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Mount Vernon: 1903
... 8:18 as jewelry-store-sign time . - Dave] The Daily Argus Some ads for Fourth Street businesses here . (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/26/2017 - 6:43am -

Westchester County, New York, circa 1903. "South Fourth Avenue, Mount Vernon." 5x7 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Same view todayUsing the address 55 for reference, a few old buildings still stand: Casing the Joint?Apparently Jarvis Jewelers was robbed in a smash and grab in 1915. I wonder if those kids are young Louis, Harry and Frank planning the heist and it took them 12 years to work up the nerve. They like knowin' the time.There appear to be three clocks in this block. The closest one says 8:20 the third one looks like 10:20 and the middle one’s (hiding behind the tree) hands aren’t visible but I would guess 10:20 too Street's WetBut not the sidewalks. Which can only mean the street sprinkler just passed by. At exactly 8:17:28 On a rainy day according to Jarvis Jewelers. [Shorpy regulars will recognize 8:18 as jewelry-store-sign time. - Dave] The Daily ArgusSome ads for Fourth Street businesses here. (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Duluth Panorama: 1898
... it is the Duluth Railroad Depot , still there.] Daily commute The bridge to Park Point(over the canal into the lake) didn't ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/03/2018 - 6:41pm -

Duluth, Minnesota, circa 1898. "General view from bluffs." Panorama of two 8x10 inch glass negatives, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Building?What is that beautiful building (and its purpose) in roughly the center of the picture in front of the train shed? It seems too elaborate to be a train station. [Nevertheless, it is the Duluth Railroad Depot, still there.] Daily commuteThe bridge to Park Point(over the canal into the lake) didn't open until 1905. I guess a short swim in Superior would be invigorating. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Duluth, Railroads)
After You've Gone: 1935
... was dissolved into other GM divisions in 1984. New Daily Affirmation? Never had one. May as well consider your uplifting "No ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/29/2017 - 5:57pm -

Washington, D.C., 1935. "NO CAPTION." Yet another nameless notable whose fame did not outlast her photo, and a reminder that, after we take that big black train from Union Station, 99.9 percent of us will eventually be completely and utterly forgotten. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Super rareCommon back then, ----virtually nonexistent now, (even in museums) is the 1936 Checker Cab in the background Stylish Lady and Her CarWe might not know the lady's name, but her car is a 1935 Pontiac sedan. Those of us old enough will recognize the "Body By Fisher" emblem just behind the front fender. Usually found on the door sills, but here mounted outside. The Fisher family started out building wagons in the 1880's and moved into building auto bodies by 1909. Before their acquisition by General Motors in 1919, Fisher Coachworks built bodies for a number of different automakers including Ford, Studebaker, Cadillac and Packard. Fisher was dissolved into other GM divisions in 1984. New Daily Affirmation?Never had one. May as well consider your uplifting "No Caption" caption. It is solid truth. Here is REAL test For identifying the person HistoryAs long as my friends clear my browser history, I'm cool with that. Colleen Moore?Am I the only one who thinks this looks like Colleen Moore? She looked a lot like this in the '30s. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Or Else: 1938
... eat and drink being my favorites! Minimum Daily Noise Requirement Imagine the racket if you poured Coke over a bowlful ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/22/2012 - 11:07am -

October 1938. "Sign at Rice Festival in Crowley, Louisiana." Alternate title: "The Ballad of Competing (and Possibly Complementary) Imperatives." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Eat rice, drink CokeI don't think the potential for humor escaped Russell Lee. I see a lawsuit coming!I can hear Chick-fil-A's lawyers salivating over this. Three verbsSeveral "calls to action" here, eat and drink being my favorites! Minimum Daily Noise RequirementImagine the racket if you poured Coke over a bowlful of Rice Krispies. White rice & Coke ???I can only hope they locked the bell towers and kept an eye on the hypoglycemics. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Banana Boat: 1906
... does not look as if he's enjoying that banana. The Daily Show The reason almost everyone is smiling and laughing, those 2 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 3:17pm -

Circa 1906. "Banana docks, New York." An interesting cast of characters. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What is it?What is that device the man in the foreground is operating with the rope? [A produce scale. - Dave] Someone isn't properly dressedMiddle right, underneath the dinghy -- who left their very nice hat and coat unattended? Banana InspectorThe guy with the pipe has a pocket full of bananas, most likely taking them back to the lab to assure their quality. Which oneis "Mister tally man"? Merry Christmas to Dave and all of the Shorpy followers!! The Doomed DisaThe SS Disa, built by O.A. Brodin of Gefle, Sweden, in 1903, was a steamer of 788 tons. On Aug. 25, 1915, the Disa, on a voyage from London to Hernösand with a cargo of salt, was sunk by a mine from the German submarine UC-6 (Matthias Graf von Schmettow), 5-6 miles NxE of the Shipwash lightvessel. There were no casualties. http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?70026 That's him -- The guy with the hat, and he's eating a banana. Produce scaleI think its a counter, not a produce scale Pimp My RideCuneo's wagon is quite the ride: every wood slat/pole is detailed, and there are at least four fox(?) tails hanging from the rear view mirror (so to speak). Not to mention that the wagon's master is wearing his Saturday Night Fever white suit and busting-an-attention-getting-move during the exposure. That mandoes not look as if he's enjoying that banana. The Daily ShowThe reason almost everyone is smiling and laughing, those 2 hatless guys performing the noontime banana toss. NiftyI love this guy. Merry Christmas. Scale or tally?I think the device being operated by the man in the foreground is a tally meter. I'm guessing that bananas were sold by the "each" rather than by the pound and that the tally meter has a display large enough for everyone to see and also a bell so that everyone knows that each bunch has been counted. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
A Wet Heat: 1940
... Looks like Jack Kerouac second from the right. Daily Duds The tan lines indicate that after the swim, the ladies dressed in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2018 - 3:40pm -

April 1940. Coolidge, Arizona. "Swimming pool at desert dude ranch." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Admin. View full size. On the roadLooks like Jack Kerouac second from the right. Daily DudsThe tan lines indicate that after the swim, the ladies dressed in skirts with hems that fell just below the knee -- a casual look when paired with crew socks. Stray currentsThis would be a couple of years before engineer Herb Ufer was hired by the Army to design a reliable electrical grounding system for ammunition depots in dry desert conditions. His concrete-encased grounding method was not required by code for swimming pools until 1965. And then, over on our right, less than ten feet from the edge of the pool, you have a live-chassis five-tube radio, a wet-storage Coke fridge, and bare light strings controlled by a surface-mount rotary switch, all within reach of wet bare hands and feet. There's a lot of electrical wiring on Shorpy that makes me cringe, but I'm really hoping everyone survived this swim. I just learned yesterday what a "snood" was... and here one is! (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Swimming)
Stoplight in Vermont: 1941
... there's a baby carriage without wheels somewhere. The daily breeze The coolest thing about this picture is the lady sitting in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/09/2019 - 10:24am -

August 1941. "A street corner in Burlington, Vermont." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Is that Grandpa Hall?The man on the corner could be my grandfather Peter Hall. It looks just like him, and he always wore that kind of hat. He also smoked a pipe or a cigar. However, by 1941, I believe he had pulled up stakes and moved to Maine, unless he just happened to be back in Vermont for a visit or for business. Most interesting ghost in the underworldI don't always haunt greasy spoons, but when I do, I haunt Limoge's Grill. It's a long way to LimogesAnother classic title by Dave. Have to wonderAre those singing telegraph cables overhead? Please step downWow, what an interesting building on the corner. It looks like in the old picture, from the step-down entrance on the "ground floor" that someone actually started a restaurant in the basement of what looks like an pre-existing house. Normally you'd expect some kind of hill or slope to necessitate a raised first and second floor in a home, but none exists here. Neat to see that the house still remains, that the paint has been stripped off the brick which suggests a major renovation, and the "basement" appears to have continued service as maybe a rental unit. Looks like the neighborhood has been gentrified. Excellent picture, Dave. A couple of survivorsMostly the same with a lot less character. Ready, Set, GO!Is WALK written on the middle lens of the traffic light? Probably a reasonable explanation and I'm sure it made sense then, but I'd probably have looked both ways and run. Stop-Walk-GoI notice this old Crouse-Hinds traffic signal has Stop-Walk-Go lenses rather than the more typical Stop-Caution-Go. It was an early attempt to provide some pedestrian indications without additional signals and cost. There's a little info here http://www.kbrhorse.net/signals/ch_dt_4-way01.html though the arrangement is different. Wow!This photo has everything! KidsI'll bet there's a baby carriage without wheels somewhere. The daily breezeThe coolest thing about this picture is the lady sitting in the sun on the side porch, with her planter box of flowers, enjoying her newspaper. Stayed close by --We were in Burlington two weeks ago. We stayed at an Airbnb that was just five houses down North Street (toward the lake) from this house. This area is the south part of the Old North End. It used to be a lot rougher than it is now. I was a prison guard in the late 1980s in nearby St. Albans, and half the inmates at that time were from the North End of Burlington. No longer. Burlington is a great town; big enough to be interesting but small enough to feel safe. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Radio Barber: 1922
... Concerts, Lectures, Reports, News Broadcasted Daily AMERICAN FIELD GLASS SERVICE, Inc. WASHINGTON, D.C. DAVID ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/24/2014 - 11:57am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Coin-operated radio in barbershop." Seen earlier outdoors. A closeup of the instructions for the set, provided by American Field Glass Service (which also supplied, we would guess, coin-operated binoculars and telescopes) can be seen here. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Girl or boy?1. Is the young patron listening to the radio a girl or a boy? I don't expect to see young girls in a barbershop. On the other hand, I don't expect to see such long hair on boys in 1922. Or anytime prior to the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan. 2. I find it interesting that the patrons appear to be white and the barbers of color. I would have expected segregated barber shops in Washington D.C. in 1922. Or was barbering an occupation open to Blacks? [The patrons here were all very white. Would you call a hotel where the porters were black "unsegregated"? - Dave] Can you spare a dime?A coin-operated radio, whoda thunk? I remember my job in the motels we stayed in during family vacations in the late 50s: running to put quarters in the coin-operated TV when it was about to shut off. Same thing, basically. Coin Controlled RadioClick to enlarge. Try Your Skill Tuning-In Reception is clear and mellow when properly tuned ************* COIN CONTROLLED R A D I O PATENT PENDING Concerts, Lectures, Reports, News Broadcasted Daily AMERICAN FIELD GLASS SERVICE, Inc. WASHINGTON, D.C. DAVID XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX ************** 5¢                     DIRECTIONS                     5¢ 1. To ascertain if radio waves are being received. Place phones to ears, set dial at 50. Press button on front of box. If voice or music is heard intermittently, radio waves are being received. 2. To listen in. If radio waves are being received, place nickel in coin receiver, revolve handle as far as it will go and release. Adjust dial for satisfactory reception. 3. To avoid interruption. When red light appears deposit another nickel in coin receiver and revolve handle as before. Patron in BackgroundShave, hell! I've had this since Second Manassas! Bookie BarberMy favorite barber when I was a kid was a fellow named Mr. Moore who made book on the side. Actually, he was a bookie and cut hair on the side. He'd cut the top and back, too, but he preferred to take bets on the races at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs and other tracks of yore and might take four or five telephone calls while cutting my hair in a shop that looked a lot like the one pictured here. I generally didn't mind the interruptions; I was in no hurry. My father rarely took me to the barber shop because he went to another place near his office and my mother wouldn't go inside the barber shop because of the girlie magazines and pinup calendars and rough talk and expectoration and such. She'd just drop me off and wait down the block in a boutique or in the fabric store another half block down. There were lots of interesting pictures in the Argosy and True Detective magazines in the rack, soda pop for a dime in the old machine in the corner, and salty talk about young ladies who passed by the plate glass window. "That'n'll do, I reckon" or "reckon that'n'll do?" was about the sum of it. Cigar smoke was thick and mixed with the medicinal smell of the blue antiseptic comb-bath and the sandalwood shaving soap. Mr Moore was not a very good barber. Mom always had to touch up crooked bangs or a tuft above the ears when we got home. He apparently wasn't a very good bookie, either. He sold the shop in 1967 or '68 and left town owing money, according to the wags down at the barber shop. Really?Were the Barbers so hard up that they couldn't have a radio playing in the shop? [Early radio listeners used headphones -- the sets were generally unamplified, and loudspeakers were in their infancy. - Dave] (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids)
535-07-5248 and Wife
... of the woods and she had a pet deer that would visit her daily and she would let it in the house. She had the most beautiful flowers ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2020 - 3:52pm -

Oregon, August 1939. "Unemployed lumber worker goes with his wife to the bean harvest. Note Social Security number tattooed on his arm." (And now a bit of Shorpy scholarship / detective work. A public records search shows that 535-07-5248 belonged to one Thomas Cave, born July 1912, died in 1980 in Portland. Which would make him 27 years old when this picture was taken.) Medium format safety negative by Dorothea Lange. View full size. Wow, and is she hot.Wow. She's kind of hot too. Well, I am not showing proper respect for history either. Wow. He's kind of hot.Wow. He's kind of hot. I am really not showing the proper respect for history. She'sno slouch either as long as you're on the subject. I'm loving this series of Dust Bowl era pics. I have known a few people who back then had their number on their arm upside down so they could read it. Relative?He's my brother's namesake, which makes me wonder if we're related. Can you get more information from Social Security numbers, other than name and d.o.b./d.o.d.? I'm Australian, so I don't know anything about the system. [The dates and place of death (Portland, Oregon) are the only information given. - Dave] Hey- Even grandpas were sexyHey- Even grandpas were sexy in their day! SSDIYou can search the Social Security Death Index (available at Ancestry.com, among other places) and it will tell you dob/dod plus last residence. You can also generate the form to send to the Social Security office to request (purchase) a copy of the original application which will give a little more information. I'm impressed with how well groomed they both are. Sure he's got stains on his trousers, but his hair is combed and (except for the mustache) he is clean-shaven. In the background, his wife is wearing what looks like a fairly stylish dress and her pose looks like it could have come out of a fashion magazine. They certainly do not look like the tired and downtrodden people we've seen in other pictures. Makes me wonder what he did before and how long they've been following the harvest. [He was, as the caption says, a lumber worker. - Dave] Pierce Brosnan?He bears an uncanny resemblance to Pierce Brosnan when he as in The Matador. Or, I guess I should say, Pierce Brosnan bears an uncanny resemblance to him. See for yourself: http://tinyurl.com/2gga3j They managedThey managed to keep clean and she looked pretty good They're both veryThey're both very attractive! The Depression was tough, even for the good-lookin'.. :) Hubba!What a babe! :) There are just so manyThere are just so many awesome things about this photo. The elegant beauty of the woman. The handsome man with pipe. The tattoo on the arm with his Social Security number of all things. Then to be able to search them out by using his social and modern technology. It's just a treat! Thomas CaveTHOMAS CAVE born: 02 Jul 1912 death: Jun 1980 last residence: Portland, Multnomah, OR 535-07-5248 Oregon Death Index Name: Thomas Urs Cave Spouse: Annie Birth: 1912 Death: dd mm 1980 - Multnomah U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 Name: Thomas U Cave Birth: 1912 Military: 29 Oct 1942 - Portland, Oregon Residence: Oregon, Multnomah, Oregon U.S. Veterans Gravesites Name: Cave, Thomas U Thomas U Cave Birth: 2 Jul 1912 Death: 4 Jun 1980 Military: 12 Nov 1942 Military: 4 Feb 1946 Pierce Brosnan?I think he looks more like a younger Treat Williams. www.movievillains.com/images/xanderdrax.jpg Well now, he's obviously aWell now, he's obviously a Dapper Dan man! A treat, indeed! Wish weA treat, indeed! Wish we could interview this couple now and ask them about those times. I'll bet they'd say it wasn't such a bad time of their lives. They had each other... Perhaps we people have forgotten what's really important in life. SmokeIt was a inexpensive pleasure back then Harder TimesTimes were harder back then, and arguably so were the people. I'm struck by how much older than I he looks as we are both the same age. Makes me wonder if he had a great head start on life experiences at 27, and I'm lazily slow-poking my way through life. Maybe I should just count myself blessed to live in such times of relative ease and prosperity. Actually, it probably has more to do with the fact that he could actually grow facial hair at this point in his life...but I think I'm going to stick with the "harder times" thesis : ) Or more smoke?Maybe it was all the smoking those people did that aged them? Imagine being flat broke, having to live under a tarp, and still spending money on tobacco! Social Security Number? PricelessNot thrilled that so much is revealed with a SSN search. Somebody is probably getting a credit card in his name right about now. Re: Harder TimesI think that it was a product of responsibility. People back then were given greater responsibility at a much younger age and had a lot more expectations back then. SSNI asked the Library of Congress to upload the .tiff file so we could read his SSN. It could be a 9, not a 4. The LOC librarian took out the original negative but could not be sure either. I agree, Thomas Cave makes more sense because the other option, Clarence Horn, was born in 1917. That man does not look 22. But, often writing history comes down to this kind of reasoning and, hopefully, corroboration. Unfortunately, Thomas Cave's 1942 enlistment document lists him as "divorced, with dependents." That might not be accurate for a whole host of reasons, especially he does not show up on the 1930 Federal Census. I'd like to believe she was the "Annie" listed as his spouse on his death certificate. History doesn't kill romance; it just makes sure it's true. Tobacco was a standard ration in the Depression. Do note the date of death, however. He died at 67. That said, there is no dress rehearsal for life. Times were tough, in a way we can only begin to imagine today. Scurvy: can you give me lists of those tatooed numbers or maybe let me interview you about the people you knew? If anyone wants to know more about the conditions in which this man and woman lived during the Depression, please do not hesitate to ask. I am teaching the photo tomorrow and am introducing my students to the kind of enterprising research and insight I've seen reflected in this list. Bravo. (And yes, he's hot--my students agree). Dr. Kate Sampsell-Willmann Assistant Professor of American History and Photographic Historian Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar ksw29@georgetown.edu Re: SSNThe TIFF is already on the LOC site for anyone to download. Here's the number in question. 535-07-5248. Maybe you are not using the highest resolution file available. (There are two.) LookalikesUnfortunately I don't have a picture to prove it, but he looks like my brother in law at that age. Rich is Greek and Irish. I wonder what nationality Thomas Cave was. [His nationality was American. Ethnicity? - Dave] SSN numberHi Dave: As a professor of history, the LOC uploaded the highest res photo on my request. The LOC librarian examined the neg with a magnifying glass and could get no greater detail. Unfortunately, writing a 9 with an exaggerated bottom hook was common handwriting practice in the '30s (as it in in Western Europe today). Also, the tattoo was not doen with a gun. A 4 with an open top would have been easier to do than a curved 9. If it is indeed a 4, the tattooist made the job harder on himself by closing the top of the 4. If you notice, the straight lines in the 3 and 7 are more distinct than the curved lines. Quite honestly, it looks like my Dad's handwriting (1924-1991, US Army 1942-1946). In some ways, we cannot believe our eyes when looking at old pictures. We have to see them in their historical context. Also, the the letters are SSA not SSN. They stand for Social Security Administration. SSN did not become a common acronym until after World War II. The first SSNs were issued in 1935, a year before this picture. The New Deal agencies were referred to back then as "the alphabet agencies" and then "alphabet soup." For example, Lange, a photographer working for the RA, had previously worked for FERA (forerunner of today's FEMA) and later the FSA, took the picture under the auspices of the USDA. Before the New Deal, government was much smaller, and, saving the USDA, these "alphabetics" (as they were also called) did not exist. There were dozens. For a great read on the Depression (that assumes no prior knowledge of the era), I recommend Robert McElvaine, _The Great Depression: America, 1929-1941_. We have to take all the facts, inside and outside the image, before making sound historical conclusions. But, engaging in ths kind of dialogue is the best way to learn more of our history. I hope that looking at these amazing artifacts of our national past sparks a greater interest in the history, one that is not dependent on memorization of dates and names (which I hate too). History is about feelings and motivations and all manner of human endeavor. Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this picture with you. BTW, if anyone thinks he is an ancestor (his middle name was Urs), is the names "Urs" a common name in your family? I think it might be German. Giving a mother's maiden name as a middle name, or the first name of a parent or grandparent, was common practice in the early 20th c. Because "Urs" is textspeak for "yours," I can't do too much with a quick Google search. Best, Kate Dangling modifiersTouché. I wish my students picked up such things. Kate [Imagine a fact-checking school of piranhas and you basically have our readership. (Kidding!) - Dave] The Trap of the Dangling Modifier>> As a professor of history, the LOC uploaded the highest res photo The LOC is a professor of history? Hmm. UrsThe name “Urs” is common in Switzerland, but not in Austria or Germany. Only the female equivalent, Ursula, is quite common here. SmokingMy father once told me that he started smoking during the Depression because it killed his appetite. You know how some folks worry that if they quit smoking they'll gain weight. He smoked so there would be more food for his brothers and sisters. Unfortunately he like his father and several of his uncles, brothers and sister fell victim to emphysema re: Lookalikes-DaveThanks Dave, that's what I was trying to say. Mind goes blank ever so often and I use the first word I can think of. Old age and drugs are he-- on a mind. Urs, smoking, and identityI think Urs is also an old Celtic name. I still don't get why he doesn't show up in the 1930 census. Anyone on the list in Multnomah, Oregon? He's buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland: Col-2, Row 382, Site B. Maybe they have a next of kin on record to whom the picture can be shown? His 1980 death cert. lists an Annie as spouse, but his enlistment record lists him as divorced with dependents. Don't know if the woman is Annie (before they got married) or the former Mrs. Cave. Every generation thinks it invented premarital sex and cohabitation. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was pretty common in all strata of society. Sometimes in the Depression, the especially hard-hit would not bother to get a formal divorce; people would just leave. He also might have been a Wobbly. 1935 is kind of late, but they were always strongest in the West: mining and timber. Another thing bothers me about his "identity": Thomas Cave's enlistment record has him at 5'6" and 156 pounds. I know there are ways to judge height of sitting people with software, but that's beyond me at the moment. My father used to cup his cigarettes in his hand until he quit in the 1980s, "so the snipers couldn't get a fix." That's why it's "unlucky" to light 3 cigarettes with one flame, so says my Vietnam Vet husband. Remember the old WWII movies, "smoke-em if you got-em, boys." I think I also remember my Dad saying something about the tobacco killing hunger in the Depression. Dad was a tenant farmer 'til he went off to war. Pregnant women were encouraged to smoke to stop morning sickness. Tobacco use was ubiquitous. The Red Cross even handed out cigarettes in the 1931 drought. Best, Kate re: to Kate Urs, smoking, and identityThanks for the info Kate. Maybe he and the woman in the picture weren't really married. Interesting, and I agree about the "premarital sex and cohabitation". I couldn't believe my ears when I finally was told the stories about my family ;o) My dad used to do that with his cigarettes too. He never said why however, but now I know :) TattooYou mention that you don't think the tattoo was put on with a machine. As a tattooer for 17 years I can pretty much assure you that it was. That kind of serif style and the continuity of size would be impossible for a novice to achieve using a hand-poke method. Thomas CaveThomas Cave, 1912-1980. Kind of WeirdThis is one of my favorite pictures I've seen here on Shorpy. For some reason, these two make me think of Rooster and Lily from "Annie." Looking Back to NowThere are some historic photographs -- and they are rare indeed -- that somehow manage to look as if they were shot in the present, just yesterday. This is one such. I'm not speaking of the people exactly but the manner in which they enter the camera. Not all of Dorothea Lange's (or other commercial photographers of any era) manage to convey such "magic" but this one does. It took my breath away when I first saw it (elsewhere) last month. A handsome rakeNot sure if this fits the bill, but I'd nominate this pic for the Handsome Rakes gallery. I'll bet people walked up to him and told him he looked like Errol Flynn. His girl is on the pretty side as well, though I think we have pictures aplenty in the pretty girls gallery! Movie star looksHe reminds me of Errol Flynn. Maybe it's the mustache? Two more photos of Thomas CaveTwo more of Lange's photos of Thomas Cave (neither quite so interesting visually as the one here) came up via the LOC's "Neighboring Call Numbers" browser: LC-USF34-020536-E and LC-USF34-020538-E. In the second of these, Cave appears to be deliberately displaying his Social Security number tattoo. Perhaps he was a true believer in the promises that it represented. Other photos from this group of 30 identify the bean harvest locale as "Oregon, Marion County, near West Stayton." "Cute Boys"?We have "Bathing Girls!" and "Pretty Girls" categories; when, oh when, will "Cute Boys!" be created? Along with Mr. Cave, "Powerhouse Mechanic and Steam Pump" should be included! Yowza is it getting warm in here? [Look at the tags above the photo. The category you're describing already exists. - Dave] Bean Pickers, Marion County, OregonMy father's family left Oklahoma in 1934 headed for California, and by 1939 would have been permanently settled in Marion County, still picking other people's crops and working odd jobs. None of my family from my father's generation, or the one before his, is still alive, but it does make me wonder if they might have encountered this handsome couple back then. First Generation LifelockMr Cave's efforts to protect himself against identity theft were, perhaps, not so well thought out. PragmaticI think he is a pragmatic man, his circumstances make it quite possible that he will be found dead at the side of the road or in a ditch. The number on his arm makes identification possible. Mofred InfoHere he is, with three wives, on FamilySearch: Tillman Thomas Ursel Cave 2 July 1912 – 4 June 1980 https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GQL8-S8Z A little bit more about Thomas U. CaveAll this information was found via the newspaper archive at genealogybank.com. (I would have just posted links to save space, but it is a paid site.) In the June 4, 1949 issue of The Oregonian, there is a birth announcement that Mr. and Mrs. Thomas U. Cave gave birth to a daughter on May 28. Then, on Sept. 22, 1950, another announcement that another daughter (Juanita L.) was born on Sept. 13. An address is included in both announcements. Then, a tragic story from the May 4, 1952 issue: "Kelso Grid Star Dies in Collision". It reads: KELSO, Wash. May 3 (AP) - Richard "Rip" Raappana, 24, well-known southwest Washington athlete, was killed early Saturday. His automobile swerved into a Consolidated Freightways truck and trailer a mile north of here on the Pacific Highway, the state patrol reported. Louise N. Robinson, 21, Longview, a passenger in his car, was injured critically. The state patrol said the truck driver was Thomas U. Cave, 39, of Portland. Raappana was an all-round athlete at Kelso high. He played college football for Eastern Washington college at Cheney and last fall was with the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. No Golds Gym HereWhat impresses me most is that his nice body is most likely due to heavy labor, not lifting weights in a gym. LooksHe looks like David Gandy, one of the top male models of the last 10 years We know him as 535-07-5248But his wife just called him "5". I think she's got kind of the Dorothy Lamour vibe: Who knew History could be so HandsomeI love checking out Shorpy everyday, and it's a double pleasure when such a handsome picture pops up. Service DetailsThe grave marker said he was a Sgt during WWII. One of the lucky ones to have made it to the end after enlisting in 1942. Does anyone have the ability to look up his service record? Would love to know what he did and where he was during WWII. Reminds me of Freddie MercuryBritish musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Queen. Late to the game, but --I have a little more information about this man, if anyone is interested. Anyone looking on a genealogy/records site might have some trouble finding him under the name Thomas Urs Cave, because it looks like his real name was Tillman Thomas Urs Cave. I initially found a census record for a Thomas U Cave in 1940. At the time he was renting a house in Shasta, Oregon, and stated that he was a truck driver who had an eighth grade education. He was also married - but not to Annie (Ann Kathryn per the grave marker?). His wife was a woman named Vivian, who was a fruit picker on a farm. I believe Vivian is the lady in the photograph. But that was it, beyond the service records/SSA death record already posted about. But a census record for 1920 caught my eye because the young boy, Tilman T Cave, had a sister called Juanita - the same name Thomas gave his daughter in 1949 per the newspaper announcement. In 1920 Tilman and Juanita lived with their parents, Tilman B and Sarah N Cave, on a farm in Buckham, Oregon. A possible match, but not 100% guaranteed. Searches for the name Tilman Cave, though, found three good records: - a 1918 WWI draft registration for a Tillman Benjamin Cave, wife Sadie, both living in Buckham, Oregon - a 1930 census record for Benjamin T and Sadie N Cave in Los Angeles, California - a 1940 census record for Benjamin T and Sadie N Cave in Portland, Oregon I realize the names change during this time. I've known plenty of people who go by their middle name, which would account for Tillman Benjamin becoming Benjamin T, and it's possible that Sadie is a pet name for Sarah given the shared middle initial of 'N'. As for the sudden jump from Oregon to LA and back, I'm guessing a lot of people migrated for possible work. The clincher record: a 1934 marriage record of a Tillman T.U. Cave to a Vivian Couture (both residents of Multnomah County, Oregon) in Washington State. The witnesses' signatures are Benjamin Cave and Saddie [sic] Cave. Unfortunately I still can't find Tillman or Thomas Cave in the 1930 census, but we're at the mercy of both the census-takers and transcribers here. I've found faults from both before (a prime example: the census of 1940 says Vivian worked as a picker on a Fruit Farm, but it has been transcribed in the index as a Kunt Farm. I don't even want to imagine what one of those would be.) He's probably out there somewhere. All of this isn't 100% proof, but that's hard to get without a chain of vital records. If any of the previous posters are still reading this, or new readers comes across this, I hope you find this information of interest! Relationship dynamicsHer place on the photo, uncomfortable body language and wary eyes as if the photographer was an attractive woman. My Great-GrandmaI loved reading all the comments. Yes, this is a picture of my great-grandma Vivian. My grandmother recounted the story to me. A photographer came into camp and because of this, no one was allowed to go work while the photographer went tent to tent taking pictures. Hence the death stare she was giving. They lost out on an entire day’s wages because this guy wanted to take their picture. And yes, my grandma remembers it as a man who came even though it is credited to Dorothea Lange. I know very little of the man in the picture. I do however know that my grandma is not resting in peace next to him. What I remember of Grandma Vivian is how her house was in the middle of the woods and she had a pet deer that would visit her daily and she would let it in the house. She had the most beautiful flowers around her property. And she always wore a head scarf. She died when I as around 3 years old. My Cooper cousinTillman Thomas Cave was my cousin, he was married at least twice. Vivian Couture (pictured), I have some photos of her and she worked for Kaiser Mills in Portland, Oregon. She had a photo ID indicating she was 5'9", Tillman was 5'6". She was a slender dark haired dark eyed girl and her half brother Melvin was lighter haired with very blue eyes. Tillman's full name is Tillman Thomas Ursel Cave, born July 2, 1912, died June 4, 1980. He married Vivian on July 3, 1934. They were together seven to nine years. He later married Ann Kathryn Bloom. His name Cave had been shortened from Cavendish at some point. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Handsome Rakes)
Happy Birthday to Us: 1951
... Shorpy was 48 weeks old. Best site on the web, it is! Daily Shorpy has become a spot I visit at least once a day to see the superb ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/14/2013 - 5:41pm -

"Linda's 4th birthday -- 1951." Not so coincidentally, today is Shorpy's sixth birthday. Happy Birthdays all around! 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. MilkWe got milk in those little glass bottles through grade school. Thery had foil tops that you removed and then stuck a straw in the milk to drink it. For some reason, drinking directly from the bottle was a no-no. Happy Birthday Shorpy!!!I'm sure you have your cupcakes and pointy party hats on. This party is all too familiar. Just adorable. It's a so see there aren't 15 little ones here. Mom took it easy. I wonder if this fab four are the same girls at the prom/homecoming image?? I bet they are. [They would have to have undergone quite a growth spurt to turn into teenagers in five years! - Dave] Happy Birthday Shorpy!And specially thank you Dave, tterrace and all the commenters. This is a wonderful community! The coolness of party hatshas apparently diminished significantly since 1951. I can't recall the last party where I got to wear a pillbox hat. Milk BottlesThose are classic individual bottles of milk that remind me of morning recess at school in the mid-1950s in Windsor, Ontario, when we received a half-pint bottle of milk. The milk was paid for with a ticket purchased in strips by my mother from the Silverwood's Dairy milkman who came to our back door. Birthday parties I attended in those days featured chocolate or strawberry milk. If it was really special you got a "Flav-R Straw". And just what is that glop they're eating?! Milk Does A Party GoodLong gone are the days when milk was a party drink. And in such cute little bottles. Happy Shorpday!I'm proud to say I've been a Shorpian since Shorpy was 48 weeks old. Best site on the web, it is! DailyShorpy has become a spot I visit at least once a day to see the superb photos and enjoy the comments from all my fellow Shorpy fans. A true oasis of calm in this often insane world. Thanks Dave for all your work. ContemporariesI hope we can find Linda. In hope she is out there, somewhere, with good humor, enjoying her fans on Shorpy. We are contemporaries, and I am not going into geezerdom quietly! Party PeopleThis picture looks like any one of my 3 daughters Birthday Parties, albeit in the 1960s. My best to Shorpy's creators and founders, Dave and Ken. Thank you tterrace for your insights and the rest of the Shorpy commenters for their input. Birthdays GaloreHaving just celebrated my own birthday this week, I can appreciate a good party picture. I would have liked to attend this one but these gals are a little too old for me as I was only half their age when this was taken. My compliments to the great crew here and the wizards behind the curtain who make it all work. May we all have many more happy birthdays. Feel cheatedGee, when I was in grade school we only got small cartons of milk for recess. An old jokeThe milk bottles in glass reminds me of a joke that people from that era understand. Why is cream more expensive than milk? Its harder to get the cow to sit on the little bottle. Happy Birthday Shorpy!! Felicitations Happy Birthday to Shorpy and many thanks to Dave and the whole crew. What a treat and resource this site is. Here's how Shorpy has enriched my wife's and my lives: The past five years we have driven from Durham to Rockford, IL (Sockfest-annual sock monkey festival at Midway History Museum.) Solely due to a single picture here, we made a side trip to Dwight, IL two years ago to see this station and the other fascinating sights/sites mentioned in the comments. In two weeks, we'll be stopping off in Columbus, IL to check out the classic old soda fountain. It turns out that Columbus has more interesting buildings than we could see in several days. Thanks again. Happy Birthday !To both Dave and Shorpy.... I will be 65 next week (2/21) so I remember parties like this (although, I must admit, I was never invitied to the "girls" parties). Boy & gals had separate parties when I was that age, even though we were too young to be attracted to the opposite sex then. Our moms felt that the boys were too "rough" to party with the ladies, so they kept us away from scenes like this. GREAT WEBSITE, DAVE; PLEASE KEEP ON POSTIN' ! ! (Kids, Linda Kodachromes)
Oyster Express: 1913
... Reputation Good sized family, those Sherricas. Our daily bread Imagine the drudgery of working this line to earn a living. What ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/16/2020 - 8:37pm -

February 1913. Bluffton, South Carolina. "Varn & Platt Canning Co. 10-year-old Jimmie. Been shucking 3 years. 6 pots a day, and a 11-year-old boy who shucks 7 pots. Also several members of an interesting family named Sherrica. Seven of them are in this factory. The father, mother, four girls shuck and pack. Older brother steams. 10 year old boy goes to school. Been in the oyster business 5 years. Father worked for 25 years in the Pennsylvania Coal Mine, and the oldest brother there. They said they liked the oysters business better because the family makes more." Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. We Still Like 'EmOysters are still greatly savored in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. In the months without an "R," when the pesky mosquitoes and equally vile and ravenous no-see-ums have died down, friends and families gather for oyster roasts, where oysters are steamed and consumed by the bushel. Some can only eat them doused in hot sauce, but the purists will crack the shells and swallow them right down - sometimes raw. For those who don't care for oysters, there's plenty of local fresh shrimp, flounder, and the like to fill up on. For those who live on the waterways, they can literally harvest the oysters right out of their own back yard. Kudos to SC Game and Wildlife, as they are making significant strides in recreating oyster beds by returning empty shells to the water. Oysters Have That ReputationGood sized family, those Sherricas. Our daily breadImagine the drudgery of working this line to earn a living. What a choice for the family to make: work in the coals mines of Pennsylvania, or a cannery in South Carolina. How many families make such an effort today? We generally go our separate ways during the workday. Notice the integrated workforce in the days of the Jim Crow South. The boys were of my grandparents' generation. Probably had little schooling and lots of backbreaking work during their childhood. The good old days? Today, the area just east of Bluffton is comprised of luxury homes and golf courses: Hilton Head. I doubt any of these folks could have imagined such a lifestyle. What did they do with all those oysters, anyway?"Shucking oysters" is a frequent theme with Lewis Hine. But what did they do with them in the first place? Can them? Must have gone out of fashion. I have only met fresh ones. And the lesser mollusks available in cans or glasses I leave be. Why oysters?Oysters were a cheap and plentiful food for the working class from the 19th through the early 20th century, when the extensive beds began to be destroyed by pollution, sedimentation and other factors. See the "Human History" section in the Wikipedia oyster article. Re: Oysters Have That ReputationThat's what I heard, too, in my younger days, so I tried a dozen. I was disappointed when only seven of them worked. Today's gourmet item was yesterday's PB&JThe comment by "tterrace" illustrates how things change when an item becomes scarce. What was formerly a common food item has now become a gourmet treat. Reminds me of the Mercedes-Benz automobiles. Kept scarce, and sold as luxury cars in the States, you can find the sedans working as taxicabs in Europe and the Middle East. I remember seeing photos of war-torn Beirut with Mercedes taxis all over the streets - perhaps our webmaster can find a photo to prove this! Didja ever?When I was young and popular, I would often receive gourmet gift packages for certain occasions. One constant staple therein was canned smoked oysters. At first I did not think they were going to be wonderful, but if you try one, they grow on you and become addictive tasty morsels. (He likes it, Mikey likes it.) Actually shucking oysters on the other hand (no pun intended) is painful work, as it is common to seriously gouge your palms with the oyster knife due to the very hard, tightly closed shell. No job for sissies. And huge, tooWe think of oysters as being relatively small, the shells being, generally, the size of your palm or smaller. In past centuries, when oysters were harvested from natural beds they were often a foot long and more. These days, they are grown in oyster farms, and so smaller. I lived on City Island, originally the home of the "oyster catchers" in the New York City area. The livelihood died when pollution made eating oysters in the area unsafe to eat. (The Gallery, Lewis Hine)
Shorpy Higginbotham: 1910
... can I say? I love this site! Keep up the great work! Daily Dose Happy Birthday Shorpy! You are a part of my daily ritual since you began and I look forward to checking this site as often ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/14/2022 - 3:03pm -

December 1910. "Shorpy Higginbotham, a 'greaser' on the tipple at Bessie Mine, of the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Co. in Alabama. Said he was 14 years old, but it is doubtful. Carries two heavy pails of grease, and is often in danger of being run over by the coal cars." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Shorpy storyThe story about this boy makes me so sad. The photo is so strong. Esthetically - wonderful - artistic movie like. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. Tamara Razov. His armsThose are the roughest part--it appears that they're rather permanently in that position. Notice His Hands...You can tell Shorpy worked very hard. His hands look like the hands of a 40 year old man, not a 14 year old boy. His arms do appear to be permanently bowed out and his shoulders are sloped from carrying the heavy buckets. How we could ever have gotten to this point in our society is beyond me. Thank goodness for the progressive people back then who put a stop to such practices and gave kids like Shorpy their childhoods. omg. after seeing theseomg. after seeing these pictures, its so hard to believe how far we have gone and what todays world is like compared to back then. The question is, what would they think if they saw what the world was like today and how people are living?! (perfect example, we now have cars that drive for us!!!) Shorpy and child laborThe pictures were taken only 30 years before I was born. When I was 14 I needed a State of California Work Permit in order to get a summer job (picking cotton). We could quit school at 16. I didn't do that but many did. Thank God for the reformers in the early 20th century! "The golf links lie so near the mill that almost every day, the working children can look out and watch the men at play." Don Lest we forgetIt is easy to forget from the perspective of our comfortable North American lifestyles that in many places in the world, child labor still runs rampant, not because families want their children to work endless hours in deplorable conditions, but because their very existence depends on the meager income the children earn. Let's not become too complacent and self-satisfied that we've "progressed" beyond the conditions of the early 20th century until we've globally eradicated those same conditions that continue to exist today. picture from a greaser kid... ... cause of his size he was able to easily go inside all the mechanics stuff.. they see it as a game... some great technologics developments were the outcome of that work-players boys... thats the good one... the bad one is that some of them never play again... So great wonder!Really I'm so scare about you beautiful eye-moment, serious, I think in a lot of stuff's, that amazing like a time capsule... Don't have the exactly words for tell you my reasons... make my day theses snaps. I hope back soon. Carlos "Cx" Shorpy's contemporariesA ten-year-old working in the mines was not unusual. My grandfather was born in 1896 and started in the mines at age ten. He worked for Tennessee Coal and Iron in Jefferson County, Alabama. After his back was broke in a mine accident and suffering from years of black-lung he lived to 84. This was before welfareAmerica is still the greatest place in the world to give. I have traveled to a lot of countries. Yes, they have their pluses, but even the poorest americans live better than 99% of the worlds population. Shorpy HigginbothamI wonder if anyone knows where Shorpy Higginbotham's grandfather, Robert Higginbotham, is buried. Robert Higginbotham is my Great Great Grandfather. Kenny Brown twotreesklb@aol.com Shorpy, descendant of Revolutionary War SoldierShorpy was my father's (Roy Higginbotham's) uncle, a younger brother of my grandfather, John W. Dolphus Higginbotham. Their ancestor Robert Higginbotham was a Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of King's Mountain. He died in Huntsville, Alabama, where he farmed for many years. He is buried on his farm and the Huntsville D.A.R. had a ceremony a few years ago at his grave site. There is another Robert B. Higginbotham (also a descendant of Robt. Sr.), buried in Remlap, Alabama, I think, but I don't recall him having an intact headstone. [P.H., thanks for the information. You have a fascinating family history. - Ken] ShorpyI found him, he is one of my cousins. Henry Sharp Higginbotham b 23 Nov 1896 d. 25 jan 1928, son of Felix Milton Higginbotham and Mary Jane Graham. We descend from the Amherst Co. Virginia Higginbothams. my line was Benjamin Higginbotham who m. Elizabeth Graves and d. 1791 in Elbert Co. GA. Then his son Francis Higgginbotham m. Dolly Gatewood. When they were in old age they moved with with their sons to the new Louisiana Territory, E. Feliciana Parish. My gggfather was Caleb Higginbotham and gggmother was Minerva Ann Bryant of the Manakintown, VA hugenot BRIANT. All the Higginbothams and Bryant sons fought in the Rev. War. My gggg William Guerant Bryant and his brother John, his father, James and Uncle Isaac and Isaac's son James and His Uncle Thomas were all in the battle of Guilford Court House NC 25 Mar 1781. Thomas was killed and Isaac wounded in the head. Bessie Mine?One of the first posters said that Bessie Mine may still be operational. Is that true? When I look it up online, nothing much comes up. I'd love to see some more pictures of the mine, though, and learn a little more about it! Bessie MineBessie Mine appears to be closed. Information available online shows that the current owner, US Pipe, has filed an application to use the area as a landfill. My grandfather worked at Bessie and other mines in west Jefferson County. He would have been about Shorpy's age but didn't start to work there until he was 18 or so. After a couple of years working in the pits, he was able to get a position tending the generators and never had to work underground again. Then and NowI don't want to go back to the "good old days." But everybody should "work" at least a few days (e.g. move a lot of force through a lot of distance all day while either sweating or freezing, dirty, dog-tired, with something aching). Maybe a kid who did some of this stuff will better appreciate the real things in life rather than Britney, American Idol, text messaging, and Fifty-Cent rap. I'm glad i did - but not too much! In my younger days, I harvested tobacco, hauled hay, milked cows, moved gravel from a creek bed to the barnyard in a mule wagon, picked potatoes behind a mule plow, budded peach seedlings and harvested nursery stock on cold rainy January days. These are cherished memories working with my kinfolk on their farms. I'm glad I did it! I've rolled cement up a hill in a wheelbarrow and finished it, framed and built buildings, plumbed and wired, and swapped greasy motors in cars. It all pays off as I can save money as a do-it-yourselfer. And it paid off as an incentive to study and go to college so I didn't have to do it for a living! Looking at these pictures, I don't feel sorry for the people in them as I don't think they knew how "bad off" they were. So they were not! However, I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for our hard-working ancestors, my aunts and uncles, and cousins. Roy HigginbothamWas your father the Roy Higginbotham who was principal of Minor Elementary School in the 60's and 70's? martyshoemaker@hotmail.com Bessie Mine Locationhttp://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=33.657286~-87.03305... Clyde Donald HiggI am also related to the Higg from Va, and also the ones from Ireland. I just loved this about Shorpy Higg. I am still trying to locate more information on the Higg from Ind. where my father was from, his father was Luther, and his father was George. My father's name was Clyde Donald Higg. cindykpiper@aol.com [So you mean Higg, or Higginbotham? - Dave] Feel sorry for us!>> Looking at these pictures, I don't feel sorry for the people in them as I don't think they knew how "bad off" they were. I don't feel sorry for them either. I feel sorry for us, the younger generations. We have no idea what real, consistent hard work is. With the way things are going I desperately want to know someone who has lived the hard life, maybe lived through the Depression but no one is around to glean from. I just turned 33 years old but I see the wisdom in searching out the generation. I have even written my husbands Grandmother for advice but she is too busy to share her knowledge. I don't wish evil for our great country but it might do us some good to have to experience hardship to get our act together. For me, I grew up without hot water, sometimes the electric was shut off, rarely a car and I can tell many a story about cleaning clothes in a wringer washer in the middle of Missouri's wicked winter temps - outside at that. But I still know I have so much more to learn. Roy Higginbotham>> Was your father the Roy Higginbotham who was principal of Minor Elementary School in the 60's and 70's? That particular Roy Higginbotham was not my father, although I had heard about him from my cousins who still lived in the area. No doubt he is related in some way. My father (Roy) was also a coal miner in his younger days like his father and uncles. He died in 1961 at the age of 46. I remember my grandfather John talking about his brother "Sharpe" and how someone "took his picture" when he was a young boy working in the mines. Sorry it took so long for me to reply. Bessie MineI live a few blocks from the mine. It was just off Rt 150 in Bessemer. The mine complex was left intact and abandoned since the 1950's until the buildings were cleared in 2009. I did photograph it before it was destroyed. Happy Birthday Shorpy!Thank you for diligently updating and uploading. I know it takes a lot of time to run a website like this, and I for one am grateful for your efforts, Dave. Thank you! Shorpy Higginbotham: 1910This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. For those who have not seen it, here is my story of Henry Sharp Higginbotham. http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/11/26/henry-s-higginbotham-page-on... Happy Birthday, Shorpy.com!I've been visiting since day one, so what else can I say? I love this site! Keep up the great work! Daily DoseHappy Birthday Shorpy! You are a part of my daily ritual since you began and I look forward to checking this site as often as time permits. I've learned a great deal since you began these wonderful posts. Thanks gang, and many more! My 2 cents worthI'm just a pup here, having only been on board for a year and a half. Thank you Dave, Ken, tterrace and all who do such a great job on this site. To all the Shorpyites who add so much extra via comments, links and other added information, you all get a big "Attaboy". Thanks to one and all. Happy birthday! Thanks for a Great Five YearsYour very skilled and hard work, along with your thoughtful selection of the right moments from the past is greatly appreciated, Thank You! George Widman A treat each and every dayA great website that really is quite a treat each day,and I never can wait until another post,and the comments are always entertaining. Thank you for 5 years of hard work. I know I used to blog and I know it's something you dedicate yourself to. The best photo blogI'm so glad you've kept it going. Yours is the best one out there. I enjoy how your selection of photographs cover the gamut. They may be from a particular era but not from a particular style or emotion. RemindersThanks to you all for these incredible photos--wonderful work! Some remind me of my own childhood in the south and I have photos, too. My grandmother worked in a textile mill when she was 12, around 1912, never had much schooling, and married at 16. She told me stories of the Depression, when she had 6 children to raise by herself. A wonderful person who was a huge presence in my life, esp when my mother died in 1948, poor and in ill health. In 1955, my first job was at the five and dime at age 14 on Fri night and all day Sat for a grand total of $4.50. Thank you again for the reminders of how it used to be, although I wouldn't want to repeat history. Thanks!Thank you Shorpy and thank you shorpy.com Fast Math"photographed by Lewis Hine 117 years ago" 107 plus 10 years of blogging, er, fast-forwarding gets you 117. Still the best site on the web. Shorpy is my Great UncleHi my name is Timothy Williams, great grandson of Joseph James Williams, who was husband of Susie Higginbotham-Williams, sister of Henry Sharp "Shorpy" Higginbotham. Oddly as it may sound; although, probably not shocking, I think my family might have married into the Higginbotham's more than once. My father was a Williams and my mother was a Higginbotham too. Anyways, It is my honor to share this with you all and I am happy to have found this website and I am so happy to look upon these pictures of one of my family members. I am proud to know he is my kin. While I am not a historian, I have majored in enough history classes, that I could probably teach it at some level. My family ancestry dates back to England and Scotland. I have a Robert B Higginbotham in my family that the Daughters of Revolution, found a grave marker years ago. He was a Revolutionary War hero. I don't know how they would be related, even if they are. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28768283/robert-higginbotham (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Mining)
Tobin's Service Station: 1926
... gravity gas pumps I've ever seen in one setting. My daily route, continuity and history I figure I've driven through this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2021 - 9:31pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "S.W. Barrow," the caption on this National Photo glass negative, name-checks District real estate developer Samuel W. Barrow, who may have had something to do with this work near his home on Monroe Street N.E. (a neighborhood last seen here) at the intersection with 18th. Note the gas station in the background. View full size. Once a site, always a siteSo interesting that 95 years later, the same corner continues to be the location for a gas station. Thinking about how much the technology, around both the vehicles and the gasoline products, has evolved in the decades since. And it continues to evolve -- charging stations are bound to start popping up here and there. And yet that building across the street remains, as do some of the houses in the background. HenriettaThis is Henrietta, an Erie B set up as a crane with the bolt on second drum, awaiting restoration in 2018. She's mechanically complete, but the crane boom is in bad shape, may end up with a shovel front instead. ShovelTo answer Fatcat - technically it is not a shovel but a crane with a clamshell bucket. That bucket opens, clamshell-like, and is dropped to the ground, Its weight gives it some penetration and as it is closed by a separate cable, the jaws bite into the dirt. We certainly hope that the operator is fully aware that he is working under power lines that appear to be within reach of the boom! Pull Right Up! No Waiting!With six of the gas pumps plainly visible and a seventh one partially visible behind the clamshell and the tree, I believe this is the biggest array of gravity gas pumps I've ever seen in one setting. My daily route, continuity and historyI figure I've driven through this intersection around 8000 times prior to March 2020, and I'll probably drive it again. The lot where the photographer set up is John Burroughs Elementary School. Tobin's Service Station, on the southwest corner, is now Exxon. Kushner's Market, in the brick building on the northwest corner, has had a number of tenants and is now a nursing care service. It's a decent neighborhood, but the intersection has some bad history. The proprietor of a corner shop in the brick building was murdered in the 1980s. More recently, a 2017 quadruple shooting at the gas station left one dead. Neat old steam shovel.Reminds me of reading "Are You My Mother" by P.D. Eastman to my son when he was little. BTW, did the shovel dig into the ground strictly via gravity and the weight of the shovel? Little round sign in the centerThe only words I can make out is the word 'Stop' anyone else pick anything out. I like that little sign. [WASHINGTON RAILWAY COACH STOP. There's another one over to the left. - Dave] Gas for the automobiles ...Coal for the shovel. Fatcat beat me to it in linking the steam shovel in the foreground to a children's book. Just this weekend I was reading "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" to my construction-obsessed great-nephew for the first time. Virginia Lee Burton's 1939 story (which I read as a child in the 1960s) is about the demise of the coal-powered steam shovel, with the advent of the "new gasoline shovels / and the new electric shovels / and the new Diesel motor shovels" ... which "took all the jobs away from the steam shovels." However, much like Mike Mulligan's beloved steam shovel, Mary Anne, this one pictured here could eventually be converted into a furnace (after successfully digging the cellar of a town hall in a single day!), and maybe its operator could then live out his career as the janitor of that building, maintaining his furnace, while enjoying "his rocking chair / smoking his pipe, / and [name of his steam shovel] beside him, warming up the meetings / in the new town hall." Erie BBuilt in Erie PA. One of the first standardized mass produced steam crane/shovels, giving economies of scale. That's the reason there were so many of them sold, and a fair number of survivors. The visible hoist drum is a bolt-on, for use as a crane with clamshell or dragline capability. When configured as a shovel, the single rear drum behind it is sufficient, the extra drum isn't needed. They are surprisingly fast, aided by a separate steam engine for each motion in shovel configuration. The curved shape of the clamshell jaws pulled it into the ground while closing, although the bucket's weight and teeth were needed to start the cut. Erie merged with Bucyrus in the mid-1920's, and was recently absorbed by Caterpillar. The Erie B I see frequently is named Henrietta. It/she has the extra drum. Barber a BushI understand the straight line of trimmed bushes, but I’m not sure what to make of the stragglers in the area to the right. They look like a failed crop of bushes (if bushes could be a crop). (The Gallery, D.C., Gas Stations, Natl Photo)
Dearborn Street Station: 1910
... to blow the whistle! My company visits this building daily. I've loved this place since we've been visiting on a daily basis. Great pic, as always! Depot Hack The Parmelee vehicle is a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:44pm -

Chicago circa 1910. "Dearborn Street Station." Streetcar wires and a small ghost pedestrian not entirely banished by the retoucher's hand. View full size. Those RoofsThose sloped roofs got me busted cheating in architecture school. During my first year we had a sketch class and one of our assignments was to sketch this station. It was a particularly cold December morning so I bought a postcard of the station at a bookstore and sketched it from that. Unfortunately the postcard showed the station with the pre-fire sloped roofs, a distinction my professor was all too quick to point out. Top lopI'm sorry they lopped off the top of the tower. It was weird looking but interesting. It looked like there must have been little rooms up there. I wonder what was in them. Boxes with handles?Does anyone know what the boxes with handles located next to the curbs were for? [They're for getting into a carriage. Called mounting blocks when they're made of stone. - Dave] Somebody step upAnd identify that automobile. Make that one to beam up, Mr. ScottThat is just about the most hamfisted "retouching" work I have ever seen. It looks like someone from Starfleet is either transporting back to the Enterprise, or is about to materialize in Taft era Illinois. [Our image comes directly from the negative. Once it was printed, the results were probably more convincing. - Dave] Dearborn Station todayThanks for this great picture. This wonderful building is still standing and has been made into shops in the center of the Printer's Row area of Chicago. We were there this summer for the Printer's Row Book Fair. [They lopped off the top! And painted it orange! - Dave] How many [fill in here] does it take to change?That's one helluva a light bulb on that street pole. [What looks like a bulb is the glass globe covering the electrodes of a carbon arc lamp. - Dave] Parmelee SystemThe trolley was part of the conglomerate founded by Frank Parmelee in 1853. The company held franchises in many cities. I remember taxicabs in NYC in the 1940s & 50s that bore the legend "Parmelee System." In the 1930s his company was absorbed into the Checker Cab company and was around into the 1980s. Another interesting acquisition was the Yellow Cab Co., created by John Hertz, he of car rental fame. We'll discuss the Gold Dust Twins another time. Before the operationThat's an extraordinary tower. What a shame that it's since been - I'm afraid no other word will do - circumcised. You have to be kidding!They might have lopped the top off the building because they couldn't find a roofer to bid on retiling that wonderful but scary steep structure. The Station Got ScalpedThe "cuckoo clock" roof of the tower, and all the other pitched roofs on the building, were removed after a 1922 fire. The train shed in the back was demolished in 1976. Fortunately the rest of the station is intact. I remember going there with my father in 1969, when the station was still in operation, to see the the Flying Scotsman, the famous British steam locomotive. It was making a nationwide tour that year on this side of the pond. I got to blow the whistle! My company visits this building daily. I've loved this place since we've been visiting on a daily basis. Great pic, as always! Depot HackThe Parmelee vehicle is a depot hack or omnibus, not a trolley car. My beholding eyesI dunno, it looks like it got blotto at a party and stuck a lampshade on its head. TransposedThose steep roofs, especially the lamented steeple roof, look like the roofs you might see in Geneva or Bern, Switzerland. It is a shame they lopped off the steeple roof. Probably a cost or structural issue. [It was a fire issue. See below. - Dave] Adam's RibsWhere is the rib joint? Hawkeye ordered ribs from Adam's Ribs from Korea. It was across the street from the Dearborn Street Station. He forgot the coleslaw, though... He sidles up to the podium, clears his throat--I'll guess it's a 1910 Hudson, based on the firewall and windshield shapes, 3/4-elliptic springs, contracting brakes, radiator shape and steering-wheel controls. I know there were oodles of other makes that probably shared some of these features, so I'm prepared and eager to be corrected! A clean exteriorHard to imagine such an important public building owned by private companies not adorned with the name of the structure and who the tenants are. This was the very important East end of the Santa Fe as well as the Chicago terminal for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, Monon, Erie, Grand Trunk and others over the years. We lost one ofthe "Gold Dust Twins" on that sign at the right of the frame. Adam's Ribs, anyone?I am surprised that no one mentioned the episode of M*A*S*H in which the Dearborn Street Station featured. Tired of having eaten a "river or liver and an ocean fish,"* Hawkeye had a hankering for BBQ from Adam's Ribs, which was "across the street" from the station. * "I've eaten a river of liver and an ocean of fish! I've eaten so much fish, I'm ready to grow gills! I've eaten so much liver, I can only make love if I'm smothered in bacon and onions!" AddressWhat is the physical address of this place? I visit Chicago often and would like to go there in person. [Click here. - Dave] Thar She GoesThe fateful day the roofs were lost. Sad. He sidles up to the podium, clears his throat--Well done, Watchwayne! I agree with you it must be a Hudson. At first I thought Overland then perhaps Mercer and even Buick because all have similar radiator shapes, but none of them have those distinctive rear springs, but I knew that I had seen them before. Congratulations! Hello, DaveJust to tell you how much I enjoy old photos like this of Dearborn Station. I am deeply appreciative of your time and talent. I especially like the scarcasm, as long as it's not directed at me. [Scarcasm -- so hurtful. Disfiguring, even. - Dave] That Beautiful Car Seems to be a 1911 Warren-Detroit. http://forums.aaca.org/f170/mystery-car-291988.html +107Below is the same view from June of 2017. (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Railroads)
Old Money: 1915
... was one of a committee of three which supervised the daily destruction at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Washington ... Jun 2 1912 U.S. Officials Destroy $5,000,000 Daily in Worn out Currency The money at the rate of nearly $5,000,000 is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 1:27pm -

Washington circa 1915. "Miss Louise Lester, in charge of mutilation of old money at Treasury Dept." View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. $5 million per dayThe following is from a caption for a similar photo of the same apparatus. Miss Lester was one of a committee of three which supervised the daily destruction at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Washington Post Jun 2 1912 U.S. Officials Destroy $5,000,000 Daily in Worn out Currency The money at the rate of nearly $5,000,000 is thrown into the receptacle at the bottom of the picture. Under this is the machine that cuts up the old bills into tiny bits. Later the mass is mixed with a solution that takes out all coloring matter, and the pulp is then sold to manufacturers of cardboard and paper pulp novelties. The woman in the picture is Miss Louise Lester, the only one of her sex to ever serve on this committee. She was recently appointed by President Taft from Maryland. Messy JobHow did she stay so neat and clean in such a messy environment? Wish I knew more about the process such as what the wash tub was for and why the use of water. Filthy LucreInteresting occupation! I wonder what exactly the process would be for money "mutilation." And I wonder if Miss Louise ever dipped into that big bin of moolah! WheeAnd Miss Louise looks thrilled to be doing her job!! Mutilation?!Oh man, I guess I would have the same expression if I was in charge of "mutilation of old money"!! That place looks like a bomb shelter. [I think the technical term was maceration, although "mutilation" seems to be what's written on the negative label. Someone at the LOC transcribed it as "metalation." Tomayto, tomahto. - Dave] FinallySomeone with a messier desk than mine! Louise Lester's Later Life of LeisureLarcenous Louise Lester later loaned her bother Larry a half-million dollars, leaving a little left for her lonely lesbian lover, Lottie. Louise and Larry learned of a leaky log house in a lower latitude and linked up there to live a life of leisure studying literature and laughingly learning to play the lyre. Lottie was left behind, later to have a lobotomy. [And after they died, they both went straight to ... - Dave] Ahem....From the looks of it, "Old Money" had to endure a great deal of torture before it was ultimately mutilated into submission! - Kathleen OMG, She's a ...Serial Killer! As in mutilator of serially numbered currency! Get it?? Yes? Taft ROCKED the White House. Responsible for the cherry trees along the Tidal Basin AND appointing the first female money mutilator! The only President to also have served as Chief Justice. A faithful husband and doting father. Roosevelt's troubleshooter who helped supervise the Panama Canal construction. And a merry 350 pounds, with an infectious chuckle! His biographer described Taft's famous laugh this way: “It was by all odds the most infectious chuckle in the history of politics. It started with a silent trembling of Taft's ample stomach. The next sign was a pause in the reading of his speech, and the spread of a slow grin across his face. Then came a kind of gulp which seemed to escape without his being aware that the climax was near. Laughter followed hard on the chuckle itself, and the audience invariably joined in.” Next time I visit Arlington National Cemetery, I'll pay my respects to jolly Mr. Taft! Community ChestI wonder what filled Miss Lester's blouse on the way to work. An off dayThe photo must have been taken on an off day. Miss. Lester said in an interview that "While my work is somewhat 'messy' it is interesting and does not grow monotonous. It's really fun!" http://fultonhistory.com/Process%20small/Newspapers/Oswego%20Palladium/O... Yikes.No, no. No. Nothing in this room says, "fun." Fun and this room, not in the same world. I've really never seen a more depressing situation. Even macerating old money could be done in a far less depressing room. Yikes. (The Gallery, Curiosities, D.C., Natl Photo)
Cathedral Mansions: 1924
... I found this through Google, of course. Received fresh daily I believe that in those days before modern packaging it was common for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 6:51pm -

Washington circa 1924. "Cathedral Mansions Grocery." The market at Cathedral Mansions, a multistory apartment complex on Connecticut Avenue that also had its own bakery and drugstore. View full size. National Photo glass negative. Sawdust on floorsAbsorbed spills. Generally it was swept up each day and replaced with fresh. Very common in shops & bars of the period. Butter and Egg MoneyButter at 47 cents a pound is equivalent to more than $5.60 a pound in 2008 dollars so we are doing OK on that front. Even better, if that big can of Criso is four pounds at $1.40, that's equivalent to almost $17 today. In fact, a 4 pound can of Crisco today costs less than $6. Good old days indeed! CocoaThey seem to stock at least six different kinds of cocoa. Campbell'sCampbell's Soup and Wrigley's Gum have not changed much if at all (except the price obviously). I wonder if the A&P tearsheet behind the register is for comparison purposes or was this store part of that chain? Dusting it upSawdust caught a lot of the detritus that fell to the floor, and made it easier to sweep up at the end of the day. Whoa, look at those melons.Whoa, look at those melons. Also, I see Kellogg's was pushing bran even back then. SawdustWhat is the reason for all the sawdust on the floor? At least I hope it is sawdust. SawdustIf I recall, it was on the floor to make cleanup at the end of the business day easier. The streets weren't exactly clean in those days. The sawdust would absorb whatever was tracked in and at closing, you'd just sweep up and throw away what got dirty and then lay down some more. SawdustSawdust was used to absorb dirt, mud and grease. At the end of the day, the old sawdust would be swept up and new sawdust laid down. It was also used in bars for a very long time. Eventually, concerns about flammability from dropped cigarettes and improved flooring made it obsolete. Some Creole families and merchants in New Orleans used brick dust for the same reasons. SawdustThey would put sawdust on the floor because it would absorb the liquids that would fall, making for a easy clean up at the end of the day. Sawdust reduxMy down-South 60s school custodians used sawdust to sweep the floors. They had big bins of it stored outside the building and I recall us looking in them from time to time. The sawdust seemed wet because it was oily and the combination of sawdust and oil smelled great. Think about it - faster than wet mopping, absorbed moisture, soft on flooring, and most of all no dust scattered from dry sweeping method (it picked up fine dust and dirt before it can hit the air and settle back). Ideal. I'd order a bin today to tackle our wood floors, pet hair, and teen boys residual in the house. Sawdust.2Sawdust has long been used on floors to pick up spills. At the end of the day you sweep it out and throw some clean sawdust on the floor for the next day. Ever been in an old-time bar with sawdust on the floor? Look at the size of the watermelons! Cheap corn flakesWow...Kellog's Corn Flakes for 10 cents. Wonder what's under lock and key up in that skylight? SawdustWikipedia has everything! In the article "Floor cleaning," in the section "Methods of floor cleaning," it says: "Sawdust is used on some floors to absorb any liquids that fall rather than trying to prevent them being spilt. The sawdust is swept up and replaced each day. This was common in the past in pubs and is still used in some butchers and fishmongers." I found this through Google, of course. Received fresh dailyI believe that in those days before modern packaging it was common for many substances to leak, for example the "choice meats" would tend to bleed thru the paper sacks. SawdustIn butcher shops (which this is), it catches drips of blood or fat to prevent the floor from getting slippery, and makes it easier to clean up. That's a dang big scan! Good idea to get a jump on everybody asking for enlargements of certain products. A & P Bulk BinsThe bins with lids behind the cash-register counter belie the fact that this is an A & P store. I wonder is service was as slow then as they are near me...possibly the store employee is on a higher floor delivering a brown bag of telephoned-in items for the truly cosmopolitan urbanite. Hmm.Why is there sawdust on the floor? Paper or Plastic?No plastic bags back then. Check out how all the bread is wrapped in waxed paper. Zero Scoops"Now You'll Like Bran!" I see five bran choices, mostly Kellogg's, and none includes raisins. Many wheat and corn options too. Mr. Kellogg must have been proud, as he was still alive at this time. Where's waldo (a.k.a. the Sun-Maid girl)?The Sun-maid company has a cute history of the Sun-Maid girl: "In 1915, the brand name SUN-MAID was launched, and within a year, executives of the company discovered a local girl, Lorraine Collett Petersen whose smiling face, red sunbonnet, and tray of fresh grapes would become synonymous with the sun-dried goodness of California raisins." TemperatureMy grandparents used to cook with Crisco exclusively, just scooping it out by the pound. I remember when I was little getting it confused with sour cream. The reality was not pleasant. I notice the packages of eggs on the counter stored at room temperature. How long do eggs last unrefrigerated? [How long do they last warmed up under a hen? - Dave] Hot MothersAs a youngster, I couldn't help but notice that lots of my friends did indeed have hot mothers but in today's connotation, they would have had great advertising potential with that name. Also notice the cracker barrel in the right at the end of the meat counter and the jars of (probably) olives, pickles, green tomatoes, pickled pigs feet and pickled eggs on top of the meat counter. To the person who asked about fresh eggs kept at room temperature, my grandmother kept hers in a glass bowl at room temp for several days and none of us ever got sick. Of course she also left the Thanksgiving turkey on the back porch since it could never fit into the icebox. (We did not ever need any of the BRAN stuff). Saw what ?I suspect Dave to have kept all these redundant answers to the intriguing question of the sawdust on purpose, just waiting for someone to ask it again. CalasOK, I know what hams, strip bacon and fatbacks are, but what the heck are calas? Or are my old eyes failing me? [Cala is short for California ham. Which is not really a ham but a pork picnic shoulder. Also called a "callie." - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Photographic Section: 1925
... Data High in the Air Flights to Be Made Daily from Anacostia Station to Study Aerological Conditions Far Above Earth's ... According to the program, naval planes will make special daily flights carrying an aerological observer equipped with instruments to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2012 - 6:28am -

March 24, 1925. "Lt. L.T. Hunt, U.S.N., with barograph, and Commander W.H. Lee." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. "When Men Were Men"When men were men And ships and tripods were made of wood, wings of canvas, flight wear of thick leather & fur; instruments were tied with string to wing spars, And cameras recorded light on celluloid! Naval Aerologists Washington Post, March 24, 1925. Naval Planes Will Seek Weather Data High in the Air Flights to Be Made Daily from Anacostia Station to Study Aerological Conditions Far Above Earth's Surface to Aid Bureau's Forecasts. Knowledge of hitherto unknown air conditions at high altitudes which will enable the weather bureau to make forecasts with more certainty and for a more advanced period will be made available to that office under arrangements completed yesterday with the naval air station at Anacostia. According to the program, naval planes will make special daily flights carrying an aerological observer equipped with instruments to record the air temperature and humidity far above the earth. A naval aerologist, schooled in weather observations and forecasts, will be assigned to the work. He will carry with him in the plane thermometers and barometers which will record conditions with mathematical accuracy. Upon descent the officer will immediately transmit the data he has gathered to the weather bureau for use in the daily forecasts and to army and navy aviation stations in and near Washington for their guidance in flying. Temperature and humidity at great distances above the earth's surface have always given an element of uncertainty to weather forecasts and have made "long-range predictions" almost impossible. These elements in the upper air have a direct influence on weather conditions of the surface. With accurate information as to the conditions available the weather bureau is expected to establish a new record for veracity and farsightedness. Thermometer?How was the Pilot supposed to read that thing, climb out on the wing? Beware of rough landingsIf they have a sudden stop that guy in the rear is going to put his face right into that wooden contraption. Not a pleasant thought. By tradition...the skipper of the Naval Photographic Center has often been an aviator. My parents both served at NPC in the late '50s under Capt. Noel Bacon, the ex-Flying Tiger. (The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., Natl Photo)
Support Shorpy on Patreon
... and appreciate -- as a supporter, what you and Ken do on a daily basis. Thanks and keep up the excellent work!!! [Thank you. We'll ... would gladly pay more to ensure it stays the same. A daily treat I always knew this day would come, and a usage fee is richly ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 07/22/2021 - 3:25pm -

We now offer an ad-free browsing experience to our Patreon contributors. Patreon is an easy way to contribute to Shorpy. In return you'll get access to special content and rewards. But, importantly, your contributions will help underwrite the cost of keeping Shorpy running and will let us make some upgrades to the site. Thank you to the loyal members who have made Shorpy a success. Support Shorpy on Patreon. Become a Patron! One-time contributions can be made via PayPal. Because some have asked: Shorpy is not moving behind a paywall. We will continue our updates as usual for all to see. Think of Patreon as Shorpy Plus. Done!Very happy to support your work! I am on your site almost every day and absolutely love what you do. THANK YOU! [You're very welcome, and thanks! - Dave] Thanks for the many years of workIf it will move us toward a world of comment pictures beyond 490 pixels, I'm in! I love the vintage photos on Shorpy, but not-so-love the vintage technology that delivers the goodness. But beyond that, it's a fitting (and more direct) "thank you" for the years of great content I've received. [Thanks! - Dave] So, do I understand correctly,that it will now cost me a minimum $24 a year to view Shorpy content? Wish you could have found another way. Goodbye, old friend. [Um, no. You do not understand correctly. Please re-read the post! Questions? Ask them here. - Dave] I'm inJust signed up. Anything this good should be worth something to me. [Thank you! - Dave] Trapper BoyI am pleased to support Shorpy as a Trapper Boy. I like the name choices for different levels of support. My seven year membership at no cost has allowed me to connect with you in a personal way that I would not have been able to do otherwise. Keep up the great work! [Shorpy thanks you! - Dave] Thank You!I've just signed up. Thank you for all of the hard work you do to make life more interesting! I'm pleased to be able to support Shorpy. [Thank you so much! - Dave] IntriguedI'm very interested in this. In particular I'm interested in what upgrades you are planning for the comment section. I would love to see a modern managed comment section like Disqus. Can you tell me where you are leaning on this? [Most likely it would be a newer version of our current platform (Drupal) with commenting and logon plug-ins for Disqus, Facebook, etc. - Dave] QuestionsI have the double whammy of being an old geezer and a techno dunce . Therefore, still not sure what is happening. I read the Patreon post. I'm not "of big money" but I think $24 per year (Greaser) is dirt cheap for what Shorpy provides. That's about the same as one DVD rental from that "color" box at food stores. Shorpy is 24/7, 365 days per year enjoyable entertainment, with Dave's clever quips thrown in for free. However, does anything change under Patreon as far as viewing photos and making an occasional comment? It looks to me as though a person can still use Shorpy without paying, but doing so gives one a slight benefit (still not sure what a Greaser gets). Even without that, I would consider the small fee as a donation to help keep Shorpy running if that is what is needed. And here I thought Dave was making millions from ads. So let me summarize Dave and you tell me where I am wrong. With the Patreon involvement, nothing really changes except that we are helping with some of the expenses. To make that go down easier, we get a little something extra from the Shorpy experience to match the donation. We will still be able to view and comment as before with no need for night classes. My oh my, we old geezers hate change. Awaiting your answer so that I can become a Geezer-Greaser, or should that be Greaser-Geezer? A Fair Deal!Even though I could still lurk for free, it seems only fair to contribute to help improve and grow the site which has afforded me so much pleasure over the years. Happy to support you and the great Shorpy community! Thank YOU, gentlemen! [And we thank YOU. - Dave] The least I could do ...Dave -- I've been a follower of Shorpy since shortly after you started it. I check the site at least 3-4 times a week and have enjoyed -- and will continue to enjoy and appreciate -- as a supporter, what you and Ken do on a daily basis. Thanks and keep up the excellent work!!! [Thank you. We'll do our best to do our best! - Dave] And High Time, TooI've gotten much, much pleasure from perusing Shorpy for lo these many years, and not a dime has it cost me. It's high time I paid up, and glad to do it. Many blessings upon you! Good idea!Done & dusted, my pleasure. Annual?I'd love to support you and Shorpy but the only option I see is for monthly payments. Is there any way to just pay you a lump sum for the year? That would be much simpler. [You could take your lump sum and divide by 12. - Dave] BargainThe wonder of it all is that it’s been free for so long. I’ve just signed up for the price of a pack of smokes per month, or a couple of beers in a bar. Excellent value. Kerplunk!Just took the plunge! Can't wait to see the new site. I feel it's the least I could do after nearly 5 years of enjoyment. Thanks Shorpy. [And Shorpy thanks you! And you and you and you! - Dave] Took me a minuteBut then it hit me... I like SHORPY! Not as much as coffee but enough to have one less cup of it a month. My pleasureYou folks are wonderful. Thanks for all you do. With pleasureOf course, after all these years of fun, I am glad to contribute. I have so enjoyed this fabulous site. Keep up the good work. I'll be here every day! Easier posting?Will becoming a patron at any level make it more likely our contributed photos will be accepted and posted? [Possibly! - Dave] Hey - you kids! Get off my lawn!> compatibility with mobile devices, I'm for it... as long that doesn't also mean "becomes unusable on desktop". A few of us old farts like our big monitors, hardware keyboards, and being able to right click. Also, from what I've seen, most authors of mobile Web browsers are better at making sites render in a usable way than most sites are at "designing for mobile". When an older site goes mobile, sometimes they get it right, and sometimes it becomes "it renders OK on the iPhone 12 we bought yesterday - why would we test anything else?" > streamlined commenting The moderated comments are one of the best features of Shorpy, after the photos themselves. Hopefully the streamlining is in the direction of easier queueing/approval on the back end for Dave, Ken, et al. If you switch to the same comment system everybody else has, then all the bots that everybody else has will be able to leave comments too. Done and thank you.Always intriguing, always a visual treat, and it's astonishing how much I have learned from the commenting multitudes. Worthwhile InvestmentShorpy has been a source of joy and entertainment in my life for more than 10 years. I'm happy to throw a little something in the pot to help keep this site going. I'll echo a lot of the other comments when I say, thank you for hosting a most enjoyable community. [Grazie! - Dave] Aaaaand I'm in!I enjoy the photos (and comments) each and every day. Well worth my small contribution. [Merci! - Dave] Done, with pleasure!I get solicitations to join Patreon for other folks that I follow online, but this is the first time I’ve ever actually signed up - a no-brainer! Shorpy has given me so much enjoyment over the years, I’m happy to be able to give something back. [Thank you! - Dave] GladlyI'm more than happy to pay a subscription fee but I beg that you don't alter the site layout too much! New and improved these days is usually pretty far from it, and I would gladly pay more to ensure it stays the same. A daily treatI always knew this day would come, and a usage fee is richly deserved. Just make sure, please, that any changes are explained using small words so those of us of a certain age understand!! But ... not too many changesIt is almost the last interesting thing left on the internet, however, having been on the internets for a while, I feel like decent webpages are lost and antiquated as the pictures this site shows. What I'm mean is, most webpages that become "mobile-friendly" lose a lot of content. These business pages don't tell me anything anymore. All I get is a big image with a fancy logo, and a menu, and a goofy name to boot. In the old days, pages were teeming with data, now I feel they're too simple. People don't even read words on a screen anymore. I like the shorpy blog layout, and I really hope it doesn't come to a slideshow or some type of format that loses it's its information. The best little corner of the internetSorry it took me so long to notice the sidebar about Patreon. Once I noticed it, though, I grabbed my credit card and said YES. You're the best, Shorpy! [Many thanks! - Dave] (ShorpyBlog)
The Operators: 1919
... actually made me howl. Still giggling. "Three daily recreation periods" No date, but this Long Lines Operator ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 10:52am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1919. "Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. switchboards." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Made for the Long DistanceI was a telephone operator up until 1978. With the exception of the headpiece with the mouth cone, the hair and clothing styles, the room and switchboards looked almost exactly like this. The boards were made extremely well and stood the test of time! Hello Central?Give me Dr. Jazz. Family connectionThis is what my mom did in the 1940s for the old AT&T. Time warp?The clock on the wall reads 7:25 and the small clocks at the operator's stations read 5:10. [The wall clock says 5:09. - Dave] One Ringy DingyIs this the party to whom I'm speaking? Lucky GuysTwo men in a room full of young women. Heaven or maybe hell? And I thought MY job was micromanaged!I suppose the switchboard watches (one every third girl) were there to time calls. Keeping coolCan you imagine all these people stuff into this room, working elbow to elbow in their long sleeves and skirts relying on those two fans for comfort when hot humid air hits Washington in the summer. Whew! Plugs and JacksI used to install dial-cord switchboards like these. The last one I did was sometime in the late 1970s for Westinghouse. The doors piled up along the wall were from the backs of the stations, and were usually removed only for running new cables or adding jack strips. On the back of each jack hole you see on those boards were six wires, each stripped and soldered in place. Needless to say, installing these things took plenty of time and patience. In and OutSame basic management style existed when I started with Nynex/Bell Atlantic/Verizon in 1987. We also had something similar to the box on the column. It had lights on it that would indicate who was jacked in to the board and who was not -- green in, red out. See Miss GregoryAd from the August 18, 1918, Washington Post. Click to enlarge. Disemboweled HandGomez, on the right side of the room -- could that be Thing? [The word you were thinking of (I dearly hope): "Disembodied." - Dave] Changing timesI noticed in this picture how many people were working. A similar service in this day might involve one person with a computer. Also, everyone is so well dressed. In the pre-polyester days those blouses must have take a lot of ironing to look presentable. Finally, there are so few overweight women in this picture. I think a similar office scene in 2010 would be very different. We have, unfortunately, become fat, frumpy and unemployed. Another Family ConnectionMy mom was an operator for Pacific Bell in the 60s and 70s. Her saddest story was about young men crying as they called their parents before being shipped out to Vietnam. Her funniest story was about how young men would call home on Father's Day, wish their dads a happy day, and then immediately ask for Mom. Full EmploymentPerhaps we should go back to this way of doing things. Automation is wonderful but it certainly has had an affect on the jobs available for entry-level people. I kind of miss hearing "number please" but don't miss waiting, sometimes hours, to make a long distance call. So, yes, I'm torn between the "good ol' days" and modern conveniences. Thanks DaveFor leaving the title. That "disembowled hand" actually made me howl. Still giggling. "Three daily recreation periods"No date, but this Long Lines Operator recruiting brochure looks roughly contemporaneous with the photo and ad. Then vs nowI'm on the phones in the faults department of a larger phone company. We have in our centre a few former plug and switch operators(their job was the same as the ladies above). The only things different from their pics are the fashions and the mouthpiece. In Australia, full automation of the telephone network did not happen until the mid 1980's, people had to book STD (long distance) calls on busy days like Christmas Day. It's amazing to think that only 25 or so years later, if I need to transfer a call (something that happens often), I just push a couple of buttons on my handset and off they go. Buns buns buns!I love how every girl has the same hairdo, but every single bun is different! I did this too.I worked for AT&T in 1986, first as an overseas operator then on to ship-to-shore with the radio stations WOO, WOM and KMI. These single-pole plug-in cord boards were later replaced with double-pronged International Service Position System boards. The ratio of women to men also changed a little. In my unit, which looked much like this, it was about 2-1 with women still dominating the job. The other people in the unit were usually service assistants who helped the operators and often relieved them to go to the bathroom. In my unit we had dedicated circuits connected to inward operators of countries like Russia, Lebanon, India and Ghana. I totally loved the job! As automation took over, downsizing began, ultimately reducing the force by leaps and bounds. My grandmother's best and last memoriesMy Nan worked as a supervisor at the Bell around this time in Montreal. It was her job to time the operators and see how well they were doing their jobs. When she was in her late 80s she could remember this like it was yesterday, but she couldn't remember yesterday. Fantastic picture. Gives me some insight to Grandmother's life. (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, The Office)
Happy Birthday Shorpy!
... one hit), and available as a domain name. - Dave] Daily reminders Every day, without fail, includes a visit here. Young ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 9:56am -

December 1910. "Shorpy Higginbotham, a 'greaser' on the tipple at Bessie Mine, Alabama, of the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Co. Said he was 14 years old, but it is doubtful. Carries two heavy pails of grease, and is often in danger of being run over by the coal cars." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Shorpy was born 114 years ago on November 23, 1896. After this photo was taken, he lived 17 more years until he died in a mining accident at the age of 31. This Thanksgiving, let's raise a toast to his too-short but memorable life. Happy birthday ShorpyHappy birthday!!! You are not forgotten Shorpy rememberedWhat a singular thing it is for an otherwise forgotten life to be remembered, even memorialized, this way, via Shorpy, the site. Combined with that, the poignant story of Shorpy the person, his childhood and abruptly shortened life - I gotta say, it brings a tear to my eye. Happy Birthday Shorpy!Shorpy is one day older than my Dad who was born 11-24-96 and died on 1-24-64. Another milestoneNext month will mark the 100th anniversary of this picture and the other photos of Shorpy taken by Lewis Hine. I wonderif Shorpy was related somehow to my 6th grade teacher Mr. Higginbotham, because I remember thinking what an unusual name he had and had NEVER met anyone who had a name like that ... until now! You do honor to his memory.And thank you for running an important historical site. Shorpy, we celebrate your birthday,Yet we are the ones who receive the gifts, not just once a year, but every day that we visit this always interesting and sometimes incredibly moving blog that Dave created and named for you. Thanks to you both and here's to another year. Here's to Shorpy - The hard-working young man, and the fascinating website. Cheers! Happy Birthday and Cheers Shorpy I think it's great that Shorpy Higginbotham (by the way, I know a Higginbotham) is remembered presently as the name and face behind this site that shares our history through "family photographs" for us to enjoy and enrich each other with our posted comments. I hope any one of us has this remembrance decades after our passing. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Remembering ShorpyDown here in the southern hemisphere we are mourning the loss of 29 miners in a mine explosion in New Zealand. I think it is fitting we remember Shorpy and all the nameless ones like him. www.rwyoung.com.au Possible genealogyI think I've found the 1900 Census record for Shorpy: His real name was Henry. Unfortunately the name has an inkblot over it but all the details work out. His father was a miner. He would have been about 3 years old in 1900, and lived in Graysville, Jefferson Co., which is where Bessie Mine is. [His birth name was Henry Sharpe Higginbotham. The basic facts of his life are recounted on Shorpy's Page. Scroll down for the genealogical details. - Dave] Thank You ShorpyFor being there every day ... Thank you Dave for this fantastic website. I wish we had one like this in the Netherlands. Very pity we don't. May you live on forever and ever. It would be nice if Shorpy H. could see these beautiful photos on his own PC up there in Heaven! Happy Birthday ShorpyThanking God today that children don't have to endure what Shorpy did. Yes, I realize children were tougher then, but life was so dangerous. Thanks Shorpy for your legacy. A toast from meRaise your glass to Shorpy Who worked at Bessie Mine He lives on in our memory Because of Lewis Hine Happy Thanksgiving, Shorpsters A glass for ShorpyAnd I don't even drink. There is much that is haunting about many of the photos that you post, but especially Shorpy's. I'd like to think that somewhere, somehow he's aware of this site and marvels that people know and remember him a hundred years later. Happy Birthday Shorpy!And many thanks to Dave for always providing a great way to start each Morning with visions from the past! Happy Thanksgiving to all! Recognitionof Shorpy's lot in life serves to enlighten all of us of with unvarnished looks at the way this country developed. Thanks to Shorpy (who might be a relative) and all who make this site the success it's become. No Joy in MudvilleIt is true that the future of these innocents was inevitable if they were born into the mineworkers' families in small towns and hollers in which mining was the only work available. There were few choices and to earn a living, they just had to 'man up', take the high risk jobs of (literally) backbreaking labor, accept that any day could be their last and were glad to have any job. These strong and courageous men and boys were not seeking fame and admiration, just struggling to support their families and do their jobs well. Like many people, even today, they were probably considered "nobodies" by the upper crust of society but to their families they were saints and saviors. My mom told me that when her father finished his day at the mines and walked home, his wife had a warm bath ready (with hand-carried, stove-heated water), then started every meal with soup (to clear out the throat and lungs of soot) and made it clear that he was appreciated by his kids all helping and serving him. I can't speak for everyone but in his case, they never got wealthy (owed their soul to the company store), suffered many family tragedies and his work-related injuries stayed with him for life. Things were so different then, it is hard to believe it was just about 100 years ago, but people truly struggled to survive. We don't know how lucky we are today. Happy birthday Shorpy, we hardly knew ye. I never realizedin all the time I've spent here, that the site was named for a real person. Thanks so much for giving us this great place to visit and expand our views of history, and special thanks to Shorpy himself. One for ShorpyI will raise a glass high and take a long drink in his honor. A question for Dave or Ken. What prompted you to choose Shorpy's name and face for this site? [The three photos of him just reached out and grabbed me for some reason. Poignant, I suppose. And the name "Shorpy" was appealing -- unique as far as Google was concerned (just one hit), and available as a domain name. - Dave] Daily remindersEvery day, without fail, includes a visit here. Young Henry Sharpe, aka "Shorpy," looks out at me every time as a reminder of my blessings. I do hope he had some in his short life. Another lowly worker, of a different kind, Green Cottenham, brought through exploration of his life a detailed look at oppression, in Douglas A. Blackmon's unforgettable book, "Slavery by Another Name." I am grateful for the images I see here each day, which serve to reinforce the great faith and effort to achieve true freedom and justice in this country. I am more grateful for the support which makes this site continue its important contribution to the understanding of what we had, what we have, and what we still must achieve; and for authors such as Mr. Blackmon, who "keep going," to bestow honor on the lowly heroes of our past. Happy Birthday ShorpyGotta say, when i was 20, I was out partying, now that I'm 50 I've found a better way to spend my nights, and that's with you dave, and especially SHORPY. Shorpy Higginbotham's story This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. For Shorpy readers who haven't seen it, here is the sad story of Shorpy Higginbotham. http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/11/26/henry-s-higginbotham-page-on... Little MenThere's a heartbreaking lot of little men in this picture. Look at those expressions. It was a different world, and we have it way too easy, now--for which I am thankful! Thanks for the site, Dave. It was an inspired idea. Happy Birthday Shorpy!I love the great history of the U.S. Thanks for the site. Land of Equality Who says that America isn't integrated??? Glad to know nowthat this excellent website is named after someone who would have otherwise been forgotten by history. I find Shorpy's story fascinating and the website a great part of my every day. Thanks for this site and keeping Shorpy's memory alive. A guy who worked hard and served his country. Lunch is on meShorpy is my lunchtime friend. When the the boss comes around, invariably when I'm eating al desko and asks what are you doing, I answer either "a BLT" or "Shorpy." Salute!All my respect goes to the hardworking miners of the world. Always center stage.I can't help but think that although he was short of stature, he was someone to reckon with. Everytime he's in a picture somewhere, he is in the middle of the picture. A real handful. The strange things you deduct from pictures. Happy birthday Shorp! Happy Birthday, Shorpy!This was a rather poignant entry, Dave; thanks for all your fine work on here. Shorpy and I share the same birthday, and had his luck been better he probably would have been alive when I was born in 1959 on what would have been his 65th birthday. I think it is wonderful that an ordinary hard-working guy is memorialized on this site, and I hope he's is aware of it, somehow, somewhere, and is amused by it. I also hope that short and hard as his life was, that Shorpy had moments of joy and laughter that outshone the tough times. Happy 114th, Shorpy!! Training, sort of?Not trying to justify the working conditions that Shorpy and his pals had to work in, but I guess it was good training for the trenches of France where many of these guys would be a few years later. Heck, one might say that Army life was a vacation compared to day-to-day at the Bessie Mine. Thanks to Shorpy for his inspiration and to Dave for taking the ball and running with it. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Mining)
Marilyn: 1947
... today. Juxtaposition I'm scrolling down doing my daily read. I see this beauty. "No way," I say to myself, "that cannot be her? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 10:05am -

Hollywood, February 1947. "Movie starlet Marilyn Monroe." And the world's luckiest phone book. Photograph by J.R. Eyerman. View full size. Oh myIf only the women of today could have half the vibe she did then. (OK, maybe some do, but what a wonderful world this would be!) Great photo by the way!! Yowza.1947: When Va-Va met Voom. Atomic BlondeIf they made the B-17 at Boeing, where did they build this bombshell? Natural beautyThank you for posting this. She was so beautiful before Hollywood made her over with the bleached-out hair and inch-thick makeup. She had a natural beauty that just shines in this picture. No skin and bones here either, like we see today. Marilyn's faceHer face changes between 1947 and 1950; her nose narrows, her cheeks become more defined, and her chin evens out. Check out her Army blanket photos for a view of Marilyn at this age without makeup. Her face is startlingly androgynous at this point - but not three years later, when she has much more stereotypically feminine features. So this absolutely, heart-stoppingly gorgeous woman still isn't good enough for someone, and has to be changed to be acceptable. You have to ask yourself what they were thinking. Beauty MarksShe has over 10 beauty marks (that I can see)!! Dial M for MarilynHi, my first post here, yay. I wonder if the telephone book is a clue to what was going on? She played a telephone operator in her first film, which was released in 1947 -- "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim." Perhaps this is a publicity tie-in. Or not. Either way, I wonder why the cover of the book is ripped up. MetamorphosisI'm shocked. I didn't recognize her. She looks nothing like she would a few years later. Was the transformation scalpel-assisted? [I doubt it. - Dave] Not a FanAlthough I'm a big fan of other classic movie actresses (Esp Audrey Hepburn) I never really saw what the big deal was about Marilyn. In the famous photo of her with her dress being blown in the air, her legs look very chunky, especially her knees. The photo above looks like it could have come from a Lane Bryant catalog. It's possible I don't like her because of the dumbbell character she played in most of her movies but I think she is way overrated. Traffic stopperI think Marilyn was at her best with Tom Ewell in The Seven Year Itch (1955) and she had great legs. If we saw this girl walking down the street today she would stop traffic. Curves are good. TransformationThe poor thing was beautiful when she didn't have two-pound lash extensions, three pounds of makeup and heavy barbiturate use weighing those eyelids down. When the above caused her to give us those sultry bedroom eyes, how sad that that's when everyone swooned. But I think she is prettier here and in other early pictures -- with a real smile that made her eyes light up. With a natural face and a natural figure. And again with the weight comments. Why the obsession here? Here, I thought that fat people didn't exist "back in those times." A Real BeautyWow. I've always thought she was a beautiful woman, but this picture is the most beautiful that I've ever seen of her. She just looks so young and happy and real. Today, her chest would need to have implants in order to achieve that gravity-defying beach ball look that's so popular -- her look here would be declared "droopy". I can certainly see that her face is the same as it was in later years. It's amazing how much different she looks without the trademark bleached hair and with muted makeup. RIP MarilynWhat a ripper. TCM had "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" on and I looked up to see Marilyn dancing next to Jane Russell. The comparison was startling, must have sent Jane running for the vodka bottle, and she was no dud herself. I wonder what is wrong with a person who critiques MM or women with curves as being chunky-fat, even. Look at that beautiful God-given chest. The stars/starlets of today pay to have a rack like that sitting on top of their parking meter-style bodies. MM drove men to frenzy, too bad she didn't find someone who loved her enough to support her, rather than beat her. Chunky? Lane Bryant??Not taking anything away from Hepburn but she had no figure. Maybe it's women you're not into. Real women have curves. Curves and softness are what make women so special. AbsoluteAbsolute Physical Beauty. Rodeo MarilynThe Misfits was the only movie I liked her in, both character and looks. Otherwise, she's a self parody. I think that her fame was a result of her rather prolific set of celebrity romances, including adulterous, and her early death. Beyond that, not much to separate her from the other bombshells. Late MarilynSorry, I'll take early 1960's Marilyn. See her in stills from the never finished "Something's Got to Give", she looks absolutely contemporary. She's dated here... stuck in the 40's. It's interesting how many of these actress from the 40's and 50's got younger looking in the 1960's, with looser hair and sleeker clothes. Doris Day is another good example. Everything is RelativeI knew I was in dangerous territory criticizing Marilyn. I certainly do not think she was fat but for a movie star (even in the 50's) she is on the heavy side. I just don't think she deserves the reputation of being possibly one of the greatest beauties of the twentieth century. I seriously doubt that Marilyn would "stop traffic" if she walked down the street today. JuxtapositionI'm scrolling down doing my daily read. I see this beauty. "No way," I say to myself, "that cannot be her? She's so wholesome and bright in this pic!" Such a lovely woman and if you look close, this young beauty isn't using any external suspension. She just defied gravity with healthy milk-fed female curves. Oh if only today's young women would compare themselves to this they'd feel great and look better. Then I scroll to the next photo. Anyone else notice? From Bombshell to board in a few quick keystrokes! LOL the woman in the next pic is a scientist with zero curves in the 20s style, short boyish hair, and a serious expression. You could not find two more radically different women without adding racial differences! Marilyn, I'm sure you were a firebrand and a selfish woman as so many beautiful women are, but you still deserved better than you got. Size 16I have had the experience more than once of showing "Some Like It Hot" to students and listening to them giggle over Marilyn's fleshy thighs in her shorty nightgown. That tells us little about Marilyn or the 1950s and a great deal about our own time. Beauty MarksWe can't really tell from publicity photos and stills that are often airbrushed, but from her movies and some of the much later pictures (I'm thinking from the Norman Mailer book in the 1970s) she doesn't have these moles all over her chesticular region. There is no doubt from contemporary accounts that Marilyn was a very striking beauty/personality. She photographs well also, and so I think we have to disregard how her legs or curvy body may look with today's standards. I don't doubt that if present today as a 20 year old she'd be turning heads wherever she goes. MMCouldn't disagree more. She is extremely lifted and separated from the other bombshells. No comparison. From her army of imitators to her unmistakable aura, this was a one-of-a-kind. Her early death kept her that way. The fact she was basically messed up does not detract, since the public never saw it. She was breathtakingly stunning in her last unmade movie outtakes. She had a lot more mileage in her physically than she did emotionally. ImitationsExcept that "Marilyn" herself was just another Hollywood creation, an imitation of the many platinum blondes that had gone before. That it took such a toll on her does not make her movies any better, just more prone to over-valuation. CandorEven in her most artificial roles and posed photographs, there was a sense of candor and vulnerability about her that I found utterly enchanting and disarming. Even in this photo, she's styled, coiffed, tweezed, and posed, but her face looks totally open and guileless. I just want to give her a hug. So fineI do so like the Marilyn - before she went platinum! Not the "beauty"For me, the attraction has always been more than the physical beauty. Something about the vulnerability and, well I really can't put into words, the feeling that she would be a woman that "needed me"! Silly as that sounds, and I really don't care what she was like in real life, the feeling she projected was such a strong and overpowering mixture of emotions that it could hit most men deep inside their beings. Gee, that sounds pretentious doesn't it. Strange atmosphere in the theatre.I worked as an usher in a theatre when MM had a minor role in "The Asphalt Jungle," which was playing at the time. A number of men were returning day after day to see it. When I asked one why, he said, "To see her, the blonde in the black gown." When MM appeared in the scene where the light was behind her you can sense the electricity in the theatre atmosphere. It was the same every evening when that scene came on. That was the weirdest sensation I ever experienced working as an usher, and there can be a lot of weird experiences in a theatre when the lights go out! Marilyn/Britney I think Marilyn would have been destroyed by the media if she lived in these times. She would have been no more than a Britney Spears. When she started going off the deep end, they would have used her to sell tabloids. I bet even Dr. Phil would have tried to devour the carcass just as he did to Britney. Such a BeautyMarilyn Monroe was such a beauty, I reckon a lot celebrities today envy her style. Say Madonna for example, took after Marilyn's style and then Christina Aguilera. Marilyn didn't try to tan like all other celebrities today, she loved her naturally fair skin and to add to that, she loved being as real as possible. She is my style Icon, its sad that she is now dead, but she will be remembered for a long long time to come. x "Love Happy"This photo was taken in February 1949 on the set of the last Marx Brothers film, "Love Happy." Marilyn had a dynamite walk-on as Groucho's client with the line "Mr. Grunion, can you help me? Some men are following me," as she sashays off screen. Marilyn was the mistress of the sexy walk-on. Great! WOWShe is just utterly beautiful! (LIFE, Los Angeles, Marilyn Monroe, Movies, Pretty Girls)
WAH: 1910
... ["The output of the station is 5 k.w., and is in daily operation with Chicago and steamers far out on the Atlantic ." - Dave] ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/25/2023 - 1:57pm -

New York circa 1910. "Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Antennas?Were those tower structures on the roof radio antennas? The Wireless Ship Act of 1910 required passenger ships leaving from US ports to be equipped with ship to shore radios beginning in 1911. Could these towers have been related to that? ["The output of the station is 5 k.w., and is in daily operation with Chicago and steamers far out on the Atlantic." - Dave] Magnificent!A wonderful structure and outstanding photograph. What’s there now, you ask?The hotel was torn down and replaced by a somewhat taller office building which became well known in its own right. Very top floorsAlways curious what it would be like to have walked around and explored the very tops floors in buildings like this. Private residences, offices, mechanical gear, secret passages, or faux spaces? WAH not there nowThis address is the future site of a much bigger building, the Empire State Building, which opened in 1931. Empire Suite I would have loved to have stayed there in a lavish suite. And here I was ...... thinking "WAH" was the sound Caroline Astor (the "Mrs. Astor") made when her nephew started construction on the Waldorf Hotel next to her brownstone mansion, the ballroom of which held 400 people, hence the New York 400. More on the feud: here Wah WahHad it burned (like other Shorpy hotels), I wonder if wah wah would have saved the WAH. Architecture... has devolved immensely. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Woodward Avenue: 1917
... photo. I especially enjoy seeing people going about their daily lives, not posing for a camera. The movie theater sign says "All Next ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:50pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1917. "Looking up Woodward Avenue." Dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. "Mellow as Moonlight"If I was a drinkin' man, I would be sippin' some a that Cascade whiskey. Motor city, for sure!Not one single horse in view. Temporal AcheMan, this is one of those Shorpy photos that really make me wish I had a time machine. Not much leftAbout the only thing still remaining is the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and even it has been moved about 300 feet from where it stood for 130 years. An amazing photo. Casting against TypeI see the film "Somewhere in Georgia" is playing, where Ty Cobb stars surprisingly as a small-town Georgia baseball player who signs with the Detroit Tigers. Health InsuranceAlmost 100 years later, the country is in a major pique over health Insurance and the Detroit Creamery had the answer all along. This maybe the best urban photograph yet, it certainly is the busiest. Notice the #2 streetcar?It's got one of those fancy-schmancy 'people scoopers' on it, like this: https://www.shorpy.com/node/4468 HodgepodgeOne of the best urban pictures yet! Too much to take in at one sitting; The Opera House, that wonderful memorial, the traffic, those streetcars. I wonder what the tent was for in front of that fountain, just across from the Opera House. FascinatingThere's so much to look at in this photo. I especially enjoy seeing people going about their daily lives, not posing for a camera. The movie theater sign says "All Next Week, Somewhere in Georgia". According to IMDB.com "Somewhere in Georgia", starring Ty Cobb, was filmed in the winter of 1916 and released in June 1917. Is the 1915 date on the photo in error? [Do we know what "circa" means? - Dave] An Edison ElectricI notice that the Edison Electric is being driven by a woman. My grandmother (who lived in Detroit) said that the only car she ever drove was an Edison Electric. She was afraid of driving a gasoline-powered car. [Women liked electrics because there were no gears to shift, and no clutch -- shifting and clutching on cars of that era required quite a bit of muscle. - Dave] Cloudy crystal ballCover story in Time Magazine, October 5, 2009: "The Tragedy of Detroit: How a great city fell, and it it can rise again." Speaking of moonlightFarewell, good moonlight towers. Twenty years gone by the time of this photo. Is it a coincidence that Shorpy has hit upon another star of the silent screen? The theater beneath the Blackstone Cigar sign (far right)features Gladys Brockwell, who, like Kay Laurell (1890-1927), died in her thirties. Horrific 1929 car crash in California. Merrill FountainThe Merrill Fountain in front of the Opera House still exists, too. Granted, it was moved about seven miles up the road to Palmer Park. Before it was called Wootwart (Woodward)The definition of the "good old days" ... Traffic LightsGreat image. Did traffic lights look different then, or did they not have them in Detroit? [In 1917, traffic signals came on two legs. - Dave] Re: An Edison ElectricLooks more like a Detroit Electric car than the very rare Edison. The main reason the ladies like the electric car was no crank starting. Charles Kettering changed that a few years later with the electric starter motor if IC engines. Notice the complete absenceof horse poop. And horses. Stop sign doesn't apply...Surprised to see that pedestrains do not follow traffic signs as they crossed the streets. It seems that those signs were for trolleys and cars only. It anwered my question why my g-g-great uncle got killed by a trolley. ProsperityWow! You can almost hear the hustle and bustle of prosperity in this amazing photograph -- the essence of early 20th century proud American urbanity. Go to Google Earth or some other mapping web site and visit the corner of Woodward and Fort today -- a dreary, faceless, lifeless desert of glassy highrises without a pedestrian in sight. HeartbreakingWhen I go through Detroit now it is a vast third world, broken down, trashed city, with gangs and thugs peering from behind collapsed buildings. How in the name of all that is worthy could this magnificent American city come to what it is today? Almost makes me want to watch Glenn Beck. Oh what a feelingI had to smirk a bit when I opened of the intersection on Google streets and the first thing I saw was a shiny Toyota. FABULOUSThis image is go busy and wonderful. There is so much to notice. I wonder what the conversations were and so much more. There is a tent in the middle of the square to the left of the statue. Why? What is the statue of? All in WhiteI love the woman all in white crossing the street with her plaid skirted friend (near the front of the photo, just before the frontmost car). She looks so different than everyone else. I bet the two women just walking into the frame below them are talking about her. She's showing ankle AND calf! I'm sure she'll be a flapper in a few years! The girl in whiteI think that the girl in white is in fact a girl - probably a young teen accompanying her mother (the lady in the plaid skirt). Therefore she would be perfectly well dressed for her age. However that also means that she would be in the right demographic to become a flapper once the twenties (which would coincide with her twenties) rolled around. Great picture - Lord I could look at it for hours! That banner over the street"ENLIST NOW! YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU" And to your left...Seems even Detroit had its requisite "Seeing..." touring bus company. I count three "charabancs" in this photo, one across the street from Bond's with "WELLS" emblazoned on the back, and two in the centre-left crammed with mostly female tourists. Wonder what they were off to see next? I'm loving the little insignificant human moments the photographer caught and immortalized: the man at the lower left trying to make something out on a bulletin board; the hefty many putting his arm around his companion's waist next to the memorial; three ladies converging outside the theater. Fantastic. The building on the far leftis the 1896 Majestic Building, designed by the famous Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. Among other things, Burnham also designed the Flatiron Building in NYC, and oversaw the construction of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The Majestic was Detroit's tallest building until 1909, when the Ford Building (also a Burnham creation) was completed. The Ford still stands today, as well as Burnham's other Detroit creations, the David Whitney Building and the Dime Building. Sadly the Majestic was torn down in 1962 to make way for the exponentially less-interesting 1001 Woodward Building. “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence. Remember that our sons and our grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty.” -Daniel H. Burnham Sight Seeing in Detroit ca. 1917The Dietsche Sight Seeing Company was one of several companies that offered tours of Detroit back in this time period. Below is a photo of their advertisement offering their services to local companies who might want to entertain their out-of-town customers with a "Sight Seeing Trip around the city, Belle Isle, or Water Works Park." Given the description of the street banner, this photo was probably taken sometime around June 5, 1917, which was the date on which all men between the ages of 21 and 31 were required to register for the draft. Soldiers and Sailors MonumentStill nearby, but not as nicely maintained. Very Nicely MaintainedThe Soldiers & Sailors monument is actually very well maintained. Notice how it's not all blackened with soot as in the old photo. When you view it up close you can also see where some very nice restoration has recently been done. Not everything in Detroit is a rotting hulk. Still busyNot like this, but the ice skating rink at Campus Martius is already set up and would be approximately directly in front of the Detroit Opera House. Downtown Detroit is not the home of thugs or crime at all, really, but is sadly quiet when the businesses are closed. Many of the buildings are still here, and magnificent. Come visit before they tear them all down. I'll be ordering a large print of this image! Thank you Shorpy. Re. "Mellow as Moonlight"I saw this photo a few days ago, and, like GeezerNYC, I was quite struck by the Cascade Whiskey billboard. Now, I know that Geo. Dickel is still in business, and I was familiar with Dickel's Tennessee Sipppin' Whiskey and Old No. 8, but I had never heard of Cascade. It must have gone the way of the buggy whip and Lydia Pinkham, I thought. But then today I stopped at the liquor store after work to pick up a bottle of wine, and GUESS WHAT THEY HAD?!?! shhhh...too loud. So, then and I bought some. And do you guys know what? It's pretty goood. I';m drikning it right now. And I just wanna True story I swear. Hey! do you know what? I bought some oft hat Cacsade whiskey? Or is it whishky? Aanyway, I just wanna You know what/ You guys are greatf. I just wanna Hudson's Grows, and...Hudson's grew with Detroit, and perhaps inevitably, declined with Detroit. Cascade HollowThe current Cascade Hollow Whiskey was created to deal with a shortage of the Dickel No. 8 and then just hung around. They didn't have enough whiskey of a certain age so they made a new brand and put their younger stuff in it so that the quality of the No. 8 wouldn't suffer. The Cascade Hollow has been discontinued, but it's still on the shelves in many places. The name Cascade was replaced by the Dickel name after Prohibition and a number. In order of price (& quality) the current Dickel offerings are: (Cascade Hollow) Dickel No. 8 Dickel No. 12 Dickel Barrel Select (which is one of the best whiskeys I've ever had. And I've had a lot.) Anyway, Dickel is currently owned by the evil international spirits conglomorate Diageo, which also owns Guinness, Hennessey, Smirnoff, Johnny Walker, Tanqueray, Bushmills, Cpt. Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Crown Royal and many many more. I can't relate to this picture at allThere is no one in this picture that looks like me or anyone else in my family and for that matter most of my friends...maybe that's how most of the people making comments about it want Detroit to look like. Movie ID helpIn the background, there appears to be a movie showing called "The Spoilers", but Wikipedia says it came out in 1914, not 1917. Just below that it looks like "Barrymore (?) as Georgia" and to the left of that is "Ty". Anyone have some ideas as to which movies are being advertised? [The movie is "Somewhere in Georgia," with Ty Cobb, released in 1917. - Dave] Re: Re: An Edison ElectricMy great-great-grandfather Frank Montgomery Foster was selling Kissel Kars in Detroit. In 1913, he also had "one of the Detroit's finest garages at the corner of Gratiot Avenue and Grand Boulevard." It looks like the two cars in the bottom left of the photo (with the barrel fronts) may be Kissels, but I don't know enough about autos of the era to ID them. KernsMy co-worker's last name is Kerns. I showed him this picture one day and eventually forwarded it to him. He then forwarded picture to his family and learned that his mother Americanized their Polish name around 1917 after seeing that building "Kern's Children's Clothes." One of the best!The photo is insanely busy and the comments led me on a couple scavenger hunts online. Introduced to Gladys Brockwell, Daniel Burnham, Cascade, Dietsche company, etc. A very entertaining hour and a half on this one pic! Of course, being from Detroit makes it that much more interesting. Also, Heartbreaking, Detroit is a pheonix. You watch what she can do! The people have so much spirit. We love our city like a member of our family. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Radio Ward: 1924
... For Disabled Veterans Seven-Hour Programs Daily Provided, With Phones at Every Sick Bed. Radio is now one of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/03/2013 - 10:33am -

Washington, D.C., 1924. GI tunes: "Walter Reed Hospital. Scene in ward where the bed of every soldier is equipped with a set of radio earphones. This is the first hospital in the country to be completely equipped." View full size. So many beautiful details!There are so many neat details in this photo: - Each bed has an accompanying mahogany dresser with bevelled glass mirror. - Beautiful old sash windows. - Beautiful Victorian light fixtures. - Antique fans on wooden shelves plugged into wall sconces. - Record player / Radio equipment. - Old painted metal beds on wheels / privacy screens. - Wall clock. HeadphonesThose same headphones, sans the fabric cords, were still in use by the Navy in the 60's. If not comfortable they were at least durable. And, radio operators didn't wear them directly over one's ears as a sudden blast of noise would be most uncomfortable. Instead, they were worn over the temple. Take that Victrola! You've been replaced. Still broadcastingWalter Reed was the first to install hospital radio in 1919. This practice, begun in 1925 the UK, continues in British hospitals; staffing is by volunteers. Guy TunesI once had a crystal radio with such headphones. Their comfort level was best described as punitive. Connect at Will Washington Post, July 27, 1924. Walter Reed Radio New ‘Medicine’ For Disabled Veterans Seven-Hour Programs Daily Provided, With Phones at Every Sick Bed. Radio is now one of the important “treatments” for sick and convalescent former service men in the Walter Reed General hospital. Golden voices from Broadway stages, instrumental and band music, the jests of humorists and the best of orators not to mention the broadcast features of one kind and another — all of these are now literally within arm's reach of each of the more than 1,000 patients in the hospital. Electricians at the hospital several days ago completed installation of the last of 1,365 individual radio headphones, enough for all the patients and many to spare. There are a pair of receivers to each bed. At will they can be connected to wall plugs, of which there is also one for each bed, from which wires lead directly to high-powered receiving sets in a basement radio-control room. … Most of the time the control room tunes in on the Washington stations, WCAP and WRC, but the same clear results have also been achieved with WGY, at Schenectady, and KDKA, at Pittsburgh, and they are frequently on the Walter Reed Program. Sunday nights, Roxie's Capitol theater troupe is heard from WEAF, New York, through WCAP. There is a radio program for the patients every evening, and also every other afternoon. On the alternate afternoons the radio apparatus is hooked up with a microphone on the bandstand at the hospital, and bedridden patients can hear the concert as well as their more fortunate comrades who can go outdoors. Thursday afternoons the microphone is installed in the Red Cross hall, where vaudeville actors from Keith's theater give a program for the disabled soldiers. Those who can't go to see the actors lie back in their beds and enjoy their jokes and songs just the same. Technically, the radio apparatus at the hospital is of a high order. Three distinct aerials are used, large, medium and small, and each of this is attached to a separate neutrodyne receiving set in the control room. With the receiving sets, two amplifiers are used. One clears the tones sent from the receiving set to the 1,365 headphones in the various wards. The small amplifier does the same for five loud speakers with which the receiving apparatus is connected at the same time. Two of these loud speakers are in the Red Cross barracks and the others in the quartermaster and detachment barracks. Sometimes the loud speakers are hooked on to a separate receiving set, so that the loud speaker audience may be listening to Pittsburgh, while the bed audience is enjoying WCAP. … (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Medicine)
Tarzan at Home: 1948
... death by his parents and his sister Lynn. -- Tahoe Daily Tribune Five wives, five Tarzan movies Lex was only 29 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2015 - 4:35pm -

Los Angeles, 1948. "Actor Lex Barker and his family -- wife Constance Rhodes Thurlow, son Alexander Crichlow Barker III, and daughter Lynn Thurlow Barker with their dog and cat." From photos by Maurice Terrell for the Look magazine assignment "Princeton-Bred Tarzan." View full size. LogicalWith a giant dog and a scrappy cat the easy chair slip cover is a necessity, ill-fitting or not. SecretsThis picture seems creepy to me, since I've read Cheryl Crane's description of how Barker treated her when he was married to her mother, Lana Turner. Maybe he hadn't done anything so bad up to the time this photo was taken, but considering that it was next-to-impossible for children to complain about such things at the time, you have to wonder. Alexander "Zan" Barker        Zan Barker, born in Los Angeles, March 25, 1947, to Alexander "Lex" Barker and Constance Thurlow-Adams, passed away peacefully at his home in Marla Bay, Lake Tahoe, on October 2, 2012.         He is survived by his brother, Christopher; his sister, Gaye; nephews Michael, Daniel and Justin; and nieces Laura and Clarissa. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Lynn. -- Tahoe Daily Tribune Five wives, five Tarzan moviesLex was only 29 years old in this photo, with the first of his five wives. No. 3 was Lana Turner (below) from 1953 to 1957; No. 5 had been Miss Spain in 1962. Fought in the war and was wounded in Sicily. He was the tenth actor to play Tarzan, and appeared in five Tarzan movies, from Tarzan's Magic Fountain in 1949 to Tarzan and the She-Devil in 1953. Died in 1973 of a heart attack at age 54 while walking on Lexington Avenue in New York City. Bad Dog!The kitty seems to take a rather dim view of the proceedings. I have seen the look on his face before, and someone ends up yowling in pain very shortly thereafter! The dogThe dog looks like either a Newfoundland or a Flat Coated Retriever. Either one is a good choice, especially if there is a swimming pool in the backyard.. (Cats, Dogs, Kids, LOOK, Movies)
We're No. 66!
... constantly improving the Shorpy site. Those of us that are daily visitors and contributors celebrate with you. Always Number ONE in my ... Dish network I found Shorpy through Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish. Now I visit Shorpy daily and haven't seen The Daily Dish since the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2009 - 10:44am -

Très excitement. Ken informs me that Shorpy is No. 66 on PC Magazine's list of the Top 100 Websites of 2009! (Yes, this is the kind of fluff incisive reportage magazines run in the summer so the staff can go on vacation, and we're happy to take part.) I want to thank tterrace, Stanton Square, Joe Manning and everyone else who has helped put us, if not on top, at least solidly in the top part of the bottom third! [UPDATE: Even though we are the 66th website on the list, Kyle at PC Mag tells us the results are not a numerical ranking but rather the results of voting on two groups: Top 50 "classic" sites and Top 50 "undiscovered."] Yay Shorpy!There are millions of websites, but only one Shorpy. Being number 66 is quite an accomplishment. 66I log on to this site every day to see the new pictures that have been uploaded and I don't know why. I just find it fascinating to look at photos that are that old. a whole world that has come and gone before mine. Apparently a lot of people feel the same way. Great !!!!Congratulations from Brazil !!! Congrats!Well deserved. This site is must reading/viewing for me! CongratulationsCongratulations and well-deserved. And, at 66, seems that you've just squeaked into the middle third! Way to go, Shorpy!Should have been first, in my opinion. Way To Go Dave!!!This is indeed a great thing for you and the readers/contributors here. A truly unique site that makes us all sit back, look and enjoy your version of the microscope to the past. And I think I speak for all when I say a hearty 'thank you'. Doug Fluff or not,Fluff or not, congratulations are well deserved! This site is excellent, and should have been much higher placed. Kudos all aroundGlad to have been along and look forward to moving onward and upward. Most Excellent! Figip for everyone! Atta Boy Dave!!Just wanted to add my congratulations to the list. Shorpy is my home page! First thing I see when I fire up Safari. Cheers! Well doneI found you through James Lileks, word of blog so to speak. Great News!You deserve it! One of my favorite sites! Made Our DayWe should all be proud of Dave and Ken for creating, maintaining and constantly improving the Shorpy site. Those of us that are daily visitors and contributors celebrate with you. Always Number ONE in my book!While this is great news, Dave, Shorpy is my favorite site to visit. A day doesn't go by where I don't check in to see what's new, or browse through older photographs. Your presence on Facebook is appreciated and hopefully is adding to Shorpy's traffic. I know that I keep promoting the site to all my friends, and will continue to do so. Shorpy is Number ONE! RankingsIt's a bit of a shock to see us 8 places behind Awkward Family Photos, but at least we beat out Ugliest Tattoos. Seriously, thank you, Dave! Happy to have done my part. Oh, and I also frequently put links to my contributions on my Facebook page for the benefit of my 38 Friends. That must have had something to do with it. Unprepared remarksIn addition to my mother and my agent, I'd also like to thank all the nice people who nominated Shorpy for a spot on the list. In addition to the many commenters and photo posters whose contributions have made the site so interesting. And of course we can't forget the photographers whose work is shown here, and the archivists, technicians and historians who have helped make it available. And Ken (a.k.a. User1), who put both the dot and the com in Shorpy.com. And last but not least let us direct a round of applause to Shorpy himself. Clapclapclap! Best of all......You guys did it without gratuitous sex, violence, vulgarity, or government subsidies. Good taste and quality every day on Shorpy! Congrats!! Doug [Aside from the zillions in taxpayer dollars that made these photos available through the Library of Congress, and the occasional soggy wool bathing suit, this is all very true! - Dave] So funny!>>>upper part of the lower third
A Vast Resort: 1895
... the razing of the Hygeia Hotel." -- Newport News Daily Press . Naphtha Launches Appears to be a pair of them at the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2016 - 10:01pm -

Hampton Roads, Virginia, circa 1895. "Hygeia Hotel, Old Point Comfort." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. "Shotgun"What appears to be a shotgun in the closer of the two launches is probably a line-throwing gun. They were used in rescue situations or to pass a line to another vessel. Didn't burn downBut seven years after this photo: "Rarely has anyone changed the landscape in Hampton Roads as dramatically as Secretary of the Army Elihu Root when he signed a Sept. 1, 1902 order authorizing the razing of the Hygeia Hotel." -- Newport News Daily Press. Naphtha LaunchesAppears to be a pair of them at the dock: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naphtha_launch I think we saw some others down in Florida Pirate Ship?I look forward to an explanation of what appears to be a shotgun on the front seat-sea creatures? Naphtha LaunchesThis pair of beautiful launches are propelled by naphtha boilers. They are not "steam launches" - the working fluid is a hydrocarbon rather than water. The rationale of using naphtha rather than water as the working fluid is that a passenger-carrying steamboat must, by law, have a licensed engineer. Note the beautiful flowing lines of their hulls. These were among the most lovely pleasure boats ever built. At least some of this still existsBelieve it or not, at least one thing visible in the photo still exists, though from the closest street view you would not see it; this picture was taken from a now no longer existing jetty, and would be some thirty feet out in water. The Street View car, therefore, was some 6o feet off from the right angle and location to recapture the view. I believe the street on the left is Ingalls Road, and the intersection just barely discernible on the left would be with Fenwick Road; none of the buildings VISIBLE are still there, but there are building hidden by the Hygeia Hotel that are. However, barely discernible in the distance on the right is the Old Point Comfort Lighthouse, along with a water tower [Gotta correct myself: the object on the far right that appears to be a watertower... isn't. It's an observation tower, now replaced with a more substantial tower, that rests on one corner of the fortress walls. I looked again and realized my error for calling it a water tower, since it's the exact same location as the more recent WWII era tower. And the outer gun line appears to have been built for WWII, not WWI.]; the Lighthouse is still there, along with other building which MAY be in the right side of the hotel, but the resolution there is too fuzzy for me to ascertain for sure (there are residences that date back that far on the stretch that should be visible, but some of the buildings visible on the extreme left may have been razed to make way for the outer gun line of Fortress Monroe, which is external to the historical Fort with it's moat and was build during WW1). The site of the hotel itself is now Continental Park, with a small pavilion; immediately to the left (and it would have been in the picture if it had existed) is the location of the current Chamberlain hotel. On the other hand, the beaches have now moved significantly to the right and somewhat around the curve of the island; there are concrete breakwaters in this are of the island today. Interestingly, if you use Google Earth to zoom in, you can still see some echoes of the Hygeia in the natural patterning of the grass growth in the park, as it grows slightly differently where the ground was disturbed for the buildings foundations, some 115 years after the hotels removal. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, W.H. Jackson)
Merry Christmas: 1913
... Celebrations - - - After 3am realized I didn't get my daily dose of SHORPY and will complete reading and commenting around 4:50 am. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/25/2020 - 7:11am -

        The colorized Christmas tree is back, 107 years after its debut in Madison Square. Happy holidays from Shorpy! New York, December 1913. "Christmas tree, Madison Square." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size. Beautiful!Wow, what a beautiful tree! Merry Christmas, Dave, and Merry Christmas to all in Shorpyland. Best Image Site on the InternetBest wishes for 2010. Merry Christmas!Great photo! Thanks so much Dave for this great site. I have so enjoyed it all year long and look forward to more! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Dateline Shorpyland:Merry christmas Dave and to all who visit here. Merry Christmas To YouAnd thanking you for another year of incredible photos. You have given us a view into the past that few have ever had the chance to experience. You've changed my life. Prepared and thereHow very often it is when we see a photo of an important event that Boy Scouts are present. Merry Christmas, Shorpyites. Rick MacDave, a Merry Christmas to you! And thanks for your site -this has become my favorite. I look forward to checking for new photos every day, and I'm never disappointed. It's like having my own personal time machine. It's a blast! Thank youFor all the wonderful pictures and happy holidays right back at you! Beautiful!!That is beautiful! Thanks for all the great pics and Merry Christmas to everyone!! Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas to all Shorpyites from Reading, England A Shorpy Christmas To AllAnd a huge thank you to Dave and the staff at Shorpy, you have, literally, changed my life. Merry Christmas from Puerto Rico!I join my fellow Shorpyites in thanking you for another year of wonderful photos. May you live long and prosper! TintedIs this hand colored? [Computer-colored. By me. - Dave] Merry Christmas!Beautiful picture, Dave. May I add my thanks to you for providing us with these great pictures. I feel like I understand the world a little better after seeing these great glimpses into the past. Thank YouThank for for this wonderful image. My grandfather was ten years old that Christmas, probably about the size of the shorter of the two boys in the foreground. He also lived about fifteen blocks from Madison Square, so I imagine he was able to see this very tree that Christmas. Thanks again and merry Christmas. It's been a year of fantastic backward glancesMerry Christmas to all! Pictures are, indeed, worth a thousand words and Shorpy is a regular stopover site for me. Thanks for sharing all this, Dave. Merry Christmas to alland a big thank you to Dave for the best site on the web and we can't forget tterrace and we hope he doesnt run out of photos. Ron Merry Christmas to one of my favorite web sitesThank you so much for sharing all these marvelous photos with us. EchoWhat everyone below said. A big "thank you", Dave, from Las Vegas. Merry Christmas!To Dave and staff and everyone else who visits here! Thanks so much for this wonderful site and all the memories! This is about as close to a time machine as we're likely to see.You've changed my perception of how life was all those decades ago. You've helped me to see those years come alive. Merry Christmas, and thanks for one of the most incredible sites on the web. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas and Thank You! GratitudeI must add my sincere thank you as well Dave, and to those who aid you or add to the information, for the wonderful memories sparked by many photos here, and for the historic value of many of these pictures. Merry Christmas to all!! From Your Favorite Nittany LionTo Dave and all my fellow Shorpyites, from the mountains of Pennsylvania, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! DibsLet me be the first to wish one and all a glorious Christmas and a bodacious New Year! Merry Christmas everyone!In the background on the right is the Hoffman House located at Broadway and 24th Street. I love how the lights have been colorized! From Manitoba, CanadaEven our decorated trees aren't this big! A very Merry Christmas to all! Merry Christmas one & all from the UK!I'd like to wish everyone at Shorpy a fabulous Christmas and a healthy new year. Merry ChristmasWishing all at Shorpy a very happy Christmas and seasons greetings to my fellow Shorpyites! Holiday GreetingsTo all Shorpyites, Dave, tterrace and Stanton Square: Holiday Greetings from Bull City Boy, Bull Ciry Girl and all the Bull City Young'uns. Have a blessed Christmas A Little LateIt's 8:13pm Christmas day out here in Spokane, but I want to wish everyone who visits this wonderful site a very Merry Christmas and all the best for next year. Thanks Dave, and all who make this possible. I learn something new every day from all of you. Thanks. Happy HolidaysThank you, Dave - and thank you to all the folks who manage the site, and thanks to the contributors and commenters. The world of Shorpy is a terrific gift you share with us, every day. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas to Dave and all the Shorpyites from an old coot in Virginia Mele Kalikimaka!Christmas greetings from Hawaii! 1913Well, my father was born in 1914 and was a wonderful man and father even after getting shot to pieces in Italy with 168th Infantry, 34th Division during WWII. I'm OK with 1913 since my Aunt Helen was born in 1912 and was a most wonderful lady with smiles and laughs and hugs for me when I was a lad. The 1912 & 1914 bracket around 1913 is OK by me. Christmas GratitudeThank you for this wonderful site Dave and a special thank you for the photos you posted this year from the glory days of my hometown, Utica, New York. You, Shorpy, and others (especially tterrace) have provided a boundless window into the past and countless hours spent away from the stresses of the day indulging in something that is neither fattening, nor bad for me. Shorpy IS however, highly addictive and wonderfully entertaining. Best wishes to all in 2012! Merry Christmas Shorpy!Another year gone by already! Merry Christmas to AllAnd a Thank You to Dave and the Shorpy Elves for all the work you put into this site. Best Wishes from Canada.Merry Christmas to Dave and all the Shorpsters !! Nothing left to sayI echo ALL the sentiments of the commenters before me. So, just a simple Merry Christmas from Minneapolis, MN to Dave, Shorpy and the Shorpyites!!! Wishing you all an awesome 2012. From Cape Breton Canada A Merry Christmas to Shorpy and all ..... Merry Christmas!Dave, I'm a relative noob, here, and truly enjoy what you do. Merry Christmas from the Left Coast. Thank you and forward, into the past! Merry Christmas Gang!Dave, the rest of the Shorpy administrators and the great member submitters, Merry Christmas and thank you very much for another year of marvelous photos and replies for my mind and mailed photos for my wall! I wish everyone a grand new year! To each and every oneFrom England, to every corner of Shorpyland and to each and every one of its inhabitants -- a Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!to Dave and all the denizens of Shorpyville. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to AllMerry Christmas from Boston, Dave, and many thanks. Shorpy is a fantastic community! From here in PortlandFrom here in Portland Oregon, to every corner of Shorpyland and to each and every one of its inhabitants -- a Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year. Thank you, Dave, for giving us a glimpse back into the past. This is one of my favorite sites. Merry Christmas to allMerry Christmas to the Shorpy staff, contributors and commenters. Really appreciate all this site offers, it is one of my favorites. Madison SquareTo all at Shorpy, Merry Christmas! This is a great website and I have told many about it. This photo reminds me of a print by the American artist Martin Lewis. The picture is titled "The Orator" and is dated 1916. The scene is Madison Square. The three large buildings in the background are still standing and are located around the intersection of 5th Avenue/Madison Square North/W.26th. The photo and the Christmas tree are beautiful! Merry Christmas and a Happy New YearA bit late for me for the former, but heartfelt wishes to all for the latter Thanks so much Dave, for all of the work you put into Shorpy. Before it came along, I had to be pacified with scanning old pic collections at flea markets. Alas, no more! A very Happy New Year to you and yours! Happy New Year and for many years to come Thank you so much for the look back and to your members for giving me the chance to compare with current photos on occasion. MERRY CHRISTMASThank you all at Shorpy for another great year on one of my favourite sites. Merry Christmas to you all! Edmund Christmas wishesMerry Christmas Dave to you and all at Shorpy, another fine year and looking forward to 2017. Peace and Goodwill to AllMany thanks for the photos on this site. My father was born in northeastern Alabama around the time of Shorpy, and this alone makes the site worthwhile. To see and read about those times is very revealing. But the site is much more! Just the railroad photos alone are fantastic. Please know that you are appreciated, and Happy New Year to Shorpyland! Merry Christmas Everyone!!Merry Christmas to all out there in Shorpyland - everyone reading, everyone posting and especially to Dave and the Shorpy crew. Keep those great pics coming! Now, off to the Office Party! Merry Christmas: 2018I passed some very pleasant time in a Canadian Tire store near Toronto on Christmas Eve yesterday, an hour before closing, relaxed and unharried, with a brother-in-law and nephew, trying to figure out all the different kinds of tree lights available, to make a totally unnecessary purchase, upon command of a family member higher up than us on the boss scale. And the result was nowhere near as nice as this Madison Square tree. Merry Christmas and best of the season to Dave and tterrace and all my Shopry comrades at this bright and festive time of year. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas from Canada !! Glad Tidings to AllMerry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, Blessed Yule, and all other wishes to everyone here. May your tables be filled with good food and good conversation. See you in 2020. With gratitudeThanks to Dave and all who contribute. It's been a great trip of learning, from Mr. Higginbotham's life story to "flange bearing frogs". I thought the little amphibians were doing some heavy lifting! Wishing all a better 2021. After a full day and night Zooming Xmas Celebrations - - - After 3am realized I didn't get my daily dose of SHORPY and will complete reading and commenting around 4:50 am. Looking forward to the New Year edition to cap off another year of David's, tt's and other's massive and Artful contributions stimulating our family's memories and new insights as to our collective history as ALL our folks arrived as immigrants some as slaves or indentured workers and others stowaways or sailors and crew members jumping ship. The rest of our people we see populating SHORPY'S cities, towns and farms arrived on our shores in a wide range of financial status. However difficult it probably was for most of our descendants it's amazing how quickly, often in only one generation the new language and customs morphed into the American citizens we compare Shorpy's folks to. I as I begin my 89th year I'm the only first generation Norwegian / American male left in my NYC clan. Although l had a pleasant holiday I sorely miss our Scandinavian main roast pork meal on Xmas Eve with all the varied and distinctive cookies and other baked cakes that were baked during the week before and the house smelled like Xmas the whole tantalizing time. One of my dad's insistence that mom wasn't to speak to my sister and me in Norsk - slid into our having the American turkey and apple cyder on Xmas - wasn't that cool ! Merry Christmas!I want to wish all Shorpyites, both regular commenters and non-regular commenters alike, the happiest of holiday seasons this year. 2020 has been terrible, on almost every level a year can be terrible, and a little peace and joy over the next week shouldn't be too much to ask. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas yesterday with however many people you're allowed to have at your house. I hope the food was good, the conversation was lively, and the feelings warm. Come on 2021... (The Gallery, Christmas, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Lucky Ducks: 1927
... I must be getting old!) Did someone have to fill these daily? (I'm guessing the Fire Dept.) It looks like there's a compartment on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2018 - 4:25pm -

April 21, 1927. "Do ducks swim? Misses Eugenia Dunbar and Mary Moose." The main focus here is of course the horse trough, once a common item of street furniture in many big cities. National Photo glass negative. View full size. Ducks in a RowMiss Eugenia sure is lovely, no denying, but Miss Mary looks like a better time on a 1927 Saturday night. Bathtub GinnyGreat photo. It sums up the dissipation of the 1920s just about as well as can be done. Absolutely Gorgeous!The girl on the left is STUNNING! Man I'm hooked on this website! Puts Marilyn to shameI am captivated by Miss Dunbar's feminine charms; her beauty is that of Pallas Athena and Venus together. The TroughPutting aside the obvious va-va-voom comments for the cutie on the left, I'd like to ask about the trough. (God I must be getting old!) Did someone have to fill these daily? (I'm guessing the Fire Dept.) It looks like there's a compartment on the end, maybe for ice to melt slowly through the day? It's strange to think that may have been someone's job once. [These were plumbed and self-filling, with what looks like a covered float valve at the far end. - Dave] Wow!Two beautiful women, especially Miss Dunbar. You mean there are ducks in the picture? Fun FactDipping a hat in a horse trough is a crime in Mayberry, North Carolina. Eugenia's PoetryEugenia won a poetry contest in the Washington Post. I can't find any other information about her. The listed home address, at 1755 P NW, was close to Dupont Circle. The curved curbstones in the photo suggest that might be where the photo was taken. Life's Stage. (Winner of $1 Prize.) The dance is on, and the dancers      Drift out in the hall As leaves are blown by the west wind      In autumn after they fall. Some look o'erjoyed and carefree      And smile and laugh as they talk While others look overburdened and careworn      Like a withered rose on the walk. The music begins and the joyous      Float into the lands of dreams. And the sad shake their sorrowing heads and say:      "Life is not what it seems." Why be so withered and careworn,      Thinking only upon your sorrow; Why not join in life's little play      And think not yet of tomorrow? So let's help build this wonderful stage,      Let's aid in this great erection, And let each actor in life's game      Play his part to perfection Eugenia Dunbar (17) 1755 P street northwest. Washington Post, Sep 26, 1926 A Great ShotWOW -- Then as now, a photographer will use any pretense to photograph a beautiful woman! Re the horse trough, in the late forties and early fifties there were still horses hauling goods around D.C., and these cast iron troughs were all over the downtown area. Lor' luv a duck!These are a pair of nice-looking birds! Where's the SPCA?Ya daft preeverts! Everyone's looking at the girls and not the poor ducks with ropes tied around their necks! Ms EugeniaNo question here, Eugenia is a timeless knockout. "Nanny"Sometimes it's hard to get a decent guideline as to how old a person truly is from these older photos, but this one hits just right. My wife's grandmother, Nanny, is about to turn 100 at the end of March (yes, there will be a big party); my daughter will be turning 18 in June. It just so happens that Miss Mary and Miss Eugenia here would be the same age as Nanny, give or take a few months, having been born in 1909, as these two were. They are at the same age in this photo, roughly, as my daughter. Those are a couple of cuties, all right, but they both might, like Nanny, have now over 80 descendants. But as cute as they both were, I bet they had some fun times for the next two and a half years, with no lack of male attention during that era of copious money and speakeasy gin. Duck on a leashThose are some strict leash laws! I wish Toronto had a law like that. Nothing is worse than trying to walk down a street and having your ankles accosted by ducks amok. I haven't seen a horse trough in years. The city tore out the last ones back in the early 90s near St. Lawrence Market when the condo dwellers complained about hobos bathing in them. In love with a ghostMiss Eugenia Dunbar, wow! I think I am in love. Born in the wrong time. Does anyone else have any info on her? [She rhymed. - Dave] Big Ol' LoveShe's a spitting image of Jeanne Tripplehorn, or vice versa. QuackedWhat I see here are four real "flappers." Nice. Thanks. What time of year is this?I notice the attractive young ladies have coats and it appears the wind is blowing but the two younger girls in the back are wearing sundresses. The trough reminds me of my paternal grandfather. He drove horse drawn beer wagons for many years because not for tradition; his brother-in-law owned the warehouse and he was a drunken Irishman. My other grandfather was a railroad conductor, luckily I caught the train bug and not the drinking bug. There is so much to notice about our history in everyday photographs. Thank you for cleaning up and sharing these unique glimpses into history but also allowing us to comment. If you subtract everything ...from this photo except Miss Eugenia - dressed just as she is - it looks like a photo of a young woman taken only yesterday. I have seen my own 30+ year old daughter-in-law dressed nearly identically, and the hair style is in no way dated. Now that is rare in a photo that is 80 years old. A new dimensionBeautiful and talented, our Miss Dunbar was. I think it's interesting to see another dimension of someone who was never a celebrity (not that I'm aware of, anyway), but just a regular person. Do you think she imagined that a poem she penned for a newspaper contest to win a dollar would be read 80-odd years later? Not Dickinson, but pretty darn good for a 17-year-old. There's some really good imagery there in the first stanza. It is certainly better than anything I might have composed when I was 17. Of course, one now wonders what sort of hidden talents did her friend Mary have? Eugenia and MaryEugenia Dunbar, born April 18, 1909, died September 13, 2000, Pasadena California. Eugenia was living somewhere in Wisconsin during the mid 1930s or early 1940s. Mary Moose: This might not be her, but it could be. Mary Moose, born April 27, 1909, died sometime in January, 1981 in Tennessee. That Mary fits a lot of the patterns, but she was both born in Tennessee, was again living in Tennessee in the late 1930s-1940s period, and died there. If that's not our Mary, then I think her name is slightly misspelled, and it's actually Mary MUSE, born November 20, 1908 (in Northern Virginia), died (still in Arlington, Virginia), July 27, 1998. She seems to have lived most of her life in the DC area. [After these girls got married, which seems likely, they'd have different names. Which is the reason it's hard to dig up reliable information about women when all you have to go on is a maiden name. Dunbar and Moose are mostly likely the married names of Pasadena Eugenia and Tennessee Mary. - Dave] Eugenia and Mary againDave, I looked them up by their birth names. This was the only Eugenia Dunbar that came up, so I'm pretty confident in that one. [Where was Eugenia born? - Dave] Right for meIt looks like I am the only one more smitten by the girl on the right. A real ringer - MaryIf I didn't know better, I'd swear that Mary Moose above was the woman I dated for nearly 2 years at the beginning of this decade. Her name was Marie - she was 24 years old when we started dating, 5' 3", about 110 pounds, short light auburn hair, big piercing blue/gray eyes and identical features to Ms. Moose. Shoot, they even dress(ed) the same when stepping out. What a jaw dropper seeing this picture - Marie passed away from throat cancer at the age of 29 in late 2007. Just a touchingly timeless image, at least for me. Thanks again for the wonderful work, Dave. Eugenia DunbarI also found Eugenia Dunbar's Pasadena death record, so I immediately requested the obit from the Pasadena library. They said it takes three weeks. Who knows, maybe she didn't get married, or otherwise kept her maiden name. I am hoping the obit will confirm whether she's the one. From ducks to flamingos?The Las Vegas Sun and the Las Vegas Review-Journal of April 21, 1999 each had an obit for a Eugenia Dunbar McCall, age 95. Obviously I don't know if she's the same person, but "she was a retired Flamingo Hilton showroom waitress of more than 30 years." Somehow I can picture this Eugenia ending up at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. Birds of a FeatherEugenia is too young to have been the Flamingo dancer. If she was 17 in September 1926, she was born in 1908 or 1909. Your showgirl was born in 1904, and I don't believe any showgirl would add five years when telling her age! Lucky Ducks Take 2I found another photograph of Misses Dunbar and Moose here. The second picture was taken just before or after the one here on Shorpy; their poses (including those of the ducks) have barely changed. What has changed is that both ladies are looking into camera with rather sultry expressions – oh you kid(s)! It is interesting that the quality of this second picture is far poorer than Shorpy’s standard (it’s fuzzy with too much contrast) despite the site’s rather pleasing magnifying feature. It just goes to remind me what an outstanding site Shorpy is – cheers Dave! [That image was made from a print, as opposed to ours, which comes from the original negative. - Dave] Wow, and double wowI wouldn't mind a date with either one of these beauties, although I'm kind of partial to Eugenia. Pick her up in the old Essex for a malt at the corner drug store, a couple of hours at a dance (maybe the one mentioned in her poem?), and then down to the local motion picture palace to catch the latest Clara Bow movie. Eugenia DunbarThis is Joe Manning. A few weeks ago, I requested the obituary for a Eugenia Dunbar, who died in Pasadena, CA, and was born in 1909. Bad news. The obit is not available. The only other scrap of info is this: In the 1920 census, there is a Rossie Dunbar, born in 1909 in North Carolina, attending the Industrial Home School in Washington, DC. That's the only Dunbar, born about 1909, in the 1920 DC Census. Anybody got any ideas? Eugenia graduatesIn the June 23, 1923, Washington Post, Eugenia is listed as graduating from the Peabody-Hilton School to Eastern High. Photographer?Does anyone know who the photographer was? [The National Photo Service. - Dave] Dupont Circle / Leiter MansionThanks to research by Wikipedia user AgnosticPreachersKid, we can confirm the location is definitely the east side of Dupont Circle. The building in the background is the left side of the Leiter mansion, which until 1947 stood at the northeast corner of the circle. It's now the site of the Dupont Plaza Hotel, formerly known as Jurys Washington Hotel. Links: photo of the mansion exterior · blog post about the mansion · blog post about the site · Levi Leiter bio @ Wikipedia. I suspect the streets have been widened since 1927; Google Street View today seems to show a narrower sidewalk at the location where the ladies would've been positioned: View Larger Map The sidewalks on Sheridan Circle, a few blocks away, are twice as wide, and more closely resemble the one in the photo. But there's no denying the photo was taken at Dupont Circle; too many details match up - tree branches, railed fence, fence column, balcony, position of street lamp; the shrubs were missing in 1927, but that's about it. Olivia Eugenia "Gena" Dunbar Snell (1909-1967)Many thanks to Erin Blakemore, professional genealogist Shanna Jones, and Gena's nephew Edward H. Dunbar, Jr. and his mom for their assistance with this research! I'd love to be able to say "Gena loved to..." but unfortunately, Edward Jr. says the relatives who could've filled in the gaps in her biography and told us more about her life & interests have all died. Olivia Eugenia "Gena" Dunbar was born in Augusta, Georgia, on March 25, 1909, to William M. Dunbar Jr. and Carrie Eugenia Johnson. Gena was the first of six children (three boys and three girls), none of whom are living now. She turned 18 just one month before the photo was taken. Her youngest sibling, Edward, was about two years old at the time of the photo. He died at age 83 at the end of 2008, a mere two weeks before the photo was posted on Shorpy. Gena's mom, Carrie, was from a well-respected family in Gainesville, Georgia. Carrie's father, Fletcher Marcellus Johnson Sr. (1858-1914), was a judge, and her mother, Elizabeth Eugenia Sullivan (1861-1893), was a college professor. This branch of the Dunbar family was from Richmond County, Georgia (Augusta area), and nearby Barnwell & Edgefield counties, S.C. In the mid-1920s, Gena's parents had temporarily settled in Washington, D.C., where William was working as a Maxwell House coffee salesman. Gena's nephew, Edward H. Dunbar Jr., says, "I was told that part of his job was the introduction of an 'instant' coffee product ... an endeavor which did not meet with success at that time," but concedes "I don't know about the accuracy of this. My father, who had a genuine interest in family history, also could exercise a rather impish sense of humor from time to time." His mother, though, confirms the story. Instant coffee existed but didn't really catch on until after World War 2. Gena eventually married William Edward Snell (b. Sept. 21, 1905), whose family was from Gwinnett County near Atlanta, home to Snellville. Thereafter, Gena was known as Gena or Eugenia D. Snell. On May 19, 1932, she gave birth to their only son, William Edward "Bo" Snell, Jr., who eventually graduated from the University of Georgia and became a lawyer. Gena's mom died at age 69 on June 5, 1955, in Augusta. Gena's husband died in Cobb County (Marietta area) at age 56 on Dec. 22, 1961. Gena herself died in Atlanta at age 58 on Nov. 17, 1967. Her son Bo died in Bar Harbor, Maine, at age 63 on Feb. 26, 1995. Melancollic StrangerBy lucky I get into this site, found this photo and suddenly I feel rarely sad and ... small (pequeño). I don't know how to explain, I don't even speak english very well. And is just this picture, I was captivated by it, it's so clear, so close. And then I see that date, and is so hard for me to accept that everything is gone, that she is not there, right know, with that smile. I'm not even suppose to be here, doing this, there is so much work to do, however I can't help my self, I needed to write this. Duck speed on landIt just struck me as funny that these girls have leashes on the ducklings. Back on the farm I would often see our two ducks waddling toward the barn, as I set out to get the cow and take her into the barn to milk her. By the time I was headed back to the house with the milk, or about 20 minutes later, the ducks would have waddled about five yards. Had those ducklings decided to make a run for it, I don't think the girls would have had much trouble catching them! SHE IS MY TWINOkay, the girl on the left looks just like me, it's crazy! Quacking another Mystery.The ducks are named "Diddles" (Dunbar) and Tommie (Moose), according to the caption from Acme Newspictures. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Animals, D.C., Natl Photo, Pretty Girls)
One Year Old: 2008
... us. Happy Birthday! I have been checking this site daily for months. It's one of my favorite web destinations ... keep up the ... all involved in this great website. I can't wait to get my daily dose of pictures. Hip Hip Hooray....long live the memories. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/14/2008 - 4:26am -

Shorpy is a year old today! Thanks to the many thousands of visitors and commenters and contributors who have helped make this Web site the remarkable place that it is. And of course we wouldn't be here without the efforts of the photographers whose pictures appear here, and the conservators and archivists who have preserved their work and made it available online through the Library of Congress. This might also be a good time to reflect on the life of our namesake, Shorpy Higginbotham, whose likeness animates these pages and spirit inhabits them. And now on with the show. Only a zillion more pictures to go   .  .  . Congratulations!!Congratulations!! Happy birthdayThe site looks old for its years. Thanks for all the hard work. It is much appreciated! Congrats on 1 year!I have throughly enjoyed your site so far, and I can't wait to see what the next year brings. One yearThanks to Dave and Ken for a great site, looking foward to another year of great pics and even better comments. Shorpy will always be a part of us. Happy Birthday!I have been checking this site daily for months. It's one of my favorite web destinations ... keep up the great work! Congrats!Congratulations on the one year mark! This is a great, great service. Happy Birthday!Wow, has it been a year already? Amazing how time flies when you're having fun. I must say I feel horrible that I haven't submitted more of my own family photos, but life and other projects have distracted me. But I'd like to send a bit thank you to you guys at Shorpy/Plan 59 for all the hard work you put into this site. I find it both entertaining and educational. Don't forget to make a wish! TK http://unidentifiedfamilyobjects.blogspot.com/ And we wait eagerly... for a zillion pictures to see. It's been great checking Shorpy out for last year, it will be even more so in times to come. CongratulationsCongratulations to the Shorpy staff on your one year anniversary! Keep up the excellent work. Happy Birthday!Happy birthday Shorpy and thanks for many wonderful hours of viewing! Congratulations!Excellent pages, I've been addicted for few months now. Keep that way and I will be very happy. Old photos just have that 'something'. Happy Birthday!Happy Birthday! You are doing a tremendous job showcasing these great pictures, thank you very much. Every single day, this siteEvery single day, this site posts a picture that educates, entertains, and delights me. I've learned more about the way Americans lived from here than I ever did in history classes. Here's to many more years! ¡Feliz cumpleaños!Happy birthday to one of the most interesting sites! ¡Feliz cumpleaños! CongratsCongrats on your anniversary. I very much enjoy these slices of life, and thank you (and the LOC) for making them available to us. Happy Anniversary!I love this site. Congratulations!Congratulations! Shorpy is one of the few sites (apart from weather, traffic and work related) that I visit at least once a day. The growing collection of pictures by itself is interesting enough, but Dave's dry sense of humour is the cherry on the cake. Keep it up! Thanks Shorpyi hardly ever comment on this site, but i view it everyday. shorpy.com is my homepage so i see it whenever i go online. this is the perfect time to thank you for providing me with access to some of the greatest photos ever snapped on a what is undoubtedly one of the greatest sites on the web. keep em coming. i'll keep enjoying. Happy Anniversary!Has it only been one year? You have done a lot of work and created a blog that is a delight to visit. More than that, you have developed a community that I'm proud to be part of. Here's to many more anniversaries to come. Congratulations and thanks!I came across this site following a link to the "CONDEMNED TO DEATH" triptych (it is still the bookmarked page for the site). This is my favorite website. I tell anyone who'll listen about it and I look at it at least once EVERY DAY! I can't tell you how much I enjoy and appreciate the site. Best to you and yours! CongratulationsCongratulations on a year. I found this site ages ago and it's one of the first feeds I check every day. Keep up the good work! Shorpy.comFantastic website! Great photographs, taking you all the way into 19th century! Congratulations!!! Wish you all the best. Thank you and well doneThis site is an extraordinary piece of work, one of 2-3 I visit almost every day. The combination of art, scholarship, history and commentary are almost unique. I'm looking forward to more excellence and am glad I only missed the first 11 months. Happy AnniversaryThis is a wonderful site and I visit it every day. Keep up the great work (please)! I have learned so much about the generation before me that I could not have ever known without this site. I am a baby boomer and remember my parents and grandparents talking about how things were when they were young. Now I can get a "picture" of how life really was then. Thank you so much. 386 imagesI've got 386 images from this site on my hard drive. I visit at least twice a day and I'm never disappointed. Here's wishing you many more. Thanks!Thank you so much for the work you do. I was admiring the photographs of Dorothea Lange and thinking about her skill in using film and light, when I realized yet again that it would not be possible to admire her work if you were not such a wizard with Photoshop and if you did not show such good judgment in its use. I appreciate your thoughtful approach to all of the material, and your wit--and your encouragement of the use of spell checkers. Thank you...Happy birfday Shorpy! This site is the bomb and I enjoy coming here to view these little bits of our shared past! Thank youThank you, thank you, thank you! Happy BirthdayI'm new to the site, but I'm addicted! Thank you so much for all the hard work. Congrats and Happy BirthdayYou've made a fan out of me! May there be many more! Happy Anniversary!I stumbled across this site quite by accident about a month ago and am absolutely addicted! I've told all my friends that they've got to check this out. Keep up the awesome work - if you don't there's going to be a lot of people in "withdrawal"!! I wish to addMy congratulations to the many others that you have received. This is a wonderful site. I visit each and every day and really appreciate the hard work that you do each day. Once more congratulations to Shorpy.com and long may Shorpy's memorial blog continue. Woohoo!!Well, it's no surprise, considering how great this site is! The real surprise would be if it was gone! Well, let's not think such ridiculous things. Happy Birthday!!! Thanks Shorpy !I would like to offer a "Toast" to Shorpy and all involved in this great website. I can't wait to get my daily dose of pictures. Hip Hip Hooray....long live the memories. Congratulations!I love Shorpy. Happy first anniversary, and may there be many, many more! [Thanks to everyone who has signed the birthday register today! It's all a little overwhelming. - Dave] Only a Year?Wow, this site's so extensive and wonderfully maintained, I thought for certain you'd been around much longer than a year! Thanks for the hard work, and congratulations! A great year!And rest in peace, Shorpy, where ever you are. May the next life bring you happiness not found in this one. The best site on the webShorpy is . . . ShorpyA daily pleasure for me. Thanks for a great year. Thanksfor a wonderful site! I stop by at least once per day and thoroughly enjoy these well selected and superbly presented glimpses into the past. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska Happy Birthday!I check Shorpy for new photos almost every evening and especially love the Kodachromes. Thanks for all your hard work on this great site! CongratsIs it only one year? You've done an important and beautifully creative job. I'm a regular visitor and I've learned so many things and have been inspired. I love that Shorpy represents the site. He is the very courageous, indomitable symbol of working America. Congrats and the BookI found this site few months ago and got hooked. I pray that this site will continue another year. I am looking forward to buy the book where all photos with background information put together. It will be a great addition to my huge library. Congrats AgainOne of my favorite bookmarks! – happy birthday. Thanks!Shorpy is one of few sites that I have in a favorites folder named "daily". A simple idea very well executed. Me TooLove the photos, the information, and I also enjoy the reader comments and sense of community. Thank you very much! Dave & KenThank you both, and anyone else working at Shorpy, for the Post Civil War History and Photography course. I think the regular participants should receive college credit. I can't tell you how much I enjoy my daily (and sometimes hourly) visits. Keep it up. Happy BirthdayLike everyone has mentioned, happy 1st birthday and I hope this is the start of something long lasting. It is a treat to drop by every few days and see the wonderful photos - and read the many comments from folks who know the details within these vintage images. Keep up the good work. Happy Birthday Dear ShorpyThank you for the amazing work in showing us the pictures of Library of Congress. I loved the huge archive but your site is like a special guide through the database. I also noticed that the comments are adding details and new informations about the pictures, this is useful also for the Library of Congress. I loved the story of Addie Card, for instance. I check the site daily and it'a lovely pause while I am working. You have great taste in choosing the best images and the design of the web is very nice. I hope you will keep doing this work. I am a deputy photo editor of a national magazine in Italy and unfortunately I don't usually research so much on LOC images, but sometimes it happens. I'd like to ask you if there will be in the future a "search" option. This could be extremely useful for my work while researching archival images. Congratulations and compliments. All my best. Paola Vozza. [Thanks, Paola! We already have a "search" option. - Dave] "Happy Birthday to You "Happy Birthday To You Happy Birthday to youuu Happy Birthday , Dear Shorpy.com , a great website Happy Birthday, toooo youuuu Joe P.S Hats off to you InfoWho exactly runs this site, and who else is involved? Why were you going to call it "mike.com"? Who is Mike? [That's what I'd like to know. - Dave] GOOD JOBI love looking at you site of living history. I also love finding subjects to colorize and try to bring to life. The most fun I've ever had on the computer!! (ShorpyBlog, Lewis Hine)
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