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Grandview Cabins: 1941
... The Night It would be great to have some of those old neon signs. The newer LED signs do not give off the same glow as neon. Ginger Ale Used to almost as popular as orange soda. Now days it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2022 - 12:15pm -

October 1941. Berkshire Hills County, Massachusetts. "Tourist camps stretch in an endless village along the Mohawk Trail through the Berkshires." Chicken and Spaghetti, 50 cents! Acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Flush ToiletsWas that a feature or a request? Maybe five of fifteen cabins surviveI found a postcard for Grandview Cabins, which identified its location as four miles north of Holyoke on Route 5. The first cabin is named New Jersey, then four more cabins with the names of states before the cabins turn left and directly face the road. These cabins on Google Street View look to be the same size and are at the same angle to the road. If you look beyond the road in the 1941 photo, you'll see a mountain range. That would line up with this location and the mountains in Skinner State Park. More than a request, Bodych, there are those who would demand a flush toilet. Color available (15¢ a night) As we're often told: postcards sometimes took liberties. Light Up The NightIt would be great to have some of those old neon signs. The newer LED signs do not give off the same glow as neon. Ginger AleUsed to almost as popular as orange soda. Now days it is mostly a mixer. I've always loved the aroma but not so fond of the taste. What did you use ...If you didn't have flush toilets? Chemical toilets? [Pit toilets -- what you'd find in an outhouse. - Dave] (The Gallery, Camping, John Collier, Travel & Vacation)
Larkspur, California 1955
... you see here. Oh, and even though they kept the vintage neon sign, the market itself is now an art gallery. Rainbow Market You ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/22/2011 - 7:53pm -

Larkspur, California, the small town I grew up in, about 15 miles north of San Francisco. Here in 1955 the population was around 3500. Within its three-block downtown there were: two grocery stores, both with full service butchers (here the Rainbow Market, or "Ernie's," and next door The Food Center, or "Fred's"); a drug store, where I also bought my comics and had my film developed; a hardware store with everything from bins of nails to small appliances; a variety store, where I bought my Matchbox cars; a dry goods store; two barber shops; a movie theater; my doctor and dentist; a TV repair shop; a soda fountain; a caterer; a florist (on the left in the photo), as well as the gas station, garage, post office, bank, fire house and city hall, the latter with the library. Oh yeah, and three bars. I never went to those, but you could often find me at the library investigating dinosaurs or old coins or freeways or whatever else I happened to be obsessed with at the moment, all with the indulgence and encouragement of Miz Wilson, the long-time librarian. 35mm Ansco Color slide by my brother. View full size. Three bars?Kids today probably think you're referring to cell signal strength. Those of us old enough to recognize that shiny thing on the roof as a TV antenna probably know better. Any chance of seeing the truck larger? [Click on "original" under the caption. - Dave] Three BarsThree bars must be a nationwide small-town thing. I live in a small (pop. 2,000) town in Michigan, and we still have three bars, as does the next town down the road. I grew up in Larkspur too!I grew up in Larkspur too! These photos are really amazing and such a treat to see. I remember the Silver Peso (still there) and the Blue Rock (now a fancy French place) but I can't think of the third bar. What was it? NostalgicPictures like these make me think of the little town my dad grew up in. And summers spent up there, trips downtown to the Red Owl with my cousin. You know, back when kids could spend all day roaming the town without worrying about a thing. At that point (in the early to mid 80's) the store was on its last legs. It's gone now, of course. My aunt would send us with a note, the shopkeeper would send us home with her cigarettes. (Aunt told us that her own mom would send her down with a note, and the shopkeeper would send her home with some mysterious "products" wrapped in brown kraft paper.) I'd give anything to step back into that store now. It had the most wonderful smell -- a whiff of which I catch now and then today. Always sends me right back. Once again, thank you for sharing your pictures. ~mrs.djs Third BarLarkspur's third bar at this time was the Rose Bowl Chateau, named in reference to the town's outdoor dance pavilion, the Rose Bowl, located a couple blocks up the side street from it. The dances, featuring name bands and drawing large crowds from all over the Bay Area every Saturday night in the 30s - 50s, were the sole means of support for the town's privately-operated volunteer fire department. The building Rose Bowl Chateau was in now houses a fancy restaurant. No higher compliment.Lucky Miz Wilson, to be remembered so fondly! It is my hope--my sincerest hope--that someday my former students use words like "indulgent" and "encouraging" if they ever describe me to others! Yeah...three bars! ??I live in a small town in ill. pop. about 2100, we ALSO have three bars. weird. The Rainbow Market NowA fire around 1960 damaged the second floors of two of these buildings, and the repairs left them in state you see here. Oh, and even though they kept the vintage neon sign, the market itself is now an art gallery. Rainbow MarketYou call the Rainbow Market, "Ernie's." Do you know Ernie's last name? Larkspur Ernie'sYes, Ernie was Ernie Epindendio. I met up with his son (and fellow Redwood High classmate) at last year's Larkspur 100th birthday party. Also, word has subsequently come that the fire I mention in my post below happened on September 6, 1959. Home Sweet HomeThere was no better place to grow up than Larkspur. Three BarsThe third bar I recall as a youth in Larkspur was the Rose Bowl Chateau. It was directly across the street from the Peso. There was always a bit of a rivalry between the two. I remember a fireworks war between them one New Year. Other memories of downtown include Fred's Market, Lark Theater, Archer Chevron, and for a while there was a slot car track in one of the shops on the east side of Magnolia. Life in Larkspur as a kid was freedom without worry. As long as I was home by the time the fire whistle blew at 5, all was good. We had to stay out of trouble because just about everyone knew everyone, so we couldn't get away with anything anyway. Ah, the good ol' days! The way of living we we're dreamin' about.I do speak for my now-deceased parents. 1955 was a great time of hopes (and I do myself confirm, cause on French TV we have a lot of "remember the good ol'time of the Marshall Plan" style programs, and my parents were avid of everything the US of A had to offer, even if they were a bit leftwing and look to socialism). Hehehe, nevertheless, their love for your way of living never left them until the end. Now, I'm a great "proudly made in America" addict. I had 2 Buicks, and collect everything related to the all-American ads and memorabilia + views of the 60s buildings. As you can see, the influence of your country never stops, héhéhéh! I too grew up in LarkspurMy Grandmother worked for Ernie Epindiendo for 25 years or so. I lived around the corner on Ward St, as did my grandparents. My grandfather was a Marin Co. Sherrif in th 50's and 60's. Little league at(going by memory) Joe Wagner field. My dad went to LCM in late forties. I remember many of the 4th of July Parades. Went to Redwood High. Used to buy my mom's cigarettes with a note and would hand it to Fred Schefer's wife Edna, and later airplane glue for my model car's.(Had to show Fred the model before he'd sell it to you though, due to kids using it as a inhalent) Lived behind the Lark theater in 1960 to 1961 on Post st. My mom worked at the Lark at that time. Loved seeing the posts and the pictures... thanks!!!!! Looks Like These Buildings Are Still There ..at 487 and 489 Magnolia Ave [Still there, but the flat stucco façades date to on-the-cheap repairs after a 1959 fire. -tterrace] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Stores & Markets, tterrapix)
Here Come the Girls: 1953
... store, but below the Pepsi sign is Castro Convertibles' neon. That firm had become a public nuisance by the early '60s, their radio ... Unlike today, the only foreign (and that's a stretch) neon sign that I can spot is the Canadian Club behemoth that brags about it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/13/2014 - 2:41pm -

Dec. 29, 1953. "New York City views. Times Square at night." Let's meet at the Brass Rail. 4x5 acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Give my regards to BroadwayTo be more specific, it's Father Duffy Square, the north triangle of Times Square. Now home to TKTS and a statue of George M Cohan. Mr. PeanutI don't spy the person so costumed who used to stroll around in front of the Planter's store, but below the Pepsi sign is Castro Convertibles' neon. That firm had become a public nuisance by the early '60s, their radio jingle ("Who was the first to conquer space?") being a tune that, once stuck in the mind, abides until senescence. I still sing it in the shower every now and again. This view, which predates both Times Square's descent into Sodom and its more recent Disneyfication, shows a place of honest, if slightly tawdry, popular entertainment. A steak, a couple of shots of Four Roses, a movie and vaudeville's last gasp at the Palace, and then, if all goes well, a $4 room at the Taft. Here comes the bus.I have such a warm feeling when I see that GM bus. That was the bus in Springfield, MA that picked up the high school kids. In the winter, it was so nice to see it coming down the street. The StarsBob Hope, Tony Martin, Arlene Dahl and Rosemary Clooney. And I didn't even have to Google it. Old coots rule. +56Below is the same view from May of 2009. Poor Mr. Peanut One of my first memories is of some college boys grabbing a person wearing a metal Mr. Peanut costume who was in front of a store and rolling him down the sidewalk to the bottom of the hill. The poor Mr. Peanut slowly got to his feet after this experience and was staggering around so much that the college boys ran down the hill to keep him from stepping into traffic. This was about 1955, I guess, and the Mr. Peanut person was lucky that Tallahassee didn't have very high hills. Times Square memoriesI spent some time here in the mid-'60s while in the military. Made a few trips to the Brass Rail and saw Gene Krupa playing drums in a little bar on Times Square (must have been toward the end of his career). It had not been too long since the Cuban Missile Crisis and as a kid from the sticks, after seeing the Castro Convertible sign, wondered why Fidel was allowed to sell cars in NYC. Ralph KramdenSeated behind the wheel of the "Old Look" General Motors bus. Castro ConvertibleWho was the first to conquer space? It’s incontrovertible, The the first to conquer living space Is the Castro Convertible! Who conquers space with fine design? Who saves you money all the time? Who’s tops in the convertible line? Castro Convertible! I could climb into this picture, so well do I remember the remnants of this from the late sixties before it sank into decrepitude. There is something innocent yet tawdry about this photo. No business like show businessIt was a bit of a surprise at first to see the vaudeville pitch on the Palace marquee. My thought was that vaudeville had gone the way of the dinosaur long before the sophisticated early/mid fifties. Then I remembered that several hit television shows from that period were nothing more than warmed over vaudeville, so there must have still been a market for it. Texaco Star Theater with Milton Berle, The Jimmy Durante Show, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and Your Show of Shows all come to mind. Note the sign under the Marquee: "Only Stage and Screen Show on Broadway." No. 8 bus, 7th Avenue LineThrough the windshield, look closely -- it's Ralph Kramden. How I First Saw ItWhen I was nine, my grandmother married a retired NYC cop. His last job before retiring was escorting Manhattan merchants to the bank with their daily receipts. It seemed like everyone on the island knew and loved him. Their wedding reception was at Mamma Leone's, we met the man himself at Dempsey's, had comps at Radio City Music Hall. The Brass Rail was just one place where I heard a variation of "Put your wallet away, Mac. Your money's no good here." 2761Is that Ralph Kramden behind the wheel of Gotham Bus Company coach 2761? The ConvertiblesUnlike today, the only foreign (and that's a stretch) neon sign that I can spot is the Canadian Club behemoth that brags about it being imported. Castro Convertibles were not automobiles but sofa beds. Early TV commercials shows a child, a young girl, pulling the bed out of the couch. She was Mr Castro's 6 year old Daughter, Bernadette, later the Parks Commissioner of New York State. Bernard Castro, her father, was credited as being the inventor of the modern sofa bed. Held OverAs a young Brooklyn boy in 1953 I remember this version of Times Square well. At the Embassy I wouldn't know a thing about the sensational "Virgins of Bali," but "Indo-China Aflame" caught my eye, as it was still burning when I got there 15 years later as a young Marine when the place was known as Vietnam. HoneymoonersI'm absolutely sure that's Ralph Kramden driving the bus. This picture is worth1000 pages, not 1000 words. Looking at what is here and going on in this one you could write a novel and never leave the block. Amazing. 4x5 cameras rule! GMTATo all those who shared my Ralph Kramden observation: All Great Minds Think Alike! Virgins of BaliVirgins of Bali is a 1932 documentary directed and filmed by Colorado native Deane H. Dickason. The only reason an old social anthropology movie was being screened in 1953 Times Square was because the two main characters, the "firmly and harmoniously developed" sisters Grio and Tagel, appear in unabashed comfort while being filmed in their traditional topless Balinese dress. A few links: Virgins of Bali page at the American Film Institute. First 7 minutes of the film at YouTube. Indelible memoriesI believe the last part of the human brain to die is where ever jingles are stored. It's been 45 years since I lived near NYC but I could still sing the jingles for Castro Convertibles, Palisades Amusement Park, Man-o-Manischewitz kosher wine, and "It pays to save at the Bowery...". Regarding the photo, classic GM coach! The Public Service ran about a million of them in north Jersey, each with a miniature cash register type machine that spit out a small fare receipt. StatuesIn the 1954 photo, the statue of Father Francis Duffy of the "Fighting 69th" is seen in front of the Pepsi Cola sign (partly obscured by the traffic light in the foreground). Father Duffy was so highly thought of by both the soldiers of his regiment those higher in the chain of command that his divisional commander, Douglas MacArthur, once recommended him for the post of regimental commander. The Duffy statue was erected in 1937, five years after the priest's death. In 1957 a second statue was erected in the square, forward of the Duffy statue. This is the statue of George M. Cohan which is the only statue visible in the 2009 photo. Vaudeville And The MoviesWhile I never caught the show at the RKO Palace I did catch shows in my hometown of Baltimore at the Hippodrome up until about 1950 or so. One of the first shows I remember seeing was Glenn Miller's Band under the direction of Tex Beneke plus the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands. Mom was a fan of big bands as I am still to this day. For some reason I also remember the comedian Herb Shiner and the silly Harmonicats. Once I even got on stage when a rolling skate act ask for volunteers from the audience and I and three other kids became part of the act for about 5 minutes. All the above were fine but for a youngster of the 40's the all time favorites I saw were Abbott & Costello and on another day The Three Stooges. 'Twas a fine time to be eight years old. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, Movies, NYC)
Night Train: 1943
... largest sign? Wasn't this the world's largest neon sign at the time? I think my father said it was. Silly Q Can you ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/01/2017 - 9:24am -

        One of our first posts 10 years ago, enlarged and re-restored. April 1943. "Illinois Central R.R. freight cars in South Water Street terminal, Chicago." Judging by the clock, this was a five-minute time exposure. Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Beautiful :^) A 5 minuteBeautiful :^) A 5 minute exposure and this was taken in 1943. Maybe ISO 25 film or lower? KodachromeAlthough standards for film speed varied [no ASA, no ISO but Kodak, Weston, etc] Kodachrome was what we'd think of as 8 to 10. By the sunny 16 rule that's 1/10 second at f16, so hold really still, and if it's not sunny, hold reeealllly still. It was available, as noted, in 4x5, truly awesome, up to 8x10, and in 35mm and 828. 828 was a paper-backed roll film that was 35mm wide but unperforated, so a larger picture area than a 35mm frame. Thus Kodachromes from the 40s are true treasures - it took lots of light and that meant big multiple flashes [bulbs] or long exposures. The permanence of Kodachrome is why we can see these images now, when other pre-E-6 process images have faded away. Now Kodachrome's time seems to be up, and too bad. When the CDs with digital pics have faded or no machines exist to translate them, Kodachrome images will be good enough to toss on the light table or hold up to the window and enjoy. Pabst SignPabst beer was the king on the East Coast back then, before Bud's big adverts. Jack Delano photosThis entire series of photos, including the non-rail, is one of the best things I've ever seen on the internet. Thankyou -all, for posting them!! Being thereI have never seen so many beautiful photographs from the 1940s that are on your site, thank you. The clarity and colour of the images is remarkable it is just like you are standing there in person it's very surreal. World's largest sign?Wasn't this the world's largest neon sign at the time? I think my father said it was. Silly QCan you do long exposures with digital? Is it necessary? Will you get better/higher definition like what we see here? ["Definition" doesn't have anything to do with exposure time. Resolution depends on the number of elements (pixels) in the image sensor. To shoot digital images with resolution comparable to the large-format Kodachromes and glass negatives seen here you could use a studio back like the Sinar 75H (33 megapixel sensor, image size 68 to 260 mb). Which, not coincidentally, is also the equipment used to image these very same Kodachromes and glass negatives. - Dave] KodachromeThis is the original Kodachrome (the only one made in 4x5 and sheet film sizes) which would be ISO 10 although it was not labeled as such because they didn't have the ISO system then. Kodachrome II was ASA 25 and was released in 1961. I love these images. I show them to people and when I say it's from 1942 their jaws drop. It just shows you how much we have regressed since then. The fact that no mass produced digital technology can come close to replicating a 79 year old technology is just sad. I'm going to try out 4x5 color printing and I honestly can't wait. Millennium ParkToday the yard is long gone and this area is now part of Grant Park, with this northwest corner specifically called Millennium Park. Most people have seen photos of the primary exhibit in this part of the park known as Cloud Gate. It is made up of very smooth rounded art shapes with a mirrored surface, and is quite popular not only with kids but also with photographers. Bit late for the response but...You very much can do long exposures with digital. I'm a photographer myself, and thats one of my favorite 'things' to do. The reason you'd want a long exposure usually is because high ISO ratings introduce grain and generally degrade in quality. With newer cameras, this is becoming less and less of an issue. The brand I shoot with recently introduced a camera capable of ISO 819,200 which in layman's terms is 'pretty freakin' insane.' (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Ish Kabibble: 1950s
... only to be greatly expanded in years to come - colorful neon, good luck symbols, and something I clearly recall from the late '50s -- ... in the dining rooms, casinos and hotel rooms. The bright neon lights and the colorful slot machines beckoning the players to enter the ... 
 
Posted by Tony W. - 09/17/2011 - 8:16pm -

Las Vegas from a different era. 35mm Kodachrome slide. View full size. Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical KnowledgeIsh Kabibble (Merwyn Bogue) was the comic relief for the Kay Kyser Orchestra and a cornet player in his band. In the 1930s & 40s, Kay Kyser was a major musical entity in radio, the movies and later in television. This Las Vegas show was probably after Kyser retired and Bogue took over the band. Love this photoI used to travel to Las Vegas before it changed into its current configuration. I love seeing how it used to be. Vegas DateAnother shot in this series from Tony has a 1956 Chevy in the background. And all this timeI thought his name was Ishka Bibble. I always learn something from Shorpy. The Polar AttractionThe key elements of "Lost Wages" are in place, only to be greatly expanded in years to come - colorful neon, good luck symbols, and something I clearly recall from the late '50s -- the almost magnetic attraction of the ice cold air pouring out of those corner entrances to draw you in off the hot street. Ish and the BeatlesWhen the Beatles hit, my mom said that they looked silly with those "Ish Kabibble haircuts." For years, I thought that was just a silly word she had made up. Then I saw a photo of Ish Kabibble and it all made sense! Being in awe of it all when I was a kidThe memories when we traveled through Las Vegas on our way to California, from Texas, in 1954 are still vibrant. The sounds of real silver dollars in the hands of the gamblers. The smell of cigarette smoke permeating the air in the dining rooms, casinos and hotel rooms. The bright neon lights and the colorful slot machines beckoning the players to enter the casinos and play. The big cars, including our 1952 Olds 98, were beautiful and oh so many Cadillacs in Las Vegas. I was so elated when my dad gave me my weekly allowance in the form of a silver dollar. I still have an old paper place setting from the coffee shop at the old Horseshoe Club downtown. Instead of buckets, the casinos gave the players paper bags to hold their winnings at the nickel slots. Indeed, the Mafia knew how to give people a good time back then. "Hey Ish Kabibble, comb your hair before we go out" My long departed grandmother used to call me Ish Kabibble when she thought I was looking messy or otherwise unpresentable. I never never thought to ask what it meant. As someone mentioned above, "I always learn something from Shorpy." Meathead!I first heard of Ish Kabibble on an episode of "All in the Family." Maude was telling the family how Archie would laugh when Kay Kyser introduced Ish. Maude was asked if it was funny. She responded, "Like a migraine." Fictitious character (sort of)I always thought Ish Kabibble was a fictitious character made up by some comedian! I was horrified to think that someone actually named their child that, but relieved that it was a stage name! At any rate, it is a pretty memorable moniker! So that's where he got itWhen I was a kid my dad used to use "Ish Kabibble!" as non-profanity. I thought it was just a nonsense phrase he made up. No Gems!Whilst I can find many references on-line to Mr. Ragon and his Orchestra I can't come up with anything regarding the Four Gems which, I am assuming, was the name for a singing group. Maybe they were a local group and did not achieve any national exposure. Anyone know? The Four GemsFound a few mentions of The Four Gems via Google News Archive-described as "Terrific 4-Part Harmony Vocals and Instrumental Groupings" for an New Year's Eve appearance in Aliquippa, PA in 1957. See WikipediaAccording to a flicker page I came across, one theory is that the name Ish Kabibble derives from the Yiddish "Ische ga bibble?," which translates to "What, me worry?" However, a comment on that page says it came from a 1913 pop song (which I suppose could have still been based off the Yiddish). The other thing I want to add is that it appears even in the 50s, old people were drawn to Vegas to spend their retirement/social security checks. And that was before the days of video poker! They did that on purposeI'm sure PatQ and others probably guessed, but engineers deliberately designed air conditioning systems to run at a slight positive pressure to make the cold air spill out, just to entice the customer indoors. One engineer, sometime before 1920, called it "advertising air". This was in reference to vaudeville/movie theaters, which had been avoided like the plague during hot weather. Air conditioning flipped the tables entirely; after all, nobody had that luxury at home. This I remember from Gail Cooper's Air Conditioning America, which I currently do not have at hand, having loaned it out. Google Books tells me it's on page 105. 1956 or laterFremont Hotel opened 5/56 (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Tonypix)
Perfect Diamonds: 1940
... Perfect Diamonds". I wonder if their name was in white neon script, like a perfect diamond. I wasn't able to find an article ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/15/2022 - 6:31pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1940. "Potomac Electric Power Co. -- Air Conditioning and Lighting -- Chas. Schwartz & Son, jewelers." 8x10 acetate negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. Lump of coal- quite imperfect ! - would pretty well sum up the prior store The firm added the 1305 F Street NW branch in 1940 -- three years after the namesake died (pehaps the kids wanted a more modern image) -- so if the date is correct actually 1940, the grand opening sign must have just been put away. [To reiterate a point frequently iterated, "circa 1940" does not mean "in 1940." - Dave] Breakfast at Schwartz's ... just doesn't have the same "ring" to it. Glass brickWas a popular decorating motif in the late 30's, early 40's. Also I can almost guarantee that those Art Deco letters are the first four of the word "modern", which it certainly is for that time. Those curved show windows were also in style. Subliminal advertisingI have no doubt the clock and small sign were illuminated. At night when you looked at the time you would also see "Schwartz Perfect Diamonds". I wonder if their name was in white neon script, like a perfect diamond. I wasn't able to find an article about the modern, sleek building. I did find Charles Schwartz & Son is the oldest jeweler in Washington, D.C., currently located in the Willard Hotel and Chevy Chase, MD. I also found an announcement in a March 1919 trade paper. I bet Eugenia got a nice ring. Street display has slanted windows ...I like walking past display windows that are slanted. It looks like I'm walking into myself. [The windows are not slanted. - Dave] Summer fashion in the street and in the windowWoman warring very similar style as mannequin in window. ["Warring" -- as in combat fatigues? - Dave] Looks like a postmodern building nowThis beautiful little building is so 30's modern that it looks like a 1980's Post Modern building, like the Portland Building in my home town. With the interior, it's a unified statement of forward thinking. And the upper windows suggest a cut jewel, I suppose. And what about those two square tiles on each side of the clock? I often wonder how the sad jewelry stores I see in the malls survive nowadays. (The Gallery, D.C., Stores & Markets, Theodor Horydczak)
Helena: 1942
... 4k monitor, it is easy to see that the sign is actually a neon sign! Neon has never been cheap relative to other forms of advertising. Why ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/20/2021 - 10:51am -

March 1942. "Helena, Montana." Now playing at the Marlow: Sullivan's Travels and Paris Calling. Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Join in the debate on how to pronounce Helena. Movie travels far from Montana"Sullivan's Travels" is Preston Sturges' highly literate 1941 take on "Gulliver's Travels." The title sequence is designed like an opening book. I wonder how many viewers today would recognize the visual allusion to Jonathan Swift's Lilliput. "Paris Calling" is a film noir involving the Nazi invasion of France. It was released just three days before Pearl Harbor led Americans into World War II. The male stars of these two films, Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott, had a late-career pairing in the classic western, 'Ride the High Country' (1962). They were both so respected that director Sam Peckinpah flipped a coin to determine top billing; Scott won, which meant that his name is on the left in the titles and ads. Starring Joel McCrea"Sullivan's Travels," of course. His natural style was years ahead of its time. He starred in three Best Picture nominees: Dead End (1937), Foreign Correspondent (1940), and The More the Merrier (1943). McCrea himself was never even nominated for an Academy Award. Merchants National and Montana NationalA colored postcard view, circa. 1900, of the Montana National Bank (yellowish) and the Merchants National Bank (white), later the Union Bank. Then the aftermath of the January 9, 1944 fire at the Montana National Bank, in which two sisters-in-law died: the widow of the founding vice-president of the bank and the widow of the VP’s brother. More here. Before and after the showBased on the weather and their super-cute signage, I'll be visiting Corr Cafe for a cuppa and a substantial snack shortly after the end credits roll on Sullivan's Travels, in which "Veronica Lake's on the take." All goneEverything you see here was destroyed and much of downtown completely rearranged in a 1970s "urban renewal" campaign. Helenahistory.org describes the orgy of 'progress' as follows: "Most of the Victorian-era structures in the area fell to the wrecking ball. In total, 228 buildings were demolished, over 140 businesses were displaced, and 430 families had to find somewhere else to live. In a city of Helena's small size, it was a major upheaval." That's a Very Strange SignLooking at the photo on a large 4k monitor, it is easy to see that the sign is actually a neon sign! Neon has never been cheap relative to other forms of advertising. Why would they go to that one-time expense for these 2 films, made by completely different studios, with completely different stars, for one particular movie theatre, in an out of the way place such as Helena, Montana, and in the winter, to boot ? The "Marlow Theatre" and the "arrow" pointer in neon makes sense, but the film names? [The letters in the sign can be rearranged to spell out whatever is playing. - Dave] Behind the scenesAs GlenJay points out in his comment on "Paris Calling," there was an ominous background to these tranquil domestic scenes. Around the time this picture was taken, Roy Stryker wrote to John Vachon (March 18, 1942): "If everything goes well, we will go on a 'partial security' basis, that is the FBI will investigate the field photographers very carefully. You will then carry proper identification as well as have a letter of specific authorization for each assignment." As a former government photographer myself, I know full well that having an FBI background check really tells you that you're no longer taking holiday snapshots. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Movies)
Pie Town Garage: 1940
... the link is broken after so many years, but I found a neon version of it] Pie Town Best 20 years of my life were in Pie ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2009 - 3:27am -

Filling station and garage at Pie Town, New Mexico. Photograph by Russell Lee. September 1940. View full size. "Original owner sold pies, hence the name 'Pie Town.'" Wikipedia says that person was Clyde Norman, who started a dehydrated apple business there in the 1920s. Pie Town hosts a Pie Festival in the fall; photographer Lee took dozens of pictures of the 1940 rodeo and barbecue, which we'll be posting. Here we can see details of the the 1940 fair, and that gas was 21 cents a gallon. (Goodbye everyone, I'm moving to Pie Town - Dave) inflation21 cents in 1940 is the equivalent of $3.05 today. gas wasn't really that cheap. Pie TownWhen you get there, be sure to check out the apple, pine nut & green chile pie -- it rules! Pie TownI will! What can you tell us about Pie Town? Is that the originalIs that the original picture? It seems the color are stranges. Like an afterward colored photo. ColorYes, original. Kodachrome transparency. Pie Town was a very colorful place. Pie TownI remember reading in Place Names of New Mexico that when a postal inspector came to establish a post office it was up to Norman to pick an official name. He wanted the place to be called Pie Town. When the postal inspector suggested something more traditional . . . maybe even name the place Norman after himself, legend has it that Norman said: "It's going to be Pie Town or you can take your post office and go to hell." Pie TownGood for Clyde. It's certainly a better name than Dehydrated Apple Town. Who doesn't love delicious pie? There was an interesting article about Pie Town photographer Russell Lee a couple of years ago in Smithsonian magazine, called Savoring Pie Town. Pie TownWe were really bummed one day when we got to Pie Town, there wasn't any place there to buy pies... oh well. A Remembrance of Things PastryIt's a cruel thing to be anticipating pie and then encounter a pie-denial situation. I would've been all set for pie. Delicious pie. Blueberry. Apple. Cherry. They're all good. I think it was actually 20 cents ...If you look closely, the gas was 14 cents, the taxes were 6 cents-- a whopping 43% of the price -- making the price 20 cents... [20 or 21? - see comment below] Standard Oil Credit CardsThe round sign between the two gas pumps appears to say "Standard Oil Credit Cards Good Here". I did not realize that credit cards existed in 1940. Not too much before my time but I sure don't remember them. Must be because we were too poor to have one or too smart! 21 centsIf you look even closer you'll see that 21 cents is correct. The price per gallon is 14 and 9/10 cents - Dave Pie TownThe green chili, pinon (pine nut) and apple pie is served at the Daily Pie Cafe. www.dailypie.com. They are closed on Sun and Mon, and open until 3pm the rest of the week, so get there early. It's well worth the trip. Pie TownThanks Dave--The pictures I have are some personal family pictures and the photos done by Russell Lee, which I see you have access to. Incidentally, when Russell Lee came there, he took a room in the "hotel." He hung sheets and blankets over the windows in his room where he developed his own photos. My Dad said Russell didn't want people to know what he was doing, and was so 'secretive' that they all thought he was a German spy! Great pictures!Pie Town is one of the many and strange places along highway 60 running through New Mexico and Arizona. I'd always wondered about how it got its name. Thanks! Pie Town GarageAll the buildings in Pie Town were red, white and blue. Even the public privy (toilet) was red white and blue! It was a small building, divided in half, with an outside door to both sides. It sat on a little hill, so it didn't need to have a pit dug for it. The ladies half was a 3 or 4-holer as I recall, and always had several Sears Roebuck catalogs handy! (I was never in the men's side!) It was a few yards from the "Motel" that had 4 or 5 small one-room cabins, and it served as the bathroom for all!! It seems the town needed paint, and Standard Oil said they would donate it if the town painted in their colors--hence the red white and blue. This garage building burned sometime in the early or middle 40's. Pie Town was a good place to grow up. KR [Thanks very much for sharing, KR! And if you have any old Pie Town photos we'd love to see them. - Dave] Standard Oil & Pie TownBecause of the story about the sponsoring of Pie Town's painting by Standard Oil, I realised the gasoline brand should be Standard Oil. After some investigation I found the logo on a 1940 Idaho roadmap: [It seems the link is broken after so many years, but I found a neon version of it] Pie TownBest 20 years of my life were in Pie Town. The weather was great when we were kids. Always had snow in the winter. We would take the bus 22 miles to school. My grandparents had a cafe and gas station in the early 1960's. Best pie ever. I live in Memphis now, going on 22 years. My dad & uncle Pete went to school north of town in Tres Lagunas in a log building, about seven miles away, in the 1940's. Prices still going upAs of the end of 2010, the original 0.149 per gallon (plus 6 cent tax) would translate into $2.26 per gallon (plus 97 cents tax) for a grand total of $3.23 per gallon. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Pie Town, Russell Lee)
Keep on Truckin': 1975
... from the ultraviolet light. I actually do have a neon black light that works but haven't set it up anywhere due to fear of our ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/29/2011 - 6:22pm -

January 1975. My nephew James, at 15 no longer Jimmy, has discovered long hair, rock 'n' roll, and black light posters. This is in his bedroom in Novato, California, captured by me on 35mm Kodacolor II. That's him in the lower left, in case you missed him, like I did until I first scanned this neg a couple years ago. View full size. Re: James at 15I also remember James at 16. Lance Kerwin. This picture is, like, soThis picture is, like, so far out man. It is too groovy for words. I'm just going to send you the positive vibes. Those flocking postersI had a summer job in a poster warehouse about a year after this picture was taken; we took pallets of the flat posters, rolled them, stuffed them in those long plastic sleeves, and distributed them to various retail places. A machine handled most of the rolling automatically, but if it couldn't keep up we had long spindles turned by a motor and controlled by a foot pedal for hand rolling. And the flocked posters all had to be hand rolled. I had to do it a could of times, and it was awful: the flocking of course went everywhere-- nasty, itchy stuff. The could of women who did most of the hand rolling would bundle themselves up in smocks and masks for those, but since I was sixteen I couldn't be bothered with that. A year ago one of our computers had to be rebuilt and I ended up at the store in the aisle with all the tubing and fluorescent dyes to make it glow. I almost had a '70s flashback. Spencer GiftsThen there is that store in every mall called Spencer Gifts that *always* had the black lights, strobe lights, mirror lights, lava lamps, and posters on display in the back. I couldn't wait to have my own money to buy all that! I remember...Brings back a ton of memories about my 3rd floor attic room posters. I had the Beatles' Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (LSD), Led Zep, and various psychedelic designs. Numerous hours of air guitar listening to my portable LP player (Grand Funk, Led Zep, Blue Oyster Cult...). Oh the MemoriesMy brother and I shared a room and had our friends over for a painting party. We painted the walls and ceiling flat black and installed a black light on the ceiling. Then all our friends painted what they wanted in fluorescent colors. Poor Mom. I made it up to her several years later when my friends and I paneled the room. There is a big surprise under that paneling that someone had to have found sometime in the early 1980's. In the Black of the LightGood Gawd Gertie! There's a 'collectible' fortune in black light posters on those walls.... I had the Disney-themed "Ain't Gonna Work on Dizzy's Farm No More" poster, among others - of course the publisher was soon firebombed out of existence by the Mouse's corporate lawyers - I was maybe James' age when I got them, and the lovely un-filtered UV lamps to "power" them - how lucky I am to still have my vision intact and my skin cancer-free - oh man, the ozone those things made...! Anyway, later on, a Female with whom I was experiencing a permanently deteriorating relationship decamped from our shared abode one afternoon, in the process relieving me of some of my cash, ALL of my stash, and a selection of my posessions - among them: those posters. Noelle - if you happen to read this - it's been nearly 40 years babe - keep the rest of the Stuff - but gimme back my posters already! tterrace = the Garrison Keillor of Larkspur Psychedelic dreamsOur local Target store at that time had a separate room just off the entrance which sold only the record albums of the day and all sorts of black light posters and was completely bathed in just funky black lights, disco balls and flashing multicolor rotating lamps which would cause anyone to feel they were "tripping out" just by being in there. My kids were teens at the time and once took my elderly mother in there to which she reiterated the old phrase "These kids today are all hopped up on goofballs" which now cracks us all up every time we hear it since I believe that was actually coined in the era of beatniks back in the '50s (When I was young). We still say it now and then just to remind ourselves that every new generation has their own trends and fads which the older generations are not tuned into. Life goes on... What, Me Worry?I remember the black light fad of the 70's very well. I new some folks that had whole rooms devoted to those posters and their music. Alfred E. Summed It UpI well remember when I "achieved" my age of discovery. Everything was under control, or so I thought. My contemporaries and I all had the same mantra: "What, Me Worry?" Hey that's my room!... in 1970. On Commack, Long Island. Black Velvet MemoriesFor a second there I was right back in my 15 year old self's bedroom with the black velvet black light posters and disco lights. Man, oh, man the 70's were made of funky. The PostersI still actually have all those posters, I save freakin' everything.. part of the legacy.. :-) .. and yes, my room was a homage to rockstars I admired and blacklight posters.. anyone remember the Wheaties blacklight poster with the Zig Zag man running? No need for bleachOne good thing about black lights: they make your teeth whiter than white! I saved one item.Almost all of it got lost to The Cleaning Mom, relocations, marriage (to, of all people, The Cleaning Wife), and attic roof leaks, but I still have an original 1969 green Lava Lamp in perfect operating condition. It has a place of honor on my computer desk and, since it takes about 2 hours to warm up, is used on long winter weekend evenings. James at 15Anyone remember the TV show from that era? TrippyMy mom wouldn't let me have a black light since she was convinced that I would either go blind or get cancer from the ultraviolet light. I actually do have a neon black light that works but haven't set it up anywhere due to fear of our kids breaking it. Sorry Mr. CrumbThat "Keep on Truckin" poster looks like one of the many unlicensed knockoffs that bedeviled R. Crumb at that point in his career. Keep on Truckin'I had the same poster. My friend's irises turn a weird milky colour under blacklights. One of the local nightspots has blacklights and we checked everyone's eyes and of 100+ people, hers were the only ones that did that. Very strange. I'm having a flashback hereOh man, Keep on Trucking, the Fabulous Furry Freak Bros., Fat Freddy's Cat, Mr. Natural and Rudy the D*** - ah, my misspent youth. My room, too!Yeah, that looks a lot like my room in Arlington, Texas in the 70's! I wish I still had all that stuff! Some of us never grow upOh man, now that's cool! Black lights, posters, incense and hanging out at Spencer Gifts. Yeah, that was me too. Yeah. I'm still into it; Mad, R.Crumb, old rock, fragrant sticks of incense and other oddness. I'm just too weird to give it up. LikewiseLooks a LOT like my room circa 1972...I had the LSD poster, Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk...and all that. Brings back memories! I just bought a 1975Ford F150 that has been sitting in a field for 14 years. It has a "Keep on Truckin" bumper sticker on it still…. On another note, I was removing the bumper recently, as I am doing a body off resto on the truck, and dropped it on my foot and broke it. (the foot, not the bumper) The truck is going to be for my daughters 16th bday in July 2014. The frame is being powder coated this week. I'm crazy excited to give her a "brand new" 1975 truck. This also brings back cool memories of the posters in the 70's. Thanks. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Ass Baskets: 1906
... Truncated Signs Goes one better than the roadside neon sign seen here in the 1970s that had lost its "G" in "Gas and Eat". I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:07am -

Petoskey, Michigan, circa 1906. "The midway." As the precious days of one's sojourn in Petoskey dwindle to their final hours, keep the magic alive with a unique souvenir. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. GE FanHe's running his engraver with either a 1899 or 1900 GE "pancake" fan. ProfanityDave we have enough profanity in the world so please stop adding to it. Thanks. [That goes double for inanity. Thanks. - Dave] Buttocks BasketsWhen I saw the title of this picture, I thought you were referring to the name of the ass-shaped buttocks baskets that my neighbor collects. There really is such a thing. Google firstDave, I think you maybe should have Googled that term before posting it. LOL. [Oh, I don't need to Google it. - Dave] At least you didn't title this"Eet ass baskets"! The Indian postcards are really cool though. Cannot figure out what the items are for sale on the table. [An assortment of mugs and cups, suitable for engraving. - Dave] Do they have any "mirthday" cards?Wow - I'm still laughing. Good way to end the day with a chuckle. The lady in the middle looking up is thinking: "nobody is getting my ass in a basket!" and the guy leaning on the left side with a bundle under his arm is Milburn Stone (Doc from Gunsmoke). He didn't even need to do much time traveling to be there either. Sweet GrassI'm not used to sweet grass in Michigan, but it remains a fairly big deal on the northern prairies. Would have been a nice souvenir, however, and smelled good for a few years. Donkey FancierA friend of mine, a quite conservative lady, loves to bring her white donkey to our mountain man gatherings. She takes great delight inviting us to admire her "fine white ass." Truncated SignsGoes one better than the roadside neon sign seen here in the 1970s that had lost its "G" in "Gas and Eat". I reckon those basketswould be easy to "haul"! The Card RackClick to enlarge. One popular selection is the classic thigh-slapper "Make Hay While the Sun Shines." GrandmaLooking at those teens in the photo I can imagine my grandmother as she was the same age then - and lived in MI too. It seemed such a simple time. I'm inclined to noticeThe engraver has a leveler under the far table leg. re: The Card RackEven more mirth-provoking, given the theme of posterior humor, is this one at the lower left corner: DeltiologyThis picture was taken at an interesting time in the history of postcards in the U.S. At this point, messages were only permitted to be written on the front of postcards - which is why so many of these have a wide margin or blank area on the front. The next year, this law was changed and messages and address could both be written on the back. You know the old saying about a handbasket?If my week is going to hell, let it be in an ass basket! EET ASS BASKETSJust to clear things up: Ass Baskets were undoubtedly a local favorite delicacy at the time. And just like the signs that encourage us to ENJOY COCA-COLA or DRINK DIET PEPSI, the proprietor of the store selling Ass Baskets has put up a sign: EET ASS BASKETS. The misspelling of the word EAT is unfortunate but, seeing as how the message still got thru, the owners probably decided not to spend the extra money to fix the spelling of the sign. Stick with me, Dave. I gotta million of 'em. Thank you, Dave.I was having a bad day until I read this title. Sorry Dee, the heathen in me thought it was hilarious. Found on eBayItem 130585349753. You reckon it was engraved by this fellow? Sweet Grass BasketsIn case someone really wants to know what it says. (The Gallery, DPC, Petoskey, Travel & Vacation)
Motown Noir: 1910
... around the U.S. shown on Shorpy, there are always large, neon "Chop Suey" signs, sometimes several in the same picture. I see two in ... 1910. I’m amazed by the number of vehicle lights and neon signs present in a year I’d have supposed to be much more like the 19th ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 5:00pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1910. "Campus Martius at night." A nocturnal view of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Chop Suey was popularI have noticed that in almost all of the street scenes from various cities around the U.S. shown on Shorpy, there are always large, neon "Chop Suey" signs, sometimes several in the same picture. I see two in this photo, there may be more. One has to wonder what made early 20th century chop suey taste so good that it merited full size, expensive, lighted advertising signs. There are multitudes of recipes for it, all different, but there must have been a "type" that had strong appeal to the masses. This is a particularly beautiful picture with outstanding plays of light that could have been photographed the night my mom was born and I would love to be able to be visit this very locale at that very time. This is a picture than can inspire a million stories as one walks along the intriguing boulevard (of broken dreams?) Thank you Shorpy for once again setting my imagination on high speed. "Chop Suey" (Edward Hopper, 1929) Where's the Moon (Light Towers)?Were the moonlight towers all gone by 1910? I looked back at the past Detroit photos that had them and they all seemed to be 1905 or earlier. Looks like they installed normal streetlights by this time. [While they weren't on every street corner, there were several nearby [one, two, three). But they may have been removed by the time this photo was made. - Dave] Diamond TiresTHEY WON'T SKID THEY WON'T SLIDE THEY GRIP Diamond Tires won'tI was puzzled for a moment by what Diamond Tires won't do. "Skibe"? Then it dawned on me: they alternately won't skid and don't slide! America's Heyday Beautiful. Amazing signage. Chop Sueybecame a generic term for Chinese food. At least in black areas of town, such as Harlem, a Chinese restaurant was a "Chop Suey joint." Similarly, "gin" was a generic term for hard liquor. Writers often wrote of Bessie Smith's fondness for gin, based largely upon her use of the term in songs, but they were making assumptions. I asked Ruby Smith, her niece and touring companion, if Bessie really preferred gin. "no, no," she replied, "Bessie didn't like nothing but bad liquor, she said that anything sealed made her sick." Neither Will They SlipI wondered why the "D" in SLIDE and SKID would need an extra lighted segment in the middle. Then I found an ad for Diamond tires in a 1913 Popular Mechanics that says, "The Diamond Safety Tread Tire is the famous Diamond Automobile Tire adapted for motorcyle - it won't slip, won't slide, won't skip - it grips and bites the pavement - it gives you sure control in every emergency and a heaping measure of mileage." History of Chop SueyOTY, you got me thinking... A quick Google yielded this: http://hubpages.com/hub/Eat-Drink-And-Be-Merry Aside from the misspellings, the short article is very interesting. Thank you for prompting me to learn something new today! In oppositionIn both senses of the word - Diamond and Goodrich, though Goodrich seems to have the edge here in the amount of light it sheds. A fascinating composition with lots to see. I like all the light trails wiggling in and out from the cars, I wonder how long they had to keep the shutter open? More modern than todayAt a glance, I’d have guessed this to be 1930 or 1940, not 1910. I’m amazed by the number of vehicle lights and neon signs present in a year I’d have supposed to be much more like the 19th Century still. Margaret IllingtonMiss Illington, here starring at the Detroit Opera House, had recently been divorced from theatrical manager David Frohman. This year -- I don't know whether before or after this photo -- she married Edward Bowes, later to host "Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour" (ancestral to the Gong Show, and indirectly to such programs as "America's Got Talent"). Another thing those Diamond Tires won't doWON'T SKID WON'T SLIDE and also WON'T SLIP Look closely at the lighted character second from right on that line. SerendipityJust tonight my seven year old, who's crazy for "Fred and Ginger" movies, was watching "Swing Time." Fred Astaire sings "Never Gonna Dance," a song with a lovely, catchy tune paired with these ridiculously unsingable lyrics, maybe the worst love lyrics ever, including this gem: Have I two eyes to see your two eyes, or see myself on my toes, Dancing on radios for Major Edward Bowes? "And who the heck," I asked myself, "is Major Edward Bowes?" Then I visit Shorpy, and here he is, mentioned in the comments! Where else on the web could I get that kind of service? (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Gem State Garage: 1941
... signage and garage interior lighting turned on. (Neon, fuel dispensers, overhead lamps, subdued incandescent interior lighting ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/04/2022 - 1:51pm -

"No caption" is all it says here. From photos taken in July 1941 by Russell Lee in Idaho for the Farm Security Administration, this one at "Official Light Testing Station No. 89" -- possibly in Lewiston or Genesee. Medium format acetate negative. View full size. Holy smokesI found it unusual that in 1941, 12 men would be gathered sitting, relaxing and kibitzing and not one of them is smoking. I thought almost everyone smoked back then. [Except Mormons. - Dave] I'll takea Mission Orange drink -- ice cold -- and a chat with the friendly chap at the far right, who seems to have the right outlook: smile and look straight into the camera, a metaphor for life itself. Tire SaleBetter buy a set of Goodyears now, fellas. Pretty soon they will be very hard to come by! The Lost Art of Just SittingI can't imagine a similar scene today: ten grown men just hanging out at the garage. Isn't there corn that needs hoeing or shutters that need painting? Idaho Light Testing StationsFound this in an old newspaper from Idaho: JULY 16, 1931 •The Dye-Kuhn Motors and Grangeville Chevrolet Co. have been designated as light testing station for automobile headlights. A new ruling by the Department of Law Enforcement demands that all car lights must be checked again this year. A charge of 50 cents will be made and a pink sticker will be placed on the windshield. Can't seem to find much about the stations such as a listing of each one and its associated number. Look For The "Z"Not the same, exact sign/poster, but the same model. StoriesI wonder about the stories the old guys have been telling the kids. Whatever the stories are, must have been good ones. Too many folks are smiling. The great sidewalk debate.I have been part of scenes such as this. From the youth in the doorway right up to the full suspenders oldster. There are usually multiple topics in play. In this case I think the discussion might be if ethyl is worth the price, what tire brand or tread pattern is best, which motor oil won’t turn to sludge in 2000 miles and of course the war in Europe. The “BS” will continue to accumulate until pulling your pant cuffs way up will be prudent. Expensive Light CheckThat 50 cent charge in 1931 that JAE mentioned is equivalent to a little more than $9 now. That's quite a fee for somebody looking to see if your lights come on. Light Years BehindShorpy, Light Years Behind, and Loving It! Hats!Hard to imagine a time when no person in his right mind would venture out without wearing a hat. The kid in the doorway and the young man at far right excepted. Lunch?I wonder if they are waiting for the lunch sign to turn on. What lights?Can you imagine yourself standing directly across the street from the garage sometime after dusk? All outdoor electrical signage and garage interior lighting turned on. (Neon, fuel dispensers, overhead lamps, subdued incandescent interior lighting as a background) Who needed "Times Square" anyway! Before ShawshankIs that Andy Dufresne on the far right? I spy --Clint Eastwood in the big hat under the "tire sale" sign. Gent with the walking stick... prefers a high-waisted trouser. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Verified Lubrication: 1939
... their doors in 1956. A rare early Esso sign that neon sign with the older type lettering is a real collectors item today. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/27/2013 - 6:06pm -

1939. "Service station in Washington, D.C." Continuing today's Essorama. 35mm nitrate negative by David Myers. View full size. Sardine parkingMy assumption is that the customers did not park their own cars (just imagine what that would have been like), but that attendants jockeyed them around in order to cram as many in as possible. They would by management decree therefore be mindful of not dinging adjoining doors. UnexcelledI come for the parking, but I stay for the greasing! Something bigSeems to me most of those cars are jammed in there because something's going on nearby. The two women with the bags to the right of the pump jockies appear to be wrapping up a shopping trip. That 25 cents parking fee is a little over four bucks today. I parked on Wisconsin Avenue in D.C. a few weeks ago and it was a lot more than that! Looks Like a Toy From this AngleLooks like one of those tin lithograph service station toys with a really fabulous collection of toy cars. I want one. Door DingsImagine the door divots those big old swinging slabs of steel could make. My wife complains because I park the ol' Ford at the back of the Piggly Wiggly parking lot to avoid door dings from suburbanites in SUVs. She's in a snit because she has to walk a few extra yards to get her hummus and meatless meatballs or whatever nonsense she's feeding me these days. O'Donnell's Sea GrillFrom their website, "The O’Donnell’s story began over three quarter centuries ago when Tom O’Donnell opened his first restaurant, the “Sea Grill”, in downtown Washington, D.C. at 1207 E Street, N.W. in 1922." Molasses in JanuaryI wonder if those seven oil pump dispensers between the gas pumps are there year-round? I'd hate to be the grease monkey who has to pump four quarts of 90-weight when the temperature dips into the single digits as it can do in D.C.! As the saying goes, Slower 'n molasses in January! The location today and about that beerView Larger Map Also Senate Beer was brewed on land that now is part of the Kennedy Center and includes the Watergate Complex. Yeah that Watergate. Parking 25 centsGetting your car out from the back row -- $10!!! OnceI went to a filling station that didn't verify I was lubed properly -- once. Amazing how new all those cars areThe oldest one I see is the '30-'31 Ford. Rumble seat eraI suspect a few of these cars would have had rumble seats, probably the roadsters and coupes, because that would have been the likely time period. My older cousin had a hot rod about this vintage in which he would often take my sibs and me for a ride and that exterior seat was great fun for youngsters (up and down the very steepest hills of Ct.) although it probably wasn't so safe. Senate Beer & AleSenate was brewed in D.C. since the Civil War by the Christian Heurich Brewing Company. They survived Prohibition, but not their big national competitors like Pabst, Schlitz and Budweiser. They closed their doors in 1956. A rare early Esso signthat neon sign with the older type lettering is a real collectors item today. Verified LubricationYou know a joint is on the up and up if they verify the lubrication. It almost makes me want to go back in time to 1930s D.C. to find out exactly what that means. Verified lubricationis when you pump so much lube into the fitting that the boot ruptures and grease leaks down on the floor. Verified means . . . According to an ad in a 1951 edition of the Biloxi Daily Herald, "Standard VERIFIED Lubrication is a thorough, scientific lubrication procedure that gets the RIGHT amount of the RIGHT lubricant at the RIGHT place." It is "more than a 'grease job.'" Presumably, it also involves somebody verifying something, although you can't see that from the advertising copy. Suicide doors everywhere!It's amazing how many of the cars in this picture have rear-hinged "suicide doors" - not just for the rear doors of four-door sedans, but also the two-door coupe in front of the small hut. Two-door coupeThe two-door coupe in front of the small hut is a 1935 Chevrolet Master Coupe. 1935 was the only year that Chevrolets had rear hinged front doors, and it was only on the Master series. The Standard model had conventional front hinged doors and the styling was almost identical the 1934 models. The Masters had the front grille of the '34s and the body resembled the 1936s. Washington Garage Filling Station Washington Post, September 24, 1933. Washington Garage Firm Acquires Holdings. Washington Garage Parking Service is increasing its downtown parking space in the block bounded by Pennsylvania avenue, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and E streets northwest. It has leased for an indefinite period from C. Heurich, jr., Realty Co., 23,000 square feet of property in the block with frontages of 170 feet on Pennsylvania avenue and about 30 on Twelfth street. … The additional leases, according to company officials, will give it the largest parking lot in the South. They will continue to operate the garage service which caters to downtown hotel business. The company also operates a standard automobile service station at Twelfth and E streets northwest. C. Heurich, jr., Realty Co.That probably explains the Senate Beer billboard. Christian Heurich bought a great deal of land in Washington, DC and to this day various members of the family hold real estate throughout the city. Incidentally, his grandson Gary brought the brand back in the 80's as a microbrew. I still have a 6-pack. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., David Myers, Gas Stations)
Futuramic: 1950
... exposure - getting the lit interior of the showroom, the neon sign, and the exterior at what looks like dusk to all be in balance. It ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/28/2013 - 3:03pm -

February 15, 1950. New York. "Crystal Motors, business at 5901 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn. Exterior II." On display: the "Futuramic" 1950 Oldsmobile. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. I want..I would definitely take a few of those cool looking chairs, very artsy indeed. Re: Futuramic, indeedNot really. Between the very good Hydramatic automatic transmission and the first modern OHV V8 engine, Oldsmobiles of that time were pretty much the wave of, if not the future, then at least the next twenty years. They were pigs to drive, of course, but then American cars were pigs to drive for the next twenty or thirty years. When did downtown auto showrooms disappear, anyway? I remember them from the '50s - they were the rule rather than the exception, at least in the Northeast - but at some point everything moved to suburban lots and I missed the moment. Futuramic OldsesThe division's "Futuramic" body arrived for the 1948 model year, marking the debut of GM's redesigned postwar cars. Of Cadillac proportions for the first couple of years, by the early 1950s they'd had 5 inches lopped off their frames. The design with its integrated front fenders, full wheel openings and jet-tube headlights was progressive for the time, avoiding the dead-end vogue for bathtub-style bodies that afflicted a lot of late-40s cars. Dealer Showrooms!PersonFromPorlock, do you remember when Ford introduced the brand-new 1964-1/2 Mustang? Our dealer in Houma, Louisiana, had kraft paper covering all their windows so folks couldn't get a peek at this amazing new car until the designated day of introduction. I remember passing by the Ford dealer in our school bus and thinking that day would never arrive. RecommendedDon't forget to make an appointment for the 1,000 mile check up. Bring a list of the defects and problems with the car with you and we'll try to get it back to you in a few days. Odds are they won't fix them all on the first visit. Mid Century Futuramic The architecture is mid century futuramic. The vehicle is mid century. I had a 1957 Super 88 in high school in 1972. I loved that Rocket 500 power in a street boat. GM taught me about planned obsolescence from that car. Futuramic, indeedThe building, maybe, but not those dumpy crates. Olds buyers would have to wait until 1954 before they lost that look. Rite Aid PharmacyAccording to Google Street View, a Rite Aid Pharmacy now occupies the site. RadiosThe AM radios in 50s cars worked great, a lost sound. Recent road test, plus period filmMore on the 1950 Olds 88, from Motor Trend. Plus, some Futuramic period film on the 1948 Olds models as produced by the Jam Handy Organization. Mal, love your Hudson! If I remember correctlyThe Hudson 6 cylinder with dual H-Power still licked them at Daytona. [At the first NASCAR outing in Daytona Beach in 1949, the new Rocket Engine Oldsmobile ruled, taking the top four spots. - Dave] That's what I get for listening to a Hudson owner! Now that's a showroomLove, love the slanted windows of the showroom; so very up to date in 1950. I also remember car dealers in the Middle of downtown Minneapolis; I think some were still there in the 60s. I love the big "pig cars". I would trade in my Corolla for one any time!! To quote the Blues Brothers"The new Oldsmobiles are in early this year!" Not Until 1951It was 1951, the year of my Hudson Hornet shown here, when Hudson put Oldsmobile in its place. With the advent of the Hudson Hornet in 1951, Hudson became the NASCAR champion, a position they held through 1954. Hudson's big 308 cubic inch flathead six with dual carbs (Twin-H Power) when combined Hudson's vastly superior handling did the trick. Oldsmobile 98I learned to drive in a 1952 Oldsmobile 98 4-door sedan. It was a beautiful dark green monster purchased new by my parents in Dallas, Texas. The vehicle persevered until 1966 when it was sold to a young tow truck operator, for a pittance, after the fuel pump failed. Dad would say"Why pay for a Cadillac when you can get the same features on an Olds a year earlier?" My understanding was that tilted windows were placed that way to avoid the reflections of headlights. Sit!Please, sit down and admire our cars. Loewy RidersThe showroom itself appears to have been inspired-if not actually designed-by Raymond Loewy. In addition to creating the look of the postwar Studebakers, Loewy designed storefronts, filling stations, furniture, locomotives, etc. Never mind the OldsmobilesThis is a beautiful example of tricky exposure - getting the lit interior of the showroom, the neon sign, and the exterior at what looks like dusk to all be in balance. It reminds me of the photography of Julius Shulman. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Carlton's Pharmacy: 1940
... by a guy wire on each side. Any guesses? [A neon "Rexall" sign. - Dave] Maybe not so much silver screen but we do ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/12/2019 - 11:59am -

November 1940. "Boomtown store near Shasta Dam construction site, Shasta County, California." Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. What's a girl to doOh dear. To the left of the door we have a full-length view of a larger lass clad only in her smalls, standing on a scale, urged to take diet supplements ... early body shaming? To the right we're treated to a closeup of a gorgeous gal looking longingly at a Whitman's Sampler, the box being proffered by the hand of a gallant gentleman. Such conflict. Keep the scale and the vitamins; I'll take the chocolates. Whitman'sThank you, Whitman's chocolate, for refusing to bow to pressure about modern design and the need to "rebrand." I recognize your box across time, and hope that it had good chocolates within. Fresh MagazinesThat's the December 1940 issue of Movie Life Magazine top left of the rack, with Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland on the cover. Most likely promoting their 1941 Comedy, Skylark. Alka Seltzer ThermometerAs a collector of advertising thermometers, I have never seen a tin Alka-Seltzer. Several PAM type with Speedy very collectible. Tin nice shape bulb works no nail hole damage. That's a real gem there. Wish I had it. Battle of TarantoA precursor to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor -- the British Royal Navy used carrier-based torpedo bombers to attack Italian Navy vessels in the port at Taranto on the night of 11/12 November 1940. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taranto Safely distantThe bombing of Italy's fleet at Taranto must have made for interesting reading when we were still safely thousands of miles and more than a year removed from the war. Extra! Extra!As you can see, the San Francisco Chronicle and the rival Examiner are keeping a certain wary but respectful distance between one another at opposite ends of the porch. No one make any sudden moves. Read All About ItIt looks like the major headline of the day is about Britain's attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto, which occurred on the night of November 11-12, 1940. Life on Mars with ChocolateIf man ever does reach the point of living on Mars, there will, no doubt, be a retro Rexall Drug Store there selling Whitman's Samplers. But by that time there will probably only be one piece of candy per level in the box. I bought a box recently and was disappointed to find maybe eight pieces on each of the two levels, instead of the filled box assortment of yesteryear. What's hanging up top?On the peak of the roof there is a device I can't identify. It's restrained by a guy wire on each side. Any guesses? [A neon "Rexall" sign. - Dave] Maybe not so much silver screenbut we do have Russell Sambrook's painting "Catch the Turkey" on the cover of Liberty's November 23rd issue, "Springer Spaniel" by W.W. Calvert on the Saturday Evening Post of the 16th, and a slightly jumping-the-gun December 1940 issue of McCall's, with the beginning of a four-part serial "The Beautiful Southwick Girls" by Margaret Culkin Banning, subtitled "a story of how much — and how little — men think of beautiful women." (Banning was a well-known women's rights activist as well as a hot-selling author.) Miss PopularityAmongst other stars: Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in Screen Romances 12/40. Linda Darnell in Silver Screen 12/40. Linda Darnell (again) in Movie Mirror 12/40. Paulette Goddard on set, Motion Picture 12/40. Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell (yet again) “Mark of Zorro” in Screenland 12/40. 17-year-old Linda wins the popularity poll, and is at the peak of her stardom. The news stands in colorAnd thanks to Vintagetvs, I missed the Movie Life issue. More Than 30 Comics!Oh, how I long for those days. At two comics per page, that was probably a 16-page section. (When I was in high school I remember hearing a rumor that the Denver Post Comic Section was so huge you could subscribe to it alone!) Today the comics are barely an afterthought - the strips are smaller and you're lucky if you get 4 pages on Sunday. Breaks my heart. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Five Little Naons: 1912
... auto expert but isn't that the 1911 prototype of the Dodge Neon? Naon Children Following is a caption from a different Harris & ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:09pm -

"Naon children, 1912." Romulo Naon Jr., son of the Argentinean ambassador, and siblings. I can't shake the feeling that some Goreyesque mishap is about to befall these gloomy tots. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. That's just too good, Dave!I stared at this photo thinking that there was something slightly creepy and familiar about this image; then I read your caption. I'm a Gorey fan and collector, but I don't know how long, if ever, it would have taken me to make the connection; now I can't see it any other way! It is the perfect analogy - in absolutely every detail. Thanks. The VehicleI'm not an auto expert but isn't that the 1911 prototype of the Dodge Neon? Naon ChildrenFollowing is a caption from a different Harris & Ewing photo of children carried in the Washington Post. Children of the Minister From Argentina and Mme. Naon. These beautiful children gladden the home of the Argentine Minister and Mme. Naon. They were all born in Buenos Aires, but they love Washington, and are not anxious to return to their own country because they like America so much better as a place in which to live. They are Isabel, age 12; Felisa, age 10, Romulo, age 9; Juan Jose, age 5; and Carlota, the baby, who is only 2. Isabel and Felisa attend the Convent of the Visitation and Romulo and Juan Jose go to St. John's College. They all speak French and English as well as their native language, Spanish. Carlota has not yet learned French, but she can chatter in Spanish, and knows a little English. She is a dear baby with large dark eyes and a lot of silky curls of a beautiful chestnut brown. She is devoted to her doll baby and loves to sing it so sleep. When vacation days come the children are going with their parents to Buena Vista, where they will spend the summer. Washington Post, May 19, 1912 My new favorite pictureThis replaces the picture of Eleanor Tierney at Starlight Park as my favorite Shorpy image. How it delights the imagination! Isabel and Felisa remind me of the spooky Diane Arbus "Identical Twins" picture. They also remind me a bit too much of my sister and myself, who were not twins but were raised - and dressed - as such. Where's Cousin Itt?They look like something straight out of "The Addams Family"! Shining ExampleGeez, I don't know what's creepier about this photo: the doll in the stroller or the Kubrickesque twins in the back! When you're right, you're rightThey are very Gorey-esque aren't they? I can practically hear the old PBS "Mystery" theme song when I look at that picture. Handsome family though. Redrum, Redrum!In a previous appearance: LemonyThat's just too Lemony Snicket for words. Love it! The ObviousThe one in the carriage is a real doll. Bored to Death"N is for Naon who died of ennui." High AnxietyI wonder what's going through the mind of the boy on the left. If I had that glorious toy car, I'd be all smiles! Sounds of terrorDid'ja ever notice that when horror movies preview on the big screen that if they have five-year olds' voices singing a familiar childhood tune, it makes peoples' blood run cold? When they show a well-dressed, well-behaved serious child in any "standing still" scene, people are scared silly? Psychologically, it defies explanation as to why adults are so scared of youngsters who don't act like real-life children. Seems as though if you want to make a scary hit movie, you need only work into the script some very serious, disciplined toddlers who keep showing up and singing. Why izzit? P.S. The two girls doing "sister act" need bigger bows on their hats. Don't Cry for MeThat youngest girl is absolutely adorable. Yes, they look a little uncertain about something, but still, a good looking group of kids. I like stanton_square's added info (as always)--it makes it easier to picture these kids as more active, "normal" children, which I'm sure they probably were. I wonder if any of them did end up staying in the United States? 1912 would have been a part of Argentina's glory years, when iy was one of the wealthiest countries on earth. Things went downhill after the 1930s, and the country has kind of had a rough go of it since. I was there for a summer a couple of years ago though, and it's a terrific place to visit. And if you like amazing, filling food, you'll probably gain a lot of weight. Meat and bread, and more meat. Like I said, it's a great place. Lives of luxuryThese kids don't look especially scary or creepy to me (although I love the redrum and Gorey comparisons!) but rather a bit stuck up and snobbish. They seem to lack the humble charm of the other Shorpy kids, who have had to work for whatever toys and treats they may have had. Rómulo S. Naón (1875-1941)He had a very distinguished political and diplomatic career, as well as in finance, and there are schools and streets in Buenos Aires named after him. He was head of the Argentine legation in Washington from 1910, and when it became an embassy, in 1914, he became Argentina's first ambassador to the United States, a post he retained until 1917. I find records for only four children: Felisa, born 1903; Juan-José, Isabel and Carlota. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids)
F Street: 1939
... of the ???? I am sure one of you Shorpers knows the neon sign above the Coca Cola one, but I am unfamiliar with it. Can someone ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 1:01pm -

Washington, D.C. "F Street scenes, January 1939." With the Treasury building in the distance. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Then and nowI spot a "5 and 10." Now they're called dollar stores! TractionNote the tire chains on the Twin Coach bus. By my standards there is not enough snow to justify chains but we don't know where this "Special" is going. In this picture one can see how important public transit was in the 1930s and 1940s. Slim pickin'sIs anyone else stunned by how much leaner we were in those pre-couch-potato, pre-fast-food, pre-supersize-me days? PhenomenalIn the distance near the intersection of 15th Street you can see both Rhodes Tavern and the penultimate Old Ebbitt Grill, both fabled and both gone. Rhodes & Old EbbittI looked for both but couldn't readily identify them in the pic. Can someone point them out to me or give me a point of reference. Great photo and thanks for any assistance! [Click below to enlarge. Rhodes Tavern is the Record City building. Old Ebbitt has since moved around the corner to 15th and G. - Dave] Now & ThinWe walked! To and from public transporation, schools (uphill both ways of course) and stores, all of which were often far apart. Most households had one car, if any, and children did not expect home-based taxi service every time we wanted to go somewhere. Sure, there were no fast-food establishments as we know them now but that is only part of the reason for the slimness. ThrongedThe first thing that jumps out at me is the great throng of people walking on the sidewalks. I can't think of very many places in the country where you could find anything similar today. It these buildings there were shops, restaurants, and just about everything else one could want in life. The cosmopolitan atmosphere is missing just about everywhere today. Toot toot yeah, beep beepI don't see any traffic lights or signals at that intersection where the cab is crossing in front of the trolley. Anyone know how the traffic was managed? [I spy four stoplights at that intersection. - Dave] The candy of the ????I am sure one of you Shorpers knows the neon sign above the Coca Cola one, but I am unfamiliar with it. Can someone translate the brand name and last word of their theme? [Nunnally's, based in Atlanta, billed itself as "Candy of the South." - Dave] Where the heck is everyoneWhere the heck is everyone going at 8:10 a.m.? [Or 1:40. - Dave] Dirty TrickIs that some poor woman's hat sitting on the ledge on the left side of the picture? Doesn't look like it's been there long. [It looks camera-related to me. - Dave] Flathead V8sAt least one 1939 Ford near the mailbox. There may be more in the picture since Ford started using them in 1932. Soundtrack, PleaseNow here's an image that implies a cacophony of sound: The chug-a-lug of those flathead V8s. The crunching rumble of streetcar rails. The ahhOOOgah of auto horns competing with the plaintive bell of the streetcar. The shrill chirp of the traffic cop's whistle. The thock-thock-thock of high heels on pavement. And finally, the voices of passersby -- that mid-Atlantic drawl that offers "ew" in place of "oh." I think I can hear all of these. BaffledThe street cars are electric powered, the source being overhead wires. Where are the wires? [Underground, between the rails. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Streetcars)
The Apparatus: 1929
... need a fairly big electric motor behind it, as well as a neon glowlamp. Dual chassis were another hallmark of TV setups at the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/04/2013 - 10:21am -

UPDATE: See the front panel here. Summer 1929 or thereabouts in Washington, D.C. An impressive rack. Of what? Unlabeled Harris & Ewing glass negative, Part 1 of 2. View full size. A radio and so much moreFor any Shorpy-ites who complained that recent radio pictures didn't show wiring, this one does. And there's even a speaker in this photo, and it's connected to this seemingly powerful receiver and / or transmitter. Hi-fiTwo of the shelves have identical apparatus, so obviously it's stereophonic. (I don't really have to insert a smiley face here, do I?) Not stereophonic.My guess is the two sets of identical apparatus work in series. First set picks up weak signals and amplifies them, second set amplifies them even more. Or both sets amplify the same signals and then combine the signals through superheterodyne action. Believe this receiver would be connected to a pretty good-sized antenna/set of antennas, which would allow worldwide reception. CAGEThe first Electric Analog Grandfather's Clock? Being that it's Washington DC, it was probably classified: CLOCK, ANALOG, GRANDFATHER, ELECTRIC (CAGE) First Mobile PhoneIt's either the first mobile phone or the first microwave oven. Or not. It's not RFIt's an audio amplifier of some sort -- possibly for a PA system. This is because of the rack mounting. The reason I say it's not RF is that there is no evidence of tuning capacitors, plus the transformers are definitely audio finals. While not my era, I'd certainly love to hear from someone who knows about this equipment. Rack mounted CrosleysReceive WLW and WOWO. BacksideI think this is the backside of the equipment rack. I am betting that the next image (2 of 2) will show us the other side and give us more clues. Not radioThese appear to be audio (sound) amplifiers. I see tubes and wire-wound resistors- but no RF coils or tuning capacitors like radio equipment would have. My guess is it's part of a early PA system. Either a PA system or a two-way radio base stationHere's my guess: The whole rig is either a public address system, or something like a base station for a police radio system. The top device is probably a tunable radio receiver. I can see what looks like a tuning capacitor behind a couple of the tubes on the left. The three tubes on the light-colored chassis on the right are probably part of the power supply, while the five tubes on the left are the RF/IF/AF part of the radio. I'm not sure what the three biscuits are, under the tubes at the left - maybe covers over the back sides of rotary controls? The cylinder slung under the left side is probably a filter capacitor for the power supply - it is rather bigger than most radios would have used at that time. Maybe this is designed for a 25 Hz supply? That bright sheet-metal piece standing on end under the workbench is probably the shield for this device. The top device might also be a powered microphone mixer, to allow multiple microphones to drive the power amps. If the whole thing is a PA system, and this is a radio, this lets you play background music. If it's a mixer, it lets you use more than one microphone. If it's a base station, then this is probably a radio, and this is how you hear the mobile units calling in. The bottom two devices are either audio power amplifiers (PA system) or radio transmitters (base station). If they are power amps, they probably amplify the output of the radio for loudspeakers. If you need to cover a bigger area, add another amp to the rack (note the empty shelf). If they are power amps, the dark oblong boxes might be audio output transformers, but I'm not 100% sure on this. (If this was 30 years later, they might be spring reverb tanks, but I don't think those existed in 1929.) If they are radio transmitters, my guess is that they are fixed-frequency; at that time, those were easier to build, and are always much easier to use. They might even be just CW, for Morse code, but 1929 sounds a little late for that. If they are fixed-frequency, my guess is that they are on two different frequencies; you *could* use the same frequency into two different directional antennas, but that requires synchronization of the transmitters that I am not sure was reliable in 1929. I'm not sure what the dark oblong boxes do, if these are transmitters. There are three jacks (probably for 1/4" phone plugs) above the top device. I bet these are for headphones, a microphone, and maybe a push-to-talk switch. If it's a PA system, someone standing at the console can monitor the output, and the microphone and PTT let you cut out the music and make announcements. If it's a base station, then you listen to the mobile units on headphones, and use the microphone to transmit. There is a small terminal board under the bottom shelf. I am not real sure what this is for - it might be the antenna terminals for the radio on the top shelf, or maybe it's some control and switching lines for the whole rack, that can be used to tie more than one of these racks together. The AC power comes in at the bottom right and runs up the rack, with an outlet for each shelf. The outlet boxes and conduit look a lot like the stuff that is sold today as Wiremold(R) surface-mount conduit. The whole rack is not that much different than a "relay rack" you might use today to mount Ethernet jacks, switches, routers, etc; the main difference is that the shelves on modern racks usually bolt in rather than weld on. The power (if equipped) still tends to run up one side. Vacuum TubesAs a lad on Long Island I had a 5-tube Crosley superheterodyne receiver that could pull in race results from all over and even a Cincinnati ball game at night when the cloud cover was good for a "skipping" AM signal but these tubes have me awestruck. Quite obviousThis is the first dual line iPhone. With nifty techno-geek carrying case. Pots???Probably not a receiver as there is a shortage of tuning components on these chassis - the upper unit may be a mixer of some type (power supply on the right) - the three round shiny things may be pots or potentiometers (volume controls), there appear to be three input jacks just above the top unit and the two units on the lower shelves are likely two amplifiers that fed two separate speaker systems. The lower empty shelf looks ready to receive the third amplifier. This is obviously the forerunner of Muzak, to be used in a building with 3 elevators. Talkie equipmentI see speakers but no microphones, and nothing that looks like antenna leads. I'd suggest this is equipment for playing sound in a movie theater. Second suggestion, it's part of a studio's sound recording equipment. Server (of sorts)because it's in a 19-inch rack mount,verified by scaling up from the No. 6 dry cell (as opposed to less common 23-inch telco equipment racks). Rack System!The predecessor to today's rack systems used by those IT nerds out there...think about the heat radiating off this monster! Almost certainly audio equipmentThe "tuning capacitor" on the uppermost unit which KCGuy pointed out is a selenium rectifier - one of the first solid state devices in use. It's probably rectifying a bias voltage for the tubes. I'd discount the likelihood that this rack is radio equipment - at least, not the radio frequency part of it. The two identical large units have no connectors which would be used with radio frequency signals. The only outputs visible are screw post terminals, which would be consistent with audio frequency signals. The three jacks we can see on the top unit (from the back) are the standard quarter-inch phone plugs which were used for audio right through the 20th century - since they're up so high and are on the front of whatever this is, I'd guess they're test jacks or places to plug in headphones or speakers for testing or local monitoring. A firstThe first PA system for Congress? The Rest of the StoryClick here to see the front panel. The top unit is an American Bosch Magneto radio receiver. Early TelevisionThat big disc reminds me of early mechanical television. But it would need a fairly big electric motor behind it, as well as a neon glowlamp. Dual chassis were another hallmark of TV setups at the time. You needed separate receivers for audio and video. No tuning caps might mean a closed-circuit demo rig, not meant to pick up over-the-air signals. The same but differentWhen viewing the back of the rack (1 of 2) the bottom two units appear to be identical. However the front view (2 of 2) shows that these same two units have completely different front panels. Unfair! A little unfair Dave. We loyal Shorpy fans can only go by what is visible to us. Obviously the radio's components were inside a metal enclosure out of our view. What was visible were the audio amplifiers used to distribute the sound about the hospital so I think my conjecture it was part of a PA system was valid. [The radio components are right there in front of your nose on the top rack! American Bosch Magneto Model 28. -Dave] In my defense, the radio's RF coils and tuning components were not visible from the rear. Of course, had we seen the front view it would be obvious it was a radio. Dry cell?M2 commented on the "No. 6 dry cell". Is that what's slung underneath the radio - the thing I misidentified as a filter capacitor? I thought battery vs AC radios were sort of an "all or nothing" thing; either it ran totally on AC or totally on batteries. Maybe I am confused about that. If this rig needs more batteries, it might make sense that they go on the floor, and the terminals under the bottom shelf are for hooking them up. Or maybe the dry cell is the only battery in the rig, and it's there for something relatively low-current, like maybe biasing the microphones? (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Bonbon Noir: 1949
... there's a huge aesthetic gulf between whoever designed the neon sign and whoever designed the window display. C'est si Bonbon ... of this scene is strictly visual. The door/entrance, neon on stainless facade, reverse channel letters with exposed neon is just ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/27/2021 - 12:04pm -

April 28, 1949. "Barton's, business at 790 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Exterior." 4x5 inch acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. 200 million"Millennial/Gen-Z/Gen-X milieu of Brooklyn today" You do realize that those generations include everyone born in the fifty year span between 1965 and 2015ish, right? That's over 200 million people in the US, or nearly two-thirds of the country's population. Or maybe that refers to the so-called "hipster" population of Brooklyn? Besides "hipster" not really being a thing now for many years, it only ever applied to two or three small neighborhoods of a borough with more than 2.5 million residents. Light and darkAs brightly lit and glassy and vibrant as Barton's appears, there's the place next door with the blinds drawn, though it does proclaim a public telephone. Just one (long) sniffI'd love to stick my head into that window display and simply inhale. Barton's bonbonniere's subliminal message: Need a gift for May 8th? We have enough for EVERY MOM in the five boroughs. Would fit in todayThis business would feel right at home in the Millennial/Gen-Z/Gen-X milieu of Brooklyn today. No bodiesIn all the Gottscho pictures of commercial enterprises, he appears to follow one of the strict rules of architectural photography: no cluttering up the shot with humans. God forbid anyone should link these environments directly with the people who’d use them. Maybe the bodies would serve as distractions. In any event, whether Gottscho shoots stores from the outside like this or interiors of department stores, it always seems to be nighttime. The presence of people is naturally assumed but never shown. I don’t find it creepy, but maybe just a little bit clinical. Design disconnectI feel like there's a huge aesthetic gulf between whoever designed the neon sign and whoever designed the window display. C'est si BonbonI can not imagine a store that only sells bonbons. Authentic RetroI do not have a sweet tooth, so my appreciation of this scene is strictly visual. The door/entrance, neon on stainless facade, reverse channel letters with exposed neon is just beautiful. Designers today are attempting to simulate this very classic look. But what really caught my eye are the small showcards at the bottom of the interior window display placed among the candy. In large cities, small signs such as these were often the mainstay for sign shops. If you were fast and had good layout ability, you could make a living at these. The larger paper sign above was no doubt a promotional poster from some manufacturer. I would like to see this in color to just see the neon color. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Street View: 1941
... name, simply an intermediate name reflecting it's large neon letters as a local headquarters for Sovran Bank; it's now sporting Bank of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/23/2021 - 3:05pm -

March 1941. "Housing in Norfolk, Virginia." Yet another installment in this exciting series. Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. SEE the "History of Lower Tidewater Virginia"South Norfolk Furniture Company, located at 519 Liberty Street, according to: https://archive.org/details/historyoflowerti03whic The other side of the street?Are the porches just visible on the left the same ones from the Track Shacks picture? The photographer shot these from the opposite ends of the neighborhood? Street view; tower perspectiveLooks like he did a 180 after taking the previously posted "Track Shacks" photo, and snapped this one from the same high vantage point. Your walk talksThe lady with the colorful hosiery (at least I think so) and jaunty lid is on a mission. Such confidence and determination in her stride, even in this still photo. Also: I see the SEE on the building in the distance and raise you a S.E.E. on a tombstone. I don't remember where I took this picture. Re: other sideDifferent front stairs. Different porch foundation. What could have beenThe scene recreating the look of this neighborhood, which would have started the story a decade earlier, was unfortunately cut from the final version of WandaVision. That Furniture CompanyHope this is still allowed. There's more on the furniture building here. Before/afterThese look to be shacks by today's standards and were undoubtably tired by 1941. But the people living there had to have come from somewhere and likely thought these were a step up. That's a shuddering thought. Hammerhead Crane on the horizonThe Hammerhead Crane 110 on the horizon was built in 1940 and used mainly to lift and install and service the giant 16 inch gun turrets, is still present though no longer in use in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, on the edge of the Elizabeth River. The smaller crane on the top was called the "pig". The crane is located only about half a mile from the photo location. The crane on the horizon and the South Norfolk location of the furniture company place this near Liberty Street in the City of Chesapeake today. Roofing materialDoesn’t look like asphalt shingle. Some kind of heavy tar paper? Great composition, by the way, with the series of radiating diagonals. And anchored by the vigorously-striding woman that JennyPennifer points out. Check out the rooster in the lower right. Bit of a monster, that one. Another view Hammerhead CraneAnother view of the Hammerhead Crane Hammerhead craneIn the hazy distance behind the SEE building, you can see the Naval Shipyard's hammerhead crane, that was used for heavy lifts, such as engines, during fitout or overhaul. Installation of heavy components was done after launching, to free up the shipways, and to minimize the weight being launched. We're not as far out of town as it looks. Still there, but possibly no longer in use: https://goo.gl/maps/8b1vYDLD9k1Xn5aY7 Every self respecting naval shipyard had a hammerhead crane like this. Cocks Not PermittedThe South Norfolk homeowner of the property on the bottom right is in severe violation of current Norfolk chicken codes. Roosters are not permitted in residential neighborhoods. Also, I can't see where the coop is, but is must be located 12 ft from the owners property lines, which I trust it isn't. Tsk tsk. @BillyB "The other side of the street?"No, though you're right that they're both South Norfolk. It appears to me, based on a number of factors, that almost a mile and a half separates the two. This one is quintessentially true; it shows the Hammerhead Crane, at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, over in Portsmouth. Track Shacks shows a building that was in Norfolk until the early 1970s in the background; it was replaced by a building on it's site I still know as the "Sovran" building, though that was neither the original nor current, to my knowledge, name, simply an intermediate name reflecting it's large neon letters as a local headquarters for Sovran Bank; it's now sporting Bank of America. From South Norfolk, one would be facing north, towards Norfolk (Track Shack) and is close to the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River, which is hidden in the distance in Track Shack. Many of the DISTANT houses may still exist, though I think not for these; the northern section of South Norfolk was mostly redeveloped in the early 1940s with early urban/suburban style housing, while a mile further west, it still looks like the distant houses in Track Shack. This photo (Street View) is taken facing west and slightly north. It's been identified as being near 519 Liberty Street (the building with "SEE" on it is South Norfolk Furniture Company). The rough location is directly across from the modern industrial yard, but that's a bit in the distance, more near to the camera would be where the post office and a funeral home are located, in a generally und(er)developed area where a lot of "blight" was torn down, with little but light commercial or industrial to replace it. In this photo, the only remaining thing visible is the Hammerhead Crane, which can be seen on the horizon over the South Norfolk Furniture Company store's roof. And even it may not be long for this orb, as the Navy is talking about dismantling it. Designed to lift turrets off battleships, it can also lift elevators off aircraft carriers, and small ships (such as WW2 frigates) completely out of the water. It's large enough that a smaller crane is actually on top of the larger crane. An image of the Hammerhead Crane in 1983: Re: Hammerhead craneThe crane is almost completely hidden from streetview, but here are some articles with photos about the Navy wanting to get rid of it a few years ago. Its 350 ton lift capacity is much more than most others. https://cranenetworknews.com/historic-hammerhead-crane-is-an-iconic-regi... https://www.pilotonline.com/business/shipyards/article_0b064e9e-fe6d-53c... https://richmond.com/news/virginia/navy-ponders-fate-of-portsmouth-shipy... ...and Bremerton's preserved one. https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/local/2018/03/03/bremertons-iconic-... Found the pic spotBy triangulating back on this pic and the previous one using the hammerhead crane in the background, the furniture store, railroad tracks and big warehouse on the horizon, I think both pics were taken from the old 22nd street overpass in the Berkeley section of Norfolk. The overpass was built in the late 30s and is now closed and being demolished. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Norfolk)
Glass Paints Oils: 1937
... NOLA native says 906 is the not the restaurant with the neon (now) but the business next door (to the right) with the red chairs, which ... sills and lintels, I'm pretty sure the building with the neon is correct. The original photo shows a full length porch on top which is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/02/2013 - 1:36pm -

Circa 1937. "Hardware store, 906 Bourbon Street, New Orleans." Carrying a full line of protectants and preservatives, none of which seem to be suitable for the store itself. 8x10 acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Those bucketsI see little sliding doors on the sides, which would appear to cover those holes when slid down all the way. I guess it's easier to slide open a door on a heavy bucket than to tip it over and pour. Seems like there'd be a bit of leakage in these models, though. [I suspect the holes are for ventilation and that the lining is fireproof. - Dave] NOLA native says906 is the not the restaurant with the neon (now) but the business next door (to the right) with the red chairs, which is currently listed as a hair salon. On the corner (going towards Canal St) are the iconic Clover Grill and across the street Cafe Lafitte in Exile which is a really famous gay bar as it claims status at the oldest continuously operating gay bar in North America. Could be the placeView Larger Map Back when the Quarter was a neighborhoodRather than a tourist attraction. Real stuff for real people doing real things like painting the bathroom cupboard or replacing a broken windowpane. My former home town of Carmel, CA, went from three hardware stores, five groceries, seven filling stations, and three drug stores in the '50s to zero, one, one, and one, respectively, by the '80s, but boy did we gain some galleries and boutiques! Three bucketsI thought at first they hold items for sale, but they could have been used to strain the paint that was sold. Holey bucketsI'm curious: what would the three buckets with holes in them hung on the door frame be used for? Saulny's storeIn the 1880 census he is one year old, the son of 2 "mulattos", but listed as black in later census years. He's the son of a shoemaker, Louis Saulny, born 1846. Louis's father is also listed as a "mulatto", a carpenter born 1827. He died when he was 31. Pierre SAULNY was the first Saulny in USA. He was born in Nantes, France. There is a date of birth in 1774. Some data doesn’t match so we take between 1894 to 1800 as his date of birth. He married Catherine DINET (1797-1853) free woman of color native of Pestel on the Island of Santo Domingo, Haiti. They married in New Orleans in 1820 and lived in the Suburb Marigny on Moreau Street between Elysian Fields and Frenchmen Streets since 1822 in a house situated on Esplanade Street between Conde and Royal Streets, until at least 1835. The residence of Catherine Dinet is an area that exists today and was inhabited by many free people of color as well as Creoles of European descent. Another BarYep, that's exactly where it was, just behind Clover Grill. I think Kozel is rightComparing the position of the window (closer to the door on the right), and the shape of the jamb, sills and lintels, I'm pretty sure the building with the neon is correct. The original photo shows a full length porch on top which is now separate balconies, but the side of the building still has porches which may indicate the front had the same ones. Or, it could just be 907 across the street, which still has the upper porch in the right place. [Below, 907-909 Bourbon Street. - Dave] John McCrady School of Fine ArtsI went to art school in that white building that kozel posted. I believe I remember Mrs. McCrady saying that it was a hardware store before it was the school. But that was over 30 years ago and memories fade and Mrs Mac died long ago. Three BucketsMy father would take me duck hunting in the 50's and we used one in our duck blind to stay warm.The small door would let more air into the fire. Worked really good when you were freezing. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, New Orleans, Stores & Markets)
Diner at Seven: 1940
... on the wall (next to ceiling light) probably leading to a neon sign in the window behind the valence or maybe an outside sign. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/27/2018 - 11:03am -

February 1940. "Truck driver in diner. Clinton, Indiana." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. French Fried Popcorn- - am I reading that right?? [Mrs. Klein says, "Yes." -tterrace] Milk for the truck driverAnd I see Sen Sen in the background. They tasted like soap to me. Bus DriverHis change dispenser is on the counter to his left. [That's what those pants made me think. I saw Greyhound drivers still wearing them in the 1950s in Marin County, California. -tterrace] [Also, his cap-badge says BUS. - Dave] I'd kill to have that light fixture!There's so much going on in this photo. The more I look at it, the more questions I have. 5 cents a bagWhat in the world is french-fried popcorn? I want some! French-fried popcorn?Pretty much what it sounds like: Heat a deep fryer load of oil, put in a basket, and pour in the kernels. Cover(!!) and wait until the popping slows to a stop; lift out the basket full of popcorn. Local NewsThe driver is reading the February 19, 1940 issue of The Daily Clintonian. The reward mentioned to the left of the masthead was for E. C. Harris, who stole the money from a $26,000 Clinton bond issue, and for Earl "Doc" Potter, a former cemetery superintendent who had embezzled city funds. Street Car ConductorThe gentleman looks like a street car (light rail) conductor. There was a spur of the Terre Haute, Indianopolis & Eastern Traction Co. that ran up to Clinton from Terre Haute. Clinton was a small town of about 7,000 residents at the time. About 3,000 of these residents have strong ties to Italy because their parents or grandparents came from Northern Italy. [As noted below (as well as on his cap), he is a BUS driver. - Dave] Baby It's Cold OutsideLook at the condensation on the window. Not a good night to be outside in your shirt sleeves. Whre in Clinton?Can anyone zoom in on the Store License (over the shoulder of the waitress)? The address and perhaps the name of the owner might be legible. Clinton is not that large a town. I suspect it might have been near the bus station--when it existed. Bulk Buying Bargain!Charles Thomson. 3 cents each, or five for 15 cents! What's in the little tubes?The name is obscured. Something-phos? Sanitized for your protection...Note the transformer and wires up on the wall (next to ceiling light) probably leading to a neon sign in the window behind the valence or maybe an outside sign. The way the wires are strung and the way that switch is wired to the overhead light, I predict a fire in their future. Especially since someone spent all that time, cutting up crepe paper to trim the shelves. I wonder about the condensation on the window indicating the temperature outside. Probably the result of all that cookin' going on inside. If you have pots boiling or a steam table holding food at temperature, you would get condensation inside the windows. Also very surprised to seen "whoopie pies" on the desert shelf, a Pennsylvania delicacy. Finally, I note the "Sanitary" nut dispenser. "Sanitary" was a big buzzword then, even to the point of there being diners named "Sanitary Diner" in Indiana back then. The Pinball MachineMy Cousin the Pinball Guru came up with a make and model for the Pinball Machine. It's a 1937 Bally "Arlington" Probably named after Arlington Park in Illinois, Bally was based in Chicago. Who knew there was an Internet Pinball Machine Database. http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=88&picno=6566 What's in the tubes -- Answered?If you check the illustration above the tubes, you'll see a hand pouring a tube's contents into a glass. This leads me to believe it's either a headache powder, or something akin to Alka-Seltzer. Sometimes it pays to do internet research, or just ask."We received your inquiry on a picture that was found of a 1940s diner in Clinton Indiana. "We believe that it was the Speed Grill on 114 N. Main St. Thanks." Christina Hardesty Librarian Assistant Clinton Public Library 313 S. 4th St., Clinton, IN 47842 PHOSShort for phosphate. I have found kali phos (potassium phosphate), ferrum phos (iron), calc phos (calcium), and mag phos (magnesium), all homeopathic treatments for a range of ailments from pain and fever to anxiousness and sadness. But I haven't been able to find an image of those 1940 tubes, and I can't make out the word to the left of PHOS on the display panel. [It's Bromo-Phos liniment. - Dave] FirestoneI wonder what kind of product is sold under the brand Firestone: "Mar..tips"? or ".......ES"? [Matches. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Eateries & Bars)
Iced Tee: 1926
... greatful when I see tats or piercings because that's a neon sign flashing "stay well away", which otherwise might not be immediately ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/21/2011 - 11:39am -

July 9, 1926. "Golf and bathing suits." For the first day of summer, we revisit the lovely ladies seen here a few days ago strumming ukuleles. Now they're on the links with an early air-conditioned golf cart. View full size. National Photo Co. Cool.No tattoos! No silicone! Real girls! Thanks! Awesome!Though that looks like it might hurt. I am in love with the middle girl's shoes! Where can a dame get a pair of those today? AmenNo piercings, either. Ice AgeThey were still trying that stunt into the 1970s, look at this remembrance page of a small local theme park in San Jose, CA of these beauties on ice: http://www.frontiervillage.net/pages/icemelt.html Whoa!And no dentists, either, apparently. AdornmentsC'mon... there's nothing wrong with tattoos or piercings. They (can) enhance one's individuality, rather than steal one's humanity. Silicone seems a little extreme, I'll admit. But tattoos and piercings have been around since long before these girls' great, great, great, etc. grandparents were even conceived. It's human nature to adorn one's body, for whatever reason. And, if you think about it, cosmetic surgery is just the latest, most technological version of said adornment. If cave women could've enhanced their breasts, I bet they would've. NerveBag No Tattoos is coolThese ladies are awesome. I'd open the door for them anytime. Would have, anyway. Tats and piercings are feral and always will be. However, I've always felt greatful when I see tats or piercings because that's a neon sign flashing "stay well away", which otherwise might not be immediately visible, and cause a single guy to waste precious time. Self branding yourself with "stupid" on your forehead couldn't be clearer. Birds of a feather. The other angle is that when, these days, you come across a woman without tats and piercings then she is pure gold and even more worth treating as such. Are they sitting on ice blocks? Nice gams!Especially on the girl on the right. Also, isn't she wearing a particularly high heel for the time? (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Pretty Girls, Sports)
Gluten Bread: 1936
... the three-letter word in Hebrew script seen twice: on the neon sign between National and Delicatessen, and in the circular sign to the upper left of the neon. So what is the story with 1575? I'm trying to figure out whether ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2013 - 11:17pm -

December 1936. "Scene along Bathgate Avenue in the Bronx, a section from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. 1575It looks like 1575 next door is the same building at least for the 3 lower floors. Same detail around the 2nd floor windows. It seems like 2 more floors were added. KosherIn case anyone was wondering about the meaning of the three-letter word in Hebrew script seen twice: on the neon sign between National and Delicatessen, and in the circular sign to the upper left of the neon. So what is the story with 1575?I'm trying to figure out whether next-door 1575 Bathgate had two stories added at a later date. Online property records show that it was built in 1931, meaning it would have been only five years old at the time of this picture. They don't show anything about additional stories being added, but I'm not sure if they would show that sort of detail. It's evident from Street View that the style of the first three floors continues up to the top two floors (this is easier to see from the Claremont Avenue side) and that the top two floors don't look any newer than the first three. The latter is especially odd given that at least 15 years must have elapsed between the construction of the first three floors and any adding of the top two, what with the Great Depression and then World War II, though recent renovations may have obscured any clear age differences. Lastly, and more subjectively, it's not my impression that additions of this sort are at all common in the city. All in all, it's quite the mystery. One thing we can be sure of is that 1577 Bathgate was demolished sometime prior to 1986, when the school opened on its site. Given the extremely slow pace of school and other government construction* in New York, I would imagine that the building was gone before 1980. * = the dubious record surely must be the connection between the 63rd Street subway tunnel and the Queens Boulevard mainline, seven years to dig 1,500 feet of tunnel Baby shoppingSeeing Judles comment reminded me of our almost family tragedy in NJ about that same year. My mother had run into a store, probably not unlike the one pictured, leaving my older sister in the baby carriage out front (no doubt not a big problem back then). When she came out, the baby was gone and a woman was making off with her. My mother ran after her while screaming as others joined the pursuit. They caught up with the woman at the end of the street. Seems she had just lost her baby so figured she would pick up another at the store. On top of leaving a baby in front of a store, I also have to wonder how many other shoppers would assist in the chase today. Near Studs' birthplaceAt 1721 Bathgate Avenue, A Russian tailor named Samuel Terkel and his wife Anna were raising three young boys, Ben, Meyer, and young Louis. About 1920, when Louis was about eight, they moved to Chicago. At some point, Louis would become better known as "Studs" Terkel, and his identity as a radio personality, author, and citizen would be inseparable from that of Chicago. A week after Studs' death in the fall of 2008, David Gonzalez of the New York Times published a short piece on Terkel's original neighborhood, and its descent. Gonzalez wrote that Terkel "did not mention Bathgate in his last memoir, referring only to Clinton Avenue, a few blocks to the east, in a few pages before shifting his memories to Chicago." Times Have ChangedAs I enjoy looking at all of the goings on, I realize that nobody would leave a baby in a carriage unattended these days. Nice slice-of-life shot!I love the baby carriage and seeing the hustling and bustling going on around it/him. One building remains.View Larger Map Gone far gone.It's might empty at 1577 Bathgate avenue in the Bronx these days. Deli ComboWhat could be better! A piled high hot pastrami or corned beef on Jewish rye along with one of those draught beers advertised. Count me in! Bathgate Ave. 30 years earlierMy grandmother lived on Bathgate Ave. around 1908. Here she is in a cyanotype, in the back yard with a kitty. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Safety Patrol: 1956
... were a real challenge. One of the houses actually had a neon sign "Ma Beechies" advertising its location!!! I wonder if they ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/29/2022 - 7:52pm -

Columbus, Georgia, circa 1956. "Police cars at Muscogee County Jail." Let's be careful out there! 4x5 inch acetate negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. Now, fewer windows.More bricks, though. Variety is the spiceFour cars -- Plymouth, Chevy, Ford, Dodge -- representing the Big Three. Muscogee County wasn't locked into one single supplier. Columbus Stockade BluesThis building still stands, but is now known as the "old jail". The newer version can be seen behind it. This block of town has contained a jail long enough to have served as the inspiration for the "Columbus Stockade Blues", written in the 1920s by Tom Darby & Jimmie Tarlton, and based on real life events. Small town, not much to do in the evenin'What we have here is a failure to communicate! Hogaaan!The asymmetry annoys me. Columbus police were busy back thenThe mob was entrenched in Phenix City Alabama back in the '40s and '50s. Phenix City was just across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, the home of Fort Benning, which was busy during WWII and the Korean War. Gambling and prostitution and liquor were freely practiced there. So people coming across the river after "celebrating" their passes from the base were a real challenge. One of the houses actually had a neon sign "Ma Beechies" advertising its location!!! I wonder if they Spread out their car purchases to every dealership in town? That would explain the mix of makes with all being new '56s. [That's a 1955 Ford. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive)
Joy Boys: 1940
... seems the war did not stifle the production of beer or neon signs. Three fellows waiting for a novel to be written about them. ... bar is in looks like a barracks. I'll bet at night the neon looked really cool. Who dunnit? LOC says these Starke photos are by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2020 - 2:22pm -

December 1940. Starke, Florida. "Soldiers Joy Cafe, newly constructed for construction workers near Camp Blanding." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. It seems the wardid not stifle the production of beer or neon signs. Three fellowswaiting for a novel to be written about them. The middle guy and one on the viewer's left look like they could be related. Brothers? But the fellow in the coat and hat -- I bet they all told interesting stories when they were drunk. Does it really get cold enough in Florida for a coat that heavy? [Oh my yes. - Dave] Native Floridian at a glanceStarke is in northern Florida and this image was made in December so to a native of the state the weather is very cold. To those new in town it is Florida and 60 degrees is plenty warm -- all we need are sleeves and maybe a light sweater. It is even more obvious in South Florida when picking out Canadians versus natives at the pool in January. Canadians dive in when natives hesitate to dip a toe. Not at war yetFor you "Ice Gang", check the date of the photo, we are not at war yet. [The reason this bar was built -- to serve the hundreds of construction workers newly arrived to build barracks at Camp Blanding -- and the reason John Vachon was assigned to take these photos, was the War. By December 1940, a year before Pearl Harbor, America was heavily involved in the war effort. - Dave] Macabre meaningSoldier's Joy is a 200-year-old Scottish fiddle tune that Robert Burns eventually wrote lyrics for. His version is of a veteran who is homeless and disfigured from battle, but recounts the joy of having served in the army. During the Civil War the phrase became synonymous with morphine, as some lyrics written during that time go: "Gimme some of that Soldier’s Joy, you know what I mean, I don’t want to hurt no more, my leg is turnin’ green." Fast getawayI bet there were nightly face plants from those stairs. Best version of Soldier's Joy you'll ever hearOn the "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album, with John McEuen ripping through the melody and Junior Huskey laying down a killer bass line. Listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn76byAtQ_g Jax also Builds Health!1940's Refrigerator - Tool Box Magnet, probably an ad design by Alberto Vargas. The gent on the rightLooks old enough to remember the Great War, certainly too old for active duty in the current one. A 1940 Fashion Statement?The sartorial skills in Starke are seriously lacking. But help is coming lads -- smart, fashionable and practical men's clothing will be widely available after the war. Weekend at Joy Boy'sEither the word "JOY" isn't in the fellow on the rights vocabulary or this was the idea for the comedy movie Weekend at Bernie's, 1940 style. Who built the bar?The building the bar is in looks like a barracks. I'll bet at night the neon looked really cool. Who dunnit?LOC says these Starke photos are by Marion Post Wolcott. [Oops. Right you are! - Dave] Joy BoysWell, OK, but the one on the right looks like a sourball. No joy with this dude. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Florida, M.P. Wolcott)
The Big 1: 1958
... with Venetian blinds. - tterrace] Wow - must be a neon sign outside! [That's actually daylight reflecting on the blind ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/23/2012 - 7:26am -

June 1958, somewhere in Pennsylvania. This begins a new series of Kodachromes that I found on eBay. Happy Birthday from Shorpy! View full size. Hey! I was the big 1, June 3 1958We had metal window blinds like that, and a big calendar from the bank on the wall. Not a piece of plastic to be seen! DelightfulWhat a delightful scene! Bowl of candy, bowls full of full fat ice cream, large radio, wallpaper, older brother wearing a bow tie. The flame on the candle seems kinda tall, though. The Golden Age of......wallpaper. And dinnerware: Franciscan Ware, or knock-off of same. Moms with pearls. Kids with bow ties. Pardon me, I just nostalgiaed all over myself. Grandma?The guest of honor was born the same month as my little sister, who became a grandmother last winter. Happy Birthday to the both of you. That wallpaper...is probably 10 years old when this photo was taken. So many of the touches that we Boomers remember from our you, especially those in home decoration, where actually from the late 1940s, rather than from the 1950s or 1960s. Take a look at this site, http://www.hannahstreasures.com/servlet/Categories?category=1940%27s+-+5..., but be prepared to gasp when you see wallpaper that you recognize from the hidden bits you uncover in your old house. I recognized at least three. (Good Godfrey, the former owners of my home had some garish taste. Arsenic green walls and *ceiling,* with scarlet trim ?) PerfectoIt's all just perfect: the china, all the happy ladies, but especially, I love the industrial advertising calendar right there where it belongs. It seems so long agoand yet that Baby is only a couple years older than me. Excuse me, I need to go take my Geritol now. A Kodachrome worldThis takes one back to a world where nothing really existed until you saw it in blazing Kodachrome. Halcyon Days 1958Not to sound like a broken record, but those were idyllic times. Yes tterrace, the Apple pattern dishes were Franciscan and still available at Replacements,ltd. at a cost of $570.00 for a 45 piece starter set. The home made cake was a "must" for all moms of the 50's to produce, the 2-tone, sportscar looking seat of the highchair and colored beads showed great designer creativity and the immaculate guests in summer dresses, brother in a white shirt and mom's absolutely adoring facial expression capture a beautiful landmark day. That darling child is 55 this month, so happy birthday to him. Perfectly InnocentLet's give big brother the benefit of the doubt and assume he's sticking out his tongue in anticipation of that enormous serving of ice cream. The kids don't look very happyThey probably still don't care a lot for hen parties. America's Heyday!Oh, The 1950s! America's Heyday! Everything was booming -- new housing, highways, schools, bridges were all in abundance. Tax rates were 91% and we were on a roll! Those were the days! My generation in the high-chairBirthday boy is only a few weeks older than I am. And, yes, that wallpaper IS from the 40s. My grandmother had that same paper on her living room walls from 1947 until mom and my uncle Frank dispensed with it in 1965. My grandmother was thrilled as she'd long since tired of it, but my grandfather was "born satisfied" and content to let it be in favor of a game of dominoes or teaching the grandkids the "jigs" and Cajun songs he'd learned ca. 1880. Those days *do* seem idyllic now. I decided on "OldFogie" on entering this place as I find myself missing those very different days. Mr. MannersThe young bow-tied lad is sitting patiently for the word to eat. What manners. What discipline. Reminds me of me. What is that blue (lighted?) thingpeeking out from behind the doorway to the left? If this was an 80's picture I'd call it a bug zapper, but since it's not. [It's another window with Venetian blinds. - tterrace] Wow - must be a neon sign outside! [That's actually daylight reflecting on the blind slats, but it hasn't been as overwhelmed by the yellowish camera flash as the ones here in the dining room. - tterrace] Rosewood phonographI inherited the same one from my Nana; beautiful cabinet, great sound; it's special feature was a ruby (not diamond) stylus. Cannot remember if it was a CapeHart or not, but I always remember the little red light above the right-hand knob (just behind our birthday boy) that indicated power. Love these ...Color family scenes. I know that's not how Shorpy got its start, but such memories these photos bring back! Change the people in the photo and it could very well be my family. Thank you!! (ShorpyBlog, Kids, Pa. Kodachromes)
Market Day: 1955
... and the former Rainbow Market in Larkspur. Don't let the neon sign fool you; the market left long ago and the interior has been ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 01/12/2013 - 2:35pm -

Back we go to my home town of Larkspur, California for another view of the Rainbow Market, where my father worked for several years in the mid-1950s. The linked photos and their comments give plenty of background, so here I'll just mention a couple childhood memories this one dredges up (I was 9 at the time my brother took this Anscochrome slide). The hulking 1930s black sedan belonged to my mother's friend Mrs. Skala, who a year later bought a 1956 Plymouth from Hil Probert, whose DeSoto-Plymouth dealership was across the street from our house a couple blocks away. My mother was incensed that Probert allegedly talked the 60ish lady into a model with the push-button automatic transmission. "Imagine the poor woman trying to learn how to use something like that at her age. The idea." Well, that's a paraphrase, but I never did hear if Mrs. Skala had any problems. Mr. Gilardi, the butcher who's billed on the market's window, had a portion of one finger missing from some slicing or chopping mishap, so naturally that's what I always stared at while my mother talked pot roast or ground chuck with him. Or maybe that was Charlie Young, the butcher at Fred Schefer's Food Center next door to the right. We switched our trade to the Food Center after my father left the Epidendios' employ. Final period note: on the telephone pole, a poster for the United Crusade, a charity forerunner of the United Way. That and the March of Dimes were annual Larkspur events I recall, although I was probably more interested in fantasizing about the dimes being potential fodder for my coin collection. View full size. Typewriter Drive....My uncle had a Plymouth of about the same vintage, I don't remember the exact year. The push buttons were arranged in a square pattern vs the linear pattern shown in the attached photo. One day while I was washing it for him I noticed something interesting... The name Plymouth was spelled out on the front edge of the hood with individual letters. Whoever installed the individual letters at the factory must have been slightly dyslexic because it was spelled "Plymouht". I wonder how many of those escaped the quality control department at the factory. Blue hueThat's a 1939-40 or so Dodge and there were five blues offered. One of them, Shocking Blue (a 60s name for a pre-war hue), is very close to this one. Tipping the scaleWhat a great pleasure to have the background information of a photo. Many thanks to tterrace for sharing his memories. I can hear Mrs. Skala saying "Mr. Gilardi, one of those beef tips was rather small last time". IlluminationAre those Christmas lights strung on the wire over the street? The woman on the sidewalk doesn't look as if she's dressed for December weather, even in a not-very-cold place like Larkspur. [The colored lights were lit up in the summer for Larkspur's Rose Bowl dances, which since 1913 had been run annually by the Volunteer Fire Department at an outdoor pavilion in a redwood grove a couple blocks away. Proceeds funded the fire department, which was fully owned and operated by the volunteers until 1956, when they turned it, and the fire house, over to the city. The lights were also lit up when the Christmas street decorations were put up. -tterrace] Black & BlueUnless the Anscochrome film changed colors after all these years, that black sedan sure looks blue to me. [In my memory the car was always black, but it could really have been a very dark blue or else this is some artifact of Anscochrome color rendition or aging. - tterrace] Chilly MagnoliaHere's a contemporary view of the same stretch of Magnolia Avenue and the former Rainbow Market in Larkspur. Don't let the neon sign fool you; the market left long ago and the interior has been converted to an art gallery. As a preservationist I'm dismayed by the removal of the original cornices and bay windows visible in the 1950s photo. There were lots of misguided attempts to 'modernize' aging Victorian and Edwardian buildings around that time, and Larkspur obviously wasn't spared. [Those bland stucco facades date to the unfortunate reconstruction done after a 1959 fire heavily damaged the upper floors of those buildings. -tterrace] Memories It is always good to see a posting by tterrace! Larkspur LightsThe strings of colored lights were there year-round. They were lit on weekends when dances were held at the Rose Bowl, a large outdoor dance pavilion in a redwood grove two blocks from downtown. Operated to fund the Larkspur Volunteer Fire Department, the dances were the town's main claim to fame, featuring name bands and attracting crowds from all over the San Francisco Bay area. The lights also formed part of the Christmas decorations here along Magnolia Ave., the town's main street. This photo was taken in either spring or early summer. The blanidfication of the facades dates to a 1959 fire that nearly destroyed the upper floors of the three buildings. I also enjoy tterrace's pictures.Now how about some more of the sister-in-law? Pushbutton transmissionsI learned to drive on a 1956 Plymouth with pushbutton transmission, and on my first solo trip, one of the buttons fell in when I went to put it in Drive. I eventually got it out, and hope Mrs. Skala didn't have the same problem. Black and BlueGiven the reflection on the window above that 1930's car appears blue, and the shadow of the utility pole is too, and we know shadows are not aqua-blue, I agree that the photographic process is creating a black and blue shift. [The shadow on the road is the color of the asphalt with x amount of light hitting it. Areas of total shadow (under the car, for example) are black. - Dave] Re: Black and BlueJust to throw in my two cents worth, note that the California plate (yellow on black in those days) has a distinctly black background, while the trunk lid around it is dark blue in the same light. ChangesIt looks like they took the top part of the old "Rainbow Market" sign, and glued the "Liquors" part of the liquor market sign to make one combined sign. Push Button ProblemMrs. Skala, 60ish, may have had some problems with that newfangled push button shifter. I sure did when I was 16. My after school job was delivering dry cleaning for Mr. Kravitz and I drove his '63 Plymouth with those buttons. Being a teenager I was, of course, FAST about everything! So fast that every once in awhile I'd hit the wrong button. Sure enough one day I jumped back in the car and hit REVERSE instead of DRIVE and lurched back into some poor schlub's parked Ford; I had to pay for a crunched taillight. The Ford may have had some damage, too, but I didn't hang around long enough to survey it. Pushbutton transmissionShe had to go from the three-on-the-tree manual to a pushbutton automatic. My Dad had a '64 Dodge 880 with one. Now people who buy a Ram pickup now have to learn how to drive with a transmission that shifts by turning a knob. My best friend's parents They had a grey, black, and pinkish 1956 Dodge (I think) with a push button transmission. I thought it was fascinating and just SO cool! Our 1956 Chevy had a boring automatic shift one. More PushbuttonsWhile poking around in a junk yard back in the '60's I came across the remains of a car with the pushbutton transmission partly pulled out of the dash. What looked elegant and simple on the surface was actually a confusing mass of levers, springs and cables. A forerunner of Windows. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Schrafft's: 1948
... commercial office building) is a great landmark, the neon sign still in place and shining bright! The Tender Trap Watching ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/22/2013 - 1:24pm -

June 9, 1948. New York. "Schrafft's, Esso Building, Rockefeller Center. 51st Street exterior. Carson & Lundin architects." Ubiquitous in urban areas, slightly upscale, tastefully decorated -- Schrafft's was something like the mid-century restaurant version of Starbucks. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. Applebee's and Oranges.Schrafft's definitely cannot be called an upgraded Starbucks. Unless Starbucks intend to serve a full menu, it wont even come close. The correct comparison would be an upgraded Applebee's. [That's why I said "RESTAURANT version of Starbucks." Applebee's is pretty much nonexistent in most downtowns. - Dave] However, here in Manhattan, there's one on 42nd St between 7th & 8th Avenues and another on 50th St & Broadway. 75 Rockefeller PlazaStill there, nearly unchanged. From Google streetview: http://goo.gl/maps/yg7X8 But ...But Schrafft's was just NICER . . . I Remember Schrafft'sWhen I was a lot younger, my mother used to take me to Schrafft's in Wellesley Hills Square, Massachusetts, for a hot fudge sundae, which, with no nuts, was my favorite. Thanks, Dave. WoW just WoWSo mid-century. Just love it! Great storefront design.Pretty contemporary look even for 1948. Rectilinear look. Huge expanse of clean sleek glazing and framing. Inside we see recessed can lights and more modern glazing details on the clerestory window wall. Graduation LunchThis was the exact Schrafft's where our 8th Grade class had our graduation lunch in 1974. We sat upstairs. 1948 ModernismEven the revolving door, the overhead lights, the stainless steel, the plate glass, it all looks as modern as today. Raise High the Roofbeam, CarpentersIs this the Schrafft's that Buddy Glass took wedding guests to after his brother ditched Muriel at the altar? Things I didn't knowDespite my family all coming from that part of the country (NJ/NY/New England), I'd not ever heard of Schrafft's. So, in case you're in the same boat, here's some more information on what must have been a truly great place to visit: The fantastic Vanishing New York blog. A 2008 NYT article with then/now pictures. Close to HomeMy father worked for Standard Oil/Esso/Exxon for 42 years. (He met my mother there, working for Standard Oil's cosmetics firm - Dagget and Ramsdell.) He worked in this building, formerly the US Rubber Building, before the Exxon Building was built, before they moved to NJ, and then to Houston. Schrafft's was my mother's favorite lunch out. My father referred to having had lunch at "Scraps." Auntie Mame"On our way to Bunny Bixler's—that's my friend who lives on Park Avenue and 71st Street—Patrick and I just stuffed ourselves at Schrafft's! Do you know what your silly nephew did? He spoke French to the counterman! Imagine anybody speaking French to a counterman ... at Schrafft's?" Little Old Ladies from ScarsdaleBack in the '40s-'60s, parties of same often lunched at Schrafft's prior to taking in a matinee performance of some innocuous book musical or other. Perhaps not quite so ubiquitousThis is interesting: I am familiar with the name but never realized Schrafft's were know for whole restaurants. I only knew them from their boxed fine chocolates and candies. Such confections were only available at the finer downtown department stores as I recall, Pizitz or maybe Loveman's in Birmingham. Perhaps Schrafft's restaurants were not as "ubiquitous" in the South. We always went to Britling's cafeteria anyway. But it was still a "dress-up" occasion. Schrafft's Factory, Charlestown, Mass.My mother and grandmother grew up just a few blocks from the Schrafft's candy factory and offices at the base of Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The huge building (now the Schrafft Center commercial office building) is a great landmark, the neon sign still in place and shining bright! The Tender TrapWatching it last night on TCM, one of the characters said "He's taking me to Radio City Music Hall, and afterwards, if it's not to late, we're going to Schrafft's." This one, no doubt. Mom Worked ThereMy mom worked at the Charlestown Schraffts factory in the early 60's. She told me stories about poking the chocolates in the boxes with her finger coming down the conveyer belt. One time her Aunt received a box and some of the chocolates had finger pokes. Coincidence?? She also told me that one time Jimmy Durante came to the factory for an event. She sat with him at the piano, I think to turn the sheet music. I've always wondered if there are photos out there of this. I have no clue where I would even begin in looking for them. Ideas? (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Tremont Street: 1906
... on the other side of Tremont with the hard to decipher neon sign on top. A lost treasure It was demolished in the early ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:52pm -

Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1906. "Tremont Street Bldg., looking south from Keith's Theatre." Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. Glass houseOn the top floor is the photo studio of "Chas W. Hearn", an expanse of glass facing the sun. Must have predated the era of electric lighting for photos, or accommodated both. Presenting ... The FadettesI'd have paid to see them, judging from the praise found here. In the first place, it was a pretty sight to witness these twenty or more young women in their pretty costumes of varied colors and styles, but it was when they began to play that they won the hearts of the music lovers in the audience. The advantage of the subwayIf this picture was taken 10 years earlier, it would have shown a street clogged with streetcars. But the construction of the Tremont Street subway in 1897 resulted in a much quieter street (at least until the cars took over). I'm pretty sure the only building still standing here is the Majestic Theatre (now the Cutler Majestic Theatre and owned by Emerson College) -- off in the middle distance on the other side of Tremont with the hard to decipher neon sign on top. A lost treasureIt was demolished in the early 1950s and for many years its former site stood empty as a parking lot. In 2004, much of that parking lot became a stage extension and loading docks for the Opera House (the former B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre). The former entrance at 547 Washington Street still stands and is now a retail store. From here, with lots more images and information: http://cinematreasures.org/theater/11112/ Delicious monstrosityThat is one ugly wedding cake of a building. There's enough gingerbread there to feed an army. Fascinatingly hideous! Mitchell's StudioMitchell's sign offers 30 photos for 25 cents, your pictures on "Postal Cards" and photos for your watch fob. However, their specialty is "Ping Pongs." Could we be talking table tennis here? I don't think so. Anybody know? ["Ping-pongs" were wallet-size portraits. - Dave] Something mundaneWe would never see a dog walking off leash by itself on a busy city street today. No one seems to being paying it any mind in this photo. ClothingWhat strikes me most about this image is the radical and total changes in clothing styles. Less than 50 years removed from the Civil War, the men's suits look almost modern and minus the straw hats would not raise eyebrows on the streets of the 21st-century Boston. The same cannot be said of the ladies' attire. Fashion changed radically in the twenties and again in the sixties. The women's clothes shown here are a throwback to the Civil War era with hints of Victorian modesty tossed in for good measure. Some might say that men's clothing hasn't changed very much in the last 150 years excepting collars, colors and buttons. The photos I've seen of the Civil War era present a much different and far less stable picture of American trends, yet this one looks deceptively fashion forward. The Façadeis a gorgeous example of Art Nouveau. It's something you don't see a lot of outside of Europe (in my experience), which is a shame. Calling it a monstrosity is the same attitude that resulted in Penn Station being demolished. Tremont Street - Boston in the springtimeGreat picture of Tremont Street on what was probably one of those unusally warm April days in Boston. The young people in shirtsleeves while the older folks still wear their winter garb attests. Open windows and a few awnings add to the summery atmosphere (except for the vacant building at Keith's right. +107Below is the same view from May of 2013. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC)
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