MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
Home

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page

Mendon L.D.S. Church: 1940
... Church at Mendon, Cache County, Utah." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Brickolage ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/19/2020 - 10:04am -

August 1940. "Congregation leaving the Latter Days Saints Church at Mendon, Cache County, Utah." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Brickolage (part 2)Love the two-tone brickwork. So simple yet so effective. Sunday BestIt is clear in this Rockwellian scene that the flat-capped boy at the foot of the steps is reconnoitering as to which of those unsuspecting girls will be the one down whose back he will deposit the frog in his pocket. Sunshine on their shouldersI almost want to squint looking at the image. Sunny day! Two thingsThing One: The spectacularly symmetrical (and extremely satisfying) composition of this photo is miraculous. The matchless Mr. Lee must have had his tripod set up and everything copacetic before the folks began piling out from services, to get it so perfect. I wonder if he wished he could have gone inside and leveled all of the window shades? I think not. The half-open door with the blackness beyond gives a momentarily unsettling frisson. Even so the picture calms the mind, which, if a photo does not excite the heart, should be the result of gazing at it. The restrained animation of the people adds the metaphor of unpredictability against the backdrop of the subliminally eternal. Thing Two: The parked perambulator is very Rosemary's Baby. Why something that is not at all anachronistic should seem so creepy is interesting. A bonus for Mr. Lee, after the fact. Bravo. Having lived nearly twenty years after the release of the film, I wonder if he realized it later. At that time it would not have seemed remarkable, but in terms of post-war cinematic iconography, the buggy is a real spanner in the works. Another one bites the dustSadly, the building lasted just 50 years. I just don't get why nice little historic buildings like this are considered disposable. I'd like to think that the preservation movement of the last couple of decades might have worked to save it from the wrecking ball. http://www.mendonutah.net/history/buildings/1914_church.htm Rosemary's BabyGreat comment by JennyPennifer. This is what makes reading the comments as good as looking at the pictures. As for the baby carriage, it made me think immediately of the stairway shootout scene from The Untouchables (1987). [A scene that was lifted from Eisenstein's "Potemkin." - Dave] That baby carriage ...I suppose Rosemary's Baby might come to mind. But in 1940, especially next to those steps, it might recall the great Russian film Battleship Potemkin, with the famous sequence of a baby carriage painfully making its way down the steps in Odessa. Or it might make you wonder if someone has abandoned a foundling there during the service, knowing some saintly soul would adopt it. In any case, a brilliantly attractive picture there in the Utah sun. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Minor Surgery: 1939
... of glass out of boy's foot." Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Foot injuries It's a wonder back in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/04/2018 - 5:29pm -

July 1939. "Resident of May Avenue camp, Oklahoma City, taking piece of glass out of boy's foot." Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Foot injuriesIt's a wonder back in the pre-vaccine and antibiotic era when kids went barefoot so much they didn't all die from tetanus and other infections. (The Gallery, Medicine, OKC, Russell Lee)
County Castle: 1940
... -- Placer County Courthouse." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. +70 Below ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/20/2019 - 11:07am -

December 1940. "Auburn, California -- Placer County Courthouse." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. +70Below is the same view from February of 2010. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Cat Patrol: 1940
... farmer. Santa Clara, Utah." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Tale of Two ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/02/2019 - 1:25pm -

November 1940. "Son of Mormon farmer. Santa Clara, Utah." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Tale of Two Taylor TotsIn August 1940, Marion Post Wolcott took a photograph of two black women and a white child on a tree-lined sidewalk in Port Gibson, MS that was used on the UK cover of "The Help" (the 2009 novel by Kathryn Stockett) and also posted on Shorpy in 2010. https://www.shorpy.com/node/7849 I had been looking at it this afternoon as I had seen a thumbnail of it on a page of MPW's photos and recognized it from the book. Clicking straight from that photo to this photo was rather amazing. Taylor Tot stroller/walkers seem to have been quite popular in the 1940s. Certainly there are many on eBay now in various states of rust or restoration. Wheels of TimeThat little cart sure brings back memories and must have been sold for years. I was born nine years after this photo was taken, and mine was powder blue (for a boy) and white. In those years, the design was not changed a bit. I found Charlie Brown!!!But may I say that it's been over 4 decades since I was capable of straddling a bar that uncomfortable looking? Happy CatsWhat a happy pair they make. That baby smile and the smiling eyes, oh my! He did not concern himself with the day to day, only the here and now. And the kitten? He just wants the laces on the boy's shoes. Only it needs to find a different way to get to them. That walker/strollerI was born in 1948 and also had one of those walkers that were converted to strollers. They were made of metal and wood and very sturdy. Ours survived in the basement for years. If I remember rightly, it was pink and white or maybe red and white originally. The stroller handle was long gone, but as an older kid, I used to play with the walker part. Well, I never.Search Google Images for 'customized taylor-tot'. Had no idea. (The Gallery, Cats, Kids, Russell Lee)
Rio Grande: 1940
... yards. Durango, Colorado." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The ... was scrapped the next year. (The Gallery, Railroads, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2018 - 3:03pm -

September 1940. "Railroad yards. Durango, Colorado." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The non-survivorThe D&RGW’s K-36 class of locos may be one of the best preserved anyplace. Eight of the ten from this order are still operational, either on the Durango & Silverton or the Cumbres & Toltec. A ninth, #483, underwent partial cosmetic restoration and stabilization by the C&TS but is currently parked “out back” at the Chama yard with an uncertain future. 485, though, was the hard-luck kid of the bunch. She crashed into the turntable pit at Salida in 1954 and was too badly damaged to be worth repairing; she was scrapped the next year. (The Gallery, Railroads, Russell Lee)
Dust in the Wind: 1937
... near Williston, North Dakota." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/17/2013 - 7:36pm -

October 1937. "Dust storm near Williston, North Dakota." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Dust Bowl, Russell Lee)
My Little Piggy: 1941
... so he can learn how to feed his pig properly." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Our Gang comedy in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/18/2018 - 11:53am -

1941. "Boy who caught the greased pig at the Fourth of July celebration at Vale, Oregon. Says he's going to join the 4-H Club so he can learn how to feed his pig properly." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Our Gang comedy in the makingCourse, what we don't know is that the curly headed child doesn't live on a farm because he's the rich mill owner's kid, and there isn't a proper place to put the pig. But he somehow gets the animal home and hides it from his Aunt Matilda (she's nearsighted, but she smells that there's just something not right). Two reels of merriment until Dad gets home from work and donates the pig to the 4H Club experimental farm out in the next county. (The Gallery, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee)
Tuf Nut: 1940
... is lifted from the lucky contestant's overalls. Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Tuf Nut ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2018 - 2:20pm -

February 1940. "Playing the game 'Fishing for Love' at a 'play party' in McIntosh County, Oklahoma." Our title is lifted from the lucky contestant's overalls. Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Tuf NutThe Mark of Quality (The Gallery, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Whirlpool: 1939
... even have a "simmer" setting. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Maybe the Maytag ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/25/2012 - 12:16pm -

January 1939. "Housewife boiling clothes -- Chicot Farms, Arkansas." Note the primitive nature of this washer -- it doesn't even have a "simmer" setting. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Maybe the Maytag wringer's on the fritzMy maternal grandmother had a Maytag wringer, (originally gasoline-engined, but converted to electric). We spent a summer with her when I was six. Once when the Maytag blinked, we washed in her identical pot and wrung by hand. I remember adding "bluing" to the rinse to de-yellow the whites. She was a little more fashionable than this woman. But my paternal grandmother, who lived for some years in Arkansas, was not. I had to look twice to make sure this wasn't her. I can't say definitively not. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
E Pluribus Unum: 1941
... of allegiance over the radio." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Smoking ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/01/2018 - 2:39pm -

July 1941. Vale, Oregon. "Baseball players and spectators stand at attention while Chief Justice Stone gives the oath of allegiance over the radio." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Smoking athletesAh, the good old days. (The Gallery, July 4, Patriotic, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Sports)
Texas Turkeys: 1939
... house in Brownwood, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Just ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2018 - 8:45pm -

November 1939. "Selected turkeys on the racks awaiting shipment. Cooperative poultry house in Brownwood, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Just wonderingDid they cover their heads before killing 'em or after? Another Depression dead turkey yarnIn the 1930s my grandfather was a county agent and professor of agriculture at Mississippi State. A lot of his job involved keeping the hard-pressed local farms solvent through very bad times. His research efforts convinced him that local farmers could make a bit of cash on the side by raising a few turkeys and shipping them north for the holidays (holidays for the Yankees, not the turkeys). A bunch of farmers quickly formed a sort of cooperative and started raising the birds, and toward the end of the year they hired a whole boxcar and sent them off to Chicago. The boxcar was shunted off to a siding somewhere along the way, the turkeys all froze to death, and they were then discarded. Utter disaster. The next year a new platoon of turkeys was ready and the co-op placed a potbellied stove and a determined farmer in the boxcar to supervise things. At last, the scheme was successful. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Russell Lee, Thanksgiving)
Thirst Trap: 1940
... bar in Mogollon, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Square ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2018 - 8:18pm -

June 1940. "Cafe and bar in Mogollon, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Square Fronts- Mogollon, New MexicoThis watercolor of the same spot is owned by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: Artist: Millard Donald Everingham Date: 1941 Medium: Watercolor Dimensions: 29.2 x 38 cm (sheet) Formerly considered a deposit of the Federal Art Project/ Works Progress Administration, probably part of an exhibition in the early 1940's. Looking for shadeBypass the benches, Hondo, and hunker down on your haunches. New Mexico in the '40s is mighty thirsty work. Rowdy crowd of messy peopleFunnily enough, here in the Spanish mainland, "mogollón" can mean something like a mess or a rowdy crowd, or even better, a rowdy crowd of messy people. Looks like a fun place to be. MogollonMogollon, once a crowded city, now a Ghost Town in Southwestern New Mexico. But long before that it was a rich archaeological culture of Native American peoples. The name Mogollon however, comes from the Mogollon Mountains, which were named after Don Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollón, Spanish Governor of New Spain (including what is now New Mexico) from 1712 to 1715. The area originally settled by the Mogollon culture was eventually filled by the unrelated Apache people, who moved in from the north. No Blatz? Improvise.Blatz is nearly forgotten today but in the mid-20th century it was a mainstream brand. Their jingle: "I'm from Milwaukee, and I ought to know! It's Draft Brewed Blatz beer, wherever you go. Smoother, fresher, less filling, that's clear. Blatz is Milwaukee's finest beer!" Immortalized via Al Pacino's line in Scent of a Woman, used as the title of this post. Blatz strikes me as a great name for a beer. Essentially a ghost town nowIt's interesting to see Mogollon (pronounced "muggy own") with so much activity and open businesses. I took a Scout troop through here a couple of years ago for a hike through the Gila National Wilderness. Gorgeous scenery and views, but certainly remote. "SAFETY FIRST"Perhaps inside the joint, but only after navigating the less than safe path to the entrance. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Progressive Farmer: 1939
... porch seen in the previous post. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Conservation ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/24/2012 - 9:50pm -

January 1939. "Housewife reading in living room. Chicot Farms, Arkansas." A peek behind the porch seen in the previous post. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Conservation was the gameMy parents, both of whom grew up on such farms, often talked about "radio days" and how they had to conserve their use of the radio so they could hear their most favored programs. Batteries were not rechargeable nor cheap so they tried to save their use as power diminished till they could get into town to get a new one. My dad told me how he and his neighbor (who later married my dad's sister, ultimately becoming my uncle) were both off to get batteries one Saturday. JL had set out in the model T and gotten bogged down firmly in the rural mud, but my dad had the good sense to make the trip by horse. Wind GeneratorsThere were small wind generators available that were specifically for charging radio batteries. My neighbor has one for an Airline radio. Old WaveIf I remember correctly, "farm radios" powered by storage batteries were still in the Emerson Radio Catalogues well into the 1960s. WirelessRural electrification took a long time. Radios such as this that looked like ordinary AC sets yet operated on battery current are known as "farm sets" for exactly that reason. It's a Setchell-Carlson, model number TBD. Rechargeable batteries?Were the batteries rechargeable? If so, what did folks do, take them to town for recharging? If not, weren't batteries expensive? Off the gridHurricane lamps on the reading table, and a flashlight on the shelf below. Suspended halfway between 1850 and 1950, metaphorically speaking. By 1950 I bet the hurricane lamps were kept in the storm cellar just for emergencies. I wonder if they had a tractor yet? Maybe for the "Gentlemen Farmers"My parents talked about those generators for charging the radio batteries. Amid those depression years, Dad's family couldn't afford one. They mentioned once that they borrowed the battery out of my great uncle's car to listen to one much anticipated program (Grand Ol' Opry, one Saturday night, if I recall correctly). By the time I came along, Mom's family had built a new farmhouse with electricity and all, but the old log-and-timber homestead quite like the one my dad grew up in remained intact and fully furnished, much as it had always been, so I was able to see where and how they'd lived in those days. It was very homey and comfortable even without all our conveniences. (The old dugout house where they'd lived even before the log home was still intact, too.) I have the old windup mantle clock that had sat on their mantle for more than 100 years now on mine. It still works properly. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
We Ate the Chickens: 1939
... eat my chickens. I get worse off every year'." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Where are they now? I wish there was a way to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/27/2018 - 12:13am -

June 1939. "Works Progress Administration worker and his wife sitting in front of their shack home on the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. This man said that last year he thought maybe he would be a little better off when he got the WPA work and had a small amount of cash coming in but that he was worse off now. 'Last year I had a cow and some chickens and I had to sell my cow and eat my chickens. I get worse off every year'." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Where are they now?I wish there was a way to find out what ever happened to the people who are "down on their luck" that are in all of these Shorpy pics. I would love to find out what the future held for these poor folks that helped build America. Sunday BestI love that even though they don't have much, they both put on their nicest clothes, including for her, a cute dress, stockings, and white dress shoes, to get their picture taken. They may not be the richest people in the world, but that's no reason not to look your best for company. My grandmother always told me that. She said that I could be living in a cave in the woods -- if someone is coming to see you, brush your hair and put on your church clothes. Poor doesn't have to mean dirty or unkempt. I hope their years progressively got better after this. The Depression.My dad, born 1922, used to tell us kids about the poor family that lived in a palmetto shack near a lake in Louisiana during this time frame. Sometimes all they had to eat was some molasses on bread. My sister and I never really believed that kind of poverty existed. This photo proves it. Same Great Depression story here My mother born 1921. Would say times were so hard that supper was bread with mustard. She quit school in 5th grade when her mother died. But she could read speak and write Russian. It always amazed me when her sisters came to visit and they spoke Russian. (The Gallery, Great Depression, Russell Lee)
House & Garden: 1939
... Near Santa Maria, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. "I smell ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/16/2018 - 8:52am -

February 1939. "Bench of potted plants at side of home of Mexican day laborer. Near Santa Maria, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. "I smell black beans cookin'"Potted plants look like "Epazote" A favorite tea herb of Mexico. A foul and disagreeable yet cherished Ingredient The Decorative UrgeVarious thinkers have posited that there are four basic human drives: food, sleep, sex, and self-preservation. But this image, like so many here that show the faces of poverty, shows that no matter how down-and-out, humans have a basic urge to decorate their surroundings. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
No Picnic: 1940
... miles from San Diego." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee documenting life in Southern California during the "Blitz Boom" of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2018 - 6:34pm -

        By May 1941, defense jobs had 1,500 people moving into San Diego every day -- seven months before Pearl Harbor. December 1940. "Carpenter's wife unpacking a trunk at tent camp for defense workers in Mission Valley, California, which is about three miles from San Diego." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee documenting life in Southern California during the "Blitz Boom" of 1940. View full size. Locker luggageMy dad was career Army so we had four or five footlockers just like that stenciled with his name and rank. I inherited them and used one while in the Air Force. Then my kids used them for Boy Scout summer camps and for going off to college. We still have two that serve as coffee tables in our basement game room. (The Gallery, Camping, Russell Lee)
The Busy Kitchen: 1941
... Malheur County, Oregon." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Wringer ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/16/2019 - 1:34pm -

May 1941. "Mrs. E.E. Botner, wife of FSA rehabilitation borrower, wringing laundry in electric wringer. This family has been on the project for about five years. Vale-Owyhee irrigation project, Malheur County, Oregon." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Wringer Washer PrimerSeveral years ago a friend of mine in Vancouver, B.C., bought a Maytag wringer washer that had never been used in forty years since it was new. We fired it up, and I made a YouTube video of its first operation. For those unfamiliar with wringer washers, this should help out. I used machines like this decades ago. In Canada, wringer machines outsold automatics until 1968. In the U.S.A. this point was reached in 1951. One reason for this was that an automatic in Canada cost triple the price of a wringer washer. I have a 1944 Beatty wringer washer I still use from time to time. Dangerous wringersBack in the '50s my cousin got caught in one of those wringers. It chewed most of the skin off the bottom of his arm before my aunt could get it turned off. He had to wear a brace for several months to hold his arm out so the skin would heal properly. They were afraid his arm would be stuck to his side if they hadn't. Kid memoryRGraham's photo brought back a long lost memory that made me smile. My mom had a mangle and I loved lying on the floor under it in the kitchen as the warm ironed sheets came off the roller on me as we listened to radio programs like "Life With Luigi" or Henry Aldrich. What's not to loveElectric stove and washing machine, running water -- all the modern conveniences in 1941. Reminds me of the Uriah Heep tune EZ Livin'. The rest of the story ...Out of curiosity, I looked up Census Bureau records based on her husband's name, and it is likely Mrs. E.E. (Lula) Botner was about 45 when this photo was taken. It appears she died in 1970 in Idaho. I expect she was probably plumb worn-out! Life was tough for us ladies back then. Thet weren't called mangles for nothingLotta fingers (and occasionally other parts of the human anatomy) accidentally passed between those rollers. Watch that hair!As Ozinor noted, a lot of accidents with those wringers. I can recall hearing stories of women who lost part of their scalps when their long hair got caught in the wringer. Wringers vs ManglesThe device on the washing machine for squeezing water out of wet laundry is a wringer. A "mangle" was a more common (and descriptive) name for an ironing machine that had two long heated rollers used for ironing flat items. Not many of these were sold because they took up a lot of space, were pricey, and--yes--because they easily mangled the hands of unwary users. ManglerAlthough I'm sure the wringer was more than capable of sucking in some body parts, the image below is what most people called a "mangler". It was a machine that ironed clothes and most any other items needing ironing. It took some practice to do it correctly. [That's a mangle, not a "mangler." - Dave] I guess they are both "mangles". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangle_(machine) We still called it the mangler. Here's a youtube instructional video if you're so inclined to try one out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkgN2YpeKu0 Power cordI suppose that the electrical cord running straight up near her head is connected to the light socket, and powers the machine. They didn't have convenience outlets back then, in the older houses. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Rural America, Russell Lee)
Shantytown Baby: 1936
... Spencer, Iowa." View full size. 35mm negative by Russell Lee. Poor in Iowa It is hard for me to think of Iowa and poor people. In ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 6:52pm -

December 1936. "Mrs. Charles Benning and baby in their shack home at Shantytown. Spencer, Iowa." View full size. 35mm negative by Russell Lee. Poor in IowaIt is hard for me to think of Iowa and poor people. In talking to those that lived through the 1930s, as I did, the people who lived on farms would say how poor they were then add but we had food to eat. Famine in USA, 7 million died?Dear fellow Americans, One political party in Ukraine, strictly pro-Russian and anti-NATO and anti-American, is trying to prove that in the USA it had been terrible famine in 1932-33. They base their opinion on some non-correspondences in the statistics, and they calculated that by 1940 the country lost more than 7 million people. But, as thay say, this is strictly hidden by US Govt. Sorry, this article is in Russian, but link is: http://vitrenko.at.ua/load/8-1-0-294/ I came to this web-site by their link - they are trying to prove their opinion by photos from this site. My personal opinion - this version is absolutely bullshit, I can not believe it. Other Ukrainians just laugh upon it and don;'t believe too. What do you think about this? [The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl are no secret. But there was no mass starvation with millions dead. To think that such a calamity could be "strictly hidden" in a democracy with a free press is nonsense. What was "hidden" were the 20 million who died during Stalin's forced collectivization of Soviet agriculture in the 1930s. I suppose there are people in Ukraine who might think the same thing could have happened in America. Of course it upsets me that anyone would use the photos on this Web site as fodder for Big Lie propaganda. How do you say "The Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine is full of crap" in Russian? (Or, more seriously, that such claims are untrue.) If I can figure out how to do the Cyrillic alphabet I'll put it on the page they're linking to. Thanks very much for writing. - Dave] Famine in Ukraine 1932-33, Great Depression in the USADear Dave, Thank you very much for your response! I absolutely agree with you. >How do you say "The Progressive Socialist Party of >Ukraine is full of crap" in Russian? If to use Latin letters and Russian language, we can say "Progressivno-socialisticheskaya partiya Ukrainy- polnaya der'ma". Their leader, Natalya Vitrenko is commonly considered in Ukraine as the Witch of Konotop town, crazy ugly old wife and Kremlin-paid clown. My grandparents remember terrible 1930s, famine and collectivization and they survived only by miracle - all of them had been students in cities who received some little food and money. They told me much about the villages, circled with Red Army and OGPU forces, about all kinds of food taken off by commi-activists, about cannibalism among the people who got mad from hunger, at last. It's terrible, and for first time I heard about these things in 1988, when first publications got thorough communists propaganda cover. I just wonder that big depression looks very much like it was here in the USSR, but I don't thing some people ate another humans in USA, because government didn't take all food from people to punish them. Also I think that it is absolutely impossible to hide such things, as an example one can mention Monica-Clinton scandal. Dave, if I can help you with translation of some inscriptions into/from Russian-Ukrainian languages, feel free to write me at: [.....@...] I understand that my English is not very good and sometimes funny, but I can express my opinions and understand the others. Thanks again! Andriy [Well darn, I see that our website does not let people use Cyrillic characters. (Although one Cyrillic character, this Natalya person, is certainly using us.) Thanks again for writing. Your English is much better than my Ukrainian. Maybe my neighbor Ilya can help. I really was hoping to get involved in a good old-fashioned Cold War dustup this week. - Dave] The DepressionI think it is important to follow up Dave’s succinct riposte and answer Ukrainian from Odessa’s assertion with some demonstrable facts. There, indeed, were crop failures and economic devastation in 1933-1934, but let’s examine the depth and breadth of the damage along with the response by the United States government: In the mid-1930’s the US national median income was $1,500. Only 16% of farm families earned that much or more. More than half of all US farm families had annual incomes of less than $1,000. In 1934, per capita income of farm households was just $167. Only 10% had indoor toilets, 20% had electricity. More than 1,300 rural counties in the US had no general hospital and most lacked even a public health nurse. Illiteracy was twice as common in rural districts as in cities. Nearly 1 million rural children did not attend school at all. 1 Dismal picture, yes – but what was done about it? The federal government, led by Franklin Roosevelt and a progressive Congress, instituted a series of emergency measures and agencies – popularly known as the “New Deal”. These government responses included the Civil Works Administration and the Farm Security Administration, under whose auspices many of the photos here on Shorpy were made and cataloged. Without citing loads of economic data, suffice it to say that by 1938 enough progress had been made that most of the “alphabet soup” federal agencies had been de-funded and the economy had rebounded with help from sharply increased munitions production. 2 The message for our Ukrainian friend is that while there were many political and economic factors that could have led to U.S. famine and starvation in the 1930’s, they were largely avoided as the result of (sometimes painful) government actions. Nobody starved. Nobody allowed anyone to starve – much less engineered it. You can check this out yourself – all of our records are open free. Come have a look. 1 Ann Rochester, Why Farmers Are Poor, (NY: INternational Publishers, 1940) 2 David M. Kennedy, Freedom From Fear - The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945, (NY: Oxford University Press, 2005) "I must put a goat on." Winston Churchill (possibly misheard) Goober Pea Natalya and VladAlrighty. I've posted this at the top of the page that Natalya's website is linking to. Can anyone translate the comments on that webpage? This Great Depression will ["Realties" -- isn't that what got us into this mess in the first place? We'll be right back with Part 2 of this windy diatribe after a brief intermission. - Dave] (The Gallery, Great Depression, Kids, Russell Lee)
Williams County IV: 1937
... Williams County, North Dakota. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 9:36pm -

November 1937. Pupil in rural school. Williams County, North Dakota. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Kids, Russell Lee)
A Busier Bisbee: 1940
... Arizona. Copper mining center." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Walgreen ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/23/2018 - 7:06pm -

May 1940. "Main street of Bisbee, Arizona. Copper mining center." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Walgreen AgencyNote the Walgreen Agency drugstore. "One of the most significant expansions during the 1930s was the establishment of an agency cooperative purchasing system, whereby Walgreen's products became available in a number of independent pharmacies. By 1934, there were 600 agencies in 33 US states, stocking over 1,000 Walgreen's products. At its peak the Walgreen's Agency system had more than 2,000 participants within the network. The system continued until 1980, when the administration of the cooperative purchasing program was discontinued." On another note, Walgreen's invented the Malted Milkshake. I did not know that. Copper Mining EconomicsIn the 1970's, I lived a few months in Ajo, Arizona. Phelps Dodge operated an open pit copper mine and smelter there. It was a company town. The price of copper spiked while I was there, and the workers were put on a 12 hour workday, seven days a week for four weeks, and then took a weekend off. On Monday, they started a new cycle of 12 on and 12 off. Most of the modest housing was built by Phelps Dodge and rented to the workers. After working for Phelps Dodge for five years, the workers could buy their house for $1. National brands squeezing out the local guysThis is 1940 and I see Walgreen's, JC Penney, Woolworth's, Coca-Cola, Florsheim, Rexall, and maybe Blue Ribbon. I hear so much about Chain Stores and national brands squeezing local stores as some modern problem, and here we are in the photograph. All we need is for that business at the end of the street to be a Sears. Many years ago Sears was accused of shutting down Main Street as Wal-Mart is today. [That's the company store at the end of the street -- Phelps-Dodge Mercantile. - Dave] Neon Signage lit up at nightI imagine it sure would've looked pretty. And attention grabbing. The Review lives on. Looking from the other end of the street. More of the Bisbee Daily Review. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
The Fat Stock Show: 1940
... Stock Show. San Angelo, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Still going - ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/27/2018 - 8:55am -

March 1940. "Girls at Junior Chamber of Commerce dance during the San Angelo Fat Stock Show. San Angelo, Texas." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Still going - no fatThis show evolved into the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. Next chance to attend is Feb. 1-17, 2019. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Russell Lee)
Self-Propelled: 1940
... workmen with handcar. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hard work all ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2018 - 11:43am -

February 1940. "Railway workmen with handcar. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hard work all the wayThese two Frisco Railway employees work hard all day long. Getting to and from work on a hand car was part of the labor, as there is no clutch on this machine. If you stop pumping the handles, it slows down. These guys are carrying tools to correct small track defects - a jack, maul, shovels, spike puller under the rear of the deck, a lining bar under the front. There must be a track bolt wrench on the other side of the deck next to the track gauge. SAFETY FIRST, BOYS, mind the loose tools under your feet while you pump your way along the track! (The Gallery, OKC, Railroads, Russell Lee)
Denizens of Gonzales: 1939
... in Gonzales, Texas." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Come and Take ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/20/2018 - 10:22pm -

November 1939. "Street corner in Gonzales, Texas." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Come and Take It Freddy223's Google picture is from 2011 and the Guadalajara is now history. The 2016 picture shows unfortunate alterations that will soon become outdoor seating for the Come and Take It Bar and Grill which, to date, seems to be surviving. ["Unfortunate"? Looks nice to me. - Dave] Still There GUADALUPE SANITARIUMI noticed the sign at the very top of the building. Open For Business1915 - On February 5, the Guadalupe Sanitarium is now open and has two patients. http://www.gonzalesinquirer.com/stories/gonzales-county-chronological-hi... Start 'em youngFuture shopper checking out the shirt display. St. George at St. JosephStorefronts are changed but this is the same building. Even the telephone pole and fire hydrant are in the same place. In 80 years... nothing has changed in the way shirts are wrapped. It takes 10 minutes to get all the pins out! Great typesI mean no disrespect to the men in this photograph, but each could easily be a caricature (from left): the plywood cowboy silhouette cutout with bent knee; the friendly Latino sidekick; the slack-jawed yokel using every ounce of his concentration to roll a cigarette; the toothless old git; and the black dude with the great shoes and hat at an extreme angle, striking a crazy pose. Sheath DressingThe two phone cables visible here appear to have a lead sheath. This was pretty standard until sometime after WWII, when various kinds of plastic sheath came into use. I have a Bell System manual from 1983 that still has a procedure (from 1969) for installing lead splice cases on lead-sheath cable. The case started out as a tube, and if it was pretty close to the diameter of the cable, you were supposed to just beat the ends down to the cable sheath and solder. The splice just to the right of the pole, for the small cable down to the box on the pole, looks to have been done this way. If the splice case was much larger than the cable, you were expected to cast (!) end plates for the case to match the cable, using a set of molds and a pot of molten lead (!!). You then soldered the end plates to the case, and to the cable. A little later on, Ma Bell figured out that lead might not exactly be good for you. There are some additional procedures (from 1979) about using some goop on the lead before you used a wire brush on it (to contain the dust), that it was important to pull lead cable out of a manhole without scraping it on the edge of the hole (to avoid dust), and that employees were only allowed to work half a day handling lead cable. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
In the Cards: 1938
... Louisiana." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2007 - 1:50pm -

September 1938. "Game of cooncan [conquian] in store near Reserve, Louisiana." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the FSA. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Take Five: 1940
... resting between periods. Eufaula, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The song ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2018 - 11:14am -

February 1940. "Basketball players resting between periods. Eufaula, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The song wasn't written yet"Who wears short shorts?" didn't become popular until 1957 but this could inspire such a tune. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Sports)
Lois at the Piano: 1936
... View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. (The Gallery, Music, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 2:39pm -

December 1936. "Lois Madsen playing the piano in the home of her father, Harry Madsen, owner-operator of three hundred and sixty acre farm near Dickens, Iowa. (Suggest this as contrast showing difference in opportunity offered children in owner-operated farms and that offered in poorer tenant or hired hand homes)." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. (The Gallery, Music, Russell Lee)
Williams County I: 1937
... Williams County, North Dakota. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 9:40pm -

November 1937. Pupil in rural school. Williams County, North Dakota. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Kids, Russell Lee)
Tiny Courthouse: 1937
... County, Montana." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Evidently, ... go for small claims. (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2018 - 9:26am -

November 1937. "Old justice court and U.S. Commissioners court in Dagmar. Sheridan County, Montana." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Evidently, the place to gofor small claims. (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Russell Lee)
Back at Work: 1938
... Lasses White traveling show. Sikeston, Missouri." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Dream job A roustabout! One of my dream jobs. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/14/2018 - 4:09pm -

May 1938. "Member of carnival crew at work erecting tent for Lasses White traveling show. Sikeston, Missouri." Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. Dream jobA roustabout! One of my dream jobs. Right up there with court jester. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Dear Sis: 1940
... most prized family possession." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. 1940 Macbook ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2018 - 7:15pm -

February 1940. Creek County, Oklahoma. "Wife of Pomp Hall, Negro tenant farmer, writing on typewriter. Through union activities this family has developed a desire for higher education. This typewriter is to them a symbol of that education and as such is the most prized family possession." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. 1940 Macbook AirWell, Macbook Rail, probably. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
« first‹ prev…23 [24]25…next ›last »
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.