MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
 
JUMP TO PAGE   100  >  200  >  300  >  400  >  500  >  600
VINTAGRAPH • WPA • WWII • YOU MEAN A WOMAN CAN OPEN IT?

Tremont Street, 3:15 p.m.

January 23, 1917. Boston, Massachusetts. "G. Leahy, 1249 Cambridge Street. Messenger for Metropolitan Messenger and Mailing Co., 67 Bromfield Street. Said 14 years old. Gets $5 a week wages, and makes $2.50 a week in tips. Taken at 3:15 p.m. on Tremont Street." View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine.

January 23, 1917. Boston, Massachusetts. "G. Leahy, 1249 Cambridge Street. Messenger for Metropolitan Messenger and Mailing Co., 67 Bromfield Street. Said 14 years old. Gets $5 a week wages, and makes $2.50 a week in tips. Taken at 3:15 p.m. on Tremont Street." View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine.

 

On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5

Mass. dealer plate

The suffix "E" indicates the fifth plate issued to dealer No. 2.

MA Plates

If you move to Massachusetts, you too could have a two or three digit license plate.

Many "low number" license plates are still in circulation there, and they have become status symbols. A few are well known and have remained in the same hands for decades (the plates belonging to senior religious or governmental officials, or a few wealthy families). Others circulate, and are available by lottery.

License plate

Three digits. Talk about an early adopter!

Messenger Boy

$7.50 a week was good money for a 14-year old in 1917 and probably more than many adults earned. Today it would be equivalent to about $125 according to the Federal Reserve Consumer Price Index calculator for the comparative value of a dollar. This boy was probably proud to be able to help his family financially.

Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.