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War Store: 1941
... 1942 Nash sedans every day for 30 days, plus cash prizes daily. I'd enter in a heartbeat. No gas to run it, but it would look nice ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/17/2019 - 10:51am -

June 1941. "In the area being taken over by the Army -- Caroline County, Virginia. Most of the customers at this store are now soldiers. Many of the people in the area have already moved out and the owners of the store are making plans to move." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Fly RibbonYou've gotten your money's worth out of that fly ribbon, and it's good to see that this country did have a good 5-cent cigar. Note the mirror over the scale. It kept the shopkeeper from weighing his thumb along with the pork chops. Cigars & boozeAlso sardines & beans. And a whole lot of flies. Sign of the timesThe sign over the soldier's shoulder is interesting. It reads, "Buying at Home-Owned Stores has the same effect on a community as savings has on the individual. Both are constructive methods of insuring the future prosperity of a community and it's members." Sounds like this store is dealing with Wal-mart and Amazon. Things keep repeating I guess. Wow!So much -- including a fully loaded flypaper hanging. Certainly the most misdressed soldier I've seen. Management's PlansI hope they decided to change the flypaper before moving. "'Wealthy in Heart'Anthropologists hired by the Army have recorded interviews with 58 people whose families had to move out so soldiers could move in. "The government bought 1,116 individual tracts of land, displacing families, farms, schools, churches and communities that had existed in the sleepy countryside for generations," according to the manuscript of a book containing the interviews and photographs. https://fortaphill.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/wealthyinheart.pdf "Hundreds of farming families who had lived there for generations were caught up in the whirlwind of history and gracefully acquiesced their lands for the needs of their country," but not without some dissent and heartbreak. "From the government's perspective, it was a necessity. For those whose land was taken, there was no alternative but to go. For some, it was a blessing in disguise that moved them on to better conditions and opportunities. For others, no worse a catastrophe could have befallen them as they lost their lands, legacies and lifestyles, never to be regained." These rural Caroline residents' stories remained largely untold until the recent interviews. Now the interviews have been transcribed for a book that will be available to the public. It will be titled "'Wealthy in Heart': Oral History of Life Before Fort A.P. Hill," said Marie B. Morton, a co-leader of the team of anthropologists. "We are in the process now of determining how many copies to publish, and what the cost might be," she said. Morton said she doesn't know how many people were displaced for development of Fort A.P. Hill. "I honestly don't know if anyone has that number because there were so many people living there who were not landowners," she said. Preservation of this slice of Caroline history has come about largely through the effort of Col. Michael S. Graese, former commander of Fort A.P. Hill, who persuaded the Army to finance the oral history. Fairfax-based Paciulli, Simmons and Associates Ltd., which has a Fredericksburg branch office, fielded the team that conducted the interviews and gathered the photographs. PSA's services include engineering, planning, surveying, landscape architecture, environmental and wetlands science and cultural resources. It all began in 2006 when Graese attended the annual Mica High School reunion on the base. He was fascinated by the school graduates' stories of their rural way of life that once existed in that part of Caroline. With the Army's financial backing, PSA launched the oral-history project in April 2007. Allan Morton, Marie B. Morton, Jerrell Blake Jr., Royce McNeal, Carolyn Hemphill, Beryl Carter and Marion Simmons conducted 82 hours of taped interviews and collected more than 300 photographs. Those interviews have yielded a wealth of details, memories and points of view of people whose families once lived where Fort A.P. Hill is today. On the military installation, Mica High School still stands as a symbol of a bygone era. The high school was erected in 1918 at a cost of about $10,000, and opened with 70 students and four teachers, according to Marshall Wingfield, author of "History of Caroline County Virginia." In the 1920s, Wingfield wrote, more than half of the Mica High School graduates went on to college. Back in the 1930s, a visit to a rural community's general-merchandise store, such as Smithers' at Delos, often meant chatting with neighbors and catching up on local news, according to those interviewed. For a child, it was a special treat. Maynard Penney 75, a Bowling Green Realtor, remembers living in Upper Zion, which had a post office, a church and a couple of stores in addition to the homes. His father was a farmer, and Penney was born there. "I was not quite 9 when we moved from there," he said. For the forthcoming book, Allan Morton, the other Co-leader of the project, wrote a dedication to the people who supplied their "little histories" about their lives before development of Fort A.P. Hill. "Many people see history in a large big-picture sense," Morton wrote. "To them, it's only significant if the world or the country has undergone change." But for "an anthropologist--one who studies people and their culture--significance lies not necessarily in the big-picture, but in understanding the everyday lives of people. "This oral history is especially significant because it focuses on a lost world." The forthcoming book of interviews and photographs, Morton wrote, "is dedicated to all the people who gave their time to open their hearts and share their memories and thoughts so this history could be told." Video "Wealthy in Heart: Oral History of Life Before Fort A P Hill" https://youtu.be/ad6jhB6P3Vw Oxydol giveawayThat is quite some giveaway -- two 1942 Nash sedans every day for 30 days, plus cash prizes daily. I'd enter in a heartbeat. No gas to run it, but it would look nice sitting on the front lawn. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets, WW2)
Skunk Cabbage Acres: 1936
... for that fellow. The smell he must have to deal with on a daily basis, and the smell that he must bring into the house is enough to make ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:50am -

June 1936. Skunk cabbage, ferns and alders keep this farmer in the north Oregon hills hard at work as he attempts to clear an abandoned homestead. Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. View full size. EewHaving lived around a small amount of skunk cabbage, and knowing full well the potency of said plant, I feel sorry for that fellow. The smell he must have to deal with on a daily basis, and the smell that he must bring into the house is enough to make me retch just thinking about. Eau de farm I well know the smell, but prefer it to the aroma of a barn in need of mucking out, at least the fern heads were tasty. Oh, and Alder don't burn worth a darn, mostly makes a good fence. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Arthur Rothstein, Rural America)
Delicious Cakes: 1922
... After the opening tomorrow night, the show will be open daily, except Sunday, from 3 to 5:30 and 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Everyone will be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 6:47pm -

Washington circa 1922. "Food show. Ward exhibit." Among the tempting varieties of Ward's Cakes on display here: Silver Queen, Devils Dream, Kukuno, Creamy Spice, Sunkist Gold and Southern Pride. Plus Paradise Fruit Cake and something called "Homelike." View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. What, no penathalenoleum?Store-bought cakes that actually look like they taste good, rather than the weird aftertaste and bloating you get from today's preservative-laden science projects. This is the first Shorpy photo that made me hungry. Well, OK, the second… after the possum gloop splattered into the gutter. Food Show Exhibitors Washington Post, Feb 4, 1923 60 Exhibits Prepared for Pure Food Show Convention Hall Converted Into Dazzling Picture for Opening Tomorrow Sixty exhibits and practical demonstrations of pure food products and labor-saving devices for the home are scheduled for the national food show and household exposition, which opens at 7:30 o'clock tomorrow night in Convention Hall, Fifth and L streets northwest, and continues for two weeks. The hall has been converted into a veritable fairyland with rows and rows of dazzling booths and yards and yards of artistically draped bunting. Salesmen and demonstrators will gather at the hall tomorrow morning to receive final instructions. After the opening tomorrow night, the show will be open daily, except Sunday, from 3 to 5:30 and 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Everyone will be given plenty to eat free -- coffee, tea, milk, soft drinks, "hot dogs," pancakes, salads, gelatine, cheese, salad dressing and other things. The list of exhibitors follows: France Milling Co. (Gold Medal Pancake Flour) Joseph Tetley & Co. Gelfand Manufacturing Co. Browning & Bains Coffee Co. Steuart Sons & Co. (sirup [sic] and molasses) Foulds Milling Co. (macaroni and spaghetti) Carry Ice Cream Co. Noxzema Chemical Co. Johnn B Heppe & Co. E.J. Agee (Economy Darner) Cheek Neal Coffee Co. (Maxwell House Coffee) J.L. Kraft & Bros., Inc. (cheese) Akin Manufacturing Co. (Shi-Nall) Brewer Snyder Co. A. Loffler Provision Co. Corn Products Refining Co. (Parko) O.J. DeMoll & Co. (pianos and talking machines) Nelson Refrigerator Co. Refrigerator Pan Alarm Co. Rosslyn Packing Co. Golden & Co. National Furniture Co. Corby Baking Co. Hacker Cereal Co. Thomas J. Lipton, Inc. S. & S. Water Co Genesee Pure Food Co. (Jell-O) Wilkins & Rogers (butter) Palmer Harvey & Co. Walker Hill Dairy C.F. Mueller Co. Julius Lansburgh Furniture Co. McCormick & Co. Martin Gillet & Co. (House of Lords Tea) P.B. Davis Co. (Davis Baking Powder) S. Kann Sons Co. (modern kitchen utensils) Hub Furniture Co. Chapin Sacks Inc. Mutual Service Bureau (electrical devices) Kirkman & Son Carroll Erwin Co. (electrical household goods) Columbia Bottling Works William Conradis & Co. (model bath room) New Era Gas Stove Co. Pillsbury Flour Mills Co. King Electric Washer Co. Ward Baking Co. Doubleday Hill Electric Co. (radio receiving station) Cook's Quality Cakery Harry Chapel (broker) Troco Nut Butter Co. William T. Leahey & Co. (vegetable cutters) Havenner Baking Co. Ridgewood Orchards (apple) and several additional exhibitors to be definitely announced tomorrow. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Boulder Colorado 1916
... perching her hands on her swollen belly, gazing toward the Daily Camera office and the foothills of the Front Range. Photograph by Harold ... 
 
Posted by notycoon22 - 05/20/2007 - 9:52am -

My mother was born in 1916. This shot of the main street in Boulder Colorado shows my grandmother standing on the sidewalk, perching her hands on her swollen belly, gazing toward the Daily Camera office and the foothills of the Front Range. Photograph by Harold V. Hartsough Don Hall Yreka, CA Great Boulder Photo!I'm living in Boulder now, where I was born and where my mother was born. Just moved back here from Mount Shasta (I see you're in Yreka) a few months ago. :) Thanks for sharing this wonderful photo! Jackson D. Carson Boulder, Colorado (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Pharmacy Row: 1905
... sets of rods 16 hours could be had, then the rods changed daily. Later designs with improved air flow didn't consume their carbon as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/12/2018 - 6:27pm -

Circa 1905. "St. John Street, Quebec." Rue Saint-Jean at Côte du Palais in Quebec City, home to the drugstores of P. Mathie and J.E. Livernois. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. That huge tea potLikely a form of advertising. But for what? +112 Swivelling Arc LampThe streetlight is an arc lamp, which requires frequent replacement of the carbon electrodes and other adjustments. To facilitate this, the lamp is on a swiveling horizontal arm with a counterweight. (The iron ball on the pole-end of the arm) It appears that the lamp maintainer would climb the rungs on the pole to the level of the lamp, then swing the arm 180 degrees to bring the lamp within easy reach. It looks like the lamp swings counterclockwise when viewed from above, i.e. away from the photographer. Remaining mystery is the four wires to the lamp assembly. This hints at some sort of automatically-adjusting arc mechanism. (Two wires are for the arc carbons, two for the can-like mechanism above the lamp itself.) Arc LampsThere are two sets of carbons in this design, each with its own pair of feedwires. Only one set is in operation at a time. When the first set is burned out the second will come into operation. These early arcs burned up their carbons in about 8 hours, so with the paired sets of rods 16 hours could be had, then the rods changed daily. Later designs with improved air flow didn't consume their carbon as quickly and could be run for about 150 hours. (The Gallery, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Cuban Cargo: 1904
... and wheeling and dealing that had to have been part of the daily landscape. The Dietz Lanterns…wonder where they were going or ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2013 - 11:40am -

Cuba circa 1904. "Muelle San Francisco, Havana." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What a wonderful placeThe only thing better than this picture would be having the opportunity to walk about the place. The fragrance of old canvas and burlap sacks almost comes through my monitor. One can only imagine the laughter, cussing, drinking and wheeling and dealing that had to have been part of the daily landscape. The Dietz Lanterns…wonder where they were going or coming from. Back in the day the company was a major supplier of railroad lanterns, crafting them to meet a given carriers specs. CooperageThe barrels in the center foreground, and the beyond ones behind the Dietz lanterns are powder kegs - recognizable by their wooden hoops. No metal parts to strike a spark. Their nails were copper, for the same reason. Further away, tight cooperage capable of holding liquids are seen, except for one lone "slack barrel" that can be seen between the stacks of sacks. Was the tight cooperage carrying spirits??? Elevated Tramway & Dietz LanternsAnother great photo! In the background, above the open-sided sheds you can see the Havana Electric Railway's elevated tram line. It ran for 8 blocks over the Calle San Pedro. Below is a view from the other direction. I'd say the cases of Dietz lanterns were being imported. By 1904 there was about 4,000 km of mainline railway in Cuba, mostly financed by North American interests. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Havana)
Brooklyn Murder Trial
... a criminal defense lawyer, and am in that building almost daily. The courtrooms look exactly the same. I wonder which courtroom it ... 
 
Posted by ltitus - 04/26/2007 - 2:56pm -

My great grandfather Leo Healy (sitting second from left with hands on table) with his clients, two boys accused of murder in a 1930's Brooklyn courtroom. Both boys were found not guilty. Proper AttireOne of the defining characteristics of old photographs, at least those before the 1970s, is how adult and mature everyone always looks. Even whom we would refer to as "young people." You just didn't have grown men sitting around in public places in shorts, tee shirts with advertising on them, and baseball caps back then. No one would take you at all seriously if you dressed like that; and you'd more than likely be considered a bum, a menial worker or a nut. Of course, in today's courtrooms people make the effort to dress as well, but until the 1970s, ALL adults, if they wanted to be taken seriously, made the effort to dress like grown and responsible men and women. That's Criminal Court in BrooklynIt used to be called the Central Court Building. I'm a criminal defense lawyer, and am in that building almost daily. The courtrooms look exactly the same. I wonder which courtroom it is. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Your Next Promotion: 1952
... the harried V.P. could relieve a bit of the stress at his daily three-martini lunches. Cause and effect? Welllllll - is it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/11/2014 - 1:48pm -

June 1952. Cornered in his corner office: "Harried executive sitting at desk with pill bottles and ashtray full of cigarette butts; arms are handing him papers and a telephone." Photo by Phillip Harrington for the Look magazine assignment "Your Next Promotion Can Kill You." View full size. Stress beaterOf course the harried V.P. could relieve a bit of the stress at his daily three-martini lunches. Cause and effect?Welllllll - is it actually the promotion, or is it rather the pills, the cigarettes and maybe the three bourbons after hours (and maybe before driving home for the night) which are going to get Mr. Vice President? VP of Shorpy Inc.I love your clever insertion of the name on the sign base! But hey, the ashtray in't completely full yet, so he cannot get his promotion until it is overflowing and the pill bottles are empty! Gotta squeeze the most out of our loyal staff... (The Gallery, LOOK, Phillip Harrington, The Office)
Tractor Fair: 1922
... have been held throughout the country since May. Daily demonstrations will be made with every piece of machinery on the grounds. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 7:30pm -

Washington circa 1922. "Ford Motor Co. panorama No. 4." An exhibit of Ford cars and Fordson tractors. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. Conjunction JunctionA fascinating view of the the diverse applications of the basic tractor engine. I love the lone bored drummer in the bandstand. Can any Fort Meigs experts out there identify the buildings in the background? Washington Post Oct 15, 1922 $3,000,000 Tractor Display Ford Motors Exhibit at Camp Meigs October 24 to 28 Will Cover Six Acres, Sixty Tractors to be Used Operating Exhibition to Include Road Building, Farming, Railroading and Saw-Milling Under the auspices of the Ford Motor Company and the Ford dealers of Washington, a Fordson exposition is to be staged at Camp Meigs October 24-28, inclusive. The exposition, at which will be shown all the various uses to which a Fordson tractor can be put and the various types of machinery that can be used suitably in conjunction with it, will cover six acres of ground and have 25,000 square feet under canvas. The total value of the exhibit will exceed $3,000,000. Similar displays have been held throughout the country since May. Daily demonstrations will be made with every piece of machinery on the grounds. Agricultural and industrial displays of tractor ability will be shown with 60 tractors in constant operation. Included in the exhibition will be the tractors utilized as locomotives by the installation of special flanged wheels. These tractors will haul railroad cars over a specially constructed track. There will be featured also a complete lumbering operation, where huge logs are "snaked" in by tractor to large stationary sawmills, also tractor powered, and then converted into lumber by skilled sawyers. Loading machinery of the most advanced types, mounted on Fordson tractors, will give an exhibition of transferring loads of dirt and gravel, in huge trailing bodies drawn by tractor. Lime pulverizers and rock crushers also will be tractor operated. Tractors will be shown in connection with all types of road-building and road-maintaining equipment, scrapers, ditchers, scoop shovels and graders, representing the latest and most efficient development of many of the largest manufacturing concerns of the country in this type of machinery. Every phase of agricultural work will be shown, from tractor powered thrashing machines to Fordson-powered plows, potato and peanut diggers, farm sawmill equipment, electric lighting plants for house and barn, mowers, hay balers, stackers and other standard implements. Novelties in this line include ensilage and feet cutters and tall silo fillers. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Teamwork: 1939
... twins lives were so intertwined that "coincidence" was a daily experience. If you ever have the good fortune to know identical twins, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/21/2013 - 7:22am -

April 7, 1939. "Twins become mothers together for second time in less than two years. Accustomed to doing practically the same things all their lives, these Washington twins, now mothers, have apparently decided that having their children together would certainly be in order. The mothers, Mrs. Eileen Moon, left, and Mrs. Kathleen Robie, last week gave birth to daughters to set a new record at Columbia Maternity Hospital. Mrs. Moon's youngster, whom she named Carol, was born on March 29, while Mrs. Robie's new daughter Nancy Lee first saw the light of day on April 1. This same thing happened in July 1937 when Mrs. Robie gave birth to a girl and a few hours later Mrs. Moon's baby, a boy, arrived." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Planned ParenthoodNot to get too personal, I assume there are husbands involved here. Timing has to come into play, scorecards and other informational materials. Communications between the 2 couples had to get more than a little up close and personal. Coincidence might have happened in 1937 but again 2 years later is a stretch. Lynch pinsThankfully, their family members have created two records that shed light on what came before, and after, this moment. One is an online slideshow, which focuses on the mothers' birth in 1919 to Abel and Jessie Lynch of Tennessee. The other is a comprehensive online Lynch family tree. What are the odds....I was catching up on my backlog of Shorpy photos when this one came up..... My mom is the baby on the right, and I wrote the story on Treelines that was cited in the first comment! The internet sure makes this a very small world. For more on the Lynch family, see my blog posts here. And as for Mr. Mel's comment -- the twins lives were so intertwined that "coincidence" was a daily experience. If you ever have the good fortune to know identical twins, then you will realize that such a confluence of events is not at all unusual. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids)
Beach Style Parade: 1922
... for a while. But in the 1940s, she reappeared in various daily newspapers as "Chicago's Stone Woman," a reference to a disabling ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2018 - 10:20pm -

June 17, 1922. Washington, D.C. "Washington Advertising Club bathing beauty contest at Tidal Basin." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.         "Quintet of beauties wore the models of Lansburg & Brother, which captured first prize in the store competition." Caboose of the quintet is Miss Iola Swinnerton, First Lady of Shorpy, who took second in the individual costume contest. Read all about it here. Miss IolaIt's nice to see her again, even if only a glance. Laurels to Former Follies Girl Washington Post, June 18, 1922. CROWN ANNA NIEBEL BEACH STYLE QUEEN Judges at Tidal Basin Contest Award Costume Laurels to Former Follies Girl 5,000 WATCH AS 45 PARADE Simple Attire Wins -- Miss Swinnerton Second -- Lansburgh's Captures Store Prize         Five thousand Washington lovers of the aesthetic, artistic and beautiful -- and, incidentally, of aquatic pastimes -- crowded the Tidal Basin bathing beach yesterday afternoon to witness the annual bathing costume style show, staged under the auspices of the Washington Advertising club. Bathing costumes entered by 11 local stores were exhibited by 45 selected models.         Miss Anna Niebel, former Follies girl, who lives at 1370 Harvard street northwest, won first prize by unanimous vote of the judges. Her prize-winning costume was one of the most simple exhibited, indicating that the element of practical usefulness was taken into consideration by the judges in making the award. She represented the Sportmart [seen here, here and here]. Former Winner Takes Prize.         Miss Iola Swinnerton, 3125 Mount Pleasant street, winner of a former beauty contest at the basin, was the second choice of the judges. Her suit was one of the five entered by Lansburgh & Bros., the firm to which was awarded the cup for the best composite store exhibit.         L.E. Rubel, chairman of the Advertising club committee, in charge of the contest, presented the cups to the winners.         The entries ranged from the extreme simplicity of the one-piece type of suit with the abbreviated skirt to more elaborate creations with multitudinous frills and ruffles. A knitted toque to match the wearer's suit was one of the innovations in bathing headgear that attracted attention. Not So Much Scantiness.         Most of the suits were more extensive, so far as the amount of material used was concerned, than those exhibited in former years. A rubber suit of green and white cut on extremely loose lines set the pace for originality.         Weather conditions were ideal for the show, although it had been announced that all suits entered were of the kind that could have been worn in the rain without damage. Iola!As always, I only have eyes for Ms. Swinnerton. She is always lovely. Iola's second 15 minutes of fameAfter the roaring twenties, Iola Swinnerton's trail goes cold for a while. But in the 1940s, she reappeared in various daily newspapers as "Chicago's Stone Woman," a reference to a disabling affliction that caused some of her muscle tissue to calcify, leaving her disabled. Her 1942 marriage to Theron V. Warren, described as an organist and shipyard worker, was also covered, including photos in various papers of her repeating her vows from her wheelchair. Other than an unsuccessful petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court filed on behalf of Theron V. Warren in 1958, and his death in 1975, I could find no other clues to their fate after 1947. [According to our earlier research, Iola Taylor married Gerald Swinnerton in 1918; he deserted her in 1941. Evidently her affliction was too much for him to bear. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Iola S., Swimming)
The Cramer Boys
... cook in order to feed this crew their meat and potatoes daily, not to mention the laundry. Any girls in this family to help Mom? Guess ... 
 
Posted by jpcramer - 09/20/2011 - 12:39am -

A portrait of my father and his brothers, taken in Toledo, OH in the early 1920's. View full size. BrothersSuch fine looking young men, great lips and eyes! Bet they were blue. They all resemble each other except for the youngest on the right but he may be growing into the "look." They are so close in age, which makes for one busy household. Mom must have been a busy cook in order to feed this crew their meat and potatoes daily, not to mention the laundry. Any girls in this family to help Mom? Guess the hair gel ran out by the time it was passed to the brother on the left who is almost sporting the "Kramer" look. Sans SistersOnly boys in the family. And yes, their eyes were most certainly blue. Dad's eyes were very intense blue with golden flecks( he's the one in the very front on the left). That hair, by the way is "gel-proof." My son, two nieces and I all have the same hair, and the same issues, heh heh. SpookyWonderful photo! The shadows in the background and the low lighting give this photo an inherently spooky feeling. Also loving the family resemblance present among all the handsome brothers. Brothers Will Be BrothersI love this picture, the suits, the dignified looks and yes, the hair! The little one on the far right, so young, yet has such a poised look about him. I wonder what their personalities were like off camera? Who was the silly one, who was the intellectual one, who was the helper? Pictures like this give us a quick glimpse into a family, just for a moment. Thanks for sharing, great picture! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
A Clean Sweep: 1922
... the favorite elephant at the National Zoo, has his daily bath and scrubbing. Keeper Charlie Louis getting in the preliminaries ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/09/2016 - 2:24am -

August 10, 1922. " 'Jumbino,' the favorite elephant at the National Zoo, has his daily bath and scrubbing. Keeper Charlie Louis getting in the preliminaries with his wire broom before using the hose." 4x5 inch glass negative. View full size. Sheer PleasureI am no expert, but by the look on Jumbino's face, he is thoroughly enjoying that. One problem though, when the keeper gets to the tickle spot he might be in a little trouble when that leg starts to move rapidly A little more to the right, Charlie...and did you bring the Skin so Soft? (The Gallery, Animals, D.C., Natl Photo)
Eleventh and P: 1942
... has not been improved upon. You can still ride them in daily service in Philadelphia on the Route 15 (Girard Avenue) line of SEPTA, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2018 - 6:38pm -

August 1942. Washington, D.C. "Corner store on 11th Street N.W. which is patronized by Mrs. Ella Watson, a government charwoman." Medium format negative by Gordon Parks for the Office of War Information. View full size. Dark Blue-Green & GrayTo accommodate the city's narrow streets and tighter corners the Washington, D.C. PCC streetcars were shorter than the ones used in the rest of the nation's cities. All the rest had 5 windows behind the rear exit where this one has 4. The livery is shown here (later, when it was taken over by the owner of Trans-Caribbean Airlines it was given a bright turquoise/aqua/orange decor) I'm in a state of suspense!Does that coyly photographed public conveyance have a sign in front pointing out the rear entrance? Talk about suspenseTo answer slr in tx, the sign is to get boarders to not block up the rear exit. Some cities allowed boarding from the back, others have waffled back and forth over time. In days gone by, conductors stationed by the back door at key stops would collect fares and allow boarding by the back door to speed things up. Now, how did that streetcar get there? It is well parked with brake set (those blocks between the wheels) and its pole down. But where are the wires, either for the track its on or the adjoining track? [The power supply is under the street. -Dave] Speaking of SuspenseThe block seen between the wheels is, indeed, one of the brakes on these cars. However, it is very hard (if not impossible) to determine from a photograph like this if this particular brake is applied. The blocks are known as track brakes, and are actually electromagnets which, when energized, are attracted to the rail. Thus, the force for the friction is not applied by the weight of the car, and also not through the wheels. Since these are electromagnets, they need to be close to the rail when not in use, so they are suspended on springs, less than an inch off the rail. They are very effective, and are normally used only in emergency or very slippery rail situations. They were controlled by a button, and were either off or on, with no ability to modulate the braking effort. The cars had other brakes as well: dynamic using the motors as generators, and either air or electric (spring applied, electrically released) "parking" brakes. No overhead wires!In DC, overhead wires were banned, so streetcars drew positive power from a conduit between the running rails. The current collecting device, mounted beneath the car, was called a plough (plow). For streetcar lines that also ran outside of the District, current was collected in the traditional way, i.e., trolley pole on the roof of the car to overhead wires; that's why this car also has the trolley pole. In either system, the running rails carried the return (neutral/ground/negative) back to the source of generation (powerhouse/substation). Manhattan was another location where overhead trolley wires were banned; trolleys there also used the plow and center conduit for current collection. Many trolleys that only ran in Manhattan were not equipped with trolley poles at all, having only the plough. The PCC car in the color photo is of later vintage than the earlier model PCC car in the Shorpy photo; note that the car in the B&W image lacks standee windows. (By the way, it's "streetcar" in the South, "trolley" in the North. That's why Tennessee Williams's play is not titled "A Trolley Named Desire." PCC cars, manufactured from the mid-1930s to the late 1940s-early 1950s, represented the pinnacle of street railway car development. They were smooth, quiet, and comfortable. The design has not been improved upon. You can still ride them in daily service in Philadelphia on the Route 15 (Girard Avenue) line of SEPTA, and also in San Francisco. (The Gallery, D.C., Gordon Parks, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Orphan Odyssey: 1924
...   A tutor is with the caravan and the children have daily school sessions. The report of their progress is mailed back to the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/22/2015 - 12:29pm -

23 Students Here After Crossing Continent on Way to Florida.         The tourists' camp in East Potomac park has been temporarily converted into a school. Twenty-three children from 3 to 19 years of age, students of the Draper's Children's Home, of Des Moines, Wash., are making their home there after a five month's trip across the continent.         They left Des Moines in June in a caravan of sleeping trucks, kitchen wagons and closed automobiles, bound for Florida, where they will pass the winter. They arrived here Friday. H.M. Draper, superintendent, heads the school-caravan.         A tutor is with the caravan and the children have daily school sessions. The report of their progress is mailed back to the superintendent of schools in Spokane, Wash., where they normally attend.         Most of the children are musicians or singers. Saturday they serenaded The Washington Post and the District commissioners and they are planning outdoor concerts here for this week. -- The Washington Post, Nov. 24, 1924 Nov. 25, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Orphans of Des Moines, Wash., at tourist camp." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. "Children's Industrial Home of Des Moines"I wonder if they didn't go to school in Spokane, but had to report back to some sort of state education board? According to the Highline Historical Society, Des Moines had 4 room school house at this time. http://www.highlinehistory.org/PHOTO_COLLECTION_FINDING_AID.pdf The Des Moines Historical Society has a fabulous monograph on the Draper's and their home. http://dmhs.org/monographs/draper-childrens-home.html Although it doesn't elaborate much on their traditional schooling, it does have some great insights into why all these orphans are musicians and singers. I love that in addition to the "Opera House", where "we teach and train our children every thing necessary for first class Musical Comedy and Vaudeville Entertainments" (as printed in a flyer c. 1915),there was an operating "Printing Plant" in which students did all the typesetting and printing for a monthly newsletter that they helped write. Not everyone was born to be an entertainer after all. It seems like the Draper's really cared for the well being of these children and were obviously aware of the struggles that would face them after leaving an orphanage or other such institution. Why Spokane?It strikes me as odd that they are reporting back to the Spokane school, which is on the opposite side of the state from Des Moines. In 1924 it was a 2 day trip from one to the other (according to my mom, who did it back then). [They're reporting back to Spokane because that's where they go to school, according to the news item. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Kids, Music, Natl Photo)
First of the Mohicans: 1904
... carpeting, and toilets among other things. "She sailed daily from Baldwin (Ticonderoga) at 7:20 am, stopping at all of the landings ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/11/2016 - 8:02pm -

1904. "Sagamore Hotel dock, Green Island, Lake George, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. SkiffsThose row boats are what we called St Lawrence skiffs when I was a kid. My family had a cottage on the St Lawrence River at Point Vivian, near the International Bridge. Our only boat was a double oar-lock skiff very similar to the ones pictured. It was a beautifully made and maintained wooden boat, but I yearned for something with an outboard motor and drooled over the Chris-Crafts and other inboards seen at the public docks in Alexandria Bay! Mohican I (1894 - 1908)"The first Mohican [shown here] was built in Lake George Village on Pine Point. She was launched in 1894, she was 93 feet long and 17 feet wide and weighed 150 tons (the current Mo weighs 200 tons). She was propelled by a single 200 horsepower steam engine which worked a single propeller. "She wasn't originally built for the Steamboat Company, but she was later purchased by the company. The company then improved the main deck, added steam heating, carpeting, and toilets among other things. "She sailed daily from Baldwin (Ticonderoga) at 7:20 am, stopping at all of the landings when signaled to, and arrived at Caldwell just in time to catch the 11:25 am southbound train. She then left Caldwell to head back up to Ti at 2:45 pm and (once again after making all her landings) arrived in Baldwin at 6:30 pm. During busy times in the summer, she also made stops in Paradise Bay and the Narrows. "After 14 years of faithful service the Mohican (I) was retired on 1908, just as the new steel-hulled Mohican (II) was rolled into service to replace her. The first Mohican was dismantled in Ticonderoga that same year." Source: Lake George Steamboat Company. The Lake George Steamboat Company turns 200 years old in 2017. The Mohican II, which is still in service and is on the National Register of Historic Places, also has the antlers mounted at the top of the wheel house. The Mohican II is shown in the first photo below, and the other photo shows another view of the Mohican I. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Louis Pelissier: 1916
... EMPIRE STATE - in construction: CHRYSLER BUILDING & (DAILY) NEWS IN MIDDLE FOREGROUND." I can plainly see the Chrysler Building, but ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/18/2007 - 10:27pm -

June 19, 1916. Fall River, Mass. Louis Pelissier, 29 Eighth Street, 16 years old (May 16, 1916). Applicant 2nd grade - deficient mentality. Doesn't know name of place where he is going to work. Made it out for Small's mill, they weren't sure. Had been a sweeper but work was too hard for him. Didn't know how much he was to get. (Miss Smith to see what kind of card he got.) Worked at Union Mill, $3.27, as a sweeper. View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. Louis date of birthI think we have a typo, DOB probably May 16, 1900. I assume he was paid $3.27 per week. How did Hine find these people? [Oops. Fixed. Actually I think he is saying Louis turned 16 on May 16, 1916; I should not have added the word "born." But yes, 1900 is when he would have been born. From what I gather reading Hine's caption notes, he traveled from town to town to various factories looking for working kids. Many places had signs outside saying BOYS WANTED. He spent 16 years doing this (1908-1924), taking thousands of photographs with a gigantic view camera that must have weighed around a hundred pounds. - Dave] Lewis HineAbout a year ago I read a book titled "Empire Rising" by Thomas Kelly. It is a novel taking place around 1930 about the construction of the Empire State Building. Hine was the "official" photographer for the building, I suppose, hired by the corporation that built it. He is referred to often in the book. The copy I have (a full size paperback) has a picture on the cover of the building under construction in 1931, an amazing shot of a worker standing high up on the superstructure apparently sending a signal by pointing at someone below. The description of the photo on the back cover of the book describes it as "ATOP EMPIRE STATE - in construction: CHRYSLER BUILDING & (DAILY) NEWS IN MIDDLE FOREGROUND." I can plainly see the Chrysler Building, but they must have cropped the News building out of the shot. The picture is in the collection of the NY Public Library, which is not too far from where I live, and I think I'll walk over and see if I can see the original. I don't know if you have access to it, but it it's a natural for Shorpy. Mel Tillman (Mr Mel). (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
No Future Here: 1939
... out from my fourth grade class who view your photos almost daily and are familiar with Dorthea Lange's wonderful work. (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/23/2018 - 7:16pm -

February 1939. "Madera County, California. Family from near Dallas, Texas. Rent is $5 a month. There's no future here. I've been following the work (migratory labor) but there's no chance for a fellow to get aholt hisself in this country. The last job I had is tractor driving for 35 cents an hour. Had that job for five months until a Filipino comes along for 25 cents an hour. I was raised on a cotton farm my father owned, a little place back there, and I'm plumb willing to leave this country for good before I get too old, If I could get the chance to farm." Photo by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. HomeHaving been born and raised right outside of Madera, CA. I know this area well. He most likely drove a Ford Tractor. My father was the general sales manager for Ford Tractor in Madera shortly after this photo was taken. At that time, cotton and grapes were our primary crops in this area. Shout out from my fourth grade class who view your photos almost daily and are familiar with Dorthea Lange's wonderful work. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Kids)
The Greatest Generation: 1922
... every child had to be taken outdoors for fresh air on a daily basis. The picture's title is thought-provoking too as just 18 to 20 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2016 - 10:19am -

Washington, D.C., 1922. "Children playing in sand." We'd love to stay and chat, but our trike is double-parked. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Hey Nanny, pay attention!Something has captured the attention of the governess who is completely turned around and looking the other way, not at the children. I see only two toys here in addition to the plentiful sand and that would be the train engine and the metal shovel (which could be made into a lethal weapon if swung around one's head). Imagine seven youngsters all being happy and occupied with just a massive pile of sand to play with. Times really were a lot simpler then. I clearly remember also that even in recent years, people still used insect netting on baby buggies to protect their infants and every child had to be taken outdoors for fresh air on a daily basis. The picture's title is thought-provoking too as just 18 to 20 yrs. later, these toddlers may have been fighting WW2. Cherish your babies parents. Kids grow up too fast and life is short. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids)
Sit-Down Comics: 1943
... modern lifestyle. My grandfather used to subscribe to a daily Polish newspaper printed in NY called "Nowy Swiat" (The Polish Morning ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/20/2017 - 10:59pm -

August 1943. Southfields, New York. "Interracial activities at Camp Nathan Hale, where children are aided by the Methodist Camp Service. Comic papers are very popular during the campers' free periods." Medium format nitrate negative by Gordon Parks for the Office of War Information. View full size. Comics from the old daysWhen I was a kid many moons ago, I enjoyed comics like "The Katzenjammer Kids", "Terry and the Pirates", "Little Lulu", Li'l Abner", "Steve Canyon", "Dick Tracy", "Captain Marvel, "Plastic Man", etc. (there were a million of 'em) but one never sees these anymore, nor would they understand them, even if they did, as the situations from those times would not be relative to today's high technology and modern lifestyle. My grandfather used to subscribe to a daily Polish newspaper printed in NY called "Nowy Swiat" (The Polish Morning World) which had only one comic strip each day, "Felix the Cat" (in black and white) so until I was a teenager, I assumed Felix was a Polish cat. Coincidentally, at that time (1940's) our Polish parish priest was also named Felix so it all seemed logical to my young, impressionable brain. This is how misinformation gets started and passed along. As for the photo above, it reminds of a line from an old song "Don't get around much anymore" where Sinatra sang "...the funnies weren't funny, they didn't even make me smile..." since none of the kids are smiling. What's that?Behind the guy in the white shirt, he's up front/left. Is a stray hand over some kind of a ball. Marble? [Looks like a spent photo flash bulb. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Camping, Gordon Parks)
Detroit Police and RCMP: 1951
... About the only time I have ever seen them out and about daily in their dress uniforms is in Banff, mostly for the tourists. ... 
 
Posted by DetroitScott - 06/07/2013 - 6:08pm -

On July 24, 1951, the city of Detroit celebrated its 250th anniversary. To honor the occasion, a number of special events were held. This photo, shot by my grandfather, Howard McGraw of the Detroit News, depicts the Detroit police on horseback with the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) standing in front, likely part of a parade. Both groups stand in front of the old Statler hotel (since demolished) located on Washington Blvd, near Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit. View full size. RCMP uniformsCertainly haven't changed much in the past six decades. Dress/parade uniformTheir working uniform (they still are the local police force in a lot of places up here ) is much like any other current police working uniform. About the only time I have ever seen them out and about daily in their dress uniforms is in Banff, mostly for the tourists. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
War Wedding
... a friend of the family and photographer for the New York Daily Mirror. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Weddings) ... 
 
Posted by Toyofield - 03/04/2008 - 10:42pm -

June 1944 Wedding of PFC Francis J. Callan and Catherine Geraghty. Most Precious Blood Parish, Astoria, Queens. The Norman Rockwell looking kid is Bobby Walsh, nephew of the groom. Photo by Mickey Dawe, a friend of the family and photographer for the New York Daily Mirror. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Weddings)
Lazy Sunday Afternoon: c. 1968
... '67, '68 or '69) lying on the sofa and reading the Sunday Daily News (New York's Picture Newspaper). The bulletin from nearby St. James ... 
 
Posted by Photoscream - 11/03/2010 - 9:07am -

This is my late mom in the late 1960's (either '67, '68 or '69) lying on the sofa and reading the Sunday Daily News (New York's Picture Newspaper). The bulletin from nearby St. James parish rests on the table, so this was after church. The newspaper back page headline is a mystery in attempting to date this photo. Partially obscured and curved, it appears to have the words Bosox and Tigers, so possibly "Bosox Defeat Tigers", or "Bosox Lose, Tigers Win". Below that, all I can make out is "In Final". In that case, it wouldn't have anything to do with the the 1968 World Series, since that was Cardinals vs Tigers. Unless, what looks like "Bosox" is actually "Gibson". However, Bob Gibson did not pitch any Saturday games in that series, though he did pitch on Sunday, Oct 6. Given it is a NYC paper, they wouldn't have run a headline of a regular season game of a non-NY team, so my guess is that this is 10/6/68, during the 1968 World Series, and the headline was something like "Gibson To Face Tigers....". But I could be wrong. View full size. Candid MomThis could also be my mother, if we'd had a sofa. She even rather resembles her, though in a version from the mid-1940s. The expression at being snapped unaware, too, and I also speculate she would be similarly less than pleased. But what great memory-evoking shot. October 1, 1967I think that the paper is reporting the AL pennant race of 1967. On September 30th, the Tigers and Red Sox both won, leaving the Twins and Red Sox tied in the standings, with the Tigers a half game behind. Sunday was the final day of the season, with all three teams playing for a chance at the title. On Sunday, the Tigers would win the first game of their doubleheader, leaving the three teams momentarily tied, before losing the nightcap. At the same time, the Red Sox beat the Twins, giving them the pennant and a trip to the World Series, where they faced Bob Gibson and the Cardinals, as you mentioned. I hope this helps. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Delta Thresher: 1940
... example of especially memorable imagery. With its daily presentation of so much exemplary work, I would be more than a little ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2020 - 4:48pm -

June 1940. "La Delta Project. Driver of combine threshing oats. Thomastown, Louisiana." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What are you looking at?I love Marion Post Wolcott's work, as well as that of the other FSA photographers. This piece is particularly fine, with its heroic treatment of an ostensibly prosaic subject. John Vachon's stockyard workers on lunch break was another striking example of especially memorable imagery. With its daily presentation of so much exemplary work, I would be more than a little surprised were Shorpy not assigned viewing in certain pedagogic realms. (The Gallery, Agriculture, M.P. Wolcott, Rural America)
Michigan Mystery #2 Solved
... and found an old newspaper ad from the 1936 Ironwood Daily Globe http://newspaperarchive.com/daily-globe/1936-05-15/page-6/ It had their address which is how I was able ... 
 
Posted by mamyers - 08/26/2012 - 5:50pm -

I located a street view from the other side of the street of the Congress Bar. When you compare both photos, you can clearly see they are looking down the same direction. There's a train bridge going over the street in the distance and some of the signs on the left side of the photo match up. This is 128 Silver Street in Hurley, WI. Here's the Google street view today http://goo.gl/maps/EmKED As you can see, the Congress Bar, as well as that entire side of the street is now a parking lot. The Trolla Meat and Grocery is now the Hurley Coffee Company. I googled in "Trolla Meats & Groceries" and found an old newspaper ad from the 1936 Ironwood Daily Globe http://newspaperarchive.com/daily-globe/1936-05-15/page-6/ It had their address which is how I was able to locate the current street view. Thanks for all your input. View full size. Yep, that's HurleyI worked a telecommunications project in the area back in 2003. At the time, bellying up to a bar was my hobby. I was always amazed at the density of adult beverage stations in this small town. I never counted them but my alcoholic intuition tells me there were at least 60 bars on Silver Street. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
The Elephant Boy: 1927
... is one of a troupe of five performing elephants whose daily stunts will be one of the big features of this year's fair in Winchester. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2016 - 4:39pm -

August 1927. Winchester, Virginia. "Boy on elephant." View full size. YOUNGSTERS APPLAUD EDUCATED ELEPHANT AT SHENANDOAH VALLEY FAIR         Tillie, the elephant who says "Papa" when her trainer speaks to her, was the hit of the afternoon. The talented pachyderm is one of a troupe of five performing elephants whose daily stunts will be one of the big features of this year's fair in Winchester. According to Dan Noonan, her trainer, Tillie is more than 100 years old. Her act was received with great applause. (The Gallery, Animals, Harris + Ewing, Kids)
Bottling #2
... bottled the formulas, and delivered them to the home, on a daily basis. That is what I think is going on in these pictures. The women in ... 
 
Posted by Vintagelover - 06/13/2014 - 8:28pm -

Again the ladies in the wonderful uniforms or costumes doing their thing. A glass negative found in Maine. View full size. Prepared infant formula circa 1900I think Vintagelover's group of three pictures from Maine is a very interesting find! They rang a bell, with me, that sent me to dig out a huge volume I have that was published in 1901, entitled "Medicology". Most babies born around the turn of the 20th century were breastfed, but physicians generally advocated that an infant who was not breastfed be raised on a formula based on fresh cow's milk. By this point in time, the components of all animal milk had been determined to be fat, sugar, protein, ash(minerals), and water. Great care was taken to alter the ratio of the components in the cow's milk so that it closely resembled that of human milk. There were recipes for home preparation, which even reflected the natural changes that take place in human milk, based on the baby's age. For those who lived in the city, and could afford such a service, there were "chemists" who prepared and bottled the formulas, and delivered them to the home, on a daily basis. That is what I think is going on in these pictures. The women in them are definitely working with milk, and making use of various items that would be used in sterile preparation. The bottles they are filling are the size and shape, that are typical of infant feeding bottles of the time (http://shaynasabatini.com/antiques/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSCN9789.j...). The picture of what looks to be a cream separator would make sense, too, because extra cream was used in the formulas. It doesn't look like a hospital kitchen, but the women are dressed as nurses. I don't know if they really were nurses or if they just dressed as nurses to give the impression that the bottles were prepared under strict medical supervision. One of my favorite things about this website is that the pictures, combined with the knowledge of various members, here, often result in discovery of things that have pretty much gone by the wayside. That, to me, is extremely valuable and exciting! Thank you. I really appreciated your research into these photos. It has puzzled me for as long as I've had them, which has been quite a few years now. I found them interesting at the time I got them, and not your usual run of family photos. Thanks again, vintagelover (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Bicycle on 34th Street (Colorized)
... anyone spot Clark Kent leaving Macy's to get back to the Daily Planet? View full size. Superman Here he is. Not on duty ... 
 
Posted by Baxado - 04/24/2015 - 7:26pm -

Colorized from this Shorpy original. Can anyone spot Clark Kent leaving Macy's to get back to the Daily Planet? View full size. SupermanHere he is. Not on duty though. Maybe shopping for new glasses (Colorized Photos)
Santa Fe Trailways (Colorized): 1940
... office at Pie Town, New Mexico. This stage comes through daily except Sunday. It takes in cream for the Pie Town farmers to Magdalena ... 
 
Posted by Lamont_Cranston - 07/21/2020 - 2:46pm -

June 1940. "Stage in front of the post office at Pie Town, New Mexico. This stage comes through daily except Sunday. It takes in cream for the Pie Town farmers to Magdalena and Socorro and then returns the empty cans." Photo by Russell Lee. Colorized version of this Shorpy old photo. View full size. (Colorized Photos)
Whatever Works
"Daily auto service from Westmoreland to Blaine, Kansas." Circa 1914. ... 
 
Posted by pabrown - 08/18/2008 - 7:12pm -

"Daily auto service from Westmoreland to Blaine, Kansas." Circa 1914. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
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