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Bambi and the Cadillac: 1961
... this slide just last week in a Kodak Carousel box labeled "Hunting." View full size. Nice Mad Men outfits. People even dressed nicely to go Hunting back then! Cross Creek I s'pose it isn't, but that house sho'nuf ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/06/2012 - 4:00pm -

Somewhere in South Florida. "Marvin, Goble & deer. December 1961." My dad on the left and Mom in the car. 35mm Kodachrome by Aunt Marty. I found this slide just last week in a Kodak Carousel box labeled "Hunting." View full size. Nice Mad Men outfits.People even dressed nicely to go Hunting back then! Cross CreekI s'pose it isn't, but that house sho'nuf looks like the old Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings place on Cross Creek. I guess those fellers got the yearling! GrotesqueSmiles and gore. God Bless America! Florida ChevyCadillacs were very popular in Florida (50's 60's) for many reasons, but most of all because they came standard with A/C. Hence, they were commonly called "Florida Chevys." [Air conditioning was not standard in Cadillacs. -Dave] Caddyshack hatI'm reminded of Rodney Dangerfield's line from Caddyshack: "With a hat like that, you probably get a free bowl of soup. Oh, but it looks good on you." I'd be embarrassedThere ain't enough deer meat there for a proper lunch. Florida tagsThe old Florida tags had a number followed by the weight class of the vehicle. This Cadillac has a 1 followed by WW, which means that it was registered in Dade County (Miami) and the WW was for a large car that you see here. All 67 counties in Florida had a number prefix based on the population of that county sometime in the late 1930's, I believe. Examples are, Jacksonville (Duval County) had a 2, Tampa (Hillsborough) a 3 and so on. The practice was discontinued in the 1970s, I think. That's a deer?We have fawns in North Missouri that are bigger than this thing. How could they?Was that Rudolph? And did they eat him for Christmas dinner (as this was December)? Oh DearMaybe they hit the deer on their Sunday drive. The woman in the car seems to be ready to go. Channeling GonzoDave, the surreal qualities of this photo bring Hunter S. Thompson to mind. Fabulous picture. So rich, especially with your mother's body language. [I suspect varying degrees of mortification all around except for my dad. (The deer of course being maximally mortified.) - Dave] Key Deer?Is the location far enough South in Florida to be in the Florida Keys, where they have miniature Key Deer? Forlorn Florida FawnFor transporting that teensy sized deer, a Corvair would have worked as well. Very Cool!Dave, your dad looks like a very cool guy and an interesting character. Wish we could see your mom. [Mom is here. -Dave] Re: Key Deer?From the size of it, my first instinct was that it was a Key Deer, too. Key Deer generally don't get much bigger than a large dog-- 75 lbs. at the most. However, because Key Deer are an endangered species, hunting of Key Deer became prohibited in 1939, and a refuge was established for them in 1957. Most likely, this is a small Florida Whitetail, or maybe even a crossbreed of a Florida Whitetail and a Key Deer that had wandered north looking for fresh water. Cat-deer?I have a cat that isn't a whole lot smaller than that poor little deer! RE: Key DeerI would hope it's not a Key Deer, though it is the right size. Hunting Key Deer has been banned continiously since 1939 and the population dropped to near extinction in the mid-'50s. Conservation efforts have worked to bring the population up a bit, from a low of around 25 to something in the mid 100s. They are still very Endangered. Vanishing TailfinsThe size of Cadillac tailfins began to diminish starting in 1960. By 1965 Cadillac tailfins were completely gone on all models except the Fleetwood Seventy-Five Sedan and Limousine, but even these models would have the fins truncated for 1966. The tall narrow taillights, even seen on Cadillacs today, still hint of the heights they once reached. The car pictured is a 1961 Cadillac Six Window Sedan de Ville. There was also a Four Window Sedan version that had a wrap-around rear window. The upholstery for each Cadillac model was different, so the open door on the drivers side, along with the number of side windows and type of rear window, helps to determine the exact model. Prices for 1961 Cadillacs ranged from $4,892 for a Series 62 Coupe to $9,748 for a Fleetwood 75 Limousine. Prices for 1961 Chevrolets were from $2,230 to $3,099. Florida started using County Codes in 1938 on license plates, and in 1942 the state began using the "WW" code on license plates to indicate a passenger vehicle that weighed more than 4,500 pounds. The County Code system lasted through 1977. The 1961 Cadillacs ranged in weight from 4,560 to 5,420 pounds. The six- and four-window versions of the Sedan de Ville are shown below. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
A Big Load: 1890s
... Pines Logging Museum Very cool I own my family hunting land and it is located in the northern section of the lower peninsula ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 10:08am -

Michigan circa 1890s. "Logging a big load." Continuing our Michigan travelog. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. IncredibleThis picture blows my mind. On the one hand, my first inclination is to call it a gag photo. But there it is -- before the days of Photoshop. On the other hand I am left to wonder: How can two horses pull such an enormous load -- on sled runners no less, in snow-covered dirt? All the lumberjacks present suggest we are at the forest, not the mill. How long is the horse-pull to the mill? How were the logs piled so high? I take it there was a steam derrick somewhere abouts. etc. etc. People want to know, Dave. Can't resistThose lumberjacks sure have a lot of wood. Hardly toothpicksHope that load didn't become firewood. Can't tell the species from the bark, but that's marvelous timber -- straight, free of limbs (and, thereby, knots and/or crotch wood) -- and some of the logs must be approaching 3 feet across. I see lots of furniture there. I'm SpeechlessThese guys are nuts! 2 HPI'm surprised that kind of load can be pulled by only two horses. Hope they don't have to pull it uphill. PuzzledHow the heck did they stack those logs that high? How the heck do just two horses pull that load? Regardless, pretty darned impressive. Special ShoesThe horses were generally shod with special "clawed" shoes--sort of studded tires of the day. This gave them extra grip in the ice and snow. Also, it would be easier to drag this over the ice (once it was moving)than over dirt roads. I am a native Oregonian and remember seeing trees like this going through the small towns of my childhood on the back log log trucks. Maybe the Run is Downhill?But surely even these brawny experts didn't saw the logs so neatly by hand, so there must be a steam-driven saw and crane nearby. [The trees were felled and sectioned by hand. - Dave] Double DutyFrom the photo below it appears that the horses not only had to pull the sled, but they had to help load it too. It's a livingAren't you glad you're not a horse? Timber SledsHere are a couple photos I used in our project about Michigan White Pine Lumbering in the mid 1800's. Logging in Upper MichiganThe sleds were pulled on ice roads made by spraying the trails with water. The drivers had to be especially careful going down a grade as the load could overrun the horses. If they had an uphill grade they would add a couple helper horses. Another problem was crossing lakes, if the sled fell through the ice it could pull the horses in. These sleds were a big reason why logging was done in the winter in upper Michigan. "Life in a Logging Camp"There's an interesting illustrated account of white pine logging in Michigan in the June 1893 issue of Scribner's magazine. It describes a load of logs "18 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 33 feet 3 inches from the top to the roadbed, weighing over 100 tons ... hauled by a single team" over the specially prepared ice covered roads, and says it "will be placed on the grounds of the Columbian Exposition as one of the wonders of the world." A book on the era The book "White Pine Days on the Tahquamenon" is a good read on the Michigan logging days. WowCan you imagine what the forests looked like with all the trees that size? Pulling PowerTwo impressive draft horses there. Lumber SealerMy great-grandfather, Albert Schuitema, was a lumber sealer in the early 1900's. Maybe he worked in the vicinity of these pictures. Can anyone tell me what a lumber sealer did? Down to the RiverThe horses did not pull the sled to the mill. Trees were cut in the winter only and the horses pulled the sled on a pre-iced trail to a river. The logs were put into the river in the spring and floated to a sawmill. The lumberjacks made a water corral out of some of the logs by chaining them together end to end. The bulk of the logs were put inside the corral. Steam tugboats pulled the log corrals out into the great lakes and to the sawmills on the main inland rivers. The Tugboats waited in an area where the logs would appear just like a taxi waits for a rider. This was a seasonal business for the lumberjacks. Winter and spring only. The Forest TodayThere is still a large piece of virgin forest left in Michigan's U.P., it is called the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park. The park sits along the shore of Lake Superior and is about 70,000 acres. This forest holds the largest stand of unharvested old growth forest east of the Mississippi River. Hike into the interior trails and experience "what it was like" before the upper Midwest was logged. The white pine and hemlock trees are huge, the air is cool and pure, and the silence of the forest is deafening! Total respectAfter a week of felling and logging up 16 large oaks with the help of two Sthil chainsaws and a powerful quad and trailer I have nothing but respect for those loggers of the past. THEY had it tough! Lumber sealerA lumber sealer was the fellow who would mark the ends of the lumber with the "seal" of the company who was doing the logging. Remember, this was when logs were driven to the mill down river, the same river that every other logging company used. Marking or "sealing" was a way of identifying your logs from those of other companies at the mill, it's simular to branding cattle. Shorpy U Rides Again!Once again, I learn more here than I did from living a few years in WA (logging territory) or from even more years in college! Love the bit about the sealer... Thanks, guys and gals! 1893 World's Fair LoadThis load of white pine was cut on the Nestor Estate near Ewen, Michigan, in Ontonagon County in the Upper Peninsula. It was a world's record load of more than 36,000 board-feet of lumber. The two horses did indeed pull the load approximately a quarter of a mile. It was then loaded onto railcars, along with the sled, and sent to Chicago. The load was reloaded as part of the Michigan Lumber exhibit at the 1893 Columbia Exposition. -- Hartwick Pines Logging Museum Very coolI own my family hunting land and it is located in the northern section of the lower peninsula of Michigan. I think this photo is amazing! All Michigan antique photos mean something to me because my family first settled in MI in 1883 (from Oklahoma on horse carriage) (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, Mining)
Sportsmen's Tavern: 1940
... to do with voting/election day perhaps? [It's a hunting permit. The campaign button is on his shirt. - Dave] Put that in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/12/2019 - 10:39am -

November 1940. "Having a beer in 'Art's Sportsmen's Tavern' on a rainy day in Colchester, Connecticut." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Who's in retreat?Maybe our history buffs can tell us who is retreating in Athens in November of 1940. Can't read the first word in the Daily News headline. [ITALIANS. - Dave] Windows to the PastI found this site comparing past images of Art's with modern views. In the Google Street View it appears to be a pub: Dude on the left with Jimmy Durante appendage.I'll just bet he honks a symphony whiles he's sleeping. Election Day?Any ideas on the button the gentlemen man on the left is wearing on his trousers? Something to do with voting/election day perhaps? [It's a hunting permit. The campaign button is on his shirt. - Dave] Put that in your pipe and smoke itAnyone that young smoking a pipe today certainly wouldn't have tobacco in it. Greco-Italian WarThe Greco-Italian War of 1940 was a part of World War II. Fascist Italy invaded Greece from Albania on October 28, 1940. They were repulsed by the Greek Army back beyond the border at some places by November 5. The Italians never got as far as Athens. I think that's where the news was coming from: the Greek command HQ. Human felicity"There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn." --Samuel Johnson Which is even truer on a rainy winter's day. I'll be there in a bitJust let me lace up my boots. Shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. Arthur Charles Zupnik (1909-1999)Owner (for twenty years) of Art's Sportsmen's Tavern, Justice of the Peace, and charter member of the Colchester Fishing Club. https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1999-01-27-9901270586-st... I want to be thereSomething about this photo really pulls at me. I want to sit with these guys and just listen to the conversation. I also want a pair of boots like that young man has. Election DayCampaign button looks more like Wendell Willkie than FDR - certainly not WC Fields! [It's FDR. - Dave] (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano)
Mr. Magazine: 1908
... About that Argosy It's the July 1908 edition. What fun hunting this stuff up! Cover Boy While the individual covers of Sporting ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 3:46pm -

1908. "Smallest news & post card stand in New Orleans, 103 Royal Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Next doorI see cabbages, bananas, oranges, apples, peaches, walnuts, and ... waffles? Re: BlueBookAnother bid for one of each! From Antiques Roadshow archive: APPRAISER: "This is one of the later ones-- there's no date here, I think this was done about 1915, 1916 or 1917.the last copy I was able to track down at auction, sold for more than $2,000, some years ago. GUEST: Wow. APPRAISER: My guess on this is it's worth somewhere between $3,500 and $4,500. GUEST: My goodness. APPRAISER: Not bad for something you picked from the garbage, right? Magazines and NewspapersI'll say what we're all probably thinking: I'll take one of everything on your stand, sir. Hey, there's a magazine for everybody. The Information HighwayBefore the internet was invented. Sagebrush Philosopher"Sagebrush Philosophy" was published by the Wyoming writer Bill Barlow: Shortly after locating at Douglas he began the publication of a little monthly magazine called Sagebrush Philosophy, which soon had a circulation that extended to all parts of the Union. His writings scintillated with wit, philosophy and optimism, and his vocabulary was both extensive and unique. Sagebrush Philosophy was built up on his personality and when his death occurred on October 9, 1910, it was realized that no one could continue the publication of the magazine, so its last number was issued in November following his death. The JewelThis photo has a great example of an Etched - Glue Chipped Glass doorway on the right. I would lay money down and say that the gilded wood letters (on the upper left & above clerk) are most likely manufactured by the Spanjer Bros. This photo would look great in color with all those magazine covers too. Dietz Sign Co.Saw that at the top of the picture. Googled it. Got as far as this page. Dietz Lantern Company. Read through it, you'll see mentions of places and things seen on Shorpy. I will start a-looking. The Big QuestionHow did he get IN there? ThurberesqueShe came naturally by her confused and groundless fears, for her own mother lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house. It leaked, she contended, out of empty sockets if the wall switch had been left on. She would go around screwing in bulbs, and if they lighted up she would hastily and fearfully turn off the wall switch and go back to her Pearson's or Everybody's, happy in the satisfaction that she had stopped not only a costly but a dangerous leakage. Nothing could ever clear this up for her. -- James Thurber ("The Car We Had to Push") No Business Like ItPublications suspended under the ledge, below the proprietor, are The Dramatic Mirror, Billboard, Variety and Show World. Someone once said that everybody's second business was show business. Looking at these magazines for sale in 1908 New Orleans sort of reinforces that theory. Gimme the lot!I'd buy the whole lot. Can you imagine what all those are worth today? It looks like this may have been a cafe entrance once. June 1908The Saturday Evening Post in the lower right corner was dated 13 June 1908. I did a quick search online and voila, now I have that warm, fuzzy feeling one can get from a successful treasure hunt. Thank you, Shorpy, for the thrill of the hunt. My Order"Hey buddy, I'll take a bunch of bananas, two pineapples, some mixed nuts, five melons and a dozen postcards. By the way, do you have July's edition of The Railroad Man's Magazine?" Ex-PresidentGrover Cleveland--definitely him--has been out of office for nearly ten years. Why is he gracing the cover of the Chicago Tribune? [His uncanny impersonation of William Howard Taft. - Dave] Naughty BitsInteresting to note that on the bottom row is the notorious "Blue Book," the guide to houses of ill repute in Storyville, the area of New Orleans where prostitution was legal until WWI. Just CuriousHow did they close up shop for the night? It looks like this is right on the sidewalk. I can see that some of the display looks like it might swing into the opening where the proprietor is standing but it still looks like there's a lot of effort to open and close for the day. Tag SuggestionCould you also tag this and future images like it with "Postcards"? Images like this that depict the retailing of postcards are incredibly rare and of great importance to we deltiologists. Thank you. Taft of Ohio, Not ClevelandThe Chicago Tribune cover is graced by the future president, William Howard Taft. He was the Republican candidate in 1908. [I think you're right. At first I thought it was Cleveland, who had died on June 24, but this does look more like Taft. Especially the ear. - Dave] Oh yes, we have bananas!Didn't say they were fresh, just said we had them. For everybody, indeedCowboy Bill is surely referring to this. 1908.It took me a while, but here is the evidence. First, "The Railroad Man's Magazine" on the bottom cannot be from 1906, because it wasn't published until October of that year. I then found the cover for Collier's Magazine from June of 1908. Finally, there is an advertisement on the bottom left for the 1908 World Almanac! [I misread the date on the cover of the 10 Cent Story Book last night when I posted this, thinking the 8 was a 6. Thanks to all who set me straight! - Dave] Hardly Naughty The Blue Book Magazine displayed on the bottom row is not the notorious Blue Book guide to "sporting houses." It's a copy of a legit magazine that was published until 1975 featuring fiction by writers like Agatha Christie, Booth Tarkington, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. [This particular magazine, Stageland Blue Book, was a theatrical publication. - Dave] Re: Naughty BitsThe Blue Book would not have been sold openly at a newsstand. It was also very plain in appearance. Sugared SnacksThe stacked, flat items in the case on the far left could be beignets, the Official State Doughnut of Louisana, but more likely are New Orleans-style Pralines. Clean 'em outAccording to my rough count, there are about 100 different postcards on display. Figuring 10 of each at 15 cents per dozen, one could have the entire stock for just over $12. Great magazines, buttucked in among the postcards is a very interesting, small publication: Sagebrush Philosophy. It wasn't the magazine for everybody, but that's what made it so special. MoneyTime travel to this place in order to buy these itmes would be very interesting, just don't forget to first get into your family's coin collection and grab some Barber dimes and quarters, Liberty nickels, and Indian Head pennies. You show this guy dead president coins and bills and he'll have you hauled away by the police. Another ClueChecked one more thing on why that is probably Taft on the Chicago Tribune cover. The Republican convention that nominated him was held in Chicago from June 16 to June 19, 1908 which would coincide with the time frame here. It is interesting, however, that Grover Cleveland died June 24, 1908. Please note that the Tribune was a very Republican leaning newspaper in those days, so it's more likely they would feature the new Republican nominee that the recently departed former Democratic president. Dangerous leakagesWe can laugh at it now, of course, bit it was common during the early years of electricity for people to believe that electrical sockets "leaked electricity" if they didn't have something plugged or screwed in. Many families have stories of people insisting on removing the plugs or bulbs and putting in stoppers at night. People even complained of smelling the electrical "vapours" coming from the sockets. Closing up shopRegarding how they closed up shop at night. The middle section above the hatch flips down. The two shutters on either side close inwards. The magazines below are simply unclipped and taken indoors. Sidewalk CafeLOVE the tile sidewalk sign for the Jewel Cafe. It's the same type that some streets still have that say Rue Royale or Rue Bourbon. Very cool. Then and NowThis photo is featured in the 1996 book "New Orleans - Then and Now." In 1996, there's also a newsstand, just to the right of this one. In addition, I found a vintage postcard (postmarked June 1908) that shows this same newsstand. So it's a postcard of a postcard stand. (I know there's a name for things like this, but my coffee hasn't kicked in yet.) Speaking of post cards within postcardsWonder if any of the pictures featured on those postcards ever appeared on Shorpy? Now there's a heck of a scavenger hunt for you. Politically Incorrect Period HumorLook inside the kiosk to the left of the proprietor and you'll notice section of postcards devoted to those comical darkies and their antics. Very popular at the time, and very collectible now despite (or perhaps because of?) the transgressive stigma of racism. Now I understandI always wondered why they called it the Kelley Blue Book. Now I get it. It lets you know how the car dealer is going to #@$% you on the value of your car. Learn something every day on Shorpy. Cornucopia--The younger man on the right has the look of one not to be trifled with; --The cafe doors are almost identical to the doors on the front of Antoine's Restaurant; --I wonder who the ball player is on the front page of the Sporting News. Walter Johnson? Ty Cobb? Honus Wagner? --Among the many old framed articles and pictures on the walls of the main dining room at Antoine's there is a lengthy one about W.H. Taft and his eating exploits at the restaurant during a trip to New Orleans. Marvelling at his stature as a "trencherman," the writer tells that Taft had a great love of boiled shrimp but didn't like to have to peel them. Taft claimed there was no serving of boiled shrimp so large he couldn't finish it. In an attempt to test this claim, Jules Alciatore (the proprietor at the time) had 50 pounds of shrimp delivered the morning before Taft was to dine there. They boiled them and he and his staff peeled them all, yielding a seving bowl with 7 1/2 lbs. of shrimp meat. According to the article, Taft finished them all but was so surfeited that he could barely speak afterwards! --The items in the case look too big, flat, and uniform to be either beignets or pralines, but I'm not sure what else they would have been. They certainly do look like waffles, which would have kept all day in the case I suppose. About that ArgosyIt's the July 1908 edition. What fun hunting this stuff up! Cover BoyWhile the individual covers of Sporting News are not readily available, issues of Sporting Life can be easily found. The photo shows the June 13, 1908 issue of Sporting Life with Edward Siever of the Detroit Tigers on the cover. Five days after this was published Siever played his last major league baseball game although he played another two years in the minors. Less than a year earlier he had been in the 1907 World Series. A copy of the front of this issue of Sporting Life, along with the caption that goes with Siever's photo, is shown below. Note that most sources state he was born in Kansas in 1875 (not Illinois in 1878). He died in 1920 while coming home from his job as an inspector for the City of Detroit. "EDWARD SIEVER. Pitcher of the Detroit American League Club. Edward Siever, the noted south-paw pitcher for the Detroit American Club, was born April 2, 1878, at Lewistown, Ill. Siever was originally a locomotive fireman of the Grand Trunk. He made his professional debut with the London Club, of the Canadian League, in 1899, which, largely owing to Siever's fine pitching, won the championship. He was sold to the Detroit Club the following year, and sported the Tigers' stripes continually until the Fall of 1903, when he was transferred to the St. Louis Club. After a season with the Browns he was transferred for 1905 to the Minneapolis Club, with which he did such fine work that St. Louis re-drafted him for 1906. During that season he was sold to the Detroit Club for which he has played since. In the 1907 season he very materially helped Hughey Jennings' Tigers to bring to Detroit a championship pennant for the first time in twenty years." Jewel CafeThe Jewel Cafe, at 131 Royal Street, was listed in the program for the 5th Annual Sugar Bowl Classic in January of 1929 as a sponsor:         Jewel Cafe ... 131 Royal Street; Oysters 45 cents per half dozen; First time in the history of New Orleans, Oysters a la Rockefeller are prepared before your eyes. This deep mystery of the culinary arts is now almost within the price range of raw oysters. Louisiana's choicest cultivated oysters, served in all styles at our counters and tables; open all night. (The Gallery, DPC, New Orleans, Stores & Markets)
Sunset School: 1921
... West Virginia. I have a great old picture of him with his hunting dogs. His name was William Tack Milhoan. Don't know why the Archivist ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 7:23pm -

October 7, 1921. "School in Session. Sunset School, Marey, West Virginia. Pocahontas County." View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. I wonder if the bottlesI wonder if the bottles contain preserved frogs or similar for dissection? It reminds me of an old one I had once, and would perhaps explain the variety of queasy and mischievous expressions. That vial is a temptationA fantastic photo. The flowers on the teacher's desk are touching. I like the pail next to the water jug in the back. I do hope the teacher didn't swallow what was in that vial she's contemplating so earnestly. Boys will be boysMy new favorite photo. Everyone is posing stiffly in their Sunday go-to-meeting clothes except the rascal on the left. But why are their eyes closed? It's the waterDid someone dump arsenic in the well? Most of these kids look like they came out of "Night of the Living Dead". Avenging Angel?Great pic - some barefoot students, tatty shades, but a jar overflowing with fresh flowers! - is that a picture of an angel with a sword on the side wall? Also, any clue as to what the cylinders are that the teacher is using (appears to be a set in a special case)? Wireless SchoolhoueNo sign anywhere of the schoolhouse having electricity. Dark window shades are drawn also. Yet there seems to have been a good source of light somewhere in this classroom. Living DeadI'm with you on that one - it reminds me of "memorial photographs" from the Victorian era. One Room SchoolhouseMy mom was taught in a similar class of various ages and said that the teacher took each age group while the others worked on something else. I see the older looking kids in the back on the right are reading, while she appears to be explaining something to this somewhat younger group while showing them something in a bottle, taken from a kit of similar items. Are they paints? Can you see what is in her hand? Oh, if only we had a real time machine, huh? There must have been a well outside as seen by the bucket inverted next to the crockery water vessel. Either one of the big boys or the teacher would have to bring in water each day. Be glad we have shoes for our kids in October, since it isn't really summer. A beautiful and thoughtful photo of the "roaring twenties" when NOT all of America was prospering. West Virginia's employed people at the time were probably coal miners and not everybody was dancing and partying. Poverty?When this picture was taken my mother was 8 yrs old and sitting in a school house no doubt just like this within 40 miles of where this picture was taken(Elmira, WV). From the stories of my Mom and Dad we can not imagine the poverty. Most kids got one pair of shoes a year and had to make them last (and hand them down). The teacher is probably 18 or 19 at most. There would have been an outhouse and probably an outside pump. If lucky kids might have gone to 8th grade but most (especially boys) stopped at 4 to 6th grade. Many of these kids grew up to move north to Ohio and Michigan. They used to say WV schools taught the 3-R's = readin, 'rightin, and Rt 21 (the route to Akron and the Rubber factories). Others went to Detroit and built the cars to put the tires on. The poverty was great but most of them didn't realize it. I once asked my Dad what the Depression was like and he said none of them ever noticed it since they were always poor. They had no cash and traded milk and eggs for what ever they couldn't grow or hunt on their own. Dresses were sown from flour sacks. He said that he and Mom rented an 80 acre farm for $40/yr when they were first married and never managed to make the payment. But they raised three kids, 8 grandkids, owned their own homes and cars. These kids had no idea how far (literally and figuratively) most of them would go in the next 60-70 years. WV (and especially this part of it) was very poor and very isolated. Most at this point had never seen a car much less ridden in one. No imagination of electric lights, telephones, air-conditioning, TV. Some might had heard a radio but probably didn't own one. Travel was by horse and wagon at best. So don't look at the poverty --- look at this as the starting point of a great adventure. I can not imagine my life progressing as far and as differently as the lives of my parents and this generation. My Great-Great Grandfather.......taught at the Milhoan Ridge School in Jackson County West Virginia. I have a great old picture of him with his hunting dogs. His name was William Tack Milhoan. Don't know why the Archivist would want to ruin the shot of the school by putting a title over it. BTW, what is the Winged Victory figure in the poster near the window wearing? WV schoolNo wonder these kids ended up in the mines, with a dour looking teacher like that. what a depressing look at their lives. I hope some of these children rose above their poverty. Questions: Do you think thatQuestions: Do you think that they knew that a photograph was being taken that day? The young, unmarried teacher is nicely dressed and has flowers on her desk, along with two bells and a pencil sharpener. A few of the students are dressed up too--love the little girl with the huge bow in her hair. However, it's October 7th and two kids are, of necessity, barefoot, The girl is crossing her feet almost in a hiding manner. Please tell me that they had outhouses and not just the overturned bucket in the back of the room. What do you suppose the teacher is holding in her hand? No shoesI had heard people from that era saying they hadn't had shoes until they were 18. Kinda rough to see it on these kids. Creepy, retouched eyes?What a great photo. That classroom must have been dark in that classroom when the flash powder ignited as it appears that most of the students blinked, only to have their eyes applied to their eyelids in post production. This detail gives the photo an unsettling quality. ["Post-production"? You've been watching too many movies. The eyes look the way they do because the camera shutter is open longer than the duration of the flash. So you get open eyes superimposed with closed eyelids (when the flash makes everyone blink) in the same shot. - Dave] Praying?Looks like it is prayer time or they are trying to visualize something. We could learn a lot by going back to some of these old ways... The new ones don't seem to be working too well... Bare feetWest Virginia was very poor then so the bare foot kids probably had parents that couldn't afford shoes. They were just lucky to be able to even go to school. Fancy BootsCheck out the boots on the child hidden by the flowers. His dad must have been the town millionaire. Quite the contrast with Shoeless Joe and Shoeless Jill to his immediate right. By October 7, it was getting a wee bit chilly in that area. Just about time to start lighting up the big stove just behind Mr. Fancy Boots. Old photographyOh, that effect of seeing the eyes and the closed eyelids is so creepy. Winged VictoryA reply to ne_time_now: The poster appears to be an old war stamps poster probably from WWI. Population figuresOn a hunch I looked up the population of the county in Vital Stats. 1920 was the peak for population in Pocahontas County, WV with around 15,000, up a thousand or so from 1910 and again for 1900. Population declined to about half of that and was 9,000 in the 2000 census. We are viewing the county at the peak! And I lived in WV in the mid, late 60s. Funny how migration and whatever external factors will have on population. We always think more and more people are coming in and in this case, it is not. In my home county in Kentucky, the population was in the 15,000 range in 1840 and it took until the 1950 or 60 census to get back to that level. Now, we're overrun with people around here! AppalachiaLarry K's comments sum up all the other comments so well. I grew up in Appalachia -- southeastern Ohio -- and my 75-year-old parents still live there, three miles from Route 21. Though my five brothers and I were far from rich, we certainly had it better than our parents, who were both born in the middle of the Great Depression. Mom's parents also rented a farm and her father worked in a coal mine to support the family of twelve. Mom told us bedtime stories about her childhood -- "undies" made of flour sacks that were stamped with "Pillsbury's Best," etc. I could detect no bitterness in her voice, only fondness and perhaps a little remorse for the loss of "the good old days." Better or Worse?Pocahontas County was actually booming in those days--far better off than it is today--with lumber being the main industry. Granted, the people weren't very well off, but most were working and for the most part this area was typical of rural America at the time. Shoeless kids weren't an uncommon sight anywhere back then when weather permitted. Angel AngleNotice the picture on the back wall with the little girl. On one side the "good" angel urging her to do right while the "bad" or "dark" angel urges her to misbehave. I know I heard that lesson a few times in my youth. I love the comments on this one........probably as much, or more, than the actual photograph. My grandmother taught elementary school in the '20s in a farming town in California. Her stories remind me a lot of this photograph. The one thing she always emphasized was how much fun they had. Apparently, she and a couple of other teachers were known for their pranks. Thanks to everyone for their interesting and thoughtful comments! Mystery deviceWhat is that next to the Water jug? A book stand? Someone's crutch? A music stand? Some Had No ShoesMy dad often told me he and his brothers had no shoes. They had to walk on the railroad tracks, barefoot, to get to school. They lived in a log cabin with no floors. During the winter, their father dug a big hole in the ground and they slept in it to escape the cold wind blowing in through the cabin walls. Haves from Have-NotsIt's very easy to pick out the haves from the have-nots. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Tuscaloosa Wrecking: 1936
... View full size. Per Groucho Marx, We went ivory hunting in Alabama, because the Tuscaloosa there Still Standin' ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2022 - 2:30pm -

Alabama, 1936. "Antebellum residence converted into Tuscaloosa Wrecking Co. & Auto Parts." 8x10 nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Per Groucho Marx, We went ivory hunting in Alabama, because the Tuscaloosa there Still Standin'It's been moved to a vacant lot, but apparently it's still there: The Drish House. Dr. John R. Drish houseThis house had seen, and now has seen, better days. It was built in 1837 on a 350-acre plantation, with the columns and Italianate tower added just before the Civil War. Dr. Drish died there in 1867, his wife Sarah in 1884. It was the Jemison School from 1906 to 1925. After its time as an auto parts warehouse and Walker Evans's visit, it was purchased by Southside Baptist Church, which built a brick sanctuary on one side. Threatened with demolition, it was leased to the Heritage Commission of Tuscaloosa County in 1994, and after designation as a "place in peril," acquired by the Tuscaloosa Preservation Society in 2007. It was finally renovated starting in 2012 and opened in 2016 as a venue for weddings and other special events. Of course it is said to be haunted. The good with the sadIt is good the Dr. John R. Drish mansion has been saved. It is sad much of the charm has been lost. +85Below is the same view from February of 2021. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Walker Evans)
From All of Us: 1921
... and Executive Editor of Glamour Magazine. I'm still hunting for a later photo of her. Some Links from the web: Time ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/29/2014 - 1:44pm -

Washington, D.C. "Dickey Christmas tree, 1921." Our annual holiday card featuring the family of lawyer Raymond Dickey, who has a decade's worth of Christmases preserved in the archives of the National Photo Co. View full size. Different treesWow. It never ceases to amaze me how different Christmas trees looked back in the day. I don't mean the decorations, I mean the actual shape of the tree. Is it because they were just chopped from somewhere by the homeowners? Or maybe there is a species that has been developed for mass consumption today? I don't mean any disparagement on Mr. Dickey's tree because it looks like it was lovingly decorated, which is the whole idea. It's just that the shape is so strange to me and I've seen it in other pictures of that era that have been posted here that I'm curious. Conical ChristmasThis photo makes me wonder - When did the current "pointy triangle" Christmas tree become popular? Did a bill collector just enter the room?Again, a scrawny tree with no lights. Doesn't look like a happy family, and what could they be staring at? [Look again. There are lights all over this tree. - Dave] Perfection is relativeI've observed that in old photos of plain and poorly shaped women as well as poorly shaped Christmas trees, many viewers raise the subject of appearance. We had trees like this when I was young, usually because Dad always got one that was way too tall and we had to cut off to fit it in the room. We had one as recently as about 20 years ago that looked like a giant tumbleweed, rather shapeless and sparse. However, in defense of such trees, my son pointed out that such spareness of greenery made the ornaments much more important, visible and spotlighted the outstanding beauty of decorations such as these, while the lush, bushy trees often obscure the ornaments. I notice that this year there is a "Charlie Brown Tree" for sale which is basically a very sparse branch on a thin, wispy trunk with only one ornament on the single branch, as in the cartoon. As kids, we loved our skimpy, roundish, scanty Christmas tree (just as God made it) and found it magically beautiful. Perhaps growing up and becoming "sophisticated" makes us see faults instead of beauty? Just look at these magnificent ornaments. May your best ever Christmas holiday be exceeded this year. May Shorpy continue to gain fans and prosper. TriangularIt's spruces that are conical. This looks like pine. The smell of ChristmasAh, what wonderful holiday memories; the aroma of evergreen needles and Daddy's cigar smoke in my face. Reflections on an OrnamentDo you have a bigger version of the bauble above the girl's head? I'd love to see the rest of this room (and maybe the photographer?). Ornaments of days gone byChristmas tree shots like this always throw me into a temporal disconnect; these are the exact kind of ornaments I grew up with in the 1950s. And I'll bet this tree looked fantastic in color and in normal, rather than exploding flash powder light. Christmas VacationThis is definitely a Clark Griswold tree. I only wonder where cousin Eddie is. Modern Tree TastesThat tree is fabulous. I think back in the day, especially if you didn't live somewhere fairly close to a supply of ideal, cone-shaped firs or cedars, you pretty much settled for whatever healthy-looking pine or cedar-like tree you could find. Also, keep in mind that today's Christmas tree farms prune the trees every year to make sure they maintain the ideal cone shape. Let 'em run wild and they wouldn't be so perfect, and probably more sparsely limbed. When I was a kid ('70's), before there were any tree farms around, we would just go out in some of our or a relative's woods & find a young juniper & pull it out of the woods. Love this treeThis is more than a Christmas tree. This is Christmas tree as art installation. I love the fact that it nearly takes over the room and that there is room to breathe between the branches that allows the ornaments and ropes of glass balls to be draped and displayed in all their glory. This is the kind of tree my grandparents always had--very big and wide and decorated with the exact same ornaments. The only thing missing is Angel Hair (was it actually fiber glass?). My grandmother went through a big angel hair period before she moved on to tinsel. Too bad all the trees nowadays look exactly the same-perfectly shaped and boring, and too thick to truly decorate and dress to the nines. Alice Dickey ThompsonIts a bit hard to believe from this photo, but the teenager on the right, young Miss Alice Dickey, is destined to be the Editor and Publisher of Seventeen Magazine and Executive Editor of Glamour Magazine. I'm still hunting for a later photo of her. Some Links from the web: Time Magazine, 1949 Time Magazine, 1950 Women's periodicals in the United States: consumer magazines Washington Post, Apr 2, 1940 Rites for Raymond B. Dickey, Lawyer, to Be Held Tomorrow Funeral rites for Raymond B. Dickey, 62, dean of faculty of the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Banking and a prominent attorney, will be at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Deal funeral home, 4812 Georgia avenue northwest. Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery ... A native of Harpers Ferry, W. Va., Mr. Dickey was educated at Georgetown University where he was awarded an LL.D. degree in 1899 and his LL.M. the following year. At the time of his death he was general counsel for the Civilian Conservation Corps. For many years he taught the bills and notes course at the banking institute. With his son, J. Maxwell Dickey, he maintained offices in the National Press Building. He made his home at 1702 Kilbourne street northwest. ... Besides his son, J. Maxwell Dickey, he leaves his wife, Mrs. Rose M. Dickey; two other sons, Granville E., chief statistician of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Raymond D. Dickey, of Arlington County, a public relations counsel; and a daughter Mrs. Alice D. Thompson, of California and New York City, the editor of Glamour Magazine. According to the 1920 Census, those pictured here are: Raymond B., 43 Rose M., 40 Alice E., 13 John M., 9 Raymond R., 3 The census also lists an older son, Granville E., 18. [Note: ages are based on those listed in 1920 census plus one.] Boat Ornaments!I love the viking boat ornaments! I feel inspired to make some for my own tree. Charlie Brown Christmas treeI still get flack over this straggly tree, but it remains my favorite, because I took my three-year-old son into the woods and he helped me select cut, haul, erect and decorate it. Beautiful photo!I love this picture. The Christmas tree looks as though it's been lovingly decorated by everybody in the family without notions of "the perfect tree." As someone who is (not by choice) alone on Christmas, I wish I could join them! OrnamentalismI recognize quite a few of these glass ornaments from our own trees of my childhood. We had some of the Santa ones and quite a number of the various balls. As well as birds with the spun glass tails. My favorite was always the crane with the long neck and beak. They clipped onto the branch on a spring. Over the years we lost many of them and the last went when a friend, well known for his clumsiness) was helping put up the tree and sat on the box of ornaments. Who is that man in the ornament?Look at the silver ball over Alice's head. Looks like a man seated with a dog. Clouded PupilsWhy are the pupils of the two bottom kids clouded? Maybe the shutter speed was just slow enough to get a blink in there? [The "clouded" or "zombie" look is a characteristic of flash powder photography, where there was usually no mechanism for synchronizing the exposure and flash. The photo catches the subjects' eyes both open and closed because the exposure is slightly longer than it needs to be. With the advent of flashbulbs and electrical synchronization of shutter and flash, the exposure generally ends before the flash triggers the blink reflex. In the early days of "flashlight" photography, shutter speed wasn't a factor because there was no shutter, or the shutter wasn't used. The lens cap was removed from the camera, the flash was ignited, then the lens cap was replaced. - Dave] Beginning to See the LightsI think the "Viking boat ornament" may have been a balloon with a sail, as in a Jules Verne illustration. Thanks, Dave, I now see the lights—how could I have missed them? Buety is In the eye of the beholderI don't think there is such a thing as a bad looking Christmas tree. I am often amazed by comments made to the contrary. Nowadays so many times the word "tradition" leaves little to the imagination. Some of the most memorable Christmas trees of my past looked a lot less ornate than this tree by far but they were perfect on our eyes. Back in the early 60's we used to string cranberries and popcorn to put on our tree. [Something tells me you haven't seen Buety lately. - Dave] Good Luck!I think I've spotted the Christmas Pickle! "Village of the Damned," anyone?Even with an explanation, those kids are pretty creepy. Tree Full of HeirloomsLet's hope the kids of these kids are still putting the same beautiful ornamants on their trees this Christmas. Connections, connections...Alice probably edited the Glamour magazine seen hanging in the newsstand in last week's "Zines": https://www.shorpy.com/node/7233 It's amazing how things here are connected. I'll be darned. After reading the tip about Alice growing up to be an editor, I pulled out my trusty copy of Seventeen Magazine from November 1946 from my desk drawer (doesn't everyone have one stored there?)...and sure enough, there she was! What a cool connection. Tree FarmingI'm not sure how long Christmas tree farming has been a business, but I suspect it wasn't during this family's lifetime. These days it can be profitable business, but while it isn't exactly regulated, with rules as to the sort of trees that can be grown, there are preferred types. According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the preferred types are White Pine, White Spruce, Scots Pine, Balsam Fir, Blue Spruce and Fraser Fir. The trees are pruned for shape and to increase foliage density. I suspect that none of this happened to this tree. Someone probably just went out into the woods and cut down the scraggly runt trees that didn't look like they'd ever amount to anything went it came to lumbering. Then they shipped them off to the city where they'd cost a pretty penny to the buyers and supplement the lumber company's bottom line. I'm guessing these folks got the best of what was available and were damned pleased to get it. Not only does he smoke in the house,but he can't put it down for the Christmas photo. I am assuming that the Dickey family had these made but didn't send them out in Christmas cards ...after all the invention of the refrigerator magnet was decades in the future. Old Clothes?This is one of those photos you can look at in hi-def and notice more and more. This family is obviously prosperous -- it's a huge tree and elaborately decorated, if not in the current shape fashion,also note the train set-so WTH- Mom's in her oldest skirt with stuff crammed in her pocket,junior has holes in his stockings and something safety-pinned to the front of his shirt and the future glamour editor looks decidedly unglamorous. Even given the limitations of flash photography at the time, these people don't look happy,and even in 1921 people had plenty of experience with Kodaks and snapshots and knew how to smile for a picture. Here Mom looks deranged, Dad looks like he's threatening the terrified looking child on his knee, and the two older kids look like they can't wait to get out of there. Merry Christmas! Shorpy on TVI did a double-take during last night's Daily Show with Jon Stewart. An altered version of this photo appeared during a segment entitled Obama's Socialist Christmas Ornament Program. Either it's a remarkable coincidence or someone at the Daily Show is reading Shorpy. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, The Dickeys)
Happy Birthday, Dad. Part II
... Birthday photo of my dad, taken by my mom during a quail hunting trip in Baja California in, I think, 1968. The wonderful dog leaning on ... For those who might blanch at our old getaway pastime of hunting quail, my dad had a ready comeback: he'd explain that, unlike other ... 
 
Posted by willc - 08/11/2009 - 8:16pm -

Here's my second Happy Birthday photo of my dad, taken by my mom during a quail hunting trip in Baja California in, I think, 1968. The wonderful dog leaning on him is Cefra, a Hungarian Vizsla. She was the smartest and most willing of the many dogs he had during his long life, and he just adored her. For those who might blanch at our old getaway pastime of hunting quail, my dad had a ready comeback: he'd explain that, unlike other forms of hunting, quail hunting in Baja meant a day of toiling up rocky hillsides through the cactus and eventually reaching the top, only to see the covey of quail flushing over the next ridge. But all through my childhood we had some swell picnics in what was then the unspoiled ranch country south of Ensenada. Birthday WishesHappy Birthday to your dad and thanks for the pictures. It's hard for a city boy like myself to understand the lifestyle of a logger in 1912 Oregon or a quail hunter, but I find myself enjoying these very much. Happy Birthday, Willc's DadThat is a noble pooch. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Kitchen Candid: 1984
... you paid for yours? ttTV I enjoy watching the house hunting programs on HGTV from time to time, and always laugh a little when some ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 11/27/2010 - 10:21pm -

First of all, a belated apology to my mother for catching her with her slip showing. Despite the relatively late date, much of what we see here was already verging on the antique. The kitchen itself dates from a late-1940s remodel; the white utility table that or even earlier. Lord knows the vintage of the unenclosed rubber-bladed fan. I loved sticking my hand in it and stalling it. Oddest item is the brown cushion on the kitchen chair at left, relict of a long-gone love seat, now the province of the cat. Elsewhere, the agglomeration of stuff from over 40 years of daily family meal preparations. My brother stands in the doorway to the dining room, where shortly thereafter we gorged ourselves on my father's 82nd birthday dinner. Available light Kodacolor 1000 negative. View full size. Behind the shelfTterrace, it looks like your shelf was hung in front of a narrow door in the kitchen wall. My guess (and I'm probably wrong) is that it's a no-longer-used water heater closet. Hmmm? Your mom got it right tterraceFrom your shared family history, it is apparent that your wonderful mother wanted what was best for all of her family and she managed it all without fanfare and egotism. We know she loved crosswords (brainwork), gardening (nature lover), cooking (nurturing loved ones), a nice cup of tea (coziness factor), the color salmon (all shades of pink have been found to psychologically calm people from hyperactive bi-polars to agitated criminals and they use it in child care and police custody rooms), music and comunication (the radio on the kitchen counter = every cooking mom's companion) and her tireless efforts to make her loved ones happy (I'm remembering the picture of your ninth birthday when she made you a full turkey dinner). I know your dad was also a very hard worker, non-complaining and devoted spouse and father (and car lover). You have exposed your life and family members' personalities to all of us selflessly with such honest and truthful genuine photos. If only all people could be raised as you were, what a wonderful world we might have. Bless you all, past, present and future, may your giving yourselves to others become your family tradition. You have written a book in photos that exemplifies what a family should be. Thank you. Egg BeatersThank you tterrace for sharing this wonderful image. It captures yet another family moment as well sharing great detail of a typical mid 20th century American kitchen. The color palette and array of kitchen appliances and furnishings remind me so much of my youth. -stanton_square What Juxtaposition! I see a 1970's (Radioshack?) intercom beside the door with a stove top toaster (1920's?) on the rolling cart shelf below. What a time spread of the items we see! The kitchen reminds me of all the comfortable kitchens that I've grown up in. Thanks for sharing tterrace. By the way, that rubber bladed fan is just like the one my grandparents bought in the late '40s for their cabin and it really hurt when I walked into it in the middle of the night. Just spotted itAfter all these years, I just now noticed that the brown shelf at the upper left, with the books, wood recipe box and cans of tea is the only thing I ever completed in shop class at Redwood High, over 20 years before this shot was taken. Originally light mist green, my father must have subsequently re-painted it. I haven't seen it for years, no idea whatever became of it. My God. I do have the varnished wood recipe box with the fruit decal, with all my mother's hand-written recipe cards in it. Talk about juxtapositionsCock 'n Bull Ginger Beer and sensible shoes. Ginger BeerI love the ginger beer in the lower left. ThanksSo many times you have opened your life to us on the internet. It is amazing to see this scene and apply our own family moments into it. A time of family creating and caring together surrounded by the things that we have collected and gathered over the years. The skinny doorI had an identical door in the kitchen of my 1927 house in Detroit. It originally held a fold-out ironing board - very common in that time period, and also the source of many a gag in Tom & Jerry cartoons. Changed twice since thenMy mother-in-law had that same flooring when I met her in '82. Does every guy make that shelf?My husband and I have been dragging his old shop shelf around for the last 30 years--looks just like the one in the picture!. I believe the object on the lower shelf of the rolling cart is just a box grater. I think these cabinets are what were in my childhood home--and the "cozy" kitchen was just what most every house had that was built in the post WWII housing era. I am about to do a kitchen remodel on what is a luxuriously large and functioning kitchen compared to this one. We are a bit spoiled I think. Warm beermust be the norm (Binden-Binder?) Also beside it a couple of large bottles of the "hard stuff." This is where? Although it could be anywhere in North America, except Mexico. That's coolThe fan appears to be a Samson Safe-Flex, shown on Page 72 of Witt's Field Guide to Electric Fans. No definitive dates, but probably mid-'30s to '40s. FlashbackYour mother has my mother's copper measuring spoons. I may cry now. Old Hippie Grows Upto become stockbroker. Or maybe political activist looking though law books for loopholes as his contribution to society. Which is it, TTerrace, what did brother do with his life? He looks in mighty fine threads here, and sporting a good hairdo as well. What has happened to this home? Did it stay in the family? Lie to me, I do not want to think of another family in this home, or enjoying that fine terrace vista. A cook lives in this kitchen! That's why all the jumble and she knows where everythng is! My own kitchen is spotless, nothing sitting around taking up space or "handy" and you will come to my house with reservations to go out for dinner. I remember that utilitycart for it's great round knobby wheels! it was so cheesily- made it was a marvel that any weight could be put on it. Kitchen Candid SupplementalIn answer to Anonymous Tipster's speculations, brother was a high school English teacher and department head. Below we see graphic evidence of from whom he, and the rest of us, inherited the expounding gene. Oh well, yes, now that you mention it, I can see "teacher' in brother. I'm gleeful at the sight of the expounding gene photo! Gosh I would have loved Mother! In the vernacular of the day, What a dame!!! Once I painted my kitchen in 50s pink. Everything, including the cabinets. Then i put it on the market and had to redo everything in white. Tsk. TTerrace, thanks for the response and for all the enjoyment you and your family memories give to us Shorpy fans. Am I right?tterrace, I'd bet that large aluminum vessel to the left of the stove is a pressure cooker, probably a Presto brand. I prefer Mirro-Matic with its adjustable pressure-regulating weight and Cerro metal safety valve. The floorlooks really clean, except maybe for a dusting of flour around your mother's shoes. This is the kind of kitchen one can trust. It's not Binden-BinderIt's GINGER BEER. [The very best ginger beer, imho: D&G (Desnoes & Geddes), from Jamaica. Intensely gingerful. Made with real ginger root and cane sugar. Very useful for making the rum drink called a Dark & Stormy. - Dave] Relict of a long-gone love seat?A relict is a word that is a survivor of a form or forms that are otherwise archaic. It is was also an ancient term for a widow. A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Expounding on a relict relict: 2. Something that has survived; a remnant. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition (2000) However, in this case my deliberate choice of this archaism was for an ironic riff on lines you might find in Victorian novels: "Mrs. Fotheringay-Phipps, relict of the late Col. Fotheringay-Phipps of the Fourth Dragoons." YumToo bad scratch-and-sniff internet hasn't been invented yet, cause pound for pound, the kitchen churned out some serious home cookin' I'm sure, and my belly is grumblin'. FlooredFunny, I remember that exact vinyl (linoleum?) flooring from the first house I lived in. I was pre-kindergarten age at the time, but I remember when it was installed and what it smelled like when new, and I remember playing on it with various toys. Of course at that age I was quite close to the floor. ArmstrongIf I remember correctly, I think that the linoleum was the among the first (and most popular) patterns that Armstrong introduced. A fixture in the house we (and friends) bought in the '60s. I think that the appliance on the bottom shelf to the right of Mom's leg is a stovetop toaster. Obsolete for 50+ yearsDefinitely a stovetop toaster. (For power outages when one simply had to have toast?) May I pretty pleasePoke through all the drawers and cupboards? I bet I will find a trove of 50s era treasures, many of which I probably already own after having spent way too much for them on ebay. For example, here is my own little guy who perfectly matches the one perched proudly on top of the clock. No granite countertop here!I love these older pictures of the minimalist, functional kitchens where magic was made despite the lack of stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops! White hair geneMy family shares the gene that gives us early "gray" hair. That aside, your brother seemed to age in other ways, rather rapidly, in ten years or so. From hippyish to extreme button down collar and cerebral glasses. Hey, I was about the same age in the same span, also a professional. And at dinner time, the tie and dress pants went goodbye! [That's why they invented napkins. - Dave] Bertolli Chef FigurineWow, JohansenNewman, that is the very guy. Happy to say I have him now, although a bit yellowed compared to yours. However, since that yellowing is from kitchen vapors from years of Mother's cooking, that's even better. The earliest kitchen photo I have that shows it is from 1968. I don't know where we got it; it's possible that my father got it through the grocery store he worked at. Would I be out of line asking how much you paid for yours? ttTVI enjoy watching the house hunting programs on HGTV from time to time, and always laugh a little when some well-heeled woman dismisses a kitchen because "it doesn't have granite--I need granite!" Tterrace's mom didn't need granite, nor much counter space either, it looks like. Definitely makes me rethink any whining I've done about my little apartment kitchen-- if your mom could whip up meals for a family that probably contained many more dishes than anything I make does, I'm showing my late-20th century skewed perspective of what is necessary. I love your pics, tterrace. My great-aunt's house also has that linoleum--can't believe how prevalent it apparently was. They must have made a killing on that stuff! If I could rememberjust how much I paid for that little guy, I would gladly tell you! I think I must have gotten him in my "buy any and all 50s chefs" period on ebay, although he could have been an antique shop find, too. Just did a search for "vintage chef" on ebay. He did not show up this time. Unfortunately for me, too many other cool things that might have also been in your mom's kitchen did. In so many ways, Shorpy is health food for my soul, but bad for my pocketbook. No Sis-In-Law? I see the frequently pictured elder brother but not the lovely sis-in-law with the long braids. Is she in the other room waiting for the salmon kitchen to yield up a birthday dinner? The flooringWe had the exact same flooring in a house we rented in the 1990's. Glad to see the landlord had only the most up-to-date stuff for us! Me too ! Wow! That must have been SOME popular textile line! I had this same exact flooring in an apartment in 1991, in Doylestown, PA. ! Amazing! Is your Brother named Will ???I swear he is my high school English teacher from 1979 in Santa Cruz. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kitchens etc., tterrapix)
Far Hills: 1900
... Anyway, great find! Sleuthing... I just love hunting down some of these places! I had just found it when I checked back ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:12pm -

Far Hills, New Jersey, circa 1900. "Old country road." Probably not in Google Street View. (Update: How wrong I was!) Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Time of the yearI would also like to estimate the season (as Dave said, it cannot be around midsummer): 1. There are freshly fallen leaves on the ground, also on the road. It is Autumn. 2. In the photo sun shines from South-West. The shadows are in 35-40 degrees. Now I must estimate the angle at noon: It would be about 45-50 degrees, which is a bit less than the angle at the time of equinoxes (50 deg). 1 and 2: The photo is taken slightly after autumnal equinox (23.9.), let's say, 30th of September. The well-dressed boyAdd me to those that think this is a fantastic photo. The multiple buggy tracks in the road drew me into it, but the child apart from the three girls caught my eye. Looks like a boy in a dress. I have a photo of my grandfather, born 1911, with long curls and wearing a dress. Couldn't believe that they dressed boys that way, but since have seen many photos of it. Strange custom. Anyway, great find! Sleuthing...I just love hunting down some of these places! I had just found it when I checked back and found I was right! There are a number of historical markers, one just shy of the location (for the Peapack Brook Rural Industrial Historic District). The longitude and latitude brought me within a short distance of the spot. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=18574 "The confluence of Peapack Brook and the North Branch of the Raritan River became a rural industrial center during the 18th century when a saw mill, grist mill, tannery and bark mill were located nearby. The Peapack Brook Rural Industrial Historic District includes five houses, several outbuildings and mill structures that reflect the industrial and agricultural development of the area, ca. 1750 - 1900." Michael L found itI grew up in Far Hills -- this is Main Street, which runs between Far Hills and Peapack. Hot DayI guess is it's quite a hot day in June or July. There's haze out in the field and they have a warmish look on their faces. The side window is open to get some air. [Leaves on ground, bare branches, etc., do not say June or July. - Dave] Nothing looks plumb in this photo... but the trees. Yes I know, trees are plum. Girl powerLooks like young ladies rule that roost. I would hate to be the little boy that had to tell them otherwise. Railroad CrossingA couple of clues lead me to believe that the little stone bridge in the background goes over a railroad right of way. Any idea whose line it might have been? [You just might be on the right "track." Stay tuned. - Dave] Definitely a railoadI checked "10 Main Street, Far Hills NJ" on MapQuest and it clearly shows a railroad crossing the street a little southeast of the address. It really isn't very unusual for a rail line to be below the grade of another road (or house) in hilly country. And, as Dave from MN commented, you can definitely see the old truss bridge for the rail line, and possibly part of a signal post, just to the left of the bridge. [You are maybe a little late to the party. The next post shows the rail crossing. - Dave] Thanks Dave! LOL, I was a tad late and did see the photo of the trestle bridge after I had posted this. Day late and a dollar short as usual. HillsThe bridge doesn't look high enough for a RR, and anyway they'd just have a level grade crossing. There's no great traffic on the local line as it dead-ends a few miles north. A better cue is the hill, probably, but I don't remember the topography well enough at a distance of 30 years. I used to bike through Far Hills every weekend as part of my regular century route. I failedI spent a few minutes trying to find this place in Google. Far Hills, New Jersey is a small burg, with few streets, most of which are covered in Street View. The apparent stone bridge in the background should narrow it down to just a few possible locations. Sadly, no success for this tipster, but hopefully someone more resourceful can take on the challenge and win. Hey! There it is!The hint that it is a railroad, not a stream, helped mightily. This seems to be the place: [Kudos to Michael and the half-dozen others who managed to find this place. Color me impressed and amazed! - Dave] View Larger Map StuccoThe first thing I noticed was the stucco on the house. When the house was new, it must have looked really nice but it just seems kind of upscale for a country house which appears to be out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe Papa had something to do with the railroad? There's a muddy road ahead...The hooves of draft animals and the wheels of the buggies or wagons they pulled have cut into the dirt road when it was wet. Looks like it's drying up a little now. The house is only about a dozen feet off the road. I'll bet it caught a lot of road-dust when the weather was dry. Definitely a railroadThe raise in the road is tall for the time period. Also note the narrow, single track, truss bridge to the left. It is a rail line. Now for the New Jersey folks to ID it. EvocativeThis strikes me as one of the most evocative photographs I have seen on Shorpy. It would take me the proverbial thousand words to explain why. They are spinning around in my head: about all the unseen creatures and things whose existence is so evident, including the world beyond the bridge. Punto de vista.Google hace las fotos desde un punto de vista bastante más alto (desde el techo de una furgoneta) aproximadamente a la altura de los antepechos de la planta primera, que aparecen en una línea casi horizontal. En la imagen antigua el fotógrafo intencionadamente, para resaltar el barro del camino, quizás, puso la cámara mucho más baja, aproximadamente a la altura de los ojos de las niñas y, para captar las copas de los árboles, inclinó ligeramente la cámara hacia arriba. Magnífico, gracias a todos. Una cosa más, lo que se ve a la izquierda de las niñas ¿es una señal del ferrocarril? Did we make her a Saint yet?Beginning in 1908, Mrs. Ladd had provided a convalescent facility on the Natirar estate, originally at “Maple Cottage,” a large residence that once stood along Peapack Road where “deserving gentlewomen who are compelled to depend upon their own exertions for support shall be entertained, without charge, for periods of time while convalescing from illness, recuperating from impaired health, or otherwise in need of rest.” Natirar gatehouseI believe this is the gatehouse to the Natirar estate. [Natirar -- "Raritan" spelled backward! - Dave] The stone abutmentThe truss bridge for the rail line has been replaced, but one of the stone abutments for the overpass is still there and looks as good as new. Quite a tribute to some long-gone stonemason. Wow wow wow! ChangedFar Hills looks mighty hardscrabble in this photo, a far cry from the hoity-toity zip code it has developed into over the years. Home MakeoverIn the "Bird's Eye View" in Bing Maps, there is what appears to be a large dumpster behind the house. Perhaps some renovation work was ongoing at the time. Far HillsianThis is awesome! I live in Far Hills and take NJ transit into the city on that train line over that bridge. It is indeed the gatehouse to Natirar, soon to be Richard Branson's Virgin Spa, but through part of the leasing agreement, plain folks like us can walk around the grounds. The train trestle in the first picture is down behind the white house. It takes you over the Peapack brook which runs through Natirar. The tracks run under that dirt road and alongside the brook before terminating in Gladstone. Supposedly during the Revolutionary War a tunnel was dug under this road and it's still supposed to be there. If I can find more on that I will post. This is a really picturesque area and the train line (the old Erie Lackawanna) was used often in movies. Gladstone station doubles for Tuscumbia, Alabama, and Boston in the opening of the Patty Duke movie "Miracle Worker" (although they use a Black River train). Thank you for this! WOWI crossed that bridge many many times on the way to Bernards High. Used to live in Peapack. We all took the Erie Lackawanna train to school, ages ago. Wish to see a lot more pictures people. Bring them on. Thanks! Art (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, Rural America)
McKenzie Pass: 1939
... He was probably headed over into Central Oregon on a deer hunting trip. View full size. [Who was he? A relative? Family friend? ... a trip to Central Oregon each year for a week long deer hunting trip and I would assume this photo was taken on such a trip, probably ... 
 
Posted by fryejohn - 07/15/2016 - 7:28pm -

Ernest Frye with his 1935 Dodge coupe at McKenzie Pass summit in Oregon, He was probably headed over into Central Oregon on a deer hunting trip. View full size. [Who was he? A relative? Family friend? Do you know who took the photo? -tterrace] McKenzie Pass driverErnest Frye was my father. He lived in North Bend, Oregon from 1921 until his death in 1974. He made a trip to Central Oregon each year for a week long deer hunting trip and I would assume this photo was taken on such a trip, probably by a hunting partner. In the 1940s, he made the trip with a 1929 Ford sedan, towing a trailer with the hunting supplies. He liked the '29 Ford because he could drive it anywhere in the woods like a Jeep. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Young Guns: 1940
... home for the Thanksgiving Day dinner after a morning of hunting in the woods." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the ... checking and, sure enough, Connecticut issued badges as hunting licenses back in 1940, so our hunters were legal. 97 Winchester ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/23/2022 - 5:49pm -

November 1940. Ledyard, Connecticut. "Two of the Crouch family boys coming home for the Thanksgiving Day dinner after a morning of hunting in the woods." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Well, Jim... that's one body they'll never find! Make mine a doubleSide by side doubles have the advantage of usually handling and balancing better than any other style of scattergun; when they fit well they are truly an extension of the shooter’s body. A pump action would be my second choice as a dedicated upland bird gun. Their primary disadvantage is the need to physically work the action before getting off a second shot. Now, I wonder where the boys have stashed all those birds they shot? Harvey G. CrouchI believe that is a 15 year old Harvey in the foreground with his father Timothy in the background ... [Like the caption says, they're brothers. Their dad Timothy, seen earlier here and here, was in his sixties when these photos were taken. - Dave] Handsome growlerThat's a big beautiful growler on the sideboard. I wish I had one just like it. But what does it contain? Plain water, or something stronger? [The Crouches were a Quaker household. - Dave] I was just teasing. But according to the article cited in another comment, although they were called Quakers, they "had no connection to the Society of Friends founded by George Fox." BadgersI noticed that they each had a badge on his cap and did some checking and, sure enough, Connecticut issued badges as hunting licenses back in 1940, so our hunters were legal. 97Winchester model 97 The one that got away"Nah, it wasn't good. All we saw was a qwazy wabbit." 97/WallyIndeed, and a favorite of law enforcement. Was the 97 also the Winchester trench gun? Model 97Answer to GWBync re trench gun ... yes it was. From what I've read, very well liked and very effective. About 25 years ago, at a gun show, had an opportunity to buy one, sans bayonet. I already had a 97 that occasionally I shot trap with. Thought the trench gun with its short barrel would be fun to shoot skeet with. Since I was actually looking for something else, I went looking for that instead. Did not find it, figured I would go ahead and get the trench gun. Bummer for me -- it was gone. Trench and TrenchnicalityIf you want to be picky, it was Shotgun, Riot, with Bayonet Attachment, but yes the 1897 Winchester was the archtypical "Trench Gun." The Remington Model 10 was used in much much smaller numbers, and the Winchester Model 12 would be used later. Hot ShotsTwo handsome men. Hoping they at least bagged a turkey or a boar, but pity the quail that would have been eliminated by the shot! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kitchens etc., Thanksgiving)
Wabbit Season: 1941
... Bore. Dad took very good care of it and I do as well. Hunting in the '30s and '40s was easy. There was an abundance of land where ... and game as well. I am 90 years old now. Too old for hunting. Eating Lead Hunting wabbits with a shotgun? Would not want to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2018 - 8:00pm -

December 1941. "Hunters. Dailey, West Virginia." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. WinchesterLooks like a Model 12. Those are nice shotguns. What the Fudd?I could have sworn the sign said Duck Season. Supper's on the tableSmall game season in Pennsylvania was a big deal when I grew up. Put a lot of meat on the table when the coal mines were slow. Never had a Model 12. Mossberg 20 gauge bolt. It was like carrying around a 6x6 beam. Heavy. Winchester's FinestI still own my father's Mode 12. 20 Gauge Full Bore. Dad took very good care of it and I do as well. Hunting in the '30s and '40s was easy. There was an abundance of land where you could hunt and game as well. I am 90 years old now. Too old for hunting. Eating LeadHunting wabbits with a shotgun? Would not want to eat that rabbit, you would be picking shot out of it all through the meal. Like old timesI used to be able to hunt after school where I grew up. Now if someone were to see you walking the treeline with a gun and a dog they'd call the cops. Prosperity!Both boys are wearing boots in good condition, their clothes are relatively new and with no patches visible, and there is paint on the house in the background. Things are turning around at this point. Re: Eating LeadThis would not be much different than eating quail or other small game birds taken with a shotgun. Just chew carefully! MmmmmI smell Hasenpfeffer, Elmer's favorite dish. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Dogs, Rural America)
Wabbit Season: 1910
Circa 1910. "Rabbit-hunting party of six men, with bicycles, guns and dogs, including rabbits ... Ties, pocket squares, and boutonnieres on a camping/hunting trip. Boy, times have changed. Nothing is missing The young man ... Mao style jacket is the only one properly dressed for the hunting trip but alas, is just a servant. More on the Rabbits My ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2013 - 8:56pm -

Circa 1910. "Rabbit-hunting party of six men, with bicycles, guns and dogs, including rabbits strung between two tents. Possibly Christchurch district." Now where'd we put that cookbook? Glass negative by Adam Maclay. View full size. A plague of rabbits@solo: New Zealand definitely has problems with overpopulations of introduced rabbits, to the point that the official government Encyclopedia of New Zealand refers to periodic population booms as "plagues." These guys are certainly doing their country a favor. Elmer Fuddwould be very jealous of these guys! AulsebrooksThe biscuit manufacturer is Aulsebrooks, a name well-known to generations of New Zealanders. Slow HaresI guess since they had no fast food outlets, rabbits would be the only way to go. It seems much more fun than standing in line, but if you're really hungry the wait would be terrible. Something's MissingI see six men but only five bicycles and five guns. One of them must be a vegan. Sorry BugsYou can't counter this by yelling "Duck Season!" no matter how we love the classic cartoons. Merrily these guys roll along with bicycles and strung bunnies. Ugh. The Bicycleslook to be as well maintained as the rifles. Resisting oversimplificationOnly the ignorant equate New Zealand with its larger neighbor, Australia, but this photo reminds one that the latter (and larger and more climatically diverse, etc.) was nearly over-run by imported bunnies in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, such that wholesale carnage had to be brought down on the voracious immigrants. Did New Zealand experience a similar problem, or are these hunters merely scaring up the ingredients for jugged hare? Stylish campersTies, pocket squares, and boutonnieres on a camping/hunting trip. Boy, times have changed. Nothing is missingThe young man with the Mao style jacket is the only one properly dressed for the hunting trip but alas, is just a servant. More on the RabbitsMy Australian Mother has told me about the Hare problem in the Sydney area (NSW) of the 30’s and 40’s. They are cousins of the rabbit, but larger and much more aggressive…more like small ‘roos’, short for kangaroos. The destruction of many gardens and vegetable plots was a common occurrence. When I started hunting as a young boy at 10 y/o I went after American rabbits with my 16 gauge shotgun….a big mistake as I found; too many lead pellets left in the meat. I soon switched to a .22 rifle and only had to find a single round. I viewed this photo of the 12 gauge double barrels stacked together with that thought. We really don’t eat much rabbit in this country….mostly in the South, and then I find it at Mexican restaurants here in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin. It is a delicious treat! Bikes and ClassWould the guy in the high-buttoned jacket have been a beater for the hunt, hired by the other guys? I have no ideas whether wabbit-hunters usually need beaters, but if so, that could explain why there are one too few bikes. The other men's wearing spiffy clothing and boutonnieres on a hunt makes me guess that they're middle class rather than upper class, though perhaps bicycles were so prestigious at this time that young aristocrats used them to go hunting--in adventuresome New Zealand if not in Britain. (The Gallery, Adam Maclay, Animals, Bicycles, Dogs, New Zealand)
Century Road Club: 1913
... youth in Altoona, Pa., my Dad and I used to go raccoon hunting, which is done at night with dogs (technical term "coon hounds"). For ... search yields many sites explaining how they work. Hunting was fun and all that, but carbide offered an extra benefit to anyone ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:25pm -

May 3, 1913. "Fred J. Scherer and Walter Wiley at the start of New York to San Francisco bicycle race." Bain News Service glass negative. View full size. Fixies?It appears that the bikes they were planning to ride were fixed-gear bikes with no brakes. I shudder to think what these guys went through crossing the Continental Divide. Odometers?There appear to be little Veeder-Root type counters mounted on the front forks of each bicycle. Or is this some other accessory? The amazing thing about this image is.Bicycles haven't changed much in all these years. Those OdometersBetabox, I actually had one of those odometers a couple of bikes ago. There was a little peg that attached to one of the spokes, and it hit a star wheel on the little meter. I still remember the little ping it made every time the peg came around. Worked pretty well, as I recall. Now I use a $5.00 GPS app on my iPhone that gives me a Google map of my route, speed, distance, altitude, pace, and even calories burned, and it keeps track of every ride I took for over a year. Even lets me listen to iTunes music while I ride. Absolutely amazing for $5.00. We've come a long way, baby. But still, that little counter gizmo lasted 100 years, and I'll bet it's still being sold. Now that's pretty cool. Carbide bicycle lanternsThere are a ton of these available at various on-line antique auction sites. The ones shown here resemble the "Old Sol" model by Hawthorne of Bridgeport Connecticut. There are jeweled facets on either side of the lamp that serve as running lights, green on the right and red on the left (with Red Port Wine being the aide-memoire). Century Road Club AssociationI don't know whether these two made it to Frisco, but their organization was founded in 1898 and is still going strong. Wool Was the Old Spandex Bicycle enthusiasts, dressing like dorks for nearly 100 years! Long Ride!I hope you have a photo of them at the finish line! Very bold.Considering that the first cross country automobile trip, and the hardships they endured, took place in 1907 it was still a bold move, even in 1913, to make the attempt on a bicycle. Track BikesIn today's terms these are track bikes: fixed gear: NO freewheeling rear gear/hub assembly. Difficult to ride because the only way you can stop is to pedal slower and slower -- bit tough on the down hills in hilly terrain. Of note: I could find nothing on this "race" via the search engines. Given the nature of the bikes, I doubt they make it very far without major crashes. In memory of carbide lanternsBack in my pre-teen youth in Altoona, Pa., my Dad and I used to go raccoon hunting, which is done at night with dogs (technical term "coon hounds"). For light we used carbide lanterns that were designed to be mounted on coal miners' helmets, and an Internet search yields many sites explaining how they work. Hunting was fun and all that, but carbide offered an extra benefit to anyone wanting to blow a can apart (technical term "teen vandals"). We'd drop a handful of carbide in a can that had a metal lid, such as an empty paint can, punch a hole in the lid, introduce saliva to the carbide (technical term "spitting"), wait for calcium hydroxide gas to build up while covering the hole, then touch a match to the hole and BLAMMO. Coaster brakes?I don't know when the Coaster Brake was invented but I think I see the little brake anchor lever that clamps to the frame on the one bike. It was never much fun as a kid when that lever came loose and you hit the brakes. Not FixiesFrom what I can tell, these are single speed bikes with a coaster brake, not a fixed gear. If you look at the left chainstay, it looks as if there is a coaster brake bracket coming from the rear hub. Also the rear hub looks to be rather large which would indicate it housing all the elements of a cb. I could be wrong, kind of hard to be 100% sure from the photo. Those carbide lampsWhen I was a kid, we had a "carbide cannon" as a toy. It was a poorly cast piece that looked like a WWI cannon. You put carbide in it, and it had a sparker like an old zippo lighter to ignite the gas. It was about a 5 on a 10 point fun-o-meter. Fun for about half an hour. How about those toe clips.If you look closely at the pedals, you will note the toe clips. I did some 100 miles per day bike trips in my salad days and toe clips made it a lot easier by locking your bike shoes to the pedals. It was a relief not to have to concentrate on keeping your shoes centered on the pedals. In addition you could "pull up" on one pedal while "pushing down" on the other. The carbide bike lamp is a Model S Solar manufactured by the Badger Brass Mfg. Co. of Kenosha, WI. It was patented in the US in 1896. My lamp (see pic) is not as shiny. The water tank and filler hole with vent plug is located in the back. The carbide pellets went in the cup on the bottom. The "key" on the side adjusted the water dripping on the carbide. Water plus carbide generates acetylene gas which burns with a hot white flame. The front of the lamp has a glass cover which swings open to light the acetylene. The flat cap on the light is the "smokestack" for the burnt gas to escape. The Eternal BicycleToe clips, coaster brakes, drop handlebars, handlebar wrap, panniers (sort of).... You need to change very few things to arrive at a modern bicycle. "Brought to you by..."... Fisk Tire (if the flag on the boys' bikes was indeed a sponsor). Fisk made bicycle and automobile tires at the time, and their logo was the little yawning boy in pajamas with a bicycle tire slung over his right shoulder. "Trust the Truss"Based on the badge and the frame design of the bicycle on the left, it's an Iver Johnson Truss-bridge bicycle. Yes, this is the same Iver Johnson that made fire arms. They built this style frame from 1900 to 1939. The bicycle on the left does, in fact, have a coaster brake. The coaster brake was invented in the late 1890s and were quite common by 1910. The large chrome ball on the handlebars are bicycle bells. Also note the sprocket driven odometers on the front hubs of both bikes. I have a feeling this event, sponsored by Fisk Tires, was not so much a race as it was a reliability run. What better way to promote your tires. The fact that no information can be found about this event makes me believe it was a failure, and so was not reported. Vanishing PointOn April 27, 1913 Fred J. Scherer, Walter Wiley, George McAdams, and Ernest Higgins were among more than 300 cyclists who took part in the 16th Annual Spring Century Run from Columbus Circle in Manhattan to Hicksville, Long Island and back. The race, sponsored by the Century Road Club [bicycle] Association, was a warm up for the 48-day Transcontinental Handicap Team Race that was started a week later. Scherer and Wiley represented the Caribou Club, while McAdams and Higgins rode for the Century Road Club. Scherer and Wiley received a twenty-four hour head start, leaving from City Hall at Broadway & Murray Street on the 3rd of May 3 at 1:00 p.m. They pedaled up Broadway (mostly) accompanied seventy-five other cyclists and autos stuffed with officials who were shouting last minute details and instructions. The autos dropped out at Yonkers, while the other cyclists kept up the escort as far as Tarrytown. The first night's stop would be in Poughkeepsie, with other overnight stays in Schenectady, Utica, Auburn, Batavia, Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Norwalk, and Toledo, Ohio—where they hoped to arrive on the 13th. The itinerary had them arriving in Chicago on the 16th and Omaha on the 22nd. They figured to arrive at their final destination—San Francisco—on June 20, whereupon they would present a message from Mayor Gaynor of New York to Mayor Rolph of San Francisco. They also carried messages from East Coast bicycle organizations to their West Coast counterparts. They estimated making an average of seventy miles a day and took no money, as "all expenses must be met by the sale of post cards and money actually earned in other ways while enroute." McAdams and Higgins left twenty-four hours later from the same place and followed the same route and timetable, although they bragged that they would overtake Scherer and Wiley in a few days, and reach San Francisco first. There was supposed to be another team from Denver that would be riding a tandem bike, but no one really believed that they would show up. They didn't. A couple of newspapers in Indiana got the news feed wrong, and printed that Scherer and Wiley were riding motorcycles from New York to San Francisco. One newspaper that apparently got it right was the Chicago Daily News, whose photographer took the picture below (Library of Congress collection): It seems that the first pair of cyclists made it to Chicago looking none the worse for wear, but the exact date is unknown at this time. The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette noted on May 10 that the cyclists were due through that town on May 18 and 19, and the local cyclists were "preparing to give them a rousing reception." I don't know if they ever got their rousing reception—at this point I can't find anything about them past Chicago. I'll keep looking, but if someone has any idea whether or not they made it to San Francisco, please share with the rest of us. Coaster brakes vs. coastingYes, as douglas fir mentioned, the diameter of the rear hub looks quite adequate for containing a coaster brake mechanism. Early fixed gear bikes would have a rear hub with a narrow barrel. But fixed gear bikes were of course the first style of bicycle and during the 1890s they were used for long (even round the world) tours. On leisurely rides and for more gentle descents, early fixed gear bikes were sometimes fitted with foot rests added to the sides of the front fork. This illustration gives a good idea how these front "pegs" were used; of course, you'd better be familiar with the road if allowing yourself a long coast - since you'd eventually need to regain control of the still rapidly rotating pedals, and pedals with toe clips would likely be out of the question. Sturmey Archer 3 speedThe bike on the left has a sturmey archer 3 speed rear hub. (The Gallery, Bicycles, G.G. Bain, NYC)
REO Heroes: 1906
... secured under the fender. I wonder what its purpose was, hunting for food, defense or both? Tools The Winchester rifle was only ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/31/2021 - 1:05pm -

June 1906. "REO Mountaineer, New York to San Francisco and back." Percy Megargel and David Fassett at Huber's Hotel on 162nd Street in the Bronx at the end of their 10-month, 11,000-mile trip in a 16-horsepower REO (Ransom E. Olds) touring car. View full size. Shades of the Old WestThe cowboys of the 19th century had a rifle in a scabbard secured under their saddle. Percy and David had the rifle in a scabbard secured under the fender. I wonder what its purpose was, hunting for food, defense or both? ToolsThe Winchester rifle was only drawn once, for a bear: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-reo-mountaineer-endurance-ru... Not a very smooth tripNew York Tribune Thursday Jan 11, 1906 Modern AutomobileThis REO seems to have more basic systems in common with a 1980 car that the 1980 car has with a 2021 car (or crossover/SUV/Truck, since they hardly make cars anymore). 162nd and Jerome AveAcross the street from the (future) House That Ruth Built! Long and winding roadThis was aptly described at the time as an 'endurance run'. Percy and David originally estimated the round trip would take 112 days. One reason it took three times that: they routed through Detroit, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Portland, Los Angeles, Flagstaff, Gallup, Denver, and Omaha. They reported that the car was once stuck in quicksand for three weeks until a snow-melt flood washed it loose. They were in San Francisco in November 1905, so they missed the earthquake by five months. The photo below was captioned: "Lost between Williams and Flagstaff, Ariz." (They are less than 34 miles apart--but Arizona was still a territory.) Clearly, a time-traveller.The passenger is checking his cellphone. The Bronx?! The heck you say."How can this be the Bronx?" I asked myself. "It's not even paved." Then the light bulb went on. Curious as to what might be there today, I did a quick Google and found the approximate location. Suffice it to say, as a native New Englander, I wouldn't be caught dead there now outside of the AL East wild card playoffs... Bowlers and boatersThere is a bit of a mix of hats there, though I would suppose that June was well into straw hat season. Wearing the wrong hat when the season changes could cause a riot, especially in NYC. Unreadable scriptThe REO on the left has three letters on the front of the radiator. These are someone's initials. These could be bought from aftermarket vendors who sold dusters etc. to personalize one's car. Ransom E. OldsHad given his name to the Oldsmobile brand back in 1897, but left the company in 1905. He tried to continue under the name Olds, but legal action from Oldsmobile kept him from doing that so he settled on Reo. Had one of the most descriptive and interesting names for its cars in the 20's, specifically the Reo Flying Cloud. After the Depression settled into making large trucks and was absorbed by Volvo after bankruptcy in 1975. Bottom sideI'm curious as to the purpose of the shroud of fabric underneath the vehicle. Is it to catch those falling parts along the way? Riding ShotgunSo you wouldn't get relegated to the back seat. Unless a couple honeys come along then Riding Shotgun wasn't important. REO in the UKMany motor buses in Britain were REO. The story was 'Ruins Every Operator'... You may say that - I could not possibly comment! Timing is everythingI figure they were somewhere in Ohio when the Big One hit San Francisco. Re: Timing is everything (from the SF fire to the band in IL)To make it to San Francisco in time for "the big one", they might have used a REO Speed Wagon (the truck, not the band); but that vehicle wasn't to appear on the scene until 1915; and the band wasn't on the scene until 1966. On an interesting note, the band got its name (R.E.O. Speedwagon) from the vehicle, as founder and keyboardist Neal Doughty saw it written on the blackboard of his "History of Transportation" class at the University of Illinois (Champaign) in 1967. And if all of that wasn't enough coincidence, on his first keyboard, one of the first songs Neal Doughty learned was "Light My Fire" by The Doors. I can just hear those famous words by Robert L. Ripley ringing out, "Believe It or Not!" It would have been 9 monthsIf they did not have to lace up those boots every morning. Almost HomeCurrently, just west of third base at the (new) Yankee Stadium. Not a speedy wagonIf I did the math right, that averages out to just over 1.5 mph. If they drove just 8 hours a day, it averages out to about 4.6 mph. They didn't try for a direct route, but seemed to try to drive through as many states as they could. Today, with a direct route from NY to SF of 2906 miles, Google says you can make the round trip in 86 hours. Much more info here. Eye of the beholderIMO the tall, dark man standing behind the three gents on the far right, with his eyes cast downward, is also pretty handsome. The triple threat, as it were. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC)
Texas Roundup: 1901
... at an early dude ranch experience, or at the very best, a hunting party. Bowties? A white bowtie no less? White dress shirts? Those ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:38pm -

The Lone Star State circa 1901. "Camp wagon on a Texas roundup." Dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Little Joe the WranglerIt was little Joe the wrangler He'll wrangle never more His days with the remuda, they are done It was long late in the evening When he rode up to the herd A ragged looking stray and all alone. He was looking kinda hungry, he was looking for some work But he didn't know straight up about no cow But the boss he kinda liked him So he cuts him out a mount Guess he sorta liked that little stray somehow. Taught him how to herd the horses And to know them all by name And to get them in by daybreak if he could. And to load the old chuck wagon And to always hitch the team And help old Cocinera gather wood. The fellow in the boater-- looks uncomfortably out of place. "I say, old chaps, you wouldn't happen to have any proper teacups made of china, would you?" Real cowboysAnd not a six gun in sight. Early iron supplementYou see, kids, back in the old days cowboys had to cook a horseshoe in their stew to get their daily requirement. DudeYou don't want to know how much we pay in 2010 for an experience like this! Many ranchers still move cattle a couple times a year by dogs and horseback. Chuck wagons are still sometimes still pulled by teams. And dudes from "back east" pay good money to go "out west" for a few days of pushing cattle, semi-primitive camping, and feasts by Cookie. Well equipped chuckwagonBut does it really take 11 buckets, pots, and pans to get a cup of coffee and a plate of beans? Question:Hey Dave - How many references to Blazing Saddles do you expect to get? All Hat, No CattleI think you're looking at an early dude ranch experience, or at the very best, a hunting party. Bowties? A white bowtie no less? White dress shirts? Those bundles by the wagon are obviously tents of some kids--hardly living rough. No, I think you're looking at three City Slickers and one real cowboy cooking the food. Clean Cut CowboysAll are wearing clean, freshly pressed white shirts with bow-ties. Clint and his buddies never looked that clean on Rawhide. Just saying. Blazing Saddles Any more beans, Mr. Taggart? Taggart: I think you boys have had enough! MooOther than one lonely horse, I don't see anything that needs rounding up. Sunday bestWith the exception of the one who is moist likely "Cookie" the rest are rather well dressed (and pressed) to be actually involved in a round-up. Not too many cowboys would be wearing cuff-links while herding. Either they're going in to town or they're just visiting. Also, that's rather a lot of pots set out to make one meal. Two-hour Tea"The coffee was strong enough to stand a spade in." Just the juxtaposition of the spade and the pot. I knew some wood cutters in Canada who would put a gallon of water on the fire when they got to the work site at 8, throw in six teabags, and let it boil until the 10 o'clock break. Nobody got sleepy. Sample MenuMmmm! Sourdough sheepherder's bread, coffee, bacon, stew or beans, reconstituted dried-apple pie & maybe some eggs if you weren't too far from a ranch. All liberally greased with lard. Wait, I'm not sure if that's making me hungry or not. Strong Coffee According to the Texas lore handed down by my dad a horseshoe was used to check the coffee's strength.If it floated in the coffee it was strong enough. Ding!Drawer on the right looks as if it has a timer on it. Suppose that's for a little microwave just in case the fire goes out. As for the buckets -- well, sometimes Cooky's cooking ain't so good, so ... Cast iron is the bestI have a large working collection of cast iron pots, pans and ovens just like these. My bucket collection numbers one, though. The Lodge Company in South Pittsburg, Tn, is the only foundry making cast iron cookware in the USA. Nothing cooks like cast iron. Thet Thar's What I CallTailgatin! (The Gallery, DPC, Frontier Life, W.H. Jackson)
Sisler, Ruth, Cobb: 1924
... the noted characters of sportland. James J. Corbett was hunting all over the place for his seat. Babe Ruth, whose mighty clout failed ... while Tyrus Raymond Cobb, who had just finished a hunting trip in Virginia, finally parked himself near the newspaper men's seat. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 12:02pm -

October 4, 1924. "Sisler, Ruth, Cobb." George Sisler, Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb at the first game of the 1924 World Series at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Your thoughts, Babe?"Ty Cobb is a prick. But he sure can hit. God Almighty, that man can hit." - Babe Ruth Mystery ManI guess the guy in the first row, behind Sisler and Ruth, is hiding his face with his hat, because he should have been at the office. Little did he know he'd be out of focus. "Mitting" by the DugoutA paragraph from a long article in the following day's Washington Post: In the upper grandstand were all the noted characters of sportland. James J. Corbett was hunting all over the place for his seat. Babe Ruth, whose mighty clout failed to bring home the bacon for the Yankees, was only an innocent bystander, while Tyrus Raymond Cobb, who had just finished a hunting trip in Virginia, finally parked himself near the newspaper men's seat. Previously he and the Bambino had been down in the Giants' and Nationals' dugouts "mitting" all the players and extending best wishes. Lapel ButtonsCould you blow up the buttons on Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb's lapels? I'm curious what's on them. Thanks. Your thoughts, Ty?"He ran okay for a fat man." - Ty Cobb on Babe Ruth God, I love this site! Gorgeous GeorgeGeorge Sisler was so good it was flat ridiculous. He didn't have Ruth's power (no one ever has) but he had some, and Cobb's knack for average. Then, about a year prior to this picture, he developed a sinus infection for the ages. Today, with antibiotics, he'd be fine. Back then, he wasn't fine. It didn't end his career but the double-vision and permanent damage he suffered greatly curtailed his greatness to the point he eventually became just very good as opposed to legendarily great. His sons also played some effective big league ball. He was much greater than history has let on. Great photo. George Sisler belongs with those two, although not in temperament. Cobb was a prick, Ruth was a blowhard, and Sisler was a kind gentleman to the end of his days. Ahead of his timeCobb is supposed to be only 36 here - he looks much much older. Curious. [Ty is 37 in this photo, about to turn 38. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Public Figures, Sports)
The Campers: 1930s
... wear. Believe it or not, the tuxedo was once casual (hunting) clothing! So these are not everyday clothes of the '50s and '60s. They ... 
 
Posted by Tony W. - 09/18/2011 - 10:11pm -

This is probably Yosemite National Park some time in the thirties. Scanned from the 4 x 2½ inch negative. View full size Hey SamMildred? Have you seen my keys?? We'll never get out of this darned park if I don't find those keys! Late ThirtiesA data point: the car in the background is either a 1937 or 1938 Chevrolet Master DeLuxe four-door touring sedan. The breeze has placed the hanging clothes in rather inopportune positions, covering some details that would make the year more conclusive. Given what I can see, my guess is it's a 1937 model year car. It's impossible to tell how old the car was when the picture was taken, so all I can offer with any certainty is that the picture dates from 1937 or later. (If only the newspaper on the table was legible.) Correct TimeThose long skinny ladies' watches would indicate the 1930s also. 1935 Plymouth DeluxeThe circles on the hood, door hinge locations and the windshield wipers point to a 1935 Plymouth Deluxe sedan. 1935 PlymouthThe car in the background is definitely a 1935 Plymouth Deluxe Four Door Sedan. The trim rings on the hood give it away. Although it is blurred you can vaguely see the round sailing ship hood ornament. I hope this helps. Plymouth? Chevy?I never before noticed the remarkable similarity between the '35 Plymouth Deluxe (see it here) and the '37-38 Chevy Master DeLuxe (see it here). It's hard to distinguish in the images I linked, but both cars have the rings on the hood, the suicide doors, the little window in the rear, the elongated hood. The grille would be a giveaway, but it's not really visible, and if you can make out the hood ornament in the Yosemite picture, your eyes are far better than mine. I will defer to the '35 Plymouth identification, though, because the pillar between the doors is slightly more visible on the Plymouth, and the rear door hinge is higher on the Plymouth (and both of these are evident in the Yosemite picture). Good catch! Sometime between 1945 and 1949Judging by the clothing. Here's my thoughts: The men's haircuts look like they are from the late 1930s, but men tend to be conservative about their hairstyles. (Women too, actually; you can often tell a woman's age by her hairstyle if nothing else.) The older women have hairstyles suggestive of the 1930s (but see above) while the younger, undoubtedly more fashion conscious, women have hairstyles that are more casual versions of mid-forties. This could be because those styles are changing into late-forties styles, or it could be because camping is a fairly casual activity. Casual clothes are always a bit hard to date but are often earlier than you would suppose, because one decade's casual clothes become the next decade's more formal or at least more general wear. Believe it or not, the tuxedo was once casual (hunting) clothing! So these are not everyday clothes of the '50s and '60s. They are earlier. That bare-shouldered dress on the dark haired woman facing the camera is definitely later forties and not thirties. The "playsuit" started in the later thirties but that kind of sexy bare shouldered look for informal activities didn't really get going until after the war. The pressure is on!Quick! Someone identify that pressure cooker lid! What's for breakfast?Looks like a half open can of hash? A box of biscuits and eggs. What was in the pressure cooker? ShameIt looks to me as if the dark haired girl on the left is giving the photographer bedroom eyes, while the girl next to her is mortified and trying to meld into the background. Dad looks resigned and tense, while the aunt on the end looks disgusted. Mom just looks at the photographer as if to say, "don't even go there". The dark haired girl looks quite hot to trot, I think. Anyone else see this whole scenario? Before plastic forksThese campers don't know how lucky they are to have real flatware, NOT the current despicable, fragile and useless forks and knives with which they expect people to enjoy outdoor and party dining today. I plan to purchase several of the boyscout version of aluminum all-in-one camping utensils to stash in my car just to keep from getting perturbed and annoyed by those who offer only the flimsy, weak and unusable disposable junk. I find that nothing spoils the fun of a joyful gathering more than crappy utensils! (And you darn kids stay off my lawn). [The white kind is flimsy and to be avoided -- blech. The full size clear Lexan or polycarbonate variety, on the other hand, I've found to be pretty good -- my flatware of choice for camping trips or patio barbecues. The cheap aluminum flatware in a lot of camping kits is soft and bendy, much inferior to the better plastic. Nice stainless flatware, of course, trumps them all as far as style and function go. - Dave] Camping accoutrementsEnameled coffee pot, still in style at fashionable camping sites thirty years later. Nothing like the taste of coffee grounds roasted over an open fire. And before milk cartons.Yes, and before milk cartons, paper plates, the whole "modern" picnic thing. Teen AngstNo one has mentioned the family dynamics of this photo: Mother, Aunt, Father, older daughter, younger daughter -- not the kind of campsite you put up and take down in a day, so probably has been set up in a campground for a week. The Uncle pulls out the camera on the day your leaving, and catches the youngest not wanting to leave the boy she met. Oldest daughter in a good mood 'cause they are going home, Mother tired of cooking and cleaning in the "rough," Father wanting to get home to see the game. Dating the photoThe girls' hair is definitely forward-looking (to the 1940s). My gut feeling though is that the older women look reasonably "with it." In other words they don't look like they'd be wearing styles dramatically out of date -- they'd simply not pick up on the latest change as it happens. Given that the car is '35, my expert opinion puts it at 39-40. What a CutieMan, I gotta stop falling in love with these Shorpy babes. Especially since they are, as a rule, deceased. The Pressure is offThe lid does not belong to a pressure cooker (note the collapsible handle in the center rather than a relief stem) - this lid most likely belongs to a utensil tote for camping. Family Dynamics ReduxI am thinking that that is Grandpa and Grandma away from the camera. Mom is on the right and Dad is taking the picture. The girl looks too young for boyfriend camping. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Tonypix, Travel & Vacation)
Top Gun: 1938
... old 16-gauge Remington A5 for quail and dove hunting; it had an adjustable choke at the end of the barrel. John Moses ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 11:41am -

January 5, 1938. Westmoreland Hills, Maryland. "Mrs. Albert F. Walker of this town has been declared 1937 women's skeet shooting champion of the country by the National Skeet Shooting Association. The Association has released the averages on which the ratings were based, but one day last year at the Kenwood skeet club, Mrs. Walker set the women's record fall with 99x100 (skeet for 99 birds out of a possible 100). In addition to her national title, she outranks both men and women shooters in the District of Columbia and Maryland." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. She could outshoot meBut I'd love to have the shotgun. Looks like a Browning Auto 5. Dick CheneyEat your heart out. Strong womenThis website shows so many beautiful pictures of really strong women, who are admired for their talents and not their looks. Did something happen after World War II that sent the women's movement backwards? I grew up in the eighties and never had role models like this. I remember when shooting was a family sportLots of fun shooting clays, and punching holes in paper plates with a .22! Looks like an A-5 with a Cutts compensatorfor sure! Remington BrowningWhen I was a kid (1980s) I used my grandfather's old 16-gauge Remington A5 for quail and dove hunting; it had an adjustable choke at the end of the barrel. John Moses Browning certainly left his mark on the sporting and military worlds. Highs & LowsNot much has changed since then and even the shooting finger of glove has been removed for more sensitivity the same as they are today. The only major difference is that today shooting a 99X100 would not put you on the podium. Having been an Olympic Skeet shooter I have known many great women champions including Connie Hoyle who was later inducted into San Diego's Hall Of Fame. When Robert Stake and Grits Gresham and I shot skeet together they were both very fond of the old fashioned Cutts compensators as were many skeet shooters in the 50s and indeed they worked very well with paper wad shells. Two Classy ItemsGreaet shot of a great shot. And bonus points to the viewers who identified the A-5 and Cutts. Very cool. BrownieOh yes , looks like a Browning for shure !!! I have my Dad's A-5 from when he was a kid. I'm 52 and it is PRICELESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [52, huh? - Dave] Pretty Ladies and GunsHmmm... What was the connection in those days between pretty ladies and guns? Pat Laursen, national women's skeet shooting champion, wearing glasses that improve her aim and protect her eyes from flying pieces of pigeon. Photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt in Akron, Ohio. 1940 Florence Wetherill WalkerI hate when the only references to a woman are in terms of her husband's name. Her name is Florence Wetherill Walker (maiden name, Florence Campbell Wetherill). She graduated from Gunston Hall in 1927 and married Albert Wilson Walker in 1929. They had one daughter, also named Florence Wetherill Walker. Washington Post, Jul 17, 1937 Gun Club Honors Mrs. A.W. Walker As a tribute to the accomplishments of Mrs. A.W. Walker, of Chevy Chase, in winning the all bore skeet championship for Maryland and the District of Columbia against a large field of men, the Towson Gun Club will hold a testimonial shoot tomorrow. Mrs. Walker is the first woman to become the all bore champion of any State in skeet history. In the recent State shoot here, she was not content with capturing the ladies championship but entered and won the all bore event with a score of 95 targets out of a possible 100. She equaled George Radabaugh's winning score in the 1936 shoot, which has been the second best in the local gun club's history. The only higher score ever shot for the championship was a perfect mark made by Charles Gillett in 1935. Sports Illustrated, Jan 19, 1970 Florence Wetherill Walker, who set a national women's skeet-shooting record in 1938, became the first lady chapter president in the 33-year history of Ducks Unlimited when she was elected head of the conservation organization's District of Columbia branch. Remington 11It's a Remington Model 11 Sportsman made under the Browning patent. Check out the rolled engraving on the receiver. The Sportsman was a three-shot versus the A-5 being a five-shot. More on Florence Wetherill WalkerThanks very much for posting this. Florence Campbell Wetherill grew up in Westmoreland County, Virginia, where her family owned a lot of land, which is where she learned to shoot. Her husband, Albert Wilson Walker, pursued a career as a real estate investor and residential developer in Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas. Westmoreland Heights and Westmoreland Circle, in Washington, were among his developments, and he gave them the name Westmoreland in honor of his wife's heritage. Albert and Florence were great friends of my grandparents Francis Winslow & Laura Bryn, my grandfather also being in real estate development in Washington. The Walker daughter grew up with my mother and her sisters, and framed photos of the Walkers still rest on shelves in our family home. Thus it is a great pleasure to see this note on Florence and to see the wonderful photograph of her. Allen Elliott Walker FamilyI am a cousin to this Walker family -- Albert being a son of Allen Elliott Walker, whose father was Redford Watkinson Walker, whose father was George Washington Walker. 1. Maj. George Washington Walker -- Paymaster, U.S.M.C. + Mary Redford Watkinson of Brooklyn, NY 2. Redford Watkinson Walker, Real Estate Broker, attorney + Phebe Ann Elliott 3. Allan Elliott Walker, Real Estate & Stock Broker, Mayflower Hotel I am a descendant of Major George W. Walker and have searched for years for the names of his parents. Would any of you happen to know who they were? I also found it interesting that Allan Walker was involved with gas stations. My grandfather Charles Carroll Digges moved to the Orlando, Florida, area and in the late 1920s opened a service station. It is my understanding he had the first tire retreading business in Florida. I wonder if he had had any encouragement from his first cousin Allan. (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing, Sports)
Big Gun: 1923
... It looks like a punt gun to me, too, possibly for hunting on the Chesapeake Bay in the 1870s or so. Mounted on a boat, aimed by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 2:46pm -

July 30, 1923. Washington, D.C. "Big gun." National Photo Co. View full size. Ye Olde GunsmithThis giant carved wood model of a percussion cap rifle appears to be an early 19th-century shop sign, like the giant dentures, pince nez glasses and druggist's mortars that once hung over storefronts. The wood is weathered and cracked, there are no gun sights along the top, and the butt end of the barrel is one with its stock. Big ShotThe trigger does not look carved, neither does the firing mechanism. I am more in favor of a museum display piece or a prop for a movie. Proof MarkMost punt guns were home-made. Talk about taking your life in your hands! Some real onesThe Modern Mechanix blog has this post on similar looking guns in the June 1934 issue of Popular Mechanics. Also from 1934, an article in Modern Mechanix. Rampart GunThat looks a bit large for a punt gun. It's more like a rampart gun. They were used in forts to hold off attackers. Punt GunMaybe a punt gun, used by "meat market hunters" to kill large flocks of waterfowl with one shot. Fake GunBeing that it looks like it is entirely made of wood and the fact that 1923 is pretty darned late for the use of a percussion cap weapon for warfare, I'd say this fake gun was going to be used for some sort of display. Duck seasonhttp://www.puntgunner.co.uk/ Website devoted to the sport. The gun is named after the kind of boat that they are mounted in -- a little skiff called a punt. CrackedThe gun has obvious stress cracks in the tang and lock area -- which do not extend into the barrel. Seems that if it were all wood, as a sign might be, the cracks would extend into the barrel. Also note that the butt-end is not in proportion to the rest of the gun, as might be in a sign, but is properly sized for actual shooting. It looks like a punt gun to me, too, possibly for hunting on the Chesapeake Bay in the 1870s or so. Mounted on a boat, aimed by turning the boat towards the flock. Quite old-fashioned by 1923. Something Grandpa would have used. Say hello...to my little friend!! Somebody had to do it. Joe from LI, NY Godzilla has met his matchAs the saying goes, "Build a bigger Japanese monster, and someone will build a gun big enough to kill it." (The Gallery, Curiosities, D.C., Natl Photo)
Frisco Alfresco: 1906
... Cinco de Mayo festival. Myrtle Street Took a bit of hunting but I found the location of this photo: Myrtle Street (or Alley) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:34pm -

San Francisco, April 1906, after the earthquake and fire that leveled much of the city. "Cooking in the street." Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Re: Radical, dude!Sure he will - right on top of the stove!! Hey - "What's that guy with the camera lookin' at?!?" Post no billsNor Freds or Jims or Kens either. On the levelEvidently there's more of a hill on this street than meets the eye, judging by how the back legs of each kitchen range are shimmed. Virgo risingLooks like someone drew an astrology chart on the pavement. Snail hopscotchThe "horoscope" on the road is a version of Snail Hopscotch. Instead of a T shape, you draw a spiral, then start at the outside on 1, hopping toward the centre, switch feet and hop out. Played it endlessly as a kid, amongst other schoolyard games. La Marelle Ronde (Round Hopscotch)Those "astrology charts" look very much like hopscotch spirals, similar to the French Escargot hopscotch -- La Marelle Ronde. Am I Warm?They're cooking in the street for a Cinco de Mayo festival. Myrtle StreetTook a bit of hunting but I found the location of this photo: Myrtle Street (or Alley) between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. View is to the west, with the spire of the old First Unitarian Church just visible over the buildings at right. The Unitarian Church is still there but hidden from view. About the only survivor from the 1906 photo is the granite newel post. View Larger Map Tiny PiratesThe lady swinging her fist is protecting the identity of the tiny pirate hiding behind her. Street cookingBonus question: Who can guess why, in a part of town where the buildings are still intact, people are cooking on the street? Radical, dude!That's a gnarly skateboard ramp man. You're never gonna land that one. KaboomThese people were afraid that cooking indoors with their coal or wood (or gas) stoves might ignite any gas leaking from broken supply lines. Which of course is why much of the city burned after the earthquake. About street cookingYep. A number of first-hand narratives about the earthquake and fire aftermath are available online, for example this one and this one. Both mention the enforcement of no-indoor-flames rules. Mystery BoxI wonder what Charlie Chaplin is carrying up the street? Living on the EdgeJohn Martini's identification of the photo to this block of Myrtle Street reveals just how narrow an escape these residents had. In this neighborhood, the fire was halted along Van Ness, which was the next street directly behind the photographer when he took this view. The red area in this detail of a 1907 San Francisco map shows the portion of the city that was destroyed by the fire. The small bright green rectangle indicates the location of this block of Myrtle Street, adjacent to the fire zone. (The Gallery, DPC, Fires, Floods etc., San Francisco)
Main Street: 1920
... at all interested in advertising before 1960, I recommend hunting down a copy of Frank Rowsome's "They Laughed When I Sat Down: An ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 1:33pm -

Fall River, Massachusetts, circa 1920. "Main Street." Where Hustle meets Bustle. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Took an axeLook for an older lady in the photo. It could be Lizzie Borden, who would have been 60 around the time of this picture. A Hat Company's DreamNary a man, women or child who doesn't don a hat! I have worn "old men's hats" since I was in high school, and it's hard to find fedoras these days. I love studying the people and try and imagine what the conversations of the day were about. Of course, I am a pipe smoker, so my eyes were drawn to one on the sidewalk. Lots to look at in this photo! Weather StationWow! An awful lot going on in this picture! I like the weather instruments perched atop the corner of the building in the upper left. I wonder if that belongs to the drug store below or an amateur meteorologist? Ashes by nowPretty much everything in this photo is gone. A massive fire in 1928 destroyed many of the buildings seen here, including the Mohican Hotel, the Globe Newspaper building, and the Wilbur. The imposing edifice on the right is City Hall, which was demolished in the 1960s to make room for I-195. Fall River had been a massive, highly prosperous textile manufacturing city in the late 1800s. As the mills closed or moved south in the 1930s, the city suffered an economic collapse and never recovered. It's a pretty sad, empty place today. Signs of the Times I'm nostalgic for the civility evident in a photo like this. There is an obvious formality in the architecture and dress but it is balanced by a casual interaction evidenced by the people stopping to chat in the street, walking and shopping. The streets are busy but no one is racing. This was the only "social network"! As a sign painter (rapidly becoming a dinosaur) I'm just staggered by the volume and variety of the work in this and many similar shots. Before the dominance of the computer all this work was done by hand and there was enough work to keep any skilled craftsman busy full time. No corporate plastic indistinguishable from one city to the next. Thanks for letting me time travel back to my grandfathers time -- the upside of the computer! Same womanThe woman with the wide white collar by the Drugstore is also in this photo! Judging by the amount of peopleit must be a Saturday. Long may she waveThere's a little flag on the window of the A.G. Weeks office on the left. I've never seen that in this era of photos. I wonder if it's painted or a decal. Gold Dust TwinsThe fabled Gold Dust Twins! I have heard about them all my life, but this is the first time I've laid eyes on them. Thank you, Dave. [You're welcome, and you can see more of them here. - Dave] Standing on the CornerWatching all the girls go by. Wait, that was the Four Lads. 1953. Some things never change. Standing on the CornerWatching all the girls phweet phwew go by. The guys on the right of the photo are great! As mentioned previously, the interaction between so many of these people on the street is wonderful to see. Now I think they would be talking but not face to face. WowIn all of the hundreds (thousands) of photos I have ravenously devoured since discovering Shorpy just recently, this one has to be the most richly detailed. Wonderful! Your diligent work has had a profound impact on me, Dave. Thanks so much. Re: Took an axeI think Lizzie was a bit of a recluse by this time. She was very big into animal care. The human-nature specialist will give a knowing nod on that fact. RexallI had no idea Martin Balsam's middle name was "Cough." Speaking of signsNote the one for Occident Flour. I'd like to make more and better bread too. (She says while surfing the net at work.) But I'm such a Shorpy addict! Stars and StripesIt's interesting to count the flags; nearly every business seems to be displaying one. Cars & More CarsIt is amazing just how quickly the automobile took over the center of the cities. In pics from 1905 hardly any cars, around 1910 we see a few more, but by 1920 they dominate the scene! I have two very different responses to this photoThis picture brings about two very different responses in me. (1) Being that I'm a huge history buff born and brought up in the U.S., these snapshots of old Americana are so exciting for me. Like others, I love combing through the photo for fascinating details, and can't help but wonder what these lovely people talked and thought about as they went about their day. Likely, save for references to modern amenities and gadgets, I'd probably marvel at how their ponderings don't veer that far from my own every day ones. Soon after, I start wishing I could step into the photograph and walk among these people. I'd love to eavesdrop and interact with them, smell the air around us, take in the warmth of the sun, and just feel the difference a century makes. This rumination however, quickly brings on my second response: (2) As a person of color I wonder how reality would really shape my experience walking down this street. How would I be looked at and treated by these people? I see the joviality and smiles on their faces, but I wonder if I would be shunned and turned away from if I were the one to approach them. Someone mentioned the civility with which these people seem to present themselves, and I certainly understand that it was in response to their clothes and manner of walk, but I wonder how civil they would be when faced with someone of differing color? (Sorry to bring this up, this is just what my damn brain turns to and till now, I've never spoken of it on this site). Apothecary!What are cold and grip pills? [Remedies for people with colds or the grip (also spelled grippe). - Dave] Interesting notethis entire section of main street was destroyed by a fire on February 2, 1928. Gold Dust TwinsIf you're at all interested in advertising before 1960, I recommend hunting down a copy of Frank Rowsome's "They Laughed When I Sat Down: An Informal History of Advertising in Words and Pictures." You'll find the origins of all kinds of things that are still current (e.g., the origin of "Sunny Jim", Pears' Soap, and on and on). Photographer, please wait 15 seconds!Don't shoot yet, I'd like to see the face of this mystery girl more close. Please, wait until she gets the sunny spot. Thanks! My GrandfatherMy grandfather was a young police officer around this time and makes me wonder if he could be among the three or four police officers I can see in this photo. I find it fascinating to think of the possibility. Also, I thought the fire was stopped at the building just before the Daily Globe and then the wind shifted to the east sending it up Bedford Street. And I'll have to check, but I thought you could still see some of the Globe lettering on the side of the building. Perhaps just a memory from my youth. What this place needs -is traffic lights! I count at least five men wearing the hats of officialdom, while amiable strolling overdressed citizens wander anywhere the muse takes them. A different age that looks rather charming. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)
California Vacation: 1956
... and my friends and I would explore it. It was also prime hunting territory for rattlesnakes. We would catch them live and sell them to a ... 
 
Posted by pointedrocks - 09/16/2011 - 5:27pm -

Marineland of the Pacific on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1956. Left to right are my two cousins visiting from Texas, myself, and my brother. Inside the 1955 DeSoto are my Granny and my Aunt. We are all enjoying our ice cream at the end of a day of watching the fishes. All but my little brother, that is. His ice cream has rolled out of the cone and can just barely be seen on the ground at his feet on the right. It wasn't the first or the last time that would happen to him. View full size. DeSotoWOW what a great car. Missing dessertLove the chrome on that DeSoto. I learned to drive in my grandma's '55. What memories this pic brings back. Looks to me like a '55 Chevy station wagon in the background. [Almost -- the wagon is a Pontiac. (Oops, actually a Mercury, as noted by A Californian.) - Dave] Delightful, DelovelyI love the photo! It is so very 50ish!!! Love the joy of the ice cream and the sadness of losing your cone to the pavement!!! Boy! Do I remember that!Especially losing a triple decker. Oh, the pain of youth. DeSoto!Memories of my late father are always intertwined with his string of DeSotos. From the '47 (Fluid Drive semi-automatic) of my early childhood through the fire-breathing red '61 Firedome (383 Hemi) of my teen years, in which I learned to drive and became a man. Thanks for bringing up a lot of memories, pointedrocks. [The last Firedomes were 1959 cars. For 1961, which was DeSoto's final year, the only models were a nameless sedan and coupe. - Dave] The station wagon at rightIt's a handsome car and definitely a rival of Pontiac's, but my money is on it being a 1955 or 1956 Mercury. Sadly, in just a few years younger people won't recognize those names anymore (or other old Detroit friends like Plymouth & Oldsmobile.) Chrysler productsAs a kid of 8 & 9, just about my favorite cars were DeSotos and Chryslers of 1955-56. And they keep on following me. Just the other day via Netflix Streaming I watched Hot Cars, which is full of them, and tonight whilst exiting a shopping center parking lot I came nearly face-to-face with a vintage restored 1955 Chrysler. '56In 1956 I had a new drivers license and on the weekends I could be found on those hills directly behind the cars. There was a Nike Missile site up there and my friends and I would explore it. It was also prime hunting territory for rattlesnakes. We would catch them live and sell them to a lab in L.A. All of this within view of the big blue pool at Marineland. And at night, the Palos Verdes Peninsula (P.V.) came alive with the arrival of hundreds of young couples to watch the submarine races. Silver Lining?At least you get to eat the cone. Been there and done that. Marineland!I remember a visit in the late 50's. The walruses (walri?) were making awesomely flatulant noises inside their cement shelter - almost outweighing the famous leaping porpoises in my impressionable 12-year old mind. It was fascinating to watch the porpoises build up speed through the underwater portholes, racing individually in seemingly random circles until they suddenly came together and burst out of the water in formation leaps. And we too observed the now-forgotten discipline of only enjoying treats OUTSIDE the car, to preserve the upholstery. We would have arrived in our 1957 Mercury Colony Park station wagon with the Turnpike Cruiser V8, complete with pillarless hardtop construction, vinyl siding and red "spear" inset into white body - a major milestone in the lurid styling race that erupted in the late fifties. As hastily as this car seemed to be designed and built, not many made it into the sixties. DeSotoProbably a Fireflite, may be a Coronado. Submarine Races?Couples watching submarine races? Is this a 1950s euphemism, or was this an actual, literal event? [Yes. - Dave] Fashion youngstersBoy, those clothes are just so typical of the era. Love the turned up denims. Come on pointedrocks, tell me you gave your brother some of your ice cream after his "whoops". Cars like shown here are alive and well here in New Zealand, friends of mine have '57 Fairlanes, '57 Oldsmobile, '58 Buick Special and one mate has three Chevy Bel Airs -- 1955, 56 and 57. Great cars. Booty cuffs. Those are just like the way we used to cuff our pants as kids. Then some kid transferred to our school with his cuffs tucked under and inside the pant leg, and we never looked back. My sister, grandmother and aunt would venture down from the Bay Area to Southern California two years after this to enjoy Disneyland and surrounding attractions, Marineland being one of the stops. With no interstate highways at the time, it was the longest trip I'd ever been on, and seemed like it would never end. We did get a chance to see some Hollywood magic, as they were filming some of the new hit show "Sea Hunt". One of my favorite shows, it was so cool to see the footage of the scenes I'd watch them film later on. Yeah, I guess this photo is bringing back a few memories. Marineland From the AirLate 50's aerial view. The wife and I were married on the former Marineland site, several years after it closed. It's now Terranea Resort. The big differenceI love these nostalgic pics of families with their cars. It does show up the big difference between America and South Africa in this era -- the cars. The cars in the old photos of my parents and grandparents are generally smaller British and German cars like Morris and Opel, nice and yet somehow not as glamorous as those fantastic "yank tanks." The Times They Are a-Changin I fish off the site of the former Marineland and above is how it looks now. Below a post card and the name of the resort that is there now amidst some of the priciest high rent districts in California. Amazing AmericanaSuch a classic example of a bygone era!! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids)
Teen Arsenal: 1959
... 1950s, adults and kids had guns, but they were used for hunting and plinking. They were not misused. Guns in racks in pickup trucks ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/28/2018 - 9:51am -

From Columbus, Georgia, or vicinity circa 1959 comes this uncaptioned shot of the young marksman last seen here. 4x5 inch acetate negative. View full size. We need a reason to raise families again.There were a lot more guns back then. Kids brought them to school and schools had shooting clubs. What went wrong? People changed their values. Life just doesn't hold the same value as it used to especially when kids play games that provide extra points for finishing the wounded off. Tighten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride. [There were not "a lot more guns back then." - Dave] You're correct, there are more guns today, but less gun holding households. Since they are primarily manufactured for domestic use, it translates to more guns per holding household. Accordingly, 3% of the population own half the guns in the US while gun manufacturing numbers have increased since at least 1972. In any case, it's the psychology that has changed most drastically. Gun Ownership in America No high end rifles thereBut I do like the pneumatic pump up rifle next to the young man. Crosman or Benjamin 5.5 mm or .20 caliber Kids and GunsIn that day and age kids were taught gun safety and were trusted not to misuse them. Today they only know what they see on TV, which is the misuse of them. Real Penny LoafersIt’s been many a year since I’ve seen pennies in penny loafers! When I grew up in Texas in the 1950s, adults and kids had guns, but they were used for hunting and plinking. They were not misused. Guns in racks in pickup trucks were not given a second glance. My how times have changed. RE: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?Sulzermeister, just so you know (this coming from a once-Texan no less), not everyone on this side of the pond thinks gun ownership is a good thing. In fact, I'd like to think it is a majority of Americans who shudder a bit at the thought of a kid with an arsenal like this in his bedroom. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?From the UK side of the Atlantic this looks pretty odd. I'm not aware of any of our considerable list of friends here in Scotland actually owning or possessing a firearm! A boy and his bayonetI'm not a gun enthusiast. While I can understand that a kid from Georgia might want a rifle, and a few more rifles, and a shotgun, maybe someone can explain why he needs a bayonet. When onejust isn't good enough. Arisaka Type 44 CarbineI could be wrong on the exact identification but the weapon on the extreme left is a Japanese Arisaka Type 44 carbine. The bayonet is actually a part of the carbine and is not easily removable. It folds underneath the stock. The boy simply has it extended. This weapon could have been a bring-back by his dad or other relative during World War II as at the time the US military allowed certain captured weapons to be sent home. The amount of rifles/carbines is not unusual for a boy of the period especially in rural areas or the South. My dad and his brothers for instance, around the same year as the photograph was taken, had quite a few rifles. They lived on a farm and hunted game with them or just did target practice. Army bratThere was some speculation in the previous iteration of this young man that his father may have been a Marine due to the Arisaka rifle. Columbus is right next to Fort Benning, so it's more likely than not that his father was in the Army. The US Army fought in the Pacific too, most notably in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Okinawa. It's even possible that Dad was still in the Army and stationed at Fort Benning (where I took basic training almost 50 years ago). It's also possible that most of the weapons on display belong to Dad too. The term "Army brat" is a term of pseudo-affection given to children of career Army soldiers. Fountain PenI suspect our marksman was using a fountain pen, since I see the familiar bottle of Sheaffer Skrip ink. It came in a number of colours, such as blue black and emerald green. But only the girls would dare use green ink. I still have a jar of jet black Skrip ink, now mummified. The jar featured a little reservoir to fill the fountain pen easily. Cadet Corps was compulsory in Windsor, Ontario high schools in 1964, and we had to learn how to dismantle a gun and clean it. We also did target practice with .22s down at the shooting range in the basement. Keep them cleanI'm guessing he is putting his firearms away since the shotgun is no longer on the left end of the bed. And those might be used patches on the bedspread. I know I would not want my mom seeing those patches and cleaning rod on my bed. They'd have been cleaned up first! Course, if I knew the time stamp on the pictures it would confirm putting away or taking out. Times have changedI graduated high school in 1969. From the 7th through 12th grade the school had a rifle club whose members would shoot in the basement firing range. This, mind you, was about eight miles from downtown Boston. These days people would freak out just seeing a photo of the rifle club. To my recollection, there were no incidents of gun violence involving anyone in the schools. Arisaka RifleI agree that the rifle on the far left is likely a war prize Japanese Arisaka rifle. My late great uncle brought one back from his stint as a U.S. Marine fighting on Guadalcanal Island. We had it in our household for a period of time when I was a kid (I was fascinated by it), but my uncle at some point took it back and no telling where it ended up. He returned from combat a profoundly changed man and lived the rest of his life as a delusional drunkard - a victim of PSTD before it was a widely-recognized affliction. What folks knew in '59Clearly, no one is going to change anyone else's mind on gun issues. But, in spite of what a couple of the comments posted here might suggest, could we at least agree on the proper use of "less" vs. "fewer"? The Real DangerThe young lad could easily get tangled in the venetian blind cord and strangle himself in his sleep. Those cords are real killers! Words of WisdomIn the word of Santa Claus and Ralphie's mom, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" Speaking of bayonetsI’ve always wondered about the dual nature of a rifle with a bayonet affixed, making it a weapon both to shoot and to stab. Which raises the following macabre question: does not the function of the bayonet sometimes result in an impaired function of the rifle as a shooting weapon? In other words, doesn’t the muzzle sometimes get clogged with blood and gore, resulting in a blocked rifle, making it impossible or even dangerous to shoot? Dime a Dozen SpringfieldSecond from left looks like a Springfield .58 from the Civil War. It has been cut down a bit and is missing the original barrel bands. Looks like someone put an Enfield barrel band on it. My dad said when he was a kid, these rifles were a dime a dozen, with many being cut down and used as shotguns. A decent Springfield of Enfield will set you back at least $1500 now. On that bayonetIt's probably a war prize. Is it a huge risk? Not really, as the gun it's mounted on is far more lethal than it is. David Grossman, who made a career out of teaching soldiers to kill (it's evidently harder than you'd think), characterized the use of the bayonet as one of the hardest things to teach simply because it by definition is a close up killing. RE: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?kines - I' glad to hear your take on this. Sorting gun ownership in the USA will take time and there are numerous "interested" parties but I hope you'll eventually reach the near-zero figure we have in Scotland! RE: Keep them cleanThere IS a time stamp on the photo. It is on the desk and shows about 4:25. I have to assume it is in the afternoon as his hair looks too nice to be 4:25 in the AM (The Gallery, Columbus, Ga., Kids, News Photo Archive)
Sgt. Choken: 1943
... Do I have to boycott or something? Don't make us girls go hunting all over 5 zillion images for our cheesecake when the men have it all ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 1:50pm -

July 1943. "Myrtle Beach, S.C. Air Service Command. Mobile chief Technical Sergeant Vasile Choken, whose home is in Akron, Ohio. In civilian life he drove a truck, ran a filling station and spent two years in the Civilian Conservation Corps." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Reminds meof those cigarette ads that featured sports figures who espoused the merits of a good smoke to enhance performance. Johnny U, I miss you. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em. Chokem if you got 'em!Sorry, I just had to. He's smoking an unfiltered. Notice that the brand name is toward the lit end. Times have changedDuring WWII, cigarettes were 5 cents a pack for the military through the PX, and I am told that in combat zones they were free. I recently read in Stars & Stripes that the Department of Defense has instituted a program to eradicate smoking in the military in the next 20 years. A cig and a squintAside from the sporty all American ballcap, this fellow gives off a nice Clint Eastwood vibe. I nominate him for the Handsome Rakes gallery. He must be bachin' it, as any woman he kept handy would probably shave the little Brillo pad growing at the nape of his neck. Ciggie terminologyBack in my hometown regular folks, farmers and shop workers were said to smoke "rolled" cigarettes, which they made themselves, while executives and the well off could afford "tailored" cigarettes bought at the corner store. At Christmas, tailored cigarettes, packaged in lovely tin humidors, were considered a classy gift for Dad or that special guy. Chokem vs. ChokenLooks like Jack Delano got the surname slightly wrong. There is no Chokem in the Social Security Death Index. But: Vasile CHOKEN Birth Date: 14 Jan 1918 Death Date: 20 Aug 2004 Social Security Number: 285-12-3952 State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: Ohio Death Residence Localities ZIP Code: 44313 Localities: Akron, Summit, Ohio Fairlawn, Summit, Ohio Shag tobaccoIn the Netherlands (where I am from) rolling your own "sjekkies" is still a very common practice. One can purchase a wallet size pouch with fine-cut tobacco pretty much in any supermarket, drugstore or kiosk, along with "vloei" -- very thin rolling paper. My Grandfather used to have a little rolling machine which he primarily used to roll his sigarettes after he suffered a stroke rendering the left side his body pretty much limp. Hazards of smokingMr. Choken smoked unfiltered cigarettes and lived to 86. Maybe he quit at a young age. Handsome!Thanks Shorpy, for providing me with pictures of all these good looking men. July 1943My birthday!!! Oh myHubba hubba! Service ManShag that? Sure I would. He's a handsome guy. You can see what might have made American troops welcome lots of places if they were all as cute as this guy. (He's the age of my father who was also in the Army during WWII. He'd be appalled at these sentiments of mine!) A 65 year difference65 years ago, 25 year old guys probably had worked 2 or more jobs to make ends meet and either joined up or were drafted into the war effort. Today the majority of 25 year olds are trying to pay off huge college debt, trying to find a job, and probably living in their parents' basement. I think I'd rather be smoking an unfiltered Camel. Wheels DownSgt. Choken is hereby cleared for approach. Night landings especially. Hubba hubba! Jeez LouiseHoly cow, that boy is hot*. Please, let's have more of the same. * Yeah, yeah. I know. Does it really matter? The boy is smokin'. Handsome Rake!!Dave, you have to add this guy to the list. Your attention to the Rake department lags disgracefully behind your identification of Pretty Girls. Do I have to boycott or something? Don't make us girls go hunting all over 5 zillion images for our cheesecake when the men have it all helpfully labeled for them. Hubba hubba. Rowr. [Alright. He now ranks among the rakes. - Dave] Eat your heart out, Bruce Weber!Vasile. What a beautiful Romanian name. DadThat's my dad. [What can you tell us about him? - Dave] Vasile Choken, my fatherFirst and foremost he was a good man. He had the most amicable and easygoing disposition of anyone I have ever met. The original spelling of the name was Ciokan but at roll call they could never pronounce it so he changed it to the phonetic spelling of Choken. He was also a good soldier, he was later sent to Officer's School where he received his commission and became a flight engineer on B-25's and B-17's. He was married to the love of his life, Helen, for 57 years. He had four children (two boys, two girls). I'm his younger son. When he left the service he returned to Akron, where he spent most of his adult life. He retired from the Akron Board of Education after 35 years. All in all a good life well spent. Ciokan=ciocan=hammerI am Romanian and I can tell you that his name was previously Ciocan, which in Romanian language means "hammer" -- a very suitable name for this nice guy. (The Gallery, Handsome Rakes, Jack Delano, WW2)
Natchez: 1940
... on each side; cotton is long gone, many now are hunting plantations, mostly quail. I've also driven on roads like this in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:50pm -

August 1940. "Natchez, Mississippi." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Natchez in poetryThere was a young woman from Natchez Whose clothing was always in patches. When confronted by those On the state of her clothes, She replied, "When I itches, I scratches!" ExceptionalOutstanding photograph from Marion Post. One can almost feel the heat. ConstantsThey still exist: the sunken roads, the summer heat, the dust, but also the Southern charm, the delicious food, the easy cordiality. Spanish moss, Mississippi dustCould this be the Natchez Trace? A Curtain of GreenChanneling Eudora Welty here. Canopy Roads, Country LanesNote the height of the side embankments; over time, the road has lost elevation due to use and erosion. It even originally may have started as an Indian trail. Today, 70 years later, a photographer can find the same scene, except for the vintage of the automobile and maybe the umbrella. Here in North Florida they are called canopy roads -- typically public roads with plantations on each side; cotton is long gone, many now are hunting plantations, mostly quail. I've also driven on roads like this in south Georgia. I daresay the South has many more. EpiphyticWow, the Spanish moss is so beautiful in the full-size version! Almost like a paintingI'll tell you what, this photograph so perfectly captures the feeling of the South, it almost gives me the shakes from malaria. Fantastic!! Canopy In ColorColor airbrushed with PhotoShop The Road to my Grandpa's house!My Mamma was raised in Crosby MS and this could be the very road to the old place! Not many of the roads I knew as a kid were sunken like this but all of them were lush, and dusty in summer. The gravel was orange-red round river pebbles, and the sound under the car tires distinctive. I'd like to see the colored version larger -- Spanish moss is always gray to white, never green, so it looks as though you missed that detail. But I'd still like to see it large! I could print it an hand next to me snapshot I took of Granddad at the well when I was 16, in 1966. 1951 Summer TripWith family came to my mind with the moss and Natchez. We saw the most Spanish moss on our leg from Baton Rouge to Hattiesburg. We spent a week at the Alamo Hotel on the coast at Gulfport. The hotel survived Hurricane Camille of 1969, the most powerful to hit the Mississippi coast. Tip for the Airbrusher Nice job but Spanish moss is gray, not green. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott, Rural America)
R.R. Control Tower: 1940
... he died three months after this photo was taken, shot in a hunting accident. Dust and Old Paint I'm old enough to remember ... I picked several porcelain GE ones while insulator hunting in Kansas several years ago. (Technology, The Gallery, Jack Delano, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/18/2018 - 12:48pm -

September 1940. "Mr. T.J. Long, president of the Tri-County Farmers Co-op Market in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, at his work in a railroad tower near Du Bois." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Re: Everything Old is New AgainI'm imagining that the pouch is divided; new fuses go in the left compartment, and old ones in the right. Question then is why don't the old ones just go in the trash? New and Old; and MoreOnce upon a time, fuses could be repaired. The case could be opened and the internal element (sometimes a thin wire, sometimes a stamped piece of metal) could be replaced. Thus, you would have to save the 'old' fuses. Interesting that there are two interlocking machines here. The obvious one in the foreground is a mechanical interlocking machine, where the switches and signals were mechanically connected to the levers. The power to operate the equipment was provided by the towerman's arms - hence the colloquial term "armstrong machine". The five levers leaning out (to the right) are lock levers, painted blue, which lock switches. Before throwing the switch, the lock lever has to be returned to the "normal" position, in line with the other levers. The other interlocking machine is just visible at the left, in the large wooden box. It is a General Railway Signal power machine, where the switches and signals are operated by electric motors (in this case). The levers are still mechanically locked between each other, but the use of external power made the levers much easier to operate. In a few instances, electric and mechanical machines were mechanically interconnected, but not in this case. Those Locked BoxesThose are electrical switches, actuated by the huge levers, used to control signals or other devices, but not the track switches. The levers to the right are used by the Operator (that's his job title) to set up or take down routes of trains though the Junction. One lever controls one track switch or signal. A system of sliding bars and levers under the floor interconnects these levers and prevents the operator from setting up conflicting routes through the junction, and only after setting up a clear route could the levers which controlled the signals for that route be actuated. A system of rods an levers, up to a mile long, connected to each track switch to one of the levers at the operators disposal. These required great force to be moved - more than available from the battery powered electric motors of the time. Signals didn't require so much power to operate, and could be battery powered, thus the locked boxes on the "locking frame" to control signals. The locks were removed only by maintainers, not by the operator. His Last SeptemberMr. Thomas Jackson Long, as of the 1940 census, was a 56-year-old railroad telegraph operator living in Sandy Township with his wife and two adult children. Sadly, he died three months after this photo was taken, shot in a hunting accident. Dust and Old PaintI'm old enough to remember workplaces like this when I was a kid and tagged along with my dad. Those windows in Winter let in cold air like you would not believe, but couldn't have shades as that obstructed the view. The tower I remember was on stilts to facilitate looking way up and down the tracks, and seeing the color of the track signals. Wind whistled around its uninsulated walls. There was a pot-bellied stove that burned coal. The place was swept sometimes but still had decades of accumulated dust. Paint was a yellow-brown color made browner by dirt. In other offices the paint was battleship grey. The fellow who sat in the observation office most often was peculiar and I wasn't supposed to be left alone with him. When I was told that it terrified me and I avoided looking at him. Maybe that's why I remember it so well. New Fuses for old circuitsThe old fuses were to fit the old fuseholders, which are the porcelain blocks just to the right of the "New Old Fuses" container. The fuses are the long slender porcelain tubes, two of which are clipped into each block. I remember seeing these on old telephone lightning arrestors. Conspicuous by their absence are the spares; there are none in the box. Everything Old is New AgainThe pouch on the wall labeled "New Old Fuses" is intriguing. One wonders if there is a similar one out of frame labeled "Old New Fuses". B&O facilitiesDuBois was a significant maintenance point for the Baltimore & Ohio (ex-Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh), with a roundhouse, engine repair shop capable of heavy overhauls, and car repair shop. The town also served as a division point, as well as a connection to the New York Central & Hudson River. Quiet PleaseKeep it down out there! Our Block Operator may be copying an important message from up or down the line. By the look of things with six telegraph sounders at his desk, a phone and "patch" panels and one lone telegraph key, at times Mr. Long can be a busy man. Renewable FusesNot all fuses are one use only. Some are cylinders that can be opened, and a new fusible link or wire installed, inside the original unit. I would suggest that is a possible explanation for the "new and old" fuse container. There were probably a few blown fuses in the old section ready for renewing. You can read about it here. If you remember the Beatles song "When I'm Sixty-four", one of the lyrics is: "I could be handy mending a fuse when your lights have gone." England and Australia used renewable porcelain fuses in older homes, and they could be "mended" by threading the correct amperage fuse wire through them. New Old FusesThe fusible links in some barrel type fuses can be replaced by unscrewing the end caps, removing the blown parts, putting in a new link, and replacing the end caps. This may be the situation here. Old fuses could be new again.The cartridge fuses like those to the left of the clock were not disposable. The end caps where removable to facilitate replacing the fusible link inside. I've seen really big ones that would take two hands to pick up. LocksWonder why those boxes on the left are locked? Does he have to unlock them to switch the switches each time? Some things old can be renewedThose "old" fuses may have renewable links. I remember seeing some of those years ago. Restoration & RepurposingIt's nice to see some effort to preserve railroad towers. I'll have to swing by North Judson to see if their efforts were realized. http://www.grassellitower.com/towers.htm Then, if I ever get back to Milwaukee, I'd like to take a look at this sturdy "tiny house" conversion: https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2017/08/24/house-confidential-tiny-railroad-t... Locked BoxesThe boxes on the left house electric locks. They mechanically lock the levers depending on electrical circuits, such as track circuits used to detect the presence of a train. These locks are safety critical, and so must be kept secure from unauthorized access -- hence the locks. Only signal maintainers would have a key; the towerman would not be able to release the locks and cause an unsafe condition. Restricted AccessThe padlocks on the the switch machine ensure that only authorized switch and signal maintainers have access to the internal mechanism for maintenance purposes. Note that there also "car seals" applied in addition to the padlocks. This is an additional "tamper-evident" security measure. Yes, this compartmentalization is something on a par with ballistic missile systems. These switch control mechanisms are that important. Lightning arrester Surge protectors were also referred to as lightning arresters. That's what I see under the two bells behind him. I also think the two glass covers in the left of the photo are some sort of protection as well. I picked several porcelain GE ones while insulator hunting in Kansas several years ago. (Technology, The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Dakota Clipper: 1942
... himself? Great Pheasant! Great area for pheasant hunting as noted by the clock bird. I assume this is why Alfalfa's father is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/25/2021 - 11:43am -

February 1942. "Timber Lake, Dewey County, South Dakota. Barber shop." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Two Chairs - No WaitingI'm guessing that the second chair didn't get much use. Timber Lake had a population of 512 in 1940. If half of those (256) were men, I figure that's about enough to keep one barber employed. Or two barbers in poverty. PerfectedIt's interesting how few of the implements around that shop would be out of place today. Step into that barber shop today you'd maybe just see an added hair dryer. It's like the barber shop reached perfection about 100 years ago and can't be improved upon! Few other professions seem to have changed so little. Clipper?Is the Dakota Clipper related to the Spruce Goose? And the barber needs a shave. The building across the street is a real architectural showpiece! South Dakota for sure!It wouldn't be South Dakota without the rooster pheasant on the clock! That state is rich in pheasant. Vachon the virtuosoImpressive how he managed to avoid getting his flash, camera or himself in any of the multitude of reflections possible, what with the mirrors and windows and windows reflected in mirrors. [The reflections are there in the negative but I got rid of 'em. - Dave] Good Exposure Inside and OutJohn Vachon certainly knew how to use flash or a large photo-flood. The edges of both the barber and customer are quite hard, which gives me pause. But notice the car in the window, and its reflection in the mirror. Worth a look: https://mastersofphotography.blogspot.com/2011/08/john-vachon.html Not an Alberta Clipper... but cutting it pretty close. Searching the 1930 and '40 US Census, I find a barber in Timber Lake named Henry Perron. But wait, there's more! His son William is also listed as a barber, and Henry Jr. is listed as an Apprentice at the barber shop. The 1940 Census indicates Henry Jr. has moved to Illinois, but William is still in business with his father. In 1942, William would have turned 34 years old. As father Henry would have been 67 in '42, it seems likely we see William in this photo. Henry's parents were born in Canada, and with the surname of Perron, you'd be correct in supposing he's of French Canadian stock. (Henry's page at Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121638292/henry-peter-perron ) Below is an edited capture from the 1930 Census. Surprisingly, there is also a Dane named Arlo L. Jensen Sr. who is listed as a barber in Timber Lake in the 1940 Census. However, he is in his mid-50's in 1942, and our man here appears a bit younger. Apparently many a mane was to be shorn in the Timber Lake demesne! Saturday Evening Post?I swear this looks just like something done by Norman Rockwell. Especially the expressions on the men's faces. That's weirdI can smell this photo. Not just for menThere are some barbers who work on both men's & women's hair. I know, because I go to one. In fact he advertises that on his calendars. This barbershop had a mascotIn the shadow underneath the window is a small dog and what appears to be a food bowl. Clipper would have been a good name. [Or maybe Harry. That's a spittoon and a pile of hair. - Dave] Barber needs a shave?But does he shave himself? Great Pheasant!Great area for pheasant hunting as noted by the clock bird. I assume this is why Alfalfa's father is getting a trim. The good life Being a barber in that area and era (or any era) would seem to be a pretty comfortable life, other then the cuts and nicks in the beginning. But once you become a competent barber you're always warm & clean. especially considering the weather beaten guy in the chair is only 40. '20s styleThe man in the chair who appears to be close to 50 is still wearing his hair in the parted-in-the-middle style of the 1920s! Pa Kettle, Is that you?The customer is a dead ringer for Percy Kilbride, aka Pa Kettle (although the part down the middle looks more like Alfalfa). Keep it glassyI'd love to add those old glass bottles to my (small but significant) collection. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Small Towns)
The Sportsmen: 1905
Upstate New York circa 1905. "Hunting in the Adirondacks." When deer and canoe collide. 8x10 inch glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:37pm -

Upstate New York circa 1905. "Hunting in the Adirondacks." When deer and canoe collide. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. What a day!Shot a deer and my friend found this nifty canoe in the woods! PoseursThat deer looks stuffed. I think this is a photo shoot for postcards. [Just about every one of the hundreds of Detroit Publishing images seen here was a photo shoot for postcards. I don't know about "stuffed," but the deer seems to have been gutted. - Dave] Bambi's Father?Are you proud of yourself, shooting an unarmed deer? His wife and kids will wonder why he isn't coming home tonight. I am being facetious; I really do get both sides of the argument and these men probably needed this deer to feed their families, but I never got over the tragedy that befell Bambi's mother. Still, that guy with the rifle does look rather villainous (and the deer meant no harm). To borrow and paraphrase a James Dean line "Shorpy, You're tearing me apart!" [Something tells me these Abercrombie-outfitted sportsmen did not need venison to feed their families. - Dave] CuriousThe line "when deer and canoe collide" made me start humming 'Home on the Range'; not sure why. We're gonna need a bigger boatDa-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum-da-dum-da-dum. I love me some natureThat deer is resting so peacefully. I would think that he would be a bit unnerved with that guy standing so close, let alone holding a gun. It's as if he's saying "don't mess with this deer... let him sleep!" Is it true that this is part of a series of shots where one man holds a rifle while the other carries large objects above his head, unassisted? Next up... "Where ya want ya cabin mister?" Look into my eyesI was given the advise that a deer with its eyes closed is alive and you should not go near it. Open eyes means it's dead. The "canoe"is an Adirondack Guide Boat. Note the rowlocks. Built light so the guide could carry it and big so the "sport" could bring home the bacon, er, venison. Among the most efficient rowing boats ever built they're a joy to row. They move nicely with each pull and track straight in the water. Very important since the boat was usually the only practical way of getting home. The hull planking is very thin for the size of the boat and they were traditionally fastened with hand-set copper rivets. Search the name, you'll find that they came in a variety of individual designs, but all sharing the general shape including the wide beam for the gear & game. Small boat lovers build them today, just like this one and for the price of a slightly used Hyundai you can have one professionally built. Oar locks?Gee after fifty years I finally get what granny though was so funny: I can row a boat canoe? Interesting sequence hereThis deer has already been gutted, obviously washed, allowed time to dry, sewn shut ... and placed on the ground for a photo opportunity? [These are not candid snapshots -- the Detroit Publishing pictures were taken by professional photographers with giant-format view cameras for sale as colorized postcards and art prints. - Dave] On a lighter note...Man with Gun: "Aww, man, be careful, you knocked him out with that thing!" Man with canoe hat: "Well, geez, with those horns I thiught he was gonna gore you!" "Norwegian Blue"That deer is NOT dead! No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting. No, no.....No, 'e's stunned! Well, he's...he's, ah...probably pining for the fjords. Great pictureThis is a great picture. I am a hunter. An animal that is consumed is killed whether it is shot in the wild or killed prior to slaughter. A person who consumes products made from animals is as much the cause of the death of an animal as the person who pulled the trigger. There are more deer roaming the US now than when these fellows were alive. Not A SportUntil the deer is armed too. Speeding canoesThis is what happens when you speed while portaging. It happens all the time! Rangers warn canoeists but no one thinks it will happen to them. This guy is lucky. He's not wearing his seat belt. DeliveranceThat's lunch sorted. Now, where's that banjo music coming from? (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
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