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The Joy of Canning: 1917
... I forgot to ask my mother Why did they call it canning and not jarring? Can it core a apple? This immediately reminded ... More like surgery than canning Takes all the fun out of it. I can vegetables and fruit every ... and the cats are sleeping in the sun. Speaking of canning What a hot tomato! Plumbing There is some odd plumbing here. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 3:54pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "Agriculture, Department of." Two young people wearing 4-H patches. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. I forgot to ask my motherWhy did they call it canning and not jarring? Can it core a apple?This immediately reminded me of Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton's "Chef of the Future" commercial on The Honeymooners. A is for appleHere's most of the sketch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB5a6y3okeo More like surgery than canningTakes all the fun out of it. I can vegetables and fruit every summer, while the radio's on (preferably to Garrison Keillor), the dogs are outside barking and the cats are sleeping in the sun. Speaking of canningWhat a hot tomato! PlumbingThere is some odd plumbing here. First there is what looks like early explosion proof electrical switches over the stove. Then there is the black gate valve being used to tie off a cord. It’s on the right side of the stove for gas, but I have never seen a gate valve use in gas service. On the other side of the room there seems to be a cock or ball valve peeking out behind the water heater. Perhaps this is for steam used to heat the water? (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kitchens etc.)
War Garden Girls: 1918
... Circa 1918. "National War Garden Commission. Vigo County Canning Clubs." Indiana "farmerettes" at a War Garden exhibit in Washington. ... the makers of the Ball Mason jar, the world standard for canning products. Yes I can The canning clubs were organized by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 12:08pm -

Circa 1918. "National War Garden Commission. Vigo County Canning Clubs." Indiana "farmerettes" at a War Garden exhibit in Washington. View full size. Neat!Great job, vangogh! Terre Haute or bust!Well, Purdue is the ag college in Indiana. It makes sense that they sponsored the ag extension agent. But the delicious contents in those jars were no doubt home-grown in or near Terre Haute, county seat of Vigo County and present home of Indiana State University. On the banks of the Wabash. Cheers! Indiana BuckleBall State University in Muncie was established by Frank Ball and his brothers, the makers of the Ball Mason jar, the world standard for canning products. Yes I canThe canning clubs were organized by extension agents. Over the years, the USDA has done a good job in teaching safe food preservation through university extension services, extension agents, and extension clubs for homemakers. When I taught myself to can in the early 1990's I relied on the Ball Blue Book (the bible of home canning, published by Ball Jars) and a series of pamphlets from the University of Kentucky extension service. Growing and canning my family's food was one of the things I did so I could stay at home with my children when they were little. It was hard, steamy work (from planting the seeds through filling the jars), but it was entirely worthwhile for many reasons. I'd do it all again. It's great to be self-sufficient. That's what gardening and preserving the food is all about. Color, Please.Of the many photos on Shorpy, this is one I would truly like to see in color. Washington Post, Jul 14, 1918 War Gardens and Why We Make Them Prizes for Home Canners. A prize contest for home canners, on a national scale, has been announced by the war garden commission. To stimulate interest in food conservation, the commission has offered $10,000 in thrift stamps and National Capitol prize certificates, as prizes for the best home canned vegetables grown in war gardens located in villages, towns and cities. The National Capitol prize certificates will be awarded to canners in competitions at recognized canning displays and fairs throughout the country. There must be at least five entries in each competition. With each certificate will be awarded a book half filled with thrift stamps. This plan has been adopted to encourage additional buying of stamps and help win the war. ... 1918 -> 2018: ONE CENTURY LATER Could this become a repeat event? Out of necessity, we may all be growing and canning our own food by the year 2018. Is there any arable land in your family? [Something tells me we won't. But if the need arises, I do have a little nephew who's usually covered with dirt. - Dave] 4 Outa 5 ain't badLove the four very proud-looking girls and rightly so. Maybe the one in the middle didn't win anything but whatever, she should still be pleased to be recognized. BotoxMy grandmother used to talk about the occasional poisoning from botulism in canned goods. As a child she had seen a neighbor take just a taste--a half of a small spoon--of some canned preserves and then die soon thereafter. Canning?I've always wondered why they call it canning. Isn't it really jarring? Can-canEven thirty years ago it wasn't easy to find reasonably-priced fresh fruit or vegetables between October and June. Many families grew their own produce and canned or froze it when it was at its prime, rather than eat store-bought canned produce or, worse, go without fresh produce entirely in the winter (as my dad's family did back in the thirties). Given the work it takes to can vegetables (let alone grow them), these girls should have been proud of themselves. To one of the anons: botulism from improper canning procedures (usually not following the recipe or not using a pressure canner when required) is possible, but exceedingly rare. One cookbook I have claims that there were 31 deaths in the entire United States from home-canned foods between 1901 and 1953, but over 500 from commercially canned food. Yet everyone has a friend of a friend who knew someone who died from eating a spoonful of home-canned food. Hmm.I wonder if Miriam Retherford had anything to do with this. Canning todayIn the rural Midwest and South, home gardens and canning are traditions that are still very much alive. Every supermarket carries jars and lids, many families have their own garden or access to a local farmer. Nowadays freezing has been added to preservation methods, which is safer for low-acid foods such as corn. We put up chutney, tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, blueberries, apples, peaches, lime and mustard pickles, and beans if we can get our hands on enough. (I hated the month of August when I was a kid...it seemed like one endless day of beans to snap and tomatoes to skin and cucumbers to slice). Nice sign.Someone really had a fun time hand lettering that sign. There's a dying art. Technicolor cannershope you enjoy this colorized version.... [It's beautiful! Thank you. Click to enlarge. - Dave] Not Dead YetDying art? I think not. I'm married to a professional calligrapher. There are plenty of them out there. Not many on the net, though. My wife is pretty much a luddite, as are her contemporaries. Did you know about the new St. John Bible? Hand illustrated and lettered. It's beautiful (and still in progress). I did like the university citation on the bottom of the sign. Go Boilers! Arcadian SunsetDiscussing with a friend the progression away from such activities as canning - at least in the LA area - I said: My great-grandfather had a farm. My grandfather had a garden. My father had a can opener. I have a microwave. A very hot jobIn the days of victory gardens and beyond, my mom and our neighbor canned countless varieties of foods and since all the best harvest seemed to be around the month of August, it was on the hottest, steamiest days of the year, with no air conditioning, huge boiling pots of jars and lids to sterilize, water baths for the canned goods, a stifling, crowded kitchen and merciless, inescapable heat. No turkish bath could compare to the humidity and oppressive atmosphere of our sultry surroundings. Even though they worked together (misery loves company) and split the bounty, I hated "canning days" but still was required to help. Talk about a crappy job. One friend of ours even canned meats when they slaughtered a hog or cow. As an adult, I have never done any of these things, as I felt it was more trouble than it was worth but of course these days we can get just about anything at any time. We don't know how lucky we are. Botulism danger in low acid foodsFor at least the last 60 years, there have been only two methods for canning low acid foods accepted as safe and they are pressuring or pickling. Prior to that, very long cooking times were recommended for vegetables and meats, both during processing and before serving, but that still wasn't enough to completely avoid cases of botulism so the USDA changed its guidelines. Most fruits contain enough acid to be safely canned in just a water bath, but some, like tomatoes, can't always be depended upon to contain enough acid. I have always added some ascorbic acid powder to such things, just to be sure. I love this picture! I learned to can from my mother-in-law, in 1974. She said that dozens of filled jars all lined up was about the most beautiful sight there was and I agree! I don't put up nearly as much as I once did, but still can't stand to have my family eating store-bought jam or relish, and I always put up some watermelon syrup for my grandmother's famous Kuchen. Identity?Do we know the names of the girls photographed? I had many relatives in Vigo County in that time period, would love it if they were related! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Noel, Iola: 1944
... of her condition. She was refinishing furniture and canning fruit in addition to writing songs. "Theron proposed not very long ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/24/2023 - 11:31am -

On this Christmas Eve, we travel back 79 years for a visit with the First Lady of Shorpy, Iola Swinnerton. Some two decades after her bathing-pageant days, she is still radiating beauty and cheer. Scroll down to the comments for more of Iola's life story. View full size. "STONE WOMAN" ENJOYS CHRISTMAS PREPAREDNESS         CHICAGO (Dec. 23, 1944) -- Mrs. Iola Swinnerton Warren, who suffered the illness known as myositis ossificans after inoculation for typhoid following a Florida hurricane, watches her husband Theron V. Warren and little nephew Herbert Taylor trim Christmas tree. (Acme Newspictures photo.) Licensed to Marry.From the Washington Post of August 4, 1918: "Gerald Swinnerton, 31, of Williamston, Michigan, and Iola Taylor, 18, of Rockford, Illinois." Iola in 1947Here is part of article from the Waterloo Sunday Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) of March 9, 1947. The Warrens adopted Herbert Taylor (Iola's nephew). Herbert was 13 in 1947. Forever YoungIt would seem, from an earlier comment, that she was born in 1902, so she would have been 19 or 20 in those earlier photos from 1921 and 1922, and 42 here. She has lovely, youthful skin and a radiant smile. [If she was 18 when married in 1918, she'd have been born in 1899 or 1900. - Dave] Not just Christmas celebrationsThis is also the occasion of their second wedding anniversary - I found the announcement from the Suburbanite Economist (Chicago) of December 23, 1942. It sounds like she had a terrible time with this illness -- it started in 1926 and she spent nine years in the hospital! I'm glad she seems to have found happiness with Theron. Based on what I read about myositis ossificans, it seems unlikely that this is what she had. It is normally caused by an injury to a muscle, and from what I can tell, stays within that muscle -- it doesn't spread to other areas of the body. It's probably more likely that she had heterotopic ossification, possibly caused by central nervous system injury or an underlying genetic disorder. *Cringe*I am sure that Herbie really enjoyed being characterized in the newspaper as her "little" nephew. Hope his friends didn't see the story! [He looks like Larry Mondello. - Dave] Carpentry and TweedNotice the nicely done rest for her feet that does not appear to be part of the original wheelchair--not the easiest thing to put together if you're doing it with nails instead of wood screws, which may be the case here. Also, I love the nephew's tweed slacks--sadly, winter weight slacks seem to be a thing of the past, even up north here in Minnesota. They're keeping him so warm, he doesn't need to keep his shirt tucked in. The story that keeps on givingAnother amazing feature of this website. Over the course of eleven and a half years (dating back to April of 2007) we are treated to a series of photos of Iola Swinnerton from a very specific two-year period (1921-1922) in a very specific context (bathing suit beauty contest). No sense of limitation or lack of variety, and every new photo was a delight. Flash forward suddenly 22 years to 1944 and to a whole new context. We find Iola in a wheelchair with a strange and rare disease, and yet she is happy, recently married to a benevolent-looking church organist, and she and her husband have adopted her nephew. The husband "wasn’t discouraged because the pretty invalid was confined to a wheelchair," and she is able to report that her "condition has steadily improved" since they got married. The crowning glory of her positivity: "My dreams during so many years in hospitals have come true." (She writes songs which are published!) "I only hope someone else can take hope from my happiness." This is one of the most truly marvelous stories I've ever come across. Stiff Man’s SyndromeIola may have had what is now called Stiff Person’s Syndrome. It was first diagnosed in 1956. A friend had it. IolatryHere's a few more details regarding Iola. The New York Times, while reporting her wedding, stated that she was earning her living as a seamstress. The paper also said, "She was stricken by the baffling disease after the Florida Hurricane of 1926. At that time she lived in a Miami Beach cottage, the wife of Gerald Swinnerton, whom she divorced in April, charging desertion." In the 1940 U.S. Census Gerald Swinnerton is claiming to have been widowed. He was a camera designer and repairman, as well as a World War I veteran, and he was also known as George Simons. He died in 1961. Regarding her wedding, the Chicago Tribune of December 24, 1942 published the following story. "Smiling from her wheelchair, in a moire taffeta wedding dress and a shoulder length tulle veil, Iona Swinnerton, 40 years old, was married last night to Theron Victor Warren, 42, a shipyard worker and organist in the Wentworth Baptist church. The bride is suffering from a rare disease characterized by hardening of the muscles. "About 100 relatives and friends were present as the Rev. Eugene H. Daniels read the marriage ceremony. L. Duke Taylor, 1918 Cleveland avenue, her brother, gave the bride away. Donald McGowan, 1954 Henderson street, was the best man. "Miss Swinnerton, who lives at 4044 Wentworth avenue, has been suffering from the malady since 1926. She teaches a Bible class at the church, and met Warren while attending the services there." An article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette in December 1945 indicated that she had spent six years at the Cook County Hospital for treatment of her condition. She was refinishing furniture and canning fruit in addition to writing songs. "Theron proposed not very long after I cooked him a duck dinner," she confided. In 1949 Iola won fourth place in a nationwide Army songwriting contest, which earned her a $50 savings bond. The title of the tune was "Three Cheers For the Army." She died five years later, in 1954. Her obituary from the Chicago Tribune is below. "Iola N. Warren, 2642 Barry avenue, June 13, 1954, beloved wife of Theron V. Warren, dear sister of Louis Duke Taylor, dear aunt to Herbert Taylor. At chapel, 316 W. 63d street, at Harvard avenue, where services will be held Thursday, June 17, at 1 p.m. Cremation Oak Woods." Theron Warren died on May 3, 1976. The image below is from the January 4, 1937 issue of the Wilson (N.C.) Daily Times. FOPI presume Iola had fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. Story of Two FamiliesLuckily, I accepted an invitation to the Swinnertons' Christmas party before the invitation to the Dickeys' Christmas party arrived. Three cheers for King CottonThe pants of the kid look as if they are scratchy. Ask me how I know. It’s a small worldI’ve been a long-time Shorpy lurker, and have many of the wonderful images saved as desktop wallpaper. I had to comment on this picture -- the Eugene H. Daniels mentioned as the officiant in the newspaper article was my great-grandfather! By the time I knew him, he was just “Grandpa Dan”; it’s neat to be able to read about Iola and Theron some 78 years later. Merry Christmas to all! Eeugh!Theron is a ringer for an ex of mine. I hope Iola had better luck--she certainly endured enough as it was. (The Gallery, Chicago, Christmas, Iola S., Kids, News Photo Archive)
999 Bottles of Berries: 1941
... Administration. View full size. 4C: County Canning Clubs Contest And the winner is ...? Wife Preserver: 1939 ... County, Georgia, United States, as the " Girls Canning , and Boys Corn Clubs"? Third of a jar When I saw this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/11/2019 - 11:43am -

October 1941. "Canned goods made by Doc and Julia Miller, FSA client family with 1,000 jars of fruit, vegetables, etc. they have put up for the winter. Near White Plains, Greene County, Georgia." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. 4C: County Canning Clubs ContestAnd the winner is ...? Wife Preserver: 1939 War Garden Girls: 1918 Farm-to-Table: 1939 Jars of Plenty: 1939 Pantry Pride: 1941. Did you know that the Georgia 4-H was founded in 1904 by G.C. Adams in Newton County, Georgia, United States, as the "Girls Canning, and Boys Corn Clubs"? Third of a jarWhen I saw this caption, I couldn't help doing math: --> 9 months until next season's vegetables (October to July) --> 9 x 30 days = 270 days --> 1000 jars / 270 days = 3.7 jars, or almost 4 jars a day That seemed like a lot, but then I saw her family of ten in the next photo. She may not have enough. Miller Family 1940 censusFrom youngest to oldest: Anderson, 1; Emma, 4; Lucy, 7; Johnnie, 11; Oliver and Selina, both 13; Weyman, 16; Cora, 18; William, 20. Parents Julia, 35, and Dock, 39. The census lists highest school year completed: Julia has the most, with three years of high school; then Cora, who finished the seventh grade. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Rural America)
Pantry Pride: 1941
... Georgia." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Canning vs dry Some folks might say that canning the beans helps retain more of the freshness, flavor and nutrients. And ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/22/2019 - 8:19pm -

November 1941. "Mrs. Buck Grant, Farm Security Administration client, with her canned goods. Near Woodville, Georgia." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. Canning vs drySome folks might say that canning the beans helps retain more of the freshness, flavor and nutrients. And the canned beans are indeed more convenient since the beans are basically cooked in the canning process. Dry butter beans would be available in the fall, some to be used for cooking, and some as seeds for next year's planting. Nowadays, I store them fresh frozen from the garden! The Bare NecessitiesLooks like Mrs. Grant is well prepared for the winter and should be proud of her "stash" of canned fruits, veggies, and pickles. At that time, living in the country with little other way to preserve the harvest, canning was more of a necessity than a hobby. That cupboard of jars represents a lot of hot, hard work. Those were the daysWhen prepping was a necessity and a way of life, not an urbanite affectation. Justifiably proud!So many big jars! I'd smile like that, too, seeing the volume and variety of things she's canned, or, as we used to say, "put up". I spent summers in the late '60s with my grandparents in East Texas, and I would help my grandmother can vegetables in her kitchen, and sit in her backyard to string green beans and shell peas and butter beans from her large garden. Things that needed to stay frozen, like corn, were carried to the local locker plant, that was owned by our cousins. A winning smileShe seems to be suppressing a very cute and winning smile. Wow ... think about all the work that went into the bounty in that cupboard! Impressive inventoryThe investment in jars and lids looks substantial, but it should pay off by providing sustenance for this family through the winter. CannyI must say how much I am adoring these canning photos. The people who did the work are justifiably proud. Some of the jars are both fascinating and beautiful, such as the pickles on the left, second from the bottom. I wish someone would do the ID on all the contents, as the trusty Shorpy commenters do with trains and cars. That brings back memoriesWe had a walk-in pantry in our basement filled with shelves of canned vegetables and fruit in canning jars from our garden. My mother worked non-stop from summer to fall making sure that had enough food for winter and spring. ImpressiveA nice supply of goodies. And such large jars. I made thisIf I can read the lady's face, the expression seems to show her pleasure from having worked hard to produce a thing of value. Top ShelfI'm gonna go with okra on the top shelf. Best guess below that is turnips (purple top white globes). Middle shelf on the left might be plain cabbage, with butter beans (Henderson's?) on the right. Fourth shelf down pickles, of course, with beets(?) on the right near her hand. Bottom shelf looks like more turnips. And that is how you survived the Great Depression. What canned goods are missing and probably in another pantry? (Definitely string beans! Probably some collards or mustard greens.) 14 mouths to feedAccording to census records, in 1910 Mr. and Mrs. Grant had been married a year and had no children. The 1940 Census shows they were parents to eight girls and four boys. A Thing of BeautyI would be proud too! I have a question for the experienced canners : why can butter beans? It seems like the dried version would last just as long or longer? (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kitchens etc., Rural America)
Bootleg Bounty: 1929
... I HATE seeing the films from 1920,of perfectly good canning jars being smashed because they had moonshine in them! Such a waste! ... it's him. For those who don't know about home canning "Rubbers" are part of the seal under the lid on the glass jar used ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/18/2014 - 12:10am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1929. "Utilization of confiscated bootleg paraphernalia." Waste not, want not, especially when it comes to "jar rubbers." View full size. So that's why they were UntouchableCan't help wonder exactly how a couple of boxes of, err, jock straps ended up on the shelf. Where they the Feds, or the Bootleggers? Whatever, these were the best kind, apparently. "Perfect in every way." And most important, lacking all those "pernicious patent attachments." Clubhouse manager I also noticed two boxes of "fielder's gloves" on the top shelf. What kind of place is this? This makes me a happy canner!I HATE seeing the films from 1920,of perfectly good canning jars being smashed because they had moonshine in them! Such a waste! I'm glad to see that at least some of them were saved to use for putting up fruit! Corn SugarLooks like the rats have developed a liking to it too. P-ManIf ever there was a guy who looked like he SHOULD be called "Pops," it's him. For those who don't know about home canning"Rubbers" are part of the seal under the lid on the glass jar used for home canning. Is that hops in all the ball jars in the picture? [It would be various fruit preserves. The photo is, as the caption indicates, an example of how confiscated supplies (mason jars, sugar) were put to good use. - Dave] Swastika on boxAnyone notice the swastika on the box of jar rubbers on the shelf? I know it was a fairly common symbol until the late 1930s but it's still odd to look at it. Not HFCSI didn't think high fructose corn syrup could be called "corn sugar." [This would be dextrose. HFCS wasn't developed until 1957. - tterrace] Shirley President SuspendersQuite the popular brand. What?Shoes, onions, a billy club? Funny things to confiscate, but maybe the cudgel is meant for use protecting the canned cherries. Fielder's ChoiceKen-Well Fielder's Choice on top shelf near the center, here's what I found. The boxes must have something to do with baseball gloves etc. http://www.uticaod.com/sports/x79623781 (The Gallery, Natl Photo)
Home Ec: 1921
... left in the back, is adding to her partner's prep? Canning Jars I can't quite get enough detail on my monitor to see if those ... using, instead of clumsy, awkward stoves. The first canning jars had a separate sealing ring but a one-piece cap. The next advance ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 10:16pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Junior high school: Home Ec." Speaking as someone who needs to go lie down after microwaving a bag of broccoli, just looking at all this food preparation makes me dizzy with fatigue. View full size. Mean GirlsSo interesting to observe that so many of you call the girl stirring the pot in front as a "beauty" -- I definitely saw her as a pot stirrer, but of the other kind. One look at her and I immediately tagged her as the "mean girl of the class" -- the know-it-all bully. Perhaps she resembles an old bully in my past? So many jars to open...Where's a man when you need one! And today?The safety concerns in today's schools would make a scene like this impossible! Exposed gas rings?!? Open ranges between crowded worktops?!? OMG! They are all in immediate danger. Little worry about the danger of actually learning something! What is with those New Process ranges, though? There seem to be no pot supports above the burners. At first I thought the units the girls are working at would be moved on and off the larger ranges, but no, they appear to have their own burners. I wonder what the impish girl, third from left in the back, is adding to her partner's prep? Canning JarsI can't quite get enough detail on my monitor to see if those are Ball-patent two-piece lids, or the original one-piece. 1921 is late enough for the two-piece, early enough that the originals might still be in use. The ones in the very front look like two-piece, and certainly a truly modern Home Ec course in 1921 would have used the latest technology -- look at the high-tech gas rings they're using, instead of clumsy, awkward stoves. The first canning jars had a separate sealing ring but a one-piece cap. The next advance was molding the sealing ring into the cap, which was cheaper and more reliable but makes the jars extremely difficult to open because you have to turn the seal on the glass lip. When the two-piece design came along people went for it like a pack of rats, partly because it's so much easier to open. Love at first sight of the girl near the front, looking down so solemnly at what she's stirring. Unfortunately (or perhaps not) my time machine is on the fritz. Interesting tidbitsOne of the things that intrigues me about these old photos are the items that appear in periphery that must have an interesting backstory. For instance, there's an empty milk bottle on the right side of the shelf just above the sink. And then there's the word "glucose" written in a cursive slant on the clean left side of otherwise well chalked blackboard. What stories could be related to these items! Stirring the potI too, fell for the beauty stirring the pot on the left. Hard to believe these girls are all Jr. High. Interesting stove in the aisle. "New Process" State of the artLook at the size of this classroom. These look like over-the-top facilities which is probably why they were photographed. The classroom was well-run. The girls are in proper attire, too. Even the cooking hats are "period pieces." And they were years away from microwave broccoli, so the skills they learned served them well, I'll bet. Ready, set, open your jars!Ready, set, open your jars! No one jar is open yet. Any guess on what they could be making? [They're making a photograph. - Dave] Curds & WheyRic: My guess is your crush is stirring a pot of those, but there seems to be a flour-like consistency. [Looks to me like photo-op oatmeal, i.e. soap flakes. - Dave] Washboard TrainingI can't wait for my wife to come home. I have to show her this photograph with the girls using the washboard. She has talked about her Home Ec classes back in the sixties, but I don't think they taught her how to use a washboard. Some Home-Ec class THAT is!When's the last time somebody took a damp rag to that chalkboard? Brand new cookstovesLook at those two stoves in the front right center of the picture. I think they still have some strings left used to secure loose hardware and doors for shipping. (The Gallery, D.C., Education, Schools, Harris + Ewing, Kitchens etc.)
Happy Thought: 1940
... lad has both shoes on. - Dave] Threshing, heat, and canning That big stove is probably for a bunch of reasons, starting with the ... come in handy for not only threshing season, but also canning, preserving, boiling down maple syrup, baking bread & pies, and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/19/2018 - 12:41pm -

September 1940. "Mrs. Garland and her little boy. Family lives in the submarginal farm area of Rumsey Hill, near Erin, New York." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Lots of PotsThat stove looks huge and can accommodate so many pots but I guess once you made the fire, you had to cook everything at once instead of making things one after another. Perhaps she had a large family (or planned to) and this was a wise purchase. Another thought -- during harvest season my grandparents would hire threshers to come in and harvest everything in a short period of time. The farm wife was responsible for feeding them. This probably came in handy if used for those times too. Shoe problemMr. Delano must have shown up when no one was ready. Maybe scurrying around to get their shoes on. The little boy either didn’t get both shoe on on decided he didn’t want to wear two shoes. Mother simply didn’t have time to tie her shoes, I suppose. Anyway, that is quite a remarkable stove! [That's a baby shoe. Our young lad has both shoes on. - Dave] Threshing, heat, and canningThat big stove is probably for a bunch of reasons, starting with the fact it was probably a main source of heat for the home. It also would come in handy for not only threshing season, but also canning, preserving, boiling down maple syrup, baking bread & pies, and even heating water for doing laundry. It's impressive how much oven you can use when you're doing all that. Close your mouth, you'll catch a fly.That's what my old dad would tell me when my mouth was hanging open like this young lad's. Give me gas (stove that is)The stove was a critical appliance. My family were from the anthracite region in northeastern Pennsylvania. My aunt had a coal stove. It had to be kept burning all year round. It was a pain to re-light so extended trips from home were few. In addition to cooking, it was the primary source of heat and hot water. There were metal grates in the floors upstairs to let the heat rise up in the winter. For really cold days she had a second coal heater in the "parlor," as she called it. She had this setup until she had to move into a "home." Maybe the result of living through the Depression, but my family never updated anything without good reason. Things were used until they broke and couldn't be repaired. Shorpy StoveNice placement. The Stove That Made Pittston FamousFounded in 1869, the Pittston Stove Company's business took off after 1873, when Samuel Smythe, an engineering pioneer with 25 patents, designed a duplex grate, which became an industry standard. The company shipped $175,000 worth of stoves in 1917, the equivalent of $3.2 million today. The one shown in this ad has much fancier ironwork but the components are similar the Garland family's version. Re: Give me gas (stove that is) I have had many conversations as a curious teen, and even more curious adult with my grandparents, as well as my husband's Indiana farmer grandparents of German farm family roots over the last 40 years. In those conversations, I discovered that due to not only the Great Depression, but general farm family economics, combining a lifetime of thrifty farming ways, plus the aforementioned Depression, AND WWII, they just lived that way, because that's the way things were. While "the men" - meaning the grandfather and any uncles that remained to follow in their father's footsteps - ruled the roost regarding not only farm operations, but economic ones as well. Grandmothers - mothers at that time, of course - ruled the home, and all operations taking place inside it, but only to the point where the economy would allow. The furnishing of the kitchen, the sewing room, the canning storage, water supply, and other utilities were ruled by the amount of money available coming from the economies of the farm operations, which always came first. If electricity were to be furnished to the property, it came to benefit the running of the farm first, and then the house IF there was enough left over to do so. So, the harder the men worked, and the more money that came from those efforts, the more everyone would benefit. Updating the features of the farm home was practically impossible not only during depression times, as there was no money to do so, until the Federal government and the FSA began getting involved in helping farm families pull themselves out of the Great mire they found themselves buried in during the very late thirties. But, it all came to a halt during the War years, because even though there was more money in the bank finally, there was little to nothing to buy! Restrictions, rationing and priorities on metals reduced new farm equipment to absolute minimums, if not down to nothing to be had at all. Even repair parts were almost impossible to come by. Same for tractor tires, truck tires, wagon tires, even bicycle tires! So many farm families lived miles and miles "from town" they had difficulty getting there to buy anything, if there was anything to buy. Going to the local co-op for seed, feed, and fertilizers - also difficult to get in needed quantities - was about as close to shopping as many farmers or their wives would get for years. My husband's grandmother never learned to drive, and she was relegated to sending a list with grandpa to get the things she needed, so she had to depend on him entirely for several years to get her shopping done. The only time she left the house for years was to go to church down the road about two miles on Sunday mornings. Sometimes she would be able to send mail orders in from her Sears catalogs, if they had what she wanted for the money she had to spend. She had three sons and one daughter, born in a period of 36 months from the birth of the first to the last, all by C-sections, in the mid-30's, so those trips to the hospital were also rare outings! And extended rests, with other local church acquaintance farm wives coming to help her out for the first few weeks after each one came. Cloth diapers were washed daily in a bucket, rinsed twice in the wash tub, run through the wringer, and hung on the line in the sun to dry. Laundry wasn't just a Monday only job, with farmer's overalls getting filthy on a daily basis. Nobody had a week's worth of clothing to get from Monday to Sunday. Gasoline restrictions and rationing certainly didn't help that, as you didn't get far on three gallons per week. Gasoline meant for farm equipment only had been colored with a red dye, and if you were found to be running farm gas in your automobile, there was severe fines that could be levied. So, keeping things running, and fixing instead of replacing were the rules of the day all during the War years as well. Once all those restrictions, rationing, priorities, etc., were over with, it wasn't so easy to just start throwing things out and buying new. Not when you had been doing things that way practically all your life. Mrs. Helen Struble Garland, age 31This is most likely Helen Garland and her 3-year old son Chauncey. Per the 1940 census, Helen lived with her husband Clarence and five young sons in Van Etten, NY, where her husband worked as a woodcutter. Helen and Clarence both lived into their eighties. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Kitchens etc., Rural America)
The Recipe: 1923
... Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Canning Jars I'm surprised to see them using bail closure jars in 1923 when ... lies? Botox versus Botulism When I was young, home canning, improperly done, often caused fatalities due to botulism. Today ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:35pm -

"Two women in kitchen. May 8, 1923." Not just any old kitchen, this is the laboratory where Odessa Dow conducted her ground-breaking baking research. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Canning JarsI'm surprised to see them using bail closure jars in 1923 when the superior and safer metal Mason jar lid had been around for decades by then. And what is that contraption on the shelf above the oven, second from the left? It looks familiar but I can't place it. The Aforementioned ContraptionI have a variation of that glass vacuum coffee maker. Alas, it does not help me make a better cup of coffee but it sure wows guests! Coffee contraptionThe aforementioned contraption above the oven looks like a vacuum coffee maker. In fact, those are all coffee makers. PinocchioAfter chastising several posts on how cruel their comments were, I feel sheepish with this: did these two just get out of bed? Has the one on the left been telling many lies? Botox versus BotulismWhen I was young, home canning, improperly done, often caused fatalities due to botulism. Today botulin toxin is used to make wrinkles disappear and for other medical treatments. I remember a newspaper story in which a woman died and the cause of death was not discovered until they served her home-canned mushrooms at the funeral dinner and some of the guests became seriously ill from botulism. Glass Vacuum Coffee MakerThat glass vacuum coffee maker above the stove almost looks like a modern day Yama. From the Vacuum Coffee Maker Blog: (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Natl Photo)
Farm-to-Table: 1957
September 9, 1957. "Mrs. Willis Cooper baking and canning in the kitchen of her farmhouse near Radcliffe, Iowa." Color ... that metal hardware. I agree with Jim Page. Canning and baking aren't the same thing. Obviously. Who would do that? What ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/30/2019 - 7:29pm -

September 9, 1957. "Mrs. Willis Cooper baking and canning in the kitchen of her farmhouse near Radcliffe, Iowa." Color transparency from photos by Jim Hansen for the Look magazine assignment "Iowa family." View full size. Farm or no farmI wonder how many perople still do this today? And if they still do, to that scope and in that quantity? Altough quantity seems to have already declined when compared to Shorpy's photos from the 1940s. OMGI'm suddenly so hungry. Can no one stop this woman?No offense, but Mrs. Willis Cooper has clearly gone nuts. That empty feelingAnd more sparkling jars still on the workbench, waiting to be filled. I'm hoping for bread and butter pickles. Kitchen cabinetsI ended up taking over my grandparents house for about 15 years. I refinished everything in the house. That house had those cabinets and definitely that metal hardware. I agree with Jim Page. Canning and baking aren't the same thing. Obviously. Who would do that? What are you going to do with the baked goods? Roadside stand? Selling to the local grocer? I kind of see the canning, but unless you lived an hour from the store, it was dying off back then. My mom would can plum, grape and crab apple jelly. One vine and tree of each and it was a PITA, but it was a hobby and not a necessity. Been thereThat could be my mom's kitchen in our city house in Detroit in 1967. Row upon row of shiny clean jars (that my sister and I cleaned) filled with stewed tomatoes, whole tomatoes, pizza sauce, and the smell of roasting peppers permeating the air. DANG.I would so work as her swamper in exchange for a tithe of what her kitchen puts out. Canning *and* bakingMy guess is Mrs. Cooper is fixing to enter her handiwork in several categories in the county or state fair. For all we know, out back she may have a fine laying hen and some flowers to cut before she is fully prepared. Whew!I'm exhausted just looking at the picture. (Kodachromes, Agriculture, Kitchens etc., LOOK)
All Tucked In: 1941
... her bugs in a rug. A very precarious perch for those canning jars. I just wonder how long they survived those five kids. One ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/12/2021 - 11:50am -

March 1941. "Mother and children from North Carolina farm. They came to Norfolk, Virginia, so husband and older sons could get employment in defense industries." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. All I Can Hear Is,"Good night, John-Boy", "Good night, Mary Ellen", "Good night, Jim-Bob!" Those are some close quarters. I've had to share a room with a sibling, but never a bed! Three to a BedWasn't always bad but my two little brothers -- four and five years younger -- had a bad habit of wetting the bed. So except for wintry nights when it was cozy, I often slept on the floor, rolled in my blanket. No sheet!Poor little pooters in the right bed do not even have a bottom sheet, just sleeping on the bare mattress. I have slept many nights with several of my siblings in the same bed. Sometimes, if we had company, we’d have to sleep half with our heads one way and half the other way, at the foot of the bed. One advantage is plenty of warmth! Once on a bonechilling night we had so many quilts we could not turn over; had to get out of bed to turn over. On those cold nights, you hope you would not have to go to the outdoor toilet. No matter which way the outhouse was oriented, the wind always seemed to blow in the back and up through the openings. Pleasantly SatisfiedMom’s very pleased with her bugs in a rug. A very precarious perch for those canning jars.I just wonder how long they survived those five kids. One looks a little wobbly as we speak. Crowded quarters!So, when come winter, 6 dogs?? When you have no space to giveToo bad John Vachon did not identify his subjects by name. Some of these five kids, plus at least two older sons mentioned, might show up in an Internet search. The mother's pride as she looks at her children is heartwarming. The walls are in much better shape than Piano Man's. But small children sleeping directly on a mattress does not usually work out well. Class clownLooks like Mama is chuckling over the young'un who's pretending to be asleep. There's always that one. Sharing a bedI'm the youngest of 9, and for the first 3-4 years of my life, I shared a bed with my youngest sister, and my brother. There were 3 bedrooms other than my parents room, so the three of us not only shared a bed, there were 6 of us total in that bedroom. Some would call this tough times, but it made the family bonds all that much stronger. The funniest part of this was that two of my sisters used to talk in their sleep. As each one would speak, the other would hear it and respond, even though the conversations were unrelated. Problem solvedIf my siblings and I had had to sleep like that, we'd have killed each other. That would reduce the overcrowding. Looks FamiliarTwo of my brothers and I shared a bed for a number of years. We would hold singing contests and vote for the winner. Being the middle brother, I got the middle and was always warm enough in Minnesota winters with surplus army wool blankets. We would do back scratches like the Three Stooges. We would laugh and make noise until our grandmother would threaten us with her shoe. And she knew how to use her shoe having raised 15 children herself. Great memories. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Kids, Norfolk)
By Their Fruits: 1941
... View full size. Time consuming labor there canning. How did the Mr. and Mrs. find time to procreate two little spuds?? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/18/2019 - 6:20pm -

September 1941. "Mrs. Harvey Renninger and son in her home with canned goods. Two River Non-Stock Cooperative, FSA co-op. Waterloo, Nebraska." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Time consuming labor there canning.How did the Mr. and Mrs. find time to procreate two little spuds?? Her name is EthelEthel Renninger died in 1991 at the age of 82, five months after son Richard passed at the age of 58. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Kids, M.P. Wolcott, Rural America)
Prepped: 1941
... and people planting gardens and doing things at home, canning jars and lids are increasingly hard to find in some areas. Particularly, the canning lids, which canners will tell you are practically worth their weight in ... Eulalie McKechnie Shinn. I like the "wreath" of canning bands – I think I may adopt that storage solution myself. Yes we ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/30/2020 - 10:52am -

August 1941. Coffee County, Alabama. "Josh Smart family participates in the FSA Food for Defense program. Mrs. Eulia Smart says: 'I never had a pressure cooker before, an' when I got this one, I canned everything in sight' -- 264 quarts since spring." Medium format nitrate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. That's a Dill-BreakerI would neither want to hoist up nor lift down those jars of pickles. Somebody in that household probably suffers from a cucumber-lumbar syndrome. Eat what you canAnd what you can't, we'll can -- a family saying from parents who grew up during the Depression. Jarred againWell, contrary to previous photos on Shorpy, here we see shelves which are reasonably straight. And those jars were not sized for one member households. Everything in sight, eh.Well, let's hope Eulia's husband kept out of the way, and we're not looking at him somewhere on those shelves. Be careful-I hope that part of Alabama's not in Earthquake Country with the product of her hard work sitting unrestrained on shelves. A jarring fact, so can it.With the advent of Covid-19, and people planting gardens and doing things at home, canning jars and lids are increasingly hard to find in some areas. Particularly, the canning lids, which canners will tell you are practically worth their weight in gold right now. Shelf MathStraight Shelves + Time = Sagging Shelves Canned Food We canned everything during the war from chicken to fruit and vegetables. We never had more than 500 cans at one time. We did live in suburban New York City. Here's hopingThat Mrs. Smart had time to put her feet up and enjoy a good meal, including a double helping of cornbread. She's worn herself down to a nub. In other news, I'd give an hour or so off my life for a few of the square jars in those boxes. And I can't even can. Or can but don't. Chicken feedIt looks like the Smart family raises chickens, too. No surprise. I'm assuming this from the gunny sack of 'Broiler Mash'. Mrs. Smart's FamilyIn the 1920 Census, Eula Smart (nee Ammons) is age 20, Josh is age 28, and they have a 2-year-old daughter named Voncile. By 1930, the family has grown: Josh is now 40, Eula is 31, and they have two daughters: Voncile (12), Vera (5) and a son Paul (2). The family did not own a radio. Josh had never been to school, and could not read or write. In the 1940 Census, Eula (aged 41) and Josh (now 57!) had a daughter Lois (15) and two sons: Paul (12) and Joe (3) living at home -- Voncile had gotten married at the age of 18 and moved out. This census recorded the highest grade attended; Eula's last year of schooling was the 7th grade, and it looks like Josh never went to school. None of the kids were in school. Josh Smart died on June 5, 1961, at the age of 72; Eula died on Dec. 31, 1975, at the age of 76. They are buried together in the Wise Mill Cemetery in Coffee County. EuliaI’d never come across this name before, so I looked it up. Short for Eulalia. Means sweet spoken. Patron saint of Barcelona. A character in Faulkner’s novel Absalom, Absalom. One source even noted that Eulalia is “a melodious name with a Southern drawl.” A Rather Young WomanThis photo was taken in about the 12th year of the Great Depression. Poverty can take its toll. One must constantly grind and grind to keep self and family going. Mrs. Smart was born about 1900. In this photo she is just out of her thirties. Helpful hints for home-makersThe shelf lining indicates that Eulia's been doing her homework. "Reducing chances of home accidents" was the lead item, thus the straight shelves, perhaps. A Different Literary AssociationNot a Faulkner fan, I confess; for me the name Eula immediately calls to mind Meredith Wilson's formidable Eulalie McKechnie Shinn. I like the "wreath" of canning bands – I think I may adopt that storage solution myself. Yes we CanCanning lids are indeed hard to come by. The pandemic has upended almost every aspect of daily life, but it's been good to see so many learning to garden and can. This year we were fortunate to have bought too many lids last year, but we still can't find Sure Jell Light. Threading the reusable bands on wire for storage is something we do, too. The Atlas boxes are lovely. Gem Canning Jars in CanadaWhile most Americans have known only the regular or wide mouth lids for canning, there is an in-between version in Canada for Gem canning jars with a 78mm diameter. There is also the earlier Crown jar that uses a red rubber ring with a separate glass segment in the top. Viceroy brand rubber rings are still available. How it all developed and turned into a major protest can be found here. Bernardin is the big name for canning supplies in Canada. The shelves for pectin and jars are empty in Canada too. Atlas JarsStill square, I collected pint and a halfs and quarts. Classico pasta sauce jars. First year for me to can by myself. (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Collier, Kitchens etc., Rural America, WW2)
Farm-to-Table: 1939
... FSA. View full size. Ballanced? I remember the canning my mom and my granmas did. Yes, that was one of the few ways to ... Small Batch I'm thinking there is no actual canning going on here. I'd be surprised to learn that processing just one jar ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/26/2018 - 10:46am -

November 1939. "Mrs. John Dixon cans an adequate supply of fruits and vegetables to give her family a balanced diet during the winter. Saint Charles County, Missouri." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. View full size. Ballanced?I remember the canning my mom and my granmas did. Yes, that was one of the few ways to preserve perishables throught the winter. And it was a big advance compared to the times before Nicolas Appert, Louis Pasteur and their disciples. But if memory serves right, ballace involved ballancing produce with sugar and heat. The sugar part was always popular with us kids. The cans and glasses that contained more nasty greens than sugar - not so much. [There seems to be some confusion here between "balancing" (which has just one L) and "preserving." A balanced diet is one with nutritionally correct proportions of vegetables, meats and fats. - Dave] Sure (damn double Ls in other words and languages and an ancient keyboard). Like most other correctnesses, the nutritionally one is kind of relative. These days we have trucks, fridges and freezers which have taken the potential for nutritional correctness to an unprecedented level. If only we made better use of that *sigh* Half the gardenChow chow, dill pickles, tomatoes, kernel corn, and … erm … cherries? And Mrs. Dixon’s just lifting out a jar of cut green beans from the canner. [Hellip cherries are best eaten fresh. - Dave] Indeed I am sure they are; markup, however, should be well done. Ground cherriesI thought those were ground cherries, which my mother-in-law used to can. They don't, by the way, taste anything like cherries. Small BatchI'm thinking there is no actual canning going on here. I'd be surprised to learn that processing just one jar each of several different foods was ever a thing. But I've been wrong before! [What's Mother lifting out of that pot? - Dave] Ball and MasonAre the patron saints of preserving and canning food. My wonderful new neighbors are always calling me to meet me at their door with a Mason or Ball jar filled with some kind of delicious soup or stew. I appreciate the way she only screws the lid on partly tight with its inside lid and gasket so it won't be so hard to open later. It gets quickly emptied into a Corningware bowl for later heating, then the jars cleaned and returned for refills! Wonderful PhotoMrs. Dixon looks so proud in her sparse, but fully functional kitchen. Proud of her children and her canning. A much more simple time. She Eventually Became a TeacherRuth Marcella Dixon, 90, of St Charles, died Saturday (Aug. 15, 1998) at Mark Twain Manor in Bridgeton of natural causes. Mrs. Dixon was a retired teacher in St. Charles County. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. today today at the First United Methodist Church at 801 First Capitol Drive in St. Charles and from 4 to 8 p.m. today at T.E. Pitman Funeral Home, 909 Pitman Avenue in Wentzville. A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church in Charles. Burial will be held at Oak Grove Cemetery at 2700 West Clay Street in St. Charles. Among the survivors are a son, John K. Dixon of Defiance; two sisters, sisters, Thelma E. Mason and Edie Mason, both of Belleville; six grandchildren; and nine greatgrandchildren. greatgrandchildren. Memorial contributions to the United Methodist Church or St. Peters Peters Residence for Seniors can be made in care of T.E. Pitman Funeral Funeral Home, Box 248, Wentzville, Mo. 63385. Joke of the PeriodMy father used to tell the joke, about what they do with extra food, "We eat what we can, and what we can't, we can." Oilcloth That oilcloth tablecloth needed turning about two years ago! My Sicilian grandmother in law always turned the table cloth a quarter turn once a week. The Dixon FamilyJohn Gordon Dixon (not pictured); Ruth Marcella Dixon (31) with Grace Lee (10) and John Kenneth (8). Staged?My first thought was that this scene was staged. I thought we should be seeing steam from the canning kettle, and Mom is standing awfully close to that hot stove. Also the table seems too close for safety. [Posed, not staged. She really did can that food in that place, only not at that moment. -tterrace] That wall covering...I'm really curious about the wall covering, which seems to be something like linoleum. At the time, would that pattern have seemed modern or old-fashioned? Does it say anything about how well-off this family is? Shelf LifeMy mother is still making pies with cherries she canned over thirty years ago. Canning is an involved yet remarkable process. Pull up a chair and sit a spellWhat a wonderfully evocative picture. I remember my mom and grandmother doing canning like this into the 1970s with produce from our garden (although with an electric stove of course). My generation lost so much of that practical knowledge. I can almost feel the texture of the tablecloth under my arms while I would sit and watch my mom and grandmother go through the various steps of canning. My favorite was the different process of making fruit preserves (although the functional mason jar remained front and center). I remember mom getting armloads of sure-jell packets from the store during berry season. As a kid I used to love spread that sweet concoction of strawberries or blackberries or peaches on some of mom's homemade french toast. What I wouldn't give to go back and re-experience some of those memories again. Successful Family From Humble BeginningsDaughter Grace grew up to become a nurse. Grace L. Schneider, 61, of St. Charles, died Monday (June 18, 1990) at Parkside Meadows Retirement Community in St. Charles. Before retiring last year, Mrs. Schneider had been a nurse in the office of Dr. William H. Poggemeier in St. Charles. She was a member of St. John's United Church of Christ in St. Charles. A funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Baue Funeral Home, 620 Jefferson Street, St. Charles. Burial Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery, Sixth Street and Boonslick Road, St. Charles. Visitation will be from 2:30 to 9 p.m. today. Among survivors are her husband, Harold E. Schneider of St. Charles; two daughters, Donna Thomassen of St. Peters and Cathy Quest of Warrenton, her mother, Ruth Dixon of St. Charles; one brother, John Kenneth Dixon of Defiance; and four grandchildren. Memorial contributions can be made to St. John's United Church of Christ. From St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 19 Jun 1990 Hot August Canning DaysI remember helping can each and every summer in the 1970's. We had a HUGE garden and canned nearly everything. My sister and I would wash the narrow mouth jars (our hands were little) and snap beans, wash berries, peel the hot skins off of tomatoes and more. With sweat pouring off of because of the hot stove and boiling water, we looked forward to getting outside where it was ONLY 95 degrees! (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kids, Kitchens etc.)
Lil Shuckers: 1906
... Vol. 3, 1904. Oysters and Fish Gulf Coast Canning Industry — Oysters, Shrimp, Figs — A Fisherman's Paradise. ... coast between Mobile and New Orleans are many great oyster canning factories where from September until May the business of pulling up the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 3:53pm -

Biloxi, Mississippi, circa 1906. "Point oyster houses." Just add ice and beer. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Point CadetThis is known locally as Point Cadet (pronounced "Point Cady" for you Yankees). Oyster, crab and shrimp processing have been done in this location for years. This area was damaged by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Gambling casinos are now occupying much of the this seafood processing area. Sad News from the GulfThe news this week is that the 2011 oyster season may have to be canceled, because of too much fresh water entering the Gulf this Spring. With the recent hurricane, oil spill, and now the floods, the booming oyster business of the coast is in danger of disappearing, and with it a unique slice of the Gulf Coast will disappear too. Oyster Railroads North & South, Vol. 3, 1904. Oysters and Fish Gulf Coast Canning Industry — Oysters, Shrimp, Figs — A Fisherman's Paradise. … Scattered along the coast between Mobile and New Orleans are many great oyster canning factories where from September until May the business of pulling up the giant product of the Sound is carried on. Biloxi has the largest factory in the world, and quite a group of the canners are congregated here so that the name of this city is synonymous with that of oysters, and is perhaps the most widely known of any on the Gulf Coast. … At the oyster wharves an interesting scene is enacted when the ships come in and pull up alongside the little "oyster railroads" with their miniature trains of cars standing easy to receive them. With automatic hoists the oysters are lifted to the wharf and emptied into the cars. When filled each train runs into the factory where a picturesque line of Bohemians, men, women and children, awaits them and falls to opening the shells as soon as they are steamed. The dexterity with which they learn to extract the bivalve is fascinating. As their tin cups are filled they are paid in cash. Shuckers make from 60 cents to $1.25 per day and besides this wage, receive free houses, fuel and water from their employers. Labor is an ever-present problem with the oyster canners— most of it comes from Baltimore, but the briefness of the season and lack of all year round employment deters many from making the long journey to the coast, especially if they are certain or steady work elsewhere. Lack of oystersThis happens every time they have to open the Bonnet Carre spillway. The influx of fresh water kills the oysters. They will be back next year, barring another flood. The oil really didn't bother the oysters much at all. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
The Modern Kitchen: 1920
... you," and these women have put them in drinking glasses or canning jars on the kitchen table. Hot and Cold My 1928 bathroom sink ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:39pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Kitchen of Ernest G. Walker," newspaperman and real-estate developer. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Magnesite FloorThe kitchen floor is [or at least could be] a waterproof concrete-like product called magnesite, and has continuous mop boards molded in to facilitate easy cleaning. Magnesite was a popular choice for upscale kitchen and other utility floors in the teens and twenties, and was also used for kitchen counters and even sinks. The Will Rogers Ranch House in Malibu still has its magnesite kitchen counters, which are an attractive pale doeskin color. It was also tinted with pigments and scored to look like quarry tile flooring in 1920s houses. My Materials Handbook defines it thus: "A flooring material composed of calcined magnesite, magnesium chloride, sawdust, ground quartz or silica, and fine powdered wood waste; used as a finishing surface on concrete floor slabs." Two Kitchen Questions1) What is the purpose of the pipe-shaped apparatus on the upper and lower portions of the front of the range? It doesn't appear to be part of the gas line. [They're bumpers that protect the valves. - Dave] 2) What technological or inspirational leap was required to create a single spigot on a kitchen (or bathroom) sink that would handle the outflow of both hot and cold water and — mercy me! — allow them to mix as warm as well? I've always wondered this in connection with older plumbing. Bonus question: In the jar on the side table, that's the best Mr. Walker could do for flowers? Modern TimesI wonder what material is on the two tables. It looks to be tacked down to the one on the left and draped over the one next to the stove. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was vinyl....but I know better. Also, I'll bet the ice box is on an exterior wall and the top right door is for ice. It was popular at this time to have an ice door on the outside of the house that fed directly in to the ice box. The delivery man could put in a new ice block without even knocking on the door. Ahhh, modern conveniences. Curious Interesting to note that the gas oven is vented to the outside. And we've sure come a long ways in flooring, haven't we? State-of-the-art technology!I hope that the beautifully tidy kitchen, the flowers on the table, and the satisfaction of a state-of-the-art Chambers stove helped that poor woman's quality of life, wearing that ratty apron and those pinching boots. Apparently, this must have been taken in the late 20s: http://www.oldstoveman.com/contents/media/chambers%20fireless052.jpg The Chambers logo changed sometime in the 20s from triangular to circular. [Below, an ad from September 1920 showing a Chambers stove with the round logo. - Dave] I'm Amazed....how many gas stoves and ovens seen in the pictures from this era, are connected to a chimney flue. Modern gas stoves do not connect to a chimney flue or any vent. ["Gas" back then meant coal gas, which was poisonous. - Dave] CookingThis is the very model of the modern kitchen, indeed. They have two cabinets full of china, a phone, AND a light over the sink. I wonder what's in the double-boiler-y thing next to the clock. I can't tell if she's making breakfast or dinner -- I wish I could see what she's doing. On the TableProbably oilcloth -- cotton or muslin impregnated with linseed oil. Ummmmm!I wonder what she's preparing, betcha it was yummy. Wish my stove was that multi-functionalShe's got two separate ovens, broiler, and I'm guessing bread/plate warmer at the top. Me want. Although this oven/range would never pass code today. There is a fella somewhere in Pennsylvania that retrofits these antique stoves. And they sure ain't cheap. Oh, and love the amount of cabinet space too. Interesting KitchenI found a few interesting items. The box on the wall beneath the phone appears to be some sort of primitive intercom system. Above the doorway there is another box which may have some sort of bulb or light cover protruding from its left side, about a foot away is a bell. Could this have been an alarm of some sort? Also, I sold plenty of Chambers gas ranges back in the 1950s and 60s. They were a high end product and like the Blackstone Washer it probably weighed 100 pounds more than a Caloric or Tappan. Chambers competition was the Crown Gas Range. Crown would custom build ranges for their end users and they would come with an engraved escutcheon inscribed with the family's name. Odds and EndsLooks as though the kitchen has all the mismatched china and a couple matching serving pieces. The matching set, which still may be everyday china are in the hallway or service porch with the icebox. Big Japanese VaseThe very large vase standing next to the ice box is a late 19th Century Japanese "floor vase." Many of these were sold by Japanese importers at the numerous American world's fairs between 1890 and 1916, and some of them were as large as six feet tall. They were often displayed in the corners of American dining rooms with tall flowers, peacock feathers or pampas grass fronds. Here is a similar but slightly smaller version from one of the Imari kilns. Intriguing StoveThe gas plumbing for the stove is really interesting. Two of the ovens have the usual small valve with the porcelain knob, plus a much larger lever below that's held off by (presumably) the safety bumpers. What would they be for? An extra-large flame for preheating? The third oven (warming oven?) doesn't seem to be adjustable. I noticed in a previous post that manuals are still available for this stove. But my curiosity didn't extend to $15. Cooking with gasI've owned and restored a few stoves similar to this one. The pipes on the front are nickel-plated gas lines. The valves screw into that pipe and are adjustable. The bell shape in front of the valve is part of the burner and is where you make the air adjustment. In good condition, old stoves like this one still work very well. Proper attireI don't see a "ratty apron" or "pinchy shoes." The apron just looks like it is performing its natural function as an apron and her shoes just look like shoes. The cook's workplace was clean and well-fitted and her job was certainly important. Being a cook in a kitchen like this was not a horrible job. My Irish grandmother was a cook in just such a kitchen, working for an aristocratic lady. I knew her years later when she worked quite happily in her own smaller kitchen. And her apron always looked used! And she always wore leather shoes - no sneakers for her! That black round thinghanging on the corner of the stove . What is it? OilclothBack during WWII I spent my school vacations working on an ice wagon and many is the 50 pound chunk of ice I have placed in boxes like the one in the picture, but I never saw one that loaded from the back side. I remember one that I had to fill from the top. A lot of people out on rural routes did not even have an ice box but used a #2 galvanized wash tub to store their ice in. They had quilts in there as insulation and generally bought no more than 25 pounds at a time. 25 pounds sold for 10 cents as I remember it. The table covering is another of those vanished items from the 1920s and earlier -- oilcloth. I can still smell it to this day. Not an unpleasant odor and quite serviceable. I have a Confederate cavalry sabre that has an oilcloth-covered handle wrapped with iron wire. My Rebel forefathers had to use oilcloth because leather was needed for horse harnesses, revolver holsters etc. More about ValvesAfter zooming quite a bit to the stove hardware, I don't think those extra levers are valves at all, but simply latches for the burner-valve guards. Moved in the opposite direction to the one shown, they'd latch the burners off, a good idea since the valves are at small-child height. The third of the vertical ovens does indeed appear to be adjustable, but missing its porcelain knob. And the big can above the burners, brethren, is a cistern. For hot (well, warm) water. It made use of waste heat from the stove. [Actually they are heat-retention hoods. See above. - Dave] Not Always ExpensiveI cook every day on a 1934 Magic Chef I bought for $120. I'm the second owner and it has never been restored. I think the key to its longevity is the fact that it was never out of use, it was well cared for, and very well made. It easily weighs 3 times as much as a modern stove of similar size. It is packed with asbestos, so it holds heat well. Also, I have a 1926 duplex with the Magnesite floors just as described, in the bathrooms. The floors are indestructible. Why they ever stopped installing them, I have no idea. Cooking HoodThe big can above the burners is a fuel-saving device. It's an insulated hood which could be lowered over the burner once the pan was up to cooking heat, allowing the burner to be turned off an cooking to continue using the "stored heat" in the pan. Not sure how well it worked. [A colorful theory, but how would that work for pots and pans with handles? As noted below, the cans are hot-water reservoirs. - Dave] [Actually Sooty is right on the money. - Dave] Cooking Hood AgainPages 2-5 of the installation instructions explain everything. [Sooty is correct! And I am corrected. - Dave] Cooking with the gas turned offChambers Gas Ranges had insulated ovens that let you "cook with the gas turned off." Example: a stuffed 12 pound turkey in a roaster; put in a cold oven. Run the gas on full for 45 minutes. Shut off the gas and flue to keep the heat in (lever on front of each oven near the gas pipes). The turkey will continue to cook from the retained heat and in three hours you have a great meal ready. It saves fuel cost and unlike modern stoves, the food is not dried out from being cooked with the gas burning all the time. [What keep the roast cooking is radiant heat from the cast iron enclosure. Which has more to do with mass than insulation. In modern ovens, the gas isn't on all the time. The thermostat shuts it off once cooking temperature is reached. - Dave] The black cylindrical apparatus over the back left burner was a Thermodome. You lowered it over a boiling pot to continue cooking with the gas turned off. Chambers 1927 "Idle Hour" Cookbook: http://www.vintagechambers.org/pdfs/IdleHour1927.pdf Avon callingThe two "alarms" above the doors are doorbells. Presumably one for the front door and the other for the side or back door which would be the tradesman's entrance. The maid or housekeeper would answer the phone and the doorbell in a home like this which is why the bells and phone, including the switching box to send calls up to other parts of the house, are in the kitchen. Weeds of LoveFor time immemorial children have brought their mothers, grandmothers, nannies, mammies and cooks "flowers" (i.e. weeds) from the yard to say "I love you," and these women have put them in drinking glasses or canning jars on the kitchen table. Hot and ColdMy 1928 bathroom sink has separate taps for hot and cold water. Old hot water systems often flowed at a slower rate than the cold water supplied from the main to the house. The reason the two were not combined into one spigot was because the stronger cold water pressure could cause the hot water to flow backward. I have been cooking on a 1940 Beach (Canadian) gas stove since I bought it in 1970 for $25. Super baking oven, and the broiler is in the oven, rather than in a drawer under it. The one-piece cast iron top weighs 15 pounds. The trash burner next to it also provides hot water to a radiator in the front hall. Her NameIt makes me sad that so many of these old photos fail to identify the Black people in them, so I spent a few hours researching the woman pictured here. Her name is Elizabeth Bagley according to the 1920 census. She was born in Virginia and is a 75 year old widow working as a cook at 1522 R Street NW (as noted, the home of Ernest G. and Romaine Walker) The 1910 census spells her name "Bagby" and says she is 60 years old. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kitchens etc.)
Bananas to Baltimore: 1905
... Druid Hill Park Velvet Green Lawn Grass Seed Canning Age, Vol 1. 1920. Glory Tomato, yielding better than 20 tons per ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2014 - 1:03pm -

Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1905. "Unloading banana steamer." A teeming scene that calls to mind the paintings of Brueghel, if Brueghel ever did bananas. Note the damage from the Great Fire of 1904. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Big MikeThese bananas are the variety known as Gros Michel or "Big Mike." They were a larger, heartier, tastier banana than the Cavendish variety that everyone eats today, and hardly any special shipping methods were needed. Just stack them and go. Unfortunately, since cultivated bananas are genetically identical to one another, by the 1950s essentially all Gros Michel bananas were wiped out by one Panamanian fungal disease. The Cavendish was a suitable replacement as it could grow in the same soils as the Gros Michel, but it requires more delicate handling during shipping. The Cavendish itself is steadily being wiped out by a similar fungus and we may need to look for another replacement in the not too distant future. Spiders, Oh My!Mackenzie, your family history is probably not far off. I had an ex who discovered a scary-looking spider in a shipment of bananas in the middle of Nebraska of all places about ten years ago. He thought it was dead and went to poke it, and to his surprise, it was alive! Fortunately for him, he was not bitten. I would imagine the threat of spiders and other creepy crawlies would be even greater before shipments passed through inspection. I don't blame your ancestors for being a little scared one bit! Always have a spare.I like the extra anchor lashed to the railing on the lower left of the frame.I wonder how much it weighs. NabiscoThe original NBC, the National Biscuit Company, makers of Uneeda Biscuits and more importantly, Mallomars. Hey, Mister Tally ManSomeone tell the two gents with ledgers (looks like) in the small screened shed to knock one banana off the day's tally, thanks to the one guy in the bunch eating the inventory, in the foreground looking at the camera. The William Heyser seen on one building was an oyster distributor still in business in 1929, as noted by an ad in my desktop copy of a 1929 Baltimore business publication marking the city's 200th anniversary: Heyser’s Oysters Baltimore’s Leading Brand The William Heyser Co. Raw Oysters 2201-09 Boston St, Baltimore, Md. This reminds me of a road projectThree or four guys doing the heavy lifting while a hundred guys watch. NabiscoFirst known as the National Biscuit Company, makers of fine hardtack biscuits. Bananas from a boatBy the time they shipped them to Baltimore, they must have been all brown and slimy. I think the evidence supports this. [As opposed to the way bananas get to America now? - Dave] Do they still ship them all the way to Baltimore? Is that a Banana in your handOr are you just... Oh, never mind, it IS a Banana. Quality ControlNice to see the gent here on the left foreground tasting the produce to make sure that indeed it is a banana. Don't dally you men, the talleys are correct and Harry Ketler's Express boys are in a hurry. re: BrueghelDave, I'm impressed! Your comparison to Brueghel is dead on. May I suggest a novel to you: Headlong, by Michael Frayn. http://www.themanbookerprize.com/prize/books/80 300 accidents waiting to happenI am speaking of all those bananas and peels on the deck. A slapstick comedian's dream. Looking SouthwestThis view is looking Southwest from a pier located on Pratt Street. My guess is that it is Pier 3 which is now the location of Baltimore's Aquarium. United Fruit Company (Chiquita Brand) would later build a large Banana handling plant on the Light St. side of the harbor. On a side note, Baltimore rebuilt itself after the fire. The mayor politely but firmly declining all offers of outside help. How they get here nowThey still arrive on boats, of course, but in a carefully controlled inert atmosphere (usually nitrogen-rich, always oxygen-poor). Banana ships today are among the more specialized transport vessels. [Plain old air could be considered "nitrogen rich and oxygen poor." - Dave] Well, there is a pretty faint difference between rich and poor, as regards oxygen. The troposphere is about 21% oxygen, on average. Meanwhile, OSHA defines air below 19.5% as oxygen-deficient. It's a razor edge that we breathe on, and seldom even think about. But we are talking a sledgehammer beyond that razor. The high parameter for oxygen in modern banana transport is about 4%. If you do not follow the proper ventilation protocol, you will literally suffocate seconds after entering the hold. And look at the guy... eating a banana while the other guys do all the work! The B.B.B.W.U. (Baltimore Brotherhood of Banana Workers Union) will hear about this! All star castIs that Corey Feldman and Eddie Murphy in the wagon?! Daylight comeand me wanna go home. WatchersI think the guys "watching" are buyers. Satisfaction GuaranteedBy our Quality Control Department and On-Site QC Manager! Testing the ShipmentMan in foreground: "Gotta make sure they're really ready to eat." Banana MythA good chunk of my genealogy includes generations of Eastern Shore watermen and Baltimore stevedores. The fear among all banana handlers was that tarantulas would be hiding in the bunches. I have no idea how real or factual this fear was, but it's still talked about at family reunions. Did anyone else think of this?They guy looking at the camera, snacking on a banana, lower left. 1 Timothy 5:18 For the scripture saith, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn." and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." Sampling the merchandiseGuy in the bottom left. You can always tell the accountants -- starched white shirts and ties by the gangplank, best dressed by far, and looking very pleased with themselves! James Bond?I had no idea that Pierce Brosnan (Lower Center) liked Bananas so much?! Banana "Myth"My brother-in-law, who was produce manager for many years in one of Canada's largest grocery chains, was often confronted with six- and eight-legged critters that accompanied fruit boxes, including many tropical spiders and roaches. Banana boxes produced some of the largest and scariest spiders because of the nooks and crannies that they can hide in. Many were deceased but some were not. One piece of advice from his long years of experience is NEVER, ever, EVER bring home vegetable boxes for moving or storage. You DO NOT want infestations of 4-inch flying roaches. Now & ThenI didn't know where to post this, so here it is: A neat page I found- taking old photographs from the Smithsonian's collection, and holding them so they fit into place for a current photograph. http://jasonepowell.com/ And he gives Shorpy credit for discovery of some of the photos! The BasinA back-to-front review: National Biscuit building in the distance lasted into the '70's as a rowdy saloon known as Elmer's. The ancient peak-roofed structures facing us, fronted on Light St., a major north south street. The two Bay steamers were laying over for their nearby terminals, which lined along Light Street. The mostly new-looking structures on the right, faced Pratt Street. The city has a strange, open quality about it, a result of the recent Baltimore Fire of 1904, which gutted the business district east of Light St. down to the waterfront. The brick foundation closest to the banana boat is likely remains of that conflagration. A famous Baltimore photographer, A. Aubery Bodine, took photos of banana boats being unloaded in the 1950's in nearly the same location as this, with no difference between them. A Baltimore and Ohio RR "Fruit Pier" was established in south Baltimore in the 50's, which largely replaced the practice shown here. The area in this photo was known to generations of Baltimoreans as the Basin; today it's the yuppified, allegedly upscale Inner Harbor. I can't even imagineHow that place could smell. HumorI would love to be in on the joke they're sharing. Bolgiano's Seed Store[stanton_square's contributions to Shorpy tend to be of the Joe Friday type: "All we want are the facts." On occasion this blogger stumbles across documents which have both 1) historically relevant facts and 2) overt racism or sexism. In such cases it is sometimes difficult to decide what is worth transcribing. The following 1903 Washington Post article contains such a passage. While I decided to transcribe this passage, I feel obligated to point out the back-handed anti-immigrant racism contained in the first paragraph. The second article, from the American Poultry Advocate, relates the disastrous business impact of the Baltimore fire of 1904 and contains an odd usage of the word 'wonderfully.'] J. Bolgiano & Son, founded 1818. Bolgiano's Seed Store was located at the corner of Pratt and Light. Several heirloom tomato varieties grown today are descended from Bolgiano stock including: Greater Baltimore, John Baer, and IXL Extremely Early. Washington Post, May 17 1903 English names are not the only ones that have been handed down from Revolutionary times, and often a name that seems to indicate foreign blood represents an old American family. This is illustrated in the firm name of F.W. Bolgiano & Co., of this city, an offspring of a firm of like name established in 1818 in Baltimore. It is Italian in origin, but no longer represents Italian stock more than English. The name is known throughout the country to purchasers of seeds, which the firm grows and sells in many parts of the United State and imports from Europe. … The firm grows seeds largely in Frederick County, Maryland, and supplies some of the largest seeds houses with certain varieties of seed. The firm now has business connections in more than a dozen States, and customers in nearly every State in the Union and Canada. American Poultry Advocate, 1904 It is more than probable that every reader of this paper has heard of the wonderfully disastrous fire which so recently burned the heart out of the city of Baltimore. Unless you just happened to know some one who was living or doing business in Baltimore, it is likely that you gave the fire hardly more than a passing thought. But what do you think it means to the people of Baltimore? What do you thing it means for instance, to J. Bolgiano & Sons, the seedsmen who have for eighty-seven years been doing business In the fated city? In all that long period they have never before suffered from fire. Indeed, they felt perfectly safe this time, for when the fire first started it was more than ten city squares away from them. Later, and when they thought they were endangered — though the fire was still six squares from them — they employed two hundred hands and fifty drays and began the removal of their large retail seed stock to one of their warehouses a long distance from the fire, and where they felt everything would be safe. It transpired, however, that by a shifting of the winds the fire ate relentlessly away until both retail stores, offices, packing rooms and warehouses were destroyed. Bolgianos made a brave fight to save the orders and seeds for their thousands of customers, but fate was against them. The orders already booked and the lists of names of multiplied thousands of customers all over the world were lost in the twinkle of an eye. With absolutely nothing to work with, nothing to aid them except their fair name and excellent reputation, the Bolgianos have set to work with firm hands and brave hearts to rebuild their business. They have already laid in a large stock of the very best farm and garden seeds, notwithstanding the short seed crop of the past season, and will be able to fill orders as usual. Since all their advance orders and names of customers are burned, they have very little to begin on. Will those of our readers who ordered from Bolgiano & Sons write a postal card at once, simply giving your name and postofflce address? Do this whether you are an old or new customer of theirs. Send them your name anyhow, so that they may send you their catalogue another season. Simply address the card to J. Bolgiano & Sons, Baltimore, Md. Market Growers Journal, 1915, Advertisement. Originator's stock — the world-famous Tomato "John Baer." The earliest and best Tomato on earth." Bolgiano's "Long Lost" Lettuce. Excels All Others: On the market, as a Shipper, as a Keeper, in Quality, in Sweetness, in Flavor, in Color, in Profits, in Reliability, in Hardiness. The Town, Women's Civic League, 1916, Advertisement. A rich deep velvety green lawn is assured by planting Bolgiano's Druid Hill Park Velvet Green Lawn Grass Seed Canning Age, Vol 1. 1920. Glory Tomato, yielding better than 20 tons per acre. Pittsburgh Pickle, raised by expert grower. Bolgiano Tomato. Washington Post, Oct 29, 1920. J. Bolgiano & Son Fail. Seed Firm Assents to Bankruptcy and Appointment of Receiver. J. Bolgiano & Son, wholesale and retail seed growers and distributers, today assented to proceedings in the United Sates court adjudging the firm bankrupt and placing it in the hands of receivers. The seed house was established more than 100 years ago by the great-grandfather of Charles J. Bolgiano, present head of the firm, and is engaged in marketing the seed products of more than 10,000 acres of land in Canada, as well as seeds from ten states of the American Union, Holland, France, England, the Canary Islands and other foreign countries. "Hawaii" and bananasI recall reading James Michener's "Hawaii", when the pregnant Jerusha Hale (played by Julie Andrews, in the film version) is aboard ship for the gruelling journey to Hawaii. In order to keep her strength up, she is forced to eat bananas which, by this time in the journey are nearly liquid in their black, greasy skins. She's so disgusted with them that she finally throws them overboard. When she arrives in Hawaii, she is offered bananas and doesn't realize that the yellow fruit is the same thing... Dock SmellIn response to Darnuad's comment: my childhood memories of the harbor involve the enveloping odor of SPICES. McCormick's was there, and it was the best-smelling place I've ever been. Anti-immigrant racismAs one whose name is reminiscent of English blood, I don't find the mere mention of my name as offensive, nor would I think Mr Bolgiano found anything backhanded or racist in his story. He was probably thrilled to get the free publicity. Ship NameDoes anyone know the name of this ship? Thanks james@thebeckhams.us (The Gallery, Baltimore, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Tomatotown: 1941
... "Cambridge, Maryland, home of Phillips Packing Co. tomato canning plant." As well as Phillips Hardware at the corner of Muir and Race ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2022 - 5:00pm -

August 1941. "Cambridge, Maryland, home of Phillips Packing Co. tomato canning plant." As well as Phillips Hardware at the corner of Muir and Race streets, and a green-on-top stoplight. 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Only standard lights in sightI'm surprised the Phillips Hardware building still has its cornice - its neighbor doesn't: Green on Top?How can you tell from a black-and-white photo? Never MindSaw it when I enlarged the pic. The Bros.The same pair of brothers - Levi and Col. Albanus Phillips Sr. - owned the hardware company and the packing company. After the obligatory Massive 1910s Fire in Cambridge's main commercial district destroyed the hardware store and others, the brothers purchased the sites across Race Street that had been occupied by the home of canners W. Grason and Nannie Winterbottom and a lumber yard owned by architect/builder J. Benjamin Brown. Mr. Brown designed many of the buildings that rose from the ashes of his business and others in the fire zone. From 1910 to 1923, before the property at Race and Muir was sold to the hardware company, it was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Winterbottom, Levi Phillips (and his wife Florence), and Albanus Phillips (and his wife Daisy). All four Phillipses died between April 1945 and January 1949. The building's most recent use is as a venue for special events. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Dorchester/D-380.pdf Nice variety of pumps... but the "depression brick" siding is an odd pattern I haven't seen before. Hereabouts, we had a good sampling of that stuff around town, along with the asphalt shingle version. When applied well they can be pretty convincing from a distance. It has started to get harder to find as the old buildings get torn down for what the current folks mistake for architecture. [Especially hard to find in this photo! - Dave] 'tis hard to see here- how'n heck can I get it to move? On the othe hand, if I leave it here I can only make a single mistake, try to correct it and the possibility is endless. Guess it's your move, Dave. I'll bet a buckthat sign said Shorpy. Best store in town. The Phillips Hardware Co. building still looks good. Initials PHC are still in each decorative transom window. Fate has not been so kind to the building on the right. In an effort to make it look modern, an owner stripped away or covered up architectural detail and replaced the large upper story windows with much smaller windows that cannot be opened. I guess they don't want natural light or fresh air up there. High Green?I wonder if the green-on-top signal is a carryover from the railroad signals of the day? "High green" was called out between the engineer and fireman when approaching a clear (or go) signal. This in itself may have carried over from the semaphore type signals when the arm "dropped" down to show a red signal and the arm or blade was horizontal. [It's green on top only on Muir Street. On Race Street, it's red on top -- the signal has just three bulbs for all 12 lenses. To get red on top for both streets you'd need a more expensive 12-bulb signal. - Dave] Red=stop, green=go, yellow=confusionFollowing up on Dave's explanation, it's easy enough to see how it worked for red and green, but what about the middle light?? Without some kind of rotating baffle, it would show yellow for both directions: "proceed with caution" in theory, but surely accidents waiting to happen in practice. [Back in the day, stoplights often showed yellow (simultaneous with red) when changing from red to green. This would be one of them. - Dave] OK, both yellow and the red/green would be illuminated simultaneously, so you would know- hopefully! - if your yellow meant turning to red or turning from it; still rather confusing ... I think they would have been better off with only the two colors. Start of the Phillips empireThis is the same Phillips family that went into the seafood business and eventually opened Phillips restaurants and airport locations present today. Also, you may find their products in the frozen foods section of your local supermarket. (The Gallery, John Collier, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
The Honeymooners: 1952
... be fresh corn that was cut off the cob and frozen last canning season, as my mother's mother in East Texas used to do (I got to help ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/16/2016 - 11:35am -

"Folks at 51st wedding anniversary - 17 Feb 1952." We return to Blue Earth, Minnesota, and the home of Abe and Julia Tuttle, parents of Hubert (behind the camera) and in-laws of the lovely Grace. Now, who'll have some of this delicious creamed corn? 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. More detailsThat kid on the right is holding Grandpa's glasses. Grandpa is almost laughing at this little inside joke. I thought originally that they had plastic utensils, however a closer look indicates that they are using the real silver. The kind that my grandma would hide in the register when they went on vacation. MemoriesThis is so like similar occasions at my grandparents' house when I was a little boy in Kansas. The motley collection of chairs dragged from all over the house to fill out the table, the pile of rolls from the store on the plate, and especially the way that Abe has tucked his tie into his shirt to keep gravy off it. My grandfather solved that problem by tucking his tie into a new pair of overalls which he wore with a blue chambray shirt and the tie on the two or three days a year when he went to church and came home to such a dinner. The lady's daughteris standing to her right--same face, just younger. [Grace is Julia's daughter-in-law. -tterrace] [As we explained in the caption! - Dave] I'll have secondsI would have enjoyed celebrating with them. That meal is mighty tasty looking to me. As long as the butter holds out for the spuds and rolls. Please, Please, PleaseLet that be whipped cream in the jello mold, not Mayo, as was common in 50's recipes. The Great Mystery is the partially painted chair. Mix 'n' MatchIn an effort to avoid putting on airs by having even two matching chairs -- "You folks think you're somebody special?" -- someone has painted part of one of those Cedar Rapids spindle-backs white. Perhaps the tyke on the right. Or maybe the wallpaper got restive late one night and did it? Mayo with the jello ring!Boy, does that bring back memories. Don't know who came up with the idea, but it works. Themed MenuAll very denture-friendly. Scandinavian SmorgasbordBeing in Minnesota in 1952, this lovely family may be having a typical Sunday night supper of Swedish meatballs with gravy, boiled potatoes, vegetables, dinner rolls and assorted relish trays, as it is likely they may have been originally descended from Scandinavians as so many in Minnesota were at that time. The most tempting item on the table, the beautiful made-with-love homemade Anniversary cake, completes the picture. The polite little boy on the right seems to be admiring his grandfather. I love this photo as it depicts a scene that was very familiar to most of us who were kids in the 1950's and gets the nostalgic juices flowing. I wouldn't have changed a thing. Someone say Grace already!I'm ready to dig in. As my late mother would say, the cake looks out of this world. And the creamed corn might be fresh corn that was cut off the cob and frozen last canning season, as my mother's mother in East Texas used to do (I got to help her cut, cook and freeze corn from her garden a couple of times). The meatballs (Swedish?) look good and homemade, but I suspect the rolls came from the market. And Sally is back as well.Almost out of view standing by Grace. So much to savorThe Dalmatian almost disappears next to the wallpaper and mom's skirt...and that jello mold close to the camera, are those green olives embedded in that red jello? Would those be meatballs next to the rolls? Enough is enough, please pass me the relish tray. Happy anniversary folks... And for long did the marriage last?Married the first year after the turn of the last century; one wonders how much longer these two stayed together. And the meal is an example of the abundance of their world at that time. With the olivesAre those pickles or is it a bullfrog? Bonus appearance: Sally the dog! Jello MoldI bet that's not "Jello" but rather a tomato aspic made from tomato juice or puree, plain gelatin and ... green things. And yes, it would be served with mayo. Quite tasty if done right. Real butterOf course it's real butter - yellow colored oleomargarine was illegal in Minnesota until 1963. BornI was born 4 days after that meal. Ancestry InfoAccording to a quick search of ancestry web site: -They were married in Story, Iowa in 1901. -They were living in Hebron, Iowa in 1920. - By 1930 census, living in Blue Earth,Minnesota - Abe died in 1966 - Julia died in 1974 Another Who Has FlashbacksLike others here, these images are almost personal. Abe and Julia are about 5 years older than my grandparents in Boone, Iowa. Every scene we have viewed reminds me of times visiting them. I am sure others will say that Julia's dress could have come out of the closet of their relative of that age and time period. Having spent a fair amount of time for 8 years in West Central Minnesota in the early 2000's all of the Scandinavian references strike home as well. Happy Anniversary Abe and Julia! Slender FolksThese no doubt frugal people would have eaten this meal sparingly and been polite about seconds. The fact that they all stood off-camera and let the food be the star of the photo shows that memories of the Depression were still in their minds. There are so many homely details in this charming photo, the mismatched and partially painted chairs, the wallpaper, the mysterious male figure behind the old curtain, the sweet boy in his good clothes and the daughter-in-law's homemade red apron. And of course, the food. This photo's a treat. "Jello" moldActually, I believe that is Tomato Aspic which uses a gelatin with beef broth and tomato and then add olives etc. I remember my mother making that in the 1950s. As a kid it really wasn't to my taste. Julia was a first generation AmericanJulia Tuttle was born in Iowa on August 10, 1880. Her parents were Edvard and Hannah Helland, both born in Norway. She married Abe in Iowa, where he also was born. She died in Minnesota (presumably Blue Earth) in January 1974 at age 93. I wish for a real time machinetransport me back to the half-painted chair. Typical meal, I doubt those meat balls are Swedish though, no sauce for one reason. Someone said these people would not ask for seconds, and I believe that is true. People were very polite then. The jello sits in for lettuce salad and that is mayo--I dreaded seeing that festive dish because I detest fruit cocktail. Still do. I would pick out the fruit bits. The star is the cake. That young'un will be having his eye on it the entire meal. So will I. Same as my great-grandparentsMy great-grandparents celebrated their 50th Anniversary on September 16, 1951 from which I attached the photo. The event took place at some long forgotten banquet hall in the Springfield, MA area. Which means, like the Tuttles, 1952 would have been their anniversary #51. The happy couple is in the lower center, and my father (at age 17) is in the upper left corner in the back row. His father (my pepere) is third from left in the back row, and my grandmother (memere) is dead center back row. (Dogs, Kids, Kitchens etc., Minnesota Kodachromes)
Movie Mecca: 1937
... grocery on the left-hand side? [Ball mason jars, for canning fruit and vegetables. - Dave] (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Cars, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 11:24am -

1937. Movie theater in Crossville, Tennessee. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. Mecca MoneyWow, a $180 bank account! I am going to be there. Inflated Peanuts?Well, after taking each monthly 1937 to 2007 dollar, via the Consumer Price Index site, and averaging them, a 1937 dollar averages $695.23, so a $180 bank account in 1937 would equal $12,514.14 dollars today. I'd take that! [According to the CPI Inflation Calculator, a 1937 dollar has the same purchasing power as $14.60 today. So that $180 bank account would be worth $2,628. - Dave] $180But that's purchasing power...what about savings power? It was a savings account after all. What would $180 in 1937 be worth 71 years later, if left in a savings account earning interest (and assuming the bank didn't go bust or anything)? [Compound interest calculator. - Dave] MeccaWell, hell, if all I had to do was go see a movie with some friends, I'd take the $180 even now. It's a month's gas, water and electric (twice that in summer!), or two months' groceries. For a small theatre as opposed to a major corporation, that's a pretty large giveaway! Then and NowAccording to my aunt, this theater has been called the Palace for decades. It's been restored and is used for pageants, concerts, etc. Re: Lobby CardsLooks like the lobby cards are advertising "The 13th Chair," a mystery released in 1937 starring Dame May Whitty, Lewis Stone and Madge Evans. See here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029661/ Lobby CardsCan we get a closeup on the lobby cards? Please. [I'm a sucker for closeup pleading. - Dave] Not the PalaceThis theater was at the other end of Crossville and the building still stands to this day but was gutted for the LP Shanks warehouse. It closed not long after the Palace opened in 1938. This is a very cool photo that I've never seen before. THANKS for posting. BoxesCan anyone make out what the boxes are stacked in front of the grocery on the left-hand side? [Ball mason jars, for canning fruit and vegetables. - Dave] (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Movies, Small Towns)
Out of Cluck: 1941
... in action. Food for Defense program -- Enterprise FSA canning and dressing station. Photographs show Farm Security Administration ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/17/2022 - 10:44am -

August 1941. Coffee County, Alabama. "Painless killer in action. Food for Defense program -- Enterprise FSA canning and dressing station. Photographs show Farm Security Administration cooperative cannery and hatchery. Baby chicks hatched, chicks in a brooder, crates of chickens being weighed for marketing. Slaughtered chickens hanging up next to 'painless killer.' Electric plucking machines. Scalding and dressing chickens before putting in chilling room. Wrapped and frozen poultry ready for market and delivery to Craig Field, Army air training station at Selma." Medium format acetate negative by John Collier for the FSA. View full size. Roost in PiecesThat's quite the contraption. To say the least This would be a fowl job. Interesting comparisonsAlthough both photos were taken in August 1941 in Coffee County, Alabama, this setup is way cruder than The Chickenator previously posted. I guess there were no minimum requirements. If you search Shorpy for "painless" the only results are chickenators and dentists. We can guess how painless dentistry was in 1941. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Agriculture, John Collier)
Spoiled Nan: 1911
... de Gallant, 4 Clark Street, 9 year old cartoner, Seacoast Canning Co., Factory #2. Packs some with her mother. Mother and two sisters ... today. Nan is not a brat. She has lost a limb in the canning plant, and thus is spoiled from being fit for productive labor. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2011 - 10:28pm -

Eastport, Maine. August 1911. "Nan de Gallant, 4 Clark Street, 9 year old cartoner, Seacoast Canning Co., Factory #2. Packs some with her mother. Mother and two sisters work in factory. One sister has made $7 in one day. During the rush season, the women begin work at 7 a.m., and at times work until midnight. Brother works on boats. The family comes from Perry, Maine, just for the summer months. Work is very irregular. Nan is already a spoiled child." View full size. Lewis W. Hine. Nanper the look on her face, she heard somebody calling her a spoiled child Nan 2As I look a second time, I think she is mad at me!!!! [Maybe she was a forum moderator???? - Dave] Spoiled Nan ...is a constant problem in Bangalore during the summer. Nan 3Is she hiding something behind her back? Behind Her backI think she's hiding a Glock 9. Perhaps a little something for the photographer? She's lost her arm at the factory.The comment that she is spoiled has a very different meaning than we assume today. Nan is not a brat. She has lost a limb in the canning plant, and thus is spoiled from being fit for productive labor. [She did not lose her arm. See photo above. - Dave] Spoiled Nan and Her ArmShe didn't lose her arm. Another photo of Nan, also taken in August 1911: Nan 4Thanks for the second look, I felt bad for a few minutes Strange but...The girl behind Nan definitely looks like her head is on backwards! Clark StreetIf this photo was taken on Clark Street and Nan is standing in front of #4, it's not there anymore. Looks like Clark has been widened quite a bit, as well. Number 5 Clark, the blue-greenish house, may be a survivor from 1911; it's hard to tell. This old photo makes it look more like a lane than a street, but both the old view and this GoogleMaps view terminate at the water - or, what might be termed a landing, so who can say for sure? View Larger Map Carrie: The Early YearsThis photo looks like it belongs as a book cover on a Stephen King novel. That girl's look is absolutely wicked. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Bean-Stringers: 1909
... the pointed tips of the string beans prior to cooking and canning. I live in Baltimore. The J.S. Farrand Co. was located in the Fells ... hungry ... My grandma made me do it In the home canning season in the 40's, I did a bushel or so. Not hard work but boring and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2011 - 9:09pm -

July 1909. Baltimore, Maryland. "Workers stringing beans in the J.S. Farrand Packing Co. Those too small to work are held on laps of workers or stowed away in boxes." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. No Strings AttachedWhat they are really doing is cutting/breaking off the pointed tips of the string beans prior to cooking and canning. I live in Baltimore. The J.S. Farrand Co. was located in the Fells Point section of Baltimore City. I was unable to get a specific address. The Good Old DaysWow. A hundred is not that long in the big scheme of things. Scenes like this help us remember that real human progress can and does happen from time to time. Hopefully the folks on Shorpy a hundred years from now will have some similar reminder to marvel at. Stringing, Snapping and ShellingOne of the things that went on when I was coming up in '50's was that moms would get green beans, snap beans, string beans, butter beans and field peas, either from the grocery or peddlers or a trip to the farm. Several neighbor ladies would sit on a porch in the cool of the evening and string and snap the beans or shell the butter beans and peas. And chat. The kids who were able and willing would help out. CheatedWhat?! Children were paid for this sort of thing? I feel cheated! I stringed bushels and bushels of green beans, shelled peas and snapped beans when I was a little girl for my Grandmother in the cool of the shade of her back porch. Oh, I take that back. The homemade pie and ice cream I was rewarded with after my diligent bean efforts was priceless. HappySome of those kids look happy, and it's probably not just for the camera. I work in a court. Everyone looks miserable all the time. Maybe I should bring in beans to string, or maybe we're all just too spoiled today. Well, no maybe about it. Cannery LocaleThe Baltimore City Directory for 1909 says: "Farren, J. S. & Co., Inc., ft of Wolfe" So presumably that would be at the junction of Wolfe and Fell? Beats coal mining.This looks like fun compared to the poor kids working the coal mines. Plus, if you ever get a little hungry ... My grandma made me do itIn the home canning season in the 40's, I did a bushel or so. Not hard work but boring and harder to do if they were not fresh. Hard to break a limp bean. Stringing green beansWith modern varieties of "string beans: such as Blue Lake, you almost never find any strings in the shells, but I have broken the beans in half, actually threaded them on strings or threads,and hung them up to dry for use later in the year. They taste quite good and somewhat different when re-hydrated and cooked. Goin' to Work with MommyI wonder if maybe some of the kids felt special that they got to go to work with their parents. Obviously it wasn't hugely exciting, but I always felt important if my mom or dad ever had to bring me to work with them. [A lot of the tots with crate-cribs were little brothers and sisters. - Dave] Great memories over a bowl of beans. I too was called into service as a child to help snap bushels and bushels of green beans, and shell peas. I don't know about you all but I miss my grandmother and her porch. I sure miss the food she would turn out from that little tiny kitchen. I miss the cool of the evening and the shade of her back porch in the summer. Learned all about the neighbors and every member of my own family. Somewhat biased from time to time but never mean-spirited. Just girl talk over a bowl of beans. (The Gallery, Baltimore, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Mott Street Again: 1910
... A fella I knew, said he once found an old Italian Mason canning jar full of whole tomatoes from 1900, he claimed they retained their ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2012 - 3:11pm -

Another view of Mott Street in New York's Little Italy (now Chinatown) circa 1910. The building in the middle, 156 Mott, with the Italian pharmacy, is now the Foot Reflexology Center in this Google Street View. The address on the right, 156 Mott, is now just two stories. Most of the basement entrances have been covered. 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Re: 156 MottInteresting - My great-great grandparents lived at 157 Mott right around 1895-1900, which I assume would have been right across the street. Was your great grandfather there at that time? Very cool photo. Mott StreetExcellent idea to add the Google Link. It's amazing how much the same it is and yet how different it is too. One day I will get to NY it just looks amazing. Keep up the good work. Love your site. DruggistsMy great-great grandfather ran an Italian pharmacy a few blocks away, on Mulberry Street below Canal. Wong's Noodle Shop is now in its place. Mott StreetLooks like the Bert Pilsner Beer hall isn't there anymore. What a shame. It looked like a neat building. Also, can you believe some of the original fire escapes are still being used. I wonder if they are still up to code. I. Love. You. Shorpy.Can I just tell you? I *worship* your website. Photos like this are so rare, and give us a much needed glimpse into the life I wish I could visit. The little sign that says "rooms to let", the guy pulling back the drapes on his window--these little details! Oh! C'est parfait! You have me in love! Basement Holes!How often did people fall into them? [Those are stairways. - Dave] Bon MottWow! You've outdone yourself with this one, Dave. This photograph is a fascinating glimpse into the past, and its comparison with google street offers the ultimate time-machine. Thanks. 156 Mott StreetThe saloon at 156 Mott is my great-grandfather's bar. I would like to find more photos of the building. Can anyone help?? WF Used to live thereI grew up in the top floor, front apartment of that building. The view was pretty good as is the view from the roof. Something interesting is that the staircase of that building is in the shape of a spiral with an empty center. Things like loose change can easily fall from the top floor all the way to the ground floor. There was also no elevator. 156 Mott StreetWF: I have an old beer bottle from that saloon, the really old style type that had a ceramic stopper. We dug it up while doing some construction back in the mid 70's. We found some old straight razors, and a medallion from "Firenze" (Florence) as well. Maybe they had offered shaves as well as shots? A fella I knew, said he once found an old Italian Mason canning jar full of whole tomatoes from 1900, he claimed they retained their shape even after 80 years (back in the 80's). Just thought I'd pass it on. It was a great neighborhood as I recall. I remember the overwhelming feeling of richness, energy and desperation of all those long-gone people. Can you imagine how tough those people were? Discriminated against by ALL, with no safety net, no welfare or free health care. Thanks for all you did, Grandpop. Pasquale and DomenicoMy grandfather Pasquale Martocci listed his job as porter in a saloon on his 1910 census. He lived on 211 Mott with his family and his "partner" Domenico Morato. I don't know how many saloons there were on or near Mott Street in 1910, but if the person who said their great-grandfather owned the saloon gets this message, was Domenico Morato your great-grandfather? 157 Mott StreetMy great grandfather ran an olive oil import business across the street at 157 Mott Street. I see someone else posted that their great grandparents lived at the same place before mine did...what a great photo from the time, would love to see the other side of the street.. The photo captures the essence of the time period. Amazing! (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Country Kitchen: 1936
... baked goods. Several interesting crockery pieces and canning jars. I don't recognize that mechanical contraption behind her. [ ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/07/2008 - 10:11pm -

December 1936. "Farmer's wife churning butter. Emmet County, Iowa." Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. ChurnerThis farm family must have been relatively successful. Those kitchen cabinets were pretty rare in those days, especially on farms. And that wall behind her is a look that many folks are wanting today. The chickens must eat well, too. KitchenI was also thinking what beautiful cabinetry they have. Great photo! Butter 'n Egg MoneyThat mechanical churn looks like it has cranked out hundreds of pounds of butter. Many farm women supplemented the family income by selling fresh eggs and butter. The items in this farm kitchen would bring a hefty price in today's antique market. The table with the two bins was designed to hold flour and corn meal. The tin "pie safe" on top was used to store bread and other baked goods. Several interesting crockery pieces and canning jars. I don't recognize that mechanical contraption behind her. [ That's a cream separator. Similar to the one here.- Dave] ChurningI have a friend who is a chef; at a family gathering he took some leftover heavy cream for whipping and demonstrated to the young folks how if you whisked if long enough, bits of butter began to appear. They were amazed. Country Kitchen 1936There are parts of a cream separator, the tank and a milk strainer also a bit of the tinware. However I believe it is all sitting up on a washing machine, the vertical flexible pipe looks like the exhaust for the gasoline motor. The wringer control can be seen under the muffler. It could be a Maytag washer. Like ButterWhen I was in elementary school, and also a Brownie (junior Girl Scout), we made butter by shaking cream in a jar. This was a common lesson at the time. I know I'm not all that old; do they really not do things like this any more, or are the Shorpy people just unaware of it? I know I'll be making sure my granddaughter gets to do stuff like this when she gets a little older (she's only 18 months at the moment). Gas Washing MachineWow, good eye, Ron! I never knew such a thing existed. The video demo is fascinating. It's a noisy piece of machinery! Butter WWIIWhen butter was rationed, we made it from cream (when we could get it). LumberThis picture is also a tribute to the quality of lumber available at that time. You can't find wood that nice any more! Not fun!When we made butter, it was with a regular churn. Mom didn't do the churning-we had to do it. Our arms would get so tired. We used to pretend we were making ice cream, but that only helped a little bit. Oh that floorI remember relatives having similar linoleum. It was the most bilious shade of green imaginable. No city gal, she! Turn snap latches, Flour bin drawers, Ball jars, pie safe, cream separator and chicken fresh eggs, yep, she's a farm gal. We only 'upgraded' from these antique amenities in the 70's, Smashing the old 9 inch plate Kalamazoo side heater and bun and plate warmer wood stove while I was away in service and unable to protest. I didn't have the heart to tell my old Dad that those stoves now sold for several thousand dollars on the antique market. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Russell Lee)
Eight Is Enough: 1924
... truth is gray" It was so much fun colorizing the Canning Club photo that i thought i'd have a go on these ladies amazing ... have done a fabulous job colorizing this picture and the Canning Club photo. What software do you use? I have been very interested in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 4:55pm -

November 18, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Debutantes of Columbia Hospital Benefit Committee." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Miss front row, 2nd from left....."Isn't that a great photo of all of us"?........the other 7..."Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble........." "The color of truth is gray"It was so much fun colorizing the Canning Club photo that i thought i'd have a go on these ladies amazing costumes .. please enjoy. [Fantastic! Click for fabulous enlargement. - Dave] My Oh MyLessee, Carmen Miranda, a freckle-faced Arab and a dunce cap, no less. I am at a loss for words on this one. Imagine this scene today. End to EndBill M, you know what Dorothy Parker said (was it about debutantes in general or Bryn Mawr girls in particular) about if they were laid end to end ... she'd be surprised. Is that you were referring to? In this case (I'm ashamed to say it, as I'm not as bold as Dorothy Parker) I would definitely be surprised! [I think Dorothy said the opposite -- she wouldn't be a bit surprised. Otherwise, not much of a joke. - Dave] ColorizingYou have done a fabulous job colorizing this picture and the Canning Club photo. What software do you use? I have been very interested in colorizing old family photos. I really like the look of old b&w photos with some color and would like to be able to create it. Who's whoat the Drag Party? Second row - second from right = John Lennon First row - second from right = TE Lawrence Bal de Tete Washington Post, Nov 28, 1924 Capital Society Events Interest is growing in the Bal de Tete for the Columbia Hospital to be held at the Willard Tuesday. Despite that a certain museum will be temporarily depleted of its treasures for the occasion, almost priceless hair ornaments removed from family vaults, heirlooms taken from attics and old trunks redolent with the odor of lavender and moth balls, there is a very close rivalry in the exhibition of all descriptions at Mrs. Hagner's social bureau at the Willard. These creations were made by the debutantes headed by Miss Beatrice McLean, and the proceeds of the sale will be added to the funds for the hospital. ... Washington Post, Dec 3, 1924 Bal de Tete at Willard The bal de tete at the Willard last evening for the benefit of the Columbia hospital fund was not only one of the most successful functions socially, but one of the most colorful of the many charity balls held here in many seasons. Various kinds of headdresses were worn, ranging in type from the simple Dutch cap to great crowns encrusted with reproductions of crown jewels. Graceful and extravagant headdresses of feathers, pearls, gold and silver cloth, were worn with dignity by society matrons, while the debutantes achieved great beauty with Spanish mantillas, bandeaux and other interesting ornamentations. ... Speak easy, girlsI know it was the Prohibition, but several of these girls look more than a little pie-eyed to me. Deb CynicismPardon my negativity, but I'd like to join Dorothy Parker and other deb-needlers by saying that if you were to change the caption to "Photo by Diane Arbus", it would put a whole new light on this one. What Jay SawI fantasize that these faces were seen on Jay Gatsby's giant patio as jazz laced the Little Egg night. No Lampshade?Whatever they had in the punch, it was effective. Especially on the one front row left. Water Based PhotoshopBasically the only software that i used to colorize those photos was Photoshop. If you want more information on the techniques i used you can email me at pmadcow@comcast.net (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Choking the Chicken: 1943
... shop directly across the street in an old Libby's pickle canning plant. Sales took off when they began offering a trailer that was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2015 - 6:43pm -

August 1943. "Middle River, Md. Farm Security Administration housing for Glenn L. Martin aircraft plant workers" is the general caption for this group of photos by John Collier. Unfortunately there are no specifics as to what exactly is going on here. Comments now open for alternate-title suggestions. View full size. Rejectedbecause it's just so obvious - "Choking the Chicken" [Since this does indeed seem to be a chicken (of the Barred Rock variety), we are changing the title from "Trussing the Turkey" forthwith. - Dave] Well --What would you do if your turkey got wet? It's what's for dinnerIt looks to me like they are having pheasant for dinner. Or maybe it's a game hen. Bad Day at Barred RockIt appears to me that the gentleman is using a commonly used method to dispatch his Barred Rock hen - secure the feet to a clothesline to immobilize the bird then either slit the throat or cut the head off. The bird will flop briefly then bleed out cleanly. Tomatoes on the sideTomato plants in the background are bearing nicely. Except for the trailers, this could be my Grandmother’s West Virginia back yard in the 1930s-40s. Loser, Winner, Chicken DinnerThe days when "fresh" was not signage over an aisle of the grocery store. Any trailer aficionados?My guess is they are Curtis, but it is just a guess based on the aircraft factory theme. Dressed for the occasionHe wears his belt buckle to the side so it won't catch on the feathers. [Buckling to the side was evidently a thing back in the 1930s and '40s -- See 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. - Dave] Fashion Follows FormMy dad always wore his buckle to the side, and explained to me that he wore it that way so as not to scratch the fender when working on his car. (fenders were big obstacles to engine access in the 30's and 40's) So; to paraphrase jimboylan's comment below - which inspired mine - "Dad wore his belt buckle to the side so it wouldn't scratch the fenders."(!) Standard operating procedureHe isn't "choking" the chicken, he is in process of cutting its head off! This was a standard way of butchering chickens in the South while I was growing up. I can recall many times that my mother butchered a half dozen chickens by tying their feet together, hanging them from the clothesline, taking their heads off with a very sharp butcher knife, and running like hell to keep from getting spattered with the blood that flew around while the chicken flapped as it bled out. Basically it was/is a very clean way of butchering chickens, as they bleed out quickly. Twist-OffMy mother used to tell me of a slightly more gruesome method her mother (Grandma) had of just picking up the chicken by the head and spinning it around a couple of times until the head twisted off. Of course the chicken would run around a bit without its head. This story terrified me as a kid. More on Buckle PlacementBuckle to the side keeps him from scratching the back of his guitar while playing in local rockabilly band. Buckles to the sideMy contemporaries and I in our pre-teen and early teen years were wearing our buckles this way, especially for what we called "garrison belts", in the 1950s. This for some of the same reasons cited, but we thought it was just being "cool", like rolling up the bottom of our dungarees six inches. Mom always bought 'em too long so we could grow into them. Pumping gasBack in the 50's I had a part time job at a Marathon gas station and the boss made me wear my belt on the side or tuck a shop rag over it to eliminate scratches on customer cars when checking oil or cleaning windshields. Yeah,,,,we really did that folks! Killing the ChickenOne of the most interesting things my brother and I were privileged to behold when we spent a few weeks with Grandma in small-town Southern Illinois in the late 1950's, was the killing of chickens in precisely this way. The lady across the street raised chickens in her back yard and about once a week would dispatch a fair number of them all at once, probably to sell. She would tie up about 3 hens per bunch and then hang up 4 or 5 bunches on her clothes line. Then she would take a big knife, grab the heads and cut them off. We were very impressed since we lived in a medium-sized town in Michigan where no such thing could be imagined. Chickens for us were wrapped in plastic - nice and neat. This picture brought back a wonderful memory. What's the matter with me? Were these the good old daysAs mentioned by PopCollector I have often seen my Mother kill a chicken by wringing its neck and letting it flop on the ground to bleed out. In the 40's ( maybe early 50's ) our local grocery store bought live chickens from local farmers. The store would truss the chickens up by their feet and have them hanging upside down on a rack in the storeroom. A customer could go back to the storeroom and pick out a chicken to take home where the chicken would be dispatched, dipped in very hot water, plucked, gutted, dismembered, and cooked. Mom could sure cook up some good fried chicken but I sure wouldn't want to go that route myself. Give me something already cut up in a plastic wrap to cook. Killing humanelyFried chicken on the dinner table requires several preliminary steps. Hanging the chicken upside down calms it considerably before the incision as blood rushes to its head, and allows it to bleed out as quickly as possible. In the hands of a skilled butcher the death of the chicken is humane because it is virtually instantaneous. No Irony HereI like tommydo's sense of humor, but those are not Curtiss trailers. Each one is a 1941 Silvermoon Model 7000 (later Model 70) made by the Alma Trailer Company in Alma, Michigan. Their color was olive drab green and gray, and both the two and the four-person versions rented for $6.50 a week The company started in 1930 when two brothers and an engineer built a hunting trailer for themselves, which attracted the attention of other hunters. Soon after a company was formed and they became busy enough to move into an abandoned Republic Truck factory. When an investor gained a majority of the stock in 1937, the original three left and started the Redman Trailer Company (named after the two brothers). They called their competing product the New Moon, and they set up shop directly across the street in an old Libby's pickle canning plant. Sales took off when they began offering a trailer that was significantly longer than others in the market. Both Alma and Redman (along with others) supplied the Farm Services Administration with housing (Silvermoons and New Moons, respectively) during the military build-up before the United States entered WWII. Redman also supplied military trailers and hospital units during the war. By 1944 the Redman Company had completed their war contracts and were being allowed to once again build and sell a few of their trailers—but only to workers engaged in the war effort. After the war both companies experienced a sales boom, with Alma Trailer Company peaking a few years later. In 1952 Alma began to lose money and continued to do so until production ceased around 1960, while Redman went on to greater fame and fortune by switching from trailers to mobile homes. In 1953 The Long, Long Trailer hit the big screen and became MGM's biggest comedy up to that time, while the New Moon Mobile Home featured in the movie became a best seller. Now headquartered in Dallas and known as Redman Homes, they are the second largest builder of manufactured housing in the country. (The Gallery, John Collier)
Jars of Plenty: 1939
... which can come from improper sterilization and sealing of canning jars. Although botulism kills only about 5 to 10 percent of it's ... playing Russian roulette. I decided I would never do any canning, even though my mom did can tons of garden produce every summer and it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2018 - 2:42pm -

November 1939. "Mrs. Lawrence Corda, wife of tiff miner, with some of her 800 quarts of food canned under FSA supervision. Washington County, Missouri." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Some can canHowever, I do not. Many moons ago I read a true story about a middle-aged woman who picked and canned many, many pints of wild mushrooms. She suffered sudden death and nobody knew why. After her funeral, a traditional repast was served at her home and among the foods served there were some of her delicious canned mushrooms. Within hours, those who ate them were getting symptoms of food poisoning. Some suspected that the wild mushrooms were poisonous, but it was soon discovered that was not the case but they had botulism which can come from improper sterilization and sealing of canning jars. Although botulism kills only about 5 to 10 percent of it's its victims, to me it was like playing Russian roulette. I decided I would never do any canning, even though my mom did can tons of garden produce every summer and it never made anyone ill. I just wouldn't take that chance. I have however eaten lots of wild mushrooms but that can be a gamble too and you've got to know your stuff. Steel lidsMy grandmother continued to use the 'bail' style jars with a glass top and a rubber gasket that then clamped down onto the jar. These went out of favor quite some time ago since there was no way to know if a good seal was made. But grandma never switched over, probably due to the depression-era frugality which they maintained even into the 80's. Community canneriesMy wife is from Appomattox County, Virginia, and until I began visiting that area in 1970 I had never heard of communities having town-owned canneries to which all residents could bring their produce and do their canning with decent equipment. Even in 1970 the cannery was a social occasion in her hometown of 350 people. Sadly, as we go back to visit, we notice that all the canneries are closed and in disrepair these days. Now we're cooking with ... wood?Eight hundred quarts of canned food is a very respectable and industrious total, and argues for the Cordas having a large and well-tended garden this year. I would guess there is almost enough to carry them through two winters just from the cellar (depending, of course, on the size of the family--evidence elsewhere suggests the Cordas had four small children at this point). Besides mining tiff (barium sulfate) ore, Mr. Corda worked a 15-acre subsistence farm, raising oats, corn, and lespedeza for sale as well as keeping a mule for farm work, cattle, hogs, and chickens. I suspect the FSA counted his farm as one of their success stories. Look at that smileUntil you enlarge, then it looks like she's gritting her teeth and muttering to Mr Rothstein to hurry up and take the blankity-blank picture. I remember the dayIn 1942 to 1945, my mother and I had as many. Our basement had sheves with quart jars (cans) of chicken, string beans, beets, peas, tomatoes, pickles, peaches, pears, plums and apples. The war years kept us busy, and we would reserve Thursdays for canning. My brothers were at war and my sister was too young, so I was elected to help. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kitchens etc.)
Buffalo Boys: 1910
... 260 Terrace Street. The boy, Amorica, center, goes to the canning factory with his mother in summer." Photograph and caption by Lewis ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/17/2011 - 12:10pm -

February 1910. Buffalo, New York. "Home of the Palia family, 260 Terrace Street. The boy, Amorica, center, goes to the canning factory with his mother in summer." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Creepy Eyes!Were they dead when this was taken? Census recordGives the family name as Paglia. Americo is about 14. Two D ImageThere are four males in the photograph and the only one the photographer did justice to has four legs. The three humans blinked and weren't centered in the image. However, both the dog and the door came out great. Don't blinkLooks like the dog was the only one who was able to keep his eyes open during the exposure. There must've been some delicious people food just out of the frame on the right. What the?It looks as if both of those boys are sporting a shiner. You have to wonder if it was from the streets or at home. EerieThey ALL blinked! Roughed up a bitEither there are some serious flaws with the photo, or the boy with the dog was recently involved in some kind of accident or beating. His eyes appear badly swollen, and the left one appears ready to pop out of his head. Could this have been work related? [It's photography-related. The "zombie-eyes" effect, frequently noted on these pages, in which the subjects' eyes are recorded both open and closed in unsynchronized magnesium-flash exposures. -Dave] It's All RelativeMaybe the boy on the right was a half-brother. Not the best photo buteasily my favorite dog on Shorpy. It wasn't that long ago I recall my Irish grandma stringing rope everywhere when it rained. The whole apartment was humid and smelled of laundry. But we were kids, and that was just how Grandma's house smelled. I still have a 'foam fabric' jacket with the words 'Kalamazoo Stove' melted into it in reverse. I should have taken it off before backing up to the heat! (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Dogs, Kitchens etc., Lewis Hine)
Oyster Shuckers: 1912
... "Bertha, one of the six-year old shuckers at Maggioni Canning Company. Began work at 4 a.m." View full size. Photograph (glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/01/2008 - 8:44pm -

February 1912. Port Royal, South Carolina. "Bertha, one of the six-year old shuckers at Maggioni Canning Company. Began work at 4 a.m." View full size. Photograph (glass negative) and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. Wow.This one really got to me. I have such an easy life. BerthaPeople who go on and on about the "good ol' days" should reflect. So haunting, even more so than the other shucker photos. Six. Years. Old. So SadAnd the kids today think they have it tough. This photo makes want to cry. Oyster shuckersI've seen a little of the so-called third world. While the United States has pockets of abject misery, most of those we consider poor here have a standard of living light years ahead of the rest of the world. "Back in the day" almost everyone worked long hours, with little rest or diversion. It was considered normal. I'm glad most of our children now have the luxury of enjoying life. Some of them, though, could stand the discipline and rigor of a little more responsibility. Perhaps a little less than what is pictured here. Flower GirlI find it so poignant that the little girl has a flower in her hair, it is probably the only way she can identify herself as a girl. If you didn't see her head you would assume she were a little boy. I wish I could wrap her in pink. Unkonwing childrenAs I look at your pictures, I fear for the younger generation. I am a great-grandmother of 5 and my grandchildren don't know how to cook unless it comes from a box. When things got tough, I knew how to make soap and washed clothes on a washboard. (Washing machine broke down.) No money to fix or buy another one for quite a while. No, I didn't live in "the hills." I lived in Kansas City, Missouri, and was in my early 30s. I have a college education, and know how to do what has to been done. The young people of today haven't a clue in regard to what to do if the lights go out and the heat goes off or what is edible or medicinal in regard to plants. Our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren haven't a clue. Frankly, past years had their faults, but if the electricity goes off or the "boxes" disappear from the shelves, we are in a world of hurt. [When I was in grade school, we lived next door to the Unkonwings! - Dave] Hard TimesI surely agree with your statement, I live on the other end of the state from you and do know what it is like to eat rabbit because I saw one out side my window one early morning when I was in a poor financial situation. I dread the future for the so many who do not know ow to provide for them selves. I am truly glad that my grand daughter or my children do not have to work this hard, but do fear we are going to see these times again way to soon. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
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