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Roll Model: 1905
Circa 1905. "Roller skating -- young man on bicycle skates." Photoprint by Hall; George Grantham Bain Collection. View ... Charles Choubersky (1835-1891) invented the first "bicycle roller skates". ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/08/2019 - 12:07pm -

Circa 1905. "Roller skating -- young man on bicycle skates." Photoprint by Hall; George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Found him! Waldo that is. Charles ChouberskyCharles Choubersky (1835-1891) invented the first "bicycle roller skates". http://www.online-skating.com/articles-4331-charles-choubersky-and-his-b... I'm really curiousI skate on speed trainers and I'm really curious about how these handle with your soles in line with the axels axles rather than about 3 inches above the axels axles. How they'd handleThey resemble dry land trainers for cross country skiing, and I'd guess they handle about the same, except that the heel appears to be bolted to the rail. So a mix of cross country ski trainers and racing skates. Today's Versionhttps://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Powerslide_Grave_Digger_200/descpage-908... (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Sports)
Washington Flyer: 1921
... City (NYT, Jan. 22, 1914). Perhaps he found happiness as a bicycle showman later on? "We could do that" Danny's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:09pm -

January 29, 1921. Washington, D.C. "Herbert Bell and Joe Garso." Evidently lost to history. Does anyone out there remember them? Two final pics in the comments. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. ReincarnationTrick bicycling is making a comeback. I wonder what these guys would make of humble, daring "bike trials" rider Danny MacAskill? If only....If only that kid with the scooter had taken off the handle and riser, he'd have been the inventor of the skateboard. Cowabunga! Herb and Joe (or Joe and Herb)Click to enlarge. By headstand time,the Railway Express guy has lost interest. I can't imagine why. This looks like it was a pretty interesting act. Joseph GarsoI've scoured the Washington Post archives using all the name variants and keywords I can think of: sadly, their is no report of their performance. The 1920 census lists one Joseph Garso, age 34, living in Clifton, NJ. He was born in Italy and his occupation is listed at "actor- showhouse." He is married and has 4 children. He also appears in the 1910 census, living in Manhattan. His age at the time was noted as 27 (such discrepancies are not uncommon in census records) but it is clearly the same person as the name of wife and 2 eldest children match. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1896 but does not seem to be listed in the 1900 census. The 1920 Census lists 127 Herbert Bells - none of the ones I checked in NJ and NY had occupations which could be construed as "one-legged trick cyclist." CRIPPLE TRIES SUICIDEHere's a one-legged Herbert Bell from Long Island City (NYT, Jan. 22, 1914). Perhaps he found happiness as a bicycle showman later on? "We could do that"Danny's riding is rather spectacular, but given that Herb and Joe are artistes in their own right and from the look of them, no-nonsense guys to boot, their reaction would probably be, "Hell, give us two legs (each) and a couple of those Tarty bikes, we could do that! And what's with that sissy helmet? And why didn't he draw a crowd? And we didn't have no music neither." Above the kneeA leg amputation above the knee is a much more serious issue than one below. My grandfather, a jockey, fell off a horse and broke his leg while exercising at Belmont Park in 1937. Through medical errors, his leg was ultimately amputated above the knee a year later. His life was hell from then on. He suffered phantom pain and even convulsions due to nerve damage. These men really overcame a lot to accomplish what they did. Very impressive. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Herb & Joe, Natl Photo, Sports)
Ice Cycle: 1941
... DANGER WILL ROBINSON! Imagine trying to ride that bicycle on those icy streets. Alternative explanation They don't open ... Steel Beauty Looks to be a late 1930's Wards Hawthorn bicycle with a New Departure two speed rear hub. Vachonesque! Before ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2020 - 3:15pm -

January 1941. "Harrisonburg, Virginia." Braking at the door till someone lets it in. Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. DANGER WILL ROBINSON!Imagine trying to ride that bicycle on those icy streets. Alternative explanationThey don't open the door for peddlers. Robert FrostDave’s line “Braking at the door till someone lets it in” puts me in mind (cadence + theme of ice and snow) of the title of Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Cold Steel BeautyLooks to be a late 1930's Wards Hawthorn bicycle with a New Departure two speed rear hub. Vachonesque!Before reading his name, i knew that picture was from John Vachon. What a talent! (The Gallery, Bicycles, John Vachon)
The Flying Merkel: 1915
... hidden inside the forks and tubing, for a start. Not a bicycle then. I could go on about the controls and their clever use inside ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/09/2014 - 2:49pm -

Circa 1915, location unknown. "Mailman & motorcycle." And not just any motorbike but a "Flying Merkel," with what looks like an acetylene-gas headlamp. Oh, and Spitting Prohibited by Law, "Except Into Cuspidors." View full size. The proper dismountIn the late teens of the last century, my father was riding as passenger on an older friend's Flying Merkel when they encountered a patch of loose gravel, skidded in spectacular fashion off the country road, and ended up sore but relatively unhurt in the ditch. A farmer who'd been plowing nearby halted his team and came ambling over. "You boys hurt?" he enquired. "Hell, no, old timer," the friend replied. "This is a Flying Merkel; we always get off that way!" Postal CowboyWho wouldn't have wanted to be a mailman in 1915? Especially if you got to wear those cool boots and gloves! Acetylene headlightYou can see the small 'mc' acetylene cylinder hooked up to the headlight. That size of acetylene cylinder is to this day known as an 'mc'. MC for motorcycle. I have one exactly like it sitting right behind me as I type this. I spent 35 years filling them. Yikes! I hate saying that I did anything for 35 years. Yikes! I love this site and have been following it for a long time now. Thanks for all! The Merkel FlewAlways known for speed, this example seems to at least have a clutch, but no gearbox. Not exactly set up for local deliveries but it would sure work for express! Belt driveI didn't know that belt final drives were used at this time - thought they were a modern development when they first appeared on Japanese bikes in the late 1970s Shiny HubsWhen I was a kid, my bothers and I all had "hub polishers", just like the Flying Merkel's. Without them, cleaning the hub was a tough and tedious job. Not bootsActually he is not wearing boots. He is wearing shoes with leather leggings. The Heyday of the CuspidorThe "Spitting Prohibited By Law" sign marks this picture as having been taken during the great anti-spitting crusade of the early 20th century. This campaign, undertaken in the cause of slowing the spread of then-endemic tuberculosis infections, caused anti-spitting legislation to be enacted by cities and states across the country. Curbing the once-common habit of regular spitting, both outdoors and indoors, and bringing cuspidors into taverns, theaters, stores, and even homes, everywhere. It was cheaper than a carThe 1915 Flying Merkel model 750 with belt drive was priced at $240. The luggage carrier was $5 more. Still, that was more than half the price of a $440 Ford model T Runabout. Oh, to have that bike today!In a 2012 Las Vegas motorcycle auction, the top seller of the weekend was a beautifully restored 1910 Flying Merkel, resplendent in the company's bright orange coloring, that garnered $86,800 I'm sure the postman would hand-cancel his forehead in shock & amazement! Postal ride deluxeWas fascinated by this photograph simply because the motorcycle did not appear to be a blacksmith special with help from a rusty hacksaw and no clue about machining or dynamics, which was typical of the period. So I investigated further and found The Flying Merkel website. Well, the machine is even more advanced than I thought. Proper springing front and rear hidden inside the forks and tubing, for a start. Not a bicycle then. I could go on about the controls and their clever use inside close-fitting tubing so that they worked push and pull. The pushrods have roller followers, ball-bearings were used throughout, and it actually had decent brakes. Not your average motorcycle of the time. The price reflected it, too, at almost $300, and WW1 put paid to the company. That's why I say the mailman had a deluxe ride. The date is not likely 1915 at all, but 1912 since it is a 1912 model and looks brand new. Also flyingmerkel.com says it's 1912 on their copy of the photo. Good enough for me. By the way, the belt driving the rear wheel isn't rubber, but leather. You could have Renold chain instead, no cost. Thanks again Shorpy for the really detailed photo. Good one. Learned something today! (The Gallery, Motorcycles, Natl Photo)
Red Crown Gasoline: 1927
... Red Crown. I really, really, really wanted two for my bicycle, unfortunately I could never find a service station that had them. One ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/23/2014 - 12:17pm -

Northern California circa 1927. "California State Automobile Association Official Mechanical, First Aid and Towing Service Station." Offering Emergency Road Service and Red Crown Gasoline. 6½x8½ inch glass negative originally from the Wyland Stanley collection of San Francisciana. View full size. DANCE!At Bray, a dot on the map in Siskiyou County up near the Oregon line. Balanced gasolineNebraska, 1921. Law & Order, Siskiyou County I believe that area is favored by the FBI for relocating newcomers into the Witness Protection Program. Car (formerly) IDJordan. The Jordan emblem has a small arrow head pointing down on a white background, qv. Fill 'er up? Those glass-cylinder pumps may have their charms, but it's worth considering that they made it unworkable for a motorist to say "Fill 'er up" because that would likely leave the fuel level in the glass somewhere between graduations, necessitating guesswork as to the quantity delivered -- as well as confusing matters for the next customer. And, of course, ordering fuel in even-money amounts (as opposed to by-the-gallon) was out of the question. [Or maybe not. Below, from TheOldMotor.com - Dave]         The measuring sticks inside started out with zero gallons at the very top, where the cylinder's overflow was set, and the numbers progressed by gallons to the bottom of the glass. The customer paid for the displaced gallons by reading the measuring stick on the inside of the cylinder. The cylinder was then topped off at zero for the next customer. At closing time, fuel in the cylinder was drained back into the underground tank. AAA / CAAHere in Canada, our affiliate with AAA is CAA, and I work for the Alberta CAA (Alberta Motor Association) formed in 1926. This is our 1926 tow truck, used in a lot of parades. Red Crown tire valve capsIn the early 1950s Red Crown service stations gave or sold red tire valve caps in the shape of their Red Crown. I really, really, really wanted two for my bicycle, unfortunately I could never find a service station that had them. One of life’s bitter disappointments. Red Crown Valve CapsNever too late to get some..... Those were the daysWhen gas stations were rigged liked sailboats. I am trying, unsuccessfully, to understand the purpose of the pole/pulley/cable rig on the side of the building, which apparently opens a second story window. [The pulley is exactly like those on the poles at the end of my mother's washlines, each of which extended from a window, one in the kitchen, one in the bedroom. -tterrace] Thanks, tterrace, makes sense to me now. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, W. Stanley)
The Big Shot: 1957
... first car I think this fellow stole Pee Wee Herman's bicycle. But it's no Leica Found a Lordox in my local thrift store ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 01/16/2021 - 4:16pm -

I never did get the full skinny on how it all went down that day. All I know is that it was my brother and his pal, this guy. A couple of ex-Catholic high school boys; you know the type - four years in, walk out with a fancy piece of paper, the whole nine yards. Then two years later they're back in town, cruising the mean streets, past all the usual joints - Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penney, F.W. Woolworth, Thom McAn, The Cottage Bookshop. That's right: San Rafael, California. When it happened, it happened fast. First his pal pulls up and parks, lights himself a cig, happy as a clam, not a worry in the world. Then my brother hauls off and shoots him with his Lordox, a German 35mm job loaded with Kodak Tri-X. For years afterwards my brother keeps this pic pasted in a book or something. What a crazy guy. View full size. Narration by Joe FridayThis could only get better by being read by Jack Webb. Que j'en ne sais quoiIt's a shame cigarettes are so unilaterally bad for your health. As every lover of film noir knows -- they're great at helping set the mood and represent feelings not spoken. The way I read this scene: he's counting the dough in his wallet, you can see his hands reflected in the side panel, figuring out how much he can blow on his babe. The photographer is wondering how soon the ash is gonna fall off the cig. A mysterious caper alrightForget it, Jake, it's San Rafael. I Feel A Song Coming OnI can't help but be reminded, by both the setting and description, of the words to "My Hometown," however, I offer a more peaceful version than the original. "Saturday night, two cars at a light, in the backseat there was some film; Words were passed, didn't use a flash, picture time had come ... to my hometown." Very well, I'll see myself out ... Which X?It looks more like Plus-X grain. Tri-X is a bit coarser. [From the evidence locker. - tterrace] Down those mean streets ...... a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. ... Must be a complete man and a common man, yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor." Evidence missing from this "Big Shot" case.Found Leidolf Lordox 24x36 German made camera! 1947 or 1948Plymouth convertible from what little I can see of the steering wheel hub. [Buick Roadmaster seems to be the current consensus. - Dave] A hidden truthThank you, GlenJay, for invoking the immortal lines by Raymond Chandler. I sent that entire quote to my son once. I thought it worthwhile that he should read it. "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor -- by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world. "He will take no man’s money dishonestly and no man’s insolence without a due and dispassionate revenge. He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him. "The story is this man’s adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in." Mean Streets? San Rafael ?!?Not only the year I was born, but my home town and referencing the high school I attended. I think the meanest things down on 4th was the courthouse fire - remember looking at it the next morning on my way over the hill to St. Raphaels and it looked just like a bag of burned McDonalds fries. After the movie came out, the biggest crime was taking 10 minutes to go a block, given all the cruisers. Mean streets? [As noted below, "mean streets" is a continuation of the Raymond Chandler literary trope employed by tterrace in his post. - Dave] Before getting his first carI think this fellow stole Pee Wee Herman's bicycle. But it's no LeicaFound a Lordox in my local thrift store a few days ago. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Good Roads: 1914
... my house still looks like. The interurban After the bicycle, before the automobile, for a brief time there was the interurban ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2011 - 12:16am -

New Jersey circa 1914. "Good Roads -- a scraper." One manifestation of the "Good Roads" movement, started by bicyclists in the late 19th century and carried on by advocates of the automobile. G.G. Bain Collection glass negative. View full size. Farm ScraperWe had one like it on the farm still made of wood but we put steel wheels from a seeder on it and pulled it with the tractor to maintain our road. Not exactly smooth sailingAnd people today complain about the occasional pothole. Imagine riding down a road like that for hours in a turn-of-the-century automobile. You would have a mouth full of loose teeth. Fresno Scraper"Easily made from the simplest materials". The planks go over the logs (lifted aside to reveal the construction), and the driver stands on top with reins in hand to urge the team forward. A common, and frequent, maintenance task to smooth down the ruts that form on a dirt road. Good road?I'd call that a hard road -- a hard road to make! Is this the infancy of the DOT perhaps? Let's hear it for the cyclists!The Good Roads program was started by bicyclists so let's give them credit for our good roads and stop telling them to get off the street. Innocents At HomeI remember from The Innocents Abroad that when Mark Twain visited Paris, he was extremely impressed with their paved roads (they were covered in the finest "macadam," I think his phrase was). His visit was in 1868 or so. By 1914, there would have been plenty of good roads in the United States, I believe. This just happened not to be one of them. 100 years laterand here in rural Colorado this is what the road to my house still looks like. The interurbanAfter the bicycle, before the automobile, for a brief time there was the interurban electric railway. Paralleling the muddy road is a single-track rail line, lined with wooden poles that support the electric wire to power the interurban cars. After the road is improved, the line will eventually be abandoned. Electric interurbanI'd take odds that the citizens of New Jersey would love to have the Interurban line back with $4 gas and the crowded roadways of 2011. Fresno ScraperThe Fresno Scraper was an iron improvement on the wood scraper developed by James Porteous in 1883 and built by Fresno Agricultural Works. They were so popular that the term "Fresno" was synonymous with scraper. The horse pulled the metal scraper and a strong fellow followed along behind to guide it with a wood handle called a Johnson Bar. He could also be an unlucky fellow as the scoop could catch and the Johnson bar could whack you on the jaw, or worse, on your Johnson! My grandfather leveled a lot of ground with a Fresno and I am happy to say he fathered five children despite the Johnson bar. :) (The Gallery, G.G. Bain)
Bustling Buffalo: 1900
... New York." With the Guaranty (Prudential) Building and a bicycle repair shop as neighbors. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/01/2016 - 5:27pm -

Circa 1900. "St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Buffalo, New York." With the Guaranty (Prudential) Building and a bicycle repair shop as neighbors. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. These two go well togetherView Larger Map Two Spectacular Buildings!I visited Buffalo for the first time last April and saw these two landmarks of American architecture on a spectacularly stormy day. But the work of Richard Upjohn (St. Paul's Church) and Adler & Sullivan (Guaranty, later Prudential Building) made it worth the effort! I very nearly got blown away by the wind and rain, but I certainly got blown away by the beautifully restored Guaranty Building. "Vaut le detour," as they say in the Michelin Guides. Two beautiful buildingsand both are still standing. Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building in brilliant terra cotta red and the local sandstone cathedral. Impressive that the cathedral's spires are also stone. Love the signs painted in the Guaranty's windows (Chicago and Alton RR, etc.). Hometown PrideAnother great old photo of my beloved Nickel City!!! Edit: What a difference 8 years makes: https://www.shorpy.com/node/12906 And at the very topBy far the best design feature of the Guarantee - Prudential Building are the beautiful round windows on the very top floor. And look -- they open horizontally for fresh air. You won't find those on the ready-made aisle at your local window store, back then or now. Skyscraper?Sullivan did not scrape the sky, he adorned it. How Did They Do That?St. Paul's was built in 1851, but the spires were not completed for a few years. I am very curious to know what construction methods were used to place the spires atop the church. Were they built in place, and if so how, or were they assembled elsewhere and lifted, somehow, to be sat on the building? (The Gallery, Bicycles, Buffalo NY, DPC, Streetcars)
Lincoln Park: 1905
... a zoo and several small-boat harbors. I commute by bicycle in fair weather. If I take the Lincoln Park lakefront path, it adds 4 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 7:12pm -

Chicago circa 1905. "The bridge, Lincoln Park." We'll meet under the tree at noon for egg salad sandwiches. Detroit Publishing Glass negatives. View full size. The Bewitching PoolPicture in your mind an idyllic place. A place with no hustle, no hurry, no worry. A place where the greatest care a child ever will have is the flavor of cookies or type of pie being baked by this world's sole adult inhabitant, the kindly caretaker known to all as "Aunt T". On the bridge over a brook brother and sister known simply as Jeb and Sport have dropped in from an alien world. A world unlike Aunt T's place near her beautiful, bewitching pool. For this pool truly covers the entrance of the Twilight Zone. Take us back, Aunt T! I promise I won't ever leave again. Rod Serling be praised. His storytelling in that episode was so complete and compelling that after nearly 45 years I remembered at once that episode just from seeing the children pictured in an otherwise unrelated image. In truth, I see nothing but Aunt T's refuge and I'm certain she resides just beyond that bridge. Thanks, Dave. I needed that today. Look up "idyllic" in the dictionaryand it will have this picture. Simpler times.This picture is so appealing. Makes me wish I could climb into it and start over. Re: "Idyllic"This is a photo of Chicago, not Larkspur! Under-bridge lightingNotice the arc lamp under the bridge superstructure. Perhaps they had a problem with young men and women "spooning" under the bridge at night! Looks so peacefulBut remember, all of the people in this photo will see the devastation in San Francisco after the quake. They will suffer through influenza, WWI, the market crash, the depression and WWII. I think I will stay in my own time thank you. Lincoln Park: 2011Chicago, August 28 2011. The South Pond bridge, Lincoln Park. A perfect summer Sunday - 75 degrees F and a slight breeze. Chicagoans of yore left current residents an amazing legacy in our 500+ parks. Lincoln Park may be the best park of all. 1200 acres along Lake Michigan, with facilities for almost every popular sport, including golf, soccer, field hockey, baseball, tennis and beach volleyball. There's a zoo and several small-boat harbors. I commute by bicycle in fair weather. If I take the Lincoln Park lakefront path, it adds 4 miles to my trip. And I opt for the lakefront path almost every day. This bridge shows up elsewhere in ShorpyHello Dave! I left an earlier comment & photo for this photo, and neglected to include an obvious cross-reference. This bridge is visible at the center of another Shorpy view of Lincoln Park (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Chicago, DPC)
Instant Messenger: 1913
... really frequent recipients of Western Union Telegrams. The bicycle's tires look to be skinny like modern day bike tires are. I guess the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2014 - 7:41pm -

November 1913. Shreveport, Louisiana. "Western Union messenger No. 2, fourteen years old. Says he goes to the Red Light district all the time." Glass negative by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee. View full size. Telegram for Miss ScarletAs pointed out in another photo's comment, Mr. L. W. Hine seems to have had a broad assortment of moral axes to grind. I'd be surprised if prostitutes were really frequent recipients of Western Union Telegrams. The bicycle's tires look to be skinny like modern day bike tires are. I guess the big balloon tires as used on the Schwinns that I remember came later. Bike to the FutureThe cars from 1913 have hardly any resemblance to the ones made these days other than having four wheels and a body, but this bike is within a few percent of a modern coaster brake bike. Sure, a few subtle details are different, but wheels and the drive train could have been made last week. Red LightMy question has always been with regards to this "red light district" line that Hine usually put with his messenger photos is, are the prostitutes ordering "drugs" and abusing them? Were the drug stores not under strict scrutiny like today? I imagine this to be true. Anyone else out there have any knowledge of this being the case? [If you were in that line of work, there's one item in particular you might need plenty of that comes from a drugstore. And it's not drugs. - Dave] SchwinnishIt might actually be a Schwinn. The circles within a circle pattern in the front sprocket is definitely a pattern that later Schwinns used. And if you look at the shadow you can see that it is a skip-link. On modern bikes the teeth on the sprockets are right next to each other. But on this bike, there is a large gap between the teeth. This is due to the way the chain was made. On modern chains the pattern is hinge, hole for the gear tooth, hinge (ASCII art: *-*-*-). On old bikes the pattern was hinge, hinge, hole for the gear tooth, hinge, hinge (**-**-**-), so there needed to be a big gap between the teeth on the gears. This concludes Hank's obscure bike trivia lesson. [Click below to enlarge. - Dave] Midnight SpecialFrom 1903 till 1917 Shreveport had legalized prostitution confined to a designated Red Light district. This was an area near Fannin street in the St. Paul Bottoms area. The area was named after a nearby church and the low lying area. St. Paul Bottoms was recently renamed Ledbetter Heights in honor of blues singer Huddie Ledbetter, Lead Belly, who honed his style playing the Bottoms' brothels, saloons, and dance halls. Midnight Special is one of his most famous songs. Maybe Messenger #2 heard Lead Belly play Fannin Street! Selected Lyrics: My mama told me My sister too Said, 'The Shreveport women, son, Will be the death of you' Said to my mama, 'Mama, you don't know If the Fannin Street women gonna kill me Well, you might as well let me go' I got a woman Lives back of the jail Makes an honest livin' By the wigglin' of her tail Even after the optimistic name change the area is still referred to as The Bottoms by many locals and remains one of the poorest downtrodden sections of town. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Embraceable Utica: 1910
... To the left of South Streetcar 65, that of a man on a bicycle. Note: Man in the Barber Chair & Barber. Also Block & ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 11:18am -

Utica, New York, circa 1910. "Genesee and Bleecker streets." Points of interest include the City Candy Kitchen, City National Bank, a streetcar control tower and the Commercial Travelers building seen in an earlier post. View full size. Busy Corner Drug StoreMedicine bottles from Sullivan & Slauson Busy Corner Drug Store have become collectables. Ricks Bottle Room has more info and photos. Maybe someone else sees it but I'm having trouble figuring out what is Embraceable about the photo. American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record, 1901. Buffalo Notes The old drug establishment at the corner of Genesee and Lafayette streets. Utica, for a number of years known as McMillan's drug store, has been secured by Daniel J. Sullivan and John G. Slauson, and will be run under the firm name of Sullivan & Slauson. The members of the new firm are well known and popular. Mr. Sullivan was for years employed by John H. Sheehan & Co., and later by W. A. Teachout, but recently had charge of the prescription department of Crazier W. Hurlburt's drug store. He is a graduate of the New York College of Pharmacy. Mr. Slanson was for nine years employed by Howarth & Ballard as a prescription clerk. It is the intention of the new firm to remodel the store. Lyrical title It could be associated with a Holiday. Parked at BusycornerIt looks to me as if "Busy Corner" is a compound word on the sign (not positive because a pole obscures the "C" of "corner"). If so, a neat turn that gives the sign even more character. I noticed the little carriage parked ahead of the car in this transitional period from horse-and-buggy to internal combustion. I like the fastidious lady sitting in the back seat so she doesn't have to dirty her petticoats clambering over the wheel, while her husband sits in front ready to drive whenever the other passenger comes out of the store. I assume he's her husband and not a hired chauffeur because he isn't uniformed, but maybe that's not typical of the period. This is an upper class lady, I think, because the horses are a matched pair (same color and size). Is she reading a book to pass the time, or just looking for something in her purse? Take me awayWhat a fabulous photo. I love seeing the women and children out on the street enjoying life. BusyThe lady in the carriage (under the barber shop windows) seems very focused on something in her hands. I wonder: could she be downloading Scott Joplin's "Solace" to her iPhone? Man on the streetThe man at the far right side of the picture is asking himself the age old question "Does my breath stink?" ObservationsWith the greatest respect I find I have to disagree with other posters. On closer inspection it would seem that the gentleman in front is wearing a uniform and therefore likely to be the chauffeur to the lady in the carriage. I would like to suggest that we are waiting for "Sir" who must be in the bank. It will also become obvious that madam is actually checking her text messages (no earphone leads)! I can't recall seeing the "screens" hanging round horses like this before. Dare I suggest that they maybe something of a "modesty blanket" that madame demands around her beautiful (and expensive) pair. [That's fly netting on the horse. Seen here in a number of posts. - Dave] Duly NotedThe Lady in the carriage is sitting behind her driver, she is not doing anything other than keeping the sun out of her eyes, hands folded upon her purse, possibly napping. Man with hand up on sidewalk, not smelling his breath, as the Lady to his right has placed her hand over part of her face, possibly neither wanting their photograph taken. Before Facial Recognition. Below the sign City Candy Kitchen appears to be a group of Girls with umbrellas and hats, possibly a school field trip. To the left of South Streetcar 65, that of a man on a bicycle. Note: Man in the Barber Chair & Barber. Also Block & Tackle rig, big hook hanging from roof of the Bank. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars, Utica)
The Metropole: 1915
... and original condition of many of the houses, I rented a bicycle and rode up and down the back alleys in search of antiquated electrical ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2018 - 8:20pm -

Avalon, Calif., circa 1915. "Bathers at Hotel Metropole, Catalina Island." And yet another popcorn stand. 5x7 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. C'mon BillyLet's go over to that big sewer outfall and play! Surprise! It burned down.The Metropole continued to thrive during the early years of the 20th century, right up until the disastrous early morning hours of Nov. 29, 1915. Between 3:30 and 4 a.m., a fire started mysteriously near the rear of the hotel. Avalon’s small fire department quickly was overwhelmed by the blaze, which spread until it had destroyed fully half of the town’s hotels and buildings. Many residents were left homeless. The 1915 Catalina fire destroyed half of the resort town. The Hotel Metropole was a total loss, as were five other Avalon hotels: the Central, Bay View, Rose, Grandview and Pacific. Though no definitive cause was found, the unofficial word was that a man who lived in a small apartment at the rear of the Metropole was about to be foreclosed upon, so he set the blaze in order to get insurance money. A 52-room Hotel Metropole now stands on the site of the original structure in Avalon at the center of the Metropole Market Place development. LaddersCatalina Island: Home of the Unobtrusive Fire Escape. Clean(ish) water for me, thanks.Upon noticing the sewer pipe leading directly into the ocean water, I think I'll put up my parasol and head over to the Hotel Central for some fresh roasted peanuts. Vive le popcorn standThe list of better things to have around is far shorter than the list of worse ones. The Black Hole of CatalinaI suspect there might be a mean, vile, hideous clown waiting for some unsuspecting sunbather to come curiously walking into that drain. That's a hard nope for me! I just want to know-Is that kid on the fence coming or going? Plus 103Here’s the waterfront today. It looks pretty modern, but a visit reveals a time capsule of the 1950s. RemnantsMy wife and I visited Avalon in 2013, and, seeing the age and original condition of many of the houses, I rented a bicycle and rode up and down the back alleys in search of antiquated electrical wiring. I was not disappointed. This service switch and knob-and-tube wiring very likely dates back to 1915, and wasn't exactly best practice even then. The meter is a later replacement, from the 1940s. Catalina MemoriesI remember going to Catalina Island in the 1950s with my brother and friends in a speedboat. We swam out a way from the beach in front of the hotel, pulled ourselves down to the bottom using kelp and saw many beautiful fish. 120V VestigesMy house in California, built in 1954, was completely knob & tube when we bought it in 1969. It did have a (somewhat) more modern service entrance - two 30A main plug fuses feeding four 15 amp branches! We still have two interior walls we never opened, with k&t intact, tied into Romex in the attic. 240V actually, even as-built. Très moderne! (The Gallery, DPC, Swimming)
Corner Office: 1909
... That is a 1906 Cadillac runabout parked just behind the bicycle. Selling for $750 when new, it was a high quality and fairly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:03pm -

Toledo circa 1909. "Nicholas Building." The tallest in Ohio at the time of its construction, presiding over a lively array of ghostly pedestrians, and a phantom dog. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. PerspectiveThese are great photos, and it just occurred to me that the original ones were done with view cameras that allowed the photographer to manipulate the geometrical orientation between the plate and the lens so that the photo that was taken did not show the foreshortening due to perspective. Note that in the original photo, the edge of the building does not seem to lean back, and the windows get larger in the upper floors, while the opposite effect is apparent in the modern photo. I have seen an explanation of how the originals were done, maybe in a museum somewhere, and it is fascinating to see the results. Little Cadillac and OldsmobileYou are probably familiar with how small Oldsmobiles used to be but Cadillacs were not much larger in their beginnings in 1903. That is a 1906 Cadillac runabout parked just behind the bicycle. Selling for $750 when new, it was a high quality and fairly inexpensive "every man's" car. Around the corner is a 1903 Curved Dash Olds, the first mass produced automobile in the US. Both had a single cylinder engine; the Cadillac's was 10 HP and the little Olds had all of 4.5 ponies to pull it along. For SaleAnother great old building in Toledo that's still there -- but vacant and up for sale. Downtown memoriesThe Nicholas Building was where my dad's office was, 1946 - 1958, in the corner at the right, floor 10. When his employer, Libbey Owens Ford Glass Co., built its new International Style (think Lever House), showcase headquarters, he and his host of colleagues moved the three blocks uptown to their new digs. Dad was in the Nicholas Building when Downtown Toledo was a vibrant and crowded place, with lots to see and do, fascinating to a 10-year old. Always an adventure! (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Toledo)
Tower of Landin'
... Airport access As teenagers, a friend and I used to bicycle from our homes in Flushing, NY the 8 or 10 miles to Idlewild Airport - ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/13/2013 - 12:54pm -

Circa 1962. "Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia, 1958-63. Eero Saarinen, architect. Control tower interior." Note the "mobile lounge" near the jet. Medium format negative by Balthazar Korab. View full size. Airplane!Looks like the man on the right didn't pick the wrong week to quit smoking. De rigueurNo high-tech instrumentation console is complete without built-in ash trays! At least five in this view. I pity the cleaning crew that has to keep all the nicotine stains off that huge expanse of glass! I see this tower almost every daySure doesn't look like that these days!! You would be surprisedMost of the equipment in this photo is still in use today. Mod ConsDang, built-in ashtrays at every station, and an electromagnetic comptometer. All the mod cons! Times have changedBack in the early '70's I was in DC accompanying my boss to a conference. We flew in and out of Dulles. We had flown commercial, but she had a private pilot license. On a whim as we were waiting for our return flight home, she asked if she could see the control tower. They checked out that she really was a pilot, and glanced at my drivers license, and then we were escorted up! We couldn't talk to the controllers, of course. Our escort answered my boss' questions. It was fascinating. No security neededIn the late 60's one could just drive to the parking lot in the upper right of the photo. The only security was knowing where the entrance was. In the 1960's Virginia Route 28 (along left side horizon) was a two lane road. Located next to the present day clover leaf for Air and Space was a small unattended airport entrance labeled "Gate 4". Gate 4 brought one on a sweeping drive around the end of Runway 1-Right to the aircraft service area where there was an open parking lot and open access to the ramp area. A coworker worked at this location loading 16mm film onto aircraft for the first "Inflight Motion Pictures" Where are all the planes?I was a kid when Dulles opened. We went there to meet visitors on incoming flights a few times in the early days. I remember the terminal as virtually empty of people and the runways with scarcely a plane. For years I heard regular media complaints that this airport "out in the sticks" was a total boondoggle. Who would travel to the middle of nowhere when National Airport (now Reagan National) was so convenient (just remind the pilots not to clip the USA Today building or the 14th Street Bridge on the way in or out)? Look at Dulles today - a regular rabbit warren. I kind of miss the early days. Remote CommunicationsThe console at the extreme left bears an Electromatic by Comptometer. It seems to me to be an apparatus to transmit handwriting to a nearby remote location. In the late 1960s, I saw a similar appliance in use in a control tower. That device was a Telautograph. Does the Shorpy braintrust have additional information? Airport accessAs teenagers, a friend and I used to bicycle from our homes in Flushing, NY the 8 or 10 miles to Idlewild Airport - at the time this photo was taken. We'd enter the airport on 150th Ave. In a few hundred yards, there was a traffic light, where the road crossed a taxiway. We'd watch a couple of planes taxi past maybe 50 yards away, then ride on to the terminal. (Technology, The Gallery, Aviation, Balthazar Korab, D.C.)
Crusty Schmidt: 1917
... Since gas was rationed tightly, he sold our car and rode a bicycle to work until the end of the war. He stayed with the bakery for a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2012 - 11:43am -

"Camp Meade, Maryland, 1917." Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Mmm Crusty breadI'm guessing that "Crusty" is a good thing, back then anyway. BTW, put some air in those tires, will ya! Look at those tires!Dear Lord, look at the tire on the truck. It appears to be solid rubber. This means a bone-shaking jolt for the driver every time he runs over so much as a nickel. Worse: the wheels will frequently be out of contact with the pavement, making skids far more likely than with pneumatic tires. Having to lug 100-pound crates around may be the least of our nattily-dressed driver's issues. Truck's wheelsI'm fascinated by the fact that the truck appears to have no tires. I haven't seen many (if any) trucks from this period. It must have been a nightmare to drive. [The truck has solid rubber tires. - Dave] Camp to FortI spent the last 6 months of my Army service during the Vietnam War at what was had been upgraded to "Fort" Meade, and was discharged in July 1967. At the time I was living with my wife in Arlington, Va., and commuted daily 40 miles each direction in my Renault Dauphine to make early formation. Speed , not comfort I can't imagine the spine shattering ride on those tires. Civilian breadCivilian Bread being delivered to the cook? When I was in during the Korean mess, all of our bread was made at the Fort Jackson Army bakery and always seemed to be day old. Got pretty used to it until one happy day the camp bakery broke down and they supplied us with "civilian" bread. Man, that was real eating and I have never forgotten that day. Yummmm! Also, look at all those sacks of taters that some poor KPs are going to have to peel though I was never assigned to that detail. Fort Jackson (SC) used coal fired ranges while I was there that had to be cleaned once a week by rubbing them internally with brickbats so they would pass Saturday inspection. Schmidt'sThe Schmidt Bakery is still around, though they no longer hawk "crusty bread". Started in 1886 by German immigrants, it is still family owned (run by their great-grandson) and has bakeries in Baltimore and Fullerton. Schmidt's potato bread is, by the way, outstanding. Yum. Bread for the troopsBread for soldiers from civilian sources is, or was not unusual. My father was an employee of Colonial Bakery in Fort Smith, Arkansas during WWII. The bakery provided bread for nearby Camp (later Fort, now closed) Chaffee. The draft board (or other authority) declared his job as essential to the war effort. As a result, he could not quit his job, the bakery could not fire him, he could not be drafted, nor could he volunteer for the Armed Forces. He was to bake bread for the duration of the war. Since gas was rationed tightly, he sold our car and rode a bicycle to work until the end of the war. He stayed with the bakery for a 49-year career. Lift That BaleHere we have another guy in a necktie doing some heavy lifting. That crate looks like it's made of wood. His life could have been easier with some sort of cardboard or masonite container. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Harris + Ewing, WWI)
To Good Hope Hills: 1924
... you noticed all the extra hats the kids in front of the bicycle have? Are they recruiting more boys to go to Good Hope Hills? Or were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/28/2014 - 11:58am -

        UPDATE: The mystery has been solved! Washington, D.C., circa 1924. "No caption." Paging any of the boys in this photo: Explain yourselves! National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Mystery Beyond the fact that Good Hope Hills is a neighborhood of DC located in Anacostia, it truly is a mystery as to what these boys are doing. One could speculate that it might be some kind of contest (they could be paperboys) with the winners getting a cruise on the Cunard lines. As for getting anyone in the picture to explain just what it is they are doing, I'm doubting the odds of any of them being alive to tell the tale on this one. One PossibilityPerhaps fund raising for the orphanage? Local Camp?I'm wondering if there was some kind of camp in the Good Hope section of DC that these boys were going to. The fact that they are in front of a travel agent might also have some bearing. Too Good Hope HillsNot to be confused with. SubdividedThe sign behind the kid at the right includes the phrases "LOTS SOLD" and "WE BUILD". Anchors aweigh!It's almost certain that the photo was taken at 1406 H St., N. W. which was the location of the offices for the Cunard and affiliated steamship lines. I am wondering if this might not be significant to the back-story here. Perhaps they were traveling somewhere for a youth baseball tournament? Field of HopesHow about a healthy summer activity like a field day? Wear Your CapsThanks to the sleuthing of our clever commenters, the mystery has been solved! These lads ("Washington white boys" -- cringe) were participants in a "business field day" promoting an Anacostia subdivision called Good Hope Hills, whose sales office was in the basement behind them. Below: Ad from the August 6, 1924, Washington Post. Caps AplentyHave you noticed all the extra hats the kids in front of the bicycle have? Are they recruiting more boys to go to Good Hope Hills? Or were they expecting more to show up? (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo)
Swing Time: 1955
... a double dip and a use-pitted dirt landing. We also made bicycle pilgrimages to the Jacksonwald elementary school which featured a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/24/2013 - 5:05pm -

February 9, 1955. "PS 122 playground, Kingsbridge Road and Bailey Avenue, the Bronx, New York. Brown & Blauwelt, engineers." Subcontractors: Cheerless & Grimm. Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Play ...groundMy grade school had similar equipment, thankfully we had grass underneath us. Play At Your Own Risk!I grew up in Queens County, another borough of NYC. I played in a playground similar to this one, and remember them quite fondly. However, you played at your own risk: playgrounds back in 1955, when I was seven years old were not designed to protect against spills and falls. There was no padding: the ground was concrete or ashphalt. If you fell off the monkey bars, you got hurt. If you came down the slide too fast, you skinned your butt. The mother placing the child on the swing reminded me that the seats for young children were L-shaped, with a metal bar that slid up the chains to seat the child, then slid down in front to hold the child in place. That was it! No soft ground padding anywhere.... Vernacular design?I heard of some city that didn't want someone to tear down a chain link fence because that was "vernacular architecture". Ah yes! The Bronx.Now we're getting into my neck of the woods. Didn't quite expect to see this! It certainly looks grim. I just can't believe I survived this style of playground growing up. Those are NY Housing Authority apartments now. School trailers sit where this park was. Just to the north of this view sits Van Cortlandt Park, 1100+ acres of parkland which contains (possibly) the oldest house in the Borough, Van Cortlandt House, built in 1748. The Albany Post Road (aka Broadway aka The Great White Way), begins its trip at the tip of Manhattan and heads north; crosses that unnatural bend in the Harlem River, continues through Marble Hill, alongside Van Cortlandt Park and on through Riverdale (my town), eventually crossing into Westchester at the Yonkers line and losing its famous designation. It becomes just plain Route 9. I happened to grow up on a still existing portion of the Albany Post Road, just down from the other "oldest" house in the borough, Hadley House, which possibly predates Van Cortlandt House. So, while it looks grim here, it gets lovely, green and very historic quite soon. The SwingsetThe swingset appears to have survived. http://tinyurl.com/qg48e5n If you turn the image clockwise, you will see the view of the apartment buildings that is in the photo. My school had a playground like that, too.I went to PS 46 on Staten Island 1961-64. It had a playground that looked like the one at PS 122. Lots of swings and slides, and they all looked very well built. We were never allowed to play on them. The gates were always locked. LitigationIn my lifetime we have become so litigious. Playground bruises, scrapes, cuts, chipped teeth, black eyes, etc. were part of a kid's life. My childhood stomping ground was the Mount Penn (next to Reading) PA playground. Except for the ballfield and some elderly trees it was paved with asphalt. The 3D grid structure to the left was called the jungle gym. The term was also and later applied to various climbing structures and even swingsets. The monkey bars were a horizontal ladder structure 6-8 feet above the asphalt and accessed by a couple of vertical rungs and an upward stretch at each end. Besides traversing the length, it was fun to hang one-handed or by the upside down by the crooks of your legs. Our swings, maybe (beat me daddy!) six to the bar, I recall as having chain and later rubber or plastic seats. You could have a buddy twist you around for a spinning, dizzying descent. The sliding board was kind of tame but the more thrilling one was at nearby Pendora Park which was twice as long with a double dip and a use-pitted dirt landing. We also made bicycle pilgrimages to the Jacksonwald elementary school which featured a tubular steel fire escape from the second floor. A hazard on all of these was involuntary (from fright) or intentional (from spite?) urine puddles at the bottom lip of the slide. The merry-go-round was a heavy lumber and strap steel affair that developed a fearsome momentum when shoved by two or three kids. You were safe on the inside of the steel perimeter bars but would hang on for dear life on the outside. There were a couple of box hockey "arenas". You could play slow (like miniature golf) or fast (kid to kid), which featured stick-ball-stick slams or "frenches" i.e. back and forth sliding moves at each hole. You could also sail the ball over the center divider. I think we called one game "Cincinnati" for some obscure reason. We also had a circular exposed aggregate concrete wading pool with a raised center around the water fountain. Seesaws were very heavy duty. You had to avoid getting your ankles embossed by the bolts under the seats and also malevolent "friends" who might jump off and let you free fall. A basketball court and a pavilion rounded out the scene. Craft sessions were held in the latter and I once made a wallet there for my girlfriend. She visited Mount Penn for two summers and hailed from Orange NJ. Ahhh, sweet youth!!! RenumberedAt some point this school was renumbered P.S. 310. The P.S. 122 designation is now used for a school in Queens. Most NYC elementary schools have a name as well as a P.S. number. P.S. 310 is known as the Marble Hill School as it serves the Marble Hill neighborhood, though it is located just outside the neighborhood. Marble Hill is a geographic anomaly as it is legally part of Manhattan yet located on the Bronx mainland, the result of a 19th Century rechannelling of the Harlem River. Bleak?It looks okay to me. Bright colors were a conceit of the late 50s. We played fine with boxes, wrecked cars and asphalt. DeadlyThose monkeybars or Jungle Gyms could really be dangerous. I was stationed in the Navy with a guy that was only in his late teens or early 20's and he had a full set of dentures. I asked him what in the world happened to his teeth. He said that, when he was younger, he had been playing on the monkey bars and was hanging upside down. His legs slipped and he fell down through the middle of the bars. The last thing he remembered was smashing his mouth on one of the bars and hearing a loud "Chung". When he woke up he was in the hospital with all of his front teeth, upper and lower, smashed and broken off. I still cringe just thinking about it. Re: The SwingsetLilyPondLane's link does indeed take you to the swingset in a Google map image from September 2007. But as soon as you navigate right or left, you're taken to June 2011, and the swing set -- magically, sadly -- disapppears. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Kids, NYC)
The Barber of Poughkeepsie: 1904
... didn't need a chain and lock that weighed more than your bicycle, when leaving it unattended. (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Stores & ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/11/2014 - 10:15am -

1904. "Nelson House, Poughkeepsie, N.Y." Whose resident barber, Louis L. Herles, offers "Hair Cutting, Shampooing, Shaving & __." Note also: "Ladies' Entrance." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. Borrowing a Line:From Joni Mitchell ....... they did tear it down and put up a parking lot. For real! Postcard perfectFrom the 1950s. Not quite gone yet.Heavily altered, but what remains from an earlier demolition is still somewhat recognizable. View Larger Map Somebody Parked a very hungry horse too close to that tree. The Latest StylesAnd a nice assortment of calendars. I learned something from this photo.I had no idea you could park a bike at a curb without using a kickstand. Po'townAll these Poughkeepsie pictures are bringing back great memories of my college days at Vassar. The Poughkeepsie Journal has an 2012 article and four-minute video with wonderful Nelson House stories. Unfortunately, the video ends with pictures of its demolition. The good 'ol daysBack when you didn't need a chain and lock that weighed more than your bicycle, when leaving it unattended. (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Department of Admissions: 1904
... The lawn through the gate looks to be covered with bicycle tracks. [Their pattern seems more consistent with carriage ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/26/2015 - 10:21am -

Poughkeepsie, N.Y., circa 1904. "The entrance, Vassar College." Note the sign. 8x10 inch glass transparency, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Welcome to Vassar!Velocipedes Verboten. Wow -- Cheesy '60s HorrorI hear Don Knotts playing the organ somewhere. Sign notwithstandingThe lawn through the gate looks to be covered with bicycle tracks. [Their pattern seems more consistent with carriage tracks. -tterrace] Address1313 Mockingbird Lane, right? Purity and Wisdom (Vassar motto)Since I have neither, I've never been there. PostcardColorized postcard. Replaced 1913The gate house, designed by James Renwick, Jr., was replaced in 1913 by Taylor Hall. Evidently the gatekeeper and his family lived in the south tower and the north tower was occupied originally by the college engineer, appropriately named Mr. Gatehouse. (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Education, Schools)
Sand Dancers: 1922
... we wore out our arms inflating those things with a scrawny bicycle pump. Digging those dresses The (swim?) dresses with the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 10:49am -

July 6, 1922. "People dancing on beach." Pavilion at the Potomac bathing beach in Washington. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. The FellowThird from the left (with his arms folded across his chest) appears to be the same person from "When We Were Young", also standing on the left side of the photo (note the logo on the bathing suit). [Same guy, but the swimsuits are different. - Dave] TuberPoor kid with the innertube would have had a tough time hanging onto that skinny thing. My dad was in heavy construction, and we would occasionally be gifted with a huge truck tire tube which was almost too big to climb up on while in the water. Plus, we wore out our arms inflating those things with a scrawny bicycle pump. Digging those dressesThe (swim?) dresses with the stripes that those girls have one (like the girl far right next to innertube guy) are too cool. Let's do the BalboaThese folks look to be doing the "Balboa," a dance that started in the mid-teens in SoCal. Not much is known about the dance, but likely stems from the same roots as Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, and other forms of swing dance. Bal was often done on beaches as opposed to other swing dances because it is more of a shuffle step. Oh, and there was the small matter of it typically being a full-body contact dance... most of the lead was in the body connection. Although, in these bathing suits, a full-body lead would be... erm... a bit interesting for the guys, to say the least. Balboa is alive and well.Balboa is being danced all over the place; it's a great dance for super-fast tempos like Dixieland. I've gone to swing dances in Seattle, L.A, Chicago and Miami, and have seen Balboa in all those fine cities. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports, Swimming)
Look, Ma: 1921
... times the size of the rear sprocket. However, this bicycle is a very specialized one, designed for doing trick riding. Having ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:06pm -

January 29, 1921. Washington, D.C. "Herbert Bell and Joe Garso," a duo of one-legged trick cyclists who were probably war veterans. Which one this is, I'm not sure. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Twin sprocketsI wonder how pedaling energy and speed is affected. Most modern bikes now have a drive sprocket that is several times as big as the driven one. Seems like it would be a bear to get moving up to speed. With one leg no less. Wow!I can't imagine the trick he is trying to perform here, the handlebars are straight, the tire is at a 90 degree angle and he is pulling something from his back pocket. And the calm look on his face shows he knows exactly how this is going to end. Cringeworthy.The sight of someone's fingers intertwined within the spokes of a bike must be the visual equivalent of nails on a chalkboard because this photo, viewed large especially, made me actually flinch! P.S. And I'm guessing your hunch about these two being war veterans is a sound one...here's hoping they made buckets of money and had tons of fun with their bike tricks. FixeeThat's one heckuva track stand! SprocketsYes, most modern, and ancient, bicycles have a front sprocket that is several times the size of the rear sprocket. However, this bicycle is a very specialized one, designed for doing trick riding. Having this small front sprocket allows one great control at low speed (the only speed required for trick riding). Modern "trials" and other trick bikes have the same kind of gearing. About the saddle, which looks rather more like a baguette, I have no idea. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Herb & Joe, Natl Photo, Sports)
City of Mackinac: 1905
... but wonder if the boy heading at breakneck speed on his bicycle towards the freight office succeeded in avoiding running over the two ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2019 - 3:45pm -

Circa 1905. "D.& C. steamer at dock, St. Ignace, Michigan." The Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company's City of Mackinac. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Collision ImminentOne can't help but wonder if the boy heading at breakneck speed on his bicycle towards the freight office succeeded in avoiding running over the two ladies in front of him. Box o' MysteryWhat is the beehive-looking box on stilts, over by the freight car? A motor housing? Seems to be louvered for venting, with an exhaust pipe at the top. But what is it connected to, what is it for? Stevenson ScreenThe Stevenson Screen, invented by Robert Louis Stevenson's father in 1864, enclosed a set of wet and dry bulb thermometers for weather observations. In today's world, this one would be classified as ill-sited, as local heating would affect the results. The Boxmay be a Stevenson screen, used to house a thermometer. Mystery of the boxIt likely contains weather instruments -- thermometer, barometer ... Mystery solved?Perpster, It looks like a weather station, for recording meteorological observations. The cylinder on top might be a rain gauge but that isn't typical. Weather station?The louvred box isn't a Stevenson screen for meteorological equipment, is it? The top part might be to allow light in for sunshine recording, or to allow air circulation for ambient temperatures. A Stevenson screen?I wonder if the mystery box perpster commented on is a Stevenson screen - a standard enclosure for thermometers and other meteorological instruments. It usually looks like the photo - a smallish louvered box, 4 or 5 feet off the ground. I can't readily explain the "chimney", although I'm also not sure if the chimney is actually attached to the larger building, instead of the small box. NOAA says there was a weather observing station in St. Ignace from 1887 to 1946, but the latitude and longitude they have indicates that it may have been on the west side of the peninsula, not close to the docks on the east side. Perhaps the shipping company installed their own thermometer near the freight office, so it could be easily read by an employee. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Kids, Railroads)
Papers Aplenty: 1918
... any of them, now prized antiques. I also see a vintage bicycle and sewing machine peeking out of the stacks to the right. But all went ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2011 - 1:06pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Red Cross salvage and paper drive." Anyone have a match? National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Ill-fitting ShoesJudging from the lady's facial expression she is not a happy "driver". At least part of her mood can safely be blamed on her shoes, the prime device for podiatric torture in her day. She needs the matchEnough of this. My feet hurt and I deserve better. I am going to burn my bridges behind me and leave this madness and go to California where it is warmer and maybe I can get into the movies Accident waiting to happen.Almost looks like a match in hand. Anyway, nothing like asking for trouble. The donated clocks on the left-I wouldn't mind salvaging any of them, now prized antiques. I also see a vintage bicycle and sewing machine peeking out of the stacks to the right. But all went to a good cause. Everyone remembers the photos of the American forces benefitting from all the kindness and charity the Red Cross provided during both world wars. Awaiting follow up photo"Red Cross paper salvage building in tragic blaze." Exposed wires, paper all over, copious 20th century smokers in the workplace. A perfect storm. Salvage Sunday Washington Post, Aug 26, 1918. ‘Salvage Sunday’ Observed Large Quantities of Waste Collected to Raise Red Cross Funds. The first "salvage Sunday" was observed yesterday, and the reports from the various precincts of the District Chapter of the Red Cross were to the effect that large quantities of paper, rags, tinfoil, old rubber and similar materials have been collected. Large trucks were put at the disposal of the Red Cross, which spent the day in gathering the various articles. Mrs. Charles Peck, chairman of the waste paper committee, reported at an early hour yesterday that more paper had been collected than could be handled and collections were discontinued until today. The salvage campaign has been on for over a month, but yesterday was the first time that a concentrated drive has taken place. Washington Post, Sep 6, 1918. Collect 580 Pounds of Paper Virginia Ave. Playground Children "Working for the Soldiers." Children in the playgrounds have become much more interested in gathering paper, rubber and tinfoil in the Red Cross salvage campaign, "working for the soldiers," as they say. In most cases, they carry it to the nearest engine house. The Virginia Avenue playground collected during the week ended August 31, 580 pounds of paper. According to Miss Rhodes, in charge of the work, other playgrounds have done as well. At the Mt. Pleasant grounds, the boys did a rushing business collecting the old rubber heels from the cobbler in the vicinity. Who needs a matchwith that spliced wire leading to the bare bulb hanging above! Note that the wire changes from straight to twisted pair at the feeble looking splice. The rats' nest of wires along the wall looks like a fire-in-waiting, too! (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, WWI)
A Boy and His Dogs: 1928
... a bit wobbly with that, shall we say, less than straight bicycle wheel. I can remember enduring such things when I was young also. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/01/2013 - 1:11pm -

August 1928. Washington, D.C., or vicinity. The caption label has come off this Harris & Ewing glass negative -- maybe someone recognizes the boy on the bike, who must have been at least a little newsworthy. View full size. Bike front wheelCould use a little straightening for sure! WobblyWhoever this young lad is, his ride must be a bit wobbly with that, shall we say, less than straight bicycle wheel. I can remember enduring such things when I was young also. Unless it was broken, you used it. WobblyThat s-shaped front wheel must have made that bike a handful to steer! Doggies look as if some roadwork would be the height of their day. Someone with better knowledge of breeds may chime in, but their size makes me think of young greyhounds or whippets. Obscure AwardSurely his name would appear on the BSA's roster of recipients of the Innovative Dog Walking merit badge? Another dad "I told you so" momentI remember Dad telling me that was what would happen if I continued jumping curbs. Because he knew I wouldn't, he gave me a spoke wrench. I'd have been proud to have a front wheel with that little bit of wobble. Forget the BoyThe star of this show is his socks. Teddy III?Theodore Roosevelt IV (grandson of the the former president, son of Ted, thus known as III) would have been fourteen years old in August 1928. While it's hard to find photos of him between this appearance https://www.shorpy.com/node/3558 as a scrawny 10-year-old boxer, and his WWII service as a flier, this looks plausible. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Dogs, Harris + Ewing)
Lever Driven: 1867
... of the historic development of the cycle to the modern bicycle as we know it today. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member ... 
 
Posted by LORNE-SHIELDS - 04/27/2022 - 2:48pm -

A highly unusual Open Front, Hand Propelled Lever Driven Velocipede Tricycle. Date is ca 1867 but likely earlier. Steering is with the feet controlling the front wheels. One half of an Albumen Stereoview. Rider identified on the reverse as C.A. Way of Charlestown, New Hampshire. These types of vehicles were all a part of the historic development of the cycle to the modern bicycle as we know it today. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Percy Neville: 1913
... before WWI (possibly later too). There are a lot of bicycle photos on Shorpy showing this. I love this photo. (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:11pm -

November 1913. Shreveport, Louisiana. "Percy Neville, 11 years old. Messenger boy #6 for Mackay Telegraph Company. He has been messenger for different companies for four years. Goes to the Reservation [red light district] every day." View full size. Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. HandlebarsInteresting; I don't believe I've seen exactly this "gull-wing" style before. These mustache bars are a modern recreation of an early 20th-century style. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska Urgent businessThe standard comment about these messenger boys is, "Has been to the Reservation." Can someone please tell me who is sending telegrams to cathouses and why? [If the cathouse doesn't have a telephone, you send a telegram by messenger. - Dave] HandlebarsThis style handlebar is actually hinged in the center so you can adjust the angle. When you see bars dropped down really low, the bikes were called "scorchers" -- really popular before WWI (possibly later too). There are a lot of bicycle photos on Shorpy showing this. I love this photo. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Lewis Hine)
The Bossy Lamppost: 1943
... I wonder, too, how I survived my own childhood. No bicycle helmets, roaming around on my own, walking to school unattended (even ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/31/2013 - 4:18am -

New York, May-June 1943. "Many accidents are attributed to unpatrolled intersections in Harlem. Here schoolchildren are allowed to run across busy intersections unescorted." Photo by Gordon Parks for the OWI. View full size. Ashcan Alley nearby?The Ashcan Alley post had a can that seemed to have "4ST" painted on it. Given this was in Harlem, I had wondered if that meant 134th Street. Since the Bossy Lamppost shows Gordon Parks was shooting on 134th, I bet the Ashcan Alley is nearby. Could not find it, though, on Google Street View. [134th is the cross street. As noted below by timeandagain, we are looking north up Seventh Avenue. - Dave] 7th Ave. todayThis view is looking north on Seventh Avenue (now Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard) from W. 134th Street. View Larger Map Quiet SchoolAs a 29 year teacher, I don't think I've ever been to a Quiet School. A historic spot for a crossingOne street up, on the left, is The Big Apple, a bar and club opened in 1934, it was frequented by musicians and entertainers. Bessie Smith was there several times. Opposite it was a more famous club, Smalls' Paradise, which was eventually bought by Wilt Chamberlain. In the 1960s, it was openly a gay bar, but it had almost been that since the 1930,when it was a showbiz hangout. The upside-down apple sign was a landmark of sorts. Someone rescued it and put it up on eBay, but too much money was asked. It is rumored to be in someone's Florida closet now. Season ?With all the leafless trees and heavy clothing it's not likely a May-June scene. Traffic?What traffic? Looks kind of quiet on the road. So the kids probaly had a viable excuse. And the whole lot looks rather orderly. So I wonder whether there is not somebody "qualified" in the lead, masked by the lamppost, even there is nobody bringing up the rear. I wonder, too, how I survived my own childhood. No bicycle helmets, roaming around on my own, walking to school unattended (even to pre-school), and so on. (The Gallery, Gordon Parks, Kids, NYC)
Look Out World, Here I Come
Washington, D.C., 1921. " Times boy and bicycle." Winner of a Mead Ranger bike by virtue of selling 30 newspaper ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:45pm -

Washington, D.C., 1921. "Times boy and bicycle." Winner of a Mead Ranger bike by virtue of selling 30 newspaper subscriptions. The Ranger contest was a promotion of various papers from about 1917 to 1923. National Photo Co. Collection. View full size. WOWnow that is a most excellent velo. just a bit too big for him, is all. Bike!Yes, I too want that bike! Little RascalIt's Weezer! (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo)
Thanks Sherman?
... on the gasometer structure in back). As with the bicycle in the poster, gasometers weren't widely used until decades after the ... 
 
Posted by Loneliness - 09/09/2011 - 10:18pm -

Found this glass plate in a shop in Savannah. No clue about the subject, though. Maybe from the War of Northern Aggression? One of the ads on the left is for Pope Mfg. Company, 817 Pine Street. View full size. 1890sThis is the aftermath of a gasworks explosion. Clothing and ads (and the fact this is a dryplate glass neg) put this around 1890. Not ShermanSavannah was never ravaged by Sherman. It must be something else. Clothing looks post civil war era. KaboomLooks to me like a gasometer exploded, judging by the twisted pieces of steel lying about, and the piece stuck in the roof near that group of boys. Post WarThis looks to be the aftermath of an explosion of a manufactured gas plant. Pope Mfg. Co. used that name from 1876 to 1915, and American Cereal Company (now Quaker Oats) started using that poster for their Scotch Oats (steel-cut) brand in 1899. Between 1899 and 1915 there were at least a dozen gas plant explosions in cities east of the Mississippi. Do you have a higher res scan? PostbellumIt's extremely unlikely this picture has anything to do with the late unpleasantness between the States. If nothing else, the poster selling bicycles shows the picture is much later - probably 1880's or later. It looks like a picture of an accident involving a gasometer - a storage structure for gas, where the cylindrical structure telescopes up and down within the poles you can see in the picture to maintain pressure as the gas is pumped in and out. You can see a complete gasometer, in the collapsed state, in the background, with the toppled poles from another gasometer in the foreground (and one pole leaning on the gasometer structure in back). As with the bicycle in the poster, gasometers weren't widely used until decades after the Civil War. Blowed UpMaybe a gasworks explosion? I think the duds and posters are somewhat postwar. Also, I'll have a breakfast scotch. A defunct gasometer for sure.This defunct gasometer for sure but it doesn't seem to have 'exploded' (caught fire) as the fence that supports the ads is still there (and the ads and fence are years old too). Reckon it dates from 1890s too. The telegraph/power pole on LHS is of this type not common in Civil War photos (where wires were few and usually supported on the main pole by a couple of insulators, here we've cross supports). Almost certainly a dryplate (edges are a dead giveaway), that dates it to near century's end. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Rollfast Redux: 1959
... coal mining town I grew up in in the 50's and 60's. A bicycle that nice would get you beat up everyday. Nobody had that kind money to ... 
 
Posted by jckazoo - 02/04/2018 - 11:11am -

Here's a second look at my husband Peter's Rollfast Deluxe bike. Chenango Bridge, New York, 1959. Anscochrome slide. View full size. That's a beauty for sureLiving in the coal mining town I grew up in in the 50's and 60's. A bicycle that nice would get you beat up everyday. Nobody had that kind money to buy one. Nice shirt.Would be fashionable today, even. Perspective of TimeI look at that bike now and think "It's cooool, maaaan." But I know my 12-year-old 10-speed riding self would vehemently disagree. "Ugh, those handle bars.", she would say, turning up her nose. With a Rin Tin Tin belt buckle!This young man is seriously stylin' with the new bike and the Rin Tin Tin belt buckle. The Folly of YouthI cringe when I think of all the bikes that I destroyed as a kid. We all thought that the fancy stuff was for sissies and girls. Fenders, racks, bells, bags, lights all went into the junk pile. All the stuff that a restorer pays a premium for today. About the shirtI arrived on the hallowed shores of the US that same year and was about the same age as Peter. After spending the previous 5 years going to school in a grey shirt and grey shorts, the wildly colored and paisley patterned shirts that I would now be required to wear to school pretty much freaked me out for a few months until I got used to them. Memories!When I was 8 I wanted a bike. I can't remember if it was for my birthday or Christmas but Dad bought me a Rollfast bike. It was green. I must have ridden at least 100 miles on it during the next 8 years. By the time I was 15 or 16, it definitely as NOT cool to ride a bike so it went in the garage and who knows what happened to it. Home SewnThere's a very good chance that Peter's mother sewed that shirt - she made most of her own clothes, including the dress she wore at our wedding. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
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