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Welcome D.U. Bathrick: 1946
... I made of a Michigan State Univ. library archive scan of a Chicago Sunday Tribune article from their November 5, 1939 edition. Press. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/19/2015 - 7:45pm -

April 24, 1946. "Pontiac zone managers' banquet at St. Francis Hotel." 8x10 acetate negative, originally from the Wyland Stanley collection. View full size. Biggest surprise in this photo?They're drinking milk at the "PRESS" table. SpottedOne lady, and one guy brazenly without a necktie! SmokersWithout trying too hard I count at least 11 people puffing away. Times have sure changed. Roast Beefand green beans--the standard fare for banquets from time immemorial. Bright LightOne hungover guy, top left, wearing sunglasses. Donald Upton Bathrick 1893-1972From a Wikipedia article on the 1916 Michigan Wolverine football team: Donald Upton Bathrick, born March 4, 1893, Battle Creek, Michigan. He lived in Battle Creek with his parents, Charles and Grace Bathrick, at the time of the 1900 and 1910 Censuses. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I. At the time of the 1920 Census, he was living in Houston, Texas, and working as a sales manager for an auto distributor. In 1930, he was living in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, and working in the wholesale automobile business. He worked for Ford and later for General Motors. He became general sales manager of the Pontiac division of General Motors. He also served as the head of General Motors' office in Washington, D.C., during World War II. He died September 24, 1972, Broward County, Florida. A Picture of D.U.Here's a snip I made of a Michigan State Univ. library archive scan of a Chicago Sunday Tribune article from their November 5, 1939 edition. Press. Press. PULL!Nine members of the press covering a Pontiac banquet? The budget-conscious media giants today wouldn't send one INTERN to cover an event of this "magnitude". (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Eateries & Bars, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
Detroit tourism, 1930s
... to a small aircraft carrier during W.W.II and based in Chicago for pilot training. It was renamed the U.S.S. Sable. Late to the ... US Navy in 1942 as the U.S.S. SABLE, which operated off Chicago alongside the U.S.S. Wolverine (formerly the Sea&Bee) as aircraft ... 
 
Posted by bhappel - 09/28/2009 - 11:09am -

Two passenger boats sit on the Detroit River near downtown Detroit, MI. They likely traveled across Lake Erie between Detroit and Buffalo, NY. The Guardian building is seen flying the American flag on its roof. View full size. Re: Greater BuffaloThanks Jimmy. I did some more searching and found some pictures of the Greater Buffalo from its heyday and as a training carrier. http://wnyheritagepress.org/photos_week_2005/greater_buffalo/greater_buf... "In 1924, the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company launched the 2 largest Great Lakes side-wheeled excursion steamers ever, the Greater Buffalo and the Greater Detroit. Designed by renowned marine architect Frank E. Kirby, they were built to provide "night boat" overnight service, transporting up to 1,500 passengers between Buffalo and Detroit." Greater BuffaloThe boat on the right appears to the S.S. Greater Buffalo, a sidewheel excursion boat that was converted to a small aircraft carrier during W.W.II and based in Chicago for pilot training. It was renamed the U.S.S. Sable. Late to the PartyNew to Shorpy's site, but saw you were talking about these ships. My grandfather, George J. Kolowich was the last Chairman of D&C Navigation, and my father worked for the company in the late 40's. I possess the bronze dedication plaque for the GREATER BUFFALO, which also is inscribed to reflect its requisitioning by the US Navy in 1942 as the U.S.S. SABLE, which operated off Chicago alongside the U.S.S. Wolverine (formerly the Sea&Bee) as aircraft pilot training carriers during WW2. Collecting all I can find about the GREATER BUFFALO and her sister ship, the GREATER DETROIT. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Having a Fit: 1949
... lingerie sales representative for the Formfit Company of Chicago, with store model checking fit." From photos by Stanley Kubrick and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2013 - 2:38pm -

1949. "Sue Hughes, a traveling lingerie sales representative for the Formfit Company of Chicago, with store model checking fit." From photos by Stanley Kubrick and Phillip Harrington for the Look magazine assignment "Traveling Saleswoman U.S.A." View full size. HenceThe 1951 Cadillac. Women's FoundationsOne year later, at age 16, I got a summer job at Joslins Dry Goods Store in Denver. I got a lot of ribbing from my friends because one of my jobs was stock boy for the Women's Foundations Department. I learned a lot more than I needed to know about the subject. Things improved the next summer when I worked in the warehouse. Looky-loosAppears that guy on the right is "checking the fit" pretty intently, too. Is it Only Me?or does the model look just a little bit like Barbara Stanwyck in profile? [It's not just you. -tterrace] Keep CheckingThat undergarment fits her well in the waist and hips, but the cups are too big for her bust size. You can see how the one on the left is loose and almost "caved in." That's the tricky part of all-in-one lingerie. More, pleaseI would love to see more from this series. Lift and SeparateToo much of a separation. Not everyone is built that way. And those straps are going to cut deeply into her sholders. (LOOK, Phillip Harrington, Stanley Kubrick)
Henrietta: 1943
... day plus two Amtrak Southwest Chiefs that operate between Chicago and Los Angeles. Henrietta Depot today View Larger Map ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2009 - 11:10am -

March 1943. "Henrietta, Missouri. Going through the town on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad between Marceline, Missouri, and Argentine, Kansas. The operator has just handed up a message." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Someone had to say itDo you hear that whistle down the line? I figure that it's engine number forty-nine, She's the only one that'll sound that way. On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. Santa FeThe railroad was just the Atchison & Topeka at first; Santa Fe was added as a goal. In fact the main line went to Lamy, not Santa Fe, with a minor branch to SF added later. Can't write a song about Lamy. But the rhyme in the song didn't work for the many folks who pronounced it Santa Fee. Before the popular song came along, the railroad tried to correct this by spreading the slogan "All the way with Santa Fe!" The slogan caught on, but it didn't help. Dismayed station agents would hear customers saying things like "Yep, I like that slogan. All the way with Santa Fee!" This ties several photos togetherHere is the operator having delivered train orders to the engine and train crews walking back to his office after inspecting the train and waving "all OK" to the brakeman or flagman at the rear car. In the distance you can see the water column between the two main tracks for steam locomotives. Beyond that is a cantelevered bridge supporting a semaphore signal with its blade having already descended to the horizontal position for "stop." Before the train arrived at this location, the semaphore would have been vertical to indicate "proceed." Soon when the train is clear of the next signal ahead (perhaps a mile or more down the track), this semaphore will rise to a 45-degree angle indicating "approach," meaning slow to 30 mph and be prepared to stop at the next signal. Today this route is owned and operated by the BNSF Railway and hosts 75 or more freight trains each day plus two Amtrak Southwest Chiefs that operate between Chicago and Los Angeles. Henrietta Depot todayView Larger Map Naming RailroadsAtchison, Topeka (and the) Santa Fe sounds great. It's also the route of the railroad from east to west. It all worked out for the best. PoetryWho was the inspired wordsmith who named the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe? Its founder Cyrus K. Holliday, apparently, and as far as I can see the poetry of its name was a happy coincidence of the significant placenames. Maybe their rhythmic ordering was an artistic decision: even "Topeka, Atchison & Sante Fe" wouldn't have the same ring to it. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Sand Dancers: 1922
... like Dixieland. I've gone to swing dances in Seattle, L.A, Chicago and Miami, and have seen Balboa in all those fine cities. (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 10:49am -

July 6, 1922. "People dancing on beach." Pavilion at the Potomac bathing beach in Washington. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. The FellowThird from the left (with his arms folded across his chest) appears to be the same person from "When We Were Young", also standing on the left side of the photo (note the logo on the bathing suit). [Same guy, but the swimsuits are different. - Dave] TuberPoor kid with the innertube would have had a tough time hanging onto that skinny thing. My dad was in heavy construction, and we would occasionally be gifted with a huge truck tire tube which was almost too big to climb up on while in the water. Plus, we wore out our arms inflating those things with a scrawny bicycle pump. Digging those dressesThe (swim?) dresses with the stripes that those girls have one (like the girl far right next to innertube guy) are too cool. Let's do the BalboaThese folks look to be doing the "Balboa," a dance that started in the mid-teens in SoCal. Not much is known about the dance, but likely stems from the same roots as Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, and other forms of swing dance. Bal was often done on beaches as opposed to other swing dances because it is more of a shuffle step. Oh, and there was the small matter of it typically being a full-body contact dance... most of the lead was in the body connection. Although, in these bathing suits, a full-body lead would be... erm... a bit interesting for the guys, to say the least. Balboa is alive and well.Balboa is being danced all over the place; it's a great dance for super-fast tempos like Dixieland. I've gone to swing dances in Seattle, L.A, Chicago and Miami, and have seen Balboa in all those fine cities. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports, Swimming)
Satchel Paige: 1952
... road uniform). 3. An American League team in St. Louis. 4. Chicago's Comiskey Park (the background). His name is the game Had ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/27/2014 - 10:51pm -

Sept. 1952. "St. Louis Browns pitcher Satchel Paige." Sporting Brownie the Elf. Kodachrome by Look magazine staff photographer Bob Lerner. View full size. Four things we miss1. People like Satchel Paige. 2.Flannel uniforms (that's the Brownies road uniform). 3. An American League team in St. Louis. 4. Chicago's Comiskey Park (the background). His name is the gameHad baseball not pre-existed Satch's birth, simple justice would demand that it be invented for him. Terms like "best ever" are always subject to dispute, but Paige's name is on the short list whenever such accolades are under consideration by those who ought to know. AgelessI was ten when this pic was taken. I remember he was a great pitcher in the Negro Leagues for many years before playing in the major leagues. He might have been the oldest player to ever pitch a game at the end of his career. Oldest MLB RookieOn July 9, 1948, with the Cleveland Indians, Paige became the oldest man ever to debut in the major leagues, at the age of 42 years and two days. He attracted record crowds wherever he pitched. He was elected into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. The oldestLeroy (Satch) was THE oldest man to ever hurl in the majors, at age 59. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, LOOK, Sports, St. Louis)
Sal's Italian Groceries: 1936
... any worse than the area I lived my first five years in Chicago from 1950-1955. We weren't rich, but not poor either. My Dad was a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2013 - 10:47am -

December 1936. "Scene from the Bronx tenement district from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." Another example of the ostensibly onerous conditions from which the Resettlement Administration offered an escape. Medium-format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Leffs Freeman PosterIs a Yiddish language advertisement for the 1932 film Symphony for 6 Million. In the 1930s and 40s the juxtaposition of a Italian Grocery and an advertisement in Yiddish would have been common in The Bronx. This was the area that my Grandparents escaped to when they were able to afford to leave the Lower East Side. The other destination of choice would have been East Harlem. Success?Based on just these two offerings, the idea of 'resettlement' probably was very appealing. How long did the program last and what has become of those new areas, 75 years later? Italian grocery storesHaving lived my first 22 years in the northeast, I used to love going into these stores. I can still smell the irresistible aroma of salami, aged cheeses, oregano and garlic, freshly baked breads and incredible delicacies. As a child who loved artwork, I would study all the beautiful labels and intricate signage on the illustrated metal gallon cans of olive oil, the Roma tomatoes with basil, the talented arrangements of multicolored pickled peppers in lavishly shaped jars, very detailed wine labels, the packaged sweets, etc. while my parents shopped. I still marvel at the artistic quality of those (suitable for framing) masterpieces used on their imported foods, all the colors and pastoral scenic depictions of Italy. Since I have not been in one for over fifty years, I have to wonder if their labeling and aromas are still so intriguing. Obviously the artisans who designed these labels took great care to make them fascinating and inviting. I want to go back there. Onerous conditions? I agree with your use of the term "ostensibly" when describing the living conditions. This is 1936 and these properties don't look that "onerous". As in other photos you've posted from this area and era, they don't look any worse than the area I lived my first five years in Chicago from 1950-1955. We weren't rich, but not poor either. My Dad was a school teacher. Not just the northeast!We had (and to a lesser extent still have) many of the same shops here in California. I remember exactly the same experiences you described, shopping at Traverso's and Arrigoni's - the smells, the label art, the sausages and hams hanging over the butcher counter, and always a "taste" of cheese and salami for the kids. Fresh ravioli, covered in flour in flat white boxes, packs of exotic looking pastas, sliced deli products in white butcher paper going home, and only around Christmas, those tiny boxes of nougat candy, with the intricate cameo portraits on the outside... Yeah, me, too! (Arrigoni's is still open, since 1937, but Traverso's is sadly gone from Santa Rosa.) DO YOU WANT WAR?Who's asking? FlameMeaning of the word in Hebrew script printed in chalk to the left of the Freeman poster, with what looks like an exclamation point after it. (Hebrew and Yiddish read right to left.) What in the world is that chalked-upon door about? War Delays the March of ProgressWhile many will see this horse and wagon as a fading relic of former times, if not an outright anachronism, World War II, with its rationing of fuel and tires, gave such conveyances a brief reprieve. I recall as a tot in Cleveland seeing milk delivered by horse and wagon (most of the dairies had but recently mechanized and the horses, who knew the routes better than the drivers, were still available). Likewise, various peddlars and, of course, the "junk man" still made their rounds in horse-drawn conveyances for a time even after the war. Incidently, a recent satori decoded for me my childhood memory of the junk man's cry: Piper-ex Juice!" was probably my misunderstanding of "Paper, Rags, Jute!" (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Horses, NYC, Stores & Markets)
The Happy Camper: 1957
... number of Nawakwas around the country - a Y camp outside Chicago, a Camp Fire camp in Southern California, an AMC Camp in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/04/2013 - 3:12pm -

"Kermy -- Nawakwa, 1957." Let the short-sheeting begin! View full size. Camp Nawakwa!"On the hillside at Camp Nawakwa..." My older brother went to Camp Nawakwa for a number of years and was a counselor there one year, if I remember correctly. I never got to go to Nawakwa, but I heard lots of stories from my brother. Hello, Muddah! Hello, Faddah!Here I am at Camp Nawakwa! NawakwaThere are a surprising number of Nawakwas around the country - a Y camp outside Chicago, a Camp Fire camp in Southern California, an AMC Camp in the Catskills, a Girl Scout camp, and it's also the name of one of the Boy Scouts' earliest Order of the Arrow lodges (OA is an honor/service organization within Scouting). But I would guess that this is from a Lutheran Camp Nawakwa in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Army bunksWe had metal-frame bunk-beds similar to these in our summer cottage as kids in the sixties, only somewhat taller, narrower and longer. Same type of mattresses, too. I never did know whether they were actually army surplus, but my folks called them army bunks. Candy boxThe box of candy stuck in the end of the bunk appears to be Welch's Pom Poms. From the list of ingredients I suspect they were Malted Milk Balls. Pom-PomsIIRC, they were more like chocolate-covered caramel, although not exactly caramel. Something chewy, though. My NawakwaI was wondering if this could be the same Nawakwa I went to the in 1970's. If it is the Lutheran camp in Pennsylvania, then indeed it was. I remember it well. I didn't like it all that much, but I remember it well! (Kermy Kodachromes, Kids)
Street Food: 1957
... seen something like that before, many years ago back in Chicago. The streets of Oakland. The continuing images of the 1957 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2015 - 11:44am -

Oakland, California, circa 1957, and another motoring mishap -- an Avila Meat Co. truck that seems to have broken through the sidewalk. View full size. Thrift Store HeavenI can only imagine what treasures could be found in the stores of that era! Deja mooI've seen something like that before, many years ago back in Chicago. The streets of Oakland.The continuing images of the 1957 automotive "mishaps" in Oakland would make a fine coffee table book especially when a 1956 Kaiser shows up at right. [A 1956 Kaiser would deserve its own chapter! -Dave] Oakland landmarkhttps://localwiki.org/oakland/Lloyd_Hotel_Building La Palmera477 9th St, between Washington and Broadway. Our photographer seems to be sticking to the same neighborhood, and not a particularly salubrious one even then. Two blocks East and half a block North of the Buick/Mercury encounter. As the old saying goes-If you don't like my driving, stay off the sidewalk! La PalmeraFound in the Oakland Tribune, March 12, 1957, Page 20: NOTICE OF HEARING APPLICATION TO OPERATE A CABARET. Notice is hereby given that Philip M. Brooks, doing business as La Palmera, has filed an application to operate a cabaret at 477 - 9th Street, Oakland. Notice is hereby further given that a hearing on said application will be held by the City Manager at his office, Room 318, City Hall, Oakland, California, on Wednesday, the 13th day of March, 1957, at the hour of 10:00 o'clock a.m., at which time and place any persons interested may appear and file their objections if any they have. GLADYS H. MURPHY City Clerk (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, News Photo Archive)
Surf Club: 1947
... man card now. Big Tony The lifeguard looks like the Chicago Outfit muscled its way into the lifeguard biz by '47. (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2013 - 12:13pm -

August 1, 1947. "Surf Club, Atlantic Beach, Long Island, New York. Beach scene III." Ever alert for signs of distress, the lifeguard must have a keen sense of peripheral vision. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. Indeed.This objective can also be achieved by turning slightly towards bathers who may soon need assistance. He looks like he might have tangled with a shark in the line of duty, although given the date, it was more likely of the two-legged Axis variety. Is it Charles Atlas?Having been an avid reader of comic books and their advertisements for my first 20 years, I see a strong resemblance to C.A. in the lifeguard and I also think I see the 97 lb. weakling about to have sand kicked in his face. When the girls join Charles in berating the skinny sap, he sends for the C.A. course and comes back a month later all bulked up and kicks Charlie's behind, and the girls go off with the former wimp. Not very nice or loyal girls if you ask me. Healthy Looking Gals!Interesting to see what was considered bathing beauties. Maybe skinny-rail-thin will run it's course and we'll get back to well-rounded natural again. Air Temperature 65 Degrees?I'd say the chalkboard requires updating. That temp was probably at 7AM. Silver PointThe Sun and Surf Beach Club, as it is properly known as, is located on the other side of the Silver Point Beach Club. You have to go through Silver Point to get to it. As A kid, my parents rented a "cabana" (actually a large wooden closet) in Silver Point. They are the only to clubs to the right of the bridge in Atlantic Beach (the name of the town that they were located in). You had to go down Rockaway Boulevard that ran behind Idawield Airport (now JFK) to get to the bridge. I can remember the (prop) planes taking off or landing right over us as we drove by. Hey lifeguardEither uncross your legs or turn in your man card now. Big TonyThe lifeguard looks like the Chicago Outfit muscled its way into the lifeguard biz by '47. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Swimming)
Mid-Nite Spook Party: 1935
... View full size. Triangle Poster & Printing Co., Chicago. I'm Going To Learn... ...how to play the acoustic upright ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/08/2007 - 7:10pm -

Way back when, the scariest day of the year was May 14. We're kicking off the Shorpy Halloween party with some of the spookiest posters you've even seen! This one's from 1935. View full size. Triangle Poster & Printing Co., Chicago. I'm Going To Learn......how to play the acoustic upright bass just so I can be in a rockabilly band called "Mel Roy and the Talking Skulls". Our t-shirts and CD cover art will be based on this poster. Look out Stray Cats!!! Ghosts from the dead ?Ghosts from the dead ? wha.. *brain explodes * Talking skullswe are all talking skulls, sort of. (The Gallery, Halloween, Magic & Spiritualism, Posters)
Marlene: 1952
... March 1952. "Marlene Dietrich makes her stage debut in Chicago." Color transparency by Phillip Harrington for Look magazine. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/12/2016 - 3:25pm -

March 1952. "Marlene Dietrich makes her stage debut in Chicago." Color transparency by Phillip Harrington for Look magazine. View full size. The Sharp Eye of ShorpyHaving been a publisher of magazines for 25 years, I agree tterrace is right that printing would smooth this out a great deal, with all those Ben Day dots. I hadn't noticed until just now taking a second look at this Shorpy-Sharp photo that Dietrich employed the same makeup tactic as Lucille Ball (and others) -- painting in lips far larger than nature provided, with the upper lip drawn well above the natural line. I imagine one would rarely see a photo of either Dietrich or Ball without that artifice. I've found only one photo of Ball with the natural lip line and she was truly not recognizeable as the icon we all know. My aunt worked in pictures in the 50s and said no one would recognize Betty Grable without her makeup, but said Marilyn Monroe was naturally beautiful without hers. This picture makes me realize why Dietrich liked Von Sternberg's "butterfly lighting" and reckon that black and white was something of a blessing for her (though Dietrich in her first Technicolor, "The Garden of Allah", was spectacular). Absolutely FabulousAs Edina in the UK sit-com AbFab says "My entire body hangs off these cheekbones!" Before plastic surgeryTons of pancake makeup. The seat of glamourShe appears to be sitting on a vinyl-and-chrome chair from a dinette set. But under all that Max Factor, a fine soulI watched a DVR'd documentary from Turner Classic Movies just last night called "Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood" (2009), about the huge number of film-making refugees from Germany just prior to WWII, in which she featured prominently. Most of the points made about her in that film are made in the Wiki biography about her. As an old fan, I already knew most of anyway, and while I admit that the heavy makeup is the first thing I noticed in this photo of her at age 51, my immediate next thought was that her inner beauty of strength of character and humane ethics needed no makeup or embellishment. She was right among the first to open her home to refugees and get them into jobs and homes of their own, and was right at the top in sales of war bonds and among the most hardworking entertaining the Allied troops around the world. The vanity of a bit of makeup and later a bit of plastic surgery seem trivial amid such a life lived in anything but vain. Living gracefully is more rare and important than the superficiality of "aging gracefully". I confess stereo wars with my sister during high school involved me listening to Dietrich in my room and my sister listening to Led Zeppelin in hers. Before the touch-upLooks like a photographer's proof before the touch ups are done. [It's not a "proof" because this is a scan of the camera original. The magazine's color printing process alone would smooth everything out a good deal. -tterrace] Wrong terminology.I think the magazine publisher in an earlier comment used the wrong terminology. Ben-Day dots differ from halftone dots in that the Ben-Day dots are always of equal size and distribution in a specific area. To apply the dots to a drawing an artist would purchase transparent overlay sheets. Photographs and artwork are converted to halftone dots for reproduction, whether it be for letterpress or offset production. Yes, sometimes they will tend to lose detail especially when using a coarser line screen. I've been a graphic designer for over 40 years. (Kodachromes, LOOK, Phillip Harrington, Portraits)
Equal Pay for Equal Work: 1913
... New York on Monday to travel by horse and carriage to Chicago. In each small town they pass through, at least one talk on woman's ... will keep the women in touch with Boston. They will reach Chicago, it is expected, the latter part of October. New York Times, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 2:25pm -

New York, August 1913. "Suffragettes on way to Boston." At the reins: Miss Elizabeth Freeman, traveling with Misses Elsie MacKenzie and Vera Wentworth, plus a hurdy-gurdy and several carrier pigeons; details of their caravan are here. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Hurdy-Gurdy SuffragettesNew York Times, Saturday, Aug. 2, 1913. Hurdy-Gurdy to Boom Suffrage. Elizabeth Freeman and Elsie MacKenzie, militant suffragists, will leave New York on Monday to travel by horse and carriage to Chicago. In each small town they pass through, at least one talk on woman's suffrage will be delivered. The women intend to earn their way by selling copies of the Boston Women's Journal and by enchanting their audiences with a hurdy-gurdy which can play a variety of tunes. Carrier pigeons will keep the women in touch with Boston. They will reach Chicago, it is expected, the latter part of October. New York Times, Aug. 20, 1913. HARTFORD BAITS MILITANTS. Policeman Arrests Speakers, but Society Leader Intercedes. HARTFORD, Conn., Aug. 19. -- Miss Elizabeth Freeman of New York and Miss Elsie MacKenzie and Miss Vera Wentworth of London, the two latter English militant suffragists, who are on a campaign trip from New York to Boston, reached this city yesterday and paraded the streets with a wagon on which various suffragist sentiments were inscribed in flaming red letters on a white background. Just as they had begun a noonday meeting near a factory, Policeman John P. Flynn placed them under arrest for violating a city ordinance that forbids vehicles used for advertising puposes to pass through the streets of the city. The policeman told them to follow him to the station, but when he started they drove off at a gallop in another direction. Later in the day a local suffrage leader of social prominence went to see the Chief of Police with a lawyer, and the Chief said that the charge against the suffragists would be dismissed if they kept their signs covered during the rest of their stay in this city. The hint was followed by covering the signs with crepe. I'm No ExpertBut friend horse looks a trifle underfed. Take note...We can all learn a valuable lesson from these women about tenacity and dedication to a cause. Imagine if they were around now... [The concurrent Big Project of the women of America was Prohibition. - Dave] (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Horses, NYC)
Fancy Pants: 1922
... uncle established the Morton Arboretum outside of Chicago, a true oasis of beauty 365 days a year. I miss it so much since we've ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2019 - 11:24am -

New York, 1922. "New and especially posed photo of Mrs. Charles H. Sabin, wife of the president of the Guaranty Trust Company of New York, and her two sons, P. Morton Smith and James H. Smith." Mrs. Sabin, the former Pauline Joy Morton, was along with her husband a leader in the movement to repeal Prohibition. Underwood & Underwood photo. View full size. Rich kids grow tooBoth lads' trousers are just a tad too short for the times. The standard was that they just "break" at the instep of the shoe. Last namesThe boys are named Smith from husband number one, J. Hopkins Smith, Jr. (married in 1907, divorced in 1914). Husband number two was Sabin (married in 1916, widowed in 1933). She married number three, Dwight F. Davis (of tennis cup renown), in 1936. Her own years were 1887 to 1955, so she was only 35 in the photo above. She was once on the cover of Timehttps://www.southamptontownny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1219/Pauline-Morto... What's in a name?I think people always wonder what the relationship is when children's names are not the same as their parents. I can attest, since I am in a similar situation, that perhaps the boys' father passed away and the mother remarried, as in my case. It sure didn't make the school playground any easier when I was growing up and I'm sure these boys suffered the same. [I suspect there was not much suffering in this case. - Dave] When it rainsMrs. Sabin's uncle, Joy Sterling Morton, founded the Morton Salt Company. Pre Depression photoI wonder what the future held for this family. [Dividends. - Dave] Morton Salt of the earthPauline's uncle established the Morton Arboretum outside of Chicago, a true oasis of beauty 365 days a year. I miss it so much since we've moved away. We went at least once a week to calm our souls. Their advice was also useful, as we lived next to a massive forest preserve with an over-abundance of deer; the folks at the Morton gave us direction on how to turn our 1/3 acre plot of former cornfields into a tree-rich oasis that the deer would not devour. Master JamesHe went on to quite an illustrious career: Navy pilot in WWII, later assistant secretary of the Navy and director of the Agency for International Development under Ike, and finally chairman of the Aspen Institute. He died in 1982. (The Gallery, NYC, Portraits)
Spensley Orpheum: 1940
... monster truck rallies, concerts by Little River Band and Chicago, a gymnastics tournament, wrestling, and the ubiquitous "Disney on Ice" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2020 - 3:10pm -

April 1940. "Old Orpheum theater. Dubuque, Iowa." Today's double feature: Adventure in Diamonds and Viva Cisco Kid. Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size. Still thereAt the intersection of Main and 4th streets. Let's revisit itHighway 61, that is. I mean, after we make a series of right turns in search of a place to parallel park, and get one of those sizzling steaks. I mean, it says they cater to tourists. And they have five-cent cigars, though I don't know if former Vice President Thomas R. Marshall would have classed them as "good" cigars. He wouldn't either, having died fifteen years earlier. I have compared two different picturesI have compared two pictures with different ages and i can see that curbs weren't changed and they are still looking good. In addition, i think the breakwall in the modern photo looks like it has been painted, hasn't it? Oh Cisco!The second movie on the bill, 'Viva Cisco Kid', is one of many appearances of the Cisco Kid, starting in movies in 1914 (Warner Baxter won an Oscar in 1928) and then in radio for 15 years, television for 6 years (said to be the first series to be filmed in color), plus comics. Cesar Romero played him in 'Viva Cisco Kid'. The Cisco Kid was created by none other than O. Henry, as a murderous Mexican desperado. He soon switched sides and became a dashing caballero, picking up sidekicks, Lopez and Gordito, and eventually Pancho. Those of us of a certain age can cringe at the memory of their sign-off: "Oh Pancho! Oh Cisco!" After the 1994 TV movie starring Jimmy Smits and Cheech Marin, Cisco presumably rode off into the desert of past stereotypes. Though not quite: there has been a series of graphic novels, including 'Wyatt Earp vs Cisco Kid' where Cisco has returned to his outlaw ways. Addendum: How could I forget the song by War, which reached #2 on Billboard in 1972: "The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine/He drink whiskey, Poncho drink the wine." Finally found oneA gentleman of the day, outside, without a hat. I also noted the fix for the sign support that's at window height. And there's so much more to explore in this picture. Vast expansion, but 100% still thereAnd if you go to the Five Flags Center website, there are pictures both period and modern of the theater; never been to Iowa myself, but looking at them, I'd love to get a seat in the balcony. What's NOT still there are the buildings to the right of the theater; they've been turned into a vast expansion for the entertainment complex that was built to incorporate the theater. The pictures on Google of the complex with a set of huge temporary pools, monster truck rallies, concerts by Little River Band and Chicago, a gymnastics tournament, wrestling, and the ubiquitous "Disney on Ice" are interesting, but the star is the theater. Also missing, alas, is that Steak place. It's making me hungry just looking at the Shorpy picture. And darn it, with Covid, I can't go out and get one! Exactly 80 years agoJohn Vachon wrote to his wife from Dubuque on April 16, 1940 ("Dear Penny"), the day of his arrival, and April 18, 1940 ("Dearest Frau"), the night before his departure. But his taste in movies was generally above the level of "Adventure in Diamonds" and "Viva Cisco Kid." Today's Google Street View (The Gallery, John Vachon, Movies)
Manley Boy: 1917
... this Shorpy with him this AM. He's a bike messenger in Chicago and has shared it with everyone at work! Reliability of Information ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/04/2018 - 11:31am -

March 15, 1917. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. "Manley Creasson [Creason], 914 West Sixth Street. Messenger #6, MacKay Telegraph Co. Says he is 14; school records say 13. Says he has steady job -- 'Been a messenger for years. Get $15 for 2 weeks' pay'." Silver gelatin print by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Hard LifeIf my Ancestry.com research is correct, Manley died in 1941 at the age of 38 in Dallas, after serving some time in Leavenworth Prison in the 1930s. In the 1930 census, he is shown as a married boarder, with no job. A Manly Man, to the EndManly R. Creason (the correct spelling) was born in, either, 1902 0r 1903, depending upon which account is correct. He died in Texas in 1941 of tuberculosis The School was Wrong (at least according to the State of Texas)If you go by his death certificate issued in Texas in 1941 (he died from pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 38). As per the 1940 census he and his wife, Jewell, were the owners of either a cafe (1940 census) or a 'recreational club' (death certificate). That said, his census records each have him listed as being born around 1904, so perhaps Texas was wrong after all. They had a daughter, Mary George, and Jewell lived until 1985, apparently never remarrying as she retained her maiden name according to her record in the Social Security Death index. Birthdate According to his headstone he was born in 1903. Track StandIt looks to me that Manley's bike isn't in motion, that he is executing a "track stand," a technique in which a rider balances his bike with little to no forward motion. His pedal cranks are horizontal and the front wheel is turned slightly, which is the signature look of a track stand. AwesomeThat's what my son said when I shared this Shorpy with him this AM. He's a bike messenger in Chicago and has shared it with everyone at work! Reliability of Information on Death CertificatesA deceased person's vital statistics on a death certificate are usually provided by an informant. The informant may be anyone, such as a relative or a neighbor. Those vital statistics, such as birthdate, may therefore be subject to error as informants may not be able to provide accurate data. Even spouses don't always know the correct birthdates or birth places for their mates. The medical information on the certificate is usually provided by a doctor or some other medical official. In the case Mr. Creason, I would tend to think that the birth data provided by the census is probably closer to the truth than that given in the death certificate. He may have given the birth information himself. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Lewis Hine, OKC)
Erie Pavilion: 1908
... much cleaner than the recent (and relatively more recent) Chicago lake front beach we viewed. Public Bath House Built 1902. Burnt ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:32pm -

Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1908. "The beach and pavilion at Gordon Park, Lake Erie." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Dig itDespite all of the changes that have taken place since this photo was taken, there is one thing that remains the same - people of all ages love to dig in the sand. Clean beachesIn this scene and the many Jersey Shore scenes the beaches appear to be much cleaner than the recent (and relatively more recent) Chicago lake front beach we viewed. Public Bath HouseBuilt 1902. Burnt ca. 1919. Bulletin of the Bureau of Labor, 1904. Public Baths in the United States. The second public bath [at Cleveland, Ohio] is at Gordon Park, and consists of a large frame structure well equipped and fitted out and having an ample pavilion and refreshment room attached. It was built in 1902 and for a short time was entirely free to all persons, but in 1903 the abuse of this privilege by an undesirable class of bathers led to a charge of 5 cents being made for the use of a room and towel or 10 cents for a towel, room, and suit. During the summer of 1903 the total number of bathers at this place was 19,070, not including those who were admitted free of charge at the beginning of the season. Free instruction in swimming is provided. The building contains 450 dressing closets for the use of bathers, in addition to separate waiting rooms for males and females. There are no shower baths and no hot water is furnished. The cost of the house, with its equipment, was $18,000. The total cost of maintenance in 1903 was $2,132.16 and the income was $1,495.65. Lake ErieI can't believe that is Lake Erie. It definitely looked a lot cleaner back then and void of a few million zebra shells! (The Gallery, Cleveland, DPC, Swimming)
Greased Lightning: 1924
... electric locomotive in the world being exhibited by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway and the General Electric Co." Harris ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2014 - 1:29pm -

        Our second look at this locomotive, whose cylindrical design echoes the shape of its steam-boiler brethren even though it's entirely electric. June 1924. Washington, D.C. "Largest and most powerful electric locomotive in the world being exhibited by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway and the General Electric Co." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Power ContestsGeneral Electric and the St. Paul Road, as the Milwaukee was then known, made every effort to maximize the publicity value of these centipede-like locomotives. Before delivery to the West Coast, where they would work for most of their careers, side trips such as the one shown here, and stops along the way, allowed the public to see, touch, and feel the future. Once delivered to the Coast Division of their railroad, several events were set up to pit these mighty electrics against their biggest steam locomotives. The "white coal" locomotives won, hands down. What's missing from this photo?Where are the overhead electric wires that the pantograph uses to make the electrical connection. How did the train get there? [The same way it got to Washington -- attached to another locomotive. - Dave] Small Steam BoilerThe Milwaukee Road Bipolars contained a small steam boiler for heating the passenger cars. The exhaust stack is visible on the top of the locomotive. Practical Reasons for ShapeWhile the shape of this locomotive certainly echoes the shape of a steam engine's boiler, there were practical reasons for this shape. Many electric locomotives were "box cabs" where the locomotive was basically shaped like a rectilinear shoe box. The engineer or driver operated the loco from a little box-shaped cab at the leading end of the loco, meaning that the visibility was excellent but that the driver was right there at the business and was the first to die in the event of an accident. This locomotive's centrally located cab would have been preferred by engineers from a safety standpoint, but the sides of the loco had to be rounded in order for the engineer to see past them when the train was in motion. The driver's view would have been virtually identical to what a steam loco driver was be used to seeing, so they were comfortable with that. My guess is that these locos could run in either direction without being turned on a turntable or wye, and the engineer only had to walk a few feet to the other cab in order to reverse direction. They Were Bi-Directional and Bi-PolarThese magnificent locomotives were called Bi-Polars, not because they were depressed but due to the design off their traction motors. They spent their lives pulling passenger trains on the western section of the Mwaukee Road's electrification. Modernized over time they lasted through the 1950's. One is preserved in the National Museum of Transport near St. Louis. Eletricity vs SteamI find the photographs of the EP2 Locomotives very interesting, while C. M. & St. P. chose electricity for their mountain routes the Southern Pacific chose oil fired Cab Forward steam. The snow sheds and tunnels of the Sierra Nevada which lead to the Cab Forwards might well have been solved with double headed EP2's. Should the reader be interested Wikipedia has two entries, one for the EP2 and another for the bipolar electric motor. It would appear that the cab is dual control as the drawing in the Wikipedia page shows dual electric feeds although the photos has only one. The earliest photo shows stairs and signs labeled ENTER indicating internal access tours. Comments and correctionsBy "dual electric feeds" I assume that agedooster is referring to the pantographs. This loco has two, one is raised and the other locked down. Neither pan has their contact shoes fitted. This photo was not taken on a side trip on the loco's delivery run. The Bipolars had been in service since January 1920. By the time of this photo numerous modifications had been made to the locos in the light of operational experience. A number are visible in this and the other photo. While nominally bidirectional, the locos were mainly run from the A end, as that cab had a kilowatt hour meter, which the fireman had to regularly take readings from. They were usually turned at Tacoma and Othello to keep the A end leading. If they ran with the B end leading the fireman would have to walk through the centre cab to take a reading, and this meant worming his way past the train heating boiler and its water and fuel oil tanks, which occupied most of the centre cab. You can just see part of that equipment through the open window. The "exhaust stack" visible on the B end hood is a hot air vent. As delivered the Bipolars had the air compressor, intake filter and cooling coil pipes mounted inside the hood, along with the control switchgear and regenerative braking resistances. In operation the temperature inside the hoods was so great that the compressors would fail and the electrical insulation would be damaged. So the vents were added, and the intake filter and cooling coil pipes were moved onto the outside of the hood. (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
Long Train Going: 1943
... of hundreds of photos documenting Jack Delano's trip from Chicago to California on a Santa Fe freight for the Office of War Information. ... Fe Railroad's(now BNSF)Southern Transcon route between Chicago and Los Angeles. These days you'll see a lot of ... trains on high-priority schedules with transit time from Chicago to Los Angeles in the neighborhood of 55 hours. Are those passenger ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/20/2013 - 1:46pm -

March 1943. "Canyon, Texas. Approaching the town on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad between Amarillo, Texas, and Clovis, New Mexico." One of hundreds of photos documenting Jack Delano's trip from Chicago to California on a Santa Fe freight for the Office of War Information. View full size. A Cold DayThe the length and contrast of the plume produced by the steam locomotive up ahead indicates it's a cold day in Texas. The picture appears to have been taken hanging out the window of the caboose cupola. I'll bet the crew was happy when he closed that window upstairs, letting all the heat out! I would love to have made this trip. That so much wood is in sight ahead is interesting for many unfamiliar with railroads of the era. We often think of metal and railroads, but even in the mid-1940s, wood was still used extensively for boxcar sheathing. Reefer cars (note upward protruding latch for the ice hatch) like the one just in front of the caboose the photographer is riding in were still almost exclusively wood-sheathed to help reduce heat transmission. The war had a lot to do with what could be seen along the nation's railroad lines, too, in terms of construction materials. Some "war emergency" cars were produced, framed with steel as before, but using wood sheathing for the sides instead of steel, which went to the war effort. Virtually every car the could be pressed into service was repaired and operated. Thus many older cars continued in service when they otherwise would have been scrapped and replace by new. The effects of the Great Depression also contributed, since many railroad held off ordering new equipment, then found themselves handling greatly expanded war traffic while the equipment order they might have placed just before the war was set-aside until victory. It was a good thing, but FDR's relatively limited attempts at economic recovery never really lifted economic activity enough to escape the Great Depression. It was the war itself, with its huge economic stimulus, that finally ended the Great Depression. A lesson about holding off on economic stimulus and austerity budgets that should needs to be emphasized as we struggle into the 6th year of the Great Recession. That's also why there's still a lot of wood in sight along the iron road. Still hauling freight.This curve appears to be about 3 miles north of the center of Canyon, TX and about a mile south of present day Interstate 27. After Canyon the track turns southwest toward Clovis, NM and continues westward toward Albuquerque and Los Angeles. Since the early 20th century this track has been part of the Santa Fe Railroad's(now BNSF)Southern Transcon route between Chicago and Los Angeles. These days you'll see a lot of inter-modal(container) trains on high-priority schedules with transit time from Chicago to Los Angeles in the neighborhood of 55 hours. Are those passenger cars?It looks like there might be a block of about 8 passenger cars deadheading in the freight train, just to the left of the signal. Not unheard of, but I would think unusual in view of the shortage of passenger equipment during the war. Or maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, which would not be unheard of either. Yeah, they might be passenger carsHard to tell but they sure don't look like freight cars. Could be a repositioning move of troop cars from one base to another. Clovis had some WWII bases near it as I'm sure other towns down the line did. What I'd like to know is what kind of locomotive was pulling them. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Role Model: 1924
... we had to beat all comers on the West coast, again in Chicago, and again in New York before we finally made the Olympic team." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2012 - 3:05pm -

August 7, 1924. "Warren Kealoha, Hawaiian Olympic swimmer, at Tidal Basin." Warren, closest to the camera, won the gold in the men's 100-meter backstroke in 1920 and 1924. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Kealoha Obit Washington Post, Sep 10, 1972 Olympic Champion Warren Kealoha Dies HONOLULU, Sep 9 (AP)--Warren D. Kealoha, 69, winner of gold medals in the 100-meter backstroke swimming event at the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, died Friday. Mr. Kealoha, then 16, introduced the alternating arms stroke in setting a world's record 1:14.8 in the backstroke event as the "baby" of the U.S. Olympic team in 1920 at Antwerp Belgium. Yell Them To SafetyI guess that lifeguard with the blow horn would have to undo his bow tie if he ever had to actually dive into the water to save someone. I think he would rather just yell them to safety. Help, HelpFunny seeing that hand sticking up out of water at the left. Warren KealohaWarren Kealoha retired from competition and became a successful rancher. About those days: "It wasn't easy for Hawaiians to get to the Olympics back in those days," Warren says, "or I might have had a chance at my third Olympics in 1928." Warren Kealoha had more trouble getting to his races than winning them. "We had to break a world record before they could afford to send us to the Mainland," he says, "then when we arrived by boat and out of shape, we had to beat all comers on the West coast, again in Chicago, and again in New York before we finally made the Olympic team." Some web pages indicate he swam against contemporary Johnny Weissmuller but the facts seems mixed. Washington Monument FallingDoesn't it look like the Washington Monument is leaning? [OMG. Not only that, but the entire horizon is tilting to the right! - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports, Swimming)
Joe Rocque: 1940
... "Over the Top." The one hanging in my man-den is dated Chicago, 1918. The Germans are wearing outdated spiked helmets. It's one of a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/27/2019 - 6:53pm -

June 1940. "Melrose, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Fireplace in old mud hut built and still lived in by French mulattoes near John Henry cotton plantation. 'Uncle' Joe Rocque, about 86 years old." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. MemoriesPerhaps born a "free person of colour," Mr. Rocque would nonetheless have had vivid memories of slave times. With his cat for company, he would doubtless have revisited the old days as he dozed next to the fire on a rainy Louisiana winter's afternoon. The pleated shirt is quite dashing, but fireplace could stand to have its ashes hauled. Wampole's PreparationContains cod liver oil (with oily and fatty part eliminated), fluid extract of wild cherry, a compound syrup of hypophosphites (common minerals plus quinine and strychnine), and, oh yes, 12% alcohol. A tonic and stimulant. The dose for children depends on “age and temperament.” I'm Waiting!is what the kitten is thinking. Waiting for the fire to be lit. Watkins Almanac and Home Book1868 – 1936. “68 years of buying experience give us the pick of the crop at favorable prices. That's why you always get better quality and value for your money from the Watkins dealer.” Note hangin’ hole in upper left corner, as used by Joe Rocque. Watkins 1936 Almanac and Home BookAdvertising Spices / Recipes, Home Remedies. Featuring: Watkins Fly spray JunkerismJunkerism is the very opposite of democracy. The essence of junkerism is privileged land ownership; that is, the ownership of large estates not adequately taxed, and not open to change of ownership 1918, Charles Fremont Taylor, Equity (volume 20) Over the TopThis old guy must have had a grandson in the First World War. Either that or he was very patriotic during 1917-18. The picture he has pinned to the wall on the right side of the photo, under the gun stock, is titled "Over the Top." The one hanging in my man-den is dated Chicago, 1918. The Germans are wearing outdated spiked helmets. It's one of a series. A Junker in 1918, by the way, was Prussian aristocracy known for their militarism. Pronounce the "J" like a "Y." Creole is the correct termfor mixed race individuals who can trace their ancestry back to the time Louisiana was ruled by the French. They were free during the slave times. Several decades ago I attended a training session with a person who was originally from Louisiana and had a French last name. One day I asked him if he was a Cajun. He gave me a dirty look and said "I'm a Creole, Cajuns are white and Creoles are black". I'll admit that I never would have known he was a Creole if he hadn't told me. Creole isn't to be confused with "Criollo", the Spanish term used in Latin America to describe someone of pure European ancestry. (The Gallery, Cats, M.P. Wolcott)
Miss Mary's Party: 1909
... Newsboys' Home(s) My grandmother moved from NYC to Chicago in 1875 and became head of "Newsboys' Home." I have no knowledge of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/09/2012 - 2:03am -

March 1909. Hartford, Connecticut. "Miss Mary Graham Jones of the Social Settlement and few of the newsboys (all 10 years old and younger) that she invited to a Sunday afternoon party. In two days she secured the names of 39 newsboys and girls 10 and under. There are more in Hartford." Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee. View full size. Interesting faces, butThe little guy on the far left made his own. And it works! Newsboys' Home(s)My grandmother moved from NYC to Chicago in 1875 and became head of "Newsboys' Home." I have no knowledge of what services were provided, but one assumes at least a place to sleep. Later she moved to Indianapolis to run a newsboys' home there. Let's party!What a party! At least there's no need to refrigerate the hors d'oeuvres. Mary Graham JonesFrom what I've been able to find so far Mary Graham Jones was the head of the settlement house starting in 1898. There is (or was) a Mary Graham Jones Playground in Hartford. A Spunky Looking BunchWarmly dressed and well-shod. By the standards of the time, barely downtrodden at all. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Shano Collins: 1920
John "Shano" Collins, first baseman for the Chicago White Sox, at bat in 1920. View full size. George Grantham Bain ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 12:17am -

John "Shano" Collins, first baseman for the Chicago White Sox, at bat in 1920. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Batting cage with catcher?That looks like a batting cage (or part of one) behind the catcher, which suggests the picture was taken during batting practice. These days there is no catcher during BP. Were things different in 1920, or was the catcher there for the sake of the photo? [That looks like too many people in the stands for just batting practice. - Dave] Polo GroundsPolo Grounds, it is. Thanks for the info. Quite a wonderful site. Shano CollinsIt looks like Collins is wearing an "away" uniform. The catcher is on the "home" team. So what ballpark is it? I'm guessing Cleveland Memorial Stadium. Polo GroundsThe ballpark in question isn't in Cleveland, but the Polo Grounds in NYC. It was home for the Yankees in the years immediately before Yankee Stadium opened in 1923. Google Images didn't produce any good photographs, but the drawing at http://www.dugout-memories.com/goffpol7.html (sorry about the commercial site) shows the same facade as in the Shano Collins photo above. Incredible shot!Incredible shot! Collins had a good year in 1920BA .303 OPS .339 SLG .392 1 HR 63 RBI In comparison Babe Ruth hit 57 HR and had 137 RBI's in 19020 Worth at least 2 or 3 million these days but you can be sure he had an off season job to make ends meet back in those days. The screening would have to be a batting cage since if it was in place during a game it would interfere with just about any foul pop up. Maybe the catcher caught batting practice for both teams and was not on the roster. http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/collish01.shtml (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports)
Shooting the Chutes: 1905
... as a youngster in the 1950's going to Riverview Park in Chicago. Our Chutes looked identical to the one pictured. I think the coolest ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2015 - 2:38pm -

New York circa 1905. "Dreamland Park -- Shooting the Chutes, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Movie time And on the leftAir Ship to the moon! Different ChutesIf you're not from New York, you may not know that Dreamland (original post) is not the same as Luna Park (video by Malted Falcon). Both 'Shooting the Chutes' look the same, but they are not. Steeplechase was the 3rd famous park from Coney that lasted from 1897 until 1964. Dreamland from 1904 and closed in 1911. Luna Park from 1903 and closed in 1944 after a fire. High dive?Is that tall ladder-looking thing an insane high dive platform? Log RideReminds me of the Log Ride at Six Flags Over Texas when I was a kid. Perhaps Shooting the Chutes was the inspiration. Lots of ChutesShoot the Chutes were common at all the "old" parks of 100 years ago and into the 60's and 70's. I remember as a youngster in the 1950's going to Riverview Park in Chicago. Our Chutes looked identical to the one pictured. I think the coolest part was the anticipation. 8 or 10 people loaded into a wooden boat along with a park employee bumping along a narrow water corridor till we arrived under the top of the Chutes at the back. At this point, your boat would be picked up by the constantly rotating lift to take you to the top. I recall the water dripping on us from the boat above. Finally at the top, you tipped forward and raced to the pond below in just seconds, water spraying everywhere! Loved it. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Coney Island, DPC)
Capitol Refining: 1925
... it is said, will be the only one of its kind east of Chicago and south of New York, and the only complete compound plant on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 6:42pm -

A glimpse at the industrial side of Washington circa 1925, labeled "Capitol Refining Co. plant." This tank farm, where the Pentagon stands today, was described at the time as being in "Relee, Alexandria County, just south of the highway bridge." National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. OMG!I hate it when Giant Amoebas attack! Cattle, Cotton & Oil, Oh My!I find it curious how this site evolved from a stockyard and abattoir (slaughterhouse) into a cottonseed oil refinery and then finally the petroleum refinery pictured. The cotton-seed oil may have been used for food or industrial applications such as lubricants and paint. I wonder if equipment for refining cottonseeds could be reused to refine petroleum? [Were any of these petroleum tanks? - Dave] Update: After seeing the later White Dome post, I am pondering if perhaps the "refining" refers only to vegetable and animal oils and not to petroleum products at all. I guess its my fossil-fuel-centric lifestyle that led me to the conclusion that this was a petroleum refinery - that and pre-conditioning due to the long series of photos of service stations on Shorpy. Washington Post, Jun 5, 1908 Packing Plant For City Washington's industries are to be increased here of a plant with an annual output valued at from $4,000,000 to $5,000,000. The company, to be known as the Columbia Cotton Oil and Provisions Corporation, proposes to absorb the Washington and Virginia Stock Yard and Abattoir Company and to enlarge the plant and add equipment, not only for slaughtering of cattle, but for the refining of crude cottonseed oil. ... The proposed plant, it is said, will be the only one of its kind east of Chicago and south of New York, and the only complete compound plant on the coast between New York and Savannah. ... The annual capacity, according to figures submitted to the manufactures committee of the Chamber of Commerce, will be 100,000 barrels of crude cotton-seed oil, 125,000 hogs, 10,000 cattle, and 25,000 sheep and calves which will be converted into lard, lard compound, lard substitute, cooking oils, lard stearine, oleo stearine, hams, bacon, sausage, canned meats, fertilizer, hides, and a variety of fresh cuts to be put on the market. Washington Post, Jun 2, 1913 Refiners Buy Oil Plant The Capitol Refining Company, which was recently granted a charter by the Virginia corporation commission, has purchased the plant of the Columbia Cotton Oil and Provisions Corporation, at Relee, near Arlington Junction, Alexandria county. The Capitol Refining Company is a subsidiary of the Jacob Dold Packing Company, an independent concern, whose main establishment is in Buffalo, N.Y., and its announced that about September 1, after extensive repairs to the plant, operations will be resumed. Relee, Va.Is it possible that Relee stands for Robert E. Lee? His estate was nearby. [You are correct. The use of Relee, Virginia, as a place name seems to have begun in 1909, with the establishment there of a post office, rail stop and telegraph office, all connected with the Columbia slaughterhouse and rendering plant in what used to be Alexandria County, at the current location of the Pentagon. By 1935, use of the name seems to have pretty much stopped. - Dave] Washington Post, November 11, 1909 Finishing Big Plant $450,000 Abattoir and Refinery Soon to Operate. To Employ 200 Persons. Industry at Arlington Junction Will Help Virginians. Within ten days the Columbia Cotton Oil and Provision Company will begin operation of its $450,000 plant, which has been building near Arlington Junction across the river for the last nine months, and will mark one of the greatest strides forward in the industrial development of Washington. In the abattoir 4,000 hogs a week will be killed, and a strong demand will at once be created in Virginia and surrounding States for porkers. ... The cotton oil refinery and abattoir will be run in conjunction in the production of lard compound, which will be one of the most important outputs of the establishment. ... The plant essays the importance of a town which has been recognized already by the establishment of a railroad stop and a postoffice by the United States government. The name is Relee, in honor of R.E. Lee. It is Relee postoffice, Relee station, and Relee telegraph office, all of which are in operation. Day of JudgmentCould the "accidental" location of the "cloud" be any better placed in terms of composition? Actually makes the shot better, I think. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Grand Circus Park: 1919
... Burnham & Co. (the successors of Daniel Burnham's Chicago office) and built in 1915-1916. The project architect was undoubtedly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 6:31pm -

Detroit circa 1919. "Grand Circus Park from Detroit Athletic Club." The Statler and Tuller hotels, and the two Winged Victory statues seen here. Photoplays being advertised include "When Men Desire" starring Theda Bara, Alice Joyce in "The Cambric Mask," Cecil B. DeMille's "For Better, For Worse," Elsie Ferguson in "Eyes of the Soul," and "Stolen Orders." 8x10 glass negative. View full size. All those films seem to be lost exceptCecil B's "For Better, For Worse." "Kiss me, my fool"The original quote from Theda Bara and the original "Vamp" from early movies in the teens, who publicity showed seduced men dying at ther feet. I had forgotten her. Whenever the women around my house were being overly dramatic (quite often), my mother would say: "OK, Theda Bara, knock it off". Sadly, only a handfull of her movies have survived fire and time. Just the same, she was a huge movie star in her time. David Whitney BuildingThe tall building just left of center is the David Whitney Building, designed by Graham, Burnham & Co. (the successors of Daniel Burnham's Chicago office) and built in 1915-1916. The project architect was undoubtedly the firm's very talented chief designer, Peirce Anderson. The top of the building was "modernized" c. 1950, and the bottom is currently obscured by the viaduct that carries Detroit's downtown "People Mover." I understand that the building is currently vacant, although plans are in motion to do something with it. Today's ViewFrom the rooftop of the DAC today - looking to the right of the perspective of this picture (more North) and across the street is Comerica Park (home of the Detroit Tigers) and a little more right to that is Ford Field (home of the Detroit Lions). (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Movies)
Boats Abuilding: 1906
... hauling cement from Charlevoix, Michigan, primarily to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Grand Haven, and is still steam-powered, although not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 2:37pm -

Ecorse, Michigan, circa 1906. "Great Lakes Engineering Works." Another view of this bustling shipyard on the Detroit River. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Come 'n get it!Judging by the number of people in view and on the move, I'll bet somebody just called "LUNCH!!!" Not only are these people long deadbut the ships these scurrying workers built are almost all likely long scrapped. RerunsYou already posted this pic on July 13th. [It's the same shipyard, but not the same photo. - Dave] Lunch breakI do believe I see some of those lunch boxes... in use. Center of pic. CautionTrip Hazard. But many of the ships remainBy my count, at least 29 vessels (ranging from barges to large freighters) built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works between 1904 and 1960 remain extant. The oldest may be the former Detroit River trainferry Detroit, launched 12 November 1904 and, as of last year, waiting to be scrapped at Sandwich, Ontario. Amazingly, the 552-foot St. Marys Challenger, launched 17 February 1906 by GLEW as the William P. Snyder, is still in operation primarily on Lake Michigan hauling cement from Charlevoix, Michigan, primarily to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Grand Haven, and is still steam-powered, although not by her original triple expansion steam engine. At least nine other freighters built by GLEW are currently in operation, self-propelled or as barges, on the Great Lakes. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Eymard vs. Don Bosco: 1910
... That's baseball Fast forward to 2016, when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. That's baseball in a sentence. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/29/2020 - 11:50am -

Suffern, N.Y., circa 1910. "Baseball team, Eymard Seminary. Eymard scored in the top of the 12th to beat Don Bosco 8 to 7." Witteman Photo Collection, Library of Congress. View full size. Poor Don BoscoWhat a heartbreaker for Don Bosco. They scored 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, then they lost in the 12th. Oh well, them's the breaks. By the looks of Father there in the center, I suspect there wasn't much chewing, spitting and cussing on the St. Eymard bench. Bringing back memoriesThat priest reminds me of Fr. Aylesworth when I was growing up in the land of long ago. He was friendly enough when he wasn't on the clock for the Big Guy. But whoa unto anyone straying from the str8 and narrow. Once my parents with children in tow made the cardinal error of arriving at Mass just as Fr. A was finishing his sermon, which he interrupted to announce to the entire congregation... "Ah Mr. and Mrs. C-, having arrived after the reading of the gospel, I look forward to the pleasure of your company at the next Mass." Mom was so mortified she insisted on going to St. Ambrose in the next town over for almost two months after that. On another occasion he was training some of us kids as altar boys. This being when everything was done in Latin, one of the boys said he didn't think he was smart enough. Fr. A looked at him hard and replied " every half wit and derelict in the Roman Empire could speak Latin fluently. So there is no reason you can't." Once during Mass when the altar boys were supposed to be reciting a lengthy prayer called the Confetior I mangled a couple of words and I can remember like it happened ten seconds ago. Fr. A's head snapped around and he gave me a silent glare clearly intended to turn me into a pillar of salt. He never said a word to me but that look will stay with me until they drop me in the ground. On the upside Fr. A a very Irish sense of humor and it was said he made the best gin and tonic in town. He died in the 1960s and some said it was Vatican II that did him in. Oddly this photo made me very nostalgic for a world and people now long gone. DapperYou don't see a lot of people wearing neckties while playing baseball anymore. Baseball seminarians?Wow, these fellows sure don't look happy about it! Except for one fellow in the top row, nary a smile among them (and one small smirk on his right). Are they emulating the big boss in the middle? No wonder I stopped going to church, though I was not Catholic. Both seminaries closed in 1965-66. I'll keep further wise remarks to myself In the ConfessionalPriest: Son, have you been entertaining impure thoughts? Boy: No, Father. They have been entertaining me. That's baseballFast forward to 2016, when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. That's baseball in a sentence. Distinguished AlumnusDonald E. Pelotte graduated from Eymard Seminary in the 1960s. A member of the Abenaki tribe, he became the first Native American bishop in the U.S. Please note that I resisted the temptation to mention the Cleveland baseball team in this comment. (The Gallery, Sports)
The Unknown Bureaucrat: 1936
... her career in business as purchasing executive for a Chicago department store. She was also a director of the Girl Scouts of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2009 - 2:05am -

December 1936. This formidable-looking lady either had something to do with the Resettlement Administration's creation of Greenhills, Ohio, one of the first planned communities in the United States, or she was tragically misfiled at the Library of Congress. Either way, her caption has no name. View full size. Medium format negative by Brice Martin. [Update: The mystery lady is Dorothy M. Beck, a regional director of the Resettlement Administration.] Oh, I recognize her!That's Mrs. Hillary Hardvisage. I know who she isn'tDon't know who she is but looks too smart to be part of some histerical group. [Not to mention hysterical, and maybe even historical. - Dave] Who is it?Is is a photo of a young Eleanor Roosevelt. Paul Richardson Past Pres. Greenhills Historical Society Greenhills - One of the three GREENBELTS built in the 1930's by the WPA [An interesting theory but it's not Eleanor. - Dave] Mystery Woman No More!After digging around a bit I found her photo with a proper caption. It's Dorothy M. Beck, a regional director of the Resettlement Administration. Mrs. RooseveltThat is most likely not Mrs. Roosevelt. The obvious portrait does not appear anywhere else in Library of Congress photos attributed to her (and there are many!) or in any other collction I have viewed. It is highly unlikely Mrs. Roosevelt would not have appeared wearing a fur at that time of her life either. Eleanor was a much more "subdued" or "subtle" woman than the one in the photo. [As we said below, it's Dorothy Beck, who died in 1946 at the age of 59. She started her career in business as purchasing executive for a Chicago department store. She was also a director of the Girl Scouts of America. Her husband was Thomas Beck, publisher of Collier's magazine. - Dave] Dorothy BeckYou know, I wonder whether she's dressed that way because it's a) a formal portrait, and after all she's RICH b) her typical everyday clothing, befitting her professional and social standing c) her typical everyday clothing, meant to intimidate yokels. or d) everyone dressed like that [I would choose A. Her work attire was a bit more down-to-earth (below). - Dave] (The Gallery, Great Depression, Portraits)
Mightiest Electric: 1924
... electric locomotive in the world being exhibited by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway and the General Electric Co." Harris ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2014 - 3:07pm -

June 1924. Washington, D.C. "Largest and most powerful electric locomotive in the world being exhibited by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway and the General Electric Co." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Monarch of the Rails Washington Post, June 25, 1924. Free Exhibit Giant Electric Locomotive Don’t fail to see this Monarch of the Rails—the pride of the “Milwaukee” road at New York and Florida Avenues, Washington, Wednesday June 25 and Thursday June 26. These mighty electric locomotives, made by the General Electric Co., haul the Olympian and Columbian, famous Trans-Continental trains, silently, smoothly and speedily for 649 miles over the Rocky, Bitter Root and Cascade mountain ranges. Steps and platforms will be erected to enable visitors to go through the interior and a staff of well informed representatives of the C. M. & St. P. Ry. and General Electric Co will be in attendance to explain details. Admission Free. To Puget Sound—Electrified. Proud to be "Bipolar"The five Milwaukee Road Class EP2 bipolar electric locomotives ran from 1919 to 1961, with a major rebuild in 1953. One has survived and is on display in St Louis. Amazing beasts. Bipolar locomotivesThese locomotives used an unusual transmission system, which is to say, none whatsoever. The rotor and the wheels were mounted on the same axle, so that the whole thing moved up and down together. The arrangement was very quiet and avoided wear on driving gears or rods; the drawback was that there could only be two stator poles, so each motor was relatively low powered compared to what was achieved with more conventional motors. Every axle you see is driven except for the ones on either end directly behind the pilots. They were articulated seven ways from Sunday, with four trucks supporting three body sections. One survives, in St. Louis. Steamless in SeattleYes, the "Milwaukee Road" ran electrics to the Pacific Northwest from the early 1920s up to the early 1970s. "...When these sections were placed in full electrical operation (Harlowton [MT] to Avery [ID] in 1917 and Othello [WA] to Tacoma [WA] in 1920) they represented the first long-distance electrification in North America and were the longest electrified lines in the world. " Unfortunately, they never completed the gap between the two electrified routes (Avery to Othello). The electric locomotives were phased out and supporting infrastructure removed--just before the 1973-74 oil crisis (!) See this article. 1953 RebuildDuring the rebuild of 1953 the Milwaukee bought 12 EF-4 and EP-4 replacements from GE. The 12 were part of an original order of 20 ordered by Stalin and bound for the Soviet Union but with the Cold War increasing the sale was blocked. The Milwaukee offered to buy all 20 from GE but it's BOT refused to go along but ultimately the Korean War and a coal strike led the BOT to approve the purchase. The irony was that Milwaukee first offered $1M for all 20 locomotives and spare parts but when finally allowed to buy the units only 12 still remained but the price remained the same. (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
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