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Salient Six: 1922
... best year, the Illinois-based firm produced around 7,000 cars. 5x7 inch glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. ... major farm implement producers in town. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/13/2018 - 8:02pm -

San Francisco, 1922. "Stephens Salient Six touring car." Named after the founder of parent company Moline Plow, Stephens was a short-lived marque, lasting from 1916 to 1924; in 1920, its best year, the Illinois-based firm produced around 7,000 cars. 5x7 inch glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.
Moline Plow CompanyI grew up in Moline, Illinois, which is well known as the home of Deere and Company. I had never heard of Moline Plow, which was gone before I was born. Deere and Co. sued for trademark infringement early on in the life of the company. An extensive history of the company including the lawsuit can be found here: http://molineplowco.com/home/.
When I was growing up International Harvester, Deere, and Case Implements were the major farm implement producers in town.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)

Here Today: 1947
... Packard like this 1948 model I owned. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John M. Fox, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/17/2015 - 9:17pm -

        Here Today -- The car they said was years away!
New York City, December 1947. "Hudson dealers and the new Hudson." A striking design that sold like hotcakes when it was introduced to car-starved postwar America. 4x5 inch acetate negative by John M. Fox. View full size.
I love the doublebreasted pinstripeBut the guy needs to get his trousers properly hemmed, or tighten up his suspenders a bit.
Breaking NewsFull break, full break, full break, no break, no break, moderate break. It's all personal preference.
Hudson Couldn't Catch a BreakThe "stepdown" design, though attractive to some, was of unibody rather than body-on-chassis construction.  That made all but minor cosmetic updates a matter of comprehensive re-tooling, a very expensive undertaking for a "major-minor" manufacturer.
Together with the sales disaster that was the smaller Hudson Jet, Hudson's fiscal inability to match the Big Three in restyling frequency finally led to a financial failure only temporarily remediated by merging with Nash to form what became American Motor Company.  By 1958, AMC was producing only Ramblers ...; oh, and the Anglo-American Metropolitan. 
Gone TomorrowThere is something poignant about this picture of executives presenting what was sure to be a major hit and quickly bring Hudson back to success.  Sadly a future merger with Nash-Kelvinator would not save the Hudson name. However the resulting feisty American Motors bought Jeep and brought us the Pacer and Gremlin before disappearing into what is now Fiat-Chrysler. 
FussyThe Hudson appeal seems to grow as the years go by. At the time its styling was not as well-received as the cleaner, less fussy, offerings from Packard like this 1948 model I owned.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John M. Fox, NYC)

Motor Age: 1914
... (it's Dave's fault, he's spoiled us). (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/30/2016 - 1:44pm -

New York circa 1914. "Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street." Lions of the New York Public Library at right. 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size.
Which way did he go, Doc?In photo traffic is heading north.  Today, traffic on 5th Ave. moves south.
Flags and bagsSo even back then, Fifth avenue was festooned with American flags. If we were to go to the same intersection today, we would see pedestrians laden with messenger bags, backpacks, etc. Yet, the people in this photograph are almost all either empty-handed or carrying only a small handbag or parcel. People got by with much less of everything.
EC Potter NYC Library Lion Names Fortitude is the one closest to the camera and Patience is the most distant. It appears the photographer could have used more of the later in setting up the shot, as even the stationary buildings in the center of the image are a bit fuzzy, not what we've become used to with vintage 5x7s (it's Dave's fault, he's spoiled us).
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC)

Stoddard's Upper Range: 1937
... the National Register. Preservation Except for the cars and those two exhaust fans, here is 1859 in color. re: +73 Best ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 11:05am -

Savannah, Georgia, circa 1937. "Stoddard's Upper Range. Italianate structure built 1859 by John Stoddard on bluffs above the river, used for cotton factor's offices and warehouses." Photo by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size.
+73Below is the same view from July of 2010.
[Amazing! Not to mention a little spooky. - Dave]
Vics on the RiverJohn  Stoddard's building was saved and is now an upscale restaurant.  It also was used in the Civil War as a planning office.
MasterstrokeIn each and every one of Johnstons photos, you see the a master at work. The composition, light, shadow, and subjects are wonderful. And something else I have noticed and wonder if anyone else senses it. There is a slightly dark or macabre and foreboding undercurrent in the work. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is, but I feel it.
Oh, the light!Since discovering Shorpy, I've become a huge F.B.Johnston fan.  Her eye for composition is excellent, her exposures are perfect, and the rendition of highlights is IMHO second to none.  So delicate, so silvery.
[The detail is thanks to FBJ's use of an 8x10 view camera. As for the highlights, a lot of that is thanks to the Shadows & Highlights filter in Photoshop, which is used to adjust all of the images I post here on Shorpy. Below, a before-and-after comparison of the original archival image (grayish circles) and the Shorpy version. Click to enlarge. - Dave]

Once again, an utterly evocative image by JohnstonOf course, these buildings were never unoccupied. They were commissioned by Stoddard from the New York architect John Norris, who has forever stamped Savannah with the range of public buildings he constructed there between 1845 and 1860. He left Savannah as soon as the Lower Range and the Upper Range were finished, to return North before war broke out.
During the Civil War - umm "War Between the States, as it's called there - these buildings were occupied by Sherman's officers. Today they are full of offices, businesses, and even a fine restaurant. They are listed on the National Register. 
PreservationExcept for the cars and those two exhaust fans, here is 1859 in color.
re: +73Best ever then-and-now shot. Congratulations to timeandagain photo and also to the passage of time.
PricelessIt's the 'then and now' shots alone that make Shorpy worth the price of admission...er, submission...oh, never mind. Anyway, I like them.
Factor's WalkThere's an archaeological dig going on at the time I write this, that is investigating an urban legend that the crypts on the left side of the walk (left side of this photo, but unable to be seen) were used for slave trading. However, as yet, all that has been turned up is evidence of some shops and storage.  For more info, contact the Civil Rights Museum in Savannah Georgia, they are partly funding the dig.
(The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, Savannah)

Turkey Special: 1922
... no reprieve for the 1922 turkey. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Thanksgiving) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/21/2012 - 10:51am -

November 1922. Washington, D.C. "Truck with White House turkey, 'Supreme 3.'" National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
JittersOUCH - all the way from Chicago to DC with snow chains on a stiff suspension - Needless to say that both the Turkey and also the driver had a serious case of the  J I T T E R S 
Pardon me!I wonder if this turkey got pardoned or eaten.
Spring supported TurkeyLove it, a cushioned ride for Tom!  Were the roads that bad outside DC in 1922 to necessitate chains on the wheels?
Chicago TurkeyOther Shorpy photos of Presidential Turkey Delivery at Stuffing the Turkey: 1920, and  Dinner to Go: 1921.



The Baltimore Sun, December 3, 1922.

Harding's Turkey Passes Through


Thanksgiving Turkey Sent by Packing House Girls Arrived Early Tuesday.


Just about daybreak last Tuesday morning a mud-splashed General Motors Company's truck passed through Baltimore on the last leg of its journey from Chicago to Washington, bearing a burden which was of powerful interest to the Chief Executive of the nation. It was the Thanksgiving turkey for the White House, which has for the past three years been presented by the girl employees of Morris & Co.

Because of freight congestion this year there appeared imminent danger of the turkey arriving late, so extraordinary efforts were made to get it to Washington on time. It was probably a publicity man who suggested the solution to the difficulty, but as it was a good stunt it deserves the reward of good publicity—publication with credit.

The General Motors Company offered a truck to make the run from Chicago with the turkey. It was loaded on the truck last Sunday night and the trip began. Thirty-seven hours and thirty-four minutes later the turkey was delivered at the White House. The running time was 22 miles an hour. Snow and ice were encountered for 100 miles through the mountains. … 

For the past three years it has been the custom of the Harding Girls' Club to send the President and the first lady of the land their Thanksgiving dinner, but this year, due to scarcity of large turkeys, one weighing 41 pounds could not be obtained until several days prior to Thanksgiving, making it too late to be sent by messenger or train.

The girls made a special motor coat of black and gold for the bird to insure him against catching cold and a special cage was built, mounted on the rear of the truck on spiral springs to insure his comfort. Special feed and water were carried the entire distance.
Road from DC to ChicagoIn 1922 many roads ceased to be paved when they left a metropolitan area.  I doubt there were any paved roads to connect DC and Chicago. Chains were probably needed at times, but why were they still on the truck when it arrived in DC? I think it was nostalgia: when you've ridden buckboards  most of your life any thing else just didn't feel right.
No Pardon in 1922There is a (probably apocryphal) story that Lincoln wrote a pardon for a Christmas turkey at the request of his son.
Truman is often credited with being the first to pardon, but the Truman library can't find any documentation proving it. The Eisenhower library did find evidence of the turkey being served.
Kennedy spared one turkey, but it sounds like he just didn't like the looks of it. By the '80s, Reagan was sending his to a petting zoo.
Bush (41) started the tradition of 'officially' pardoning the turkey in 1989. So, there was probably no reprieve for the 1922 turkey.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Thanksgiving)

A Busier Bisbee: 1940
... the Bisbee Daily Review . (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Small Towns) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/23/2018 - 7:06pm -

May 1940. "Main street of Bisbee, Arizona. Copper mining center." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Walgreen AgencyNote the Walgreen Agency drugstore.  
"One of the most significant expansions during the 1930s was the establishment of an agency cooperative purchasing system, whereby Walgreen's products became available in a number of independent pharmacies. By 1934, there were 600 agencies in 33 US states, stocking over 1,000 Walgreen's products. At its peak the Walgreen's Agency system had more than 2,000 participants within the network. The system continued until 1980, when the administration of the cooperative purchasing program was discontinued."
On another note, Walgreen's invented the Malted Milkshake.  I did not know that.
Copper Mining EconomicsIn the 1970's, I lived a few months in Ajo, Arizona. Phelps Dodge operated an open pit copper mine and smelter there. It was a company town. The price of copper spiked while I was there, and the workers were put on a 12 hour workday, seven days a week for four weeks, and then took a weekend off. On Monday, they started a new cycle of 12 on and 12 off. Most of the modest housing was built by Phelps Dodge and rented to the workers. After working for Phelps Dodge for five years, the workers could buy their house for $1.
National brands squeezing out the local guysThis is 1940 and I see Walgreen's, JC Penney, Woolworth's, Coca-Cola, Florsheim, Rexall, and maybe Blue Ribbon.
I hear so much about Chain Stores and national brands squeezing local stores as some modern problem, and here we are in the photograph.  All we need is for that business at the end of the street to be a Sears.  Many years ago Sears was accused of shutting down Main Street as Wal-Mart is today.
[That's the company store at the end of the street -- Phelps-Dodge Mercantile. - Dave]
Neon Signage lit up at nightI imagine it sure would've looked pretty. And attention grabbing.
The Review lives on. Looking from the other end of the street. More of the Bisbee Daily Review.

(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Small Towns)

Broken In: 1940
... Easy way to drill I suppose. (The Gallery, Camping, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2019 - 10:56am -

December 1940. "Close-up of car from Mississippi used for sleeping as well as shelter and traveling. Evidences of cooking outside are beside it. On highway near Camp Livingston. Alexandria, Louisiana." The battered Cadillac (wearing "Autocrat" tires) seen earlier here. Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size.
Unsecured cargoPresumably the teacup and the mess of framing nails will be stowed somewhere other than the running board once they embark to the next camp. How are they gonna keep that battery from flying off at the first sharp left? Or shorting out, when they remove the padlock and open the front passenger door?
Not equippedThe passenger side doors are equipped with the optional Master Lock accessory. Oddly enough, the driver's side, not so.
Non-warranty modificationsThe locking chain appears to be going through bullet holes. Easy way to drill I suppose.
(The Gallery, Camping, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott)

Palace Billiards: 1926
... like roadkill and a shredded paper bag. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 2:45pm -

"Semmes Motor Co. truck, 1926." A Dodge truck outside the Grand Central Palace pool hall in Washington, Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventh Street N.W. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Grand Central PalaceI looked for this building in modern DC but was unable to find it. The location is near the Archives-Navy Memorial Metro stop, a block north of the National Gallery of Art. The area has been heavily developed with federal buildings.
Watch where you're goingWhat the heck is he about to run over?  It looks like roadkill and a shredded paper bag.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Pine Street: 1952
... visible business is now a Starbucks. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2016 - 3:52pm -

1952. "Pine Street at Montgomery, San Francisco." Looking toward the Matson and PG&E buildings on Market Street. 8x10 acetate negative. View full size.
Sign of the timesAttention ladies and gentlemen, air raid shelter first street on your left.
Familiar facesDuring the 1980s I worked in both of those named buildings at different times. Pacific Gas & Electric Company had taken over the Matson Building by then. It also had its own modern high rise half a block away, built in 1971, as well as two leased buildings for various offices on adjacent corners. Downsizing and outsourcing has greatly reduced its real estate footprint, my own department gooing poof not long after I changed careers.
Some slight changesBank of America is now home to a Walgreens. The Pacific Stock Exchange, with its majestic Art-Deco statues in relief, is now a gym. Every other visible business is now a Starbucks.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco)

Patriotruck: 1942
... of baling wire and old clothes hangers. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Marjory Collins, Patriotic) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2013 - 10:09am -

July 1942. "Service station in Mechanicsville, Md." Our second visit to the Midway Garage. Photo by Marjory Collins, Office of War Information. View full size.
What's that stuck on the window?My friend Hank says the sticker in the windshield may have been for war-time gasoline rations - having letters A, B or C, where A is low priority, and C is highest priority.
Starting Crank HoleSealed beam headlamps, but there is still a hole in the grill for a starting crank .... just in case the battery dies.
It's all done with wiresThose of us brought up with duct tape too often fail to appreciate the value of baling wire and old clothes hangers.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Marjory Collins, Patriotic)

King Midget: 1956
... window just to watch the thing go by. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, News Photo Archive) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/01/2017 - 7:25pm -

Chicagoland circa 1956. "Peanut man at Havva Hosiery Mills." Piloting (pedaling?) a one-cylinder King Midget. 4x5 inch acetate negative. View full size.
TriviaThe Havva Hosier Mills trademark was established in 1952 by Shalom Joseph, an Iranian businessman with offices in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. It appears that Havva was his wife's name.
Alabama?The only Havva manufacturing plant I could turn up was in Phenix City, AL rather than Illinois. Phenix is just across the river from Columbus, GA--any connection in your file photos collection (current Tappan photo is Columbus, GA)?
And no blades to sharpen!When I was teenager growing up in Dallas in the '70s, one of our neighbors down the street, a Dallas Police sergeant, commuted to work in a King Midget, in white, with a white convertible top.  It sounded like a riding lawn mower, and I always knew when he was coming home, late in the afternoon.  I'd run to the window just to watch the thing go by. 
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, News Photo Archive)

Chez Yassukovich: 1958
... [His obituary is here. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, Gottscho-Schleisner) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/20/2019 - 1:36pm -

February 20, 1958. "Dimitri Yassukovich residence in Hobe Sound, Florida. Entrance facade, from left. William Kemp Kaler, architect; Innocenti & Webel, landscape architect."  4x5 acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
Whatta crib!I must say, as an architect's showpiece, it is a great example of 1950s, well, ordinary houses. Nothing special really, outside of the classic Ghia, but gee, the archi and the landy must've been proud. I hope it has radiant floor heating and secure hurricane locks on the shutters!
In California we would call this bungalow.
If I sound snarky, it is intentional. I hope they did better in later structures.
[Your snark is misinformed. This two-story, four-bathroom, four-bedroom Bermuda-style "bungalow" of 3,600 square feet is valued at over $2 million. Our photo shows the "entrance loggia." Another wing of the house is visible at left. - Dave]
Nice Kar-mann Ghia.
"Bungalow"?I wish I had a bungalow like this.

Karmann GhiaFor such a wealthy man I'm surprised to see a beautiful "low light" Karmann Ghia (55-59) parked out front. Brand new it sold for about $2400. $900 more than the Beetle. 
Functional ShuttersBy the 1950s, houses were routinely equipped with false, non-functional shutters attached to the house for ornament only. These appear to be functional since they fit the openings in size and shape, and screens are adequately recessed. The shutters on the left side of the house are bi-fold to fit over the larger window, and Kaler has the front door covered, too. The bottoms of the shutters are solid to prevent rain from splashing into the house. I wonder, though, how often they were used when it was possible to just flip on the A/C.
[The shutters have nothing to do with cooling. They're for protection during gales and hurricanes. - Dave]
Shutters do indeed help to keep a house cool.
Look at those windowsThey appear to be double-hung, but asymmetric in size--the top is smaller than the bottom.   Nifty thought for a house that will do well to get a breeze from time to time.
I'm finding a man by that name who was an investment banker and exile from the Soviet Union who died in 1989.  His son wrote a book about him. 
[His obituary is here. - Dave]
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, Gottscho-Schleisner)

Trade Up to a Studebaker
... and Sewall avenues. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses) ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 09/20/2011 - 12:42pm -

Obtained the image in a shop in Point Pleasant, NJ a few years ago. 8x10. View full size.
Studebaker nosesThose appear to be 1951 Studebakers. Same bullet nose as 1950, but part of its outer chrome ring was painted over for 1951, making it look narrower.
 Joseph F. Stein in Asbury ParkHemmings Blog grabbed your photo (mentioning your and Shorpy's names) providing information about the city where Joseph F. Stein had his Cadillac-Studebaker dealership: in Asbury Park, New Jersey, located on Main Street between Monroe and Sewall avenues.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses)

Entre Nous: 1937
... the way from New Orleans!" (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Small Towns) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 11:44am -

1937. Just between you and me in Crossville, Tennessee. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration.
That's a cackle aboutThat's a cackle about something VERY naughty.  I can tell.
"Lawsy, would you look at that?""That Ida Mae Jenkins is driving in a new Ford, and her husband Edgar not even cold in the ground!"
"I declare, Pearlie Sue, some people just have no manners. No manners at all! You know she orders that high-priced rouge, too. All the way from New Orleans!"
(The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Small Towns)

Sit It Down: 1931
... a publicity shot for a vaudeville act. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Horses) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/27/2015 - 1:08pm -

Washington, D.C., 1931. "Woman with donkey in taxicab." For anyone who's ever been instructed to "get your a__ over here RIGHT NOW," here's one possible solution. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
The signbehind the taxi indicates that the beast is there for a visit to the vet.  The beauty is well dressed to be herding equines.
Warning SignsLet's see: ears back, eyes narrowed ... I think someone's hat is about to be eaten.
The woman's spiffy attire and the donkey's snazzy tack suggest that this may have been a publicity shot for a vaudeville act.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Horses)

Auburn Garage: 1928
... Arts Building" - which it still is. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2017 - 6:39pm -

        Arthur D'Ettel of the California Automobile Trade Association.
San Francisco, 1928. "Auburn 115 at garage." Right across whatever building that is reflected in the fender. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.
Possible IDThis appears to be Arthur D'Ettel of the California Automobile Trade Association.
[Funny, I was just thinking, "That looks like Arthur D'Ettel"! - Dave]
Still laughingDave, I think that's the funniest comment I've come across in a long time!
[;-D - Dave]
Details on Mr. Arthur D'Ettel?Because the Auburn represents the era in automotive history before the US auto industry settled on The Big Four manufacturers, I'd be interested in what else the Shorpy Sleuths can uncover about this man. 
There's a "Mrs. Arthur D'Ettel" listed at 740 Hyde St. in the 1922 "Who's Who Among the Women of California"
There's an obituary for a Mrs. Arthur D'Ettel, which states that her husband, Arthur Holland D'Ettel died in 1998.
So, was the Arthur Holland D'Ettel who passed away in 1998 the same gent who posed beside this spiffy Auburn in 1928?
Jackson at Van NessThe location is on the south side of Jackson between Polk & Van Ness. The building the car is emerging from was most recently Ahrens bakery; the building is very little altered since 1928 and the garage entrance is still there. The building in the reflection (2000 Van Ness) started out as a Packard showroom/dealership in 1909 but had grown from three floors to seven just a year or two before the pic was taken and had been converted into the "Medical Arts Building" - which it still is.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)

Park Dance Eat: 1940
... 1000 N. 3rd Avenue." (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Small Towns) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/20/2020 - 4:46pm -

February 1940. "Dance hall, Saturday night. Marshalltown, Iowa." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Ashes by NowForest Park ballroom at 1000 N 3rd Avenue in Marshalltown, was across the street from Riverview Park (site of the main public swimming pool). Rothstein snapped a couple of pictures there during his February 1940 meanderings in Iowa, from Davenport to Iowa City to Marshalltown to Grundy Center. After the ballroom burned, it was replaced in 1977 by a car dealership. 
Another Victim of FireThe Forest Park Ballroom burned down in 1977 and was replaced with a car dealership. 
See https://www.timesrepublican.com/news/todays-news/2017/03/ken-wise-dealer...
"Then in 1977, after the old Forest Park Ballroom burned down, Wise cleared the property, built a new facility and moved the business to its current location, 1000 N. 3rd Avenue."
(The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Small Towns)

Well Sprung: 1920
... its 100th birthday celebration tonight. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/19/2015 - 8:51pm -

San Francisco, 1920. "Haynes touring car leaving garage." Riding on Gruss Air Springs. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.
Gruss Air SpringsInteresting that Raymond Gruss applied for the Gruss Air Spring US patent in 1924 and the patent was granted / published in late 1928. Would the Air Spring be in use 4 years prior to even filing for the patent??
FlashyI'm fascinated by the bezels and lenses of the headlights. And that glare on the driver's side is pure photo greatness.
Not just any garageThat's the Grove Street side of City Hall, having its 100th birthday celebration tonight.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)

Ice Cream Squad: 1926
... with them newfangled mirror thingies. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2012 - 10:19am -

Washington, D.C., 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Fussell Ice Cream trucks." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Our fatherJacob Fussell, the Father of the Ice Cream Industry, opened the first commercial ice cream plant in the U.S. in 1851. At that time, the average American consumed less than a teaspoon of ice cream a year. 
Our modern fleet20% of our Dodge trucks are equipped with them newfangled mirror thingies.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Jacked: 1942
... before roller bearings were in widespread use on freight cars. That guy has some "get up and go" Now that's what I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2013 - 2:19pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Jacking up a car on the repair tracks at an Illinois Central Railroad yard." Someone get the spare out of the trunk? Medium-format negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size.
RIP: 1942Delano caught it on one of the RIP tracks. Repair In Place.
Treble MemoryI believe both wheels shared a common axe. So  to make a change he needs another jack. Quiz time: why were the outer rims tapered?
[That axe never stops sharpening. - Dave]
Doh!When they told him to go get a Duff he thought they meant Beer.
Not just trucking aroundThere probably is another jack out of view to the left.  He'll be removing the whole truck (both axes...er...axles and all 4 wheels).  If he was just removing one pair of whhels he'd have to support the truck somehow instead of the frame of the car.
Don't Damage the FinishWe first saw a track jack and Texas toothpick back here. I don't quite understand the padding that seems to be sitting on the business end of the jack. 
Tapered wheelsTapered wheels keep the wheels centered on the rails and allow for the different distances each wheel travels when going around curves since they have a solid connection via the axle to the opposite wheel. In an ideal world the flanges should never touch the rails in reality they do however.
Wheel taperWheel taper is 2 degrees 50 minutes.  The taper is designed to keep the flanges off the rail heads and to eliminate hunting. The wheels are pressed onto the axles. This particular car has 33 inch wheels and plain bearings.  It would be another 20 years before roller bearings were in widespread use on freight cars. 
That guy has some "get up and go"Now that's what I call a faith-based initiative!
That JackThat jack is very similar to the ones my father had stored in his garage. He used a couple to jack up the front and back porches on his house (for long term stability). He called them "house" jacks, and I'm sure they are still doing their jobs 60 years after installation!
Trucks and solid axles. With the solid friction bearing axles as in this pictured truck. The truck needs to be disassembled to replace a wheel set (2 wheels and axle). The paper between the jack and steel body is to reduce slipping of the steel on steel surface. 
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Reimers Loco: 1902
... Here is a link about the race track. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Sports) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2016 - 3:49pm -

1902. "Reimers Loco winning five-miles event in 10:51 4-5, Grosse Pointe track, Detroit." A Locomobile steamer piloted by one M.R. Reimers. View full size.
It's all relative, I supposeI presume 27 miles per hour was blazing fast for an automobile 114 years ago. At least fast enough to make the papers. 
Grew Up On The TurnI grew up in a house, built on the outside of that turn.  Track was long gone by 1936, when the house was constructed.  The track ceased to be about 1910.
Curiously and sadly, the house I mentioned above was recently demolished to increase the size of a nearby hospital parking lot.
There was another nearby track, this one for the four-legged variety.  Grosse Pointe (now an adjacent suburb of Detroit) was a "sleepy" vacation spot for Detroiters wishing to get away from the city at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 20th century.
Grosse Pointe race trackHere is a link about the race track.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Sports)

Chez Shermour: 1910
... as "cartoon gothic". But I like it :-) (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dogs, DPC, Utica) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/30/2012 - 6:08am -

Utica, New York, circa 1910. Title on jacket: "Ex-Governor Seymour's house." Frank Tomaino, history columnist at the Observer-Dispatch of Utica, avers that this is actually the home of Vice President James S. Sherman. Another possibility is that both are true. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
More ParkingIt's a parking lot now, of course.
The VP's House in 1909The address of the house is 413 Genesee Street.  The 1910 U.S. Census shows this to be the residence of the Vice President of the United States, James S. Sherman, along with his wife, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and two servants.
The 1900 census also shows him at this address along with his wife, three sons, a sister-in-law, two servants, and a coachman.  The 1890 census was mostly destroyed in a fire so who lived there in 1890 is unknown from census data.  
Efforts to place Horatio Seymour in this same house have not met with success.  The census data shows him as a resident of Deerfield, New York in both 1870 and 1880 (as a Former Governor & farmer).  The 1867-8 and 1874 Utica City Directories show that he has an office at 69 Genesee in Utica, but it also states that he resides in Deerfield.
The car in the driveway has what is refered to as a prestate New York license plate from 1909 or earlier.  License plates in New York from 1901 to 1909 were the responsiblity of the owner to make or have made.  The owner of a car was issued a small round disc by the State of New York that had the license number on it.  
From 1903 to 1909 New York mandated that the license plates be black lettering on a white background with the letters "NY" on the right hand side.  Hardware stores sold kits to make license plates and many blacksmith shops also made early plates.  Wood, leather, and metal were all common materials used to make license plates. 
New York did not have state issued license plates until 1910 which, in 1910, were white lettering on a dark blue background.  The number on the license plate in the photo was originally issued in 1907.  Below is a New York license plate and disc from 1909.
Not Terribly SolidAn architectural style best described as "cartoon gothic". But I like it :-)
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dogs, DPC, Utica)

Fins!
... View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses) ... 
 
Posted by delworthio - 09/22/2011 - 4:35pm -

Another proud Kodachrome by my uncle. View full size.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses)

Tomorrowland: 1910
... along the top, and a runner along each side to keep the cars upright. Everything was "folded over" the top rail - seats along each ... it will tip easily, and has none of the style of PCC cars. City Island Trolley From 1954, a Transit Magazine article ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 1:54pm -

New York circa 1910. "Pelham Park Railroad. City Island monorail." The ill-fated electric monorail, whose sole car ("The Flying Lady") wrecked on its first run in 1910, lasted until 1914. George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
The Lartigue MonorailwayThe elaborate superstructure necessary to balance the Flying Lady makes you wonder what advantage the designer saw in this contraption. While in Ireland many years ago, we visited the meager remains of a ten-mile scheme that once connected Listowel and Ballybunion - essentially an endless series of A-frames supportig a rail along the top, and a runner along each side to keep the cars upright. Everything was "folded over" the top rail - seats along each side, and the engine with dual boilers. Apparently the scheme was cheaper to build than heavy ties and rails, but it never turned a profit. The story goes that the conductor invited "Mrs O'Malley" to ride instead of taking her donkey cart in the rain. She responded "No thanks, I'm in a hurry today." To my immense surprise, the Irish have since reconstructed enough track to give rides, as shown in the Lartigue Monorailway web site. 
Monorail systems have a strange fascinationfor futurists, science fiction writers, amateur inventors, and the general public.  But no proposed or built system has ever demonstrated technical, economic, or aesthetic advantages over traditional dual rail systems.  
They have demonstrated real disadvantages -- switching problems (making the cost of systems connecting many origins with many destination prohibitive), and safety/operations problems -- reaching passengers stranded on an elevated rail due to accident or breakdown. 
Not for meIt looks as though it will tip easily, and has none of the style of PCC cars.
City Island TrolleyFrom 1954, a  Transit Magazine article about it.
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Railroads)

Scavenger Truck: 1933
... had ROchester, EXbrook and WEather. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/02/2014 - 8:37pm -

October 1933. "Kleiber motor truck -- Bay Shore Scavenger Co." An ominous-looking conveyance made all the more foreboding by that toxic telephone exchange. 8x10 acetate negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.
Well equippedSix state-of-the-art cadaver hooks at the back of this conveyance. Ready for anything, but rarely did they need all six unless the Barbary Coast got particularly rambunctious.
One man's trash ...When I attended college in San Francisco, I learned that scavenger companies were called garbage collectors or waste management elsewhere.
HemlockI am very impressed by the sharpness of this photo. 
Does anybody know the origin of the choice of Hemlock as an exchange name? If it was a locality why was it so named?
I wonder why the windscreen on this truck (that looks new) appears to be grilled. I would have thought overhead protection of the cab might have been desirable rather than grilles here.
[I suspect they are grab bars, for holding onto while riding standing up.  -Dave]
Early stair stepperIt appears that the trash collector would climb up he running board and go up two more steps to load the truck. Note the cutout behind the fender and the hand holds on the windshield.
HEmlock et. al.In San Francisco there were several different Central Exchanges that each had their own set of local exchange prefixes. Many of these survive in phone numbers today if the users have had them for a long time.
My own is KLondike-2 (552), which I've had since the 1970s. Originally there were seven central exchanges but by 1958 there were these four:
In SF the downtown exchange on McCoppin Street had HEmlock, KLondike, MArket and UNderhill.
The Mission exchange on 25th Street had ATwater, MIssion and VAlencia.
The Onondaga Street exchange near Balboa Park had  DElaware, JUniper and RAndolph.
And the one at 21 Folsom Street near the Embarcadero (which connected SF with Oakland and points east) had ROchester, EXbrook and WEather.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)

Dad's Dodge: c. 1939
... sides. Floating Power! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses) ... 
 
Posted by microanne - 01/13/2011 - 9:35am -

Taken in New Jersey about 1939, my Dad and my sister waxing Dad's pride and joy, a 1938 Dodge sedan. View full size.
"Waxing" nostalgic?I really like all the details in this shot.
Great photo!
Train 'em young!Upon closer examination, I noticed a hose in Dad's hand, so I guess they were washing rather than waxing. In any case, it does pay to train 'em young!
But it's a '38I know 'cause I had a '38 in high school in 1952.   The '38 grill was rounded on the sides.  Floating Power!
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses)

Dune Buggy: c. 1965
... starring Arch Hall Jr. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses) ... 
 
Posted by kdtop - 09/19/2011 - 2:00pm -

On the beach, near Montery Bay, California, c. 1965. View full size.
Flatties RuleNice Ford Flathead V8, -- more power to the people. The vehicle is from the pre Meyers Manx era of dune buggies such as one featured in the immortal ultra cheap movie Kreegah the cave man starring Arch Hall Jr. 
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses)

Rolling Cold: 1928
... currently a greeting card and gift shop. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2017 - 10:17am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1928. "Fussell-Young Ice Cream Co. trucks." Harking back to the days when ice cream was local. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
Not my truck.Does the new guy have to use the truck with solid rubber wheels?
They were the first??Per the old City Directory, Fussells Ice Cream "Was the first commercially sold ice cream made in America and it is still the standard." Touted as Real Cream Ice Cream. "Sold by all dealers who feature Pure Food Products" (the caps are in the advert). Address listed as 1306-1308-1310-1312 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The building with the ornate bracketed Victorian tall windows at the end of the street is on Wisconsin Ave.
Georgetown InnThis is N Street NW just before it intersects with Wisconsin from the west side. Seems as though the Georgetown Inn occupies the former real estate previously used by Fussels; plus some. It uses addresses 1306-1324 Wisconsin, leaving 1300 thru 1304 in place. 1300 (NW corner of Wisc and N Street, (pictured after far end of Fussels Shipping Department) is currently a greeting card and gift shop.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Near Newark: 1939
... joints. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, On the Road) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2017 - 11:13pm -

April 1939. "Highway. New Jersey, near Newark." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
SighIf only any road in New Jersey were so empty now. 
Programmatic architecture?That's the term I recall for roadside commercial buildings shaped like pigs, elephants, coffee pots, etc. That sort of thing peaked in the 20s and 30s. What is the roofline to the left of the Mobilgas signs, anyway? Not a gable, hip, mansard or gambrel, I'd say.
Also, it's interesting seeing photos of four-lane highways before they became common, and before some engineer hit on the idea of dashed lane lines to save on materials during the war.
Tar stripsI can feel them now bump-bump-bump.......
geezer
[Technically, those are control joints, sometimes called expansion joints. - tterrace]
(The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, On the Road)

Chicks in a Box: 1939
... of original recipe. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/27/2013 - 9:54am -

February 1939. "Bankhead Farms, Alabama. A homesteader with some of the baby chicks he is raising." Supported by a roadster rather than a rooster. Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.
Yellow ChicksI think probably the happiest day of my young life was when my grandpa brought 200 yellow baby chicks home with him from town.  My eyes must have been as big as saucers when he opened the box in the cellar and let all the baby chicks out.  He had an incubator down in the cellar where they stayed until they were ready to venture out.  He said I could hold them and play with them so I was in chick heaven.  I'll never forget that.
Postage paidWhile my father was abroad making the world (or, at least, the southern portion of the Korean peninsula) safe for democracy , my mother and I lived in a small town that had a hatchery.  I remember seeing trucks with stacks of just such cartons, filled with live chicks being mailed or expressed to their new homes.  As this photo demonstrates, the shipping boxes could also serve as temporary lodging at the other end of the line.
Now that Railway Express is defunct and the USPS presumably no longer accepts "live" mail, I wonder if FedEx and UPS accommodate such passengers?
Live MailOn the contrary, the USPS does indeed still handle shipments of live chicks.
Chicken NuggetsLooks like a 40 piece box of original recipe.
(The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
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