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Jet-Age Kids: 1958
... were made, the last H rolled off the assembly line in 1955. I don't know why there are only two openings for the guns since the ... 
 
Posted by dclark26 - 10/12/2012 - 3:20pm -

Way back in 1958 the Clark kids were visiting the California Air National Guard Base at Van Nuys. View full size. The wild oneI get the impression that Junior was the kind who required the full force of two big sisters and a jet fighter to be kept in check. F-86This looks like an F-86 Sabre, common in Air Guard units of the era. I can't see the nose well enough to tell if it's a F-86D/K/L variant. Nice.Nice photo of a local landmark. Not all F-86H models have 2 guns on each sideThe F-86H-5-NH has 2 guns per side as shown in this photo. So does the F-86H-10-NH. But the F-86H-1-NH has 3 per side. F-86?Not sure it is an F-86. The F-86 had six 50 cal guns, not 4. And the wing seems to be further back than on an F-86. But I can not think of another plane it could be. F-86HIf I am correct it' is of the F-86H variant. You can see the model number right above the serial number. 473 of that model were built and also was capable of carrying nuclear weapons and had a low altitude bombing system on board as well (LABS). Looks like junior was doing his F-86 fly-by roar. Jeff F-86HThat is an F-86H, the last Sabre variant before the radome-equipped, rocket-carrying, gunless F-86D. Four 20mm cannons in place of the earlier Korean-war Sabre's six 50-calibre machine guns. F-86HFolks, this is an F-86H. The -H was the last model of the F-86 Sabrejet series as delivered to the U.S. Air Force. It had four 20mm cannon instead of the six .50 cal Browning machine guns that were installed in earlier models. The F-86H served briefly in active USAF service (1953 'till about 1957), after which they soldiered on with some Air National Guard units as late as 1971. More info and many photos are just a google search away. Four Gun SabresThe F-86H (-5 and -10, the final versions of the F-86) had four M-39 20mm cannon. I believe those were the only ones that did. It is definitely an F-86F-86H-5-NH, to be exact. Serial Number is 52-5749, making it part of the first batch of 86-H5s built at North American's Columbus, OH plant. It's an "H"This is a North American F-86H, of which 475 copies were made, the last H rolled off the assembly line in 1955. I don't know why there are only two openings for the guns since the production models had three per side. The H, you sayThe upcoming Shorpy Olympics will pit the Car Identifiers against the Plane Spotters. F-86H-5-NH for sureItsa_me_Mario has it right. A great site for checking military aircraft serial numbers is http://www.joebaugher.com/ If you follow his links to 1952 Air Force serial numbers you'll see "52-5729/5753 - North American F-86H-5-NH Sabre". He doesn't list the ultimate disposition of this particular aircraft, but several with serial numbers near it were converted to drones (QF-86H). One source says the Navy acquired QF-86Hs for missile tests at China Lake California (one or two valleys over from Death Valley) in the late fifties and sixties. So this one may have wound up on the receiving end of tests of the Navy's formidable Sidewinder heat-seeking air-to-air missile, developed at China Lake. Case where everyone is rightfrom http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2299 "TECHNICAL NOTES: Armament: Four M-39 20mm cannon (Blocks 5 and 10; last 360 aircraft built) or six .50-cal. machine guns (Block 1; 113 aircraft built); " Dress spotterI don't know anything about planes, but I think I had one of these dresses in 1958. It was blue and purple plaid cotton, from the Sears on Main St. in Santa Ana, CA. Does this ring a bell with anyone? R.C.A.F. SabresCanada built Sabres from 1950-1958, they were called CL-13 there were 1,815 built, 6 versions(marks) and were originally planned from the F-86A. Thirteen other countries flew the F-86, most passed down. The oldest girlLooks to be the same age as my mom in '58, which was 12. Dress Spotter 2I'm sure it is red, white, blue and it was sold at Macy's for $8.99. It has a 1/2 inch hem and buttoned in the back. The $10.51 model had a zipper. Van Nuys ANG TodayJust an empty lot adjacent to the Van Nuys airport. The barracks and administrative buildings were torn down about a year ago. View Larger Map (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
American Dream: 1960
... or Country Sedan. -tterrace] Rust Bucket The 1955 Ford seems to have a lot of rust for living five years in the inland south (no road salt, no ocean air). In 1965 I bought a 1955 Ford (Florida car, no radio - no heater) off of the Pentagon bulletin ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2015 - 8:21pm -

"Two-car families." Columbus, Georgia, circa 1960. Three Fords, an Oldsmobile and a Pontiac. 4x5 acetate negative from the News Archive. View full size. Day LaborThe two Fords in the foreground don't seem to fit the neighborhood. I suspect they belong to the masons laying the new brick garage behind the two story on the right. But Ward!My Bridge Club is due to arrive at any moment and Wally parked his Jalopy right in front of the house! Country SquireThe wagon may be a 1960 Ford Country Squire, need to see a bit more to be certain. [There's enough showing that we'd be able to see a sliver of the faux-wood side panel if it were, so this is a Ranch Wagon or Country Sedan. -tterrace] Rust BucketThe 1955 Ford seems to have a lot of rust for living five years in the inland south (no road salt, no ocean air). In 1965 I bought a 1955 Ford (Florida car, no radio - no heater) off of the Pentagon bulletin board and it had no rust. (purchased for $25.00.. sold 18 months [and one very cold winter] later for $25.00) Wonder if the '55 could be a transplant from the rust belt?? Chrome memoriesI learned to drive using a 1958 Pontiac Star Chief 4-door (4-speed automatic, 370 cubic inch 4-barrel) that was loads of fun to drive. And the chrome! My, oh my, the chrome! That '55 FordHas seen some hard times in its five years on the earth--looks more like it should in 1965. The Ford center framejudging by the rust, is visiting from Detroit or Buffalo Hey, what's the deal?None of these cars have smashed into each other. [It's not in Oakland. -tterrace] Chicago area.This architecture is characteristic of Chicago, where I grew up. The brick and the stone, the awnings, even the garage door design, makes me believe this photograph was taken, perhaps, in the Sauganash neighborhood. I have a hard time believing it is Georgia. Maybe that explains other comments about the rusted cars. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive)
New Flame: 1949
... thing I thought of was this shot my brother took in May 1955 at a party with his high school friends. Unfortunately, he was no Kubrick ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/20/2013 - 12:43pm -

1949. "University of Michigan fraternity party." Brothers and sisters and a cozy fire. Photos by Stanley Kubrick for Look magazine. View full size. Fast forward 50 yearsRemove most clothes and add loud modernist classical music, and you've got "Eyes Wide Shut." High School ConfidentialFirst thing I thought of was this shot my brother took in May 1955 at a party with his high school friends. Unfortunately, he was no Kubrick technique-wise, but it captures the feel, I think. Plus we have goose-neck bullet lamps. She GivesGreat flame. Peggy Lee would approve. Party of sixThis was a pretty sparse and intimate gathering for a "frat party" but today's standards are a world away. Still, if you ask me (and nobody did ask me) I'd say it was a 'make-out and smokin' party' (no food and no drinks) Of course with Kubrick directing, the whole picture could have been staged for the magazine as his creativity could not be stifled. Sweater GirlThe tortures through which women's breasts were put by the dictates of glamour in those days continue to astound. She's clearly wearing a "circle stitch" bra. I was a young adult before I discovered it is possible to dance with a young woman and not suffer injury to one's sternum. Hugh Hefnercomes to mind and refuses to leave. He was 23 at this time and just 4 years away from issue #1. Role reversalPhilippe Mather's recently-published book on this phase of Kubrick's career ("Stanley Kubrick at Look Magazine: Authorship and Genre in Photojournalism and Film") indicates that it depicts an informal party at the Theta Xi frat house, where co-ed "Pat Crotty lights Buzz Durant's cigaret [sic]." Apparently the human interest angle was that men usually did this for women, not vice versa. That house is just up the hill from the spot where I disembarked from a city bus every weekday morning en route to law school. He's got the cigarettebut she's absolutely smokin'! I guess she's about 83 or so by now. What a hottie! Amazing photographyCertainly far from a snapshot. There is fantastic lighting used here. There are many light sources used and the placement of the subjects were masterly done. ClassyNot sure if these kids were really any better behaved than the kids these days, but they sure dressed better. Family ResemblanceMy mother was in college in Michigan then, and, rather distractingly, the woman in the photo looks a lot like she does in photographs from that time. Mom and the lady in the photo definitely had the same coloration, hairdo, and wardrobe. However, mom wouldn't very likely have been at any high-falutin' University of Michigan frat party, as she was a city girl attending Wayne University (today Wayne State U.) about 40 miles away in Detroit. And perhaps I just have Mom on my mind, since today is her 84th birthday. In the vernacular of the dayNice Dagmars. (LOOK, Stanley Kubrick)
Window on the Past: 19xx
... particular one using the mount style employed from 1950 to 1955. Its neighbors are dated 1952. There are quite a few other photos showing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2013 - 8:04pm -

Somewhere in New England, sometime in mid-century. Another unlabeled slide from the Linda Kodachromes. Are there any clues here as to the year? Let's have a beer while we ponder. (UPDATE: See Comments for the answer.) View full size. Location DiscussionAs pointed out earlier, this is in the month of March or later, so no surprise that there is snow on the ground, but that may mean this is further north like VT, NH or ME (maybe central/western MA). By March/early April, it becomes less likely to be CN, RI or southeastern MA. Also, it's too bad Dad doesn't have the beer bottle in front of him. The label might help narrow the location down since there were many regional brewers in those days with strong local loyalty. As an aside, the furniture is a dead giveaway that this is in the enclosed back porch of the house. [It might also be February. Monthly mags generally come out the second week of the preceding month. - Dave] The year was ...1975 A walk in the gardenLooks like Horticulture Magazine under the table - March 1952. Dutch nails itIn less than 20 minutes! Clapclapclap. The answer is here on eBay. Dang it Dutch!I should have read the comments first. I just spent 45 minutes looking for that cover! Nice job. What's in a name? The magazine reminds me of the old bit of wisdom that "you can lead a horse to water, but you can never lead a horticulture". Or something like that. New EnglandIf the slide's unlabeled, how did you know that the scene is in New England? [The other slides. - Dave] GrungeJudging by the plaid flannel shirt I was going to guess Seattle, early 1990's, but of course it's not. His eyes would indicate that is not his first Beer. Dorothy Parker's replyWhen asked to define "Horticulture": "You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think!" Mid-Century Modern MancaveExcept for the floral cushions. File boxI'd like to know what's in it. ViewMaster Tterrace wondered about the file box. For some reason, it looks like it could be full of very organized ViewMaster cards/slides. The object behind the slides looks like the top of a viewmaster viewer. Cigarettes bother meThe 1952 date for this photo seems correct from the magazine, but what appears to be a pack of Pall Malls on the table bother me. First, comparison with the magazine in front of it, and the aspect ratio of the pack, make it look like 100mm cigarettes and those weren't introduced until 1960. Second, on the side of the pack is what looks a great deal like a "Surgeon General's Warning", and those didn't appear until 1964. Unfortunately, given the resolution of even the larger image I can't actually read the text. [I'm not sure why you'd think a block of illegible text resembles the Surgeon General's warning. Below, a pack from the 1940s that looks just like the one in our photo. - Dave] This Scenetakes me back to my childhood in the 1950's: bamboo furniture - check; wrought iron end table - check; knotty pine paneling - check. Pop could have been a bird watcher as well as a gardener - well worn binoculars lie at the ready on the table. Camera gearIs that a spent "Press 25" flashbulb in the ashtray to the left of the binoculars? Another ConsiderationWhile this clearly looks like the 50's to me, just because the magazine is March 1952 doesn't mean this is even 1952. Wxman1 says that the furniture is a dead giveaway for an enclosed back porch. When I first looked at it, it looked more like a cottage porch to me. Out the window, it appears to be woodsy / lake like in the background and the building also in the background could be another cottage. The guys are clearly dressed in old, comfy lounging clothes and there is a pair of binoculars on the table (good for bird or animal spotting?). Therefore, if this really is a cottage, then magazines and other reading material are there for entertainment and could actually be several years old - based upon some of the cottages I have stayed at in the past. [These slides are "red border" Kodachromes of the kind used no later than 1958. This particular one using the mount style employed from 1950 to 1955. Its neighbors are dated 1952. There are quite a few other photos showing the interior of this house. - Dave] Old MarbleheadDave, the more I look at this, the more POSITIVE I am that the little blue and white book on the table is Samuel Chamberlain's Old Marblehead, a Camera Impression. Look carefully. That would strongly suggest to me the possibility of these pics all being from Marblehead, Mass. [Here's a comparison; allowing for distortion, glare and blur, it looks darn close. - tterrace] [A good case for the book, but most of these photos are from New Hampshire. - Dave] (Linda Kodachromes)
Newport Laundress: 1902
... this photo because the casual capture is more typical of 1955 than 1905. So no surprise when I saw the name Kasebier. Along with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/06/2017 - 11:44am -

Newport, Rhode Island, 1902. "Informal portrait of a young Negro woman working amid clotheslines heavy with sheets and stockings." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Gertrude Käsebier (1852-1934). View full size. This has to be one of theThis has to be one of the best photos I have seen on your site thus far. Hard to believe this was taken in 1902. Thanks for it. Very vibrantNot stiff or stagey like so many early photos. Great use of foreground and background elements to frame the subject, too. FantasticThis is a great photo! It's so real, but beautiful at the same time. Great post! 105 years later and ...... a bazillion people are looking at you through that camera. you are beautiful! BeautifulI love seeing early examples of photographers making the most of framing. What a wonderful shot. She is beautiful, isn't she?I agree with everyone before me. These are great photos on this site, and this one is spectacular. Thank you! Brilliantly beautiful!Brilliantly beautiful! Newport LaundressWonderful photo and this has become my favorite web site. Does anyone know about the stockings? They look very large and tall -- they would stretch long of course if wet, but they also seem wide at the top. StockingsProbably something like what these girls are wearing. I think stockings back then were more socklike. And thanks!! Anachronistic casualI was amazed at the date on this photo because the casual capture is more typical of 1955 than 1905. So no surprise when I saw the name Kasebier. Along with her more formal portraits her work included previous Shorpy features like this and this. I remember this photo wellSuch a beautiful radiant smile! I bet this lady held a warm life attitude to match. BeautifulOne of your best! SuperbThis is just what I would expect from what has become one of my FAVORITE sites. The woman is just radiant. (The Gallery, Gertrude Kasebier, Portraits)
There Was a Crooked House: 1962
... exposures. Slide projector was my brother's from about 1955 and also two of his Kodak slide boxes. Old Camera I Loved and Lost ... the roll of Ektachrome he developed in the kitchen sink in 1955. I finally extracted them for scanning a few years back. -tterrace] ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 07/11/2019 - 1:26pm -

Shorpy being the Historic American Photo Archive, and me being American and at this point in my life historic, I present from my archive a nighttime photo experiment I performed in winter 1962 while a teenage camera geek. This is how I made this time-exposure of our Larkspur, California house: I turned on all the lights in the front-facing rooms, also those on the porches and front walk, and added one more (my desk lamp) below the front porch. I set up the camera (an old c. 1920 folding job) in the cactus garden, opened the shutter, ran down to the bottom of that stairway and wrote out my name with a little flashlight, then ran back up and closed the shutter. Voilà! I used that old camera, a Kodak Folding Autographic Brownie 2A, because it was the only one around the house then that could take time exposures. No tripod receptacle, so I had to balance it on something or other. (I know it's winter because of the burlap sacks covering the lantana for frost protection. Oh, and before you ask, no, we're not related to the Addams family.) Scanned from the original "116" 2½ x 4¼ negative, slightly cropped at top. View full size. The eyes have it.I think you have unknowingly presented us with an optical illusion. The glassed in porch, at first glance, appears to project from the front of the house, yet there appears to be an archway into the front room of the house. Upon closer inspection, it's obvious that the archway is actually the entrance from outside to the porch and not into an interior room. BrowniesOne of the best pics I ever took was as a pre-teen with a Brownie. Don't know the model, just that it was a Brownie. My brother was on a swing. He is stop motion, everything else blurry. I ever find a print, might post it (if he agrees). And by the way, you might not be related to the Addamses, but the picture says otherwise! Good picture. Nifty Shot and Nifty CameraWe ought to have a grouping of treasured old cameras that our spouses would love to see us toss! Here's an old favorite of mine that is now a paperweight in my office: A Minolta 110-cartridge zoomer that we used to call a "Big Mac" camera. Wish I had thought of it when naming my kids"Rau" is a very interesting name. Tim Burton-esqueI love the crookedness which, due to the ghostly lighting and the pipe-like thing sticking up (sorry; don't know what it actually is), resembles the tilted cityscapes in Burton films. The long flight of steps (I count nineteen) is charming, as is the shadow produced by the latticework. Fascinating shot. [Pipe-like thing is the tall flue atop our fireplace chimney. - tterrace] Other ArtistI believe MC Escher would like this photo. Your nameis Rau? Cool shot. What does the house look like now? [Current owners had it looking like this in 2015. -tterrace] CoolYour story makes this a very cool picture. Just Another Wednesday Night?I like how you positioned your desk lamp to throw a silhouette of the latticework onto your house. What I don't understand is why no member of your family is looking out a window in an effort to answer, "What is that boy doing out there?" [They stopped asking that question long before this. -tterrace] Brownies and ButchersA wonderful photo! The twilight in black and white is both mysterious and innocent at the same time. Your mention of 116 size film makes my shutter button finger tingle. I've got a small collection of antique cameras that are fascinating to use, the varying sizes of extinct film being just one of the challenges. They like to go out for walks. Last week I shot my first roll of film in my 1913 "Butcher's Watch Pocket Carbine." It was designed to take 117 size film, but I sanded down the end flanges of a 120 spool -- very carefully -- until it fit. No digital image can satisfy like a roll of 12 perfect images emerging from the fixer. Vintage camera rallyI'll go with Jim Page's idea with this shot that includes the Kodak Folding Autographic Brownie 2A I used to take the time exposure of our house. This also dates from 1962, and I took it with yet another folding Kodak of similar vintage we had around, but whose identity I've forgotten; it took 120 roll film. Also is the Kodak Brownie Starmite I got for Christmas 1961 that could at last let me shoot 2x2 color slides, but not time exposures. Slide projector was my brother's from about 1955 and also two of his Kodak slide boxes. Old Camera I Loved and LostTterrace, did your brother's projector take slides in those horrible aluminum mounts that I DIDN'T hate to see the last of? I love your mirrored shot!!! I feel as though I can dive into a pool of memories. If Tom Wolfe was still around, he could probably describe this '50s Anscoflex II best. Maybe a "Loewy styled 620 format top viewer olive green not really TTL baby" or something like that. Mine, NOS in the box with the matching goodies, disappeared in a yard sale my wife snuck in when I was out of town. AAAGGGHHH. [The projector must have taken those metal/glass slide mounts, because that's what my brother used for the roll of Ektachrome he developed in the kitchen sink in 1955. I finally extracted them for scanning a few years back. -tterrace] Was your house built by Robert Heinlein?As I scanned the comments, I had a browser window open to... "'—And He Built a Crooked House—'" is a science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, first published in Astounding Science Fiction in February 1941. Link https://archive.org/stream/Astounding_v26n06_1941-02_dtsg0318-LennyS#pag... Miraculous PhotosIt looks like Veronica Leucen's miraculous Bayside photos, where stuff like "Jacinte 1972" appeared in the night sky in cursive script. That was supernatural in origin. The Polaroid corporation attested that there was no known explanation for it. New camera smellAn aspect of the olden days I always recall with fondness is how the gear smelled when you opened the packaging. Camera gear and binoculars had a distinct odor that zips me back to those times whenever I get a whiff of it. The other distinct smell of those days, of course, was from that fake/reprint Confederate money printed on crinkly yellow paper. That money was sold at Stuckey's and other tourist attractions and if I saw it, I'd buy it. Love itA great pic and a great story. Thanks for sharing it. NameIt’s Paul, isn’t it? Not Rau. [Shhhh! -tterrace] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Little Shop of Singers: 1919
... machine cabinets. The company remained in South Bend until 1955. Lewis Hine (no surprise) took some photos of child laborers outside the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 10:27am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1919. "Oppenheimer's dress shop." Haunted by a few spectral customers. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Old Sew and SewsI'm betting these machines were on their way out to make way for the latest electrically powered models. Hello, Ghost?All of the machines appear to be approximately the same with slight variations in their support tables. Some have one style drawer handle, others have a different one. But the machine at the front left is of an entirely different era or manufacturer. I wonder if that is a used machine somebody traded in when they bought a new Singer. There is also a telephone sitting on top of all the cabinets on the far left. I am guessing that is a guest phone for the ghosts because I can't imagine anyone else being up there to answer it. InsightGreat photograph. It's neat to see all of the original displays, forms and sewing machines. Ironically, I love taking the iron bases and making new tables out of them. Oh, to have all of those models in hand! Thanks for posting this. No cash registersIn the background we can see the pulleys and cables that were part of a cash handling system long gone from our midst. The clerks would write up the sale, and send the ticket with the cash in a little wooden barrel, zipping along the cables, to the clerk's office (I think that's it at the left, note the candlestick telephone up near the ceiling). The little canister or barrel would get sent back to the clerk with the Paid receipt and any change in it. As a kid in Upstate NY, I'd be entranced by watching this system in operation at a local dry goods store. Part of this system is still in place as a piece of historic technology, but the rest was supposedly packed off to the Smithsonian some years ago. CabinetsIn 1868, the New York based Singer Brothers Company decided to locate the Singer Cabinet Works in South Bend, Indiana (my hometown). The area contained a rich supply of fine walnut and oak lumber with which Singer would build cabinets for their sewing machines. By 1907, 10,000 cabinets a day were produced in South Bend, and by 1914 the company had gained 75% of the world’s market of sewing machine cabinets. The company remained in South Bend until 1955. Lewis Hine (no surprise) took some photos of child laborers outside the plant in the early part of the century. Hooterville Telephone CompanyLooks like Oliver Wendell Douglas isn't the only one that had to climb before making a call. Between pedaling the machines and ascending to the phone, I imagine the shopkeeper kept rather fit. Willcox and Gibbs The little machine in the left foreground is a Willcox and Gibbs chain stitch machine which was a major competitor of the Singer Co. It was manufactured with very little change from the middle 1860's to sometime in the 1960's I think. Electrification of most of the older machines was available a moderate cost and became popular as electrical power reached the rural areas. Nice picture! The Old Man and the SpoolOn the shorter cabinet behind the dress dummy on the left can be seen “M. Heminway & Sons Co.” General Merrit Heminway was the first person to wind silk on a spool in the U.S. and, in 1849, began the manufacture of “sewing silks of all kinds” according to the Web site History of Litchfield County (Connecticut). From the mid-1800s through 1917, his company (formerly Bishop & Heminway) was called M. Heminway & Sons Silk Company. He was long gone when this photo was taken unless he made it to age 119. To the right we see “Beldings Wash Emb’dy (embroidery but you knew that) Silks” which would have come from Belding, Michigan, called the “Silk City” because of all the silk mills there. My mother had a Singer machine very much like those in the photo, most probably used before her by her mom and perhaps her mom’s mom. It had rounded drawers like the one in the foreground. I remember its shiny black finish and gold leaf decoration, and the clever way the machine could be rotated 180 degrees to disappear into the cabinet, with the hinged panel on the left flipped over to create a small desk. Most of the machines here have the same set-up. It just occurred to me that a similar arrangement could be designed for computer monitors. I'd name it "SmartDesk". (The next day) A revisit to "Little Shop of Singers" and looking at all that sewing machine furniture inspires an alternate title: "Little Shop of Drawers". IDEAL FAVORITE Sewing MachinesTwo brands which appear to be electric models. Still In UseMy father rebuilt my grandmother's Singer machine approximately 15 years ago. On a whim he went to the local sewing shop that was a Singer dealer looking for a replacement leather belt. To his surprise Singer still supplied the leather belts and a few other parts for these old machines. The reason was that many were still in use in locations with no electricity and in third world countries. Hey! There's my Singer!Right smack dab in the middle of the 1919 photo. Actually it was my grandmother's and handed down to me. You can't imagine the fun we bunch of urchins had pedaling that thing circa 1969. Hand cranksThe Favorite and Ideal machines are hand cranked. The machine to the right of the center mannequin is Singer Model 31-15 for light industrial use. Many of them are still in use today (usually electrified); they're known as 'the tailor's machine'. Terrific machineMy mother had a degree in Home Economics and was an expert seamstress. She used to say that the best sewing machine she ever owned was her Singer, which was very similar to the ones shown here. And that included all the computer-driven models she also owned. The Singer was a brilliantly created machine - very responsive and easy to use. Some basic designs cannot be improved upon. Well, okay, maybe a little, but not much. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
China Clipper: 1936
... at Powell and Jefferson is (barely) identifiable in this 1955 photo. Look along the low area of the S.F. waterfront visible between the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/16/2014 - 12:32pm -

July 22, 1936. "Aerial view of Pan American Airways 'China Clipper' (Martin M130 Flying Boat) over San Francisco with Coit Memorial Tower at left. Clyde H. Sunderland, commercial and aerial photographs, Oakland, Calif." View full size. Powell StThat is indeed Powell St just east of the gas tank, so must be a streetcar we see at the end of it. Looks like the cable car shifted Powell to Mason to Taylor St in 1936 same as it does now. NC14716Built when flying had class. It was one of three ''Clippers'' built by Martin for Pan American Airways delivered on Oct. 9th, 1935. It is interesting to note the that the long lost Fred Noonan was one of their Navigators. Powell St. Cable CarThe street just to the left of the large tank is Powell St. and the end of the Powell-Market cable car line. There's one parked there at the end in the picture. The large pier in the center is Pier 41 and the narrow one to its left is Pier 39, now a shopping and entertainment complex and home a very large sea lion population. M130s met unhappy endsAll three Martin 130s met unhappy ends. One hit a mountain in California, one broke up in a botched landing in the Caribbean and the third vanished over the Pacific. Clipper memoriesIn 1970 I was having lunch in the dining room of the Bangkok international airport. Near enough to me to hear their conversation were four very British gentlemen. They were deploring the then current state of air travel. They longed for grace, comfort, and pleasure of the Clippers. "It was such a civilized way to travel", I overheard. Totally AgreeWith those British gents. Now the trip from L.A. to Sydney takes just 14 or so hours compared to the days required in the 1930's. This is Grace and Pace, American style. Guam stopoverThe China Clipper used to stop in Guam, there's plaques on the pier where she tied up. I remember standing there and imagining what her era of air travel was like. While in the military I transferred to Guam from Hawaii, the flight took something like 8 hours on a commercial jet. Spending days crossing the pacific while hopping from island to island must've been a surreal adventure. The round tank below the noseof the plane is a town gas or coal gas storage tank. They were very common near rivers and lakes of U.S. cities from about 1900 until LP or natural gas started taking over about the time of World War II. Made as a byproduct of coke production and much more volatile than its successors, the use of coal gas lasted decades longer in Britain than it did here. VentilatedI believe that I see an open window, just aft of the starboard sponson. Rather nice on a Summer day. A tragic endNC14716 had a tragic end just 9 years later, crashing in Trinidad and killing 23. Aviation Safety Database During the second try, the Martin descended too low and contacted the water at more than normal landing speed and in a nose-low attitude at a point 1,25 miles short of the intended landing area. As the plane came to an abrupt stop in the water, the hull broke in two at a point about three feet aft of the hull step and the rear part of the hull was forced up and forward. Water poured into the cabin and major portion of the flying boat sank immediately. Grace DeniedHaving crossed the Pacific too many times in a DC-6, I can say that low altitude propeller flights of many hours don't leave you in a state of grace but rather a state of turbulent numbness. Also a state of propeller lag. Powell St Cable CarStanFlouride points out the cable car to the left of the large tank is Powell St. and the this is the end of the Powell-Market cable car line. This not quite correct, it's the end of the Powell-Hyde Street line. Powell also goes to Mason, a little further left (east). It is interesting to note that the Buena Vista Bar sits at this corner where the tank formally sat and that Ghirardelli Square and the Chocolate Factory now occupies much of the area to the right and up hill from the tank. A row of art galleries now runs right and down Beach street from Hyde-. Well, things do change with time. [The Powell-Hyde line terminus and the Buena Vista Cafe are five blocks off to the west (right) from the edge of this photo, at the corner of Hyde and Beach. This tank was at the corner of Powell and Jefferson. -tterrace] Gas Tank tterrace and Timz both make interesting comments but I am wondering if this is not the corner of Laguna. Its near what is now labeled as GAS HOUSE COVE, I wonder if the name has any significance, There are a number of wharfs shown on Mapquest and if one of threes could be one of he ones sown in the photograph. I now question lactating it on Powell and Jefferson, that's Fisherman's wharf, it doesn't look like Fisherman's Wharf to me. I think the street car faked us out and lead us astray. [Note the sign on the largest pier: "General Steamship Corp." Harbor directories from 1936 list it on Pier 41, located at the foot of Powell St. It's since been reconstructed as a smaller ferry slip in the same location. You can't see Fisherman's Wharf proper because it's off the picture two blocks to the right.] Ferry ArchwayThat hasn't changed locations over the years, has it? It's pretty obvious in the photo and seems like that's proof positive of the location. Re: Gas TankThe gas tank at Powell and Jefferson is (barely) identifiable in this 1955 photo. Look along the low area of the S.F. waterfront visible between the Bay Bridge's concrete support pier and one of the towers. https://www.shorpy.com/node/17002 Another gas tank farther west at Bay and Laguna Streets is easier to spot. (The Gallery, Aviation, San Francisco)
Corporal Nourishment: 1942
... black when the dress green Class A uniform was adopted in 1955. It took a while to get all those brown shoes out of the system, and to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/09/2013 - 9:41am -

May 1942. "A corporal in the Army takes his girl to dinner. Bakersfield, California." Photo by Russell Lee, Office of War Information. View full size. If he's luckyMaybe she won't notice his goofy socks. This photo speaks volumes1) You have got to love the rolled socks! 2) Take a good look at the young woman's look of love toward her soldier - priceless! 3) It goes to show you that Heinz Catsup was and is an American standard. A study in contrastsWonderful shoes, those brogues, but horrible socks. Also, while she’s eyeballing him, he’s intent on forking that food down. The Inevitable Ketchup BottleMy dad served in the Army from 1941-1945, and as a child I remember that he put ketchup on everything he ate, including mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs. I asked him why and he said that during his time in the service, the food, especially when he was in the Pacific, tasted so bland that ketchup was put on every meal to enhance it's flavor. He did this his entire life, and despite the fact that mom's cooking was so darn good, my brother and I put ketchup on our food too. Mom yelled; dad simply smiled. Civvie FootwearEither this corporal is a reservist who's not yet received his complete clothing issue or his squad leader is blind, because the shoes appear to be wing tips, decidedly non-regulation. Movie StarThe young lady is movie star attractive. Army shoes back then may have been brown rather than black. The rolled socks are a hoot. War is HellIf he was sent overseas (and I'm sure he was) I can imagine how tough it was to leave that beauty alone among the 4F wolves. Brownshoe ArmyUntil sometime in the early 1960s, dress shoes were brown to match the olive green Class A uniforms. The present forest green uniform came in to replace the prior uniform and necessitated black dress shoes. During my time as a draftee the phrase "brown shoe Army" was used to denote something as our of style. Although wing tips were not likely standard issue it is entirely possible that in May 1942, some civilian footwear was issued as a substitute until uniform production could catch up with man power. Those socks, though, that just indicates a sorry soldier. Maybe he is a memberof the 117th Beau Brummel artillery unit. Ah, You Kids...never had to deal with socks where the elastic - which was only at the top, anyway - gave out after a week and the whole sock slid uncomfortably down inside your shoe, leaving your heel naked and blistered. That rolled top is one solution. Re: Brownshoe ArmyRegarding Texcritic's comment, brown shoes began to give way to black when the dress green Class A uniform was adopted in 1955. It took a while to get all those brown shoes out of the system, and to get the new black ones in. I've talked to several Army veterans who served at this time, and they all remembered being issued two pairs of brown combat boots, two pairs of brown dress shoes--and two bottles of black shoe dye. The old WW2 style uniform with Ike jacket was slowly phased out during this time. I had an uncle who served from 1957 to 1960--in basic he wore the old style uniform, but had the dress greens by the time he got out. The old style uniform was officially declared obsolete in 1960. Army vets of the eraI've talked to Army veterans of this era and although I've never seen it before personally, I've been told that wearing white socks with the uniform while on leave was considered to be "cool." Of course, wearing one's socks rolled was also considered to be "cool, as well. Even when I was in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam era, it was common to see soldiers in the airports wearing non-standard uniform items in their comings and goings around the country and overseas. These practices were also common among sailors, who would pick up non-standard uniform items in the ports where there were thriving industries catering to this market. I definitely wouldn't go so far as to call this soldier a "sorry soldier." We certainly know nothing of him or what became of him. He may be a decorated combat veteran for all we know. I would guess that the soldier was on leave, because if he were to be on liberty, I'm sure the MPs would be on the look out for such things. Looking military...didn't mean what it does today. There was a jaunty aspect to WW2 servicemen, with their tilted covers and brilliantined hair, that would be totally unacceptable today. Her ShoesFrom what I can see of her shoes they look very much like a pair my mother was wearing in a picture I have, taken at roughly the same time. All the pictures I have of her and my aunts in that time period look so elegant. As with this lovely lady, hair done just so, skirt and top nicely matched. And lets not forget the shoes! Look at his Army hat.The hat seems to be a very high-quality hat, not an issue item. I wonder if the corporal wasn't a California National Guardsman or Army Reservist from the Bakersfield area now on active duty. National Guardsmen/Reservists would purchase commercial uniform items instead of or to replace issue items. Unit PatchAfter noticing his shoes I saw that he wears no unit patch on his shoulder. Changing of the colorsI believe it was 1957 when the U.S. Army changed the boots and shoes from brown to black. New ones weren't issued, but we had to dye the existing footwear. We could have done them ourselves, but most of us paid to have the color changed. The shoesThose shoes are NOT wingtips, but they do have broguing. I recall seeing a picture of an American general wearing similar brown brogues. So they were definitely acceptable with that uniform. And I suspect the socks are a light tan. I think that was the uniform sock color at the time. And yeah, before Spandex, socks fell. Period. And while I'm here, may I just say that this soldier's girl is a DOLL. Pretty woman! (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee)
Street Clothes: 1900
... demolished when the Third Avenue El was discontinued in 1955. Regarding the ties... ...this reminds me of the story of the lost, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 12:24pm -

Circa 1900. "Street haberdashery, New York." Detroit Publishing Company glass negative; photo by Byron. View full size. Conveniently locatedAdjacent to the animal refuse. The origin of the phrase "sniffing out a bargain"? I can think of better places to stand...and hawk my wares than directly in front of that pile of "stuff" in the street. Bet these guys wished that guy with the big push broom and trash can would hurry up! Sears and Roebuck?look for us by the big manure pile. Take advantage of our Street-Light Specials on braces and babushkas. Lay-away available. Where?Can anyone pinpoint the location where this pic was shot? It looks like the Lower East Side somewhere, in a relatively open area under an "El" structure. I'd like to see what that area loooks like today. Thanks, you've more than earned restHope you are enjoying some time off, smelling flowers or whatever. From one who's stumbled on your website world by virtue of an 18 yr. [and still going, for awhile] Fed Civ Servant gig; which during the downtime of running reports and awaiting answers from on high, allows some surfing within a narrow spectrum; narrow when you enjoy the visual, graphical presentations, sweeter because they are a photographic touch-moment of our ancestors realities. I've enjoyed seeing into your, and our, past. Thank you. Rest, rest, rest-up. Jim Rockwell, DFAS-Indianapolis. P.U.What is that big pile in the street? Nevermind..it must be horse poop dropped by the transportation! LocationIt might be Chatham Square/Bowery. There's nothing in the photo I can base this guess on, just the instinct of a native New Yorker. Ballpark?Could that be a ballpark in the background? Do you think the potential customer is wearing a Kepi? It Is Chatham SquareDianenyc is correct, the El station in the background is the Chatham Square station where the Third and Second Avenue elevated lines intersected. See the many photos of this station at; http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/stations?1:311110 I'm comfortableFrom this you could make a living? Chatham SquareBill B's site has some great shots but how is it the location is all Chatham Square and yet each picture looks so very different? Chatham Square Station The reason the station's appearance is different over its lifespan is because it was rebuilt/altered many times: 1- It was completely rebuilt in 1917 to eliminate the "bottleneck" caused by the tracks directly crossing each other. The Shorpy photo is of the early configuration. 2- It was reconfigured when the Second avenue El was discontinued in 1940. 3- It was reconfigured when the South Ferry station was demolished in 1950. 4- It was also reconfigured when the City Hall station was demolished. 5- It was finally demolished when the Third Avenue El was discontinued in 1955. Regarding the ties......this reminds me of the story of the lost, dying wanderer crossing the desert, parched and dehydrated and finally finding hope for survival after seeing a person in the distance. He forced himself to continue his pain-filled crawl until he reached the man and asked "do you have a drink of water"? The man replied, "no, but I will sell you a tie and there is a watering shack just about a thousand feet from here". The lost wanderer said "no thanks, I'll just keep crawling 'til I get there." Three hours later he returned to the man selling ties, this time weaker, shakier, drier than before. The lost man said "You didn't tell me a tie was required to get into the watering shack." Drum roll. Holy crap Batman!Moving sale! "Aroma" included. Two bitsMy grandfather, a Spanish-American War veteran, had a joke he like to tell: A guy buys a suit from a street vendor for 25 cents. When he got home and tried it on it was full of bedbugs. He took it back to the vendor and said, "This suit you sold me is full of bugs," to which the vendor replied, "What did you expect for 25 cents -- mockingbirds?" Chatham SquareThis exact picture is listed on the nycsubway site noted by Bill B. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Living Large: 1956
... This looks like it might be the same chassis as the 1955 Pacifica models, with the speaker separated and mounted above the picture ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/02/2015 - 10:13pm -

1956. "Hayes residence, Kessler Lake Drive, Dallas. Living room to fireplace. Architects: Prinz & Brooks." Our second look at Chevrolet dealer Earl Hayes' midcentury manse with the tacky acoustic-tile ceiling. Photo by Maynard L. Parker for House Beautiful. Source: Huntington Library. View full size. Built-in TVWelcome to the future. Tiny Blk & White TVHow could they see it from so far away? Hard to BelieveI don't think I can spot a single ashtray in this photo. Amazing! Acoustic tile?How can you call acoustic ceiling tiles Tacky? a. They are supposed to be tacky to stick to the ceiling :-) b. You like echoey rooms better? I actually like this living room -- Inset TV, fireplace, hassock, couches, oval coffee tables set 90 degrees off where it oughta be. All it needs is women in full skirts with martinis in hand to make it more attractive. Mantovani on the hidden stereo, a roast in the oven and hors d'oeuvres about to be served. American Dream, anyone? Spare me the car dealers in plaid, however! Consistent TasteSure the ceiling is tacky, but it matches the carpet. And the drapes and furniture, and .... Untouched by human handsOne fingerprint on any of those shiny surfaces and your entire decorating scheme is ruined. Glorious 60's AmericanaI dream of having a home as swag as the Hayes' pad. I can't wait to see more of this home. @loujudson- This has all the makings for a Schlitz beer ad. I'd grab my tweed sport coat and head over to that party! Class CeilingUnfortunately I am old enough to remember when acoustical tile was cool, sophisticated, state-of-the-art. What a lovely, expansive space -- perfect to fill with women in paper silk and men in skinny ties. One can almost hear the clink of cocktail glasses festooned with hand-painted Parisian café scenes in black and red on them, the smell of vermouth and Mi-Lem in the air. Hot StuffThe fourth fireplce tool is a Cape Cod fire starter. It is a soap stone that would be soaked in oil then put under the firewood instead of kindling. PerfectionThis room is perfection in my opinion. Looks like the setting for an Outer Limits episode. I imagine the sound quality was great in the room, where is the hi-fi? Broom, shovel, poker and --Can anyone identify the fourth fireplace tool? It looks like a mold for three-pound cannonballs. mineeyes have shared the story. Thanks! Re: Hard to BelieveIn front of the sofa to the right of the TV are two square coffee tables. The object on the right table could be art but it might also be perceived as an ashtray. [Consider yourself trolled. - Dave] The tiny TVNot sure of the make but it's at least a 21" possibly a 24", and could be as big as 27", that was big for the time. I'm a little surprised to see they didn't have a Color set in the Living Room, they were certainly available in 1956, not much color programming to see at the time though. Haydn SeekThat looks like some kind of drawbar organ in the background, possibly a Hammond M3. Who needs a Hi-FiWhen you can play your Hammond organ? Broom, shovel, poker and --Reminds me of a Pie Iron. El KabongThose lamps in the foreground look like they have had a rough life. They have a number of noticeable dents in them. [The bases are, or are supposed to resemble, ancient bronze temple bells or the like, in keeping with the other Asian-related items of decor. -tterrace] Hoffman EasyvisionPretty sure that's a 24-inch Hoffman. The one we had when I was a kid was in a big mahogany cabinet with a built-in record player. This looks like it might be the same chassis as the 1955 Pacifica models, with the speaker separated and mounted above the picture tube. That's a horn tweeter in the middle of the speaker. 9th and LancasterWas the site of Earl Hayes large salesroom at this time, his tag line was 'Come out our way, trade your way' (Maynard L. Parker)
Custom Royal: 1956
... His designs were a very radical departure from the pre 1955 grandpa style Chrysler line. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/18/2013 - 8:54pm -

        At Bob's ("Home of the Big Boy") in a 1956 Dodge Custom Royal convertible in the very mid-Fifties color scheme of coral and black. June 1956. "Aspects of life in Southern California, including cars at drive-in restaurant, drive-in laundromat, drive-up bank, shopping center." (Next stop: the Pantorium.) Kodachrome by Maurice Terrell for the Look magazine assignment "Los Angeles: The Art of Living Bumper-to-Bumper." View full size. Rancho Cucamonga?Perhaps with Mt. San Antonio to the north? Could some SoCal resident let us know? And, does anyone have a time machine handy—if only for an afternoon? 1950s auto design evolutionBy 1956 cars like the Dodge convertible pictured were making the Buicks, Cadillacs and Mercurys of the late 1940s and earlier 1950s as seen in this parking lot look pretty dated. We still had my grandfather's 1950 Plymouth in 1956 and though still shiny and new appearing, it was no match style-wise for the cars just a few years newer and looked pretty dowdy. My older brother's gold 1957 Plymouth Belvedere hardtop he got soon after looked as though it were moving forward even when at a standstill. Back to the FutureThe passenger in the adjacent Buick is either 50 years ahead, on his cell phone, or has a toothache. [Wrong car. - Dave] What's wrong? [The person is in the car to the right of the Buick. -tterrace] A valuable rideDepending on how well it's been restored, that car would be worth between $35,000 and $50,000 today, maybe even up to $60,000 in some cases. Can anyone familiar with Los Angeles give an approximate location for this photo, based on the distinctive peak in the background? Bob's on Riverside Drive in BurbankThat's Bob's drive-in in Burbank. Not far from NBC. It's still there and good as ever. Every Friday night (at least during the summer) car collectors from all over the San Fernando valley bring their cars to show off. Jay Leno is a frequent visitor. On the other side of that mountain is the Hollywood sign. Disney studios and NBC and Warner Brothers are within about a mile to the left. Universal is off to the right. [Actually this Bob's was in Pasadena, not Burbank. See above. - Dave] American GraffitiThat would be the oldest remaining Bob's, an historical landmark, at 4211 Riverside Drive in Burbank. They have "Classic Car" get-togethers every Friday but if you're out for a bite, better to check out "Mo's" across the street. http://www.bobs.net/events/classic-car-show\ [Actually this Bob's was in Pasadena, not Burbank. See above. - Dave] Neat carI used to want one of these in the worst way when they came out. Instead I had a '50 Merc coupe like the one in the background. Wish I had it back now. Old DodgeMy dad had a 1956 Dodge Custom, a nice running car but the tinworm had eaten thru it by 1959! Still that '56 ragtop is gorgeous! The car hoplooks like he could be Bob himself! Not Burbank, it's PasadenaThose are definitely not the Hollywood Hills in the background, and this isn't Burbank. The hills are pretty clearly the foothills of the San Gabriels, north of Pasadena, and it looks to me like the sign that says "Office" in the background has an address with the words E. Colorado Blvd on it (I used special software to try and make this out). Judging by the now not entirely overgrown firebreak in the background, I would have said the photo was taken along Colorado Blvd somewhere near Kinneloa, that is at about 3121 E. Colorado Blvd in Pasadena. Looking online, I found that someone had mentioned there having been a Bob's at 3130 East Colorado, just east of Pasadena City College. My guess is this is that Bob's. [You are right! Below, a comparison of the peaks in the 1956 view and the current Google Street View looking north on Kinneloa. - Dave] Location, Location, LocationI am almost certain that is not the Burbank Bob's. The sign is the tipoff. The original sign is still there today and is much larger and more elaborate than the one pictured. Also, the streets don't jibe. Across the street should be Papoo's Hot Dog Show, which predates Bob's, but there seems to be a trailer park instead. Since the next pic was taken in Sierra Madre, I suspect it may be in Pasadena. [I share your suspicion. - Dave] The forward lookCalifornian made the point that his brother's 57 Plymouth looked as if it were moving forward even when standing. No surprise there, as the head of design at Chrysler at the time, Virgil Exner, intended it that way. He branded the entire mid fifties product line "the forward look." His designs were a very radical departure from the pre 1955 grandpa style Chrysler line. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, LOOK, Los Angeles)
Final Destination: 1957
... "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots" by the Cheers, 1955. Hate to admit I remember it from when it was released. The last two ... sure any wreck is mentioned, is -- "Hot Rod Lincoln" (1955) Charlie Ryan – though my favorite version is Commander Cody’s ("Son, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/11/2015 - 1:35am -

Oakland, California, circa 1957. "Late Final." 4x5 acetate negative from the News Archive, wrapping up Motor Mayhem Monday. View full size. A New Measure of SafetyThe "V-type windshield" worked out well as a safety feature. Or maybe they didn't keep a close-enough eye on that speedometer red zone: http://www.oldcarbrochures.org/NA/Chrysler_and_Imperial/1939_Chrysler/19... Black Denim TrousersGreat list Gooberpea, but you missed one of my favorites: "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots" by the Cheers, 1955. Hate to admit I remember it from when it was released. The last two verses: Then he took off like the Devil and there was fire in his eyes He said "I'll go a thousand miles before the sun can rise" But he hit a screamin' diesel that was California-bound And when they cleared the wreckage, all they found Was his black denim trousers and motorcycle boots And a black leather jacket with an eagle on the back But they couldn't find the 'cycle that took off like a gun And they never found the terror of Highway 101 MoPar or No Car1939 Chrysler Royal looking a bit less than regal. Crumple ZonesFatality written all over this wreck. So much for the myth that old cars were built like tanks. Photos like this make me thankful I own a plastic Mitsubishi built to disintegrate after the airbags are deployed. May Once Have Been a 1939 Mopar ProductBut now a splendid heuristic to illustrate the term "crumple zone." A Normal Car AccidentHow can any list of car crash songs leave out "Warm Leatherette" by the Normal? (Released on Mute Records in England, 1978) See the breaking glass In the underpass... See the breaking glass Feel the steering wheel... Warm leatherette Melts on your burning flesh You can see your reflection In the luminescent dash... A tear of petrol Is in your eye The hand brake Penetrates your thigh Quick - Let's make love Before you die On warm leatherette Warm leatherette... Join the car crash set Ouch! That Won't Buff OutWhole Car Crumple Zone "Whiskey and blood together"This summer's "Motor Mayhem" series grew on me. At first, I was all "crash, meh," but as the images keep joining me for morning coffee and inbox triage I find myself humming the old "wreck on the highway" songs I am known to sing loudly and in dubious tune from the pilot’s seat of the ol' Family Truckster while barreling down some West Texas highway. Some of my favorite road wreck tunes, born from Detroit steel, Texas crude, and 50,000-watt Mexican radio stations (later iPods) are: "Wreck on the Highway," Roy Acuff (1942). ("Didn't hear nobody pray." My favorite version is the Louvin Brothers – though kinda judgy.) "Last Kiss" (1964), J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers [“She’s gone to heaven so I got to be good, so I can see my baby when I leave this world”] "Teen Angel" (1959), Mark Dining (lots of "wooo wooo woos") "Leader of the Pack" (1964), Shangri Las ("vroom") "Dead Man's Curve" (1964), Jan & Dean ("We popped the clutch when the light turned green; You should have heard the whine from my screamin' machine") And my all-time favorite for road-singing, though I’m not sure any wreck is mentioned, is -- "Hot Rod Lincoln" (1955) Charlie Ryan – though my favorite version is Commander Cody’s ("Son, you're going to drive me to drinkin' if you don't stop driving that Hot Rod Lincoln") I didn't realize it until I was researching the publication dates for this post what a big year 1964 was for car crash tunes. Maybe Dave and the team can find some early '60s photos to set to music. What say you in the Shorpishpere? Your favorite cartunes? Another Bad ThingThe car really didn't get good mileage. Another Favorite "Wreck Tune"Gooberpea's list is great, but one of my favorites growing up was "Transfusion" (1956) by Nervous Norvus (Jimmy Drake.) He keeps claiming he's "never, never, never gonna speed again" but he always does. It's a hoot! Ironically, he lived a lot of his life in Oakland, CA. Perhaps some of these photos were part of his inspiration! Car Crash SummerCountry music never being averse to a good tragedy, Stonewall Jackson had a hit -- also in 1964 -- concerning "B.J. the D.J." B.J. is a young morning jock who drives himself and his beat-up old car too hard, until one sad night "he signed off down by the Georgia line." It's actually a pretty good record, with a haunting final image. Missing some detailsInteresting. The skidmarks look intact behind the car. Presumably the occupant hit something, possibly another vehicle (or a lamp post) in a right front collision, folded the wheel to the right, jerking the steering wheel and he/she flew 'forward' into the rearview mirror, which broke the glass. The impact creased the roof. Could that torsion move the rearview enough by itself? The crease along the grillwork is probably from the upper part of the front bumper, which doesn't appear to be present. Was the engine shoved out the bottom below the firewall? I don't see any blood though. Another Wreck Tune"Crawling From the Wreckage," Dave Edmunds, 1979. First verse and chorus: Got out really early from the factory Drivin' like a nut in the rain Don't think I was actin' so hysterically But I didn't see a thing until it came Met the dumb suburbs in the takeaway Beating up the Chinese at the counter I put a few inside me at the end of the day I took out my revenge on the revolution counter Crawlin' from the wreckage, crawlin' from the wreckage You'd think by now at least that half my brain would get the message Crawlin' from the wreckage, crawlin' from the wreckage Into a brand new car (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, News Photo Archive, Signal 30)
Miriam Battista: 1922
... This lovely car with its porthole is a precursor to the 1955 Thunderbird, provides a luxurious backdrop for photographing the perky ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:48pm -

1922. Miriam Battista, child star of stage and screen, at age 10 in Washington, D.C. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Ask the man who owns one!This lovely car with its porthole is a precursor to the 1955 Thunderbird, provides a luxurious backdrop for photographing the perky young child star -- who would be 97 this year! Is that a PX I see in the background? Interesting photo on several levels. Thanks, Dave! Miriam's OeuvreMiriam appeared in 18 films between 1920 and 1935. She died on Christmas day 1980 at age 68. Stephens Salient Six?I happened across a bound volume of the San Francisco Chronicle for May 1921. The Sunday paper always had a lavish "automobile" section with tours, car ads and testimonials. The 1921 Stephens Salient Six had overhead valves and bragged about running 600 miles on one 20 gal tank of gas - a respectable 30 mpg. They were equally proud of using "only" 4 quarts of oil on this trip - that's 150 miles per quart! No wonder busy highways were well blackened down the center of each lane. Miriam's rideIs a Stephens touring car. She doesn't "look like" a star ...She looks like an anonymous little girl that nobody (like me) ever heard of. Fame and celebrity are strange concepts; like bubbles inside of bubbles. Italy has stars that we'll never know or care about -- and so does every other country and culture. I hope that little Miriam enjoyed what she had while she had it because her name (and "fame") didn't survive the ravages of either time or American junk- culture. Battista ComingApparently the press releases at the time propagated a white lie exaggerating the innocent age of Miss Battista. Miriam Battista Coming An interesting theatrical event will occur at Loew's Columbia theater during the week, beginning Sunday, July 16, when Miriam Battista, the 8-year-old child star of Fannie Hurst's famous picture, "Humoresque," will appear in person several times daily during the entire week. Miss Battista's personal appearances will be made in connection with showings at the Columbia of "The Man From Home," and as is is her first visit to Washington, she plans to pay several calls to prominent government officials during the time she is here. Miss Battista, who is 8 years old, has appeared with Maude Adams on the stage in "A Kiss for Cinderella," and also in Ibsen's "A Doll's House." Washington Post, July 2, 1922 Sure looks like a PX in the backgroundIt sure looks like a post exchange in the background. Let's not forget, Washington D.C. was and still is very much a military town. On another note, this is an extraordinary photograph. The tonality is gorgeous with full detail throughout the range, despite the harsh noonday sunlight. That photographer knew what he was doing. BrakesNo front wheel brakes and just drum brakes on the rear wheels. I imagine these cars hardly stopped on a dime! Did the drum brakes serve as parking brakes as well? Is it a touring carOr a dual-cowl phaeton? [It could be both -- if this car had two windscreens. But it doesn't. So it's not a dual-cowl anything. - Dave] Miriam BattistaMiriam was not only a child star but the wife of the writer/photographer ?? Malone. He died in the 1940's. Her second husband was a director Lloyd Rosamond. Her brother, Willie Battista, was also a child star and performed with Helen Hayes. Miriam also is credited with theatre and television (Legend of Sleepy Hollow/Peyton Place) Miriam BattistaMiriam's first husband was Russell Malone(y) and daughter is renowned chef Amelia Hard of Portland Oregon (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
In the Tunnel: 1908
... was a coal miner in Red Jacket, WV. He got killed in 1955. I was only 2 years of age. There was 18 children in his family that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 10:12am -

September 1908. Gary, West Virginia. "Drivers and Mules in a coal mine where much of the mining and carrying is done by machinery. Open flame on oil headlamps." View full size. From the Web site of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Museum of Anthracite Mining in Ashland: When men first began to tunnel into the earth to remove coal, open flame lamps or candles were the only devices to light one's way. If a miner opened a pocket of lethal gas, the lack of oxygen could not only snuff out his open flame light — a warning too late — but the lives of miners also could be snuffed out. This is why miners often carried caged live canaries into the tunnels. Canaries are more sensitive than humans to diminished oxygen and poisonous gases and provided an early warning to miners. Even more obvious, an open flame could trigger an explosion or fire. One of the significant collections on display at the Museum of Anthracite Mining is a series of safety lamps. After an explosion in England killed ninety-two miners, a society formed to study and prevent mine explosions approached Sir Humphrey Davy (1778-1829) for his help. In 1816, Davy invented a safety lamp with a wick surrounded by cylindrical netting. The Davy lamp was designed so the flame was quickly extinguished in the presence of dangerous gases, giving the miner enough warning to escape. On the other hand, the lamp did not give off much light and could be extinguished by drafts of harmless air. A later model that provided brighter light used gasoline instead of oil, but burned hotter, especially in gassy atmospheres, and the glass cylinder that surrounded the light source broke easily from the heat. The light went out frequently, requiring the miner to relight it, risking an explosion. Replacing thick glass with thinner glass helped prevent the lamp from breaking caused by heat expansion, but did nothing, of course, to prevent the lamp from being accidentally dropped or knocked over. The development of the carbide lamp in the 1890s — using as its energy source a combination of calcium carbide and water to produce a jet of acetylene gas lit by a flint sparker — provided bright, easy to ignite lights, but did not solve all safety issues. The U.S. Bureau of Mines reported in 1906 that 53 percent of mine explosions were caused by miners' lamps, and six years later two major mine disasters were attributed to safety lamps. It was the invention of the battery lamp that revolutionized safe light for miners. Once tungsten replaced carbon filaments, which uses less current, it became possible for portable batteries to be carried by miners. Thomas Edison is lauded for his design in 1913 that provided the miner with a lightweight storage battery, clipped to the trouser belt and connected by a wire to a lamp backed by a parabolic reflector that was fastened to the miner's hat. The wire was locked in place to help prevent a miner from disconnecting it, possibly sparking an explosion. The guy on the leftIs the guy on the left a criminal? He looks to be chained to the mule & coal car. ExoneratedIf you look at the original you can see that he's neither chained to the mule nor the coal car. In the smaller photo it does appear that way, but the chain actually runs behind the boy. Workin' in the coal mine, goin' down downWhat do you think the odds are all three got black lung? "I'm almost fifteen. There's lots down there younger's me."Tell it in the country, tell it in the town Miners down in Mingo laid their shovels down We won't pull another pillar or load another ton Or lift another finger till a Union we have won! Stand up boys, let the bosses know, Turn your buckets over, turn your candles low. There's fire in our hearts and fire in our soul But there ain't gonna be no fire in the hole! -- Not a real union song: from the movie Matewan. Lyrics by John Sayles. Ode to the Mule in the MineMy sweetheart's a mule in the mine. Way down where the sun never shines. All day I just sit and I chew and I spit all over my sweethearts behind. (This is an old traditional song) Matewan, WVMy father was a coal miner in Red Jacket, WV. He got killed in 1955. I was only 2 years of age. There was 18 children in his family that lived in North Matewan. (The Gallery, Horses, Kids, Lewis Hine, Mining)
Grade B Dirties: 1942
... do that anymore. Grade B Dirties Newspaper ad from 1955: Farm market report from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/30/2022 - 3:58pm -

January 1942. "Petaluma, Sonoma County, California. Candling eggs in an egg packing plant." In contrast to the Grade AA Specials seen previously, what we have here are cartons marked "Large Grade B Dirties." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Brings back some memoriesI grew up in a small town in Indiana. There was a poulterer in town, and we kids would go there with our mother. They had an egg sorting booth completely covered in canvas to keep out the light. If they were sorting eggs we kids would pull aside the canvas and go into the booth, where one of the owner's teenage daughters would be candling the eggs just like the photo above. She was real nice and showed us how to candle the eggs. You could also go in to the back room and watch them kill and clean chickens. I don't suppose they let kids do that anymore. Grade B DirtiesNewspaper ad from 1955: Farm market report from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat (1950): Lighting!Russell Lee went all out here. The hidden key light shows up her concentration and perfect complexion, all while making it look like the glow from the candling light. In reality, that is hidden inside the cylinder with the small hole in the side. Tough love"Look, this is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you!" Great EggspectationsAll these egg pictures lately make me think of a vegan guy I know who actually eats a single egg about once a year, to remind himself, he says, that it’s food. Don't complain about egg pricesUsing an inflation calculator, the large Grade AA eggs at 58 cents a dozen would go for $6.22 a dozen today. Not all eggs are equalA "dirty" egg -- i.e. one that hasn't been washed -- will actually last longer and without refrigeration than a "clean" one. Also if you are intending to water glass your eggs to preserve them (which would have been more important in 1942 than now), you have to start with "dirty" eggs. [What makes eggs "dirty" are the stains that washing can't remove. - Dave] (The Gallery, Agriculture, Russell Lee)
Free Parking: 1937
... the show's theme song. It was on the air from 1937 through 1955. Young Mickey On display is an Ingersoll Mickey Mouse watch for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/19/2013 - 9:59am -

September 1937. "Drugstore in Washington, D.C." Marked down from 35¢: Vince, now just 29 cents. Medium-format negative by John Vachon. View full size. Overstock?Seems like the good druggist may have bought more feminine products than he had room for in the stock room. I see Sal Hepatica is on sale. That company along with Ipana Toothpaste sponsored Fred Allen's Town Hall Tonight in the late '30s. "Ipana Toothpaste for the smile of beauty and Sal Hepatica for the smile of health!" Those Modess BoxesEastman Kodak also provided oversize film boxes for use in drug store display windows. I suspect that the Modess advertising department had the same idea. Modess-becauseDoes anyone remember the ads for this product in 1950s and 1960s women's magazines, like McCall's and Ladies Home Journal? They featured a photo of a glamorous fashion model dressed in a designer gown, standing on the balcony of a Mediterranean palazzo, gazing at the stars. Below the photo was the line, "Modess-because." At the age of 6 or 7, I had no idea what they were advertising, but if you got to wear a dress like that, I wanted to buy it! A few years later, I discovered that the reality was MUCH less glamorous. Re: Times have changedIn the first summer of my life, in 1958 in Winnipeg, my mother would leave me in a carriage outside the neighbor's window while she went downtown. If I cried or fussed, the neighbor would hear and tend to my needs. (This is the story I was told.) Someday I'll Find YouMr. Keen Tracer Of Lost Persons, brought to you on this CBS Radio Station by Kolynos Toothpaste. The headline was the show's theme song. It was on the air from 1937 through 1955. Young MickeyOn display is an Ingersoll Mickey Mouse watch for 3.25. You can get one on eBay for about that much today! Kind of surprisedto see Modess prominently displayed in the front window like that. And what's that bottle cap doing there on the sidewalk? A possible refugee from a game of Skellies? Good Hope Road?I'm guessing this was somewhere on Good Hope Road, SE, which runs from what was then Nichols Avenue, and Naylor Road, or maybe Alabama Avenue. Times have changedToday it would be completely unthinkable (not to mention illegal), but back in this photo's era it was quite routine for a parent to leave an infant outside in the carriage while the parent went into a store. So what WAS Vince?Or, what IS Vince? Never heard of it. And there's no reason to google it since so many Shorpy-ites probably know the answer already. [Class? Anyone...? Anyone...? -tterrace] My guessVince Tooth Powder [A definite possibility! -tterrace] Ice Cream!I have Googled and searched, but can not make out the brand of ice cream. It does seem to have some type of AAA approval! [Wadrex Ice Cream was a brand name owned by Colonial Ice Cream Co. of Washington, D.C. -tterrace] Tony's PlaceGood Hope Pharmacy was located at 1400 Good Hope Road, S.E. The pharmacy survived till the 1960s. It looks to be the same building today. Later uses include the Southeast Neighborhood Action Board (1970s), a methadone clinic (1980s), and Good Hope Seafood (1990s). View Larger Map Babies receiving benign neglectDavidK, your comment hit home with me - my first summer was also in 1958, and my parents were building an addition to our house. They parked my carriage under a shade tree, and the neighbor lady would come and get my Mom if she heard me crying too much! Times were different, indeed. Prams in East BerlinWe were in Germany for the last three years before the Berlin Wall came down. Being a military family, at the time, we had special privileges there. One thing I noticed right away was all of the baby carriages parked outside of stores. Most of them had the babies still in them. In the 80s, no one in American, or even in West Germany, would have left babies unattended. But, there were a few advantages over there and one was a low crime rate, so people were safe leaving their babies alone in their prams while they went inside to shop. Of course, there were also many disadvantages to living there. I know that people in some parts of America did that, at one time. Child abandonmentThose who grew up in the 1950s and before were left outside on the pavement in our strollers or prams whenever our mothers shopped. As well, it was considered very healthy for a baby to sleep out in the pram, even on brisk days, well wrapped up. Not just for general health but to prevent Tuberculosis. When I was crawling, my mother also put me out in the back yard in my harness which was tied to a large screw into the lawn so I couldn't wander off. She would come out periodically to check on me and to move my toys back into reach. Leaving the children out unattended in the pram stopped after the time when we went to the local indoor swimming pool one sunny summer day in 1964. My mother pushed the stroller in under the shrubbery with my baby sister, just a few weeks old, in it and started up the stairs. I was horrified! I made a big fuss because I was worried someone would steal her. "Who would do THAT?" My mother asked. I made such a stink that my mother went and got my sister and brought her inside with us. When we came out, we discovered that there had been a flash rainstorm and the pram, one of those deep British ones, was full to the brim with water. Neither of us said a word but neither me sister or my brother who followed two years later was ever again left alone in the pram. (The Gallery, D.C., John Vachon, Stores & Markets)
Holland America: 1910
... the family entering (again at Hoboken). G-Grandpa died in 1955, still WOP (without papers). Now have an idea of what it must have looked ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 7:25pm -

Hoboken, New Jersey, circa 1910. "Holland America docks and Manhattan skyline." Another three-plate panorama showing the S.S. Rotterdam, and a different perspective on the Curious Tipsy Shed. View full size. Ocean LinersOn the other side of the pier from the Rotterdam is another Holland-America liner, although much smaller. The Rotterdam was built in 1908 and scrapped in 1940. Further to the left and behind the ferry is a Cunard liner tied up to Cunard's Manhattan pier. One of Holland-America's present day flagships (along with the Amsterdam) is a newer version of Rotterdam. You can see an image of her on Holland-America's website. The Shed.I do believe this structure was once part of another building, possibly salvaged from something that was demolished. It looks like the back (or is it now the front?) is made of Corrugated Tin while the rest is made of Wood. Possibly it's being used as temporary housing for some of the Dock workers or the Railroad people? Digital ICEThe lettering on the Lehigh Valley appears to have been faded by digital ice or some other automatic clean up program. I had to quit using it because it would randomly remove details when I did slide scans. I found it better to just do the clean up on the original and scan as is. [You're mistaken about the lettering on the boxcar -- this is how it really looked. Such software is not used on these images. - Dave] Where it all beganIn 1903 Great-Grandpa got into a little trouble in Genoa. Got on a ship to Hoboken as crew, jumped ship, "just walked away" as the story goes. In 1904 he sends for G-Grandma & toddler Grandma, there is a record of the family entering (again at Hoboken). G-Grandpa died in 1955, still WOP (without papers). Now have an idea of what it must have looked like to them, thanks. Shipping LinesI can see the Cunard Dock across the river (not hard, there's a great big sign). On this side I can only guess based on the house flags that the ships are flying, but it there's another Holland-America ship on the other side of the dock (confirmed by her funnel markings). On the far left of the photo it looks as if there's an American Line ship. On the right of the Rotterdam - on the other side of the next dock - is what appears to be a North German Lloyd ship. It would be interesting to know what the layout of company docks at Hoboken was in those days. The endThe ferry Binghamton tied up at the former Holland America pier circa 1968. Holland America left Hoboken for Pier 40 on Manhattan's West Side in 1963. Ten years after the fireThe pier on the far right was Pier No. 1 of the Norddeutscher Lloyd Line. It was constructed soon after a horrific June 30, 1900 fire burned all three of the NDL piers to the water line, gutting three of its transatlantic steamers, and killing over 300 people. Not surprisingly, the replacement piers were designed to be as fireproof as possible. (Replacement piers in the Nov. 27, 1900 NY Times.) South of the three NDL piers were the Hamburg America piers - two of which (Nos. 5 and 6) were destroyed in a 1921 fire. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
Park Avenue Cats: 1951
... VW sit up and take notice. VW of America was founded in 1955 to handle distribution directly. I've owned two 1950 Hoffman VWs over ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/04/2015 - 4:27pm -

New York, 1951. "Hoffman Motors, Park Avenue. Driver standing next to Jaguar Mark VII saloon." 5x7 acetate negative by John M. Fox. View full size. Hanging OnThough Britain's Jowett (maker of the Javelin and Jupiter) and France's Simca (last owned by Chrysler) are long defunct marques, Jaguar, despite several changes of ownership, continues to manufacture fine automobiles some 64 years after this photo was made. Mark XThat's what our music master drove. I was at the Royal High School, Edinburgh and although most of the masters and mistresses came by bus in those days (as did the boys) - he had a dark blue Mark X Jag! Grace and PaceThe poor man's Bentley; Jack Webb Loved His Mark VIISo much that he named his production company after it. Big IronLook at how much steel that front quarter panel is made of! I really have liked this era of Jag saloons. "Poor Man's Bentley"?I've heard that comment a few times over the years, but as a man whose first memory is of sitting in the back seat of our family Mark VII and who's owned seven Jaguars since (with five currently in the garage and driveway), and who's driven many a Bentley and Rolls over the years, I take exception to that remark. I choose Jaguar for its superior handling. If I were going to spend the price of a Bentley, I'd just buy three more Jaguars. The Park Avenue Theatre (1946-1952)According to this history, the Park Avenue Theatre experimented with innovations designed to cater to the high-brow neighborhood, such as an annual subscription system, and "125 double loveseats in a raised mezzanine stadium section at the rear which was for smokers." It showed "Hamlet" for well over a year, and closed just a year after this photo was taken. Go figure. A legendary importerMax Hoffman (1904-1981) was the most influential U.S. importer of foreign cars (especially sports cars) in the period following World War II. He was the original importer of Volkswagens in the eastern U.S., the sole U.S. distributor of BMWs from the mid fifties until the mid seventies, and was responsible for suggesting the design of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, the Porsche 356 Speedster, the BMW 507, and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder. He was a giant among importers, along with the legendary Luigi Chinetti, who imported Ferraris. Turn signalsThere looks like a dreaded flipper-type turn signal in the front wing (fender). My early VW had them in the post behind the door. They were pretty dim and American drivers ignored them. [That's a ventilator door. Like your VW, the "trafficator" signals were mounted in the B-pillar - the center post between the side windows. -tterrace] Morse's MarkWasn't this, except for color, then same vehicle used in the Inspector Morse television series? [Morse's was a 1960 Mark 2. -tterrace] Snob AppealThis particular marque was positioned in such socially rarefied air that even its pronunciation revealed one's breeding, ranging from "Jag-wire" (lowbrow) to "Jag-wahr" (comonplace) to "Jag-u-ah" (definitely British blueblood). Ironic, by the way, that such an aristocratic outfit pioneered the rather plebeian practice of naming automobiles after animals. VolkswagenSomewhere inside that showroom is a lowly VW Beetle, seemingly out of place among all the upscale imports. Max Hoffman was the first authorized importer of VWs, starting in 1950. (The claim that the first VWs in the US were sold in 1949 is only partially correct -- two samples were brought in and then sold rather than to bother shipping them back. They were not technically 'authorized' sales.) Hoffman's VW sales were not huge but they were enough to make VW sit up and take notice. VW of America was founded in 1955 to handle distribution directly. I've owned two 1950 Hoffman VWs over the years. I wish I'd kept one. Nice car, Very poor maintenaceIn my own experience having had a similar Jaguar in times past as a second vehicle for summer driving, I can attest that the car's handling characteristics were superb. However obtaining reliable service was another story. Friends who own the current build of Jaguar report that the service, reliability and handling are now top notch. One simply has to be able to have the money to afford such luxuries. World's fastest production carNot the Mark VII, but the XK120: "On 30 May 1949, on the empty Ostend-Jabbeke motorway in Belgium, a prototype XK120 timed by the officials of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium achieved an average of runs in opposing directions of 132.6 mph with the windscreen replaced by just one small aeroscreen and a catalogued alternative top gear ratio" (Wikipedia). RedesignedThree years after this photo, Max Hoffman would commission Frank Lloyd Wright to redesign his showroom on Park Ave. The showroom was demolished two years ago to make room for a bank branch office. Valve adjustment took over a weekMy dad spent many hours fitting, gauging and measuring with a micrometer to adjust the valve clearance on a 1958 MK VIII that was almost a visual duplicate. It drove cross-country like a locomotive and got nearly 20 mpg back in the early 70s. It had a separate tiny carburetor enabled only when the engine was cold in place of the choke, in addition to twin SU's. The brakes were super-huge drums, and the power assist and master cylinder were hidden under the floorboards. Leaky SU carburetors and sparky Lucas electrics can lead to fires in the garage. My first car....was a 1960 Jaguar Mk IX. Very similar to this car but mine had a one piece windshield ("windscreen", to the Brits)and various mechanical improvements, including disc brakes all around. I paid $800 for it in 1972. No one wanted old "Unreliable" luxury cars like that at the time. I was 18 and could barely afford to keep it running. (yes, they WERE temperamental!) But...it just radiated old world charm! All that leather and burled walnut! As a contemporary review said about their interiors:"With all the leather and fine woodworking,one almost almost expects to look over in the corner and see a fireplace!" (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John M. Fox, NYC)
Nervous and Private Diseases: 1908
... of the tower was removed? I grew up in Minneapolis (born 1955) and can only remember the tower as it is today. [1941, according to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 5:56pm -

Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1908. "Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway station." Really just a glorified waiting room for the practice of Dr. Nelson. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Now an ice rink.This building is still there but has been converted to an ice rink by the city. Nervous?Who needs Dr. Nelson? I think I see the solution to nervous & private diseases right on the sign underneath! As Homer said, it's the cause of, and the solution to, all of life's problems! Station's still there. Dr. Nelson's gone.The trains stopped running in 1971, and the depot fell into disrepair. Numerous development plans came and went until 1998, when one finally went through. It's now a complex that includes hotels, an indoor water park, an interpretive history center about the Depot, a bar, a restaurant, banquet space, underground parking and an enclosed ice rink in the old train shed. The top of the tower is lopped off now. As for Dr. Nelson, that building gave way to the US Post Office in 1915. The DepotStill standing and used as an ice rink. However, all nervous and private diseases have been cured and Dr. Nelson is no longer there. People in strange placesIt’s amazing how often old photographs will show people in unlikely places. Check out the train shed roof. Main P.O.The grey building shown on the postcard as a post office has been a government office building for many years; the "main" post office is on the river two blocks to the north. Leaning His BeatThat railway station must have been a shaky structure. Good thing that cop is there to prop it up. Don KnottsReally should have had Dr. Nelson's telephone number. Working One's Way Up in the World.Start on the ground level, depressed and nervous, burdened with a private disease. Have several Golden Grain beers and start to feel better. Go to level two feeling happier and take Dr. Nelson's cure for your private disease. (Penicillin wasn't invented yet). By the time you get to level three, all your troubles have disappeared and you can smile brightly for the photographer. Makes sense to me. Dr Nelson Co.Today he would be Dr Nelson PC. Just another practitioner. I'll bet I've been thereSometime during the mid-to-late 60s on trips to visit the relatives in Aberdeen, S. Dakota. The depot. Not Dr. Nelson's. I was not a nervous child. When did the tower get lopped?Any idea, anyone, when the decorative upper part of the tower was removed? I grew up in Minneapolis (born 1955) and can only remember the tower as it is today. [1941, according to Wikipedia. -tterrace] (The Gallery, DPC, Medicine, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Railroads)
Good Neighbors: 1960
... ceramic figurines in 18th century style, acquired around 1955. They seem to have been something of A Thing at the time. How to be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2015 - 8:14pm -

From circa 1960 comes this uncaptioned News Archive photo of a family whose reading would seem to favor religious and inspirational titles, chief among them the Bible in Mother's lap. 4x5 acetate negative. View full size. Sleigh SofaWhat a grand "davenport" those people are sitting on! I wonder where one could purchase such a piece of art today. In an 18th Century Drawing RoomNothing like that ever went on in our living room, but we did have our own set of ceramic figurines in 18th century style, acquired around 1955. They seem to have been something of A Thing at the time. How to be coolThe boy on the left has some well worn tenny runners (not sure - don't quite look like PF Flyers because of the toe cap), while the other boy has some dorky things. Books by the footJeffK's Theorem: The odds that you actually read your books are inversely proportional to the number of near-identical spines on your bookshelf. Equal Opportunity Family?I hope that, for he sake of equity, there are studio photos of Mom and the girls on another wall in the room. Family TraditionsI was probably about the same age as the boy seated and I remember the exact shoes he is wearing. His [older] brother is wearing what was called desert boots and the style lasted until early '70s. What bespeaks miles about norms applied to families and their children are the pictures on the wall with the father (looking so heavenly and pleased) with his sons' pictures. Assuming the two younger women sitting on the couch are sisters to the boys, they are relegated to a secondary role in the sibling hierarchy. Such was the times. ScaryCirca 1960, huh? Eight years later, Mom (the one in the middle with the swoopy eyeglass frames), would move in with her girlfriend. The daughters (twins?) were taken into custody in Woodstock, NY after they were found wandering down the road, barefoot, deep into their third day of tripping on LSD. The young fellow on the right was the President of a segregated fraternity, and was volunteering for the George Wallace for President Campaign. And his younger brother on the left was soliciting for the Hare Krishnas on the streets of San Francisco. Dad? He can usually be found on a bar stool at the local Amvets. An even better signI gotta think you aren't reading your books if you park a sofa in front of the bookcase! Sunday morningAnd Dad is on the golf course. The ladsappear to be wearing that staple of adolescent male attire of the day, de-hemmed trousers. Why buy new pants when you can lengthen the present pair following a growth spurt? I had a closet full of these. Indeed, my Irish mother taught me how to slice the seams with a razor blade so I could conduct the operation myself. Identical book spinesTo be fair, those sets of volumes are probably encyclopedias. That's definitely Britannica on the bottom shelf. The others could be collections of Great Books, but I suspect lesser encycs. This was towards the end of the golden age of reference books, when Britannica was a Real Source. I used to spend Study Hall hours "hypertexting" from one article to another, ending up with half a dozen or more open on the table at once. Yeah, I was geek then, too... Desert DorksThe "dorky" shoes referred to by sjmills would be Desert Boots. They were hugely popular with my pre-teen crowd in the early '60s, albeit we shunned the sole-separating-from-the-uppers look. Combine this with the women's hair styles and those cat's-eye glasses (which are creepily similar to my mom's), I'd put this photo closer to 1963 or '64. Any MorningCould be any day of the week for those who have regular family devotions. The chances that Dad is not standing there holding the camera are about zero. [Actually there is zero chance that Dad took this picture, unless he was a newspaper photographer. - Dave] oops. Why Oh Why?Do I have an overwhelming desire to run to the A&P or Acme for Wonder Bread, Krafts's Real Mayonnaise and a quarter pound of Olive Loaf? Somebody help me please and at least pass the habenaro salsa. Great Furnishings!Wow, what fantastic furniture! The sofa appears to be a fine Duncan Phyfe (note the quality carving on the backrest). The side tables are fairly old as well, and both are mahogany. The lamps also immediately got my attention. They are Sandwich glass coloured overlay lamps (likely blue, red, or possibly green) cut to clear, with composite bases (1870-1880s). Lastly the chairs are also fine and early pieces from the early to late 1800s. (The Gallery, News Photo Archive)
Holiday: 1956
... car is a 1954 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight. The car behind is a 1955 Mercury. The next car is a 1946-48 Plymouth (very subtle changes through ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/14/2012 - 4:59pm -

Somewhere in Southern California circa 1956. The car is a 1954 Oldsmobile. Another Kodachrome slide from my recent eBay find. View full size. Wedding?Two guys in what appear to be tuxes... I wonder if the previous image was related to this event? The photographer appears to be proficient at fill flash. Wedding bellsIn my opinion, this is the same lovely young lady who "loves olives" in a previous photo from the same lot of Kodachrome slides. It appears there is a wedding about to take place (men in tuxes in the background)and she is invited. Wonder if the groom is one of the guys at the previous party. Does anyone else feel like they are spying on people who don't know they are being watched? Optional accessoriesThis is back when side-view mirrors, even on the driver's side, were extra-cost equipment. Panoramic windshield1954 was the first year Olds had the wrap around windshield. They put them on the Chevy the next year. Such a contrast!To the black/white/five shades of grey we see on today's depressing cars! It's either a Super 88 or 98 because I can see stainless steel "top bows" in the roof. The turquoise and white car is a '55 Pontiac with first year V-8 and I believe the one on the left is a '55 Chevrolet. This was when GM ruled the road and every parking lot, like this one, held a majority of that brand. Their biggest problem in those years was to not get over 50% of the market otherwise they'd be charged with unfair trade practices! Today it's 17.5%, the lowest since 1922! Two toningThe car is an Olds 98. The 88 and Super 88 had a different pattern of two-toning. My all time favorite of this period.. ExcellentFantastic era. Love the Kodachrome and the car. Makes you wonder who they are, and did that have a good life. I miss Kodachrome.The colors hold up remarkably well for a nearly 50 year old slide. The magnificence of the late, lamented Kodachrome can not be understated. [Or overstated. - Dave] Facepalm! One additional "trim" commentThe 1954 98 Holiday (hardtop, as posted) and 98 Starfire (convertible) did have the same "slashing" side trim. But the 98 sedan shared the trim arrangement of the 88s. I was always partial to the trim scheme of the 98 sedan, as it appears (to me) to complement the graceful lines of the entire car better, thus giving the overall design a more coherent look. Beautiful CarI had a 1957 Olds Super 88 in my high school days in the early '70s. This picture brought back many memories. KLN 961Another (blurry) view of the car. Click to enlarge. Bonus points to anyone who can Street View this. Really hoping for an "Aunt Liz" momentMaybe someone will recognize this family. The Side ViewThe lack of mirrors reminded me of my dad. Car racing brought so many innovations and safety improvements like rear view mirrors, side view mirrors, seat belts, and various safety glass and on, and on. He raced Midgets in his younger years, and all of our cars had side view mirrors because he installed them, or had them installed from the factory. And he installed seat belts too, well before they were standard equipment. But then he also installed dual mirrors on my mom’s ’58 Chevy Impala convertible, the one with the 348 Police Cruiser engine, and she was often pulled over due to her lead foot for speeding. A very pretty Australian lady, and with that killer accent she was never given a ticket as I remember. Dad would always just laugh. Mystery CarVictrolaJazz was correct about the '55 Chevy and '55 Pontiac in the background of the photo. The real tricky one to ID is the car in between them. It's pretty rough to figure out the make or model from just the "greenhouse" area showing ... I can't! Oldsmobile!My family had the Olds dealership in Richmond California for many years. I have a few of the old dealer books, with fabric samples, loads of photos, accessory info, etc. But the best thing about the books is that at the back there are clear acetate (or plastic) images of all the models for the year, with matching cutout color swatches. You would go to the dealership and put together the colors you wanted - and where you wanted them. You would also select the upholstery you wanted. Then you placed your order and the factory would make YOUR car! I really miss our '55 88, two-tone greens! Here it is, with our tandem bike. This is at the very end of this car's tenure with our family, as it was being replaced my Dad's $3 1961 Ambassador wagon (he bought it after it was totalled in a wreck and spent his spare time putting it back to perfect condition!). My how things changeCan't help but notice how big the cars are and how small the houses in the background seem to be. Now the cars are much more compact (and efficient), but you could put two of those houses into the average new build today. But the families who lived in those small houses seem to manage. CarsCars in large photo above: The car in the middle of the two GM products looks like the top of a 1952-54 Nash. The dull window frames are a clue, Nash from 52-54 used a dull brushed aluminum on the window frames hence the lack of sun light twinkling from them. Cars in KLN 961 comment: The primary car is a 1954 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight. The car behind is a 1955 Mercury. The next car is a 1946-48 Plymouth (very subtle changes through those years) the one way back is a 1949 or 1950 Ford. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, SoCal 1956 Kodachromes)
Sauceress: 1956
... a year before Korab's Kodachrome. "This Island Earth" 1955. Detroit was a wonder I would compare Detroit from the 1920s to the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/17/2019 - 9:13pm -

1956. "General Motors Technical Center, Warren, Michigan. Design Center interior with stair in background. Eero Saarinen, architect." Our second look at the reception disk and its pilot. Kodachrome by Balthazar Korab. View full size. Eames wire chairEero Saarinen was a close personal friend and sometimes collaborator with my long time employers Charles and Ray Eames. The wire chair here and I'm sure others elsewhere in the building are probably Eero's personal nod to that relationship, as well as an appropriate statement of 50's modernism. My wife observesThe cleaning staff probably hated getting under the bottom of that thing. Run for your lives!It's a Disneyland teacup gone rogue! (Actually it's pretty darn beautiful, and a million times better than the cheap laminate cubicle I'm stuck in all day.) Her sisterHer sister had a similar post in the Metalunan Air Force, as seen on the silver screen a year before Korab's Kodachrome. "This Island Earth" 1955. Detroit was a wonderI would compare Detroit from the 1920s to the 1950s to Silicon Valley. It attracted the best engineering talent. It generated a huge amount of wealth. Which attracted a huge pool of craftsmen and artists. I lived in the Detroit suburbs for a few years in the 2000s, and the works of architecture and design in the region are astounding. Ikea BowlAs stunning as that workplace is in terms of shape, color, texture and space, the poor woman looks like food. WeeblesWobble, but they don't fall down! Machine-Age BeautyThis lobby is, I think, the pinnacle of post-war mid-century modern design, and why I became an architect. Unfortunately, it only lasted until the end of the JFK 'Camelot' era, whereupon it went downhill faster than an Edsel sales chart - we lost the excitement, the exuberance of looking to the future in favor of the allure of the cheap, mass-produced, "get it today and throw it away tomorrow" culture we are currently mired in, as evidenced by every crummy strip mall, dull office park and 'McMansion' suburb. We gave up Marilyn Monroe and got Honey Boo Boo in exchange. Jane...his wife.This looks like something that George Jetson would have driven to work every day. It's a shame it doesn't have the bubble on top! Student Lounge FurnitureI know the table and sofa were very expensive and made by a Designer, but that's what furniture like that has always reminded me of. Gorgeous!If such words may be applied to architecture. Another Eero Saarinen classic! I love the colorful lighting effects. I wonder if they were permanent or just created for this photo. [There are no "colorful lighting effects." -Dave] The Design Center was just one part of the GM Tech Center. And it makes sense that they would want a dramatic visual statement in the place where artists are designing the next generation of Motorama show cars, Harley Earl's Buick LeSabre and later Bill Mitchell's Corvette Sting Ray. The exterior was constantly used as the backdrop for photos of GM's dream cars. I hope GM's corporate troubles of the last few years have not diminished their architectural legacy. I still hope to visit one day to see for myself. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Balthazar Korab, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Charles & Ray Eames)
Christmas Wedding: 1954
... days later My parents were married on Christmas Eve, 1955, a date which I am given to understand was dictated by my grandmother. I ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 12/03/2011 - 5:51pm -

December 12, 1954. A quartet of poinsettia-brandishing bridesmaids share a moment of post-ceremony frivolity at my cousin's wedding reception, held at some ritzy country club on the San Francisco peninsula. I was eight at the time and still have some hazy memory of being in awe of this opulent venue, at the time the fanciest place I'd ever been in. More recently, I was taken aback to read in an article in The San Francisco Chronicle that the use of poinsettias in Christmas decor was now looked down upon by many as, if not merely old school, downright passé. Shows you how much I've been paying attention. My brother shot this 120 620 Kodacolor, taking advantage of the professional photographer's electronic flash by opening the shutter of my sister's Kodak Duaflex moments before the flash fired, thus explaining the candle streak at the right. View full size. What a nice touch!Their poinsettias are beautiful, although the lightning bolt on the right side is a bit creepy. I like the color.That is a lovely photo. And good thinking on your brother's part to piggyback on the flash. Kodak DuaflexI received that camera as a gift in 1953 and found it to be a user-friendly, easy to operate, convenient, inexpensive and exemplary camera for the common photographer who just wanted to snap photos without worrying about light meters, exposure times, etc. It used readily available 620 b & w film and every picture I took with it came out surprisingly sharp and detailed. Had a large viewfinder (about 2" x 2") and flash attachment for indoors and I still have all of it, including the two boxes and directions for both pieces. I really liked the results I got with it and was sorry to see it become obsolete. My cousin who gave it to me is almost 90 and is very pleased to see I still treasure it. ColorWithout the poinsettias, this wouldn't have been much of a picture. Film by Kodak - the kingtterrace said his brother shot this on 120 film. Unless I'm mistaken, that means his brother took a roll of 120 film and hand rolled it onto the 620 spool in the Duaflex. And he had to do it by feel in complete darkness because exposing the film to the slightest light would have ruined it. Great twin lens reflex camera. I think mine was a Duaflex II I used in the late 50s or early 60s. It's still around the house somewhere. So many changes in photography since WWII. 120/620 filmThanks to Dutch and OTY for educating me about the 120/620 film situation. Since they're the same film on different spindles, once they're out of the camera there's no telling them apart. All I have are the negatives, and I never explored the Duaflex specs sufficiently. I'm sure what my brother was using was the 620 version. I've amended my caption. Poinsettias are a no-no? Passe?I know why - they don't cost $5,000 and nowadays weddings are supposed to break the bank! I think they look very sharp with the white dresses!!! Great pic, terrace and Dave. Poinsettias & Red Lipstick!Poinsettias and Red Lipstick -- perfect! To think this photo is almost 60 years old and these pretty young ladies are now pushing their 80s. Things change, but Poinsettias and Red Lipstick are always in style! My parents' wedding was just about the same timeMy mother's comment on this photo: > Been there done that--only with red dresses & white flowers AND 6 " of snow. HoweverIt is a marvelous photo and extremely "well shot," but I'd love to know what was so funny for that young lady. It's obviously close to the funniest thing she's ever heard. Thanks, Tterrace. Old SchoolBack in the day, when it was okay for bridesmaids' dresses to be pretty. One year and twelve days laterMy parents were married on Christmas Eve, 1955, a date which I am given to understand was dictated by my grandmother. I don't know whether poinsettias were part of the decor. It certainly made remembering their anniversary a piece of cake. My first ChristmasI was two and half months old when this was taken. I always get a kick out of seeing things from that year. I don't care who says that Poinsettias are passe, I think they are lovely, and these bridesmaid look lovely carrying them, too! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Our New Car: 1956
... after closing its Detroit plant in October 1954. The 1955 Hudson was a restyled Nash with Hudson's '54 instrument cluster, but ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 04/03/2021 - 12:36pm -

One early September morning in 1956, my father pilots our brand new Hudson Rambler from its docking bay preparatory to its maiden voyage. Yes, I said Hudson Rambler. The distinctive front end was patterned after that of the Pinin Farina-designed Nash-Healey sports car. View full size. RamblerThink the Hudson name was on the Rambler for only a couple of years, until their merger with Nash. The first Metropolitans were also manufactured by Hudson. Rambler rootsRamblers were actually a Nash product originally, debuting in 1950. Nash and Hudson merged in 1954 to form American Motors, and Ramblers were produced with both emblems until the Nash and Hudson lines were discontinued. Ours was a Hudson Rambler because we bought it from a Hudson dealer. Metropolitans were also a Nash product initially. Beep Beep BeepPerhaps you can clear up the urban legend about Ramblers having tricky transmissions? I heard one of them had to chase down a Cadillac to get advice on shifting gears. Shifting RamblersPerhaps you can clear up the urban legend about Ramblers having tricky transmissions? The '56 had a 3-speed manual transmission, the '66 had an automatic, both apparently Borg Warner. Except for the '66 blowing its transmission on I-580 in Oakland in 1971 (yes, I have Kodachromes of it), my father had no complaints. Hey tterraceI’ll show him that a Cadillac Is not a car to scorn. Beep beep. Beep! Beep! His horn went beep beep beep. Hudson-Nash mergerHudson merged with Nash in late 1953, moving production to Kenosha after closing its Detroit plant in October 1954. The 1955 Hudson was a restyled Nash with Hudson's '54 instrument cluster, but retained "Dual-Safe" brakes and Hudson front suspension. You could get a Packard V-8 in the car. 1956 saw "modest" styling and engineering changes and further declining sales. 1957 introduced AMC's new four-barrel, dual exhaust 327-c.i. V-8. It as Hudson's last year. AMC dropped both Hudson and Nash, carrying on with the Rambler. Metropolitans were sold by both Hudson and Nash, but the car is usually associated with the latter. Beep-beep! Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America RamblingI learned to drive on a 1962 Rambler with a pushbutton automatic transmission on the dash. That thing was a tank! Wouldn't go much above 40, so Dad figured it was safe to let us drive it. We had a '59 Rambler station wagon when I was in grade school - but it didn't have the massive amounts of chrome shown here. Ramblerin' ManMy dad was a diehard Rambler man. There were Nashes before my day, then in '57 he bought a brand new wagon much like the one in the picture, but black with white roof and red side trim. Quite striking. Next came a new '59 Ambassador Custom Country Club. What a beast. 327 4V, 270 bhp. Electric windows, seat belts, headrests, push button transmission, fully reclining seats, continental tire, yada yada yada. A '65 Ambassador wagon came next and lasted him for over 300,000 miles. The last one we had was a '68 AMX 390 he bought for my mom. I got the '59 for high school use, but good old mom let me take the AMX on occasion. Dad made my sisters and brother buy Ramblers. At one point we had five of them in the family. My brother was not pleased with his '62 American. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
Apts. to Let: 1938
... Fictional Trivia The Kramden Chronicles took place in 1955. They lived in their apartment for 14 years when the show began, which ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/27/2019 - 5:13pm -

1938. "New York. East 62nd Street." Acetate negative by Sheldon Dick. View full size. Today it'd be called a "mixed use" developmentIndustrial, commercial, and multi-family residential. The president of the homeowners' association is atop the stairs on the right. Pilgrim PowerLooks like a 1935 Plymouth PJ Business Coupe. Unsure about the one behind it. Factual Fictional TriviaThe Kramden Chronicles took place in 1955. They lived in their apartment for 14 years when the show began, which means they'd been there since 1941. Just three short years after this photo was taken, Ralph, Alice, Ed Norton and Trixie will be taking up residence, sleeping on the fire escape on hot summer nights and Ralph chasing a sleepwalking Norton across the roof. King of the Urban JungleEarning his keep keeping the pesky rodents at bay A street grows in Lenox HillBoth the Apts. and the factory building next door have survived, although the factory is now offices. The candy shop is a cleaners, and the cafe's space is to let. The street and sidewalks appear to be about three feet higher, and the windows for the basement apartments are bricked up. Where are the apes?When I was a little girl, my grandparents, Carl and Vera Baier, owned a boarding house in Cody, Wyoming, which they called Baier Rooms and Apts. My cousin, equally young, thought that Apts. was really Apes. For years - even now - when I remember that, it's always Baier Rooms and Apes. The building, located on Beck Street, is long gone. No more apes in Cody. May the road rise up to meet youI am fascinated by the fact that the street level now is so much higher than it once was. Anyone have an explanation for why that is? All still there -- exceptSad to say, the Italian-American Grocery is gone. Apts to let --I want the one right next to the factory wall. How do you get to groundfrom the fire escape? [The ladder lowers. - Dave] Laundry & the East River DriveThe factory at the far left is a laundry, evidenced by the air handlers and bags of laundry or linens on the truck. Can anyone read the sign on the van? [NEW YORK LINEN SUPPLY - Dave] It's possible that the street was leveled or grading in connection with removing a small hill just north of this spot, visible here. Either that, or perhaps it changed when the East River Drive was built. Back in the 1930s, there was a small bay and inlet that drained from 63rd Street and First Avenue south east to the river at 61st Street. The land sloped down from a line of hills around First Avenue. Con Edison had several large gas holders on the flats on both sides of 62nd Street, east of First, and there was almost nothing east of York Avenue, which was less than 100 feet from the high water line. When the highway was constructed, the area was raised significantly and a bulkhead installed along the river. East 62nd Street became an entrance to the highway. No doubt the City graded the streets from First Avenue east. It may have done work here, too. Street levelThe Queensboro Bridge's upper-level ramp crosses 62nd Street a half a block west. The ramp was built in the 1950s when a roadway replaced transit tracks. I'm guessing the street was raised to accommodate the slope of the ramp. Behind Pilgrim PowerIt's a '34 - '36 International panel delivery. Street levelIt hasn't been raised quite as much as first appears. Look at the threshold of the apartment house: in the old photo the step is even with the top of the stone course at the top of the basement. In the modern photo it's even with the bottom. The lobby has been lowered by about two steps. So -- in the old photo it's six steps from the door to the street. In the modern photo it's only two, but if you take into account the lowering of the doorway by another two steps, that means that the sidewalk is only about two steps higher now than in 1938, probably somewhere between 14 and 18 inches. (The Gallery, Cats, NYC, Sheldon Dick)
The Little Foxes: 1917
... -- Cleveland Plain Dealer. Fox Bounties..... About 1955 or thereabouts, my friend Butch Wilson and I came upon a fox stole that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 1:19pm -

1917. "Mrs. Newton D. Baker." Elizabeth Leopold Baker, wife of the Secretary of War, strikes a vixenish pose. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. The huntressWonder if she field-dressed those poor things herself. All that just to keep your hands warm. Times ChangeToday, even Granny Clampett wouldn't be caught dead wearing one of those things. Mr. BakerFor Newton's sake, I surely hope she came with a dowry. FurryAh, the days before polyester fun fur. At least they used the whole animal. Yaaaah!What a terrifying outfit! CheepLooks like her hat was once wildlife too. Help! 911!Quick, someone call Animal Control before these rabid critters completely gnaw off this lady's posterior! And their mother is trying to strangle her! Foxy LadyThe snow melting on the steps lets us know why she felt the need for the whole skulk of foxes. Despite what we think of her outfit, she looks grave and modest, probably felt herself to be a well-dressed lady of her time, with quite a stylish hat. Details, detailsBeautiful architectural detailing in the door, side panels and pillars. True craftsmen at work. So rare to see today. Mrs Newton D BakerIn 1902 Baker married Elizabeth Leopold of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Baker was intelligent, charming, and well educated. She was an accomplished soprano, and when she sang at one of Cleveland's pop concerts in 1911, Baker reported that she wore a new dress with "as large a hat as anybody, which is something in this day and generation." Rotten Eggs! "Mrs. Baker was Miss Elizabeth Leopold of Pottstown, Penn. The couple were married in 1902, and have three small children--Jack, Peg, and Betty--whose very names suggest the harmony and simplicity of the Baker household. Mrs, Baker, who will become one of the Cabinet hostesses, is a woman of much force and charm. She is greatly interested in civic matters. At the moment when official word came from Washington that her husband had been named Secretary of War, and when Mr. Baker himself was engaged in a law suit in another court, Mrs. Baker was appearing in thwe Police Court in a case against a grocer charged with selling rotten eggs." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer. Fox Bounties.....About 1955 or thereabouts, my friend Butch Wilson and I came upon a fox stole that had been discarded in Jeffersonville, Ind. We removed the ears and part of the scalp and then turned it in to the post office for a $5 (?) bounty. We lived off that bounty for a week. Not foxThat isn't fox. It appears to be mink or martin. [Or marten. - Dave] Foxy funMy mother's cousin, born 1904, had a fox stole sort of like this lady's. It had the head with a snap mechanism so that it could grab its own tail and stay around your neck. As I kid, I thought it was great fun for dress up play. (The Gallery, Animals, Harris + Ewing)
Pop, Gas, Smokes: 1950s
... 50's. The Marlboros are in flip-top boxes, introduced in 1955, so it can't be before then. Bailey's Station It is apparently ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2015 - 9:03pm -

From a newspaper morgue somewhere in California comes this undated medium-format mid-century negative with the sketchy notation "Oakland service station." Who can help us to fill in the blanks? View full size. Tires balanced while-U wait.Those round things hanging on the pedestal are part of a Hunter tire balancing system. Back in the days when balancing tires was more of an art than a science those were attached to the wheels while they were on the car. The mechanic then spun the tire with an electric motor and adjusted some knobs until it felt the smoothest. After he stopped the wheel the dials on the machine would tell him where to put the weights. There was a shop in my home town using this system well into the 1980's, now of course a computerized machine is used with far greater accuracy. The Lost DotThis seems to be shortly after Dr Pepper lost the '.' My First Comment on ShorpyThe business depicted is currently DC Auto Repair, 14673 San Pablo Avenue, in the town of San Pablo, California, a few communities north of Oakland. The apartment building seen across the street is still there, and can be found on Street View at 2836 Del Camino Drive, San Pablo, California. As an Oaklander, I figured it out with the address shown, "14673," recognizing it as a high address number that would only be on one of the lengthy north-south roads that pass through Oakland. I first tried 14673 MacArthur Boulevard, because those hills and apartment building-style look like those in south-east Oakland/San Leandro. Then I tried 14673 Foothill Boulevard, for similar reasons. Then I tried 14673 San Pablo Avenue. Bingo. San Pablo Avenue is an old Mission-era road, Camino de la Contra Costa, which is also State Route 123, and runs 23 miles from the town of Crockett on the Carquinez Strait to downtown Oakland. As with so many environments from the early-mid 20th Century, the area is, ironically, now much more green and wooded despite its greater population density. [Bravo! For your next trick, what's the name over the address? -Dave] 30 cents a packAn Arkansas newspaper article dated 1957 reported prices increasing from 27 to 30 cents in vending machines. At that time, you could buy the whole vending machine itself from National Vending in Brooklyn for $75.00... far less than the cost of a carton of cigarettes these days ($85-$90 in Connecticut). The YearThat we'll never exactly know. The cigarettes in the machine tell me it is the late 50's. The Marlboros are in flip-top boxes, introduced in 1955, so it can't be before then. Bailey's StationIt is apparently Bailey's, judging from this advertisement selling a La Salle mobile home in the 20 November 1960 Oakland Tribune. Crude wheel alignments tooThe device the wheel balancer rings are hanging on is a toe gauge. The car would be driven over it slowly. This would only check the toe, not camber and caster. It was assumed if the toe was correct, caster and camber were also correct, since changing either of these angles affected toe. Doing an alignment, toe is always set last. Regarding the Hunter wheel balancer - that assembly was spinning at least 70mph, inches from your body and you hovered over it adjusting the weights to get the smoothest spin. One of the wheels was held to increase/decrease the amount of weight, and another was held to rotate the weight around the wheel. I remember balancing an old 55 Chevy with this contraption. I dialed in too much weight and knocked a whole chunk of body filler off the fender because of the vibration. We still have the motor spinner at work. We use it to find noisy wheel bearings. It has TWO motors and is 220 volts. 14740The apartment building seems to be 14740 San Pablo. The railings are pretty distinctive. 10-2-4The photo is no earlier than 1954, which is when the streamlined Dr Pepper logo on the side of the bottle cases was introduced. You are correctI was going to argue the location, but then noticed this detail. An Anxious World Wants to KnowIs he a Pepper too? 1958-1963?Those Salem cigarettes were introduced in 1956. Assuming it would take a few years of promotion to get them popular enough to include in the cigarette machine and judging by the man’s boxy suit and Brylcreemed hair which was in style at the time, I’d guess this photo is from the late fifties early sixties. 1960? '61? Going upThe automotive hoist in the bottom left of the picture was manufactured by Globe Hoist Co. I have one identical to it in my garage. Bailey's Signal ServiceYes, that would be Bailey's Signal Service at the bottom of Tank Farm Hill* in San Pablo, on San Pablo Ave. at about Lake St. I passed it every day on my way to Richmond High School in the 1960s. Apartment building in the distance is 14740 San Pablo Ave. - and it's still there with distinctive railing. * Before Hilltop Mall (1970s) and other development, the storage tank visible at the top of the hill in the picture was just one of many in a "tank farm" on Standard Oil refinery's land between San Pablo and Pinole, (The Gallery, Gas Stations)
End of the Rainbow: Cars!
1955. A rainbow over the campus of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, seems to end on a ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:10pm -

1955. A rainbow over the campus of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, seems to end on a row of classic 50s cars. The two-tone '53 Olds is nice, but I wish it wasn't obscuring the red-roofed Merc behind it. Shot by my brother, then a freshman there, on 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. 1953 OldsThat is an example of the legendary Rocket 88! The Fifties in a single picI didn't live out the Fifties, but from what I've seen and read through the years, few pictures epitomize that era for me such as this one. It goes so hand in hand with the feelings of a bright future and overall optimism promised by the Atomic Age (Cold War notwithstanding) as well as with the idealism and memories of a seemingly less complex time we tend to associate the era with nowadays. (The film Pleasantville comes to mind). The More Things ChangeNearly 55 years later and still no available parking on campus! Big Cars on CampusNot everyone on campus had the latest cars. There's a '48 Plymouth and a '49 Ford at the left, and across the street must be Dad's "old" 1949 Buick. RainbowOn the rainbow one can see a thin additional strip of UV wavelength light turned visible by the film. The Old DaysMy personal theory on why everything seemed so simple in the 'old' days is that many times the old days were merely days of our youth. And what is simpler than waking up, going to school, going home, and doing it again. Of course, with a smattering of highlights and lowlights interspersed with the mundane routines of childhood. I lived in Santa Maria in 1956-57, about 30 miles south of SLO. And I remember those days fondly. Fifth and sixth grade. Purple People Eater on the radio, huge tailfins on cars, sand dunes at Pismo Beach, sandlot baseball, and roaming the dry riverbed and cliffs which were on the way to SLO. And coincidentally the next town north from Santa Maria was Nipomo, where we just saw the Depression era photo of the mom nursing her baby. ColorsIn today's world of highly sanitized digital photography a picture like this is enjoyable to look at. The saturated colors and tones are lovely. Thanks for putting this up. Definitely need to find some Kodachrome for my Yashica Electra Rangefinder (circa 1966) and put the DSLR away for a while. MercuryHard to tell if the Mercury is a '52 or '53. A 1953 Merc was my first car, bought used in 1958 for $500 when I was in high school. You could hear the "glasspacks" a half mile away. These days, you can't tell one car brand from another, far less the year. Wallpaper This photo is so beautiful I use it as my computer background. The colors are amazing. Image Drag & DropHey, tterrace- I'm fooling around, and having a lot of fun, with http://images.google.com/ and just dragged & dropped your photo above into the search box. It came up with this delightful site http://shoeboxford.wordpress.com/page/6/ --- While I'm commenting, I've recently watched Pal Joey and Flower Drum Song. Great views of San Francisco of course, but what really caught my eye were the cars--'50s vintage, fresh and new, and I recognized every one of them, the cars of my adolescence. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
Cineplex: 1918
... in a 1919 renovation. The Apollo ceased operation in 1955 and was torn down. Long gone The Apollo opened in 1913 at 624 H ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2013 - 12:34am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Crandall's Apollo." Featured photoplays include "The Turn of the Wheel" with Geraldine Farrar and "The Marriage Ring" with Enid Bennett. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. "Don't quote meWhat happened to the second set of quote marks? Is this Miss Farrar's first "GOLDWYN" PICTURE, or her first "GOLDWYN PICTURE"? Missing end quotesThis is Miss Farrar's first "Goldwyn Picture How could they leave us hanging like that? [How's this for closure: " - Dave] Ahh, I can sleep easier tonight. Thank you Dave. LogoIt's interesting that Paramount has essentially kept the same logo for all this time Architectural FeatureCan someone comment here on what the the name is for the dental molding like feature under the overhang? I see this on Victorian homes and have done some googling but have not found a good reference for all elements of architecture so if anyone has a good link please share. [Ahem. Dentil, not "dental." - Dave] Enid Bennettwas an Australian-born actress who began her career on the stage in Sydney. After moving to New York to pursue a career on Broadway, she was discovered by The Marriage Ring's producer, Thomas Ince. She married the film's director, Fred Niblo, in 1918, and they had three children together. Her last film role was uncredited, as a store clerk in the Marx Brothers' "The Big Store" in 1941. Niblo died in 1948, and in 1963, Ms. Bennett remarried, this time to director Sidney Franklin. She died from a heart attack, in Malibu, Calif., on May 14, 1969. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0071746/ Cowboy HunsHere's the complete Liberty Bond sign seen in the entrance: MysteryI wonder what bounder stole the close-quote from Ms. Farrar's sign. We'll have to gather everyone in the Lobby, Watson. And where was the Apollo, by the way. Architectural featuresThe two horizontal bands located between the tops of the columns on either side of the Geraldine Farrar sign and the bottom of the coffered barrel vault over the theater entrance are akin to two parts of the entablature of classical architecture (entablature is the architrave, frieze and cornice resting on the capitals and columns below, and supporting the pediment above). The bottom band corresponds with the frieze and the top band with the cornice. Here, the "frieze" appears fluted rather than denticulated, with diamonds resting over the columns and quoins at the corners. (Dentils are small projecting blocks; flutes are the shallow vertical gouges, like the fluted columns of the Ionic and Corinithian orders, for example). The "cornice" above is composed of Greek key fret. If by "overhang" you are referring to the bracketed cornice near the top of the facade (just under the Apollo sign), that appears to be egg-and-dart moulding (in the shadows behind the light bulbs). I don't know of any single website source for this other than Wikipedia, which helped in refreshing my memory; I haven't had to use these terms since I switched careers almost 15 years ago, but I didn't spot any glaring errors there. (See the "columns and entablature" category, which will lead you to "entablature," "dentil," etc.) TechnologyIt's interesting to reflect on the advances in technology that were happening around this time. Geraldine Farrar was a very well known recording artist and operatic singer as well as a popular movie actress, yet in 1918 we could either hear her or see her, but not both simultaneously. That feat would take a few more years. Lost WashingtonLost Washington: The Apollo Theatre. Fourth Liberty LoanThis is the poster on the right. Modillionsare the S-shaped brackets under the projecting cornice near the top of the facade. Handsome and high-classLet's see what Headley's "Motion Picture Exhbition in Washington, D.C." has to say about the Apollo, "the pride of H Street for many years." Opened in the fall of 1913, it reportedly had the largest seating capacity of any Washington theater of the time. A balcony was added in the early 1920s, expanding its capacity to nearly 1,000 seats. Two Powers 6A projectors delivered a 14- by 18-foot image on a "gold fibre screen." An open-air theater (for screenings in pre-air conditioning D.C.) was located just to the right of the Apollo in the image. The board fence that we see was replaced by a wall of gold-colored bricks in a 1919 renovation. The Apollo ceased operation in 1955 and was torn down. Long goneThe Apollo opened in 1913 at 624 H Street NE, in an area that the 20th century wasn't good to. The theater apparently closed in the late 1950s and there were plans to convert it into a garage. The site is now occupied by a self-storage place. Release DatesBirds of a Feather- Monday June 3rd The Marriage Ring- Monday August 26th Turn of the Reel Sunday- September 1st So fairly simple to work out when the photo was taken (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
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