MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
Home

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page

Personality Mapping: 1954
... for her junior college child psychology course. Ephemera You proved prudent. Old TV shows can still be found. Classic toy ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 11/08/2009 - 2:00pm -

It's November in 1954 and you're an 8 year-old boy; given the following options, what do you do? a) Watch TV; b) Play with cool toy MG sports car; c) Unroll giant set of maps and trace the borders of Czechoslovakia. Made sense to me then. Actually, I still understand it. View full size. More little principalitiesI was doing the exact same thing at that age. And let's not forget Mount Athos, Gibraltar, Porkkala, Ifni, and the four occupation zones of Austria. Maps were much more interesting back then, gave more scope for imagination. Technical QuestionHow were you able to use a pencil to trace on that sculpted carpet? Was there a hard surface underneath the map that can't be seen? Another great photo, by the way. As alwaystterrace, I just love you. Every time I see your contributions on shorpy, I'm made happier. I am endlessly fascinated and encouraged by your life-long love of photography. I developed my own photos in high school and college (even majored in photography for a couple years) and now as the mother of a kindergartener, I have supplied her with a digital camera and a Polaroid camera. (Nothing like a Polaroid to give a child -- or adult! -- instant feedback AND gratification. That said, I do digitally document her Polaroids, because they degrade so quickly.) I still have my enlarger, timer, trays and other darkroom equipment, and even though it's a utilitarian set which is now 25+ years old, I'm holding onto it, because when she's older I know they will give her the same results and utter satisfaction as they gave me. Thank you for continually reminding me that childhood and everyday life is SO WORTH documenting. Yours sincerely and with much admiration, Shelley Combs Long Beach, CA Hey kidGet your homework done before you watch TV or play with the car. Prague WinterYou saw Czechoslovakia on the TV, got out the maps to plan your European road trip in your sporty little MG. Makes sense. Love your photos. "The Idiot Box"If your parents were like mine, access to the TV was tightly controlled. As kids in the late 50s and early 60s, my brother and I were allowed to watch only one hour of TV on weeknights, and only then after we had completed our homework. The TV was not a babysitter in our house. In retrospect, I think we are better off for having been raised in this cruel, harsh and draconian regime! To a Shorpiantterrace, you are a wild man. Isn't that your Uncle's car? CuteThis made my Saturday morning. Tterrace, all the pics you submit make me wish I'd grown up next door to you. The Little PrincipalitiesIf you were like me, you knew all about Andorra, Liechtenstein and San Marino by the time you were 10. Nice Jammies!That pattern is the bomb. We had that same TV, with the tweedy fabric covered speaker. I used to trace over the clothing ads in the paper and then color them in with my watercolor set. I'm not a photographer, but what Shelley said. Your site gives us all so much pleasure. Me tooHoly crap, I was doing the same map tracing thing when I was a little kid in the late 1990s! That, and drawing flags... Let's Face It tterrace...Your penchant for learning about a very broad range of subjects has enriched your entire life greatly, much more than watching an inane TV sitcom or cartoon could possibly have done. Even in ancient times when I was young, we were all encouraged to get ourselves educated about things we found interesting. So we know a little bit about a lot of things and a lot of things about some things, but we are so much smarter than the certifiable MORONS we see on shows such as the Jay Leno street interviews and even the celebs on talk shows. Every little factoid our sponge-like brains soak up enlighten us further. Truth be known, the nerds and scholarly brainiacs secretly live a much fuller and richer existence through their knowledge and understanding, even if they are not glamorous and sexy. One misses out on so much when one remains ignorant...like how many hot babes have you met who can name the border towns of Czechoslovakia? Wild childI should first point out that this shot was taken by my brother with my sister's Kodak Duaflex, a few months before getting his 35mm Lordox. I don't think those are pajamas, but a long-sleeve flannel shirt; you can see a bit of a pair of jeans over my little butt. The carpet, though sculpted, was very low-pile, so didn't hinder pencil-tracing that much. I'm pretty sure I got the toy MG because I thought Uncle Albert's real one was so cool. I had pretty much full TV-watching freedom. You'll note the depression in the fabric over the TV speaker, a result of my favorite viewing position, flat on my back with my sock-encased feet pressed against it. That got me yelled at a lot. But the only really traumatic TV-related incident I can recall is when some infraction of mine was punished by my being prohibited from watching that week's Disneyland broadcast, the fact of it being a Davy Crockett episode making it all the more tragic. Of the three principalities Dave mentioned, Andorra was the one that intrigued me the most, for some reason; this little blob, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, was an actual country! It was the shapes of the countries that fascinated me, and in particular the difference between pre-war Germany, with its two thick eastern arms seeming to squeeze Poland, and its trimmed-down post-war borders. How could something like that happen? Countries, like so many other things in my worldview, were supposed to be immutable, and change in anything familiar to me seemed momentous. I also found interest in certain statistics, like heights of mountains, distances between cities and particularly population. Using several old copies of the World Almanac we had on the shelves, I devised some formula for projecting population growth. I wanted to see when San Francisco reached a million (it never has) and attempted to predict when our home town of Larkspur would break 10,000, thereby achieving a more prestigious population symbol on oil company road maps. Which I collected obsessively, I might add, and which I still possess. No wonder my sister liked to take notes about my activities for her junior college child psychology course. EphemeraYou proved prudent. Old TV shows can still be found. Classic toy cars fetch a fortune. But Czechoslovakia? Is gone. On the (Bedroom) WallI'm surprised nobody mentioned the practice of hanging up a world and a U.S. map in the bedroom so it can be frequently consulted. This, along with owning a globe and having a stamp collection when I was a kid, makes me shudder when somebody today has no idea where a state or a country is located. Maps in the 21st centuryIt must be a guy thing. I've collected free maps from every trip I've taken. The more local and detailed the better. I especially liked the kind you got as greasy diner placemats. Interestingly my 8 year old son discovered Google Earth and Bing Maps this weekend. He was fascinated at the aerial views of our house and proceeded to navigate to all his friends' houses and then moved on to Fenway Park and then the relatives. He then discovered the railroad tracks next to his grandmother's and decided to follow them to see where they led. He spent nearly two hours on them until his college age sister called home while he was navigating and called him a geek. That put an end to that for the day. A shirttail relation?Are you SURE we aren't related? My older son was just like you at this age. He could read a map before he could read the printed word at five years old. Even now, as he approaches high school graduation, he still is fascinated by maps. I think ALL bright kids love maps and everything about them. It shows they aren't hemmed in by old fuddy-duddy thinking and ideas such as international borders and such. Another tterrace fan here...I love everything you've contributed to Shorpy. Someday I'll get my childhood photos back from the clutches of my mother, but until then I vicariously revisit the past through yours! Birds of a feather As a kid I was enamored of maps. I had an old milk crate full of ones I got at thrift store and the like. I would write to the California State Park system and request maps and spend my spare time copying them on tracing paper. I remember getting a "tracing" machine (a weird scissor arm contraption) from Thrifty Drugs that I thought was the greatest invention known to man, or a 9 year old boy. Thanks for the memories! Rich Fond memoriesThis picture takes me back to my grandmother's living room. I was not tracing maps, I was planning trips. I'd get out a map and piece of paper and I was off to wherever, in detail. But the chair, the TV, the rug, even the curtain on the door -- sigh. Thank you. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kids, tterrapix)
Mad Men: 1959
... years later, in 1957? If so, do you have any photos or ephemera involving their Edsel account? I assume Ford Motor Company worked ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/29/2011 - 6:24pm -

c.1955 c.1959*. Ad men at work with a gizmo. My uncle, at the time vice president and production manager at the Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agency's San Francisco office, is at left. The gizmo is a "Chromocritic," a term which up to now returns zero hits on Google, so here's another first for Shorpy. It's obviously something used for viewing color transparencies under differing lighting conditions; the switch at the lower right toggles between "Daylight" and "Artificial." Extreme magnification reveals that its sole distributor was the Macbeth Arc Lamp Company of Philadelphia, PA. There Google helped me, and they were indeed suppliers of precision-calibrated lighting devices for the graphic arts industry. The graphic itself is in classic mid-50s illustration style. From an 8x10 print in a stash of my uncle's memorabilia I just acquired. *Thanks to Dave and others for narrowing down the actual dating. View full size. McMann and TateGentlemen, as you can see here, Darren has as usual incorporated his wife Samantha into his ad campaign sketches. Try Google BooksFrom "The Lithographers Manual" - Charles Shapiro- 1974 The Macbeth Chromocritic Viewer contains two light sources that can be mixed and measured and the pair of readings can be given to the lithographer by his client for each color transparency. This enables the lithographer to view the job in the same light in his own plant Looks like a viewer for color separations in a controlled way so as to ensure accurate color reproduction. Foote, Cone & Belding stashDid your uncle still work for F,C&B two years later, in 1957? If so, do you have any photos or ephemera involving their Edsel account? I assume Ford Motor Company worked with a Detroit or Dearborn based crew, but the ads they made ran nationally, so SFO might have had some role in the western states campaign. F,C&B was their 1957 and 1958 ad agency. A whole lot of current Edsel owners will drool all over their keyboards if you do. ElectropunkGotta love a transparency viewer that has meters and a giant knob. The device protruding from the top section looks like it could be a spirit level, but that wouldn't make sense on such a machine. Perhaps it's some form of light detector to help you criticize the chromaticity of the image. The AdFrom 1959-60, on eBay. Thanks to willc for the clue. Somewhere between Chromocritiquing and the final artwork, the arms and legs were shifted a bit. That's Very Nice,but get me a martini. Make it a double. Curiosity killed the cat Having been around advertising people on the east coast from 1959 until about 1963, I remembered that Foote, Cone and Belding had offices in S.F., Chicago, N. Y., etc. but could not remember their clients. DoninVa (another commenter) I believe is on the right track with the tanning lotion theory. There used to be a lotion called "Man Tan" around that era, but my search turned up nothing so it apparently no longer exists. I did find the history of the advertising agency and it is enormous, the oldest and largest and most prize-winning ad agency with offices around the world. We always seem to learn something new every day because of Shorpy and I thank you for yet another trip down memory lane. Market conditionsWhen I worked for a major food company, they had a special room with mockups of supermarket shelves, and in which the lights could be switched among the number of different modes found there. The idea was to see how the packages grabbed the consumer under various conditions. This may be something similar. Or not. Pay attention!"Edgar! look at the picture!" "I can't Fred...those cartoons have bikinis on, and it makes me feel funny..." Name this productLooks to me the ad is for a tanning product. Woman goes from pale to tan while hunk holds a clock. ColorblindNot to many years ago I worked for an apparel manufacturing company and we had a machine called a Macbeth box (or something). As I recall it was a four foot cube with the front face open and lighted on the inside. The folks who could tell the difference would use its precisely calibrated light to evaluate the color of fabric samples. Not being able to tell one shade from another, calibrated light or not, I never touched it. It's Tanfastic!Something about that ad artwork tipped over the big junk bin in my head, and out came the product name "Tanfastic." Here is a 1961 ad for that product that ran in women's magazines like Glamour and Seventeen. I tried Googling "Chromocritic"Five hits now, every one of them straight back to this post. On this side of the pondMacBeth are best known for densitometers, devices for measuring the density of negatives as part of the printing process. For all you young'uns, negatives are what we used to use before memory cards became the fashion!! Function over formThose were the days in which machines were still designed by engineers, not stylists. This thing shouts FUNCTION, with its 'clack-clack' switch levers, Flash Gordon dials and ventilation slots you can slice cheese with. Love it. WowBoth the ad and the machine within 24 hours. Shorpy fans are simply the best! FCBI worked for them. But that's way before my time. Foot Corn & BunionIn the book "The Edsel Affair," the author worked for with the Foote, Cone & Belding agency, which was referred to as Foot Corn & Bunion by its own people! Macbeth Artificial Daylighting Co.1915 Macbeth Artificial Daylighting Company started in New York to provide daylight fixtures to retailers in New York City. 1918 The Munsell Color Company founded in Boston to supply color standards with Munsell notations. 1922 The Munsell Color Company moves from Boston to New York and continues to sell color books and charts, Munsell Crayons and high-grade tempera to artists and teachers for color instruction of schoolchildren. 1923 The Munsell Color Company relocates from NYC to Baltimore. 1946 Gretag AG Established in Switzerland. 1955 Macbeth relocates to New Windsor, NY. 1965 Kollmorgen Instruments Corporation and Macbeth merge. 1970 Kollmorgen acquires the Munsell Color Company, the internationally recognized manufacturer of precise color standards. 1979 Gretag Color Control Systems becomes an independent profit center within Gretag AG, focused on color measurement and color quality control products. 1984 Gretag Color Control Systems produces the first portable spectrophotometer. 1989 Macbeth acquires a German-based manufacturer of spectrophotometer systems. 1997 The Gretag Color Control System Division of Gretag AG merges with the Macbeth division of Kollmorgen Instruments Corporation. 1998 Gretag Macbeth GmbH acquires LOGO Kommunikations, a developer of color management software. 1999 GretagMacbeth acquires Talia Tecnoequipe, a software company focused on the textile industry. Viptronic, a manufacturer of hand-held instrumentation, acquired by GretagMacbeth 2001 Gretag-Macbeth Holding AG becomes Amazys Holding AG 2003 GretagMacbeth announces acquisitions of SheLyn Inc., a textile software and applications provider and Sequel Imaging, a graphic arts solutions provider. 2006 X-Rite Incorporated acquires Amazys Holding AG and all its holdings. Cone, Belding and FooteThat's the order they're in l>r in this photo from my uncle's stash. He's not in it, but for you Mad Men fans we do have the drinks and the cigs. Emerson Foote at the right is smoking, which is particularly interesting in light of his later history. He also seemed to have inspired a film character. I've tentatively dated this from about 1948. A companion shot, with Fairfax Cone smiling, was used in a number of trade publications Macbeth lampsTechnical Arcanery: The machine is a whiz-bang version of a lightbox, used to view the color in the transparency under different lighting conditions, and probably also to suggest color corrections for the artist. Don't know what all the controls do, but probably just for all the different light conditions and intensities. In sequence, this color viewing step is way ahead of the color separation process. Macbeth (originally Macbeth Arc Lamp Company) did indeed make densitometers, but its primary product for years was the high powered lamps used in graphic arts cameras and platemakers, pre Macs and Pagemaker. The company's biggest competitor was NuArc. Every camera I ran (geezing alert) had NuArc or Macbeth lamps, as did all of the platemaking equipment I operated. Ford, Corn & BunionC. Gayle Warnock, the author of "The Edsel Affair," who died in 2007, did not work for Foote, Cone & Belding. He was the PR head of Ford Motor Company, and worked with FCB on the Edsel account. Man TanAs I recall, Man Tan was one of the first, if not the first, tanning liquid that required no sun at all. Gross stuff, creepy and bizarre results. Link, pleaseTo Bobby Darin's newest 45 single, "She's Tanfastic." "She's Tanfastic"http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/window/media/page/0,,72889-594798,00.htm... Bobby did this one for the money. (Use IE since my Firefox doesn't seem to want to play it.) iChromocriticThanks for this post and for all coments! Ad-mazing! Just for completenessThere's a note about a demonstration of the Macbeth Chromacritic [sic] in the January 1949 issue of the Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Requiem Aeternam: 1865
... brought such immediacy to the image. It's certainly not ephemera. Dave's comments are spot on as I see it. I understand the preference ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 11:51am -

April 1865. Petersburg, Virginia. "Dead Confederate soldier outside the walls of Fort Mahone." Wet plate glass negative, left half of stereo pair, by Thomas C. Roche. Civil War glass negative collection, Library of Congress. View full size. There's a soundtrack and slide show for these photos here. RIPThank you for including this photo. It's such a big part of our history. This picture was not an easy one for me to look at, but I'm glad you posted it. RIPThank you dear soldier for fighting for what you believe in, may you rest in peace... Amen Civil War RequiemCobbled together by yours truly. (Music by Luigi Cherubini and a choir of angels.) Possibly the oldest video on YouTube. Latin 101Thanks for the touching history and Latin lessons. A prayer for each soldier in the titles. Well done, as usual. ~mrs.djs WOW!That video is deeply moving! Thank you!! I continue to be amazed at how much we can learn from photos of generations past. I LOVE this site!!! Beautiful, Haunting VideoThat's a beautiful video, Dave. What piece of music is that? [Cherubini Requiem in C Minor. - Dave] He looks so youngand like a very handsome young man to have lost his life so early. Beautiful perfect music for the video. It should be part of an exhibit. re: RIPTo Rob on Tuesday. It's really hard to me to say words like You did when I see this kind of photo. In moments like this I usually imagine that the very dead man who can be seen on the photo didn't actually care about the big idea and glorious reasons why he was send to fight. I always rather see the crying mother and the empty house which was left after him. A man who was forcibly take out from his life to fight for his 'great' country in which he had the bad luck to be born. Maybe that's because I'm from Europe, where the memories of the war on your house's yard are still living. [Valid points. But bear in mind that without armed conflict, many of us would still be living under the various flavors of feudalism, slavery and dictatorship that even now characterize many places in the world. To paraphrase Tom Jefferson, Blood waters the tree of Liberty. War is, for better or worse, how the world sorts itself out. - Dave] re: RIPTedus: I can totally understand where you are coming from, but you are making an assumption based on your current view point, not necessarily what actually happened. This young man could have been full of dreams to fight for what he beleived in and for the country that he was born in and supported. Who really knows but the immediate family/friends. I'm glad the Union won the war, but that doesn't diminish this man's service and sacrifice for his 'homeland'. Dave: Thanks for saying what I feel in succinct terms. I think this country needed to go through the Civil War and that the country is better for it. Political discourse only goes so far and eventually both sides have nothing left to say to each other. re: RIPJames on Tue: Perhaps you're right, and perhaps this young man believed in the idea he was fighting for. In fact, this would be the most 'optimistic' end of his sacrifice. What often fascinates me in this site is that after seeing the same picture people show reactions 100% different than mine. But still, it's your country and your history, so if you think that this must have happened - you're probably right. To sum my whole opinion about the series of Secession War pictures: it's touching and showing the war as it always is. The fact that this images of this kind were made in every next war does not lead to believe in our learning from the history. But wat touches me most - is that this is the beginning of the entertainment industry - their scope of interest didn't change much! LWI don't understand why Europeans act so smug about war as if it's beneath them. European colonialism in Africa and South east Asia didn't end all that long ago. France was in Vietnam long before America was. The IRA was still bombing things and the British were still repressing the Irish within my lifetime (I'm 26). It's not as if all of Europe hasn't had blood on its hands in the past 2 generations. The first gulf war was certainly warranted and various European countries aided in that. Maybe they don't teach history in European schools? Or maybe, like in Germany, they skip over or ignore some of the nasty bits... Stealing from the dead?Looks like this fallen soldier's pockets have been turned inside-out. Apparently someone decided he no longer needed what was in them. [As noted by Charlie in another post: "There were no 'dog tags' then and so the soldier would write his name and hometown on a scrap of paper and carry it in his pocket so his body could be identified if needed. You will see the turned out pockets on almost all the dead." - Dave] Empty pocketsI wouldn't view his empty pockets as signs of someone nobly trying to identify him. If I recall my Civil War history correctly, Fort Mahone was carried in a rush by the Union Army, and the resulting gap in the Petersburg line caused Lee to rapidly abandon the defense of Richmond and flee west. Almost before his body turned cold it would have lain well behind the front lines, amongst the looters, stragglers, second-line troops and curious townsfolk. Whoever went through his pockets was looking for money, rings, ammunition or what-have-you, but almost certainly not for an address of his next-of-kin. Civil WarriorsSadly, given that back then it was common practice for the wealthier American young men to pay poorer men to serve in the military in their place, it would be difficult to guarantee that anyone pictured gave his life for his beliefs. Even back then there were draft riots... And remember that medical help was primitive, and many soldiers died of infection rather than directly of their wounds. Check out Ambrose Bierce's work (his fiction & non-fiction war stories) for moving versions of what happened on the field. DetailsThe video is magnificent, it brought to my attention the remains of the paper cartridges at the firing positions. I'm not sure why that is so arresting and brought such immediacy to the image. It's certainly not ephemera. Dave's comments are spot on as I see it. I understand the preference to talk not fight, especially when one's continent has been devastated several times over. However, some see an unwillingness to ever strike back as weakness and opportunity. Fort MahoneMy great-grandfather and great-uncle knew these men as they were all part of the 53rd North Carolina Regiment, the sole unit in Fort Mahone. Handpicked men of the 53rd (of which my great-grandfather was one) made the final assault at Petersburg in an attempt to break Grant's line. This was against Fort Stedman, immediately in front of Fort Mahone. They initially succeeded, but reinforcements drove them back. These photographs were made the day after the 53rd evacuated the lines the night before to begin the retreat to Appomattox.(Only 83 were left at the surrender, of whom two were black.) Thank you for the wonderful video, and I shall pass it far and wide. Below may be of interest concerning this subject. http://brocktownsend.forum5.com/viewtopic.php?t=43&mforum=brocktownsend Letter from General Gordon to my great grandfather, at the end, mentions Hares Hill which was another name for Fort Stedman. http://brocktownsend.forum5.com/viewtopic.php?t=49&mforum=brocktownsend Confederate Memorial Day - 08/10/ 911 (My Grandfather & Mother) As one can tell from my mother's comments, my family most definitely fought for hearth and home! http://brocktownsend.forum5.com/viewtopic.php?t=46&mforum=brocktownsend "This Is What He Meant - All Men Up, Erected By His Colored Friends." 53rd Regiment, NC TroopsMr. Townsend's comments sent me to look at my copy of the regimental history. My great-grandfather was one of the men of the 53rd captured on April 1st or 2nd. (The history suggests April 1st, records say the 2nd.) It is eerie to think that this is a person my great-grandfather may have known 143 years ago. 53rd NCTracy: Very interesting! What company was your ancestor in and what was his name, if I'm not too inquisitive? brocktownsend@gmail.com [A note to Brock: If you register as a Shorpy member and then log in, you can contact Tracy directly by clicking on her username. - Dave] Died trying...Looked like he got it while trying to reload. Sad It hurts me to see some of the comments. It makes no difference which side this boy was fighting for or how he got there. I think most of these boys/men entered the service because they believed in the cause. History tells us that most of the deaths in the civil war were from disease and infection. This photo shows what these people had to deal with. It makes no difference if he was reloading or not. (The ramrod is lying next to his weapon). He is covered in mud and had to be miserable ... probably hungry and missing home. The way he is lying would indicate that he lay there for a while knowing he was dying... alone and far from home. Thank you Dave. We as a country need to be reminded how good we have it because of boys like this. ForgetHow amazing that anyone from Europe can point fingers at the US for war policies. When my father and nine uncles (two of which didin't return) fought in WWII, they sure didn't complain. The current Europe wouldn't exist if it weren't for the U.S. but it's so easy to forget...until you need us again. Notice that his pockets hadNotice that his pockets had been emptied. Either the contents were taken to return to his next of kin or he had been pilfered. Either way, it's a poor thing to know he had family and someone who loved him waiting for his return home re: Civil War RequiemVery powerful presentation. (The Gallery, Civil War, Thomas Roche)
Crack Salesmen: 1936
... wondering if you're the same Dave from Plan 59, previously Ephemera Now, where I have purchased several "Meat" prints. [Yes. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/20/2015 - 5:34pm -

Oct. 8, 1936. "H.O. Harrison Pontiac -- 'crack salesmen' and wives 'Going East' on streamliner City of San Francisco." 8x10 acetate negative. View full size. Not just the salesmen and wivesSomeone's daughter is there - notice the sailor suit and the bobby socks and saddle shoes of the young lady in the middle. I can't figure out who she's related to - possibly the woman with the gloves on the left hand side of the sign. Watermarks, againDave: I just started noticing the Large watermarks, and I've been a Shorpy reader since 2007. You have to do what you have to do. I've always assumed that if I bought a print, it would be removed, yes? [Watermarks are not on Shorpy's prints. -tterrace] Now I'm wondering if you're the same Dave from Plan 59, previously Ephemera Now, where I have purchased several "Meat" prints. [Yes. -tterrace] Bless you and the work you do, it always brightens my day. Don't Mind the Watermarks I'm an enthusiastic fan of photogrpahy and have often complained about obnoxious watermarks. They never bothered me on Shorpy. They are small, always placed so that they don't obstruct any detail and generally blend into the black & white photos well. Dave's comments regarding pirated photos endangerng the future of Shorpy are a little alarming. I visit this site every day and really enjoy it. I'm going to make a point of finally ordering a big print of that Rock Center photo in the next month or so. Watermarks ReduxConsidering that Shorpy and his staff put in a load of time and effort, and provide us with these great pix at NO COST, there should no nit-picking because the site wishes to protect their work product. There is at least one historical photo site I visit regularly that uses a watermark that occupies 25% to 30% or more of the image. Of course, I will not name them here, as they are simply exercising their right to protect their property. They market those images, much as Shorpy does. Star ChieftainsLove this streamlined-'30s image! If these fellows had stuck with Pontiac for another 20 years or so, then they could have been billed as "Wide-Track Salesmen." In the meantime, I'm casting a 1937 Hollywood version of this journey, in which the two jaunty-hatted women on the right end of the line would be played by Myrna Loy and Helen Broderick, respectively. Shorpy WatermarksI love the ingenuity of the watermarks. They sometimes blend in so well, I gotta take extra time to find them. Hats off to you, Dave! Shorpy takes me to places that resemble the photos in the old shoe box at home, when I was a kid. Kudos! Union PacificThat's a Union Pacific M-10003 or 4, which my father had in a Lionel version, made of heavy cast metal, but which was quick to derail. The larger Lionel M-10000 that he had, which negotiated only double-radius O-72 curves, was much more stable. Apparently the M-1000 was the earlier version historically but probably later in Lionel production. Grinning GrillesThis early diesel-electric locomotive was semi-permanently coupled to its special train set. I am told the crews did not appreciate the gaping air intakes when, for example, the locomotive encountered an unfortunate skunk on the tracks. Operated by Chicago & Northwestern, Union Pacific, and Southern Pacific, the passenger demands soon outgrew its limited capacity for travel between Chicago and Oakland. It was soon replaced by a much larger train which was wrecked by sabotage west of Carlin NV in 1939. 39¾ Hours to Chicago!Southern Pacific poster. This was actually taken in Oakland, which was as far as the train could go. San Francisco passengers were ferried across the Bay. SurvivorThe Great Depression was particularly hard on auto dealers, whose revenue depended on people with disposable income. Henry O. ("H.O.") Harrison had built a minor empire of car and truck dealerships around the Bay Area (while ranching and dealing in commercial real estate elsewhere in California). He and his principal business (H.O.Harrison Company) filed for bankruptcy at the Depression's peak, but as this photo reflects, he was soon back on his feet. By the time of the 1940 census, he and his wife Daisy and daughter Margaret were living in an apartment on Washington Street in San Francisco, right on a cable car line. WatermarksI agree with valueseekinguy that the watermarks detract a bit. I like to show off Shorpy pics as wallpaper on my work machine. I just try to choose ones where the watermark isn't as noticeable. I also understand where Dave is coming from. Restoring old pics can take a great deal of time and work. If it helps to keep Shorpy going, I don't mind the very minor inconvenience. UglyThat has to be the ugliest locomotive I've ever seen. How that ever got through the design stage I'll never understand. I wonder what else the designer came up with if that was his best. WatermarkedAll-in-all, that's a pretty tame watermark. Well worth the ability to get to view these images in hi-res. Hope this site never goes away. Call Me BlindBut I can't even see it, the watermark that is, not the train Fabulous shape!I like all the women in this salesMEN shot. But even more the streamliner. - more shots of that amazing body please! My, how times change."Crack Salesmen"? Appreciation I rarely comment here, but I visit this site every single day. It is one of the best, and all the Curmudgeon Crew can contribute is harping about "watermarks"... seriously?? It takes true dedication and surprisingly hard work to maintain fresh content 7 days a week, every week. Keep it up Shorpy crew, I and others truly appreciate the daily "trips" down memory lane !! Not Impressed With The Watermark On The LocomotiveI notice lately you've been adding a "Shorpy" watermark through the middle of your pictures. I think it drastically detracts from what you are doing. As a hobby, I used to color some of the pictures for my own use but now I have extra work to remove the watermark. [Tell that to the dozens of people who rip off our images to sell as prints on eBay. Much more of that, and there won't be a Shorpy. - Dave] WatermarkedThat is the curse of digitalization. Copying will not degrade the object being copied. The second curse is that too many people think everything in the WWW is free. Hey, read the terms of use, will ya'! On the other extreme, some providers (not Shory.com, mind) think they can charge even more for digital products, although the overall costs are only a fraction of the respective pre-internet hardware product, what with tooling, stocking, transport, wholesale, retail and sell-through risk, which all are nonexistent in digital distribution. 14 bucks for the CD, OK. But 13 bucks for the same in digital? C'mon! Fabulous ladies' hats!If I'm ever transported to the past, I will definitely try to find work as a milliner. These hats are the peak of prewar whimsy; they are so optimistic and jaunty. The salesmen and their wives are so happy to have earned this terrific trip--Where are they going? Progress?It's quaint that that locomotive could propel you from Chicago to Oakland in 39 and 3/4 hours. Of course today, with all our modern wizardry, you can make the same train trip in a little over 52 hours. GorgeousThat is the most Beautiful train I have ever seen! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Railroads, San Francisco)
Bliss: 1901
... happens, the great number of collectors of artifacts and ephemera with "stereotypical" depictions of African Americans from bygone days ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2011 - 2:59pm -

Circa 1901. The caption here is just like a watermelon, short and sweet: "Bliss." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. I've been a faithfulI've been a faithful follower of Shorpy for over a year, but the repeated selection of these images with anti-Black stereotypes is making me reconsider that decision. I'm a trained archivist and researcher, and am fully aware of the history and meanings of such images. I'm also a Black American and each time I see one of these images on what used to be a favorite photo site, I feel slightly ill. Black people may have posed for these photographs and participated in the making of negative images, but there have always been people who opposed them (for example, organized protests in response to D. W. Griffiths' 'Birth of a Nation' and Oscar Micheaux' creation of a film in response). Censorship isn't what I'm advocating here, but I do wonder: what is the purpose? When such images are presented without context or additional historical information, the stereotypes are revived and the cycle starts all over again. It's hard not to feel a bit betrayed. I've commented before on some of the more dignified images presented here, such as Black Americans participating in the war effort, or pictured in the daily life of towns and industries. Even when the photos are painful to see (that image of French performer Polaire with her 'slave' servant, for example), we can learn from them. However, these were/are vicious, persistent stereotypes: dice playing, watermelon. Surely the editors of Shorpy have seen the widely circulated Internet meme with an image depicting an 'Obama White House' with watermelons on the lawn? This type of racism isn't dead. I used to recommend Shorpy to all sorts of people. I may take a break and just go straight to the LoC Prints & Photographs Division for my personal browsing instead of making my daily visit here -- at least there's a bit more context. I really would appreciate it if someone at Shorpy would address the question of why the dice and watermelon images were selected. Yes, they are part of our history, but they are not at all benign. [I thought they were interesting. This one in particular because we're having a heat wave. Below: More craps-shooting and watermelon-eating on Shorpy. - Dave] Spittin' happyYou know, there's not much that cools you down quicker on a hot day than eating watermelon. I wonder what those kids would think of today's seedless watermelons? Why a duck?Maybe the barrel was the duck's evening quarters. When I was a kid we had neighbors who kept a chicken in a bushel basket at night. And the little duck too. Stereotypical or not, these boys are enjoying themselves. One eating the melon; the other runnning up to see what the other (brother?) is doing? Perhaps it was staged. But there seems no exploitation. These kids are average looking kids of the American South, and are happy. It is refreshing to see. I also like the little duck waddling up, as if he too wants to get a slice of that juicy melon. Please People: It’s 1901.Those fellows are not "stereotypes," they are REAL! (and enjoying reality too) WatermelonYecch, hated it as a kid and I never did develop a taste for it. The seeds are a pain in the neck too. Summertime joyWhat a beautiful, natural smile on the face of the standing boy, he looks like a young and beaming Michael Jackson. As for the lad engrossed in his snack sitting on the crate, he reminds me of the commercial saying "Don't bother me, I'm eating." When I saw the title "Bliss" I thought it was going to be the now-famous Bill Bliss of Shorpy fame, but he was not around in 1901. This photo takes us all back, I'm lovin' it. Just a guessThis photo "op" was set up by the photographer. I'm StumpedI've been puzzling over what the one dozen cast iron items that were in the crate that one of the boys is sitting on, might have been. They began with the letter F. [Feeders. - Dave] StereotypicalWe saw in another picture black kids playing dice for money, and now we see them eating watermelon. What is next? Dancing a jig? These pictures seem to show the stereotypes of the age in which they were taken. Same day (or week), different boysI was hoping this was going to be of the same boys as the one from the other day, but these little boys are cute, too. They are certainly much more ragged than the other boys, but I am happy to be able to share in a happy moment in their lives. P.S. I believe the old adage,"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Pictures like this are a reminder of how far we've come, and evidence that we can continue to make progress. Those four little boys were photographed doing things that, granted, could be construed as perpetuating stereotypes, but have been taken part in and enjoyed by Americans everywhere. I don't deny that the photographer may have brought the watermelon to the boys and set up the photo, but I agree with Caseyshebascott, that it doesn't look like they were being exploited. Because of their race, we know that their lives were going to be hard. One of the main things I love about photographs is that it is an opportunity to remember people who lived before us. Looking at pictures of moments in their lives is, I think, a tribute to them. I think the boys in this and the other picture would be thrilled to know that there are people remembering and caring about them, 110 years later! The intent of the photographer for the pictures does not change the fact that those pictures are a gift to us, now. One last thing; this is not the picture that I expected this kind of discussion from. This https://www.shorpy.com/node/10653 was. I cried over that one, to see that man, whose life we know, for sure, was very hard, treated like that, and for that reason! It reminded me of the horrible lynchings that used to take place, as recently as 50 years ago, and how thankful I am that my two black sons, and my biracial grandson, are not in danger of such a thing. Raggedy clothesI know people have commented on some of the raggedy clothes in this picture and others. As the mother of an active boy about the same age, I just have to say healthy boys play rough. Even in this day where buying new clothes is easy and cheaper, my son will come home filthy and have ripped his clothes. When I know he is going to play rough, I ask him to wear old stuff to spare the relatively useful outfits. Come to think of it, I was pretty rough and tumbled as a little girl too! ThxI will admit I cringed a little when I first saw this picture. Thanks for posting those white pics and putting things into perspective. Lighten upThese are archival photos. I seriously doubt the photog at the time was wondering thru his viewfinder, "Geez, I bet this is will somehow be construed as a negative stereotypical image that I'm creating and in 100 years I will be lambasted for such by overly sensitive types in USA." Like Sgt. Hulka once said, "Lighten up" Heat index is 115 right nowI would be delighted if someone would offer me a nice slice of watermelon right now. And that would be equally true whatever my skin color happened to be. Some people are much too quick to seek offense where none is intended. JeezThank God someone asked about the "cast iron feeders." At least some people aren't ticked off about black folks enjoying watermelon. Acquired by artLooks to me that the watermelon belongs to the boy that's seated, eating, and that the other boy is helping himself. Made me think of lines from Twain's autobiography: I know how a prize watermelon looks when it is sunning its fat rotundity among pumpkin vines and "simblins"; I know how to tell when it is ripe without "plugging" it; I know how inviting it looks when it is cooling itself in a tub of water under the bed, waiting; I know how it looks when it lies on the table in the sheltered great floor space between house and kitchen, and the children gathered for the sacrifice and their mouths watering; I know the crackling sound it makes when the carving knife enters its end, and I can see the split fly along in front if the blade as the knife cleaves its way to the other end; I can see its halves fall apart and display the rich red meat and the black seeds, and the heart standing up, a luxury fit for the elect; I know how a boy looks behind a yard-long slice of that melon, and I know how he feels; for I have been there. I know the taste of the watermelon which has been honestly come by, and I know the taste of the watermelon which has been acquired by art. Both taste good, but the experienced know which tastes best. I Disagree With GumbogirlYes the image is stereotypic but it is also interesting, and as historically significant as any other image on this site. We understand the context and the times of the image. Thanks and keep'em coming. StereotypesI've also enjoyed this website for a long time, but presenting this picture as if it is just any other picture is not right. A picture of black people with watermelons is never an innocent picture. Along with numerous other racist images, from at least the mid-nineteenth century to the present day it's signified that African Americans are inherently lazy, child-like, improvident, and ultimately morally deficient in order to dehumanize them so that they can be denied political rights. That image isn't somehow balanced by showing pictures of raggedy white boys playing dice or white farm families enjoying watermelon because white people have never been denied political rights because of their race. Pictures of white boys eating watermelon aren't equivalent to pictures of black boys eating watermelon. It also doesn't matter if someone claims to see this image in a "positive" way because that history is always present and has meaning in society, whether or not any one individual chooses to recognize it. Presenting this kind of image without somehow dealing with its history just ends up perpetuating the stereotype and shoring up its purposes. This website isn't set up to be critical or analytical--it's a place where people can look at miscellaneous pictures of buildings and people and whatever from the past, make the pictures big and look for interesting details. To put that picture in this setting without discussion or comment is erasing its history, which is a bad idea considering how widespread this kind of stereotyping of African Americans and other groups still is in our society. Tempest in a TeapotI've been looking at this blog with great interest and affection for quite some time, but never felt the need to comment until now. What I love about this blog is that it is a look at the American Century: it is a view of our past. To look at a 1901 image and declaim racism with 2011 eyes is not only ridiculous sophistry, but flummery as well. These images are part of the American experience and, in that context, these children certainly look very happy. Certainly happier than many inner-city children of today look. As for slavery-guilt, I feel none. I am English, so my ancestors were enslaved by the Romans, denied the same rights in the political process as American blacks were here at home. However, I have somehow managed forgive Italians, and quite enjoy myself whenever visiting Rome. Grow up, people. [There's a bit of a difference between 2,000 years ago and one great-grandma ago. - Dave] Should have enlarged it firstI concede. It's a duck, not a chicken. Hang in there, GumbogirlIt's so subtle, I would bet that the photographer was oblivious to the stereotype, as most white people are today. I would argue that it is even more subtle now, since so much racist art has been systematically destroyed. It bothered me too, a little, and I'm white, for whatever that's worth. Check here and here for some shots of an integrated 1890s US Navy, before Klan sympathizer Woodrow Wilson segregated all branches of the service. Those are just the shots that come to my mind at the moment. Shorpy gives us history unfiltered. It's up to the community to provide the context. Don't perpetuate the stereotypes!Don't form your opinions from 110 year old photos. Instead, form your opinions based on the condition of most of America's inner-cities. Aw nuts...Here I was enjoying the memory of how my brother used to somehow manage to snatch up half of all my treats (watermelon, candy, cupcakes) when we were youn'uns. Then I started reading the comments and remembered there's supposed to be something inherently evil and racsist about 2 black kids eating watermelon on a hot summer day. Welp... so much for nostalgia. Back to the real world. WahI would give a lot to be as happy and content as these fellows look. I believe it to be genuine. This photo struck me as life in a less complicated time. Stereotype? Possibly, but so what. I guess crybabies gonna cry. Right on, LectrogeekI like the comment about Shorpy giving us "history unfiltered." Trying to ignore the subject matter of a particular photo, regardless of whether it offends our 21st century sensibilities, isn't going to change what happened back in the day. Let's hope, however, that we can all learn from that history and therefore ensure that it doesn't repeat itself. As far as this being a part of our history we'd rather forget, how about the photos of dead Civil War soldiers in the trenches around Petersburg (also to be found here on Shorpy)? Is a photo of a dead Confederate soldier, lying in the mud with half his head blown off, any less disturbing? Even as an avid Civil War buff, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of Americans killing Americans, even if it did happen 150 years ago. But it's history, and we move on, and learn as we go. StereotypesTo not show photos such as this and have reasoned discussions about them would be "erasing the history." When I worked at a certain children's museum and we were preparing for the opening, I was asked to put together a range of stereoscopic photos so that the children could view them. I carefully eliminated the obviously racist ones - like series of views "Mrs. Newlywed's new French Cook" where the wife catches her husband messing with the French cook and replaces her with Amongst the ones I selected was a photo of a Japanese woman in her kimono looking at the devastation of the San Francisco earthquake. This was eliminated by the curator because of its "racist content". Firstly, I felt that it wasn't "racist" it showed someone who lived in San Francisco wearing, as many Japanese people in San Francisco of the day did, her normal clothes. Secondly, I felt that it revealed to children that there were people other than white people in San Francisco at that time. As it happened, in order to "not present ethnic stereotypes" NONE of the images in the children's museum depicted any but white people... The powers that be decided that in order to prevent any inadvertent "racist depictions", they would completely eliminate images of people of colour entirely. If Dave starts eliminating historical photos which accurately depict attitudes, even what people in the day didn't overtly see as "racist" or "stereotypical" we'd have photos which exclusively present white males, buildings, and landscapes. The fact is that many of the images of women seen here, especially in the 1920s and 1930s depict stereotypical images of scantily-clad women which were taken basically to titillate men. I would no more, as a woman, expect that they be removed because they might be seen as raising an "uncomfortable" discussion. As it happens, the great number of collectors of artifacts and ephemera with "stereotypical" depictions of African Americans from bygone days is African Americans. In collecting these items, they are making a concerted effort to ensure that the attitudes of the past, as offensive as they may be, are not whitewashed over. --- Later... I would like to add that I understand that there are varying viewpoints on whether the image posted by Dave is "offensive". The point I would like to make is that, as has been shown by some of the comments, many people are unaware that depictions of African Americans eating watermelon might have stereotypical connotations. Seeing such images and understanding that, however subtle, such imagery was the result of more overt and widespread racial attitudes. I should also point out that the image I posted above was one of a number of "alternative endings" for the "Mrs. Newlywed's new French Cook". The last image was photographed with at least two other characters in place of the "lazy black cook" image - A fat "ethnic (possibly Italian) woman, for instance - to cater to the buyer's taste (or prejudice). I am in no way suggesting that someone who finds the images offensive is wrong. My view is that people who come to Shorpy do so because we want to see the past through the eyes of our parents and grandparents, even when that view makes us uncomfortable. Chill outI think there's a lot of misplaced guilt on parade here. Until I read all the remarks, the old stereotypes never even occurred to me. I just thought it looked like two kids having fun. [Different people will have different perspectives. If your ancestors were brought to this country against their will as slaves, and their descendants objectified as "cute" (mammies and "pickaninnies" lumped in the same category as puppies and kittens, in a sort of racist kitsch that's become "collectible" on eBay), you might understandably have some opinions about pictures like this. - Dave] Regardless of the eraYou never wear the cap with the bill straight ahead! Aw GeezSome people here need to get a life. Just Sayin'. Great discussionThere is a great dialog here and a good illustration of why it's so important to study history and understand context. Thanks, Dave, for posting all the pictures you do, but mostly for also posting the comments--pro and con--about the content on this excellent site. What is so racist about watermelon?I can't say I've ever seen a black person eating one. Dave?What makes you think my ancestors weren't bought and sold as slaves? [Nothing does. - Dave] I get such a laugh from allI get such a laugh from all of this. Especially from all of you self righteous people who feel that this is a derogatory photo. First of all, do you know where stereotypes come from? ….well, they’re formed from observations. And as far as the political repression of minorities…do you really think that this photo has anything to do with that? I mean really…..where does that even come from? I think that you look at this photo and you are feeling something that doesn’t really exist. “You” are making this into some crazy statement….and no-one else. Do you feel that we should get rid of any photo that may be offensive to someone? Or only the ones that “you” feel are negative? If you erase or deny the past, you will loose the link to how we got to where we are today. There were an awful lot of white people who risked everything that they had, including their lives, to make sure that blacks would get an even shake in this world, and now 150 years later there are still people standing up for you. Somewhere along the line this fact seems to be forgotten. Every chance that you get…you call foul. Just knock it off already, it’s a photo, not a political statement. [It might be instructive to scroll down and read Gumbogirl's comment first, then this one, and weigh them separately on the Reasonableness Scale. I am not getting a reading up here. Tap tap tap. - Dave] Thank youThank you to Dave for a charming photo and to Mudhooks for your eloquent comment. Revisionist history is a dangerous thing. White Washing HistoryI've been reading the comments on this issue, and I can see both sides. The image does have racist overtones. You can bet that the photographer knew exactly what he was shooting when he took this picture of two Black kids and the watermelon, and I have no doubt that he might have used terms a lot more offensive than Black, Negro or even "colored." And it's not something that went away easily. I have a National Geographic from the 1930s that shows a raggedly dressed African American youth sitting on a wagon load of watermelons having a slice and wearing a big grin on his face. Eddie Anderson whose character of Rochester was, at the time, considered a major step forward in portrayal of Blacks in the media was regularly portrayed as shooting dice, partying non-stop on Central Avenue (in Los Angeles), stealing chickens and wanting to grown nothing but watermelon. But the fact is that photos like these are a documentation of their times and those times were a prejudiced period. And not just towards African-Americans. Native Americans, Mexicans, Asians (usually defined generically as Chinese) and whatever the current wave of immigrants might have been were also subjected to a prejudiced portrayal. Look at some of Hine's tenement photos and the descriptions he provides for them and you will not get a very negative view of new Italian immigrants. My view is that you can't set aside pictures like these to see only the "comfortable" vision of history that shows only positive images. You need to approach it "warts and all" and part of that is seeing the warts. Most importantly you have to talk about it and put it into context. That's the only way that things advance. Surprisingly thought provokingAlthough Dave's intent to simply post a light-hearted summer scene was clear, at first I was slightly uncomfortable with the stereotypes portrayed in the staging of this photo. Fortunately, the way commenters brought up and discussed the racial context reminded me what a educational resource this site is, thanks to the engaged community Dave has attracted. Years ago, seeing the simple minded racism of blackface and mammy figures etc. with descriptions of their historical context forever changed my views on race in America. As awful as the racist ideas and caricatures of our grandparents' time were, doesn't pretending they never existed make it harder for modern people to put current racial problems into proper perspective? The Mark Twain quote was a perfect fit with both the scene as well as the problem of presenting America's racial history honestly and sensitively, given the recent debates over the dialects and characters in some of his books. Would we be better off today if we banned Huckleberry Finn because we cringe at its period language and imagery? We know African Americans of this time were subject to incredibly stupid racist ideas and behaviors. That shouldn't make us erase people like these kids from our national memory. The children in this picture lived in an unjust time, but they deserve to be remembered today as much as any white kids on Shorpy. The alternative - banning another period picture because racism was so prevalent - doesn't serve history or modernity well. I think Dave and the community here did well by these kids and the issues this photo raised. Shorpy UnfilteredI'm new to Shorpy but I'm now hooked, even going backwards in the archive from the first post to catch up! I enjoy the unfiltered view of the past that we get on this site. We get to see photos taken through contemporary eyes of the day, like we're stepping through a time machine. Of course, those eyes may have been accustomed to things being a way that they aren't necessarily anymore, or are now deemed unacceptable by many. If someone is overly sensitive to these things, which Gumbogirl or bmore may be, then a site full of old photos may not be for them. You can count me in to the group that never thought of any racial stereotyping when I saw this photo. I can see how some might, but again... even IF the photo was composed with racism in mind (which we will never know), the era the photo was taken in must be considered. Myself, all I see is two kids enjoying watermelon on a hot day. Finally, I fully agree with Dave that each picture is interpreted differently by each person... and that's what makes them special and causes them to invoke discussion. I get disgusted by things like racist WWII propaganda posters but hey, it is what it is. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigarAnd sometimes, when you've typed the subject line, you discover there isn't much more to say. One of the things I really love about Shorpyis that although there are clearly 2 different schools of thought on this picture all the comments are clearly thought out, reasonable and respectful. Maybe a couple little pokes here and there, but no personal attacks or hatred. That's exceedingly rare for anything on this topic on the web. [That's partly because we don't publish those comments. - Dave] Maybe it's 'cause I'm Canadianbut I completely missed the stereotype that is so upsetting to some. I had no idea that associating black people with watermelon could be offensive. When I looked at the picture of boys and their snack, it was a picture of joy. When my eye first caught mudhooks' picture of "the new French cook" (before reading the captions) it was a picture of a woman playing a mandolin. Like I say, maybe it's because I'm not American and our experience around slavery is different, or maybe it's because the world has changed and is closer to a time when people are just people, but I just don't get what the problem is. As someone has said, if you're looking for trouble, look at how things are in the inner-cities today and do something about it. re: "One of the things I really love about Shorpy"Then that's one of the things I really love about YOU, Dave. I guess it was naive of me to assume no one submits such comments here. Thank you for culling those out; that's mighty refreshing. One of the many, MANY reasons I make time to visit this site at LEAST once a day. You are appreciated. Slice of LifeI love these old photographs, thanks Dave for sharing them with us. I can see how a boy eating watermelon could push someone's buttons, but honestly, how much poorer would we all be if we could not see this photo, this brief window of this era and these two kids? ReliefI haven't visited for a while and pictures like this and the seaside pics help take away some of the opressive heat that's all around. Boy, do love watermelon! No bad intentI doubt if there was any bad intent from posting this photo. It just is what it is. It is a part of the culture at the time. Being a historian, no one should try to squelch any part of history, bad or good. It all teaches us. On top of that, this a a nice photo! Two kids just enjoying summer's bounty! For anyone to read any more into it is racist in itself. Watermelon daysWell this calls for a story. When I was a child in the District, we still had watermelon carts with horses. It would come down our street once maybe twice a week. My grandmother usually couldn't afford one, but every now and again she would surprise us. If we saw her at the watermelon truck we would wait patiently, until we saw the watermelon man hand her the goods. Then we would jump up and down, sing with glee and dance. There would be all kinds of carryins on. We would follow Grandma to the back of the house, our camp ground in the alley, "Grandma can I have a big piece" please? When we were done, we would play until dark. Then we would go to bed with sweet dreams of that beautiful fruit. Our hearts would swell because we knew Grandma loved us more that anything in the world. Just a simple watermelon story for y'all! PostcardPostcard version: (The Gallery, DPC, Kids)
Off We Go: 1908
... it to the next level. You can ID plants, animals, cars and ephemera, let's move to fingerprint analysis of the marks left on this photo. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2012 - 8:39pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1908. "Mrs. Guy Henry in auto." Which our readers have identified as a Maxwell Tourabout. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Maxwell TouraboutIt's a Maxwell Tourabout. Maxwell and Brush were part of the same company. I'm thinkingit is NOT a 1969 Cougar. A friend of mine had one and I remember the fenders being sportier. Auto PlantIs that a plumeria on the porch? If so, I am somewhat surprised to see it in D.C. Early WheelsI'm guessing it's a 1908 Brush Runabout... or perhaps an earlier model B Cadillac. BrushyIt has the same little plaque on the radiator showing a car as on some Brush roadsters I found on the Web. '08 BrushI believe this may be a new 1908 Brush. Note the lack of headlights mounted in the front. Locked trunksI don't know, but I want one. Did anyone ever figure out why they overprotected the trees so much? Were cars that apt to bump into them? [Horses tended to nibble on them. - Dave] The MaxwellThe Maxwell was the first car to be driven across America by a woman, Alice Huyler Ramsey, in 1909. It got the job done. CSI: ShorpyIt's time for Shorpyists to take it to the next level. You can ID plants, animals, cars and ephemera, let's move to fingerprint analysis of the marks left on this photo. MaxwellIf it was a Maxwell, shouldn't it have the Maxwell script on the radiator? [Noop. There wasn't any. - Dave] 1905 Maxwell Model L Tourabout1905 was the first year for Maxwells (some sold in late 1904 as 1905 models); this is the little one, the Model L. Two-cylinder opposed motor and with two-speed transmission and shaft drive in an era where final drive by chain was popular. The small plaque up front is probably the radiator maker's plate; radiators for Maxwell and Brush may have been made by the same company. Maxwells had the name only on the hubcaps and threshold plates. Some (and I think they were dealer installed later) had the Maxwell script over the front of the radiator. Most period photos show only the nameless radiator but these cars had a very unique look not to be confused with any other. The Brush didn't come into the picture with Maxwell until 1910, when Benjamin Briscoe started his New United Motors, which included the Maxwell, Brush and several other makes. A neat slogan was used by Maxwell: Perfectly Simple -- Simply Perfect. It was a good little car. I've had rides in several and they settle down to a nice lope. Going uphill on one tour I hopped off and ran alongside. Not a powerful car, these little Maxwells, but their larger two-cylinder Model H had ample power for an early, not too large, car. Where isTweety Bird? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
The Wolverine: 1922
... Gibson for many years and have many of her personal ephemera pieces. Including her copy of the Wolverine lobby card with the image ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2012 - 5:52pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Leader Theater, front." Sidney Lust's movie house on Ninth Street N.W. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Into the MixWow. Interesting mix of dancehall cafe, Greek restaurant, vaudeville/burlesque house and cinema. Even in black-and-white, certainly more colorful than the mall multiplex. Breathtaking ArchitecturePlease tell me this magnificent building is still standing. Built in 1910, it could be . . .please! The gigantic statuary flanking the marquee---dwarfed by the HUGE roofline finial statues---is simply stunning. All the buildings along this block have unique architecture with intricate detail. Was this an "entertainment block"? I see a cafe/dance hall, burlesque house, the Leader theater, and a Greek restaurant. I wager to say even the "Washington Shoe Shine and Hat Cleaning Parlor" was probably an entertaining place to visit! The Tarzan die cut advertising tucked around the marquee would be worth a small fortune on today's antique market! The Port ArthurStarting from the left... Washington Post, Oct 20, 1914 Fight in Chinese Cafe Three Men Arrested Following Row in Port Arthur Restaurant The moving-picture district on Ninth, between E and F streets northwest, was thrown into a state of excitement last night just as the shows were discharging their crowds by a fight in the Port Arthur Chinese restaurant, in which three young men are alleged to have attempted to smash everything in the shape of furnishings and the head of every Chinese employee in the place. The trouble attracted a crowd that blockaded the street from curb to curb. Cries and curses and the breaking of glass and tableware added to the situation. Policeman Miller alone grappled with the fighters and emerged from the place brining three of the principles with him. They were taken to the first precinct. Morris Sing, proprieteor of the restaurant, told the police that the party came into his place and ordered food. Then for some reason unknown one of the men picked up the dishes, smashed them, and then started a general assault principally against the Chinese employes of the place. Several of the Chinese waiters were injured, but refused hospital treatment. A one-sex audienceAll boys, I notice. Apparently girls stayed home on Saturday afternoons. All in knickers, scratchy woolen stockings and high leather shoes. And every single one of them wearing a cap except the half-dozen or so who are holding them in their hands. Helen Gibson in "The Wolverine." Not much information, I'm afraid. Elmo Lincoln in "The Adventures of Tarzan." (Lots.) The WolverineI had no idea Hugh Jackman was so old! "The Wolverine"Plot Synopsis by Hans J. Wollstein Based on a novel by the prolific B.M. Bower (pseudonym for novelist Bertha "Muzzy" Sinclair), The Wolverine starred former serial queen and stunt-woman Helen Gibson as a rancher who stands up for an employee (Jack Connolly) unjustly accused of cattle rustling. Ward Warren (Connolly) had come West after serving a prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit. History repeats itself for Ward when a couple of bandits he had chased off the land, accuses him of being a rustler himself. The former common-law wife of Hoot Gibson, Gibson (née Rose Wenger) had gained stardom replacing Helen Holmes in the long-running The Hazards of Helen. By no means a traditional screen beauty -- but spirited -- Gibson's starring career was brief, and she returned to stunt-doubling in talkies. http://www.allmovie.com/work/wolverine-117381 Around the World in a BlockThe architectural walking tour here is pretty wild. There's the Belle Epoque excesses of the Gayety and Leader theaters, crowned by their zinc copies of sculptures from the Petit Palais at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Then there's the Gothic church facade of the Port Arthur Restaurant. And then there's the Acropolis (Greek) restaurant housed behind a Chinese balcony, left over from the Port Arthur's old location on the other side of the Gayety (the stairwell entrance to the "gothic" Port Arthur at 515-17 has a matching Chinese carved wood awning). But just when I was getting an urge for some nice spanakopita, I noticed that the Acropolis seems to have been replaced by the all-American Rowland's Buffet. Cable cars?Is that a cable slot between the streetcar tracks? [It's access to the underground electrical supply that powered Washington's streetcars. - Dave] "Fastest Northwestern Picture Ever Screened"What the heck does that mean? ["The Wolverine" was a train. Which is shown in the sign. - Dave] Coming AttractionView Larger Map The location today. The J. Edgar Hoover Building is right behind you. The GayetyThis is right around the corner from the original 9:30 Club. I remember parking across the street from the Gayety in the early 80's. Creepy place, they showed "adult" movies. Lots of drug addicts and perverts. Wilbur Mills and the GayetyThe Gayety lasted into the 1970s. That's where House Ways and Means Chairman Wilbur Mills first met "Argentine Firecracker" Fanne Fox, who later jumped from his car into the Tidal Basin and sank Mill's career. Gorgeous photograph!And also a revelation for me. Was The Port Arthur a Chinese food chain? There was also one by that name in downtown Providence. I don't know when it opened there, but I do know that it lasted well into the 1940's and was - according to my Dad - the hottest place to go to on a Saturday night in the late 30's and early 40's. Drinking, dancing to a band and exotic, for its time, Chinese food. My Aunt Mary and another female relative sang there, as well. What an eye-opener! And what a thrill this photo is to drink in! I'd throw down my nickel to see that movie in a second - if only for the pleasure of getting to see what the inside of the theater looked like! This is one of the very best postings this year. [Below: The Port Arthur Chinese restaurant in New York. Click to enlarge. - Dave] Helen GibsonThat picture is awesome. Thanks for sharing it. I have been researching Helen Gibson for many years and have many of her personal ephemera pieces. Including her copy of the Wolverine lobby card with the image enlarged as a poster on the left of the entrance. Thanks for your site, I always see something exciting. Newsboy MatineeGiven all the young boys and the fact that that whatever is going on here it merited a photograph, I am guessing this is another gathering of newsboys for a Saturday matinee. Shorpy viewers have previously seen a similar event in this 1925 photo of the Leader Theater. Alas, no sign of Bo-Bo, "the monkey with the human brain," in the photo. Washington Post, Feb 12, 1922 Carriers' Theater Party Many Post newsboys yesterday had the time of their lives at the showings of the latest installment of the Adventures of Tarzan at Sidney B. Lust's Leader and Truxton theaters as the guests of Mr. Lust and the circulation department of the Post. The boys found the day an even greater event than they had expected, for in the morning at their homes, each had received letters from W.C. Shelton, circulation manager of The Post, thanking them for their efforts delivering The Post on time during the storm and enclosing $1 as a bonus. Mr. Lust, who was host to a number of the carriers yesterday, will entertain as many more today, for tickets good for either day were sent out. As a special inducement to efficient service, the boys who rank among the best carriers in the city will receive free movie tickets for the next 15 weeks. The boys had been particularly interested in the Tarzan film, which features Elmo Lincoln. Bo-Bo, the monkey with the human brain, was on hand to meet the boys when they reached the Theater, and on leaving every boy was given a bag of peanuts. Bo-Bo plays an important part in the Tarzan serial, and his antics created much amusement. Elmo!Where else but in America could a guy named Elmo with a 52-inch chest become a movie star? In addition to his rightful claim to fame as the first film Tarzan (in 1918), Elmo Lincoln was also in the silent classics "Birth of a Nation," "Intolerance" and "That Fatal Glass of Beer." He came back in the late 1930s in bit roles in talkies, including "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." "The Adventures of Tarzan" was Lincoln's third and final foray in the role of the vine-swinger, which was probably just as well, as he was afraid of heights. Released as a 15-part serial, it was one of the smash hits of the year, taking in more than Valentino's "The Sheik." Sugar Plums at the GayetyWhen this photo was taken, burlesque had not yet begun its long slide from musical comedies and revues into adults-only sleaze. The Washington Gayety was one in a large chain of theaters, with shows rotating among them on a circuit, as in vaudeville. Gayety shows featured such stars as Al Jolson, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker and Will Rogers. Harry Coleman, starring in the Washington Gayety's "Sugar Plums," was a comedian who began receiving favorable reviews around 1915, and appeared in a few silent films as early as 1910 (his last film credit is as a bit player in the dance hall scenes in Chaplin's "The Gold Rush"). On Nov. 8, 1918, the Toronto World ran a notice for the Toronto Gayety's new show "The Roseland Girls," beginning with this lead: "The Roseland Girls" is a show that may always be relied upon to furnish the sort of entertainment that the patrons of the Gayety Theatre will like and will be enjoyed by all classes of theatregoers. The company is headed by Harry Coleman, Bert Lahr, Kitty Mitchell" [and others]. Absolutely wonderful. What a civilization we once had! The adult on the far right appears to be halting traffic with his blurry arms so as to give the photog a clear view of the newsboys. Elmo of the ApesElmo Lincoln was in the first Tarzan feature, "Tarzan of the Apes," which was filmed in Morgan City, La. (I suppose if you took the Southern Pacific east out of LA that would be the first quasi-jungle swamp you would come to.) Morgan City is a real pit, an oilfield blue collar town with not much going for it. In 1986 I was staying overnight there and read in some chamber of commerce brochure an invitation to come back in 1988, for the 70th anniversary of the release of the film and Morgan City's Tarzan fest. Two years later the Wall St. Journal had an article in its humorous-story corner about how in the midst of all the planning the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate prevented Morgan City from going forward with the festival. The poor town was stuck with all of the preliminary costs of their big event in the city's history. What a shame. Good thing there was a captionI couldn't see the name of the theatre anywhere on it. I suppose it could be covered by a banner for the movie. You'd never see a business today allowing its identity to be obscured. Elmo Is My HomeboyElmo Lincoln is the only movie star from my hometown of Rochester, Indiana! That's all I've got to say. Some 4-digit population towns can't claim ANY movie stars. What is next door?Does anyone read Greek? I wonder what the upstairs of the building on the theater's left houses? [The name is there in both Greek and English: Acropolis Cafe. - Dave] Dressed to the NinesI can't imagine a group of that many boys wearing ties to a movie today. (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
You're Invited: 1930
... could just trash it? A keeper! This is the kind of ephemera a parent would keep for years, then an adult child would discard when ... 
 
Posted by kepkid - 04/11/2009 - 7:15pm -

From an old family scrapbook: "Come to our picnic and egg hunt at Bull Creek bridge Thursday April 17 1930 at 10 oclock." Inola, Oklahoma. View full size. KeepsakesSome people keep only necessities and do not clutter up their homes with unneeded stuff. Others hang on to the past, almost in layers, like time capsules. When my mom died in 1996, we went through dresser drawers layered like Tutankhamen's tomb going all the way back to the year my parents bought our house. Beneath the Mother's Day gift of oilcloth holders for ration stamps from WW 2 (hand made by her kids in elementary school) we found memorabilia from the New York World's Fair of 1939 and a Sunday comic from the same year. Her "keepers" were a living history of her life. Some people have tidier homes, but hers was much more interesting. I have decided to continue to keep all the treasures she kept, although to most people they are worthless. Somebody else can dispose of them when I'm gone. This pictured eighty-year old invitation represents a child's efforts to create something. Who could just trash it? A keeper!This is the kind of ephemera a parent would keep for years, then an adult child would discard when clearing out the parent's estate. How wonderful that someone recognized its charm and preserved it. This just charms meSuch earnest application of pencil to paper. WonderfulThis is utterly charming. I am so glad it was kept in your family. My RegretsI'm sorry I missed it. I bet they had a really good time. CharmingI have kept many mementos like this myself, it's fun to see one from 1930. Thank you. Big DummyI know it's silly, but this just brought me to tears. Thank goodness construction paper keeps!Such a neat thing to have! I have many similar things that were in some of the boxes of my grandparents' things. Many are art projects done by mother when she was in school, in the 30s. These things are so valuable! I see TV shows where they try to help people dig out from piles of clutter, where I don't think they do a very good job of making the distinction between family history and worthless clutter. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Easter)
Revenge of Tarzan: 1921
... love the old theater buildings, I love the movie promotion ephemera. At the Movies Didn't movies generally run for a week or so ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 11:56am -

January 1921. The Criterion Theater in Washington, D.C. Now playing: "The Revenge of Tarzan." View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. Hollywood and VineWhat a great display for January in D.C. I'd be queuing up for this in a heartbeat. Revenge of Tarzan (1921) starred New York Firefighter Joe Pohler in the lead role. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revenge_of_Tarzan Grrr.The sign under the cage on the right says "Live Animals Do Not Feed." Coolness. What's in there? Tarzan YellThe bewildered little boy at right doesn't seem too enthused. But as an Extreme Fan of Tarzan in my youth (when Johnny Weismuller was the hero), I would have been literally jumping up and down and emitting a Carol Burnett Tarzan yell to see this movie. This photo and the earlier one for The Mark of Zorro are good examples of the elaborate promotional displays at theaters in the 1920s. From other photos I've seen, the interior lobby displays continued the theme. Me Tarzan, Here One WeekThe Criterion Theater was at 9th and D streets Northwest. The Revenge of Tarzan, "The dramatic Ape-Man story that sends thrills tingling down your spine," had a short run, playing for only one week at the end of January. The sign on the side of the building in the distance is for Morris Tendler's tailor shop, 913 D street. AssemblyThat is an incredibly impressive display--especially for a movie that only ran a week! I wonder who was in charge of these elaborate displays--if they arose from the impetus of individual, particularly ambitious theatre owners, or if promotional decoration kits were somehow distributed with the movie? I would love to see a picture of this theatre being decorated. One of the last times I went to a movie, two teenaged male theatre employees were struggling to assemble a giant cardboard couch and donut to promote "The Simpsons Movie" as we went to our theatre. When we came out of our movie, the poor things were still struggling with it. I can easily imagine a similar theme playing out with fake vines 80+ years ago! FungusamongusWhere were the emulsion originals stored? So many got moldy, like on the brick work above. [They were donated to the Library of Congress in 1947. - Dave] I wonder......if the movies were any better without the dialogue that the actors in Tarzan "talkies" had to contend with? I loved the books though! (Politically incorrect that they would be in today's world) They were a bit melodramatic, but great fun. Tarzan was not the idiot he was often portrayed as in film. Live Animals?Oh, interesting! I am going to guess a monkey. You may be able to see a tail sticking out on the horizontal cage bar, just above and to the right of the sign. I also see, in total silouette, a possible arm and ear above the "tail", but it may just be shadow play. If it is an ear, it isn't a monkey, though. Maybe a wallaby? Can we get one of those amazing, clear closeups on that cage? Kathleen Live Animals? Doubtful...My guess is the cage is just more hyperbolic decoration. I doubt the theatre owner would want to fool with real live animals, so let's just put a cage up high and label it as if there's something in there. The same kind of display could be found in department stores of my youth. (I would genuinely like to be proven wrong on this one.) [It's white. - Dave] Silents Are GoldenAs far as the quality of the movies in the silent period, it's hard to know, particularly since this one is lost, but from the cast list they seem to be sticking pretty close to the concept of the books. This also seems true in the earlier movies - "Tarzan of the Apes" and "The Romance of Tarzan" - as well as the next production in the series "Son of Tarzan." Indeed the silent Tarzan's all seem to stick to Burrough's concept of triumph of Nature over Nurture (despite being raised by apes Tarzan quickly becomes a civilized English Lord once exposed to humanity). I'm not sure why the decision to make the sound pictures so different was made - the whole "Me Tarzan, you Jane" thing - but the cynic in me wants to believe it was because of the severe limitations of Johnny Weissmuller as an actor. More PleaseI hope Shorpy will be sprinkling a series of these movie theater studies into the mix in the future. Not only do I love the old theater buildings, I love the movie promotion ephemera. At the MoviesDidn't movies generally run for a week or so back then? It's before my time, but I thought everyone who could afford it went to their (single-screen) theater to see a movie every week. It does look like great fun. A lion?It could even be a lion in that cage. I have a lobby display for the first Tarzan film with Johnny Weissmuller that shows a live lion cub in a cage. Or, in this case, perhaps it was some guy in an ape suit? Criterion TheaterFrom Robert K. Headley's Motion Picture Exhibition in Washington, D.C.: 318 9th Street N.W. In operation 1918-ca.1945. Seating capacity 350-600, including a balcony that could seat 100. Built by Marcus Notes for about $11,000, later operated by Willie Notes for his father. (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
Made by Maul: 1913
... from WSU. It is still amazing to me that all of the ephemera received (tax bills, correspondence from attorneys, etc.) after my ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 1:18pm -

Detroit circa 1913. "Maul stone yard." Plus: a cigar factory, coal car and "dignified credit." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Gathering mossThe railroad tracks and the spire of St. Albertus church remain but the rest of the scene has been hammered by the passage of time. All those wiresGet a load of those overhead lines in the background! I'm guessing telephone and power? Ridge 365Maul Co.'s phone number. Tie GameImagine cutting stone all day long -- while wearing a tie! Artificial StoneAccording to the 1913 Detroit city directory, The Maul Co. made "artificial stone." Its yard was at the southwest corner of Hancock and Dequindre and apparently ran all the way south along Dequindre to Forest. Dequindre shares its right of way with the rail line on which those coal cars are sitting. The I.E. Boomer Mason building in the background was on Forest and today is the site of its successor, Boomer Co., where I occasionally stop in to buy stamped concrete maintenance products. This Google Street View is taken from almost the identical spot and angle as the 1913 photo. View Larger Map Proper attireInteresting to see the workmen wearing ties. My father (a plasterer) did the same through the 1960s. Macotta Maul branched out into the artificial stone business and created innovative porcelain enamel panels backed by lightweight concrete and featuring stainless steel edging. The product was used extensively in Canada and the U.S.on retail stores, groceries, theaters, and the like. The Knapps Department Store in Lansing and Bastone Restaurant, formerly B&C Super Market, in Royal Oak, Michigan, are examples. Attitude.Gotta have one to work here. I love this photo!Great group of faces there. At a glance, it appears that the working grunts don't like posing with the administration. Or maybe they're all just anxious to get back to work instead of posing so long for this picture. The two fellows back right could be brothers. Interesting how the far right guy appears to be dressed more artistically than the rest. And the weaselly looking guy in the back middle? I don't think I'd want him watching my kids! Ultimate SignNot only is firm's name unpronounceable, but the next line is spaced over a window. And then there is "Dignified Credit" Does this mean they don't collect with baseball bats at hand? : (Not even one person "likes" this photo? Sad face! I thought it was quite cool, esp. the old buildings in the background. : )Yay! Colorized Times Square no longer sucking up all the FB love. BoomersThere is still a Boomer Construction Company (now at Forest and Russel) in this neighborhood. Anyone know if it's related to the company seen here? Leszczynski & LesinskiLeszczynski: original name. Lesinski: Americanized version, same pronunciation. Mr. Maul's SonThe guy without the necktie. Casual Friday MistakeThe guy standing near the middle (in white overalls, white cap, hands on hip) must have not worn his tie mistakenly thinking it was casual Friday. AmazingThe difference between the 1913 shot and the 'today' shot by Mike_G. Yep, been some changes in the last 98 years or so, yes indeed. Hancock StreetLess than a mile west of here, at 98 W. Hancock, my great grandmother had just purchased a four story apartment building on the Wayne State University campus. Isabelle O'Connor Breen owned the apartment building at 98 W. Hancock St., Detroit 48201 circa 1915-1925. She had moved from Emmett, Michigan sometime after her husband, Henry, died in 1905 at the age of 40. Henry died of heat stroke while taking a load of hay to Capac. He leaned over the horses' water to fill his hat and collapsed. "Belle" and Henry had only been married six years and had three children ages 5, 3 and 1. Besides living on a farm in Emmett, she also owned a millinery store in town. She moved to Detroit to educate her children at Wayne State University. When she died at the age of 43 in 1922, she left behind three children--Mary, 22; Helen, 20; and Daniel, 18 (my grandfather)--to manage the apartments. It proved to be too much for them and they sold it (exact year unknown). Both Mary and Helen received degrees from WSU. It is still amazing to me that all of the ephemera received (tax bills, correspondence from attorneys, etc.) after my great-grandmother died is addressed to my grandfather because he was the surviving male in the family. Today, the apartments are rented by students and professionals. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Railroads)
The Clock of Health: 1923
... have a larger view of the posters on the column? I love ephemera like that. [Click to enlarge. - Dave] Thanks! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/21/2012 - 10:01am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Training table, Eastern High School." Our second look at these young ladies. National Photo glass negative. View full size. Poster GirlsCould we please have a larger view of the posters on the column? I love ephemera like that. [Click to enlarge. - Dave] Thanks! My diet is apparently dangerously deficient in things with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Squad Tables Washington Post, December 21, 1924. by Dorothy E. Greene. Well-Trained Staff Directs Activities The staff of the physical education department at Eastern is a group of well trained women who believe that athletics should serve not only their obvious purposes of wholesome recreation but also as a vital and telling force in building toward qualities of character and citizenship, and above all toward sound national health. … All competition at Eastern is intra-mural because it is believed that confining contests to the school reduces to a minimum the dangers resulting from competitive sports. … Eastern has seventeen basketball teams: six freshman, directed by Miss Fosdick, six sophomore, under Miss Woodin, and three junior and two senior teams, coached by Miss Stockett. … An interesting development in the game is the training table which the domestic science department runs in the cafeteria of the school. A model menu and foods barred are posted each day on the board and a hostess presides at each squad table to make suggestions on rules of nutrition. The first look is a long way back in the Shorpy archives at Girls' Training Table: 1923. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Smoke and Hipsters: 1958
... and signs on the wall have been preserved in this photo - ephemera like this is so often lost to history. I especially like the jazz ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/31/2018 - 2:55am -

April 1958. "The 'Beatnik' community of San Francisco's North Beach district, socializing at a local coffee house and bagel shop." (The Co-Existence Bagel Shop at Grant Avenue and Green Street.) Photo by Cal Bernstein for the Look magazine article "The Bored, the Bearded and the Beat." View full size. Oh, what a time.My grandfather had a real estate office 2 or 3 doors down from the Bagel shop at 1356 Grant Ave. I used to visit him often when I was 10 or 11 years old and was absolutely fascinated by the folks who hung out there often there was some guy reciting poetry. There was another joint across the street on the 1300 block of Grant which was popular among the "artsy" crowd in those days, too, but I can't remember its name. It was next door to Figone Hardware. Waiting to be DiscoveredI'm guessing Sidney Poitier and Ali MacGraw. [Sidney was already a star in 1958. But look, there's Ralph Meeker! - Dave] Crazy, manI guess Bagels hanging from the ceiling was a happening thing in these Hipster joints. Rainier AleA.k.a. the Green Death, an old favorite of mine. I haven't been able to find Rainier Ale for the last two years. Originally a Seattle brand, it was last being brewed at the Miller plant in Irwindale, California. Self-Marginalized YouthActually the word Beatnik was a writer's invention that stuck in the public's mind. The disaffected youth and ex-soldiers of the day who felt like outsiders called themselves “hipsters,” or sometimes “beats.” The term “beatnik” wasn’t coined until 1957-8 when a magazine writer came up with the term. He combined “beat” with the Space Age Russian word “Sputnik.” In Europe a similar group of young people were called "young Bohemians." They lolled on the banks of the Seine drinking coffee, eating bread and cheese, reading Marx, living off money from home, waiting for the proletarian revolution to start. Investment in the makingThe posters on this wall would bring a pretty penny on the collector's market nowadays. There's no shortage of well-heeled people with a nostalgic affection for their bohemian and radical youth. Ten years laterTheir male counterparts would have hair as long as the women and you wouldn't see men as nicely groomed as those in this photo. These people would be seen as those who couldn't be trusted as they would be over 30 by then. They are however the vanguard of what came to be known as the New Left. Free coffeeWonderful that the posters and signs on the wall have been preserved in this photo - ephemera like this is so often lost to history. I especially like the jazz concert being held at 1 am on January 1, with free coffee on offer. It just HAD to be there -- the pennant "BE SQUARE," man. Bagels Be GoneSame street corner, then and today. The Co-Existence Bagel Shop has been replaced by Henry's Hunan cuisine restaurant. This neatly reflects the North Beach neighborhood's continuing evolution from Italian-American to artists/Beats/hipsters to Asian-American. I wonder how their kids turned out?Remember, Ned Flanders' parents were beatniks. (Eateries & Bars, LOOK, San Francisco)
Fourth and Main: 1941
... Last peaceful July 4th I love all of the details/ephemera of daily life this picture reveals. The tall lady facing the parade ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/04/2012 - 2:54pm -

July 4, 1941. "Fourth of July parade in Watertown, Wisconsin." 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Free MaterialMy mother made dresses for my sister from feed sack material. I see where some busy woman made dresses for all the women and girls in the family on the left. Then showing at The ClassicWhile the name of the movie theater in the back was The Classic, there was nothing classic about the two films on the marquee that day. "Time Out for Rhythm" was a bad musical with a not-so-bad tangent featuring the Three Stooges. "Adventure in Washington" was an effort to recycle the sets from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," with a poorly-written drama about mischief among Senate page boys. The young star of that film, Gene Reynolds, would go on to write, direct or produce some of the best television episodes, including the first four seasons of M*A*S*H*. The six-time Emmy winner will be 90 years old in April. Still thereThe Woolworth building is still there, although it looks rather less grand today (as the Creative Community Living Services building). The theater next door still seems to be in operation as well: View Larger Map FeedsacksOld feedsacks are an amazing piece of forgotten American folk culture. Feed companies started bagging their products in reusable brightly printed cotton fabric in 1919, and continued into the 1960s. I discovered the wonderful world of feedsack fabric when I made curtains for my art deco era kitchen. A dazzling variety of beautiful patterns were produced over the years. Last peaceful July 4thI love all of the details/ephemera of daily life this picture reveals. The tall lady facing the parade was probably wearing a "maternity dress", judging from the flared jacket she's wearing. Just thinking that some of the older Boy Scouts would probably make it into the war in a few years; hope they made it back. Something familiarStumbling across this picture on Shorpy was a jolt - seeing as I'm currently sitting in my office on the second floor of that Woolworth's building. The theater is indeed still there...all movies are $3. (The Gallery, Boy Scouts, John Vachon, July 4, Patriotic)
Man, I Hope It's Easter
This was in a pile of ephemera I found in the trash in Locust Valley, Long Island, around 1999. This ... 
 
Posted by gimelgort - 02/16/2013 - 11:11am -

This was in a pile of ephemera I found in the trash in Locust Valley, Long Island, around 1999. This photo has always intrigued me, and I thought I'd share it with you. I'd love to know who these kids are. I recognize the big guy, I think. White Rabbit My brother had the same outfit as the little guy on the right and he was born in 1954. Wanna know who the kids are? just ask Alice, I think she'll know. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Woodman Home: 1919
... and places she visited. I bought her scrapbook at an ephemera show in Pasadena, California. Some of the places she visited were ... 
 
Posted by aenthal - 07/01/2016 - 8:58pm -

High school student Christine Bader assembled a photo scrapbook from 1919 through her graduation in 1921. In it she pasted pictures of her friends, family, and places she visited. I bought her scrapbook at an ephemera show in Pasadena, California. Some of the places she visited were sanatoriums (tuberculosis hospitals). Woodman Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado was one of those. She does not say who the four women posed in the gateway were. The hospital was set up by the printer's union to handle both tuberculosis and black lung disease in printers, which was caused when they breathed in the carbon-based inks of the era. View full size. Still thereAmazingly, the Union Printers' Home is still there and functioning as a nursing home, although no longer run by the Union. The grounds and the buildings themselves haven't' changed much. They, like many buildings in the Springs and Denver (including many sidewalks in Denver's older neighborhoods), were built with Lyons sandstone, which was quarried nearby. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Lakeview Florist
... painter's scrapbook that was full of old advertisements, ephemera, etc. Numerous documents point to this man working in Lexington, ... 
 
Posted by ggodby - 12/24/2010 - 1:21pm -

This photo came from a sign painter's scrapbook that was full of old advertisements, ephemera, etc. Numerous documents point to this man working in Lexington, Kentucky, where I believe this image was taken. It is obvious that the script lettering was gold leaf with a possible matte varnish center decoration. Inscription on the bottom of the florist sign reads, "L. H. Ramsey," which from his collection of letterheads put them at 12 North Limestone St. in Lexington. The phone number was 212. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Ted and Byrons
This is a photo found in a collection of old ephemera and odds and ends. On the back of the picture it's listed as Byron Sr. ... 
 
Posted by mhallack - 10/05/2009 - 12:55pm -

This is a photo found in a collection of old ephemera and odds and ends. On the back of the picture it's listed as Byron Sr. (on right) Byron Jr. (on left) and Ted (in middle). I have no idea who they could really be, no reference to them with the stuff I found. The picture looks like it's taken in the 20's. Hey at least they will forever be remembered on the internet at Shorpy. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Homecoming
... during those school years. I purchased her album at an ephemera swap meet. Based on the position of this photo, labeled "Homecoming" ... 
 
Posted by aenthal - 10/10/2014 - 7:32pm -

A teenaged Christine E. Bader graduated Vermont Community High School on June 3, 1921 and created a photo album of her life during those school years. I purchased her album at an ephemera swap meet. Based on the position of this photo, labeled "Homecoming" in the album, I am guessing it was taken in 1918 or 1919. Among the apparent attractions of the event was one of those newfangled flying machines. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Mother, circa 1921
... during those school years. I purchased her album at an ephemera swap meet. This photo is "Mother," and on the back is written: "The ... 
 
Posted by aenthal - 10/10/2014 - 7:32pm -

A teenaged Christine E. Bader graduated Vermont Community High School on June 3, 1921 and created a photo album of her life during those school years. I purchased her album at an ephemera swap meet. This photo is "Mother," and on the back is written: "The other pictures weren't any good we took of you + Jane the day she was operated on." Whether the younger sister is Jane, or if Jane is not in the picture, I do not know. But I do know there are some great cars driving on the street where this photo was taken. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Put Your Best Foot Forward
... during the years 1918-1921. I bought the album at an ephemera meet in Pasadena California. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, ... 
 
Posted by aenthal - 06/20/2014 - 7:49pm -

A bizarre alternative to the "all stand against a wall while I shoot you" approach to taking a group photograph. While the guys are all stretched out on the lawn, the gals seem to be huddled together in the background for their own activity. This is from a photo album put together by a high school teenager during the years 1918-1921. I bought the album at an ephemera meet in Pasadena California. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Armistice Day 1918
... 11, 1918. From a 1918-1921 photo album I found at an ephemera swap meet. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery) ... 
 
Posted by aenthal - 06/20/2014 - 7:47pm -

A patriotic family decorated their car for Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. From a 1918-1921 photo album I found at an ephemera swap meet. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Tyke with Trike
... only see an edge of. From a photo album I purchased at an ephemera swap meet. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery) ... 
 
Posted by aenthal - 06/20/2014 - 7:46pm -

Toddler poses to have a picture taken with his very neat tricycle. Year is approximately 1919. Back of photo says his name is Richey, though whether that is his first or last name is unknown because the picture is cut in half and there is a word above Richey one can only see an edge of. From a photo album I purchased at an ephemera swap meet. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
WELCOME: 1905
... insurance society. That logo is a very familiar one on ephemera and can still be found on certain surviving building exteriors. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/21/2015 - 8:15am -

        Bonus points to the first person who can tell us the meaning of the tent-globe. (UPDATE: Commenter KAP was first to identify the emblem as belonging to the Knights of the Maccabees.) Circa 1905. "Petoskey, Michigan -- Lake Street." Rolling out the Welcome Arch. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Wescott, on the other hand ...Wescott appears to be a veteran of the US Army 7th Corps during the Civil War, I believe, and uses that emblem to advertise his business. Knights of the Modern MaccabeesThe tent is the symbol of the Knights of the Modern Maccabees. This picture was of the September 1905 annual meeting for the Northern Michigan Modern Maccabee association, which was originally scheduled for August. The following year the City of Cadillac played host. From the September 9, 1905, issue of the Traverse City Daily Eagle: The crowd which celebrated Maccabee day at Petoskey yesterday, was one of the largest crowds ever assembled in Northern Michigan and the success of the day's events was a source of credit and gratification to the resort city. The parade held on September 8 was over a half-a-mile long and featured 8 bands. The band from Cadillac City took First Class honors, while the Traverse City band took Second. But then, only those two bands chose to enter the contest. Petoskey was home to Tent No. 223, Knights of the Modern Maccabees, and Hive No. 61, Ladies of the Modern Maccabees. The Stars My Camp, The Gods My LightThe tent on the globe emblem appears to belong to the Knights of the Maccabees, whose motto was ASTRA CASTRA NUMEN LUMEN, translated above. Wireless UpgradeOther than that, and some of that newfangled asphalt road surfacing, all the charm has been well preserved: View Larger Map Ladies Lunchroom?Not the chalkboard outside the "Ladies Lunchroom" on the right hand sidewalk. Was it normal in the old days for lunchrooms to be separated by gender? If so, why? (smoking? floor shows? games of chance?) [All of those and then some. It was to distinguish such establishments from the typical barroom/cafe catering to a male clientele, to assure a respectable woman that she could patronize without fear for her person or reputation. -tterrace] The Civil War, in recent memoryVexman's comment about Wescott made me realize that for the folks in the picture, it had been only 40 years and 5 months since the end of the Civil War. That's nearly the same as the gap between today and the end of the Vietnam War (39 years, 10 months) -- an event that for many (most?) of us who are of a certain age, still lives vividly in our memories. No Knock On Bruce Catton, but ......another rather well known author by the name of Hemingway spent the first 22 summers of his life in and around Petoskey. The local museum has a nice exhibit, the annual Michigan Hemingway Days are held nearby and if you've read The Torrents of Spring, you've read about Petoskey; the story and locales are based on the town. Despite the horse leftovers and the wires, I can still see why Ernest rather liked the place. Knights of the MaccabeesState organizations were called "camps," i.e., the Michigan Camp. Local groups were "Subordinate Tents." The national level was the "Supreme Camp." [Excellent work! Below: cigar-box art. - Dave] Pitching a tentThe tent and globe is the symbol of the Knights of the Maccabees. A convention of theirs must have taken place in this location. Knights of the Maccabees was a fraternal organization formed in 1878 in London, Ontario, Canada by members of the Order of the Foresters. Most active in the U.S. state of Michigan, the group's fraternal aspects took a backseat to providing low-cost insurance to members. In the society's early years it also provided other final-expense related benefits such as society cemeteries. My kind of place.Thousands of wires obscuring the sky and horse manure from curb to curb. Good old days? Not always. Easy OneI wish all mysteries were so simple. This is likely a gathering of the Knights of the Maccabees, a fraternal society restricted to whites males (with a women's auxiliary) that was big around the turn of the last century but especially here in Michigan. There main focus was less on ceremonial rites and more on being a mutually benevolent insurance society. That logo is a very familiar one on ephemera and can still be found on certain surviving building exteriors. K.O.T.M.That banner would be in honor of the "Knights of the Maccabees" -- a nearly forgotten fraternal organization. I guess they were in town for a convention. Civil War historianBruce Catton (1899-1978) was born in Petoskey. He wrote an excellent autobiography called "Waiting for the Morning Train" about his early years growing up in the area. New and used copies are available online. (The Gallery, DPC, Petoskey, Stores & Markets)
Too Much Fun: 1905
... Manbeck. He complied a vast collection of Coney Island ephemera that has since been donated to the Brooklyn College Library. On his ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:49pm -

New York circa 1905. "Dreamland Park at Coney Island." Among the amusements to be sampled: An observation tower, the Bostock trained animal show, a Baltimore Fire cyclorama, the General Bumps ride, a miniature railway, Will Conklin's Illusions, the Temple of Mirth and Hooligan's Dream. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Oil burnersThese were oil burning steam locomotives. The Miniature Railroad was built by the Cagney Brothers in 1904 to replace an earlier version that was lost in a November, 1903 fire. It made a circuit of the park running underneath the promenade. The locomotives, which could pull three of the two-passenger cars, were built by the Cagney Brothers' Miniature Railway Company in New York. Their ad below is from the February 7, 1903 issue of The Billboard. An earlier Shorpy post with a closeup of one of the locomotives has more information here, and a 1903 Edison silent movie of Coney Island before the fire (found here) shows the train emerging out from under the promenade at the 7:44 minute mark. You Can't Miss MeI'll be the one wearing a mustache a hat and a dark suit. The cops must have had an awful time with witness descriptions of the perps back then. Where to look first?There are so many wonderful aspects to this picture, I hardly know what to take in first. I love the "Temple of Mirth" (Can you imagine "mirth" being used on a ride today? How many folks even know what it means anymore?) I also love the "Hooligan's Dream" (but ditto on the meaning being mostly lost on 21st century folk). What REALLY intrigues me however, is what the people in the forefront are looking at instead of the elephants right behind them, which I would be fascinated by. Surely elephants weren't a commonplace sight. [Happy Hooligan, whose image is in the circle on the sign, was an extremely popular comic strip character of the time. - tterrace] Soon to be gone - againDreamland was rebuilt in early 1904 after a disastrous fire destroyed it in November, 1903. Six years after this picture was taken this scene was again destroyed by fire. It made news even in far away Australia where, two days later, the tragedy was reported by The Argus newspaper. FIRE AT CONEY ISLAND. AMUSEMENT PALACE DESTROYED. DAMAGE 3,000,000 DOLLARS. NEW YORK, May 27. A destructive fire occurred yesterday at Dreamland, one of the great amusement resorts at Coney Island, New York. The damage is estimated at 3,000,000 dol. The menagerie was destroyed, 50 wild animals being cremated. The adjoining place of entertainment, Luna park, was saved. [Dreamland and Luna Park practically constitute Coney Island, which is the greatest resort of its kind in the world. The resources of inventors are taxed to provide new thrills, with the result that each season finds some ingenious novelty installed for the New York clerk and shop-girl. Dreamland contains dozens of forms of entertainment. The visitor may travel by captive airship, or glide at fearful speed down the chute, through a cascade of real water. He may "loop the loop" in a car, or travel in a small chariot over an undulating sea of metal, the waves of which are caused by machinery below. The "Rocky Road to Dublin, " a fearful switchback apparatus, and "General Bumps," involving a hazardous slide down a polished wooden surface, are among the joys of the place; while those who desire to visit other lands may take a trip to the North Pole or the wilds of Central Africa with equal ease and cheapness.] A more complete newspaper story with pictures of the aftermath can be found here, and a few more pictures can be seen here and here. The steam locomotivehas been hooked up to some pretty fancy oversized cars, and can you believe observing HYENAS for 25 cents, forget lions and panthers, they've got HYENAS ! Bostock's Wild Animal Exhibition Broadway Magazine, April 1905. Although Coney Island has improved greatly in the character of its shows within the last few years, the same atmosphere of careless holiday-making prevails, and you always have a feeling of jolly irresponsibility as you go from one place of amusement to another. Bostock's wild animal exhibition in “Dreamland,” is again a prominent feature of the summer. The animals are interesting, whether in their dens or in the arena, while the trainers who put the savage creatures through performances in the large steel cage are as impressive as ever. There was one act I saw at Bostock's lately which struck me as particularly good. A young lady in short skirts, who was announced as “La Belle Selika,” skipped into the cage with seven—I think it was seven—lionesses. She made them get up, reluctantly, upon pedestals in different parts of the cage. Then, as the orchestra struck up the music of the “Pretty Maidens,” in “Florodora,” she danced, teasing the animals by pointing her slippers at them one after another, and retreating just far enough to escape the angry paws darted at her each time. They seemed eager to tear her to pieces. She pirouetted about the creatures, always close to them, but just far enough away to avoid being clawed, until at last she struck an attitude immediately in front of the most savage of her pets and smiled in response to the applause, while the lioness growled. It was decidedly the prettiest act I ever saw in connection with trained wild animals, and it looked fearfully dangerous, whether it was so actually or not Live Steam?I would assume that that little locomotive was actually a steam powered kerosene burner... does anyone know? UPDATE: The kerosene assumption was (wrongly) made because I couldn't imagine firing a firebox that small with coal to maintain a working head of steam - Ausonius. Pigmy Locomotive While the Cagney Bros. operated many miniature railway concessions, the actual builder of this engine was the McGarigle Machine Co, of Niagara Falls, NY. Tobbacconist, is there something in the photo that indicates oil as the fuel source? The following article states the originals were built with a 10 inch firebox burning anthracite. I think this engine is coal fired. In 1905, coal was still a widely available and familiar fuel. Also, the trousers on the engineer appear rather well coated in coal dust. [Additional information and photos.] The Railway Age, July 1, 1898. A Pigmy Locomotive. What is claimed to be the smallest locomotive ever made for drawing passenger cars has been made for the Miniature Railroad company by Thomas E. McGarigle of Niagara Falls. This steam railroad is to be operated at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha, Neb., and, in all, six locomotives are to be built for the company under the present contract. It is possible they will be used at other resorts, such as Coney Island, Atlantic City, Deal Beach, Washington Heights and Niagara Falls. … The height of the locomotive from the top of the stack to the rail is 25 inches, and the gauge is 12½ inches. The cylinders are 2x4 inches. The boiler is 1½ horse power, made of steel, and is tested to 300 pounds pressure, and will hold 24 gallons of water. … The firebox is 10 by 10 inches. The weight of this little engine is about 600 pounds, and it will run on a rail three-quarters of an inch square. Hard coal will be used as fuel. The capacity of the locomotive is 10 cars, each containing two persons, or about 4,000 pounds. The locomotive is equipped with sandbox, bell, etc., and has a steam brake between the drivers. One man, whose position will be on a seat in the tender, operates the engine. The scale on which the locomotive was built is about one-seventh that of one of the New York Central's largest engines, and as it stands in the shop it has a very businesslike appearance, as shown by the illustration. Live Steam Model FuelsThere`s no guarantee or requirement that this locomotive is oil fueled. Even today Live Steam enthusiasts operating large scale locomotives are running with a variety of fuels. Propane is popular as is oil or kerosene. However coal is still the most popular fuel for ridable trains like this and can be used at gauges as small as 1.26 inches. So unless there were other considerations, like local laws, there`s a high likelihood that this engine was coal fired. All in the FamilyYes, a great number of the 'Cagneys' (as they were known) were built in the Niagara shop of Thomas and Peter McGarigle; however, since their sister Winifred married Timothy Cagney, it was considered to be all in the family. Peter—an engineer—was mostly likely the one who designed the first of the miniature locomotives, ostensibly in 1885. In the early 1890s Timothy and his brothers David and John, were running a ticket brokerage company known as Cagney Bros. in New York, but by 1898 decided to fully concentrate on marketing the McGarigle locomotives and so incorporated The Miniature Railway Company, of Jersey City. For years the two businesses were nearly indistinguishable from one another, and were in fact interchangeable as far as miniature railways were concerned, as they worked together on various projects. In 1903 the Cagney Bros. Co. was ensconced in the Planter's Hotel in St. Louis—there to build the eight mile miniature railroad that would run through the grounds of the St. Louis Purchase Exposition (the 1904 World's Fair). Timothy Cagney was listed as President, and Peter McGarigle as Chief Engineer. While the Cagney Brothers' Miniature Railway Company was selling the vast majority of the McGarigle railroad oriented output, the Niagara firm was still peddling their own product as late as 1915 when they made a proposition to the City of San Francisco to operate a miniature railway in the park. By the 1920s however, the Cagney Bros. had absorbed the miniature railway portion of the McGarigle Machine Company, and McGarigle's—once also known for their gasoline marine engines—appears to have been reduced to being an automotive machine shop. The locomotive building operation was now referred to as "the Cagney Brothers' Amusement Company Niagara Falls plant." By the 1940s the late Timothy Cagney—and not Peter McGarigle—was being given credit as the inventor. According to one report, two of Cagney's "best known installations were two gold-plated trains with steam locomotives built for the King of Siam, and the 'Trip Around the World' exhibit at the New York World's Fair of 1939 and 1940." As for the oil burner reference, it's from a list of Coney Island rides and shows complied by Kingsborough Community College Professor Emeritus (and former Brooklyn Borough Historian, director and archivist) John Manbeck. He complied a vast collection of Coney Island ephemera that has since been donated to the Brooklyn College Library. On his list of rides and shows is this entry: A Miniature Railroad built by the Cagney Brothers made a circuit of park beneath the promenade. Each of its three small cars, pulled by a small oil-burning steam locomotive, held two passengers. I do not know what his original source was (but I'll try to find out); however, while the vast majority of the McGarigle/Cagney locomotives were coal-fired, it makes sense that these would be oil-fired as it would have virtually eliminated the fear of sparks from the smoke stack—especially so soon after the disastrous 1903 fire. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Railroads)
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.