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Christmas 1951
Christmas 1951 on the Hansen farm in Champaign County, Ill. View full size. ... Drapes Those curtains are all kinds of awesome. Merry Christmas! Seasonal Perfection Another wonderful Christmas gathering. Perfect chance to wish all the Shorpy fans and Dave a ... 
 
Posted by stumpy - 12/19/2009 - 7:40pm -

Christmas 1951 on the Hansen farm in Champaign County, Ill. View full size. Delicious DrapesThose curtains are all kinds of awesome. Merry Christmas! Seasonal PerfectionAnother wonderful Christmas gathering. Perfect chance to wish all the Shorpy fans and Dave a Merry Christmas from the snowbound shores of Maryland's eastern shore. Double egg nog for everyone. It's Not There1951 and no TV set in the photograph. We didn't get one until sometime in 1951 or 52. I'm sure they enjoyed Christmas without it. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season to all on either end of our Shorpy. The iciclesremind me so much of our Christmases when I was a child. In 1951 I would have been 5 years old and I can distinctly remember my mother decorating our tree with -- amongst other baubles -- silver "icicles" that spiralled down in a taper from their fixing point. This is a lovely photo and, may I ask, which of those in the image is "stumpy"? Stylin'I've got those jeans, the old-school super blue ones that finally start to fade after a few hundred washings. Now all I need is that sweater... Love it!I was 3 at the time of this photo and it brings back memories! From the tinsel on the tree to the floor-stand ashtray!!! Many good Christmas memories come from these pictures!!! What a beautiful familyWhat a beautiful family picture! My mom and dad had a floor lamp exactly like the one pictured. The corner knick knack shelf, as well, resembles the one that hung for many years in my parent's living room. So many memories in this one picture. I was 4 years old in 1951, so the time period pictured is the one I grew up in. Thank you for posting this wonderful picture! Champaign CountyWas this maybe in Savoy? I got a roommate's car stuck in a ditch there and a nice farmer pulled me out. Maybe it was the little Hansen boy sitting on his mom's lap? (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Salmon Kitchen Generations: 1984
... my mother is caught in mid-pot draining while whipping up Christmas Eve dinner as her granddaughter, garbed in high-1980s style, looks ... them except for cleaning fruits and vegetables. Was your Christmas Eve meal traditionally meatless as Polish and Italian ones were in ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/29/2011 - 6:13pm -

Another detail-crammed look into the Salmon Kitchen. Here my mother is caught in mid-pot draining while whipping up Christmas Eve dinner as her granddaughter, garbed in high-1980s style, looks on. GD had not only a great love for her grandma, but for her kitchen. The white utility table behind her is now in her own, along with a vintage restored Wedgewood range. There's so much here I don't know where to begin. My favorite items include, under the copper molds at the upper left, a hamburger patty press that created many a burger I devoured. The chrome Toastmaster had been around since the 50s. Under it, the pressure cooker with a bag of - I think - walnuts from our tree. A loaf of freshly-baked something is cooling on a cake rack next to the toaster. Over on the sink counter, a milk carton was always there to collect various bits of wet cooking by-product waste. Weird how you can get nostalgic over something like that. 35mm Kodacolor 400 negative, shot with bounce flash. View full size. Don't need no stinkin' colander.Your mom is draining her copper-bottom cookware just by holding the lid slightly ajar and turning it over, the exact same way my mom always did. We had at least 3 or 4 colanders, but she rarely used them except for cleaning fruits and vegetables. Was your Christmas Eve meal traditionally meatless as Polish and Italian ones were in the olden days with lots of seafood, pastas and vegetables? Raised quite the welt by nowI clobbered our Toastmaster by thinking I could save time if I buttered the bread, first. Been kicking myself for about 35 years. I still have the Revereware, though. Shiny Object SyndromeI thought perhaps that the Venerable Toastmaster would reveal an image of the Artist - and could be de-convolved and resolved into an "inadvertent portrait" - much like the many folks on eBay who, having similar shiny objects for sale, photograph them whilst in various states of undress - to the amusement of clever Photoshoppers. [A modern version of those Old Masters who worked themselves into their art - van Eyck, "the Arnolfini Marriage" (1434) put his own image of himself working on the canvas, in the small spherical mirror in the background of the painting - properly "distorted" - one can flatten it back out, and voila! there he is. 1434 mind you: 58 years before Columbus.] I tried, but: no. Only the nearby cabinets and windows on the other side of La Cocina Terrazzo peer out at us from the gleaming chromium. (Gleamium?) I am thinking of zipping over to Hwy 88 and taking a couple of shots of the Carson Spur turnout as it is today - there is a 30's shot of it in the Member Photos Division and it would be fun to show it in the "now." Here's my ToastmasterBought at a Salvation Army store for $6 in 1990. I used it for several years, until the spring weakened and it would no longer pop up. No Van Eyck here; I am hiding in the most-distorted outer corner of the appliance (not to mention fully clothed). The carnival glass pitcher and Mexican tile are later acquisitions. RIP ToastmasterOur Toastmaster went up in flames while toasting bread about a week ago. I wasn't the one using it, so not exactly sure what went wrong. But we plan to save it for nostalgia since it's been in the family since the 70s. Regarding the reflections, the studio photography instructor at college assigned a reflective object assignment and specifically stated "do not photograph a shiny old fashioned style toaster." And what did I photograph? Of course - the Toastmaster! I should have heeded his advice. This vs. ThatThe personal "slice of life" pictures like this are so much more interesting than yet another street corner picture of a random building. Meow!Love the photo of the pretty kitty just behind the pretty granddaughter. The "Pizza Chef" statue on the clock is fabulous! Thanks! Return of the ToastmasterFunny thing; I bought this vintage chrome Toastmaster at an antique fair just a couple months ago. Still in working order. $35. Y'know, small appliances were a lot heavier in those days. As a special favor to TahoePines, I got my reflection in it this time. And yes, the pink enameled cart it's on is the very one seen in the lower right corner of the first Salmon Kitchen photo. MemoriesI wonder if that is a Bicentennial glass in the strainer with the stars on it? I also like the barrel pepper or coffee grinder and the metal pot trivet hanging on the wall. Also the granddaughter being very beautiful doesn't hurt your picture at all! Heirloom ToastThis is where my toaster gets its 15 minutes of fame, thanks to tterrace. Given to my parents as a wedding present in 1957, it's the Sunbeam "Vista" self-lowering design that made its debut as Model T-20 in 1949 and continued in production with hardly any change in appearance until 1996. A very sturdy toaster! Thanks to whoever gave it to Mom and Dad. TeaI see a box of Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice in the spice rack. Sadly, they've discontinued Emperor's Choice which was my favourite not the least because I get a terrible reaction to flea bites and it was the only thing that stopped the itching. I thought we were specialWe had the only one of those toasters I ever saw before the examples shown here. It was one of Mom and Dad's wedding presents from 1949 and served until sometime in the '70s, when its "elevator" stopped working. Before that, we sometimes had to lift and drop the toast a time of two to get it started. While not in use, Mom always kept ours under wraps with covers made of plastic like shower curtain material -- only thicker. It seemed like a bad choice for something designed to get really hot but we never burned or melted one of them. A toast to toastersI love the toaster photos you guys are posting! It toasts the cockles of my heart. tterrace, is it possible that that's the daughter of your brother and sister-in-law that we see so often? It doesn't seem possible that a child of theirs could be so grown up in 1984 -- didn't they get married in the late 60s? Toasty comments@Hillary: Granddaughter is my sister's daughter. She tells me that she also has the trivet hanging on the cupboard. @OTY: Big deal dinners at our place were definitely not meatless. Mother was especially known for her roast beef and leg of lamb, both with potatoes roasted in the pan. Her secret was to jam garlic cloves into the meat. @eggmandan: For more on the chef figurine on the clock, see this comment. Also, did anyone else notice how happy Dave's salt and pepper shakers were to get into his photo? Dave's shakers = Stetson?tterrace - I zoomed in the salt & pepper shakers! I think they're one of the Stetson late 50's patterns. [The shakers in the pic of my toaster are Franciscan. "Starburst." - Dave] No need for nostalgia on one pointThey still make Revereware, though most of the big pots seem to have be discontinued. I got the starter set back when I moved out 25 years ago and still have almost all of it, plus one of my mother's fifty-plus year old saucepans, three of the monster pots, and a three quart saucepan which I happened upon at the Salvation Army. I also lucked out and got a steamer section that fits the 1 gallon pot. After dropping the pasta in the sink a couple of times, though, I got a colander.They get used day in and day out and are never the worse for wear. BTW, might I add that your niece is pretty darn good to look upon? 2500 miles away and the sameOur kitchen was in Springfield, Virginia -- same toaster, spice-racks, trivets, measuring cups, spoons, and on and on and on. Mom was Italian, cooking must have come naturally to her. She specialized in quality and quantity. Every time I hear someone say mangia! mangia! I think of her. The T-20B and I thank you!Honestly, there isn't a day that goes by without a check-in with Shorpy. Dave, your tireless efforts make life even more enjoyable--I get lost in some of the images, imagining a time well before my own. In particular, the early 20th century beach scenes with people fully clothed lounging on sand beguile me. And tterrace, where would we be without your family's Salmon Kitchen™ et al?? Thank you for sharing your yummy Larkspur goodness--I look forward to your weekend posts the way I did the funny pages on Sundays. BUT...posts with vintage toasters on Shorpy?? Now I had to comment and become a member. My soft spot for old appliances and this thread signaled it's time to stop lurking, contribute, and say thanks! [I looked on the bottom of my Sunbeam -- also a T-20B! - Dave] I Spy: Unusual kitchen toolOK, I don't have a Toastmaster to include here. But I did see an unusual kitchen aid hanging to the right of the copper measuring scoop spoons. Not the acornish shaped tea ball, but next to that is a variable scoop. Here's a picture of the one I got from my Aunt's estate three years ago. Made of stainless steel it can measure any amount from 1/4 teaspoon to 3 teaspoons. It's probably not all that unique but I find it to be a slick & innovative bit of engineering. InterestingWhen I see a photo dated 1950+ I always think, "Why should I care." This photo is different. The hot babe doesn't hurt things though. Is she still that hot? ReverewareWas invented and produced for years in my hometown of Rome NY. Now it has no connection with Revere Copper, is produced overseas, and is not the same thing at all. One can still find vintage pieces, very usable, in thrift shops and estate sales. The ones marked "Rome NY" on the bottom are the best. Whip it, whip it goodOne detail that caught my eye was the hand powered egg beater hanging on the wall next to the "Marvelous Menus" cookbook. I had one of those for years. I remember my mother having me make whipped cream with one of those. Kitchen toolbhappel has spotted something that I can't seem to dredge up a memory of, but blown up it looks like he's right: Stars and StripesThe glass in the drying rack looks like the ones we got from Arby's in the 70s. Mr. Peabodyis who came to mind when I saw Dave's reflection on the toaster. The ironing boardis trapped in its cupboard by the cookbook shelves and tool rack. LikeI think the Salmon Kitchen needs its very own fan club. Patriotic GlassWe had 2 of those glasses also, and they were my favorites. I remember filling both with cherry Kool-Aid and adding a maraschino to each in preparation for a marathon game of Monopoly with my brother. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kitchens etc., tterrapix)
Lunch Meet: 1942
... photo doesn't have the intrigue of our favorite office Christmas party, we do have the two people at the counter who are not stuffing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2022 - 2:48pm -

July 1942. "Lunchtime in the wartime capital. People's Drug store on G Street N.W. at noon." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. People's #7Located at 1100 G Street NW across 11th Street from the Woodward & Lothrop department store, making it a very popular lunch spot. The building was razed in the mid 1960s. Odor SweetI reversed an image in a mirror. I'm at a loss as to what products would be stocked under the heading "Odor Sweet." It's not a great hook phrase for perfume. Thanks, Dave, for identifying the product. I'm gonna stick with my current deodorant, No Stink. A Rare Non-SightingMy completely unscientific impression is that this is the only known Shorpy picture of any establishment that doesn't feature a Coca Cola sign on, in or near the premises. How did Coke's marketing department, omnipresent even in 1942, miss these folks? [They didn't. ICE COLD. - Dave] Front of People's #7As an add-on to sshistory's comment below, Shorpy and Dave posted a pic of the front of People's #7 circa 1920 back on 11/27/2009 here: https://www.shorpy.com/node/7213 Pure AmericanaFascinating. Perhaps it's just my little area of Canada, but I've never seen a drugstore here with a lunch counter or serving milkshakes and floats. My experience goes back to the 1950s. It was the department stores that had the lunch counters, plus of course regular restaurants which also had booths and/or tables. And lining up to get service while people slowly ate their way through a sandwich or piece of pie just was never on. If it was that busy, you'd find somewhere else as there was plenty of choice. Different country, different mores. The Happy Couple?Although this photo doesn't have the intrigue of our favorite office Christmas party, we do have the two people at the counter who are not stuffing their faces but are participating in a stare-down. What's going through their minds? Are they a married couple, communicating with their facial expressions? Since they both are pretty blank, I doubt it. She seems to have raised eyebrows. Maybe it's an office romance. Is she saying, "We've got time before we have to get back to work." Maybe they're strangers just trying to figure each other out. Then, there are the man and woman behind them waiting not so patiently, trying to burn holes in the back of the sitting people heads with their stares, particularly the woman. You know she's thinking, "If you're done, would you get up already and get a room. I'm hungry." And the guy with his hands on his hips is about ready to pull someone out of their seats if they don't hurry up. There's a lot going on here for such a simple picture. Conundrum's conundrumConundrum, here's an article about the history of lunch counters at drug stores. They sounded like the fast food of the time - a quick lunch while you're shopping for other things. As for the people in line, I suspect they were crowded because Washington DC grew enormously during WW2. The influx of people must have overwhelmed the existing restaurants, and July 1942 may have been too soon for new restaurants to open. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Marjory Collins)
An American Family: 1942
... picture really shows what a great job the producers of A Christmas Story and Radio Days and a number of others did in capturing that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/28/2017 - 11:55pm -

September 1942. Rochester, New York. "The Babcocks, an American family, tuning in for war news. Mr. and Mrs. Babcock with children Shirley, Howard and Earl, the youngest." Photo by Ralph Amdursky, Office of War Information. View full size. Warm GlowI, too, recall the golden glow from the tuner of our upright radio. Especially after an air raid warden thumped on our door during a blackout drill and told my mother that he could see it from the street. Fast-forward to 1949Just think how delighted these people will be when television comes along. Wake me after the commercialsThese kids certainly favor both parents. Looks like Dad's having a catnap. Love love love Shirley's lace collar, and that embossed planter thing. Love the radioMy father bought a similar radio for my mother sometime in the forties. I think it was a Motorola. It worked flawlessly for decades. As a child I listened to many "scare" programs on it late at night. My dad kept it in the living room of his house well into the seventies, as a conversation piece. On one of my trips back home to South Carolina I was determined to find a way to bring it back to ND where I live. I planned to stash it under the bed in our motor home. When we got there, the radio was missing. Dad, not knowing I wanted it, had hauled it out to the dumps a few weeks before. He felt pretty bad, but it was my fault I guess. Alternate takeFather is speaking! Click to enlarge. RadioFunny how we would sit and watch the radio like that. I'm not sure what we expected it to do. I guess multitasking hadn't been born yet. I miss that. Watching the radioI only have a couple snapshot memories of Radio Days; I was six when TV came to the house in 1952 and changed everything, relegating our c.1940 Zenith radio/phono to the upstairs not-quite attic cubbyhole off my sister's bedroom. There it saw additional service when she got a 45rpm turntable that could be hooked up to it. Later it helped expand my classical music appreciation with 78s I scrounged from family friends, and opened up the world to me a bit by means of its short-wave band. Later we transplanted the 3-speed turntable from our portable into it and it saw a few more years of life before ignominious banishment to the basement. Now it's an inert, but highly-retro decorative adornment in my living room. If I lost all reason and plugged it in, it would almost certainly immolate itself. Those snapshot memories: The Whistler whistling his Whistler theme; "Inner Sanctum's" creaking door; Tallulah Bankhead and company singing "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You" at the signoff of each Sunday's "The Big Show." Also a hazy impression of sitting - or more likely, lying on the floor - staring at it while listening. So yes, some people did that. All goneEarl Babcock died in 2011 at the age of 76, and the oldest girl, Shirley, in 1986 (I think), while middle-child Howard died just two weeks ago on January 16, 2013. http://www.pinesfunerals.com/new_view.php?id=67901 Anti-Dorian GrayWhen I saw the first one, I thought maybe it was just that particular picture, but now I'm convinced that that boy in the suit is the oldest-looking young kid I've ever seen. It doesn't make sense,but staring at the radio's speaker somehow made it easier to listen. I was 12 when that photo was taken and I spent much time staring at a piece of cloth behind a wood cut-out. I later spent many years as a broadcaster—in TV as well as radio—and I feel post-WWII kids missed out on a lot whenTV became the main medium. Radio fed the imagination like that tube never can. Of course we still have radio, but rarely is it used to conjure up images in our minds. Sartorially SpeakingI will assume a girlfriend eventually told Howard that he shouldn't wear striped socks with plaid trousers, it's obvious his Mother didn't. Love Old-Time Radio!Funny how on our gee-whiz auto satellite radios, 90% of what my wife and I listen to is the XM old-time radio channel hosted by Greg Bell. In addition to the favorites mentioned by tterrace, we particularly enjoy Dragnet, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, the Jack Benny Show, Boston Blackie, Casey Crime Photographer and Phil Harris and Alice Faye's show. Other favorites I've found online and listened to for hours are Superman, I Love a Mystery and my all-time favorite, Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police, which featured Mayberry's Howard McNair. Wonderful entertainment! I believe those old sets had some great speakers and/or circuitry, because they sound super to my ear compared to more modern units. Staring at the RadioIt was only polite to look at someone who was speaking to you - it showed you were paying attention. That's basically what's going on here: good manners told us that facing the voice was part of paying attention to what it was saying. Hair TonicI can't remember the name of the insidious boys' hair oil, sold in barber shops, that hardened the hair into whatever arrangement it was combed into. I used it for years. Even cow-licks were defeated for half the day. Hair tonic could have doubled as shirt starchCould that long forgotten hair tonic be Odell Hair Trainer? Hair Tonic NameI think "Vitalis" is the name you are thinking of. It came in a bottle and you poured some in your hands and then rubbed it into your hair. Hair goopI was a Brilliantine kid, myself. Age Range of KidsI'm fascinated by the apparent wide range of ages of the children. Big sister Shirley looks to be a good ten years older than middle-child Howard, and Earl another four or five years younger still. Was that typical of families before WWII? Or am I just bad at guessing ages? RE: It doesn't make senseActually, it does. When you stare directly at where the sound is coming from, you gain the benefit of both ears picking up the sounds simultaneously; it improves the quality of what you hear. Today, people just pop on headphones, and it doesn't matter. Or maybe they're waiting to catch a glimpse of the little guy that lives in the radio and shouts out the news to everyone. You know the guy; he's the brother of the little guy that lives in the refrigerator, and turns out the light when you shut the door. And with regards to the comment about range of ages; I'm the youngest of 9, and my oldest sister is 18 years older than me. Her oldest (my nephew) is 3 years younger than me, and was more like a little brother than a nephew. BrioleneBriolene was the name of the emerald green viscous hair goo that quickly hardened and held my perpetually unruly hair in place. Great stuff, once available from barber shops only, it's been gone for years. Come to think of it so too have a lot of barber shops, but my unruly hair still lingers on. War News Nothin'I'll bet they're listening to "Fibber McGee & Molly" or maybe "The Great Gildersleeve". Or if it is war news it's the ongoing war between Jack Benny and Fred Allen. Ulysses Everett McGill Was RIght!Having fine and unruly hair, I've used Vitalis for years, though I have buy it online nowadays; most stores don't carry it anymore. It has a distinctive smell. The combination of Vitalis and Old Spice after-shave prompted one lovely young woman to tell me, "I look forward to being in the elevator with you because you smell just like my dad!" Well! As U.E. McGill said, "The pleasing aroma is half the point!" Re: Hair TonicI used to use Wildroot Creme Oil, then discovered Brylcreem. Talk about the greasy kids' stuff. I guess I was a greasy kid. Brief Notice of Howard's PassingClick on Howard's picture for a larger view. Teddy Bears' PicnicI too grew up with radio. But my memories are of the kids shows. I used to wake up early on Saturday mornings, scramble to the living room and turn on the radio first thing. I loved the deep orange glow of the vacuum tubes and the faint static as it warmed up. No instant-on back then. And then came a morning of adventure and transport far beyond anywhere I'd ever been. Anybody remember Big John and Sparky? (and their theme song about teddy bears)? Sgt Preston of the Yukon and his faithful dog. The Green Hornet (with that great great buzzing theme song)? Any number of other kids shows were on post WWII and before TV gained any traction. All dressed upBy the way everyone is dressed up, you would think the President was speaking. Came in pink and greenI somehow feel embarrassed confessing this, but my hair gloop was Dippity Do. And, currently, so is my son’s. So sadThat they are all gone. Somehow when we're young we think of our families as forever and unchanging but it's not the case. Umbrellas and AshtraysI love the substantial ashtrays on the table behind the family group. We always had similar ones in our house growing up. But what are those tiny, upside down umbrella shaped vessels on the radio? Drinking glasses? Candy dishes? It's a mystery to me. So many detailsI have a 1941 Zenith console radio, with 10 tubes, that I had restored a few years ago. I found a low power AM transmitter (called the SSTran AMT-3000, if anybody's interested), that I can plug into my computer, or a CD player, or whatever, and it sends an AM signal to my radio. So I can listen to the old time music and radio programs that are now available on the Web. I enjoy it a whole lot. My radio, like so many of the era, is a beautiful object, full of Art Deco details, some real wood veneers, and some phoney wood surfacing as well. I just enjoy looking at the radio and its big black Zenith dial when I listen. This picture really shows what a great job the producers of A Christmas Story and Radio Days and a number of others did in capturing that era. Details I love: the lace doily on the radio, the "moderne" ottoman, what looks to be a bible on the radio, and first and foremost, dad's shoes! Snazzy spectators! Toothpick holdersI know this is an older thread but I've been steadily working my way backwards through the posts. As a child I remember my grandmother having some of those little umbrella toothpick holders. She had some in silver and a few in translucent plastic, pink and blue - cute. (The Gallery, Ralph Amdursky, WW2)
My Eldon Christmas: 1964
This photo is mine, Christmas Day 1964, the best Christmas I ever had! The people are L-R my Uncle (Mom's bro), Mom, Uncle ... things are universal. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas) ... 
 
Posted by Vintagetvs - 09/18/2011 - 11:04pm -

This photo is mine, Christmas Day 1964, the best Christmas I ever had! The people are L-R my Uncle (Mom's bro), Mom, Uncle (Mom's sis's hubby), Aunt (Mom's sis) and me, age 5. The slot car is an Eldon Selectronic set, I still have some of the track. View full size. Does Mom look a bit distracted?Maybe she's thinking about the after-dinner cleanup! Great shot. I always played with my friends' slot car sets. Good memories. Boys and their toysYour mother seems to be expressing the thought, "Guys and their cars." Your uncle with the controller is exactly like how my older cousin would be in '64, maybe a little later. I had a scale set-up the same as yours. I could never make the sharp turns. After a while I settled on deliberately destroying the entire game via insurance. I loved large-scale slot cars but never had the chance to own them. Saw a hobby shop on L.I. that had one set-up for enthusiasts. Pretty sweet. Long Running YouthUncles will always get right in there with the toys on the floor! Look at the enjoyment on their faces and Mom seems to have the look of "will you guys entertain us adults?" I'm worn out from playing with my nephews yesterday but it sure was fun! I bought one at a garage sale in 1978I had a set like this in the '70s. They held a community garage sale at the local shopping plaza, and I found a large moving box with not one but two Eldon sets inside for $15. That was a pile of money then, but I ran to the Credit Union and withdrew the funds. Getting the thing home balanced on my bike was a bit of a chore, but I had a paper carrier which made it easier. I wore the cars out over the next few years. I had to rebuild them several times before replacing them. I only gave it up when I got my driver's license. I wonder where my sets are now? ShaggyUncle's hair seems long by 1964 standards, which I imagine as still being in the fifties G.I. mode. Did The Beatles hit your area full force by then? Was he a cutting edge dude? Or am I overgeneralizing the hairstyle standards of the time? Me Too!I had a track just like that 6 or 7 years later. When I got a little older and tired of watching them go around in a figure eight, I discovered they would also run off a 9 volt battery. I removed the slot follower from the bottom and gave the cars their freedom. With a short leash of wire up to the battery in my hand, I could take them anywhere. I then thought if the 9 volt makes them go so good (vs the 6 volts they were designed to run on), 110 volts would really make them fly! Not so much so. With a quick ffffttttzzz, the fun was over. The guy with 1980s hairHe indeed seems like a "time traveler" with a haircut like that...the Mid-century modern funky armchair in the background is a classic, indeed. Floored!Looks like your family had the same asbestos floor tiles as mine did in the mid 1950's in Pleasant Hill, Ca. We had different colors in every room! And is that a MAGNUS organ I spy in the back? Had one of those too! British Invasion HairI can't imagine either you or your mother's brother having hair like that, had this picture been taken only a year earlier. Instead, you would probably both have had hair more like your mother's brother-in-law. Uncle Big Hair.He's only about 15 in that picture, he still has a full head of hair like that, though I do recall seeing an earlier picture of him with very short hair. Elvis and Little Richard were popular in our house so maybe they were his influences, also we lived in California so maybe things were a bit different here. My other uncle still has the flattop and pretty much dresses exactly the same today right down to his cowboy boots. (He's originally from Texas) As for me I had longish hair until my 20s, mostly because I hated the hassle of getting it cut. A Day OldI was exactly 1 day old! Tried to get there as soon as I could. Me me too!I also had an Eldon set in the '70s, inherited from an uncle who'd outgrown it, and I also liberated the cars, strapping a D cell to the car with electrical tape and fastening wires from the contacts underneath. Nice to know some things are universal. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Kindergarten Couture: 1952
... said that her aunt bought her an identical dress every Christmas. Old-School I was born in 1943, so that makes me slightly ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:09pm -

Baby boomers, first wave, all born 1946, showing how we were dressed for kindergarten. Notice how we don't look like gang members, convicts or concentration camp inmates. Of course, for class photo day, most of us had probably gotten decked out a bit better than normally, but still. By the following year a new school had opened up in Corte Madera and our class size shrank dramatically. That's me at the bottom right. View full size. MemoriesWOW! Could have been MY Kindergarten picture, but in 1953 (I was born in 1947) and in Keasbey school #8 in Keasbey, NJ. Have you attempted to contact anyone in the picture for a possible re-enactment? Now THAT would be cool! KWith a few exceptions, this could have been MY kindergarten picture, in 1984. I guess what goes around comes around in the 5-year-old fashion world. re: the captionNotice also how there are no African American, Asian, Hispanic, or any other race of kindergartners. Not that that's the kids' fault, but still. So little changeI was born 15 years before these children, my daughter 12 years later. This could have been either of our Kindergarten pictures -- when girls wore dresses even when it wasn't picture-taking day. Notice, only one boy is making a face but he's sitting behind the teacher so he probably felt brave. I agree, a re-enactment would be be really cool. Good luck. re: re: The caption etc.My little friend Stanley, bottom row fourth from the right with the cool boots, was Filipino, I believe. And I don't think Fred, third row back on the left, is actually sticking his tongue out, he's just caught in mid-giggle. I met up with several of these folks four years ago at our Redwood High 40th reunion and we all agreed it would be fun to get together and reenact a class photo, but we never got around to it. Stylin'TTerrace, that is some outfit you had there - western shirt, loose tie with steerhead slide. Doin' the Hopalong Cassidy thing there, huh? Lack of 'diversity'Re: the lack of 'diversity': the country was demographically very different in 1952. Blacks made up only about 10-11 percent of the total population. Hispanics were a much smaller percentage. Not every school will have a predetermined quota of each group, then or now. I'm of the same age group as these kids, having started school in 1953. It was a different world then. We can't apply today's standards to it. [And today black people make up almost exactly the same proportion of the population -- a little over 12 percent. So your point is? - Dave] Li'l FolksI do not see obese or too large children as today. All look in perfect health. One can also guess who will be the seducer, the hard one, l' intellectual. 37 to 1Note: 37 kids, one teacher. The InnocentI was born in 1948 and remember my kindergarden then same way; everyone bright and cheerful. Good memories. Teacher of stylish, cheerful kidsHer name was Miss Ingalls, a surname fairly common in the British Isles, apparently. My clothes: I can't tell you how much I wish I had any memories of that outfit; whose idea it was to get it, me wearing it, anything. The main thing I remember about clothes back then was that before I even thought about going in the house after playing in the back yard all day was to dust off my jeans thoroughly, including all that junk trapped in the cuffs. I wasn't cheerful on the first day of Kindergarten. When the horrible realization suddenly hit me that my mother had gone, not to come back, leaving me there on my own in a roomful of complete strangers, I ran out of the room and down the street after her screaming. I got over it. I wonder what cornball gag or shtick the photographer pulled to get us all smiling. That 70s ClassI started kindergarten in '73. Our outfits were very different. We were much more flammable. Diversity... I grew up in Santa Monica, California, in the 1950's. My school had nearly equal portions of blacks, Hispanics, Asians and white kids. My mother, on the other hand, didn't see another person of any other ethnicity until she was eight years old. She lived in a small Icelandic community in North Dakota. It was, and still is, all about where you lived. I actually think the teacher might be Hispanic, and Tterrace....I would know you anywhere! Love the boys with their hands in their pockets! Kathleen Ya like plaid?There is enough plaid in this picture to satisfy the Bay City Rollers, but as I remember it, plaid signified "back to school" and there were millions of different ones for dresses, sportshirts and jackets (my mom had a full length, multicolor plaid overcoat). I love the eager, fresh faces, the willing innocence open to being taught by the enthusiastic, happy teacher. Best of all, none of the boys look like gang bangers and none of the girls look like prosti-tots, but these were the days of unquestioned obedience, respect and discipline. I hope they all did well, they are a great looking bunch of kids and the world was awaiting their unique talents. I can relate!Don't feel bad about your first day of Kindergarten, tterrace. If you placed me in a room with 37 weepy moms and 37 active five year-olds, I'd run down the street screaming, too...and I'm the teacher! (There is no way my secondary--grades 6-12 only--history education major/English education minor could prepare me for Kindergarten kids. I used to teach the K-2 class at my church, and those tykes were spectacularly EXHAUSTING!) I love AmericansI emigrated from England years ago. The wonderful photographs on this site, no matter the subject matter or point of view, show Americans as they really are--a simply magnificent people. Born in '52I still have my KG class photo, too, and I swear some of these same people in the same outfits were in my class in 1957 in Pasadena. Me TooYep, that could have been my kindergarten pic too from the mid 60's. Cotton dress (my mother complained constantly about how much she ironed) little white socks and oxfords. Girls couldn't wear pants, no matter what the weather until 73/74. Kindergarten hadn't become part of public school curriculum yet in my area. If you went anywhere it was church sponsored, which was what mine was. Great time though. Found my first love then. Ahhh... A Year LaterI was in KG not far from there in Paso Robles ... and I swear if the sign wasn't in front of your group I would spend hours trying to figure out why I wasn't in the picture with the rest of my classmates. Cheers. Down Under WearWith a few exceptions (some of the boys' clothing), all the children were in my 1950 kindergarten class here, Down Under. Re: PlaidMy mother, also born in 1946, is always wearing a plaid dress with a white bib in grade school pictures. I asked her if Grandma let the same dress out every year, but she said that her aunt bought her an identical dress every Christmas. Old-SchoolI was born in 1943, so that makes me slightly older. We had a dress code due to the fact that there were a lot of really poor people in our neighborhood. This was to eliminate competition fashionwise. I'm a firm believer in a uniform dress code. Look at the schools which set high standards; all have a dress code. Girls wore navy blue tunics and a white blouse. There were no jeans or runners permitted for either boys or girls. Discipline was strict and immediate; parents usually backed up the teachers. We moved about the school in an orderly fashion; double file and no talking. Boys entered one end of the building and their girls the other. Recess was strictly segregated as well. We sat up straight at our desks with our feet on the floor. No calling out was allowed; we had to raise our hand and be recognized by the teacher. We stood, as a class, any time any adult entered the room. I never heard of ADD, ADHD or all this nonsense which has become pandemic. You behaved or there was hell to pay. Nor was there a fleet of personal cars waiting to pick students up at dismissal. There were no school buses for us; you walked or used public transportation. Bicycles were not to be brought to school either. From kindergarten on I walked to and from school; usually alone. This was in a big city of over a million people. I think, all in all, that we became a very responsible productive generation. The Good Old Days!I was in Miss Ingalls´ Kindergarten class of 1960-61 and apparently, on the first day of school I sent my mother away before I even got in the door!! And from that moment on I have so many good memories; the cherry tree blossoms in the playground, nap time on our little blankets, the playhouse! and laying my little dress and matching ruffled socks out for the next day of school every night before going to bed. When I turned 16 Miss Ingalls was at my party! She had married and her name was Mrs. Vining. GaolbirdsBeing easily distracted didn't appear in the last twenty years. Back then, kids who displayed ADHD symptoms were MUCH more likely to drop out of school or go to gaol then they are now. The good old days, as long as you weren't black, a woman who wanted to be something other than a housewife, or slightly different. I really dig the cowboy boots on the kid just to the right of the sign. I wonder what were cooler, sneakers or black leather school shoes? (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Education, Schools, Kids, tterrapix)
Back to School: 1962
... December 1962. I'm a junior in high school, and during Christmas break a chum and I revisit the grade school we graduated from two and ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 08/28/2021 - 12:18am -

December 1962. I'm a junior in high school, and during Christmas break a chum and I revisit the grade school we graduated from two and a half years earlier. Lo and behold, there we find, in our old classroom, our eighth grade teacher, in mufti, along with his wife and daughter. "With a little more effort and attentiveness, Paul can accomplish much more than he presently is," is what he'd written on my report card in 1960. Man, did he have me figured. Check out my then-de rigueur white-socks-with-black-loafers and semi-peg pants. I was bound and determined to at least not dress like a dork. Self-timer Kodachrome with my new Kodak Retinette 1A. View full size. Amazing non-ColorizationBravo! I love the colors of this photo. I am truly amazed at the capabilities of 1960s Kodachrome combined with a standard issue Retinette. Also, great work of the photographer to capture such an emotional expression of poses and faces. True Americana. Neat? Or Beat?We had those desks in sixth grade. Below: 1960 ad for same. Grade SchoolsDid they have separate schools for Grades 7-8 ? When I was at Cherryland (Hayward) and Olive (Novato) in 1955-57 those were 1-6 (me being in 2-4). Also, those desks look more convenient for the "duck-and-cover" practice of that era than what we had. (Brought only to mind as the photo is a mere 2 months after the Cuban Missile Crisis!) Desk HazardOh no! I remember those desks with the tilt-tops. Many times my finger or palm would get pinched in the operation of pushing it down. To say nothing of the hazard of "falling into" the desk and having it clamp onto you or your clothes. I saw that happen in a fight between two kids--not a good sight. Illogical that the closing area would be out of sight yet right in front of you at the same time. That lavender hue makes me think of Mimeograph paper and the smell of the fluid needed to print up division tests and the like. Things really are so different now. [More of a Pepto-Bismol pink, I think. - Dave] You Rock.I love this photo. It looks like an album cover. Aspiring Models?A great picture that captures the true essence of classrooms in the 60's, I can even smell the crayons and the cedar pencil shavings in the sharpener, but I can't help but notice the stance on both you and your chum. Your postures certainly look like those of the models I see on the Victoria's Secret runway shows. Were you two, by any chance, doing part-time modeling for local advertisers? In any case, I had to look up the meaning of "in mufti", so I don't really know everything (as I thought I did) and your teachers' comments regarding your innate intelligence have turned out to be prophetic, judging by your fine photography, general knowledge and ability to capture these incomparable Kodak moments. Thanks for yet another welcome picture. Meanwhile, on the East Coast...My memories of elementary school in the '60s are a bit different. I attended a school built right after the Civil War, with rows of wooden desks bolted to the floor. We folded the seats back at the end of the day so the janitors could sweep, and I remember being so preoccupied one morning that I fell on the floor because I forgot to fold my seat down before sitting. A good laugh was had by all (except me). Well, it only took 40 years....To solve the mystery of my first-grade desk. I thought it was a torture device, designed to get me in trouble with the teacher for making noise in class. It's actually an adjustable desktop to make writing easier. Not only did I wrestle with it every time I opened it, it squeaked loudly as well. Hall?Is that Henry C Hall or Neil Cummings School? I think it looks like Hall, but it's been a while so maybe I'm forgetting. I can't help but note I can't help but note that while your friend looked about 13 or 14, you look about 25......Now, be honest. Just how many times DID you repeat 7th grade?! Okay, I was just kidding. Nice pic. I can smell the hot lunch from the cafeteria down the hall, the sweaty gymnasium, the musty library, even the dry scent of the principal's office... Classroom answersThis is at LCM (Larkspur-Corte Madera) School at 20 Magnolia Ave. in Larkspur. It's still there, but no longer used as a school; since 1979, the district has been leasing it out as office space to education-oriented organizations, in accordance with the provisions of the original land deed. When I was there it was still full K-8. Neil Cummins in Corte Madera had opened the year after my kindergarten class, and Henry C. Hall the year before my 8th grade. Those were new desks. The ones I remember from all through my time at LCM were like these, complete with the hole for the inkwell. The last time we used those was in fifth grade, 1957. The less said about our poses the better. American Look: 1958 Larkspur CasualsI think the pose fits right in with this 1958 ad. Click below to enlarge. (Little did you realize, on that December day in 1962, you weren't just snapping a photo. You were generating "content.") Content under pressureOh cripes, that made me take another look at that shot; is there any record of someone being Farked twice? [Not yet! - Dave] Design for Dreaming: 1956 Motorama A Touch of Magic: 1961 Motorama"This dream house you and I will share was planned for us by Frigidaire." The Sheer Look: 1957a.k.a. "Frigidaire Finale." I am sure our knowledgeable 1950s-philes can provide some informed metacommentary here. Sheer madnessThe ice cube segment of "Frigidaire Finale" is why they invented the term "subtext." Colorblind DesignersWe had a few of those American Seating desks in our grade school, although the colors were melon (with a hint of Crayola "Flesh" color) and battleship grey, rather than pepto-salmon and blue. The most common desk we had was the steel grey non-pivoting seat model something like this one, only less cheaply-made looking and more stylish. Do grade students not get their own desks these days? Or do they carry everything to and from school every day in their backpack? 11-22-63Second seat, far left row. Principal came in, whispered something to Miss Winkleman. She sobbed, the principal said something to us. That's exactly the image that this picture (taken about one year earlier) brings to my mind. Not much has changed...Just so you know, I was in grade school in the 1990s and we STILL had those desks! By that time the whole desk was covered in scratches of what kids thought would be funny jokes. Still, in 1994, there were students trying to figure out how to even sit in such a contraption - I don't even want to think about the challenges of a poor left handed student!!! Mr.G.I just showed my wife this photo, and she knew the name of the man you're leaning on. He was her teacher too. Tempus fugitI just received word that my friend in this photo has passed away. R.I.P. buddy. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Education, Schools, tterrapix)
Hopalong Christmas: 1950
... adn cownting borde. Fine, take the red one. Christmas of 1955 I was 6 and my brother was 4. Among many treasures like ... yet - I got one just like it that year. (The Gallery, Christmas, Michigan Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 9:01pm -

"Xmas 1950." 35mm Kodachrome yanked at random out of a box of slides bought on eBay. I call dibs on the dump truck. View full size. TractorI still have my tractor from perhaps a year or three later. Roughly the same size, it appears, though not as nicely detailed. Some paint not original. One owner though, of course. The Red vs Green Debate...tterrace...The tractor in the original photo looks to be a John Deere while yours must be a McCormick Farmall. Just last week I was at the Butler County Fair in Ohio and I saw this Tee shirt.... Thanks for some saddle-up memories ShorpyWow - this pic just whipped me back to the past on the Shorpy time machine! My two favorite movie/TV cowboys Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy in there with a pair of RR boots and what looks like a book "Hoppy and Lucky" (Lucky being one of his side kicks). Liked the actors that played Lucky but Edgar Buchanon was just too comical as Red Connors. Other old timers on here will remember the original books by Clarence Mulford where Hoppy and the rest of the Bar-20 boys were rough and tough. William Boyd did a wonderful job civilizing Hoppy to make him a household name. Writer Louis L'Amour also continued with some outstanding Hoppy books. You can have itI want the streamlined Fire Chief car! I'll takethe creepy doll and teh speliing adn cownting borde. Fine, take the red one.Christmas of 1955 I was 6 and my brother was 4. Among many treasures like these under the tree were two cars identical to the Fire Chief car. One was red (mine) and the other was yellow(his). Of course little brother pitched a fit for the red one and my parents talked me in to trading with the brat. Two days later he left it out in the driveway and my Dad flattened it with the car when he came home from work. I call it poetic justice. And no, I didn't give him mine. Tough noogies. Tinkertoys in the back!Would have been perfect if there were Lincoln Logs too! Ther's an Erector Set in the backin the round container with the metal lid. I had the same set, but it was later in the 50's. Wish I knew where my spelling board was.I had one of these, and I loved it! Got it probably around 1959, and it wasn't red. Never used the number side except for playing "school" with Doreen, Gretchen, and Sandy in Santa Ana, CA. Good times. For What It's WorthI second the "tough noogies"!! Tinker Toys....It looks like the round container with the metal lid is a container of Tinker Toys. Wooden sticks, spools with holes in them to insert the sticks and an assortment of connectors and pulleys. All of this was made of wood. An erector set on the other hand is comprised of metal parts, wheels, pulleys, nuts, bolts and quite possibly an electric motor to make your contraption work. The end result is the same, just wood vs metal. I had both back in the 50s when I was a kid. DollThat's a Tiny Tears doll - the first year she came out when she only came with the rubber head and no 'real' saran hair yet - I got one just like it that year. (The Gallery, Christmas, Michigan Kodachromes)
Halloween Hoedown: 1940
... A few examples: Texanna Loomis Christmas Delivery Radio-Vitant Circus Girl IM me ... 
 
Posted by Fredric Falcon - 09/20/2011 - 1:23pm -

This photo by Arthur Rothstein wasn't an ideal one to colorize, but somehow it challenged me. I didn't like the rope going across, so I removed it. I couldn't resist adding a little humor by making the banjo player's clothing mismatched. I figure that in that day and place, he just might have dressed like that for an informal evening of jamming with his buddies. View full size. The Great DaneRegarding banjos, I'm reminded of something Victor Borge used to say: "The difference between a violin and a viola? The viola burns longer." I resent that statement....!# Playing the banjo is a lot like throwing a javelin blindfolded: you don't have to be very good to get people's attention. # What do you say to the banjo player in the three piece suit? "Will the defendant please rise." # What do you get when you throw a banjo and an accordion off the Empire State Building? Who cares? # What do you call 25 banjos up to their necks in sand? Not enough sand. # What do you call 100 banjos at the bottom of the ocean? A good start. # What did the banjo player get on his IQ test? Drool. # Why do some people take an instant aversion to banjo players? It saves time in the long run. # What will you never say about a banjo player? That's the banjo player's Porsche. # Banjo players are a lot like sharks: they think they have to keep playing or they'll sink. # How can you tell the difference between all the banjo songs? By their names. OK with meI agree with Gnostar. I don't mind the colorization as long as the photos are identified as such -- when there could be doubt. I also suspect the contributor's re-colorization of the fiddle is pretty close. gblawson missed one for the accordion, as told by Little Jimmy Dickens: "The definition of a gentleman is someone who can play the accordian -- and doesn't!" No objectionNice job (not that I know anything about how to colorize a picture). And for the record, I'm happy to see colorized images on this site, as long as they're identified as such and it looks like they could be exhibiting natural shades. Now who wants to take on some of those Civil War camp scenes? Violin color.I added the color in photoshop. Hope you don't mind. Waste of SpaceAnd so the purpose of posting this waste of space is...???? [To see your comment! - Dave] Color me happy!I like the snappiness that the color gives to the photo. Colourization vs. TintingI find myself less disturbed by this sort of thing than I tend to feel about colorization in the movies. There are a lot of reasons. In dealing with colorized movies, it was true that the original material was not destroyed or in anyway defaced, however it was also true that had the process been at all satisfactory (it rarely was; the colours tended to be entirely inappropriate and in some cases the result was horrendous - check out the colorized version of the original "Nutty Professor" with Fred MacMurray) the only version of many classic films we'd see would be the colorized version. About the only good thing to come out of colorizing movies was Turner Classic Movies, the greatest cable channel in the world. In contrast what is done with still photos is far less of an artistic pillage. As Dave has pointed out, the original material is still intact. Add to that the fact that "colorizing" photos in a far more destructive process, was quite common for most of the 20th century, and probably before. Prints of photos were tinted using commercially available kits, and photographers offered the option to add colour to their pictures. The results were usually quite a lot worse than what we're seeing here. These photos do need to be marked as colorized, but On the whole I don't see anything wrong with it as only pixels are altered to create these images. As for those Civil War scenes, they may be hard to do. I don't know what it's like with this software, but one of the drawbacks of the film colorization process was that you had to tint things to a darker colour than the original image. With those Union uniforms essentially photographing as black, that would be pretty hard to do. Sorry to say but...This is a wonderful photo by Arthur Rothstein, and it needs no "improvement" by colorizing. If Mr. Rothstein had intended to use color, he would have. I have to say I have always been opposed to meddling and altering any photographer's black and white work be it still or motion pictures. An image being "public domain" gives no one the right to deface an original work. [You'll doubtless be relieved to learn that the original negative reposes, unmolested, in the vaults of the Library of Congress. - Dave] Nice jobJust the other day I mentioned to my wife that the age of colorization of movies seemed to have come and gone without most people noticing. In any case, this is a very fine effort and I'd be interested in knowing how long it took (not including the aborted fiddle attempt). I agree that as long as the technique is noticed, we're good. Some people see life in black and white and would never have it any other way. I LOVE Your ColorizationI'd like to know if you use a specific tool or filter to colorize these photos. I've got a pretty old version of Photoshop and in order to do this I can imagine a LOT of work. I'd love a quick quick tutorial from you (or a link to your favorite colorization tutorial online). Again, thanks for these. Anyone who thinks monkeying with past works of art is bad belongs in a hard pew church; they do not have supple minds or hearts. [Fredric tells how he does it in this post. - Dave] Flesh TonesI appreciate the time and effort Fredric Falcon puts into his colorizations. They are snappy and certainly don't cause me any great discomfort. The only quibble I have is that on this and the Grace Valentine photo, the skin tones look a little too colorful, too ruddy shall we say. Nevertheless, as long as Fredric does them and Dave puts them up, they're part of the wonderful world of Shorpy. Nothing more than vandalism...Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be. The skill of the original photographer in working with the media of the time should be respected and appreciated. That respect and appreciation is not shown by colorizing the photos. What's next? Shorpy images converted to HDR? Or maybe placing the dog's head on someones body? (Hope I don't give anyone any ideas.) [Not to worry. - Dave] Colorization: Examples and tutorialBest colorization of vintage photos I've seen so far: http://www.pbase.com/vhansen/colorings Tutorial: http://www.worth1000.com/tutorial.asp?sid=161015 Colorization vs. FarkingPersonally, I love the work that Fredric is doing with colorization: the colorized photos always bring out details and depth I did not appreciate in the B&W. I agree that indiscriminate and haphazard coloring would distract from the quality of the original photos, but that is not what we have witnessed: Fredric's work shows great skill and extreme sensitivity to historical context. For those who enjoy raising their blood pressure over the "molestation" of historical photos, I direct you to the galleries of 'Farked' photos: though not hosted at Shorpy.com, they are more representative of the bounds currently being taken in regards to abuse/creativity with public domain photos. A few examples: Texanna Loomis Christmas Delivery Radio-Vitant Circus Girl IM me While I am rarely entertained by the photos from Shorpy that undergo the Farking process, I would hardly get up in arms over other people utilizing internet/software resources to spur their own artistic processes. Isn't it the combination of creativity and liberty which makes the U.S.A. great? For the recordYour webmaster is a fan of Fredric's images, as I know many of you are (as I write this, "Halloween Hoedown" is the most popular post on the site), and hopes the exchange of views doesn't deter him from posting more. We all remember Shorpy contributor James Lileks, who when last seen was running screaming out the door. Curious to know....Are these colors in layers and if so, are you working with as many layers as you are colors? Also, how do you get the flesh tone? TrombolineI'm reminded of the question: What's the difference between a trampoline and a trombone? Answer: You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline. Unnatural Color by TechnicolorPerhaps some of the results seem "too colorful" and not quite lifelike. Not a problem for me. They're fun anyway. Even 19th-century photo portraits and many landscape scenes got tinted too, and now we have only the faded prints and monochrome negatives on which to base our ideas about what was accepted. And, after all, in the early days of color movies, the Technicolor labs deliberately and unnaturally heightened the vividness of their process, sometimes over the dead bodies of directors and producers who wanted a subtler look. Even with new computer software, color tinting is not a mechanical process but an aesthetic one that owes more to the vision and skill of the tinter than to the tools used. So, enjoy the art show or hate it hard, but don't shoot the artist for trying something outside somebody's assumed rulebook. ColorsI don't work in layers. The colors are added in lines and scribbles with the program Akvis Coloriage. It's simple to use but kinda difficult to describe the process concisely. It'd be easier for you to visit the Akvis website to see how it works. On the tutorial page is a short movie you can watch to see how colors are added. The program has a collection of suggested flesh tone colors for all races. Alas, with some of criticisms of my flesh tones here, I should have tried some other hues. And, rgraham, that was an ideal color you added to the violin! Thanks! Well DoneThese colorized photos are exceptional because of their quality. I don't hear anybody complaining about B&W photographs of old master paintings, they do exist. In the 1980s there were attempts at colorizing movies. The outcry was enormous. They were done initially to Laurel and Hardy reels and sold as VHS tapes. The worst example was "It's a Wonderful Life." The process used then was awful. Plaids were all one color and the flesh tones made them look like cartoons. Art rises or falls on its merits. Fredric Falcon's work is excellent. My 2 CentsI know I'm opening up myself to Dave's wrath, but I would question saying this is the most "popular" post - but it might be a question of semantics. I'm sure many people open the post to simply see what other people are writing concerning colorization, not necessarily supporting the practice. It's like buying a movie ticket; even if you end up hating the film the theater still has your money. Even if there was a flood of criticism Dave still runs the site as he sees fit. From what I've seen on Shorpy the comments sections aren't as full of negative comments as other sites tend to be. I'd like to think that means that most people choose to not post something disparaging or critical (yes, there are those exceptions). [It was "most popular" according to the Statistics Module -- i.e., No. 1 in the "Popular Content" Top 5 list over on the right. - Dave] ColorizationI think you've done a great job, most notably in the details. Excellent!Great job! As somebody who's tinkered with colorizing B&W pics, I understand how many hours this took you. Here's one I did a while back. Colorizing Debate: One SolutionI have a solution to the debate about colorizing. But first, this word: I was reminded of a time 20 years ago when I published a magazine article that had zero to do with photography, but I had used the word "colorize," which seemed natural enough at the time. Next thing I knew I got a letter from the Turner Broadcasting legal department saying that "colorize" was its trademarked word. Good luck with that one, Ted. Anyway, the fix: those who object could download the colorized photo and load it into Photoshop. The photo could then be decolorized using any favorite method: desaturation, channel mixer, whatever. The new B&W would then be uploaded to Shorpy. I'm sure Dave would be pleased to create a new section called "De-colorized Colorized" where we could all judge how well the user did in exactly matching the monochrome originals in Shorpy's database. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Colorized Photos)
Mad Luncheonette: 1957
... of interest Advertising Pepsi but selling Coke. Mad Christmas It looks like the Mad Magazine issue is Number 36, December 1957! ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 08/10/2008 - 12:35pm -

The last in the "Luncheonette" group. If you look carefully, there's a Mad Magazine on the shelf (floor level). Enjoy! View full size. Sports Cars IllustratedThe November, 1957 issue is on the top shelf. The magazine was renamed Car and Driver beginning with the April 1961 issue. Conflict of interestAdvertising Pepsi but selling Coke. Mad ChristmasIt looks like the Mad Magazine issue is Number 36, December 1957! Talk about a magazine that stuck with its original design! I was at Comic-Con two weeks ago, and the major Mad artists were there, still alive and kicking! Boy, I like the prices on those Sundaes! I was at a famous chain of Ice Cream stores the other day, $19 plus change... for two Sundaes and a milk shake! Yikes! Kathleen Mad LuncheonetteThere are SO many things I love about this picture. First of all, the homestyle draperies on the doorway leading into the back of the store is a clue that the proprietor had his living quarters there, which was common in the first half of the century. The telephone booth in the left hand corner was a very familiar feature in almost every diner, drugstore and soda fountain prior to 1970 and provided privacy for conversations. I miss phonebooths tremendously, not being a fan of cellphones. Best of all, that compartmentalized ice cream freezer on the front right was my most favorite appliance ever. Each one had different ice cream treats, some I remember were Frosticks, Creamsicles, Push-Ups (not the bra), Dixie Cups with movie star lids, a bastion of childhood pleasure. I could go on, but don't want to monopolize the board, although this photo is fabulous. Thank you. PotrzebieSpecifically, the December 1957 issue: Mags and ComicsUnderneath the True Experience and next to what looks like an issue of Photoplay are the comic books Patsy Walker, Millie the Model and Miss America. WOW!Good eye to spot this same magazine on the shelf! DaggettsCan someone tell what are/were Daggetts? [The sign says Daggett's Chocolates. - Dave] Say It Isn't So!>>The last in the "Luncheonette" group.
Let's play LIFE: 1972
Christmas 1972 with my grandpa and his second wife, Marcie. The Roller Derby ... like they're ready to sing a duet for Lawrence Welk's 1972 Christmas program. I rather like their wardrobe's unintentionally patriotic ... in the Olds, too. By extension Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like an extra-long, heavy-duty extension cord. Stepgrandma ... 
 
Posted by Tony W. - 07/13/2012 - 3:50pm -

Christmas 1972 with my grandpa and his second wife, Marcie. The Roller Derby skates (box on bottom left) had metal wheels with a small gap between them so it was incredibly easy to fall over on any twig or pebble. View full size. And now, substituting for Guy And Ralna ...They look like they're ready to sing a duet for Lawrence Welk's 1972 Christmas program. I rather like their wardrobe's unintentionally patriotic color scheme. VinoMy favorite thing about this picture is the word "vino" scrawled across one of the boxes. These two look like they could use a pour - or maybe they had one too many the night before. But it looks to be a prosperous house, judging by the number of empty gift boxes. I hope Gramps and his #2 were happy. Broadway Joe!Your grandpa was Joe Namath? Great nostalgic photo. RelativityYour grandparents look so young! Well, maybe I am getting old. Ouch my eyes hurt!!There is not a natural clothing fiber on either one of these people. Is this the same grandfather with the six pack abs in the other pic?? A PostcardFrom the Land of Primary Colors. It was about the same period that I acquired a pair of white pants and a carnation-pink tie. What were we thinking? Sartorial SplendorI have to hand it to any man who could wear that ensemble and look good. I, on the other hand, would look like a Smurf. I guess by 1972Grandpa had traded in the Olds, too. By extensionNothing says "Merry Christmas" like an extra-long, heavy-duty extension cord. StepgrandmaShe must be all of 45 by now. Whew.This is the kind of photo that makes me glad that I wore a uniform through the '70s and '80s and missed sartorial choices like this. The fact that I'm colorblind would have resulted in some horrendous color combinations. The Odds are GoodI'm thinking there's a great probability that Granddaddy was wearing a white leather belt. Super picture, thanks. The 1970sThe era that defined chafing. I had those skates!And I am my next door neighbor skated so much in the small parking lot of the townhouse development where we lived that the blacktop was as smooth as a baby's bottom. The more we skated the better the skating was! A cure for nostalgiaPhotos like this make me glad the 70's are over. The clothes were awful, the hair styles were awful, there was some good music tho. I notice she does not seem too happy, perhaps nervous? ClassicThose smoked-glass drinking glasses were very high-fashion back in those days. The Forgotten Batman Super-VillainBlueberry Man. That '70s Show!My God,what a display. My dad, who is featured in one of my first slides, was in his mid 40s when this was taken. He went crazy into the leisure suit thing and outfits like Gramps here had. It was a backlash, I think, from his younger days in the advertising biz, when a white shirt and a black, grey or dark blue suit was regulation. I also loved the game of LIFE!! I had Life and Monopoly marathons with my pals. The clothingPerhaps it's because I didn't live through the '70s but I think they look rather snazzy. Doubleknit MemoriesStepgrandma looks all of 19. Is she wearing one of those step-in zip up acrylic robes? My mother had quite a few. I bet his pants and jacket are doubleknit. My dad had tons of those but thankfully not in those colors. They always smelled horrible after an outing on a hot day, especially after a round of golf. Where did the perspiration go? Probably in the shag carpeting. A new extension cord!It's just what I wanted! Thanks Mom -- this is the best Christmas EVER! Look what I found!Those smoked-glass drinking glasses and goblets are Libbey Glass Company's "Tawny Accent" line. I still have my set and still use them daily. I enjoy examining the photos here at Shorpy...one never knows what might turn up in the background of the daily postings. The 70's UGH!Your stepgrandma doesn't look too happy. Neither does your grandpa. Maybe they hated the 70's as much as I did. I broke my arm skating with metal wheeled rollerskates. Of course, back then no one sued anyone. Well, hardly anyone. Deja Vu all over again Hey, in thirty or forty years, our classiest togs will cause paroxysms of laughter. They were, no doubt, viewed as trend setters and fashion plates. Oh yeah, the game of life spinner made a mad cool buzzing noise. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, Tonypix)
The Device: 1928
... a motor. I can't identify what it's use was. Blinking Christmas tree lights maybe; that's only a guess though. Magnetic ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/31/2021 - 12:40pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1928. "NO CAPTION" is all it says here. Whatever this is, wires are involved. 4x5 inch glass negative, Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. Perhaps a Rotary SwitchThis looks like a rotary switch of some sort. The disk is glass to insulate the wedges on the glass from each other. The wedges on the glass will make contact with the wedges screwed to the back plate to which the wires are attached. As the glass rotates contact will be made and broken at different times for each of the attached wires. Presumably there is something on the back that will spin the disk, but it can't be very big as it fits in the ladies hand. Perhaps there is a shaft there that would connect to a motor. I can't identify what it's use was. Blinking Christmas tree lights maybe; that's only a guess though. Magnetic triggering device?Just a guess, based on the clear (you can see his thumb under the wheel) circle with triangular sections blocked out with tape or something and the 4 equidistant "sensors" surrounding the rotating piece. Reminds me of a crude version of an automotive crank-triggered ignition setup. Antenna switching device?I wonder if that's an antenna switching device for radio reception. That kind of braided wire is often used for long wire antennas. It really looks like some kind of switch, but it doesn't look as if it's designed to handle much voltage or current. Some Kind of MotorI wondering if the clear disk is a rotor and the four triangles mounted on the board and wired make up the stator. Science project? Switch for Antenna Selection?It looks like a rotary switch with 4 postions. Not intended for significant current, so it probably is used for selecting receiving antenna for radio. Spin the glass dial to select. It is not entirely clear how the bottom triagnuar contacts are connected. It doesn't look like a simple 1 of N selection, but could combine the antennas in certain combinations (e.g 1 + 2). A 1920's version of a 1830's Davenport DC motor Looks like a teaching version of a Thomas Davenport (1802 – 1851) DC Motor. He was a Vermont blacksmith who in 1834 was credited as the inventor of the first DC electric motor in the US. Ambiguous PrototypeWhat we have here is the first CPU heatsink prototype, redundant grounding straps and all. Either that, or a long-lost photograph of Benjamin Franklin's new-fangled lightning-kite attachment prototype. Not Available in StoresIt's a vegetable chopper and potato clock power source. And the old advice is neededYou have to cut the blue wire first. Seldom seen nowadaysThose of us old-timers in the graphic arts industry recognize a 1920s manual Pantone-O'Matic, which chose four complementary colors at the push of a button. Gee whiz for its day, and still in use in the mid-1960s. Invented by Barney Day, younger brother of Benjamin Day, pressman for the old New York Sun. The little color wheels for this device are still seen occasionally in thrift and antique shops. Folks use them to dazzle and confuse rodents and other household pests. Antenna tuner/coupler ?Could it be a variable capacitor to tune a wire antenna to a given frequency ? Looks like it could handle a couple of kV's making it suitable for transmitting as well as receiving. Whatzit?!?Those braided or twisted leads could carry a fair amount of current, but the paperclip contact to the Device wouldn't. The glass disk hints at high voltage, and with thin pads fixed to the disk, passing between copper contacts around it, it looks a bit like a Wimshurst Machine. Note there are 5 pads on the disk, and 4 sets on the (Bakelite, I believe?) base, so pairs line up sequentially, but never all at once. What momma used to say"It's dirty, don't touch it!" Field MillUsed to measure small static (Direct Current) charges. The rotating shutter would convert the direct current to alternating current which was more easily measured with the equipment of that time. When trying to measure a small static charge back then, you would have major problems with drift and noise. http://www.missioninstruments.com/pages/learning/about_fm.html https://www.instructables.com/E-Field-Mill/ Strobe LightYou're all wrong. It's a strobe light. Variable capacitor?Several good guesses already. My guess is that it's a prototype variable capacitor, such as might be used in a radio tuning circuit. As far as I can tell My first guess was a device to measure the speed of light, because it looks like the one that kid on Bonanza invented for the same purpose. Except his was manually operated. Time Lord TechnologyOf course it is difficult to identify as it is the variable tuning apparatus (which sits inside the control console) and is attached to the control handle for the Zig Zag Plotter on a Type 40 TARDIS. Holy Hypno!I think the Penguin used this same device to hypnotize Batman. But in color. SequencerMy take on this gadget is that it's for sequencing 'traveling lights' on advertising signage. Each of the static contact are visibly offset from the rotating contacts by different amounts so they would make and break each of the 3 (or is it 4?) circuits at different times. This would result in the illusion of motion for whatever lights were connected. Well, clearly it's a ... a ... um ...The triangle contactor on the upper left has a wire leaving it, which appears to go under the glass disk to the loop and wire on the lower right, and also to connect to the lower-right triangle contactor. The lower left triangle similarly seems to have a wire that goes behind the board and around to the upper-right triangle/contactor. The metal on the glass disk at the lower left appears to have a triangular piece of wire that sticks up to make contact with the lower-left stationary triangle contactor. As others have observed, they are all offset to make/break contact in sequence. If it's for sequencing marquee lights, why did someone need to make a glass negative of that?? [The Library of Congress archive contains thousands of photos of various inventions, gizmos and gadgets. - Dave] It slices! It dices!That's Ron Popeil's mother holding the device, a very early prototype of the Veg-O-Matic. The only thing I can say for certainIs that thing could use a good cleaning. Interesting clueNote that there are four triangular flanges over the wheel, yet on the wheel itself there are five triangular patches, presumably to block (or make) electrical contact. My guess is thus similar to JohnHoward's, that it's for advertising signage -- you get contact (and thus lights) moving forward or backward faster than the speed of the rotating disc. Think period movie palaces, with big flashing neon displays; something had to run them, and this was going to be the next big step forward. What is it?It looks like some sort of switch or distributor. (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Beauty Parlor: 1928
... I love looking at all the "stuff." All I want for Christmas.... ...is whatever's in that box under the counter with the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 11:41am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1928. "Roberts beauty shop." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. Don't shampoo your hairI was taught by my mother, a 1939 graduate of a beauty school (she became a "beauty operator"), that frequent washing would dry out hair. So, in our household hair was washed once weekly, though most of my early years my brothers and I had what was called a butch cut. And we'll wrap your purchaseAnd we'll wrap your purchase in brown paper and twine! I've never purchased anything in brown paper and twine. I don't know why that strikes me so strongly other than it's such a simple, yet significant, change in daily routine. And: There's a call for Shorpy on Line 2. TimingShucks! We just narrowly missed a peek at a client's no doubt lovely outfit. Water vs. Plain?Why was a "water" shampoo more expensive than a "plain" shampoo? I'm so intrigued to know what these terms meant back then in the hairdresser business! I hope he was worth itAccording to the price list, the owner commands a 50% premium if HE cuts your hair. That's some chutzpah! We'll Wait for Mr. Robert, Thank YouFirst Bob $2 Hair Cut $1 _____ Mr. Robert's Work First Bob $3 Hair Cut $1.50 Since it's my first Bob, I think I'll cough up the extra buck. Not so differentJust like some shops today, with those additional items like perfume, lipsticks and powders, carefully displayed the showcases to tempt a lady to be more appealing, even while she is still paying for the visit she just had. If not for the phone and pen on the counter I could even be convinced this is a more recent boutique spa. Also- looks like it was a parlor at some point, with the fireplace directly behind the register. Couldn't have been that cold in the shop! Can We TalkThe working spaces or booths seem awfully confining. That also didn't encourage talking among the customers. I imagine a great deal of the pleasure the ladies get at these salons is the exchange of information. I guess I made that statement politically correct. I'd like Mr. Robert, please.Must have been a special day to have Mr. Robert bob your hair. Well worth the dollar extra I am sure! Late of Maison GustaveUPDATE: based on further research (see above) the "Roberts" referred to in this 1925 advertisement is probably not the "Mr. Robert" associated with this photo. Marinello Beauty Parlor Shampooing, Manicuring, Face Massaging, Mercelling, Permenent Waving, 50¢ per curl All the latest modes in hair bobbing by Roberts - Late of Maison Gustave 528 11TH ST. NW. PHONE FRANK, 5592 I have an appointment with Mr. Robertfor a haircut, followed by a wet set and then a manicure. I'll buy some of that vegetable shampoo, too, please. First BobThat one is at the top of the price list for a good reason, I presume, judging from how many of the Atwater-Kent workers had one this year. No need for Miss Clairol here"Our vegetable shampoo brings back the natural shade of prematurely gray hair" Makes you wonder what vegetables and other substances were in that brew! Yet Another Bob"If skirts get much shorter, said the flapper with a sob, there'll be two more cheeks to powder, and one more place to bob." Mr. RobertLove to know what he was like. Did the stereotype of gay male hairdresser exist in 1928? Also enjoy the Deco packaging and ads. I think my favorite Shorpy pics are the interiors of stores & businesses. I love looking at all the "stuff." All I want for Christmas.......is whatever's in that box under the counter with the crescent moon cutout. I don't care if it's Eau de Alleycat, I love that box. (And what's so special about Mr. Robert?) Crescent Moon BoxAfter I looked at it, I thought it might be a Toucan bird. Can you see the eye, and the line down the bill of the bird? Also, there might be a leg sticking out there, too. I love this box, too. They don't make things like this anymore, do they? It might be a bottle of something or other -- perfume, hair tonic, who knows? Water shampoo vs. dry shampoo, I believeBack in the day I believe there was such a concept as a "dry" shampoo -- a powder put in your hair that, when combed out, was supposed to remove some of the oil. These still exist today, to some extent, although they're much less common. Again speculating, but I think this was part of the conventional wisdom at the time -- that too much washing with soap and water was hard on your hair. You were supposed to wash it only once a week or so. (Geh.) Ooh-la-la!The store interiors are my favorites as well. I love the ceramic powderbox in the left-hand cabinet. Very much like the half-doll pincushions so popular at the time, some of which were nudies, too. Artistic, of course! It's possible that an "oil shampoo" might be what we'd call conditioner nowadays. Nice call on the former parlor -- I thought that wallpaper border looked awfully domestic for a business. Marius Robert, Hairdresser Washington Post, Aug 2, 1972 Marius Robert, 75, Was Hairdresser Marius Robert, 75, owner for 40 years of the Robert of Paris hairdressers at 1514 Connecticut Ave. NW, died July 17 of a heart attack at this home, 3535 16th St. NW. A native of Lyon, France and an infantry veteran of World War I, he came to this country in 1923 and established his business here. He retired in 1963 and the establishment no longer bears his name. Mr. Robert was a member of the Hair Fashion Council, a charter member of the Washington Hairdressers Association and belonged to the Federation of French War Veterans and Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife, Ninon V., and a brother, Benjamin, and a sister, Maria Meunier, both of Lyon. Robert of Paris Ex-Diploma Professor of the French Hairdressing School Formerly with Emile Has Just Opened A Select Salon of Beauty Culture Specializing in Lanoil Permanent Waving Premier Exponent of the French Bob Experts in All Other Branches Will Secure Most Satisfactory Work For Appointments Phone North 2776 1520 Connecticut Ave., Washington, D.C. (1924 Advertisement) Think of the Joy It Must Be to know that your hair is perfectly groomed on a hot summer day. Be prepared for such days - do not wait until they come - make your reservation early and have a Flat Permanent Wave at Robert of Paris. We use oil exclusively in our Permanent Wave. Success is absolutely guaranteed to dyed and white hair. Mr. Robert is the originator of the Parisian Bob in Washington. (1926 Advertisement) Experience is the secret of my leadership in Permanent Waving. Try my Vegetable Shampoo for grey hair "Not a Dye" 1514 Conn. Ave., North 2776-2777 (1930 Advertisement) Mr. Robert's Work...Actually, it's not uncommon today for a shop such as this to charge more if the stylist's name is above the door. My sister frequents a salon where the owner Pierre or Cristof, or whatever his name is, gets a significantly higher rate than the other stylists on staff. It's a practice for this type of business that apparently goes back a long way. Vegetable ShampooI think the vegetable shampoo might be henna which is some kind of plant. I would add color to your hair. Also I think the "water" price is referring to a water wave as opposed to the marcel wave. It's wonderful pic and a wonderful look into the past. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Stores & Markets)
Bike Shop: 1919
... Holiday shopping Love the effort they put into their Christmas decorations. re: Apparatus It's a conveyor up to the cashier. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:13pm -

December 1919. Washington, D.C. "Haverford Cycle, interior, 10th Street N.W. Agents for Smith Motor Wheel." National Photo glass negative. View full size. Black Beauties Buy a Black Beauty Bicycle and get out in the open air and improve your health. We are manufacturers of this bicycle and can save you the middleman's profit. Retrospective prognosticationSomething tells me they went broke. Ceiling spokesThe bike wheel light fixture -- cute. Bike shop clerks these daysCan you imagine walking into your local bicycle shop today and being greeted by someone dressed in a suit and tie? Three rings in the ear, one nose "device" and spiked hair, yes; watch fob across the vest? Uh, not so much. Thanks for the reminder.I need new brakes. Strictly CashFrom the looks of that jolly crew, paying cash goes without saying ... and quickly. 522 10th StreetInteresting that this is the same address as the Waffle Shop. PromotedGuy on the left is a mechanic recently promoted to salesman. He doesn't know what to do with his hands when they aren't holding a wrench. SidehackAs the owner of a motorcycle equipped with a sidecar, I love seeing this one. I'm not enough of an expert on old motorcycles to identify either one. Maybe someone else can. Holiday shoppingLove the effort they put into their Christmas decorations. re: ApparatusIt's a conveyor up to the cashier. Your money and invoice go up, a receipt and change come down. ApparatusWhat's that rig hanging from the ceiling with the tension rod -- some sort of overhead bike rack? Dunno 'bout you,but I'm highly offended by that girly calendar on the pillar there. So sexist. Probably sent from France or somewhere. Does anyone know where I can get one? Woo-hoo! DourThey all look so happy to be there, eh? The Corbin lock display is charming. Those skinny little chains wouldn't even hold up to my Leatherman pocket cutters! Same as it ever wasWhere is the beer cooler? Clock not workingI think the clock is not working. This was probably a fairly long exposure. That is why the people look so stiff. They are trying to hold still for a long time. In that case the pendulum should be a blur. [Quite the opposite. This is a flash exposure taken in a fraction of a second. - Dave] Old when it was newDo you notice that the interiors of these shops looked old even when they were new? I remember seeing stores like this as late as the early 1970's before malls ate up downtowns. They looked nearly the same as this except that some of the products were changed. You could actually find new "old stock" inventory on shelves from around the time period of this photo, but nobody every thought to save them as antiques. Most of the stuff got the heave-ho. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
A Christmas Carol: 1913
... we find some more in our stocking come Friday. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL. "Dickey family and Christmas tree, 1913." Looking a bit jollier than usual. National Photo Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/23/2015 - 6:14pm -

        Our ninth annual holiday greeting from the family of Washington lawyer Raymond Dickey, who has been welcoming us into his home since 1912 or 2008, depending on how you look at it. This marks the last of the series, unless we find some more in our stocking come Friday. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL. "Dickey family and Christmas tree, 1913." Looking a bit jollier than usual. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Wait til next yearWe will trim off the bottom off the tree to make it fit the living room. TreeWhy didn't they just cut a hole in the ceiling? Honey, you misjudge the height every year, this year I got you a tape measure. Out of orderFirst you pick the tree, then you pick a house to fit it. They got it backwards. Their Little SecretNice to see some hint of a smile (at least on Mom). They probably just got finished decorating the top of the tree upstairs in the bedroom. Those ornamentsBeautiful ornaments. No batteries required. Haut DécorFelt pennants are an odd decorating choice for the parlor of a relatively affluent family of that era. Of course, anything that hides even a part of that wallpaper is welcome. MeccanoIn the background behind Mother. I used to have one of those when I was a boy in England. My grandfather was a mechanical engineer for Rover and bought us 'educational' toys at Christmas. This was one that I loved. Thanks for the picture. Brings back so many fond memories [baxado] (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, The Dickeys)
Men in White: 1923
... those pea coats and the drivers look like the muscle. Christmas plans 1923 Ah yes, first stop off at the ice cream parlor and get ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:15am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Fussell-Young Ice Cream Co. trucks." I scream, you scream, etc. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Oh, relaxThat's just Rondo Hatton at his day job. The Bad Humor ManMr. 32 looks to be a pint or three short of a load. Yikes. #32Hey! That's my Uncle Luigi! Above ZeroThe thermometer next to the window under that sign would be almost impossible to read. Location, location, locationThe address on the sides of the trucks looks to be 1310 Wisconsin Avenue. Interesting that the trolley here didn't have the underground conduit but rather overhead lines. I thought nearly all the DC Transit lines used the conduit within the downtown areas. [This is Georgetown, not downtown. Now the site of the Georgetown Inn. - Dave] What are those?Nice trucks! They must have been the newest adittions to the fleet, considering how shiny and new they still look. I wonder what make they are. [Graham Brothers. - Dave] Ice SquadThat's one sinister looking bunch of ice cream peddlers. The suits look like they're packing tommy guns under those pea coats and the drivers look like the muscle. Christmas plans 1923Ah yes, first stop off at the ice cream parlor and get some Fussell Young ice cream. Then next door to the billiard parlor for a buffet lunch. And what would happen to their fleet of delivery trucks if one of them had a flat tire? Usually you see a couple tires stored on the fender, to mount on the rim in place of the tire that went flat. Here you see an extra rim with no tire there. I'm also having trouble seeing how these trucks deliver ice cream during the months when ice cream is popular. It would be fine to cart around ice cream in open trucks when it was freezing. But aren't the hot months of July and August the best times to sell that stuff? Wouldn't ice melt just as fast as ice cream in August? It is clear to see why Good Humor and Dolly Madison became household names, and Fussell's did not. [America's first ice cream factory was founded by Jacob Fussell in 1851 in Baltimore. Fussell's expanded into a huge operation and was a very successful business for well over a century. Below, how the company's trucks looked after being equipped for delivery. - Dave] See Your Ice Cream MadeA cropped version of this photo appeared in the February 25, 1923 Washington Post. The caption states: Graham Bros.' Trucks with Dodge Bros.' Power Plant. Fleet of Trucks Delivered by Semmes Motor Company to Fussell-Young Ice Cream Company See Your Ice Cream Made Fussell's Real Cream Ice Cream, Public Inspection Invited. Some Like it ColdThe photo reminds me of the movie "Some Like it Hot," in which a funeral home is the cover for a speakeasy. I think these guys were selling more than ice cream. Father of the Ice Cream IndustryJacob Fussell is known as "father of the ice cream industry." A hundred years after it was founded in 1851, his company went through the first in a series of mergers and acquisitions that saw it taken over by Arden Farms Dairy, which had almost half a billion dollars in sales in 1962. Today the Arden Group owns the Gelson's supermarket chain in California. Creepy!That driver moonlights as a graverobber. Just before the heist"So these mugs will meet us at the back of the bank, right Boss?" The new Dodge trucksThose trucks are Dodges, brand new, and they didn't come with a spare tire, only a spare rim. They are 1 tons so they can haul a heavy payload. [These are, as noted below, Graham Brothers trucks. - Dave] A 92 year old still remembers!My mom, who is now almost 93 and lives (alas, far away from Georgetown) in Maine, still talks about the ice cream at Fussell's. She was born in a house around the corner on P Street NW in 1920 and still compares all ice cream to what she remembers from Fussell's as a child. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Portrait of a Film Geek: 1979
... I recently played back my recording of the Bing Crosby Christmas special with David Bowie from 1977, recorded in Beta-I (one hour ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 08/27/2010 - 6:43pm -

OK, so how many of you out there are thinking, "Why don't I take a picture of myself now surrounded by my crap so that 31 years from now I can see what I was interested in back then? Or what my hair looked like? And maybe let thousands of perfect strangers see?" Ah, I thought so. Well, none of that was going through my mind back then; this is another from a series I took to send to a friend who'd moved out of state. Obviously, I was (and still am) into film, about two years after I'd started to collect them by taping them off TV - which, unless you collected actual film prints, was the only way to do it. No DVDs, not even laserdiscs, and hardly any pre-recorded tapes that weren't porn. A couple of Atari cartridges indicate my slight interest in video games, plus there's a bunch of comic books in polyethylene bags (the carton on the middle shelf contains a supply of empties), and up on the top shelf some paper models that my friend who helped assemble them and I liked to call "Bogens." Look it up. This was taken in my video room, again on 35mm Kodachrome illuminated by bounce flash. View full size. Classical GeekI see four books about Laurel & Hardy, two about W. C. Fields, and books about the Marx Brothers, Harold Lloyd and Max Fleischer -- a true geek! Lagging behind as everHere I was until recently, still taping movies from TV onto VHS. Only stopped in the past 4-5 years, largely due to the availability of movies on DVD at a cheap price. Might get around to transferring some of the more interesting stuff onto PC. AV ClubDo you go to Comic Con? One of my co-workers does. I remember here in Southern California renting videos from Tower Records (now gone) and I noticed that the retail price for current movies was often $100 or more. As a high school kid in the early '70s, I would tape the audio of various movies and TV shows on my trusty cassette recorder. I was really impressed with that! Schreiber-Bogenhttp://www.schreiber-bogen.com/ Hard to find, wading through all the audio equipment references! Captured on BetaSomewhere in my home is a cardboard box or two of Beta tapes. I also taped lots of movies off the TV. I remember blank tapes went for about $20 and a prerecorded movie was about $40-$50. I also have two dead but not properly buried Beta decks. I seem to have forgotten what the hell I am saving all this for. The only thing worth saving is a tape of my brother on a local bowling show that shows my folks in the audience. They are both gone now, though I have their captured image on a tape I can't play. I guess that would be the reason why I don't toss the whole lot. Shared LibrariesI see at least two titles that are in my collection: the red-jacketed "The Movies" next to "The MGM Story," and "Comix: The History of Comics in America" on the shelf below and to your left. "The Movies" I must have bought on clearance when I was in junior high (and I'm old enough that no one then had heard of "middle school"). "Comix" must have been bought about 1971, when I was, coincidentally, trying to score writing assignments from Fusion Magazine (credited on the cover). Heady days. And you looked like such a normal guy, tooIs that Tex Avery item in the back a compilation video, or perhaps another book? Although it's already clear from your name, you certainly have good taste in cartoons as well. Too Much HomeworkI see that you did your homework as to which home video tape recording system led in technology. (Sony BetaMax) But marketing won the game for VHS and technology finished a poor second. 8Ya know, come to think of it, I don't recall any posts from you with any super 8 camera equip in it. Did you do any work with 8mm or S8? re: 8Yep. Here I am in 1973 with my Nizo. Geek PornOk, where are you hiding "Hollywood Babylon"? Okay kid,Would you care to tell us where you kept your collection of Russ Meyer films? Beta IWOW! I see myself in that picture! I had a Sony SL8200 Betamax (still have it, in fact) and most of the movie books on your shelf! In addition, in 1976 I built a theater in my basement with Super 8 sound projectors (a Eumig and an Elmo machine), real theater seats and a screen cut from an old movie house that was being torn down. Very few full length Super 8 sound movies existed back then, and the ones that did were very expensive. I remember paying around 350 bucks for the full length version of the original Technicolor print of "A Star Is Born" from 1937! I still have around 200 Beta tapes in closets and on shelves. The first ones were K60's, labeled as such because of their 60 minute record time at the Beta-I speed, and the second generation of tapes were labeled L500 which indicated how many feet of tape the cartridge contained. My Sony SL8200 Beta machine is still fully operational after all these years! I recently played back my recording of the Bing Crosby Christmas special with David Bowie from 1977, recorded in Beta-I (one hour mode) and it still looks great! Thank you for the trip down memory lane! Laurel and HardyGlad to see you're a big fan of Stan and Ollie. Two comic geniuses for sure! What??No Psychotronic Film/Video Guide??? Those books are must haves. btw.....what does you current audio/video setup look like? Would be an interesting contrast between then and now. re: What??OK, here's a recent shot of me with my present video setup. I don't think I'll attempt an explanation of anything else about this. Come for the Lange ... stay for the tterence. And actually taking a picture of myself with all my crap so I can look at it in 31 years seems like an awesome idea. Rewind <<Oh, man! I remember those Sony Betamax tapes when I was a kid. Good grief! Steelsome Daniel Mr. tterace: I am heartened and reassured that you "ain't a-gonna do it without yer Fez on" NeuschwansteinThat is a must for any vid geek. I have one in the 3-D Puzzle variety. Sons of the DesertWould that be the source of your fez? I once went to a local L&H screening and remember that was the headgear of choice; I felt so under-dressed without one! My dad however, was a Shriner so he took that sort of thing very seriously. Not me. re: Sons of the DesertActually, that is a Shriner fez. Hope that doesn't offend any Shriners out there. The theme for that Movie Night was hats, so everyone wore a different kind. This was one somebody had picked up at a thrift store. We watched a film noir, and later I used the photos I took of everybody to illustrate a hard-boiled detective story spoof I wrote with them as characters. Also, I did eventually get a copy of the Psychotronic Encyclopedia, but that didn't come out until 1983. Good posture.Did you find that walking round with a book balanced on you head really worked? Seriously, as usual, a fascinating insight into what seems to me to be the recent past. For many Shorpy viewers it must be a different world. Beta ReduxWe sold Beta tapes well into the 1980s and 90s. The buyers were almost cult like purists and very loyal. We sold both the recorders and tapes both in the store and through mail order. When we closed out our movie rental business in the mid 90s we had no trouble selling the VHS movies but were stuck with the Betas. Marketing genius that I was, we started shipping an individual Beta movie gratis with each beta blank tape order. One customer called us and asked for an inventory of the remaining titles. We struck a deal and he took the rest of them off our hands. Geeks unite!This reminds me of my shelf of music and car books, with special sections devoted to Buddy Holly and the Beatles. I had to pack away my collection of vinyl to make space for it all. Michael and Harry MedvedTTerrace, your discussion reminds me of the introduction the Golden Turkey Awards by Michael and Harry Medved. They discussed mostly terrible movies, which does not on its own sound remarkable -- bookstores have shelves full of comical reviews of bad movies. What made their books special is that the first one came out in 1979 or 1980, and to see all these bizarre films, they had to watch them on late-night television or catch them in genre theaters, or otherwise experience them in ways that may have no direct parallel in the modern world. My children are incredulous that when I was a child, we could not pick whatever movie we wanted, watch whenever we liked, and pause for bathroom breaks. SelectaVision CEDOk, you had Betamax, but if you were a real geek, you would have had an RCA capacitance videodisc player. I still have the player, and about 120 discs, including a couple of L&H collections. The thing still works, only on modern TVs you realize just how awful the picture was. Beta > VHS > DVD > DVRI am still trying to get my parents to convert to DVR. My mom videotapes her "soaps" every day, and her VCR recently broke. After a lengthy explanation about why she could not just record them to DVD in the same manner, I still couldn't convince them to just get a DVR (their cable service charges more than they should for it). So they opted for a VCR/DVD combo...and she is still recording her soaps onto VHS daily. It pains me! She'd probably feel right at home with your collection, tterrace! My sister and I got a Betamax in 1977It cost $1,500 and was enclosed in a unit that included a 17-inch TV. The whole thing was as long and deep as a love seat, though not as tall. Blank tapes cost almost $30 apiece. We also collected books about old movies. I recognized the Disney films book right away as we each had a copy of that one. Oh, and I still use a VCR - a dual deck one. I wish they still made them. When I want to save a movie on DVD, I have to record it to my computer first. I have tried the VCR/DVD recorder combo with no luck. Book OverlapI think I had at least 3/4 of the same books as you. I can even recognize the yellow paperback copy of Harpo Speaks! at the end of the shelf immediately above "The Art of W.C. Fields." MGMI had the same MGM book, my parents gave me. AdiosFrom the Electronics trade publication Twice Magazine, today: Sony (Finally) Halting Production Of Betamax Tapes 11/10/2015 10:00:00 AM Eastern By: Lisa Johnston One of the first format wars is officially over, and Sony is waving the white flag. Sony announced through its Japan press center that it will cease production of Betamax tapes in March 2016 — just 32 years after the Supreme Court ruled Sony could continue production of its Betamax player despite its ability to record copyrighted video. It is also ceasing production of its Micro MV cassettes. Sony first introduced the Betamax player in 1975. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Portraits, tterrapix)
Christmas Corner: 1921
... Market Space." A nighttime view of the festive six-Santa Christmas display previously seen here . National Photo Company Collection ... stores in downtown Minneapolis had such beautiful Christmas windows - not so much anymore! Sad. Somebody colorize this! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:35pm -

Washington, D.C., in 1921. "Parker Bridget & Co., Ninth Street and Market Space." A nighttime view of the festive six-Santa Christmas display previously seen here. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Bedford FallsHow many of you thought of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" when you first saw this pic? Wishful ThinkingSome of the pictures posted on Shorpy's I would just love to be able to step into them and walk around. This is one I would like to be able to do that, too. Bedford Falls IINo, my first thought was, "Hey, how tall are those rooftop Santas? 10 feet?" Window dressersWindow dressing must be a lost art! I remember all the department stores in downtown Minneapolis had such beautiful Christmas windows - not so much anymore! Sad. Somebody colorize this!What fun you will have, and a month to do it in, almost. 7th and The AvenueThis is the NW corner of Seventh Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW -- all of the buildings visible here have since been demolished. The site is now occupied by a condo / office building, Market Square East (701 Pennsylvania Ave.) What I like bestNo parking meters! (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Manny Christmas: 1940
... laborer in an Army camp nearby. Shot was taken just after Christmas." The tree decorated with ceramic figures of Mary, Joseph and ... food ever, too, including amazing bread. (The Gallery, Christmas, Jack Delano, Kids) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/27/2018 - 1:22pm -

December 1940. "Manuel Andrews, a Portuguese boy near Falmouth, Massachusetts. Family runs a seven-acre vegetable farm and have one 'new' cow of which they are all very proud. Father is a laborer in an Army camp nearby. Shot was taken just after Christmas." The tree decorated with ceramic figures of Mary, Joseph and Geronimo. Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. DecorationsMary and Joseph and the baby Jesus are in the small nativity scene above the crucifix. The larger figures are Saint Theresa of Avila (Spain) and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Geronimo, as an Apache, wasn't usually depicted with a headdress, but it could be. Stopped me in my tracksI saw the name and had to quickly check the date of the photo. My grandfather, also Portuguese, was named Manuel Andrews and he grew up (decades earlier) across the bay from this boy's home, in New Bedford. I wonder if this young name acquired his surname in a similar fashion to my grandfather, from an Ellis Island clerk who thought 'Aldrate' wouldn't do. Here he is, holding yours truly, in May, 1953. Portuguese whaling ships brought his ancestorsPortuguese were apparently a large presence in the region. Come on, Shorpy sleuths, what more can you tell us? CowlickThis kid has hair like one of my younger brothers. No matter how much he used to wet and comb and try to smash down his hair in front, it always refused to behave and popped right back up in a crazy wave at the hairline, off center. A large presenceThe Portuguese contingent continues very strong in New Bedford, Fall River, and the surrounding area (including Falmouth). Some famous people of Portuguese (or part Portuguese)descent from the region include the chef Emeril Lagasse and disco dance kings Tavares (originally Chubby and the Turnpikes). Some of the best food ever, too, including amazing bread. (The Gallery, Christmas, Jack Delano, Kids)
Bethlehem: 1935
... was the same place pictured on your site. Also, come Christmas, what better place to be stuck if you’re unlucky enough not to be ... of industry, possibly affiliated with the Smithsonian. Christmas in Bethlehem My grandparents lived in Allentown, and we had other ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/10/2009 - 12:39pm -

November 1935. "View of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania." Large-format nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Washday GraysIt must be Monday because of the amount of laundry hanging out here and there, even in November. Looks like a nice town to live in. It even has a convenient cemetery on the hillside -- puts me in mind of Grover's Corner. O Little TownMill houses and churches - hard-working and God-fearing Americans. Count the ChurchesI live in Bethlehem, though I'm not a native. This is a view of South Bethlehem looking north and a bit east. What strikes me about this photo is that there are four churches so close together. Religion and the church had a much diferent meaning back then. AdvertisingAs opposed to most other cities this size, I can only spot two ads: One political and the wall for Mail Pouch Tobacco. Hillside & SelfridgeI grew up in the next city east of Bethlehem, but now live in Washington, D.C. This photograph was taken at the corner of Hillside Avenue and Selfridge Street on the city's South Side, looking northeast toward Bethlehem Steel's massive Bethlehem plant. In any event, Bethlehem wasn't just steel! One thing I notice about the housing stock back home is the abundance of slate roofs. For many years, up to the 1960s, almost all houses in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas of Northampton County sported them. Northampton County was the leading producer of slate in the United States. In fact, it is not uncommon to see slate-roofed ranch houses in 1950s subdivisions, or slate shingle siding on some older farm houses. As far as the churches in close are concerned, these were founded as ethnic Catholic parishes during the immigration waves of the late 19th century. In late 2008 the Diocese of Allentown made a controversial decision to consolidate parishes. Consequently, St. John Capistrano, the church with the stone spire, St. Stanilaus, the church immediately to the right, and Our Lady of Pompeii, whose cross can be see to the left of St. John under the wires, were all closed after being combined with another church just out of frame to the left. 623 BuchananThe house at the bottom of the street is 623 Buchanan and if you look it up on zillow.com you can see a bird's eye view of the house since there is no Google street view. It looks like its a duplex because one half is a different color--roof too! I was surprised at how many of the houses in this photograph are still standing and identifiable Paris, It Ain't!H.L. Mencken once commented on the extraordinary ugliness of Pennsylvania coal and steel towns, and here we see what he was talking about. Obviously a "company town," with only two or three house designs reproduced over and over again. For example, the one with the two cupolas, in the center, and its exact twin on the right. Oh well, at least they had good healthy fresh air (cough, cough, hack ... ) Step InThis photo just invites you to step in and start walking down that hill. You can smell the boxwoods and the wooden porches. Not so obviousThis was never a company town. The town of Bethlehem was founded in 1741. Bethlehem Steel was founded in 1857 and took the name of the town. Allentown - Bethlehem - EastonLaying over at the ABE airport, I and my crew would stay in Bethlehem in a restored older hotel (not motel). We all thought what a quaint, peaceful town. Obviously nothing like during the days when our American steel industry was in full production. In the evening retirees, hand in hand, would come out for a stroll gathering on some of the many benches around town. It’s hard to believe this was the same place pictured on your site. Also, come Christmas, what better place to be stuck if you’re unlucky enough not to be home with your family. Varied ResponsesInteresting that some find this view unattractive and others see charm. I count myself in the latter camp, and find the steep grade of the street and the vintage architecture very appealing. Bethlehem MusikfestJust a few blocks from here is the site of Bethlehem's Musikfest. A nine-day festival that's enjoyed by over a million people every August. My Hometown!Bethlehem as a physical city hasn't changed a whole lot since this shot. The abandoned steel works are being torn down (mostly), and a casino (!) is opening. Also talk of a museum of industry, possibly affiliated with the Smithsonian. Christmas in BethlehemMy grandparents lived in Allentown, and we had other relatives in Bethlehem for years. One of them lived only a couple streets west of the location shown in this photo. I've spent Christmas in Bethlehem several times. The Christmas Eve service at the Moravian Church is always a moving experience. I just love the town. No "My Space"As to the discussion of Charm vs Unattractive, perhaps it's because I live in a small, rural town, but this scenery leaves me claustrophobic. There's no space between the houses. Everyone is living on top of each other. There's no yard big enough for kids to play in. Not unless you count that scrubby lot the center house sits in. Speaking of which, if I lived in that center house I would be praying every day that my neighbor's parking brake worked. Everyone's right!As a South Bethlehem native, I can assure you-- Bethlehem may have been founded in 1741 by missionaries, but the city they built is very much the part of Bethlehem that's on the north side of the Lehigh. South Bethlehem-- the steel plant and all the residential areas that grew up around it-- are just as much a former company town as downtown is a quaint historic area; they may be halves of the same city but there's a very clear difference between them. To those claiming claustrophobia, I'd also like to say-- it may not be clear in this photo, but despite the odd tight angles of the streets in South Bethlehem the houses really have some pretty generous back yards. (The Gallery, Walker Evans)
Christmas Clean-Up: 1956
... cabinet under the sink. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas) ... 
 
Posted by Cazzorla - 12/30/2017 - 2:59pm -

I found this slide dated December 1956 at a local swap meet. View full size. Where oh where is the kitchen stapleSwing A Way can opener hiding?? OutletOne is for the icebox. What's the other? Is that an electric clock behind Mom's head? Honorable mention to Mom's cat glasses. Worthy of a neck chain. Mom and daughter--judging by the identical friendly smiles. I think I'd rather eat here than with the tidy, but unsmiling, family in the photo shown above this one. Painted Metal CabinetIt appears that the base cabinet was one of the many enameled factory-made steel kitchen cabinets which were popular in the mid 20th-century. I suspect the paint that has worn off was a homeowner-applied finish over the factory enamel. Clean as you goObviously they are finally finishing up since the silverware and utensils are always in the bottom of the sink. They had mashed potatoes, too, because the potato masher is there. Some one on the left is the drier but didn’t make it in the photo. I’m a clean as you cook person. My mother in law was a cook, pile the pans up and clean everything after dessert which I found exhausting after a heavy meal. Trend Dishwashing DetergentStill around today, Trend Dishwashing Detergent, was just packaged a bit differently. Water and ElectricityThat was the era of two-pronged electrical outlets. [Non-polarized, too. - Dave] Non-groundedAnd who ever heard of a GFCI? At least, one that would fit in a 2x4 box. I still have 3 or 4 ungrounded outlets in our much-modified home, originally built in 1954. Knob & tube in those walls! PlumbingI see handles for hot and cold water. There's another handle on the spout. Does anyone know what that's for? Extra HandleI'm going to guess that it's to stop the flow through the spout and divert it to the sprayer at the left. Polarized outletsThey were pretty standard by the mid-20s, but polarized plugs failed to catch on until they were made mandatory for some appliances beginning in 1978. Many of the old non-grounding outlets have the T-shaped slots, in order to accept the old 1904 Hubbell tandem-blade plugs, which were fairly common before the parallel plug was standardized in 1921. The modern grounding outlet was developed circa 1949, but did not become common until after 1962. The GFCI was invented by Charles Dalziel in 1961, although a similar device had been developed earlier in South Africa, for use in the diamond mines. Touched by an ApronInteresting to see how all those hours of toil have worn the enamel off the cabinet under the sink. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Santa's Little Helper: 1924
... are there to keep an eye on the action. This particular Christmas, by the way, was my mother's first one. She'd been born that August ... department stores back in the day. The department store Christmas displays for kids used to be really special. I'd say everyone looks ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2012 - 1:55pm -

December 1924. "Santa's toys." Toy World at Wanamaker's in New York. Be nice, boys and girls, and you might get a Packard! Be naughty and you might get arrested! 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Santa looks rather frazzledAnd perhaps a little shnockered, too. Santa Claus is coming to townYou better watch out You better not cry You better not pout Or the evil clown policeman will beat you with his nightstick! Ho ho ho! DisappointedI got dragged down to the store in the dead of winter, got all dressed up in this flimsy summer dress with my knickers hanging out and all I get is this stupid brochure! Modern SantaNewspapers always run articles about how the Santa we know and love today didn't appear until the late 1930s Coca-Cola ads. Before that, we're always assured, he was more of a "jolly elf." But this Santa looks fairly modern to me. [True. The idea that Haddon Sundblom is responsible for the modern incarnation of Santa Claus seems to be kind of a popular misconception. Although he certainly did help to slickify the look. - Dave] Fleet's in!I wish kids still wore sailor suits like the lad on the far left. Adorable! Mrs. Claus looks like she's been been having a nip of The Grownups' Eggnog. Too Many SantasI remember my cousin asking why there was a Santa at Hutzler's and at Stewart's. We must have been about 8 or 9 at the time, old enough to be concerned that there was something fishy about this whole Santa brings presents story, but still very much wanting to be sure to tell Santa what we wanted. I wish I could remember what answer my aunt gave. That Store TodayWannamaker's was a Philadelphia based chain and their store there is still around but now operating as Macy's. In fact they were on the CBS Evening News the other day because of their organ recitals (they have the largest fully operational pipe organ in the world). At one time Wannamake's New York store was the largest department store in the world. Today the building is an office building with a K-Mart as a retail tenant. You'd better watch out!Love the spats on the kiddies. I've never seen socks or pants like that before. 8 Tiny Autos"Now! Packard, now! Willys, now! Buick, and Ford, "On! Chevy, on! Hudson, on! Oakland and Cord!” Future Paint TycoonAt least we know what became of the lad standing to the left of Mrs. Claus - he became the face of Dutch Boy Paints. Is there a dike cracking somewhere in Holland while he tries to score a Packard back here in New York? Please SantaIf I were to find that Packard under my tree this year, I would be the happiest 61 year old kid on the block Skid Row SantaHe's a pretty rough-looking character if you study his face. And what's that? A truncheon his helper is carrying? Good thing all those moms and dads are there to keep an eye on the action. This particular Christmas, by the way, was my mother's first one. She'd been born that August in the Bronx. One of these days I fully expect to see her and her family in one of these crowd shots. Hutzler'sHutzler's? Are you from Baltimore? I used to spend summers there with my mom as a kid. Even creepierSomehow, the scary clown playing police officer rather than delivery boy is even creepier. This is truly the stuff of nightmares. [He's wearing the same policeman costume in both photos. - Dave] Wanamaker'sThis was one of the big-name department stores back in the day. The department store Christmas displays for kids used to be really special. I'd say everyone looks pretty happy to be here. The Wanamaker OrganistHe is currently Peter Richard Conte, one of the great American virtuosos, organist at St. Clements in Philadelphia, in demand as a concert organist, has classical recordings both as an organist and as director of choral works. He will be giving the dedicatory concert for our recently restored 1926 organ here in 2009. Hutzler's againWhat kind of reaction will I get if I say Hochschild Kohn's? Heh. The first time I played hooky from school I took the No. 8 downtown and went to the flagship stores of Hutzler's et al. Do you remember the glorious wall of windows of the Hutzler's Towson store? The building is still there but, sadly, the windows aren't. I'll look around a bit, I've probably got pictures. Maybe Shorpy can do a before and after. Hutzler's and Stewarts--Been a long time......since I have heard someone utter "Hutzler's and Stewarts" in the same sentence. Timonium and Towson MD must've been your stomping grounds! I love the little boys expression as he looks askance at the clown/policeman. These children look pretty terrified of the guy. Brought back year after year.I think Santa looks peeved and ready to flee. Is that Jackie Coogan there behind Santa? The best part of this Santa ordeal for shy children was the Christmas atmosphere and wonderful anticipation while standing in line. The actual sitting on Santa's lap was scary. And yet we were brought back year after year. Wanamaker'sGlad that's cleared up! I saw that news segment about the organ and remember it from my time in Philadelphia, but thought--Macys'?. Wanamaker's was a great store -- I loved their chicken salad with grapes, and sitting on the balcony watching people shop. This is how the "real people" lived, I thought. These little kids are so captivating. The clown must be threatening Santa with a thrashing, and the mean moms love it even though the kids are "ho-hum". I hope that the Packard winner came from an affluent family because there's no room in the flat for that dang thing. The little girl front and center gets my Santa gift this year. Hutzler'sIn the 1960s, Hutzler's opened a modern branch on Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie, or it might have been in nearby Harundale. They had a nice lunch counter with one of the best crab cake sandwiches in Maryland. Hochschild's, as my mother called it, was okay, but Hutzler's was classy. Wanamaker's 1947My mother would leave me in the toy department while she went shopping. I remember watching the World Series on DuMont station WABD in the store. What a treat, as this was two years before we got our TV. Department storesI remember being taken downtown (Baltimore) by my grandmother at Christmas time to see the decorated windows at Hutzler's, Hochshild Kohn's, The Hecht Co, and Stewarts. It was spectacular! The stores really went all out to have moving objects, colors, and sparkly stuff. Kids would be three deep looking and dreaming. (The Gallery, Christmas, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC, Scary Clowns)
Silent Night: 1940
... the street to bang on Mr. Potter's window and yell "Merry Christmas!" Beautiful Vermont Looks the same then as now, only with ... summer floods that put 1950's cars under water. Merry Christmas Bedford Falls! Memories of chidhood This shot could be main ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/24/2014 - 7:27pm -

March 1940. "Center of town. Woodstock, Vermont. Snowy night." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. Had to google it!I had to Google this image to see if any of the structures are still standing. It is so beautiful. I could make out the sign of the inn, on the left, partially reading "Cupboard Inn." From there, I was able to determine it is the "White Cupboard Inn" and the building is still standing, though it seems not to be used as an inn anymore, but rather some type of historic preservation or museum or attraction. This visitor's guide lists and shows it in a photo (from 2008): http://www.woodstockvt.com/visitorsguide08a.pdf And this postcard shows it in 1952: http://www.cardcow.com/images/set142/card00336_fr.jpg And here you can see it from the far, lower left: http://www.cardcow.com/images/set146/card00153_fr.jpg North Park StreetThe house is the old White Cupboard Inn. View Larger Map Like being there.What a stunning photo, who says time machines don't exist. This reminds me of the film "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Field of Dreams." Just to walk down this street as seen here would be wonderful. Their are some great photographs on Shorpy but some of them just drag you into them, I feel this is one. 70 year old footprints Woodstock, like most Vermont towns, hasn't changed that much since 1940. What struck me here was the many footprints in the snow. It looks like it was trudged yesterday, but of course, it was yesterday seventy years ago. The footprints gave hope of life, but looking over on the right,the darker side of the picture, I got cold shivers down my spine. I remember spending too many cold winter nights forty years later, waiting to get a ride from the train station in Brattleboro, which was also dark and lonely on winter nights. White NightsGiven the depth of field in the Woodstock photo and the likely slow film speed Wolcott would have been using, this is probably a 30 second exposure. It's pretty sharp, so there was probably no wind. I am fond of night photographs in the snow, and have taken many over the years around New York City. My favorites include images of the Midtown skyline taken from Central Park. On snowy nights, light becomes diffuse and it's hard to get exposure right, but with practice and willingness to waste a lot of film, I can get some really striking images. ["Film"? How quaint! - Dave] Grab a shovelBack in the day, before snow blowers, people removed show from their sidewalks. Where I live, that's becoming a lost concept. Hard startingThe picture looks like a place I'd like to be, except for having to drive one of those cars. Back then it was carburetors with manual chokes, and 6-volt electrical systems -- no electronic fuel injection or engine management computers. As the late humorist Jean Shepherd once said, cars fell into two categories: "good starters, and hard starters." You definitely didn't want to own a hard starter in a New Hampshire winter. A hard starter potentially meant a spray can of starting fluid (ether), and (oh, the horror) jumper cables. Through the Looking GlassIt's hard to tear my eyes away from this picture. It's like you could step right into it and walk down the cold street. I love it! It's a Wonderful PhotoWith great anticipation I look at this picture and fully expect to see Jimmy Stewart running down the street to bang on Mr. Potter's window and yell "Merry Christmas!" Beautiful VermontLooks the same then as now, only with newer cars and roads. That is the thing I always loved about the Green Mountain State was it was like stepping back in time! Thanks for sharing this photo! The lens of time, Is it only me, or were snow falls and storms greater in the past. Was it solely because I was three feet tall that snow drifts were huge or have we segued into a period of global weather that favors lighter snow loads? I recall snow two stories high on the back of the farm, allowing you to just walk up onto the roof of the house to shovel off the snow, and summer floods that put 1950's cars under water. Merry ChristmasBedford Falls! Memories of chidhoodThis shot could be main street, Bedford Quebec, in the 1950s, when I lived there as a kid. The only difference would be 40s and 50s cars, but the signage and buildings (and snow!) were the same. This is what Hollywood was idealizing in the movies, and we thought we were living in a sleepy town. We were very lucky to actually live it. Marion Post WolcottMarion Post Wolcott was such a photographic genius. I have never seen a photo by her that failed to impress me. (The Gallery, M.P. Wolcott, Small Towns)
A Hotpoint Christmas
An appliance store at night. Christmas 1931. View full size. Stocking Stuffers Nothing says Merry Christmas quite like a new appliance! I'm sure that was tops on the list of ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 11/07/2008 - 10:20pm -

An appliance store at night. Christmas 1931. View full size. Stocking StuffersNothing says Merry Christmas quite like a new appliance! I'm sure that was tops on the list of every housewife in America in 1931. WonderlandI'd love to walk into this picture (in perfect period dress of course!), and shop along that 1930s street! I actually have cooked on a stove just like that one! Advertising -- not always accurateIf you think giving "the little lady" appliances on Holiday occasions is a gift that "keeps giving," you're mistaken! Steve Miller "I do nothing productive. I'm in advertising." Someplace near the crossroads of America Awkward!The stove would be fine for righties, but not so great for us lefties. I'd be burning my stirring hand on the side of the oven. However I'd much rather cook on it than one of the wood or coal powered stoves that are common in the Shorpy archives. The women (and men) who mastered those have my admiration. How late are they open?Can we go inside, please? I just want to look around! Window DressingThis store doesn't look very big or important, but look at the effort that has gone into those decorations. The house is quite amazing as are those glitter covered signs. Everthing would have been handmade and remember, this is before plastics. [There were plastics aplenty in 1930. Cellophane, Bakelite, styrene, etc. - Dave] Where is the Hotpoint store?Does anyone know where this is? I am surprised it isn't noted in the caption. Hotpoint is great.But I think the shopper should also take a look at some Norge, Kelvinator or Tappin products...I have a 1952 Chambers Model 90-C stove that still works great...even cooks "with the gas off"--now that's impressive. Surprised at youI thought you only showed socially useful pictures from the depression years. Hmpf! Tool of the bourgeoisie that you are, you'll probably be posting pictures of shiny new V-8 Fords and Moderne interiors before long... ClockThat triangular chrome clock on the stove is the TM-8 designed by Ray Patten. It's interesting because GE owned Hotpoint and all GE's clocks were made by Telechron but not this one. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kitchens etc., Stores & Markets)
The Queen: 1926-2022
... appreciated her steady presence on my money and during her Christmas addresses and at so many events where one saw people bowing and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2022 - 9:28pm -

October 19, 1957. College Park, Maryland. "British monarch Queen Elizabeth II on an official visit to the United States. The Queen attends a University of Maryland football game." (The Terrapins trounced the Tar Heels 21-7.) Kodachrome transparency for the Look magazine assignment "Elizabeth II: Her job, her income and wealth, her importance." View full size. Queen Elizabeth II Dies at 96         LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, whose broadly popular seven-decade reign survived tectonic shifts in her country’s post-imperial society and weathered successive challenges posed by the romantic choices, missteps and imbroglios of her descendants, died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, her summer retreat. She was 96. -- New York Times Sexy MonarchI had a crush on the young Queen Elizabeth II. She was a very sexy monarch back in her day. "This is London -- " A truly remarkable womanOne cannot but be in awe at a sense of duty that never wavered for 70 years and allowed no contemplation of retirement. May her memory be eternal. God save the King. Second stopNot well known: returning from the football game (which she left early), Queen Elizabeth stopped at a strip shopping center (still somewhat unusual) on Queens Chapel Road just north of the DC border. I had an account of this decades later from the owner of Fleischer's Jewelers, who remembered a flurry of excitement but not much else. (The Queen evidently didn't need any jewelry, so she passed by Fleischer's.) The name Queens Chapel comes from the first Roman Catholic parish in the District of Columbia--though perhaps this wasn't pointed out to the head of the Church of England. The strip center is still operating, as is Fleischer's (though elsewhere in the vicinity). Thank you, Queen Elizabeth, for your Graceful ReignFor 70 years, Queen Elizabeth publicly represented the British monarchy with dignity and grace. There are people around the globe that experienced her cheerful smile first hand. God Bless Queen Elizabeth Elizabeth ReginaAfter the 63-year reign of Queen Victoria, Great Britain went through four relatively short-lived reigns. Edward VII was king for nine years. George V was king for 26. Edward VIII had the shortest reign in British history, only one year before he abdicated to marry an American divorcee. George VI was king for 16 years. And then came 26-year-old Elizabeth II. In addition to her longevity, she had a devotion to duty and discipline that many others in her royal family lacked, and lack. She was also not gaffe-prone like her husband of 73 years. She was smart and understood her life was more than just about her. Few others could have provided the stability and navigate the ever-changing landscape as well as she did for 70 years. Rest In Power, QEIII was overcome by emotion when I heard that she had passed away. Of course I was watching the headlines all day for the news, but apparently it was announced just as I set out for a walk with my one-year-old grandson, whom I was pushing in an umbrella stroller. Because it is our custom to play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 on Spotify while we stroll, I did not check my phone for updates on the Queen's condition during our walk. When I got home, my daughter asked if I had heard of the Queen's passing. I will never forget that moment just as I will never forget other times when news of such import has reached my ears. I admired Queen Elizabeth a great deal -- even loved her, I think. Certainly I will miss her. Recently I heard that she ate a jam sandwich every day of her life and I knew then that we were soulmates. RIP QEII ... we will never see your equal again. RIP QEIIToday, I awoke to the first day of my 70 years of life when Elizabeth II was not the Queen of England. Of the many images and moments that people around the world have been sharing these past 24 hours, two stand out for me: (1) She may have been the last surviving public figure with a direct link to the Second World War. She spoke to the British nation on radio in 1940 as a 14-year old, was a frequently visible volunteer in the war effort over the next several years, and was the pretty, 19-year old Princess waving happily from the Buckingham Palace balcony to the joyous, weeping throngs gathered below her on V-E Day, alongside the Queen Mum, King George, her sister Margaret and, of course, Prime Minister Winston Churchill. That was her - standing there, in that place, at that historic moment in time. The same dignified woman who remained with us, a living, unbroken connection to history, for the next three-quarters of a century. (2) Queen Elizabeth's sense of duty was without peer. Three days ago, clearly in failing health, requiring a cane to stand, she carried out, once more, her Constitutional role of inviting a new Prime Minister to form a new government, greeting with a brave and hearty smile, Ms. Liz Truss, her 15th such PM. To the very end - THE VERY END, she stood tall and did her duty. Call it ceremonial if you will. It remains still a great statement of continuity and stability in our increasingly rattled, volatile world. We should all be so strong. Remarkable life I have no interest in the British monarchy, and as a group, they seem to be generally feckless idle rich -- Kardashians with a family crest. But there's something I have to admire about Queen Elizabeth, she went through absolutely everything, good or bad, that a person could, and never really changed or let it visibly get to her. The sheer scope of her life is stunning, she was one who had almost literally seen it all, and she was right there, maybe not a big player in world events, but certainly a very close witness. You also get the impression that she was *one tough old bird*, you sure wouldn't want to get on her bad side. She would almost have to be after dealing with what she did for 70+ years. LilibetAt age 64, and a Canadian, I was, like jegan, a one-monarch person until two days ago. Queen Elizabeth II was my only crowned head until King Charles III. Her portrait was in every classroom when I was young, and we sang God Save the Queen every day at school. I frequently wished that she would smile more and that she would show some of the spontaneous joy she displayed when at horse races, but she was representative of a certain stability in my life. Even during unstable moments (e.g. the death of Diana), and even though she didn’t always behave quite as one might wish, she was never rude or untoward. I wouldn’t have wanted her to be my own grandmother, but I appreciated her steady presence on my money and during her Christmas addresses and at so many events where one saw people bowing and curtseying to her and giving her flowers. I don’t know want kind of future the British royal family has now that she’s gone, and I’ve always thought the new king was a bit of a mediocrity, but I’m intrigued to see what happens now in the UK and across the Commonwealth. Definitely one of the better ones. And she definitely was a fixture. Her work ethic and self-restraint at 90+ would do many younger heads of state proud. Monarchy, even a constitutional one, doesn't do anything for me. But I would rather have the consumers of my country's yellow press swoon over foreign royalty than over a domestic one. The latter I can easily do without. To let my internal wag out, I'm sure we will see and hear the occasional goof until everybody got used to the idea that after 70 years it's no longer "Her Majesty The Queen". Princess ElizabethOur family had just moved from Toronto to Windsor, Ontario in 1951 when Princess Elizabeth visited Canada on a Royal Tour. Our next door neighbour worked in an office building downtown, and we were invited to watch her go by in a parade from his open windows. At the age of four I still remember that day. Queen Elizabeth visited Vancouver in 1983, and my Dunbar neighbourhood was on the route of the Royal parade. I went to a corner where I knew the car she was in would slow down to make a turn, and joined crowds forming along the street. I stood beside two elderly ladies who held up a large Union Jack flag, and as the Queen's car went by she looked straight at us and gave the regal wave. I grew up in Canada and Australia, and we sang God Save the Queen every day at school. After seventy years, it will be different with God Save the King. This excellent film shows Princess Elizabeth on a Royal Tour of Canada in 1951 just before she became Queen. End of an EraTo think when Queen Elizabeth II's reign began, Winston Churchill was Prime Minister and Harry Truman was President. Most of us have known no other Queen, and the coronation of the new UK monarch will be the very first in our lifetimes. She was a Queen, a Princess, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother and a mechanic during the war. Now that's a life well-lived. God bless the Queen. (Kodachromes, LOOK, News Photo Archive, Sports)
Wigwam Village: 1940
... or 1942, and when I last drove past the place this past Christmas, it did my heart good to see that it was still standing. Googie ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 10:18pm -

July 1940. "Cabins imitating the Indian teepee for tourists along highway south of Bardstown, Kentucky. (Wigwam Village #2, Cave City)." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Please tell me they didn'thave gas attendants wearing feathered headdresses who walked up to your car and said something like "How! Paleface want'um fill-up with regular?" Still there!That is just one of several Wigwam Villages built, and it's still there: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2106 The registration for the official Wigwam Village Web site expired last week (03/04/10), and is awaiting renewal or deletion, according to Network Solutions. There's another one in Holbrook, Arizona, on Route 66: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10294 One starbut you probably would not enjoy your stay. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g39265-d258948-Reviews-Wigwam_Vi... Cozy ConeMy mom-to-a-kindergartener mind went immediately to Sally's motel in the movie "Cars." We stayed there a few years backAnd you still can, too. It's awfully nifty. We took the kids. The big teepee used to be the diner but now it serves as a front desk and gift shop. I believe their website has historic photos and the history of the Wigwam Village national chain. Any roadside history lovin' visitor to Mammoth Cave must stay there at least once. Sleep in a wigwam!One of these motels still existed when our family arrived in Orlando in 1968. It fascinated me then, it still does now, even though it's long gone. Is the cement dry yet?Could these have been built by the concrete tribe, who were thought to have disappeared. I often wondered how these "wigwams" were transported around, must have been some powerful horses. Pretty spiffy looking guy heading to the EAT wigwam. Last of the lineThe last of the Wigwam Motels was Number 7, which was built in 1949. It also still stands on Route 66 in San Bernardino, California. This one gets four stars (Serta Perfect Sleeper beds!) and is rated the most popular of 27 hotels in town. It also has the distinction of having been in two different towns as the postal zones switched back and forth between San Bernardino and Rialto. http://www.wigwammotel.com/about/index.html Get a Wigwam!PDA couples used to hear that a lot in Bardstown. Holy Smokes!Still standing. Incrediblethat it's STILL THERE! Even the original sign still stands, but now only says "Sleep in a Wigwam." The diner in the big one serves grits no more. From the back seatDriving cross-country in the 1950s, my parents and I passed this place. I begged, I bargained, and I whined so that we could stay the night in a tepee. I used every weapon in my six-year-old arsenal. All to no avail. Alas, here's the image of my unfulfilled wish never to be realized. This is such a great place -- what was wrong with parents? Guess a lack of Route 66 taste. Still aroundI think my family drove past this when I was young. View Larger Map Talk about high ceilings!I wonder if the room had a ceiling all the way to the tip top of the teepee, or if the imitation was only skin deep. One of ManyMesa, AZ used to have its own version of the "Wigwam Motel" along a street naturally named Apache (the old highway). There is another in Holbrook on historic Route 66. Apparently these were more popular than we remember. I stayed in those a few years ago!I understand there are only a few of these wigwam hotels remaining; my wife and I stayed in one a few years ago when touring Mammoth Caves. It was very quaint. We also went by one in Arizona when visiting there. True bits of Americana. Here is a picture of what this park looks like today. Still can stay in one of theseThere are a couple left. One for sure in Holbrook, AZ that was the basis for the Pixar movie 'Cars'. Holbrook is worth a stop for a bit of Route 66 flavor like Joe and Aggie's Cafe and the now deserted Bucket of Blood St. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mediahound/473245947/ [I've stopped at the Wigwam in Holbrook, and eaten at the circa 1960 Plainsman restaurant. The town is worth a visit. Lots of googie architecture. - Dave] Texas TeepeesA similar motel, the Tee Pee, is still on old Highway 59 coming into Wharton, Texas (southwest of Houston). It was built in 1941 or 1942, and when I last drove past the place this past Christmas, it did my heart good to see that it was still standing. GoogieThough the style itself is totally familiar to me, Dave's application (in the comment-comment below) of the term "Googie" to this kind of architecture came as news to me, I'm astounded and ashamed to admit. Further research reveals that the origin of the term involves our old friend Julius Shulman. Wigwams in Cave City, KYWe stayed in the Wigwams at Cave City, KY, last year. We loved the adventure of it!! Local HumorPassed this place many years ago going to look at property in the Wharton area. We asked the realtor about it and he said that the joke at the high school was, "A girl is always safe to go to the Wigwam with a boy--she can't get cornered!" Little Girl's MemoryI remember being about 4 or 5 years old and I absolutely loved it when my parents stayed at the Wigwam in Orlando. A memory that is dear to my heart! Tempe TeepeesI went to school at Arizona State University in Tempe in the late 1970s. On the edge of campus along Apache Blvd near the corner of Rural Road there were 5 or 6 cabins just like this. They tore them down about 1979 to build a bank. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Gas Stations, M.P. Wolcott)
Waterworks: 1906
... about this place. Wonderful photograph! Reminds me of Christmas 1942 ... when under the tree I found a bright red metal case ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2012 - 3:19pm -

Cincinnati, Ohio, circa 1906. "New pumping plant on Ohio River." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Art is where you find itWhat craftsmanship and skill it took to design and construct that tile roof with the spiral courses that wind up the cone. Wow. And the angle is mirrored on the flatter roofing as well. I can't wait for more comments that may answer a multitude of questions I have about this place. Wonderful photograph! Reminds me of Christmas 1942... when under the tree I found a bright red metal case holding my first Erector set, complete with electric motor. What a great toy that was! OK, I give upWhat's the function of this bridge thing? The tracks seem to stop at the barricade, so what ran on the tracks? Knock Knock"Who's there? "Loco." "Loco who?" On the RiverThe was taken from the Kentucky side of the Ohio. The buildings are still there. Colorized postcard Intake BuildingThis website has a nice description of the Cincinnati Water Works complex, including the reason the little Intake building was on the Kentucky side. The website lists the bridge's function as "Maintenance Access," and also has many photos of what the site looks like today. More trees now, other than that mostly the same. "The complex consists of the pumping station on the Ohio side, an 85 foot deep shaft containing a huge steam pump, a tunnel beneath the river and the intake "castle." By the way, these coal fired steam pumps were in use until the 1960s and they are still there. They are some of the largest steam pumps ever construction. The Society of Industrial Archeology has visited and written up these pumps. It used to be possible to arrange for tours [to see the pumps] before 9-11 but no more; although the SIA did get in after 9-11. The intake was situated on the Kentucky side because the water works was built before the navigation locks and dams were put in. They had to have a nice deep spot where there was a good depth of water during all seasons and the channel ran along the Kentucky bank and that's where the deep water was. Normal pool stage at Cincinnati is 26 feet on the gage." http://www.historicbridges.org/kentucky/intake/index.htm Standing StrongStill there, although it must be nearly invisible from the road because of tree growth. The terra cotta must be impressive. View Larger Map Okay, next question.What is the large wooden structure off to the left? Two tracks descend from the TOP of the building to the river. Some sort of barge drop? Looks like an old ice house of sorts, but likely isn't. Coal storage? The Bridge Thingis for a hopper to coal the boiler inside. Red tile was the stylefrom one side then the other. [Terra cotta, they liked a lotta. - Dave] BridgeThe bridge isn't "standard" gauge but is instead about 5 foot between the rails. It was there to allow a special flat car to pull up at the siding (long since gone) and easily offload work equipment and supplies onto a small railcar which would carry the heavy items into that part of the plant. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Industry & Public Works, Railroads)
Pardridge & Blackwell: 1915
... curb. Fly free, little one! This delights me. Christmas Shopping This reminds me so much of F & R Lazarus Department ... the roof with a big "L" on it that lit up at night, and at Christmas they would drape lights from it to form a Christmas tree that could ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:53pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1915. "Pardridge & Blackwell department store." Many interesting details lurking in the corners here; note the phantom streetcar on the left and billboard advertising "Death-Daring Drivers" in a 24-hour auto race on the right. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Crowley'sThe store became Crowley Milner. I remember the wooden esclators. A perfect Valentine's picfor lovers with initials P&B. Long GoneP&B eventually became Crowley's. This building was torn down in the late 1970s, and the Crowley's chain went under in 1999. P & RI did a double-take when I saw the title of this photo come up. Back in the 1970s up until quite recently, there was a popular PARTRIDGE & ROCKWELL appliance store in Greenwich, Connecticut, where we bought most of our major appliances back then. The name of this Detroit store naturally caught my eye. InnovationHonest-to-gosh bicycle racks, so there's no longer a need to prop your pedal up against the curb. Fly free, little one!This delights me. Christmas ShoppingThis reminds me so much of F & R Lazarus Department store in downtown Columbus when I was a child. They had a giant globe on the roof with a big "L" on it that lit up at night, and at Christmas they would drape lights from it to form a Christmas tree that could be seen for miles in any direction. They were also famous for their animated Christmas windows, and Santaland in the basement. The store is gone now, a victim of multiple mergers and corporate takeovers, and i haven't been to downtown Columbus since. All of my childhood landmarks are gone, so I'll stick with memories ... and Shorpy! I found an image of the Lazarus store lit up for Christmas..had to share! Mild dayThere's a lot of open windows for a winter's day! [Why do we think this is winter? - Dave] GhostsA couple of ghost platoons. Perhaps some Starship Troopers? (First one who figures that reference gets a free internet.) Why?It looks like melting snow on the street, but I can't figure out if it's that, or from a very brief rain shower. [That's street-cleaning water. Posters on the billboard are advertising events in June. - Dave] No fair, you guys using reading and observation. You probably have opposable thumbs, too. re: Why?And then there are all the women and little girls not wearing coats. A Shorpilu ProductionSomeone cue Wilbur Hatch! Wehying Bros.Wehying Brothers jewelers is still in business in Detroit today. They've moved about a mile up Gratiot Avenue, not too far from the location in the photo. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Detroit Photos, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Christmas: 1951
... and brother at the house in Merchantville, NJ, during Christmas in 1951. My brother still owns the Lionel trains seen under the tree. ... Drive The neighbor kid got a car just like that for Christmas one year (1958?) and I got a bicycle. I was royally jealous of the ... 
 
Posted by SharkNose - 12/09/2009 - 8:48pm -

My sister and brother at the house in Merchantville, NJ, during Christmas in 1951. My brother still owns the Lionel trains seen under the tree. Looks like it was a good year for the kids. View full size. Boy!That is some wallpaper! However, the carpet is very much like the one we had in the living room for many years -- until my dad replaced it with mustard yellow shag. Didn't have to say "cheese"I'd have an S.E.G. like that on my face if I'd been your brother, too. I would have killed to have one of those. But, living as we did on the side of a hill, there was barely enough room to make a u-turn with my trike. The carI was so struck with the wallpaper that I failed to notice the car. My stepsiblings had a pedal car each. I don't know the make of them. I do remember they were solidly built. My brother, ever trying to exceed himself in toy destructiveness (he fed string into my record player and flour pasted my walking doll), decided one day to focus on the cars. He hauled them upstairs and tossed them out my bedroom window. "Geronimo!" CRASH. "Geronimo!" CRASH. Finally it occurred to him to tie a rope around the steering wheels and haul them back up through the window so he didn't have to drag them up the stairs. Surprisingly, those cars survived the 6 or 7 drops and were saved when my father hauled my brother to his room by his ear for a week's incarceration. Love the carI had a fire chief car, which looked very similar to that one. It had a bell for a hood ornament. I pedaled many a mile around my neighborhood in it. I'm afraid there is no one left who could tell me when I got that car, but I'd guess 1950. Sis!Cute sister, SharkNose! You have a current picture? Test DriveThe neighbor kid got a car just like that for Christmas one year (1958?) and I got a bicycle. I was royally jealous of the car until he let me drive it. Then I realized you couldn't go very far or fast, because the pedals were a clumsy mechanism. After that I loved my bicycle! Ignore the WallpaperIn all the family photos from that era in that house, the wallpaper grabbed center stage! Let's see, my brother was 3 and my sister was 5 in the above picture. I was still nine years away, not to be seen until 1960. It seems that all the good kiddie riding vehicle were either before my time, like the above car, or after I out grew them, like the "Big Wheel." All I remember was my tricycle. Fatal TinselI don't know when the custom started, but the tinsel on that tree is almost certainly made from lead. Our family used it all through the '50s until one year my favorite cat -- eight toes on each front paw and seven on the back -- ate a bunch of it and died a week later. I also still have my Lionel train. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Welcome to Big D: 1963
... lived in D.C. for about about two years in 1960-62. Once Christmas we attended the White House tree-lighting ceremony which the ... with the TV and had only bought one the previous Christmas because I was given "viewing assignments" at school. They typically ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/22/2013 - 7:44am -

        President Kennedy on that dark yet sunny day in Dallas 50 years ago, minutes before he was assassinated. November 22, 1963. "Overview of crowds of people waving as President John F. Kennedy and his wife sit in back of limousine during procession through downtown Dallas, Texas; Texas Governor John Connally and his wife ride in the limousine's jump seats." New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Library of Congress. View full size. There are no words...Life changed for many of us, 50 years ago, tomorrow. The memories of those days forever burned into our hearts. I remember being in Miss Barbara Rappaport's World History class in Abraham Lincoln HS in Brooklyn. Someone came into the class that afternoon, approached her, whispered something in her ear. I still see her, sort of falling into her chair (she NEVER sat in class), with her head in her folded arms, sobbing.... President Kennedy has been shot. We sat there, stunned not knowing what to do, or say. The next days were crazy, with new names popping onto the news minute by minute, it seemed. Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, Jackie, LBJ, Lady Bird, Governor Connolly, the Texas Book Repository..... on and on, Zapruder film, grassy knoll, Warren Commission. Blood on Jackie's pink dress, running FBI agents, that presidential Lincoln... Madness, it seemed! Our calm quiet, idyllic world, was suddenly insane. Caroline and John-John at the grave. And finally, the eternal image of the skittish horse, following the caisson, with the reversed boots in the stirrups. We grew up really quick on that day 50 years ago. Those days live on in our hearts, don't they? A Very Long And Tragic DayInteresting to read all the comments from the Shorpy community. Those of us aware of what was happening that day can never forget it, and those who weren't around will never understand our feelings. John Kennedy was so alive, with so much to do with his life, that the idea of his life being cut short was all the more unbelievable. I was living in Houma, Louisiana, and had a paper route, for which I collected my dimes and quarters every Friday. The thirty or so customers I had were usually ready for me when I came around after school, and I'd complete my collecting no later than 5pm. That day, it was well after 9pm when I got home. The phrase I heard over and over-- and everyone wanted to talk, if only to an 11-year-old paper boy-- was "I just can't believe it!" --Jim What I remembered that dayThe often asked question, "Where were you when Kennedy was shot"....I was in 6th grade at about lunchtime. The PA had clicked on (always a noticable indication that someone was going to the office) and the principal read a short message about the President being shot but no other information as of yet. I remember my teacher looking down at the floor with his hands folded. We were released for lunch and in the hall kids were crying. I went home, the TV was on, (I remember looking at Walter Cronkite on the TV) and my Mother had tears in her eyes while she was making sandwiches. "The President's dead" she murmured and threw the towel to the floor. Mom was so proud that Kennedy was our president. She voted for him...partly because of his good looks, same age and he was Catholic. It seemed, to me, that she was just about as devastated over his death as she was of her Father's passing just a year earlier. My Father, who worked in Manhattan, came home later in the day (it was a bit early for him to be home at 4 PM) saying that the trip home on the train was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Every rider had a stunned look about them. Even the conductor was speaking in hushed tones. This is what I remember. The AnnouncementI was on the basketball court at recess in the eighth grade when we were told over the school loud speakers. I'll never forget it. A sunny but sad dayMy mother worked in downtown Dallas, in the Davis Building at 1309 Main Street. She rode the elevator down from the eighth floor, and watched the motorcade go by. Just a few minutes later, the president was gone. I can't exactly place where this picture was taken, except that it's on Main. Downtown has changed a lot, and some streets have been removed over the years as new buildings have gone up. "Your president has been shot"A man came into the break room where I worked and made that odd announcement. We were all in shock and it wasn't until later that I wondered about the word "Your" being used to tell the people there this horrible news. The ShotsMy step brother's brother was walking from his Law Office to lunch when he heard the shots and had no idea what that was about... until later. On top of the busI'm trying to figure if that's an old-school air conditioning system or some other modification, to fight the hot Texas heat? Breaking NewsI was in my TV/Appliance store in Jamaica, NY as I was walking toward a bank of playing TV sets, all of which were on ABC Channel 7. A news bulletin lit of all the receivers. An announcer was on screen reporting that shots were fired during the President's slowly moving motorcade in downtown Dallas. As I kept watching further news breaks, it became clear that President Kennedy had been shot. Later in the day, as the news spread the store was filling up with people looking at all the TV sets. Later that afternoon I decided to close the shop and went home. SurgeA crowd would never be allowed to move that way today with a president so close. Just look at the excited people coming forward behind the bus. The few people at the window seats on the bus have really lucked out. Jackie is looking right at one of them, and JFK himself could be waving at the same person. A gaggle of women on the right could reach out and touch the motorcycle cop. They're all waving and screaming for the President's attention, but he's looking at that friendly face on the bus. I was in Grade 1 in Winnipeg and I remember the grief of the funeral like it was yesterday. We Canadians felt as though this American event was ours too, as though we ourselves had also lost this amazing person. Main and ErvayThe view is toward the southwest corner of Main Street and Ervay Street. The Neiman Marcus building is in the upper portion of the frame. Our Latin TeacherMrs. Closser was my grade 10 Latin teacher at Herman Collegiate Institute in Windsor, Ontario, just across the river from Detroit. She was an American in her 50s who lived in Detroit and commuted every day to teach in Canada. Before the end of the period she would leave the classroom to join the other teachers for a quick cigarette in the teachers' lounge. She never came back before the bell rang. Until that November day in 1963 when she burst into the classroom, tears streaming down her face, and stood in front of the class and announced, "Our President is dead!" She collapsed into her chair as several girls went up to comfort her. She didn't come back for a week. I took the bus to a dental appointment, and recall that even the hit parade radio stations were playing sombre music. I'll never forgetI remember that day. It was a Friday. Thanksgiving was near at hand.. I was 10 years old. I was in the fifth grade at South Avondale Elementary School in Cincinnati. It was warm that day for November..I checked and the high was 68. After lunch at school we all lined up to go back inside and it seemed the teachers were anxious to get us back in class. I remember our math teacher Mr Jackson told us that Pres Kennedy had been shot and turned on our Tv in the classroom. We heard Walter Cronkite voice but did not see him until he announced JFK was dead at the hand of an assassin. In the classroom next to ours a teacher, Mrs Keller, screamed and fainted. She was taken to the hospital. She never returned to school. School did not resume until after the Thanksgiving Holiday. After the death announcement school was dismissed..I walked home. On the corner of Reading Road and Rockdale AV a news person was hawking the Cincinnati Post-Times Star.. he was shouting; "Pooossst Timesss Pap-pur!!..President assassinated in Texas..Extrrey! Extrey! Read all about it President is dead..Pooossst Timesss Pap-pur' Over and over again. I the Irony is he was standing in front of a Statue of Pres. Lincoln. I solemnly walked home..things were in a daze. When I reached my home my step-mom was going out to visit my sister in Childrens hospital. She had had her transistor radio with her so she could get the latest news.. She asked did I hear about Pres Kennedy. I told her yes... The next three days all that was on Tv was news about the assassination of JFK. His funeral on Monday was a site to behold. I will never forget that black caisson with his coffin riding atop it. The sadness and grief of everyone. Never ever...That was a long time ago in a World so different than today's.. ThenI had just joined a Mechanical Engineering firm that week located on 15th Street in D.C. We had radios in the drafting studio and time stood still that Friday. Surreal; we just stood around, what was there to say? Fourth grade teacher's wordsWe had just returned from recess at P.S. 81 in the Bronx. Our teacher, Mrs. Stanton, told us to put all of our books and things away. This seemed really strange to us, as it was time for our flutophone lesson. I remember her words, "President Kennedy is dead. He was in a parade today, and he was shot." I remember the feeling in my stomach--as though it had dropped somehow. We were sent home. My parents had copy of the comedy album, "The First Family," which poked fun at President and Mrs. Kennedy. When Dad arrived home from work that night, he had a copy of the NY Post with its terrible headline. He took out the LP, wrapped the newspaper around it, and sealed up the album with heavy tape. My family had lived in D.C. for about about two years in 1960-62. Once Christmas we attended the White House tree-lighting ceremony which the President presided over. When Dulles airport opened, Dad took me to the ceremonies. I was perched on Dad's shoulders. We stood not far from the stage where Kennedy gave his speech. I remember thinking how handsome the President was. WNTC RadioI was in the student union at Clarkson College (now University) in Potsdam, NY. Saw the news come across the teletype we had in the newsroom window there. I immediately crossed the street and fired up the college radio station, WNTC, so the guys in the newsroom could broadcast developments. As Angus said the radio stations were playing sombre music - I distinctly remember being very hard pressed to find something to fill the time between news bulletins since we were a rock and roll station and there was not much appropriate music to be had. Canadians tooI was also in 6th. grade, and I was living on an Airforce Base in Canada's capital, Ottawa. It hit us hard too, although at the time I couldn't understand exactly why. I was only 11 years old, but I remember I cried, somehow knowing he was a man who would have done a lot of great things. He wasn't our President, but somehow it was as though he was the world's President. To this day in my 60's I remain fascinated and interested in JFK, his family, his life. NewsmanMy dad on the evening of 11-22-63, after a long day of covering the assassination from the Oakland (California) Tribune. Dad was a reporter and remembered when the AP wire first came in from Dallas. Soon the whole newsroom was frantic with the shock and the task of putting it all together for the afternoon edition. They got the special edition done in time, almost an entire rewrite, and this photo shows my dad waiting in the Tribune foyer for my mother to come get him and drive him home. The Tribune photographer had been taking photos all day of the activity in the newsroom and caught my dad here as he waited for mom. "The president has been shot"I was in third grade in Northern Kentucky. Someone's mother had driven to the school to inform us of the news she had just heard. An unseen adult came to our classroom door and spoke with our teacher, Miss Reagan. I recall that she took a moment to compose herself, then stated that we were to put away our books. She said that the president had been shot. We were to pack our things to leave for the day, as school would be dismissed early. Soon, each classroom would be called to the cafeteria to pray. There was a hush. A knot in the pit of my stomach. Not much talking, brief nervous laughter that soon ceased. Then the entire student body, 865 children, assembled in that basement cafeteria. I remember standing room only -- we ate in three shifts -- and all those children were led in praying the rosary until the buses came to take us home. No one talked. Some of us quietly cried. We prayed desperately for the president's survival. Everyone was riveted by the unfolding events. Even the bus ride home was subdued that day. I remember being glued to the TV coverage as events unfolded. Later in the day at home Walter Cronkite announced that the president had died of his wounds. The news coverage was nonstop and I recall that the funeral, especially the sight of the Kennedy children, was overwhelmingly sad. Jackie seemed courageous beyond belief -- how could she retain such composure in this tragedy that had me bawling for days? The pomp & circumstance of the funeral proceedings, all the symbolism involved, marked the stature of this event and also somehow, gave solace. When I heard the newsOne of the things forever remembered by us as individuals is not only where we were, but who it was that broke the news. For many, this accidental fact influenced the way we reacted that day in November. I was 21 and working as a draftsman at a small business computer firm. There were five of us in our windowed room from which we could see the production floor. I had just begun to notice that the assembly workers had left their stations and were standing about in small groups. Moments later one of the electrical engineers, who often used our room as a shortcut, came breezing through and asked if we'd heard that someone had shot President Kennedy. The guy was a jokester (often shamelessly irreverent), so we looked up from our desks, smiled, and waited for the punch line. When he continued out the other door without another word we realized in sudden shock that there would be none. It was true, and thus began a season of feeling that ice water in your veins disbelief I would suffer again many years later when I watched the Twin Towers come down on live TV and realized that we were at war. No matter how hardened and cynical we are made by this world, we are never quite prepared to receive startling and painful news of great magnitude, even though we know it can come at any time, and in any form. Change of subjectI was in fifth grade on the day he died. There are many good comments on that day. Still the bus picture has a reminder of my youth. I grew up in Florida but the soft drink Dr. Pepper was not sold in Florida. In those pre-Interstate years, we went to North Carolina to visit the grandparents. The first thing we did when we stopped at "South of the Border" was to buy Dr. Peppers. It had a real bite and a strong aroma. Now Dr. Pepper is still tasty but without the bite and strong aroma. I would love to be able to buy the original Dr. Pepper. UnbelievableI was 11 years old and, like everyone else my age, I was in school. The door to our classroom was at the back of the room. We had just come in from recess and the teacher was beginning our next lesson when the Principal quickly stuck his head in the door, made an announcement, and quickly moved on. Because of his distance from our teacher and the quickness of his words, she didn't understand him. She asked us what he said and a child that sat at the back of the room by the door said "He said the President's been shot!" Well that was a concept too ridiculous to believe, so our teacher just said "No he didn't, I'll go find out what's going on," and she went out the room to the class next door. The next thing I remember was everyone standing in the hall, lined up to be excused for the day. The teacher from the class next door was crying inconsolably. I was like our teacher, and was having a hard time believing that all of it was happening. It wasn't until I got home and found my family in front of the TV watching the news that I finally realized that my perfect little world was no more. How I remember itI was in the seventh grade at Centralia High School in southern Ohio. We were taking a math test in Mr. Potter's class. There was a wall behind us with large windows that looked into the journalism class. We were distracted by noise from that room, and as I turned to look, I saw the whole room emptying. We returned to work but soon the class behind us returned and some of the girls were crying and dabbing their eyes with tissues. They had gone to hear the news on the TV in the study hall on the same floor. We heard over the intercom that Kennedy had been shot, but we didn't know whether he was hurt fatally. I was so stunned. I still cannot believe that Mr. Potter made us finish the math test! My next class was study hall, and when I could, I rushed up there and positioned myself in the middle of the room to get a good view of the TV, which soon showed Walter Cronkite make the announcement. We were all silent. Next and final class of the day was Ohio History, where our young teacher, Mr. Lungo, through tears, said that we should pray for the Kennedy family, and then just sat throughout the whole period crying uncontrollably. When my little brother and I got home, we found my parents outside. My mom was sweeping the walk and my dad was sharpening a hoe. I asked if they knew Kennedy was dead and she asked how I knew that, like was it something some kid of the bus had said? I said no, it was on TV in school. She looked at my dad and wondered if it could be true. Of course, we all went right in the house and turned on the TV. Naturally, they were stunned and just watched in disbelief. You Can Hear Radio Recordings of That DayGo to RadioTapes.com to hear several hours of recordings of that day, as broadcast over Minneapolis radio station WCCO. Eventually the coverage shifts mostly to the CBS network, including Cronkite's announcement of Kennedy's death. There are also recordings from NBC and Voice of America. I was in second grade, Mrs. Gooler's class at Hale Elementary School in Minneapolis, and we had just returned from lunch. The principal came over the PA system to announce the shooting; we were asked to put our heads down on our desks and pray silently for the president. Not fifteen minutes later she came on again to announce that President Kennedy had died and that we would be dismissed early. (In those days, virtually no mothers worked, and we all rode the bus home for lunch and back for the afternoon class.) I remember arriving home and being shocked--SHOCKED!--that my mother was actually WATCHING TV DURING THE DAY! My parents had a love/hate relationship with the TV and had only bought one the previous Christmas because I was given "viewing assignments" at school. They typically watched it only an hour a day for the NBC Evening News and the local news. And as if that weren't bizarre enough, my father came home from work early, which he never did. All normal broadcasting--including advertising--was suspended until the funeral the following Monday. We didn't completely resume our normal activities until after Thanksgiving weekend. No one who was alive then will ever forget where they were when they got the news; a so-called "significant emotional event" like this generation's 9-11. I was asleepI'm probably one of the few who *doesn't* remember where I was. I was 8. We were living in Melbourne, Australia, where my dad was in the Foreign Service. I remember the next day, my mom had to sew a black armband for him to wear to work at the Consulate. I thought it was a bad thing that someone would shoot the President, but it was nowhere near the same impact it would have been if I'd been in the US. School went on normally, as I recall, and there was not much fuss that I noticed. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Motorcycles, Public Figures)
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