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Waco: 1939
... sitting on bench on street, Waco, Texas." 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/05/2008 - 4:21pm -

November 1939. "Negro boys sitting on bench on street, Waco, Texas." 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Cheek to Cheek: 1940
... buffet supper and party. Eufaula, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Admin. View full size. Heaven, he's in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2018 - 11:12am -

February 1940. "Young couple dancing at Jaycee buffet supper and party. Eufaula, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Admin. View full size. Heaven, he's in Heaven♪ and his heart beats so that he can hardly speak! ♪ Farked!Link: Photoshop these cheeky dancers (The Gallery, Farked, Russell Lee)
Vagabonds: 1939
... his home was he said, 'It's all over.'" 35mm negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Hard Times Indeed Poor man looks shell-shocked. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/01/2012 - 10:33am -

June 1939. Another look at the fellow we saw here last week, this time with some company. "Veteran migrant worker and his wife camped in Wagoner County, Oklahoma. He has followed the road for about 30 years. When asked where his home was he said, 'It's all over.'" 35mm negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Hard Times IndeedPoor man looks shell-shocked. We younger generations have no idea what life during the Depression was like. I remember my mother saying sometimes my grandmother had nothing to feed the dog but butter (they lived on a ranch in CA). My dad, who also grew up on a ranch in CA, told me that after harvest, he, his dad and his sister would pick up discarded apricots and plums off the ground at local orchards. They dried the fruit in the sun so it would keep. He's jest plum wore outWhen I saw the first photo, life's wear and tear was quite evident. More proof here. He's probably just a few years older than his wife but looks 25 years older. The Grapes of WrathThese people look like they stepped right out of John Ford's 1940 movie and indeed look very typical of the pictures we see of real live folks during the Great Depression. But what I wonder when I see people like this, who are old enough to have been adults in the 1920's and earlier, what did they do during boom times? I guess it's like the man said, he chose the migratory life and appears to have enjoyed it. During the next five years, though, I'll bet both he and his wife were doing defense work as everyone else was. (The Gallery, Great Depression, Russell Lee)
Pee-Wee Playhouse: 1939
... family living in May Avenue camp, Oklahoma City." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ... the hill behind their shack. (The Gallery, Kids, OKC, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/22/2018 - 1:14pm -

July 1939. "Shack of family living in May Avenue camp, Oklahoma City." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. "I'm bored, Mom."In case you've ever wondered what the definition of dirt poor was, this is it. Wishing them wellAnother painful reminder of life for some during the Great Depression. Let's hope that one day these children were able to leave this poverty and live a life denied to them in 1939, so they might one day ride in the cars crossing the bridge or live in a home like the one with clean clothes drying on the line on the hill behind their shack. (The Gallery, Kids, OKC, Russell Lee)
The Desperate Hours: 1939
... Sharecropper's home." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Osh Kosh ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/03/2018 - 8:50pm -

July 1939. "Detail of square dance in hills near McAlester, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. Sharecropper's home." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Osh Kosh B' GoshGet out your best overalls and cut a rug. Sweat lodgeIn July in Oklahoma the temp is almost always in the triple digits and it seems like it would be stifling to be crammed into a sharecropper's tiny home with only a window slightly open for air and of course no a/c, with everybody dancing madly. I find the African American art on the wall of interest also. [Tell us more about that art. - Dave] (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
A Spoonful of Sugar: 1938
... New Iberia, Louisiana." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Unsafe Space ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/26/2018 - 9:17pm -

October 1938. "Ladling cane syrup from boiling vat to concentration vat at a sugar mill near New Iberia, Louisiana." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Unsafe SpaceObviously, safety was not paramount back then. Boiling sugar? Ouch! Sugar syrupDuring high school, worked in a bottling plant (Eclipse Syrup) that used a LOT of sugar syrup. It was in the air, on the floor, in your hair, on your skin. And it wasn't even hot the way the stuff in the picture is. After a few weeks, my workboots had, no lie, a hard candy shell, and bees would swarm around my feet as I walked home. Bet this guy would know that feeling. (The Gallery, Factories, Russell Lee)
Fight Club: 1941
... The scrappers last seen here . Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. One swole, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/22/2019 - 12:32pm -

June 1941. "Boxing. Transient workers living at the FSA migratory farm labor camp. Athena, Oregon (mobile unit)." The scrappers last seen here. Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. One swole, one not so muchThe guy on the left, in the current slang used by my daughters, is a "swole boy" ("swole" being swollen), meaning muscular or well-built. Gosh, those guys are y-o-u-n-g!The right hand guy looks like 16 or so, and the left guy could still be well shy of 20, too. And being transient workers. Modern first-world kids tend to be in school or in vocational training at that age, or maybe doing odd jobs between schools. A lot of modern guys would probably also envy the left guy for his muscle tone. And he got that all without spending any money (or time) on whey products, gyms, ahm, little helpers, and so forth. For what it's worth, he gets paid for it. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Russell Lee, Sports)
Crank It: 1939
... Improvised chicken coop. Corn patch." Acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Buzzfeed Looks like the flies were healthy. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/22/2019 - 12:05pm -

July 1939. "Boy living in camp near May Avenue, Oklahoma City. Photographs show exterior and interior of shacks, tents, other makeshift shelter in May Avenue camp which is partially under bridge and adjacent to city dump and hog wallow. Squalor, filth, vermin in which poverty-stricken inhabitants dwell. Water supplied by shallow wells and water peddler. Piles of rubbish and debris in which children and adults have injured feet. Privies. Families eating food from vegetable dumps, packing houses and discarded from hospital. Children clothed in gunny sacks. Malnourished babies. Sick people. Cooking, washing, ironing, patching. Improvised chicken coop. Corn patch." Acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. BuzzfeedLooks like the flies were healthy. On the other handThey didn't have to worry about earthquakes from fracking. A two-talking manOK, so he's playing an unidentified portable talking machine (perhaps a Sonora?), but it's sitting atop yet another talking machine, a later production (1917-1921) Victor Victrola model VV-XIV, which has had its top doors removed at some point. The necessity of musicIt's pretty amazing that, living in those conditions of such squalor, that this poor kid still happens to have a record player (apparently sitting on top of yet another record player!). Music must have been one of the few things these people had to help lighten their lives. No Comment??Seems odd that no one had any comments on this startling image. When it showed up on Facebook, lots of folks responded with curiosity about the boy. Did the photographer publish this print for effect or did the poor lad actually look like this? At any rate, it illustrates the horrid reality of extreme poverty in the late stages of the Great Depression. TiredThat young man's picture should be by the word "tired" in the dictionary. At least he has a phonograph to help take the edge off the evening, and his eyes aren't sunk, which indicates he's at least getting something to eat. One tired ladHe must have had one grueling day. So tired he probably doesn't realize he put the dinner leftovers in the Victrola, not the icebox. (The Gallery, Great Depression, OKC, Russell Lee)
Smooth Sailing: 1939
... of tenant purchase house. Hidalgo County, Texas." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. OCD Anyone? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2018 - 11:56am -

February 1939. "Bathroom of tenant purchase house. Hidalgo County, Texas." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. OCD Anyone?I wonder how many sailboats are in this picture. A cottage for sailThis is a lovely picture and probably the most sailboats you're ever likely to see in Hidalgo County. La Sal del Rey is a salt lake located close to the middle of the county and situated on a bed consisting of rock-crystal salt composed of 99.0897% sodium chloride. As the name suggests, this was a resource claimed by the Spanish Crown while it held Mexico and what we know today as Texas. As the lake is generally around 3 to 4 feet in depth, there is little maritime activity in the immediate environs. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Coop de Ville: 1939
... known as Oakland Heights, last seen here . Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Yuck! The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2018 - 11:22am -

November 1939. "Old mansion in Comanche, Texas." Our second look at the pigeon roost otherwise known as Oakland Heights, last seen here. Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Yuck!The open window of that turret room probably has resulted in a massive pigeon-dropping mess. Bird houseHas anyone cracked that house is for the birds? But seriously, it's a fascinating house and I would like to know more about it -- when was it built and where can it be found on Google Maps? Comanche is a very small town but I can't find it. [Possibly because it no longer exists. - Dave] You can't get there from hereYou can't find this house because it was torn down in the 1950s. Oakland Heights stood on the western half of the block bounded by North Austin Street, West Neely Avenue, North Houston Street, and West Walcott Avenue. The modern-day address would be 107 West Walcott. It was built shortly after 1887 by Dexter Walcott, for whom the street was named. Unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy it much; he died suddenly and his widow had to superintend completion. Much of the foundation is still there. If you look at the street view on Googlemaps, you can make out what I believe to be the right side foundation still there including the stairway going up on the side of the gazebo looking porch. Fascinating. (Thank you Marchbanks for the address info). Its replacementIs somewhat impressive in its own right. I looked on Google Maps and found the lot as described by Marchbanks. The sign out front says it's 105 West Walcott, and it's a shingle-sided, split level ranch, T-shaped in plan view. On the east side of the lot is what appears to be stonework from Oakland Heights' original foundation walls, backfilled with dirt and covered with grass, creating a terraced yard. Yeah, I'd live there. Has a Mr. Hitchcock lived nearby?I can see where some ideas came from. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Roof Watchers: 1938
... Louisiana." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Library of Congress. Watching ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 10:46am -

October 1938. "Group of people on roof watching parade at the National Rice Festival. Crowley, Louisiana." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Library of Congress. Watching PeopleNo one on the roof with a camera (or a cell phone). (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Plucky: 1936
... acres, owner operated." Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. This could be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 2:27pm -

December 1936. "Wife of owner-operator and wife of hired hand cleaning chickens in cellar preparatory to canning them. Chickens at this time of year are bringing six cents per pound. These are for roasting. Harry Madsen farm, near Dickens, Iowa. 360 acres, owner operated." Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. This could be grandma and me!Looking at this picture brings back memories of my youth. When I was about 14 I was spending the summer with my grandparents on a farm in Nebraska. One day my grandmother told me that we were going to dress chickens for dinner. When I told her I didn't know how, she was shocked that my mother had not taught me. She said, "well by the end of today you will be very good at it." I was, and very proud of myself, I might add! ChickenIt's been less than 100 years and most of us no longer know how to live this way. The march of progress, I guess... Wow.I've never plucked a chicken, but I've certainly eaten many over my lifetime. Like most folks, I'd bet I'd eat a LOT less if I had to do what it took to get the chicken into the pot. (Maybe that's why my grandmother and great-aunt were only sent to the yard to wring necks once a week...and why she could work wonders in the kitchen with very little meat...a hambone in the pot of pinto beans, a little bacon grease in her potato salad, etc.!) Thanks for the reminder that chicken doesn't come from cellophane packages in the grocery store! (Oh, and if you haven't read Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma," named one of the Ten Best Science Books of the Year by the NYTimes, you're missing something. His experiences on Polyface Farm were enlightening!) LookalikesI'm surprised at how many of the housewives from this period look like my mother and other relatives. It must be the clothing they wore and maybe their body language. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Animals, Russell Lee)
Bumper Crop: 1941
... were getting ready for a bumper crop." Acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Still there Behind the circular bins on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2018 - 3:42pm -

July 1941. "Adding new storage space to wheat elevator at Dayton, Washington. High yields of wheat this year were taxing storage facilities; they were getting ready for a bumper crop." Acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Still thereBehind the circular bins on the left. That pile of lumber shows just how much wood went into building these grain elevators, notice how boards were laid flat when nailed. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Railroads, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Coffee Run: 1941
... Fourth of July at Vale, Oregon." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. Hair These kids' haircuts match the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2014 - 10:58am -

1941. "Free coffee served at the picnic grounds on the Fourth of July at Vale, Oregon." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. View full size. HairThese kids' haircuts match the current hairstyles of half the soccer players in the FIFA World Cup finals now on in Brazil. Hot cupsThose metal camping cups look rustic and useful for durability, packing,etc. but they get unbearably hot when filled with coffee. Not only is it painful to hold onto them, you will burn the dickens out of your lips and mouth when you try to drink out of them. The same is true of the blue enamel (with white specks) "granite ware" camping cups. Like many things in life, they aren't always what they seem. White sidewallsNickname for that "style" of haircut in the 30's, 40's; shaved close on the sides and neck and long on the top. A variation seems to be coming back these days on young men. Re: Hot CupsThose cups do get hot. The main reason is the rolled rim which in some cups also contained a wire. All this extra metal retains a lot of heat and even if the rest of the cup seems cool enough to drink from. Some fellows I knew would cut away the rolled rim from the side they drank from. If you do that, you learn pretty quick to file it smooth. Myself, I just blow on the edge first and cross my fingers. WhitewallsLove the whitewall haircuts. I went to an old-school barber just before my interview for a faculty position at a university back in 1990. He gave me whitewalls like this before I realized what he was doing! Must have worked, since I still have the job 8-) got your ears lowered?When my 2 sons were about 10 and 12, this type of haircut (or a variant) was called the Skater cut. Now my younger son is 29 and a staff sergeant in the Air Force, and other than the long hair on top, this is how he has it cut. (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee)
Pulling Together: 1941
... July celebration. Vale, Oregon." 35mm acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Celebration ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/24/2020 - 11:21am -

July 1941. "Boys' tug of war, Fourth of July celebration. Vale, Oregon." 35mm acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Celebration activitiesSo in one of the activities (greased pig) you try to hold tight but the darn thing squooshes out of your grip, and in the other activity (tug-of-war) you try to hold tight but get a rope burn when the dry grip slips. I think I would still opt for the tug-of-war, since I’ve never forgotten the following lines from Ted Hughes’ “View of a Pig”: Once I ran at a fair in the noise To catch a greased piglet That was faster and nimbler than a cat, Its squeal was the rending of metal. Pigs must have hot blood, they feel like ovens. Their bite is worse than a horse’s— They chop a half-moon clean out. They eat cinders, dead cats. (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Tahlequah Revival: 1939
... Oklahoma." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Wow, a National (probably) ... under $40. (The Gallery, Music, Rural America, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/01/2009 - 10:34am -

July 1939. "Group of people assembled under tree to listen to revival rally on Saturday afternoon. Tahlequah, Oklahoma." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Wow, a National (probably) resonator mandolinThe intense young lady at the right is holding a National resonator mandolin, guaranteed to cut through that crowd's most fervent rendition of "Amazing Grace." A rare instrument, fairly pricey even back then. I once owned a modern replica and it was a rowdy raucous little beast. I hope she's havin' more fun than she's lettin' on. Often DunkedMy paternal grandfather was a gospel preacher in the southern states from the 1930's through the 1980's. I would often travel with him on his summer "tent meeting" tours in the 1960's and 70's. After he preached hellfire and brimstone for an hour or two in the humid southern summer evening air, he would call for folks to come down to be saved with a river or stocktank baptism. If we got to the third verse of "Just As I Am" and nobody had come forward, I took the cue and walked down the center aisle between the folding chairs to prime the pump. I've been baptized (full-dunk immersion, fully clothed) more than 100 times. Amen. Goober Pea Priming the PumpI nominate Goober Pea's anecdote as the most charming personal recollection yet posted to Shorpy. Priming the PumpAmen! Plunged beneath that cleansing flood over 100 times! Mercy! RevivalIt's just like a Renoir! Amazing GraceIn the South, that would have been called "Singing all day, and Dinner on the ground." In the early '70s I traveled with friends down to southern Illinois to a family reunion for the wife's grandmother. The next day we went down into southeastern Missouri for her family reunion, held in a pine forest. The weather was "hotter than Dutch love," as my mother used to say. I was wearing cutoff Levi's and a tattoo on my shoulder that reads "CFMartin & Co.," and I must have looked like an orangutan to those country people. All of one side of the family were Christian folks, and members of a sect that didn't allow instrumental music in church. They were wearing proper dresses, with the men in black pants and long-sleeved white shirts, buttoned all the way to the collar. I was playing guitar with the family black sheep, a whiskey-drinking fiddler named Tommy, and the church folks all gathered round on folding chairs to listen. After I'd sung a hymn, one of the older ladies leaned forward and asked, "Can you sing 'Amazing Grace'? I believe we could all sing that with you." Which they did, a cappella, in perfect shape-note harmony, sounding like the very wind in the trees. I still shiver. MandolinUncleJimmyPie: Yes, that's a National RM1 - 98% certain of model from hole pattern and tailpiece. In well-restored condition, worth something over $2K today. I don't know the 1939 price, but it was probably under $50, possibly under $40. (The Gallery, Music, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Flight Command: 1941
... Southside, Chicago, Illinois." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Famous ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/20/2018 - 11:30am -

April 1941. "Movie theater. Southside, Chicago, Illinois." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Famous theater built in 1928.It looked the same twenty years later when I took this photo. Lil Armstrong was with me—her former husband, Louis had played the Regal often, as did a virtual who's who of black performers. It was here, they say, that Aretha was crowned the Queen of Soul. Blues LandmarkMovies were OK in 1941, but 23 years later B. B. King recorded one of the greatest live albums here. (The Gallery, Chicago, Movies, Russell Lee)
Check Coolant: 1939
... friends in that town." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Rest of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/22/2018 - 1:23pm -

July 1939. "En route to California. Pouring water into radiator of migrants' car in the streets of Muskogee, Oklahoma, where the Elmer Thomas family has stopped to say goodbye to their friends in that town." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Rest of the Story50 Years Later, Family Writes Epilogue To 'The Grapes Of Wrath' Moving Out of TownIn the summer of 1963, just before my seventh birthday, we had fallen on hard times and had to move away from the town where I was born. I remember being all excited about the move. About two days after we moved into our next home, I told my parents that I was done and ready to go back to the old house. Somehow, I didn't get that this wasn't just a vacation -- that the change was permanent. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, On the Road, Russell Lee)
South Side Cartman: 1941
... are common on South Side of Chicago." 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 7:11pm -

April 1941. "Man-drawn carts are common on South Side of Chicago." 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Chicago, Russell Lee)
OK City: 1939
... terminal in Oklahoma City." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Kids, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/04/2018 - 11:33am -

July 1939. "Woman with children at streetcar terminal in Oklahoma City." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Kids, OKC, Russell Lee)
The Three Degrees: 1940
... County, Arizona. Chandler Unit." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Pride and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2018 - 4:56pm -

May 1940. "Member of the Arizona part-time farms with his wife and child. Maricopa County, Arizona. Chandler Unit." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Pride and contentmentWife is beaming with pride, husband looks content. As for the boy, bored! Hair StylingWho can forget bobby pins. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Studious Schmidt: 1940
... Tulare County, California." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Road to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2018 - 10:06pm -

November 1940. "Son of Mr. Schmidt, member of Mineral King cooperative farm, doing his homework. Tulare County, California." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Road to Safety "On Land and Water," copyright 1938. A textbook on safety. Fresh breeze This reminds me of my childhood. I remember on our acreage, flies coming into the house during summer and dying by the windows. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Company Store: 1940
... mercantile company, the hospital and the hotel." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The winner is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2018 - 12:23pm -

Spring 1940. "Store in Bisbee, Arizona. Phelps-Dodge practically owns this town: the copper mines, the principal mercantile company, the hospital and the hotel." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The winner is ... ?I remember visiting this town in the mid-'70s and thinking how picturesque it looked. Within the space of a few years, however, things grew ugly. As copper prices dropped, Phelps Dodge began cutting its work force, resulting in a harsh, violence-filled strike. The town was literally torn apart by the situation, and many lives affected. At the end, the Company declared it was getting out of the copper business in Arizona, and closed the mine, leaving the town with no viable employment. I remember seeing the news stories at the time - a picture of a now-unemployed miner holding a sign -- "WE WON!" I'm glad the town has had a resurgence of tourism and artist colony. [The Bisbee mines closed in 1974. The strike you're thinking of was in 1983, 170 miles away at the Phelps-Dodge open pit in Morenci, which is still in operation. Also, probably not "literally" torn apart, unless there was an earthquake or tornado! - Dave] Bisbee Big BoxThe Streamline Moderne store (designed by Del Webb in 1939) still stands as a sort of shopping and dining arcade, but the giant building behind it is gone. What was it? Big Box StoryThe big box building was a warehouse for the Phelps Dodge Mercantile. It was built prior to 1917, as it can be seen in photographs from the 1917 I.W.W. strike and subsequent Bisbee Deportation. It survived the 1938 fire that destroyed the previous Phelps Dodge Mercantile, which led to the construction of this new Streamline Moderne building. It was razed sometime between 1951 and 1960 and became a parking lot. Many more photos and information of Bisbee can be found at the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum website. Yesterday's tomorrows todayThe current street view seen in the earlier comment shows why surviving Streamline Moderne buildings need to be painted white as designed. The earth tone craze doesn't suit them at all. Subway Street?Think they ever had a subway there? [The Subway is the drainage channel that goes under the street. Once you get to the store, Subway turns into Tombstone Canyon Road. - Dave] Still ThereThis page has a recent shot of the Mercantile building. It looks less grand than the 1940 view, but it's still recognizable. Public transportation warThe building at the end of the street has a "Greyhound" sign on its frontispiece. On the same building there is a board saying: "Next time, try the train and BE SAFE". A message signed by Southern Pacific. Part of Phelps DodgeThe building behind the store in question was also part of Phelps Dodge at least according to the picture posted from the back, you can see the name on the building behind the Kodak lettering. Offices maybe? [Um, that's not "the building behind the store." That IS the store. Both views are from the front. That's the same sign in both photos. - Dave] (The Gallery, Mining, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Homeless Cooking: 1939
... salt meat for dinner." Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Brand names Hershey's, Quaker Oats, Oxydol, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2013 - 9:58pm -

February 1939. "Kitchen table and stove of white migrant tent camp near Harlingen, Texas. Married daughter of migrant worker cutting salt meat for dinner." Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Brand namesHershey's, Quaker Oats, Oxydol, MJB, Arm & Hammer, all still around. The box next to the Arm & Hammer seems to be a box of Jefferson Island Salt. cool clockWow! My eyes were caught by the clock in this photo. I have the same clock! I was given to me when my grand father passed away many years ago. It still works like a charm. Glad timers have gotten smallerInteresting cooking timer...do have to wonder why it is sitting on top of the stove?? Kerosene Cooking and Cost Cutting ClockThe kerosene cook stove has seen better days. The glass tank on the left held the kerosene. You run across these tanks at antique shops. While people have restored old wood or gas cook stoves to complete a "period" kitchen, you don't see many kerosene stoves restored. These stoves are still manufactured for use where natural gas and propane are unavailable or too costly. The clock maker economized by flipping the two to serve as a seven. [Not really. - tterrace] Kaboom --The stove makes me nervous... kerosene/gasoline stoves were not exactly the last word in safety under the best of circumstances, but this rusty, battered specimen is a death-wish special. Kerosene stovesI can remember two kerosene stoves from my distant childhood. The smell was... penetrating. Clock InfoI am happy to see many comments about the clock. This is a standard and mass produced kitchen clock, or gingerbread clock, and it's made by the Ingraham clock Co. This model is the "Cayuga". It was made around 1915 (but was probably made for several years). It's interesting to note that the clock doesn't appear to be running, since the pendulum isn't blurred. [This was illuminated by flash bulb; exposure would have been 1/60 second or less, fast enough to freeze any pendulum motion. - tterrace] Ingraham, like many other companies, mixed and matched their pressed wood pieces to make different models. The side pieces from this clock are seen on several different models, as is the base. The glass design also differs by year, by model, or simply by the customer's preference. Door moulding can also be slightly different from time to time, and occasionally hands get broken/lost/swapped. As for the comment about the 2 and the 7, that's not really accurate. If you look at the numerals, the two curves are different, and this is just the style of the font used. Several other fonts use the same shape for a 6 and a 9, etc. There's also no money to be saved in this particular case. It's a printed paper dial. I have seen better examples of cost-cutting on a clock dial, where the 2 in the 12 (on applied cast numerals) had a notch cut out for a rating assembly, and rather than make a "non-notched" 2 for the 2-o'clock numeral, they left the notch in it. I've attached a photo of a nearly identical (minus the glass) Cayuga. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Russell Lee)
Fight Camp: 1941
... unit. Athena, Oregon." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Graffiti ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/18/2018 - 7:29pm -

June 1941. "Transient workers. Boxing platform at FSA migratory farm labor camp mobile unit. Athena, Oregon." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. GraffitiWere the kids of the era tagging the timbers of the ring? The lines don't look natural. And I thought tagging was a modern problem. [The scribbles here seem to be in crayon. - Dave] Crayons or spray paint it's still considered "tagging". TaggingThe only tagging going on here is in the ring. As far as crayons or spray paint being used, it would be considered "tagging" only if the graffitist signed his work. Either a real name, street name, nickname, initials or personal logo, so you can mark your territory. This is a simple case of a bored little boy (off to the left) with a Crayola and a Dream. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee, Sports)
Sunflower Plantation: 1939
... Merigold, Mississippi." Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. The plot thickens. Looks like a scene of a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/14/2018 - 6:08am -

January 1939. "Headquarters and general store of Sunflower Plantation, just optioned by Resettlement Administration. Near Merigold, Mississippi." Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. The plot thickens.Looks like a scene of a gangster movie. Sunflower PlantationA pretty extensive and interesting website devoted to it, here: https://www.sunflowerplantation.org (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Jolly Time: 1936
... Popcorn stand in Ames, Iowa." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Dunnage I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/28/2018 - 9:36am -

November 1936. "Street scene. Popcorn stand in Ames, Iowa." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. DunnageI like the blocks of wood bracing the wheels to make sure the popcorn wagon is level on the sloping street. But what about that electrical wiring bracket up on the roof? The wires likely lead to a power supply nearby. The building in the background still exists in Ames, which appears to have a bustling downtown. In the attached Google street view 2017 photo there is a food truck parked in the same location as the popcorn wagon, and it sells BBQ meat under the name "Cornbred". 1926 Cretors Model D Popcorn WagonOne sold at Sotheby's in 2013 for $115,500 (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Small Oil: 1939
... Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. OSHA ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/02/2018 - 12:17pm -

        UPDATE: Click here for an alternate view. August 1939. "Independent refinery. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. OSHAQuick, how many safety violations can you find in 30 seconds? Technology unbridled Patch and go! Not an uncommon form of 'engineering as needed' for the time, but this might be the best version I've seen. I had an account here but what happened to it I do not know, so I've been lurking for quite a while; great work by everyone involved. Whoa!No doubt a future EPA Superfund site! Crude OilToday's refineries are highly engineered marvels, but this one gives a whole new meaning to the term "crude" oil. Rube Goldberg would be proud! Possible Company NameThe 1939 Oklahoma City Directory lists two possible independent oil refiners. The first is Sonneborn Brothers. This was a company large enough to have headquarters in NYC and fight Texas all the way to the US Supreme Court over a tax matter. They seem too large for this shoestring operation. The second is the Gold Band Refining Company. Their entry in the city directory lists William E Rees (Pres) and Edgar J Rees (Sec-Treas). They were located a5 1900 E Reno Ave. Double Eagle RefineryJohn J had good instincts to hit the city directory, but Vonderbees has what I consider the better guess. “The 12-acre Double Eagle Refinery Co.,” which actually refined used motor oil, is a candidate. “From 1929 until the early 1980s, the Double Eagle Refinery facility re-refined used motor oils through a process of acidulation and filtration. This process generated about 80,000 gallons of oily sludge per month.” Read all about this lovely place: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0601029 (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, OKC, Russell Lee)
Seedsto Day: 1939
... parked under gin shed. Mound Bayou, Mississippi." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Presleys of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/22/2013 - 12:42pm -

January 1939. "Funeral ambulance parked under gin shed. Mound Bayou, Mississippi." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Presleys of MississippiSeem to all be related quite closely. Anglicized from the name Bresslar they settled first in NC, then TN, and finally MS. There were related Bresslars, Presslars, Pressleys, and Presleys so it is easy to differentiate between the branches of Elvis' family. This information comes from an Australian website (figures, don't it?). Get a Handle on ItI guess the Funeral Car driver had to enter the vehicle from the passenger side. Good EyeThe Case of the Missing Door Handle. It's the wee details that are the real charm of SHORPY. That hearse looks quite well taken care of except for that little detail. I have to askAny relation to someone famous from Tupelo, Mississippi? The hearseThe hearse appears to be a McCabe-Powers body modification of a 1934 Lincoln KB, making it about five years old when this photo was taken. Based on the slight sag in the rear end and the visible compression in the rear tire, I'm wondering if the rear compartment was occupied at the time. It might just be aging suspension and a slightly underinflated tire, but you never know... The funeral directorThe hearse belongs to Powell's Funeral Home of Mound Bayou. Hybrid HearseThis hearse is comprised of components from multiple different automobiles. It is definitely not a Lincoln from 1934 as suggested below. The grille appears to be from a 1930 Lincoln or earlier as 1931 and later grills had a slight bow to the front. The 1934 Lincoln grille was body colored. The hood doors on Lincolns had straight sides only in 1932, and these hood doors don't look like they were produced by Lincoln. The 1934 Lincoln hood doors were canted towards the back of the car. The 1930, 1931 and 1933 Lincolns didn't use hood doors. The wheels and hub caps are from a 1931 Lincoln, at the latest. The 1932 - 1934 hub caps covered the bolts and lug nuts that hold the wheels to the axle. The painted black circle detail on the hub caps was only used in 1931. Although the front fender looks close to those manufactured by Lincoln in 1934, it lacks the minor upsweep that went from the driver's door towards the front wheel. In general, the front fender looks too big and seems out of place. The parking light is also missing from the fender. The rear fender does not look like a Lincoln fender from any year. The height of the chassis cover plates, the area between the bottom of the doors and the top of the running boards which was quite large in 1930, provides another clue that the chassis is not from 1934. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Self-Contained: 1939
... Privy made of automobile body." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Kitten finds ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/23/2018 - 2:46pm -

March 1939. "Home of fisherman squatter on shores of Nueces Bay. Corpus Christi, Texas. Photographs show squatters and migrants in shanty town along Nueces Bay area. Tents, shelters constructed from old boats, tar paper, automobile licenses, boxes. Privy made of automobile body." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Kitten finds fantasy living arrangementThat cat on the doorstep must know that he will have fish and seafood aplenty as long as he sticks around with fishermen squatters and he is not planning to leave this location. How lucky can one cat get? It was worse than we knowMy father (1907-1983) often said that I or my children could never imagine the hunger, squalor and hopelessness of the Great Depression. Kitten!There has never ever been a building or a place around fishing that didn’t have a cat or two. And these people, though poor, at least kept the area around their shack swept and picked up. [There's also a big dog. - Dave] ForagingOne thing I remember during the depression is foraging for extra food. We'd pick dandelions to be had for greens. Not too bad, as I remember. My dad had no job til about 1939, so we lived a while with my grandmother, and later out west on my aunt and uncles ranch. At least we wern't relegated to a shack. I don't recall feeling deprived. Most people were in the same boat. (The Gallery, Cats, Dogs, Russell Lee)
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