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Angel of History: 1943
... his plane at www.uninvitedb24.com along with 260 other WW2 images he took. Also I am doing a painting of a B24 and I think Dad's plane ... turret which was a modified tail turret. As far as color, I am guessing it was probably just bare aluminum. Check out Lynn ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 2:56pm -

B-24 bomber assembly hall, location unspecified. April 1943. View full size. RE: Some background on foreground aircraftWow- thanks Lynn- your added info gives a real perspective on the life of these fighting machines. From factory floor to wreck in about 6 months for these birds. Sometimes I feel that the temporal sense of the times is lost when looking at these WWII photos. The static image is seen, but some of the sense that those were dangerous times to live in for many people. Your contribution has added to the experience of these snapshots from times past. Also a big Thank You to Dave for all of this! Tom Willow Run?That may be the Ford factory in Willow Run, Michigan. The Arsenal of DemocracyI concur these are B-24 Liberators. It certainly looks to be Willow Run considering the volume of planes and size of the line. I am not aware of anywhere else that cranked out as many. Re: The Arsenal of DemocracyJust look at this assembly line! The Axis powers (Germany-Italy-Japan) didn't even stand a chance to shoot them down at the same rate they were made. If someone could have shown this picture to Hitler/Mussolini/Hirohito in 1938 (I know it was made in 1943) maybe they would have thought twice... The sheer number of airplanes, tanks, Liberty ships, etc. that the US put out starting 1942 effectively won the war (and a few gallant men and women for that matter). This picture says it all. Some background on foreground aircraftThese are Consolidated B-24D-35-CO Liberators, built by Consolidated-Vultee ... not a Ford or Douglas-built aircraft. The aircraft in the foreground, 42-40206, served with the 514th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bomb Group, and carried the nickname "8-Ball!". It was the replacement aircraft for a B-24 which most people will recognize... "Lady Be Good". Here are 2 photos of 40206 in service... http://www.b24bestweb.com/images/B24/8BALL-V2-1.JPG http://www.b24bestweb.com/images/B24/8BALL-V2-2.JPG 40206 was condemned due to enemy action on 6 October 1943. The second aircraft in line, 42-40209, served with the 513th Bomb Squadron, also in the 376th Bomb Group, and wore the nickname "The Wild Wolf". The aircraft was salvaged (written off and stripped for parts) on 3 September 1943. Here is a photo of 40209 in service: http://www.b24bestweb.com/images/B24/WILDWOLF.JPG An excellent source for Liberator info is http://www.b24bestweb.com, which is where the photos can be found. Lynn Ritger Newport News, VA double tail?anyone know the design intent of the double tail? Redundancy in case one is shot off? B-24 Liberator plant This is at Consolidated's Fort Worth, Texas, factory; a more detailed inspection reveals more than just the well-known Liberator. The three B-24D's closest to the camera are painted in the desert sand scheme; the two behind them are actually U.S. Navy PB4Y-1 Liberators, used for sea patrol and anti-submarine missions prior to the development of the PB4Y-2 Privateer, an offspring of the Liberator. Then you see another B-24D, with most of the planes behind it having mixed olive drab and desert sand paint schemes on their tail assemblies. In the other row across the aisle are a couple of C-87 Liberator Express transports (adapted for cargo). The twin tail design was incorporated from an earlier Consolidated bomber design that the government rejected prior to the buildup for WWII; the rudders worked better when placed directly behind the engines' "prop wash" - known today as a "slipstream." The Navy discovered that a single-tail design made the plane more stable, so all the Privateers used in the war were single-tailed Liberators, in essence. B-24 8 Ball!I know the pilot of the 8 Ball. He's almost 90 years old and is a great guy. He's amazing! Still has his uniform and lives with his wife of 60 years. Really amazing. RE: Willow Run?Couldn't be Willow Run because the Ford plant was an elaborate assembly line. The parts and planes were assembled in a moving line. This picture does not display an assembly line. I agree that it is the Consolidated plant in Fort Worth, TX, (they are after all Consolidated B-24's) where many 24's were assembled in '42 and '43 for the Mediterranean campaigns. This picture does not present the characteristics of the massive, mile-long assembly line of Willow Run. [Did these planes move along the track seen at the bottom of the photo? - Dave] Surface areaMore than redundancy, the double tail (as on the B-25, C-45 etc too) is a matter of providing enough surface area with out having a huge single tail. A Navy variant of the B-24 called the Privateer had a single vertical stabilizer and it towers above the twin tails of the B-24. The big single tail makes it hard to get in a hangar and hard to reach for repairs, among other considerations. B-24 DesignI was wondering what the difference was with the two nose designs. My late father flew in the South Pacific in a B-24 Liberator and his plane had a rotating gun turret mounted below the cockpit. You can view his plane at www.uninvitedb24.com along with 260 other WW2 images he took. Also I am doing a painting of a B24 and I think Dad's plane was gray or silver. Thanks for any info on this. Dan Dan's Dad's B-24The B-24 was designed and committed to production before two crucial pieces of technology were developed: (1) the Bendix rotating gun turret, and (2) one-piece Perspex plexiglass nose cones. The image here shows an early model B-24 with the "birdcage" style nose (bombardier's station) which was state-of-the-art for the late 1930's. Subsequent models of the B-24 saw these and many other upgrades before the assembly line was shut down in late 1945. Kudos to your dad for his service. Design progression: versions of the B-24Dan, Try this site for the various versions during the B-24's life. http://www.b24.net/aircraft.htm Bruce B-24-D vs JDan's dad likely flew in a B-24-J which featured the Bendix nose turret mounting twin .50 cal. machine guns. The H model also had a nose turret which was a modified tail turret. As far as color, I am guessing it was probably just bare aluminum. Check out Lynn Ritger's comments for links to good information sites. Fort WorthThis is definitely Fort Worth bomber plant -- I work in the building. Until very recently, remnants from the old assembly line tracks (which had since been covered over with concrete) could still be found. The walls on one side of the picture, and stairs on the other wall are an exact match for what still exists at the Fort Worth plant (and this is what I see every day when I go to work). The more things change, the more they stay the same! FYI, the Fort Worth bomber plant is a mile long, just as the poster below states was the case at the plant at Willow Run. The place is massive. It is now being transformed into a wing/final finish/final assembly site for the F35 Lightning II fighter jet. Parts of F16s and F22s are also built here, but are being phased out in favor of the F35. Hope that helps. This place has been in continuous use since World War II as an aircraft assembly plant. That is quite a record. (The Gallery, Aviation, WW2)
Old Reliable: 1942
... Well, just a thought anyway. [Note that the WW2 tire and the R-1 tractor tread (below) are totally different designs. In ... same half track. M1 Garand The Garand shown is in color photo is a Gas Port design and not the earlier Gas Trap design. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/15/2019 - 3:55pm -

June 1942. Fort Knox, Kentucky. "Infantryman with halftrack. A young soldier sights his Garand rifle like an old-timer. He likes the piece for its fine firing qualities and its rugged, dependable mechanism." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Garand RifleInteresting photo. Latest rifle, the Garand and a World War I type helmet. Looking at the markings on the vehicle, it doesn't seem to be US ARMY. Could it be US MARINE CORPS? [U.S.A.W. - Dave] HelmetIf I remember correctly, the US used those WWI/British style helmets until early 1942, when it switched to the more familiar "wrap around" helmet used through the rest of the war. I suppose the old helmets could still be used for training. Helmet TransitionI have photos of my father in the Army in 1941 and 1942. In the early photos, in training in Alabama, he is wearing one of the doughboy style helmets. After the war started, there are photos of him in Hawaii in 1942 with the newer, more familiar GI style helmet. Tire's on backwardThe directional tread on that tire's going the wrong way, so either the tire was put on the rim wrong or the right and left wheels were switched. The factory shots have them mounted correctly. [I bet they knew what they were doing. See above. - Dave] Tires on backwardIf it was a drive wheel it is definitly on backwards. A drive tire put on this way would not be self cleaning. It would fill up with mud and lose traction. Put on correctly the tire will be self cleaning and retain traction. With non-drive tires the direction of the tread is irrevelant. ["Irrevelant"? See above. - Dave] The tire is on backwardFarm kids pick this stuff up early, with chevron-type tread like that on a powered wheel the bars won't self clean and the tire is effectively bald in mud or snow. This is the recommended mounting for a non-powered wheel, unfortunately it's on a driven axle. The government was in the process of changing to the more familiar NDT (Non Directional Tread) right about the time this picture was taken, it simplified maintainance and eliminated possible future issues like this halftrack might experience. [If only you'd been there to tell them. And them and them and them. - Dave] Leave it to ShorpyLeave it to Shorpy commentors to start a tire tread direction thread. Surprised me to realize I've never thought about it before, and I'm an old guy. It would seem having the tread chevron point first as it contact a dry surface would provide a modicum of extra grabbing force. Although, as the below people noted, it would be gunked up immediately in mud and snow. It's hard to imagine they'd stop and turn their treads every time the weather changed. Just choose one and live with it. So, it's easy to see where mult-directional treads would take care of having to make a call on the old treads and their direction. Solving problems, one of man's more useful abilities. Can't believe I just wrote three short paragraphs on tire tread direction on large vehicles of long past decades. Maybe that's why I love this site. Brings out some unique discussions and responses at times. Tire Treads"This is the recommended mounting for a non-powered wheel, unfortunately it's on a driven axle." I was not aware that the front axle on a half-track was a driven axle. In fact I don't think it was - the front wheels were for steering while the tracks provided power. You will observe on the photo of the truck (the middle of the three that Dave posted) the front tires was chevrons forward and the rear tires were chevrons back. [As we can see from the axles and differential cases in the photos already posted, the front wheels are driven. - Dave] Stuck in the MudWhile I shouldn't try to second guess the military thinking of the day regarding which way to mount their front tires, I can report why we would occasionally run farm tires "backward". The idea in mounting R-1 (chevron) tires backward was that you had better traction going in reverse than forward. Thus, with superior traction in reverse, you could (almost) always count on being able to back out after you got stuck. Yes, it also meant you were more likely to get stuck in the first place but the chances you'd have to call for a tow in that event were supposedly less likely. While you wouldn't likely see this done on a tractor, it was fairly common to see it on combines. Especially in areas known for a wet harvest like Oklahoma wheat harvest or soybean harvest in Mississippi. The other possibility for running their front tires backward might have had something do with wear issues. Chevron tires wear out quickly on pavement when run the "right" way. As I recall, the leading edge of the outside tread bar will wear away fast. By running the tires backwards, they may have found the tire treads wore down more evenly and lasted longer. Well, just a thought anyway. [Note that the WW2 tire and the R-1 tractor tread (below) are totally different designs. In the R-1 the tread is made of separate ridges. Which is what gives you traction and self-cleaning at the same time. You could put it on either way and get dig-in, either from the middle or from the edges. On the WW2 tire the ridges are all connected at the middle. The only dig-in is from the edges. - Dave] RotationYou guys are amazing. Good point about not trying to second-guess military thinking on these matters--no doubt they did have their reasons. One might simply have been that the front wheels on halftracks run on paved roads would certainly wear unevenly, and with no back wheels to add to the mix the only way to rotate them is to run them with the treads going the other way for a while. Perhaps they were more likely to do this in conditions where dig-in was less of an issue, or when the front wheels were being used unpowered (though I don't know whether that was an option, as it was on my old Power Wagon). At least in training or other less time-critical situations, they could still switch them back before conditions were likely to get muddy. I'll bet there was a manual on this at one time. This is speculation, but I'm wondering if the central tread ridge connection on the WW2 tires was perhaps designed to improve wear on pavement, since it puts a more or less continuous band of rubber on the part of the tire with the most road contact. I would think it might also help the tire retain its shape as it compresses on contact, which could also improve wear on pavement. Related question: I've often wondered whether the powerful rear tracks on halftracks could sometimes overpower the steering capabilities of the front wheels in certain particularly loose conditions, especially since I understand most of the load is over those tracks. Thus the wisdom of driven front wheels--but I'm wondering if there was also an option to brake a rear track individually, as with a tank. I would think steering like that from both the front and rear would be the ultimate combination. Historical tiresLow pressure, pneumatic farm tires first appeared only 10 years before this photo was taken. Not long before the war, new tractor production had finally just made the switch over to majority rubber tires in place of steel wheels. The first farm tires evolved from knobby aircraft tires into the 45 degree barred tires still common today. Many of the early barred farm tires had a tread connector strip down the center of the tire similar to the tires on your halftrack. I don't know when the tread codes (R, F, I) first appeared but my guess is not until the 50s or 60s. Your halftrack tires are probably closer to what is today an R-4 tread rather than an R-1. The R-4 is directional and similar to the R-1 but has less open area. At low speeds (under 12mph), the barred tire self-cleaning action comes as mud is forced from the center of the tire to the outside. Squished. Trust me, if you reverse a directional barred tire, this self-cleaning mechanism disappears quickly. The tires ball up with mud and won't self-clean run backwards until you get enough speed up (25mph+) to "throw" the mud off. "Reid Gray" may have hit on your answer though. The tires may have also been run backwards to keep them clean and maintain front traction for steering. That makes more sense than anything I mentioned. Keep up the good work. Thanks. M1 Garand RifleThe soldier in both the photo taken in June 1942 by A Palmer of the OWI, and this one, are members of the US Army. Both are wearing the M1937 helmet and their M1 Garands are the very early "gas trap" model. This system was was discontinued in July 1940 in favor of the "gas port" model which continued in use until production was finally discontinued in 1957 in favor of the M14 Rifle. Both soldiers are wearing the obsolete helmet and using the obsolete rifle because they are probably participating in training field exercises. I suspect both photos were taken by Mr. Palmer, probably on the same day in June 1942 as it appears that the markings on the bumper indicate that it is the same half track. M1 GarandThe Garand shown is in color photo is a Gas Port design and not the earlier Gas Trap design. http://www.fulton-armory.com/GasTrapGallery.htm It's a gas port all rightAgree, that's a gas port rifle. Gas trap rifles were in use as well, although they were to be refitted with the newer design parts when they were sent back for depot maintenance or overhaul. Note the early sight knob without the lock bar. Only the Army had M1 Garands at this point. The Marines stuck to their trusty 1903 Springfield rifles until first-hand experience alongside the Army at Guadalcanal convinced them that the new design was preferable. Note the mix of WW1 gear (belt, canteen and other gear), interwar helmet (WW1 metal, 1934-era liner) and new rifle and herringbone twill uniform. This was common then, and I admired the movie "The Thin Red Line" for getting that right. Bumper #The "D-R" stands for demonstration Regiment. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Cars, Trucks, Buses, WW2)
Pearl Harbor Burns: 1941
... "Pearl Harbor burns at Mare Island Navy Yard, California." Color transparency by J.R. Eyerman, Life photo archive. View full size. ... Wonder if they knew one another. (LIFE, Medicine, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/07/2008 - 6:10pm -

December 1941. "Pearl Harbor burns at Mare Island Navy Yard, California." Color transparency by J.R. Eyerman, Life photo archive. View full size. Remember Pearl HarborI had the opportunity today to be at a breakfast honoring Pearl Harbor survivors. It was mentioned that this would probably be the last one due to the age of the survivors. I think their biggest fear is that they will be forgotten. I hope that never happens. A day that will live in infamy Any information on who this sailor is, or whatever became of him? Thank you for posting this today, by the way. [No idea. If he was lucky he got old. - Dave] TatsWow, what great tattoos. This is well before the whole popularization of tattoos in pop culture. Back when tattoos were a sign of rebelliousness, being a sailor, or a general dreg of society. Poor guy though, doesn't look too fun. Pat AnswerMaybe his name is Pat Kelly. (Is that what the tattoo says? Yes, I know it might be his girlfriend or wife but I'm working with what I got here! Never tattoo your girl's name on your arm ... some things don't last forever and the next girl might not understand why you have someone else's name tattooed on your arm.) Medicinal sprayI wonder what was in that sprayer? My guess is a sulfa compound of some kind. Remember all of the vetsI had the honor of attending two WWII Army reunions with my grandfather before he died two years ago. I think I kind of took for granted that those guys were still around before I went to the reunion. We went to the Truman Library one year and to the World War II Memorial in D.C. the year after it opened. I think a lot of them didn't talk much about the war, except when they were in that situation with other vets--I know my grandpa didn't. Hearing their stories and seeing their reaction to the memorial is something I will always treasure. Last summer, or maybe this summer will be their last reunion as well. As a historian, it's hard to think about what is dying with them. I'm glad I got the opportunity to hear about some of it while I had the chance. Cool & RefreshingI have talked to a few sailors that were burned in Pearl and they all said one thing about what this sailor is doing. "The salt water and iodine spray hurts like hell the first time, but after that you start to look forward to that cool refreshing feeling." Dad at Pearl HarborThey will never be forgotten. Dad was there that day in December on the USS Curtiss AV-4. A seaplane tender anchored off Ford Island. His ship was hit hard by dive bombers with one crashing into one of her cranes. A bomb went through about three decks and exploded when it hit a huge reel of steel cable used to outfit the cranes on board. He told me that if it hadn't hit that reel of steel cable the next deck down was where the aviation fuel was stored for the PBY's they refueled!! His ship was awarded seven battle stars during the war. Dad died in 2005 a proud husband and father of six. We miss him. Do AskWhen I was younger, I knew my great-uncle was in the Navy in the Pacific war but that was all I knew since he didn't talk about it much. If he spoke of his Navy days it was only in the context of his eventual shore duty as a recruiter. It was only after he died (and I got more interested in family history) that I found out he was a boatswain on the USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor. A little research uncovered he was even written up in the battle report. So, while I was standing right next to someone who was there to see it all and who was drawn right into the middle of it, I was to young/stupid to take advantage of the proximity. By the time I got "smart" enough to get interested and inquire, it was too late to ask. For those of you still with the chance to, take advantage of the opportunity and "ask." Other side of the story.My fiancee's grandfather was on the other side of this story. He was a Japanese pilot during the war, and was present at the bombing of Pearl. I remember her telling me that he wouldn't talk about the attack with the family, and just would divert the subject and move on when asked. It wasn't until a couple years before he died that he finally opened up and explained. Interestingly it came after a trip to the Arizona memorial that he decided to tell his story. According to him, the Japanese pilots weren't told that it was a "sneak" attack until after it had happened. While many of the pilots and crews cheered the attack as being a success, some, such as her grandfather, were saddened by it. He told how his bomb aimer was so distraught that he had dishonored his family's name that the man committed suicide with his own service revolver. He went on to add that after the attack, the Kempei Tai (secret military police) went around and questioned all those who had shown disloyalty to the emperor by doubting the attack. It was a thinly veiled threat to keep quiet or else. Luckily for him though, he was injured in a crash on the carrier deck and medically discharged as being unfit for service. Speaking with her, we've often wondered if his crash may not have been a failed suicide attempt. True Love There was a guy in my Army barracks that had a tattoo on on his right upper arm. It consisted of a heart circled completely by a floral design. A space was left below the heart and above the lower part of the floral design. It was an oblong box where he intended to engrave the name of his one true love, should he ever find her. It sort of reminded me of a doorbell. Reminds me of my grandfatherThe medic in the above picture "Pearl Harbor Burns" reminds me of my Grampa Russ! It couldn't be him though because his service began sometime in 1943 or 1944. He served as a Navy Seaman 1st Class on the Destroyer ship DD-390 Ralph Talbot a.k.a. "The Rat Trap". Here he is in his uniform. I love this photo! Miss you grampa! Russell Petersdorf (Russ Petersdorf) Dad on USS Curtiss in Pearl HarborI'm searching for photos and information on the crew aboard the U.S.S. Curtiss in Pearl Harbor. My dad was the Postmaster on-board. He died in 1977, but I went to one of the crew reunions in San Francisco in 2007, and found one crew member who remembered him. It was a great experience to meet men who had actually been on the ship. I saw a photo on this site of "Plank Owners" of the USS Curtiss. Who would the Plank Owners have been (what duties/ranks)? Pearl HarborJust read the comment from Joe Quinlan. My dad was a young LT.(JG) on the Curtiss who had just turned 20 Nov.19. He told me the same story about he Japanese plane that hit the ship. Wonder if they knew one another. (LIFE, Medicine, WW2)
Read All About It: 1942
... thing better than this picture would be to see it in color, with all the flashing headlines and photos. I'll bet the real thing was ... better fantasy-fiction companion UNKNOWN/UNKNOWN WORLDS. WW2 paper shortages would soon shrink ASTOUNDING, DETECTIVE STORY and other ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2013 - 6:02pm -

May 1942. "Southington, Connecticut. Where Southington folk buy their magazines." Photo by Fenno Jacobs, Office of War Information. View full size. I Spyan Astounding, June of 1942. I still have the gravest doubts about the name change. One remaining titleAs best I can tell, the only magazine title that's still around is The Ring, just above the freestanding rack on the left. Today owned by Oscar de la Hoya, it's best known for its ranking of boxers in each weight division. What with the proliferation of "alphabet soup" sanctioning bodies with their own champions, many boxing fans and writers consider The Ring's rankings to be the most authoritative. From "Microcosm of America" leafletLegend has it that the OWI organized its photos of Southington into a pamphlet entitled "Southington CT - a Microcosm of America," and dropped thousands of them on Nazi-controlled areas of Europe. The propaganda value of microcosms eludes me. Early newsstand startsSeeing all those Western magazines reminds me that Louis L'Amour was getting his start in them under pen names like Tex Burns, interrupted by army service in WWII. There is a Doc Savage magazine which became very popular thanks to writer Lester Dent. I was fortunate to meet a Missouri man who showed me many of Mr. Dent's personal items that had been left to him, as well as a large room full of Doc Savage writings. I see General MacArthur saluting and I believe he did that for Life Magazine. All of these almost made me miss the penny candy jars, where the clerk would reach in and count them out for you with unwashed hands - and no one got sick (as far as we know). The only thing better than this picturewould be to see it in color, with all the flashing headlines and photos. I'll bet the real thing was spectacular to see. Comics On The Left!Some great comic books in this most interesting photo. On the left side, Captain Aero, Target, America's Best, Exciting, a pre-Fawcett Dell Don Winslow of the Navy, and Adventure Comics #75, cover attached. It had a Simon and Kirby story starring the Sandman! On the right are even more including Thrilling, Military, Doc Savage, Master, Marvel Mystery, Heroic, Blue Bolt, Wings, Speed, Pep, Superman, Batman, and Champ. The Fantastic Adventures shown is a classic, too. "Mom, can I please borrow a dollar or two?!?!?" Oh those comic booksGet me a time machine, please. Exciting Comics #19Third from the bottom on the rack at left. A sign of the timesis the children's book near the top left. "Little Oscar's First Raid" provides guidance about what little kids should do during an attack by enemy bombers. No PlasticAnd not a single issue sealed in plastic to keep the contents from innocent eyes. Good ThingGood thing those smutty Westerns are on the top shelf where junior can't reach them (why, oh why, are the Westerns on the top shelf??). Good thing seamless stockings became available sometime after this picture. Ahhh, Little Oscar's First RaidExtolling the virtues of flying in a frozen tin can high over hostile territory, whilst the residents defend their homeland by firing flack at you. Intended to make little boys lie about their age and join the Army Air Corps more quickly. Yes, the good old days. Soft CoreI have a friend who owned a combination news and magazine business combined with a lunch counter. He had a problem with people just coming in and thumbing through the magazines, especially Playboy, Hustler and others of that ilk. Industry wide it got so bad that the distributers started shrink wrapping many of the periodicals, especially the expensive ones. So Much for the Notion. . . that back in the day our national reading tastes were so much more refined and erudite. Not just one...Flying magazine (on the first shelf up, second from the left) is still very much in existence. Surviving titlesELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE, up at top right, next to THE CAIRO GARTER MURDERS by F. Van Wyck Mason, #27 in the BESTSELLER series of books in magazine/booklet format that were distributed, even more than most early paperbacks, as magazines. (At the end of its run in the early '60s, BESTSELLER had become a no bones about it mystery fiction magazine, as had MERCURY MYSTERY.) These days, both EQMM and ANALOG are published by Penny Press, primarily a word puzzle-magazine publisher, but which picked up the fiction magazines (including HITCHCOCK'S and ASIMOV'S) in buying out the Dell Magazines line of mostly puzzle titles and a smaller set of fiction and astrology titles. Love those Planet Stories coversThe pulp "Planet Stories" magazine had fantastic covers. Do an image search and check out some of the others. Here is the one from this newsstand. Mammoth Detective Detective Stories Galore! All Complete! Death By The Lake by Wyndham Martyn First American Publication of this Great English Detective Novel More Covers Shown!This photo is fascinating! Here are a couple of other comics shown, these from the right-side rack: Superman #17 and Doc Savage #8. Comics back then would be dated three months or so from when they appeared on the rack, in hopes the newsstand would leave them for sale on the rack longer, I guess. Not sure if this is still the practice. Once they were deemed out-of-date, the magazine distributor would slice off the upper third of the comic or magazine and take it for credit, and throw the rest away. So kids like me would look out back on distribution days to snag the "cover defaced" comics for free. & still-published ANALOG, until 1960, was known as ASTOUNDING...You see the 1942 8.5x11-sized ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION at the lower right, but sadly no copy of its even better fantasy-fiction companion UNKNOWN/UNKNOWN WORLDS. WW2 paper shortages would soon shrink ASTOUNDING, DETECTIVE STORY and other surviving Street and Smith pulps to digest-sized, the same dimensions as ELLERY QUEEN'S and ENCORE (and the READER'S DIGEST and BOOK DIGEST and...), which would become the default size of fiction magazines in the 1950s, as the pulps faded away. Ellery Queen's Mystery MagazineJuly 1942 (Vol. 3, No. 3), upper right on the wall rack, with pieces by Dashiell Hammett, Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen. Fact Digest Entertaining and Instructive Articles Ease of Readability is Our Policy A Rodale Press Magazine A Lot of Film and a Lot of FunTop left above the comic rack. All The Pulp You Would Ever NeedThe Pulp Magazines Project is an open-access digital archive dedicated to the study and preservation of one of the twentieth century's most influential literary & artistic forms: the all-fiction pulpwood magazine. The Project also provides information on the history of this important but long neglected medium, along with biographies of pulp authors, artists, and their publishers. Full downloads of magazines featured in the photo such as All Western, Air Stories, Amazing, Astouding, Romance and one I had never heard of but I am sure will be popular with a large segment of loyal Shorpyians (or is that Shorpyites or Shorpians or Shorpites?)... The Railroad Man's Magazine.
Lone Star: 1942
... here! Goodbye Kodachrome What a lovely image (color and composition-wise); and, sadly, one we won't see being made again any ... applying it. Kodachrome This image (and all the OWI color images) makes me appreciate Kodachrome even more than I did. To last as ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 12:48pm -

August 1942. Corpus Christi, Texas. "Women from all fields have joined the production army. Miss Grace Weaver, a civil service worker at the Naval Air Base and a schoolteacher before the war, is doing her part for victory along with her brother, who is a flying instructor in the Army. Miss Weaver paints the American insignia on repaired Navy plane wings." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. View full size. Neatness CountsAmazing how she hasn't gotten paint on her hands or that white blouse. No decals for me, thank you.That just might be a Grumbacher brush she's holding! Oh and I can smell the lead-based 1-shot lettering enamel and pure gum turpentine from here! Goodbye KodachromeWhat a lovely image (color and composition-wise); and, sadly, one we won't see being made again any time soon with the demise of Kodachrome (and film in general) as a medium. Black and whiteApplying black paint while wearing a spotless white blouse. I wonder how long that will last. [The paint is blue. "Insignia Blue." - Dave] She's a SchoolteacherWhich is why she can stay inside the lines! A great photo for Flag Day. No stencil?I'm surprised to see no stencils or masking to keep her from getting the Insignia Blue paint on the white star. Taken with the spotlessness of her clothing as already noted and I have to imagine the photo as being staged. Blue and WhiteApplying blue paint while wearing a spotless white blouse. I wonder how long that will last. Not buying itIn addition to the immaculately white blouse and squeaky clean hands, from that position, with the extended arm, her brush strokes could not possibly have been that steady. Plus, she is setting the can on top of the fresh paint! No experienced painter does that. Call me a skeptic, but I'm convinced it is a staged shot. Nevertheless, she's easy on the eyes (in a 1940's kind of way), and I'm sure the real painter didn't look as nice. [I think you're confusing "posed" and "staged." The "real painter" is the lady in the picture. Not to belabor the obvious, but the Kodachrome OWI work portraits are not documentary photography. They are almost all posed and floodlighted. - Dave] Darn good paintThe rest of the star is bone dry. I wish I could find paint that dried within seconds of applying it. KodachromeThis image (and all the OWI color images) makes me appreciate Kodachrome even more than I did. To last as many years as it has and still retain its color without shifting is nothing short of miraculous. It also brings up a question: What will happen to all of the family photos that are being taken by digital cameras these days in 50 years? Unless they are properly stored and cared for, a whole generation will lose its heritage. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2)
Mackey's Creamery: 1943
... Mackey's Creamery Hamilton Beach The color alone makes me happy. Quit standing around gabbing and grab a ... for the interruption. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2016 - 5:09pm -

        UPDATE: Restaurant ID thanks to tterrace. June 7, 1943. "Restaurant soda fountain, Sausalito, California." Anyone got a nickel? 8x10 acetate negative, photographer unknown. View full size. OK, OK,Where are the ashtrays -- this IS 1943, isn't it? Mackey's Creamery Hamilton BeachThe color alone makes me happy. Quit standing around gabbing and grab a broom! Hey OKWhy have ashtrays when you can use the floor! It still looks like a great place for a burger though. "Fine sodas"Sausalito News, March 28, 1940         Centrally located at 639 Bridgeway Boulevard in Sausalito, Mackey's Creamery, operated by Mr. Herbert Legge, offers a unique environment for the enjoyment of your lunches and fountain drinks.         Everyone knows that a cool, refreshing soda accompanied with a tasty sandwich goes far toward making the day brighter.         Herbert Legge, at Mackey's Creamery, has done much in making many people happier by his pleasant and appreciable service in the serving of fine sodas, all fountain drinks and lunches.         Mr. Legge is widely known in Sausalito, and through the excellence of his service, his establishment has become the meeting place for many friends and parties.         Such a service to the people of Sausalito deserves thanks, and we sincerely hope that a greater congratulatory measure will be brought to light as an increased demand for Mackey's Creamery's fine contribution to community life. JukeboxThat's a Wurlitzer Model 24 against the back wall. It was a 1937 model, so a bit out of date by 1943. It probably started life in a swanky nightspot and worked its way down the ladder as new models were given prime placement. Chili and What?OK, I give up. Chili and something (on the back wall) for two bits. I'll be darned if I can decipher what the something is. [Someone here has never had diner chili! - Dave] What is that thing on the seats?Can anybody explain to me that metal button thing on the back of the seats? It’s too flat to be a coat hook. Chair backs??What are the latches on the back of the chairs? Too small for coats and I don't think they are for purses! But they look vaguely familiar nonetheless. And what's the security camera doing by the cactus? I also notice that the cigarettes on the floor are unfiltered? Norman RockwellThe waitress left of center and the guy in the hat look so much like a Norman Rockwell painting, that it's hard to believe they aren't painted into the photo. Older man with hearing aid between the two younger guys. Young guy in the foreground doing a James Dean impression. Older guy with the gap-toothed smile. Has anyone mentioned yet that the floor badly needs sweeping? What a great photo. Watch/Wear Your Hat!Nobody is taking advantage of the hat clips on the back of each stool. The two young men in the foreground wouldn't be caught dead wearing a hat or cap. Pure AmericanaI presume the clips on the backs of the seats were for men to put their hats? Obviously, no one saw the need for them. Chili and CrackersA few crackers added to soupy chili stiffens it up. A lot of crackers can double the volume of you chili if you're short on money and hungry. Anyone know the deal on the doomahikees on the back of each stool? Some kind of hat holder possibly? Norman RockwellThis could easily have been a Saturday Evening Post cover. I know nothing of California weather, but is it cold enough in Sausalito on June 7th for coats and gloves? [If the fog's in. -tterrace] Hat holdersI love the spring loaded hat holder clips on the back of the seats. My church growing up had these. Crease CreatorsHat holders. My church had these. Grandpa always said no one wanted to use them much because of the nice crease you could get in the brim of your hat. It isn't a cameraThat's not camera by the cactus, it's a light switch. Probably for an outdoor sign or exterior lighting of some kind. What does the older gentleman have in his ear? Transistors weren't invented until 1948 so any kind of hearing aide aid would be at least the size of one of the juke box remote terminals. [Hearing aids used small vacuum tubes. Below, an ad from 1942. - Dave] Hearing AidVacuum tubes had been made quite small by that time, about the diameter of a large pencil, with wire leads. A hearing aid could be somewhat larger than a pack of cigarettes. MiscellaneousA light switch? Wow. That light must be drawing some serious Amps and Volts. I do wonder. Was there anything rationed in the US during the war? Except maybe gasoline for private use? And even that rationing was probably more symbolic than real? Many places like that in Europe would have required food coupons for many dishes, or even not having meats, dairy or sugary stuff on the menu in the first place. [Note the sign re Coca-Cola (i.e., sugar) rationing. Ration coupons for meat and other foods were all part of the war effort, although you'd use them at the grocery store, not in a restaurant. In addition to gasoline rationing (which was most certainly not "symbolic"), the sale of tires and manufacture of automobiles, radios, appliances, etc. for civilian use were suspended. - Dave] "Due to Coca-Cola rationing we are compelled at times to substitute other colas." Edit: Ah, thanks. "Ersatz" in the US as well? ;-) Well, Ersatz Coke definitely beat Ersatz coffee, Ersatz gasoline, Ersatz honey, Ersatz butter (vulgo margarine), Ersatz whatever. The US did have the edge, in everything (not just General Motors). I recall my relatives to recollect that my oldest uncle (b. 1927) actually sent home the odd package of canned foodstuffs while he was an American PoW in Belgium in late 1945. Seems he hit it up right with the US Army sargent he was working for. Beltone Hearing AidsBack in the 60s I worked at a local gas station near my school. We had an old retired guy who ran errands and such for the owner. He wore one of these and whenever everyone else was busy, he would answer the phone in the office. Of course, he had to hold the receiver upside down so the ear piece was over his shirt pocket while the microphone end (and the cord) were sticking up. You can imagine the hilarity that ensued when customers would try to help him by gently turning the thing right side up and placing it up to his ear! They got the ugliest looks from him as he turned it back around and apologized to the caller for the interruption. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, WW2)
Atwater Kent: 1927
... enormous number of radio before, during, and after, WW2. Sometime in the late 50s/early 60s, Philco sold at least part of the ... Luscious I wish I could see all those rich fabrics in color. Velvets, brocades, satins...mmmm!! They're probably in lovely jewel ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/02/2016 - 11:18am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Thomas R. Shipp group, Hamilton Hotel. Atwater Kent standing by radio." National Photo Co. safety negative. View full size. Fuller is rightthat Kent walked away with big bucks, not a failure. One of the big reasons that he closed the company down when he did was the threat of unionization by his workers. he said that if they persisted in attempts to unionize, he would close the company. They did, and he did. The factory was eventually taken over by Philco and produced enormous number of radio before, during, and after, WW2. Sometime in the late 50s/early 60s, Philco sold at least part of the property to the Government, and it became a Veterans Administration Data Processing Center, full of equipment that, by today's standard, was as about as advanced the radios made by Atwater Kent! Model 33 in a Pooley CabinetThe set is an Atwater Kent Model 33 in a Pooley 1700-R-2 cabinet. Pooley had a deal with AK -- customers could order from their line of radio cabinets, and then pick from any number of available AK sets to go in it. The cabinets cost anywhere from $190 to $240, and the radios $145 to 390. That was a pretty hefty sum in 1927 -- even more so when you consider that the delivered radio-cabinet set came without tubes or a battery, which the buyer had to purchase separately. Mr Kent appears to be showing off the latest model -- the 33 was manufactured in 1927, and the Pooley 1700 started production in 1926. The radio isn't a Model 30 (manufactured in 1926) -- the knobs on the 30 were closer together. Pinpointing the dateThis is one of those photos where, with a little detective work, one can easily figure out what month of the year it was taken. The cover of the Cosmopolitan magazine that woman is holding is clearly visible. [February 1927. - Dave] Attentive StareAlthough obviously a posed picture, interesting how everyone is "watching" the radio set. Replace the speaker grille with a small TV screen and this could be 1949 (at least, if you look more at the mens' outfits). Looking at the radioYou see, if you look at the radio, your ears just happen to be pointing in the best possible direction for you to hear best as well. One of nature's little tricks. Attention pleaseIf you don't look at the radio, you can't hear it. And the lady on the left has taken one of the drapery ruffles and fashioned a hat. What are they looking at?Why is everyone looking at the radio? They have a good 20 years to wait until a screen pops out of that thing. Radio daysThe fact that they're all looking at the radio is hilarious, and reminds me of a line from Woody Allen's Radio Days. "He's a ventriloquist... on the radio! How do you know he's not moving his mouth?" I paraphrase, but you get the idea. The one visible female face has a highly amusing expression on it. Most everyone else appears somber and she's sort of simpering, seemingly unable to get into character. Interesting PieceThe radio cabinet could double as a writing desk. I wonder if the area below the desk is a functional drawer or storage space of some sort or does it have any part of the electronics. Atwater KentAtwater Kent provided radios for various manufacturers to include in their own cabinetry. This one looks like a model 30, produced in 1926 and notable for single-knob tuning: http://www.atwaterkentradio.com/ak30.htm Atwater Kent himself!Funny that I always assumed "Atwater-Kent" was a combination of two names, like "Nash-Kelvinator" or "White-Westinghouse." Unless, of course, the caption actually means "standing by Atwater Kent radio." Note the Cosmo girl to his left--this being the days when Cosmopolitan was like a mixture of Redbook and Literary Digest. RearrangedLooks like they might've dragged some furniture around to better compose the shot. A smart hunter would've swept that plant around to cover his tracks. Play by PlaySteeeRIKE THREEE!! and he's OUT! Thomas Roerty Shipp Washington Post, Aug 20, 1926 Greater Radio Sales Predicted Next Year Dealers, Closing Meeting With Banquet, Base Forecast on Broadcasters' Rivalry A larger business in radio sets for next year was predicted at the annual meeting of the radio dealers of Washington, Maryland, and Virginia that closed with a banquet at the Lee house last night. The high quality of radio programs being broadcast together with rivalry between the broadcasting stations to procure the best talent was the basis for the prediction. A representative of the Atwater Kent factory reported that the Philadelphia plant had already received a sufficient number of orders to warrant the manufacture of more than 600,000 radio receivers this year as compared with a 400,000 order on hand at this time last year. The dealers were the guests of William E. O'Connor, president of the Southern Auto Supply Co., at the banquet. The dealers were welcomed by M.A. Leese, local radio dealer and president of the Washington Chamber of Commerce, followed by greetings from F.C. Ferber, vice president and secretary of the Southern Auto Supply Co. Others who spoke were C.W. Geisner and P.A. Ware of the Atwater Kent Co.; T. Cronyn, S.D. Goodall, G.O. Hamilton and H.W. Jarrett, all of New York and Thomas R. Shipp, of this city. Washington Post, Sep 12, 1927 "Better Broadcasting" Talk By Bullard Today Having explained to listeners, station owners, manufacturers and others the part they must play in the national program for better broadcasting, two members of the Federal Radio Commission today will being to enlist the cooperation of radio dealers in the movement. To this end, Chairman W.H.G. Bullard will address the annual Atwater Kent dealers meeting at the Hotel Hamilton, taking for his topic, "How Radio Dealers May Aid the Radio Commission." At the same time Commissioner H.A. Bellows will address the Atwater Kent dealers in Philadelphia. To day's program in Washington will open with a housewarming this morning at the Southern Wholesalers Inc., distributors, followed at 12 o'clock with a luncheon at the Hamilton. Then will come an afternoon business session, concluding with a banquet at 6 o'clock followed by vaudeville. Washington Post, Feb 11, 1952 Thomas Shipp Dead in Miami At Age of 76 Thomas Roerty Shipp, 76, veteran public relations man and one of the founders of the National Press Club, died yesterday in Miami, Fla., where he and his wife had been spending the winter. Mr. Shipp came to Washington in 1908 to organize the first conference of State Governors during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, who then appointed him secretary of the National Conservation Commission. He was public relations advisor for such corporations as General Motors, Standard Oil Co. of New York, the Pullman Co., Swift & Co., International Harvester and many others. Mr. Shipp organized the first national and international publicity campaigns for the American Red Cross in World War I and headed the national publicity drives of the Y.M.C.A. and United War Work Campaign. A native of Morristown, Ind., Mr. Shipp was nominated by the Republicans for Congress but was narrowly defeated in the election. He then became the Indiana member of the Republican National Congressional Committee and directed the publicity campaign for the party in 1914. In 1914 he organized the Thomas R. Shipp publicity company, with offices in the Albee Building. He lived at 3733 Oliver st. nw. Mr. Shipp was a mason, a member of the Chevy Chase Club, Columbia Country Club, National Press Club, Artists and Writers of New York City and a member of the Indiana Bar. Funeral services will be held Tuesday in Indianapolis, with interment there. AK ClosingKent never "failed" in the radio business or in any other business. In 1936, he was a solvent multimillionaire. He had his son, A. Atwater Kent Jr., sell the factory buildings and other company assets, which were all his personal, debt-free, property. He retired to California, where he became famous for his flamboyant parties. He died a wealthy and reportedly happy man. Atwater Kents were the bestAtwater Kents were the best set you could buy back then. If you ever compare a RCA, GE, or Philco radio from the 20's-30's to an Atwater Kent set of the same era, the AK radio wins by a landslide. Unfortunately the sets were too expensive for them to survive the Depression. 14th StreetI think the street outside the window is 14th, with the cars parked in the alley across from the Hamilton that connects 14th and Vermont (in between the current Continental and and Tower buildings). LusciousI wish I could see all those rich fabrics in color. Velvets, brocades, satins...mmmm!! They're probably in lovely jewel tones. (I also want all the women's shoes, especially the adorable mary janes on the left.) Way Back My grandparents & I used to listen to the radio in the evenings. Amos & Andy, Walter Winchell. This brings back good memories. AK CabinetThe Pooley cabinet is a Model 32. Mr. Kent sells his company.Sounds like he "went John Galt." (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Mother's Little Helper: 1942
... Likely Mystery Explanation From the very beginning of WW2, all Americans were expected to assist our nation facilitate the production ... from the 1920s or '30s. Probably a lovely Jadite Green color with bowls to match, a popular color in that era, as well as now among ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2012 - 5:50am -

January 1942. "Bantam, Connecticut. Defense homes. Little Ann Heath is eager to try out all the facilities of her parents' new four-room defense housing unit, after spending most of her life in a single furnished room. Here she pushes her footstool to the sink in order to help her mother clean up the dinner dishes. Mrs. Heath, a native of Winsted, a city some 25 miles away, is delighted with her new kitchen -- the first she's ever had which she actually considers as a kitchen, and is trying out all the recipes she has collected in five years of married life. The Heaths pay $30 monthly for their apartment." Medium format nitrate negative by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. View full size. Yeah,I want that kitchen too. It's A MysteryIt's one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the "Office of War Information" is taking photos of a private apartment? I wasn't born yet so maybe someone a bit older can explain. All the AmenitiesBy the end of the 1930s, Americans may have enjoyed the highest standard of living in the world, as was often claimed, but it's easy to forget how low that bar was set. It looks to me like Mrs. Heath's wonderful new kitchen includes a new wood- or coal-burning kitchen range and stove and a built-in ice box, the kind with an exterior access door on the side of the house, so the ice man could add more ice without tracking mud onto the linoleum. Try To RememberCan that last base cabinet on the right, withe the 2 snap latches, be an Ice Box? What a differenceWhat a difference compared to what the wartime defence workers in other countries reportedly had to put up with. Upgraded housing was definitely out of the question and unheard of elsewhere in the world, even in places that did not suffer from air raids. And the the jump from a single room to a complete four room apartment, with kitchen, hot and cold running water, and, I should be quite bold enough to guess, its own bathroom and toilet. And the heating would not be based on individual wood and coal stoves, either. Other places in the world took 20 more years to get there. Some even haven't arrived there yet. The former workers' paradise still has some kommunalkas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kommunalka) going 70 years later. Memories of my childhoodWhere do I start here? The high heels worn with socks was very common as nylons were not available. House dresses and aprons were every mother's uniform. The E-Bay paradise of supplies on the shelves are all familiar, the tin canister sets, breadbox,matching cake keeper, 1940's pyrex ware, the old clock, painted glass apple with lid (we had the identical one), lidded refrigerator storage dishes, the large motor-driven mixing bowl on stand and the vintage patterned china, just about every item in this picture were props in our kitchen. It really does something for a soul to be able to step back in time and go back seventy years to their infancy. I feel lucky to still be here and thank Shorpy for their mental refreshment. This is my favorite spot on the interweb. Likely Mystery ExplanationFrom the very beginning of WW2, all Americans were expected to assist our nation facilitate the production of goods and services necessary for winning the war. Aircraft, shipbuilding and munitions factories were pushed into round-the-clock shifts of production requiring thousands of workers, all of whom required adequate housing. Here in San Diego, large old homes in neighborhoods including North Park, Hillcrest and Golden Hill were subdivided into multiple units for the huge influx of this new military and war production labor force. Local housing projects (for example the community of Linda Vista) rapidly appeared where only indigenous wildlife had lived months before. Affordable housing units were a timely necessity, and often newly constructed ones even as basic as Mrs. Heath's were a genuine improvement over those many had occupied shortly before. Something in the Oven?Seeing the temperature gauge on the stove almost pegging, I thought something was baking. However, I searched Shorpy and sure enough I found Dad fueling the combo stove/boiler ("Coaling the Stove: 1942"). Since it's January in Connecticut, the heat must be on. Worker housingIt's from a series of pictures depicting home/work life of employees at the Warren McArthur plant. They made bomber seats, among other things. Library of Congress site has more. AlarmingIs the size of the alarm clock over the sink. Dime-Store DemographicI'll second everything OTY has written about this 1942 kitchen. The apple-shaped container was made by my favorite glassware company, Hazel-Atlas, and I often stared at one like it in my grandmother's shadowbox in the 1950's. These glass apples didn't fall far from the tree, and can be readily found in antique malls now. Note that the large tumblers just to the right of the Heaths' clock are decorated with Mickey Mouse images, which would make them very collectible today. Fitzgerald Magic Maid The mixer appears to be a Fitzgerald Magic Maid from the 1920s or '30s. Probably a lovely Jadite Green color with bowls to match, a popular color in that era, as well as now among collectors. Cupboard Today we just call these shelves but it is infact where the term cupboard came from and it was two words "Cup and board" meaning a simple board on a wall for the purpose of placing cups or other dishes on. People today often refer to cabinets as cupboards but they are in fact not cupboards at all. I want the kitchen, and the shoesMrs. Heath's kitchen gear is highly desirable right now, but, sadly, her saddle shoes aren't. And that's a shame, because I love saddle shoes and I'd wear 'em with skirts and socks if I could. See Fred Heath fueling the stove/heaterShorpy picture: https://www.shorpy.com/node/2297 The caption has a few additional bits of information. E_R Housewife propagandaTo answer an earlier poster's question about why the OWI was taking photos like this so soon after the US entered the war, I imagine photos like this (and their accompanying captions) were very deliberately intended to appeal to women like Mrs. Heath who were used to living in those one-room apartments. See what you can get if your husband works for the war effort? In other news, I had never seen high-heeled saddle shoes before - love them. The family in the new living room ..can be found right here, enjoying their overstuffed chairs. High heeled saddle shoesThis from a 1937 catalog offering the popular styles of the day, including women's saddle oxfords with the high heels, such as Mrs. Heath is shown wearing. Mystery Solved?(Originally posted 5-13-2015 - corrected spelling on date shown above) The National plunge into the defense industries did not wait until after the "Day of Infamy" on December 7th, 1941. We had been involved in defense production since 1940, with Lend Lease, and with other reasons to be tooling up for war. The industry's rapid expansion created a rapidly expanding need for housing all the workers that these industries would require to run their facilities for the extended period of time required to keep up production. Providing decent housing was essential to alleviate the extreme shortage of housing created by the enticement of good wages these jobs offered. Before the production of housing ever caught up with the need, people were tolerating living in extremely challenging, unsanitary circumstances, in tent camps, roadside shacks, trailer camps, in their cars, in overpriced, underserved, ancient apartments and shared rooms with Victorian era plumbing and kitchen facilities, and any other way they could find to get themselves out of the financial grind the Great Depression had trapped them in for so long. The government housing promised was mostly plain barracks like apartments, with little in the way of ammenities, but the apartment that the Heath family shared was obviously many times more pleasant and livable than the single furnished room they started married life in, likely with the shared bath down the hall. All these apartments were billed as "rooms plus" meaning in this case, four rooms plus the bathroom, as bathroom was never counted in amongst the "rooms" of the house. And all bathrooms were complete, with all three usual fixtures, of tub, sink (or lavatory, in the parlance of the day), with a mirrored medicine cabinet of some type, and toilet (or 'closet,' likewise.) Heat, as seen in another photo linked in another comment, was provided by the combination coal range, heating stove and water heater in the kitchen. There was usually some sort of attached water tank that kept a supply of hot water ready for use. The small size of the apartment, with two small bedrooms, the living room and eat in kitchen made that sort of heating arrangement adequate. I have a considerable collection of American Builder magazines from the early 40's, which contain a great deal of information about the housing industry as it existed during this time, and it's amazing to read about the builders, the developments, and especially the cost and regulations involved in establishing defense housing during this time. FHA regulations under Title VI limited the cost of defense housing after a period in 1942 to $6000, with a 10% downpayment, leaving the balance to mortgage at $5400 over a period of up to about 20 years. Mortgage payments, or "carrying charges" as they were called, ran in the high $20 to mid $30 range per month, including interest, principle, insurance for fire, and in some areas tornado or "wind damage" and local taxes. Can't imagine paying $35 a month for a house! This of course doesn't include utilities, or maintenance, but most utilities were relatively cheap, and the newest focus on adequate insulation of homes brought heating costs down to a minimum each heating season. Since these houses were brand new, maintenance costs were pretty much non-existent. (The Gallery, Howard Hollem, Kitchens etc., WW2)
Road House: 1956
... over-chlorinated swimming pools. Eventually they got wise. Color transparency by Margaret Bourke-White. View full size. ... The guy looks to be of an age that could suggest he is a WW2 vet where in a number of circumstances he could have lost his hearing. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/25/2008 - 12:51am -

1956. "Segregation in South Carolina. Separate and unequal recreation facilities." I've looked at hundreds of photos from this assignment and would have to agree -- the white folks in general seem to be having a lot less fun in their hopelessly boring bars, uptight country clubs and over-chlorinated swimming pools. Eventually they got wise. Color transparency by Margaret Bourke-White. View full size. What's on the Jukebox?I'd love to hear what they're dancing to! Who said what?I am assuming that:"Segregation in South Carolina. Separate and unequal recreation facilities." is from Bourke-White. Who is the author of the rest of the statement? Trent Lott, maybe? Hopefully it is not Shorpy. Although the statement, "I've looked at hundreds of photos..." might be read as a simple statement about the levity shown in them, it also carries the bigoted message, "The darkies so much enjoy their place!" [Oh brother. - Dave] AskanceThe woman in the upper left is looking askance at the photographer. I wonder what she's thinking Bourke-White will do with the photo. Reminds me of "Hairspray"All I can think of is the scene in Hairspray (the original one, if you please!) where the kids are dancing in Motormouth Maybelle's record shop. Cool shot! Family MattersThe guy in the skimmer looks like Steve Urkel Looks like funLooks like a fun place to hang out! Is the man on the right wearing a hearing aid? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with earbud technology from the 50's. Interesting tank top shape under his shirt, at least to modern eyes. EarphoneThe first Japanese transistor radios didn't arrive here until 1957. The fellow on the right, with the earpiece, may be listening to a Zenith AM receiver priced at about $75., a sizable sum then. Perhaps he was wearing a hearing aid, but I doubt it. It wasn't until the early 1960s that the popularly priced Asian radios first hit the market, priced under $30. The first Panasonic transistor radio, circa 1959, marketed under the brand "National" was a fairly large piece, that worked on 4 C cells. It sold for $59. The competition was a Sylvania slightly larger and much heavier. It was powered by 2 batteries an "A" and a "B" battery. If I remember correctly the batteries sold for around $40, the radio around $79. We had a lot of sales resistance because of the Japanese manufacturer. A lot of people still objected to the Japanese products even though the war had ended 15 years before. When Mitsubishi marketed their first TV's in this country, the brand was MGA, the spector of the Mitsubishi Zero fighter airplane and their heavy bombers were fresh in the memories of Americans. However, their lower pricing and acceptable quality gave them the foothold they needed and their lower production costs was the beginning of the end of American electronics production. Early iPodLove the earbud on the man in the straw hat. Since there is music playing on the jukebox, do you suppose he is listening to the ball game on his transistor radio? What song is playing?No one knows, but my guess is Little Richard's Rip It Up. I'm also guessing from the poster on the wall that the photo was taken somewhere in Greenville. I dance quite a lotI dance quite a lot, so this photo really grabs me. The kid in the middle is leading with his right hand which probably means he's got a few moves in his bag. Plus, he's just using his fingertips. Sign of a good lead. I can kinda sorta imagine how these people are moving just by their body positions, but I'd really love to know what kind of music they're dancing to. Looks like some variant of your typical rock and roll jitterbug that has a myriad of styles. Love to see what's on the jukebox list. I don't see any ads for liquor, just food. So I suppose this could have been a roadhouse, but without any drinks on the bar there, it just might been a little cafe on a weekend night with a well stocked jukebox. Someone from South Carolina might weigh in on whether they had dry counties. Hearing AidWhy couldn't it be a hearing aid? The guy looks to be of an age that could suggest he is a WW2 vet where in a number of circumstances he could have lost his hearing. The picture is a wonderful slice of life. Oooh, check out suave dudeOooh, check out the shoes of the suave dude with the boater. Those look like spats! I love that the men are hatted, indoors, and the women are not. These are definitely Hats of Coolness, not everyday headgear. [He's wearing two-tone wingtips. And yes, they are tres cool. - Dave] HUH?!?Bobby from New Orleans...What the He!! are you talking about??? I am just saying, I am a black man - I am assuming you are as well - and I don't see a bigoted statement in the description of this picture. It actually is a statement to the rigidity of the "established" recreation facilities. Basically from what I can tell whoever the author was was saying that the "darkies" had more fun. As my godfather once said: "people with hate in their hearts see hate wherever they look". I think maybe you should look at your heart, what you find there may surprise you... "Freedom to be your best means nothing unless you're willing to do your best." (Colin Powell) Booze by the DrinkI grew up in North Carolina about this time, and made frequent trips to Ocean Drive, SC (known as OD to the intiated), which is now called North Myrtle Beach. Liquor was not available by the drink in the Carolinas except at private clubs, and most of that probably wasn't legal. There were a number of "beer bars" and dance halls like The Pad in OD that sold beer to those 18 and over. Underage guys would find an empty beer can, take it back to the bar and ask for another. Worked for me! But many of the people in this shot look well under 18 and they spent good money too. So there were a lot of places, known as family places, that sold just soft drinks. We don't have to drink to have a good time. And this is an example of seeing a market and catering to it. Smart! ShagdanceThere were "shag dance" places in both NC and SC where the races danced together. This particular dance seemed to bring all together and still does. The AB pack and earbudThe A/B battery pack was only used in tube radios, where the high voltage was the plate voltage and the lower voltage was for the filament. Transistors have no filament, and operate at much lower voltages. Regency was the first transistor radio on the market. They came with a warning to "never under any circumstances use a meter with more than 1.5 V on the probes in this radio" that gave service people fits. Some Regency owners would not even let a serviceman check the battery voltage! Like the Regency, most of the original transistor portable radios used a NEDA 216 9V battery, although a few used two to four AA cells. $79 to $99 for a name brand 4 tube battery portable is about right. Most of the Burgess and Eveready 90/7.5 V packs for Zenith portables cost $10.00 or so and lasted 15 to 20 hours of intermittent use. The 90/1.5V "farm packs" were the same price, but lasted a bit longer. Western Auto had farm packs in a tin can for $10.95, and had the reputation of lasting much longer. That earbud is a puzzler. That style was fairly common with hearing aids, which were usually carried in a shirt pocket, but not at all common with any sort of radio. In fact, many radios had no earphone jack. While that may be a pack of smokes in the man's pocket, I don't think so. And it's too short and too narrow for any of the popular transistor radios of the era. I think it's an early one tube hearing aid with a 22.5/1.5V battery pack, since I have seen them in cases that size. Knotty PineThe paneling tongue-and-groove knotty pine. Definitely from the past. The fellow with the ear bud is wearing a hearing aid. There was a kid in junior high with me in the 50's that wore one. He had a special pocket inside his shirt to hold the power pack. If he carried it in his shirt pocket, he had to keep it buttoned to keep the power pack from falling out. I have to wear hearing aids now, and thankfully, they have come a long way. Southern NightsI worked with a guy who in the '50s was an Airborne soldier stationed in SC. He said all the white bars played only country music. If Jazz or R&B was desired you had to go to a colored establishment. Since he is white this would have caused unpleasantness. If he wore his uniform there was never any trouble. He is a Northerner. I don't know if this would have worked for a white Southerner. Each one teach one While in the service in the south, Florida, to be exact, I had, as a white northerner, no inhibitions about where I partied. Many bottle shops, liquor out front, juke joint in back, had separate facilities for the two races. The white side was mostly angry drunks looking for a fight, while the 'colored' facilities had the best music, dancing and good times. Eventually, some of the rednecks would cautiously slip inside for the good vibe. But stay away from the gals, their boyfriends wouldn't hesitate to let you know the score. (Eateries & Bars, LIFE, Margaret Bourke-White)
Streamline Moderne
... the current Google street view shows it's acquired a color scheme not in keeping with the spirit of the style. A 35mm Kodacolor ... & coveted 1920s-30s period revival homes of our pre WW2 suburbs. Mixed feelings On the one hand, the colors aren't true to ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 02/23/2017 - 1:17am -

A classic example of 1930s Streamline Moderne architecture in a Santa Cruz, California house I photographed in 1984, showing a number of characteristic elements: porthole and corner windows, the rounded edge of the entryway, the flat roof and white stucco surfaces. Unfortunately, the current Google street view shows it's acquired a color scheme not in keeping with the spirit of the style. A 35mm Kodacolor negative. View full size. Fascinating I love being able to see it on street view today. I know today flat roofs use a thick rubber as a first layer then cover it with gravel. What was used back when this house was built? I kind of like the new color scheme. Stucco- yuckThe stucco looks like a recent 1980's job. Bad one at that. I bet when it was first built (1930's) it was smoother and held cleaner and crisper horizontal lines. This one just looks bad. Streamline Moderne RulesAccording to Wikipedia, the new colour scheme is wrong because it is too dark. Streamline Moderne structures featured "subdued colours: base colours were typically light earth tones, off-whites, or beiges; and trim colors were typically dark colors (or bright metals) to contrast from the light base." In this photo the white house may be a bit too stark, but the dark grey or metal trim around the windows is just right. In the modern view the terra cotta main paint is a bit too aggressive but what really sticks out is the bright blue trim. It shouts, while Streamline Moderne - which is an off-shoot of the Art Deco style movement is subtle. I agreeI lived down the street from this house from 1968 through 1975. I agree this great old Streamline Moderne home should be white and trimmed as your old photo shows. Currently, it is a toad, for sure, pretending to be Southwest for all I can tell in an adobe sort of color. It can be Google Earthed: 1012 3rd street, Santa Cruz, CA. This is the historic Beach Hill district of Santa Cruz, overlooking the historic Boardwalk and the fifth oldest roller coaster in the USA, built in 1924, The Giant Dipper, probably worthy of a Shorpy series in itself! No big dealWell, if they felt compelled to change something about the house, at least it was only the paint. Why wouldn't I be surprised if SpongeBob SquarePants walked out that front door? 1930s House of the future?If you look at home design and decor magazines from about 1935 the pages frequently feature houses looking much like this example and tout them as the future of residential architecture, something which really didn't happen. Here in Southern California, many newly built homes are Spanish or Monterey style with very similar design features to the extant & coveted 1920s-30s period revival homes of our pre WW2 suburbs. Mixed feelingsOn the one hand, the colors aren't true to the Streamline Moderne style, but paint can be changed. One Moderne house in my hometown was 'improved' by adding a typical sloped roof on top of the flat roof. In the past, as now, many flat roofs were covered in tar. My eye wants ...... something like this: I Like dwig's VersionMy understanding of Streamline Moderne is that the principal colour shouldn't be as glaringly white as in tterrace's 1984 photo but more of an off-white to beige. dwig has that part right. I also like the more subdued blue than the modern version of the house that he uses for the trim and that he uses it more extensively than was the case in the 1984 photo. I'm not sure that it's historically accurate to use the colour on the body of the house but for me it works. It doesn't surprise me that this style was touted in the 1930s. It was an outgrowth of both the Art Deco Movement which would culminate with the buildings for the 1939 World's Fair, and the streamline design movement which dominated industrial design most notably by people like Raymond Loewy. America loved it's Art Deco, and I suspect we would have seen more houses like this - at least in the United States - if the recovery from the Great Depression hadn't been so tied with World War II. "Colorized"You know, I don't think the grayed terra cotta color is so bad, even if it is not "historical". But with blue trim? No, no, no. Imagine it with charcoal-black trim... A HUGE improvement. "Smart" even! Now I thought the off-white version with blue trim was handsome. But where did they come up with the design for that hideous blue awning? Awnings should always be architectural, not just some shape chosen because someone "likes" it. At any rate, the important thing is that the house survives largely intact, with the original windows, and in this day and age that's a minor triumph. Here's another super Santa Cruz Modernist moment: a terrace apartment over a commercial ground floor. Pretty swanky... (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Paging Rosie: 1942
... she is about to drill has already been riveted. Love the color! Compressed Air Rosie is using a pneumatic (air-powered) drill, ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 8:34pm -

October 1942. "Douglas Aircraft plant at Long Beach, California. An A-20 bomber being riveted by a woman worker." (With, yes, a power drill.) 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Staying feminineLove the lipstick. RivetingShe must be just posing since where she is about to drill has already been riveted. Love the color! Compressed AirRosie is using a pneumatic (air-powered) drill, for those of you who care about such things. Pneumatic hand tools are preferred in dusty settings where a motor spark can cause explosions. Kudos to all the Rosies, including my grandmother. A-20 "Havoc"Built by Douglas also converted to a night fighter P-70, sold to eight other countries, the Brits called it the Boston, even the Russians used them, they were called The Box, 7,478 were built, the cost of each aircraft was $74,000. What's the problem, anyway?Before you can buck a rivet you do have to drill a hole. However, I rather hope that lady didn't inadvertently press the button on that drill, or at least its hose wasn't hooked up. Because another hole in this otherwise rather complete looking section would seem to be a bit superfluous. I can imagine the shop foreman grinding his teeth about those stupid press freaks who wanted to have a flashy but technically incorrect picture, and endangering the quality of his nice new aircraft section in the process. By the way, if I had to guess I would place the lady in or near the center wingbox. Poor RosieWow! Drilling in these close quarters without eye protection. Not a good idea. These gals did a tremendous job mobilizing America when it needed it the most. I doubt if we could do that any more. One of the lesser known planes.A friend's father flew one over the Pacific during the war. I was given his flying boots that show the wear and tear from the long hours spent flying missions. They are in excellent condition considering their age. I hold them in highest regard. Keep 'em flying!I will always be in awe of the Greatest Generation. While the boys were away fighting Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo, women like the one pictured here kept them armed and ready to take the battle to the enemy. God bless 'em all. Black & DeckerShe is using a Black & Decker 1/4" electric drill. You can see the electric cord hanging down. Those holes were not drilled in that position. They were drilled in the shop on a jig. Yes, it was a Photo-Op. For the War EffortMy Mother worked as a Rosie at Willow Run, (now a defunct GM plant) and it was through that job that she met the man who became my Father. Ironically, he worked at Willow Run after the war. I think that's an electric drillThe housing is too fat for a pneumatic. An electric drill contains a big motor and gearbox. A pneumatic contains a turbine, and that's it. Note the slots just aft of the chuck, for cooling the motor. Also see the rubber cone strain relief on the cord, where an air tool would have a quick-release fitting. I'll admit the oversize cord does resemble an air hose. She is wearing what I think of as "old lady pants", mainly because old people often continue to wear what they liked when they were young, without regard for current fashion. My memory for such things only goes back to about 1974, and both of my grandmothers wore pants like this. They were born eleven years apart, but both would have been the right age to work in this factory. Built 'em and flew 'emIn 1955, 32-year old civilian pilot Diana Bixby died in a borrowed A-20 when it ran out of fuel and she crashed in the Pacific off Baja, Mexico. She was well-known back then, having attempted a round-the-world flight in a De Havilland Mosquito with her husband but ending in India with engine trouble. Btw of the 7000+ A-20s built only 15 airframes or so survive, and I don't think there are any flyable. The A-20 was a single-pilot airplane and with a 385-mph top speed was relatively fast for the early 1940s. Great Aunt Pinky's PlantMy great-aunt Pinky (she had red hair, thus the nickname) worked in that plant. She drafted rivet layouts for the workers to follow when building the planes. After the rivets were placed, she checked that they were placed correctly and were secure. During the war, the entire plant was covered with camouflage netting. When photos of it were posted on barnstormers.com last year, I asked my cousin, her daughter, if Pinky had ever told her about the netting. Indeed, my cousin already knew all about it, but none of the younger generation in our family had ever seen a picture of it until last year. During this same period, Pinky was going to Long Beach Community College at night to take classes to further her career as an engineer. She was an early trailblazer on that path for her gender, and worked for many years at Westinghouse among a department that was otherwise entirely male. Rosie the RefinerWonderful picture. My Grandmother worked at the Shell refinery in Houston during this period making the AV gas for these planes. She was a Rosie the Refiner. She met my Grandfather there at the refinery (he was hit by friendly fire so was already home from the war). (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Serve in Silence: 1942
... This is a beautiful, evocative photograph; one of the few color pictures posted here that really speak to me. Who Needs 3D? This ... Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:03pm -

December 1942. A winter afternoon in the North Proviso yardmaster's office, Chicago & North Western Railroad. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Click here for a closeup of the poster on the wall. Serve in Silence! SERVE IN SILENCE! When you hear something pertaining to the war or ANY of its phases from someone supposedly "in the know", they should be severely reprimanded for divulging information regardless of its value, importance or authenticity. And don't repeat it! "The Axis Rats" are ever on the alert, even though you are among friends you can be overheard. The very next time some BIG MOUTH spouts about how things are going on all fronts, shut him up! If he can run this war let him offer his services to our GOVERNMENT. They'll give him a GUN. RoomWhy can't they bring Kodachrome back?...please?!?! [Kodachrome is still around, at least in the 35mm size. - Dave] Love the……coffee in the tin on top of the stove. Looks like it would be Chase & Sanborn brand. Coffee can Used to put an empty can full of water on top of the stove in winter to provide moisture. Houses are sealed up pretty tight these days, moisture tends to stay inside. In the old days things would dry up pretty good indoors once it got cold out side. Hence the can on the stove. Old timers used to rely on frost to seal up air leaks to the outside from the inside. Moist air would provide a faster seal. It would also provide a "warmer" heat. It was the first thing that appeared on top of my wood burner when I first set it up. An old neighbour grabbed a Folgers tin and plopped it, half full of water, onto my hot stove. "To keep the house from drying up, and to make it warmer." Yardmaster's shoesBy the looks on the yardmasters shoes (a great shine) he must not have gotten out in the yard a lot. Love the pix. Coffee CanLook in the coffee can on the right...it looks like the yardmaster may be heating up a little toddy to warm where the stove can't. Chase & SanbornChase & Sanborn have always been one company. In 1938 they began the "Chase & Sanborn Hour" initially with Mae West, and later with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, and searching eBay (those people have everything!) reveals an 1898 ad for "Seal Brand Coffee" produced by the Chase & Sanborn Coffee Company. The can on the stoveIt's SANBORN coffee. Chase joined Sanborn later. - SGL BeautifulThis is a beautiful, evocative photograph; one of the few color pictures posted here that really speak to me. Who Needs 3D?This photo draws me in. The feelings I get every time I look at it are visceral. You feel the heat radiating from the coal stove. You can smell The scent of stale cigar and pipe smoke and coal hang in the air. You can hear the hollow scrape of chairs across the floor and the quiet echo of the regulator clock punctuated by the rumble of a slow freight passing by... Anyone else notice the clasped hands resting on a blue leg, just behind and to the left of the stove? Or the melted snow about the feet of the gent sitting on the padded bench by the wall. A marvelous glimpse into the past. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads, WW2)
Lush Life: 1937
... have been too much of a bargain during the upcoming gas WW2 rationing. My grandfather had a similar one and it sat in the garage most ... or half-moons, free of polish as well. The popular color was red. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 12:23pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Jane Grier." Pictured with a Packard near the old State, War and Navy building. Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. West Wing WomanIt appears that this shot was taken in front of the West Wing of the White House looking west toward what is now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. On the left side of the frame, the corner of the West Wing can be seen. The gate behind the car opens to steps which go down to West Executive Avenue. ElegantBoy, everything about this photo says "elegant." Miss Grier, her clothes, the Packard with the distinctive hood ornament, and the structures in the background. Elegant. Not just a PackardIt's not just any old Packard, it's a Packard V-12--very costly when new, sold in limited numbers and THE prestige American car of its time. Joan BlondellShe has the look of those Joan Blondell characters who were Broadway babies or the wives of the Park Avenue rich. Cars & Trucks?!Perhaps you would also consider categorizing Ms. Grier under "Pretty Girls"? The V-12 PackardThough big, elegant and luxurious it wouldn't have been too much of a bargain during the upcoming gas WW2 rationing. My grandfather had a similar one and it sat in the garage most the time for several years while he drove my grandmother's 6 cylinder Chevrolet from 1942 until 1945. Wish we had both cars now! Her missionAccording to the September 18, 1937, Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail, a Jane Greer (not Grier) visited the White House to perform a vital mission: to deliver an invitation to President Roosevelt to attend the Mountain State Forest Festival at Elkins, West Virginia, on October 7 and 8. She had been chosen as the festival's queen. Miss Greer, daughter of Morgantown Dominion Post publisher Herbert C. Greer and Agnes Jane Reeves Greer, graduated from the University of West Virginia in 1940, and was married to its former men's basketball coach (Richard Aubrey "Dyke" Raese) from 1943 to 1955. Control of her father's media business passed to her family, and the Greer business empire soon included minerals, steel, and radio stations. Prominent Republicans, the Greers include her son, John Raese, a three-time loser in statewide elections. She is obviously not the Jane Greer who co-starred in the film noir masterpiece "Out of the Past" (1947). Super Circus This girl could be Mary Hartline's twin sister! Albeit 20 years too soon. She's sure look great in a majorette costume! Where's Claude Kirchner when you need him? Talon ShowShe is very pretty, but it's so odd how her nails have been sharpened to a point. I guess they would make an excellent jerk deterrent. Almost Heaven West Virginia!Now I know why I admire Miss Grier so much. She hailed from the Mountain State! I used to live in Elkins and attended many a Forest Festival albeit about 30 years after Miss Grier's coronation as Festival Queen. Morgantown GreersHaving grown up in Morgantown, I am very familiar with the Greer name, both for the newspaper as well as for Greer Limestone, the largest limestone mine in the state. Jane married Richard Aubrey "Dyke" Raese, the head basketball coach at West Virginia University (not University of West Virginia, please). Their son John ("Jack) Raese, now owns the newspaper and other mining, steel, tourism and broadcasting commpanies (Greer Industries). Jack Rease ran, unsuccesfully, on the Republican ticket for both the governorship as well as the U.S. Senate seats held by Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller. Ah, the nails...Here's something I know about, as I've been a manicurist for nearly 30 years. These sharply filed nails were the height of fashion in the late '20s and '30s. The hairline on the tip was done to prevent polish chipping, and many women also left their "crescents," or half-moons, free of polish as well. The popular color was red. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Pretty Girls)
Five Smiling Women: 1942
... the outside edge of the film itself. An artifact Color might be right for some Hello Kitty prototype, but the six "knobs" are ... It never ceases to amaze me whenever I see these vibrant WW2 color photos. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Relocation Camps, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 11:04pm -

Five smiling women. Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. 1942 or 1943. Photographer unknown. View full size. what is it?what is that think on the lower right? It's pink with black knobs. At first, I thought it might be the head on a guitar, but it's not. re: what is it?I think it's the sprocket holes for the film and the outside edge of the film itself. An artifactColor might be right for some Hello Kitty prototype, but the six "knobs" are actually where the points of a metal clip gripped the film as it was developed. The pink is probably an area where the clip prevented the chemicals from fully developing or fixing the image. Notice the paler pink area above the clip marks in the top right corner. The negativeIt is from the negative. If you look to the right you can see "EASTMAN - SAFETY - KODAK." RE -what is it?If you look, the same thing is there in all four corners of the image. Looks like part of the negative. The negativeTechnically there is no negative. Kodachromes are transparencies (positives). The womenNever mind the film, how about the women? I like the one in glasses. She could paint my stripes any time. WOW - I remember stumblingWOW - I remember stumbling across this exact photograph in a search through the US Photographic Archives not long after they were digitized! Through three computer replacements, numerous drive backups and failures, and a massive succession of photographs, others' and my own.... this picture has remained at the top of my Images folders! Great to bump into it again - and the inadvertence a little eerie! Thanks! A miracle...that they were smiling, being "relocated" just because their ancestors were Japanese. Not a glamorous part of US history. The whole photo series is excellent, I think. Objectifying deceased involuntary detaineesThe one in the red spotted dress was quite attractive Wow, so colorfulHey, my mom was born in there, in 1945 - a year too early to be a baby boomer. It never ceases to amaze me whenever I see these vibrant WW2 color photos. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Relocation Camps, WW2)
Fort Worth: 1942
... of her hair by the photographer to get some "Kodachrome" color into the posed picture? Love the detail in the metal, though. ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 12:02pm -

October 1942. Lathe operator machining parts for transport planes at the Consolidated Aircraft plant in Fort Worth, Texas. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem, Office of War Information. “Forth Worth”There was a Dodge truck commercial that ran down here in Texas for 3 or 4 years that had a Texas map in the background that had that same typo in it ("Forth Worth" instead of "Fort Worth"). I don't know if anyone else ever noticed it or if Dodge (or its ad agency) just didn't care. [Oopfh! Fixed. - Dave] Fort WorthForth Worth, Where the Westh Begins Dallash, Where the Easth Ends This site indicates Consolidated Air is now Lockheed Martin, and was General Dynamics in between. The plant is adjacent to the former Carswell Air Force Base, which was closed and transformed as the Joint Naval Air Station. Fort WorthGod bless you ladies, and God bless Kodachrome. [Amen! - Dave] Has anyone else noticed?That she is wearing red nail polish? AE DangerThat hanging strap is dangerous over a lathe! What a lovely lady!What a lovely lady! Nail PolishAnd why should she not wear nail polish? It didn't affect how well she did her job and made her feel pretty. An affordable luxury went a long way in those uncertain times. The CapDo you get the feeling the new, clean yellow cap was carefully perched on top of her hair by the photographer to get some "Kodachrome" color into the posed picture? Love the detail in the metal, though. ProtectionIt is a good idea to wear eye protection when running a turret lathe. HerNice shot, although it is completely staged. There is no workpiece mounted to the faceplate of the lathe! [Posed, not "staged." - Dave] Authentic FeelingThe photo may be posed, but the soiled apron and shirt provide a feeling of authenticity. The 4x5 Kodachrome and sharp focus give great detail, including the end of the steel rule visible in the apron pocket. No workpiece?No tooling either. And you usually don't want to leave hand tools on top of an old school turret lathe while running parts. Still it's fun to see a picture of one of these new. I've never seen one that wasn't covered in ... we'll call it "patina". (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2)
Meet the Babcocks: 1942
... Go The seated young man, who in the Patriotism of the WW2 era, is dressed in what appears to be a military style outfit complete with ... that we didn't let such power and authority early in life color our judgement in later years. Paul, patrol captain, retired. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/28/2017 - 11:57pm -

September 1942. Rochester, New York. "The Babcocks, a typical American war worker's family." About whom we will learn so much in the coming days. Large format negative by Ralph Amdursky, Office of War Information. View full size. Family spreadAs a younger mom I find the 6-7 year spread between each child to be quite a significant time gap. Was that normal for the time period? Could there have been child losses between kids that would account for it or is this just an unusual spread? Separated at Birth?Is that Dame Maggie Smith before she became an expat or is it her long lost twin? Compare the familiesI could not help but notice the vast economic difference between this obviously well-off family and the family of dirt-poor white migrants from Edinburg, Texas just a couple of days ago. We are told to "bloom where we are planted" but in this case it appears that a heavily industrialized area offers a much better quality of life. There is only four years between these two photos. Topic for discussion - rural vs city living. The BoysI wonder if the boys ended up serving in the armed forces in later wars? The youngest would have been of draft age during the onset of the Vietnam war and the oldest during the Korean conflict. Why Sam?I'll tactfully ignore the unfortunate pockets on Mrs. Babcock's dress and ask a question: Is that a uniform of some sort that Junior's wearing? It includes a Sam Browne belt complete with the shoulder strap. I hope in the promised additional photos we get to see a better view of that ring that Mr. Babcock is wearing. Could They Be?With the ages adjusted for the three year difference; Howard (43), Mary (41), Shirley (21), Howard, Jr. (13), and Earle (7) listed in the 1940 Federal Census? Howard the elder is listed as a machinist in the "Gun Industry" which sounds promising for a story about "a typical war worker's family." That Belt Has To GoThe seated young man, who in the Patriotism of the WW2 era, is dressed in what appears to be a military style outfit complete with the Sam Brown belt. Although we know better he could be mistaken for a then current member of the Hitler Youth. I want to learn more.I am pretty much the same age as the little kid. I can really relate to those times. Ditto MaggieI had the exact same reaction--that's Maggie Smith! School Crossing Patrol BeltOtis, I wore one of those school safety-patrol belts as a first- and second-grader, but the one I wore was wider and made of yellow canvas, as I remember it. I was so proud of that. Funny how those memories are brought back by these discussions! I hadn't thought of that in many years. Fife's CompanyThe man reminds me of Barney from the Andy Griffith Show. Little boy's beltWhen I loooked at the belt it reminded me of a school patrolboy's belt. When I was in elementary school, many years ago, schools had patrolboys to help ensure safety. They wore a Sam Browne-style belt. Ring and lapel pinDad is an Elk. Clones?Mom and Dad look so much alike it's a little creepy. Funny how often you see this in married folk. [What's interesting to me is how many couples from this era look like the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. -Dave] Which one is Chester?He'll be the one in the Van Heusen shirt. The FamilyYou know after looking at the family portrait they kind of look like the Babcocks. Mirror-image mistakeJudging by how their ties are askew, I would bet Dad tied his son's tie, and made the same alignment error both times. Another Safety-boy hereCan it really be over 50 years ago. I still remember the times to report 8:30 - 11:40 - 12:35 and 3:10, unbelievable. Crossing Patrol BeltOtis & Jim, We had the same belts as elementary school crossing guards as senior sixth graders. The patrol staff had 3" wide white canvas shoulder belts and the patrol captain had a leather shoulder belt. And we all forgot to mention the snazzy tin badges that were on the shoulder straps of our belts. I guess we came from a more formal regimented time. It says much about the self restraint we possessed that we didn't let such power and authority early in life color our judgement in later years. Paul, patrol captain, retired. Squirming?Speaking as another youngest son, one who never passed up a chance to get in the picture, one with an often doting and indulgent mother, the pose tells me something entirely different. I can well imagine her introducing him as "And this is my baby, Earl," for the rest of her life. Stop squirmingFrom the look on the young one's face, it's obvious he wants to be somewhere else. And from the way Mom has her arm entwined around his, she's making sure he sits still for the picture. (The Gallery, Ralph Amdursky, Rochester)
War Machine: 1942
... looks posed. This picture looks posed. Also, The color photography looks very modern? Posed That's because these pictures ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/29/2017 - 11:05pm -

October 1942. "The careful hands of women are trained in precise aircraft engine installation duties at Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif." Kodachrome by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. 1942That was when we were one nation, indivisible, fighting for our freedom. Perhaps Congress should give some thought to that considering todays worldly forays. Jim This picture looks posed.This picture looks posed. Also, The color photography looks very modern? PosedThat's because these pictures were posed. They were all done for the Office of War Information and were used as as the basis for posters for recruitment, bond drives, etc. The reflex cameras and large-format (4x5) Kodachromes that were used to make these pictures are at least the equal of today's professional camera equipment, and superior to any consumer digital camera. B-17?Since it says Long Beach I suppose it's a B-17. What you miss of course is the new airplane smell. Douglas A-20 HavocPretty sure this is a Douglas A-20 Havoc. Douglas B-26This is a Douglas B-26 Marauder. My dad was a flight engineer on them during WWII. The B-17 was made by Boeing in Seattle. Douglas A-20FlyTexas nailed it. It's not a B-26 as those planes had Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines. It's not a B-17 as they has single row Wright R-1820 engines centered in the wings. The A-20 had twin row Wright Cyclone R-2600 engines slung beneath the wing as shown here. The North American B-25 was similarly powered, but I believe they never built those in Douglas plants. Production versions of the B-25 also had a wing that was kinked at the engine nacelle. Blade Types Identify itThe registration numbers identify these as Hamilton Standard Hydromatic Propeller Blades Type 6353. Those were used only on PBY Catalinas and A-20 Havoc/Bostons. B-26's used Type 6359, B-25's used 6359A, and B-17's 6477. (Ain't the internet an amazing thing?) (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Fort Knox: 1942
... chance of our seeing what this image looked like before color correction? This is a great shot, and I am intrigued by the conditions under which it was taken. I do not think color films in 1942 were very quick; this was probably shot on what would today ... M-7 Priest. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 10:31pm -

June 1942. M-3 tank in action at Fort Knox, Kentucky. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. A triumph for democracy, and for KodachromeTeam Shorpy - Any chance of our seeing what this image looked like before color correction? This is a great shot, and I am intrigued by the conditions under which it was taken. I do not think color films in 1942 were very quick; this was probably shot on what would today be called iso 25 or iso 50 film. However, the dust clouds and tank treads are frozen, so the shutter speed may have been 1/250 or even faster. Palmer got pretty good depth of field too -- several feet at least. That combination suggests that this photo was taken in very bright sunlight. Traditionally, such a dark blue sky suggests that a polarizing filter was used, but that would have cut down on light and Palmer needed all the light he could get for this shot. Was it enhanced in Photoshop? I wonder if this tank would have seemed impressive or threatening to viewers of this photograph in 1942. To my eye, it looks cute, but perhaps that's the result of decades of exposure to much larger and more dangerous machines. [Original image below. - Dave] Central Harlem's Uniformed QuestionIn 1942 Kodachrome had a film speed of Weston 8 which corresponded EXACTLY to ASA 10, which corresponds exactly to ISO 10. There is no reason to believe that Kodachrome would have suffered any color deterioration WHATEVER since this image was processed and stored in 1942, so the colors you see here are probably exceedingly close to what you they were in 1942, allowing for the vagaries of present-day scanning, conversion to digital electronic format, and display. The colors as presented here are typical of what can be seen from properly stored Kodachrome transparencies from the 1940s, perhaps originally exposed through a polarizer, though not necessarily. Consult the Wikipedia article on Kodachrome for more on all this. [So, what kind of uniform does a "uniformed" question wear? Dress blues? Irritating, obtuse comment of the day. But the day is young! - Dave] The TankAs far as Central Harlem Anonymous's question as to whether "this tank would have seemed impressive or threatening to viewers of this photograph in 1942," the answer is that to the uninformed viewer it would have seemed quite impressive, but to anyone who had much knowledge about armor it would not be well regarded at all. The M-3 - known to the British as the General Lee - was pretty much obsolescent when it came off the production line. The 75 mm main gun is impressive enough but it is mounted in a sponson on the right side of the tank's hull giving it a limited field of fire of about 15 degrees to the right or left of center. The secondary gun, a 37 mm turret mounted gun (in this tank either removed, not mounted or cut off) was a fairly decent gun but didn't have the striking power of the guns that even the German Panzer IV had. And that was weak compared to what the Tiger Tanks that the Germans were producing had. The turret itself is a disaster - far too high and a very inviting target. The British bought a large number of the M-3s to cover their own shortfalls in tank production and the first thing they did was to replace the turret with a lower one of their own design. The result was the "General Grant" which was one of the main tanks of Montgomery's Eighth Army at the Battle of El Alamein. The Grants and Lees were taken out of service by the time of the invasion of Sicily, though some were used by the British in the Burma theater of operations where the Japanese tanks were truly pathetic. The Russians were given some through Lend-Lease; they referred to the Lee as "a coffin for seven brothers." Of course by this time the Russians were operating the beautiful T-34. The US Army would eventually use the body of the M-3, heavily modified, to create a self propelled gun type, the M-7 Priest. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2)
Angel Wing: 1943
... Wonderful Kodachrome & medium/large format! The color OWI photos shown on the site never fail to satisfy. I always say, "It's ... been born in 1951, it always amazes me to see WWII in color. It really brings the whole experience into sharp focus. Keep up the good ... Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, Nashville, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 2:02pm -

February 1943. Working on the horizontal stabilizer of a "Vengeance" dive bomber at the Consolidated-Vultee plant in Nashville. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. These beautiful Kodachrome 4x5's...are a revelation. re: These beautiful Kodachrome 4x5's..."are a revelation." Not to mention the quality of the workforce! I'm sure there were some "plain Janes" at work, but photographers being photographers.... I realize this comment might be construed as sexist, but I assure you my admiration for these women goes well beyond their obvious charms. These people helped win the last decent war this country fought (another subject ripe for controversy) I think they were all 'PLANEI think they were all 'PLANE JANES'. Well, weren't they allWell, weren't they all "PLANE JANES"? Angel Wing 1943Wonderful Kodachrome & medium/large format! The color OWI photos shown on the site never fail to satisfy. I always say, "It's like being there." Having been born in 1951, it always amazes me to see WWII in color. It really brings the whole experience into sharp focus. Keep up the good work! War Plant Workers My Dad worked in a US Naval shipyard installing aircraft carrier engines. My sister soldered components in electronic communication equipment for Western Electric. I, aged 14, manufactured those cardboard recording discs used to mail voice messages to our troops abroad. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, Nashville, WW2)
Corporal Nourishment: 1942
... shoes--and two bottles of black shoe dye. The old WW2 style uniform with Ike jacket was slowly phased out during this time. I had ... have done them ourselves, but most of us paid to have the color changed. The shoes Those shoes are NOT wingtips, but they do have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/09/2013 - 9:41am -

May 1942. "A corporal in the Army takes his girl to dinner. Bakersfield, California." Photo by Russell Lee, Office of War Information. View full size. If he's luckyMaybe she won't notice his goofy socks. This photo speaks volumes1) You have got to love the rolled socks! 2) Take a good look at the young woman's look of love toward her soldier - priceless! 3) It goes to show you that Heinz Catsup was and is an American standard. A study in contrastsWonderful shoes, those brogues, but horrible socks. Also, while she’s eyeballing him, he’s intent on forking that food down. The Inevitable Ketchup BottleMy dad served in the Army from 1941-1945, and as a child I remember that he put ketchup on everything he ate, including mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs. I asked him why and he said that during his time in the service, the food, especially when he was in the Pacific, tasted so bland that ketchup was put on every meal to enhance it's flavor. He did this his entire life, and despite the fact that mom's cooking was so darn good, my brother and I put ketchup on our food too. Mom yelled; dad simply smiled. Civvie FootwearEither this corporal is a reservist who's not yet received his complete clothing issue or his squad leader is blind, because the shoes appear to be wing tips, decidedly non-regulation. Movie StarThe young lady is movie star attractive. Army shoes back then may have been brown rather than black. The rolled socks are a hoot. War is HellIf he was sent overseas (and I'm sure he was) I can imagine how tough it was to leave that beauty alone among the 4F wolves. Brownshoe ArmyUntil sometime in the early 1960s, dress shoes were brown to match the olive green Class A uniforms. The present forest green uniform came in to replace the prior uniform and necessitated black dress shoes. During my time as a draftee the phrase "brown shoe Army" was used to denote something as our of style. Although wing tips were not likely standard issue it is entirely possible that in May 1942, some civilian footwear was issued as a substitute until uniform production could catch up with man power. Those socks, though, that just indicates a sorry soldier. Maybe he is a memberof the 117th Beau Brummel artillery unit. Ah, You Kids...never had to deal with socks where the elastic - which was only at the top, anyway - gave out after a week and the whole sock slid uncomfortably down inside your shoe, leaving your heel naked and blistered. That rolled top is one solution. Re: Brownshoe ArmyRegarding Texcritic's comment, brown shoes began to give way to black when the dress green Class A uniform was adopted in 1955. It took a while to get all those brown shoes out of the system, and to get the new black ones in. I've talked to several Army veterans who served at this time, and they all remembered being issued two pairs of brown combat boots, two pairs of brown dress shoes--and two bottles of black shoe dye. The old WW2 style uniform with Ike jacket was slowly phased out during this time. I had an uncle who served from 1957 to 1960--in basic he wore the old style uniform, but had the dress greens by the time he got out. The old style uniform was officially declared obsolete in 1960. Army vets of the eraI've talked to Army veterans of this era and although I've never seen it before personally, I've been told that wearing white socks with the uniform while on leave was considered to be "cool." Of course, wearing one's socks rolled was also considered to be "cool, as well. Even when I was in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam era, it was common to see soldiers in the airports wearing non-standard uniform items in their comings and goings around the country and overseas. These practices were also common among sailors, who would pick up non-standard uniform items in the ports where there were thriving industries catering to this market. I definitely wouldn't go so far as to call this soldier a "sorry soldier." We certainly know nothing of him or what became of him. He may be a decorated combat veteran for all we know. I would guess that the soldier was on leave, because if he were to be on liberty, I'm sure the MPs would be on the look out for such things. Looking military...didn't mean what it does today. There was a jaunty aspect to WW2 servicemen, with their tilted covers and brilliantined hair, that would be totally unacceptable today. Her ShoesFrom what I can see of her shoes they look very much like a pair my mother was wearing in a picture I have, taken at roughly the same time. All the pictures I have of her and my aunts in that time period look so elegant. As with this lovely lady, hair done just so, skirt and top nicely matched. And lets not forget the shoes! Look at his Army hat.The hat seems to be a very high-quality hat, not an issue item. I wonder if the corporal wasn't a California National Guardsman or Army Reservist from the Bakersfield area now on active duty. National Guardsmen/Reservists would purchase commercial uniform items instead of or to replace issue items. Unit PatchAfter noticing his shoes I saw that he wears no unit patch on his shoulder. Changing of the colorsI believe it was 1957 when the U.S. Army changed the boots and shoes from brown to black. New ones weren't issued, but we had to dye the existing footwear. We could have done them ourselves, but most of us paid to have the color changed. The shoesThose shoes are NOT wingtips, but they do have broguing. I recall seeing a picture of an American general wearing similar brown brogues. So they were definitely acceptable with that uniform. And I suspect the socks are a light tan. I think that was the uniform sock color at the time. And yeah, before Spandex, socks fell. Period. And while I'm here, may I just say that this soldier's girl is a DOLL. Pretty woman! (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee)
Tube Inspector: 1942
... (in this case, she) feature in the shot. Almost all of the WW2 era home front pictures starred good looking women and there was probably a ... Photo Prop She is just holding a photo prop. The color coded tubes by her left elbow are the ones she is supposed to be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/16/2013 - 3:59pm -

July 1942. "Ford bomber plant at Willow Run, Michigan. Inspection of more than a thousand separate tubing pieces composing the fuel, hydraulic, de-icing and other systems in a bomber is a highly important job. This young employee at the giant Willow Run plant uses her tiny flashlight to discover any internal defects in the tubing." Photo by Ann Rosener, Office of War Information. View full size. Choosing the modelThe photographer probably made the decision, who would he (in this case, she) feature in the shot. Almost all of the WW2 era home front pictures starred good looking women and there was probably a pretty good sized pool to choose from. These photos were recruiting tools for the factories as well as morale boosters for the general public. Wrong EndI don't mean to nit-pick, but the light should be at the other end. Maybe this version was just for the camera, but... Keep Em FlyingAnd that's what I work in, as a QI as well as QE and other technical positions in the aerospace field, by the way the proper way to inspect tubing is to look at each end, she's probally looking at one end at the moment the photo was taken. Fuel & hydraulic tubing would be considered flight critical items and need close attention in inspecting them. A series of tubesis not what it used to be. Real Backbone!This young lady, despite her clean and pressed clothing, is not afraid to get her hands dirty (note the smudge on her right pinky finger; maybe dirt, rust, blood?). No fancily manicured "french" nails here. The war years really showed America what women could do! Nice HairSee my title. Pretty GirlsWhat's a gal gotta do to make the category? Neatness countsI am always amazed how clean and neatly dressed the war workers are. My Mother left Kentucky to work at Willow Run. Women at homeThey were so slim back then. Very niceShe looks amazing after just finishing a 12 hour shift. Willow Run Most likely the tubes are for B-24s, if I remember correctly. Photo PropShe is just holding a photo prop. The color coded tubes by her left elbow are the ones she is supposed to be inspecting. "Tubing: Amount used, 278 feet rubber; 3,300 feet metal. 1,800 tubes in ship; 12 systems... Approximately 25,000 tubes bent and marked with identification tape daily." "Willow Run: Colossus of American Industry" Warren Benjamin Kidder, pp.303-304 PIPPicture in a picture -- you can see her photo ID in the field of focus (as well as the writing on a tube tag or two that is in the field of focus). LaterMy mother worked for the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM) in the 1970's. It was housed in part of the old Willow Run plant. When she was there, they apparently hadn't changed much of the interior of the building apart from tacking on some offices; she always recognizes it in old photos, even ones taken during the war. Good EyesShe must have good eyes to see around the bends in the tubing. Willit Run??Willow Run was most famous for producing B-24 Liberators. Many of the B-24s were painted with nose art that poked fun at the Ford plant by calling their planes names such as "Willit Run?" "Fords Folley" "Model T" and so on. I got to know the flight engineer of "Henry's Pride" who flew 30 missions with the 446th BG on a Willow Run B-24 during the war. After his tour his assignment was to fly B-24's from Willow Run to training bases around the country though never back overseas. Blowing a TubeMy late father was an engine mechanic on the WW2 bombers, including the B-24. I can remember him telling me stories about one the those big boys "blowing a tube." His team, which always included a female WAAC (under 100 lbs. so she could get up inside the wing), would scramble to get the plane back into the air, even if the effort involved a 24-hour shift. (The Gallery, Ann Rosener, Factories, WW2)
Army Mechanic: 1942
... have been Black and White, since there were no high speed color films in those days. The granularity ("grain") of Kodachrome 10 in 4x5 ... buy the film for it .. something like $25 per sheet for a color negative film. Hope anecdote helps .. I've been a photographer for a ... Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Cars, Trucks, Buses, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:38pm -

June 1942. Fort Knox, Kentucky. "A good job in the air cleaner of an Army truck. This Negro soldier, who serves as truck driver and mechanic, plays an important part in keeping Army transport fleets in operation." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Motor MechanicA much better job than being shot at, and directly transferable to civilian life. Studio?Maybe this has been asked before, but would this have actually been a studio shot? The smooth blue background makes me wonder. [Outdoors. All of these were on location. The OWI and FSA programs were documentary photography, if not exactly candid. A lot of the large-format Kodachromes were posed and used auxiliary lighting. But the people in them weren't models and weren't in studios. - Dave] 4x5 KodachromesRobcat asked if this was a posed or studio photo. As mentioned above the photo was on location. The 4x5 inch size Kodachrome 10 film was usually used in a Speed Graphic camera with individual "cut film holders." A sheet of film was placed into the holder whilst the loader was inside the darkroom. A "dark slide" was slipped across the open side of the film holder to protect the negative. When the photographer was ready to make the picture, the "dark slide" was pulled out and usually placed into a pair of spring clips on the back of the ground glass shield of the camera. Then the camera lens was cocked, the various exposure settings were calculated, and the photograph framed in the viewfinder. Then the photo was made by tripping the shutter release. The dark slide was then replaced and the film holder removed by sliding outward to the right. It was then placed into the photographer's pouch on the side reserved for "exposed." The dark slide had a black stripe on the side so that you could look at the holder and determine if the film had been exposed. Unless you forgot to flip the slide around from the black stripe to the silver stripe and vice versa. Next, during the actual exposure of the picture, most times, a #25 flashbulb was used; the Speed Graphic had a tubular flash holder and reflector. This was called "fill-in flash" and was used to eliminate deep shadows, which Kodachrome 10 didn't particularly portray (there would be a black muddle). Remember also that the film was "ASA 10" Speed. Today we use the ISO system, and your usual digital camera exposes at about an ISO 200 rating. ASA 10 is many times "slower" than an ASA 100 film, which would have been Black and White, since there were no high speed color films in those days. The granularity ("grain") of Kodachrome 10 in 4x5 inch size makes possible huge enlargements upwards of 5 feet by 8 feet in size. You will notice that these photos are amazingly "clear" and have a robust depth to them. This is due in part to the very fine grain of the film and the fact that it was done with large format film. An equivalent in a modern digital camera would be about a 25 to 50 megapixel image. There were larger format cameras, up to 11x14 behemoths. Almost always, the negatives from 5x7, 8x10 and 11x14 inch view camera were "contact printed," that is the transparency was placed on top of the photo paper and held down with a sheet of glass (usually an old window pane). Then light from the enlarger or the room lights wold be flashed on and off for a second or two. Once you see a contact print made from a fine grain 8x10" Kodachrome 10 which was processed to a negative rather than a positive, you will not be able to take your eyes off of it. Stunning in its depth. I used to do certain types of laboratory photos while I was in the US Army and used a Sinar 8x10 view camera. Today, you couldn't afford to buy the film for it .. something like $25 per sheet for a color negative film. Hope anecdote helps .. I've been a photographer for a little more than 50 years. I use a Canon Rebel digital now and it is the Cat's Meow, to be sure! Amazing!I've yet to see anything coming out of a digital camera that looks like this. This image, and the other Kodachrome images on this site simply achieve the vibrant colors of the skin, the fabric, and the texture of shiny metal .. and worn industrial parts that transports the viewer to a different time and place .. with a realism that evokes a feeling lacking in modern two dimensional images .. it certainly changes everything I've come to know and appreciate with digital capture. We all travel different roads in photography, perhaps the digital highway is not as scenic as that already traveled with film. KodachromeOriginal Kodachrome was known for its bright and posterish colors, fine grain and stability. I have 50 year-old Kodachrome slides that are as bright as the day they were taken, while a good many of my Ektachromes from that time have faded to red. As fine as 35mm slides were, 4X5 transparencies are incredibly detailed, just because they are big. Kodachrome was reformulated and introduced as Kodachrome II in 1961. It was ASA 25 and had more accurate color than the original, but retained its fine grain and stability. When I shoot film these days, though (mostly in one of my old 3D cameras), I prefer Kodak Elite because of its brighter colors. KodachromeKodachrome was a very special film in my estimation. When I was serious about photography years back I shot some with the Kodachrome that was available at the time (25 and 64) and was always stunned by the quality of the colour. Most of the time I shot Ektachrome (cost and film speed considerations) and Kodacolor for prints and there was no comparison between them - Kodachrome won every time. WowIf it weren't for the date on the bottom of this photograph, I would have thought this shot was taken a lot more recently. I didn't know that older photographs could look so vibrant. But the subject 1942 and they still feel it necessary to point out his color. Had the subject been white, I doubt more than his name would have been cited. Perhaps the authors sought to popularize the idea of enrolling amongst the Negro population, many of whom were questioning how patriotism and Jim Crow could co-exist. But volunteer they did, in droves, while the Tuskeegee Airmen were heaped with well deserved praise, American Blacks served in all branches with distinction. My dad owed his life to an African American soldier who dragged him into a foxhole during a Japanese attack.(Thank you Walter, I wish I knew your last name.) (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Cars, Trucks, Buses, WW2)
Army Smartness: 1941
... Drips and drab Olive drab isn't my idea of a smart color; but this picture is more than a decade older than I am and tastes ... Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cleveland, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/06/2014 - 3:50pm -

December 1941. "White Motor Company, Cleveland. A halftrack scout car gets a touch-up job on the chassis assembly line. A durable finish protects the metal -- and helps to bring the vehicle up to Army standards of smartness." 4x5 negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office for Emergency Management. View full size. LeverageMy goodness, that's a lot of levers to operate! Drips and drabOlive drab isn't my idea of a smart color; but this picture is more than a decade older than I am and tastes change. Some say there is no accounting for it--taste that is. No need to be concerned about those drips. They will all be concealed down the line when the floorboard is finished. No points for neatnessAt least he's keeping the drips off himself. Good enough for government workI guess back then, "smart" was another word for "sloppy"! Bigger things to worry aboutApparently the White Motor Company produced 15,414 (more or less) half-tracks for the Department of War -- its name before eventually being rebaptised as the Department of Defense. Who knows what that particular chassis went through, but paint drips were no doubt the least of its worries. Optimistic meterAn eighty MPH speedometer in a half-track -- really? The finished productWow! Had to go back six years to see this. Outright Lying SpeedometerForty-five MPH was the manufacturer's claim for the M-3 half track's top speed, but that would be under the most favorable of conditions, on a dry, hard surface, and probably minus weaponry and most of the ancillary equipment normally carried into combat. I suspect that the rush to field much-needed systems meant that White used what they had on hand for such non-critical accessories as the speedometer. Presumably, they had previously manufactured at least one truck that, running downhill and unladen, might have approached 80 MPH ... just before the differential disassembled itself. Gear jammin' son of a gunI see a parking brake lever (goes with the shiny drive shaft brake disc), Gear selector lever, rear axle hi/lo selector, a lever to engage front wheel drive and one for ? The button below the steering column is a starter button. What I can’t figure out is what the small tank under the dash is for. Looking at the size of the clutch lever can you imagine what the clutch would have been like in this thing? LeversI'm trying to figure out what all the levers and such probably do. The tallest knob is obviously the gearshift. To its left is a lever with a pushbutton release, which I'd guess is the parking brake. Still farther left is a lever with knob which might be to engage the front axle. On the right side are two coupled levers, which I am guessing operate the PTO. This is all speculation - anyone know for sure? Tank under the dashCould the tank under the dashboard be for a gas fired heater? From left to rightAs they stick up in the air, the leftmost lever is for the PTO winch, and the lever being painted to its right (which bends around the parking brake) is the shifter for the 4 speed transmission. Next is the parking brake and on the other side of the transmission the lever to the left operates the High/Low transfer case which, when combined with the the 4 speed transmission, gave you 8 speeds forward and two in reverse. The last lever on the far right is to engage the front wheel drive. The starter button—hidden here by the steering wheel—is in-between the instrument cluster and the speedometer. The button on the floor below the steering column is the foot dimmer switch. The round canister under the dash is an early radio noise suppression filter installed on radio-equipped vehicles in order to cut down on interference from the engine's ignition. This means that this particular halftrack had a "-S" after the registration number on the hood to indicate "Suppressed." Built by White, Autocar, Diamond T, and later International Harvester, the halftracks came in more than 15 different configurations from the M2 to the M21. Speed DemonWhen I was in the 3rd Armored Brigade in Germany, our tank element had an old M-3 as a "mascot" vehicle used to lead convoys. It had no problem staying out ahead of the M-60 tanks. Maybe not 80, but I sure saw it hauling butt in Grafenwohr. New used partsInteresting that they covered the steering wheel center badge with paper to maybe protect it from getting scratched? The steering wheel looks well used but the odometer has no miles on it. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cleveland, WW2)
Man of Steel: 1942
... are raw tiffs right off the scanner, not corrected for color cast. They are all processed (by me) using the various filters in ... Another example (underexposed, strong blue color cast): Another great photograph. Another great photograph. ... fixture. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Andreas Feininger, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:49am -

November 1942. Columbia Steel at Geneva, Utah. Servicing one of the floodlights that turn night into day on the construction site of a new steel plant needed for the war effort. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Andreas Feininger. KodachromeThat's it, I'm buying some Kodachrome right now. I haven't shot 35mm in years (though I do continue to shoot 120 in a twin lens camera). Unfortunately, modern lens coatings give colors that can be immediately distinguished from those of earlier generations. I will have to pick out an older lens to have any hope of images like the one above. Perhaps somebody smarter than I am can explain the focal plane in this image -- how can the man's face be in focus, and the bulb, but not his hand? [The bulb is at the back of the reflector, a few inches closer to his face than his hand is. - Dave] CS2/3 FiltersI would love to know where you get these filters from! I am a new-ish photographer, and I work with cheapie equipment. It seems this may be the trick to add that extra "oomph" to what can be a dull photo. (My all too common result of cheap lenses and cheap cameras!) Thank you ^_^ Beffy [The filters come with Photoshop. - Dave] Kodachrome IIRe the comment below, the Kodachromes on the LOC website are raw tiffs right off the scanner, not corrected for color cast. They are all processed (by me) using the various filters in Photoshop CS3. Most of them have a greenish-yellow cast probably due to aging of the film, characteristics of the scanner (Sinar 54) or a combination of both. Below is a before-and-after example. Click the image to view full size. Another example (underexposed, strong blue color cast): Another great photograph.Another great photograph. You can see the photographer in the reflection of the bulb reflector! Neat! Photoshop PluginI am looking for a photoshop plugin to achieve the amazing 40's Kodachromes we are seeing here at Shorpy. [You don't need a plug-in. Just use the filters that are already there. - Dave] Columbia SteelMy Dad was working for Columbia Steel at the time this photo was taken, in their Los Angeles mill. Columbia was later bought out by Alcoa. Processing the photos>>>They are all processed (by me) So is that a straightforward process, or is it lots of careful optimization that differs for each picture, to make them look so good? [They're all different. There's a lot of futzing around. The older black-and-white glass negatives take the most time. - Dave] I can't figureout what, exactly, he is doing to the fixture. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Andreas Feininger, WW2)
Corpus Christi: 1942
... generated scenes you see in current war films. The color, the depth of field, the contrast - everything has a feel of careful ... http://www.daveswarbirds.com/cactus/cactus.htm WW2 Bombers A WW2 AAF vet once said that what is missing in photos is the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 10:55am -

August 1942. Naval Air Base at Corpus Christi, Texas. Jesse Rhodes Waller, aviation ordnance mate third class, tries out a 30-caliber machine gun he has just installed in a Navy plane. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. CC 1942I believe that the plane is a PBY Catalina used in recon missions, I don't think they were normally armed until later. Anyone know if this is true? PBY CatalinaIt is indeed a Catalina, but I think they were designed with offensive capabilities from the onset. "Bomber" is even in the prefix. Navy PBYThis is a PBY-5 or 5A. First to have the "blister" for gun location. The PBY-3 had a sliding hatch. Probably a recruiting photo as the guns in the 2 blisters were .50 caliber. The .30 caliber was used in the bow location and in the tunnel hatch in rear section of the plane. The PBY designation means Patrol Bomber built by Consolidated Aircraft. They sometimes carried torpedoes, as was done at the start of the Battle of Midway in June 1942. You can even see the sweatAt first this photo reminded me of some of the "near real" computer generated scenes you see in current war films. The color, the depth of field, the contrast - everything has a feel of careful perfection beyond normal shots. Of course that is all true in this case. But what really sets it apart is the sweat on the arms and neck of the gunner. It was what gunners dealt with and more real it couldn't be. [I have another photo of Jesse (the third on Shorpy) to post later today. The first one is here. - Dave] Jack CramMajor Cram flew General Geiger's personal PBY Catalina flying boat in an attack on Japanese shipping on October 15, 1942. Click to read about this event in Jack Cram's own words. See the section titled "The Aircraft" to see a photo of his PBY and for additional info. http://www.daveswarbirds.com/cactus/cactus.htm WW2 BombersA WW2 AAF vet once said that what is missing in photos is the incredible smell of newness of the planes having just so recently been delivered from the factory. As the interiors are largely unlined metal and lined with insulated wire and cables I can imagine the type of smell you get in a machine shop being present. Navy PBYMy dad was a PBY Instructor in Corpus Christi probably around 1943-1944. I'd love to learn more about this plane and the Naval Air Training Base around this time. I'm a student pilot, myself--at 60 years old. My dad, if he were still with us, would be 95 years old. Any info about the plane, the training setting, and the crew members who flew them back then would be wonderful! Beautiful PBY When new they smelled like anti-corrosion paint, cosmoline and the wax most of the rubber and fabric wiring was coated with. The forward bubble was so big, they had to add plexi-glas stiffener strips to it to keep it from flexing at speed. Some of the weapons were on an arm that could swing away and locked in stow so the huge blister could be un-latched and rotated down, more for flight efficiency than crew comfort. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2)
V for Veggies: 1942
... Someone please colorize this! Would love to see this in color. The Green Grocer I'm expecting Joe Carcione to appear. Spam a ... to them. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/20/2022 - 9:39pm -

February 1942. "Porterville, California. Vegetable stand in grocery store." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I Spy With My Little EyeGreen Beans Cabbage Red Cabbage (the dark one) Asparagus Artichoke Green Onions Red Onions Yellow Onions Sweet Potatoes Carrots Beets Leeks Squash Coffee the Charioteers loveSo good, it was served at all of the races! I wish we had a place to buy produce like that around here! Someone please colorize this!Would love to see this in color. The Green GrocerI'm expecting Joe Carcione to appear. Spam a LotEven after adjusting for inflation the prices are not that bad. Except for the Spam, which would equate to about $6.17 per can. Still in business.Smith's Complete Grocery, founded in 1927, is still there at 55 N. Hockett Street in Porterville. Graphics look familiarSeems unlikely, but those signs have a Theodore Geisel feel to them. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets, WW2)
Clerk 37: 1942
... are almost beyond belief in their quality. The color rendition, sharpness and detail are phenomenal. I bet seeing the ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 3:24pm -

October 1942. "Clerk in North American Aviation stockroom, checking to see if the proper numbers of parts were received and placed in the proper bin. Inglewood, California. This plant produces the battle-tested B-25 (Billy Mitchell) bomber, used in General Doolittle's raid on Tokyo, and the P-51 (Mustang) fighter plane which was first brought into prominence by the British raid on Dieppe." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. 4 x 5 KodachromeThese pictures are wonderful - however, I thought that Kodachrome was only available in 35mm ... ?? [Maybe you're thinking of consumer roll film. Kodachrome sheet film, a mainstay of professional photography for many years, was available in several sizes, up to 8 by 10 inches. - Dave] So beautifulSo pretty! Those cameras must really have been quality back then! [It's more the film (Kodachrome) and the size of the film (5 by 4 inches). - Dave] I am wondering...If she was pregnant? I noticed the bottom button of her shirt is unbuttoned and she just looks a little wide in that area. Stunning clarity with this film, I have to say. 4x5 sheet filmYou can still get film like this, in slide or negative format. I believe that Kodachrome, per se, is unavailable, but Kodak still makes 4x5 and 8x10 Ektachrome, and Fuji has a competing product as well. The film costs anywhere from about $3.50 to about $10 per photo, depending on which size and brand you buy. The cameras that use this film start around $1000 with a basic lens, and the price easily ticks over $5000 or $10,000 for fancier setups. I do not own a large format camera; the time required to master the setup intimidates me more than the cash. KodachromeKodachrome was introduced in professional sizes September 1938. 2.25 x 3.25", 3.25 x 4.25", 4x5", 5x7", 8x10" & 11x14". Sheet film sizes were discontinued in April 1951. Sweet EmulsionWhoever invented Kodachrome at Kodak really hit upon something special. These 4x5 transparencies are almost beyond belief in their quality. The color rendition, sharpness and detail are phenomenal. I bet seeing the originals on a light table would blow your socks off. We need to see photographs like this in the age of digital just to be reminded of what film is capable of. Clerk 808I suspect she's actually Clerk 808, in Section 37. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Ordnance Mate Waller: 1942
... of Corpus Christi generally at the same time. Most are not color, but a surprising number for that time are. One other item about him ... to prove it. (The Gallery, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 12:43pm -

August 1942, Corpus Christi, Texas: "It's an intricate operation, installing a 30-caliber machine gun in a Navy PBY plane, but not too tricky for Jesse Rhodes Waller. He's a Georgia man who's been in the Navy 5-1/2 years. At the Naval Air Base he sees that the flying ships are kept in tip-top shape. Waller is an aviation ordnance mate." View full size. Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem. Possibly..This may be Jesse R. Waller born 22 Sep 1918 and died 16 Sep 1983 in Virginia. If so, he worked on railroads after the service. hide that one from the marketers...... or they'll photoshop "the new fragrance by XYZ" on the side ;-( That's one hell of a cool picture, right there! White socks?White socks, penny loafers, flying helmet and goggles just to install a gun? Me thinks the photographer didn't know what the military worn when he dressed the "model". [Jesse Waller was a Navy ordnance mate stationed at the Corpus Christi naval air base. The photo was posed as a study for a recruiting poster. - Dave] Why is Jessie wearing pennieWhy is Jessie wearing pennie loafers? [We might also ask why Jesse is wearing penny loafers.] penny loafersActually these are not penny loafers. He is wearing a pair of black buckle strap oxfords similar to an optional shoe that could be worn by army air force officers. I have not seen this shoe in black before but its probably something a naval aviator could have worn. Jesse is also wearing standard navy issue blue denim trousers and chambray work shirt along with a load carrying equipment belt. However... The M-450 navy summer flight helmet(with added electric headphone receivers) and 6530 flying goggles is certainly not something he would be wearing to maintain an aircraft. -bgb Jesse Rhodes WallerWhen I first looked at this picture I couldn't believe Jesse looked old enough to have been in the Navy 5-1/2 years by 1942. But I have known guys who kept their boyish faces well into the 30s, including a former college roommate who looked essentially the same 16 yrs after we got out of college. So, the suggested birth date of September 1918 would have made Jesse almost 24 at the time this picture was taken and as he'd turned 18 in 1936, he'd have had time for 5-1/2 years in the Navy as well as the Great Depression to motivate him to join. Remember, that to most people in the US, WWII was not yet seen as inevitable in 1936. In fact, most in the US in the late 1930s strongly hoped to stay out of another war even if one did occur. We have a believable age and a youthful model--great for an enlistment poster. As for the shoes, they are indeed buckle strap--I took the photo into my photo program and blew it up and lightened it enough to see the buckle on the foot that's still on the concrete. Likewise the toe area of the other shoe is too tapered to be a penny loafer. As for the white socks, perhaps they were the absorbent type as we wear today, a real boon for an active man in hot leather shoes in the steamy August climate of Corpus Christi, TX. While the goggles and helmet would not have been worn by a maintenance mechanic, there is an explanation for that, also. There are two companion pictures to this one showing Jesse "trying out" the newly installed machine gun and he has both the helmet and goggles on as you would expect. Here and here. There's no evidence he actually fired the gun but he's got the right "look" for it in this other photo, I think. There were many other photos taken of the base, other military and civilian personnel, and of Corpus Christi generally at the same time. Most are not color, but a surprising number for that time are. One other item about him turned up in the small search I did: Two months after this picture was taken young Jesse and his wife had a baby girl they named Beverly Carolyn (or perhaps the other way around.) She could well be living today, as she'd only be about 66. So the Jesse R Waller mentioned by another poster who passed away in Virginia in 1983 may very well be this man. The dates certainly fit. Excellent photo and it could have made a powerful recruiting poster indeed. High caliber photo but low caliber gunBy the time of this photo it was quite obvious to the U.S. military that a .30 caliber machine gun was inadequate for attacking enemy aircraft or, in the case of this PBY, for defense. Japanese fighters had guns as large as 20 millimeter (and sometimes bigger than that), and Japanese machine guns that fired .51 caliber (by our measure) came along during World War Two. Equipping U.S. fighters with as many as eight "fifties" created a fearsome opponent; other Allied aircraft were fitted with multiple guns of that size and cannon, too. Among heavy bombers, the aptly-named B-17 Flying Fortress eventually had thirteen .50 caliber guns. (My Uncle Andrew was a B-17 tail gunner.) Here's a comparison of ammunition sizes. Stylish Safety That heavy belt he's wearing has straps on either side for attaching to his gun mount, kept the gunner from being tossed around by the pilot's evasive maneuvers and steep banked turns. There were an awful lot of sharp and pointy parts on those highly functional military aircraft, I've got the scars to prove it. (The Gallery, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2)
Size Matters: 1943
... Big gun go boom You can have your howitzer any color you want as long as it's olive drab. I can't resist... ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Howard Hollem, Milwaukee, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:33pm -

February 1943. "Mrs. Mary Betchner measuring 105mm howitzers at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, plant of the Chain Belt Company. Her son is in the Army; her husband and daughter are in war work." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. Uh-oh...I hope she's not wearing purple socks like those other wartime workers and therefore delegitimizing herself. Big gun go boomYou can have your howitzer any color you want as long as it's olive drab. I can't resist..."Feeling inadequate?" Mary looks so young!How could she possibly be old enough to have a son in the Army? Beautiful! Re: Young MotherI believe the average age of a soldier or Marine in World War II was nineteen. I know of one fellow who joined up at sixteen, fought in North Africa, transferred to the airborne, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and died in France at twenty, a grizzled veteran of three years hard combat. Chain Belthttp://www.rexnord.com/corporate_profile/history.asp Apparently the company is now known as Rexnord, and is still in Wisconsin with facilities in other areas around the country; it does aerospace and industrial manufacturing now. Service AgeThe average WWII serviceman's age was 26 according to the Westmoreland papers. The average age of an infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam was 22. http://www.ussboston.org/VietnamMyths.html (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Howard Hollem, Milwaukee, WW2)
Memorial Day: 1942
... else? This picture is another testimonial to the superb color rendition (look at he skin tones!) and archival qualities of Kodachrome ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Fenno Jacobs, Patriotic, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 10:26pm -

May 1942. Patriotic display at the Beecher Street School in Southington, Conn. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Fenno Jacobs. Kodachrome, what else?This picture is another testimonial to the superb color rendition (look at he skin tones!) and archival qualities of Kodachrome (in this case Kodachrome 25, I assume). Too bad Kodak has stopped manufacturing Kodachrome in 4x5 sheets. The pictures on this site I like best are the ones where the full size also shows the borders of the slide with the notches that indicate that the film is Kodachrome ("WWVV"). Did someone say notches? Aspect ratioJust out of curiosity: Is this the entire slide or a crop? Somehow the aspect ratio doesn't seem to fit 4x5. Also, the shallow depth of field (only a couple of feet, indicating a wide aperture) and the slow shutter speed (1/25 to 1/50 judging by the motion blur in the flags) on a sunny day somehow don't make sense for a "normal" 135 to 150 mm. lens, unless this is a 50% (diagonally) crop of the original. [See previous comment below for the uncropped original. - Dave] Notches!Thanks for posting the entire slide, which also defeats my reasoning about a possible crop. The only explanation left is that this picture was taken with a mild tele/portrait lens (for 4x5), something around 250 mm/ 10 inches. Ahh Immigration...You can easily discern the Polish girls from the Italian girls. Ask kids today what nationality they are? They say ... American. Let's not forget what made us great! ASA 10Was probably ASA 8 or a blazing 10. K25 wasn't introduced until much later. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Fenno Jacobs, Patriotic, WW2)
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