Long time lurker here. First ever comment. I have tossed a couple bucks in the donation box a time or two. Just wanted to say this is a top 10 Shorpy pic for me. So much going on. What fun it would be to be dropped into that moment in time knowing what we know now, and knowing you'd return to present day. Look into the eyes of each. What happened to get them to this moment and what followed in their lives? Sigh.

Chesterfield’s Girl of the Month. (Note lit cigarette in right paddling hand.)

I always think of Lou Costello! But that fellow reminds me of the wonderful character actor Harry Carey.

Unfortunately, that cute l'il pup is long gone. But if he were a cat on his first or second life, why he'd still be alive with a life or two to go today!

I believe I see Ms. Wolcott reflected in the window on the left; the beautiful boy is looking directly at her. And notice the reflection of the man standing out front ... his left shoulder (our right) and part of his hat brim is seen in the lower left-hand corner of the right-hand window. It doesn't seem possible given the angle, but it undoubtedly is him, based on the bit of his coat collar sticking up.

Also upon further reflection, I do not think that the man at far left is looking out at the dog. I believe he is looking at the beautiful boy.

This photo is too wonderful for words, and yet I found some. More.

... this fellow's rugged casual style would not be out of place in 2021. It seems to me that ties have gotten consistently longer over time; maybe someone can be more specific.

-great-great-repeat grandmother? That perky little dog looks just like mine except for the pointy ears. I guess her heritage goes back to pre-war Wyoming. What an amazing photo. I want to know what those people in the window were thinking.

I'd like to know what the rumpled Gary Cooper has in his shirt pockets. My first idea was that it was his false teeth, but he doesn't look like he's missing those. It's most likely a bag of Bull Durham, with papers in the other pocket. And isn't it nice that Chesterfield advertised itself as the cigarette of kayakers?

Mud-splattered 1938 Chevy workhorse with evidence of some grille damage.
A perfect complement to the imposingly assertive old rancher sharing the scene.

And Mark McCain from the 'Rifleman' in the window on the left. Where's Pa?

Not quite. Seen in the ripple of the glass reflection is the handsome facade of the then relatively new Gaiety Theater, a movie house that opened in 1938. Maybe the fellas were in town for some stock sale, to grab some feed and then perhaps take in a show? The curtain fell when the Big Piney Gaiety was demolished in 1982.

I love the way the dog and the man have the same intent gaze directly at the camera. They also have eloquent faces.

What a study in casual dressing the man is! His tie needs retying to even it out; better yet, it needs replacing with a clean, pressed tie. His shoes haven't seen a good brushing or polishing in some time, and his trousers want pressing (and tailoring). Perhaps he has no wife.

The ultimate stare-down. "Forget about coming back for your hat!"

and gone to Shorpy heaven? I think I hear angels singing. Where to start? The faces in the windows ... two gents looking at the dog, and the young man (I think he's a male but he's pretty enough to be a female so who knows) between them, with the gorgeous eyes, looking straight into the lens ... the fellow in the right-hand window peering out at the old codger with the comically short tie standing there all defiant like, as if to say go on, step into me and see what happens ... that wonderful DOG, so sweet, so still and patient ... whose hat is that on the bench? I am babbling but it's with sheer joy. Thanks for this treasure, Dave. I will be back to drink deeply of its charms again and again.

[ ♥, ♥, ♥. - Dave]