March 24, 1948. "L Motors, business at 175th Street and Broadway, New York City. General view. Morris Lapidus, client." Need a new car? Go straight to L. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

March 5, 1941. "Raleigh Hotel. Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Pool, to ocean from balcony. L. Murray Dixon architect." Rustling those palm fronds, the winds of war. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

Feb. 15, 1950. "Crystal Motors, business at 5901 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn, New York. Exterior I." The Oldsmobile emporium last glimpsed here. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

October 31, 1962. "Americana Hotel, 52nd Street and Seventh Avenue, New York City. Coffee shop II. Loew's Hotels. Morris Lapidus, Harle & Liebman architects." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

Sept. 18, 1961. New York. "Helena Rubinstein, 655 Fifth Avenue. Hair dryers." This looks as regimented as anything the Army had to offer, although I do spy one nonconformist wearing flats. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size.

February 15, 1950. New York. "Crystal Motors, business at 5901 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn. Exterior II." On display: the "Futuramic" 1950 Oldsmobile. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

Jan. 17, 1953. New York. "Schrafft's, New Chrysler Building. Interior IV." Highly developed example of a genre of eatery once known as "quick service lunch," now more generally called "fast food." Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size.

Sept. 15, 1961. New York. "Beauty shops. Helena Rubinstein, 655 Fifth Avenue. Gym class." Where the Ladies Who Lunch go to work off all those Waldorf salads. Large-format safety negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

May 29, 1959. "Prince George Plaza, Hyattsville, Maryland. Night view." An actual mall (a long, open plaza) when it opened in 1959, the shopping center was enclosed in the 1970s and renamed the Mall at Prince Georges. Large-format safety negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

August 29, 1962. New York. "TWA terminal, Idlewild. Union News restaurants -- Lisbon Lounge II. Raymond Loewy." Nowadays of course we have Sbarro's and Panda Express at the airport, but 50 years ago people had to make do with this. Large-format safety negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

June 9, 1948. New York. "Schrafft's, Esso Building, Rockefeller Center. 51st Street exterior. Carson & Lundin architects." Ubiquitous in urban areas, slightly upscale, tastefully decorated -- Schrafft's was something like the mid-century restaurant version of Starbucks. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size.

New York. January 23, 1957. "Seagram Building, Park Avenue. Oblique view from northwest." Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

Feb. 1, 1941. "Brooklyn Public Library (Ingersoll Memorial), Prospect Park Plaza. Librarian's desk, sharp view." 5x7 acetate by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

May 21, 1953. "New Canaan Public Library. New Canaan, Connecticut."4x5 inch acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

January 21, 1941. "Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park Plaza, New York. Popular Room." 5x7 safety negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.