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Squeaky Clean: 1943
... like he's playing a fife. Might even have a "cheater pipe" on it. Sometimes a flute is just a flute. Why hello there ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 1:49pm -

July 1943. "Greenville, South Carolina. Air Service Command. A scene in one of the barracks. Enlisted man playing the flute after he has taken a shower." Photograph by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Wonder if he is thinking aboutthe lady in the photo "Nighthawk - 1943" I love this site! Home I grew up a mile from the old air base. It was turned into an industrial park in the 1960's and has been called Donaldson Center ever since. Some of the companies on the base are Michelin Tire, 3M, Lockheed and I worked in the old Procter and Gamble plant there. My family moved to Greenville in the early 60's after the base closed and houses were very cheap. Precarious Towel PlacementWell. Well. Well! A little beefcake to counter all the cheesecake we've seen on Shorpy. On behalf of us woman folk who truly ah-dore Shorpy, thank you Dave for satisfying all us ladies once again. [It's exhausting work. Got a light? - Dave] KeylessLooks like he's playing a fife. Might even have a "cheater pipe" on it. Sometimes a fluteis just a flute. Why hello there handsome rogueI wonder if he survived the war. Donaldson Air Force Base This was probably taken in one of the barracks at Donaldson Air Force Base. Bomber crews trained there. The runways and many of the buildings are still standing, including some of the old barracks, and some are even used today. Lockheed Martin has an aircraft repair facility out there, and the big planes still take off and land. Gasp!ooh la la JimmyThis reminds me so much of that famous image from "East of Eden" where James Dean is sitting shirtless on the bed, playing the recorder. Charms to soothe the savage breastGiven the setting — an un-air-conditioned South Carolina barracks in the middle of July — his serenity is pretty remarkable. No tweetled arpeggio could soothe ME. In addition to a flute, he's got peanuts, white petroleum jelly, and a fly swatter. Can anyone identify the tall bottle and the striped jar on the left? [The one with the stripes is Mennen talcum powder. - Dave] NutsThat can of Planters looks like it was purchased yesterday. Nice to see some things never change. Mr. PeanutInteresting use of the newspaper as a bath mat. Interesting also is the Planter's can at right -- before plastic lids. It appears that it was one of those key-open cans which, while you could reclose it (provided you didn't bend the can or the lid too much), almost certainly left a pair of sharp steel lips which could give ya a nasty salty cut if ya weren't careful. About 14 years later, my dad was stationed at this same location after it was renamed Donaldson AFB. It's where he met my mom in between the nightly boredom of guarding the flight line. Forget it girlsThis guy's married, check out the ring. Or maybe that makes him more appealing ZamfirIf the Master of the Pan Flute looked this good, I'd consider becoming a Zamfir Groupie. He doesn't and I won't. All flutists are not made alike. Don't AskI wore a gold band in Basic. Kept the girls from bothering me and the guys from asking too many questions. That cotlooks really uncomfortable to sleep on. Do they still use cots like that? I guess I imagined they would have metal bed frames with springs below a mattress made from blue and white ticking. That cot looks like you'd have a backache from the sway of it. But I love the leg, and exposed thigh. Very suggestive. With the flute, and reclining, he's rather like Pan. Rolls His OwnIn front of the striped Mennen talcum powder is a pouch of cigarette tobacco and, probably, rolling papers. WindowsThose are some interesting window fixtures. Cheap and simple solutions for cheap and simple structures, I presume. Another rakeDon't forget to add this one to the new Handsome Rakes category! [Not really new, but will do. - Dave] The TooterThat's not a flute, you fools! It's a piccolo. Neither flute nor piccoloIt's not a flute or a piccolo, it's a fife! (The Gallery, Handsome Rakes, Jack Delano, WW2)
Sailing Tailors: 1896
... of uniform. I do find it odd the sailor with the bosun's pipe in his pocket in only a seaman but has over four years in judging by the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2012 - 6:51pm -

Aboard the U.S.S. New York circa 1896. "Ship's tailor." The dog is Nick. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. You can sit where they satIf you are a certified diver and find yourself in Subic Bay. This incarnation of the USS New York (this is the 4th), is sitting in about 70 feet of water. Its a popular dive training location. No More PetsUnfortunately, modern military men are not permitted to keep pets in barracks or aboard ship. Unit mascots are slso a thing of the past. I understand the practicalities, but it's a shame. Some atmosphere has been lost. Rates/RanksThe ship's tailor is a Boatswain's Mate 3rd class (BM3/E4 in today's Navy) and the sailor leaning against the cannon is a Gunners Mate 2nd class (GMG2/E5 today). The other two with jumpers on are seamen (SN/E3 today). Don't know about the sailor on the right as he's obviously out of uniform. I do find it odd the sailor with the bosun's pipe in his pocket in only a seaman but has over four years in judging by the longevity stripe on his left sleeve. Maybe achieving rank was a bit harder back in those days. Mend thy selfThe tailor's shirt might need a little work. UnfairThe dog's name will be known forever (more or less) but the cat shall be ever nameless. Bedroom EyesThe two guys on the left look could charm the birds from the trees. His Master's VoiceI think Nick is not a real dog but a prototype of future Nippers. At last!A cat is welcomed to a Shorpy picture, instead of having to sneak in. Cat discriminationThe dog may be Nick, but who is the cat? They should have put that on the photo as well! [We know the dog's name because "Nick" is engraved on his collar. - Dave] And the catis toast. Man the sewing machines!Full speed ahead! I'm just going out for a momentAt least they didn't have to take the cat for walkies. Spoiled animalsThose are probably some of the best cared for animals in the history of pets! Look how fat the dog is. It's too bad that animals like that are not allowed today, for they would be great for morale. Pets or pest control?Don't forget that rats and other pests were problems on ships. These animals were probably pets, but their main function was doubtless pest control. Like most kittiesthis one is obviously NOT pleased at being forced to pose for the camera. Probably why the lack of kats captured for posterity on Shorpy. [Click the "cats" tag above the photo. - Dave] Here, Puss!Call a cat whatever you like but it still thinks it's called Puss. Brothers?I wonder if the two men closest to the dog are related. They look like brothers, perhaps even twins. Really UnfairI find it amusing that we know the name of the dog, and some of the commenters find it unfair that we don't know the cat's name, but nobody's mentioned that we don't know the names of the sailors. ArtilleryAnyone have an idea why an artillery piece mounted on an apparently land based gun carriage is sitting on a ship's deck? Looks a little big for a salute or signaling gun. Unit MascotsSome squadrons still have mascots. I've heard of Army units having a dog. My Squadron is the "Strikin' Snakes." We have a ball python named "Trouser." Dog's nameThis is my second attempt to correct the ID of the dog mascot. Last time I posted another photo of this mascot with his master and the dog's name was clearly written on the photo as "Mike." ["Nick" is on the collar of the dog in our photo. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Cats, Dogs, DPC)
Tankar Gas: 1937
... to belong to that Mark Trail looking guy puffin' on his pipe. [See the very first comment below. - tterrace] Miller milling ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/20/2013 - 11:47am -

December 1937. "Gas station in Minneapolis." The Minnesota tropics, where snow dusts the painted palms. Photo by John Vachon. View full size. Love the billboardsI found the billboards very interesting. I grew up 40 miles north of Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Journal or Sunday Journal was published until 1939 when it merged with the Minneapolis Star to become the Minneapolis Star-Journal. Other mergers took place and today it's the Star Tribune. The American Weekly was a Sunday Supplement, published by Hearst, inserted into the Sunday Journal. It was published until 1966. The Russell-Miller Milling Company at this time made Occident Flour and was headquartered in Minneapolis. In the early 1950's it become part of the Peavey Co., which in turn was bought by ConAgra in 1982. Awesome trailerHorace T. Water is correct, this is a 37 Ford (Tudor sedan). I have seen trailers like this, but was under the assumption that they were new "retro" designs, not actual period trailers. I found out that somebody is now making fiberglass reproductions. The Gold Medal SignIt turns out you can see it in Street View, from 3rd Street at Washington: Re Frost shieldsHard to tell from the ad davidk provided (or even if that model is what I'm about to describe), but in the mid-30s rectangular defrosters went on the market that were held on the window interior by suction cups. These had exposed thin wires not unlike today's embedded rear window defosters that were electrified either by the car's system or by 6-volt batteries. The ones in the Ford appear to be smaller than what I'm familiar with. Tag Along1937 Ford with a Mullins Red Cap trailer. Frost shieldsThe application of frost shields used to be mandatory in Winnipeg on the windshield (unless the car had a defroster), rear window and front-row side windows from November 1 through March 31. The ad below from my hometown paper, the Free Press, is from 1952. There is still a company in Manitoba that manufactures them for use in construction vehicles, helicopters and outbuildings. Plus 76?After spending far too much time digging, I can offer what might be (approximately) the present-day view, with about 80-90% confidence: View Larger Map The "Gold Medal Flour" sign that's barely visible on the left of the 1937 photograph is a big clue to the location. It's not visible from the Street View above due to new construction - but if you back out to the 45 degree view and head about two blocks southeast and one block northeast, you'll see it. It's also hard to tell from the sometimes-grainy Street View magnifications, but I'm fairly certain that the most of the brickwork is the same as 1937, although they did brick in the upstairs area. [For the depot shed to be on the left as in the 1937 photo, I think we'd need to be a block or two west of 5th Avenue, around 3rd and Washington. The 1940 map below shows the outline of the gas station office facing 3rd, which was a major thoroughfare crossing the Mississippi. - Dave] [I won't dispute your map, but I have trouble seeing how the Gold Medal Flour sign would be both visible and aligned as it is in the 1937 photo if the camera was that far west. There are also some features of the brickwork, including the distinctive offset about 12 feet up on the left edge, that make me go "hmmm."] [The sign, atop a six-story flour mill, is visible from most of downtown Minneapolis. Also, our photo was taken from the second floor as opposed to Google's ground-level Street View. Plus that building at 5th and Washington doesn't look anything like the one in our view, in addition to being set back much farther from the curb. It's three stories tall as opposed to the two-story building in the 1937 photo. - Dave] [I concede. I found a 1937 aerial photo of the area (see below), and the corner of Third and Washington looks far more likely to be the spot than the corner at Fifth. When I'm looking for a historical spot like this, I try not to make any assumptions - such as "in the past 70+ years, they didn't brick in the open second story" or "they didn't build an addition" or "there was no third story hiding behind the billboards" or "that train depot never extended past Fourth Avenue." Now that I have photographic evidence, I'm fine with admitting I was wrong.] [You can tell there's no third floor just by looking at the photo. The cornice is at the bottom of the billboard. Plus you can see there's nothing behind them through the latticework between them. And in any case they're not tall enough to hide a third floor. - Dave] [I realize I'm now beating a dead horse, but your last comment makes it sound unreasonable to think there's a third floor. What I see through the latticework is a brick wall (red oval). That wall appears to be supported by a substantial concrete column (green oval) - either that, or this is an Escherian building. That leaves about 10-12 feet of space to be a "third floor" (cyan oval). With some added brick and a few layers of paint, there is no reason this edifice could not resemble what's currently at the corner of Fifth and Washington. (Note that I am not arguing that it is that location (I agree it's at Third), I am simply pointing out that it is perfectly reasonable to think that there is - or could be - a third floor here.)] OOOH!Free dishes! Thanks davidkI was just about to ask if anyone knew what that rectangle was on the driver's side window. I think Dave is correct.The Milwaukee Road train shed ends at 5th Avenue South and Washington. Gold Medal Flour is at about 700 West River Parkway. The gas station would have to be at 3rd or maybe 4th Avenue South. This area on either side of Washington Avenue from Hennepin to 11th Avenue was known as the Gateway district. About 40 blocks were cleared for urban renewal in the 50s and 60s. Only in the last 10 years has the sea of parking lots started to fill in. One modern convenienceBased on the bare bulb visible through the dirty window, I'm thinking it's not the Ritz Carlton; but somebody in that building has a mighty fine radio antenna on the roof... a fairly long dipole, likely to receive AM broadcasts. Cut-RateTankar was apparently a low-price chain headquartered in Minneapolis. Some of the stations had old tank cars as part of the architecture. F.A.P. May Be The Key.The street sign on the left may hold a cryptic key to the puzzle. The sign post clearly indicates one roadway, but at the bottom, facing the camera is a small sign with "F.A.P." or Federal Aid Primary. That sign indicates this road was receiving Federal money as a primary route and would have to be a fairly substantial route. F.A.S. signs for Federal Aid Secondary are sometimes also seen on smaller routes or further out on primary routes that receive less Federal maintenance money. I know nothing about this area, but I hope that little sign now gives you the intersection. [The sign is pointing you to it -- F.A.P. 92B is to the right. - Dave] TrainshedWhat may be confusing you is that the Milwaukee Depot Trainshed has been shortened and there are cross streets there now that were not there when the photo was taken at which time it was a active depot. [The cross streets are the same. This is Third Avenue crossing Washington, in a view seen here two years ago. The clock tower still stands. - Dave] Re re Frost shieldsNo electricity involved, Don Struke. The classic frost shield is a rectangle of plastic stuck by adhesive at its perimeter to the auto glass. You put them on the inside of the window, and the vacuum created between the plastic shield and the glass kept the window free from condensation and frost. I’ve heard of a fancier kind made of glass with a rubber gasket, but no one I knew used these. Once when my dad was in the Southern states with his Canadian frost shields on, a gas attendant asked him if it was bullet-proof glass. Re: TrainshedThe trainshed always ended at 5th Avenue, but the yard continued to Chicago Avenue where a large viaduct took the tracks across Washington. If you look at the aerial photo in Splunge's comment, you can see that the shed ends at 5th, but only Portland Avenue crosses the yard. Perhaps a chimney?I thought the "substantial concrete column (green oval)" that Splunge mentioned was a chimney for a heater or fireplace in the gas station's office below. BTW, I don't have any horses to be concerned about, but I do enjoy the friendly banter and explanations offered. Sometimes it's very helpful to see something from another's viewpoint. Thanx to all that have commented! TrailerIsn't anybody going to mention that fantastic, streamlined trailer? Homemade or manufactured and its got to belong to that Mark Trail looking guy puffin' on his pipe. [See the very first comment below. - tterrace] Miller millingI would expect nothing else. Along withthe previous busy comments in the scene, note the worst job of bricklaying behind the palm trees, and the Tax Paid sign, AND Glueks Beer on Tap. 3rd and WashingtonThe train shed is the tip-off. If the Google street view were from second story rather than - uh - street level, you could then see the Gold Medal Sign. BTW, the Gold Medal sign has been moved around a bit since 1937 due to a fire at the "A" Mill and restoration of the Mill Ruins Museum. Tax? Which?I'm still bewildered by the sign "TAX PAID 5 FOR 85" I've arrived at no meaningful interpretation for that. Somebody help me out, please. 3rd and WashingtonThis confirms that it was on 3rd and Washington. No doubt that is the Tankar building in a sea of parked cars. How it survived "urban renewal" and the rest of the buildings didn't is beyond me. TankarLooks like they redid the palm tree mural in the 1940s. The photo below is from the Zalusky Collection. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, John Vachon, Minneapolis-St. Paul)
Piano Man: 1941
... how hard it was to get a draft going. While the flue pipe may radiate a lot of trapped heat, getting that heat to go down and then ... in. If the wiring doesn't catch on fire, the leaky stove pipe will get you with carbon monoxide. (The Gallery, John Vachon) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/10/2021 - 10:06pm -

March 1941. "Mission pianist in his room at the Helping Hand Mission. Portsmouth, Virginia." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Picture on the far wallI wonder who that is in that picture. It looks like it could be an entertainer. Who does the Mission pianist idolize? Any Shorpy fans have any ideas? Call me crazybut I am always amazed at photos like this, of the decrepit state of the walls, and in this case even the mantelpiece. Had these folks never heard of paint? Were they so destitute that they could not afford even a single coat, or a layer of wallpaper? Or were they too lazy, or did they simply not care? The ugliness had to have threatened to suck the life right out of them. I'll wager that even the goldfish would have agreed with me. And don't get me started on that welter of wires. "Outside these walls"Hope our subject lightened up a bit when he played for the audience. Rings a bellThe image above our man’s right shoulder—man and woman in a field—is Millet’s “Angelus,” which depicts farm laborers stopping their work to pray at the 6 p.m. ringing of the bells. Speaking of time, the unsynchronized clocks on the mantel fit right into the general decrepitude. Re: crazyNow that I own my house (an old one), I do fix-it work non-stop. As a rental tenant, though, I never did a thing – I figured it was the landlord’s responsibility. What I didn’t realize in my younger years was that, even though I didn’t own my home back then, I would have improved my living conditions immeasurably had I painted or gardened, despite the fact that I was maintaining someone else’s property. All the work put into my rented place by myself would have benefited myself, but I didn’t understand this concept. With regard to the piano man’s place, it needs more than a lick of paint -- some preliminary plaster work is definitely required. On the far wallThe picture looks like it may be Dickie Powell. Early Power BarWe plug our scanners, computers, printers, etc. into a power bar with a circuit breaker. The octopus wiring setup in this photo might be considered an earlier version of the same thing. Having moved into my 1928 home in 1977 that still had its original 30 amp 115 volt panel with fuses, I soon learned which electrical appliances could not be plugged in simultaneously. Within three years the house was upgraded to a 125 amp system with 115 and 240 volts available. I might also note that many of John Vachon's photos of people bear a resemblance to those of Diane Arbus in the 1960s. Living SimplyHe probably lives in such spartan conditions because he works at the mission for nothing, or next to nothing. Believe it or not, there used to be a time when people did church work because they loved people and cared about them. I would hazard a guess that the modern-day 'teaching pastor' or 'praise team' member wouldn't be caught dead living in a hovel like this so that they could have the privilege to minister to the needs of their fellow man! Way Down On The ListYes, we see a lot of places we wouldn't want to live on Shorpy. I think it's driven by the everyday need to acquire basic necessities to survive back then (and for a lot of folks today too). The furnishings are nice and the place looks clean. The stove fluecaught my eye right away. I wonder how hard it was to get a draft going. While the flue pipe may radiate a lot of trapped heat, getting that heat to go down and then up is no easy task. All I can see is smoke billowing from the door each time it's stoked. I look at the walls and wonder what became of the trim around the windows. Perhaps the stove can tell us. I'm with Penny on the sketchy wiring. It reminds me of A Christmas Story. An entertainer's lotis not a happy one even if it includes a Loths Air Blast (a name not dissimilar to that of a local brew in a far away place I once knew). Don't you just love this truly magnificent piece of kit! The inclusion of a multiple light extravaganza with a suspended control centre however is still not enough to please our master of the keys. Having just recently adjusted and fine tuned (with a hammer?) the contemporary air conditioning (note the spare parts in the storage facility behind the seat) he is left to contemplate the reason why one of his timepiece collection appears to be malfunctioning. With regard to curtains and paint, the property is owned by others, in this case "the Mission," wherein lies the economic scantiness of the trend-setting decor. Entertainers the world over are quite inured against the quality of gaffs between gigs. There are also reasons to be found for the crutch standing forlornly in the corner. Excellent material for the housebound Shorpyite. Love the stoveBut the draft situation looks sketchy. Looks familiar I just took painted wallpaper off exterior plaster (on brick) walls, in a house that's probably older than the place pictured here. And the walls looked ... about like that. Sad quartersJenny Pennifer mentioned paint, wallpaper and scary wiring, but this is really, umm, *basic* living! How about that toaster, jammed on the back of the crowded dresser? Is that the only suggestion of cooking in the room? And, as with any man with two clocks, he has no idea of the time of day. A tip of the cap to Mad MagazineIn my misspent youth, Mad Magazine had a regular feature called "What's Wrong with This Picture?" Most of them looked a lot like this one. What time is it?Was this photo taken at 2:12 or 7:43? Déjà vuI feel like the photo hanging above the mantel is one I've seen on Shorpy before. Two out of three!Although the clocks don't agree on the time of the picture, his wristwatch and the mantel clock on the left appear to agree that it is 8:43 p.m. I suggest p.m. since it appears to be dark outside the window, as it would be in Virginia in March. [Your mantel clock is off by an hour -- it says 7:43. - Dave] The Face on the WallCurious about the man's portrait on the wall obscured by 'wiring,' I checked out a few of Vachon's other photos of this profoundly sad room. I came across this shot of our dour keyboard artist, which has an unobstructed view of the portrait which appears to be of, and inscribed by, Mickey Rooney...am I right? [You are right, and it bears the inscription "I'll be seeing you at the Gxxxx Theater Something" and then maybe "Sunday September Xth -- Mickey" - Dave] Lighten up, everybodyHow many of us are wearing a tie? Strike up the bandI believe the inscription reads "I'll be seeing you at the Gates Theater starting Sunday September 29th -- Mickey." The Gates Theatre was a cinema in Portsmouth in this era. Rooney's third(!) film of 1940, "Strike up the Band," was released on September 29, which was a Sunday. It appears our musician in the photo was a vermouth drinker. That's a bottle of Gambarelli & Davitto dry American vermouth on the chest of drawers. Not-teaFrom that bottle of hooch on the dresser I am guessing that this mission is not being run by strict Baptists. Plugs and PicturesI also find the wiring a bit worrisome; the relatively short time I spent as a volunteer firefighter instilled in me fire prevention measures that will always be with me. I hope he unplugged that mess when he left the room. Also, the older looking picture of two people on the wall seems to me as if it should be a man with a large bundle of sticks on his back; the condition of the wall matches that of the Led Zeppelin IV album cover. Who is the "piano man"?He is Clayton William Pierce (1905-1953). He never married and lived with his parents, and then his married sister, in Portsmouth for most of his life. He was a piano teacher his entire adult life. He died of heart disease at age 47. His WWII draft card indicated he was 5' 6" tall, 235 pounds, brown eyes, black hair, ruddy complexion, and a scar on his right cheek. ~ Steve Weird mental acrobatics on my part but --There was that keyboard player in early Rolling Stones lineup who did not fit in the band's image. LookalikeHe reminds me very much of another musician -- Riley Puckett, guitarist and vocalist of my favorite old-timey string band, the Skillet Lickers. Danger!Dangerous room to live in. If the wiring doesn't catch on fire, the leaky stove pipe will get you with carbon monoxide. (The Gallery, John Vachon)
Revival: 1900
... roof had to rise up off its rafters or beams as the choir, pipe organ, orchestra and congregation raised their voices in the great 19th ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:24pm -

Ocean Grove, New Jersey, circa 1900-1910. "Interior of auditorium." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A Magnificent AuditoriumThe is the wonderful auditorium where I was lucky enough to once see a production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" back in the summer of 1947. The acoustics were amazing. Ocean Grove, just south of Asbury Park on the north Jesrey Shore, along with Ocean City on the south Jesey shore, and Oak Bluffs, on Martha's Vineyard, were popular Methodist summer camp grounds and resorts and probably still are. You could not drive on the streets of Ocean Grove on Sunday. The locals hung chains across the roadways into the community to prevent cars and trucks from disturbing the tranquility. Wooden you know itSo that's what happened to Noah's Ark! And the Spirit movedThey meant business during that turn-of-the-century Holiness revival. And I'll bet deodorant hadn't even been invented. Electrifying SermonWith a stage show and gear like that I'd have to guess it's Billy Sunday. No? Re: Wooden You Know ItThanks for the hearty laugh I got from your comment. Wheres Waldo?Post Rapture? Just imagineThe heat in that place on a July Sunday Say Amen sombodyLooks like a Revival setting up. How many trees did it taketo create a marvel like that? All that wood must have smelled wonderful - until half the occupants lit up their cigars. Maybe smoking wasn't allowed for being sinful, not to mention the tremendous fire hazard. A wonderful space, anyway, complete with full orchestra. Fireproof ConstructionThis place gives new meaning to "Burn in eternal damnation." Beautiful BuildingInteresting building, looks like it's still standing too. View Larger Map Holy cow!An esthetic nightmare! Elmer Gantry Lives!Where are Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons? Praise the LordFor your viewers who are city slickers and sophisticated lifelong residents of either American coast, they might not realize that these revivals are still going on to this very day in the Southern states of the U.S. on all levels, from the big entertainment shows in huge church auditoriums to the local small scale "tent revivals" which are precisely as described, various sizes of simple tents with assortments of metal or plastic folding chairs or even B.Y.O.C. venues. There are both ordained ministers or simple country preachers and everything from full orchestras to a single rinky-dink used piano. Elmer Gantry comes to mind as individual cardboard fans are distributed by the local funeral homes. Having grown up in Connecticut, I really enjoy my current residence in the south, sometimes I feel like I'm living in a moving picture, but the people have stellar strength of character which I find intriguing. I didn't know what I was missing growing up as a Yankee. Sitting in judgmentI hope the revivalists provided seat cushions. Ouch. Pre-individualismReligion on an industrial scale. Amazing. A lot of woodI was thinking the same thing......a lot of wood was used to build this place. The downside is places like this burned down fairly easily. Not to mention being on the coast, you would assume the wood was more subject to corrosion & rot. FiretrapToday's fire marshal would be horrified with this seating arrangement and building materials. Say What?They must have had some sort of amplification system in use, but I can't imagine what it would be back then. [It was called "oratory." - Dave] High reachI bet all those little light bulbs hanging from the ceiling were pretty lit up but it must have been a job to replace them when they burned out. In the Sweet By and ByThe roof had to rise up off its rafters or beams as the choir, pipe organ, orchestra and congregation raised their voices in the great 19th century hymns! Would loved to have heard them! None of the pathetic little 7-11 songs of today where they sing the same seven words over and over 11 times in monotonous drudgery. Then it was five full verses plus chorus each time! Still standingI live in the area & was visiting Ocean Grove & Asbury Park which is right next to Ocean Grove. Tony Bennett was playing the Great Auditorium, as it is known, & you can actually hear the concert in the next town over! Here is a current photo of the auditorium, not much has changed. Here's some videoFireproofDespite the fire hazard of all that wood and all that hellfire, the 1894 auditorium is indeed still standing, and its surroundings seem unchanged as well: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeruny/4323388065/ I've been there. It's magnificent. An interior shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/humbleland/2570769421/ The tent houses still stand also: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sloppydawgnj/536085078/ Ocean Grove is well worth visiting--it's almost like a little time capsule. BurnoutAs an Electrician, I would hate to have to be responsible for re-lamping this building back then. Today I would rent a articulated lift to get so high up above the seating, but back then, I imagine the best option might be scaffolding. Unless there was access above the ceiling. Either way it would be tough. The prototypeThe Auditorium at Ocean Grove was patterned after the Amphitheater at Chautauqua Institution. The leaders of Ocean Grove perused the Amp, and designed a building that was a copy to a great degree. The Ocean Grove Auditorium took the outer rows of seats from the Amp and turned them into a balcony. It was completed a year after the Chautauqua structure. Both buildings are still going strong and are terrific venues to enjoy music. They have exquisite acoustics, like being inside a giant cello. https://www.shorpy.com/node/7257 Fond Memories of Graduation Graduation ceremonies from Neptune High School in 1957 were held here. Much better than an outdoor stadium. I wonder how many graduations were held after that. (The Gallery, DPC)
And Now the News: 1956
... break from Cal Poly, where he'd just taken up the pipe. We're hosting a big crowd of relatives for dinner, hence the kitchen ... have to admit to being deeply amused by a freshman with a PIPE. Heh. Wonder how long that particular affectation lasted!! Our family ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 11/17/2016 - 3:46pm -

November 22, 1956, Larkspur, Calif. My brother reading The San Francisco News, at the time one of four dailies published in the city. He's home on Thanksgiving break from Cal Poly, where he'd just taken up the pipe. We're hosting a big crowd of relatives for dinner, hence the kitchen chair in the living room for overflow dinner seating. In the upper right corner on top of the TV cabinet I see my coin collection, ready for me to show off to my uncles and anybody else I can waylay. At the lower left, an item familiar to just about anybody who grew up in the 50s, an anodized aluminum tumbler. The magazine rack has a Coronet, a Life, undoubtedly some Saturday Evening Posts. To prove we're in California, a souvenir redwood wishing well coin bank on the window seat, along with my mother's African violets in their occasional living state. My sister snapped this Kodachrome slide with brother's Lordox. View full size. Cold Hands I remember those aluminum glasses, how cold they were to hold when full of an icy liquid. Stark HistorySo much to comment upon in this scene, besides it being my last Thanksgiving in the SF Bay area (Hayward). The newspaper headline shows the aftermath of the short-lived 1956 Hungarian Revolution. It had been a busy month of news, even for a fourth-grader, what with the Suez Crisis and Ike being reelected as well. My modest coin collection had not yet advanced to the point of needing those Whitman Coin Books to stuff them into. Checking any change for the supposedly super-rare 1943 copper penny was almost a reflex back then. I was also totally ignorant of the silver in those WW2 nickels! (And never imagined that less than a decade later newly-minted US coinage would be almost totally devoid of silver.) Where there's smokeThe contrast between his shirt and the color of the newspaper is striking; I can definitely see that a different process is used now. That's the evening paper, which would indicate that it's new, and hasn't sat out in the sun to yellow, and yet the color looks like it's been sitting in the driveway for three days. Also I have to admit to being deeply amused by a freshman with a PIPE. Heh. Wonder how long that particular affectation lasted!! Our family artifactsThe turtle: Good eyes! Actually, it's made of sea shells: cowries for the carapace and head and snails for the feet. I actually still have it, as well as a twin of the wishing well. Fish bowl: it served two purposes: to temporarily house goldfish that one of us would win at a festival game booth by throwing a ping-pong ball in their bowl, and to temporarily house tadpoles and polliwogs we'd catch at the Russian River. "Temporarily" because in each case their survival rate was depressingly low. Aluminum tumblers: ours had come with cottage cheese in them originally. Funny, I have that foil-gum-wrapper sensitivity thing too, but I never had a problem with the tumblers. Newsprint: no, the SF News came on uncolored newsprint. The Call-Bulletin, which The News later merged with, had a pink front page, as I recall; and a red masthead, I think. Ginger pots: my mother's shopping expeditions to The City (via Greyhound bus, with me in tow) would generally include Chinatown to get candied ginger and watermelon, so we always had several of those around. Nodding turtle?Could that be a nodding turtle with a half walnut shell carapace, just to the right of the wishing well? Wow! Time CapsuleThis is another example of a photo that people would have barely looked at when it was first developed but is hugely interesting to us 50 years later. It's one of the reasons I find it difficult to delete any photos that I take. What's with the empty fish bowl? Was there a recent death in the family? College funDid your goldfish die or was your brother trying to see how many he could swallow? At SeventeenMy mother made knitted booties to surround the anodized aluminum tumblers. Of course the seam was at the bottom, so the tumblers never sat quite straight. Neither did they prevent the terrible sensation of icy medal clinking on my teeth -- the horror, the horror. I came home for my Thanksgiving break from Cal Poly with a boyfriend; perhaps a pipe would have been better. Our souvenir from Sequoia was a redwood plaque fringed with bark that said, "There's no place like home." Times were so much simpler then -- frilly white curtains and all. Or maybe it was because I was just seventeen. Two thingsTwo things. Is it possible that the paper is on pink newsprint? Pink, light green and yellow were used back in the day along with white. And my mother still has some of her anodized aluminum tumblers, but I find the taste and feel to be like chewing gum wrapper foil (try it, you won't like it). Scrap Aluminum TumblersMy dad worked for Alcoa for years and they offered employees blemished aluminum items that were being reprocessed for scrap priced by weight, 50 cents per pound. Sometime in the 50s he bought about twenty of those tumblers in their unfinished aluminum state. I sold the old home place in 2002 and I think they are still there in the basement. He re-roofed a carport in the early 70s with 4.5' x 12' corrugated aluminum sheeting bought at 50 cents a pound. Ginger potThose green pots that candied ginger came in and that no-one could ever bear to throw out -- they must have sat by the millions on window ledges across America, just like the one here. I haven't seen one lately, though. Does candied ginger come that way any more? Hungarian MonksI go to Mass most Sundays at a local monastery that was founded by Hungarian Cistercians who escaped the Communists. Those that are left of the original group are all in their late '70's or early '80's. Odd to think of them winding up in Texas. I swear my grandma had those exact same drapes in 1952. We had commercial knitty sleeves for the tumblers that fit smoothly around the bottom, so you could set them down. Their iciness made the peculiar water in my mom's old home town at all palatable. Learning to InhaleSmoked a pipe for many years. I needed to learn how to inhale to enjoy that other smokable that became increasingly popular in the '60s. -- Will, the guy in the photo Call-Bulletin's newsprint colorwas actually purple as I recall for the front section wrapper, if that's the correct term. My grade school friend Charles McGowan and I used to joke at the top of our lungs when coming back from Saturday matinees in San Anselmo to Larkspur about it being made my microbes that would eventually consume the readers. Great 1940s smart-aleck 10-year-olds' humor in those days. BTW, the S.F. Chronicle's Sporting Green then was printed on green newsprint.... -- Will in the photo (Paul's brother) Stylish window fashionsMy house was built in 1950, and I'd love to have those frilly dotted swiss curtains for my bedroom and the floral barkcloth drapes for my living room. Dotted Swiss CurtainsGood for Mattie for noticing that. Our mother was always very proud of having "real" dotted Swiss curtains and not just "flocked". Mother would be pleased. She came into a bit of money and had the living and dining room windows "done" by a decorator from a local store. Not seen are the custom made wooden cornices above. What, the curtains?I now know more about the window decor I lived with through my entire childhood than I ever knew before, including the "dotted Swiss" business and that those drapes (which I would kill for) are of "barkcloth." The ChairsHey - We have one or two of those Kitchen Chairs today. Really, and the table they went with! -- Mary and Lane Niece to Will (the guy in the photo) Aluminum tumblersMy Aunt Daisy presented us with a set of those aluminum tumblers one Christmas in the 50s. I think it was six of them, each one a different bright color. They were put away on a high shelf and my mother never used them. She was convinced that aluminum cookware, etc. was a danger to one's health. She never mentioned anything to her sister about the deadly gift. [If Alcoa ever fields a gymnastics team, you know what they should name it? The Aluminum Tumblers. - Dave] Robbed!I feel cheated. Having been born in 1964, I never was myself acquainted with those aluminum tumblers. My era was plastic. Aluminium TumblersI was a child of the 50s and in our family only the little kids used the aluminum tumblers. My mother threw those out, along with the Fiesta pitchers she had. Yow! I have collected aluminum ware for many years and I have dozens of tumblers, as well as many natural aluminum pieces that were hand made in the 30s and 40s. The main problem with the anodized colored aluminum ware is that it scratches easily, especially if the anodizing was not done well. The anodized layer needs a coat of clear lacquer to protect it. Some manufacturers just didn't bother. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Thanksgiving, tterrapix)
Frenemies: 1900s
... had the means to bore a hole down the length of those long pipe handles? Could these have been provided by our government as gifts? Made in Minnesota http://www.nps.gov/pipe/index.htm Probably made from the pipestone found at the Pipestone ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2019 - 3:25pm -

Washington, D.C., ca. 1900s. "Flatmouth, Chief, group." Chief Flatmouth, the formidable-looking gent seated at right, is wearing a medal that reads REDMEN'S CONVENTION, WALKER MINN., Aug. 12th 1901. The bald fellow and the Chief's lieutenants await identification. Harris & Ewing photo. View full size. The bald fellowEthan Allen Hitchcock. The Sec'y of interior in 1901. [Interesting guess, but I don't think so. -Dave] Peace pipesWonder who made those finely crafted pipes. They look like metal, or possibly recycled gun barrels that were melded together and shaped. Part flintlock, part rifle? And would native Indians have had the means to bore a hole down the length of those long pipe handles? Could these have been provided by our government as gifts? Made in Minnesotahttp://www.nps.gov/pipe/index.htm Probably made from the pipestone found at the Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota. As for boring the hole? I guess it could be done with simple tools. William Atkinson JonesCommissioner of Indian Affairs. [Noop. - Dave] I think it *is* Ethan Allen HitchcockNot the General Ethan Allen Hitchcock who died in 1870, this is his nephew. Fellow in this picture looks like the Wiki of the nephew. [Two different people. - Dave] If I may....With the exception of the Bureau of Indian Affairs [BIA], bureaucrat [the bald gentleman], these Ojibwe [Chippewa], men belonged to the Pilager Band of Ojibwe on the Leach Lake Reservation in Minnesota. The headman, seated on the right, is Niigaaniibines, son of Eshkibagikoonzhe who was a prominent Ojibwe in the first half of the 19th century in Minnesota territory. The French fur traders pinned the nickname "gueule platte" meaning "flatmouth" on Eshkibagikoonzhe because they were unable to pronounce his Ojibwe name. There is a sculptured bust likeness of him in Washington DC when sketches of him were done while he was on official business there in 1855. That trip also included other Ojibwe headmen from the midwest resulting in a treaty that ceded some 10 million acres of virgin pine land including the headwaters of the Mississippi River. That did not sit well with many Ojibwe people and the elder Flatmouth soon died after. Niigaaniibines "inherited" his father's nickname and then became known by the same name to early settlers in northern Minnesota. The younger Flatmouth died in July of 1906. Some of his personal Indian regalia is on display at Northwestern U. in Evanston, Ill. The young man standing in the button coat, 4th from left, was the official interpreter for this group. The tall man wearing the brim hat, 3rd from left, is Dave Boyd. He was 6'6" and lived on Buck Lake on the Leach Lake Reservation. He served as a Leach Lake Reservation police officer. A granddaughter of Dave Boyd worked as my assistant back in the 1970's. No, the stems on those pipes are not made from rifle barrels nor from stone. They are always made from wood while the pipe heads are most often made of red stone quarried at Pipestone, MN although some pipe heads are made from a certain black stone found in river beds. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Native Americans, Portraits)
Main Street: 1920
... conversations of the day were about. Of course, I am a pipe smoker, so my eyes were drawn to one on the sidewalk. Lots to look at in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 1:33pm -

Fall River, Massachusetts, circa 1920. "Main Street." Where Hustle meets Bustle. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Took an axeLook for an older lady in the photo. It could be Lizzie Borden, who would have been 60 around the time of this picture. A Hat Company's DreamNary a man, women or child who doesn't don a hat! I have worn "old men's hats" since I was in high school, and it's hard to find fedoras these days. I love studying the people and try and imagine what the conversations of the day were about. Of course, I am a pipe smoker, so my eyes were drawn to one on the sidewalk. Lots to look at in this photo! Weather StationWow! An awful lot going on in this picture! I like the weather instruments perched atop the corner of the building in the upper left. I wonder if that belongs to the drug store below or an amateur meteorologist? Ashes by nowPretty much everything in this photo is gone. A massive fire in 1928 destroyed many of the buildings seen here, including the Mohican Hotel, the Globe Newspaper building, and the Wilbur. The imposing edifice on the right is City Hall, which was demolished in the 1960s to make room for I-195. Fall River had been a massive, highly prosperous textile manufacturing city in the late 1800s. As the mills closed or moved south in the 1930s, the city suffered an economic collapse and never recovered. It's a pretty sad, empty place today. Signs of the Times I'm nostalgic for the civility evident in a photo like this. There is an obvious formality in the architecture and dress but it is balanced by a casual interaction evidenced by the people stopping to chat in the street, walking and shopping. The streets are busy but no one is racing. This was the only "social network"! As a sign painter (rapidly becoming a dinosaur) I'm just staggered by the volume and variety of the work in this and many similar shots. Before the dominance of the computer all this work was done by hand and there was enough work to keep any skilled craftsman busy full time. No corporate plastic indistinguishable from one city to the next. Thanks for letting me time travel back to my grandfathers time -- the upside of the computer! Same womanThe woman with the wide white collar by the Drugstore is also in this photo! Judging by the amount of peopleit must be a Saturday. Long may she waveThere's a little flag on the window of the A.G. Weeks office on the left. I've never seen that in this era of photos. I wonder if it's painted or a decal. Gold Dust TwinsThe fabled Gold Dust Twins! I have heard about them all my life, but this is the first time I've laid eyes on them. Thank you, Dave. [You're welcome, and you can see more of them here. - Dave] Standing on the CornerWatching all the girls go by. Wait, that was the Four Lads. 1953. Some things never change. Standing on the CornerWatching all the girls phweet phwew go by. The guys on the right of the photo are great! As mentioned previously, the interaction between so many of these people on the street is wonderful to see. Now I think they would be talking but not face to face. WowIn all of the hundreds (thousands) of photos I have ravenously devoured since discovering Shorpy just recently, this one has to be the most richly detailed. Wonderful! Your diligent work has had a profound impact on me, Dave. Thanks so much. Re: Took an axeI think Lizzie was a bit of a recluse by this time. She was very big into animal care. The human-nature specialist will give a knowing nod on that fact. RexallI had no idea Martin Balsam's middle name was "Cough." Speaking of signsNote the one for Occident Flour. I'd like to make more and better bread too. (She says while surfing the net at work.) But I'm such a Shorpy addict! Stars and StripesIt's interesting to count the flags; nearly every business seems to be displaying one. Cars & More CarsIt is amazing just how quickly the automobile took over the center of the cities. In pics from 1905 hardly any cars, around 1910 we see a few more, but by 1920 they dominate the scene! I have two very different responses to this photoThis picture brings about two very different responses in me. (1) Being that I'm a huge history buff born and brought up in the U.S., these snapshots of old Americana are so exciting for me. Like others, I love combing through the photo for fascinating details, and can't help but wonder what these lovely people talked and thought about as they went about their day. Likely, save for references to modern amenities and gadgets, I'd probably marvel at how their ponderings don't veer that far from my own every day ones. Soon after, I start wishing I could step into the photograph and walk among these people. I'd love to eavesdrop and interact with them, smell the air around us, take in the warmth of the sun, and just feel the difference a century makes. This rumination however, quickly brings on my second response: (2) As a person of color I wonder how reality would really shape my experience walking down this street. How would I be looked at and treated by these people? I see the joviality and smiles on their faces, but I wonder if I would be shunned and turned away from if I were the one to approach them. Someone mentioned the civility with which these people seem to present themselves, and I certainly understand that it was in response to their clothes and manner of walk, but I wonder how civil they would be when faced with someone of differing color? (Sorry to bring this up, this is just what my damn brain turns to and till now, I've never spoken of it on this site). Apothecary!What are cold and grip pills? [Remedies for people with colds or the grip (also spelled grippe). - Dave] Interesting notethis entire section of main street was destroyed by a fire on February 2, 1928. Gold Dust TwinsIf you're at all interested in advertising before 1960, I recommend hunting down a copy of Frank Rowsome's "They Laughed When I Sat Down: An Informal History of Advertising in Words and Pictures." You'll find the origins of all kinds of things that are still current (e.g., the origin of "Sunny Jim", Pears' Soap, and on and on). Photographer, please wait 15 seconds!Don't shoot yet, I'd like to see the face of this mystery girl more close. Please, wait until she gets the sunny spot. Thanks! My GrandfatherMy grandfather was a young police officer around this time and makes me wonder if he could be among the three or four police officers I can see in this photo. I find it fascinating to think of the possibility. Also, I thought the fire was stopped at the building just before the Daily Globe and then the wind shifted to the east sending it up Bedford Street. And I'll have to check, but I thought you could still see some of the Globe lettering on the side of the building. Perhaps just a memory from my youth. What this place needs -is traffic lights! I count at least five men wearing the hats of officialdom, while amiable strolling overdressed citizens wander anywhere the muse takes them. A different age that looks rather charming. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)
Hide and Seek: 1919
... patent medicines such as cough syrup. Ways to Hit the Pipe Clifton Sparks gives a late 19th century insight into the D. C. opium ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 11:18am -

Circa 1919. "Treasury, Internal Revenue Department; methods of smuggling opium." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Two Hesitant Questions ....1) What are those two, odd-looking, leg-like things on either side in the front? 2 Does anyone here know what the immediate effects of opium are? Why was/is it popular? Are the effects similar to marijuana or crack? Acid or heroin? Something entirely different? Is it a painkiller or merely an hallucinogen - or both? [The opiates heroin and morphine are rather addictive narcotics. - Dave] Drug mule's nightmareHarder to swallow than a condom full of cocaine, and just wait until it passes! Dare to wonderAfter a childhood of weekly D.A.R.E. meetings with "Officer Friendly," I have to say I feel desensitized to this. All I can think is, "well, that's not very concealed" and wonder when smugglers started using car doors and such. Creepiest Photo YetThis macabre smorgasbord appears to concentrate on ethnic Chinese methods of smuggling opium for the Chinatown markets by disguising the drug as other products. The group includes tea tins, a little medicine bottle with an unreadable (to the U.S. Customs inspectors of 1919) Chinese label, a dried opium poppy, and a variety of "foreign" foodstuffs that most Americans had little curiosity about. The warty little spheres in the lower left are lychee fruit shells refilled with opium paste, and the sinister looking long things in front appear to be dried peppers, also apparently refilled. The pale spheres with short necks are probably Chinese glass single-dose medicinal substance containers that were deliberately mislabeled in a bulk shipment. The bricks of opium paste and the jar in the glove were probably easier to detect. One irony of this photo is that Chinese opium addicts in this country were the long-term victims of European traders 100 years earlier, who deliberately introduced Indian opium into China to ramp up their trading advantage, and the Qing Dynasty government lost two wars, in 1842 and 1860, trying to keep it out. Another is that (taxed) opium was still a common ingredient in American over-the-counter patent medicines such as cough syrup. Ways to Hit the PipeClifton Sparks gives a late 19th century insight into the D. C. opium trade in a detailed newspaper article (Washington Post, March 8, 1896 p. 14) As there are different brands of whisky, so there are different brands of opium, and the expert smoker knows them all. The best brand is known as Li-Yuen. The secret of its manufacture is a closely guarded secret, but it is believed to be a blend of Smyrna and Indian opium. Opium is procured by cutting into the seed vessels of the common white poppy of China, India, and parts of Asia, and collecting the white juice which exudes from the cut. After a few hours this turns black, hardens, and is molded into a lump. It then becomes the ordinary opium of commerce. The Chinaman takes this and prepares it for smoking by mixing with it a large proportion of water and certain other ingredients, which he prefers to keep a secret. Very frequently it is more or less cooked before it finally gets to this country. It is imported – and smuggled in – in small, square brass canisters, containing from three-quarters of a pound to a pound of the drug. The canisters are never filled owing to the changes which the opium undergoes in travel. If the can were filled the opium would swell and burst the can. When a Chinaman gets hold of his can of opium he treats it more tenderly than he would his youngest son. It is opened with all due ceremony, and placed in a bowl of warm water to slightly heat it. A sponge wrung out of scalding hot water is placed over the mouth of the can, and a little water is added. By this manipulation the merchant obtains after awhile a semi-liquid black mass of the consistency of thick tar, which is prepared opium. It is then poured into a big, white mug, and vigorously stirred with a stick until is of the same consistency throughout. Then it is ready either to sell or to smoke. It is a most expensive commodity and to fill the smallest "toi" once, costs a dollar. The raw opium has a peculiar and rather pleasant smell, having the odor of good molasses candy more than anything else.
Plane Crash: 1938
... Ohm related that because of a broken gasket on the exhaust pipe of his automobile, he heard nothing until a plop which suggested to him ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 1:02pm -

November 9, 1938. Washington, D.C. "Two U.S. Army fliers -- Lieut. Col. Leslie MacDill, General Staff Corps Officer, and Private Joseph G. Gloxner -- were burned to death today in the worst aerial tragedy in the history of the Capital when their plane crashed on a street in Anacostia, a short distance from Bolling Field. Three automobiles were wrecked in the crash. Col. MacDill was piloting the plane." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Conducting? Yes, in a manner of speaking.I think you'll find that the military man is "conducting" the operation of lowering (or lifting) the aircraft carcass and that his orchestra is the crane driver. A Man Cooked Alive!Stanton Square's observations about lurid old reporting styles reminded me of the way that the accidental death of one of my great-grandmother's cousins was described by a reporter for the Virginia City (Nevada) Territorial Enterprise, on December 21, 1871, under the tasteful headline "A Man Cooked Alive!" Michael T. Comerford, the deceased, was a silver miner who accidentally hit his head on a beam while going for some ice to cool his tea during a dinner break deep in the mine, and fell into the boiling hot spring at the bottom of the drift he was in, and was scalded to death. The article took nearly ten column inches to describe the gruesome details of his condition when his fellow miners found him a few hours later. A mild example: there were claw marks in the mud where he had attempted to pull himself out, and his hands were described as looking like old, swollen yellow kid gloves. It was a few days before Christmas, and Comerford left a young wife and three small children. The article concluded with these staunch words: "To break the terrible news to the poor man's widow was a task the miners shrank from, but it had to be done." North American BC-1Col. MacDill was flying a North American BC-1, used by the Army Air Corps from 1936 to 1940. The BC-1 evolved into the AT-6 Texan (or SNJ in Navy nomenclature, "Harvard" to the British). The AT-6 is often seen at air shows, as many of them were purchased as inexpensive surplus after the war. MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida, is named for Col. MacDill. Different detailsIndeed, it is interesting how ordinary news accounts of decades ago leave in details related to death and injury. Suicides were routinely reported. Even traffic accident reports from the '30s, an era of journalistic interest to me, note that someone fractured a leg, say. Now, whether because of heightened sensitivity to privacy, or of hospitals' legal reluctance to offer details, or of newspapers' awareness that offended readers can become ex-readers, the results of violence don't get described as often as they used to. (Of course, the reverse seems to be the case in sexual descriptions...) Heard Body PlopA revealing insight into how journalistic sensibilities have changed (evolved?) regarding the lurid details of a gory story. ("the head was torn from the other," "a plop which suggested to him falling of a human body," "I couldn't clean up the brains splattered on my car.") Washington Post, Nov 10, 1938 Army Studies Cremation of 2 Fliers Here Crash in Anacostia Fire Destroys Plane Officer is Killed, Pilot Dies Also A special Army board last night was investigating the crash which killed and cremated two Army fliers when their pursuit plane went into a spin, narrowly missed two houses and smashed to earth in Anacostia, 2 miles from Bolling Field. The dead were Col. Leslie MacDill, 49, of the War Department general staff, who lived at 3105 Cathedral avenue northwest, and Private Joseph G. Gloxner, of First Staff Squadron, of Reading, Pa. Both were instantly killed. Maj. Charles P. Prime, chief investigator, said last night that eyewitnesses have given conflicting reports regarding engine trouble. Coroner A. Magruder MacDonald said he would postpone decision on holding an inquest into the deaths until he had received the Army report. Trouble With Motor The BC-1 pursuit plane piloted by Col. MacDill took off from Bolling Field at 9:36 a.m. Three minutes later it crashed on S street, a block away from the busy intersection of Good Hope road and Nichols avenue. Accounts pieced together from numerous eyewitnesses indicate that something happened to the motor and Col. MacDill tried to get back to his field, and then with death staring him in the face aimed his plane for a narrow space between two houses in order to land on Thirteenth street, headed for an alley. The plane cut down telephone and power wires, knocked down a pole, clipped off tree limbs and plunged into the earth between the curb and street in front of the home of Robert Thompson, 1807 Thirteenth street, southeast. The plane immediately burst into flames, settled back on a parked car. Burning gasoline flowed down the street and destroyed three other parked cars. One civilian came within 10 feet of being killed in the crash. That was Clarence W. Ohm, plumber of 1612 W street southeast. He had parked his car directly across the street from the crash, and was just getting from his car when the plane struck. Flames Leap 50 Feet Both bodies were burned beyond recognition by the flames which leaped as high as 50 feet. One of the bodies was thrown from the fuselage, while the head was torn from the other. Fireman fought half an hour with water and chemicals. Louis Fiedler, mechanic, and Harry Rosenthal, manager of Mandell Chevrolet garage at Thirteenth street and Good Hope road, and Earl Hazel, of 1235 U street southeast, rushed to the plane with fire extinguishers. The heat drove them away. Fiedler's face was scorched. The street at the time of the crash was deserted except for Ohm. Few people were attracted by sound of the plane until it exploded because Anacostia residents have become accustomed to low-flying planes. Heard Body Plop Ohm related that because of a broken gasket on the exhaust pipe of his automobile, he heard nothing until a plop which suggested to him falling of a human body. From his parked car he heard a scream and saw a body on the pavement before an explosion "like a 16-inch gun" shot up huge clouds of black smoke and flames. Still shaking from his experience last night he said, "it was the most horrible thing I ever saw. I thought the world was coming to and end. I have felt so bad all day I couldn't clean up the brains splattered on my car." Col. MacDill was a graduate of Hanover College, University of Indiana, and the Army War College. He leaves his wife, Mrs. Marilla Augusta MacDill, and two daughters, Katherine Rose, 14, and Rose, 11. Col MacDill was first commissioned a second lieutenant, Coast Artillery Corps, in 1912. By time of the World War he had been promoted to captain of Air Corps. Overseas he organized the Aerial Gunnery School at St. Jean de Monts, France. In 1920 he was graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and held several commands until 1930 when he came to Washington in Plans Division, Office of Chief of Air Corps. After attending the Army and Naval War Colleges, he returned here in 1934. The bodies of both men are being held at Walter Reed Hospital. The crash scene today; remarkable how little the house has changed. View Larger Map A one, two, three, four...The military guy with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth looks like Arte Johnson of "Laugh-In" fame. He seems to be conducting an orchestra in the middle of the street. Very surreal. Harry Rosenthal>> Louis Fiedler, mechanic, and Harry Rosenthal, manager of Mandell Chevrolet garage at Thirteenth street and Good Hope road, and Earl Hazel, of 1235 U street southeast, rushed to the plane with fire extinguishers. Harry went on to open his own Chevrolet dealership some years later. Mandell Chevrolet was owned by Ben Ourisman, who had named the dealership after his son. Military operationThe whole removal project was apparently carried out by the army. The three men to the right of the officer in charge are no doubt army men. One has staff sergeant stripes, one buck sergeant and can't tell about the other. The man on the viewer's right has coveralls over his uniform. The little billed fatigue hats are a sure sign. There is likely a navy man there too. The man in the white hat looks to be in a dungaree uniform with his white hat turned down. I'd guess that the navy furnished the crane from the Washington Navy Yard. The 'Before' PictureNot the exact plane, of course, but same model. ConductorThe Army man guiding the crane is not an officer. His cap device is that of an elisted man. Correction!OK, somewhat late to the thread, but the Washington Post article states: "Col. MacDill was a graduate of Hanover College, University of Indiana, and the Army War College." 'Tis and 'twas "Indiana University," not "University of Indiana. Harrumph. Spent 22 years in the USAF, never realized MacDill was named after a fellow Hoosier, tho. (The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
The Gas Menagerie: 1927
... You might have a smoking problem If you keep your pipe on a chain around your neck. Right around the corner The buildings ... the original Dodge Ram! Must Have Tobacco Is his pipe attached to a string around his neck? Those windshield stickers ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2012 - 10:29am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Nature Magazine -- Walter Layman." Traveling the country with his dog Little Pocahontas, Walter Layman documented Native American culture with photographs that appeared in magazines including National Geographic and Nature. National Photo glass negative. View full size. You might have a smoking problemIf you keep your pipe on a chain around your neck. Right around the corner The buildings in the background are 1216, 1218, 1220 and 1222 16th Street NW. Only 1220 has changed significantly with its Miami Vice skin of stucco. The block is right around the corner from the National Geographic headquarters. View Larger Map Big Game HunterPerhaps Walter "shot" more than just Indians. PETA would have been annoyed. Must have been quite an adventureTraversing the country alone, without a gas station every five miles, no interstates, a handful of highways, probably not much more than a dirt path in many cases, nights so dark few of us could really imagine them, and perhaps going days without seeing another soul. Throw in an open car and inevitable rains or even snow, and that had to be quite an adventure. PosingAs the owner of four dogs I know the trouble it is to have all the dogs pose at the camera at the same time! He's two for three! Oh-so-cute ladiesOh, so cute ladies (especially left *fell in love*)! And dogs are very nice too. But sculls are a bit frightening. Wonderful photo! Hunky PhotogYes, Walter did us all a favor when he stepped in front of a camera. Looks like he bagged himself a jackalopeI wonder if there were more pictures in National Geographic? BaldI'd suggest this guy should invest in tires when he gets his first check. Do Photographers have more fun?Wow, looks like Harrison Ford and a fabulous retinue. So, which one is Pocahontas? And are those his partners, daughters, or simply admirers? Must've been a good life - whe does the movie come out? Great shot, thanks! Ram toughSo this is, therefore, the original Dodge Ram! Must Have Tobacco Is his pipe attached to a string around his neck? Those windshield stickers call for X-ray vision. What was he thinking? A bit about WaltHere and here. I don't think the young ladies were his companions.Judging by their complexions and clothes compared with Mr Layman's. I suspect they were added to the picture for decorative effect - which they certainly provide. Pocahontas and Her DaughtersHagerstown (Maryland) Morning Herald, November 7, 1928. WALTER LAYMAN GIVING TRAVEL LECTURES HERE Indian Dogs Accompanying Lecturer Attract Much Attention Pocahontas, an Indian dog who has traveled all over the United States, and her three children, Minnehaha, Pocatello and Sacajawea, are centers of attraction this week for schoolchildren who are hearing lectures by Walter Layman, traveling artist and photographer. Mr. Layman obtained Pocahontas from Idaho Indians ten years ago and since then the dog has accompanied him on sightseeing tours to the most interesting spots in the United States. She is supposed to be part coyote. Her travel adventures are told in a book written by Mr. Layman. Mr. Layman shows lantern slides of the places he has visited. His canine companions are popular with children and drew a large crowd about his automobile when it was parked on Washington Street yesterday afternoon. Sacajawea, one of the three fluffy yellow pups, is named after the Indian girl who guided Lewis and Clark. Mr Layman is speaking with the endorsement of B.J. Grimes, superintendent of schools. His schedule this week will be at the Washington Street School this morning at 9 o'clock; at the Boonsboro School this afternoon; at Broadway all day Thursday; at Smithsburg Friday morning; at Halfway Friday afternoon. Shocking!I would hazard to guess that the young lady in the driver's seat didn't know that the photographer could see the top of her stocking. This was VERY risque for the times. As for the dogs, I suspect that Pocahontas is the one behind this young lady. This dog has the look of a general "Indian style" dog. the other two look to have terrier in them and, since Fox terriers were one of the most popular breeds during this time, this would not be a far stretch. WalterWalter loved traveling around the US and taking photos for National Geographic, mostly of the American Indians and the National Parks. He also painted many landscapes and Indians. Walter's cameraWalter's camera looks like a Graflex RB Auto. It's my favorite Graflex, because it has a double extension bellows. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Dogs, Natl Photo)
Alray: 1943
... steps up to center door, windows in side and a low stove pipe. The aforementioned Water Car would contain water for their use. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:42pm -

March 1943. "An eastbound Union Pacific freight waiting in a siding at Alray, California. Coming up through Cajon Pass. The Santa Fe tracks are used by the Union Pacific as far east as Daggett, Calif." One of many images taken by Jack Delano documenting a Santa Fe freight train's journey from Chicago to California. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency. Office of War Information. View full size. Alray todayView Larger Map ArticulationWow, you can really see the articulation of the boiler in the curve. Delano must have been having a ball on that trip. Great photo in a beautiful place of an impressive machine. ChallengerThis isn't a Big Boy; it's a UPRR Challenger Class 4-6-6-4 wheel configuration, predecessor to the Big Boys. The Big Boys were 4-8-8-4 engines built primarily to service the steep and heavy Wyoming-Utah routes. Their numbers were 4000-4024. The Challengers did lighter freight and passenger lines across most of the UP routes, including Nevada and California. The later locomotives of this challenger class were numbered 3930 to 3999. All beautiful engines and this is a great photo! Flexible Flyer?Well, first off, it is not a UP Big Boy, which were numbered in the UP 4000 series and had 16 driving wheels to the 12 driving wheels under UP 3931. Although at home on freight, the UP 3900s were frequently used on passenger trains as capable of higher speed than a Big Boy 4000, the latter primarily a freight locomotive. Both types of locomotive had two steam engines, the front one hinged so it could take curves, the rear engine fixed parallel with the boiler. Two steam engines, ONE locomotive. In these cases the boiler did NOT bend, but the Santa Fe DID have articulated locomotives in which the boilers 'bent' on curves, the front portion solidly fixed to the hinged front engine, the rear portion, with the firebox and the cab, fixed to the rear engine. A maintenance headache, to say the least. On the UP 3931 the headlight is mounted on the smoke box door on the front of the boiler, and, in this position will shine way out into nothingness as the locomotive rounds curves. On many articulated steam locomotives including the Big Boy, the headlight was mounted on the front engine which followed the curves, the light beam then shining more directly down the track ahead of the locomotive. In the spur to the right are two Maintenance of Way cars probably for the use of track employees. The nearest car is an old locomotive tender, the fuel once going in the opening facing the camera, the rest of the car being for water, in this instance the tender becoming a 'Water Car' which was filled at the same water towers as steam locomotives. The car behind the old tender is an 'Outfit Car' in which workers would live while on the road. Note sloped steps up to center door, windows in side and a low stove pipe. The aforementioned Water Car would contain water for their use. The freight cars behind UP 3931 are refrigerator cars which, in this era, were cooled by blocks of ice put into bunkers at each end of the car. The hatches at each end, propped open at an angle on some cars in the photo, are where the ice would be dumped in at Ice Houses next to the track. Lovely Photo! Thank You!! Motive powerThe engine looks like a Union Pacific Big Boy one of the most powerful steam engines ever built designed specifically to haul war materials over the Sierras. Clean Machine !Looks like UP#3931 just got out of the shop.The paint is shiny enough to reflect the trackside off of the tender and boiler.It won't look like that in a month or so. Old 395ran parallel to the tracks. now it is I15. It was two lanes in 1943, now 6. When i was young in 1943 my parents had a desert shack on the eastern side of the hills near Phelan. I remember well watching the big steam engines on the grade. There were cabooses then, too. Its twin is still runningAnother UP Challenger, #3985, was rebuilt by the volunteer work of UP employees in 1981 and is still active in public relations tours. This photo nicely illustrates the effects of World War II upon deferred maintenance of way. The Santa Fe would never have tolerated all those weeds under normal circumstances. OK, you get my voteAnytime you publish a photo of a steam locomotive you have my undivided attention. Oh what a thrill the last generation missed of standing beside one of these monsters. Still alive and very wellOne of the Challenger locomotives, #3985, is still kept in operation by the Union Pacific Railroad, out of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Those of us fortunate enough to live along the mainline route of the UP have the thrill of seeing this magnificent engine in action when it passes by on its special excursions. Several years ago, #3985 was taken from being a static display and fully restored to operation by UP employee volunteers. I love this siteSee, I can look at this pic and register "steam engine" and "boxcars". Other than that, I'm pretty much a dial-tone. Then there's a comment, and another, then one disputing and correcting and the next thing you know, it's a Shorpster geek frenzy, and before you know it you've learned something. Articulated locomotives. Whoda thought? A couple of other UP notesAs others have said, this is an engine from the first set of Challengers, built well before the war. The second set, built after the Big Boys, had the same front end arrangement as the latter. UP 3985, the largest operable steam locomotive, came from that set. If you look at the headlight closely you may notice that its visor is rather oddly shaped. This sort of half-conical shield was applied to a lot of west coast engines early in the war on the theory that it would make them less vulnerable to air attack, since less of the light was visible from the air. Personally I think the pattern of light on the ground would point back at the engine all the same, but at any rate, I don't believe it was ever used elsewhere in the country and it seems to have died out as the war progressed and the possibility of a Japanese attack faded. Additional data on locomotiveFrom: http://www.steamlocomotive.com/challenger/ "In the 1930s, with freight traffic increasing, the Union Pacific Railroad had to use combinations of its 2-8-8-0 and 2-10-2 locomotives to get trains over the rugged grades of the Wahsatch Mountains. To stay competitive, a more powerful locomotive was needed to speed up the railroad and to reduce the rising cost of helpers and extra trains. The UP simply needed a locomotive that could climb the Wahsatch faster. Arthur H. Fetter, the General Mechanical Engineer, had been designing locomotives for the Union Pacific since 1918, and had been responsible for the development of its 4-8-2 "Mountain" and 4-10-2 "Overland" locomotives as well as many other innovations and improvements to UP motive power. Fetter suggested a high speed articulated locomotive to reduce the reciprocating weight of a compound and to increase the 50 mph speed limit of the railroad's most powerful locomotives, the rigid wheeled 4-12-2s. Fetter had a long standing working arrangement with the American Locomotive Company and he often collaborated with ALCO's engineers on locomotive designs. For the new more powerful locomotive he and the ALCO engineers started with the 4-12-2. They decided that the leading four wheel truck would be needed for better side control. They split the six sets of drivers into two groups of three and replaced the two 27" outside cylinders and the one 31" middle cylinder with four 22" x 32" cylinders. Two inches were added to the diameter of the boiler and the pressure was raised from 220 psi to 255 psi. The firebox was enlarged and they added a four wheel trailing truck to carry its added weight. The first 4-6-6-4, UP number 3900, was received from ALCO at Council Bluffs on August 25, 1936, and after a brief ceremony it headed west pulling a refrigerator train." From: http://www.steamlocomotive.com/challenger/?page=up "The Union Pacific Railroad took delivery of the very first locomotive with the 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement in 1936 when it received 15 of them from the American Locomotive Company. These newly named "Challengers" were designated Class CSA-1. In 1937, another 25 ALCO-built "Challengers" were added to the roster. This group, designated Class CSA-2, was given road numbers 3915 through 3939. They were similar to the Class CSA-1s. Six of them, numbers 3934 through 3939, were equipped for passenger service. In 1942, ALCO delivered 20 Class 4664-3 "Challengers" which were numbered 3950 through 3969. The tenders on these locomotives were larger than either of the CSA classes. In 1943, another 25 Class 4664-4 "Challengers" came from ALCO and were numbered 3975 through 3999. This group was very similar to the Class 4664-3s except that each weighed 6,500 pounds more. A final 20 ALCO-built "Challengers" arrived in 1944 giving the Union Pacific a total of 105 of the 4-6-6-4s. These locomotives designated Class 4664-5 were similar to the Class 4664-3s except for an additional 7,500 pounds in the total weight. They were numbered 3930 through 3949 which required that the Class CSA-1 and CSA-2 locomotives be renumbered into the 3800 series." == The information above is consistent with data from published reference works on the topic excepting perhaps minor incidental details and slight adjustments of specific dates for specific engines, so far as I can verify. Interested readers may wish to locate and peruse such titles as The Challenger Locomotives / by William Kratville (Kratville Publications, 1980) for further information on the locomotive, or Union Pacific Motive Power in Transition 1936-1960 / by Lloyd Stagner (South Platte Press, 1993) for their utility and operational impact on the railway. An excellent photo study of this type, both the early and late engines, in action in various scenic locations is Union Pacific Steam, Challenger Portraits / by James Ehrenberger (Challenger Press, 1993) As a final thought, I would only note a few things: one, this particular machine would have been oil-fired at the time and place of the photo; two, in 1944 it would be renumbered by the railway into the 3800 class, to avoid confusion with its later, more modern siblings; three, photos and extant records document these locos in service for both passenger and freight trains over this same line as in the photo on Shorpy; fourth, reefer (produce, or "perishables") trains were high value, spoilable products shipped as quickly as possible to avoid ruin enroute, so an excellent choice for such an engine; fifth, the engine is in the siding (note the smaller rail and lower ballast than the mainline), perhaps to let a higher priority train go by -- virtually the only trains with higher priority would have been passenger or "main" (i.e., troop) trains; sixth, the stack exhaust is showing only as a very slight haze & a mild disturbance of heat shimmer, meaning the firing is very clean and the tubes probably fresh, corroborating with the boiler paint's shiny finish (NOT the smokebox, which is "graphite" gray) that the loco has been freshly shopped; seventh, only a very mild steam exhaust is issuing back near the firebox, with no steam issuing from the pop-valves above the boiler, further evidence the fireman has everything pretty much under control; eighth, there is no steam exhaust from the cylinders, indicating the loco is at rest, which is consistent with other photos by Delano which appear to have been taken from on top of the reefers going up the hill on this run, and that this operational stop allowed him to explore another view, where he quickly found a classic image to exploit; last, this is one of the most beautiful photos of this locomotive, and of a locomotive on this line, and of this location with a classic westward-looking framing, color or b-&-w, that I've ever seen. A Breath Of Warm AirOthers see Challengers, articulating boilers and Big Boys but what stands out for me are those those yellow Fruit Growers Express box cars. In what now seems to be another life I remember opening them in December on a cold Railway Express platform in Baltimore, Md and feeling the the heat come out of a carload of Christmas gift boxes of oranges and grapefruit. I never did figure out if the heat was caused by the fruit itself or just the remnants of the California sun but it was nice having a warm place to work the night away. Big Boys and Challenger MalletsYes,the Union Pacific Challengers and later Big Boys ARE Mallets. Santa Fe and Union Pacific 1953Santa Fe and Union Pacific dieselized the California lines in 1953 but the Southern Pacific stayed with steam until 1957-8 (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
The Big Easy: 1935
... need of a shine. Carrying what appears to be an art deco pipe so is probably a smoker. Socks typical of the pre-lycra era, baggy. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 4:40pm -

October 1935. "Scene in Jackson Square, New Orleans." 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Lean TimesSort of a Jack Sprat genre perhaps. Owww. owww..What's in the box? All dressed up and nowhere to goThey seem very smart to just be hanging around on a park bench. Although they are similarly dressed, they don't seem to be together, given the amount of space between them, maybe just a sign of the times? Run, Forrest, RunWould you care for a chocolate? Close encounters of the weird kindI've had the pleasure of strolling Jackson Square several times. The sights are always entertaining to say the least. However,on our last visit we encountered the Naked Cowboy. My wife was amused. I on the other hand was scarred for life emotionally by the experience. Sassy!She knows she is the bee's knees and she knows what she wants. Today it seems she wants him! Poor fellow looks a bit nervous, doesn't he? First thing that popped into my mind wasI wonder if this is Mr. & Mrs. Jack Sprat. BoothesquePerhaps these characters inspired some of George Booth's cartoons. 3/4 Century laterPark bench in Jackson Sqaure recently. Emotional BookendsShe seems either laid back and calm, or perhaps just worn-down by her companion's agitation. Nervous Norvus, on the other hand, seems to have his engine running well above idle. He sits there striking match after match just to drop them near his feet. Judging by his glare, he may go postal at any minute. Yikes. Not that easyWhat a picture - it begs a caption. Her: "Hey sailor, wanna have some fun?" Him: "I'm not that easy!" BenchedGlad that another commenter mentioned the benches in Jackson Square are still the same. It's always a good spot for a rest & people watching. Shhhh"Act natural, they're watching us." Laissez les bon temps roulez!These two didn't get the memo. AttitudeThe geezer's seen a lot over the years and views life with realistic suspicion. Mom's seen a lot too, but she don't care. What's the geezer got in his hands? Wimp & wifeThis has to be Mr & Mrs Wallace Wimple, on vacation from Wistful Vista. No CommentThis picture is begging for a comment and I feel that I should. But I am at a loss for words. Mysterious.I keep coming back to this photo. Who are they? What are they doing? What's she got in that case? And why can't I afford terrific glasses like he's wearing? More than anything, though, these two make me think of a half-dozen different Flannery O'Connor stories. He's a little bit too well-dressed, but otherwise, they'd fit right in. SaddlesSome mighty fine shoes on the old battleax. An affluent gent, and the travelling saleswomanThe Gent has a lean and hungry look, and a nice fedora. A pricey hat by the width of the band. Expensive spectacles, and a nice silk cravat, of a pattern I do not recognize as one belonging to an affinity group. His tie is not too well knotted so he probably did the chore himself. A spring tie bar instead of a tac, and a lapel pin, probably service connected. Good suit, likely HS&M, which he has not troubled to slack at the knees. So he will either wind up with baggy knees - or he is affluent enough not to care. Expensive shoes, well broken in, in need of a shine. Carrying what appears to be an art deco pipe so is probably a smoker. Socks typical of the pre-lycra era, baggy. Probably a respectable merchant, waiting on the streetcar. The woman is reasonably well dressed, with the white blouse and dark suit of the saleswoman. Not too particular about posture, or in wearing what passed for upper story support at the time. Notice she is wearing pantalettes instead of a slip, and typical silk hosiery. The shoes were not chosen to match the suit, so she probably is not worried about her feet being seen at work. She's carrying a typical salesman's case, which could be a "pitchman's kiester" but I see no "tripes" to go with it. She could be a street vendor, a pitchwoman, but it's more likely she is employed as sales staff at one of the many nearby stores. La Maison, perhaps. Whatever her position, she is certainly interested in the man, so it's a reasonable guess she is single. Ma and Pa Kettledo New Orleans. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, New Orleans)
The Decade of Hair
... did not go on to become a professor with elbow patches, a pipe, and student assistants who did all his work, he missed his calling! Love ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/01/2017 - 8:24pm -

We tend to think of the 1960s as the dawn of hair, which it was, but the 70s is when it went mainstream. Me and my brother on Sunday November 4, 1973. It was also the decade of alternative pants, you'll notice. Got my trusty camera bag slung on my shoulder. 35mm Kodachrome. View Big Hair. Just wanted to sayI have all your albums! Absolutely awesome!It's like a JC Penney ad! Please tell me Bro became a professor.Because if he did not go on to become a professor with elbow patches, a pipe, and student assistants who did all his work, he missed his calling! Love the photo, love the HAIR, and am envious of that camera bag. (Oh, and at least you two had natural highlights & body; those poor fellas on the album cover have limp, lifeless pelts on their noggins.) Mmmmm....And right above "meat market" too -- interesting... Sharp.Love the chestnut corduroy blazer -- perfect. Renaissance paintingI don't know if you're aware of it, but this photograph is one of the finest I've ever seen, from amateurs as well as professional photographers. The long lens, out of focus background, your attentive gaze towards some mysterious event somewhere to the the right, all this gives a kind of surrealistic feeling to the picture. And if you isolate a close up of yourself, you'll see it's almost like an Italian Renaissance portrait in oil. PlatformsI trust these "steppers" have those godawful high-heel shoes on! I had a pair when I was in college back then--fell down when I first wore them and tossed them into the closet. I hate to look at photos of my time in 1960's...and cannot understand why I ever thought I looked "hip"! Yowza!You two turned out to be a couple of hottie pitotties! Cute! I had a pair of those "styish" lovely platforms when I was a 14 yr old girl and promptly tore some ligs in my right calf ... When my 14 yr old wanted a pair, the answer was, "Oh~look at those lovely flats.." Thank goodness she's 5'10". Great pic! The Pants !Gotta love the plaid. Reminds me of my dad's red pair. He has promised to will them to me. I agree...I was also captivated by this image...I love it. Who would've thought?You and your brother are quite the lookers! Oh why can't I be about 35 years older? NiiiceOoh, you looked like Richard Chamberlain, but better! On HairThank God we've all come to our senses, finally. Long hair is disgusting and unsanitary, and one thing positive about modern style is the return of head shaving and short hair on both sexes. Hopefully it will stay this way. At the very least, however, I think 1970's style has gone the way of 1870's style: never to be repeated. "Long hair is disgusting"We haven't all "come to our senses," you hysterical germophobe. I for one am thoroughly tired of the unattractive cliche of head shaving. Also goatees and tattoos, but I'll save that for another thread. Re: On Hair...I wonder if the poster of "On Hair" has seen today's youth... Stylin'Lookin' good! I love this photo. On Hair, Cont...Most of the youth I see today would disagree...especially those of a more ethnic descent (I won't say more, because it doesn't need to be said). Hair is out, on everything but emo white kids, and they look like sad pathetic trash. Short hair reigns, almost as if the 50's have returned. Thanks be to God! Ruminations on HairI have a short back and sides at the moment, one that wouldn't be out of place in many of the photos on this site. But- I think I'm going to grow it out again so that germophobes and other miscreants will never again feel safe in their beds. Long hair is fine. Short hair is fine. Medium hair is arguably finest. The trick is to have it too short during a long phase (think punks and New Wave in the 70s) or too long in a short phase (beatniks and grungers) and then you'll never go wrong and have barrels of fun. That being said, this is a great picture, I've really enjoyed watching the two brothers grow up and change. Hairy and hairierAbout the only thing worth missing about the '70s, fashionwise and perhaps otherwise, is long hair on men. I've always loved it. Alas, the era of the mullet and hair metal put an end to all those lovely, natural long locks, and the only great long hair one sees anymore is on bikers and the odd middle-aged country star. Personally, I don't consider that those doe-eyed emo youths have long hair at all, but I grew up in an altogether hairier time. Therefore I am old enough to remember the hoo-ha over long hair on men in the '60s, and I don't recall that "unsanitary" was a major argument, even amid all that hysteria. I mean, good heavens, dude, get a grip. I bet you think men should wax their chests, too (shudder). (And tterrace, you and your brother were a couple of cuties.) Filthy hippies!It's amazing to me that the Hair Wars continue unabated today with the same visceral anger as 40 years ago. Tterrace and his brother look pretty cool to me, if a little too formally dressed. By 1970 at Berkeley, my hair was usually shoulder length or a little longer, just long enough to pass muster in public, with sideburns down to my jawline. One of my professors, a Bavarian in his sixties, tartly observed that I looked like a Polish rabbinical student. And every summer I went home to work in a wholesale lumber yard, and had to cut it back to the earlobes, and still got ragged on by my mom and scowled at by half the "adults" in San Diego. But today's revival of long hair by Emo kids ("sad pathetic trash"?! -- Jeez, get a grip!) ain't nothing so rad as back then. And most of the shorter hair on young men is usually so gooped-up with gels and mousses that to an old guy like me it looks like lard hair. But to those who can't stand long hair on young men today, be patient. They'll lose most of it soon enough, just as I and almost all of my formerly filthy long-haired friends did. Just a year later...Long hair was too much trouble. The gal in the center, my brother's wife, was at the controls of my camera for the 1974 pic, BTW. As for being "formally dressed" in that one, it's Sunday. We weren't going to church, but that's what you did. So where are ...The tterrace pics from, say, the mid-Sixties to 1970? Or were you off in a commune somewhere stringing beads. Hair for daysLong hair was more trouble, absolutely, but I stayed with it for awhile. When I arrived in Berkeley in 1969 (amid clouds of tear gas), I soon found work in a restaurant run by a young Chinese- and Italian-American couple who had run the upstairs food concession for the Grateful Dead's concerts in the old Fillmore. They each had calf-length hair, his straight and blue-black, hers wavy and chestnut, and they were generally adjudged to be gorgeous. But they cheerfully admitted that the price of all that radical chic was at least two full nights a week devoted to keeping their hair pretty. And, by the way, sorry: I didn't intend to twit Tt and his brother for being "too formally dressed." It was a careless comparison to the ambient grunge looks around me back then. I might better have said that their sartorial choices looked like an occasion, and Sunday was one of those for many. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Kidde Kokoon: 1955
... running between those and the floor; there's also a vent pipe to the outside. I really cannot see the five of us lasting in that room ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/14/2013 - 7:36pm -

1955. "H-bomb hideaway. Family seated in a Kidde Kokoon, an underground fallout shelter manufactured by Walter Kidde Nuclear Laboratories of Garden City, Long Island." United Press photo. View full size. How much lead lining?Without any lead lining, and depending on how deep the shelter was buried, this wouldn't do you much good. [Not true. Three feet of packed earth above the shelter will reduce the intensity of gamma radiation by a factor of 1,024. - Dave] Dave, I'm not sure about the factor of 1024 you speak about. In reading this information, there is a level of protection in a small amount of dirt or concrete. Of course, if you don't insulate the door, your shelter won't get a glowing report; but you will. I've also read that many early bomb shelters were built less than 12 inches below ground level, and some were just placed in a basement. [The standard minimum 3-foot depth for an effective earth-shielded fallout shelter is based on well-established research. This is why underground shelters don't need a lead lining. - Dave] A basic fallout shelter consists of shields that reduce gamma ray exposure by a factor of 1000. The required shielding can be accomplished with 10 times the thickness of any quantity of material capable of cutting gamma ray exposure in half. Shields that reduce gamma ray intensity by 50 percent include 1 cm (0.4 inch) of lead, 6 cm (2.4 inches) of concrete, 9 cm (3.6 inches) of packed earth or 150 m (500 ft) of air. When multiple thicknesses are built, the shielding multiplies. Thus, a practical fallout shield is ten halving-thicknesses of packed earth, reducing gamma rays by approximately 210, or 1,024, times. deja vuSome years ago in Seattle after retiring to the backyard after dinner with a new friend I noticed a wheeled hatch in the middle of the yard. "Oh that's our bomb shelter" the host exclaimed, and sure enough after she opened the hatch we all went down a ladder into a shelter looking exactly like the one pictured. It even had a couple of unopened crates of (50 year old) canned goods still piled in the corner. A very weird deja-vu to say the least since I distinctly remember them being sold off parked flat bed trucks near my neighborhood as a kid. What's missing?I see canned food. I see canned water. Where's the can? Space efficiencyYes, by all means, let's take up valuable space by keeping the canned food and water in cases made of 3/4" plywood! Lulz-deficientThey forgot the canned laughter. Brilliant design, business dudThat radiation monitor is an extremely clever device that works entirely without batteries, which in other radiation detectors of the time were typically in the depleted state when you finally needed them. And it was total business flop. Walter KiddeWas this the same company that makes firefighting equipment? Half-thicknessA substance's ability to shield from radiation is measured in half-thickness, which obviously is the amount of material needed to reduce the radiation dose by 50%. It also depends on the radiation source, for example cobalt-60 is more energetic than cesium-137 and therefore requires a thicker shield to get the same reduction. I couldn't find anything for packed earth, but the half-thickness for steel with a Cs-137 source is about half an inch. Several feet of packed earth would definitely reduce the radiation level, probably by quite a lot. Without more research I can't be sure how much. [The half-thickness for packed earth is 9 cm, or 3.6 inches. Multiplying that by ten, to 36 inches, reduces radiation by a factor of 210, or 1,024. - Dave] Twilight Zone episode?I don't foresee a happy outcome here. It's going to get weird any minute. Playtime?Little Girl has her toy stuffed cat to play with, so I guess Mom & Dad will be fighting over who gets to play with the toy Jeep on the floor! Where the elite shelter.Seriously, I lived through this era (born in 1942), and nobody had one of these. They were seen in newsreels, and PR photos like this, but no real family wanted, or could afford this nonesense. Necktie Geez if I'm going to have to wear a necktie I'm not going. Where's Junior?I see a toy Jeep partially visible behind the box of canned water. Did Junior not make it in time? Kanned HeatIn your Kidde Kokoon you will have Kanned Water, Kanned Food, and Kanned Heat! (aka: Sterno) D.I.Y.Did the owners of the shelters have to furnish the interior to suit their needs. Those shelves and bunks look fairly homemade. What a gloomy place. I'd rather be deadLiving in this thing with my family would be worse than the alternative. We'd be at each other's throats in a few hours. If you're going to have a bomb shelter, at least make it comfortable! Chocolate DropSpam and sweet cocoa for sandwiches and cocoa cupcakes. It's a lifestyle. Are You Kiddeng Me?I hope there are closed-environment sanitation facilities/provisions out of camera view. Otherwise, it will be a foul smelling and unsanitary Kokoon before too long. US Army Trenching ToolKind of curious to know why they have one. There's nothing to dig inside the shelter, and if you go outside to dig, you've just exposed yourself to the radiation you were trying to avoid! Re: Trenching ToolAsk yourself how you would get out, after the ingress tunnel is filled with debris. RE: Trenching ToolI think if you're close enough to the blast to be covered by debris, you're probably toast anyway. [Not to belabor the obvious, but fallout shelters are shelters from fallout, i.e. gamma radiation from the radioactive dust and debris that fall after the blast. They're not blast shelters. - Dave] They really did existMy parents had some friends who were very eccentric, and they had one. They took us through it once, when I was very little. This would have been about the Cuban Missile Crisis era. I remember it was painted sunny yellow inside and was tiny and smelled musty. It couldn't have been more than about 8X10 feet. My dad said it reminded him of a converted septic tank. In 1962 the Marx toy company even made a dollhouse with a fallout shelter included. The room on the left of the ground floor is the shelter. A modern variationUnderground shelters that look quite like fallout shelters are popular in some parts of Australia as wildfire shelters. They don't have air filtration systems because they have to be completely sealed to prevent the fires from sucking out all the oxygen. As wildfires move very quickly, it's not necessary to take shelter for more than an hour, tops, and the air within the shelters is enough to sustain the occupants for that short period. Studio ApartmentIn some of your more upscale areas today (Manhattan, Silicon Valley...) you could probably rent that space out for a couple grand a month. Our fully equipped houseOur house (built 1961) has a tiny bomb shelter tucked under one of the bedrooms. It has an extra set of floor joists above it and steel braces running between those and the floor; there's also a vent pipe to the outside. I really cannot see the five of us lasting in that room more than about an hour; my son is too tall to even stand up in it. The roof trusses on the house are overbuilt, which came in handy when the tree fell on the dining room a year ago. My parents tell me that some of the houses in their neighborhood have built-in shelters too. Of course being that we all live within a few miles of major DoD labs and contractors, not to mention NSA, one would have to expect that in a concerted nuclear attack we would have all been collateral casualties (as the euphemism goes). (Technology, The Gallery)
The Organ Grinder: 1910
... the organ of an organ grinder to distinguish it from a "pipe organ" or "theater organ"? "Organ Grinder Organ" doesn't sound right. ... Organ grinder Great image. This appears to be a 'pipe' organ type. A web search of 'Busker organ' will lead you to further ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 10:05pm -

An organ grinder on the streets of New York's Lower East Side circa 1910. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Hebrew/YiddishCan someone translate the sign on the right? Crank That Thing!Believe it or not, this is the first picture I've ever seen of a real organ grinder. Up until now, I've only seen them in cartoons. I guess it's safe to say that in reality, they usually weren't accompanied by a monkey with a cup in its hand. Crank That Thing!Let me guess, Bugs Bunny? An Organ Grinder's Organ?So what do you call the organ of an organ grinder to distinguish it from a "pipe organ" or "theater organ"? "Organ Grinder Organ" doesn't sound right. Organ GrindersAs usual Wikipedia has a great rundown: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_grinder The organ was called a street organ. Trivia: Fiorello LaGuardia banned organ grinders in 1936 in a bid to stamp out Italian stereotypes. [Another Wikipedia article on organ grinders here. - Dave] Organ Grinder cont'dThe large print on the sign to the right reads "Tshiken Market." The top line appears to be "geht nit vayter," or go no further. In other words, you've come to the right place. I can't make out the lower part. The Organ GrinderI have never understood the appeal of this. Perhaps that is because in my 68 years there has always been recorded music (phonograph records) and radio. The organ grinder could only produce the same thing over and over. The real BrundibárEver heard of the Czech children's opera Brundibar? (Really moving piece of history.) This guy is looking so grumpy he could be Brundibar. And the kids are just about to sing the final song. Re: The Monkey Is Off CameraOf the 13 photos of organ grinders on actual streets (as opposed to studio portraits) in the LOC archives, only two show monkeys. If there was a monkey, I'm pretty sure GGB would have put it in the picture. The Monkey Is Off CameraIt is a virtual certainty that there was a monkey nearby. The children appear to be watching something off to the right, possibly the monkey asking for money. The monkey could also be behind the grinder, the boy to his rear appears to be holding a tether. Angelo Rulli is an organ grinder historian. He says that while the music was supposed to be the real draw, the organ grinder's monkey was a necessary tool of the trade. "The monkey was a matter of economics. Because the monkey has an opposable thumb the monkey could hold a cup and by holding a cup, the monkey could go out into the crowd and bang people on the knees and collect money while the grinder was plying his trade." The monkey may have collected the cash, but it wasn't necessarily for the reason you'd think. It was more often to get rid of them rather than for musical appreciation. "The irony of the grinder and the music that was played is that as often as not, they were paid to get out of the neighborhood...because it was for the most part terrible music.Ultimately, over the years, all of the major cities in America imposed laws, very, very strictly enforced laws as to the hours that a grinder could be on streets." In the end though, it wasn't laws or bad music that finished off organ grinders. "The transistor changed everything, music was now affordable for every American family it wasn't necessary to go to the streets for music. And at about the same time there became a greater awareness of the way that animals were being used for profit. So the organ grinder and the monkey sort of faded away more or less about the same time, after WWII." Organ GrinderI remember seeing an organ grinder, with a monkey, at the Sonoma County Fair in the late 70s. Or maybe it was in San Francisco... I was little at the time, 4 or 5, but I swear it's true. After that, organ grinders promptly disappeared from the face of the earth. Any more recent sightings? Recent Sighting....While attending the Dickinson County Fair {MI}, six years ago, there was a organ grinder with a Capuchin monkey working the crowd on the midway and with nary a blink the monkey grabbed a quarter in a flash from our young son's hand, put it in a tin cup and scurried promptly up the grinder's pant leg and deposited it in the grinder's pants pocket.... Organ grinderGreat image. This appears to be a 'pipe' organ type. A web search of 'Busker organ' will lead you to further information if you have an interest. "Busker" is a term for a street performer working for tips. They were much more prevalent in Europe than the U.S. (this is also true today). Like bagpipes, you either like the sound, or you don't. Having built one for myself, I like it! Yiddish SignsMy Yiddish is not great, but what I can understand of the sign on the right is: "Don't go any further Market." Following is an account of the different plates they sell, one of which is chicken. The right side of the sign is cut off, so I can't see the beginning of the phrases. What a great photo. Wish I could have been there to see it live... and join the organ grinder with my musical saw. Saw Lady http://www.SawLady.com/blog Organ Grinder in BostonIn the 1960s, while I was a student in Boston, there was an organ grinder at the subway exit near Boylston Street. It was a good feeling to come up out of the depths onto the sunlit street and hear the organ music. I even bought an LP record he was selling, although I can't find it now. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Kids, Music, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Wendell & Oscar: 1939
... stem factory? Not to be confused with the part of a pipe that you put in your mouth, a tobacco stem, aka midrib, is the thick part ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/01/2022 - 11:30am -

November 1939. "Main street of Wendell, North Carolina. Negroes on way to work in tobacco stem factory." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Looking toward Main StreetI'm pretty sure this is the same stretch of sidewalk as in the 1939 photograph. You're at 15 E 3rd Street looking west toward the intersection with Main. The Philco Radio building is still on the corner -- compare the second story windows. The buildings immediately across Main Street and on this side of the Philco building are still there -- compare cornice and second story brickwork. But the Whitley & Son building has been replaced by the bland brick building with tiny windows. The Oscar Griswold building may or may not still be the building with two steps up from the sidewalk. This was confusing because, if you cross Main Street the buildings on the immediate left have the same second story windows with brick eyebrows and the same brickwork parapet as the now gone Whitley & Son building. I kept trying to make that building the one in the photo. FaceliftI think that bland brick building *is* the Whitley & Son building, but with a new face. Look at the banding on the side of the building - five light courses and a dark course. It also looks like the same banding is in the Oscar Griswold building in the original picture, and you can see the same pattern in the white building, but it's tough to see under the paint. Final Score: 3 to 1 to 1Coca-Cola over Pepsi and 7up in signage: We know we're in the South (and no: "nitrate of soda" isn't a beverage ... for people, anyway) What went on in the tobacco stem factory?Not to be confused with the part of a pipe that you put in your mouth, a tobacco stem, aka midrib, is the thick part of the vascular structure of the plant. Stems are mostly removed during processing, though some of them remain in filler of cigars. A main use for the rest is sale to pigeon fanciers for their birds' nests. Madison-Clark BuildingI think the the Oscar Griswold building *is* the building with two steps up from the sidewalk in Doug Floor Plan's image. The bricked-up window (with the white rectangle occupying most of it) in Doug's image is where there's someone leaning against it in the Shorpy image (under the striped awning, arm up next to head, elbow pointing at the camera). The air conditioner in Doug's image is atop the 2 steps in the Shorpy image where the door was. Looks like the opening was widened, adding a window toward the right edge of the Shorpy image (where the flea funeral home is). Also, it looks like the same two brick building corners across the alley from each other. (The Gallery, M.P. Wolcott, Small Towns)
The Spring House: 1944
... low-ceiling building with stone walls. Inside was a pipe coming out of the ground that trickled water into a basin that in turn flowed out of the structure through another pipe, the water flowing down to a small pond. There were built-in shelves ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 4:41pm -

Wilkes County, Georgia, circa 1944. "Spring house, Hill Plantation. Washington vicinity." 8x10 inch safety negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston for the Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South. View full size. Bubbling UpThere was a good article on springs in the NY Times about a month ago. Not Washington.Sorry but that tree on the left is a long leaf pine tree and it's straw is on top of the spring House. Long leaf pine didn't grow in Washington state or Washington DC then or now. Most are in North Carolina and it is an endangered species. [If only people would read the captions we put under the photos! The Washington in question is Washington, Georgia. - Dave] View Larger Map No half moonI'm just glad to see no half moon cut out of that door on the right! Cool storage in lieu of refrigeration seems to be the consensus. Springhouse memoriesI grew up next to my grandmother's house in South Carolina. In my time (and my father's) the house had indoor plumbing, but behind her house was a wellhouse featuring the classic round brick shaft sunk into the ground with a bucket and pulley mounted above on a crossbar. Down a gentle slope about 30 yards and into the woods was the foundations of a springhouse. My father remembered when it was standing, a smallish low-ceiling building with stone walls. Inside was a pipe coming out of the ground that trickled water into a basin that in turn flowed out of the structure through another pipe, the water flowing down to a small pond. There were built-in shelves inside and cross timbers with movable hooks to hang items. He recalled it was still used for long-term storage of foods like cured hams, but had been mostly superseded by a refrigerator and icebox up at the house. The well water was quite drinkable; by my day the well house had gone dry due to disuse and lack of maintenance, but Father remembered hauling up buckets of water for himself and his friends to drink when they didn't want to bother going inside. The house I grew up in was supplied with water from a well my father had sunk when he built our house; all you had to do is treat it to remove excessive iron (it turned china and clothes yellow) and it was ready to drink, bathe with, etc. Lively DialogueGirl on left: "Do you know Art?" Girl on right: "Art who?" Girl on left: "Art Tesian" Girl on right: "Oh sure, I know Artesian well!" Washington memoriesWhile traveling a few years ago I hopped off a Greyhound bus in Washington, GA. Later that night I ate dinner with the Mayor! It was a pretty small place. Young girlsBeautiful girls in a gorgeous picture. Makes me wonder what that shack was used for. [Something tells me it might be a spring house. - Dave] The old springhouseThe title of this post and the caption are two definite clues that this might be a spring house! As you might infer from the name, a spring house houses a spring or well. The shed keeps animals and birds out. The bigger ones, at least. Half the storyThe spring house only seems to take up the left side of the structure. Could the right, screened-in side be a chicken coop or, perhaps, just a shed for yard equipment? [You would probably not want chickens (and their byproducts) right next to your water supply, or food. - Dave] A Rural Privilege Some comments make me realize how lucky I am to live in an area of the country where the occasional spring house still survives. For those not so lucky, I suppose the concept of clean, cold and potable water bubbling out of the ground is inconceivable. Chillin in the Spring HouseI've been more than a few spring houses, and never saw one used as a drinking water supply. The ones I've seen housed a pool of cold spring water that was used to keep food from spoiling. I see bunniesThat adjacent room looks slightly more secure. So, I think maybe a place to keep produce that you wanted to keep cool. Love the cute little dress she's wearing with the velvet (?) bunnies on the pockets. SlatsMy guess, and the only spring house I've seen were in south Texas where water is important (if not rare) and heat plentiful, is that the enclosed part houses the well (closed to keep animals out as Ginny said). The part with the slatted sides, where the girl's are sitting, was probably the wash house, and the slats were there to allow a breeze to keep those working cool. VentilationIs the half-open part on the left the spring enclosure and the open-at-the-top part on the right cool storage? What an awesome use of natural resources. Around my place we have to drill deep into the ground for water. In W VaMy grandfather had an artesian well tapped into the side of the mountain that shot a good 20 feet horizontally before seeming to arc down. It fed a raspberry patch, a spring house, two large ponds and, finally, a creek with its overflow. My grandparents used the spring house to keep milk, eggs and butter cool before lugging them to the bottom of the hill to sell once a week. Part of the water was plumbed to the house (coldest showers I've EVER taken!) and then down the hill to the Ingole household in exchange for helping to tap the well to start with. The well was old when I was not even 10, and I'm nearly 60 now. The Well and IWhen I was little, my mother bought a farmhouse -- Ontario fieldstone, about 100 years old, then. We never actually moved in due to family circumstances so my mother rented it out and we would visit. The first visit we made, the well still hadn't been capped and a pump installed. They were drawing with a bucket from a hole in the floor of the well-house. I was just toddling, at that point and when my mother took her eye off me for a second, I made a beeline for the well-house. They little boy of the family caught me by the straps of my sundress just as I tipped over the edge of the well. A drowned chicken!My first year of marriage, we lived on an oyster farm, near Quilcene, Washington, along with my in-laws. Our water came from a spring, which originated up on a hill, and we had a spring house much like the one in this picture. One day, I went out to the spring house and was shocked to find that a chicken had fallen into the water and drowned, with its wings out and a horrifying look on its face. I walked down to the house with my heart pounding, and into my in-laws' house, looking like I had seen a ghost. My mother-in-law was very alarmed and asked me what was wrong. When I told her that there was a drowned chicken in the spring house, she said, "Oh, is that all" and went and fished out the dead chicken. They had it for dinner that night. I had a piece of toast for dinner. My hometownGreat find! I grew up in Washington, Georgia, and am restoring an old house here now. I am pretty familiar with the many old homes and plantations we have there, but never heard of the Hill Plantation. Lots of history here. Somewhat of a living time capsule, even today! Good news!I am pleased to report that the structure in the photo is still standing, in much the same condition as in the picture. It is in fact a spring house, located at our home in Wilkes County, Georgia. The left side contains an artesian well, and this section empties into the right side. The right side contains a long, narrow trough filled with water. The trough is deeper at one end than the other. People would put jugs in the water, and items in the jugs (e.g., butter, milk) to keep them cool. Live, fresh fish were someimes kept in it until they were ready to be eaten. The right side empties into a stream in a forest. Local lore has it that the water has mystical properties. I can't say for sure, but I can attest to the fact that the water is cool, clear, delicious, and abundant. Our house is probably located where it is because of this natural spring. We think we might know the women in the photo, and we're checking with them. I recognize the spring house!!The picture above is indeed a spring house on the Old Hill Place Plantation. We own it now!! Bought it from the original owners several years ago. The right side of the spring house was for refrigeration and the left side houses the spring head. It bubbles all the time! Right now I am researching the two little girls in the photo. I think I may be able to find out who they are! Thanks for finding this picture. Dave, are there any more of Frances' photos around of the Old Hill Place or Wilkes County? [Amazing! It sounds like a magical place. There are more photos here. - Dave] (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
While We're Young: 1915
... well turned out for camp; I love the casual hammock and pipe and ...ties. And is that a balalaika on the front row!? Sure beats the ... my money on the guy up on the deck, in the back, with the "pipe" in his mouth. He'd be the one with the matches in his pocket. Aside ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/21/2018 - 10:47pm -

Washington, D.C., 1915. "Klassy Kamp group." A summer camp on the banks of the Potomac. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. WowHat girl standing in the back row takes my breath away. Have her bathed and sent to my tent. Couples RetreatSee the two guys at the front on the left, one with the mandolin, the other with the oar? I don't think that could be more homoerotic if you planned it. Explosive BeautyI think I'll keep my distance from the young lady with the huge firecracker. The expression on her face says she is thinking of new things to blow up. Summer whitesI am constantly amazed by how people seemed much more inclined to wear white in whatever circumstance. This snazzy group is amazingly well turned out for camp; I love the casual hammock and pipe and ...ties. And is that a balalaika on the front row!? Sure beats the banjos at MY summer camp. MesmerisedI am mesmerised by the faces in this photo. It looks idyllic, but it's on the cusp of WW-1 for the USA. The girl on the far left has me spellbound ...I wonder what her life story is. Thanks for posting this great photo. MusicaleI'm partial to Victrola girl, but sadly resemble married freckly-jughead guy. Leaning skinny-tie guy gives me the willies. Concert on the PotomacThe improvised youth orchestra prepares for an evening of classical music. The opening feature is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's overture in E flat major, Op. 49 (1812 Overture) to be played with two mandolins, two guitars, one ukulele, and featuring Maria Nobel on bass percussion and pyrotechnics. The GraduatesMan, upper right: "I want to say one word to you. Just one word." Enthralled young adults: "Yes, sir." Man: "Are you listening?" Squirming young adults, in unison: "Yes, we are." Man: "Radio." Befuddled young adults: "Just how do you mean that, sir?" White upper crustIt was hard not to notice that the slightly darker skins belong to the musicians and how nice and white everyone's clothing is. [Possibly Upper Diplomatic (Spanish Legation) crust. - Dave] Where to begin ...This is a great picture despite being posed - and it's filled with so many obvious symbols of sexual yearning and, if those three chaperons at the top have anything to say about it, repression, that it would be hard to believe that most of them weren't in on the joke. If the five turgid guitar and mandolin necks weren't enough, we also have the oars positioned as sort of a gateway to the girl with the dreamy and far-away look in her eyes who also happens to be holding a -- what would you call it -- large, turgid "candle"? Which one of them, do you think, will light that wick? I'll put my money on the guy up on the deck, in the back, with the "pipe" in his mouth. He'd be the one with the matches in his pocket. Aside from all that, the quality of this picture is terrific! What a nice find it would be for a genealogist. Hot StuffThe girl in front between the oars -- she's the Bomb! While we're at itAmong all the appreciative comments on the young ladies, the third guy from the right in the front row, holding his oar in that strange grip, is a total hottie. And the chaperone at the far right looks like she's had about enough of this nonsense, thank you very much. Affluence on parade"Biff! Todd! So nice to see you!" "Muffy, dahling! It's been positively ages!" Oh, be still, my beating heart!The gorgeous face of the young lady seated, hands in lap, extreme right. I'm in love with a 114-year-old beauty! StunningThe woman in the 2nd row, fourth from the left, is absolutely gorgeous. Modern impressions of a bygone eraI am continually fascinated by the insights / impressions / speculations of a 2009 audience to snapshots in time of a past society. It is interesting to see how we impress our experiences and social programming onto an individual's look, pose, or stance - captured in an instant in time so long ago. I wonder how much we understand the social mores of a society long since faded into our past. It would be an interesting exercise to see what that past society's impressions on our present society (us) would be. I would love to sit down with any of the individuals in these photos and have a simple discussion for an hour. Shorpy does us all a great service! My wandering eyeI have spent many minutes drinking in this photo. My eye always strays back to the girl on the far left. Talk about a timeless beauty. MLSOnce you notice it, the face of the girl seated second on the left is arresting. Talk about a Mona Lisa smile! (The Gallery, Camping, D.C., July 4, Natl Photo, Sports)
The Village Smithy: 1937
... with stains on the side like oil would make, and the pipe goes directly from the barrel to the faucet. There are rags or clothes draped on the pipe. I'd think that would really make some heat! It's not a phone. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/25/2017 - 9:17pm -

August 1937. "Blacksmith's shop turned into a garage. Cambridge, Vermont." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What's the holiday?Note the calendar. I've searched and can't find out why 16 August, 1937, was a holiday. Anybody know? [August 16, Bennington Battle Day, is a Vermont state holiday. -tterrace] Seeing DoubleSo much to see here! The stove looks to have been converted to used crankcase oil. And not counting the multiples of various stocked items... two fire extinguishers and two phones! (Not counting what looks like it may be a third phone in the back corner) And then there's the mystery of the subset ringer box below what looks to be a first generation Western Electric Model 50A payphone. I guess they wanted the payphone to be able to receive calls too. All this makes me want to flush out my radiator! And I forgot to point out the two drills earlier! That Third PhoneI'll bet it is a battery charger. I count three fire extinguishers including the "Fire Grenade" hanging from the ceiling to the left of the light socket. It looks to be a Shur-Stop — "The Automatic Fireman On The Wall" designed with a lead strip that would melt and allow the glass to break and release the chemical. These were all filled with carbon tetra-chloride. If the fire didn't kill you, the poisonous gas surely would. He modified the stoveIt looks like he installed a faucet on top of the stove to drip waste oil into the fire. There is a barrel with stains on the side like oil would make, and the pipe goes directly from the barrel to the faucet. There are rags or clothes draped on the pipe. I'd think that would really make some heat! It's not a phone.The item mounted high on the wall in the back corner (just to the right of the stove pipe) that looks similar to a telephone is a Battery Slow Charger. The part protruding out the front that resembles the microphone that you would talk into is the Amp gauge, & below that there is a knob you turn to adjust the charging rate. You could charge several batteries at the same time with this set up by attaching jumper wires in parallel between them. My Granddad had one of those from when he had a garage during that period. It's internal circuitry used a very large Tungar Bulb which when in use would glow like an old style radio tube & generated a ton of heat. The sides & top of the box have vent louvers cut into them to help keep it cool during operation. The Tungar Bulb looked like something that you would expect to see in Frankenstien's laboratory. So much to seeThe anvil appears to be the last item of the blacksmith's trade showing. The mechanics chair has been repaired several times, using whatever scraps of wood he could find. Also of interest is the tool chest by his left polished wingtip shoe. There looks like a cooling fan in the side. Tool chest "cooling fan"I'm going to guess a circular vent with a rotating part which allows more or less air in by varying the opening. A solitary bombAlso noted: Up in the rafters, a single carbon tetrachloride-filled "fire bomb" - a glass "grenade", usually with lightbulb form factor, held in place by a temperature-sensitive fusible link. When the fire melts the link, the bulb crashes to the ground, and the chemical vapors (supposedly) starve the fire of oxygen. The very, very small fire, that is. A whiff of a workshop Madeleine?I used to trail around behind my grandfather in his workshop - not nearly as well appointed, but of the same vintage. My west Texas cowboy grandpa was, among other things, a seller of used cars. He would supplement his monthly income by buying, fixing, and selling used automobiles. He had a small garage workshop where he would tune and make minor repairs to clunkers and flip them, pre-Craigslist style, by parking them on a busy street corner with a home-made sign in the window. By the mid-60's he was out of the car business, but kept his workshop functional. When I'd visit, Ted would usually have some small project waiting for me - sharpening a hatchet, drilling a hole in a broom handle, melting lead for fishing weights. He was not a chatty guy, just gave gentle instruction and guidance (righty-tighty, etc.) When I invariably let go of the wrench to make the final twists of a screw or nut with my fingers, he never failed to say "better use the wrench; you might twist the head off that screw with your bare hands." Seeing this workshop photo returns me to a recurring theme: our sense of smell and the way our brains organize memory. Our olfactory bulb is part of the brain's limbic system, and the two are very closely related; aromas can call up memories and powerful responses almost instantaneously. I think it must work in reverse, too, because just looking at this photo evokes remembered aromas of: *oily rags *gasoline *sawdust and straw (Ted used to soak up the crankcase fluids with shavings he kept in an old 55-gallon drum) *warm vacuum tubes from the radio *rubber tires and belts *cigar smoke *percolated coffee *Vitalis hair oil *old paper magazines *whiskey (Granddad normally kept a pint bottle hidden among the oil cans) *ionized air from the power drill *West Texas dust and dirt dauber nests Anyone catch a whiff of other scents? Other scentsVery fine list of olfactory triggers, Gooberpea. Since you ask, I would add the steel of the anvil, battery acid, and (no disrespect intended) the man himself. Brands, brands, brandsACME Ventiduct, makers: The Wehrle Co. Newark Ohio Exide - When it's an Exide you START Car Battery Hydrometer Tester Gates Vulco V-belt Kyanize, Boston Varnish Company, "Coach Black" Car Varnish oTc (Owatonna Tool Co.) tools Shur-stop for FIRE: The Automatic Fireman on the Wall Failed to find the "Tire C(hain?) Chart" from the Columbus McKinnon Chain Corp., nor could I find the Telephone Directory. Searching for "Socon Super Pyro" I was afraid to get caught for terroristic reasons. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations)
Lucille Mazurek: 1943
... would be electric lamps, but can't figure why they'd have pipe/tubing fittings on them. Any ideas? And, Mrs. Mazurek is certainly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 2:01pm -

February 1943. Lucille Mazurek, age 29, ex-housewife, husband going into the service. Working at the Heil and Co. factory in Milwaukee on blackout lamps to be used on Air Force gasoline trailers. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard R. Hollem for the Office of War Information. Penny for Your ThoughtsI would *love* to know what the lady in the corner is thinking: "That redheaded vixen and her damn lipstick... God, I hate her..." Electric?Most curious...I'd think that these would be electric lamps, but can't figure why they'd have pipe/tubing fittings on them. Any ideas? And, Mrs. Mazurek is certainly beautiful. Blackout lightsBeen doing a little online research and have some basics. A blackout light generally put out a rectangular beam of light smaller than what a regular headlight would. In many of the examples I've seen online there was a sort of shield at the top of the rectangular beam that would keep light from spreading upward, and being visible to aircraft overhead. Some wartime jeeps had blackout lights under the regular headlights, but some models - probably made early on - had a single blackout light mounted on the driver's side fender. Presumably most military vehicles hadt to be similarly retrofitted with blackout lights. I'm just guessing, but the tubes look to be designed to protect the wiring of the retrofitted lights from water or other environmental damage from being exposed, and (probably more important on a gasoline trailer) to eliminate the possibility of sparking. Explosion-proof blackout lampsI believe the conduit (tubing & fittings) was used to house the wiring and provide an explosion-proof lamp assembly. The sealed lamp wiring was necessary to prevent any potential internal ignition (such as an electrical spark) from escaping to the outside atmosphere, which for a gasoline trailer could contain explosive gas fumes. Here is a web page that describes military blackout lamps and includes some photos. Mike_G Blackout lamp?Ok, what is a blackout lamp? I imagine it is something used during blackouts, but what is it? A light with a red lens? hmmm... the tight sweater probably didn't hurt her employment opportunities. Blackout lampsVehicles hauling inflammable liquids typically had the wiring sealing inside metallic tubing to prevent a loose connection from arcing and igniting fumes. Hmmm...Quarter after five..Must be the second shift. Anyway, my guess to Lonestar's question is that since these are blackout lamps for a gasoline trailer, the copper tubing could be used as an electric wire conduit to reduce the chance of electric sparks-copper used because it is a non-sparking metal when struck. And to robcat2075 and Jason Martens: Y'all be careful now, that Ms Lucille looks like an Irish lass with that red hair, and you wouldn't want to go and get her mad at you...she looks like she could be a handful. Not the Air Force yetNot to be too picky, but the USAF wasn't formed until 1947. That really should read "Air Corps gasoline trailers". [Not quite. "Air Force" was short for Army Air Forces, the name of the flying service from 1941 to 1947. Before 1941 it was the Army Air Corps. - Dave] Heil and CompanyIt appears that Heil and Company started in Milwaukee in 1901 and is still in business. http://www.heiltrailer.com/history.aspx [Thanks Jack! If you signed up for a user account and then logged in, your comments would appear right away. - Dave] In the 1940sEvery woman was lovely and graceful and every man was handsome and dashing. Lucille Mazurek 1913-1991Mrs. Mazurek passed away in Milwaukee in 1991 according to the SSDI. She certainly was a beautiful woman. No wedding ring.No wedding ring. I wonder if they were required to remove them when working or is the photo reversed? [As we can tell from Lucille's ID badge and the writing on the metal parts, the photo is not reversed. - Dave] No rings allowedMost factories had rules against too much jewelry, but in this case, it may have interfered with her work - she has a ring line on her finger, so I guess she took it off when working. A lot of gold bands back then were softer alloys, like 24-carat, than a lot of bands nowadays, too, so maybe she didn't want it marked up or abused. Re: No rings allowedThe lady's wedding ring could have been made from no softer than 18kt gold, not 24kt gold. Pure gold, as in 24kt gold, was entirely too soft to be made into wedding rings, or most all other forms of jewelry, which is why it is alloyed with other metals. This improves the strength and wearability of gold jewelry, as well as the working characteristics while being formed into jewelry. It also increases the affordability of the wedding rings, as pure gold would have been much too expensive to be affordable by most people. Most common alloy used for wedding rings was, and still is, 14kt, as it provides the best characteristics of affordability, durability and workability. During the war years, gold wedding rings were in both high demand and decreased availability, and platinum was not available at all due to its requirements for the war industry in electronic devices. White gold was the most usual substitute, while palladium filled in some of that gap. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Factories, Howard Hollem, Milwaukee, WW2)
Wabash Avenue L: 1900
... what are known as "cold water" flats due to the water pipe running vertically from the sidewalk? There seems to be one valve or "tap" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:44pm -

September 1, 1900. "Wabash Avenue north from Adams Street, Chicago." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Direct connectionThe walkway from the building to the station used to be common; many stops in the Loop on the L and in the subway had a direct connection from some adjacent business; it was a selling point for the business. The ones on the L are all gone now. Most of the subway ones are closed as well, with the exception of the ones that are part of the pedway. GottchaWonderful street scene. Can you find the "Gottcha"? Or what on first glance appears to be a "Gottcha." Signage That is an interesting sign behind the Pilgrim Press Booksellers. The one that has pictures of monuments or crosses on it. It would be nice to have a closer look at that. I did a little more research just guessing it is a monument companies sign and found the Charles M. Gall Company in Chicago at that time. They were also mentioned in the "Monument Mans Handbook" from 1919. The book had illustrations of types of monuments and it seems that some on the sign are military monuments. Of course, I could be totally off base and if anyone has any other ideas let me know. A Story In Every SignBarely visible below and to the right of the Windsor Clifton sign is a sign for Alfred Peats. According to his March 1915 obituary in the NYT, Peats made money so fast he was "crazed by riches" and driven insane. He ended up at the Bloomingdale Asylum. For that total Shorpy experienceI like to play my Scott Joplin CD while looking at these turn of the century street scenes in Hi-Def. It's almost like watching a Ken Burns documentary. It seems odd that his music was used in a soundtrack for a movie set in the 1930s (The Sting) when most of his work was written around 1900. I would have thought hot jazz a better choice for that movie, given the period. The GottchaIs that someone misspelled "gotcha"? How Often ...Jake: How often does the train go by? Elwood: So often that you won't even notice it. Are these what are known as "cold water" flats due to the water pipe running vertically from the sidewalk? There seems to be one valve or "tap" for each flat accessible from the veranda. What happened in the winter when the water froze? Got HER!The man walking by the bookshop at lower left appears to be goosing his female companion. GotchaAre you referring to the woman who appears to be scratching her behind? At first glance it looks like the man walking slightly behind her is "taking liberties," but after closer examination I believe he is innocent. [I think she's lifting her skirt a bit to keep it off the sidewalk. Hey lady, you're on the Internet! - Dave] Her Own ParadeAnd believe me, I'd be in it too! PlumbingThose look like standpipes for firefighters. You can see the terminus of one on the top of the building on the right side of the street. Rather than drag a hose all the way up from the street hydrant they could hook on to the standpipe and direct water to whatever floor needed it, or all the way to the roof. Chicago in the mid 1970sAs a HS student and camera buff, I used to go to the photo stores on Wabash Avenue, under the elevated tracks. Altman's Camera was one of the best places to buy equipment, and I would ride the train from Milwaukee with a pile of cash, arrive at the train station and then walk, nervously, east through pimps, hookers and street thugs to Wabash. Then I would walk back to the train station with my purchases, just as nervously. Boy, has Chicago cleaned up its act since those days. Re: SignageMy guess is that it from the florist shop and shows designs for wreaths, possibly funerary. CivilizedI notice not a hint of graffiti on the support beams for the elevated railway. Fire ProtectionI'd guess those tall pipes are dry standpipes for firefighting. They'd be empty of water until hooked up to a pumper during a fire. (And I think the hand on the lady's bottom is her own. The man appears to be carrying a parcel.) Direct Connection, Part 2The bridge connecting the L Station (Madison & Wabash) to the buildings on the left side of the street was designed by Louis Sullivan for the Schlesinger & Mayer department store in 1896, when the Wabash Avenue leg of the Loop L was brand new. This was Sullivan's first work for the department store; he later built an entirely new building for them around the corner at State & Madison Streets (1899-1904). This building is better known by the name Carson Pirie Scott & Co., which occupied the structure from 1904 to 2007. While Sullivan's bridge is long gone, the building that it "plugged into" has recently had its facade restored, and some "lost" Sullivan ornament was recovered in the process. Palmer HouseThe building on the left reads "Potter Palmer" near the top, which makes me think this might be the back of the second incarnation (1875-1923) of the Palmer House hotel. The front faced State Street, a block to the west. Wabash Avenue L: 2010Some of the buildings on the right in the 1900 photo, just past the train, still exist. The very tall building in the center is the Trump Hotel and Tower across the river. And yes, Pete is correct, that's the Palmer house on the immediate left. Between 1923 and 1925, the 2nd Palmer House was torn down while the 3rd (and current) hotel was built. So the hotel never closed during construction! (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Railroads, Stores & Markets)
Swartzell R.R.: 1925
... (1:48) was close enough. The boilers were made of lead pipe solder (origin of the phrase "lead pipe modelers"). Details were cast in homemade patterns. Tin cans and old ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 6:55pm -

December 11, 1925. Washington, D.C. "Margaret Swartzell -- Swartzell railroad system." Not just a model train, it's a "system" -- who can tell us more? National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. A frustrated engineer!According to that 1934 Popular Science article, Mr. Swartzell had attended the railroad engineering program at the U of I, Urbana-Champaign, which was one of the two most respected programs in steam locomotive design at the time (the other was Purdue--you know, the "Boilermakers"). Mr. Swartzell, it seems, had real talent. I'm sure he made excellent money in his father's real estate business, but technology must have been a hard thing to give up. Especially such a romantic technology--the call of a steam whistle still tugs at our heartstrings to this day. I suppose it was for the best, though. Steam was essentially dead within 25 years of this photo. A practical treatiseEarly model railroaders used mechanisms from England. English models were built to 7mm = 1 foot (1:43). When the Americans compared the size of locomotives it was thought that ¼ inch = 1 foot (1:48) was close enough. The boilers were made of lead pipe solder (origin of the phrase "lead pipe modelers"). Details were cast in homemade patterns. Tin cans and old crates were used for various parts. The commercial model kits were very expensive. Railroads had their apprentices build working models of steam engines in larger scales for practice. Lindsay Publications Inc. has old books on this subject. Railroad Real EstateFrom Popular Science, Oct. 1934. GrungyDidn't they ever clean anything back then? Maybe they were going for an authentic rail yard look. What's that hanging from the spider web under the table? Bug? Leaf? Booger? The system must be larger than what we see here; looks like it goes through a tunnel in the wall in that back corner. The Man's domainI doubt very much that Mrs. Swartzell ventured down in the basement (or out to the garage, just as likely) to dust the train set. Our basements over the years were cement or dirt floors where spiders and other buggly critters abounded. Obviously Mr. Swartzell cared little about dusting the odd footprint off the platform (probably had to plug and unplug from the ceiling light every time he wanted to use the trains). He probably had more interest in playing with his trains than worrying about whether or not the odd cocoon or spider eggball hung from the bottom of his tracks. J.N. Swartzell...and from Popular Mechanics, 1925 PiffleIt's not as exaborate as the basement railway of two friends in the 50s whose father worked for Lionel. I coveted the GG1, and the sound of trains going over the maze of switches in the rail yard they parked in. Amazing model railroad for the time.What is most amazing about this model railroad is that it is two rail at a time when toy trains like Lionel and American Flyer were three rail. The effort that went into insulating all the wheels on all the locomotives and rolling stock is mind boggling since all the modern plastics and adhesives we have today were unknown and not available. The two major model railroad magazines, "Model Railroad Craftsman" and "Model Railoroader" go back to the early 1930's so there were not a lot of resources for Mr. Swartzell to refer to. "Every Bit of the System Hand-Built!"If the Popular Science article is correct and this fellow built everything in the photographs himself, by hand, that's not a "piffling" achievement. It's an accomplishment that deserved every bit of recognition he received, in my opinion. Eddie LaytonA friend of mine who passed away a few years ago, Eddie Layton, was the organist at Yankee Stadium. He had a model railroad collection that he assembled over many years. It ran on a reinforced plywood panel about 12 feet by 10 feet. He lived in an apartment in Forest hills, Queens. He had it in his living room, rigged to lines that he could lower from the ceiling to the floor. Eddie was the subject of a well known Trivia question, "Who was the man that played for the Yankees, Knicks and Rangers in the same season?" The answer was of course Eddie, as he was also the organist at Madison Square Garden. Ironically he also played for the NY Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum for a few of those seasons as well. Fair River JunctionMr. Swartzell's layout was also featured in a 1929 article in Machinists Monthly Journal, the "Official Organ of the International Association of Machinists." Fortunately, that issue is available in PDF format courtesy of Georgia State University Library. (link to PDF [3.2 MB], article begins on pg. 584.) The photos in that article, poorly rendered within the PDF, are also in the LOC archives. Perhaps Dave will share them with us one day. A few excerpts... The "railroad" is supposed to be located in a valley of the Alleghenys, with the mountains away to the west and north. The main line stretches westward, enters a tunnel, swings around a long loop and returns, down the banks of a river, across a steel bridge, to the terminal. In the west foreground is the roundhouse, with turntable, coal dock, oil, sand and supply house, etc. Behind it is the back shop, with two "drop-pits" for light repairs and, beside it, the freight and storage yards. "To the east is the coach yard and the express and freight depot while the main switch tower and dispatcher's office are opposite the passenger depot, with a maze of switches and crossovers between. The town lies beyond the main line, on the river flats, with hotel, farm houses, residences, etc. Highways run across the flats and up into the mountains. Everything is accurately built to a scale of one-fourth of an inch to the foot. ... "It is not, as has been stated, a reproduction of the B. & O. Mountain Division," Mr. Swartzell said. "It is, however, a faithful copy of B. & O. equipment located at an imaginary mountain division point which I have called 'Fair River.'" ... The passenger rolling stock consists of Pullmans, day coaches, observation and chair cars, baggage, mail, express and express refrigerators and even combination mail, baggage and express cars. The freight equipment is equally varied, but much of it is out of date and must be replaced when, as Superintendent Swartzell says, "the appropriations for maintenance of equipment permit." ... "That tunnel is a problem," Swartzell confided. "It is right at the foot of a steep grade with sharp curves. "The worst wreck the division ever had occurred right inside it. You have recently written something about freak wrecks. This was a queer one. "We sent out a solid express and baggage train and a freight right behind it, westbound. A careless baggageman left a door open and some trunks fell out on the opposite main. The freight had been swung over on the east-bound main so it hit the trunks and piled up. We had a lot of trouble picking up the wreckage and clearing the line." Sidenote: This basement looks so typical of the row-homes in D.C: exposed brick walls and beams spanning the width of the house. One of the first things that caught my eye was the brickwork: another fine vernacular sample of "American" or "Common" bond. Fascinating!The little Girl couldn't have been more perfect for this photo! Her expression is priceless. Then there's the detail in the buildings, cars and engines. The engineer who designed this layout had the passion! If one looks under the left half of the table, one clearly sees whatlooks to be left over track. And the water tower! Very nice. There's quite a bit going on here. CellargatorMy great-aunts bought a tiny alligator back from their jaunt to Florida in the 1920s. Back then, those living souvenirs were all the rage. After a few months, it disappeared from its tank. They figured it would show up dessicated under a radiator within a few months. Three years later, one of them went down to shovel coal for the stove. She heard a loud hissing and saw red eyes glowing down in a corner underneath the foundation, behind the coal cellar. They got the fire department and the police to kill the "monster," which was now about three feet long. It had dug itself a nice warm wet hole in the dirt floor, where it survived eating rats and stray cats and squirrels. The hide was nailed to the garage, where it still freaked me out 40 years later. End of the LineWashington Post, Nov. 20, 1937 J.N. Swartzell's Funeral Is Set for Tomorrow Funeral services for John N. Swartzell, retired Washington business man, will be held at 11 a. m. tomorrow at his home, 2725 Thirty-sixth place northwest. Burial will be in Rock Creek Cemetery. Swartzell, who was 47-years-old, died Thursday at his home. He retired in 1925 from the firm of Swartzell, Rheem & Hensey because of ill health. His father, G. W. F. Swartzell, was one of the founders of the firm, which failed in 1931. Born in Washington, Swartzell was educated at Friends School and at George Washington University, where he was a member of Theta Delta Chi. He was a past president and honorary member of the Civitan Club, secretary of the board of managers of the Methodist Home and a director of the Columbia National Bank. He was also a past master of Temple Noyes Masonic Lodge and a member of Mount Pleasant Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Anna Drury Swartzell; a daughter, Margaret Swartzell; a sister, Mrs. C. C. Davis, and a brother, Henry R. Swartzell. All live in Washington. B&O Jr. According to the July 1936 issue of Model Railroader the name of the railroad was "The B&O Jr." The article notes that Mr. Swartzell began construction of his model railroad "shortly after the end of the war." (The Gallery, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, Railroads)
Good Job Ray: 1961
... of a carousel or something, but made of pretty heavy duty pipe. Potemkin Motel they just keep moving the same cars from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/13/2022 - 9:26am -

The Columbus, Georgia, Holiday Inn circa 1961. GOOD JOB RAY WRIGHT. This particular Inn had a swimming pool and a trampoline. 4x5 inch acetate negative. View full size. Holiday Inn memoriesMy father was transferred by Shell Oil between NY/NJ and Houston twice in the 60s. With Shell toting the bill we turned each trip into a summer vacation with every night being spent at a Holiday Inn. Each day's routine was the same -- up at 6, breakfast (blueberry pancakes for me) in the motel dining room, drive until 2 and checking into the next Holiday Inn. We swam every afternoon in the motel pool and then dressed up and drove to the closest firehouse where my father asked for dinner recommendations. There were four of us kids packed in the back of our non-air-conditioned Impala and you'd think we would have been miserable but my memories are of the classic Holiday Inn signs that meant "home on the road" and those blueberry pancakes. Structure/Sculptor?What is that thing on the far right in the hotel courtyard below the gent contemplating going out? Looks like some kind of a carousel or something, but made of pretty heavy duty pipe. Potemkin Motelthey just keep moving the same cars from lot-to-lot. '61? it's Georgia, alright -- this is a decoy target built in Tbilisi during the Cold War. More Holiday Inn memoriesCommishbob, your story parallels my own, except for a lot more moving on my part. My dad was on the traveling auditing staff for Shell, so we not only lived in Houston and NY/NJ twice each, but multiple other places--Chicago (twice), St. Louis (three times!), Atlanta, LA, San Francisco, Seattle--almost all before I was in kindergarten. (The usual length of an audit was apparently around three months, and then we'd be off somewhere else.) Thankfully, by the time I hit third grade, we settled in Houston for good. I was the only kid for all but the last move, and I pretty much grew up in the back of a Ford Country Squire station wagon. We lived in many different types of houses and apartments, but our home away from home was always a Holiday Inn. The blinking star atop what writer James Lileks calls "The Great Sign" was a shiny beacon to me; it told me we were "home" for a while. (Mom and Dad are still around, so I'll be sending them this link.) VIPRay must be a very important person -- they even have the ENTRANCE sign pointing directly at him! [Because he's entranced? - Dave] This place is topsI found this postcard on eBay with a date stamp 1961. The address on the card is 3510 Victory Drive, Google Street View below. My parents were among the founding members of the United Methodist Church in which I grew up. Years later, I heard a comedian do a bit about religions. He said "Methodism is the Holiday Inn of religions. You check in. You get comfortable. As long as you pay your bill and don't trash the room, everything is okay." Click to embiggen. Holiday Inn Memories!In the 1960s and '70s my dad (who worked for GM and got an annual two-week vacation) and the rest of the family, Mom and four kids, would go on a road trip and we always stayed in Holiday Inns because Dad could make reservations ahead. The Inns were always the same, and to my delight when the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village (Dearborn, Mi.) renovated their "Automobile and American Life" exhibit in the '90s, they built a Holiday Inn room! EXACTLY like every one I remembered, right down to the blue shag carpet and the little paper hats on the drinking glasses! I sometimes see those chairs in an antique store or secondhand shop and I think "I know where you came from!" Here's a pic of the Museum's exhibit (courtesy Missy S on Pinterest). Dressed up '50 FordOn the far right! Skirts, spinner hubcaps, sun visor on the windshield AND on the side windows. At 11 years old might belong to the help. Fastest car on the lot is probably the '58 Pontiac next to the 1960 Ford, but the '55 Olds 88 on the far left has a Rocket under its hood. Raymond Wright of Columbuswas feted at Macon in September 1961 at the annual meeting of the Home Builders Association of Georgia as the association's retiring president. I suspect the marquee refers to this milestone. His firm, Raymond M. Wright, Inc., is still building homes in Georgia, primarily the Columbus area: http://www.raymwrightinc.com/history.html My guessRay Wright updates the message board. Ray Wright Raymond Michael Wright 1914-1995 Married in Wake County, NC, in 1944. Marriage record lists Army rank as Staff Sergeant. Possibly ended up in Columbus from a tour at Fort Benning. He began as a carpenter and in the early '50s started a contracting business. His obituary lists past president of local and state home builders associations. He was inducted into the National Homebuilders Hall of Fame in 1980. Holiday Inn was pleased with his work. Numbers GameThe address on the postcard posted by Doug Floor Plan, 3510 Victory Drive, has us thrown off a bit, I think. Indeed, that may have once been this motel's address, but I'm pretty certain this Holiday Inn building still stands at 3170 Victory Drive. Built in 1958, the motel was most recently seen in Budgetel livery, but it also did some time as a Days Inn. Did they move the building to a new address? Of course not! It's much more likely that the address was changed, probably for alignment with a new numbering system. [By 1965, the address was 3170. - Dave] No fenceIn the postcard picture the first thing I noticed was the lack of a fence around the pool. It really was a different time in America. [1961, to be specific. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive)
Family Dinner: 1952
... if the supply is by gravity through an uninsulated pipe from a mountain side spring. Otherwise, it could be too hot in Summer, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/29/2015 - 10:31am -

1952. "Photo for U.S. Information Agency propaganda poster titled 'I Choose to Be a Miner,' distributed in Asia; poster includes photographs of coal miner Walter Ward and family in David, Kentucky." Gelatin silver print. View full size. The most used utensilin my grandma's kitchen was the soup ladle hanging above the stove. Having come from a Pennsylvania coal miner grandfather, my 'take' on this picture is that it was staged, posed and fully planned in advance (unless this was on a Sunday when they would have their best meal of the week). The other six week-night suppers were mostly home-made soup and bread, every kind of soup imaginable, more than Campbells could ever come up with. Having a large family, my mom said there was nothing else that could satisfy seven or eight hungry, hard-working people as a filling, hot and inexpensive meal like soup and fresh bread & butter. She was a master soup cook too, taught by her mother, and I was pretty much raised on soup, some heartier than others, but never disappointing. It can be time-consuming to prepare but I've never felt deprived and it really stretches your meat to feed any number of people. (If someone got a big chunk of chicken or beef in their soup, or too many clams in their clam chowder, we used to say "the string must have broke"). ... and look! Cake!I do love this photo. It's all shiny and full of bounty. Once you look closely you'll see the financial constraints this family must have faced. I'm left to wonder if she normally served cake at dinner. Need a new washer on that faucet?If they're under financial constraints, they could help their water bill by either a) turning the faucet off, or b) putting a new washer in it. MixerIt looks like a '40s Kitchen Aid stand mixer. [Looks like a Sumbeam Mixmaster to me. -tterrace] It still works...I bought this Sunbeam Mixmaster for $25 on a trip to Tacoma, Washington, over 20 years ago. So 1950sThe Mixmaster, the teapot from the Jewel Tea Company, the General Electric range, and all the gleaming surfaces that wipe clean with a damp sponge. Why can't I have a kitchen like that? Miners at tableNo miners I grew up with ever lived that well, dressed that well nor ate that well. With all the fresh haircuts, clothes, appliances, etc, this was nothing but a stage production. Folks my age will recognize it as such. [The worn-out stool for a chair and the T-shirt with holes are probably props, too. - Dave] I'll Second ThatIt looks like the second-hand one in my kitchen--a Sunbeam Mixmaster, which gets frequent use and works perfectly 60+ years on. I bought it minus beaters and must have bought about 50 pairs of beaters before I found the right ones. I have a drawer-full. Maybe they fit tterrace's "Sumbeam". Miners' HousesThe Wards' house (at right, with the tree), and their neighbors. Click to enlarge. MixmasterMy mom had one of those. It was an ergonomic beauty: you operated the speeds by rotating the black dome-shaped knob at the far end, and you released the beaters by swiveling the black handle 90 degrees. Ah, and the glass bowls. Seeing that Sunbeam in use on the kitchen counter meant something aromatic and yummy was on the way. P.S. A place named David! I’m okay with that. Which?OK everyone, would you like dessert first or these lovely string beans? Just as I RememberA typical middle class family dinner, as I remember it, from the early 50's, although: Cake wasn't a normal feature and the kids always had milk (Starlac as I remember and it was terrible) instead of water. Older sis looks a bit peeved at the main course (it was always someone's least favorite). Dinner was always in the dining room. Breakfast was always in the kitchen. Mom was always in a dress but no high heels. Another vote for the MixmasterThat Mixmaster brings back some pleasant childhood memories for me. My mother had one very similar to the one in the image. I was about the same age range as the boys in the photo in 1952 and I always lobbied to lick the bowl and the beaters after the cake was finished. they even had a swimming pool...Put in circa 1949...whoda thunk? A Not-Christmas StoryAm I the only one who looks at this kitchen and sees the "eat like a pig, Ralphie" scene from A Christmas Story in the making? (Of course I also have one of those Sunbeam mixers, and so does my mother. They are/were indestructible). Jelly GlassesLove those bird themed water glasses on the table. I have the same glasses my Dad used as a kid. They came from the grocery with jam or jelly in them and then you used the glass later. Running WaterThe faucet water flow may be intentional, if the supply is by gravity through an uninsulated pipe from a mountain side spring. Otherwise, it could be too hot in Summer, and frozen solid in Winter. I recognize the sink/counter!Unfortunately, it's because I see it every day in the kitchen of the house I rent. I love the style, but those cupboards are mighty small. Youngstown KitchensThe logo in front of the sink is from Youngstown Kitchens. Yup, I grew up with them. Here's what I see….Mother's Swiss-dot curtains are torn on the left panel; her drain rack for her dishes is in its place by the drainboard. She normally uses her table for her counter space, but since the table is set for dinner, she's using her sink drainboard for her Sunbeam Mixmaster which whipped up the frosting. Ah, yes, that tiny black spray nozzle on the sink. Is that grated cheese in the cheese shaker or do they use a lot of salt? The younger daughter has her eyes on the boiled frosting cake, as would be mine as well. Father and the boy are eying the fried chicken. Deviled eggs on a side plate with lettuce? There are sweater 'pills' on the older daughter's sweater, at the farthest point West. Nice white bread, hard to find nowadays with all the nutritious breads forced on us in our stores. Father's hair is combed in a 'combover' on his bald spot. Bet any money that Mother's wrist watch is a Bulova. Mother ironed and 'starched' the tablecloth, so it must be Sunday. Father's shirt is ironed, older daughter's sweater is ironed, younger daughter's dress is ironed, younger son's t-shirt is ripped with holes. The plant at the window is a 'Wandering Jew.' The tin pots and pans are surely much lighter to lift than my All-Clad set today. All in all, the scene resembled by own childhood in 1952, right down to the floral design on the linoleum on the floor. MenuI'm trying to figure out what they were eating that night. I can distinguish the green beans and bread and the consensus on the lumpy main course is that it's fried chicken. I'm curious what's in the bowl underneath the chicken. Potatoes? The side plates look like they have salad on them and that's maybe pickles next to the bread? I have to assume the cake on the table was for the benefit of the photo. No mother then or now would put dessert out first! I also have to wonder if the ice in the water was there to indicate prosperity, along with the mixer and the frig. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Mining)
Drudge Report: 1942
... did I have to replace the original galvanised drain pipe. Things were built to last in those days! The wringer washer is a 1944 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/28/2017 - 11:58pm -

September 1942. "Rochester, N.Y. Mrs. Babcock doing the family laundry with an electric washing machine and a wringer." All the modern conveniences -- the wringer is motorized. Photo by Ralph Amdursky for the OWI. View full size. Mrs. BabcockMrs. Babcock appears to be happier while doing the laundry than she is sitting with her family. Tub of AgesThey were still making those concrete laundry tubs in the early 1960s when my house was built, and you can still get a new one if you really desperately think you need one, though they don't stock them at Lowe's these days. As csteinmayer says, disposing of one is major project Concrete washtubI haven't seen one of those things in years. My childhood home (built 1949) had one. The next house had enameled steel. Now all you see is plastic. Every change I'm sure makes them easier to install! [This one seems to be zinc, or zinc-lined. - Dave] WashtubMy mother's laundry had an identical tub in the 1950's. It has a zinc molding over the top edge, but the inside surface of the tub is concrete. They are hard to keep clean, but nearly indestructible. Mrs. Babcock's washer looks like my grandmother's Maytag. The uninsulated hot water heater in the background must've kept this corner of the basement nice and warm. Light socketIt appears that Mrs. Babcock's washing machine is plugged into the overhead light socket adapter. Hope it didn't cause problems. I agree with the person who noticed she looks happier than she does in the family pictures. What's in front of the window?What is the piece of equipment in front of the window? The top part with the knob looks like it is made out of white PVC plastic, but that doesn't seem likely in 1943. [Porcelain. - tterrace] Gravity FurnaceLooks like an asbestos-wrapped cold air return from an old gravity furnace behind her. Coal fired I'm assuming? Those old furnaces needed wider diameter ducts than their modern day forced air counterparts. I'm guessing its a cold air duct as its situated on an exterior wall; modern day systems use the opposite configuration where cold air returns are on interior walls. GrossWhy is she putting clean, squeezed clothes in that filthy sink? [Stains, mineral and hardened soap deposits, not filth. The cement surface was relatively porous; you couldn't get that stuff off without taking a grinder to it. - tterrace] The washtub's twinis in my basement. The house dates to 1884 and I'm sure it has never had another since some long gone owner put a machine in. As mentioned, it's heavy, impervious to wear--you would really have to hate it to go to the trouble of replacing it. If that house in Rochester still stands, I'd bet money that thing is still there and still in service. Legacy SystemDisplayed vertically, behind the step ladder, is half of the system that predated the washing machine and utility sink: a galvanized laundry tub. Presumably its complement, a washboard, is still in the basement somewhere. SoapstoneI vote the sink is soapstone. I grew up in a 1920's house with one. They can get really grungy looking but can be renewed with cleaning and sanding. An application of mineral oil will make it shine. Our washing machine was similar to this one and also plugged into the light socket. Ten years ago, I had a soapstone kitchen counter installed in my house. It's indestructible and totally heat resistant. It will scratch, but sandpaper and oil renews it. This sink could weigh 400 pounds or so. The Mangler I grew up hearing horror stories of the women and sometimes children who were maimed by motorized wringers back in the days before safety devices and tort lawsuits. MangledWe had a similar washer (and sinks) in our basement in the 60's, and I heard the horror stories, too. Of course I had to play with it. I sneaked down to the basement and turned on the wringer, and managed to get my hand between the wringers. My arm was in past my elbow before I managed to turn a switch to release the tension on the rollers, which let me pull my arm free. I turned it off, made sure my arm still worked, sneaked upstairs, and never touched the dang thing again. Ah the old concrete wash tub. My house in Oak Park Mi built in 1954 had one. Used a sledge hammer to remove it. It was concrete with a zinc liner on the top edge, resting on a steel frame. Looked exactly like the one in the picture. I wonder if the photographer removed the light bulb from the socket above? Re: The ManglerThese wringers were tough on buttons. I recall that it was standard procedure for my Mother to get out the sewing kit after the washing was dried as there always seemed to be at least one broken button to replace. I'm Not Moving It!I have the same concrete laundry tub in my 1939 built basement and it's staying. One of the basins has a zinc washboard built in to the sloped front. The building is still there, anywayAt the time the 1940 U.S. Census was taken, Howard A. Babcock (age 40) and his wife Mary E. Babcock (age 38) lived at 239 Selye Terrace in Rochester, with their children, daughter Shirley L. (18), son Howard A. Jr. (10), and son Earl E. (4). They rented a room for $35 a month (the two story apartment building still stands at the corner of Selye Terrace and Dewey Avenue, according to Google Maps). They also had a lodger, a widower named Alex N. Alexander, age 47, an auto parts inspector who was born in the Irish Free State. The Babcocks were all born in the US. Mr. Babcock was a machinist in the gun industry, while Mrs. Babcock was a homemaker. Shirley was working part time in sales for a department store (she had worked six hours in the prior week). If they were living in an apartment building, could the basement laundry have been a communal one shared with the other renters? TankWe had a tank just like that in our bathroom right up until 1968 when we put in a new furance and a water heater. Mom or Dad had to light it in the morning to get any semblance of hot water, most of the time we washed our faces with cold water before school. The thermostat was old-school; you felt on the outside of the tank to see how far up the hot water was, and how hot it was! You could get burned brushing against it and with it right inside the bathroom door you really had to watch. A few times the tank was forgotten and split the seams. Ah, the good old days. Concrete washtubThe drain in my circa 1953 tub rusted out and I replaced it with a plastic sink. Getting the old tub out involved a sledge hammer and elbow grease. I hauled the pieces out by the bucketload. There's one more piece to go. My BasementThese concrete laundry tubs were installed in the basement of my house when it was built in the Dunbar neighbourhood of Vancouver in 1928. Only recently did I have to replace the original galvanised drain pipe. Things were built to last in those days! The wringer washer is a 1944 Beatty from the apartment building I once lived in, and it still sees occasional use. I usually use the 1967 Speed Queen washer to the right, and the dryer is a 1958 speed Queen. The rocket behind herThis brings the memories back. Our neighbor across the street was out in his back yard looking at the water heater laying in the grass. Earlier it had launched itself from the basement through his boys bedroom and out through the roof, where it landed in the yard. As a kid I was told they were dangerous and after that incident I believed it. There wasn't a pressure relief and the tank looked as if the the seams were riveted. She was petiteThe identical washing machine/wringer are sitting in front of the local Cracker Barrel. Give its height, I'm guessing Mrs. Babcock was about 5 feet tall or a bit under. Oh What A Relief It IsMrs. Babcock in dress and apron brings back memories of my Mom. The ladies of that time would put in a full day's work in that outfit but just before hubby was due home off came the apron, a dab of perfume was put on, a fast brush through the hair and of course fresh lipstick made her ready to give her man a welcome home kiss at 4:45 pm. At least that was the way it was at my house. It seems to be on the hot water line (going by cold-right/hot-left on top of tank). That card might be instructions about the purpose of the valve. At least I hope it is for if that old seamless tank went it would go trough the roof and land a block away. (The Gallery, Ralph Amdursky, Rochester)
Fountain Service: 1974
... (drums, triangle) in addition to the pipes, and with the pipe voicing and roll arrangements, was intended to approximate a band or ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2014 - 11:04pm -

April 1974. Columbus, Indiana. "General view of soda fountain area -- Zaharako Bros. Ice Cream Parlor, 329 Washington Street. Family-run ice cream and confectionery business operating since 1900. This parlor was a major social center in Columbus for the first 50 years. Known for its elaborate interior and ice cream still made by the Zaharako family. Mexican onyx soda fountains purchased 1905; extra counter added 1949; store front modernized 1959." 5x7 negative by Jack E. Boucher, Historic American Buildings Survey. View full size. How rare is that?An organ in an ice cream parlor. Columbus, Indiana: a great place to visitHad lunch here in 1998. Went over to Columbus to see the 1952 Indy pole winner on display at Cummings Diesel, but for some reason it was somewhere else. The Cummings receptionist recommended Zaharako Brothers for lunch. What a delightful surprise. Then we discovered the great architecture the city is well known for. Columbus, Indiana is truly a well kept secret. I'm on a budget- so I'll just have the GOM sandwich, which is 40 cents. Incidentally, this restaurant still stands, although the GOM is now $5.99 Sundae DelightPlease tell me this soda fountain is still in business. What a wonderful place to sit and snack. Eye candy for sure! Pull up a seat and give me a treat! And still in operation todayZak's is an institution in Columbus, a local treasure. And it has not succumbed to modernization or obsolescence. http://www.zaharakos.com Great pricesWow, what a shock to see the date on this picture! There weren't very many such places still operating by that time. I do, however, know of one place, the Bluebird in Logan, Utah, that looks a lot like this and is still operating. Logan was the birthplace of John Gilbert, who was one of the most famous Hollywood actors of the silent era. One time, they screened several of his best films in the historic theater that had been recently remodeled. To see his films on the big screen, and then walk down the block and eat lunch at the Bluebird was like a trip back 80 years! 38 Years LaterThey still sell "Zingers" in my work place vending machine but Charlie Brown is not on the wrapper. Today I paid more than 10 times the going rate for a chicken salad sandwich. I wonder if Zaharako Bros. included chips and a pickle? UndiscoveredAll that is missing from this picture is Lana Turner! Parallel ParlorThe marble counter and over-the-top light fixtures seem to be a staple of historic soda fountains and ice cream parlors. This photo reminds me a lot of Aglamesis Brothers here in Cincinnati. It's still in the same 1913 building, with most of the original fixtures remaining, including the wonderful imported Portuguese marble counter, Tiffany lamps, tin ceiling, and tile floor. My goodness!A lot higher prices than we're used to seeing here. That's no mere "organ" in the background.The visible pipework behind the glass is that of a Welte Orchestrion---a roll-driven type of instrument popular at the turn of the 19th into the 20th centuries. There are Youtube videos of this very instrument, which was expertly and painstakingly restored just a few years ago by Mr Durward Center of Baltimore. The Orchestrion had percussion (drums, triangle) in addition to the pipes, and with the pipe voicing and roll arrangements, was intended to approximate a band or orchestral experience. When well regulated and tuned, the Welte instruments offer a very captivating and uplifting performance. A Long, Long Time AgoThe last fountain I can remember closed in 1961 in my town but I can still remember the smell of the place. The fountain was staffed by college-aged girls who, if you didn't have the price of a Coke or milkshake, would drop a toothpick in a glass of carbonated water and serve up a "pine float". Double takeWith a job researching period items for our theatrical productions, I zeroed in on the Menu signage before seeing the date on the photo - almost had a heart attack thinking those press and stick letter boards were way older then I thought. Amazing place that!!! Love this place!One of the best fountains I've seen on Shorpy. Looking at the menu, I could have eaten all my meals there in 1974. Egg creamsMMMMMMM egg creams. Gom sandwich?Saw "Gom" listed on the sandwch menu at the very right. That ring a bell to anyone? Green River on the drinks menu puts a smile on my face. I used to love that stuff when I was a kid... pretty sure they still make it but I haven't seen it anywhere in years. Zaharako's TodayThis is a current day shot from the front door looking in. GOM sandwichI found this, which I thought others might be interested in. Now, I am going to see if I can find a recipe! "This ice cream parlor has been around since 1900 and was recently restored to its original glory. The old-timers swear by this (GOM) sandwich, a Midwestern take on the sloppy Joe—a slightly sweeter version of loose meat (with a few degrees of heat factored in), served on grilled bread. Sit at the marble-top counter to watch the soda jerks and cut the grease with a bubbly Green River float. ($5.49, $5.99 with cheese)" http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/super46/sandwich/gom-sandwich (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, HABS)
Tobaccorama: 1921
... you got one of those new cameras home, it smelled like pipe tobacco! Flashlights Those are some large flashlights in the glass ... of a dog foaming at the mouth. I also like the unusual pipe stand on the counter which holds its wares in a unique manner by the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/08/2011 - 9:56am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "People's Drug Store, 7th and K Streets." Expert advice given on pipes, cigars, flashlights and cameras. View full size. Eveready Daylo FlashlightsThat's a display of Eveready Daylo flashlights on the counter. In the upper left are a pile of Eveready Tungsten Batteries and Daylo lights. "Tungsten" batteries were introduced in 1911 and contained no tungsten. The name was a marketing ploy to associate the batteries with the new improved tungsten filament bulbs. Lost artA close look at the signage at the top of the booth indicates that these are hand-painted signs (with illustrations and cigarette packs glued on to complete the job). I'll bet when you got one of those new cameras home, it smelled like pipe tobacco! FlashlightsThose are some large flashlights in the glass EVEREADY case on the counter. Much, much larger than the Streamlight LED Scorpion in my trouser pocket, or the LED Stinger on my duty belt, with just a fraction of the run time on thier carbon cell batteries. Think what another 90 years will bring! Led flashlights with 7 day run times, and the light output of an aircraft landing lamp, the size of a tube of Chapstick! Why, yes - Yes I DO have Prince Albert in a can! Snob AppealWhile Murad, Fatima and other exotic Cigarettes had their own cubicle at Peoples, the Luckies, Camels and Chesterfields were probably sold elsewhere in the shop. Meanwhile, His Royal Highness is still in the slammer. Old Dogs, New TricksThis image is complex and detailed yet the one thing that stands out most for me is the shaving brush is being used on the bulldog. I cannot imagine any reason the company would use this imagery in their store advertisements yet the brush seems to be poised to lather the dog. This then brings up a mental image of a dog foaming at the mouth. I also like the unusual pipe stand on the counter which holds its wares in a unique manner by the mouthpiece. It makes the pipe easier to grab by the bowl but it seems to be artistic, delicate, and quite unstable as a wrong grab would dislodge other pipes. I am lovingThe dual "dial-less" pay phones on either side of the tall display case. And the cigarette butts ground-out on the floor. Charming. Fatima CigarettesWhen "Dragnet" was first aired on the radio it was sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes..the name was pronounced "fa-TEE-ma " by the radio announcer. The pipes do appear to be Petersons , but their design was often immitated And don't forget ...our special offer for Original Genuine Gillette Razors! We sell everything a man might wish, eventually even under the counter? (in 2012 in the U.K. even the cigarettes have to be sold under the counter) Peterson PipesA very nice selection on the pipe tree on top of the front corner of the counter. They are still made today. Odd mixCameras, pipes and safety razors in the same case? What was the marketing ploy here? Somebody was asleep at the switch. Tobacco marketingThe best thing about tobacco probducts has always been the packaging. So eye pleasing. Hard-boiled FatimasThere must have been something about Fatimas that appealed to the hard-boiled fictional detective demographic. Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op was constantly lighting them up. Very, veryInteresting picture. What a feast for the imagination. Great find. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, PDS, Stores & Markets)
Just One of Those Things: 1926
... a full 18 years before Land Rovers came to exist, and the pipe is too large to head to the engine. I wonder if it is a tank of some sort? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2013 - 7:05pm -

May 1926. "NO CAPTION." We can guess what you're thinking -- "Boy, been awhile since I saw one of those," or "They don't make 'em like that any more!" And you'd probably be right. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. It's a mouse1926 model. The Latestoffering from the R&D team galvanized Smith's decision to fire the whole darn lot of them. Mr. LuxAhhh, the long lost photo of Mr. Lux trying to determine where to put the electrical cord on his prototype vacuum cleaner, later to be named the Electrolux. Scientific TheorizingThis appears to be an early version of a Kindle or Nook. My other thought is that it is able to translate 2 or 3 books at a time and then the device is hooked up to a Mergenthaler Linotype machine and printed in the language chosen. My final thought is that it is a snake safe that opens from the top, the reptile is then inserted and the books placed atop the unit to prevent the Ophidian from escaping. I shall do further research before continuing to comment. Yes Sir,That there is definitely a wigwam for a goose's bridle. Not quiteAnd it's kind of guaranteed to sometimes reverse male pattern baldness. Furshlugginer manifoldIt's a sad day indeed when 20 Shorpy experts in a row fail to identify the flagship product of the North American Veeblefetzer Corporation. In fact, it almost makes me MAD. Plus, you get to chooseAnd remember, it comes in your choice of brushed brown, cherry red or sunshine yellow. Ain't it a gasThat looks remarkably like the gas tank on my 1967 Land Rover Series IIa. Granted, this picture was taken a full 18 years before Land Rovers came to exist, and the pipe is too large to head to the engine. I wonder if it is a tank of some sort? PoultryIt has something to do with grading eggs, but I don't have a clue as just how! I'm guessingThat this is a "swamp cooler" for a car window. He did itNot only did he build a better mousetrap, it's only slightly bigger than a bread box. With all the clues in this pictureit should be an open and shut case. Looks like a gas lineSo I will guess: some kind of space heater. It sucksThe large hose almost says to me that it has vacuum pulling on it. But the valve seems more like a natural gas fitting. Looking at the top, is that a flue connection? My guess is it's some sort of gas burner, heat exchanger. Wait for the service packThis was an early model. Later models had many improvements in usability and comfort, and the decorative badge depicting a ruffled grouse in flight was moved to the front for easier access. ex. post facto - Mad #44 "Veeble People" Jan 1959 issue. But wait!Order in the next ten minutes and you get a second Clank-O-Matic absolutely free! The chainsThe chains on the wall seem to permit opening and shutting a couple of somethings... At LastI never, in my lifetime, expected to see a real life doohickey. Shorpy has done it again. Thank you so much. "I wonder what would happen"If I put my thumb in here? It's an automatic finger nail clipper. They were very expensive so few were soldBut those early anti-grav units really did a good job of keeping your desk from flying off. Binford Model 1First in a long line of high-quality products. Flue Gas RecirculatorMark P's guess of gas burner of heat exchanger sounded good to me so I searched the Post archives for May 1926 using similar keywords and found the following article. No photo was included so it's not a positive match but it sure seems like a plausible explanation. Washington Post, May 23, 1926. Apparatus Stops Noise Made in Oil Burning Heaters New Invention May Supplant Other methods. Says Frank Harbin. A development, which experts think, will supplant other methods of home-heating, was announced here yesterday by Frank P. Harbin, of the Automatic Heating Corporation, 1719 Connecticut avenue, northwest. By this development, operating noise of automatic oil heat is cut to the vanishing point. It was perfected by engineers of the American NoKol Co., who nine years ago made automatic oil heating of homes a practical, modern comfort, Mr. Harbin said. … Demonstrating the new equipment yesterday before a crowd of interested home owners, Mr. Harbin showed how a closely-confined flame, loses every trace of customary, low-blowing sound within two minutes after starting. This he explained, is accomplished by bringing back from the chimney some of the inert gas that results from complete combustion of any fuel. It is piped through a small tube, mixed with fresh air, and fed back into the flames. “No one but chemists and combustion engineers have ever thought about this gas,” Mr. Harbin stated. “It is colorless, oderless, inert. But when the right amount, accurately measured, is fed back into a flame along with the fresh air which every one knows any flame must have, it dilates the flame. When I say dilate, I mean it causes a given anount flame flame to occupy more cubic inches of space than before.” … (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
The Artist in His Studio: 1902
... or merely a convincing puppet hanging there with the opium pipe and luck-draining horseshoe? Those little touches really make a studio ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 10:43pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1902. "Artist for Richmond & Backus, printers and binders." A bohemian lair with lots of flair. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. I enjoy looking at this pictureI enjoy looking at all the objects, art and details in this picture. I especially like the contented expression on the artist's face while doing his work. Horseshoe statusI guess he is down on his luck. Kitty in the cageSee the little white kitten caged on the lower left? And why is it in a cage, do you think. Or, is that a rodent? I'd say this is an opulent studio for the times, and this work appears to be work product rather than personal art. Or, could be he is freelance and works and lives in this one room. Interesting photo in any event. [Maybe you mean lower right, not left. That's a wastebasket. - Dave] I understandMy cabin home which is also my workshop is indeed a variation on this theme. It may appear a mess to you, but to me it's just right. QuestionWhat creature is in the cage? [Wild paper. That's a wastebasket. - Dave] AhoyThat's the old Detroit Yacht Club burgee on the pillow. Death by tchotchkeI have a case of the vapours just looking at all this dusty bric-a-brac. Quite a collection. Nary a space left blank on the room canvas. I like the Less is More school of thought these days, although this room is quite typical of the time period. I like the lighting in this photo. Quasi-symbolic of the artist's inspiration. Ladies ManHe does seem to have a special focus to his art: lady faces with hats and lady faces without hats. We got us a regular Howard Pyle here.Is that an articulated skeleton from a human fetus or merely a convincing puppet hanging there with the opium pipe and luck-draining horseshoe? Those little touches really make a studio feel like home. Looks like he's ready to paint Trilby in the "altogether." Trompe l'oeilI love the little skeleton hung on the wall on the right. I wonder what the framed scrap of paper directly in front him is? Is that lamp diffuser made from glass or paper? [The framed scrap of paper is an illustration of a woman; the "paper" is a reflection of the window. The "lamp" is a parasol. - Dave] "Mucha Girl"He was influenced by art nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha, as he has one of his posters on the wall, plus his work is in the same general style. Dorm decorMexican blanket thrown over a chest -- hey, that's my old dorm room. All it needs is a mini fridge. In my roomWhen I still lived at home and my room started looking like this my late mom used to say "clean up your room or else I will" so I always knew when I was slipping into serious hoarding behaviors. LuckI guess the horseshoe is for good luck, but the snake and skeleton is anyone's guess. He certainly had flair and talent, do we have a name? What a room!Wish I could go back there and visit for a while. Pennies From HeavenAt first I thought that was a remarkably modern ceiling lamp for 1902, but now I see it's a twirling parasol. You've gotta look at these shots three or four times to see it all, and even then you can miss something! Ugh!He seems to have missed his spittoon a lot. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC)
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