The Timken Rotary Oil Burner boiler was quite a contraption. Combination wick oil burner and electric ignited boiler. I had one in a Brockton Massachusetts home back in 1977, it was 25 years old then. Common practice after replacing the wick was to throw a burning piece of newspaper in the box to get it going.

I used to cut my kids' hair, two boys and two girls and my own. It didn't cost us anything but our time and no one got richer off of us! Oh, happy days, I wish they were here again! (I love this Shorpy website.) I had found it a few years back, I think around 2005. Love all the old pictures and grateful to all the people who shared them.

Is the kid getting a haircut. But what is that contraption behind them with the copper tubing coming out of it? Is it some sort of early central AC or cooling device? Obviously a catch-all room what with the tool-box and ladder.

[It's a boiler, for steam heat. - Dave]

The kid is lucky his folks had a basement to get his haircut in. My brother and I got haircuts in the open air beauty parlor set up in the carport across the street by a neighbor lady. It was bad enough sitting in a chair that had one of those hair dryer hoods that looked like the nose cone to a rocket while getting our hair cut but having to endure the taunts from the other kids in the neighborhood about "getting our hair done at a beauty parlor" made the experience all the worse.

[This isn't a basement. It's just not quite finished. - Dave]

What do you suppose a mother (assuming) talks to her teenage son about while she cuts his hair? Sports? Politics? Women? Dirty jokes? Or maybe: And then Helen bid five no trump and I thought, "What are you doing? We're vulnerable". You're spending next weekend with your grandparents. Why don't you ask the nice girl across the street to prom?

[That's not Mom. - Dave]

Thanks. I stink at guessing people's age. But, acting as if we have social media in the 1950s -- I'm going to like his haircut. It's not so short he loses the appeal of his naturally curly (assuming) front locks; and not so long that he looks like he needs a haircut.

Exactly where and how my father used to cut my hair in the '50s. And exactly like my son is cutting his son's hair today.

I started cutting my own hair 50 years ago. Just set the clippers to 3/4 of an inch, and buzz all over. It takes less than a minute. Invest the money saved in a mutual fund, and at age 65, you have something north of $100K. Why don't they teach this in school?

Moe (to customer): "Sir, were you wearing a pink bow tie?"

Customer: "No".

Moe to Curly: "You fool! You've cut off his ear!"

My father would give my brother and me haircuts. He'd come home from work, mix a martooni or two and then get the clippers out. Talk about traumatized! My Italian grandpa was a barber and gave me my first haircut. That was captured by Dad's 8mm Revere windup movie camera complete with the eye-blinding floodlight.

His smock looks more like a straitjacket (guess those scissors are really sharp and no one's taking chances!)

She takes me down to the basement to look at her slides
Of her family life, pretty weird at times

Lloyd Cole

My mother was a former hairdresser and would cut all the kids' hair. I was probably 14 or 15 before I ever went to a barber. Mom did a good job, especially if you liked your hair short, but the barber was a completely different experience. Mom never used tonic or powder and never shaved over my ears with a straight razor.