MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
Home

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page

Brooklyn Wading Pool: 1942
... high drug use area.(shakes head as well) It looks like trees and some kind of play area A satellite view of the area shows some dark square areas surrounded by trees, possibly basketball courts? The apartment blocks are still there, ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 09/08/2011 - 6:48pm -

Children play in a wading pool at a play center at the Red Hook housing development, Brooklyn, New York. The charge to use the pool is nine cents for children, 25 cents for adults. Photograpy by Arthur Rothstein, June, 1942. View full size. Wonder what it looks like today...Instead of water, that pool is likely filled today with empty crack vials and shell casings. Actually...I assume this pool was in Red Hook Park, but It's not there at all now. I ride my bicycle through this area all the time and haven't lost a tire to empty crack vials or shell casings. Or maybeit has to do with that the original poster believed it to now be a high crime high drug use area.(shakes head as well) It looks like trees and some kind of play areaA satellite view of the area shows some dark square areas surrounded by trees, possibly basketball courts? The apartment blocks are still there, southwest of the park but still on the same block. I suppose the "crack vials and shell casings" comment has to do with the fact that the neighbourhood, which was once white, is now mainly black. (shakes head) better satellite viewCharlene, the satellite view you used is off by a few blocks. The pool is still there but a few blocks east. the mixed blessing of public housing projectsIn 1942, when this picture was taken, we as a society, still thought that we could solve poverty by creating consolidated housing projects like the one shown. At their best, resources like this pool were available to kids who might otherwise be swimming in the polluted waters of New York Harbor. But sadly, in the 65 years since, we have discovered that this sort of project actually tends to foster more crime, and can create more abject forms of poverty than the tenaments they replaced. Hence an earlier poster's "crack vials and shell casings", which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the color of the people living there. I think Red Hook is pretty racially mixed right now. PoolI was born in Red Hook in 1944 and lived there for several years. My aunt lived until sometime in the 70s or 80s. I recognize the look of the building in the background, but neither I nor my older brother remember the wading pool. What street was it on? We lived on Henry Street. We also remember a regular pool very close (I think on it was on Lorraine Street). There was also a park with a pool with sprinklers. Anyone remember the Clinton Movie theatre? Go Ahead...Shake your heads all you want, and keep telling yourselves that the inner city of today is a wonderful place to be. Should you actually drive through it--as I do daily in places like Trenton, Jersey City, Newark, and Paterson NJ--you might think differently, should you choose to take your blinkers off, that is. The locals, I'm sure, would love to make your acquaintance. Possibly dumb questionFor those of us who've not lived in an area where such things are common---what exactly is the difference between a tenement and a housing project, and is a tenement just the same as a cheap, seedy apartment? Why should one be more prone to foster crime than another? Red Hook TodayThe wading pool is gone. There is no mention of it in the NYC Parks Department web site. The Red Hook swimming pool is still a going concern. It is not filled with broken glass, litter, crack vials, or shell casings. Lost World, I don't know where you're from, but I can tell you that Red Hook today bears almost no resemblance to the red Hook of 20, or even 10 years ago. The projects are still there, and yes, they still suck. The rest of the neighborhood is fast becoming quite the desirable residential neighborhood. Red Hook PoolCan't help you with any information about the wading pool. The Red Hook Swimming Pool is still going and is on Lorraine Street. Filled with waterThe Red Hook pool that is under discussion here (not the wading pool shown above) today is not filled with some of the things that were asserted below. Rather, it is filled with water. Clean water. And people. A diverse group of families, to be specific. Say What?Apparently no one has been to Red Hook lately, which boasts both an Ikea and the upscale Fairway Market. Inner city neighborhoods in New York City have become gentrified, you'd have less trouble buying an excellent key lime pie in Red Hook then getting either crack or ammunition. Wading poolThat wading pool was in the park on Clinton Street across from the much larger Red Hook Pool. When I lived there as a young boy in the 80's it was still there minus the water. I used to ride my bike in that space. It's now filled in and part of quickly disappearing history of Red Hook. Hooverville in Red HookWe are two norwegian authors writing a book about the big Hooverville in Columbia Street, in the area where the park is, beside the big grain elevator. if someone knows some old people who lived in Brooklyn in the 1930s, please send e-mail me! Kvarog@hotmail.com This Wadding Pool LocationIt is no longer a wadding pool. It was filled in then made into a track. You can see it right across the street from the Red Hook Pool today. I have lived in THE HOOK for 37 years and i remember playing in it and remember it used to be open in the late 70's early 80's. [Red Hook Pool -- full of wadder, I'll bet. - Dave] Clinton Street movie theaterI was born in 1943 and lived in the Red Hook housing projects until 1954 when we escaped to suburbia. I have wonderfully fond memories of those days at the pools, at the stadium, at the docks and definitely at the Clinton Street movie theater. I went to P.S. 30. The Clinton Theater played two features, five cartoons and a serial (Flash Gordon, Tim Tyler's Luck) each Saturday from 11 to about 4. I learned to ride a bike at Coffey Park, was mugged there, skated and went to see the Yo-yo man each summer when a new yo-yo was introduced. I'm writing a YA book detailing the life and times of three young boys who live in the housing project during the time of my youth (about 1953). Hope to finish it this winter and publish it as a Kindle book. It's still there.....I'm sure the wading pool was there because of the picture. Just as well as the movie theatre. However, it looks like it is the home to a reconstructed track and 4 new basketball courts for all the ball players and future Carmelo Anthony's of RED HOOK. It's also the home to the classic ball games that many come to from all around to watch. It also has a nice sized playground for the children that caters to the ever growing diversified population of people making new memories. Crack doesn't even exist in RED HOOK anymore. If it does you do not see it. I know I don't. And RED HOOK POOL... it's still there! If RED HOOK is such a bad place to live in and it is so full of drugs and corruption and all the negativity that people are quick to judge and whom obviously doesn't have a clue because they are not from there, then why the sudden urge to move in? (Arthur Rothstein, Kids, NYC)
Intimations of Autumn: 1952
... If only we could see a little farther left From the trees and the rocky terrain my best guess is that this is somewhere in Upstate ... entire United States. There's something about the nearest trees at the right that says California live oaks to me, but I can't quite make ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2014 - 12:10pm -

        UPDATE: Shorpy member SteamBoomer has correctly identified the location as Eureka Springs, Arkansas. See the Comments for details. "7 Oct. 1952 -- Entrance to ______  _______." Who can tell us where we are in this latest installment of Minnesota Kodachromes? (Hint: not Minnesota.) 35mm color slide by Hubert Tuttle, on the road with wife Grace. View full size. If only we could see a little farther leftFrom the trees and the rocky terrain my best guess is that this is somewhere in Upstate New York or northern New England. What makes the guessing game especially tantalizing is the sign partly visible at far left. Someone named Horton or Morton or Norton was running for state attorney general in the 1952 election. Here's hoping Wikipedia has enough detail ... [Edit: as another person helpfully noted, this could not be Upstate New York or northern New England in October. I should have known that.] [Further edit: the suggestion of Florida is an intriguing one, and there are some areas north of Orlando that might be hilly enough, but the rocky outcroppings at the right wouldn't be found in the Sunshine State.] Highway signDown the road a piece we see what looks like a shield-shaped US Highway number sign with an auxiliary above. The latter could be "NORTH," "SOUTH," "ALT(ernate)" etc. My guess is "alternate," specifically the earlier main route, based on the narrowness and the 1920s-1930s-era cement pavement, and since bypassed by a wider, straighter roadway. Of course, this only narrows the location down to the entire United States. There's something about the nearest trees at the right that says California live oaks to me, but I can't quite make out the leaf shape. Too green?I think it may be too green for the photo to have been taken in New England in October. Farther south, I think. I would be tempted to say, "entrance to Blue Ridge Parkway" if there were three spaces. California? Near a polo field?Judging from the trees (is that a madrone on the near left?) I would say coastal California. It's a bit lush to be Southern California. My guess would be near Santa Cruz. The sign with the horse icon on the left looks to me like a sign for polo grounds, rather than horse riding or racing. The area around the Polo Grounds Park in Aptos looks similar, but I couldn't find a road that matched that topography. Maybe not so far awayIt's 1952 and these are our friends whose previous photos have always been in southern Minnesota. Not Minnesota? OK, how about western Wisconsin, someplace between the Twin Cities and Eau Claire? I'm going with California, somewhere.The trees on the right look like Madrone or large Manzanita. There are some pines floating around in the trees as well as what could be a tallish live oak. The cut bank of dirt looks like the kind where I grew up. I'm going with North Central California. No idea as to the entrance. Process of EliminationIf the election poster is for state Attorney General, then California can't be the state. Pat Brown was elected in 1950 and didn't run again until 1954. There was a State Attorney General elected in Oregon named Thornton in 1952, but the last four letters of the last name on the poster are definitely "RTON". [Interesting, but knowing who got elected doesn't help you much if the guy on the poster lost. - Dave] US 12Looking from the rocks and trees, could they be on US-12 south of Baraboo, WI on their way to Devil's Lake State Park? Wonder SpotLake Delton, Wisconsin, just south of the Wisconsin Dells. Trees suggest not CaliforniaI'm pretty sure I see post oak, black oak and shortleaf pine. I could be wrong, but I'm going to go out "on a limb" and say its the entrance to "The Ozarks". ArkansasHwy 7 outside Hot Springs. Entrance To ...North Dakota! Florida?Forgive me if this a stupid suggestion (I'm a Brit and have visted parts of the US but not Florida). Someone named L.Grady Burton stood for Attorney General in Florida in 1948*. If elections are every 4 years he may have stood again in 1952. Does this help? *Daytona Beach Morning Journal - May 21, 1948. Folger Stable and Wunderlich ParkI think we are on what is now SR 84 North, Woodside Road, Redwood City, San Mateo County, California. The election poster seems to be for Atherton. The entrance to the left is for the Folger Stable, where one could hire a horse and take the equestrian trails through Wunderlich Park. Glib Bartonran for Attorney General in Arkansas in 1952, so I'm going to cast my vote for Arkansas, as well. [Ahem. CLIB Barton. - Dave] Route 120 in CaliforniaThere are ponderosa pine, digger pine, madrone and black oak (I believe) in the picture, all native to California. I'm going with Route 120 on the way to Yosemite Park out of Groveland, CA. 3500 foot elevation because everything is still green in October. Let's go to Hot Springs (Ark.)Looks a lot like an Arkansas highway, plus the sign with the racehorse on it indicates they are on the way to Hot Springs which has a major thoroughbred race track and is on Highway 7. Route 120 in CaliforniaBased on the vegetation (the near pines are Ponderosa pine and there are a couple of digger pine along the horizon), the madrone near the electric pole of the near left. I guess it to be somewhere around Groveland, CA on the road to Yosemite Park. Hot Springs to WinYes, it must be Hot Springs. Hot Springs has had a horse track since 1905, Oaklawn Park. [You're not even Warm. - Dave] Play SafeElect Clib Barton your Attorney General. Agree with MbillardAs you suggested Dave, find the one who lost the election. Glib Barton fits the bill. As for the fill in the blanks, how about "Ozark Mountains"? [Not quite. And Clib wasn't Glib. - Dave] My vote - not CaliforniaTwo things I see, both road-related: 1. California's two auto clubs (and the Division of Highways beginning in 1948) were in charge of road signage and paid meticulous attention to detail in doing so. That yellow diamond sign would've been mounted to a post painted yellow to match with black at the base. 2. If this is indeed a US highway, there would likely be white striping down the center of the roadway, even if it wasn't quite wide enough for two full lanes. Reading the hintsWarm Springs, Georgia? It's on my mind. Warm Springs?Going by your hints, is it Warm Springs, Georgia? [Getting colder. Brrr! - Dave] Strange if CaliforniaThe foliage definitely looks like California, but if that is a US Highway sign whose back we see things are a bit odd. My memory was, and checking the online 1952 highway map verified, that there were relatively few US Highways in California in 1952, none were designated Alternate, and all were relatively main roads. (Except for good old US 395 to Alturas, which had sections listed as oiled dirt or oiled gravel.) If it was a state or county road it's unlikely but possible that a stretch that long would not have a distance marker (we called them "paddle signs" in the rally game) showing. Nifty puzzle. OuachitaCould it be Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas? They hit Iowa on the way home from the trip.I was going to guess Iowa, due to this article which places them in Iowa not very long after this photo was taken: [I suspect Iowa was on both both legs of their trip! - Dave] Entrance to Eureka SpringsHubert and Grace have turned north off US Hwy 62 onto Arkansas Hwy 23. The photo was taken somewhere around GPS coordinates 36.394231,-93.742166. [Now that's what I call specific. And correct! How did you figure it out? - Dave] I simply had a Eureka moment! View Larger Map Eureka!SteamBoomer seems to have nailed it. The irony for me is that I was originally convinced that this was one of the roads in the state I grew up in, California. Instead, it turns out to be in the one town in Arkansas that also figured in my childhood. I spent a few summers in Eureka Springs staying with relatives. I remember the beautiful buildings and houses of the town well, but I'd forgotten the wild look of the countryside around it. Eureka Springs, 1904Family outing, 110 years ago: https://www.shorpy.com/node/3276 (Minnesota Kodachromes)
Revival: 1900
... sombody Looks like a Revival setting up. How many trees did it take to create a marvel like that? All that wood must have ... 
 
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)
Chestnut Street: 1906
... SO SAD WITHIN 40 YEARS THESE AMERICAN CHESTNUT TREES ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER AMERICAN CHESTNUT TREES ACCOUNTING FOR APPROXIMATELY 25 PERCENT OF OUR HARDWOOD FORESTS WOULD BE ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:23pm -

Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1906. "Chestnut Street." Continuing the chestnut theme. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Gone, but coming back?These and 4 billion other American chestnuts were killed by the blight that was spreading across the tree's native range at the time this photo was taken. But the good news is there's a way to bring them back! The American Chestnut Foundation is working to make their return a reality. http://www.acf.org/ WrappedNote the burlap bands, similar to those we currently use to trap gypsy moth caterpillars. I wonder what the blight was in 1906. Also, not a car in sight - beautiful. Ouch!I doubt anyone whose ever picked chestnuts before would ever want to walk down that street barefooted. SO SADWITHIN 40 YEARS THESE AMERICAN CHESTNUT TREES ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER AMERICAN CHESTNUT TREES ACCOUNTING FOR APPROXIMATELY 25 PERCENT OF OUR HARDWOOD FORESTS WOULD BE GONE, KILLED OFF BY THE ASIAN CHESNUT BLIGHT.THEY WERE A BEAUTIFUL TREE SOMETIMES ATTAINING 100 FEET IN HIGHT AND STRAIGHT AND STRONG AS OAK.THE (MAST) NUTS FED A HUGE POPULATION OF DEER AND OTHER FOREST CREATURES. Re: WrappedWondering also what those bands were for. Thing that confused me was that not all of the trees were wrapped. I even thought the trees might have been marked for removal because of their encroachment to the street. Obnoxious ads!I am terribly allergic to advertising, and moving images on my computer screen while trying to read or examine an image make me sick and angry. THIS page has a really offensive movie ad with fire and violence (I can't look at it long enough to read the name, and won't try) and this makes me leave the page very quickly. I will continue to remind you that you should not put up with this and no matter how rich it makes you it reflects badly on your entire operation. You need to exercise a bit of editorial control before you lose some of us out here! Lou Judson 415-883-XXXX Bird's eye viewThe white house at the end of the street is still there, as are many of these same houses! Fences and chestnut treesThis picture reminds me a lot of the photos of Samuel Chamberlain. He made shots of New England for the Travelers Insurance Company calendars for many years from the 1930s through the 50s, and made many wonderful images of Salem. He was a big fan of Samuel McIntyre, a Salem woodcarver and architect. McIntyre designed many of the finest houses on Chestnut Street, but he also specialized in magnificent wooden fences with elaborate details, as well as the elaborately carved moldings and fireplaces in the houses. Chestnut Street is one of the most magnificent streets in America. When I was a kid in the early 1950s the stumps of the last remaining chestnut trees were still visible in the woods. They were the true kings of the forest. One hollowed out stump could hold three or four little kids hiding out. ClassicGreat Colonial era hipped roof homes here. Many historic buildings in Massachusetts have been preserved. I hope that these are among them. Get a gripThe person who is allergic to moving images and "obnoxious ads" needs to be reminded that this is a FREE site that doesn't cost him a thing. I also don't see anything that could in any way be described as violent. Where is this ad containing fire? One thing I did notice was that way up at the top it says "May contain nuts." Truer words were never printed. Dave, these photos are wonderful and if I haven't done so already, I want to thank you for a job well done. SPEAKING OF NUTSI SEE WHERE A COUPLE OF THEM HAVE LANDED DOWN BELOW. Yikes! No Matter How Rich?Lou Judson wrote: "I will continue to remind you that you should not put up with this and no matter how rich it makes you it reflects badly on your entire operation. You need to exercise a bit of editorial control before you lose some of us out here!" Take it from someone who knows, no one ever got rich - or even adequately paid in most cases - for hosting ads on their sites. We do it because it can defray a bit of the cost of running the website, and I suspect that Dave's costs are infinitely greater than mine on my little blog. I too object to one of the ads that sometimes runs on this site - the one for the "electronic cigarette" but that's because I'm down on cigarettes, real and electronic. But I'm not going to demand that Dave drops advertising because of I object to it. Others might not, and more importantly when the choice is between having the ads and not having the blog (or not having as many posts in the blog) I'll suffer through the advertising. [Hosting for this site runs around $3,300 a year; ad revenue is in the five figures. - Dave] Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote:Under the spreading chestnut tree, the village smithy stands, etc. etc. Nice poem, look it up. Thats about all I know about chestnuts, except they are delicious boiled or baked, in turkey stuffing or alone, freshly roasted, on the streets of NYC in the winter. Good day. Turning the cornerI can remember taking a tour of Salem, my big interest being all the Salem Witch Trials stuff. The first stop on the tour was this street, which was home to all the captains, both sea and commerce back in the 1840s. Turning the corner and not expecting what I saw, is the one thing I can remember. You don’t expect a beautiful street like this one in the same town that has a witch museum in an old church. It has not changed in all those years. Elms on ChestnutThe trees appear to be elms, not chestnuts. Perhaps the street was named after the trees that dominated here in the 17th or 18th century. The tree wrapping was probably to slow the climb of gypsy moths, first released in the U.S. at Medford, Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Speaking of AdsI notice a variety of "outside" ads, ever-changing, some with "dancing baloney" to catch the eye, but they are well contained within strictly defined spaces. I regard this as a very reasonable price for a free and very rewarding web site. Please continue along your current path. No Matter How Rich?But that doesn't include the cost, even if it's only opportunity cost, of collecting and fixing the pictures. I see the pictures LOC puts up on Flickr, and what you do with them is unreal. I don't imagine the big ones you get are any better than the ones they post. Must be a lot of work involved in making them look like they were taken yesterday. [The only "collecting" we do is downloading the image files from the LOC website. Then I adjust them in Photoshop. - Dave] Still looks pretty much like thisI walked down this street yesterday afternoon, and it's fun to see how little has changed. It's paved now, but still amazingly wide (for a one-way street)! (The Gallery, DPC, Salem)
The Trees' Knees: 1897
"A cypress swamp," somewhere in Mississippi circa 1897. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. The cars -- the cars. Those cars certainly are not Harriman Standard ones. They didn't exist until 1906 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/23/2017 - 4:22pm -

"A cypress swamp," somewhere in Mississippi circa 1897. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. The cars -- the cars.Those cars certainly are not Harriman Standard ones. They didn't exist until 1906, and were all steel cars. H-S constituted a big step in safety and utility to the railroads, along with the other steel cars that began showing up around the same time. Some steel cars retained the clerestory roof. I don't know if this is Jackson's train (or even photo), but it isn't likely to be the one linked to in another post. Fishing Gentleman, Hidden DragonNote the passenger train hiding in the background. At a guess, a 4-4-0 pulling a rake of Harriman cars. Photo Special?The train in the background could well be Jackson's Special that brought him to the location as seen in this image. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Landscapes, W.H. Jackson)
Street of Trees: 1904
Indianapolis circa 1904. "North Delaware Street." Our third visit to this leafy enclave. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. On the street where you live, 115 years later This pristine, beautiful, tree lin ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/10/2019 - 3:44pm -

Indianapolis circa 1904. "North Delaware Street." Our third visit to this leafy enclave. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. On the street where you live, 115 years laterThis pristine, beautiful, tree lined street with stately Victorian mansions. So classy and elegant it makes you wish you were living there. I wonder what that street looks like 115 years later. Gone Baby GoneThe house at left in the 1400 block of North Delaware, sadly, is gone. The lot it stood on now makes up the side yard of the house you see behind it, that still exists. Surprisingly, most of the wrought iron fence you see also still exists. The wooden fence does not. Most of the homes in this designated historic area are now adopted to commercial use: Law offices, bed and breakfasts, and fraternal or professional organizations. Take a HikeThere are sidewalks, and there are sidewalks. Then there are THESE sidewalks. I thought they were part of an outer service drive at first. Really wide. Was it typical for Indy at the time or just this street? (The Gallery, DPC, Indianapolis)
Classical Gas: 1942
... The arms on the sailor, way on the left. Healthy trees Today's view shows scraggly, anemic looking trees. So much so it's not hard at all to see the Washington Monument. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2019 - 5:54pm -

July 1942. Washington, D.C. "Cars and trucks on Independence Avenue S.W." Photo by John Ferrell for the Office of War Information. View full size. AkimboThe arms on the sailor, way on the left. Healthy treesToday's view shows scraggly, anemic looking trees. So much so it's not hard at all to see the Washington Monument. [In the December 2016 view below, it's almost as if the trees are missing their leaves. Bizarre! - Dave] It's more than just the leaves, Dave. [Yes. They're a sickly green color. - Dave] Stylin'The '30s and early '40s saw the gradual application of Deco and streamlined design themes to a wide assortment of machines, in this case the Shell tanker depicted. What's the difference between a gasoline tanker and a Sunbeam toaster? In this instance, not a whole lot, aesthetically speaking. Sentimental momentMy Dad worked for Shell for nearly 50 years. He kept a 1/32(?) scale model version of this tanker truck on his office credenza for as long as I can remember. Nice to see a photo of the real thing. No where to goThere are no pockets in a Navy dress uniform, difficult to know what to do with your hands. Same with football uniforms. Car IDsThe car closest to the sailor is a '39 Plymouth. The car on the right with radio antenna and Greyhound hood ornament is a '35 Ford. Car radios were expensive in the 1930s, $80 for a Packard radio. The low-priced 3 had MSRPs of about $700, so a radio sale made the dealers happy. Does anyone know what a heater cost in 1935 - 1940? Shorpy Vehicle Identification ImperativeNo one has yet identified the humble 2dr sedan in front of that adorable Shell gas truck. It is a 1939 Hudson. My dad had a 1937 Terraplane version of the sedan in the photo. He enjoyed calling the Hudson a "Late Model Essex." Which, I guess, it was. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Gas Stations, John Ferrell)
Kittatinny House: 1905
... to have a smoke. Natural telephone poles Notice the trees on the right are used for telephone poles. Any trees left after it was built? Wow...what a monster. Imagine the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 4:37pm -

Circa 1905. "Kittatinny House, Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Huh?Excuse me but are those curtains on the outside of the window? Need A BreakThe gentleman to the left looks to be taking a break from the food service area to have a smoke. Natural telephone polesNotice the trees on the right are used for telephone poles. Any trees left after it was built?Wow...what a monster. Imagine the maintenance required....paint...shutters, shingles.....ice. CurtainsThey may have been used to keep insects out - like a screen window Tree powerInteresting use. Trees don't grow upwards their whole length but only at the top. The trees grow in girth. So at least the lines won't move up through the years. The standoffs might evidentially be engulfed in the outer layers of the tree. A stream runs through itOne unique feature of Kittatinny House was the mountain stream that ran through the kitchen (I hope it was planned that way). The road we see with the horses and buggy is now Route 611, with I-80 down below along the Delaware River, which divides New Jersey and Pennsylvania here at the Delaware Water Gap. Nearby is what's described as the best rock climbing in New Jersey. Here's the fountain we see at the far end of Shorpy's photo. Dave, would all this light come from one Mother of All Gunpowder Flashes? NPS informationA user-friendly pdf of the Park Service's Spanning the Gap newsletter provides background and a map of the resort. Just a memoryThe best I could find out is that there are ruins of the fountain and the stone ovens. [It was destroyed by fire in 1931.] Dreaming of a Different TimeI see these pictures on Shorpy of the way people lived and played back in those days and I feel left out that I cannot experience the same. Wouldn't it be great to take a trip on a river boat like the stern and side wheelers we see in these photos? Even just a day trip down river and back. How would you like to visit the seaside and see Coney Island or Atlantic City back then and wander up or down the boardwalk? What would it be like to stay in one of the big hotels or popular inns that are featured in these photos? Actually, a lot of us would not have been fortunate enough to afford a trip or a vacation to some of these places. Money was as tight then, or tighter, than it is now. But it is nice to dream and just imagine that you are there enjoying the sights and sounds. [It was destroyed by fire in 1931.]Well of course it was, was there ever any doubt? (The Gallery, DPC, Horses)
Gadsden Shoppers: 1940
... for the subject matter? Can't see Gadsden for the trees Here's the approximate place - it's hard to see because of the trees planted sometime after 1940. Sterchi's Furniture was at Fifth and Broad, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2021 - 3:31pm -

December 1940. "Christmas shopping crowds. Gadsden, Alabama." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Fur realWoman wearing fur #1 (her head is immediately to the right of Rains & Rains Lawyers) is turning to check out woman wearing fur #2 (just above Use Stair Way). The real challenge (aside from identify all the cars) is: identify fur #2. Dan Cohen is selling Hoes?!And on Broad Street, no less. I want to respond to sinking_ship and his "Bag the drama" comment. Yes, there are possibilities as to what exchange is taking place; but there is also probability. Most who have commented believe the black man is probably being insulted. And just as he is not looking at his white antagonist, the antagonist's friend is also looking straight ahead, without expression. I read that to mean he wants no part of what his friend is doing. And you ask does any of this affect you? -- it does, because all of us today need to accept and acknowledge that we cannot treat minorities the way our grandpas did. Why are you looking at these old photographs if you feel no compassion for the subject matter? Can't see Gadsden for the treesHere's the approximate place - it's hard to see because of the trees planted sometime after 1940. Sterchi's Furniture was at Fifth and Broad, and we can see the Belk-Hudson (Hughes 1903) building with the curved windows on the right (all white in the original). The South in the 1940sThe first thing I noticed was in the foreground, the fellow in the coveralls with his back to us. The look the guy on his right is giving him ... To me, it's very chilling. Snark?In the lower left corner, there is a White man who appears to be making a comment to Black man as they pass each other. One wonders about what is being said, in 1940's Jim Crow Alabama. Fur in AlabamaSure doesn't look cold enough for fur, based on the dress of everyone else. A classic lookThat guy in the fedora near the bottom of the photo, second in from the curb, is displaying one of my favorite "looks" from that era, with the leather jacket and the khakis and the hat. That will never not look "cool." CarchitectureInteresting how much cars of the same vintage -- no matter the make -- tend to look so similar. VisitorMost of the cars seem to have the proper Alabama plates for the time, but the third car up from the bottom is an out-of-state car, though I do not know from where. Here and now...There are so many other possibilities as to who or what caused the gentleman to turn his head. Should we dox his descendants and make sure they pay for his vile transgression that is so clearly explained from a shutter click 80 years ago. Bag the drama, please. Sneak peekThe briskly walking elegant lady, bottom left, in the dark coat has what can only be described as a well-turned ankle ... and the overalls-clad gent with the package under his arm might have noticed it. Also Rains & Rains lawyers ... that's pretty funny. Must've been plaintiff attorneys, perhaps collaborating on larger cases with Monin & Gronin, Attorneys at Law. New legal partner?I was waiting for one of the Rains legal partners to leave, and a new partner to come on board: Pours. Albert McKinley Rains (1902-1991)Rains was born in Grove Oak, DeKalb County, on March 11, 1902, to Elbert and Luella Rains; he had three siblings. He attended local schools and after graduating high school attended John H. Snead Seminary in Boaz, Marshall County. Rains went on to attend present-day Jacksonville State University and the University of Alabama. He studied law, passed the bar exam in 1928, and practiced alongside his brother Will Rains at the firm of Rains and Rains in Gadsden the following year. http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3683 Re: Fur in Alabama? Being from the South in my youth, until I married at 19 and moved North with my new husband at 20 when he got out of the Air Force, and growing up around plenty of older, well-to-do Southern Ladies, I seem to recall that the biggest rule of proper dress had little to do with the temperature, as long as the season was right! As long as it's not hot enough to cause a lady to "glow" - gentlemen "perspired," and horses would "sweat" - then a properly dressed upper class lady, (providing she owned one, which one couldn't be a proper lady without one) wouldn't be seen in public without her fur coat, (and matching or coordinating hat!) Visitor: A Yankee!The third car up from the bottom highlighted in a previous comment displays a 1940 Massachusetts plate. And wouldn't it satisfy a bit of curiosity to discover the plate's owner in the MA registry of motor vehicles (assuming the archives go that far back)? Not only todayThey say most cars today look basically the same. I guess that could apply to most of the cars in this photo too. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Christmas, John Vachon)
Chez Jackson: 1900
... Doomed canopy All those stately American Elm trees, soon to disappear forever. A quiet and peaceful street where life ... photo defects? [Telephone wires. - Dave] Urban trees Many streets in Milwaukee (where I used to live) were lined with elm ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 10:35pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1900. "W.H. Jackson residence." On the right, the home of William Henry Jackson, whose Western, Mexican and Florida photographs formed an important part of the Detroit Publishing catalogue. View full size. Chez Jackson = Hotel Richelieu Page 787 of the 1898 Detroit City Directory lists "Wm. H. Jackson, photogr." as boarding at the house on the right -- the Hotel Richelieu, 420 2nd Avenue. In 1920, this address was renumbered to 2536 2nd Ave. [map]. The water fountain in Cass Park can be seen off in the distance. In the 1899 and 1900 Directories, Jackson was living in a house seven blocks to the north at 706 2nd Avenue, which was on the southeast corner at Alexandrine Street. In the 1901 and 1902 Directories, he is living two blocks farther north at 154 Canfield Avenue. [Thank you! I had guessed wrong as to which half of the panorama showed the house. - Dave] Doomed canopyAll those stately American Elm trees, soon to disappear forever. A quiet and peaceful streetwhere life is only disturbed by the odd passing phantom! StreakersAre those wires coming from the left side of the Richelieu, or just photo defects? [Telephone wires. - Dave] Urban treesMany streets in Milwaukee (where I used to live) were lined with elm trees. They were indeed stately trees, beautiful in the summer and the fall, they even looked good in the winter. It was sad to lose them, most died and were cut down in the 50s and 60s, no other urban tree has their class. GreeneryCharming. Until I thought of the coal bin and saw that jungle of wires in the trees. If they only knew of the rubber-wheeled locomotives leaving the rails to roar up and down the streets. Those engineers bemoaning a bad economy,, they'd wish to stay in a simpler time. Give Me Today, Thank YouWhen I first saw this picture I thought " Wow. Wouldn't it be great to go back and live in one of these houses?" But, after some consideration, no thank you. I couldn't have afforded the neighborhood to begin with on my meager salary. Those were not the best of times either. Diseases such as typhoid, scarlet fever, measles, tuberculosis, malaria, all took their toll. Antibiotics, penicillin, even sulfa drugs, which were used in WW2, had not been invented. It may have been a more quiet time but I will stay in my own time thank you. Ah, DetroitAh, Detroit before the Dutch Elm disease epidemic! How lovely it was. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC)
White Christmas: 1954
... Walls Very groovy wall colors. When did aluminum trees come on the scene? [Not sure, but this is a real spruce tree ... Milwaukee duirng the holidays and seeing the flocked trees in the picture windows of the houses. Some had spot lights on them ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/21/2017 - 12:15pm -

          Another stocking-stuffer from the Shorpy Christmas closet: Christmas 1954. My grandmother Sarah Hall (1904-2000, last seen here) and her daughter, my Aunt Barbara (1935-2017), at home in Miami Shores. 35mm Kodachrome by my grandfather Shepard. The tree is a northern blue spruce, spray-painted white with his workshop air compressor. View full size. TreeThat is one seriously lovely tree. My grandmother had an artificial one similar to this one well into the 1980s. [This was a real spruce, sprayed with white paint using Granddad's air compressor out in the garage. The next year they got a full-size tree and did the same thing. - Dave] Painted tree.My uncle in N. Illinois used the same technique. The weather was very cold. He used latex paint. It was a mess when he brought it inside and the paint thawed what a great ideaI love it. I also love those days even though I wasn't alive. I can almost imagine sitting there watching this photo being taken. What a nice fam! Aunt Barb is kind of hot too. interesting to note dark blue wallsout of style for many years, dark interior colors are back in vogue. Xmas InteriorI was only 5 years old then but I vividly remember our house having dark painted walls. Now that I look back I guess it was a vogue thing. WallsVery groovy wall colors. When did aluminum trees come on the scene? [Not sure, but this is a real spruce tree spray-painted white. - Dave] Looks like a "flocked" treeLooks like a "flocked" tree which was just coming into vogue in the mid 50's. I used to love to drive around Milwaukee duirng the holidays and seeing the flocked trees in the picture windows of the houses. Some had spot lights on them making them pink, green, blue red, and white. What a great time. 1954 Here I Come!Hi All I'm attempting to do a retro 1950's/ 60's American looking tree this year (in the UK), and I'll definitely be using this lovely old image as an inspiration. I'm going to heavily flock the edges of my real tree, I've bought lots of vintage ornaments from the US, lots of vintage Shiny Brite and quite a few of the Radko modern version. I've even splashed out on some new but vintage looking 1950's style coloured lights, unfortunately although we have a great selection of lights in the UK, I just couldn't find that retro looking US style other then in the US itself, so Ive ordered again from Radko ($400 - ugghh) and of course I've had to get step down power transformers - I MUST be mad ;-) Merry Christmas One & All - Justin x 1962I was in first grade in 1962. My family had a fresh-cut tree, not much different from today's except of the thumb-size colored lights. The lobby of the school I went to for grades 1-5 had a smallish silver-colored fake tree with blue glass balls and a color wheel so that the light shining on the tree alternated between 4 different colors. Dress LustAunt Barb has the most wonderful dress! Color trend of the eraMy grandmother also painted her living room this exact same color scheme in the early fifties: dark green walls, white trim, dark coordinating floral prints of barkcloth on the furniture. I bet if you look around you will see some ceramic mallard ducks flying on walls or on the tops of end tables. I would say , though, that your grandmother is particularly color coordinated--right down the the tree, bulbs, and wrapped present placement. Barbara is definitely not cooperating in pink and blue. There is a small, slightly rebellious smile on her face and Grandma does not look at all pleased. Mommmm!1955. The year Mom went "modern", abandoned all our colorful hand-me-down ornaments and big-bulb lights, and got a flocked tree, decked out in a brand new set of coordinated red and gold ornaments, with tiny white twinkle lights. The horror, the horror! Lighting the wayI'm surprised to see a lantern of some kind hanging over what appears to be the back door. Do you know if it was a decor thing or was it a working lamp? A bit unusual by the 1950's. Flocked trees were sometimes kept for yearsWhen my ex was in college, in the 70s, I cleaned houses for elderly ladies. One, who was quite eccentric, lived in a huge, Victorian mansion. In the large living room, with a very high ceiling, was an enormous,flocked Christmas tree, done with the spray-on imitation snow. It had been there for several years. It was summer while I was working for her and it was very strange to be vacuuming up pine needles and fake snow in 90+ degree weather. I always kept an eye on it, because I knew that if the slightest spark got near it, it would be engulfed in flames before I could even dial the fire department. It was still there when I stopped cleaning her house and I have always wondered how much longer it was there and if it ever caught fire. Deja VuTalk about a double take! The walls in my living room are green, and the white trim is exactly the same profile as shown. Several of the houses on my street (in Kansas) have that same white trim and I salvaged some extra when the house next door was torn down. Do you know whether the house in the picture was built in the late 30s? It's been 2 yearsAnd I still covet Aunt Barb's dress! Barbara's dress!To die for. Must have... CandlesAbout 20 years ago, my wife and I had dinner with a man I worked with. His wife was from Germany. She followed German tradition and had a Christmas tree with lighted candles. They kept a pan of water nearby, just in case. But that was, shall we say, "exciting." ColorsI love ALL of the colors in this pic. From the pattern of the chair, the tree, the presents, and yes, of course that dress! Especially with that pretty pink lipstick! Painted TreeFive years after this posted (2007) and I'm giggling like a schoolgirl ~~ Probably because I had a flashback to the aluminum tree with color wheel my parents had in 1959 or so. Tree ShapeThose rounder/squatter trees typically seen in Shorpy photos kind of required a different sort of decorating. Instead of lights and ornaments hung on individual branches, it seems as if you would have to hang multiple on the more limited branches going in towards the trunk. It changes the dimension and aesthetic of the tree I would think. Christmas chairI cannot begin to tell you how much I covet that chair your aunt Barbara is sitting in. It's lovely, and so is the setting with the tree and your grandmother! Obviously back when people still dressed up for everything social, and work. Merry Christmas from here in Okieland! Presents oddsThe most populat gifts for Christmas in 1954: Matchbox Cars, Yahtzee, Lincoln Logs, and Scrabble. What are the odds that any of the boxes under the tree contained one of them? Oh yeahHad to go back and look at the date on that pic, I'm about 9 months older than this one, but I remember that style of decorating well into the early '60s. My grandparents had the bubble lights on theirs, which I still love. Will have to find some of the modern replacements for our tree next year. Of course, styles were slower to change in the Midwest than either coast. You just can't beat KodachromeWonderful colors throughout the photo. Sorry to see that you lost your Aunt Barbara this year Dave. StylishCan't believe nobody has commented on the lampshade above Aunt Barb. Frankly, I love it! AddressHaving lived in South Florida for 38 years, I'd love to know if that house is still standing. Is the address available? [882 NE 97th Street. - Dave] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Iowa City: 1940
... Theater. The buildings in the background behind the trees are part of the U. Of Iowa campus at South Clinton Street. (There ... at Gilbert, what are the big buildings behind the trees? Iowa City I'm curious where this is as there is currently no Main ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/19/2007 - 1:07am -

February 1940: The main street in Iowa City, Iowa. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. Iowa CityI'm not sure, but this may be East Washington Street again, facing the opposite direction from the earlier photo that included the Englert Theater. The buildings in the background behind the trees are part of the U. Of Iowa campus at South Clinton Street. (There will be a quiz on Iowa City geography and landmarks tomorrow.) 300 block of Washington St.occnumber10: You could be right. My mental map of Iowa City has faded with time, and for the life of me I can't remember what's across Washington from Gabe's other than the old Press-Citizen Building that's just out of view to the right. If this is Washington at Gilbert, what are the big buildings behind the trees? Iowa CityI'm curious where this is as there is currently no Main Street in Iowa City. Perchance it is what is now College Street? [Could be. Maybe he was using the term generically. Actually he didn't capitalize the "street." I've changed the caption to reflect that. - Dave] WeatherRather narsty weather that day! 300 block of Washington StreetSome research suggests that this is the 300 block of East Washington Street--facing east with South Gilbert Street as the visible cross street. http://downtowniowacity.com/files/historic_downtown.pdf Boerner's seems to be where Gabe's/The Picador now sits. 3) Ridge Road?As a former/current part time cab driver, I'll start with number three. Ridge Road would make the most sense, as you can access it via the relative high ground of Whiting Avenue. Iowa City100 block of East Washington Street, facing west. I scoped this out downtown today, and scribe's first call seems to be right. The university building in the background would be Schaeffer Hall. Basically this shot is 180 degrees from the one posted earlier. I'm looking forward to the quiz on IC landmarks! Ridge RoadYep, Ridge and Whiting, plus a lot of zigging and zagging on streets I've forgotten. It felt like one had to go five miles to travel those four blocks, or half way to West Branch. Iowa, Illinois and Missouri got pummeled by Mother Nature that summer. It was quite impressive, to say the least. I remember seeing a contemporary satellite image showing ground saturation, and the entire state of Iowa was indistinguishable from a lake or ocean. Iowa City quizOw! I just got hurt patting myself on the back. ;) Just kidding on the landmarks and geography quiz, but what the heck: 1) Besides "Field of Dreams," Iowa City author W.P. Kinsella wrote a fantasy novel called " The Iowa Baseball Conspiracy." What famous landmark played outfield exceptionally well? 2) In 1927 and 1929 an Iowa graduate was the only black player in the NFL? A U of I building is named after him. Who was he? 3) It's 1993 and much of the town is under water because the Iowa River flooded for several months. N. Dubuque St. from Park Rd. to Mayflower Residence Hall was closed. How would one drive the four blocks from Park to the apartments at 1122 N. Dubuque (adjacent to Mayflower). Warning: this is nearly a "you can't get there from here" question. Have fun. Iowa City locationThis is Washington Street, camera facing west at the intersection with Clinton Street. The building behind the elm trees is Shaeffer Hall -- the SW corner of the University of Iowa's Pentacrest. Behind Shaeffer is McLean Hall. I've lived in Iowa City for 49 years, and I work at the University. Cheers [Thanks! You what would be great? A current photo taken from the same spot. - Dave] Current pic upcomingI'll do that Dave, Thursday morning! - Jeff [Thanks Jeff! - Dave] 67 years laterHere's a pic of the same location taken 12/20/07. [Wow. Amazing. Thanks so much! - Dave] +83Below is the same view from May of 2023. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Speed Demon: 1904
... And the rare rider on horseback in a city. Elm trees! And American Elms lining the street. Even from 106 years and ... it was like growing up in one of these places. Those trees are no longer there, like the millions of others wiped out by Dutch Elm ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:14am -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1904. "Delaware Avenue." Hitching posts, mounting blocks, ice wagons and gaslight at the dawn of the automobile age. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Mark Twain and Buffalo wintersThe story of all the millionaires on this street reminds me that Mark Twain married and retired to Buffalo. After digging for gold in California, Twain became a gold digger and married into money. I wonder what this street looked like during the next winter. How on earth did they clear the streets, or did all the millionaires go to Florida? I will always remember visiting Buffalo in May and seeing huge, melting mounds of plowed snow. Puts their winter into perspective. I would love to be thereFinally horseback riders! I would love to ride a horse around the city streets with no cars. Nice houses too. Those people were so lucky. Two ladies?I suspect the man is adjusting the lady's stirrup. Remember that even an ankle showing during this time was shocking, so I seriously doubt he was doing anything even slightly inappropriate. What is truly odd is that the sorrel horse is wearing a sidesaddle as well. Men didn't ride sidesaddle. I wonder if the dark horse threw a shoe and the man was allowing the lady to ride his horse home? Or is there another lady we can't see? [Count the legs -- there are three horses in this group. - Dave] Clop-clopAnd the rare rider on horseback in a city. Elm trees!And American Elms lining the street. Even from 106 years and 2,000 miles awayI can hear those horses flipping out, and the riders screaming, "Slow down, you whippersnapper!" Can't help but noticeThe woman riding sidesaddle. Her gentleman friend seems extra helpful. Uh-ohI suspect that we'll soon see a Google Street View that shows this lovely tree-lined street of serenity has been replaced by one choked with automobiles, strip malls and gas stations. I hope I'm wrong. So civilized!Wow. Such a quiet, peaceful street scene! It's hard to imagine such a civilized world. Time TravelI have a new favorite. Full size, zoom in, and walk back in time. Well done, Dave. Grew up hereThank you for showing this elegant street in its prime. I grew up in Buffalo and you could always catch a hint of what once was when driving down Delaware Avenue. Delaware AvenueIn 1901, President William McKinley was shot at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo and brought to the home of Expo head John Milburn at 1168 Delaware Avenue. (The house was later, unbelievably, torn down and paved over for a parking lot -- with schoolchildren watching.) When McKinley took a turn for the worse, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt made his famous dash from Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks to Buffalo -- the trail is still there today. Feeling it was inappropriate to swear in at Mr. Milburn's house, where McKinley was being autopsied, Roosevelt moved his inauguration to his friend Ansley Wilcox's mansion, a away at 641 Delaware Avenue. Today, it is the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. VroomMust be a crazed teenage driver. I bet he has that thing up to 15, maybe 20 mph! Oh my!I was more than a little shocked when I saw the man on the left with his hand under the skirt of the lady on the white horse. Even if it is her husband, I believe that show of affection in public was more than a little risque. I have to admit though, I do think it's very romantic. Beautiful HomesI walk this stretch of Delaware Avenue every day at lunch. This was the address to have in Buffalo at the turn of the 20th century. I have heard it said that more millionaires lived in Buffalo than any other American city at the time. Many of these homes are still standing but occupied by businesses. I can only imagine what it was like growing up in one of these places. Those trees are no longer there, like the millions of others wiped out by Dutch Elm disease. Delaware Avenue todayLooks pretty much the same. View Larger Map Beautiful BuffaloThank you for another gorgeous shot of beautiful Buffalo! I grew up in Buffalo and although some of this beauty is lost, we still have quite a bit. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Horses)
Splashdown: 1960
... I'm going to go with Southern CA. [Those are trees, not mountains. - Dave] Not California Screened-in pools are not ... wouldn't have known what it was anyway. Umbrella Trees I grew up in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, and our 1972 house had not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 9:22pm -

Somewhere in suburbia circa 1960. Probably South Florida. Anscochrome transparency by Frank Scherschel, Life magazine photo archive. View full size. South FloridaI grew up in S. Florida and while the architecture is evocative, we don't have mountains like they have in the background. I'm going to go with Southern CA. [Those are trees, not mountains. - Dave] Not CaliforniaScreened-in pools are not found to any extent in California. Bugs tend to mind their own business there and leave people pretty much alone. McMansionsThis photo could have been duplicated any number of places 35 years later, except that the pool would've been bigger. During the fad for huge McMansions in Florida in the 1990s, this kind of screened pool was an essential feature. Gulf CoastThis looks like the gulf coast area, maybe Galveston, Texas. They're Here in TexasWe have friends just ten minutes from here that have a screened-in pool (Dallas area). A black aluminum frame with black fiberglass screening. It's great in summer, as it keeps the mosquitoes out, and keeps leaves out of the pool. Only one I've ever seen, though. Looks familiarI think I swam in the pool. I once lived in So. Fla. - a long, long time ago - and just about every other house had that set up. Florida AgainThis looks just like my parents' backyard pool patio in SW Florida. Most houses in that area were built in the 60's Nice CropWhy did you crop out the Life watermark in the lower right corner? With this action is it okay for us Shorpy readers to profit off of your work as long as we remove your watermark? [Because it's (a) super-distracting and (b) only about 80 percent there. And of course (c), showing it would deprive tut-tutting busybodies of a chance to tut. - Dave] Florida RoomWhen I was growing up in Western New York, people called screened-in or glassed-in porches "Florida rooms." I can smell the chlorineMy grandparents lived in Hollywood, Florida and had a screened porch like this one. The next door neighbor had a pool. Boy does it bring back memories. One of ManyI just moved out of Florida (finally) a few years ago. There are bajillions of homes down there with that layout. they were built right up to the early 90's when the fad of McMansions started. I know the layout like the back of my hand. If you face the screen door and turn 90 degrees you will be looking at sliding glass doors leading into the master bedroom. Just to the left of those will be a door leading into the bathroom and probably an outside shower. Further to the left you will have another set of sliders, the kitchen window over the sink, a door leading into the 1 car garage and then another screen door. The screen enclosure is called a "Lanai" in Florida and this type with the flat roof and aluminum screening is a maintenance nightmare. All lanais are now built with pitched roofs that are much stronger. What kind of room?When I moved to Virginia from California and was house-hunting, I kept being advised by my very Southern realtor that it had a "flowda room." Had to ask a friend what in heck that was. I have since gotten used to the suuuthen accent but I probably wouldn't have known what it was anyway. Umbrella TreesI grew up in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, and our 1972 house had not only this exact aluminum-frame screen but the "umbrella tree" planted outside, by the screen door. Visitors said our screen looked like a bird cage, but they were a ubiquitous neighborhood feature. [I grew up in Miami and we had them too. And we also called them umbrella trees, not scheffleras. Anyway they were huge -- the biggest was at least 25 feet tall -- and dropped dozens of leaves every day. Which are bright yellow when they fall off. My sister and I each got paid 50 cents a week to "pick up leaves." We used a pole with a nail in the end, like the trash collectors have. And then once a year they would bloom, with great big red spiky things that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. Which of course would fall off a make another mess for us to clean up. Those were the days. - Dave] Definitely Florida There are three things in this picture that suggest it is in Florida. (1) The vegetation looks typical of Florida. Also note the hedge row to the right, pretty close to the pool with no fence behind. Could be hiding a canal. (2) The screened in pool. Although sun rooms are found everywhere - it seems that every other house in the state of Florida has one while they are pretty rare anywhere else. Someone mentioned Galveston - I've been to Galveston many times (I grew up in Houston) and I've never seen a screened in pool in Galveston. (3) At the left edge of the picture is the edge of a stucco / cinderblock structure that is typical of house construction in Miami in the 50s. Very hurricane resistant. On the LanaiThis looks very close to a house owned by some friends of my parents in Sarasota. It's not theirs, but it's sure darn close because just seeing this triggered a memory of swimming in their lanai pool in 1972. "Lanai"First, yes to those who correctly labeled the umbrella trees -- or shefflera, as they are one in the same. My family moved to Boca Raton in 1961 -- no one I knew, parents or children, ever used the word "lanai." Matter of fact, until the heavy usage of it in the script of Golden Girls I never heard it used in the context of Florida. Digressing....goes to show you the influences of television! Now, if they would only use the proper pronunciation of Boca Raton when they crack those awful jokes! (Raton has a long o, coming from the original "Boca de Ratones." Also, the modern Boca Raton is not in the same location as the maps of old indicate.) To Zap, those aren't mountains in the background. Suggest you use the zoom feature on your tool bar. That's simply differing tree heights -- likely a mix of taller Australian pines with others. To Dave, my dad rigged one of those nail on a stick devices, too. But, I didn't get paid. You lucky ducks! While everyone else is concentrating on the foliage and architecture you are overlooking what truly pegs this photo into its proper time slot and place. 1) The lack of overbuilding in the background and above ground power lines. 2) The plaid pattern on the raft and the boy's "trunks." Also, unless the eyes are fooling me, the girl's one piece suit is also plaid. I'd say we are certainly talking Florida, no later than 1966. By '67 she'd be in some kind of a two-piece with flowers, and the raft would be a lot groovier. That "Flowda room" woman sure wasn't from South Florida -- not much in the way of accents there in over 40 years. Florida RoomBy Donald Fagen From the album "Kamakiriad" 1993 Start on Key Plantain Walk a tropical mile. You'll see a house In the Spanish style. There's a room in back With a view of the sea Where she sits and dreams. Does she dream of me? When summer's gone I get ready To make that Carribee run. I've got to have Some time in the sun. Chorus: When the cold wind comes I go where the dahlias bloom. I keep drifting back To your Florida room. Pool ScreensI had no idea that lanais go that far back, with screened in pools. I had one built and of course, the the roof is not flat, but pitched like a normal roof. It's still a nightmare because the screen gets really dirty from the trees, which of course, ends up in the pool when it rains. If I ever move, no more pools. (Art & Design, Kids, LIFE, Sports)
Meet the Loomises: 1939
... I'll bite: What's that ball?) Now, but before the trees in front Foo. Having once again forgotten how to embed a Street ... would be handy. 2008: ) Anyway, trees and jet trails now, but the fence remains. Vachon had such a good ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/12/2020 - 7:01pm -

        Social Distancing 1.0 -- no matter how close you get, these folks are always at least six feet away. October 1939. "Graveyard, Shaftsbury Center, Bennington County, Vermont." You can exhume the hi-res Loomises by clicking here. Acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size. United AboveDivided Below. (Okay, I'll bite: What's that ball?) Now, but before the trees in frontFoo. Having once again forgotten how to embed a Street View. (Edit: Thanks. I've told others in the past how to embed Street View, but, as happens, this time didn't find the trick. A note in the FAQ/Instructions would be handy. 2008: ) Anyway, trees and jet trails now, but the fence remains. Vachon had such a good eye. An acorn?If it is a giant acorn, it is a clumsy image, given its disproportion to the tree. But a tree by itself, or an acorn by itself, might not convey anything, and an acorn proportional to the tree would not be noticed. It brings to my mind the verse from the gospel of John, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." It might be difficult to portray the fall of a grain of wheat in sculpture, but a tree and an acorn seem readily intelligible. Not much has changedExcept for more trees. It's always interesting to see how many more trees exist today than in America of the early 20th century. AcornThank you for that, Archivist. But what does the oak signify in this context? I must confess I’m a bit adrift here. I get that the chain is united above and divided below (whatever that really means), but does it also refer to the family – united in life, divided in death? I’m puzzled. Forests in New England come full circleMuch of New England was clear cut of timber in the pre-Revolutionary days to create farmland. However, once the Erie Canal, and later, the railroads, came in and opened up the fertile (and flatter) lands of the Midwest to farming, most of the agricultural lands were abandoned, and the forests regrew. It took a couple of hundred-odd years, but now the forests are more verdant than before. Never mind the acornThe more important part of the carving is the broken chain, symbolizing an ended life. This can also refer to the "divided below," meaning the family circle which is now broken, while "united above" refers to the deceased reunited with God in Heaven. Clarrisa, ClarissaAnyone else notice that Clarissa's name is misspelled on her headstone? [Or if her name is Clarrisa, the typo is on her son's headstone. - Dave] Ah, the Loomis clan.Fairly prolific bunch of New England settler folk. Among their many descendants are such luminaries (Loomis-naries?) as Doodles Weaver and his niece Sigourney. Got a Loomis in my own family tree, too—the same one on both sides, as a matter of fact. She's the reason my parents were seventh cousins, and the reason an ex and I (who met by chance a quarter of a world away, on another continent entirely) are eleventh cousins on both sides of our families. New England genealogy, the source of endless amusement. Interesting IconHere's my take. The tree is a symbol of Jesus and the cross in a lot of Christian communities worldwide. A fruit (or acorn) bearing tree would be a symbol of spiritual rebirth and to family. The chain and the caption of "United above, divided below" represents the passing away of a loved one who will be reunited with family again in heaven. Now tell me I'm wrong. Illicit Loomis branchOne branch of New England Loomises drifted West to Madison County, New York, and for several generations were known as the “Loomis Gang,” operating out of the Nine-Mile Swamp, not far from Utica. They alternated horse theft with other larcenies, and were adept at escaping raids by the local sheriff. Witnesses to their offenses were often stricken with amnesia around the time the cases reached the court docket. Only the eventual deaths of the key figures brought an end to the Gang’s colorful adventures. (The Gallery, John Vachon)
Cozy Inn: 1908
... needs Is a good five-cent ice cream cone! New Trees I don't know why but everything in this photo looks old fashioned to me except the palm trees. They look "modern." Buster Keaton strolling towards us. Cuz ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 1:21pm -

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1908. "St. George Street." Where ice cream cones and gun-trunk-umbrella-sewing machine repairs are just a few steps apart. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What this country needsIs a good five-cent ice cream cone! New TreesI don't know why but everything in this photo looks old fashioned to me except the palm trees. They look "modern." Buster Keatonstrolling towards us. Cuz you just know someone wil askIt's an arc lamp. We Also Walk Dogs"Trunks, guns, umbrellas and sewing machines" is almost as preposterous a mix as "alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives"! YepDude's right about the palm trees. Old Time Florida PalmsThey are native Florida palms. The tall one is a Sabal Palm, the State tree. On the left is the Sago and on the right, the Saw Palmetto. Technically, the Sago is not a palm but a cycad, but everybody here refers to them as palms. Location guessI would say this is probably at or near Treasury Street looking South. The "Museum" banner is probably down at Cathedral Place, which is where the Government House Museum is now. The Union Grocery (insert comment here).In small print below.. Ice Cream Cones 5 cents.. Ice Cream, extra 5 cents. Also, speaking of signs, I find this interesting, the carpetbagging Union Grocery (haha) sign seems to have a period at the end of it. So is it a sentence whereby the verb and all that follows is understood? The Union Grocery _________. (..sells cabbage? ..stinks like chicken livers and horse dung? ..has prices double that of their perrenial evil competitor Wal Brothers & Sons?). At first, I thought it was a spot on the photo, but the text is distinctly aligned to the left with extra spacing on the right of the sign for a period. I thought maybe they got to the end of the text and realized they made the sign too long.. so they added the period to fill space? Maybe this was what one did in 1908 when one started a sign with "The"? Anyway, maybe a early 20th century english major would have an answer. Then I noticed "Repair Shop." has a period after it too. As does the pressing club sign on the window below and Cozy Inn sign over the walkway on the right of the photo. I've never noticed this on any other Shorpy photos. Local custom maybe? [The periods on period signage are a frequent topic of discussion here at Shorpy, where hundreds of examples may be seen. The practice goes back at least to the 18th century. - Dave] Cozy InnI hope the rooms are better tended than the landscaping. Curb appeal is certainly lacking, even if they leave a light on for ya! (The Gallery, DPC, Florida)
Happy Birthday to Me: 1955
... at me that way? It'll be superfun. Really!) Good trees bear good fruit Happy Birthday and many, many more tterrace. It is ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:07pm -

August 15, 1955. My ninth birthday. In answer to my request, we had turkey with all the trimmings. I'm pretending to carve. The camera this was taken with was probably a birthday present, thereby starting me on my road to photographic immortality. Poetic justice that the shot's out of focus. Gobble gobble. Apotheosis Jr.Who is now the top Google hit for "Apotheosis of Seventies Hotness"? Mr. tterrace himself! Clapclapclap. Hang in There KidIn a mere 20 years you will be the apotheosis of Seventies Hotness! Happy Happy Birthday Birthday TT!Since this picture (and many of your others) remind me so much of the kid from the movie The Sandlot, you know - the one with the glasses - I hope you get a "magic moment" smooch from the hot lifeguardette at the pool! We could personalize 'em!Match everybody up to the 'toon we think they look like! Yeah! That's the ticket! Happy B-Day!I love that your mom made you a full-on T-giving dinner AND a cake on your b-day. Now that's love! Happy birthday, thanks for sharing your wonderful photos! Happy Birthday to YooooHey gang -- it's tterrace's birthday! Or yesterday was tterrace's birthday! Everyone wish him a happy ninth. You can pile your gifts on the dining room table. I got TT a Hubley Atomic Disintegrator. Promise you won't try it out on the cat. (The "Sister" setting, btw, is 500.) Hey Kids!I have a great idea! Funny paper party hats! And by that I mean party hats made from the funny papers! (Why are you all looking at me that way? It'll be superfun. Really!) Good trees bear good fruitHappy Birthday and many, many more tterrace. It is apparent that you were raised by a very nurturing and responsible mom and dad, as it is no small task to prep a full-scale turkey dinner with all the trimmings and a homemade birthday cake as well. Your parents love has created a wonderful human being with talent, decency, a good sense of humor, a hard worker and a person who is happy to SHARE with everybody, strangers included. Thank you for the pleasure of giving all of us glimpses of our old memories in photographs, thanks for all you do and for being YOU. Have a joy-filled and fulfilling year and be proud of yourself and your fine family. We appreciate you. Better Late Than NeverI always seem to miss the birthdays, but this present is worth the wait. Here ya go TT, after all, what's Hubley Atomic Disintegrator without your trusty Spacenik Space Helmet for protection? Wiggly antennae included! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!! Happy B-Day to TT!The official Terwilliker School 5,000-finger salute to tterrace! ["The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T" is a great movie! Did TT see "T" when it came out in 1953? - Dave] Because We're KidsI missed out on "Dr. T" when it came out; indeed, I never even heard of it until it started showing up on TV in the 80s, when I taped it. Then I got the laserdisc. That's all I have now since I'm too cheap to pop for the new super-duper DVD transfer because it's in a Stanley Kramer collection with other films I don't want. (Hmm.. should have asked for that for my birthday.) Back in the day, my brother was taking me to things like "Rear Window." About the cranberry sauce: note that it's the jelly version, as per my specifications. The other kind, y'know, the one that's all lumpy - well, it's got bits and junk in it. The bowl on the right has olives, the black kind, not the yucky green ones. I asked for those, too. [The DVD is on Amazon for $11.99. I have it and the transfer is first-rate. Re the Kramer Collection -- I don't have it but "The Member of the Wedding" was a really great movie. And short story. - Dave] Gee whillikers!!!This was the best birthday a kid ever had! Thanks, everybody! I used the Atomic Disintegrator on my sister's boyfriend, and it worked! I never saw him again! My sister says it was because of the way I kept kicking him in the shins, but she can't fool me. Help with the MenuIs that cranberry sauce in the dish in the foreground? Awesome. "She's-a-her birthday, too!"Dave, looking at your photos makes me wish I had lived your life! This is a great photo. And those drapes!~ [Dave did not post this photo. That's not me. Thank tterrace. - Dave] Poster BoysOh, I still don't really know how this site works. I thought you posted all the photos and they were all of you. Sorry. [Look up where it says "submitted by" above the pictures. That's how you can tell. - Dave] Your mom REALLY loved you!Why? Because she cooked a turkey in AUGUST! Remember the summer heat in pre-a/c days? I want to know if you got a Davy Crockett coonskin cap. Maybe something from Howdy Doody? Roy Rogers? How about lots of space toys. WHAT did you get??? (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kids, tterrapix)
Local Color: 1950s
... light. Leaves that are green Fall off the trees apparently, unless the ones in the background are some kind of leafless ... know winters were so cold in San Diego. Leaving the trees Certain trees don't need winters that are "so cold" to lose their ... 
 
Posted by Tony W. - 09/17/2011 - 8:18pm -

Here we see Mr. Lange on the right in San Diego, probably near Cardiff. tterrace says, "Plymouth station wagon, somewhere between 1949-1952 model. Fabulous two-tone paint combo." 35mm Kodachrome slide. View full size. Tagged1952-55 CA plate with what looks to be the 1953 tab to go with those 1953 clothes, so sharp they could put someone's eye out. WheelsWhoa - missed the wire wheels when I was raving! Presumably faux, but still, an additional sharpness point. StylingGreat cars, yes, yes - but these chaps are turned out so nicely. I wish that was still the way we dressed. Celebrity sightingHey, isn't that Kevin Costner on the right? Gray PackardIt's partially visible through windows showing the station wagon's steering wheel, likely a 1946-47 four-door sedan; there still are a few of them in San Diego. 48 PontiacWould be my guess on the blue car in the foreground. KodachromeWas the camera's Love Potion #9. It made it see its subjects in the most optimistic light. Leaves that are greenFall off the trees apparently, unless the ones in the background are some kind of leafless genus unknown on the East Coast. I didn't know winters were so cold in San Diego. Leaving the treesCertain trees don't need winters that are "so cold" to lose their leaves. They just need to be deciduous. And the leaves weren't green when they fell off. Also, re: Kodachrome. You really can't appreciate its wonderfulness thoroughly unless you see it projected or viewed by transmitted light, like it was intended to be. Plymouth WagonsWe had a 1954 Plymouth wagon, it had sliding rear windows. It was blue and as I recalled it burned up about 1965 or 66. No they don't make 'em like that anymore. Which in that case is a good thing. Reasonable QuestionWhich one is the used car salesman and which is the customer? The RiddlerI love the "question mark" tie tack. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Tonypix)
Old-School Tree: 1962
... produced by our children. Today's glossy designer trees can't hold a candle to a classic, heirloom festooned Christmas tree. ... a great deal. Keep them coming. No more Christmas trees? It's nice to see a real Christmas tree after looking for them this ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 12/07/2018 - 3:52pm -

        Meanwhile, seven years later ...         This Kodachrome, originally posted here in 2011, can be seen in the December 2018 Canadian edition of Reader's Digest, illustrating the story "Andrea's Gift" in a two-page spread starting on Page 96. They spotted it here on Shorpy and I licensed it to them. Old-school and old-old-school decorations on our traditional old-school tree. We always called these Scotch firs, but it looks more like the Noble firs I've seen online. We liked them because they had plenty of open space to let the ornaments show unhindered. The oldest one is the frosted pine cone face toward the bottom; it still has some wax blobs from early 20th Century tree candles on it. The hot-air balloon was always one of my favorites. The blue one at the center top is from our "new" c.1960 set. The plastic church was glitter-enhanced by me personally. A couple years later, all the 1940s-era light strings sacrificed their lives to illuminate my castle diorama in the basement. You can see me reflected in the ornament at lower left, along with the bright spot on the ceiling from the bounce flash I used to light this Kodachrome. View full size. ReflectionsI wonder if we'd see any details of the room in which the tree stood if we look real close at some of the ornaments. WhyWhy are we being treated to 50 year old family snapshots lately? You can certainly put whatever you want on your own website but I have boxes of similar photos in the basement. There's nothing about these that stand out. [New here, aren't you? - Dave] Pretty much as I recallLovely! We had many of the same ornaments, and always had the same kind of Noble fir, which my father called a "Burn Barn Tree," for reasons that became obvious as the tree dried. A few of our old ornaments have survived, but the gas balloon is long gone. Alas. Memories Of Old OrnamentsNice. Thanks tt. Did you have any old strings of lights that were in series circuits, so that all would go out if one bulb failed? You can almost hear Bing in the backgroundReally nice depth of field in this shot. And I always love when the photographer is captured indirectly -- reminds me of the Dutch paintings where the artist would include himself in a mirror behind the subject. This would be a great holiday-themed desktop background! ClassicI have to say that this tree looks very similar to my tree this very year. We still use many of the classic ornaments handed down from our families and lots of handmade decorations produced by our children. Today's glossy designer trees can't hold a candle to a classic, heirloom festooned Christmas tree. Great photo! P.S. I enjoy your family photos a great deal. Keep them coming. No more Christmas trees?It's nice to see a real Christmas tree after looking for them this past few decades and seeing so few. Mostly offered these days are "Christmas bushes" which have been heavily sheared during their life of growing then put into a giant Christmas tree sharpener to make them as uniform as possible. Is a tree that is so dense that you can't see through it what people want today? How do you hang ornaments on the bush? I guess you just push them a little ways into the thick foliage and that will do. Certainly one can't hang tinsel on a Christmas Bush. Thanks for your photo of the kind of tree that I remember and love. Ha!Copernicus, just drift along with us as we enjoy the ride. We'd like to see some of your photos too, really we would. They help us all think back on better times and better days. Asking "Why?"If you have to ask why . . . then you have no appreciation of holiday spirit. It isn't found under the tree, it's in your heart. Look deeply into the gazing ball...you're getting sleepy...The fun part is looking into the reflections. The top-middle blue ball has what looks like someone sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. And is that a giant fireplace on the left side of the ball (also seen in the bottom left blue ball with photographer)? A photo that begs close inspection - thanks for offering it. familiarWe have an ornament identical to that lower left one on our tree. Lovely treeI finally made an account to say; I love the '50 year old family snapshots' as much I as I enjoy the older photos. I like seeing what the world was like not so long ago, and seeing the happy family scenes. My own family did not have such warm and wonderful memories, and I enjoy seeing the scenes from happier families. What a crimeNO bubble lights!!! Beautiful tree! Keep the photos coming, tterrace. Complainers need not visit this site if it offends them. Merry Christmas! Bubble lightsBy this time, all our old-style bubble lights had failed. I loved them, but they were a chancy proposition even when they were (mostly) working. Eventually we got a newer set, but they were about a third the size of the old ones, and just weren't the same at all. To Bull City Boy: early on in my time we still had a string of in-series lights. The only similar thing by the time this shot was taken was the lighted tree base, and each year it was a challenge locating the two or more bulbs that always seemed to have mysteriously failed in storage. In answer to Dutch, the thing that sort of looks like a giant fireplace reflected in the bottom left ball is actually the archway between the living room and dining room. 1950s Bubble LightsIn the early 1950s I became enamored of the Bubble Light display in a local store. After much pestering by me my parents finally got a set. Their use was very short-lived, as when we had to relocate to the UK in early 1952 there was something forbidding the shipment of any fragile glass articles with fluids in them. The store in Soap Lake, WA may have gotten them back to resell to another lucky family. tterrace, THANKS for the memoriesAs much as I like the old photos that show what life was like in my parents' time (born 1897 and 1910), I also like to see the photos from the '40s, through the 80s that I can relate too from my own life. KEEP 'EM COMING tterrace, THANKS for the memories. I am about two years older than you are and I see a lot of similarity in your family photos with my lifetime. Your photos of your mother working in the kitchen bring back a lot of pleasant memories for me. InterestingIt's interesting to me how many different styles of decorating Christmas trees there are, in every era. My family tree in Sacramento in that same year of 1962 consisted of the nightlight-sized bulbs: red, green blue, yellow, and purple. Ornaments were one-color plain, in two sizes: metallic gold, silver, green and red. Some "icicles" draped over the branches but not suffocated like they were a decade earlier. Just like the ones I used to know...Lovely photo. We still use noble fir for all those thinned out reasons. And C-7 lights too! Sadly, they aren't old enough to have cloth covered insulation on the wiring. I am still using the early bubble lightsI wire them in strings of 16 bulbs, instead of the original 8 bulbs. They burn half as bright, but are still more than bright enough, they don't get as hot, and most of them still bubble. I have 160 lights on my 7 1/2 foot artificial tree, and about 93 of them are bubble lights. I've been using these for the past 40 years and have never burned out a light. Every once in a while a socket will fall apart, but I have lots of spare light strings for parts. You can still purchase the bulbs for these lights on eBay, and sometimes you can get replacement plastic parts for them. I rebuilt about 40 lights a few years ago. The fluid in the bubble part is methylene chloride, and is very toxic. Fortunately I have not broken many of them. Thanks for the great pictures. MemoriesThis is one of my favourite seasonal images. I saw it on here when it was originally posted in 2011 and I use it every year as my computer desktop picture. Why I Visit ShorpyToday's three images are a great example of why I keep coming back to this site. The wonderful image of Union Station in Toronto, the time capsule image of the Miami Beach living room from the early '40s (despite the unfortunate "joints" comment), and this wonderful personal image. Born in 1956, a Christmas tree like this reminds me of when Christmas was such a magical time for me as a child. We also had family heirloom ornaments from when my parents got married in the early 1940s, and I remember the annual tradition of tracking down the burned-out bulb in strings of series lights. The one difference I see is that my parents used bright-plated metal reflectors under each bulb for most of their lives. Thank you! Only needs tinsel -- a thing of the pastThis looks just like the tree I set up yesterday. I like tinsel and was shocked to find out that tinsel is a thing of the past. Years ago I loaded up on tinsel (3 for $1 after Christmas) and haven't needed any since. I also reuse tinsel-a habit I picked up from my thrifty Irish Grandmother. Laugh if you want but that learned thriftiness has served me very well financially. Yesterday I went looking for tinsel and was quite surprised that it is really hard to find but find it I did. I have 25 packages coming from a hardware store in Missouri, at a reasonable price. Sellers on Amazon want upwards of $8 a box. That order ought to last me until I die. Merry Christmas all. Colorful lightsI'm wondering how many people still use the larger colored lights seen here as opposed to white miniatures. I grew up with the colored lights, and can't imagine having a tree without them. I am also using the larger lights on my second treeIn addition to the bubble lights on my 7 1/2 foot tree, I have a 6 foot artificial tree using the larger bulbs. Some of the strings are the ones used on my parents' trees when I was a kid. I recently found a stash of brand new "Sugar Plum" bulbs, which are almost 2 inches in diameter and covered in plastic "sugar". They come in various colours and are beautiful. The normal bulbs, especially the blue painted ones, get extremely HOT when run on full voltage. Two weeks ago I installed a light dimmer switch on an extension cord, and now I can regulate the brightness to my liking. My 3 foot tree has LED lights,which use very little power, but they are certainly not as nice as the old style lights of which I have some very fond memories. Merry Christmas to all. Terrific AssortmentI really enjoy the memories triggered by this photo. It reminds me of my dad's Christmas tree, which he still puts up by himself at the tender age of 92! He even has a few ornaments that his mother and father bought for each other for their first Christmas together--in 1923! His tree looks very similar to this one, and he can tell you the story behind each ornament. I love the stories. In fact, I'm pretty sure he has ones much like the ornaments in the upper left and bottom right corners. Thanks for sharing! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, tterrapix)
Indiana Joneses: 1904
... glass transparency. View full size. Where did the trees go? View Larger Map Painful While it is always ... can be seen in the LOC photo, between the two leftmost trees in the foreground. The front porch columns are clearly visible behind ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:12am -

Indianapolis, Indiana, circa 1904. "North Delaware Street." A block east of our previous Indy view, this leafy residential street is furnished with a mailbox and mounting blocks as well as hitching posts; one block bears the house number 656. Detroit Publishing Company, 8x10 inch glass transparency. View full size. Where did the trees go?View Larger Map PainfulWhile it is always interesting to see modern Google street views of Shorpy sites it's invariably distressing to see how much we have lost. This is one of the more dramatic contrasts I've seen. The original image is absolutely idyllic. I'd live there in a heartbeat. The modern view is hideously sterile. It's really sad. No cares!I bet the man working with the broom thought he had a job for life! Indianapolis renumberingThe Street View shown is probably not of the same site as the 1904 photo. Indianapolis renumbered the homes and buildings on its downtown streets in 1911. Before then, the numbering scheme was not based on blocks from center, and could be a little difficult to decipher. Arthur Jordan Conservatory of MusicI should be working instead of researching this, but there is a LOT of material available online for this area. The house with the mounting block with the number 656 seems to have been built by George D. Emery, a wealthy lumber baron, and later sold to Frederick M. Ayres, founder of a large department store. In 1928, this property and the one in the left foreground at 1116 N. Delaware were purchased by philanthropist Arthur Jordan and became the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music. Jordan died in 1934, but his trust purchased the Harrison house at 1230 N. Delaware in 1937, to use as a "female dormitory" for conservatory students. The conservatory moved to Butler University in 1951 (now Jordan College), and the Jordan trustees opened the Delaware Street property to the public as the Harrison Presidential house. More great Indianapolis info here. Benjamin Harrison's StreetBy the time this photo was taken, the houses had already been renumbered. Obviously, the person at 656 liked his mounting block the way it was. Sometime prior to 1898, 656 Delaware became 1204 Delaware. This house was next door to President Benjamin Harrison's house at 1230 Delaware. (which explains the reason for the photographers interest in this street). In later years, a large Christan Scientist church (now a Jehovah Witness assembly hall) was built across the street from #656. The church building is still there, but #656 was absorbed into the Presidential House historic site at some point (maybe when the freeway was built?). Yes, painful!I always want to step into these photos. They are so evocative. It is indeed painful how the landscapes and streetscapes of our country have been homogenized. I felt similarly about the photo of Portland, Maine, 1907 that was posted a few weeks ago. Painful indeed!These types of photos -- like the one of Portland, Maine, posted about a month ago -- invite us to step inside but also remind us of how our streetscapes have become homogenized. I do think of Benjamin Harrison, with his vast collection of walking sticks and canes, strolling up and down N Delaware! Harrison's HouseIn 1876, the 600 block of Delaware began at 2nd Street. President Harrison's house was in this block, as Grubemed indicates. (Blue star) Based on the 1906 City Directory, the 600 block of Delaware Street was, as it is today, located between North and Walnut. This is the spot shown in the Google map K2 provided. (Red star) In the LOC photo, you can see a building blocking 7th Street (now 16th) in the distance. Delaware shifts 50 feet or so to the right but continues northward. (1903 map neglects this detail, but the offset exists to this day). The Harrison house can be seen in the LOC photo, between the two leftmost trees in the foreground. The front porch columns are clearly visible behind the background tree between the other two. The house's two large brick chimneys can also be seen to the left of that magnificent cone-shaped roof with an impressive weathervane topping it off. Buggy Steps and Hitching PostsStone buggy steps and hitching posts can be seen in the mow strips along the curb. These can still be found sometimes although few know their original purpose. Benjamin Harrison HouseThe Benjamin Harrison House is now used for naturalization ceremonies for new citizens. My father took the oath their just a few years ago. (The Gallery, DPC, Indianapolis)
King Street: 1921
... for 3 or 4 blocks, and then there's the Potomac. The trees in the distance are on the other side of the river, in Maryland. ... return. Which might have been the case here. The trees Amazing how there are no trees in the first picture, but how tall they ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2013 - 11:47am -

King Street in Alexandria, Virginia. 1921 or 1922. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Who can pinpoint the intersection? King and WashingtonThat's the intersection of King and Washington streets. The surplus store is now Cafe Mezzogirono. Overhead WiresThere seems to be 2 overhead wires for 1 set of street car tracks. This seems quite unusual as street cars only required 1 overhead wire. Is it possible that 2 different transportation companies shared a set of tracks but drew power from their individual overhead wires? [It's a dual-wire trolley. Not unusual. From another commenter: "To avoid use of frogs where the line diverged or at a siding so trolleys could pass each other, dual wires were used, one for each direction." - Dave] King StreetWhere the power lines seem to end, King Street takes a sharp downhill for 3 or 4 blocks, and then there's the Potomac. The trees in the distance are on the other side of the river, in Maryland. BumblefishCurrent view of the cafe from Google: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2854664 Other cornerLooks nearly like a twin building on the opposite corner. near the Charlie Lee laundry. Any pics of that corner? Clang Clang ClangA single trolley pole collects current from an overhead wire and uses the tracks as the electrical return. Trolley buses, which have no ground because of their rubber tires, have to use two trolley poles and dual overhead wires. One for the negative live current and the other for the positive or neutral return. Which might have been the case here. The treesAmazing how there are no trees in the first picture, but how tall they are in the modern picture. The tellaphone pole is gone and so are the trolley tracks. Sweet RideThat's a swell motorcycle! Not your run-of-the-mill Harley or Indian, it appears to be a Douglas, or maybe even a Scott, an early water-cooled bike. Harley Model 20Great bike! It's got the longitudinally oriented opposed twin engine, but it's not a Douglas, it's a Harley Davidson Sport Model 20, which was produced from 1919 to 1923. Cheers! Craig LOC Number Please...I've done a quick search for this shot on the Library of Congress site but can't seem to find it. Does anyone have the reference number? [Right-click on the photo, choose "properties." There's the number. - Dave] +89Below is the same view from December of 2010. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Motorcycles, Natl Photo)
Booker T.: 1906
... the other end of the arcing drive. The fencing around the trees are to protect them from bark nibbling animals such as horses and mules ... I see (or maybe hear) some Green Onions. Keep off the trees I've noticed that many of the early 1900s towns have rather heavy-duty ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/30/2015 - 10:56pm -

Circa 1906. "Residence of Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama." Detroit Publishing Company glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. No driveway break in the fenceNotice that the white picket fence has no break or gate for the driveway (or anywhere else, for that matter.) How was one supposed to get from the street to the house? [There is a gate. - Dave] UnderpoweredTwo utility poles with no apparent connection between them, and no sign of a power line to Booker T's house. Not only that, where are his MGs? [Booker's house has lines coming in both from the right and the left -- you can see the insulators on the porch roof. I wouldn't expect there to be any connection between the tall telephone pole and short utility pole, which is a street light. - Dave] Fence & GuardsA double gate at the drive is evidenced by the bracing seen behind the palings. There is probably another double gate at the other end of the arcing drive. The fencing around the trees are to protect them from bark nibbling animals such as horses and mules and maybe even a goat pulling a wagon. No MGsBut I do think I see (or maybe hear) some Green Onions. Keep off the treesI've noticed that many of the early 1900s towns have rather heavy-duty guarding structures placed around the street trees often extending to 6-7 feet above ground. Was this to protect the trees from horses, people, or cars? You don't see these today, at least not such massive ones. Gate evidenceAn even more obvious gate giveaway is the fact that the pickets in that section of fence don't reach the ground. One has to wonder about the labor that went into constructing that picket fence; then the amount of work it involved to paint it! Calling Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn! (The Gallery, DPC)
Christmas Story: 1919
... else write about the tree. Artificial Christmas trees. I think we have found the reason for artificial Christmas trees. I wouldn't let that tree in my house. That piano would be worth a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 4:34pm -

December 1919. "Baker Christmas tree." Secretary of War Newton Baker, wife Elizabeth and children Jack, Betty and little Peggy. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. More Xmas awesomeness here. We hardly Newt yePreviously Mayor of Cleveland, this is the man responsible for the draft. Lovely, butWhat a lovely picture! Isn't it odd though, the contrasts in this shot. There is such finery: the wife's dress and shoes are gorgeous as are most of their clothes, but then you have such a threadbare rug and things are a bit worn around the edges -- check out the leg of the chair Mrs. Baker is sitting on. Was that normal, do you suppose, for the tree to be so large that it sort of smashed against the ceiling like that? If he only knewBet little Marconi there could not even imagine that in less than 90 years, ordinary kids his age would have their own iPods, CDs and Bluetooth gadgets. Great little piano there also. Nice family and it looks like everyone got what they wanted. Of course, as in my own childhood, kids got ONE present per child, not 15 or 20. Try doing that today. Contest Entry?A neighborhood Clumsy Christmas Tree Contest is the only reasonable explanation for this grotesque tree. Rock on!Looks like little Jack got the 1919 equivalent of an iPod for Christmas. Charlie Brown calledand he wants his tree back. I don't mean to be a Christmas tree snob, but that is one ugly piece of vegetation. Plus the fact it looks like they spent about five minutes decorating it. Bah Humbug. What Would Jackie Do?Newton D. Baker House, also known as Jacqueline Kennedy House, was built in 1794. It was home to the Secretary of War from 1916 to 1920 while he presided over America's mass mobilization of men and material in World War I. After the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy purchased the house and lived here for about a year. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. The house has many architectural details including a wide limestone stairway, pink-painted lintels with keystones, brick voussoirs, Doric pilasters and a semi-elliptical fanlight. That Christmas treewas decorated in fifteen minutes or less. Some things never changeJack would be just as comfortable today as he was in 1919. Only the headphones that he would have today would prevent any outside noise (his parents) from interfering with the volume. The other difference would be his attire, a T shirt and jeans would be acceptable. The other thing that would be the same would be his oldest sister, who would be nagging him big time. It's the DickensI think I see the ghost of Christmas past. The contrastbetween the shabby surroundings and the largesse bestowed on these obviously beloved children is stunning. The firm that Jack builtNewton D. Baker was the mayor of Cleveland from 1912 to 1915 and Secretary of War from 1916 to 1921. His son Newton Diehl "Jack" Baker III founded the law firm of Baker & Hostetler, the 94th largest law firm in the world today. Radio for the kiddies!Washington Post ad from December 14, 1919. Wireless telegraphy/telephony sets for the kiddies, and Christmas lights! [Note that the name of Parezo Electric is misspelled. - Dave] Dear SantaI would like a pair of shoes just like Mrs. Baker's. Thank you! Well, isn't that delightful?!There's young Jack, tuning his new crystal set with the "cat's whisker" (no doubt using the strands of metallic tinsel as a receiving antenna), as his little sister, wearing her first wristwatch, tinkles the ivories on her new midget Steinway grand. Meanwhile, elder sister Betty daydreams about her boyfriend as she rips pine needles off a branch -- "He loves me, he loves me not ... " Aah, Christmas! Jack at the wirelessreminds me of myself 50 years later! I had a record player for a present at that age. Took it with us on the family summer vacation. I grew up to be a sound engineer; wonder what Jack turned out to be? Were things really that drab in 1919Mabye it's the black and white photography but I find this photo oddly depressing. I think it's because of how the wallpaper and carpet photographed. The dresses the females are wearing however are beautiful (especially the little girl's). You can't buy that kind of cloth today. Branches here and thereToday, we would never settle for a tree as unsymmetrical as this. Miniature ChristmasVery interesting to see the downsized piano and the bed. Dad doesn't want Mother to stand up. If she does he will also be in miniature. Also, someone else write about the tree. Artificial Christmas trees.I think we have found the reason for artificial Christmas trees. I wouldn't let that tree in my house. That piano would be worth a small fortune today. Is it really THAT bad?There have been a lot of comments about the drabness and tattered finery in this pic, but I wonder if a lot of it simply has to do with the quality of the negative. Is the rug really threadbare, or could the sheen or design of it appear to be so, when in fact it was in acceptable condition. It hardly seems fitting that the Secretary of War would live on the verge of poverty. I know this will raise some cackles among purists, but how about one of you colorizers taking this photo to task and see if we can't really find the Christmas spirit in it. This is what happens when you let the children choose the tree and decorate it themselves. Xmas AskewNot only is that tree as crooked as a dog's hind leg (something I remember my brother complaining about when we would go looking for a tree when I was a kid), it also looks like it's tied to the light fixture on the wall to keep from falling over. Charlie Brown really does come to mind. CounterpointI don't believe this photo allows us to say that the walls and carpet were shabby or threadbare. This low contrast black and white photo could be hiding something that was much more impressive. Flat != threadbare. I also take issue with the poorly shaped tree remarks. Artificial trees are of course perfectly shaped, at least according to the ideal shape that society has defined. Even the real trees have been cut and shaped to be more acceptable. This was taken in an era that accepted more diversity in its trees, obviously! An era when the choice and shape of a given tree could help define the memory of that year and that Christmas in one's mind. As with fine wines, not all the years were the same. The search for excellence does not necessitate artificial perfection. I'll take even a "poorly shaped" tree any day over the plastic and metal monstrosities that people use these days, transporting the season's dust from one year to the next. "Oh, look, here's the dust from 2009! Do you remember that?" That's ProgressI am amazed at the criticism of the contents of this picture from 1919. That is how the most prosperous citizens lived at that time. Viewers should take this as a visual teaching moment --- to understand just how much progress we have made in the intervening 90 years. The vast majority of Americans live in a rich splendor that the most prosperous class in 1919 could not imagine. And, ahem, compare the impact of capitalism in America on the population living standards in the last 90 years with the impact of communism on its population in the same period. Worth a thought. Inflation AdjustmentThe Parzeo ad shows a "nine light xmas tree unit" for $3.45. That'd be about $43 today. Think about how many lights you can buy today for $43. My God, I love being alive in the 21st century! "Nutcracker" 1915PBS has been broadcasting San Francisco Ballet's Edwardian "Nutcracker." The conceit is to set this "Nutcracker" in 1915, during the Panama-Pacific Exposition. During the overture, there is a kind of slide show of vintage photographs. At the beginning of the family gathering scene, Father triumphantly plugs in the newfangled Christmas tree lights. (In addition, this production has a very sweet and positive take on Clara's balancing between childhood and the threshold of womanhood.) N.B.Newton Baker in 1919 had been in public service for almost his entire career and did not have much money. But he established a law firm with two other partners and after he left government service in 1921 he was better able to build his net worth a bit. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo)
A Captive Christmas: 1919
... - Dave] The Unbearable Sadness of Two-Story Trees These unfortunate fellows should get together with those glum nurses ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 10:48am -

December 1919. "Christmas tree at the District Jail, Washington, D.C., and some of the prisoners." National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Get a load of that!Did a blue two-headed dog walk by to the left of the camera man? What's everyone looking at over there? Stocking Stuffers"Just what I wanted -- a hacksaw and a set of shivs!" "Add Your Own Title"Was this a segregated jail or is that white guy hiding behind the tree the only white prisoner? Not Too MerryThese guys seem camera-averse--and apparently were on the painting detail, judging from their clothing. [That's mold on the emulsion. - Dave] The Unbearable Sadness of Two-Story TreesThese unfortunate fellows should get together with those glum nurses from the hospital tree picture. A Tree for ViewingI can't find an account of the 1919 Christmas, but here is one from the following year: Christmas To Be Merry at Jail Supt. Foster Plans Holiday Feast and Entertainment for Prisoners. Though confined in narrow cells, many of them awaiting execution, prisoners at the District jail will not be forgotten tomorrow, when the people of Washington will be making merry in their homes, as an unusually attractive program has been arranged by superintendent Charles E. Foster, for the persons in his charge. Religious services will be held in the morning following which the men will be given a regular Christmas breakfast, consisting of fruit and a variety of vegetables. The morning hours will be devoted to rest for the prisoners. Dinner will be served in the early afternoon. The menu is as follows: Roast pork with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, stewed turnips, creamed oyster plant, bread, butter and coffee and mince pie. The Fort Myer band will play for the men in the afternoon and boxes of candy, furnished by the Gospel Mission, will be distributed. A huge tree decorated with colored balls and electric lights has been set up in the rotunda where the prisoners can view it. Washington Post, Dec 24, 1920 District JailSo where was this? This is before Lorton? Naughty or nice?I think I count five who are camera-shy. Hotel on the Marsh The old District Jail was on Reservation 13, southeast of the intersection of 19th and Independence SE. Today's jail, the Central Detention Facility, and its annex, the Correctional Treatment Facility, are a few blocks south. UPDATE: Thanks to Dave for adding the above LOC photo of the old jail's exterior. On another note, at first reading, I had thought the following reference to the "arms of morpheus" to be indicative of the use of the drug morphine. However, on further research (i.e. Google), I find it turns out merely to be a traditional synonym for sleep. Christmas Saint To Visit City Jail Spirit of Season to be Carried to Inmates Today in Varied Manner. When the first peep of dawn threw the bars of the grated windows of the District jail in relief on the rotunda this morning, the personnel were abustle, and from every cell could be heard the ejaculations of prisoners who, going back to the days of childhood, peeped into the sock hung on the grate, to see what the jovial Kris had left in his flight over Washington. For there are several chimneys at the jail down which the corpulent saint might have come with his bag, and it would be only a small matter to make his way through the several wings when the inmates were in the arms of morpheus and leave his tokens for those inside. Furthermore, the stockings had been provided. The usual custom of keeping the inmates at the jail in the small and decidedly compact cells is taboo today for a few hours, and every man who, in the language of the gridiron, has "one month down and six to go," will have the opportunity to mingle with his neighbors and perhaps exchange a few gifts that do no exactly strike his fancy. Every man and woman in the institution, from Death Row to the humble north wing, where the boys with sentences of ten to thirty days are lodged, will receive several presents today, all from Santa Claus institutions in Washington. Each man who will put his feet under the jail table at noon is assured a generous measure of candy and nuts and a sack of smoking or chewing tobacco. Many of the men who receive socks and other articles of wearing apparel, and still others will be allowed to receive remembrances from friends on the outside. It is not only to the masculine element of the "hotel on the marsh" the saint will pay his visit. That part of the institution given over to the women who are spending Christmas as guests of the District will also be remembered. In addition to the presents, many of which are sent to the jail anonymously, the inmates are going to get away from the regulation diet for the day, and a menu would do credit to a hotel where the guests pay for their accommodations have been prepared. Dinner will be served at noon at the jail, following the religious services in the rotunda, when the 290 inmates will join the singing of Christmas carols and perhaps mingle in little groups for the discussion of current topics or the more important question of "how long before the stretch is up?" After the recreation period, which will last several hours, the program, according to Supt. Peake, calls for dinner. The following menu has been prepared: Roast pork and mashed potatoes, and plenty of it; rich brown gravy, prepared by a cook from southern Maryland, in for a short stretch; celery, cranberries, bread, coffee and apple pie. Presents in the guise of turkeys and "all the fixings" have reached the jail for individual "guests," but whether the inmates will be allowed to have their private dishes served up today has not been decided. After dinner the men and women will be returned to their regular wings, but will be permitted to mingle in the aisles during the afternoon and possibly up to 10 o'clock tonight, when the order of "lights out" is given. A huge Christmas tree decorated in electric lights will be placed in the center of the rotunda of the jail, and each man and woman will receive at least one present from the gift pile following the service. Despite the grumblings of a few who feel that a Christmas in a nice warm cell is undesirable, the vast majority of the prisoners, however, have expressed feelings of appreciation at all the preparations being made today for their welfare. Washington Post, Dec 25, 1921 Behind the treeI find it odd that what appears to be the only white person is hiding behind the tree. [Santa! - Dave] (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Natl Photo)
Commonwealth Avenue: 1904
... dome is the Massachusetts State House. - Dave] Two trees I couldn’t help noticing the cute little rectangles of grass in ... avenue, and then my attention was drawn to the two lone trees sprouting out of the sidewalk adjacent to the two women (one in a white ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2014 - 9:19am -

Circa 1904. "Commonwealth Avenue, Boston." An ultra-detailed view of bustling Beantown. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What is that?It's the backside of an old Gamewell police call box. Old vs NewAll that nice contemporary urban architecture and someone decides he prefers a log cabin for his penthouse. How many church steeples do you see?I count ten. I don't know what the dome belongs to, though, so I didn't count it. [The dome is the Massachusetts State House. - Dave] Two treesI couldn’t help noticing the cute little rectangles of grass in front of the houses on the right side of the avenue, and then my attention was drawn to the two lone trees sprouting out of the sidewalk adjacent to the two women (one in a white top, the other in a black top). I wonder why only two trees along that whole stretch, and why right there. Massachusetts Avenue crosses in the foreground.There is a roadway underpass at this intersection now. Otherwise the view remains pretty much the same. Super Detailed and Super Cool!This view looks like it was taken from Massachusetts Avenue (note the streetcar tracks) looking east. The church steeples visible include (starting from the right hand side of the street in the distance): 1) The Brattle Square Church, H. H. Richardson, 1870-1872 (now home of the First Baptist Church, known informally as the "Church of the Holy Bean Blowers"); 2) the Central Church (Presbyterian, now Church of the Covenant), Richard M. Upjohn, 1865-1867; 3) the Arlington Street Church (Unitarian), Gilman & Bryant, 1859-1861; 4) the confusingly named New Old South Church (United Church of Christ), Cummings and Sears, 1870-1873; and 5) with only the tippy top of its pyramidal roof and cross visible between some vent stacks, the famous Trinity Church (Episcopalian), H. H. Richardson, 1872-1877. Church steeplesWhat a great photo! I think that the steeple furthest to the left belongs to the famous Anglo-Catholic (Episcopsl) Church of the Advent on Brimmer Street. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC)
Cold Duck: 1958
... the effects of uncontrolled logging that scraped all the trees off mountainsides, allowing the winter rains to erode the steep slopes, ... timber, and Pacific Lumber was the only company with any trees left." From the 1996 Washington Post review of THE LAST STAND The War ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2023 - 4:30pm -

November 1958. "Waterfowl hunting (Nevada) -- Mr. and Mrs. Stanwood Murphy of San Francisco." 35mm Kodachrome by Toni Frissell for the Sports Illustrated assignment "Shooting: California Waterfowl Hunting; Upland Game Birds in Nevada." View full size. Two Months LaterMs. Frissell's photos from this assignment made it into print in the January 19 edition of Sports Illustrated. Seems Like a Lot Of WorkFor some poultry. Living in New England my whole life I'm at the point where I want nothing to do with snow. Whether driving in it, shoveling it or paying $20+ a week each to get the cars washed so they'll at least last the life of the loan from all the chemicals used for safer driving. I guess if you're from Frisco snow would be a novelty. Though I'll take the snow over earthquakes, drought and wildfires, I guess. Star ChiefToday's feature car is the 1955 Pontiac Star Chief sedan. I restored one of this exact model several years ago and it was a great highway cruiser, thanks to V8 power and a cushy suspension. It even had the Indian head hood ornament that lit up when the headlights were on. Which of those two guest dudes is Mrs. Murphy?And where did Mr. Murphy learn how to pack luggage on the roof of the car? And does the California couple really own a car with Nevada plates? And for heaven's sake, why so much luggage for a hunting trip? (Too many questions.) [The Murphys aren't in this photo; the car is how they get from the lodge to their plane. The man on the right is restaurateur Vic Bergeron, of Trader Vic fame. - Dave] RIPThose dogs are soooo dead. Ahead of his time"Albert Stanwood Murphy, who took over the business [Pacific Lumber Co.] in 1931, argued that clear-cutting might lead to enormous profits in the short term but devastation in the long term. Murphy had witnessed the effects of uncontrolled logging that scraped all the trees off mountainsides, allowing the winter rains to erode the steep slopes, clogging streams, destroying salmon habitat and leaving the soil too impoverished to grow another generation of redwoods. "Murphy vowed to treat his land differently, promising steady jobs based on selective cutting. And it worked. By the late 1980s, other local companies -- which had been clear-cutting their holdings -- had run out of timber, and Pacific Lumber was the only company with any trees left." From the 1996 Washington Post review of THE LAST STAND The War Between Wall Street and Main Street Over California's Ancient Redwoods By David Harris Times Books. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/01/22/ax-now-pay-l... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dogs, Toni Frissell)
Merry Christmas: 1913
... colorized! From Manitoba, Canada Even our decorated trees aren't this big! A very Merry Christmas to all! Merry Christmas one ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/25/2020 - 7:11am -

        The colorized Christmas tree is back, 107 years after its debut in Madison Square. Happy holidays from Shorpy! New York, December 1913. "Christmas tree, Madison Square." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size. Beautiful!Wow, what a beautiful tree! Merry Christmas, Dave, and Merry Christmas to all in Shorpyland. Best Image Site on the InternetBest wishes for 2010. Merry Christmas!Great photo! Thanks so much Dave for this great site. I have so enjoyed it all year long and look forward to more! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Dateline Shorpyland:Merry christmas Dave and to all who visit here. Merry Christmas To YouAnd thanking you for another year of incredible photos. You have given us a view into the past that few have ever had the chance to experience. You've changed my life. Prepared and thereHow very often it is when we see a photo of an important event that Boy Scouts are present. Merry Christmas, Shorpyites. Rick MacDave, a Merry Christmas to you! And thanks for your site -this has become my favorite. I look forward to checking for new photos every day, and I'm never disappointed. It's like having my own personal time machine. It's a blast! Thank youFor all the wonderful pictures and happy holidays right back at you! Beautiful!!That is beautiful! Thanks for all the great pics and Merry Christmas to everyone!! Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas to all Shorpyites from Reading, England A Shorpy Christmas To AllAnd a huge thank you to Dave and the staff at Shorpy, you have, literally, changed my life. Merry Christmas from Puerto Rico!I join my fellow Shorpyites in thanking you for another year of wonderful photos. May you live long and prosper! TintedIs this hand colored? [Computer-colored. By me. - Dave] Merry Christmas!Beautiful picture, Dave. May I add my thanks to you for providing us with these great pictures. I feel like I understand the world a little better after seeing these great glimpses into the past. Thank YouThank for for this wonderful image. My grandfather was ten years old that Christmas, probably about the size of the shorter of the two boys in the foreground. He also lived about fifteen blocks from Madison Square, so I imagine he was able to see this very tree that Christmas. Thanks again and merry Christmas. It's been a year of fantastic backward glancesMerry Christmas to all! Pictures are, indeed, worth a thousand words and Shorpy is a regular stopover site for me. Thanks for sharing all this, Dave. Merry Christmas to alland a big thank you to Dave for the best site on the web and we can't forget tterrace and we hope he doesnt run out of photos. Ron Merry Christmas to one of my favorite web sitesThank you so much for sharing all these marvelous photos with us. EchoWhat everyone below said. A big "thank you", Dave, from Las Vegas. Merry Christmas!To Dave and staff and everyone else who visits here! Thanks so much for this wonderful site and all the memories! This is about as close to a time machine as we're likely to see.You've changed my perception of how life was all those decades ago. You've helped me to see those years come alive. Merry Christmas, and thanks for one of the most incredible sites on the web. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas and Thank You! GratitudeI must add my sincere thank you as well Dave, and to those who aid you or add to the information, for the wonderful memories sparked by many photos here, and for the historic value of many of these pictures. Merry Christmas to all!! From Your Favorite Nittany LionTo Dave and all my fellow Shorpyites, from the mountains of Pennsylvania, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! DibsLet me be the first to wish one and all a glorious Christmas and a bodacious New Year! Merry Christmas everyone!In the background on the right is the Hoffman House located at Broadway and 24th Street. I love how the lights have been colorized! From Manitoba, CanadaEven our decorated trees aren't this big! A very Merry Christmas to all! Merry Christmas one & all from the UK!I'd like to wish everyone at Shorpy a fabulous Christmas and a healthy new year. Merry ChristmasWishing all at Shorpy a very happy Christmas and seasons greetings to my fellow Shorpyites! Holiday GreetingsTo all Shorpyites, Dave, tterrace and Stanton Square: Holiday Greetings from Bull City Boy, Bull Ciry Girl and all the Bull City Young'uns. Have a blessed Christmas A Little LateIt's 8:13pm Christmas day out here in Spokane, but I want to wish everyone who visits this wonderful site a very Merry Christmas and all the best for next year. Thanks Dave, and all who make this possible. I learn something new every day from all of you. Thanks. Happy HolidaysThank you, Dave - and thank you to all the folks who manage the site, and thanks to the contributors and commenters. The world of Shorpy is a terrific gift you share with us, every day. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas to Dave and all the Shorpyites from an old coot in Virginia Mele Kalikimaka!Christmas greetings from Hawaii! 1913Well, my father was born in 1914 and was a wonderful man and father even after getting shot to pieces in Italy with 168th Infantry, 34th Division during WWII. I'm OK with 1913 since my Aunt Helen was born in 1912 and was a most wonderful lady with smiles and laughs and hugs for me when I was a lad. The 1912 & 1914 bracket around 1913 is OK by me. Christmas GratitudeThank you for this wonderful site Dave and a special thank you for the photos you posted this year from the glory days of my hometown, Utica, New York. You, Shorpy, and others (especially tterrace) have provided a boundless window into the past and countless hours spent away from the stresses of the day indulging in something that is neither fattening, nor bad for me. Shorpy IS however, highly addictive and wonderfully entertaining. Best wishes to all in 2012! Merry Christmas Shorpy!Another year gone by already! Merry Christmas to AllAnd a Thank You to Dave and the Shorpy Elves for all the work you put into this site. Best Wishes from Canada.Merry Christmas to Dave and all the Shorpsters !! Nothing left to sayI echo ALL the sentiments of the commenters before me. So, just a simple Merry Christmas from Minneapolis, MN to Dave, Shorpy and the Shorpyites!!! Wishing you all an awesome 2012. From Cape Breton Canada A Merry Christmas to Shorpy and all ..... Merry Christmas!Dave, I'm a relative noob, here, and truly enjoy what you do. Merry Christmas from the Left Coast. Thank you and forward, into the past! Merry Christmas Gang!Dave, the rest of the Shorpy administrators and the great member submitters, Merry Christmas and thank you very much for another year of marvelous photos and replies for my mind and mailed photos for my wall! I wish everyone a grand new year! To each and every oneFrom England, to every corner of Shorpyland and to each and every one of its inhabitants -- a Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!to Dave and all the denizens of Shorpyville. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to AllMerry Christmas from Boston, Dave, and many thanks. Shorpy is a fantastic community! From here in PortlandFrom here in Portland Oregon, to every corner of Shorpyland and to each and every one of its inhabitants -- a Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year. Thank you, Dave, for giving us a glimpse back into the past. This is one of my favorite sites. Merry Christmas to allMerry Christmas to the Shorpy staff, contributors and commenters. Really appreciate all this site offers, it is one of my favorites. Madison SquareTo all at Shorpy, Merry Christmas! This is a great website and I have told many about it. This photo reminds me of a print by the American artist Martin Lewis. The picture is titled "The Orator" and is dated 1916. The scene is Madison Square. The three large buildings in the background are still standing and are located around the intersection of 5th Avenue/Madison Square North/W.26th. The photo and the Christmas tree are beautiful! Merry Christmas and a Happy New YearA bit late for me for the former, but heartfelt wishes to all for the latter Thanks so much Dave, for all of the work you put into Shorpy. Before it came along, I had to be pacified with scanning old pic collections at flea markets. Alas, no more! A very Happy New Year to you and yours! Happy New Year and for many years to come Thank you so much for the look back and to your members for giving me the chance to compare with current photos on occasion. MERRY CHRISTMASThank you all at Shorpy for another great year on one of my favourite sites. Merry Christmas to you all! Edmund Christmas wishesMerry Christmas Dave to you and all at Shorpy, another fine year and looking forward to 2017. Peace and Goodwill to AllMany thanks for the photos on this site. My father was born in northeastern Alabama around the time of Shorpy, and this alone makes the site worthwhile. To see and read about those times is very revealing. But the site is much more! Just the railroad photos alone are fantastic. Please know that you are appreciated, and Happy New Year to Shorpyland! Merry Christmas Everyone!!Merry Christmas to all out there in Shorpyland - everyone reading, everyone posting and especially to Dave and the Shorpy crew. Keep those great pics coming! Now, off to the Office Party! Merry Christmas: 2018I passed some very pleasant time in a Canadian Tire store near Toronto on Christmas Eve yesterday, an hour before closing, relaxed and unharried, with a brother-in-law and nephew, trying to figure out all the different kinds of tree lights available, to make a totally unnecessary purchase, upon command of a family member higher up than us on the boss scale. And the result was nowhere near as nice as this Madison Square tree. Merry Christmas and best of the season to Dave and tterrace and all my Shopry comrades at this bright and festive time of year. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas from Canada !! Glad Tidings to AllMerry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, Blessed Yule, and all other wishes to everyone here. May your tables be filled with good food and good conversation. See you in 2020. With gratitudeThanks to Dave and all who contribute. It's been a great trip of learning, from Mr. Higginbotham's life story to "flange bearing frogs". I thought the little amphibians were doing some heavy lifting! Wishing all a better 2021. After a full day and night Zooming Xmas Celebrations - - - After 3am realized I didn't get my daily dose of SHORPY and will complete reading and commenting around 4:50 am. Looking forward to the New Year edition to cap off another year of David's, tt's and other's massive and Artful contributions stimulating our family's memories and new insights as to our collective history as ALL our folks arrived as immigrants some as slaves or indentured workers and others stowaways or sailors and crew members jumping ship. The rest of our people we see populating SHORPY'S cities, towns and farms arrived on our shores in a wide range of financial status. However difficult it probably was for most of our descendants it's amazing how quickly, often in only one generation the new language and customs morphed into the American citizens we compare Shorpy's folks to. I as I begin my 89th year I'm the only first generation Norwegian / American male left in my NYC clan. Although l had a pleasant holiday I sorely miss our Scandinavian main roast pork meal on Xmas Eve with all the varied and distinctive cookies and other baked cakes that were baked during the week before and the house smelled like Xmas the whole tantalizing time. One of my dad's insistence that mom wasn't to speak to my sister and me in Norsk - slid into our having the American turkey and apple cyder on Xmas - wasn't that cool ! Merry Christmas!I want to wish all Shorpyites, both regular commenters and non-regular commenters alike, the happiest of holiday seasons this year. 2020 has been terrible, on almost every level a year can be terrible, and a little peace and joy over the next week shouldn't be too much to ask. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas yesterday with however many people you're allowed to have at your house. I hope the food was good, the conversation was lively, and the feelings warm. Come on 2021... (The Gallery, Christmas, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Old Cold: 1905
... get it, Dave ~ you're trying to cool us off! Good job! Trees Flocked Probably just a "dusting" by Detroit standards but a pretty ... the order represented by the gridlike planting of the trees some time before. I am walking down the lane, tipping my hat to the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 6:11pm -

Circa 1905. "A winter morning (possibly Detroit, Michigan)." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. TimelessA scene like this could easily be 2005. Ahhhhhh!I get it, Dave ~ you're trying to cool us off! Good job! Trees FlockedProbably just a "dusting" by Detroit standards but a pretty sight. If this was the winter of 1904-05 it was one of the coldest of the century in parts of the country. All time record lows still stand today from that winter. A Snowy Shorpy ClassicJust a beautiful, and calming, photo. Thanks, Shorpy. Sidewalks clearedLooks like when I grew up in Northern Ohio in the late 60's. Sidewalks and driveways were all cleared soon after the snow stopped, and fall was a time to make money raking leaves. Anything to make gas and movie money. I'm reminded of a friend and his employee out cleaning the snow off the steps to his business. One asked the other, "What happened to all the kids wanting to make pocket money when it snowed." Answer: "We grew up." Quiet snowy day..There is a quiet peacefulness to this photo; the snow, the pedestrians, the lack of cars or driveways, the order represented by the gridlike planting of the trees some time before. I am walking down the lane, tipping my hat to the oncoming ladies. I just read in the morning paper we've just added a new state to our union named Oklahoma. I can picture walking into any one of these homes, taking off my coat and scarf, carefully hanging them on the coat tree by the foot of the stairs, warming my hands by the fireplace or grate, being offered a tea or cocoa (though maybe no cocoa as the milkman is running late because of the snow), and talking about the latest gossip of the day. (I suppose we visit more because there are few phones and no tv's) Maybe we'll listen to someone's new phonograph. Maybe I'm just walking to catch the tram downtown to get a new hat. No thanksThe picture is beautiful but I don't miss shoveling our old driveway and sidewalks. My dad wouldn't get a snowblower. Why would he when he had kids? I remember being out there at night shoveling. I bet the city did the sidewalks in this picture. Did they use salt in those days? This pictureis begging to be colorized! anyone??? (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Cottage for Sale: 1920
... The Current Market Current values. Ninth Street Trees I don't think those are anywhere close to being 88 year old trees along Ninth Street today. Fortified Sapling They weren't taking ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 3:33pm -

"Washington Times. 6929 Ninth Street," circa 1920. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Fast-forward to 6929 today. 6929 TodayClick the image to zoom. TreeNice to see that tree planted on the right of the sidewalk going to the porch is still there. The Current MarketCurrent values. Ninth Street TreesI don't think those are anywhere close to being 88 year old trees along Ninth Street today. Fortified SaplingThey weren't taking any chances with that young tree, were they? Nothing new under the sunI swear that looks like the house that just went up around the corner. Personally I like a bit more yard. The Alley Out BackBut look at the size of the back yards (see first comment)! I like that design so much, with the alley running behind houses. 6929 TodayView Larger Map Tree-mendousI have seen these same stockade-like protective structures in many other photos. Being in the landscape business, I am quite curious about their function. I originally thought they were to keep horses from damaging the bark, but this would not likely be an issue in 1920. Any ideas, anyone? Dave? [There were still plenty of nibbling urban horses out there (mostly pulling milk wagons) in the 1920s. - Dave] SurprisedWas browsing the web for images to use in a project of mine an found this. Thought "That looks like where I live." It almost is! I live at 6930, across the street. How surprising to find this! Always looking for history about my house. This is wonderfully close! (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
To Build a Fire: 1920
... but the rifle credit goes to J.D. Pedersen. Gum trees I'm not sure exactly where they're camped, but it's certainly an odd location -- a eucalyptus forest. "Eucs" (or gum trees to our Australian friends) were planted in great numbers in the San ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2014 - 11:14am -

        "Say, Bill, don't you think the girls did a marvelous job setting up the tent?" California circa 1920. "Briscoe auto at campsite." We'd say it's about time to rustle up some grub. Also we call dibs on that camp chair. Now where'd we put the cocktail shaker? 8.5 x 6.5 inch glass plate by Christopher Helin. View full size. Two Couples, One Bed and One TentIs this the silent version of Bob & Carol and Ted & Alice? Where is Smokey when you need him?Oh Man! That fire, not the mention the stogey that the guy on the right has fired up, are going to ignite that litter they're sitting on. Too bizarre. No Winchesters or Brownings here.We have a fine pair or Remingtons in this cool pic. It's an easy mistake since both resemble similar guns though. The shotgun is a Remington model 11 and not it's more expensive Browning cousin. The giveaway is that the Model 11 has no shell cut-off switch on the side of the receiver like all A-5's. The rifle is a Remington Model 12. They were a little more streamlined than their more famous competitor Winchester. Kelpie is correct that the shotgun was a Browning design, but the rifle credit goes to J.D. Pedersen. Gum treesI'm not sure exactly where they're camped, but it's certainly an odd location -- a eucalyptus forest. "Eucs" (or gum trees to our Australian friends) were planted in great numbers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Given the location of many of the other photos in this series, I'm guessing the foursome might have been posed in a eucalyptus grove in either Golden Gate Park or the Presidio of San Francisco. BTW, the piled up eucalyptus duff surrounding their campsite is notoriously flammable. London callingLet's hope this little foray into the wilderness turns out better than the Jack London short story of the same name. The fellow on the right is truly Mr. Safety Last. Note his right arm atop (or next to) the head of the ax lying on the ground. The fellow on the left has his wedding ring on his right hand. (The photo isn't reversed, as evidenced by the car's steering wheel.) That is & was pretty common in several European countries/cultures. Don't try this at home!Building a fire without a proper fire pit is exceedingly dangerous and shows a lack of needed camping skills! Blazing speedNext installment: We see just how fast the Briscoe machine can deliver them to safety, once their little campfire sets that mass of bone-dry underbrush ablaze. Mr. Browning, I Presume?I see a nice Browning Auto 5 (A5) 12 gauge leaning on the car. Also, there looks to be a Winchester Model 1890 pump .22 "gallery gun" as well. Both of these were designed by Browning. I have an Auto 5 that shoots like a dream. Wouldn't give it up for anything. Pressed trousersThe reclining chap must be new to camping judging by his neatly pressed dress pants and, as mentioned, the cigar ready to ignite the whole idyllic scene. Winchester .22 Pump RifleKelpie, we had one of those Winchester .22s at the farm, and at least three generations there learned to shoot with it. It finally got so worn that, in the mid-1960s, it developed a dangerous condition. If there was a live round in the chamber, it would fire automatically when the gun was held level horizontally; no trigger pull required. Of course, my cousins and I thought this was great, but my uncle heard one of us bragging about our "machine gun" and took the gun out of commission. Later, I had it repaired, re-blued, and re-stocked and it was like brand new, ready for new generations. Wonderful plinker. Night MovesIf they are all planning to sleep in that tent, and assuming they take a "head-in, feet-out" attitude, arranging themselves in "spoons" positions perpendicular to the tent flap - whoever gets the far left spot will be at the bottom of a heap by morning unless they level out that ticking mattress. Of course that cat-faced gal with the bundle may be plotting to sleep in the car. (The Gallery, Camping, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin)
« first‹ prev1 [2]3…next ›last »
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.