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Ferrous Hauler: 1942
... to town." Seen here earlier fixing a flat. Photo by John Vachon for the FSA. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/21/2022 - 11:52pm -

May 1942. "Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska. Farm boy bringing a load of scrap iron to town." Seen here earlier fixing a flat. Photo by John Vachon for the FSA. View full size.
Ninth Street: 1940
... Iowa." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. Quiet Street Scenes I love ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 10:39am -

May 1940. "Residential street in Woodbine, Iowa." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. Quiet Street ScenesI love quiet street views like this and also the city shot that is next. It places you as a pedestrian on the same street. This shot has a calm old-fashioned quality I really like, and I appreciate the chance to see an "average" street where people like my grandparents lived their lives. WoodbineNinth Street is not very long. This might be at Ely Street. It's hard to read the sign turned away from the camera. The Ninth Street sign is a great example of button copy, where smaller round reflectors would be fitted inside the white text. US 30 passes through town. Lincoln Street is likely the original Lincoln Highway. Nowadays the utility pole and signs would be behind the curb. I'm not sure what to make of that sidewalk. Ninth Street House for SaleAccording to Zillow there's a house for sale on Ninth Street in Woodbine for $57,000. That's a bargain by Connecticut standards except it's for sale by HUD suggesting it's a foreclosure situation with the house being in unknown condition. Might be ElyI futzed with the levels and curves in Photoshop, but I don't have enough pixels. Can we get a zoom? Odd, but the sun looks like it's coming from behind and to our left, which would make that direction South (if it's high noon), but 9th St. runs East-West. We don't know if the sign was just pushed and twisted a little or a lot. Google Earth's images of Woodbine are fairly good res. [Look again. The lady is walking along Ely (or whatever) Street. Ninth is perpendicular to the shadow cast by the pole. The left edge of the Ely sign is closer than the right (the ST half is pointing away from us). - Dave] Iowa HousesThis past summer my I had to go back to Iowa to sell my father's house. It was an absolutely charming craftsman (built in shelves & other wood details, original beveled glass in several windows & exterior doors, etc.), hip roof, porch), 2 bedroom, in fine shape and sold for $39K. The same house where I live now, Ithaca, NY, would be at least 150+ K more. It's possible to get a very nice house in Iowa for very little money. 901 ElyI can't make out the house number for the house on the corner, but it sure looks like this house that's for sale, at 901 Ely Street, Woodbine IA 51579, which is at the corner of Ely and Ninth. http://www.zillow.com/Gallery.htm?zpid=2146016195 And when you go to Google Maps, you can see the faint outline of the diagonal sidewalk, from the house to the corner. The house has a pending sale, listed at $24,900. A house with a little unknown history. Sign in the YardDid you notice the small sign in the yard? Along the sidewalk, left of the tree trunk. Wonder what it says. Room for rent? Sewing? Laundry?
Co-op Gas: 1941
... wed Leon Oliver Wolcott by August because her colleague John Vachon reported the news to his wife Penny in a June 27, 1941 letter. Her groom ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2020 - 8:31pm -

August 1941. "Cooperative gas station in Minneapolis, Minnesota." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Co-Op Doo-WopThis photo has a very 1950s look to it. I suppose life, fashion, architecture and design in particular, took a break during the '40s while all efforts focused on WWII. Sometimes I wonder how different the 1950s would have been if the war had never taken place. I only know of co-ops in New York CityI thought co-ops were member owned apartments in the Big Apple. Well, they are. I didn't know about other co-op ventures, like this service station. By the way, if you look by the left shoulder of the attendant, you'll see Walker Mufflers for sale. I did a search on Walker exhaust and muffler systems, and by golly, they are still in business. The things you find out here -- Neon TowerI'd love to see a night photo of this Moderne gas station, since the tower has lots of neon tubing on it. There is some neon around the overhang as well. Canada has lots of Co-op gas stations, particularly on the Prairies and in the West. Here is a list of Co-op stations on Vancouver Island, with the Canadian term "gas bar" used. Fill it Up?Just think, most people under 40 or so have never had a person come out and fill up their tank at the gas station.* I remember the first time I had to do it myself. It was down south in 1976. We ended up with self-serve up north where I lived a few years later. [*Unless you live in New Jersey or Oregon. - Dave] TiresI remember when they came spiral-wrapped in brown paper. August 1941Four more months that pile of tires will be just a memory. All the rubber for the war effort among a host of other sacrifices by Americans and their families. Co-OpedThere was a Co-Op gas station in my home town in central Ohio in the 1950s and '60s. It was part of the Farm Bureau agricultural supplies center, which was run as a cooperative with local farmers. CO-OP ragtopWow! All the way from Virginia in a 1941 Buick convertible (rag top). Probably not many convertibles in Minneapolis due to the short top down season and long northern winters. Pre-war good times. Red River Co-opThe full name of the Co-op gas stations and supermarkets in Manitoba is Red River Co-op. Photos below are of Winnipeg, my hometown. The Virginian brideA plausible candidate for the driver of the car in the Minneapolis gas station in August 1941 with Virginia plates is photographer Post Wolcott. Before the war and rationing FSA photographers drove more than they hopped trains. We know Marion Post had wed Leon Oliver Wolcott by August because her colleague John Vachon reported the news to his wife Penny in a June 27, 1941 letter. Her groom was a deputy director of a section of the Department of Agriculture, and in her 1965 oral history she explained that her marriage came with two children and a farm. Her Smithsonian bio places the farm in Virginia. Before August 1941 was over, her car had reached grain elevators in Minot, North Dakota, dude ranchers in Birney, Montana and a farm family in Laredo, and main street in Sheridan, Wyoming. Massachusetts has a local option Attendant required to fill tank in the next town over. Yeah, it's weird. Since only the folks who live there are inexperienced at filling their own tanks. The rest of us come from places where we're trusted to manage on our own. It's a "safety" thing, I guess, like the stickers requiring you to turn off your cellphone while filling, which seem to have disappeared. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, M.P. Wolcott, Minneapolis-St. Paul)
Flushing New York: 1943
... sprinkler truck." One in a series of photos taken by John Vachon for the Office of War Information documenting trucks in the Northeast. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/07/2013 - 12:33pm -

March 1943. "New York, New York. Department of Sanitation street flushing sprinkler truck." One in a series of photos taken by John Vachon for the Office of War Information documenting trucks in the Northeast. View full size. Double FlushingIt would be even better if the truck were in Flushing, as the headline could be Flushing Flushing New York. Olde Buck's other half___ FAT PENSION IS ____ TO FUND. _____ __ COMING! It saysOUR CITY, YOURS & MINE. KEEP IT CLEAN. The Other HalfI wonder what the words are on the right rear door? OUR --- YOURS --- KEEP IT --- I can only guess that the last word is CLEAN. 1933 Autocar Model UT450 1933 Autocar Model UTs were delivered to NYC. See here. Three S'sSnow plow, Suicide door and Semaphore signal. The monster front bumper is typical for snow plow mounting and is used by many city works trucks to this day. The suicide door in this case was an easy answer to deal with cab access. The semaphore turn signal, to the rear of the drivers door window mimicked arm signals and had a lever mounted in the cab most likely connected with a cable. re: 1933 AutocarIt's amazing how little trucks have changed over the years compared to cars. This 80-year-old vehicle would not look completely out of place if you'd see it performing similar duties in a big city today. A good design lasts foreverThe interesting thing is that the design of those street flushing trucks has barely changed since the 1940's. They are still a heavy truck frame with a large water tank in the back and a second smaller motor that runs a pump behind the rear axle (the reason for those large "barn doors" on the back of the tank). The nozzles that spray the water are identical to the ones you would find on a brand new street flusher today. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, NYC)
Trunk Show: 1936
... photos to be awe inspiring at times. And Russel Lee and John Vachon have created memorable images as well. But when it came to photographing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2013 - 6:17pm -

Feb. 1936. "Drought refugees in California." Dust Bowl migrants photographed by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Brave peopleYeah, they look down, but they don't look out. Dorothea Lange had a genius for finding the heart and soul of Depression America. Depressing DepressionFrom what I can tell, the baby is clinging to her mother who appears to have another one on the way. The Grandmother and the younger sister don't seem to be enjoying themselves either. If they stayed in California, their lives probably improved. Master of CompositionWhenever I look at the examples of the FSA photographers that appear here on Shorpy, I am always struck by Dorothea Lange's mastery of composition. Her photographs draw the eye in immediately, and deliver an emotional response in the viewer that all of today's digital magic cannot reproduce. I certainly don't mean to be dismissive of the other 10 FSA photographers. I find Jack Delano's railroad photos to be awe inspiring at times. And Russel Lee and John Vachon have created memorable images as well. But when it came to photographing people, Lange seemed to have an eye for composition and exposure that was above the others. Depression yearsI've been in my own depression years both emotionally and financially so I know the look on those faces. My heart goes out to them and I hope they found a way out eventually as I did. Times like that are hard on a man but more so on a women who has the natural desire to have a home and keep it warm and cozy for her family. Living in dirt is hard and uncomfortable in a lot of ways. Constantly traveling to find work is discouraging and maybe a place to put down roots again would be a deep longing for them. On the other side of the story, my mother lived through the great depression but it didn't leave much of an impression on her. Not everyone was affected with dirt and poverty even though she lived through some serious dust storms. My dad's experience was a bit different. He was a farm boy and told me they lived off the land, my grandfather lucky to have two nickles to rub together for 9 children and a wife. My grandmother had small pox over her entire body while she was delivering her 10th child. I can't even begin to imagine what life was like back then nor do I try to. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dorothea Lange, Dust Bowl)
Fun With Freon: 1953
... of a cooling system." From photos by Arthur Rothstein and John Vachon for the Look magazine assignment "Air Conditioning -- How It Works." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2013 - 6:41pm -

April 1953. "Comedians Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca posed in humorous situations with air conditioning units. Includes Caesar dressed in his 'professor' costume and Coca dressed as a mechanic, looking at a diagram of a cooling system." From photos by Arthur Rothstein and John Vachon for the Look magazine assignment "Air Conditioning -- How It Works." View full size. In a nutshellYeah. That's pretty much how it works. Reassuring Her LandlordIn 1951, with the zany Ms. Coca drawing a fine salary from the network, NBC-TV VP Sylvester "Pat" Weaver (Sigourney's dad) seems to have been asked to to provide a sort of "reference letter" : I think that Sidis pointing at the misrepresented blower vanes My Favorite YearSid Caesar is still with us, in retirement, on the West Coast, at age 91. The 1982 movie "My Favorite Year" was loosely based on his prime time TV shows. The year was 1954. He was portrayed as "King Kaiser" by Joseph Bologna as the tough guy that Sid really was. Another character was Alan Swann who was based on Errol Flynn and played by Peter O'Toole. NoviA.R.A., Frigiking, Mark IV in the early to mid-50's all used one of those huge V-4 type compressors in their air-conditioning systems with the evaporators mounted in the trunk before air-conditioning was available from the factory. It had a huge pulley to lower the RPM as compared to the much faster running engines of the day and had no clutch. I always loved to open the hood and see one of those things! 1953 was the first year factory air-conditioning would be available from the Big Three, except for a few units installed by Packard in 1940. Aunt Edna!Thats how my generation will always remember her. Your Show Of ShowsEvery Saturday night our family (mom, dad, older sister, younger brother and yours truly) happily awaited the start of an hour and a half of true comic genius. No curse words although my father used to cover my ears at times when they did their ersatz German language routines, no wardrobe malfunctions, no insult jokes. It was a magical 90 minutes which transported you away from whatever troubles you had and kept them away for a time. The only sad time was when the credits rolled and you realized that book report was still due next Monday. (Technology, LOOK, TV)
Omaha (Colorized): 1938
... store signs" in Omaha, Nebraska. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon. View full size. I love it I love colorizing old black and ... 
 
Posted by rsyung - 11/18/2010 - 1:18pm -

Taken off of Shorpy and colorized by me. November 1938. "Liquor store signs" in Omaha, Nebraska. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon. View full size. I love itI love colorizing old black and white photos and seeing the work of others. You've got a fine eye for detail and for choosing colors that make the image come to life. It's wonderful! Superb!So realistic it looks like it was actually taken in color. Beautiful job on this one.I'll take a quart of that $1.20 whiskey. Just odd thoughts on the current.Wow. I like looking at these old photos becasue they seem more real then the present. The present doesn't feel real to me. it feels transiant and bright and bleak. I know that at that time, there was motion and change too, but some how, it all felt more connected. It's like two plast happed in our country (one in 1950 and the other in 1995ish) that just disprupted everything. I find myself nostalgic for the 1920's, but even the 1980's at this point... not because there was anything GRWEAT baout them, but becasue they seemed more... what's the owrd allt he yuppies are using now? Organic? I don't know how to explain it. I'd glady do away with my cubical and "bennifits" to travel the world in the years after the first world war. I know it wasn't perfect, but then, today is so bleak and nearly every time I slow down or try and take it easy, I'm called Nostalgic. [For that Golden Age of spelling and typing? - Dave] (Colorized Photos)
Bull's Bug-Dust: 1940
... on bridge." St. Louis, Missouri. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Eads ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 10:39am -

May 1940. "Scraps of paper blowing on bridge." St. Louis, Missouri. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Eads Bridge?I think this must be the west end of the Eads Bridge. The white booth in the middle of the road at the extreme right appears to say in part: "Welcome to St. Louis." The buildings in the foreground, seemingly right up against the riverfront, are not inconsistent with Laclede's Landing. And the other, taller buildings of downtown St. Louis are where they should be if this picture is looking southwest. Finally compare the decorative railings in this picture with the railings in this postcard view of the Eads: BridgeI agree the booth says, "Welcome to St. Louis." Below the booth window I can read, "Pay Bridge Toll Here." Question: Was the Eads Bridge a toll bridge? Beyond that, I've nothing to offer. Good photo, though. Eads BridgeThis is indeed Eads Bridge looking southwest. All of the buildings in the foreground were demolished for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Arch) and I-70. I recognize two buildings as still standing: the large square building on the right horizon is the Famous-Barr department store, now owned by Macy's. Macy's has recently closed the retail store. The dark brick building in the middle ground behind the utility pole is the Security Building. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, St. Louis)
Greenhills: 1938
... airbrush. View full size. The fire station photo is by John Vachon. Why manipulation? I think I would have liked the original photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2009 - 2:11am -

October 1938. Fire station at Greenhills, Ohio, a planned community built by the federal government (Suburban Division of the Resettlement Administration) during the Depression. The image, scanned from a print, is a composite, with the utility pole and fire alarm superimposed; the asphalt was retouched with an airbrush. View full size. The fire station photo is by John Vachon. Why manipulation?I think I would have liked the original photo better. The depth of field is unnatural, the pole seems to be a hazard to vehicles coming out of the fire station and who needs a remote fire alarm right in front of a fire station? Who did the (digital?) doctoring and why? [This would have been done for something like a WPA poster or fire safety exhibit (it was cropped to be two feet tall -- see below). The print is over 60 years old, so it's not digitally doctored. - Dave] Fake sky too?It appears that the sky was also pasted on. You can see something of an edge over the trees and the firetruck's front. [You're right. The original is below. - Dave] Gotta love those Gamewell boxesSome towns still use the old style Gamewell alarm boxes. When our department did away with them they were sold as scrap to some guy who bid on them. He turned around and sold them on eBay for a small fortune. For folks who still use a landline they can be wired up with a phone line and installed in the back yard with a phone inside. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Great Depression)
Audio Spectrum: 1940
A colorized version of this 1940 photo by John Vachon. View full size. Idea This will sound like blasphemy to some ... 
 
Posted by Fredric Falcon - 06/26/2009 - 1:33pm -

A colorized version of this 1940 photo by John Vachon. View full size. IdeaThis will sound like blasphemy to some of the most purist shorpyites, but, have you tried colorizing the main subject of the photo, and leaving the background in grayscale? the contrast is, IMHO, very dramatic and artistic. Perhaps another version of this photo, colorized like that? You know, only the girl and the radio in color, and the rest in grayscale? Great work as always, please keep it up, and thanks a lot for sharing it with us! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Colorized Photos)
Hollywood and Vine (Colorized): 1939
... bill." Colorized version of 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. September, 1939. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dennis Klassen - 05/30/2011 - 8:12am -

Cadott, Wisconsin. "The week's bill." Colorized version of 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. September, 1939. View full size. ALWAYS GOODI like how your colors are understated. Whenever I place something on this site, it comes out too brilliant. If you did this on Photoshop, how many layers did you end up having? (lol)Lamyflute1@Msn.com (Colorized Photos)
Delta Thresher: 1940
... its heroic treatment of an ostensibly prosaic subject. John Vachon's stockyard workers on lunch break was another striking example of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2020 - 4:48pm -

June 1940. "La Delta Project. Driver of combine threshing oats. Thomastown, Louisiana." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What are you looking at?I love Marion Post Wolcott's work, as well as that of the other FSA photographers. This piece is particularly fine, with its heroic treatment of an ostensibly prosaic subject. John Vachon's stockyard workers on lunch break was another striking example of especially memorable imagery. With its daily presentation of so much exemplary work, I would be more than a little surprised were Shorpy not assigned viewing in certain pedagogic realms. (The Gallery, Agriculture, M.P. Wolcott, Rural America)
Slum Kids-II (Colorized)
... of proto-Opie and his sister. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size (Colorized ... 
 
Posted by Kenny - 11/30/2011 - 1:15pm -

Slum Kids-II (Colorized) from Shorpy's files. April 1940. Dubuque, Iowa. "Children who live in the slums." Our second look at this towheaded twosome, a sort of proto-Opie and his sister. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size (Colorized Photos)
Tough Nut (Colorized): 1940
... County, Michigan." Wearing Tuf-Nut overalls. Photo by John Vachon for the FSA. View full size (Colorized Photos) ... 
 
Posted by Kenny - 12/13/2011 - 11:34am -

Colorized from Shorpy's files. July 1940. "Arkansas farmer now picking fruit in Berrien County, Michigan." Wearing Tuf-Nut overalls. Photo by John Vachon for the FSA. View full size (Colorized Photos)
Rainy Day People (Colorized): 1943
... original. Another view of a 1943 rainy Times square by John Vachon. In this 1943 shot the war is a bit more visible. There is an "in case ... 
 
Posted by Avzam - 09/12/2014 - 7:22pm -

Colorized from this Shorpy original. Another view of a 1943 rainy Times square by John Vachon. In this 1943 shot the war is a bit more visible. There is an "in case of an air raid siren" sign and some loudspeakers are visible on the far away light posts. View full size. (Colorized Photos)
We Love a Parade (Colorized): 1939
... Parade." Colorized version of 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon. View full size. (Colorized Photos) ... 
 
Posted by murkyt - 03/29/2011 - 6:55pm -

September 1939. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "Boys watching Letter Carriers Convention Parade." Colorized version of 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon. View full size. (Colorized Photos)
On the Fence (Colorized)
... of an uncaptioned portrait possibly of photographer John Vachon's wife, Millicent (Penny) Leeper. 1939. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by SM Daddario - 12/08/2011 - 5:30pm -

A colorized version of an uncaptioned portrait possibly of photographer John Vachon's wife, Millicent (Penny) Leeper. 1939. View full size. (Colorized Photos)
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