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Circa 1905. "Federal building -- Springfield, Massachusetts. Custom House and Post Office." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
The woman with the suspect weapon is eyeing her former husband who is now leaving the courthouse with his new wife.
Having just finished a book on Edison, and on the transition to incandescent street lighting, I'm wondering if that pretty-looking, glass-enclosed fixture houses a Brush arc light, or something similar.
It took me a while to determine that this building no longer exists. Deemery's link to the Hampden County Courthouse threw me off. You can see other views in old postcards.
It was on the corner of Worthington and Main, and was razed. The Hampden County Courthouse, cited as the first comment, is a completely different structure.
I'm actually more curious about the building on the left, whose corner appears to be a Column of Infinite Rivets.
In many of the photos from this era the predestrians are just a blur. Here it seems to be stop action. Why?
[Short exposure time. - Dave]
I'm sure it's just a folded fan or something innocuous, but it looks for all the world like the woman in the shadow of the lamppost is carrying a knife.
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