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A Keen Christmas: 1920
Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Mrs. A.M. Keen. Christmas tree." Somewhere in there: a very tiny kitchen sink. Harris & ... I wanted to lay out a loop of track around my family's Christmas tree and run my model train on it but my parents shot me down every ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 11:42am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Mrs. A.M. Keen. Christmas tree." Somewhere in there: a very tiny kitchen sink. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. 19th century iTunesFor those youngsters out there, the case at the far right is filled with piano rolls. Used to have a player piano in our basement when I was a kid, and hundreds of old rolls just like the ones inside the case. Noah's ArkThe ark with all the animals escaping is really cute and the details on the miniature house is great. Wonder if one person made this or if it was a group effort. Too badthere are no photos of the previous year's setup. Mrs. Kean recreated the 1919 signing of the Treaty of Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors! Busy, busy, busyMuch to see and too much to really enjoy but my questions are: how did those girls get to the croquet field, and what's in the boxes inside the glass case? [Piano rolls, as noted below. - Dave] Full speed aheadI like the model train layout. Someone put a lot of effort into building it. Seems like there are two different kinds of train sets in use. The top one looks like Lionel since the track has three rails but the bottom one is two rail track for something else, with that neat model of a steeple cab electric locomotive (interesting that someone chose to build a model of one of those in the 1920s). For years, I wanted to lay out a loop of track around my family's Christmas tree and run my model train on it but my parents shot me down every time. I'm doing it for the first time this year since I'm in my own place now. "Merry Christmas From the Family"Robert Earl Keen's ancestors, perhaps. WOW! Elaborate Train SetWith a Charlie Brown tree. And OverallA grand chandelier! Santa/SatanThis is the first time I have seen a Christmas ornament depicting the devil. Very odd. Tree toppersIt's very weird to see the long pointy ornaments that today are saved for the top of the tree, sticking out from various branches. KrampusThe fellow with the horns is Krampus, Santa's evil counterpart. In old-school German folklore, Krampus filled out St. Nick's mythic entourage to play bad cop to Santa's good. For those on the naughty list, Krampus got downright medieval. Traditionally depicted with huge horns, a black mane, talon-like claws (Krampus comes from the Old German for "claw"), and wielding chains and a birch rod, Santa's enforcer beat, whipped and shamed bad children. Sometimes, Krampus went so far as to shove his victims into a sack and throw them into a river. He seemed also to have a particular penchant for birching young, pretty virgins. More here. As seen byThis seems to be Henri Rousseau's model train layout. Pointy OrnamentsA true artistic talent need not be bound by convention. Look Up, Way Up!The one thing missing from this image is a friendly giant wearing boots. Bob Homme would have envied this train and homestead scene around the tree. A cow jumping over the moon would not have been out of place with this tree and neither would a castle next door. Bobble HeadsIt looks to me that both the giraffe and the dog (mountain lion) on the rocks to the right of the giraffe are bobble heads. The heads are balanced on a hook in the neck of the body. Tap the head and watch them wiggle for awhile. Twinkly!Lookit all the little lights! They're even buried in the dirt in front of the croquet girls. I bet this looked gorgeous at night. I'm a little mystified by the critters in front of the log cabin, though. Is that a tiny giraffe?? Just wonderingWhere do they put the presents? Re: Busy, busy, busy«How did those girls get to the croquet field?» There is a gate in the fence. They would have to cross the tracks, but who wouldn't risk their lives for an exciting game of croquet? The Hook...and Rear AccessIt looks like the tree is attached to a hook in the ceiling for stability. I wonder if that was a permanent fixture that they used every year? When that Steeple Cab Electric Locomotive jumps off of the track when it is under the tree (inside the tunnel) how do they retrieve it? It look like there might be access from the rear that is visible in the tunnel that the upper train is exiting. Even so it would be a low clearance to get to the lower set of tracks from behind. Time stood still"Son, Santa can stop time so that he is able to set up this display." My dad would say, if I asked the big question. Politically Incorrect, but...We need this Krampus guy today. Too many spoiled and bad boys and girls. Declasse DecorNice to see that people with bad taste were putting up absurd Christmas decorations 90 years ago. I can just imagine Mrs. Keen showing off this display to her friends, beaming with pride, only to have them poke horrible fun at it behind her back. I was waitingFor some one like kjottbein to notice the gate. There is also the little tram car (that doesn't seem to be to scale) that could have brought them thru the tunnel from the upper level. It's fun to look at these old Christmas Gardens and dream. I feel so bad...that the good Mrs. Keen must have put HOURS and HOURS into this labor of love, and all I can drool over are those gorgeous doors and baseboards. Greco-Roman Gardens and The DogOf course no authentic period diorama would be complete with nude statutes in the Greco-Roman garden! And, is that a lonely dog waiting for someone to open the gate at the top of the stairs to the right? Wonder what happened to all the props from this elaborate diorama. Which thrift store got all these treasures? Krampus is Oh. So. German.Okay, I don't usually go in for German-bashing since my great-grandmother emigrated from Hanover, but I laughed out loud at the comment about Krampus. (And the link, with its Colbert clip, was hilarious. Next year, I think we'll have to live it up on Krampustag!) A.M. KeenWith a name like that you'd better be a morning person. Citizen KeenI think William Randolph Hearst played with this as a boy. How else could he have come up with the idea of San Simeon? Can't you just smell the Ozone!That steeple cab locomotive running on the lower level is a rare one. Made by the Howard Miniature Lamp Co. of NYC c. 1908. These ran on 2 inch wide track. Just wonder how many other Howard trains are derailed in the tunnel! (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Christmas Garages: 1960
... brother, at left, and me, at right, proudly presenting our Christmas presents, nice garages with plenty of cars and trucks. View full ... received one of those, please post the photo! Great Christmas Santa treated you two very, very well. Did either of you go into ... 
 
Posted by 1955 - 09/14/2011 - 4:02pm -

My brother, at left, and me, at right, proudly presenting our Christmas presents, nice garages with plenty of cars and trucks. View full size. LubritoriumNow there's a word you just don't hear much anymore. Marx Service StationA Marx Service Center, complete with lubritorium, operating elevator, car laundry and grease rack. Marx ToysWhere were we without Marx toys? I remember having that garage, Lubritorium and all. I also had the Cape Canaveral rocket launchpad where the rockets all had hard rubber nosecones that bounced off the ceiling after blast-off (obviously, a toy that would never make it to stores today). If you or your brother received one of those, please post the photo! Great ChristmasSanta treated you two very, very well. Did either of you go into the service station business? Green with envy!I had always wanted one of those Marx garages, too, but never got one. Even at my age now, I think I still want one! What a beautiful photo! Catholic home?I noticed the statue of Mary with the crown-- my grandmother had one in her house. Mary, Queen of Peace? I Still Have Mine!I still have my garage! It was a Christmas gift back when I was a little kid, and I always loved playing with it. It is missing some of the pumps, but the garage itself is in good shape. Good BeginningIf you're gonna be "car-crazy," best to start young. Neat setups. ElevatorYes, I remember the down ramp at the side. I used the clockwork motor from my Meccano set to lift the elevator up and down as well. Ha, great toy! Marx R ToysLouis Marx founder of Louis Marx Toys, at one time, the largest toy company in the world. He was not related to Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo and especially not to Karl. A staunch conservative, he was terribly disappointed when one of his daughters, Patricia, married Daniel Ellsberg, he of the Pentagon Papers and forerunner of this Assange fellow. Louis Marx considered his son-in-law a traitor. Today's version of that garageThere'd be a "Lotto Sold Here!" sign outside and six tiny pots of different coffees (including Morning Blend, Decaf and Mountain Robust) and miniature plastic Krispy Kreme Doughnuts(c) inside. What Fun!What hours of fun you must have had with those! I think that they would be fun to play with even at our advanced ages, provided that is, we could let our imaginations run like they did then. Naughty or NiceBy the size of the garages it looks like Santa thought your brother was better behaved that year. Just what I always wantedBut never got. The only thing in this photo that did come my way was when the old incandescent ceiling light fixtures in the kitchen got replaced with a couple of those fluorescent ring jobs. Poor substitute all the way around. I had one of those Marx garagesI'd completely forgotten about it. It was probably a year or two later, but I remember the ramp that would allow you to launch a car out into the room. Good times. Remembering Marx ToysI hadn't thought of Marx Toys for many decades, when I saw this it took me instantly back to a Christmas in the sixties. I dreamed of having a Big Bruiser tow truck. I thought it was made by Marx and sure enough it was. I must have been a good boy as it looks like it was probably expensive. It's amazing how your photo took me back to remembering getting this toy and even playing with it that Christmas morning in our paneled den in the old house I grew up in. Thanks! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJHO8AP8Gx0 Looks like you got the short endThe lubritorium looks much more intircate than whan you got. One could wonder that that explains the difference in the size of the smiles. Interesting table expansionApparently there's a leaf hidden underneath the table that pops in between the halves to expand if needed. Ingenious. Ahh those old fluorescent ring lightsHad one in our kitchen for years. Nothing like a hot summer night with the windows open and the BUZZZZZZZZuZZZZuZZZZZZZflickflickBUUUZZZZZZ of the 'ol ring light. I feel much older then I have a right to feel. I wanted one, too! I wanted one, also. Usually got a Tonka truck for Christmas, and back then, they were really built well. I still have them and they're in good shape because I never played with them in the dirt. I think those Marx garages would sell well today if they were of the same quality and not made in China. Just think how many they could sell to us baby boomers! Me too! I may be a woman but I want that garage. That is just too cool. Christmas toysThe next year, I am the one with the big smile! Mark, I don't know if this tow truck is a Marx toy, but similar to the one you talked about. Toy tow trucksYour 1961 model is very cool (love the red dome light), but it looks like plastic. Seven years earlier, my 1954 Christmas tow truck was metal. BTW, were you guys a singing group? Filler up!Your Photo of the Marx Garage brought back memories of when I had one back in the early 1960's. I remember going with my father to store to pick it up then wanting to rush home to put in together. I wish I still had mine oh I have fond memories as well as enjoyment playing with my Marx Service Station. Marx Toy FactoryI live directly across the Ohio River from the old Marx Toy Factory located in Glen Dale, W.V. It's been closed down for many years, but there's a Marx Toy Museum there now. I wouldn't be surprised if they have your garages on display there. Cities ServiceI still have my Cities Service garage, made of metal. I don't remember when I got it so I was probably a toddler at the time, mid 50s. My dad worked for Cities Service and so I also have that tow truck pictured below from tterrace. Both toys are still in excellent condition. They'd probably fetch a nice price today and I could really use the money. But, HEY! I got them from dad so I'll never part with them. What great memories are launched from these great photos! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, Kids)
Wide Christmas: 1920
Circa 1920. "Houck Christmas tree." Everyone gather round for eggnog and carols! National Photo ... Or maybe ceilingpaper. - Dave] Dreaming of A Wide Christmas I am officially in love with all of these wonderful ornaments. The ... now he was back home safely -- let's hope so. Merry Christmas to all I love this tree, each ornament is different and special. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/20/2008 - 11:53am -

Circa 1920. "Houck Christmas tree." Everyone gather round for eggnog and carols! National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Frond remembranceI feel kinda bad for that poor half-dead potted fern on the right. Its mate on the left seems so robust and healthy. ::wipes tear:: Case in pointThis is why bonsai has been practiced for 6,000 years. Peeking at the TreeI see a tin ceiling (I believe) lots of crown molding, and small scenes at the base of the tree. Someone spend lots of time decorating this tree and room! [That's wallpaper on the ceiling. Or maybe ceilingpaper. - Dave] Dreaming of A Wide ChristmasI am officially in love with all of these wonderful ornaments. The tree is VERY wide, but just look at all the detail! My eyes can't find a place to rest. I love it! What's a birdie to do?A bird trying to land on that tree would've gone cross-eyed. And that'some ceiling crack--runs down the well too. I spyI spy some very interesting ornaments on this tree. A scarab, a thresher, a cross and anchor, a fish, a carrot, a pair of axes, and a tin man. What fun! What's snow with you?Nowadays people spray fake snow from a can - well, we did when I was a kid, too; the stuff we used back then had a unique aroma that I can almost conjure up in my mind's nose, and if it's still around I'm sure the smell would be one of those that could send me back. But I digress. I was wondering what that glop was they used here. A bit of Googling came up with a recipe of liquid starch and soap flakes that sounds plausibly non-anachronistic. The WideningWe had a tree like that one year; it was too tall, but for some reason Dad decided to cut the extra off the top instead of the bottom. I'm also seriously envying those ornaments. I like the other tree...I think I prefer the other tree with all the Scotch and ashtrays and cigars... more festivities for the grownups! Snow glopMy neighbors back in the 50's used a concoction of paraffin for their fake snow. They'd melt it, whip it with a beater (possibly adding some secret ingredient) and carefully daub it on the branches. They always had all deep red balls, with the old fashioned lights (one goes out, they all go out) all in blue. Made for a gorgeous tree. [We had all-blue lights too! Now it's kind of a family tradition. No twinkly LEDs for us. Good old-fashioned 4W "nite-lite" incandescent bulbs. On a blue spruce. - Dave] The OrnamentsI notice that many of the ornaments are apparently made of paper or card stock. Since WW1 had ended in 1918, perhaps the variety of anchors and patriotic ornaments were an outcome of the war. Also noticed several types of crosses, even an ornament that looks like an Islamic symbol -- but with a six-pointed star. Maybe the family had a son in the war and now he was back home safely -- let's hope so. Merry Christmas to allI love this tree, each ornament is different and special. The scenes at the multi-level base show that someone put in a lot of time decorating this tree to perfection! I only wish our tree today looked this awesome! The Nightmare Befire Christmas!Daubing whipped paraffin all over the tree branches! That gives new meaning to all the yearly ritual media on the dangers of live trees catching fire. I think I'll reserve the fireworks for the 4th of July. What an ugly tree!Wow! This is one of the ugliest Christmas trees I have ever seen! It even has a black kid eating a watermelon in it! Cute? You have to be kidding! Not only does the tree lack any shape, it wasn't even trimmed to have any definition. It looks like they bought a tree too big to fill room so they just hacked off the top. Ornaments were hung regardless of size. And what gives with all the patriotic stuff? Columbia? Really? What is she, one of the Christmas elves? This photo proves that these folks were proud of their tree. They were proud of how it looked. It is also obvious that they had no taste. Just like most of us today. Great photo! I learned a lot. [You are so full of the Christmas Spirit! - Dave] (The Gallery, Christmas, Natl Photo)
Lionel Lines: 1946
... this 35mm Kodachrome of Jim and Jack Hardman and their Christmas train set in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. View full size. ... in the attic, basement or under the bed, get them out for Christmas, oil them and run them. Speaking of Smoke I believe the little ... 
 
Posted by Sparkplug - 12/24/2022 - 3:19pm -

From circa 1946 comes this 35mm Kodachrome of Jim and Jack Hardman and their Christmas train set in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. View full size. Olfactory memoryThe smell of ozone still takes me back to Christmastime on the living room floor with our oft-shorting electric train set. Nobody ever thought to get a photo of anyone in the act of playing with it, but at least there's this color shot from December 1954, complete with old sofa cushions for hills. AccessoriesThere's a plastic tray for a hopper car to dump its load into but I don't see the special magnetic section of track that activates it; on the other hand there's one section that seems to have five rails rather than three, which perhaps is an early version of it. Those are standard O-27 curves. If you have a whole-room floor layout, you can get O-72 curves, which have double the turn radius. The three rails fill out voids in the track left by having few ties; American Flyer had the disadvantage that the track looked very empty by contrast. I can smell the smoke pill from the engineOzone and the smell of the artificial smoke pill is still in my mind's nose from my 1955 Lionel train set. No Ping-Ponguntil next year! Without a NetThe ever-useful Ping-Pong table. Its surface served at so many different functions. "The Blue Haze"My first train was a used Marx set that the older boy across the alley from us was selling for $10 because his family was moving. It was the little black Commodore Vanderbilt streamlined tinplate engine, with three tin freight cars and a caboose, and a set of four little green tinplate passenger coaches. The 027 gauge diamond track layout was mounted on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, and I would run that thing on the floor after school and on weekends until the whole basement was a blue haze. And yes, as others have said, I can still smell the ozone, and I loved it! It was a smell that meant FUN! And that little Marx engine ran like crazy and lasted a long, long time! I'll bet my mom wished it would finally burn up, but it didn't. The little engine wore out the brushes until it wouldn't run anymore! 1946 set 2111WSThis is a 1946 set from Lionel numbered 2111WS. The Baby Ruth boxcar is an extra not included in this set as sold. What is important to Lionel collectors is that the work caboose is a two tone grey that is normally attributed to a different set in 1946, No. 2115WS. The caboose in the near foreground is prewar, which implies that the young engineer in the picture, or his older brothers, had trains from before WWII. Here is the set, fourth from the top. Click to enlarge. Hot!I still remember the stench of the transformer. After about a hour of play, it got so hot Mom would be screaming to "turn it off before you set the house on fire!" My Lionel TrainMy 027 gauge set from 1947 doesn't have the log car but I did have a refrigerated boxcar that unloaded small cubes of merchandise and it used the five parallel tracks to activate the unloading process. This track section is also used to activate the knuckle couplers to disconnect a car. My locomotive (#2020) appears to be the same as the one here. It is a replica of a Pennsylvania Railroad steam turbine locomotive. One more trivia item. This locomotive/tender combination is also seen in the TV Series "Young Sheldon" when he is playing with his train in the family garage. Sales were goodLionel sold thousands of that locomotive, a copy of the Baldwin/Westinghouse Steam Turbine. Baldwin only sold one; it looked like this when it left the shops. BTW this layout is O-Gauge, not 0-27. A circle of track is 31 inches, 0-27 is 27. I'm waiting for someone to do a count of all the Lionel accessories in this photo; there are a lot! Ah, them was the daysI had that same 2-6-4 engine, the dump car, the crane car, and the work caboose. My dad had a friend who collected Lionel stuff and we made an annual trip to his house across town and always came home with a pair of switches, some track or a couple of cars. Had a lot of fun with that stuff. Ended up giving it to my nephew. Thanks for the photo. Hazy MemoriesI remember the train sets with the smoke tablets, but I also seem to remember having a set that had the smoke caused by drops of 3-in-1 Oil put into the smokestack. Or maybe one of my friends came up with that approach. Red Baby RuthGrowing up in the 1960s I inherited a Lionel set that my brothers used when they were younger. It also had a Baby Ruth boxcar (my favorite) but it was a dark red color. I can only assume it was of later vintage than these pale orange ones shown. Wish I knew what happened to that set. Smokin' the TrainLong ago my iron horse Lionel engine would smoke after you dropped an aspirin down the stack. The Red Pill We had an American Flyer. They only used two rails, and appeared more realistic than the three-rail Lionel sets. The smoke generator took a red pill that was filled with some liquid that was squirted down the smokestack. The pill was made of some sort of rubber and had a narrow end that was to be cut off so the liquid could be directed without spilling. It resembled a CO2 cartridge, but was significantly smaller, about an inch long. Future employers20-plus years later I worked part-time after school and a few summers for these brothers, and their small (about 40 employees) industrial adhesives business in nearby Belleville. It had been a family business for 3 or 4 generations, and they were quite friendly with the employees and generous with the perks. Neat train setThat family must be fairly well off because that train set cost a tidy little bit. I had a Lionel set in the mid 50s but all it had was a figure eight. What's that smell?When I was a young boy, my father liked to take us on hours-long Sunday drives. I found these almost unbearable, sandwiched between my two older sisters (yes, I was raised with three mothers) and my mother riding shotgun and trying to keep order in the back seat. Unbeknownst to me or anyone else, I failed to completely turn off the train transformer before we embarked on our excursion. It was on low, not enough to supply power to move the locomotive, but enough to keep the transformer powered up. We arrived back home and were greeted by the pungent odor of an oily sort. My father and I hurried to the basement to be almost bowled over by the aroma. Fortunately, there was no damage, only a huge Lionel transformer hot enough to cook an egg. I no longer have that train set. It was put into storage right after this, because it COULD have caught fire and we would have come home to something I still cannot imagine. To this day when I am finished with a train set, the transformer is unplugged from the wall. I was an American Flyer kidBut I appreciate and enjoy all toy trains. My dad got me a basic AF set up as a kid. Over the many years I've added quite bit to it, and made a few custom S gauge trains too. Wonderful fun for kids of all ages. Smoke 'em if ya got 'emAnd now a few words about Lionel "Smoke". The first version of that turbine had a smoke bulb, and used a pill that worked poorly, and corroded the engine. The bulb would heat up, and melt the pill. It lasted a year, and then was replaced by the smoke pellets. The pellet was paraffin that went down the stack where it melted on a small heater coil -- wire wrapped around a piece of mica. I've heard the aspirin trick, but don't think it was as satisfying as the real pellet. 3-in-1 Oil? Yikes, it would work, but it would run thru the engine. (More on that later) The problem with the postwar Lionel smoking engines is that there was no "off" switch. You had to keep feeding it pellets, or the element would burn out. But if you overfed it, it would stop smoking as well. If you find one today, most times you can get them to smoke by scraping the sides of the stack. Lionel stopped making the pellets in 1974. But wait! There's more! A hobby shop in Atlanta (they are online) has reproduced the paraffin pellets for your 1954 smoker! These days Lionel makes smoking engines that have a resistor down the stack and some fiberglass batting and a small well. These engines smoke when a smoke fluid (mineral oil, some of it now scented) is dropped down the stack, AND there is an on-off switch, to preserve that resistor when there is no smoke fluid. n.b. The postwar pellet smoke units can use the modern fluid, but with no reservoir; use only a few drops or it will run out the bottom. Now everybody with trains in the attic, basement or under the bed, get them out for Christmas, oil them and run them. Speaking of SmokeI believe the little log cabin on the lower left may actually be an incense burner. A friend of mine had one. The roof came off and you could put a little cone of incense in and the smoke wafted out the chimney. Straight outta RockwellNorman of course. Lotsa memories hereMy father brought home a very similar Lionel train set for Christmas, probably 1946 or 1947. As a youngster I have a lot of great memories helping him set it up every year for the holidays. My O27 layout has the same 2020 Steam Turbine Locomotive and Tender, Baby Ruth boxcar, Sunoco tank car, gondola, log car that would dump the logs and a red Pennsylvania caboose. My layout has the same trestle, and a yard light tower and a collection of "Plasticville" buildings. I still have it safely stored in my basement. The track is still on the plywood board that my father mounted it on. I set it up several years ago for the memories. I also noticed that "Young Sheldon" was using "my" locomotive. No. 1 Christmas memory everWhen I was 4, I woke up on Christmas morning to find a big piece of plywood on sawhorses set up in the living room. It was covered with newspapers. As I watched, the papers started moving and a Lionel train appeared. Over the years, I expanded the layout to 4x12 and, with the help of my dad, attached it to the garage wall where it would fold up when not in use. I finally sold it to help pay for my first car 12 years later. Inherited CurvesI inherited a 1930s Union Pacific M10000 streamliner which required double-radius o72 curves so always had as a kid a full-room layout for every other Lionel train too. I suppose Lionel figured out that there wasn't as much of a market for the quadruple-sized layout areas required and scaled down quickly. I never should have opened that presentWhen I was 5, way back in the ancient times of 1970, I got a very special train set for Christmas. It was a replica of the Disney Monorail. Considering that about 10 years ago, I heard that an unopened box set went for $250,000 I'm beginning to think I never should have opened the box. Actually, though, my father had already opened the box and he and my brother set up the train and mounted it on a large piece of plywood. All that's left of it now is the 12v-18v variable power supply. I remember spending hours with that train set. Of course, now I can play with a train set again... virtually. I have software that lets me mimic any train and any location or scenery, but somehow it's not the same thing. Lionel was the greatest!Best part was I learned basic electrical circuits as a pre-teen. Besides all the fun, it was a learning experience. Not only for me, but also for all my Lionel cousins! Color CoordinatedThat has to be one of the most complex color coordination scenes I've seen. Even the boys' clothing matches everything else. I'm sure they had plenty of fun with that amazing train set up. Still with usFrom what I can tell through Ancestry and general internet snooping, both "boys" are still with us. Jim would have been about 10 here, and Jack would have been about 7. [It was Jim who posted this photo. Click his username to see his profile. - Dave] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
White Christmas: 1954
...     Another stocking-stuffer from the Shorpy Christmas closet: Christmas 1954. My grandmother Sarah Hall (1904-2000, last seen here ) and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/21/2017 - 12:15pm -

          Another stocking-stuffer from the Shorpy Christmas closet: Christmas 1954. My grandmother Sarah Hall (1904-2000, last seen here) and her daughter, my Aunt Barbara (1935-2017), at home in Miami Shores. 35mm Kodachrome by my grandfather Shepard. The tree is a northern blue spruce, spray-painted white with his workshop air compressor. View full size. TreeThat is one seriously lovely tree. My grandmother had an artificial one similar to this one well into the 1980s. [This was a real spruce, sprayed with white paint using Granddad's air compressor out in the garage. The next year they got a full-size tree and did the same thing. - Dave] Painted tree.My uncle in N. Illinois used the same technique. The weather was very cold. He used latex paint. It was a mess when he brought it inside and the paint thawed what a great ideaI love it. I also love those days even though I wasn't alive. I can almost imagine sitting there watching this photo being taken. What a nice fam! Aunt Barb is kind of hot too. interesting to note dark blue wallsout of style for many years, dark interior colors are back in vogue. Xmas InteriorI was only 5 years old then but I vividly remember our house having dark painted walls. Now that I look back I guess it was a vogue thing. WallsVery groovy wall colors. When did aluminum trees come on the scene? [Not sure, but this is a real spruce tree spray-painted white. - Dave] Looks like a "flocked" treeLooks like a "flocked" tree which was just coming into vogue in the mid 50's. I used to love to drive around Milwaukee duirng the holidays and seeing the flocked trees in the picture windows of the houses. Some had spot lights on them making them pink, green, blue red, and white. What a great time. 1954 Here I Come!Hi All I'm attempting to do a retro 1950's/ 60's American looking tree this year (in the UK), and I'll definitely be using this lovely old image as an inspiration. I'm going to heavily flock the edges of my real tree, I've bought lots of vintage ornaments from the US, lots of vintage Shiny Brite and quite a few of the Radko modern version. I've even splashed out on some new but vintage looking 1950's style coloured lights, unfortunately although we have a great selection of lights in the UK, I just couldn't find that retro looking US style other then in the US itself, so Ive ordered again from Radko ($400 - ugghh) and of course I've had to get step down power transformers - I MUST be mad ;-) Merry Christmas One & All - Justin x 1962I was in first grade in 1962. My family had a fresh-cut tree, not much different from today's except of the thumb-size colored lights. The lobby of the school I went to for grades 1-5 had a smallish silver-colored fake tree with blue glass balls and a color wheel so that the light shining on the tree alternated between 4 different colors. Dress LustAunt Barb has the most wonderful dress! Color trend of the eraMy grandmother also painted her living room this exact same color scheme in the early fifties: dark green walls, white trim, dark coordinating floral prints of barkcloth on the furniture. I bet if you look around you will see some ceramic mallard ducks flying on walls or on the tops of end tables. I would say , though, that your grandmother is particularly color coordinated--right down the the tree, bulbs, and wrapped present placement. Barbara is definitely not cooperating in pink and blue. There is a small, slightly rebellious smile on her face and Grandma does not look at all pleased. Mommmm!1955. The year Mom went "modern", abandoned all our colorful hand-me-down ornaments and big-bulb lights, and got a flocked tree, decked out in a brand new set of coordinated red and gold ornaments, with tiny white twinkle lights. The horror, the horror! Lighting the wayI'm surprised to see a lantern of some kind hanging over what appears to be the back door. Do you know if it was a decor thing or was it a working lamp? A bit unusual by the 1950's. Flocked trees were sometimes kept for yearsWhen my ex was in college, in the 70s, I cleaned houses for elderly ladies. One, who was quite eccentric, lived in a huge, Victorian mansion. In the large living room, with a very high ceiling, was an enormous,flocked Christmas tree, done with the spray-on imitation snow. It had been there for several years. It was summer while I was working for her and it was very strange to be vacuuming up pine needles and fake snow in 90+ degree weather. I always kept an eye on it, because I knew that if the slightest spark got near it, it would be engulfed in flames before I could even dial the fire department. It was still there when I stopped cleaning her house and I have always wondered how much longer it was there and if it ever caught fire. Deja VuTalk about a double take! The walls in my living room are green, and the white trim is exactly the same profile as shown. Several of the houses on my street (in Kansas) have that same white trim and I salvaged some extra when the house next door was torn down. Do you know whether the house in the picture was built in the late 30s? It's been 2 yearsAnd I still covet Aunt Barb's dress! Barbara's dress!To die for. Must have... CandlesAbout 20 years ago, my wife and I had dinner with a man I worked with. His wife was from Germany. She followed German tradition and had a Christmas tree with lighted candles. They kept a pan of water nearby, just in case. But that was, shall we say, "exciting." ColorsI love ALL of the colors in this pic. From the pattern of the chair, the tree, the presents, and yes, of course that dress! Especially with that pretty pink lipstick! Painted TreeFive years after this posted (2007) and I'm giggling like a schoolgirl ~~ Probably because I had a flashback to the aluminum tree with color wheel my parents had in 1959 or so. Tree ShapeThose rounder/squatter trees typically seen in Shorpy photos kind of required a different sort of decorating. Instead of lights and ornaments hung on individual branches, it seems as if you would have to hang multiple on the more limited branches going in towards the trunk. It changes the dimension and aesthetic of the tree I would think. Christmas chairI cannot begin to tell you how much I covet that chair your aunt Barbara is sitting in. It's lovely, and so is the setting with the tree and your grandmother! Obviously back when people still dressed up for everything social, and work. Merry Christmas from here in Okieland! Presents oddsThe most populat gifts for Christmas in 1954: Matchbox Cars, Yahtzee, Lincoln Logs, and Scrabble. What are the odds that any of the boxes under the tree contained one of them? Oh yeahHad to go back and look at the date on that pic, I'm about 9 months older than this one, but I remember that style of decorating well into the early '60s. My grandparents had the bubble lights on theirs, which I still love. Will have to find some of the modern replacements for our tree next year. Of course, styles were slower to change in the Midwest than either coast. You just can't beat KodachromeWonderful colors throughout the photo. Sorry to see that you lost your Aunt Barbara this year Dave. StylishCan't believe nobody has commented on the lampshade above Aunt Barb. Frankly, I love it! AddressHaving lived in South Florida for 38 years, I'd love to know if that house is still standing. Is the address available? [882 NE 97th Street. - Dave] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
The Christmas Kid: 1958
Christmas 1958 somewhere in Pennsylvania. The young man we last glimpsed ... plums Looks as though little Timmy received one (small) Christmas Eve gift, right after the children's program at church, and can you ... [Looks like this one. - tterrace] Classic Christmas Kids dressed up, and a real Christmas tree. It doesn't get any ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/01/2012 - 6:44pm -

Christmas 1958 somewhere in Pennsylvania. The young man we last glimpsed dressed up for Halloween, seen here in our fifth slide from a batch of 35mm Kodachromes found on eBay. I am imagining carols on the hi-fi, grandparents in the next room and delicious aromas wafting in from the kitchen. View full size. Visions of sugar plumsLooks as though little Timmy received one (small) Christmas Eve gift, right after the children's program at church, and can you imagine how excited he is, waiting for tomorrow morning? You know he'll go to bed exactly when Mom tells him to tonight, since he's already seen the bounty of well-wrapped gifts under the real tree -- even some in that nifty decorated box that looks like our chimney! Chalk?The box he's holding looks like it might be Sidewalk Chalk, used for just that, drawing on the sidewalk in a non permanent format. [Looks like this one. - tterrace] Classic ChristmasKids dressed up, and a real Christmas tree. It doesn't get any better. My parents got an aluminum tree in the mid '60s because it didn't shed needles. After the holidays, we would remove the "branches" and store them in cardboard sleeves. The "trunk" was a a metal pole. The whole thing went into a box waiting for next year. Red ornaments were the preferred color scheme. I'll try to dig up a picture of our Jetsons Christmas! O Christmas TreeRemember that tinsel, made out of lead? And what a pain it was to put on the tree? Missing somethingWhat would really top off this photo would be bubble lights on the tree. I wonder where this family is now and why these photos ended up for sale? O Holy NightOn the hall table is a wind up cathedral made from glow in the dark plastic; we had the identical one that came out on my mother's table every year well into the 90's. And there's real lead tinsel on the tree; nothing ever hung like that tinsel. Wow Cufflinks!On such a little guy. And there are two gorgeous Steiff tigers on the side table. I would love to have one of those! [Here's one. - tterrace] Tilt-top tableResearch indicates that the term my mother applied to the type of table on the right is not precise, as the entire surface did not tilt; it was in two halves, and here we see it with one half folded over the other. Nevertheless, this example is a near-twin of ours, which was kept with one half angled up and leaning back against the railing of the stairway landing in our living room. It, too, was a favorite platform for Christmassy things. Regrettably, our archives do not have a good photo of it. Despite the incorrect designation, I always liked the sheer alliteration of my mother's name for it. Little manThe more special the occasion, the more like a miniature adult the child was made to be. So the kid has his hair slicked to the side and is made to wear leather shoes, scratchy wool pants, stiff white shirt, vest, bowtie, and – the least child-like accessory / accoutrement / item of bling – cufflinks. [Another period example, from 1955. I got to go in stocking feet, though. - tterrace] Tilt-top tableThe table is properly called a card table. Card tables were popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The top folded over itself when the table was stored against a wall. When the table was pulled into the room, usually facilitated by casters, the top could be swung down and rotated 90 degrees so that the seam between the halves was supported by the skirt. It was thus turned into an approximately square tabletop, and often used for playing cards. Rotating the tabletop often revealed a hidden tray, which in period was usually lined with marbleized paper. Christmas Card PerfectWow! What a great pic. Looks very Christmas card worthy. This brings back so many memories of what Christmas was like when I was a kid. I LOVE all of Shorpy, but especially these old color photos from the 50s. By the way, is there anything better looking than a good old-fashioned Kodachrome photo? It also makes me long for my old Petri rangefinder loaded with Kodachrome 64. Thanks. The Hall TableWe also had a table just like this; it's called a "game table." The top swivels, then the top part of the table unfolds to create a flat surface. Like tterace's table, ours was kept with one half of the table top opened and leaning up against the wall. I suspect that the table was from the 1930s or early forties as it had belonged to my aunt prior to my getting it. My husband did not like the table and made me get rid of it when we moved several years ago. I have rued that decision many times since. (Christmas, Pa. Kodachromes)
Merry Christmas: 1951
        A Christmas chestnut from the Tuttle attic: "Tree -- Dec. 25, 1951." Merry Christmas from Blue Earth, Minnesota, and from Shorpy! 35mm Kodachrome by Grace ... train And a red AMT '51 Pontiac were under our tree on Christmas 1951! Wish I had both back! At Last! Something that can ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/25/2017 - 10:32am -

        A Christmas chestnut from the Tuttle attic: "Tree -- Dec. 25, 1951." Merry Christmas from Blue Earth, Minnesota, and from Shorpy! 35mm Kodachrome by Grace or Hubert Tuttle. View full size. Tinsel on the treeAnd snow on the ground. The Box!What jumped out at me about this picture was the Campbell's Soup box! I remember having these at home with stuff stored in them. A product of the days when people would go and get empty boxes from the back of the grocery store to use for storage. Tinsel perfectionistWould have made my sister proud; whilst my brother and I preferred to throw handfuls at the tree; she always insisted on draping them one strand at a time. There were some years we hated her. My first electric trainAnd a red AMT '51 Pontiac were under our tree on Christmas 1951! Wish I had both back! At Last!Something that can compete with the wallpaper! Takes hours to wrap, minutes to destroyMy eldest sister's first job was at a department store in the gift wrap department. She is now in her middle 60s. To this day, when I receive a present from her, it is wrapped to perfection, taped and ready for presentation. These presents remind me of her skills. As a man, I really prefer the gift bags with tissue paper. 1950s OrnamentsWe have some of the same ones (notably the glass birds with the glass fibre tails) on our tree, handed down and carefully preserved. A nice reminder of Christmas growing up in the '50s. Merry Christmas Shorpyites! The plant standAnybody notice the plant in a Calumet baking soda can? Fire Hazard ReductionAlas, no wax candles, as far as I can tell. Being traditionalists, my parents didn't go electric until the late 1970ties. The smell of real beeswax candles on a real tree is unsurpassed. As well as the arrangement and re-arrangement of the candle holders until daddy was satisfied that all candles well were clear from any branch above. Which took hours. Not to mention daddy's hawkeyed supervision of his kids dearest lighting those candles on X-mas eve. Once. With all due care. And him not leaving the living room until the candles were out again. Soup boxI assumed the soup box is how the relatives brought over the presents and they just hadn't gotten around to unloading them before the picture was taken. We used boxes like these when we went camping. Christmas TreeEven today when I think of Christmas trees this is what I think of. All through the 50's and 60's this was the only type that were usually sold in the Houston area. I was even a little mad when one Christmas season I was very sick and my mom went out and got a tree for my apartment and she got a spruce instead of a "real" Christmas tree. What is Real?Is it then or now. Most kids today might say sometime in the future that their parents had "real" Christmas trees that were hand made in China. Up until the first 'fake' Christmas tree, there were only real ones. I remember the smell of pine and my grandma saying "Now dear, do not touch the tree if you do not want to get sappy" I guess in the end I am still sappy, but only about Christmas memories like this one from Shorpy. [This blue spruce reminds your webmaster of his own childhood! - Dave] Blue Earth on ChristmasThank you, Shorpy. I didn’t realize how much I needed some of the Tuttle family for Christmas until I saw this image today. The Blue Earth series is my favorite. Merry Christmas to all, and thanks again for being a part of my daily life. PerfectHere's wishing that the entire Shorpy family is having a wonderful Christmas Day Thank you, Dave Full TreesLiving overseas in the 50s. I remember my parents and my aunt and uncle getting three real trees. One would go to them, one for us. The third was used to fill out the other two. And they were big. Or I was little! The tinsel is what always got me. When taking the trees down, we could not just put the decorations away. No, we had to preserve the tinsel. We could not buy it where we lived. To get more in time for Christmas, would have to get in the middle of summer in the US. Not worth it. We also had to preserve the wrapping for the same reason. What we did not have was that white stuff you can see thru the window. Never did experience a white Christmas until I was 16. Thanks for the memories. Tree memoriesThis is exactly what out trees used to look like in the 60's. The mismatched ornaments, the Santa, the Stars, the indented ornaments, the Tinsel, the green & red wiring running all over and of course the Topper! (Christmas, Minnesota Kodachromes)
Christmas Loot: 1951
"Xmas 1951." Christmas Past, and Christmas presents. Our 12th slide from this batch of 35mm Kodachromes ... I had an H gun and cowgirl outfit!!! That kid had a good Christmas!! Cushman chair The chair he is on looks to be a Cushman ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2021 - 3:33pm -

"Xmas 1951." Christmas Past, and Christmas presents. Our 12th slide from this batch of 35mm Kodachromes found on eBay. Most of them seem to have been taken in or near Pinconning, Michigan. View full size. LocationDave, I'm about a half-hour from Pinconning. Any other clues from your slides? You've definitely got my interest piqued now. [The clues are photos of a Pinconning school bus and an International Harvester dealership, Heppner & Jacobs. - Dave ] Loot KidLoot Kid looks about my age. Definitely got more stuff than I did; and my sister called me spoiled. Hmph. That doctor set looks awfully familiar though, including the pseudo-leather pseudo-medical bag box design. I want to say that's a Morris chair he's on, since it bears resemblance to the one in our summer place around this time. Hopalong CassidyI think I spy a Hopalong blanket. I had an H gun and cowgirl outfit!!! That kid had a good Christmas!! Cushman chairThe chair he is on looks to be a Cushman Colonial. These were made in Bennington Vt. by the Cushman Furniture Co. I just recently sold a set like this. There were different variations of the colonial line from the 30's through the 60's. Is there a doctor in the house?You might need one, the Country Doctor toy is now selling for $165 on ebay. Is our little lad a rural cousin of the Edwards boy? just a thought A Happy Christmas to all Shorpyites All that Lootand still no Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun... 8^C Christmas WishI wish I had "show all your loot" pictures from my childhood Christmases to look back on. Parents Just Don't Get ItHoppy paraphernalia were indeed cool, but the coolest part of receiving them was to belt on the cap guns or don the gauntlets and head on outside to amaze and astound your friends. Somehow, a chenille bedspread doesn't seem to fill the bill. Re: That airplaneIt's a Douglas B-18 Bolo Pre-war bomber, derived from the DC-2. What Solo Said!I've never thought of it in just that way, but Solo makes a good point. I can remember in 1958 being so happy to show my friends my Paladin gun belt and in 1966 showing my friends my Man from U.N.C.L.E. spy briefcase. As to the airplane toy identification, I am also puzzled. It sure looks like a German plane with USAF markings!!! --Jim Who is this kid?There just has to be a way to discover the identity of our once-young Pinconning Pal. How about publishing his photo in the Pinconning newspaper? Or renting a big billboard with his photo just on the edge of town? There has to be someone in the area who would know his name and what became of him. Maybe he is still there himself. Who knows? But then, I suppose this could be considered an invasion of privacy and perhaps would not appreciated. Still, it would be interesting to know more about him- a fellow Michigander of about my age. That airplanelooks suspiciously like a German Heinkel HE-111 That bomberI think it's supposed to represent a B-25. The pressed sheet metal wouldn't give you all the details properly, but they're painted on. The other photo of it shows that it has twin tails, like a B-25. Don't knock yourselves out trying to ID planeIt's not even a reasonably correct model of an actual airplane. Rather, it's some sort of composite that was probably not meant to represent a specific type. Further confusing matters it has a postwar (1947 and later) national insignia in combination with the obsolete "U.S. ARMY" designation that would have been retired at about that same time when the Air Force became a separate division of the armed forces. It's just a toy, and its recipient need never know any of these nitpicky matters. About the planeIt could be a Beech AT-11. Pinconning resourceMight be worthwhile to send all the Pinconning photos (at least 12) to the local chamber of commerce there, chamber@PinconningLinwood.com. They may recognize some, or may know who would know more. AirplaneI remember airplane toys similar to that "bomber". They never seemed quite accurate. Didn't seem to make much difference as I liked them anyway. The plane is a mongrelThe portion of the plane visible in this pic is rather accurate for a DC-3/C-47 (Dakota to you Brits) except for the printed "features". The empennage that's visible in one of the other pictures in the series is quite odd. It seems a fanciful treatment of that on a B-35 or Lockeed Model 10 "Electra". The airplanesFor a closer look at these toys, and the other presents, look here. And, btw, the airplane model resembles most the B-25. (Christmas, Kids, Michigan Kodachromes)
Christmas Dinner for Horses: 1918
December 1918 in Washington, D.C. "Christmas dinner for horses." That tree looks mighty tasty! Harris & Ewing ... Dinner For Horses Free Feed at Haymarket on Day Before Christmas Arrangements have been completed for the Christmas dinner for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 5:30pm -

December 1918 in Washington, D.C. "Christmas dinner for horses." That tree looks mighty tasty! Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Reward for Faithful Work Washington Post, Dec 22, 1918 Dinner For Horses Free Feed at Haymarket on Day Before Christmas Arrangements have been completed for the Christmas dinner for horses to be given by the Washington Animal Rescue League at Twelfth and Little B streets northwest on Tuesday, the day before Christmas. The Haymarket space has been devoted to the equine holiday, and there will be a tree loaded with such delicacies as hay, corn, carrots, and apples. Each horse will get a substantial feed of oats. The drivers will be served with free hot coffee, and there will be music. The Christmas dinner for horses originated in Washington four years ago, and is now a feature of the holiday in several American cities. The Animal Rescue League works solely for the welfare of animals and has been very successful in enlisting the sympathy of horse owners and drivers in the work of relieving unnecessary suffering. Tuesday has been fixed for the horses dinner because of the fact that on Christmas day they have done their work and resting in the stable. The league, therefore, has chosen a busy day to reward the horses that have been active in delivering holiday packages. Every driver is invited to get a cup of coffee while his horse is feasting. Washington Post, Dec 25, 1918 Horses Have Free Dinner The Haymarket, at Twelfth and B streets northwest, was an animated scene yesterday, when market horses were made the guests of a bountiful Christmas dinner. Motion picture photographers were there, and they secured views of the horses helping themselves from a Christmas tree on which were strung corn, carrots, apples, lumps of sugar and other delicacies. Horses have been hard at work delivering Christmas packages were given a chance to pose while partaking of a hearty dinner of oats. Every driver got a cup of hot coffee, but the horses were the real guests of honor. Several ladies of the Washington Animal Rescue League were in charge of the dinner. They were ably assisted by Boy Scout Christen Davis, of Troop 59, and by Scouts Newman and Atkinson. The two latter furnished music. Portable troughs were carried to the horses in some cases, and they enjoyed their oats in spite of the rain and the busy hauling of trees and turkeys. One or two automobiles were also used in carrying oats to horses at the other markets. In all, it is estimated that several hundred horses received a reward for faithful work they had done to make Christmas happy for humans. Little BWhere was 12th and Little B Streets? [Just north of B Street (Constitution Avenue) near the current location of the Internal Revenue Service. Little B Street and Ohio Avenue were obliterated by construction of the Federal Triangle complex of government buildings in the 1930s. Click to enlarge. Note the "horse fountains" designated on the map. We can see one to the right in the photo. - Dave] Red & GreenI'd love to see this pic in colour, the apples, carrots and corn cobs hanging from the tree must offer a nice contrast and look really interesting. Merry ChristmasWhat a great idea, I love horses and sometimes use them to pull the sleigh while giving the reindeer a break. Nice treeThat tree looks a lot more nicely-shaped than the gigantic cut off ones we've seen in some people's homes. This is a really cute idea, too. I've heard of people doing similar things for birds with berries and seed. The alternativeGlad it's not "Christmas Horses for Dinner." With apologies to Toby and WillieWhiskey for my men, beer for my horses. Horse CountryI hope they treated the help as well. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Horses)
Tinsel-Free Christmas: 1955
... December 1955. Here's our family's entry in the Shorpy Christmas tree sweepstakes. Devoid of any jolly celebrants, unfortunately, but ... clothing. Window dressing Well that is a perfect Christmas tree and the slight blur adds a little dreamy magic that is nice. But ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 12/26/2021 - 1:46pm -

December 1955. Here's our family's entry in the Shorpy Christmas tree sweepstakes. Devoid of any jolly celebrants, unfortunately, but at least we have my mother's curtains and drapes. Many vintage ornaments are in evidence: Santa heads, houses, a table lamp, a mushroom, an angel, a prizefighter, some birds with spun glass or celluloid tailfeathers, and one of my personal favorites, a big one we always called "the stars and stripes forever" on the left a little more than halfway up. Some were from my Mother's family and dated back to the early 1900s, including one that still had wax drippings on it from when you actually lit your tree with candles. On the right, our Motorola hosts the Nativity scene complete with plastic Wise Men. Sharp-eyed observers may note that on the window seat, the fishbowl, vacant a year later, here appears to be inhabited. My brother recorded the available-light exposure details for this Kodachrome slide on the mount: f2.8 @ 1 second, during which he jiggled the camera slightly. View full size. No "view full size"?? [Any and every image on this site can be "viewed full size," even if there is no "view full size" link in the caption. Step 1: Open the post by clicking on the title. Step 2: Click the "View full size" link under the caption. - Dave] Xmas 1955 FloodsThough we weren't affected much in Hayward (some street flooding) Xmas 1955 will always remind me of the disaster not far off in Yuba City/Marysville. http://americahurrah.com/Flood55/YubaCity.htm We went to an area FD station to donate some used clothing. Window dressingWell that is a perfect Christmas tree and the slight blur adds a little dreamy magic that is nice. But man, that curtan/drape combo is stunning! Your mom must have been proud! There's no place like home.There's no place like home. There's no place like home. (Accompanied by the clicking of ruby red slippers.) Silent NightEnchanting. Who lives here now? Oh those trees....I wish I could still find trees like the one pictured and from my childhood of the early sixties. They were open and airy and had enough room between the branches so that the ornaments could actually "hang," and not just lean. Today's trees are so dense you can hardly get the lights in and around the branches, and you have to use so darn many just to light it up. I still jigglebut that being said, I'm happy Paul is sharing those classic photos I and then he took back in the day! -- Will, Paul's brother, who took the picture Yesterdays once moreI can think of nothing better to say to this photo than the words of Elizabeth Akers Allen: Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight, Make me a child again, just for tonight! TV set in the corner?Back in those days the TV wasn't on 24/7, a beautiful wooden cabinet with doors was a good idea. I put a 90's TV into a 50's cabinet in my 50's themed home - but now, when it's starting to letting the smoke out, I can't find any new TV's that fits into our ol' cabinet. I'd Live There!tterrace, you continue to outdo yourself posting these wonderful slice-of-life images ... I hope you are a happy "grown up," as your posts and images lead me to believe you may have turned out. Happy Holidays to you and yours (you too, Dave!) Full size button, please?I'd like to see the ornaments. My mother still has ornaments from her mother, German made I believe. Love it!!!Can we see it full size? Would love to see details on the tree! [Any and every image on this site can be "viewed full size," even if there is no "view full size" link in the caption. Step 1: Open the post by clicking on the title. Step 2: Click the "View full size" link under the caption. - Dave] And a Happy New Year as well...Tterrace you are twanging the heart-strings again, dammit.Ten years before and a few thousand miles away across the Pond, we had the same glass birds - the tails were made of spun glass - and little glass houses as well. And our tree was lit by little wax candles in clip-on tin holders (there was no electricity in my Granny's cottage) But, sadly, no photos (not much film around in GB in 1945). So, thank you for reminding me. When the time comes I'll raise a glass to you, and Dave, and all the splendid folk who view Shorpy, and wish you all a very merry Christmas from Cornwall. Life Before EXIF I have often wondered how film photographers kept track of exposure setting for individual photos. Did they keep a log book with frame numbers and settings? This seems like it would have a pain in the neck. PS - Where is the "View Full Size" link on this photo? [See above. - Dave] View larger It would be nice to view hi-def or just a larger size. [Any and every image on this site can be "viewed full size," even if there is no "view full size" link in the caption. Step 1: Open the post by clicking on the title. Step 2: Click the "View full size" link under the caption. - Dave] Thanks, DaveI feel dumb for not clicking on the title; I've been spoiled by the obvious button and saved my brain power for looking at details in the photos. Turns out the bird looks very like the one my mother has, and I recognize that Santa face, too. And the large bulb lights! Interesting to note that the presents fit under the tree. These days that pile would only amount to stocking stuffers in some house I know. Us and the floodThat 1955 Christmas flood Anonymous Tipster mentioned was the one that got our summer place at the Russian River, as seen here, and down in the comments here. Big lights!I'm so glad the big bulb lights like the ones in the picture are making a comeback. Of course, they're a lot safer and more efficient than their ancestors, but they still have the same retro look. I remember the days of having to wait until the tree was completely dry before hanging the lights, or you'd get sizzles and sparks. Photo Log Pre-EXIFMy father started shooting Kodachrome slides in 1950 and kept a little log book with the exposure and aperture for a while. He would compare those with the slides after he got them back from the Kodak lab. He also wrote titles on the cardboard slide frames. Interesting how "photo anticipation" went from weeks (Kodachrome sent off in those nifty mailers that were eventually ruled monopolistic), to 60 seconds (Polaroids on a warm day, a lttle more if you had to warm the Polacolor inside the aluminumu Cold Clip inside your pocket) to instant feedback as you view your JPGs on your digicam screen. Our presents and lightsThis is pre-Christmas day, so the presents under the tree are those from friends and relatives received either by mail or from visits. The "official" presents, including the really good big ones (i.e., the ones for me) didn't get put out until after I'd gone upstairs to bed Christmas Eve. You can't see our bubble lights, the big old-fashioned kind with tubes about 4" long and about 3/8" in diameter. They'd drive my mother to distraction because there'd always be a couple on the string that wouldn't bubble, but they were magical to me. They eventually all wore out and when they came back into fashion in the 70s they, like the regular lights, were tiny in comparison and just not the same at all. And some of those didn't bubble, either. A while back I posted another shot of our 1955 tree, this time by flash but also a little jiggly, and with a couple people in it. Curtains!Those curtains are a work of art in their own right. Cold War NervesOne partially-heard TV news bulletin during those Xmas 1955 floods said something about "Russian." In that era THAT was a major attention grabber! It was somewhat of a relief to hear it repeated in full and was only about a river. Russian River Flooding ....I lived in the Russian River (Front Street, Monte Rio) during Christmas of 1981 and there was a terrible flood then, too, tterrace. My house was right on the riverbank and I vividly remember one terrible night of going outside every hour, on the hour, to check how much the river had risen against the stairsteps going from my cellar door down to the water. Luckily, the river crested just at the top step - but not without bringing about some miserable anxiety and tension. I'm sorry that your house wasn't so lucky. Bubble lightsI found four-inch tube bubble lights last year at Wal-Mart. We did not have bubble lights on our trees at home but friends of the family did and I yearned for them ever since. The lights I purchased are so far working fine and they really are magical. Wishing all readers memory making time with your families, and don't forget the camera! Merry Christmas to you Dave and thanks for your gift of windows into the precious past. [And we thank tterrace for this and many other wunnerful photos. - Dave] DecorIs this the same California living room in all the other photos? Looks it, but I'm getting the sense your mom liked to move the furniture around a lot. Frankly, I like the curtains and drapes. They're very Ricky and Lucy. Anything beats those dagnabbity ugly "vertical blinds" they sell on us these days. Decor in motionFunny you should mention that, A.T. I always loved it when we rearranged the living room; it was like moving into a new house, almost. Frequently I was a participant, and at times, I think, a motivating force. Here we see the TV in one of three corners it or its descendants occupied over the years. The much-admired curtains and drapes are actually a 1940s style rather than 1950s. When my mother had them and the cornices done, she was tickled with the clever idea the decorator had of offsetting everything to the left so as to disguise how off-center the windows were. You social climber, you!Most trees had C7 bulbs, you appear to have C9's. Oh, what great memoriesWhat great Christmas memories. Beautiful tree, and a lovely home for the times. I was living in Marysville for Christmas 1955. We were sent to my grandparents' home in Yuba City on the 23rd, where the eventual flood occurred. From Yuba City we were off to a friend of my grandfather’s west in Colusa. Christmas morning he and my grandfather flew to Sacramento to get supplies. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, tterrapix)
Super Carrier Christmas: 1957
"Christmas 1957" is the label on this slide from the Kermy and Janet ... here . Kermy always got the coolest stuff for Christmas! The book is Sand Dune Pony by Troy Nesbit. Lucky Kermy! ... Kermy must have been stylin' in '57! FIVE Models for Christmas! Jackpot! I remember building my very first Revell model kit, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/07/2013 - 9:43am -

"Christmas 1957" is the label on this slide from the Kermy and Janet Kodachromes, taken at their house in Baltimore. Gifts include a Revell model aircraft carrier and something called the Shopping Center Game. View full size. Fun for ALL Non-Toxicsays one gift, and I wonder if he really completed that aircraft carrier with its 23,000 parts. Revell aircraft carrier modelSome time in the mid-sixties, I put together an aircraft carrier model like that, though not so large. The icing on the cake was gluing the dozens of tiny aircraft to the deck. (I had two younger brothers, so everything had to be glued down.) Loot aplentyThe two additional Revell boxes promise many happy hours inhaling glue fumes. And a pair of spiffy red boots in the bargain! Shopping Center gameI bought that at an estate sale a couple years back. There are some pictures of it here. U.S.S ForrestalI built the U.S.S. Forrestal a few years later, about 1961. I still have a few of the aircraft from the deck. 1 co-workers brother was killed in the tragic Forrestal fire in 1967. Patrick Wentzel Parkersburg, WV More than an inhalant hazardThat glue would make a crater in the dining room table (whilst assembling a Lockheed Constellation). Followed by a brief lecture from my father. I suspect that he was not without sin. BTW, I crewed in Neptunes. I never knew that they made a model of that critter. A product of the Burbank Iron Works. One point two million rivets in tight formation. b-ballWe had that basketball game-- the ball was a ping pong ball, if I recall correctly, and it shot off the cardboard floor of the game via a lever....fun!! The helicopter that wasn'tHiding underneath the Forrestal box is another for a Piasecki H-16 Transporter helicopter. The model never made it to full production after the second prototype crashed during evaluation by the Air Force. Unfortunately, I can't see enough of the third box to identify the model. B-24 LiberatorThe Revell model under the carrier B-24The third model is a B-24 Liberator. I remember building that same model carrieras well as the helicopter kit beneath it. Brings back vivid memories of those days, with scattered kit parts and the pungent smell of Revell glue (readily sold to kids back then) permeating my bedroom. How I never got high, nor developed an affinity for that glue stuff, amazes me to this day. The chemicals probably killed off a few brain cells along the way, but boy, those kits were fun and launched your imagination! The third modelis the box scale (about 1/92 in this case) Revell B-24 Liberator. I have lusted mightily for that one for some years. Ah, nostalgia! All these kits command prices far in excess of what Kermy's folks had to lay out. One dealer (known for high prices) lists the Forrestal at over $200. Nostalgia at a price. Revell models on the sceneThere are a total of five Revell model boxes visible here. The other model kit hiding below the USS Forrestal carrier kit's box is a B-24 Liberator. There's the Piasecki H-16 helicopter kit and behind the boy there's a couple more models: an A3D Skywarrior model on top and a P2V-7 Neptune model below it. Images of all these boxes can be found here. Kermyalways got the coolest stuff for Christmas! The bookis Sand Dune Pony by Troy Nesbit. Lucky Kermy!Not only did Kermy (who appears to be a year or so older than I am) get some nifty gifts, I envied anyone who could put those models together nicely. God knows I tried, but my models looked thrown together. That's because they were; I wanted to do them in an hour. Some of my friends would have great model airplanes hanging on fishing line from their bedroom ceilings; that was so cool!!! I remember reading the Sand Dune Pony book, though I preferred the Hardy Boys or Tom Swift, Junior. Kermy's shirt is pretty stylin', too! That lucky old Kermy!!! My ForrestalCame 2 years and one week later, I think, on my 10th birthday. You Rang My BellIn the pile on the right I see Miss Frances and her bell on a box of something good from Ding Dong School, a popular TV program when I was a lad in the 1950s. I will readily admit I was bigger fan of Winky Dink and Buffalo Bob who was great fun with his buddy Howdy Doody. Sticking PointI built that B-24 model sometime in the '50s. Revell kits had great detail and lots of little parts. But the most difficult part was keeping the glue from fogging the clear plastic pieces. I was seldom successful at that. Painstakingy painting the pilot was a useless effort when the canopy became a blurry mess. Composite CarrierI too had an aircraft carrier kit; mine was the USS Bon Homme Richard. I kept it for many years and modified it often by adding various vehicles and armaments from other models. Miss Revlon!!!!I would have sold my then five-year-old soul for that platinum-pony-tailed Miss Revlon doll lying atop her box beside the red boots. Kool KermyWith his button down collar AND blue suede shoes Kermy must have been stylin' in '57! FIVE Models for Christmas! Jackpot!I remember building my very first Revell model kit, carefully, lovingly gluing ever tiny piece in place, patiently waiting for it to dry. Then it occurred to me: "Oh, you paint it first . . ." U.S.S. ForrestalI know that girls aren't supposed to be interested in model kits, but as a kid, I was. I bought the U.S.S. Forrestal kit and put it together. I've often wondered what my mother did with it when we moved? A Betsy McCall dollis lurking in the background on the right. Partially hidden by the tree and the basketball game is a rather substantial collection of magazines, newspapers, and phone book or two. Could this indicate an early effort at recycling in '57? [Not if it was like the typical accumulations that could be found at this time around our house 3000 miles to the west. Like ours, it appears to contain at least one mail-order catalog (Wards in our case). Quite possibly Kermy, like me, would eventually have to be torn away from his toys, kicking and screaming, to deal with it. -tterrace] ValuesThe value of mint, unopened model kits can be amazing. If I'd known, I would have bought two of each kit I ever built, but, sadly, only realized this fact 65 years too late. A company called Pocher made 1/8 scale, museum quality models of famous cars; their sealed, unopened kits are like finding gold and they were expensive new. A Model ChildI had that Forrestal and many others by Revell and AirFix. The few I took to decorate my first college apartment are all that remained, after, much to my dismay, my parents gave away the rest from my old room at home. If they weren't turning over in their graves from the recent earthquakes directly under the cemetery where they're buried, they certainly would be anyway--to know I've spent a good part of my inheritance from them paying $200 a whack to replace those models. Figured I'd put them together on snowy winter evenings of my second childhood (and it's snowing right now). What I hadn't figured on is old eyes. They're all still in their boxes. Nevertheless, they make me happy. Kodachrome, enough said!I love this image! Ok first off its a Kodachrome, enough said. But I love the tinsel on the tree. Yes real tinsel that you cannot get anymore. Secondly look at the those glass beads on the tree, we have strands of those on our dinning room tree which has all vintage glass figural ornaments of all different sizes, shapes and colors. Now for the toys! As a boy I would have loved for that ship. I can remember Christmas morning in the late 1970's opening my presents from Santa. I was so excited to find an X-Wing Fighter, Tie Fighter and so forth. I have been capturing our family memories on slide film for years and continue to do so to tis day. I will continue to do so until there is no slide film left on the planet and then I will quietly put my camera away. I attached a photo taken on Christmas Eve in 2006 of our boys. Every Christmas Eve the Elves make deliveries of treats to the neighbors. That B-24!First model I ever built was that same B-24, summer of 1955, when I was 8. I learned the hard way that you REALLY have to refer to the directions when you build those babies. It came out a total mess. I spent THOUSANDS of happy hours as a kid building models by Revell, Aurora, Lindbergh Line, etc., etc. Another thing kids of today seem to have missed out on. U.S.S. Forrestal in Cannes, FranceU.S.S. Forrestal (and Saratoga) were part of the Sixth Fleet. As a child I used to visit the French Rivièra, around Christmas and New Year during several years in the late fifties and early sixties of the former century. The visit of the Sixth Fleet used to be one of the highlights for me and my brother in those days. One of our favourite tours was "rounding" the aircraft carrier by pedalo! During Christmas and New Year there used to be a fair in Cannes, I joined many a ride with an American Navy Sailor in the autoscooter: they liked to share the ride with a young European boy, and we liked to get it for free from an American Sailor. You may have a look at: A few mementos of Forrestal times . . . (Boats & Bridges, Christmas, Kermy Kodachromes)
Southside Easter: 1941
... so I left it there. My husband bought it for me for Christmas that same year. I fell in love with "my boys" (as I call them) as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2022 - 8:16am -

        Happy Easter from Chicago, and from Shorpy. April 1941. "Negro boys on Easter morning, Southside Chicago." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. That is a great picWonderful ... the clothes, the car. Brilliant. [I agree. There is definitely something to be said for dressing up. - Dave] It's my favoriteIt's my favorite (Blue Thunder -Chicago) Have these boys ever been recognized?Does anyone know who these boys are and whatever happened to them? On my wallThis great picture is one of the most prominent on my wall right now! Love thisThis is definitely a classic picture. Love it :-) I love it tooOne year ago I was wisiting in Stockholm and I see this picture in Old Picture store in very big print and I was amazing! At last weekend I go to the same store again, just to see this photo again...I looked it very long time, thinking about these boys, the time...wau! It tells more than thousand words! Peik Salonen/Finland love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Got this picture for a steal framed (huge size, not sure of dimensions) for $30.00 in downtown Detroit at our farmer's market. I had walked by it monthes before and was sorry I didn't get it then. Now it is in my home...I call them "my boys". MasterpieceThe boy in the center is a rebel and a leader. His coat is unbuttoned, the small boys know how to behave. What a style. I have a copy of this picture in my wall. Hats?!?Great! You don't even see grown men these days with classic hats and these kids have snappy fedoras... love this shot. Southside Boys, Chicago 1941The boy in the center in Congressman Bobby Rush of Chicago. [I don't think so. Bobby Rush was born in 1946, five years after this photo was taken. - Dave] Chicago EasterI have this picture on my wall - and it tells a story of a million words, every time I look at this picture, I always have something different to say. It melts my heart, this picture is truly a classic, I love it ... my whole living room is focused around this pic. I wish I knew what happened to these boys. CarnationThe boy on the left, with the glasses: what is the wire that seems to be coming from his hat to his lapel, and what is that thing on his lapel? Hat PreserverI believe it was called a hat preserver. I've seen pictures of Edwardian gents wearing roughly the same thing. It's a lanyard to catch your hat if it's blown off, thus keeping it from getting filthy in the street. South Side BoysI fell in love with this picture as soon as I saw it. I have it on my wall centered with a black and white of Miles Davis on one side and John Coltrane on the other (both back in the day) I would love nothing more than to find out who these boys are. Everytime someone comes into my home that is the first thing I am asked. If anyone has information relating to the identity of these boys who are now MEN, please forward to thattallnsexy1@yahoo.com! Thanks! Southside EasterI saw this in a photo gallery this past weekend. It was with an article called "WVON Bronzeville Mystery Photo," referencing a contest by a radio station to identify the boys. I don't remember everything it said, but seems like it mentioned there is only one of them still alive. Buttoning customI noticed the two boys with the patterned suits (No. 2 & 4 from the left) have buttoned their jackets right to left. Did it simply matter less then as it should now but doesn't? [There is no choice when it comes to suit-buttoning. It depends on how the suit is made -- whether the buttons are on the left or the right. - Dave] Who are they?I loved this picture for years. My grandmother has hung this pic on her wall till her death and she used to always preach to her grandsons, make this pic an inspiration in your life and she used to tell her granddaughters to find men of this example. I just want to know who these men are and what are they doing. Love at first sightI actually saw this picture at the Magic City Classic in Birmingham, Alabama in 2007. One of the vendors had it, but it was overpriced so I left it there. My husband bought it for me for Christmas that same year. I fell in love with "my boys" (as I call them) as soon as I laid eyes on them. I would love to know their background. That lanyard thingIt's called a "wind trolley" -- keeps your hat from flying down the street if the wind knocks it off your head. Attaches to your lapel somehow. The other thing looks like a flower. Re. Buttoning customThe younger boy's button configuration is the same as women's buttoning, because young kids didn't dress themselves. They had help. Just like women of high status were dressed by a servant back in the day. Anyway, I love the hip style of the kids in this great photo. MasterpieceI have the picture on my wall too. Second is Ansel Adams moonrise in San Hernandez. Which one is better. Both are brilliant. Pekka Finland. Bronzeville Mystery PhotoGo here for video https://news.wttw.com/2015/11/25/ask-geoffrey-story-behind-iconic-1940s-... The times, they are a-changing.Today, those boys would be told to keep six feet apart. Of course, they wouldn't be so nattily attired, but still. Easter 1941 was kind of the last hurrah for a whole generation of kids; depending on when Easter fell that year, the US would be at war in 8 or 9 months. They were too young to have served, but they might have had older brothers who did. They more than likely served in Korea a decade later. Happy Easter, Shorpyites! I hope you had lots of chocolate, lots of ham, and most of all, I hope you remembered to keep them separate on the table. Grow-in' clothingFor most of those guys the loose jackets and the cuffs on the trousers make their Sunday's best look to be set up for growth. I would also bet that most of those trousers had some spare cloth in the rear seam. Let-out-as-you-grow style. I had those when I was that age, and I'm not that old. But then, my parents were kind of conservative, too. Can't do that with jeans, though. And, dress maketh the man. Button anomalyTake a look at the gent in the middle. On the right side of his jacket (his right), there seems to be both a button and a buttonhole. I can't see the other side, so I don't know if the buttoning is actually reversible. 1938 PontiacThose handsome young men are seated and standing on! Alfred P. Sloan's identification cues are in full swing, just like the music, with the chrome stripes identifying the Pontiac brand -- they would last through 1956 in one version or another. When there were two stripes, they were called suspenders. It's further indicated to be a six cylinder at the bottom of the grille. Cool guysFor straight-ahead, steely-eyed cool, the guy in the middle wins hands down (beautiful new brogues, too), but for pure styling, the lad on the left takes the cake. He’s the only one with a pocket handkerchief, too. Re: Button AnomalyDouble breasted jackets normally had a button on the inside (The young man's left) that buttoned into the buttonhole that you see, thus securing it in place. I can't tie a tie eitherMaybe it's the angle but it seems like the guy in the middle ties his ties like me -- the fat part shorter than the narrow part. Great photo. Previously on Shorpy…The location is 47th Street and Grand Boulevard (later renamed South Parkway and now Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard). We are looking south. On the left, with the folded awning, is the Savoy Ballroom. Saturday Night: 1941 The Coasters: 1941 If we could pan farther left, we would see the Regal Theater directly across from the boys. Showtime in Chicago: 1941 Philadelphia Story: 1941 (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Easter, Kids, Russell Lee)
Kodachrome Living Room: 1955
... actual date on the slide mount, but we can tell it's near Christmas by my sister's home-made angel ornament hanging in the niche as well ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 4:11pm -

December 17, 1955. Tony W.'s baby shower photo, with the fireplace and shelves full of photos, books and bric-a-brac, was so exceedingly redolent of 1950s living rooms in general, and ours in particular, that I couldn't stand it, so I dug this one out, showing our fireplace and shelves full of our photos, books and bric-a-brac. That's my sister, with her future husband on the right, and my godmother's son on the left. That's him in Army uniform in the photo on the shelf above. My brother, bless him, wrote the actual date on the slide mount, but we can tell it's near Christmas by my sister's home-made angel ornament hanging in the niche as well as the box of tree ornaments in the lower right foreground. Another point of interest is the candle burning at the extreme left. It's functional, not ornamental; this was taken during a power outage occasioned by the record Northern California December 1955 storms. Also on the table next to the candle is my sister's Kodak Duaflex camera with flash attachment. View full size. Larkspur, huh?Very nice. I live in Santa Rosa and recognize a lot of the geography in your posts. Happy AnniversaryI'm glad to see a tterrace post today. I've enjoyed all your photos for the past year! Looking forward to year two! Tempus fugitTo think that these three are all in their seventies now ... Whoosh. Blink and you're old! Great KnickknacksOn the bookcase shelf to the right is a wonderful 1920's solid blue marbled McCoy "Onyx" line vase. Left bookcase has what looks to be an early 1900's German papier mache Easter rabbit. This decor hung around into the late 1960's in my neck of the woods. Tempus Fugit, indeedIt is an amazing trick of nature -- everyone around you gets older, but you don't "feel" older except when mirrors are involved. That's a great picture just because of the reality of the setting; the imperfections are its strong points. Ahead of the curveWas your sister's hairstyle popular in the mid-50s? It looks like more of a mid/late-60s cut to me. Very cute and modern. Thank you also for all of your contributions here. It's really nice of you to share all these great photos with us and I know everyone here appreciates it even if they don't get the time to comment. SisWas quite the gamine. Carolyn Jones! Pixie pixThe short hairstyle seen in this photo was called a pixie cut. It was indeed common and popular in the 1950's. Okay, I'll bite.Why was the fireplace full of photos? Beautiful Message...about growing old. Well dagnabbit, I forgot what it was. My favorite thing about this pictureMr. Left is wearing pink argyle socks, and totally owning it. Some things, like men in Oxford shirts with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, never go out of fashion. And thank goodness for it. I love the decorative detritus over Argyle's shoulder: sea shells and a bunny statue. Why not? Middle Middle to Upper MiddleI kind of wonder if any of the people in these Northern California homes would have ever had a clue that someday their smallish middle class houses would eventually become extremely expensive and basically unaffordable to most everyone except those in the upper middle class. A la AudreyI think it was Audrey Hepburn who popularized the "pixie cut" when she had her long tresses shorn in "Roman Holiday," just a year or two before this photo was taken. I think it was (and is) illegal to refer to either Audrey or the hairstyle without using the adjective "gamine." Details, detailsFirst of all I want to congratulate Mal Fuller on making exactly the same kind of comment I would have under the circumstances. Sister's previous hairdos can be seen in two photos on the top shelf to the right. As often as I've studied this photo, I never noticed Alfred's argyle socks before. By a strange twist of fate, late last year I bought a pair exactly like those, giving into a long hankering to revisit my own clothing styles of a half-century previous. The rabbit is indeed papier maché, and is towing a cart in which has been placed a more recent vintage sugar Easter egg, one of those with hole in the end to view a little scene inside. My folks bought the house in 1941 for $3000; my mother sold it in 1987 for $189,000, and it sold again a couple years ago for $1.5 million. Below, the 2-1/4 square Anscochrome transparency my sister took of this scene with her Duaflex, showing my brother fiddling with his Lordox camera, possibly preparing to fire off the Kodachrome. Thank youThanks again, tterrace. Even a Mississippi "girl" can relate to photos of the era. I wore white at my Confirmation and we used to gather in the living room just like your family when the lights go out. Kathy Please tell me how to zoomPlease tell me how to zoom in on all the details of the in photo of interest on this site. I know there must be a way ... the comments tell me I am missing much. Thank You. [Clicking any of the the "View full size" links under the photo should do it. There's at least one "View full size" link in each post; usually there are two. Three if it's offered as a print. - Dave] What town is this?Where is Northern California is this house? [As practically everyone knows, Larkspur. Idyllic Larkspur. - Dave] Not clever title. Amazingly well lit.How was this scene lit if the power was off? No shadows. Certainly not the candle. After looking again, maybe a bright, on-camera flash that not many would have had in 1955. And looking even more closely at the full-sized photo I can see shadow from flash above and to the left of the lens. Surprising still that the foreground is not blown out, but I'm not a flash photographer. Was that the same storm that caused flooding? I remember that in both 1955 and 1957, serious flooding hit. In the 1957 storm several houses slid in our town. Cut and fill up hillsides. [You can see my brother's camera and flash attachment here. The papers in the immediate lower-right foreground are mostly blown out but I toned them down in Photoshop. And this was the winter 1955-6 storm that flooded our Russian River summer house in Guernewood. -tterrace] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Christmas Eve 1954
... Window . But, since it's the only one of me hanging my Christmas stocking (or of anybody in our family hanging one), I'm stuck ... is from me, by the way. Below, tterrace the day after Christmas. Ditto on Ominous' comments. I've been addicted for ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:04pm -

December 24, 1954. The only explanation I can come up with for my disturbing expression is that this was the same year my brother took me to see Rear Window. But, since it's the only one of me hanging my Christmas stocking (or of anybody in our family hanging one), I'm stuck with it. And my brother jiggled the camera. Funny thing is, there's already stuff in the stocking (probably with a tangerine down in the toe, like always). I'm 8 and well past the Santa Claus pretense, so I'm probably just helping with the decor. Anyway, what I'm mainly interested in is all the really good stuff that'll be there the next morning. My favorite thing here is all the junk (undoubtedly mine) exploding out of the shelf behind the TV. Many thanks to everybody who's said nice things about my photos, and gigantic thanks to Dave not only for Shorpy itself, but for his ever-expert editorial emendations. I've had a ball here. View full size. Ominous"I've had a ball here." ... Oh, I hope the use of the past tense doesn't mean anything ominous. I certainly look forward to more of your pictures. Thanks, tterrace, and Dave. Thanks to you guys, Shorpy is usually the highlight of my day. Eman ... Emen ... Wha?You are very welcome! A big shout-out to tt, Stanton Square, Joe Manning and all the other contributors who have helped make Shorpy what it is today -- the 12,078th most popular website on the planet! (Earth, 34-50 demographic, Quantcast metrics 4Q 2008, terms and conditions apply.) That box of Chiclets is from me, by the way. Below, tterrace the day after Christmas. Dittoon Ominous' comments. I've been addicted for only 6 months or so now, but I'm at the point of checking Shorpy 5 or 6 times a day for new photos or comments. I'm north of your 35-50 demographic, but being retired gives me more time to evangelize my friends about the great stuff to be found here. StockingThat looks like one of those bought stockings that are made of that red netting. We used to get those. There were no other stockings. Christmas Evetterrace thank you for your posts, Dave you are the best!! Merry Christmas to Shorpy and all of the "Shorpies" on this great site. THANKS DAVE AND TTERRANCEThe tangerine was always is in the sock; one year and one year only, it was CHOCOLATE. That's a mighty nice handmade sweater vest, Tterrance. Maybe this photo was made to commemorate it. Computer monitor?What is that on the shelf just beyond your shoulder? Impossible as I know it is, it sure looks like the sort of computer monitors popular before flat screens became affordable. The stockings were hung with careI can't believe I just found Shorpy (where have I been?) and am looking forward to further exploring it and sharing some of my old photos. Dave,I love this site! tterrace - I was born 18 days before this picture was taken. Thanks and happy holidays! Julie 1954 output devicesWell, Retread, depending on which shelf you're talking about, the thing you said looks like a computer monitor could be one of two formerly-popular information display devices: on the top shelf, mounted photos; on the lower shelf, books (in this case, a set of The Book of Knowledge from the teens or twenties). Sorry my use of the past tense caused consternation; I have no plans to jump the good ship Shorpy. Errymay Ristmaskay! Another opportunity for giving thanksThank you so much for sharing these little glimpses, tterrace. You enhance Shorpy by making it personal. Thanks to Dave, again, for all your wonderful work. I've been a member for a little over a year now and though I wouldn't want to count the hours spent here, I'm certain my boss might. Shhhh... I'm also hoping for at least one more year of making comments that you don't make fun of. Thanks to Stanton_Square and Joe Manning for your stellar research. I've learned so much, I can't ever call this wasted time. Merry Christmas everyone! Shorpy TalesMight solve a mystery, or rewrite history! I hope we get to dive deeper into your family album and others of us find those hidden Kodachome moments that we all can relate too. Bring on the state fair! Bring on the state line! To continental divide, to the oceanside! Post them! Post them! Post them all! Tterrace, don't leave us!I'm a bit concerned by "I've had a ball here". Please tell me that we'll have many, many more photos from you. I love these peeks into your past. Merry Christmasand Happy New Year to all. And thanks to Dave for a great site! A Visit from the Christmas JigglerDidn't your brother jiggle the camera in one of the other Christmas pictures, too? I think these lovely old Yuletide pictures have been the best Christmas present ever. I lost my Grandma two years ago, and most of the old holiday customs - including a chance to look at pictures of Christmases past - have gone with her. Hanging out at Shorpy has brought a little of that back into my life. That's such a good-natured-looking kid, I want to go back in time and put some extra oranges in his stocking. If I ever did believe in Santa, it was over well before my fourth Christmas, which is the first one I remember. And still, stockings were the biggest part of the fun. When Sis and I got old enough to buy presents, we just naturally started putting some in each other's - and Mom and Dad's - stockings, just as the parents had always done. I'm firmly entrenched in Shorpy's age demographic (albeit in the lower end), and Mom, Sis, and I still fill stockings for each other. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, tterrapix)
Southdale Center: 1956
... Cafe, and oh so many shops! I shopped there for all my Christmas gifts, and worked there in my teen years. We didn't hang out there ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2019 - 3:36pm -

1956. Edina, Minnesota. "Interior Garden Court with stairway to upper level in Southdale Regional Shopping Center, the first enclosed shopping mall." Color transparency by Grey Villet, Life magazine photo archive. View full size. RockwellianSomething about this photo is almost like a Norman Rockwell painting. The soft colors and muted details help, but what I notice are the little vignettes scattered about the mall — the dignified older man in the gray suit, the woman looking at a book with her son, the lady rummaging through her shopping buggy. The presence of a Woolworth's is just the sort of touch I would expect from Rockwell had he painted this scene. This photo is an excellent find! The disposable mallAfter having worked on several shopping malls, and knowing how much work goes into the construction of them, I am amazed how fast they are considered obsolete! This one would fail by today's standards, even though it was truly a work of art. Not Obsolete yet!This one is still open. ChangesThere's a lot less brown paneling now, and the escalators have been turned so they both face toward the camera. My highschool hangoutMostly because a friend of mine worked at the Babbages that was there for a while, and because it was a pretty short drive from home. Of course, it looked nothing like this then (highschool was late 80's to early 90's), but you can still make out the similarities. I can't quite get my bearings in this picture - where's the Apple Store? It looks like to the right might be the hallway down to where JC Penney is (is it still there? I don't frequent Southdale too much anymore). If I remember right, that would make this picture looking toward the Apple Store (which was a B. Dalton before that). At least the ceiling is the same (what parts they haven't expanded/remodeled, that is). Fading MallsFrom the 1950's through the early 2000's, didn't shopping malls have a great run? They're all subtly turning into ghost malls. There's another one near the Twin Cities called Har Mar (yes, like Har Mar Superstar) that's practically a marble desert with a dwindling Barnes & Noble being its biggest draw. There's also another popular local: The Mall of America. The Death Star. The Sprawl of America. The Mall of Gomorrah. Because what the hell else is there to do in Minnesota? Especially when it's colder than a witch's tit outside? [Some malls. Even many malls. But not all malls. - Dave] Victor Gruen and "indoor town centers"Southdale was designed by Victor Gruen, often considered the "father of the shopping mall." It's interesting that this picture depicts what Gruen wanted malls to be -- an indoor town center where people would be comfortable just hanging out as they would in a downtown park -- even if they weren't buying anything -- but nowadays I can't imagine anyone other than teenagers actually spending time just "hanging out" in a mall. James? James Lileks?Mr. Lileks, have you taken over Shorpy, you naughty blogger? First thing I thought of when I saw the (awesome) picture, and then I saw it was in Minnesota, his stomping grounds. The Terrazzo JungleGreat piece in The New Yorker a few years back about Victor Gruen and his how his vision for malls was undone by a change in tax regulations regarding depreciation of capital assets. Great, if somewhat depressing, reading. "Victor Gruen invented the shopping mall in order to make America more like Vienna. He ended up making Vienna more like America." Plus ça change...I think these slice-of-life pictures are my favorites. And, it's amazing how little malls have changed over 50 years. Such fond memories of eating at the Woolworth's lunch counter in the 1970s and '80s. Still bustlingSouthdale Center is, incredibly, still quite bustling. It's the more sane alternative to the nearby Mall of America. It has upscale shops but is still approachable, is small enough to navigate but has many of the options most people want. I hope this little gem doesn't go anywhere! P.S. - Minnesota in the cold months is ALSO bustling! Don't discount the ice skating, nearby skiing and snowboarding, local arts and theater, and the hardiness of its residents, who are always willing to put on a thick pair of mittens and go out and live life to its fullest (and coldest)! Takes me backI was born in 1964 and spent my early childhood going to this mall with my mother. She used to push me around in a stroller. The tall cage on the left was filled with canaries and parakeets. I was mesmerized by this. We would always stop at Fanny Farmer (just past Woolworth's) to get a treat of jelly fruit slices and continue around the corner on the left side to the pet store near the exit. There was a magnificent parrot that lived in a cage right out front of the store that I used to talk to. I think he might have known more words than me at the time! There was an FTD florist near the same spot, and I loved the fragrance of the fresh flowers that wafted into that part of the mall. It smelled like springtime, even in the middle of a dreary and cold Minnesota winter day. Dayton's and Donaldson's were the anchor stores; one on each end. I believe Donaldson's would have been directly behind the camera and Dayton's would have been straight ahead, on the far end (or vice versa). The shimmery gold floor-to-ceiling mobile type structures on the right, past the escalators, fascinated me too. They were so glamorous and HUGE! The lighting hadn't been changed yet, this is exactly what it looked like in the late '60's, although, later on when I returned there in my teens, there had been many changes and additions and a lot of these features had been removed. Going to this mall for a small child in Edina was possibly the equivalent of going to Disneyland for a child growing up in L.A. Thank you, Shorpy, for this special memory! Woolworth'sI bet there is a great diner inside that Woolworth's with lots of tasty things like meat loaf, stuffed bell peppers, and root beer floats. Yum. The Apple StoreThe Apple store would be behind and to the left of the camera. The upper level bridge is still there, so crossing from the left and continuing to the right would take you to Penney's. MemoriesThis really brings back memories. I was 10 years old when Southdale opened. I actually took part in some of the opening ceremonies. A friend and I hitch-hiked out to the mall and in the parking lot somehow we got picked to participate in a contest. Four of us kids were picked to catch passes from two pro quarterbacks. My friend and I caught passes from Otto Graham and the other kids caught passes from Tobin Rote. Whichever team caught the most passes would be treated to malted milks paid for by the winning quarterback. My team won but all four of us were treated to malts. Otto and Tobin us into Southdale and we all crammed into a booth and listened to them talk shop about the upcoming season. Quite a memory. I still live in the area and often thought I should contact Southdale to see if they might have any pictures of the event. Classy Early MallsIndoor malls were first developed in colder climates for obvious practical reasons. Over the years, mall design shifted from a focus on shopper experience and comfort (coat check rooms, lockers, sufficient restrooms ... even items of local historical interest) to maximizing the revenue of businesses (row after row of mini-vendor carts along what had heretofore been pedestrian walkways). On balance, I'll take the early generation mall ... or better yet, the restored downtown shopping district. [The synthesized version of "restored downtown shopping district" is the current hot concept in retailing -- the faux-urban "lifestyle center." A shopping mall turned inside out. - Dave] CorrectionThis is not the first enclosed mall. The first was (and still is) in Milwaukee. Built just after the Civil War. It is on Wisconsin Ave. I haven't more information at my fingertips. I am no historian, but was amazed to find this here. It is very attractive, too. [Covered markets and shopping arcades go back hundreds if not thousands of years. Southdale was the first enclosed, climate-controlled shopping center of the modern era. In other words, the first shopping mall. - Dave] More coverage of this pictureKottke has a piece on this, including another link to a relevant Economist article. I was struck by this picture when it came through the RSS feed the other day. Lovely to read these comments and articles on it too. Growing up in the UK in Cambridge, shopping malls were something of an oddity. I think the nearest real one was in Peterborough, at least 40 minutes race north. Cambridge now has two, I think (more's the pity because beautiful subsidised Georgian and Victorian housing was destroyed to build them, and Cambridge doesn't handle large numbers of people driving into town anyway). Both are relatively modern compared with this one so I never even considered shopping in a place like this. I wonder what the original mallrats would have looked like. I grew up with this mallI was five when Southdale opened. It didn't have a JC Penney at that time. It did have a little play area in the basement with a maze for kids. The basement also had a shoe repair place that is still there, though it is now on the second floor. Southdale also had Gager's Hobby and Handicraft store (on the opposite side of the open area from Woolworth's) where I could get chemicals for my chemistry set. I have no idea what kids do for chemistry sets these days. Do they even sell them? There was also our favorite, the Toy Fair, that sold nothing but toys. It was to the right of where the camera was. They also had a grocery store called Red Owl. It would have been off to the left of the camera and down a hall. The grocery store didn't last too long, probably because people who just wanted groceries didn't really want the hassles of a big mall. Thanks for sharing this photo. I had told my wife about the bird cage there, and now she has finally gotten to see it. Surely not!This photo doesn't look dated at ALL. You know the saying, "Everything old is new again"? Well, decorating trends are very similar to what's being shown here. Shopping MallsIt depends on how tight the specialty is to consider this the "first shopping mall" in the US. If you are looking at the subset of first enclosed, suburban, multi-level, postwar shopping mall, then yeah, it is the first. But if you want the first enclosed shopping mall then no. Northgate Mall was built quite a few years earlier as were a few others: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northgate_Mall_(Seattle) [A mall, in the original sense of the word, is something like a fairway or greenspace. The pedestrian walkway or mall running down the middle of Northgate Shopping Center between two rows of stores was mostly open to the sky, so this was not a "shopping mall" as we know it today. - Dave] Another photo of the mallhttp://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/11788654.jpg You Are HereI was 6 or so when Southdale opened. Back then the Dayton's department store had a sporting-goods department. My mom got shot in the back of the head with a BB gun by a clerk demonstrating the gun! When we would go shopping and bring my grandma along, she would sit by the birdcage and chain-smoke unfiltered Camels while we shopped. She loved to people-watch. Yup, great memories! Woolworth's was my favorite store when I was little! Two floors of "neat junk." Skipping School in the late 70'sOh yes, it looked very similar to the version in this picture in 1979-80. I was part of the "burnout" crowd in high school. I skipped class constantly in my 10th grade year and spent the rest of high school in summer school so I could graduate. We would take a bus to Southdale and I'd cash my hard earned McDonald's paycheck at a bank somewhere near the York steakhouse, which was the big hangout at the time. We sit in a booth in the back near the doors, smoking all afternoon. There was an arcade in the basement near the post office area and across from the County Seat. There was also a Musicland down there. Once and a while we'd eat at the Dayton's restaurant upstairs or the Woolworth lunch counter. I also recall from earlier trips in the 70's with Mom and my sister a restaurant/Deli called The Brothers and Red Owl as well as a Snyder's, where I went to a big going out of business sale around 1975. Another favorite (maybe this is still there?) was Spencer Gifts. The Southdale Theater (where I saw "Purple Rain") was across the street with the great bowling alley next door. Those were also major high school hangouts. Great memories. I can't go there anymore without nostalgia for the birdcages and goldfish pond, and that wonderful art deco style. Come on down!I was 13 years old when Southdale opened. I saw Bob Barker host a TV game show there. I got his autograph on the steps leading down to the basement where the zoo and shoe repair shop was. This TV show was very exciting to me -- it made an impression. I became a New York-LA TV director. My friends and I also put firecrackers in the planters hanging down from the send [?] floor. Oh My GoodnessFirst job? Busing tables at The Brothers. There was an open-air restaurant in the courtyard; Dayton's had the "fancy" restaurant. In the basement there was a shoe repair place and then a games arcade. Man, I loved growing up at Southdale. Mall ZooI heard there once was a zoo in the basement of the mall. Does anyone know about this? Milwaukee "Mall"It appears you are referring to what today is known as the Grand Avenue Mall, sadly in decline since its rebirth in the early-1980s. I shuttled various documents to and from the construction site on a regular basis at that time. But prior to its conversion, the oldest of the buildings comprising the GA Mall was known as the Plankinton Arcade. Yes, there are references that mention it being considered a "shopping center", its construction being 1915. As to it being enclosed, yes; as to it being climate-controlled, maybe if the windows were opened in the Beer City's humid summer to catch a delightful lake breeze and hope the winds didn't shift to the stockyards in the Valley. In Milwaukee the first shopping mall, albeit outdoor, was Southgate, located off the corner of South 27th Street (US Highway 41) and Morgan Avenue, and opened in 1951. At about the time in the early-1970s Northridge (now demolished) and Southridge were constructed Southgate was converted to an enclosed mall, but is now long gone, recently the site of another superlative, that of the first Super Wal-Mart in Milwaukee County. This metro area's first enclosed shopping mall as I recall was Brookfield Square in 1968, still in existence today and from all appearances doing well. Parakeets, new shoes and cheeseburgers in paradiseIn my family, Southdale circa 1960 was much more than a mall. My mother called it "The Cities," because it was as far as she was willing to drive on those "crazy" city highways. 35W was out of the question, but 494 to France Ave exit was tolerable (unless we hit RUSH HOUR). We lived on a farm, about an hour away, and before Southdale, the only outings were to school, church and occasional food shopping at the Red Owl, the Meat Market and the Variety Store with the cranky storekeeper who always thought we were stealing stuff. But Southdale, Wow! I was 5 years old, the youngest of four children, and twice a year, we would make the great journey to "Emerald City." Dayton's was Mom's favorite store, and for a farm wife, my mother had impeccable taste. Donaldson's came in second, and then Jack & Jill -- a small boutique with pricey, well-tailored children's clothing. Lunch was always at Woolworths, and our order was always the same. "HamburgerFrenchfriesMalt" (spoken so fast and with such excitement it sounded like ONE word); I remember the clattering of plates, the whir of the blender, the bar stools at the counter. Waiting for the food, we could check out the parakeets & goldfish. My oldest sister convinced my mother to purchase a parakeet, cage, & and all the accoutrements. We had that bird for years, and when he died we headed back for a second. This time, the bird died in his little paper travel carton before we even got home -- and since we only went to "The Cities" twice a year, my mother decided to freeze it along with the receipt until our next trip six months later. How strange to present a frozen parakeet back to the store for a refund. While the clerk was surprised to see the frozen parakeet, she did offer us another bird in exchange. A few years later, Southdale became a whole new adventure when my best friend's aunt drove just the two of us, and I bought my first long-playing album at Musicland, Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence." After that, my friend convinced me we should be drinking coffee and gossiping, or at least pretending to gossip, since none of our friends were old enough to be scandalous. Then we smoked Chesterfield Kings in random Southdale "Ladies" rooms and we both felt like we were going to throw up. Southdale! Never stopped to think about it, but Southdale was, and will always be, among my fondest childhood memories. "The Cities." Southdale MemoriesBoy this pic brings back memories. My family moved to Mpls in 1956 when I was about 3, so my earliest memories date from about 1960 or so. I later worked as a dishwasher and soda jerk at the Walgreen's on the upper level facing 66th street. They had a soda grill, as did most drug stores of that era, and the Woolworth's had a cafe as well. My first exposure to Chinese food was at the tiny little Half Moon restaurant, although I think initially I would order hamburgers, which were on the menu for fussy American kids. Behind the escalators in the picture was an "outdoor" restaurant. There was a Fanny Farmer on the second floor to the left. Southdale was THE place to hang out when you were a kid or teenager, especially the arcade in the basement. Southdale in the 1950sI grew up just a few blocks from Southdale. I was about 3 years old when it was built. My mom and I would walk there about once a week. Dayton's and Woolworth's were fabulous! The fish pond was fun, but seemed to sport dead fish frequently (wondered if they weren't poisoned from the coins being dropped in there). Christmastime was unbelievable! The tallest trees, the biggest bulbs, and Santa ... oh, Santa!! The line to see him, and the crowds were amazing! There was the Courtside Cafe, and oh so many shops! I shopped there for all my Christmas gifts, and worked there in my teen years. We didn't hang out there too much as to the crowds. We hung out more at Bridgeman's ice Cream Shop and Nelson's FireSide Pizza both in Richfield. They used to host fireworks in the parking lot for the Fourth of July. They didn't have too many, but, still it was fascinating. Many kids learned how to drive in the east parking lot. With all the curlicue and ribbon styled roadways within the parking lot, it was an exciting way to practice steering those big '56 Chevys! The parking lot markers of foxes, bears and lions were interesting, too. I would love to see a picture of Christmastime at Southdale from the 1950s. Thanks for all your posts -- they've been fun to read! Back when ...In those days people still used to dress up, at least to a reasonable degree, to go out to a public place like this. Compare to today's Walmarts, for instance. We have become a nation of slobs. Another early mallThose of us who grew up in the Boston area were told that Shopper's World in Framingham was "the first mall." It was not, however, enclosed. And I suspect that dozens of other places made the same claim. I had a very pleasant date there in the 1970s. I just discovered that it was demolished in 1994. Sic transit gloria mundi. The World of TomorrowForecast by the 1939 New York World's Fair. Attention, ShoppersThe first structure in the United States that might legitimately be called a shopping mall is probably the Westminster Arcade in Providence, RI, opened in 1828 and still extant, albeit recently converted into residential "micro-lofts." It's a marvelous building, all the more wonderful for still being around. [The shopping arcades of the 19th century, being arcades, are just what that term implies -- covered passageways, and not malls, a term that originally meant an open-air promenade. The suburban shopping plazas of the early 1950s -- rows of stores facing each other across landscaped malls -- were the immediate forebears of the enclosed, roofed shopping mall. - Dave] Southdale Shopping Center: Calling for IntervieweesMy name is Zinnia Ramirez and I am a student at the University of California, Irvine. I am a third year journalism major and as one of my big projects we are tasked with writing a narrative reconstruction (recounting the events in a narrative storytelling style to paint an image of what happened in a particular instance in history) about an event in history (big or small), I decided as I was looking through the web that I wanted to reconstruct the Southdale 1956 Richfield Edina Shopping Mall in opening day. One of the larger elements is, to have narrative voices from people who experienced the allure of Southdale, possible describe a day there, the atmosphere, stores, etc. So if anyone remembers what opening day was like, I would love to talk! Thank you for your time. Zinnia (LIFE, Stores & Markets)
Christmas Break: 1958
... you were able to get this good a photo from it. Christmas time was similar to yours. My grandmother and great-aunt would visit ... my father named one of the rooms in our house Milton. Christmas Past, Christmas Present I collect vintage Christmas ornaments. I ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/08/2011 - 6:07pm -

December 1958. My godmother and her family pay us a Christmastime visit and we all pose for this interesting shot. At upper right, my mother, father and brother stand beyond the range of focus behind my godmother; tterrace version 12.4 sits in front of her, and on the left her family: Alfred and his wife, and Milton, who has thoughtfully broken his leg, thereby adding a certain piquancy normally absent from scenes like this. On his cast, under "What are you looking at" is a Christmassy version of the classic Kilroy graffito. My brother set this shot up, using the relatively new ASA 100 Super Anscochrome film and a 500-watt daylight photoflood bulb. Unfortunately a serious miscalculation resulted in a grossly overexposed slide, and I sweated bullets to get this much image and color from it. View full size. Always awesome!Thanks for sharing T. Great PicMilton's ring is amazing. What makes tterrace's photos especially wonderful are his heartfelt explanations. This one is exceptional, as is the photo content! Gigabytes of human memoryIt is remarkable to me how can you remember all the minute details of the specific brand film & lighting used in a photo taken over 50 years ago. You amaze me, tterace Move over Elvistterrace version 12.4 = "babe-magnet." Is the Xmas tree real?It looks like a slightly healthier version of the tree Charlie Brown cut down a few years later. But the trunk looks too skinny and uniform for a real tree. Looks as if everyone had a nice Xmas. Best tterrace picture EVER! I love them all, of course, but this is my favorite by far. I love everything about it - the subject matter, the tree, the broken leg, tterrace, the curtains, the slightly grainy quality. The colors are great as well - the pops of red on Mom, Dad, tterrace and Alfred's wife are fantastic. And the expression on the Godmother's face is priceless, without having that "smile for the camera" look. It's all just too good to be true! Best. Photo. Ever. Godmotherlooks like she probably brought good cookies and her accordion to the party. I hope so! Open WideThe extremely shallow depth of field exhibited here, along with your comment about how overexposed the original slide is, points towards the photographer accidentally leaving the aperture wide open, probably due to the fact older cameras had to be manually opened to the wide open position to facilitate focusing, and then resetting the aperture to the proper F-stop to properly expose the film. Nice work on the adjustments on this image, it's always hard to put detail into blown-out highlights. Anscochrome 100 I found using any Ansco film products were at best, minimal quality. Most of their film did give over exposure prints and slides. I'm surprised you were able to get this good a photo from it. Christmas time was similar to yours. My grandmother and great-aunt would visit us. Very nice group photo. Thanks for sharing with us. Great job!I think that, under the circumstances, you did very well to get this much color. I can practically smell the eggnogSo glad you sweated the bullets, this pic is beautiful. I have tons of similar of my family in mid to late 60s. These colors are so wonderful. Would love to see more of yours. [You can see more of tterrace's photos here. - Dave] The name gameNot really related: I've never met a person named Milton, but my father named one of the rooms in our house Milton. Christmas Past, Christmas PresentI collect vintage Christmas ornaments. I swear that I have some of those similar to yours on my tree at present, especially the light blue one at the top left. Awesome. Gigabytes of paper & pencilMany photographers like TTerrace write down notes on exposures, etc. at the time the image is shot. Slides and negatives pretty much uniformly note the type of film. It's a vanishing world. And go easy on 12.4, unless you are willing to share your own 7th-grade mug. LOVE showsI love the way your dad has his arm around your mom's waist & I'm willing to bet she is hugging him, too! Beautiful, loving photo, THANK YOU (ShorpyBlog, Christmas, tterrapix)
Christmas Tree Market: 1903
New York circa 1903. "A Christmas tree market, Barclay Street Station." With wagons for the Mammoth ... that ceilings were much higher back in the day. Christmas Tree Hunts at the Star Nursery Growing up in Detroit, Michigan in the 1950's always meant going to the Star Nursery for our Christmas tree. The nursery had a big green five pointed star with the name ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/02/2011 - 5:30am -

New York circa 1903. "A Christmas tree market, Barclay Street Station." With wagons for the Mammoth Furniture House and Herman Kornahren's Wooden Ware. Previously seen here. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Barclay Street StationGoogling around for "Barclay Street Station," I encountered Berenice Abbott, who made a picture of the railway side of Barclay Street Station. Shorpy lovers might be interested in the Gallery of her pictures. Pier 17Here we are again at Pier 17, now home to a major tourist destination, The South Street Seaport. The area once home to the Fulton Fish Market and now TGIF'd by nascent Financial District Bankers and Brokers just partying away. Way up there.Photographic evidence that ceilings were much higher back in the day. Christmas Tree Hunts at the Star NurseryGrowing up in Detroit, Michigan in the 1950's always meant going to the Star Nursery for our Christmas tree. The nursery had a big green five pointed star with the name STAR outlined in lights as its sign. The outdoor garden area was packed with a maze of pines. Strings of overhead lights added to the excitement of prowling the shadowy isles with my younger sister as my parents hunted for the perfect tree. It being Michigan, there was usually snow on the ground which added to the experience. During the rest of year driving by the nursery always brought thoughts of past Christmas tree hunts or the next one coming up. Any tree you want, 25 cents!Seven-footers? No problem. How many? Put one in every room. One stop shoppingFurniture for our mammoth and a tree that fits our 16 foot ceilings, Merry Christmas. Those are some tall Christmas treesNot much has changed in 108 years - except for the horse-drawn delivery vehicles. Bet the trees cost less back then. That is a worried looking pile of treesI don't see one that I would be interested in! East Side, West SideSorry Mr Mel, but I think the photo is of Pier 17 on the Hudson River, not East River. The nice painting you posted is Pier 17 on the East River. The photo is of a NY Central & Hudson RR terminal. Besides, I don't think Barclay Street ever ran to the East River. It did run to the Hudson River, pre-landfill. Pier 17 on the Hudson RiverThe picture is of Pier 17 on the Hudson River, not on the East River where the South Street Seaport now resides. The historical photo is taken from West Street at the foot of Barclay Street, which at that time was on the waterfront. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (among others) had a passenger ferry terminal here as well which lasted until 1967, and was demolished shortly thereafter to make way for the World Trade Center complex. During that construction, fill was added to the river side of West Street, creating new land which would eventually become Battery Park City and the World Financial Center. A new Goldman Sachs glass-and-steel office building now sits where the ferry terminal once resided. (The Gallery, Christmas, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
Nawlins: 1903
... this vantage point. Streetcars and Saints I spent Christmas in New Orleans with the girlfriend, and was surprised to find out ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:32pm -

Circa 1903. The caption for this glass negative has been misplaced -- who will be the first person to identify this city and its famous thoroughfare? UPDATE: And the answer is, as most guessers correctly guessed, Canal Street in New Orleans! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Who Dat!Very apt posting a pic of old New Orleans here. If my Steelers can't win the Super Bowl this year, then Go Saints! Would it beNew Orleans? I think it is! Anytown, USAis New Orleans. Krower ClueLeonard Krower had a shop at 536-538 Canal Street in New Orleans. NewOrleans. Might it beCanal Street in New Orleans? Found this through google: http://www.neworleanspast.com/ads/id49.html Canal StreetCanal Street, in New Orleans. Personally, I've never been there, but searching for "Leonard Krower" shows he was a prominent jeweler in the city. New Orleans?http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/orleans/bios/p-000002.txt Never been there, don't know if it looks like it or not. Semi-wild guessMain Street in Charlottesville, Virginia. New OrleansS.E. Worms was a retailer and appears in a few court proceedings and in "History of the Jews of Louisiana." By the breadth of the street, I would guess it's Canal. I haven't found an address of Mr Worms' establishment. I do hope he renamed it at some point. "Hey, you like my Worm suit?" doesn't sound all that great. My GuessCanal Street, New Orleans. http://www.neworleanspast.com/ads/id49.html Yes, Canal St in N.O.http://www.hnoc.org/collections/gerpath/gersect5.html "Dalsheimer & Worms Notions & Gents. Furnishing Goods New York/New Orleans (Canal St.). Business form with elaborate letterhead. Acc. No. 1983.3.1." Looks Like...Canal Street, New Orleans Canal Street, New OrleansIt looks like thats Leonard Krower @ 536 Canal Street in New Orleans, LA (ad for them here: http://www.neworleanspast.com/ads/id49.html) Is this New Orleans?Canal Street. New Orleans?Leonard Krower Jewelers building was my clue. Anytown, USA, foundThis looks like New Orleans, LA., at least according to Google. S. E. Worms and Leonard Krower companies were both there in this time frame. New Orleans, LaWhat did I win? New OrleansCanal Street, New Orleans New Orleans!Looks like New Orleans, here's a pic http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt4b69p81d/?order=2&brand=calisphere Where is This?Canal Street, New Orleans Canal St. NOLALooks like Canal Street. A load of cotton seems to be in the middle of the pic. It could be ...Canal Street in New Orleans New OrleansNotions on 76 & 78 Canal Street. 19 streetcars!On Canal Street, New Orleans. Future Saints fansIt looked like a Southern city even before I saw the cotton bales. Most likely Canal Street in New Orleans. NOLA, maybe Krower Wholesale Jewelers (@ left) and the Bucklin Advertising Concern (obscured sign @ right) both appear to have been New Orleans firms. A few - not 100% convincing - Web sources put Krower at 111 Exchange Place (at Canal). My guess?Canal Street, New Orleans. Found this stereo photo from long ago ... http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt4b69p81d/?order=2&brand=calisphere Canal Street, New OrleansA Google search on '"S. E. Worms" notions' turned up this entry from Google Books on the undated (apparently late 1800s) book "New Orleans and the New South": http://books.google.com/books?id=xrY-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA107&lpg=PA107&dq=%22S... The building's 76-78 Canal Street address is helpfully noted right under a charming blue-ink drawing on page 107 of the same building seen here in the photo. And for extra credit, here is a Google Street View of roughly the same address today: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=78+Canal+Street,+New+orleans,+la... Worming That's Canal Street in New Orleans. In the foreground we have 76-78 Canal, the former home of S. Dalsheimer & Co., which was illustrated in "New Orleans and the New South," by Andrew Morrison. Mr. S.E. Worms was the resident partner, and it looks like he took over the business eventually. "The engraving which illustrates this matter hardly does justice to the premises they occupy - premises themselves indicating a house which is conspicuous by reason of the business done by it throughout the trade territory of New Orleans." Some Google-triangulating suggests..Canal Street, Mew Orleans. It could be ...Canal street New Orleans La Identified by the streetcars, cotton bales and Searcy & Pfaff printer business. Future home of the Saints! Who Dat? Saints Alive!We're apparently seeing a scene from Leonard Street in bustling New Orleans. http://books.google.com/books?id=4yrZAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22l... Anyone from Nawlins able to tell us if that street's been renamed? Enjoyable challengeAlthough I've never been to Louisiana, some brief research indicates that this photo is of St. Charles Street in New Orleans. A Google search of Searcy and Pfaff printers (displayed here across a 3rd-story window) led to an incredibly-informative biography of William Pfaff. http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/orleans/bios/p-000002.txt "On November 1, 1889, Mr. Pfaff, then only eighteen years of age, became associated with his brother-in-law, David J. Searcy, in the operation of a little job printing establishment occupying one room on the third floor of a building on St. Charles Street, near Gravier." Could it be? Will some true New Orleans people confirm? I think I knowBy looking at that white building with the rounded corner, about a block from the Orpheus Theater, I would say this was Canal Street in New Orleans. If that building is on Carondelet Street, that's got to be it! H.B Stevens et alA short session of Google-business-name-triangulating suggests it's Canal Street, Mew Orleans. [Funny, you're the second cat to guess Mew Orleans. - Dave] Lovely Canal StreetI believe we are looking at Canal and Camp streets. View Larger Map ShreveportHow about Shreveport, La.? According to Shelden's Jobbing Trade & City Offices (published in 1901), the firm operated at 43 Leonard St. http://books.google.com/books?id=4yrZAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22S... Holy Toledo, I count 19 cable carson Canal Street. Business is good! [The number of cable cars in this photo is zero. These are electric streetcars. - Dave] Sharp ShorpiansShorpsters were once described by our host as "a school of fact-checking piranhas." I saw this pic about an hour after it was posted and there were already 37 guesses and most were correct. Way to go Shorpsters! I'm in awe!All you knowledgeable people impress me! Is that the spire from Saint Louis Cathedral visible behind the building that says H.B. Stevens? Is that fellow posing?Or is the fellow in shirtsleeves and a bowler, standing on the roof of the building behind Dalsheimer's, just getting a breath of air while enjoying the view? I never fail to marvel at the lack of vertigo apparent among some of the folks caught in these frozen moments. The window washers and roof-ridge-walkers couldn't possibly have realized that they were being included in a camera shot at the time the photograph was taken. Were people that much less fearless then? The spireBased on the time (just after 9 a.m.) and the shadow, the camera is pointing almost due west. So that cannot be St. Louis, which is east of this vantage point. Streetcars and SaintsI spent Christmas in New Orleans with the girlfriend, and was surprised to find out that the city has the oldest functioning streetcar system in the country -- when other cities began giving them up in the 1930s, N.O. hung onto its. And ... GEAUX SAINTS! A lifelong dream has been realized. VantageI think this photo was shot from atop the Custom House. It is looking towards the lake. The big building in the middle still stands at Carondelet and Canal. Find the building with the storm shutters, directly to the right of the picture, towards the bottom. It is the oldest building still standing on Canal Street. It is at the downriver, lakebound corner of Canal Street and Decatur Street. It is now a Wendy's or an Arby's. Great Birthday CityThis is one of the world's great party cities. In fact, next Tuesday Kairha and I embark on a 10 day road adventure, ending up in N.O. And I recently found out that on my birthday (Tuesday, week) the entire city has gotten together to organize a huge celebration for me! With parades and everything! What a city! CaryatidsLeonard Krower has a fine set of them holding up the roof. H.B. StevensH.B. Stevens (Est. 1860) merged with Porter's on Baronne Street to become Porter Stevens in the 1970s. It is the oldest men's clothing store in New Orleans. The building in the picture was built in the early 1880s. Here's another view of the same building. http://www.porterstevens.com/ Photo Taken from Stauffer, Eshleman & Co. Wholesale HardwareWe featured this picture as our weekly photo quiz on www.forensicgenealogy.info. Diane Burkett and Arthur Hartwell, a couple of our top Quizmasters, pointed out that the Godchaux tower was close to the photographer, and that there is no break in the awnings to indicate the picture was taken on the river side of the corner of Canal and Dorsiere Sts. Diane found that Godchaux's was then located at 527 Canal (the street has since been renumbered), and that the most likely location for the photographer was from the upper stories or roof of Stauffer, Eshleman & Co., 519 Canal St. This is now the location of the Marriott. Diane consulted the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps to come up with this conclusion. www.forensicgenealogy.info/contest_294_results.html I am from New Orleans, and have featured several NO pictures in my weekly quizzes. A couple have come from Shorpy. To see them, scroll down the answer page (linked above), and look for the box in the right margin near the bottom. Colleen Fitzpatrick Quizmaster General Forensic Genealogy www.forensicgenealogy.info Yes, Canal St New Orleans towards the RiverAs most figured, this is definitely view down Canal Street in New Orleans towards the lake. Several of these buildings still exist. At least one business also still exists: Werlein's Music (they moved to the other side of Canal after this photo was taken (that building now houses the Palace Cafe restaurant), and in the 1980's moved the suburbs. Note that drays are traveling in both directions on the downtown side of the neutral ground, a situation that lasted into the early automobile days. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, New Orleans, Streetcars)
Merry Christmas: 1956
... was out in 1952. The movie came out in November 1956. Christmas at the Wall If ever a smile said "best Christmas ever," that's it. There's that incredible wallpaper again - the ... 
 
Posted by HankHardisty - 09/19/2011 - 8:29pm -

I still have fond memories of that American Flyer train set. I wish I still had it . . . for my grandson! View full size. Sartorial Splendor!Is that a leopard skin print I see on the inside of your bathrobe? GiantI see a copy of Edna Ferber's "Giant" on the shelf. The book was out in 1952. The movie came out in November 1956. Christmas at the WallIf ever a smile said "best Christmas ever," that's it. There's that incredible wallpaper again - the tree, for all its tinsel, almost gets lost in it. Do you have any memories associated with it? The wallpaper, I mean. Also nice to see that great chair and end table once more. I'm glad you all took Kodachrome into account when choosing your Christmas morn garb. It seems your dad got a lot of use out of the old self-timer button on his camera. Really nice, thanks! The wallpaperhas an unnerving 3-dimensional quality to it. I think my grandmother had something similar, in green. I wish someone had kept photos like this from me. Christmas cards.My mom strung ribbon across the ceiling and hung the cards over them. I think it was the way Brits did it. I recall seeing them hung that was in the annual book of Giles cartoons. Santa Claus knows bestThat decorative clock is the only kind that could compete with that 3-D wallpaper. Season's GreetingsI love the way your parents have hung the Christmas cards from the curtains. My mother would always tape them to the molding around the doorway. She'd start by taping them across the top, then as more cards came in she'd run them down the sides. It was a good Christmas if we got so many cards that she had to tape the excess to the wall over the sofa. Leopardskin?No, it would just be an imitation. Certainly not the real thing!! American Flyer Indeed!My set is from the same vintage and sits unused in the attic! None of my brood is interested. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Quiet Christmas: 1984
Christmas Day 1984. Or Recovery Day, after last night's big Christmas Eve dinner with my sister and her kids (well, the youngest was 19) ... still hadn't given up on African violets; as a special Christmas offering, they even seem to be blooming. Available light Kodacolor ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 12/18/2010 - 3:43pm -

Christmas Day 1984. Or Recovery Day, after last night's big Christmas Eve dinner with my sister and her kids (well, the youngest was 19) and presents. Now it's time to relax, at least for my father and brother. Mother's probably in the kitchen preparing a dinner of yummy leftovers; this year it was prime rib. Meanwhile, there are various goodies to munch and otherwise imbibe on. I've got seasonal music playing on my system down at the other end of the room. Knowing me, it's The Nutcracker. Despite the modern lights, our tree is full of vintage ornaments, some dating back to my mother's childhood. There are also my home-made Peanuts ornaments I'd done over 20 years before. I also see that Mother still hadn't given up on African violets; as a special Christmas offering, they even seem to be blooming. Available light Kodacolor 1000 negative. View full size. And yet anotherTear comes to my eyes as my childhood seems to mimic the wonderful life's boundaries of tterace and my family. Merry Christmas and God speed tterace. Wish we all had these memory captures What a great picture and one I'm sure you treasure. I wish I had a camera for the moments I can remember with my parents at these important times. You were blessed in having the resources to capture these moments the rest of us can visualize but not present. This represents all of us in some small way. Thanks for sharing. I WishDave, I wish I had some of the old pictures as you do, with some of the same great memories of family. This is wonderful to see. Merry Christmas to you, and the same to your great Shorpy fans. Merry Christmas, all! FulfilledThe Christmas notion of peace on earth seems fulfilled in this slice of your American family on Christmas Day, tterrace.. The thing I've learned about you and your family tterrace from the pictures you've shared with us on Shorpy is that you truly lived the American dream as you grew up and luckily you have appreciated that. Merry Christmas to you and my other Shorpy family friends. It's a wonderful lifeWow, what a great picture, tterrace. Wasn't this your dad's last Christmas? He seems to have had a wonderful life. My mom used to grow African violets. I can remember the special pots she had back in the '70s and '80s, that consisted of a small plastic pot that sat on a lid, atop a reservoir not unlike a margarine tub. A wick went from the pot into the reservoir, and drew a liquid plant food and water mixture into the pot with the plant. Ah, the Holiday Wind-downThis is not too different from my family's Christmas schedule. However, we'll hang out puting the Christmas jigsaw puzzle together and there will probably be a similar cordial to be enjoyed by all. Remember how excited we were to have such a fast film? I remember being a little disappointed of the HUGE grain in the image when it came back from the lab but now I really enjoy the artistic fuzzy dream like quality that the film imparts to warm scenes like this. Best of the season to all! A Christmas StoryI wish your family had adopted me, because seeing all the pictures you've shared with us over time makes me realize there WAS at least one non-dysfunctional family in the world. Thanks so much tterrace, and Merry Christmas to you and yours. Little birdsMy parents had a short string of novelty lights from the 40s that had birds, Santas, drums, and a few other things. When twinkle lights came out my dad threw them out along with the bubble lights. Big mistake. Candy everywhereI am curious to know how you all stayed so thin, what with all the candy we have been seeing in the Christmas shots. Match gameI count five, maybe six glass ornaments that are identical to ones that have hung on my parents' tree every year since I can remember. My parents brought boxes of beautiful Christmas decorations with them when they made the move to L.A. from Detroit in 1963, including a special ornament my mother saved from her childhood, and that only she is allowed to hang up. There isn't a silvery cherub's head hanging around the other side of that tree, is there? Always love the tterrace pics. A Beautiful PhotoSo wonderful -- I could feel the warmth and quiet affection in that room. Merry Xmas. Click.What struck me most about this picture was that it was after dinner in the evening and no one is watching TV. Nowadays, people don't think twice before flicking on the TV when it's time to relax in the living room, but how I remember my own childhood in the 1970s, when evenings, particularly around Christmas, were spent curled up with a book in the living room. This has motivated me to try and get my own family to do the same -- but it will be a challenge, my father has quite a lead hand when it comes to the remote! Beautiful, peaceful picture. Thank you for sharing. I thoughtthe crossword puzzle was supposed to be saved for your mom. HoochWhat's the bottle of hooch sitting on the table between them? B&B? Maybe a chocolate liqueur? It looks full, so maybe it just got unwrapped a few hours ago. It's a Wonderful Lifewas just a movie made by Hollywood, while Tterrace and his siblings actually lived the wonderful life. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely parents and childhood home with us. The boxThat box on the ottoman sure looks like the box I've used for 25 years to hold my oldest ornaments, some Czech glass bead ones that my dad bought in 1947. I think it's from Italian Swiss Colony. That must be where all those goodies came from. Happy New Year, Tterrace ! Sorry, I am late wishing you a Merry Christmas - but wanted to say "thanks" for sharing your life with us, you've become part of mine for sure! I felt like I'd forgotten to call a long-lost cousin and wish him Holiday salutations ~ so from my mid-century home on the East Coast to yours in Sunny ... er .. (wherever you are now): Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, tterrapix)
A Captive Christmas: 1919
December 1919. "Christmas tree at the District Jail, Washington, D.C., and some of the ... A Tree for Viewing I can't find an account of the 1919 Christmas, but here is one from the following year: Christmas To Be Merry at Jail Supt. Foster Plans Holiday Feast and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 10:48am -

December 1919. "Christmas tree at the District Jail, Washington, D.C., and some of the prisoners." National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Get a load of that!Did a blue two-headed dog walk by to the left of the camera man? What's everyone looking at over there? Stocking Stuffers"Just what I wanted -- a hacksaw and a set of shivs!" "Add Your Own Title"Was this a segregated jail or is that white guy hiding behind the tree the only white prisoner? Not Too MerryThese guys seem camera-averse--and apparently were on the painting detail, judging from their clothing. [That's mold on the emulsion. - Dave] The Unbearable Sadness of Two-Story TreesThese unfortunate fellows should get together with those glum nurses from the hospital tree picture. A Tree for ViewingI can't find an account of the 1919 Christmas, but here is one from the following year: Christmas To Be Merry at Jail Supt. Foster Plans Holiday Feast and Entertainment for Prisoners. Though confined in narrow cells, many of them awaiting execution, prisoners at the District jail will not be forgotten tomorrow, when the people of Washington will be making merry in their homes, as an unusually attractive program has been arranged by superintendent Charles E. Foster, for the persons in his charge. Religious services will be held in the morning following which the men will be given a regular Christmas breakfast, consisting of fruit and a variety of vegetables. The morning hours will be devoted to rest for the prisoners. Dinner will be served in the early afternoon. The menu is as follows: Roast pork with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, stewed turnips, creamed oyster plant, bread, butter and coffee and mince pie. The Fort Myer band will play for the men in the afternoon and boxes of candy, furnished by the Gospel Mission, will be distributed. A huge tree decorated with colored balls and electric lights has been set up in the rotunda where the prisoners can view it. Washington Post, Dec 24, 1920 District JailSo where was this? This is before Lorton? Naughty or nice?I think I count five who are camera-shy. Hotel on the Marsh The old District Jail was on Reservation 13, southeast of the intersection of 19th and Independence SE. Today's jail, the Central Detention Facility, and its annex, the Correctional Treatment Facility, are a few blocks south. UPDATE: Thanks to Dave for adding the above LOC photo of the old jail's exterior. On another note, at first reading, I had thought the following reference to the "arms of morpheus" to be indicative of the use of the drug morphine. However, on further research (i.e. Google), I find it turns out merely to be a traditional synonym for sleep. Christmas Saint To Visit City Jail Spirit of Season to be Carried to Inmates Today in Varied Manner. When the first peep of dawn threw the bars of the grated windows of the District jail in relief on the rotunda this morning, the personnel were abustle, and from every cell could be heard the ejaculations of prisoners who, going back to the days of childhood, peeped into the sock hung on the grate, to see what the jovial Kris had left in his flight over Washington. For there are several chimneys at the jail down which the corpulent saint might have come with his bag, and it would be only a small matter to make his way through the several wings when the inmates were in the arms of morpheus and leave his tokens for those inside. Furthermore, the stockings had been provided. The usual custom of keeping the inmates at the jail in the small and decidedly compact cells is taboo today for a few hours, and every man who, in the language of the gridiron, has "one month down and six to go," will have the opportunity to mingle with his neighbors and perhaps exchange a few gifts that do no exactly strike his fancy. Every man and woman in the institution, from Death Row to the humble north wing, where the boys with sentences of ten to thirty days are lodged, will receive several presents today, all from Santa Claus institutions in Washington. Each man who will put his feet under the jail table at noon is assured a generous measure of candy and nuts and a sack of smoking or chewing tobacco. Many of the men who receive socks and other articles of wearing apparel, and still others will be allowed to receive remembrances from friends on the outside. It is not only to the masculine element of the "hotel on the marsh" the saint will pay his visit. That part of the institution given over to the women who are spending Christmas as guests of the District will also be remembered. In addition to the presents, many of which are sent to the jail anonymously, the inmates are going to get away from the regulation diet for the day, and a menu would do credit to a hotel where the guests pay for their accommodations have been prepared. Dinner will be served at noon at the jail, following the religious services in the rotunda, when the 290 inmates will join the singing of Christmas carols and perhaps mingle in little groups for the discussion of current topics or the more important question of "how long before the stretch is up?" After the recreation period, which will last several hours, the program, according to Supt. Peake, calls for dinner. The following menu has been prepared: Roast pork and mashed potatoes, and plenty of it; rich brown gravy, prepared by a cook from southern Maryland, in for a short stretch; celery, cranberries, bread, coffee and apple pie. Presents in the guise of turkeys and "all the fixings" have reached the jail for individual "guests," but whether the inmates will be allowed to have their private dishes served up today has not been decided. After dinner the men and women will be returned to their regular wings, but will be permitted to mingle in the aisles during the afternoon and possibly up to 10 o'clock tonight, when the order of "lights out" is given. A huge Christmas tree decorated in electric lights will be placed in the center of the rotunda of the jail, and each man and woman will receive at least one present from the gift pile following the service. Despite the grumblings of a few who feel that a Christmas in a nice warm cell is undesirable, the vast majority of the prisoners, however, have expressed feelings of appreciation at all the preparations being made today for their welfare. Washington Post, Dec 25, 1921 Behind the treeI find it odd that what appears to be the only white person is hiding behind the tree. [Santa! - Dave] (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Natl Photo)
Best Christmas Ever: 1922
"Dorsey Christmas tree, 1922." Merry Christmas to all from Shorpy! National Photo Company Collection glass negative. ... gift of a view into a virtual time machine. Everyday is Christmas at this site. Wishing you and yours a happy holiday and a happy new ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:10pm -

"Dorsey Christmas tree, 1922." Merry Christmas to all from Shorpy! National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Thanks, DaveThank you, Dave. Everyday, you gave us the gift of a view into a virtual time machine. Everyday is Christmas at this site. Wishing you and yours a happy holiday and a happy new year. [You're very welcome! I feel are warm and tingly inside. And not just from the eggnog. - Dave] Play-olaIsn't it great! just put "ola" after any word and it becomes so cool. Radio Rex ?"Radio Rex" is an interesting name for a dog. I assume that this is a reflection of the radio use explosion that was occurring in 1922. [Below: ads from 1922 and 1931. - Dave] Radio Rex"Radio Rex" is considered to be the first "voice-controlled" toy - words spoken at a particular frequency (if I remember correctly) would cause a relay to cycle, pushing Rex out of his doghouse. ExpressionThe look on the kid's face says it all, and who can blame him? There is a Fortune HereThat was quite a haul in its day, and today you are looking at a tidy fortune. That is a Toonerville Trolley, foreground. At a current value upwards of $1,500, it is far from the most sought toy shown here. What a treasure trove. Best Christmas ever, indeed, and ever growing in value. "- - - Ola""Ola" at the end of product names was all the rage during the Taft-Wilson administrations. The Gay-Ola bottling company brings to mind a leading example of an "Ola" product name that would not be easily introduced into today's marketplace. Love the Christmas gift!Just look at the other wonderful gifts - wheelbarrow, pool table and do I see a tin ear (eh, sonny?) on the Play-Ola? I bet the cars might still be around if they survived the war scrap metal drives. [The tin ear is probably the phono pickup for the Play-Ola. - Dave] HaircutWow, I have seen many Shorpy pictures with that horrible haircut--when did that come into "fashion" and when did it leave? They actually shaved the kids' upper napes to get that hair line? On the other hand, I love those CD-like ornaments at the top of the tree with the angels. Fire trucksAt least 3 fire trucks! That kid is seriously spoiled. I am sooo jealous, all I got is 1 fire truck back in the early 70's! You'll also notice the awesome blackboard, the John Scary book and the GI-Joe helicopter! RockolaRockola doesn't qualify as a true "Ola", as would that wondrous 1914 soft drink Gay-Ola, or the Play-Ola toy shown here. David Rockola founded the jukebox company. That was his given name. His surname, by the way, rates infinitely higher on the "cool" scale than "Yanitz." Trust me on that one. No batteries requiredOne cannot help but notice that none of these fabulous and now valuable toys require batteries. As for the "ola" ending, Rockola Jukeboxes were some of the niftiest. Also Wurlitzer. If Santa saved all the original boxes that came with these toys, the price doubles or triples. Who knew? And thank you for ALL the wonderful memories evoked from your "best ever" website. I cannot get through 24 hrs. without it. Stay healthy and know we appreciate you. [The Radio Rex toy did use batteries. And thanks! - Dave] IciclesI love the tree. When I was a kid my friends and I would go along the street after Christmas and take the icicles off the trees and make them into balls, I think they were made of lead. Look how straight they hang. You won't see that anymore. USB Rex"Radio Rex" has been reinvented as "USB Guard Dog - Desktop Rex": (The Gallery, Christmas, Kids, Natl Photo)
Every Little Helps: 1903
... New York circa 1903. "Remember the poor: a Salvation Army Christmas box." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. ... of the claustrophobic canyon madhouse it is today. A Christmas Clara I'd sure rather have that Clara Bartonesque woman, dressed ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:57pm -

New York circa 1903. "Remember the poor: a Salvation Army Christmas box." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A Penny is a PennyI too found the phrase "every little helps" a bit odd. However after a quick search I found this for Wikipedia. It seems that it originates from a French proverb: "Un sou est un sou. Idiomatic translation: Every little helps. Literal meaning: A penny is a penny" Open SkyWhat strikes me immediately about this picture is how much simple open sky there was at this location in 1903 instead of the claustrophobic canyon madhouse it is today. A Christmas ClaraI'd sure rather have that Clara Bartonesque woman, dressed like something out of a Dickens short story (and her two male chaperones), collecting for the Salvation Army in front of Target today. Her bonnet alone is priceless. Query ChristmasYeah, what is it with the plant in the pot? Why is there a trash can sitting there? And how odd that the sign says "Every Little Helps" not every little BIT. And Merry Christmas to all the Shorpy watchers. You Are HereLooking roughly north at the intersection of Broadway, 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue. That's the Sixth Avenue El. Coming upThat guy approaching looks like he's getting ready to find a coin in his pocket to donate. Balanced like a seesawThe boy to the left looks like he could be the son of the man to the right. HauntingHaunting eyes, that lady has! It seems as if she feels deeply her cause. I wonder what happened to her? (Of course - I wonder that constantly each time I visit this site.) Merry Christmas everyone. The Thought that CountsI would gladly throw a fiver in the kettle, but there seems to be a houseplant in it. If the Christmas dinner is free... then why are they asking people to pay for it? And is that Stalin off to the right? Ironically"Every little helps" is now the advertising slogan of a major UK supermarket chain. (The Gallery, Christmas, DPC, NYC)
Shop Early for Xmas: 1922
... Stores could use them for window displays during Christmas. The rest as they say is history. Great picture. Also, just can't ... brother, handkerchiefs or an autograph book for Sis, etc. Christmas will never be as meaningful as when we had to budget every cent ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/06/2015 - 12:35am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Sport Mart, 1303 F Street N.W." Shorpy would like one of each, please. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Update: For the window-shoppers among us, I've posted a bigger closeup here. Lionel Train SetThat Lionel Electric Train Set is to die for!! I know fellow collectors who, if they had only the original box displayed in this picture, would be in fandom heaven. Joshua Lionel Owen invented the first toy trains in 1901 so New York City Department Stores could use them for window displays during Christmas. The rest as they say is history. Great picture. Also, just can't imagine any store having all those guns in a front window anymore, with just plate glass in front of them as protection from theft. Were people really that honest back then? Don't bother with the girlsLove all the signs. Also interesting to see another pre-WWII swastika, and this one is even turned 45 degrees onto a point, the same as the Nazis did. [That's two interlocking S's, for Stetson Shoes. Ten lines. A swastika has six. - Dave] Airguns $1I'm sorry, Shorpy, you don't want that. You'll put your eye out. Western Auto, Carroll Cut Rite....In the small mill town where I grew up, we had the two stores mentioned as well as United Cigar and Hart's 5 & 10. Their windows examples of just about every single item in inventory. The multitude of tiered shelves allowed one to see what was inside without actually going in. For the kids (like me) that had a total of $10 to buy six gifts, it was great to stand in front of the window and budget out the allotment, figuring out who would get what before actually buying. Mom always got the blue bomb bottle of Evening in Paris or dusting powder, Dad got something in Old Spice, an inflatable toy for my baby brother, handkerchiefs or an autograph book for Sis, etc. Christmas will never be as meaningful as when we had to budget every cent because it really meant something more than just purchasing merchandise. I'll take the...Kodak Autographics, bike and Lionel train sets, please! Santa Please......bring me the sled that looks just like Rosebud, and the Lionel trains, and the golf set with those fabulous hickory shafts. I need a new niblick. Alice MaynardOne wonders what Alice Maynard is selling "upstairs." Probably entirely innocent - probably ladies clothing based on what we can see in the second floor windows - but the filthy mind gets all sorts of ideas. Can I have the .22 please?That Winchester pump .22 would be worth big bucks if it were in good condition today. Re: Santa Please...I couldn't help but notice the fatness of the "pre-pass" era type of footballs. More like a rugby or Aussie rules football. Toy StoryGreat photo, Dave. I can't tell how much the chess set is, but it looks like a nice one. Cowboy suede holsters and Indian feathered headbands would be frowned upon today. I am puzzled why a thermos is more expensive than a golf set. There's so much to look at. By the way, are those irons (the kind for pressing clothes?) What's with that? [The sign under the vacuum bottles is for a $15 "tackle outfit." - Dave] I have a pump .22 a lot like the one in the window......but its a "Savage" vs. a "Winchester", octagonal barrel, you can take it apart with one screw. Last fired about 25 years ago! Not to Nitpickbut it's Joshua Lionel Cowen, ne Cohen. He was the great-uncle of the infamous Roy Cohn, who later was board chairman of the train company. Fix bayonets!That Daisy BB gun has a bayonet on it -- more fun than lawn darts! SavageI believe Savage was taken over by Winchester way back when. I had a 1918 Winchester pump as a kid. I really loved it and used it in the late 40's and 50's. Wish I could find another under $1k. Aw, Why do I have to be a girl?I'm looking at all the really neat stuff in the window. All my friends were boys when I was growing up and their toys were the best. If I lived back then, my mother would have shopped for me one door over to the right, where they have a selection of ugly, boring dolls. Dreaming of the train set... .38How long would those pistols last in a glass storefront in 2008? Not long. Pistols..The pistol on the right is most likely a Colt Model 1903 .32 ACP or perhaps a Model 1908 .380. The Revolver is a Smith and Wesson. I can't identify caliber size or frame type. As to the pistol on the left, your guess is as good as mine. It's interesting that Washington D.C. in the 1920's where you could buy guns no questions asked at a department store with glass windows was much safer than 21st century D.C. where possession of any one of the firearms in that window was a felony until recently. What every boys wants...but should he get a revolver? Oooooh! Oooooh!I was born 25 years later, but in spirit my nose- and handprints are all over that Sport Mart window. I have hundreds of engines and cars in my collection but no Lionel that goes back to the 1920s, much to my sorrow. Dad couldn't wait to put one under the tree, so I had my first one at age 4; at 62 I still play with trains! (Sadly, electric train sales have fallen on hard times and only the old boys are interested.) I do have most of the cameras in that window but they aren't quite so shiny -- but they do work, even the ones going back to the 1870s. Air rifles weren't allowed in my family (had to play with my friend's guns on the sly) and they sure couldn't be had for a dollar then! Even the boys in my family spent a lot of quality time using an iron (the ones that put a crease in your britches and made your starched shirts crisp -- not the ones you hit little white balls with) but I don't remember thinking it was much of a sport! Note that the golf balls there are individually wrapped. I don't recognize the bike in the window, but it looks big; in the early 1950s we had a hand-me-down of indeterminate origin, the only 38-incher in the neighborhood. Not much in the window for the little girls in 1921. The signs seem to indicate they may not have gotten them personally as gifts, but in some families the "tomboys" had their ways! Some things have changed for the better. A Visit from the Innuendo FairyDon't all "bicycles" have "reputations?" Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more! ShockingBesides the toys there are bunches of household items on display (but don't get me wrong, I want the train set and a basement to put it in). I'm suddenly interested in the parallel history of the battery and portable electrical devices. Things like flashlights had to have been introduced for the consumer with a battery in mind. Of course after a few years batteries became ubiquitous, but imagine going to a store and picking up a battery and not already owning anything to put it in. Lionel for ChristmasI had a circa 1941 Lionel freight train complete with all the cars and a headlight. I got it for Christmas. It also had little tablets that you could drop down the stack so that the engine puffed smoke as it tore around the three-rail track. Alas, my dear mom gave it away to Goodwill one day when I was in high school. Sigh! Indoor SportsSome of the Christmas Specials in this display window bring new meaning to the term Sporting Goods. The lower left section is filled with electric-powered household appliances: Irons, a toaster, a coffee percolator ("perculator" in the sign) and a set of antler-handled carving knives for that Christmas turkey. When I was a kid in the 1950s there were a few moms in our neighborhood who seemed to think that Extreme Ironing was a competition sport, but they usually got their gear at Sears. And what about that accordion in the back row next to the electric space heater? $16There's a sign just below the sled for $16 but I can't make it out. Can you blow it up? [Kaboom. - Dave] Electric TorchJust to feed everyone's new interest in the subject, here's a post from the inimitable Daniel Rutter that includes some early flashlight background. $5.50 for a dozen golf balls.A lost ball in a water hazard or the rough had to have hurt! Made In U. S. A.For an advocate of American-made goods which are currently difficult (to impossible) to find for gift-giving, I assume that almost everything in this window was made right here in the USA. A twinge of sorrow takes over as I wonder if Lionel is still made here, or Daisy Air guns or Flexible Flyers. Christmas lights shown here for $8.50 (a huge amount of money in 1921) can be bought today for a couple of dollars. Yes, imports are cheap, cheap, cheap, but also disposable and short-lived. Time marches on and even Levis are made in Mexico, Converse in China. I did find nail clippers made in the USA last week for $1. Maybe I'll be like Jack Benny and give gifts of just shoelaces and nail clippers this year. Don't know of ANY toys or electronics made here. One other non-imported gift suggestion is to give the gift recipient a hand-made gift card for FOUR HOURS of personal advice. (few people will cash it in) Merry Christmas fellow Shorpy addicts. Get the boy something he wants...All he wants now is a Wii, a Playsatation, a Game Cube, an iPod... How unfortunate. I want a time machine. How dare they...Look at them! Creating these restrictive gender roles and explicitly marketing them to impressionable children? The audacity! The horror! Someone call the NOW and shut these advocates of boyhood down! Rampant (and refreshing) political correctness aside, this is a fabulous picture. I love these, where you can just drink in wonderful little details. You can even read the sign company name on the SportMart sign. You really do a great job sharpening these up, Dave. What's the white squiggly line in the upper left corner? Looks like the border of a postcard or something, but how did it get in that rather strange location on this picture? Either that, or I'm missing something very obvious and it's a water pipe or something. [It's the decoration (or alarm tape, which did indeed exist in 1921) on a windowpane. - Dave] Made in USA.Yoda, I know what you mean, but on the other hand, today when we sub out low end manufacturing, the material wealth is so much higher. Most kids today would already own some or most of the goods in the window display, whereas I bet that the overall market penetration of electric trains, etc. was much more limited in the 1920s. Is that a Red Ryder BB Gun?Santa sez "You'll shoot your eye out, kid. Merry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho!" Jean Shepherd must be chortling (yes, chortling, that's what he said) and smiling down on this scene. Nice gunsGrew up in Rogers, Arkansas where the Daisy plant was located. I had a lever-action '.30-.30' style bb rifle that you loaded from the side - it lasted for years and received all kinds of mistreatment. Also, learned to shoot with my grandfather's .22 that looked quite similar to the one pictured, but I cannot remember what make it was. Smith & WessonThe 3 pistols in the front center appear to be Smith & Wesson. Their boxes sport the distinctive (intricate) S&W Logo, or an earlier version of it. Small Pistol on the LeftI realize this is 6 years later, but what the heck. The small pistol on the left in the group of three pistols appears to be either a Mauser 1910 (25ACP) or the 1914 (32 ACP). (The Gallery, Bicycles, Christmas, D.C., Stores & Markets)
Christmas 1964
Christmas 1964 in Rochester, Indiana. Kodachrome slide. View full size. [It's Christmas in June (for me, especially) with an exceptional selection of ... - Dave] Xmas 1964 1962 On the right, Mom and me, Christmas 1962 in Miami. Eerie, isn't it. Hey, that's mine! ... 
 
Posted by delworthio - 06/26/2008 - 12:01am -

Christmas 1964 in Rochester, Indiana. Kodachrome slide. View full size. [It's Christmas in June (for me, especially) with an exceptional selection of member-submitted color slides. There are even more here. Thanks, Santa! - Dave] Xmas 1964 1962On the right, Mom and me, Christmas 1962 in Miami. Eerie, isn't it. Hey, that's mine!I had that Barbie case! And I want it back! Nuh-Uh!I still have that Barbie case and you can't have it. Nyeeaaa! ChristmasMy former wife put all our home movies from the late 40s & early 50s on tape and gave one to each of our children. Their mates loved seeing their mates as children. No, No, NoPlease tell me he dind't get the little lady an ironing board for Christmas! A blast from the past!I have a picture of my mother and I about the same year that looks just like this~musta been the 'in' pose for the early 60's! And that Barbie Case! Wish I'd kept mine! I think I remember my brothers drawing a mustache and beard on Barbie.... Topless BarbieI remember, during my childhood, that every kid's toybox contained at least one, sometimes several, nude Barbies, minus their heads. Were the heinous decapitations carried out by us brothers? Personally, I don't recall ever doing such a thing...I suspect it was Ken. Never did trust the guy. Coulda Been My HouseThe sparsely decorated tree and braided oval rug -- very familiar. Attack of the headless BarbiesLance, headless Barbies were my weapon of choice against my little brothers. They were terrified of them! Bwaa haa haa! Attack of the Headless Barbies IIMattie, I have often been on the receiving end of those dreaded headless Barbie assaults (although not lately, I must confess). The missing heads may have been soft, but those bodies, made of rock hard vinyl, made great blackjacks. They were especially lethal if the famous pointed Barbie breasts were on the leading edge at impact. Tired momsMom here looks a bit tired! She was probably up half the night for weeks, baking cookies, wrapping presents and finishing those she was making. When she finally got into bed, after midnight, each night, she was lucky if she got an hour or two before she had to get up with the baby. Christmas Eve, she probably polished silver, ironed tablecloths and napkins, baked pies for the next day, and cooked a special meal for that night. Then, it was washing and setting the girls' hair, last minute preparations, and getting up with the baby. She probably no sooner got the baby back down, before the older kids started getting up wanting to open presents. After getting everyone dressed and hair combed, she had to get the turkey in the oven, the rolls started, and the side-dishes going. She probably didn't sit down for more than five minutes at a time during dinner, serving everyone, getting up to grab the hot rolls out of the oven (this was before microwaves and you had to stagger batches in the oven to keep hot ones available), and wiping up the milk the two-year-old spilled. After dinner, she got right up and busy on the dishes, while Dad most likely settled in front of the TV with a beer to watch football. I would bet on these things, because I remember my mother doing them all, and doing them all myself. As tired as it makes me just to think of it all, I wouldn't have traded it for the world! (Well, actually, I would have had more help with dishes.) (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Christmas in Columbus: 1955
December 1955. Columbus, Georgia. "Christmas decorations on Broadway." 4x5 inch acetate negative from the Shorpy ... guess that was the trend in urban planning then. Blue Christmas Is that Elvis with an electric guitar under the Kress awning performing Blue Christmas? [Or an acoustic mandolin. - Dave] Forward in Time ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/10/2022 - 10:45am -

December 1955. Columbus, Georgia. "Christmas decorations on Broadway." 4x5 inch acetate negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. TimingNice hand alignment, Mr. Schomburg! 10:54:24 Can't see the Kress for the treesJimmy's Jewelers, at 1121 Broadway is where ?mburg Jeweler was in December 1955. The S.H. Kress & Co. storefront is still there; but the building is gone and all that's left is a parking lot assessable from Front Ave, the next street over. Lots of trees line Broadway between 11th and 12th Streets now and there is still a good amount of retail, especially restaurants. It looked nice in 1955 and looks nice now. [As noted below, the jeweler's name is on the clock. - Dave] Yes it is - Schomburg. Thanks. Good buy, ColumbusKress was - of course (?) - known for its Art Deco buildings erected during the Depression; but Columbus seems to have had to make do with an older yellow brick storefront. Can't see the city for the trees nowMy first job out of college was as a reporter at The Columbus Ledger on 12th Street. I must have walked past that Kress's 500 times on the way to the Government Center as the paper's government reporter and for lunch at Spano's. But there was not a tree in sight in the early '70s, so it looked about like it did in the mid-'50s. I've seen Shorpy photos of Augusta, Ga., my home town, and it is a carbon copy of Columbus, only flipped, with the river walk on the east in Augusta and on the west in Columbus. And Augusta's downtown, too, has been taken over by trees in the past 50 years. I guess that was the trend in urban planning then. Blue ChristmasIs that Elvis with an electric guitar under the Kress awning performing Blue Christmas? [Or an acoustic mandolin. - Dave] Forward in TimeThe great clock moved with the store to the north side of town. Lincoln CapriVery nice 1954 Lincoln Capri parked at the curb. White, with a dark (black probably?) top, wide white sidewall tires, and a very slick rear-mounted spare tire. The 1950's were a little schizophrenic about car design. Mid-50's were pretty good, but by the time 1959 rolled around, it was all about wildly oversized fins, trunks and hoods you could land a small plane on, and wheelbase that was out of control. But this 1954 model is an example of some of the best mid-decade design there was. That Lincoln... is stunning. Angling for Details I was immediately drawn into this wonderful shot because of the photo angle & amount of detail provided - including by other commenters. Love everything vintage, so I appreciate the car, building & location information shared. The personal stories & memories are the icing on the cake. (The Gallery, Christmas, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive, Stores & Markets)
Christmas in July: 1915
"Raymond Dickey. Christmas 1915." View full size. Nat'l Photo glass negative. Ornaments I have a box of Christmas ornaments that belonged to my grandparents, maybe 50 years old. ... designs were kept in production so long. Need a Little Christmas Like the song from "Mame" goes, "We need a little Christmas" on a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/11/2013 - 11:01am -

"Raymond Dickey. Christmas 1915." View full size. Nat'l Photo glass negative. OrnamentsI have a box of Christmas ornaments that belonged to my grandparents, maybe 50 years old. They're pretty well preserved, with nary a sound-chip to be had. My grandfather's method of applying tinsel was to take a fistful and hurl it at a spot on the tree. It's interesting to see how the designs of ornaments have changed to reflect what people consider festive. I see an ear of corn, and a scary disembodied head (oer the little sailor boy's shoulder). I really like those little clip-on birds. And really, that's got to be a HUGE tree for them to sit underneath it like that. [Below, the whole thing. - Dave] IciclesGood ol' lead tinsel. In our house, it was required to be applied by us children--one. strand. at. a. time. or. else. My brother and I enjoyed gathering the imperfect and leftover pieces into near-lethal balls to throw at each other. My grandparentshad the clip-on birds on their tree and I loved playing with them as a kid! Is that really an ear of corn or a German type pickle ornament? 1910 CensusWith a quick scan of the 1910 census, I found a Raymond Dickey that lived on Otis Place in Washington D.C. He's listed as a lawyer, which by the look of him, I could certainly believe. If my calculations are right, he should be about 37 in the picture. His wife, Rose, would be 36. The oldest son would be 12, and the daughter would be 9. The youngest would be below 5 since he isn't on the 1910 census. They must have been pretty well-to-do since the census lists them having two servants as well. Ornament survivalI'm astonished. Those could be the ornaments on our tree in the 1950s. I knew we had some really old ones from my mother's family, including a couple that still had wax drippings on them, but practically all our ornaments were like this; there's at least one exact duplicate insofar as I can tell in black and white. I had no idea they were that old, or that those traditional designs were kept in production so long. Need a Little ChristmasLike the song from "Mame" goes, "We need a little Christmas" on a currently hot and steamy NYC afternoon. The size of that tree is enormous...they were probably decorating it since Thanksgiving. I'm also with tterrace that the 30s and 50s ornaments looked identical: forever old, just as fragile. Old OrnamentsI too have a handful of old ornaments in my possession. They belonged to my mother's parents, who are gone now. Some of them date from their first Christmas together, in 1937. If I take some of their photographs and a magnifying glass, I can spot a few of them on their tree at the time. Luckily my grandfather had some odd habits such as photographing the interiors of every house he owned (once they'd set up) and I have a record of basically all the houses they lived in from 1937-1973 when they moved the last time. Bells, birds, little cabins, puppies, and angels. Wonderful. Jeepers CreepersWhere'd they get those peepers? Looks like the retoucher was a little over-zealous... I've seen other photos like this, with the pupil of the eye provided with a dot of pencil lead. [There's no retouching here. And pencil lead applied to a negative would result in a white pupil. - Dave] Lil' Orphan AnnieBut pencil lead to a print... or scraping a negative none too gingerly... [Would look a uniform black, not a gradation of grays, and jagged at the edges (these are all scanned from the original glass negatives -- there are no prints). Plus their eyes look perfectly normal for an indoor shot at night. - Dave] Tin Man OrnamentIs that a Tin Man ornament above the ear of the small boy in the sailor suit? The Wizard of Oz was published in 1900. I love this site. Thanks Dave. (The Gallery, Christmas, Natl Photo, The Dickeys)
Merry Christmas: 1921
Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Salvation Army Christmas group." Happy faces bathed in the flattering glow of the magnesium flash. View full size. Full of Christmas joy me thinks not! Frozen in time So many grimaces and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2011 - 11:34pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Salvation Army Christmas group." Happy faces bathed in the flattering glow of the magnesium flash. View full size. Full of Christmas joyme thinks not! Frozen in timeSo many grimaces and other strange facial expressions caught at just the wrong moment. A fascinating assemblage of women, two children and three men. An interesting bunch of folksBut they don't seem to be as well lubricated as the people here. GrrrrThe lady on the left has a great snarl going. Bet she was mortified when she saw the picture. Love this photo; fun to look at the clothing and hair styles. To Die ForI have a number of friends (in the Wardrobe Dept.) who would kill for any of those shoes! Best Foot ForwardThe shoes on the left are incredible. I want the white ones with the pointy toes and curved heel. But what is that shaggy pair of things hanging from the ceiling? They seem too ugly to be holiday decorations and to flammable to be light fixtures. Charming FiguresEmbossed on the flowerpot in front of the door. Woohoo! Don't light a fire !Looks like the fireplace is just a fake. Just put up Christmas. They're gladthat they're done stuffing chicken feet into gift bags for the year. No fairThe most attractive of the bunch -- and I use that term loosely, are sitting on the floor. Alternate TitleThree and a half men. There was a little girl Who had a little curl ... Photographer thought balloon"If they start lining up under the mistletoe, I'm getting out of here!" Hurry Up!The woman second from the left isn't snarling, she's telling her pal that the photographer needs to take the picture already. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Natl Photo)
The Christmas Tree: 1950
"Sierras, 1950, Nevada." The Christmas Tree Lodge on the Mount Rose Highway south of Reno is the backdrop ... Ontario in 1952. We are bundled up like the kids in "A Christmas Story." A Christmas Story THOSE are the icicles that have been known to kill people. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/07/2021 - 8:56pm -

"Sierras, 1950, Nevada." The Christmas Tree Lodge on the Mount Rose Highway south of Reno is the backdrop for this latest Kodachrome of Don Cox's 1939 Mercury. The restaurant, which touted its "mahogany-broiled steaks and chops," is no more, replaced by the Tannenbaum Event Center. Now, who's gonna squeegee that tyke off the bumper? View full size. SkeechingMy nephews and their cousins did that around here in Northwest Indiana. I don't know if the word is the "official" name for it, but that's what they called it in these parts. The plaid-jacket era for boysI'm reminded of that scene in "The Bishop's Wife" in which Cary Grant as the angel conjures up attendance at the boys' choir practice and every one of them is wearing a plaid jacket similar to the one the kid is wearing in this photo. I was born in 1947 and had one, too, but it was my older cousin's hand-me-down. Paul Simon got it right"Mama don't take my Kodachrome away." Don Cox took some supernaturally beautiful pictures in the winter Sierras. Egad!Looks like some kind of surplus window size experiment. SnowmobilityI had a hat like the young man is wearing. We used to grab hold of bumpers like that and get pulled up and down street on our sleds during winter. Great fun. That Hat When I was five years old I had one just like it. This photo was taken in our back yard in Riverside (now Windsor) Ontario in 1952. We are bundled up like the kids in "A Christmas Story." A Christmas StoryTHOSE are the icicles that have been known to kill people. Now The Tannenbaumhttp://www.ccgtcc-ccn.com/Christmas%20Tree.pdf Let there be LOTS of lightAbsolutely beautiful Kodachrome. What has always impressed me about snow photography - the immense amount of reflected light equals tiny aperture (and/or fast shutter) equals huge depth of field and razor sharp focus. This photo epitomizes all that was good about Kodachrome combined with photography in the snow. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Christmas, Don Cox, Eateries & Bars, Kids)
Portugrocer: 1942
... together this grocery store image and the now classic Christmas office party. How wonderful it would be to produce quality images ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/15/2023 - 4:07pm -

April 1942. "Provincetown, Massachusetts. Portuguese grocer." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the U.S. Office of the Coordinator of Information. View full size. What do you have that won't give me gas?With that white jacket and hat, the clerk looks like a service station attendant. Lifebuoy, helll!It's the taste of Fels-Naphtha that I remember! Weigh To Go OhioWhile I am very familiar with Toledo scales (from Ohio and now headquartered not far from me), I had never heard of Dayton scales (also from Ohio). Your Portugrocer is ...or was Ernest Carreiro Sr., per the Liz's Cafe/Anybody's Bar website. Ernie died in 1961, and his son, Ernie Jr., just last year. According to Ernie Jr.'s obituary, he and his dad turned Anybody's Market into Tip-for-Tops'n Restaurant sometime in the early '50s. Those Carreiros really had a way with words. What's that effigyhanging above the mirror? [It's a lobster claw. - Dave] Better Hurry!You won't have much longer to buy that coffee or beef, as WWII rationing begins soon! What the!Would love to know the story behind the painted head (lobster claw?) on the top of the cabinet behind the counter! I'm PuzzledI'm often puzzled as to why these Shorpy images aren't offered as 1000 piece to 5000 piece jigsaw puzzles. I'd love to spend a weekend piecing together this grocery store image and the now classic Christmas office party. How wonderful it would be to produce quality images into challenging puzzles worth spending time upon. Please, consider branching out into collectible puzzles. Stacking ArtisteVery orderly shelves considering the cans are of the older three-piece design with seamed tops and bottoms which must be closely aligned to sit atop one another without getting all cattywampus, as with the third row of pop corn cans behind the woman's head (one of the few exceptions.) I hope contemporary stock clerks appreaciate the superior self indexing/interlocking/nesting qualities of modern two-piece steel cans when stacking them (probably not), plus they also make straightening up after an earthquake much easier, although that probably wasn't a major concern in Ptown, then or now. Top Shelf Detergents They were called soap operas for a reason Rinso ... Rinso white, Rinso bright and Solium, the sunlight ingredient Duz ... It’s the soap in Duz that does it Chipso ... "Just back from my honeymoon … Gray hair and a young heart. Because Chipso gets underwear so white.” Soapine ... "For washing and cleaning everything, no matter what -- Soapine works quicker, easier, cheaper and better than soap or anything else." The original (19th century) made from whale blubber. Super Suds ... struck out Lux ... The Thompson agency then began a campaign in 1928 to get endorsements from Hollywood actresses, by sending 425 actresses cases of Lux Soap. It received 414 endorsements in return, leading them to claim that 9 out of 10 stars in Hollywood use Lux Soap. Ivory Flakes ... 1937 Ivory Flakes Laundry Soap "Lazy Twin Misses Out On Party!" Cartoon (Print Ad) Fels-Naptha ... It originally included the ingredient naphtha, effective for cleaning laundry and urushiol, an oil contained in poison ivy. Naphtha was later removed as a cancer risk. Oxydol ... In the 1930s, Oxydol was the sponsor of the Ma Perkins radio show, considered the first soap opera; as such, Oxydol sponsorship put the "soap" in "soap opera". Klek ... White Beads of Soap (Seems to exist only on boxes sold on eBay) [As you note, they're soaps. Strictly speaking, none of those are detergents. - Dave] Tasty Fascinating array of foodstuffs. Would love to be able to taste what that bread was like. Not to mention some delicious cakes with that presumably rich and aromatic coffee. (The Gallery, John Collier, Stores & Markets)
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