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The Funny Place: 1911
... mascot. appearing on the Steeplechase Piers at both Coney Island and Atlantic City, and the Palace Casino in Asbury Park. Tilyou deserves ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:43pm -

Atlantic City circa 1911. "Bathing at the Steeplechase." George C. Tilyou's Steeplechase Pier and some interesting signage, including a bear-filled Steiff Toys billboard. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Full Moon OutLooks like a little wardrobe problem. Pre-Alfred E.I believe we have the inspiration for the first "What, me worry?" kid. Nucky's WorldThanks for all the recent AC shots. They're particularly evocative, as I've been watching the wonderful Boardwalk Empire. And that Steeplechase face is so iconically creepy, I love whenever it pops up. Only one reason for such a turnoutAs hundreds of young ladies make ready in the warm Atlantic surf, the big crowd up on the boardwalk is waiting for that annual favorite, the ever-so-sexy Wet Swimming Gown Contest. Inspiration for the Coppertone kidin the straw hat. Backward sign"Lipschitz Cigars"? That's true, especially if you don't light 'em. Hello!And we have one guy staring back at the camera with a big "hiya!" for the future. Large Swimmies?Or has this bather got air pockets in their swimwear? I think that is a hat this person is wearing. Mystery SolvedSo Atlantic City is where Hannibal Lecter grew up. Master of his domainWhy, yes, here I am. It's Tillie!Anyone who went to Asbury Park, NJ before 2004 will remember Tillie, the famous mascot on the side of the Palace Casino. I realize now that he is named after George Tilyou. Tilyou must have built both amusement park piers. Thank you for teaching me something new about my beloved home state and one of its beloved icons. [update: "Tillie" was indeed Tilyou's mascot. appearing on the Steeplechase Piers at both Coney Island and Atlantic City, and the Palace Casino in Asbury Park. Tilyou deserves his own day of recognition for bringing so much pleasure to decades of visitors to the NY/NJ shore resorts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillie] No Way to Explain New York Magazine, Jun 28, 1993 Summer Places By Pete Hammill There is no way to explain to today's young about the vanished past. But it retains a fierce power. On a recent visit, I walked west on the boardwalk and saw the Parachute Jump rising 260 feet above the summer sky. The old ride had been repainted, landmarked, fenced off, existing now only as a piece of municipal structure, a monument to what we lost. Worse, it is all that remains of Steeplechase - The Funny Place, the fifteen-acre amusement park that George C. Tilyou founded in 1897 and that was vividly alive when I was in my teens. The symbol of the park was a huge grinning face, a slightly menacing mixture of Alfred E. Neuman and the Joker. A mechanical racehorse round around the edges of the park, the carved wooden horses and their live human riders moving into the dells and over water and above hedges, while music played on a blurred sound system. Steeplechase charged a general-admission price that kept out the winos and the riffraff (bragged those who paid), but that didn't free it of Coney Island's tawdry charms. The rides and runways were packed with thousands of people, eating corn, cotton candy, ice-cream cones. During World War II, you saw sailors in the park, laughing wildly in bumper cars, moving kids aside to try games of chance and sometimes winning plaster Kewpie dolls and stuffed animals. Oops, after posting this I learned that the above extract of a Pete Hammill column is probably referring to the Steeplechase Pier at Coney Island, not the one in Atlantic City. Apparently the Alfred E. Neuman/Joker face was a signature logo of the franchise. These make me a bit sadEvery time I see people of this era enjoying what was to be the very last years of stability I get a little morose thinking what was to come for them. They are all gone now and with them stories of a much simpler time. [This was an era of mind-boggling change. There were people alive in 1911 who were born in a world without trains, planes, automobiles, electricity, telegraphs, radio, phonographs, motion pictures or telephones, and then came to see all of these things during their lives. Hardly "simple times." - Dave] PioneerYesterday I watched the 1952 movie, Million Dollar Mermaid, on TCM about the Australian swimming champ Annette Kellerman (played by Esther Williams). It had a beach scene that took place in 1907 and the bathing suits looked just like this. Kellerman was one of the first to popularize tight fitting one piece bathing suits for women and was even arrested for indecency for wearing one in Massachusetts! Lucky NuckyEnoch "Nucky" Thompson (re: Boardwalk Empire) is probably sitting over there, cigarette in hand, glass of bourbon (neat) on the table, counting his money! Re: ... a bit sadMy grandmother was one of those people Dave refers to in his comment response below. She was born 19 years before the Wright Brothers' first flight, and died five years after we'd landed on the moon. Marking time with Halley's CometI think it was fascinating that Mark Twain was born in a year when Halley's Comet was visible on earth and he died at 74 while it was once again visible on earth. Astronomers estimate it passes approx. every 74 to 75 yrs. apart and I got to thinking that my mother saw it twice since she was born in 1910 (the year Samuel Clemons died) and lived until 1995, ten years after its 1985 return. Though we tend to get nostalgic for our loved ones and wish they were here to see what is happening now, we don't realize all the experiences and adventures they had which we will never know and will never come again. Every era has its redeeming events and we have no choice but to live in the world in which we find ourselves. My mom fondly remembered the depression years as being her favorite for special memories even though they were living an austere life. She was in the bloom of youth, beautifully good-looking, madly in love with her husband, had her children then and enjoyed endless good friends and made life-long relationships. She lived close to the 1939 World's Fair in NYC for that year. The lack of money was part of her joy-filled memories of "making-do", simple amusements like the beach above (they had buses), common every-day activities were relished, no car, no vacations, thrifty creative cooking, just totally embracing the intangible happiness of loving and living life. She never seemed envious or resentful of the affluent, but thrived in living her life with enthusiasm and survived well into the age of computers, space stations and skype, surely a life well-lived. Yes, time machines would be great, but will never happen, so we might as well live while we can. Unlike Halley's comet, we only go around once. Those SwimmiesThose "large swimmies" are probably Ayvad's Water-Wings, made in Hoboken. Meant for either adults or children as an aid to swimming or learning to swim, they were canvas, coated on the inside with some sort of water-repellent substance, and had a stopper made out of wood and metal. I have an old pair in pristine condition. You can still find them quite frequently on eBay. I think they were marketed from about 1900 to 1930, so there are lots of pairs still out there. You can also spot them in old mail order catalogues. Harlot!Who is the slut showing her knees just above the SHORPY watermark?! Re: a bit sadThe comment regarding people living in these times and having all these new inventions reminds me of my grandmother, who was born in 1903 and lived on a farm for her first 20 years. She died at age 105 in 2008. About five years ago I asked her what she thought was the most important improvement had happened in her lifetime. To my surprise she said the invention of the tractor was the happiest for her. It unburdened the hard life the draft horses on the farm had. They still used them to pull the wagon to take them to town, but they didn't have to work in the fields anymore. Grandma was sharp as a tack til the day she died, so it wasn't dementia talking. The StrandI see a building with signage calling it the Strand. I am familiar with one in Galveston, TX which has historical significance back to prior the famous 1900 hurricane. Are these related? Was there a chain of Hotels under this name? ["Strand" means beach. - Dave] (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
All Suits Sterilized: 1910
"Hot day at Coney Island." Circa 1910. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. What ... can't see). Sterilized I think that a silent film "Coney Island" had some reference to renting bathing suits. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 5:57pm -

"Hot day at Coney Island." Circa 1910. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. What we have here is an ocean of people and a puddle of ocean. What is it?What is the guy to the left with cigarette in his mouth, holding in his hands? Compare and Contrasthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/graciepoo/182734002/ I find it interesting how muscular almost all the guys are. It seems like every one of them has clear muscular definition in his arms. The same scene today looks nothing like that in terms of body physique. Cig guyit looks like he's holding a picture on a handle. why it's on a handle, i can't imagine, but that's what it seems. Pix on a stickPhotos. Selling them, I guess. He's holding an example of the finished product. MuscularMen worked much harder in those days, and women too. Even men with office jobs had duties such has hauling in coal for heat in the winter, plus industrial jobs were much harder then, demanding much more physical energy than today, and especially men in the farm industry, they had to work probably ten times what they do today. My grandfather said that a day of work began at dawn and ended at dusk, as he put it; "See 'til can't see". When I ask him about getting into trouble as a teenager, he said "You were so tired and wore out that you did not have the time or energy to get in trouble" No Beach BlanketsLook how many people are burying themselves in the sand. Staying cool, or having fun? The woman at Cig Guy's feet did have legs, I presume. ThinPeople were also not guzzling fruit juice and soft drinks 24/7. No Big Macs either. what he's holdingHe is holding what is now days called a 3D view finder. Your eye piece went on the end of the piece he is holding in his left hand. (He appears to be folding or unfolding that piece) There are 3 pictures to a slide. You then can move the picture right or left to see them individually in 3D. You're right about those bodies.Sure different from today! As for working from before dawn to after dusk, the old-timers in Texas say "from cain't to cain't" (can't see until can't see). SterilizedI think that a silent film "Coney Island" had some reference to renting bathing suits. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0007819/plotsummary Wonderful Snapshot in TimeWOW! I could sit and study this photo for hours, really. I think people were more handsome back then precisely because they were less self-conscieous and far less preoccupied over their looks. Great site! Anti- Rash cream availableThe thought of wet wool, and heat, mixed in with an extra bonus...sand. Sanitize all you want. More money could have been made selling anti-rash creams. (The Gallery, Coney Island, G.G. Bain, Swimming)
Luna Park: 1905
"Luna Park at Night." Coney Island circa 1905. Time exposure on an 8x10 glass negative. Detroit Publishing ... It is just wrong, so wrong, that I never made it to Coney Island in its Glory Days. This picture is spectacular! My only trip ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:13pm -

"Luna Park at Night." Coney Island circa 1905. Time exposure on an 8x10 glass negative. Detroit Publishing Company, Library of Congress. View full size. Hello wall......meet your newest print. Mmm mmm. Fabulous! Fabulous, indeed.It is just wrong, so wrong, that I never made it to Coney Island in its Glory Days. This picture is spectacular! My only trip was around 1990, and while still fun (my brother had to retrieve my headband from behind the "Breakdancer" ride, which whipped us in giddy circles -- and which we nicknamed "The Backbreaker" after our third time!), it was definitely a little seedy. As we left, the streetlights and stoplights went out and police officers were trying to direct the honking, yelling HORDES in near pitch blackness. There were five of us in our little Volkswagen with Texas plates--scared out of our minds and trying to get back to Staten Island. We still talk about our night of terror at Coney Island! DreamlandWhat a beautiful photo! It looks like a fantastical place out of a voyage into someone's dreamworld. I wish I could travel back in time... I was at Coney Island just last week (taking "little ones" to the NY aquarium) and walked past Astroland and promised them a return visit to enjoy the rides. But yesterday's NY papers had headlines announcing the place is closing this Sunday! Another place where dreams and memories are made, lost forever. Cheek to CheekThis is absolutely gorgeous. Strangely enough, it reminds me of the "Venice" sequence in Fred and Ginger's "Top Hat." There's a bizarre bit of tarps or something on the left side of the picture, just where the balustrade begins to descend, right above the people. It almost looks like something collapsed there. Any idea what it was? [They might be the tin hills that formed the backdrop of a spectacle called "The Fall of Port Arthur" -- the reenactment of a naval battle in the Russo-Japanese War. - Dave] re: Cheek to CheekI hadn't meant that part of the photo (though that's pretty interesting--I've never seen tin hills before!). I was speaking about something below the A and M of "Alhambra", directly over the heads of the people in line. This site is awesome, by the way! I've been checking in here for about a year, though only just registered for comments this past week. [More faux rocks, perhaps. - Dave] (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
At the Zoo: 1904
New York circa 1904. "The goat carriages, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:32pm -

New York circa 1904. "The goat carriages, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Low-steppin' struttersYou can purchase your new surrey equipped with propulsion ranging from 1 to 2 gp. Fringe extra. RentalsHope the kiddies didn't beat those goats like a rented mule. TopperlessFar right, guy under Young's Hats parasol is NOT wearing a hat! In 1905, wasn't that pretty much the next thing to running around nekkid? "Ry"To my googling amazement, abbreviation for Railway. West 10th street todayThose were the days. The Scenic RailwayL.A. Thompson's Scenic Railway was in fact the earliest roller coaster-type ride, introduced by LaMarcus Adna Thompson in 1884 as a "switchback railway" in which the passengers would ride in their car from one tower to another and then be "switched back" for the return trip. A few years later it was converted to a looping ride after the introduction of the first roller coaster with a lift hill. It's not clear how long it operated in its original form but Thompson did patent his version of the scenic railway, which included painted backdrops and tunnels. The entrance to that ride is what we're seeing here and in the pony photo. Never crossed my mindBeing from the South and hearing about Coney Island all my life, I didn't think of it having a zoo. Always pictured a carnival atmosphere with a lot of rides, but not wagons pulled by goats. Hey!Look at all the kids! If you don't like pony ridehttps://www.shorpy.com/node/7951 (The Gallery, Animals, Coney Island, DPC, Kids)
24 and 26: 1917
... plonking replies, such as: "That's Luna Park at Coney Island. The big fish sculptures at the base of the tower are the giveaway" or ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:07pm -

"Auto wreck, Mass. Ave., Washington circa 1917." A comment on our earlier post of this accident correctly pegged the location as Massachusetts Avenue at 21st Street N.W. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Religious Action CenterAlthough the idea of a Baptist night club is pretty delightful, kinda like Amish Karaoke Night, it's not really that kind of "action." The Arthur and Sara Jo Kobacker Building, 2027 Massachusetts Avenue NW at Kivie Kaplan Way, is home to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, a lobbying organization. Where's the Crowd?I think this is the first accident photo I've seen on Shorpy where there isn't a group of people standing around looking at the wreck or the photographer. Darn it!Dave, you stole what was going to be my comment with the title of the post! Only 26 cars in DC, and two are right here. The real question is what car or other large moving object hit #26, as it appears that #24 is just pulled to the curb parked. Psychic Midget!The kid obviously crushed the vehicle with her telekinetic powers. It's always the midget! 24Seems to have a tiller instead of a steering wheel. AhhhhWith this photo, we now have the complete scenario: A. The vehicle was parked at the curb when it was struck. (Evidence the parking brake is set, photo 1.) B. The rope had secured the vehicle to the lamp post. (DC had a vehicle theft problem since the Jefferson buggy incident of 1803.) C. I am so full of it. WindowsThe most interesting thing about this picture is the exterior Venetian blinds on the corner house. Someone needs to print this pictureAnd deliver it to the owners of the current address. I sure wish someone would hand me a picture of my 1918 house when it was relatively new... JazzDadI'm getting the idea, JazzDad. Ever since I found Shorpy, I've been wanting to post one of those definitive, plonking replies, such as: "That's Luna Park at Coney Island. The big fish sculptures at the base of the tower are the giveaway" or "Has to be a B-17E, look at the dorsal fin and the framed nose transparency" Someone always beats me to it. But thanks to your post, I can see whole new fields of commentary opening up...... Crash Investigationon closer inpection of the photo reveal debris from the wrecked car in the middle of the street. it was probably dragged fron there to the sidewalk. I'm amused by these photos of early century DC auto wrecks. with so few cars on the road, how did they ever find each other, then run into each other? First. . . for the obligatory streetview: View Larger Map What is that building?Someone else beat me to the Street View, but I looked alongside the building, and it is quite long. Was it a dorm, or boardinghouse, or something? I see nowThanks for the enlargement. Danged trifocals! If this were a horror movie, this might be the time someone says: "I wonder who they're trying to keep out?" Then the sidekick would say: "Or keep ... in!" Tin Door?Interesting building in the background. Why do you suppose they blocked off the doorway with sheets of corrugated tin? [Those are boards, and there's still a door. It is unusual. - Dave] It got better with ageFinally, a building that looks better today than it did 90 years ago! If you look at the back of it on Street View, it's got the oddest collection of mismatched windows. I'm with Gus Oltz: would some Washingtonian please tell us what the heck this place is? (Bonus points if you can provide interior views.) [It's the "Religious Action Center." Some sort of Baptist night club, maybe. - Dave] View Larger Map Behind the barsIt appears that there are bricks a few inches behind the bars which doesn't make sense unless it was done for decorative purposes. Perhaps to offset the horse-barn look of the front door. Y'all are right. The house is becoming more interesting than the accident. [I don't think those are bricks. - Dave] Windows TooI too am intrigued at the exterior blinds on the house. I wonder if anybody was ticketed. BarredActually, I thought it interesting to see that "security bars" were necessary at such an early date (building, right). I guess I'm kind of amused at my naivete ~ city life being what it has always been. Skid MarksLooks like the skid marks tell the tale. Accident ReconstructionThanks to the Accident Analysis Center, one of the most important research firms and reconstruction of road accidents in Spain, made an enlightening video that answers the question "What really happened?" http://www.elzo-meridianos.blogspot.com/ [All I can say is, "Wow!" (En Español: ¡Wow!) - Dave] Re: Accident ReconstructionOMG! This raises the caliber of Shorpy comments to an entirely new level. ¡Me encanta! I am still bothered by that rope, however. I think that rope is there because it was used to pull the stricken vehicle out of the intersection. Thus, the photographed resting place of this car shouldn't be assumed to be the direct result of the collision. (Perhaps this is idea is already incorporated in the "Accident Reconstruction." Por desgracia, my Spanish is not good enough to tell. Perhaps we could be blessed with an English version of this video for all us poor (ugly) Americans who only studied foreign languages in junior high school.) Reconstrucción de accidentesFor the benefit of fellow English-speaking visitors, I've made a translation of the texts included in the fantastic accident reconstruction video posted here. Hope this can make the magnificent video easier to understand. -.-.- Found at www.elzo-meridianos.blogspot.com A 100-year-old traffic accident. It’s always amusing to see old pictures. By looking at these 1917 photographs it looks like we haven’t improved at all. An almost daily picture, where we see we have hardly learned anything. On it you can see a wrecked car on the curbside at Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C. It was the longest street in the Capital, formerly known as Millionaire’s Row, now Embassy Row. It’s impressive to see the massive damage, seeing a lonely child watching the wrecked car. You can see the broken wooden spokes of the destroyed wheels. The license numbers of the vehicles involved in the crash are perfectly clear: numbers 26 and 24. Many questions arise when we see these amazing pictures; what actually happened here? What actually happened? Warning The information in the following video DOES NOT correspond to a rigorous case study. We don’t have the necessary and mandatory starting point data for any serious traffic accident investigation (conditions of traffic, measurements, forensic analysis of the vehicles, etc.) The following video only offers an appreciation based on the photographs and developed by sheer fun. Center for the Analysis of Accidents Investigation and Research of Traffic Accidents -.-.- EXHIBITS Exhibit A: Impact point Exhibit B: Skid marks (left wheels) Exhibit C: Skid marks (right wheels, less visible) A priori, the vehicle parked at the curbside with license number 24, does not seem to be involved in the accident. There is no appreciable damage or deformations, not even on the front of the vehicle. There are not spilled liquids under it, nor any apparent evidence that could imply it had any part in the accident. It only has the top pulled to the back without folding; that way it took less time to put it on place in case of rain. Had it been involved in the crash, the front of the car should show appreciable damage, even from the point where this photo was taken. The stick protruding from the left is the steering cane, a forerunner of today’s steering wheels. Possible mechanics of the accident The car on the photograph (represented in red in the reconstruction) could be driving on 21 St due North, with the intention of either continuing on the same direction or turning right on the intersection. Another vehicle (represented on blue) was driving on Massachusetts Avenue, due west. When it reached the intersection, the car of the photo, either due to loss of control or because of a mechanical problem, or because the driver tried to make the turn at an excessive speed, starts to skid to the right. It leaves skid marks in the shape of a fan. The marks made by the left-side wheels are darker than those from the right-side wheels, because the left wheels were exerting more friction. An impact is produced, of the type frontal – lateral, damaging mainly the rear-left section of the car. The rear wheels could break at this moment as a result of the impact, since they were bent on an opposite direction from the movement of the car with which the vehicle crashed. Washington, D.C., 1917. Massachusetts Avenue 21st Street It is unlikely that the position on which the car was photographed was its authentic final position after the accident. Probably it was towed away to the curbside so that it wouldn’t obstruct the traffic on the street. In order to move the car, they could have used the rope that appears to be tied to the rear of the car, with the other end of the rope left in the interior of the vehicle after the maneuver. It is possible that the car was moved to this location in order to allow the leaking fuel to fall to the sewer, in an attempt to prevent possible accidental fires; who knows what policies or procedures followed the towing services back then? Wow!Unbelievably cool reconstruction of the accident! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo)
Dreamland in Color: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Dreamland Park, Coney Island" ( original image ). It's hard to believe it all burned to the ground. ... 
 
Posted by Avzam - 03/17/2012 - 7:07pm -

New York circa 1905. "Dreamland Park, Coney Island" (original image). It's hard to believe it all burned to the ground. This was one heck of a coloring job but I was intrigued to see Dreamland as it might have been. If only we could visit this amazing place. View full size. Comments"Where other colorization jobs often appear unnatural and garish " - well, thanks. Maybe you'd like to give it a go? However - well done Avzam. It is really a good piece of work, and at least you're getting comments. Colorizations never seem to warrant them no matter how much work has been put into them or how good they are (and I'm talking here not of mine, but some other very talented colorizers whose work is on here). [This might be a good time to point out the link to the Colorized Photos gallery down the left-hand column that some may be overlooking. - tterrace] Nice WorkDespite my mixed feelings about artificially colorized images you have done an excellent job with this photo. DetailsI don't think you missed one! Most excellent job! I ConcurSome colorization's come out feeling too ... something. I don't know what it is. Yours looks natural and balanced. Just wowNice job! Superb, Avzam!Exceptional work. Whadaya mean?Looking at that, I feel like I am there now. Beautiful RestorationExcellent! Even the little boy about to go swimming. Neat, neat neat! Absolutely GorgeousI love this so much, I could practically marry it. This is gorgeous. The saturation and balance is right on target. It looks "correct," if you know what I mean; I can look at this photo and believe it. That's a tough target to hit, but you've done it. Excellent attention to detail. Everwhere I look I see variation. This isn't a photo that was colorized; this is a photo that was restored. I expect this took freakin' forever to do. NiceI am not a big fan of colorization of old photos, but as someone else mentioned already, this feels natural and "real." Nice job. Fantastic!I didn't realize Eastman was experimenting with Kodachrome this early. The B&W original is very interesting, but this colorized version actually makes me a little sad I couldn't have gone there. Truly excellent work, Avzam. ImpressiveWonderful job, well done. Thankyou Wow!I have been visiting Shorpy for years but never as a registered user. This photo impressed me so much I felt compelled to register just to leave this comment! Like others who have commented I'm not really a fan of colorization, but your photo is absolutely spot on. Where other colorization jobs often appear unnatural and garish yours seems almost perfectly balanced. The fact that it is a Coney Island photo (one of my favourite subjects) is simply icing on the cake. I can't wait to see your other photo projects. Simply excellent. Off-the-chart effort. I hopeOff-the-chart effort. I hope all the praise the community is giving you brings cheer. =) Really an exquisite jobReally an exquisite job. I can't imagine how you did it; it must have taken hours. But the result is stunningly realistic. I'd love to see you take on some of the glorious street scenes on Shorpy. Natural-looking color adds so much life. Only your set dresser knows for sureChecking my daily Shorpy newsletter via my cell, l scooted this image around on the screen checking out details before seeing the note that it HAD been colorized. Honest to goodness, I had no idea. Didn't even cross my mind I wasn't looking at a color photo. I'm glad I didn't notice the title or caption first; it was the best "Wow" moment I've had for quite a while. Thank you. Very Nice Job!With the colorization, more of the details are noticeable. For example, the pavilion on the right that dramatizes the "Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. Forget Six Flags, I wanna go here!Another excellent colorization of an old amusement park. I can almost feel the spray from the Shoot-The-Chute as I speak. With all the over-dressed [by our modern standards, anyway] folks in the photo, it's nice to see one person--the little kid on the beach at lower right--is bucking the trend and going his own way. "Dang it, it's summertime and I'm gonna be comfortable!" And, given the park's demise by fire several years later, I find the exhibits on "Fighting Flames" and "The Great Baltimore Fire" somewhat prophetic. SpectacularAnyone who thinks colorization is always a bad thing for historic photographs needs to go to Avzam's web site (http://paintedback.blogspot.com/). Scroll down to the one with the Greyhound bus and the Royal Crown Cola sign for a real treat. AmazedI am amazed at the color detail of this picture. How in the world does one begin to colorize a photo like this? Do you look at old colorized postcards to get a sense of which colors to use or just jump in and use whatever seems right? There are some really great colorized photos here on Shorpy. Thanks to all the contributors. (ShorpyBlog, Colorized Photos)
Revved: 1913
May 27, 1913. "Auto polo, Coney Island." This is the last of the auto polo pics (I promise). 5x7 glass ... View full size. Help me with this one Coney Island has had its share of roller coasters. But what was the name of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/27/2009 - 4:56am -

May 27, 1913. "Auto polo, Coney Island." This is the last of the auto polo pics (I promise). 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Help me with this oneConey Island has had its share of roller coasters. But what was the name of the one on the right? Double DippersThe "Dip the Dips" coaster was built in 1911, joined by "The Little Dipper" a year later. Take your pick. Look at the smoke!I guess auto polo enthusiasts cared little for cracked cylinder heads or engine blocks, given the number of cracked human heads that must have resulted. The last one?Aw, this was an awesome little series. So epic! CrazyThis was a time when a broken leg could mean amputation. What kind of Nimrod would do this? DreamlandThat coaster matches very nicely with the one visible on the right in the common panoramic shot of the Dreamland fire aftermath. So I think this was taken on Dreamland Park, the city's fanciful name for the sandlot left after all the debris was finally cleared from the site, until it was turned into a parking lot in 1923. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Coney Island, G.G. Bain)
Splash: 1905
Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Surf bathing." Splashing around in the ocean -- ... what they used before velcro wraps. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:41pm -

Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Surf bathing." Splashing around in the ocean -- the latest fad. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. ObservationMostly Women. Hubba Hubba! 24 Hour FitnessThis guy is ripped for 1905! And what's that on his wrist, looks like one of those wide 1960's watch bands. [He's also seen here. - Dave] Cookie cutter swimsuitsThat old adage "You are each unique" (just like everybody else) really shows up here. How monotonous the beachwear and the hairstyles were. With all the similar girls holding the rope, it reminds me of those cut-out paperdolls which are all connected by the hands, which they show in many movies but which I have never seen or created in real life. Have fun kids, in 106 years we will all be dead. Outstanding The clarity of this photo is amazing. I look at the faces and almost expect them to start speaking. ConeheadBehind the two women in the foreground, is that a woman wearing a hat resembling a lamp shade? If I Could Turn Back TimeI would do everything in my power to date the doll holding the sunhat looking at the camera. I could be my own Grandpa! SweetI love the way the splash is caught right behind the two laughing girls. Why We Love These TimesHis dreams were of a paradise that is only because it has always been. The waves of the surf will breathe theirs lives as the Earth's heartbeat and in each rush of in or out is rebirth. He was dreaming nothing that has not been already dreamed by the sage as well as the student. The truth of the overlying immutable is in the experience of these things that hold us with that immutability. Reality is like the palms of the Creator holding each & everyone of us: at the back, by the head, in the guts & by the groin. Reality is not a thought at this level so we must comprehend the essence of the concentration of respiration to understand & then better experience the reality; this respiration, because of it very nature of repetitive concentration becomes the object that always has wear & tear. Not to be DIY or Home Depot crazy, but a little rehab & fix & re-fix is called for at every turn. He knew that the wave was the wear and that the wear was the fun. Go to the beach & go to Home Depot: fix or re-fix that broken thing. Attempt the repair for it is good & for everyone & everything, request the ease of the waves of the sea. Perfect Picture for a day with a heat index over 105. More of the same, please. On the RopesIn many of these photographs there is a rope or a number of ropes going from the shore out into the water. I've never seen these in real life. What is their purpose? [To hold onto. - Dave] This guy is ripped for 1905??People had muscles in 1905. People worked in 1905. In fact I would suspect that a young man was more likely to be in good physical shape in 1905 because there were so many more manual labor jobs. We look at these old pictures and the scenes look so foreign to us that sometimes we forget these are real people just like us, with the same desires and the same problems. Revenge of the swimsuit clonesContributing to the uniformity of the swim suits is that probably most are wearing rentals. See the two young men in the foreground with "BALMERS" across their chests. Balmer's Bathing Pavilion rented lockers and suits and provided showers as well as the rope guides. They also appear to have controlled at least a chunk of beach access. Effective UV Protection Without ChemicalsI predict a big comeback for wool "beach stockings" next summer. Strapping guyYes you are right about that wrist band on the muscle man vintagetv. In Dave's other photo it really looks like a watch band with two straps and buckles. Wonder if he lifted weights in the days before instructions and trainers and developed some carpal tunnel. Maybe that's what they used before velcro wraps. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming)
Dreamland at Night: 1905
Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Dreamland at night." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... seen it then I lived in the NYC during the 70's. Coney Island was a good place to get stabbed and looked really down in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:15pm -

Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Dreamland at night." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Mysterious GlowAs a amateur photographer, I am wondering how the lighting was applied to give certain sections a highlighted glow. The results render a beautiful and serene photograph. [Nothing was "applied." It's a time exposure. - Dave] The White CityI just finished (long overdue) reading the nonfiction book "Devil in the White City." I can really appreciate, after reading that, how widely spread the Columbian World Exposition's influence really was -- but nowhere as much as here in Dreamland. Looks likea negative. Really cool pic! Thanks for posting it! Bright Light! Bright Light!Gremlins wouldn't like this place at all. Wish I'd seen it thenI lived in the NYC during the 70's. Coney Island was a good place to get stabbed and looked really down in the mouth. It must have once been a magical place. That auraThe haloish effect is from light diffusing into the glass behind the emulsion. Gone six years laterSadly, Dreamland was destroyed by a fire in 1911 and never rebuilt. GlowingThe effect is probably (at least in part) due to an uncoated lens, as well as maybe other factors. Uncoated lenses will let the light bounce around inside the lens several times before it hits the film/plate. As well as possible internal reflections inside the camera. I like uncoated lenses on 4x5 and 8x10 because they do give a subtle soft glow, without being in-your-face like some portrait lenses with a diffusion element. But in the dead of night with bright lights like this one, the glow will be magnified against the pitch black sky and really stand out big. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
Personality Fat Girl: 1938
... known for their banners advertising circus midways and Coney Island sideshows -- and also their artistic renderings of zaftig women. I have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/19/2009 - 2:56am -

August 1938. "Sideshow, county fair, central Ohio." 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Jazzy BrollyI really like the carnival barker's sun umbrella. It could easily be sold in Bloomingdale's haberdashery dept. today. One wonders what the colors were. Huggin' and Chalkin'The posters immediately recall to me Hoagy Carmichael's song hit, recorded by him for Decca in 1946. I first heard it about 1990, sung cheerfully one evening at a dinner party, by a friend in her sixties who remembered it word for word. Huggin' and Chalkin' I got a gal who's mighty sweet Big blue eyes and tiny feet Her name is Rosabelle Magee And she tips the scales at three-oh-three. Oh, gee, but ain't it grand to have a gal so big and fat That when you go to hug her, you don't know where you're at You have to take a piece of chalk in your hand And hug a ways and chalk a mark to see where you began. One day I was a-huggin' and a-chalkin' and a-chalkin' and a-huggin' away When I met another fella with some chalk in his hand A-comin' around the other side - over the mountain! - A-comin' around the other side. Where's Jenny Craig?She could make a "big" splash today with advertisements and reality shows. Proto BoteroThis bewildered me enough for me to do a little research. The artists whose names are on the posters, Millard and Bulsterbaum, were apparently well known for their banners advertising circus midways and Coney Island sideshows -- and also their artistic renderings of zaftig women. I have to admit that though this woman is of majestic dimensions, it's still an oddly flattering image. The Library of Congress has another one (photo by Jack Delano) that's even more unique. Millard and Bulsterbaum!Inside Jim Secreto’s 8,500-square-foot photography studio in suburban Detroit, rare and unusual works of 20th-century folk art fly from the rafters and emblazon the walls. The rarest and most unusual piece in the collection, "Only 3-Legged Football Player in the World! -- Alive," was acquired from veteran showman and banner connoisseur Kent Danner. "It has incredible provenance," says Secreto, “because it was painted by Millard and Bulsterbaum, who were considered the best in the business. [The original article by Tricia Vita, from which this paragraph was taken, can be read here.] LMAOThat's the best comment ever to appear on Shorpy! Why pay for what you can get freeJust think - at a county fair in central Ohio nowadays, you would not need to pay either a dime (for adults) or a nickel (for kids) to see a girl as fat as the one in the Coney Island produced picture. There'd be plenty of them all around you! (Don't know if they'd have that "personality" though! Progress?What used to be so rare as to have sideshow status you can now see in the aisles of any Wal-Mart. County Fairs and CarnivalsThe Old County Fairs and neighborhood carnivals were always great fun. When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for them to come to town every year. Todays kids don't know what they missed. Great side shows, rides, and cotton candy. The "Too Fat" PolkaAlthough it is definitely not fair that in today's society, the only people we are allowed to make sport of are overweight people (who are never off-limits), this reminds me of a very insulting polka that used to be sung in my youth: I don't want her, you can have her, She's too fat for me, she's too fat for me. I get dizzy, I get numb-o, When I'm dancing with my jumb jumb jumbo. I don't want her, you can have her She's too fat for me, she's too fat, She's too fat, too fat for me! Life of the Fat WomanI have to wonder at the life of the fat woman. Did she enjoy touring, seeing new cities? Was she mocked constantly? What a life it must have been. Not so jolly fat peopleTo a Fat Lady Seen From the Train O Why do you walk through the fields in gloves,       Missing so much and so much? O Fat White Woman whom nobody loves, Why do you walk through the fields in gloves, When the grasss is soft as the breast of doves       And shivering sweet to the touch? O Why do you walk through the fields in gloves,       Missing so much and so much? -- Frances Cornford This may give some insight to previous anonymous tipster who wondered about the life of the fat lady. You may also watch the movie "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" The LadyThe lady was not quite as well trimmed as Millard made her out to be, but she was quite content with her lot. After all, around twenty million of us were either starving or on the verge of starvation at the time, and anyone who could afford a layout was on the road, scuffling for every copper they could get. For some, it was a suitcase and three pieces of half round secured with a leather thong, the "tripes and keister" of the pitchman. Those who lacked the talent to "work a tip" did what they could. For the lady, it meant displaying her ample charms up to 16 hours a day, and a 36 hour stretch with very little sleep on tear down and go days. But seeing new towns? Hardly. A carny hardly had time to leave the lot, and if you did, the locals generally looked at you like you had two heads. Sometimes you saw something that interested you, out of a truck cab, but it was gone by the time you could turn your head to look. Another View of the Fat GirlAnother view of the same Side Show, with a clearer view the "art." I note that kids could get in to see the Fat Lady for a nickel! During the early 1970s when I was in my early teens, I couldn't get in to the "girly" sideshows. I was just too damned young! (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Sports)
All Aboard: 1905
New York circa 1905. "The miniature railway, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 10:48am -

New York circa 1905. "The miniature railway, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. EvidentlyThere was a certain amount of turnover in the engineer department. What's it sayOn the front of the locomotive? ["THE MINIATURE RAILWAY CO. - 407 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, U.S.A. - 1904" - Dave] Cagney BrothersThe Cagney Brothers' "Miniature Railway Company" began building steam locomotives in 1894. Its popular 15-inch gauge 4-4-0 was a crude replica of New York Central No. 999. For many decades these engines could be found working at amusement parks, zoos, city parks and fairs across the United States. Remarkably, they were actively marketed for practical uses such as mine service, but found their greatest sales for use as a novelty and amusement item. All in all, Cagney built about 1300 locomotives in many different sizes and gauges before it went out of business in 1948. http://www.steamlocomotive.info/F122002.cfm Comic ReliefBuster Brown takes a day off from his newspaper job. Daddy yawnAs a father, I can identify with the gentleman in the boater, who is apparently in mid-yawn, waiting with his young charge for the next go-around. Cagney BrothersThey had addresses at 301, 407 and finally 74 Broadway. Their home was in Jersey City and eventually all company offices were relocated to NJ. This locomotive is a 15 inch gauge Class D Heavy design developed prior to the 1904 St Louis Worlds Fair. Note the two broken studs, top and LH - probably the nuts were overtightened when the smoke box cover was removed for tube cleaning. The locomotives were manufactured in Niagara Falls by the McGarigle Machine Company and later in Jersey City The columnAnd what is this column with steering wheel? Can anyone shed some light? Admit 1The column is a ticket collecting station. The wheel turned a rotary comb device that prevented tickets being removed and reused. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Railroads)
Helter-Skelter: 1905
... New York circa 1905. "The Helter Skelter, Luna Park, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:18pm -

New York circa 1905. "The Helter Skelter, Luna Park, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Free Helter-Skelter Public Opinion, Vol. 39, 1905. A City's Summer Resort … There, are clowns here, too, and trained animals, and in addition a free helter-skelter where you can climb upstairs and slide down a narrow chute. Some of the children do this with such joy and frequency that their mothers find it almost necessary to bring extra clothes for them to wear home when the sliding is over. Born too lateI would have loved zooming down this slide as a child. The surroundings would have helped to make it exciting too -- the playful, ornate architecture, the big (and poisonous!) castor bean plant, the ice cream and of course, a rapt audience. I found them!The two little girls from The Shining, right there in black and white. Girls' DressesGirls: Pleeeease, Granpa, can we go for a ride? Grandma: Not in your new dresses! Did the riders sit on a piece of carpet or something? This surface looks a bit rough. Is that a soda/acid fire extinguisher on the left? Probably not as fun as it looksconsidering the darned thing appears to be covered in corduroy. Just Add WaterAnd wah-la -- the world's first water slide! [Is this how the kids are spelling "voila" these days? - Dave] Only us stupid kids. :D SpotlessHaving grown up and lived in New York for most of my life, I can only marvel at how clean and wholesome Coney Island once was. Even when I was a child it was filthy and not quite the place whee nice people went, and only continued to sink into what little is left of it now. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
Lost Horizon: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Surf bathing at Coney Island. Children swinging on pier rope." 8½ x 6½ glass negative, Detroit ... inspiration Nothing is more urban than New York's Coney Island, so it is no surprise where Elaine Benes got the idea for the name ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 4:53pm -

New York circa 1905. "Surf bathing at Coney Island. Children swinging on pier rope." 8½ x 6½ glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Swim SuitsI wonder why these children are so dressed up at the beach. I love this picture. You are really witnessing a slice of life here. TraditionI just goes to prove that it doesn't matter what period or era: show a kid a rope like that and they've gotta take a swing on it. That's a wonderful picture, great angle for the shot and intimacy [sp?] being right among the children. Kids Will Be KidsNo matter the time period. That would've been meOn the right, high above the water, hanging on for dear life! As Mae West once said, "A girl who knows the ropes isn't likely to get tied up!" Ah, Elaine's inspirationNothing is more urban than New York's Coney Island, so it is no surprise where Elaine Benes got the idea for the name of her "Urban Sombrero" as featured in the 1997 J. Peterman catalog. Make your own shade, little wader, make your own shade. Wait a sec. That rope on the right. Are we watching children being whisked up and away by some unseen power, some evil thing that is - oh, I don't know - saucer-shaped? Or perhaps they are just now arriving, pod by pod. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Kids, Swimming)
Vital Foods: 1937
... patrons in a good mood... but I doubt that they got any Coney Island red hots, popcorn, or cotton candy inside. Am I wrong, or is this a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:35pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. Exterior of the Happy News Cafe (described in a 1933 news item as "the new dietitian restaurant for the unemployed") at 1727 Seventh Street N.W. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. The font says, "It's circus time!"There's nothing like Bozo The Clown-style lettering on the sign to put the patrons in a good mood... but I doubt that they got any Coney Island red hots, popcorn, or cotton candy inside. Am I wrong, or is this a charity soup kitchen that was "tricked out" to look like a real restaurant? Maybe in an attempt to spare people the embarrassment of taking a handout meal? Bernarr McFadden connectionNote the name "Bernarr McFadden Foundation." McFadden was a famous proponent of exercise and nutrition. A search on Google for "Bernarr McFadden" "Happy News Cafe" turns up exactly one reference - on Google Books - which explains the connection nicely. Day by day in every wayDay by day in every way, I am getting well (Ha!) I am filled with health and strength, More than I can tell (Ho!) Now I know, I can go All along the way (Ha!) Growing better all the time, And singing every day! (Ho!) -- Marching anthem by Bernarr Macfadden, to be sung with gusto Don't know if I would want to eat there. Some interesting articles written about him and his Foundation. Makes Mr. Kellogg's health regime seem mild. The bikeCan someone identify that great bicycle parked out front? What is that cylindrical object between the frame members? Tough TimesI note the "Ladies Dining Room" is upstairs... We wouldn't want any fraternizing with the enemy! And since they make a point that the food is actually served at a table, you know these were tough days in the Depression because that means that many places were more like soup lines. Tire pumpThe cylindrical object on the bike is a tire pump. I carry one on my bike in exactly the same place. Clowns to the Left, Jokers to the RightDig the "Ladies Dining Room." Speaking as a man, I say let's bring this idea back. About Bernarr MacfaddenIt's worth checking out the somewhat hilarious Wikipedia entry on him. Apparently a bit of a celebrity in his time, this was the first I've heard of him. The FoundationI see the Happy News Cafe was sponsored by the Bernarr MacFadden Foundation. MacFadden was a physical-culture promoter and magazine publisher. Interesting, that in the next picture, the cafe customers are all African Americans. Was the restaurant segregated or perhaps, was it placed in a black neighborhood intentionally? Were there other places like this in DC at the time? GraphicsThat main sign is super! It really helps make the point about the establishment! But if the "Ladies Dining Room" was upstairs, why need that No Smoking sign downstairs? It would appear that there was really no bother about where the Ladies ate. Which would be logical. [Because there were plenty of ladies who ate downstairs. - Dave] Elder Solomon Michaux and Bernarr MacfaddenAccording to his obituary in the New York Times, Elder Solomon Michaux's Good Neighbor League fed "250,000 indigent people at its Happy News Cafe on Seventh Street in Washington" in 1933. Bernarr Macfadden was the author of books like "Virile Powers of Superb Manhood" (1900) and "Strenuous Lover" (1904), as well as "Constipation: Its Cause, Effect, and Treatment" (1924) and the always-compelling "Predetermine Your Baby's Sex" (1926). In other words, he appears to have been into most of the fads -- many of them now viewed as hard science -- of the 20th century. 9-Cent Banquet Washington Post, Jul 1, 1933 Educators Attend 9-Cent "Banquet" A Barnarr McFadden "banquet," at a cost of 9 cents a person, was attended yesterday at the new dietitian restaurant for unemployed, 1727 Seventh street northwest, by Dr. Mordecai W. Johnson, president of Howard University, and Garnet C. Wilkinson, assistant superintendent of schools. They inspected the penny plant and expressed approval of its sanitary and scientific features. Elder Michaux, who is giving all surplus foods each day for benefit of worthy colored families, was also in the party, as was Dr. Emmett J. Scott, Howard University secretary, and member of the parole board. Arthur C. Newman, Guy D. Glassford and Eloise Skinner, completed the party. LadiesThere appears to some discrepencies between this photo and the previous one of the same cafe. In this one there is a sign that says the ladies dining room is upstairs while the previous one shows everyone eating together. There is also a sign on the window of this one that says everyone is "served at the table" while the previous one shows everyone going through a line cafeteria style. [Lots of restaurants had "ladies dining rooms" for women who preferred them. That doesn't mean they couldn't eat downstairs in mixed company. - Dave] Still there! Happy News!Just older and drabber, that's all. View Larger Map Battery case.I think the cylinder is the battery case for the headlight. I'm working on the bike brand. Bike is either a Colson or a Huffman Best I can tell. Both of these bikes of this vintage had the radical curve in the twin bars near the seat. Stuck in the dining room with...Dig the "Ladies Dining Room." Speaking as a man, I say let's bring this idea back. Speaking as a lady, I couldn't agree more. Throwing a history fitI wonder if there is a plaque or any historical marker attached to that building? That cafe was a pretty cool and historically significant place, in my opinion. Is it on the historical preservation list? It appears that the buildings to either side have been replaced since 1937. What is the use of the building today? It looks pretty shabby and forgotten in time. No Lock!Best thing about the bike is that I don't see a lock.....probably had no need for one in those days. Wow, A time full of honesty! Final wordIn these days, maybe it would be appropriate for some enterprising individual to reopen the Happy News Cafe in the original location. Great name for a coffee shoppe as well! And a tribute to the building's past glory. Why not? Shelby AirfloThe bike is a mid to late 1930's Shelby Airflo. It's unusual to see this model sporting the chrome (or stainless steel) fenders but without the "tank." It is loaded with the lighting accessories. Delta "Silver-Ray" headlight on the front fender, a Delta "Horn-Lite" (horn and a headlight combined) on the handlebar, and the Delta "Defender" taillight. The aluminum tube held the batteries. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)
The Billboard Jungle: 1907
... for use on ground level tracks at the ends of the lines in Coney Island, Canarsie Shore, and Fresh Pond, there are still cables between the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 6:58pm -

The Brooklyn Bridge Promenade and Manhattan Terminal in 1907 -- a view glimpsed earlier on Shorpy, with the addition of a train. Here we have a better view of the signs. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Tweed CourthouseI believe just about everything in this picture is gone now (except of course for the Brooklyn Bridge). One exception is that hexagonal dome in the middle distance. That belongs to the infamous New York County Courthouse. In the 1870s William Macy "Boss" Tweed managed to charge the taxpayers of New York a total of about $12 million for building that actually wound up costing $476,000. Now that's BIG TIME graft. The courthouse stood for a century, an embarrassing reminder of New York's Gilded Age heyday of corruption. It finally got a beautiful restoration over that last few years, and has had a new lease on life. Quite a grand structure, after all. Cerotypesce·ro·type (sîr-tp, sr-) n. The process of preparing a printing surface for electrotyping by first engraving on a wax-coated metal plate. [Greek kros, wax + type.] I wasn't familiar with this term. Francis Wilson (1854–1935)The Philadelphia‐born comedian began performing while still a youngster and spent time in minstrelsy before acting in plays. Most notable among his later successes were his Sir Guy De Vere in "When Knights Were Bold" (1907) and Thomas Beach in his own play, "The Bachelor's Baby" (1909). Marie LloydInteresting to see the name of Marie Lloyd above the Francis Wilson sign. She was the most famous and highest paid entertainer on the British "music hall" at the time as well. In 1907 she was in a major confrontation between performers and theatre owners in the UK. Not exactly highbrowIn addition to Francis Wilson, we have Marie Lloyd, known for her suggestive lyrics. Sign!"Sign, Sign everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery breaking my mind, do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign? Fletcher's CastoriaGod forbid you were a constipated child when your mom kept a bottle of this in the house. YECH! Annnd - they still make it. "Root Beer Flavor" my aunt Fanny! Phew!I lost you after you said "Orpheumorpheum" ! I'm intrigued by the dates? on the right foreground such as "Feb 26 05" and the others on the lidded box "19-8-15 and 18-16-25". Any Shorpologists that can appease my curiosity? Either that's a negative scratchor Rapunzel is living in the tall building! Sign paintingI would have loved being a sign painter back then. People put so much effort into their lettering. Even the most mundane signs used fancy lettering, drop shadows, gold leafing, etc. CartersI think the Carters sign refers to "Carter's Little Liver Pills", a nostrum even available in my youth. They were major radio program sponsors in the the 1930s and 40s. In later years the dropped the "Little" from their name and the medicine was known as "Carters Liver Pills". Milton Berle told of an Uncle that had taken those pills most of his life. He died at age 90, and two weeks later they had to beat his liver to death with a stick. Close ClearanceBoy! A Teamster really had to trust his horse or team of horses! Look at that wagon or carriage near the center of the picture! That carriage is right against the curb, and with that train passing by, it would seem that if the horse or team were to drift slightly toward the track, another 10 o'clock "news item" would occur! (Or whatever form of "news item" there would have been in those days!) NumbersIs this neat graffiti or does it have an official purpose? Is it a date, maybe Feb 26 (19)05? There are some other neatly painted numbers a little further to the right: 19-8-15 and 18-16-25. CerotypesThis is where (Rank) Xerox came from, it's the same origin. A day in the life of . . . . . . so many people! People in the photos always fascinate me. Who were they, what were they doing and talking about and coming from or going to. A folded newspaper, a man appearing to look at a wrist watch, a man carrying a child, the streetcar and interurban operators -- and a borken and missing stanchion on a railing. Best of all, what appears to be graffiti "Feb 26 '05" -- of importance to someone who put it there, but the significance of which escapes me. So, so much in every photo -- like signage that has long faded even in 1907. This photo is particularly nice! No fattiesLook, people walking! And not a single one of them is overweight! Another survivoris 31 Chambers, the old Hall of Records now known as the Surrogates Courthouse. It is nestled between the German Herold and the Technical Press buildings. ProxemicsI have noticed in several of these photos that some people's personal interaction space seems much more intimate than we would be comfortable with today. Have Americans' intimate zones changed over time? If so, is it somehow related to having spent more generations away from Europe, where they have similarly close comfort zones? Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Neuralgine Meyer Brothers Druggist, Vol. 26, 1905. Neuralgine Mfg. Co., 24 and 26 Vandewater St., New York. Special offer to the trade: Save 10% now by ordering 3 doz. or more Neuralgine from your jobber. With every order for 3 doz. of either the 25¢ or 50¢ size, we will instruct your jobber to deliver to you 10% extra in Neuralgine. Neuralgine is an old-time remedy, has been on the market over 25 years. It is a reliable remedy for neuralgia, headache, sore throat, rheumatism, sprains, bruises, etc. It comes in two sizes, 25¢ and 50¢ a bottle. Order from your jobber at once 3 doz. as a trial lot, and take advantage of the above generous offer. The Newer Remedies, The Apothecary Publishing Co., 1908. Neuralgine. (a) a mixture of antipyrin, caffein and citric acid (migranin). (b) a mixture of acetanilid, sodium salicylate and caffein. The Elevated trainsWhile both of the El trains are purely electric and also have trolley poles on the roofs for use on ground level tracks at the ends of the lines in Coney Island, Canarsie Shore, and Fresh Pond, there are still cables between the rails. For one more year, the rush hour shuttle El trains that just ran across the Bridge were cable powered, although by now they also had electric motors so a steam engine was no longer needed in the terminals or for emergencies! The cables and the rails are in duplicate. There is no switch where the two tracks from the Park Row Terminal come "together"; the rails are just next to each other, interlaced. The Library of Congress website has an older movie of this, search for "New Brooklyn to New York." One of the trolleys on the right from the Myrtle Avenue line survives, search the collection at BERA.org for "1792." (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
A Husky Bunch: 1905
Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "A husky bunch." Hide your daughters! 8x10 inch ... up front. Irish Tag Team, perhaps? (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:40pm -

Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "A husky bunch." Hide your daughters! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Star-bellied SneetchesAt the denouement. Star BelliesHistorical beaches to Shorpian reaches To display it or not, those Star Bellied Sneetches This picture proves they didn't all wear the same tank top, black & white striped t-shirt, or plain black wool bathing costume. Maybe this picture inspired Dr Seuss. Evidently even back then some Sneetches had stars upon thars, some did not. Must I Say ItI sure hope that poor little kid in the boater hat didn't get caught in a high wind out there on the beach. His ears would have beat him to within an inch of his life. Other than that, he is a cute little kid and very well dressed. Shocking- no Stockings!This is Shocking! Where is that girl's bathing stockings? Girls can't show bare feet in 1905. What will be next?- bare knees??? Unmarked CatsNary a tattoo in sight. How refreshing. FieryLooks like a lot of redheads, especially up front. Irish Tag Team, perhaps? (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming)
Dreamland Twilight: 1905
Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Dreamland at twilight." 8x10 inch dry plate ... they lost their land of amusement. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:15pm -

Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Dreamland at twilight." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. AtmosphereWhen I look at this print I can almost "feel" the air. People anticipating a wonderful and enjoyable evening. The fall and the flamesFrom here : http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/articles/shows.htm The Fall of Pompeii was an attraction at Dreamland in 1904. Visitors seated inside a classical Greek temple decorated with a fresco of a dormant volcano watched the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and its destruction of the town of Pompeii and its remaining inhabitants. The effect was achieved with scenic and mechanical equipment and an exciting electrical display finale. In Dreamland's similar, more elaborate and most exciting show, Fighting the Flames, there was the noisy arrival of the fire fighting apparatus, followed by breathtaking rescues of people trapped in the building's upper stories. Spectators watched from bleachers just inside the buildings ornate facade decorated with sculptures of fire fighters. A cast of 2000 fire fighters, complete with four engines and hose wagons, an extension ladder fire truck had to save a full-sized six-story hotel constructed of iron that was set on fire. http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/articles/images/dr-fightflames.jpg Please.More Dreamland. Please. I'm begging. Safety Last?I just noticed that the ONLY way up or down to the observation tower (background right) is via the elevator - no stairway at all! Heaven help you if there's a breakdown or a power failure! Dreamland "the novel"This photo brings alive much of what I read in Kevin Baker's "Dreamland." http://www.amazon.com/Dreamland-P-S-Kevin-Baker/dp/0060852720/ref=sr_1_2... Bert KaempfertI keep hearing "Wonderland by Night." I'd have to say that Dreamland, especially the spectaculars Fall of Pompeii and Fighting the Flames, out-Avatars "Avatar." DreamyI'd give a year of my life to spend one day here. Meet me tonight in Dreamland Under the silv'ry moon Sign me upI would so love to go there. It all looks so clean and shiny and promising...well if you don't look at the beach section on the lower right that is. Nothing lasts foreverhttp://vimeo.com/groups/704/videos/5552596 A short film about Dreamland (all still images) ending with the fire. "Fighting the Flames" was filmed, I haven't located it yet. I'd give a year, tooBut I'd want a long weekend in 1905, so I could spend a day at each of the parks. Have to grin at how Tilyou has put the "Steeplechase This Way" sign on the lookout tower where it's going to be in every photo taken of the Dreamland promenade. Luna Park has stuck their sign in just to the left of the tower, too. Great place!I never heard about Dreamland until I got into Shorpy. And reading your comments I learned a lot about this place. It would be great, at that time, to have a place like that, considering the little fun you could have at home. So sad Dreamland burned to the ground and noone rebuilt it. Big shock for the people, they lost their land of amusement. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
Dreamland: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Dreamland Park at night, Coney Island." Among the attractions on view: "Fall of Pompeii" and "The Submarine ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:16pm -

New York circa 1905. "Dreamland Park at night, Coney Island." Among the attractions on view: "Fall of Pompeii" and "The Submarine Boat." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Meet me tonightAh! I love all things Coney Island! Thanks for posting this beautiful picture, Dave! 'Twas but a facadeAlthough Dreamland appears to be constructed with marble and granite, what we are looking at here actually was made out of thin strips of wood covered with a mixture of plaster and hemp fiber. A bucket of hot pitch and an electrical problem started a fire and it all burned down in 1911. SimplyBREATHTAKING! It all looks so CLEAN!Wow, what a GREAT night shot! Sweet Dreamy DreamlandThis lovely version of "Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland" fits this photo perfectly. DreamyAs with so many of the photos on this site, it remains disturbing and baffling to me that we could build so many beautiful things 100 years ago that we seem incapable of building today. Also, I believe Dreamland was on the site of what is now Astroland, yet this seems so much larger than Astroland. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
A Throwdown: 1905
"A throwdown." All washed up on Coney Island circa 1905. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... or even records with their names. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 2:07pm -

"A throwdown." All washed up on Coney Island circa 1905. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. And in another 105 years... each of us will be as completely, totally and utterly forgotten as these people. Okay girl,Please don't do that some more! Cheer up!Just because we don't know these people doesn't mean they are "forgotten". They probably have great grandchildren somewhere who may remember stories told to them about their fun loving great grandparents! Who knows, they might even resemble them a bit! Let me take that nasty crab off your backThis won't hurt a bit. I'm a lucky girl!I am lucky enough to have known 3 of my 8 great grandparents and I have cherished pictures of at least 3 others. Although I might not recognize a picture from their youth, my living grandparents, who as a matter of fact are NOT cousins, probably would! 0 for 8Everyone has 8 great-grandparents (unless maybe your parents are cousins). Would you be able to identify a single one of those eight people from a photograph? Or even name them? I sure couldn't. Stocking UpPardon Miss, but you seem to have forgotten some accoutrements and are exposing a bit of ankle there. A fistfulOf sand! And another one loaded to go. The old "sand down the back" beach fun, she probably had a few down her back first. 0 for 8? Really? That's rather sad.I certainly have the names of all 32 of my great-great-great grandparents and pictures of some of these as well. Great-grandparents are comparatively easy. Didn't you talk at all your grandparents about what things were like when *they* were growing up? Even if you didn't know great-grandparents directly, most people know at least some of their own grandparents. Great-grandparents were just (obviously) their parents. Many peoples' lives overlap at least some of their g-grandparents. My grandfather was living in Brooklyn (age 2) not far from where this photo was taken. He was the youngest of 6, and even though he's not in it, I do scan the faces to see if any are is older siblings. Not this time. [Maybe it's "sad" if you're inclined to sad thoughts. Even knowing your grandparents, let alone great-grandparents, can be a stretch for some people, if their ancestors were late marriers. One of my grandfathers (Mom's dad) was born not even 10 years after the Civil War ended, in 1874. He died in 1928 so I never knew him. And I'm a young(ish) forty-something. - Dave] Great-grandpaYes, I could identify four of my eight great-grandparents from their photos. One-hundred-year-old photos aren't that rare -- Shorpy is proof of that. What most of us lack, though, are depictions of our ancestors at work and at play. That's something Shorpy helps us with vicariously. Not even the grandparentsI didn't even know any of my grandparents. My father's mother died when he was 3, circa 1922. His father died in the 1960s. My mother's father died between VE and VJ Day and her mother died in 1951, five years before I was born. I knew my step father's parents (whom we visited once, in 1968, in India) and his first wife's mother. She was a lovely woman who welcomed me in as one of her own. I'd give anything to have known my grandparents and all their siblings. Two out of EightGreat grandparents: I'm fortunate enough to have photos of two of my 8 great grandparents, and of all four of my grandparents. Another group with no grandparentsIf your ancestors were Jewish and lived in pre-Revolutionary Russia, or 1920's Germany, those who were well off enough to afford it, and saw the political problems brewing, sent their children away. The Bolsheviks and Nazis extinguished people who were left. Those immigrant children raised their own children without grandparents. And some of those first generation American children raised me. So, though we genetically have eight great grandparents, and four grandparents, my parents, and millions like them, had zero. There aren't graves or even records with their names. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming)
Happy Fourth of July!
... simply looking at my photo. Just saying. Requests "Coney Island 1905" and "Nighthawk" would look good colorized. I really don't see ... 
 
Posted by Fredric Falcon - 09/20/2011 - 1:19pm -

I planned to hold off on uploading any more colorized images for about a week or two, but these ladies and Old Glory just seemed so right for color I couldn't resist. And now was the time to get them colorized and uploaded. View full size. Artistic License vs ScienceIs the selection of the colors simply the whim of the person doing the colorization (subjective), or is it accurately determined via some technology that can objectively interpret the gray shades in black and white photos? [We convened a 12-member panel from the American Academy of Vexillology to come up with colors for the flag. - Dave] Great!That is great! I for one enjoy the colorized photos. I also enjoy this site very much. Flag looks pretty accurate from what I remember...and I also enjoy the colorized photos. The world really did exist in color even back then, and it's nice to finally see it that way now. I'm glad technology has caught up with the reality of the way it was, the way these ladies saw it. And the b&w ones are not gone. You can still go look at them whenever you want. Objective but not computableIt's an interesting question, because there are some objective cues in a picture. When you see an Irish face, you know the hair is red; when you see a Model T you know the body is black. And Fredric does a masterful job of using these cues. His hair and clothing colors are "accurate," not dependent on "whim." But a computer couldn't apply these cues; they depend on human perception and cultural knowledge. If your definition of "objective" means "computable," then I guess you couldn't call these decisions "objective." My Opinion. Yours May Vary.More and more, I'm beginning to like this site less and less. The reason? Too much garish, fake color splashing out at me almost every time I wander over here. Today was no exception. We get it already. It's cool. A fine technique. I'm impressed to death. Yawns. Now- take it all somewhere else where they love that stuff. Somewhere, anywhere. Enough already. Thank you. Happy 4th of July. It's Not Shorpy AnymoreThese colorizations are really ruining the spririt of Shorpy. They should be on another site somewhere where people would appreciate them more. Having been a regular visitor to this site for about two years now, I must say that I am disappointed that the integrity of the site seems to have been violated by these false colors being added to the images. By the way, I am Irish, but I do not have red hair, nor could anyone presume that I was Irish by simply looking at my photo. Just saying. Requests"Coney Island 1905" and "Nighthawk" would look good colorized. I really don't see what harm is done. I do remember seeing the colorized version of "Casablanca" and I hated that! What they look like.Porcelain figurines. Figures in a wax museum. Animatronics. Or the fruits Huck Finn admires in the Grangerford house, "which was much redder and yellower and prettier than real ones is, but they warn't real." Don't worry, be happy!Thanks to all of you who complimented my work! Mark Twain once said he could live for two months on a good compliment and that's the way you make me feel! As for my color choices, they are generally just subjective. I try for a balance of colors that complement each other. Draft renderings usually show what colors aren't going to work. If I keep in mind the era the photo is from, it's easy to see what colors are too bright or too modern. To the rest who think my contributions are harming Shorpy, don't worry about me uploading a lot of images. The ones I've uploaded in the past couple of weeks are the result of about a year and a half of work. The exception is this one done just for the holiday. While I do have a few more colorized photos to share, I'll hold off on uploading any more soon. I don't want to keep colorizing more on a regular schedule anyway. When you see an Irish face, you know the hair is red?Hair color percentages in Ireland: 3% Black ('coal black"); 40% Dark brown; 35% Medium brown; 5% Reddish-brown; 4% 'Clear" red; 12.5% Light brown to blond; 0.5% Ashen. (Statistics from "The Physical Anthropology of Ireland", Harvard U. Study by Hooton and Dupertuis.) Selective ColourI think Shorpy is an amazing site and I check it whenever I sit down at my machine. Colourised or Colorized, the images speak volumes about a bygone age. As a Brit I have always found the American reverence for 'The Flag' sometimes hard to understand, although I do admire your patriotism - something we seem a bit shy of expressing on this side of the pond. From a purely aesthetic view point I would like to have seem the colours reduced in saturation, possibly only colouring the flag. That's my tuppence worth and by the way, I am first generation British from good Irish stock, and my hair is grey. Vexillology Thanks, Dave for teaching me a new word. It's also a pretty modern one according to Wikipedia. I am one who is very impressed with the colorizaton of photos but I would like to see the submissions be a very low percentage of Shorpy. Certainly some pictures are great candidates. There is no disrespect and no comprimise of the original. I may yawn once in a while, but in no way will it make me like MY Shorpy less. Wonderful color Once again, you have done a fantastic job. I love it. The colors make a dull photo come alive. Like Jack I would also like to know more about the process you have used. If you are just picking colors out that you believe might have been used then you are doing a great job. Begorra, I like the colors"Take it all somewhere where they love this stuff"? Well, that "somewhere else" may be here, because I must join those who are enjoying the colorized pics. Photographs are just reflections of reality in any event (I know, duh), albeit wonderful, valuable ones. And an Internet image of a photograph is a reflection of a reflection, I suppose. As long as no one is losing access to the originals and nothing is harmed or lost, I have no objection whatever to someone's taking another, more colorful look at a given small reflection of reality. And Fredric's work is always tasteful and, I find, rather moving. (And I have an "Irish face" and red hair, but, as has been noted, there is not necessarily a correlation!) PleasantvilleRegarding the snarping about the color photos on the site, I am reminded of the movie "Pleasantville." Everybody wanted their world to stay nice and black and white and the same as it always had been. Then some "meddling kids" starting having fun and turning into color and the old guard's whole world fell apart. All things in moderation are fine.I like the colorized photos. They add life and since the originals are still "here", nothing's harmed. I do think the lady on the far left might be upset she's been given "blue hair" though. She doesn't appear quite old enough to be a "blue haired little ol' lady." The Eyes Have It?I was struck by the fact that every one of these ladies has her eyes either closed or apparently downcast. Curious. I liked the colorized work, too. Many old antique postcards used the technique to great effect. This is a great image for an American Fourth. RockwellI thought there was something very Norman-Rockwellian in the composition of the original photo, and the colorized version looks even more like one of his paintings. Superb!Best colorization I have seen in a VERY long time! Keep the ColorPlease please keep these colored pics coming! They absolutely bring these people and the details to life. It makes them seem real. Can't you just see them running around in the present time -- except for the clothes, that is! A vote in favorColorized snaps??? YES PLEASE!!! I love them. Please do not stop doing them. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Colorized Photos, Patriotic)
A Hasty Lunch: 1905
Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Picnicing on the beach -- a hasty lunch." 8½ x ... Their box lunch would likely have come from one of the Coney Island food or bathing concessions. - Dave] OTY, thanks for your ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:47pm -

Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Picnicing on the beach -- a hasty lunch." 8½ x 6½ inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Box LunchLove to see pics that show people having obvious good times with friends. True gritIt gives new meaning to the word "SANDwich." Oh SandyWe've said it before..why in the world didn't it occur to these people to use blankets? Bathing SuitsI look at pictures from that era and wonder about the "bathing costumes" they wore - all that clothing. Why bother? Midsummer's menuI've been trying to think of what these young ladies might be dining on here! I know that people used to make sandwiches out of just about anything that was thick enough not to run right off the bread. It might have been meat or cheese, but with it being summer, I think it is just as likely to be cucumber or tomato, or hard boiled egg, made from the abundance of little pullet eggs that time of year. Jam from a pre-fall harvest of fruit is a possibility, too. At least one side of the bread would have been spread with butter. Oh, and it was certainly homemade bread, sliced on an as-needed basis. I'm trying to figure out what the fruit two of the young ladies are holding might be, too. Some kind of plum, maybe? Or maybe a plum tomato? Perhaps those of you from that part of the country have a better idea. [That's a plum. Their box lunch would likely have come from one of the Coney Island food or bathing concessions. - Dave] OTY, thanks for your concern! Actually, I sometimes get on Shorpy when I can't sleep. I am very interested in food history and always wonder what people are eating, in the photos here. Some of my favorites are the ones that show the posted menus at soda fountains! Nothing to drinkThis must have been one dry lunch, not a beverage in sight. Note to noelani: It's none of my business but I hope you've had something to eat since you wrote your comments as you sounded very hungry. And what were you doing up at 2:45 a.m.? Can you tell I'm a parent? Okay, I'll get back in the box. Itchy!As had been posted before, the lack of towels or blankets still amazes me. About when was it that somebody invented the beach towel? "Social conventions" is your answer.For Rikki Doxx, who asked why bother wearing all this clobber just to go to the beach, the answer is simply that the social conventions of the day disallowed anything approaching bare skin, particularly for women. This was still the Victorian era (even in the USA) and it wasn't until the 1920s and the more liberal social mores following the end of the Great War that fashions became less cumbersome and all-enveloping. I can tell you from personal (eyewitness) experience that as recently as the 1960s and the introduction of the two-piece swimsuit on the beaches of Sydney there was an old 1930s by-law that required a minimum of 3" of material on the hip of the briefs (male and female). There was even an inspector on Bondi Beach with a tape measure and the power to send the offending female off the sand! (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming)
Texas Flood: 1904
New York circa 1904. "Galveston Flood, Coney Island." The main attraction here was a cyclorama depicting the deadly ... coaches. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Coney Island, DPC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 5:55pm -

New York circa 1904. "Galveston Flood, Coney Island." The main attraction here was a cyclorama depicting the deadly hurricane that struck Texas in 1900. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Natural curiosityMy first reaction to the Galveston exhibit was the same as I had earlier at the Johnstown Flood pavilion in an earlier, different amusement park -- a kind of smug dismissal. Then I realized it was just an effective way of satisfying a very natural inclination to witness huge events. No Discovery Channel then but the need to know and "witness" was there. Electric Vehicle CompanyThose are buses made by the Electric Vehicle Company of Hartford, Connecticut. The advertisement below is from the February 1, 1906 issue of "The Motor Way." Here is an early version of one style of the company's cabs from the 1902 book "Self-Propelled Vehicles" by James E. Homans. Starting in 1896 in Philadelphia as the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company, EVC was credited for establishing the mechanized cab service in New York. The firm moved to Elizabethport, New Jersey, in 1898 when it acquired Morris & Salom, makers of the Electrobat (1898 examples below). In 1899 Electric Vehicle moved to Hartford after acquiring the Columbia Automobile Company and its factory from Pope Manufacturing. Columbia made a full line of vehicles including hansom cabs as seen here. Unable to keep up with the demand for electric vehicles (some sources claim that in 1899 fully 90 percent of the taxis in New York City were electric), in 1900 it also acquired the Riker Electric Vehicle Co. of Elizabethport. Riker built hansom cabs, along with vans, hotel buses, trucks and and regular taxis (below, from "Self-Propelled Vehicles") that looked very similar to the early ones by Electric Vehicle. The company was controlled by the Widener-Elkins-Whitney syndicate that either bought up companies like Columbia and Riker, or allied themselves with many other electric power oriented companies, such as the Electric Storage Battery Company (Exide), or simply created new companies such as Electric Boat. It even managed to get control of the Selden Patent. The firm also created taxi companies in some 11 cities, including New York, where it would sell itself the electric taxis and the batteries that went in them. In fact, by 1899 it had the state rights to all of New York. Its taxi business did not collapse when "three hundred of its cabs burned in a garage fire," as claimed in the 2007 book "Taxi!" by Graham Hodges. Its taxi subsidiary, The New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Company (which included the Fifth Avenue Coach Co.), had five such garages and many, many more cars (and still managed to save around 250 cars from the fire), and in fact continued in business until 1936. Nor were the cars as clumsy and ponderous as described by Hodges. Rather than wait for an eight hour recharge as claimed in the book, Electric Vehicle devised a battery pack that could be swapped out in 20 minutes, and the vehicle sent back into revenue service. It also invented a fast charger that could recharge a number of battery packs at the same time. Much to its dismay, one had just been installed in the garage that burned. As far as speed went, well, this is from the May 21, 1899 issue of The New York Times: The vignette below is from an 1899 New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Co. stock certificate, and shows two types of cabs made by Electric Vehicle. However, because the syndicate itself was falling apart, some of its holdings suffered. Electric Vehicle Company folded, although the manufacture of some of its products continued under the Columbia name along with Columbia's vehicles (gas and electric). Columbia was sold in 1910 to the United States Motor Company, and ceased production when that corporation collapsed in 1913. Over the years the other companies either folded or were sold off. Many still exist today, such as Exide battery and the submarine builder Electric Boat (now a division of General Dynamics). Fancy FloodI am amazed at the detailed and complex architecture of such a building, especially when you realize it was built as a temporary amusement showcase. And by the way, what's written on the telescope stand? [LOOK VENUS FREE. Astronomical educational something. - Dave] Pardon Me - "Is this the building where they show the Galveston Flood?" EIGHT signs! Come one, Come allSee how 8000+ of your fellow countrymen met their maker a few short years ago! And grab a soda on your way out. Correct WeightI wonder how much they deducted from a woman's weight for all the clothes they wore at the time. Bright LightThis is an excellent view of an arc light, and shows the mechanism to lower the fixture to service the carbon rods. The wires for the electrical supply are intentionally slack to allow the light to be lowered by the rope that runs through pulleys to the base of the light standard. Could you direct me to the Galveston Flood?More signs, Harry. I told you, we need more signs! "Cyclorama"I was trying to determine what the attraction was -- a movie? Stuff they found washed up on shore? A play based on the flood? Then I did what many die-hard Shorpy fans do ... last. I read the caption and googled the keyword! Motorized StagesI find those motorized stages (don't know what else to call them) very interesting. Anyone have an idea of what they are? Looks like they might be electric. Virtual realityWell, I suppose, if you regret missing out on the thrill of boarding the last train out of town, which was swept off the causeway and into the bay by the storm surge, or, being conscripted to load the dead onto a barge for burial at sea, this might be the next best thing. The perfect show for all those people who like to rubberneck accidents on the freeway, making me late for work. Thanks a lot! Motorized stagecoachesThe two vehicles one with steeplechase park on its side seem to be possibly the ancestor of our modern cars, they appear to be converted carriages missing the team and traces that would have gone with them. Under the drivers seat is possible engine with louvers. If anyone knows what they are please post it. [Those are, as Dennis M surmises, electric coaches. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Coney Island, DPC)
The Lion King: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Bostock, Dreamland, Coney Island." This popular attraction was part of British-born animal impresario ... inside. Cardboard Castles Were these buildings on Coney Island substantial, permanent buildings? Or were they temporary, quickly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 12:57pm -

New York circa 1905. "Bostock, Dreamland, Coney Island." This popular attraction was part of British-born animal impresario Frank Bostock's zoological empire. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. I heardsome of their relatives are inside. Cardboard CastlesWere these buildings on Coney Island substantial, permanent buildings? Or were they temporary, quickly built buildings like at some of the World's Fairs or Pan An Expositions? While most of this building looks solid there is a strip near the top of the building under the Bostock name that looks like painted tar paper. Oh MySeeing the standard ordering of "Lions, Tigers, Bears", and this photo far predating the Wizard of Oz, it made me wonder if it was a coincidence, or if the expression "Lions, Tigers and Bears" is much older. Apparently, it's much, much older. Searching Google Books, it goes back to at least 1768 in something called "Tales" translated from Persian of Inatulla of Delhi. Which vaguely maybe sounded like Tales of the Arabian Nights, but searching the Project Gutenberg version of that finds no such phrase. Anyone know the true origin of that phrase to satisfy my idle curiosity? Cardboard Castles IIThe buildings were temporary, quickly built, and quite flammable! (The Gallery, Animals, Coney Island, DPC)
Luna Park: 1905
... the era that went by that name, the most famous being at Coney Island. At right: The park's "Scenictorium." Detroit Publishing Co. glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:34pm -

"Luna Park, Pittsburg, 1905." One of several amusement parks of the era that went by that name, the most famous being at Coney Island. At right: The park's "Scenictorium." Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. WheeeeeeeThis place looks like it was a blast. It kind of reminds me of Main Street at Disney. That churchCan anyone identify the Gothic Revival church with two towers in the center background? Full Of Moxie!Great photo. Note the giant Moxie bottle display on the left side of the image next to the tree. Until the 1920s, Moxie was the largest selling soft drink. From what I understand, small quantities of Moxie Soda are still being produced today. Pittsburg vs. PittsburghGreat series of photos, captainslack. It is interesting to see that the entrance to Luna Park left the "h" off of Pittsburgh. I wonder if the h-less spelling was common back then or just a Luna Park issue. ====================================== Pittsburgh is one of the few American "-burg" cities whose name is spelled with an h at the end. From Wikipedia: On December 23, 1891, a recommendation by the United States Board on Geographic Names to standardize place names was signed into law. The law officially changed the spelling of the city name to Pittsburg, and publications would use this spelling for the next 20 years. However, the change was very unpopular in the city. Responding to mounting pressure, the United States Geographic Board reversed the decision on July 19, 1911, and the Pittsburgh spelling was restored. It is also believed that Pittsburgh's large German population during this era aided in the famous "H" controversy by not using the "H" in the city's name, since most German cities ending with "burg" have no following H. The confusion and controversy surrounding the aborted spelling change means that both the Pittsburgh and the Pittsburg spelling were commonly encountered around the turn of the 20th century, and continued uses of Pittsburg still occur to this day. Good luck, Fischer!I tried Moxie only once, in the Summer of 1961, at a golf course, and spit a lot of it out. Hey Dev, funny that you mentioned....... Moxie because I just recently ordered some online and can't wait to try it. A few of the things from way back when are still around, it seems. Yet another great pic here by the way! Luna Park PittsburghThere are more pictures of Luna Park & a brief history here. Top HatThis makes me think of the "Venice" set from the movie Top Hat, which looked nothing like Venice at all. Maybe art director Van Nest Polglese visited this park at some point before 1935. St. Paul'sThat's St. Paul Cathedral on Fifth between Craig and Dithridge. MoxieMoxie is indeed still being produced and can be purchased online. Be warned, however -- to the modern palate, it tastes like carbonated cough syrup. This is no coincidence, as Moxie contained gentian root and was originally produced as a nerve tonic. As competing tonics and cough syrups were brought to market, they copied the taste of Moxie, then the market leader. As the taste of Moxie disappeared from popular memory after WWII, the distinctive flavor is now associated only with cough syrups, and any modern drinker is likely to describe Moxie as resembling a carbonated version thereof. Personally, I prefer sarsaparilla. Re: MoxieI've never had the pleasure of tasting the stuff, but it sounds like a natural mixed drink ingredient for the Jagermeister crowd. Pittsburgh with an HThe lowdown on the history of the spelling of Pittsburgh: http://www.pittsburgh.net/about_pittsburgh_h.cfm Go Steelers! KennywoodI'm surprised that no one has said this yet but: The popular Pittsburgh amusement park, Kennywood, has a section in the park named "Lost Kennywood" that actually is modeled after Luna. Lost KennywoodI'm pretty sure "Lost Kennywood" spells "Pittsburg" without the "h" on some signage somewhere. (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh, Sports)
Traver Circle Swing: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Luna Park circle swing, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:44pm -

New York circa 1905. "Luna Park circle swing, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. REALLY Old Glory!They need to take what's left of that poor old American flag and properly retire it! Adults OnlyFor an amusement park where one would expect to see quite a few kids, this photo seems to be populated by all grown-ups. (Maybe the kids were all at work in the coal mines, textile factories and sardine canneries.) Pre-Aerial Days - 1920s upgradeSince motorized flight was in its infancy, the swing ride seats here are made to look like a sleigh. By the time Harold Lloyd filmed Speedy at Luna Park in 1927, the sleighs were replaced by small airplanes. The "A Trip to the Moon" pavilion appears behind Harold in these frames grabs. Replacing the flagAgreed, that flag really needs to be replaced. How on earth does a workman even get up there to do it?? Hot air balloon? Zeppelin? Yikes!Yikes! Patent 830,687 United States Patent Office, September 11, 1906. Circle-Swing Be it known that I, Harry G. Traver, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Circle-Swings, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to an amusement apparatus or roundabout device, the object being to so construct a device of this character that it will be simple and efficient; and the invention consists, essentially, in the combination, construction, and arrangement of mechanical parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed. … (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
Puny Express: 1904
New York circa 1904. "The Ponies, Coney Island." Your Cute Filter must be set to Off to view this photo. 8x10 inch dry ... made it healthier so he got the credit. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Horses, Kids) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2012 - 4:45pm -

New York circa 1904. "The Ponies, Coney Island." Your Cute Filter must be set to Off to view this photo. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. The joyThe joy expressed by the riders is only exceeded by that of the ponies. OK, I Give UpWhich one is Billy the kid? The Great Coal Mine LIVES!I see The Great Coal Mine ride, while supposedly short lived & not very popular, was still around three years later in '04. Long live The Great Coal Mine! It must be the hatAll the boys in this picture have such stern looks on their faces, except for the kid in the derby hat. He seems to look more at ease. I Spy!The surrey with the fringe on top! It does a body goodBorden Milk is not the first name that comes to mind when I think New York, but the company's roots are there. Mr. Borden invented Condensed Milk and accidentally discovered pasteuriaztion in the process. Louis Pastuer proved it was the heating of milk, not the evaporation, that made it healthier so he got the credit. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Horses, Kids)
Landship Recruit: 1917
... at Union Square from 1917 to 1920, when it "set sail" for Coney Island. This is the first in a series of photographs depicting life around and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 10:55am -

New York, 1917. "Landship Recruit on Union Square." The U.S.S. Recruit, a wooden battleship erected by the Navy, served as a World War I recruiting station at Union Square from 1917 to 1920, when it "set sail" for Coney Island. This is the first in a series of photographs depicting life around and aboard the landlocked boat. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Clever recruitment toolStanding next to a (presumably) life-sized wooden mockup of a battleship probably wowed more than a few citizens into sailorhood. Pretty clever idea for recruitment. [Plus, as we shall see, there was dancing and free medical checkups. - Dave] Union SquareThis photo was probably taken from the Flatiron Building. If you were to stand in the same window, the image would be almost perfectly unchanged, with the exception of the Empire State Building poking up in the background. Water TowerCan anyone decipher what's written on the water tower to the left of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Building? [Meyer something. Or maybe not. - Dave] Union SquareThe tall tower in the center background is the Metropolitan Life Tower that we saw a few weeks ago in another early photo. The building directly in front of it closest to the park is 33 East 17th Street, which houses a huge (for Manhattan) Barnes & Noble on its lowest three floors. That northern end of Union Square hosts a farmer's market, the Greenmarket, that attracts local farmers as vendors. It is quite popular and has great fresh produce, flowers and other products. It is well attended. However, a local restaurateur is attempting to build a high-end eatery there and has run into massive local resistance, putting the project is on hold. Union Square is a gathering place for young people, artists, anarchists, political activists, kooks and interested bystanders. It doesn't get as many tourists as it should but it is a tremendous NYC attraction. Vantage PointThe Flatiron building is at the southwest corner of Madison Square Park at 23rd Street, not Union Square at 14th. Union SquareYou might be thinking of Madison Park and 23rd st, instead of Union square and Union Square Park at 16th street. They are only a 5 or 10 minute walk apart, easy mistake. Addie A boat in the parkSome comedians joke about how men flock to building sites and here we have that cliche demonstrated. However this time, at least, it makes sense to me, a boat developing right in the middle of Union Square Park?? Wow! Addie Landship Recruit in WikipediaI was so fascinated about this photograph that I started researching the Landship Recruit. JSTOR had nothing and Google was pretty sparse, so I cobbled together what I could and made a Wikipedia page. Take a look and add to it if you are so inclined: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landship_Recruit [As you note at the end, there are a number of articles about the Recruit in the NY Times archive from 1917 to 1920. At least six that I can find. - Dave] Oops, you are correctMy brain was a little fried when I wrote that about the Flatiron. I hold by the rest, though -- all the buildings visible in this photo remain, though the Empire State Building would now be visible in the background. Missing BuildingThe "House & Garden" Travel building is gone now, a much shorter building is in its place. The photo is facing the northeast, the USS Recruit must have taken up the entire park. The WW2 version of the USS Recruit was a minesweeper (AM-285). There is also a USS Recruit which was a commissioned US Navy vessel (TDE-1) from 1949 to 1967, despite also being built on land like its namesake. It remains in place in San Diego, next to the Harbor Drive bridge over San Diego Bay. S. Cottle & Co.: New York, Silversmiths 1877-1920 Just south of Union Square Parkis a modern building housing Whole Foods, Filene's Basement, and DSW. Each store has large picture windows, and having stared out them many times myself, watching activity in the park, I have to guess that where that building stands now was also the vantage point from which this photo of the Recruit was taken. Which means if any of your NY-based readers are so inclined, they could take a photo of the area from that building to show us how similar the view is today. I'd happily do it myself if I still lived in New York. I'll bet the Armynever built a replica of WWI trench warfare as a recruiting tool. USS Recruit San DiegoThere was/is a USS Recruit at the former San Diego training center. She is essentially concrete, on land and I trained on her. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, G.G. Bain, NYC, WWI)
Swingers: 1905
Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Two strings to her beaux." 8x10 inch dry plate ... me crazy. Those are the bees' knees. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:35pm -

Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Two strings to her beaux." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. That hussy!Her forearm is showing! Call the Morality Police and prep a cell in the dungeon! Sooner than laterShe doesn't look too wet yet, but they may be ready to swing her in for an afternoon dip. Mother McG would say"A rose between two thorns." ConfessionI have to admit that see-through hemline is driving me crazy. Those are the bees' knees. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming)
Balmer's Baths: 1908
New York circa 1908. "Balmer's bathing beach, Coney Island." Beer, peanuts, surf and sand! 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:30pm -

New York circa 1908. "Balmer's bathing beach, Coney Island." Beer, peanuts, surf and sand! 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Double imageLooks like camera was accidentally moved when this picture was shot. [Yes, it was bumped, so the picture is not up to the usual Shorpy sharpness standard. - Dave] Risque bather!Hard to tell with the blurred photo, but it appears to show a man in ankle-deep water wearing shorter than normal trunks, and with his bathing shirt REMOVED! Is this the reason for throngs of people on shore ... waiting for the police to make a pinch to protect probriety? Beer, peanuts, surf and sand!After all that lot, you'd need a bath! Night lightsThere must have been far fewer people who could swim back then. A web of ropes, the most elaborate we've seen in one of these views, to hang off while frolicking in the surf. And are those arc lights at the top of those poles out in the water? Would they have had nighttime swimming? Finally, is that big boxy building in the distance Steeplechase Park? Glimpsing the futureThat's an a-shirt/tank-top/muscle shirt/wifebeater. Shorts-guy was just ahead of his time. (Muscle shirts on the beach are SO East Coast.) Different swimmers there now.Balmer's Bathing Pavilion was on the east side of the intersection of West Fifth and Surf Avenues. Land now now occupied by the New York Aquarium. The Risque BatherI think the risque bather is a lifeguard. He looks rather muscular, and his outfit looks just like this fellow's https://www.shorpy.com/node/6901 (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming)
Night Lights: 1905
Coney Island circa 1905. "Night in Luna Park." What hath Edison wrought! 8x10 inch ... and fortunately there is a Youtube available entitled: Coney Island Water Chutes 1896-1903 . You will see the ride operational and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/19/2013 - 6:39pm -

Coney Island circa 1905. "Night in Luna Park." What hath Edison wrought! 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Phase OneLuna Park was only a couple of years old in this photo. It burned down in 1944, though it had been in decline for some time by then. A new Luna Park opened a couple of years ago, not on the same location but nearby, and so far has been quite successful. But it certainly does not have nearly as many bright lights as its predecessor. Heavy truss constructionAnyone remember what was the water below this stage? Was it freshwater? Ocean water? Was it a fishpond or a dolphin tank? A modern dayTake on Luna Park. Spotted this last night at the New York Botanical Garden Christmas Train Show. Re: Fishpond or Dolphin Tank query answeredThe original Luna Park pictured here was on the North side of Surf Avenue, across from the Atlantic Ocean so I imagine that the water used was from the ocean across the street. What you are looking at is a ride at the amusement park that was very popular and the predecessor of the modern log flume ride seen at various parks these days. The one at Luna Park was called the Shoot The Chutes, and fortunately there is a Youtube available entitled: Coney Island Water Chutes 1896-1903 . You will see the ride operational and the viewing area which I believe is in the great Shorpy photo! Enjoy (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC)
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