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Philadelphia: 1906
Philadelphia circa 1906. "Chestnut Street." Continuing the nutty theme of ... to grab me by the collar. The sheer scale and bustle of Philadelphia leaves me feeling like the country mouse come to the city. ... Is there a name for windows which pivot like that? Philadelphia Record Noticed the Philadelphia Record on the tower. When you ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 10:09am -

Philadelphia circa 1906. "Chestnut Street." Continuing the nutty theme of recent posts. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Wow!This is one of those pictures that, at first blush, seems rather pedestrian (pun intended), but which, at full size, proves to be astonishingly alive with all manner of fascinating detail. A lot of those on Shorpy, of course, but every once in a while, one seems to grab me by the collar. The sheer scale and bustle of Philadelphia leaves me feeling like the country mouse come to the city. What a fascinating year circa 1906 is turning out to be! I spy with my little eyeAt 8:17 am... I see a pigeon, a window-cleaner, a lady in a window, a man lighting a smoke, a man picking his teeth, a policeman, a fire (or police) alarm-box*, a suspicious package at the base of a pole, two step-ladders (one in place and another en-route), and a man who looks like he might be a doctor... This is one of those photos where you can almost hear the ringing of streetcar bells, the clatter of horse-hooves on pavement, and the bustle of the city in the morning. The unusual windows are called "pivot windows". *"The late nineteenth century brought new developments to policing. The Police Department installed telephone call boxes on street corners throughout the city for patrolmen to check in from their beat and for citizens to report crimes." http://mysite.verizon.net/phil.bowdren/ppd_history.html SwingersIs there a name for windows which pivot like that? Philadelphia RecordNoticed the Philadelphia Record on the tower. When you Google that the first result is https://www.shorpy.com/node/4911 This previous photo was labeled with the helpful information, Post Office StreetcarsI'm always amazed at the number of streetcars there are in these pictures. I can count 8 for sure (probably more) in 3 or 4 blocks. Amazing! I'm also curious as to how much it cost to ride. Peirce SchoolThe Peirce School seen here was a business school that my mother and father attended in 1939, after graduating from high school. After meeting there they went to a Valentine's Day dance and, as it is said, the rest is history. My mother just died this year at age 88 (my father died in 2004) and I have both their diplomas from Peirce School. I can almost hear the noises from the city. Wow! Great pic. This is why I like shorpy. Great photos with so much detail. I can imagine what it would sound like: the clanging of horses, the roar of the streetcar, the voices of workers beginning to start their day! Different Paths.I forwarded the link to a friend who is interested in streetcars and historic images in general and he noticed a fact I completely missed. I had remarked to him that the two intersecting streetcar lines did not interconnect with curves, trolley wires and switches. He countered with the horizontal trolley track is Narrow Gauge when compared with the vertical track. No wonder the tracks only cross. Another Arc streetlight above the intersection to the left of where the trolley wires cross. The Electric Age well underway. Thank You! Sir. FashionIf this was everyday dress, what did one wear to a funeral? A Public ServiceI love seeing the baseball scoreboard outside the Philadelphia Record Building, just past the statue of Ben Franklin. Orthogonality reignsEverytime I see one of these old cityscapes, I get the urge to buy a tilt-shift lens. I hate seeing the leaning skyscrapers an ordinary 'fixed' lens captures. Fares and Track GaugesStreetcar fare back then was 5 cents with free transfers within the city limits, six fares (in tokens or strips of tickets) for 25 cents. The cross track in the foreground on Ninth Street is the same gauge as the track on Chestnut -- 5 feet 2¼ inches. All Philadelphia Rapid Transit tracks were that size. Chestnut Street trolleys ran until 1956, 10th Street (with the open trolley) in the background until 1957, and Ninth Street until about 1967. (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia, Streetcars)
Market Street: 1905
Market Street at Eighth in Philadelphia circa 1905, with the Lit Brothers building at right. Detroit ... and the horses. So much is going on! Market Street, Philadelphia I was stationed in Philadelphia with the Navy, 1957-59. The trolley cars were still active when I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:31pm -

Market Street at Eighth in Philadelphia circa 1905, with the Lit Brothers building at right. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. Don't Make 'Um Like They Use TaThe architectural variety in this picture is just amazing. This makes my jaw drop much further than any modern skyscraper. Modern LifePopping out of a subway tunnel and into the hustle and bustle of the big city, anyone would think this is modern times until they saw the clothes and the horses. So much is going on! Market Street, PhiladelphiaI was stationed in Philadelphia with the Navy, 1957-59. The trolley cars were still active when I first arrived. We rode them many times from the Navy Base into center city. Many streets were still cobblestone at that time. I met my wife there and we will have been married 49 years in a few days. PhillyphileThanks for the photo. I work in Philly and have lived here all my life. I love old pictures of the city. Philly SubwayWas there really a subway in 1900? Wikipedia seems to say there wasn't one at that time. Is it like one of those London subways, which is really just a tunnel from one side of the street to the other? Lit BrothersThe Lit Brothers and the Strawbridge & Clothier buildings are both standing but sadly not as department stores. The Strawbridge building is on the other side of 8th street. Both are used as office space. BuzzedAbout ten years after that photo was taken, my grandfather and a friend of his who owned a plane flew down Market Street between the buildings. It hadn't been made illegal yet. Philly UndergroundAccording to: http://www.urbanrail.net/am/phil/philadelphia.htm Market-Frankford Line 1907: 69th St- 15th St (all elevated) 1908: 15th St - 2nd St (underground) 1915-1922: 2nd St - Frankford (Bridge-Pratt) (elevated) 1955: 40th St - 15th St rebuilt underground Philadelphia SubwayOpened December 1905. That's where I am right now!As I read this I am currently on the 4th floor of the Lit Brothers Building, which still looks much the same, though due mostly to an extensive restoration about 15 years back. And indeed it is mostly offices with a Ross Dept. Store on the 1st floor. The IRS and Mellon Bank have offices there. Many of those buildings are still there (at least more than I'd have thought) though they've gone through that very unfortunate phenomenon of the 70's and 80's where some nitwit decided to "wrap" the 1st floor (and some 2nd) facade in retail crap decor, which ages horribly and ends up looking crappier than you can imagine. But then you look UP and see all this wonderfully ornate and diverse architecture. Its a bit of a split personality disorder. For instance Thomas Eakins' studios were in this utterly fantastic Second Empire (I think) style corner building. It is so detailed and gorgeous, but some nut job (apparently not stopped by the city or any historic commission) wrapped the bottom in an atrocious Valu-mart, which is in very poor disrepair. But look up and you are like "Holy Crap!" Plus it's neat to think that, while highly unlikely, one or two of those busy bustlers were my great grandparents who lived and worked downtown, right during this period. Could be, anyway, right? Market StreetWow. I lived in Philly for eight years near Market Street, which I walked frequently from Olde City to Broad. The scene looks remarkably similar today. As a previous commenter mentioned, the altered first-floor facades really trashed up the appearance of the architecture, but above those I would say more than a good half of the buildings in the pic still look the same. One of the truly remarkable things about Philly is its architecture. Unfortunately most people forget to look up a little when walking down the street. Market Street Subway.The Market Street subway was always underground from river to river. The extension in the 1950s buried the elevated portion from 23rd to 46th streets. It was never elevated at 15th. Question about buildings.What is the name of the building in the center, with the clock tower and man on top? Also the building to the left of it that has a pagoda looking top. I have 2 glass negatives of this area with people walking, riding bicycles, horse and buggy, but no vehicles. I don't see the arch in this picture. [The building with the clock tower is City Hall. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia, Stores & Markets)
Miss Illegible: 1921
... Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Nellie [Illegible], Miss Philadelphia." Perhaps someone out there can put a last name to this winsome ... 1921 (via NewspaperArchive.com): SHE'LL REPRESENT MISS PHILADELPHIA IN BEAUTY REVIEW Miss Nellie Orr of Philadelphia was chosen in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/22/2022 - 12:25pm -

        UPDATE: This is the lovely Miss Nellie Orr! Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Nellie [Illegible], Miss Philadelphia." Perhaps someone out there can put a last name to this winsome face. View full size. Like some kind of sea creatureWhat a fantastically weird hat. Nellie OrrI think it was Orr. http://www.misspa.org/past.htm Up in Here"Why are ya'all up in my grill?" Actually,she's the cutest beauty pageant contestant ever. Miss Nellie OrrMiss Nellie Orr, Miss Philly 1921 and one of only eight contestants in the first (1921) Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/America_1920.htm Nellie looked "spunky". Miss Nellie OrrThe Coshocton Tribune (Ohio), 10 September 1921 (via NewspaperArchive.com): SHE'LL REPRESENT MISS PHILADELPHIA IN BEAUTY REVIEW Miss Nellie Orr of Philadelphia was chosen in the recent beauty contest to represent the Quaker City in the beauty review to be held in Atlantic City some time in September. Literally winsomeNellie didn't have much equipment even by the standards of that day (teeth didn't matter, shape did!) but something in her look tells me she would have been a formidable competitor in anything she chose. She certainly didn't get the scarred lip and broken tooth from tea parties or knitting. Miss Illegible: 1921The girl was Nellie Orr. See this link for list of Miss Philadelphia winners. http://www.misspa.org/past.htm Whoa NellieMISS AMERICA 1921 1921 September 7 8 entries Result 1 WASHINGTON DC - Margaret Gorman Remainder CAMDEN (NJ) - Kathryn M. Gearon HARRISBURG (PA) - Emma Pharo NEW YORK CITY (NY) - Virginia Lee NEWARK (NJ) - Margaret Bates OCEAN CITY (NJ) - Hazel Harris PHILADELPHIA (PA) - Nellie Orr PITTSBURGH (PA) - Thelma Matthews Miss Orr: 1921Looks to the future and tells herself: "I'm gonna be the best Miss Philadelphia ever and with my winnings I'm gonna buy another letter or two for my pathetically short last name!" Near Miss In 1921 Nellie Orr competed as Miss Philly in what would soon become known as the Miss America Pageant, where out of 500 contestants in the "bathers' review," she finished second. Something must have been stuffed -- either the ballot box, or ... Heeere she isIn the Racine Journal-News, same great hat Poor PhiladelphiaFlat as a pancake, foul teeth! My God! I wonder what her contenders looked like. Prosthodontically speakingMiss Orr seems to be sporting a none too artfully fashioned porcelain jacket crown. Or is it an inlay? Her nameYes it was Orr, and she was my great-grandmother on my mom's side. From what my grandfather has told me about her, she was very spunky and outspoken. He used to tell me I reminded him of her! Nellie OrrNellie was my mother's older sister. My mother is 82 and still lives in Haddon Heights, NJ. I hope Heaven is far awayOtherwise, she's still embarrassed every time someone looks at this picture. She's probably saying something on the order of, "Of all the photos taken of me, how did this get to be the one people are still looking at? Now that it is on Shorpy, I will never live it down!" Equipped Just FineMiss Nellie is actually built perfectly for the standards of the day. By 1921 the flapper era was in full swing, emphasizing an almost boyish look with bobbed hair, flattened breasts and few visible curves. It was a reaction to the Victorian style of very long hair and fairly extreme curves accentuated by a corset. It's no surprise she would finish second in the "bathers' revue." (Full disclosure: my grandmother was a flapper. Her hair had never been cut until 1919 at age 12, when she got a bob. She told me her father didn't speak to her for weeks!) What Happened to Miss Philadelphia 1921 Nellie Orr?Does anyone know what became of Nellie Orr? I am researching all eight of the 1921 Miss America Contestants from the first contest and located info on all except for Nellie. Looking for her parents names, Nellie’s married name and when she passed away. Many thanks! You can contact me at NRFB59@aol.com Nellie Orr at Miss America 1921Here she is in her black taffeta swimsuit. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Boston Harbor: 1906
... part of Logan and the rest were fused to East Boston. Philadelphia Stea Philadelphia Stea? (just to the left of the big black ship funnel in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 4:38pm -

Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1906. "Boston Harbor and waterfront." Panorama of two 8x10 inch glass negatives, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The Waning Days of SailThe three ships with 5 masts each out in the harbor must be Cape Horners. Around the turn of the twentieth century, these enormous ships were constructed to be the fastest to Asia (before the Panama Canal), their speed outstripping even the storied "clipper ships." Day-OThe smokestack with the diamond (left side of picture)is a United Fruit Company, now Chiquita Brands, "banana boat." What's the island in the background?Pretty sure this was taken from Old Harbor South Boston making the samll island in the background Western Way or Thompson Island. Incredible ChangeThere are very few things extant in this photo. The Custom House Block building is still there as is the three story building to its left. Yet beyond that it is near unrecognizable. The end of Long Wharf was the rented Boston Immigration Station now a open public pavillion. Central Wharf, which says Mellin's Food for Infants and Invalids is now home to the New England Aquarium. The islands of the inner harbor can still be seen here. On the horizon from right to left there are many now lost landmarks. At the farthest right is Deer Island and the Suffolk County House of Correction which stood from 1880-1991). Next in the foreground is Governor's Island (with all those prominent trees) which was destroyed with Apple Island with the building of Logan International Airport. Apple is the thinnest mark almost lost in the masts of the white ships. The town of Winthrop is the rise above Apple with well built up Breed's Island to it's left. Part of Breed's became part of Logan and the rest were fused to East Boston. Philadelphia SteaPhiladelphia Stea? (just to the left of the big black ship funnel in the left/center foreground): Steaks Steam Steamers Steamships Steamship Company Steamship Company Ltd. BTW, who is piloting that rail barge a few yards from the dock in open water?? [Boston and] Philadelphia Stea[mship Line]Most likely "Philadelphia Steamship" or "Philadelphia Steamship Line," from the Boston and Philadelphia Steamship Company. Agent: Francis P. Wing Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3 (PDF) Hard work and leisureFrom a European point of view, even big schooners were coasters rather than Cape Horners. The latter tended to be the domain of square-riggers (such as the Flying P-liners). Anyway, those two pretty little steam yachts to the right make a nice contrast to the brawny cargo haulers. Five-Masted Coal SchoonersBy 1900 few if any East Coast sailing ships were still engaged in the China Trade. Pacific Coast steamships and the Transcontinental Railroad had taken over most of that commerce as early as the 1870s. The great five-masted schooners seen here, all more than 300 feet in length, were mostly built in Maine beginning in the late 1890s to deliver coal to Boston and other East Coast ports. Some remained in service into the 1930s. Similar Pacific Coast schooners were used to deliver lumber. Here is a typical Maine schooner under sail, the "Martha P. Small," built in 1901. A brief history of five- and six-masted schooners. Maritime CommerceIt was different in 1906. There's a barque being moved by a steam tug slightly left of center; you'd never see a commercial square rigger today. The large coasting schooners have all vanished long ago, too. Even the steamships are classic, period pieces: the Metropolitan Steamship Company (right foreground) operated coastwise, overnight ferries to New York, leaving every day at 4 PM, according to the Wikipedia article. H. M Whitney, in center foreground, was one of its earlier ships, built in 1890 in Philadelphia and in spite of having been sunk in a collision and later raised, looks very smart in the photo. The two, near-sister twin funneled steamships moving down-channel in the center of the image are also handsome ships, lifeboats and davits very white considering their exposure to all that coal smoke. They too seem to be passenger ships. We tend to forget that in 1906, roads were unpaved except in downtown areas, cars were slow and unreliable, and passenger air travel could barely be imagined. While trains were faster, coastwise travel by ship was more efficient and still very popular. The group of schooner masts on the left look like fishing schooners; these continued working the Grand Banks up to World War II. There's a relatively modern looking steam ferry in that part of the photo also. A great variety of maritime commerce, where today you would probably see just an occasional container ship or oil tanker. Coastwise trade in freight (but not passengers) still goes on, but it's mostly in barges pushed or towed by tugs, and Boston has lost ground to New York in international maritime trade. Jib SailsI love the pic of the schooner from willc with five main sails and the jib sails on the bowsprit to match. A marvelous photo so full ofA marvelous photo so full of detail. The ship in the lower right corner identified by the name on her stern is the H.M Whitney. Built for the Metropolitan Steam Ship Company (Whose name can be seen on a flag and the M on the funnel) in 1890. She was sunk in Boston harbour in 1892 when run down by another steamer. Raised and restored, the H.M Whitney continued in M.S.S.Co service. She struck a rock in Hells Gate, N Y Harbour in fog in 1908 but did not sink. In WWI, the H.M. Whitney was sold for ocean service. She seems to have been renamed the Maria Pinango in 1923 and in 1928 sank while in tow near the Azores. Quite a story. I've seen this picture before...This panorama also appeared in the book "Portrait of a Port - Boston, 1852-1914" by W. H. Bunting (First Harvard University Press, 1971). In the book Mr. Bunting identifies several of the ships: Steaming down channel is the Dominion Atlantic liner Prince George bound for Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. In the lower left hand corner is the Boston & Philadelphia steamer Indian. The three white 5-masted schooners are from the Palmer Fleet which carried coal between Hampton Roads, VA and the New England. In 1905 the fleet delivered 123 loads of coal to New England. They could make the round trip between Hampton Roads and Boston in about three weeks including loading time. Beyond the schooners is Governor's Island now part of Logan Airport. The Metropolitan Line steamer H. M. Whitney ran to New York. She lies on the north side of India Wharf. If anyone has any question about what else is in the picture post a note here and I'll see if I can answer it. Crane shipAcross the harbor appears to be an old hulk built into a crane ship and listing to port. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, Boston, DPC)
Ebby's Diner: 1942
... about a mile north of here along the PRR mainline between Philadelphia and points west. It handled 10,000 cattle a day, along with pigs, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2024 - 3:47pm -

February 1942. "Lancaster, Pennsylvania." Ebby's Diner and the Corine Hotel at Queen and Chestnut streets. Photo by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Trolley 236 still runningLancaster had a city streetcar system and an extensive electric interurban railway service in the area. It lasted until 1947 when buses replaced the trolleys. Birney car 236 still runs in nearby Manheim, and you can learn all about it in this video. John Vachon's street views from above really capture that moment in time. Delicious geometriesCertain photos on this website work their magic immediately and then leave me to try to figure out where the power comes from. First to spring out at me are the pleasing geometric planes, forming a big Z in the middle, with the streetcar tracks acting as the central diagonal. Then there’s Ebby’s Diner, which appears like a larger version of those two streetcars. And the allure of those cozy establishments -– how I wish I could go to eat at that diner or The Village restaurant or even Sprenger’s, whatever kind of place that is. And winter! Bravo, John Vachon. Here and GoneThe diner is gone. It would have been to the far right facing Chestnut. The hotel is gone too. It would have been where the parking lot is now. The three-story brick building remains with some modifications. The commercial ground-floor space was removed. Great photo!What a great photo! WowEchoing @davidK, this photograph is a masterpiece. Whazzat?Is that a lumberyard in the upper right? It’s an unusual open-sided structure The Old PRR Main LineThe original Pennsylvania Railroad main line passed through Lancaster right through the downtown area. The depot was located at Queen and Chestnut Streets. You can see a boxcar under the roof where the original depot once stood. Apparently by this time the track had been terminated here and that boxcar is now sitting in what would probably be a covered team track. A study of satellite views will reveal parts of the old right-of-way and some buildings cropped at odd angles or others that were once parallel to the tracks. [update] Upon finding maps of Lancaster circa 1900 I have concluded that the actual PRR trackage passed right across the lower portion of the photograph frame and, indeed, Ebby's Diner is perched directly on the former right-of-way. The box car further down E. Queen St. is actually on a stub-end siding that once served a business there or could have been a freight house. Ebby's Was The Old Pennsy RR StationI could be turned around, but I think the view faces northwest, in which case the train station was on the lot where Ebby's stands in this photo. The tracks came into Lancaster from the N.W. and crossed the empty lot next to (left of) the Hotel Corine, then across Queen Street to the passenger station. The beginning of these tracks are visible from Dillerville Road (or on Google Maps) near the western end of the Norfolk Southern Lancaster yard. The tracks crossed Harrisburg Avenue west of the new stadium and ran into the center of town. The boxcar under the shed was one of many stub tracks that branched into small sidings. Bits of the right of way were turned into parkland or create strange property lines that are still visible, as G of V noted. The tracks then continued east and north to rejoin the main line. Also goneis the building from where John Vachon took this photograph. If you swing around in the Street View supplied by kozel, there's a Holiday Inn there now. No doubt it was a cold February day in Lancaster, yet two windows at the corner hotel (I can't read the name) are open. On the top floor one is open a little. The window directly below it is wide open. Brrrrrr. This Photo Smells So GoodMy mouth is watering, what with the cooking smell coming from the diner and the cold frigid air that carries the smells of the bacon and eggs, or steak and potatoes to your olfactory senses. The hotel might have a place to eat as well, if so, that would overload the senses with its waft of whatever is non the grill. Another odor would be the scent of freshly laundered sheets and/or towels from the Laundry at the top left of the picture. A-lone survivorBuilt like a brick shi... er, well, solid as a rock. Probably good for another coupla hundred years. About those open windowsDoug (see below) pointed out that on an obviously chilly day, a couple of the windows in the hotel are open. Back in the day it was a routine practice for housekeeping to throw open windows in recently vacated rooms to air them out. This would have been especially desirable in an era when smoking was so common, even in hotel rooms. Also, most hotels did not have individual thermostats in rooms to control the heat. The heat was typically from radiators or from ventilation grates in the floor connected to an often coal fired furnace. In either case, the heat was usually controlled by the hotel staff. Sometimes rooms could get a bit stuffy or just plain hot, to the point where even on a nippy day, cracking a window for a few minutes might be the only way to get some fresh air and cool off. Lancaster's Pennsy StationI found this early view of the Pennsylvania Railroad Station courtesy of the Lancaster County Historical Society. Sometimes It May Not Have Smelled So GoodThe Lancaster Stockyards, the largest stockyard east of Chicago, was located about a mile north of here along the PRR mainline between Philadelphia and points west. It handled 10,000 cattle a day, along with pigs, sheep and other animals arriving by rail from the west. After a layover, the doomed animals boarded connecting trains and were distributed to other cities to meet their fates. If the wind was just right the scent of bacon and steak on the hoof may have tainted the wonderful odors emanating from Ebby’s and The Village. 142 units, 12 stories, $7,556 per mo.The site of the former Corine Hotel, shown as a parking lot on Google Street View, is currently a construction site for a market-rate rental development, scheduled to be finished by late spring 2024. [$7556 is the rental rate for the first-floor retail/restaurant space. - Dave] More Open WindowsI can definitely related to Ad Orientem's comments on heated hotel rooms. To paraphrase Mark Twain, the hottest Summer I ever spent was a Winter's night in Moscow! We spent several nights in Moscow's Hotel Ukraina back in January, 1998. Imagine sleeping in underwear, on top of the bed, with the floor-to-ceiling (unscreened!) windows open to try to catch a breath of breeze. Under 10F outside, and over 80F inside, with no way to regulate the steam heat! The downside of free city-wide steam. Closed?The diner shows no signs of life that I can see. Can anyone read the sign on the door? [All those footprints would seem to indicate otherwise. - Dave] Man in BlackExceptionally composed photograph. To my eye the man in black along the roadway is the focal point. The angles lead to him. I am always amazed by snow scenes, the intensity of reflected light, which even on a cloudy day usually requires a small aperture with attendant great depth of field and sharpness. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, John Vachon, Streetcars)
City Hall: 1910
Philadelphia circa 1910. "City Hall." Philadelphia's soot-stained City Hall, still the largest municipal building in ... Soot Removal The soot was removed some time ago. Philadelphia is now a very clean city and soot-stained buildings are a thing of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/16/2023 - 3:34pm -

Philadelphia circa 1910. "City Hall." Philadelphia's soot-stained City Hall, still the largest municipal building in the United States, was for a time the tallest building in the world, at 548 feet. Its epic scope includes the time it took to complete, with construction beginning in 1871 and dragging on well into the 20th century -- the project's main architect died in 1890; his successor's successor expired in 1910, still on the job nine years after the building had been turned over to the city. So glacial was the pace of construction, according to one history, that a major round of revisions had to be undertaken to account for "the invention of electricity and elevators." 6½x8½ inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Soot RemovalThe soot was removed some time ago. Philadelphia is now a very clean city and soot-stained buildings are a thing of the past! Curse of Billy Penn's hatSaid to be the reason why Philly sports teams lose, as nothing in the city was supposed to be taller than Mr. Penn's hat, and today, the City Hall is no longer the tallest structure in city. Here is an interesting close-up of the head and hat prior to being installed atop the City Hall tower. Curse of Billy Penn's hat no more Not since the Phillies won the World Series in 2008. First world championship since the "gentleman's agreement" on building height restriction was broken by One Liberty Center. "Brotherly love"So they say, but my first real job in this country was as a disc jockey on Philly's WHAT-FM. It was a 24/7 jazz station with all white DJs. Our AM (a studio window away) was all R&B and gospel, and the DJs were all black. The owner wanted that racial split strictly observed. She had two dogs, a black one named "AM" and a white one named "FM." City Hall had a very bad pigeon problem and they had tried everything to get rid of the birds, from audio signals to steel nets--there were "Don't feed" signs everywhere. Well, one day as I walked through the City Hall courtyard, I saw a very old lady dragging behind her a large burlap sack from which she pulled a fistful of seeds every ten steps, or so. Casting the seeds in the air, she instructed the pigeons to "Go s_it on the Jews." I had to wonder if Philadelphia's well-known tag had been a counter measure. All cleaned up.I guess there was a time when the building was as dirty as the politicians inside it. Thanks for the lore. Philly Transformed Into ParisJust a couple of years ago Philadelphia City Hall was used as a stand-in for the military school in Paris when they were filming Transformers 2. Astute film buffs can also cite other movies where it was featured. By the way, the William Penn statue is the work of Alexander Milne Calder, whose son and grandson also won fame as artists. Critical appraisalWhen it was being built, City Hall was viewed as a textbook example of municipal graft, corruption and inefficiency, as well as being something of an aesthetic white elephant. The Philadelphia essayist Agnes Repplier in 1898: Its only claim to distinction should be the marvelous manner in which it combines bulk with sterling insignificance, squalid paltriness and decorations mediocre and painfully grotesque. Now of course it's regarded as fashionably and fascinatingly ugly-funky-weird. And gets a lot of love just because it's way old. Rude Billy PennThat's actually a scroll he's holding, but easily mistaken. William Penn forgottenThere was a longstanding tradition in Philadelphia that no building would exceed the height of the statute of William Penn atop city hall. This was broken in the 1980's along with many other traditional values we once believed in. Too bad to my mind. [Building height is a "traditional value"? - Dave] Tallest BuildingsBy tallest building do you mean tallest occupied structure? Because the Washington Monument is 555 ft tall at was completed in 1884, and the Eiffel Tower is 896 ft and was completed in 1889. [The Eiffel Tower and Washington Monument aren't buildings. - Dave] Styles mixedThis has got to get the prize for the most architectural styles on one building that I have EVER seen! The picture is a great shot for a game of "I Spy With My Little Eye"! Ahhh, the smells of City HallOr, at least, the exterior public corridors. Always used to smell like pee back in the early 90s. It seems to be less pungent now. Such a fabulously ugly building. Took the tour!I was one of two who showed up for the three-hour City Hall tour last October. We crawled all over and inside the building with a former city planner. What a treat. The inside is eye-popping. Carved, gilded mahogany and marble for as far as the eye can see. In places they used aluminum, only because it was valued more than gold at the time. The City Council chambers are unbelievable! The formal entry room originally was designed to have 90-foot ceilings, but the weight of the main tower started to crack the marble walls so it was divided into two spectacular rooms with paltry 45-foot ceilings. At 37 feet high and weighing 36 tons, the statue of William Penn at the top is the largest statue ever placed on top of a building. It is so big it sat on the ground for more than a year because no one could figure out how to get it up there. Eventually they cut it up into 14 pieces and reassembled it at the top. This photo looks as if it was taken from the Masonic Hall across the street. That building is another eye-popping marvel with construction starting in 1868 and taking more than 40 years to complete. Take that tour as well. Words can not describe what you will see. A common misconceptionIt's a common misconception that the City Hall tower was covered in soot due to the train station formerly located across the street. In fact, the old photos merely exhibit the different building materials used for the building and the tower. The tower is made of cast iron and appears black. Everything below the clock tower is marble and granite so it appears to be light grey. When City Hall was restored in 1990 the iron was coated so it wouldn't oxidize and today it appears to be light grey. (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia, Streetcars)
The $64 Washer: 1941
... used one of these until she moved out of her suburban Philadelphia house in 2002, aged 85. She'd run the clothes through the wringer ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/02/2024 - 3:08pm -

        Its big 8-sheet porcelain tub is insulated to keep water warm! Streamlined 8-position wringer with soft balloon rolls has chromium pressure controls; push-pull safety release; roll-stop safety dry feed rest and automatic water-return board. October 1941. "Kenmore washer for sale. Sears Roebuck store at Syracuse, New York." Medium format negative by John Collier. View full size. Mom Was DelightedI remember my mother getting one like that circa 1950; primitive it may have been, but it beat the heck out of the tub and washboard it replaced. Incidentally the price translates to $650 in current dollars. Not cheap, especially considering the lack of disposable income people had back then. They've Gotten CheaperAlthough you can't buy that exact model these days, I think, a comparable washer, with electronics, would cost $1,031.47 in 2016 dollars. $64 was a ton of money pre-WWII. I remember my grandmother had one a bit earlier than that one. She used to roll it onto her front porch to wash clothes and drain the water onto her yard. I remember helping her when I was 3-4 years old and the wringer sucked my arm right into it. Sure glad she was close by and knew to hit the emergency release 'cause I remembered that pinch for a lot of years. That was also when mom's (or grandmothers) used soap instead of detergent. It made great bubbles and smelled oh so nice! Not Exactly CheapBut I'm sure that every part was Made in the U.S. A. Familiar contraption!That looks a lot like the one that was in the basement of the house I shared in grad school at Duke in the early 80s. We were so broke, as students, we used that old thing and its wringer instead of going to a laundromat. If you have never gotten grabbed by an electric wringer, you can't fully appreciate that old saying about getting your teat caught in a wringer. YEOW! Mom-in-Law Was Delighted, TooMy mother-in-law, who grew up as a Pennsylvania farm girl, used one of these until she moved out of her suburban Philadelphia house in 2002, aged 85. She'd run the clothes through the wringer and then put 'em in her fairly new automatic dryer. The grandkids were enthralled! A Dream WasherWringer washers seem primitive now but they made life so much easier for women. I am old enough to remember my mother using one. In the photo above, you can see female customers in the background. They are all dressed up in hats, "good" coats, stockings and heels. Perhaps this Sears store was in downtown Syracuse. A trip downtown warranted getting dressed up. I remember those machinesAlong with the two galvanized washtubs for rinsing the clothes. My job to fill them with water and the washer. Punch the hole in the bottle of bluing for the white clothes. Wipe the outside clotheslines off and if it was winter time shovel the snow out from under the lines. Clothes would freeze solid then we'd bring them back in and hang them up in the basement. Coal furnace would dry them in half and hour. Only on Mondays. Wash day. Skip the Linepennsylvaniaproud said "if it was winter time shovel the snow out from under the [clothes]lines. Clothes would freeze solid then we'd bring them back in and hang them up in the basement. Coal furnace would dry them in half and hour." Why not just hang them in the basement to dry in the first place (in winter)? Not getting why do the extra steps of outdoor clothesline. Demonstration Washing MachineOn the extreme right, there is a washer with glass sides. These were used in department and appliance stores to demonstrate the washing action of the agitator. You could easily see how the clothes circulated in the water. When I left home in 1967 and moved into an old Vancouver, B.C. apartment building, the laundry featured three wringer washers with dual concrete laundry tubs for rinsing, a gas-fired ironing machine, and clotheslines in the spacious roof-top laundry room. Elderly ladies taught me how to use the machines - I was 19 at the time. In the United States, automatics outsold wringers as early as 1951, but in Canada that did not happen until 1968. One of the main reasons was that an automatic was three times more expensive than a wringer. I still have a 1944 Beatty wringer that I use occasionally. Here is a video on how to do your laundry with a wringer washer. Looking at photos like thisWell... Europe was not only at war, but... twenty years late? This design, for me it's just like 1960 or something like that. And some change...I'm sorry, but it's that 95 cents that broke the deal for me. Remember the "Suds Saver" Feature?You would stopper one side of your dual basement sink (which was probably made of concrete) and the washer would drain the sudsy wash water into that side. Then with the next load, the washer would suck that wash water back in and reuse it. My mother would wash the whites or lights first and "suds save" to wash the kids' clothes after that. It certainly did save water, especially if you had a big family and washed lots of loads. Old-style washers with wringerWhen my wife and I bought a 1920s Tampa bungalow, it had a wringer Maytag, originally fitted with a gas engine, in the garage building out back. Patty decided to use it one day, just for laughs, but she was astonished at how clean the clothes were. Soon, that old Maytag was what she used all the time. If I remember correctly, Patty collected the water after washing and used that on her flowerbeds, and the soap helped control insects. Regarding that wringer, yep; I caught my hand in it one time and that was all it took to teach me to stay clear of it after that. But the old wringer washers worked and drying on a clothesline also had advantages. At the cottageMy dad added a room to the back of my grandparents cottage the year after he added an electric pump for running water. He installed a flush toilet, and, a wringer washer just like the one in the picture appeared soon after. It was over in the corner, and I do not remember seeing it in use, but know that my grandmother would have used it to wash all the towels and such us ragamuffins got sand-encrusted at the beach. She sure put up with a lot of noise from the succeeding groups of grand kids showing up week after week for their time at the cottage. It was a never-ending battle to keep sand out of the front room, and encouragments to 'Wipe Your Feet Outside'or 'Get the sand OFF' were made often and AUDIBLY. It didn't help. There seemed to always be a layer of sand in the bottom of the washer tub. Wonder if it wore out the gizzards. Grandma's Washer of ChoiceAs a child growing up in the 60's, I remember well my grandmother owning two of these. She could afford a more modern style washer, but the wringer ones are what she preferred. I guess probably because that is what she was used to using. Sitting on her back porch, watching her feed those clothes through the wringers, looked like so much fun! As much as I'd beg her to let me do it she'd never let me for fear of getting my hand caught!! (Technology, The Gallery, John Collier, Stores & Markets, Syracuse)
Christmas in Miami: 1954
... 1860s; the fancy side chair by the fireplace is Boston or Philadelphia, about 1845; the worktable at left is probably late 1830s; and the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2023 - 11:25am -

      A holiday chestnut worth reheating over the Shorpy Duraflame. "Christmas 1954." My grandmother Sarah Hall (1904-2000) in her living room in Miami Shores four years before I was born. She made the mantel decoration, which saw service for many years, with Brazilian pepper berries from a big tree in the backyard, mixed with pine cones, all attached to a chicken wire frame. Grandmother, handy with a needle and thread, also made the curtains. She was, needless to say, big on Christmas. 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. A lovely ladyand a tastefully decorated room! Creative and ClassyThat is a seriously tasteful room. The tailored window dressing helps to tone down the old style furniture. The subdued red and white decorations and lights with natural elements look almost modern. I absolutely love the fabric on the sofa. Martha Stewart was only thirteenYour beautiful grandmother was way ahead of her time in creating an exquisite home environment through her own resources of sewing, collecting and impeccable taste. The atmosphere in this room is timeless and the decor is of superior quality and subtle uniqueness, but the sparkling antique crystal and ceramics are showstoppers. The polished marble, shiny mahogany and immaculate order of her living quarters is very impressive. I could never live in a place like this because I'm basically a hopeless slob and have been told by most of my close relatives that because of me "we can't have anything nice." This is nice. And by the way Dave, you are SO YOUNG. I figured you to be about 80 yrs. old up until now, so Shorpy has a long life ahead of it as long as you keep it going. Merry Christmas and thank you for spreading so much happiness around. BeautifulThat's all; just beautiful! Merry Christmas! Wow, just wowAwesome, Dave. Your grandmother was quite a seamstress, decorator, and had great taste in furniture. My grandmother was a great seamstress, too. She sewed clothes, quilts, sleeping bags, doll clothes, costumes, you name it. She had all kind of gadgets, like a eyelet press, for making belts, and a hem marker, a thing that combined a yardstick standing vertically on a base, a bulb and hose, with a container filled with talcum powder. The container slid up and down the yardstick, and when the bulb was squeezed, it would make a nice horizontal line (to mark the hemline) about an inch long. And of course, I enjoyed playing with that. Kodachrome masteryThe technical details of this shot interest me. First of all, it looks like it was illuminated by photoflood, with both main and fill lights. The main is indicated by the sharp shadow on the marble of the fireplace; the presence of a fill somewhat off-angle from the main is shown by the double shadows on the bric-a-brac shelf and the pine cone thing around the mirror. The distance of the photofloods was accurately calculated so as not to overwhelm the regular bulbs in the lamps. The white balance is right on, indicating a probable use of Kodachrome Type A, or tungsten-balance photoflood emulsion, ASA 16. Using my trusty Kodak Master Photoguide from 1962, when the original Kodachrome was still available, the exposure calculator for the film and two bulbs at roughly the apparent bulb-to-subject distance here indicates an exposure in the area of f2.8 at 1/5 second or the equivalent. In other words, a carefully set-up shot by someone who knew what he was doing. May even be professional; at the very least, an advanced amateur. (Still, exposure bracketing would have been advisable; do any other shots survive?) Pine Cone ThingShe made her own curtains lined in contrasting colors and she also made the amazing mirror surround? I am totally in awe. Merry Christmas to Dave, the mysterious Ken, and unacknowledged contributors whose photos are buried in the Member Photos Section. Best regards also to Canada, tterrace and the Farkers whose work makes me gasp with laughter. Thanks, Shorpy! [Grandmother also made her own clothes. Not to mention togs for the grandkids. And then there was the crocheting -- much crocheting. Shorpy says you're very welcome! -Dave] Nice AntiquesMerry Christmas, Dave, and let me join the others in admiring your grandmother's great taste and sophisticated decorating talents. That's a smart and very urban color scheme for 1954. The tailored curtains are revivals of a Federal period window treatment, seldom done with this degree of precision. And the antiques are like familiar neighbors to me. Out of curiosity, were they mostly family pieces from up North, or did she collect them? The little sofa and round parlor table are 1860s; the fancy side chair by the fireplace is Boston or Philadelphia, about 1845; the worktable at left is probably late 1830s; and the molded clear flint glass lamp bases are probably Sandwich or Cambridge whale oil lamps of about 1850. Here's a similar pair with their old pewter wick holders still intact. Stylish GrandmotherDave some people have it and some don't, your grandmother had plenty. What a beautiful home I especially love the table on our left. We can all see why you love photography this shot may have been your genesis. Merry Christmas and thanks again for our favorite web site! Understatement"Big on Christmas' indeed! A very, very Merrye Christmas to all the Shorpy "family"; it's been a fun ride once again, and I look forward to splendid new adventures in 2012. A Beautiful Lady... who kept an immaculate house. Doug Santo Pasadena, CA Class actDave what a beautiful grandmother and setting. I was born earlier that year. Thanks for all you do and Merry Christmas! Your turnIt's great seeing your grandmother, Dave. Now can we Shorpy fans see our Shorpy webmaster? [We've already seen me. - Dave] PicklesI was a month old at the time this photo was taken. I am so impressed with this beautiful room. Seems to me that in that time period, white walls were the norm so she was really going new places with that lovely color. I also like her collection of cranberry glass, especially the pickle caster on the left. Hope it's still in the family. Thanks for sharing, nice to see how things looked at the time I made an appearance. Can't beat 35mm KodachromeBeautiful classy lady & home. I love the white dipped pinecones. I too have many 35mm slides my grandfather took the colors are so crisp on them when developed into pictures. Class and BeautyMuch less of this today. What a time. Merry Christmas! Those drapes!As someone who has made pinch pleated drapes, I am in awe of your grandmother and her drapes. Wow, what a wonderful job, what a wonderful room, and what an interesting person she must have been. Lovely decor!A magnificent room (and stark contrast to the wildly colorful and eclecticly overdone Minnesota family I love following here). I bet the rest of the house was equally impressive. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Impeccable tasteReminds me of my Nana's house; not only did she have the same bowl as the one on the bottom right shelf, but it also appears that, no matter how sophisticated the decor was, it was never a "Don't Touch!" room, but rather cozy, welcoming and comfortable. W O W ! ! ! for the lady. and the photographer?Impressive!!! everything is in place and looking flawless. Also, was the lucky husband also the photographer? very nice photo One Impressive LadyWhat an amazing woman with great talent. I'd love to sit in that room and just take it all in. Tasteful and artistic. A lost art at Christmas. Grandmother's favorite?With a second look at your Grandmom's face, while lovely, I sense a strong resolve as well, that would brook no shenanigans from the kids (including grandkids). Or am I wrong and she was a pushover for Dave's charms? [Grandmother was sugarplums and poinsettias 365 days a year, as all eight of her grandkids would attest. - Dave] Fave time of yearThe Shorpy Christmas photos have begun! This is my favorite time of year! Ok, Christmas 1954Think it’s time this picture gets retired. Looks like many rooms at Christmas I recall back in 1954. Very nice but the gushing comments appear a bit overdone. Hummm wonder way. [Brilliantly put, although you probably meant "why" and not "way." - Dave] I beg to differ with Carol McCIn the mid-fifties, white walls were not in. That was later, around 1960 or a bit later. Our house had dark walls like this (I was seven in 1955): brown and dark green if I remember rightly. Deck the HallsGlad to know she got to live a long life, another 46 years from then on! A later photo of her would be nice, as well as an early one (wedding, for example)? Classy Christmas !!Dave, your Grandmother was obviously very talented, and a very classy Lady.The art & style she put into this room is wonderful. Merry Christmas to all here at Shorpy. Thanks Dave for all you do to allow us to see great pictures like these daily. Two things!This fascinating photo of a classy person has two elements I find remarkable. First, that built-in shelving and the way the wallpaper (it looks like wallpaper to me) works with it. [The walls are painted textured plaster. - Dave] The second is the use of color in this room. Not only are the main colors perfect and soothing, but the contrasting colors work so well. For example, the red edging on the drapes and the pale-green fronts on the shelves. Those subtle touches really set off the main colors and add elegance. SWANK!!! Thanks, Dave, for sharing this and for all you do for us! GorgeousLady and decor. We should all be so lucky to have such in our lives. BeautifulWhat a beautifully appointed home. And we all know she was the architect of it all. Class All the WayYour grandmother was certainly talented! I also really like the interior colors. With very little adjustment I could live in this decor! Another PhotoI’ve seen other photos of this room, including this one. When we aspired to qualityIn addition to the elegant items made by Dave's grandmother Hall, her other furnishings reflect her eye for quality. The end table at left has a keyhole, and probably locked. The settee and chair appear to be rosewood. The end table at right has a white marble top, which complements the fireplace mantel. I can't identify any items on the shelves for certain, but they're nice. I suspect the next generation in Dave's family was happy to have these items passed down to them. Now I'm gonna grouse like the old man I am -- there are several traits young people have today that I like and respect; but I despair that the young people I've encountered have no appreciation for quality furnishings. Anymore, I end up telling them, "If you want a piece of black pressboard furniture, there's an Ikea in Plano. The reason it's so heavy is that's the weight of the glue holding the woodchips together. Solid wood furniture doesn't weigh as much." Giving today's designers a run for their moneyI love your grandmother's aesthetic, beautifully done. A holiday chestnutDefinitely worth reheating. We can see this photo has been commented upon for twelve years now, and that it has been presented to us for pleasure and comment in 2011, 2014, 2017, and again now. It brings us together at Christmas, we here in Shorpy-land, and it makes me grateful for this online community of people who take pleasure in this site and who make the effort to express their feelings and knowledge to the rest of us. This year I note those near the bottom in the comments section, back in 2011, who no longer seem to be with us: Vintagetvs, OTY, pattyanne, Born40YearsTooLate, switzarch, CarolMcC. I miss these former Shorpsters, they and stanton_square, Mr. Mel, aenthal, and many others. Some may have given up following the site or stopped commenting, some may have passed on. Thanks to Dave and tterrace for bringing us all together, and best wishes of the season to us all. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, Florida, Miami)
Philadelphia Rapid Transit: 1906
... 1906. "Elevated railway terminal, 70th and Market streets, Philadelphia." Another view of the building seen here . 8x10 glass negative. ... 69th Street Terminal is a mish-mash of lines. The Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company built the terminal and the Market-Frankford ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2014 - 3:05pm -

Circa 1906. "Elevated railway terminal, 70th and Market streets, Philadelphia." Another view of the building seen here. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Still thereView Larger Map Very Close to HomeNever did I think I would see something so very familiar to me here on Shorpy. I walk through those doors every workday, though it's now hard to imagine the suit-and-bowler crowd in the space. 69th Street Terminal is a mish-mash of lines. The Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company built the terminal and the Market-Frankford Elevated that ran into the city past Millbourne Mills and down along Market Street, thus connecting the myriad of suburban lines directly to the heart of the city. You can see one of their cars sticking its nose out from the bottom right of the building, along with its motorman taking a smoke break. The platform of the Philadelphia and Western Railroad Co.'s high-speed train to Strafford on the Main Line can be seen jutting out just above the Elevated car --- which actually dates the photo closer to 1908, as their cars didn't start operating out of their until mid-1907. Trollies of the Philadelphia & West Chester Traction Co. from West Chester, Sharon Hill, and Ardmore (and later Media) came in out of frame at left. All in all, a bustling operation, even moreso today. (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia, Railroads)
Philadelphia: 1909
Philadelphia circa 1909. "Broad Street north from Walnut." With City Hall, ... July of 2006. Tallest building From 1901 to 1908, Philadelphia's City Hall was the tallest inhabitable building in the world and ... comment, +97, further down). (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 6:15pm -

Philadelphia circa 1909. "Broad Street north from Walnut." With City Hall, William Penn and two young friends center stage. View full size. Architectural BeautyI am always amazed at these turn of the century photos. Unlike most of our buildings constructed today, these were done with lovely details and much architectural interest. I become very sad to learn that most of these are gone or on their way to the scrapheap. It must have been wonderful to walk the streets back then to take in the beauty of these grand buildings. Seems as we progress, the further away we stray from the details that were pretty commonplace then. Just an old soul here wanting to go back to that era for a visit. And thanks timeandagainphoto for your pic. Its so nice to see most of the buildings still stand! +97Below is (almost) the same view from July of 2006. Tallest buildingFrom 1901 to 1908, Philadelphia's City Hall was the tallest inhabitable building in the world and until the 1980's it was still the tallest building in the city. Thanks for the photo Dave! TrafficThis brings to mind a recent viewing of the 3rd episode of "Downton Abbey": "Why would you want to go there? - the traffic is terrible - when I last was there there were 5 cars parked and two or three drove past in the same day" -- 100 years laterI unwittingly took this photo again in 2009 when visiting this beautiful city. The trees seem to have grown a little bit! +104Below is the same view from October of 2013 (from the proper perspective unlike my initial comment, +97, further down). (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia)
Philadelphia: 1910
"Independence Hall at Independence Square, Philadelphia, c. 1910-1915." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company, ... & Manning . Street Cleaning I grew up in Philadelphia, and street cleaning was a regular procedure until the eighties or ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:31pm -

"Independence Hall at Independence Square, Philadelphia, c. 1910-1915." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company, Library of Congress. View full size. National TreasureWhoa! Blow up the pic. I think I see the brick hiding the 3D glasses. PhillyInteresting how the pavement appears to have been recently washed, or watered down in some fashion. Was that a regular procedure in those times? On another topic...it never ceases to amaze me how much non-functional detail they put into the tops of buildings that couldn't be appreciated by anyone from far below viewing almost completely vertically. Just the style of the time it seems. Yet very fascinating to look at all these years later. Gatchel & Manning, Engravers - IllustratorsAd for Gatchel & Manning. Street CleaningI grew up in Philadelphia, and street cleaning was a regular procedure until the eighties or so. I recall one truck sprayed water, and another swept. GoneMost of the buildings seen in this photograph were torn down to create Independence Mall. A damn shame if you ask me. Probably later than 1910-15I'm looking at what appear to be a pair of radio masts on top of the building in the center left background. That building, originally the John Wanamaker department store and erected in 1903, still stands today. (It's now a Lord & Taylor.) In the early days of commercial radio, department stores often operated their own stations. [This is indeed circa 1910-1915. The towers are wireless masts atop Wanamakers department store. See news article below. Wireless telegraph ("Marconi") masts began to appear in large cities, especially along the East Coast, around 1910. - Dave] PigeonsI've been looking at these pics for the past few holidays off and noticed nobody has noticed the lack of pigeons in the cityscapes. This pic has a lot of water towers in it too. Grandma lived at Front & Fischer, from her 3rd floor window I remember seeing a water tower across the rooftops but never learned what it was for. Water tanks, street cleaning, etc.Rooftop tanks are still used in many buildings more than three or four stories tall. Water from the city mains is pumped up to the roof, and gravity supplies pressure to the floors below. When I was a kid of the 1940s and 50s, during the warm months the city would spray the streets. Street cleaning was done by a man pushing a broom along the gutters and filling two 55-gallon drums in a pushcart. The sweeper would dump these drums at various intervals along the street when they got full. A truck would tour the streets and shovel up these piles into a dump box and haul them to a landfill. Horses were still used quite extensively delivering ice, milk, bakery goods, and produce door to door. There was also the "rag man" who collected all kinds of scrap items with a horse drawn wagon. This meant huge amounts on manure which needed to be washed into the gutters and swept up as I described above. It was all very labor intensive. (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia)
Reading Room: 1942
... Bombs for Berlin, 1942 Supplement to the November 19 Philadelphia Inquirer. Lititz Pretzels The newspaper on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/28/2024 - 8:00pm -

November 1942. "Lititz, Pennsylvania. Small town in wartime. Mrs. Julian Bachman at home with her family. She's twenty-three, has been married one year, and works at the Animal Trap Company from 7 to 4. Her husband is in Officer Candidate School of the U.S. Army Air Corps in Kentucky, so she lives with her parents. Her brother is sixteen and in high school." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. War reading materialIt appears that Mother might be playing a pump organ (if not a Walkman with tiny headphones) and I'd bet Brother is reading some classic Science Fiction magazine and speeding through space to rescue some damsel from aliens. No hope for Ms Bachman and Pops. She's reading about life as a military wife, apparently. It's a small townDefinitely qualifies as a wild night in Lititz. Bored DogProbably can't play the piano and already finished his latest issue of Squirrel Chaser Quarterly. Dad controls the radio... while Mom sits in the other chair when they listen to their programming in the evenings. Newspapers everywhere -- perhaps the morning and evening editions -- along with those huge magazines of when Life et al were large format. There's the bottom edge of a Life magazine just sneaking out from newspapers and book on the top of the stack on the table in front of Mrs. Bachman who is reading one also: "Life on Midway Island," page 118 of the November 23, 1942 issue of Life magazine. And there is probably Son-in-Law Julian Bachman's picture in uniform on the piano top. One can ponder if Mrs. Bachman's younger brother would enlist in the military by 1944 when he would have turned 18. Bombs for Berlin, 1942Supplement to the November 19 Philadelphia Inquirer. Lititz PretzelsThe newspaper on the top of the stack nearest the camera is The Pretzelette, published by the Lititz High School. The high school’s teams were nicknamed the Pretzels. In 1956 the merger of Lititz, Rothsville and Brunnerville schools formed the Warwick Union School District and the Lititz Pretzels ceased to exist, replaced by the Warwick Warriors and a new school building in Lititz, from which I graduated in 1972. [I wondered what the heck that was! - Dave] Local NewsIs that the Weekly Pretzelvanian? The problem with this pictureis we don't know who they are. Julian Bachman is the husband, gone to Officer Candidate School. We know his bride is 23 and married for one year, and her younger brother is 16. He is, no doubt, a Lititz High School Pretzel. But no one in the photograph has been named. And that's too bad, because I wonder who the parents are. While the kids are in somber solids, Mom is wearing polka dots and Dad is dressed in a striped shirt and very noticeable striped socks. They might be the fun ones. [Parents: Walter M. and Mary H. Scott; Kids: Mary Louise Scott and Walter Jr. - Dave] Thanks, Dave. Even though Walter Sr. and Mary were the same age, he outlived Mary by 12 years, dying in 1972. I can't find Mary Louise for certain. Walter Jr. joined the Navy and fought in the Pacific during WWII. He returned home, married, worked for the Woodstream Corp. in Lititz, and lived to be 87. His 2012 obituary references Mary Louise's last name still being Bachman. She had already died. ♫ Tiptoe Through the Tulips ♫The music rack on Mrs. Bachman's grand piano is not raised, so she may have been accomplished enough to play from memory, or was merely posed at the piano. Also, there is a cord going up her neck and over the top of her head that I wonder about - some sort of hearing device maybe? Perhaps she damaged her hearing by playing in a loud band in her younger years (Haha! Not likely). [She wears a hearing aid. - Dave] Living Room todayThis is likely to be the living room of 51 E Center Street, in modern times: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/51-E-Center-St-Lititz-PA-17543/975176...? The modern couch appears to be in the same location as its 1942 counterpart. There is apparently a door between the piano and the end table next to the couch, which is a bit of a tight squeeze. (The Gallery, Dogs, Marjory Collins, WW2)
Philadelphia Story: 1941
Chicago moviegoers waiting to see "The Philadelphia Story" starring Stewart, Grant and Hepburn. April 1941. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 2:56pm -

Chicago moviegoers waiting to see "The Philadelphia Story" starring Stewart, Grant and Hepburn. April 1941. View full size. Photograph by Russell Lee. movie house, picture show, the moviesmakes you miss when going to the movies was a weekly event, the movie houses were small palaces, it was a place for kids to act grown up and meet other kids, great pic Yeah, and a great movie!Best by Hepburn, for sure! well-dressedMy goodness, everyone is so shiny and polished looking. These people dressed better to see a movie than I dress for a wedding! Dress upYes, everything was an event back then, even the movies. Dressing up and looking smart was the way to go. I love it. Great picture!Everyone looks so dapper. Awesome photo! Regal TheaterThis is the original Regal Theater at 4719 South Parkway (now Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) and the other movie on the bill was "Life with Henry" - Henry Aldrich that is. Another view of the same day is here: http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3211.html (The Gallery, Chicago, Movies, Russell Lee)
Opening Day: 1908
... at Hilltop Park, April 14, 1908. New York Highlanders and Philadelphia Athletics. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Philadelphia Americans Legend on Photo says Phila. Americans, instead of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/05/2008 - 12:08pm -

Opening Day at Hilltop Park, April 14, 1908. New York Highlanders and Philadelphia Athletics. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Philadelphia AmericansLegend on Photo says Phila. Americans, instead of Athletics. [Philadelphia Americans is short for Philadelphia American League team. As opposed to the Philadelphia Nationals. - Dave] Hilltop ParkSome photos of Hilltop Park can be seen here. Seems it existed as a ballpark and a home for the Highlanders/Yankees for just over ten years; it was demolished in 1914. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska Chief Bender et alHey! I think that's Chief Bender (1st Athletic in from the right; dark hats) Also on the A's that year? Eddie Plank and Frank "Home Run" Baker, all Hall of Famers. They finished 6th in the AL that year actually ahead of their arch rivals, the Highlanders (Yankees). Mostly this same team would go on to win the World Series in 1910, 1911 and 1913. I'm sure I'm not the first Phila A's fan to point out that 11 years later, the 1929 A's won the pennant AND the world series by beating the Yankee's famous murderer's row. That year's AL pennant race had 14 Hall of Famers between the #1 and #2 teams, including both managers, Mack and Huggins. Must have been a chilly April 14 as they all have their jackets on. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Sports)
Philadelphia Bourse: 1904
Circa 1904. "The Philadelphia Bourse, Fourth and Ranstead streets." Our second look at this ... (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/09/2019 - 9:01pm -

Circa 1904. "The Philadelphia Bourse, Fourth and Ranstead streets." Our second look at this imposing structure. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. CaptivatingThese early architectural photographs demonstrating the expertise of the photographer in camera perspective adjustments and proper exposure coupled with the resolution capabilities of his choice of lens is downright astonishing. Shorpy’s superior transfer to digital is also acknowledged. [As far as the Detroit Publishing glass plates are concerned, all Shorpy does is spend an hour or so Photoshopping images that were "transferred to digital" by the Library of Congress. - Dave] Today's BourseIt was built in 1895 and stopped being a commodities exchange in the 1960s. The latest renovation was completed last year. The Bourse still contains dozens of offices on the upper floors but is now noted for having a first-floor food court specializing in artisanal food. Nice lunch atmosphereI worked a couple blocks away from here for over a decade. It was a great place to come and have lunch, if you didn't want to sit out in Independence National Park and watch the tourists walk by. American Telephone & TelegraphAT&T had a very large presence in the Bourse. My maternal grandfather worked there for nearly 30 years. Here's a link with some background and a good picture of its equipment: https://www.telegraphlore.com/instruments/athearnrptr/bourse.htm (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia)
Relics: 1900
Philadelphia circa 1900. "Chestnut Street from Ninth." On the left, Wanamaker & Brown ("liveries"), and on the right, offices of the Philadelphia Record (a "newspaper"). 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit ... street corners. Not many people milling about either. Philadelphia Post Office Seen here twice before: ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 5:19pm -

Philadelphia circa 1900. "Chestnut Street from Ninth." On the left, Wanamaker & Brown ("liveries"), and on the right, offices of the Philadelphia Record (a "newspaper"). 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. New view, same intersectionHere is a view looking down Chestnut from 10th towards the post office on 9th. Click to enlarge. Street Sweepers wanted,or some refuse containers are needed on the street corners. Not many people milling about either. Philadelphia Post OfficeSeen here twice before: https://www.shorpy.com/node/4911 https://www.shorpy.com/node/8176 That fellowseems awfully intrigued by the Emerson Shoe sign. Mercury Arc LampNot certain of this, but that Mercury Arc Lamp looks like it used a whole quart or so of highly toxic mercury. That can't be good. [That's a carbon arc lamp. - Dave] Where's everyone gone?I wonder if it is first thing in the morning, or the photographer tried to clear the street first, or what? Before I full-sized it, I couldn't see anyone and it looked kind of creepy, like the show called "Life After People". One of the little things...that make Shorpy great. +106Below is the same view from July of 2006. Quaint terms"Livery" and "Newspaper." "Buggy whip" and "Classified advertising." To be well turned outJohn Wanamaker and his brother-in-law Nathan Brown opened their first store in Philadelphia in 1861. Following Brown's death in 1865, Wanamaker opened a store at 818 Chestnut, which must be nearby to the building we see here. In the context here, "liveries" refers to clothing, horsey sort of clothing. 7:40 a.m.It must be a Sunday for the street to be so deserted at this time of the morning. Another relicWhat's a "Chestnut"? For rentElectric Lights Steam heat Electric Elevator Svc Chestnut Street TheaterI am just reading a wonderful book about John Barrymore. His family was steeped in the theatrical world and it all began for his grandmother, when as a 7-year-old prodigy she performed as the Chestnut Street Theatre. She then had another engagement at Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, Philadelphia, Streetcars)
Philly P.O.: 1900
"Philadelphia Post Office." Big-city hustle and bustle circa 1900. Plus: What ... view here from nearly the same angle: The Philadelphia Record I think that is the Philadelphia Record building on the left. Moe Annenburg, father of Walter ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/21/2020 - 5:32pm -

"Philadelphia Post Office." Big-city hustle and bustle circa 1900. Plus: What the well-dressed horse is wearing this season. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. Many poles, one flagOne of the things I have noticed in the pictures from the early part of the 20th Century is the abundance of American flags. They seem to be everywhere. In this picture I spot three poles on the Post Office building but only one flag. Way down the street on the right appears to be another. Just sort of unusual, it seems, for an era that was so proudly nationalist. Wish it was still true. Postal PalaceAmazing what you can build with unlimited money.... what a magnificent government pile. Hope the streetcar doesn't run up the back of the draw wagon. Thank YouI came across your website through the Bowery Boys. I've been having fun for hours here! Thanks. 1915 viewPostcard view here from nearly the same angle: The Philadelphia RecordI think that is the Philadelphia Record building on the left. Moe Annenburg, father of Walter Annenberg, was a vicious opponent of FDR. He bought the Philadelphia Inquirer and did battle with the Record, which supported Roosevelt. Former Record newsmen from that era said they were issued guns to fight Annenberg's goons, who were veterans of the violent Chicago Newspaper Circulation wars. In the event, the Roosevelt people indicted Annenberg for tax evasion, just like they had Capone. He spent three years in jail and then died. His son, Walter, rebuilt the Inquirer and became the Ambassador to the Court of St. James's under Nixon. The Record folded in 1947. Street ScenesThe cozy plaid horse blanket is nice, but what I really like is the group hug happening in front of Ben Franklin's statue. Just curious...I'm sure this structure no longer exists, but what stands on its site today, at 9th and Chestnut? The present main post office is right across Broad Street at 30th from the beautifully restored railroad station, and catercorner to the site of the old Philadelphia Bulletin. View Larger Map ElectrifyingI'm always interested in the early street lamps, the one on the far right looks like what I think they called an arc lamp. The "new" post officeThis building was replaced by the current post office building shown in street view on the northwest corner of 9th and Chestnut, which was constructed in 1934. (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia, Streetcars)
The Babe: 1924
Eighteen-year-old Ruth Malcomson, Miss Philadelphia of 1924. Later that year in Atlantic City, she would be crowned ... *whistle* Beautiful!! 1924 Miss Philadelphia and Miss America If anyone has any photos of Ruth that they ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2012 - 1:41pm -

Eighteen-year-old Ruth Malcomson, Miss Philadelphia of 1924. Later that year in Atlantic City, she would be crowned Miss America. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, Atlantic Foto Service/George Grantham Bain Collection. Because of HerI found this tidbit. "1924 Ruth Malcomson decides not to defend her title as Miss America, and compete again. Because of this, a rule is instated that woman cannot hold the Miss America title more than once." Time marches onShe is 103 today, if still alive. [Ruth Malcomson Schaubel died in 1988. She appeared in the 1974 Miss America pageant on the 50th anniversary of her win. - Dave] *whistle* Beautiful!!*whistle* Beautiful!! 1924 Miss Philadelphia and Miss AmericaIf anyone has any photos of Ruth that they would like to sell - please post contact info. I am a relative (granddaughter) will consider buying if not too expensive Oh the humanityGreat pose. Miss Americas looked so much more human back then. Ahhhhooga!What a dish! Ruth MalcolmsonInteresting. Not only is she beautiful ... but also made a bit of history, of sorts... as she decided not to defend her title as Miss America, and compete again. Because of this, a rule is instated that woman cannot hold the Miss America title more than once She reminds me of. . . actress Paula Malcomson, who played Trixie on the HBO series "Deadwood." Ruth MalcolmsonI have some photos of your grandmother. I am located in Drexel Hill, PA and can be reached at the Ardmart Antiques Mall. Check our website for contact information. Grandma Ruth's TrophyDo you know what happened to that silver shell trophy? It is amazingly beautiful and so large - a true work of art! Were you able to acquire any photos from anyone? Then and NowI find it really odd to look at a picture of someone when they were young and then to think that right now they're not even alive anymore. It seems like an impossibility at times to imagine yourself ever becoming old. Growing OldI smiled--ruefully--at the comment about not being able to imagine yourself old. When I was in my teens, I calculated that I'd be 63 at the turn of the twenty-first century. I could not even conceive of being so ancient. And now...oh, yes, it tolls for thee. We are relatedI have been researching my family history and learned that I am related to your grandmother. My grandmother, Lida Roberts, was the wife of Hugh Malcomson. If you have any information on your grandmother's ancestry, I would surely appreciate it, if you are willing to share it. You can contact me at normindell@yahoo.com Thank you. Shallow DOFNote the very shallow depth of field afforded by the long lens on 5x7 format and the slowness of the emulsion, even in decent daylight WOWShe is absolutely stunning! I'm amazed. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Pretty Girls)
Philadelphia Dental Rooms: 1904
... 1904. "Fifth Avenue, Pittsburg, Pa." Address of the Philadelphia Dental Rooms, on what seems to have been Pittsburgh's go-to street ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/07/2018 - 2:32pm -

1904. "Fifth Avenue, Pittsburg, Pa." Address of the Philadelphia Dental Rooms, on what seems to have been Pittsburgh's go-to street for Painless Dentistry. Looming over it all is the recently completed Farmers Bank building. View full size. Farmers Bank focusWhy does the Farmers Bank building get more blurry the higher up you go? [Use of the tilt-shift method to control parallel lines in tall buildings can bring the photographic plate into the edge range of the lens, where spherical aberration is most prominent. -tterrace] Union Veteran LegionThe Union Veteran Legion, founded in 1884, was an organization of Union Civil War veterans who had "volunteered prior to July 1, 1863, for a term of 3 years, and were honorably discharged. Service in the military had to be of at least two years' duration if the discharge was due to wounds encountered on the battlefield." Contrast that with the much larger Grand Army of the Republic, which did not have any restrictions for length of service. There must have been some sort of friction between long-serving veterans and those who had served only a short time. Note the dates - UVL was founded about 19 years after the end of the Civil War. This 1904 photo is 39 years after the end of the war, so the members are now in their sixties. Old technologyI remember going with my father to his dentist when I was in kindergarten just to get out of my mom's hair. The dentist was an old man about ready to retire, so he had not updated his equipment in quite some time. He had a foot operated drill which wasn't bad enough but he had arthritis in his knees, so the drill would slow down and speed up. I can only presume the drills were not as sharp as they should have been, compounding the pain. This memory kept me away from the dentist for years. It was not until I got married in 1981 that I went to a dentist on the insistence of my new bride. He had a field day with my mouth. 14 cavities. 1 crown. 3 root canals. 1 pulled. As the saying goes "Be true to your teeth otherwise they will be false to you." A Most Interesting NeighborhoodI believe this is near the intersection of Fifth and Wood Street: an interesting neighborhood. Just a block south, at the corner of Forbes and Wood, stands "The Skinny Building," three stories wide, but only five feet wide. A couple blocks north is Wood Street Station, part of Pittsburgh's subway. Many visitors are surprised that Pittsburgh, like Paris and New York, has a subway. An almost completely different world. What a difference a century or so can make. At least the Frick Building still stands: (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh)
The Flowers That Be: 1963
... of the Associated Press, who was also chairman of the Philadelphia Bulletin . And whose estate in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington was called Pheasant Run Farm. 120mm ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/17/2023 - 3:43pm -

Autumn 1963. "Mrs. Robert McLean." The former Clare Randolph Goode (1894-1983) was married to the longtime president of the Associated Press, who was also chairman of the Philadelphia Bulletin. And whose estate in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington was called Pheasant Run Farm. 120mm color transparency by Toni Frissell. View full size. Everybody read it.Well, almost: at one time the largest evening paper in America - and the source of mirthful ads - by the time Mrs. McLean had passed on, so had the Bulletin. This is Pheasant Run FarmI cannot find an address for this Pheasant Run Farm, but I did find it was on Sheaff Lane and designed between 1927 and 1929 by the Philadelphia firm of Mellor, Meigs & Howe, known for their Neo-Norman residential designs. I found early photos of the estate; all labeled the same. Attached are the: Forecourt and front door, and south end of house looking back towards the courtyard, South end (location of living room) and tree that would be in 1963 photo, Stair hall, looking at front door and through to back of house, Light fixture hanging in stair hall, Driveway to the house, stable and barn on the right, Barn, belfry, and house for farmer, Stable, and small pond next to driveway.   Today, tax records show only six houses on Sheaff Lane built in the late 1920s. Looking at each on Earth View, I'm pretty sure the former McLean estate is now at 7135 Sheaff Lane. When the estate last sold for $5 million in 2021, it was 8 bedrooms, 6½ baths in 12,189 square feet on 25.29 acres. The barn is definitely in the Norman style. There is still a large, brick patio built around a tree next to the house. I believe this is where Mrs. McLean was sitting in 1963. Census records didn't designate addresses for any houses on Sheaff Lane. In 1930 Robert, 38, and Clare, 37, lived here with their newborn son, Donald, and five live-in servants -- a German cook, an English child's nurse, an Irish waitress, an Irish chambermaid, and a female Irish servant. I didn't find the McLean family in the 1940 Census. In 1950 Robert and Clare are living with their 16-year-old daughter, Jenipher, two live-in Irish maids, and possibly a chauffeur and his wife and son on the property. Click to embiggen La vie en moroseBeautiful day in an exquisite setting. How incongruous that the well-dressed, carefully posed Mrs. McLean looks so unhappy. In a remarkable coincidence, that nurse in the Philadelphia Bulletin promotional cartoon Notcom shared looks like she could've been Mrs. McLean's sister or daughter. Mrs. McLean's much happier sister or daughter. Mrs. LonelyheartSo sad. It appears she doesn’t have any friends and no one came over to play, a real shame on such a nice day. All those flowers picked for no one. I would advise Clare to get up and get out there, start moving and find things to do. Make things happen. Others have done it. She can too. Climb out of those doldrums - join a crafts club, volunteer at a hospital, buy the Philadelphia Eagles … Could This Be?The most beautiful color photograph I've ever seen? The composition, the use of depth of field, the shadows, the vibrancy of the colors, the mix of colors, the bold statement of the opposing lines of the red bricks and perpendicular tree, the detail which draws you into a myriad of different places, and amidst all that sensational beauty and harmony, the glum Mrs Associated Press. Does she feel sad, remorseful, guilty of something, unhappy in her marriage? We'll never know, but she sure makes a mighty powerful contrasting point of interest. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Landscapes, Philadelphia, Toni Frissell)
Big Box: 1905
Philadelphia circa 1905. "North American, Real Estate Trust, City Hall and Land ... far end of the street. Could it be a library? [ Philadelphia City Hall . - Dave] What is happening in S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA? Anyone an idea? Cleaning the street (by pouring water from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 7:00pm -

Philadelphia circa 1905. "North American, Real Estate Trust, City Hall and Land Title Building." Over the years the North American building has lost its cornice but acquired a ruddy-looking suntan. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Coal DeliveryThis is a great view of horse and wagon sidewalk coal delivery to this building. For more information on Geo. B. Newton and Co. click here. [Nice! Here's a close-up. - tterrace] Temple of knowledge?I LOVE the building at the far end of the street. Could it be a library? [Philadelphia City Hall. - Dave] What is happening in S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA?Anyone an idea? Cleaning the street (by pouring water from left to right) perhaps? Dundas Lippincott gardensThe lower right of the photograph shows a portion of the gardens of the Dundas Lippincott mansion, aka the "Yellow Mansion". (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia)
Hires Root Beer: 1904
Philadelphia circa 1904. "Chestnut Street and post office." Plus signage ... Co. View full size. 917 Chestnut Street The Philadelphia Record Building - 917 Chestnut Street Another treasure lost to ... a bet by posing as two tramps who get hired at a farm near Philadelphia. Then along came a New York socialite posing as a milk maid, and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 1:00pm -

Philadelphia circa 1904. "Chestnut Street and post office." Plus signage promoting that "Fountain of Health," Hires Root Beer, and a theatrical production called Miss Bob White. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. 917 Chestnut StreetThe Philadelphia Record Building - 917 Chestnut Street Another treasure lost to time. Built in 1882, it was torn down in 1932. View Larger Map What a great eveningAn enjoyable night of entertainment it would have been. A Hires Root Beer in hand while watching the Comedy Opera Miss Bob White on stage. It invovled two millionaires paying off a bet by posing as two tramps who get hired at a farm near Philadelphia. Then along came a New York socialite posing as a milk maid, and after the usual back and forth, wins the heart of one of them. Hires to ya! RemakableSo many flagpoles - so few flags! "Miss Bob White"I was intrigued by the "Miss Bob White" sign just to the left of the "Hires Root Beer" sign. Turns out it was a comic opera that opened in Philadelphia in 1901: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F00817F6355C12738DDDAF... Druggist Charles Hires created Hires Root Beer here in Philadelphia in 1866. Sales took off after it was promoted at the Centennial Exposition here in 1876, making Hires very wealthy. Even today, Philadelphians consume more root beer per capita than any other city in America. There are quite a few "micro-brew" root beers made in the surrounding region. If you like the stuff, a truly great local root beer (with which I have no connection) is "Hank's." (Google it.) Made with sugar, not HFCS, and literally award-winning; I must say this is one time I agree with the judges. Ben Franklin & the Post OfficeI suppose it's obvious that that's a statue of Ben Franklin there in front of the post office. He'a still a staple figure round Philadelphia, and he was, among other things, the first Postmaster General. That lovely neo classical post office was redone in the Moderne style of the 1930's which while notable for being true to style throughout, it's an thoroughly ugly building. The loss is ours. Road repair3 talking, 1 working. Some things never change. Philadelphia Record BuildingCould it be that it was built in 1881? (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia, Streetcars)
Shibe Park: 1914 World Series
October 9, 1914. "Philadelphia Athletics dugout prior to start of Game 1 of 1914 World Series at ... Bain Collection. View full size. No joy in Philadelphia The A's lost this game 7-1 to the Boston Braves. And then ... so it wasn't a total loss. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Philadelphia, Sports) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2020 - 4:00pm -

October 9, 1914. "Philadelphia Athletics dugout prior to start of Game 1 of 1914 World Series at Shibe Park." 5x7 inch glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. No joy in PhiladelphiaThe A's lost this game 7-1 to the Boston Braves. And then lost the next three, getting swept. By an interesting coincidence, one of my other favorite blogs, The Griddle, has a post describing the A's hard luck after this series. The post-World Series firesale ain't a new phenomenon. No joy in Philly IIIn this same stadium in 1964 the Phillies had a 6 1/2 game lead for the pennant, they lost 7 straight here and 3 on the road, they only had to win one game. The stadium was called Connie Mack at that time and it looked a lot like this picture, it was a great ballpark. Total confusionI know that I saw at least three games at this park. My mother and aunt took me to a daytime Athletics game in 1947 when I was 5, but I'd had absolutely no knowledge of sports up till then so was completely mystified as to where I was and what was going on. Later I saw a Phillies game here with the Cub Scouts, and later another Phillies game with my dad. Highlight of the evening: I got Curt Simmons' autograph. Yes, the Phils blew the pennant race in '64, thanks to Gene Mauch's absurd tactic of rotating only his two best pitchers, often with only a day's rest! No wonder they couldn't buy a win. Cards beat the Yanks in the Series, though, so it wasn't a total loss. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Philadelphia, Sports)
Ambridge Alley: 1938
... knew each other well, while we don't today. I miss it. Philadelphia With the exception of the front steps, my house had 4 steps, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2008 - 5:16pm -

July 1938. Another view of "housing conditions in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, home of the American Bridge Company." View full size. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. While I guess the point here is the decrepit nature of the neighborhood, it looks to have been a great place to grow up. Like something from a Neil Simon play. Twins?I wonder if the girls on the right are twins--they look to be. Everyone looks clean and tidy, very little trash about. I agree--a nice neighborhood. Ambridge AlleyAre we looking at the backs of these apartments? [The front. - Dave] AmbridgeThe appeal of this place is the closeness. The neighbors all know each other and rub elbows every day. My childhood neighborhood wasn't quite as crowded as this but we all knew each other well, while we don't today. I miss it. PhiladelphiaWith the exception of the front steps, my house had 4 steps, this looks just like the street I grew up on. the actual street was wide enough for cars to park on one side of the street, the second floor had two bedrooms and a bath, the first floor had a living room, dining room and a kitchen, the basement ran the length of the house, it was a great place to grow up. AmbridgeI grew up in the Pittsburgh area. It never dawned on me that the town of Ambridge took its name from the American Bridge Company that was located there. Great old photo. AmbridgeMy dad grew up in Ambridge; my grandparents lived there until they died a few years ago. I've spent lots of time tehre. But I can't for the life of me figure out where in Ambridge this photo was taken. Most of the town looks nothing like this, but is single-family homes of various sizes (nearly all modest), including the early 18th Century Harmonist community. Next time I'm back there I'll roam around and look for this alley for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if it were still there--urban renewal pretty much left Ambridge unscathed. Ambridge Shipyard The American Bridge Company (a division of United States Steel) built a number of LST ships for the US Navy during WW II, including the LST- 847. The above photo shows the constructor's plaque that was mounted on the wall of the officer's dining area in the LST-847. The LST-847 slides down the launching ways and into the Ohio River at the American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA on Dec. 17, 1944. (National Archives Photo) Mike_G MGM musicalsThis reminds me of scenes from many of those old musicals, where someone is walking down the street and begins to sing, and all the people looking out the windows chime in with harmony and choruses...and everyone dances in step. Back alley, I thinkI also think this is a back alley and you are seeing back doors on these row houses. Reason 1: No mailboxes. Reason 2: Who hangs their laundry out in FRONT of their home? Reason 3: This is late enough for motor vehicles, yet only a horse, bicycle, or person could walk down that street. Seems evidence that the street is on the other sides of the buildings and this is just meant as an walkway. [This is the front. The back is here. And how's that Edsel? - Dave] The StreetWhile 1938 is late enough for cars, there's no indication of when the buildings were built. Dare I say it, since this was obviously a working class area and probably developed at the same time as American Bridge set up operations - probably as company housing - there may have been a feeling when it was being built that there was no need for wider streets; that the people living in the area wouldn't have carriages or horses (let alone those new-fangled horseless carriages) so why waste the space when you could build more row housing. I would imagine that if this are were ever redeveloped the old buildings would be torn down and new streets would be laid out to modern standards. [The tenement district of Ambridge was razed in the early 1950s as part of a slum clearance project. - Dave] Front or Back?The back is here. Ambridge AlleyMy mother grew up in this neighborhood she affectionately calls First Street, on Marshall Alley ... She said it was the best place ever growing up, even though everyone was pretty poor. They have a First Street Reunion every year to this day and have a dinner gathering. She always talks about her friends during that time and how everyone looked out for everyone else. Good "old" AmbridgeI've spent a lot of time in my adult life mucking about in Ambridge, and the poor old place is just another dying Rust Belt town now, and just breaks your heart to walk about and see the vacant buildings that line the streets. It's nice to see Ambridge folks in happier times. 1949 to 56I was 2 when my family moved to 201 Marshall Alley. My Grandparents and my uncle and his family lived in "The Alley" for 7 years. Yes, everyone hung their laundry from the second story window, both in front and back. We had to carry the washed laundry from the cellar to the second floor bedroom. Marshall Alley was condemned in the mid fifties but many of us stayed to the last before finding other places to live. We did not qualify for the "new" Economy Village that had been built for lower income families. My family scraped together enough money to put a down payment on a house up on Glenwwod Drive. Lots of great memories from The Alley. Front to backThe homes on the right is the back and on the left is the front side. There were three rows of homes like these, the front ones facing First Street and all three stretching form Maplewood to Merchant street. The other side of First street was lined with businesses on the first floor, and homes upstairs. More comments herehttps://www.shorpy.com/node/15453 (The Gallery, Ambridge, Arthur Rothstein)
Dome Alone: 1910
Philadelphia circa 1910. "Girard Trust Bldg., Broad and Chestnut streets." ... Era" pair on the left side? Now The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia When I worked for Girard Bank the building was known as 1 ... in fine shape. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Philadelphia, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/21/2015 - 9:16am -

Philadelphia circa 1910. "Girard Trust Bldg., Broad and Chestnut streets." Flanked by the Morris and West End Trust towers. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Cleaning spiritsI love the unsubstantial ghost street cleaner across the street from his very substantial cart. 105 years apartBut the Pillars are still a good place to hangout. They just don't build them like that anymoreWhat stunning architectural detail these old commercial building have! The Girard building radiates stability and trustworthiness. The taller building on the right is just covered with the richly detailed products of the bricklayer's and stonemason's art. The corbelled chimney is something that you just would not see being built today - where would you find the tradesmen who could execute it? My usual challenge to "The Shorpy Sleuths" applies here: Can anyone identify the make and model of the old cars in the picture, particularly the "Brass Era" pair on the left side? Now The Ritz-Carlton PhiladelphiaWhen I worked for Girard Bank the building was known as 1 Girard Plaza, or more simply (and more often) as "The Dome Building." After Mellon bought Girard, it was rechristened 1 Mellon Plaza, but only the folks from Pittsburgh called it that. Locally it was still "The Dome Building." The Ritz people have kept it in fine shape. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Philadelphia, Streetcars)
Pumpkin Patch Kid: 1963
... (It no doubt helped that she was on the board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.) Her husband was president of the Associated Press ... years. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Halloween, Kids, Philadelphia, Toni Frissell) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/16/2023 - 5:20pm -

Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, 1963. "Shooting fashions and autumn scenes at Pheasant Run Farm, home of Mrs. Robert McLean." 120mm color transparency by Toni Frissell. View full size. Is Shorpy blue?I don't recall seeing Shorpy in a color before ... very nice. Toni Frissell did a creative job matching this handsome young man's blue eyes to his pants and the door, all in a sea of oranges and earthtones. How could Shorpy help but to jump in? [There are actually dozens of colored Shorpys here. - Dave] Illustrious LadyClare Randolph Goode McLean, who died in 1983 at the age of 89, was also quite illustratable. (It no doubt helped that she was on the board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.) Her husband was president of the Associated Press for twenty years. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Halloween, Kids, Philadelphia, Toni Frissell)
Roy F. Carty: 1919
... Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Philadelphia Storage Battery Co. Interesting technique on the battery sign. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 5:44pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1919. "Roy F. Carty." Chief draftsman for the Shipping Board during the war, Roy went into business for himself in 1919 at 1407 14th Street N.W. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Philadelphia Storage Battery Co.Interesting technique on the battery sign. Painted letters backed up by an embossed metal surface to create a 3D perspective. Also interesting to see how "Philco" began as a trade name for a battery part, then turned into the company's name. Still thereThe building appears to be still be there, but stripped of that nice bay window and doors. [As noted above, Roy's store was on the other side of the street. But you can see some of these buildings reflected in the window. - Dave] View Larger Map The window ad"Step In For Your Electrical Troubles" is a paste up. The image of the lady was done for a "Hole-Pruf" stocking magazine ad by the famous illustrator J.C. Lyendecker. Looks like they cleverly combined ther top of the hoisery ad with the text about electrical problems Sometimes it's what what NOT there...Where's the photographer's reflection? Even the buildings across the street are clearly seen. [A wild hunch -- but maybe he's the guy in the hat standing next to the camera. - Dave] Wrong Side of The StreetRe the Google Street View below. According to the DC Yellow Pages, the Hit Item store is 1406 14th St. Auto Electrical Specialist Washington Post, Aug 31, 1919 Along Realty Row Throughout the war and the present days of the high cost of living, Roy F. Carty has drawn plans for many of the new ships added to Uncle Sam's merchant marine. Carty is the chief draftsman of the shipping board. Last week he tendered his resignation, to take effect September 8, when he will enter business for himself at a beautifully equipped office at 1407 Fourteenth street. The lost tapesThe poster in the window appears to be affixed with scotch tape. Since it was not invented until 1930, it puts the photo date in question. Were there other types of cellophane tape in use in 1919? [It's not "affixed" to anything. It's at least a foot back from the glass. The sign in the door is attached with adhesive or masking tape. Scotch Tape, a 3M brand, dates to the 1930s. - Dave] I can spot emI can spot a Coles Phillips illustration from across the street. I heard......that some places roll up the sidewalks at night, looks like they padlock them during they day, too. Mind your step. Aerosol Paint Cans?The cardboard tubes at the bottom of the window; that's what they look like. I suspect they may be a container for a type of heavy duty fuse? [Ignition coils. - Dave] Compliments to the photographer.That's a really good photograph. The focus is razor-sharp throughout the entire depth of field, and he has even used the environment to solve his own "front-and-center" reflection problem. You can see the tripod legs reflected against the battery sign at the bottom of the window. Whoever did this, knows his business. How it might have looked in colorI know I didn't get a lot of the colors right, but it was a very difficult photo to colorize and I just finally stopped trying to get it absolutely right. Hope you enjoy it anyway. [Hmm. No image attached. In any case, probably a better place to submit something like that would be the Member Gallery -- first, register as a user and then upload your photo there. If you go to all the trouble of colorizing something and then posting it here as a comment, it can't be any wider than this relatively tiny box. ALSO: If you do post images to Comments please follow the instructions and use the "Preview" button to make sure your photo is not bigger than the box. - Dave] How it might have looked in color IIOne more try.... (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
North From Locust: 1907
Philadelphia circa 1907. "Broad Street north from Locust." With views of the ... I had never heard of Adams Argood Chocolates. Per the Philadelphia Enquirer, AAC: -called themselves a "high class confectionery" ... has three e's) has certainly had its ups and downs. Once Philadelphia's premier luxury hotel, it closed a few months after an outbreak ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2023 - 6:24pm -

Philadelphia circa 1907. "Broad Street north from Locust." With views of the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Land Title Trust Building and City Hall. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Billy PennPlenty of buildings in Philly taller than him now starting in 1987. Also, the 2008 Phillies and 2017 Eagles but the screws to that curse. +105Below is the same view from October of 2013. Life is like a box of chocolatesI had never heard of Adams Argood Chocolates. Per the Philadelphia Enquirer, AAC: -called themselves a "high class confectionery" (1909) -had help wanted ads for several years (a soda dispenser, a permanent position as a candy helper, saleswoman, wholesale packers, chocolate coaters, a porter, candy forelady). The amount of times they specified a need for "experienced" employees makes me wonder how high their turnover was. -Their boxes of chocolates ranged from 10 cents for a quarter pound to $2 for a one pound box in 1909. -Also in 1909 they sold Dinnerettes, a chocolate covered liquid cream "that cannot be kept on hand" & had to be ordered on the spot. Dinnerettes were $2 a pound & delivered within 24 hours -In 1913, AAC was selling off fixtures to move to their new store. -In 1914, there a lawsuit between a sign company & AAC. -A fire damaged their 4 story Broad Street building in 1918. -By 1926, AAC was auctioning off the equipment from their store, confectioner's, restaurant & office Classic BuildingsThe Bellevue-Stratford (the first word has three e's) has certainly had its ups and downs. Once Philadelphia's premier luxury hotel, it closed a few months after an outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease there in 1976. The hotel reopened in 1979, closed again in 1986, and opened once more in 1988, this time with office space and hotel rooms. They are now converting offices to apartments and adding a swimming pool and an ice rink. The Land Title Building and City Hall are still fully in use in their original forms. The Bellevue-Stratford HotelAn article in the March 1905 edition of The Architectural Record reviewed three new hotels: the Belvedere in Baltimore, the new Williard in Washington D.C., and the Bellevue-Stratford, designed by G. W. and W. D. Hewitt. It was a great time for big first-class hotels. I was able to find floorplans for the: Main floor -- with photos of the Tea Room and front desk and the main dining room and Palm room Second floor Rooms on the fifth floor Roof top, with a photo of one of the pavilions (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia)
Broad Street: 1905
Philadelphia circa 1905. "Broad Street north from Spruce." Detroit Publishing ... building look far better than what replaced them). Philadelphia city planning Philadelphia was laid out by its founder, William Penn. His plan from 1683 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 8:22pm -

Philadelphia circa 1905. "Broad Street north from Spruce." Detroit Publishing Company, 8x10 glass negative. Library of Congress. View full size. Early AutoI consider myself a "car buff" but these very early autos elude identification for me. Any guesses? Even if we don't know the make, the sight of a lone automobile on the dung-strewn streets is one of those great transitional moments. City HallBroad street leads to City Hall which is the tallest and largest masonry building in the world, using no steel. The walls of the first floor are over 20 feet thick to support the weight of the building. I have seen this building just about every day of my life and I still stop to look at its beauty. EmissionsBack when you really had to worry about your carbon footprint. Seven-O-Five or 12:35?Trying to determine the time of day is not too easy for old eyes, but it seems like there are LOTS of parking spaces available. Also, imagine wearing a long dress and then trying to avoid all the horse poop in the street. People seemed very civilized 108 years ago. The architecture was quite elaborate as well. Nice photo. [In answer to your question: Look at the shadows. - Dave] Horse droppingswere a major problem in big cities in the equine era. The streets had to be scooped up frequently, which required a large force of street cleaners. According to this article, "at the turn of the nineteenth century, New York City's infrastructure relied upon disease-creating entities such as the horse. Between 100,000 and 200,000 horses lived in the city at any given time. Each one of those horses gave off 24 pounds of manure and several quarts of urine a day." Rooftop signsOn the left of the picture is a rooftop sign that reads "THE NORTH...." and the building in front of it seems to have the same type of sign. Anyone know what they said? Also I think the theatre on the right is still in use today. (Maybe Ron can verify.) I lived in Philly for six years and was always amazed at the buildings. It's so wild to see what it looked like back in the day. This is why I love this site. [There is no rooftop sign on the building to the left but there is a flag -- it says Bellevue, for the Bellevue Stratford Hotel. The "North" sign is on the tower to the right, atop the North American Building. - Dave] Old photographyPeople often comment on the sharpness of these old large format photos, but they're superior in another way as well. See how the vertical lines in the modern picture all lean in toward the center because the camera is looking up, while the old view camera could be adjusted to eliminate this distortion and keep the vertical lines vertical. [There are plenty of modern film and digital cameras that will accommodate shift lenses, which are widely used in architectural photography. - Dave] Today's BroadView Larger Map Philly Soul?Way to go, man! Great shot. I live right outside Philly. I love seeing old pics of places I know well. Shorpy is showing some love for the Two-One-Five, representin' old school style! Keep up the fantastic work, my friend! I visit your page daily for stuff just like this. Cheers! The TheaterJimsShip, the theater is still standing. It's the Academy of Music, it opened in 1857. Academy of MusicThe Academy of Music is the building on the left. The theater on the right was the Broad Street Theatre, torn down in 1937. http://libwww.library.phila.gov/HIP/HIPSearchItem.cfm?ItemID=pdcl00176 No GenericaThis picture has such amazing details. I really love the different styles of the buildings. There are places in CA where you can get lost so easy because every house looks exactly the same. I can look at this picture for hours. Seven Lamps"These building look far better than what replaced them." They usually do. Modern architecture seems to be created by people who never progressed further than stacking blocks on top of each other. But that's just my opinion. Used to be betterI went to UArts in Philly and the building on the right with the turrets was replaced by the Terra building (where I took some of my classes). This picture was definitely taken on Locust Street (I lived around the corner). These building look far better than what replaced them). Philadelphia city planningPhiladelphia was laid out by its founder, William Penn. His plan from 1683 called for Broad and High (Market) Streets to be extra-wide. Penn didn't want narrow, crowded streets like ones in European cities at the time. Better BuildingsFor every Mies Van Der Rohe there's a thousand hacks thinking it's easy and that's why we have the canyons of today. Sad. I'm amazed at the proportions of the aptly named Broad St. It looks like it could handle 10 or 12 carriages wide! Any idea why they went that wide and was that the norm? Certainly made it easy to convert into the car age. Wide streetsThe wider the street the easier to turn a team of horses, mules, or oxen. InspiredWhat is the tall building on the right with the spires, it appears to have been torn down judging by the google map, what a shame. That was a beautiful building. Spruce and BroadNo this was taken from Spruce. (Check google maps) I also went to UArts when it was Philadelphia College of Art. I lived on the corner of Broad and Spruce. Where the first building you see on the left is used to be the Schubert Theater now the Merriam Theater owned by UArts. The next building on the left would be the Academy of Music. [The Broad Street Theatre, on the right, was at Spruce and Broad. Below: Street View from the same location. - Dave] Missing Mansard StoriesHas anyone noticed that the top three or four stories of the building on the left at the corner of Spruce & Broad have been demolished. The building now extends only up to the grand cornice level. All of the articulations of the French-styled mansards, chimneys and other elements of the upper stories are gone. They probably created maintenance problems for the owner and were a source of leaks over time. The building today looks far better in my opinion than it does in this photograph; the awkward and unbalanced details of its former crown are out of sync with the aesthetic of the lower block, which has the grand cornice for an appropriate and typical termination. [The mansard-roofed building is gone. You're confusing it with the building behind it. - Dave] RE: Tall Building w/ SpiresThe Hotel Walton. Photos of the lobby are also tremendous. +108Below is the same view from October of 2013. Early autoThe car rushing through the photo is a 1904 Covert runabout. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Philadelphia)
Gimbel Bros: 1907
Philadelphia circa 1907. "Gimbel Brothers store, Market and Ninth streets." ... to add the occasional step or two. (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia, Stores & Markets, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/31/2023 - 8:58pm -

Philadelphia circa 1907. "Gimbel Brothers store, Market and Ninth streets." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. You will find it atI'm not sure when the memorably ugly sign was installed above this corner entrance; I remember it from the 1960s. These buildings were demolished in 1979, two years after store operations moved into the Gallery Mall across Market Street, where they lasted ten more years until Gimbel's closed down. There were signsI admire the work and the grit of sign painters back then. Looking at the signs on the side of that tall building and thinking of what it took to paint them tells me it wasn't a job for sissies. Leading the ParadeThis leviathan eventually grew to almost 2 million square feet, but of course it's more importantly known as the home of America's first Thanksgving Day Parade; so Macy*s may not tell Gimbel's, but it wasn't afraid to copy. (Eaton's in Toronto had developed the concept a few years previously.) It's been memorialized on video. Multiple buildings, but one storeI remember shopping in Gimbels, long ago. The frequent small steps from one room to another puzzled me at first, but later I realized the Gimbel's had expanded from its original building, eventually taking over all of the buildings down the length of the block. The floor levels in the various building didn't align with each other so when they cut through the walls to connect the buildings that had to add the occasional step or two. (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
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