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Breaking Away: 1908
... There's a great DVD available too called "6-days in the Jazz Age". Most people are amazed to hear what a huge sport it was back then. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:32pm -

New York, December 1908. "Six-day bicycle race, Madison Square Garden." 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. At least three ridershave decided that motors on their bikes will make the six days fly by. Spirits!Think we should call it the six day ghost-rider race ! Motorcycles!It appears that the is inaccurate. Looks like a motorcycle race to me. Looks closely at the bikes, they have tanks and motors. Then there is the advertising for motorcycles. Surely some crossover customers, but if there are bikes racing, they're not visible. [This was a bicycle race. - Dave] When does a bicycle become a motorcycle?Clearly, Indian was out in force for this contest. I wonder who won? Can anyone make out what song was being sung? I'm guessing sheet music was a big thing at the time. Edit: Thanks for letting me know that the motorcycles were for pacing the race. That clears things up. Pacing the raceThe motorcycles are for starting / pacing the race. The Madison SlingMy husband, who used to race track, tells me that there is a specific track race called the Madison Sling that is actually named after the Track Races they used to have at Madison Square Gardens. I think it involves one partner recovering down near the center of the track while the other partner races a lap and then catches their partner and transfers their velocity to them and flings them into the track for their lap. He tried teaching it to me once with disastrous results (crashing hard). Bottled Beer 20 centsYou could get 50 beers then for the price of one beer at MSG now! Ghost RidersMaybe I should point out that the track is full of riders, who are moving too fast to show up in this time exposure. Top Shelf20 cent whiskey! I'll take two please. Judge fall down go Boom!If you look closely at the small tower with what could be the "Judge" for the race, the right hand leg of his chair is about 1/2" from going over through the railing. Drink prices20c for a Beer, 10c for a Soft Drink!! Apparently price gouging for refreshments at sporting events was common even back then! This racing lives on!I think Dave is correct about the racers just being a blur. They'd do a complete lap in just over 10 seconds. You can see a couple of bikes on a tower on the infield. Do a search on YouTube for 6-day madison race to see new and old footage. Awesome poster. There's a great DVD available too called "6-days in the Jazz Age". Most people are amazed to hear what a huge sport it was back then. Pedal of HonorThanks to the superb cyclists Greg Lemond and Lance Armstrong and TV, Americans have been able to learn a lot about (and enjoy) bike endurance racing. But Armstrong's 17,370 career points in 17 years and Lemond's 14,425 (14 years) are dwarfed by the record of the greatest rider of all time, Belgian Eddie Merckx, with 38,333 points in 14 years (1965-1978). He won nearly half of all the races he entered. From Ohio State University’s very nice eHistory site, here’s a look at six-day bike racing by Ari de Wilde. Note that although he wrote “Strapped into single-speed bikes with no brakes, promoters could …”, he did not intend to say the promoters themselves were strapped into (not onto?) bikes, but the races would have been more noteworthy, much like Niagara Falls going the other way. Shot and a shooter for 40 cents!Imagine what a fellow could do at the Garden that day with a four-dollar drinking budget! There'd be more than bicycles spinning. Endurance Champions The Evening World, December 5, 1908. Old-timers on High Wheels were Endurance Champions During the running of the six-day bicycle race in the Garden next week, the question more likely to be heard than any other is whether those among the fifteen teams who can stand the gruelling pace in the test of the final days when stamina counts are not greater endurance than those who first brought this six-day record to America. The answer is furnished by a member of The Evening World's sporting staff who has witnessed nearly all the great six-day events in America from March 13 1886 when Albert Schock in Minneapolis hung up the worlds record of 1,008 miles for seventy-two hours-twelve hours a day-down to 1899 when Walter Miller and Dutch Waller set up a mark of 2,733 miles 4 laps in Madison Square Garden. Conditions are vastly different to-day from those of 20 years ago. The modern bicycle, pneumatic tired and weighing only 22 pounds, is an air ship compared to the 50 pound high-wheeled boneshaker with its hard rubber tires and 57-Inch wheel. Then there is the difference of the scientifically banked track and the unbanked turns of twenty years ago, when a "header" meant almost certain death. Training methods have also changed, the six-day rider of today training almost exclusively for speed and under the team arrangement being relieved on the track at any time, while the old record holders were trained for endurance. Speed has a deteriorating effect similar to the long steady grind, but when I think that Schlock never once left the tract in the first three day except to change wheels, and that his entire resting time was 40 minutes in the 72 hours it seems to be the most marvelous test of endurance I have ever seen-unless it be that of Mlle. Louise Armaindo, who beat Jack Prince in a 24-hour race because she never quit riding in the whole time. In the match race between Prince and Schock in Minneapolis, March 1886, when Prince set up a new world's record of 1,040 miles, neither man was off his wheel more than ten minutes for the entire 72 hours. This race, by the way, was for $1,000 a side, the largest side bet ever made in a similar contest in America. The Outing Magazine, 1909 Bicycling and Its Income James Moran, of Chelsea, Mass., who with [Floyd] McFarland won the six-day race at Madison Square Garden last winter, divided a purse of $1,500 together with outside sums paid by tire concerns and bicycle manufacturers amounting to in all nearly $5,000 with his team mate. This included bonuses from the management of the race. The six-day racers pay dearly for their money, however. The other leading teams in these heartbreaking contests draw from $800 down to $200 in prizes. Round and round they go!Six-day races were, and still are, very exciting races. They consist of several types of races held over the course of six consecutive nights. One type of race, the derny race, was held over a set number of laps while each rider is paced by a derny (motorcycle). These dernys can be recognized by their rollers behind the rear wheels that allow the cyclists to pace as closely as possible. Two can be seen in the photo. Another is the Madison, named for Madison Square Gardens, that involves several two person teams. One teammate races along the lower, inner lanes of the track while the other teammate recovers up near the wall (outer rail). The teammates will exchange places every few laps and will do so with a handsling. During an exchange, the rider going into the race will drop down the track and place his left hand near his hip. The exiting rider will grab his hand and sling him forward, thereby transferring his forward momentum to the other rider. Doing so correctly takes a lot of practice. After several tries, and several failures, I decided Madisons were not for me. I'd stay with match sprints, points races, and miss & outs as they were less dangerous - or so I thought. BTW, one way to tell there is a race in progress - of the spectators whose bodies are in focus, their heads are blurry from following the racers. Cycling through time I used to race for the Century Road Club Assn., in 1950's New York. We were reputedly the oldest bicycle racing club in America, and I remember examining the scores of trophies from the late 1800's and early 1900's. I'm sure some of them must have been from races such as these. I still have scars from pile-ups of several single speed, trap pedal bikes, you just couldn't get your feet down to stop a spill. Nobody saw the signIn the middle of the track is a sign showing songs presented by Cohan & Harris. That is George M. Cohan and Sam Harris. Cohan was a actor & songwriter in the Tin Pan Alley days and eventually became known as "the man who owned Broadway." James Cagney portrayed him in the movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy." (The Gallery, Bicycles, G.G. Bain, Motorcycles, NYC, Sports)
Paramount Winners: 1925
... be not safe for the 1925 workplace! Seriously, keep those jazz-babies coming! 20's sensibilities I'm very surprised to see ... be a good time to read up on the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age. F. Scott Fitzgerald, anyone? - Dave] Fashion? What in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/31/2012 - 8:18pm -

May 25, 1925. Washington, D.C. "Winners, Paramount Motion Picture School." View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Pretty Racy for 1925Wow, the woman on the far left leaves very little to the imagination with that shirt. I'm surprised she could walk around in public like that at that time never mind pose for photos. NSFW: The 1925 EditionThis picture has been carefully reviewed and found to be not safe for the 1925 workplace! Seriously, keep those jazz-babies coming! 20's sensibilitiesI'm very surprised to see the girl on the left not wearing a bra and such a tight top. Considering the sensibilities of the 1920's I thought her showing so much of her shape was socially unacceptable! [Might be a good time to read up on the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age. F. Scott Fitzgerald, anyone? - Dave] Fashion?What in the world is the woman on the right wearing? Is she sporting some fashion trend of the time, or did she forget her skirt? That seems to be an awfully racy outfit for 1925. [1925 was an awfully racy year! - Dave] Paramount WinnersWhat a shockingly fast crowd! [I wonder if they need directions to the Krazy Kat. - Dave] Bernice, is that you?The only thing that surprises me here is that the girl on the left has not yet bobbed her hair. What a fun and exciting time to be a woman -- too bad they didn't know what was coming. 1925 WAS a racy yearTangential: My father was in high school from 1923 to 1927. Once, in telling me a story about some high school escapades, he mentioned that he and his friends used to frequent a speakeasy in Calumet City called "The Speedway." "You went to a bar?!? In high school? They let you in?" "It was illegal for anyone to go to a bar in the 20s. They let everyone in." Paramount Motion Picture SchoolAccording to an article in the July 21, 1925 New York Times, the Paramount Pictures School opened for its first class of students that month in Astoria, New York. The first class of students was Josephine Dunn, Robert Andrews, Greg Blackton, Charles Brokaw, Claud Buchanan, Walter J. Gross, John Luden, Ethelda Kenvin, Mona Palma, Lorraine Eason, Wilbur Dillon, Laverne Lindsay, Irving Hartley, Marian Ivy Harris, Harriet Krauth, Dorothy Nourse, Thelma Todd, and Charles E. Rogers. The course lasted one year and those showing promise were to be offered contracts with Paramount Studios. The students appeared in the 1925 movie “Fascinating Youth.” I’ve heard of Thelma Todd and Josephine Dunn; don’t know if any of the others made it big. An earlier NY Times article says that the applications were done by district so these are probably the winners who applied at the Washington DC area. I love old movies...Walter Goss (not Gross) is better known as Roland Drew. Charles Brokaw was successful on Broadway. John (Jack) Luden is more infamous than famous - you can check out his IMDB bio. Thelda Kenvin was a beauty queen. I think it should be Lindsay La Verne (aka Sharon Lynn/e). Charles Rogers is better known as BUDDY Rogers! Thelma Todd died under mysterious circumstances - that was one of the first real Hollywood scandals. Some namesCharles E. Rogers is probably better known as Buddy Rogers. He appeared in the movie "Wings" which won the first Academy Award for Best Picture (and was the only silent to win what would become known as the Oscar in that category). He later married Mary Pickford in 1937 and was married to her until her death in 1979. Charles Brokaw was primarily a stage actor. There's an 11 year gap between his appearance in "Fascinating Youth" and his next movie role. Walter Gross (or Goss as IMDB has it) changed his name to Roland Drew. He had quite an active career until about 1945 although most of the movies he was in were either not memorable or minor parts for him. He's probably best known for playing Prince Barin in "Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe". John "Jack" Luden is described by IMDB as having one of the saddest stories in Hollywood. The child of a wealthy family (they made cough drops) he got some good early roles but by about 1929 he was seriously addicted to heroin. He made something of a comeback in the '30s doing westerns at Columbia but even that ended. He was eventually arrested and convicted for dealing heroin and writing bad checks and died in San Quentin at age 49. In the case of Thelma Todd, while she was a talented comedienne (she's great with the Marx Brothers in "Monkey Business" and "Horsefeathers", and her shorts with Zasu Pitts and Patsy Kelly are sometimes seen on TCM and are great) it was the manner of her death - carbon monoxide poisoning - that was the source of most of her enduring fame. Suicide? Accident? Murder? No one really knows for sure. It's not the FiftiesI'm surprised at the surprise regarding "mores" of the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, the Lost Generation, the era of speakeasies, fast cars, loose morals, flappers, a stock market that just went higher and higher based on nothing in particular ... sounds a lot like these days. I think when people think of a straitlaced past they're thinking of the Fifties. Which was pretty much an anomalously straitlaced decade in a very tumultuous century. That said, what IS she wearing? Bars and raciness@DTNelson -- we went to bars in high school all the time, and that was in the '70s. There was one place where we thought the unofficial motto was "Be 14 -- and prove it!" In the days before they raised the drinking age and finally cracked down on DWI, it was not uncommon at all. And although that looks like some sort of wool bathing get-up, just take a look at the silk shifts many young women wore then -- cut low, hemmed high, stockings rolled (the equivalent of letting stocking tops show today). It was a party time. History LessonThis discussion is what I meant about Shorpy being a a teaching tool specializing in photography and American history. It's fun. Thanks again, Dave and Ken. (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
Swing Street: 1948
... us alone?" The clubs closed, the strippers exited with the jazz musicians. Skyscrapers and offices took over and now it's like the neon ... teacher. On occasion she would bring her 10 inch LP jazz recordings for us to listen to. More than once she reminded us that before ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/01/2019 - 1:08pm -

July 1948. 52nd Street in New York. "The Street is at its best at night, when the neons start to bloom. It loses some of its carnival atmosphere when daylight dims its gaudy luster." Kodachrome by William Gottlieb for Collier's magazine. If anyone needs us, we'll be digging Harry the Hipster at the Onyx. View full size. The day the Grind diedJuly 4, 1960. Seven clubs had their liquor licenses pulled on the same day. "They're slapping us to death with suspensions," complained stripper Winnie Garrett. "It's such a lousy little street. Why can't they leave us alone?" The clubs closed, the strippers exited with the jazz musicians. Skyscrapers and offices took over and now it's like the neon landscape of The Street never existed. Proud FinkThat is the first time I have ever seen anybody proclaim being a Fink in bright lights for all the world to see. Neat addition of the Shorpy mark. It fits right in this photo, and even helps create a sense of balance to the composition- Kudos. Only missing Nick's PlaceReminds me of Pottersville from "It's a Wonderful Life." GeniusI'll be checking out Erroll Garner in his prime at the 3 Deuces. And later, I might check out that new club, Shorpy. Miss D and BebopBack in 1955 I was blessed to have had a very pretty and hip eighth grade English teacher. On occasion she would bring her 10 inch LP jazz recordings for us to listen to. More than once she reminded us that before taking the job she had she had lived in New York and had the opportunity to see the great musicians we listened to. That would for certain have included 52nd Street. Wish I could have been there. If you're hip and not a squareyou'll avoid Harry the Hipster and be nursing a beer listening to Tatum, or Erroll Garner with J.C Heard and Oscar Pettiford. Just those four alone represent more musical talent than you'd find most anywhere today. And the clubs: Jimmy Ryan's and the Onyx for example were places of musical worship. Where's that time machine got to? Harry was quite the hipster indeedIntriqued by the Harry the Hipster sign I decided to check on him. He was apparently quite the entertainer and ahead of his time musically. I will include a clip from YouTube of him performing. Wikipedia has a nice article on him as well. Art Tatum, Fats Waller and GodMy favorite story about 52nd Street was told about Fats Waller from 1940 or 1941 - drummer Henry Adler (who Buddy Rich, among others, studied with) was in the audience: "So I was at the 3 Deuces catching Fats Waller's outfit when Art Tatum walks in the door. A few moments later, Fats notices too and stops the band dead cold. Then he stands up and says 'Ladies and gentlemen, I'm just a piano player, but tonight, God is in the house.' and he motions towards Art Tatum amidst a swell of applause." It's always been bit surprising seeing Harry "The Hipster" Gibson's name in this iconic photo as, the year before (1947) he was largely blacklisted after the record below was banned from radio play, never to be heard there again until Dr. Demento spun it in 1975. From my own stash of 78's : Neon and Rain-Washed StreetI think this is my favorite modern-era Shorpy picture. Also best Shorpy placement ever! I love seeing Art Tatum, Oscar Pettiford, Erroll Garner et al on the marquees. Further proof I was born too late. Real cool world This is going right on the front screen. Is that Art Tatum, playing down the street from Garner? Probably not, but I'm getting a little misty thinking about it. Don't you just hate Robert Moses? Rockefeller Properties expansionThe removal of the jazz clubs was mostly the result of a hostile takeover by Rockefeller Properties, which wanted to get rid of any neighboring businesses that were not to their liking. The only structure that has remained on that block is the "21" Club. It has been said before,and will be said again, but this photo has the best watermark yet. Two months earlierAnd without neon. As the caption has it, “It loses some of its carnival atmosphere when daylight dims its gaudy luster.” (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Music, NYC, William Gottlieb)
Falls City: 1900
... nicer passenger boats. Lot of the groundwork for early jazz got laid down on those boats. Cost of a steamboat trip I imagine ... still out there. And those riverboats where the sounds of jazz were first heard? They were primarily excursion boats, just like today. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:14pm -

Vicksburg, Mississippi, circa 1900. "The levee." And the sternwheeler Falls City. Dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Point & shootCameras back then were bulky and required time to set up. Nowadays this shot could be taken while walking past the scene. While the photographer didn't try to make this shot "casual", it has that look about it. Because of this, we see a more accurate glimpse of what life was like then. The detritus in the water, the men (only men in this scene) waiting for business and/or passengers, the six or seven ships in the background all show a thriving economy. PerfectA stage set for "Showboat"! I can hear "Old Man River" just as plain as day! Thanks. Look! There's Howard Keel! Falls City, my home townAlthough there are towns with this name in Nebraska and Oregon, the Falls City name likely refers to Louisville, which owes its existence to the Falls of the Ohio River. The late lamented Falls City Beer was brewed in Louisville starting in 1905. From the signage it appears that in 1900 this sternwheeler was working the Mississippi between Vicksburg and Greenville. It had come down in the world, literally. Falls City factsAccording to Way's Packet Directory, there were five boats named Falls City. This appears to be the last, built in 1898 at Cincinnati. 132 feet long, owned by the Louisville & Kentucky River Packet Co. The book notes that the boat was not taken to Vicksburg until 1908, but it was common practice for boats to "tramp" when work was slow in their home trade. Photo capabilities in 1900?What intrigues me most about this shot is how well motion has been stopped. The horses’ movement and even the water flow from boat to river. Most photos from this era seem to blur anything with the slightest motion. What were the capabilities for shutter speed given the emulsions of the time? Just lucky to have an extremely bright day? [By 1900, exposure times for outdoor photography on a sunny day would be measured in fractions of a second. - Dave] Vanished OccupationsTwo jobs I would have loved to have, but are forever unavailable: (a) Paddlewheel Riverboat Pilot; (b) bandsman on the nicer passenger boats. Lot of the groundwork for early jazz got laid down on those boats. Cost of a steamboat tripI imagine that the cost of taking the Falls City from Vicksburg to Greenville was incredibly cheap as by 1900 the Illinois Central ran multiple trains a day on their Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad between Memphis, Leland, Vicksburg, Natchez and Baton Rouge. At Leland, the Southern Railway of Mississippi could take a passenger 15 miles west to Greenville. Does anyone know riverboat fares from 109 years ago? Per some of my Gulf & Ship Island Railway documents from 1902, it cost $1.25 to travel from Jackson to Hattiesburg, a distance of 95 miles, and I imagine that in those highly regulated days the fare for the journey between two cities of similar distance would be similar. I should have been a historian. Re: Vanished OccupationsThose occupations haven't vanished, Anon. As a Cincinnati-based musician, I've worked enough riverboat gigs that the romance has faded, and my first thought is always what a PITA it is to haul equipment down to the docks. Most American river cities have at least a few excursion boats working the river, and all those boats have pilots (although, sadly, you're more likely to hear recorded music these days). I've had a few conversations with riverboat pilots, and they're a really interesting bunch. Steam has been mostly replaced by diesel, and the paddlewheel is more than likely decorative, but those jobs are still out there. And those riverboats where the sounds of jazz were first heard? They were primarily excursion boats, just like today. At first glancethis scene could as easily be 1850 instead of 1900. Until I looked at the gent sitting on the barrel center front, his clothes give him away as "not 1850." Tickets please.Could not find pricing for Vicksburg to Greenville, but comparable short trips in Mississippi and Louisiana were about $8 for a cabin, and $1 to $2 for deck passage. SteamboatsChautauqua Lake in western New York State had, like most comparable bodies of water in that era, an extensive fleet of large steamboats. The Lake steamers were all (except one) screw driven, with deeper drafts. But otherwise they were very similar to this. The last Chautauqua steamer was the City of Jamestown, about 110 feet long with two decks. It ran frequent excursions though the 1950s. I vividly remember it pulling into the pier in 1951 or 52, belching steam. I never ran so hard in my life as when I ran down to the water to see that magnificent vessel. My own personal little Mark Twain memory. Make that 3 decks. http://cchsnys.org/mp/mp_chautauqua_lake_steamboats_4_08/acoj.html Sharp lookerWhat a gloriously rich image. The detail cries out to be examined further. Thanks for posting it! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Vicksburg)
Sam's White Barber Shop: 1927
... money came from the stage...or have I just watched "The Jazz Singer" too many times? Details Another example of stone lintels, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 12:56pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Al Jolson's parents' house," 4½ Street S.W. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative, 8 x 10 inches. View full size. Narrow passageSmall, but scary, alley. Paging Big Joe TurnerI wonder if Big Joe Turner (who would've been 16 at the time) might have seen a poster for that show? The Boswell Sisters also had a song called Rock & Roll out around this time, must've been something in the air... Dearest Spot on EarthNote that address is in the southwest quadrant. I don't think there was a 4½ Street in the northwest. Washington Post, Jun 24, 1923 Native Washingtonians Succeed in Varied Fields of Endeavor ... To the southwest section of Washington as well as America generally the stage is typified by one name, "Al Jolson," for he is the pride of that neighborhood where he lived from the time he was a child of eight after coming to America from Europe until the dawn of fame drew his steps away from the Capital. Down in the substantial home at 713 Four-and-one-half street southwest, his boyhood home and where his father, the Rev. M.R. Yoelson still resides, there is always joy when "Al" is coming to town. For they know that although he is a personal friend of President Harding, who always tries to see his show and appreciates his humor and genius to the full, the "dearest spot on earth to him is Home, Sweet Home" and his big car caries him swiftly away from the uptown theater to his home where a reunion with his dear ones awaits him. The boys and girls at Jefferson school, just around the corner, treasure every scrap they can learn of Al Jolson, for he is one of their own, "a Jefferson school boy" through all his healthy, happy boyhood, a marble champion, a baseball player and popular among his mates. ... A million milesSo this is where he would walk a million miles for one of her smiles? also don't know what the shake, rattle and roll refers to on the signs but for sure it isn't very early rock and roll. Brrrrr....Is the coat lying on the bench possibly the cameraman's or did someone just walk away from a nice coat? Also it looks like the woman in the picture is getting ready for a shave! The 3 crosses in the architecture above "713"....were these common for that day? [Those are fleurs-de-lis. - Dave] Woman and screenI love the barely-visible cross-armed woman in the barber shop. She looks so unamused! Also, what's the deal with the screen over the barber's door? It looks like it could be pulled down to cover the whole doorway. [The lady might be cardboard. - Dave] Kiatta vs. TaylorFlyer in Sam's window.... Washington Post, Mar 25, 1927 Kiatta vs. Taylor on Mat George Kiatta, Syrian mat expert will meet George Taylor in a wrestling bout at the Mutual theater tonight. Taylor has recently won victories over Dutch Green and other good middle-weight wrestlers. ThrilledI am absolutely thrilled to find these photos. I am a Jolson fanatic from way back. I am going to share these photos with a friend of mine who is also a Jolson addict. Fixer upperI would have thought that with all his money that Al would have gotten the brick pointing repaired under those first floor windows. Or maybe his father refused the offer to do some repairs because Al's money came from the stage...or have I just watched "The Jazz Singer" too many times? DetailsAnother example of stone lintels, neatly done. Al Jolson's brother was the father of a buddy of mine at college. An interesting family! Shake, rattle etc.Couldn't find much info on the Jones boys. Did find an old Eddie Cantor reference to Archie being listed as a trombone player on a record from early 1920s. Maybe they were the first to shake rattle and roll. ContrastesOstentosa barandilla de fundición junto al callejón de mala muerte... Flores de Lis (?), en todo caso, invertidas. Dave) Heavy TypecastThe guy in the second-hand store looks like he could be typecast as the heavy in any of the period films. I remember seeing......"The Jolson Story" and "Jolson Sings Again" when I was kid. Larry Parks played Jolson. If I recall correctly, they liked to play them on New years Eve. I enjoyed them as kid, but I'll bet they wouldn't play very well today...all that blackface stuff, you know. Four and a HalfJustice Douglas had his opinion of the SW neighborhood and today, 55 years later, I have mine. The redevelopment that took place there may offer residents more plumbing, electricity and other conveniences, but all of the texture, history, aesthetics and character have been destroyed. Today, the neighborhood has all the bland "character" of similar mid- to late-20th century "developments." Every trace of the old place is gone, even the undeniably charming street name of 4½. That part of history will never come back in this neo-wasteland. I'd take Italianate cornices, scary alleys and quirky ironwork any day over the sterile blandness of a fake suburban utopian fantasy. The deal with the screen...The screen is not meant to be pulled down. Rather, it was placed there to fill the void above a screen door (no longer present in the photo). If you look closely, you will see that the door to the barber shop is slightly taller than the average door. The right side of the jamb (below the weird screen) has been supplemented with a vertical board upon which are mounted two hinge halves. It is upon these that the erstwhile screen door (of a more conventional height) hung. A less-charitable view of that blockThis spot is close to the site of the department store at 712 Fourth Street, S.W. where the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Berman v. Parker arose. According to Justice Douglas's 1954 opinion for the Court, "Surveys revealed that in Area B, 64.3% of the dwellings were beyond repair, 18.4% needed major repairs, only 17.3% were satisfactory; 57.8% of the dwellings had outside toilets, 60.3% had no baths, 29.3% lacked electricity, 82.2% had no wash basins or laundry tubs, 83.8% lacked central heating. . . . The entire area needed redesigning so that a balanced, integrated plan could be developed for the region, including not only new homes but also schools, churches, parks, streets, and shopping centers. In this way it was hoped that the cycle of decay of the area could be controlled and the birth of future slums prevented." Shake, Rattle, and Roll, 1919Shake, Rattle, and Roll (Who's Got Me) was recorded by Al Bernard in 1919. Have a listen! It's about gambling with dice. My guess is the event the poster advertises is along those same lines. History of 4½ Street SW"During the late 19th century (when today's 4th Street was named 4½ Street in Southwest), these streets were lined with small shops and were centers of a Jewish immigrant community. A synagogue of the Talmud Torah Congregation opened in 1906 under the direction of Rabbi Moses Yoelson. One of his sons was singing star Al Jolson." "Then called 4½ Street, by 1900 this street was a dividing line between white residents on the east and blacks on the west. When renamed 4th Street between the world wars, both groups joined together and persuaded the city to widen and repair the street, add modern paving, and improve lighting. Community activist Harry Wender reported that the neighborhood commemorated its victory by holding the "biggest celebration in the history of the city" and that "it was the first time that Negroes and whites paraded together in the history of Washington"." From swdc.org Here is what the street looks like today. NeighborsWe lived at 481 G Street SW in an old brick row house that was torn down as part of Urban Renewal in the 1950s. Cold water, no heat and no indoor plumbing, but it was home. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Stores & Markets)
The Young Moderns: 1952
... china instead of paper plates, well groomed all around, jazz would seem more likely than pop music. Give it about four more years ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/21/2013 - 8:40pm -

Alfresco dining on the patio circa 1952 in this unlabeled Kodachrome. Do I hear Brubeck on the hi-fi? Third in the "Linda" series of 35mm slides. View full size. Comparing wristwatchesI was looking at the watch on the woman's wrist in the Lil Boomer photo and was wondering if it was the same watch as on the wrist of the woman on the right in this photo. Difficult to tell. https://www.shorpy.com/node/14453 Mid-century masters of good livingSlay me now -- this is gorgeous. Atomic wire end tables, Dansk salad bowl (on its own wire stand "for tossing" beautifully patinaed!!) The hand-painted earthenware, paired with silverware, a silver salver and condiment set; and to top it off, crystal wine glasses. It's a casual meal though, given that the Heinz ketchup bottle is actually on the table. What a setting. Love it! [Also note the wine bottles and caddy on the end table at right. -Dave] ProofThat there was color back in the black and white 1950s. Style notesThe roman brick on the house suggests a modern design, long and low, possibly with overhanging eaves. I hope we get to see it later in the "Linda" series. Also, the couple across the table illustrates that, unless you're on the same bowling team, it has never been a good idea for spouses to dress alike. Upscale crowdWine, suit & tie for an outdoor meal, real silverware, nice china instead of paper plates, well groomed all around, jazz would seem more likely than pop music. Give it about four more years and they'll be talking about how perfectly dreadful that Elvis guy is. MissingI had assumed that the photographer is the husband of the woman in the light green dress and that the young wine drinker in the plaid shirt is the unattached guest invited to dinner. By the way, I do appreciate the individual components listed by Deborah, but I’m not as enthusiastic about how it all comes together. I find the wineglasses especially clunky and under-sized. But then the US was not a heavy-duty wine-drinking nation back in the fifties. A+ for effort, though. [Those "wineglasses" are goblets. - Dave] That Red Plaid ShirtI had one just like it a few years after this photo was taken. It scared away most girls and all but the toughest dogs. Slay me now, indeed!Slay me now -- this is gorgeous. Atomic wire end tables... Absolutely! I was two years old then, but - even if my assessments are too rosy and not really true - I see these folks and envy their confidence, the lives they would have in the coming decade (1957 Chevy Nomads!!!), technological devleopments like stereo and color TV. And let me pretend the gent on the close end of the table was an amateur radio operator and was about to buy an E.F. Johnson single sideband transmitter and Viking Desktop Kilowatt!!! In Good HandsI believe the gentleman in the suit and tie is trying to sell them insurance. Missing persons.I see that there are two empty places -- one might be the photographer, so who is the odd one out? If it were two couples hosting a visitor, fine, but is it two women or a man and a woman who are away from the table? I'm guessing the man of the house has his back to us, his wife was sitting to his left, serving the wine and taking the photo, and the other missing person could be the woman on the right's husband, or the wife of the newly arrived guest who still has his travel suit on. [There are six people in this photo -- three men and three women, with one Missing Person. - Dave] Won't hurt a bitIs that a vaccination scar on her left arm? Dress codeI'm nostalgic for the days when men wore coats and ties even for informal gatherings. I've been doing it lately myself; I'm trying to start a revolution. It's not working. All that happens is that I get assailed with sarcastic comments. Comments from people who are wearing their pajamas in public, or who look like an unmade bed. RelationshipsI think we have in-laws and newlyweds. Red shirt guy is unmarried brother-in-law. Home is probably that of the photographer; unless he was a particularly obsessive camera-bug, he wouldn't have lugged the Leica along to a casual dinner party, but just went inside to grab it for the shot. Wine: What it is, how to use itThese people were not just on a patio but on the cusp of a trend. Ad from 1953. Click to embiggen. Three Couples and a SalesmanI am guessing that the "photographer is the husband of one of the two ladies on the right side of the table, probably the woman in the green dress. The woman hidden behind her is either her daughter or the husband or sister of the fellow in the red shirt. As someone mentioned earlier the odd man out in the suit and tie is probably a salesman, most likely selling insurance. Within ReachIt's a testament to the enduring power of midcentury style, or at least its resurgence in popularity, that very little in this 60-year-old photograph would be out of place in a contemporary design magazine--although the young man with the buzz cut is missing de rigueur wispy facial hair. The lowly Heinz bottle has earned its place as a kind of Platonic ideal. Another yarn.The missing person is a professor--of physics maybe?--who is taking the shot. The woman in the green dress is his wife. The man in the suit is a visiting foreign professor, escaped from Hungary maybe? The other four at the table are graduate students and their wives/fiancee's. The brick work and the maple/beech woods say this is a new modern subdivision in East Lansing Michigan. The professor and his wife were originally from New York City, he got his PhD at Columbia, and they continue to vacation on Cape Cod every summer. It all makes sense. Family tree and other thoughts, WatsonIt is funny that we're all trying to figure this group out. These are part of the "Linda Kodachromes" (So only Dave knows for sure) But I'm going to have at it anyway. Look back again at the little girl's birthday. She's related in looks particularly to the older woman in the green dress and the younger woman in blue denim. So I think that's mother and daughter/granddaughter (little baby girl). I think the woman in the green dress is the wife/mother of the house. She's also on the lounge in the picture with the baby (re: watch on wrist). The father would then be (age-wise) the man in the suit. Dinnertime in the summer, he'd be coming home from his city job just in time for an evening meal outside. I think his older son has his back to us (hair color, hairline, size). The other woman hidden from our view may be a mother-in-law or married to the son. I see a touch of lighter hair and it's frizzier. The two at the end may be siblings or friends, but not married (he's not wearing a ring, she's young) plus they have the same nose as the lady in green. The table setting speaks to some depth, time and money in the household. Modern artistic dishes, real silver from the '30s (family pieces or wedding gifts?) and the goblets are older as well. Two bottles of wine with dinner, which for some reason I keep thinking is fish. Perhaps the whites been drunk already and the red is a dessert wine. The whole setting speaks to an established style infused with modern. Now to the photographer. This person's place is the only one with a glass of water. Suggesting someone too young to drink. The photo also suggests someone who is not adept at photography at all. No one is ready for this shot, all are turned away. It's definitely a quick snap. Also, he/she is not that tall. One more thing: This is a rooftop "patio," a found space. It's up at least atop a first story (above a garage at the back of the building. See tree height). It's quite tight (table angle, position of photographer). The building's windows & "roman" brick style suggest an urban/city home environment. That's all I got. Will we ever know? Patio space, sunken rec room and trees down the hillMy guess is that it isn't rooftop space but a small patio against the back of the house in a small suburban backyard. The edge of the cement/concrete "floor" beyond the wine bottles has a few sprigs of grass and a sandy space between the concrete and the top of a retaining wall. On the retaining wall is a railing; but there is a break in the railing between Dad and The Daughter in Blue. Perhaps a walk-through to the yard or steps down to the yard? There's another sandy space in the yard beyond the railing then there seems to be a break off to a darker area. My guess is there's an embankment or depression or wooded hillside where the trees are rooted below the level of the patio. That might explain why they give the appearance of the patio being higher than it is. The trees are actually lower. Oh, and the windows are probably to a rec room or basement that is also lower than the patio level. Reminds me of my aunt & uncle's yard in Cincinnati near Ault Park. Mom doesn't seem to have touched her wine, nor has her bench mate to her right. And I found the juxtaposition of ketchup on the table with wine, silverware and decent china to be less than de rigueur. Ah, well. (Linda Kodachromes)
iTunes: 1920
... practically overnight along with other acouterments of the Jazz Age such as knee-length, flat-chested dresses and cloche hats. Here's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 11:41am -

Update: tterrace reveals this to be the noted baritone John Charles Thomas. New York or vicinity circa 1920. There are around a dozen pictures in the Bain archive of this fellow, all labeled "Thomas" -- perhaps a composer, songwriter or singer. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. The little thingsI know in the next few comments we are going to learn the make and model of that lovely Victrola, and whether the thing he is holding is a "remote" or a microphone or a "mute" control. We will learn what fabrics his suit is made from, and funny comments will be made about his tie and, God forbid, his hairstyle. He will be compared to a young Edward G. Robinson, or a young George Reeves, both the carpet and blanket will be described with their present value on eBay listed -- but I've gotta tell you, I'm still figuring out the amount of work and measurement required to get that moulding cut and affixed to the planter. WOWZA!Check out those nifty slacks! Stocking-stufferI wonder what the significance is of his trousers being tucked into his stockings, in both pictures. I can't remember seeing too many pictures from the 1920s with them worn like that, except in golfing attire. I rather like the singer with his hair loose and natural! Smokeless Hookah"Thomas was just beginning to get the giggles after demonstrating his new smokless hookah." For your listening enjoymentThis gent---not sure who Thomas is/was---is using the Graduola device on the Aeolian-Vocalion phonograph. This was Aeolian's highly touted means of varying the sound output from a record, i.e. a volume control. The knob attached to a wire inside the cable, and by pulling or pushing on the knob it would act on a damper under the tonearm to stifle the sound by varying degrees. When not in use, the knob and cable resided in the cabinet (see that hole just to the left of the speaker grille). This device didn't take the buying public by a storm, but to be fair it was being offered at a time when the American marketplace was being bombarded by phonographs from a great number of suppliers. Aeolian had been a piano and organ builder of notable repute for some time, so such a phonograph was its effort to gain a place in the market. This is the first time I have seen the use of the grille in the part-open position, and the benefit is hard to determine. Nom de CroonLike "Prince" or "Madonna," Thomas needed only one name. Nice comfortable pose, by the way. Harry Lauder Thomas might well be amused by one of Scotsman Harry Lauder's records. Lauder was a popular artist circa 1920, well known for his comical recordings. I'll BiteActually, gblawson—F. Scott Fitzgerald. Hair Apparent Or in this case Heir Apparent. If this were 40 years later he could have been one of Lloyd Bridges' sons. JCTTo his friends he was affectionately known as Jack Chuck Tom for short. Looks UncomfortableIt appears that you have to be in the crouch-sitting position in order to hear the music most effectively! John Charles ThomasIt's renowned American operatic, concert and recording superstar John Charles Thomas (1891-1960), seen here in a shot similar to others in the Bain Collection. He recorded for Vocalion around this time. [A noted baritone, he was also a crackerjack bench-whittler. Thanks tterrace! -Dave] Golf KnickersRegarding landtuna's comment about the nifty "slacks", these are known as Golf Knickers, a virtually indespensible and fashionable item of clothing worn by the country club set in the Roaring 20's. With the onset of the Great Depression, these went out of style practically overnight along with other acouterments of the Jazz Age such as knee-length, flat-chested dresses and cloche hats. Here's golfing immortal Bobby Jones appropriately dressed in the mid-1920's. John Charles ThomasThe singer was once incorrectly identified on a country music station in Texas. The announcer said: "Now here's an interesting looking record--it's got a classical label, sung by a trio, John, Charles and Thomas." It was included on a popular 1950s record called "Pardon My Blooper," by Kermit Schafer. Thought bubble"Ahh, nothing can ever replace the rich, warm tones of acoustical amplification, certainly not those tubes the kids today use, they're so harsh sounding." The affect of music.I have the same look on my face when I listen to my old Beatles records. I knew you could do itWell done everyone, now where is that tape measure and Miter Master, I only have 14 more pieces to cut! Let's Twist Again.For a moment there I thought he had a Chubby Checker record on. KnickerbockersKnickerbockers like these were common in the UK and US for casual wear, especially in a rural setting. Tucking the end of the breeches into the socks kept the bottoms out go the mud, brambles, etc when taking a stroll in the country. Golf knickerbockers (called 'plus fours' where I grew up) were a little longer and baggier below the knee. So called because they extended 4 inches below the knee. Not being a golfer I don't know why the extra length was useful, but the basic purpose of keeping the trouser bottoms out of the wet grass was still the same. Where I live now (Switzerland) one still sees a few of the elder generation dressed in similar breeches for their Sunday walks along the 'Wanderweg'. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Music)
Police Raid: 1925
... think there'd be a few Speed Graphics popping away at that Jazz Age perp walk. [Who do you think took this photo? - Dave] Call ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:19pm -

January 31, 1925. Washington, D.C. "Police raid on gamblers' den. E Street between 12 and 13th." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Where are the newshounds?Nobody tipped off the press? You'd think there'd be a few Speed Graphics popping away at that Jazz Age perp walk. [Who do you think took this photo? - Dave] Call my lawyerLooks like the Kingfish, Andy and other members of the Knights of the Mystic Sea are in big trouble. How convenientYou could launder your winnings next door. ShowtimeThe onlookers seem to be enjoying this immensely. Probably thinking "There but for the grace of God or throw of the dice go I." Delco-Light?Strange to see a "Sales Branch" in a major city, since the Delco 32-volt battery-charging generator catered to a rural market. The New Deal's REA finally put an end to that business in the late '40s. [The store sold refrigerators, not generators. Frigidaire was a subsidiary of Delco-Light. - Dave] There'll be standing room onlyin that paddy wagon. You Missed Me!Looks like the guy in the second floor window is taking one more look before his getaway. Thoroughly integratedShoulder to shoulder, blacks and whites enjoying the spectacle together. Couldn't even do that in a movie house. Saturday nite fish fryWhen I look at this picture, I can't help but hear Louis Jordan and his orchestra singing about the fish fry getting raided! Old D. C.I've always heard that Washington was thoroughly Southern and segregated, but the folks in this scene seem to be mixing without much regard to race, and everyone appears to be equally well-off, as far as clothes are concerned. Frozen assetsGeneral Motors entered the refrigerator business at the start of WWI, anticipating that the government might ban the private ownership of automobiles as an austerity measure during the war. There is an interesting discussion of this in Alfred P. Sloan's classic "My Years with General Motors." Quick Lunch PlusWith your lunch, just deserts are served. The other showDespite the big show on the sidewalk, several people in the crowd are obviously focused on the photographer. Makes you wonder if he was hanging out of a window too. More Fugitives?It looks like there may be even more culprits that escaped the dragnet. Look behind the door of the Delco building, the second story window of the Delco building and possibly peeking around the column of the Cohen Hughes building. Luck be a lady!Nicely-Nicely and good old reliable Nathan, 20 years earlier: "If the size of your bundle you want to increase, he'll arrange that you'll go broke in quiet and peace." And, most appropriate since it's in a lunchroom: "There's and awful lot of lettuce for the fellow who can get us there." Jail His A*sThere's one guy in the picture without a hat, arrest him, he's the culprit. LurkersIt's really hilarious, the four guys hiding out to the left. There a shady character in the door, someone in the window above, the somewhat obvious guy standing on the ledge and then the guy hiding behind the column. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Got Meat?
... were some black officers in the 369th, notable ragtime and jazz musician Lt. James Europe who served as the regiment's band master. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 1:50pm -

1917. Arlington, Virginia. "Fort Myer officer training camp mess." Vegan schmegan. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Happy in his work I wish I enjoyed my job as much as Mr Schmegan seems to. What a great face.So friendly. Reminds me of the Stubbs BBQ sauce guy. Happy ChefI'd gladly eat whatever he's cooking! Dumping DermalogicaIf a man can look that great in those conditions nearly 100 years ago this modern skincare stuff's a scam. ProudNow there is one proud man. He knows he is appreciated. HappyHe's good looking! And such a friendly smile! Military RoastAlso doubles as a doorstop. Mmmmmm good!Wow, a handsome man and a big 'ole steak. Whoowee. That's a great photo! HaaaaandsomeHe's a looker! A cook in 1917, a supermodel in 2009. Rake material?Decidedly handsome, but too hard-working a man to be a rake, probably -- though you do never know what people get up to in their off hours. Perhaps the next addition to the Handsome Rake gallery? Add him!He is the next candidate for the "Handsome Rake" category! Why not a soldier?It's a shame African-Americans soldiers were reserved to see only duties like that ... what a shame. [Do your homework. There were plenty of black soldiers in WWI. - Dave] The 369thOne of the three most highly-decorated American units in WWI was the 369th New York (aka the Harlem Death-Rattlers), a National Guard unit with black enlisted personnel and white officers from old-line New York families like the Stuyvesants. Fabio and a personal chef rolled into one!!Upturned collar, bursting buttons, dazzling smile, and he can cook! The 369thWhile the 369th New York - also known as the Harlem Hellfighters - was part of the AEF they, along with the other units of the 92nd and 93rd Divisions, served under French command. The 369th was initially assigned to the French 16th Division and then transferred to the French 161st. There were some black officers in the 369th, notable ragtime and jazz musician Lt. James Europe who served as the regiment's band master. The 366th Infantry Regiment was entirely Black, both enlisted men and officers. SmileI can count on two hands how many times a Shorpy photo instantly brought a smile to my face. This one is at the top of the list. There's something about this chef's infectious smile that immediately makes you grin. I also get a sense of pride for his abilities. Look how tenderly he holds that slab of beef! Amazing. Oh, my!That's one good-looking man! He should have been in the movies! Hubba HubbaWooo hooo. Sorry I am being a leering wolf. What a beautiful man. (The Gallery, Handsome Rakes, Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Our Man in Maynardville: 1935
... has gone on record to state that he also listened to black jazz and other black musicians and frequently added what he heard to the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 4:46am -

Another view of the Tennessee Troubadour as captured by painter-photographer Ben Shahn in October 1935. View full size. More here. 35mm nitrate negative. Maynardville MusiciansLook at the incredible sign of respect and admiration of the left young guy, and the genuine dedication to the song of the players. What a picture. G chordLooks like he is using a thumb pick Hurry up! He'll be dead in 3 years.Stop screwing around with that Jimmie Rodgers crap and go find Robert Johnson! Robert Johnson??Whites in Tennessee in the thirties wouldn't dream of seeking out blacks for musical (or any other kind) of tip. (Although, the aforementioned Jimmie Rodgers certainly did learn a few licks and tricks from black musicians while working on the railroad) It would be another twenty years until some guy named Elvis exposed whites to what had previously been marketed as "Race Music". But for now, it's Jimmie Rodgers. I'm guessing those guys are jamming one of his "Blues Yodels". Maybe..... "T for Texas...T for Tennessee, T for Thelma, that little gal that made a fool outa me....." Robert Johnson?He's hiding under your bed, holding a knife. My lobtstedeklMy personal tzitzit is embroidered with the name of the Crimson Club. I have no idea where I've left them. Black influenceHank Sr., Charlie Rich, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilly and many others all visited (snuck in) to black performances to learn blues riffs/licks. I'm sure Robert Johnson had a few emulators even if they wouldn't admit to it. Those pickers, God Bless 'emWell, some of us like Jimmie Rodgers and Robert Johnson as well as all the Hanks: Williams, Snow, Thompson, even Hank III. Keep on pickin' boys (especially those train songs) Bill Monroe had a some black influenceshttp://www.roughstock.com/history/bgrass.html I'm sure he's not the only one. They're both playing GThey're both playing G major. Bob Wills introducing black music?Katey, I understand that black music of the early 20th Century had influences in American music including Western Swing. However, I don't think that Bob Will's stuff (which is even more a reflection of Scotch Irish folk music and Western ballads) can be considered a introduction of black music to white audiences. Elvis pretty much sang contemporary black music in a black style but being white was able sweep white audiences. I would think the primary black influence on Western Swing would be the fast beat and you can find this on earlier music such as the Charleston style records of the 1920s. Hard to see Western Swing as "black music"Katey, I understand that black music of the early 20th Century had influences in American music including Western Swing. However, I don't think that Bob Will's stuff (which is even more a reflection of Scotch Irish folk music and Western ballads) can be considered a introduction of black music to white audiences. Elvis pretty much sang contemporary black music in a black style but being white was able sweep white audiences. I would think the primary black influence on Western Swing would be the fast beat and you can find this on earlier music such as the Charleston style records of the 1920s. Robert Johnson ?If you dig a little deeper you'll find your assumptions are incorrect. Bill Monroe was heavily influenced by Arnold Schwartz, a black musician. A.P.Carter traveled with Leslie Riddle on many of his song collecting trips and indeed had problems finding places for him to eat and sleep. A black person and a white person traveling together was probably no picnic back then. Famed NC fiddler Tommy Jarrell said (on his Sail Away Ladies record) that his brother learned Raleigh and Spencer from a black man. There are countless other examples. Robert Johnson???In Texas, it's well documented that Bob Wills, the guy who made Western Swing famous, was deeply influenced by black music and musicians during the thirties. He grew up working in the cotton fields and the first music he learned (apart from his family) was from the black field hands that he worked alongside. It's also been suggested that he had help in learning to play the fiddle from a black. Wills has gone on record to state that he also listened to black jazz and other black musicians and frequently added what he heard to the Western Swing mix. Elvis came along much later ~ and one of his first big hits was the Monroe tune "Blue Moon of Kentucky." It certainly wasn't Elvis who led the way in introducing black music into the mainstream. Blue Yodel #9One of the more interesting collaborations ever had to be the recording of "Blue Yodel #9" in July 1930 which featured Jimmy Rodgers and a trumpet player named Louis Armstrong, and his wife Lillian on piano. Most of these guys - the really really good ones - weren't that worried about skin colour, at least when it came to the music. Buddy, you can sure play that tune!I love this picture, yes, the young guy on the left watching his two talented friends. The guy in the middle is wonderfully full of himself, just what you need in a band. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Music, Rural America)
Road House: 1956
... He said all the white bars played only country music. If Jazz or R&B was desired you had to go to a colored establishment. Since he ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/25/2008 - 12:51am -

1956. "Segregation in South Carolina. Separate and unequal recreation facilities." I've looked at hundreds of photos from this assignment and would have to agree -- the white folks in general seem to be having a lot less fun in their hopelessly boring bars, uptight country clubs and over-chlorinated swimming pools. Eventually they got wise. Color transparency by Margaret Bourke-White. View full size. What's on the Jukebox?I'd love to hear what they're dancing to! Who said what?I am assuming that:"Segregation in South Carolina. Separate and unequal recreation facilities." is from Bourke-White. Who is the author of the rest of the statement? Trent Lott, maybe? Hopefully it is not Shorpy. Although the statement, "I've looked at hundreds of photos..." might be read as a simple statement about the levity shown in them, it also carries the bigoted message, "The darkies so much enjoy their place!" [Oh brother. - Dave] AskanceThe woman in the upper left is looking askance at the photographer. I wonder what she's thinking Bourke-White will do with the photo. Reminds me of "Hairspray"All I can think of is the scene in Hairspray (the original one, if you please!) where the kids are dancing in Motormouth Maybelle's record shop. Cool shot! Family MattersThe guy in the skimmer looks like Steve Urkel Looks like funLooks like a fun place to hang out! Is the man on the right wearing a hearing aid? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with earbud technology from the 50's. Interesting tank top shape under his shirt, at least to modern eyes. EarphoneThe first Japanese transistor radios didn't arrive here until 1957. The fellow on the right, with the earpiece, may be listening to a Zenith AM receiver priced at about $75., a sizable sum then. Perhaps he was wearing a hearing aid, but I doubt it. It wasn't until the early 1960s that the popularly priced Asian radios first hit the market, priced under $30. The first Panasonic transistor radio, circa 1959, marketed under the brand "National" was a fairly large piece, that worked on 4 C cells. It sold for $59. The competition was a Sylvania slightly larger and much heavier. It was powered by 2 batteries an "A" and a "B" battery. If I remember correctly the batteries sold for around $40, the radio around $79. We had a lot of sales resistance because of the Japanese manufacturer. A lot of people still objected to the Japanese products even though the war had ended 15 years before. When Mitsubishi marketed their first TV's in this country, the brand was MGA, the spector of the Mitsubishi Zero fighter airplane and their heavy bombers were fresh in the memories of Americans. However, their lower pricing and acceptable quality gave them the foothold they needed and their lower production costs was the beginning of the end of American electronics production. Early iPodLove the earbud on the man in the straw hat. Since there is music playing on the jukebox, do you suppose he is listening to the ball game on his transistor radio? What song is playing?No one knows, but my guess is Little Richard's Rip It Up. I'm also guessing from the poster on the wall that the photo was taken somewhere in Greenville. I dance quite a lotI dance quite a lot, so this photo really grabs me. The kid in the middle is leading with his right hand which probably means he's got a few moves in his bag. Plus, he's just using his fingertips. Sign of a good lead. I can kinda sorta imagine how these people are moving just by their body positions, but I'd really love to know what kind of music they're dancing to. Looks like some variant of your typical rock and roll jitterbug that has a myriad of styles. Love to see what's on the jukebox list. I don't see any ads for liquor, just food. So I suppose this could have been a roadhouse, but without any drinks on the bar there, it just might been a little cafe on a weekend night with a well stocked jukebox. Someone from South Carolina might weigh in on whether they had dry counties. Hearing AidWhy couldn't it be a hearing aid? The guy looks to be of an age that could suggest he is a WW2 vet where in a number of circumstances he could have lost his hearing. The picture is a wonderful slice of life. Oooh, check out suave dudeOooh, check out the shoes of the suave dude with the boater. Those look like spats! I love that the men are hatted, indoors, and the women are not. These are definitely Hats of Coolness, not everyday headgear. [He's wearing two-tone wingtips. And yes, they are tres cool. - Dave] HUH?!?Bobby from New Orleans...What the He!! are you talking about??? I am just saying, I am a black man - I am assuming you are as well - and I don't see a bigoted statement in the description of this picture. It actually is a statement to the rigidity of the "established" recreation facilities. Basically from what I can tell whoever the author was was saying that the "darkies" had more fun. As my godfather once said: "people with hate in their hearts see hate wherever they look". I think maybe you should look at your heart, what you find there may surprise you... "Freedom to be your best means nothing unless you're willing to do your best." (Colin Powell) Booze by the DrinkI grew up in North Carolina about this time, and made frequent trips to Ocean Drive, SC (known as OD to the intiated), which is now called North Myrtle Beach. Liquor was not available by the drink in the Carolinas except at private clubs, and most of that probably wasn't legal. There were a number of "beer bars" and dance halls like The Pad in OD that sold beer to those 18 and over. Underage guys would find an empty beer can, take it back to the bar and ask for another. Worked for me! But many of the people in this shot look well under 18 and they spent good money too. So there were a lot of places, known as family places, that sold just soft drinks. We don't have to drink to have a good time. And this is an example of seeing a market and catering to it. Smart! ShagdanceThere were "shag dance" places in both NC and SC where the races danced together. This particular dance seemed to bring all together and still does. The AB pack and earbudThe A/B battery pack was only used in tube radios, where the high voltage was the plate voltage and the lower voltage was for the filament. Transistors have no filament, and operate at much lower voltages. Regency was the first transistor radio on the market. They came with a warning to "never under any circumstances use a meter with more than 1.5 V on the probes in this radio" that gave service people fits. Some Regency owners would not even let a serviceman check the battery voltage! Like the Regency, most of the original transistor portable radios used a NEDA 216 9V battery, although a few used two to four AA cells. $79 to $99 for a name brand 4 tube battery portable is about right. Most of the Burgess and Eveready 90/7.5 V packs for Zenith portables cost $10.00 or so and lasted 15 to 20 hours of intermittent use. The 90/1.5V "farm packs" were the same price, but lasted a bit longer. Western Auto had farm packs in a tin can for $10.95, and had the reputation of lasting much longer. That earbud is a puzzler. That style was fairly common with hearing aids, which were usually carried in a shirt pocket, but not at all common with any sort of radio. In fact, many radios had no earphone jack. While that may be a pack of smokes in the man's pocket, I don't think so. And it's too short and too narrow for any of the popular transistor radios of the era. I think it's an early one tube hearing aid with a 22.5/1.5V battery pack, since I have seen them in cases that size. Knotty PineThe paneling tongue-and-groove knotty pine. Definitely from the past. The fellow with the ear bud is wearing a hearing aid. There was a kid in junior high with me in the 50's that wore one. He had a special pocket inside his shirt to hold the power pack. If he carried it in his shirt pocket, he had to keep it buttoned to keep the power pack from falling out. I have to wear hearing aids now, and thankfully, they have come a long way. Southern NightsI worked with a guy who in the '50s was an Airborne soldier stationed in SC. He said all the white bars played only country music. If Jazz or R&B was desired you had to go to a colored establishment. Since he is white this would have caused unpleasantness. If he wore his uniform there was never any trouble. He is a Northerner. I don't know if this would have worked for a white Southerner. Each one teach one While in the service in the south, Florida, to be exact, I had, as a white northerner, no inhibitions about where I partied. Many bottle shops, liquor out front, juke joint in back, had separate facilities for the two races. The white side was mostly angry drunks looking for a fight, while the 'colored' facilities had the best music, dancing and good times. Eventually, some of the rednecks would cautiously slip inside for the good vibe. But stay away from the gals, their boyfriends wouldn't hesitate to let you know the score. (Eateries & Bars, LIFE, Margaret Bourke-White)
Bathing Beauty Parade: 1927
... by Weaver, Los Angeles, rearranged into two tiers of Jazz Age pulchritude. View full size. Sweet 16 Miss Smith was born ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/30/2014 - 11:39am -

"Long Beach, California, Bathing Beauty Parade -- 1927." Panorama by Weaver, Los Angeles, rearranged into two tiers of Jazz Age pulchritude. View full size. Sweet 16Miss Smith was born in 1911 in Lansing, Michigan the daughter of Thomas Jefferson 1870-1948 and English born Ada Evans 1876-?, (married August 1st 1894, Flint). I can find her in the 1920 census in Lansing and in 1930 in Glendale CA, but after that I am not sure, there is a 29 year old Ada L Green married to a James A Green living in Dearborn MI working as a waitress on the 1940 census I hope someone (if they really want to) can do a bit better detective work than me. Who knewThat Vampira was ever in a beauty contest! Betty Boop?The young lass, perfectly placed in the center of the middle row in the top panel, could have been the model for Betty Boop -- who made her appearance a few years later. What Beauty!That should have been a question mark since one of the bathing beauties looks like she could be in a Halloween Parade. Bottom Picture, bottom row 5th from the left. [Is that a challenge to the colorists amongst us Catherine? - baxado] To Bob or Not to Bob?It looks like more aspiring bathing beauties were inspired by Mary Pickford than Louise Brooks in the hairstyle department! [Marceled moreso. -Dave] no chair climbing for me, thanksThe girl in the back row, straight up from the "A" in "BEAUTY" looks like she just couldn't get situated on her chair in time. But posed gallantly nonetheless. My pick of the bunch.....top pane, bottom row, six in from the left. She just looks like a fun happy young lady. All natural. Just love her hand position. Miss Glendale, 1927Otherwise known as Ada Levinia Smith, as per an article dated August 27, 1927 in the San Luis Obispo Daily Telegram and the Sept. 15, 1927, Torrance Herald, the latter of which is actually online and oddly ties this set of shots in with all the old California car shots we've seen of late on Shorpy. [Click to enlarge. -tterrace] Oh! One more thing...Ada Smith was 19 in the 1940 census, so you can probably do the math here. [She was 6 in 1927??? -tterrace] Whoops! I meant 1930. I tried to find her in 1940, but she most likely married her surname away (not that 'Smith' is a fun name to track people with), though her parents were still in Glendale at that point. IncongruityBathing suits and high-heels. Never could figure that combination. Fun with TextilesNot that 1920s swimwear is my area of expertise or anything, but I was surprised to see such variety in their swimming suits! There are a lot of great patterns there--and it's definitely one time when it would have been fun to see what they looked like in color. Deja VuAnother reminder of how bathing suits evolved from the styles of 1900-1910 to 1927, though some 'retro' models can be seen. Motley Lovelies. Photo bombs...even back then!Someone was getting an eyeful in the background! Playing Woulda, Shoulda, CouldaI turn this panorama of pulchritude into a delightful desktop image and have enjoyed playing my game and being amazed at the varying degrees of beauty shown here from the dainty miss to bored housewife to party girl to genuine beauties in any century to a few ladies I would ask to marry me if that were possible. (The Gallery, Los Angeles, Pretty Girls)
In the Groove: 1940
... fortunate he had been to make such a good living playing jazz. The only time I saw him erupt was when he heard that the New York Jazz Museum (on whose board we both served) was not paying less fortunate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/22/2013 - 10:53am -

1940. "Lana Turner and Artie Shaw with audio recording system in their Beverly Hills Home." Possibly rehearsing a movie script. Photo by Earl Theisen for the Look magazine article "Lana Turner and Artie Shaw at Home." View full size. About those wedding vowsA total of 14 marriages between the two of them, not counting their marriage to each other. You wouldn't think it to look at himArtie Shaw was a relentlessly successful ladies' man, at least until he married them. His eight marriages, not including a fling with Judy Garland, ended in six divorces and two annulments. Both Lana Turner and Ava Gardner, who had ample experience with difficult men, found Artie to be in a class by himself in that regard. Hi tech gearLooks like that tone arm is the kind that tracks horizontally, as opposed to the standard kind that change angle as the record plays. Heavy duty stuff. And I'll speculate on the basis only of the style of the cabinet, that the system is a high end one made by Scott. Pure guess. [That's a cutting head, not a tone arm. As noted in the caption, this is recording equipment. -Dave] Artie Shaw used to say"These people [the press] always want to talk about my marriages. I've had lousy marriages, but some great divorces—nobody wants to talk about them." He was a nice man who knew how fortunate he had been to make such a good living playing jazz. The only time I saw him erupt was when he heard that the New York Jazz Museum (on whose board we both served) was not paying less fortunate musicians for playing there, "because they'll do it free anyway." I wish I had a recording of his response! The fact that he was chosen to present me with a Grammy many years ago still means more to me than the trophy itself. The metal box on the couchOh wait, she's rich so it's probably a divan, but I digress. Wonder what's in the box, either part of the record cutter or enough cigarettes to last them the next hour or two? A pricey item!That home recording machine likely cost about what most people paid for new automobiles in 1940. My own parents' Pacific Palisades wedding ceremony was somehow recorded on thin silver wire by a tech-savy friend of theirs in that same general era. It lasted, though their marriage sadly didn't. Great First Person InfoChris Albertson, I really enjoyed your story of your experiences with Artie Shaw and to me those personal ties to the subject matter adds to the enjoyment of this site. And Lana Turner, wow what a beauty. The house is BookedJust Saturday I heard an interview with Booker T. Jones, who said he had bought Lana Turner's former house, across the street from Bob Dylan. She probably had as many homes as husbands, but maybe this is the same one! I Still Can't Get OverThe fact that Lana Turner was only 19 in these pictures posted recently! Acetate Disc RecorderAlthough this staged publicity shot of Lana Turner and Artie "at home" is fascinating, I'm that much more curious about their expensive acetate disc recorder in its custom cedar cabinet. "Broadcast quality" recording devices were very new and mostly seen only in the biggest radio corporation studios and in Hollywood sound departments. The so-called acetate discs were actually thin wafers of aluminum coated in nitro-cellulose lacquer, and the recording cutter engraved the sound grooves into the lacquer. These discs were very fragile and could only be played with soft styluses made from fiber or cactus spines. Several companies began to produce disk recorders for home or office use in the late 1930s, but they were very pricy novelties and the discs deteriorated easily. Here is a 1940 recording equipment catalog page, found online at the Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording site. Serious LatheThat is a professional looking record cutting lathe, quite possibly a Presto. The oddly crude cabinet appears to have been custom made to house the lathe since it does not look like anything I've seen turned out by the traditional home entertainment companies, particularly the high-end companies. The wood almost looks like cedar (which would be a curious choice) or more likely redwood. Perhaps it was chosen to match some paneling out of camera view. The MicrophoneThe microphone is an American Model D 8T manufactured by the American Microphone Co. of Los Angeles. (Technology, LOOK, Movies)
Fender, Roads: 1942
... Musically amusing My son is a keyboardist in a jazz trio. I don't think he's much for old photos but he will appreciate the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2021 - 3:29pm -

April 1942. Beaverhead County, Montana. "Road into Bannack, Montana's first capital." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Geez --At first I thought it was a pencil sketch, incredible photograph. A new favorite. RepurposedOn Fender Road, I chanced upon a couple of 1966 Jensen C12Ns for my old Tremolux. Looks like a Thomas Hart BentonHe painted some Montana landscapes that resemble this photo. A particularly artful captionwill not go unappreciated. I don't see the piano Witty headline. I like it. A Great Musical ReferenceEspecially for us former musicians who had to lug one of those around! Piano reference.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_piano The key question:Did they have a suitcase? Musically amusingMy son is a keyboardist in a jazz trio. I don't think he's much for old photos but he will appreciate the play on words when I share this with him. Following the shipSo, now we see that all the way through the northern Midwest, John Vachon was steering behind a chrome Mayflower. It makes me wonder if that's his 1937 Plymouth photobombing the main street of Hettinger. I dunno, though. The side vent on the hood of the Hettinger car looks more like a '38. But with the snow obscuring the hood ornament, we can't be completely sure it's even a Plymouth. Fender. Clouds. Road.Outstanding reflections! Vachon Keeps Amazing MeI think I'd seen John Vachon's name a few times before you started Shorpy, but you've planted him firmly among my favorite American photographers. This one is just stunning, as different as can be from his great Times Square 1943 shot (original AND colorized) but just as memorable. So, let me see ...Where is the car? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Landscapes, On the Road)
Y.W.C.A.: 1919
... My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me" by Ted Lewis & His Jazz Band blast out of the Victrola. This is gonna become a hot party. Disk ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2012 - 11:40am -

1919. "Young Women's Christian Association. Scenes at YWCA camp." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Bor-ingI've never seen a more bored looking group of people. Such a happy bunchThe girls in the front are tearing out pages to make paper hats for this equally-festive shindig: https://www.shorpy.com/node/4025. [That was my first thought, too! Then I realized it was a different house. - Dave] Nice to be acknowledgedWhat a wonderful photo. I love how the gaze of just one pair of eyes draws the viewer back in for a second look at an otherwise passive scene. Grandma's blouseI have a portrait of my grandmother taken the year she graduated, 1919, wearing one of those blouses with the black tie. I love this calm quiet-time scene. PicnicLooks like a scene from "Picnic at Hanging Rock." Only twenty years to goOf course they're bored - it's 1919. They've got the satellite dish but TV hasn't been invented yet. Single Tasking....My daughter is at a similar age to these girls and were she sitting on this porch she'd likely be on the cell phone, doing a little texting in between calls, iTouching to check Facebook, to write on someone's "Wall," listening to her MP3 player, and reading a teen magazine while watching TV. I think its WONDERFUL that they are taking a break, single tasking, and experiencing a contemplative moment. I expect that in a few moments they will be off for a hike or a rousing game of crochet. [Or a take-no-prisoners round of croquet. - Dave] Such Sweet NeglectThis picture is such a nice contrast to the buttoned-up class portraits from the same era we've been looking at recently. Mind you, I'm all for a polished appearance when it's called for, but it's a refreshing change sometimes. The girls are totally relaxed, their hair is falling our of its confines, their middies are wrinkled, they're slouching and sitting cross-legged, and they're totally happy and charming. It makes me think of the old Ben Jonson poem: Still to be neat, still to be dressed, As you were going to a feast; Still to be powdered, still perfumed; Lady, it is to be presumed, Though art's hid causes are not found, All is not sweet, all is not sound. Give me a look, give me a face That makes simplicity a grace; Robes losely flowing, hair as free; Such sweet neglect more taketh me Than all th' adulteries of art. They strike mine eyes but not my heart. Ah yes...But wait till the first notes of "Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me" by Ted Lewis & His Jazz Band blast out of the Victrola. This is gonna become a hot party. Disk JockeyThink the DJ is spinning the latest Britney CD? Musical interlude...Cheer up girls, the Charleston is on its way! Bor-ing?Apparently Anon Tipster would find me colossally boring. Sitting on a porch reading quietly without being enslaved by my cell phone and my work-issued laptop is my idea of heaven -- and it's what most of my vacations look like. On the contrary, this group of teenagers with no iPods, Blackberries, GameBoys, or telephones looks a lot happier -- and a thousand times less stressed-out -- than the teens I work with every day. Bor-ing, Bor-ingAnon didn't say they were boring. He didn't say they were bored. He said they *looked* bored. "Happy" is not the word I'd use to describe the look of this group. They look as though they are having their picture taken and they are all trying to look interested for that occasion. I expect the teens of 90 years later have a lot more stress on them than did these girls on the porch. Needs a Soundtrack"I'm so stoned" "Me too" "huh? "When's the pizza gonna get here?" "Knitting sucks. Let's go inside and watch American Idol" HauntingI just found this site and I am hooked! The girl on the far left holding her leg looks exactly like my youngest daughter. Uncanny. (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing, Kids)
Hollywood Hopefuls: 1925
... rouge my knees and roll my stockings down ... and all that jazz." - From "Chicago," the musical (and, yes, the movie) Rolled hose ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/17/2008 - 5:25pm -

May 25,1925. "Applicants to Paramount Motion Picture School." View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Paramount Movie SchoolThe girl with long hair looks so much like my mother at that age, it has me spooked. I can't stop staring at her. Standing & sittingThe poor "applicant" standing in the back on the left looks spooked by the camera. And check out the patterned hose of the girl in the front! Why were the hose rolled down like that? It couldn't have been very comfortable. This picture also reminds me that as a child I heard my grandmother say she was going to put on hose. I remember thinking that her leg would never fit in a garden hose! SmileBoo-poop-ba-do Swimsuits?Is this the swimsuit competition? Those outfits don't look like dresses to me. The winners......okay, so we know from the later photo taken of winners & judges that the lovely young lady with the long braid was a winner, as well as the heavier, frizzier gal with the beautiful smile. (It's hard to believe that the sultry one in back with the bold paisley-type suit didn't get a movie contract!) Oh, and as for the tomboy in the back...those shoes have GOT to go--at first glance, it looked like she had cloven hooves! These poor girls must have been freezing. They're sitting on their winter coats, and all of the judges, male and female, are all snug and warm. Rolled HoseI read somewhere (The Great Gatsby or some Hemingway novel?) that rolled hose were quite the daring fashion statement for a time. It was the kind of thing the mom of a teenage girl would freak out about at the time. Kind of like umm... hmm, no, it seems like moms of teenage girls have an "anything goes" policy these days. BobbedOnly fast girls bob their hair! StockingsMy mother's family had a housekeeper in 1922 who remained a friend of the family all her life. I remember "Auntie Gail" turning down her hose in just the same way in the 1960's! I think it was a more expedient and comfortable alternative to a garter belt. Rolled Down"I'm gonna rouge my knees and roll my stockings down ... and all that jazz." - From "Chicago," the musical (and, yes, the movie) Rolled hoseThere have been several different pictures here that show young women with their stockings rolled and it made me wonder so I asked my 90 year old mother in law about it. She and her 93 year old friend both said yes, sure we both did, you put a rubber band around the stocking near the top and then rolled them down to where you wanted. Turned Down HoseThese Shorpy pics have finally made made sense of a song lyric for me. In "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" I never understood the line "Turned up nose, turned down hose." I guess it means she was up-to-date and fashionable. My grandmother was a flapper who scandalized her Victorian father when she had her waist-length hair cut into a bob. I never thought to ask if she rolled her stockings. (The Gallery, Movies, Natl Photo)
Fox the Hatter: 1910
... fans? Back in the '20s Johnny DeDroit led the house jazz band at Kolb's. DeDroit made a few recordings for Okeh in '24 and '25. In ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 3:48pm -

New Orleans circa 1910. "St. Charles Avenue from Canal Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Nattiest & Newest 1899 Advertisement Fox, The Hatter, All the Nattiest, Newest, Best Made Headgear on the Market. Fashionable and Up-To-Date Styles. Umbrellas and Walking Canes, A Specialty. Frank Fox, the Hatter. I don't know FoxBut I've purchased several hats at Meyer the Hatter, 120 St. Charles. They've been around since 1894. What, no dentist?This may be the first business district shot I've seen on Shorpy that didn't have a dentist's sign in it. Hard to find a good dentist when you need one. And nowKolb's is still there although the sign has been updated. Looks like there is still a restaurant where Fabacher's was. Interestingly, the street looks narrower now than it did in the 1910 picture but there's still a streetcar in the modern shot. +98Below is the same view from September of 2008. Look Behind You!Turn 180 degrees and you'd see the scene posted here 5/6/2010 and find out more about Peter Fabacher, Jax Beer, and other pearls of wisdom. Get your shoes shined !!!I love the street side shoe shine chair on the right side before the intersection. Business enduranceGreat to see that German restaurant Kolb is still in the same building in 2008, although now called Kolbs. More about Kolbs, now in its 111th year: http://old-new-orleans.com/NO_Kolbs.html [The restaurant is long gone. See above. - Dave] Meyer, Kolb, and DeDroitI still go to Meyer to get my hats. Alas, while the sign for Kolb's German Restaurant was preserved, the restaurant is long gone. The last time I ate there about 1993 the interior still looked almost exactly like the below early 20th century postcard. One interesting aspect of the decor was the system of ceiling fans, which Mr. Kolb had acquired from the 1884 World Fair. I wonder what happened to those fans? Back in the '20s Johnny DeDroit led the house jazz band at Kolb's. DeDroit made a few recordings for Okeh in '24 and '25. In his old age DeDroit said he thought the records turned out lousy, but they sound good to me. A big fanKolb's was a restaurant that closed sometime shortly after 1992. It featured an amazing ceiling fan system where eight or so fans were all linked by belts and driven (slowly) by one central motor. Pokorny Shoe StoreI'm new to this site and just saw this photo. Two businesses shown across from Fox the Hatter are M. Pokorny & Sons, which had their mens shoe store in that location for a century before it was destroyed by fire in 1984. Next door to Pokorny's is the Stafford Hat store, owned by Mose Levey (who married one of the Pokorny daughters). The Pokorny family also had a real estate investment company and at the company's height in the 1920s owned about a third of the properties on St. Charles Ave. between Canal and Poydras, including the Liberty Theater (another photo on this site) and the property where Whitney Bank is today. The full list of properties is with the Pokorny papers archived in Tulane's special collections. (The Gallery, DPC, New Orleans, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Walter Davison and His Louisville Loons
... Publicity photo c. 1935 for my great-great uncle's sweet jazz band, Walter Davison and His Louisville Loons. Walter, the big Irishman at left, fell in love with jazz sometime in the teens when he was managing a player piano company, for ... 
 
Posted by Mgmax - 09/25/2009 - 12:30pm -

Publicity photo c. 1935 for my great-great uncle's sweet jazz band, Walter Davison and His Louisville Loons. Walter, the big Irishman at left, fell in love with jazz sometime in the teens when he was managing a player piano company, for whom he played the original rolls on a marking piano from which the templates for the production rolls would be cut. The company released Jelly Roll Morton's piano rolls and it's entirely possible they were actually played by Walter imitating Morton. In the 20s he started a band-- actually he was from Detroit-- and they had a good decade or so of success as a house band at various picture palaces and so on, also recording a few sides for Columbia in the mid-20s. The band disbanded around 1936 and Walter went to work for Ford in the advertising department; at the time of his death he was president of a Grosse Pointe country club, which is surely a unique end in the annals of Jazz! View full size. Jazzy!What a great story and photo. I love the giant dice and the band members' spiffy shoes. Walt DavisonWalter played the piano all of the time at our house. Because of him I play the piano today. Thanks Walter!!! The Loons!Very nice to find another connection to the Louisville Loons! That is my grandfather behind Walter - the gentleman standing w/his hands in his pockets. His name was Joseph Bruce - he used the stage name Joe Barrons at times when played w/the Loons. I have some additional photos of the group if you're interested. Walter is my great grandfatherI would love more photos if you have them or recordings of his music. send anything you have to jdavison67@myfairpoint.net (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Music)
Way Station: 1943
... mark a little: The guy leaning against the radiator is a jazz musician, he plays the sax. You are right about the guy with the open ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/13/2015 - 10:16am -

January 1943. "Chicago, Illinois. Waiting for trains in the concourse of the Union Station." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Which one is it? Pt 2You are close davidk but off the mark a little: The guy leaning against the radiator is a jazz musician, he plays the sax. You are right about the guy with the open paper buts he's an FBI agent keeping tabs on the older gentleman leaning against the pole with the poster. He's Paddy O'Brian of the Irish Mafia and he runs a speak easy on Dearborn Ave. The girl in the center looking at the camera is Roxy (aka Sally from Kansas) the next big star to hit town. PS My first ever post..I love Shorpy If I was there then...I'd wonder, "How would people like to buy suitcases with wheels on them?" The Architect of this Station... must have played with Erector sets when he was a kid. Which one is it?The Nazi spy is definitely the man on the left in the fedora and overcoat, leaning on the radiator, affecting the nonchalant pose. The person on his tail is the similarly dressed man, central, in the background, with the open newspaper. Defintely a time gone byI can almost smell the cigar smoke. Much Ado About Nothing but funActually davidk, the newspaper reader and the man leaning on the radiator are both FBI. They are watching the group in the middle, who are waiting for their contact with the stolen diamonds to smuggle out of the country. On the right is Mugs Malone, former "almost" heavyweight champ and now muscle for the mob. Center is Donna Reed in her cute little boots and brains of the outfit. Behind her is Humphrey Bogart, an insurance investigator pretending to be a tough gang member. If you look quickly between the paper reader and the man with the satchel (containing the diamonds), a disguised Charley Chan is following the real Nazi spy. Parmelee Transfer Worked Like MagicYou may have only had an hour for a train connection in Chicago between different station, but Parmelee Transfer would get you and your luggage to your connection on time. Long goneI used Chicago Union Station for many years, 1965 - 1997, commuting to and from my work. I vaguely remember the old, spacious concourse. Most of my memories are of the 'new' concourse, as Milamber2431 says, under a skyscraper. The term I have heard for the new concourse was "Chicago Union Basement" - which unfortunately fits. The ceiling is very low, and the space is broken up. No comparisonto either of the NYC stations. This looks like something thrown together over a feverish weekend, just to keep the passengers free from rain. The two NYC stations look like something grand, this shabby and morose. Going back 50+ years, I remember taking the train to Milwaukee, and likely walked somewhere near. The floor was paved with 'get-er-done-quick' asphalt. The Two FedsJumped right out at me in the unenlarged photo, they are too conspicuously casual. Tall man is packing a shoulder holster, evidenced by the bulge in his overcoat. His target has not yet arrived. Marcy, in her pretty white boots, is the decoy. Alfred Hitchcock, to the right of the poster, is awaiting his cameo. Neon SignThe neon sign pointing to the "Street Cars" is a mate to one we have that says "To Trains" with a similar arrow. Ours also came out of Union Station and hangs in our hallway pointing the way to the nearby Metra station. Tracks are still there, concourse is goneThis photo shows the south side of the concourse. The doors on the left lead to the south-bound train platforms (note signs for track numbers 8 and 12). If you walked through those doors in January 1943 you would be here. The east side of the concourse was seen here. The west side of the concourse was seen here. Union Station actually has more traffic today than in the 40s, though it's mostly commuters. Trains board at the same spot pictured above, but the expansive concourse is gone. It's all underneath a 1970s skyscraper. Composition, Noir. . . cries out for half-silly scenarios, and, bless 'em, the Shorpites have provided them. Even so, it's a strikingly beautiful compo. No ComparisonTo: tomincantonga. The concourse was the equivalent to the train shed of other stations. Penn Station's concourse had a similar beams, girders and rivets appearance. If you want to see grandeur comparable to the New York stations, find photos of Union Station Headhouse's Great Hall--which fortunately still exists. The Concourse, which is not shown to best advantage in this shot, was actually pretty grand itself. It was in a separate building from the Headhouse. The Headhouse contained the vast Great Hall, ticket offices, restaurants, barber shops, bars, lounges, jail, etc. The Concourse and Headhouse were connected via a passageway under Canal Street. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Room and Bird: 1936
... cage" Bebop on down to Birdland New Orleans. Jazz. SAINT CHARLES. Who needs a gilded cage? Am I Psyhic or Psycho This ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:31pm -

January 1936. "New Orleans architecture. Cast-iron grillwork house near Lee Circle on Saint Charles Avenue." Large-format nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. $2I forgot to make reservations this year for the Mardi Gras parades, do you think I can still get the advertised rate? TweetDid anyone else search every square inch of the grillwork looking for the bird? [Hello? They're right in front of your nose. - Dave] Re: TweetI, too, searched for the elusive bird, never thinking to look IN the window. Guess my super-sleuthing abilities are somewhat less than super. Conservative Chimney...It leans to the right. And it's singing . . "I'm only a bird in a gilded cage" Bebop on down to BirdlandNew Orleans. Jazz. SAINT CHARLES. Who needs a gilded cage? Am I Psyhic or PsychoThis image looks to me to be a repeat. The frontal scene and especially the ornate grillwork struck a memory chord. However, I searched Shorpy using various combinations of caption words or phrases (cast-iron, grillwork, ornate, etc.) to no avail. Is this the same of smilar to a posted picture in, say, the past 6 months? (Should I mention that I have been having vivid and interesting dreams of late?) [Did you search for "Orleans"? - Dave] Chez IgnatiusSweet mercy. When I see pictures of the glorious past of New Orleans, my first thought is: How in the living hell did they stand the heat in the summer? Yes, I know. As my mother whose clan is from New Orleans says, they were much tougher folks in those bygone days. I just bet they were. But I guarantee I smell better than any of them after a long, sticky, hot summer night spent in my air conditioned home rather than sprawled out on the front porch because it was too damn hot to sleep inside. Motel 2The $2 room is the one overhanging the alleyway with floor about to give way and wrapped in high-voltage wiring! Lake PontchartrainIn a gentler time, during the New Orleans summer, thousands of people would sleep out on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. (The Gallery, New Orleans, Walker Evans)
Royal Crown: 1941
... was the scene of Miami's hottest night life (think jazz) up 'til the late '40s and early '50s when the Model Cities urban renewal ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:33pm -

Somewhere in the South, possibly Miami. Another snap by Daly from the summer of 1941. Medium format nitrate negative. View full size. Refreshing - DeliciousPa-Pi-A I'd love to see this photo in color! OvertownThis photo was almost assuredly shot on NW 1st Place in Miami's oldest black neighborhood. Called Overtown by the locals, it was officially designated as "Colored Town" when the city was incorporated in 1896. Overtown was the scene of Miami's hottest night life (think jazz) up 'til the late '40s and early '50s when the Model Cities urban renewal projects changed its character. Today it's pretty much ghetto, with only about a fifth of its pre-war population. Here's a shot of 1526 NW 1st Place today: Want a drink?I counted: Sun Spot, Vanti (pa-pi-a)Coca Cola, MB root beer, Delaware Punch, RC cola, Nehi, 7up, seems people were thirsty back then. Pride of the RegimentThe soft drinks ads are closely paced by those for tobacco products. Cigars listed are Tampa Nugget, El Producto, and John Ruskin, while smoking tobacco is represented by Model and George Washington Cut Plug. Cigarettes seen are Avalon, Camel, Kools, and the classic ad for Raleigh. Lots of signsIn today's collector's market those signs would be worth a small fortune! The Raleigh girlis hott Did the building cross the street?The 6 appears to be painted over a 7. I knew about Sir Walter Raleigh cigarettes, but I never knew about John Ruskin cigars. Why can't we have product names like that anymore? Walker Evans?It appears Daly shot this pic but I would swear that Walker Evans was standing behind the lens. Raleighs and AvalonsRed Skelton started doing his comedy show for Raleigh (not Sir Walter Raleigh - that was their pipe tobacco brand) Cigarettes starting in September 1941, with Harriet Hilliard and bandleader Ozzie Nelson. Before that Skelton appeared on Avalon Time, sponsored by Avalon Cigarettes. Avalons were a budget cigarette selling for 10 cents a pack. BC powders BC powders are still sold widely down South! Being a Northerner I never knew about them till I resided in Nashville for a spell! Yes they do work but the powders need a chase of a mint julep or laced sweet tea! (The Gallery, Bicycles, Miami, Stores & Markets)
On the Beat: 1915
... Also included in their ranks are a percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble and steel drum ensemble. Check them out here: ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 5:27pm -

New York City circa 1910-1920. "Police Orchestra." Another view of New York's finest. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. The boys in the bandI never heard of a police department having an orchestra! Do large police departments still have such things?? The PoliceDo large police departments still have such things??... Sure they do, they even have special police band radios. And they occasionally include perps singing their lungs out. Maybe..they put you in the orchestra when you got to old to chase down perps. Toronto Police BandThe Toronto Police Service has had a band continuously since 1926, and it is still in full swing. It occasionally plays gigs in the U.S. in the summertime, largely at the bandsmen's personal expense. I think police bands/orchestras were once quite common in North American cities. New York Police Band Then and NowFormed in 1903 discontinued in 1954. Reinstated in 1991 and still going strong. Also included in their ranks are a percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble and steel drum ensemble. Check them out here: http://www.policeband.org/ No, Probably Not DanceableBrass and woodwind bands were featured in the early days of recording, simply because they came across better, volume-wise, on the cylinders and discs better than, say, a solo piano did. For the same reason, Vaudeville performers like Billy Murray, Bert Williams, Al Jolson, and Sophie Tucker made a lot of hit records because they could really "belt" a number into the recording horn. And it would come out well on the other side. I don't have anything by a Police Band, but the Sousa and Edison and Victor Military bands probably sounded much the same. Examples are available by request, at the Pilsner's Picks page on MySpace. Which is me. New friends are always welcome. From Bullets to Bar ChordsYes, police departments still have such things. Some bands even get so good that they quit being policemen and go professional as in the case of the Norfolk Southern Lawmen. http://www.norfolksouthernlawmen.com/ Bad Conduct?The conductor's had more than his fair share of donuts. The back row gets a photo of its ownYesterday's "Police Brass" photo had the tuba players, all of whom (I think) can be seen and rear/center in the band's photo -- apparently in the same left-to-right order. On the left is one of those bell-up sousaphones, on the right the bell-forward ones. True tuba geeks will notice, in yesterday's photo, all the four-valve instruments (rather than three) -- a true "premium" model. Further tuba trivia: my local professional tubist identifies most of yesterday's instruments as made by Conn or Holton. Lots of bands My utility company had a band at the beginning of the century, composed of streetcar conductors and linemen. Most of the Southern mills fielded baseball teams in the minor leagues. There were much better opportunities for cheap family entertainment back then. Yeah, but you could dance to it?With all that brass and woodwind, I'm thinking they specialized in marches. Kind of hard to waltz or even polka to the beat of a big brass band. NYPD OrchestraIf Louis Armstrong were a NYC Police Officer there would have been no place for him in that orchestra. That would have been true for just about any city in the country. New York's FinestThis band was very good, from recorded evidence. The New York City Police Band made at least one record contemporary with this photo: Victor Herbert's "American Fantasy" on Brunswick 2007, recorded in July 1920, of which I have a copy. The performance is first-class, equal to any of the professional bands of the day, and Brunswick's recording technique is surprisingly lively, considering the company had just really begun full scale lateral record production. The group used in the recording studio would have been considerably smaller than that shown in the photograph. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Music, NYC)
Champagne Music: 1957
... The sum was less than the parts My father, who led jazz and dance bands in the 1920s and '30s, was an habitual watcher of Welk's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/10/2014 - 10:23am -

April 1957. "Entertainer Lawrence Welk playing accordion with the Lennon Sisters." (Or, as he would introduce them, "The lovely little Lennon Sisters.") Color transparency by Earl Theisen for the Look magazine assignment "Lawrence Welk: Nobody Likes Him Except the Public." View full size. String sectionDid the Tailor misplace his/her Scissors? It is now 57 years laterAnd they are still airing his shows on PBS on Saturday nights. The public sometimes made fun of him and his corny entertainment but it seems quite remarkable that people are still fascinated with his brand of innocent amusement, even after all this time. You were able to watch his shows with audiences from infancy to elderly, without worrying about offending anyone, a rarity today. So what if the band wore orange, red or yellow tuxedos, their performances were fun. Not so badThey may have played schmaltzy bland arrangements of a lot of stuff, but on occasion the band decided to really swing. And when they did they showed off the very solid musicianship they all possessed. Darn good band! And please, it was the LUFFLY Liddle Lennon Sisters! Stop the bubble machine!The thing I hate is that about a month after this photo was taken, NBC cancelled Sid Caesar because Welk's ABC show was clobbering him in the ratings. On the other hand, Welk inspired one of Stan Freberg's funniest records, so there's that. Yup, not so bad at allWatch for the occasions when guitarist Neil Levang gets to cut loose. Very accomplished guy, funny suits notwithstanding. The sum was less than the partsMy father, who led jazz and dance bands in the 1920s and '30s, was an habitual watcher of Welk's TV programs. When I asked him once how he could abide such schmaltz, he replied that while the arrangements were often pedestrian and Welk's stage personality unbearably ingratiating, the quality of his sidemen was extraordinary. Even Myron Floren, who played an instrument my father could not ordinarily abide, got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from one who by then had become in most of his views the consummate curmudgeon. Fond memoriesUntil his death about 7 years ago, I played next to a lovely old man who had played clarinet and tenor sax in a number of famous dance and swing bands during the 1930s and 40s. He was so humble and encouraging to a fellow clarinetist of modest skill and talent who never rose above community band level. I, on the other hand, was awed by his tales of his musical past. He claimed he was no longer the musician he once had been but I played beside him long enough to know he never missed a note. When he played Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax" on his tenor sax he just about knocked me out of my chair. He told me that once when his group finished a late night gig at a dance hall, Louis Armstrong up showed with his trumpet. They all jammed the rest of the night. I've known a lot of musicians and was never impressed a whit by them. But this man truly impressed me. But he had his limits. He told me that around 1950 he was asked to join Lawrence Welk's orchestra. "I told them, 'Absolutely not'," he said to me. "I never could stand that champagne bubble music." Alice Lon (1926-1981)"The Champagne Lady" was still my 90 year old paternal grandfather's favorite Lawrence Welk performer in this year! He did enjoy the Lennon Sisters, though, as we sat in our rockers in front of the fire watching on his metal Firestone with rabbit ears. For those only familiar with the schmaltzy music, here is 25 year old Welk's (born in 1903) first recording from 1928, playing in the much hotter style than which was popular later: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u66wBebZQ3Y Another stellar talent on his show from 1953 to 1959 was Dick Kesner and his Magic Stradivarius. I was taking violin lessons then and my music teacher and I would both rhapsodize every week during my lesson about the beautiful solo he had performed during the weekend show. Sadly, Dick was killed in a car accident just a couple of blocks from his home not to long after this show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8jP5PI-hFc And a-One and a-Two!A few years ago, I corresponded by email with a former Welk rhythm guitar player, and he was very proud, and rightfully so, of the quality of the players in that organization. Worth looking for online is the Welk Show boy-girl duo singing One Toke Over The Line. It's a classic! Wunerful! Wunerful!The only way I knew about Lawrence Welk was Stan Freberg's spoof on him. It's nice to see what he actually looked like, with his bubbles. The Lennon SistersAh, the Lennon Sisters -- they were my favorite paper dolls as a kid, and I never missed them on Lawrence Welk show: Dianne, Peggy, Kathy, and Janet. Janet and Kathy still sometimes perform with younger sister Mimi. There were eleven children in the family all told, so the money the girls received no doubt came in handy (scale wages). They probably got a commission on the paper dolls too! They appeared regularly on The Andy Williams Show later. Lucky little girlMy mom and dad loved this show; I even received Lennon Sister paper dolls for Christmas one year. Nix on Welk"Nobody liked him etc." My mother, a classical pianist, forbade us from watching this show. You should have seen what happened if we switched by the channel while JoAnn Castle was playing and paused too long to watch. My mother is gone. I now watch the show every Saturday night and enjoy it very much. (The Gallery, LOOK, Music, TV)
Good Night, Mrs. Calabash: 1952
... Jimmy the Jazzer Jimmy Durante was a member of an early jazz group called The Original New Orleans Jazz Band in 1918-1919. He was the only non-New Orleanian in the group. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/06/2013 - 12:44am -

1952. Jimmy Durante rehearsing for the "Colgate Comedy Hour" or "All-Star Revue." Photos by Maurice Terrell and Earl Theisen for a Look magazine article about the TV producer Sam Fuller, "He Keeps Them Happy." View full size. Ham it upThe exaggerated facial mugging was the norm for a dancing girl on that show. On the old kinescopes you can see the dancers projecting a huge amount of personality, and to a very charming effect. Those gals were more than just decorations, they were personalities. Add to that mix that it took a very extreme expression to come through at all on those old TV sets. And as we see here the body language was no less exaggerated. In early TV you had to play to the last row as much as in Vaudeville. Inka Dinka DooWe had our first television in 1950, I believe, a 12 inch Admiral. I was way too young then to fully appreciate some of the remarkable entertainers in those early days of the medium---which was really just an extension of vaudeville. Durante was one of them of course, and other names like Milton Berle, Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca and Burns and Allen come to mind. Keep in mind this stuff was all live, which ruled out second and third takes. Yet week after week these extraordinary people pulled it off to the delight of millions. Sid Caesar once mentioned in an interview that frequently the writers (Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, among others) for Your Show of Shows would be writing material for the last half of the program at the start of it. Regarding Berle, my understanding is that every program was recorded on 16 mm film, and it was all kept in a storage room at NBC. Then some upwardly mobile executive type decided the space would be better used for one of his pet projects, and he ordered all the Berle film burned. As for the Schnoz, I’ll always remember him signing off singing, “I’ll See You in My Dreams” on a darkened stage, with him in the center of a spotlight beam. And when he had finished the last note, it was, “Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.” The spotlight then went dark, and we were ushered into a Pard dog food commercial, or some other such thing. What a guy!My grandfather, born in 1898, recalled seeing Jimmy and a partner entertaining in a beer garden in Coney Island. This must have been in the summer of 1919, just after my grandfather returned from Europe and WWI. They were both troupers. HilariousHis turn in "The Man Who Came to Dinner" has always been a favorite. Great talent! Also had a nice role in "It Happened in Brooklyn", but more of a straight role, no major buffoonery, just a nice normal fellow. And, of course, "It's a MMMM World" was/is a classic. Up FrontI often wonder how it's decided who gets to be in the front line of dancers and who gets relegated to the back. In this case it would be an easy choice--the young woman on the left almost outshines Mr. Durante, which is no small feat. The TrioFrom the vaudeville days: it was Clayton, Jackson, and Durante. They had various combinations over the years. You can catch them on You Tube. Jimmy the JazzerJimmy Durante was a member of an early jazz group called The Original New Orleans Jazz Band in 1918-1919. He was the only non-New Orleanian in the group. Scary?As a tiny child, I thought his "Ahtchhaaaaachhhaaaachaaa" move was a bit scary. Now I wonder why. Kid brains are weird. (LOOK, TV)
Everybody Hustle: 1925
... 1925. "Holy Name office group." An impressive array of Jazz Age office equipment and hairstyles. National Photo Co. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/15/2011 - 12:30pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Holy Name office group." An impressive array of Jazz Age office equipment and hairstyles. National Photo Co. View full size. I see Harry Potterin Drag. The woman on the far rightjust got a humorous email from woman third from left. LOL. Theodore Roosevelt MemorialI believe the "Red Wheel Taxi Company" ad to the left shows an artist's rendering of John Russell Pope's Theodore Roosevelt Memorial design of 1925. This memorial was never funded by Congress and Pope went on to design the Jefferson Memorial in the same location years later. It would be interesting to find the original design of the TR Memorial and compare. [The taxi ad shows Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery. - Dave] I stand corrected. I was looking for something close to the heart of DC and should have "crossed the river" during my search before posting. Thank you for the info. Don't want to work there!Must be a busy place, four supervisors for six clerks and a sign extolling the employees to work faster! I wonder what it was really like? CursiveEven in so mundane a setting as that, beautiful penmanship seems to have been part and parcel of everyone's existence! The artistic flourish in that capital "A" is worthy of framing! HeyI think she's shopping on eBay! Slurp.Is that a dog's water bowl on the floor to the left? Do the Hustle!Let me get my leisure suit, disco ball and sideburns -- oops, wrong decade! Terrific picture. It makes me thankful that I have my own desk and office! Clothing and woodworkingMany of the photographs on Shorpy, from much earlier times, show the clothing of the period, but especially the respect that office workers, and others had for their job, etc. Another aspect of many photographs is that they show such wonderful woodworking and respective detail. More modern times, as well as current construction, exhibits a variety of detail taken from many periods in history. New ideas and designs can provide a fresh look at the use of wood and other materials. Platen PonderingI wonder why it took so many years from the invention of the typewriter (1870) before they were manufactured with cases that enclosed the mechanicals? Certainly a case would cut down on the noise the machine made, and would prevent (especially) dirt and dust from gumming up the works. Next I'm going to ponder why all women's shoes of the 1920s had straps. (The Gallery, D.C., The Office)
A Little Night Music
... had them. Great picture. I have a LP collection of jazz from the 1950s and early 1960s. Reading the covers gives you an attachment ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 01/24/2013 - 7:02pm -

tterrace here to report that in this, another unlabeled Kodachrome from the "Linda" series, our music-loving friend is about to enjoy (and unfortunately is touching the playing surface of) an LP of one of the top items in the classical hit parade, Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor. This performance, with Walter Gieseking, piano, and Herbert von Karajan conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, was originally recorded at Kingsway Hall, London, by EMI on June 6 and 11, 1951. It was licensed to USA's Columbia Records, which released this album in late December 1951 as ML 4431, selling for $5.45. His player appears to be a 1950 Steelman "Quartet" Model 515 portable, one of their "better buys," priced at $29.95. Definitely not hi-fi, but perhaps this is an example of the stopgap that many of the time employed, their older behemoth radio/phono consoles unable to accommodate the relatively new long-playing record, introduced by Columbia in 1948. I'd like to think this was a Christmas present. View full size. Player and recordSteelman "Quartet" and Columbia ML 4431 VTF in ounces, not gramsConsidering the weight of the tone arm on that Steelman touching the records surface was the least of his worries. Columbia Record "Club"Remember the Columbia Record Club? They'd send a new recording (I belonged to the Classical Music option) once a month or so. I would send the record back and they would send me a bill, or I would accept the record and they wouldn't send me a bill. Finally quit sending the recordings back and they dropped me from their mailing list. Those were the days. Christmas season?Small tree in the window. In the 1960s my dad picked up a portable Motorola stereo phonograph player that had detachable speakers. You uncoupled them from the sides of the cabinet and could pull them out as far as the cable would allow, but that was easily 6-8 feet on each side. Dad modified the amplifier so that he could plug a microphone into a jack he added on the side and use it as a PA system. He and mom then took the stereo to a few PTA parties and kids' dances and school functions. Flip the switch-- PA announcements. Flip the switch back-- play the dance music. My dad was a great improviser and quite handy with tools. Too bad I didn't inherit much of that. Dramatic or romantic?Probably one of the most well known dramatic piano intro flourishes ever! The rest is pure romantic loveliness. (Though still nothing close to Ase's Tod or Peer Gynt.) The crop on this image is tantalizingly close. One more mm of image and we would see whether he wears a ring. The photo frame on the turntable is also just enough out of focus. Off to listen now. I love the art on the album cover. Well, this was a coincidenceI clicked on Shorpy.com this evening while I was listening to this week's New York Philharmonic radio broadcast. What was playing at that moment? Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor, with soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet! Putting sound to the recordTo add to Deborah's comment, here's the opening flourish of Grieg's Concerto in A Minor, played on a Steinway Duo-Art piano: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqqKQILSr44 Reproducing pianos such as this were different from your normal player piano. The paper roll included markings for sustain, dynamics, etc. These pianos typically went for $2,000 on up in the 1920s ... so needless to say, not many had them. Great picture. I have a LP collection of jazz from the 1950s and early 1960s. Reading the covers gives you an attachment to the music, something that sadly is lost today. RE: Columbia Record "Club"I think you may have reversed part of your comment: If you "kept" the record, they sent you a bill. Of course, in my case, it didn't matter if I sent it back or not; they ALWAYS sent me a bill for it. What It Is DependsIn those days the kids called it the record player. Mom and Dad called it the Victrola. When sober Uncle Ernie called it the phonograph. Not cheap$5.45 for a record back in 1951 sounds pretty expensive. Were classical records more costly as a rule? DramaticI love this picture. Dark, but not foreboding, it suggests comfort, if not luxury. The shadows invite speculation, as many Shorpy photos do, and the lamplight invites one into a warm, cozy room to enjoy an evening symphonic performance. Nice! Expensive!As per the Consumer Price Index, that $5.45 record album would cost over $48 in today's money. The phonograph works out to a whopping $265. [Originally the Masterworks price was $4.85 or $5.45 depending on length, later standardized to $4.98. In January 1956 Columbia reduced it to $3.98. - tterrace] StopgapWe had a "stopgap" like that, only later. When I was young my parents had a Montgomery Ward radio-phono in a wooden cabinet. The radio would do AM, FM (which was almost nonexistent then) and shortwave. The phono would only do 78s. In about 1961, my father bought a used Zenith record player with the old Cobra tonearm (which looked like a snake.) It would play LPs and 45s, but only mono. A couple of years later they bought a Zenith stereo in a cabinet. By then, of course stereo LPs had been out for several years. I remember it had a flip feature on the tonearm--you turned a disc one way to play LPs/45s and rotated it to get a 78 stylus. The turntable would do all three speeds. If you set it for 78s, however, because the whole thing ran on a cam, the changer worked so fast that it would likely have smashed itself to bits if you did it very many times. I have bought more used vinyl than CDs in the past 2-3 years. There is some real treasure out there for very little money ($1 a disc at my store.) Night HawkThis photo has an Edward Hopper quality about it. (Linda Kodachromes)
Come Play With Us: 1925
... took saxophone very seriously; it really took American jazz to make it a broadly recognized and respected instrument. In the Teens and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/04/2011 - 10:02pm -

Arlington, Virginia, circa 1925. "Happy Walker Orchestra." On certain moonless nights, the old porters say, you can still hear them going at it. View full size. ZonkedThat trumpet player looks like he has finished a large measure of bathtub gin and is thinking, "If I just sit here very still, I won't fall off of this chair. Ohhhh, I think I'm gonna be sick." Mellophone on the floorOn the floor next to the trumpet player is an E-flat mellophone. I had to play the school's horn when I was in 5th and 6th grades. There was always gum in the mouthpiece, thanks to the girl who played it in the high school band (it was a small school), Bass SaxThat big bass sax reminds me of the Basil Fomeen band which played in the Congo Room at the Carlton Hotel in DC in the 1950s. The ONK! ONK! of that sax was characteristic. Unfortunately the band was well beyond its prime and was pretty terrible ... but they were in LIVE!! HiFi on the Continental FM Network (funded by Maj Edwin Armstrong of FM fame). It seems that the Carlton has become the St Regis Hotel at 16th and K. Michael Scott!Is that Steve Carell with the violin? The CountCount Dracula on Piano. Which one is Happy Walker, is he the Undertaker with the Violin? Nino SaxLooks like our reedman's slinging a Sopranino Saxophone; the straight one standing up next to the oboe. B-flat and C sopranos saxes are about the same length as a standard B-flat clarinet; the standing straight saxophone is noticeably shorter, so odds are it's a sopranino. The tiny horn slung on the stand to the player's left might be a curved version of the Sopranino as well, but might just be a B-flat curved soprano. Hard to tell from the angle. When Adolphe Sax invented the horn in the late 1830's (the first saxophone patent was filed about 1841) he described and built a family of saxophones ranging from the high end sopranino all the way down to contrabass. Outside the alto saxophone, marching band music and a few orchestral composers, for years nobody much took saxophone very seriously; it really took American jazz to make it a broadly recognized and respected instrument. In the Teens and 1920s the entire saxophone family came into vogue, though outlying family members like the sopranino tended to be treated as novelty instruments. Re the comment above - that's not a Bass sax, it's a mere Baritone. Bass saxophones are ginormous: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_saxophone#Gallery Not that a Baritone can't honk -- boy can they!! Lots of bands in the '20's deployed the Bass Saxophone where a tuba would normally be used - they occupy the same subterranean sonic territory. Spit and PolishLooks like they all stopped at the shoeshine stand on the way to the ballroom. StrangeThe fellow standing isn't Happy Walker; the fellow on trumpet at the left doesn't really look like Walker, where is Walker? And they've lost the bass player? A mystery for the ages, I suppose. OK everyone, smile and blink your eyes!Thanks to T.K. Torch for the interesting history on the instruments! I never knew where the saxophone got its name, until now! I don't know that much about photography, but wouldn't the weird eyes have come from the shutter speed being a bit slow? [The "zombie look" characteristic of flashlight photos comes from the subjects' eyes being both open and closed during a magnesium-powder exposure, where the shutter, not being synchronized with the flash, is opened before the charge is ignited and closed after it goes out. - Dave] Thanks for the explanation! That tall violinist is pretty handsome, despite the "zombie look"! Altogether now,Silk lapels and socks, striped vests and hair parted in the middle, a one and a two ! Busy sax manI wonder if he got a bigger cut than the others? That's a lot of instruments to play (and to maintain!) What a difference two years makesThe boys in the band have changed remarkably from the 1923 photo posted a couple days ago. In fact I don't think it's the same guys at all. Could it be that we're looking a 2 different bands here: the Happy Walker Orchestra and Happy Walker's Madrillion Society Orchestra? Take my life, but please don't take my banjo!Which is what the face of the banjo player, and corresponding grip on his instrument, seems to be saying. And the look on the trumpet player's face. Jeb70 seems to have hit the nail on the head. And the sax player bears a slight resemblance to Adrian Rollini, who was one of the kings of the bass sax for most of the 1920s. (The Gallery, D.C., Music, Natl Photo)
Chicken Dinner Here: 1927
... an intersection at all! Jelly Roll Morton and more Jazz pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton used to talk about filling up his ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/04/2009 - 6:20pm -

Silver Spring, Maryland, circa 1927. One of three National Photo glass negatives with the caption "Jordan & Co." National Photo Company. View full size. Nothing LeftAccording to Jerry McCoy's "Historic Silver Spring" (which has this photo), this is the west side of Georgia Avenue at Harden Street (now Wayne Avenue). All modern office buildings now. Film SpeedA day-time photo in the 20's still with a slow shutter speed? I would have thought by this point that the film would have been fast enough to stop the action. Just what film speed were they using in those days? [They weren't using film. As noted in the caption, this scene was recorded on glass. - Dave] Love Silver SpringIt lasted until at least 1970 and by 1980 it was mostly gone. historicalaerials.com shows how it used to hardly be an intersection at all! Jelly Roll Morton and moreJazz pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton used to talk about filling up his Cadillac with "that good Gulf gas," and I thought it a phrase he had made up -- now I know he was someone else who had fallen under the spell of a catchy slogan. For me, the most evocative part of this delicious scene has to be the shadows of unseen trees, bottom right. http://www.jazzlives.wordpress.com K of CThe building hosting the chicken dinner was the Knights of Columbus Hall, 8500 Georgia Ave. Built circa 1926, it was sold in December 1930 and remodeled for use as a house of worship by the newly founded St. Michael's Parish. The congregation moved in 1952 to its present home at 805 Wayne avenue. Windows and treesThis is just a wonderful photograph, catching a casual moment long gone. I live in a house built in the mid-1920s, and its wood-framed windows are exactly the same as those along the side of the Knights of Columbus Hall. There is a touch of modernity, yet not-so-modern in this photograph. With the black and white detail, you can almost hear the dry breezes rustling through the branches of the trees. A muted moment that is spectacular. Shutter speed.Glass plates and film had similar speeds. The use of a slow shutter speed was due to the need to stop the lens down for depth-of-field, in other words a large area from foreground to background that the photographer wanted to keep sharp. I shoot the same size film now, and I often use shutter speeds in the 1/4 to 1 second range in order to stop the lens down for maximum sharpness front to back in the scene being photographed. Emulsion Speed in the '20sIn the 1920s, photographic media weren't rated at standard speeds the way we do today. But if they were, their ISO numbers would generally fall in the 8 to 16 range, with a few "Super Speed" and "Ultra Speed" emulsions being as fast as ISO 32. The proper exposure in full sun, like this picture, with an ISO 16 emulsion, would require around 1/15 second at f/16. A large format camera, like those that used glass plates, would require at least f/16, if not a smaller aperture, to yield the depth of field seen here. I pulled out my copy of "The Camera, the Photographic Journal of America" from June 1926 and reviewed the exposure info for some images and found that most exposures made on sunny days were longer than 1/15. Sunny's SurplusI think the K of C building also housed Sunny's Surplus in the 60's. There was a great old green-painted brick building across Georgia Avenue that housed a slot-car facility around the same time. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Clown Concert: 1923
... show business career and where he developed his love for jazz ensembles. Later in life he switched from the saxophone to clarinet ... with clowns he plays gigs with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. I also heard he is a fair to middling playwright, actor and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2012 - 7:31pm -

May 1, 1923. Washington, D.C. "Children's Hospital Circus." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Fun for whom?It looks like the hospital staff is having a great time, even if some of the kids might have been scared to death! Quick, send in the clowns.Don't bother they're here. Quick observations: 1. This photo reinforces every creaky stereotype about creepy, scary clowns . 2. The adults (especially the nurses) seem to be having a much better time than the children. 3. The kids have been sequestered a safe distance from the clowns. 4. Considering clowns to be lovable or funny is probably a societal norm that has to be learned (like chewing with ones' mouth closed) rather than an inherent human emotion. See #2 above. Instruments of DestructionI wonder how bad that trombone and baritone sounded? They are completely trashed. It looks like someone took a small ballpeen hammer to that baritone. Fits in with the clown theme perfectly. Hospital ClownsIt took Hospitals a long time to figure out kids find clowns scary. I am told that today they recommend not using clowns as decor Pediatric offices and Children's hospitals. And I am an adult and I still find clowns creepy. The guy playing the alto saxis really not funny and plenty scary! Re: The guy playing the alto saxFor all those concerned, that is a curved soprano saxophone. Scary Clowns?I only started hearing about scary clown may be a decade or so ago. When I was growing up, clowns were funny and maybe a little stupid, but not scary. The children do not seem sequestered to me. Of the ones that are visible, they are all in the first row of the balcony/patio with the nurses behind them. And as for drawing conclusions about whose having the most fun, of course it would be the adults. For the most part they are hospital staff who are trying to cheer up a bunch of kids who are sick or injured enough to be hospitalized. It is certainly impossible to judge whether the kids are scared to death or just too ill to be having much fun. Play It Again, Sam I see now where Woody started his show business career and where he developed his love for jazz ensembles. Later in life he switched from the saxophone to clarinet and instead of playing with clowns he plays gigs with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. I also heard he is a fair to middling playwright, actor and director. (The Gallery, Kids, Medicine, Natl Photo, Scary Clowns)
Horsecar Opera: 1890
... it was the earliest known illustration of a New Orleans jazz band. Apparently not everyone was a fan of the new style of music. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 3:42pm -

New Orleans circa 1890. "The Clay Monument, Canal Street." Fascinating details abound in this scene captured by William Henry Jackson: The 1-horsepower horsecar, the ancient carbon-arc lamp suspended from a complicated-looking boom, and much signage. Personal favorites: WIG MANUFACTORY, and logo of the ETV&G (East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia) Railway. View full size. Most buildings still there Though the statue was moved to Lafayette Square. View Larger Map Your Mother Dresses You Funny!Lucky kid in front of the monument. I suppose he survived peer review and eventually graduated to long pants and a human collar. +114Below is the same view from May of 2004. "If I could be instrumental . . ."Henry Clay, Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams, among other positions. Monument in N.O. circa 1890 Mr. Ceste and the French Opera HouseI believe that the baritone on the poster is Mr. Paul Antoine Ceste who was born in 1860. In 1890 he was under Durieu Management in New Orleans along with other principal singers. In January 1891 he was in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" at the French Opera House in New Orleans. He later returned to New Orleans in 1901 and was under Roverval Management. The French Opera House, whose real name was the New Orleans Opera House, took one year to build, cost $118,500 to build, and opened on December 1, 1859. It continued performances until it was engulfed by fire on the evening of December 4, 1919. In 1913 it went into receivership and became part of Tulane University. The capacity was 1800 people. The history of the French Opera House can be seen here. Trovatore ou Le Trouvère?It seems likely that Mr. Cesta, as he is billed as singing the "Comte de Luna" rather than "Conte di Luna," is participating in a performance of the French version of Verdi's opera, Le Trouvère. It was definitely in the repertoire at both the French Opera House as well as the older Théâtre d’Orléans; in fact, the French Opera Company brought the production to New York's Lyric Theatre in April, 1912. Verdi himself reworked Il Trovatore for the Paris Opera in 1856 to meet the house's requirement that operas be performed in French. Another stipulation was that there be a ballet and, unlike those he wrote for the other French versions of his operas, Verdi's 20-minute work includes themes from the opera itself. One wonders if this was also part of the New Orleans production. Mr. Ceste Made His Debut in October 1890According to the 1891 New York Clipper Annual, MM Ceste made his debut in New Orleans as "Comte de Luna", on October 22, 1890. I don't know how long the show ran, but this would certainly verify the circa 1890 date of the picture. Yes, It was moved to Lafayette SquareIt was moved ostensibly because of traffic considerations, but many times in its history it had been the rallying point for white mobs and Confederate sympathizers. It is believed that the real reason for the move was to prevent further violence. It was moved in 1901. InscriptionThe inscription on the Clay statue reads "IF I COULD BE INSTRUMENTAL IN ERADICATING THIS DEEPEST STAIN, SLAVERY, FROM THE CHARACTER OF OUR COUNTRY I WOULD NOT EXCHANGE THE PROUD SATISFACTION WHICH I SHOULD ENJOY FOR THE HONOR OF ALL THE TRIUMPHS EVER DECREED TO THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CONQUEROR" This might seem odd for a statue erected in New Orleans most prominent intersection in 1856. The inscription, however, was added during the Civil War occupation by Union General Banks who dredged the quotation from a speech made by Clay in 1827 to the American Colonization Society, which was advocating resettlement of slaves to Africa. Apparently, Banks was inspired by his predecessor, General Butler, who had added "The Union must and shall be preserved" to the Jackson statue in Jackson square. I think the Jackson inscription remains, but when the Clay statue was moved to Lafayette square in 1900, the new base was only inscribed with a innocuous statement about the date and place of the original installation and the date of the move. Eugene Robinson's Museum & TheatreNote the 5 story building at 714 Canal (since the 1894 street address renumbering), in the photo housing "Eugene Robinson's Museum & Theatre". I worked in that building in the 1980s when the bottom 3 floors housed a book store. Eugene Robinson's story is more interesting than mine, however. He was something of a P.T.Barnum wanna-be with rather dubious exhibits in his dime museum, but also a patron of the arts - at least as far as realizing that hiring a loud band was a good way to draw a crowd. The attached image appeared in a weekly scandal sheet, "The Mascot", for 15 November, 1890. The late New Orleans writer Al Rose claimed it was the earliest known illustration of a New Orleans jazz band. Apparently not everyone was a fan of the new style of music. (The Gallery, Horses, New Orleans, Streetcars, W.H. Jackson)
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