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San Leandro: 1942
... marble for the wainscoting and stair entrances in the interior. The building was restored in 1973-1974 by the Best Building ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/23/2023 - 10:53am -

April 1942. "Portuguese-American communities in California. Main street in San Leandro." Estudillo Avenue at 14th Street. Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Foreign Information Service of the U.S. Office of Coordinator of Information. View full size. Seven-fingered Danielhttps://patch.com/california/sanleandro/san-leandro-s-forgotten-industri... Name on BuildingWho was Daniel Best? Palace theater? Gone.This is still there: Banksy I’m so glad to see that the bank building is still there. Lovely architecture. All the BestAccording to HMdb.org (Historical Marker Database), the Best Building is a significant example of commercial architecture in San Leandro and the only San Leandro Plaza building remaining from the early decades of the 20th century. As a manufacturer and inventor, Daniel Best had already contributed much to San Leandro’s growth before he retired from Daniel Best Agricultural Works and began a banking career in this building. Constructed in 1910, the Best Building opened in 1911 housing the San Leandro State Bank. The building featured classical Beaux Arts detail and ornamentation. The architect used white terracotta tiles on the exterior and imported marble for the wainscoting and stair entrances in the interior. The building was restored in 1973-1974 by the Best Building Partnership. Best also constructed a theater next door to the bank. It opened showing silent films, but on July 19, 1913, Thomas Edison’s first moving and talking picture was shown at the Best Theater. No longer a bank but still a beautyWhile it’s no longer a bank, it’s still there and still a beautiful building. The Best Theater is technically still there as well, though it is just retail stores now and the facade, while still of matching stone, was massively changed at some point. The City of San Leandro has a photo archive which contains a good number of photos of this building over the years from the turn of the century forward. Most of the other buildings around the main square, which is really a triangle, we’re made of brick and build prior to this one, and so, one by one, they fell into disrepair. Across the way was the Estudillo House, which was a hotel and stopover for travelers going up and down the coast down to San Jose and the like, since that was a multi day trip back then between horse and wagon and primitive roads and trails. Eventually the Hayward/San Leandro railroad would run directly in front of the Best building, electric rail ran through town for a while for commuters in the 1910s to 1930s, and then they were all ripped out by a evil consortium of companies, which ended up in court where the big companies lost… and then they made Roger Rabbit (which was about L.A., but the same story). The Best Theater, as it wasAs you can see in Dave’s photo, the Best Theater, built next to the Best Building sometime around 1910(?), was no longer a theater by the 1940s. While the building is still there today, the insides are entirely different, as two retail stores occupy the space. While it’s still the same stone as the Best Building, and you can recognize individual features of the stone work, the facing is reworked that it’s unrecognizable. The reworked stone work seems to have been done with some real talent. The image is from the City of San Leandro’s historic photo archive. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Fish Story: 1908
Detroit circa 1908. "Interior of Aquarium, Belle Isle Park." The watery wonderland last glimpsed ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/10/2023 - 4:40pm -

Detroit circa 1908. "Interior of Aquarium, Belle Isle Park." The watery wonderland last glimpsed here. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A TreasureTiny by modern public aquarium standards, but none can match its beauty. Isle be thereThe last time we glimpsed the Belle Isle Aquarium, it was closed because of tough economic times in Detroit. Since then, the Aquarium found funds and volunteer staff, reopened (in 2012), and recently completed an upgrade during lockdown. It's a setup!The opening to a horror film: The little girl tosses something to the thing in the tank beyond her, It rises up and eats her, then all the tanks explode and the fish go on a rampage! Maybe my imagination is having an overload. I do like the 2012 image a lot better! (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Kids)
1950s Record Store
Interior of the Holiday Shop record and camera store at the Roeland Park ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 06/25/2008 - 2:05pm -

Interior of the Holiday Shop record and camera store at the Roeland Park Shopping Center in Roeland Park, Kansas. View full size. [A fascinating member-submitted photo. Just the thing for a Saturday night. Like a number of the commenters below, I would place the date here around 1950-51. - Dave] Records?Records? What's a "record"? 1950s Record StoreA great photo. I would date it at 1950. On the right are a dozen or so 10-inch Columbia LP's released that year, then re-released around 1955 as 12-inch discs. The Record StoreThis is a great photo...seems to be from a pretty-good-sized negative, given the detail coming across on the scan. I would concur with "Anonymous Tipster" that it's a bit earlier than 1955. She/he is correct about the datings for the 10-inch LPs on the right. Plus, the Columbia 33 rpm LP was a brand-new technology in 1948, and so the stuff at the left of the photo to play the "new LPs" wouldn't have been any big deal in by 1955. But then, I was surprised that there was any sort of consumer reel-to-reel on the market just then (left of photo; $109 = serious money); I would have expected that a few years later. But, lots of fun nonetheless. Given that the Christmas records are on display, I guess we can assume it's late in the year. [This was scanned from a print. Below, a newspaper ad from October 1950 for the Ampro-Tape recorder shown in the photo, at the same price. - Dave] LPsLooked up a couple of albums from the rack. Went by the cover design since I couldn't make out very much of the text. Doris Day did Tea for Two in 1950. Bing Crosby's Christmas album was from 1949. Couldn't find a manufacturer's name on the tape deck. Looks like it went for 109 and change. Checked a dollar inflation conversion table, and that 109 circa 1950 would be 938 in current dollars. [The manufacturer, whose name can be seen upside down in the lid, is Ampro. - Dave] No. 1 on my hit paradeWhat a fantastic image! This store is so cool and serene; it's hard to believe record stores would change so much over the next twenty years. I have so many questions about this photo. Where was it taken? Can anybody identify the children's record player in the display case on the left? What's the story behind the photos displayed high on the wall? (They don't seem to have anything to do with musicians or records.) I'm adding this photo to my list of Shorpy all-time favorites. [That's a Frank Luther record player. Frank was a country singer who also did kiddie songs. Check out John's other photos. I especially like Lunch on the Pennsy. - Dave] Edith PiafI can't add anything definitive since I don't know which Edith Piaf album that is on the rack, but the little inset photo on the album cover is the famous Piaf photo taken in 1948. That seems to jibe with the assumed 1950 date. Photo At Upper LeftGreat pic not just for the record collectors but audio hobbyists like me. But what is that thing in the photo at upper left? I've zoomed in it and I still am not sure what to make of it. Frank Luther and 10-in. LPsWow! A great nostalgia photo! The first records I ever "owned" when I was a tiny lad were very small 78rpm items that featured Frank Luther singing children's songs. One nonsense ditty that sticks out in my mind began "A frog he would a-courting go, 'Hi-Ho' says Toady; The cat, the rat and little froggy, with a roly-poly gammon and spinach, 'Hi-Ho' says Anthony Toady." As for those 10-inch 33-1/3 RPM Columbia records...I had almost forgotten that such things existed. I had quite a few, mostly featuring the Boston Pops orchestra. [There were also 7-inch 33-1/3 discs, as we can see on the left. - Dave] AllmusicLooking at the Hal McIntyre and Harry James records on the top row, I'd say 1950. The first band only released two albums, the second being "Dance Date" in 1950. Harry James cranked out a bunch, but I find one in 1950 called "Your Dance Date" which can be decoded from what I see in the picture. Both were released on Columbia, BTW. The pictures at the top intrigue me as well. Part of me suspects that they are from old calendars. [The pictures along the top are examples of photo studio work. Meaning this could have been a record-camera store. - Dave] Edith PiafI'm not surprised in seeing the Doris Day and Bing Crosby records on the wall on the right, but I am a little shocked that Edith Piaf features on that wall. Though she was massively popular in France and in French Canada in the 50's, I had no idea she was known in the USA... let alone be popular enough to be displayed in a prominent spot like that. Can we see a close-up of the other records to see the other artists? Der BingleThe Shorpy sleuths seem to be correct [again] as to the vintage of the photo -- in our basement stash of records is the album "Christmas Greetings" on the Decca label from 1949 -- Bing Crosby with the Andrew Sisters, a 3 record set. If this were late 1949, the shoppers as dressed here would seemingly be from a Southern state. For what it's worth, in my small hometown in 1952, I was the first to buy a reel to reel tape recorder, a RCA model similar to the Ampro shown for about $125 if I remember correctly, and still it have in A1 shape. A friend of the mine had an Ampro wire recorder. Time TravelAmazing. Photos like this make me wish time travel was a reality. I would love to insert myself into this scene and go wandering around that bright and shiny place. But for now, photos like this one are a pretty good substitute. Don't suppose anyone knows the name and/or location of this particular shop? I wonder how long it remained a record store? Was it there when Elvis hit the scene a few years later? The Beatles? U2? Excellent photo and thank you for sharing it! Or is it Memorex?Despite my husband's insistence, I must say, this photograph, well, the photo itself is lovely; too lovely. Something about it doesn't set right with me. I am not sure if it is the fit of the dungarees of the guy on the right, the girl's shoes, the fact that the kid's victrola is locked in the showcase yet the expensive reel to reel sits right out in the open. or maybe it is the streamlined look of the counter and wall, or the way the high up pictures are displayed, and their subject matter. Could one have gotten by us? [No. Page through a 1950 House Beautiful or the LOC's Gottscho-Schleiser archive. This is that, on the nose. Below: 1951 music store, 1957 record department, 1951 radio showroom. The tape recorder is where it is so it can be demonstrated to customers. UPDATE: This is the Holiday Shop record and camera store at the Roeland Park Shopping Center in Roeland Park, Kansas. - Dave] Another Soon!I'll put up another record store photo soon. I'm a little busy right now so hopefully by this coming Wednesday. Thanks for the nice comments and information. The next one has Frank Sinatra! -John [We can hardly wait! And you know what would be great, if possible, is a higher-resolution scan of the record-store photo, and whatever you can tell us about it. What might be written on the back, for example. It has caused quite a stir. - Dave] Newfangled SinglesOn the right of the counter, that revolving rack of Capitol singles in boxes really takes me back. This was when 7-inch microgroove (long-playing) records were new and different. They did that for just a few years before going to paper sleeves. Edith PiafThe Piaf discography includes dozens of releases on American labels in the 1950s. [Below on the left, "Chansons Parisiennes" from 1949, an early Columbia Microgroove (LP) release. At right is the one in the photo -- "Edith Piaf Sings," Columbia ML-2603, a 1951 release. - Dave] 7-inch discsThose boxes on the revolving Capitol rack, as well as on the right side of two shelves behind the counter, do indeed contain 7" 45rpm discs, but they're albums, not "singles." Eventually the 45rpm format came to be used exclusively for singles, but initially it was also used for complete multi-disc albums, duplicating the contents of a standard 78rpm album. This was when the RCA/Columbia format war was still underway. 45rpm singles were always issued in paper sleeves, just like their 78rpm counterparts. The thin items on the left side of the two shelves behind the counter are 78 singles. You see a small section of 7" singles on the shelf behind the hand of the customer on the left. Counter KidsWhat exactly are the people at the counter doing? Did you have to pick out the record you wanted from a list or something, and the clerk would retrieve it? [Or she would order it for you. - Dave] Record Store UpdateThis is the Holiday Shop record and camera store at the Roeland Park Shopping Center in Roeland Park, Kansas. Harry JamesHi there. Nice picture! I happen to own a copy of the Harry James 10" depicted in the photograph: "Your Dance Date With Harry James" (Columbia CL 6138). It's dated 1950, so my guess would be 1950 too. Love your site. The Record ShopHere is a nice pic of the local record store circa 1954, named fittingly, The Record Shop. It closed sometime in the 1970's. They also sold audio gear and had a service center in the basement, which the service center remains. One of the original repair techs took over the service center and he's still there servicing. Frank Luther Record PlayerThis Billboard Magazine from December 9, 1950 has an ad for the player on Page 15 (upper right): Browsing BoxesThe "browser boxes" seen below in the "Record Shop" comment were created by Capitol Records' Fred Rice. His team brought the records in music and department stores out from behind the counter to self-service displays that let the customer leaf through the albums and see the covers. Counter-service stores would normally place them with the spines facing out as shown in the main photo above. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Stores & Markets)
Winter Street: 1940
... fingers and nose thanks to a comfortably temperate car interior. Concerns though, about the cold-nosed Kitty, clambering onto the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2023 - 10:44pm -

December 1940. "Winter Street, Quincy, Massachusetts. A Syrian neighborhood near the shipyards. Slum area where many shipyard workers live." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. GrouchomobileThat car just needs a pair of glasses and bushy eyebrows. Maybe a grease moustache. Don't see too many grille covers these days, even in the northeast US. [The car: 1937 Ford. - Dave] Lots still there! Watch mePark right next to the No Parking sign. There is gentrification going on nowIn the array of slums we have seen on Shorpy, this looks relatively livable. The house on the left is still there, recognizable below. If you move down the street, past the greenery on the right, whatever was there has been replaced by some nice, new apartments. If you go the the T-intersection and turn right onto E Howard Street, the old factory building disappears. "Home" is a four-letter word, tooThe phrase "slum" seems to have been used quite loosely here -- as evidenced by the number of buildings that are still extant, 80+ years later -- perhaps an ominous foreshadowing of the coming decades when "blight" became a catchall phrase to get rid of ... well, almost anything that someone in power didn't like. Worth a VisitI used to live in Quincy, and recommend a visit to The Old House at Peace Field, the home of Presidents John and J.Q. Adams and several later generations. Most Presidential homes feel like museums, but it's easy to imagine the Adams family puttering around Peace Field. Quincy also claims to be the site of the first Howard Johnson's restaurant; the location is now occupied by the Wollaston T station. My how times have changed!Personally, I think the slum shot shown above looks better than the slums today. Cold winter nosesThe curbside Ford's owner has provided its nose with a makeshift winter radiator grille cover to aid in faster winter engine warmups and better heat retention when underway. Happy owner now enjoys warm fingers and nose thanks to a comfortably temperate car interior. Concerns though, about the cold-nosed Kitty, clambering onto the the left front tire. Is it contemplating a way to access that enticingly warm, under-hood location provided by the recently parked, still warm '37? Be careful Kitty, countless tails and various other cat appendages have been mutilated or torn off in similar, deceivingly inviting, paw-thawing hideouts! Old housing yes but no slums there.The shipyard in the background is now long gone. The brick building was the headquarters of Bethlehem Ship Yard, owned by Bethlehem Steel. Later it was sold to General Dynamics. 7000, seven thousand men and women worked there in three shifts around the clock. They built Navy ships and in later years liquid natural gas tankers. It was the bread and butter for hard-working men and women. As to Winter Street, it may look old and rickety but it was a clean neighborhood of families and shipyard workers. It still stands today but the Shipyard is now a stinking parking lot for an automobile distributor. A waste of valuable land and deep water docking. Anything hiding under there?Inquisitive cat peeking up under the Ford's left front fender. Slum?What good is making a comment if it just gets tossed. Don't give me the so many comments talk, there were two or more comments submitted beyond mine and they were published. I'll think twice before I support this site. [No need to stop at twice. - Dave] Big things happening beyond the end of Winter StreetWhen this photo was taken, the Fore River Shipyards in Quincy were ramping up their operations in case the United States entered World War II. Construction was underway on the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) and light cruisers USS San Diego (CL-53) and San Juan (CL-54) - all three of which were still afloat and in action at the war's end. Now a museumThe shipyard is gone. Not sure where shipbuilding is still happening, but it's not in Massachusetts. I think the labor costs for one of the most expensive metro areas in the country got to be too much, and the shipyards were deemed "inefficient". That was in the 1980s. The Reagan Administration hit the off switch in 1981. By 1986, General Dynamics shut this spot down. A sliver of silver lining. The yard has been repurposed for some local businesses, including dredging and chemical fertilizer depots. There is also a museum dedicated to the Quincy shipbuilding tradition. And yes, it is used as a car distribution lot for dealers - for American cars. The Google map view shows the vehicle awaiting a home are Chevrolets, Jeeps, and GMC trucks. Much smaller than ships, but still helping the US economy. (The Gallery, Cats, Jack Delano)
Anybody's Rhubarb: 1942
... removal of the asbestos shingles and then gutting of the interior. The plot map seems to show it was part of the sale above! In ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/15/2023 - 4:06pm -

April 1942. "Provincetown, Massachusetts. Portuguese grocer." Our third visit to Anybody's Market, purveyor of Monarch Finer Foods. 4x5 acetate negative by John Collier. View full size. Nice truck!You can see that truck in the post before, reflected in the fender of the truck at Anybody’s. The truth is not always black and whiteHow can you tell if that is anybody’s rhubarb? It could very well be, the Swiss’s chard. [Seasonality and popularity. Plus I like rhubarb. - Dave] Go ahead!Kiss that lion! Spy vs. SpyOr maybe there's a more innocent reason Cabral didn't park in front of his own store (it's a ways to the right) Lots changed across the street!Looks like the home across the street seen better days. The garages are gone as well. Fruit PyramidsWonder how many hours that window display took while the fruit was rolling off the shelf? Looks like collards to me. Besides, April is pretty early for rhubarb here in New England. (Although I like it, too.) So much to see ...I've had breakfast at this spot (Liz's Cafe/Anybody's Bar). I've also gone running on Bradford Street and followed it up and over the nearby hill, down to the water. That's to the left as you walk out of the building. Provincetown is one of the multi-faceted gems on the Cape. What's fascinating to me is the history of the building you can see in the window. Google's views through time reveal that the three-stall garage next door had a second floor added to it sometime after this image. That building was still standing as late as 2011. The next image from 2018 shows that the building was replaced by a snug little two-story house (was on the market in 2019). A quick peek at a real estate ad shows it was a three-bedroom, 1200-square-foot home that sold for $1.3 million in 2021. The larger three-story building also stands and appears to have been going through a slower renovation including the removal of the asbestos shingles and then gutting of the interior. The plot map seems to show it was part of the sale above! In Massachusetts, we do love to recycle old buildings and flip them for a mint! Ice Cold. Where's the Towel?I remember that exact Coca-Cola cooler from growing up in the 1950s. After you removed the cap in the opening on the front, there was a towel at the cooler to dry off the bottle. As well as Coke, there were other soft drinks available such as Fanta, 7-Up, or Orange Crush in the amber bottle. Five cents to drink in the store, or seven cents with bottle deposit to take away. (The Gallery, John Collier, Stores & Markets)
Those Were the Days: 1942
... iron handrails on both sides of the steps) matches the interior photo (stairs straight up from front door, parlor on the right). ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/18/2023 - 3:31pm -

March 1942. Baltimore, Md. "Sergeant Franklin Williams, home on leave from Army duty at Fort Bragg, singing with sister Sarah, brother Thomas and best girl Ellen Hardin while his sister Annetta plays the piano." Photo by Arthur Rothstein, Office of War Information. View full size. Sergeant Franklin WilliamsLast seen here: https://www.shorpy.com/node/26963 I believe I found the Williams familyin the 1940 Census, the head of the household is Annie Williams, 54. Living with her were her married daughter Annetta, son-in-law, grandson, sons Thomas and Franklin, daughter Sarah, and two lodgers. In Arthur Rothstein's 1942 photograph Franklin Williams is 27, Annetta 23, Thomas 31, and Sarah 17. The exterior of their address at 2025 McCulloh Street (house with iron handrails on both sides of the steps) matches the interior photo (stairs straight up from front door, parlor on the right). I believe they were marriedEllen Harden appears in the 1920. 1930, (skips 1940) and the 1950 census with her mother Lelia. In the 1950 census, her name is Ellen Williams with marital status listed as separated. In 1940, Ellen's mother Lelia lived at 2451 Woodbrook Avenue, just half a mile from 2025 McCulloh Street. PianoThere is some unusually ornate crown moulding on the piano along with the carved medallion on the music rack. It might have been a very nice piano. I hope it wasn't one of those that got sent to the dump. More on Sgt. WilliamsFrom an interesting blog post here: https://owlcation.com/humanities/African-Americans-WW2-Homefront-Photos-... TexturesFor some reason I’m really noticing the tactile nature of those clothing fabrics: the smooth wool, the heavier wool, the velvet (velour?), the leather of Franklin’s belt. Plus, in the happy department, that’s five for five people. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Baltimore, Music, WW2)
Bathgate Avenue: 1936
... synagogue was underneath 1663 on 173rd and Grubmans Interior Decorators was underneath 1663 on Bathgate. (For some unexplained reason the interior decorators' center of NYC was Bathgate between Clairmont Parkway and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:50am -

December 1936. "Scene along Bathgate Avenue in the Bronx, a section from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. Nothing really changesFunny, I've seen scenes just like this (with different languages on the signs and different clothes) in Cueramaro, GTO and Oakland, CA within the last few months. We don't really change as much as we think sometimes... Billy BathgateI lived on Bathgate and 187th four years ago when I went to school at Fordham. Looking at the address on the bulding I wonder what the cross-street was at this time? The one little boyThe one little boy appears to be carrying a toy airplane while the stroller has a piece of wood being used to keep it from rolling away. TK http://unidentifiedfamilyobjects.blogspot.com/ Bathgate AvenueI googled the address and it is shown to be between Claremont Parkway and East 172nd Street. It was never considered a Garden Spot. Pop vs sodaThis shows that the word "pop" was still in use in NYC at that time, with the word "soda" presumably meaning an ice cream soda. The word "soda" has all but obliterated "pop" for soft drink in most of the country now. If you still say "pop" you're really from the hinterlands. Bathgate AvenueI used to go shopping on Bathgate Avenue with my mother in the early 1950's. I was still a kid and it was an exciting place. Open display cases in front of the stores, the smells of dried fish and ethnic foods baking in the sun. The area was much more crowded in the 1950's. If I remember correctly there were still some pushcarts in those days. Bathgate Avenue is near Crotona Park. BathgateI lived across the street from this address at 1599 Bathgate Avenue in the late 60's thru the mid 70's and my fondest memories were that of Melvin's Eggs right next to this location. This store was right in the middle of the block. Next door to me was F.W. Woolworth. The Manager was Mr.Blackman, funny how some names you never forget. The cross street was Claremont Avenue and that was 172nd street. The next street over was Washington Avenue and the Deluxe Theatre, where I went to my first movie by myself for 35 cents. Gosh I feel old and I'm only 46. Great times playing stickball and kick the can on Sundays, everything was closed because of the Blue Laws. Tone2020@gmail.com Pop vs Soda MapSee this site. Bathgate Avenue ShoppingI lived on Washington Avenue during the same timeframe (mid 60s through late 70s) and can remember a poultry shop where you could buy freshly slaughtered (right in front of you) chicken. Also, the smell of roasted peanuts sold from the fruit stands on Bathgate is something I remember. My first job while in Junior High was at a small variety store across the street from Woolworth (I can still hear the 3rd Avenue El rattling as it heads towards the Claremont Avenue Station). Bathgate AvenueMy grandparents owned a small store called Tillie's Specialty Shop from about 1945 to 1957 on Bathgate Avenue, just next to the stores in the photo and a few doors down from Woolworth's. Tillie's sold housedresses, hosiery, robes, etc. During the summer, when I wasn't attending P.S. 4, I'd sit next to the hosiery display at the front of the store and sell stockings. I also collected baseball cards, which my mother threw out. My guess is that I had a bunch of Mickey Mantles. Wish I still did! I recall a haberdasher (when was the last time you heard that word?) on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Claremont Parkway. The el still stood then. Crotona Park was two blocks away. Nice to remember... Fond Memories of my youthMy grandparents lived at 1663 Bathgate Avenue and 173rd Street. My grandfather owned a tomato store near the corner of 173rd. I was only a small child then but can remember the delicious smells in the hallway when entering the building from all the cooking. There was Italian, German, Irish, Greek and Jewish food that created the most wonderful aroma. I remember all the stores that had their products outside under awnings. There was clothing, shoes, toys, food, etc. My mom used to take me to a clothing store south of 173rd on the east side of the street. I remember a heater in the middle of the floor in this clothing store. I also went to a pool a few blocks away, must have been Crotona Park Wading Pool. I remember the water not being very deep. For some reason many things have stayed with me and the memories are cherished. Memories of a fellow Bathgater..I was born in Apartment 4C at 1663 Bathgate, the southwest corner of Bathgate and 173rd, in December 1933. My dad died in 1934. Vogel's Grocery was on the northwest corner and I delivered groceries for them. Schactner's Haberdashery was opposite 1663 as was the Daitch Dairy. The orthodox synagogue was underneath 1663 on 173rd and Grubmans Interior Decorators was underneath 1663 on Bathgate. (For some unexplained reason the interior decorators' center of NYC was Bathgate between Clairmont Parkway and 173rd, three blocks with about a dozen interior decorator stores. As kids we used to marvel at the chauffeured limousines carrying elegantly dressed ladies from Park & Fifth Avenues in Manhattan to Bathgate to buy extraordinary fabrics for their apartment & mansions.) Tillie's Specialty Shop may also have been Zweigart's Specialty Shop, whose daughter, Sally, I once dated, when I was a student at P.S. 4 on Fulton Avenue. There were many such shops. Freshly slaughtered chickens and live pike & carp for Friday night's "gefulte" fish was a given. Mom used to keep the fish alive in the bathtub so we could see them when we came home from school! Punch ball on 173rd from Bathgate to 3rd Avenue started promptly at 10 every Sunday morning and ended promptly at 2 pm when all the Italian kids had to go home for their traditional Sunday pasta dinner. If there were cars parked on 173rd, we pushed them out of the way. Spectators lined both sides of the street and total bets could be $100 or more. I could punch a "spaldeen" 3 sewers, but Rocky Colavito, the eventual Cleveland Brown slugger, could punch the ball onto the 3rd Avenue Elevated tracks, almost a whole block away! Correction: The movie house on Clairmont and Washington Avenue was the Fenway, not the Delux. Admission was five cents and we were there on Saturdays from 11 to 5 -- two feature films and about 25 serials and cartoons. Our moms came to pull us out for dinner. If you went in the evening, you would also be awarded a free dinner plate. My mom collected an entire service for eight, some of which my niece may still have! The Delux was at the corner of Arthur & Tremont, also 5 cents. The Crotona on Tremont was 10 cents, the more resplendent Loewe's farther east on Tremont at 15 cents and the famous & magnificent Loewe's Paradise at Grand Concourse and Fordham Road, admission was a hefty 25 cents, but well worth the beauty of that particular movie palace! I left Bathgate in 1953 to go to college and never returned. I'm 75, but those memories are as fresh in my mind today as though they occurred yesterday. Please pass on to your Bathgate cohorts ! Fair Winds, Jack Cook Reprinted from an email I received today from Jack. Eat at Paul'sMy grandfather had a deli on Bathgate Avenue. I have a pic taken in 1932. The awning on the store said Eat at Paul's, my grandpa was Henry. That was the way the awning was when he opened the store. Does anyone remember? or know the address number of the store. I want to see what is on that spot now. I remember MamaI was born in 1946 and shopped with my mother on Bathgate as a very small child. I remember watching her choose a flounder at the fish market, and kosher pickles from the barrels on the street. One of the women in the Rothstein photo looks just like my grandmother. She shopped there too. What if? 1593 Bathgate AvenueThe window appearing in the upper right hand corner of the picture is that of a top floor apartment at 1593 Bathgate Avenue. From the early 1940s to the early '60s, our family (Tosca) lived on the first floor (same line as the window) in Apartment 6. 1589 was Geller Bros., a candy stand which in the fifties became somewhat of a supermarket. 1591 was a full fresh fish market, huge water tank and all. The ground floor of 1593 housed a kosher meat market and as well Mr. Cherry's grocery store. 1595 was another tenement. After a few shops, there was a Woolworth's, a drug store and Meyers & Shapiro Deli. After which more shops and at the end of the block 1599, another tenement. Further down from the other side of Gellers, a huge poultry store. With no doubt, hundreds of live chickens daily sold, slaughtered & quartered on the premises. Many many thanks for affording "Junior" the trip down Memory Lane. 1991 BathgateI lived at 1991 Bathgate apt 1A at the end of the 60s into 1976 and I love that neighborhood I still go back there once a year I walk down towards tremont where St josephs church is i had great times there if anyone was from around there at that time email me at bronx1966@hotmail.com Crotona Park PoolI taught myself to swim in the shallow pool and then was daring enough to dive off the diving board towards the ladder opposite in the semi-circular diving pool. I am 83 and still a good swimmer. I recently found a site where I could see the pool and the shallow one is still active but the diving pool has all the boards gone and a fence around the pool to keep people out! damn lawyers for making an end to diving boards due to their incessant suits! Bathgate Avenue1575 Bathgate Avenue, 1946 to 1952: from my grandmother's apartment, I could look across the street and see Daitch Dairy. Sometimes I would be sent there to get butter. Then, it came in a large block, and they would chop you off the amount you wanted, either by the amount or amount of money I was given to buy it. I was never board, after all, I could visit the chickens, watch the fish swim in a tank, go to the deli for chicken salami (which I don't believe is made anymore). Through my grandmother, the shop keepers knew me, so I always got a slice of salami. There was Woolworth to walk around in. The Sugar Bowl for ice cream, the shop around the corner for ices for 5 cents, the leather shop (to smell new leather), and produce stands everywhere. Loved to go to Crotona Park and climb what I thought then were mountains, but just big boulders. You could hear and see the world just by sitting at a window, and ride on a merry-go-round that came by on a truck. Most night the third avenue L put me to sleep. Everything was simple then, yet an awful lot of fun. Good memories they were indeed. Brings tears to my eyesMy Dad and his brothers{ the Geller Bros.} had the candy store, which later turned into a grocery store. There was Bobby{Isadore} Max, Sam, Harry,and Jack. My dad. who was the oldest, lived above the store with his four brothers and two sisters, Faye and Dottie. Will have to post a picture of all of my cousins standing in front of Geller Bros. My uncle Jack and Aunt Millie had the Sugar Bowl, and my Aunt Faye and Uncle Jaime had the chicken market. My dad Bobby died several years ago, and I have fond memories of going to the markets, and visiting grandma Sophie . If you have anything to share, I would love it! This all brings tears to my eyes. Melody Please e mail me @ melody.dancer@cox.net thank you City Girla short video shot on Bathgate in 1958 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgxr03mcVAs Moe, Irv and Max from BathgateMoe, Irv and Max from 1648 Bathgate Ave. in the 1940s are all doing well! I am Max's eldest daughter Aylene. My Dad wrote an article I attached below which was published in a magazine. I spotted this site and couldn't help but to send it to you. Should you wish to reach out to my Dad Max, his e-mail address is primeno19@aol.com. I am sure he would love to reminisce about the days at Bathgate! GOLDMAN’S YARN on BATHGATE AVE. Your last issue on Goldman’s Yarn store prompted me to reflect on some very fond childhood memories. When I was asked for my address as a young boy, at about the age of 11-12, I usually responded, “1648 Bathgate Ave., across the street from Goldman’s”. Mentioning Goldman’s as part of my address not only pinpointed my house but in my mind it elevated the status of my building. To the people in our area, Goldman’s was a neighborhood landmark. It almost ranked with the Loew’s Paradise Theater. My recollection of the Bathgate Ave. area in the late 1940’s was that shoppers associated the ‘market’ as the place to get bargains. My friend claimed he purchased a pair of pants and received a price reduction when he traded in his old pants. The pedestrian traffic on Bathgate Ave from 171st to 174th caused it to be among the most populated areas in the Bronx. Stores were continuous on both sides of the street. There were bakeries, grocery stores, shoe stores, clothing stores, butchers, novelty stores, candy stores, the very first Daitch store, and Olinsky which specialized in appetizing foods. Also, there were many, many vegetable stores which had stands extending half way out onto the sidewalk. Every woman had her favorite stores where she shopped. Also, stationary pushcarts were on the street lined up back to back selling vegetables which added to this already congested scene. In between the pushcarts one can see many horses (how else did the pushcart get to the location?) on the street and some parked cars. The cars which dared to travel through Bathgate Ave. were crawling at 5 mph. This was the environment where Goldman’s was situated. Goldman’s Yarn and Barash Decorators were considered the upscale stores in the area. These stores attracted patrons from affluent Bronx areas, such as the West Bronx (Concourse area), Riverdale, and Parkchester. During the early evening hours (after dinner), Bathgate Ave. took on a different appearance. Pedestrian traffic subsided, pushcarts were leaving, stores were closing, sanitation crews came in for their nightly clean-up job, and many of the residents in the buildings came outside to recapture their street. Mothers relaxed on their chairs outside and discussed the day’s activities with a little gossip injected to spice up their conversation. Friends from various age groups would congregate for their evening activity. One vegetable stand was used for a nightly card game by the older kids. One evening, that card game ended abruptly when a woman in the building above the stand poured a pail of water on the card players for making too much noise. Needless to say, they never played cards at that stand again. For a few years, one of the street games I enjoyed was ‘off the point’. This was a variation of ‘stoop ball’. In this game, we threw a spaldeen at the metal bar just below a store’s window. We used Goldman’s Yarn store for our game because it had a sharp point on its metal bar. On an accurate throw at the metal bar, a ball could travel far and hit the building across the street. If not caught, it‘s considered a home run. Occasionally when we were not so accurate with our throw, we would hit the store’s window above the bar causing the window to vibrate. Of course we kids could never think of the possibility of breaking a window. Evidently Mr. Goldman had a more realistic viewpoint. One evening, as my friends (Pete Palladino, Joseph Greco, and Angelo Pezullo) and I were playing this game, Mr. Goldman ran out angrily chasing us away from his store. The following evening, we needed a substitute activity. We decided to make picket signs which read, “Goldmans is Unfair to Kids”, and jokingly marched in front of the store with these signs. Apparently Mr. Goldman did not see this action as amusing. On the following night, as we were picketing again, 2 policemen from a patrol car stopped and approached us. They took our signs and told us to leave the area. Obviously Mr. Goldman called the police. This was a dramatic event for 11 and 12 year old kids. Who would believe we had a confrontation with the police at that age? During the next few years, I noticed many stores on Bathgate Ave were installing accordion gates. At that time, I naively thought the store owners installed the gates to curtail our evening game ‘hit the point’. Max Tuchman 1657 Bathgate in the 1920s (and maybe 30s)A great-great grandfather of mine (Solomon Beckelman) lived at 1657 Bathgate with his wife (Minnie) and at least one of their daughters (Pauline) in the 1920s. His son, Abraham, was my great-grandfather. Solomon was a tailor, and Abe was a cutter and dressmaker who was married with children by 1912. From the maps I've seen, 1657 and the whole block of houses is (long?) gone. 2068 Bathgate AveMy great-grandaunt, Anna Havemann, lived at 2068 Bathgate Ave from at least 1936 (the year of this photo) until maybe 1950. The building that stands there is a large apartment building. Near as I can tell, it's the same building. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Little Red Wagons: 1965
... MGB Had a '63 myself -- white with a red leather interior. I'm of the opinion the thing has been sitting there since the ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 4:53pm -

Diamond Bar, California, August 1965. The owner of the MG across the street isn't having quite as good a day as my niece and nephew. I shot this on 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. The Missing BehomethsNotice that the usual big American cars are curiously absent. There is a Rambler/American Motors(?) type station wagon in the driveway, a smaller Ford in the street, the MG, and a VW up the cross street. I guess all the Pontiac Bonnevilles were parked at the office. The neighborhoodIs that the Brady Bunch house up the street? Color, color and more colorI can't believe the gorgeous color that you've still got in these photos. Even the one of your mother's wedding just pops! I have photos from the 70's that are faded to orange and yellow that were taken on Kodak film with a 35mm Minolta. Was it the Kodachrome, the way you took them or the way they were processed, I wonder. I suppose you processed your own. We sent them out. [One reason these look good is because they are scanned from transparencies (slides or negatives), not prints on paper. The other three reasons are Kodachrome, Kodachrome, Kodachrome. Plus of course it was taken by tterrace, the camera-ninja boy wonder. - Dave] No punch backsPunch buggy green! My nephew hit me with that old line over one of those 'new' VW bugs. No place like home, TotoHaving lived in California all of my formative years, I did not need a label to know where this was taken. I think it has a lot to do with the sidewalks, "bike" ramps at the corners and, unfortunately, no trees. Not gorgeous, but home. Thanks for the refresher. Flat.Tire slashing vandals in such a safe-looking, peaceful neighborhood? I still have my 1969 MGB. Wish it looked as good is this one. With fully inflated tires, of course. SubdivisionsAll the trees and bushes are small and paltry; they all have that recently planted look about them. The concrete sidewalks look pristine, no cracks, no heaving, no stains. The houses and the yards all look fresh and new. The trees across the street in the hapless MG owner's yard still have guy wires to keep them up till the root system matures. There's still mud in the gutters, implying there was still construction going on in the neighborhood. I'm guessing the subdivision must have been pretty new. SlashedThat's what he gets for putting white walls on an MG. What's the keen green wagon on the left? Nash? Rambler? Stude? At first I thought International, but their quarter panels didn't look like that until the '70s. And the Travelall was taller. [Hudson Rambler. - Dave] Colorful attributionsThose wedding photos are from delworthio's eye-popping Kodachromes. (My folks' marriage predates the introduction of Kodachrome by three years.) Then and NowWould love to see this same scene exactly as it is today. Possible? Tire Slashing Vandals?...Perhaps the dastardly deed was perpetrated by some public spirited citizen who knew (as everyone did back then) that all MG drivers were leftist pipe-smoking History or English literature professors who listened to Miles Davis and always carried a well thumbed copy of "Quotations from Chairman Mao." They were also fond of wearing Harris Tweed jackets with leather elbow patches.(With matching tweed caps, naturally). Although wearing stringback driving gloves would be going too far! Hmmmm....wait....this guy doesn't seem to fit the description. Oh well, I suppose it's more likely that the car simply hasn't run in months and the tires went flat from just sitting there. Just ask the man who owned one. New subdivisionThis was about two years after my sister and her family moved into their new place here. KodachromeKodachrome, Kodachrome, Kodachrome indeed. The images taken with Ektachrome are all (with rare exceptions) fading into history. Kodachrome was a "dye-additive" processed film where the colors/dyes were added to the film matrix during processing. Ektachrome (and to a similar degree Anscochrome, Agfachrome et al) were "dye-subtractive" where unneeded colors were bleached out of the film during processing leaving behind only those colors necessary to form the original colors. Those 4x5 Kodachromes that Dave posts here are to die (or dye) for! Diamond Bar NowView Larger Map CriminalsFrom the looks on their faces, I suspect these tykes are just returning from a trip up the street to slash some more neighbors' tires. When California was actually affordable.Suburban homes like those in the picture are for sale out here in San Jose for sometimes over a million bucks. I wonder if working and middle class people back then would ever imagine that they would soon not be able to afford their own home if they had to buy it again. A shame. "Made me sigh"Today on Lileks, tterrace gets a shout-out from the man himself. New suburb smellAh, a freshly minted suburb - note the saplings with crutches, the kerbside landscaping and the dirt in the rain gutters. We often forget that every development - even the late Victorian and Edwardian ones in my own city - once had this raw look. Slashed?I would think not. In those halcyon days we used to take the cap off and then sit there patiently holding the valve down until all the air was out. Slashing is a Gen X sort of thing. MGBHad a '63 myself -- white with a red leather interior. I'm of the opinion the thing has been sitting there since the last time it ran and the tires went flat. Held my breathLileks says "You almost expect the ghost of the photographer to show up in the picture." To say nothing of the goose-bumps forming on the skin of the actual photographer. The Old photoGorgeous! That could have been a pic of myself and sister in Pleasanton, 1969 FlashbackMy immediate response on seeing the picture was "Hey! Southeastern L.A. county, or northern Orange county." Sure enough. I moved away nearly 40 years ago, but in an instant I was back again; except that I remember Diamond Bar before the houses started going in. (I grew up in Whittier, my father lived the last 20 years of his life in La Habra.) Thank St. Eastman for Kodachrome. Little red wagonI was just trying to explain to my wife last night about little red wagons, she's Filipina, and how my friends and I, when we were about the age of the boy in the pic, used to ride them down a hill that ended at the brick wall of my house's garage. Sure you could steer the wagons, sorta, and you could use your feet as brakes but often as not the rides ended with boy meets wall. Good times, so much joy to be had. Helmets? Helmets were for fighter pilots and spacemen. '63 MGB,I currently have a '63 MGB, and I tell you (honestly!), it's the most reliable car I've owned. (Wait, does that say more about me or the car?) Anyway, that MG is, at most, two years old, and washed and everything. Someone was probably sending a message about buying those furrin' cars, or the owner is, in fact, an insufferable, rake-shaking, "get offa my lawn" prat and this is what he has reaped. Weeding the lawn again?Is that a dichondra lawn? Insanely labor-intensive! Still, they used to be popular in the area, especially among those employing Japanese gardeners. AmazingDo MG's actually run? I thought they just sat in mechanics' lots. Then and NowHere we are today. No MG in site so he either got it fixed or it was towed. I took this from the street since I didn't want to stand on their front porch. Looks like the tree's finally grew. I'm not sure about the hill in the background, but our neighbor once told us that an enormous amount of dirt had been moved to make the high school. Enjoy! That's My HouseI've really enjoyed reading everyone's comments about our house. We moved to Diamond Bar in '62, and we were the first people on the street. Everyone else's Including the photographer's, was still being built. In this picture, it is a brand-spanking new neighborhood. That is my dad out in front looking at my oldest sister's MG. We also had a Pontiac that he kept for 13 years before replacing it. To solve the mystery, the MG had been slashed to bits... the tires and the tarp. Here's the story; We were going to the beach with the church youth group, and she parked the car at the DB Congregational Church. While we were getting ready to go, there was a terrible accident on DB Blvd, which she witnessed. When the police came, she told them who's fault it was. When they left, we all went to the beach and when we came back, it was vandalized. We knew who did it, but could not prove it. The "now" picture from 2010 shows the house after the folks had passed away. Dad in 2007, and Mom 11 months later. My nephew and his wife who were their caretakers, remained in the house for a while, and remodeled (as nothing had been done since my parents originally moved in in '62, the electrical was a mess as was the plumbing), and they sold it shortly thereafter. That hill was eventually leveled down to build Diamond Bar High School. It was part of a huge piece of empty land, with a big gully in the middle of it. Like all the other hills in the neighborhood (including the one on our bank in the back yard), it has eroded into almost an even flatness. The lawn is not dichondra, it was originally St. Augistine and I think my nephew replanted something else, but not dichondra. I saw it when it was growing in, and I think it may have been some sort of fescue. In the before picture; Yes the trees show the wires as the yard was just planted. He loved trees and planted one for each of us girls (4 of us) and one for Mom. They indeed grew HUGE. Also missing is the huge bird of paradise that Dad planted right near the front "banister". It was a huge eyesore, but he and Mom loved it. My dad and a neighbor put in the sprinkler system and the grass. In those days all the neighbors took turns doing each other's lawns. It was a great time. So thank you for the pictures tterrace, and for another last look at my Dad. I remember your family well, and always wonder what happed to Big Frank, (You should've seen him ride a skateboard) Rosemary, Jimmy and Mary Rose. My Mom and Dad were The Ropers, Mel and Vickey who lived and died in that house for over 40 years. I'm Diamond Bar Girl. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, tterrapix)
Gentlemen Will Not Get Gay: 1925
... fun and merriment in summer amusement parks. The spacious interior of the amphitheater has been entirely remodeled into a new midway, in ... which they later built a catwalk through and decorated the interior with fluorescent paint and black lights. Apparently they got tired of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 11:56am -

Funhouse at the Glen Echo amusement park in Maryland circa 1925. Note the many cryptic signs. View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. Ride it, too!There is still one of these operating at Luna Park, which is right on the Harbour in Sydney, Australia. Leave it to the Australians to take litigiousness out of the equation--have you seen how little padding their footballers wear? "The Nauseator"Boy, that ride looks truly thrilling. Human RouletteWashington Post May 21, 1911 A New Glen Echo Outdoor Amusement Grounds Present Many Attractive Features With the opening next Saturday afternoon of the Glen Echo Park, which under its new management of local business men, has been practically rebuilt in the last few months, the Washington summer outdoor amusement season will swing into full stride. No single department has been slighted in the complete rehabilitation of the Glen Echo Park, in which 50 attractions will be in operation when the gates are open next Saturday. Important among these is a new open air dancing pavilion, ample enough in area to permit of its use by 500 persons at the same time, and this is only one of a dozen structures recently erected to house the newest devices to provide fun and merriment in summer amusement parks. The spacious interior of the amphitheater has been entirely remodeled into a new midway, in which have been placed ten of the latest contraptions with which to defy the trials of the "dog days," including a "human roulette wheel" and a "giant slide-ride," said to be the largest in the United States. Other attractions include a novel marine toboggan, the "social dip," a thrilling topsy-turvy ride, Ferris wheel, modern miniature railway, a new boating pavilion at the canal bank. Some Observations1. It is awfully loud in there - See the kid lower-center. 2. Gentlemen Still Do Not Get Gay - 2008. 3. The Carneys are as well dressed the patrons. 4. Sometimes the Bull Moose isn't so fun - It's at those times that it may be necessary to actually shoot the Bull. Was this ride called the Bull Moose by chance? Don't Shoot The Bull meant don't loiter after the "ride" is over?? [Also, who can tell us which building this is. - Dave] Dangerous ridesWhen I see photos of old amusement park rides I'm always amazed how dangerous they look. They use the throw people around like rag dolls. They would never have such rides nowadays. Maybe people were tougher back then- or maybe they didn't have good personal injury lawyers! Sign, SignEverywhere a sign. 1. Sit down on the wheel don't stand up. 2. Do not get on or off roulette wheel while in motion. 3. Last night we hung one rowdy. The rope still works. 4. The operator is a bird. He is perched high just to make the wheels hum. 5. Forget your cares. Be a kid if only for an hour. 6. Gentlemen will not get gay. Others must not. 7. The bull moose is for fun. Don't shoot the bull. 8. If you find a four foot round square please hand it over to ru---. 9. Rowdyism is the birth-mark of a rough n---. 10. The answer to the question "Why is a mouse when it spins" is the higher the fewer. Human roulette wheelNo doubt Dave will remember the "human roulette wheel" from the Fun House on the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA. It was a great ride except for flying off and smashing into someone else or being smashed into. Funny but we all had a great time, survived, and didn't feel a need to sue anyone for a few bumps and bruises. [I think you mean tterrace. - Dave] High Ladder to slide....Look how high the children climbed to get onto the sliding spiral....that must have been half the thrill climbing up that high... Getting GayBased on one OED definition of gay: Forward, impertinent, too free in conduct, over-familiar; usually in the phrase "to get gay". U.S. slang. I'd translate the sign from 1925 slang: "Gentlemen will not get gay. Others must not" Into current vernacular as: "Real gentlemen won't act like jerks. Others had better not." Spinningtterrace does indeed remember a fun house ride like this, but at San Francisco's Playland at the Beach rather than Santa Cruz. Not sure what the official name was; I called it the turntable. It was smaller and less elaborate than this, and just one of many things in the Fun House. Know what the best thing was about these things? They were made of wood! Highly-polished (in large part by the posteriors of the fun-seekers) hardwood, like this one. The giant slide was, too, as well as the tumbler, a big revolving cylinder. Those were the days when falling on your keister was fun. Fun houseI spent many a fun filled hour in the late 1950s in the Fun House. The slide was a favorite and the long climb in the narrow, steep stairs was kinda cool also. Do you remember "Laughing Sally"? Laffing SalI didn't realize until I just now did some searching that it's "Laffing," not "Laughing" Sal, and that the automaton was not exclusive to SF's Playland at the Beach, but a standard fixture of old-style amusement parks since the 1930s. Additional surprise: the Playland Sal is now ensconced at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Man, if they only still had that giant clown face, what a then-and-now pic that would make, but they shut the fun house down in 1971 for liability reasons. Why is a mouse when it spins?I'm pretty sure the sign at the far right says "Why is a mouse when it spins?", not "house." This is a pretty well-known example of an "anti-joke" (others are the classic "Why did the chicken cross the road?" and the shaggy-dog story "No soap, radio"). There are various different "punch lines," but Google suggests that "the higher, the fewer" is the most common. I'm sure a historian of humour somewhere would be interested to find this documentation of the joke from 1925. [Yes it should be mouse. The joke is mentioned in an 1899 newspaper article ("Mr. Scullin' connundrum"). - Dave] Rowdyism and ReminiscencesThe one sign must be "Rowdyism is the birth-mark of a rough neck." Here in the Twin Cities, we had the Excelsior Amusement Park (on Lake Minnetonka) up until the early 70's. It was built in the early 20's and replaced a park that had been on Big Island in the middle of the lake. Excelsior Park had a fun house with similar attractions. The "roulette wheel" was rarely operational by the time I was around (in the 60's), but I do remember riding it once and staying on it until the operator gave up (I was near the center, didn't weigh much, and had sweaty palms). There was a revolving barrel, which they later built a catwalk through and decorated the interior with fluorescent paint and black lights. Apparently they got tired of rescuing people who fell down trying to walk through it. There was a giant slide, and one of those obstacle-course-like things with sliding or jumping floorboards. It was equipped with air jets, presumably for blasting ladies' skirts into the air, but no one was ever operating them in my day. There were a couple of other attractions in the fun house as well. I also remember that they had "Report Card Day". You could bring your report card, and for every A, you got 3 ride tickets, for every B you got 2, and for every C you got 1. Very nice of them. Other attractions included bumper cars with metal bumpers, a rotted wooden roller coaster that occasionally jumped the track (my folks never let me ride it), a little train that took you out on a pier over the lake and many of the usual rides - ferris wheel, scrambler, tilt-a-whirl, etc. The carousel was a work of art by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. It's the only part of the park that survives and is now an attraction at Valleyfair - the modern-day, sanitized theme park in the Twin Cities. Here's a link to a picture of the carousel: http://www.nca-usa.org/psp/ValleyfairPTC/001_34.html You can see others by clicking Previous or Next. Where's Sal?I thought Playland's Laffing Sal lived at the Musee Mechanique now (http://www.museemecaniquesf.com/). The SlideLongtime visitor, first time commenter ... love Shorpy. Anyway, there's a slide almost identical to this, from the same time period, in my home town of Burlington, Iowa. You can still go on it, and it is indeed terrifying climbing up those steps -- you don't realize how high it is until you're about halfway up. I have a photo but am not sure how to post it. [First, register as a user. Then log in and click the Upload Image link. - Dave] Re: Laffing SalHere is the Laffing Sal at Santa Cruz. As seen on the Silver ScreenI've seen this ride in a silent movie -- if I recall correctly, it was "The 'It' Girl" with Clara Bow. Looked like fun -- if I ever make it to Australia, I'll have to check it out! Looks boring for the womenNot much a woman of the time could have had fun doing there, modesty ya know. OopsYou're right, Dave, that was tterrace: https://www.shorpy.com/node/3695 No matter, thanks for stimulating so many great memories. Doug Playland-Not-at-the-BeachI am enjoying the posts about the old Fun House at Playland-at-the-Beach. In our Playland-Not-at-the-Beach museum in El Cerrito, California we have many artifacts from the beach amusements. A few points I would like to correct: 1.) The Fun House was not demolished in 1971. It was torn down after September 4, 1972 -- the date the whole park closed and was demolished to make room for condominiums. 2.) At San Francisco's Playland she was named Laughing Sal -- the variant spelling "Laffin' Sal" was used in many other parks across the country. She was also known as Laughing Lena and many other names. The Sals were mass produced and purchased by amusement parks out of a catalogue. 3.) The Laughing Sal that is now at Santa Cruz was the final Sal at San Francisco's Playland. There were earlier ones that wore out. Santa Cruz purchased her from the John Wickett estate for $ 50,000. Wickett had purchased her for $ 4000 decades before. To learn more, visit our website: www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org, or better yet, visit our museum for the time of your life! Richard Tuck Playland-Not-at-the-Beach 10979 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 Website is www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org email: Richard@playland-not-at-the-beach.org (510) 232-4264 x25 for reservations (510) 592-3002 24-Hour Information Line Does anyone else rememberDoes anyone else remember the "disembodied head" versions of this Laffing Sal thing that were a gift-store fad in the late '70s-early 80s and scared the crap out of me( and probably most other small kids) at the time? They don't seem to have stuck around very long, for obvious reasons. The WheelThe wheel at the Fun House in SF which I used to frequent in the early 40's I remember as having a low fence around it into which you slammed when you were eventually swooshed off the platter. Am I misremembering? This one looks a bit hazardous for passersby. Scariest thing for me? Those big padded spinning wheels you had to walk between to get in the place. My friends were usually well on their way before I worked up the nerve. Laughing Sal - East CoastFor those of us on the East Coast, the "Laughing Sal" who used to reside on the Ocean City, Maryland, Boardwalk is currently on display at the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum. She's no longer mobile and they have her enclosed in a glass case, but you can push a button to hear a recording of her laugh. In fact, if you click here, there's a (not very good) photo of her at the bottom of the page, and a sound clip of her laugh will automatically play, so turn up your speakers! Going UpSimilar slide in Burlington, IA: http://www.nolamansour.com/images/Thanksgiving07-08.jpg It is scarier going up than down. Crapo ParksI was born in Burlington & grew up in a neighboring town. I know I've gone down that slide but it's been years and I can't remember if the slide is at Dankwardt or Crapo Parks. (For those not familiar with the area, yes Crapo is an unfortuante name for a very pretty park. Pronounced "cray-po"). At Crapo, there are two artillery guns (I don't know exactly what they were - they had seats & long barrels). They were up on a bluff and I remember sitting on them and shooting imaginary shells to Illinois. Chautauqua AmphitheaterAccording to the historical marker at Glen Echo, this building was the original Chautauqua amphitheater built in 1891. It opened as the fun house in 1911 and operated till 1948. In 1956 the termite ridden building was burned to make room for a parking lot. Attractions in the building included, the Rocking Pigs, the Whirl-i-gig, Crossing The Ice, and the Barrel of Fun. The Anonymous Tipster (07/25/2008, 4:36pm.) is remembering correctly: the roulette wheel was later altered by sinking it into the ground resulting in a low wall around the edge. Thank YouI appreciate the translation, I've been sitting here (in our current Internet vernacular) going o_O trying to figure that one out, ha. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Extreme Makover: 1950
... the President in case of nuclear attack. [The interior of the building was on the verge of collapse. - tterrace] ... water, electrification, telegraphy, telephony, radio, interior kitchens becoming normal, modern building reinforcement, etc. As such ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/25/2013 - 10:50pm -

March 9, 1950. Washington, D.C . "White House renovation. Second floor Oval Study above Blue Room. North wall and part of floor removed for installation of steel shoring columns." Photo by Abbie Rowe. View full size. I Wonder?Considering the date, the U.S. was in the beginning stages of the post WW2 cold war, with the fear of nuclear annihilation all around us. Given the fact that they were adding "steel shoring columns", this begs the question of whether this was just a simple renovation, or an attempt to better protect the President in case of nuclear attack. [The interior of the building was on the verge of collapse. - tterrace] There's a famous storyBefore this renovation, the White House was still the building, to all intents and purposes, built in the 1790s, prior to gassification, running water, electrification, telegraphy, telephony, radio, interior kitchens becoming normal, modern building reinforcement, etc. As such the White House was stone and wood, with patchwork upgrades (well done, but patchwork nevertheless) to add features for the convienence of the President. However, it was still an essentially a building that had been built with wood using 18th century construction and had been continuously occupied and used for about 130 years; maintenence of key areas had never been able to be performed. Bess Truman played the piano, and so they had a piano brought into what is is now the "Formal Family Dining Room" (there are four dining rooms the First Family uses; that one, also called the Prince of Wales room, is used for intimate, but not private, meals, and is the second most public). The floor, however, eventually gave out while Harry was playing. Harry used that as an excuse to strong-arm Congress (which had just canceled the then-planned West Wing expansion due to cost) to rebuild the entire White House except the East Wing. Here is a link to see some history of this specific room. That ceiling gives me the heebie jeebiesI've never seen those types of terra cotta blocks used for ceiling construction. My neighbor has a garage with walls built of those. I can't imagine building long horizontal expanses such as a ceiling with them. Surely they wrap structural beams of some sort and serve the purpose of insulation, more than anything. I'd certainly hope they aren't in any way load-bearing, and surely would not want to be under them during an earthquake. Re: tterrace commentIndeed! One of my all-time favorite Weekly Reader stories back in the 60's was on the renovation of the White House. One particularly fascinating picture showed a part of the interior that had been gutted down to the sandstone walls and a front end loader driving around inside. Simply out of habitI remember reading somewhere the explanation that by this time "the floors were holding up simply out of habit!" The Terra Cotta Block CeilingIn 1927, the roof of the White House was raised and a third floor inserted where the attic had been. The terra cotta blocks in the picture look like products from the 1920s and probably were installed in 1927. Although the White House likely was weakened by various alterations over the years (e.g., cutting through beams for plumbing and wiring, moving a load bearing wall to enlarge the State Dining Room in 1902), I have read that the added weight of the 1927 third floor addition probably was the straw that broke the camel's back. (The Gallery, D.C.)
Confederate Veterans: 1917
... featured a curved roof and was supported, without any interior columns, by a series of enormous iron and steel trusses. 1893 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 9:00pm -

The Gray and the gray. "Confederate veteran reunion, Washington, 1917." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. The last soldierThe last Union veteran to die was in 1947 in Minnesota. Life Magazine had a write up on this. There is one veteran from WW1 now living. It is in the newspapers as I write. He is 108 and lives in Pennsylvania. [The Wikipedia article on last surviving veterans, which is never an exact science. The most we can usually say is that someone is thought to be the last survivor of a particular war. That article has the last two Union vets dying in 1953 and 1956. - Dave] Johnny Reb in his 60'sThis was an eye opener for me as to just how long ago the Civil War took place. These guys were teenagers when it happened and here they are they are in their 60s in 1917. A cool and timely picture. Convention Center MarketBuilt in 1874, the city’s first convention center extended the length of Fifth Street between K and L Streets, and was known as the Northern Liberty Market. It was an immense single room 324 feet long, 126 feet wide and 84 feet high at the center. The architecturally significant structure featured a curved roof and was supported, without any interior columns, by a series of enormous iron and steel trusses. 1893 A second floor was added to form a large auditorium, with seating for 5,000. The building was renamed the Convention Center and popularly known as the Convention Hall. The facility operated there for 50 years, hosting revival meetings, fairs, auto shows, roller-skating, bowling and a variety of amusement and sporting events. 1930 By the early 1930s, Center Market – the city's largest building – was located at Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventh Street. It was later demolished for the government's Federal Triangle construction project. Many of that market's vendors moved a half-mile north to the Convention Center building, which was renamed New Center Market. News Travels SlowlyLooks like the Gillette Safety Razor was slow to take hold in the South. Great image!I'm guessing that this group from Nashville had ridden with Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest based on the flag they carry. I bet they all could tell stories to keep you going for days if anyone would listen. Commander at the front looks like he takes his position very seriously. Old DixieDying (slowly) for their cause. StubblyI must say, Confederate vets knew how to rock the facial hair. UniformsObviously these men are better dressed than they ever had been during their war when the Confederate uniforms were nominally gray, and later "butternut" but sometimes ended up being whatever you could find or even scrounge off of dead bodies. I wonder how many of our images of Confederate soldiers and how they dressed come from seeing images like this and the studio portraits that the young men going off to war had taken rather than the reality of the field. Yes they all look oldYes they all look old, but what does that say about me? I can remember when the last Confederate (in fact the last Civil War) veteran died, sometime in the 1950s, and the reason that it is in my memory bank is that it happened near where I lived at the time (Baytown, Texas) and the high school band from Robert E. Lee High School (Go Ganders!) played at the funeral. I would later attend REL. And apparently, things going the way they are, I will live to see the last WWI veteran die. A Mighty Host of Gray1917 marked the 27th annual Confederate reunion and the first to gather outside of the Confederate States. I've extracted only a few of the many newspaper articles of the time, and in just this small sample, there are inconsistencies regarding the age of the youngest. [Upon Stanton Square's blue fingers, I hereby bestow the Purple Heart. - Dave] 1,500 Veterans in City Special Trains Bring Gray Hosts From as Far as New Orleans. More than 1,500 Confederate veterans, representing a majority of 22 States that are to send delegates to the annual Confederate reunion that opens here tomorrow, were registered at headquarters yesterday. In addition incoming trains from the South brought Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy and thousands of others whose sympathies are Southern. Col. Robert N. Harper, after hearing reports from John Dolph and others of the registration committee lat night again expressed the opinion that the total number of visitors, including delegates, will reach the 75,000 mark before the first day of the reunion is over. From an early hour yesterday shifts of volunteers were busy constantly registering the veterans at the Union Station, where scenes similar to those that characterized the inauguration preliminaries prevailed. An extra force of policemen was on duty at the station handling the crowds and seeing to the necessary enforcement of rules. As early as 6 a.m. the "vets," many wearing the suits of gray that will be conspicuous here during the week, began to arrive. Many were intent on attending the memorial exercises at Arlington and to obtain a glimpse of President Wilson. The first excursion train to pull into the station was the "Tom Green Special," from the cotton belt, bringing veterans from Memphis, Texarkana, Pine Bluff and the vicinity. Closely following it came others from Augusta, Ga.; Newberry S.C., and New Orleans. At noon several special excursion trains, each carrying an average of 300 veterans and others, arrived. In the afternoon, the Elliott Tour Special brought large delegations from Birmingham and Atlanta. H.F. Cary, chairman of the transportation committee, said yesterday that at least 38 specials from every point in the South would reach Washington before Wednesday. It is conservatively estimated that of the 40,000 survivors at least 5,000 will attend this year's reunion. ... Veterans were taken either to their hotels or to the "tented city" not far distant from the station. Last night, close to 200 of the visitors slept under canvas. The majority were fatigued after long journeys and expressed a preference to "stick close to quarters" rather than see the sights as some suggested. More than 500 were quartered in a large red brick structure at the corner of New Jersey and C street northwest. Arriving there they were assigned to rooms. Meals were served under a large canvas tent close by. Washington Post, Jun 4, 1917 Sidelights of Confederate Reunion About a half hundred veterans responded to the sounding of the dinner gong at the tented city yesterday and enjoyed the first meal served "under canvas." The menu consisting of vegetable soup, fresh pork, prime ribs of beef, new potatoes, green peas, stewed tomatoes, assorted pies, iced tea, coffee and bread and butter, was a sample of the generous treatment the "boys" can expect during their stay in camp. ... When some one had the audacity to inquire of A.B. Rowland, of Fulton Ky., one of the party at the tented city, as to his age he answered, "I'm one of the kids. I'm only 72." As a matter of fact, the youngest Confederate veteran is 69. Washington Post, Jun 4, 1917 Dixie's Sons Own City Washington surrendered yesterday to a mighty host of gray - without a struggle. White-haired and gray-coated veterans owned the city. Streets and avenues were a dense gray mass from early morning until late at night. Hotel lobbies were crowded to the doors. Public parks, the Capitol, government buildings and nearby places of historic interest were given over ungrudgingly to the venerable guests from Dixie. Bands played familiar airs, fife and drum corps beat age-old battle marches and buglers sounded the reveille and taps. ... The Tented City on the Union Station plaza was the mecca last night for veterans and sightseers from all parts of the District. The large mess hall was the busiest place in Washington from 4 p.m. yesterday until 8 o'clock last night. Nearly 15,000 meal tickets had been issued to veterans since Monday morning. Camp fire meetings were held last night in every nook and corner of the plaza. War time stories were "swapped" and Southern songs filled the air with melody. Officials of the registration booth at Union Station said last night that between 15,00 and 20,000 veterans had arrived in Washington since Sunday morning. Washington Post, Jun 6, 1917 Sidelights of Confederate Reunion Editor C.A. Ricks, of the Courier, Huntington, Tex., who was born February 28, 1851, claims to be the youngest Confederate at the reunion. He enlisted August 1, 1863 in Courier battery at Shreveport, La. ... The Georgia delegation greeted the President with a shower of peanuts, while the ladies literally bombarded the stand with flowers. Washington Post, Jun 8, 1917 Third Veteran Wins Bride at Reunion The third Confederate veteran to take unto himself a wife while attending the recent reunion is Dr. John A. Pollock, 71, of Kingston, N.C. His bride is Miss Lula L. Aldridge, 50, of the same city. ... Dr. Pollock also is the next to the oldest of the three "vets" who are going South with brides. The oldest was Frank H. Raum, of Richmond, Va., who was one of Mosby's men. He is 73. The "vet" who got the youngest bride is James A. Thomas, 63, of Atlanta, Ga. He married Miss Elizabeth Roberts, only 25. Washington Post, Jun 10, 1917 ObservationsNotice Santa Claus on the left has a peg leg. As for facial hair, if you look at silent movies of the period they usually have old geezers shown with similar whiskers. I think this stereotype was based on truth, that the oldsters kept the style from their youthful days. There are only about 11 confirmed WW1 vets still living, as listed on Wiki. All of the Central Powers guys are gone. Only 2 remain who actually spent time in the trenches. MedalistsSeveral of the veterans, including the officer in the frock coat, are wearing the Southern Cross of Honor. These were given by the United Daughters of the Confederacy starting in 1900 to Confederate army and navy vets. The Confederate States of America did not issue any medals. And the last Civil War widowI read the article below a few years ago. The Shorpy photo brought it to mind. "Civil War widow, final link to old Confederacy, dies" The cantankerous 81-year-old man struck up a few conversations with the 21-year-old neighbor and a marriage of convenience was born. They were married in a civil ceremony at the courthouse in Andalusia on Dec. 10, 1927, and 10 months later had a son, William. The story actually gets better but I'll leave it to everyone to read the whole thing. It still amazes me that so much history walks among us. Whenever I get the opportunity to talk to a WWII veteran I grab it because they are fast disappearing also. Oldest Confederate WidowThere may still be a couple of Confederate widows among us but it's their choice to remain in anonymity. Maude Hopkins was the last one publicly known. She died Aug. 17 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maudie_Hopkins Why did young girls marry veterans old enough to be their grandfathers? The pension was attractive in Depression days. BeardI think the guy on the far left bought his beard at the Acme Novelty Shop so he could join this Facial Hair Club for Men reunion WW2 VetsI saw on Fox News on Veterans Day that there are about 2.1 million veterans of WWII left. About 900 die every day. Actually, the United Confederate Veterans were organized locally into camps and drew from veterans living in the area. They took their names from famous officers, units and the like. The label on the flag here is more likely the name of the camp from Nashville. Southern Cross of HonorThe UDC awards a Cross of Military Service to any veteran of WWII or Vietnam upon application. The only additional requirement for the award is that in addition to proof of their own service, he or she provide proof of direct lineage to a soldier similar to one of the men shown in this fine picture. These crosses are beautifully made pieces and serve to establish a remarkable lineage to the present day. Many, if not most, of the men shown in this picture had grandfathers or great grandfathers who were soldiers of the American Revolution--and many of their fathers served in the War of 1812. Shades of GrayI've colourised this picture at https://www.shorpy.com/node/11187 if anyone's interested. (The Gallery, Civil War, D.C., Natl Photo)
Tenement Kitchen: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Interior of tenement." All the conveniences, including a somewhat incongruous ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:43pm -

New York circa 1905. "Interior of tenement." All the conveniences, including a somewhat incongruous couch on wheels. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. A Tree Grows in BrooklynThis could be straight out of the book. It's funny how nice a "lowly" tenement room can look without modern plastic junk all over the place. Nice place!It was a lot more run down by the time the Kramdens moved in fifty years later. Royal BustsI think the busts are of Tsar Alexander III and Tsarina Maria Feodorovna. Any other ideas? The picture on the shelfThe one behind the clock looks like it might be a cased Civil War era half plate Tintype of a mother and her baby. Godfather Part IIAll that's missing here is Vito C, Clemenza, and Tessio...all sitting around the table with a big bowl of pasta and a jug of vino. Immigrants from the UK?Busts on the wall shelf are of King Edward VII (reigned 1901 to 1910) and Queen Alexandra. On the shelfBusts of Queen Alexandra and Edward VII? Plus a photo of a magician? Never saw a radiator like that. Changing marketsPretty spacious and spiffy for a tenement! Bet it now rents for $7k a month to a junior law partner. The Curious SofaThat incongruous couch on wheels is a late and decidedly on-the-cheap version of the Victorian lounge sofa, now popularly called a fainting couch. Lounge sofas were a kind of casual daybed, and the cook in this very tidy tenement kitchen might have had it there to rest her back while she was waiting for the dough to rise. The shiny, pleated upholstery on this one looks like the sort of imitation leather typically used on the cheaper versions of these sofas, and the tied fringe is made of the same material, probably a nitrocellulose-coated thin canvas. Many types of 19th Century household furniture were mounted with small cast brass caster wheels. They were hell on floor finishes. Here's a similar lounge sofa that has been reupholstered in a cheery and completely non-historic furnishing fabric. Apt furnishingThe couch is to assist an Edwardian lady experiencing an attack of the kitchen vapours. Another viewof a similar kitchen in this post. At first I thought it might be the same room, but the stove-corner artwork is different. Coronation SouvenirsThe white bisque porcelain busts of Alexandra of Denmark and her husband Edward VII were produced circa 1902 by Robinson & Leadbetter of Stoke-on-Trent. Here is an identical pair. Homeless headsThis shot reminds me of all the photos I see for sale in antique stores today. Some of the photos are even fairly recent (1960s-'70s). It breaks my heart that so many don't keep their family photos! If I ever become independently wealthy, I'll spend my time "rescuing" these photos & posting them to Shorpy! Re: HammeredNot only is plaster impossible to get nails to stick in--in some places, they used to mix horsehair in with the plaster, which actually gave it a springy quality. I remember talking to the owners of an old home once and they described the first (and last) time they tried to drive a nail in--it came shooting back out at them. Re: Homeless headsYou may want to check this out, sackerland, someone is already running with your idea. http://forgottenoldphotos.blogspot.com/ Unusual radiatorThe radiator likely appears unusual because of its context. It is of a design that is typically hung horizontally from a ceiling. This style of rad only requires about five inches total clearance from the wall, which is likely why it was selected for this location. One can tell that it's the original installation because foot valve it too close to the wall for there to be room for a conventional rad. BustDefinitely Edward VII (eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert). Quite probably modelled after this one (Nov. 9, 1901) Elegant is as elegant doesThere's no denying the inherent elegance of the family that lived here, regardless of its fiscal condition, and the artistic care someone showed in decorating this kitchen. Note the symmetrical arrangement of the pictures on the wall, the busts on the shelf, etc., and of course the spotless wood floor. Lovely. Kitchen differencesThis one has half as many gas lamp jets. The sink is out of view in each photo (assuming there was one actually located in the apartment, rather than down the hall), but it's safe to say that the concept of the work triangle had not occurred to anyone yet. HammeredDoes anyone know why pictures were hung like that in the early 20th century? I have seen the exact same hanging mode for pics ranging from middle class folks to European royalty so it was clearly THE way to do it--but why not just hammer a nail in like we do nowadays? [Ever try hammering a nail into plaster? - Dave] That SofaIn "Ann of Green Gables" there's casual mention of someone sitting on the kitchen sofa, which gives us a pretty good hint about what wintertime home heating was like in PEI, Canada. Maybe the same thing here? Lowly can certainly be a relative termEspecially when you consider what tenement housing was like just a few years prior to this, and still was in many parts of New York. The tenement act that sought to create places like this one had only been passed in 1901. Prior to that, this apartment probably would not have had gas fixtures, heat, or windows to capture light to take this photo. More a napping couchMost families living in tenements used the kitchen as a bedroom at night. This family appears to be working-class English. The glass and ceramic knick-knacks seem very urban North of England to me - Leeds, Newcastle, etc. Similar kitchensThey certainly do look like the same room, and I was going to suggest that the two photos were taken at different times with different wall decor - but then I noticed the floorboards. Definitely different rooms. OCDI feel the need to straighten those pictures on the wall! The "lowly" tenementAs noted elsewhere on Shorpy, the meaning of "tenement" has changed over time. Far from being synonymous with "slum dwelling," it originally connoted a dwelling in any tenanted building, or the building itself. Its root is the Latin word tenere, meaning "to hold." The kitchen as bedroomI am reminded of my first historic house tour, Naperville's 1883 Martin Mitchell Mansion, when I was in the third grade. All of the beds had the pillows propped up against the headboard, and we were told that people slept with their heads more or less upright, lest lying flat should result in pneumonia or consumption or whatever. The construction of this couch would be consistent with such a belief. Occupants of the Martin Mitchell Mansion had no need to sleep in the kitchen, but I remember a vacuum cleaner powered by a pair of bellows strapped to the user's feet! The kitchen couchMy parents have a couch in their kitchen too. Used for watching TV, using the internet, talking on the phone, napping, or just socializing in the kitchen area. But they don't have a radiator, especially not a work of art radiator like that one! That amazing sofa!The "kitchen sofa" is an American Empire or Greek Revival recamier, also called a Grecian sofa or "fainting bed." This one was probably made in NY prior to 1855, when Victorian furniture came in vogue. The tight bolster indicates a "high style" piece that would be very valuable today. Tenement dwellers often kept a cradle or small bed in the kitchen for a child's nap time, which would allow Mom to keep working at the same time. This is a pretty fancy "cradle." (The Gallery, DPC, Kitchens etc., NYC)
Flood Mansion: 1940
... 1897. Descendants occupied until fire of 1906 gutted interior. Acquired by Pacific Union Club about 1909 and remodeled by Willis ... Historic Landmarks. Re: Curious I believe that the interior of the Flood Mansion was used as the location of Gavin Elster's club ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/18/2014 - 4:03pm -

        James Clair Flood Mansion (now Pacific Union Club), 1000 California Street, San Francisco. Built 1885-86; Augustus Laver, architect. Reputed cost of about $1 million. Flood died 1889; Mrs. Flood, 1897. Descendants occupied until fire of 1906 gutted interior. Acquired by Pacific Union Club about 1909 and remodeled by Willis Polk in 1910. New England brownstone shell (said to be first brownstone west of Mississippi); Italianate ornamental details. Fence of bronze by W.T. Garratt, at cost estimated from $30,000 to $60,000. Only Nob Hill house to survive fire. —HABS, 1940 March 1940. The Flood Mansion in San Francisco, last seen here after being gutted by fire following the 1906 earthquake, 108 years ago today. Photo by A.J. Wittlock for the Historic American Buildings Survey. View full size. Watering the LawnI assume there is someone standing behind that corner pillar watering the grass or else there is one be leak somewhere. +74And in living color. Spectacular!“I will build you a house of marble on a hill of granite” -James Leary Flood A closer look at the spectacular Flood Mansion. I wonder what happenedThis young man is missing CuriousWas this house used for some of Hitchcock movie 'Vertigo'? [No, Vertigo's "McKittrick Hotel" was the wooden Fortmann Mansion at 1007 Gough St., demolished in 1959. -tterrace] Thank you, tterrace, wasn't sure, didn't seem so, but thought that it was just my mis-remembering the movie. Woolen facadeThe neatly trimmed ivy looks like a wool sock pulled up over the house for winter. Also, what's with those awful windows patched into the third floor. How uncouth! Portland BrownstoneThe brownstone used to construct the Flood Mansion was shipped around Cape Horn from quarries in Portland, Connecticut. This is the same stone used for the "Brownstones" in New York City. Both the mansion and the quarries have been designated National Historic Landmarks. Re: CuriousI believe that the interior of the Flood Mansion was used as the location of Gavin Elster's club where he and Scottie have a private chat. [The exterior was used, but the interior was a studio set. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, HABS, San Francisco)
Photo Op: 1929
... collection at the University of South Carolina: Interior: medium shot man helps get everyone in place. Medium shot Supreme ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 7:57pm -

March 28, 1929. "Cameramen, Stimson office." Photographers on the occasion of Henry Stimson's swearing-in as Secretary of State. Nat'l Photo. View full size. Bill Murray... call your office. Isn't that him crouching down front and center? But, seriously, aren't those mostly Speed Graphic cameras? Ah, the days of 5x7" film stock, no feeble 35mm here. Except, perhaps, that movie camera, the film magazine looks a bit wide for 16mm. [Most of the guys would have been using glass, not film, in 1929. - Dave] Is that Carl Spackler?The guy squatting in front looks like Bill Murray during the Caddyshack era. At the MoviesThose are both 35mm movie cameras. Interesting that one is sound and one a silent (hand-cranked, second from the right). The sound film still exists in the Fox Movietone collection at the University of South Carolina: Interior: medium shot man helps get everyone in place. Medium shot Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft administers oath of office to Henry Stimson, the new Secretary of State. Note: emulsion deterioration throughout. B&W, Sound, 5.11 minutes Wooden TripodsThese still camera statives (I own one dated about the same era) are very stable, yet much lighter than their modern versions, included the carbon fiber ones. The movie cameras, off course, are 35 mm. Still the hand held Arri started in the '30 as 35 mm movie cameras. IronicThere's something kind of ironic about a photo of photographers. Speed GraphicsThose all look like 4x5 inch Speed Graphics. They produced a newspaper-sized contact print, so it was a lot faster to get a photos in the paper using them instead of a 35mm camera, which would have required enlarging the tiny negatives. Note that a few are mounted sideways on the tripods to achieve portrait framing instead of landscape. [Another reason not to use a 35mm camera would be that they didn't exist here. - Dave] Let There Be LightCould not help but notice ... no flashgun, no flashbulbs, no strobe light! Surprised they are using glass and not film, give them credit, they certainly had excellent results which we today should all appreciate. [They seem to have used some sort of auxiliary lighting -- look at the shadows. I found a second glass neg that came out a tad dark. - Dave] Where.......is the esteemed and mischievous goat? Speed GraphicMost of the still cameras can easily be identified as 4x5-inch Speed Graphics, from the size and visible controls for the focal-plane shutter. Perhaps interestingly, only one is loaded - the center camera in the rearmost/topmost group. The flashbulb had been invented in Europe the year before, but wouldn't make its way to the Americas until the next year. This looks to have been lit from two directions - possibly floodlights, probably flash powder. Ah, the good old days... I actually prefer the "dark" shot, as the inclusion of the podium gives you the true, so to speak, secretary-of-state's-view of things. [I think it's floodlights. A cloud of flash powder casts very diffuse, ill-defined shadows. - Dave] Dressed like actual grownups!Seeing this I think men should wear suits again, wash & shave daily and see the hairdresser once in a while too. UncutTheir hair is surprisingly long. Funny that these same men would be calling the Beatles "longhairs" 35 years later! Sharp shootersIt seems most of these photographers are a surprisingly handsome young lot. Not what I expected from guys who prefer to be behind the camera. They look great in front of it! (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Schwinners: 1970
... new, black 1960 Ford convertible with black and white interior. We had first period class together so I would most often see him in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2022 - 4:27pm -

From around 1970, somewhere in Suburbia, comes this Kodachrome of two lovely lasses attired in Easter egg pastels, and a tricycle not long for this world. View full size. Pretty in Pink, Striking in YellowAnd Fast on Old Blue ... nice shiny chrome fenders. Winnie Cooper'slil' sis? There's more than a little resemblance. But ultimately of more importance: in the distance not one but two VW's ; Detroit's - and by implication America's - decline from industrial supremacy to (simply) "leadership" is well underway Missing WheelThe tricycle may get hit by the car in the driveway, but the dented car on the left won't be backing into it. A rear wheel seems to be missing. [Not to worry. It's there. - Dave] Look before backing!Maybe that was a new bicycle - but hope they aren't cycling in those clothes and shoes! Sad thing, but I'm reminded of the time my aunt Shirley backed up without looking and killed Grandma's dog Trixie. I was about 10, and it was a sad day ... though I didn't witness it, I heard her last yelp from across the field. Still want to cry, and always look before backing up! Trike, Trixie, backing up -- They are lovely lassesVery likely best friends. No way to tell if this friendship lasted years or somewhere along the way they lost touch. Most of us have experienced both. The two license plates I can see are dark blue with yellow letters/numbers. That makes one possible state Pennsylvania, which I'm going to run with based on the neighborhood, distant terrain, and everything else. I can't read that street sign. Dave, can you? [The street name is four letters; the second letter looks like an i. Something like BIRD, RICE, BIBB, along with CR or CT. I also note a preponderance of evergreens. - Dave] The CarsOn the left, a dented 1960 Ford Fairlane; on the right, a (now mid-size) 1968 Fairlane 500 with the side marker light that became mandatory that year. In the driveway behind it, a Chevy Corvair convertible with the top up. Blue sedan on the left is a 1964 Chevrolet. There was a classmatein my junior college days who drove a brand new, black 1960 Ford convertible with black and white interior. We had first period class together so I would most often see him in the parking lot when he drove in with the top down. I lusted after that car but couldn't afford anything even close to his ride. Man that was beautiful vehicle and I would still like to own one but they are very hard to find. It's odd that 1950's Chevys are plentiful but Fords not so much. Sympathy for the PedalAll the Schwinners are Saints. Upstate NYThe license plates are New York, 1966 to 1973 series. Pennsylvania was a good guess, but they did not use front plates. Given the view, we can rule out Long Island, but this scene would fit almost anywhere else in the state. Those smiles thoughThat's just about the cutest thing I've seen all day. The sweet girl on the right is almost certainly my age. I had a dress very like hers except mine had sleeves and it was made of ice blue dotted swiss. My sister's outfit had a few style differences from mine, and was green. Our mother sewed the frocks for us to wear on Easter in 1970 and we broke the mold by going to church that year. Oh those lovely stockings!I remember how sophisticated we felt in those textured stockings. And believe me, those weren't no pantyhose, no sirree. Those were two individual stockings held up by awful, uncomfortable garter belts that would unsnap and let you down from time to time. But paired with these simple, A-line shift dresses, those stockings made us feel like we just stepped off the page of a fashion magazine. No curbs, sidewalks or even drainage?I drive through neighborhoods delivering packages, and this time of year is especially dangerous as the large ditches in neighborhoods like these are often filled with recently fallen leaves. I see no sign of drainage measures taken in this shot, am I missing something? [There's a big drain next to the street sign. - Dave] HURD CTI believe this photo was taken looking east from the corner of Hurd Court and Bontecou Road in the Town of Stony Point, New York. I base this in on the following: The houses match what is shown on google street view, but the perspective is so different it's difficult to tell. The utility tower in the distance is still there but you have to move up quite a long way to see on street view. The contour of the mountains match what you would see if you had a clear view today, they are on the opposite side of the Hudson River from Stony Point. The biggest hint was that YEARS ago a photo identified as being in this neighborhood was posted on Shorpy, possibly even the same street, but facing west as I remember. [That's it! Even the storm drain is still there. - Dave] (Bicycles, Easter, Found Photos, Kids, Stephen Kodachromes)
Second Home: 1943
... 50 years on the job, as did my father. I haven't seen the interior of many caboose cars but I did not see any decorated like this one. My ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2014 - 12:39pm -

January 1943. "Freight train operations on the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. The caboose is the conductor's second home. He always uses the same one and many conductors cook and sleep there while waiting for trains to take back from division points." Medium format nitrate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. "Stormy" and brake tests."Stormy" Kromer was the inventor's name, the hat was a Kromer Blizzard Cap. The last one my wife bought for me was made in China, so I don't buy them anymore. There used to be a pair of hand (lantern) signals in the rulebook to handle brake tests: Rule 12(f), the lamp swung horizontally over the head was the signal for the engineer to apply the brakes for the test, Rule 12(g), the lamp held at arm's length overhead was the signal to release. If all was well and the pressure recovered at the caboose, the next signal would be the "highball", otherwise someone would start walking the train to find the problem. Classy RV-ingWouldn't it be great to have an RV these days that looked more like that than the generic, mundane look most modern RVs have? I suppose one could refit an RV to look like this, but the weight of the wood paneling might be a problem, not to mention the weight of the woodstove. One can dream, however unrealistic one's dreams might be. The Modern CabooseIn Canada at least there are still uses for cabooses. Mainly they're used on short switching runs where one or two cars are dropped off and or picked up at a specific shipper. I suspect that this is a time saving measure since it would be inefficient to keep moving the ETD (FRED) to the new end car, and it poor electronic brain might not be able to cope with a movement that temporarily splits the train in the middle. Lots of factors killed Cabeesemost already mentioned, but there were a large number of workers comp incidents that arose in a people transporter located a mile back of slack action on a freight train. One of the best ways to improve safety is to eliminate the need to expose workers to the danger in the first place. So this was a big improvement. Cheesecake, though, is something to be missed. Comforting memoriesAs a young boy in Maine my brother and I would watch the trains go by and count the cars. It was a thrill to wave to the conductor. My grandfather, an old railroad man, introduced us to a conductor friend of his and we even got a quick look inside a caboose. A dream come true for a young railroad fan. Proper pinupsSome tasty cheesecake here. Contemporary girls a la Sundblom and Elvgren along with some smaller older pieces. I Miss the CabooseNice man cave. September snowThe graffiti is correct; it did indeed snow in Illinois and Iowa on Friday, September 25, 1942 - up to two inches (in Iowa Falls). Newspapers the next morning reported that this was the first September snowfall in Des Moines in the history of the weather bureau. The high school football game between Garner and Buffalo Center was called because of darkness after "driving snow" knocked out six lights. Wall CandyI worked on a railroad for 36 years and the cabooses never were allowed to look like that. Years ago the caboose was assigned to the Conductor for each trip he made so it was decorated it the way he wanted it. I rode these for many years until they were replaced with a flashing rear end device. FRED Back in the day!It would have been nice to be there. Caboose LoreWhatever happened to cabooses? Were they stopped as a cost-saving measure, or was the conductor no longer needed on freight trains? They were a "natural" ending to trains as they looked so different from the other cars. When they passed you knew that it was OK to cross the crossing. Now freight trains just end and it is sad. Part of the fun with trains was waving at the caboose. Quite often, the conductor or whoever was in it would wave back. Cabeese and conductorsThough the cabeese have been replaced, not so the conductors. Their office has been moved into the cab of the locomotive..Conductors are actually in charge of the train, not as ususlly believed, the engineers. Engineers run the locomotives and the conductors tell them where to pick up and drop off freight cars. I prefer the caboose to the Freds that are used now. The Freds not only have a flashing light, but they radio air pressure and other information to the engineer, but the conductor is usually a nice friendly guy, much more than the Freds, A Place to HangI feel sorry for the modern conductor and brakeman. They used to have a home away from home at the end of the train but now only have a seat in the lead locomotive or a seat in the empty slave locomotives. Get a load of the CabooseGet a load of the caboose on the broad on the wall of the caboose. LOL (Am I the only one to post this obviouse joke?) A glimpse of the cabooseFrom "I Like Trains" by Fred Eaglesmith Sixteen miles from Arkadelphia right near the Texas border traffic was stopped at a railway crossing I took it to the shoulder I stoked the kettle I put it to the metal I shook the gravel loose I missed the train but I was happy with a glimpse of the caboose (chorus) cause I like trains I like fast trains I like trains that call out through the rain I like trains I like sad trains I like trains that whisper your name I was born on a greyhound bus my Momma was a diesel engine They tried to put me behind the wheel but I wouldn't let them You should have seen the look in their eyes and how it turned to tears when I finally told them I wanna be an engineer Now you think I've got someone new but darlin' that ain't true I could never love another woman besides you It's not some dewy-eyed darlin' darlin' that's gonna drive you insane But anymore I'd be listenin' for the sound of a big ol' train (chorus) cause I like trains I like fast trains I like trains that call out through the rain I like trains I like sad trains I like trains that whisper your name Cabeese have always intrigued meThanks for the view of life inside a caboose, I have always been fascinated with them. After reading Lectrogeek's link about the demise of the caboose I learned quite a bit of info about trains that I just took for granted before reading the link. The link's explanation of the features of the FRED device does bring up one question though. Before the days of computers and the prevalence of two-way radios from the back of the train to the front, how did the engineer get all of the air pressure and movement information from the conductor? Stormy Kromer!I spy an actual Stormy Kromer hat hanging on a peg! Still made in Michigan, originally designed by Stormy's wife from a baseball cap and made to stay on a railroad engineer's head no matter how windy. Technology overtook them.Renaissanceman asked "Whatever happened to cabooses?" Technology, in the form of flashing end-of-train devices (acronym is FRED, I think) and computerised detection for when the rear end passes critical points (signals, switches, etc) replaced the need for a man at the back. Home sweet home!Except for the slack action when a long train started up, I'm sure. Note the stout rod holding the potbelly stove down to the floor. And here is an explanation for why we no longer have cabeese. MemoriesMy brother forwarded this shot to me and boy do I love it. Our father was a conductor on the C&NWRR and the photo brought back so many wonderful memories of my childhood. As a railroading family, my father would periodically take me to the yard with him to work. One of the highlights of the trip was reaching for the curved handrail on the side of the caboose and let the train's passing movement pull you up for the ride. Once on-board, I loved climbing up to the copula for a bird’s eye view (usually it would be a trip to Proviso Yard where I could be handed off to see my uncle, grandfather or a cousin). Thank you for any train picsMy Grandfather, whom I adored, worked on the Erie Lackawanna from the early 1910's to the late 1960's. Any old pics of the great train days are so appreciated. Thank you. I find it interestingwith the cheesecake motif that in the upper left hand of this photo (near the stove pipe) there's a picture of what appears to be a mother consoling a child. Penny for his thoughts.Pipe smoker is wearing a Stormy Kromer as well. I wonder what he's thinking? How long will the war last? How long till he sees his son again? How long till lunch? How long is it gonna take this photographer to get his shot? The end of the endTwo innovations contributed to the end of the caboose. Roller bearings on the freight cars meant the guy in the cupola didn't have to watch for "hot-boxes" from the earlier cotton-waste oil-saturated bearing packing. The advent of the walkie-talkie meant communication between the engineer and the guy on the ground taking care of the switching. Not Politically CorrectPersonalized cabooses like this started dying off probably by the 1950s when most large railroads and the unions agreed to use "pooled" cabooses where the caboose stayed with the train and only the crews changed. Today it is totally politically incorrect to post lewd photos or drawings like those in the photo. If doing such today does not get you fired, it will certainly cause you to have to attend Diversity and Sensitivity Training Sessions. Oh yeah, most jokes are strictly off limits, too. The railroad is a changed place these days. It's all in the detailsAnd what a wealth of details in this photo! Like the splatter on the side of the cabinet just above the waste basket. Probably from tobacco juice, or possibly empty beer cans? Neither of which would fly in today's railroad workplace, according to several of the comments. And the guy with the pipe would probably be out of a job as well. And what's up with the rolling pin hanging on the wall? Maybe to roll out a few pancakes for cooking on the stove when they got hungry? The print of the mother and child on the left looks like it has been hanging there since the caboose was built. And, echoing several of the other comments, I miss the caboose and the waving conductor. I still remember that as a kid, and this was back in the 1970s. Outstanding photo and keep up the great work. Politically Correct PinupIt's in the eye of the beholder. Working on the railroadI come from a railroad family. My grandfather had 50 years on the job, as did my father. I haven't seen the interior of many caboose cars but I did not see any decorated like this one. My dad used the downtime to study his safety rules for the next level of exam, necessary for promotion, not looking at nekkid women. Men were paid on time in grade status, but to promote you had to take a test and wait for an opening. Railroading was a serious job, the company took safety very seriously as did the men, particularily the brakemen because they would be out there on the track swinging the lantern to guide the engineer on his back-up as well as to switch the track. Never would alcohol be on the job, not ever. It would not be tolerated by the company, nor by the men whose lives were at stake. My dad smoked cigarettes, as did his father. Everyone smoked cigarettes and since it was not an issue like it is today, I cannot image that it wasn't allowed in the caboose. My dad quit railroading in the 1980s saying he was quitting because the new men coming in did not care--they were not interested in learning the job the right way, just "get it done quick, rest, play cards, and get my pay". It hurt him to see this low standard of work ethic, as it did other men. Sad commentary on progress, is it not. We loved seeing the trains pass--ran from our play when we heard the whistle blow just to wave, first at the engineer who would sound the horn for us, and then at the caboose where the men would wave back. it was especially nice if it was our dad in the caboose. Dining carI assume the "Dining Car in opposite direction" sign is a joke? If so, very clever. Afterlife of CabeeseA friend of ours, who has a stand of sugar maple trees and a hobby sugaring operation, got a retired Canadian National caboose (red, of course) with the idea of using it as a warming hut during the sap boiling. He paid some nominal price, and it was delivered to his site on a flatbed truck. He'd determined how high the caboose should be mounted -- you get the caboose only, not the wheels -- and he'd prepared a foundation for it that would place it at the actual height of a operational caboose. To get the thing off the truck an into place, he rented a crane and operator at something like $100/hour (this was three decades ago). Well, it took the crane operator four hours to get that caboose off the truck and onto the foundation! Yes, it all worked out OK, and yes, there's a red CN caboose sitting in a southern Ontario stand of maples. But that "freebie" caboose ended up costing a whole lot more. Air on the BrakesAccording to the air brake gage on the back wall there is air on the train so the caboose is hooked up (coupled) to the train. I wonder who's cut out head is pinned to the lower left door window? (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Wonderland Park: 1958
... with the stupid pictures already!" I'm enjoying these interior shots of 1950s homes. Thanks. He and She She: You call that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 10:04am -

"9038 Wonderland Park Avenue, Los Angeles, 1958. Case Study House No. 21." Architect: Pierre Koenig. Color transparency by Julius Shulman. View full size. These two look pretty sophisticated and worldly. Wonder what they're saying? Progressive"Really, Pierre, if I hear 'Blue Rondo a la Turk' again I will just SCREAM" Dearest Darling"Honey, could you bring me a beer, please?" (Says the woman.) That would work for a nice gender-reversal commentary. In actuality, it's probably close to "Goodness, I wish he'd hurry up with the stupid pictures already!" I'm enjoying these interior shots of 1950s homes. Thanks. He and SheShe: You call that thing a stereo? Pfft. He: There is no fi higher than my hi-fi. I defy you to find a fi higher than mine. She: Hah. I've seen tweeters twice the size of your so-called woofer. He: It's not the SIZE of the woofer, it's the excursion of the cone! She: I've heard this song before. It's a sad one. He: Can I get you a drink? She: Now you're talking. PoseursI don't mean that in a bad way, but there's a quality about this photo that feels stiff and as posed. By comparison, the photo of the Spencer residence in Santa Monica -- while it may be just as posed -- has a palpable, almost erotic (at least to me) tension about it. This is practically a sales brochure. Still ThereAnd still cooler than the other side of the pillow. View Larger Map While you're up"While you're up can you get me a Grant's?" This photo is a good match for those used in the ad campaign for Grant's Scotch way back when. Grant's is still on the shelves in liquor stores, along with Passport and Vat 69. Time Out"Chet or Dave, dear?" [I was always kind of partial to Huntley. - Dave] The Architect HimselfThat's Pierre at the stereo. http://leblog.exuberance.com/2005/06/meeting_mr_pier.html P.S. Dave, when do we get to see the ne plus ultra of the case study houses, Number 22? [You'll have to wait till 1960. - Dave] CorrugatedNaked I-beams, metal roofing and an exposed pipe. It looks more like a warehouse at the top of the room than a luxury home by modern standards. [The Case Study houses were intended as examples of affordable contemporary design, not luxury living. - Dave] Fab, Pre-From the outside it's not terribly impressive, is it. Kind of a Miesian mobile home. $3.1MIt may have been affordable when it was built in 1958, but according to the LA Times it sold for $3.1 million in 2006. TranquilGiven the era and the locale, and the rather languid look in her eyes, I'd say it's more like, "Honey, could you grab me a Miltown?" LA County AppraisalSquare Footage: 1,280 Year Built: 1958 Bedrooms & Bathrooms: 2 / 2 2008 Tax Roll Values Land: $271,000 Improvements: $406,000 Indicated Sale Price: $3,186,031 SchnoggeredShe looks quite drunk to me. The red nose and tired, glassy eyes all add up to too many Singapore Slings or Gimlets. Pierre's thinking it's about time to put another notch on his French curve. FrecklesAnd she's a real redhead. Now I'm interested. Unfortunately, she'd be about 75 today. The RedheadShe may be 75-78 but have you seen Jill St. John lately? But all is not lost for our pretty Wonderland Park subject. She may no longer qualify as a cougar; perhaps a swamp lynx? Wonderland LadyShe is rather attractive, despite those wicked long fingers. Other Worlds, Other Sounds"You beast. You know I'm helpless when I hear Esquivel!" ParkedI'm glad to see that the "experimental garage" finally became reality. Hi-FiWe had a hi-fi like that in the 1960s. The only problem with it was that Grandpa, who was rather dotty, would mistake it for the sink sometimes, when clearing the table, and scrape food scraps onto the knobs and dials and reel-to-reel tape unit. Return to SenderHave you ever thought of randomly mailing a copy of this photo to the current owners? It would be fun to see if you got a response from whoever lives at this address now. I know if someone randomly mailed me a historic photo of my house I'd be stoked. [Something tells me they know about it. - Dave] What he said"Be Sociable, Have a Pepsi!" Of course, if it's raining, they can't hear each other over the racket on the tin roof. Being thereI don't think I'd like to live there, but I'd give anything to be in the photo. More Brubeck, pleaseNone of that Maynard Ferguson. More Brubeck, please. Sold in 2006I found this reference to Case Study #21 going under the hammer in 2006. http://la.curbed.com/archives/2006/10/pierre_koenig_h.php Judging by the floorplan the stereo is along the east wall with the front door behind Koenig. The house sold for a little over $3 million. [$3,186,031, as pointed out below. - Dave] Not tonite dearNot tonight dear. I have a headache. I said I have a headache. Thank you dear. This does look a bit like a console stereo ad but its delicious nonetheless. Alternate conversation: While you're over there dear, will you center that GD bird! You keep setting it back. I want it forward. Thank you dear. The ConversationHim: "I thought you said you quit smoking...? Did you really think I wouldn't find your ashtray in here?" Her: (to self) "Crap! I knew I should have hidden it in the oven." Branjelina, 1958Inspiration for the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie photoshoot? [Amazing! Although as with a lot of attempts at "retro" styling, the actual midcentury photo (or movie) looks more modern than the re-creation. - Dave] (Art & Design, Julius Shulman, Los Angeles)
Road Flair: 1941
... emblem on it, so it may not be a Buick. Looking at the interior, cars were absolutely medieval back then. [The radio is an ... a kind of cruise control. Righthand knobs are wipers and interior lights. Lefthand knob is the choke. - Dave] And a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/08/2022 - 6:27pm -

November 1941. "Trinkets in migrant agricultural worker's automobile. Wilder, Idaho." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Such a narrow windshield... would drive me up a wall. CalculatingSeeing this collection up close, now I'm wondering how many girlfriends our dear boy had. Or hoped to have. [No telling what the back seat was like! - Dave] No telling indeed. I hope if it was tricked out with pillows, the girls were armed with hatpins. Trinkets, schminketsHas anyone identified the car yet? Those controls on the steering wheel have to be a clue. Car guessA Buick; about 1930 or so? When Better Automobiles Are BuiltBuick Will Build Them. It's a 1930 model. Identity crisisWhat ever that big box is (heater?) it has a Chevy emblem on it, so it may not be a Buick. Looking at the interior, cars were absolutely medieval back then. [The radio is an in-dash unit from a Chevrolet. The car is a Buick from 1930, six years before General Motors began selling cars with factory-installed radios. - Dave] Alternate titleShould be entitled "Distracted Driving" I'm jealous!... but I do have a pine tree air freshener hangin' from the rearview. Toilet flapperIs what I thought I saw hanging from the rearview mirror. Upon reflection, maybe an upside-down miniature cowboy hat. Knobs & LeversWhat are the two knobs to the right of the fuel gauge? The ones next to the radio. Also, on the steering wheel, I would guess the left lever is for spark advance, but what is the right lever for? [Righthand steering wheel lever is throttle position, which could be used as a kind of cruise control. Righthand knobs are wipers and interior lights. Lefthand knob is the choke. - Dave] And a carburetor heat control! I could have used one of those on my 1964 Sunbeam Alpine. Driving in cold, damp Vermont I regularly had to get out and spray ether into the carb as the ice started to block the throat. Shaggin' Wagon"Wilder, Idaho Edition" Display at your own riskI hope Buick and the other auto manufacturers considered the headliner strength needed to hold up with displays such as this. Oh my gosh mannmade! Access to your user profile is blocked now, but when you insulted me in an earlier post I remember your profile included a pic of D-Day from 'Animal House' in the homemade tank. You want to be a cool guy, but slinging insults and anger the way you do is not cool. The secret to belonging is to belong -- think about that. I honestly hope you find a way to not be so angry and insulting; if not for you, then for everyone who crosses your path. Union 76The decal on the windshield lower right: Re: lolThat’s pretty darn crude, mannmade. Yes, the comments are moderated on this site, specifically to keep away garbage like this. I imagine Dave has included this comment of yours just to show he’s not blocking you utterly, as well as to show the rest of us what he has to deal with. On THAT commentQ: What do mannmade and Kramer have in common? A: Both banned from the fruit store. Junk then, junk nowI believe that the match books are worth more now than most of the other stuff he has hanging. Left til now ...I thought the sharp-eyed viewers would have every trinket, accessory and add on identified by now. So far nobody has mentioned the ash tray mounted near to the radio. Near enough that blowing ash probably ends in the radio as much as anywhere else. I had one of those in a Model A and it sometimes shocked riders to find that the gas tank was directly ahead of it. Inches away. I don't want to see that stuff here.I thought I was seeing things and question why you would include that post from mannmade. It's offensive just being there. I think we would all be better off if that one disappeared. Claptrap and bric-a-bracAnd to think I got into a mild dispute with my parents in 1957 for hanging a pair of fuzzy dice on the rearview mirror! Car carb heatI’ve flown small airplanes for over 45 years and am well acquainted with carburetor heat. Never heard of it in cars before. Shorpy is a constant education! Potentially Lethal ProjectilesIn the era before seat belts and airbags, collapsible steering columns and steering wheels and laminated windscreens, driving around in cars had the potential, in a front end collision, to project the steering column into your face neck or chest and/or shards of razor sharp glass to pepper over the injuries that haven't killed you. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee)
Downhill Racer: 1968
... The most amazing thing about that old '64 Ford was the interior. It had a thin pad across the edge of the dash but otherwise the interior (except for the bench seat and vinyl floormat, obviously) was nearly ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 4:51pm -

Diamond Bar, California, July 1968. My niece Mary having a good time, apparently. Neighbor has a nice early-60s Ford pickup. I shot this on 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. You kids get offa my lawn!Looks like broken glass on the top of the cinderblock wall behind the pickup truck. That'll keep them damn kids offa the lawn! There's one in every neighborhood - a cranky old man. In my semi-rural East Texas childhood neighborhood Mr. T (name withheld to protect the innocent) and his yappy dachshund Socrates ruled the block with a yard rake and bark alarm. We kids devised a bicycle-tire innertube mortar to launch magnolia cones and sweetgum seedpods into his yard from our tree fort - forcing him out there to pick them up, grumbling all the while "I'm a-goin' ta GIT them kids!" Ahhh, suburbia. Over the wallAnd on the other side of that cinderblock wall, a car I wish I'd gotten a close-up of. '58 Chrysler is my guess. Already a classic only 10 years later. I'm also reliably informed that the stuff on the wall isn't glass, but white rocks about the size of golf balls, like the kind used on roofs at this time, and in fact you can see on the house the wall belongs to. Total Bliss!Those kiddos are having an absolute blast! What a difference from working in a coal mine or putting together fake flowers in a tenement house. Thanks Lewis Hine! And what an awesome truck. I'd love to tool around in it today. Downhill racerNope, not glass, but white quartz rocks left over from the roofing job on the yellow house. I think the neighbors that lived there had 2 or 3 boys, but the rocks on the wall were just decorative. Or maybe to keep their own kids from climbing on them and falling off. Notice the Dichondra lawn. All the latest in suburban Southern Calif living in 1968. --Mother of the skateboard girl. P.S. I sewed her dress. Did lots of clothesmaking in those days in suburbia. JoyI was going to say, the look on that sweet little girl's face is pure joy. Or pure terror. Either way, it looked fun and it put a smile on my face. Thanks again, I am enjoying your pictures. ~mrs.djs California RollGreat perspective here. The girl's taller than the house and twice as big as the truck. Diamond Bar!I grew up right next to here in be-yootiful Walnut... but not until the late 70's, I'm afraid. Still, it's nice to see the San Gabriel Valley on Shorpy for once! FordThe Ford pickup is a 1964, 65 or 66. They used different bed styling in '63 and everything changed (for the worse) in 1967. I had a 1964 Ford 3/4 ton camper special. I sold it around 1980 and I still regret that bonehead move. I should have kept it. They REALLY don't make 'em like that anymore. Ford interiors aren't what they once were.The most amazing thing about that old '64 Ford was the interior. It had a thin pad across the edge of the dash but otherwise the interior (except for the bench seat and vinyl floormat, obviously) was nearly all painted or chromed metal. The steering wheel had a glorious chrome horn ring. I challenge you to find even one small bit of exposed steel on a modern automobile or truck, let alone nearly the whole interior. MoparOr is that car a DeSoto -- nothing else had taillights like it (except the Belchfire 88!). Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America What I Noticed...The Blue Blue Sky! Not any more! Not in Diamond Bar anyway! Great stuff. Alternative Skateboard TechniquesThat's how my friend & I rode the old steel-wheeled skateboards (not that sissy urethane!) that belonged to my much older brother and sister. Or laying down on our stomachs, which is how I put a hole in my favorite shirt (purple paisley short-sleeve button-down) when it got stuck under one wheel. Unbridled JOYOne of the most wonderful images I have seen in a long, long time. You managed to capture perfectly the moment of pure joy from a simple pleasure - that most of us remember from our youth. Personally I love your mix of the old with the new. Thank you for all the work you do with this site. Joy from MA Skateboard wheelsThose are clay wheels, an improvement (?) over steel wheels. State-of-the-art in the 60s. Then urethane came along... Wow!My favorite picture on this site. It captures the care free days of my youth in the 60's perfectly. Thanks for posting that. Like my ChildhoodWow, this is beautiful! It's amazing to see my hometown in such a nostalgic light, since most people who live here only know it as it is now. It's also kind of fun to see kids then doing the same activities as kids do now, here. (I witnessed 3 kids going down my street today in the very same fashion, albeit on more modern boards) Butt boarding!I can hear her laughing! Tonka truck!The hairstyles! The blue of that truck! Looks like my Tonka toy camper blue-green! I was 13 and in Louisiana in '68, but can TOTALLY connect with this moment that the kids are experiencing-- thanks for the post! Young lady, put on your shoes!Looks like she was having a blast! I wonder what happened when she dropped her heels down to stop though. I took many a chunk out of my feet when I just caught them on the ground for a second. I'm from the East Coast though, so it wasn't skateboards but pedal cars and stripped grocery carts. Looks like just a hint of 1966-67 Dodge Charger poking out behind the pickup. StoppingAs I recall it, "braking" wasn't done with your heels; you simply let the board roll to a stop, or you rolled off the footpath onto the grass of the nearest front lawn. Great photo, with great colours. "Yahoo! You're all clear, kid!"I've been scouring this site for an archetypal example of an image that matches my fictional mental stereotype of Kodachrome, and this is right near the top - it's violently sunny and was shot in California and it has a huge truck and suburbia. The truck has white-walled tyres. The image even has a lady in a one-piece dress, although she's not blonde and isn't wearing plastic sunglasses. But the date is a little advanced; when I think of the colours of 1968 I think of colours that film could not capture, that could only be generated within a human mind soaked in drugs and the spirit of rock and roll. And the colour of armoured personnel carriers and helicopters in Vietnam, and of "Disraeli Gears." And a lot of third-hand mental images of things that happened in other continents ten years before I was born. It's also a good image on an unemotional level. The photographer was smart enough to put the camera down at child-level; he pressed the button at the right time, and the other kids in the background tell a little story. Right time, right place, right direction, right film, right weather conditions etc. And on an emotional level it's wonderful. Mopar PowerI wonder if that's a Chrysler 300 down the street. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, tterrapix)
Gearhead Heaven: 1926
... Era of Flats In this and the previous car shop interior shot, jacks were a very prevalent item. That says a lot about the ... UFO fixtures Something I have noticed in many of these interior shots from the 20's is the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 9:41pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "Standard Automotive Supply Co., 14th & S streets N.W." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Quite a Selection......Of gaskets. When cars were built by hand and tuned by ear. Excellent find, Dave. Candy StoreWow, I'm looking at everything like a kid in a candy store. I'm amazed at the selection. I agree with Lonestar, very good find Dave. In StockCan you imagine keeping track of inventory without a computer? It was all done with pen and paper. Era of FlatsIn this and the previous car shop interior shot, jacks were a very prevalent item. That says a lot about the quality and technology of tires and roads of then vs. now. The only flat I've had in the past 20 years was when I was "gettin' on it" down a snowy street and slid a bit too hard into the curb with the rear end of my truck. Even then, I just called somebody to tow it and remount the tire. Stuff my grandfather had......and some of which I now have. Can you imagine the wonderful *smell* of this shop? Oiled metal and gaskets and... mmmmmmm. Come here fairly regularly from Jay Lake's daily LinkSalad blog posts -- you find the best stuff, Dave. That GirlI wish I could blow up the section of the photo with the display picturing a woman; it's right behind the column with the Blackhawk socket wrench display. The girl looks like Norma Shearer to me...at least at this distance. The oil can along the back wall.See the oil can with the pivoting spout, along the back wall under the head gaskets at the right side of the photo? Those are still made. They haven't changed much, if at all. Lots of other stuff scattered through the shop that also looks familiar. The forged screw eye on the floor rack, left side middle? You can still buy those, too. No changes in almost 100 years. Gear pullers. Pitman arm pullers. Trouble lights. Some things never seem to change. Blackhawk WrenchesI little digging brought up a web page with the history of Blackhawk Manufacturing. The brand name is still in use by Stanley. One of the best photos in a long time. Thanks, Dave. CranksCan anyone explain the row of cranks behind the Rees Jack display? They each have a wheel with them and are different sizes. Could they be hand cranked grinding wheels possibly? Rotary GrinderMy granddad had one of those in his shop back in the 1950s. And even then, it was ancient. It had a flywheel and hand crank, or could be powered by an electric motor with a belt drive. Which may have been the case here, with the motor to the left of the grinders. This was back before electric motors were small or powerful enough to have the kind of direct-drive grinder you'd use today. CrankedThey are indeed hand-crank grinding wheels. I've got a small machine shop and can recognize these without any doubt. They have a big internal gear that drives a small gear which rotates the grinding wheel. The hand crank actuates the large gear. I wouldn't be surprised that if you cranked it at 60 rpm the grindstone would rotate about 600-1000 rpm, which is pretty good. There is also a support fitted to these, upon which the workman would rest whatever he is grinding. All of this clearly visible in your amazing image. Jeff Booth Ontario, Canada GasketryGood tool designs don't change much, but most of these look like they're finished to a level of quality that costs serious money these days. I'm fascinated by head gasket #37, it's for three cylinders of an expensive and exclusive T-head engine, that sort of thing wasn't especially common even then. All businessLooks like a very practical store with knowledgeable staff. I love the low-digit part numbers too. Also notice the lack of accessories and other "crap" that makes up 90% of a current Autozone store! Head Gasket No. 37There were a number of manufacturers who made six cylinder engines with the cylinders cast in two groups of three each. This could have been for such an engine. Pontiac did this up into the 1930's but I'm sure there were many others. UFO fixturesSomething I have noticed in many of these interior shots from the 20's is the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling share a common style. This parts store, the De Luxe Groceteria, and the Girls' Training table etc. I call them "UFO Fixtures" because there was a famous UFO hoax using this type of fixture double exposed on an outdoor shot. Been There, Done ThatThis reminds me of where I had my first real "paying" job. I am old enough (or the store was) that all this is so very familiar. Of course, I grew up in a "shop" or garage that used all this stuff. BTW, the #251 gasket fits an 8BA Ford flathead V8. Great pics. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Gas Stations, Natl Photo)
Official Business: 1942
... the front doors is longer; the thin wooden slats on the interior roof of the Chevy took the place of a headliner; and the shadow of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2023 - 8:02pm -

October 1942. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "Women in war. Supercharger plant workers. To replace men who have been called to armed service, many young girls like 19-year-old Jewel Halliday are taking jobs never before held by women. Her job is shuttling workers between two Midwest war plants for Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co." Photo by Ann Rosener for the Office of War Information. View full size. Don't mess with me, mister!A wonderful shot, dramatically lit, conveying the sense of the subject being all about business. [Photographer Ann Rosener would be a Missus. As opposed to her assistant crouched next to the steering wheel. - Dave] The estate of affairsLooks like a 1942 Buick 40B Estate Wagon - for all your war labour transport needs. I'm a big fan of wooden boats, so the idea of beautifully varnished wood on a mechanical conveyance is not foreign to me. The US Army bought a ton of the 2-door and 4-door sedans for use as staff cars, and it would appear a few of the woodie estate wagons too. Jewell HallidayJewell (correct spelling) Halliday married Rudolph A. Pollak in Milwaukee, on June 20, 1946. He was a World War II veteran. Jewell passed away in Milwaukee on November 20, 1974. Rudolph died in Florida, on November 24, 1999. I was unable to determine if they had any children. It wasn't just womenIn 1944, my Dad (16 years old) was driving the street sweeper in Coronado, Calif. He had an hour between 5-6am, to sweep the downtown business district. The next hour was spent on a rotating basis thru the different residential areas. By 7am he was headed home to get ready for school. Restating "The estate of affairs"While looking very Buick-like, this is actually a 1942 Chevrolet Special DeLuxe Station Wagon. The wood panels and trim are different; the Buick's fender sweep into the front doors is longer; the thin wooden slats on the interior roof of the Chevy took the place of a headliner; and the shadow of the Chevy's rear door hinge can also be seen below the door handle. The Buick's hinge was above the window line. Chevy built 1,057 while there were only 327 of the 1942 Buick Model 49 Estate Wagons (including one for export). At $1,095 it was Chevy's most expensive model, and it was also their heaviest model at 3,425 pounds. Only three of these Buicks are thought to still exist, and half of the 1942 production is believed to have gone to the federal government for the war effort. Cost of the Buick was $1,450, and it weighed 3,925 pounds (500 more pounds than the Chevy!). Comparison photos from early 1942 catalogs are below. Note that because Chevy used two different body builders for the station wagon bodies the trim shown in the Shorpy photo is slightly different from the catalog drawing (which was also produced months in advance of actual production beginning). (The Gallery, Ann Rosener, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Milwaukee, WW2)
Ghost Convention: 1909
... extremely long exposure was the only way to shoot a large interior space with the equipment at the time. Cackled? Ha! It's ... Bell Telephone Co., which tore out much of the original interior of marble columns and decorative plaster, and covered marble flooring ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 6:14pm -

June 1909. Toledo, Ohio. "The lobby, Hotel Secor." I cackled with glee upon realizing that this empty-looking time exposure was in fact crowded with spectral hotel guests. Are they still there? 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Why haunt with these stuffed shades?I could be joy riding out to Calvary Cemetery in that streetcar on the previous photo, or heading down to the waterfront to look for that nifty little Toledo and Ohio Central switch engine we saw a few weeks back. And since this is 1909, the tort lawyers haven't caused everyone to be so uptight; maybe I could get a cab ride with the train crew! I Wonder if the photographer was using this as technique to empty out the lobby or if the extremely long exposure was the only way to shoot a large interior space with the equipment at the time. Cackled?Ha! It's interesting that the photographer didn't have to clear the space to get a fairly people-free view of this wonderful lobby. What worries me most, though, is how the space has been "modernized" since the building is no longer a hotel. I hate to imagine that beautiful skylight is no longer visible. "Anybody see a ghost?"Dave, why would they need such a long exposure, I thought the plates were a lot faster by 1908. Also, was the original very washed out? [The commenter below speculates that a long time exposure may have been used to "empty out the lobby." This does seem to be the case, if the finished product -- a chrome postcard -- is any indication (click to enlarge). As for the original being washed out, the "original" is a negative -- for what we're looking at, there is no print. The positive reference image is obtained by "inverting" the negative; its appearance depends a lot on the equipment and settings used to image the plate. The goal is to extract maximum information in both shadows and highlights. Below we see the negative and the inverted positive that I used as the starting point for the Shorpy image. - Dave] Hotel CaliforniaYou can never leave. Heck you will never WANT to leave with all the comfy chairs and complimentary newspapers. How Long ?Any guess on just how long a time exposure would have to be to render a bunch of mostly very sedentary (some almost apparently snoozing) gents as "ghosts"? Most other examples seem to have been when folks were more animated and strolling about. Too bad there isn't a large-handed clock in the view to give a clue. Hey!Who moved my spittoon? Spitting ImagesI believe that the cuspidors in the photograph buttress my theory of this being the first appearance in literature of Ghosts that could spit. Spittoon CityThere are at least 10 spittoons visible in this lobby, which says something about the clientele and the times. It would be interesting to see if the Plaza Hotel in New York City provided spittoons in 1909. If it did, it would probably refer to them as cuspidors! The man who wasn't thereI need to run (I have places to go and people to see) and don't have time to do my research, but in elementary school we had a strange teacher who used to recite the poem similar to the following (paraphrased): "Yesterday upon the stair, I met a man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today, oh how I wish he'd go away." (It definitely scared me as a third grader). They're real ghostsThey have to be -- nobody's walking, they're just sitting there. Spooky. [A time exposure this long (probably measured in minutes, from the look of things) might not show anything that's not fairly motionless for at least several seconds -- it would register standers (of which there is one, toward the rear) and sitters more than walkers. (Theoretically at least, the sitters could all be the same person.) As we know from the many examples of "ghost pedestrians" on these pages, the telltales of walkers in a time exposure are wavy trails for head and torso, and "centipede legs" for footfalls; there's no evidence of that here, so we might conclude that this was a fairly sedentary bunch. On the other hand, you can make the case that, if the sitters had been seated for the duration of the exposure (i.e., not walking to or from their chairs), they would have registered more substantially. My hunch is that this was such a long exposure (ten minutes or half an hour, say) that any walking around would not leave any traces, and that the ghostliest sitters were seated for less than half the duration of the exposure. - Dave] Is this seat taken?Be advised: the potential for inadvertent lap-sitting is unusually high at the Hotel Secor. Recline with caution. Ptui.I really feel sorry for the hotel personnel who had to clean those spittoons! What about now?Would love to know if all the architectural elements are still in place in the lobby today. Hotel TelcoFrom the Toledo Blade: After the old Hotel Secor closed in 1969, the building housed Ohio Bell Telephone Co., which tore out much of the original interior of marble columns and decorative plaster, and covered marble flooring with office carpeting by affixing harsh, damaging glue, Mr. Zaleski said. With the Secor's best features long gone, Mr. Zaleski went about remodeling the ground floor and a few upper levels by stripping the building to its core, exposing concrete-encased walls and structural beams for a raw industrial look. The work was inexpensive to do, and the decor worked fine for his tenant mix of artists, media creators, and Internet start-ups. It also shortened the time he had to wait for the building to generate positive cash flow, he said. (The Gallery, DPC, Toledo)
Blue Bell Hamburgers 12¢
... small tile mosaic which wraps from the exterior to the interior, as well as the same large picture windows. It would be interesting ... 1979. Whether or not it was a waffle shop at the time the interior shot was taken is put into question, by the menus reading "Blue Bell", ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 11:33pm -

The Blue Bell diner at 619 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington. June 1948. View full size | Even larger | Read the menu. The Blue Bell had an upscale cousin on 10th Street, the Waffle Shop. Photograph by Theodor Horydczak. It looks like an exact copyIt looks like an exact copy of The Waffle Shop previously featured. Listen!That sound you hear is James Lileks desperately building a time machine. [That's pretty good. I can't believe his newspaper canceled his column. The fools. - Dave] Menu TypeI've always loved the old hand lettered signs. Kind of a lost art now. Semi-interestingGoogle Maps (link to map) places the Blue Bell Diner about a block away from the old photo studio of Civil War photographer Mathew Brady. I used to work in the Brady building as a maintenance guy. There were no tenants there at the time (mid 1990s). Although the building was in perfect shape...it was pretty creepy. Of course the two establishments were separated by almost 100 years, too. can I order breakfast?no "people" makes for a sad picture $0.90 buys ...Waffles, bacon, two eggs, toast and coffee, with a pure cream-cup. And another detail ... "No Extra Charge For Toasting" What a great picture I see aWhat a great picture I see a cash register rather than a computer. I guess shortly after this date in the future Mcdonalds started their 15cent hamburger stand a mere three cents more than Blue Bell PeopleIf you look to the far right you can see the reflections of people standing outside the restaurant, looking in the window. Any chance...that this image is available as a print? I've got a friend who would love it! [It's on my to-do list! - Dave] BeautifulWhat a great place. I love the horseshoe bar seating... If this place would be in my neighborhood today, I'd never cook a meal again! But it is very strange to see it so empty - it looks like there's actually customers waiting outside, hoping that the photographer hurries up so that they can have breakfast. Maybe good?Fruit salad sundae... Ken made me hungry forKen made me hungry for breakfast! YUM. breakfastit ALWAYS tastes better in a place like this What'll you have, hon?Looks like paper straws with the spiral design in the glass on the counter. Remember those? Not a piece of plastic in the place. Hey-- where are the ashtrays? "Ladies" and "Gentlemen"Remember when there were "Ladies" and "Gentlemen", and restrooms for the same? Restrooms don't say that anymore, and I guess there aren't Ladies and Gentlemen anymore either. Remember this line?I will gladly pay you Tuesday, for a Hamburger Today. the menuthe closeup shot of the menu shows they had coke AND pepsi. you rarely see that nowadays. Coke and PepsiMy recollection from the 1950s is that coke came in a 6.5 oz bottle while Pepsi came in a 10 oz bottle, so there was more than brand preference going on here. I can recall eating at establishments that had multiple bottles on offering and I would, at the age of 6, always opt for the larger Pepsi. However, this lunch counter clearly has fountain cokes. I would bet that the Pepsi comes in a bottle, so in addition to size you get two varieties of drink. Separate bays?What I find interesting - and vaguely strange - is that there appears to be a gate or wall of some sort between each section, and fairly substantial ones at that. You can see them just to the left of the cash register. I've got to say, it doesn't seem overly practical too me. If someone near the Gentleman's room orders a milk shake it has to be passed through four different sections. Any idea of why it was done this way? [You're misinterpreting the image. See comment above. - Dave] Re: Separate bays?What you are seeing as a "gate" is a partition that does not extend all the way across the space. The hinged door is square -- the right half is hidden by the partition, which is quite a bit taller but appears to be the same height because it doesn't go all the way across. HorseshoeThis photo is fascinating to me. The horseshoe lunch counter is, as previously stated, nearly identical to the Waffle Shop in DC, but it is also a carbon copy of what is now Ollie's Trolley on 12th street; same horseshoe layout, which is very rarely seen, same stools, same backbar. The Ollie's trolley and the Waffle shop both feature the same small tile mosaic which wraps from the exterior to the interior, as well as the same large picture windows. It would be interesting to see if the exterior of this one had the same tilework facade. I wonder if all three were done by the same contractor, and if so, who, and were there any else in the area? Waffle ShopI did a little more looking into this. It appears that the reason this looks so much like the floorplan used in the waffle shops is because it was, in fact one of the chain, as seen in this picture: http://flickr.com/photos/rllayman/331108956/ , which was taken in 1979. Whether or not it was a waffle shop at the time the interior shot was taken is put into question, by the menus reading "Blue Bell", but the fact that the layout is uncommon, and nearly identical to that used in waffle shops, and that it definitely was a waffle shop later on, makes me think it was. The menu does read, "Famous for Waffles and Good Coffee." What do you think? I ate there!As a youngster in the late '50s, I used to work at my dad's magic shop at 12th and Penn on Saturdays. He would give me 50 cents and I'd walk down to the Blue Bell hamburger shop for lunch. I remember the menu,the prices, the burgers and the shoestring potatoes made fresh. Thanks for the picture, it takes me right back. I wish I could remember what happened last week as well. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Theodor Horydczak)
The Joyners: 1956
... below. Anyone notice the vaguely nostalgic room and interior pastiches done in 50's cartoon style on the cloth for the window ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/24/2008 - 4:27am -

July 1956. Greenville, North Carolina. "Segregationist tobacco sharecropper Marshall Joyner and family bowing heads in prayer before dinner." Color transparency by Margaret Bourke-White, Life photo archive. View full size. YummyMmm, turnip greens. Potato salad. And I bet anything that's some good sweet tea by god. I'd love to share dinner with these folks but I'm black so...I guess not. Kids' thought balloonEscape. Escape. ESCAAAPE. Product PlacementA-1 steak sauce and French's Worcestershire sauce still readily recognizable. THAT'S where I got it from!!I guess this is where my North Carolina-bred dad got the idea that EVERYTHING needed to have A-1 Sauce slathered over it. I had to leave home to get away from THAT notion. Did you folks konw that steaks actually had a flavor of their own?? Weird, huh? Sorry, family flashbacks today. Life in the SouthIf one examines the Life editorials, articles and irate letters from the magazine's Southern readers during that era it's easy to conclude that its reporters and photographers were very often strongly resented whenever they appeared in that region. More than once they were accused of posing as doing a "sympathetic" story only to have it appear in print as quite otherwise. Margaret Bourke-WhiteI've been lost in Bourke-White's photographs since the Life archive went up four days ago. Her images on Google present a staggering, sprawling document of the Depression, WWII, and the birth of the Post-War era, not just in the US but around the globe. I do believe you have found the only assignment on which she used color. [She took some color photos in South Africa. It's hard to say without a bit of digging. The number of results returned for any query seems to be limited to 200. In any case we'll be seeing more of her work from this assignment. - Dave] The labelI wonder what the context was that the "segregationist" label was significant. It's as if some rare species has been captured on film. [Margaret Bourke-White took hundreds of photos contrasting the lives of what seem to be two white families and their black counterparts for this 1956 assignment on segregation in the South. Probably just about any white family she picked would have fit the bill. I don't imagine there were many pro-integration white North Carolina tobacco farmers in 1956. - Dave] Curtains With NostalgiaI summered many many times in the early 1960's in Craven County and know this scene well. I *was* that kid with the thought balloon mentioned below. Anyone notice the vaguely nostalgic room and interior pastiches done in 50's cartoon style on the cloth for the window curtains? Odd retro yet non-retro approach to nostalgia. Mom's control of the scene is very evident. She even matches the canister set. Almost All the Colors of the RainbowGoodness, the colors just ...shriek at you. The sky and fields outside the window even are so bright. It's like a Technicolor life. (As long as the colors aren't too brown.) The good sideWell this is not the norm today. Most families never eat together at the same time. There was a study done that showed that families that ate together were much stronger, and the kids are less likely to do drugs and get into trouble. My family (wife and four children) still eat together and (gasp) pray before our meals. On the TableDo my eyes deceive me, or is that pickled okra and hush puppies? And bacon? But who ever heard of eating greens without buttermilk? 1956The armed services were desegregated in 1952 and then the major struggle for integration really begun. In 1956, the writing was on the wall. What exactly were they praying for? [The usual things, I'd imagine. - Dave] The Way We WereThis amazing photo pretty much captures the essence of an American family in the 50's, regardless of their geographic locale or politics. Most middle class families were very much united in this way, eating meals together, praying together, sharing jobs -- as obviously Dad worked hard, Mom took care of all the domestic chores, the kids were good students, clean-cut and had chores, and God was acknowledged, regardless of which God they worshiped. Aside from the derogatory word "segregationist" every creed, race or religion definitely had prejudices, it was a factor just evolving into integration. If we throw out the label, this depicted an idyllic family scene. If only families could have preserved this "all for one, one for all" togetherness, most youngsters would be so much happier today. I am amazed at how so many of our current generation's kids really feel as though nobody cares about them and feel they don't fit in anywhere. We are all products of the values instilled in us while we were kids. These kids had security. They also had good healthy food, lots of vegetables and accountability. [There's nothing necessarily derogatory about the word "segregationist." It describes people who favor segregation of the races. - Dave] 1956 ReduxActually Truman ordered the desgregation of the armed forces in 1948, with the last "colored" unit being ended in 1951 or 1952. Brown v. Board of Education was 1954, but Little Rock didn't happen until 1957. The Montgomery Bus Boycott began in December 1955 and didn't end officially until December 1956. The writing may have been on the wall, but the struggle was only just beginning, and people like Marshall Joyner probably still thought they could win. Re: 1956They're obviously praying for the missing buttermilk. Also, I'm pretty sure that people who worship a god still acknowledge that god even as we speak. My grandadparents' house.I'm only 31 years old. But this was the way I grew up in rural Tennessee. Both grandparents had smallish houses in a semi-rural area. The kitchens was where you ate, the walls and trim were coated with extremely shiny, oil-based paint, and all the appliances were of the chrome and white porcelain enamel variety, complete with 1950's emblems. One was a scary looking roaster device. The cabinets were all honey colored plywood. To this day, I haven't had Southern food done right compared to Grandmother's. I live in California now and there's a few places that claim to have "true Southern cooking." Not so. Typical meals at Grandmother's included various overcooked vegetables soaked in butter. Carrots, green beans cooked with bacon bits and onions, extremely tender roast beef cooked with potatoes and broth, as well as large quantities of canned things like homemade pickles, beets, and jelly. For dessert it was banana ("nanner") pudding. The yard was similar: little concrete critters like a donkey pulling a cart as well as several whitewashed tractor tires for planters. Pretty cool idea as they were indestructible and could be hit by the 60's era Sears riding mower that I still actually have. I agree, sitting down at the table is something you don't see a lot anymore. I'm not sure if children were necessarily happier though. My grandparents were strict people. Stern might be a better word. No work on Sundays since it was the Sabbath. That, and if I cussed (which was hard to avoid since Granddad cussed profusely), I got a nice "whuppin." Segregate the Condiments!They've got the salt and pepper cozied right up to the sugar bowl and the A-1 and Worcestershire sauce. Greenville is the seat of Pitt County, which voted 54% to 46% to integrate the White House a couple of weeks ago. Wonder how the Joyner kids (now in their 60's) voted? I spy something red.Can anybody guess what Ma's favorite color might be? Red countertops, red dress, red seat backs, red canisters, red salt and pepper shakers, red over the paper towel holder, red accents on the curtains, red stripes on Junior (which I bet Ma picked out the fabric that she then sewed up into that shirt) and I think something's red in the sink. SegregationistThe term is indeed derogatory. It connotes a decidedly low view of fellow mankind while self-aggrandizing his own superiority. I doubt I'd want to break bread with any segregationist. I prefer not to tolerate the intolerant. Takes too much energy best devoted to other endeavors. [You're confusing "derogatory" with "condemnable" or "something we disapprove of." Derogatory would be something like "redneck cracker." - Dave] Margaret's Little Joke?What a great name for segregationists - the Joyners! Surely Margaret and her team had a jolly sense of humour... Segregation is the context.Segregation is the theme of the article for which this picture was originally taken - its context. If the article had been about Catholicism or Socialism, the title would have been "Catholic family" or "Socialist family." And they thought Blacks were inhumanThere is no amount of white-washing you can do to present people like this as anything other than ignorant, insufferable humans. Just because they are praying does not absolve them from the misery and suffering they propagated. I love the South dearly, but there are still a lot of people down there just like this. [If you were a white person in South Carolina in 1956, you'd probably think just like these people did. This is generally the kind of comment I zap right away. Moral judgment, retroactive righteous indignation -- so tedious. And if you really were around back then fighting the good fight down South, I congratulate you on your superior moral virtue. But you've already done that. - Dave] I Didn't Think This WayYou are wrong, Dave. Not everybody thought the way this man did, in that place, at that time. [I didn't say everyone thought that way. I said the odds are that if you were white, you'd be a segregationist. - Dave] Re: The Way We WereI guess I'm too simplistic, but when I looked at that picture, I did not see anything negative, though I'm sure that just as any other time in our history there is much to be mentioned about the period that can be seen as negative. What I saw was much of what was mentioned in The Way We Were post. I saw a family sitting together for dinner, praying (even in their own imperfection -- just like us! hey!) and this all brought back many wonderful memories of times such as these. Were we perfect? Was the world perfect? Heck no! But, compared to the way things are today, it makes me long for a time such as this again. Family. Where did it go? I love seeing your pictures! Takes me back to some better days, as far as I'm concerned. A Different TimeThe segregationist context aside - and it was indefensible - this photo shows what I miss about this time, when I was 4. These people are not wealthy, not even really middle-class, yet their house has been upgraded as much as possible, given its cheap construction (evidenced by the matchboard walls). A carpenter has built kitchen cabinets that emulate the expensive ones seen in magazines of the time, and a Formica countertop and a drop-in sink add sanitary features the house wouldn't have had when new. The table setting is modest, with oilcloth for a tablecloth, but the dishes are 1956-fashionable, with all the silverware matching and laid according to Emily Post. Mrs. Joyner has raided the nearest Woolworth's to add fashion to her kitchen with her red Lustro-Ware canisters and some curtains she probably made herself, considering how well they fit the window. The women have permanents that were very possibly done at home; everyone is clean and pressed. We are well rid of segregation, but I wish we could get the simple dignity of homes like this back. Why was " segregationist" neededWhy was "segregationist" needed in the picture? These types of words are usually added to cause and stir debate and alot of anger. We really know nothing about this family, at least I do not. What facts do we know about them that would make them any different then any other white middle class family living during that time in that part of the nation? I feel the word is used to demonize these people, when in truth, have they committed a proven crime? Can they defend themselves against your accusations? It also allows atheists another reason to mock God. These sort of debates usually turn into God bashing and hatred towards those who choose to pray and beleive in the Lord Jesus Christ. Plenty of people of all races could be called segregationists, then and today. [The caption dates from 1956. The word was used because the photo was taken to illustrate a magazine article on segregation. Hello? - Dave] Eat up before the bombs fallIt is easy to view the family scene here as representative of good times long gone -- the family gathered around the dinner table saying grace at a table heaped with home-cooked food, rather than a present-day scene of Mom and Dad sitting down to microwave dinners while the kids head out the door to do whatever they do when they're out of sight of mom and dad. Let us bear in mind that behind the Ozzie and Harriet scenes like these, the 1950s (as I saw them as a kid about the age of the boy in the photo) were an era of stress and uncertainty - changing racial attitudes and aspirations that would have been unsettling for this Southern family of the mid-fifties, and the omnipresent fear that the evident prosperity of the time would vanish in multiple atomic fireballs resulting from nuclear war with the Soviet Union. I know that thought was eating at my consciousness each time I sat down to a hot, home-cooked meal. The past is not a paradise folks - it's just another imperfect world with different imperfections. Justin TimeThat's Justin Timberlake's dad at the end of the table, on the verge of tears, praying for a talented son, to take him away from all of this. MemoriesI'm sure at that time, there was segregation on everyones mind everywhere in the US. Yes we did live a simple life then, before media became dominate in our lives. I was stationed at Gunter AFB, Montgomery, Ala for 3 mos in the summer of 1955 and back to Maxwell AFB, Montgomery in 1958. Blacks and whites did not mingle then, segregation was in full swing. I had a friend of a different color then myself and we wouldn't dare drive off base together. I like things the way they are today, we could have shared downtown Montgomery or even the Mardi Gras together. My wife and I were married on base, he came to the wedding but could not visit us off base. (Kitchens etc., LIFE, Margaret Bourke-White)
Skyscraper: 1909
... clock), was just built in 1912. It recently underwent an interior overhaul. Awnings were a necessity This was long before air ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 10:52pm -

New York circa 1909. "Panorama of Madison Square." This glass plate, part of a nine-exposure panorama, affords yet another view of that enduring architectural icon, the Flatiron Building. 8x10 dry-plate glass negative. View full size. SprintLast time I was there in 2005, Sprint occupied the first floor of the Flatiron Building. Kind of sacrilege, really. 6 E. 23rdThe FDNY suffered its largest loss prior to 9/11 on the site of the Bartholdi Hotel. On October 17, 1966 a fire spread from an adjoining property on 22nd street to the basement of 6 East 23rd street. Twelve firefighters were lost that night when the floor of the Wonder Drug Store collapsed. http://nyfd.com/history/23rd_street/23rd_street.html Manure guyIn the foreground, white uniform, big shovel. Awful AwningsBeautiful building, but the aesthetic is somewhat spoiled by the awning obsession of the era. S.S. FlatironWith that puffy plume at the top, it looks like it's steaming up Broadway. Deja Vu All Over AgainWe return to Madison Square Park (bottom left) and the back of the statue of William H. Seward, he of the folly. Also we see the Hotel Bartholdi, named after the Statue of Liberty sculptor. The corner storefront of the Flatiron Building appears to contain our old friend the United Cigar Store. On the next block, East 22nd Street, the corner is occupied by the VanGaasbeek Oriental whatever. That corner now houses a usually deserted Restoration Hardware, which appears to be in the original building that we see in the photo. 1 of 9Please don't leave us hanging; we want to see all 9 negatives! As always, thanks for this. And I wouldn't describe it as an awning obsession, more like a necessity on those hot New York August afternoons. Ahhh summer!I am sure that the awning helped to keep the stores and offices cool in the summer. All the open windows (at least even one with a curtain blowing in the breeze) in skyscrapers! How odd to today's eyes of closed up buildings. That sign selling cordial sure gave me a start. Look at the TimeThe first thing that stuck out to me was the standing clock, which is very recognizable. It still stands there today. Also interesting is that that 200 Fifth Avenue, or International Toy Building (to the right of the Flatiron, next to the clock), was just built in 1912. It recently underwent an interior overhaul. Awnings were a necessityThis was long before air conditioning was prevalent so awnings were a common method used to cool down a building while still maintaining the view out the window. 23 SkidooLegend has it that the unique winds created at this intersection (Fifth and Broadway at 23rd Street) would lift many a lady's skirt, much to the delight of the male audience that would congregate here (at least when women still wore dresses). Awnings againThe main advantage of awnings (as opposed to, say, shades or venetian blinds) was that they let you keep the window open in the rain. Open windows were necessary probably as much for ventilation as keeping cool. [Although they do seem more prevalent on the sunny side of the building. - Dave] American ParthenonAlfred Stieglitz also saw the Flatiron as a kind of steamship: "With the trees of Madison Square covered with fresh snow, the Flat Iron impressed me as never before. It appeared to be moving toward me like the bow of a monster ocean steamer, a picture of new America still in the making. The Flat Iron is to the United States what the Parthenon was to Greece." 98 Years AgoIn the great span of history, 98 years isn't really all that long, and the march of history in centuries past wasn't all that brisk. But here we have a 1912 street scene from midtown Manhattan, less than a century ago (almost), within living memory of at least a few souls still among us, and the horses still outnumber the motor vehicles. I'm guessing that in another five years, by 1917 or so, the cars would outnumber the horses, and that in 10 more years -- 1927 or so -- the number of horses would be very small indeed. This is really a glimpse at the very last days of the pre-automobile world. We haven't lived with these infernal, gas-guzzling contraptions for very long. M&L Hess Real EstateSign was still somewhat visible as of 2003. http://www.14to42.net/20street1-2.html From 1 to 9, slowly.If I look at the panorama too quickly, I may get dizzy. Hotel BartholdiI am fascinated to find that this is the location of the Hotel Bartholdi. A few weeks ago I posted an image in the members gallery, of an electric charabanc parked, I assume, in front of the hotel. The streets are full of peopleThat's something you don't see these days. People are afraid of speeding cars. I assume that horse-drawn carriages weren't quite as dangerous. EntrancesComparing this picture with StreetView, the building entrances in the middle of each side seem to have been remodelled. Instead of the pillars supporting the canopy being proud of the main building, they are now just a relief on the surface. White WingThe Department of Sanitation's "White Wing" sweepers did their level best keeping those NYC streets clean. I don't know if white was the best color for their uniforms though! Google Clock ViewView Larger Map The streets are full of streetcars, too!Including the blurry end of one on the extreme left, and off into the distance, I count no less than 20 streetcars. Is it 1912 rush hour? OmnibusOk, I'm the first to spot the motorized bus! It looks more like someone chopped the back off a 1920s bus and shoved an open cab on the front with an engine. Neat! Also, notice the peculiar way of routing with a lampstand in the middle of the open street and ropes and posts in a line from it. The clockWho maintained it? I know there were lamplighters during the times when gas lamps lit city streets, but the clock must have been mechanical. Did someone wind it, or were they electric even back then? Pach Brothers StudioIf you look close at the building behind the Flatiron you can see a billboard (on the roof) for Pach Brothers Studio. I took portrait classes from the last owner of Pach Brothers, Oscar White. When he closed the studio it was the oldest operating studio in North America. He had an amazing archive of famous clients' images. President Ulysses S. Grant was involved in getting the studio started. Re: S.S. Flatiron and American ParthenonSomething as glorious as this had to appear sooner or later. (The Gallery, DPC, Flatiron Building, NYC, Streetcars)
Pension Office: 1918
Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Pension Office interior." This former repository of Civil War veterans' pension records is now ... multiple sprays. This is one of the most impressive interior spaces in Washington and is well worth a visit to see. The view of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:26pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Pension Office interior." This former repository of Civil War veterans' pension records is now the National Building Museum. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. At one time in the early 1960s,this grand old space was used as overflow office space for employees of the Civil Service Commission (now the Office of Personnel Management). The building had not been maintained very well, and apparently had many unsealed openings to the outside. A friend who worked there put up with temperature extremes and vermin. The only pleasant distraction was watching the antics of the birds which flew freely around the great atrium space. Remarkable DesignI think the design of the building is remarkable. The offices where the hundreds of clerks toiled are around the periphery. It was built LONG before air conditioning. The taller central area must provide a sort of flue where the hot air rises bring in fresh air to the offices. Montgomery Meigs did a pretty good design. Still there and lovelier than everAs the National Building Museum, this great central space is the first thing you see as you walk in the door. The columns are there, exactly as shown (they are hollow, painted to look like marble), the central fountains and loft ceiling make this one of the pleasantest public spaces in the nation's capital. Can you imagineCan you imagine the government building anything even remotely like this spectacular structure today for the purpose of storing pension records? The contemporary version of this would be a windowless, poured concrete atrocity full of cubicles, computer terminals, and fluorescent light bulbs, i.e., hell on earth. Exit question for iamfelixExit question for iamfelix ("Lovely"). This would have consumed the entire tax receipts of how many US citizens in 1918? [This building was 30 years old when the photo was taken. It cost $886,000. Construction commenced in 1882 and lasted five years. It was commissioned by Congress in 1881 as headquarters for the Pension Bureau, a huge department responsible for handling benefits for the country's thousands of Civil War veterans as they began to enter retirement age. Congress stipulated that the building be both inexpensive and fireproof. Considering that it's lasted for well over 100 years, I'd say the taxpayers got their money's worth. - Dave] Then and NowHasn't changed very much! Land of the giantsVery imposing building, I'll bet you that would feel very small when you entered. WowThe corinthian columns are both massive and gorgeous. I wonder how they compare size wise to the ones holding the roof up on the Hagia Sophia. FacesThank you for this photo. My father has loved this building all his life and often mentioned the faux-marble columns, saying that people claimed they could see the faces of the dead soldiers looking at them from the marbled paint, then shifting back to marble again. It was hard, as a child, for me to picture this; by the 1970s, these columns were painted beige. I can see what he meant now. Superb!By anyone's definition, a truly Grand Space! Extraordinary! Depressing WasteI don't know which is more depressing -- the sheer vulgarity of this massive government temple or the tragic war records it housed. Temple of the BureaucratA temple of the bureaucrat, with marble pillars and tile floors along with at least three barriers to get to the business end of the building. And no one fixed the fountain as it overflows on the tile. Restored!The National Building Museum has restored the space. It looks much like it did when the photo was taken. The Files are now gone and the tile floor is now carpeted except for a cut-out exposing the shield between the columns. The fountain spray is configured differently now, too. It is now a tall column of water rather than a multiple sprays. This is one of the most impressive interior spaces in Washington and is well worth a visit to see. The view of the exterior of the building as you come up from Judiciary Square Metro Station is incredible, too. It is probably the most dramatic view from any Metro escalator. Atrium VentilationDepressing waste? No. As has been pointed out, it was built long before air conditioning, and the central court was designed to ventilate air to the roof, as well as the high ceilings on each floor. It housed 1500 workers when the pension department was expanded in a short time. And the court was also intended for ceremonial occasions as well -- several presidential inaugural balls were held here. Interestingly also, the designers made sure to include a freed slaves in the frieze running along the outside. From a different eraImagine the outcry that would ensue today, if the Federal or State government erected a bureaucratic building with such costly grandeur? A backlash would result, and legions of people would assail it as frivolous, costly, and inefficient government expenditure. In the 1920s they could have gotten away with something like this. But that was certainly a different era, a different time. [This building was constructed in the 1880s. Completed in 1887. - Dave] Hi-Tech VentilationOne of my favorite buildings in D.C. ... The Anonymous Tipster is correct in noting the good ventilation achieved in the building. Montgomery Meigs paid special attention to issues of ventilation in his design: in addition to the clerestory windows at the top, the masonry was constructed with special passages for air flow. When in use, a special team was employed to run around the building, opening and closing windows during the day to adjust the air flow. Meigs estimated that the air in the Great Hall could be exchanged every two minutes. LovelyI don't find it depressing or a waste. I think it's beautiful. Why should public spaces be ugly and soulless, whatever their function? There's more than enough ugly. They're Brick ColumnsThose beautiful columns, in this, one of the best buildings I've ever seen, are laid-up bricks. Then plastered and painted to look like what the budget could not afford: marble. And the building was used for an inauguration ball not very long ago. Eeeww!Are those spittoons on the floor by the colonnades? Every time I look, there's another one! A bargainI'm very much offended by government waste, but this building is not anything like that. If it cost $886,000 to build back then, that's only about $18-$19 million in today's dollars. To put that in perspective, the recently opened new Birmingham, Alabama, office for the Social Security Administration cost $135 million, and in my opinion it's not remotely attractive. 50-50It's fascinating that the comments seem to be pretty evenly split: about half complaining of the waste and ugliness of the building; and about half seeing the beauty of the building and stating that the citizens certainly got their money's worth. I've never been to the building personally, but it's awe inspiring to me. Next time I'm in D.C., I'll most certainly track it down. National Building MuseumI live in the DC area, and have visited this building a number of times. I consider it a very fine example of architecture, and an interesting place to visit. I find it astonishing that some people consider this beautiful 125-year-old building to be a waste of money. Geez, if this building is bad, I'll bet the national monuments, art galleries and other museums in Washington would REALLY be considered "frivolous." NBMI visited this building on my vacation this summer, and absolutely you do feel small upon entering it. The staircases with low risers are interesting also. Not only is the building a pleasure to look at, but it has quite a few very interesting exhibits about Washington (all free, though they recommend a donation of $5), and an amazing gift shop with books on design and architecture. Many of the exhibits show photos similar to the ones on this site. One of the newer exhibits on green building explains that when the building was new it had awnings on the windows as another temperature control feature. The windows are also placed to get sun in different ways in different seasons. I had never heard of this building or the National Building Museum until I happened upon it while wandering around and stepped in. I'm very glad I did. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
The Dakota: 1912
... "Rosemary's Baby" rest assured that the interior of the Dakota is a far cry from that which Mia Farrow moved around in. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:43pm -

New York circa 1912. "Dakota Apartments, Central Park West and West 72nd Street." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The KillerIt sort of pleases me that none of the 27 or so commenters has mentioned the name of John Lennon's murderer and neither will I. He is now 55 years old, serving 20 years to life, he has been denied parole six times. Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York houses him, it is a perfect alternative to a death sentence. ImagineWhen this photo was taken, the Dakota was only 28 years old. Here's nearly the same view today. The Dakota TerritoryPossibly my very favorite building in all of Manhattan. In the late 70s, when I was a teenager, I would cut school and hang out there with a fellow John Lennon adorer. We met him many times, and he'd let us walk with him to Broadway where he bought his gum and newspapers. We'd also regularly see the other celeb denizens - Paul Simon, Rex Reed, and Lauren Bacall ( Bacall still lives there.) The night Lennon got shot, we were there within hours, holding a vigil outside with dozens of other people. When I became a horse-drawn carriage driver in the early 80s, it was one of the most requested sites by my customers, as it sits directly facing Central Park at 72nd St. I had a long line of trivia I would tell them about the building, including that it was named "The Dakota" because the owner and builder, Mr. Singer of Singer Sewing Machine Co. fame, was teased by his 5th Ave and downtown friends that his new building was so far away from the chic parts of NYC at the time, that "it might as well have been in the Dakota Territory." A few things - where the man is standing at the right in the Park (near that wonderful sign that should be reproduced and again posted for today's selfish Handy Andys) is about 20 feet from where the Lennon memorial, Strawberry Fields, is today. The building has not, to my eye, changed even one iota - masonry is still all intact, carriageway is still there, planters and fabulous railing all still there. It has even managed to retain its original windows, a great architectural boon in my opinion, with so many other old lovely buildings having had theirs replaced. The one difference is that there has been for decades a large, nice, bronze doorman's booth on the left side of the carriageway. I'm loving the horse-drawn wagon at the back of of the line of cars (taxis?) Kind of a metaphor, as it was 1912 and the horse-drawn vehicle was on its way out. I don't have a magnifying glass - can anyone tell me what it says on the back of the wagon? Thank you SO much for this pic - I have seen many photos of The Dakota, but never this one, what a treat. [Below: Stern Brother department store delivery van. - Dave] Thank you! Dakota TriviaJohn Lennon, who would have turned 70 on Oct 9th, was murdered outside The Dakota. His widow, Yoko Ono, still lives there. The 1968 film 'Rosemary's Baby' filmed some scenes at The Dakota. It was renamed 'The Bramford' in the movie. Happy Birthday JohnJohn Lennon would have been 70 on Saturday the 9th. Nice of you to remember Dave. Thanks. Happy birthday John LennonThat's a grand old building John and Yoko lived in. They don't build them like that anymoreThe Dakota is one of the most beautiful buildings in NYC. BTW, I was a teen watching Monday Night Football when Cosell announced Lennon's death on air. You can hear it here. Si Morley was hereI first heard of this building in one of my favorite books, Jack Finney's "Time and Again," published in 1970 or so. The Dakota is nearly a character in its own right in this book. What a beautiful building. John Lennon at 70Here's a computer image of what John may have looked like when he was 70 years of age. Happy birthday John!John Lennon would have been 70 years old today had he not been shot at the Dakota. Beautiful BuildingA sad way to commemorate tomorrow being John Lennon's 70th birthday. (How is that even possible?) Fitting.Happy Birthday, John. In MemoriamT'is sad that the main thing that this building is known for is the tragedy that happened outside. Performing Flea.I don't intend to be a performing flea any more. I was the dreamweaver, but although I'll be around I don't intend to be running at 20,000 miles an hour trying to prove myself. I don't want to die at 40. ~ John Lennon +70Happy 70th Birthday, John Winston Ono Lennon. Wish you were here. Strawberry Fields ForeverThe site of the murder of John Lennon (born on this day in 1940). Living life in peaceThis was John Lennon's home in New York, and where he was murdered on the street in 1980. Had he lived, Lennon would have turned 70 tomorrow. Film locationRosemary's Baby. If you saw "Rosemary's Baby"rest assured that the interior of the Dakota is a far cry from that which Mia Farrow moved around in. I have seen a few a few of the apartments, ranging from a very large one that Robert Ryan and his wife lived in to a much smaller, but far from cramped one that was Roberta Flack's residence. They ere all quite elegant. I live farther up on Central Park West, so I frequently pass by the Dakota and it is not unusual to see Lennon fans hanging around the entrance. Of course it did not all begin with Lennon, the Dakota was a home to celebrities for a few decades before he and Yoko moved in. A great building that once seemed to stand out of town. I believe that's how it acquired the name—it seemed to be in the sticks. More Dakota TriviaThe Dakota also plays a major part in Jack Finney's novel "Time And Again," a beautifully crafted mystery novel set in the 1970s and 1880s. What were you doing the evening of 9 Dec. 1980?I see that there are many here who also know that John Winston Ono Lennon would have been 70 years old today. I would guess that you also remember what you were doing when you heard the terrible announcement that he had been murdered. I was on my way home from a job I had singing Christmas carols for shoppers at ZCMI Center in Salt Lake City. I shed quite a few tears that night, and the next day. It is hard for most people to understand why some of us love him so much. It is absolutely not your run-of-the-mill celebrity worship. There was something special about John Lennon that was still developing, the older he got. Happy Birthday JohnHis music is so timeless and inspirational. I hope he found the peace he wanted so much in life. Shrubbery defacers, bewareI think this guy intends to see that the "punish" precedes the "arrest." I heard the news that night oh boyI had read about Lennon's upcoming album back in October. And every so often, I'd tune up the AM dial (how quaint) and down the FM dial, hoping to hear one of the new songs. I was doing that the night of December 8, when I caught "Just Like Starting Over" halfway through. I recognized the old-time rock-and-roll style which had been described in the newspaper preview (which Lennon referred to as "Elvis Orbison.") And I liked it-- no avant garde, experimental, primal scream, political stuff-- just fun. When the record ended, the DJ said "We'll have more details on the death of John Lennon right after this," and they went to a commercial break. I was so shocked, I tried to bend what the DJ had said, to something I could handle. Perhaps he had introduced the record by telling people to listen for "clues" that John is Also Dead? (Goofing off on the Paul is Dead hoax.) Or, if he was really dead, I was wondering, From What? Before the DJ returned, a friend called me and said that Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football had reported John Lennon had been murdered. So I had just that minute and a half of "Cool, he's back, and it sounds great!" 12-8-80I was home on leave from the Navy watching the Dolphins/Patriots game on Monday Night Football with my Dad when Howard Cosell came on and announced that John Lennon had been shot. Awful. Unforgettable momentI was living in Madison, Wisconsin on Langdon Street and walked over to Rocky Rococo's Pizza on State Street near campus to enjoy a slab of Pizza and watch Monday Night Football. The game coverage (the voice over commentary) was interrupted and I think I first heard of the news either from an announcement read by Howard Cosell or Frank Gifford. Then they broke in with an actual news bulletin that indicated he had been shot and was en route to the hospital. In the time that it took to walk back over to Langdon Street and enter my apartment it was announced that he had died. I turned on the radio and heard the actual announcement he had died and just recall thinking what a bizarre thing this was. His then recently released album was already getting a lot of play in Madison, and after the news it was complete saturation. Every time I see the DakotaOne of my favorite Christine Lavin songs: The Dakota. [YouTube link] It was a Monday morning, I was coming in from a long trip on the road. I flagged a cab near the East Side Terminal, I said, "Please take me home." We drove up along Third Avenue, crossed through Central Park. When we came out at Seventy second Street, I felt a cold chill in my heart. Every time I see the Dakota, I think about that night. Shots ringing out, the angry shouts, A man losing his life. Well, it's something we shouldn't dwell upon, But it's something we shouldn't ignore. Too many good men have been cut down, Let's pray there won't be any more. ... Words and Music by Christine Lavin December 9, 1980I was decorating my Christmas tree as my first child, who was three months old to the day (she's 30 now, obviously), watched from her infantseat. I was never a Beatles fan but I do remember the night they debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show; I was sitting on the couch after my bath, in my pajamas, a five-year-old wondering what all the fuss was about. The night John Lennon died I was listening to the radio and honestly -- and I know this next part won't be appreciated by many, but it's a free country and I believe we still enjoy free speech, at least for a little while longer -- after an hour or so I got a little tired of hearing the late Beatle practically elevated to sainthood by the announcer and every caller. I called the radio station not to speak ill of the dead, but to point out that perhaps we should temper our comments understanding that this man and what he stood for did a great deal to tear at the fabric of our society. (I don't think anyone really believes hippie-freakdom fueled by rock music has done all of us a world of good. Why do we have to act like it has?) The announcer, once he was onto my gist, hung up on me. So much for free speech. But I do adore Johnny Depp so maybe I'm a great big hypocrite. You make the call. A creepy place.I never liked that building from the time I first saw it in Rosemary's Baby, and that was some 12 years before Lennon was shot. It creeped me out then and creeps me out now, just looking at it. Time and Again and AgainNobody is going to mention Simon Morley using the Dakota as a time machine to travel back to the blustery cold winter days of 1882 in Jack Finney's novel "Time and Again?" It's such a fun and well researched book. [Somebody did mention it! - Dave] In MemoriamIn the new 4-CD Lennon compilation "Gimme Some Truth" there's a booklet that includes a photo of Lennon and Ono in their bedroom. Assuming it was taken at the Dakota, it's far less fancy then you would expect the apartment of a wealthy icon to be today. While it's a large room by New York City postwar apartment standards, it's not large by McMansion standards. The wall behind the bed is painted brick and there's nothing all that fancy in the room. As for Jenny Pennifer's comments, you certainly have the right to make any comments you like, but you obviously don't have a clue as to Lennon's impact, either culturally, politically or musically. To understand that impact, all you have to do is look up the hundreds, if not thousands of other artists who have recorded his songs, see the number of people who gather at Strawberry Fields or at the Dakota each day and listen to the radio where his songs are still played 30 to 47 years after they were written. Lennon did not tear at our society except to try and stop an illegal and useless war (what happened when we finally pulled out? Nothing except people stopped being killed.) and to fight for peace and the rights of all human beings. And I'll take "hippie freakdom" over the money and 15 minutes of fame obsessed (think Jersey Shore) and the cruel internet culture we live with today. I've been inside onceI was inside the Dakota once, at a political fundraiser in about 1995. The apartment belonged to the head of the European equities desk at a large hedge fund. It was very large, and clearly very expensive, but it was not as fabulous as the glass-walled penthouses overlooking the city in many other buildings, or even some of the (probably much less expensive) apartments in less famous buildings, but which have large terraces overlooking central park. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Queen of the Mustangs: 1966
... green with a white "Bambu" vinyl roof. The plush green interior was complemented by its white padded dash. 1958 Toyopet Crown I ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/23/2011 - 1:31am -

July 4, 1966. Twin Cities Fourth of July Parade on Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur, California. And if two brand-new, dealer stock Mustangs weren't enough, an early Studebaker Lark in the used car lot. The other Twin City was neighboring Corte Madera. My Ektachrome slide. View full size. Love that Lark!'59 -- and if it has painted trim rings around the headlights, it's the Deluxe (entry-level) model, though someone paid the dealer ten whole bucks to add those nifty bumper guards. The Lark was essentially a '58 Studebaker with the front and back ends lopped off, but kept the car company afloat for several more years. Steve Miller Still working on a '63 GT Hawk someplace near the crossroads of America BirdsAnother great photo and another that brings back a flood of memories. When we'd get a new car this is how it worked: My Dad would just show up after work in a new car. Never consulted Mom, she hadn't a clue. Brother and I never knew either, of course we were small but still never saw it coming. Can't imagine doing that to my wife and living. So, for example, that's how he got his 1964½ Mustang on a trade in on his '59 T-Bird. Sky Blue with white vinyl top but there were paint problems so it was repainted silverish by the dealer. He came home once with the car that had the Warner Bro's Road Runner on the side but that was just a joke to make Mom freak out. She did. I think it was just a joke. Will you be moving the focusWill you be moving the focus of the blog into the 60's and 70's? I do hope not. I love Shorpy as a glimpse of a past and a way of life I wasn't able to see....this just reminds me of going through my photo box. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm less likely to check Shorpy everyday. Dear ComplainerTo the tipster that complained about 60's and 70's contributions: Who cares if you check back less often. This isn't about you. Grow up. Glimpse of an unknown pastPersonally, what strikes me about tterrace's 50s and 60s photos is how, in many ways, they feel more distant and distinct from today than images from earlier decades. Part of the somewhat tragic appeal of this site is recognizing modern elements of social regression within the sort of hapless, untrimmed clash of poverty and wealth of the the 10s and 20s. These less somber shots of hiked socks and parked cars offer a potent contrast, showing the more abundant and egalitarian affluence of the post-war era, which some claim as a myth but certainly seems real enough in these rich and warm Ektachrome reds. I've come to regard these entries as a very fitting complement to Shorpy's standard fare. I mean, two lovely Mustangs adorned with flags rolling down Magnolia Avenue on Independence Day 1966! Could anything BE more perfectly iconic of an era on the verge of being razed into wistful memory? Such A Different PerspectiveBrian said it much more eloquently than I could have, but it makes me sad when I see someone getting upset to see Tterraces great photos. I have collected and been fascinated by photos from the early part of the last century forever, but Tterrace's photos touch me in a totally different way. They are my own past, seeing them brings back so many memories, it is as if I am seeing my own family. I hope his treasure box doesn't ever run empty, although I know it will. Until then, I adore the memories that his and his brother's work brings back for me. And yes...it's all about me! Seriously, we will never run out of great photos from the more distant past. I hate to feel bad for enjoying these great images of my own childhood. Kathleen Dad's SurprisesJNC, my father would come home from work with a new car exactly like yours did! I can remember every one, I think. And that is probably why I am such a sucker for cars from the fifties and sixties. NOTHING was more exciting. I remember all us kids, and mom too, racing out the front door to see our brand new car! I remember our '62 Chevy station wagon came home the day before we took our family trip to North Dakota from California. That car was so cooooool because we could lay the back seat down and sleep in a heap of blankets. No seatbelts required...I guess we survived! Steve, I love the Lark, too. It brings back memories of my friend's when we were in high school. We lived on top of a hill, and had to push it halfway down to get it going, but it was our transportation and we loved it. A few years ago, the same friend bought the same model, yet again. This one is a pet. Kathleen Another candidate for the tterrace fan club ...Please don't ban more recent ('50s-'70s) pictures from the site. Remember, not everyone who visits here is a baby boomer. I'm 33 and have been loving tterrace's photos, particularly those of family life in the 1950s. I wasn't born then, and popular memory of that era is now distorted by myths both good and bad. I have found it fascinating to look at these pictures and see a true record of how (some) people lived back then. Also, many of the pictures are very interesting or even beautiful in their composition: this one and this one, for example. The '60s and '70s stuff I'm not so crazy about, but I'm sure there are viewers who get the same enjoyment from them as I do from the '50s photos. Pictures from the '80s onwards would probably be pushing it, but in general, I think that if there are adults around today with no memory of an era, it can probably be classified as "historic." Not that it's up to me, of course! Imported Indeed!Larks (the only surviving Studebakers at the time), for the last few years until their demise in 1966, were all made at the Studebaker plant in Hamilton, Ontario Canada. Just my two cents worth...In regards to the "Will you be moving the focus" poster, I too had similar thoughts. I don't think he was complaining so much as he was just asking an honest question (seems to me). We all have our reasons for coming here. I heard about the site through the podcast "This Week in Photography", and was instantly grabbed by the exceedingly high-resolution, pin-sharp view into the distant past. I didn't know such high quality shots exsisted; it makes it very easy to see that people were just people, especially in the more candid shots (meaning unposed, "slice of life" shots). Yesterday was no different from today, a week ago was no different from today, 100 years ago was no different from today; it was just another day, only the scenery and technology has changed (and yes, obviously, child labor, etc.). If there were high-res photos from the 1600's, I would be craving those. TTerrace's photos certainly hold a value to many - evident by all the fans he has. I like his shots (I really like the "then and now" shot of him as a kid and an adult in the same location; the Knott's Berry Farm shot is great, too). If I had to hazard a guess, I would think that Dave and the Shorpy gang are interested in what all of his customers have to think, and why they come here, and why they return. For me, it's the older shots. I grew up in the 60's, "The Wonder Years" was basically the way my life was (maybe that's why it doesn't draw me in the same). I just dig the Victorian era, through the 20's - 30's; that's the draw to me. If the focus of the blog did change, I wish you well; if that's where your customers want you to go, by all means. Just for me, that isn't where the draw lies. One thing Shorpy did do for me, it made me aware of the storehouses of old, high-res shots I didn't realize exsisted. If you do change, well, you did me a service, and opened a door to where I now know these storehouses exsist. Just my two cents. I'm six again!Seems like my memories of being a kid are all in Ektachrome too. I'm enjoying Shorpy very much, thanks for a great site. PicturesI love all the pictures on this site! I think Dave has done a great thing. There really should be no debate about when the pictures are from. They are all fascinating in their own way. This site......does not belong to you or me, it belongs to whomever runs it and we are all but time travelers who are lucky enough to find someone such as this to let us rest here for a while. Now that being said, they can do as they see fit relative to content, 50's, 60's,70's, 30's, 20's, civil war era- it doesn't matter to me WHAT gets posted, I was not even born till the late 50's and I love ALL the pics posted here. It seems some here forget the postings are for your INTEREST and not your CRITIQUE. I'm just very, VERY grateful and thankful for all the hard work that's put in to this place. I'll GLADLY take whatver's given here and never, EVER complain. If some here don't like it, and are such sticklers (English translation: whiners)I'd suggest going and starting your own site maybe and invite us all over to have a look, otherwise, just enjoy....Fischer Couldn't Agree MoreFischer, I totally agree. And I suppose this is as good a place as any to say *THANKS A MILLION* to Dave and any other powers that be, that we have this site. I am absoulutely sure that all of us scroll past photos that don't grab our interest at times. I think that is easy enough for anyone to do...."this one's in color! Ok, I will move on." It's as easy as that. Photos of day to day life, of any era, are truly amazing. Far from the movie set 'reality', we actually can look inside the lives of others. I am sure I am not the only one who blows these photos up as huge as possible, looking for details; figurines, shoes, toys, books...just the objects that surround the main subject are probably the best thing about these great pictures, at least for me. They are all amazing, and a gift for us to see it all for free. Kathleen The LarkI had an uncle who loved Studebakers. In fact until they stopped making them the only cars I ever knew him to own were Studies. The interesting thing about the Lark in this picture is that it seems to be parked on a used car lot under a sign that says "Imported Car Service." I guess even in 1966 the Studie had become an exotic bird. The interesting thing aboutThe interesting thing about the Lark in this picture is that it seems to be parked on a used car lot under a sign that says "Imported Car Service." The lot is part of Hil Probert's Toyota dealership, one of the first, if not the first dealer to sell Toyota products in the USA. In fact, the sedans were called "Toyopets" when he first sold those c.1958-9. Lark PowerOur '60 Lark (the second Stude in our family) was a thing of beauty and I thought it would last forever. It turned me into a hot rodder with no power steering or brakes but power power in its V8 engine. Our taxi model held as many kids then as a van does now but, of course, with no seat belts -- they just piled in. Our children learned to drive in it and after that we figured they could handle anything. BTW, our first Stude, 1935, ended up in the Imperial moat in Tokyo in '48 after we sold it. They pulled it out and I bet it's still running. Great cars. I like the 50s/60s picturesI'm only 17 so even pictures from the 80's seem historic to me. Pictures from the 50's and 60's really interest me because it's like looking at the past that wasn't too far away and yet so familiar. It's strange that I have a soft spot for these pictures even though I wasn't born yet. My parents keep saying how great the time they were growing up was and the pictures on this site help me tap into their familiar past. Keep them coming! [Thanks, Tony. (Why do I suddenly feel about a million years old?) - Dave] The 100-year-old photo blogWith respect, I think people are coming down too hard on the Anonymous who asked about the focus of the blog. The blog is titled "The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog" and the sidebar description says it's about what life was like 100 years ago. It's easy to see where their expectations on the age of the photos came from. The 100 Year Old Photo Blog?Surely then by strict definition of the name, the only pictures that should be posted here this year should be photos taken in 1908. No photos of the Civil War and its aftermath, no images of Bohemian youth in the post World War One era, no 1920s auto accidents, and of course no Kodachromes at all of course. In fact pictures from 1909 wouldn't be allowed until next year and we'd never see another picture from 1907. Let's not take ourselves TOO seriously. Wow, I was just asking....I asked a question and gave my opinion. I did not whine, complain, or intend to do anything to offend the amazing authors of Shorpy. I thought they might want to know what their readers, commenters and buyers of their photos (I've bought a couple) think about a recent change. I certainly did not ever say that Shorpy cannot post anything they want. They can run a picture of one Monopoly piece everyday if they wish, it's their website! Thanks to those who saw it for what it was...a question by someone who really loves these amazing glimpses into a past I hadn't before realized had been preserved in such detail. But don't worry, you prickly, angry, hair-trigger Defenders of the Light, you have succeeded. I won't be back to the comments section. I might make another mistake or ask the wrong question. Back to lurking quietly as I should have done all along. Why Can't We All Just Get Along?I love this site and check it several times a day. I have a soft spot for tterrace's pix because they are from my era. But I also enjoy looking back even further. Everything is a learning experience and I for one am thankful to have the opportunity to visit here and glean some insight into our society's history. I especially enjoy hearing visitors' comments, so to the anonymous tipster who now prefers to lurk quietly in the background, don't let one somewhat rude comment spoil this wonderful place for you. I'm stepping off my soapbox now... To Anonymous TipsterTo the Anonymous Tipster who posted at 6:23 a.m.: Now don't be that way. It's rather childish (and I should know because at almost 52 I get that way myself sometimes). I actually think that you, and others who have commented negatively on this question of photos from the '50s to the '70s have sparked an interesting and lively debate. My comment (100 Year-Old Photo Blog?) was directed not at you but rather at Stacia showing the absurdity of taking the description of this blog too seriously. Personally I like the posts from the more recent times because I remember these times and things like the Studebaker Lark, or the picture of Hollywood and Vine before it was populated by assorted low-lifes (never been there but TV was). But you are entitled to your opinion and as they say I defend to the death your right to hold whatever position you want. I, at least, do not intend to ridicule you - unless you post something absolutely moronic, and it has happened - but rather to engage in debate over a difference of opinion. But if you can't take it, then don't post (but if you do, I'd hope you'd register for an account and be willing to back your opinions with your name.) Brent McKee Focus of ShorpyJust wanted to point out that Dave - who posts the "official" Shorpy pictures - is posting the same range that he always has. These more recent ones belong to tterrace and he is kindly sharing them with all of us via the Member Gallery. I'm enjoying them all! It's the huge range of subjects in the photos - from grocery shopping to world war armaments - that makes this site so addictive. tterrace is adding to that range, not taking away from it. ToyopetWe live up in the Pennsylvania mountains, and would not expect to see what I saw last week in a client's warehouse: a well-preserved Toyopet. What a silly-looking little car! Fortunately for the company, Toyota was management-agile enough to refocus and retool to produce the envy of Detroit: a long-life dependable car for the American public, not an imitaion of American cars. Otherwise, we'd all be driving pieces of junk like the Falcon or the Vega. [The Falcon, by most accounts, was a pretty good car. It was also the basis of the Mustang you see here. - Dave] PicsI like all the photos I've seen. I'd also be disappointed if the pre-40s pictures got pushed out for the Boomer pics, but I won't complain about the flavor of the free ice cream! But do remember that posting under your own name should be done carefully. It can be searched by prospective employers (loads of companies do it) and can open you up to harassment, especially if you have a strange name like I do. Zsa Zsa's LarkStangThis brings back memories for me, my first car was a '68 mustang convertible, white, like in the picture. The year was 1976, but still. nothing like driving a big V8 convertible. Toyopet - year?MacKenzieK, I'm doing research on the old Toyota Toyopets. you said you know someone who has one? Do you know what year it is? 1958? 1959? There are only a few known to still exist, it would be great to track this one down, too. thanks. dpitts@cdfms.org ~Daron Toyopet - Larkspurtterrace, I just returned from Larkspur this past week doing research in to Toyota's history and the dealership Hil Probert had. What do you know about the early Toyota dealership and the fact that it was/may be the oldest/first toyota dealership in the US? Thanks for any help you can give me. dpitts@cdfms.org ~daron [San Diego Union-Tribune: "John A. Rose opened one of the first Toyota dealerships in America in 1957 on a remote parcel in Mission Valley." Below: Probert Toyopet ad from 1959, and 1958 Toyopet Tiara sales brochure. - Dave] Probert ToyotaI worked at Probert Toyota right after Mr. Probert died. The story at that time was that Hil Probert was the "Pioneer Toyota Dealer" i.e. the first Toyota Dealer in the United States. He started importing Land Cruisers in 1957 and had a famous scenic ride up Mount Tamalpais to his favorite spot in the whole world under a large oak tree. The only way to get there was in a Land Cruiser, so Hil became a deputy of some sort, either with the Sheriff or the Fire Dep't in order to gain access to the restricted lands. Hil died in 1968, just as the Toyota Corona was taking off as "The New Hot One". They were selling about 50 cars a month in 1968. Hil also had a car collection on the property. Where the Lark Creek rear parking lot is today, used to be large tin sheds, home to about 40 old cars. There were various makes, but the one that I remember most was the Kaiser-Frazier. There were maybe a dozen or so, including a Henry J and a four-door phaeton convertible. Underneath a bedspread was a mint condition Kaiser Manhattan, jade green with a white "Bambu" vinyl roof. The plush green interior was complemented by its white padded dash. 1958 Toyopet CrownI own a 1958 Toyopet -- this was a dream for me to find and it took over 30 years to locate. Working for Toyota for the last 30 years I was happy when this one came around. The car has been shown all over Arizona and California for all to enjoy. When I bought it in May 2007, the car had not been on the road since 1964. Rebuilt the engine and some detailing. Original paint, just polished it out. The car can be seen on my website, www.Frenchysrides.com. Comments are welcome. Thank you for reading my story and visiting my Web site. Frenchy Dehoux I was 2 Months Young!When this photo was taken. I was being held by my loving mother. I was her firstborn. I didn't know it at the time (or much of anything else) that I would be the oldest of six children. I love parades and the celebration that accompanies the 4th of July. This past 4th of July was the first one, we as a family, celebrated without my loving mother. This month, August, one year ago my mom entered into Heaven. I know I will see her beautiful smile and hear her sweet, soft voice again. Until then, memories brighten my days and prayers calm my nights. I love you mom and I know that you love me more. 4th of July ParadeI was honored to be asked to participate in the annual Fairfax City, Va. 4th of July Parade in 1968. I was Oakton High School's first Sweetheart Queen my Junior year. A blue Mustang was the vehicle that I rode, waving & smiling. Halfway through, my facial muscles cramped & my wrist tired. It was the longest parade ever. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, July 4, tterrapix)
The Only Way to Fly: 1965
... and most engines of the time had a similar look. However, interior photos of both planes show the DC-8 had much more space between the ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 10/06/2015 - 6:42pm -

My friend's folks stretch out and light up on a nice, comfy flight from San Francisco to Hawaii in 1965. Someone borrowed their Kodak Instamatic for this 126 Kodachrome slide. View full size. How it used to beBack in the day when you could actually sit comfortably in a coach seat. Bet the meal was pretty good too. King and Queens!When I flew for American Airlines in the 1970s we were given strict orders to "Treat passengers as if they were Kings and Queens!" "Make their travel a wonderful experience they will always remember being special." Stewardesses were weighed once a week with unannounced flight inspections to see that we were up to AA's hgh standards and especially checked to see we were wearing beautifully applied nail polish with matching color lipstick! The airlines have certainly come long way and not for the better, unless you are among the one percent few who can enjoy First Class. I have zero doubt...Some sharp-eyed Shorpist will identify this plane from just the window shape and bit of engine visibile... And it's a Tiparillo, of course!Should a gentleman...? Not a 707Assuming this was a United flight, UAL was a big DC8 customer but did eventually buy the Boeing 720, a shorter range derivative of the 707. I'll vote for this being a "Diesel 8." Boeing 707Date of flight and small entry of engine argues for a Boeing 707, active between 1958 and 1979. I Say 707Both the DC-8 and the 707 had varous engines and most engines of the time had a similar look. However, interior photos of both planes show the DC-8 had much more space between the windows than the 707 and in tis photo the windows are closer together, leading me to believe this is indeed a 707. No need to bring your ownIn those days, the airlines actually GAVE you cigarettes as part of the service. (No doubt supplied by the ever-alert tobacco companies.) I recall small flip-top boxes of four. Security What Security?Those were the days when you could just casually walk through the gate without a ticket, board the plane, and escort your friends to their seat, then snap their picture before the plane took off. Same way we used to do it on ocean liners ... remember when they used to call out the warning 'all ashore whose going ashore'? Oh! For the Legroom!I'll pass on the smokes, but give me the legroom. At 6'5", it's difficult to enjoy flying today. I do remember when it was an enjoyable experience. I flew to the midwest from Kennedy on United, the same year this picture was taken. Although I was a little shorter then, the space, food and service was wonderful. They even put a mini 2 pack of Viceroys on my food tray, just in case I wanted to light one up -- at the tender age of 15. A Dress up occasionNote, too, how nicely dressed these passengers were. I remember well feeling that I should be dressed for air travel as if I were going to an important appointment. I'm sure this lady had a pair of nice gloves with her. Imagine wearing a jacket and tie to fly to Hawaii today! And, of course, we passengers were treated as valued guests in return. Dress-upI personally brought Bermudas-style dress to the Hawaii routes in 1968. Four-packsCan someone say how those four-packs of cigarettes were distributed other than as airline giveaways? Were they sold in stores? I Googled for info and didn't see anything, other that in the U.S., cigarette packs must now contain at least 20 cigarettes. My dad was a commercial pilot, not an airline pilot, but he always had those four-packs in his airplanes and I'd sneak a few for my use until he caught me at it. Seems to me they were always Parliaments, Viceroys, or Lucky Strikes. Pan AmDC-8 windows were larger than these (about 17 by 21 inches, says the ad) and were spaced 40 inches center to center. So it's a 707, which I guess means Pan Am, unless the passengers were continuing beyond HNL to Australia on QANTAS. Three Pan Am flights a day from SFO to HNL in 1965, or more in the summer-- the 0900 departure continued west to New York. 126 CameraMy 126 camera always took great pictures. It was especially good at taking low light shots, like neon signs at dusk, while still nicely rendering the building they were attached to. Wish I still had it. Travel in the 1950sWhether our family took a train or flew, we had to wear our best clothes. Here is our family arriving at the Essendon Aerodrome in Melbourne, Australia, in October of 1958. We had just left Canada, and my father's new position with the Ford Motor Company of Australia was to introduce the Ford Falcon. I am wearing the striped jacket and tie, and Mum is giving her best regal wave, with white gloves on, of course! Four-Packs Pt. 2While serving in Vietnam, K-Rations often had 4 packs of cigarettes in them. If you didn't smoke you could trade them to a smoker buddy for his fruit. From what I have read the same was true in WWII and Korea as well. GI Four PacksThe other primary customers were the many Viet Nam era troops. These four packs were included in each box of C Rations (MREs of the day). We used to trade them for preferable brands, and used to practically assault non-smokers to get theirs! Often they would trade their smokes for the piece of chocolate that was included in each ration. A Different 707The four-packs of cigarettes were also in the flight lunches provided on the T29 (twin engine Convair) navigator trainer that Air Training Command flew as a shuttle between its Hq and DC. We called the flight the "707" because it took seven hours and seven minutes one way. One compensation was that you got to stay at Bolling AFB and ride the launch to the Pentagon, at least until Sen. Proxmire put the kibosh on that. More on 4 pack distribution.As a teenager visiting downtown Chicago I often encountered young women passing out 4 packs of cigarettes to pedestrians. The earliest I recall this happening was when I was 16 years old in 1972. They would give you 2 or 3 packs if you asked. With 80% fewer smokesFour packs of cigarettes were common packed in K and later C and MCI rations up until 1975. Coffin NailsIn the 1960s I garaged my car in public lot in the Bronx. I met a fellow there that worked as a salesman for a tobacco distributor. He passed those 4 pack samples out to his better customers. They came in cartons that held 50 4 packs. That was the equivalent of regular carton of smokes. I think a pack sold for about 40 cents at that time, a carton would be $4 and I would pay the guy $2 for the 200 cigs. Re: Four PacksThose four-cigarette packs were comps given away by the tobacco companies. I remember back when I was still working, they had four young ladies passing out four-packs of Salems in downtown Buffalo. I had to laugh watching some of the folks making a circuit of the intersection, trying to score a couple of free packs of smokes. One thing not mentioned was the mini bottles (glass, not plastic) of different kinds of whiskey handed out by the stews as well. On my flight home from the military in 1966, there were five of us aboard a Fokker F.28.The stewardess gave me a half a dozen bottles of Seven Crown to say thanks for my service. I still have one bottle left. Re: That Different 707Yup, went through USAF navigator school (James Connally AFB, Waco) on those things. They had a unique odor inside, a result of many, many student navigators tossing their cookies in bumpy Texas air. You mightfeel a little nuts wearing a suit on a flight to Hawaii, but you'd look cool anyway in your Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Definitely a Pan Am 707-320From the cabin wall pattern and seat materials this is definitely a Pan Am 707. Back when flying was a treat, not a chore. Gone and ForgottenIn addition to the DC-8 and Boeing 707, the Convair 880 by General Dynamics plied the early Jet Age skies. My first flightMy first flight was from San Francisco to Chicago to attend Graduate School. I remember the cigarettes and thought "WOW"!. I also remember the light coming on in the bathroom to return to my seat. I didn't know what was happening and was scared silly! Air Sickeness ExpressMy first 20 years flying, I was very often sick, due to having to breathe people's cigarette smoke! When non-smoking sections came along, it helped, some, but not enough, especially if my non-smoking seat bordered the smoking section. Coincidentally, San Fransisco to Hawaii was the first air trip I ever took, back in 1970. Dad had recently returned from Vietnam and we were on our way to his new duty station of Camp Smith, on Oahu. All dressed upBack in 1961 my parents were taking a trip from Idlewild; I can still hear my mother saying to my dad, "Give me the keys to the car - I don't have a thing to wear on the plane." (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Dear Sirs (Colorized): 1902
... with a photo. Absolutely Stunning Not only does the interior look like the picture might have been taken this morning, the scene ... 
 
Posted by Sébastien - 03/26/2016 - 10:39am -

My colorized version of this beautiful Shorpy image. View full size. Can you do some of Philly ?This is beautiful work you've done, Sebastien! It looks very real! I live in Philadelphia, and it would be great to see you colorize some of the pics of old Philly from the same era I've seen on Shorpy. Please consider it. My grandma (101) would love them! BeautifulThis reminds me of a Norman Rockwell painting with the color. Unbridled TalentIncredibly detailed colorization. A lot of work went into this and we Shorpy aficionados thank you. StunningBeautiful choice of colors, unbelievable detail. Thank you. Superb!That has to be one of the most beautifully rendered colorizations I have ever seen. Great work. Art of Light and ShadowStunning job on the colorization. I can sense every flyaway hair on her Gibson Girl head. Makes me feel like this happened earlier today. Great work!I believe we're looking out the windows at the corner of Congress and Woodward. A modern view would be mostly of One Detroit Center and a bit of the Vinton Building. The Richmond & Backus building was replaced by the National Bank of Detroit (now Chase) building. Color me appreciativeThe subtle, yet beautifully chosen and perfectly appropriate colors used in this impression have brought this 114 year old scene of a typical day in the office (back then) to real life today. I especially like the glowing light tones on the wooden furniture pieces and the livening up of the peoples' skin, hair and clothing. Obviously very painstaking and beautiful work Sebastien. Thank you. Outstanding ColorizationOutstanding to say the least, you are truly an artist. Even the Spittoon looks good. Great Knowledge of Color & LightA rare colorization showing a great understanding of the subtleties, the mutedness of the color spectrum in the real world. Magnificent. Nice officeThat.....is astounding! I've played around with colorizing and can appreciate the painstaking work on this photo. Incredible Colorization!I'm not a fan of colorization by any stretch of the imagination, but this is one of the best in the genre I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. My congratulations! Thomas Eakins would have approved. So do I. Well done You! SuperbWe're in your debt for this. Thank you. Oh, my ... sit and spinThe rotating bookcase is the dead spit of the one my local public library had in the early 1970s, which contained the library poetry collection (Dewey 811). As if we just stepped into the office from a time machine.Just amazing. Makes me feel like I am right there in the room with those people. One incredible job. Thanks much! Beautiful rendering!I wonder if she's taking this down in Gregg or Pitman? I learned Gregg 50 years ago in high school. Now it's pretty much a lost skill. Some years ago I was the secretary for our union local, and had to attend our convention in Chicago. I was taking notes as our president (Clinton) gave an address. A man behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked "Are you writing in Arabic?" Funny at the time. Wood wood woodAll that wood--walls, floors, furnishings--looks so luscious. So different from the sterile look of offices today. I believe my mother-in-law has the twin to the chair on the left (with the cane seat) in her home (furnished by her grandparents in the 19th century). KudosI have seen many a fine colorization, but this one is just magnificant...looks like a modern movie set recreating 1902...bravo Absolutely beautiful.This is the best colourisation I have seen, by far. Absolutely stunning. Thank you. WowTastefully and intelligently done colorization. How transforming; looks "new" despite the century or so gap. Just PERFECT Totally convincing and incredibly lifelike. Just awesome. Thanks for doing it. SpectacularIf you listen real close you can hear the wooden floor creak under those chairs. This is just nice. OutstandingI generally despise colorized photos but now I see that's because they're so poorly done. You've done an outstanding job. Congratulations. You've converted an old curmudgeon. What is this?First, this is a beautiful job. Second, what is this? I thought it was an error in the colorization, but it's obviously in the original. I have no idea what it could be, so I'm probably being stupid and just missing it. SpittoonFabulous work. I like the spittoon by his chair! No electronics, just pencils, pens and paper. Like a Caillebotte paintingThe decor, color, and composition some how remind me of a Caillebotte painting. What a beautiful color realization - bravo. Even Homer noddedmarccarlson, What you see there is a metal rod and some sort of (electrical?) cord running into it. The triangular area inside it is what the view out the window looks like in the original LOC negative. When the Shorpy wizards tweaked the image contrast to reduce the glare & improve the view out the window, they overlooked this region. [That appears to be the case. -tterrace] Like standing in the officeThis was instantly promoted to my background. One of, if not the nicest colorized photo I have ever seen or used as a computer background. Love Her Hair! This may be the best colorized image I have seen. Amazing choices for the color of everything here. The bright red hair of the woman was a bold choice but it works and is totally believable. Her skin tone perfectly matches someone with that bright red hair. It makes me wonder if there is someway to look at b&w images and decipher what the true colors were. I have the feeling that someone with the skill to pull this off could probably conjure the image just as well onto a blank sheet of paper (or photoshop document) without starting with a photo. Absolutely StunningNot only does the interior look like the picture might have been taken this morning, the scene through the windows is so subtlety colored that it is perfectly realistic. Very well done. Thank you all!Thank you so much for this avalanche of nice comments about my colorisation, This image was like a dream to work with, the result is way beyond my expectations, the double windows impose themselves for a double color treatment cold and warm, and it work so well that it give an impression of sunset lighting. I put all my knowledges and my heart in it and the way you react about it is a real achievement for me. As BdgBill guesses my background is a mix of drawing, painting and photography and I work as a photoretoucher now, but my interest is also in History and the opportunity to travel in time exploring beautiful images of the past is what I love in Shorpy. I will continue to colorize photos from this site so thank you again and see you soon. (Colorized Photos, The Office)
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