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Goes to School Now (He Says)
On streets near Daniel Mill. Lincolnton, North Carolina. November 1908. Right hand boy is Dan Biggerstaff. 10 years old. Has ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/14/2007 - 3:09am -

On streets near Daniel Mill. Lincolnton, North Carolina. November 1908. Right hand boy is Dan Biggerstaff. 10 years old. Has worked three years. Goes to school now (he says). Left hand, John Erwin. Said 11 years old. Has worked nights. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Goes to School:Now I know what knickers looked like. Also, it must have been unbelievably hot there in the dead of summer without air conditioning. Living in the south before air conditioning or never having it would certainly nurture strength of character. Bee. Hot, Hot, HotI grew up in suburban West Florida before the advent of home air conditioning. It was used in some stores ("20 degrees cooler Inside!"). We slept on screened-in porches in summer and sprinkled water on our sheets and pillows at night. Sometimes an alligator would stroll by the porch in the moonlight and my sister would always get up and lock the door, which I thought stupid. My grandmother had brought back two large Hummel dolls, Hansel and Gretel, from Germany and Mother stored them on the top shelf of a closet. They were made of real rubber and melted...actually melted. Work at 8Children often worked alongside their parents back then. My 87 year old dad is the youngest of seven children & only surviving child. His brother ran away from school and at age 8 began working in a furniture factory; his father would lift him up to reach the time clock to punch in & out. He never learned to read or write, but worked for that company all his life, for many years as a supervisor. My dad's sister worked in a textile mill from age 13. She said the children would be hidden away when the labor inspectors came. She had more schooling, but not a lot. My dad dropped out of high school, but after serving in WWII returned & also went to business school on the GI Bill. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Country Kitchen: 1939
... kitchen showing stove and butter churn. Person County, North Carolina. View full size. Photograph by Dorothea Lange. Irony I work ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/07/2008 - 10:12pm -

July 1939. Corner of a sharecropper's kitchen showing stove and butter churn. Person County, North Carolina. View full size. Photograph by Dorothea Lange. IronyI work for an auction house and find it slightly ironic that these simple, utilitarian, and probably homemade items like the chair and table sell for large amounts of money as "American primitive." The Old KitchenI know what you mean, these old everyday items that people today pay loads of cash for, to sit them in the corner and brag on. What would Jeb say? I love the look of the old stoves, but couldn't live without my modern heater or stove. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Kitchens etc., Rural America)
Charley Humble: 1913
... Records show that Charles Franklin Humble was born in North Carolina on June 25, 1902, and died in Danville, Virginia in July 1987. His ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/24/2014 - 10:34pm -

May 1913. Randleman, N.C. "Charley Humble. Said he was 10 years old. Has a regular job. Been helping his sister for some months in the Deep River Mills. Mother and sister work. Father deserted." Photo by Lewis Hine. View full size. Charley HumbleThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. Records show that Charles Franklin Humble was born in North Carolina on June 25, 1902, and died in Danville, Virginia in July 1987. His widow, Rena Humble, died in Danville six months later. It appears that they had a son, but I have not yet confirmed that for sure. Recipe for longevityBe a good boy and always help your sister. Thank you, JoeThanks to Joe Manning who always seems to be able to give us informative updates for the Lewis Hine photos. It's nice to know that Charley married and lived to a ripe old age. Obituary for his StepsonI found an obituary in the Danville Register from 2004 that has his stepson listed. Charlie's wife was a "Rena Parker Bradner Humble". The son, Lester Bradner, died in 2004. The obituary also lists a 'half sister' named Joyce Strickland. I found her wedding listed in the January 16, 1972 edition of the Danville Register. Her parents are listed as "Mr and Mrs Charles F Humble of Henry Street". Her full name was Brenda Joyce Humble, and she married a Donnie Wayne Strickland. My grandfather Charley was my grandfather. Brenda, his daughter, was my mother -- the only child he and my grandmother Rena had together. She died in December 2003 from cancer. Charley had one son from a previous marriage and my grandmother Rena had a son and a daughter from a previous marriage. Grandfather was a very quiet and very special man. He never drove and we would walk lots of places when I was young. They lived near the wreck of the old 97 Train and he would always read the marker sign to me when we passed it ❤️ (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
The Auto Show: 1917
... great-grandfather was a well-to-do man in a small town in North Carolina. (He distilled and bottled legal liquor). My grandmother told me that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:05pm -

"Washington, D.C., auto show. March 3-10, 1917." A display of Chalmers and National cars. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Big cars in D.C.In these pictures of Washington, one thing that stands out to my eyes is the preponderance of BIG and expensive cars. Caddies, Packards, Pierces. Very few Fords in sight. In contemporary pics from other cities, even prosperous oil towns in Oklahoma, the only cars visible are Ford T's with perhaps an occasional Dodge. Auto Shows Auto shows prior to WWII were a different venue than we've gotten used to in these past 60 years. Because there were very few purpose-built exhibit halls anywhere in the country, auto shows were usually held in industrial loft buildings similar to the one shown in the photo. Consequently, exhibit promoters had to do their best to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse with the sort of decorations shown. On very rare occasions, well-connected promoters could wangle permission to use a high ceilinged downtown armory. [The Washington Automobile Show was held on the third and fourth floors of the Union Building downtown. There was an orchestra and dancing. - Dave] Union GarageThe first person who lived in my house bought a Chalmers in 1917 from the Union Garage, which started as a place where the smaller automakers could get together to sell their cars and not have to spend big bucks on building their own showrooms. I believe that Ford used space there. The Union Garage as such didn't last long, though the building was still standing in the 60's. Today, the lot is covered by the Verizon Center. The Army Air Corps used part of the building during WWI, but moved out quickly as the air was too foul from all the exhaust. [Below, the Union Garage in 1915. In July 1917 the building was taken over by Semmes Motor Co., which sold Dodge and Hudson cars as well as Wilcox and Vim trucks. - Dave] Granny's ChalmersI once asked my paternal grandmother what the first car she remembered riding in was and she told me it was her father's 1917 Chalmers! My great-grandfather was a well-to-do man in a small town in North Carolina. (He distilled and bottled legal liquor). My grandmother told me that a salesman brought the car out to their house and sold it to him and someone came out to pick up the salesman. She said that eventually her older brother, Sanford, "destroyed the thing and drove it right off its frame!" Spoken ForInteresting that both these cars have a sign on the windshield stating that they've already been sold. Wonder if this is the same Chalmers that manufactured tractors under the 'Allison Chalmers' name? [You're thinking of Allis-Chalmers. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Harvest Time: 1939
... outside tobacco warehouse after auction sales. Durham, North Carolina." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/10/2019 - 3:54pm -

November 1939. "Farmers looking at their checks outside tobacco warehouse after auction sales. Durham, North Carolina." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Not Exactly the JoadsThis is the second instance we've seen in the last couple of days of late-Depression farmers (first potato, then tobacco) running around in new Buicks. Surely John Steinbeck would have been surprised. Explosive proximityThis photo was taken about five blocks from where the fatal gas explosion occurred in Durham yesterday. Shorpy Vehicle Identification Imperative1939 Buick 4 door sedan Taint necessarily so Standing next to a car does not mean that it is yours. A pickup would be more appropriate for the farmers seen here. Pinstriped wheelsNotice the triple stripes on the wheels. Done by hand for sure! [Incorrect. - Dave] Buyer's car, perhaps?The chrome window trim identifies that '39 Buick as a Century Series 60. I would bet the car belongs to one of the tobacco buyers rather than one of the farmer/sellers. The carThe car is a Century I reckon - it has the fatter 7.00 x 15" tyres whereas the similar looking Special was on skinnier 6.50 x 16s. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott)
Warp Time: 1908
December 1908. Newton, North Carolina. "Boy at warping machine. Been there two years. Clyde Cotton Mill." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2009 - 9:26am -

December 1908. Newton, North Carolina. "Boy at warping machine. Been there two years. Clyde Cotton Mill." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Been there two years.....and boy, are my arms tired. ka ka thump. A warping machine isa machine which draws YARN from many PACKAGES, arranges the strands parallel in a prescribed sequence, and winds them on BEAMS for use in LOOMS. Mind numbingI cannot imagine sitting there 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week doing that boring work for 2 years. In a boy's formative years such tedious mind numbing work couldn't possibly be good. Character hardening"I cannot imagine sitting there 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week doing that boring work for 2 years. In a boy's formative years such tedious mind numbing work couldn't possibly be good." I beg to differ. That kid learned quick what hard work was, and from the looks of this photo was up to the task. (The Gallery, Lewis Hine)
Ready to Roll: 1942
May 1942. Motor detachment at the New River, North Carolina, Marine base. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:37pm -

May 1942. Motor detachment at the New River, North Carolina, Marine base. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, O.W.I. Camp LejeuneNew River flows through a large USMC base now called Camp Lejeune. My father was stationed here prior to being shipped out to the South Pacific in the summer of 1942. New River/Camp LejeuneMy granddad was at Camp Lejeune around this time. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Cars, Trucks, Buses, WW2)
Father Dead. Gives Money to Mother.
... Birch of the correct age (born 1898) appears in 1900 in North Carolina but no Stanley (who was born in 1895). [Closest I could come was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2009 - 4:26am -

May 1910. Wilmington, Delaware. "Louis Birch, 4th & Pine Streets. Newsboy, 12 years of age. Just started selling. Made 10 cents one day. Father dead. While not under any compulsion to sell papers, Louis, of his own accord, took it up in order to help support his widowed mother. Louis stays out until 12:30 every night and goes with his brother, Stanley, who is a messenger, on all calls because Stanley is afraid to be out on the street alone at night. Louis is clean, bright and willing. Visits saloons. Don’t smoke. Works 9 hours per day. Gives money to mother." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Too young to look that tiredThe look on his face, combined with the caption, will break your heart. I wish there was some way to find out what happened to Louis and Stanley. Figured it out.Aha! It came to me last night... the mother remarried, Louis and Stanley took their new father's last name, and thus disappear from the record. [AT, you are a Super Genius! - Dave] Hmm...I can't find records in the 1920 and 1930 censuses or the WWI Draft Registration for either Louis or Stanley. [What about Burch? - Dave] NopeNo likely matches under Burch either. A Lewis Birch of the correct age (born 1898) appears in 1900 in North Carolina but no Stanley (who was born in 1895). [Closest I could come was a Louis Burch, born 6/28/1898, died 1/1986 in Missouri - Dave] HeyHe looks like Toby Maguire. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Cigarette City: 1940
October 1940. "Durham, North Carolina. Five Points, center of city, with Chesterfield cigarette factories in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2019 - 9:36am -

October 1940. "Durham, North Carolina. Five Points, center of city, with Chesterfield cigarette factories in background." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. Fast-forward to today... and there are at least a dozen hipster coffee shops in this frame. One of those signsnot seen today is Murdock Ice & Coal. Chesterfield ManOne of my most vivid memories of my dad when I was a boy in the '50s was the pack of Chesterfields he kept in one shirt pocket and a Zippo lighter in the other. He said he got started on them when he was on an aircraft carrier in WW2 and had just turned 18. He had a triple bypass when he was 65 and quit cold turkey. He lived another 20 years. The cigarettes didn't kill him--he just wore out. Penny Furniture Co.There's an image on Flickr about the renovated Penny building and the repainted sign. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories, Gas Stations, M.P. Wolcott, Railroads)
Country Kitchen: 1939
... the baby after its bath in the kitchen. Person County, North Carolina, near Gordonton. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 11:31am -

July 1939. Whitfield family. Wife of tobacco sharecropper drying the baby after its bath in the kitchen. Person County, North Carolina, near Gordonton. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the FSA. View full size. Not skinny!This is the first photo I've come across in this set where the subject wasn't thin-to-scrawny. She's clearly poor, but at least not hungry. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Kids, Kitchens etc., Rural America)
Crowded House: 1940
... West Virginia; Bristol, Tennessee; or High Point, North Carolina. They are carpenters, carpenters' assistants, riggers and laborers. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/06/2020 - 3:11pm -

December 1940. Radford, Virginia. "Construction workers in room at Mrs. Jones's boardinghouse. Six men live in this room. Three beds, pay eight to ten dollars a week rent. Most of them have families they left behind in Bluefield, West Virginia; Bristol, Tennessee; or High Point, North Carolina. They are carpenters, carpenters' assistants, riggers and laborers. They make sixty cents to $1.25 per hour." Acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size. So ...Two to a bed? Cozy. ShiftyI imagine they worked different shifts, so there would always be a bed or two to spare. Maybe three night shift workers and three days? Did Mrs. Jones supply ear plugs?Lots of snoring going on I bet. Laurel and Hardy always slept two to a bed. In the movie versionThe role of the blond gentleman on the right will be played by Tab Hunter. Looking for your belt?If the guy on the right, the one with his thumb in the belt loop, is looking for his belt, it's hanging on the bed of the guy on the left. She works hard for the moneyEighteen boarders (from the previous posting) x $9/week average rent x 52 weeks = $8,424 a year gross at full occupancy. Lots of overhead, but Mrs. J. probably did OK. She likely earned every penny. (The Gallery, John Vachon, WW2)
A Bumper Crop: 1938
April 1938. "North Carolina farmer and family. Guilford County." Medium format negative by John ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/24/2017 - 1:53pm -

April 1938. "North Carolina farmer and family. Guilford County." Medium format negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Fashion ForwardDad's outfit is very edgy: White shirt and tie under overalls topped with a suit jacket. The rake and hat are great accessories. Spiffy PictureThe lone geranium sure brightens up the scene. Home Sweet HomageWas this a tip of the hat to Grant Wood? 25%That is the estimated number of kids in a picture that will have their finger in their nose when the picture is snapped. Grant Wood?Yes, but my second impression was Eddie Albert! (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Vachon, Kids)
The Reading Tree: 1939
... Note vegetable garden across footpath. Chatham County, North Carolina." Photograph by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 4:10pm -

July 1939. "Negro tenant farmer reading paper on a hot Saturday afternoon. Note vegetable garden across footpath. Chatham County, North Carolina." Photograph by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ChairHaven't seen a chair like that in years. You used to see them at nearly every house out in the country. They were fairly easy to knock together from scrap wood. [It's called an Adirondack chair. - Dave] (The Gallery, Agriculture, Dorothea Lange, Rural America)
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner: 1939
... feeding chickens on Negro tenant farm. Granville County, North Carolina." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 12:20pm -

July 1939. "Noontime chores: feeding chickens on Negro tenant farm. Granville County, North Carolina." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. Dominickers?Those black and white birds are Dominiques ("Dominickers"), I believe. We fed ours in the morning, turned them out and they got fed again in the evening in the coop. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Rural America)
Fort Sumter: 1865
1865. "Charleston, South Carolina. Breach patched with gabions on the north wall of Fort Sumter." From photographs of the Federal Navy, and seaborne ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/01/2011 - 7:13am -

1865. "Charleston, South Carolina. Breach patched with gabions on the north wall of Fort Sumter." From photographs of the Federal Navy, and seaborne expeditions against the Atlantic Coast of the Confederacy, 1863-1865. Wet collodion glass plate negative, right half of stereograph pair, from Civil War photographs compiled by Hirst Milhollen and Donald Mugridge. View full size. (The Gallery, Charleston, Civil War)
Mechanics Hall: 1903
... heavier than air flight to fruition at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Not all had greasy fingernails We currently regard the term ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/07/2016 - 10:45pm -

1903. "Mechanics' Hall, Boston." Last seen here. Coming in October: The 2nd Triennial Merchants & Mechanics Exposition. Plus: The Great Creatore and his Italian Band. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Near the cornerWhat is the object mounted on a pedestal near the corner? Anyone? [Police call box. -tterrace] One Remarkable FeatureThe Boston Evening Transcript (Sept 1903) touted advances in aerial navigation mentioning Professor Langley, Santos-Dumont, and Alexander Graham Bell. Bell's models had arrived for the exposition and the others were expected to be among the manufacturers represented. No mention of the Wright Brothers and their work. Just 2 months later, the Wright Brothers would bring controllable heavier than air flight to fruition at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Not all had greasy fingernailsWe currently regard the term "mechanic' to denote one who works with the hands to build, repair, or modify machinery, whether a Ferrari or an irrigation pump. In the 19th Century, the term was more broadly construed, often embracing today's professions of builder, designer, even architect. Associational groups of such professionals sponsored continuing education, social improvement activities, and entertainment for their members. Additionally, they were often engines of change by advocating introducing professional credentialing/licensing requirements or making them more rigorous. Thus, we see here a monument to what G. B. Shaw might have labelled a "conspiracy against the laity." Near the cornerA police call box perhaps? [Previously on Shorpy: Near the corner. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Boston, DPC)
Granville County: 1939
... whose father is in the penitentiary." Granville County, North Carolina. View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:05pm -

July 1939. "Grandson of Negro tenant farmer whose father is in the penitentiary." Granville County, North Carolina. View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. Oh!What a sweet looking child. Granville CherubWhat a cherubic looking child. He looks like he should have a pair of angel wings to go with that straw halo. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Kids, Rural America)
On the Same Team: 1943
... 200-square-mile Marine Base, Camp Lejeune, at New River, North Carolina. Evidence of the lack of racial friction may be seen in the sports ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/25/2012 - 1:00pm -

March 1943. "Negro Marines prepare for action. Breaking a tradition of 167 years, the U.S. Marine Corps started enlisting Negroes on June 1, 1942. The first class of 1,200 Negro volunteers began their training three months later as members of the 51st Composite Defense Battalion at Montford Point, a section of the 200-square-mile Marine Base, Camp Lejeune, at New River, North Carolina. Evidence of the lack of racial friction may be seen in the sports program at the camp. On the baseball team Negro enlistees and white non-com officers are teammates. Camp Lejeune has its own baseball league, with the Montford Point team a strong contender for championship honors." Medium-format safety negative by Roger Smith for the Office of War Information. View full size. Semi-ToughThis picture looks pretty cool, but the batter would definitely look tougher if he were not positioned for a mere bunt. Totally ToughHe's positioned for a quick lethal bayonet parry and thrust. Hard to break USMC close combat training. Tough CatcherThat catcher doesn't need any pads. He's a MARINE. Camp LeJeune integrated My dad was stationed at Camp LeJeune from 1959-63. I went to the base elementary school for first through third grades, with both black and white students. Nothing about the base was divided by race. It was, however, a shock to go to anything off the base and find the Jim Crow laws in full effect. I remember waiting in a line at Sears, in Jacksonville, once, and noticing that there were four restrooms: colored ladies and men and white ladies and men. I was horrified! (The Gallery, Sports, WW2)
Gaslight Alley: 1920
Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1920. "Street scene with horse and wagon." 4x5 inch nitrate ... Looks like Bedons Alley at Elliot Street Looking north. Here's a link to the map and streetview: http://goo.gl/maps/qvj7L ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/26/2014 - 2:29pm -

Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1920. "Street scene with horse and wagon." 4x5 inch nitrate negative by Arnold Genthe. View full size. Looks like Bedons Alley at Elliot StreetLooking north. Here's a link to the map and streetview: http://goo.gl/maps/qvj7L The background buildings and a shell of what's on the right remains, new structure in place of the wooden building on the left corner. The more things change...The image could as easily have been from 1820, instead of a hundred years later. Great photo. (The Gallery, Arnold Genthe, Charleston, Horses, Kids)
Fair Warning: 1940
... store operated by Mr. Coley. Stem, Granville County, North Carolina." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Arrow Beer I'd ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/11/2018 - 6:18pm -

May 1940. "Filling station and general store operated by Mr. Coley. Stem, Granville County, North Carolina." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Arrow BeerI'd never heard of it and was surprised to find it was originally made (by Globe Brewing) in my hometown of Baltimore. Globe was founded in the mid-1700s and Arrow has a long history as a brand. Here's one page with a lot of detail on the stuff. Orange Crushwhy should this bottle protect me? The brown, or amber, was introduced as a special new technique to protect the product inside from deterioration of ultra-violet light. from ORANGE CRUSH BOTTLES - the ‘KRINKLY’ AMBER ones L.S.M.F.T."Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco." No FiltersOne of my most enduring childhood memories of my dad was a pack of Chesterfields and a Zippo lighter in his front shirt pocket. He started smoking while serving in WW2, age 17. He quit cold turkey after his heart bypass when he was 65. He lived another 20 years. Lucky Guy!Forest Elmo "F.E." Boone (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets)
F.B.I. Artiste: 1938
... before I painted it. It's from things I remember about North Carolina, my home." Sam, who has been painting since 1910, is completely ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 5:58pm -

October 19, 1938. Washington, D.C. "F.B.I. messenger to exhibit paintings in one-man show. William Samuel Noisette, 37, who is just plain Sam to regular visitors at the office of J. Edgar Hoover, head G-Man, yesterday issued a statement to the press, and when close-mouthed Sam issues a statement, it's news. Sam's statement started out with crime and criminals, but that was just a teaser to lure the reader into the real subject of the release -- Sam's annual one-man art show, to be held at the local YMCA in Washington. Sam is shown with a view of Yellowstone Park painted in 1935, from a Kodak map. He has worked for 28 years in his spare time to create the exhibit." Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. Patrons of the ArtsAccording to the Washington Afro-American, J. Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson attended the opening, and later sent flowers. J. Edgar's right-hand manSam Noisette had quite a career. In his obituary he was called J. Edgar Hoover's "right-hand man." After having progressed from doorman to "personal messenger" and receptionist for Hoover, Sam was made a Special Agent in 1957. When Hoover died in 1972, his will specified "equal distribution of all wearing apparel" between his chauffeur and Sam. So you're looking at the man who inherited half of J. Edgar Hoover's closet. Although he wouldn't have had much time to enjoy it -- Sam died later that year, on his 72nd birthday. The Washington Post covered his art shows not just for years but for decades. ArtYI wonder how common it was to have an art opening at the Y!? After everything you hear about J. Edgar Hoover, this seems sort of surreal. But that just should teach me -- as it always does on Shorpy -- not to accept the conventional wisdom about historical figures. Everyone has more than one side. Ebony Magazine, 1962, "The Negro in the FBI"Noisette seems to have continued his career as Hoover's "doorman" in a way, as his position at the FBI was to greet visitors before they entered Hoover's office. http://books.google.com/books?id=-dYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=samuel... Thank you, Googlebooks, for making knowledge ever more accessible. And thank you, Dave, for bringing us this amazingly nuanced and vibrant past. Conversation Paintings Washington Post, Oct 20, 1938 Sam Noisette, Federal Doorman, Opens One-Man Art Show With "Wash Day in Dixie" as the featured picture, the fifth annual one-man art show by William Samuel Noisette — colored messenger who tends the door leading to the office of J. Edgar Hoover — opened Tuesday at the Phyllis Wheatley Y.W.C.A. "That picture really has something," Sam admitted as he showed visitors about. "It ought to have though. I kept thinking about it for years before I painted it. It's from things I remember about North Carolina, my home." Sam, who has been painting since 1910, is completely self taught — but has no trouble selling his wares. "Indeed, I do sell them," he declared. "More than 100 of my pictures have been sold to FBI officials. They started buying after I painted the portrait of Mr. Hoover's dog. That was a good picture. Mr. Hoover'll be down here to the exhibit before its over. He always comes. I sell outside the FBI, too. Courtney Riley Cooper has one of my pictures." The Hoover dog is the only portrait Sam ever did. He's a landscape artist. "Mostly an autumn landscape artist, I guess you might say. I like to paint autumn scenes best," he said. In almost every one of Sam's landscapes small figures of people can be found. Sam thinks they add interest to the landscapes. "See that old couple there in the snow scene?" he asked. "They're all bent over and almost slipping down on the slick ground. That helps the picture." The Rocky Mountain pictures and the seascapes in the exhibit are what Sam calls "conversation paintings." "I haven't been to those places," he explained. "I painted them from conversations I have heard about them." Every spare minute Sam has, he said, he spends painting or sketching. His pictures reveal a keen enjoyment of color and a masterful way of using it freely without blatancy. "I key it down," Sam said. 'And I don't work on one picture too long a time. I always have two going at once. One is to rest me from the other." (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Tenant Farmer: 1939
July 1939. Tenant farmer in Chatham County, North Carolina. View full size. Farm Security Administration photograph by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 2:40pm -

July 1939. Tenant farmer in Chatham County, North Carolina. View full size. Farm Security Administration photograph by Dorothea Lange. Tenant FarmerHe could evidently use a hand from the Southern Tenant Farmers' Union. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Portraits)
The Crime Car: 1941
... 'crime museum' traveling sideshow near Fort Bragg, North Carolina." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/30/2018 - 11:18am -

March 1941. "Car advertising 'crime museum' traveling sideshow near Fort Bragg, North Carolina." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Optional viewingFor 20 cents you can get a look at what's happening in the back seat. Crime Museum Dot ComToday, Claud Thornton's Crime Museum would be a web site. Poor Dinky"Dog killer! Maniac driver!" Car IDLincoln. Without Her ClydeBonnie Parker is just a Texas Bad Woman. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dogs, Jack Delano)
Keep a Light On: 1940
... and nights and almost another hitchhiking from my base in North Carolina to home in northwest Pennsylvania. I saw lots of scenes like this one ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/03/2020 - 7:54pm -

November 1940. "Porch light to welcome expected visitors. Pierre, South Dakota." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Truck ID1937 Ford (I bet Tom Bodett would love this pic) "Photographer of Light"What Thomas Kinkade could never achieve. Major AwardJust needs a leg lamp in the window. A lump in my throatNearly 60 years ago I spent two sleepless days and nights and almost another hitchhiking from my base in North Carolina to home in northwest Pennsylvania. I saw lots of scenes like this one along the way. Every one of them choked me up. I don't remember praying but the guy who picked me up somewhere near Mars told me I was the first hitchhiker he'd picked up since the last one beat him up and left him for dead in 1949. He took me almost all the way to my home from the middle of nowhere. It's a Wonderful LightI can see George Bailey running past, shouting "Merry Christmas, folks who left the porch light on!" (The Gallery, John Vachon, Small Towns)
The Good Earth: 1940
... are those of a neighbor. Near Farrington, Chatham County, North Carolina." Photo by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/01/2019 - 12:34am -

May 1940. "Negro tobacco planter's family. The three children in the background are those of a neighbor. Near Farrington, Chatham County, North Carolina." Photo by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Farrington's come a long wayFarrington, just south of Chapel Hill, is home to one of the most exclusive planned communities in North Carolina, with a five-star restaurant, inn, and upscale shops. I wonder if these folks are standing in the very fields that today are the home to Farrington's Belted Galloway cows. Not that long agoNothing like Big Tobacco using child labor to push cancer sticks and make 'em cheap as possible! (The Gallery, Agriculture, Jack Delano, Kids, Rural America)
How to Bed a Balloon: 1942
... the series last seen here . "Parris Island, South Carolina. Special Marine units learning how to bed down a big barrage balloon." ... it as a mode of transporting these devil balloons over to North America. Limited Utility One sees what seem to be hundreds of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/25/2013 - 3:42pm -

May 1942. Continuing the series last seen here. "Parris Island, South Carolina. Special Marine units learning how to bed down a big barrage balloon." Photos by Pat Terry and Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Signal Hill oil fieldsWe lived near Long Beach, California, during WWII and there were many barrage balloons over the oil derricks near Signal Hill. There were cables from the balloons to the ground to deter low flying enemy aircraft which might bomb the oil wells. Sometimes we could see spotlights going back and forth in the sky. It was always an eerie sight, especially at night. Bombers?Was the U.S. particulary worried about bombers coming from Japan? seems like a long way in 1942, on the prairies in Canada we, like the U.S. worried about incendiary balloons coming over on the newly discovered jetstream, seemed the Japanese had used it as a mode of transporting these devil balloons over to North America. Limited UtilityOne sees what seem to be hundreds of these things in wartime shots of British cities, the Normandy invasion fleet, etc. Though of some use in deterring low-level strafing runs by fighter aircraft, they would seem to have been less than useful against high-level bombing runs or even a skilled dive-bomber attack (say by Stukas, which the Germans had in plenitude). Still, when one has a near-monopoly on helium, one can afford to indulge in defensive systems of marginal utility, and the morale-boosting effect on the defended population or activity cannot easily be discounted. Bayonets?Humm...you would they would get in the way; especially given how long they are. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2, Zeppelins & Blimps)
Marlboro Boy: 1939
... fire next to flue of the curing barn. Granville County, North Carolina. View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2008 - 2:27am -

July 1939. "Ten-year-old son of tobacco sharecropper can do a 'hand's work' at harvest time." Seen here feeding logs into the fire next to flue of the curing barn. Granville County, North Carolina. View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Dorothea Lange, Kids, Rural America)
Life on the high sea
... Croatan Shoal Light, NC It's the Croatan Shoal light in North Carolina. Click for info. I know you said it was waterfront ... 
 
Posted by Samuel1940 - 09/20/2011 - 8:50pm -

Location: Unknown. Date: Unknown. This home appears to be a true light house. One can imagine it didn't last many storms. View full size. A Screw-Pile LightThis is an example of a screw-pile lighthouse, of which indeed only a few remain. The did indeed screw the pilings into the bottom. They were particularly popular in the Chesapeake Bay region, but they saw use in NC and along the gulf coast too, and there are a number of monster versions along the Florida coast. They were actually pretty tough in the face of storms, particularly since they were mostly used in more sheltered locations where they didn't have to deal with ocean storm waves. Their real nemesis (besides the USCG, which tended to remove the house once they became automated) was ice, which would ride up the piles and push the house off the foundation. There were several instances in which the house ended up being carried down the bay, occupants and all. I can't identify this particular light with any certainty, but it might be the Lower Cedar Point Light on the lower Potomac River. Croatan Shoal Light, NCIt's the Croatan Shoal light in North Carolina. Click for info. I know you saidit was waterfront property but this is rediculas. [We used to summer at Rediculas. - Dave] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Hyphen House: 1939
... (Dr. Gideon Hunt Macon), Airlie vicinity, Halifax County, North Carolina." Seen earlier here from a different vantage. 8x10 inch acetate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/05/2013 - 11:36am -

1939. "Williams-Reid-Macon House (Dr. Gideon Hunt Macon), Airlie vicinity, Halifax County, North Carolina." Seen earlier here from a different vantage. 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. WatcherLittle one watching the camera from the window on the right. The watcherNow that is spooky. Why would someone be in that house. Ooh, love a mystery. Size isn't everythingA stunningly beautiful example of the Early Classical Revival style; even in its decayed state. The shaped columns are delightful. What a gem! Larger examples of the style can get ungainly. House is a homeI suspect that this house was actually in use as a home. Many people from that part of the country enter by the back door, so the steps at the front aren't needed. Its a good thing too because that first step would be a doozy! (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
Electric Shoe Shop: 1939
... "Street encounter on a Saturday afternoon. Pittsboro, North Carolina." Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/14/2012 - 5:36am -

July 1939. "Street encounter on a Saturday afternoon. Pittsboro, North Carolina." Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange. View full size. Shoe shop is goneBut here is the post office. Excellent compositionWhat brilliant geometries in this photograph: the diagonals of the cars drawing us in to the women on the sidewalk, set against the sloping plane of the building facades. Then the women: all three captured in reflection in the car on the right, plus the bottom halves of the adults in the car on the left. The languid pose of the tall woman, randomly raising an arm to adjust a stray bit of hair, forever hiding her face from the viewer. And the knock-kneed child, tiny purse clutched in her pudgy hand, staring down the photographer. Pull for the Electric Shoe ShopThe insulators for the electric service drop have pulled out of the wall. I hope that a fire doesn't ensue. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dorothea Lange, Stores & Markets)
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