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Somewhere in New Mexico: 1956
... taken on old RT66/Interstate 40on the east side of Gallup, New Mexico (view North) with Church Rock and signature sandstone formation in ... 
 
Posted by rsyung - 08/03/2014 - 5:52pm -

On the road back to California from Florida, May 28, 1956. Cropped left side of image as it had the "end of roll" light leak. I'll bet the train was long enough for my dad to stop the car, get out the camera and have my mom pose. View full size. Camp TrainThe train in the background is a "camp train" made up of bunk cars and an a possible former "Troop Kitchen" car from WW2. The bunk cars are converted from old wooden-sheathed box cars. A track crew would live in such a train while working on a large project in a remote area. The kitchen car matches this except it has had hinged sun awnings added over the windows. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=troop+kitchen&id=E1DDE8A4A6F1FA08A82... The identification as this particular model of kitchen car is not quite 100% certain, but the car with the stove pipes visible on the roof is certainly a kitchen car of a similar type if not identical. Beautiful buickWhen you could name every make of car from a block or two away. Like the new commercial says "That doesn't look like a Buick." And that is too bad because in the 50's they looked so much more appealing than they do now. Auto model before 1954The car model year might be 52 or 53. Having no panoramic windshield eliminates newer model years. A beautiful car nevertheless. [It's a 1953 Buick Super. -tterrace] Church RockThis is taken on old RT66/Interstate 40on the east side of Gallup, New Mexico (view North) with Church Rock and signature sandstone formation in the background. This view is also seen briefly in the movie "Grapes of Wrath" as the Joads travel west. Camp carsNo rush to catch that train, it's a set of camp cars used by a production track gang, parked on a siding. These itinerant track maintenance crews would move around the railroad, working a few weeks at each location before moving on. They would replace every N-th tie, change out rails, clean ballast, and realign the track. Every tie used to have a date nail driven into it giving the year the tie was installed, and all rails still have the year of manufacture marked on the side. The tank cars contained water. These cars appear to be Santa Fe (AT+SF). These production gangs are even more prevalent now, but they now use mobile home bodies mounted on flatcars. Modern production gangs are highly mechanized, with many more machine operators than laborers. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Thirst Trap: 1940
June 1940. "Cafe and bar in Mogollon, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... View full size. Square Fronts- Mogollon, New Mexico This watercolor of the same spot is owned by the Fine Arts ... the benches, Hondo, and hunker down on your haunches. New Mexico in the '40s is mighty thirsty work. Rowdy crowd of messy people ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2018 - 8:18pm -

June 1940. "Cafe and bar in Mogollon, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Square Fronts- Mogollon, New MexicoThis watercolor of the same spot is owned by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: Artist: Millard Donald Everingham Date: 1941 Medium: Watercolor Dimensions: 29.2 x 38 cm (sheet) Formerly considered a deposit of the Federal Art Project/ Works Progress Administration, probably part of an exhibition in the early 1940's. Looking for shadeBypass the benches, Hondo, and hunker down on your haunches. New Mexico in the '40s is mighty thirsty work. Rowdy crowd of messy peopleFunnily enough, here in the Spanish mainland, "mogollón" can mean something like a mess or a rowdy crowd, or even better, a rowdy crowd of messy people. Looks like a fun place to be. MogollonMogollon, once a crowded city, now a Ghost Town in Southwestern New Mexico. But long before that it was a rich archaeological culture of Native American peoples. The name Mogollon however, comes from the Mogollon Mountains, which were named after Don Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollón, Spanish Governor of New Spain (including what is now New Mexico) from 1712 to 1715. The area originally settled by the Mogollon culture was eventually filled by the unrelated Apache people, who moved in from the north. No Blatz? Improvise.Blatz is nearly forgotten today but in the mid-20th century it was a mainstream brand. Their jingle: "I'm from Milwaukee, and I ought to know! It's Draft Brewed Blatz beer, wherever you go. Smoother, fresher, less filling, that's clear. Blatz is Milwaukee's finest beer!" Immortalized via Al Pacino's line in Scent of a Woman, used as the title of this post. Blatz strikes me as a great name for a beer. Essentially a ghost town nowIt's interesting to see Mogollon (pronounced "muggy own") with so much activity and open businesses. I took a Scout troop through here a couple of years ago for a hike through the Gila National Wilderness. Gorgeous scenery and views, but certainly remote. "SAFETY FIRST"Perhaps inside the joint, but only after navigating the less than safe path to the entrance. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
High Desert: 1943
Sagebrush and mountains in northern New Mexico, 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John ... is a license plate. Look harder. - Dave] Oh, Fair New Mexico I was born and raised in New Mexico, and yep, that's pretty much ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:31pm -

Sagebrush and mountains in northern New Mexico, 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Collier. Beautiful!Awesome, a great photo of a great vista ---- no jet plane air streams to mar the sky ---- it was a time when the earth was good yet.... [I go out there every year. "The earth" of 2007 looks pretty much exactly the same the earth of 1943, except for all the soot in the air back then. - Dave] "looks do not always reveal the truth"Your opinon is appreciated and accepted ---- mine is, the earth today is not the same as it was in 1943 anymore than it was the same in 1843 or before that ---- today, when I travel between here and say, Milwaukee or beyond, I see "hills" along the highway that were never there before, "hills" of garbage covered with a make-up of sod with tell tale venting pipes from a "throw-away" society ---- when one puts out or "throw" their garbage away, one never throws it away, it is only out their sight....PS: you have a good eye, nice photo, don't forget tho to renew your license plate.... [There is a license plate. Look harder. - Dave] Oh, Fair New MexicoI was born and raised in New Mexico, and yep, that's pretty much what it looks like. I would guess that if you found Collier's tripod marks and retook this picture, the scene would be pretty much the same today as it was in 1943. I have a poster consisting of photographs of the Santa Fe Canyon in 1922 and 1982. The big difference is that there are so many more trees...in 1982. Wood was the main source of fuel back then, so there was a constant brown cloud over the larger towns, especially during the winter. In addition, most of the roads were not paved, so every passing vehicle kicked dust into the air as well. Fortunately, there weren't a lot of cars back then. Of course, there were horses, mules and oxen, which also kicked up a lot of dust and created their own special pollution. I doubt that many would trade the sealed, vented and sodded sanitary landfills of today for the loathsome middens of a hundred years ago. Thanks, Dave, for bringing some much-needed perspective. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, John Collier, Landscapes)
Play It as It Lays: 1943
January 1943. "Penasco, New Mexico. Marjorie Muller, Red Cross resident nurse of the clinic operated by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/26/2024 - 12:43pm -

January 1943. "Penasco, New Mexico. Marjorie Muller, Red Cross resident nurse of the clinic operated by the Taos County cooperative health association, playing bridge at the forest ranger's house." Photo by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. Ladies & Luckies"Lucky Strike, Don't strike back, Till you find another pack!" I am way rusty at thisI haven't played bridge in over 25 years. But, judging by the two hands we can see, I'm gonna say the woman with her back to us should bid as high as five clubs, if she got any support in clubs from her partner during bidding. The woman at left can support hearts for one round of bidding but should then stop. Neither hand has a very good diamond suit, so diamonds might be trump if one of the other two women has the right hand in diamonds. I welcome a dissenting opinion. Hey!Is that a pack of Luckies? MAD Magazine Nailed ItMAD Magazine in 1964 was ahead of its time. The real Lucky Strike ad is on the left, with the MAD Likely Strife satirical one on the right. Lucky StrikeLucky Strike Green has gone to war! Mad MagazineMad Magazine had a lot of satire on smoking. One of the best I thought was their Marble-Row Country satire ad. New Yorker has a nice article about Mad's anti-smoking campaign. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/mad-magazines-glorious-an... LSMFTLadies strikes means fine tobacco, or some such thing. As The World TurnsThe woman on the left ("Plaid Shirt") is having an affair with the husband of the woman facing the camera ("Striped Shirt"). Striped Shirt knows about the affair but has no hard evidence. Plaid Shirt knows that Striped Shirt suspects of the affair but is trying to play it cool. The woman on the right ("Fuzzy Sweater") knows about all this and is very concerned that Striped Shirt is going to suddenly flip the table over, ruining their nice afternoon. The woman with the striped hat ("Striped Hat") has no idea any of this is going on. Poker FaceOur nurse has a terrific Poker visage, I'm certain she'd excel at it. "I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas -- " Here's looking at you, kidI don't know from the game of bridge but with a wee glow-up and some time in hair and makeup, the lady facing the camera could be a doppelgänger for Lauren Bacall. Smooth sailingI found out my new second grade teacher was my mother’s bridge partner. I thought I had it made. Hardly. Anything I did was reported back. Can’t remember what I did to deserve learning the Star Spangled Banner backwards. My mother helped with the memorization. (The Gallery, John Collier, Medicine)
A Dickey Christmas: 1923
... was taken, my mother's family celebrated Christmas in New Mexico, where she was from, and her family still ranches. I wouldn't be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/20/2023 - 3:34pm -

One Hundred Years of Yuletude: "Dickey Christmas tree, 1923." The family of Washington, D.C., lawyer Raymond Dickey, whose off-kilter portraits (and non-triangular trees) are a beloved yuletide tradition here at Shorpy. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Times and tastes changeAt first glance, it made me think of a huge spider web. Strangely, most of the ornaments don't look much different from what we might have on our trees today. I notice the lack of lights, though. It's in the details...I find in very interesting that people who live in older homes today panic about even the smallest scratch in their hardwood floors when its very obvious that this middle-class Washington family clearly had no such worry. Also, is anyone able to identify the toy train track in the background? It looks like wind-up track, perhaps O-scale? ExpressionsEvery member of this family wears the exact same expression. From my own middle class perspective it seems to be a pleasant tolerance of all things beneath them . . . which are many and include the photographer and all of us some 85 years later. HaggardThe mother looks so different from the previous photo. Poor gal. So much to take in.When viewed full size, there was just so much to take in...the crazy tree, the intricate sleeves on Sister's dress, the odd pose of poor Mother--practically stuck into the boughs (not to mention her too-tight shoes!), a hint of model railroad track, the wallpaper & border--just SO much! But the number one thing I could not stop thinking...why are everyone's eyes so sad? Don't they know it's Christmas? (Maybe this the custom of the day, to look somber in a holiday photo? Whatever the reason, their melancholy expressions are in contrast to the joyful occasion.) Jingle BellsPoor Mom. It sure looks like the photog positioned her just a little too up close and snuggly with that tree. Her expression does not reflect a comfort zone with it. More like fending it off. TracksJust noticed what appears to be a model train track on the floor to the right. Wonder if a wee little Christmas choo-choo was part of the decorations, or a gift done opened and set up. Remember a very simple Lionel train set my brother and I got for one Christmas. No idea where it ended up. OrnamentsMy family owns ornaments exactly identical to about a third of the ones on the tree. My mother always said they were old, but I didn't think they could be that old! Hmm...Has anyone noticed that the middle child (oldest son) is not the same kid in both pictures? Rather odd, I thought. [The oldest boy is standing on the right in this photo. Still confused? - Dave] The DickeysThe fellow with his arm around the young woman is obviously her husband.. Note wedding ring. Also she appears to be with child. [Nope. He's her brother. - Dave] 1915, 1923If nothing else it shows those two boys are definitely brothers. The younger boy in 1923 looks just like his brother did in 1915! That Tree!Why do I feel like I'm looking at the same one in all these pictures? ETA: I wrote this comment in 2014 and it's still true in 2021. It's a Well Known FactSmiles were not invented until 1933. Charlie Browncarries on the Dickey Christmas tree tradition today. Christmas traditionsHaving been born a Chanukah person, but linked to a Christmas person, I have celebrated Christmas for two thirds of my 60 years. My wife's family is Central European, so they gather for the main event on Christmas Eve. Over the years, their trees have run the gamut from huge misshapen Dickey trees to scraggly Charlie Brown Ion Dept. trees to the current style of "perfect" suburban mall-lot trees. My idea of a gentle Christmas is good company and family, a glass of eggnog and rum, fading afternoon light, with Bing Crosby or Burl Ives playing softly in the background. I wish the very best of the holiday season to my fellow Shorpsters, with special thanks to Dave and tterrace for creating and maintaining this marvellous photographic treasure house and community. WallpaperDon't think I've ever seen a wallpapered ceiling before. Christmas just isn't Christmas......without once again witnessing Rose Dickey's slow descent into madness. Merry Christmas ???I don’t see much merriment here. This conclusion is encouraged by the “noir” lighting for the photography. Sad, very sad. It's complicatedI am struck -- make that dumbstruck -- once again by Mrs. Dickey's "hairstyle", by the size, shape, and ornamentation of that tree, and by the sleeves on that velvet dress. You can't make this stuff up, folks. Merry Christmas anyway. And if you'll forgive me the segue from Dickey to Dickens ... God bless us every one. Alice Smiles!So I went back and looked at all the Dickey Christmas photos on Shorpy, and was reminded of grown-up Alice's job as publisher of Seventeen Magazine. A quick Google search produced this: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1953-press-photo-alice-thompson-3... Nice to see a smile after all those gloomy Christmas photos. Names and AgesJust to put some names and ages to our annual Dickey Christmas family, they are: Raymond B Dickey, 45 Rose M Dickey, 43 Granville E Dickey, 20 Alice E Dickey, 17 John M Dickey, 11 Raymond R Dickey, 5 The ages may or may not be precisely exact, but accurate within a few months. DO NOT MOVE !DO NOT SMILE ! RE: TracksI'm a Lionel collector, and can say that those tracks are for a non-electric train set, probably wind-up. It's All In the Composition As a semi professional (meaning I've sold a handful) photographer, who doesn't always get it right himself, I must say this is just about the the most poorly composed family portrait I've ever seen ... and I love it! I do have some concern for Mrs. Dickey as well, but I'm 98 years too late. Pursed lipshide many secrets: https://www.newspapers.com/image/79911246/ (And for those w/o access: it's the 19Mar13 front page coverage of the escapades of the eldest son [then ten year old] Granville, who had run away from home...to another state !) The old girlThe old girl kinda reminds me of Grandmama of the Addams Family. Maybe --it'll be different next year. Better than BeautyWe have noted that daughter Alice Dickey (later Alice Thompson, then Alice Beaton) became a power in the women's magazine world, as editor of Glamour and of Seventeen. She also co-authored 'Better than Beauty: A Guide to Charm', which was reprinted as recently as 2007 and is available as an ebook today. Did Alice's conception of charm derive from her family? The flip side of a Dickey ChristmasThirty years after this Dickey family Christmas photo was taken, my mother's family celebrated Christmas in New Mexico, where she was from, and her family still ranches. I wouldn't be born for another two years. Still, this photograph is a sweet reminder of the Christmas chaos of my childhood. If only the Dickey children had been given a chance at it. Redecorating!I just went through all of the pictures (Yuletide Tradition) and it looks as though the Dickeys redecorated with new wallpaper every 2 - 3 years. This confirms why house renovators often find layers upon layers of wallpaper! My WishAs always, my hope is that every Shorpy-ite has a merrier Christmas than the Dickeys. Thanks to all who contribute to the community here. Dickey-ish treeThis is Christmas in Brooklyn circa 1954, a few years after I came along. Left to right are my Dad in his chunkier days, my Uncle Gerard (currently a spry and gregarious 97 years young), and my Grandfather Manuel. I don't have any specific memories of the Christmas trees my grandparents put up but from the few pics I've come across it appears they, like the Dickeys, favored the 'wide as it is tall' variety. OuchPoor Mrs. Dickey has some swelling in her right foot/leg ... as evidenced by the flesh pushing doughily through the cutouts at the top of her shoes, which appear a tad bit too small to begin with. And then there's the fact that she had to hold that branch down with two fingers lest it thwack her in the face. The Meaning of ChristmasSigh.. I love Christmas time.. when Shorpyites from all walks of life put aside their differences and unite to ... critique the Dickeys. LOL. I myself relish hunting for clues to their social/economic means. On one hand you have the annual very very large Christmas bush which seems very lavishly decorated. Rose and Alice's dresses look like they might be silk and velvet. But previously, Shorpyite "Doug Floor Plan" revealed that the Dickeys took 4 boarders into their 5 bedroom home around this time (1920). This would seem an economic drop from 8 years previous ( 1915 ) when there were 4 of them living in a 4 bedroom house with 2 servants. Maybe that would account for Rose's "slow descent into madness"?? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Shorpy! (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, The Dickeys)
A Slippery Slope: 1922
... in Russia. Think skinheads. - Dave] Swastikas in New Mexico When I attended New Mexico State University in the late 1970's, the name of the yearbook was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 11:05am -

January 21, 1922. Washington, D.C. " 'Boot leg.' Woman taking flask from her Russian boot." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. A Wonderful PianoThat is an Ivers and Pond piano of the 1918--22 vintage. a truly fantastic instrument that would be worth well over $10,000 now if in good shape or restored. I have two friends who have them and a number who are searching. Only Shaw, Steinway, Anderson or a Steiff (the brand I have) could match or excel that quality. They are noted for exceptional structural integrity and were made in Boston. Hand LaidThe floor was probably laid manually tile by tile. I'm sure you could still do it if you had time, patience, skill, the right tools and whatever else it takes. Probably why you don't see that sort of thing anymore. Floor DecorFor some reason it's almost impossible to find that pattern at Home Depot anymore. They'd have to order it from Russia. Kinsmen ClubLooks like the photo took place in a Kinsmen club hall given the plaque and charter framed above the piano. [Those are Kiwanis Club plaques. - Dave] The Broken CrossA venerable decorative motif in several cultures that goes back at least a thousand years. [Below, an ad from 1910. And people complain that the Washington Post is "too liberal"! - Dave] Once again . . . . . . those naughty little swastikas appear out of nowhere! Poor ThingObviously, by her attire, the poor woman is cold and needs a little fortification to boost her circulation. So over.You just don't see fur stoles and swastikas much anymore. Never mind the flask-in-the-boot trick. Passe. Hit Parade of 1922Ain't she sweet? See the bottles on her feet. Now I ask you very confidentially, Ain't she sweet? Ain't she nice? Got a cape that's full of stripes. Now I ask you very confidentially, Ain't she nice? She's got a chair That's made of wicker; She's got a pair Of boots with liquor. Ain't she pert? See her hiking up her skirt? Now I ask you very confidentially, Ain't she sweet? What I'm really wondering is...How surprised the owners of this place must have been when WWII broke out. "We need new floor tiles!" Two sets ofPiano legs. TwiningsI am in love. A beautiful babe, sturdy legs , and a boot flask. Where can I find me one of them today? A swastika tour of D.C.Dave's example above is only one of many, some still visible in D.C. This stone is in Rock Creek Cemetery: A bit more about it. Pass The FlaskCankles and a well-filled boot flask. Relationship theorists clearly see the cause and effect. Nazi Floor Decor vs Communist Floor DecorThe swastika was a sign of good fortune in many cultures before the Nazis co-opted it and ruined it forever. It is still a common Buddhist symbol throughout Asia. Also, just a gentle correction to the comment regarding the floor pattern, that "they'd have to order it from Russia." Nazism and communism are not the same thing, though many Americans unfortunately believe they are. The Soviet Union fought Nazism in alliance with the United States during World War II. Associating communism with Nazism is not only historically inaccurate, it is deeply disrespectful of the fact that 13% of the Soviet population died in WWII trying to defeat Nazism, a staggering casualty rate that dwarfs the US casualty rate of .32%. So the communists may have been many things, but Nazis they were not. Also, in the present, there are probably more adherents of Nazism in the US than in the former Soviet Union. So don't be hatin' on the Russians! [That was a reference to the current, not 1940s, political scene in Russia. Think skinheads. - Dave] Swastikas in New MexicoWhen I attended New Mexico State University in the late 1970's, the name of the yearbook was "The Swastika," and the cover of every issue was embossed with a (backward) swastika. This was supposedly a Native American good-luck symbol, and had been the yearbook's name since the school's founding long before World War II. My father, a WWII veteran, and thousands like him attended NMSU on the GI bill after the war. None of them apparently raised serious objections to the name or symbol on the yearbook. In the late 1980's the yearbook's name was changed. This has always been my prime example of the idiocy of modern academia. The real men who actually fought the Nazis had no objection to the symbol on the yearbook: It had been around a lot longer than the thousand-year Reich, and it was oriented differently. The poseurs forty years later had no historical context and fought a decisive war against a symbol. By doing so, they let the Nazi evil expropriate the meaning of the swastika. About the same time, they also got rid of the school mascot, Pistol Pete, a cowboy with chaps and hat brandishing two six-shooters. Way to go, guys, medals all around for that courageous action! [Talk about prime examples of idiocy. - Dave] (The Gallery, Curiosities, D.C., Natl Photo)
Shave and a Shower: 1940
... 1940. "Barber shop at gold mining community of Mogollon, New Mexico." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm ... more. NICE photo. Please post more pictures from New Mexico and as many Russell Lee and Dorothea Lange photos as you ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/28/2020 - 1:19pm -

June 1940. "Barber shop at gold mining community of Mogollon, New Mexico." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Dusty roadThis town must be the very definition of rural. According to Google Maps it takes almost 5 hours from Truth or Consequences airport, just off I-25, via state roads 52 / 57 / 59 & 159 to Mogollon, and even the "streetview" car has been there only once in 2008. This building sports the fake stone-like facade , too, but the Bath & Beyond shown above is probably long gone. I've been thereMogollon is a quaint little town, difficult to reach but worth the drive. There aren't but about 10 people who actually live there any longer - most of the buildings are falling down, and there really isn't much to see there any more. NICE photo. Please post more pictures from New Mexico and as many Russell Lee and Dorothea Lange photos as you can find. 535-07-5248I always wondered where the handsome devil from this post got to. He seems to have wandered out of the Dorothea Lange photo and into a Russell Lee photo. (The Gallery, Mining, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Pie Town Dugout: 1940
... coming out of his dugout home at Pie Town , New Mexico." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. ... My mother's family lived in a dugout house near Elida, New Mexico, in the 30's and 40's. They were not poor, and they found the life ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 12:01pm -

October 1940. "Mr. Leatherman, homesteader, coming out of his dugout home at Pie Town, New Mexico." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. Another example of the dugout-style structure used for the homesteader dwellings and church in the Dead Ox Flat photos. Before industry and technology gave us sawmills and frame houses, this is how the average person lived in much of the world. The dugout or pit house, with sod roof, log walls and earthen floor, is among the most ancient of human dwellings -- at some point in history your ancestors lived in one. Especially popular among 19th-century settlers in the Great Plains and deserts of the West and Southwest, where trees and other building materials were scarce, dugouts were warmer in winter and cooler in summer than above-ground structures; just about anywhere in North America the ground temperature three feet down is 55 degrees regardless of the season. [Addendum: This picture was taken using Kodachrome sheet film (5 inches by 4 inches) and (probably) a Graflex Speed Graphic press camera. The image you see here was scanned from the positive transparency itself, not a print.] Pole & Line in BackLikely a dipole antenna for a small radio in the home. Note what appears to be a runner going towards the ground from the mid-point. Similar Aleut-style dugoutHere is an 1899 photograph from the Harriman Expedition of a barabara, a semi-underground Aleut dwelling on Unalaska, in the Aleutians Islands, Alaska. Not quite the dugout captured so well in Pie Town by Mr. Lee, but the principle is the same: the temperature below the ground’s surface remains fairly constant. In the fiercely windy Aleutians the advantage of below-ground structures is even more enhanced. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska HmmNote--the photo is in color. Not real? [This is one of our most frequent uninformed comments. When do people think color photography began? The answer is that it goes back to the 19th century. Kodachrome film went on the market in 1935. And of course we've all seen Technicolor movies from the 1930s -- The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, etc. - Dave] Color photography goes backColor photography goes back a lot further than October 1940. No reason to believe it's fake. What is the pole and line in back?It seems to have a line or wire running from the pole into the tree, then on to another tree. Aha!That must be why the first structure ever built at my alma mater looked just like this! Speak for you own selvesNot MY ancestors! I love it!I want mine in my backyard so I can go down there with my neighbor!!!!!! Uh huh. I bet I'd still live in one of these babies if my community would allow it. Holy Sh*t! ColorizedUhm ... Both The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind were filmed in B&W. It wasn't until later re-releases that they were colorized. [Sigh. Where do people get these ideas?? GWTW (which won an Oscar for color cinematography) and Wizard of Oz were of course both filmed in color. Wikipedia articles on Technicolor and Gone With the Wind. - Dave] OzThe Wizard Of Oz started filming in 1938. The book's silver shoes became ruby slippers because the movie was one of the few films made at the time to be filmed in color, and MGM wanted to show off the color process. At the time, most movies were filmed in black-and-white thus those parts of the movie were meant to be reality, and the color part was meant to be a dream. By the way, all this information can be found on the internet, so look up things before you say something because instead of being an expert instead you sound like an idiot. History of color photographyThe history of color photography. The Wizard Of OzThe main reason people think the movie "The Wizard Of Oz" is colorized is because 'faded' copies of that film is usually shown on tv. This movie has been recently restored frame by frame to its original look by Warner Studios and even some extra footage has been added. I have that restored movie on DVD and it is visually outright spectacular. Just take a preview look at this here [Warner Bros.]: http://thewizardofoz.warnerbros.com/ Wizard of OzWrong. Wizard's first few minutes and last few minutes were in B&W but the majority of the film was originally in Technicolor! Wizard of OzActually, you are all wrong. The Kansas scenes were filmed in Sepiatone, which is actually color film. The Oz scenes were filmed in Technicolor. Blair Frodelius http://ozmapolitan.spaces.live.com/ Oz, Part 23573"The Kansas scenes were filmed in Sepiatone, which is actually color film. " Well, just to carry this off topic argument further... sepiatone is not a color film. It is a coloration applied to black and white images resulting in a brown and white appearance, but not a color film in any normal sense. Looking ForwardDare I say it? There might come a point when these people appear to be ahead of their time. Imagine how much less energy we would use if we took advantage of some of the ground's natural advantages---of course balanced with modern technology to make it a whole lot more comfortable. Oz ad nauseamUnless someone can prove otherwise, I am convinced the black and white portion of Wizard of Oz was shot on black and white negative. The Color portion of Wizard of Oz was shot on THREE black and white negatives. Black and white and sepia are all colors. You mean I've been in Kansas all along? I saw all of you there though. Were you thinking? Maybe you weren't really there. But in short, the intro and epilogue was black and white, and the OZ portion was Technicolor. And the prints seen in theatres, I assume were all printed on color positive stock, although it is posible if there was a reel change, the intro and epilogue actually COULD have been printed on black and white stock. The real question is... was the sepia toning of the black and white portion originally there, in the theatre prints? Watching the movie on TV growing up, I would say it was not, unless the networks decided to pump away the sepia technically. When the film was restored for video release since 1980, sepia toning of the black and white portion was probably done. Electronically. You know, to make it look old. I haven't watched the film since its first 'restored' vhs release, except to listen to Dark Side of the Moon. Sepia toning usually takes place on paper prints (such as via bromination) either as a accidental by-product or intentional archival technique. It generally was not used for movies presented in the theatre, even in cases where it could have been technically possible to fudge the look when printed to color transparency. And it is cool/hotto live in a hole in the ground. That doesn't make it that feasible for an entire population however. The majority of houses are, and have historically been, ABOVE ground, because it is simply easier to build them that way. Root cellars were common, to keep stored food at a more constant temperature throughout the year. And beer was often made in caves, as was the mash for whiskey, for similar reasons. Ad nauseam indeedFrom the Department of Dead Horses: "The Wizard of Oz" was indeed released theatrically in 1939 with sepia toning to the black-and-white sequences. MGM, for reasons I don't know, used sepia toning rather often in the late '30s. The b/w Oz scenes were shot on b/w stock; the Technicolor sequences were, as described, shot using the Technicolor process, which produced three separate b/w negatives. But the was not originally printed on color "positive" stock; however, but using an imbibition process, which is too complicated to go into here; try this link: http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/oldcolor/technicolor6.htm. As for toning of films, it was EXTREMELY common during the silent era, as opposed to "generally not used." Try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_tinting Honestly, how do people manage to speak with such authority about things they clearly know nothing about? I never knew, This is aI never knew, This is a great website. Oh man...Progress IS fast. I cant believe that people used to live in those... progress?I agree that we've progressed in the sense of no longer having dirt floors, and tiny houses, but there are certainly advantages to that style of building that we have regretfully left behind. Part of the looming fossil-fuel energy crisis has to do with our dependence on convenient energy, rather than efficiency, in keeping our homes climate controlled. I'd say a similar tradeoff has been made with respect to transportation. Instead of living in close-knit dense communities, we require freeways and cars. I love seeing stuff like this picture, because it's a reminder that there IS a way to live without energy-rich technological solutions. [The people of Pie Town, living as they did out in the middle of nowhere, all had cars. - Dave] FloodingI can't imagine they stayed there very long. What happens when it rains? I don't think there were many sump pumps then. Photographic HistoryThe first color photographs predate WWI. Even those aside, it's fairly trivial to colorize an existing black and white photo if you feel the urge. These structures are indeed ancient -- they were common in Japan as early as 400 AD (that's off the top of my head) and elsewhere in the world even earlier. Interesting to see that they were used in the USA - though it shouldn't shock anyone. The depression wasn't in full force in 1940 but the USA wasn't something a modern resident would recognize. Times were hard. Great photo. :(my ancestors were monkeys and couldn't even afford a house like this I'll give you a "hell yeah"I'll give you a "hell yeah" on that one !! I thought everyone who grew up watching that movie would realize the significance of the color part of the film. think we need to put down our game boys and read books again. Dugout HouseMy mother's family lived in a dugout house near Elida, New Mexico, in the 30's and 40's. They were not poor, and they found the life to be just fine. Nice dipole antennaI wonder what kind of wireless equipment he has in that shack... "not my ancestors"where did you come from? obviously not earth... PlaggenhutIn the Netherlands, these dugout homes or pit houses, 1900 circa, were called "plaggenhut" (sod house or turf hut). They were found typically in the north-eastern part of the country, e.g. in the province of Drenthe. Vincent Van Gogh visited Drenthe from September till October, 1883. In a second letter, dated around September 15th 1883, to his brother Theo, he wrote: "I am enclosing a sketch of my first painted study from this neighbourhood, a cottage on the heath. A cottage made entirely of only turfs and sticks." In Drenthe he painted several studies, the so called third series. One of them is "Cottages," Oil on canvas on cardboard(?), F17/JH395, 35.5 x 55.5 cm." (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Pie Town, Russell Lee)
Auf Wiedersehen: 1917
... to the U.S. in the Mexican-American War, including Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, in exchange for Mexico's alliance should the U.S. ... in WWI partly due to a Mexican incursion into Texas and New Mexico and the occupation of the border city of El Paso - causing the U.S. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 5:33pm -

February 1917. "Count J.H. von Bernstorff, ambassador from Germany, leaving German Embassy." The scene at the embassy in Washington after Woodrow Wilson ended diplomatic relations with Germany, two months before the United States made its declaration of war. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Might want to check that photo...Doesn't seem to match the caption, unless it was common practice for heads of state to ride shotgun on the back of a delivery van! [The occasion for the photograph was the ambassador's departure. He's not actually in the picture. And ambassadors are not heads of state. - Dave] First Car BraThat is such an strange-looking vehicle - or is it a wagon waiting to be hitched to a truck? I wonder what the tarp is covering at the front. Also, those back wheels look like they could run on rails. Anyone have any further info on this thing? [The tarp is covering the controls of what looks like an electric truck. Most trucks back then had solid rubber tires. - Dave] AutocarThe truck looks like an Autocar. [The Autocar was a motor truck, with a radiator behind the bumper that we can see in the illustration below. The truck in our photo looks more like an electric. News articles in the Washington Post mention Adams Express having a fleet of 60 electric trucks, some made by Lansden. - Dave] Zimmermann telegramThe German ambassador's departure may or may not have anything to do with the revelation of the Zimmermann Telegram during February 1917 (others can Google), or the Germans beginning unrestricted submarine warfare on Feb 1, 1917 and the resulting American deaths aboard British vessels. TandemThose rear tires look like a very early version of the dual tires found on the semi-trailers and trucks of today. German-Mexican AllianceThe Zimmermann Note was sent from Germany to Ambassador Johann von Bernstorff in Washington on January 16, 1917. It was forwarded to the German ambassador in Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt three days later. The contents of the coded telegram instructed Ekardt to offer Mexico the return of territories lost to the U.S. in the Mexican-American War, including Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, in exchange for Mexico's alliance should the U.S. enter the war on the side of the Allies (presuming, of course, that the Germans won the war). The telegram was intercepted immediatly by the British, who decoded it, but couldn't reveal its' contents without also revealing their ability to break German codes. Between February 19 and 23, 1917 the text of the telegram made its way through the American diplomatic chain, evantually reaching President Wilson. The note was leaked to the American press a week later, fomenting popular outrage and contributing America's entry into World War I. Thanks to DoninVa for mentioning this fascinating footnote to history in his earlier post. I seem to remember reading (or reading about) an historical novel whose premise was a WWI German-Mexican alliance with roots back to the (authentic) German Hapsburg "Emporer" Maximilian from 1864-1867. I can't find a reference to the novel, but if I remember correctly, the auther posits that Germany achieved a stalemate and negotiated peace in WWI partly due to a Mexican incursion into Texas and New Mexico and the occupation of the border city of El Paso - causing the U.S. to divert troops from Europe to the Southwest. The Germans and Mexicans sued for a settlement with the U.S. that saw the return of the Gadsen Purchase to Mexico and caused El Paso, Southern New Mexico and parts of Arizona, including Tucson, to be returned to Mexico. I love those historical "what if" questions. Thanks again to DoninVa for bringing up the Zimmermann Note. Goober Pea The tarpNote that the photo was taken in February. The tarp is there to retain engine heat and channel it over the driver. [If this is an electric truck there is no engine. - Dave] Ferguson ResidenceYet another of architect Adloph Cluss's buildings in Washington. Originally built for Thomas Ferguson in 1881, it was acquired by the German government in 1893. During the second World War, the U.S. seized the property and sold it for $100,000. It was demolished in 1959. AddressHas anyone dug up the address of the 1917 German Embassy? I tried to dig it up online but was unsuccessful. I'm wondering if this building still exists. I assume it's not in the same location as the current modern German embassy building in Washington (several governments later). [1435 Highland Terrace, Massachusetts Avenue. - Dave] Thank you!Alas, no sign of it. The block seems to be completely developed and the site seems to be occupied with a modern Homewood Suites hotel. Electric car?The autocar ad states that the adams express company had a fleet of over 400 autocars. How can one tell whether the truck in the photo is electric or motor car? [Autocars of this vintage, from what I can tell, had the motor under the seat and the radiator behind and halfway below the front bumper (see the illustration a few comments down). There's no radiator that I can see, and this truck has a humongous battery box, just like the ones on the Walker electric trucks shown in some other posts here. Also that's not the Autocar logo on the front. But I am no truck expert. There must be one out there who can help us. - Dave] CT Electric TruckThis is a CT Electric, made by the Commercial Truck Company of Philadelphia from approximately 1908 to 1927. On the front of the truck you can just see a bit of the CT logo peeking out from the bottom of the tarp - right above the Adams Express Company sign. Just between April 15 and May 15, 1912 alone, the Adams Express Company purchased 85 electric vehicles (35 of these being CT Electrics) bringing their electric fleet up to 250 electric trucks of various sizes and makes. By contrast American Express Company had 86 electrics. If the tarp wasn't there you would see the unique CT double steering wheel - an instant identifier. Nearly two-dozen CT Electrics survive, with most of them being odd-looking Model F or Model 36A 5-Ton flatbeds from a fleet of 20 that was owned by Curtis Publishing Company (Jack and Jill, Ladies Home Journal, and The Saturday Evening Post). Curtis kept them in service until 1962, thus sparing them from the scrap drives of WWII. Nicely restored ones can be seen here (note the double steering wheel) and here. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Romeroville: 1943
Spring 1943. "Romeroville, near Chacon, New Mexico." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Collier ... was destroyed by fire in 1932." -- T.M. Pearce (Ed.), New Mexico Place Names, 1st Ed. (1965). I-25 bisection aside, you could ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 5:02pm -

Spring 1943. "Romeroville, near Chacon, New Mexico." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Collier for the Office of War Information. Dad's KodakMy dad carried a Kodak all over the Pacific in WWII and shot Kodachrome, no less. I still have his slides and for the most part they look like they were shot yesterday. Still have the camera too and it works. [Got a film scanner? Post them here! We'd love to see them. - Dave] Romeroville IIAccording to the Geographic Names Information System, Romeroville had a post office from 1877 until 1953. It's off I-25 just south of Las Vegas. Chacon is about 50 miles north. Romeroville's location on a railroad probably gave it a reason for being. Ghost TownI see one person on one horse, lots of straw or hay piled up but no other sign of life. Is this an abandoned settlement? A former mining area? Any more info at all? RomerovilleA quick Google maps search shows it's still there, and not much has changed. It is, however, rather neatly bisected by I-25. Also, here's a small set of Flickr photos tagged "Romeroville." Romeroville"Settled in 1880, and named for Don Trinidad Romero, a rancher and member of the U.S. Congress. He entertained President and Mrs. Hayes and General Sherman in his $100,000 mansion here. The building was destroyed by fire in 1932." -- T.M. Pearce (Ed.), New Mexico Place Names, 1st Ed. (1965). I-25 bisection aside, you could probably take almost the same photo today -- either in Romeroville itself or somewhere nearby. Northern NM is full of little villages like this. Pop. 3You can find three horses together, one standing and two lying down. Several chickens can be seen also. I loves me some KodachromeThe blue in this picture is almost painful in its perfectness. Amazing. Office of War Information?Any guesses about why the Office of War Information would have been interested in Romeroville? [The OWI photographer John Collier probably thought it was pretty. He took lots of scenic views while traveling to assignments in the West. - Dave] The Two RomerovillesI am from northern New Mexico, and there are two Romerovilles in the area. This picture is of Romeroville near Chacon. The other Romeroville is about 50 miles south near Las Vegas, right off of I-25. Just thought I would clear things up. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, John Collier)
White Stuff: 1960
... is dressed for snow. NM Reminds me of White Sands, New Mexico. Is this a possibility? Central Coast? Looks a lot like the ... be dressed for desert Looks like White Sands N.P. in New Mexico. I was there back in '64 when I was 12yo. An impressive sandbox. ... 
 
Posted by Tony W. - 09/17/2011 - 8:16pm -

I don't know who or where this is. At first I thought it was snow but my brother argued it's sand. The date of the slide is May but it may have been taken earlier in the year to fit in with my snow theory. 35mm Kodachrome slide. View full size. I Vote SandIt looks a bit warm to me, and the boy does not look as though he is dressed for snow. NMReminds me of White Sands, New Mexico. Is this a possibility? Central Coast?Looks a lot like the dunes on the Central California Coast namely Guadalupe. I have been to White Sands but don't remember the greenery. Don't try to confuse meI don't care what the rest of you say, it looks like snow. I vote sandI don't know anything about sand but as a lifelong Western/Northern Canadian I know snow, and that is not snow. For one thing, if it is snow it would have to be near or at the freezing point, given your brother's clothing choices and the living, healthy mosses and grasses on the peak above. Snow near the freezing point is coarse, uneven, and watery, and because of that it twinkles in bright sunlight and is semi-translucent. This covering is dull, fine-textured, and opaque. For another, it's unlikely that snow would be found in large quantities at the bottom of a hill but not at the top. That's something I'd expect of drifting sand, not snow. [Why is the title of your comment "I vote snow"? - Dave] [Good question: because I messed up. - Charlene.] Should be dressed for desertLooks like White Sands N.P. in New Mexico. I was there back in '64 when I was 12yo. An impressive sandbox. Yes, Sand.Somewhere in the shoeboxes is a faded Ektachrome of that same pile o'sand, taken on our journey from California to Ioway. Looks like sand to meWhite Sands, New Mexico or Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. The whiteness seems to be like White Sands. I Vote SandAs a life-long Michigander, I know both snow and sand dunes. This is most certainly sand. You can tell by the way the sand is parted at is feet. Also, if he were sitting in snow, his knees would have sunken lower. Plus, snow is cold and he's not wearing any gloves! Me TooPut my vote in for White Sands, NM. This looks like the road side on the old tourist route through the monument. Add one tablespoon-full.It's neither snow nor sand. It's sugar. Or maybe salt. Or perhaps flour. Snow methinksHaving worked at White Sands for several years I do not think this is where this is. At WSNM it is actually gypsum and not sand and it is very hard and packed. I believe it could be snow and the snow would be melted on the rocks because they are dark and would be warmer thus melting the snow. Angle of reposeThe angle of repose for dry sand is about 30 degrees. If we had a better look at any footprints that would probably cinch it as in dry sand, unlike snow, they'd mostly quickly fill back in. Not SnowVanilla ice cream maybe? Tony W.: W for Watson?Question Doctor Watson: does the slide come from a collection that might give any clue? I Too Vote SandI live in New Mexico about 70 miles from the White Sands National Monument and have visited there many times. The sand there is fluffy and not packed at all, in fact, the dunes are still moving and hard to walk on. If it were snow, the hills in the background would probably be completely covered. Also, the boy is not dressed in any way appropriately to be playing in snow, but here in New Mexico, many do dress in long sleeved shirts to protect themselves from the sun. One more thing, at the left hand side of the picture, there is grass growing, it does look exactly like that at the WSNM, but the grass would be covered completely by snow. The Shadows KnowHis shadow is way too short to be in the wintertime at such a northern place where this much snow would have been. In the northern winter the sun is really low even at midday, so the shadows are really long, even though there is a downhill where the shadow is. Besides there is green grass growing on the top of the dune and "white" isn't nearly white enough to be snow. Believe me, we have the stuff half a year. Here is one of my winterpics for comparison: It's not saltCompare with this photo of the salt works just north of Pondicherry, India. Source of the image.Where did this image come from? Evidently not from a source that can be tracked. A garage sale pick up? Another possibilityBolivia. I've got it!Cream cheese frosting on the world's largest lava cake. Mmmm. South of Point Mugu, CaliforniaSpecifically, at the south end of what is now Thornhill Broome State beach. The dune was larger then; it was mined in the late 50s through the early 60s. (Everything was larger in the past, wasn't it?) Next time I'm over that way, I'll attempt to replicate the shot. This is itThere aren't any other slides that seem to relate to this one, hence my confusion. Taking another look at it, it does start to look like sand to me, although in California there can be snow and yet be hot enough to wear rather light clothing. White SandsCould this be the white sands at Monahans Park in Texas or the White Sands National Monument? (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Tonypix)
Mercado de San Marcos: 1890s
... Watering Hole Hot waters. Sister city to Ojo Caliente, New Mexico. Hats off to you! Sombrero Central There are some mighty ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:36pm -

Aguascalientes, Mexico, circa 1890s. "Portales of the market of San Marcos." Glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Watering HoleHot waters. Sister city to Ojo Caliente, New Mexico. Hats off to you! Sombrero CentralThere are some mighty fine looking lids in this market. No wonder all of these guys are sporting hats. Well, maybe the sun had something to do with it. Third Hombre From RightLooks like his interest in hats is taking yours. What the???Does anyone know what the heck the protrusions from the building opposite are? I could almost imagine them being rifles pointed at the unsuspecting fellows across the way. [Those are drains. - Dave] For all your needs...As long as all you need is a hat. Location?Dave, do we know where this was taken? I mean, in which city? Thanks! [Aguascalientes, which I have added to the caption. - Dave] Prosperity!A clean local market. Swept sidewalks, plenty of goods on offer, well maintained buildings, even electric lighting! This is obviously a place of prosperity. Even the young lad in the foreground has that "I'm going somewhere" look about him. Gives lie to all the spaghetti western portrayals of Mexican towns. A Fistful of Dollarswould probably buy this entire marketplace (and the employees). I see Lee Van Cleef and Clint Eastwood in earlier days. Now I need to go to Chilino's for my favorite Mexican lunch of chimichangas and refritos frijoles. See what you started? Packing heatI bet those guys didn't have issues with concealed carry. You're in Hot Water nowThe protrusions on the building across the street are Mexico's version of rain gutters, a very common site in Mexican architecture. Having raced in the world famous La Carrera Panamericana, considered the most dangerous and grueling race in the world, I have seen many locations throughout Mexico that resemble this exact scene. In fact when I first saw this photo it looked to be an almost exact replica of the one in Morelia Mexico. La Carrera Panamericana begins near the Guatemala border and continues all the way back to the United States and Aguascalientes is one of the cities we stop in over night. When I mentioned this photo to a friend who lives near there he wrote, "It is the Old Parian, the market in downtown Aguascalientes, the picture is from the first version, that was demolished in the 50´s, then the second until the 80s and the new Parian now has many levels including underground parking." Curious GeorgeNow we know where "the man in the yellow hat" shops. TimelessThis scene could have been from the 1980s when I lived in Mexico; less has changed than MORE has changed. The blankets and hats, the portales...all there just twenty years ago. Maybe it still is. (The Gallery, DPC, Stores & Markets, W.H. Jackson)
Starting Over: 1935
... farm child. From Taos Junction to Bosque Farms project, New Mexico." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea ... is just south of the Isleta Pueblo in Valencia County, New Mexico. Today it is part of the Albuquerque metro area, and has mostly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 2:43pm -

December 1935. "Resettled farm child. From Taos Junction to Bosque Farms project, New Mexico." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. GorgeousOne of the best so far, thank you for putting this up. So moving. Better times ahead? Heartbreaking. When I view what I believe to be photos of sad children I always hope that somewhere in the future that lies ahead them are happier moments. WowAmazing, what an emotional photo. Pulls you inStunning picture, really pulls you in. Makes you wonder why she is so sad? And is she actually sad or simply really bored? You'll notice the absence of any toys or furniture other than a hand made bench and a rickety old bed. Dried corn cobs by the window frame, and something that surprised me, books and a newspaper on the window frame which leads me to believe someone in her family can read. Could they be her schoolbooks? What has me curious is what was the function of the piece of corrugated steel with a hole in the middle hanging over the fireplace? [That's a hole for a stovepipe. As for the girl, she doesn't look especially sad to me. I see a kid looking at a fireplace waiting for Dorothea Lange to take her picture. - Dave] Bosque FarmsStunning composition in this one. Wow. Very touchingAnd my kid is whining because the Xbox is broken, I'm going to show him this to maybe give him a little perspective. Christina's WorldGreat photo. It reminds me of an Andrew Wyeth painting. Bosque FarmsWonderful photo! I will definitely use it in my upcoming Great Depression history project! Fireplace GirlShe doesn't look sad, to me. She looks like she is examining something about the fireplace - maybe noting the small details of how the wood cracked this time, how the ash crumbled. I imagine this young girl as someday being able to recall, in vivid detail, this fireplace - each crack, each imperfection - and treasuring its memory more than I treasure the memory of my favorite doll. I imagine her laughingly telling her children and grandchildren about how she new every scratch on her bed and every dent in the wall, she treasured those few things so much. My grandmother speaks this way of an orange dress that she once hated in the Depression, because it showed their poverty. But now she fondly remembers it. Bosque Farms TodayBosque Farms is just south of the Isleta Pueblo in Valencia County, New Mexico. Today it is part of the Albuquerque metro area, and has mostly upscale homes with enough room for folks to have horses if they choose. It had been part of early Spanish land grants, and a number of different owners had rancheros in the area. In 1935 the Federal Resettlement Administration bought a large tract there from the state and divided it into 42 parcels which were settled by Dust Bowl refugees from Taos and Harding counties in New Mexico. Small adobe homes were constructed for those resettled, and a number of those homes are still in use today. The original intent was for agricultural livelihoods for those resettled, and that held true for a number of years. However, today it is primarily a bedroom community for Albuquerque. I thought it would be nice to give some background to a wonderful photo FarmgirlThat is one of the remarkable things about photography -- we see what we see, provoking, pulling, pushing us into the scene, imagining what was going on. She may not be sad, but it made me sad, and I would like to give her a doll. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Kids)
Pie Town Garage: 1940
Filling station and garage at Pie Town, New Mexico. Photograph by Russell Lee . September 1940. View full size. ... Pie Town I remember reading in Place Names of New Mexico that when a postal inspector came to establish a post office it was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2009 - 3:27am -

Filling station and garage at Pie Town, New Mexico. Photograph by Russell Lee. September 1940. View full size. "Original owner sold pies, hence the name 'Pie Town.'" Wikipedia says that person was Clyde Norman, who started a dehydrated apple business there in the 1920s. Pie Town hosts a Pie Festival in the fall; photographer Lee took dozens of pictures of the 1940 rodeo and barbecue, which we'll be posting. Here we can see details of the the 1940 fair, and that gas was 21 cents a gallon. (Goodbye everyone, I'm moving to Pie Town - Dave) inflation21 cents in 1940 is the equivalent of $3.05 today. gas wasn't really that cheap. Pie TownWhen you get there, be sure to check out the apple, pine nut & green chile pie -- it rules! Pie TownI will! What can you tell us about Pie Town? Is that the originalIs that the original picture? It seems the color are stranges. Like an afterward colored photo. ColorYes, original. Kodachrome transparency. Pie Town was a very colorful place. Pie TownI remember reading in Place Names of New Mexico that when a postal inspector came to establish a post office it was up to Norman to pick an official name. He wanted the place to be called Pie Town. When the postal inspector suggested something more traditional . . . maybe even name the place Norman after himself, legend has it that Norman said: "It's going to be Pie Town or you can take your post office and go to hell." Pie TownGood for Clyde. It's certainly a better name than Dehydrated Apple Town. Who doesn't love delicious pie? There was an interesting article about Pie Town photographer Russell Lee a couple of years ago in Smithsonian magazine, called Savoring Pie Town. Pie TownWe were really bummed one day when we got to Pie Town, there wasn't any place there to buy pies... oh well. A Remembrance of Things PastryIt's a cruel thing to be anticipating pie and then encounter a pie-denial situation. I would've been all set for pie. Delicious pie. Blueberry. Apple. Cherry. They're all good. I think it was actually 20 cents ...If you look closely, the gas was 14 cents, the taxes were 6 cents-- a whopping 43% of the price -- making the price 20 cents... [20 or 21? - see comment below] Standard Oil Credit CardsThe round sign between the two gas pumps appears to say "Standard Oil Credit Cards Good Here". I did not realize that credit cards existed in 1940. Not too much before my time but I sure don't remember them. Must be because we were too poor to have one or too smart! 21 centsIf you look even closer you'll see that 21 cents is correct. The price per gallon is 14 and 9/10 cents - Dave Pie TownThe green chili, pinon (pine nut) and apple pie is served at the Daily Pie Cafe. www.dailypie.com. They are closed on Sun and Mon, and open until 3pm the rest of the week, so get there early. It's well worth the trip. Pie TownThanks Dave--The pictures I have are some personal family pictures and the photos done by Russell Lee, which I see you have access to. Incidentally, when Russell Lee came there, he took a room in the "hotel." He hung sheets and blankets over the windows in his room where he developed his own photos. My Dad said Russell didn't want people to know what he was doing, and was so 'secretive' that they all thought he was a German spy! Great pictures!Pie Town is one of the many and strange places along highway 60 running through New Mexico and Arizona. I'd always wondered about how it got its name. Thanks! Pie Town GarageAll the buildings in Pie Town were red, white and blue. Even the public privy (toilet) was red white and blue! It was a small building, divided in half, with an outside door to both sides. It sat on a little hill, so it didn't need to have a pit dug for it. The ladies half was a 3 or 4-holer as I recall, and always had several Sears Roebuck catalogs handy! (I was never in the men's side!) It was a few yards from the "Motel" that had 4 or 5 small one-room cabins, and it served as the bathroom for all!! It seems the town needed paint, and Standard Oil said they would donate it if the town painted in their colors--hence the red white and blue. This garage building burned sometime in the early or middle 40's. Pie Town was a good place to grow up. KR [Thanks very much for sharing, KR! And if you have any old Pie Town photos we'd love to see them. - Dave] Standard Oil & Pie TownBecause of the story about the sponsoring of Pie Town's painting by Standard Oil, I realised the gasoline brand should be Standard Oil. After some investigation I found the logo on a 1940 Idaho roadmap: [It seems the link is broken after so many years, but I found a neon version of it] Pie TownBest 20 years of my life were in Pie Town. The weather was great when we were kids. Always had snow in the winter. We would take the bus 22 miles to school. My grandparents had a cafe and gas station in the early 1960's. Best pie ever. I live in Memphis now, going on 22 years. My dad & uncle Pete went to school north of town in Tres Lagunas in a log building, about seven miles away, in the 1940's. Prices still going upAs of the end of 2010, the original 0.149 per gallon (plus 6 cent tax) would translate into $2.26 per gallon (plus 97 cents tax) for a grand total of $3.23 per gallon. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Pie Town, Russell Lee)
The House Jack Built: 1940
... was 15 when she married my grandpa 1932 (in Lovington, New Mexico), and they started a family right away. My grandmother preferred to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 12:02pm -

Sept. 1940. The Jack Whinery family in their Pie Town dugout. Homesteader Whinery, a licensed preacher, donates his services to the local church. More on the family below. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. Re: Dancing Africans?Not Africans. Injuns. There's such a thing as aThere's such a thing as a "licensed preacher"? Stupid comment hereThe girl second from the right seems to be channeling Napoleon Dynamite. Sorry to ruin it. Juvenile. Sorry. [Gyaaah! - Dave] Dancing Africans?I'm a bit intrigued by the pattern on the boy's shirt. so youngi'm more intrigued with how young they look and how many kiddos they have. wow. looks like the 2 girls on the left are twins. Sad eyesIn so many pics of poor families in the 30s/40s, I notice how sad (maybe just tired) the mothers look while the dads somehow show some kind of dignity or at least of being alive. PIE TOWN I just talked to some friends who went there this summer. There are still people who bake pies and have a very rural lifestyle. They said it was a great place! Licensed preacherSure there's such a thing as a licensed preacher. In many states, there are 2 distinctions: licensed and ordained. A licensed minister is recognized by the state and can perform weddings, funerals and the like. It kind of depends on the church you attend, but ordination is usually church recognition of a minister's credentials. Sunday best....wonderful how they managed to step up to the plate and present themselves in their "finest'...an amazing and poignant photograph... me again1940 = year I was born in Norfolk VA..... :-) Velva MaeIf my research is correct, the Mrs. is Laura Edith, née Evans, and Jack’s full name is Abrim Jack Whinery. The eldest daughter, the camera-shy one on the right, is Velva Mae. If she’s still alive today, she’ll turn 76 on August 29th. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska There's a Velva M. Kosakowski who may be the oneHere's her obituary. She's the only Velva in the SSDI born on that date with the middle initial M, and the obit says she's Jack and Edith Whinery's daughter. It looks like the same Velva Whinery you mention, Denny, but whether she's one of the girls in the photo I don't know. The girl on the right looks far too old to me to be nine (she is almost as tall as her father when sitting plus she has breasts - I'd suggest she was about 12-13), but the girl on the left looks nineish. Charlene...thank you for the information! I think you're right: the camera-shy girl on the right is likely well beyond nine, now that I look at her again. The obituary you linked us to shows that Velva certainly came a long way from this Pie Town dugout, eh? Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska The girl on the rightI think that girl is Wanda Whinery. She's mentioned in the obit as being Velva's deceased sister; a Wanda Whinery shows up in the SSDI from the Grand Junction/Clifton, CO area (where they all seem to have ended up). She was born in 1929, so she'd have been 11 in this photo, an age at which most girls are shy, awkward, and uncomfortable. You're right about it being a long way; a little girl sitting beside her mother to a great-grandmother in her own right. SadHow old was that mother when she married? She doesn't look that much older than her eldest child. Sad. namesInteresting how first name fashions come and go. Here we have Jack and Edith (basic early 20th C names) with a Velva and a Wanda, surely exotic names for the time -- though the 30's, when they were born, was a time of experiment in many things... What were the other children called? Bet the boys got more ordinary names. One boy's name was Lawrence,One boy's name was Lawrence, apparently. And if the Obit for Velva is right, Wanda Whinery never married - no married name is listed. They may have been dirt poor, but the kids look healthy and cared for. young mothers>>>"i'm more intrigued with how young they look and how many kiddos they have. wow." My paternal grandmother was 15 when she married my grandpa 1932 (in Lovington, New Mexico), and they started a family right away. My grandmother preferred to say that she was "almost 16". They were actually residing at that time around Brownfield, TX, but they drove all day and night (accompanied by the father of the bride) to the nearest courthouse in NM, because at that time, 16 was the legal age for girls to marry in TX. Apparently, there was nothing shameful or even unusual for girls to marry at 15 in that place and time, though perhaps 14 might have been pushing it. Both families were fairly strict and god-fearing people-- poor but not destitute. Grandpa's whole family were members of the Primitive Baptist Church. Scott, in Taiwan distichum2@yahoo.com They are all so thin. NotThey are all so thin. Not starved thin as much as built thin. Thanks for all the comments on who they might have been! They are interesting reads. clothingThe fabric the clothes are made from has to be flour/feed sacks. Perhaps not the father's but the rest of them surely are. The parents do look so young. Not more then 30. And yet they must have led a hard life up to this point. Amazing the family resemblance. Feed Sack FabricIn the late 1800's cotton sacks gradually replaced barrels as food containers. Flour and sugar were among the first foods available in cotton sacks, and women quickly figured out that these bags could be used as fabric for quilts and other needs. Manufacturers also began using cotton sacks for poultry and dairy feeds. The earliest of these bags were plain unbleached cotton with product brands printed on them. In order for women to use these bags they first had to somehow remove the label, or to make sure that the part of the cloth with the label was not normally visible. It did take some time for the feed and flour sack manufacturers to realize how popular these sacks had become with women, but finally they saw that this was an opportunity for promoting the use of fabric feedsacks. Their first change was to start selling them in colors, and then in the 1920's began making them with colorful patterns for making dresses, aprons, shirts and children’s clothing. They also began pasting on paper labels that were much easier to remove than the labels printed direstly on the fabric. By the 1930's competition had developed to produce the most attractive and desireable patterns. This turned out to be a great marketing ploy as women picked out flour, sugar, beans, rice, cornmeal and even the feed for the family farm based on which fabrics and pattern they wanted. I can remember that if my mother was not able to go along when my father went to buy feed, she would often send a scrap of material of the fabric design she needed so that he would be sure to buy the right one. This was during the 1950's. By the 1950's paper bags cost much less than cotton sacks, so companies began to switch over to this less expensive packaging. The fabric feedsack industry actively promoted the use of feedsacks in advertising campaigns and produced even a television special encouraging the use of feed sacks for sewing, but by the end of the 1960's the patterned feedsack fabrics were no more. Pink feed sacks...The girls' clothing is actually relatively new cotton muslin, and in quite good shape. Dad and the baby are wearing the most worn-out clothing of all of them. I doubt feed sacks came dyed with pink flowers or other feminine designs. The ones I own are just plain off-white. As an aside, I just noticed that all the kids look just like Mom except the oldest daughter, who looks just like Dad. The Sack DressFeed sacks came in every design imaginable. I have a friend who collects and lectures on them and she has seen literally thousands of different prints. Andover Fabrics out of New York will be doing a line or reproduction fabric based on her collection soon. I've even seen feed sacks printed to look like toile. The variety is astounding. Information about the Whinery childrenI was in Pie Town a few days ago and managed to find the name of all the Whinery children. The oldest girl is Laura; Velva (middle name "Mae") is in pink, and Wanda is in white. The eldest boy is A.J, and the baby boy's name is Lawrence. I know for certain that Wanda, Velva, and Lawrence have died. Wanda was born in Adrin, Texas on August 29, 1931 and died on May 27, 2007 at the age of 75. She was married twice, to Clifford Miller on Nov 4, 1956, and she had four children, two boys and two girls, and Chester Kosakowski, age 81, on Oct 31, 2005. In her obituary it says that Wanda and Lawrence preceded her in death, Wanda likely unmarried as they referred to her as Wanda Whinery instead of with a married name. It also said that Laura and A.J. survived her, so unless they have passed away in the meantime, Laura is living in Clifton, Colorado, with the married name Murray, and A.J is living in Dayton (it doesn't say which of the 23 Daytons in the US, so I'm guessing it is Dayton, TX) I talked to a man who lived in Pie town for all of his life, and he said that he doesn't think the Whinery home is still there. Neither is the Farm Bureau building that the children went to school in. On the other hand, one of the other school buildings is still there and being re-stuccoed and made into a residential home. Their current public schools are in Datil and Quemado, none in Pie Town. The current population of Pie Town is approximately 60 people, and the Pie-O-Neer has better pie than The Daily Pie. The Farm Bureau buildingThe Farm Bureau building still exists. It is now used as the "Community Center" and is the property of the Pie Town Community Council. A porch has been added along the front, and an additon on the side for a kitchen and restrooms, but otherwise it looks pretty much as it did in the Russle Lee photos from 1940. Gyaaah! Unbelievable! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Plains Grain: 1943
March 1943. "Farwell, Texas, at the New Mexico state line. Going through town on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad between Amarillo, Texas, and Clovis, New Mexico." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/09/2013 - 10:13am -

March 1943. "Farwell, Texas, at the New Mexico state line. Going through town on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad between Amarillo, Texas, and Clovis, New Mexico." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. "The Last Picture Show"All that's missing is a svelte Sybil Shepard, Jeff Bridges and Sam the Lion. Or Tatum O'Neal in Paper MoonI would love to have been Peter Bogdanovich's location scout. Plains, Grain and AutomobileNeat capture of a moment in time. It does look like one of Bogdanovich's movies. Paper Moon is one of my faves. If you get a chance, read the book (Addie Pray). Very different from the movie and based in Alabama. He decided to shoot in Kansas for the landscape and what a great decision it was! Here We Go AgainNo, I'm not singing. I'm grousing once again about the fact that, in my opinion, most of these changes we see when comparing the current site with the ones portrayed in these great photos don't measure up. Ice gang was right on the money, and EVERYTHING in this photo is gone. Even the trees are gone and having visited this part of the country, they could sorely spare them. Bah. See the USA. . . in your Chevrolet. That's a 1940 model in the photo. Trailer looks home-made! Pretty sure- - I found Plains Grain buildings foundations: 34 23' 19.67"N 103 02' 37.28"W Am I right? View Larger Map Trailer "Trailer looks home-made!" Yes indeed -- in fact, it is based on a car frame with the body removed, you can see the differential in the rear axle. The load is --- coal maybe?? Not to quibble, butPerhaps this photo was mislabeled by Mr. Delano when it was archived. When zooming into the Google map at link provided, it appears that the point at which this photo was taken the train may already have crossed the state line into New Mexico, in spite of the road sign that necessarily had to be placed beyond the tracks. In any case, you're seeing into the tiny burg of Texico, New Mexico far more than you are seeing any of Farwell, Texas from this angle. Kudos to Ice gang for locating this obscure crossing! Coming round the bendThe plume of smoke in the distance is surely from another train coming this way. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads, Small Towns)
Drugstore Noir: 1940
... July 1940. "Street scene at the fiesta in Santa Fe, New Mexico." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View ... Santa Fe? I lived for many years in Santa Fe, New Mexico and I doubt VERY HIGHLY that there has ever been that type of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/04/2014 - 6:09pm -

July 1940. "Street scene at the fiesta in Santa Fe, New Mexico." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Manhole coverI think the manhole cover in the 1940 Shorpy photo is the same manhole cover of on the southeast corner of the Santa Fe Plaza shown in the Google Maps street view link below: http://bit.ly/JUMJEu Yes, Santa Fe - Stowe's Drug StoreFrom the Wednesday, September 5, 1934, Santa Fe New Mexican. Stowe's Drug Store, located on the SW corner of the Plaza. Santa Fe?I lived for many years in Santa Fe, New Mexico and I doubt VERY HIGHLY that there has ever been that type of archetecture in that city. [Yes, Santa Fe. And the word is "architecture." - Dave] Just making comment according to my experience from having lived in Santa Fe. I see little need in you making "nasty" about my spelling, Dave... Getting a bit burned out, are we? [VERY HIGHLY. -Dave] I don't care! It isn't Santa Fe. You said on Facebook that it probably isn't Taos, but Santa Fe. That means you don't really know, now do you? [Scroll up. -Dave] No questionThe building in the picture no longer exists as it burned in 1946 and was eventually replaced by the building that now houses Ortega's. The new building retains the 'bevel' in the corner seen here. One clincher is to go to street view and see the manhole cover in the same place. cf. Hammett, 'Santa Fe, A walk through time'. This reference contains a photo showing the identical brickwork above the entrance, as well as the information given above. Just SayingNow that we've settled on Santa Fe as the location. Am I wrong or is this photo not in focus? [Motion blur from camera and subject movement due to slow shutter speed. -tterrace] Santa Fe has changed a few timesThe adobe-covered Santa Fe we know today is mostly a deliberate 20th-century creation inspired by a citizens' movement in the 1910s or so. If you peruse photos from a hundred years ago, you'll see Santa Fe looked like any other Western town of the era with buildings like this drugstore on every corner. We would consider the styles quaint today, but at the time they were derided as cookie-cutter architecture that could have come from anywhere and didn't honor New Mexico's history. Laws were actually passed around then requiring new and renovated buildings to adopt a pueblo-like adobe (usually stucco in reality) facade. In fact, pretty much any adobe-style building in central Santa Fe that was built before the 1920s now looks nothing like its original appearance. I've seen older buildings under renovation near the Plaza, and it's always jarring when the stucco comes down to reveal briefly a Victorian brick facade underneath! It's the Claire Hotel buildingYes, this is Santa Fe, New Mexico. If you want to see a good shot of the building as it was, here's a link to our online catalog. The previous poster is correct; the building burned in 1946, and the replacement building is much smaller and less notable than the historic one. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
No Money at All: 1936
... August 1936. "Part of an impoverished family of nine on a New Mexico highway. Depression refugees from Iowa. Left Iowa in 1932 because of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 1:27pm -

August 1936. "Part of an impoverished family of nine on a New Mexico highway. Depression refugees from Iowa. Left Iowa in 1932 because of father's ill health. Father an auto mechanic laborer, painter by trade, tubercular. Family has been on relief in Arizona but refused entry on relief rolls in Iowa to which state they wish to return. Nine children including a sick four-month-old baby. No money at all. About to sell their belongings and trailer for money to buy food. 'We don't want to go where we'll be a nuisance to anybody.'" Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. "What happened?"These people are the same sorts of people who a few years later sucked it up and fought World War II or stayed at home working long hours in the factories and farm fields. They stuck with it, banded together, worked hard, sweated, sacrificed, and most lived their lives without any unnecessary government handouts because indeed "We don't want to go where we'll be a nuisance to anybody." I know this because my parents were people like that. My mom and her family came out to California in 1932 in a Ford Model T with a mattress on the top and the boys taking turns riding on the running boards. My dad's family was even poorer. They picked cotton, planted fields, worked in packing sheds, and wound up living the "American dream" because they would not let circumstances keep them down. They lived long and productive lives and made it into the middle class but they never forgot the poverty either. Proud?I have heard more privileged people alleging that poor people say "where is my free...?" than I have heard poor people actually saying it. Proud"We don't want to go where we'll be a nuisance to anybody." There's something you don't hear much these days. Instead we get "where's my free -- " If I had a time machine...The first thing I'd love to do is jump back into these Depression era photos and start handing out all the cash I could spare. Especially when I read things like that young mother's attitude that they didn't want to be a nuisance to anyone. But first I'd make sure that time machine could get me back. I may be sympathetic, but I'm also spoiled rotten with all we have these days. Impoverished families 2009We can moderize this story of an impoverished family: Father an auto mechanic, painter by trade, tubercular, no health insurance and the parents of a very sick four-month old baby also have no health insurance. The last thing they need is free socialized medicine! Some of these images are just hard to look at.I mean, what happened to these people? You see hundreds of pictures of them looking like they need immediate help, but did they always get it. Are there untold stories of entire families dying trying to drive out of the dust bowl? This family pictured here sure look like candidates. The Real DepressionDriving down I-93 from New Hampshire to Boston last Saturday morning, seeing the endless waves of northbound SUV's, RV's, boat trailers, and other shiny, generally very new vehicles headingup country for a week or two of summer vacation, I couldn't help but think, "What recession?" I know these have been hard times on a lot of people, but there are few (if any) scenes in America today similar to what is depicted in this photograph. And few (if any) contemporary Americans, with their cell phones and their flat screen TV's and their home PC's and their 3 or 4 nights a week eating out and their well-stocked mega-grocery stores and their air-conditioning, etc., etc., who have ANY IDEA what the people in the 1930's endured when we had a "real" depression. Tough as nailsDoes that attitude still exist in America at all anymore? No Money At All: 1936I believe that those who are not poor demand much more of poor people than poor people demand of them. There but for the grace of God....Thank God for modern "miracle drugs" that are used nowadays to treat TB! You notice that the family is sticking together AND that the couple is married! A far cry from today's "single" and unwed mothers....Not to mention irresponsible fathers...who use the female and then refuse to take responsibility for their own behavior..and it's consequences! Back then, if a person-fammily went on "relief" they were expected to pay the money back. That's probably one of the reasons (and shame) why they didn't want to seek help in Iowa. Truthfully, there wasn't much help to receive because the county-state resources were overstretched with the huge numbers of people who's farms had been destroyed by the drought and winds. I hope that things eventually worked out for this family. The children are adorable! For Pete's SakeLucy, having no health insurance is not the same as having no health care. This family today would be covered by the Medicaid and SHCIP, programs, etc., that we are already paying for. If this family could be transported to today I think they would have a hard time understanding why we think our health system is in crisis. And I'll be the first to sign up if you can actually provide medicine for free. No moneyThe Depression years were tough. My father died from TB in 1929 and left my mother with 10 children. It was the support that my older sisters gave to the family that saved us. They gave every penny they earned (one worked for Ford Motor Co., one at a dime store) to my mother. Food -- at supper I would say to my mother All I can have please. To this day I do not waste food. Money -- To this day I check to see if I have the money before I pump the gas. We were blessed. gain it would be nice to know how these two families did in the years since 1936. Most poor folks are proud.Most poor folks are proud. It's all some of them do have. Coming from western Oklahoma and knowing those people as my aunts and uncles and elders all I can say is these people may have had nothing, but they were flinty and determined. And they wanted to improve themselves. That attitude still lives all over this country. The poor (my poor anyway) don't want to be a nuisance to anyone; they just want a chance to work and improve their lives. The very essence of POORYou can't get any more rock bottom than this. If these folks survived the Depression it left a mark that would never go away. I remember a friend telling me about his father, wandering the streets of San Antonio in 1935. He stopped in front of an Army recruiting office, reached into his pocket, and all the money he had--all the money in the world--was one dime. Figuring the Army couldn't be any worse, he went in and joined up, serving one year and then getting recalled during WW2. From that time on, he always carried a dime in his pocket to remind himself that no matter how bad things got, things would never be as bad as 1935. How's that for a lasting impression? There Was No Birth ControlWomen had babies because they didn't know how to prevent them -- except to not have sex -- and what husband would put up with that! Until the '30s, it was illegal for even a doctor to discuss such things. Birth control is just one other thing we take for granted these days. Still, it's not always available to the very poor. [There certainly was birth control. Condoms were widely available in the 1930s. - Dave] During the DepressionMy father's mother died in 1931 leaving him age 10, and a brother age 4 with the father, an unskilled immigrant. The father with a temper could not hold employment, and moved the 2 children 15 hours to an inhospitable climate, and away from his deceased wife's huge extended family. Once there, he abandoned the children to fend for themselves. In the later years of his life my father told me this story and how he managed to keep himself and his little brother clothed and fed. He did whatever he had to including stealing food scraps from trash bins behind restraunts. He did not steal from other unfortunate people and no one gave him a hand-up. From time to time the old man would come back and take his frustration out on my father's back. Both my father and his brother survived to adulthood, neither graduating high school. Both boys joined the military as soon as they could. They both came back to the small survival town, married, and raised children. My father's father never did get his shit together. He raised a brood of children in squalor and it was always someone else's fault, and he injured several of them. Neither my father nor his brother ever had a credit card, or a checking account. They did not buy a vehicle until they had the cash and could afford the upkeep. They both bought homes they could afford, paid for them and improved them when they had cash. My uncle learned a skilled trade and was successful until the day he died in his 40s when an old man had a heart attack and hit his vehicle head on. My father died at 80 with a sizeable estate. This is how people survived. They did what they had to do, expecting nothing from noone and raised their children to do the same. None of the surviving childen of my father and his brother have ever been on the system in any way. None of us have debt. Our children, however, are a different story. iPhoneI had a patient at work that couldn't pay her hospital bill and was applying for public assistance.... but she had an iPhone! You wouldn't EVER catch anyone these days selling belongings to get something that the govn't will hand over for free. And things that are free have no value. And I was feeling sorry for myselfUntil I saw this picture and all because my 2nd computer needs a new hard drive. I have no idea of real hardship. Thanks for the wake up call. A NightmareReally, this is a total nightmare. Just imagine travelling in the desert heat with the dust and the sand getting into everthing, your clothes, your hair. Most likely you have no opportunity to wash yourself properly, maybe you have no soap and the water you have is for cooking only. (If you have something to cook) You get smelly and you clothes become soiled and stink. You have bugs and parasites all over the place and probably in the mattresses and sheets too. And probably worst of all: no toilet paper. It's a total nightmare. Most of us probably can't even imagine how it would be be if you can't give your children something to eat and you may have to steal to get them some food. Maybe these people are a bit lucky not to be Black Americans because for them it was probably even worse than for White Americans in the Depression. Why, why, whyDid this couple continue to bring children into the existence they were enduring--and the husband being tubercular? The photo caption states in one place that they were a family of nine, and in another place that there were nine children. Either way, that makes for a lot of mouths to feed. I know what causes babies, and the couple could at least have shown some responsibility along those lines. Too much generalizationThere's too much generalization going on here. There are plenty of poor people today who don't want handouts and don't want to be a strain on the system. Also, it's almost not possible to have a house and a family without having loans to pay off these days. I don't think debt is a bad thing if you can handle it. You can't directly compare now to then, because the world is a lot different. It should be enough to just say that this is a sad situation, and our hearts go out to these people. I wonder how selling everything will help them in the long run. Just sad. StrikingThis is a very striking picture. From an aesthetic point of view, I'm really taken by the huge contrast between the dire situation the young mother is facing, and the innocence and cheerful looks on the kids' faces. I know this might be a cliche, but this picture shows the truth on that saying, that the real wealth in life is not in material things but in the blessing of our loved ones. In spite of all their hardships, this looks to me like a closely-knit family, with the parents pulling together not for themselves, but for their kids. Definitely some people I'd be very glad, and honored, to meet. To me the kids look blissfully unaware of the difficulties faced by their family; speaks volumes for the will of their parents to carry on and get them through. I mean, just look at the faces of the kids in many other Shorpy photos. There's a huge difference between these smiling, happy lads and the "little grown-ups" working in the mills or the factories. Similar circumstances, but different ways to face them? Hats off to that hardy spirit, it is one of the main factors that make a country great. I really wish we could find out if they made it safely out of the depression; in my heart I really hope they did. People who blame poor people for being poorI always want to look back two or three generations and see how their families did during the Depression. When I was getting to know my college girlfriend (1989), I asked her what her grandparents' occupations had been. One grandfather was a geologist, and the other was a psychiatrist. I couldn't have been more surprised. After all, in my world, grandparents were truck drivers, farmers, carpenters, loggers. They did what they had to do, and did it proudly. Parents had been fortunate enough to go to college, due either to the GI bill, or the aggregate of New Deal programs that raised the entire country's level of affluence enough that people could afford college. Student loans were reasonable, state schools had subsidized tuition. "Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" used to be a tongue-in-cheek expression for doing the impossible. Now it's what you get blamed for not doing if you are down on your luck, and often, I dare say, with a tinge of racism. Always denied, of course. Every time I hear some young buck opine that today's poor should solve their own problems, I wonder if, oblivious to his own privilege, he is unwittingly insulting his own grandparents. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, On the Road)
Pie Town Fair: 1940
September 1940. "At the fair, Pie Town, New Mexico." An old coupe with rumble seat. What kind of car is this? ... interesting and so much history. I never knew that in New Mexico there was a town called Pie Town. Is that the real name or is that ... has pies for sale. It's about 40 miles west of Socorro on New Mexico Route 60. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Pie Town, Rural ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2011 - 3:58pm -

September 1940. "At the fair, Pie Town, New Mexico." An old coupe with rumble seat. What kind of car is this? Kodachrome by Russell Lee. View full size. hiThese pictures from the 1940's are really interesting and so much history. I never knew that in New Mexico there was a town called Pie Town. Is that the real name or is that made up? Jacqueline Pie Town?Yes, Pie Town is real! Pie TownCheck out the book Pie Town Woman, a recent follow-up to a family featured in those photos. CarThe car could possibly be a Ford Model A Roadster, anywhere from 1927 to 1931. Pie Town is real!It still has its festival, and looks as if it hasn't changed a whole lot. I so want to visit. Car TypeLooks like a 33 Studebaker Pie Town RoadsterThe left taillight is definitely a Chevrolet lamp, probably a 1930 roadster. Same goes for the wire wheels. Yes Pie town is thereI work in Tucson and one of our MIS staff did a lot of motor homing and Pie Town is one of her favorite places to visit. She (and her husband) retired last year and made Pie Town their retirement home. And yes I placed an order (Pie Town delivers) for her favorite -- Apple-Jalapeno. Love all the history of Pie Town. Thanks Pie TownIt really is a town, founded about 1922, extensively documented in 1940 by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Pie Town still exists, still has pies for sale. It's about 40 miles west of Socorro on New Mexico Route 60. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee)
General Electric: 1949
... 1 girl) drove from Illinois to Philmont Boy Scout ranch in New Mexico in a Chevy like the 49 in Gazzles comment, I can clearly remember ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2013 - 7:30am -

August 4, 1949. "General Electric turbine plant, Schenectady, New York." Calling all car-spotters! Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Overhead ViewAn aerial movie of the Schenectady GE plant (along with WGY TV's broadcast towers) apparently shot in 1940 can be seen on YouTube. Not sure what the connection between the two was, who shot the movie or why it was made, but it provides a great view of the scale of the facility. In color and without sound. Honey, when are we going to get a new car?Couple of thoughts, Imagine what it was like to come out of work to your old 30's style car that all the paint had faded off, probably leaked oil all over the driveway, then drive home to the nagging wife, what a life! I was 3 at the time of this photo. When I was about 8, My family (3 boys 1 girl) drove from Illinois to Philmont Boy Scout ranch in New Mexico in a Chevy like the 49 in Gazzles comment, I can clearly remember laying on the back window shelf for much of the trip. Who needed seat belts. Didn't the Crosley get about 50 mpg? (Haven't come far have we) What are these?Can anyone tell me what these cute little things are? [The Crosleys mentioned in previous comments. -tterrace] Kaiser-Frazer DealershipMy grand-father, James Page, second from right, with a friend and some kids at his Kaiser-Frazer (with a "Z") dealership in Callahan, Florida in the late 1940s or early 1950s. He also owned the Pure Oil distributorship in Nassau County and was involved to some degree with the Tucker automobiles. I recall my dad telling me all the technical innovations of the Tucker, and I sensed that the enthusiasm some had for the cars lasted a long time! [Your attachment wasn't attached. -tterrace] Parking HabitsIn crowded lots with lots of foot traffic, pulling out is much safer then backing out into the travel lanes. Amazing the number of folks that just 'pop up' after you've made quite sure no one was there. Small wonderThe cars that look like they need wind-up keys are Crosleys. Amazing to see two of them in this parking lot, given how few were manufactured. All-American parking lotWe're still a couple of years away from the engineers buying those weird little foreign jobs to commute with. The shapes of things to comeI find it interesting that the '49 Studebaker, '49 Ford, and '48 or '49 Hudson Commodore are all parked close together in the same row. They really stand out, styling-wise, in comparison. Not-so-big ThreeBesides the two oddball Crosleys already mentioned, there is representation from other non-Big Three companies, including Hudson, Kaiser, and Studebaker. Close to half the cars are pre-war (and many of them are real beaters). With nearly four years of non-production during WWII, plus a booming economy with millions of veterans returning to the workforce, Detroit couldn't build enough cars to keep up with the postwar demand. End of an eraWe're just about at the end of the era of split windshields -- but most of these cars are still using tube radios with vibrators, which were responsible for running down a large number of their 6 volt electrical batteries. Classy looking carParked in the 2nd row from the top and about center the photo looks like a '39 Buick with side mounts, probably a Century. Next to it is a '49 Studebaker Starlight coupe. Something to think aboutAll my life I've wondered why some people always back into a parking space (much more skill needed) so they can get out easily (usually going the wrong way) when it is so much easier to drive in forward and back out when the time comes. Does anyone have an explanation for that human behavior? One year beforeThe unique Tucker '48 was made just one year before this picture was taken, but I don't see any in this lot, perhaps because only 51 of them were ever made. I'm wondering if they are currently all accounted for. Kaiser-FraserWell, I see a 1949 Fraser in the middle. Bet a lot of viewers never heard of the brand. Tried to crop and upload, but the "Upload an image" factor is not working today. [It's "not working" because you're not clicking "attach" after you locate your file. - Dave] Oooops! Player PianoSomewhere in that building, or another nearby, is a young aspiring novelist by the name of Kurt Vonnegut, toiling away at public relations work. Occasionally he ventures over to see the room-sized computer used to calculate optimum turbine blade shapes, which inspire one of his early sci-fi novels. Someday, Billy Pilgrim will be coming unstuck in Ilium, a fictionalized Schenectady. I wonder which car is his? Fourth rowsecond car in from the right has blinds in the rear window, like how cool is that. Car SpottingThere's just too many years, makes and models for me to even try. I did notice a new '49 Chevrolet and one that looks like it was rode hard and put away wet. Special DeluxePretty sure the black car that is two cars to the left of the solid white car on the front row is the 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe. That was the first family car for us and ours was equipped with rain guards above all four windows. We could run down the highway in the hot summer with windows cracked for more circulation even in a rainstorm. ConnectionI had a relative that worked at this plant for years. This is the first time I have seen a pic of it. Sadly he has passed on a few years ago. But his heirs have done well with their inheritance of his GE stock. Working Man's LotDitto the comment about two Crosleys, very unusual. Very few high buck cars, though I do spot a Lincoln Cosmopolitan and a Packard in the farthest row and a nice Buick convertible in the street at the end of the row. Not many prewar cars though, maybe a third. Looks like most of the folks have stepped up and bought new cars in the last three years. OK, I thought about itand I don't see any cars here that HAD to have backed into their parking spaces. Looks like a whole lot of pullthroughs to me, which is what I do whenever possible, quickest (and possibly safest) way in and out. Tuckers LocatedOTY, Tucker 1 and 13 are in the Swigart Museum in Huntingdon, Pa. It's worth the trip to see them. BTW, Herbie the Love Bug is there also. [And on the West Coast, #37 (or 1037 in the numbering scheme used by Tucker aficionados) can be seen at Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville, California, where I snapped this a couple weeks ago. It's one Coppola used in his 1988 film "Tucker: The Man and His Dream". -tterrace] Underground structure?If you look past the parking lot, but before the large building, you see a grass strip with vents and a skylight. Is this lot on top of a building? If I'm not mistaken, GE's corporate HQ is underground in Fairfield Conn. Does GE have a thing for being underground? I coulda been a contender. I noticed the Venetian Blinds too! And this photo was a good five years before On The Waterfront was released! Steam tunnels Underground steam pipes require continuous access for maintenance. The tunnels have ventilation hatches at varying intervals, some of which resemble little huts, as seen here. You can see the same thing above ground at the Johnson Space Center. I have a friend who used to work in the tunnels there. You can tell we're in the snow beltNot many ragtops. Red-baitingAssuming these are workers' cars, I'm guessing many of the owners were members of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). The Schenectady local represented about 20,000 GE workers. The same year this photo was taken, the UE withdrew from the CIO as part of the CIO's purge of its left-leaning unions. Senator McCarthy was sent in four years after this photo was taken to "investigate" alleged Communist infiltration of the Schenectady GE facilities. Those two Crosleys must belong to the Soviet saboteurs. About the CrosleyA guy in Sibley, MO has 10 Crosley cars, and 2 Crosley trucks. They got 40 or 50 MPG back when nobody cared about MPG. OTY-At the time Coppola made the Tucker movie, 47 of them were still road worthy. tterrace-Nice shot of the Tucker. I didn't know Coppola still owned one. Back in 1991, I saw an ad in Hemmings Motor News where Coppola had a Tucker listed for sale. His asking price? $350,000. Well, time to stare at this picture some more! This is my favorite vehicleI think this is the ONE bike on the whole lot!! lol Born in SchenectadyMy father worked in Building 37 at GE (Schenectady) from '62 until '66. In August '66, when I was two years old, the family drove across the country in a Ford Taunus to Stanford where my father began grad school. I shared this picture with my father and he replied: "Your mother and I drove past Building 37 on first entering Schenectady in 1962 after my Navy days. I saw this old red brick building and announced that 'I would never work in a place like that.' 4 weeks later, or so, I was hired there. As I recall, my starting salary was $8000 per year." I wonderwho the rebel with the motorcycle was? Also interesting that these parking lots have nary a white line to guide the employees in their parking. I guess GM was full of rebels back in the day. Building 273I used to work at GE Schenectady as an mechanical engineering college co-op in the late 1980s. The building shown here is Building 273 where large steam turbines were (and still are) assembled. The angle of the picture minimizes the building's enormous size, roughly 20 acres! It was incredible being inside it... While the very front has some office space and multiple floors, most of the interior is wide open (excepting the huge machines) with high ceilings and big gantry cranes to move massive turbine components. Construction started in 1947, so must have been pretty new when this photo was taken. If you plug "Schenectady, NY" into Google Earth, you can easily find Building 273, which still stands--look for a big black roof. It's surrounded by a lot of green parklike areas. Those are where (almost) all the other GE buildings used to stand but have been demolished over the past 20 years. I'm guessing Building 273 remains and turbine operations continue there probably because the cost to build a new one somewhere else would be prohibitive. When I worked at GE 25 years ago, it looked just like this--only the cars in the parking lot were newer. In Google Earth today, it looks like they may have reworked the front facade since I was there. AACA MuseumIn Hersey, PA will be doing a Tucker exhibit in August, I believe. There will be three on display along with other related materials. Fascinating car. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories, Gottscho-Schleisner)
Vacation Time: 1969
... HS in '68. We went on many, many driving vacations to New Mexico, Colorado, OK, MO & many places near the Panhandle of Texas ... 
 
Posted by Mvsman - 09/13/2011 - 10:36pm -

Leaving Walnut, CA for Wyoming and Nebraska in July 1969. I'm on the left, trying to look cool, going to start high school in the fall. Yikes, those socks! There's my Dad and Mom, who appeared in earlier pictures. They're showing some age progression. Both are in their early 40s here. My little brother was a surly bundle of anti-joy then, and he whined a lot through the whole trip. We packed up the '64 Chevelle wagon and left for the great unknown. As a surly teen, I read a lot of books along the way and grunted and moaned a lot. During the trip, we heard about the Charles Manson family murders in Los Angeles, and being only 30 or so miles away, I was really scared to come home. It all worked out ... thanks for looking and I look forward to your comments. View full size. Chilling NewsWe too were leaving for our vacation on our way from Diamond Bar (not too far from Walnut) to visit the grandparents in "Idyllic Larkspur" (near San Francisco) when we heard all about the Tate-LaBianca murders on the car radio. It definitely put a damper on the trip for us adults. With the three kids squabbling in the back of our VW van (Mom, she looked at me!), I don't know if they heard any of it or not. Our oldest kid was 9, the middle one 6, and the youngest 4. -- tterrace's sister Vacations in a wagonYou know, vacations just aren't vacations without a station wagon. Sorry, but an SUV just isn't the same thing. Folks across the street have a 1965 Rambler Classic Cross-Country; ours was a 1966. Did you have air-conditioning? Maybe that would have quelled the grumbling and moaning somewhat. I know that we welcomed the A/C in our Rambler after 10 years without it in our '56. But now, decades later, I'll occasionally switch mine off and roll down the windows when cruising along a rural road, and the breeze carrying the aromas of cut hay and other vegetation fills me with a warm, nostalgic glow. A great, era-defining shot, thanks! (Out of respect for your mother, I won't comment on her headgear - although I just did, didn't I?) West of the MidwestWyoming AND Nebraska? You are a lucky, lucky boy. One of our few vacations from our Indiana home was a trip to Iowa but since my dad was on some sort of a deadline* we didn't get to enjoy any of Illinois' diversions that must surely have existed along I-80, or so I dreamed. Departing from Walnut, CA, mvsman must have seen plenty of I-80 as well on his "Asphalt of America" tour. *Who has a deadline on a trip to Iowa? It was only 250 miles! FootwearYour shoes are in style about every 8 years or so. Just keep the shoes and wait for them to come back. Your dad's dark socks (with shorts), on the other hand ... Adler socksI bet they were Adler socks. I graduated from high school the year before and it was all the rage to wear Adler socks in colors that matched your shirt. Black socks with sandalsMy wife thinks I invented that look. I can't wait to show her that it's retro chic. Chevy Bel AirIt's either a 68 or 69, sitting in the other neighbor's garage - complete with trailer-light connector installed in the bumper. [It's a '68. - Dave] Love Your Mom's Hat!I think you looked quite cool for an "almost" high schooler! Your mom's hat is the best! I bet she's pinching your little brother. Or maybe that was just my mom! PurgatoryWe used our '69 Pontiac Catalina station wagon to put the gear in the middle and the whiny kids waaaay back on the rear-facing seat. Man, I loved that car! Meanwhile ...At the beginning of that very same month we were on our way back from Los Angeles in a white 1965 Impala wagon with no AC and a ton of camping equipment both on the roof and in the back. We stayed in Reno on the Fourth, hoping that the drunken manager of the KOA there wouldn't accidentally back over our tent. I was more or less inured to the lack of cool, even back in Maryland, and I think the only time we really noticed it on the trip was when it was over a hundred crossing the Mojave. The Impala was passed on to my great-uncle who drove it until it dropped sometime in the mid-1970s. By 1969 we had left short haircuts behind, which since I had thick glasses meant I looked totally dorky in a completely different way; my father, on the other hand, was well into leaving hair itself behind. I notice you're wearing the de rigueur cutoffs, which is pretty much what we wore when we weren't in jeans. TweaksDitch the socks and you'd fit in perfectly with today's Williamsburg hipsters. You were scared?I was terrified! I was 11 years old at the time of the Manson murders and lived only 20 miles away. In my 11 year old mind, I was convinced the murderers would find their way to my house and they were specifically go after me! Thanks for posting this. This photo captures the "feel" of L.A. suburbia of the era perfectly- just as I remembered it. To the Moon!I started high school in 1969, too. Did your trip start before or after the moon landing? Did your parents make you watch it on TV, even though you wanted to be out with your friends? That was a surly moment for ME for that reason. Don't worry -- the shades and the hair in your eyes make up for the socks. 1969Was not this the year of the PLAID ? Fun vacationNebraska? For a vacation? I drove through that state. Couldn't get out fast enough. I was only 3 in 1969, but lived in nearby Simi Valley, home of Spahn Ranch. What city was this taken?? Oh yeah, love your mom's hat. I have pics somewhere of my mom wearing the same thing. What were people thinking?? We went after the moon landingI actually watched it on my little black and white TV in my room. I was a space geek then (and now). Thanks! That Ramblerbelonged to the superintendent of our school district! He and my dad knew each other causally, to say hi to or wave at as the car went by. I don't recall if we had AC in that car. It had a small engine and was seriously underpowered for hills and mountains. Now, I'll try to did up slides of our earlier trips in my granddad's borrowed 1959 Chevy Nomad wagon! This was truly a luxury barge on wheels. This thing looked like it was 15 feet wide and 25 feet long (to my 8 year old eyes). I had the entire back area to myself and my comic books, as little bro wasn't on the scene yet. The Summer of '69Grew up in La Puente, not far from Walnut. My 1969 was the the summer of "Sugar, Sugar" and Man on the Moon. 41 years ago -- WOW Taz!When I saw your brother, the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil came to mind! Mom's "Hat"That's no hat, it's a curler-cover. A la Phyllis Diller. A different eraIn '69, my dad was making probably about $18K-$20K a year. My mom stayed home. Yet we took similar vacations, 2-3 weeks at a time. Now, my wife and I work like rented mules and can't afford to go anywhere. When station wagons ruled the roadEach summer, Dad would load up the gear in the suction-cup equipped, stamped steel Western-Auto roof carrier on top of the old '61 Ford Falcon wagon and off we'd go. Looking back, it truly took faith and fortitude to pile a family of five and enough gear to support a safari in that underpowered, unairconditioned two-door wagon and set off fron Louisville to the far reaches of the country (New York City, Washington D.C., Miami). I remember fighting with my brothers over the desirable real estate in the back of the wagon where you could stretch out (no seatbelts) and watch the miles of highway fade into the distance through the tailgate window! Wagon MemoriesOur 1957 Mercury Colony Park station wagon with the Turnpike Cruiser engine had a similarly slanted rear window. On our trip to California later that year, Pop decided to drive on through the final night to miss the desert heat, with us kids sleeping in the back. I discovered I could position myself to see the road ahead as a reflection in the rear window, while simultaneously looking through the glass to watch the clear Western skies for shooting stars. What can beat the cozy feeling of slipping off to sleep while rolling along the open road while Pop faithfully pilots the family bus through the dark? Sixty-NineAh, Summer of '69, my favorite year. Got my driver's license. Got my FCC Third Phone. Started work part time in a REAL radio station. My parents ran their own store so we couldn't take too many trips. I'm jealous of those of you who did. And yes, Nebraska was borrrring to ride across back then, but today it isn't bad -- there are several interesting attractions across the state and a nice Interstate to zip you through! FourteenI was 14 years old that summer of 1969 (living in Cocoa Beach, Florida). I can relate to the yellow socks. I had a few pair of those. The color of the socks were supposed to match the color of the shirt. It looks like those are a freshly cut-off pair of jeans. What's in your father's right shirt pocket? A lens cover, maybe? Who took the photo? I see the car in the garage across the street looks like a '68 Chevy Impala--round taillights. And the Rambler in the next drive looks very nice too. A little peek of the mountain is nice too. I've never been to that area so I have no conception of what it's like there. Great photo, thanks for sharing a piece of your childhood memory. Cartop carrierMan, I want one of those roof carriers. Looks like it holds a lot of stuff. Memories aboundOur vacations were exactly the same (even my dad's socks with sandals). We headed from our Fountain Valley Ca home like thieves in the night. Had to get across the desert before the heat killed the kids. Of course we had an aftermarket AC installed by Sears so the front seat was a chill zone (no kids allowed). Our vacations happened at breakneck speed but we saw everything and always ended our trips with a pass through Vegas for Dad & Grandma. Fun times! "The Box" - Rooftop CarrierOur family trips were always in a station wagon, and always with "the box" on top. Dad built and refined a series of boxes over the years. They were much larger and taller than the one in the picture. All our luggage, supplies etc went in "the box" leaving the wagon for the 6 of us. With the back seat folded down my brother and I could sleep in sleeping bags in the back. In the winter dad put brackets on the box sides and bungee-tied all our skis on. The station wagons themselves were amazing. Dad always bought the biggest engine offered (we needed it), a large v8. The last wagon had dual air conditioners, front and rear. And how about the rear doors on a wagon. The rear door folded down or opened from the side, and the window went up and down. SUVs, get serious, they have very little useful space. No fairI suspect one of the reasons the younger brother is looking so crabby is that he didn't get sunglasses like everybody else. It's no fun to squint all day. Tterrace is completely right, roadtrips just aren't the same without a big ol' station wagon. I loved sitting in the rear-facing seat when I was a kid. And I remember being fascinated by the tailgate that could open two ways: swinging from the left-side hinge or folding down like a pickup truck. Hi Pat QYour recollections are so evocative of those road trips from another time. Life seemed simpler, or is it just filtered through our nostalgia screen? Great Time To Be AliveSure brings back memories!! I started HS in '68. We went on many, many driving vacations to New Mexico, Colorado, OK, MO & many places near the Panhandle of Texas where I grew up!! Road trips now are usually to the coast or TX Hill Country, but still have a magic to them, leaving before the sun's up!! ChevelleLove the car. In high school, a wagon was an embarrassment. Now I wish I had one. VentipanesOur family of six and a dog would pile into our '63 Lincoln and while sitting in the driveway Dad would ask Mom, "Okay, where do you all want to go?" Then we would be off to Nova Scotia or Florida. There was no AC in either the Lincoln or the '63 Impala we had so we would drive the whole way with windows open in the summer heat. If you turned the vent windows all the way open so they were facing into the car they would generate a terrific amount of airflow into the cabin at highway speed. It was quite comfortable actually and 40+ years later I wish cars still had those vent windows. Lunar summerSeveral have mentioned the Apollo 11 landing. I have a similar tale. I was 7, just a little too young to understand the significance of the event. I remember my mother trying to keep me interested as she sat on the edge of her seat watching the coverage. Now I'm glad I remember that night, and get chills watching the video and Walter Cronkite taking off his glasses and saying "Whoo boy!" totally at a loss for words. That was an awesome summer! Oh yeah, we had a station wagon too. '69 Caprice Estate with fake wood paneling! Almost had the wagon...Our family was cursed to miss out on having station wagon vacations - first time in '65, we were supposed to be getting a red '62 Corvair wagon from my uncle who was going into the Air Force but he hit some black ice and rolled it while he was delivering it from back east (he was unhurt). Next in '66 we traded our rusted-out '56 Chevy for a beige '63 Dodge 440 eight-passenger wagon; I was looking forward riding in the third seat on our annual trip from Chicago to Paducah, but a lady in a '62 Continental hit it. We ended up with a maroon '65 Impala hardtop for the next several years' vacations, but at least it had AC! Our imitation wagonWe did not have a wagon so Dad cut a piece of plywood for the back seat of our 57 Mercury that gave us kids a full flat surface in the back seat. Holding it up were two coolers on the floor. On top Dad blew up two air mattresses, then they gave us "kiddy drugs" (gravol). They caught onto that after the first trip in which that back seat became a wrestling arena. Hi BarrydaleSugar Sugar is a favorite of mine to this day. The San Gabriel Valley has changed a lot since those days, eh? And the year beforeAnd the year prior to this photo my family, consisting of myself at 13, my sisters aged 10 and 4 (or 5) loaded up in a 2 door Marquis and headed from Raleigh up through Indiana, SD, WY Oregon down through LA and back east across the desert through AZ, NM, TX and driving one marathon from Texarkana to Anderson SC in one day, during the peace marches throughout the South that summer! I still remember passing the civil rights marchers for mile after mile on the roads through MS, AL and GA. The trip took two months.... and you think YOU heard whining from your brother? Sometimes things don't changeThe socks may be a little bit high, and shorts a bit short, but the way you are dressed is exactly the way many kids at my middle/high school dress now. Especially the ones going into high school, I'm just stunned by how similar you are. I could actually almost confuse you with my younger brother, who is so similar he even has blond hair. Right now I'm planning a road trip in my 1968 Ford Falcon for the spring, its a 4 door sedan and not a wagon. But it is a daily driver kind of car, not a show car, so I drive it in the same way your parents might have driven their car, not to show off, but just to get around. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids)
Let Me Compose Myself: 1942
... 13 June 1955. Her second child is born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 8 June 1960. She returns from Frankfurt, Germany, with her ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/30/2022 - 2:38pm -

September 1942. Richwood, Nicholas County, West Virginia. "Lois Thompson, printer's devil on the Nicholas Republican newspaper, operating Linotype machine." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Beautiful Machine is a Mergenthaler Model 14 Linotype, with 34 channel side magazine(s). Not quite as beautiful as the operator, but a really nice workhorse in the newspapers of the early 20th century. Kinda dangerous though with the shoes she's wearing, in case of a squirt of molten lead. Those didn't happen often, but when they did, move back quickly. This machine appears to be what was called a 72/90 channel machine, was shipped new in early 1921. ETAOIN SHRDLUFredric Brown "It was rather funny for a while, the business about Ronson’s Linotype. But it began to get a bit too sticky for comfort well before the end. And despite the fact that Ronson came out ahead on the deal, I’d have never sent him the little guy with the pimple, if I’d guessed what was going to happen. Fabulous profits or not, poor Ronson got too many gray hairs out of it." Lead Me Tell YouI worked in a printing shop in the mid-'70s and they still had a linotype they used for letterpress jobs. It was quite a piece of machinery. One other item of interest is the calendar from Central Ohio Paper Company. Thirty years later, they were still one of the paper suppliers used by the place where I worked. My grandfather's MergenthalerWhile visiting relatives in south Georgia recently, I came across a promissory note my grandfather signed to the Mergenthaler Company in 1928. He promised to pay $50 per annum until he paid off one of their linotype machines. That machine operated at the Ham Printing Co. in Cordele, Georgia, until about 10 years ago. They don't make 'em like that anymore. Lois: A LifeLois Ionne Thompson (1917-1991) 1940 - Resides in Richwood, West Virginia, with her father, Benjamin Earl Thompson, whose occupation is newspaper editor. His 1942 draft card has employer listed as Woodyard Publications. 27 June 1946. Lois enlists in the WACs at Fort Knox, Kentucky, with rank of Technician 3d Grade -- equivalent to Grade 4: Staff Sergeant. (This might be a reenlistment, as her grave includes "Tsgt US Army World War II) 17 July 1949. Her marriage to Sgt. Paul D. Williams in Heidelberg, Germany, is announced in the Daily Oklahoman. The bride and groom honeymoon in Cannes, France. She now holds the office of civilian research analyst, Department of Military Intelligence. 14 Sept. 1950. Her first child is born at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. 13 June 1955. Her second child is born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 8 June 1960. She returns from Frankfurt, Germany, with her children. Lots of long gone professionsOnce there were typesetters. First manually, picking lead type from type cases, and returning them to the cases after printing. Then the Mergenthaler company came along and mechanized typesetting line by line. By the way, the typesetters were also one last line of defence against weird grammar and typos. Long one, and it tells. Proofreaders too. Yes, they were humans. Not read red and blue lines on a computer screen. They also had machines to sort first the lead type and later the dies mechanically after casting / printing. The dies and the type had grooves on the side which mechanically indexed them. Dress SenseWearing a white shirt and open sandals in a printing works is asking for trouble. Thank you to all comment contributors in this post for the informative and fascinating knowledge about the printing trade of past. (Technology, The Gallery, John Collier, Small Towns)
Dairy Queen: 1977
... I'm reminded of Ansel Adam's "Moonrise Over Hernandez New Mexico" -- he was driving along, saw the shot developing and jumped from ... 
 
Posted by rizzman1953 - 05/12/2012 - 2:33pm -

Late one evening, summer of '77 on Mount Auburn street in Watertown, Massachusetts; it is now long gone. I loved the sign and the car. Taken with a 4x5 view camera. I can still taste the ice cream -- dipped in chocolate of course -- and the sticky fingers. View full size. Twenty-two-year-old Buick on snows!That 1955 Buick Special two-door sedan appears to be wearing a set of snow tires on the rear. Wonder why it'd have them on during the summer? After all, if that car was driven during twenty-two Massachusetts winters it would've rusted completely away. Rizzman rocksI do hope you publish a book of your photos at some point. They are really strikingly beautiful. Thanks for this latest. ShenanigansI am positive more than one fellow Shorpian will know what Marvel Mystery Oil is. Back in the late 50s when my ride was the Chevy V8-powered '54 Studebaker you see here, posed next to my friend Roger's chopped '48 (I think) Mercury ragtop, we hung out at Ted's Drive-in Diner in Altoona, Pa. One summer night one of the guys filled his windshield washer bag with Marvel Mystery Oil, ran the hose into the top of the carburetor of his '57 Ford convertible, and while someone held the diner's door open, backed his car as close to it as he could and triggered the windshield washer pump. An hour later the place was still pretty much swimming in Marvel Mystery Oil smoke. Ted was the opposite of well-pleased. How to in digital?This is a beautiful shot taken in the days of analog photography. How would you accomplish this with a digital camera? [The same way. -Dave] So dreamyThe lighting is phenomenal! What a great surreal/hyperreal quality. I want to go to there. Stunning! Holy CRAP!! What an incredibly well-done picture this is! I'm reminded of Ansel Adam's "Moonrise Over Hernandez New Mexico" -- he was driving along, saw the shot developing and jumped from his car, set up his camera and took it, then, while reversing the slide for another, the light changed and that was that! My 'umble opinion is that your image is in this class. Boy that looks familiarWould you know if this was anywhere near (what was then) Westover Air Force Base? That's where we moved when we left Okinawa, and where I spent the 6th grade (so it would've been 1973, '74). Looking at this shot I can almost FEEL myself walking in that door again. Maybe it was on the route of one of the many sightseeing trips my family took, but this is an incredibly evocative picture (and thank you for it); I'm SURE I've been there. MemoryI used to love this place. My grandfather would often take me there. So reminiscentof my first trip to the United States to Glasgow, Montana, from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, in the 1950s, long before Dairy Queen came to Canada. I kept the milkshake container for years. Another great picture!Love these night shots, like a scene from a movie! Director yells "Action" two guys with stocking masks come running out of the DQ, they jump into the Buick they backed in for a quick getaway, they burn rubber out on to the street and take off into the night. Cue Rock & Roll Soundtrack. "Summer air"The snow tires still on in the summer? About 30 years ago an old lady came into the shop wanting us to put summer air in her tires and take out the winter air. Seems another shop had been charging her $5 to do this twice a year to go along with the snow tire removal in the summer. And the oil spots under the engine were the norm, as was having to feather the gas pedal on a cold winter startup because the choke was finicky. Sometimes you had to put a stick in the choke to get the engine started. 1955 Buick SpecialIt is rather clean looking to be a 22-year old car in 1977. Yep, that's summer in balmy New EnglandSnow tires. EmissionsThe noticeable soot from a tailpipe on the wall of the DQ shows an incredibly rich mixture, probably a choke that was stuck closed. These old behemoths broke down a lot, required annual valve jobs and tuneups and it was just understood this was the way it was. Now you can go over 100K on a set of spark plugs, and I can't rememeber the last time a car came in for a valve job. Those were the days, indeedThe snow tires (studded?) in summer suggest a number of possible scenarios. Maybe the 22 year old car was owned by a high school kid working at DQ for the summer, too poor to buy a conventional set. The chrome strip at the base of the car between the rear wheel well and bumper is aftermarket. (JC Whitney?) Maybe someone was trying to cover up a little rust, or perhaps the owner didn’t think Harley Earl had arranged enough chrome on the model. I understand Earl was particularly partial to the 55 Century, which looked almost identical to the Special. (The Century had four portholes.) The grille of the 55 was, like Earl himself, massive and imposing, if not charming. It may be a bit trite to say it, but it’s an unmitigated fact: those were the days, my friend. Big BusinessDairy Queen, those local roadside ice cream stores are now part of the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate. The now approximately 6000 world wide locations were purchased by Warren Buffett's company in 1998. Berkshire Hathaway's class A stock closed on May 11, 2012 at $122,795 a share. Update: Nov 28, 2014 closing price $223,065 Film NoirThank you Rizzman for another beautiful moody nightshot which brings back memories of my father's solid black '55 4-door Buick Special V-8. Also, I love that Eskimo sign which reminds me of Dairy Queen's old jingle singing "the cone with the curl on top". With your obvious talent for photography, I hope it is still a big part of your life. The purpose of any art is to get an emotional response from the viewer and you have definitely touched the Shorpy audience with each and every one of your shots. Ice Milk, not Ice CreamI worked in a DQ in the 1970s while attending high school in Vancouver, B.C. The product we served was called "ice milk," lower in fat than ice cream. I have no idea what they call it now in Canada but Google suggests that in the US it is now called low-fat ice cream. Restaurants were either a "Sizzler" (electric flat grill) or a "Brazier" (gas BBQ type grill). Some would get confused and try and order a "brassiere" burger. The first DQ opened in Canada in 1953 in Estevan, Saskatchewan. [In its early years, Dairy Queen advertised its product as "freshly frozen dairy food." - Dave] ZZZZZTTTT!!!!Great shot. You can almost hear the sound of the bug zapper. Blizzard anyone?Seeing this picture reminds me of my Uncle George who always made it a point to stop at the Dairy Queen on any adventure trip we took. Usually, it was stop once on the way there, and once on the way back; a double shot of ice cream fun. I also remember him telling a story from back before I was born. One of his other traditions was to take my sisters to the Dairy Queen on the last day it was open for the season (usually November 1st in Maine). He would always tell my sisters they had to wash their hands and faces before they could go. One year, there was a blizzard on the last day of "ice cream" season, and my uncle had stopped by to visit my father. He had no intention of going to the Dairy Queen (due to the heavy snow) and figured my sisters wouldn't think of it either. My sister Sue came running out to the kitchen and began tugging on my uncle's pant leg. He ignored her for a while and she went away. A few minutes later, she was tugging at his pant leg again, and when he looked down, she was there with a washcloth, washing her face and smiling up at him. He felt so guilty he packed them all in the car and took them out for ice cream. The Dairy Queen attendant said they had actually planned on closing early because they hadn't seen any customers up until them. Since my uncle's passing in 1992, I have had to assume the role of "Uncle George", and whenever taking my nephews and nieces (or their children) on adventures, we always make plans for a stop at an ice cream location. Some traditions are just worth hanging on to. Uncle George: The Next Generation Great PhotoGreat Photo, wrong location. I grew up in Wtaertown and have many family members and friends there. There was no Dairy Queen on Mt. Auburn St. There was however a similar establishment called Dairy Joy. It also sold soft serve ice cream, burgers, hot dogs, fried fish, etc. I can see how the two places could be mistaken for each other. Keep the great pictures coming, I love ice cream and old cars. [Perhaps rizzman will chime in to clear this up. He took the photo. - tterrace] Wish I'd done thisI know from an earlier photograph, that these were done as part of a photography class, but I wish I'd gone around my town and taken night photos like these while the icons of my teenage years were still standing. I could be wrong about the locationMy memory could be faulty. It could have been any community around Boston including Route 1, but surely within a less than 25 mile radius. Sorry if I misled anyone. Dennis the MenaceYup, I remember when DQ used him as their mascot in the 70's! I still love DQ, but they have apparently stopped using the term "parfait"; a few years ago I had asked for a strawberry parfait and the girl at the counter just stared at me like I was crazy! What's sadder is that I remember them still using the term a recently as a year or two before that incident, but at least the same product is available, it's just simply known as a strawberry sundae. Best DQ I ever went to was in Jedda, Saudi Arabia - they kept everything spotless and the ice cream perfect in case King Fahd dropped it! :) (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Pie Town Sitdown: 1940
... Caudill family eating dinner in their dugout, Pie Town, New Mexico. October 1940. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2011 - 4:09pm -

The Faro Caudill family eating dinner in their dugout, Pie Town, New Mexico. October 1940. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. View full size. Bandaged thumbDad seems to have injured the thumb on his left hand. You can taste the butter inYou can taste the butter in those biscuits. Nail polishIt's odd to see the two women wearing nail polish in this photo. They look to be too poor to afford that sort of luxury. But then again, maybe it's food coloring or something. Nail polishThey had a car, so they could probably afford nail polish. The Pie Towners were all homesteaders. Most of them lived in dugouts with sod roofs. No electricity or running water. Near the end of her life Doris Caudill (the mom) remarked that she'd do it all over again if she had the chance, except she'd like hot and cold running water. I know this is going to sound stupid......but this pic makes me hungry for Cracker Barrel. I am not kidding. The eventualities of Pie TownYou know you're doomed to be a domestic housewife in Pie Town 1940 when your whole right hand just gradually morphs into a big plate of biscuits. meatdon't see any meat .. vegans Cracker Barrel Me too! I guess back then this was a fairly "meager" meal but now it's nostalgic and people pay a fair amount for it at Cracker Barrel because so few people are cooking like this at home. Still don't know if i would call it the "good ole days" though. nail polish is normalNail polish costs about a dollar. Quite possibly, it was the only luxury item they could afford. YumBeans and biscuits look tasty. Karo syrup? Is that for the biscuits? In response to the "meat" comment, no they weren't vegans. Fresh meat wasn't readily available, as it is today. It wasn't as simple as going to Kroger and picking up a pack of steaks. According to my father, meat was a matter of the store having any, not neccesarily if you could afford it. re: YumMy father grew up in the Depression (born in 1920) -- though he seldom speaks about it (he's 86-years old and going strong, thankfully), I can remember him say how his father would give him three or four shotgun shells and telling him that if his hunt was unsuccessful, they would have no meat for supper... nail polishyou can bet that they had that polish on because of the visiting photographer. Maybe also wore it to church or the fair....one small bottle would last the two of them for a year or two. Also, no electricity or running water.. think how hard it was to make that meal and clean up afterwards...we are sure spoiled today. Nail polish was much cheaper than thatBack then it was something like twenty cents. Nowadays even the stuff at the loonie/dollar store costs more than $1, and it's so thin you'd need ten coats to cover. Pie Town Sitdown 1940I like the Karo syrup bucket that seems to be holding up the platter of biscuits..The syrup and hot biscuits are better than anything that you can find on 98% of household tables today... "You know you're doomed to"You know you're doomed to be a domestic housewife in Pie Town 1940 when your whole right hand just gradually morphs into a big plate of biscuits." -Anon Tip. This is the best!!! *laugh* American foodKaro syrup is corn syrup- very very sweet. Probably something like Tate & Lyle, it too is golden in color. I have never heard of a pikelet, but biscuits here are related to scones. They are a quickbread, made with flour, shortening, and baking powder, very flaky. Sort of like pie crust, but heavier. They are not sweet by themselves, but usually served with butter and jam or honey (or Karo syrup, perhaps!) Karo SyrupIt's high fructose corn syrup, not quite as thick as golden syrup. TerminologyForgive an englishman's ignorance, but what was Karo syrup - anything like our Tate & Lyle golden syrup (very sweet). Also the biscuits look terribly like what I would call scones or even pikelets - as you know a biscuit over here would be a cookie to you! Milk JarI was just remembering the other day about how we kept our milk in the fridge in a big glass jar like this one. Dad would milk and bring it in--we'd strain it and put it in the jars. Later we skimmed off the cream that had risen to the top to make butter or just stirred it back in before we poured out what we drank or used on our cereal. Nail polish, etc.Yep, that family is spruced up for photos. I love the little girl's hair with the ribbon! Moms got a fresh dress and apron. Boy's clothes clean, hair brushed nicely. But perhaps Dad didn't want anything to do with this, or just came in from the fields. Dad got his piece of pie early, kids probably had to wait til finished eatinc. That's linoleum on the table. The old standby that covered nearly everything in the 30s. DinnerThis harks back to a simpler time, when "time with the family" was just that. We've lost so much. Faro CaudillFaro's life dates, according to the Social Security Death Index: Born June 18, 1908, died June 1976 in Albuquerque. Shirt pocketIs that a pack of Camels in Dad's shirt pocket? Or maybe a plug of chewing tobacco? I magnified to 300, but can't tell what I see. [Detail from the full-size scan. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Pie Filling: 1940
June 1940. "The gasoline pumps at Pie Town, New Mexico." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/08/2021 - 12:33pm -

June 1940. "The gasoline pumps at Pie Town, New Mexico." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Pie-O-Neer No MoSadly, the famous pie source in Pie Town, the Pie-O-Neer Cafe, closed its doors for good after the coronavirus hit early last year. Café is still openAlthough not in the same location, I would guess. Acute accentThat is some accent over the E of CAFÉ. It almost functions as an exclamation point. Make mine minceBecause as I always say: mince pie, not words. Also because no one else ever wants any and I can have the whole thing. Good newsThe Pie-O-Neer Cafe has reopened! The retired owners sold it and helped the new owner (an experienced pie baker) with their recipes. The new owner has introduced one innovation - a pie bar. Like a salad bar, only pie! Possible future "Seinfeld" settingBinge watching "Seinfeld," this would fits right in maybe as a location for Kramer to retire to. Make sure the glass is full before starting fill-upI remember those pumps. Wow! I seem to have suddenly become old. I dare you ...to order anything but pie and see what happens. That reminds me of a story...Uncle Ronnie spent his childhood in the Kentucky hills. Once he was old enough, he joined the military as a way to gain job skills and see the world. One evening the guys in the barracks said, "Let's go into town and get us a pie." Sounded good to Ronnie--he had a sweet tooth, and didn't much care if it was apple, cherry, molasses--his mouth was already watering. Imagine his disgust when faced with his first pizza. He remained bitter about that till the day he died. He'd have viewed Pietown with the gravest suspicion. Back to the picture, I hope Cowboy Carl there doesn't get startled or hiccup--he's apt to hurt himself. What good news!Glad to hear that the Pie-O-Neer cafe is reopening. We stopped there a few years ago on the way from Colorado to California, and it is certainly worth travelling the back roads instead of the Interstates. Plus, the Very Large Array of radio telescopes is on the way there, if you leave I-25 in Socorro, NM. Ambidextrous pumpsRemember when hoses on gas pumps were so long you could stretch them across your car like that? Now you always have to remember on which side of the pump you need to park. A simpler timeBack when gasoline was sold by the whole cent, without that messy 9/10 tacked on. Pie CrustyI think this might be the old gas station. It's on US-60 in Pie Town. But the modern road is now where the row of buildings once stood across the street. Shy PieFor some reason it feels like the word "pie" doesn't work well as a brand. Like someone else remarked, it's Seinfeldian. No one would seriously build a brand whose most common uses consisted of "American as Apple Pie", "Shut your pie hole", or "cutie pie". It's a nice word, though, and I love pie,(except mincemeat pie, oddly). But somehow the word struggles as a moniker with any meaningful legs in polite society. As seen on "CBS Sunday Morning"Bill Geist visited Pie Town in 2014. You can watch his segment on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJYaTG72b2c Not just pies but chile too!You can get great pies, and a great bowl of green chile stew also! And yes I spelled "chile" correctly! 64-425Hard ridden 1935 Ford three-window "standard" coupe. Wartime rubber in high demand, automotive tires in very short supply, bald tires the norm. I recall seeing some snake-wave thread pattern tires on cars during the very early 1950s but don't remember the tire manufacturer's name or logo. Gas Wasn't CheapTwenty cents a gallon for gas may seem cheap, but it's equivalent to about $3.70 a gallon today, about what I paid the last time I filled up. I wonder how many pieces of pie I could buy for 20 cents back in 1940 Pie Town. CORONADO CUARTO CENTENNIALhttp://www.worldlicenseplates.com/jpglps/US_NMXX_GI2.jpg https://www.jstor.org/stable/2507507 Car ID1935 Ford coupe (standard one tail light) 1928 Ford model A sedan. The coupe has had a rough life so far, but the Model A is looking well. Reminds me of Jett RinkProbably not Jett Rink but I bet he knew him. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Pie Town, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Elks Parade: 1916
... 48-star United States flags in the picture. Arizona and New Mexico had become the newest states only four years before this picture was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 6:45pm -

"Elks parade in Baltimore, 1916." The message on those paddle fans: "Bromo-Seltzer." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. The Educator ShoeEven the sign was educational. Big deal in BaltimoreObviously, this was very popular event. A quick visit to the Elks website indicates that the fraternal organization is still going strong. Are there any Baltimore-based Shorpsters who know if this parade is still happening there? Sons of the Desert"We are the Sons of the Desert Having the time of our lives! Three thousand strong, Marching along, Far from our sweethearts and wives (God bless them)..." Ceremonial song of the lodge that Stan and Ollie belonged to, whose "exhausted ruler" exhorted the members of Tent 13 to show 100% attendance at the Chicago Convention. Hat KnowledgeThose were the days when every man knew his hat size, and if he was a "long oval" or not. And what a glorious riot of overhanging signs! Plop plop, fizz fizzThe Bromo-Seltzer Tower is a noted landmark of downtown Baltimore. On an unrelated note: My goodness, what a lot of bunting there is! I'm amazed...At the number of people in the crowd, and the number of men marching. Today, the only parades that have this much interest tend to be the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, and the Rose Bowl Parade. What i just learned!Many moons ago, I knew a very old man who told me he had only seven teeth left and one of them he got when he joined the Elks Club. I never "got" the joke and this photo jogged my memory so instead of remaining ignorant, I looked up the Elks initiation ceremony a few minutes ago and found out what he meant. Very interesting. Thanks for the enlightenment. Great ParadeWhoever thought a bunch of middle-aged guys in boaters, bow ties, and white gloves could draw such a crowd! Hat trickI realize that's not a plumber's helper stuck to the top of the policeman's cap, but it sure looks like it. BPOE '16Baltimore hosted the 1916 BPOE National Convention; here we see the parade of delegates who were in attendance. L&HDefinitely reminded me of "Sons of the Desert." Still waiting for Stan and Ollie to march by with a babe on each arm. A great photo reminder, thanks. Send in the clownsAll those people gathered just to watch a bunch of men walk down the street? At least the Shriners have funny cars and cool fezzes. Don't get you antlers stuck in the tram wires!A lot of the flags are hanging from the support cables for the overhead tram wires. I hope they turned the juice off first. Antlers and electricity probably don't mix. Steady ThereI am amazed at all the people watching this parade from balconies and open windows. RubenesqueIt looks like a Pee Wee Herman parade. That's EntertainmentWhile there are a great deal of people watching the parade, in the days before television, computers or the internet, the options for entertainment were more limited than we enjoy today. For 1916, watching a parade must have been a big deal. Stop, my sides!"Rubenesque, It looks like a Pee Wee Herman parade." Funniest. Title/Comment. Ever. George Herriman's convention cartoonsI'm reminded of George "Krazy Kat" Herriman's 1907 cartoons about a convention. The comics blog Stripper's Guide had a series of these up last year. Not Elks or Sons of the Desert in this case, but Shriners. Loadsa laffs. Learn something new ....Okay, I guess those are all 48 star flags - didn't know that .... but there's a 46-star flag above the Elk's-head banner on the top left corner - the second and fifth rows are indented! [It's a 48-star flag. Which, as we noted below, came with the rows either lined up or staggered ("indented"). - Dave] Two Different FlagsNote that there are both 46-star and 48-star United States flags in the picture. Arizona and New Mexico had become the newest states only four years before this picture was taken. You can tell by the grid versus offset rows patterns of stars. [These would all be 48-star flags, which came in both grid and staggered flavors. - Dave] What Street?Dave, do you know what street in Balmer this is? [I do not. - Dave] No Fat BoysExcept for a few paunchy stomachs on some older fellas, I don't think I can see one fat American. Useless factoidThe Elks were founded by Irish vaudevillians in NYC who needed a place to collect their mail and keep their stuff while on the road. No one wanted such transient Irish rogues around (sow biz folks, and Irish at that!), so they banded together to form this Protective Order. It then grew as an Irish club to include others besides vaudevillians, but still mostly first generation Irishman. What I'm saying is, these guys may look like Pee Wee Herman, but I wouldn't make fun of their clothes to their faces. Baltimore StreetThis view is looking west along Baltimore Street from Holliday Street. thats an amazing photo ofthats an amazing photo of baltimore Good Call Baltimore BoyThe only building that seems to be still standing from 1916 is the white one on the left in the Google street view: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Holliday+Str... One little girl found the cameraAn amazing photograph. I wonder what sort of gear you'd need to take this with today. Spot the little colleen who has found the photographer. The buildings that wereThe large structure on the northwest corner of East Baltimore and Guilford Streets in the approximate center of the photo (with the striped first floor) was known as the Tower Building. Constructed in 1904 (following the Great Fire) with an enormous 18-story clock tower, it housed the Maryland Casualty Company, an important local insurance firm. There is a parking lot there now. To the right, on the northeast corner, was the Franklin Building. Five stories high, it was also built in 1904, with unusual 15-pane over 1 windows. In 1983 it housed a Little Tavern Hamburger joint in the west half of the first floor. To its right is a building with a beautiful arched window mostly hiding behind the Olympia sign. It was built in 1908 as a Horn & Horn restaurant. Horn & Horn was a Baltimore institution through the 20th century, open 24 hours. It was a Wendy's in 1983. The Olympia Dining Room to the right of it was built in 1912 as a simpler version of its neighbor. Also with an arched window, but without the elaborate detailing. Both were designed by theatre architects. The building containing the Educator Shoe company in the photo was built in 1905 and was a show bar in the 1980s. The remaining Baltimore red-light district (known as The Block) is extant in the block to the east. It's too bad the buntings are obscuring the elaborate windows and brickwork of the McGraw Hotel/Pocket Billiards building in the photo. It was built in 1904 following the fire. The building to the far right with the large brick quoins was constructed in 1868 by Baldwin and Pennington as the German Bank. It was completely altered and modernized in 1930 as the National Central Bank. This street corner is significant as the location of the nation's first gas street light. This row of buildings was demolished and the parcel is occupied by a parking structure constructed in 1998. (The Gallery, Baltimore, Harris + Ewing, Patriotic)
Fiesta Bawl: 1940
A Spanish-American fiesta in Taos, New Mexico. Photograph by Russell Lee, July, 1940. View full size. re: ... Spanish-American? Re: Spanish-American Families in New Mexico that can trace their ancestry back to the days of the Spanish Empire ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 09/08/2011 - 8:37pm -

A Spanish-American fiesta in Taos, New Mexico. Photograph by Russell Lee, July, 1940. View full size. re: Spanish-AmericanSpanish-American is the term used by photographer Russell Lee. Spanish-American?Isn't this a Mexican-American fiesta, not Spanish-American? Re: Spanish-AmericanFamilies in New Mexico that can trace their ancestry back to the days of the Spanish Empire are very particular about being identified as Spanish-American. Fiesta BawlThe expression on the face of the girl in the plaid (?) skirt is worth the all the rest. Can't decide if she's empathising or disgusted. Basque HerdersMany Basque sheepherders worked and lived in the American Southwest around this time. There are still Basque names carved into the white bark of aspen trees on the San Francisco peaks in Northern Arizona and I've had some delicious rabbit in Basque restaurants in Reno. They were referred to as "Spanish" to differentiate them from Mexican immigrants. These folks in the photo may indeed be descendents of Spanish colonials in New Mexico - or maybe Basque sheepherders. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_diaspora Paso? Evidently 'La munaquita' isn't to happy with the celebration. Perhaps her friends can convince her to relax and enjoy. (The Gallery, Kids, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Far Horizons: 1943
March 1943. "Duoro, New Mexico. Rounding a curve in the sheep and cattle country along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Clovis and Vaughn, New Mexico." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. ... all that far from where Delano took this photo. And this New Mexico countryside isn't mere emptiness, it's the medicine for too long in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/04/2014 - 12:24pm -

March 1943. "Duoro, New Mexico. Rounding a curve in the sheep and cattle country along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Clovis and Vaughn, New Mexico." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Miles and miles... of nothing but miles and miles. Those must be emptiesLoaded tank cars could not be coupled immediately ahead of a caboose. What a tripHas any trip ever by any American photographer produced more great photos or more photographic history than this trip by Delano? Maybe the only competitor is Russell Lee's visit to Pie Town, not all that far from where Delano took this photo. And this New Mexico countryside isn't mere emptiness, it's the medicine for too long in the mountains and forests. That's One....long train. I would hate to be waiting at a grade crossing for this train to pass.... Probably looks the same today.The Google man has not been there, but you can get there by traveling up County Road 3h between US-285 and US-60 about half way between Roswell and Albuquergue. The road on the left is County Road 3h and the tracks are bending to the west northwest towards Albuquerque. Wished I lived closer. Andrews SistersHeh! Am I the only one to hear the Andrews Sisters singing the "Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe" when I look at these pictures? The CurveGreat picture. In the early eighties, there was a huge train wreck in this same area past Vaughn. Since my father was a truck driver he was contracted to pick up trailers reloaded with product and bring them back to the rail yard in Clovis. One thing that stuck with me going with him, were all of the items they didn't take back. If the entire rail car was damaged and even though some of the contents were slightly damaged they buried everything right there next to the tracks. They brought out backhoes and buried items that were brand new with minimal damage, washers, dryers, rolls of linen, and toys. I remember the toys since it was mid fall and there were tons of toys destined for the shelves for Christmas that were scattered all over the place. Also very noticeable getting close to the wreck was the smell of men's cologne. One car had some in it and you could smell the wreck before even seeing it at over 10 miles from the scene. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads)
Jim and Wife: Pie Town, 1940
Homesteaders Jim Norris and wife, Pie Town, New Mexico. October 1940. View full size. This is one of hundreds of ... conveys the soul of America's people. Life in Pie Town New Mexico in the 1930-1940 period was still very harsh and the people were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/14/2007 - 1:52am -

Homesteaders Jim Norris and wife, Pie Town, New Mexico. October 1940. View full size. This is one of hundreds of pictures taken in Pie Town by Farm Security Administration photographer Russell Lee in 1940. This Pie Town series is justThis Pie Town series is just incredible. Every shot looks like it was taken yesterday. Thanks!I thought the same thing. We can thank the good people at Eastman Kodak for inventing Kodachrome film in time for Russell Lee to take these pictures. The Real American GothicI don't know if the photographer posed his subjects after the famous painting, but I think this one truly conveys the soul of America's people. Life in Pie Town New Mexico in the 1930-1940 period was still very harsh and the people were highly self sufficient. My Grandfather was a cowboy missionary to the people of much of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado from 1922 to 1955. First on horseback and later by model T and other autos, he provided non-denominational services to the people of far-flung communities, farms and ranches, including Pie Town. He would usually work as a hand on a ranch or homestead for a few days until the word would get around that he was in the area. Then conduct services, weddings, baptisms and even a funeral months after the pioneer had passed. He claimed he never met an atheist! Why is itthat the women always look so much older than the men in these shots? (The Gallery, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Santa Fe: 1943
March 1943. Vaughn, New Mexico. "Eastbound train about to leave the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe ... Vaughn was still a Crew Change In steam days Vaughn, New Mexico was a crew change point. Today's BNSF trains sail right thru between ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 7:08pm -

March 1943. Vaughn, New Mexico. "Eastbound train about to leave the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe yard on the return trip." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Polka Dots and Rail BeamsYeah I know bad pun, stretched too far. Anyway, what's with the polka-dotted hats? Was it for greater visibility of the yard workers from the engineer's compartment? Here's the story....In Kaukauna, Wisconsin, at the turn of the century, George Kromer, an engineer for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, decided that there was not available a single cap of quality materials and manufacture which suited the needs of railroad men. So he made one. Kromer drew up the design and specifications. His wife, Ida, did the cutting and sewing. The cap had to be one-hundred percent cloth with a soft flexible visor. It had to cling to the head despite strong gusts of wind that plagued rail hands everywhere. Ida Kromer added her own touches., a sweatband of absorbent cloth and an outside band which could be pulled down over the ears. The Kromer cap was born. Over 1000 readsand no one said it, so I will. Trains are so cool! Polka Dot CapMy dad worked for the B&O Railroad in Cumberland Maryland in the 1950's and he always wore those polka dot caps. His was dark blue with white dots. It's a Kromer Cap and you can still get them here. On the cabooseI'm guessing that thing is a semaphore for signaling the engineer. Why a polka dot cap?Same reason that covers most male garments of the polka dot variety. You are secure in knowing no one will ever steal it or mistake it for their own. Exception being jockey gear. No Thanks, Mr. KromerThe Kromer cap has nothing on the old denim octagon cap, which came in blue, white, black, or pinstripes. Truly the overwhelming favorite of America's railroaders. When Vaughn was still a Crew ChangeIn steam days Vaughn, New Mexico was a crew change point. Today's BNSF trains sail right thru between Clovis on the east and Belen to the west. The target-like devices on the caboose cupolas were raised up as markers during unscheduled stops, so as to protect the rear of the train. Re: Polka DotsI've never read about them being standard issue. Maybe the man was a welder? Modern day welding hats come in polka dots and other loud patterns. My guess is that they were originally made at home from scrap cloth by the workers' wives. Is there anything left of the Vaughn Railroad Yard? I was there in the mid-90's and saw some old rolling stock and what may have been dormitory cars for a work train. Went back in '04 and didn't see anything in the way of a yard, but didn't have much time to look around. CapsThe Kromer Cap! I never knew the name of those. Thanks Casey and Gazzie. Signal disks on caboose cupolasThe round disks on the cupola were used to signal the engineer. Here's the details: http://www.atsfrr.net/resources/Sandifer/WigWag/Index.htm That thing on the cabooseIn the days before radio-equipped trains, the Santa Fe used "wigwags" on its waycars (Santa Fe parlence for a caboose) to let the conductor signal a "highball" to the engine crew. A neat aspect about this photo is that it shows the early (left waycar) and the late (right waycar) wigwag designs. More about wigwags here. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
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