinsDuck Pins is still a fairly popular variant of bowling in some areas. It's the preferred version in Quebec for example. Candle Pins (where the pins are basically straight tubes with only a slight bulge in the middle) is the found mostly in Eastern Canada and New England. Concentrate!Those kids must have been very distracting to the bowler. [I think they stayed behind the tarps until the ball came through. - Dave] The Tarps *I wouldn't bet on the pin setters dropping behind the tarps. Those are there to take most of the momentum from the balls so that they drop into the pit at the end of the alley. Needless to say the balls hit there with a pretty substantial force. Standing behind them and having limited visibility would be dangerous when some guy is hurling a 16 lb. bowling ball at you. As I understand it most later bowling alleys had a platform above the alley like the one these kids are sitting on but it had a sort of screen or wall in front of it. When a ball went through the kids would drop down set the pins and jump back up all while hoping that some sadistic SOB wasn't throwing another ball to hit them. [There are a few photos of the kids coming out from behind the tarps, which are not fastened at the bottom. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Sports)
Offroaders: 1919
... against the curb when parked on a hill. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/18/2017 - 1:05pm -

San Francisco circa 1919. "Franklin touring car." Some of the ladies last glimpsed here. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. It was all about the ride.Another Franklin specialty. Dual upper and lower suspension leaf springs. The San Francisco ScuffAs noted before, the characteristic scuff of the right front tire from obeying the (then, maybe now) ordinance that you had to wedge your tire against the curb when parked on a hill. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
The Armory: 1906
... Visigoths are attacking Worcester! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/09/2014 - 12:10pm -

Circa 1906. "State National Guard Armory, Worcester, Mass." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Mostly There. Mostly. And still impressive. I wonder what happened to that interesting tower? View Larger Map Man the parapets!Visigoths are attacking Worcester! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC)
Garage Fire: 1925
... mine has seen the ravages of time! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Fires, Floods etc., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2017 - 11:58am -

October 1925. Washington, D.C. "Fire at Drive It Yourself Co. garage." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Explosion 212 13th St NWFrom the Washington Post October 15, 1925: Sign of the timesNailed up to my office wall, a few feet away from me as I type, I have a duplicate of the Polarine sign(s) fastened to the brick wall, adjacent to the garage door opening! Unlike the examples in the photo, though, mine has seen the ravages of time! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Fires, Floods etc., Natl Photo)
8205: 1938
... View full size. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Cars, Trucks, Buses, On the Road) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/03/2008 - 5:29pm -

Summer 1938. "On Route 40 in central Ohio, moving combine and tractor." 35mm negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Cars, Trucks, Buses, On the Road)
Ready for Takeoff: 1927
... Willys, who pronounced his name, Willis (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/16/2016 - 12:28pm -

San Francisco circa 1927. "Falcon-Knight coupe." Latest hatchling in the Shorpy Aviary of Automotive Albatrosses. Glass negative by Chris Helin. View full size. Falcon-KnightA product of Willys-Overland. Knight is in reference to the Knight sleeve valve engine. There was a surprising number of car companies that used the Knight engine, but Willys is the one people are most familiar in the US. I got the chance to work on a Knight engine once, it was a challenge, but very enjoyable. Very different than anything you'd see today. You're correct Horace, but the majority of advertising and automobiles were marketed as "willys', so Willys is perfectly acceptable, for the same reason you don't have to say 'I own a General Motors corporation LLC Chevrolet Impala' and frankly the apostrophe is the fault of autocorrect . Willy Never Owned a FalconThe Falcon Knight was a product of Willys Overland, not Willy's. The founder was John North Willys, who pronounced his name, Willis (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Sweet Chariot: 1920
... Mansion at 2150 Washington. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/27/2015 - 2:24pm -

San Francisco circa 1920. "Chalmers touring car." Wearing a spiffy "California top." 5x7 inch glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Detachable top?Looks like a detachable top with an eisenglass window on each side. ["The California top ... can be stowed or removed quickly and has a permanent roof and glass windows" says this period article. -tterrace] LocationTaken on the 2100 block of Washington Street, north side; not sure of the exact address. The house has been somewhat altered, and is currently obscured by a tall hedge. [The house is the Phelan Mansion at 2150 Washington. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Moving Pictures: 1900
... not as demanding fuelwise as a regular train of several cars. Nevertheless, it was hot as Hades labor during the summer, but brutally ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/20/2013 - 1:44pm -

"1899 or 1902. Lackawanna photo car." Detroit Photographic's rolling studio-darkroom-showroom. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. The futureWhat an interesting photo. I wonder if these people had the foresight of these photos being invaluable to future generations or was this just a business/hobby type venture ? Either way simply amazing ! Cheers. Wonder if they slept there, tooFrom past Shorpy encounters, this is a famous railcar. With the ladies and child shown, I wonder if it also served as a rolling residence for the owners. With the likely photo chemical fumes, it probably wouldn't have been conducive to living aboard, but it was a clever and modern way of doing business. Mr. DPCLooks like William Henry Jackson himself on the rear platform holding the camera. Morris and Essex RailroadApparently this car really belonged to the Morris and Essex Railroad, which was leased by the Lackawanna for roughly 80 years. Note the "M&E" to the far right of "Lackawanna." BallastThe DL&W was a blue chip anthracite hauling carrier and extremely profitable. It prided itself on its physical plant, even down to the point of maintaining "razor" edge ballast along it main line tracks. Posed rocksNo ordinary railroad ballast is that neat. The colors of natureThose would be black, white, and gray, right? [They were until DPC colorized their post cards and prints. -tterrace] BallastI wonder if the rocks were placed that way to prevent water from eroding the tracks. I've never seen a ballast arrangement quite like that. CoalUngraded coal of various sizes most likely in that tender: those gigantic chunks had to be hand-shoveled by the fireman into the firebox constantly. Possibly the one car consist was not as demanding fuelwise as a regular train of several cars. Nevertheless, it was hot as Hades labor during the summer, but brutally cold, in that open cab, in the winter season. About that ballastI suspect that this photo was made at a station. The smoothness of the dirt path along the tracks suggests this. It was desirable to keep ballast out of walkways, because plain dirt is safer to walk on. People often twist their ankles while walking on ballast. Also, it is VERY difficult, sometimes impossible, to pull those big baggage carts over ballast, especially when they're loaded down with baggage, mail, and express. Station personnel make their jobs much easier by keeping the surfaces over which they have to pull those things smooth. (I speak from experience.) (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
Santa's Mailbox: 1922
... line, can improve on my efforts. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Christmas, D.C., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/18/2017 - 7:25am -

Washington, D.C., 1922. "Christmas Post Office." Last glimpsed here. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Truck IDPackard. WhereaboutsThis one's location is a bit of a puzzler. About the only semi-legible clue is the white sign in the second-story window, which seems to say "[ILLEGIBLE] BEAUTY SHOP." I took a quick run through the 1922 city directory & saw no entries seeming to correspond to the lettering in the first word. Perhaps some other sleuth, aided by the fact that this is a corner building next to a streetcar line, can improve on my efforts. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Christmas, D.C., Natl Photo)
Out for Delivery: 1912
... inventory control must have been a mess. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 3:21pm -

A gray 1912 day in Washington, D.C. "Woodward & Lothrop department store trucks." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Excelsior!Yes, it means "ever upward" and is the motto of New York State. It is also the name of all the "wood wool" or wood shavings which were used before little vinyl airbags and styrofoam were the choices for packing material. Not only was it a fire hazard, but heavier and more costly than today's packing filler. They still do use it though not too often and most people recycled it, as they did with the baskets instead of cardboard boxes. Very industrious people pictured here but inventory control must have been a mess. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Stores & Markets)
Pere Marquette: 1910
... sailing late that night to Milwaukee with twenty-nine rail cars aboard. At 3 AM she began taking on water which the pumps could not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:42pm -

The Chicago River circa 1910. "Pere Marquette transfer boat 18 passing State Street bridge." Railcar ferry built in a record 90 days after its namesake sank in Lake Michigan. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. Father MarquetteThe first Pere Marquette 18 was built 1902 at Cleveland by the American Ship Building Company. During the summers of 1909 and 1910 the Pere Marquette Railway chartered this vessel to a group from Grand Haven, Michigan, known as the Chicago Navigation Company and who placed her in the excursion trade between Chicago and Waukegan. A rail ferry that ran across Lake Michigan from Ludington, Michigan, to points in Wisconsin, her car deck was used as a dance floor and rumored to also house gambling operations. Returning to Ludington after Labor Day, she re-entered service September 8, 1910, sailing late that night to Milwaukee with twenty-nine rail cars aboard. At 3 AM she began taking on water which the pumps could not handle. At around 4 PM her captain sent out a CQD (forerunner of the SOS) distress message by wireless, attracting the vessel's near-sister, the Pere Marquette 17, which attempted to maneuver close enough to the stricken Pere Marquette 18 to remove passengers and crew. Suddenly, a little after 7 AM, her stern plunged beneath the water and she went straight down in a matter of seconds, it estimated twenty-seven to twenty-nine lives lost. The Pere Marquette ordered a replacement immediately. Incredibly, the second Pere Marquette 18 was launched at the South Chicago yard of the American Ship Building Company on December 20, 1910, and entered service the next month. Removed from service 1954, as a little kid I recall her sitting forlornly on Pere Marquette Lake at Ludington until she was towed to Hamilton, Ontario, in 1957 for scrapping. The tug T. T. Morford shown was built 1884 by the Miller Brothers at Chicago, and her design proved so successful that she became the model upon which almost every subsequent Chicago harbor tug would be built. PM18 (II)Launched December 20, 1910, in Chicago. More here. T T MorfordThe TT Morford was a tugboat with an interesting history: The tugboat T.T. MORFORD was built in 1884 at Chicago and served the area faithfully until 26 October 1895, when her boiler exploded. She was rebuilt and went back into service adding another strange twist to history, for it was this same tugboat that 14 years later would rescue 20 or more people from Chicago's 68th Street Water Crib Fire. A fire which killed 60 men in January of 1909. The vessel shownis the first Pere Marquette 18 while chartered to the Chicago Navigation Company, taking summer excursionists to Waukegan, to clarify my earlier post. The second Pere Marquette 18 remained exclusively in the rail trade between Ludington and Wisconsin ports its entire career. [Why do we think this is the first Pere Marquette? - Dave] An Excursion?Seems to be a significant number of the fairer sex aboard, and the ship seems to be riding very high in the water, so I don't think it has a load on. The ship was launched December 20, and arrived in Ludington Michigan on January 30 - it sure doesn't look like mid winter in the picture - perhaps a spring or summer excursion for railroad employees? There's even a bass drum on board, right above the 'P' in the ship's name. [Midwinter would be February. December 20 is (barely) fall. But yes, it was chilly -- the high was 32, so this is probably not launch day. It may not even be launch year. - Dave] The control houseseems to match that of the first PM 18: http://www.carferries.com/pm/PM18/ vs PM 18 (II): http://www.carferries.com/pm/PM182/ (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Chicago, DPC)
Tots of Tripoli: 1946
... the other side of the room is filled with blocks and cars and paint easels, these kids get lousy playthings -- an abacus and that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/17/2012 - 6:23pm -

March 1946. "Tripoli, Lebanon. American Mission Girls' School, the kindergarten in class." Medium format acetate negative, Matson Photo Service. View full size. Prim and properThe prim, cross-legged girl on the right reminds me a lot of my mom at that age. Prim and properness included! My dad was born the year this photo was taken - most of the kids are probably still around. I wonder how they feel about what's going on there today? The thought of mission schools always leaves me with a funny taste, but it seems as if this may be a fondly remembered time, especially now. Any chance you can tell what the things hanging across the room are? I'd also love to know what the dolls on the shelf in the back are used for. And is that a light in the middle? Could it be any more woefully small for the room? More Obedient Five Year OldsI realize that this was 65 years ago and these people would be approximately 70 yrs. old today but I doubt that you could make 21 children about 5 yrs. old sit quietly and behave like that now. Also, I remember when every school teacher had to have the ability to play the piano and lead their class in singing patriotic songs each morning. That also isn't happening today. Can't really say which era had the better daily routine but I'm partial to the olden days. WhowI'm hot for teacher. [Who's about to have you step up to the blackboard and write "Wow" a hundred times. - Dave] Did Tripoli movefrom Libya to Lebanon and back? [Tripoli, Lebanon, is where it's always been. - Dave] [D'oh! - OP] The Citizens of TomorrowThere's a WWII-era poster hanging on the wall on the left. Not quite sure what to make of thisThe happy expression on the face of the pianist stands in stark contrast to the poker-faces of the children. The girl seated 7th from the right seems to be hinting at a smile, but the rest of them look like they are listening to an entirely different tune than the one she is playing. I've also noticed that the boy seated second from the right and the boy seated 6th from the left appear to be twins. Turn on the heat alreadyMust have been a heck of a cold day, or that classroom must have had very poor heat, for so many of those kids to be wearing coats and sweaters indoors. The floor also seems to have never met a janitor. And unless the other side of the room is filled with blocks and cars and paint easels, these kids get lousy playthings -- an abacus and that shelf of home-made looking fabric dolls. I'm not sending any kids here! Two TripolisThere are two Tripolis. The one in Lebanon is called Tripoli while the one Libya is differentiated by adding "West" to its name such as Tripoli-west or Tripoli of the West (Trablus el Gharb in Arabic). [There are many Tripolis. The word is Greek for "three cities." - Dave] (The Gallery, Kids, Matson)
Luxury Car: 1917
... negative was shot on glass. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco, W. Stanley) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/29/2014 - 11:22am -

The Bay Area circa 1917. "Jordan touring car." The tot-laden vehicle seen here yesterday, a Jordan advertised as the "Seven-Passenger Luxury Car," with the same driver but minus the kids. Note the literal NON-SKID tire tread. Glass negative from the Wyland Stanley collection of San Francisciana. View full size. Non-noirI wonder what color it was. Appears to not be black. [For 1917 the car was available in "a bright mahogany maroon or in a deep, soft Venetian green. Take your choice. Either shade is fashionable." - Dave] LUXUR Y CARThe kids are laying (or is it lying?) in the road a ways back, tossed out by by the rough ride. [Lying! - Dave] The Brand That Changed AdvertisingNed Jordan, head of the company, revolutionized automobile advertising with his famous "Somewhere West of Laramie" ad for the Jordan Playboy roadster. This was the ad that marked the change from product description to "what you drive says who you are" image promotion. Here's the text, for you young 'uns:         "Somewhere west of Laramie there's a bronco-busting, steer roping girl who knows what I’m talking about. She can tell what a sassy pony, that’s a cross between greased lighting and the place where it hits, can do with eleven hundred pounds of steel and action when he's going high, wide and handsome. The truth is - the Playboy was built for her. Built for the lass whose, face is brown with the sun when the day is done of revel and romp and race. She loves the cross of the wild and the tame. There's a savor of links about that car - of laughter and lilt and light - a hint of old loves - and saddle and quirt. It’s a brawny thing - yet a graceful thing for the sweep o' the Avenue. Step into the Playboy when the hour grows dull with things gone dead and stale. Then start for the land of real living with the spirit of the lass who rides, lean and rangy, into the red horizon of a Wyoming twilight." Actually, it was a perfectly ordinary automobile, but with flimflam like that, who cares? Probably Venetian GreenHard to know for sure, but given the 1917 date and the likelihood the film used to make the photo was orthocromatic stock, if the car was "mahoghany maroon", it would render much darker in the photo. [Emulsion, not film. This negative was shot on glass. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
Power Steering: 1943
... down 6 inches...normal for the times! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2013 - 10:02am -

March 1943. "A truck driver on U.S. Highway 29 near Charlottesville, Virginia." Photo by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Clever, those primitives!The lever on the steering wheel hub might be spark advance-retard, manual throttle, or even a headlamp switch. Early autos allowed for (in fact, required) lots of manual adjustments on the way from start to idle to full operation, and the steering wheel/column were a logical location for those controls. Now, car steering wheels are crowded with ancillary controls for our more modern driving tasks -- tune the radio, switch CD channels, engage "sport" mode, order your home margarita machine to crank up a batch because you just exited the freeway. Slack in the wheel - can you imagine?I can see this vee-hickle going down road at highway speed with mans hands moving up and down 6 inches...normal for the times! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon)
Modern Family: 1922
... when side curtains were erected. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, Kids, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2015 - 8:16pm -

San Francisco circa 1922. "Haynes touring car." Even your wife can drive it, and it's safe enough for the kids. 5x7 glassneg by Christopher Helin. View full size. Kid SafetySafe enough for the kids is a modern invention, probably from the 1970s. Kids were pretty rugged before that. Solid, If UnexcitingHaynes built a quality car, albeit hardly a scintillating one. The opera windows must be a palliative for the claustrophobia doubtless induced in the rear sea passengers when side curtains were erected. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, Kids, San Francisco)
California Ramblers: 1967
... and tan with an interior to match. Dad bought AMC cars from 1960 until they were no longer available, one reason being that they ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/06/2019 - 1:56pm -

Summer 1967. Just think how much more exciting this shot of my mother, father and brother enjoying a Kodachrome vista of the Sierra Nevada would be if, instead of our sedate 1966 Rambler, we had a red 1960 Chevy wagon. View full size. Oh, but your RamblerOh, but your Rambler American 440 wagon is lovely! AMCWe had one just like that, except it was two-tone bronze and tan with an interior to match. Dad bought AMC cars from 1960 until they were no longer available, one reason being that they all came with air conditioning standard. That's pretty important in Texas. We had made a trip from home in East Texas to Amarillo and back in a 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 sedan -- in August! -- and Dad swore never again. Regards, Ric RamblerOh, I rather prefer the Rambler to the red Chevy. RamblingThat's a Rambler Classic. The Rambler American had rectangular taillights with rounded corners. Regards, Ric CoordinatesThat looks more like Sequoia Natl Park or Kings Canyon, than Yosemite. Any chance you remember where you were? And, T, those socks with the sandals are a dead giveaway for your NoCal roots. In those days, being SoCal meant never wearing socks with sandals. Except perhaps for the way, way inlanders from places like Berdoo and Riverside. You may have noticed that distinction on your Knottsberry Farm trip. Even may have thought no socks were gross. While SoCals thought it was gross TO wear socks with sandals. Just another playful contrast between the two states within a state. You ever figure out the dividing line go south from Larkspur? From the south going north on the coast, I always thought of Santa Barbara as the last SoCal frontier outpost. Just felt different once you passed Goleta, Isla Vista, and UCSB. Inland? Probably Magic Mountain these days. Kind of strange that you never hear the word CenCal. It's like a DMZ, or a purgatory. Just kidding, all you CenCals. I lived in Merced for a year, and Santa Maria for two, so I have an official CenCal tour of duty insignia. The Human GPSYou're absolutely on the beam, A. Tipster, that was indeed taken on our 1967 Sequoia/Kings Canyon camping trip. I also know exactly what you mean by feeling that Santa Barbara marks the beginning of Southern California. Other Rambler points: yes, it's a Rambler Classic Cross Country. We had to get after-market A/C, though. Can't remember why we're missing a rear wheel cover. Tterrace, Child GeniusI don't mean to get personal but I find it absolutely miraculous that even as a youngster, you took all these hundreds of INCREDIBLE photos, which are now stirring great memories in all the Shorpy fans. How wonderful of your parents to provide the encouragement, equipment and money, as well as the self-confidence required, to cultivate their budding genius photographer. These pictures are as real as it gets, EVERYONE can identify with them, they cannot be "fabricated" and they strike a nostalgic chord in anyone who lived in those days. I find these even more realistic than looking through old magazines as it is obvious they are candid shots and you were a genuine American family. We cannot thank you enough for sharing your wonderful photos, please keep on taking pictures and know that you have a natural gift as a photographer to convey familiarity in your shots. Nothing short of amazing. A fine line indeed...Thanks, Older than Yoda, I'm glad you and others are getting a bang out of the stuff I've been submitting, but I do want to reiterate that many of the photos were taken by my brother; in fact, he's slightly ahead at this point, 41 to 35. And yes, I certainly do acknowledge my parents' policy of... I think benign bewilderment would be the best way to put it. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Travel & Vacation, tterrapix)
Smith Storage: 1920
... light and access to their property. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Horses, Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 7:42pm -

Washington, 1920. "Smith Storage Co., 13th & U Streets N.W." With the motor truck gaining fast on the horse team. National Photo Company. View full size. A. C. Smith: Mambo EnthusiastWashington Post Sep 25, 1955 First Sold Flavored Snowballs, but This Was Too Seasonal By Eve Edstrom Forty-five years ago, Arthur Clarendon Smith went into business with four horses, two open-top feed wagons and $400 which he borrowed from his wife. Today the assets of Smith's Transfer and Storage Co. are placed at $1,500,000. The firm has 200 employees, operates a fleet of 52 motor vehicles, owns six modern fire-proof warehouses and that slogan: "Don't make a move without calling Smith's." At age 72, the founder and owner of the moving company still works from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily, never takes a vacation and never intends to retire. His success secrets are simple: Take a 15-minute nap twice a day, leave liquor alone and vote the Democratic ticket. ... by the time he was age 10, he was in business, selling flavored snowballs for a penny apiece. This business was too seasonal, though, and his next venture was raising guinea pigs. His father soon offered him more money, 50 cents a day, and he went to work for Clarendon Smith's wholesale grain and feed company at 5th and K sts. nw. The alert Arthur wasn't long in noting there was a great need for adequate means of transporting grain. More important, he was convinced that horsedrawn vehicles soon would be a thing of the past, that motor trucks would benefit a transfer business. So in 1910 he founded the Greater Washington Express Co. The first three years were not happy ones financially. As Smith recalls them, he was best by fires, thievery and payments of fines to the Humane Society. ... In 1916 Arthur Clarendon Smith recognized the advantages which would result from operating storage facilities in conjunction with the growing transfer business. .... Immediately after World War I, father and son set out to build a large fireproof storage warehouse. Construction of their main building began with only $10,000 in working capital. In 1920, it was opened at 1313 U st. nw. Valued at more than $300,000 today, it is the hub of all the firm's activities. ... A vigorous man who smokes continually, Smith plays just as hard as he works. Currently, he and his bridge of almost 49 years are mambo enthusiasts. Horse HockeyI really hope those 3 horses weren't responsible for the pile of rubble beneath the trucks in the middle of that parade. Is this it?I took a walk down that part of town today. This building looks a bit like it, but is on U St. between 14th and 15th (not 13th as in the caption). There are just enough differences between the photos to make me wonder, but it seems like the only similarly-size building in the area. (Also, no horses now.) Smith Storage Revisited 1920 photo of Smith Storage, next to the U Street Oyster House. Click to enlarge. Below, an Aug. 24, 1919, news item. Smith Storage Co. Expands Work on Big $140,000 Fireproof Warehouse To Start This Week. Plans have been completed by the Smith Storage and Transfer Company for the erection of a big six-story fireproof storage and warehouse at 1307 U street northwest, to cost $140,000. Work on the structure will begin this week. The building is to be of reinforced concrete, with metal partitions, doors, rooms, walls, etc. It will have a frontage on U street of 70 feet, and depth of 120 feet. The architectural design is to be unusual, the barnlike effect usually noticeable in buildings of this character to be avoided, and the front having what might be called a mission in Spanish effect. ... Ready to show off.The wall doggers have the building lettered, and all the vehicles are lined up for the shot in front of their proud new facility. It appears the one truck backed into the spot over the huge pile of horse apples. While I'm sure they wanted those gone for the shot, I have every confidence that the street sweeper was avoiding that block! [That's dirt from taking a tree out its hole in the sidewalk. - Dave] Fidelity Storage CompanyNice to see the photo of Fidelity Storage. The Building is still there at 1420 You Street NW but the company has changed hands many times since my Dad and Uncle sold the business in 1958. Started by my Grandfather, James L. Karrick, in 1905. I still have a miniature wooden mothproof rug storage chest from the company. Fidelity Storage, 1420 U Street NWThe color photo in an earlier comment shows 1420 U Street, Fidelity Moving & Storage, still in operation in 2016 as Extra Space Storage. Extra Space bought Storage USA circa 2005 and at that time began updating the property interiors, including replacing the original freight lift on the east side of the building. The elevator housing is seen on roof, the left edge of the photo. Up until then, the freight lift was in regular use and available to customers to operate themselves. Light and installation artist Rockne Krebs and painter Sam Gilliam once owned the adjacent warehouse building next door. It is now Goodwood, a furnishings and home design shop. Other artists in the immediate neighborhood included Franklin White, James Wells, Alma Thomas, and many younger artists of the 80s and 90s. In the 1980s Treto Way, the large alley running from 14th street to 15th street was an open air drug market. In recent years, artists living in alley building behind U Street struggled with the developers of the Louis luxury apartment building, eventually winning some concessions but losing others to protect light and access to their property. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Horses, Natl Photo)
Panama Canal: 1915
... the Canal back to the Caribbean side. The passenger cars were wooden with lanterns for lighting. It looked like a movie set from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:19am -

Circa 1915. "North approach, Pedro Miguel Lock, Panama Canal." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. ShipshapeLooking at the steamer on the left versus the one on the right I think the crew needs to be doing some major work to that deck below them! That mess would give a Navy Chief an apoplectic fit! Cargo ship experienceA navy Chief rarely works on cargo ships. What is probably happening is the ship is loading or offloading cargo. You can see the canvas hatch cover stuffed aft of the rear hatch. While you are moving cargo, bits of packing material and small bits of bulk cargo end up on the deck. Blame the 60 stevedores for that. Then when they get a little rain, all that junk gets washed aft to just forward of the deckhouse, where you see it in the picture. There is a scupper outboard there, but it quickly gets clogged. You see where someone has laid boards down to keep their feet dry. I am sure the deck will get swept after cargo ops. At least someone has cleared the scupper to get the water off the deck. 2 locks, plenty of waiting.The caption reads "North Approach", and the mule tracks begin here, so I think this really is the line of ships waiting to be towed into the locks. Computer glitchSomeone's cursor is caught in the picture! LockedThe ships are in a lock. Cargo is not moved on or off a ship there. I have been through the Canal five times and there are no cargo facilities there. A few docks for the tourists, but cargo would most likely be handled in Balboa. The first time I went through was in 1955 and we took the train that paralleled the Canal back to the Caribbean side. The passenger cars were wooden with lanterns for lighting. It looked like a movie set from some '30 film. 1910?I thought the Canal wasn't completed until 1914. Sleeping on deckmust have been nice option as to down below in the humid tropics, the ship on the right has a canvas between two lifeboats and a couple of mattresses on the deck. Locking Through Together?All of the ships in the photo seem to be moored to the bollards on the concrete. With the smaller size of the ships during this era it might be possible for more than one ship to fit in a lock chamber. Could it be that all of these ships are within their respective locks and in the process of completing the locking operation in the direction of the arrow, that is "up". There are tracks for the mechanical mules to pull them through, but there isn't one in sight. I suspect that when the lock chambers fill completely the mules will pull each ship out of the lock chamber in sequence. Ship and Tow Vessel?Notice the four-masted, square rigged sailing vessel (bark?) astern of the foreground steamer on the right. The lowest yards on each mast are tilted to clear the lock accoutrements. The bowsprit appears very near, perhaps over, the stern of the steamer. Could the steamer, which seems to be pretty small, be the larger vessel's tow boat? Not sure what (if anything) that would say about conditions on the steamer's decks. Cargo/passenger ship on leftDoes anyone know the name of this ship? It would make a wonderful model of a cargo ship that also carried passengers. Somewhat typical of the banana boats of the period. Thanks. Jay Beckham (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Hudson Ramblers: 1928
... that hat into a present day automobile. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/31/2016 - 2:23pm -

San Francisco, 1928. "Hudson convertible sedan at Golden Gate Park." Latest entry in the Shorpy Catalog of Discontinued Conveyances. View full size. Near PerfectIf you're gonna ramble. this looks like just the carriage to chose. The door locks [?] are an interesting feature. I would like to see the driverof this land locomotive try to fit himself and that hat into a present day automobile. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Mex-Tex: 1939
... before the Millennials came along! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/08/2018 - 1:49pm -

February 1939. "Housing. Mexican district in Robstown, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. It's A Dog's LifeEspecially when you have something to do like this one. He/She (not quite sure here) is totally oblivious and continues with routine regardless. The humans however, are well aware of the photographic situation. "Tiny House"Used to mean something entirely different before the Millennials came along! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, Russell Lee)
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