The car in front of the cafeteria. A Moon sedan, as identified by Hayslip. And I'm not too sure about the Chevrolet Coach and the Ford Fordor in front of The Merchants Bank, either.

There's a big poster in the window of the cafeteria advertising
George M. Cohan's
Latest
Broadway Success
The
Song
And
Dance
Man

That debuted on Broadway in 1923. I'd say this picture is from '23 or '24 because in '25 he came out with four more Broadway hits.

Front row L-R: Ford coupe; Hupmobile club sedan; Star? touring. Back row L-R: Moon sedan, Chevrolet coach; Ford Fordor sedan; Jordan phaeton.

The "Harry B. Mason, Stamps for Collectors" office window brings back memories for me.

As a teenager back in the late 50s early 60s I was a stamp collector. I would save my money and then ride the bus to downtown Cincinnati and go to an upstairs office similar to this one to purchase some older stamps to add to my collection. I still have the collection but it has not been kept current for a long time.

Per display ad in the Washington Herald, April 21, 1920: The Place to Dine Well at One-Third Less Than Elsewhere. Self Service Means No Tips, Better Food, and Saves Time. Delicious Entrees, Roasts, Steaks, Salads, and Pastry. The White Place Cafeteria, 314 Ninth Street N. W.

The White Palace Cafeteria, 1417 G Street, on the far left end of the photo, was advertised on opening day in 1912 as "The Handsomest Lunch Room South of New York." The same announcement explained that "to ensure the greatest sanitation, the walls of the White Palace Lunch are entirely covered and finished with Opalite, a new and costly finishing material. This is the only lunch room in the United States finished in this up-to-date material."

Their use as bling instead of for function did not begin with Detroit Iron of the '60s or even customs of the '50s, as the car center foreground amply demonstrates.

Since we can't see what's behind the convertible across the street on the right, I am only guessing that there may be another car CLOSE behind it, and the Harold Lloyd looking guy scratching his head may be trying to figure out how to get out of a tight space without knocking down the motorcycle that's so close to his front fender....

Fifty years later I was working at General Electric a block away at the corner of 14th & H Streets. Walked that area on my lunch hour many times.

A now-vanished term that referred to a printers' trade association.